Ironman Wisconsin 9/9/2012

Disclaimer- this is another long post.....

IRONMAN WISCONSIN SEPTEMBER 9, 2012 (IMOOOOO)

2.4 MILE SWIM 112 MILE BIKE 26.2 MILE RUN

SWIM- 2:10:21
TI- 12:38
BIKE-7:49:25
T2- 4:49
RUN- 5:10:09
Finishing Time- 15:27:22

(For those interested in what exactly an Ironman is, distances, cutoffs, etc and those interested in hearing WHY I decided to sign up in the first place, and HOW I got involved, see my Ironman CDA post)

Well, when I started this blog, the intention was to document events and lessons learned from the time I signed for to the time I crossed the finish line for Ironman Wisconsin. It took longer than I anticipated and now if I'm not sure if I'm totally done with Ironman, so not sure if this will be my last post or not.
I do know that I'm taking a break. (So is my wallet- I've kept a spreadsheet of expenses the last two years for anybody interested) Not signed up for anything yet, would like to get my 70.3 time way faster so a destination half would be fun for next season? 

One of the themes of this particular race for me, from leading up to race day, to the feelings after was "GRATITUDE"
I felt incredibly thankful and blessed to be at that starting line feeling healthy and happy, and for all those who helped get me there! 

Thanks to family first and foremost. Saw me through the highs and lows and always gave relentless encouragement. 
Vision Quest Teammates - Many times I wanted to quit and you all kept it real for me, and helped me to have fun along the way too. Thanks.
Friends who were there to cheer along the way and to see me to and through the finish line.  Thanks.
DetermiNation. Team Familia. Thank you. 
Jim Bruskewitz, endurance performance, wrote a plan that got me from CDA to IMMoo to and through the finish line. Thanks. 
There are certain things that people say to you that will stick with you forever. You may not remember when you heard them, but they still stick. Here are some of the ones that resonated for this experience.
David Pittman, ACS Charity Dinner, 2008? 2009? I don't remember. He challenged us to "Be Better" that night
Kristin McQueen, ACS Personal Inspiration "Suck it Cancer"
Emily Phillips is just a badass.
Jennifer Eubanks, twin and bestie "You got this"
Marcia Cleveland, VQ Swim coach and a swimming super star. "Swim as fast as you can, for as long as you can" "Keep earning it" (from her book) and "You're doing good, but you can do better" (from her book) Buy it: http://www.amazon.com/Dover-Solo-Marcia-Cleveland/dp/0967209102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347680736&sr=8-1&keywords=dover+solo+marcia+cleveland
Melissa Li, physiolife studios, VQ teammate "Stay clean". Check her out.  http://www.physiolifestudios.com/
Coach Kris Siudak "Don't let up, not even a smidge" "Be smart, swift and smile a lot"

If you haven't noticed already, there are a ton of references to the American Cancer Society DetermiNation program. (Again see previous post for more details)
They are the program that introduced us to endurance events so will also have a special place in our hearts.
I did not actively fundraise this year, but I do support the cause. I know there are several causes that you can raise funds for and support and nowadays you can run a 5K for anything really,  but the DNation community is great. If you're looking for inspiration, check this out :http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/DetermiNation/DNFY11IL?px=4563140&pg=personal&fr_id=42914

That weekend also was the 5 year anniversary of our father passing on. (September 10, 2007) I think being able to do this event (including the beer I had after the race) was a great way to honor his memory and remember his calm nature, work ethic and sense of humor. I proudly wore Team Familia and the sense of "familia" with friends, family, teammates, really rang true this day. 
I felt happy and peaceful the whole day (as peaceful as you can be going 140.6miles) I thought I would get emotional going up observatory drive (one of my favorite spots on campus, and the location of the above picture) but again, just felt calm. I was looking forward to seeing Jenn at the bottom of the hill, and in true twin fashion, she knew exactly when I was coming and was waiting to give me illegal support by running with me for those few minutes :) (right on time for those both loops)

Ok, race day. I felt nervous all week. But a different nervous and there were for sure low days in the weeks leading up to the race.The fact that I had done CDA a few months earlier helped, but still. I just wanted things to go well and that causes nerves that I think go along with anything that you work hard for. If you didn't get excited, nervous, then probably means you don't care that much, right?

RACE WEEKEND
I stayed at the Inn at the Park (thanks Rhonda for transferring reservation. I convinced myself that the Lowell had bad juju because I stayed there last year) I have these weird little things. Now I buy something Ironman and make sure to use it before the race for good luck. It's turned out good for the last two IM events. The first IM I didn't buy anything and that didn't go well, so now it's good luck to buy some race branded item and use it before the race.
We all have our little things right?
ANYWAYS- The Best Western turned out VERY well. (A big thanks to DA for the surprise welcome package- got the weekend to a good start!) 
I was near everything and there was a great energy among the racers.
The weekend was just checking in, prepping, warming up (with a few laps around the farmers market, in addition to light swimming, biking and running) and then "relaxing". Staying positive.

RACE MORNING and the day of executing piece by piece began. It's been "baby steps" all summer, and this morning was no different.
Piece by piece, following nutrition plan, then getting to transition area, then getting to the start. I was grateful to have found Juliette, Lynn and Anne and we all walked down together. I ran into several other VQers, Danny, Brian that morning and the energy was great. Anne and I remembered to do a little dancing at the start :)
SWIM
Getting into the water I thought I was calm then started to get annoyingly nervous. I couldn't find "my" spot. There were more people than I remembered, and they were all in my spot. I wanted to be on the buoy line as best I could but then for some reason thought I was on the outside line by mistake, so was trying to see where the buoy line was. I remembered to try to sight off the bridges but tried to just take a deep breath before everything started. Then the cannon went off, and we went. 
Tried to focus on pulling, reaching and sighting the best I could but was kind of a mess. I heard Jim in my head shouting "V!!!" "Stay straight!!!" Jim B also gave me a sighting lesson in early June so tried to keep him in my head as he reminded me sighting could be the difference in my race. I tried to do everything that Marcia had taught me but couldn't find a rhythm, but remembered to not slow my arms down. The last few weeks I had been obsessing over which wetsuit to wear as CDA was 59 degrees so 74 was way too warm in my head. The suit in the end I guess didn't matter as much. I convinced myself that I would make the cut off in a bikini if I had to, so the long sleeved, hot or not, would help with buoyancy and make me faster, but I for sure started to feel the difference halfway in. 

