Slow run/walk

Crazy week at work has led me away from the rec center, not good! I ate dinner, I really tried not to eat too much, but apparently I did anyway, and it was an absolute brick in my gut; thus leading to the slow run/walk instead of a run, ah well at least I did it and tomorrow is another day!

• Type: Run
• Date: 02/12/2009
• Time: 19:43:33
• Total Time: 00:35:00.00
• Calories: 400
• Distance: 2.75 miles
• Average Pace: 12:44.33/mile

It has been way too long!!

At least I can say that it is not because I have been lazy!! so shortly after Ironman (about a week actually) I got a huge promotion at work, so I went from working 70-80% time to 100%+ time and directing a department, no complaints it has been an incredible learning experience and the extra money was an absolute blessing when my husband essentially lost his job (he works in an industry that is extremely affected by the economic crisis). I made sure that my new job didn't take too much away from my workout life because while I was ready for a break after Ironman I was not ready to become a couch potato, in fact I completed an olympic distance (or an International distance as they are calling it now) triathlon about 6 weeks after Ironman, I really needed to cross that finish line!!

Anyway, so much to talk about but the most important, I am about 1.5 weeks away from the official start of trianing for an Ironman 70.3 event in June, I am so excited and feeling so confident about this race because I learned so much back in June. I have learned that it is okay to feel uncomfortable and can now push myself through discomfort (usually :-)) and have also learned that it is okay to be selfish on occasion.

Anyway, I am glad to be back and I look forward to my Ironman journey, because, just so you know, I will complete an iron distance triathlon in 2010, come hell or highwater, nothing is going to stop me!!

My first IRONMAN!!

Well, I will start by saying that I didn't finish...It really isn't as devastating now as I thought it was on Sunday. I will start by saying that I learned so much about myself on the journey to the starting line, I am not going to get all philosophical here but the Ironman journey is an amazing one!

First things first, I completed the SWIM!! I have never swam 2.4 miles in my life and I did it on Sunday, woo hoo! The swim was my Mount Everest and I DID IT!! In the picture of me coming out of the water, I have the biggest smile on my face :). The water was COLD, about 55 degrees, but I only felt cold a couple of times and that was when I was resting (oh yes, I definitely rested). I was the last person to come out of the water who made it within the 2:20 time limit, my time: 2:19:, nothing like taking it to the wire. The unfortunate part of it all is that I aspirated a whole bunch of water right at the end and that was my ultimate undoing (besides a drafting penalty, but more about that later). I felt like one of the pros with everybody on the beach cheering for us last few swimmers. I can honestly say that if not for the crowd and volunteers in the water, I never would have made it, the encouragement was unlike anything I have experienced. If anybody who reads this was a volunteer, THANK YOU!!!

The volunteers took me to the "warming tent" after the swim, they had to make sure I was warm enough to go on, which I was, so I transitioned to the bike. The best part about it was my friend was the volunteer who shows up in the tent to help me get dressed and everything put away, it was AWESOME! So I made it out of the transition area in 10 minutes and was off. Less than 10 miles in to my ride the pros started to pass me on their second loop, they are absolutely incredible, I was just in awe of them as they cruised by me. I got a penalty shortly after that because I was going to pass (my dad of all people!) and a pro came up on my left so I dropped back and got a drafting penalty, I know that if it wasn't my dad I was trying to pass I never would have felt comfortable enough to be that close, but because it was my dad I don't think I really processed what I was doing. I deserved it, I even thought to myself I am probably a little too close and BAM the red card was shown to me. My inexperience at that level of competition really showed, but at least I got to see two pros in the penalty box too, I guess they also make mistakes! I learned from it and that is a positive lesson for next time.

