Race Report – IM Cozumel – the final chapter!

maria’s first ironman – CONTINUED

Who would have imagined that T2 was really a diva’s pit stop!  As I was ushered in the Women’s changing tent and then lead over to a row of chairs to sit down, two volunteers ran over to me with my Run bag.  I saw the opportunity to “enjoy” the moment.  One of the ladies dumped out my bag and I quickly began giving orders (in a friendly way).  I had one girl mixing my electrolyte drink, another was grabbing a towel and washing down my lower leg/feet (they were covered in road grime and sand), and yet another lady was handing me the items on the ground as I called for them.  It was the Four Seasons version of T2.  NICE!  I could get used to this.

After my feet were dried, yes they dried my feet, I slathered a handful of Bag Balm on each foot.  Rain=blisters and I don’t play that game.  I was told about using Bag Balm about a decade ago in San Francisco from an ultra marathoner who was 78 years old.  Wise man.  I then put on my socks and shoes, grabbed my race belt clipped it on and grabbed my water bottle.  The final prep: bathroom.  There was a row of porta-potties in the tent, how convenient.  I then was told to head out the NW corner as the timing mat was just outside the tent.

I took a deep breath, reset my garmin and headed out to conquer my first marathon!  Now I might have had race-induced hallucinations but I swear when I exited the tent the crowd cheered only for me.  Whatever the true scenario was, I was having an adrenaline high.  Let’s do this!  A marathon away from being an Ironman.

I was ready for the battle ahead and actually felt good.  I won’t go as far as to say that my legs were fresh but they felt good.  Plus, I had my lucky dollar (the one I found on a training run a few months ago) tucked under my insole.  And I had my lucky charm on, my late grandmother’s necklace.  Between the two lucky charms and my solid training I was ready. The course was 3 loops, about 8.7 miles each.  My mental game plan was to take one loop at a time and to execute my run race plan.

Loop One: zone 2 run.  I was actually shocked that my HR was at the lower end of zone 2.  This was a good sign.  The day’s work so far had not translated into fatigue.  I was doing a steady 10:30 min/mile pace and felt no muscular pain.  The first two miles were right through the downtown shops/restaurants.  The streets were lined with people cheering and children wanting to high-five the athletes.  What a rush!  I really did take it all in and was constantly looking around at the crowd, the runners and the ocean.  The roads were still wet from the downpour.  I am not sure what was worse riding in the rain or being on the run course during the rainstorm.  As I approached mile 2.5/3 I noticed that the entire road was flooded.  Everyone was just running through the water.  It was almost knee-deep.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, feet wet at mile 3 of 26 would only lead to disaster and not the experience I wanted.  So despite several “she is crazy” looks, I made the first great decision on the run and I slipped off my socks and shoes and ran through the flood zone barefoot.  Once I crossed I put my socks/shoes back on and continued on my merry way….WITH DRY SOCKS/SHOES.  Who’s laughing now!?!  I make it to the turn around spot (two guys are writing down the runners’ numbers as we hit the mat and I head back into town.  My second best decision was to follow a fellow Ironman’s advice which was to walk the water stations.  What this meant was as I approached the water station, I stopped, grabbed water, drank it while walking, threw the bag away (in this race the water was distributed in vacuum packed bags) and began running again.  On average 30-40 seconds per water station.  I credit this tactic to allowing me to run the full marathon.  Again I come to the flooded section and remove my socks/shoes and run barefoot.  Once again I get strange looks.  As I get closer to town (turn around spot) the crowd grows.  School band were playing, people cheering and air of excitement.  I felt the adrenaline building but I was making sure I didn’t speed up. Tempting!  The only real downer on the first loop was that I didn’t see anyone I knew, not my Mom, coach or friends.  On to the next loop.

Loop Two: zone 2 run.  I did a HR check and still in mid zone 2.  Perfect.  No pain, no GI issues, no blisters!!  I head back out towards the downtown areas.  I must say the crowd support was so motivating.  I high-fived a bunch of kids, smiled at the locals yelling out support in Spanish and smiling at my fellow runners.  I am pretty sure I had a smile plastered on my face the entire race.  How could I not, I was about to become an Ironman!  Again, sock/shoe removal time, the water had not drained.  And a funny moment in the race, I see a few others taking their shoes off too.  LOL!   The second loop was the “hardest” for me.  I still felt good physically but it is the loop of boredom.  I have already seen the course, I know what to expect and I need to stay in zone 2.  I really wanted to run faster but I had a plan and was going to execute it.  Restraint is hard, but I knew it would pay off for me.  I really wanted to finish strong.  A few things that I do remember about this loop.  It started getting dark, there were A LOT of people walking at this point and I grew tired of hearing the songs Eye of the Tiger and Chariots of Fire.  Really??  Where was the Mexican music??  Now another great piece of advice that I received and did try out during my training long run was to put on my favorite Zoot calf sleeves at the 13.1 mark.  I had decided to carry them with me inside of putting them in my Run Special needs bag  just for insurance.  So as I approached the water station just after the half-marathon point I asked on of the girl’s to help me slip them on.  Since they are so freaking tight I wanted her to hold them open so I could slip my foot right through them without causing a foot crap.  At this point I was all about risk management.  I wanted  my first Ironman to be pleasant.  I continue my water station walking and again reach the flood zone and run through it barefoot.  By this time almost everyone is removing their shoes.  As I head back into town to complete loop two I notice a Mexican band playing for the crowd and it fires me up.  I take in the Mexican experience, so glad I chose this race.  I felt so comfortable in Mexico.  My Spanish was a little rusting but I managed.  It was such a diverse, international athlete crowd.  It was really great to be in the mix of so many diverse cultures.  Now as I start approaching the last mile before the turn around I hear someone yell, “is that Maria?” YES!  One of my fellow tri club members runs out and high-fives me.  What a rush!  I cannot explain how much that meant, to know someone when you are so far away from home.  As I am about to make the final turn to start loop three I feel myself getting choked up.  I can see the finish line and I can hear the finishers’ names being called out.  I was one tear short of a melt down when I came back to reality and realized that “I” still had one more loop.

Loop Three: zone 2/3 run.  It was the hardest yet the easiest loop.  I cannot even began to explain that I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I was now even closer to being an Ironman that the tiny issues that did arise were so easy to ignore.  As I made the turn I finally saw my coach and he shouted out a very positive message to me and I had such a sense of comfort.  I knew that my coach and Mom were now anticipating my finish.  Plus I knew all my friends at home were receiving the update that I was on my last loop.  By now it is dark but the course was lit fairly well.  The crowds had thinned now and there were more empty spots.  I had a very solid mental plan and it helped in these quieter areas.  I never had low points or negative thoughts.  I worked really hard to get here, I put in the time and this was the big payoff.  I had taken the bike super slow (maybe too slow) but again I was running and A LOT of people were walking.  I kept telling myself that I played my cards well and to just enjoy it.  Now, I did start to experience tightness in my hip flexor but I never had any muscle twinges/cramping like I have had in 70.3s.  Not sure what the magic formula was in this race (maybe the magical compression sleeves) but I knew at this point it was just a matter of time until I was baptized as an Ironman.  It was a countdown to one of the greatest feelings I have ever experienced!  Back to the last lap, the flood had now subsided so I didn’t need to remove my shoes.  My feet had stayed dry and I have no blisters or any foot issues.  Before I got to the turnaround point (the guys were still standing there writing athletes’ numbers down) I had very minor GI issues emerge.  Looking back I think I overconsumed on the bike and it was the point in time that digestion was in full force.  It was more of a discomfort than an issue, unlike what I have experienced at other races.  I cross the timing mat and it is four miles to IMland.  I ditched my Zephyrhills bottle (filled with my electrolyte drink, yes I brought one from home to run with) and emptied my jersey with all the backup emergency items.  I never ended up stopping to pick up anything from my special needs bag.  It was all backup stuff anyways should I have encountered a bad run.  The only deal I made with my self on this run was to hold off on the Coke (well Pepsi in Mexico) until mile 23.  When I had my first one it tasted so good!  And I hate soda.  Three miles away from IM status.  HR was in high zone 2 now but I still with my run race plan.  Considering the long day I already had, I started to feel a burst of energy.  By mile 24 I was telling the crowd I was on my way to become an Ironman, grinning ear to ear.  I ran with a guy who was doing his second IM and was struggling, we chatted for a minute or two and he told me “Go get it, it’s yours now!”  I said thanks and speeded up as I knew I had made it.  The remaining mile was all glory.  I knew it was a matter of  time until I started bawling.  I started to think about (this was the first time I actually had real thoughts in the run) all the hard work, all the early mornings, all the swims I didn’t want to do, all the commitment, the investment, the drive and determination and it was all about to peak.  And the flood gates opened.  I got so choked up that my HR sky-rocketed to max 188.  I was on the verge of hyper ventilating.  I was running a 9 minute mile.  I knew there was no stopping, I could see the lights at the finish line.  I gained a little bit of control and started laughing while high-fiving both side of the crowd.  Mile 26.  It was less than 0.2 at this point.  I came to the beginning of the carpeted walk of fame and I stopped.  One message I took to heart during this entire race was to take it all in.  I looked around, I spotted my Mom, saw my coach and saw the finish. WOW!  I really did it. I really, really did it.  I started to jog again and began to laugh/cry.  The picture below captured my emotions perfectly.

I cannot describe the sheer feeling of happiness that i felt.  All the hard work paid off.  I had an execellent race experience, the best one could possibly hope for on your first Ironman.  I started cheering with the crowd as I approached the finish line.

This was it, the moment every triathlete dreams about.  As I walk up the finish line ramp I hear “Maria, you are an IRONMAN!!”  I actually stopped right under the finish line, the world seemed to stop for just a minute and I made a permanent mental image of the moment.  When life hands me curve balls I will be reliving this moment.  I could not have asked for a better race!  I set a goal and I achieved it!  These are the moments that make life LIFE.

Race Report – IM Cozumel – part two

maria’s first ironman: continued

The leg cramp:  MAJOR sign of my dehydration status.  I knew this was a critical point to make the right decision.  I had been riding (into the headwind) at an average of 17 mph but knew I needed to back WAY off and immediately start rehydrating.  So I dropped my speed to about 14 mph, hardly using my right leg on the bike.  I had to go to the small chain ring.  VERY frustrating!!  But I knew if I made a wrong move here it would make my already great experience, awful.

I began my “re-hydration” plan by consuming twice the electrolytes I had planned via gels and drinks.  I continued at this snail speed for a solid 45 minutes until I started to feel better.  My dehydration sign is light headache and muscle twinges.  My headache was now gone and I started to increase my speed.  My leg felt good, the cramping was gone and I was able to move into the big chain ring:  just in time for the cross-winds!!

Some bike course info:  1st lap = 34 miles, 2nd/3rd lap = 39 miles.  1st 1/3 of course = headwind, 2nd 1/3 of course = crosswind, last part of course tailwind (sometimes!).

Below is the course elevation map:  slight rollers during the 2nd half of course.

As I begin the cross-wind section I am actually feeling really good.  Bike is comfy, legs feel great, full of energy (just popped a caffeine pill) and the views are spectacular.  It also started getting really hot.  Luckily I have plenty of training in these conditions.  I have two bottles that need filling so I grab one ice-cold water bottle as I approached the first water stop on the far side of the island.  I ended up tossing my regular bottle as I was handed a really nice looking IM Cozumel bottle.  I quickly mix in some electrolytes, eat another Vega gel and get adjusted into aero for the cross-wind ride.

The wind was probably blowing 15-18mph on the first loop.  And it was hot!  A few of the pros whizzed by (most of them were drafting!) and I figured they were on their last lap.  So I decided since I have a way to go that I would start taking it all in.  The ocean was a unbelieveable turquoise blue.  The waves were crashing against the rocks sending sea spray on me.  There were several tiki bars (all closed) that were definitely a must do after race day.  The funny thing is I never really had any time to just juggle random thoughts, so much to see and so many riders to watch.

I saw this really cool sign in the sand.  Again, I realized I was doing my first Ironman!!

Near the end of the cross-wind side of the course I saw the sign for the Bike Special Needs pickup lane.  Since it was only lap one and I really didn’t need anything I kept going.  Finally I reached the turn back into town and caught a great tailwind!!  22mph!!  Yes, now this is great.  My HR was still within my zones, even better!  Within 2-3 miles I approached the “Mexican” family crowds.  Families were out in full force BBQing, drinking beer, cheering the cyclists and playing music.  How awesome!  The children waved, the men whistled!!  My adrenaline starts pumping.  This is so cool.

Within another mile or two I hit the beginning of town.  Traffic is stopped, cars are honking in support, the policia is waving and smiling and the crowds are at least two deep yelling in a mixture of English and Spanish.  I actually come out of aero and start waving at the kids.  This ride was apparently not going to be “EPIC” for me so I decide to just enjoy it.  As I round the corner I see the bike finish and proceed to follow the signs for Lap 2/3.  Hmmm…not tired, feeling good, let’s see what Lap 2 has to offer.  I cross the timing mat, realizing that everyone tracking me will finally get an update and head out to start the second lap.

The second lap would now be 39 miles.  My hydration/nutrition was working well and the winds were calmer on this side.  The course went through the downtown area near the convention center and it continued to be lined with onlookers.  The ocean was fantastic and the fact that I was on Lap 2 was great!   This part of the course was still new as it passed by all the hotels and took us back to the starting point.  As the passed the starting point I needed to a make a bathroom stop.  Again, I was not qualifying for Kona and I wanted to make my ride experience as pleasant as possible so I stopped at the next water stop to use the porta-potty.  The volunteers were so great!  They ran over to me and held my bike as I used the bathroom.  The also grabbed water for me and I refilled two bottles.  About a 4 minute stop in total.  Well worth it to me!

The headwind continued to build, I tried to make sure I was maintaining my zone 2 HR.  At this point the cyclist are fewer and far between.  I rode next to a guy I had chatted with on the first loop, we exchanged our thoughts of the bike course so far and I continued on to the dreaded cross-wind zone.  The wind was now pretty close to a solid 18-20 mph.  It was a constant wind, which in my opinion, is somewhat easier to manage than gusts.  I did stay in aero throughout this entire section of the course.  My delts would be screaming by the end of the day.  I once again approached the Bike Special Needs area and decided not to stop again.  By this time I had consumed most of my gels and had taken in more electrolytes than planned at this point due to the issues at the start.  I was going to drink water until the next water station and then I would mix more of my electrolyte drink.

Now for the first time during the bike I actually thought about how I really wanted to be done with this ride.  I was so looking forward to the turn back into town for the tailwind and the crowd support.  The crowd support made a HUGE difference.  They really can help change your mentality especially in a difficult race as this one was turning out to be.  Another ride through the Mexican crowd support, then the downtown support and once again pass by the bike finish and make the left to Lap 3!

