Steelhead Race Report

My first 70.3 really wasn't even a 70.3! Yes, of course I've done other Half Ironman races, but this year's Steelhead Triathlon was technically my first "70.3". In the last few years, I've purposely chosen races that were NOT "70.3". But this isn't the post for that, I'll get to that another day.

On Saturday, after we did our training ride, we were on our way to drop off the bikes in transition when a storm rolled in. The winds picked up, stuff started blowing all over the place and my short little Kestrel was just hanging on the rack,
too small to reach the pavement. With the wind, I knew it wouldn't stay up there, so I opted to bring the bike back to the hotel and bring it in the morning. After all, rack space was pre-assigned, so I figured I'd be good. The wind was blowing the sand so strongly as we made our way back to the car, it felt like we were getting a microderm abrasion treatment! Unfortunately, all that sand stuck to my legs and some got in my mouth. Ick.

Dinner took too long that night, but we were still back at the hotel at a decent time and went to sleep pretty early. Of course, nerves won't let me sleep in and I woke up before the alarm. I quickly gathered my things and we were some of the first people showing up to the parking lot. A long walk with the bikes to transition and before we make it to body marking we learn the swim has officially been cancelled. WHAT? You're kidding. It's not a "triathlon" without the swim! The news disappoints me and sucks some of my motivation to really try to RACE. I decide that if my training buddy decides, forget it, let's skip this and go home, I'll go. It's dark, cloudy, very windy and I don't even get to do my favorite part of the race. We get body marked (what a cluster!) and head into transition. I just threw my stuff down and wondered what to do. Now we were WAY early and they were not even closing transition.

Now the race is a time trial bike start (3 seconds between competitor) and then the run. No 70.3 here. Oh, but the Age Group winners still get slots to the 70.3 Championships. Doesn't seem fair. So if you're a really crappy swimmer but are good at the bike and run and want to get to the championships, go enter a 70.3 that might have the swim cancelled. There's your chance! And that's yet ANOTHER blog post...I digress.

As the sun came up and I saw the water, sure, it was a bit wavy. Didn't look too bad, but I guess they can't take the risk. I get that. Still disappointed, but I get it. So now how do I focus on trying to make this a good race? And at the very least, a solid training day. We headed out for a warm up run that really wasn't good or long enough because of all the people milling about. I didn't feel it would help one way or another, but it was a way to pass time.

I put on my bike shoes, helmet and must've changed my sunglasses 4-5 times. Is it sunny? No, too cloudy. Will it get sunny? Should I use the dark lenses? No, the orange ones. Wait, no, too dark, ok get the clear ones. Wait, here comes the sun, get the dark lenses out again. It was super windy and all I had was my disc wheel. I didn't even bring the other one. Oops. I'll just deal with it. We waited as they started the age groupers off every 3 seconds. Made some friends with the other ladies whose numbers were around mine. Saw lots of friends while waiting.

Off we go - anti-climactic start with no spectators, but what can you do? I ride for about 10 minutes before I try to find my groove. Within the first 15-20 minutes I realize I'm riding way too fast. This is not where I should be. I'm breathing too hard. My legs are working too hard. Oh, but in the back of my mind I am thinking about all the time I have to make up for there being no swim! If I could just make up those minutes on the bike...wait, what am I thinking? That's so silly! But at this point, this race doesn't mean much, so let's just see how much it takes to blow MJ up. Let's keep this pace and see if I can hang on for the run. If I can't, I don't lose anything anyway...

So I fight for every mph I can get. Every time I felt myself starting to coast I looked at the clock and tried to figure out how much further ahead I was of my predicted (SMART) time. I wondered if I was digging myself into a hole that I would regret being in on the back half of the run... I was glad I had armwarmers and toe covers on. It was chilly. I had to remind myself to drink. I just wasn't thirsty. The winds whipped my bike around a couple of times, but overall, the disc was a good decision for the day. Due to the time trial start, I witnessed very little drafting, if at all. Then again, I saw no officials, so it wouldn't have mattered.

Mile 36 of the ride and I see my favorite abandoned RV and think of the training day we had out there. I had to smile. It was one of those rides you'll never forget. And wonder what possessed you to continue riding in those ridiculous conditions. Back on to M63, the final stretch of the bike, and I poured it on. It is my favorite part of the ride. I counted the minutes and we had a sweet tailwind that made this last section really fun! At the end of the ride, there was a sharp turn
into the park...WAIT! ON TO THE SIDEWALK? WTF! NO! This sucks! It was narrow, you couldn't pass anyone, the banners were blowing across the very narrow sidewalk that was actually the course, the turns were too sharp to maintain any sort of speed. Oh, yeah, I did not like the finish to the ride.

