Sunday, January 31, 2010
Motivation and plans
the current plan: TexasMan 1/2 IM in May and either 1/2 or Full IM at Redman... I'm thinking it might need to be the full. But I'll have to wait and see how the training for the first 1/2 goes.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Motivation Found
After a hard hour (actually, 68 minutes) on the elliptical last night my motivation has returned. Now I just have to decide on my big race for the year. Will it be the full at Redman or an attempt at a PR at Longhorn? Still have some thinking to do on that. I might still have a fraction of a life if I only do the 1/2.
I still feel like I need some redemption for Cozumel though. It is really disappointing to have all that hard work end that way, being sick and not being able to race my best. I still have a couple months to decide what I want to do. Either way, I better get my butt back on my bike and back in the pool.
I still feel like I need some redemption for Cozumel though. It is really disappointing to have all that hard work end that way, being sick and not being able to race my best. I still have a couple months to decide what I want to do. Either way, I better get my butt back on my bike and back in the pool.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Not much going on here
I still haven't found the motivation to sign up for anything or commit to anything at this point. Ashlynn has a gymnastics event the same morning as the ultra that I was considering doing so I get a free pass on that. It's probably for the best as I really haven't been running much anyway.
I am just enjoying spending time with my kids.
I am just enjoying spending time with my kids.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
The year in summary
Wow, I can't believe 2009 is over. It was definitely a roller coaster year for us with trying to fit in all my training for Ironman, all the training races, and of course, Ironman itself. Although the final outcome of all that hard work was not what we had hoped for, it was still worth it. I have greatly enjoyed this past month with extra time to spend with my girls and know they have enjoyed it too. I spent today painting Mackenzie's room and baking cupcakes with Ashlynn.
I have not set any huge goals for this next year and don't really want to pick anything that requires and many month commitment like an Ironman race does. Right now I am looking at doing an ultrmarathon in February and not really sure what else after that. Jake keeps talking about me doing Redman but I am not sure I want to make that sort of a commitment. Thankfully, that is a race that I can sign up for later so I can wait and see how my training goes and sign up at the last minute.
It will be interesting to see what all 2010 brings for us.
I have not set any huge goals for this next year and don't really want to pick anything that requires and many month commitment like an Ironman race does. Right now I am looking at doing an ultrmarathon in February and not really sure what else after that. Jake keeps talking about me doing Redman but I am not sure I want to make that sort of a commitment. Thankfully, that is a race that I can sign up for later so I can wait and see how my training goes and sign up at the last minute.
It will be interesting to see what all 2010 brings for us.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Christmas Begins at the Sunderbruch House
I decided that my kids are getting too many gifts to be able to open them all on Christmas morning so I decided to let them start opening them tonight. We are going to do one per night for the kids until Christmas. Tonight we opened the gifts from Granny and Papa (my Grandparents) and my girls got the CUTEST pj's ever!!! Many thanks to Aunt Amy for helping Granny pick out gifts. The girls absolutely loved them.
Starting to open gifts
"what does Ashlynn have?"
"A Tu-Tu!!!!"
the 'share' gift that Mackenzie insisted on opening all by herself and cried if Ashlynn even touched the wrapping paper.
thankfully, Ashlynn was so enthralled with her new ballet jammies that she was a good sport about letting Mack open the share gift.
Ashlynn got to open the card from Granny and Papa since Mackenzie opened the share gift. You can see that Ash is already wearing her new jammies.
Mack has claimed the Little People minivan for herself
Look Mom, I can drive it!
Ashlynn dancing for us in her new ballet pajamas. She was so happy!
Mackenzie in her new jammies with her Little People SUV that we dug out so that she would share the new Minivan. And of course, she has Scruffy the Dog too.
My girls showing off their new gifts.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Ironman Cozumel Race Report
Well, the tears are done and I am not as mad anymore about the outcome of my race. I will start with a few important lessons learned.
1. Never travel outside the US for your first time when you do your first IM. Too many firsts all together never add up to a good thing.
2. International travel with a 3 year old and an 18 month old is hard enough already, why add a bike box and suitcase full of race gear to that whole mess?
3. Always stay someplace where you can cook your own food. This would be my downfall.
Although my first two lessons learned made the logistics of traveling an absolute nightmare, it was nothing that couldn’t be overcome and in the end didn’t affect my race. I’m sure it was interesting watching 3 adults try to schlep 2 kids, 2 carseats, and 8 carry-on bags (for 5 ticketed passengers) on and off an airplane. It was even worse when you then added in the 7 checked bags and bike box! But we managed it and I can laugh about it now. OK, so the race is what you really care about.
