Oh, hi. I have a blog. A blog about running. This would be awesome… if I were running. I’ve been slacking on this blog as much as I’ve been slacking on running.
I recently announced to Facebook, family, and friends that I am currently expecting a baby which may have something to do with my lack of running. I know the phrase, “no excuses,” but I’m convinced this was made up by a man. He’s never dealt with constant nausea and throwing up where the only relief is just to sleep. So that’s where I’ve been. Sleeping on my couch, listening to my body.
But I have ventured out in to the world a few times the past month. In fact, I even volunteered at Ironman Wisconsin over the past weekend. I volunteered last year. I absolutely love Ironman. Even if I weren’t volunteering, I would still go downtown and watch different parts of the course. The determination of these athletes is so inspiring. Even when I’m not hormonally emotional, I can’t help but get all teary-eyed watching the finishers cross. It is something seriously amazing.
Last week I was playing a game with some friends on Instagram. It was to post 20 facts about yourself. One of my facts included how I played soccer up in to college. Since I had so many ankle injuries playing, the doctors said I needed to stop and avoid contact sports altogether. I stopped doing all sports for a few years. I regret that I lost a lot of fitness during that time. Then I started running. I hated running, even while I was playing soccer. To this day, I can honestly say I have yet to just want to go for a run. I still slightly despise running but it has turned in to a love/hate relationship so we’re getting better. Maybe a few more therapy sessions (aka races) and I may start to just like running. Anyways – so in addition to the facts, I also stated I would never attempt an Ironman. That’s just not my thing. I think of that 26.2 mile run at the end. I struggle running a marathon without any other endurance events before that.
So naturally, Monday morning after working Ironman Wisconsin for over 12 hours the day before, I did what any sane person would do. I started looking up the various destinations for Ironman. My due date is currently set for March 2014 so that rules out an Ironman in 2014. I still want to do the Ironman 70.3 held in Mexico (currently Cozumel) during September of 2015. So that rules out an Ironman in 2015. Assuming Ironman keeps the current destinations, I am starting to see Ironman Texas 2016 looming on my horizon. Of course, 2016 is still over two years away, but it’s something to look forward to. I’ve been looking forward to Mexico Ironman 70.3 for YEARS now and that’s still two years out.
Having this goal so far in advance will really help me stay focused during the next few years. Knowing there’s a higher goal will get me off the couch on days when I tell myself there’s no race in the upcoming months. It will help me try to learn more about the individual sports. I have time to master heart rates and heart zone training. I have time to clean up my diet and get in the best shape of my life. It may seem crazy to start thinking of a race so far ahead, but this works for me. Also, have you seen the costs to do an Ironman? Just the registration fees alone are over $700. That doesn’t include equipment (wetsuits, a bike, running shoes, oh my!), the hydration/fueling, and the training (so much training). By the end of the race, it will cost well over $1,000 once all factors are added together. So here’s to hoping 2016 will be my Ironman year. And hoping that I can get back in to running, even while pregnant.
I have a 10k this weekend so I may have more updates. And supposedly I’m going to magically feel better soon & will hopefully be able to pick up running again.
Racine 70.3 Recap – Swim and Bike Only – But It’s Still A Long Recap!
Sunday I took on the biggest race I’ve ever faced – a 70.3 mile triathlon. For those that don’t know the distances are broken down in to a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. For months this has been my goal race. Every race leading up to it was “just a training run.” I spent countless hours at the gym and on pavement. My goal was simply to finish with a smile. I did not meet my goal – I did not finish the race – but I did have a great time on the swim and bike and I learned a lot for the next time.
The night before I had my usual pre-race dinner – TACOS! We went to a place in Kenosha and expected it to be your normal sit-down restaurant but were surprised that it was a walk-up counter, seat yourself with your order kind of place. It was still pretty decent as far as Wisconsin taco standards are concerned. I wasn’t feeling 100% so I had a Sprite with my meal. I had been drinking water all day so one soda wasn’t going to deter my hydration efforts. We stopped at Woodman’s across from the hotel to pick up some nutrition for the next day – muffins, pickles, goldfish, Ziploc bags. Then it was time to get my gear ready and in to bed. I was in bed by 9:15, but naturally I couldn’t fall asleep until sometime after 10. A “friend” called at 11:15 to disrupt my sleep wish me luck. I ignored the call but had a dream that since I hit “Ignore” none of my alarms went off. I was very happy to hear my 3:30 alarm in the morning.