                                                                                          

(pictures courtesy Neil Eubanks! Thanks Neil)

The 1050 yards out felt ok, then the 300 turn into the sun made it impossible to see, but I quickly made the turn and it was a long 1700 back. The turn and last diagonal were confusing and I felt myself trying to sight way too much just trying to make sure I was going the right way.
The last 600 the kayakers started to narrow in again, setting off panic again. I remember the very first open water sprint triathlon race I did, I held onto the boats in a panic to catch my breath and get myself together. This race, the boats near me felt like I was cutting it close to the cutoff and made me panic to move my arms and get away from the boats (I was cutting it close) At one point I heard a kayaker yell something along the lines of 2, 10- I thought she said it was 2:10- I had calculated at least 400m left so really started to get nervous about the clock. When , out of breath, I swam right to the mat and start pawing at the volunteers to help me out of the water, I see the clock, the relief and joy set in. 2:10:21. HELL. YEAH. Not my 2 hour goal, but I told myself I'd be happy and reminded myself to look for my friends (Neil later told me that the kayakers were saying to stay "2 and 10" so that they positioned themselves to help swimmers swim straight into the finish line.
                                                             

I get out of the water and have my wetsuit stripped. I see Becks, and Kristin and was so happy to high five them. Then out runs Jenn to give me the best hug ever and then Neil for another high five. I thought of myself as Rouge from Xmen stealing all of her super power energy and using them to my advantage (Jenn's a bit of a super hero) Up the helix I saw Emily and Andy and it was more hugs and then another high five for Adrienne on the way up! YAY! (This is probably why my transition time was 12minutes) Happiest 12 minutes ever. 

I got assigned the best volunteer ever and I was impressed with how quickly I got out of there (once I got my stuff I was pretty fast out). My friends were up the helix again and I rushed over for some last minute high fives. As I get my bike, the volunteers had it ready for me and commented on my tape that said "blessed" on my handlebars. I don't remember the exact words but basically joyful expressions of high fives and "Praise Him!" and "blessed to be here, and wonderful family, and beautiful day" I probably sounded a little looney tunes leaving that transition area but was happy to get on that bike. 

BIKE Once on the bike, it was pretty quiet. I passed a few other riders right off the bat, then started to slowly catch up to see more riders. It was a truly gorgeous day and the wind reminded me that I still had to keep working. I knew the course very well, having ridden it several dozen times so it was actually a little hard to try not to go all out and hammer it, but. I was trying to be smart (slow pace is no problemo for me) but I have come a long way from when I first started. I had Dan in my head remembering to stay on top of my cadence and Kris to keep the pressure consistent on the pedals. The energy of the spectators was amazing. (The second loop was for sure quieter as people started to head back to town) but so fun seeing other VQers, Blanca, Rico, Jenny and Marty and CTCer, Henry running around in a Speedo, and the always awesome Mike Norman from CES (Chicago Endurance Sports got me through my first few tris and they are an awesome group)
It was still about executing piece by piece. I felt great getting on the bike and was thankful I could start my nutrition plan right away. (It worked out very well, thanks Melissa!) and just focused on the next cutoff in front of me. Luckily I didn't have mechanical issues as it probably would have meant the end of my day because I wouldn't have made the cutoffs. 
(Shout out to DA's Ironwill  and attitude for finishing strong after an unfortunate mechanical issue on the bike)
On the way back into town, again happy to be out there and thankful for the day and experience.

Fun to see Porta shouting at me from the Helix as I came back into transition. This time, I was much faster through transition, and happy that I didn't feel terrible. 
I was able to take in nutrition and stayed on top of it the best I could

RUN This is what I had been looking forward to. A run around my campus on a beautiful night. I was happy that I didn't feel like barfing or passing out so tried to ease into a decent pace. I kept up with staying at a good pace (a good pace was about 2min slower than my ideal marathon pace) then slowing down through the aid stations, but picking it right back up as a I left. 
I was trying to think of form, and cadence, and "running" (more like jogging) and breathing, but couldn't help but take it all in and let my mind go with it.
A few days later Jenn reminded me of the first crazylegs race I did in Madison, I didn't pay for it, but took the free beer at the end anyways (stop judging me) that race I had my CD player tucked into the back of my sports bra so that I could have music on the race. Made me think of Dan telling me to stop fussing with my iPod on a bike testing day (he's totally right) and just made me smile to think of how much I've learned in all of these years. (this was a post race reflection) One of my first organized race experience was finishing in Camp Randall for Crazylegs so running that lap in Camp Randall during this Ironman is something I'll keep with me forever and nobody can take that experience away from me. 

It was great to see friends both running and cheering on the course, giving Heath a hug on the run, highfiving McQueen and all my VQ peeps on the course. Juliette, Anne, Shannon, DA, Brian, Randy, Danny, Doug, Melissa, Ken, Rhonda. Off the course I knew that my family was waiting for me at different spots (again, twin thing- she knew when I was coming, and I knew when I would see her) and seeing mom happy and cheering with Lilly also made me feel grateful for the moment.
Finishing up the first loop I loved knowing that VQ would be at state street and was getting ready to see them. Rounding the corner I see DA with a Team Familia shirt, (yes he was all showered at this point) and gave him a big bear hug. For sure a highlight of the night. I round the corner and earlier I had told Dave that I was looking forward to high-fiving him and Robbie-it was some of the best high fives, ever.
It truly was a beautiful night and I felt the positive energy of family and friends who were there in spirit but were cheering from home or from beyond. (I know Michelle was cheering loudly from home) I had kept a decent pace and I started to realize that I could potentially come in within my 15:30 goal. 
                                                

(I sang fight songs the whole lap around Camp Randall, again, probably looking like a looney tune)

Right about mile 23 my Garmin died. Oh well. I was trying to not look at it much anyways and trying for perceived effort as best I could, so didn't really care at this point. I even spent a few seconds with extra high fives at the end. Coming into the finish line, no Mike Riley on the floor waving a towel. (he was shouting from the stands) Just music, highfives, lights and fun. I don't remember the songs playing that day, but I'm sure they were anthemy pump you up songs. That day I had everything from Whitney Houston's "I wanna dance with somebody" to Tool's "Aenima" pop in my head. But overall actually did ok with thinking about the task at hand.  I put my Bucky hat on and tried to dance through that finish line the best way I could.
I got to high five friends into the shoot and then hug them after. Thank you to those who stayed to see me finish. 
No giant relief like I felt in CDA. Just happy, and grateful, and peaceful. YAY. I started with flippers on my first day in the pool at NSCP with Renee and Max Multisport and many, many, many, many training days, ups and downs, laughs and stories, and races later, I made it across the FINISH LINE. 

                                                     
Again, not sure what's next. If this will be my last post or not, probably not. I want to get faster! But, I'm grateful for all the learning experiences along the way. They can take away timing chips but they can't take away what you learn or what you take away from the experience. 
Thanks again to all who have been part of this journey!

