Rev3 Cedar Point

Rev3 is in it's second year of races. None of them was very close by, but being a part of Team Trakkers, I went to Cedar Point last weekend. Unfortunately, I've been struggling with Turf Toe since early July, so I've done no running since then. I DID NOT want to go do this race. I had very little expectations of myself.

It was a chilly morning, so after setting up transition, I went back to the car to keep warm and fell asleep. Woke up about 15 minutes before my wave start and hustled down the beach. Yikes! Threw on the wetsuit, said good luck to all the Tri Smart peeps and maneuvered my way to the front of the pack.

The siren went off and all the W18-44 ran - yes, ran - out into the water. It was shallow for a pretty long time and that can be exhausting for a short girl! I took my time and tried to keep the HR low. Once swimming, I was way off course - the water was pushing from the left. This was good once we made the right hand turn, it was like having a tailwind in the water! One last turn, to the right, made the water hit hard on the right side of my head. I'm glad I'm a left-side breather. :)

Into transition, I fumbled a little and almost forgot to put my helmet on before running out. It was chilly, but I didn't take the time to put on gloves or armwarmers. About 30 seconds into the ride, I wish I had! It was COLD! I think it was mid-50s at that point and no sun. At least I had toe covers on my cycling shoes.

Road was rough for the first 15 miles, but we had an incredible tailwind pushing me to about 24-25mph with little effort. I knew this was going to be an issue coming back in, so I just focused on my effort vs. mph. Caught up to my man Dennis just before the point where the Half Ironman and Ironman bike courses split. It was a nice little boost. Had several guys pass, all pretty nice about it and 2 women. The headwind on that last little section back to the park was brutal. I was going what felt like 12 mph, but the effort was there! I wondered if I should even bother trying to run this thing.

Once in transition, it was nice to know most were still out on the bike. T2 felt quick and the sun was starting to come out!
But once out on the course, just about 30 steps, the toe let me know it is still unhappy with me and I considered the DNF. With just 2 words from him, I pushed on. I knew there were just a few women ahead of me at this point. It wouldn't be a PR race for me, but if I could hold it together, I might not do too badly...

First couple of miles were OK. I figured it would start to hurt around mile 6. Luckily for me, it got a little warmer, which made me happy, and the run course was pretty flat and I liked it. Where I disliked all the turns in the bike, in the run, it made it a little more fun. I did more passing than I got passed and I wondered if I was dreaming. When was the wall going to hit? AH - MILE 10! OOOOWWWW! Now the toe was screaming at me to stop. But it was just 3 more miles - less than 30 minutes. I can handle this, right? Got to give BB from Team Tri Smart a little encouragement on her way out on the run and it gave me a much needed boost. Last mile winding through the park felt like FOREVER, but was worth the wait!

Down the finish chute, the scene was much like that of Hy-Vee - banners lined across the sides, big jumbotron with scenes from the ongoing race and a charismatic announcer calling names at the finish! It ended right in the park with the roller coasters, so there were spectators lined up on both sides.

One thing that deserves special mention is all the goodies that come with this race. Blue shirt and visor come in the TYR re-usable goody bag - nice medal and long-sleeved tech t-shirt at the finish. This series has some great stuff going for it, so if you missed out on Rev3 this year, it deserves consideration for 2011.

Costa Rica anyone?

Ironman Lake Placid Race Report

Departed Mokena at 5am on Thursday morning for the drive to Lake Placid.

Slept in on Friday and went to check in.





Saturday, dropped off transition bags and bikes.


Saw some pretty interesting nutrition strategies.

And Ed was really excited about this race, his 2nd Ironman.

RACE DAY

Mirror Lake was warm, calm and clear as we lined up at the start. After chatting with a few competitors to make sure I was lined up properly, we listened to the national anthem and the race started with the sound of the cannon. Within seconds, I was struggling for breath and hyperventilating. As strong of a swimmer as I am, there is nothing that can prepare one for this mass chaos at the start of an ironman swim.

I fought for position and was clobbered both from the left and right - but thankfully no one was attempting to swim over me. For a few seconds I wished I could swim over to the side and quit. I can't breathe. I want out. WHY AM I DOING THIS? After about 100 yards or so, I found some open space and attempted to get my breathing and heartrate under control. I heard myself gasping for breath more than once and wondered if I was drowning. Within about 60 seconds - there was peace. A nice, open stretch of water in front of me, the mass of elbows and flailing bodies all to the left of me. I was back in control.

In the practice swim just 2 days before, I remember commenting on how Mirror Lake is probably one of the nicest lakes I ever swam in. It was a nice, relaxing start to an otherwise long, torturous day. Out of the water to cross the timing mat, I noticed I was on pace for about an hour swim. Very nice - I jumped back in the water and noticed it was now raining. The chilly raindrops hitting my arm and face as I turned to take a breath. I found the most absolutely perfect person to draft off of - I liked his line, I liked his pace and he didn't kick much! I smiled and relished the fact that I was barely working. In fact, I was thinking that I was breathing with about the same effort as I would be if I was just sitting on the couch watching television! Out of the water in a nice, solid 59 minutes. I'll take it!

Into transition, I grabbed my bag and headed to the changing tent. I took my time, put everything on comfortably and jogged to get my bike. Lots of craziness at the mount line with eager Ironman-wannabes with just a little too much gusto starting off on to a 112 mile bike course, but this is not surprising to me any more. I carefully stopped, got on my bike, hit my watch and rode off, careful to GO SLOW!

Lake Placid is the most challenging Ironman bike course I've ever done and I knew using too much energy going up those hills would cost me later. I rode stupid slow up the hills, taking my time, watching guy after guy fly by me - most of them out of the saddle. I tried to focus on myself - work my own race. It was chilly - cloudy and sprinkling rain on and off. The first big downhill was fun, but scary! At one point, I looked down and saw 45mph. That's it, I'm not looking at my computer any more.

The gusty winds caught my disc wheel a couple of times and I worried a little about being blown over! The second half of the loop is a lot of slow uphill. It's hard to put forth consistent effort - either you're riding too hard or you're flying downhill really fast. The time was going by quickly however, until about mile 90 when I realized I was about out of fuel. Then my legs started to cramp, something I've never experienced before in training or racing. My legs were seizing up and I thought I was going to fall over. I didn't bring any salt tablets - I mean, it wasn't going to be hot enough for that.

I started to think ahead of what I could do to rectify this situation if I could manage to make it off the bike. The last 10 miles or so were much slower than anticipated, but I needed to keep the cramping under control. Giving up a few minutes on the bike wouldn't be the worst decision I could make.

Off the bike and into T2, I grab my bag again and head into the changing tent. I sat down and went to take my bike shoes off and my calf seized - I screamed and the volunteers were staring at me. I felt pretty stupid. I tried to put my running shoe on, but every time I pointed my toes, the calf would cramp up and it was excruciating. I tried to hurry through and get everything else done, hoping this would pass quickly. A volunteer asked if I wanted sunscreen. What? It wasn't even sunny out. In fact, I left my sunglasses in transition - first time I've done the Ironman marathon without sunglasses.

Spent a little too much time in transition but headed out on the run careful to go slow. The first few miles are downhill and it's easy to get carried away with the pace. The toes on my right foot were numb. My left toe, where I've been dealing with Turf Toe, hurt almost immediately. So much for the cortisone shot.

The pace was on target for the first 6 miles, but my legs still hurt from the cramping and seizing up that was happening in the last 20 miles or so of the bike. So instead of being able to pick up my run pace, I had to throw some walking in. Then the toes started to thaw on my right foot and it burned! There was a section, furthest out from town, that was just beautiful. Thanks to the Comiskey family for putting up a message for me at Inspiration Station!

