Reasons To Not Fall Off Your Mountain Bike

#1) It hurts.

Exhibit A1

Exhibit A2

 

Exhibit B.

 

Ok, yeah that last one isn't bad.  I just wanted to share more pictures.  :)

Marcy me

Josh bought me a new bike.  :)

Review from bikemagic:
http://bikemagic.com/gear/bike-reviews/pivot-mach-429-full-suspension-bike-29er-review.html

We've scrounged up the rest of the parts we need and are getting wheels built.  Josh thinks he can have it all put together and ready by Thursday.  I don't really know what I'm talking about when it comes to components or wheels, but I do know it is going to be light and fast and comfortable.  :)  I'll be riding it for Leadville, for sure.

For anyone who doesn't know and was wondering, the appropriate number of bikes in your stable is n + 1.  n being the number of bikes you currently own.  Yes, this brings the current number of bikes we own to nine (Jacque: 3 mountain bikes - Clyde, Marcy, and Tater, 1 flip-flop commuter - don't worry, you've probably never heard of the name anyway, and 1 roadie - The Lady Bird; Josh: 2 mountain bikes, 1 flip-flop commuter, and 1 roadie). Yes, I name my bikes. And yes, I call it a stable.

Yankee Springs TT Lack-of-race Report

I missed my first big race for this year.  :( 

I was all signed up and raring to go for the Yankee Springs Time Trial, scheduled for April 21.  Last year I raced Sport class and finished mid-pack.  I was pretty pleased with myself, given that I'd signed up last minute and so was slotted at the very back of the pack for the start, then didn't really push it or try to pass much but just followed another girl for awhile, and still finished with a fair amount of gas in the tank.  This year I decided I'd put on my big girl panties and actually RACE.  I signed up in the Expert class, which means two laps instead of one and some stiff competition.  (I googled the other competitors, of course).  And a few days after I signed up, my secret (read: completely unaware) arch-enemy, who beat me in every race we did together last year, signed up too.  But I was excited about it - I've put in almost twice the miles this year as compared to last, and I was ready to suffer. 

Unfortunately, I started the suffering a little early, in the form of a knock-down, drag-out cold.  Or maybe the flu.  I was exhausted and sleeping 12+ hrs a day.  I had convinced myself that I felt better by Saturday, the day before the race.  When the crud moves to your chest and you start coughing, that is a good sign because it means you are clearing stuff out, right?  Josh was not so convinced, and told me I really shouldn't race.  And I finally had to give in to reason.  I would have raced terribly, dug myself into a huge fitness hole, and who knows how long it would have taken me to recover.  (Plus I had a job interview scheduled for two days later - race day temps were forecast to be in the 40s and who knows what that would have done to my throat and voice.  Kinda need a voice for an  interview). 

So I didn't get to race.  I really have no idea how I would have placed.  I haven't really had a good test of my fitness yet this year.  Super secret arch-enemy of course did very well.  Now I'm trying to decide if it would have been better to race and place poorly, so that I can lower expectations and then catch her off her guard later in the season with my incredible pace, or if it was good to not add another notch to her belt and bolster that confidence... 

It probably wouldn't really make a difference either way.  Does anyone else over-analyze wonder about things like this, or is it just crazy ol' me?  :)

Spin Class

The spin instructor played this song today during class.

 
I absolutely love it.  I know I've heard it somewhere else before  - maybe in the Race Across the Sky video? (<-- BTW, watch this if you're wondering what this Leadville thing is that I've gotten myself into.)

Anyway, back to the song.  Pardon the weird music video, but I love the song because listening to it I can just see myself riding across the open alpine-scape, above tree line, suffering, just pushing and pushing and pushing those pedals.... and with a silly grin on my face because I love. every. minute. of. it!!  Man it gets me going!

The trail up Columbine Climb.

Not my photo - (c) Romping and Rolling in the Rockies 2009-2013; check out her blog, she has some awesome shots.

I did two spin classes in a row today.  I was on the trainer for almost 4 hours yesterday, and so I wasn't sure how I'd hold up with two hard hours today.  The first hour was a little rough, and I only did every other interval, to keep some gas in the tank for the next hour.  But then I hit it hard the second class and really started getting into it, endorphins a-flyin.  I'm finding that the harder the class is, the more I like it.  Thursday's instructor had us do a 30 minute climb, just adding gear after gear, and that was my favorite class so far. Two classes is a row is pretty hard and sweet too.

And speaking of spinning:  This year is the first time I've tried it.  It's just too cold out to ride outside and I don't have the motivation to ride alone on the trainer at home, so I figured I'd try out the class at the YMCA.  I'm still doing some of my rides (the really long ones or easy ones) on my trainer at home, but at least twice a week I'm at the Y.  I was a little worried though whether all that silly spin stuff (jumps, jumps on a hill, etc), not using the exact same muscles as my mtn bike, etc, would translate once I'm outside again.  But I felt great last weekend for the entire Death March, so that was really encouraging. 

Death March Preppers

In addition to filling our dining room table with camping gear and turning the kitchen into a bike shop, other preparations are occurring in relation to the Death March.   A good prepper always has a B.O.B. ready for a long ride - B.O.B. stands for Bike Off-road Bag, duh.  ;)  But seriously, you don't just go ride for 6 hours without thinking about one very important thing.

What you're going to eat that whole time.

This is not just because I love stuffing my pie hole (although I do).  Biking for roughly 6 hours and 65 miles burns approximately 3000 calories.  That's for a 130 lb woman; Josh will burn a bit more.  So if you want to keep going strong for that whole time, you have to stoke the fires.  During Ironman, I planned on taking in approximately 200-250 calories an hour on the bike and run.  While I haven't really worried about nutrition for the last few years (I figured most Xterras were short enough that I didn't need much other than some sports drink), I need to start thinking about it again and practicing for Leadville.  And a nice 65 mile race in March makes for perfect nutrition practice.

Yeah, it can get complicated...

During Ironman, I ate mostly Clif Bars - 1/6 of a bar per 15 minutes - and Ironman Perform (i.e. Powerbar's version of Gatorade).  This year I wanted to experiment with homemade energy bars.  Nothing wrong with the Clif Bars, they're all tasty and organic-like.  But I would like to find something that I can easily make and don't have to pay $1/bar for.

So I poked around pinterest (one of my other favorite addictions) and found this recipe for Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies.  I just happened to have some rotting extra ripe bananas laying around, so it sounded perfect.  Then I found this recipe for homemade fruit leather, and decided to give that a go as well.

The cookies turned out great.  The fruit leather was a bit of a challenge.  One, I didn't have parchment paper as suggested to bake it on.  So I just greased the cookie sheet up real well with some butter.  I could have used my silpat (as one commenter suggested) but it was previously occupied making cookies.  The butter worked mostly okay - there were a few places that the leather stuck when I peeled if off the pan, but not too bad.  Just use more butter next time.

Lots of butter, leather, and baking. And more butter. Who does that make YOU think of?

The second issue was that I didn't have any of that fancy agave nectar.  So I just used honey, no problemo.

The last problem was that my oven is old and only goes down to 170 degrees, not the 150 recommended.  So I just stuck a spoon in the door to prop it open, baked it for a few hours, and then left it to coast overnight.  Oh, and then promptly forgot about it for a few days.

But it turned out fine.

So here they are, our nosh for this weekend.  Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies, Blueberry Fruit Leather, and of course my famous Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies.  (Which basically consist of peanut butter, sugar, more peanut butter, more sugar, an egg, and some baking soda).

I'm guesstimating that the fruit leather is about 50 calories a strip, the oat cookies are about 90 calories a piece, and the peanut butter cookies are about 150 each.