About 35 miles in to the ride my lungs started to give me trouble, I just couldn't take a deep breath; it was very painful and it would make me really cough. Because I couldn't get any good deep breaths I could not get my speed up. So to make a long story short, I missed the cut off for the first loop of the bike course by 1 minute and wasn't allowed to go on, it was right at this moment that I was really kicking myself for the "drafting" earlier in the day :). It was truly a blessing though because I ended up in the medical tent, the PA that saw me told me my lips were blue and my oxygen sats were about 94, which isn't terrible but apparently it wasn't too good either. I got a couple of albuterol treatments and then was sent for a chest x-ray. My lungs still hurt but they are getting a little bit better everyday.

All in all, it was so much fun and such a learning experience, that even though the outcome wasn't what I wanted I can't say anything bad. The whole Ironman experience is outrageously positive and I am looking forward to 2010 when I attempt it again, the only difference, I will finish!!

The pool was closed!!

25 minutes Z2, 30 minutes Z4, 5 minutes cool down.

I couldn’t swim today because the pool was closed due to lightening, it is an indoor pool so I was extremely confused, oh well, tomorrow it is!

Logbook Activity

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 05/28/2008
• Time: 16:56:16
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00
• Distance: 14.2 miles
• Average Speed: 14.2 mph

A literal pain in the ...

Ass! I started running and about 1 mile in to it I got the most unbelievable pain in my right buttocks (as Forest Gump would say). the pain was radiating down my leg, I seriously felt like I was going to cry. I had two choices; I could continue to run and see if it got better or I could quit, I decided to run and hope for the best. Well as you can see, I couldn't run fast but I could run, slowly and deliberately. I did have a couple of 11 minute miles but couldn't sustain the pace because the pain would increase.

I had the most unbelievable Coke Classic craving at about mile 10, thank goodness that Bogey's was open at the golf course and I had hidden money in my shoe, I pounded a Pepsi (you know how much I wanted soda if I drank a Pepsi), I seriously felt like I had died and gone to Heaven. That final mile was like running on a cloud (not at all, it was a serious struggle) but I made it home. Only to find that Maggie had stolen 4 out of 5 steaks that had been BBQ'd. As if food isn't expensive enough these days, she ate my lunch for the next 3 days and will likely gas me out of my own bedroom tonight--I swear that dog was punishing me for not taking her on the run!!!

Long Ride...

Great ride, super fantastic, fabulous ride…until the wind hit, but more about that later. My friend got a new bike and so she went out with me for the first 18 miles, it was really nice to have to company and we had a lot of fun! She is just getting comfortable on her bike and we only had one spill and one bruise, not to shabby!

I took off and rode another 25 miles when my hubby called and said he would meet me at home and ride the rest of the distance with me, AWESOME! It was perfect because I ran into the house and refilled my gatorade bottles and was able to get in three hills on the way to the house! Speaking of hills, I altered my route to make sure I had a few more climbs, they slowed me down significantly but I was really happy I did them, I absolutely hated the three that I did between miles 77 and 80 but hey, I did them! JP was not to thrilled to have to ride them, he has a “secret” way home that one includes 1 hill next time I might go that way!

Okay, now about the wind–I was at one point pedaling down a hill and was going 12.5 mph! I really had to talk my self in to continuing, I felt a little demoralized because I was tired but I worked through it and was able to go the distance, yeah!

This intense training is starting to get to me, I am looking forward to relaxing a little bit–only 27 days to go, YIKES!!!!

Logbook Activity

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 05/24/2008
• Time: 10:20:00
• Total Time: 5:30:00.00
• Distance: 80 miles
• Average Speed: 14.55 mph

Not bad...

I wasn’t as fast as I would have liked but I did it! Now these are going to sound like a bunch of excuses as why I was slow tonight and I guess they are but here are the factors that contributed to my slowness: Worked in the yard so I was out in the sun a lot, the good news is that I got all of my flowers planted and they just make me so happy! :) I went to a graduation party, drank a beer and ate BBQ’d pork (which was amazing!) and then I took off on my run at 5:41 pm into the wind…I wouldn’t change a thing about the day, who cares if I was a little slow, everybody has a day like that.

Logbook Activity

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/18/2008
• Time: 20:51:29
• Total Time: 2:15:00.00
• Distance: 11 miles
• Average Pace: 12:16.2/mile