Ambitious

Trifecta

2011-02-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

I had one of the best weekends of all time. I had no cheer competitions this weekend and I put myself first this weekend. Every other weekend has gone to the kids cheer events which I love contributing too, so don't get me wrong.

I stand by my decisions this year that again, triathlon is #3 in my priorities. #1 the kids, and #2 work. I believe you can do very well with 2 priorities, anything else is poo. So right now, triathlon is poo in regards to getting the workouts in. I'll do what I can to work towards my third Ironman finish, might not have the best time, but crossing the finish line is all that matters.

Last week was long, and as I stated self-coached. Good news is that in search for swim workouts from my swimming instructor, I also found someone to help me with my goals and coach me. Per my tri team contract, I am unable to publically or privately disclose another sponsor/vendor outside of my team. I love the team I am on, Poo, I have loved every team I have ever been on. It's about people right, every team has had the right folks and they all have motivated me. Jumping from my original team to new team was about convenience nothing more, nothing less. This jump provided me another group of dedicated athletes that push me. So again another win and with a team I love.

Ok so in reaching out to my swim coach for swim workouts, it came full circle that it made sense to have her hubby help with my run and bike workouts. So, get this, I have a coach, that will help me get to my CDA IM goals and the communication so far has been top notch.

So "Coach" gave me permission to ride with my old team 4 hours of f**** hills, Saddleback, Montreax, Montlake, & Zoo. My brain was polluted with the normal "I can't do this" but I plugged away and did it. Minor cramping at 3 hours, more water and was fine.

Dinner consisted of steak and wine with great friends and 1 NUUN as a cocktail to help with cramping. I took it right before dinner so I could enjoy steak and wine.

Sunday filled with driving, a birthday party, extra practice for the older child and guess what...time to get in a 90 min workout..... Somewhere around mile 7, I found what I have been missing for a long time. My "love of running". I have always loved running and somewhere my bike overtook these emotions and left my running on a parked bench. I have done nothing but cursed my run workouts and here in one f**** run, all my good feelings of running came back. Ran a little harder then I should have for the last two miles as my poor butt, thighs are aching...but good aches.

Trifecta..no not the swim. Taking a shower today, hogging all the hot water, my eldest came in. She told me she did all her core workouts that morning and needed my help for her last one. This is a studious girl who really has a runner frame, still gangly and has wanted nothing more than cheer season to be over. She stood before me and without being asked did what her coach asked of her so she could get better. I am sure, I'll get the "I want to quit someday" but for now, she wants to tumble more and she has added the spin in her flying. After 6 months of wondering if I was running myself to the ground and doing the right things...it turns out, I am. My girls are learning team work, and being part of the bigger picture, but wanting to be better;)

Now that is Trifecta...Here is to a great Tuesday!!!!!

Happy Friday

2011-02-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

I thought this day would never come!

Dragging all week. Early night on Wednesday as toothpicks couldn't keep these eyes open.

Thursday, slept well, drank lots of water and crabby beyond belief. Hoping that this was like coffee, after a few days of getting back to normal sleeping habits, I can be back to my normal self. We'll see.

Late to my spin class but my instructor Cindy rocks! Let me spin for an hour and miss my TRX class. I was so happy!!!! I love Biking!!! Every intention to come home and get core in, but decided to live vicariously though the other TRX attendees. Off to get the kiddos from practice, home, and finish up those last few projects. Put computer down and rest my head on the couch...night, night. Dreams about my new bike....

Here we come Friday...need to be out of here shortly. Need to finish up Valentine cards for Kylie, eat b-fast, fix lunches, and get this party started.

Rockin Wednesday!

2011-02-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

Week is flying bye...thank goodness!

Monday -

Able to get in a bike ride and only 5 minutes late to the start!! Love this ride: get to spin and only one section where it is so painful!!! Thank golly it's only for about 8 minutes.

Tuesday -

Oh...what a relief it is to just get my work done and not worry about any workouts! I met with my new nutritionist as have major cramping in legs, a bit tired and worn down and in full swing training of Ironman Training. I liked her, but man she must think I am nuts when we talked about sleep, nutrition, and my priorities. I am always on the go...never any rest. Focus for next two weeks...sleep in my bed and not on the couch and drink lots of water.

Met with chiropractor - Been seeing Gentry for 3 years and he is fantastic!! He is a triathlete as well. He knows I am coming in to see him, because it's always after swimming. He knows I suck at it and always injure myself....he had a jolly of a good laugh at this. All fixed up and told me to make sure I don't over rotate my arm...causing injury.

Working late....and off to bed at 11:30.

Wednesday -
Up at 4:15, only hit the snooze 4 times. At the gym at 4:30, able to get 30 minutes of drills. 150 WU, 100 Sculls(sp?), 100 fist, 150 CU, 100 kick 6-1, 100 kick 6-3, 150 CD, and 100 backstroke. Easy on the right arm.

On the treadmill at 6 sharp and put in 30 minutes and watched good ol' Greys Anatomy. My treadmill blows. Stuck on 1.5 incline and creaks. But am seeing progress. 3.5 level which equates to 17 min miles. Did 5 min of walk/run and 25 of pure running. OMG...finally. Now remember my treadmill is not like the standard treadmill so I am sure if I was on a normal gym one, I would be 13 min miles and probably around 5-5.2.

Out the door with the kiddos at 7:55...record here. Before I start my wonderful day...logging my activities which will make this day even better!!!!

Now off to make my work life just as productive. Happy Wednesday!

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

Oiy!!!

So today is the best day and one of my worst days I have had!!

So officially self-coaching starting today...

I give this part 4 Stars, possibly 5 Stars. I am probably a coach's worst nightmare. Triathlon training is my 3rd love, not my first nor second, and a distant 3rd to be honest. I agree with my friend Andrea, you could do 2 things well, but at three it's mediocre. I fit workouts wherever I can..some weeks 4 hours, some weeks 15 hours...whenever and wherever I can fit these in.

Ironman training...It's intense at times and trying to find the time to get my workouts in with all the other priorities I have going on, blimy crazy. Kids have their sport which requires 2 days a week of practice, and pretty much every other weekend its competitions, which runs like swim meets. They soak up the whole day. If that isn't enough, I work full time and the work I am doing hits right there..."like a start-up company". Oh...and throw that I am a single parent, I get to do everything. Gotta love it!!

So I have been cranky, really cranky today. Sort of a short pity party on why I can't seem to pull the ol head out of the ass and get IM CDA training underway.

I guess all my thinking I came up with this. I have my priorities right where they need to be. I have my head on straight. I put my kids first and that's exactly how it's supposed to be. There part of a team, they work hard, and are making more friends. They are doing well very well in school, so big win! Now...they could do less with the cranky mom, and that part I can fix.

So back to the best day....

In 5 short months, I'll be at CDA working toward my 3rd Ironman finish. I might have the same time, but I have a feeling that I might be able to pull a better time, with some minor tweaking of the schedule, of course.

Step 1: Get back to drinking lots and lots of water with at least 6 hours of sleep. This takes care of my crankiness.

Step 2: I need to develop a better relationship with the water. Don't know how yet, but will come up with something this week to get more motivated. Biking, no issues here in fact I love biking, can't get enough. Running, lost that lovin' feeling and thinking I may just need to take my friends advice and run more shorter runs for a bit. Just maybe when I am running well, I'll find my way back to my first love!!!

So with that, off to make dinner for the kiddos. One isn't feeling well so will get her some medicine along with some soup. Jump on the treadmill for at least an hour (yep, that will be a long run). Do a couple hours of work and off to bed. Hoping to celebrate the night with some vino,....”go packers go”, this would make the ultimate night.

Saturday Market has Snow Cones!!! What are we waiting for:)

2010-07-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

Meet the family dog "Cooper" he is our fearless canine and the family coudn't live without him!!

Two weeks ago we went to the Saturday Market and we discovered the "Jail Cell".....each girl had to experience it.

What happens when each kid has it's own snow cone??? Lots of fun!!!!

Koralee trying to compete with Kylie in having the darkest tongue...one flavor doesn't cut it.....Next Time:)

Kylie had something with the name blood, mixed with two other dark flavors and what do you have?

Bye for Now!!

2010 CDA Ironman

2010-07-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Pre-Race:
I rented a house with my friend Su and I arrived Tuesday afternoon. Gorgeous weather and water conditions were present. Weather temps continue to fluctuate every couple of hours for our 5 day weather report. Moved bike and runs to hottest parts of days.

Saturday winds caused white caps. I swam, but I have to admit I was terrified.