As I begin to head out-of-town it starts to hit me, I am almost done with the bike portion.  I have one lap left!  I knew this was going to be the toughest lap but I start actually getting a little choked up.  I waved at the spectators who cannot see the building tears behind my sunglasses.  Getting closer to becoming an Ironman.  Let’s finish this bike ride up!!

I made another bathroom stop, filled up my bottles and took my final caffeine pill.  The headwind now was blowing.  Again I realized staying in aero was the most efficient thing to do.  But my arms/back were now feeling it.  I guess it was better than my legs getting fatigued.  Even though the conditions were worsening my spirits were soaring.  I was in my final lap of my first Ironman.  So much to still take in.  I did try to memorize/remember as much as possible.  Even as I am writing this now I can see the ocean, feel the wind and get excited about the finish all over again.

The final encounter with the cross-wind part of the island was BRUTAL!  All I know is that is was 20+mph.  Sand/sea spray all over, general desire to get off the bike and just counting down the miles to get to the tailwind section.  I really wanted to speed up to end the torture but I thought is was best to practice something I know very little about, restraint!  If not I would pay for it on the run.  And I had my personal goals for the run that I didn’t want to blow.  This was the only time during the race that I actually looked at the distance on my garmin and tried to do the math of how much was left.  I really tried not to focus on the mileage but on the # of laps and take one at a time.  It worked out well.

As I am half way through the open ocean, cross-wind hell I notice that the temperature has started to drop.  Significantly.  That can only mean one thing on an island.  STORM!!  I glance to my left (inland) and I notice a pretty massive black cloud with inevitable storm heading over the island.  I could see the sheets of rain in the distance.  As if I needed another weather condition to battle.  With my sailing background I knew the storm was only moving a few miles per hour and I did a quick calc and determined I would probably hit the rain during the tailwind/back to town side.  Then it dawned on me:  Storm coming at me means Headwind coming at me.  GOODBYE TAILWIND!!  So the last 15 miles will go down as the worst 15 miles that I have ever experienced during a race. 

I did stop at the Special Needs stop on this lap and picked up the two remaining gels I had in the bag.  Since I had consumed more at the beginning I was now short a few.  I wanted to get as much nutrition in before the run just in case GI issues presented itself.  The stop was less than two minutes as the volunteers radioed in our numbers and by the time I hit the bag racks mine was waiting.  I stopped, grabbed the gels and left.  NEED.TO.BEAT.THE.STORM!

Finally I make it to the turn back into town and I am staring into the soon to be rainstorm that I would be riding through.  A few of us were actually riding near each other and commented how this storm was not going to be pretty.  The crowds had already left.  The skies were now getting very dark and the mood had changed.  I just wanted to make it to the finish safely.  The tailwind indeed had turned into a headwind and within a few minutes (5 miles from the finish) it pours SHEETS of rain.  The roads immediately flood.  Two minutes into the rainstorm the water was almost to my crankset.  It now became more of a “safety” type ride as you could not see the road (potholes, speed bumps).  I decided to play it smart and reduced my speed dramatically.  This far into the IM I was not going to be carried out on a stretcher because I wiped out on a wet road because I was trying to gain five minutes on my overall time.

At one point I had to almost come to a complete stop to cross a huge puddle that covered the entire road.  The policia was obviously gone!  So was the crowd.  Another few minutes went by and the rain let up.  Now I was two miles from the finish and pretty darn tired of this ordeal.  SO READY TO GET OFF THE BIKE!!  I made the final turn, saw the bike finish sign and was ushered to slow down and dismount.  Like I really needed to be told to dismount, I was so OFF the bike!!  Total bike time 7:17:18.

One of my favorite parts of the race:  I dismount and someone grabs my bike and it disappears.  This is probably the only time I can remember that I was not sad to see my bike disappear.  Good riddance, well, at least for now!  I am quickly ushered by two volunteers into the Women’s changing tent.  The point me over to a row of chairs and my a$$ could not have been happier.  Welcome to T2!!

TO BE CONTINUED……

(FYI:  I am not intentionally try to create suspense.  These blogs are taking on average of two hours each, very mentally exhausting.  Thanks for your patience.  I promise to bring you to tears by the end!)

Race Report – IM Cozumel – part one

maria’s first ironman

Alarm sounds off at 4am.  I was already awake 10 mins earlier .  Got good sleep but was excited.  Ready for race day.  I got up and started getting ready.  My usual race day morning prep includes having all of my gear (clothes, timing chip, garmin HR strap, shoes, bottles, etc) laid out the night before so there is no room for error.  I got dressed, ate my first pre-race meal (rice milk with a scoop of Vega Sport Optimizer) and sipped some water with my 400mg of caffeine (pills).  I am a no coffee girl.

I had made plans to meet my Mom at the hotel lobby at 5am to catch the free shuttle from the hotel.  I grabbed my special needs bags (bike, run) and my bike bottles that I mixed and headed out the door.  There were a few athletes also waiting to get on the shuttle.  I saw my Mom and we both walked over to the shuttle and got on.  Pure silence onboard.  I was in a more excited stated and decided to listened to my pre-race playlist on my ipod during the ride.  Well the ride was all of 10 mins.  Our hotel turned out to be ideally located near the start of the swim.

Once we arrived everyone quickly got out and we walked to the athlete entrance (bike out area).  I handed my Mom my ipod and jacket and she took a few pics.

I dropped off my special needs bags at the respective areas and then headed into T1.  I told my Mom to meet me at the fence half-way down transition so I could hand her my morning clothes items.  As I walked in you passed through the Pros T1 area.  A few of them were there, I glanced at my coach’s bike but he had not arrived.  I continued on to my bike’s location (really close to the bike out) and started prepping my bike.  I put my bottles on my bike, I had four prepared.  I had brought a small hand towel from the hotel in case I wanted to dry off my feet after the swim.  I set up my garmin and turned it on, it quickly picked up the satellites.  I just needed to air my tires and I was basically set.  I felt very calm, no butterflies.  I walked over to where my mother was waiting and handed her the remaining items I didn’t need so she could take them back to the hotel.

I ran into my coach and his two other clients that were racing and they had a tire pump.  We all walked over to my bike, pumped my tires and then headed to the other bikes.  Again, I was very calm.  Really couldn’t believe it was race day.  The mood in T1 was very different than I have ever experienced in other races.  Very tranquil.

My next stop was the porta-potties as I knew the line would be huge.  And it was.  I made small talk with a few others standing in line and it actually helped me start feeling good.  Many there were also doing their first Ironman.  The line seemed to move quickly at this point and I was finally done with all my morning routines.  I headed over to the staging area for the swim start.

The pros were set to go off at 6:40am and they were already getting in the water.  I didn’t have a chance to see my coach before his start.  I had carried some additional Sea Safe lotion with me and my electrolyte drink and gel for the final pre-race calories.  At this point I was slathering on the lotion hoping for extra protection against the jellyfish, but since I hadn’t really felt any during the practice swim I was feeling fine about this fear.  As we started to get close to the pro start I ran into my two buddies (my coach’s clients) and we all stood together watching the pros swim.  We were all very quiet, not our usual loud selves.  At this point, 20 minutes from race start, I am starting to feel a little anxious.  I was not really wanting to jump off the pier for the in-water start even though I had done this in the swim practice.

The race announcer started calling all AGers to start entering the water and a mass amount of soon to be Ironmen started approaching/jumping off the pier.  I was in no hurry to get in.  I ate my gel, finished my electrolyte drink and slowing followed the crowd.  My buddies and I noticed that people were just jumping in from all direction, a bit of chaos.  We did notice that a few “smart” folks found the ladder down to the dolphin cage area and were just walking in.  Well I decided that was what I was going to do.  So we walked over to the edge of the pier and walked down the staircases.  Whew!  Fear one for the day was overcome!  Feeling real good now.  At this point we have about 5 minutes to the start of the race.  The crowds were cheering, the pros were now approaching the mid-point and all the athletes were in the water awaiting the start.

When I had entered the water via the stairs there were people standing on the in water dolphin cages so I decided to do the same as to not tire my legs out.  I took a few breathes in the water, made sure my goggles were set  and gently started kicking my legs.  I hear a gun go off and knew that was it.  The race has started.  I had spoken to several people about where to start, consulted with my coach but had not really solidified what I would do on race day.  I had a few plans but I wanted to see how I felt and what the real situation would be like.

So I decided to swim in the middle of the pack.  I felt great, felt confident in the water (since I didn’t have to jump off the pier) and the water was PHENOMENALLY clear.  There were arms/legs everywhere but I felt the most comfortable I have ever felt in a swim start.  Odd, since this time I had at least 2,000 others with me.  Again, my swim plan was still flexible at this point.  I swam a good 200 meters in a pretty thick crowd and I started to realize that I was in a very good draft position and recognized the effortless feeling that it provided.  Plan now was to draft as much as possible.  With the water be so clear (100 ft plus visibility) it was very easy to sight, see others without having to lift your head out of the water.  I was swim so well.  I was very calm, felt very smooth with my stroke and was making good progress.  By the time I actually pull my head out of water to sight the turn buoys I realize I am almost there.  Wow!  That was too easy.

The the turn it did get a little more crowded but nothing like I imagined from the stories everyone had told me.  I received a good tip that I used, to sight the turn buoys via the anchor line to make it easier to turn without having to lift my head out of the water.  Worked like a charm.  I am now in the “long stretch” of the swim course.  The good news is that there was a nice little current helping us and the water was beautifully clear.  There were reef fish everyone.  Scuba divers on the bottom watching the athletes and snapping pictures.  I saw large reef fish, schools of small fish, a sting ray, starfish, sea fans and coral.  The most beautiful race swim I have done.  (The only other swim I have done, but not raced, was the Kona swim course).

I was so happy that I had made it past the first part of the swim as in my mind it was the biggest road block for me.  Now that I was in the long stretch I felt even more comfortable and most of the swimmers had spread out a bit.  I did continue to find small pack to draft off of and I continued my “snorkeling” adventure.  I felt so good at this point, and calm, that I started a breathing pattern of 2-4-2.  I seemed to just be flying through the water.  I was so happy.  I even waved at the scuba divers at the bottom and they waved back.  The next thing I began to notice was that it was starting to get noisy.  I pulled my head out of the water and realized I was at the half way point already and the crowds were cheering loudly.  WOW!  For the first time I glanced at my watch and I was at 0:40 minutes.  I was having a fantastic swim!!

Then the issues began……about at the half-way point I start getting nailed with sea lice and jellyfish stings.  Sharp, burning stings.  There were no visible jellies in the water but I knew that it was it was.  Apparently the Sea Safe either wore off or really didn’t work.  For a few minutes it was very uncomfortable but then I decided this would be part of becoming and Ironman and I should just suck it up.  Which I did.  I decided to find more groups to draft off in an effort to get a little protection from the jellies but it didn’t matter.  They continued to sting me.  I probably did pick up the pace at this point in an effort to get out of the water quicker but I was still staying in my target heart rate zone.

After these distractions, and swimming through a few thermoclines, I approached the final turn buoys.  It was now about 1:10 into the race and I was definitely having my best swim ever.  Now there were a few things I started to notice.   I was starting to feel warm, the speed suit did bring up my body temp.  The ocean temp was probably around 82 degrees, so it was already very warm.  I also noticed that I felt as if I had been licking a salt stick as my mouth was unbelievably salting to the point of being really thirsty.  NOT GOOD!  First stages of dehydration.  Unfortunately in this race it was a one loop course.  I knew I was less than 500 meters from the finish so it wasn’t to big of a deal.

My swim had been EPIC so far.  It was so beautiful in the water that I actually never thought about the length/duration of the swim.  It actually felt like it flew by.  I have never felt this in a race.  Also it did not feel like I swam 2.4 miles.  Seemed so much shorter/easier than I thought it would feel.

And now for the disaster…as I rounded the last turn buoy and was making the final approach for the finish (I could see the finish and the crowds) my right foot cramped up…BAD.  I stopped and was on the verge of panicking when I stopped my self and decided I just needed to assess the situation first.  It was a bad cramp, I tried to swim but it got worse.  I then decided to head closer to the buoy line to possibly hold on to it to work the cramp out.  I knew if I flexed my foot for a few minutes I could get it to go away but that would involve having to stop and tread water.  And that is what I did.  After about two minutes the cramp eased and I decided to swim without kicking.  Since I was so close to the finish and still had energy I could pull harder and get there fine.

It was definitely not in my plan but I had  a sneaking suspicion that swimming in very warm water in a single loop format would inevitably bring cramping muscles into the game.  I feel very comfortable in the water (avid diver) so this was more of a frustration for me than a full on panic.  I was bummed that I didn’t really enjoy the final meters as much as the rest of the race but as I approach the last few strokes to the exit stairs I could feel a huge smile on my face.  I had done it!!!  The most daunting part of the race for me was done!!  I knew I was one step closer to being an Ironman today.

I approached the swim exit stairs and sat on the bottom step, as I have learned in previous races, and spun myself around and onto my feet.  There were probably 10 others trying to exit so it wasn’t too crowded.   The minute I stood up on my feet I was surprised that my legs felt good.  I had only gently kicked throughout the entire swim.  I began jogging down the carpet lined pier towards the timing mat.  The crowds were cheering us all on.  I looked around for my Mom as I had asked to be a the exit area of the swim and I hadn’t seen her.  But as I was running towards the timing mat I saw she had a front row view and yelled out my name.

I was beyond happy.  The swim was over, I made it.  Total Swim Time: 1:27:33. I had a great swim even with the cramping and jelly fish stings.  As we head to the timing mat and cross it there is a tent with about 50 shower heads pouring water down on us.  I stand under the fresh water and rinse off some and then head to the Bike Bag racks.  I yelled out my race number “1601″ in spanish and a kid grabbed my bag and handed it to me.  Now this is “luxury” racing.  I really like this!!

We were all escorted the changing tents, men’s and women’s, and I headed in.  Now in retrospect not sure why I went in, maybe curiosity, as I really had nothing I needed to do in the tent.  But I did manage to sit down, dump out my bag, chat with a few girls beside me about how great the swim was and then I realized I AM WASTING TIME!!  Not that I really cared about my T1 time but no need to waste time.  I grab my bag and left the tent.  I did an easy jog to my bike, it was far from the swim exit as I had a great spot near the bike exit.  Once I got to my bike I threw on my shoes, my helmet, filled my jersey with my nutrition items (4 gels, pretzels, banana chips) and dropped the bag and walked my bike to the exit.

Again, the crowds were cheering.  There were people lined up everywhere watching the athletes.  What a rush of adrenaline.  I was so excited.  Surreal.  I am actually doing my first Ironman.  I crossed the timing mat, clipped into my pedals, started my garmin and rode out to the course.  I did take it all in.  I looked around, smiled at everyone and took a deep breath, I had 112 miles of riding ahead of me.