Once in transition, it was THE LONGEST TRANSITION EVER! Ugh, I got tired of running with my bike! I quickly whipped off my helmet and armwarmers, switched shoes and grabbed my hat, gels and visor and took off. OK...let's see how the legs hold up! Right away, I was chilly. My toes were numb from the ride - yeah, I know it wasn't that cold, that's just what happens to me! They warmed up by mile 3. Running along, a decent hill at the first turn...had a woman pass me with "52" on her calf. 52? WOW, lady, you're fast for an old chick...I know I was running sub 8s and she flew by me! Then I saw her other leg. Um, 52 was her PRO race number, not her age. Duh. No wonder why she was so fast! :)

Since the run was 2 loops, I didn't see a whole lot of our teammates. I started pretty early and I tried to pick up the second loop of the run when I was told there was a certain someone about 5 minutes ahead of me. Can I do it? I pushed. We went through the Whirlpool campus - a small, narrow path. First time through, piece of cake. Second time?? WAY TOO MANY people and tough to pass. Some people were trying to run 3 abreast. Really? I hate pushing past people like that, but I shouldn't be expected to slow down for that, either. I took in water at every aid station and most of it was consumed. I did miss a few gulps.

A big motivator was the Team Tri Smart Team Spectate! These are the cheering fans of Team Tri Smart and can be spotted with the bright, red shirts. Every time I saw a solid, red shirt, I looked. It was a huge boost to see these guys out there, cheering us on. On my second pass, I
pushed. I caught up to the only female who passed me on the bike. It felt good, though because she started behind me, I knew she was still beating me. I didn't stop to wave to the peeps, I just focused. I wanted to see what I had left. It started to hurt. I knew I had about a mile left. Just a mile. I kept telling myself it was less than 10 minutes, just keep pushing!

I ended up NOT catching my rabbit, but I had him in my sights! I was able to meet up with him in the finish chute and we had a little post race celebratory water together. We both overextended those bike rides and paid for it a bit on the run, but it was fun. And I STILL haven't done a "70.3"....

Did I really do that?

In looking back at the last week, I've done some pretty silly things. All to "get the training in." I sometimes wonder if being dedicated to triathlon is dangerous to your health, and my answer for the past week was: yes.

1. Last Thursday: Needed to get a semi-long run in. In order to not have to do this alone, I waited for my friends to be able to join me. It was to start at 3:30pm. It was 98 degrees outside with a heat index of 115. Not smart.

2. Last Sunday: Need to do my long ride. Forecast shows 60% chance of showers, but clearing up fast. Temperature was warm enough, what the heck? 30 minutes into the ride, we see that we are riding into a huge dark cloud. We didn't turn around. Lightening, thunder then pouring rain. We pulled off the road into a ditch under a tree. Still getting poured on and, unprotected from the winds, became cold quickly. We waited over an hour for a guy with a pickup truck who gave us a ride back to the cars.

3. Wednesday: Need to get in a semi-long ride. Forecast shows 30% chance of thunderstorms, but not until 2pm. We'll be done long before this. 20 miles into the 56 mile ride, it starts raining. We keep going. Lightening. We keep going. Rain comes down so hard, can't see the road, glasses fog up and no brakes. We still have 20 miles to go. We pull over into an abandoned garage where we waited for over 90 minutes until the rain stopped. Hands and feet numb, absolutely freezing, we get back on the road to finish the 20 miles.

Thankfully, no accidents or incidents to report, but really not smart training. I wonder why I sometimes think a workout is more important than the safe thing do to. It's easy to know what's right and smart and sometimes hard to do it.

Character Building

We’ve waited long enough here in Chicago for summer to arrive. I planned for a long ride yesterday and there was little to nothing that could stop me. We’ve had record setting rain in the last 4-6 weeks (and the mosquitoes to prove it!) and have already had to cancel several rides. So when I looked at the hourly weather forecast for the day and saw 70 degrees throughout the day with maybe one hour of storms, I was excited to be able to pack up the bike and ride.
I forgot to look at one thing. The wind prediction. Though they were calling for 14 mile per hour winds, there were definitely gusts that had to go much higher than that. I couldn’t hear anything but the wind whipping in my ears for the first half of the ride. And then the rain started. Thankfully it wasn’t a pouring rain, but one of those misty-type rains that covers your glasses and you really can’t see anything. I wanted to take them off, but it was so windy, I would for sure lose one of my contact lenses! So I pushed on, telling myself this was stupid, why the heck am I even out here?