We got to transition early. I wasn’t sure about the parking situation and I knew I wanted to park in the closest lot so we were there a little before 5 am. By the time we walked from the lot, transition was open. I didn’t spend a lot of time at transition. I put my food on my bike, prepped my water bottles, set out my gear, and left. I didn’t see a lot of reason to dillydally. One person popped their tire which sounded like a gunshot going off. It made me double check the air in my tires, but they were good to go. So I met up with Adam and my mom and we hung out for a bit, taking pictures of transition and the sunrise, before the mile trek down the beach to the start.
There weren’t a ton of people at the start yet (thank goodness) so I got some prime real estate sitting along a concrete “pier.” I still had my phone on me so I had my headphones in, listening to some music to get my head in the game. The start line system playing Adele just wasn’t doing it for me. My mom braided my hair while I sat there and took in everything. About 6:45, they slowly started getting the first waves lined up so I decided to put on my wet suit. 7:15 came way too quickly and it was time for my wave to line up so we could meet our 7:32 start. Cue the nerves. Waiting with the other fluorescent orange swim caps, I started talking to a girl next to me. We were both doing our first 70.3. She was really nice and the swim was her weakest, bike strongest, and run was somewhere in between. I told her my swim was the strongest and then it was steadily downhill from there for me.
Adam took few more photos before I actually got in the water and then we were given our cue to start. Rushing in to the water, I was suddenly slammed with a brick wave. I was still able to run but finally decided to swim what I could. The waves were pretty big for being a lake. Fortunately, surfing taught me just how to get through waves like that and I swam straight through them. I was feeling really good when I got to the first turn buoy. By the 9th buoy, I was tired but still swimming strong. I was swimming much better than I had at the Capitol View tri. At one point, a woman – in a pink swim cap! – was screaming for help but nobody was really hearing her. I went over and started screaming to help her and finally the Sheriff’s boat heard us and came over. I left since they were able to do more for her than I could. About ¾ of the way to the 2nd turn I was swimming next to a girl when she decided to switch from freestyle to breast stroke. I took the brunt of her kick straight to the shoulder. I didn’t think much of it until my next stroke when I realized – I couldn’t do a full stroke. I kept going strong though. I was feeling awesome, despite my shoulder pain. After the turn buoy was probably the most fun I had during the swim. I was seriously body boarding the waves in to shore. Some people gave me funny looks –but whatever. I was having a blast!
Transition was just that – transition. I got out to the mount line for the bike and there was a huge mess. I finally found a spot to hop on and get going. I passed all of the people that comprised the “huge mess.” I had heard about the bike starting uphill and I saw it the day before when I dropped off my bike. It wasn’t as daunting as it seemed in videos. It was the same as the hill I bike at the end of all of my rides right before I turn home up Sherman Avenue. Because I have dual pedals – one side clips, the other doesn’t, I just hopped on the flat side and took off. I felt like I flew up the hill and even heard some guys along the sides saying, “Get it, girl!” I felt pretty stoked about that.
I realized about ½ mile in to the ride, my odometer wasn’t reset from my last bike ride so I did that. I managed to take nutrition and drink every 5 miles – even if I didn’t want to. I started getting a bit queasy on the bike but I didn’t let that stop me. At 28 miles, I was so impressed with my time. I saw my mom, Adam, and Valerie along the course, the last time at mile 40. At mile 47, the negativity set in. On my way out, I saw a water stop in front of a cemetery. I asked some people along the course where the cemetery was, but they thought I was joking, insinuating I was dying. They told me I looked great and to keep going. Thanks but where’s the effing water?! I finally reached the water about a mile down the road and stopped. I was exhausted. I had thrown up 3 times by this point. My head was killing me. I was completely disoriented. After a short break, I got back on the saddle and powered through. I saw Valerie at mile 54 and told her I was done after the bike. With only 2 more miles to go, I managed to throw up one more time, solidifying my decision that it was best to call it a day. I let my mom and Adam know when I saw them at the bottom of the hill. I racked my bike, packed up my gear, and turned in my chip.
