Journey to Ironman Madison 2009

First Long Training Weekend

2009-04-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the longest training weekend I have had to date and it was a big one because it was also my first ride of the year on the Madison course. The weekend was filled with a lot of ups and downs but overall was a great learning experience and allowed me to spend some quality time with three of my favorite people (Abbey, Maggie, and Scott).

The weekend really started on Thursday night when I was trying to get everything prepared for leaving right after work on Friday. This was supposed to include the following:

1. Doing laundry

2. Putting together Cue Cards for the course since I have not road it in a really long time

3. Figuring out directions from Abbey’s house to the meeting place for the ride; back to Abbey’s house and then how to get to Maggie’s Baby Shower (Yes it was a full filled weekend of events)

4. Getting packed (this may seem like an easy task however, trying to get everything together for a ride is always more difficult then it can seem. Especially when you have to plan for all types of weather.)

5. Buying a present for Maggie’s Baby Shower which was up in Madison on Saturday afternoon

Lets just say on Thursday night I was able to check off the first three on the list but the last two were going to have to wait until the next day. I figured I could go shopping for Maggie/Cole’s Baby Shower gift over lunch and would be able to leave work a little early to pack. Goal was to be on the road by 5:30pm.

I was able to go shopping over lunch and checked off number four on the list but the plan to leave work early did not happen. I finally left work around 5 and got home around 5:30pm. As soon as I got home, I started packing and before I knew it, 6:30pm was here. I am telling you there is so much to think about when you are packing for a ride:

§ Helmet – check

§ Sunglasses – check

§ Nutrition (6 water bottles, endurance gatorade powder, carbo-pro powder, 4 things of cliff shots, salt pills, peanut butter/jelly/bread for sandwich, banana’s for breakfast) – check

§ Extra tubes/ CO₂ cartridges/ CO₂Inflator / Tire leveler to change a flat – check

§ Arm Warmers – check

§ Two jackets (rain / no rain) – check

§ Shoe covers (will only need if cold but better to be safe) – check

§ Tire pump – check

§ Maps/ Cue Cards- check

By the time I packed the car and got on the road it was right around 7pm. The whole reason I was pushing to leave early was to spend a little more time with Scott and Abbey who were VERY STELLAR and let me stay with them. They have said their home is mine over the summer and I told them they better watch what they say because I am going to be around a lotJ We joked about it all weekend but they seem to like having me around and I love seeing them anytime I can so it works out well. I will owe them big time by the time the summer is over.

I ended up getting to Madison around 10pm and was able to hang out and chat with Scott and Abbey for about an hour or so and then it was off to bed. Since I wanted to make it to Maggie’s baby shower by 1pm I needed to get up really early the next morning.

Goal of the ride was to get in two loops 84 miles or 4.5 hours.

The plan for the ride started out on track. I was going to get in one loop prior to meeting the Vision Quest group (a group I took bike classes with through out the winter) that was meeting at 8am and do the second loop with them.

I woke up at 4:45am got together my things and headed out. It was still pretty dark out and I was regretting I did not bring any lights with me. I guess safety first went out the window:0

I got to the park by 5:15am, pumped up my tires, debated about bring or not bring the arm warmers (I did not bring them but they would have come in handy), and was off riding by 5:30. I figured it would take me at most 2 to 2.5 hours to get in a loop so this would put me right on track to meet up with the VQ group.

Ride started out great - the weather was good. Not too windy or cold however, you could see some pretty scary clouds off in the distance. I knew going into the ride that I would be rained on at some point so I tried not to think about the clouds. As for temp, I was actually surprised how warm it was. I took off the jacket and was wearing short sleeves probably 20 minutes in and was thankful at that point for not brining my arm warmers.

My body was feeling strong. I was spinning up hills like a champ and my legs of steel were working in full force. I was averaging around 19 mph with my HR in high zone 2. It felt great!!

At about 10 miles in, I ended up taking a wrong turn. Yes it was totally my fault – I had written Route 69 take right instead of route 92 on my cue card so I blew right past the turn on County Rd G. Guess that is what happens when you are in the hurry and trying to put together cue cards. I knew that County Rd G was a long section of the course so I did not realize how far I was off. It was not until I came to a T in the road at Route 39, which was no where to be found on the map that I realized I was off course.

Otherwise know as 13 miles out of my way!!

1^st thought – O-Shit I am never going to make it back to meet up with the VQ group!!

2^nd thought – Another ride alone!!! Feel like I do a lot of that lately (aka I am too fast to ride with some of the girls I use to, too slow to ride with most boys, and my three favorite riding buddies Dave, Andy, and Jesse all moved on me over the winter) – sad daysL

3^rd thought – Those clouds are coming closer and getting darker

4^th thought – Idiot - how could you have written down the road incorrectly?

OK – at that point I had all negative thoughts which were really not going to get me anywhere.

Result, it was time to think positive.

1^st thought - I have ridden alone so many times before; this was not going to be any different. Besides I actually like riding alone so who really cares about the VQ group. This is MY TRAINING RIDE.!!!

2^nd thought - You are an idiot for writing down the directions wrong but I am still going to get in 4.5 hours. It is just not going to be two loops of the Madison course. I am still going to meet my workout goal, Liz, my coach, planned.

3^rd thought – You better get moving because those clouds are not getting any lighter and are still moving closer!!!

