On the 1 and 3 year "Anniversary"...

It was one year ago today I wrote my very first blog post. Happy birthday blog! The header needs to read more like "2010 is the year I became an Ironman!" Re-vamping the blog is on my 'Top 10 list of things to do in early 2011'.

It was three years ago today I lost my Dad. I woke up feeling SO sad this morning, just knowing what this day means and looking back to remember the whole horrifying experience of watching my hero, role model, best friend and most important person in my life, pass away. I started looking through a stack of sayings and poems that my Mom has sent me over the last few years. Reading those always help to enlighten the soul. This is one of my favorites:

God saw you getting tired and a cure was not meant to be,
So he put his arms around you and whispered "Come to Me".
With tearful eyes we watched you, as we saw you pass away.
Although we loved you deeply, we could not make you stay.
A Golden Heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.

I re-read my first post again and it is fun to see how far I've come from one year ago. Going into Ironman training at this time last year, I wasn't certain it would be something I'd be able to do, nonetheless if it was something I would truly enjoy. Little did I know, I would be beyond committed and I have never enjoyed anything SO much! I'd always wanted to do an Ironman, but the fact that it was also a goal I had shared with my Dad, made me even more determined to make it happen. One of the last things he said to me was how proud he was of me and to "just keep doing what you're doing". It brings a smile to my face to think about that as I can still hear him saying it.

Now that the Ironman #1 is accomplished, I want MORE! I won't be doing an Ironman in 2011, but 2012 is another story, that may be the year for Ironman #2. I am currently planning out my 2011 season, and am training with the same coach and team, but this time around I'm going to train harder, smarter, and work on the nutrition piece. Whatever I put into my mouth has to fuel me for performance and keep my energy up.

My 'A' race for 2011 will be Ironman Steelhead 70.3. I've heard it's a great race (as long as the waves in Lake Michigan aren't too big and the swim gets canceled! *Gulp*) and it's a fairly flat course. After a bike course like IMWI I'm looking for a flat bike for my 'A' race this time. I plan to race quite a bit this year. (My schedule is coming in that blog re-vamp I mentioned.) :) I'll be racing more than last year, since I don't feel so strapped to only Ironman training on all of my weekends. I may add a few running races into the mix which I totally bagged last year.

I'm really looking forward to the new year. Having new goals to work towards, a supportive and awesome family, great friends, great teammates, a great job, and my heart in a good place. I feel that losing my Dad, although it was the hardest thing I've ever gone through, has opened doors as well. I can see that out of tragedy comes triumph. When you think your situation is the worst in the world, there is always someone, somewhere going through much worse.

Bring on 2011!!

This is my Dad and I at the last race he ever attended, the 2007 Twin Cities Marathon, just two and a half months before he passed away (before we even knew he had cancer).

Friday Laugh - Training for an Ironman

This was posted on YouTube just a couple of days ago, and since it has blown up on Facebook. I had to share it here. So hilarious, and so true!
(Foul language warning for those of you faint of heart.) :)

Race Report - Gobble Gallop 5k!

Whoa. It's been awhile. I have not had a ton of excitement to share in the off season, and that's probably fine, as it's the OFF season. And it's winter. And it's COLD out. And it's the holidays. And it's time to shop! And oh boy, have I gotten some shopping done this fall/winter. I think I made up for not being able to step foot in a mall the last 9 months... I have done enough damage the last month to have made up for 9 months and then some. But I digress...

I realized I didn't want to drop off the face of the (blog) earth and not post a race report about my last race. A 5k people! I completed a 5k on Thanksgiving Day! It felt funny when I "toed the line" to head off on my 25 minute journey to look back to two months prior and think that the last race I had lined up at a starting line for was an Ironman. I was home in Duluth for Thanksgiving so of course had to run this race. I have done it the last 3 years and it always feels good to get in some exercise before getting lots of delicious food in the belly!

The day before had snowed quite a bit so the conditions were definitely not ideal. The race course is an out and back on Superior St. in downtown Duluth, so for those who are familiar know that means running on some cobblestone. Cobblestone seems to get extra slippery with fresh snow/slop on it. It was also COLD! Like wind chills below zero, freeze your toes, freeze your fingers within a minute or two if not covered COLD.

I started the first mile running like a bat out of hell. I do this EVERY time I do a running race, you'd think I would learn one of these days. The second mile I hung on, then the third mile I felt like I was barely moving. I didn't wear my Garmin, so I don't know how exactly I paced any of it, but my overall time was 25:06, which is a 8:05 per mile pace. I would have liked for it to be under 24 and under 8, but I also haven't been training for a 5k. For 7 weeks of XP2 we worked on a LOT of stairs, a LOT of standing on our bikes, and just overall strength. (That also included running with medicine balls, in downtown St. Paul. I can imagine how funny we all looked to passersby.) I have another 5k on New Year's Day so I better start training for that one. :)

I love being home in Duluth as I always get to see a bunch of friends and family. I was also able to cheer on one of my friends from high school who did the the Gobble Gallop 2 mile walk the same morning. He just started doing some 5k's this fall season and now he's hooked! Here he is finishing the 2 mile:

My Mom and I also went to Bentleyville while I was in town. If you are ever in Duluth over the holidays, it's an amazing tour of lights, and it just gets bigger and better every year. YOU HAVE TO GO! Just a little spoiler for you... Here's the Aerial Lift Bridge, a ship, a 120 foot Christmas tree (made of iron) all in lights, with the "real" Aerial Lift Bridge in the background:

Bentleyville. Another reason, on top of the already 8 million, that I LOVE DULUTH.

"Do Life."

This video is by an athlete named Ben Davis. It's so inspirational, I had to share it. He also has a blog and a Facebook page. You can follow along to both, but first you HAVE TO watch this video. (Water works warning!) :)

The "haps" as of late...

I have officially come down from the Ironman high. We started XP2 last week which is P2's cross training/low intensity program that will run through the end of November. It feels good to be back on a schedule. I was lost there for a month not having a set plan to go off of. I had gotten so used to that, so feel like I NEED it now.