Coconut Rice Pudding

This one is pretty plain and simple. Getting ready for IMCDA, I tried to pack some snacks in my little lunch bag with ice packs. They surprisingly didn't give me a hard time at security. I made too much rice for dinner the night before so whipped up some yummy rice pudding to take on the plane.

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.slashfood.com/2006/09/10/rice-pudding-with-leftover-rice/

2 cups leftover cooked white rice - The rice I had was Jasmati rice which actually gave it a different flavor but was good
3 cups milk (any kind)* - I used Coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar (I used Stevia and used less than half a cup- probably only closer to a 1/4 really because the coconut milk is sweet- I did add a dash of Agave Nectar.
small pinch salt
1/2 cup raisins- not a big fan so I skipped it but I'm sure it's good.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
pinch nutmeg, optional I skipped the nutmeg

                                            

Combine cooked rice, milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and stir in the vanilla (and raisins). Cook until just about all of the milk is absorbed (30-45 minutes, depending on how absorbent your rice is). Stir in cinnamon and/or nutmeg, if using. (I only used it to top it off)

Divide rice pudding into individual serving dishes serve warm or chilled. (I let it chill for about 4 hours and it was pretty good- I didn't do individual servings :) Just gave some to my mom when she stopped by and the rest in tupperware to take on the plane, and yes I ate the rest by myself)
Makes 4-6 servings.

*Note: Recipe calls to sometimes add an extra 1/2 cup of milk, if the rice seems unusually firm or dry, to make it creamier. Feel free to add a bit extra if the pudding is not as creamy as you like it. .

Read more: http://www.slashfood.com/2006/09/10/rice-pudding-with-leftover-rice/#ixzz1zaURoQIx

IRONMAN CDA- JUNE 24, 2012

What is Ironman Coeur D' Alene ??? 

(pronounced core da lane)

http://ironmancda.com/

2.4 MILE SWIM- 112 MILE BIKE- 26.2 MILE RUN

The Ironman Coeur d' Alene event is a triathlon starting at 7:00am in the morning. -Guns go off at 7am- most participants arrive by 5:00am to get everything ready- body marked, making sure bikes are ok and ready to go, transition bags are ready to go, a few trips to the bathroom, and wrestling with your wetsuit to get it on perfectly so that you're in the perfect position on the beach when the gun goes off

(All 2600 participants start at the same time, male and female- the pro athletes start prior to the age group athletes) 

All participants need to swim 2.4miles in an open body of water and need to finish the swim by 9:20am (swim 2.4 in 2hrs 20min) You then enter what's called Transition 1 where you get ready to ride your bike. You need to leave this area by 9:35am.  Participants need to make the first 56mile loop cut off by 1:30pm, the 90mile cut off by 4:00pm and the 112mile cut off by 5:30pm. Participants then enter transition 2 where they get ready to run 26.2 miles. Participants need to make the first 13miles by 9pm then the 20.5 mile cut off at the top of Bennet Hill at 10:30pm and need to cross the finish line by 12:00am in order to be able to call themselves an IRONMAN. 

  

Lake Coeur D' Alene is in the beautiful Northwest Region of the country not far from Spokane Washington, or Missoula Montana in the NW part of Idaho (not too far from Canada either if that helps you picture it on the map), Actually, here is a map :)

https://maps.google.com/maps?aq=f&q=where+is+lake+coeur+d'+alene&ie=UTF-8&hl=en

You haven't seen this video yet, this also explains what an Ironman is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4

 Why IRONMAN?? 

What got you started??
(I signed up for Ironman CDA because it looked pretty- this was before IM Wisconsin 2011 when I didn't make the swim cut off- when I didn't make the cutoff I signed up for IM Wisconsin 2012- putting me at a goal of completing 2 Ironmans for 2012- Oops? or Yay? I'm going with YAY!)

So you don't normally decide you're going to just jump into an Ironman (unless you're a pro). You normally need to sign up about a year in advance as events tend to sell out. (These events are NOT cheap to sign up for either) You then typically take several months of training and preparing your body to be able to complete each event by the cutoff times. Not one of my typical impulsive decisions.... something that started as a little whisper..... 

So how I got into it....

I studied at the lovely University of Wisconsin-Madison and lived in the Lakeshore dorms. A perfect spot for the occasional run. I ran for fun, to enjoy the day, to feel good. Madison every year has this wonderful 10K event called the Crazylegs Classic ending in Camp Randall with free beer. It was my first experience with organized endurance events and I loved it, the energy, the fun... the free beer :) My sis and I would run it every year, come on, free beer! Why wouldn't you want to?

Back in Chicago after college, our first (I say our, because several of my early running experiences were with Jenn my twin) Chicago race was the 5K Shamrock Shuffle. We got a year where it wasn't crazy crowded, or terrible weather. It was sunny, energetic, and again free beer with a concert at the finish line- FUN!

We kept running locally in Chicago and then came across the Soldier Field 10 mile classic- 10 miles was the furthest I've ever ran, but you got to finish in Soldier Field! with... beer! (see a pattern? :) ) This event quickly became my favorite race. 

It was Memorial Day weekend of 2007. Jenn and I were running the Soldier Field 10 (she has always been faster than me so she was just ahead of me). A few weeks earlier we had learned that our father had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. A lot was happening, very quickly, without much time to process anything. It was at the finish line in Soldier Field where Jenn saw a tent advertising running the Chicago Marathon as a member of the American Cancer Society Charity Runner Team. She signed up. Damn it. If she was running a marathon, I would have to too!! It took a few days for me to decide, but I ended up waiting too long, the ACS didn't have slots left. But now I was stuck on the idea of running the marathon so I got a slot through Team World Vision. They are a wonderful organization and I was proud to run with them. But the American Cancer Society DetermiNation program (then the Charity Runner program) quickly became very special to us. 

As summer training went by, our father's health fluctuated from better to quickly worse. At this time our Aunt Silvia had also been battling breast cancer, after being in remission for 10 years, cancer came back and she had spent several months quite sick. 