I am disappointed that I didn’t finish the race, but I know that I made the right decision for me. I was unable to take in anymore nutrition around mile 45 on the bike and knew that without more fuel, I was in no shape to take on the run. I could have probably pushed myself through it, barely meeting the course closing, but I’m not sure that it would have been worth the risk. I did learn a few things about my training and myself. I had an EXCELLENT swim despite my time. I met my goal time for the bike. I learned to listen to my body and trust my limits. And that I think is what makes it worth saying I had a great race, despite a DNF and I am absolutely ok with that.
FLASHBACK TO JANUARY 2011: I was registered to run the Houston Marathon – full, not the half. I was excited as the half course was my PR and I always have a great time running in my hometown. I even convinced a friend to run it. The week before my run, I went out for an easy 7-mile taper run. It was along my favorite bayou route. Adam and Dharma joined me for the first 5 miles. Dharma was tired so I told Adam he could turn off and I would finish a quick 2-mile loop before I made it back to the apartment. Not even ¼ mile from the turn, I was running on an uneven part of the trail and twisted my ankle. It took me down to the ground where a couple of runners who saw me fall stopped to make sure I was ok. I assured them I was then tried running. I made it to the bridge and was in excruciating pain. I hobbled the remaining mile home. Turns out I had a slight fracture in my ankle, less than a week before the marathon. It was too late to defer entry so I went to pick up my packet & t-shirt – on crutches. My mom was running the half so I wasn’t getting weird looks totally alone. That weekend I sat on a curb with signs I made to cheer on my friends and mom.
JULY 2013: I am currently registered to compete in my first half-ironman. This was my taper weekend and I was trying to break in some new running shoes. I decided to go out for an easy 7-mile run. I was running my favorite route – from Tenney Park up to the Capitol, down State Street, around campus, over to Lake Monona, back to Tenney. Even though it was a cool 70 degrees, I was still sweating pretty hard after the first mile thanks to the humidity.
After 5 miles, I stopped at Art Fair on the Square. I figured I was already downtown so why not take a break, walk the ½ mile loop, and check out some museum-quality art? I saw a lot of interesting booths and received lots of comments on my choice of attire. Hey, I was running, people! I fit two business cards in my tights pocket and decided I had seen enough. I really wanted some water but I knew with booths charging $2.50 for a small bottle, there was no way I could convince an establishment to hook me up with a refill. Rather than run down the Capitol City Bike Trail, I decided to take Johnson back. The bike trail is flat and sunny, Johnson is downhill and shady. I took Wisconsin away from the square and thought I was in the home stretch, ready to run strong back to Tenney.
I was stopped at Wisconsin and Johnson, wanting to run on the North side of the street. When the crosswalk had the right of way, I started cross. I was looking up at the people coming towards me headed to the art fair. That’s when the next thing I knew, I felt my ankle twist and I hit the pavement. From my view on the ground, I looked behind me and saw the gaping pothole in the middle of the crosswalk. I was also aware that the crosswalk signal was flashing so I had to get up or be run over (with Wisconsin drivers, you never know). Adam helped me to my feet and we cleared the intersection as the light was turning green for oncoming traffic. I just stood on one foot, using Adam for support for a few minutes. Then I decided I wanted the run to be done and the only way to do that was to get back to Tenney. I managed my best limping run to my jeep. After driving to breakfast, I went home and spent the rest of the day parked on my couch. Thanks to Adam, he helped me ice – 20 min off / 20 min off. Spicer decided my pillows were her new bed but let me use her for extra elevation when the ice was off my foot.
Today I’m keeping it wrapped and trying not to walk around needlessly. It’s amazing how productive I can be when I’m strapped to my desk. The swelling and discoloration isn’t as bad as January 2011, but it’s still somewhat swollen and bruised. I’m hoping to baby it this week and still race next weekend. After the bike, my feet will be numb anyways so I’m hoping to not feel it anyhow.
