Consult today with the dietician! I'm getting on track and already looking forward to 2015. Yesterday I made hotel reservations--gonna do this, gonna go all out and whatever happens, happens!
Statcounter
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
Ironman Arizona 2014--DNF #2
I should have been home sitting in Stake Conference! Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I would DNF this year. My 2012 race ended with a kidney stone during the bike, what can I say, what could I do. I finished in 2010 and really didn't want to hang up my Ironman career with a DNF, so 2014 was to be my redemption year. I hired a coach, stuck (pretty much) to my training plan and was ready to go.
Swim--I've been working hard on my swim, this year because the lake was lower we didn't jump off the dock, we had to go down the stairs to get in. I got in swam to the back of the start and was ready to go. No glaring sun this year, I sighted fairly well and swam, got thumped in the chest pretty good by a breaststroker, lots of contact, but Yay! a pr. 3 minutes faster than 2010, and a whopping 13 minutes faster than 2012.
T1 was unremarkable, I threw on a wind vest and some arm warmers and was out the door. The weather had been beautiful in Tempe no wind of course until race day.
Bike--We had wicked headwinds going out, I think I averaged 10mph on the first half of each loop. People are saying they were 35 mph, I think that's an exaggeration, weather.com said 15-20 with 29 mph gusts. I felt the gusts for sure when they blew me sideways. In 2010 we had bad weather, headwinds, and it seemed like the wind shifted so the headwinds attacked us on the downhill too. This year we had screaming tailwinds. I knew I had to ride the downhill hard, no just coasting with the wind if I was going to make the time cutoff. The first loop was discouraging, I wasn't sure I could make it in time but I wasn't giving up, second loop the winds were stronger, I rode both ways as hard as I could. I headed out for the third and final loop, fought my way to the top of the Beeline and made the first intermediate cutoff by 15 minutes (I later heard the extended that cutoff by 15 minutes because the downhill was so fast.) When Mr. Turnaround volunteer told me I made the cutoff and it was 4:00 I knew I was in good shape, I had 1 1/2 hours to finish. I still pushed hard all the way back and finished the bike in 7:55ish. 38 minutes slower than 2010, no matter, I was done. I now had almost 7 hours to wrap up the marathon. I'm a happy girl (ok, make that old woman).
Run--I started out fine just trotting along not big deal, by mile 13 I felt the dreaded leans start. I start to lean a little to the right, I'm still confident, after all I finished with the leans in 2010. I'm not sure where the run all fell apart but my leans were so bad I was not only pulled clear over to the right side but I was doubled over, trying my best not to do the monkey walk. By mile 22 I still had an hour left to finished but my body was so contorted I knew I couldn't do it. (I finally downloaded my Garmin today, I actually only had 3 1/4 miles left). No matter it wasn't going to happen. I have very mixed feelings I was sooo close, I was mentally there and in good shape, it was just the total collapse of the body that did me in.
I talked to my coach on Wednesday, I've got a plan for next year I'm going to be experimenting with in my training. I think I had a combination of hyperthermia and hyponatremia. I was trying to get all of my electrolytes with fluids, that doesn't work so well when you are a small, old, slow lady. I'm going to start experimenting with thermotabs. I've got a lot to figure out and learn this year. I'm in for one more, if I can't finish in 2015, then I will probably make 70.3's my A race.
I'm also going to consult a dietician and make sure I have a calorie plan. I'll try to blog more this year and keep running, boring notes on how the tweeks are working.
I'm not sure when I'm starting training again, I took this whole week off, maybe next week.
Swim--I've been working hard on my swim, this year because the lake was lower we didn't jump off the dock, we had to go down the stairs to get in. I got in swam to the back of the start and was ready to go. No glaring sun this year, I sighted fairly well and swam, got thumped in the chest pretty good by a breaststroker, lots of contact, but Yay! a pr. 3 minutes faster than 2010, and a whopping 13 minutes faster than 2012.
T1 was unremarkable, I threw on a wind vest and some arm warmers and was out the door. The weather had been beautiful in Tempe no wind of course until race day.
