Ironman Louisville Race Recap: T2, The Run, The Finish

As I headed into T2, my friend, Connie, and her friend, Jennifer (and now my newest friend), were close to my running transition bag along with Erin. Erin and I head back to the changing tent to get ready for the marathon. She told me Ryan wanted to make sure I was fueling right so I would not bonk on the marathon. I felt pretty good besides my stomach, but tums seemed to be helping with that issue. I changed into my Team Ironman Foundation kit, added the rice cakes and tums to my back pocket and took some water that was in the changing area. I needed help with my fuel belt. The velcro was not sticking, so Erin got some medical tape to wrap around it. I got sunscreen again and then starting walking toward the run exit. 

Heading out for the run

I saw my crew and they were yelling that I was looking strong and I was ahead of schedule. Once I passed the exit, I started my watch to start the 4 minute run/1 minute walk. I wanted to not run any faster than 11 minute miles. Everything I read was that the race doesn't start until mile 18, so run conservatively. My crew caught up with me for the first 1 minute walk and chatted for a bit before I started running again. I was getting passed like nobodies business. I kept looking at my watch to make sure I stayed between 11-12minute/mile while running this early on.  It was a comfortable pace which was what I needed to be able to finish the marathon strong and to continue to enjoy the race. When I had my walk breaks, I would take a sip of my hydration and ate my rice cakes. The honey stingers and potatoes were not sounding good at all. At the aid stations, I just took water the first lap and walked for about 20-30sec while I drank it.

There were lots of cheering sections along the running route. It took me awhile to get used to people calling out my name since it was on my bib. I ran into my friend, Laura, again and we kept taking turns passing each other on the run. I also saw a few more friends that I had met while training and cheered for them. It was fun to have this camaraderie in the race. It did not matter how slow or fast you were going, but that you just kept moving forward encouraging each other.

When I was a mile or 2 from the turn around, I saw my friend, Maleah and her family. That was such a fun surprise! Gave her a quick hug and continued on my way. She told me another friend, Kat, was by the turn around and sure enough she was! So gave out another hug and ran with her for a little bit. I had thought about those two alot over the day. On my team shirts, I have squares for people that are survivors and the true heroes. Both Maleah and Kat are breast cancer survivors and true inspiration to enjoy life and all that it has to offer. It was great to see them out on the course. I ran into Maleah's family again and high fived her girls. A little bit down the course, I see Marian and her kids again, and my friend Meredith and her family.  I also saw Rennay and her sister a few times out on the course cheering for all their friends and fellow Landsharks. Seeing all these familiar faces kept me moving forward and enjoying the moment

As you come to the end of the first loop, you go right by the finish line, and the crowds are cheering you on like crazy. I got so teary then. Knowing even if I had to walk I was going to finish in time. I was going to reach my goal that I had trained so hard for. I saw my sherpas and passed off my hat and sunglasses as it was getting close to dark. My brother ran ahead a mile or two to cheer me again. When I met up with him, I gave him my fuel belt. I had stopped using my nutrition and drinks. Just the thought of trying to use them made me a bit nauseous. At the aid stations, I started taking water, chicken broth, and an orange. Every. single. one. - that was my combo that helped me get to the end. Aid stations were every mile so I never finished everything in the cup, but just kept a constant stream of things going in to keep my energy level up. As I was starting the second loop, I was feeling awesome. My legs were in autopilot. It was easier to run than walk, but the walking breaks were still needed since they used different muscles. After I passed the turn around point, I was passing lots of walkers. I kept feeling stronger and stronger. Then my friends, surprised me showing up in the dark to cheer me on in my last leg. I got a quick hug from everybody, a group picture, and got re-energized once again.

I never saw any mile markers until mile 22. I just wasn't looking for them. I felt good and just ran a comfortable pace. I never went faster than what I started out. I saw my brother again around mm23 and he told me Ryan was at mile 25. I couldn't believe I just had 3 miles left and still running strong. I met up with Ryan and facetime with Kaiya again. Telling her that we had made it. We were going to be Irongirls!

I ran to the crowds and it was incredible! To hear all the cheering and see 4th Street Live with the Finish Line and all the lights. There were several people coming in and I wanted to cross the finish line solo as did the others. I tried to soak it all in and give high fives. It went by so quickly! As soon as I crossed the finish, Erin was there with my medal. So much fun.