In October of 2007 Jenn and I crossed the finish line of our first marathon. Dad was cheering from above, having passed a few weeks prior to the race. Our aunt silvia was right there next to him with a pom pom as she also passed a few weeks after him, and just a week before the race. It was a terribly difficult time for our Uncle, who lost his brother and wife within a few weeks of each other, but he was right there on that marathon course, cheering us on as we finished our first marathon. (Our uncle actually ran Mayor Dayley's FIRST Chicago marathon and was a Boston qualifier)

The American Cancer Society Charity Runner program was a positive part of a difficult time in our lives. I was surrounded by an amazing community of inspiring individuals. The next year in 2008 Jenn and I decided to stay involved. We continued to race (and still participate) and we call ourselves "Team Familia" see the blog for more details. We joined the committee to help inspire others to participate in endurance events and participate with the ACS DetermiNation team http://determination.acsevents.org/

It was in a committee meeting, where my fellow teammates sat in their recently earned Ironman Wisconsin finisher's swag. Then, I didn't really understand what an Ironman was, but I thought "damn, that's cool..... but I could never do that......" One of the girls, Kristin McQueen- a bit of an ACS celebrity and an inspiration to all, had just completed her first- she has since completed several more- but she is living with cancer and kicking it's ass. She has had several brain surgeries and has had to live and train through the side effects including visual impairments, vertigo and other set backs. Check out her story: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/DetermiNation/DNFY11IL?px=4563140&pg=personal&fr_id=42914. But she proudly calls herself an Ironman and tells cancer to '"SUCK IT".   

I signed up for my first sprint triathlon that year and thought, ok, I better learn how to swim.

After college I had taken classes at the YMCA where an enthusiastic 16 year old taught me to put my head in the water without holding my nose, taught me to float (kind of) and taught me to more or less make it down from one end of the pool to the other on my back. It was what I had to work with.

I found Max Multisport Coaching. They offered a woman's group workout package. I thought this could be a good start. That first day I couldn't swim the length of the pool. The coach had me kicking on my back the whole time. I was discouraged but wanted to get better.

They opened their arms to me and modified my workouts. My first several months were all drills, but slowly I was starting to move.

Since my start in 2008, I have had a tremendous amount of wonderful experiences and been able to participate with wonderful groups. 

MaxMultisport Coaching- is where I started- http://www.maxmultisport.com/

Chicago Endurance Sports- saw me through my first sprint Chicago Tri, My first Olympic Chicago Tri and my first 70.3 Ironman Racine :)- http://www.chicagoendurancesports.com/

Chicago Tri Club led me to Chicago Blue Dolphins were I recently joined and am already improving.
Vision Quest Coaching where I have spent the majority of my "free" time running, swimming and cycling this last year with amazing teammates. - http://www.visionquestcoaching.com/

VQ and Coach Kris got me to that start happy, healthy and confident, and all the months that went into the preparation got me through the finish line.


So that brings us to June 24, 2012. Race morning.
I had been fairly optimistic all week. Flying out over memorial day to give myself a course preview had helped tremendously to calm nerves, visualize in the last few weeks, and appreciate the beauty of the location.
I had a terrible 5K swim in Diamond Lake at the beginning of the month that was leaving me doubtful, but my swim at Wildflower had me hopeful. I had been preparing for the cold temperatures, using all the tricks my coaches taught me, so was pumped when they announced the temperature was 59! 
I gave last minute high fives and hugs to friends and start to position myself on the beach. I saw John and gave him a final slap on the ass and a high five to remind myself that this is supposed to be fun. 
I stood on that beach and just took a deep breath. This was different from Wisconsin. I felt confident and I knew that I just needed to think about swimming and according to Marcia "swim as fast as I can for as long as I can" and I wouldn't have a repeat of coming in too late.
I said a quick prayer to God, feeling overwhelming grateful. I was grateful to be standing on that beach healthy and happy. Grateful for all of the experiences that I have had these last few months and for all of the positive energy that I was feeling from friends and family far away. While I didn't have anybody on the course specifically there for me cheering me on, I felt a HUGE amount of positive energy surrounding me- so thanks everybody for the thoughts and prayers!
The gun awkwardly went off, no count down, just GO. Here we go. I wasn't shocked by the water temperature and the other swimmers weren't as bad as I thought-I was moving. The first 900m or so I tried to follow toes to draft but realized the toes I was following was leading me off course- I cursed myself and focused back on going for buoy for buoy, still catching the draft of the other swimmers. As I get out of the water and round the beach for the first loop, I looked down at my watch and saw about 1:00:00- had gone by. DAMN IT-10 min behind my goal. Just keep swimming. I kept going and found myself with fewer and fewer swimmers surrounding me..... this felt familiar. Then the waves started to pick up. Going into the wind resulted in lots of swallowed water as I tried to get a rhythm for sighting and breathing. As I turn the second red buoy for the straight away, I needed to lick my goggles again to get my barrings. I glanced down at the watch- 1:42:00--SHIT!- Gotta pick it up.. I was annoyed that I had to stop- but truly didn't know where I was. I caught the line of orange buoys and stayed with them on my left as best I could. I did a decent job sighting and stayed on course well enough. Keeping buoys on my left on kayakers on my right. Each buoy was getting closer and closer.... As I started to see the finish I could see volunteers in the water clapping and cheering. Oh no, just like Wisconsin, am I seconds away? Were they cheering because I didn't make the cut off? Were they clapping at my efforts?? Dread started to fill my stomach and I swam in pulling as hard as I could and trying to stay as straight as possible, giving it everything I had. I almost swam straight into a volunteer as she helps me up shouting YOU MADE IT!!!!....... I MADE IT!!!!! 2:13:39! I stumble out of the cold water with the help of the volunteers- everybody clapping- I start cheering and clapping and hug the first person I see. I MADE IT!!! OK... now THINK, now what do I do next? I was ushered over to get my suit stripped and off to collect my gear bag and into the changing tent just like I practiced in my head... kind of... go go go, vamos Vero.. go...
I remember the Gym Class Heroes song, "The Fighter" playing- check it out, it'll get you pumped for the 2012 Olympic games. as I was entering the changing tent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxV-OOIamyk


Still pretty cold, the nicest grandma volunteer I've ever met in my life helped me take my bathing suit off and put by ACS shorts, VQ top and arm warmers on. I even threw on my cow socks- (THANKS ELISA FOR THE TIP OF WEARING THE SUIT- She said if I was going to change anyways, I should just wear a suit- MUCH easier) I get myself together and force myself to take a bite of banana. I swallowed a ton of lake water and was pretty close to barfing. I didn't, but didn't want to take too much food in. 
As I was leaving the tent Kelly Clarksons, "What doesn't kill you" started playing and I tried not to burst into tears as this had been one of my favorite pump you up songs these last few weeks. (crying too soon wastes energy!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avYxiIRG4xQ
"....You didn't think that I'd come back.... (Ironman) I'd come back swinging... you tried to break me, but you see  ...... What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... stand a little taller....
Yes corny, cheesy and dramatic, I know, but I don't care!!!! Try to listen to this song and not get pumped up, I dare you. 