Bike--We had wicked headwinds going out, I think I averaged 10mph on the first half of each loop. People are saying they were 35 mph, I think that's an exaggeration, weather.com said 15-20 with 29 mph gusts. I felt the gusts for sure when they blew me sideways. In 2010 we had bad weather, headwinds, and it seemed like the wind shifted so the headwinds attacked us on the downhill too. This year we had screaming tailwinds. I knew I had to ride the downhill hard, no just coasting with the wind if I was going to make the time cutoff. The first loop was discouraging, I wasn't sure I could make it in time but I wasn't giving up, second loop the winds were stronger, I rode both ways as hard as I could. I headed out for the third and final loop, fought my way to the top of the Beeline and made the first intermediate cutoff by 15 minutes (I later heard the extended that cutoff by 15 minutes because the downhill was so fast.) When Mr. Turnaround volunteer told me I made the cutoff and it was 4:00 I knew I was in good shape, I had 1 1/2 hours to finish. I still pushed hard all the way back and finished the bike in 7:55ish. 38 minutes slower than 2010, no matter, I was done. I now had almost 7 hours to wrap up the marathon. I'm a happy girl (ok, make that old woman).
Run--I started out fine just trotting along not big deal, by mile 13 I felt the dreaded leans start. I start to lean a little to the right, I'm still confident, after all I finished with the leans in 2010. I'm not sure where the run all fell apart but my leans were so bad I was not only pulled clear over to the right side but I was doubled over, trying my best not to do the monkey walk. By mile 22 I still had an hour left to finished but my body was so contorted I knew I couldn't do it. (I finally downloaded my Garmin today, I actually only had 3 1/4 miles left). No matter it wasn't going to happen. I have very mixed feelings I was sooo close, I was mentally there and in good shape, it was just the total collapse of the body that did me in.
I talked to my coach on Wednesday, I've got a plan for next year I'm going to be experimenting with in my training. I think I had a combination of hyperthermia and hyponatremia. I was trying to get all of my electrolytes with fluids, that doesn't work so well when you are a small, old, slow lady. I'm going to start experimenting with thermotabs. I've got a lot to figure out and learn this year. I'm in for one more, if I can't finish in 2015, then I will probably make 70.3's my A race.
I'm also going to consult a dietician and make sure I have a calorie plan. I'll try to blog more this year and keep running, boring notes on how the tweeks are working.
I'm not sure when I'm starting training again, I took this whole week off, maybe next week.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Git 'er done!
How fast a year goes! I'm here, checking in--high energy all over the place.
Practice ride done, no wind on the Beeline yesterday, unfortunately we are not so lucky tomorrow.
Practice swim done, the water is warmer this year but really you can't tell.
Packed it all up--what did I forget?
I just left baby at the bike hotel--that's her with the pink puff.
So I'm back at the hotel with my feet up, trying to be calm, I'm going out to dinner with dad tonight and hoping to be able to sleep. Call dad anytime, all the time tomorrow, he'll be bored pretty much for 17 hours. My number is 285, you can track me on the Ironman website or and iron tracker app.
Thanks for all the good lucks guys!
Monday, November 10, 2014
Swim, Just Keep Swimming
I had to go to Highland to swim this morning, Redlands is closed for some odd reoccurring reason. I thought it would be too crowded, I hoped it would be too crowded and then I would just have to make it a Jacuzzi morning. I had the pool to myself for most of my swim and never had to share a lane, and for some unknown reason have felt great all day. Hopefully this is an omen of good to come, I got 3600 meters in this morning. Restorative yoga tonight, trying to be calm.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Oh Yikes!
Last ride today, it was only three hours, stomach cramps--what the heck. I tried some electrolyte tabs that I haven't used before, I am hoping that is the culprit because I don't plan on trying them again. It's just time to get this over with and put me out of my misery (Yea right, Craig tried to get me to promise not to do this again, not promising I won't slip into the registration tent!)
Friday, October 10, 2014
16 and 6
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Two Hour Run this Morning--
and yikes did you see the countdown clock? 101 days, and I don't even know what the day count is for the St. George Marathon. Maddie called me last night, she was quite upset, she had been playing with a friend who has Frozen toys, Maddie was distraught when she had to leave and leave the toys. I'm thinking that whatever long ride I do this weekend should be in Orange County and Maddie and I need a little trip to Toys R Us!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
The Off Ramp
Well my training plan is ramping up, up, up and I have just spent the month of July taking the off ramp! We had a great time in Jackson for the 4th with Kerri, Kendall and the boys. We saw the Bar J Wranglers, canoed on Jenny Lake, hiked, fireworks Thursday and Friday nights, Kael rode a horse for the first time, all in all it was a great time!
Then home, just enough time to repack and we went to Maine, a week on a lake in Maine, it was great.
Then home, just enough time to repack and we went to Maine, a week on a lake in Maine, it was great.
I hate to admit it, but fireworks in Jackson don't compare to the U of R, sorry U of R, I think you're pretty great but these were amazing, as well as the echo of the booms off the mountains.
Kyle and Papa, comparing messy rib faces at the Bar J Wranglers.
Yay Kael!!!!