Thursday morning I went to swim practice and the current and chop was brutal. I was left seriously doubting whether I could finish the swim course under those conditions. Friday the conditions were so rough they wouldn’t even let us in the water. Saturday was a bit better and I decided that even if it took the entire 2:20 to do it, I would be able to finish the swim. My bike and run practices leading up to the race were uneventful and gave me a taste of what the winds would be like, but nothing that I hadn’t anticipated. By lunch on Saturday I was confident that I would finish the race.
Saturday evening I was hit with what I thought was just a bad case of nerves. Took some tums and hoped for some sleep. Sunday morning was no better and I told Jake I thought maybe I had eaten something bad. He convinced me it was nerves and drove me to the swim start.
The swim was FANTASTIC!!! Getting in and treading water until the start made you aware of the current and you had to swim a little to stay in the same place. Otherwise the current would pull you back a little. I tried to find a place away from everyone but I couldn’t seem to get any space. I was able to get about a 5 foot radius of open water and decided that would have to do. I never heard the gun/cannon go off. We thought we were supposed to start and people were yelling to go go go, but no one moved. A few minutes later the washing machine that is an IM mass start began and that was my clue to get moving. It was so strange to be able to see the divers underwater keeping a close watch on us. I’ve never swam in such beautiful water before and this was by far the best part of my race. I got kicked, hit, a few times but nothing that would ruin your day. It went by so quickly and I remember smiling as I ran down the dock to T1 thinking OK, this is going to be a good day. Heck, I was out of the water in 1:28!!! By far my best open water swim ever!
I started the bike in great spirits, saw my husband and kids a few miles down the road, and was on to great things. For the first 45 minutes. Then the nagging cramping in my mid-section came back. I tried to ignore it and focused on my nutrition plan. Maybe I just swallowed too much salt water and it would go away in a few minutes. Time to take some salts… or throw them up, darn that’s not good. Ok, try again, and this time they stayed down. It’s also good to note at this point that my heart rate monitor decided to stop transmitting! I have trained every day using heart rate and had my entire race plan based on HR, and now, no HR. I left it turned on and it would intermittently pick up my HR, but nothing consistent and nothing of real use. I was going to have to race based on PRE. That’s ok, I tell myself I can do it.
I finished the first loop right on pace where I thought I would be and although I was having trouble with my stomach, it wasn’t having a huge impact yet. I noticed that starting the second loop I was a bit slower and the stomach pain was getting worse. This lap SUCKED. I got off the bike 3 times, couldn’t push myself at all without severe stomach distress, and finally decided at the end of this loop that I would have to change something, ANYTHING, if I was going to finish the race. At this point I cut my nutrition in half hoping that I had stuck to the plan well enough so far that this deviation the last portion of the bike wouldn’t kill my race. After all, what difference would it make if I stuck to the nutrition plan but didn’t make the bike cut-off?
I see Jake for the 3rd time on the bike and tell him it’s going to be close on the cut-off and he says that I can do it which of course makes me burst into tears. I don’t want to let him and the kids down so I tell myself that under no circumstances am I to get off the bike until I reach T2. The wind has picked up significantly on the far side of the island now making that 15 mile stretch from just before Punta Sur to Mezcalitos even more challenging than before. When I finally reach Mezcalitos and turn towards town, I tell myself it’s going to have to be race pace for the next 45 minutes to guarantee I make the cut-off. I made it with 15-20 minutes to spare! My legs actually felt pretty good coming off the bike. I just wish I could say the same for my stomach.
Out to the run and the crowds are there to push you on. My goal is to run 13 minute miles for the first ½ of the marathon to give myself a little buffer on the second ½. This includes walking the aid stations and works great for the first mile. Then I make my first bathroom stop. After that, it’s 13-14 minute miles for a few miles until the stomach cramps return. Ok, run until the cramps get too bad and then walk until they go away. This is how I finish the first loop. I head out on the second loop with the same plan but notice that I am walking a lot more now. I look at my watch and think well, as long as I maintain this pace, I should just beat the cut-off. Doesn’t leave much room for a buffer, but at this point, anything is better than nothing. By the ½ marathon point I know that things are not looking good. I have lost count of the port-a-potty stops (with no TP by the way! That was just GROSS!) and even walking is causing major intestinal issues. I remember Jake saying that the coke on the course at IM Arizona helped calm his stomach and I am desperate at this point so I try it and end up throwing up on the side of the road. Ok, back to water. I try walking the next mile and just sipping water, hoping that slowing down will help. After another trip to the port-a-potty I realize that my race is over. I am doubled over on the side of the road trying to catch my breath just from walking. I flag down a passing police car and ask to be driven to the med tent.