As I was leaving the changing tent I hear "It's Veronica!" John's Aunt Tricie who I had only met a few days before, was volunteering in bike transition and was jumping up and down- I jumped into her arms to give her a hug as we cheered that I made it out of the water.


A volunteer pulled out my bike and off I went. This then quickly became the day of "cut offs" I had made the swim cut off- didn't know there was a T1 cut off, but barely made that.
Got settled on the bike and still felt sick- waiting about an hour and started my nutrition plan every 20min instead of 15 (I'm glad I backed off because I could have seriously messed up my stomach)
The day was beautiful and I was still feeling the positive race energy that was being sent out into the universe from my family and friends. I tried to settle into the first 5miles, my computer was knocked loose after 0.5 mile into it so had to constantly look at my Garmin, but was easily doing 17mph without working too hard... I got to see Dan and Elisa in town which was fun and then that reminded me to keep my cadence up and pressure on the pedals consistent. Then I come up on highway 95..... I knew this was coming from the race preview I had done over Memorial Day weekend, but for some reason this seemed hillier and with more wind than I remember. I knew there would be wind and hills going south on 95, and easier on the way back. I made the first loop in time for the cut off. I stopped at special needs, praising God that I hadn't gotten a flat, and that so far the weather was excellent, no rain or no extreme heat, and it truly was a beautiful course. I grabbed my second bottle of nutrition, only going through about 1/3 of the first, thought I would try a new one. Roll down my sleeves and get going. I started to feel better and could take nutrition every 15. This is when I tried to remember when the next cut off was. To my panic, it was the 90mile marker at the end of the hilly, windy 95. I knew that I could make the 112 cut off- but I'd have to stay on it to make the 4:00pm 90 mile cut off time. I got in with about 8min to spare- PHEW. I turned around, and enjoyed the nicer tailwind and downhills from there. 
I know that when swimming, I think about swimming (which I did) when biking, think about biking, etc, etc but I couldn't help but start conversation with a man as we approach a hill- we were at a good pace, but still able to chat- He had 62 written on his calf. As I pass him, I told him I didn't want to get emotional on him but 62 was the age of my father when he passed from esophageal cancer, I wanted to tell him that his family is fortunate that he was taking such good care of himself and he was awesome. He shared a bit of his life with me and shared that he too had cancer but had beat it, that everyday is a blessing with his grandkids he feeds them spinach to keep them healthy (granted this conversation was about 45 seconds long before we lost each other on a down, but enough to share a piece of somebody's life)
100 hits and I was just trying to stay focused on biking, not thinking too much about the run- I happily get into 112 with a big sigh of relief. No mechanical issues. I would have been toast. I MADE IT. 
Into T2 I went as I went for another wardrobe change- fashion show, fashion show, fashion show at Ironman (The Office reference...anyone?) Ok, I proudly put on my ACS Team Familia singlet and Vision Quest visor, cover every inch of my body I could find with glide, vaseline, sunblock, etc. Take a swig of water and get going. 
I tried to remember to ease into the first 5miles. Ease into was no problemo. I was going a snails pace and happy to be shuffling along. I tried to tell myself it was ok, that at mile 6 I would pick it up. I tried a gel on the 1/2 hour as planned but that quickly made me feel queezy. Taking in sips of water, and forcing salt stick down was about the best I could do. Mile 6 approached and it was time to pick it up to race pace. The only thing I could do was hold onto the jog pace I was going. 
Shortly after I was approached by a runner named Pat. He told me that he had been walking and when he saw me jog by he decided to jog. That my pace was perfect for him and he asked if I could pace him because he was nervous that he was going to have to walk the whole thing and not make it. I said of course, but told him I was short for words as I was trying not to barf or pass out. He would remind us how hard the swim and bike were and I would remind him that we were running and were focusing on moving forward. He quickly picked up my positive vibes and then became a cheerleader for me when I started to struggle. After the second hill, on the short way back up after the turn around at mile 21, I had to walk and jog when I could. I had paced him for about 13miles and he could keep going so I told him to finish strong. It was now dark and I was wearing my glow sticks. It turned into "ok jog to the aid station" ok "jog to the next sign" execute piece by piece. The whole day was a series of trying to execute- piece by piece.


The lovely thing about being out ALL DAY- I got to see a beautiful sunset on the lake, and then got to appreciate the lake at night with the moon out. Not many get to see that, right?


The last down hill on Shermer into the finisher's shoot, really is as wonderful as they say. Music blaring, lights a blur, and crowd going nuts. Mike Riley (I didn't realize it was him at first) waving his towel yelling YOU are an IRONMAN. I don't remember the song playing, but I remember trying to dance and high five the best I could. I actually don't remember him saying the exact words, just a blur of cheering and excitement.


Crossing the line at 16:18:03. All I felt was RELIEF. I did it. It wasn't like Madison, I actually made each cut off. Did I really finish? Did it count? I got my medal, and my finisher's shirt- and tomorrow I would buy my finisher's jacket (silly material things, but things I was looking forward to all year)
Swim- 2:13:39
Bike - 7:54: 01
Run- 5:56:46
Total- 16:18:03
Not exactly my goal times. But I am an Ironman finisher! I look forward to lining up at that start line again in a few months at Ironman Wisconsin 2012 where I hope it will be just FUN. 
Don't get me wrong, I know it's going to be a grueling and tough day, but it will be fun to see how much faster my swim time can be... fun to ride a course I love and know like the back of my hand after countless hours spent looping.... fun to run a course on my campus where every corner and turn hold a memory.... fun to see so many friends and family members on the course.... fun to give high fives to my fellow teammates racing... fun to try to give it all I have and see what my body can do.
While I did have moments in the long day to chat with fellow participants, that probably cost me time off of the clock. That's ok. Maybe that's why I'm not gunning for a Kona slot. While I love the process of improvement, and I love to get faster and stronger, I think I'll always be a participant versus a racer, and I'm ok with that. Each race has it's own goal. Maybe shorter races I'll try to podium, or maybe eventually try to qualify for Boston, or maybe get a faster swim for a 5K race.. or maybe ... or maybe... :)  (who knows, if I'm still doing this at 60 maybe Kona could be a possibility!)
It's all the little ideas of "oooo that sounds like fun...."  that keep me participating. 


So for anybody who has made it to the end of this blog post. If you've had a little whisper in your head of "oh that sounds cool, but I'm not sure if I could" regardless of what it is... GO FOR IT!-  Sometimes we need to tell our heads to shut up so we can hear what God is trying to say to our hearts. 

