"Race Report": Ironman Recovery

We all know there is a plethora of information available about Ironman. Whether it's opinions on training plans, nutrition plans, gear reviews and race reports, you can pretty much find sixteen different opinions on any one topic at anytime. However, what I failed to find (or maybe even search for) was information on what to expect Post-Ironman. Race reports are amazing and give you so many perspectives on what to expect or avoid during racing.  But they often end with the finish of the race.  When it comes to AFTER the race, I had heard depression and exhaustion vaguely mentioned here and there, along with references to "bask in the glory" and "enjoy your new found free time". But honestly, those things just didn't cut it. Let me preface by saying, I had a relatively low emotionally stressful experience with training and even the race. I didn't experience the "taper tantrums" that I had been warned about. The worst of it was simply, "training brain".  Where I was often unable to find the words for common objects suck as fork and sock. I would say that my Ironman recovery was by far the most stressful and emotional time for me in the past 12 months. So in this report, I will try to explain both the physical and emotional roller coaster that was my "recovery" and "return to the land of non-spandex living". Because for me, this was the hardest part of Ironman.

Week 1:

This is where all the clichés are correct.  I was sore and I was happy. I still found it surreal that I had completed an Ironman. I kept looking at the photos to assure myself it wasn't a dream. I traveled for work the week of Ironman Lake Placid, so I didn't get as much "basking" time as others. Luckily I have an Ironman colleague so I was able to get my fill of gushing out every detail of the race, without the glazed over eyes and bewildered stare response. My plan for this week was compression, walking as much as possible and enjoying the refueling process with desserts for one more week. As much as it hurt, I chose to walk to lunch and dinner in Chicago instead of cabbing with everyone else because I knew it would help in the long run.  I capped off week 1 post Ironman with my tattoo! Probably the second most exciting thing, next to the Olympic oval.

Weeks 2-3:

TIRED. I was exhausted, not just tired. I would get up, shower, walk the dog and eat breakfast and by 9:30 would be ready for a 2 hour nap. I was struggling to function at work with any sense of normal intelligence. My niece also came to visit during this time and going from two married adults and a dog, to having a seven year old was probably part of why I was so tired. But she's awesome and a lot of fun, so I was able to focus on her adventure instead of my exhaustion. It was at this point, where my body was feeling normal while doing normal day to day things.  I knew I had to go back to teaching cycle on Monday nights. My first night back was great! The next day however, was miserable. It was as if every soreness that I had the day after Ironman came back with a vengeance. I could barely walk, let alone think about anything even slightly athletic.  I also decided to try an easy 2 mile jog to the gym later that week (partly to check in on Aniya and partly to just see how it felt). I got 0.8 miles down the road to Boston Street, downhill and realized this was a BAD BAD idea. Every inch of my body hurt; feet, ankles, knees, back, arms. I was nauseous, which  never happens for me, and I felt like my heart was going to explode. Needless to say the run home was miserable, but I refused to walk home, so I slogged a 12-13min/mile pace home and called it a day. I was defeated. I had spent MONTHS training for much longer distances and I couldn't even manage a 2 mile jog?! What the hell was going on? I took a moment, consulted with coach and friends and realized this was normal. Take a chill pill and rest a bit more. Mentally I was ok with this, I enjoyed the excuse to relax and spend time with Ramsy and Jethro.

Weeks 4-5:

Now this is where it got really tricky and really frustrating. A month after Ironman the glitz sort of wears off. People stop asking you how it went and assume you're back to normal life. For me, that was not the case. I tried another 2.5 mile run with my husband. We don't run together often, so I usually LOVE when I get the chance to run with him. I struggled and by struggled I mean sucked wind for 2.5 miles at a 12min pace, all the while hoping that he would need a walk break, or a light would turn or something so that I could stop. It was HARD.  I could teach cycle and walk the next day, but I was still more worn out that usual. I got in the pool more often, but by overcompensating there I caused my shoulder pain to flare up. I couldn't win. I finally forced a 6 mile run because I knew I had the Bird in Hand Half Marathon coming up and while I wasn't running regularly, I was banking on some of that Ironman training to pull me through.  I ran 3 easy with Ramsy and then finished another 3 on my own. It felt like I was running through mud. My legs were heavy and slow, but I refused to let my brain call it quits. At this point, I was really struggling mentally. I was depressed and frustrated that I couldn't work out the way I wanted to. My body was clearly missing the endorphin highs of training and I needed to know how long it would take, but no one had that answer for me. I was an emotional mess. I would go from "normal E" to "Cranky E" for absolutely no reason. I was just frustrated and I didn't know what else to do. I was tired of waiting. I was tired of resting. I was tired of eating and getting fat. I was just tired of this recovery crap. And I was definitely starting to get angry with this process. Type A personality and being out of control of my body was not a fun combination.

Week 6: 

The day before the 6 week mark, I had signed up (prior to IMLP) with Mary P and Keely to "race" Bird in Hand half marathon, in PA. Such an amazing venue and race, run by the Amish community, I was not going to miss this one. My plan was to simply jog it, slow and easy and just get my horseshoe medal. Mother Nature had other plans for us that day. I think she decided to punish me for not taking this race seriously. With temps in the mid 90's and humidity equal to that, it was BRUTAL. Amish country is beautiful, but not well shaded. I decided on a run/walk similar to the Ironman run. Towards the middle and end of the race it was a run/walk, but an absolute necessity because I needed to get my heart rate down and try to keep the dizziness at bay. I averaged about 12min miles and they were the most excruciating 13.1 miles I've probably ever run. I told a girl around mile 5, after she noticed my M-dot tattoo and asked about it, that this was harder than the Ironman by FAR! Again another demoralizing athletic adventure post-Ironman. I know the weather was not ideal, but these "excuses" just didn't make me feel  any better. I was frustrated, I was pissed, I was tired and I was tired of feeling like everyone else was back to normal and I was still struggling to act like a functioning athletic human being.