Race Day:
Alarm didn’t go off, but roomy woke me up at 4AM. I packed the belly with toast and jelly, bagel with peanut butter, decaf coffee, and 20 oz of water. I walk to the race start around 5AM and see the V02 gang, Gerry, Kyla, Kristen, Sue, Mary, Chris and Lee Ann.

I head to the swim start to get my spot and positioned myself right inside the buoy lines. Race begins and I let everyone go ahead of me. I had the best first lap with no one bumping, pushing or swimming over me. My second loop proved to be much more of a challenge. I had the same experience except on the red turn buoys where I couldn’t get into any rhythm. I am a right side breather and every time I came for air, I was hit with waves and drank and choked on water. I panicked a bit as I didn’t want anyone touching me. It seemed like eternity to get around these buoys and I had to remind myself the swim would be over soon. I finally managed to get around the buoys and head to the beach.

If there was any event I could PR in, it would have been the swim, as I had been working on gaining more confidence in the water. After some timed swims with the same distance, I thought I could gain 5 minutes. Due to the windy conditions, I was slower by 7 minutes. Oh well….I survived, and was greeted by Ben and Cindy.

Swim Time: 1:56:51
I received support from an awesome volunteer who basically dressed me. She helped me get my shirt, socks and shoes on. She also gave me water to sip on. I stopped at the sunscreen area to get sun tan lotion from Dana and Marne, greeted by more VO2!! Thanks you guys. Off to the bike, fun times.

T1: 7:30

Bike:
I trained only with heart rate, so I yanked the Power Meter off to lose the extra weight. The speed sensor on my Polar wasn’t catching even after multiple attempts, and I was afraid that I might get my fingers in the spokes, so I quit trying. So, I told myself to just ride as I still had heart rate numbers. The heat was unbearable and my stomach wasn’t feeling well. I imagine all that lake water that filled my tummy wasn’t meshing with my nutrition. While climbing English Point Hill, I made a comment on how terrible the weather was. WHAT the Hell??!!!??? I had to remind myself that it was a gorgeous day and then I thanked God for my healthy body. I also thanked every supporter from here on out. My stomach was getting worse, but I kept with my plan and kept within my heart rate zones.

I missed the bathroom on Hudlow, which sucked, because nothing is worse than feeling ill and having to go potty. Linsey passed me and then I panicked thinking I might be in the potty when Bree came whizzing by, as I badly wanted to see her. Well there are no other stops at future aid stations, unless you count the ones on the opposite side which are tricky to get too. So no Bree, no potty, and no ‘ANDY’, I missed him by 30 minutes.

I pedaled fast and decided to hit the potty on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive. My first loop was 3:35 minutes.

My stomach felt like sour stomach, and hurt to the touch. I continued drinking water but stopped drinking any nutrition at this point. There was no point, my system was not absorbing it. I had one and only one Rolaid with me, and I took it. I took the others the few days before since my Gatorade was killing my stomach.

I stopped at the first porta potty on CDA Lake drive. As I got back on my bike, my quad cramped. I noted it and kept moving. In trying to hold the vomit down, I vomited in my mouth along Kathleen Street, which I quickly spit out and then rinsed my mouth with tons of water and continued biking. As I come up Lakeview, I had another cramp in my hamstring hit. I had written in my plan that if cramping occurred to take 2 salt tablets every 30 minutes instead of every hour. I would have to get out of my seat for all hills to avoid any further cramping. I also began taking my nutrition at this point. I was taking one bottle of water at every other aid station, so I know I am dehydrated. Total nutrition taken was 4.5 hours = 1125 calories. All in all, my stomach has settled and I begin to feel better. Two additional rest stops with my final stop at Hudlow, so I don’t get stuck in T2 at the potty line. I keep the hr down on the hills but picked up speed everywhere else to finish strong. Two years ago, I finished at 7:10 with no rest stops.

Bike Time: 7:22:06
1 (34 miles – 2:09:46 15.72 mph)
2 (56 miles – 3:44:57 14.94 mph)
3 (22 miles – 1:27:23 15.29 mph)

T2: 3:53
Grab GU, shoes and head out. Get more sun tan lotion, say hi to Daniel and out I go on my run.

Run:
Oiy, the run is hot. I feel like I am going to pass out so I remind myself how crucial it is to take nutrition. Also to keep my feelings of passing out to myself so I am not hauled off the run as I remind myself that I have just completed the bike and swim. I decide to do 2 salt tables and 1 GU on the hour. Race plan says Gatorade and water, alternating each aid station. I decide to change to Coke since Gatorade hasn’t been settling well. Ice chips are mandatory at every aid station. The heat is killing me and I feel like I have motion sickness. I decide to put ice chips in the front of my shirt. Now I sound like a piggy bank for 3 flipping miles. I decide to wedge ice chips in my headsweat hat, however this is giving me brain freeze. So I decide to chew and suck on ice chips at each station for the remainder of the run. Race strategy is to run to each station and walk the length of the aid station. The run is proving difficult and I am negotiating with myself to stick to my plan. I am thankful for the V02 folks, but I really need my family. I decide that Koralee my eldest is handing me coke and Kylie is handing me water. I imagine they are at each aid station. This is what keeps me going for 26.2 miles. My feet are also killing me, and they feel like they are a half size to small. My feet size fluctuates with weight, so all that salt can’t be good, especially since I am not a sweater. More internal bargaining about walking but I don’t give in. I pray for darkness for some wind to come…

I am excited to see Kyla on the run and tell her to finish strong as I think this is her last lap. I see Leann, Chris, Mary and Sue. I don’t see my roomy, but figure I must have missed her on the first lap. I pass the VO2 folks, yeah!!! I am still feeling light headed, but I push through it for my second loop. My watch has stopped working and the time is going backwards. I try to calculate in my head what I am running, but I can’t add 2+2, so I decide to run. I see Leann again and yell, ‘looking good’. A little later I see Kyla and tell her she looks good. I know something has happened as Kyla is a strong, strong, strong runner. I see Mary, and Sue and I continue running. A half mile before the finish line, the friend of the girl behind me tells her that we are precisely .5 miles from the finish. She says the time is 10:00pm. At this point, I realize that this is the same time I came in 2 years ago and proceed to run faster. I see the V02 gang and give them a thumbs up. I keep running and catch up to the two folks ahead of me and I tell myself to wait for it…wait for it…”so and so, and Jennifer Steinbuch…you are an ironman”. Just what I wanted to hear. I high five everyone on the left hand bleachers and give my finest and biggest smile for my photo. I am elated and excited and glad it’s over, it’s been a long, long day. I am taken by the catchers for another finisher photo and give them a picture to remember. I PR my run by 11 minutes.

Run: 5:38:39
.9 mile = 11.24
6.57 miles = 12:53
6.53 miles = 13.22
7.75 miles = 11.25
4.45 miles = 15.14
Total Time: 15:08:57

Overall Finish: 1759/2096

Division Place: 93/127

I want to thank my family, my mom and my two kids for always being there for me and allowing me to use Saturdays for bike rides. I love you so much and am so glad you will be with me next year!!! I want to thank my friends for always believing in me that I could do this a second time with only 6 months of training under my belt. I want to thank Cindy and Ben for their support as I recall I saw them multiple times in the day and they always were cheering me on. I thank the VO2 gang, Dana, Marne, Kirk, Gerry, Daniel for cheering me on..when I so badly needed the support. I thank Cindy (Su’s friend) for taking all my gear home so I don’t have to worry about it after the race and Su, I thank you for getting me to sign up both this year and next year. Most of all, I thank the CDA supporters who kept cheering me on, until the very end.

Last day of School for the kiddos

2010-06-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

I had a great day today.

Kids had a half day of school. It was their last day today. I officially have a third and first grader on my hands. They were all smiles today...

Jumped on FB around 7pm to check what all my friends were up to....surfed the net, checked out the IM site. The countdown clock lists 10 days until my event. Woohoo!!! Almost there. Cant wait to see what the day brings.

9:33 PM...and I am still awake. Off to bed, so I can give the pooch an early run. Pooch is not the donut wrapped around my belly, but the canine..Cooper:0)

5/13 - Thursday Time to go to Bed

2010-05-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

Completed two open water swims, one yesterday and one today. Feeling under the weather so glad I took it easy these last couple of days. I will kick it into gear tomorrow and get all my workouts complete. No excuses

Tonight...snuggle with one of the kiddos and thank my God for such wonderful kids.....Here is too motherhood and enjoying every moment.

Goal: get the CDA calendar out of my mind - http://www.ironmancda.com/cdaclock.html approximately 44 days 7 hours 33 minutes and 36 seconds before race day...