Looks like the PB Cookies are the win.  Eek for the Fruit Leather.  This is what happens when you can only find organic frozen berries...

For Death March, I'm planning two cookies an hour (one each PB and Banana Oat), plus gatorade and water, and a fruit leather whenever I feel like it.  We will also bring peanut butter and banana sandwiches in case we decide to stop and eat a real lunch.  I'm a bit surprised at how many calories I can pack into a cookie, compared to a Clif Bar.  Two small cookies seems like a lot less to eat per hour than a whole bar - so the only thing left is to see how my stomach likes them while working hard.

Sub 9 Death March Prep

The Death March is coming!!

I am really excited about this race.  A mtb'ing friend of ours, Ben, clued us in to this fun-fest.  The race is located down in southern Indiana, just south of the famous Brown County trails (which we have yet to ride - here's hoping we can squeeze some in the day after the race while we are down there).  Basically they let you loose on the mtb trails and gravel country roads with a list of seventeen old cemetaries.  First team to check-in via digital photo in front of the most cemetaries and then get back to the finish line wins.  The interesting part comes in when they give you 3 mandatory cemetaries ahead of time, announce two more mandatory checkpoints 5 minutes before the race starts, and then assign time bonuses for the rest.

So we've been prepping.  First we bought this sweet map from National Geographic, then we cut out just the section we needed (saving ounces saves lives people!).  After some intense discussion with other CAMBr peeps who are also doing the race (Ben, Deanna, Martha, and Dan), we began mapping.

Yes, all the camping odds and ends ARE necessary for mapping.

It looks like if we hit all 17 cemetaries, we'll be doing approximately 65 miles.  So maybe 6 hours of riding?  That's all if we don't get lost!!  (I hear Callahan is legendary for screwing people over...)

Google Maps didn't include all the mtb trails, so the route will be slightly different from this.

We were originally planning on hitting this hard and seeing how we stacked up against the other riders, but Josh hasn't been able to get much training in yet this season (flu, then kidney stones, then late nights and 3 a.m. mornings with work).  So the plan at this point is to just get some mileage in and enjoy.

Other pre-race plans of course involve packing up all the bikes and gear!  It's a little too cold outside to clean the bikes in the garage, so we make do.  :)

Mmmm, men in the kitchen...

Last year's (2012) training mileage

Last year's swim, bike, and run looked something like this:

(click to make image larger)

 

As you can tell, I'm terrible at actually getting my swim and run workouts in.  The biking is a different story! :)

Right now this year's plan is only set through September.  But even if I stopped cold turkey then, I'm planning on putting in twice as much swimming, over 2,500 more miles on the bike (hello Leadville training!), and about 3/4 of the running, as compared to last year.  Of course, that is the plan.... we can all see what happened to that plan (esp. swim/run) last year!

Looking at that now makes me a little nervous... I have the dissertation to worry about this spring and will be working nearly full time this summer.  Stuff I for sure was not thinking about last year!  I think I can do it though.  It will just take some good time management and focus.  And I mean that in terms of getting the work and dissertation done - don't need no focus to make myself go for a bike ride! :)

Race Report - Ironman Wisconsin 2010

REPOST from Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 11:54pm

The Swim: “So, I went to a fight and a swim broke out.”
Goal:  Don’t die in the washing machine.  Don’t panic.  Swim ~1 hr 20 min – a steady, easy pace for me.

This was crazy.  I didn’t get to swim really until about a half mile in, at the 2nd buoy.  There were just people EVERYWHERE.  It wasn’t horrible contact-wise (although I did get my goggles rearranged once and did have a girl latch onto my shoulder to push herself by), but there was just no room to actually swim my own pace.  The first buoy was so bad that I literally sat up, treading water, and had a nice conversation with the lady next to me about why everyone was mooing (yes, I moo’d too), how it sounded like they were booing, and how booing would really be more appropriate since everyone was in the way!  After the second buoy it cleared out though, and I was able to find clear pockets for a bit at a time.  Had quite a few people swim across my path, but I just went around them.  Stopped to check my watch after the first lap (I know, I know) and was at 41:20 (about a 2:04 pace).  2nd lap was 44:40 (about a 2:00) pace.  Pulled up to the ramp and was just getting out of the water and I heard Mike say “Joshua Felt, from Madison” or something like that.  Really, all I heard was “Joshua Felt” and thought, “*(&(*%&!!!!  How is he ahead of me?  WHAT THE JUNK?!??!”  I was planning on beating him by a good 5 to 10 minutes.  Of course, official results show that he beat me out of the water by 2 seconds.  Son of a gun.

Lap 1: 41:20, 155 HR (2:04/100y)
Lap 2: 44:40, 149 HR (2:00/100y)
77/110 AG, 1:26:04, 2:16/100m

T1:
Had trouble getting my wetsuit over my watch for some reason, but the nice stripper lady grabbed it for me, then told me to lay down and ripped the whole wetsuit off in a jiffy.  First time I’d used a wetsuit stripper, it was pretty nice!!  Then I got to jog up the helix with Josh, which, although I was still a little peeved, I have to admit was nice.  Had a volunteer all to myself in transition – this was also sort of nice, especially when she cleaned up all my junk for me and put it back in the bag, but flustered me a bit because I wasn’t really prepared to have someone help me and didn’t really know what to tell her right away about what I wanted or needed first.  Anyway, downed a Gu and was off.

9:56

The Bike: “In which my kidneys decide to mutiny.”
Goal: Go out easy.  Keep the HR down.  Save something for the run.  Bike ~7:15:00 – steady, easy pace.

It was so, so, SO hard not to push it on the stem.  I was getting chick’d, fatty’d, geezer’d, and fatty chick geezer’d.  I kept checking my heart rate hoping it had gone down below 150 so I could go faster.  Nope.  Finally got to Verona and just said screw it.  I don’t really know exactly what my HR should be anyway (my zones are just estimates based off what I usually hit in training, never done an official test).  So I just kept it feeling easy, and glanced at the HR occasionally just out of curiosity.
I hit my nutrition spot on the whole way – 10 oz Perform and 10 oz water an hour + 2/3 Clif Bar and 1 Endurolyte an hour.  Not a ton of calories (225) but I’m not that big of a girl.

Felt great until Hwy 92, and then suddenly I had to pee like CRAZY.  Now, I have never pee’d on my bike, and I think it is absolutely disgusting to pee on yourself.  (I will admit I have done it once, but that was during a long run in a downpour/thunderstorm, and was really only in the spirit of science and experimentation.  Plus I was already soaked, and was quickly washed thoroughly by the rain).  Also, I do not particularly want to be urine-soaked for 6+ hours.  So I stopped at the port-o-pot in Mt.  Horeb.  Beautiful release.  Next up, the rollers into Cross Plains – one of my favorite sections of the course.  And then the port-o-pot in Cross Plains.  Seriously?  I was only drinking about 20 oz of liquid an hour.  But that was only two in what ended up being SIX stops on the bike course.  Ridiculous.  I kept drinking the 20 oz an hour, because I didn’t want to get dehydrated, but looking back maybe I should have slowed up a bit on the fluid.

Other than that, the ride was lots of fun.  The support on the hills was great (this is my other favorite part of the course – I love pushing these and spinning past everyone).  G and 92 were boring of course, but what can you do.  Saw my family with some hilarious signs on the 2nd loop (Sign 1: “Felt” like doing an Ironman.  Sign 2: “Felt” tired, thirsty, hungry.  [Yes! This one!]  Sign 3: “Felt” amazing at the finish line!)  This time around the hills were really fun, because I was still feeling great but lots of people were walking their bikes up the hills.  I really felt absolutely fine until about mile 105, and then it was just the balls of my feet and my crotch that were aching.