The entire run seemed to have hills with some of the hardest ones on the way back toward transition where all the spectators were hanging out. Some of the best volunteers I've ever experienced in a race - very nice, helpful and did their best to get you what you needed. I saw our other Team Tri Smart racers on the out and backs - mostly with smiles and still moving forward!

So not a great race for me, but definitely an experience. Now it's time to take some time off and let this turf toe recover. And think about the race plan for next year!

Tri Smart 101: Get Schooled | New Lenox, Illinois 60451 | Sunday, September 19, 2010

Tri Smart 101: Get Schooled | New Lenox, Illinois 60451 | Sunday, September 19, 2010

Liberty Half Ironman Race Report

As if driving about 9 hours the day before a race wasn't bad enough, we woke up to temperatures in the low 50s and rain in the forecast. I couldn't decide if I should put on armwarmers and gloves for the bike or save the time in transition and just grit it out. I set everything out in transition because I couldn't keep my teeth from chattering. I put on booties under my wetsuit too and, of course, toe covers on my bike shoes.

The swim was a bit weedy and seemed a little long, but it was easy to get out in front in my wave and I had a pretty clean swim for the duration. About 400 yards from the finish, some clown from the wave in front of me decided he'd try his hand at drafting as I went by. Here's a tip for all you wanna-be drafters: DO NOT TOUCH the person you're drafting off of. It's quite possible to have an effective draft without hitting my feet with every stroke, despite what you might think.

Once in transition, I was breathing deeply and didn't feel so cold, so I skipped the gloves and armwarmers and just hopped on my bike. Within 2 minutes, I thought about turning around. WOW - the air felt like ice and I thought about what 56 miles of this would feel like. I should turn around and get my armwarmers. Maybe put on a shirt. And jacket. And gloves. Wait, did I bring a hat? But no - at the risk of losing time and possibly screwing up my timing if I went backwards over the mat, I decided to suck it up and just ride. How bad could it be? Well - it was bad. I had goosebumps for the duration of the ride. My fingers would not work and I couldn't feel my toes. I didn't take much advantage of the downhill because the faster I went, the colder I got. This ride could not be over soon enough.

Back into transition, I couldn't work my fingers to get my bike shoes off and put my running shoes on. My toes were completely numb. I headed out and tried to figure out what pace I could hold. I started flexing my fingers, but still had trouble getting gel from my back pocket. At about mile 4, my toes started to thaw. It was around then that the rain started coming down. Are you kidding me? I'm not sweating in the slightest and the icy rain drops pelting on my arms once again brought on those goosebumps. At first it was just a drizzle. Then it came down. Cats and dogs. Well, at least it didn't rain while I was on the bike!

The rain was off and on for the remainder of the run. Hang on, can I see my breath? Yep, that's it! My pace slowed around mile 8 and my legs began to feel heavy. With a little bit of self-talk, I was able to bring those miles back down to where the first few were and continued on with that pace to the finish. With purple lips, frozen fingers, not a stitch of dry clothing anywhere and no shelter at the finish line and pouring rain, I was forced to collect my things from transition and run to the car and crank the heat. Worst weather conditions I've ever done a Half Ironman in. Aside from that, Final Stretch put on a terrific event!

Palos Half Marathon Race Report

Not only was I excited about racing the Palos Half Marathon last Sunday, it was also the first "team" event for our new triathlon club, Team Tri Smart. In the week leading up to the race, I was just as excited to bring our group together for a powerful, fun kick off to the season as I was to see what I could do at this year's event.

The rain woke me up at 3:01am and I started to freak out. About racing? No - about providing gear check to the many Team Tri Smart members I had promised to could leave their belongings at our tent through the race. I needed to make sure everything stayed dry and so I started texting tri club members who I thought might have plastic tubs to keep things dry. I'm not sure how happy they were with me for that wake up call!

Thankfully, the rain subsided by 5:30am when we went to assemble the tent. Everything went smoothly and it started heating up and becoming rather humid. I scrambled to get changed and take in a bit of Pre Race from First Endurance. This stuff does not taste very good when mixed with plain water, but I'm adjusting because it's like magic! I was a little late in taking in my last bit of calories for the morning, but I tried not to worry about it. This is just a half marathon.

Plan for the day? Take it out a little slowly for the first mile. Increase speed in the second mile and settle in by mile 3 and hold it until I collapse. Not the smartest thing I've ever done, but if you never blow up, how do you know where that point is? Based on some of the long runs I've done recently, I calculated my target pace to be somewhat aggressive, but realistic if all goes well.

A quick team photo before the race kicked off took more time than one would think. The sea of red and black at the race was fun. It was Team Tri Smart all day - to the left, to the right, in front, behind. Don't slack, someone for sure will see it today! At the start, a big pack of red and black lined up between the 8 and 9 min/mile pace. It kept my mind relaxed right up until the gun went off.

Several teammates and I had our plan to run together. This lasted for about a half mile. The pace was too fast. We spread out faster than any of us expected. Mile 1 split - TOO FAST! Shoot, slow it down! We laughed and joked as people started settling into their grooves. Mile 2 - TOO FAST! OK, so much for easing into a cruising pace! But now I was there and didn't feel the need to slow down. So I didn't. I was able to hold good conversation until about mile 5 when I kept thinking how great it was going to be when we make the turnaround. Seeing all our teammates on the out and back was going to give me much needed support.

I tried getting water at each of the aid stations without actually slowing to walk. At one aid station, I dropped 4 cups of water. FOUR! Maybe I should slow down to walk next time. I was thirsty and it felt like the volunteers weren't letting go of the cup when I grabbed it...and then we both would let go at the same time and the cups went flying. I was fortunate that none of these cups landed on my shoes.

By mile 9, I'm in the hurt zone. My legs are feeling heavy and my breathing is labored. I want to let up. Why am I working so hard? Four more miles seems like an eternity and this stopped being fun several miles ago. My legs are hot, but my hands are freezing. It's humid as all get out and my shirt is sticking to me. The sunglasses I put on my head because it was threatening rain at the start have too much condensation to see out of when I tried to put them on as the sun started peeking through. Would anyone care if I started walking right now?

Mile 10 - ok, same pace. This is where it got tough. I'm not looking to get faster, but I want to be consistent. When one of my teammates, Ed, said, "Hey, let's turn on the jets at mile 11" I wanted to kick him. If I had any breath at that point, I would've started screaming at him. Jets? My legs are going to fall off. I encouraged him to move on - my pace was definitely not making him work hard enough! A little encouragement from some fans around this point was a huge help (you guys know who you are - THANK YOU!).

The last couple miles now seem like they went fast, but I do remember thinking "OK, I'll be done in about 24 minutes, OK, now it's like 10 minutes if I hold the pace," and so on... I had no kick and it felt like I could see the finish line forever before I got there. Happy with my time? You bet! Happy with not starting it out slower? Not sure - will test the plan out again at a future race.

Congratulations to the Team Tri Smart members who placed in their Age Groups. This is a competitive event and it was great to see some of the awards go out to the red and black!

Cary Half Marathon - March Madness Race Report

The day before this race, I woke to frigid temperatures and pelting sleet. I thought, "No way do I want to race in these conditions tomorrow!" Fortunately, when I woke on race day, it wasn't sleet pelting, it was only rain. It was a balmy 34 degrees.

Plagued with insomnia for the last few weeks, I was up at 2:30am and tried getting a million things done. I had no idea my ride, filled with other half marathon participants, was sitting out front for about 10 minutes before I received a text asking when the heck was I coming out? Sorry, guys!

The Cary Half Marathon prides itself on being held in brutal weather. The thing about March in Chicago is just like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, "You never know what you're gonna get." Thankfully, the rain stopped before we arrived, but the wind was bone chilling. After running in Disney this year, I was ready for anything, but so very, very thankful of being able to wait inside the school until about 10 minutes before the start.