Race obstacle #2.  I start picking up speed once I got out on the road and noticed my FU#%ING garmin power meter was not working.  REALLY!!!!  The day I really needed it because of the wind.  I started fiddling with the garmin, tried recalibrating it, then resetting it but with no luck.  I decided it was probably not the safest move to keep messing with it while riding so I pulled over and tried to reset it again.  I spend a good two minutes trying to fix it but then decided I was wasting time again.   With all the training I have done I knew where my HR zone should be in correspondence to the wattage plan my coach gave me for the race so I decided to fall back on the old-fashioned method of HR zones.  Not what I wanted to do but I had no choice and it wasn’t going to ruin my mood.

I got back on my bike and now really started the bike.  And now obstacle #3.  The foot cramp from the swim was now a full leg cramp in my right leg.  This is NOT GOOD!!!

TO BE CONTINUED……….

My final Pre-IRONMAN post

Excited and ready.  I cannot believe it is finally here!!  What a great journey over the last few months.  I learned a lot about myself and realized I can do just about anything.  I have received a lot of advice telling me to enjoy the day, and let me tell you I will!  There is only one first IM.

Started the morning with a quick swim at my hotel’s roped off beach.  I figured today was a good day to test out if the Sea Safe really works.  Findings: it does.  I did not put any on this morning and got stuff a few times.  Well be using it on race day.  I only swam for about 5 mins, wanted to just loosen my arms.

I changed into running gear and did a quick 20 min super easy run with a few pick ups.  At first my legs were feeling tight but by the end of the run they felt great.  Honestly I still feel as if my muscles are sore/tight but it might just be a head game at this point as I have been in taper mode all week.  A funny thought came into my head as I was finishing my run, “the next time I will be running will be during my first marathon”.  It’s very emotional…in a good way.

The true end to my training has arrived.  I spent the next few hours relaxing by the pool with my Mom and then napping in the hammock on my patio.  I listened to my inspirational playlist and started to finalize the mental prep.

My bike drop off time was 3-3:30pm.  I was going to take the complimentary shuttle from the hotel but decided I did not want to wait the 20 minutes and rode my bike to T1 instead.  It was only 1.5 miles away.  It was awkward carrying both of my bike/run gear bags with me.  Had to put the running shoes on my tri bars and shove everything else in my backpack.  I thought I would be the only crazy person doing this but saw many others doing the same.

When I arrived at T1 it was packed.  Turns out I could have shown up at anytime.  It was organized though.  We were escorted into the bike in area where we were all marked with our numbers on our arms.  We then had to have our photo with our bike/number on arm taken which was immediately uploaded on the laptops in the area.  Not sure if this is done at all IM races but seemed like they wanted a secured environment.

The first area that you walked through was the pro’s T1.  Surreal.  Their bikes were all racked.  I glanced at a few of the names.  Very cool.  Then saw my coach’s bike.  Said a prayer that he would have a fantastically fast bike split and kept walking to the AGer’s area.

I found my bike spot, very near the bike exit.  I stopped a few times to just look around and take it all in.  It is a very different feeling than at a Half-Iron race.  Cannot really describe it.  I racked my bike and left my run gear bag hanging on the bike as they were going to pick them all up and transport them to T2 near the finish line.

Next stop was to drop off the bike gear bag that it placed at the swim exit.  We apparently run through a tent with showers and then grab our bike gear bag off the rack and run to our bike location.

I memorized the spot where my bag is: right most row, second section on the left side bottom row.  I was going to mark my bag with a ribbon but forgot it back home. Oh well.  Next was pre-body marking.  Not sure if it will make it through tonight’s shower but I figured I’d get as much done as possible.

All is done in T1 now.  The rest of the bags (Special Needs for Bike/Run) will be dropped off in the morning.  I took in the last view of the swim course and started heading back to the shuttle pick up area.  I feel good, I feel ready.  Actually I can’t wait to get this race started.  The waiting around, especially for an inpatient person like myself, has been killing me.

Once  back at the hotel I setup the rest of my morning gear and bottles I will take with me to my bike.  I made my final “eat-in” meal and am now relaxing in my recovery boots.  I am feeling physically tense, my muscles are not feeling fluid.  I am hoping this is only the race day tension manifesting itself as I am mentally and emotionally prepared.

Off to bed shortly to get rest before the BIG DAY!!!

Race Week – Friday

I really tried to sleep in.  Somehow the excitement is getting to me and it is interfering with my sleep.  Also, even thought the time change is so slight it is affecting me.  So, got up at 6:30am and started getting ready for the day.

On tap:  swim practice at race site.  I decided that swimming at the venue would help calm my last-minute fears/worries so I headed over with my Mom at around 8am.  We took a cab ride over but it was only 1.5 miles from our hotel.  Good to know as I will be able to easily ride my bike over tomorrow for bike drop-off.

All I can say is that when I arrived I could feel the excitement for race day.  People from all countries, all languages.  Always a few groups of Brasilians around to practice my Portuguese.  The site was setup with security patrolling the pier so only IM athletes could enter the water.  Also, since this is the Dolphin Sanctuary and tours were in progress they wanted to keep non-competitors out.

I put on my Torque speed suit, grabbed my goggles, put on my Wellington Tri Club swim cap and handed my bag to my Mom.

She snapped a couple of pictures and then I told her to wait for me at the exit.

 

The were actually allowing everyone to swim the entire course (it was all set up with the buoys).  There were swimmers everywhere.  Most folks were swimming a few hundred meters and then heading over to exit.  The best part was that we were allowed to use the swim exit stairs that will be there for race day.

I walked over to the pier’s edge and glanced out into the water.  I was actually a bit uneasy.  Not sure about the jellyfish situation, not sure if my legs were going to cramp up (they have been feeling crampy since the flight) and not sure if I was going to be able to swim the distance needed to get to the exit. 

An older guy beside me, in Spanish, said “take a deep breath, let it out and jump in”.  So I adjusted my goggles, looked around again noticed the dolphins in the sanctuary swimming and it relaxed me and I jumped in.  A few seconds of “acclimating” panic and I was all set.  No jellyfish, the water was moderately warm (I would guess 80 degrees) and it was CRYSTAL CLEAR.  I began swimming and immediately noticed all the tropical reef fish and immediately relaxed.  WOW!!!  How freaking cool!!!  This venue is awesome!!  This was the last confirmation that I needed to know I AM 100% READY.  All my immediate fears are gone!!  I am actually looking forward to the swim.

I ended up swimming about 20 minutes as I kept getting caught up in looking at the fish.  A few time I found myself just “snorkel” kicking and not swimming.  Many athletes stopped in the water to mention to the swimmer next to them how cool this swim was!  So the jellyfish thing.  I had asked a few people as they were getting out of the water if they have gotten stung and a few mentioned they did.  It was more of a sea lice kind of sting.  I felt nothing and I usually.  One thing I did do is use a product called Sea Safe.  I have used it before and I never really knew if it worked or not but today I am going with the “it worked for me”.   Will be using it on race day.

When I exited the swim I sat on the last step and pulled my legs out as I plan on doing on race day.  I have cramped before in Half-Irons when I try to climb the stairs.  It was VERY nice to be able to experience the swim start and finish prior to race day.  This has made a huge difference in my mental state regarding the swim.

My Mom was at the exit and snapped a few photos and I then proceeded to the fresh water pool filled with athletes rinsing off the salt water.  I spoke to a few Mexicans who had done the race before and raved about it.  I am so stoked.  I have never been so excited before a race.  Strange that it is the longest distance race for me that does this.

I changed into some dry clothes and we headed back to the hotel.  Next on my list a quick bike ride with my coach and his athlete group.  We did an easy 30 minute ride on the perimeter road and I felt good.  My bike was in perfect shape, no derailluer issues like in past race from packing the bike in a bike case.  My garmin worked fine and power meter seemed to be working fine too.  I will say it has been 5 days since I have been on my bike and the first few minutes felt strange, like it had been two years.  But after a few minutes of high rpm spinning my legs felt normal.

Caption on this photo should be: Dumb things triathletes do before a big race!!

Made it back to the hotel safely and began prepping my race bags.  I have mentally gone through the items I want in each bag but I decided to start laying everything out to ensure I had everything I need.  The expo was small but it did have just about anything you might need in case you forgot something.

I started prepping my race bags and gear for Sunday.  I wanted to make sure I have everything I need so there is no last-minute errands to run tomorrow and I can really focus on resting and relaxing.  Planning on finally hitting the pool for a few hours and reading.

Calling it a day and hitting the sack somewhat early, well not really.  Hoping I will actually sleep in tomorrow.  Easy swim/run on the schedule to help loosen up then bike drop-off at 3:30pm.  I hope to get some relaxation time in at the pool.

Race Week – Thanksgiving Thursday – LONG travel day

I knew today was going to be crazy!!  Morning started with a 3:30am alarm.  Mom and I had our bags packed and ready to go so we were out the door by 4:15am.  The drive to MIA was easy, I-95 was empty.  I took the 112 airport exit and was right on time until I realized the airport parking lot I was trying to get to was on the other side of the “new” ramps.  Crap!  The swearing begins.

After some major detours around the entire airport I manage to get to the parking lot.  What I thought was going to be a quick in and out (I pre-paid for the parking) turned into a nightmare.  All I will say is “Welcome to Dade county”!  We finally make it to the airport and are dropped off, with our 7 pieces of luggage at the AA terminal.  We have a porter assist us and pretty effortlessly check-in and get through security.  Our flight miraculously was on time with a packed plane.

We were suppose to have a very tight connection but somehow lucked out and arrived early and our connecting gate was two gates down.  After a quick bathroom stop we head over to the gate and join the other 200 triathletes.  It was so cool to be around future Ironmen.  It felt good.  I belong.  We boarded and started to hear all of the past race stories being told amongst the athletes.  Again, so cool.  I think my Mom finally started to grasp the greatness of the event.

The flight from DFW to Cozumel was a quick 2 hours.  I was so glad I chose to fly direct.  Thanks to all the past participants to highly recommended this option to me.  It was perfect.

What fantastic views of the island as we were approaching for landing.

Welcome to Mexico!  I must confess this is the first time I have landed in Mexico without drink in hand.  Not to worry I will be making at stop at Senor Frog’s sometime after the race.  It was a smooth landing on the tiny runway and we taxied to no gate as it is old world style exit, the rolling staircase.  Reminds me of the Key West airport.

We quickly make it through customs with no issues and grab a cab to the hotel.  The lush landscape and island air was so comforting.  I am finally starting to feel that the race is real.  I could not have picked a better venue.  The people have been extremely nice and helpful and everything is going as planned.  We check into the hotel and our room is ready with my special requested microwave already in the room.  Excellent service!

This is the view from our room.  Definitely paradise.

After some minor unpacking I was anticipating getting my bike and picking up my packet.  I get very stressed about this and I make it a point at every race to get my race packet as soon as possible.  For some reason it signals that I can relaxed.  The additional stress on this trip was trying to find where Tribike Transports had the bikes and picking mine up and getting it back to the hotel.  I am glad we went today to the convention center as it was fairly empty and I was able to get some of the last women’s sized items in the Ironman store.  Not sure who plans out the inventory but they always seem to underestimate the inventory for women’s items.

I guess it is official.  I have my race numbers, timing chip and bags.  All set here, now off to find my bike.  The Tribike Transport tent was right next to the convention center and was prepared for all the bike pick ups.  Their system worked well.  I provided ID and they checked my name on a printed list against the bike tag on my bike.  Funny thing is the lady called out to the guys working, “It’s a Miami bike”.  LOL.

Ah, finally!!  Relaxation.  I can now concentrate on getting to the peaceful place.  We grabbed a cab and headed back to the hotel just in time to catch the sunset.  I am so ready for bed tonight.  I was working on only four hours sleep today and it was not working well for me.  I hope to do a practice swim at the swim site in the morning and then do the final prep on the bike and maybe even take it out for a spin.  But here’s the best photo of the day!

Race Week – Wednesday

Busy, busy day.  Today was my day off from training but did have to head into the office.  It was a somewhat short workday but I did manage to run some errands at lunch for my last-minute items.  I have decided to bring all the food I am going to consume for the days leading up to the race.  Not because I am in Mexico but because that game plan worked great for me for the last two races.  So I ran over to Costco, the snowbirds are back, and picked up my canned Sockeye Salmon (no preservatives) and a case of my favorite Chocolate Zico.

I managed to make it over to Walgreens to pick up a cheap pair of flip-flops so I can wear them to the swim start and then ditch them.  I have been doing this for my last few races (ever since I got a piece of glass in my foot and did an entire race with it) and it makes me feel more comfortable.  For $8 I found a black faux-suede with bling diamonds on it that will definitely make some girl happy who finds it.

After work the massive chore of packing.  I wish I had taken a picture but my kitchen table was filled with all types of food items for the trip.  I have found that using a small rice cooker while traveling is the best all around way to prepare most foods.  I lucked out and got a deal on a mini rice cooker at Wally World for $5.  I have used it for every traveling race this year.  To think I was going to ditch it on my first trip.  I usually make brown rice in it but started varying the meals with quinoa and millet.  Right after the rice is ready I empty out a can of the Salmon on top of it and it is perfectly steamed.  I have also used the rice cooker to make my “oatmeal” in morning.  Again I use brown rice but doctor it up with cinnamon, agave syrup and strawberry preserves.  I bring all of these items with me.  Makes planning and controlling meals so easy.  Go ahead, call me neurotic, but it works.

Since I am going to Mexico I picked up a few other items including my Chocolate Zico, Almond Butter, various teas and banana chips.  I threw in a few cans of salsa verde (no preservatives version) to add flavor to the brown rice and salmon dish.

Packing.  The weather in Mexico is throwing my for a loop.  It has been very warm but the weather forecast now has a cold front (highs of mid 70s) coming in on Monday.  Not sure how much “beach” time I will be getting so I packed an assorted variety of apparel.  Luckily I have the luxury of checking in 3 pieces of luggage at 50lbs each or I would have scaled down a bit.  I probably spent a solid two hours packing and stepping on the scale to check the weight of each piece.  Good thing the bike is taken care of already.

Off to bed now and hoping to get some sleep.  Alarm goes off at 3:30am for a 4:15am departure to MIA.  Gonna be a long day tomorrow!!

Race Week – Tuesday

It’s race week!  I can’t believe my race is finally here.  I won’t say the time has flown by because it hasn’t.  I spent many long weeks training, gave up most of my social life and have had the strictest of all diets around.  It has been a very, very long road.  But finally the good stuff is here.  I am so ready.  But not sure my body is 100% there.  I continue to feel moderately tired, though today was much better.

I swam a very easy 800 yards on Monday evening at Deerfield Aquatics.  It was my last swim (pre-race) there.  I have spent countless evenings and Sunday mornings swimming there.  I can remember each swim.  My progression has been fantastic.  I remember the first few weeks and how I struggled to swim the 2,000 workouts.  I was out of breath, inefficient.  Yesterday’s swim was so different.  I actually felt so in control in the water.  The pool was filled with children swimming in a swimmer’s program, several adults were getting there workouts in, it was just a flurry of activity.  I felt so at home.  It was sad to leave. 