After my little pep talk, I was on my way. I was riding strong and I found the place where I took the wrong turn. Totally back on track and Yes I did go about 25 miles out of my way!!

Shortly after getting back on track around 2.5 hours the rain started and I am not talking about a little shower. I am talking about down pouring rain for about an hour. Yes the jacket was put back on and I was wishing I had my arm warmers. Not only was it down pouring but the wind also started to pick up. Anytime I was going North or West - I felt like I was riding into a wall and was maybe able to hold a pace of 14 to 15 mph.

I distinctly remember one hill I was going down where normally I would have gotten up to at least 30 mph without to much effort and I maybe got up to 18 mph. It was terrible, my heart rate was all over the place, and I was cold.

I have never been on a ride where I wanted to throw in the towel but I can honestly say I was ready to give up. Had hit rock bottom and wanted to cry. However, there was nothing I could really do. I was half way through the loop and the only person that could possibly come and get me was at a conference. So it was time to suck it up and make it through.

Every turn North or West, I took a deep breath and pushed through. It was hard but felt good at the same time. The rain finally let up for about 45 minutes. Enough time to let me dry out a little but then it started to down pour again for the rest of the ride. I will admit I do not do a lot of riding in the rain so I learned a lot about how to handle my bike.

Once I hit the second part of the loop it was easier. The rain was still coming down but the wind was at my back. I got a nervous because I was really flying and the roads were slick but it was much better then hitting wind walls. The negative part is I started to fail on my nutrition. It got hard to keep up with when the rain started. There was just so much to think about.

Around 3.5 hours, I was officially freezing because the temperature was dropping and I really had to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately I was on a part of the course where there were not really any covered areas. I continued to ride for another 10 minutes and then had to go. It was either going to be on my bike or on the side of the road. I chose the side of the road and just hoped no cars drove by. Lucky for me there was only two. So yes I am pretty sure someone saw my ass!!! O-well I felt so much better and at that point it was all that mattered. I was off riding again and felt much better.

By the time I got back to Verona, where my car was parked, the rain had let up. However, there was one more challenge I was faced with and that was trying to find my car. Fireman’s park where I parked my car is a little off the course and my cue cards did not contain this information. I knew I was close but was not sure where it was. I rode around for another 15 minutes and had not luck. I decided it was best to ask someone and when I was in the process it started to down pour again. SERIOUSLY!!!! I cannot catch a break.

I ended up finding a nice man who had me follow him to the park. So glad there are nice people in Wisconsin!!! But when I got back I was so cold and could not stop shaking. Anything I tired to do was a struggle. The worst was when I was trying to put my bike in the car and had to pull down the seats. One of them had locked and I could not stop shaking enough to push the button. After what seemed like a long time (probably only 5 minutes), I finally got my bike in my car and was off to Abbey’s. The car ride was difficult because I was still shaking but each minute got better as my body warmed up. I also eat a PB&J sandwich which seemed to help.

At the time, I felt cold and defeated but on the positive I got in 78 miles and did not let the thunderstorms stop me.

I did not really have much time to reflect on the ride at that time because I had a baby shower to get ready forJ When I got back to Abbey’s I took a hot shower. I am pretty sure I was in the shower for over 20 minutes. It just felt so good to get warm. After the shower, I took a little cat nap and then was on my way.

I was still a little shaken but it was so good to see baby Cole and Maggie’s high school friends. After the shower, Abbey and I got some quality hang out time. We rented Marley & Me and ordered in Thai food. It was Stellar to catch up with Abbey. She is one of my favorite people in this world and I could not have had a better person to be with after a hard day of training. She is truly a rock for me!!!

It was pretty late when we finished up dinner so I decided to stay over at Abbey’s and do the drive home in the morning.

The next morning, I woke up early and headed out. On the drive back, I was actually able to think about the ride and realized it was by far the hardest ride I have ever done both mentally and physically. I also think I probably rode in the worst possible conditions that could happen on race day; unless it starts snowing that is J After this weekend’s ride I am pretty sure I can make it through anything. My first ride in Madison was truly about mental toughness and I am proud of myself for sticking to it.

When I got home I quickly got my stuff unpacked and then had to head out for a two hour run. I moved quickly because I did not want to get caught in the rain again. According to weather.com I had about a 3 hour window without rain. I think this was a good motivation for me because running was really the last thing I wanted to do.

I got on my running shoes, grabbed some nutrition and was off. During the first 10 minutes my legs were shift and I felt sluggish. It was hard to get any sort of rhythm going. However, after the initial warm up it turn out to be a good run. I was able to get my legs moving and felt strong. At about 1.5 hours in, I had a little bit of a déjà vu from the day before. The sky started to get darker and clouds rolled in. Yes it started to rain again. Not to worry just a few showers; no down pours. Thank goodness!!! The rest of the run turned out good and I owe it to the random old man who was running in front of me. He was running just a little bit slower then I was and I told myself I had 15 minutes left to catch him. He gave me a goal and that is exactly what I needed. When I catch up to him I turned around and smiled. He had no idea why but he just got me through my long run after a very hard day of riding and I felt he deserved a smile at the very least.

This morning I woke up and my body feels beat up. My legs are sore and I feel like I could eat a cow and drink a lake. Today is about recovery.

This weekend was an adventure for me. I learned a lot about myself and where my breaking points are. However, in the grand training plan to Ironman it is just the first of many long training weekends I have a head of me.