Spending the time inside, I was able to catch up with a few friends I haven't seen in a while. I remember when I first started running and triathlon, I used to go to races alone and see everyone talking to their friends and I wished I knew some people. It has come completely full circle as I didn't go more than 5 minutes before the start of this race without running into a familiar face!

The race wasn't chip timed and I was treating this as more of a training run than anything else, so there was no need to push to the front. The race has about 1000 runners, so it's a good sized group and most are pretty competitive! The gun sounded and off we went! Though I've run the race several times, I don't remember it being quite so bottlenecked for the first mile or two. We seemed to be zig zagging a bit, but the pace was still a little quicker than I expected.

Within the first two miles, I shed my long-sleeved throwaway shirt. This year, they gave the hills nicknames. I remember the first one being called "Shoe Tree Hill" and I thought it was funny. We jockeyed with this guy wearing those vibram shoes. He looked like he was running pretty gingerly along the road, so I decided to start talking to him and ask him how he liked those shoes. He said he did, but I think he said he got them after the Chicago Marathon (October) and only had about 70 miles on them - indoor. I can't imagine those shoes feel good to run in outide, but I've never tried them. And since my toes were numb from cold being all together in my sock, I know my toes would fall off in this weather if I attempted to try those things.

About mile 4, I decide to ditch my handwarmers. NO, people, I was not the one who dropped theirs in the road, I waited until an aid station before I pitched them. And yes, I still had 2 pairs of gloves on at this point. On we go, and I don't think I'm taking in enough fluid, but I don't want to take off my gloves to get the water yet I don't want the water to spill on my gloves to get them wet, so I'm skipping more aid stations than I should. By mile 6, my hands are cold and I wish I hadn't trashed those handwarmers! (you can buy a box of these at Costco for a very reasonable price!).

The hills keep coming and I remember one of them being called "10 mile hill". It was just before mile 10. Very original. The pace is now slowing a little, but overall still faster than I anticipated this run to go. I am tiring up the hills a little, but the downhills are my friend. I pass many people going downhill...the same ones that pass me going uphill. Flats seemed kinda equal, but not much passing being done this late in the race.

I remember one of the garages being painted in hot pink and brown - I don't know why it reminded me of the Brady Bunch, but the garage door is now painted all brown. I couldn't help but start singing the Brady Bunch song, "Here's a story, about a man named Brady..." Thought it would get some laughs, but I think these people were pretty tired. It was quiet on that course.

On toward the end, I give it a little sprint. Not much. If you've ever seen me sprint, you know what I mean. It was time for the race to be done. We didn't hang out more than a few minutes before heading inside to change out of the wet clothes. It became apparent just how cold it was when you were standing around after the race.
A good, solid effort to kick off the racing season!

Running and Eating

Well, it seems that runners like to eat! Who knew that when we announced a Chili Cook off to take place immediately after our regularly scheduled Monday night run, we'd have a full house and more chili than I've ever seen all together in one place?



Come for the run, stay for the chili?

Luna Chix Chili Cook Off - March 15th!

Chili Cook-Off

Hosted by the Chicago Triathlon Team LUNA Chix


Calling all Chili Chef’s! Come join the Chicago Triathlon Luna Chix and Runners Grove for a Chili Cook-off! We will be hosting our regular 6:30pm Monday run, followed by a Chili Cook-off! Bring your favorite prepared chili recipe on Monday, March 15th to Runners Grove to be tasted by our world-class experts! Prizes will be given to the top three chili recipes! Even if you aren’t a runner, come join us as a chili chef or chili taster for this fun-filled event!


WHEN: Monday, March 15, 2010, 6:30 pm Run, 7:30 pm Chili Tasting

WHERE: Runners Grove, 5155 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515

COST: $10.00 for Tasters ONLY, $5.00 for Tasters/Cookers.
All proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund

PLEASE RSVP to: chicagotri@teamlunachix.com or 708-466-2379.

REFRESHMENTS: The outstanding chili; drinks provided!

Keepin' it Clean

A few weeks ago, I received a package of TriSwim products. The samples included some shampoo, conditioner, lotion and body gel. There was also a sample of Foggle - an anti-fog towelette and TriSlide - body lube (get your mind out of the gutter, it's for putting on a wetsuit!).

Though I haven't had a chance to try the TriSlide yet seeing as there isn't much going on in the way of triathlon here in the midwest this time of year, but I've been using the other products on a regular basis. Outstanding!

Like most midwesterners, the combination of chlorine and cold, dry air in the winter months leave the skin like the sahara desert - dry and cracked. The hair? Brittle straw. With a little help from these products by SBR, you can get a handle on keeping your hair skin healthy, particularly through wintertime.

For those of you who swim on the Lincoln Way Masters, you've been able to check out a few of the samples I've passed out through various workouts and, of course, our Swim-A-Poolooza, the swim endurance challenge! For those of you I don't see often, you can check here on where you can buy these great products. They work. Check them out. Stop complaining you smell like chlorine.

I kinda like the smell of chlorine...

Team Trakkers in 2010

This year, I've been fortunate enough to earn a spot on Team Trakkers! For those of you unfamiliar with the Trakkers product, it's a GPS device used by athletes so their spectators can follow them online getting live updates throughout the event. One of the reasons I was interested in being a part of this team (other than being associated with some of the most talented athletes in the country!) was the complaint my friends had during my last Ironman race. Apparently the first bike split didn't come in until I was past mile 73. MILE 73! So for over half the time I was on the bike, my friends and family at home were wondering what was going on. Did I flat? Was I just having a bad day? Where the heck was I? Having a Trakkers unit on would have allowed these people to know exactly where I was and be able to predict very closely when I'd be heading back in to transition.

With this team comes a lot of prestige and other very cool, top notch sponsors! Trakkers is also associated with Rev3. In fact, if anyone is interested in participating in one of the Rev3 events, you can use this discount code to receive $10.00 off your entry: Trakkers123. I have heard fantastic reviews of the Rev3 race that took place last year. You can visit the Rev3 website for a video of highlights: Rev3

The 2010 season will be upon us soon, so now is the time to start planning which races and events you will be registering for. While I didn't plan to do 3 Ironman events in 10 weeks, that's what happened. Who knows what's on the agenda for 2010. If you have ideas/thoughts/suggestions, please share. Let's hope 2010 is as fun as 2009!

The Goofy Challenge Race Report

I had no idea what I was getting myself in for when I signed up for the Goofy Challenge last January! Living in Chicago, the idea of heading to Orlando, FL for a run in January sounds like heaven. It was not to be.

Our flight was scheduled for Thursday morning. I awoke to the sound of my cell phone alerting me of a text - our flight was cancelled because of the snow storm. We were able to get on a flight later in the day! However, this flight had a layover in Ohio. The weather in Ohio was worse than it was here in Chicago and we sat on that plane on the runway for at least two hours. We finally arrived at our resort around 9pm. This means it took me longer to get to Orlando than it took for me to get to Hawaii! Go figure.

Getting to Orlando that late meant we missed the expo and packet pick up. It was very late when we got to sleep - and we lost an hour for the time change. It would not be fun getting up in the morning for the 5K on Friday. Oh well, it's only a 5K.

Hopped on a bus, got to packet pick up and everything ran smoothly. It was a chilly 41 degrees and I was concerned about the temperature. We spotted some unused porta potties, headed over there and then made our way to the corrals. It was a MESS! People squashed every which way and the corrals were not big enough to fit everyone. Athletes were pushing and shoving to try to get to corrals that wouldn't hold more people. Some were downright rude. This event wasn't even timed, so I questioned the need to move up front. They had the character from "Up" on stage and that was fun, but I had no idea what this movie was about. The race started - we ran, we laughed, we had fun, we ran through the parks and it was a blast. I tried to pace myself slow enough so I wouldn't sweat. I didn't want to be wet. The finish was uneventful with little bags with an orange, some raisins and a blueberry muffin in each.