Early workout day tomorrow....time to go count sheep:) Need rest....

"Cooper" is coming home!!!

2009-08-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Yep, my new puppy who was born 7/20/09 is coming home on 8/7.

He is quite handsome and just a total sweetie. He weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs last week and well....I am so excited.........

Look at those sweet little eyes and nose....1 more day...just one more day.

2nd run this week

2009-07-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went for a run, and it took every part of my being to have fun. First it was the hills that hurt...the high heart rate, the slow movement, or that I didnt belong on that road. Either way I felt off keel. The only thing that kept me moving was my music and the downhills where the momentum helped pushed me down:) 30 min run, 30 min bike.....getting there

Today...same feeling..thought I might be a twinge faster, but my turning point was the same as the day before......I'll give it time....there is lots of that.

Off to work.

Slugger...or is that sluggish

2009-02-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

First blog since CDA IM...I think that explains the title of this blog. After having a terrible cold for the last 6 weeks I finally feel like my body is on the mend. Stress...what a crazy thing that is and how it can take a terrible toll on your body. I have been trying to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night and it seems to be finally helping.

I feel it....yes....this is the week I can proudly say that working out maybe okn the calendar:) It is sorta like butterflies in the belly. Not sure why because 15 minutes....well it is a joke. Hey I need to start out slow...dont want any injuries.

2009 Goals - Be ALIVE...every moment I am awake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! every moment I am with my kids !!!!!!!!!! Just Being........more later.

Ironman Coeur d'Alene

2008-06-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

Ironman Coeur d'Alene
June 22, 2008
Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles, Run 26.2 miles
SWIM-1:50:03 BIKE-7:09:57 RUN-5:49:10 OVERALL-15:05:19 RANK-1692/1942 DIV.POS.112/151 –Lucky Bib#1978

Pre-race-
I was pretty excited to be in CDA and the excitement around me was very overwhelmingly but very cool. I am a very nervous swimmer so the cold temps were pretty bothersome. I arrived on Wednesday night and was in the water on Thursday at 55 F temps. It was pretty cold and my arms were freezing at about 50 minutes in but I needed to get my body used to these temps just in case this is what race day was going to provide.

Day of Race-

Swim-
I awoke at 3:15 with room service knocking on the door. The calls at 3am were pretty much ignored. I ate and got all my stuff that I needed for race day in my bag. I was planning on waiting for my husband and Dave and all walk over together but then I started to panic. I headed out the door at 5 and decided I was going to use the time alone to go over my race plan. My plans were to head to the bike area and ensure my bike was ready and then go over to put remaining items in transitions bags. As I entered the bike area I felt really sick to my stomach. I was totally nervous and sick. By the time I got to my bike I was calling Cindy Bigglestone to see if my bike was ok since my wheel cover was rubbing the day before. She gave the A.O.K and I was off to get my stuff in the transition bags. I found Kevin, Dave and Su and we all proceeded to get our wetsuits on. I waited for Dave and Kevin since our family was in the area and then headed on the beach to find Su.

The gun went off and I waited for folks to go in. I jumped in around the middle and proceeded to get beaten up the entire way to the buoy. At one point I thought I was going to drown. People were swimming on me and I couldn’t find any paths to get around the athletes ahead of me since we were so congested. The turn-around point was the worst for me and this tiny pathway to get us thru was never going to end. Once I was through this I stayed to the far right and swam by myself. Round two was much easier since being a slower swimmer has advantages. I started to cramp right before the turn-around which freaked me out. I tried to remain calm and work through it until both legs seemed better. I was extremely nervous because the turn-around point might cause them again since a lot of swimmers were stopping and sighting here. I hated this spot because I drank lots of water in this particular part of the course. Once thru I headed home to the swim finish. …..I am alive.

Those wetsuit strippers are awesome…they had me out of my suit in 2 seconds. Off to the changing tent. I was totally nervous and very anxious and out of nowhere came Char Popp. She was able to calm me down and get me ready for my bike. She was absolutely AMAZING.

Bike-
As I was heading out I saw my co-worker Beth waiving a sign for me. How awesome is that just what I needed to get through the first loop. I saw my coach Jill Fry on the corner with Beth and they cheered me on some more. OMG…I am going to cry. The first loop was great and I did it in about 3 hours and 30 minutes. Starting my second loop I saw my family and it was what I needed to get through the second loop. I stopped at special needs and had one chip. Gross……I didn’t want anything in there so I headed out with nothing. I decided to stick to my liquid nutrition. As I was heading past one of the schools they were playing the song “Bicycle Race” from Queen. How fitting so when I got bored this is what played in my head for the next 30 miles. At mile 90 my shoulders killed and so no more aero for me as I just wanted to get back. My second loop was 3 hours and 39 minutes not too shabby. Off to the changing station and guess who…CHAR. I love her. She helped me get ready for the run and off I go.

Run-
I ran for the first 13.1 one miles and was doing great with only walking while going through the aid stations. I saw my husband Kevin during the one mile turn-a-round. This was the first time I saw him all day. It took until around mile 9 for us to run for about a quarter of a mile and then he was off. He looked good and he was almost done. This was pretty cool. Once I started my second loop I walked to let my stomach settle because the coke had upset it. Once I started walking it was so hard to get going again. So for the next 7 miles it was a walk/kinda run pace.

I began to believe it would be ok to walk because I had lots of time to do so. I decided that it wasn’t ok and I would run again at mile 21 because my family was waiting for me and I wanted to get back. I began to run at mile 21 but at mile 22 started to walk. Some guy behind me grabbed my shoulder and said no honey…we need to keep running. I began to run with him and then he stopped at the next aid station. I continued to run through it since I wasn’t thirsty. I never saw him again but it was ok, because I never stopped running after this point. I practiced many mantra’s like I can do this and so on but the only one going through my head was “I want to see my family and my family at the finish line.” I ran past the house playing the Rocky Song and well this is what I needed to get me through to the end. I saw the Popps and they gave me lots of kudos and I was off to the finish shoot. I couldn’t see anyone since the lights were so bright but I ran towards the right side bleaches and hi-fived all the spectators there. I gave the biggest smile coming over the finish line. I later learned my family was on the left hand side of the bleachers…go figure. I was greeted by my family and told them I would be back shortly…I needed food and a massage. I put my name on the waiting list ate pizza and then said goodbye to my family since it was past everyone’s bedtime.

I went in and grabbed my bike and transition bags and ran into my friend Su. I was extremely happy to see her. Her car and my hotel were next to each other so we walked for a few minutes. I don’t know if she knows this but she was a huge inspiration for me the year before. I came here the year prior to sign up and my friend Scott was cheering her on. So of course our whole group was cheering her on. She didn’t know how to swim 2 years prior to her Ironman but if she could do it than maybe I could too. I met with her soon after last year’s IM and she became my swim buddy the weeks prior to this race. We both swam in water ranging from 57 F to 62F in preparation for the cold race swim. I can swim in the pool just fine but Open Water has always been another beast for me. She always waited for me at each buoy and made sure I was ok. I went from breast-stroke/free-style to free-style come race day and this was definitely because of her.

I have to give kudos to my coach Jill Fry who always supported me and gave me the encouragement to keep going even during the tough times. For that I will always be grateful. She has a team of amazing athletes and a husband who were always so supportive of me. I also have to thank two people who sponsor our team Gentry and Alexie were always very supportive of me and are just amazing people to know. Then there is Greene and McAlpin who were with me when I signed up. Thank you for putting up with my daily questions and always always saying I would do great!

I also owe big thanks to all my friends and family and especially my mom who watched my girls pretty much every weekend while Kevin and I went on long bike rides to prep for this race. I have to also thank my mom-in-law Rita who flew out on one occasion to watch our girls while I went to do my first Olympic distance about a month before the race with my husband Kevin. I owe a big thanks to my kids and my husband who are by far my biggest supporters. I love you Kevin, Koralee and Kylie.
Thanks to everyone including the volunteers on race day who cheered for me until I reached the end.

Issaquah Triathlon- The Best and Worst Triathlon

2008-06-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday May 31st
Finish time - 1:21:42
AG: 16/86
Overall: 262/703

Nutrition- breakfast 2 hours prior and water on the bike

Pre-race:
I went to see the “Sex and City” movie. It was awesome. I am training for an Ironman this year but made a decision that I still needed to make time for friends and family. So the timing of this movie and the triathlon were somewhat conflicting. I decided to pick up my race packet prior to dinner. It made me later than I originally planned but I needed to get this done. I came home close to 10 and after talking to my mom and Nicole I didn’t see my pillow until close to 11:30.