Something I thought was cute were the comments on my coach's website. He posted results of all of his team who competed in Ironman Wisconsin. Here was mine:

How true. I smiled A WHOLE helluva lot that day. How could I not?? Actually, I could have not, due to the 112 mile headache, the blisters, the debilitating leg cramps, but when it came down to it none of that really mattered. I was out there and I was doing it, and I was SO HAPPY about it! I am glad others noticed my joy that day. :)

Although I love having a training schedule again, it doesn't require I give up 4-8 hours every weekend day anymore. I have time for other things (a life outside of Ironman!? What is that?) which is so nice. Unfortunately, the next few weeks those 'other things' will be working, but last weekend I was able to get out for a bit!

Stacy is part of the 'MN Challengers Club'. Just as the name implies it is a group of Challenger owners who all get together for various events, like car shows and cruises. We cruised through SE MN last weekend and it was a beautiful day for it. Close to 17 Challengers were out that day and some even came from as far as South Dakota!

Here's a few pictures from that day. A whole lotta horse power comin' atcha...

GREAT quote of the day.

Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.

~George Sheehan

Race Report - TC 10 Mile.

I finished the TC 10 Mile! (There's that exclamation point that implies positivity.) :)

For starters... I have now come to terms with it, I have had a ROUGH running year. There are never great running years for me, but this one was especially bad when I was hoping for it to be the best yet, simply due to all the hard work I put in. I know when it all fell apart too, when I developed plantar fasciitis in my foot back in early spring. I ran through it for a couple of weeks until it got really painful then I finally went to the doctor to get it checked out. He did fix me up (thanks Dr. Folske at Folske Spine & Rehab Clinic!) but that was after taking a few weeks off of running. I substituted biking when I had runs scheduled. I was happy to be able to get all of my scheduled weekly training hours in, but biking and running are not the same. Only running helps running. Especially when running is your weakest of the three sports. I've only had a sports related injury one other time in my life and that was way back in my junior year of high school swimming. I guess you can't expect to be injury free your entire life, but hopefully my foot continues to heal and I won't have to worry about any injuries for another 15 years.

Nonetheless, I ran the TC 10 Mile and I had a great time. I felt pretty sluggish and slow body wise, but mentally I was just fine. I could have run for much longer, but was very glad when that finish line showed up. :) I love the course and the day was BEAUTIFUL; you couldn't have asked for better running weather in my opinion.

The highlight of the day was cheering for all of my friends and teammates who ran the marathon. Everyone did absolutely amazing. There were PR's set all over the board! I had lots of fun and was very grateful (and somewhat jealous, as I have yet to ever run a marathon in temps under 85 degrees) of the perfect day everyone had.

Here's a pre-game shot of us in the dome, and a post race shot next to "The Beast"!

 

TC 10 Mile... here I come!

Ummm... Do they allow segways on the race course??

Sometimes I wonder why I do what I do. Like back in May when I didn't get a guaranteed entry into the TC 10 Mile after running the TC 1 Mile, I was bummed, and wanted IN. In July I entered the lottery and lo and behold... I got in! Now it's here... in one day... and I am less than three weeks out from Ironman. What was I thinking? I have been able to run, but I am still extremely slow and I feel no where near recovered enough to 'race'. It's not like I set land speed records in running races anyway, but I always like to push it and shoot for a PR. I'm trying to accept my 'not up to par' state and am still going to show up and do it as a fun run. The real fun will be AFTER the race when I can bundle up, (it'll be PERFECT marathon weather on Sunday, nice and COOL!) get a warm cup of coffee, and CHEER on all my friends running the marathon! Can't wait for that part of the day! :)

This is the least I've trained for a race, EVER. I'm going in with the fact that I must have some sort of base left over from the last 10 months of Ironman training. Right?? :|

A little geek humor for your Friday...

I wear many hats besides just the triathlete one. I am a systems anaylst full time and also owner of my own computer consulting business. (In other words, anything relating to technology makes me giddy!)
I saw this cartoon on TechRepublic this morning and had to share. My sentiments EXACTLY.

Ironman Wisconsin Race Report!

Well, for starters... I AM ONE. I am an Ironman! I finished and am beaming with pride this week as a result. Looking back on an entire year of preparing and training, then the day actually getting here, doing it, then having had a week now to let it all sink in, it doesn't seem like it was such a big deal... but it is! It SO is!!

Here is my race report, and since this is my very first Ironman race report... Sit back, relax, don't get a pillow or you WILL fall asleep, this will get long...

We arrived in Madison on Wednesday as we had booked our room at the Inn on the Park (3 blocks from Monona Terrace where all the Ironman activities are), and by the time we were able to book a room there (sometime in Jan.) they had upped the minimum night stay to 5 nights. I figured getting to Madison early would let me ease into the week and not at any time ever feel rushed. That worked. Thursday-Saturday I slept in, then did my workout when I was finally good and ready to. No rushing around this week, as per usual. It was AWESOME.

On Thursday we drove the bike loop. I was dying for Stacy to see it. I wanted him to know how hard this course was. He laughed when my *no where near as much balls as his car* Hyundai Tucson changed gears a couple of times and grunted up some of the hills. He was shocked at some of the climbs we had to do, and had to do twice at that.
I had my bike checked out and adjusted one last time at the little bike shop in Cross Plains, then it was off to get ourselves ready (in our Vikings jerseys!) to watch the Vikings game. That was nice to get my mind off the race for one evening. (Sad outcome by the way. We should have beat the Saints. Who dat? The Vikings not quite ready for regular season to start yet, dat who.) :(

Friday morning I had a 15 minute run. The shortest workout of the week! Felt good though and I even broke a sweat. (Really?) After the run I went to athlete check-in. Oh boy... That was the point where it became real for me. It's really going to happen now. Just standing in the first line, I started to tear up. So many things were running through my mind at that time. How much I'd been through to get here, that I was ready and actually going to do this, how many years ago it had been since I first shared this dream/goal with my dad next to me, and how proud my dad would be of me for finally making it here.

Check-in was fairly painless and since there were no women in line (apparently) at the time I checked in, I was able to jump through the lines of men and get it all done within 10 minutes.
Friday evening we had a P2 team dinner at Tutto Pasta Cucina. There were about 25 of us. Lots of fellow teammates were in town to cheer. A lot of teammates have done Ironman before, some having just come off finishing Ironman Louisville, then plenty of us who were anxious for our first shot at it. I really enjoyed having dinner with the team versus the athlete's dinner at Monona Terrace. I am never very sure of what will be offered at buffet style dinners and I wasn't going to mess with my sensitive tummy this week whatsoever. Here's a cool shot of some of us at dinner.