Set Back - Ear Infection

2009-04-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, I was hit with a nasty cold which resulted in an ear infection. Let me tell you, I have not had an ear infection in almost 7 years. The last one I remember very clearly. I woke up at 2:30 in the morning in my NYC apartment which was only a block from the emergency room at New York Presbyterian - Cornell Campus. My ear hurt so bad and when I tried to stand up I fell right down. No sense of balance. I called my parents and my boyfriend at the time asking what to do. Note to self calling your parents at that time of the morning is never a good idea. They just get really worried.

The ER was only a block away. Calling an ambulance seemed silly and so did taking a cab. I finally decided to call my manager and she helped me over to the ER. Long story short, I ended up getting a laser procedure done that popped two holes in my ear and drained all of the fluid. O-Yes and I swear I was a total test case for the ER residents. I have never had so many people ask to look in my ear and then say WOW - I have never seen anything like that. Way to make a person feel comfortable From the experience, I lost about 5% of my hearing in my right ear. Good thing my hearing is better then the average joe.

I had a similar experience on Tuesday night two weeks ago and I once again ended up in the ER. Luckily this time around I was able to get to the ER by myself and the doc in the ER ended up being a ENT (ear, nose, and throat). LUCKY!! He took one look at my ear and told me I had an ear infection and it really needed to be drained. He also noticed I had the laser procedure done before so he asked me if we could just drain my ear that way. I told him I would only say yes if he would guarantee no further hearing lose. He said at most we would be looking at another 5% and based on my current hearing it would just bring me to a level that most people hear at. YES - I did make him test my hearing. Just as an FYI - lots of beeps and raising of hands go on during a hearing test.

We moved forward with the procedure and I felt much better but like last time my balance was all out of whack for almost a week afterwards. Not so bad for everyday activities but I am training for the IRONMAN and this meant no working out for a week. Do you not understand what that means. A potential set back.

But there was really no other option. Anytime I tried to workout I just got dizzy and had to stop. This also meant no Swimming until my ear healed. At first I kind of got excited that I was not going to be able to swim!!! I mean it is my least favorite sport. But then I remembered how hard I have been working on the swim and swimming is one of those things for me that if I do not do it I will lose it.

Finally last week I was able to get back to running and biking. The bike came back really easy as it always does but I was a pretty sluggish on the run. It was not until I was in San Diego doing a long run on Saturday along the beach that I felt like new again!! Yes this may of had something to do with the sun shining and me wearing shorts and a tank but it was a prefect run.

The swim on the other hand was another story. I got in a quick open water swim when I was out in San Diego but it was not enough to see how much I had lost. When I got in the pool yesterday, it was awful. I was slow, my arms hurt, and I felt like my arms were waving all over the place. I just could not get it together. I feel like I was back to square one. I am starting over again and that totally sucks!!! I keep telling myself to be patient but it is just hard when I worked so hard to gain just a little improvement and now it is gone.

I do however, have to stay positive. It is only April and the race is not until September. I have plenty of time to get to the point where I do not feel like I am going to drown on the swim:) Stellar!!!

My New Toy

2009-04-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

My new ride came home two weeks ago and I will admit I have only been able to ride it a handful of times. However, with spring a coming, it better get ready. Many of miles are heading its way.

Most of the rides I have done, have been on the trainer but I was able to get it out for the first time last week. It rides like a champ so smooth and fast. I was on the lake shore path last Thursday and for those of you that do not know how the path works you usually have to ride into the wind one way and they have it push you along on the way back. Totally sucks sometimes but it is just the way it works.

Into the head wind on my new toy I was able to keep a speed of 18 MPH. That is kind of unheard of for me and on the way back I was pushing 25 MPH. Yes - Liz my HR was in check the entire time. It was awesome!!!!

Now the real question I have to pose about the my new ride is if it is really making me faster or if I am faster because I worked my butt off this winter on the bike. My friend Dokko is convinced it is the later but I think the bike has something to do with it:)

The Bike Search Has Ended

2009-03-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a very big day for me. Yes on Saturday February 28th I made a big purchase. I finally bought a new tri bike.

I have been searching for a new bike since this fall and it has not been an easy task. Why you might ask? Well there is a little thing called flexibility that is necessary to get in an aerodynamic position and I unfortunately had this ripped out of me when I had a huge growth spurt between 6th and 7th grade. I have cursed my growth spurt many times over the last few month but it is totally silly because I would much rather be the height I am then be flexible.

The sad part is I have come to terms with the fact that no matter how many yoga classes I take or how many hours I spend stretching; I will never be as flexible as I would like. It is just not in the cards. I mean the fact that I am happy to be able to bend over and touch my mid calf is not normal. Yes I did just say mid calf this is a huge improvement from my knees which is where I was about a year ago:)

Well it is this little thing called flexibility which has made it extremely difficult for me to find a bike that fits. As of Saturday, I have official test rode or got on the following bikes:
- Quintana Roo Lucero
- Quintana Roo Cd
- Kunta Kueen K
- Kunta K-Factor
- Kestrel Talon
- Felt B12
- Felt B2
- Cervelo P2
- Specialized Transition Expert
- Argon 18 E-114
- Argon 18 E-112
- Have looked into customized bikes but they are just too darn spendy for what you get

For those of you in the tri world, this basically sums up most of the bikes out there and those not listed we did not even try because with my flexibility it was not even worth putting me on them.