Race Day:
I awoke at 5 pretty exhausted. Husband is away and so I will be taking my mom and kids to the triathlon this morning. This is pretty exciting as this will be the first race my mom has seen. I go to get my favorite breakfast food and guess what…no pop-tarts. How could this have happened, oh no? Ok don’t panic –an oatmeal breakfast will have to do. I finish getting all my stuff together, kids and mom are in the car and I head to Sammamish State Park. Its 6:15 and I am not yet to the park, panic some what sets in. I honestly think to myself that at this point if I don’t get there by the mandatory race briefing at 6:45, it will be ok. I can race another day. I pull up about 6:25 get my bike to the transition area by 6:30 and then head off to the Triumph Multisport Tent. I decide to put my gear over there today and so my bike has the tiniest transition area. As I am out there with my team mates I mention that I don’t remember where exactly my bike is. That is a first, oh well nothing I can do now.

Swim:
I firmly plan myself right in the middle of the pack. I know that I should never be in the front since I struggle in this area. I however don’t want to be in the back seeing that this race is some folks first Tri. Our age group is a pretty big one and so they decide to put in two waves. Since everyone jumped in the water they decided to let us all go…one wave. Ok, people in front are breast-stroking. Here is the thing. I know how to swim; I do it in the pool 2x per week. Open water, well this is another thing. I feel each time my toes hit the water that it is a first swim of the season. It’s never a good feeling. Now keep in mind that I just completed an Olympic distance Tri a few weeks ago (no wet suit, salt water swim) and this went somewhat well. Now I am in the water with my wetsuit feeling very claustrophobic and it’s just not going down as well as I planned. The water is COLD. I actually think to myself that if I can’t do a ¼ mile swim how on earth is 2.4 going to happen. I make it through and see the shore and this is great. I see my mom and my girls and this adds to my excitement.

Flashback- This was my worst race last year. I have done all my tri’s late in the season and wetsuit free. I rent a suit get in the water a few days prior and believe I am ready for race day. Now when I get in the water I have major panic attacks. I am super claustrophobic and this ¼ mile swim has somehow turned into the swim that never ends. I actually get on my back and start to do a back-stroke. I believe I am going to drown. I look to see where the kayakers are and they are towards either the beginning or end of the swim. I try to raise my hand but what for, they are a mile away. I decide it’s easier to swim to shore and I suck it up. Swim 16:57. Can you understand now why this was my worst race in 2007. Now 2008 is drums rolling please……9:40.

T1: 1:28 - I see my bike and I quickly grab it and head out, woohoo- I remembered where it was.

Bike: 43:28 - I tear it up and just decide to give it my all. I am somewhat breathing like I am out of shape but oh well. I have to remind myself to save some for the run, but hey this is an all or nothing sprint. Bike feels great and I am excited when I get into the park. Nothing out of the ordinaryJ

T2: 2:56 - Ok so this part I didn’t plan. When I was in the transition area I noticed that the bike rack has two sets of numbers-they are different on each side. I remembered that I walked around confused for a bit but then I saw my number and parked my bike. Being a slow swimmer has advantages, like my bike is always alone and I can always find it. I come into T2 and realize I have no idea where my run stuff is let alone where I am supposed to put my bike since the only numbers I see on the racks don’t match mine. I run frantic up and down the aisle, not working and no luck. My tiny transition is now a horror story and moving my bright-red transition bag to another area, well not smart. I finally decided to lean my bike on the end of a rack. I run to the other end of the racks find my number and head down to the end of the rack. Cool, I see my stuff and I am out doing my run. Run: My feet are so numb from the cold swim that it takes a good mile to actually start feeling them. Run feels great and I even chat with Heather from the Seattle Luna Chix for a minute. I than see Lavonne decide to yell her name. This by the way is never a good idea because as she turned around she almost fell. Yikes I would have felt so bad. We chat a bit and then off to the finish line. A nice strong finish and my teammates cheer me in. My family is nowhere to be seen which leads me to believe they are at the park playing, that’s awesomeJ. Day was a success. Did I mention that where I parked my bike and where it was actually supposed to go is 6 racks away? Good thing I can laugh about it now…..hahaha.

Honolulu Triathlon

2008-05-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday May 18th, 2008

It’s 3:45 am and I go take a shower. My hotel room contains only a refrigerator, so my morning race meal consists of a slice of dry bread, one banana and 3 slices of turkey. I start drinking water and swallow one salt tablet. It’s a 15 minute walk to the park and transition closes at 5:45 so I need to move quickly. Kevin and I arrive at the park at 5:25 which is cutting it really close in my book. I get body marked first, since this is a requirement before I can enter the transition area. I grab my bike and then head over to the mechanic to get my tires inflated. I see Kevin has a pump so I head his way so he can help me. I then head back to my appointed bike spot and set-up my area. At 5:45 I run over to an area by the swim and grab my timing chip. Off to the restrooms to do the pee dance while waiting in line. They are reviewing the rules over the loud speaker and getting the Pro’s in the starting area since they start at 6 am. I head over to do a quick swim but as soon as I get in, it’s time to get out. Oh well. I watch the pro’s take off and go to find Kevin since I haven’t seen him since transition. I find him in the waiting area since his wave is going to be taking off soon. We go over some swim exercises, give each other hugs and kisses and wish each other good luck. Each wave was scheduled 4 minutes apart however they decide to have each wave go in 3 minutes increment. Good thing I was paying attention because my wave now starts at 6:15 instead of 6:21. I proceed to do a few more arm stretches and run in place for a minute.

This is my first triathlon where we start from the beach and run into the water. I am towards the middle of the pack but when our wave starts I let the girls behind me go ahead. I take it easy, get settled into my swim and start to site after 5-7 stokes. I take a big gulp of salt water, not pretty. I remind myself to stay calm and relaxed, and to swim with ease. I tuck in behind a girl who is in front of me and let her guide me to the turnaround point. People are going by me but none of them are swimming over me, which is a huge relief. They just move over to one side and continue on. At the turnaround point I get sandwiched between two swimmers, which puts me in a panic and a breast-stroke. It last only a minute until I can coerce myself to get back to the free-style stroke. This happens one other time and I again give myself another pep talk and keep moving forward. I am coming home and that is what is what is driving me. I debated about checking my swim time at mid-point but decided against it. I am glad I didn’t because I believe it would have thrown me off. I am out of the water and my time shows 38 and change. OMG…I just swam in 38 minutes. I am excited since I anticipated 45 minutes.

I run with ease through the transition area, maybe even slower than I should of. Oh look being a slow swimmer has its advantages. On my side of the rack my bike sits alone. Now I don’t have to fumble around, I can grab my bike with ease. I put on my hat and glasses and then grab my bike and head out of transition. My shoes are already on my bike which saves me some time. I didn’t practice this but I did visualize this the night before so that counts for something. I’m on my bike but I let up on my right foot and my shoe starts to drag because I am not in it yet, oops, don’t panic…I can fix this…fixed.

I have a very specific bike plan which I plan to follow. I turn on my power-tap which is about a ¼ mile late. Oh well. My heart rate is about 5-6 beats lower than my goal so I pick up the pace. I can’t put into words how this part of the race felt. It was so surreal and fairy tale like and unlike anything I imagined or experienced. Side note-The race officials cautioned the athletes that penalties would be given if the rules were not followed. No drafting is allowed and you must be 3 bike lengths apart. Pass on our left. They have these big burly men with tattoos riding on motorcycle bikes. They have the refs on their backs taking numbers down to issue penalties. Crazy, I haven’t experienced this before. I continue to bring my numbers up and then hold for 10 minutes. I am passing other bikers. I was passed by a few men but that is it. I hit the turnaround point and one lady passes me as I am in a wrong gear going up a tiny incline. This is where the fun begins. There are three of us total, a man, and my lady in blue who stick together as neither of us plans to give up our position. We all are passing other bikers and each taking the lead at one point or another for the next 13 miles. The fun part was it was all within my HR zone, I committed no crimes here. Now here is where I make a small error. I was to bring my hr up another 10 beats for the last few miles. As I start to do this, I see race officials guiding me back into the park. I have to slow down some as there are about 5 speed bumps ahead. My power tap shows 22.4 miles, how the heck do I make an error like this? Oh well…keep going. I get off my bike and proceed to run with my bike shoes on. This feels foreign and I don’t like it. I see my lady in blue pulled over to the side taking her shoes off so I do the same so I can sprint to the bike rack. My husband greets me as I get off my bike and says nice job. He has followed me to the run transition and proceeds to ask me how the swim felt. I mumble fine. He then asks about the bike, again I mumble fine. He tells me great job and to have a great run. Now I am very appreciative of the support he offered me but it throws me off a bit. My goal was to put socks/shoes on and grab hat/race belt and head out to the run. Instead I find myself putting on my hat, than getting socks/shoes on. I do however grab the belt and take off.