Slacklining!
Me, Grammy, Ally and Kyran
Papa, Kev, Craig, Kyran, Brad and Brent
Uncle Brent, Kyran, Kev, and Uncle Brad
This was the sunrise the last day we were in Maine, it was beautiful, we chased the sun all day.
Landing in LA with the last glimpses of the sun.
It was hard to come home, from both trips, I canoed, swam in the lake, kayaked, jumped off the jump rock, tried the slackline (once, but that counts), walked, ran a little, ate a lot and loved more.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Big Bear Triathlon Race Report 2014
I registered for the olympic distance race and have been faithfully following my training plan leading up to this race, what I didn't do leading up to this race was pay close attention to the bike course or go ride/drive it. Mistake, big mistake!
Driving up Friday afternoon I was pretty excited, I had reserved a cute little place at Cathy's Cottages, my training plan has been good, this was going to be fun, until...wait for it....got to Snow Valley and there was a huge electronic sign for triathlon turnaround! No way, that's got to be a mistake, maybe the sign was from last week's Ride Around the Bear, no that's cycling, still it couldn't be. I started to pay attention to the road, no way, there's no way. I was gulping air already, I became seriously stressed. I knew I could grind out a ride but I was pretty sure there was no way I could meet the cut off time.
I picked up my race packet and the girl assured me it was ok, there is a huge climb coming out of the dam and then a huge climb on the way back, the rest rolls. This did very little to calm my jitters. We stopped at Vons and got some food and tried to sleep.
Race day morning I was a bundle of mess, literally not good, I wasn't hungry, I got ready to go still not sure if I might bag the whole thing. I still hadn't eaten, we passed McDonalds (not my favorite place) and I knew I needed a Sausage McMuffin, strange, I know, erkkk, Craig turned the car around and I had the best Sausage McMuffin I have ever had in my whole life.
When I got to the race there was a lady changing her race registration to sprint, there it was, my answer to my prayers, I knew I needed to do that. Thank you Big Bear Tri for letting me do that with absolutely no hassle. So now I'm in the Sprint and I am one happy granny.
Driving up Friday afternoon I was pretty excited, I had reserved a cute little place at Cathy's Cottages, my training plan has been good, this was going to be fun, until...wait for it....got to Snow Valley and there was a huge electronic sign for triathlon turnaround! No way, that's got to be a mistake, maybe the sign was from last week's Ride Around the Bear, no that's cycling, still it couldn't be. I started to pay attention to the road, no way, there's no way. I was gulping air already, I became seriously stressed. I knew I could grind out a ride but I was pretty sure there was no way I could meet the cut off time.
I picked up my race packet and the girl assured me it was ok, there is a huge climb coming out of the dam and then a huge climb on the way back, the rest rolls. This did very little to calm my jitters. We stopped at Vons and got some food and tried to sleep.
Race day morning I was a bundle of mess, literally not good, I wasn't hungry, I got ready to go still not sure if I might bag the whole thing. I still hadn't eaten, we passed McDonalds (not my favorite place) and I knew I needed a Sausage McMuffin, strange, I know, erkkk, Craig turned the car around and I had the best Sausage McMuffin I have ever had in my whole life.
When I got to the race there was a lady changing her race registration to sprint, there it was, my answer to my prayers, I knew I needed to do that. Thank you Big Bear Tri for letting me do that with absolutely no hassle. So now I'm in the Sprint and I am one happy granny.
Transition set up
Not sure I'm ready, still jittery, but I'm going to do it.
Always happy to be out of the water! The swim is a deep water start off a dock, I know there were complaints last year about the swim being reedy, I didn't notice that at this location and thought it was a great swim. You swim out around a paddle boat that your friends and family can buy tickets for and they get breakfast and watch you swim, pretty cool idea. It took until the home stretch for my breathing to settle in, but other than slow my swim was ok, it also made me feel like the olympic swim would not be an issue because I would have been settled in and probably done the second loop faster than the first--still happy to be doing the sprint.
Swim 20:21
Craig got this on the road. The sprint bike course is probably the most fun bike course I have ever done! You have to do this triathlon just for the ride if nothing else. I was trying very hard to follow my coaching race strategy which is all heart race based. I had some bike issues, I dropped my chain right at the beginning and seriously don't know why it took me so long to get it back on, it felt like 5 minutes, probably wasn't. The plan was to drop my heart rate to 145 for the first 15 minutes of the ride (this was the olympic plan so I figured I'd drop it for at least 6-7 minutes). This just wasn't happening, even with stopping to put my chain back on I never got my heart rate under 160. The ride is so much fun, there is some uphill but nothing that isn't easily manageable and some really fun downhill that often shoots you up the next hill. Towards the end of the race there is a turn that directs you through a subdivision so you avoid the boulevard. I missed the turn and had to go back, I think many people missed that turn. I really, really tried the whole time to get my heart rate down, and ride as planned, I didn't care about my time I just wanted to practice riding according to the plan. It never happened, I am not sure how much altitude had to do with it. So with not riding fast, dropped chain etc. my time was: 1:12:21
It probably should have been about an hour if I had been really pushing it.