As of last Saturday, I was basically down to the Transition from Specialized and the E-112 from Argon. I had test rode the Specialized a few times last fall and never pulled the trigger. I was not convinced it was the right fit and no one could really make up their mind on what size I needed. Last Saturday was the first time I got on the E-112 at Element Multisport and it was pretty awesome. It is the best darn looking bike I have seen in a while and it for the most part fit like a glove. The only concern was that we had to raise the head tube (the piece of the bike that goes from the wheel to the handle bars) with a few spacers which can sometimes be a safety issues. Since it was snowing we agreed to test ride it the next weekend if the roads were dry.

Well on Saturday February 28th when I woke up it was dry but it definitely was not warm. I decided to go for it anyways because I was itching to make it happen.

I got to the shop around 11:15am that morning. I worked with one of the guys to set up the bike and get it ready for a test ride. He was a little concerned about the positioning of my back but we took it out for a spin anyways.
First off I must say it was cold – I am not sure how people ride in the winter. They are crazy. My hands lasted about 20 minutes and I was on my way back to the shop. I will however say this bike was fast and handled awesome!!! However, he was right; my back hurt but my hamstrings felt great. It has typically been the other way around. My hamstrings have hurt but my back felt fine. Again this is all due to my stupid inflexibility.

We did a few changes to the bike and then got me on it again. Same result my back was still not in the right position. It was not flat like it should have been. The head tube was just way too short. OK it was really only 2 centimeters two short but in the bike world this is a big deal. Most of you right now are thinking 2 centimeter you have got to be kidding me. I was actually thinking the same thing at the time. YOU ARE TELLING ME 2 CENTIMETERS MAY CAUSE ME TO NOT GET MY DREAM BIKE!!! WHAT THE %#@(*&#@*(!!!!!!

OK – This is when I had to take a deep breath and think rational thoughts. You need a bike that fits. One that is comfortable. I mean you are going to spend a long ass time on this bike over the summer so it better be comfortable.

After a little internal discussion (yes I do find talking to myself usually helps – no worries it is usually just internal and not out loud – Now that would be weird), I was talked into trying a few other bikes. Just to give you a little time check it is now 1:45pm. Yes I have been at the bike shop for about 2.5 hours.

The K-Factor was the first and then the Scott but we ran into the same problem with the other ones. My hamstrings hurt and my back is fine. We again got me back on the Argon and it was then we realized that the angle on the argon’s seat tube (the tube that goes from the peddles to the seat) is more like a road bike then a traditional tri bike and this is why my hamstring do not hurt on it. Crazy!!! Who would have thought??

Well after all of this we decided to look at the dimensions for the next size up on the Argon. Holy bagezzes!!! It might actually work. The head tube is 2 Centimeters taller and the top tube only increased by 1 centimeter. Yes we are again talking about centimeters like they are the end of the world:)

It is now 2:30pm

As it turned out they had the Argon E-114 in a size medium. The only difference with this bike is the handle bars were different. As a result, we took off the handle bars on the E-114 and replaced them with the E-112 handle bars. I hopped on the bike and it was a perfect fit!! My back was flat and my hamstrings did not hurt. YEAH!!!! The best fit of the entire day.

At 3:20pm I was finally ready to purchase a new very fancy toy. It is very exciting.

Yes the guys at Elements Multisport did spend an entire Saturday afternoon with me but it was totally worth it. They were STELLAR and patient with me. But most importantly they were not willing to sell me a bike that did not fit. If I was in another shop I may have spent a ton of money on a bike that did not fit. THANKS GUYS you are the BEST!!! Seriously!!

I cannot wait for my new toy to come in over the next week or so. It is going to be stellar but the wait may kill me in the process.

Inner Strength

2009-02-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

This week has been abnormally tough.

For the first time during Bike class, I actually felt like I was going to lose my stomach. It was a relatively hard workout but nothing I have never done before. I stopped for a minute or two and then decided to continue on. I felt weak for the rest of the workout. For the first time in a while I had to rely on my inner strength to get through a workout. After bike class, I came home and crashed (aka, I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30 only waking up to my phone ringing and then moved to my bed).

The next morning, I woke up and still felt a little weak. I had a good run /weight training session that night but still did not feel quite right. Maybe I am getting sick or maybe it is just because I have turned 30 (just kidding on the last one but there have been numerous times in the last week people have told me I am old)?? But the next morning I woke up and had no sign of a cold. I did however, feel my arms and they were sore.

That night I went to swim and my body was all over the place. My arms were sore and my calves were tight. I pushed myself through all but the last set of the workout even though I thought my legs were going to cramp for most of it. They finally did on the last set and that is when I decided to stop. Again I had to rely on mental toughness to make it through the workout.

I have never been good with inner strength / mental toughness. When things get rough I usually decide I should stop and not work through it. However, over the last couple of months I have been learning slowly what it takes to work through a workout when you are not feeling strong. I think this week was another test of this. I am not always going to be on top of my game and it is ok to slow down just to get through workout. My body is being tested in ways it never has been before and patience is going to be key

BALANCE

2009-01-27T15:01:00.001-08:00

Over the last couple of weeks, training has started to change. Hours are getting longer, two a days are a reality, indoor long bike rides are starting to become the norm, my body is changing (i.e., it is hungry all the time, it is tried - napping on Saturdays and Sundays has become the norm, and it is trying to maintain weight), hours at the gym are starting to become isolating, and my rocking climbing days have started to become slim.