Week 7:

I had also signed up to do Ragnar team relay. My legs totaled 13.5 miles over 3 legs, so I knew the distance would be fine, but my pace would probably be terrible. I figured my teammates would at least distract me from my crappy run performance. Leg one was 2 miles straight up the mountain and then 4.3 down the other side.  Of course, the uphill felt like crap but it didn't feel as bad as I had expected (I employed my run/walk technique, no need to burn the legs out in the first 2 miles when I knew I was already always feeling like crap.). The downhill was AWESOME!! I felt like my legs were back, but I attributed this to the downhill. I averaged just over 10min miles, not bad but probably due to the downhills. Again, all that self-doubt was really messing with my head. My second leg was around 10:30pm, 4.8 miles through the dark, lonely country side. I was scared to run down a road that didn't even have white lines on the sides, all by myself in the middle of the night. Well nothing like a little adrenaline to get your ass in gear! Between seeing the eyes of some animal in the cornfield to being chased by a tiny white dog,

my heart was pumping the whole way. First I chased down a red blinking light (assuming it was another runner) only to realize it was the railroad crossing sign, damnit. Then I saw another red light, this really was another runner and I slowly but surely caught up to her and passed her. I told myself this run was going to be a "naked tempo" run. Meaning I wasn't wearing a watch, but I was going to run just hard enough that I couldn't talk and just keep going. The pace would be what it was. THIS was my breakthrough! Not only had I (unofficially timed) run just under 9min miles (fastest run since last October) but I felt GREAT! It was as if all the stress from the last 7 weeks finally melted away. I was going to be able to workout and run again! And I wasn't going to have to start completely from scratch. I was elated, not only did I blow my estimated 11min pace out of the water, I felt great. Did I mention I felt GREAT?!

Week 9: 

Riding the high after Ragnar and having some time to relax, I decided I need ONE more (yes, I sound like an addict here) race, just one more tri. I had been training since November of 2013 and I couldn't let my last race be in July. So I signed up for Giant Acorn Sprint. Not only is this race at one of my favorite venues, Lake Anna, but it was at the end of September and it was a sprint!  I decided for my last race I was going to leave it all out there. I was going to go as hard as I could until the wheels fell off. I had nothing to lose and I wanted to see what would happen. My swim was mediocre, my bike was FAST and my run was ok. (Race report to come) But I felt like I ended the season on a good note. I raced Saturday, subbed a cycle class on Sunday and taught again Monday and am still feeling good.

So now what? Again it gets tricky. I really have no desire to train for another Ironman, at least not any time soon. I want to continue to train, but I don't want it to be my entire life like it was for so long. I'm finding it much more difficult to prioritize and schedule everything from normal life activities, to training, to time with the husband now that my priorities aren't so clear cut. Before everyone was in agreement that Ironman took precedence. Now I worry that if I spend a whole weekend riding and running that I'm neglecting other aspects of my life simply because I choose to, not because I have a race to train for. But does that even make it better?

So very long story short, that is my "Recovery Report". To be honest, it was harder and uglier than any of the training and the race. I'm still working through some of it, but I know that the worst is now over and it's time to start planning the  2015 season! In 2015 we race for FUN!

Race Report: Ironman Lake Placid 2014

I don't even know where to begin with this race report. I’ve started writing it at least three times, deleted, started over and begun again.  I am not going to thank everyone in this report, that will come in a separate, but totally necessary write up.  I don't know the exact moment I decided that I was going to train for an Ironman, but I do know that when I volunteered in Lake Placid and saw the finish line, that I knew there was no other finish I could ever imagine crossing.

I’m going to focus on the experience here.  I’ll add some nutrition/logistics info at the end for those that are interested.  And I won’t over analyze numbers for several reasons but the first being I didn’t wear a watch most of the day!  My first goal set back in 2013 was to simply get to the start line uninjured, that goal turned into simply FINISH.  While I was tempted to start talking about time goals and estimated finish time, I held back.  I had to continue to remind my usually competitive self that you only get your first Ironman once and while times are important on some days, July 27, 2014 was about the journey and the experience and enjoying it as much as possible.  I knew that getting to the finish was the only goal that mattered.

The Swim:

Photo Credit: Colin Kness

As I stood on the beach of Mirror Lake, wetsuit and swim cap on and goggles in hand, my heart began to race.  I had been relatively calm, although somewhat mentally challenged, in the days leading up to the race.  I was standing in a sea of athletes, almost half of whom were just like me, first timers.  But among the rookies, were also a strong field of experienced and empathetic athletes.  A few folks told others to take a deep breath and enjoy the experience.  That was my goal for the day and it was my ONLY goal.  FINISH and enjoy the journey.  It seemed like ages before I finally entered the water, but I walked in, looked around, took a deep breath and thought, "lets do this".  I was swimming very defensively, there were people EVERYWHERE.  The water was rough, it was like swimming in a washing machine.  I was breathing every two strokes, but felt comfortable and never panicked.  One thing about a two loop Ironman swim, it never really opens up.  I was focusing on being relaxed and keeping my heart rate down.  Around the sixth buoy out I started swimming next to someone I will call the "Rabid Gorilla" or RG.  This person was the most insane swimmer I have ever encountered, flailing and just going nuts but not moving very fast in the forward direction.  They wore an AWA cap but other than that I couldn't tell you much more.  We were swimming side by side, not touching but close enough.  First incident, I somehow get punched in the teeth.  I don't know how to explain this except that RG's hand went in the direction from my chin to nose and caught a few fingers in my top teeth on the way.  Ok, that's not cool but it happens and I've become  very comfortable with contact in the water (Imagine that!).  A few moments later, RG punches me square in the eye, hand in a fist right in my goggle.  Luckily nothing was broken, goggles or my eye socket. I was so mad, I literally stopped swimming and cussed them out.  First of all you don't swim with a closed fist, unless you're doing drills in the pool and second, you can SEE ME swimming right next to you.  So I treaded water and watched RG flail around and I put some space in between us. I didn't need any more of that or there would have been a brawl in Mirror Lake and RG’s fancy white swim cap would have been ripped off and thrown across the lake.  Besides that incident, loop one was uneventful.  As I exited the water, I realized it was raining pretty hard. Oh well, I thought, we're wet anyway.  I walked across the sand, looked all around, smiled big for the camera man and headed back into the water (although I am yet to find those damn photos).  Loop two I was feeling strong and confident and ended up, by accident, right over the cable.  So I decided to stay there and swim along. I got many good drafts along the way.  I had just sighted buoy 5 of 7 on the way back when I realized something was "off".  I looked up and saw a ton of heads looking up instead of down, the Coast Guard pontoon boat was right in the way! My first thought was that someone had to be pulled, but then I heard yelling. "Swim to shore! Swim to shore!" and the kayakers and paddle boarders were waving like crazy. They could NOT be serious?! Didn't they know this was my first Ironman and NOTHING was going to stop me from finishing? I took a few more strokes, thinking maybe I could just keep going, took a breath and saw the lightening overhead.  OK! I'm swimming to shore now, thank you very much! I'm very surprised that despite the lightning and thunder, that was impossible to ignore now, that everyone swam calmly to the shore. We climbed onto a dock and waited.  None of us knew what to do.  Then someone on a boat or kayak said, head to Mirror Lake Drive and straight to transition.  So off we went, marching like a bunch of neoprene penguins down Mirror Lake Drive and back to town.  All along, we're all asking, "what do we do? Are we allowed to continue? Will the swim still count?".  I saw a few Mid Maryland Triathlon Club (MMTC) folks at the tent and pretended to swim by on the road while walking.  Gotta have a little sense of humor, I suppose.  The rain was cold, so I skipped the strippers and wore my wetsuit all the way into transition.