Once I got to the halfway point, I realized – if that wind didn’t shift, it would be a sweet ride home! And that it was – my computer wasn’t calculating speed for me yesterday, but I know it was fast because I was able to get in about 25 miles in 60 minutes. Hot damn! Now that’s what you call a tailwind!

I’m happy to have pushed through it. I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in such windy conditions. Maybe Kona, but it was hot there – with only 70 degrees, rain and wind make it really chilly and cold isn’t exactly my friend. Happy to have it done. VERY HAPPY with my new ride! And now to schedule the next one….

TTT

Is Triple T harder than Ironman? I say no. However, I guess it's how you decide to play it. I went into the weekend not really knowing what to expect - except that I would NOT redline any of the events. First, I was in no way trained well enough. Second, who knows how the body will respond by doing a super sprint one day, two Olympics the next day and a half Ironman the third day? I didn't want to spend the next couple of weeks recovering from this. So let's do it.

Arrive around 2:15pm on Friday - first race is at 5pm. Find out assigned race jersey (which is required for all events) is too small. Go figure. Hustle to room and scrounge for food. No time to leave and get food, just eat some of the snacks we brought for the ride. Can't find parking near event. Circle around and go back to hotel, switch all gear to a backpack and ride down to race with all gear in tow.

I'm number 58 - how did I get here? Oh, they seeded you by your fastest Half Ironman time (now I wish I sandbagged that time). Don't even have time for a warm up swim, besides, I heard the water is pretty cold. Off we go - time trial start, by 2s, 3 seconds apart. I meet the nicest guy who I'd start with all weekend - Chris from Canada. One of the nicest guys I've ever met. Get in the water, hyperventilate for about 75 yards, then settle into a flow. Turn around - oh, it's time to get out. Only 250 yard swim. Really? On to bike - keeping HR low - up a hill. Slow. Manage watts - wait...PowerTap goes blank. Are you kidding me? Who cares, it's only 5 miles. Back to transition, out on the run. HR feeling high. How long is just ONE MILE, anyway? Damn, feels long. Finish. Some food provided at end of race. Normally, I wouldn't touch it, but I was starving. One done. Three to go.

Back to hotel, shower, discuss the day - head out for food. There is absolutely NO CELL SERVICE in the area. No email, no calls, no texts. Weird. Drive around for about 30 minutes before finding a pizza buffet. Cheap. Eat, go back and prepare for the next day. First race - regular Olympic distance. First climb on the bike about a 14% grade. Yay. Pace yourself. Went about the pace I felt I could do all day. Goal was to get both Olympic races the same time. FREEZING out of the swim on the bike. Wished we were riding in some sunshine. Wished I put arm warmers on. Run OK, nothing great. Hilly ride and run.

Go back to hotel, shower, wash jersey and hope it dries before next race @ 3pm. Athletes are pretty low-key....arriving to transition very close to race start. Different type of feeling to this event, hard to describe. Take a nap. Shovel in some food and head down for an Olympic that is Bike-Swim-Run. Heard nasty stories of people getting off bikes and jumping into the 58 degree water and cramping up. I'm just gonna chill. Did the bike - challenging, but not as bad as the morning course. Ripped my wetsuit putting it on but NO WAY was I getting in that water without one. Felt refreshing, but my chafing from the run earlier in the day stung. Stung bad. I know I screamed. Passed LOTS of dudes in the water. Made me smile. Out on the run, all those dudes got me back. :( Tried to hold same pace as the morning. Couldn't do it. HOT! Not used to the high temperatures.

Showered again, ate in the room. Had to pay for internet service. Packed up all my stuff since they wouldn't give us a late enough checkout to shower after race. Went to bed pretty early.

On Half Ironman day, I decided to start later. In case you haven't had this experience, being a strong swimmer, decent biker and mediocre runner can be pretty taxing in the mental department. People pass you all day long. Somewhere during the weekend, I decided that passing someone in the swim is not as satisfying as passing them in the bike or run. Just isn't. Swim felt great. Love the time trial start, no thrashing arms and legs to be scared of. Just the ice cold water and my rhythym. Felt nice.

Out on the bike. Brutal. Climbs are hard - wishing I had more gears or a compact crank. Got passed A LOT. Downhills were not better as my back wheel slipped on the first hairpin turn going downhill. I was overcautious for the rest of the ride on the downhills. I don't want to kill a season trying to decend like a fool when I really wasn't in contention for anything. Rode the brakes. A lot. Probably should replace them now.

