Deuces Wild Olympic Triathlon

 June 1^st, 2013. Saturday

Fools Hollow Lake Recreation Area

Show Low, AZ

My first “official” training race of the 2013 season. Deuces Wild Olympic Triathlon In Show Low, AZ.  It was a good race overall, here’s the recap.

Woke on Friday morning, had an orthodontist appointment to adjust my retainers. Behold the metal mouth will continue at the end of the month…seems my bottom right teeth don’t want to stay where they belong, even with consistent retainer wearing. So I will be getting my bottoms back on for a bit to try and correct the problem.   I warned the doc, that they come off in Nov, no matter what!

  Back home I finished packing up, loading up the Escape, and headed out around 10 AM. On my way to Show Low to stay with some great friends, who have opened up their home to me, and have adopted me as their “daughter”. I’m so thankful for wonderful friends like them. They are definitely two amazing people to have in my life.

The drive to Show Low, in my opinion is one of the more beautiful drives across the state of AZ. Its three hours from home. I rolled in to their place around 2 pm. We headed down to the race site to pick up packets, get race t shirts, hit up the race meeting.This is where we saw the difference from Trisports turning over the event to a new company for the race. 

First of all, I love this race. Trisports puts on an awesome race each year. Great event, great prizes/raffles, food for participants, volunteers to keep triathletes safe on the roads. This year however, for whatever reason, Trisports sold the race to Chasing 3 out of New Mexico. So, for this to be their first race, and for Trisports backing out, there were a lot of changes, some for the better, and some not so much.  

We met up with another friend at the race site, sat through the meeting. checked out the transition/swim start, etc. Then were headed out for a good dinner in Pinetop where we all ate last year.  My race nerves were kicking in, so for the first time, I enjoy a beer to calm myself down and relax. Back to the cabin we went after dinner, and got our bikes all ready to go, tires pumped, numbers on bikes/helmets, and off to bed by 9:30 pm.

5 AM came and I was surprised at how well I slept. Normally I get pre race jitters, and sleep is hard for me. Must have been the beer. Once up, I had my pre race ritual of coffee, bagel and egg. And got ready to go.  Bikes/bags all loaded up and off we went to the race site.

It was evident that the race was smaller, as we only had one area for transition. We all had a spot for our bikes to be racked, which was kind of nice. I was in the main straight away (sorry Walt J) so it was a nice straight shot in/out of the transition.   Once I was all setup, I was out of transition. The swim time was moved forward for the Olympic race, but we still were about an hour out from the start of Deuceman…so that hour wait where we weren’t allowed in Transition was a bit frustrating. Luckily it was warming up so it wasn’t too cold.  I ran down to the swim start, and got to snap off a few shots of Walt starting his day. It was nice and calm, most athletes were quiet, and suddenly you hear this gentleman in the water say….” Hey Becky!! Just follow my perfectly straight swim lines to the buoy’s and you’ll do great!” which got a good chuckle from the athletes and the crowd. And bang, the men were off. Walt seemed to have a moment of “what the hell am I doing?”  (per proof of photo) but headed out for a good swim. The water a week before was in the low 60s, and when I did my swim up in Flag the week before, it was in the 50s. So I was preparing for a really cold swim. Luckily, the water temp warmed up and was perfect with a full sized wetsuit.

Next was the women’s Deuceman swim start, and I got off a few shots of Becky starting off her day.  Then it was time for me to get ready. Walt had lost his timing chip somewhere from the start to the transition, and I ran back in Transition to put on all his bike numbers. Thank goodness he had electrical tape. After his number was on, I borrowed the tape and reinforced my water bottle that was not cooperating.  Then I headed down to the swim start to wait, I was amazed that I didn’t have as many jitters as I normally do. Maybe because I was just ready to get it started. Or I knew if I thought about it, I would get really nervous. I was in Wave Three which started at 7:55 AM. While the first wave was getting ready, I saw Walt come out of the water, I let him know that his bike was all ready, and shouted out his famous line that he usually sends my way…”don’t screw up!”  and then I was headed out to the water, and got ready to go.  The gun went off, and off we went. I got into a pretty good rhythm from the start, and focused on my breathing and my technique. And it just seemed easier. But longer….

The swim course changed this year. Instead of one long triangle, it was switched to two loops. I liked this for the fact that the buoys were closer, and you could actually see where you were swimming too. What I didn’t like was that it was measured wrong. So instead of swimming 1500 yds. I swam a mile, which was approx. 1760 yds.  So an extra 260 yds, adds a good five minutes to my swim time at my pace.  

The water was nice, mid 60s, no wind to cause any white caps, and no goggle malfunction. It was a great swim. I got lost in the fun of it at one point, having to bring myself back.  I was amazed that I could actually see my entire arm as I was swimming. So much so, that it distracted me a time or two.  Most of my open water swims, only give me a four inch view of muddy water. I paced pretty good with a girl beside me so I didn’t have to look up to often for sighting the buoy.  Then before I knew it, I was two laps around and heading back in to the dock. Once there, I ran up to the wet suit strippers who did a great job of pulling off my suit, and I headed up to T1. Now once out of the water I hit my Garmin watch on the timing mat, clocking me around a 34 min swim, but official race results had me at 35:13. Which was still good, I PR’ed my swim J last year with a goggle malfunction, I swim it in 38 minutes. And this time it was less, with MORE distance. If it truly was a 1500 swim, I think my time would have been under 30 min. since It usually takes me about: 55 seconds to swim 50 yds in the pool. Oh well, regardless, it was better.  

My transitions were flat out fast! More than I ever have done before. Pam said I was so fast, she couldn’t get any photos of me.  T1 was 1:46. Smoking!!! I guess I was fast, in and out nice and quick. And as I ran out the bike out area, I was able to jump on my bike and go.