40mi, 2:26:14, 155 HR, 16.40 mph
43mi, 2:41:53, 151 HR, 15.94 mph
29mi, 1:51:52, 147 HR, 15.55 mph

58/110 AG, 6:59:59, 16.0 mph

T2:
Ran in, grabbed my bag from the volunteer and shouted “You guys are amazing!” and promptly started tearing up.  I am such a crier, and it makes me mad.  Didn’t have a volunteer helping me this time, which I think I preferred, except that I had to pack up my own bag and dump it in the corner with the rest.  Got sunblocked real quick (thank you volunteer for reminding me about my face!) and on my way.

5:36

Run: “Ah, ibuprofen.”
Goal:  Don’t die.  Just don’t die.  Run ~4:50:00, which is almost TOO easy of a pace, but what Daniel’s tables say I should do.

The run started out just fine.  I was keeping cool with sponges on my shoulders and ice down my bra.  Nutrition was just Perform and water and whatever random food I wanted to eat.  Originally, I was going to take a Gu every hour, but I didn’t want to carry them and really don’t like the taste of the PowerGels they had on course.  Ate a few bananas and grapes on the first part, then the grapes got too sweet.  The berry Perform was a welcome relief after that nasty lemon stuff on the bike. Had to stop to pee AGAIN!! (and then AGAIN later!)  What in the world.

Just jogging along, I was feeling great until about mile 10, then I realized that my quads and IT bands were just ACHING.  This is most likely due to my poor running form and the really freaking slow pace I was trying to stay under.  My sole goal became to make it to my special needs bag and my ibuprofen.  I kept hearing people yell my name (and I knew it was people I knew, because they were saying “Jacque” instead of the “Jacquelyn” on my bib), but I never could spot them when I turned around.  Saw my family and some good friends right before and at the beginning of the Capitol Square, which was nice.  FINALLY got to my special needs bag, nearly had a heart attack because I couldn’t find my ibuprofen right away, but managed to locate it under my long sleeve.  Then it was back out again.  I honestly didn’t even mind the turn around because I was so focused on getting that ibuprofen in me!!  This time around I was really glad to get away from the crowds and just be on my own.  I was hurting, and the encouragement was making me tear up, and it was just a waste of energy.  I eventually started feeling better around mile 18 or so. It got dark, and the chicken broth appeared.  I had been told that it would be the best thing I had ever tasted – so I tried it – and IT WAS!!  Oh, it was money.  Then someone offered me a cookie, and I discovered the most delicious combination on the planet Earth.  Chocolate chips + chicken broth.  Heaven.

I think at this point, I wasn’t hurting that much (although its hard to remember), the run was just floating by really quickly.  I wasn’t thinking about pace at all, just sort of moving along.  The thing I was thinking about was how I wanted to not walk at all (other than the aid stations but that doesn’t count!)  Now, I am NOT a runner (this is my running career in a nutshell:  Spring 2009 – couch to half marathon.  Summer/Fall 2009 – absolutely zero running, not even a mile.  2010 – train for an Ironman.  Yeah, I’m not really the smartest…).  But in my first half iron, I ran my first ever half marathon without walking, except the aid stations, and then in my second half iron, I only walked TWO aid stations, that's it!  This made me ridiculously proud and weepy.  Especially the first one.  So I really, really wanted to do it again.

About mile 18 or so, I started passing people I knew, and this was really gratifying. Its one thing to pass a million walkers who I don’t know from Adam, it is something entirely different to pass someone who I have trained with and who I know has done IM before.  Huge.  I finally got off the Lakeshore Path and into the last few miles.  But my legs were starting to hurt again at this point.  And, well, I let myself walk up a hill at mile 23.  And then walked up another one about a mile later.  Not cool.  I just don't have the mental fortitude that I should.  But, I did notice a girl running near me who also kept walking.  She was in my age group.  And I thought back to my first tri – back in June – and how I was ecstatic to come in top 10 in my age group, only to see updated results the next day that bumped me down to 11.  I HATED losing that spot.  So, buh-bye girl in my age group who is walking - I. Am. Not.  And I passed her and never saw her again.  Ha.

I did walk a section of the last bit of a hill around the Capitol, but wow, you sure get an energy boost coming down that shoot!  I was searching for my family, and finally saw my dad right before the finish line.  Reached out to give him a high five and he almost knocked me back a few feet!  But I loved the look on his face – I think he was as excited and proud as I was. And then, I crossed that line, and well, Jacque Felt, you are an Ironman!!!  :D

6.35mi, 1:08:33, 10:47
6.65mi, 1:21:39, 12:16
6.23mi, 1:14:19, 11:55
6.97mi, 1:21:11, 11:56

1: 9:40, 164 HR
2: 10:37, 163 HR
3: 11:14, 161 HR
4: 11:21, 161 HR
5: 10:59, 161 HR
6: 10:56, 163 HR
7: 10:55, 163 HR
8: 13:46, 154 HR (bathroom)
9-10: 24:37, 156 HR
11: 11:27, 151 HR
12-13: 23:30, 157 HR
14: 12:17, 154 HR
15: 12:20, 155 HR
16: 12:22, 156 HR
17: 11:45, 159 HR
18: 11:54, 157 HR
19: 12:15, 155 HR (bathroom)
20-21: 23:43, 154 HR
22: 12:57, 150 HR
23: 12:34, 151 HR
24: 11:42, 153 HR
25: 12:14, 151 HR
26.2: 12:26, 153 HR (10:21)

49/110 AG, 5:07:43, 11:45/mile


TOTAL: 13:49:17, 50/110 AG, 1500/2500 starters, 2398 finishers 

Ironman, baby!

I'm Gonna Be

 REPOST from September 5, 2010

When I wake up, at 4:00 I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl who wakes up next to you
When I go out, in the dark, I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl who goes along with you

If I suit up, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl in rubber next to you
And if I cry, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl who's crying next to you

But I would swim two-point-four miles
And I would bike one-twelve miles more
Just to be the girl who ran a marathon
To fall down at your door

When I'm swimming, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl who swims ahead of you
And when I stand up, and walk up off the beach
I'll tell the strippers to be watching out for you

But I would swim 2.4 miles
And I would bike 112 miles more
Just to be the girl who ran a marathon
To fall down at your door

When I'm biking, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl who's lonely without you
When you pass me yes I know I'm gonna scream
Scream because I'm not as fast as you

When I'm running yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl who's running after you
When I get there, yes I know I'm gonna smile
Smile because I know that you'll be waiting there for me

When I come home, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl who comes back home with you
And if I can't walk, well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the girl who steals the couch from you.  ;)


But I would swim 2.4 miles
And I would bike 112 miles more
Just to be the girl who ran a marathon
To fall down at your do-oooo-or.   

Ironman by the numbers

REPOST from Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 7:50pm

Ironman By The Numbers


Time
Time since beginning training:
8 months, 1 day (or 245 days)
Time spent training (collective):
27 days, 6 hrs, 46 minutes, 46 seconds


Activity (collective)
Total number of miles swam:
123.62
Total time spent in the water:
3 days, 23 hrs, 52 minutes

Total number of miles biked:
6,094.76
Total time spent pedaling:
17 days, 5 hrs, 50 minutes

Total number of miles ran:
453.34
Total time spent running:
6 days, 1 hr, 5 minutes


Energy (collective)
Total calories burned:
1,238,776.47 calories

Total calories eaten:
1,137,276.47 calories

Total pounds lost:
29 pounds


(Jacque's Stats: 5% body fat loss, 16.5 inches lost, 10 bpm resting HR drop)

Race Report - Ironman 70.3 Steelhead, July 31, 2010

REPOST from Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 8:46pm

Overall, it went really well. I PR'd by over 15 minutes (although its a different (and probably easier) course, so really can't compare).