Erin - downtown Sherpa and medic

Erin knew where Emily and my dad, who had come down for the finish line, were, so I saw them. Then I saw Jason and Ryan on the other side. Headed over to get my finisher's hat and shirt and of course the finisher's photo. I was so cold, every part of my body ached. My brain couldn't decide if I was hungry or wanted to throw up. We walked to the convention center where Erin got me some ice for my legs and some chocolate milk. I tried eating, but wasn't quite ready. Walking was hard and painful.

The finish line living up to all the excitement

I had crossed the finish line a little after 10pm - 14 hours and 23 minutes! I thought I could do about 15 hours if I was having a good race. My run time was 5:07 averaging 11:44 min/mile. Ironically, this is the exact same time I ran my last marathon in 2002. I had bonked at mile 13 in that marathon. I had no idea about nutrition and proper fueling. When I finished that race, I never wanted to have that feeling again and that kept me on track for this race to ensure I was properly fueling myself. Even in a bad race, you learn something for future races.

 I am still in awe of what happened. The whole day was a blur of excitement. Prior to starting my training I had never swam more than 1 mile- let alone all of it freestyle or biked more than 30 miles. I am just a slow and steady swimmer, biker, and runner. I knew my weaknesses that I needed to work on in order to achieve the goal of crossing an Ironman finish line.  I made a plan, found a mentor, stayed consistent, and worked hard. If there is something in life you want to do, go do it. Set up a timeline, mini goals, and be persistent. There will be ups and downs, but life is more interesting in giving it a try instead of thinking you wish you would have tried.  Feel free to contact me if I could be some support in anyway or have questions.

Would I do an Ironman again? No. I am one and done. I would love to be someone's sherpa for sure! I loved every moment of training and race day. Training was way harder than race day. Training is where all the sacrifices come into play. I have no desire to go through all that training again. Was it worth it? Yes! Race day was magical and an experience I will never forget. I learned so much about myself and what I want in life through this experience. I am looking forward to the next adventure. It may not be as epic, but the journey is going to be just as fun!

Jumping for joy!

 

Thanks for all your love and support over the past 6 months. Monday was such a fun day to see all the facebook posts to relive Sunday all over again. I have been walking and feeling better everyday, but it is now time for some much needed rest and relaxation.

Ironman Race Recap: T1 and the Bike

I'm looking for my sherpas!

As I jogged into transition 1 (T1) with my wetsuit, I heard the announcer call out my number for the volunteers to grab my bag. As I got closer, I heard my sister-in-law (Erin), yelling for me who was volunteering as a medic too. She had come over to T1 area to get me ready for the bike. We head to the changing tent. She pulls out all my gear, opens my foil packets of the boiled potatoes to put in my tri top, and returns all my swimming stuff back into my bag. I washed out my mouth with some Listerine from swimming in the Ohio - you just never know. Erin had to take a picture to send to Ryan, Emily, and my brother who were by the swim exit still to show them I had already exited. I left the changing tent to go get some sunscreen. At the sunscreen tent, my friends volunteered and I still remembering getting hugs from Julie and Deanne and cheers from Maleah, Tanya, and Mackenzie. Julie and Deanne double teamed and got me all sun screened up!

Erin let me know my 3 race sherpas were on the right side as I left the bike transition. I ate some rice cakes as I headed to my bike. We had to walk our bikes out to the road upon which I saw Ryan, Emily, and Jason. I mounted my bike and headed out River Road. Shortly after mounting, I realize, my aero water bottle was in backwards, so I slowed down to fix it. River road is the flattest part of the course. Other bikers were flying by me. I wanted to pay attention to how I felt and just keep an easy cadence and stay above 15mph on the flats.

Leaving T1 and excited to see R, E, and J!

I had read the bike race doesn't start until mile 80, so just stay relax. My strategy for biking was to take a sip every 10-15 minutes, eat one of the following per hour: a whole package of chews, waffle, 2 potatoes, or 2 rice cakes. And I wanted to finish drinking a bottle per hour. Nutrition and pacing was key for me in this race. Failing either of those meant either a DNF or a race that would not be fun. Advice from Heath was to keep doing body checks, ride in aero position as much as possible, stand up to stretch the legs on the pedals, and move position every 20 minutes or so. I was able to follow through and enjoy the ride. I ended up only drinking about 5 bottles - 2 shorter than I should have, but ate most of my nutrition. I had a minor stomach ache, but TUMS was able to take of that.