On to the run. Very hot. SLOW. Just keep moving - only walked up hill. That's because I probably walked up some of those hills faster than I could run them! As usual, picked up my pace in the second half of my run. Not sure why, but I always have a better second half run. Maybe I need to do more brick training. One of the aid stations I had to grab a used cup and dip it in a garbage can full of water. Nasty! But I was so thirsty! It was near 90 degrees. Not complaining, I love the heat, but I needed water!! Descended my splits the last 4 miles of the run. Felt good to actually PASS some people on the run!

I felt great. Yes, my legs are pretty cashed still - but I still think it was easier to break up the 140.6 miles over 3 days than to try and to it all in one day. Especially on that course. The second loop of the bike on Sunday was mentally challenging. I didn't want to be out there anymore. But I came out to finish. And I did. Time for the next challenge.

Palos Half Marathon

Was it really just a year ago that I had a really great PR at last year's Half Marathon in Palos? Feels like such a long time ago. My last "race" was Rev3 Cedar Point. And it turned out to be a pretty great race for me. Then I spent about 12 weeks in a boot. I spent even more time doing physical therapy and came back to running very, very slowly. It's harder to come back than I thought.

I had no idea how this race was going to go. I haven't put in the speed or mileage I know I should for the Half Marathon, but my entire season of racing is a bit later on this year, so I try to tell myself "I'm OK with going slower than last year." But who really wants to admit that? I paired up with an athlete whom I know is my speed and figured I'd hang on as long as I could.

The first mile was difficult with a lot of zigzagging. Then it opened up and, though the splits were OK, it felt hard. Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm only at mile 4! Is it bad to quit? I pushed on, realizing I really didn't bring enough nutrition for this run. Just as well, I had no pockets to carry it. At the turn around, it was fun to see 2 TRI SMARTers pushing each other - they were cruising and making it look effortless!

I jockeyed back and forth with one girl for probably 10 of the 13 miles. I promised myself I would try to get ahead. I had one pretty slow mile and had to dig deep to bring the pace back. I passed this girl around mile 11 and figured I had her for good. I didn't hear her feet or breathing any more. Coming up the last little hill, I got a few words of encouragement from a local Palos runner.

Down with about 400 yards to go, a spectator yelled "Almost finished, Ladies!" Ladies? Uh oh...it had to be her. Sure enough, with about 200 yards to go, she shot past me. Oh no - I can't let this happen. I tried to sprint. It didn't feel like much, but I was able to get about a half a foot step ahead of her at the finish line. HOLY COW THAT HURT! Results show me finishing one second - you got that - ONE second ahead of her. It was like we ran the entire race together! Wasn't a stellar performance, but I'll take it. Great race as always. I'll be back next year.

Introduction to Cycling

INTRODUCTION TO CYCLING

Whether you are new to cycling or triathlon, or if you’re an experienced athlete just looking to improve your skills and technique on the bike, please join us for a two-part workshop designed to help you be more knowledgeable and comfortable in your cycling endeavors!

Dates:
April 27 and May 4, 2011
Location: Urban Tri Gear
210 Burr Ridge Parkway
Burr Ridge, IL 60527
Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Registration: SIGN ME UP
Cost: $45.00

This workshop will cover the following:
• Group Riding Etiquette
• Paceline riding
• Cornering
• Shifting
• Skills and Drills

Bring your bike, shoes, helmet and dress appropriately for the ride. Each workshop
will include a short informational session followed by a ride for hands on practice of the material discussed.

All participants must complete a registration and participant waiver. Registrations will be accepted on day of the workshop (cash or check only).

A FIST and BikeFit Systems Certified Fitter will be on hand to do free spot-checks during the first session for all Introduction to Cycling participants! A good bike fit is essential for strong riding performance.

LUNA Summit 2011

Yet another year of Luna Summit has passed. I always head into the weekend knowing it will somehow go faster than the previous year. We headed out on Thursday afternoon and arrived to the hotel expecting to be in separate rooms. But we arrived to find out the 3 Chicago Triathlon LUNAs were all in one room! Unfortunately, it was an extremely small room – just one bed and a cot. I had no idea how we were going to fit all 3 of us and the bikes we had rented in this room. Good thing we wouldn’t be spending much time in this room!

For dinner on Thursday night, we ventured out to find the same little restaurant we ate at last year – only to find out it wasn’t really the same restaurant! We walked a while to another place we thought might suit our needs – we walked about 15 minutes and the place was perfect. The atmosphere, the food, all just what we were looking for! After a quick dinner, it was back to the room for some much needed sleep.

Friday morning, we woke early to fit in a run before I needed to be in Leader Training all day. Uh oh. It’s dark. It’s 5:30am. We’re in a strange place where we don’t know where we’re going. When exactly is sunrise? 6:32am? Considering I needed to be in the shower by 7am, we couldn’t wait that long. So we took off a little after 6am, and yes, it was still dark, but we stuck to the trail and road we knew and it was a perfect little run. Not as far as I would have liked, but better than nothing.