I have always learned to not fly out on the bike, don’t kill yourself in the beginning. So I took it slow for the first mile or two until I got out of Fool Hollow, but then I began to hammer it for some reason. I knew I had gotten a better time in the swim, so I was on track for a PR, but I now just needed to sit back and go the pace I knew I could do. I didn’t do it…I tried to hammer it the first 10 miles and paid for it on the back side of the race. I bonked hard, needing something, I think I didn’t have enough calories to keep my speed going, plus I had to pee, thanks to swallowing some of the lake. So I managed to get my mental game under control a bit. I got to the aid station at 77, got off my bike to use the port a john. Re focused, and headed out again. Here is where the switch happened. I had an almost massive fall on my bike. I clipped into my bike, and headed toward the aid station around the corner. I scored my water bottle perfectly out of a volunteers hand, took a swig and put it in my holder. Then I saw the gel, thinking immediately, “I NEED THAT!” so I hollered gel and as I went to reach for it to grab it from this young boy scout. I somehow thought my left hand was on the hoods of my bars. Instead, my left hand was on the aero bar. So when I reached for the gel, my bike swerved severely to the right, heading straight for the poor kid, I was literally at a 60 degree angle on my bike when I grabbed the gel skillfully out of his hand, then proceeded to decide how I was going down…could  I tuck and roll? What was the least damaging to my bike? too me?

My guardian angel was with me, because somehow as I heard several women gasp and scream behind me, thinking I was ready to go down. I was suddenly upright and straight.  I must have stepped hard on my left pedal to straighten up the bike. So once I was straight, and on my way. I held up my right arm, gave a thumbs up to the people behind me, and hollered out “ I’m good!!” and was on my way down the road, ripping open my much needed gel.  It gave me the energy I needed, and I was able to get my head back in the game, and focus. I ended up following this guy all the way into T2. My average speed on the back? 18 mph. I was stoked. But the front half of the ride cost me, and I cruised into T2 a minute slower than last year. Which was a bit of a bummer, but from my swim time, I was still on pace to PR.  As I rounded the corner to the bike dismount, I had a lady pointing at the ground with her hand and with her horn, state loudly “DISMOUNT HERE!!!”  so I slowed down right beside her, and said…”right here? Exactly right here?” which got a chuckle out of her, and the crowd. I jumped off and headed into T2 ( in my perfectly lined up spot on the first row- sorry Walt J) and was once again in and out in 1:25 for transition time. And nice and fast, I was out and on the run.

By now, it was getting hot. Looking back now, I realize I didn’t have that brick sensation in my legs that is normal for that T2 transition.  So the gel was a life saver, Orange Cream, my body can tolerate that…so time to add that to my list of training foods.  But I was going out at a pace of 9:30, and I had to force myself to slow it down. I knew if I ran my pace from last year, I was golden for a PR, and if I went out to fast, I would be toast.  So I slowed it down, as my heart rate was getting high, but not like Whiskey Row with the huge 217 spike. I kept to my run for a mile, then walk for one minute pace keeping my back happy. I hit every aid station and doused myself with water from the sponges.  I got out to the course at mile 3 and began to feel the discomfort of the distance, the heat, and that nagging bonk feeling again. So once again at the next aid station I zeroed in on my gel and got my Orange Cream. It took me til Mile 4 and it kicked in to take me home the last 2.2 miles. I finally got in my zone on the run that last 2.2 miles, and a little “til I collapse” from Eminem in my head didn’t hurt either. I was close to my run time from last year, so I was trying to push it, while not red lining at the finish. I cruised around the corner, and headed for the finish line. The clock read 3:25 hr/min.   I ran a minute longer than last year. I had no idea where my official time was at.

I hit my Garmin and stopped my time. This was my first tri with my Garmin so I was excited to see what that showed. I then got some refreshments, found Pam, and made a beeline for a kiddy pool filled with ice water.  That’s where I sat for the next 15 minutes. And it was HEAVEN!!!  I chatted it up with a few fellow racers. Convinced two guys to jump in the water for recovery (they thanked me later, as they felt much better for it, and were doing the XTERRA the next day).  And then I headed over to find Pam and cheer on Walt and Becky.  

Pam somehow missed Becky in bike transition, so she must of come in on the bike as I was crossing the finish, so Pam missed her transition to the run. But we sat waiting for Walt about a half hour later,  who came cruising up on his bike with about 15 minutes to spare, and said he was done for the day. He knew his body could not handle the run and made the smart decision to stop and live to race another day. That took a lot of guts. As an athlete, you always want to be competitive, and at least finish the race. To have the guts to know when to stop and not push yourself past your limits or worse is just as commendable in my opinion as finishing the race. So once we got Walt settled, he found his timing chip (darn shoe!!) and got cold fluids, we headed over to the run course to cheer Becky on for her second lap.  She did a great job for not training like she wanted, and cruised in under 6 hours.  Overall, it was a great day. The wind was good this year, it was still hot. Even with constant reapplication of my sun block I still have some awesome bike short tan lines, watch lines, and some burnt shoulders. But it was a good race.

After further assessment, I looked up my time on my Garmin and saw there was ten minutes difference on my watch compared to the time on the clock when I ran through the finish. I started in Wave 3, ten minutes later…And realized I did PR. But what I thought was a 3:15 PR, ended up being the race time…minus transition. So it was still a PR, but it was at 3:19 hr/min.   My overall results then were as follows:

Swim                 35:13

T1                        1:45

Bike                1:33.41

T2                        1:25

Run                 1:07:04

Overall           3:19:06

I PR’d by 4 minutes, which essentially was the swim time, and the transition times, since my bike and run was a minute more each. 

After the race we all headed back to the cabin to ....pass out/ relaxed on the front porch and drink some beer for "recovery". Then we headed out after hot showers for dinner at a local joint where we ran into some new friends and fellow triathletes and chatted about the race. 

The next morning, before heading out ,we all took a walk in the neighborhood, and out into the forest, only to run into the XTERRA tri going on. It was pretty fun to watch and cheer on the racers way out there, who probably weren't expecting any spectators. Got a bunch of shots for the racers, since really the photography wasn't what it normal is. And hopefully they got posted on the Facebook page for any athlete to get if they want.  And then I was off and heading back home by the afternoon. 