I love running, always have and always will. I focus on being relaxed and to maintain good posture for my first mile. I have my flask which contains two gels mixed with water. Side note- practice drinking water while running. I failed miserably today. The first time I got a drop of water and wore the rest on my face. The second time I only got a small gulp. While on my first loop, I develop this terrible side ache which lasted a few minutes. All I can think of is the pain. I try to think of something else but I fail miserably. I finally work thru it and life is good again. I really need to find out what causes this so I can do my best to avoid these all together. I have Ace of Base melody, “the sign “playing in my head now. It’s a peppy song and that is what I need right now. I struggle with keeping my hr against plan because I am hot. Long story short but I have a bad sun burn and the hot sun beating down on me is killing me. I feel like there is a magnifying glass upon me. I look forward to some shady spots ahead. I am only off by a few beats so I shouldn’t worry too much. Okay, back to my water dilemma. I come to my second loop and grab some water; it goes down my air pipes. I start coughing and I have to slow down a bit. This is crazy, what am I a newbie. I take my last sip of gel a ways down and I stop and walk at the next water station so I can actually drink some water. I get back into a run and focus on getting into a rhythm. I bypass the last water station since I am headed to the finish line. I pick up my HR a few beats and I now running with 2 guys. One drops off and the other continues to run with me. I hear him say good luck and then he stops and walks because of leg cramps. I have .75 miles left. I get passed by a girl at half mile and I wait until I believe I am a quarter mile away and go into a full sprint, thus passing her. I hear the announcer guy say that it’s going to be a battle and who is it going to be. I believe that he is talking about the girl I just passed so I proceed to run faster. I sprint across the finish line. I turn in my chip and grab a Gatorade. Oh wait time check please…I see 2 hours 47 minutes. Kevin congratulates me and says nice job…way to push it. He says I did 3:02 in which I look at him wide-eyed and with the biggest cheesiest grin ever I say nope, I think I just did 2: 47. I show him my watch and he can’t believe it, heck I can’t believe it.

Here is what I do know. There were 25 girls in my age group. I was the 22nd girl out of the water. I came in 3rd place with my bike and 11th place for my run to earn myself an 8th place finish for my AG. This is by far my favorite race because its fun and I topped 10. If you asked me about specific spots on the bike, I would have no idea. I could however give you details of what some of the athletes were wearing, specifically the two I hung out with. The run, this is where I savored the day and focused on having fun. I took in all the sites around me and marveled in the day’s beauty.
I later learned the announcer was talking about the girl ahead of me who came in 3 seconds faster and claimed the 7th place AG spot. Next time:)

Swim -22-38:45 -2:35
T1-2:22
Bike-3 -1:06:56 -22.4
T2- 1:50
Run-11 - 55:48 - 9:00
Time- 2:45:40

Nutrition:
Bike-1 bottle of carb pro/eload and half bottle of water
Run – 2 gels

Prep Days prior to Honolulu Triathlon

2008-05-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

I arrive in Honolulu on Thursday night around 10 pm. Flight is etremely long and I am super exhausted. My hubby picked me up, we head for a quick bite and then off to bed, it’s now 11:30 pm.

A friend of ours lent us their bike boxes for this trip, in which I am extremely grateful for. My friend helps me pack my bike since Kevin is already in Hawaii on business (okay I watched). In packing the front tire I noticed that it definitely needs replacement. It will have to wait till I get to Honolulu.

It’s Friday morning and I call my step-dad in-law to see what was on his agenda is for the day. Kevin has business to attend to so I am on my own for most of the day. Rusty is taking a walk in the nearby vicinity while Kevin and I are having coffee. I end up leaving with Rusty since he offers to take me to the bike shop. So there I am off to run errands. The only 650 tire the bike shop carries are a Gatorskin tire which work out perfectly. I also purchase some CO2 cartridges to pump up my tires, since neither Kevin nor I packed a tire pump. Off to the grocery store and then finally back to my hotel to put my bike together. It’s already 1 in the afternoon, not a lot of time left in the day. It’s now time to put the bike together. OMG, the back tire is shot. I am mad at myself that I didn’t check this prior but I also didn’t know that I would be running errands in the am, so can’t be too mad at myself. Hmmm, I will need to see if I can get another ride to the shop for another tire. My window for my long bike ride is getting shorter. My husband and I decide to go for quick 15-20 minute swim to see how the water feels. The water temp feels great but the salt was killing me. Off to Rusty’s hotel to get our errands started. It’s mandatory to attend a race briefing prior to getting race packets and lucky for the participants they are scheduled every hour. We get there just as one is beginning, how perfect is this. No joke, it’s in another language. Another participant asks if they will be speaking English and she kindly says no, She mentions the slides are in English so that should suffice, so we stay. It is dinner time so we grab our friends and head to dinner. No time for a bike ride. I am pretty exhausted so we head back to the hotel and am in bed by 8:45 pm.

It’s a beautiful Saturday morning. Prior to doing our swim and run workouts we decide to go eat breakfast. It’s a 15 minute walk to the park from our hotel so this is plenty of time to let the food settle and find spots by the water to put our belongings. It’s hot outside. My schedule says a 30 minute run below my AET. Kevin is laughing at me because of how slow my run is and he expresses his concern that at that pace I might not finish. I ask what pace I am at since he has the Garmin watch and he proceeds to run at my pace which are 12:20 min miles. My long runs should be at 11:16 so yes this is slow. I can only imagine the heat is driving up my heart rate up. We head over to the water where the buoys are all set up and oh boy……..that is the longest mile of buoys I have ever seen. Here’s the truth. Swimming is not a strong skill that I possess. Swimming sets off all these emotions which come over me like a tidal wave. Panic and fear take over each and every time. I especially don’t like the feeling of being swum over, which happens to me often since I am a slow swimmer. I CAN swim, I do it in the pool 2-3 times a week yet it’s different than open water. Today I imagine I am in a large salty pool with happens to have no pool lanes. I plan to swim out for 15 minutes and then turn around and come back. I was all over the place. I was way out to the right so I would correct myself and then I would find myself way over to the left. This was ongoing and a little scary. I need a game plan, how about every 6 strokes I site. Better, much better. My return trip took 5 minutes longer, not a good sign but nothing I can do about it. We head back to the hotel where I read a book on the patio and Kevin takes a nap. We head over to the park to drop off our bikes and then we plan to head off to an early dinner. While getting ready for dinner I notice that I am completely burnt and it hurts. We set-up for race day and decide to go to bed at 9 pm.

Midnight Kevin calls my name and I answer. I ask what time it is and I am annoyed at the time. Neither of us can sleep. I am unable to sleep because of my sunburn and I still can’t believe how burnt I am. I go back to bed as I have to get up at 3:45 am.

Las Vegas Marathon - December 2nd, 2007

2007-12-05T22:43:00.001-08:00

Goal:
To finish, enjoy the journey and have fun, just bring it!

Pre-Race:
I got sick the Monday of Thanksgiving week. I lingered on the voice of positive thinking and kept telling myself I would be fine for my marathon. That following Monday I was diagnosed with a sinus infection….ughhh…I have only 6 days to get rid of this. I had done my last long run on November 18th and I was able to get 2 runs in just prior to my event. Not a lot of time on my feet but I as I have heard, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”

Nutrition: Consisted of getting my carbs up from 60% to 70% and fully hydrating those 3 days prior to race.

Day before – Endurolytes and Gatorade Endurance. I had a nice carbo lunch around noon with another meal planned at 5 but was too full from lunch so I ate the 3 remaining breadsticks and headed to bed at 6pm.

Race Day:
I woke up at 2 am and had two servings of oatmeal and granola. I head back to bed and awake at 4 am to get the bagel and PB down with my H2O. I throw in some coffee because this is part of my normal routine. I wake up Kevin at both of these times and make him eat with me. I have exceeded my normal eating regimen. I am feeling a little ill and at one point start to go thru the motion of yaking, you know the start of the cough. I tell myself it will be ok and to take deep breaths, I am fine.