I saw my cheer squad again at River Road and 42 right before starting the hilly sections and heading towards my neighborhood where I knew my family and neighbors were cheering for me. It is great having home court advantage - knowing the bike route and having a cheer squad.

My parents and kids on 42

My boys cheering with their signs

After passing my neighborhood, I was heading to 1694 which was one of the parts of the bike I was most concerned about. It is the out and back section of the course. There are long hills that you can go fast and long hills you need to climb. There's the turn around and an aid station. Everyone still has fresh legs and congestion is everywhere on this road. Often 3 riders across on both sides. Posts were made in the Ironman Louisville facegroup page about this road. Just take it easy, it is early on in the race and every year there are crashes is what they were saying. Unfortunately, this did not help, and upon heading back towards 42 there were at least 3 crashes with bicyclists on the ground. One wreck had at least 4 bicyclists. So scary. Fortunately, from what I gather post race, all the bicyclist involved in the crashes are recovery. I felt so blessed, my biking bubble did not get popped during this section and was looking forward to moving on towards the loop. I saw R, E, and J just before and after the turn around on 1694. Ryan was able to facetime my I Run 4 buddy - Kaiya and I got to say a quick hi to her which was so cool!

My I Run 4 buddy sporting the Team Net shirt all the way in Arizona!

I was not for sure where I was going to see my 3 race day sherpas again on the loop, but tried to keep an eye and ear out for them. I stopped at the aid station in front of Oldham County High School. I was going to stop and use the restroom there, but had no desire to waste my time waiting in a line of 7-8 people deep. I grabbed some water, fixed my drink, grabbed some potatoes and was back on my way. It was a fun ride through LaGrange with all the people and cheers. After that, we turned on a narrow country road with some challenging shorter hills. It  was still congested through here. Fortunately, I came across a single port-o-pot with only one waiting so I stopped. I was also able to refill my aero bar and grab nutrition from my bike bag under my seat.

Shortly after this stop, I came across some more familiar faces - Heath's wife, Jen, and my 3 sherpa gang cheering crazy.  I headed back on 42 for about 10 miles to start the second loop. I stopped at the same aid station to refuel and by passed my special needs bag. I just had a tube, CO2 cartridge and some nutrition which was not needed. As I went through Lagrange again, I heard my name which surprised me as I was not expecting anybody through this area so I was just cruising along. It ended up being friends from the Moms Run This Town - Marian and Harmony. Again it is always energizing to hear people cheer you on and call you by name.

My 3 race day sherpas that followed me all over: Crew Chief, Wingman, and Brother

The rest of the second loop went well and I just enjoyed riding - taking it easy on the uphill and enjoyed the downhill. By this time, the bicyclists had all spread out so it was easier biking. As I was heading back on L'Esprit, I saw a guy running on the road. I was thinking that was crazy - doesn't he know there is a race going on?! Well, it turned out to be my brother. He needed to get some miles in anyways. This made me laugh. Then I saw Emily and Ryan again shortly before turning onto 153. Before I knew it, I was heading back to Louisville on 42 with some headwind. I knew I needed to average at least 14mph so I just had an easy cadence heading back to rest up for the run. Again, I passed by my neighborhood with my family and friends cheering. Also I heard and recognized a few more faces along the route coming back which was a great morale booster fighting the headwind.

Thumbs up for the race photogs

Once I got onto River Road, the road was pothole heaven. I could not wait to get off my bike. The pavement was so rough. It was a beautiful view, though, along the river and seeing downtown. I was still in disbelief that I was almost done with part 2 of the race - biking the farthest I had ever biked - 112 miles!



Taking my bike to the bike catchers

I dismounted (talked to the volunteer there saying I was so happy I did not fall over unclipping!) , handed off my bike to the bike catchers, took my cycling shoes off to run easier. My legs still felt great! I was so excited. I heard my cheer squad and they said I was still ahead of schedule and was going to be able to finish before the cut-off.

During the bike I saw several people I had trained with and was cheering for them. My friend, Laura, and I were playing tag for much of the race which past the time. If one of us stopped at an aid station, the other caught up and would get passed again.


