I have not experienced any of the "Ironman Blues" that I have read about, I am thankful for that! I had few days where I felt a little blah but nothing that was of concern. I think part of being able to avoid feeling like that is that I have an olympic distance triathlon that I am looking forward to in August, so I think that is helping.
Speaking of olympic distance tri's, my husband and I are signed up for the same August triathlon and he has proposed a wager...but he is also proposing that I give him a 10 minute handicap. His logic is that because I have completed an Ironman and he has only completed a sprint triathlon that surely I am faster than him. Let's get something straight here, I may have crossed the finish line, but I surely didn't do it quickly! I am pretty sure that I am being dupped :-) I am going to agree to the wager because I think it will be fun and you never know what will motivate you, I may find that I am far more competitive than I ever thought I was!
I guess I better start doing a little more training or it is going to be painful!
Have a happy day!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
I am still being partially lazy...
It's been almost 3 weeks since my Ironman and while I have done a few workouts I am still being a bit lazy...I didn't get out of bed until 8:50 this morning, that is unheard of! I literally cannot remember when the last time was that I slept in that late, the crazy part about it is that I am still a bit sleepy! My mom thinks I am still trying to catch up from my quest on June 27th, I am going to agree with her for now but we will see..
I keep getting the question "Are you going to get an Ironman tattoo?" I am beginning to think I am the only person who hasn't even contemplated an IM tattoo! I did put a 140.6 sticker on my back window of my car, that counts right?!?!
After falling off the vegetarian bandwagon hardcore after Ironman I am working hard to get back to my blissful, meatless lifestyle. One thing that my crazy cheeseburger craving told me is that I need to eat better, just because I am not eating meat doen't mean that I am a healthy eater. My quest is to find better sources of protein. Made a great salad with cabbage, pea pods, red and yellow bell peppers, petite peas and carrots with an asian inspired dressing, it was really good! I am actually dreaming about eating more of it but have come to the conclusion that even salad in excess can be a bad thing, especially cabbage salad!
Have a happy day!
I keep getting the question "Are you going to get an Ironman tattoo?" I am beginning to think I am the only person who hasn't even contemplated an IM tattoo! I did put a 140.6 sticker on my back window of my car, that counts right?!?!
After falling off the vegetarian bandwagon hardcore after Ironman I am working hard to get back to my blissful, meatless lifestyle. One thing that my crazy cheeseburger craving told me is that I need to eat better, just because I am not eating meat doen't mean that I am a healthy eater. My quest is to find better sources of protein. Made a great salad with cabbage, pea pods, red and yellow bell peppers, petite peas and carrots with an asian inspired dressing, it was really good! I am actually dreaming about eating more of it but have come to the conclusion that even salad in excess can be a bad thing, especially cabbage salad!
Have a happy day!
Monday, July 5, 2010
I am an IRONMAN!!!
WOW! Hard to believe that after a three year journey toward this goal it is now achieved, what next? I guess I should post a race report first! :-)
I should probably go back to the weekend before the race, the whole family got the stomach flu, yuck! Many tears were shed between bouts of being sick. My mom told me that everything happens for a reason and that I just needed to focus on healing my body rather than worrying about the coming weekend, so I listened to my mom, thanks mom! I still had trouble eating all week, I think I converted from sick to nervous and never quite got back to feeling completely normal, but I think nervous is to be expected.
Thursday night my husband gave me a DVD that he had made for me for inspiration, it was AWESOME!! It was a bunch of pictures that he had taken of me while training set to the song "Something in the air tonight" by Phil Collins, it was really perfect! Then it transitioned to photos that my friends and family had taken of themselves holding signs of encouragement for me, it almost makes me cry thinking about it while I write, it was so very cool, thank you JP!!
So we headed to Coeur d'Alene on Friday morning, I dilly dallied around the house trying to avoid leaving for as long as I could until finally my husband told me that we REALLY needed to get on the road! Once we got to Cd'A the town was rocking, the park was filled with athletes and families and a really great vibe! I headed over to check in and pick up my race packet...holy cow this is really happening!! We settled in to relaxation mode for the next day and a half, this included a few naps. Saturday night we ate pasta, watched the video once or twice and tried to hit the hay early, I was surprised by how well I slept that night!