The STELLAR part about the training is that I LOVE IT. It is the one thing I seem to be excelling at in my life right now and so I look to it as a source of STRENGHT. However, at the same time it is starting to influence the balance I have always tried to keep (i.e., the balance between friends, family, work, training, dating (o-wait I kind of suck at that one)). So the new question is:

“How does one train for an IRONMAN and create a sense of balance with those who are important to them?”

Most of the people I have talked to have told me it is impossible; you are going to have to sacrifice; you might as well just know that you will not have a life for the next 6 months.

YES – I do agree that sacrifice is necessary but I am not convinced it has to be working, training, recovering, or sleeping all of the time. There has to be time for fun, friends, and family.

I REALLY believe there has to be some sort of BALANCE and over the next six months I am going to strive to find it!!!

Until then – I am going to find the best work out buddies and try not to train by myself any more then I have to.

O-Yes and to my Chicago friends – I just want to say THANKS you guys have been awesome over the last month even though you do not always understand the going home early or not climbing or showing up to climb and just being too tried. It is just a great help to know your are there.

LIttle Victory

2008-11-20T08:54:00.001-08:00

Since I am always so negative about swimming, I figured it was time for a little positive energy. My goal in the pool is to maintain 2 minute 100s. To most of you swimmers that is really SLOW. To me that is really FAST and I am proud of myself every time it happens. It is one of the LITTLE VICTORIES I strive for!!

This morning’s swim was long but the main focus was on a set of two 600s followed by two 300s. The 1st in both sets was straight freestyle and second included both freestyle and IM (free, back, breast, and free – some of us do not excel at fly quite yet – baby steps) work. As I started the first set, I really focused on lengthening my stroke, which usually makes me weak but this morning, I felt strong. Must be all drills we have been doing. Guess they really do pay off.

When I finished I looked at my watch and it said 11:47 – 13 whole secs ahead of my goal. The first thought that ran through my head was I must of counted wrong. There is no way I hit that time. Then I thought about it, did a recount, and yes I did it. I totally broke a 2 min 100s for 6 in a row!!! YES!!!

After a possible celebration dance (thats for me and the pool to know), I then looked down at my watch and did an o-shit. I was so excited that I forgot I was only supposed to be resting for a minute. My watch said 58 secs. So I reset my watch and did the second 600. I knew in my head this 600 was going to be slower because it included backstroke. Yes every time I swim backstroke I feel like I am standing still in the water. No forward movement equals slower time. Just some thing I may have picked up in engineering school or on the street not really sure. Anyways - When I hit the wall, my watch said 12:10 – only 23 seconds slower then the other set and it included at least 150 in backstroke. I was still ROCKING!!!

The next sets were 300s where on the first one I went 5:45 – 15 secs faster then goal and the second one was 6:04 – 19 secs slower then the first set but again include 75 of backstroke. WOW!!!! I have not swum like this since the end of last season.

This morning a LITTLE VICTORY was achieved!!!

Lakeshore Path Amazed Me Last Night

2008-11-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

In order to get workouts in and still maintain a life, I have to sometimes become creative about how to get them in. Today was one of those days. I tried to get up early to get in my run this morning but I was just way to sleepy. I think I hit my snoozes button about 4 times and then finally just decided to reset my alarm for an hour and a half later.

When I woke up for the second time, I kicked myself. How the heck was I going to get in a run when I have a dentist appointment at 4pm and then was meeting Wendy for dinner at 7pm?

As I was getting ready, the light bulb went off and I decided that I was going to run home from my dentist in bucktown. It was a brilliant idea. I would save about $15 in cab fare and would also get in my run.

It was not until on my way to work that I realized it was suppose to rain later in the day. My plan was totally ruined especially since I am kind of a baby when it comes to running in the rain.

3:30pm rolled around at work and I made the decision, I was going to run home no matter what the conditions were. I got on all my running gear at work, locked up my other belongings and then caught a cab to the dentist. It was still raining but I told myself I was going to sick to the plan. RUNNING NO MATTER WHAT!!!

When Dr. Paguio was done fixing my filling, I grabbed my hat and gloves and headed out. The rain was not bad it was just sprinkling and the temperature was better then expected. I was actually dressed a little too warm.

On the way home, I took Webster to lakeshore path. The truck down Webster was really nothing to write but when I got to the path. The view was awesome. There was a break in the clouds and light from the moon was hitting the water. The water was rolling white caps and the sound of the waves crashing reminded me of the ocean. It was a little creepy in that I felt like I could be in a horror film but at the same time a pleasant surprise. Every so often on a workout I am surprised about my surroundings and I am so thankful for taking up the sport.

Just think, if I would have let the rain get in the way of my run tonight, I would have never experienced the calming view of the lake!!! Totally worth the cold wet feet:)

Power Test - Part 2

2008-11-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

A week ago today, I took my second power threshold test.

I always dread power tests because I know they are going to be hard and my feelings towards the test were no different this time around. I actually will admit I think it was a little worse then normal.

I had just gotten back from a rock climbing trip in Alabama and my body hurt in places I forgot I had. I was pretty exhaust and was not exactly sure how the test would turn out. Prior to leaving the office, I distinctly remember looking at my co-worker Jennifer and stating “I am going to get my ASS KICKED on the bike tonight”

When I got home, I told myself I just had to do my best and it would just turn out they way it was suppose to. When I got to class and started riding, I felt better then expected. The warm up was surprisingly easy; A total confident booster.