So, now it’s on to race # 2, my half Ironman. I am still on the fence about doing Mtn Man up in Flagstaff in Aug. or doing a different one. I will need to determine this very quickly as time is of the essence right now. Most likely I will end up doing Mtn Man, out of sheer convince and time. But I have to admit a trip sounds pretty tempting somewhere.  Hopefully I’ll have this figured out pretty soon. 

So THINGS I learned from this race:

1.      Keep up with the swimming workouts I’m doing, its’ working J, maybe get working on my kick so it’s not all arms on the swim.

2.      Bike- slacking…I really need to focus more on my bike. I can tell I’m not doing as much, cause my running overall time is more than my biking time…not cool.

3.      Get working on hills for my bike

4.      Get the seat adjusted better, I was right about pushing it back a few mm, but I tipped it down to far, so I was falling off the front the whole race.

5.      Get your chain and whatever else you need replaced, so your bike is dialed in and ready for Ironman.

6.      Run….keep working strong on my Zone Training. I’m going to be where I want to be come Nov. for Ironman, right around a 10 min pace for the 26.2 miles. That will be cool if I can pull that off. SO BE PATIENT!!!

7.      Pace….pace…pace.  Keep the mental toughness strong. Don’t get distracted, stay focused on the bike and the run. I tried to push it too much on the beginning of the bike, and paid for it.  At least I was able to regroup and get back in the zone and focus, but that could be precious minutes that I lost and could have kept for my PR time. I did keep it on the run, I was able to be patient and not go out to fast, I was able to slow it down, and know I was doing the work and I would get the results I wanted. 

8.      Still need to dial in nutrition. It’s not where it needs to be, especially for the half coming up.

Base Three Training--- May 26th, 2013

Disclaimer:  This blog is a documentation of my now second Ironman Journey for AZ Ironman 2013.  Format will be random, i.e. quick journal format, random thoughts, motivational quotes, pictures of random moments and memories along my journey. For the most part, it’s documentation for me and may not be to exciting for anyone else to read, but for those of you brave enough to ever wonder…could I do an Ironman or even just a triathlon?  I then offer you a firsthand account of what goes on in the mind of an Ironman age group triathlete including all the highs, lows, emotions, fears, rants, etc, etc.  I have dreams of one day making this into a book, so that when I’m old and gray…I’ll have wonderful memories.   Please forgive any spelling mistakes as I’m sure I am just happy to get everything written down, just chalk it up to fatigue from lots of training! 

Month Four of Ironman AZ 2013

It’s the last week of May; I’m at the end of my Base Three Training Phase. As usual, I didn’t get in all my time like I wanted to. But I think I’m beginning to see that because I’m really an “older” athlete, that maybe my body can’t handle this high of intensity. It pisses me off to say that, but maybe that is what is happening. And nutrition, which MUST be my main focus for this month and on.

Current Stats Overall:

SWIM:  ~90,902 Yds   

BIKE: ~ 442.92 Miles    

RUN: ~ 219.25 Miles   

Strength: ~ 18.25 hr/min

Total Training Hours:  135:24 hours/minutes

Week One- Training was modified a bit this week for my Whiskey Row 10K on Saturday. I was also just plain tired. So I took more rest breaks and “recovery naps” then planned. Kind of bummed I’m more tired this time around, but again, I may have blocked out all the fatigue from the first time. I also am having a really hard time with getting motivated to do my workouts, I have lost my “umph” . That fire that burns inside to get me kick started. I think some of it has a lot to do with nutrition and increasing my training plan. I have not eaten NEAR the required calories that I am supposed to eat.  I recall this problem last time. So I have recommitted to doing Paleo Diet to get back to healthy eating, but I don’t think I can go strict with the intensity of the plan I am currently at. So I’m going to get my Paleo Diet for endurance athletes read this month. That is my goal for nutrition, and then I get to see how it works for Deuces Wild the first week of June.

Monday: I got in a good swim with some speed sets and got in a good 2300 yds for my hour swim. Then my run was a Zone 2 workout with some fast 30 sec accelerations at a 7:30 pace. Nice. Felt really good and strong tonight.

Tuesday:  The plan was to do Core Fusion, work has been pretty stressful and I have been having to do some really long hours…booooooo. So when I got home and changed, I sat down on my bed.  And woke up about 3 hours later. So….guess it was a recovery/rest day.

Wednesday:  Another Swim and Run, and tired… got 2350 yds in the pool for an hour, but just darn tired, I started on my Paleo Diet today again, just meat fruit and veggie. Got though the day, but was a bit rough.  My run was crappy, I was tired.

Thursday and Friday: I opted to take off and save my legs for Saturday’s Whiskey Row 10K race.  So I skipped my hour rides on both days.  Even with my recovery naps, and resting up. I still feel kind of punk.

Saturday : Whiskey Row 10 K Day!  I woke and immediately knew I was not going to PR, I was feeling crappy.  My body just felt “not good”. I went ahead and ate what I needed to before the race, not worrying about Paleo.   I got down to the race site and felt really tight, even my warm up and stretching didn’t seem to help. I knew this was a training race, but secretly I still wanted to break an hour, even without proper training, hello? Really? 

Ran into Tina and Mark. Tina is doing her FIRST EVER Triathlon in June. A sprint Tri and I’m so happy she is doing it.  I’m honored that she says I inspire her, and giving her all the beginner info that she needs. Makes me happy that I can help someone to experience their first Triathlon. And Makes me wish I could get certified as a Triathlon Coach. As it’s something on my bucket list to do one day.  

The start went off at 7:30 AM.  Looking at the overall race, I was on track for under an hour when I hit the 4.5 mile mark. However, I noticed that I was having a really hard time breathing. Like I have to stop cause I can’t catch my breath breathing, even with my pace within my normal times. Of course I knew it was a hilly course, so that would affect it. My first two miles were good, my third and fourth began to creep in the red zone due to breathing, and a nasty sharp pain in my right side, reminiscent of my gallbladder attack three years ago. What I think now it was, was my insanely high Max Heart rate.