NOTE TO SELF: Stop running 7-mile taper runs!
So I completed my first Olympic distance triathlon this weekend. It was tough. But I didn’t really know what to expect. It was my first triathlon since 2009 and my first triathlon at the Olympic distance. I had a great time and despite my first ever Dead Last Finish I was able to find some positives and know what I need to work on for improvement.
I arrived around 5:45 am only to find that my water bottles were still in the freezer at home. Fortunately, this is the closest I’ve ever had a triathlon so Adam was able to drive home and grab them (and his bike) before it was even close to time to get in the water. I was able to use the time to reset my bike computer. Thursday night I took it in to Trek and replaced the battery. I was just getting body marked when Adam called to let me know he was back at the park. I put my bottles in their cages and we headed out to the beach.
As the swim caps started heading in to the water by color, I started getting anxious. The last time I swam, I felt like I was being choked by my wetsuit. I did not want a repeat of the swim from my aquathon. The purple swim caps (women ages 15 – 29) entered the water, and we took off at our signal. I tried to start swimming slow towards the back of the pack when I realized everyone was running. Ummm, ok? I started running too as it was much faster than swimming. Once it was deep, I resumed swimming again and started to get caught up with the middle of the pack. I was having a hard time getting my heart rate under control though so I kept flipping back and forth between backstroke and freestyle. I probably did half of the swim with a backstroke. I got out the water, somewhat impressed with my time – it was only a hair slower than my pool swim times. I then took my time in transition as I wasn’t really looking to win a race.
The bike course for this tri consists of hills – lots of hills. Fortunately I drove the course Wednesday night so I was somewhat prepared. Unfortunately, you don’t always notice gradual inclines in a vehicle the way you might on your bike. The hills I thought would be the most work, turned out pretty nice since I was able to pick up speed on my downhills. I think I may have hit close to 35 mph (fast for me) on a downhill so that I managed about 22 mph on the subsequent uphill. Kelly was waiting for me around mile 14.5 and was a welcomed surprise. We almost missed each other because she was looking for my neon running pants, not my black bike shorts. Heading back in should have been nice on a long gradual incline, but now I was faced with a headwind. I ended up having to walk two hills and for whatever reason, instead of having 7 gears on my right shifter, I was reduced to 3. I finished the bike in a time I was happy with. Adam seemed impressed. Apparently both Adam and Kelly said I looked good and fresh compared to other people they saw on the course. Again, in transition I didn’t really care about being speedy, but more so being prepared for the run. I changed my shoes, my shorts, grabbed my spi belt which doubled as my race bib belt and some water. I also stopped outside of transition to use the porto.
The run was brutal for me. I knew I was one of the last on the course. Two women passed me. At the first water stop after Mile 1, a woman on an ATV confirmed that I was indeed the last person. I was perfectly okay with this. I walked most of the course. For whatever reason, my brain was telling me I really did not want to run. I did manage to run the downhills and there were lots of those. Every now and then I would push myself to dig deep and run but I usually gave out after 5 minutes or once I got to a landmark – tree, bush, sign, pole, etc. I couldn’t see the women ahead of me and because of all the turns, I was usually surprised when I found volunteers directing me on the paths. I could occasionally hear the motor of the ATV. I asked if there was a time limit and she informed there was not, but that she hoped I was at least enjoying myself. I was, actually. I just didn’t want to run. I knew I could walk it and I aimed for 15-minute miles. I was just really tired and spent and my mind had given up on me. I eventually crossed the finish line, dead last (somebody has to be) and 4 minutes over my desired goal. Could I have met my goal if I tried? No doubt. Did I? No.
Learning experiences: 1) I definitely need to get on the bike more. This was my first long bike ride that wasn’t in the gym and didn’t involve stopping downtown to meet friends or at a restaurant. 2) Bricks need to become my best friends. I definitely need to get used to being tired and motivating myself to complete the run to the best of my ability. 3) I need to go to the next aquathon. I think a lot of my anxiety pre-swim came from limited open water swims, despite an aquathon and swimming in Aruba in the weeks beforehand. Rather than go see Madison County play a free concert at Monona Terrace this Thursday, it looks as though I’ll be doing the aquathon. Fortunately, Adam has volunteered to tackle the 5k run so I can focus on the swim. 4) At the end of the day, I completed my first Olympic distance triathlon, and I should definitely be proud of myself.