Then Dave went around and asked us what we thought our numbers would be I told him I had no number in mind and just wanted to finish the course. That in his mind was of course not an option. He wanted a number. I told him 155 which was 11 watts higher then my last power number. Knowing, I really did want to hit 160 since that was what I was doing most of my workouts at. I knew deep down this was do able but would be hard work.

We started the test and I felt great. I nailed the first hill and then was able to keep up my power number on the down hill as well. This continued for the first 25 minutes and then I started to fade a little. I decided to incorporate a 1 minute recovery meaning I switch into a smaller gear and spinned easy for 60 seconds. Then I was right back at it. I dug in deep and was able to keep my power at or above 160 for the next 5 minutes which brought me to 30 minutes; Only 10 more to go. I decided to take another 60 second recovery and then pushed hard for the rest of the course. Not only did I hit 161 for my power number but I also came in 4th based on distance.

I totally nailed it!!! One word Stellar!!

On a side note – Tonight was my last VQ class with this group and I have to admit I was sad to go. There was three pretty awesome girls I met in this class and I really hope to keep in touch with them now that the class is over. We have dinner plans in a few weeks and it should be great. Veronica, Daphne, and Pam you guys rock!!!

Swimming Drama

2008-10-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Over the last week, I have been fighting with Swimming:(

It all started on Saturday when I decided to go to swimming after our pumpkin carving activities and a few too many cocktails the night before. I had the worse swim ever. I should have know better then to think swimming was a good idea with a hang over. Anyways I figured it was just a one time thing since swimming has been going pretty good lately.

Then on Monday morning, I had another terrible day in the pool. I am use to swimming with three or four STELLAR girls and we all are very positive!!! We cheer each other on and there is never a sense of competition in the air. We all work together and realize each others strengths and weakness. We laugh and high five. I would not change it for the world.

Well on Monday, I was put in a lane with another group of girls who were very competitive and really kind of rude. I was purposely planning on having an easy day since I knew I was going to be doing a few of my threshold tests this week. I just took my time in the pool and I was passed a few times which I was expecting but what I was not expecting is to be kicked in the face while being passed and also be pushed into the other lane because the other girls were taking up the entire lane. It was the first time swimming with the MAX girls that I did not smile or laugh. Not a single high five. It was a total bummer. The positive - the group does motivate me to get out of bed on Monday mornings.

Today, the frustration continued. I did my swim test this evening. It entailed swimming 10X100 freestyle with exactly 10 seconds of rest in between each 100. The first 5 hundreds I was coming in under 2 minutes but the last 5 were over anywhere from 5-10 seconds. It took me in total 21:40. Basically 20 minutes if you take out the rest. It was when I saw this time that I realized I have not really improved my speed over the last year. I was totally bummed out and as a result, I had to take deep breath and think of at least one positive for swimming over the last year. I was able to come up with two which were as follows:

I swam my fastest open water mile swim at 38 minutes
I have increased my swimming endurance

After my little pep talk, I went into problem solving mode. Yes that is the engineer in me!! What do I need to do to become more efficient in the water and increase my speed?? I do not have an answer yet but I am sure it will keep me up at night trying to figure it out.

I think the best part of all this SWIMMING DRAMA is that I LOVE every minute of it. I may be frustrated and upset but I love the fact that it is in my control and I may just need to try something different to improve.

O-SHIT (Sorry Dad & Mom but it was how I felt)

2008-10-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

I had a O-SHIT - I am really doing an Ironman moment this morning!!!

I woke up and did the normal pull out my computer. I checked my g-mail, yahoo, and facebook accounts just to see if anything great happened while I was sleeping. This is my normal routine but for some reason I also decided to check the Chicago Tri Club Message Broad. On the board there was a post that had a link to a video from the 2008 Wisconsin Ironman. It was there because it showed the AID station we worked at and a few of the club members were in it. Although I was running late, I decided to watch it while I still laid it bed.

It was amazing. I had tears in my eyes and shivers running through my spine especially as they showed the swim. The other cool part of the video was it showed the run course and it goes through so many areas of Madison that I use to run through and one I only had an opportunity to watch football games at. YES that would be Camp Randall – AWESOME!!! Watching the video gave me mixed emotions. I was really EXCITED but more importantly I had the feeling of:

HOLY SHIT!!! I am doing an IRONMAN!!!

What a way to start the morning:)

Here is the link if you would like to watch the video. Just as an FYI - it is through itunes so if you do not have the program uploaded you will not be able to view it.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=37923237&id=206799711

Falling In Love with Running - Once Again

2008-10-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Over the last year running has been HARD because I never knew if my bum leg was going to make it through a run or not. I was always fearful to go out for a run in fear that my bum leg would give out. The saddest part is running has always been my favorite. I use to love to get out and run!!! I felt so free and strong!!

Thing have changed slightly since the ½ Ironman when I learned my bum leg was not do to stress compartmental syndrome and it is really ok to run through the pain. It is just pain and is not internally eating away at my muscles like it would if it was stress compartmental syndrome. If you have no idea what stress compartmental syndrome is, it is rather interesting and I will leave it up to you to google. I have spent way too many hours over the last couple of months researching it to want to explain it hereL

In addition, I took about 2 months off from Running (August and September) to just let my legs rest. Best decision I ever made!!