217? Really? No Wonder I couldn’t BREATH!  That is just NUTS!  I’ve never had a heart rate that high. So either I was just pushing it without the proper training, or well, I don’t know what is up with that. I’ve has some issues in the past 6 months with not being able to catch my breath when I was training for my 10 miler in Phx, but I don’t recall my heart rate being that high or documented. My doc thought maybe I was getting exercise induced asthma at the time.  Garmin has been going a bit haywire on me too, so it could just be a glitch. Crap, let’s hope so!! But it really was super uncomfortable. So I knew by Mile 4.5 that I wasn’t going to break an hour. And since I knew I had an hour swim and another 30 min run ahead of me. I opted to just ease back, go by feel and finished in 1:04. Not my best time, but not horrible either. 

After I watched Jessica Brown fly across the marathon finish line in 3^rd, I was off to swim at the Y. Ironically, my swim was a great recovery workout, I got in my times and pacing like I wanted too. And I was able to let the water sooth my sore body.  My last 30 min on the treadmill was in Zone 2 to get in 2.3 miles. Which made it a total of 8.5 for me overall.  I still had a nasty stitch kick up during the treadmill run, on both sides. So I’m not sure what the main cause of it was, at least my HR stayed in Zone 2 the entire time. Calories burned? 1332.  I’d eat if I could, but GI issues are making it pretty impossible to keep anything down. Hopefully soon, I can eat.

Headed home and enjoyed a HOT shower. I also spent time on my foam roller, which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love the benefits of getting out the kinks, I HATE the Pain! ARRRHHH!!

Sunday: Woke somewhat sore from race and training. My legs were pretty tired, but I got in my ride. The plan was just a 1:30 hr/min, but the 15 mph winds had other plans and it ended up taking me 2:21 hr/min. And I had just about every curse word I could think of coming out of my mouth. But I have to use my motto of “embrace the wind”, because it could be just a windy during the race, so I need to continue to practice in the wind to get better.

Week Two- attempted to get myself back on track for training, but once again this week had to be modified. I had a Continuing Education course on Friday/Saturday down in Phx so I had to switch it up again.

Monday:  I got in my swim, 2300 yds My run was an easy 45 min with good Zone 2 training. I was tired and legs were pretty sore from my ride on Sunday, but I had to just gut my way through it, so it was one of those days.

Tuesday:  this day ended up being a total wash, I fully planned to be at Core Fusion for my hour ab workout, but work got in the way and I got to experience a 14 hour day, yuck! I haven’t’ had one of these in a really long time. I wasn’t too happy. L And really needed the workout for stress relief.

Wednesday:  Once again, I was tired. Long workout today, and was regretting it a bit. Had hour swim and hour run. I gutted out my swim with 2300 yds and my run ended up being pretty good, I got 5 miles in with 4 x at 6 min at a 10min pace for lactate threshold training, happy to say the heart rate stayed within normal ranges.

Thursday:  I was planning to get in a 1:00 bike ride, but by the time I got home, I was so mentally exhausted that it was all I could do to get my bags packed for my weekend down in Phx for my Cont. Education course. 

Friday and Saturday: I was up at the butt crack of before dawn and on my way to Phx for a Cont. Edu. Course for Friday and all day Saturday, I have been trying to get this course for the last three years, and got a great opportunity to take it for an extremely reduced rate.  It was an excellent course, great instructors and great information. I also got to catch up with a good friend who was kind enough to let me crash at his place so I didn’t have to worry about paying for a hotel.  It was so good to see him as he is like a brother to me and the closet I have in AZ to family. I’m happy we got a chance to catch up, he is great a helping me keep life in prospective, and when to tell it like it is and give me a reality check when I need it.    After my Friday class, I gave up on 5 pm traffic and headed over to Chapperal Park and took a nice long bike ride down to Tempe Town Lake and did a lap around the run course or AZ IM. 

Sunday:  I woke up and had breakfast, and drove back up to Prescott, and headed over to the Y for my first Brick workout of the training plan. I got in over 3000 yds in the pool and felt good. Then I picked up some stuff from the store, and headed home. Called my Mom to wish her Happy Mother’s Day, and then after seeing way to many crazy drivers on the road, opted for jumping on my bike trainer rather than the road. I felt good, wished I got in more miles, but just didn’t happen. Once done with the bike, I headed out the door for a quick 30 min run.  Which was at a good pace overall.  Overall, I felt really good. Much better than I did the first time I did this back in 2011 for my first Ironman, I can only hope that is a good sign and that my training is paying off. I will soon know with my race in Show Low on June 1^st.

Week Three- So I’m getting a bit back on track this week. I got in almost all of my hours, just missed some here and there.  And Softball season started for work, so now Thursday, I get to mix it up and have some fun with the gang from work.

Monday:  I keep feeling like I’m just hanging out at the same pace in Swimming, so I pushed it a bit today, and got in an extra 100 yrs. My run was an easy 30 min with some quick sprints. 

Tuesday: FINALLY, I got back to my core fusion class. I got in a great hour with abs and with quads/hamstrings.  Sasha as usual kicked my butt. It felt GREAT!!  I can tell that working my core is really helping me to get more balanced with my hip which has been bugging me more.

Wednesday:   Another two hour workout with hour swim, rockin my distance with a longer set, and a good run keeping it in Zone 2 ( good with the heart beat ) and about 5 miles.  Was tired, but not horrible.

Thursday: SOFTBALL!!  I opted to skip my bike workout due to time and getting out of work late, and got to the softball fields. I brought along my “stick” massage tool, which helped my very sore quads and hams from class on Tuesday, which was a lifesaver for not pulling anything from my sprinting. It was so much fun! We were pretty good with hitting the ball, and on defense. I was annoyed with the cocky pitcher who thought he would try to intimidate each of us as we got up to plate making some smart ass comment all the time.  I guess that cocky attitude helped channel my energy and as he would try to mess me up, I would send the ball out in the field and get on base every single time, and eventually run home. The only thing that would have made it better is if I could have beamed him with one of the balls.   We won in overtime and extra innings, had some beers after and headed home.