Today’s workout was a very easy run.  I managed a 2.5 mile zone 1 run to the beach and along A1A.  Again, this path was my staple in my training.  Oh how I love Delray!  I took in the sun, stared into the ocean and began to visualize myself on race day.  It was a great run.   The best part was everything (hammies, quads, knees) felt fine.  Another final check: last run on US soil before race day!

I have started “spots” within my house of packing.  My kitchen table is stacked with food items I am taking for my pre-race day eating.  I also have my racing items laid out in my den for easy review before packing.  I will finish the rest of the packing tomorrow.  I am very happy with the decision to send my bike via TriBike Transport, one less thing to worry about tomorrow.  I will post my packing pictures.

Finally I had my last 1.5 hour, pre-race massage.  My body has pretty much “healed” from the last few weeks of training but I did still have a few trouble spots.  Hopefully my masseuse was able to fix them all.  I will be taking my recovery boots and massage stick with me for some additional pre-race muscle relaxation.

I can’t believe this is it.  I am so excited but will feel more relaxed once I board the plane on Thursday.

One Week til Ironman Cozumel…it’s almost here!

It has been an interesting week.  I began my “taper” week this past Monday and well, it didn’t really feel like a taper.  I had four days of low volume, high intensity workouts and they seemed harder to accomplish that the longer volume days.  My body was confused.  I felt sick off and on all week, that sore throat about to come on feeling.  Felt sluggish and tired all week.

Tuesday I had an easy ride for 45 minutes but could only get in 30 minutes as I was just too fatigued.  No specific pain but just overall tiredness.  I took it easy for the rest of the day, chugged ginger and spent time in the evening stretching and using my recovery boots.

Wednesday was a 7 mile run.  I was actually uneasy about this run.  My past run on sunday was good but I had to really pay attention to the hamstring.  I was fearful it would be just a matter of time before it showed itself again so I was not really looking forward to this run.  I was supposed to run it all in zone 3 but as soon as I started my legs were heavy like bricks.  I knew pushing it would just cause the muscles to overwork and possibly create further issues.  So I backed off and ran in zone 2 for the first 5 miles.  I monitored the hammy and finally towards the end of the run I felt confident enough that I could finish the last two miles at zone 3.  All went well, my pace was slightly slower in zone 3 than the last few weeks due to the fatigue.  I was definitely happy that the run ended well and that I was able to get into zone 3 with no issues.  But I must admit, it was not the “last” run that I wanted to have before the race.  I really wanted a fast, fantastic “last” run but not in the cards for me.  My legs were very tight the rest of the day.  I tried to stretch as much as possible at work.  I did manage to get an 1.5 hour massage after work.  It was more painful that I expected.   I had a lot of muscular issues.  I had been very diligent in getting massage weekly since I started IM training but I had backed off the last two weeks and I could really tell a difference.   One regret is that I never really was able to incorporate a full yoga program into my training.  I really had planned on it but there was so much to juggle that yoga fell to the way side.

Thursday was a quick 30 minute bike morning with 5 VO2Max type intervals.  I was actually feeling better in the morning than on Wednesday but still not the 100% I thought I would be feeling this week.  Actually I have felt more fatigued and lacking motivation this week versus any other week so far.  I started to feel sick again during the day at work.  My throat started hurting, always the first sign in my body that it is breaking down, and I tried to consume a lot of tea, ginger and the rest of the “magical” potions to help stop it from progressing.  It didn’t really improve.  I had a swim for my PM workout.  It was the most difficult workout to date to get motivated to do.  I left work at 7pm, dead tired, mentally exhausted and not feeling a swim.  But I told myself I have come so far and to give in now was not what I wanted to do.  So I dragged my ass to the LA Fitness pool for a quick 1500 swim.  This swim felt longer and harder than the 4000 swims I have done!  Incredible how the mind creates so much resistance.  BUT so glad I went.  I actually started to feel physically better and my swim was fantastic.  I really needed this swim in my mental bag of swims.  Everything felt great, easy and smooth.  Got to bed early as my body began its downward spiral again.

Friday funday!  Had a complete day off.  It was nice but still feeling blah!  I started to feel that I might not feel rested enough by the time the race gets here based on how I continue to feel.  This began to worry me.  I spoke to my coach and he assured me that what I am going through is normal at this time before the race.  It is very unsettling.  A constant worry if I will feel rested by race day.

Saturday was my last real brick, a 20 mile bike and 3 mile run.  I was happy to finally get outside and ride especially since it was windy like Cozumel will be.  It was a tougher than expected ride, like the rest of the workouts this week.  I had the opportunity to check all the gearing and adjustments on my bike as I took it in for a full-service on Monday and got a new chain, derailleurs cleaned and tuned and overall bike cleaned.  I also took my Zipp wheels to get service, hubs checked, bearings grease and wheels trued.  They only have a few hundred miles on them but the traveling/transporting in the bike box is rough on the wheels.  I have traveled to more races this year out-of-state than I have done in state.  The best part of saturday’s brick was definitely the run.  I finally got the “last” run I wanted, it wasn’t long but it satisfied the need.  I ran my fastest miles to date and felt great!  I actually had to push hard/run faster to get my heart rate into zone 3.  And my legs felt great, hamstring included.  HUGE check of the ready list!!!

So today, Sunday, was an easy day.  I had an 1.5 easy spin on the bike.  This would be my last bike ride here as I was going to be dropping off my bike in Miami at noon for the Tribike Transport pickup.  It was a bittersweet ride as the next time I will be on my bike will be in Cozumel.  Happy, sad, elated and nervous.  I did my easy ride indoors on my trainer and then packed it up in my car.  I drove down to South Miami in about an hour and was one of the first to drop off my bike.  I ran into a tri club member and met a few other athletes going to Cozumel.  The excitement and race are starting to become real at this point.  I am a week away and hopefully will be finished by this time next Sunday.

I have really been happy with my choice to do the bike shipping via Tribike Transport.  I still need to pick it up and see how it arrives but I will say the reduced stress that I will have from traveling with it next week will be worth it.  It was a bit stressful getting it to Miami and the long drive but I am a big fan of getting as much taken care of before the travel day as to eliminate as many issues as possible.

The REAL taper now begins.  Very easy training for the next few days, 800 yard swim, 3 mile run then easy spin on bike in Cozumel and an acclimation ocean swim on the swim course.  I am very excited for this race.  Very happy the end is in sight now.  I am more than ready but I have had a shift in my race focus.  I was focused on “just crossing the finish line” but I am confident I will so my new focus because it is even more powerful - I will “RACE with GRATITUDE”.

the FINAL big training day….T minus 2 weeks till Race Day!!

I survived the training!  It really wasn’t that bad.  Took a hell of a lot of commitment and determination but not unattainable.  I cannot even begin to list all the things I have learned so far on this journey; some training related others more of life lessons/self-discovery.  I do know I am capable of anything and I have been my own worst enemy. 

As my day of becoming “baptized” into the Ironman religion approaches, I have been reflecting on the journey so far.  What I thought it was all about in the beginning is so far from what it has turned out to be so far.  After the race I plan to spend a blog post on the following topic:  What I thought – What it really ended up being.

Today’s training.  My FINAL brick.  A long one.  It was actually supposed to be much longer (80 bike/14 run) but with the hamstring issue from Wednesday my coach felt it was best to take it easier.  Again, he made the right choice for me.  My brick was shortened to a 50 mile bike with an 8 mile run.

Loving this early sunrise time change.  Got out the door early and since I only had a 50 mile ride decided to go North to the Palm Beach Inlet.  It was so nice seeing so many familiar faces out cycling today.  Usually I would ride South first and wouldn’t see as many cyclists that I know.   But it was SUPER windy again.  I put on my race face and decided that today’s conditions were as close to the ones I will see in Cozumel and tried to put myself into my race day mentality.  After awhile the wind became very tolerable, almost to the point that it didn’t faze me.  I did notice though that I didn’t hydrate as much as usual because of the constant concentration on bike handling.  I forced myself to stay in aero for most of the ride.  Again, trying to create a similar race day experience.

All in all the bike was good.  What I worried about was the run.  Not knowing how the hamstring was going to react did concern me.  After the bike I quickly transitioned at home and took off for my run.  Ran my usual route South on A1A.  I did have to make a small detour as the Atlantic bridge was up for passing boat traffic.  The joys of living so close to the ocean.     The first mile was very good, no pain, no tightness and at a 10:00 pace.  The second mile made me nervous as this is where the hamstring started acting up before.  But again nothing, 10:00 pace.  By the third mile major fatigue from yesterday’s and today’s training set in.  My legs felt heavy and like they were dragging.  I did start to feel pain but everywhere.  This is how I tried to make light of the situation:  my hamstring was throwing a pity party and invited my quads, hip flexors and calves.  Everything was hurting.  More of an intense tightness than sheer pain.  I knew I had to slow my pace to avoid additional issues so I took it to an 11:00 mile pace.

Just when I thought the learnings were over I learned something new.  I learned that I CAN control the muscular discomfort/tightness with pace management.  This method will allow me to continue to run when I feel it is all falling apart.  It’s all about recognizing your fine line and managing to it.  By fine line I mean where pain can turn into major injury.  I have never subscribed to the theory of finishing a race at a pace that inevitably will leave me injury.  I’m not a spring chicken anymore.

My coach did tell me that if all felt fine I could run the last two miles in zone three.  When I got to this point I wasn’t sure what to do.  The run had been “good” so far and I didn’t want to recreate the hamstring issue.  But again I was curious to find out where I stood.  I really want to run as much of the marathon as possible.  So I made a deal with myself, I would slowly build to a zone 3 pace but at any sign of a hiccup I would stop and not run through it.

I started running faster and made a point not to look at my garmin so I wouldn’t try to force a pace.  I ran for at least a half mile (I visually know all my mile markers on my route) when I decided the hammy was outside of the danger zone.  At the end of mile 7 I did glance at my garmin and I was at a 9:00 mile pace.  Not the fastest pace, last week was actually faster, but hey I’ll take it.  Finished mile 8 comfortably in a 9:00 mile pace.

And so it ends….IM training.  I now enter my taper time.  This is a greatly reduced training period focused on short workouts with  small, very high intensity intervals (1 minuter or less).  It is all about resting, allowing the body to heal and “gain” the new fitness.  My new worries: what to do with all the free time I will have!!

The last Swim/Bike Brick

I am reaching the end of my IM training and kind of having mixed emotions about it.  I really enjoyed the long training days and reaching new levels in all three disciplines.  Now it is a waiting game while trying to stay healthy.

Since I had my super long distance swim on Thursday, my workout for Friday was an easy 40 spin.  I actually felt good in the morning and had no hamstring issues/tightness.  But as the day went on I began to feel extreme fatigue.  The kind where you just want to take a long nap and disconnect.  Unfortunately I had a busy day at work and had dinner plans with my RW Training – Cozumel IM team.  It was nice to have the pre-race conversations.  This is going to be a fun trip!

Back to today’s training.  My plan had a 25 mile bike/1500 swim brick but I chose to break down instead of doing the brick.  Again wanted to take  it super easy on the hamstring.  Also, I really wanted to bike from my house instead of the usual Deerfield Beach Aquatics pool/Hillsboro ride.  It was super windy out again but I did want to spend time outside to begin to wrap my head around the actual race day conditions.  Cozumel is known to be very windy.  Disc wheels are prohibited.

I rode north from my house towards the inlet.  The half way point is just past the Lake Worth bridge.  It was probably blowing around 15-18mph but a sustained NE wind.  Much easier to handle in aero than the gusty type of days.  The ride went well.  I pushed a much higher wattage than on my plan but I felt great and my HR was still in the comparable zone.  At the turn I had a fantastic tail wind and was able to fly back home.  One of my best rides in the last few weeks.   Plus it was short.

I really wanted to change-up the swim a bit and decided to go to another favorite pool: Aquacrest.  The have a very limited schedule and are closed on Sundays (why I usually end up at Deerfield) but since I switched my training days I had the opportunity to hit my “local” pool.  I was so excited to use my Zogg’s again.  LOVE those goggles.  One thing I forgot to mention on my Long Swim blog was I had previously had eye socket pressure when I would hit 3,000 meters in my old goggles.  The Zogg’s are so comfortable I never felt any discomfort when I did the 2.4 mile swim.  Yes!  That was a MAJOR race day concern for me.

After a brief recovery period I headed over to the pool.  The waters were glistening here too.  The pool was empty and the water was at the perfect temperature.  Once I got in I wanted to stay and swim all day, well, maybe just hang out in the pool.  So I did my 1,500 meters with a focus on form with easy strokes.  The swim felt great!  My form was the best it has been all season.  I even spent a few laps trying to perfect the bilateral breathing.  Still a challenge for me.  On my to-do list for next season.  My legs actually felt good, given that I did bike a pretty hard 25 miles.

Another thing I forgot to mention after the long swim on Thursday.  As the day progress (on Thursday) I had started to feel a lot of pressure at the base of my neck and on the left side on my neck.  This was all because of the fact I was only breathing on my right when I did the long swim.  Major muscle kinking.  I scheduled a massage on Thursday night and the fantastic therapist spend over two hours working it out.  So on today’s swim:  neck felt great!!  Will be scheduling another couple massages before race day.

I could have swum forever today.  Everything was clicking.  And the weather was beautiful.  But I decided to follow the plan and only did my 1,500 meters.  I think I really like swimming.  Hoping to join a Master’s program in the off-season to continue to improve.  I think I can be a much faster swimmer in the future.

Finishing the day with time in the recovery boots.  Tomorrow workout is the official LAST BRICK before race day.  It’s a big one too.  Well sort of, 50 mile bike and 8 mile run.  Fingers crossed that the hamstring is as excited about the training as I am.

My 1st Ironman Distance Swim – 2.4 miles…in the books!

I really wanted to swim the entire IM distance prior to the actual race for my own mental satisfaction.  Swimming the entire distance wasn’t necessary but I wanted to see what it felt like, what it would involve and how I would feel after.

My plan was to swim at lunchtime since the weather has been magnificent for South Florida.  It was 82 degrees, sunny skies.  My pool of choice for the monumental event: Deerfield Beach Aquatic Center.  It was only fitting, as I “learned” to swim long distances at that very pool.  I arrived shortly after noon and the pool was completely empty.  The beautiful water was glistening in the sunlight, it was calling me!