Running into T2

Bike stats: 15.37 mph, 7 hours 17 minutes with 3 stops. My goal was to average 15 mph and if needed - 14mph was a good pace to save legs for the run. My last long ride - 109 miles, I averaged just over 14 mph and I was exhausted, so I was ecstatic to have 15 mph! The volunteers were great. They yelled out what they had for us and willing to help us in any way.

Coming up - T2, the run, and the dramatic finish!

(Race Week Recap, Swimming Recap)

Ironman Louisville Race Recap: The Swim

Sunrise race morning taken by my friend, Deanne

 Race morning actually started before my 4am wake up call. I woke up about midnight and could not fall back asleep. I was thinking about random things: remember to get the sunscreen for my sherpa, Emily, pack a blanket, if I lay here real still maybe I will not be so tired, etc. Finally, a little before 4am I got up and started my race morning ritual. I took a shower to wake up since I do not drink coffee, braided my hair, ate my bagel with peanut butter, and drank some water. It was comforting to have these race day rituals so I can just be on autopilot and think about the rest of day. I was more calm and excited than I expected at this point. And even snapped a silly picture to commemorate the beginning of a crazy day that I sent to my friends bright and early.

getting ready to put the ole wetsuit on

I gathered my nutrition (honey stingers: waffles and chews, boiled potatoes, and rice cakes (that my mom and Emily finished making for me on Saturday) and my hydration/electrolytes that Ryan helped put together since I needed some concentrate to dilute later on in the race. We headed to the car with the fuel and my morning bag with all my swim gear.

Sunscreen girls! My friends at T1 waiting for me.

We arrived at the transition area about 5:10am. There was already a decent line, but once 5:15 hit, the line moved quickly. I had very little to do in the transition area besides drop off the food and bottles for the bike and run. Since the weather was cooler, I was not worried about tires popping so I did not need to air them up. Once I finished in transition, Ryan and I walked the 15-20 minutes to the start line of the swim. First, I got body marked on my arms and calf and then ended up walking down to the end of the line which at the time was just at the building with the big paddles attached to it. So we settled in, covered myself in a blanket to stay warm and cozy. At about 6:30, I walked down to the port-a-pot line to wait in line again. By the time I met back with Ryan it was time to start getting my wetsuit on. And sometime during this time, my friends texted Ryan with a picture of them at the sunscreen station telling me they we're cheering and waiting for me. That was so fun to see and even got me more excited to start the race! Around 7:15am, one of my neighbors and her two kids found her way to me and we got to chat and see their signs they made for me. The waiting period actually went faster than I had expected. I also ate two rice cakes and drank about 10 oz to fill my tank up.  We heard the horn blow and knew it was time to start.

 

Ready to go

I'm the pink cap right in front of the guy jumping in

The line moved fast. I was on the dock by 7:38am to jump in. (I heard it took about 45 minutes to get the 2500+ athletes in the water! ) I remembering thinking about how to keep my goggles on while I jumped off the previous week, but that thought never crossed my mind as I walked towards the dock. The next thing I knew I was in the water trying to free style. I was expecting the water to feel cold and take my breath away. Thinking I would need about 10 minutes or so before I would be able to get into a rhythm. However, with the air so cold, the water felt great! It took just a couple of strokes before I was able to swim comfortable which was so much faster than I expected. Sighting was pretty easy except it was hard to see people since the wetsuits blended in with the water. I could tell by the way the water was moving under the water if I was getting close to others. I stayed to the right mostly- didn't get to bumped and swam over too many times near the Towhead Island. Swimming up current was not as bad as I expected.  Every time I sighted, I was surprising myself that I could tell I was making progress.

 Once we got past Towhead Island I almost got sandwiched by two other swimmers. It got a bit more congested as everyone was heading to the turn around buoy. I glanced at my watch seeing it was about 30 minutes. I was thinking that it would take me about 1/3 of the time to get to this point. If that was the case, I knew I was ahead of schedule. I did a quick body check to make sure I did not feel like I was exerting myself too much.  Once heading downstream, I was in autopilot. Random thoughts floated through my head and disbelief that I was swimming in an IRONMAN! A friend who had completed the race last year as her first, recently sent me an e-mail with her best advice and tips. One was to glance up at the pedestrian bridge as you swim underneath it. A view that not alot of people get to experience, so I remembered somehow! I could see the finish in a distance - Joe Crab's Shack roof.  It was getting closer every time I sighted. Soon I realized I was way right so I started heading to the left just in time to exit. I told Ryan I was going to take my cap off as soon as I got to the exit stairs to spot me since we all look alike in black wetsuits and pink swim caps. I glanced at my watch - 1 hour 29 minutes which was 2 minutes faster than my fastest time I had predicted which was based off my half ironman swim! Ryan had even (jokingly) warned me not to go faster than those times because he probably wouldn't see me. In this case, my three race sherpas (Ryan, Emily, and brother) did not see me get out! Once out, I had a great wetsuit stripper, so I was on my way in no time. I did not feel out-of breath or dizzy and even jogged to the transition.