Swim:
The morning started out pouring rain, so all our gear was soaked through by the time we got it set up. Walked the 1.2 miles down the beach to the start in the rain, saw some lightning, waited around til our waves, and then hopped in! I lined up pretty much dead center this time, instead of the back left like normal. A little bit of contact at the start, but I stuck with the middle pack easily and found clear water after a few hundred yards. I feel like I finally have my sighting down and swam really straight. Caught the stragglers from the wave in front of me about halfway, and was caught by the front guys from the wave behind me soon thereafter. Exit the water, run all-the-freaking-way UP the beach to transition (good 80 yds uphill in the sand. ugh.) to the sound of my cheerleaders!!! Yay Debbie and Andrea!
58th/135 W25-29
1211th/2282 OA
38:56:00
2:01min/100meter or 1:48/100y for 1.2 miles
Avg HR 157

Transition 1.
Everything was soaking wet. I picked out puddles and ran through them on the way to my bike, and my feet were sparkling clean by the time I got there. More cheerleading. :)
3:34

Bike:
Rain had stopped by now, but my helmet was soaking. When you ride your bike a lot, you sweat a lot. If you then don't wash out your helmet pads, and leave them out in the rain, and then jam them onto your forehead, well, they squish. Straight into your eyeballs. Stinging, months old, salty, sweat. Mmmm, de-lish. The roads were a little wet, but about half were freshly paved, and nice and flat and fast. I felt like I never stopped saying "on your left", especially when it came to any "hill". All the IMoo hill training is paying off!!! Lots of people drafting, and a few macho egos I had to bruise. I kept passing one guy, over and over, and he kept passing me right back. I quickly realized this was because as soon as I would pass him, he would hop on the wheel of the next fast guy that came along, and ride him until he passed me. Then drop off and slow waaay down. Apparently, I was his nemesis, or so he told me when I passed him for the 5th time. Towards the end, there was another guy I kept leap-frogging with, and we started joking about it and yelling out the tally each time we'd pass. Finally he pulled up next to me, and said "Do you run?" "Nope!" I replied. "Cuz you are killing this bike! I just can't keep up. I think I'll hop on your wheel for awhile." Um, excuse me? And he actually did too! Luckily, I dropped him pretty quickly at the next hill. Didn't end up eating quite all of my nutrition. Had 2.25 clif bars, 2 bottles of gatorade, and 1 bottle of water. May need to reconsider the bars for IM, as I never seem to want to eat them all. Must recheck calories on that.
18th AG
832nd OA
2:47:24
20.1 mph for 56 miles
Avg HR 168

Transition 2.
Long transition. Saw Doug (well, heard him really was more like it) and Debbie and Andrea again as I buzzed by. Decided to go with the lace up shoes this time instead of the Yankz. The shoes were *sort of* dry by this point.
2:51

Run:
Feeling pretty good here. I wanted to run 9:30s, but wasn't sure if I would be able to. Saw a lot of people walking already by mile 2 or so. Also, saw the first female pro running in just as I was headed out on mile 1. She was FLYING. Of course, all of us headed out are cheering for the ones headed back in already. I saw two guys round the corner, neck and neck, matching tri uniforms, so I started cheering them on. "Come on, guys, let's see it!! Who's gonna win it? Beat him there!" And then I noticed that there was a rope tied between them. It was a blind athlete and his guide. I am officially a jerk. Anyway, the rest of the run went well from there. I had to re-tie my shoes about mile 3 because they were too tight, and stopped for a tinkle in the port-a-potty around mile 6. The course is an out, two hourglass loops, and back, and is nicely broken up mentally. I felt really good the whole time, but didn't really have any energy left for a sprint at the end. Oh! And I only walked about half the aid stations this time! I am truly getting better at this stupid running thing, so I am stoked about that. Took gatorade and water at each aid station, and ice down the tri top. Didn't bother with any Gus, but maybe it would have given me a kick at the end? Finished up with a smile on my face, with my cheering section to high five along the finish shoot, and my big sis to "catch me" and pull my timing chip. :) Good day.
54th AG (no, only about 7 girls actually passed me... I was just that far ahead from the bike)
1035th OA
2:08:51 (my fastest half marathon ever yet! notice I say yet - I WILL be under 1:50 by the half in May next year!)
9:51min/mile for 13.1 miles
(1- 170 HR, 9:20m/mi; 2- 171, 9:36; 3- 168, 10:07 (retied shoes); 4- 170, 9:55; 5- 174, 9:43; 6- 171, 10:53 (stopped to pee); 7- 170, 9:41; 8- 173, 9:45; 9- 174, 9:43; 10- 174, 9:33; 11- 175, 9:44; 12- 175, 9:44; 13.1- 174, 11:07 (10:06 pace)
Avg. HR 172

Final:
33rd/135 W25-29 (top 24.44444% baby!!!)
904th/2282 overall
5:41:36 total time
70.3 miles! :D

140.6 reasons to do an Ironman

REPOST from Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 10:50pm

(Shamelessly stolen and slightly modified.)