Since my rest period I have been pain free although in the back of my head there is still fear!! I feel a little pain and my head goes spinning. Is it coming back?? Maybe I should stop?? When this happens, I have to stop and remind myself - YOUR LEGS ARE STEEL!!! YOU ARE A STELLAR RUNNER!!! It is amazing what positive thoughts can do.

On Sunday, I think I had a break through. I was up in Minneapolis and had the opportunity to run my favorite loop around the lakes. Since I was technically only suppose to run for 40 minutes, I decided to just run Harriet and Calhoun. It was beautiful out there. The air was crisp but not cold and the trees were amazing. I have never seen such great shades of Yellow, Orange, and Red.

I started out on Harriet and felt great. I was strong and ran at a pace I have not run in a really long time. I was keeping a consistent 7:45 minute mile and the best part was I kept my heart rate in zone 3. I have been working on my running form and it is amazing how efficient I have become. After about 20 minutes I cut over to Calhoun, ran Calhoun strong and then cut back over to Harriet to finish it up. I was a little slower on the latter part of Harriet but still managed to finish the 7 mile loop in about 56 minutes.

I am not sure if it was because I was in one of my favorite places or because I really am getting better but for the first time in almost 6 months I did not even think about my bum leg and the pain.

I felt STRONG and ON TOP OF MY GAME while RUNNING!!!! AMAZING!!

I FINALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH RUNNING ONCE AGAIN!!!

Since Sunday – I have done two runs and both have been great. The environment was not s great (the gym on the treadmill and lakeshore path (still beautiful but just have logged a ton of miles there)) but it was really easy to remember how I felt that day and incorporate it into the runs I was doing.

I LOVE TO RUN!!!

New Bike Possibilities

2008-10-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

OK so for those of you that know me well. I have a LITTLE obsession with bikes and I have kind of talked myself into buying a new one!!!

The bike - Specialized Transition Expert - Talk about SWEET!!!! and more importantly it is super fast!!!

I have been eying this bike for a little over two months and have been in and out of several different bike shops. All of which are outside of my comfort zone of Johnny Sprockets. The guys and gal at this shop are awesome and are willing to do just about anything for me. I trust them fully. The downfall is that they do not carry the bike I am looking for. They are not really a tri bike dealer so it makes sense but the terrible part is I have to build new relationship and go off of gut feel. Totally sucks!!!

There are only a few different places in and around Chicago and Minneapolis who carry the bike and the part I am struggling with is what size to buy. Some say large and some day medium and some cannot make up their mind; One day medium the next day large.

Frustrating!!!! Where are the guys and gal from Johnny Sprockets when I need them.

To not bore you with the details here is a summary of each experience.
- The Wheel Thing out in the suburbs of Chicago (9/21/08 & 9/28/08)
Have been here twice. Test rode the medium and large. Left both times not knowing what size I should by. Bruce the guy I have been working with is great but he keeps going back and forth on his thoughts
- Cycle Smithy by my place in Chicago (9/20/08)
Was only there once. Rode the both bikes on the trainer and the guys was convinced should be the large. Question their ability to fit since they are not really a tri bike dealer.
- Eric’s Bike Shop up in Minneapolis (10/5/08)
Damien I think I may call him my life saver!! Was fitted on both bikes and he said the medium is the way to go. He told me he would not sell me the other bike because I would regret it later. The down fall - LOGISTICS - they are only located in Minneapolis and Madison

The Winner Eric’s the Bike shop. Now there are only three other details to work out:

- Wheel Set
- Where to Buy It (Madison / Minneapolis)

***Most Importantly – Sell Old Bike (This is more a space issue then anything else – I just cannot fit another bike in my apartment)

Finally Swimming Again

2008-10-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

So I have finally decided over the last two weeks to get myself back in the pool again. All I have is one word INTERESTING!!

The first day - I am just going to say lead arms, hard time with breathing, and slow as can be (turtle perhaps)

Two days later - Breathing was in check, arms were stiff but willing to work with me, and speeds were back to normal

Two more days later - Breathing was awesome, stroke was strong at least as strong for me, was hitting times I have never hit before. Stellar!!!!

Three days after that - Still swimming like a champ!!!

Guess taking two month off of swimming is an OK thing. Although my thoughts on the matter after my first day back in the water would have been much different.

Power Test

2008-09-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I started my VQ bike class and I have to admit I paid for not riding my bike the last two months. I have really only been on my bike once (when we rode one loop of the Ironman course up in Madison two weekends ago) since Steelhead (the half ironman I did the first weekend in August).

The first day of the class consists of a 40 minute time trial to get our average power numbers. The course we did was the Bismark. I am just going to say it is mostly up hill and by no means easy. Last time I did this test my average power number for the 40 minutes was 154 (not stellar by any means but good for me) and today it was only 138. This number is suppose to go up over time and hard work not down:) Frustrating!!!

Just to give you some perspective, the guys in the class this morning were pushing some where between 210 and 289 and the gals averaged between 160 and 180. There was however, one girl who was awesome and pushed around 240. She is awesome!!! I have a little bit of an advantage on the road because I am light but this does not come into play in these classes.

Just means I have work to do over the off season. Good thing we are starting in the fall and not waiting until winter. YEAH!!!

Although this morning was hard, it was STELLAR to get back on my bike and push myself!! I have not done that in a while.

First Meeting with Liz - Planning Off Season

2008-09-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I meet with my new coach Liz. She is extremely positive and eager to help. I am very excited to work with her over the next year!! Not to worry Mom and Dad, I am in good hands.