For the record – 54 degrees water temp is cold, even in a wetsuit. That being said, I completed my first ever aquathon last night. I have previously done sprint triathlons, the last one in August of 2009. This year I convinced myself I can do a half ironman – I’m not sure why, but I did – so I used last night’s aquathon as a training exercise and to try out my new wetsuit (courtesy of best mom EVER).
It wasn’t until about 5 pm that it hit me – People are going to see me in some state of undress! I quickly thanked my subconscious shopping from months ago when I bought a matching Nike bra and compression shorts. I slipped both on and threw on some sweats to walk over to Warner Beach. I live about a mile away so I figured I would walk over there. Hubs came with the dog who recently came home from dog training where they said we need to take her out as much as possible.
When I picked up my chip, volunteers let me know they shortened the swim by about 500 m. I wasn’t too worried, until I heard that they were allowing people to DQ the swim and just do the run portion. A coworker happened to be volunteering and as I was heading into transition, her parting words were, “I really hope you stay warm.” I just thought “no big deal.”
Once in transition, I started putting on my wetsuit. Mind you, this is only the second time of putting on my wetsuit and first time in public. I heard the announcement of water temps and asked the guy next to me if that was really cold. He told me it was definitely one of the coldest temperatures he was comfortable swimming in. Great. Fantastic. I still haven’t mastered the wetsuit zipper (it’s only been two times!) so I found the hubs waiting with Spicer and had him zip me up. It was getting close to time so I headed down to the beach to see what the water felt like. I went in to about mid-calf and it was COLD. I tried to tell myself it was no worse than floating the Guadalupe at Easter (bonus points to anybody that gets that reference). I got out so as not to psych myself out before the start. There was a short delay due to some timing issues. During this time, several people waded back into the water and came out saying it was too cold for them. This led to other people getting too caught up in their heads and dropping out of the swim. Because this is probably my last chance for an open water swim before Capitol View Triathlon, I was sticking to it.
Timing issues resolved, they announced the start. I did not want to get caught up in the mass start so I waited towards the back. IT WAS SOOOOO COLD. A group of us decided we would just walk until we couldn’t. It’s not an ideal swim strategy, but seriously, it was what I could do when hit with what felt like the coldest ice bath I’ve ever taken. Finally it was time to swim and I did all that I could to not put my face in the water – thank you years of lifeguard training. The wetsuit was moving okay, except that it felt like it was choking my neck. I’m not sure if it is a fit issue or if I just need to try to move the material around some more. I’ll play with it between now and my next triathlon. I’ll probably be the weirdo in the indoor pool trying to fix my wetsuit issues. Anyways – the swim was cold. I eventually put my face in the water. My heart rate was really high due to the cold so I tried to focus on breathing. My swim cap popped off so I had to stop to put it on. The kayak lifeguard thought I was drowning. It was fun (read: horrible) times.
So now that I feel like a fish plucked during an ice-fishing session, I’m ran up a sandy beach (awesome, not) and into transition. Thank goodness the grass in transition helped clean my feet as I forgot water for my feet. I took my time in transition. I had no feeling in my feet and I didn’t see the point in racing to get out on a run if I couldn’t even put on my shoes. Stripping out of the wetsuit is so much easier than getting it on. Then I put on my running shirt and leggings – I’m more of a modest clothing runner – got my shoes on, started my watch and headed out.
I still couldn’t feel my feet. I know at the 1.5 mile turnaround, I saw hubs and Spicer and told them it felt like I lost my broken toe in the lake. The volunteer thought I was serious. I am serious about the broken toe, but not about losing it in the lake. I cursed KroFo on the hills. I practiced my 9/1 since that’s what I intend to do for my runs. Other than lack of feeling, my runs were ok. I was a bit off my racing 5k pace but I also couldn’t feel my feet or my bum so I’m chalking it up to that.
Your Pace or Mine? 