T1:

T1 was complete and utter chaos! The rumor was that over 1000 people were pulled from the water before finishing that day.  So you can imagine all of those people in a tent at once trying to change.  Luckily I found Mary P and an open chair and got to work, all the while listening to the thunder roll outside. I got changed, ate half an uncrustable with Megan P and shared a Gatorade. We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch together before we headed out into the deluge! Right as I was exiting the tent, a HUGE roll of thunder came through. I stopped and asked Mary if we were even allowed to head out.  I don't remember her exact response but I said if they're not stopping me, then I'm going.  Thank the tri gods that that morning I had swapped my rain jacket into my bike gear bag, just in case. Well just in case was a reality, as it was absolutely pouring.  

The Bike:

I headed out of town and up the first climb past the ski jumps.  First, the paved road made that climb so much easier, but I still took it VERY easy and just spun up the hill.  The rain also helped keep my mind off the climb, it was a great distraction.  The lightning and thunder also were a great distraction, but kept scaring the crap out of me.  Looking back, I probably should have stopped (and I believe the National Weather Service told us to seek shelter) but I had one goal, finish.  And if that meant riding in the rain and thunder and lightning, well so be it.  My mother will not be happy with that decision, but it’s her fault I’m so hard headed anyway, so deal with it Mom, you made me this way!  The first descent was challenging, not because of the actual descent or slick roads, but because I was freezing by that point. The rain had come down so hard that even my amazing Cannondale jacket couldn't keep me dry. I was soaked to the bone, it was in the mid 60's by my guess and I was riding down a mountain. I was shivering and shaking and I just wanted to get to Keene so I could ride some flats and hopefully warm up.  Everyone was taking the descent very cautiously, rightfully so, but it was causing bunches of riders. I love to descend and am pretty confident, so I decided to pass some people to simply get away from them. I did it rather slowly and with lots of warning, but I didn't want someone to wipe out in front of me and cause me to crash.  I don't remember exactly when it stopped raining but it eventually did.  Unfortunately the wind had already picked up when I got to the first 12 mile climb home and it was a nasty headwind.  Heading up Papa bear with that crowd was awesome!  I dropped into an easy gear that didn't burn my legs and just spun up to the top, passing people as I went, it was awesome!! Coming back into town, around Mirror Lake and the Oval was INCREDIBLE!! It was an awesome reminder of why I had to keep going.  The second descent was SO MUCH FUN!! It was dry by then and I was slow enough that there were not that many others out there with me.  I barely hit the brakes at all and even took some of the straight sections in aero. I was having a blast and I let out several "whoooooo!!"'s. I did have a watch on during the bike, but it was only for the 15 minute beep that reminded me to drink and eat.  But luckily for me it recorded my speeds, I FINALLY broke 40mph!! 40.9mph was my max, so stoked about that!!! (Sorry Mom!)  I didn't start to get tired until just past mile 80 after another rain cloud had unleashed a cold pouring rain on us again.  That seemed to just zap whatever energy I had left.  However, the State Trooper standing at the intersection of 9N and 86, in his rain gear in the pouring rain, let out the loudest “WHOOOOOOOO” as I rode by.  Thank you sir for your service and the incredible burst of energy that yell gave me.  The right turn onto 86 and the ride into Wilmington was brutal.  I just kept thinking, "get to Mom and Spencer and you'll almost be off this bike".  I made it to the KOA, stopped to say hello, a very nice NYS Trooper snapped a photo of the three of us and then I decided I could no longer postpone the inevitable.  Off to finish the last ten miles, in an even worse head wind.  About 7 miles out I started chatting with a girl in my age group.  This was also her first and we were both miserable and ready to be off the bike.  I remember saying, "If it weren't for the fact that I know how incredible that finish line is, I wouldn't still be on this damn bike".  We chatted all the way to Mamma bear, it made those last miles just a bit less hard.  Then it was back into town and OFF the bike!!!

My plan for the bike was to “take it easy”.  Now looking back on my bike time, I think I took that plan just a little too seriously, but it would all come back to benefit me on the run.  I spent an extra hour and 20 minutes that I had not planned on, on that bike.  I was ready to be off it!  I can blame some of my slow times on the 7 or 8 portapot stops I made, but hey! I was DEFINITELY hydrated and having no issues with my stomach or eating! SCORE!

T2:

Photo Credit: Mahjoub & Perri Productions

T2 was much less hectic than T1.  I guess that's what happens when you spend way too long on the bike.  My husband created a few “photo books” with the help of some friends and put them in my transition bags.  They were to distract me from the race, if I was feeling like crap.  I’m sharing one photo because the others (of Ramsy in all sorts of crazy outfits pretending to ride my bike through the house would be in appropriate).  But they made laugh out loud, so loud, that two volunteers came over to see what was up.  They thought it was hilarious too!!  A nice volunteer helped me get changed and situated and then it was time for the run.  