During our meeting we confirmed my workout schedule for the off season. Three swim workouts (two with the MAX girls / one on my own), taste of VQ bike class, two strength training sessions, and a run or two a week. The goal: nothing will be too structured or hard. It is all about just having fun. This is where you are allowed to call me crazy because most would think the schedule above is really structured:)

The off season for me is all about the swim. Although I have improved over last season, swim continues to be a struggle for me and I am still getting over my fear in the water. I like to refer to it as turtle speed!!!

In addition, Liz and I also talked about training with Power on the bike. It is something I have been interested in doing for a while (Nerdy I know but I have always been all about the numbers) and we decided this is the year to start.

This basically means I will start monitoring how many watts I can generate over the course of time while biking with a goal of the following:

"Increasing my watts per kilogram of body weight as much as possible over different and specific periods of times so I can be better prepared to meet the unique and highly varying demands of cycling"

It is still all a little new to me at this point but I am in the process of purchasing a PowerTap. Just another toy to play with!! Now I will not only talk about my heart rate, but I will also talk about watts!!!

Sign Up Weekend - E-mail To Family About Experience

2008-09-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the start of a new adventure for me and I wanted to tell you a little bit about it. I headed up to Madison to watch and sign up for the Ironman in Madison, Wisconsin.

The weekend started with hanging out with Abbey (one of my best friends from college) and having dinner with her and her husband.

Then on Saturday morning I woke up early and met a bunch of people from the Chicago Tri Club to ride the Ironman bike course. The course is two loops and we only did one of the loops for 56 miles. It was a beautiful day and the ride was great. It is a really hilly course so it will take some time to get trained up on hills but overall the ride was awesome!!! There is one hill that was really hard but it was great to know what I would be getting into. When we finished the first loop I was ready for more but knew I was not trained up enough to do a second loop with a few folks that did an ironman just a few weeks ago. After the ride we grabbed lunch and headed back to the camp ground for a nap. We had a big BBQ that night and then headed to bed early.

On Sunday morning we woke up at 5am and headed down to the swim start. Unlike Lifetime the swim start is a mass start meaning everyone starts at the same time. This also means there is a potential for 2500 people to start the race at the same time. I have to admit the thought is a little scary but I think it is very do able!!! After the watching a little bit of the swim we headed out to volunteer at one of the bike aid stations (for those of you who do not know what an aid station is it is a place where water, Gatorade, and food is handed out). It was awesome to be a part of it. People doing the race were of all levels and seemed to be very determined. The hardest part of the day was trying to hand water bottles to the pros who did not want to slow down as they came through. Nothing like handing a bottle to someone coming through at 24 mph. Nutty!! My favorite part of the volunteer experience was seeing my friend Cecilla come through. I trained with her quite a bit on the bike during the off season so it was great to see her accomplishing her goal.

After volunteering, me and my old coach (I am switching coaches this year to have someone with more Ironman experience - same company different person) headed out to watch people come up the hill I struggled on when we rode the course on Saturday. It was such a great place to cheer people on. You can see them for a while since it takes a few minutes to get up the hill. There was actually people who ran up the hill next to the people they were cheering for. Here I was able to see my friends Lynsey, Cecilla, and Denna. It was awesome!!! This would be a great place for you all to watch on the bike course but you have to promise to only cheer. It is tough part and I will be going very slow.

Once we finished up at the hill, I met up with Katie and saw her place. Yes I did stay at the Delta Gamma house last night. It was great to see Katie and meet her roommate. She is in good hands!!! After seeing her place, I convinced Katie to go and watch a few people finish the race. We were watching the finishers at the early stages so most of the people who came through were really good. You have 17 hours to finish the race and at that time we were catching people who were finishing around the 11 hour mark. It was really cool to see them come through. Everyone was so excited and cheering everyone on. It actually sent chills through my spine!! After staying there for a while we went to the turn around for the run (it too is a two loop course). I was able to see Cecilla come through for her second loop. She was smiling and looking great. If she kept it up she would complete the course around 13 hours which is an awesome time. Realistically I think I can finish under 14 hours but maybe 15. Heck I would be happy with finishing:) After a stellar day, I was sold on sign up!!!

This morning (September 8th), I woke up at 7am and walked up to the convention center to sign up around 7:30am. When I got there the lines were long but since I volunteered we had priority. I waited in line next to a few guys from Chicago for about 2 hours and then received my spot around 9:35am. As I signed the form I had a lot of mixed emotions. Part of me was freaking out but part of me was also really excited!!!

It will not be official until I receive the sign up link to pay on Sept 17th but I am guaranteed a spot. After that, I stood in line to book hotel rooms for next year. Reservations for hotels started at 9am as well. I went a head and booked 3 double rooms at the Concourse for us all (Kathy this includes you).

I would love all of you to share this experience with me. I know it is a long day and a lot to ask so if you cannot make it, that is totally ok. We can always cancel them if we need to but I figured it would be great to have rooms downtown. You will be able to walk to the swim start/ the turn around for the run / the finish and it will also, allow Dad to take a nap mid day:)

One thing I can guarantee is that it will take me long enough to finish on Sunday that driving back on Sunday will probably not be very fun:) This is going to be a big step for me but is something I am really excited about doing!!!

All I ask from you guys is to be supportive through out the year. I am going to need as many cheerleaders as possible especially over the summer when the training hours get long.

Love You Guys!!!