So enjoying this week off- but already slighlty miss training (that's a good sign, right?) I'm taking this week and will slowly start to build back up- Next post- race report
IRONMAN WISCONSIN- SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Barn Camp- TCH does Wisconsin

http://www.thecyclinghouse.com/camps/wisconsin/
next camp June 3-9, 2013

June 4-10, 2012
(I only made it to arrive Friday June 8, ride Saturday June 9 and depart Sunday after a swim session in the lake.


I found this group after doing a search on the world wide web.
I typed in my spring break dates and the words "triathlon camp" into google. The cycling house popped up for a camp in Tucson, Arizona. I emailed the director, Owen Gue and told him my goals for the year. He told me the head coach Brendan Halpin and raced IM CDA before and that the camp would be a good fit for me. He said that they would do everything they could so that I could get the most out of my spring break trip.
I signed up. It was awesome.


When they said they'd be coming to Wisconsin, I said, "See you there!" A few months later and 3.5hours from Chicago- that's in Friday traffic, it's actually only 30min from Madison, WI I arrived at Bethel Horizons near Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville, WI.
I had ridden here before, doing the Dairyland Dare, the Horribly Hilly Hundreds and Robbie's Gran Fondo, and I think it's great out here. The hills and scenery are perfect for riding.


It was two weeks before my race- so I was here to ride and have a good time. I was going to go along along with whatever the camp set up. After about 75miles, the heat got to me and I jumped in the van. I normally would have been pissed about calling it a day early, but again, I was there for happy riding, and was enjoying the company of the other campers and the challenges of the hills. The coaches were also great.


I met some very nice athletes and got some great advice that weekend. 
Governor Dodge State Park is also only about 2miles from the Barn so a great spot for open water swimming. We went on Saturday and went again on Sunday morning where I got some valuable sighting practice with the coaches- thanks!
Overall a great weekend and I wish I could have attended the whole camp- it's a MUST for anybody planning on doing Ironman Wisconsin or for anybody who loves great hilly climbing. Healthy food, and a great group of coaches and campers, sign up!
 
 

June 3, 2012 Diamond Lake Open Water Challenge 5K Swim

http://www.swimdloc.com/category/dlocnews/

I wasn't sure what to expect from this event. Marty had printed it out and suggest I give it a try. So I signed up. (the theme of this year, not sure what it is I'm signing up for, looks fun / challenging, so going to sign up)

It was another event where I was going by myself (well not ever really by myself because God is always with me, and sometimes easiest to hear Him when I am doing these things on my own.)

Even when you are with a ton of people, it's still you and your thoughts. These last few weeks have been excellent for my mental focus to think about what my plan is, executing the plan, and reflecting on how it went.

(Nutrition in green again)

I woke up to give myself enough time to eat 600-700 calories before the start of the swim. I had 4 cups of applesauce (200 calories), 2 scoops of Melissa's protein (about 100), and a banana (90) to drink I had coffee in the car on the way (60), then I decided to mix 2 scoops of Carbo Pro into 8oz of Coconut Water to get the rest of the calories in (250) total 700 calories

Felt good and easy to digest

10 min before the "race" I had 1 - 100 GU Vanilla gel pack w/ caffeine (given to me by a fellow swimmer because I forgot mine in the car)

The word "race" was in quotation marks like that because it did not feel like a race at all. It felt like somebody was having a BBQ at their lake house, invited a bunch of people, and decided that everybody was going to go out swimming. 

The swim took place on pretty Diamond Lake in Cassopolis, Michigan. You have to park your car on the main island, and then take a barge across the island. Once you get there, packet pick up was one table long, and the athlete area to get ready was on somebody's porch :) The race start was off of the boat launch from her deck. :)

I was good on nerves as I'm usually a wreck before open water swims. I spoke to Coach Kris on the phone and she told me to pick up the arm cadence/stroke count every buoy so was going to try and focus on that. We get out to the start, there were MAYBE 10-15 of us, the race director blows a whistle and we were off. 2 - 2.5K loops- I was instantly alone in the water- as everybody swam ahead- something I'm used to so wasn't a big deal. The water temp didn't feel too bad compared to CDA last weekend. Looking back, I made this mistake in MOWS last year, but I was going way too easy. I don't know if I was nervous about getting too tired too soon, but focusing too much on my stroke, as I tried to stretch out every stroke, but on the way back from the out and back we hit some chop, not terrible but made it more challenging and tough to find a strong pull- I also found myself pausing a lot to sight- something I didn't do as much in Wildflower because I would get disorientated and couldn't stay straight. I was horrified to look down at my watch at the end of the first loop to see that 1:48min had already passed for 1.5 miles that was SUPER slow. My 1.2 at Wildflower was 54min so that means that I added 66min to 0.3miles?? What?? I didn't take a gel because Melissa told me not to, but I'm glad now that I didn't bother fussing with all that, time I couldn't afford to use any more time. As I was rounding the turn around, one of the kayakers shouted to me if I was on my 2nd or 3rd loops- I told him my second and he yelled back to "get it going" because I wasn't moving in the water. The slower I was the stronger the chop got and the more difficult it was to see the buoys. I swallowed a bunch of water as I would get slapped down from the chop, but my stomach was good! I stopped my watch when I rounded the buoy at the start. When I got out of the water I was beyond disappointed. to see that it took me 3:44:30. That's a long ass time to be in the water in less than tropical temperatures. My Garmin also said 4.87miles! Those things are often off, but could be a good indicator for how all over the place I was.

All I could think was "get me warm" so with help (everybody was super nice btw) I peeled off my suit and threw on my sweatshirt, I was super thankful for the sun out today. When I got out of the water, they were already giving the awards and all of the BBQ was finished and they were already cleaning up. There was some pasta left so I had one scoop of mostaccioli in red sauce and a mini bagel with crunchy peanut butter on it. 

People were commenting that it was a tough swim so felt a tiny bit better but spirits were low. I get back to the car and mix some of Melissa's protein in water for more food. I get out of my wet underclothes and start to feel better as I start the drive home. 

I found my eyes getting heavy on the drive so had to stop. Got some unsweetened ice tea and some freshly popped butter / salt popcorn- (emotional choice Melissa :/ but it was delicious.) It kept me awake and helped. I wanted to cry over my popcorn but the tears never came. I made another stop to get gas and make sure I wasn't sleepy and looked down at my phone to find texts from Coach Kris, Melissa and Lynn and felt grateful that they were checking in. I spoke to my sister briefly and told her it was a tough morning without going into detail. After I hung up, that's when the tears came. Not even sure what I was crying about, probably more about the fact that it didn't go the way I wanted and this can be an emotional sport. They were quick, and didn't go into a "poor me" attitude. I was probably also tired. It's also when I'm by myself I'm more likely to get emotional. I got myself together and called Lynn and we just chatted without judgement so that made me feel better. 