The Run:

My basic plan for the run was to start out super easy for the first four miles and just walk the aid stations.  Run from aid station to aid station until I just couldn't run anymore.  Maybe taking it "too easy" on the bike worked out well for me because I felt good on the run.  I only walked at the aid stations and half of the hill coming off River Rd and half the hill going back into town.  I was feeling strong, my stomach was cooperating I was still frequenting the portapots and was able to eat when I wanted, but I didn't really need to.  I LOVED seeing all the MMTC support on the course.  I felt like a rock star every time I came into town.  It was also great to see all of my training buddies along the way, hugs all around and even a request for a make out session from a spectator!  Sorry Mark, if it had been around mile 24 it might have happened! I don’t have much to report on the run because it just was.  I’ve only done 2 stand alone full marathons, both of which I ran injured.  This run was by far the best feeling, even after everything else that day.  The downside to being so slow on the bike, but having a decent run, you don’t make many friends on the run because everyone you pass is walking.  But I got to dig into my old cheerleader self and cheer those people on.  It kept my mind off the ticking miles.  At mile 23 my quads were on fire, if my IT bands had a voice they would have been cussing me out.  I could have continued my run, but I decided I wanted to save some for the last mile run through town.  Chad met me on the course and walked me straight to Dawn’s aid station and I bolted for the portapot.  Again, I was VERY hydrated! LOL  I think I knew all along on the run that I was going to finish, but seeing the mile 24 sign was absolute confirmation.  Although I had no idea what time it was (I refused to let anyone tell me), I knew I was going to make it.  I made Angela take a selfie with me and the mile 24 sign.  Let me tell you, getting down to put my face in front of that sign might have been the hardest thing I did all day, but it was totally worth it!  So one more run to the Mirror Lake turn around and I was an Ironman!!!

The Oval:

I feel like this part of the race should have its own report.  I wish I could bottle every scent, emotion, and image from that last quarter mile.  Up until that point, I had only allowed myself to walk to the final turn of the oval, I saved that last straight away for the finish that evening.  I wanted to slow down, to savor it, but the electric energy of the crowd literally carries you and you are powerless to fight it.  I saw the final turn, and remembered Mark Yost’s advice, “STOP! Look around and take it in.”  As I was about to stop, I saw Mo!  Huge high five as I rounded the last corner and then I stopped.  I just stopped.  I stopped running, I stopped breathing, I stopped thinking and literally let loose every emotion I had been feeling for the last twelve months.  It was the most incredible feeling that I will never be able to describe.  I cried like a baby, the tears flowed and I started running towards the finish again.  About 50 feet from the arches, I heard, “ELYSIA!!!” and spotted Ramsy! I have no idea what I said to him, the likelihood he even understood what I said is slim, but he got a huge hug and I started running again.  You don’t sprint to the finish in Ironman, you just sort of move forward without actually doing anything.  The crowd and the finish just push you.  I got down and kissed the finish line.  Completely random and unplanned, I didn’t even realize I was doing it until my hands hit that soggy carpet and I’ve never been happier to smell soggy, sweaty carpet in my life.  Then I stood up and put my hands into the air……………….HOLY SHIT I DID IT!  Straight into my Fairy Tri Mother’s arms! Thank you Mary for being there to catch me!  Although I think I almost ran right over you! I was so excited I could have taken another victory lap!  But Mary corralled me, got me my photos, got Ramsy to get my dry clothes and made me eat.  Keely brought the chocolate milk, YUM! It felt like MMTC took OVER that finish line, it’s literally like finishing a race in Centennial Park with all your friends but WAY more cool! J

So officially, according to WTC my finish time is 14:53:50 but truly including my full swim which actually ended up being the full distance, plus a LONG ASS walk around Mirror Lake I finished at 15:57:24.  So actually about an hour slower than my estimated finish time.  But my ONLY goal was to FINISH and that I did!  Oh and Mike Reilly pronounced my first name correctly!!!!!! So it’s REALLY official!  I AM AN IRONMAN!

Photo Credit: Colin Kness

Nutrition/Logistics FYI

Nutrition Info:

Breakfast: cream of wheat with vanilla protein powder, raisins and milk. 

T1: half an uncrustable and half a small bottle of Gatorade

Bike Loop 1: 3 24oz bottles of Osmo/Carbo Pro mix 335 calories each, 2 uncrustables, 2 apple sauce pouches

Bike Loop 2: 3 24oz bottles of Osmo/Cabro Pro mix 335 calories each, 1 uncrustable, 2 apple sauce pouches

T2: Nothing to eat, 4 salt tabs

Run: I was planning on carrying my handheld with Osmo in it.  I made it to the second aid station before I ditched the whole thing.  It was warm and my stomach was ok, so I decided to go with the Ironman Perform (it was ok for me at Syracuse 70.3, even though I hate the tast of it).  Every aid station until mile 20: 2 sips water, 2 sips Perform, every other aid station a few pretzels.  I ate half a cookie at my special needs bag and it was a bad idea, the ONLY time my stomach felt like crap was after that cookie, so I stuck with the pretzels.  Downed 4 more salt tabs at special needs.  Starting at mile 20, water, coke and pretzels until I got to the last aid station. I opted for no fluids because I wanted to make it to the finish without peeing my pants! J

Logistics:

We left Baltimore early Wednesday morning and managed to make the trip with little traffic.  We made a pit stop in Saratoga Springs at our friends running store for some last minute goodies.  Instead of staying in town, we decided to rent a cabin at the KOA.  When I was booking there we were planning to bring our dog and there weren’t a lot of houses left for rent.  We opted to let Jethro spend the weekend with his furry buddy Knox instead of trekking around Lake Placid.  The cabin was great.  We had 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen, dining area and couch with cable TV.  The WiFi was decent but not great.  It was quiet and I got to make myself some pre-race s’mores the night before the race.  Driving to/from town every day, multiple times a day was a little tedious but it was nice and quiet.  My mom cooked up a BBQ on Friday night for anyone willing to make the trek out of town. She said she’s never seen people eat so much! But we still had leftovers, as my mother always cooks for an army!  Unfortunately, I had a work trip in Chicago that I had to attend and Ramsy drove me to the Albany airport on Tuesday.  I’m really bummed I didn’t get to spend the last 2 days in Placid with everyone enjoying the post race festivities.  Sitting in a conference room with no windows for 8.5 hours was absolutely miserable and I was not happy, but when the boss says you have to be there, you have to go.