Saturday was another easy workout day. We got in a 15 minute swim, a 15 minute bike, then made the final checks of our transition bags before we had to hand them in. We dropped those off, checked in our bikes, then spent the rest of the day lounging and staying off our feet. Here she is in all of her speed weaponry glory (Thanks Jeff for lending me your sweet a** wheels!).

My cousins came into town on Saturday afternoon. I ended up eating my own food for dinner (thanks Mom!) that I knew would be 'safe', then joined everyone else for dinner at Noodles and Company. My dad had treated these two like his very own kids for the 12 years they were around before I was even born. It means the WORLD to me that they made the trip all the way to Madison for this special day! I love them both so much!!

Race day finally arrived. I woke up around 4am and started eating. I ate a (gluten free!) pancake (again, thanks Mom!), and an Ensure. Then I showered just to wake myself up and try to start the day relaxed. I drank another Ensure and ate a banana as a bunch of us headed down to Monona Terrace to put our fluids on our bikes and get our body markings. Once we were done with that we actually headed back to our hotel to take care of 'business', to get our swim gear, and to pickup Stacy and the other spouses so we could all head down to the start. Stacy had me open a card that was just perfect and everything I needed to hear at that very moment:

He wrote his own words in there too, which were so incredibly sweet. Once that all sank in, I suddenly realized what was going to happen in a few minutes, and it became so incredibly REAL. I got super anxious, was literally going bonkers inside and felt like I was going to throw up. It reminded me of the feeling I used to get before swim meets, where I was SO nervous, had SO much pressure on myself, and was SO panicked that I wondered if any of it was even worth it due to how scared to death I was feeling at that very moment. Nonetheless we made it down to the water, I got my wetsuit on, said my 'goodbyes' to our fans, and headed into the lake.

The Swim

2.4 miles - 1:07:49 hours, 1:48min/100m

Place: 15/139 age group, 384/2398 overall

I wanted to start in the front to try and avoid death as much as possible. The Ironman swim start is like nothing I could have ever imagined. It's insanity! The picture doesn't really give it justice, as there is no way to describe what it's like to be IN that mob of 2500 people. I am sure starting in the front helped a little, but I was literally playing defense versus swimming for the first mile. Making my way around the corners was insanity as well. The 2nd loop (the swim was a two loop course) was better. It had spread out some and wasn't quite as scary. Besides a finger in the cheek that hurt for about 5 minutes, I had NO fellow athlete induced injuries, and that was my main goal for the swim. As much as I wanted to kill the swim, I took it easy and just played it safe. The swim wasn't bad at all, it went really fast and before I knew it I was out, wetsuit was stripped, and was running my way up the helix to transition! I saw family, teammates and TONS of people cheering as I ran up, which was so exhilarating!

T1 (Transition 1)
7:36

Ironman transitions are fun as they actually assign a person to you who helps you get dressed. They grab your bag for you and get everything out and ready for you to head out onto the bike. I changed my shirt and got all my bike gear on and was off!

The Bike
112 miles - 7:07:16, 15.7 mph
Place: 78/139 age group, 1944/2398 overall

Here we go... onto the longest leg of the day, and on one of the toughest bike courses on the Ironman circuit. Oh... I believe I mentioned that like 2 to 25 times in previous blog posts?? I thought it deserved one more mention. :)
I hadn't been on the course from Madison to Verona so thought that would be semi exciting and new. I was just SO anxious to get to Verona to the part of the course I knew. On the ride out to Verona I started drinking water and a few sips of my Sustained Energy. By the time I got to Verona I had a pounding headache. Oh GREAT I thought, this is going to be a LONG ride. I had ibuprofen, but in my T2 bag! I wouldn't get to see it until I was off the bike. I was hoping I'd run into a teammate who might have some or an aid station. No such luck as it turns out.
Aside from the headache, the first loop went fine. I saw two teammates come by me before we got to Mt. Horeb, then all the rest eventually (oh the joys of being a fast swimmer and slow biker), so it was nice to see some familiar faces. The hills around the loop didn't feel all that tough so that made me happy. Actually, on every hill on the loop I ran into cheering teammates. It was awesome! They must have planned it that way. I hardly even remembered the hills, since I knew people cheering at each one. P2er's are THE BEST!!
There were a few moments out on the bike course where my emotions started getting the best of me, and I started thinking "I am doing IT. I am actually doing Ironman! I am going to finish an Ironman!" Then I'd snap back to reality that I was nowhere near done and to calm down as there was still plenty of day left.

The second loop went by, with somewhat less fan support, but still plenty. I still had a pounding headache and once I was getting closer to Verona started thinking "I have a MARATHON to run once I get off this bike. Oh gawd, what I am doing out here??" I gave up on the Sustained Energy awhile back as I was wondering if that was the culprit of my headache, so I started using the provided Powerade, which tasted pretty good.
The ride from Verona to Madison seemed to take forever, and my legs were starting to cramp. I stood up on one tiny climb to stretch out and my inner thigh suddenly cramped. I almost fell off my bike, but luckily caught myself and started rubbing it and keeping it straight as I tried to get the kinks out. Not a good sign when the cramping starts BEFORE you have to run a marathon. Riding up the helix knowing I was almost off the gosh darn bike was the best feeling ever. Overall, I was fine with how the bike went and think I paced it exactly how I should have in order to be fresh enough for the impending marathon.
Getting off the bike was unexpectedly tough as (it felt like) EVERY muscle in my legs suddenly cramped when I got off. They grabbed my bike for me then shouted "hurry up, run inside!" but I just stood there like a statue because I couldn't move. I wish I could see how I looked just standing there, still, as I think back now. I had to rub my legs and slowly try and stretch them out on the curb before I could even consider running. Once I knew nothing was going to charlie horse, I ran inside to change.