»001. Makes everything else seem so SHORT.
»002. The 3 week taper before the race.
»003. The 4 week recovery after the race.
»004. I want to beat my pace from the last one
»005. I can eat WHATEVER I want
»006. So that when the car runs out of gas, I can still get away from the Police under my own power.
»007. Beats watching the new Survivor, Big Brother, or anything else on TV.
»008. For all the times you heard someone say "I'd do one of those ... I just can't swim."
»009. To say you got swum OVER
»010. Because Old Sauk and Timber aren't enough, you also want Midtown
»011. Mike Reilly's hoarse voice still bringing people home at 11:30pm
»012. The KA-RAZY crowd at the finish line at 11:59pm
»013. You can't live in Madison and NOT want to do it.
»014. The Massage Tent
»015. Chalk on the road.
»016. Because I am in awe at what my body can do.
»017. Easy rides and runs the week before.
»018. Finishing your last workout and smiling because you know "I'm SO ready."
»019. For everyone who as ever asked you "Why?"
»020. For the people who told you you'd amount to nothing.
»021. To silence the one voice inside your head that still believes that bunk.
»022. You want to test the endurance limits of the music collection in your head.
»023. So you can laugh in the face of the devil with bacon and eggs on Old Sauk
»024. Spectators looking up your name and cheering as you plod past at sunset.
»025. Where else can a stripper ripping off your suit in public be considered a benefit of a big race?
»026. Miles in the Run
»027. Want to see the world and eat the food in each country, guilt free.
»028. So you can answer "One." When people ask "How many days does that take?"
»029. To wave at the scuba divers.
»030. To backstroke at the TV helicopter.
»031. Cards and notes in your special needs bags.
»032. Cards and notes in your T1 and T2 bags.
»033. CHICKEN SOUP!
»034. CHICKEN SOUP AGAIN! (Yes - it's worth 2 by itself)
»035. The moment you realize you have to swim in the algae in Lake Monona
»036. ... realizing you're swimming in Lake Monona - and it's not that bad
»037. For the young kids who run water to you
»038. Driving the bike course in a caravan of friends.
»039. Valet Parking and Catering ... all day long.
»040. You might get on TV
»041. I want to laugh at the former cool (now fat) kids at my 20th High School Reunion.
»042. The Marines and the Army and the Navy competitors
»043. Takes as long as having a baby, nearly as satisfying, only without the morning sickness and the 21 years of bills that follow.
»044. Flying with a bike case makes business trips seem EASY.
»045. Sharing a smile with people wearing the finishers T-shirt the next day.
»046. Knowing that as you step in the water on race day - YOU MADE IT THIS FAR! Now just get home.
»047. How many people can say they did anything for 12,13, 14, 15, 16...hours?
»048. The first loop - and feeling like you could do this all day
»049. The wristband that somehow becomes your favorite fashion accessory.
»050. So that when you tell your grandchildren stories about what you did when you were young...yours will be true.
»051. Because you've always wondered what it'd be like to run on the turf at Camp Randall
»052. High fives from people you don't know.
»053. The Sponge as a fashion statement
»054. Coke and Chicken soup - the ultimate power cocktail
»055. Knowing that after the gun goes off, you don't have to worry anymore.
»056. First Place and Last Place get the same amount of cheers.
»057. Walking to the start, side by side with the pros...
»058. Getting lapped by the pros...
»059. Getting lapped again on the run by the pros...
»060. Because you are stronger than a stupid blister
»061. Because MolybdenumMan doesn't trip off the tongue in quite the same way
»062. If Judy Molnar can, dammit, so can you.
»063. If Randy Caddell can do it with just his arms, you can certainly do it with your legs.
»064. Because Team Hoyt makes you cry
»065. To hear "Go EHouse!"
»066. Cheering on both your teammates and random people you don't even know as you pass or they pass.
»067. My friends are waiting for me at the finish line.
»068. So is my family....
»069. ...and my teammates.
»070. Easier than Eco-Challenge.
»071. Makes US Navy SEAL training seem like a good idea.
»072. You enjoy the smell of chlorine in the morning.
»073. You've had enough with your current social life.
»074. For the love of Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream!
»075. Your friends are watching on the web.
»076. You need to prove to your mom that it really isn't that hard.
»077. Quite literally "running off into the sunset"
»078. Roadies think you're nuts.
»079. Masters swimmers think you're nuts.
»080. Your running club KNOWS you're nuts.
»081. So that you can master the bottle grab
»082. Morning swims
»083. 3 hour breakfasts after the morning swims
»084. The Underpants Run
»085. Laughing at people in the Underpants Run.
»086. Seeing my dad's message on the screen
»087. Glowsticks
»088. To live up to "Amazon woman" and "beast"
»089. Because Winston Churchill said I can't ever give up.
»090. The 12-step program to make me stop hasn't been invented yet.
»091. Any National Anthem, before the start, anywhere.
»092. Knowing that when you wake up at 4:00am, the next time you go to bed you will be VERY different person.
»093. Heading for the turn around on MLK Drive
»094. Dear God, not a second loop!
»095. Because you've always wanted to see how many CD's and towels it would take to ride the whole IMoo course on the CompuTrainer
»096. Makes your next marathon just a nice morning run.
»097. To make your Boss jealous because YOU have a life that doesn't involve the office.
»098. Because the longer you're out there, the less per hour it really costs!
»099. Being there is way better than watching on Pay-Per-View
»100. Finding yourself in the middle of your doubts ... finding a new meaning of being scared.
»101. Finding out that you're far stronger than those doubts a few miles later.
»102. Falling in step on the run and making a friend to the end, without having to say a word.
»103. A fried breakfast the day after.
»104. Watching people headed home while you're headed out, thinking "I'll be there soon ..." and they cheer for you.
»105. Understanding why that is as you're cheering for people headed out when you're finally headed home.
»106. That feeling of ice cubes in your hat on a hot run never getting too cold.
»107. Telling folks with flat tires "It's a long day - hang in there!" and seeing them breathe and smile for a moment.
»108. Hearing people cheer you up while you're changing a damn flat tire.
»109. Rolling into T2 knowing that no matter what - you can't have a flat sneaker from here on in.
»110. Having someone catch you, and hold you up when you can't do it anymore.
»111. The IV's feel SO good the next day.
»112. Miles in the Bike.
»113. To see if it really feels as good to do as it does to dream.
»114. To see if it really feels as good the second time.
»115. And a third...
»116. And a fourth...
»117. To try and finish in daylight.
»118. To try and finish before midnight.
»119. To try and NOT get stung by that (#*@! bee this time.
»120. Someone already thinks you're a hero - prove them right.
»121. Someone doesn't...but you might prove it to them, too.
»122. An M-Dot Tattoo would look swanky on your hip.
»123. 5000 Volunteers - all for you.
»124. Hearing them say "You're almost there!" all day long.
»125. Being nearly almost there - for real.
»126. CHICKEN SOUP! (It's been awhile)
»127. Quiet hugs before the start.
»128. Kissing him goodbye, and promising "I'll see you at the finish line..."
»129. The first time you think "Holy crap - I'm doing an Ironman!"
»130. Beating back the voices that say "Holy crap - you can't do an Ironman!"
»131. Mile 26.
»132. That moment when you KNOW you're going to make it for the first time all day.
»133. Rounding the first corner by the capitol
»134. Rounding the second corner
»135. Entering the finisher's shoot
»136. The Finish Line
»137. Mike Reilly saying, "YOU are an IRONMAN."
»138. The first step after you cross the line and think "Oh, My....God....!"
»139. The taste of cold pizza at the finish
»140.1 Because "What you only dream about, wild women do."
»140.2 Because "the credit belongs to the man in the arena" (Roosevelt 1910)
»140.3 Because so many people can't and I can
»140.4 The Medal
»140.5 Because they said I can't
»140.6 Because I say I can.

"It is not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause. Who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." — President Theodore Roosevelt, "The Man in the Arena", Paris, 1910

Race Report - High Cliff Half Ironman Triathlon - Sunday, June 20, 2010

 REPOST from Monday, June 21, 2010 at 12:58pm

Sorry this is so long, but hey, its 70.3 miles, what do you expect?!?! ;)

Swim
Josh and I were both in the same wave, #7, set to go off at 12 min after the start. Got down to the beach, they said go, and we were off. It was WINDY, straight across the lake from west/southwest (20-25mph ish is what I heard some people say). Which of course means 3-4 ft waves, sweet. The lake is really shallow, about 12 feet at the deepest, and they actually moved the course out diagonally instead of following the shoreline this year, to make it a little deeper. I think I ended up walking/jogging/paddling about 400m before actually beginning to swim. Which is when it got interesting. At first I just felt seasick from rolling sideways and up and down, then I realized I couldn’t get the timing down to breath right. Am I supposed to breath left away from the waves or right so I can see the waves coming? At the top of the wave, but then I sorta fall and smack down into the trough? Not a very smooth stroke through here. Lots of sitting up and treading water to catch my breath and try to sight. Around the first buoy and straight into the waves. Again trying to figure out the timing thing, but not too bad, because I could time most of the waves now and I wasn’t rolling sideways anymore. Around the second buoy, got a wave straight in the face and down the lungs. Actually gagged up some water here. Did that a few times actually, until I finally got sick of it and just went for it. The backside of the course actually felt pretty good for me. The waves were just barely diagonal here, so you could use them to push yourself along a little. I shortened up my stroke a lot too; I had read that was good for rough conditions and I also have realized recently that I’m gliding too much and getting a good-sized dead spot in my stroke. It worked great, I was cruising and my arms never fatigued. People kept running in to me here, I was actually swimming really straight. Remember how I tend to drift left? Well, apparently strong waves from the left are just what the doctor ordered. Someone was trying to draft off me here, and doing a pretty horrible job because they kept smacking my calves. So I gave a couple good kicks. Around the third buoy. Sweet, now the waves were at my back, it was like surfing! Catching the waves just right, watching all the little bubbles in the water, and just cruising on in. Saw the lake bottom pretty quickly here, but kept swimming for a bit til it got really shallow. Stood up, got the wetsuit unzipped and looked at my watch. What?!? Crap, did I cut the course? A full 15 minutes faster than I expected, this makes the rest of my day so much easier!! (Upon further inspection, I did NOT cut the course, but I think the buoys drifted a bit in the waves, so the course was short. That, plus the wave surfing, plus my shorter stroke = fast Jacque). Saw Linda here too, got out of the water at exactly the same time. And hey, there’s Doug and Debbie on the sidelines, cheering me on!
Total swim time: 30:29.0 – 1:34 min/100 yd for ~1.106 miles, HR avg 159