Leader Training was interesting. Clif headquarters had moved since the last time I was here and I was excited to see the new place. We were tucked away in just a
couple of the rooms for most of the day where we discussed the new teams, best practices, Luna products, minimum requirements for the Chix teams, the Breast Cancer Fund, and one of our sponsors, Ahnu. Then my teammates showed up and we took a tour of the new facility. As expected, it was incredible.

We finished the night with dinner at Clif headquarters, an overview of the Breast Cancer Fund and a quick introduction to the pro team and it was back to the hotel for us. The next day was a big one for us, so we went to sleep pretty quickly.
Saturday was individual sport training. So all the tri teams were off to swim in the bay and do a quick run along the ocean. This year was much warmer than last,
but still really pretty cold. Many of the LUNA Chix were freezing by the time they got out of the water. We did a very short run and were hustled off back to the hotel where we scarfed down a quick box lunch and took showers to clean off and warm up for our afternoon seminars.

The first 2 seminars were on nutrition. Then there was a road bike handling skills session with a coupl3 of the Luna pros. Quick break and then on to the Breast Cancer Fund talk and another presentation on LunaFest. Not much time before dinner and then we had the option of heading out to do some shopping of the Luna Sport line.
Now the weekend was almost over and on Sunday morning was the “epic” road ride. We were told it was a challenging ride, but I’m still not sure I got what I expected. It was tough. California has hills that we in the Midwest are not used to. A couple sections of 45 minutes of climbing. I haven’t been outside on a bike in 6 months! Though I looked completely overdressed, I have to say I was glad I brought every stitch of clothing I did because the steep descents were VERY CHILLY! I was impressed with the riding of the other Lunas and this was now by far my favorite part of the weekend. It was tough, but some of the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. And we’re still about a month away from decent outdoor riding in Chicago.

The rest of the day was basically grabbing another quick box lunch, which my roommates were kind enough to grab for me before there were none left (THANK YOU!!). A shower, a few minutes just sitting around and off to the airport to head back home. It always goes so fast.

I’m excited to have met some of the new awesome teams with the LUNA program this year. It’s refreshing to talk with new LUNAS and try to help prevent them from making the same mistakes we did as a first-year LUNA Chix team. I’ve given a lot of time and effort to this program, but I also think I’ve received more in return. As the saying goes, “you get out what you put in”. Our team has gone through LOTS of new members. Some teammates have been outstanding, others not so much. But I do think that this program gives back so much more if you really are in it for the right reasons and you do your part as a team member. I’m excited to see what spectacular things this team achieves in 2011. We have lots of returning team members, but we also have first-year members – the perfect combination for a successful year!

Beginner Triathlete Training Program!

BEGINNER TRIATHLETE TRAINING PROGRAM

Tri Smart Coaching's 12 week Beginner Triathlete Training Program will teach you all the basic skills of triathlon and how to put them all together on race day. Program will run from Monday, March 21, 2011 through Friday, June 10, 2011. Participants will meet 3 times per week for group training and will be given a daily schedule detailing suggested workouts to achieve your race day goals.

The Tri Smart Beginner Triathlete Program includes:

• Swim, bike, run technique clinics, core-strength and flexibility workshops


• Informational discussions on training, race day nutrition, injury prevention and brick training


• Demonstrations on transitions and open water swimming technique


• Technical training shirt, Tri Smart water bottle, nutrition samples and 15% off all purchases at Runner's Soul for the duration of the program

Program Details:

MONDAY Run - 6:00pm @ Runner's Soul in LaGrange

WEDNESDAY Ride - 6:00pm @ Runner's Soul in LaGrange (Lectures on Wed evenings until warm enough to ride outdoors (Approx May 4), then rides will meet @ 6:00pm @ Urban Tri Gear in Burr Ridge

FRIDAY Swim - 5:30am @ The CORE in Lemont

COST - $249 for the entire triathlon training program. Price DOES NOT include entry fee for triathlon. To register, visit Runner's Soul in LaGrange or email info@trismartcoaching.com.

First Long Run

Can you really call 6 miles a "long" run? Well for me, you can. It's been a very long time since I've been able to run well. I did 9 miles in early November then had a boot put on. The boot came off some time in January and I've done a few small runs here and there - starting with 10 min, 15 min, 20 min, etc. In fact, I think when I got into running way back when, I started much faster!