CDA is going to be choppy. CDA is going to be cold. But I know I can get out of that water in 2hours. After reflecting I think I just went to easy, the same mistake I did at MOWS last August. I need to do like Chrissie says and "smash" myself during training too, treat it like a race day. I need to go out way harder and rest only when I need to catch my breath. I think without thinking about it, I think I'll tire out. If I tire out, it'll be towards the end, and I know that I'll swim through it, but I can't afford to take so long in the beginning. 1hr 48min for just over 1.5miles is RIDICULOUS and NOT going to cut it. . The focus these next to weeks is going to be as much open water as possible. I have the stroke, I know what to do, I know what my body needs to do and look like to be most efficient, I just need to have the physical and mental endurance to be able to execute and sustain it. 

Veronica's Race Preview, Coeur d' Alene, Idaho- May 26-29

 Ok- I'm going to try and write every detail . For the sake of anybody ever traveling to CDA on their own and to be specific about nutrition as I try to dial in. Food will be in green, workout details in blue- I tend to feel self conscious about how slow my workouts can be, so including them anyways because they are what they are. 


The night before I took my bike to Get a Grip  http://www.getagripcycles.com/ to get my bike all packed up. One of the perks of being a Chicago Tri Club member is that you get to rent their bike boxes for free. http://www.chicagotriclub.com/ (Thanks Henry for the tip!) The guys are always great there, they did a race check and realized I needed a new chain and cassette. $! That's ok. $50 to pack it up.  (I really need to learn to just do it myself, but I don't trust myself enough)The also realized that the CTC boxes have been used and abused to the limit, broken strap here, faulty wheel there, so they unpacked a brand new box for me :)
SATURDAY- MAY 26
Woke up around 4amish, had about 8oz of cocunt water Zico brand. Around 6amish had a Vegn Whole Food Energy Bar-Berry Flavor with Orange Juice on the first flight.At the Denver airport 9:30am I needed something more- medium (10oz) coffee from Einsteins with honey and one splenda, an egg white and turkey sausage sandwich on a whole wheat thin bagel, and a rice krispie squar (oops), gingerale on the second flight, no snacks
I left Chicago early Saturday morning, flew Southwest airlines. http://www.southwest.com/ They are the cheapest when it comes to carrying on a bike box onto the plane ($50)
I googled and called the first bike shop that came up on google- Bicycle Sales and Service- http://www.bicycleservice.com/. The man I spoke to on the phone was very helpful and suggested a few tri clubs to try to contact while I was out there. I took my bike to them to get assembled $60- (common theme is being giving young mechanics money to do something that I need to learn for myself)
When I arrived in Spokane, got my rental car and headed right for the bike shop. (Yay gps maps on the iphone!- Don't forget your car charger if you're renting a car. For race day, I'm going to take the $50 shuttle instead and use their taxi cab services to go to and from the locations, the hotel is only about 3miles from race start and expo.

I dropped it off and went to packet pick up for my 1/2 marathon stuff - even though I wasn't going to run it- I decided I would run 13 on my own here, but use Sunday as a training day. http://www.cdamarathon.com/ 
The event was small compared to even the smallest Chicago 5K event with about 4 tents in an outdoor mall. While there I discovered a bike shop that also sold triathlon equipment. 
They were more high end then the other shop and cheaper to assemble ($50)- oh well, next time. http://www.verticalearth.com/ I was able to pick up a warm cap for swimming.  Lunch was a large pulled chicken sandwich, with very little bbq sauce- the kind where they give you the chicken (chicken was pulled, so not fried which was good) and you add your own sauce, plus some kettle corn.

I drove down to the lake to check the scene out. I started conversation with the various triathletes who were out and about, one guy told me that he's not swimming in "this shit yet" and another older man was putting on a wetsuit. I'll find out how bad it really is. I grabbed some food and by this time my bike was ready to be picked up. They let me keep my car there so that was good because me rental jetta was way too small for both box and bike.

Ironman CDA swim start

Once I had my bike, I decided  to drive the course. The route in town is a series of turns, so tough to really go super fast but once you stretch out there are places to coast. The course is two loops- and the loops are essentially two out and backs. It's a very scenic course, and I'm glad I got to drive and preview it because come race day, I won't be paying attention to the scenery. There are no hills that are above 6% grade, but there are a few long ones. There's a long 1mile climb or so off of lake coeur d' alene drive and then on the 95S there is about a 2mile climb- which you essentially go over each climb 4times. The decents are fast and if you're not careful you can catch a nasty cross wind. 
I was surprised to see so many cyclists on the course because I was under the impression that it was too dangerous to ride on the highway with the traffic- but by the looks of it, the shoulders were wide enough. I did pull over and help a guy who need a valve extender to blow up his tire. I got the chance to chat a bit and he said the roads were ok to drive on, just stay on shoulder, watch out for idiots, and careful for flats.

Driving south on 95

Once I finished driving. I parked, changed and did a quick up and back by lake coeur d' alene drive- the wind was surprisingly challenging for only a quick spin I put my running shoes on and did an easy hour- also surprisingly slower with the wind and deceiving false flats/ gradual climb.
Must have erased bike on accident- it was about 30min- a little over 8miles, the run was 1:03:29 for 6.01 miles
By this time it was already getting a little late and wanted to make sure I got food and sleep and checked into the hotel.Guesthouse Inn-  http://www.guesthouseintl.com/hotels/coeurdalene
Dinner was Scholtkey's deli and then a stop at the Safeway- Chicken Noodle soup with a large cobb salad (only ate about 1/2 of it, with flatbread- no cheese on the salad) with Carrot Juice (stubborn chest cough won't go away so trying to boost immune system) Coconut water and rice pudding (oops) I took a lactaid with it, couldn't resist, rice pudding is a favorite- and i figured I could use the carbs.
Decent hotel and price, only about 3miles from city park, and it has a fridge and microwave. 


SUNDAY - MAY 27
 I woke up at 5:40, late, took my medicine and started getting ready. About 6:30 I ate- 100 calories of natural applesauce, mixed with 2 scoops of your protein, 1 banana- and starbucks instant vanilla coffee (60 calories)
I had sent a few messages to some different groups- TriSpokane club, a local swimming club, and Lake City Tri. Tawnya was the friendliest and most helpful- she invited me to join her meeting at starbucks at 7:00 so we can see the start of the Marathoners and so that she can give me some helpful tips. I found them on facebook and they were great. http://www.lakecitytri.org/ 
One other rider, Will joined. us We rode the first 1/2, of the first loop, and then on Lake Coeur d'Alene drive, on the way down, we took a right onto Yellow Stone Train where we did part of the olympic course, extra climbing but SUPER pretty and a very fun descent.