T1
Decided to skip the wetsuit strippers. I was worried about them pinching my wetsuit or getting fingernail tears. Ran UP the bank to transition, found my bike easily, actually managed to get one leg off by stepping on the wetsuit, woo-hoo, but then sat down to get the other leg over the timing chip. Once I was down, I decided to just take my time and wipe off my feet well. Took a drink of water, got everything on, and jogged out. Actually had to stop to clip in, just didn’t feel ready to do it on the fly for some reason.
Total time: 2:33.3

Bike
So the bike starts off with a hill. This hill would be the um, high cliff, for which High Cliff State Park is named. Roughly 200 feet in .4 miles. And actually, not bad at all. I just picked an easy gear and spun up it easy, passing lots of people but feeling light and good. Nothing compared to the hills on the IM Moo course!! Out of the park, got passed by Linda and Jamie (one of our coaches) around mile 3 or 4 ish. My goal was to take the bike easy so I could rock the run (well, as much as I can rock a run). I wanted to keep my HR in the 150s, but looking at my watch, I just couldn’t get it below 160. So I said, hey, I don’t wanna go that slow anyway, its lame, I’ll target 160s! Just spinning comfortably, passing and being passed. The hill did a nice job of spreading people out so it wasn’t too crowded. I started wondering about the course – I have no idea where I am actually, I hope I didn’t accidentally take the sprint course. And up ahead, signs – sprint this way, half that way – sweet! Pretty much uneventful now – passed the first aid station, still had plenty of water and Gatorade. Which I was actually drinking this time! And I was eating! I had cut up Clif Bars into 4 pieces each, ~60 calorie pieces, and popped one every 15 minutes. Worked perfectly. Got a little bored of them, but they were never hard to get down. Switched to energy chews around mile 45, but they were gross, I think I will stick with just Clif Bars next time. Had a nice side wind the whole time (those waves had to come from somewhere). A guy passed me around mile 20 and said, “Look at those windmills, just spinning.” Looked up and sure enough, wind turbines. Maybe not the best place to have a bike course? I told him to try not to think about it! Got passed by Katie (teammate in my age group) and another girl from our team around mile 25. Boo, I don’t think I’ll be able to catch them. Stupid run. And more biking, biking, I’m starting to get bored now, aren’t I done yet? 56 miles is really, really long – not exertion-wise, just interesting-wise. So I started singing to myself.... "22 miles until I get to heaven, 22 miles until I end this race, 22 miles until I get to the Chicken Ranch, where history, and... oh wait." ;) ANYWAY, got passed by Larry around mile 40. I asked him if he had seen Josh recently – I’m kinda wondering how he did on the swim, and why he hadn’t caught me yet!! Hope he’s okay. Larry said he was back there, so good, I don’t have to worry. Hmmm, I start thinking, maybe I can beat him off the bike, that would be sweet! I’m averaging about 18.5 currently, trying to do the math to figure out how fast I swam, how soon I’ll finish the bike, and how much time that gives me to finish my run and meet my super-secret-goal. I think I can do it maybe! Run through the math again, nope I can’t. Run through the math again, this time backwards, yes I can! Oh dear, I need a piece of paper and a pencil, I can’t even do simple multiplication and addition. Made the turn for the last 10 miles, straight into the wind. And promptly drop to 12 mph. Ugh, this sucks, my back is hurting and I am soooooo sloooooow…. Just keep pushing, pushing. Someone’s passing me now, oh, it’s Josh. And he is in a foul mood, haha, stupid wind. And wow is he slow. So I hung out behind him for a bit, but now I’m getting my second wind, so I decided to pass him anyway. Hope his ego isn’t damaged too much… And he passed me again, well at least I gave him some motivation! Out of the wind now, and I can’t catch him, but I am trying! Finally into the park again (from a different direction, didn’t get to do the hill, boo). Stop, unclip, and start jogging the bike in.
Total bike time: 3:08:25.8 – 18.0 mph for 56.28 miles, HR avg 163

T2
Passed Josh, he was just walking (btw, he only beat me off the bike by 19 sec). We are racked right next to each other, but he took forever, so I told him I’d see him out on the run course. And I’m off!
Total time: 1:47.4

Run
Aighty, back up that stupid high cliff on the run. Most people are walking it, but I figure if I keep my steps short and quick, I’ll be slightly faster, but it shouldn’t take too much out of me. I saw a guy in a Endurance House jersey stretching against a tree just outside of transition, so I yelled “come on, you can do it, let’s go!” So he caught up to me and we jogged together for awhile. Never met him before, turns out he was on the team last year but not this year. Josh caught us halfway up the hill, then kept going. Saw Marie about halfway up the hill too – asked her where Sarah was (I’d been hoping they were behind me on the bike, since I should have caught them there). No such luck, Marie said she’d been passed by Sarah about mile 3 and she was way ahead. “Oh well,” I said, “she kicked my butt last weekend, looks like she’ll be doing it again today!” Finally off the hill and onto the hiking trails. Really nice run course actually, wide, packed dirt trails and lots and lots of tree cover and SHADE! Saw Doug and Debbie again, :) and then the end of mile 1. HR 172, 11:12.76, not too bad considering the hill. Okay, now to try and hold 10s, and then I think I’ll make the goal!! I was actually feeling really really good, I never feel this strong running. Haha, why do I always feel better running off the bike than just an open run? Clearly I need to find some warm-up routine for just foot races. Just kept running, chatting with Kyle about all sorts of things (his ex-fiance, the race last year, his daughter, Kansas 70.3 that he did 2 weeks ago, etc etc etc). Saw the mile 3 marker, apparently there was no mile 2 marker. HR 174, 19:45:13, okay, I’m doing good! Still feeling really strong, able to drink both water and Gatorade at the aid stations. Sweet, ice station ahead, its getting a little warm, so I popped some in my mouth and some down my bra. Felt great, but clanked a little when I ran, haha. Kyle had to walk around mile 4ish, so I wished him luck and kept going. Still feeling strong, what the junk, I am loving this!!! Whose body did I take over? Mile 4, HR 173, 9:32.98, I am rocking this. There’s Katie in front of me, she looks like she is suffering. “How’s it going? Lap 2?” “Ha, I wish.” “What, I thought you’d be way ahead of me from the bike!” “Nope, I can swim and I can bike, but I can’t run. This is my run.” Hmmm… “Well, good luck, just keep moving, tortoise and the hare, right?” “Yes, that’s actually my favorite!” And I just kept going, woo-hoo, I’m going to beat Katie, no way! Mile 5 never saw the marker, but I took in a Gu somewhere around here. Went down fine, stayed down fine, got a nice boost of energy. Finishing up the last end of the first loop was over this weird flat rock stuff at the top of the cliff. Just uneven enough to bug my left ankle and knee. Past the turn off to the finish line down the hill and on to the next loop. Mile 7, still feeling great, HR 174, 30:10.03, I am still on pace holy cow! About here found a new running buddy. Never got his name, but we jogged and chatted for awhile too. It is soooo nice running with someone else; it distracts you and its really hard to even think about walking when the person next to you isn’t slowing down. Feeling great, and I haven’t walked yet. What?!?! About mile 9 one of his training team caught up with us and they didn’t start running again after the aid station, so I just kept moving. HR 176, 20:40.28. Usually mile 9 is where it starts getting ugly, but I am still strong. I keep telling myself that – Go girl, I feel so strong! Past the ice station again (ohhh, that feels good), past the Gu station, down the little hill and over the rocky flats. Hmm, I am getting a blister on my left pinky toe, that kinda hurts. But other than that, I am feeling GREAT! I think I will actually run down this stupid hill! (I was worried my quads would be too tired by this point and I’d have to walk). Top of the hill, down we go….OUCH!!!! My blister just broke! Searing pain every time I put my left foot down. Now this is making me mad, I have so much energy left, but it HURTS!!! Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it. Keep going, stride out, I see an EHouse jersey in front of me, its Shelley, catch her before the bottom of the hill. And I did. Also saw Sarah on the side of the road here, just sitting relaxing, finished already!! Damn. She was cheering us on. Past Shelley, huge burst of energy and some flat ground finally so the toe doesn’t hurt as much. Over the finish line, I did it! And Check This Out – - - My First Ever Half Marathon Where I Did Not Walk, Not Even Once (except aid stations, but that totally doesn’t count)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did it! Saw Linda right at the finish line, she gave me a big hug, so I had to tell her what I did – no walking! And of course bawled my eyes out, haha. Jamie and Tara were there too (Jamie’s already showered and changed, I think he finished around 4.5 hrs or something crazy). Found Josh, and Doug and Debbie. I’m still telling everyone I recognize that I ran my first half without walking, :). And then I find my results, and guess what – I broke 6 hours, I DID IT!!! Totally smashed the super-secret-goal of 6:10. I am a friggin rock star. Promptly jumped in the ice bath, and relaxed the legs a bit, then off for some pizza and milk and fruit. They had a massage tent too, but the line was too long, so we decided to pack up and head back to camp for some well-deserved burgers. Mmmmm. Back up the hill, but this time, we’re driving. Oh yeah.
Total run time: 2:15:26.7 – 10:20 min/mi for 13.1 miles, HR avg 174. (btw, this is only 23 sec longer than my open PR; and 3 sec/mi faster than last weekend’s Olympic tri)