I was looking forward to accomplishing this distance today.  It was definitely excited.  As corny as it sounds, I had my favorite swimsuit on and I had my new FAVORITE goggles, the Zogg’s.  They were perfect for today’s bright sunlight.  I brought an entire bottle of my electrolyte drink for after the swim.  Also, I practiced my race day nutrition at the same time I plan to use it for actual race day.  One hour prior to the swim I drank my Vega Sport Optimizer with rice milk.  Then 15 minutes before the swim I had a Vega Endurance Electrolyte gel.  A few sips of water and I was ready to go.

I chose the “yards” versus the “meters” lane just because it seemed more appealing at the time.  The single meter lane was at the shallow end of the kiddie pool and I wanted to be as far away as possible should the pool get unexpectedly busy.  My workout was to swim 200 yards as a warm up then to swim the 4200 yards (2.4 miles) non-stop.

My mental game plan was to follow my normal “counting” method.  I take each 1,000 and split it into two 500 or “5″ counts and then repeat.  I take each 1000 yards at a time and focus on it then move to the next 1000.  Today I would do this four times then add 200 yards to get to the entire distance.  Off I go…

The first 1000 was good, felt fine, water was chilly but it actually felt nice.  The lifeguards told me the water temp was about 78 degrees.  I think it was more like 72 degrees.  Anyways, I was enjoying the clear, non-glare view in the water with my goggles.  Not much went through my head, just breathe-pull, breathe-pull.

The second 1000 was a bit more of a challenge mentally.  I started thinking of how I had so much more to go and I immediately forced myself to stop thinking about the cup half-empty view and focus on how much I have swam so far.  The second 1000 now flew by.

As I start my third 1000 the pool began to have some activity.  A few other triathletes (my guess based on their non-flip turns) were now swimming and I actually recognized two of them that I met last week between breaths.  Unfortunately I realized I was only half way through myswim and since I am a slow swimmer they will definitely be done with their workout before I am done with my swim today.  Watching this activity was my opportunity to practice “sighting” by keeping an eye on what was happening around the pool.  So now the third 1000 flew by even faster: distractions!  Love them.  One note here, I did start to feel random twinges all over my body.  A few times my right foot felt like it was going to cramp so I basically stopped kicking with it for a minute or two.  Then my left quad started getting a little uneasy so I again reduced my leg movements.  It seemed to work each time, avoiding a full-on cramp.  Cramping during the swim has been one of my biggest FEARS!  I have, over the last few long swims, had to deal with the sensation of a cramp starting but I have managed to avoid them by reducing my kick for a few minutes.

The fourth 1000 was fantastic in a strange way.  It was like almost being able to taste the finish line.  I found a new surge of energy and with a huge amount of determination got the job done.  Amazing how the mind just takes over.  By now my arms were getting fatigued, my neck was screaming (I had only been breathing on my right side) and I was starting to get parched.  When I got to the last 500 I was beyond happy.  I was almost there.  I began to visualize how this would feel on race day and started to create the mental strength to pull from for race day.  As soon as I hit the 4000 mark I knew I had all the confidence I needed to complete the distance, both today and on race day.  The final 200 flew by, and I think I even “raced” them.  Somehow I still had gas in the tank.

I did swim a slow pace, zone 2-3, my planned race pace.  I do think I can swim faster but since this is my first Ironman event I will stick to the slower pace.  Once I completed the entire 4200 yards I just hung on the side of the pool in complete amazement.  I NEVER in my life thought I could swim this distance.  Comfortably.  I have now just proved it to myself.  I didn’t drown.  I didn’t cramp.  I wasn’t thirsty.  All of my fears were foolish.

As I am sitting here now writing this I still don’t believe I swam 2.4 miles.   Funny thing, it really wasn’t THAT hard.  Oh, it took work and commitment but not crazy difficult as I had imagined.  I now know I can do this!  With this swim under my belt I know I don’t have to prove it to myself anymore on race day and I can actually do what all my Ironman friends have been advising me to do:  ENJOY THE RACE!!!  I will be doing just that on the swim in Cozumel.  Taking it all in….

bad, Bad, BAD day!!

I was anticipating today’s run!  Two miles in zone 2 and the eight miles in zone 3!!  Finally I get to run fast. 

Got up super early as the sunrise is at 6:30ish now.  I had prepared everything for my run the night before so it would be a quick out-the-door kind of morning.   The weather was perfect!  Much cooler temps this morning, probably in the high 60′s, I knew I would be able to run faster.

My first mile was the usual slow warm-up mile.  The sunrise over the ocean was spectacular today.  I took it all in as I ran along the beach sidewalk.  By the time I got to mile 2 I was feeling great.  My heart rate was just now getting into zone 2 and my pace was around 9:20.  I stopped at the Linton/A1A light to wait for traffic and then started to prepare for the 8 miles in zone 3.  I was pretty sure I could go sub 9′s the entire run.  I was going to try to negative split the run.  This was just for fun as that feat will be virtually impossible in my IM race.

Within less than a 1/2 mile in I begin to feel some discomfort in my left hamstring and then BAM!  A sharp twinge and shooting pain!  F**K!!  I pulled it.  F**K!!

I immediately stopped and cursed some more.  Why NOW?  Why? Why? Why?  Unfortunately I have been down this path with my calf before and luckily I knew exactly what to do, well more like what NOT to do.  So I walked home 2.5 miles.  Good thing I got started early because it was going to be a long morning.

One thing I have learned, any major twinge or stabbing pain MEANS you should STOP!  If not you are risking further injury.  I don’t have time for injuries now and since I will not be gaining any additional fitness in the next 2 weeks, I stopped and walked.  I was so upset during this walk, I just want to get to the starting line healthy!!

The rest of my day consisted of rounds of icing and then some gentle stretching tonight.  Hoping for the best in the morning. ;(

the Homestretch…final week of high volume training

I can’t believe my IM (Ironman Cozumel) race is less than 3 weeks away.  11/27/2011.  Finally feeling very ready to race! 

This week begins with the usual Tempo Ride in the morning and Swim in the PM.  I started to feel the effects of the previous week’s training with major fatigue during the ride.  I wasn’t able to hit my watts for the entire ride but did complete the workout with good effort.  One thing I have noticed is the “hard” training is becoming easier.  Today’s swim was 2,900 yards.  Four months ago I would have struggled to finish 1,400.  Now, it just seems easy.  Not sure if this is good or bad.  I continue to push myself in my training but it appears it requires less hard effort than in the beginning.

As I put in the final week of training I find myself reflecting on my thoughts when I first started the IM training.  I am in such a different place.  Fear has turned into excitement, pain has turned into comfort and determination is at its all time high.  I feel like I am going through the motions now, awaiting the starting gun.  I finally am able to understand the saying ” it’s about the journey”.  I already am a completely different person.  Just to think that two years ago I thought a Half-Ironman was a lifetime achievement goal and a full distance Ironman was out of reach for me.  It has become crystal clear to me that one’s only limiter is one’s mind.  We create our fears, limitations, failures in life.  No one else does.

Too many deep thoughts, back to the training mindset.  Long run on tap tomorrow, 10 miles.  I finally get to run fast, 2 miles in zone two then I get to unleash the horses for 8 miles of zone three.  Never thought I could be so excited for a long, hard run!!!  But I am.  Recovery boot time and off to bed.  Loving the time change, super early mornings!!

swimming with a polarized view

Today’s brick is close to being one of my last.  I LOVE the Deerfield Beach pool, especially long course on Sunday’s.  I keep telling myself that I will continue to swim after IM but the swim is always the first to go for me.  But today I was super excited to get to the pool to try my new goggles.  Thanks to a fellow triathlete I got a recommendation to try a new brand that has a polarized lens.  I had a lot of issues with the piercing sunlight in my last race and I am sure Cozumel has a high probability of being as sunny during the swim.

Loving the new goggles.  They are called Zogg’s with a truly comfortable fit, fog-free lens and the best feature; a polarized lens.

The underwater view seemed to come alive with these goggles.  Blocking the direct sunlight was fantastic too.  Swam 2,000 meters in a pretty chilly pool while enjoying the view.  Off to a quick transition in my car and had a 30 mile bike ride which turned into a 25 mile ride, I miscalculated my route.

It was super WINDY out again.  But today’s ride was approached with a different perspective.  Cozumel is a very windy course so I rode today’s ride with that in mind.  I cannot control race day weather so I took advantage of the opportunity to train in what could possibly be similar race day conditions.  The cross-wind was a bear.  The southern route, from Deerfield to FLL, has condos lined up all along A1A.  The gap between the condos create areas with extreme gusts as the wind whips around them.  Again my hands were aching from the death grip on my aerobars.  Yes, I tried to ride in aero as much I as could.

The highlight of today’s ride was the fact that my legs felt great.  I was able to pump out some serious wattage with minimal strain.  Good sign that I recovered well from yesterday’s long ride.  Similar to “I’ve got my sea legs” I think I have my “IM legs”.  We shall see just three weeks from today.  Yikes!!!

Not sure what is in store for next week, my last hard training week, but I am ready to finish this training plan!

Last 90 mile ride with fastest brick run to date

As I sit here and watch my friends complete their Ironman race today (IMFL) I am left with mixed emotions.  I am so close but still 3 weeks out.  This waiting game is awful.  I am ready to race.  I am ready to end the training.  I am ready!

But with another tough week of training ahead I will refocus on my race.  Today’s brick was a 90 mile ride with a 3 mile brick run.  I have now rode several 90+ rides and they are feeling easier.  The mental aspect is solid it is just about what body issue/soreness will creep up in this ride.  My back was killing me today.  For the first 25 miles it was slightly bothering me but by the second half of the ride I was in discomfort.  Luckily by the last hour the pain had subsided.  I am somewhat concerned but it has been a big week so I will see what the next few days bring.

Today’s route was Delray to Ft Laudy to West Palm inlet and back to Delray.  BEAUTIFUL riding day.  Nice and cool in the beginning, I actually had to wear a cycling jersey with sleeves and arm warmers since it was so cold (for FL!).  By the time I was half way into the ride the temperature was absolutely perfect.  There was a nice North breeze but it was relatively easy to deal with.

Once again I practice my race day hydration/nutrition.  I am loving the new Vega Endurance Gel.  I took three gels on the ride and had a Clif Electrolyte bottle every hour of today’s ride.  With the cooler temperatures I really had to force myself to keep drinking regularly.  But overall the gels/drinks settled well for the run.

http://vegasport.com/?cid=MYVEGA

I had riding company at the beginning and the end of my ride.  I must admit it did help the ride seem to go faster!  I am feeling strong on the bike, my mph is much lower than I am hoping for but given the circumstances I am happy with my training to date.  Now, what has continued to improve week over week is my RUN!  Yay!  Finally getting to a very decent pace.

I have my run transition gear setup for a quick in garage/rack bike/bathroom break/out the door to run.  Unfortunately the “cooler” weather did not last by the time my run came around at 1pm.  It was a little nicer out but far from the 60 degrees in the morning.  I decided to run a 3 mile loop instead of my usual route for a change of scenery.  I started out with a pretty painful (knees) 1/4 mile but it subsided quickly.  I was somewhat concerned on what damage I would see today from Wednesday’s 18 mile run.  I had expected to have very heavy legs and feel somewhat fatigued.  I took an extra rest day on Thursday instead of doing the bike intervals and swim my coach had on my schedule.  I did end up doing the intervals and swim on Friday.

To my surprise, I ran the best brick run to date!  Very shocked as I wasn’t trying to run any specific pace, I just ran in a zone 2 pace (pushed zone 3 towards the end).  My 3 miles were sub 9 min/mile, negative splits!  Finally my “old” running legs are back.  Now if I can only run 26.2 like that!!  Highly unlikely but I will always take the optimistic route.  Once again, no GI issues with a ~6 hour brick.

Off to the recovery bootland for the rest of the evening.  Legs are achy now and back pain is starting back up.  Going to go against my “anti-meds” rule and popping some Aleve for the inflammation.  I have a feeling this is the right move for tonight!

and finally the “real” LONG RUN – 18 miles

Some of you reading my blog might have already hit the 26.2 mark but I haven’t.  My first marathon will be in my first Ironman.  In my former running life in San Francisco I managed to make it to 16 miles.  That was my longest run ever until today.  Back then I was training for the Dublin Marathon with Team in Training.  I had raised most of the $s required and had made it 10 weeks into the training when, after my 16 mile run, my marathon dreams (at the time) ended.

I woke up the next day with excruciating pain down my right leg .  I stayed home from work.  The next day, I couldn’t walk.  After many doctors visit, MRIs, medication and pain I was diagnosed with a herniated disk between L4-L5 and spinal stenosis.  I did a lot of crying and moping.  My doctor had told me that ever running again was out of my future.  Dublin Marathon came and went.  I reduced the medication and decided I would figure this out.

Not sure how it happened but I came across Marty Mattox, owner of Ultrahealth Physical Therapy.  Over the course of two years she put me back together and I began running again.  How did I fix my herniated disk?  With a TON of ab work and smart training.  The rest is history.  Here is a pic of Marty!  http://www.ultrahealth.org/staff

Back to the long run….18 miles.  I knew I was well prepared for today’s run as my coach has been spot on in scheduling the training that best suits my body and proper recovery.  My hydration for today’s run would be a dry run for my plan for the IM.  I finally figured out how I am going to carry all of my hydration/calories with me.  It tested out perfectly today.

I filled a small Hammer bottle with 6 scoops of my Clif Shot Electrolyte drink equaling about 160 calories per filled Zephyrhills bottle.  I had one serving prepared to initially run with and then I carried the small bottle with the drink powder in my racing kit.  At each stop I planned to fill the bottle with water and 2 scoops.  I also carried four singles so I could but the bottled water for the refills.

Off to the run….my planned route was to run south on A1A from Delray to the Boca Inlet bridge and back.  It would be exactly 18 miles.  So with my bottle in hand, my trusty Oakley Thump Pros (loaded with 80′s tunes) and a special “gift” for myself for mile 13.  I headed out the door.

It was nice and cool outside today.  A bit gusty, but it felt great.  My first mile was a slow 11:00 min/mile but that is my usual routine, a very slow first mile.  My coach had instructed me to keep the run in zone 2 which I adhered to.  By mile two I was feeling great and kept running at the same pace without looking at my garmin for a while.  When I did glance down I was easily in zone 2 (146 HR) and running a 9:45 pace.  Wow!  This is what I was hoping for.  My last few long runs were getting faster in my zone 2 and I was hoping today’s run could be completed at the same pace/HR.

I drank a few ounces every half mile and really concentrated on an efficient stride/cadence.  I was able to maintain my zone 2 heart rate.  As I approached my “water stop”, Red Reef Golf course, I did a quick assessment and all was great.  I quickly bought a bottle of water, squeezed 2 ounces of my electrolyte powder from the Hammer bottle and made a quick bathroom break.  I then kept heading south to the turnaround, mile 9, the Boca Inlet bridge. 