After about 22miles I met went back with them to the car, refueled and went back out on my own. Tawnya was nice enough to give me an extra CO2 cartridge, just in case, but luckily I didn't need it. She was beyond helpful, inviting me to a club bbq after (I didn't make it because I spent the day riding) and  pointing out lots of great tips and suggesting where to swim the next day.

On the ride yes, I went through 2, 400 calories gel/water bottles and then 4 just water bottles- I took in about 4 salt stick tablets and 1 PowerBar Performance Vanilla Crisp bar throughout, and 3/4 banana in between (1/4 when I finished) for the total ride- felt hungry and sluggish- not dehydrated 

It was a very comfortable riding day temperature wise. Temperatures were cool- I started with a jacket and gloves, peeled later to just sleeves and the wind vest. I very much underestimated the difficulty of the wind. Totally slowed me down- Out on the 95- going 18miles south it was into the wind- on flat, struggling to go 14mph, on the way back on the same flat- easy 22mph- maybe there were more false flats then I realized. But the course is basically through town, an out and back up to Higgins point up Lake Couer d Alene drive, through town, South on the 95 for about 18 miles, back north on the 95, through town and repeat. The town has no climbing, tiny rollers- Lake CDA drive has one good climb at about 6% for about 1 mile. The 95 has a few longer climbs, one at about 6% for about 2miles- tricky with the wind- and another one at about 5% for about 1mile- so you essentially go up those 4times- nothing higher than that, but they're long and they slow me down :/ The descents were fast, but you need to be careful because the roads aren't that awesome. I think my max speed was about 34.3 because I'm a chicken (My max ever is 41.5 down Mt. Lemmon)

121.33 total miles for 9:02:12 hours, average of 13.4mph average- 5250 calories. Feeling pretty bad about that- I should've been faster at this point in my training. This was including the climbs at the beginning, so tricky to see what I'll do at Ironman- it should be enough for the cutoff times, just need to be careful about getting a flat. 

No run or swim after- shower and on my way to Sandpoint to hang out with Julie.

I had 2 scoops of your protein Melissa's rice pudding for recovery. 

Dinner I went to a friends BBQ and had a burger, no cheese, with sweet potato salad, fruit, 1 beer and a little desert, oh and a small bag of lays potato chips :/

Bike Special Needs Area

MONDAY - MAY 28

This morning I gave myself plenty of time before swimming. I allowed myself to sleep in a bit. I was going to try and swim right at 7am, but slept till about 8am. I took my medicine at about 6:30am, went back to bed for a bit then at about 8:30am I had a hard boiled egg, no yolk, a waffle with light syrup and peanut butter, a banana, 1 50calorie cup with 1 scoop your protein, and starbucks instant vanilla coffee.

Sander's Beach entrance near CDA library

I ventured out to Sander's Beach- where Tawnya suggested, no boats, along the shore so you can stand, and a marker for a half way point- to the doc and back is 1.2- My goal was to try and get an hour + in. Right before the swim I had about 8oz of coconut water. 

54degree-ish water- brr

There were 3 other swimmers there putting on their suits, so that made me feel better, we were chatting it up a bit. The swim was terrible. I made it about 36 min with warm cap like Coach Kris said, but it felt like it was choking me, swim cap and with vaseline on the face like Melissa said. Hands and feet suffered, the booties may be worth trying- I think the temp was about 54? 55? It was also a bit choppy. Tawnya said to expect chop. Chop plus these temps then I'm in big trouble. Silly. I'm hoping it goes up at least 10 degrees in the next 4 weeks. I didn't panic but  it was very difficult to get going and get breathing going. I tried to relax, I turned around right where I thought was the turnaround, but my watch said 0.65miles for 36:58min. yikes- I'm back at square one. Like I had forgotten everything that I learned. I know it will be better on race day, I have no other choice. I'm excited for the 3mile open water swim because I won't have the option to turn around early, or get out because I'm uncomfortable.  

I had to drop off my bike to get packed up (again, something I pay a young bike mechanic to do when I need to learn myself- note to self, learn to use those damn CO2 cartridges, I always mess them up)

After I dropped the bike off, went back to the hotel to get myself together- the swim zapped my energy and left with me a headache. Took in some carrot juice and some apple sauce with a banana Melissa's protein, 

Took a shower and ended up taking a quick nap. Woke, up got myself together, changed to get ready for a run- got the bike and headed for Lake CDA drive to get ready to run. Took in some water and a bite of the Performance Protein Bar Vanilla Crisp (I think I found the source of the rumbly tummy, ast time I get those. I also took a swig of some diet coke for a boost) 

Start of my run- towards HigginS

Started a very slow run. Decided I was going to do 13.1 so that I could wear my 1/2 Marathon shirt- I have a thing about wearing race shirts for races I didn't complete. So, I did the 1/2 Marathon, just a little late :)

lake CDA drive, I will prob be running part of this in the dark

I went up the drive so that I could get that in, (which is part of the course) and then part of the course through town. It was a beautiful 70degrees with a nice wind (tough at some points, this race is just going to be windy, I need to deal with it) but good running weather. After about 9miles, I was only taking in water so stopped at the car- I only had those Vegn gels that Melissa said to ignore, but needed something so took it. and finished up the run. I knew it was going to much slower. When running back towards the car, the sun hit me so that I could see my shadow on the ground. When I noticed it slouching, I would throw my shoulders back and my hips forward and I was able to comfortable get back to an easy 9:40 pace (still slow for a 1/2 marathon, this run was just EXTRA slow) - tried to think of Chrissie when she talked about smashing yourself even on training days when I wanted to stop after an hour. 13.21 miles, 2:19:46, 10:34pace- SLOW!! After the run I intended to find some "clean recover food" but found myself at Jimmy John's instead. I had the roast beef / turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, mayo and avocado spread on their class french roll- no cheese, no chips or cookie I went back to the lake, where the swim start is, and walked into the lake up to my hips to give myself an "ice bath" I watched a little boy play in the water in a full wetsuit. Pretty funny, in a few weeks there will be 2500 adults ready to play in the water in wetsuits. I tried to envision the start of the race, the buoys, running out of the water to loop, taking in a gel, and running back in to do another loops- then envisioned where transition was going to be and tried to get it all in. (I was really trying to take my mind off of the cold water on my now numb feet)

I went back and treated myself to frozen yogurt (oops) I know I need to clean up again so won't be having the dairy again for a while. 

Recovery, travel day tomorrow, back at it on Wednesday. Three weeks.