Friday:  Had today off of work, as I worked Saturday. I woke and headed over to the Y for my longest swam yet!  Rocked out with 3250 yds. I should have pushed it more, but my arm was sore from catching the night before, so I did what I could.   Got over to Peavine and got in my 1:30 hr/min run for 8 miles. Felt good, but my hip was bothering me. Had to ice it when I got home after my hair cut.

Saturday:   Needed to mix things up a bit, so I took my mtn bike with me to work, and after work, got on Iron King to get in a 1:30 hr/min ride. Kept my HR in Zone 2. It was nice just to relax and ride and not worry about distance.  

Sunday: Woke with plans to go to Flag and ride for a change of scenery, but I slept through my alarm and just decided to do my ride local. Ended up being a good ride, felt pretty strong. Still have sore legs, but got into the “zone” several times and it felt great. I do feel like I’m getting stronger in the swim and the run, but I’ve been slacking off on the bike. So I really need to get my butt in gear with my bike.  I also have been so busy with everything this month; I’ve yet to get more then carrying around my Paleo book.  I have however gotten my nutrition better under control over the last couple weeks, so it’s working; I am feeling stronger with my workouts.  I have officially begun my fun Bike short tan lines that will most likely be here for the rest of the year.

In other news…I have now been able to purchase two more big items needed to help me in training. New Speedplay Zero Pedals in Black on order, and a new Adamo Racing Seat in white and on  its way from TriSports.  I CAN’T WAIT!!! They will go a long way at helping me have a more comfortable ride.  I think my pedals are one reason I have had so much trouble on my right side for all the discomfort and pain in my hip from my first Ironman.  Of course, I will have a break in period first.  Thank you to my 7^th Year Bonus Retention Check from MVRRH.  What’s hopefully up next?  A pro bike fit, and wetsuit.

Week Four

Recovery Week “sort of”, But also it’s two weeks out to my Deuces Olympic Race in Show Low. I think I’ve decided to switch up my recovery week with my first week of Build One Week.   So I’ll have recovery week ending with my race for Deuces Wild Olympic. So I have four weeks of training/then a week recovery to prep for Deuces. Good way to see how my body handles the stress.

Monday -began with the “first” build week. I still feel like my swims are not as good as I could be, like I’m just going through the motions because of fatigue from the day of working long hours. So this week I pushed a bit more and got in 2500 yds for my hour swim.  My run was an easy 30 min with some pickups and got in an easy 2.5 miles.  It was hard to keep my HR in Zone 1. I was practically walking!

Tuesday- was a great Core Fusion workout with Sasha. I really felt it today. But I was also hurting a lot in my right hip area/top of pelvis. So with some debate, I setup an appt with the Doc to check it out. 

Wednesday- was another good swim with 2500 yds in the pool with another run in Zone 1 (Super SLOOOWWWWW) at 2 miles, was having to walk to get it in Zone 1 at times. The good news is that I wasn’t too sore, so that was nice. I’m finding that my swims make an excellent recovery for my body, so I’m starting to put them after my runs/bike to get out all the kinks.

 Thursday- Here is where I screwed things up a bit this week. I went to the doc and after some discussion it was decided my Glut Min and Mead tendons were really inflamed, so he choose to give me cortisone shot for immediate relief.  Which I then, because of my stupid competitive self, went out and played softball on our “d” league, and promptly pulled/strained BOTH my groin/quad muscles. So I hobbled home with ice for the entire rest of the night. Dumb, dumb, dumb!!!!

Friday- which this forced a rest day today. My left leg felt better after all the ice, but my right was still sore, so I took today off as a safety measure, I came home and promptly fell asleep from 4-10pm. They say recovery happens when you rest right? LOL

Saturday-  I woke with my right leg still feeling sore, I got my first bountiful basket of the year J and headed over to the Y with the intention of just getting something in, and only going with how I felt. Well I was feeling good with the swim, did 1:15 hr/min with 3400 yds. What was exciting about this workout was I did a “test” of my 1500 yds right off the start. So I jumped in and swam. I got 1500 yds in 31:16 min/sec. I was happy to see that I could pull this off. It will be a different story in Show Low next week, as I know the water will be cold, there could be white caps like the first time in June with winds in the 12 mph. I’m reminiscent of the feeling of drowning from this race, I think I swallowed half the lake, and so it makes me a bit nervous to tackle it again, but it is a good test. I am also curious how I do from last year, as I managed to PR by 30 plus minutes.  But it was in Sept vs. June and the winds/heat was less in Sept. 

            After the swim I was off to do my 1:45 run. I choose to take it super easy and only go 30 min at a time and then re assess, if it hurt I stopped. It was hot today, so I took extra water, which I’m glad for. I headed out on Peavine, and at 30 min felt good, so I went some more, When I hit the 50 min mark for turn around, I still felt good, hot but good physically, so I pushed it just a tad to get to five miles before turning around. The return was okay, the heat was getting to me. I was fine with my leg/quads until about mile 8, and then it started to tweak a minor bit. I hit 9 miles at 1:45, but because I went out to five, and the wind kicked up to 15 mph, I was slower, so I still had some to run in. I jogged in mile 10 easy, was definitely a bit over heated, but not where I had to lay down like a few times I remember from my first Ironman.  I doused myself in water and drank my recovery drink and felt a bit better. The one thing I’m not too happy about, is I literally have ZERO appetite after my workout, I can get in my recovery drink for 4:1 carbs/protein, but then I’m lucky if I eat anything the rest of the day. NOT good. I am slacking on this; I still never got to read my paleo book this month, too much going on, so it’s on the list for next month of training.   