At the turnaround I still felt great.  My legs were pain-free, my pace remained at 9:45s and heart rate creeped a little to 155ish.  Still in my zone 2 range.  But once I turned back I realized the wind was blowing pretty hard.  There were a few gusts that felt like I was making little progress.  I continued back to Red Reef and made my final water stop.  Filled my bottle again with the electrolyte powder and off to complete my run.  By now I was at mile 10.5.  I still felt good, heart rate was staying consistent and my energy was still high.

So now to my “gift”.  A friend of mine told me of a great tip for the IM marathon and after hearing it I knew I would be adding it to my IM plan.  But since today’s run was to practice the run like I would do for race day I decided to bring my “gift”.  So this gift was for mile 13.  Usually the first half of a race is where I have mental blocks but I have become aware that this will change during an IM.  So to help with the half way point I pack my favorite compression socks that I would put on once I reached the half way point.  BTW….my Zoots are the best!!!

I got to mile 13, sat on a bench and put on the compression socks.  It was pure heaven!!!!  Exactly what my friend had told me.  I had begun to feel slight twinges in my calf, that is usually the case by mile 10 in most races for me, but today they disappeared the moment I put my compression socks on.  And the added bonus (I’m pretty sure it was mental) my running pace got faster with the same effort level.  All I can say is genius!!!

By mile 15 I was starting to notice cardiac creep (heart rate increasing with same effort), normal over long periods of exercise.  So I decided to back off my pace some.  I ran closer to 10:10s at this point.  Still I was super happy with my run, legs continued to feel great.  I finished the run strong with a quicker paced mile and soaked up the moment.

TWO major milestones in my triathlon life have happened in the last week: 112 mile bike and an 18 mile run!  In less than four weeks I will be breaking those records!!  It was a very happy day for me and all with a smile on my face.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect with today’s run, I knew how I wanted it to go, but the final result was more than what I had hoped for!!

Now the BIG challenge of the day: RECOVERY!!  I am very anal about my recovery, especially with the run, as it takes me longer to recover.  But I had planned the day before what I was going to do.  Immediately when I got home I grabbed a bag of ice that I purchased at Publix the night before and dumped it into the tub that I had filled prior to leaving for my run.  An ice bath only needs a small amount of ice to be effective.

I got into the tub for 15 minutes.  It was freezing cold.  I put on a sweatshirt as I began shivering after a few minutes.  My legs would thank me later.  The purpose of the ice bath is to reduce the inflammation from the damage created during the run.  It did feel good in a weird kind of way.  After the “icing” I jumped in the shower because phase two of recovery needed to begin within an hour.

During my ice bath I drank two Chocolate Zico Coconut Waters.  Yum!!!  But my recovery food would actually be my lunch.  In a few previous posts I have commented that my pre-race (pre-long workout) meals have been Mexican, fitting for Cozumel, and today it was my recovery meal.  I wasn’t really hungry but I knew it would hit me hard if I didn’t eat soon.  So I prepared my lunch and hit phase two of recovery: Recovery Boots!!

I spent almost three hours in my recovery boots today!!  I am grateful I have the flexibility to work from home when needed.  Now I won’t know until tomorrow evening/Friday morning if all my recovery efforts truly will have paid off but I currently feel great.  Successful “big” day in the books.  Marathon running plan has been tested with great results!!  Great, great day!!!

The end is in sight…2nd to last week of heavy training!!

I think I might actually survive all the training.  In my second to last week of heavy training I am actually feeling excited to hit the “big” training days.  This week will include the longest run that I will do in training, 18 miles and another near-century ride plus run.  I have lost the concept of time/distance in the long training days.  I find it easier not to dwell on the length of the training session but hitting mini-milestones throughout the workout.

Today’s bike and swim required that mentality.  Over the last two days I have been surprised that I didn’t really feel fatigued from the 112 mile ride but it hit me today!!  My body has had a delayed reaction.  No soreness or pain but a significant decline in energy level.

AM workout was a tempo ride.  15 minute easy warm-up spin, then a 40 minute ride at LT followed by a 5 minute cool down.  I have been a slave to my trainer on Tuesday mornings, partly because I can multi-task while riding indoors.  The easy spin felt good but when I started the 40 minute LT ride my legs refused to respond.  I was able to get a decent 15 minutes of near LT but I could only get in another 10 minutes at an embarrassing wattage.  My effort level remained the same as the first 15 minutes but I couldn’t push the power.  My heart rate started to creep as well.  This was an obvious sign of not being fully recovered.  Since these tempo rides/intervals are very goal specific rides doing them without hitting the target is of minimal benefit.  So I spent the last 5 minutes spinning. Total ride only ended up being 45 minutes.  I spent the extra time stretching.  My legs were not happy.

PM workout was a long swim, 3000 meters.  I got to the pool earlier tonight as the last few times I felt rushed because the guards are very adamant about staying one minute longer than the 8pm closing.  Again I headed over to Deerfield Beach’s Aquatic center as I am still mentally traumatized by the LA Fitness pool.  Tonight was very interesting.  It was much colder out and the pool’s heater was not working.  FREEZING cold pool water.  A wetsuit would have been nice!!  The bonus is that dehydration wasn’t much of a conern.  I actually had to do my warmup laps a little faster to heat up.

Workout: 400 easy, 4 x 400 zone 3 with 30 second rest, 600 kicks, 400 pull with focus on stroke.  Besides being cold during the warmup set, my body was not really into swimming.  Again the fatigue from the weekend was showing up.  My legs felt like dead weight and I seemed as if I was swimming without making forward progress.  The first 400 set of the 4 x 400s was the same way.  By the time I started the second set I started to feel good again.  The fatigue was still there but I was able to get in a quality stroke and kick.  I finished up the last two 400s with no issues.

Once again the kick set felt good. I actually like kicking now.  My ankle flexibility has improved, I believe this is entirely due to my awesome fins.  I have also picked up speed in the kicks.  It used to take me forever to get down the lane, I even used to kick so inefficiently that I would remain in the same spot! 

I finished the final 400 with some quality pulls concentrating on the stroke technique I learned at the stroke clinic I attended in the spring.  It was now super windy out and getting very chilly.  My legs were cold to the touch.  So glad to be done with today’s swim.  At the beginning I didn’t think I was going to get through it all but I broke the workout into mini targets to make it easier to digest.

I will be doing an easy stretching session tonight as tomorrow’s workout will be my longest run for the IM training period, 18 miles!!

Super WINDY Sunday Brick

After yesterday’s long bike and brick run I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel today.  My workout was an easier brick: 1,500 meter swim with a 20 mile ride, high rpm.  I was back and forth on whether to go outside to do the ride but I finally decided that if I didn’t leave the house I would probably not get in the complete workout (swim mostly).  It was a dreary looking morning.  I am not as motivated when the sun is not out.

I was surprised that I felt great after yesterday’s ride.  No soreness or pain.  Mild fatigue but nothing too bad.  The only unfortunate outcome from yesterday is that I had a flat in my rear tire overnight.  I must have hit a lot of glass with the wet road conditions and created a slow leak.  Luckily I have a spare set of wheels (race wheels) and throw on the other wheel.

I prepared the rest of my gear and drove to the Deerfield Aquatics center.  Surprisingly the pool was packed.  One of the best parts of swimming on Sunday at this pool is that it is set up long course.  Seems so much easier.  But today I felt the fatigue from yesterday’s ride early on in the swim.  Usually my legs feel like heavy weights when I am fatigued but today’s feeling was more of swimming, swimming, swimming and making little forward progress.  This 1,500 meter swim felt like it took forever as compared to the two 3,000+ meter swims that I completed this week that went by so quickly.

I continue to notice that make breathing is very relaxed and that I really enjoy swimming.  This is a good thing!!  Now to the mistake of the day.  After the swim I transitioned to my bike in my car and set out towards A1A.  WINDY!!!  I should have taken a closer look at the wind forecast.  If I had to guess it was blowing 20mph with gusts in the 25+mph range.

As I was riding on Hilsboro Blvd headed to A1A I had to cross a bridge.  When I rode over the grated part of the bridge, the wind literally moved me over an entire lane.  I was holding on for dear life.  Luckily for me there was little traffic.  I then turned south to try to get in 20 miles.  Within 5 minutes I knew that was not going to happen.  The wind was gusty so hard between the condos that I nearly was knocked over.  Bad idea to try to ride in aerobars.  And the wind did not let up.  I had a death grip on my drop bars to the point the my hands were going numb and were red from squeezing so hard.

I made it to the Hilsboro Inlet bridge and had to turn around.  The ride was turning into a survival type of ride and only causing more issues than benefit.  Yes, I know that Cozumel will be windy but not gusting like it was today!!  I hope not!!  I was able to get in 15 miles out of the 20 miles on my workout.  My hands were killing!!  What a miserable day.  I should have stayed in and rode the trainer today.

Anyways, I felt great completing yet another tough, long week.  Unfortunately I have two more tough weeks ahead but then we get to taper week!!!  And speaking of taper, so ready for my day off tomorrow!!

First ever 112 mile ride (plus 3 mile run)

I was really looking forward to this major milestone in my training but the night before I was not happy with the weather forecast.  Saturday’s outlook called for over a 50% chance of storms.  I did decide that not matter the conditions, excluding lightning, I would head outside for the ride.  Cannot even imagine a 6:30 hour ride indoors.  I prepped my gear and nutrition/hydration the night before.  Everything was ready to go, just praying for no rain.

I got up early and was prepared to leave by 7am.  It was still dark out but by the time I made it out the door, a few minutes later, the skies were starting to lighten up.  I had checked the forecast and “showers” were predicted with a 30%-40% chance so I decided to brave the weather.  The streets were wet when I left but no rain.

My plan was to head south and ride to Fort Lauderdale (Las Olas Blvd) and turnaround.  This was the first 50 miles of the ride.  No significant issues.  My legs actually felt great, bike fit was perfect and I was in a great mood.  I had my first solid food at hour two (pretzels) and went through 2 bottles of electrolyte drinks during the first half of the ride.  The skies were overcast most of the ride south which made it somewhat cooler for a South Florida day.

Now the only issue I had so far is that my garmin power reading started going haywire again.  I tried several times to reset the power meter (pedaling counter-clockwise a few times) but it did not seem to want to work.  This was extremely frustrating as today’s ride would be my second ever century (100+miles) ride.  I really wanted the power output feedback but it wasn’t going to happen.  So I used my backup method, Heart Rate.  I have done the “long ride” several times to know where my heart rate/wattage should be for these types of ride so I felt better that not all was lost.  This was great mental training should this situation happen in Cozumel.

Once I made it to the half way mark (Delray Beach) I headed north to the inlet.  I would have to do a few loops somewhere to get in the extra miles needed to hit the 112 mark but I figured I would decide based on weather conditions.  The ride from Delray to the Palm Beach inlet is about 45 miles so I would need another 17 miles.  The ride north was uneventful also.  I rode with a few folks I knew from my tri group for a few miles but they were riding faster and I needed to stick to my IM pace.

The other nice thing about the ride north was the nice little tailwind.  From the turnaround at Las Olas to the Inlet (50 miles) I had this great tailwind and was able to ride a much faster speed with low-wattage/heart rate.  The flip side is the ride back south was going to suck.  I had made one pit stop in around Red Reef Park and was in need of another after I turned at the Inlet.  I chose to keep riding until I had Worth Avenue in West Palm Beach and I would stop at the gas station to grab water also.

By now I had gone through four bottles, 300 calories of pretzels and one Vega Sport endurance gel.  I was trying to increase my calorie intake as I had been below the 100 calorie mark in my other long rides.  Around hour four I also took 200mg of caffeine for a little boast.  I have trained with the extra caffeine before and it makes a huge difference in my energy level and determination towards the end of the ride.  I knew today I would definitely need it!

At the gas station I filled my bottles with water ate a few more calories and made my last bathroom break.  I also splashed the remaining water on my legs as they were caked with road debris/dirt from the wet road conditions.  My new white cycling shoes were completely trashed.  The previous breaking in of the shoes indoors paid off, I had no rubbing or discomfort while wearing them today.

By now I had 85 miles under my belt with another 27 miles remaining.  I felt somewhat tired but not fatigued.  My legs still felt good and no major saddle/aero position issues.  The increased mileage over the last few weeks has paid off.  Also I was happy that I had recovered from Austin 70.3 as today’s ride could have gone the other way.  Now, I will say the last 20 something miles were very difficult.  The headwind was brutal, I was starting to get tired of “being” on the bike and the sun was starting to poke through ~ getting warmer out.  I kept at it just hoping to fend off all rain and get the distance in. 

So I rode past Delray again and kept going south with the planned turnaround at Palmetto Park.  This would get me the full 112 miles.  Right as I went to turn around the skies started to get darker and I decided to speed up and make sure I could be the rain.  I probably pushed my wattage/heart rate a little above the IM pace but I was so close that I just wanted to complete the distance.  I still had a three-mile run right after the ride so I knew I might be compromising my legs.

I had two great moments during this ride, one;  hitting the century mark and two; the 112 mile mark.  What a great feeling.  It really wasn’t that bad.  My head was in a good place, my body felt good considering and I was actually looking forward to the short run.  So I transition quickly in my garage, made another quick bathroom stop and grabbed some water.  Reset my garmin for the run and out I went.

Holy crap!  The first 1/4 mile was brutal.  It felt like my first run after my first long ride a few month ago, like someone took a baseball bat to my knees.  But within a few minutes the “pain” subsided and surprisingly I settled into a sub 10 minute pace with my heart rate in zone 2.  Sweet!!!  This is exactly what I was hoping for.  On tap was three miles.  I decided to run around the neighbourhood area instead of heading out to A1A again. 

At mile one I glanced at my garmin and I was still in zone two holding at 10 min mile pace.  Super happy!  Ran the next two miles at the same pace with little increase of heart rate.  My fitness level has dramatically increased in the last two weeks.  This was really a shock as I had a pretty tough race just a week ago.  My body seems to be adapting well.  Now the big question: could I run the entire marathon today?  I actually think I could have.  It might have been painful towards the end and my pace would have dropped but I think I am there, as ready as I can be!!

Successful day today.  115 miles (7 hours) of pure fun!  Spent the rest of the day stretching, drinking my recovery drinks, 3 hours in the recovery boots and just grateful I was able to get the entire ride done outdoors!

And the training continues…..

You can’t even imagine the look on my face when I went into my training peaks account on Monday night to view this week’s training schedule!  Yikes!!  Overwhelmed.

Tuesday: easy recovery ride in AM, long swim in PM 3,000 meters

Wednesday: long run -10 miles zone 2

Thursday: AM bike intervals, zone 6 (yes that’s right zone 6!), long swim in PM 3,200 meters

And here is how it went…..