I helped arrange a preview run of the Quarryman Challenge yesterday. This is a local, very hilly run that is a really nice course and a great training venue for those going to Boston. On a Saturday morning, traffic is very light and the village helps out by allowing us use of one of their community buildings so we have shelter and bathrooms before and after the run. Last year at this time, I was cranking out the full 10 miles at - at least for me - was a pretty strong pace! Yesterday was a 6 miler that I really had no idea what pace I could hold.

But it went OK. Pace wasn't nearly as quick as last year, but that's to be expected. Last year at this time, I was coming off of the Goofy Challenge and was really kinda sick of running pretty early on in the season last year. I've decided that doing a winter marathon is really a bad idea for me - unless I have a lighter triathlon schedule, those winter marathons take it out of me both mentally and physically.

I'm hurting a bit today, but glad to get out and actually RUN more than 2 miles! Who knows what that will mean for my running this season but I'm glad to finally be able to run, no matter what the pace. Someone asked me earlier this week: what discipline would you pick if you could only do one: swim, bike or run. I still cannot really answer that. I love to swim. Biking is fine, but it takes a lot of equipment and time, and running is the most social.... This is a tough one.

Join TEAM TRI SMART as we run a course preview of the Quarryman Challenge this Saturday, February 19, 2011.

• STARTING LOCATION - We are moving the starting location of this training run to allow us access to indoor bathrooms before the run! We will beet at Safety Village which is located at 55 Stephen Street. View map HERE.


• START TIME - 7:30am Sharp! Please plan to arrive a few minutes early so we can get started right on time. Safety Village will be LOCKED while we are out running.


• FREE SAMPLE - Clif Shots will be available for everyone.


• T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY - There will also be a few Quarryman shirts given away. The Quarryman Challenge is a 10 mile hilly race that takes place on May 7th. To register for the race, click HERE.


• COURSE MAPS - The course loops around and you are able to cut the course to 6 miles, if needed. The course is marked, but you can find a map HERE.


• BREAKFAST AFTER RUN - We should be heading to breakfast around 9:30am and will be going to the Pancake Cafe, 1264 State Street, map HERE. They have a variety of breakfast specials for under $5.00. If you can't make the run, please feel free to join us for breakfast!
  

10,000 yards complete!

Swim-A-Poolooza 2011 is in the books! That's right, yesterday, 36 swimmers did laps for 3 hours and 30 minutes, some completing 10,000 yards, some doing 7,500 yards and others doing 5,000 yards. It didn't matter your distance, we were all there challenging ourselves.

We had music, food, friends and lots of laughs. I'm sure there are more than a few sore shoulders and arms right now, but lots of milestones were met yesterday, many people not believing they could swim such a distance - all at one time - and on a set interval.

So, swimmers, take a few days off from the pool, you've earned it! And your arms and shoulders will thank you.

But be on the lookout for another Swim-A-Poolooza this year - in the summer - in an outdoor pool. I've had lots of requests on doing this event more than once a year, so if we can get the pool time and we can get the participants, I will make this happen.

Swim A Poolooza

100 x 100 x 100

Yep, I said it. 100 yards 100 times every 100 seconds. In other words hundred hundreds on the 1:40. It happens every year. It's happening tomorrow. And I'm in. I'm always in. What better way to spend a Sunday morning? We have food, drinks, music, but most of all...FUN!

Yes, you get pruny. Yes, it seems monotonous. Yes, it gets a little tiring. Yes, you wonder WHY the heck you signed up to do this in the first place. Yes, you want to quit. More than once. But when it's all over, it feels good. It's a CHALLENGE. Not many people can say they've done this. And maybe they don't want to. But it's similar to Ironman in that you have to be a special kind of person to even attempt to do something that seems so crazy. You want to see what you're capable of. You want to push your limits. You want to find out just how tough you are. And when you finish - it makes it all worth it. And that's what makes us do this year after year after year.

On deck will be plenty of samples of Tri Swim shampoo, conditioner, Foggle, body lotion and body wash. I mean, after that much time (3:45 hours) in the pool, the chlorine is embedded in your skin. And hair. With Tri Swim - you don't have to go around smelling like chlorine all day.

Are you up for the challenge? Put it on your calendar - last Sunday in January 2012

30 Minutes!

Dear Toe - please stop hurting now, it's been too long!

So I went for my first run in - um, I think about 10-12 weeks. It was a pleasant little run. Nice and slow, just about 25 minutes. I stopped and walked a couple times. Does the toe hurt? YES. But this is a different kind of hurt now. Like it's stiff or something. The hardest part is that I found myself compensating by trying to run on the outside of my foot so I could stay off the toe.

That was last week.