Post Race Tattoo:

I don't know where the tradition of getting the Ironman M-dot tattooed started, but the tradition is real.  There's even a facebook page for it! www.facebook.com/ironmantats  So I wanted something that incorporated Lake Placid (three stars) but also was uniquely me.  So I decided instead of filling the M-dot in completely red, I would fill it with a design that from a distance appeared red, but when you get close you can see the design work.  LOVE how it came out and if you're local to Maryland, go see Joe Shupp at Baltimore Tattoo Museum and tell him I sent you.  He'll get you sorted out!

Race Report: Syracuse 70.3

Tough race, but still a good time.

Pre-race: The plan for this race was to “race at Placid pace” which meant easy easy easier.  I knew this would be a challenge considering the course wasn’t easy AT ALL.  I left on Thursday evening to drive to CNY.  I grew up about 45 miles east of Syracuse.  I stayed with my brother, worked remotely on Friday and got to see my Nian (gramma in Welsh) and my grandmother Friday evening, along with my Aunt and Uncle.  I grabbed pizza and wings from my favorite pizza shop and gave them my number, they STILL have me in their system from over a year ago! I love it! 

Saturday morning I headed up to the race site to meet up with the MMTC crew.  Dan, Roy, Megan and Aileen and I all went for a quick practice swim.  They only let you swim out to the first buoy across to the 2 second from last and then back, so maybe 400-500m.  The water was murky, but a comfortable temperature.  There was some lake grass that made a few of us emerge from the water looking like swamp thing, Megan! Hahaha J  We got the tent set up, dropped bikes ate some yummy food from the village, got checked in, bought some gear and headed home.  Note to self: SUNBLOCK!  Didn’t think to spray myself down and got a pretty good burn going on before the race ever started.

Saturday evening 11 of us met for dinner at Grimaldi’s.  Grimaldi’s is an awesome Italian joint that I’ve been going to since I was a kid.  It was delicious and they accommodated all the special requests we had from MORE WATER, to gluten, vegan, etc.  I of course got side tracked by the dessert cooler on the way back from the bathroom.  I got a HUGE slice of coconut cream pie to go.  I only ate about half of it in the hotel for fear that it might come back to haunt me on Sunday.  In the meantime, my mom had called & said she was driving (from SOUTH CAROLINA) to come to the race!  I couldn’t believe it, but was super excited to have my mom see one of these crazy long races in person.  In bed & asleep by 10pm, boom!

4am wake up.  The prerace talk kept stressing how bad traffic was getting into the park, there’s only one way.  So I managed to get out the door by 4:30 with my breakfast in a takeout coffee cup.  Bonus of getting there so early, I got as close of a parking spot as you could get.  The lot was a good walk to the finish and even further to transition.  I set up transition, forgetting my helmet in the car (add an additional mile on to my race for all the times I walked back and forth) one more trip back to transition and several trips to the port a pots.  Pro’s went off at 7am and my wave wasn’t until 8:05.  We got wet suits on and walked down to the start, I jumped in to “warm up” and realized my wave went off in 4 minutes, which meant they were all out there in the water waiting to start! LOL I ran through all the men (we were the last female wave) and felt like Jenny in Forest Gump on the DC mall!  “Forest! Forest! Don’t start swimming without me!” I had plenty of time to spare!

"Hi Mom!" That's me waving!

Swim: 42:08 AG56/100

Nothing much to report here, which is good!  Swim is one long rectangle.  I was able to relax within the first 200m and bilateral breath the entire way.  I’ve finally come to the point where the swim is the most relaxing part of a race.  I could have easily done another lap in the water, and that was the point today, right?  I did get kicked in the chest by a fast man that swam by, that wasn’t you Dan Fulk was it?!  And I had a piece of lake grass wrapped around my foot the entire time, which I’m pretty sure someone tried to take off at some point because they grabbed my foot several times unsuccessfully.  I appreciate the effort though.

T1: 7:59 Nap time?

There was a very long walk from the lake up to transition. My neuroma in my foot makes it VERY difficult to even walk barefoot, so I was moving VERY gingerly and slow to get to my bike.  I figured I was going to take my time, make sure I didn’t forget anything, inhale half of my uncrustable and then head out.  Apparently that takes almost 8 minutes! J

Bike: 3:43:55 AG 64/100

And here comes the boom!  I’m going to use the elevation chart as an illustration of what happened here.  

I should be sponsored by Uncrustables!

Off we go

Miles 1-12 are INSANE, but broken down into doable hills, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had built it up in my head.  2-3 big steep climbs, but nothing a little granny gear and getting out of the saddle couldn’t fix.  I did see 2 men walking their bikes up the first hill, after that we all managed to grind it out.  I felt OK here, just sit and spin and keep the cadence up (thanks John Hughes!).  We got to the top of the last hill and I said to a girl in my AG next to me, “This is IT!!! Downhill”.  She was so excited she yelled, “REALLY?! YES!!”.  Then came “the punch in the face” around mile 20.  Look at the elevation chart, it looks like nothing.  Well I will tell you it is NOT nothing!  You come screaming down this awesome decline and then BAM! Your bike literally stops and you’re in granny gear and you’re only 1/3 of the way up this monster hill.  I literally felt like someone punched me in the face, no joke.  Maybe they also kicked me in the quads too for good measure.  