I was still feeling surreal with everything. Soaking in the crowd at the swim exit, thinking how I just swam free style the whole time in a wetsuit for the first time that distance, and exciting to start part 2 of the race.

T1 and Bike coming up soon!

Ironman Louisville Race Recap: Race Week

Race day eve at the swim exit

Where do I even start in attempt to summarize race week? August last year I had helped with bike and gear check-in. After interacting with all the athletes, I got myself thinking that an Ironman was something I could really do - having only completed an Olympic triathlon, two marathon, and a bike ride no longer than 30 miles over the past several years-  so why not?  My husband was so supportive and did not think twice when I first talked to him about it - knowing all the sacrifices he would have to do in order for me to reach my goal. He believed in me from the very beginning - maybe even more so than myself. Forward to October 2014, I had started researching coaches and finally asked a 4x Ironman finisher about being my Ironman mentor if I decided to sign up. He agreed and started me down a path that allowed me to improve my weaknesses and gain confidence, but not get burned out before the race would get here almost a year later. I am forever grateful for his tips, advice, and experience over the past year. In December, I signed up and joined Team Ironman Foundation to raise funds to give out to the local charities.

 

 

 I had so much emotion race week, that sleeping was hard starting on Monday. It was so hard to focus on anything or even hard to distract myself to something productive. Fortunately, the evenings were filled with a variety of events from getting homework done with the kids, to dinner with friends, and cross country practice with the oldest. My husband, somehow, had endless energy that week and picked up all the slack of keeping our family going. On Tuesday, I  had a flat tire from a new inner tube (bike was just on the trainer!) that raised my anxiety up a notch. Fortunately, my husband, aka Crew Chief, put in another tube and was good to go. On Wednesday, I was fortunate to meet up for some pizza with my friend, Connie, who I had my first 40 mile ride back in May, saw me tumble over forgetting to unclip, and flat tire on another ride. So she knows all the fun in training for triathlons!


Thursday finally arrived and was the first day to pick up our race packets. It was also the day of Team Ironman Foundation volunteer event. Since my youngest, Jos,  was out of school that day, she got to tag along with to the volunteer event at Harbor House. We got to play games, do puzzles and crafts with the adults who have developmental or physical disabilities. She loved handing out high fives to everyone. Afterwards we headed downtown to the Ironman Village. It was a beautiful day and not crowded so we could take our time to soak everything in- even running into a few people I had trained with on the bike. At athlete check-in we got our bibs, number stickers for our bike and helmet, 5 plastic bags for all our gear for the transitions and special needs bags for half way through the bike and run, timing bracelet, and our Ironman wristband which was our ticket to get in all the events. Once that wristband went on my wrist, my ability to think straight and focus decreased even more so. I was still in shock a little bit that it was show time! Thursday night I was able to visit with fellow athletes participating in the race that I had met through training. This was all our first Ironman so it was fun talking about race day and trying to figure everything out. When I left there, I ran into my Ironman mentor, Heath, that gave me a pep talk about just not over thinking things, trust in my training, and just breathe. It was perfect timing to those things.

athlete briefing

Friday finally arrived and Jos and I headed back to Waterfront Park to listen in on the athlete briefing and to just enjoy the atmosphere again. This was the last day for athlete check-in so it was busier than Thursday. About 2/3s the way through the briefing, it started to rain, so my daughter and I headed back to the car. We were hoping to meet up with my friend, Marian who worked downtown, but staying to true form (and her running nickname, Storm) we weren't able to unfortunately with all the rain.  That evening I finally had enough focus to lay out all my gear for each of the transition bags and special needs bags. I texted my mentor, Heath, about special needs bags as I did not really have much to put in them. Heath told me not to over think things - just keep it simple. I went for another easy bike ride only to have my chain lock up. Fortunately I was in my neighborhood and able to walk home, but talk about building up the nerves! Once again, Ryan comes to the rescue and fixes the issue!