And the only one who could possibly be more upset with my lack of running recently is my adorable beast of a dog.

Before the injury, I ran with him for just some shorter runs around the neighborhood. He was still much too little and not conditioned enough to put in any more than a few miles. So I thought, "Great, I'm starting running over again, he can start with me."

I let him out in the yard to take care of his business and went to get dressed. I came back, called him, and he starts playing games. He gets close enough to the door just ALMOST enough for me to catch him. When I go to reach out to him, he runs away. Clever. So, because I am smarter, I get a treat. I try enticing him to come in the house to get the treat, but the beast knows this means he will stay in the house. No deal.

So I grab the leash and walk around to the gate so he could see we'd be going for a run. I open the gate and he runs to the back of the yard. No leash for him. Now I'm ticked and running out of time. So I figure, "OK, well, let him watch me run away and then next time I come to get him with the leash, he'll remember we used to go run together." I throw the leash down near the garage door and start to head out.

His big block head is facing my direction and his ears are up. I turn around, figuring I'll only be gone for 20 minutes or so, he'll be fine in the yard. I run a couple houses down and I hear 2 thuds. With the third thud, I hear the gate swing open and 4 puppy paws running down my driveway and out onto the street to follow me. CRAP! He doesn't come when called and now I'm scared he's going to get hit by a car or run away for ever. I left the leash at the house.

What to do? The only thing I could think of - run like a fool back into the back yard. Whaddya know, the little guy follows me right into the back yard. I am relived, but now I have no time to run. Oh, and I need to fix the gate.

New Year, New Strategy

You can imagine how depressed I'd be after spending 6 weeks without running and another 6 in a boot only to find out I was told I need ANOTHER 6 weeks in the boot. I mean, seriously, I've had friends who have had foot surgery come back faster than this. I don't get it - I don't feel like I even had a real injury! And with the boot means not just no running, but there are a lot of things I've had to completely stop: stair climbing, cross country skiing, push ups, lunches, plyometrics....need I go on?

So what is there to do? Aside from a lot of time on the bike and one-legged flip turns in the pool, I've now focused on changing the diet up a bit. I am now working on the Paleo diet - well, I'm trying! I cannot believe how wierd it is to not have bread, rice, pasta, bagels, etc. And I don't think I've eaten this much meat since I even started this sport. I actually bought a WHOLE chicken the other day. It almost makes me gag thinking about it. But we'll see how this goes - I'm game to try anything once. The real test will be to see what happens to my power numbers on the bike. Last time I made a drastic change to my eating habits, I just about lost all power on the bike. This was when I went RAW for an entire 4 months. I figured 4 months was enough time to decide if that was the right diet for me. It wasn't.

So Paleo it is - for how long, who knows? I'm trying new recipes and learning what to order when I actually go out to eat. Paleo is like the "caveman" diet. Wait, caveman didn't have First Endurance? OK, I guess I'm not going to be 100% on Paleo - there are some things I just need to have! I mean, have you tried the Wild Berry yet??

Hitting it in 2011!

So for the last 5 weeks or so, I've been sporting this lovely boot. Yes, I even took this boot to Mexico. I wore it while walking around, when going out to dinner and even while watching Ironman Cozumel.

I've come to like the boot, however, I've found it's not very winter-friendly. I've been sporting 2 pairs of socks every day now, particularly since we've had snow. See, it's open in the front and the snow gets all up on my toes. I already have a problem keeping my fingers and toes warm, this is like a double-whammy!

The good news is that I swam today and actually did my flip turns with BOTH feet and - HOLY COW - it did not hurt! :) I mean, I kept waiting for that little twinge, that little pang of pain I've been feeling for the last 6 months any time I put any pressure on that big toe...I got nuthin'. And I couldn't be happier.

Yes, I've still got another week and a half in the boot and another 2 weeks of physical therapy, but I'm well on my way. When I start running again, it will be a run to walk or one of those Couch to 5K type plans, but it will come back.

I've missed you, running friends...I have about 4 pairs of BRAND NEW running shoes in my closet just calling me to wear them. I am well rested and ready to go! Yes, I will be hitting it hard in 2011.

Is Yoga Tougher than Ironman?

Bikram Yoga Burr Ridge

Most of you know – I’ve been sort of out-of-commission with my running since JULY! YES, JULY! So, when a friend said to me, “Hey, I’m doing this 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge, wanna join me?” I thought that might be exactly what I needed. For those of you that never heard of it, Bikram Yoga is a 90 minute session of the same 26 poses each session. Oh, and the room is 105 degrees (and I’m told it’s like 135 degrees with humidity).