T2 (Transition 2)
9:10

I was finally to my ibuprofen!! My helper had my bag for me and I just had her dump it out. She was like "what can I get you first?" I was like "let's find my drugs! They're in a tiny ziploc!" (I felt like what a junkie must feel like.) I told her I had a 100 mile headache and have been looking forward to the Ibu for the last 6 hours. I had forgotten where exactly it was so after digging through socks and shoes, thought they were a lost cause until I put my shorts on I realized I had put them in the tiny FRONT pocket! Woo-hoo! I found my drugs! She got me some water and I took my Ibu. Ahhh, finally. Happiness again. :) I took the time to put my compression sleeves on, thinking that would stop ALL cramping in my legs the rest of the day (wrong) and was all set to run. After a potty break (2nd of the day, which I was proud of as I usually don't drink enough), I was off!

The Run
26.2 miles - 5:31:22, 12:39 minute/mile
Place: 81/139 age group, 1602/2398 overall

I started the run like a superhero. I felt SO good! Honestly I don't remember my head hurting ever again after the first two steps of the run, which made me so happy. I remember running and thinking "biking used to be my 2nd favorite, but now it's running, biking is 3rd! I love running! I have never wanted to run so bad in my whole life, I love this!" Talk about runner's high, I think I had the 'only one leg left Ironman high'. I was passing everyone, which wasn't my goal I just couldn't slow down at that point. I saw a bunch of people I knew cheering on the first mile or two which was also a big pick me up. I don't think it was until about mile 7 when reality set it that I was running a full marathon and I had a few hours still left.

I felt just fine until about mile 8. My calves and shins seized up and cramped. This was the same kind of overall lower leg cramping I had after the Chisago Half Ironman in July, where I'd get charlie horse's in my calves if I moved an inch the wrong way. I stopped to stretch and try to shake it, but there was no shaking the cramps. I started walking some. I also was dealing with a monster blister under my right foot, which popped over and over and eventually made it's way onto the top of my foot.
I ran and walked the rest of the way. The cramps hurt so bad, but there was no stopping me. Never was there a moment throughout the day where I thought of giving up. NO WAY. I just knew the cramping and blisters were obstacles to overcome, or as it were, to fight through. I also stopped 5+ times to use a porta-potty during the duration of the run. My tummy was getting a little messed up because I had decided to give most everything they had at the aid stations a shot; pepsi, chicken broth, gatorade, oranges, grapes. I was looking for the magic potion that would fix the cramps. I never did find that potion.
The last half I was WAY slower than the first half, but I enjoyed it, and it was very emotional having the finish line in my grasp. I knew I would get there and I could hardly contain my emotions. I also knew I was nearing in on the high 13's to 14 hours and was just fine with that time.

The Finish!
14:03:11
Place: 70/139 age group, 1615/2398 overall

When I was within a mile of the finish I got pretty emotional. I knew it was going to be the most amazing feeling to cross it and was just trying to calm myself down so I didn't cry myself through the whole thing and miss it. I did run most of the last mile and ended up catching up to a group of about five people. We all ended up finishing one right after the other, but I did get my own finisher shots!

I was half crying, but with the hugest smile on my face ever. It was SUCH AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!! Stacy was right there at the finish (you can actually see his arm on the left in the first finisher photo) and my cousins. They all gave me a huge hug and in that moment I could feel my dad right there with me, hugging me along with them. Nothing will ever compare to the feelings I felt this day. It was truly everything I'd imagined it would be.  

Stacy even got a video of me crossing the finish line. Pretty cool! You can almost hear Mike Reilly say: "Christina Meier, you are an Ironman!!"

Never ONCE during the day did I ever think I would never do this to myself again. (Ok, maybe once, but I had a headache!) :) I would love to do another Ironman, but I did tell myself I would spend next year figuring this sport out some more and focusing on Olympic and Half distance triathlons. That could of course change if I decide to go for a 2011 Ironman Coeur D'Alene charity slot. Hmmm....

Injury Report

Ironman involved quite a bit of recovery for me, as it does for anyone. I mentioned the blister, that started on the bottom of my foot, but eventually made it's way to the front (1st hot pic), then there were the deep cuts on my butt I didn't know about until I took a shower that evening. These came from the gels in my back pocket I ran with the entire 26.2 miles (2nd hot pic. Yes, that's my butt).

Then after Wednesday night and standing for way too long at the Dave Matthews concert (we had floor tickets with no seats) my ankles and feet swelled up like balloons. I had developed cankles!? (3rd hot pic). 

The worst was not being able to bend or straighten my left leg for 3 days post race. I believe it was an inflammed tendon since I had to be overcompensating while running due to the blister on my right foot. That was the scariest thing for me, thinking I had hurt my knee or something. It's just not right to not be able to bend or straighten your leg. I was worried for the 3 days, but luckily all is well in post Ironman legville again.
Over this last weekend, I got sick. There is no better way to come down from an Ironman high then hacking up a lung and blowing snot. Bodywise though, I am feeling pretty great again and can't wait to get back out there.

Now I know stiff leg issues, blisters, cankles, and colds will pass, but I will always be an Ironman! :)

I am an Ironman!!

I did it! I became an Ironman on Sunday! I finished in 14 hours 3 minutes and 11 seconds.

My time "goal" had been very general, as I didn't want to put pressure on myself during my first Ironman, or have any disappointment come race day. I was hoping for 13, 14, or 15 hours. Nothing like being smack dab in the middle! :)

Race report to follow!

Less than TWO days until race day!

Well, I am here in Madison, WI. I'm all checked in, got my timing chip and gear bags, got a few easy workouts under my belt, purchased a couple of things from the Ironman store, and am now just taking everything in and relaxing. Tonight we have the mandatory athlete meeting, where I'll get to see 2000+ Ironman hopefuls fill up a room. Should be fun!

On race day you can follow along here: http://www.ironman.com/ or http://www.ironmanlive.com/. You may need to poke around to find Ironman Wisconsin race day coverage. You can then enter in either my last name, Meier, or my race number 2474, to track my progress throughout the day.

I am not going to make public any time goals I have for any of the splits throughout the day, because my #1 and ultimate goal is to finish.

Here's a shot of my gear bags and my race number, with my name on them. Cool!
Also, this is the finish line arch (not setup quite yet) I plan to cross on Sunday... in less than 17 hours of course!

Thanks to all my family and friends for their support throughout this crazy and awesome year! It has meant the world to me!

Truths I've discovered while training for Ironman.