Back to the room, shower and off to the expo. When you stay at a resort at Disney, it's convenient to use the park transportation. They took us everywhere we needed to be - no thinking required. The expo was a cluster - lots and lots of people crammed into space not meant for so many. I think many people missed the expo on Thursday due to all the flight cancellations - this made the expo a zoo. Very meticulous process to be doing the Goofy Challenge, including a separate wrist band - they want to be very sure that you meet the requirements for this challenge and that huge medal, or so I thought.

Expo took longer than expected which meant for a late lunch - which gave us little time to nap (still dragging from lack of sleep the night before) and grab some dinner. Dinner was great, back to try and sleep and I find I can't. I tossed and turned and I felt like I slept about 30 minutes before I had to get up at 3am to catch a 3:40am bus for the half marathon. It was colder than the day before. And sleeting. Oh well, it's only a half marathon.

Now they changed things up - gear check was now by alphabet vs. number (I still don't understand why they do this). Cold, windy and sleet - and no protection from the elements as we waited the almost 2 hours before the race started. We saw the fireworks marking the start of the race as we were still headed to the corrals. No rush, we weren't going for time today. I was happy to have remembered to bring hand warmers today, but wished I could do something about my freezing toes.

The run was ok, but the sleet never stopped. My feet were wet and cold before we started and never warmed up. The course gets narrow in many places and has some sharp turns. Definitely not a course to try and run fast for that would be very frustrating. It was fun to run through the parks and see the characters, but I didn't want to carry a camera for the run. Even if I did, I wouldn't have stopped for pictures for fear I would get cold. Seemed to be lots of Ironman athletes there - as marked by hats, tattoos and jackets. Yes, this is an event for the endurance athlete!

After the race, I hustled through the water/food line, through gear check, said goodbye to BC and headed for my bus. I was cold down to the core. Unfortunately, I had to wait about 30 minutes (which seemed like FOREVER) for a bus to arrive to take us back to the resort. I was just shivering and wondering how long one can shiver before something bad happens. Once on the bus, I felt better, but I couldn't wait for the shower! My feet were blue by the time I got in the shower - and the hot shower felt great!! But even after drying my hair and getting dressed, I couldn't get warm. OK, let's try some hot chocolate. Nope, still not warm. I put on another couple layers of clothes and hopped in bed with 2 blankets and the comforter over me. After about 45 minutes - I was finally warm!

This day went much more smoothly without the hassle of heading back to the expo! Lunch was more on time and we picked up dinner while we were there to make sure we could eat on our own time and get in a decent nap. This trick worked well and we even had some time to watch several episodes of Entourage!

Up again at 3am, catch the bus at 3:45am. This time, the line for the bus was LONG! I thought there were LESS participating in the marathon, but it didn't feel like it. This day was even COLDER than the previous day, but at least it was dry! I had 4 layers on and the mylar blanket from yesterday's half marathon. You got it, I was still cold. My toes were numb before the start. Got to the corrals ahead of time and was able to stand there a few minutes before the fireworks went off. Still didn't plan on running fast...let's just do this to get the bling!

The beginning of the race was the usual starting and stopping. There were a lot of garbage bags and throw away shirts/sweatshirts all over the course. I'll never understand why people don't make an effort to dump that stuff along the sides of the course! It was chilly and my handwarmers were doing the trick. I had not one, but two throwaway items - one long-sleeved t-shirt and one battered sweatshirt. At the first aid station, the water and Powerade was frozen in the cups. I was wishing they offered hot chocolate. At the second aid station, the water people were spilling on the ground was freezing and runners were wiping out all over the place. It was difficult to watch as some people went down hard. It was also very difficult to navigate around the slippery spots because you couldn't see them until you started sliding!

I took off the sweatshirt around mile 4 and then the long sleeved shirt came off around mile 7, but I was afraid to toss it. The wind would sometimes kick up and give me a chill. We made a few porta potty stops that seemed to have long lines. Maybe it was just taking people a long time to get the layers off to actually use the bathroom! By mile 10 or 11, they were finally putting sand on the ice at the aid stations and that helped tremendously. I kept taking my headband off and putting it back on, never really getting comfortable. The sun didn't come out until mile...hmmm, maybe 14 or 15 and it gave a little warmth and it felt good!

Around mile 17, my toes unthawed - and then they hurt. They hurt so bad, I considered quitting. But what the heck, it's just a marathon! By mile 19, I wanted this race to be over with. I still had the hand warmers, but they didn't seem to be working any more. I finally tossed the long-sleeved shirt figuring the sun wasn't going anywhere, I won't need it. My legs were feeling heavy - I wasn't able to get in a single 20 mile run for this marathon, so I was now going to pay for it. I tried concentrating on cadence and short, quick steps to prevent the hamstring from acting up. I was passing many people but I wasn't going very fast.

Once back in the park, lots of sharp turns, narrow pathways and lots of things to look at. At one aid station, they gave away those mini candy bars - Hershey's Krunch, Mr. Goodbar, etc. The foil wrappers were blowing all over the place and I wondered if anyone considered the mess that would leave when they passed those out! I pushed on, my legs getting really tired and my quads begging me to stop. I didn't want to slow down, I just wanted it to be over with already!

The music was blasting loudly and as I made the same turn into the finish as the 5K and Half Marathon had, I knew it was just about over. Turn the corner and you can see the Finish banner. I smiled as I thought about how close I was to taking a nice, hot shower! Though the weather was not ideal, it was a good race and I am the proud owner of the Goofy Challenge bling!

Indoor Cycling Classes!

Indoor Cycling Class - December - March

Tired of riding alone in the basement on your trainer? Spin classes just not working for you?

Come join TRI SMART COACHING for Indoor Cycling classes this winter!

Each participant will need to bring a bike and trainer and fresh legs. Classes are designed on the principle of periodization and are created for triathletes and cyclists of all abilities. Attending regular classes will leave the athlete prepared to get out on the roads come spring!

Sign up HERE!

Not sure what to expect from an indoor trainer workout? Click HERE for a video on one of our latest classes! Participants of an indoor cycling class report that the time seems to fly by - so come on out and give it a try! Heart rate monitors are recommended, but not required. Team Tri Smart members receive discounted pricing!

Classes will run from December 20th through March 28th. NO CLASSES will be held on the following dates: 12/24, 12/31, 1/7, 1/10, 1/31, 3/21.



Sundays - arrive at 7:45am for set up - ride from 8:00am - 9:30am
Thursdays - arrive at 6:15pm for set up - ride from 6:30pm - 8:00pm

COST:

Full package (Pay for 20 sessions, get 3 free) - $309
Half-package (Pay for 10 sessions, get 1 free) - $154.50
Individual Session - $15.00

TEAM TRI SMART MEMBERS COST:

Full package (Pay for 20 sessions, get 3 free) - $206
Half-package (Pay for 10 sessions, get 1 free) - $103

Click HERE to register!

Ironman Florida 2009 Race Report

Though it was dark when I arrived to transition in the morning for this year's Ironman Florida, the time change the prior weekend meant the sun would be up shortly. I was pretty calm as I pumped my tires, put my nutrition on my bike and double-checked where my T1 and T2 bags were located. Unlike when I did this race 2 years ago, the change area was actually inside the building. Based on where my bike was located, it made for a lot of unnecessary running back and forth, which I was not very happy about. After a quick stop at the porta potty, it was time to head to the beach.

It was chilly out. Many of the athletes were bundled up in warm-up pants, sweatshirts and some had hats on. I kept my shoes and socks on for as long as I possibly could because that sand was very cold!