The run is the run, what can I say, again I couldn't get my heart rate anywhere near where it was supposed to be, I tried run/walk but just couldn't get with the plan. The course rolls a little but it was a nice course. Time: 41:54
Sprint done!
First in my age group, that happens a lot when you're old!
Thoughts about the olympic, as always looking back I think, wow, I could have done that after all, but the reality of the morning was I was in no shape mentally to have taken it on. I will ride the course this year and be back for the Olympic next year.
This is a great race and I would recommend it to anyone, I really had no issues with the altitude, on the swim I always have heart rate issues and feel like I'm at altitude, I didn't feel it at all on the bike although it was probably part of my heart rate issue, I did feel it a little on the run.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
Restorative Yoga
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
I Hate Olys
Monday I had two time trials, a 5K and 800M swim, last night I did my bike TT, I had good improvement on the run and bike, swim--meh! I was happy enough last night with my bike TT that I went ahead and registered for the Big Bear Triathlon. I was very hesitant to register for several reasons: 1) Altitude 2) Last years race reports suggest that the swim is very reedy, yucky and 3) I hate Olympic distance tris. True I had a choice, I could do the sprint, but it is time to push myself a little harder. Why do I hate Olys? I hate Olys because I'm slow, if there's a sprint and oly at the same time and you do a sprint it doesn't matter when you finish, there will still be people on the course, however when you do the oly, there they are the race director and your race sherpa holding up the finish line for you. Not too fun.
Monday, May 12, 2014
IN! Craig, Kerri and I
Ally, Kyle and Brad too! Be warned.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Swim TT #3
TT # 3 19:02, with a pretty good fumble at the wall on one lap
TT # 2 19:26
TT # 1 21:12
I'll take a little bit of improvement!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Esprit de She
Craig had a meeting in Phoenix on Friday so I tagged along with the intent of riding the Beeline and doing Esprit de She Sprint. My thoughts as I started riding the Beeline--nothing hurts, this feels pretty good, my thoughts as we wrapped up our ride, get me outta here and fast! It was 95+ and a headwind on the downhill, typical Beeline.
Esprit de She seemed like a nice gentle way to get back into tri's since I haven't done one since the big DNF. I didn't think I was worried about it, but I couldn't sleep and had a hard time not being emotional, I can't say I was scared, just very apprehensive I suppose.
Umm, yep, I think, I'm doing this, well maybe I'm not so sure, hmm that's a nasty, yucky lake over there. Maybe I could make a run for it, the car's just across the street at the US Airways parking garage, I could head back to the hotel, breakfast should be starting soon!
Esprit de She seemed like a nice gentle way to get back into tri's since I haven't done one since the big DNF. I didn't think I was worried about it, but I couldn't sleep and had a hard time not being emotional, I can't say I was scared, just very apprehensive I suppose.
Okay, the wetsuit is zipped, it sucked in my gut for me, gotta work on getting off a few more pounds! I managed to move a little closer to the lake, standing with my green wave ladies. One big jump in the lake and there's no turning back. Ok, I'm in, I'm off swimming, swimming, not swimming well, so far in the back I'm battling it out with a backstroker I can't get away from, well that's what I get for being so far back! Whew, out of the water, 21 some odd minutes.
Now onto the bike, I've been following a training plan for the last two months, and according to the plan my swim and run have improved, but not my bike, ironically today, my bike showed improvement, and although my run was not great it also showed improvement, what can I say about swimming..........
Run out--I'm off, I've been doing bike run bricks every Saturday, I know there is debate about whether they're beneficial or not, I think they helped me a lot. It was much quicker to get my legs back today.
Run in-yay I'm almost there! I think--where is that darn finisher chute?
Okay the results aren't so pretty, but they are what they are, my garmin actually has better run splits, like less than 13 minute miles.
Oh and this is my "badge of honor" as Craig calls it, a little smudged with sunscreen but they mark your age at the end of the year on your calf. Someone on the run said I didn't look 57, (thank you) but of course--I'm only 56!
Results Questions? Contact Raceplace Events at chris@raceplaceevents.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)