Training for an Ironman is not a part time endeavor. It becomes your second full time job. For the 9+ months you train, Ironman will be the guiding force in your life. You will spend up to 23 hours a week training. You’ll spend even more hours thinking, planning, dreaming, reading, and ‘Googling’ everything and anything Ironman. It will consume you.


Life revolves around training, sleeping, and eating. Your social life becomes non-existent. To spend a Friday or Saturday night out would pay for itself the next morning on your 5 hour brick workout. Friends will stop asking you to do things, as they know what your answer will be. You make the kind gesture of inviting them to join you the next morning for a 5am swim; they laugh.


Family and friends who are not triathletes, will think you’re nuts. They will still love you and support you. It is thanks to their support that you continue on. You will become emotional as you often wish you could share this life changing experience with those you have loved and lost.


If you’re lucky, you go about this journey with a team of others who are going through the exact same experiences as you. They will become your social circle and your additional support system. They are just as crazy as you are.


Your conversations revolve around racing, results, training, goals, nutrition tactics, if you use Hammer, CarboPro, or both, where you will do your next long ride, your next long run and with whom.


Out in the normal world you won’t have many conversations that don’t include the word “Ironman” at some point. The same goes for personal emails. You will run spell check and realize exactly how many times you had typed the word “Ironman”, as even Microsoft Outlook and Word have absolutely no idea what it is.


You’ll have a better farmer’s tan than, well… a farmer. You will avoid beaches as the glaring whiteness of your upper thighs (the area the bike shorts cover) would scare away the kids.


Training will become a religious experience. You go to bed at night anxious for the next day and what will be on your training schedule. You live for your daily workouts. You record every minute detail in your training log and look back on it regularly to see how far you have come. You will beam with pride when your training weeks break 20 hours.


You originally wondered how a person could enjoy swimming 100’s of laps in a 25 yard pool and spending 7+hours on a bike, and then soon after, you understand. You will revel in completing your first 2.5 mile swim and your first century ride followed by a long run. You’ll look back at the time you thought it’d be impossible, and smile as you have just proven that old self wrong.


You will be intrigued by all of the triathlon gear out there and finding out about all the latest and greatest that can make you faster. You consider taking out a loan, as bike envy has consumed you, so you can buy the latest speed concept Tri bike with electronic shifting. You think it’s not all that ridiculous to spend $8000 on a bike as you’ll “use it all the time”.


You will not have been to a mall in ages to go clothes shopping, but you have been to the running store and Tri store many times and are anxious to go back, hoping there is something you might have missed last time you were there that you just have to have.


It’s hard to find the time (or energy) to make it to the grocery store. You are thankful you have a Super Target close so you can buy groceries and toiletries all in one trip. You consider using the grocery delivery service as you could order your groceries online during the day and simply have them waiting for you when you get home.


You consider hiring a personal chef. You will be constantly hungry and you will eat anything and everything in your way. Including the chef, so you are glad you second guessed yourself and didn’t hire one.


If you are not working, training, eating, or sleeping, you will be lazy. After an 8 hour training day, your couch has never felt so good. Depending on the training weekend you had, you will feel a sinking feeling when you walk into your building and discover they are repairing the escalator, meaning you’ll have to walk up a floor. OMG what if the elevators were being repaired too? That's when you'd turn around and leave to go work from home.


Your dishwasher will be ¾ full of water bottles. You will find that leaving even an ounce of Hammer Sustained Energy in a water bottle then forgetting about it for a few days will result in throwing that water bottle immediately away, as you will wonder what animal died in there. It will be no big deal because your cupboard is full of 30 others.


You will arrive at work late, take long lunch breaks, and leave early. You get your hours in whenever and wherever you can. You pray that your boss is forgiving. You fight the urge to fall asleep at your desk and in meetings.


You body composition will change. You will be leaner, more muscular, and feel the most fit you've ever felt. You walk with an air of confidence and a spring in your step. You will be eating more than you ever ate before, but your body will lose inches and your clothes will fit looser.


Your thoughts will gush with confidence, determination, and focus.


You will go through phases of being an emotional wreck. You’ll feel more highs and lows in one day than you’d usually feel in a month; excitement, frustration, hope, anger, despair, doubt, awe, sadness, and inspiration. You will constantly question the meaning of your life and why you are doing an Ironman. You will come up with different answers every time.


You will dream of qualifying for Kona, even though you know the only chance you’d have to getting in is by the lottery. You will smile and cry with elation as you picture yourself crossing the finish line that day and cringe in fear at the thought of not finishing.

You will be HAPPY and more fulfilled than you have ever been in your life.

It's getting close now!

I can't believe that IRONMAN is right around the corner. It feels like just a few months ago I was signing up. Time sure does fly when you're having fun!

If I were to say I am not freaking out, I'd be lying. We had a fun weekend celebrating Stacy's birthday, which helped to get my mind off the race for awhile, but now that the weekend is over my mind is back ON it, and it's not slowing down anytime soon. I've been making lists, checking them twice, jotting down notes at totally random times as I think of new items I need to pack or bring or buy.

I only have four more days of work before the big race. Next time I am back at work I will hopefully have a new non-IT related 'title'.

Our bib numbers for race day are posted. Mine is:

Hmmm. Those numbers added together equal 17. Which is exactly the amount of hours I HAVE TO finish the race in. Ironic?? I think not. :)

Ironman Wisconsin Encouragement...

Sort of.

I found this fun chart that lists all of the 25 Ironman events and their average finish time. This came from RunTri.com's blog where they give an explanation on how they came up with these numbers, since so many factors come into play at any given Ironman event; weather, altitude, type of course, etc.

I find it amusing that Ironman Wisconsin is nearly the toughest, 2nd to the top, with an average finish time of 13:16. The easiest is Ironman Switzerland with an average finish time of 11:30.

These numbers are interesting, if anything, but they don't mean a whole lot to me. I have the goal to finish under 17 hours to become an official finisher. If I can do that, this entire year will have been worth it.

Our taper started TODAY... we're on the final countdown.

19 days and counting!!

Race Report - Turtleman Triathlon!