The sun shining felt good as I hoped I wouldn't freeze when I got out of the water and onto the bike. I went to line up in what is now my "usual" spot at Ironman races and took a few deep breaths. I had seen a huge jellyfish prior in the week and I tried to block that out of my head and focus on the task at hand! I don't think I was quite prepared as the cannon went off and we all started running into the water.

It felt like we had to run a long time to get to water deep enough to swim in. I don't remember this from 2 years ago, but it could have been the same. I wanted to make sure I didn't get tired from trying to run through knee-deep water. The frustrating part was that the water got deep enough to start swimming, but then there was a sand bar where everyone started to get up and walk again - this was just about 30-50 yards into the water.

Once we got going, the water was very comfortable. Making the first turn, however, I noticed myself being pulled up by what felt like huge waves. We were getting rocked all over the place and I wondered how people that get seasick would handle this. I had someone draft off me the entire first loop - I just couldn't shake him or her - they continually tapped my feet every 6-8 strokes. I thought about stopping and letting that person take the lead for a while! The entire last stretch, the waves hit from the right forcing me to breath to the left the entire way. Coming out of the water at the end of the first loop, we encountered that same sandbar, deep again, then shallow - I felt like I was walking entirely too much, but it was exhausting to try and dolphin dive that whole thing! The second loop was a little easier because it had broken up a bit. However, the chop seemed to be a little bit worse. It made me wonder how windy the bike was going to be.

Out of the water, I ran through the make-shift shower and into transition. The volunteers seemed to be a bit discombobulated as they scrambled to find my bag - I yelled my number just a few times before running over and grabbing my bag myself. A quick change, I wasn't as shaky as I normally am out of the water, and I went to get my bike. Got on over to the bike exit and started riding. I was pretty surprised that there were no "packs" on this first stretch out along the ocean. Everyone complains of drafting on this course, but I was pretty much riding alone on this section, with a guy passing me here or there. It was VERY hard to contain myself - this is a very easy course to overextend early so I fought with myself to hold myself back in these early miles.

It was about an hour into the ride when I realized I WAS NOT COLD! I think the air temp was 54 when we started the race. I thought for sure I was in for some chills until I dried off and it started to warm up. I didn't even think to bring arm warmers with me, but it seems I didn't need them anyway. The ride went very well. Sure, there were a few packs of riders that came by - probably about 40-50 miles in. I also saw a huge pack of drafters when there was this little out-and-back section. Sometimes I think you just get caught up in that, sometimes I think it's done blatantly. Whatever, I'm only focusing on me. There were a lot of guys that would pass me, slow down, I'd pass, they'd go by again, etc. I just focused on my steady effort and wished I could just get away from them...they always fall back...eventually.

I enjoyed this ride. I had such a bad ride in Kona that I was a bit nervous about how this ride would go for me, but I felt great throughout. There was a section we must've had a tailwind because I was flying with minimal effort. It felt like it lasted a long time, but I was mentally preparing for the headwind we were about to face on the way back into town. Over the bridge (the only somewhat-significant hill on the course) and then a left turn. And there it was, the headwind. I didn't stress, just put my head down, tucked in and rode within my watts. Wow, the pace slowed drastically! On this section, too, I jockeyed with one guy back and forth - very frustrating. He just wouldn't go away. By now I was very uncomfortable on the seat and it was painful to stay aero, but the effort was much greater if I tried to sit up.

I rode on in, happy to be off the bike and again, confusion with the volunteers and getting bags. I ran over to get my own bag, which was a bit troublesome because there were people and bags all over the place, and into the change area. I took my time and headed out for the run. Unfortunately, almost immediately, my hamstring started to bother me. This is the same hamstring that took me out of running for about 8 months. It started acting up during Louisville and I've been playing a dangerous game ever since. It was now I realized I had a decision to make. I could push through and really try to hammer this run and possibly knock myself out for the next 6-8 months - or I could ease up, limit my damage and still put together a decent race. I argued with myself the first few miles trying to decide what to do. What would I tell my athletes? I would tell them to back off - the injury isn't worth it. And though it was tough, I did it. I started to walk.

I kept on with a run/walk for the duration of the race. I started getting cold around mile 15 but I didn't bring anything warm to put on. The sun was starting to go down and the conditions for running were ideal. I kept on with my nutrition and tried to figure out how long it was going to take me to finish. It was dark before I got to mile 20. I decided then that I was going to pick it up a little. I was ready for this race to be over. Then I ran after mile 22, skipping the last several aid stations.

All in all, it was a good race. Yes, the run was slow, but I'm OK with that. It was an end to a very good season for me. I had even considered NOT doing this race simply because I was tired and my head was no longer in the game. I don't recommend 3 Ironman events in 10 weeks. I don't think it's good for you body and I know it's not good for the head! It wasn't planned that way, it's just how it happened. It will likely never happen again, but if it does - I'll handle it better next time.

Ironman World Championship - Kona, HI 2009

Just a few short days ago, I had the amazing opportunity to race in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI. It is the dream of so many athletes to be able to participate in this prestigious event. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to adequately describe how it feels to be among some of the most talented, disciplined and fastest triathletes in the world, but I'll try. There are so many things I thought about and experienced, but I'll keep this brief.

Because I had just less than 6 weeks to prepare for this event, and knowing what other things I have on my plate in the months ahead, I had no intentions of "killing" it during this race. I walked into the World Championship race with nothing more than a feeling of honor for being able to qualify and the confidence that I was ready to complete the distance. This took an enormous amount of pressure off myself - after all, I wanted to ENJOY this experience!

I didn't leave myself much time before the race to acclimate to the time change or weather - something that would prove a mistake later on. The roughly 50 degree temperature change from Chicago to Kona takes more than just a couple days to adjust to. One of the first things I did here was the "underwear run" that SO MANY people said I must do. Glad I did it, but boy was I hot. We were barely running (more like a fast walk) and sweat was just dripping from me. I was also a bit star-struck. There were pro triathletes running all over the place! Most were very cordial and friendly! The most disappointing experience was Chrissie Wellington - she seems so sweet and nice on TV. In person, not so much. Guess the true character comes out when the cameras are off.

For this race, I did something a little different than normal - I actually BOUGHT a couple of things at the "Official Ironman Store." Just a couple of things that said "Ironman World Championship" on them. Who knows if I'll ever make it back here - better get some things while I can. Went for a little swim-bike-run warm up and I realized how much I love swimming in the ocean. Many athletes complain of the salt water, but it really doesn't bother me. Sure, it gets in your mouth once in a while, but it's not revolting or anything. I could see so much! And the water was WARM! My last open water swim was in Louisville, where you couldn't see your hand right in front of your face. This was the complete opposite. I saw so many beautiful fish swimming around underneath me. Swam with this turtle for a little bit - very fun! Though I knew I wouldn't be seeing this on race day due to the thrashing about of 1800 other athletes.

The warm up bike ride was nice - hot, but the pavement has just been re-done and there are no bumps, potholes, rocks, cracks - NOTHING but smooth asphalt. What a fantastic change from what I'm used to riding! The air was thick, but as you ride, the wind cools you giving a false sense of comfort. I stashed the bike and started a short run. Now I could feel just how hot it was as was the heat coming up from the pavement. I needed to constantly remind myself to drink - I may have even gone into the race a little dehydrated because it was nearly impossible to keep up with my thirst.

Athlete check in was simple, as usual. Not much different than other races in terms of process. Friendly volunteers, but many of them were a little lost. One guy gave me 2 pink tickets. I asked what they were for. He said, "I don't know." WTF? I later found out they were to allow your family member(s) to come in the finish area - not to get on the course at the finish line, but to lounge around where the food and post-race photos were being taken.