Sunday morning, I woke up on my own at 4:45 and headed downstairs to make a smoothie, eat some oatmeal and drink a little coffee. Nothing was going down very easily and I didn't eat nearly as much as I should have but, oh well! We headed to the park to drop off our special needs bags, pump up our bike tires and get body marked. I started to settle down, the gun was going off in 45 minutes no matter what, I might as well enjoy myself! I head back to the house, got my hair braided and put on my wetsuit, also at the house are my dad and brother-in-law who are racing with me, the mood is pumped!
We hit the beach, I ate a huckleberry Hammer Gel and waited for the gun...BANG! I started my watch and held back a bit, blew a kiss, hit the water and started to stroke. I had a little trouble putting my face in the water at first but I just kept moving forward, not fast, but forward! I finished the first lap in 58 minutes, dang, I really wanted it to be faster! I started the second lap and I was FREEZING! There were a couple of moments that I didn't think I was going to be able to finish...I pushed that out of my head and started to stroke harder to try to warm up. The waves were picking up and I felt like I was swimming in an endless pool! I checked my watch at the second turn buoy and figured that I was going to make it with time to spare, YES!! I hit the beach in 2:04 but I was super cold, I went to the warming tent and spent 24 minutes trying to get warm, this is where is gets good though...my volunteer was none other than SISTER MADONNA BUDER!!! I knew that this was a awesome omen and that the day was going to be a great one! When I finally emerged from the tent my sister and JP were there, we all that this would help to carry me through my tough times during the day. :-)
I made it out of transition with 2 minutes to spare! I didn't plan to cut it so close but there was nothing I could do about it now! I had a plan for the bike, 10 miles at a time, switch out my water bottle at each aid station and sip perpetuem in between; I had a second bottle of perpetuem and a sandwich in my special needs bag. I tend to gulp a lot of water when I swim so I typically carry Gas-X with me, I felt a few pains hit me high in my stomach so I reach for my Gas-X, uh-oh I forgot it, this is not good! On to plan B, wait, I don't have a plan B, this could be painful and it was! All I can think about is my sandwich in my special needs bag, once I get there I will be fine, so I press onward. I hit the 56 mile mark in about 3:30, I can ease up a bit on loop 2 but not much, my plan is going pretty well. I finally hit the special needs bags and at this point I cannot seem to force myself to eat but I continue drinking water and have water belly really bad. I see the fan club again, that is such a great feeling when you are out there by yourself! I hit the 4th aid station (for the second time) and know that I am home free barring any mechanical problems, so I am on cloud nine as I ride those last 16 miles! About 4 miles out I sit up on my bike and try to starting stretching my legs and back a bit for the run. I hit T2 in 7:29, I am very pleased with my time and know that I have the finish in my sites, if my stomach will just cooperate!
If you can believe this, I again have the good fortune to have Sister Madonna as my volunteer, I am truly blessed! Another volunteer comes up to help and sends the sister over to a woman who was in really bad shape, she ended up being carried out of the tent by the medics, I feel extremely fortunate to only be dealing with stomach cramps! I see a friend of my dads who is a nurse and a medical volunteer (I have to add that she finished the race in 2009), we talked about my stomach, what is the first question she asks me...do I have any Gas-X! She is a little bit concerned that I haven't gone to the bathroom but feels that I have had enough water through out the day to be okay. She wants me to make sure to take my endurolytes and drink some chicken broth on the run to make sure I am doing okay with my salts and electrolytes. I take two endurolytes and took two every hour through out the run. I come out of the tent in 17 minutes, man I need to work on my transition time! My husband, mom, sisters, uncle, aunt, and in-laws are there to cheer me on, I was so HAPPY to see them, Ironman is a long and lonely day! I saw many family and friends along the run course it was so AWESOME!
My run plan was to run as much of the first lap as I could and then walk/run (or ralk as my sister calls it). My stomach hurt but I was surprised by how very good my legs felt! I sipped on cola and broth in the hope that there was a magic stomach cure, there wasn't, so I pushed the cramps out of my mind and just tried to focus on finding a good sustainable pace. I saw my training partner at mile 13 and I got a good talking to, she said that the race was all mental now and that I could do it physically, I just needed to keep my head in the game. She also sternly told me that I HAD to eat, even if it was just half a gel every mile. I had a sandwich in my special needs bag and forced myself to eat it, it took me 3 miles but I got it down, I am pretty sure that my body used up the calories in about 3 minutes and wanted more. I ate a few banana pieces and some oranges but nothing would sit well. At this point I met a new friend named Lesley, she was awesome and I knew that I found a comrade to finish the race with! We forced ourselves to run small jaunts but after awhile my stomach wouldn't even allow that. She kept me moving when I though I was going to vomit and I so appreciate it!