Ah, the Turtleman Triathlon... Minnesota's oldest triathlon. A race I've wanted to do for many years. I remember back when I trained on Tri team in Duluth with Rod Raymond. He would do Turtleman every year and more often than not, win it. Coach has even won this Tri a time or two. That was back in the day when the best competition came out to Turtleman, and Turtle Lake still had water in it.

I am glad I finally had the opportunity to do this race. Besides that it turned out to be a perfect day for a triathlon, (versus last year's Turtleman, where a severe storm canceled the swim, and resulted in about 25% of the field not even being allowed to complete the run) this race is in my backyard! I was able to roll out of bed about 5:45am, eat, get my gear together, and arrive at the race site by 6:25am. Now that's my kind of convenience!

Registration was down considerably from previous years, and it was obvious. It seemed really quiet in the transition area. Also, the conditions at Turtle Lake thwarted a lot of people from signing up. Lakes temps were around 83, which meant no wetsuits, and the lake was also very shallow, with complete muck at the bottom. I went out there to feel for myself, and wow, it was no Lake Superior. The lake bottom was literally just like walking through mud, and for awhile you'd walk fine, then suddenly you'd sink in it well above your knee. It was really pretty gross. I wasn't as nervous for swimming through mud as I was for the time trial start. A time trial start means everyone lines up according to race number, then they start you in three second intervals. I have done one Tri like this in the past and hated it. I spent all of my energy trying to get around people. When your favorite event is the swim, it it much better when you can start in a mass wave and line up in order of swimming ability. Nonetheless, the time trial start turned out to be OK. There was always a path to swim in where I didn't bump into too many people. Besides the muck at the beginning and the end... the swim was fine. (Fine, I should say until I got home from the race, took off my sports bra in the bathroom, and watched as mud flung EVERYWHERE. I hadn't thought about looking to see if the lake/mud had encrusted itself IN my sport bra. Ewww... My bathroom needed a good cleaning anyway.)

The race distances for this triathlon were similar to the distances at the Heart of the Lakes Tri. The swim (due to the shallow lake) was shortened to a 1K (from a 1.5K), then we had a 21.5 mile bike, and a 5 mile run. The bike and run were also completely flat. Awesome.

The bike went well. I was excited to bike for only 20 miles. With all of the long rides we've been doing the last couple of months, a 20 mile bike was a breeze. I felt myself kind of lolly gagging along at about the half way point, but then I saw one of my old running buds at the corner cheering for me! Having him there really helped me get my pace up. My average pace for the bike portion was 21.1 MPH, so I was very happy to be above the 20's for once.

Once I got out on the run, I am not sure what happened. I was trying to run, but it sure didn't feel like a run. I did see a couple of teammates cheering along the course, so when I saw them, I tried to make it look like I wasn't shuffling, but once they passed I went back to a shuffle. At about the 3 mile point, one of my training partners passed me. She looked really strong and once I saw her come by, I picked it up to try and keep up with her. From that point on I felt better and actually finished the last two miles strong(er). It's funny that I needed someone I normally run with to come by and pace me, in something as short as a 5 mile. Once I had her in my sights (to chase after) I finally felt in a groove.

I ended up 2nd in my age group and was 20th woman overall, out of 114. I'll take a 2nd place age group finish! The prize was a Turtleman mug. It was special to me that I was able to take something home when this is a race I have wanted to do for so many years.

Ironically, a fellow triathlete/blogger I recently "met" via our blogs, and who is also doing her first Ironman in WI next month, made the podium at Turtleman too! Her family took this picture, so she let me 'borrow' it to post on my blog. Thanks B, and nice race!! :)

I'm sad that Turtleman was my last 'normal' distance Tri of the season. It seems like just yesterday I was adding my race schedule to this page, looking forward to all of the Tri's I had scheduled and how far away the BIG day seemed. At least the regular season ended well. Now we're onto the 'playoffs'! (I guess I have football on the mind with #4 coming back into town today and all.) :)  

25 days and counting until Ironman Wisconsin!

My book of inspiration...

If it hasn't been glaringly obvious, I am a huge fan of quotes, sayings, and poems. I find inspiration in simple words that relate to life, love, and the pursuit of... whatever you may be pursuing at the time.

I started saving quotes and sayings from a very young age. When I was about 11, my Mom bought me a cute notebook with smiley faces on it (I was a huge smiley face fan back in the day) and I thought that would be the perfect little notebook for me to write down all of the quotes and sayings I'd saved.

I worked hard on this book for many years, using markers and stamps to decorate each page. I almost filled the entire thing; all pages, front and back. I worked on it through high school, but once the college years came, I found I didn't have the time to do much more with it. Nonetheless, I was pleased with the results. It's something I have looked at many times throughout my life to get inspiration from. The words in this book helped me through the initial shock of leaving home my freshman year of college. It helped me get motivated and inspired for swim meets. It helped me get over breakups. It helped me grieve. And now it is giving me inspiration and motivation for Ironman.

I find it ironic that I wanted to post a YouTube video of one of my favorite poems, then realized I had this same poem in similar form on page 2 of my book. It's titled 'Don't Quit' and the author is unknown.

Another one of my absolute favorite poems is called 'A Winner's Creed' which happens to be on page 4 in my book. I also kept this one on a little card in my wallet for many years.

Finally, I love this song and the quotes that are included in this video are some of my favorites. Enjoy. :)

Bring on Ironman.

Last weekend 10 teammates and I made the trek down to Madison to ride the bike course.

I've been hearing how this bike course is very hilly, very techincal, and VERY tough. I was so nervous to find out for myself. My opinion of the course after riding 126 miles of it last Sunday: it's totally doable and I LOVE the course! I know now that I AM ready for the big day.

Our first stop on the trip down Friday was Devil's Lake to get in a 2.4 mile swim. What a super gorgeous lake! I can't wait to swim there again. I have now found my 2nd favorite lake, aside from Lake Superior. :)

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to start our ride. Our plan was to do 3 loops of the 'loop' section of the course. The IM bike course heads out from Madison about 16 miles to Verona, then from there it goes on a 40 mile loop. After completing 2 loops you make your way back into Madison and that completes the 112 mile bike course. The loop is the most technical part of the course and where you encounter most of the hills. For this reason we wanted to get most of our miles in on the loop. We figured doing 3 loops was also going to give us a mental advantage. On race day as we're getting tired heading out onto loop 2, we can think "I have done 3 of these loops, I can easily do 2!"