I came home and rested for a bit, then I got to work putting on my new SpeedPlay Zeros pedals and Adamo Racing Saddle. Oh, it took a bit as there were four pages of specific instructions for the pedals. And once they were on, I couldn’t “engage” the pedals and clip in, because well according to the instructions, “lightweight athletes” may have more of a struggle. HA!!! I was jumping on my bike on my trainer and still couldn’t engage, until finally….”click” I got it. I think they are setup pretty good, My ride tomorrow will let me know what I have to tweak.  But I already like them I can tellJ.   Next up my Saddle. This saddle is different, as it has no ‘nose”, so the “girly parts” don’t get as tender. That’s the plan anyway; I know there will be an adjustment period, so hopefully it won’t be too long.

(The full moon must be making my dogs a bit touchy today, while typing this, I just broke up a rare fight and stupid me, got my hand in the way of Bailey’s mouth as I was trying to pick him up, so I’ve got a few bite marks on my fingers…guess I’ll be calling the doc tomorrow to see if I need a tetanus shot. My last one was in 09, so I’m thinking I should be okay.  Washed immediately and antibiotic ointment on ASAP.)

Sunday—I woke today and was up and on the road to Flag by 7 AM, I had a plan to just do a loop around Lake Mary for a “test ride” on the new seat and the pedals to see how they feel, and then a quick dip in Lake Mary to make sure my Blue Seventy Axis Rental suit fits okay for the race next week.  The day was beautiful, but I knew the wind would pick up, and honestly I have been on my trainer more than the road. I got up to Lake Mary around 8 am, and the wind was already picking up, it was in mid 50s low 60s.  I headed out on my ride, the pedals feel good, I think they are in the right position; my seat however, needs some more tweaking. I was rather “uncomfortable” by half way through. Granted, new seat requires adjustment period, plus it’s not as cushy as the other one.  But I think it’s going to work. I think I need to adjust it back a bit more; I should be sitting more on the front of it.  The winds were around 17 mph by the time I was done, but I felt pretty strong on the bike, I love this ride, but I HATE the Lake Mormon Loop. Enough so that I’m really debating not doing Mtn Man Half Iron, and doing one in MI, or Lake Stevens. That road is sooooo rough, and to have to do it on two loops, it just doesn’t appeal to me as a good training race; I’ll be cursing more than riding. So….got to decide what I want to do soon, as I need to book my flight home to MI also. Of course that will also depend if I can find a dog sitter.

Next up after I got in my 35 miles on the bike, was a quick dip in Lake Mary.  My wetsuit fit okay, but it also felt a bit big, I’m hoping that isn’t a factor on race day. I headed down to the water, and walked in.  HOLY CRAP!!! It was FREEZING!!!!  I was for the most part warm in the wetsuit, and it was nice an buoyant, so I’m not worried about that anymore. This is my first swim in a blue seventy and I wasn’t sure how it would feel, but today proved that it will be just fine. The cold however was hypothermic!!!  I was so cold I literally couldn’t catch my breath; I got in some good strokes, and managed to swim for exactly 13:27 min/sec. It was also pretty choppy in the water and windy, so good practice for next week.  But that was enough. It was much colder than AZIM. And I didn’t think I could find anything colder than that.   It was so cold, I couldn’t walk when I got out, I was stumbling and almost drunk like. Made for some comical walking let me tell ya!  But it was a good recovery “bath” as my legs were so numb they didn’t hurt from the ride anymore. And I was in and out so quick….I didn’t even get my hair all the way wet! LOL Not sure how that happen, but I’ll take it!!! 

So next up….My Recovery Week…. And to began Build One and my first Olympic Race on June 1^st in Show Low for Deuces Wild. I’m hoping the water is much warmer then today, but Show Low is higher in elevation….so I guess we will wait and see. Except for the few minor issues with pulled quads, I was feeling strong this month.   

 So my Goals for this month. 1. Nutrition, I still need to work on it, get food actually in my belly after workouts, read Paleo Book. 2. Keep with Core and Strength work, Core Fusion every Tuesday   3. Get Bike Fit to get my body position correct on the bike with new pedals and seat. 4. Get a Massage…J    5.  I need to get working harder on my bike strength, that is where I am slacking, and just get more time on the bike, plain and simple.   6. Non-Ironman Related—Need to get new bearings on my back wheels on my Escape, just need to find out where I can get it done. L 

                       

If you can

Find a path with

No obstacles,

It probably

Doesn't lead

                                                       anywhere.

Base Two Training April 28, 2013

Disclaimer:  This blog is a documentation of my now second Ironman Journey for AZ Ironman 2013.  Format will be random, i.e. quick journal format, random thoughts, motivational quotes, pictures of random moments and memories along my journey. For the most part, it’s documentation for me and may not be to exciting for anyone else to read, but for those of you brave enough to ever wonder…could I do an Ironman or even just a triathlon?  I then offer you a firsthand account of what goes on in the mind of an Ironman age group triathlete including all the highs, lows, emotions, fears, rants, etc, etc.  I have dreams of one day making this into a book, so that when I’m old and gray…I’ll have wonderful memories and also fulfill one of my bucket list items, to write a book.  Please forgive any spelling mistakes as I’m sure I am just happy to get everything written down, just chalk it up to fatigue from lots of training! 

Month Three of Ironman AZ 2013

It’s the last week of April; I’m at the end of my Base Two Training Phase.

Current Stats Overall:

SWIM:  ~59,400 Yds   

BIKE: ~ 310.16 Miles    

RUN: ~ 161.75 Miles   

Strength: ~ 16.25 hr/min

Total Training Hours:  95:57 hours/minutes

As with each of my months so far, it hasn’t gone “by the book”, but I suppose that’s how it’s supposed to go right. Life throws you lots of curves and you work with it, tweak it, and adapt to the change.  And this month seems to be no exception to the rule.