FINAL TIME: 5:58:42.5!!!!
15 out of 29 Age group F25-29
57 out of 124 Female Half Iron distance
301 out of 468 Overall Half Iron distance
HR avg 167, peak 186
5,242 calories burned. Now I’m hungry…
Oh, also, totally beat Sarah, she was in the first wave, 12 min before me, so my final time was 27 sec faster, wheeew! Although she still got 4th in her age group. I should have started this a few years sooner, in an easier age group.

Next steps:
Well, shoot, now I don’t know! This was just supposed to be prep for Steelhead, where I wanted to go under 6:00:00. Now I’m gonna have to figure out a new goal, man, rough life I lead!! ;)

Race Report - Capitol View Olympic Triathlon, June 13, 2010

 REPOST from Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 3:29pm

Swim
Oh goodness I was nervous. Heart rate up at 110 and I was just standing there! Josh was up, and then his wave was off. Okay, into the water, get the face and chest used to the temp so I don’t seize up. It actually was fairly warm. Hopefully that doesn’t mean the E.coli are thriving! Lined up to the back left of my wave (W 19-29), as I wasn’t sure how I’d stack up. All the other Endurance House team girls (Julie, Stephanie, Marie, Sarah) lined up front and right. Guy with the bullhorn yells go, and I’m off. Got into a rhythm pretty quickly. Tried to find someone to draft off, but everyone either swam too fast or kept stopping to sight. Halfway to the first buoy I saw a guy from Josh’s wave already hanging off a boat, ready to quit. :( About here we also hit a TON of seaweed. Oh, it was gross. Every time I looked up to sight I had a string across my face (found some in my watch still at the end of the run!) So I tried to tell myself that it made me faster, because I could push off it. Haha, whatever works. Also told myself that it didn’t really bother me, but was probably freaking most girls out, so it was to my advantage. Just kept swimming, swimming. Started to catch some of my wave, and even some guys from earlier waves. Had a guy backstroking directly across my path, so I gave him the heads up that he was heading out to sea!! Realized about this time that I wasn’t swimming so straight either, so tried to sight better. Around the buoy and onto the backside of the course, and still pulling left, out to sea. The seaweed was gone now, so that was a plus. Still can’t find anyone to draft though because they keep slowing down and speeding up to sight. Another dude backstroking across my path. Around the last buoy, a little wavy here and hard to breathe. My right arm started getting tired. Oh, maybe because it’s pulling twice as hard and I’m STILL HEADING LEFT. Notice about here that there is a white swim cap (my wave) next to me, so I must not be doing horrible. Back into the seaweed. Finally, people start standing up, so I do too. And see Josh right at my left!! Wow, took me long enough to catch him, he usually has a horrible swim, and I was hoping I’d pass him sooner! (Don’t worry, he’ll quickly catch me on the bike.) The water was still waist deep here, so after a quick hi, I dove back in for a few more strokes to save my quads. Beat Josh out of the water and to transition.
Total time: 33:51.9 - 2:04 min/yd for 1640(+) yds, HR average 159.

Transition 1:
Okay. Got the swim cap, ear plugs, and goggles off, the top of the suit off and the goggle/cap stuffed in the sleeve easily before I was out of the water. Didn’t have much trouble pulling the sleeve down over my watch, which I had been worried about, so that was good. And my hair stayed in the pigtails, so that was a bonus!! I’d had an extra hairtie on the wrist just in case. Just jogged up from the beach, as my quads were tired from running in the not-shallow-enough water and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t dizzy from standing up quick. Found my bike with zero problems (right where I left it, imagine that!). A little trouble pulling the bottom of the wetsuit off – I just can’t get it by stepping on it like you’re supposed to, I had to bend over and pull it over my feet. Readjusted my timing chip, which was almost falling off (I only had about .5” Velcro to use, because it was so large and my ankle is so small, it wrapped around too far…). Threw on the helmet and sunglasses, which immediately fogged and I had to take off and wipe, then got the shoes and socks on easy. And then I saw Julie come running in. Stephanie’s bike is already gone of course (girl is a wicked swimmer), but hey, I must not be doing bad!! And then, I even remembered to jog to the mount line, so it was all good!
Total time: 2:25.4

Bike
Just spinning til I’m out of the park and to the first hill. Look down and I’m holding 18 already, whoa! Up and down the first few hills. Holy cow there are a lot of people in my way. I’m yelling “on your left”, trying my best to not draft, and of course no one else seems to care about doing either. Spot a woman with a 29 on her calf in front of me- she’s in my age group! Blasted her on a hill, but she caught me on the way down. Repeat a few times. I’m getting a little ticked. And then the sprint turn around comes, and she flips a U. Sweet! Alright, keep going, here comes the tough part, the long, slow, false flat up Schneider. And I’m still holding 17! Go me, I am going to rock this bike. Tried to take in some Gatorade and Gu, but ooh, the stomach no likey. Managed half a Gu pack, had planned to down a whole one. Okay, maybe just a little water. Yeah, not exactly great either. Finally caught Sarah at about mile 8 and blew past her. And then she caught me a mile later on the big downhill! What the junk, I need to coast faster or something! I mean, I was out of gears, what was I supposed to do? We chatted a bit, then I dropped her again at mile 11 once we started up some hills again. I’m a climbing machine. :P FINALLY caught Stephanie around 13.5. Told her “Catching you swimmers is a CHORE!” She laughed and said she’d been wondering where I was, and I told her I’d see her soon on the run. Totally expecting her to catch me. I hate running. She did a few minutes faster than me at the half marathon, and I’m really starting to wonder at this point just how well I’ll run, since I still can’t stomach even Gatorade. Saw Josh ahead of me at the big uphill about mile 14 (he’d caught me earlier around mile 3). Maybe I can catch him down Schneider? Nope, I’m only holding 25, not the 30 I should be. Hmmm, a little bit of wind, not that much though… Okay, force down the second half of the Gu, I need some energy! And a few miles later I threw up a little in my mouth. Nice. Thankfully, mostly water. And that will be the last Gu I try, folks. Passed by Linda at about mile 18. Girl is fast!! And girl is age group 50-55, holy smokes. A few miles later, passed Angie, I think the last EHouse girl in my age group ahead of me? And into the park, sit up, spin the legs out, get ready to run. Unclip and off the bike without falling over, that’s good.
Total time: 1:19:21.0 - 18.8 mph for 24.85 miles, HR avg 184.