They take me to the tent back at the run turn around, where the medic takes my blood pressure, says something quickly in Spanish that I didn’t catch, and I am immediately surrounded by 4 or 5 medics trying to find a good vein for an IV and asking me a ton of questions. The ambulance ride seems like a distant dream now. I was freezing cold but hot and sweating at the same time, don’t ask me how that is possible, but it is. I felt like I was still running a marathon and couldn’t seem to catch my breath so they put an oxygen mask on me. The medic keeps saying something about the hospital and finally I realize what she means and argue in broken Spanish to be taken to the med tent at the finish line so that Jake can find me.
After an hour or so in the med tent, 2 liters of saline (and I probably needed more), oxygen, and a nap, I was allowed to stumble out of the med tent. I couldn’t see Jake in the stands so I picked up my bike and gear bags and found an open spot in the plaza to sit and wait for him to find me. I could see the finish line and heard them announce the final people as they came in. I cried a little, more so when I had to tell Jake what happened.
After a few days of reflection, immodium, and pink death (pepto bismal, which I have to be desperate to take), I feel a little better about the way the race ended for me. I talked to people who have done several other races and they compared the stretch into the head winds with the 12 mile climb at Lake Placid. One guy also said he would do Louisville twice in a row before doing Cozumel again and ranked this as the hardest IM he’s ever done. I picked Cozumel b/c I thought it would be an “easy” course, not that any IM is ever easy. But it was flat, and I thought I would have a better chance here. In the end, I have heard people say that the winds on Sunday were some of the strongest the island ever sees. I guess for me to make it as far as I did given that I started the day sick is a pretty good accomplishment in itself.
A few things to note about this race (and other thoughts):
1. Mosquitos…tons of them. My kids and I are completely eaten up.
2. It was nothing like IM Arizona in 2007 (Jake’s IM). This was the only IM I had experience with and was what I thought IM was supposed to be like. I so want to race Arizona now.
3. Supposedly a spectator friendly course, but only if you want to spend the whole day at T2. The local taxi drivers made a ton of money off this event as that was the only transportation for much of the event since there was no parking at T1 so spectators couldn’t drive there. T2 was hard to get to in anything other than a taxi so if you had to make trips back to your hotel it would cost a lot of money.
4. All gear bags and bikes had to be picked up immediately after the race, not the next day.
5. The expo sucked. Only one T-shirt style, nothing in kids sizes, just a really crappy selection.
6. Where the heck was that crappy expo after the race? I thought it was supposed to still be there the next day.
7. I heard nothing but bad things about the med tent. The first aid on the run course was decent and they were able to start my IV on the first try, in the dark with only a flashlight. Of course, it took what seemed like 5 minutes for them to find a good vein, but at least she only stuck me once. I give her credit b/c my veins are always hard to find. But the quality of care changed once I reached the med tent at the finish line. Then it was just poor quality triage where they tried to boot you out to free up a bed as quickly as possible.
8. The special needs stops were a mess. Countless stories of bags being lost. This is easy to understand given the chaos and lack of organization during the dropoff of the bags.
9. Some of the taxi’s are SCARY!!! No A/C, seatbelts not working right, can’t open windows…. I was sitting in the back of a van with my kids and Mackenzie was wimpering b/c it was so hot and there was no airflow. Poor baby was probably about to get sick. The driver barely kept it on the right side of the road and I found myself praying to God that I hadn’t DNF’d only to die in a taxi ride to the airport.
10. Where the heck are the emergency exits in the convention center??? The room that our mandatory pre-race meeting was in only had one exit and it took 20 minutes to get out after the meeting. Imagine if there had been a fire in there!
11. You can’t flush your toilet paper in the toilet, you are supposed to put it in the trash can… GROSS.
12. Severe lack of toilet paper in the port-a-potties. I’m sorry, what the HECK is up with that?
13. The roads for the bike course were in great condition
14. The section of the bike course with the head winds was BEAUTIFUL!!! You are right on the shore and can see the water almost the entire time
15. The swim is unbelievably clear
16. The locals really try to support the race, lining the streets cheering as if it were the Tour de France.
17. The city really tried hard to make the course enjoyable for us. They even removed speed bumps in town so we wouldn’t have to slow down for them.