The two of us take off at 4:45 so we can get over to the Mandalay Bay hotel where the race will commence. We are in the lobby of the Monte Carlo hotel and I am starting to get a little emotional. I start to think that maybe I am not ready and start to devise what plan B and C will look like. My eyes are starting to fill and than I tell myself to snap out of it for 1) I am in a smoke filled casina that smells stale and 2) its not the time to get emotional as there will be plenty of time to do that later and 3) I tell myself to HTFU.

Kevin and I arrive at the Mandalay Bay and head out to the start line. By now all my friends know that I have the smallest bladder in the world and I always have to pee every 15 minutes. I try to hold as long as possible but 5:30 wins over. I head to the start line to get ready for the race and a nice photographer takes our pre-race picture. Kevin and I tell each to have a great race, give each other kudos for the training each of us has put in and a kiss for good luck. It takes a few minutes to get to the start so Kevin and I run together before he takes off. I won’t see him until the finish line.

My Plan:
Most folks know that I signed up for CDA IronMan which is on June 22nd, 2008. Now I get a little emotional when I think about this day. If you know me than you know the longest run I had done was 6 miles, a ¼ mile swim, and a 15 mile bike ride. I would like to say that I was medicated or drunk when I signed up but can say neither of these occurred. I still to this day don’t know what happened but that I have never regretted this decision to sign up. I decide that I want to do a marathon before my actual training begins in January 2008; I want to know what kind of pain I should be looking forward to. So here I am.

Now….my plan today is to listen to my coach and follow her plan and run at HR. I have also been strict orders to stop at every aid station and get water. I am taking gels every 30 minutes starting 10 minutes before the race. Not in the plan was the enduralytes I take every hour, but I was afraid to cramp up so I threw this in for good measure. I should get an A for thinking outside the Box.

I start off well and also with a full bladder, oh well nothing I can do now. I don’t know where I am at in pace so I tell myself not to worry and to just to run. I find mile marker 3 and stop and get in the porta-potty line. Drag. I get back on course and realize that with all my adrenaline I have I have to go potty again. Mile 6 back in the porta-potty line. The girl behind me reminds me that we have been in line for 2 minutes and haven’t even gotten in yet. Yikes! I get back on the course and guess what mile 9 I am back in the porta-potty line. Drag. The good news is that I tell myself I have completed a third of the course. I am happy.

I stop at every aid station and I linger a little longer than I should but I am absorbing the ambiance, my journey.

I am running at a slow HR and people are passing me like crazy. I tell myself not to worry about it. Around mile 11 I look at where I should be for my goal and realize I am about 13 minutes off. I panic for a minute and realize that I shouldn’t be sweating the small stuff and I should just go with the flow. I hit the 13.1 mile point, half way at 2.40. Yippee. I tell myself that I am starting a second loop and how fun it will be.

I start to have issues with my watch and my HR is starting to freak out, which in turn is causing me to panic just a touch. For about 2 miles my watch is freezing up and HR is going from 122 to 84 to 122 to 150….nothing consistent. I try to feel out where I should be and at this point I am looking for my pacers that I have tracked during my first half of the race. No consistent pacers but my watch is working again, excellent. I decide to take another pee break at mile 15. I quickly get in and out as I realize I have a lot of wasted time on pee breaks. I will have to make up the time but I will not do it with my HR. I decide to take shorter walks at the aid stations.

Mile 15….I will be making history. I will have gone further than I have ever gone on any one of my runs. At this point I am all smiles and I can’t shake the grin I have from ear to ear.

Mile 17 – Legs are feeling a little tired but I have my music, and most of all I have heart. I remind myself that I can here with a plan and that I am going to stick to it 100%. I also tell myself that I believe in me and I can do this. I will HTFU.

I run…and run and I even shout the Forest Gump saying of “Run, Forest, Run” except mine is “Run, Jennifer, Run”. I am a little tired but tell myself my feet are like feathers and I practice good running form. I am proud of myself and I have come this far.

Mile 20 -I kick up my heart rate a few beats and tell myself I only have a 10k left, not too much left to run. I now pull out my Coke that I have in my water bottle. I have waited 4 hours to drink this as I only have it around the last hour of my run. It’s the best sugar I have ever tasted. I don’t drink soft drinks but this I have to have. This will get me thru my last 6 miles.

I have been playing cat and mouse with the pacers I scanned early in the race but right around the time I start to have my coke I decide to skip every other water station to cut down on time. I stay consistent and keep strong those last three miles. I also keep my eyes on my pacers which are now behind me. I come around the corner to see the finish line and give it one last sprint across the finish line giving hi-fives to the folks handing out medals.

Clock Time: 05:11:47
Chip Time: 05:08:38
Overall Place 3230/4290
Gender Place 1054/1588
Division Place 217
Split 30k 3:42:27
Pace 11:46.5
Half 2:40:58

This is one of the happiest days in my life:)

In every other race I have been blessed to not feel any pain in my legs until at least the following day, but my legs they feel pain now...I keep moving. Kevin and I decide to get to the hotel quickly as it is hard to walk now. I am shuffling to my hotel at a very slow pace….why did I do this again??? oh yeah…closer to my IM goal.

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” – Ronald E. Osborn

IM Inspiration

2007-10-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

This was sent over from one of my teammates and I find this truly inspiring.

Wonderful reading…from a friend of a friend of a friend to Hurricane Bob.

Guys...
This was originally in 2002, as a response to Emily (Tri Chick) and her taper woes. Since then, I've been very honored to seen it take off and become this great, self-sustaining piece of love, shared with anyone and everyone who races IM. I've posted it to Slowtwitch (and will do so again shortly), but it now has started to appear in some form before many other IM's. I hope it helps, as always.So without further adieu, to those of you heading to Ironman Canada next week - to the IM-Virgins, the veterans, and everyone in-between...

Right now you've all entered the taper. Perhaps you've been at this a few months, perhaps you've been at this a few years. For some of you this is your first IM, for others, a long-overdue welcome back to a race that few can match.

You've been following your schedule to the letter. You've been piling on the mileage, piling up the laundry, and getting a set of tan lines that will take until November to erase.

Long rides were followed by long runs, which both were preceeded by long swims, all of which were followed by recovery naps that were longer than you slept for any given night during college.

You ran in the snow.
You rode in the rain.
You ran in the heat.
You ran in the cold.

You went out when others stayed home.

You rode the trainer when others pulled the covers over their heads.

You have survived the Darwinian progression that is an Ironman summer, and now the hardest days are behind you. Like a climber in the Tour de France coming over the summit of the penultimate climb on an alpine stage, you've already covered so much ground...there's just one more climb to go. You shift up, you take a drink, you zip up the jersey; the descent lays before you...and it will be a fast one.

Time that used to be filled with never-ending work will now be filling with silent muscles, taking their final, well-earned rest. While this taper is something your body desperately needs, Your mind, cast off to the background for so very long, will start to speak to you.

It won't be pretty.

It will bring up thoughts of doubt, pain, hunger, thirst, failure, and loss. It will give you reasons why you aren't ready. It will try and make one last stand to stop you, because your brain doesn't know what the body already does.

Your body knows the truth:

You are ready.

Your brain won't believe it. It will use the taper to convince you that this is foolish - that there is too much that can go wrong.

You are ready.

Finishing an Ironman is never an accident.

It's the result of dedication, focus, hard work, and belief that all the long runs in January, long rides in April, and long swims every damn weekend will be worth it. It comes from getting on the bike, day in, day out. It comes from long, solo runs. From that first long run where you wondered, "How will I ever be ready?" to the last long run where you smiled to yourself with one mile to go...knowing that you'd found the answer.

It is worth it. Now that you're at the taper, you know it will be worth it. The workload becomes less. The body winds up and prepares, and you just need to quiet your worried mind. Not easy, but you can do it.

You are ready.

You will walk into the lagoon on August 26th with 2000 other wide-open sets of eyes. You will look upon the sea of humanity, and know that you belong. You'll feel the chill of the water crawl into your wetsuit, and shiver like everyone else, but smile because the day you have waited for for so VERY long is finally here.

The bagpipers will walk across the beach. Steve King will ask you to sing along. You will.
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

You will tear up in your goggles. Everyone does.
The helicopters will roar overhead. Maranatha will roar. The splashing will surround you.

You'll stop thinking about Ironman, because you're now racing one.

The swim will be long - it's long for everyone, but you'll make it. You'll watch as the Penticton Lakeside Hotel grows and grows, and soon you'll hear the end. You'll come up the beach and head for the wetsuit strippers. Three people will get that sucker off before you know what's happening, then you'll head for the bike.