I put a few of these comments on Facebook already, but in case you're not on Facebook, here's what I thought was pretty cool:
1. Athlete wristband was color coded by age group. Guess that's how they
handled the whole compression sock covering up the age group problem.
2. Hard, plastic number for your bike instead of a sticker (very cool!)
3. Normally, they give you a sheet of stickers to put on the various bags (T1, T2,
special needs, morning dry clothes, etc.). These stickers were already
affixed to the bags. Guess the talented athletes do not have time to do this
for themselves! ;)

Rest of it was pretty much the same. Day before the race, I went for another swim, then pretty much laid low. I was staying about a 15 minute drive from the start - which was great because Ironman athletes - especially these here in Kona - are a little uptight. I remained quite calm - I put no expectations on myself other than to try and remember everything I could about the experience.

Slept pretty good that night - race morning, I couldn't really take in the amount of calories I normally do. Transition opened at 4:45am. I think I got there around 5:15am. You must go get body marked before being allowed in transition - they stamped the numbers on your arms - fun! Tension was high, though. You could see the looks in the athlete's eyes - anxiety, nervousness, fear, excitement - all balled up into one. I got to my bike - oh yeah, you HAVE TO leave your helmet with your bike - cannot put it in your T1 bag. I think this is because there is not enough space with the way they have the bags hanging. But I didn't like it because I hate putting anything on my bike that could fall off. All you could see was aerohelmets - I think I might have seen 1 or 2 regular helmets. I put my nutrition on the bike, pumped up the tires, checked and re-checked the gears and brakes and then wanted to do a walk-through. However, you need an "escort" and it proved to be a PITA, so I just left transition. Guess I'll just follow everyone else when I get there.

Went to find a quiet place to hang out before the start - and did. It was a bit confusing how to get around there - every time you wanted to get from point A to point B, there was something blocking the most direct path. We were directed, redirected, routed and rerouted every time we went somewhere. I had no idea how long it was going to take me to get to the swim start, so I decided to head over early. The Navy Seals guys jumped out of a plane, the pros started and then there was the national anthem - no idea why they don't do this before the pros start.

I got to the water and immediately moved to the left. As strong of a swimmer as I am, with the best of the best here, I knew I'd get clobbered. I wanted to have the most peaceful swim possible to start the day. I went left. We treaded water for at least 15 minutes - many of the age groupers inching ahead of the Gatorade bottle start line. They kept yelling at them to back up, but the aggressive overachievers refused. It was frustrating. I met a friendly woman who qualified in Arizona last year - her attitude was awesome and she seemed just as happy as I was to be here. I looked back at the crowd that had lined the shoreline - amazing. I had tears in my eyes as I remembered how hard I worked to get here and how truly special it is to be able to compete in this event. Here was my pay off.

The gun went off and we started swimming! One of the most gentle Ironman starts I've ever experienced! It was great - for about 200 yards. Then the boats kept pushing us to the right - they wouldn't let me go as wide as I wanted, so I was forced to swim with the pack. It got violent. It was a very wise decision to safety pin my chip strap - even with that, I still felt it being ripped off my ankle. I was hit from both sides over and over and over again. I swam with my head out of the water to avoid being kicked in the faced. I tried to move left - blocked. I tried to move right - blocked. At one point I just stopped swimming and stuck my elbows out as far as I could to the left and the right just to create my own space. I wondered if I was going to drown. I gasped for breath and tried not to fight back. I was being pushed under by the arm strokes of other swimmers on both sides of me. I tried not to do the same thing to the other swimmers. My watch was just about pulled off my wrist (I didn't notice until the run how damaged it got). This went on for what seemed like forever and I despised that the most favorite part of my race was turning into a fight for survival.

We made the first turn and I went very, very wide. Aaahhhhh....peace. I was away from the other swimmers, so I caught my breath and found my rhythym. The water was the most amazing blue - there was not a single swimmer now on my left and I was happy again. Then I started to feel some chafing under my left arm. It really started to sting because of the salt water. I wondered how bad it was getting and I wanted to stop moving my arm so the stinging would stop. I knew I just had to suck it up - it was going to hurt until I got out of the water. I wasn't even half-way yet.

After the next turn, other swimmers started getting closer to me. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had enough of the "fun" of getting beat up by the pack. There was this guy who was swimming all crooked - as soon as I'd pass him, he'd speed up and pass me back - only to go all crooked again and I'd pass him again. It wouldn't have bothered me except that he was swimming right in my path each time and I'd have to jockey around him. I had people CONSTANTLY hitting my feet and, try as I might, I couldn't keep from getting agitated. I kept thinking to myself "GET OFF!" and then give a couple of aggressive kicks. But the toe tapping would continue....guess I'm an easy target to draft from because I don't kick much, but people, STOP HITTING ME! I hate people touching me! GRRR!

I was near the swim finish and those stairs they have in the water are tricky - everyone seemed to be tripping up them, including myself. They had hoses hanging with fresh water running through them and I stopped just long enough to spray my face and rinse off the armpit where the chafing was - it felt so good when the stinging stopped. Here's what sucked - I was running to my bag and was being PUSHED left and right by the men. No "excuse me" or "sorry", these guys were purposely pushing me forward, left, right, whatever. I think they should put in a new rule - no TOUCHING anyone running through transition. I yelled at one guy to stop pushing me - I followed it up with, "Not like you're going to win, anyway." I got a nice finger in response - that made me laugh.

No help from volunteers in transition, but it went smoothly. Got to my bike and see that my helmet had been repositioned. Yep, someone obviously knocked it off my bike and put it back on - the very reason I never put my helmet ON my bike in races! Well, guess I was glad someone put it back. Transition seemed long - it wasn't really long, but they forced you to go the longest way possible each time you went in and out - I suppose to make it fair - but it seemed goofy. Got out on the course and - UH OH - I forgot sunscreen. Usually, they have people outside the changing tents yelling it - and ready to apply! Not here - I hoped this wasn't going to be a problem, I couldn't worry about it now.

It wasn't 5 minutes before I saw a group of 5 guys blatantly drafting off one another. Are you kidding me? This is the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP race - why the heck are you DRAFTING?? And they continued to draft for as long as I could see them ride off. I was so disappointed - there was a lot more of this in the miles and hours to come. I did see lots of officials and lots of people getting penalties, but still...draft for about 20-30 miles and get a 4 min penalty? You still have an advantage. Maybe they need to make the penalties a little more stiff. I had a lot of guys pass me and cut over just too close - why do they do that? None of the women ever seem to cut over so recklessly, but it's like the men feel like they have something to prove. It's a big road, you can wait until your back wheel passes my front wheel before you cut over, tough guy (or DB).

Bike started out fine, but it was hillier than I expected. Not like Louisville hills - but these long stretches of gradual uphill. I'd be pushing out reasonable effort and would look down just to see 8mph - FOREVER. There was a cool section of black lava rock that had all these smaller white rocks spelling out names or words of encouragement. Biggest bummer was that the water on the course was not cold. And I couldn't seem to keep myself hydrated. I was drinking and drinking, but remained very, very thirsty. I saw my shorts and compression socks COVERED with salt. Not just a few salt stains - white could have been the new color of my shorts and compression socks - not kidding. I was taking Endurolytes, but I guess not enough of them. This was the first time I'd used Endurolytes all year. Just never got hot enough this summer!

As the bike went on, it got windy. Brutal wind. No matter which way you turned, it just seemed to hinder my progress. The cross-wind was tough - I had a tough time controlling the bike in a few sections. I wondered how the tiny girls don't get blown right off their bikes. I was uncomfortable on my seat. I wondered if it had slipped again because I could not find the right position. I felt like I was up and out of the seat way too much, but I was just miserable in the aero position. As the miles ticked by, I got more and more discouraged. My shoulders were now feeling the pain of the sun, my female parts did not want to be on the seat any more and my pace was slowing drastically. I tried to enjoy the scenery, but I gotta tell ya, not much to look at. I was out there so much longer than planned, I ran out of nutrition and Endurolytes. It's one of the loneliest races I've ever done. No spectators - just aid stations. Had this not been Kona, I might've quit. It was not fun.