We hit the run turn around with 30 minutes to spare and got our heads in the game. All we had to do now was maintain our pace and we would hit the finish chute at about 11:30pm, slower than I had hoped but still fast enough to be called an Ironman! With less than 2 miles to go I see my husband (he was like Waldo, all day he just kept popping up and giving me encouragement), he walked with us for a little bit and then took off so he could be at the finish. We finally made it to Sherman Avenue and it is a straight shot to the finish, HOLY COW, I am going to do this!! Lesley and I have a conversation as to who gets to cross the finish line first since we are in the same division, I tell her to cross first, she was an angel to me! We decided to cross together, until I saw one of my best friends and stopped to hug her, her husband had finished the race about 5 hours before and she stayed out there for me. I hit the finish chute and high-fived anybody that I could, that is an AMAZING feeling, truly one of the most amazing feelings ever!!!
I crossed the finish line in 16 and a half hours, I gathered my medal, my finishers hat and shirt, got my picture taken and started hugging everybody, my mom was one of the first people I saw, she grabbed me and said "I am SO proud of you" and gave me the biggest hug, I look up and JP is right next to her, I get another huge hug! My dad who had finished an hour earlier was there and then I see my mother-in-law and aunt, more big hugs! What a feeling, thinking about it now brings all kinds of emotions to the surface, I am still not sure if it as sunk in!
I had a sore hip and was still nauseated the next day but recovered surprisingly fast! I said when I finished that I was never going to do that again; I think I lied, I am already thinking about the next time...I think I am insane!
I know that not many people will read this but I still feel like I need to shout to the world about what a great family I have!! My husband was such a great sport through out this journey and my family and friends were Ironfans all day while I was out there, I am truly blessed! Thank you JP!!!!!!
I should probably go back to the weekend before the race, the whole family got the stomach flu, yuck! Many tears were shed between bouts of being sick. My mom told me that everything happens for a reason and that I just needed to focus on healing my body rather than worrying about the coming weekend, so I listened to my mom, thanks mom! I still had trouble eating all week, I think I converted from sick to nervous and never quite got back to feeling completely normal, but I think nervous is to be expected.
Thursday night my husband gave me a DVD that he had made for me for inspiration, it was AWESOME!! It was a bunch of pictures that he had taken of me while training set to the song "Something in the air tonight" by Phil Collins, it was really perfect! Then it transitioned to photos that my friends and family had taken of themselves holding signs of encouragement for me, it almost makes me cry thinking about it while I write, it was so very cool, thank you JP!!
So we headed to Coeur d'Alene on Friday morning, I dilly dallied around the house trying to avoid leaving for as long as I could until finally my husband told me that we REALLY needed to get on the road! Once we got to Cd'A the town was rocking, the park was filled with athletes and families and a really great vibe! I headed over to check in and pick up my race packet...holy cow this is really happening!! We settled in to relaxation mode for the next day and a half, this included a few naps. Saturday night we ate pasta, watched the video once or twice and tried to hit the hay early, I was surprised by how well I slept that night!
Sunday morning, I woke up on my own at 4:45 and headed downstairs to make a smoothie, eat some oatmeal and drink a little coffee. Nothing was going down very easily and I didn't eat nearly as much as I should have but, oh well! We headed to the park to drop off our special needs bags, pump up our bike tires and get body marked. I started to settle down, the gun was going off in 45 minutes no matter what, I might as well enjoy myself! I head back to the house, got my hair braided and put on my wetsuit, also at the house are my dad and brother-in-law who are racing with me, the mood is pumped!