I felt good for the next 10 miles are so, but I was starting to get some pain in my shoulders and neck.  My alignment just didn’t feel right.  I had to crank my neck up to look ahead so aero was just super uncomfortable.  As the ride went on, my neck pain increased and slowly my head started to throb.  By mile 35 I had a raging migraine, was dizzy and felt like my eyes were focusing independently of one another.  I felt HORRIBLE.  I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew at the aid station at mile 41, I was getting off that damn bike if I had any hopes of finishing the day.  If I passed out while riding, I knew it would be bad and I was getting to the point where I wondered if running would even be a smart idea if my head felt this bad.  I hung out for a few minutes, hit the port a pot, chatted with some volunteers and then decided it was time to get the show on the road.  About 2 miles later I dropped my chain and it was wedged in between my frame and my small ring.  I was JUST about to take all my bottles off to flip it upside down when the support truck pulled up.  They were amazing, chain back on in 15 seconds and they even offered to give me a push to get going. I declined and headed on my way.  The last 16 miles were the most uncomfortable, painful miles I’ve ever ridden on a bike.  I couldn’t get into aero because my neck and head hurt so badly.  Sitting up on the horns on a tri bike is never really comfortable and I just felt like I had nothing left in the tank.  I’m looking at the profile and wondering how it was really downhill because it felt like a slow steady incline the entire way back.  Luckily for me, I was able to drink my Osmo & CarboPro the entire ride, had 2 packets of applesauce and an additional PBJ.  So one positive out of this ride was that my nutrition seemed to be spot on and I had no stomach issues.  I decided to get off the bike, head into T2 take my time, and test how I felt on the first few miles of the run.  If the head continued to throb with all the other symptoms I would stop at medical for a check.  (Post Script after looking at my times on the first half versus the second half, I can clearly tell that sometime was amiss, I actually slowed down after the halfway point and it was MUCH easier according to the map.)

T2: 6:29 shorter nap this time

As soon as I stood up the throbbing began to subside slightly.  I took my time, putting on sun block, shoes, race belt visor.  I hit the port a pot and even let the volunteers slather me with an extra layer of sun block.  Hell I was already starting with a burn from yesterday, it couldn't hurt and I knew there was not much shade coming my way.

Run: 2:30:43 AG 64/100

The first few miles are uphill, inside the park on grass and then you hit the nice downhill.  This hill is not really apparent in the elevation map.  I was taking it super easy and hoping my head cooperated with the rest of the race.  I forgot a piece to my Camelback so I decided to use on course hydration, this actually turned out well!  I took Ironman Perform and water at every stop, sometimes doubling up on the water and on the second loop started adding a handful of pretzels washed down with water.  On the first loop I decided to pick a landmark on each hill.  Almost everyone was walking up the hills and if you were trying to run, you weren’t really going any faster than the walkers.  At first I thought, halfway I can make it halfway, but I wanted to goal to be realistic for the second loop too.  So I chose a mailbox somewhere between 1/3 and ½ of the way up each hill.  (See my silly mailboxes on the elevation chart?!) I told myself, “you run to those markers and then you can walk and you can walk the aid stations, but you run the rest”.  The first loop was ok, legs were starting to shake out, headache was going away and I saw all of the MMTC folks out there (except Dan Dan the speedster man!).  

All smiles now...

Ok, stop taking pictures!

On the way back into the park for loop two I was really starting to feel like I was in a groove and for once EVER was feeling “good” on a run.  I was afraid it wasn’t going to last, so I tried to keep my pace in check.  After all, the goal of this race was Placid pace, so I needed to keep it easy.  I saw Roy on my way out as he was on his way in, he was complaining again about how hard it was, I smiled and said, “you’re almost done & I feel great, suck it up & stop complaining!” or something along those lines.  I managed to run to each of my landmarks and then walk the rest.  Sponges in the visor, ice in the sports bra and while it was HOTTTT out there, I managed to stay relatively cool.  Other athletes definitely laughed when they saw my sponge stuffed in the top of my visor, but who cares, I was cool!  I had been leap frogging with a girl in my age group all run, I finally put some distance between us because of my final marker on the last hill.  I ran further up the hill and created some space, then I power walked right past another girl in my AG, when I got to the top I ran easy knowing beating people was not the plan, but I was NOT to walk again until after the finish line and I bet they would need to.  (By the way, I NEVER pass people in my AG on the run)  

I ran into Aimee in the park as I was about to finish and she said, “When you see Erin, DO NOT let her quit!”.  No more than a minute later, there’s Erin! I told her good work & she started to say something about not finishing in time, I cut her off and said, somewhat sternly, “that doesn’t matter, you just keep moving forward and finish! We’ll be right there waiting!”  (By the way, both she and Aimee finished before the 8:30 cutoff!)  I hit the finish line shoot and got the craziest surge of adrenaline.  I was SOOOO happy to be done, so happy to have had such a good feeling (if not fast) run that I think I may have bolted to the finish (sorry I think I was totally that a-hole, but now I understand it a little, sometimes the crazy juice takes over) and did some sort of leap.  Note to self: practice your finish line shenanigans or you’ll end up with some extra special looking finish line photos.

Final 7:11:14 64/100

Take aways: I like swimming! I can’t believe I’m writing that! I use the swim as my meditation, relaxation, whatever you want to call it, at the beginning of the race.  I think about what the goals are and I just BREATHE! 

Bike was tough; it was hard both mentally and physically.  I need to get that neck issue situated ASAP.  I listened to my body and maybe by moving so damn slow in the second half, I was able to enjoy the run just a little more. Nutrition was good; keep with the Osmo/CarboPro mix, water, apple sauce & PBJ’s.  Add in one of those ADK cookies in bike special needs for Placid, though! J

Run may not have been a PR for a HIM run, but it was definitely the best I’ve ever felt on a run and considering the amount of hills I walked up, pace wasn’t too shabby.  Nutrition was good as well; maybe Ironman Perform will make an appearance in my last few weeks of run training.  I’d much rather prefer not wearing the camelback anyway.

P.S. I finished the rest of that coconut cream pie after my shower and pasta dinner on Sunday!  I LOVE PIE! J LOL  The MMTC/RIPIT support was absolutely incredible.  The 10 awesome athletes we had racing and also the love from back in MD.  It was an awesome day with awesome friends and my Momma! 

Ironman Lake Placid HERE WE COME!!!!!

And we're DONE!

2014 Kinetic Half Race Report: Set Realistic Expectations

First triathlon of the big 2014 season is here! I learned a lot of things in my second half Ironman, which is a good thing.  The first was to set realistic expectations.  I knew my swimming was stronger than ever before, but I assumed that because I had been riding longer and running longer that I could improve across the board, in all 3 areas.  That was not to be & it set up me to be less than excited for a 5 minute PR, which is still GREAT!  This is 1 of 2 70.3's this season before Lake Placid.  So instead of racing against last years pace, I should have focused a little more on the real prize.......getting ready for IMLP!  My lessons learned will be highlighted.