The course is challenging, but it has so much variety that you never get bored and you never get sore from being in the same position on the bike for too long. I felt really good after 126 miles. We went for a 30 minute run after the bike as well and surprisingly that also felt good. It was a very successful day.

I did get out my camera as we were going up some of the big hills. Trying to climb and take pictures is a feat in itself!



On Sunday we got in a 2 hour recovery run before packing up to head back home. That felt pretty good besides that it was in the 80's with about 97% humidity. That's a little too hot for me. We realized how lucky we were that Saturday was nice weather and there was even some cloud cover so we didn't get 8.5 hours straight of blazing sun.

Until we meet again Ironman Wisconsin bike course... in 38 days!!

Race Report - Chisago Lakes Half Ironman!

It was a gorgeous day July 25th for a Half Ironman. The lake was calm, there was no wind on the bike course, the sky was clear as could be, and it was HOT. A ton of teammates and a couple of friends were also doing this race so I knew it was going to be a fun one with so many people I knew racing.

The first thing I noticed when I woke up that morning, before even getting out of bed, was that I was SORE. Great. I had gone to my company golf outing the Thursday prior, and I was actually sore from golfing. Yes, an Ironman hopeful who trains her butt off daily, was battered and bruised from 18 holes of golf. I miss the ball, a lot, usually the first swing of every shot. I think all the swinging and missing was what made me sore. Sad. Nonetheless, I got out there and was determined to give it my all.

The swim felt slow. My arms felt exhausted. All of me did. I usually kick sparingly, trying to save my legs for the other two events, but my arms were so sore I started kicking more to try and propel myself forward. Once I was kicking more, my feet started to cramp. GREAT. I had to ease back up on the kicking and stick with trying to pull myself through the 1.2 mile swim.

Once I FINALLY completed the swim, I was off on the bike. It started off well. I liked the course, very flat with a few rollers. That's just what I needed this day. I managed through it, feeling more and more exhausted as I went and my pace slowing in response. At about the 40 mile mark I was literally thinking about bed, how much I love bedtime, being in my cozy bed, how good my bed would feel, and how I just wish I could shut my eyes and magically be back in my bed. That was making my pace even slower, so I tried to turn the thoughts to "only a half marathon left once you get off this bike, THEN you can go back to bed." ONLY a half marathon, right.

Once onto the run I was feeling ok. Within the first 2 miles I started getting pretty hot so I started taking more Endurolytes. I felt pretty good soon after taking one, but within about 20 minutes I felt like I needed another. I took one every 20 minutes or so. I was running along fine (not fast, but fine) until about mile 8 or 9, then I really started to fade. I was also out of Endurolytes, and the exhaustion had set in. This was a feeling I haven't really felt before. It was not so much "tired" as it was literal exhaustion. My mind, body and every inch of me was just DONE. Coach had actually been biking on the course and was biking along side of me when I started getting this feeling. It helped to have his positivity there and he told me to drink some Gatorade and water, and to dump some water on my head. That was all good, but within a couple of minutes I was back to being a slug. I still wished I could have had ONE more Endurolyte since I still had 3 miles left. I know now for Ironman to bring more than I think I'll ever need, so at least I have them there as an option.

Coach was taking pictures of all of us out on the run course. This one must have been before I got to mile 9, back when I was still smiling.

Eventually I made it back into the park and up the hill to the finish line. I finished in 5:47. That was a 6 minute improvement from the Liberty Half Ironman I had done 6 weeks prior, and a PR! I HAD TO be happy about that. Time didn't matter today though, I was just happy to be done. I just wanted to sit down and stay there for a long, long time. I was able to find all my teammates and friends and find out everybody's results. Lots of people had tough days. Nutrition not settling well in tummies, and there were some with heat related issues. There were plenty of great results too, so all around it was a super fun race to be a part of.

Stacy actually took a video of me crossing the finish line. It's not pretty, but here it is. Like I said, the word of the day was 'EXHAUSTED'.

Sitting down on the grass so soon after finishing the race was the worst mistake of the day. My legs hurt SO badly once I got up. They were tingling and felt like I was going to lose feeling in them. It was nuts. Once that sensation was gone, they started cramping and I couldn't stretch them out enough to get it to stop. The entire afternoon and evening was tough. I'd get a charley horse in my calf, and when I'd tried to stretch that out, I'd get a charley horse in the muscle next to my shin! I tried to take a nap to forget about it all, but I'd get woken up by a leg cramp.

I must have been dehydrated starting a day or two before. The first sign was when I felt some cramping in my feet during the swim. I have never had leg cramps like that and hope to never again. I am on the compression sock bandwagon as a result of this. Not sure I'll be racing in them, but I'll be wearing them after all of my workouts and races for sure. My tight calves were a contributing factor to the plantar fasciitis I developed early on in the season so I probably should have gotten a few pairs many months ago. Who knows, maybe I'll turn into one of those dorks who even race in them. No offense to any of those dorks who may be reading this. :)

Next weekend is BIG. I am really looking forward to it! I am going to take it easy this week so I can be ready and cramp-free for all the miles we'll be putting in next weekend. Ironman bike course, here we come!

Race Report - Heart of the Lakes!

Sunday July 18th was the Heart of the Lakes Triathlon. I did this race in 2009, and it was actually my first triathlon that was longer than a sprint distance, so this one will always hold a special place in my heart. :) The distances of this race are 1/2 mile swim, 21 mile bike, and a 5.3 mile run. Kind of interesting distances, but I am liking these shorter races! OK, I like the shorter runs is the honest truth. If only the swim were a tad longer it'd be perfect.

Weather-wise, it was a nice day. It turned out slightly windy and cloudy, but overall it was close to ideal. This race is so well organized and the volunteers are so helpful and friendly. It'll be one I come back to every year that's for sure. This year was also the 25th anniversary of the HOLT!

My race was decent. I felt pretty tired, but I improved my time from last year by about 2.5 minutes, so I can't be too disappointed. I was 7th in my age group and 36th woman overall in a time of 2:02:40. We had to add on some running and biking after this race, which was tough. I ran an additional hour on the course, then biked for an hour. That made it a 4+ hour day. Coach had on the training schedule to make it a 5.5 hour day, but since we went WAY over in training hours the week before with our long ride and run, we called it good.