In the shadows on Main Street you'll spin out of town - the voices, the cowbells, and the curb-to-curb chalk giving you a hero's sendoff. You won't wipe the smile off your face for miles as you whisk along the lakeside, past fully stocked, silent aid stations for the run to come.

You'll spin up McLean Creak Road. You'll roll down towards Osoyoos, past the vineyards glowing in the morning sun. You'll settle down to your race.

The crowds will spread out on the road. You'll soon be on your bike, eating your food on your schedule, controlling your Ironman.

Richter Pass will come. Everyone talks about it, but it's really nothing. You'll know this halfway up, as you're breathing easy and climbing smoothly. Look to your right. Look how high you're climbing. Look at all the bikes below, still making their way there. You're ahead of them. All of them.

You'll climb over Richter, and descend to the valley below. You'll ride the rollers, one at a time. You'll start to feel that morning sun turn to afternoon sun. It's warmer now. Maybe it's hot. Maybe you're not feeling so good now. You'll keep riding. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep moving.

After all, this is just a long training day with valet parking and catering, right?

You'll put the rollers behind you. You'll head into the Cawston out and back. You'll put on your game face, fighting the urge to feel down as you ride the wrong way for what seems like hours. 10 miles in, you reach special needs, fuel up, and head out.
By now it'll be hot. You'll be tired. Doubts will fight for your focus. Everyone struggles here. You've been on that bike for a few hours, and stopping would be nice, but you won't - not here. Not today. You'll ride on leaving Cawston behind you and head for the final showdown at Yellow Lake.

You'll grind the false flats to the climb. You'll know you're almost there. You'll fight for every inch of road. You'll make the turn towards the summit as the valley walls close in for the kill, and put your head down. The crowd will come back to you here - the cars are always waiting to cross the summit, and you'll soon be surrounded in the glorious noise that is the final climb of Ironman Canada. Let their energy push you. Let them see your eyes. Smile when they cheer for you - your body will get just that little bit lighter.

Grind. Fight. Suffer. Persevere. Summit.

Just like that, you'll be descending. 12 miles to go, and no climbing left. You'll plunge down the road, swooping from corner to corner, chaining together the turns, tucking on the straights, letting your legs recover for the run to come - soon! You'll roll back into town - you'll see people running out. You'll think to yourself, "Wasn't I just here?" The noise will grow. The chalk dust will hang in the air - you're back in Penticton, with only 26.2 miles to go. You'll relax a little bit, knowing that even if you get a flat tire or something breaks here, you can run the damn bike into T2.

You'll roll into transition. 100 volunteers will fight for your bike. You'll give it up and not look back. You'll have your bag handed to you, and into the tent you'll go. You'll change. You'll load up your pockets, and open the door to the last long run of your Ironman summer - the one that counts.

You'll take that first step of a thousand...and you'll smile. You'll know that the bike won't let you down now - the race is down to your own two feet. The same crowd that cheered for you in the shadows of the morning will cheer for you in the brilliant sunshine of a Penticton summer Sunday. High-five people on the way out. Smile. Enjoy it. This is what you've worked for all year long.

That first mile will feel great. So will the second. By mile 3, you probably won't feel so good.
That's okay. You knew it couldn't all be that easy. You'll settle down just like you did on the bike, and get down to your pace. You'll see the leaders coming back the other way. Some will look great - some won't. You might feel great, you might not. No matter how you feel, don't panic - this is the part of the day where whatever you're feeling, you can be sure it won't last.
You'll keep moving. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep eating. Maybe you'll be right on plan - maybe you won't. If you're ahead of schedule, don't worry - believe. If you're behind, don't panic - roll with it. Everyone comes up with a brilliant race plan for Ironman, and then everyone has to deal with the reality that planning for something like Ironman is like trying to land a man on the moon. By remote control. Blindfolded.

How you react to the changes in your plan will dictate your day. Don't waste energy worrying about things - just do what you have to when you have to, and keep moving. Keep eating. Keep drinking. Just don't sit down - don't EVER sit down. You'll make it to halfway at OK Falls. You'll load up on special needs. Some of what you packed will look good, some won't. Eat what looks good, toss the rest. Keep moving. Start looking for people you know. Cheer for people you don't. You're headed in - they're not. They want to be where you are, just like you wanted to be when you saw all those fast people headed into town. Share some energy - you'll get it right back.
Run if you can. Walk if you have to. Just keep moving.

The miles will drag on. The brilliant Penticton sunshine will yawn, and head for the mountains behind the bike course...behind that last downhill you flew down all those hours ago. You'll be coming up to those aid stations you passed when you started the bike...fully alive with people, music, and chicken soup. TAKE THE SOUP. Keep moving.

You'll soon only have a few miles to go. You'll start to believe that you're going to make it. You'll start to imagine how good it's going to feel when you get there. Let those feelings drive you on. When your legs just don't want to move anymore, think about what it's going to be like when someone catches you...puts a medal over your head...
...all you have to do is get there.

You'll start to hear town. People you can't see in the twilight will cheer for you. They'll call out your name. Smile and thank them. They were there when you left on the bike, and when you came back, when you left on the run, and now when you've come back.

You'll enter town. You'll start to realize that the day is almost over. You'll be exhausted, wiped out, barely able to run a 10-minute mile (if you're lucky), but you'll ask yourself, "Where did the whole day go?" You'll be standing on the edge of two feelings - the desire to finally stop, and the desire to take these last moments and make them last as long as possible.

You'll hit mile 25. You'll turn onto Lakeside Drive. Your Ironman Canada will have 1.2 miles - just 2KM left in it.

You'll run. You'll find your legs. You'll fly. You won't know how, but you will run. You'll make the turn in front of the Sicamous in the dark, and head for home. The lights will grow brighter, brighter, and brighter. Soon you'll be able to hear the music again. This time, it'll be for keeps.

You'll listen for Steve King, or Mike Reilly, or Whit Raymond. Soon they'll see you. Soon, everyone will see you. You'll run towards the lights, between the fences, and into the nightsun made just for you.

They'll say your name. You'll keep running. Nothing will hurt.

The moment will be yours - for one moment, the entire world will be looking at you and only you.You'll break the tape. The flash will go off.

You'll stop. You'll finally stop. Your legs will wobble their last, and suddenly...be capable of nothing more.

Someone will catch you. You'll lean into them.It will suddenly hit you.

You will be an Ironman.

You are ready.

Hurricane Bob* You are ready. *

Issaquah Salmon Days Rotary Run October 7th, 2007

2007-10-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

I felt very good today as I had my day planned for my Sunday run. I got up at 6:30 am, got dressed and went and ate breakfast. Had the breakfast of champions, toast and peanut butter 2 pop-tarts, coffee and sugar and 16 oz of water to sip on my way to Issaquah. I chatted with my mom who was going to watch the girls and than left the house at 7:55 am. I arrived at G.I.Joes at 8:20, picked up my packet and met my running mate Karla. I also saw a few of my other co-workers Beth, Sarah and Kathleen, which was awesome.

I headed for a quick potty break, did a quick stretch and than off to the start line at 9:00. Karla and I positioned ourselves right in the middle of the pack. I had a band on my wrist that said my running times at each mile which I looked at often and also kept an eye on my HR. The first two miles we did at a steady slow rate and were a little behind target (30 seconds) We than kicked it up and ran a steady fast pace for miles 2 thru 6. We found new targets that were going the same pace and kept them in our view the entire race. My friend was a little quiet for the latter of the miles which made me think I was talking too much. I tried to stay positive by saying things like, HR right on target, we are coming home, we are doing great. I think I tried to be funny at one point and mention that next time I won’t be wearing thong underwear for a raceJ

I got to mile 6 and I told myself that I would sprint the last .2 to the finish line. As we neared the 6 mile mark we both took off. About 5 seconds into my sprint I felt like an idiot for going so quick because I all of a sudden I felt like I had nothing to give, oh well too late now. There were a couple of spectators that said nice pace, way to keep it going till the end. I felt like I couldn’t slow down so I tried to keep a nice pace till the very end and as I crossed the finish line I looked at my watch and realized I stayed right on pace to what my plan was.

This was a perfect race and was nicely planned. I stayed focus, consistent for each mile and the most fun of all did it with a good friend of mine.

Miles: 6.2
Gun Time: 1:00:04
Chip Time: 59:30:9
Pace: 9:35
Overall -434/562
Div Place- 32/46
Sex Place- 177/271

Race Report – Beaver Lake Triathlon

2007-08-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

August 18, 2007
.25 mile swim, 13.8 mile Bike, 4.3 mile run

Goals:
To have an excellent race and do better than I did last year.