Happiness was getting off the bike. I now took my time in transition - very slowly, methodically taking the time to get comfortable, cool down (a volunteer put a cool towel on my back - my shoulders were in heaven!), and slapped on the sunscreen. Unfortunately, it was a bit late for that. I started running and immediately was too hot. My heartrate shot up, I felt winded even though I wasn't running fast and then I started feeling a little dizzy. I stopped to walk - I had to calm down. Sweat was pouring off my head and face - I walked to the first aid station where I got a sponge to cool off - and I was elated that the sponge was doused with COOL water! It was a tremendous relief. I took in more calories than usual - I had run out on the bike a while ago, I knew I was down on energy. I continued to walk for about another quarter of a mile and then felt OK to run/shuffle. I could feel the heat coming up off the street. This first section of the run had a few spectators - people in front of their condos, cheering on friends - LOTS and LOTS of people riding bikes next to their athlete friends, cheering them on. A few more miles and I started feeling better. I ate an orange and it was like the best orange I ever had!! I now just wanted to finish and conserve. At this point, I decided to conserve. I didn't want to come out of this race too beat up to train for the next one, so I did a little run/walk that I had been thinking about doing ever since I signed up for this race. The sponges were key in keeping me cooled off.

The course lead you back through the town - with all the spectators - then back on, um, I think it's the Queen K - a very long, lonely, hot stretch of road. It seemed to go on FOREVER. I was doing a little more running now, but not fast. It was cooling off a little and I would get goosebumps when the wind would gust. Why does my body have such a small window of comfortability?? Did I mention the course was lonely? Not only is there really not much to look at, but there are NO SPECTATORS anywhere! Just aid stations. I was moving so slowly, I felt like I was going to be one of the last people to finish. Oh, I knew I'd make the time cut-off, but I had so many cyclists pass me - and now the runners were doing the same thing. I was passing no one.

I got to the Energy Lab as the sun was setting. I turned into it and the view was amazing. Absolutely gorgeous. No one told me how pretty this was - then again, most people were done with this section WAY BEFORE the sun started going down! Later, I was told it was 104 degrees in the Energy Lab. I was almost to mile 18 and I saw the special needs section. WHAT?? OK, not a problem for me since I didn't have a special needs bag, but mile 18?? Why wouldn't they put this at mile 13 where it belongs? I'd be so bummed if I had to wait until mile 18 for my special needs stuff!

Inspiration Station was a joke. Just a couple girls giggling and talking to themselves, music playing was less than inspirational. I'm trying to remember the best Inspiration Station I ever passed - think it was Coeur d'Alene...the guy there was just cheering and yelling and playing some real upbeat music. Now I compared all Inspiration Stations to that and, unfortunately, they are all falling short! Guess I didn't realize just how good that guy was at the time. Just after that, there were the...uh...fire eater guys? They were twirling their fire sticks and then blowing huge flames from their mouths. Quite a sight, but again - if I had been faster, I'd never have seen this - so good and bad that I was able to see it.

Now the sun has set and I'm on the way back in - about 6 more miles to go. I decide to run the rest of the way. It's getting cooler now and I'm comfortable, but found a new problem. I can't see! It got SO DARK on that street - I could see little glow necklaces, but nothing else. There were still a few athletes coming the other way (cool, I'm NOT going to be last!), but I didn't see them until we almost ran into each other. It was ridiculously dark! Did I mention it was lonely? Quiet. Very quiet. At many points, I could only hear myself breathing and the shuffle of my feet on the pavement. I had a hard time reading the mile markers. I could see they were there, but I no longer could read what numbers were on them - so I had to guess. These things were just a couple feet away from me and I could not read them. Like I said, SCARY dark!

Finally, oh but finally, I got back into town and they had streetlights. There were now a few spectators - I think I was near mile 25. I saw Sally and she cheered for me, but I couldn't even muster up a smile. I so wanted this to be over. I had to concentrate hard on not tripping over my own two feet. The last mile seemed to go on and on - turn left, then right, then curve around...ok, now I knew where I was in relation to the finish. There were more spectators here and there were chalk messages on the street - though it was too dark to actually read any of them. Then I could hear the announcer...now I knew I was close. OK, don't trip down the finish chute! People held out their hands for some hi-5s and I weakly slapped their hands as I ran by. I tried to smile as I ran down the finish, but I was wiped. I just want to be done. Then I heard my name being called and was able to throw up my arms and smile as I crossed the finish line. Totally beat up, but I made it. I just completed the Ironman World Championship 2009!

Ironman Louisville 2009 Race Report

Most of the crew was heading down to Louisville on Thursday, so I decided having one extra day down in Louisville and hang out with my fellow Ironman (and Ironman-wannabes) friends would be a good idea. Athlete check-in for this race was a little bit like a game of pin ball. We bounced from one table to another, doing just one little task at each instead of taking care of everything at once as my other Ironman events have been. It was a bit frustrating, but the lines did seem to move quickly. I scooted right through the expo as I have a rule not to buy any event merchandise until after I FINISH the event.

The next day, a group of us headed down for a little swim-bike-run race warm up. I slipped on my new skinsuit and jumped in the water. Much warmer than I expected! I quickly jumped on BC's toes - and despite an expert drafter, kept hitting him because the water was so dark that even though his feet were just inches in front of me, I could not see them. This would be a critical thing to know during the swim portion of the event. Once out of the water, we did a quick run and hopped on our bikes for a very short ride. The roads in Louisville do not have a shoulder and the motorists do not seem very enthused with sharing the roads with cyclists. We were buzzed several times, including by a semi. Enough riding.

The day before the race, more spectator friends arrived but I didn't see much of them. I tried to keep to myself and be focused for the day. I felt amazingly calm and prepared for this weekend's event. Went down to drop off my bike and transition bags only to be forced to have an "escort" take me to my place on the bike rack. It was very distracting as I wanted to find the routes through the transition I would take the next day and my escort just kept chatting away. Did not like the fact that they would not let me in there to just do my thing by myself so I could focus.

All local restaurants were PACKED forcing us out of town for a dinner that ended up being a little later than planned. Back to the room, I laid out everything for the morning and went to sleep. Surprisingly, I DID sleep! Woke up at 4am, time to chow, despite not being hungry. Met BC down in the lobby and walked over to transition. Ran into more of the south side crew and we shared some laughs as we finished the walk to transition. Once inside, pumped up the bike tires, put my fuel on the bike, a quick stop for BC to drop off special needs bags and we were walking to the swim start.

Body marking was smooth and quick as they had plenty of volunteers lined up for duty. Quick stop at the porta potty and we went to find our spot in the long line of athletes lined up to get in the water. HOLY COW - this line kept going and going and going. Here we were, more than an hour before the race was to start, but all these people made it a point to get in line early for the swim. I refused to sacrifice sleep to get in line early and now I was questioning my decision. The line seemed like it went on forever. I don't think there were more than 100 athletes behind us in line - this meant 2900-ish athletes were getting in the water before me. This could be trouble. But it was too late to worry about it and there was no way I was cutting in line (even though I think it could've easily been accomplished).

We sat on the cold concrete sidewalk for about 40 minutes before the pros started and the line moved a bit. It was kind of like a marathon start, where everyone runs a few steps, then abruptly stops, then people run again, etc. It was about 7:36 when I finally crossed the mat and jumped in the water. Sighting was difficult with the angle of the sun, but I felt like I had to look a LOT because there were a lot of people in front of me and I also knew that I could easily get kicked in the face because you couldn't see anything in the water until you were right on top of it. We came to the turn at the end of the island and people were standing. That's right, STANDING. They were walking through this portion of the swim, kicking up muck from the bottom. The water turned really cold, then really warm and we rounded the turn back into the main part of the river. I went wide to avoid the traffic but found myself WAY too wide. I spent what seemed like a lot of time trying to get back closer to the shoreline. The swim felt long and when I got out of the water and hit my watch, I about panicked. This was about 9 minutes longer than any other Ironman I've ever done. What the heck happened here? I am like CLOCKWORK when it comes to the swim! Could the course be long? Strong current? Were everyone's times slow? I didn't have time to think about it. I just hoped it didn't mean I was going to have an "off" day.