 My kids decorated my bags for an extra boost during my race.

Saturday was bike and gear drop-off and my parents, brother, and one of my best friends, Emily was coming into town. I was like a kid waiting for Christmas waiting for them to arrive because it meant race was getting closer. I opted to skip the practice swim Saturday morning and just stay low key. However, we did go to my oldest son's cross country meet to cheer him on in the early afternoon. After that we headed down to the waterfront with the bike and gear drop off. I was number 32 so I racked my bike right by the bike exit which made it so easy to find race day! I checked out the swim exit and the swim start to visualize what I was about to embark on the next day.

Gear drop-off

Bike drop off

My dad and I at swim start

Swimming Recap coming soon!

My swim gear

 

My biking gear and stuff for transition 1 bag

Running gear for transition 2 bag

 

14 Days! Ironman Louisville 2015

Hard to believe only 14 days! Taper has officially started now that I have my training done this weekend.

 

My bib number - follow me on raceday - ironman.com

The last few weeks have been tough and exhausting. I have completed my first ever over 100 mile rides, an 18 mile run (which I haven't done since my last marathon in 2002!), 14 miles on a treadmill, swam 2 miles multiple times, and completed a 2.4 mile swim in a 25 yard pool (80 some laps). These trainings not only helped physically, but helped strengthen me up mentally. For an ironman, you need to be strong both physically and mentally. During these trainings, I was able to adapt as needed, practice nutrition, work through stomach cramps, and think alot and alot.



My dad and I after finishing the first 50miles

About a week ago was one of the toughest weeks. My husband's grandmother passed away and his dad was back in the hospital getting stints even though he had quadruple bypass surgery back in April. I had my second century ride scheduled the day before the funeral viewing and my 18 mile run the morning of. The century ride ended up being the hardest ride. It didn't help that I had very little sleep since my youngest kiddo had a tough time sleeping. (We just found out this week that she will be having her tonsils and adenoids out to help with her sleep apnea and a few other issues the tonsils are causing her.)  It was part of the Hope Ride in Hope, Indiana. The weather had called for some rain here and there just for a bit. My dad had agreed to ride the first 50 miles with me which would be his longest ride to date. As soon as we checked in, it had started to rain. After about 5 minutes, it stopped so we took off. According to the weather app, it should have cleared up. However it continued to rain off and on the next few hours, plus some thunder and lightening. We did not have any place for cover so we just focused on biking to the next sag in which case all the thunder and lightening had quit. We also had to cross over 4 metal bridges. The third bridge, we saw two bicyclists that had wrecked on the metal bridge, so helped them a little bit. Fortunately one of the bicyclist was carry a first aid kit that had pretty much everything. On this ride, my right knee started to give me some pain. It would come and go, but I still continued on to the second 50 after dropping dad off at the lunch sag. The second 50 was pretty quiet in the country. The crosswind and headwind were terrible, the roads were bumpy all over. Then at the very end, I was exhausted, knee in pain, took a wrong turn and added another 9 miles. I got out my phone and figured it out. To top it off, when I got back to my dad's truck to go home. I could not get it started! And the thought of running after biking this far seemed impossible.

second 50 on the Hope Ride

Not every workout goes as plan, but during all this ordeal, I learned how I adapt to the conditions to get through. This bad experience, has made me stronger, wiser, and more prepared. I do not need to worry about things I cannot control like the weather - just adapt. If my knee hurts, just ease up and focus on other things and not the pain. The next day, I woke up and my knee was stiff and hurt pretty bad. It was tough to move it forward and back. However, the more I walked around the better it felt,- not great, but better. I decided to go ahead and try to run a slow few miles to see how it would go. After the first 2 miles, I was pain free and ended up running the rest of the 18 miles.