On Tuesday I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel.  I was two days post race (70.3) and this was usually when the DOMS hits me hard.  I had reassemble my bike on Monday evening once I got home from Austin to have it ready for Tuesday morning’s workout.  The ride was 45 minutes at 90 watts for a super easy spin to recover.  My legs actually felt great and I had very minor soreness.  Most of the damage was in the upper quads near the hip.  Overuse.  I had taken extreme measures to recovery quickly after the race.  I had a recovery drink in my T2 area so I could drink it as soon as I picked up my bike.  I used my recovery boots for an hour on Sunday night and then again for two hours on Monday night.  I did a light stretching sequence before bed on Monday night also.  I was happy to have only minor soreness on Tuesday, the recovery plan worked well.

The PM swim was difficult in the way of getting motivated to get to the pool after work.  Since I was gone from the office for two days Tuesday was a very long day.  I really just wanted to go home.  But I reminded myself that I chose to do this training and I will not do it half-ass!  I want to be as prepared as possible for my IM day so it can be as enjoyable as possible.  So skipping a workout due to laziness was out of the question.  Off to the pool.  And I didn’t go to LA Fitness.

Since last week’s long swim was a disaster due to dehydration from swimming in the warm pool, I chose to head to Deerfield Aquatic Center because I know the pool water is cooled and the pool is properly cleaned/maintained.  I think I even catch a minor head cold from the LA Fitness pool last week too!  So the workout was 3 x 1,000 meters.  I had a suspicion that I might feel the post-race fatigue during this swim. 

This was my second longest swim to date.  The first 500 meters were tough and slow, but then something clicked.  Next thing I knew I had swam the 3,000 and was actually feeling great.  My stroke was nice and easy and efficient.  I wasn’t tired, I had actually found a burst of energy!  I could have swam the additional 862 meters to get me to the full IM swim distance, 2.4 miles.  I was smiling underwater!!!

Okay, now it is Wednesday and I was sure today I would be feeling the post-race fatigue!  On tap was a 10 mile run.  I had just ran a half-marathon (mostly painful) on Sunday and was not sure what to expect.  I have never run long distances so close together.   Long runs usually require a longer rest interval for my body to recover fully.  So out I went.

I had to start in the dark as sunrise is becoming later.  The first two miles were very slow, 11 min mile pace.  I felt okay, no pain or tightness but did feel minor soreness in my upper quads.  The soreness did not affect my gait so I knew it was safe to continue running.  By the time I started mile 3 all systems just started firing.  I ran for a few minutes without looking at my pace on my garmin and just tried to find a comfortable pace.  This run was to stay in Zone 2.  Zone 2 is a much slower pace, almost too slow.  In the last few weeks of training my best zone 2 run average has been 10:30s for 10+ mile runs.

I felt great!  I finally glanced down at my garmin and my HR was comfortable in zone 2 and I was at a 9:40 pace.  And I held the remaining 7 miles at the same pace.  I never pushed it, I never “tried” to hold it, I just ran.  And I smiled, smiled a lot.  I think this is what they call base fitness level increase achieved.  The pain-staking build over the last two months in zone 2 has paid off.  The best part:  I felt this great three days post a difficult 70.3.  Words cannot explain my excitement!  My coach was right!  Follow the plan and you will reap the rewards!

So, so happy with my run.  Again, I could have easily ran the rest of the marathon today.  Not sure if I could have held the same pace but I could have done it mentally.  I did a quick ice bath after the run and had a “double” recovery drink.  I also spent extra time stretching and wore compression calf sleeves the rest of the day at work.  In the evening I used my recovery boots for two hours.

Finally today (Thursday) rolls around.  I was sure I was going to be hurting.  The morning bike intervals were going to be killer, in a bad way.  The workout: 15 minute easy spin warm-up, 4 x 1 minute at 250 watts (zone 6 for me, anaerobic capacity, one level higher than VO2Max) followed by 3 minute rest interval and finally a 10 minute cool down spin.

The one minute intervals were hard!  It took 10 seconds to build to the 250 watts and then hurt like a mo-fo to hold.  Heart rate climbed significantly but to my surprise my heart was nowhere near my max HR on the bike.  This means I could have pushed a much higher wattage.  Again, great news!  My bike fitness has also improved a lot.  The last interval, which is usually the toughest, didn’t feel that way.  I was able to hold the wattage with same effort as the previous three.

Again, a double dose of my recovery drink.  There definitely was muscle micro-tearing during this workout.  Off to work with my swim bag packed.  But today’s PM swim was slightly different.  I couldn’t wait to get to the pool.  I was dying all day to leave early and swim.  Unfortunately that was not this case and after another long day I headed to the pool.  I chose to go to Deerfield again as I had no dehydration issues from Tuesday swim.

The swim workout was: 200 easy, 20 x 100 with 20 seconds rest, 500 kicks, 500 easy.  The water felt so nice and cool.  For the first time ever, I wanted to swim and be in the pool for the enjoyment.  Never thought I would ever feel this way.  I have actually begun thinking of myself as a swimmer when I am in the pool and not a triathlete training for the swim portion.  Big difference!

The swim went by quickly and easily.  I felt great in the pool, my stroke was very efficient and nothing hurt.  But the biggest surprise of the evening swim was the kick set.  This is the first time ever the I have done a kick set where I was kicking with a ton of power with minimal HR increase and I was actually making forward movement.  Kicking felt easy!  I have never felt this before.  Once again, huge smile as I finish my swim workout.

I AM SO READY!!!  I am beginning to feel pure excitement to get to the start line!  Nerves (which I am sure I will still have on race day) are turning into excitement.  BUT before I get carried away, my first 112 mile ride is coming up on Saturday.  I will have to reassess this “excitement” after that ride.  Until then, I will relish in this current happiness!!!

Austin 70.3 – Race Report (it’s long and detailed)

It was a super early morning start, alarm goes off at 4:30am.  This might just be the first race that I was excited to get to the starting line.  Today’s race would really help me get a good feel as to where I am with my Ironman training.

I had all my gear laid out ready to put on and grab.  This race was a two transition location so I had three race bags to fill with gear.  The morning clothes bag would be for my pre-race fleece and other pre-swim items.  My bike gear bag currently had all of my bike gear (shoes, helmet, bottles) which would then be used for my swim items after the swim (wetsuit, goggles, swim cap) and then the run gear bag with my running shoes, hat and electrolyte drink.  The run gear bag would need to be dropped off first.

We left my hotel at 5:30am and had very light traffic getting to the athlete drop off area.  This was a relief.  Always stressful when you have to still “travel” to the race site.  We grabbed our bags and headed over to the T2 area to drop off the bags.  It was interesting to see how many people actually read the athlete guide.  It specifically said that the run bags had to be hung on the rack.  At least 25% of them were on the ground.

Next we head over to the shuttle pick-up spot to be transported to T1/swim start area.  It was a fast ride, maybe 5 minutes, on school buses.  Boy have my legs lengthened!!  We get off the buses and head over to T1.  The transition area is alive with music and lights.  The athletes are all lively and friendly.  I quickly set up my bike transition and borrow at pump to air my tires.  They only lost 10lbs of pressure overnight.  LikeProvidence70.3, there were bike techs pumping tires for the athletes.  The lines were kind of long but moved quickly.

I then head over to the porta-potties.  Again, great setup.  Plenty of them, lines moved quickly.  One thing that I really liked was that they had PINK porta-potties for the women.  It was great because all the men avoided them like the plague.  Plus they smelled nice!

The race start was at 7:30 and my wave was scheduled for 7:50.  I had a good hour at this point till my wave start so I just walked around a bit to watch others prepare.  I was in a very good and calm state of mind.  With my wetsuit, goggles, swim cap and morning bag in hand I walked over to a grassy spot and sat down for a minute.  I drank my “breakfast”, Vega Sport Endurance Optimizer with coconut water.  My IM training plan was to practice drinking at the same time I would for IM Cozumel, 45 minutes before the start.  Another IM training practice was to carry a gel in my racing kit during the swim so I can consume it right after I exit the swim.

About 30 minutes prior to my start I dropped off my morning clothes bag (the had boxes labeled with our race numbers) and put on the bottom half of my wetsuit.  I had chosen to keep my flip-flops and just discard them at the swim start.  I have now had two races where I have had slivers of glass in my feet during the race.  Throwing away a $10 pair of flip-flops was well worth it!!

As I am waiting for my wave start I meet a girl in my wave who is doing her first 70.3.  I remember my first one.  I was nervous as hell for the swim.  I usually still am but today I felt very confident with my swim and the swimming distance.  This is all thanks to the IM distance training that I have been doing in the pool.  I gave her some insight on what to expect and how I handled my first race and it seemed to calm her down a bit.  Sometimes these small interactions with new triathletes at a race makes it more enjoyable.

Our swim start is announced, T minus 2 minutes and we all enter the water.  It was a large group for women 40-44.  I positioned myself mid to back of the pack.  My goal was to swim IM pace and just feel comfortable as this would be my first race testing out the new swim learnings which I was hoping it would confirm that the swim WAS the cause of my GI issues in previous 70.3 races.

We enter the water with one minute to go.  The water is relatively warm (72 degrees –wetsuit legal) and somewhat clear. Lake Decker is a natural water lake.  The start area had a sandy section but the bottom was a little rocky.  The gun goes off and we started swimming.  Again my plan was IM pace for this swim.  I headed out in a line pretty close to the buoys.  It was setup with 7 buoys straight out, all at a 100 meters apart then a slight turn to the left for a few hundred meters and then another turn left to the finish.

The water was pretty clear.  You could see a swimmer or two ahead of you but the bottom was a blur.  I swam with a pack for the first few hundred meters and noticed I was swimming too fast so a stopped, bad habit of mine, and looked around for a “clear” spot.  My swim has improved a lot but I still struggle to swim the whole swim.  Too much stopping and assessing.  Anyways, my only complaint for the first half was the sunlight in my eyes.  I had been on the verge of a headache all morning and the added sunlight in my eyes during the swim would end up haunting me later during the race.

At the first turnaround (red buoy) is where my calm swim turned into a bitching fest.  I had people literally grabbing my legs/foot as the where trying to pass me.  I realize the some people are really trying to race hard but I was far from the buoy line at this point and it began to piss me off.  I started reacting to the pulls/tugging with hard kicks.  I think I nailed a few people good.  What went wrong was that the majority of the fast men were in the later starts.  Plus this was a collegiate race too.

I survived the swim and actually had a solid 15 minutes of great stroke and swim pace.  The last 100 meters was a washing machine like churning of the water with people bottle-necking everywhere.  One nice feature is the race had volunteers helping swimmers out of the water.  I swam until my hands hit bottom and then I was only four steps to the sandy beach exit.  I looked up at the clock 0:47, not bad but not what I had wanted to do.  I immediately removed my goggles and unzipped my wetsuit so I could grab my gel.  I wasn’t previously aware that there would be wetsuit strippers but I stopped over to get assistance.  Since I didn’t kick very hard my legs were solidly under me and I knew sitting on the ground was not going to be an issue.

I easily jogged down the carpet lined path to T1 eating my gel during this time.  One of the major things I noticed is that my heart rate was low.  Usually coming out of the water it is in zone 5 range. Today I would guess it was around 135-140.  I threw my wetsuit, goggles and swim cap (I like to keep mine since the swim is such a big feat for me) into my bike bag and quickly put on my shoes, helmet and race belt.  I have a developed a technique which I have mentioned to a few folks regarding bathroom breaks.  I just sit on the ground as I am putting on my shoes and multi-task by peeing as well.  I then quickly rinse with a bit of water from one of my bottles and I am good to go for the duration of the bike.

I grab my bike off the rack and snap my garmin into place between my handlebars.  I chose to swim with the swim ( I prefer not too) as my plan for IM Cozumel will require swimming with my garmin.  The race directors there have cautioned athletes not to leave “valuable’ devices on the bikes, even on race morning, as items have disappeared.

As I get to the bike out exit I start my garmin and head out.  There are a massive number of athletes on their bikes at this point.  Again the bottle neck continues.  It was very frustrating as I could not pass or get around anyone.  The first few miles were within the convention center perimeter and was very tight.  Also I saw two motorcycle refs who were busily writing down numbers for drafting and blocking violations.  I held back more the usual and concentrated on getting some addition hydration in right now.  Plus this is where I had realized my power meter wasn’t working.  $#%@!!!!!  I was again pissed.  I was sure it was going to work today.  After taking a few breaths and calming down I realized the garmin just needed to reset with the power meter, since I had swam with it, and so I did a few counter-clockwise spins with my pedals and voila it began working.  Whew!!  I really wanted to capture my power for this race as I didn’t get any power feedback for Escape to Miami.

Today’s bike plan was to ride to slightly higher than IM pace but mostly because of the rolling hill course.  I was supposed to target 145-160 with no climbing over 200 watts.  Well, I knew that guideline was going to be broken, but not intentionally.  So pre-race banter was that the bike course was super hilly and the roads were crappy.  I paid little attention to these “rumors” asProvidence’s bike course was a nightmare.  Potholes, over ten 10% grade climbs, three 15% grade climbs and a ton of rolling hills.

So in my mind I was prepared to handle the climbing today as it was significantly less but what I was not prepared for was the crappy road surface and conditions.  The roads had extensive areas with major cracks in them, additionally the majority of the race was on a “new-looking” gravel top road.  It looks smooth but rides super rough.  The vibration on the bike is enough to make one want to DNF.  A few sections had us on smooth black top surfaces which felt like riding on clouds, then back to the vibration fest.

My first 20 miles were right on target, I did have two super short climbs that had me near 300 watts.  Sorry coach!!  But overall all was good.  By the half way point my bike troubles began.  I started to notice that my morning “light” headache had turned into a full-blown migraine.  The first half of the ride had also had us riding into the sun and there was just enough sunlight creeping in between my shades and helmet to exacerbate the situation.  For those of you who have experienced a migraine you know what I am talking about with bright lights.  The right side of my head, right above my eyes felt as if it was going to explode.  Then the pain started.  Between the sunlight on the swim, the continued sun on the bike and the vibration I could hardly keep my eyes open because of the pain.

Luckily most of my migraines can be relieved with Excedrin but (learning #1 for IM, carry Excedrin) I only had caffeine pills. I intended to take one at the 2.5 hour point of the bike (IM training practice) but I took two as I knew this could be my only saving grace to continue today’s race.  This has been the first race ever that I gave serious consideration to DNFing.  I have thought about it other times but more of the negative thoughts conversation that most triathlons cause.

I told myself we would “check” at the 40 mile mark to see how I was feeling and make the call then.  So from mile 25 to mile 40 I drastically reduced my speed to about a 15 mph average.  It is very difficult to ride safely when you just want to close your eyes to relieve the pain.  I didn’t want to stop either as that would most certainly have been the end of my day.  During this time period I had many other unwanted distractions.  The course started to get narrow, riders were bottle-necking again and riders were very rude and disorderly.  Other than Miami70.3 I have not seen so much blatant drafting.  Riders were cutting slower riders off, they were constantly blocking and riding sloppy.  Frustrating!  I did yell out several times:  Effing Cheaters!!!