Next on tap is the Chisago Lakes Half Ironman which is the race I really need to focus on. It's the last big one before Ironman. I need to make sure and get the nutrition down and be prepared for some heat. A Half Ironman smack-dab at the end of July is almost guaranteeing 90 degree temps!

Two century rides DOWN!

Century rides are an intregal part of Ironman training. You should get a few in before the big day just so you know what that 112 mile bike is going to feel like. Sure by the time one of these rides is all said and done, you've been out there as long as an average work day, but it feels so good to get these under your belt!

I did my first century on June 20th. The course we picked was supposedly the toughest (hillest) 100 mile ride in the state. My training pal found it in a book of century rides she has. (Yes, they make such a book and people actually buy it!) Since Madison is a very hilly course, I thought this would be a good course to ride for my first one. I felt good through most of it, around mile 80 I wanted to be done, but that phase quickly passed, and I was fine again through the finish.

Here's the map of where we went on that ride... all around the entire metro area!

Last Sunday was my second century ride. Actually, we rode 112 miles! This time we picked a much flatter course, and I have to say this ride went so much better than the first, which is encouraging. There are quite a few reasons I think this one went better. I certainly wasn't as prepared when I did my first one. I didn't have a 2nd water bottle holder yet, I didn't wear enough sunscreen, the cleats on my cycling shoes were too far up (close to my toes). The first ride was SO hilly, and I just plain and simple didn't yet know how far 100 miles on a bike really was, or what it felt like. My farthest ride prior had been about 80 miles. Doing two now has given me a feel for it, and I am actually looking forward to the next one.

Our next 100+ mile ride will be in Madison ON the race course. This trip is coming up in two weeks. I am excited and scared all at the same time. I cannot wait to see what the course has to offer! I know it's brutal, but I am ready for it. I better be... we are down to 56 days and counting!! *GULP*

Race Report - MinneMan!

The MinneMan sprint triathlon was last Saturday, and it was indeed "Minne"! The distances were a 1/3 mile swim, 13 mile bike, and a 3 mile run. The 1/3 mile swim turned out to be more like a 1/4 mile. I hardly got into my groove and we were heading out of the water. I know a majority of the field didn't mind a short swim, but with that being my strongest event, I always want more swim! Overall, it was a great race. It was well organized, had a flat and fast course, had great volunteers, great door prizes, and great medals!

Signing up for MinneMan was somewhat of an impulse buy. I had heard great things about this race, but when I found out a good friend of mine, M, was going to do MinneMan as her first Tri EVER, I had to be there for it. I had just been planning to cheer for her, but thought I might as well sign up once I saw that registration was still open. She ended up doing awesome; she won her age group in the novice division!

I placed 1st in my age group and ended up being 19th woman overall. This was my first age group win ever. I know that would have made my dad proud. :)

Here we are with our gold medals.

This was my first race wearing my Aquaphor gear so that was cool. I had a few people cheer "Go Aquaphor!" It's kind of fun to be labeled when it gets people cheering for you.

This next weekend is going to be a big training one. Century ride number two of the season with a long run afterwards. This weekend's workouts will be drastically different from last weekend's one hour (plus) race! Not too much longer and we'll be starting our taper. It's nearing the two month mark until the big day!

Congrats again to M on her amazing 'rookie' finish!!

SPONSORED!

I signed up a couple of months ago for a sponsorship with Team Aquaphor. I'm way excited that I made the team for 2010! They choose 200 athletes from around the US to represent their brand, and I just received my welcome kit yesterday.

Who doesn't love free stuff?? I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my kit; excited to get my new duds to train and race in. I LOVE the Tri outfit! They also sent a jacket, tech tee, running top, running shorts, headsweats hat, and TONS of other goodies. I tried to fit all the goods into one shot:

They require you to race in their gear for 6 races out of the year and hand out samples to friends and fellow racers. Should be a piece of cake and something fun to be a part of! :)

Thanks Bonnie, for your words of reassurance.

Race Report - Liberty Half Ironman!

Well, I did it. I finished my 2nd Half Ironman! (If it needs clarification the distances are a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run.) Overall, it was a good day weather-wise in Maple Plain where the race took place last Saturday. It was in the 60's and it didn't rain until we were out on the run, which felt kind of good actually.

I have only done one other Half Ironman, and that was last August. That was a horrible day... we had to deal with wind, rain, and hail on the bike... it was scary to say the least. I finished that day in 6 hours and 15 minutes. On Saturday I finished in 5 hours and 53 minutes. That's a 22 minute improvement and a PR (personal record). I'll take it!

I was 4th in my age group this time, and 27th woman overall. I was happy with the race and how I felt throughout it. I also think my nutrition went well. Half Ironman races are great 'tests' for the FULL Ironman. It's a great way to figure out what you can eat and drink through the day to fuel yourself. I was pleased with how that all went, and had NO tummy issues like I've dealt with in the past, so that made me happy.

There were some bloopers this race. I fell coming out of the water. We had to run up a set of stairs, and I hadn't taken my goggles off yet. I started right in on trying to unzip my wetsuit, so as I tried to put my foot on the first step, I biffed it. It was pretty funny too as the crowd was cheering, then when I went down, there was a big "oohhhhh". I felt like such a dork, but it didn't hurt, my wetsuit acted as a protective shield.

After the fall, I couldn't get my wetsuit unzipped. I was in such a hurry coming out of the water, and getting up and getting out of there after the fall, that I just could not get the zipper down. I eventually had to stop running, take a deep breath, find the zipper, and get it unzipped. It was only my second race wearing a wetsuit so I knew there would be some trial and error in knowing exactly how to get it off in one swoop.

I found some of the photos Minnefota Moments took on race day. One on the bike and one with my "strong finish".
I'm sure the lady right behind me in the finishing picture thinks I'm a b***h as I blew by her in the last 60 yards. That's somewhat a race etiquette 'no no', at least if you are not finishing with the win. I just felt so good to be done, I had to sprint the last little bit. Sorry lady, I just couldn't help it. :)

I am looking forward to having a few weeks off of racing to get back onto the training bandwagon. I am hoping to get a century ride in this weekend. I hope it's decent weather for my first 100 mile bike!