And, I’m also learning that my addition sucks…I seem to never be able to get my numbers to add up correctly for my overall stats. LOL….blame it on fatigue. I didn’t expect this much fatigue this early in training….makes me a little nervous, but then again, I was pretty tired the last time around, so maybe I just blocked it out the first time as a defense mechanism.  I ended this phase with full on emotional, physical, and mental fatigue. My recovery week, really didn’t feel like recovery. I think it had more to do with hiking 18 miles in the Grand Canyon and thinking just one day of rest was enough. I have to remember that I need to relax about the training schedule; a few days here and there won’t make or break me for the race.  I started a new strength plan on Tuesdays. I always need to work on core, and that’s one thing I lacked with my last Ironman, keeping up with my core workout, and strengthening workout. So I have slacked a bit this month, skipping one entire week of strength, which I felt pretty quick that I skipped it that week with my training. I have to admit,  I’m just so darn bored with lifting weights..I really have trouble seeing how it’s fun, staring at myself in a mirror, really isn’t all that fun.  I’d much rather be outside running or on a bike, or in a pool.

Luckily, I discovered Core Fusion, through a good friend who convinced me to come with her to a class. It’s a local PV place, called Fusion of Movement. I’d love to get a membership, but it’s out of my budget for the moment, so I’m just paying by the class.  So far, I’ve been twice, and each time, Sasha has kicked my butt with the workout. Looking forward to making this a regular class. And it allows me to have some social contact with friends that I usually don’t see.  And it gives me not only a core workout, but an added bonus of a strength workout, working on different muscles that I may be neglecting.

Week One

I felt strong starting out this week. I got in three really strong swim workouts, averaging 2300, 2400 and 3300 yds for my swim. My runs were strong in the 10 ish pace.  And I began my Treadmill workouts with 7% plus grades to work on neuromuscular form. It was tiring, but felt good.  I was tired enough to take off my Tuesday lifting, but I modified by adding in foam rolling, which hurt like a mother, but felt good on my body.  I did get in my lifting and Plyo on Thursday, and felt good, but I just really don’t like lifting inside. I need to figure out how to stay motivated to do this, because I know it is key to keeping me strong for my training.  I had my spin ups workout on my Little Green Machine bike trainer. I have to say I really like that workout cause it makes me really sweat and work hard, and a reason to swear while I’m pedaling like a mad woman.  Then I ran on Peavine and got in a good seven miles with a good steady pace. I am not where I would like to be for my training with my Whiskey Row 10 K, and I may just have to sacrifice my time due to training, but my goal as always is to break an hour. We’ll see for this one. Overall a good training week. Felt okay, some days I felt pretty sluggish, and had sore legs, but I maintained my pace and actually was a bit faster and staying within my heart rate zones.

Week Two

Began the week with my swim in the pool with paddles.  I decided to finally introduce them, and I must admit, I like them. I was very hesitant to introduce them, as they have aggravated my shoulder injury,  but I think they are going to be a major asset to improving my swim with my stroke technique.  I did my second treadmill workout with grades in the 7-12% . It was tiring. But feeling good, and is good training for Whiskey Row and for Grand Canyon Hike. 

Tuesday, I was toast, I came home and slept for three hours, obviously my body needed it…so that’s what I did.  Wednesday was back at the pool with a decent swim and run at an easy pace.  Thursday was again another rest day. I was just plan tuckered out. So another 3 hour nap. This week was hard for sleep...I didn’t get much during the night, good old insomnia  and nasty nightmares were back full force, so sleep eluded me most of the week. So really my naps were really just catch up with everything.  I had to work Saturday so I did my longer bike workout Saturday night on the bike trainer, so I could swim on Sunday and run. I was slow in the pool with only 3150 yards, and my run was at 7 miles for 1:20 hr/min.  Not great, but not horrible.

Overall good with getting in each discipline, except strength, I failed at that miserably. 

Week Three aka….Grand Canyon Week.  

My swim on Monday started out good, I pulled out the paddles and pull buoy, I must say that I’m feeling the good affects of them. I feel like my stroke is getting better in the water. This makes me happy. And my run this week focused on treadmill with hill work at 7, 11 13, 10% grades. It KICKED MY BUTT!  Hope its beneficial for Grand Canyon this weekend. 

Tuesday I went to my first Fusion of Movement class, Core Fusion. Wow!  Abs, Pilates, Yoga, All around Kick butt workout. I LOVED IT. And even more so that I have met some new people. And get to hang with a few friends that I’ve missed. I plan on making this a regular class for my Tuesdays, so I get in more ab work, and it’s definitely going to help me get my four pack I’ve always wanted. Just wait, it’s going to come...

Wednesday I was insanely sore and paid for my awesome core fusion class. I was lucky to get my workout done.  It was a very rough workout. One of those where you do everything in your power, dig deep to just “get it done”. That was this workout.  Those are the ones you do that will remind you to dig deep when you don’t want to at hour ten in the Ironman.

I rested on Thursday, and on Friday. I had a big weekend ahead. I was hiking the Grand Canyon for a training workout.  So…I decided two days off was appropriate. J

Saturday, I was up, bright and early at 3:00 AM and met up with all the first timers at 4:00 AM, Jessica  and her honey Andrew, and Alison . The four of us, headed up to the Grand Canyon to go for a “little hike”, THE PLAN: Hike from the South Kaibab Trail to the Colorado River, back to Phantom Ranch, then up the Bright Angel Trail. Total mileage? 18 miles, elevation changes ~ 5390 feet of elevation change, and 1500 calories burned.  According to my Garmin it took me 9:10 hr/min. with rest breaks and lunch included. Which was over an hour better then my time last year of 10:15 min, and that’s with an extra two miles added in to Phantom Ranch. So, if I was technical, I would have been under 9 hours J Gotta love Ironman Training.

So far every time I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon, its different yet, the same. This time around, with the early start, the sunrise was pretty beautiful, and last time it has amazing clouds, no major clouds this time. And really not to many people which was a bit odd. I got some good shots on my phone, but also was content to just soak in the atmosphere this time. I had a lot of photos from my Rim to Rim to Rim last year, so I’m looking forward to seeing it through the eyes of the first timers when they get their photos up.  Here’s a few fun moments of the trip included below. 