By the time I get to mile 45 I realized the caffeine had worked and the race was still on for me.  Since I was feeling better also, recognizing I was going to continue racing, I downed another gel packet for additional electrolytes/calories.  I finished the bike strong and realized I probably gave myself an extra nice setup for the run.  Ended up averaging about 135 watts for the bike, 3:05 total time, 18.1 miles per hour average.  Super happy with that for today’s race given the migraine and super hilly course (gentle rolling hills).

I dismounted, hit the stop button on my garmin and ran my bike to the numbered spot on the bike rack.  I had a very close spot.  I again took my pee break on the ground as I was slipping on my running shoes and throwing on my run cap.  I kept my race belt on from the bike (not sure why they give us two race numbers, though I keep the unused one as my souvenir) and grabbed my electrolyte drink and gel packet and lightly jogged to the run exit.

The cheering crowd was HUGE!!!  I loved it.  Immediately there was a water station and porta-potties.  Very nice set-up.  The course had been changed from 2 loops to 3 loops, which I now know is a much tougher mental game for me.  The first half mile was fantastic, 8:45 pace (way too fast) but the excitement of the crowd and the fresh feeling legs drove the pace.  But by the first mile mark, the hills began and all hopes of breaking 2 hours today faded quickly.  You could see the rolling hills ahead and it just crushed my plans.

My race plan was to run the first ten miles in zone 2.5 to zone 3 then to drain the tank for the last 5K.  As usual race day’s HR only the ran always seems to begin at zone 4.  Running the 8:45 pace at the beginning didn’t help, nor did the hills or the now blaring HOT, HOT Texas sun that decided to make an appearance.

I struggled to get my HR down.  I knew if I walked I could get it down but I knew (since the sub 2 hour goal was out of reach today) my next goal was to RUN the entire half-marathon given no GI issues.  So I reset my mental run plan to that.  I have notice that I personally operate better with a structured plan.  I’m sure those of you who really know me will get a good laugh out of that!!!  So, new goal: run it all!!

The run course was packed.  With the increase in loops the run course got crowded.  I noticed that everyone was struggling with the heat and cramping.  I would say at this point about 30% of the runners were walk/jogging.  I started to settle into an 11:00 min/mile pace (it was humiliating!) but I was running.  I did slow way down at the water stops to actually ingest a sip but I continued on.  The first four miles were mentally tough.  My body felt good but I kept replaying in my mind that I had to repeat this THREE times.  UGH!!!

I finished the first loop decently: 41:52 and headed out for loop two.  As I passed the race announcer he called out my number and Delray Beach but butchered my last name.  Figures, but it was nice to hear my name.  The crowds were great!  It is always very motivating for me to run through the crowds.  But the second loop started to bring issues.  My calves started with very, very mild twinges of crampiness.  I knew I was probably somewhat dehydrated but I have now figured out, at least with my body, that if I reduce the intensity I can almost certainly relieve the cramping.

So I dropped  to 12:30 min/miles, still hell-bent on running the whole race.  And it worked!  The crampy feeling subsided to the point of being able to continue without major issues.  I could feel though that one crazy move, side-step or slight pick up of pace would set it off.  Learning on run: know the “fine lines” of what your body can handle.  Perfect IM training run for me because I know this will be present in the 26.2 mile death march.  During the run I probably consumed 20oz of water and 20oz of electrolyte drink.  I ate another gel at mile 7, again IM nutrition training.

Towards the end of the second loop I had spotted my high school friend who had come out to cheer me on at the race.  It was such a great surprise to have someone you know at a race but even more so when you have traveled outside your hometown.  I was so happy to see her snapping pictures of me and cheering.  I also had a runner ask if I was from Boca, she saw my BRT jersey and commented she was from FLL.  We chatted for a few seconds and then she took off.  I glanced at her calf, age: 24!  This was by far the toughest loop.  I kept thinking “how the hell am I going to do an Ironman” if I am having such a difficult time with a half.  I really expected this race to be super easy for me but it was the total opposite.

The third loop.  This was the best part of the race for me!  I had stuck to my zone 2 run, nice and easy.  I had controlled the cramping in the calves and I had stayed in a very positive mindset.  It was an easy loop from this perspective:  everyone was walking (well mostly everyone) but ME!  Just like my coach has instructed, stick with the controlled zone 2 and you will be passing everyone.  AND I DID.  Many of the walkers were guys who had passed me on the bike.  The realization that I was so close to completely “running” the whole race gave me just enough of a push to speed up to zone 3.  I was happy!  A few spectators even commented, “she is smiling”.  When I saw mile 12 I knew I had this race in the bag.  I continued to speed up, took a swig of flat coke at the last water stop and hammered to the finish line.   In the last 1/4 mile of the run, as I hit the crowds, my adrenaline was running super high.  I began running an 8 minute mile pace and was grinning ear to ear.  I actually yelled, “I finally nailed the run”!  Granted it was slow (2:32) but I ran it ALL!

The finish line was in the expo center building.  It was setup like a stadium with the finish line in the middle.  As I approached the last few hundred yards, the crowd was cheering and I ran my heart out!!  I was near tears when I hit the finish line, 6:35!!  Not a PR but a hell of a race for me!  Words cannot express the feeling of elation.  I can only imagine what it will feel like crossing the Ironman Cozumel finish line.  And the best part, my body/legs felt great!!  The mind is a powerful tool!

Landing in the Lone Star State

Friday morning began early as I needed to disassemble my bike and pack it.  I had prepared my other gear for the trip.  Bike packing can go two ways:  very quick and easy or very frustrating.  It was a mix of both.  Since I had had my bike refitted some of the changes made it difficult to really break down the handlebars as I have done in the past.  I usually take 30 minutes to pack my bike but today it took around an hour.

Flight left FLL at 2:35 and we landed on time in Austin.  It has been over a decade since I have been in the mid-west, and it is just how I remember it.  The bike made it safely and we grabbed our luggage and headed over to the convention center for early packet pick-up.  This is the third time that I have chosen to go early and it paid off.  No lines, quick in/out within 15 minutes.  Plus Iroman store was fully stocked.  Bought a cute Longhorn 70.3 fleece, a pint glass and mug.  Oh and picked up a sticker for my bike case.

Headed to the hotel, maybe 10 minutes from race site.  It is conveniently located near a Whole Foods.  I guess I didn’t need to lug all of my food with me, but since Southwest offers two bags free I packed food/liquids for the entire weekend.  I had just a few minutes to check-in and drop off my bike and luggage as I was meeting two high school friends for dinner.  I hadn’t seen them in 22 years.  Man, I am old!!  We went to a local Tex-Mex restaurant (my typical pre-race food) and spent a few hours catching up.  Long day, but great times so far.

Saturday morning started off pretty early too, not intentional though.  Two days before race day I try not to set the alarm and allow myself to sleep in as much as possible.  Unfortunately I am somewhat sensitive to time zones and was up by 6:30 Austin time.  Not as much sleep as I had hoped for, I am sure a nap will be part of my day.

First task of the day: assembling the bike.  Fingers crossed that no damage was sustained!  My bike traveled well, it appeared that TSA did not mess with the packing.  I set up the bike in 30 minutes and took it for a quick test ride in the parking lot.  Everything worked properly, whew!!  No Providence 70.3 disaster repeat!!  I started laying out my gear, getting my race number/stickers on my helmet and bike and charging up the garmin.  I like to set everything up to make sure it is easy to find on race morning.

Next on the list was bike drop off.  We headed to the T1 to set up our bikes and to preview the swim area.  The lake was nice and clear, expected temp is 72 degrees, wet-suit legal.  It should be a great swim.  I am looking forward to it.  My bike rack position was middle rack, not as convenient but nothing to complain about.  The swim exit to T1 is a bit of a jog but carpet was laid out which always makes it nicer.  This race is a multiple transition race.  Next on the list was to head to T2 to view the run course, bike in/run out and finish line.  My T2 location is fantastic, basically next to the bike in entrance.  This makes it nice as I get to put on the running shoes sooner and have less distance to run in my bike shoes.  I chose not to drop off my T2 bag today (it was optional).  I will drop it off in the morning as it is where we have to go anyways before heading over to the swim start/T1.

As we are heading back to the car I notice that the packet pick-up line is out the convention center door!  Nightmare!  SO, SO GLAD we did it on Friday!!!!  Score!!!  Made a quick stop at Whole Foods (Austin is the corporate headquarters) to grab a few last-minute items and some water.  The afternoon temperature has been terrific.  Nice moderate high 70′s with a light breeze.  Very nice fall weather.

So the pre-race evening routine begins.  I have laid out my hydration/nutrition for the morning.  I have double checked my gear.  Made setting changes to my garmin (removing of auto-pause).  Prepared my pre-race dinner: brown rice, had a cup of chicken broth as I was craving animal protein and also had two pieces of gluten-free toast with guacamole.  I have been trying to stay on top of my hydration but started to notice that I am over hydrating so I reduced my intake.  I still am battling a mild tension headache (as I have since my dehydration issue on Wed).  I took some excederin earlier in the morning to help fight it off but it has reappeared.  Not sure if I will take more excederin before bed.

After I finish this blog post I will be spending an hour in my recovery boots to help flush my jet-lagged legs and then will be hitting the sack shortly after.  Alarm goes off at 4:30am!!!  Race plan calls for IM pacing and IM nutrition/hydration testing.  I have yet to run the full 13.1 in a Half-Ironman due to GI issues.  But I think I have worked them out and am really looking forward to tomorrow’s race.  I really want to nail the run!!!

Lessons never end….Best long run turns to disaster

I was so excited to have swum 2 miles yesterday that I woke up today on cloud 9 all pumped for my long run!  On tap 8 miles: 2 easy, 4 zone 3, and 2 easy.  It was a little rainy and overcast out but still considerably humid.  I took a 20oz bottle of Title with me as this amount was confirmed to be good in these conditions.

Out the door I went!  The first two miles were very good.  My legs were super light and no pain/soreness.  I was fully recovered from the last two weeks.  My excitement grew.  How good would the tempo miles be?  It was a bit windy out and I was headed into the wind for the first half of the run.  Slight increase to HR but all within zone 2.  At the two-mile mark I let the mustangs go!  Four miles of pure bliss.  HR was in a comfortable zone 3, my legs felt like machines and I ran negative splits getting to sub 9s!!  It hit me, I am peaking this week.  Perfect for Austin 70.3 timing.

As I start mile 7, all happy with my last four miles,  I get a very strange feeling.  Within a split second I realize I am about to black out.  My first thought, NOONE is around – who is going to find me.  Since the conditions were horrible out today nobody was out walking/cycling/running but me.  I am not sure how I did this but I made the best effort to remain conscious.  The feeling I experienced can only be described as feeling like to world just came to a complete stop.  No movement, paralysis.

FREAKED me out!!!  I immediately stopped and walked and glanced at my heart rate, it was 142.  Definitely not much cause for concern.  For the next 10 minutes I had real concerns about what was going to happen.  I have never had this experience while running.  I have felt in the past like I was going to pass out from exhaustion while doing sprint sets but never to the point of losing consciousness.

I finished drinking the rest of my fluids, not much left as I had consumed the normal rate, drinking every 10 mins or so.  By the time I am finished with mile 7 I am feeling better and end up finishing my run with a light jog for the last mile.  Unfortunately I’m 100% committed to Ironman mentality and I decided that they will have to scrape me off the side of the road before I give up on this run.  Not so sure it was the best idea.

OKAY….to the good stuff.  What the hell happened???  I racked my brain trying to figure out what went wrong.  Same conditions as usual, same fluid consumption as usual…actually proven consumption that has kept me hydrated.  I have tested this fluid level in many runs at mid-day in full sun exposure with 90+ temps.  Was I sick? No.  Did I go too hard on the temp run?  No, I was only in zone 3, max HR was 172 today.  HR max has been recorded at 186 for my running.  I checked my recovery heart rate, it was normal.  Took my blood pressure, it was normal.  Pulse was normal.   UGH!!!  WTH??

I couldn’t figure out what it was….then it all came to me.  It was severe dehydration.  Dehydration from last night’s 2 mile swim that I never rehydrated properly.  Just when I thought I had it all figured out.  So what went wrong?  I swam my longest swim the night before.  I only drank 200z of fluids all night after the swim.  The LA Fitness pool must have been at least 80 degrees.  I usually drink a glass of water before bed but I was so tired I fell asleep early.  It just didn’t occur to me that I was overlooking hydration.

And to make matters worse, I didn’t drink any water/fluids before my morning run.  Not sure why either. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.  I hate making stupid mistakes more than anything else in life.

So I spent all day trying to rehydrated, drinking pedialyte and continuing to feel light-headed.  My coach gave me the next two days off to attempt to recover.  I am so tempted to go to the ER and get a drip to speed this up.  Very unhappy with myself right now.

There’s no taper in this Race Week!

Austin 70.3 is a couple of days away but my training for IM goes on.  Today’s training included a Tempo Ride and a long swim, my longest swim to date.  I was concerned if I would be recovered enough this week to handle both the regular training and then a race on Sunday.  Based on my Tempo ride today I am feeling as if I have finally recovered from the last two weeks.

Tempo ride: 20 mins easy, 25 mins at HIM (half-ironman) race pace, 10 mins easy.  My legs felt good.  No residual soreness, no pain.  I wore the new shoes and they felt much better today.  Less rubbing around the ankles.  I am really happy that I stuck with the Specialized Body Geometry Trivent shoes.  My last pair lasted two years!

Quick stretch and recovery shake and then off to work!  Now, workout #2 loomed in my mind all day.  I was starting to feel tired, a sleepy tired.  Long, long work day, total mental exhaustion.  I DID NOT WANT to swim tonight.  I tried to find every justifiable excuse but finally came to the realization that I WANT to have a great IM experience and this is exactly what it is about:  get the training in to make the experience as comfortable as possible.  It was time to put in the time!!

Swim workout: 3,500 yards.  That is approximately 2 miles.  Just 0.4 miles shy of the full IM swim distance.  Once I got to the pool it was easy to get into swim mode.  I was prepared mentally and physically to attack this distance.  What I wasn’t prepared for was the BS at the LA Fitness pool.  UGH!!  I figured since I was arriving at 7:15 pm that the chaos in the pool would be gone, but I was wrong.  At this point I just wanted to get the swim over with so I could get out of the pool.  I probably swam faster because of this but it did help distract me from thinking about the distance.

A couple of new learnings with my longest swim to date: 2 miles.  My arms hurt alot towards the end.  I was putting moderate effort into pulling.  I felt the fatigue.  Second, my goggles put extreme pressure in my eye sockets during the last 10 minutes.  I felt like my head was going to explode!  My legs started to feel crampy, water was on the warm side, similar to Cozumel’s condition.

I could have easily swam the complete IM distance today!!!  This made me happy.  I am just hoping my arms are not sore now for Austin!!