What the heck, I can’t run, I know yoga is good for me – because as a triathlete, I’m quite inflexible – and, hey, it’s only 30 days. Right? Oh so not right… (sigh).

I joined my 30 day challenge at Bikram Yoga Burr Ridge. I joined my friends at 5pm on a Friday night for our first of the 30 days. It must be very quiet in the yoga studio. I have a hard time keeping quiet for 5 minutes, forget about 90 minutes! I walked in the room, sat my mat and towel down and nervously looked around. I’m hot. What the hell did I get myself into?

The first thing you do in this class is breathe. Yes, I said it. Breathe. I’m sweating. We are 60 seconds into the class and I’m sweating. I want to cry. I want to leave. I want to douse myself with water. Sweat is literally DRIPPING off my arms and I’m not eve doing anything yet. NOOO! These people are crazy. But my friends looked like everything was OK, so I tried to keep it together.

I went through the poses, trying to follow the instructor’s directions to a cue. I saw other people in the room bending themselves into pretzels and I wondered how they did that. OUCH, that pose hurts. Ok, modify. Don’t laugh out loud at my friends who can’t do the poses, either. We so looked ridiculous in this class…we have no business being here. We are IRONMEN, not yogis! But no yoga class is going to defeat me. I refuse. Need to calm the heart rate down? Breathe. Need to stop the dizziness? Breathe. Need to get your bearings from being upside down?? BREATHE!

None of us left the room during the first class, but believe me, each of us thought about it. Yoga is supposed to be “zen” and relaxing. Bikram does not do this for me. How is it possible to get your heart rate up so high when you’re really not DOING anything? I have no idea, but in each class, I felt like I was going to puke, fall over, pass out, cry….you name it, I felt it. Keep it together! No yoga class is going to defeat me! This became very much a mental challenge as much as physical. Can you endure the heat? Can you give each posture 100% of what you have that day and still do the entire class? Trust me, each and every day was a challenge. One day, I’d have a pose nailed. The very next day, I’d fall out of it. I noticed a quite distinct – one step forward, two steps back pattern throughout the 30 days.

On two of the days, I did 2 classes. Can I tell you, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS! Holy cow, I would leave the studio completely exhausted. I’d go home, take a shower and sleep for two hours. Yoga is simply stretching and some of the moves made my muscles very happy, even though I was shaking to hold the posture for the duration. But I’d leave and almost feel like I could fall asleep on the drive home. Very important to hydrate. Well, I think I hydrated more than anyone else there, and it still never felt like enough. Some people even did class with NO water. During many classes, I wondered why I didn’t bring THREE water bottles in the room with me. I almost always ran out.

And laundry. You gotta be kidding me with the laundry. My clothes were so completely soaked through after each class, it looked like I jumped in a swimming pool. On most occassions, I even sweated through my yoga mat. Yes, THROUGH the yoga mat. How the hell is that even possible?? I’d pick up my stuff and scoot out of the room quickly after each class hoping the other people wouldn’t notice the big sweat marks I left behind. I had to do laundry every 2-3 days to keep up with the clothes and towels I was going through. And since the class is 90 minutes, it takes 30-40 minutes for commute there and back, let’s just say this was a very time consuming experience.

The first few days were tough. After ab0ut 7 days, I started to look forward to going. After 15 days, I was on a mission. After 25 days, I just wanted it to be over. Please stop. Please let me get through another class. Why did I do this again? Oh yeah, free t-shirt. With each couple classes, I saw a bit of improvement – and THAT is what kept me going. The instructors all had their individual style and I learned something from each of them. I had the opportunity to go to a lot of different time slots, so I had a really great variety of instructors. Midge, Erin, Chris, Mara, The Polish Guy (can’t remember his name), and a few others – sometimes it was like a lightbulb went on when one of them would describe exactly what you were to try and achieve with the pose.

Final word? The 30 day challenge is not for everyone. A couple of my friends dropped out (JQ and LP), but I had another one (GO COURTNEY) who is close to finishing! It was awesome to do classes and get some of my friends to experience this – to Lisa, Bernie, Mel, Marisa, Chris, Tracy, Michaela and Barbara – THANK YOU for coming out to do a class or two with me. Whether you know it or not, it really helped me in each class when someone else I knew was there. I hope to do more classes with each of you. I am WAY more flexible when I started, but I’ll be honest and say – I need to take some time away from the yoga right now! Definitely something I’ll continue and I think it’s going to be a great compliment to my Ironman training. But 30 days in a row? Not really sure I am up for the challenge again.

Is yoga tougher than Ironman? No. If you can stay strong through Ironman, you can stay strong through this 30 day challenge. How strong are you?

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!