We hit the beach, I ate a huckleberry Hammer Gel and waited for the gun...BANG! I started my watch and held back a bit, blew a kiss, hit the water and started to stroke. I had a little trouble putting my face in the water at first but I just kept moving forward, not fast, but forward! I finished the first lap in 58 minutes, dang, I really wanted it to be faster! I started the second lap and I was FREEZING! There were a couple of moments that I didn't think I was going to be able to finish...I pushed that out of my head and started to stroke harder to try to warm up. The waves were picking up and I felt like I was swimming in an endless pool! I checked my watch at the second turn buoy and figured that I was going to make it with time to spare, YES!! I hit the beach in 2:04 but I was super cold, I went to the warming tent and spent 24 minutes trying to get warm, this is where is gets good though...my volunteer was none other than SISTER MADONNA BUDER!!! I knew that this was a awesome omen and that the day was going to be a great one! When I finally emerged from the tent my sister and JP were there, we all that this would help to carry me through my tough times during the day. :-)
If you can believe this, I again have the good fortune to have Sister Madonna as my volunteer, I am truly blessed! Another volunteer comes up to help and sends the sister over to a woman who was in really bad shape, she ended up being carried out of the tent by the medics, I feel extremely fortunate to only be dealing with stomach cramps! I see a friend of my dads who is a nurse and a medical volunteer (I have to add that she finished the race in 2009), we talked about my stomach, what is the first question she asks me...do I have any Gas-X! She is a little bit concerned that I haven't gone to the bathroom but feels that I have had enough water through out the day to be okay. She wants me to make sure to take my endurolytes and drink some chicken broth on the run to make sure I am doing okay with my salts and electrolytes. I take two endurolytes and took two every hour through out the run. I come out of the tent in 17 minutes, man I need to work on my transition time! My husband, mom, sisters, uncle, aunt, and in-laws are there to cheer me on, I was so HAPPY to see them, Ironman is a long and lonely day! I saw many family and friends along the run course it was so AWESOME!
We hit the run turn around with 30 minutes to spare and got our heads in the game. All we had to do now was maintain our pace and we would hit the finish chute at about 11:30pm, slower than I had hoped but still fast enough to be called an Ironman! With less than 2 miles to go I see my husband (he was like Waldo, all day he just kept popping up and giving me encouragement), he walked with us for a little bit and then took off so he could be at the finish. We finally made it to Sherman Avenue and it is a straight shot to the finish, HOLY COW, I am going to do this!! Lesley and I have a conversation as to who gets to cross the finish line first since we are in the same division, I tell her to cross first, she was an angel to me! We decided to cross together, until I saw one of my best friends and stopped to hug her, her husband had finished the race about 5 hours before and she stayed out there for me. I hit the finish chute and high-fived anybody that I could, that is an AMAZING feeling, truly one of the most amazing feelings ever!!!
I had a sore hip and was still nauseated the next day but recovered surprisingly fast! I said when I finished that I was never going to do that again; I think I lied, I am already thinking about the next time...I think I am insane!
I know that not many people will read this but I still feel like I need to shout to the world about what a great family I have!! My husband was such a great sport through out this journey and my family and friends were Ironfans all day while I was out there, I am truly blessed! Thank you JP!!!!!!
Friday, June 25, 2010
2 days until Ironman!!
Oh Dear! I haven't kept up with my promise to document my last month, it has been a bit overwhelming! I got a ferocious stomach bug last weekend and I am still a bit weak from that; the good news is those last 5 pounds I wanted off before the race are gone!
I have had some of the craziest dreams, ones that you would expect; I am at the start and I don't have my wetsuit, the swim has been changed from Coeur d'Alene lake to a meandering stream and only one person can swim at a time. But the one that left me scratching my head and chuckling was the one where all the Pros had to do their swim in large washing machines and they were all complaining that the water was polluted! Where did that come from?!?!
All in all I think I am ready! I have had my demons to wrestle, self doubt, fear, terror(!), but at the end of the day I can usually rationalize it all and remind myself that I have done the work, now I just need to do the race! I also have an amazing husband, family and friends who are all so supportive and encouraging, my husband made me an inspirational video that is just amazing! When I have my dark times out on the course I know everybody will be lifting me up in spirit and that will help to carry me along.
We head to Cd'A this morning, I will pick up my race packet, go for an open water swim and probably spend too much money at the Expo! Andy Potts is racing in Cd'A so I will also be on the lookout for him, he's one of my favorites!
Here's hoping the next time you hear from me I will have heard the words "B SUE FLY, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"
Have a happy day!
I have had some of the craziest dreams, ones that you would expect; I am at the start and I don't have my wetsuit, the swim has been changed from Coeur d'Alene lake to a meandering stream and only one person can swim at a time. But the one that left me scratching my head and chuckling was the one where all the Pros had to do their swim in large washing machines and they were all complaining that the water was polluted! Where did that come from?!?!
All in all I think I am ready! I have had my demons to wrestle, self doubt, fear, terror(!), but at the end of the day I can usually rationalize it all and remind myself that I have done the work, now I just need to do the race! I also have an amazing husband, family and friends who are all so supportive and encouraging, my husband made me an inspirational video that is just amazing! When I have my dark times out on the course I know everybody will be lifting me up in spirit and that will help to carry me along.