Transition 2:
Not too bad. Dismounted okay, jogged in, racked the bike (could have been faster here, but wanted to rack it by the seat instead of handlebars, so I didn’t risk breaking my carbon fiber shifters. Also, the chick across the bar from me was racking her bike at the same time and we got in each other’s way). Easy change to running shoes, threw on a visor, and off I went, thinking that was way too easy, did I forget something?!?
Total time: 1:50.8

Run
Run. Oh, the Run. Or in my case, the Jog. Ha. I really need to work on this. The course is all woodchip or grass, very little packed, and pretty hilly. My legs were dead and I jogged the first mile, which was fairly flat, feeling like I was running 12:00 (actually 10:06). Got passed by Angie about here, she was looking strong. Then mile 2 was all hills (10:28). A girl in front of me started walking the hill, so I jogged up next to her and said, “C’mon girl, I won’t walk if you won’t!” So we jogged together for a bit through the hills. Turns out Andrea is in my age group, and she and her husband are training for Ironman this year too (their first one as well!). It was nice to have someone to run with. Plus, it’s amazing how strong you can feel when you are suffering but encouraging someone else. I think that’ll be my strategy to psych myself out from here on out, haha. Saw Linda again here – How did you get behind me? “Bathroom stop. I had to powder my nose.” Haha, and she was off! Linda kicks butt. Mile 3 (10:32) was downhill or flat, and I started feeling my legs here, so I opened up a bit of a gap on my new running buddy. Also started feeling my left knee tweaking, but it wasn’t horrible. This part was an out and back, so lots of teammates and high fives. Saw Josh here, his face looked like he was suffering, but he was running strong. Saw Sarah after the turn around and told her, don’t you dare catch me! Mile 4 (10:00) started in on the hills again, but was pretty uneventful. Splashing water on myself, since I don’t think I can drink it. Tried a sip of HEED at an aide station– stuff tastes like butt. Mile 5 (10:22) I wanted to start kicking it up a gear, but had nothing left. Stopped for a second, thinking about a quick puke, but didn’t have the energy for it, lol. Sarah caught me, and after a quick hello, pretty much blasted past. I wanted to keep with her, but couldn't. Didn’t matter anyway, she’s in the age group below me (which, btw, she ended up getting 2nd in! Rock it girl.) Finally, past the finish line and on to the last mile and a half. Mile 6 (10:48) was awful. Trying to run faster but not able to do it. Andrea caught me again about half way, so I had to really push it to drop her again. Finally, saw the 6 sign and tried to step it up again. Didn’t have it, so just ran ‘til I saw the finish line, then tried to sprint. Last .2 was 2:11.
Total time: 1:04:27.2 – 10:23min/mile, HR avg 180. Wow, that was ugly. Haha, that’s the pace I held for my first ever half marathon last year! Ick.

Overall
Final time: 3:01:56.3 - HR avg 181, peak 192, 2,836 calories burned! And top 10 in my age group, F 25-29!! (At, um, number 10. Ha! Of 30ish I think?) Wanted to break 3:00:00 (2:50 was my best-day-ever goal), but overall happy with it. I mean, its not like I slacked, just look at my HR, lol! Probably could have done a little better on the run if I held off a bit on the bike, but not sure it would have been enough to make up the time. Next steps: finish High Cliff, just see how the distance is, then focus on sighting and running so I can rock Steelhead!

Race report – Madison Half Marathon, May 30, 2010

REPOST from Monday, May 31, 2010 at 9:49am

Overall – it was Mad City hot, but still a decent race, and I’m proud of our results. (Most of the time that is. I vacillate between wishing I’d done better and being pretty happy with it). Josh ended up at 1:58:16 and I finished at 2:15:03. Original goal times were 1:45 and 2:00-2:10. If you want any perspective from Josh, you'll have to harass him about it. But here are my thoughts:

After getting down to the capitol square, making a random lady take our picture (isn’t it nice? Josh thought I was weird for wanting it so badly), and hitting up the port-a-pots, we headed to our respective pace groups. The 2:00 pace group was so packed that I couldn’t get anywhere close to the pace leader, and never was able to find or catch them the whole race. So I just did my own thing. I did somehow end up right next to Pat Coyne however, one of our fellow Endurance House teammates, who was also trying to catch the 2:00 pace group. It was fun to run with her for a bit, but she left me pretty quickly. :P (She ended around 2:10) Also saw Keith Hatcher, who started out way back, blew past me and Josh, and proceeded to lay down a 1:48 time!

My quads were still a little tired from Thursday’s brick workout, but I had settled in to it by mile 3 or so. Which is about when I got passed by the lead marathoner (Holy cow! Fast!) It was his mile 10, but I did end up eventually beating him down the finish shoot. ;) By about 15 minutes.

It was definitely hot - I felt my face flushing already at halfway through the first mile, and made sure I drenched my body with water at every aid station. So of course I was wondering how Josh was doing, since he does NOT do well in heat. (Last weekend while mtn biking, he managed to achieve a state of heat exhaustion.) Around mile 7 or so, I saw a guy being wheeled off the course on a stretcher– same shorts as Josh, same color hair and cut, and his back to me. I just about freaked. Is that my husband?!?!? Thankfully, I quickly noticed the tattoo on his arm. Whew!

Pretty much uneventful after that – running, running, pouring water on myself, running, weaving across the street to hit the sprinklers people had set up for us, running some more. I walked a bit around mile 8 and 10. My quads started cramping up, bad, around mile 10, and I had to force myself to run. It actually hurt a little less running than walking, but I kept forgetting that. :P By this point my shoes were squishy from all the water I’d dumped on myself, and I ended up with 3 blisters. But I was definitely cool!

The spectators were great. At one point, as I was dragging myself through mile 8, I spotted an old lady, standing all by herself on the side of the road, just silently clapping as we ran by. I teared up a little. Because yes, I am my mother’s daughter. Actually, I think I teared up 4 times. But hey, that’s less than once every three miles, so not bad, right?! :P Anyway, lots of people cheering us on, and holding up some great signs. Some of my favorites:
- “Your feet hurt so much because of all the @$$ you’re kicking.”
- “I’m proud of you. Yes, you!!”
- On the hill right before the finish line: “Suck it up,” with a skull and crossbones.
- At the last aid station: “Last water for 1.25 miles. 716 miles to Wall Drug. Speed limit: As fast as you can run.”
- And my absolute all time favorite: “That’s not sweat, it’s your fat cells crying!”

So overall, it was fun and I’m happy. Like I said, at times I’m upset that I didn’t make that 2:00-2:10 goal, but then I remind myself – I didn’t taper for this race, I haven’t been training specifically for it, it was hot and they even had to cancel the race two hours early, I’ve only been running for a year and a half, I was only over goal by 5 minutes, and – I beat last years time by 8:27. Whoo hoo! :)