I share the struggles to let you know that everyone has ups and downs. Excuses are easy, ignoring them is the hard part.  Training for the Ironman is tough, but you just focus on the task at hand and break it up into smaller pieces. My training plan started me at 1600 yards swimming back in April. I just swam 4300 yards (2.4miles). I have never biked more than 25-30miles, I have biked over 100 - twice!  I have been a runner most of my life, but I haven't run these distances since having 3 kids and never ran more than 5-6 miles on a treadmill - let alone the 14 miles I did a few weeks back because that was the lesser of the two evils (hot, hot weather was the other evil). I did not know much about nutrition, calories, electrolytes, but have learned how many calories I need, how often I need to drink, what foods works for me. It has been a learning experience. I have swam over 57 miles, biked 1992 miles, and ran 333 miles for over 2300 miles covered throughout the 22 weeks. Fortunately, I was able to surround myself with great family and friends that has supported me during this journey. I have found a great mentor who continues to give great tips and advice. A good group from Ironwilled - Women who Tri who are racing Louisville too. So if you have a crazy goal - go for it! There will be ups and downs, but just focus on your goal and work hard towards achieving it.

my last run before taper on my favorite country road to run on

I still have yet to swim in the Ohio with my wetsuit which I hope to do if the algae leaves, plan out race week where we have 2 days to check in, a day to drop off the bike, plan all the nutrition and finalize the clothes for the race. It is going to be an exciting two weeks!

4 Weeks Left!

 

 

 It just seems like yesterday I was blogging about my first month of training for the ironman! I am so glad to be at this end now. It has been a tough, but fun; challenging, but doable experience. It is exciting to start receiving the athlete's guide and your race day number. This will be my first race with my name on my bib. I maybe a little too excited about this.

 

You know you are close to race day when you know your number!

It has been over a month since I have given an update and there are been ups and downs with the training. A week after my 70.3 race, I competed in an Olympic distance in my hometown. I had just started to come down with a cold and sore throat- just like last year. However, I still PR'd and had a fun race cheering on my family and friends that were racing. The week after the Olympic distance I ended up getting a virus with a fever along with the cold/sinus infection. I was down for a few days - just completely wiped out. Fortunately it was a recovery week. Once I started feeling better I gradually started back by to my training. It probably took another full week to feel fully recovered. That was really tough to get back in the groove again after resting so much!

I was finally able to start building my bike endurance back up. I was able to ride with my mentor with whom gave great tips on the bike. The Louisville course is hilly and somewhat technical. It would be easy to break a chain or get a flat on the course and wear yourself out before you get to the run. I have completed my first century ride on the Ironman course which was a huge confidence booster. I have met some super great people on these group rides lately. They are all looking out for each other on the course even though we just met at the start of the ride. We all have similar insecurities about getting through the race, but trusting all our hard work to get us there.

Rice cakes and boiled potatoes

I think I know my nutrition plan - making sure I get all the right calories, carbs, electrolytes, hydration. That is a great feeling since that was one thing I knew I needed to work out and will need to nail during race day in order to enjoy the day and finish. I am using water, SWORD, and Tailwind for my bottles and honey stinger chews and waffles along with boiled potatoes and rice cakes for my nutrition. At least one bottle and one food item is needed per hour on the bike. It will help pass the time, right?  It is an all day event so lunch and dinner are on the bike and run! I may pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the bike for the special needs bag.

I still have race day planning to do - race clothes, special needs bags, making sure I have all the nutrition for the day etc. I need more open water swim practice with the wet suit, but I am gaining more confidence as race day approaches. I am hoping all my early morning workouts, double day workouts, and just plain hard work allows me to really enjoy race day and soak it all in this once in a lifetime experience. I still have 2 weeks of hard work and 2 weeks of taper to get through.

Be sure and let me know if you'll be coming out on the course race day so I can look for you! Or if you are racing hopefully we'll pass each other sometime throughout the day!

Again just want to thank everyone that asked about training, ran, biked, or swam with me. Or texts me while I am biking long to make sure I am okay and drinking enough during the hot training days. It is all greatly appreciated and means so much. I hope I can return the favor someday.

My tiny, but mighty daughter and I heading out for a training run.

Race Report: Newburgh, IN - 70.3 - August 1

It's official I am half crazy or half an ironman. Finished my first long course triathlon. I participated in the club race hosted by Southern Indiana Triathlon Team. It was a great race - truly impressed. Just open to club members, it was a small, friendly race and well supported. Just what I needed going into the final stretch of training for the Ironman.