We head to Cd'A this morning, I will pick up my race packet, go for an open water swim and probably spend too much money at the Expo! Andy Potts is racing in Cd'A so I will also be on the lookout for him, he's one of my favorites!
Here's hoping the next time you hear from me I will have heard the words "B SUE FLY, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"
Have a happy day!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
32 Days until Ironman, Yikes!!!
Okay, just a quick post. I swam 3000 yards yesterday with the pull buoy, my lats and triceps were sore today, the good kind of sore, the kind of sore that tells you you worked hard but not so sore that you can't move. I swim 3500 straight tomorrow, should be interesting, I have to travel out of town for work so I found a 24 hour fitness that has a pool near my hotel, nice! It will be nice to just swim without having to get back to work or home, I can just swim for as long as it takes me, then head back to my hotel and nap!
Another quick mention; I love, love, love The Biggest Loser! All of the contestants are so inspiring and look so amazing, and that is all I have to say about that! Go Daris!!
Have a happy day!
Another quick mention; I love, love, love The Biggest Loser! All of the contestants are so inspiring and look so amazing, and that is all I have to say about that! Go Daris!!
Have a happy day!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
It's been waaaayyyyyyyy too long!
So I have been a bad blogger lately; but while I have been a bad blogger I would like to think I have been a good wife, mother, friend, employee, gardener, traveler, vegetarian, biker, runner, swimmer, crasher, you name it, I think I have been it!
My Ironman training continues to go well, I am struggling mentally with all of it but have persevered. I think that the training is why I have not had the energy to blog, I truly don't even log on to my computer most nights. I am going to try to re-commit to my blog because I have been experiencing a whole host of emotions that I need to document, I want to remember how I am feeling with only 34 days until race day! Right now I am fairly calm, I got to have the day off which is always good for the soul, so what did I do on my day off? I made cupcakes of course! I am posting a picture of my cupcake because it makes me laugh. I have the "Hello, Cupcake" book and love it, I have made a number of the cupcakes in the book with a reasonable degree of success, today, however was an utter failure! My oldest child will be doing a report on great white sharks tomorrow so we thought we would make cupcakes that looked like sharks coming out of the water, what we got was something between the Alien and a happy dolphin laying on top of the water. All I know is that the kids and the hubby thought that they tasted great and the kids in the class are getting schools of fish that they can pretend to be great while sharks while eating, I am pretty sure that class of second graders won't care!
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I hope the photo make you laugh the way that it makes me laugh!
Have a happy day!
B Sue fly
My Ironman training continues to go well, I am struggling mentally with all of it but have persevered. I think that the training is why I have not had the energy to blog, I truly don't even log on to my computer most nights. I am going to try to re-commit to my blog because I have been experiencing a whole host of emotions that I need to document, I want to remember how I am feeling with only 34 days until race day! Right now I am fairly calm, I got to have the day off which is always good for the soul, so what did I do on my day off? I made cupcakes of course! I am posting a picture of my cupcake because it makes me laugh. I have the "Hello, Cupcake" book and love it, I have made a number of the cupcakes in the book with a reasonable degree of success, today, however was an utter failure! My oldest child will be doing a report on great white sharks tomorrow so we thought we would make cupcakes that looked like sharks coming out of the water, what we got was something between the Alien and a happy dolphin laying on top of the water. All I know is that the kids and the hubby thought that they tasted great and the kids in the class are getting schools of fish that they can pretend to be great while sharks while eating, I am pretty sure that class of second graders won't care!
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Have a happy day!
B Sue fly
Sunday, January 31, 2010
I'm glad I wore my old shoes!
I am struggling with my eating, I don't think I am getting enough protein, I will change that this week, I just have to figure out how...
On a side note, my girlfriend asked my to consider entering a "Masters Swimming Meet", apparently there is a 1650 yard open swim that she thinks I should consider. My original thought was "NO WAY!" but then she made a good point, almost every triathlete thinks nothing of entering a running race or a cycling race but nobody ever enters a swimming race, it might not be such a bad thing to swim for time, I am seriously going to consider it, coming in last in a swim race would be no different than coming in last in a running race, right? That made my stomach flip, I am pretty sure that in a running race I won't come in last, maybe in the last 3rd, but not last, in a swimming race you can almost bet I will come in last, I am slow, slow and slow. Anyway, it is somehting I am considering, we will see how it actually pans out.
My numbers for the week:
Biking 75 miles
Running 19 miles
Swim 1600 yards
Hours 8.7
Have a happy week!
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