I ran to transition, picked up my transition bag (volunteers were there, but not really helping anyone by handing them bags as I've experienced in the past), and ran into the tent. There were many other athletes in there, again, something I'm not used to - no volunteer help again, so I methodically put the items on in the order I pulled them out of the bag. One quick look around to make sure I left nothing behind. I then stuffed my skinsuit, cap and goggles in my bag, placed it in the pile with the others and went out to find my bike. As I ran to the mount line, I was already worried about how cold I was going to be on the bike, but I didn't even bring arm warmers, so I just needed to suck it up. Got to the line, watched athletes on both sides of me struggle to get on their bikes with shoes clipped in (WHY do athletes do this when they've not practiced it??!??), jumped on my bike and headed out on the roads of Louisville.

The right side of the road is a little rough the first few miles. The road was congested with other cyclists, but I knew once we hit some hills, this would break up. We rode through some very pretty tree-covered streets before making a left turn onto a busier street. Soon I got to the part of the course I had ridden in my training. I was constantly reminding myself to slow down, but I was feeling great. We got to the out and back (the "finger") and I prepared myself for the challenge ahead. This section of the course is pretty tough and dangerous. The hills are decent and the declines get you moving with some speed. And, as usual, there are always the guys that like to jockey with you. They'd fly by me up a hill only to have me re-pass them on the downhill or flat section. I like to count how many times we go back and forth before they fall back and stay back. It helps pass the time. This section was shady and I was pretty cold. I knew, though, once out of this section, I'd have a good amount of sun warming me up!

Smooth and relaxed I rode, keeping high cadence, focusing on taking in my nutrition at the intervals I set for myself. First pass through LaGrange, where we get the majority of the spectators, I quickly tried to scour both sides of the street to see if I could spot any familiar faces. Disappointed, I rode right through the town seeing no one I knew. The sharp left on Ballard School Road brings on some nice challenges. All the athletes got quiet and I take the opportunity while spinning up hill to get out of the aero position (not out of the saddle) and stretch out a bit.

I pass by the familiar gas station on the corner (the one that is especially nice to cyclists and even offers us free ice!) and I know I'm nearing the end of the first loop. Temperature is perfect, though now I start to notice the wind. I'm so directionally challenged, I have no idea if this will make it harder or easier for the next loop. Second pass through LaGrange, I manage to see the saint and Schabel waving to me. I smile and give them the thumbs up so they know I'm feeling good.

I was excited to get back on to the busy street that means I'm on my way back into Louisville. I am now extremely uncomfortable on my bike seat and though my legs are feeling strong, I find myself standing and coasting a lot to give myself a little relief. I was told the way back in was a slight downhill - I like slight downhill (who doesn't?), so I took advantage of this and focused on keeping steady power to the pedals. I was conserving a bit for the run because it's always been a challenge for me to hold it together in Iron distance races. Feeling pretty good, but really want to get off this bike now.

Another quick stop in transition, this time a volunteer handed me my bag and another ran into transition with me. She took my helmet and tried to help me, but there really wasn't much she could help with besides taking my helmet and cycling shoes. I packed all my nutrition in my back pocket, grabbed my visor, took a quick look around and headed out on to the run course. Immediately, something wasn't right with my right foot. It hurt every step. I think my feet got a little too cold on the bike and it went numb for a while. The feeling was coming back, but not in a good way. I wondered if I was going to be able to run. As this was happening, my legs felt heavy - heavy like they did in Arizona. When I did Ironman Arizona, the legs felt heavy from the first step of that marathon and that lasted for the whole 26.2. Thankfully, this was not the case at Louisville. After about a mile, I started to get a rhythym and it felt good. I was getting passed left and right, but tried to stay focused and slowed myself down. This time, I saw him and Ramsey yelling to me as I was running. I turned a couple corners and heard them yelling down the street. It was echoing down the street lined with tall buildings and I had to laugh at the sight of them running, yelling after me. It gave me a good little boost as I headed out on the run course.

As soon as mile 7, I started gaining on some of those runners that flew by me in the first couple of miles. I simply held my pace. I jockeyed with a woman in an age group younger than me, but she really didn't want to chat. I had a hard time trying to remember when I was supposed to take my gels. I took water at every aid station, whether I was taking a gel or not. Sometimes, they'd give me warm water and I'd have to chase down a cup of ice. Some aid stations, they seemed to just be holding out Gatorade and the people handing out water were too busy pouring more water into cups, so I'd have to run to the table to get the water. I knew I was dehydrated and it was a challenge to try and get in enough water without filling my stomach with too much fluid.

I looked for more spectator friends because I KNEW they were out there, but didn't see anyone. It was good to see BC heading out on the run but he was too far back. I was hoping he would catch me so I'd have some company. I saw Shoemaker a little after that and we exchanged a couple words. Saw some interesting things on the first loop of the run: spectator sitting in his front yard with his parrot in a cage on his lap, a dude running with a blue furry chicken on his head and then - a guy that looked like he was running in a skinsuit. Yes, the kind I had on during the swim. He was running in it. Not sure if my eyes were deceiving me, but it definitely caught my attention. What was his deal?

Came on in to finish the first loop and lots of spectators lined the course on both sides of the block we ran completely around. Just by luck, he was able to get this quick shot of me heading back out on loop two, still feeling pretty good. At this point, it was about Mile 14 and I decided I was running too fast. I knew I could not keep this pace for the rest of the run so I purposely slowed down. I saw Peck who said he felt tight, but he smiled and was determined to get this thing done. Came up on Pat who was clipping along and yelling after me, "You'll never make it!!" Laughing was using up my breath!! As I ran, I watched as I unintentionally slowed my pace even more. Now I'm starting to hurt and I'm wondering why I am killing myself out here. I forced myself to pick up the pace, though it wasn't by much.

I started counting down the miles: 8 more to go, 7 more to go, now just a 10K. I forced myself to keep running despite my legs screaming at me to stop with just 5 miles to go. My quads were aching and I was worried as I felt the onset of a cramp coming on. A guy running near me sounded like he had a metronome, but no, it was some pill or something he was carrying in a plastic container that was bouncing around with every step making a REALLY LOUD clicking noise! It was annoying, but I couldn't run fast enough to get away from him! The last time I passed by "Inspiration Station" it seemed the inspiration girls needed a little inspiring themselves. They had lost a lot of the energy and enthusiasm they had the first couple times I passed through there. Now just less than 4 miles to go - do I need to take another gel? Just do it, you have it with you and it certainly can't hurt! Besides, then you don't have to carry it any more!

Saw Mel looking strong on her run and BC giving me some much needed words of encouragement. I started coming in back to where all the spectators were gathered and I could now hear the crowd. I was checking my watch and blinking because I was sure I was seeing things. Could I really be finishing this thing in under 11 hours?? I heard Bill yell to me - I heard Anna yell to me - and then I made that turn where it was a straight few blocks into the finish. And there was Mel, yelling, cheering, running and trying to get my picture. I couldn't help but smile as I had looked for her and all my other spectator friends all day and had seen no one. It was go great to see her out there, cheering for us - and I was about to wrap the day up with a breakthrough performance. I was trying to remind myself to smile as I crossed the finish and once again, I heard it - pronounced CORRECTLY this time - "MJ SLIKAS, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"