This race was a dress rehearsal for me to practice what I think I want to do for the Ironman. I got to practice pre-race nutrition, race clothes, race nutrition/hydration, transitions, and race pacing.
The week leading up to the race, I did most of my training even though I had this race. I did take my rest day on Friday like I typically do and opted out of a bike ride on Thursday in exchange for running with my oldest at his cross country practice.

I found two helpful articles this week:
One for packing: http://triathlon.racechecklist.com/ - I was able to bring this up on my phone and just check things off as I packed it. Quick and an easy check that I had everything.

One for pacing: http://www.endurancecorner.com/library/triathlon/strategy/half_ironman_pacing -
This was right up my alley in that it had you start each of the disciplines slow. Everything was setting you up to have a good run.

We drove over to Evansville area after dinner on Friday evening. On the drive over I realized I forgot the sticky rice balls (part of my nutrition), Ryan had made for me to try in the race. Fortunately I had plenty of other nutrition, but it was one thing I was looking forward to trying.

We got to the race at 6am for a 7am start. It was plenty of time to get everything situated, body marked, and checked-in. I knew 2 others participating so chatted a little bit before the swim. One of those friends - this was her FIRST triathlon! It was great catching up with her and cheering her on during the race. She was a beast and super proud of her! Her sister-in-law also completed the race with an injury she suffered a few weeks ago which was so inspirational.

So here's the rundown of the race:

Swim: 46:40 - 1.2 miles
We treaded water for a very short time before started the out and back in a narrow lake. This was good practice with getting swam over and bumping into people. The sighting was pretty easy since the lake was so narrow. I swam a comfortable pace and when I got done I felt like I could still swim some more. Ryan volunteered helping people out of the water so it was fun to see him there. Also my parents surprised me by driving down to see me race. I saw them and gave them a hug after the swim so got them all wet.


T1 (Transition 1) 3:26
Since they had a changing tent, I tried my hand at changing during a race which I hadn't ever done. I just put on some cycling shorts and was back out.

Biking: 3:20 (16.8mph) - 56 miles

Halfway on the bike with my parents and Ryan

The first 12 miles or so had rolling hills which meant the last 12 miles also had rolling the hills. The hills did not compare to the hills near where I live or nearly as many, so I ended up going faster on the bike than I had imagined and was able to stay in my aero position for most of the ride. I saw Ryan, my parents, and my friend Jen at the halfway point. I got some more water and was on my way. There was some headwind heading back, so I just tried to stay relaxed while pedaling. I feel like a did a good job staying hydrated and fueled (Tailwind, SWORD, honey stinger chews, and water). I did drop one of my water bottles with 10 miles left, but still  had plenty of fluids in the other two bottles.


T2 5:20
I was able to get off my bike without falling which is always a good thing with my track record lately. I changed into some comfy running attire, made a pit stop, grabbed my fuel belt and off running I went.

Running: 2:20 (10:46/mile)- 13.1 miles

2 thumbs up for the run

My plan for running was to run 4 min and walk 1 min. Also to walk through the aid stations
which were about every mile. The course was an out and back just like the bike. My legs felt great starting the run even with the heat of the day. I continued to drink and eat a little during my walk breaks. Once I hit the halfway point, I picked up some sponges that cooled me down and then I slowed down a little and ended up walking up a few hills. Legs were starting to feel a little heavy, but I kept counting down the miles left and thinking to myself that I am really doing this! I still had plenty of Tailwind left on my fuel belt along with some chews, so I will need to do a little better job fueling for the ironman marathon.

I finished in 6 hours 36min which was much faster than I had predicted. The swim was right on target, but the bike and run was much faster than I expected. I felt relaxed throughout the race - just trying to enjoy it and know I still have lots of intense training ahead. I still need to get stronger on my bike for the hills and work on endurance for the swim, but I feel like I am on target to be able to finish an ironman. Racing makes all the hard work in training worth it.



Finishing and surprised with the time

This race was a great experience. All the volunteers and racers were super friendly and supportive. Southern Indiana Triathlon Team has a great club.

I couldn't have done it without great support from a friend who lets me asks all kinds of questions and gives great tips and advice.  And family and friends who have trained with me and watched kids. But most importantly, my husband has been a rockstar. All his support from bike maintenance to helping make some nutrition makes it just a little bit easier. He was an amazing SHERPA at the race.

Week 14 in the books! Only 10 more weeks!!