Pre-race:
The last day I really worked out was Monday. I’ve had really bad shin splints and been pretty tired. I skipped out on many workouts and on Friday I made a conscious decision to skip out on my open water swim. I am pretty hard on myself and so going out the day before a race would have been nerve racking. I packed everything the night before and woke up at 5:30 am. I ate toast with PB and drank about 10 oz water and than helped pack the car with all the gear. I fed the girls and helped get them ready for our Saturday outing. I had two pop-tarts and coffee and off to Beaver Lake. My stomach feels a little woozy but trying to not focus on it.

Swim:
I stayed to the left and let others go in front of me. I am a nervous swimmer so I started to do the breast-stroke right before the first buoy. I switched between the breast-stroke and the free-style for the entire swim but kept myself calm. I choose to not look at my heart rate or look at my watch to see how fast or slow I was going. I focused on just getting to shore. I stayed calm on the free-style and stayed between my two strokes. I looked at my watch on my way out and saw a low 11 minute number and thought that was cool.
<11:05>

T1:
I came into T1 with a pretty steady run. My goal was to have fast transitions and so I placed my goggles on my head when I came out of the water. I than took my watch off and started to proceed with the peeling of the suit. I reached my gear and bike and realized that I hadn’t even taken off my hat, goggles or ear plugs. I carefully put all 3 items in my bag as I am pretty attached to my ear plugs and didn’t want to lose anything. I placed my watch on my bike and away I went running bare-footed. I successfully mounted my bike with my shoes attached into the bike.
<2:06>

Bike:
I was settling into my bike and as I took a sip from my lemon-lime Gatorade I realized that my stomach was really queasy. I didn’t feel so hot so I kept telling myself that I was fine and that I had no choice but to drink my juice and just take it easy. My coach told me to stay calm and save some energy for the run. I kept a great pace and remained calm even though my hr wouldn’t drop. Something about races and my hr, and the HR always wins with being high. I thought about taking a GU prior to climbing the hills at mile 7 but realized that my stomach could not take it and I should definitely not attempt this. My chain felt odd at times thru the ride but nothing that really alarmed me. I was starting to climb the hills and so I settled into my little ring and started to get into my lowest gear. My gears made a terrible sound and before I knew it I had lost my chain. I jumped off my bike fixed it and than off I went. I took about 2 minutes, oh well not bad. I put my gear in the lowest gear and bam off went my chain again. Same routine and back on my bike. I realized at this point that my gears were acting up and so I needed to take it easy on my gears. I had a ways to climb and so I attempted my lowest gear again and bam…lost chain. I fixed this again and thought the third time is a charm and my goal was to get back to park. Back on my bike again and I need to climb the hills so I need to be on the lowest gear …again moved into the lowest gear and lost chain. I think I cussed pretty loudly this time and actually thought about a DNF for this race. I was mad and my bike wouldn’t do what I needed to. I did this route 3 times and had great times and here I was not able to get in my lowest gear and climb the hill. I calmed down, fixed my chain, mounted my bike and than proceeded up the hill. I crossed my fingers and slowly went to the second lowest gear and stayed there for a few minutes and than attempted the lowest gear. I was safe. 7 minutes total in dealing with the chain…oh well. I gained speed going down the hill and than decided for the last hill that I would not go into my lowest gear since my bike could not handle it. I reached the top of the hills and was doing great and realized I would be over my time only by a few minutes. I took GU, finished my juice while still on my bike and than off to the dismount area where I jumped off my bike…shoes still on bike. I head to transition.
<51:54>

T2:
Successful dismount and off to get my running gear. I was so jumpy and so I had to tell myself to stay calm. I put my socks, shoes on, grabbed race belt and hat and off I headed out of transition. I forgot my watch so back I went to grab it and get on the run course. In grabbing my watch I messed something up so not sure where I am at this point.
<1:45>

Run:
I hate the first 5 minutes of any run after a bike as my legs always feel like Jello and I find my self singing the J-e-l-l-o song. I start to feel that the GU is not settling and I feel gut rot coming on. I am thinking too that this tri is only a fraction of the IronMan distance and that maybe I was too hasty in signing up for IM CDA as I am already tired.
I don’t feel too hot. I step on a small rock on the outside of my right shoe and Oh crap down I come. I felt like a ninja and somehow managed to do a roll of some type. I am not hurt and a few folks ask me if I am ok. Pride is hurt but nothing else seems to be out of whack. I have too much adrenalin flowing thru me so even if I was hurt I wouldn’t have noticed. I tell myself that if I want to do well I need to be in the here and now and focus on the race. I remind myself that I love to run, that this is my favorite part and what a great runner I am. I settle in around mile one and tell myself to have fun for the rest of the run. I see my co-worker Brad and he looks great. I decide to use him as a pacer and that last about 10 seconds as he is pretty quick and almost out of site around the bends in the road. Who am I kidding???? Brad is an alpha in the boot camp class he is in…I am a Bravo. I start to sing a sing which is a mix of the “DO RE ME FA SO LA TI DO” song and the “train that can”, but substitute the words so it goes like this “I can do this….I can do this….Yes I can yes I can..I can do this…I can do this.” This goes on for over 2 miles. The last mile I start to run a little quicker and tell myself that I can do anything for 10 minutes. I gain speed the last few minutes and I beat two dudes coming in to the finish line.
<39:31>

Post-Race:
After the race I am disappointed that I didn’t make my overall goal of 1:40-1:43. Not too excited about the bike ride or my graceful fall either so a little disappointed overall. Later in the day after naps I start to look at my accomplishments and that I did have a great race, because along the many different events I could have quit. All in all I am super excited about my results and look forward to next year.

Results:
2006 - Place 480/491 finishers 2:11:57 swim -0:12:55 T1- 3:56 Bike - 1:06:21 T2 - 4:38 Run - 0:44:07
2007 – Place 306/457 finishers 1:46:21 swim -0:11:05 T1 - 2:06 Bike - 0:51:54 T2 - 1:45 Run - 0:39:31

Half Marathon and Lake Stevens PR's all over the place

2007-07-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

ok...it's so early I must be crazy for being out of bed.

Sunday was way cool. Kevin had a PR with 1:36 for his first half marathon. He floored me when he said he could do the time and there his was at the finish line, right on time. Kids were super excited to see him and they told them how proud they were of him. They could also have been exited too because the pirates that were giving away the finisher medals also had stickers. Needless to say the kids got stickers, candy and oreo's and thought DAD was pretty cool.

My friend Beth completed the half marathon too. She did great considering she had been sick the previous two weeks and this course was super hilly. I think all in all her time difference was 8 minute difference, which is fantastic.

Right after the half marathon we headed up to Lake Stevens to watch our friends Scott, Mark and Jennifer compete in half IM. This race in specific is a qualifier for the 70.3 half Ironman which will be hosted in Florida.

Race was awesome to watch especially watching the athletes come in with super fast times. Man to see those folks and how they make it look easy, is way cool. Our friend Scott's goal was to come in under 5 hours....can he do it. We see him come around the corner...not sure how many miles he has left...than we see him come to the corner where he can go left to do a second lap and right to the finish line. He comes to the right and there under the time says 5:06. Considering that the elites start early you essentially have to take this time from the clock. Scott's time was 4:48 a PR and a spot to Florida. WAY to go Scott. Mark had a PR on his time which is about 10 minutes better than his other half great job! Cool stuff...improvement...what we always want. I am not sure how Jennifer placed as she mentioned this was a training day for her so that is cool too. Kids had fun as they love there new friends Scott and Mark. I even think the girls gave Mark a kiss on the cheek to tell him good job...he is gaining points:)

We are headed home to lounge around. Kevin's friend Benny is headed over to stay the night as he has a bus. meeting this week and didnt want to travel in the AM. Benny brought over his bike and he plans to do the STP so we will have to see how he does later this week. 204 miles on a bike that's gonna cause some chaffing.

than we headed ff to bed as we had to work in the morning. My lotto ticket has yet to be purchased so I guess no complaints to why I have not won, maybe this week my luck will change. Than I can be one of these freeks that keeps their job and says how they just love their job:) Truth is I do love my job. I should start to do some is the reason I got up early.

First Blog

2007-07-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

It's 9:39 pm and I am getting the death look from Kevin that he is tired and wants to go to bed. He does have a half marathon to run in the morning so I know what he is saying. Right after the marathan we are off to Lake Stevens to support friends for their half IM.

Good luck to our friends Scott, Mark and Jennifer!!! You will do awesome!!!!

Ok...first blog is short and I will have much more to report tomorrow:) Time for bed.