Pre-Race: About 2 weeks before the race I was having some snapping and pain in my right foot.  A trip to the podiatrist on the Monday before the race diagnosed a neuroma (think your nerve as a cocktail straw and a neuroma as the olive on the straw and that olive gets caught between your bones and muscles as you walk).  So one cortisone shot later, I was limping out of his office praying the numbness would soon set in before Saturday.

We left for Lake Anna at 10 am on Friday.  Next time, check to see when the HOV lane opens and leave Baltimore accordingly.  It took us about 3 hours to get to our rental house.  We settled in and got unpacked and let Jethro run around in the huge backyard for a bit before others started to arrive and we went to pick up packets.  Racing with friends is THE BEST!  Patrick, Roy, Bruce, Mark and I were all racing the half.  Ramsy, Keely and Meg were our cheerleaders and Angie raced the sprint on Sunday.  Bryan McMillan was our "personal official" and made sure we all behaved ourselves on the bike (which we did, of course).  

We all left the house by 5:45am to rack our bikes & get transition set up.  It's AWESOME doing a small race, no lines at the port a pots!  We all hung out & got into our wetsuits.  All 4 of the boys were in wave 1, I was in wave 3, so we started 8 minutes apart.  

Swim: 42:11 18/26
First, the buoys they set up were so damn crooked! I said screw it & only tried to sight the yellow turn buoys which was not easy as they were pretty far away.  I decided I needed some "experience" starting off with the crazies.  So I lined up in the middle towards the front & decided to let myself get beat up a bit and swum over.  Figure I might as well get used to it because Placid will be MUCH larger! It wasn't that bad, but the water was super choppy so it took me a long time before I could really get into a rhythm with my breathing.  I made the assumption that I was swimming straight for the yellow and not the orange but I'm not totally convinced of this.  I know for sure to the second turn I swam the shorter line, but on the way to the first, who knows!  Everyone who tracked the swim came up with 1.3, so maybe a little long.  Nothing major on the swim, I was able to draft for a little bit, but some people really swim all over the place.  As I got about halfway to shore my left calf started to cramp.  WHAT the hell is that?! I've NEVER cramped, EVER!  So I stopped kicking for a bit and just pulled and stretched my foot out.  Legs were fine until I took 2 steps out of the water and the right calf cramped and I almost fell down.  I thought, OH NO! What the hell do I do?!  But I just kept walking and hoping it would work itself out.

T1: 4:03 18/26
I took my time in T1, clearly.  I couldn't run up the hill for fear of the calf totally locking up.  And as I got to my bike, Ramsy was right there.  "Calm down & slow down" he said, probably the best thing I could have heard at that moment. I needed a few deep breaths.  Got all my gear on, grabbed Needle & off we went.  

Bike: 3:05:10 8/26 

When you've done a race before and you know that there's a hill coming out of transition, you would think that putting your bike in the proper gear would be done.  Nope, so I dropped a few gears & turned the pedals so I wouldn't tip over. And then, I almost tipped over.  I'm still getting used to the looks and I always end up on the wrong side of the pedal.  On the bike, up the hill and we're off.  Or so we thought.......I rode about 1.5 miles, was just about 0.5 miles from exiting the park and went to shift to big ring.  I dropped the chain and it was all the way down around my pedal.  There was no way to pedal this one back on.  Damnit! I get off the bike, put it back on and got going again.  About 10 seconds later, I realize my finger is throbbing.  I look down and apparently during the chain ordeal I had cracked my fingernail almost in half, deep into the nail bed.  Son of a b*tch that hurts!!!  I tried to focus on easing into the bike, warming up and holding back a little.  And it's SOOOOO hard to do on this new bike!  I was able to ignore the pain in my finger for quite some time, as I was distracted by a calf tied up in someones front yard (yes, I said hello to the baby!) and sadly when I rode past someones dog who'd been hit.  I had to look away and immediately focus on passing someone or I was going to cry.  I can't handle that stuff.  As I grabbed my second PBJ of the day, I caught that damn nail on my bento box.  I may have  yelled an expletive or two.  Then I remembered that Stoney had put some electrical tape under my aerobottle holder.  I pulled it off and taped my nail together so it wouldn't move. Electrical tape fixes everything.  Done, one problem solved.  Kinetic course is a series of short rollers for the first 25-30 miles.  I LOVE it, but that's my cycle instructor training kicking in.  Short little intense burns in the legs, then flush and roll.  I enjoy it.  After the race, the boys immediately yelled at me for "lying" and saying the course was easy.  Sorry, guess we all define easy differently you bunch of sissies! :)  I felt great on the bike, no major pain issues.  Food was going down easy, finished almost every drop of my fluids.  I need to practice getting my bottles out of the back cages, I'm not very good at it.  There's a solid 15 mile stretch where the road is VERY rough and just vibrates your entire body.  It's tough on the butt and the legs, but then there's a section of road that was just repaved and it was like heaven!  We hit some wind around mile 35 which was tough, but I was happy to have the tri bike then.  I managed to get a bottle of water, without stopping with half a PBJ stuffed in my mouth.  Pretty impressive stuff, huh?!  I felt like this year the bike was maybe a little harder, but the wind definitely had an impact at several points on the course and last year there was none.  Overall, I'm happy with my time, even if it's 3 minutes slower than last year.  Just goes to show you, you can not buy speed on the bike.  I rode my aluminum road bike last year to a 3:02 and my fancy new carbon tri bike this year to a 3:05.  

T2: 2:19 13/26
Nothing major in T2, decided not to swap out my socks as it had just rained a little and I just didn't feel like sitting down to put new one's on.  It looked like it was going to rain more, so my feet were going to be wet anyway.  I remembered to put my body glide in transition, but failed to put it ON my arm pits.  Last year I ran the last 4.4 mile loop looking like a chicken because the insides of my arm pits chafed.  This year, I did the same damn thing.  Lesson learned, twice, if I forget again I'm a complete moron.  