The Temp was nice, mid 50s with a breeze of 10 plus mph. that was a lifesaver and kept it nice and tolerable. I was quite happy to zip through Devils Corkscrew with no major mishaps. I was however bummed I forgot my Buff for around my neck to keep me cool on the hike, and when we got to phantom Ranch, I decided to make an impromptu purchase and got a bandana. So that is a nice keepsake from this trip.   I discovered on my hike out of Bright Angel that I rotate my right leg inward when I step through. Yes, I had four miles of straight up to discover this…so I have a better understanding of why my right leg gives me so much trouble , and the trouble I had during my Ironman last time. I also realized this on my bike trainer. So next plan? Professional Bike Fit..ASAP. I don’t want a repeat of what happen last Ironman with my right leg. I have goals for my time, and I’m going to get them.

We got home while it was still light out; I had a long hot shower, and was in bed very early. I spent all of Sunday sleeping, relaxing, reading, and just recovering. I felt slightly guilty on a beautiful sunny day that I was doing nothing. But then , I was “recovering” which was much needed.

This week was bad with the bike. I got nothing in. But it’s not every day you hike the Grand Canyon, so I consider my cross training as a way to counter balance my cycling this week.

Week Four/Recovery Week.

Oh recovery week, how it felt nothing like recovery. I’m very thankful that Recovery week followed Grand Canyon Week. Otherwise, there is no possible way I would have got in my training hours. Even then it was really tough. I only had to run on Monday, but it was a VERY SLOW three miles on the treadmill. My calves were screaming at me with every step. On Tuesday it was Core Fusion time. My calves felt semi better from the run, so I went for it. I did okay. I even remember telling my friend…”I’m not sure I’m doing the abs right, I don’t feel the burn.” So either I was doing them wrong, or my core is stronger then I think. Well…I felt it in my legs, and triceps, especially when I opted to do pushups on the floor rather than the easier way standing on the bar. Wed was Swim and Run…again VERY slow, but the calves felt better and I had some “left in the tank” after my run for the most part. Thursday was lifting day, and since I had skipped last week, I forced myself to go, but I was very emotionally, physically, mentally drained this week. So I didn’t let myself sit for a moment when I got home, and got over to my clubhouse to get my workout in. It hurt but I’m glad I did it.  But, I started hurting this night, My body was so uncomfortable and sore. More so than usual.

Friday, thank god, I had the day off from work, so I slept in..And here is where I paid for those pushups, and my lifting on Thursday. I couldn’t sleep or find a comfortable spot lying in bed, it was very painful. Just trying to fully flex my elbow was super painful. At least from this I realized that my elbow no longer hurts from my snowboarding incident, so that’s a plus.  I relied on a muscle relaxer to get through last night. I awoke to a rising sun, a good night’s sleep for the most part. I headed off to the Y, and had a very painful and slow 45 min swim. I got some new pull paddles (in small) which actually was okay to swim, I can feel my stroke getting better with my arms. Bonus!!!  I even felt like my arms got stretched out a bit, but they tightened back up the minute I was out of the water. Next, I got to my run, and tried to run a 10:00 pace. But, my body shut down, I couldn’t dig deep like I wanted, and had to walk some of it. I managed to get in 4 miles in my 45 minutes, but I paid for it. This did not feel like a recover week at ALL.  So I was blissfully happy to head over to my massage therapist for a one hour massage. She worked out a lot of the kinks, and was able to help take away most of the pain in my triceps, I can at least lift my arms up with only minimal pain. Work should be fun tomorrow.  J  Sat, my first official DAY OFF, on my training schedule. Hard to believe I’m already to this point, twelve weeks into my training, almost to the half way point. I run Whiskey Row 10 K next week. My desire is to always break an hour. But I know I haven’t trained like I did last year, so I’ll see what I can gut out for the race (no pun intended, I have no intention of having any other body organs that need to be removed) . Good news, I felt better on Saturday. My body was finally feeling a bit normal. 

Sunday I woke and headed down into downtown Prescott to hang out and watch the Whiskey Off Road Mountain Bike Pro Race. Very COOL! I got to see Leslie Paterson take off, and she won too!  It inspired me to try out the Whiskey Off Road 15 next year if I am still in AZ.   I then got a surprise phone call from a close friend in town and spent the day with her hiking and soaking up the sun in the Dells. IT was so good to just relax and sit in the silence and be thankful for good friends.  Once home I got on my trainer and plugged out my hour ride with my RPMs above 90.

In other news, I officially signed up for Deuces Wild Olympic Tri for June 1^st, my first real training test for this year. I’m looking forward to it, and visiting with some close friends who I’ll stay with. Thank god, they will be my emergency contact, as I realize over the last week, I really don’t have one.  And if I was to go home from work on a Friday and something happened, no one would really know until I didn’t show up to work on Monday. Makes me really question, if this is the place I should be sometimes. I’ve been thinking more so this week about this, as that very thing happened to someone I work with, who’s currently in the hospital. Thankfully, she had amazing neighbors who checked on her, and was able to get her the medical help she needed. It really hit home that I don’t have that, it makes me sad, makes me wonder, who would really know if something happen to me. I try to take the precautions I need, Road Id, etc. But really, when your alone, I guess that is a risk you take, regardless if you like it or not, you don’t have a choice. I guess, in the end, it’s in God’s hands.

Now I began Base Training- Phase 3, kicking everything up another notch, more volume and more intensity, i.e. speed work on the bike, longer runs.  Strength drops to once a week. Softball season starts for our MVRRH team, so a little fun mixed in.  This training session includes the beginning of race season, starting with Whiskey Row 10 K the first week of May, and first week of June, Deuces Wild Olympic.

So my Goals for this month. 1. Nutrition, I have slacked off. Time to dial it in and get it ready to go for race day.  2. Core and Strength work, Core Fusion every Tuesday   3. Get Bike Fit, and New pedals to get my body position correct on the bike. 4. Get a wetsuit, may just have to rent for this first race.  4. Non-Ironman Related-- Get new bearings in my back wheels on my Escape. That totally sucks…so much for extra cash….:(

Believe me,

 the reward

 is not so great

 without
the struggle.