Run: 2:20:59 15/26
This run was not fun at all.  Ok, maybe on a few of the downhills but for 80% of it I was hating it.  It rained lightly on and off, which kept the 80 degree weather bearable.  But my number one goal on the run was to keep the stomach happy.  I was clearly hydrating well because I had to go 2 times during the run, but other than that my stomach behaved very well.  Stinger waffles, PBJ's, applesauce (when I need a spike of sugar) & Osmo it is from now on!  The first mile of the run loop is uphill, the whole way.  And you get to do that on all 3 loops, awesome! :(  Did I mention that it's awesome to race with friends on a looped course?!  I got to see everyone (except Patrick) at least twice.  Patrick passed me on his way to the finish line as I was finishing mile 4.  Lap 2 was mentally tough, but I knew if I got down to the water I was almost home free.  In loop 3, the calves were beginning to yell at me again and threaten to cramp up.  So I just kept moving and tried to focus on anything else. I sang some songs in my head, but the only one's I could remember were slow and boring, clearly not from my running playlist.  I didn't want to run anymore, I was over it.  But I knew I had no choice.  I don't quit, so I guess I just needed to suck it up and keep moving forward.  The last two miles were really tough. I knew if I stopped at all my right calf was going to just seize.  So despite a nasty little hill at 12.5, the craving for just a little coke and just really wanting to walk for a second I managed to jog it in the whole way.  The finish shoot is grass and my leg screamed at me for a split second but I managed to keep it under control.  It was great to come into the finish and have your husband and friends there.  And Jethro tried to take down the fence to get into see me! :)

6:14:40 I finished with a 5 minute PR, 6 of those minutes I made up on the swim & T1! Everything else ended up being about equal.  All in all it was a good race made even better by great friends!  We finished out the day with a few beers, some ice cream and fried pickles and lots of laughs.

Kinetic Half 2014

THIS is my life. Training for IMLP 2014 & beyond....

This blog started off as a simple update, a check in as to where IMLP training was and how it was feeling, but as I was writing it turned into something a little different.  This blog will hopefully help some of my non-tri friends and family understand or maybe just acknowledge what I'm doing and going through without judgement or preconceived ideas of why.  And hopefully capture some of my fellow athletes feelings.

Let me first say, I am thoroughly enjoying this training.  Yes, there are days where I'm tired, hungry, sore and just downright cranky (it's a proven scientific fact that low blood sugar levels will cause this, look at Jay Cutler).  But I love the challenge, the day to day variation, the repetition, the small but perceivable changes in both myself and my performance, and the friendships that are developing as we spend hours together on lonely open country roads.  Training 6-7 days per week, in the neighborhood of 13-15 hours per week (for now) may seem like a lot, but with organization and dedication, it's not so bad......yet! ;) 

A lot of friends and family often say, "It will be better in a few months", "Things will be back to normal after the race", "You'll have your life back in August".  How do I explain this? THIS IS MY LIFE.  And it's great right now and I don't want to go back, entirely.  I can't explain to you the feeling when you literally feel like a fish in the water, gliding effortlessly across the pool as if you had gills instead of lungs.  I can't explain the freedom and exhilaration of the wind on your face riding in aero on a flat country road.  I can't explain to you the feeling you have during an amazing run, when hills seem like flats and downhills feel like your flying.  Almost everyday and almost every workout is something new, a new time, distance, pace, course.  You do something everyday that you've never done before.  Some of those things are small, others are big accomplishments that just a few months ago you would have sworn were physically impossible.  So when you say, "things will get better" I'm not sure we mean the same thing.

Yes, sometimes this training sucks.  Getting up before dawn to jump in a cold pool, being hungry all day despite downing 3000 plus calories, being sore & tight and just mentally exhausted are not really anyone's definition of fun.  I get tired and want to take a nap instead of going out, but I feel accomplished and successful and full of life (and hopefully good food).  Sure there are times when I'd rather be doing something else than heading out for a 12 mile run or 60 mile ride in the cold, but I ENJOY this.  I get cranky, just ask my husband why he watches the time to make sure I've eaten recently.  But at the end of the day or week, I've done at least one new thing and completed one new accomplishment.  It may have only been swimming a single 100 faster than last week, or adding one more mile to the run, or getting my Stinger waffle out of the package without dropping it on the road, but it's an accomplishment of some sort.  How many of us can say we do this on a consistent basis?

I will admit, there are days when I think for a split second that you're right.  I want my life back, I want to sleep in until 10 on the weekend, I want to make it through a Wednesday without feeling like a 10 am nap is necessary and totally reasonable.  But then that thought is gone.  Sure, it will be nice when training is not the #1 priority in my life, when I can go for a swim/ride/run, or not, and not feel guilty.  But I want you to understand, this is what I love, this is what motivates me to get up and get everything done in my life.

Training for this race is more than simply "training for this race".  It's learning skills that translate into every aspect of life.  Organization, prioritization, determination, education, competition, the list could go on and on.  It's also about the friendships that are formed in the water, or on the roads.  Mid Maryland Tri Club (MMTC) and our RipIt Coaching athletes & coaches are incredible.  We build friendships as we log the miles and when you're having one of "those days", there's always someone who will give you that little nudge to get you moving again.  These people have turned into more than my "tri friends" they truly are family.  They see you at your best and your worst.  They're there with you at 4:30 am before a race start and aren't afraid to make sure you've had your PBR that morning.  (No that is not PBR as in beer.)  They're there at the toughest mile when you want to quit with words of encouragement or even a verbal kick in the a$$, they're at the finish when your one of your biggest goals are achieved to catch you as you nearly collapse from the emotion.  Watch any video of IMLP and you will see MMTC red and yellow ALL over the course.  I chose Lake Placid because while my family will be there, we are a small crew and with all the MMTC support as well, I know I can do this.  And this is why whenever someone says to me, "Wow an Ironman, I could never do that!", I look right into their eyes and say, "Yes you can" because with a support system like this anything is possible.

So the next time you see me and I seem cranky or tired, instead of telling me life will be back to normal soon, offer me a snack or a cookie instead! Kidding, but never about cookies!  I don't expect everyone to understand, but to simply understand that this is not a chore or some awful process to get to some crazy, nearly impossible race or finish line.  It's a choice and a privilege and a really f'ing awesome experience.  And this is my life.

~e

P.S. In case you want a glimpse of IMLP & several of our awesome athletes, check out this video.