18.It really makes you appreciate being an American
1. Never travel outside the US for your first time when you do your first IM. Too many firsts all together never add up to a good thing.
2. International travel with a 3 year old and an 18 month old is hard enough already, why add a bike box and suitcase full of race gear to that whole mess?
3. Always stay someplace where you can cook your own food. This would be my downfall.
Although my first two lessons learned made the logistics of traveling an absolute nightmare, it was nothing that couldn’t be overcome and in the end didn’t affect my race. I’m sure it was interesting watching 3 adults try to schlep 2 kids, 2 carseats, and 8 carry-on bags (for 5 ticketed passengers) on and off an airplane. It was even worse when you then added in the 7 checked bags and bike box! But we managed it and I can laugh about it now. OK, so the race is what you really care about.
Thursday morning I went to swim practice and the current and chop was brutal. I was left seriously doubting whether I could finish the swim course under those conditions. Friday the conditions were so rough they wouldn’t even let us in the water. Saturday was a bit better and I decided that even if it took the entire 2:20 to do it, I would be able to finish the swim. My bike and run practices leading up to the race were uneventful and gave me a taste of what the winds would be like, but nothing that I hadn’t anticipated. By lunch on Saturday I was confident that I would finish the race.
Saturday evening I was hit with what I thought was just a bad case of nerves. Took some tums and hoped for some sleep. Sunday morning was no better and I told Jake I thought maybe I had eaten something bad. He convinced me it was nerves and drove me to the swim start.
The swim was FANTASTIC!!! Getting in and treading water until the start made you aware of the current and you had to swim a little to stay in the same place. Otherwise the current would pull you back a little. I tried to find a place away from everyone but I couldn’t seem to get any space. I was able to get about a 5 foot radius of open water and decided that would have to do. I never heard the gun/cannon go off. We thought we were supposed to start and people were yelling to go go go, but no one moved. A few minutes later the washing machine that is an IM mass start began and that was my clue to get moving. It was so strange to be able to see the divers underwater keeping a close watch on us. I’ve never swam in such beautiful water before and this was by far the best part of my race. I got kicked, hit, a few times but nothing that would ruin your day. It went by so quickly and I remember smiling as I ran down the dock to T1 thinking OK, this is going to be a good day. Heck, I was out of the water in 1:28!!! By far my best open water swim ever!
I started the bike in great spirits, saw my husband and kids a few miles down the road, and was on to great things. For the first 45 minutes. Then the nagging cramping in my mid-section came back. I tried to ignore it and focused on my nutrition plan. Maybe I just swallowed too much salt water and it would go away in a few minutes. Time to take some salts… or throw them up, darn that’s not good. Ok, try again, and this time they stayed down. It’s also good to note at this point that my heart rate monitor decided to stop transmitting! I have trained every day using heart rate and had my entire race plan based on HR, and now, no HR. I left it turned on and it would intermittently pick up my HR, but nothing consistent and nothing of real use. I was going to have to race based on PRE. That’s ok, I tell myself I can do it.
I finished the first loop right on pace where I thought I would be and although I was having trouble with my stomach, it wasn’t having a huge impact yet. I noticed that starting the second loop I was a bit slower and the stomach pain was getting worse. This lap SUCKED. I got off the bike 3 times, couldn’t push myself at all without severe stomach distress, and finally decided at the end of this loop that I would have to change something, ANYTHING, if I was going to finish the race. At this point I cut my nutrition in half hoping that I had stuck to the plan well enough so far that this deviation the last portion of the bike wouldn’t kill my race. After all, what difference would it make if I stuck to the nutrition plan but didn’t make the bike cut-off?
I see Jake for the 3rd time on the bike and tell him it’s going to be close on the cut-off and he says that I can do it which of course makes me burst into tears. I don’t want to let him and the kids down so I tell myself that under no circumstances am I to get off the bike until I reach T2. The wind has picked up significantly on the far side of the island now making that 15 mile stretch from just before Punta Sur to Mezcalitos even more challenging than before. When I finally reach Mezcalitos and turn towards town, I tell myself it’s going to have to be race pace for the next 45 minutes to guarantee I make the cut-off. I made it with 15-20 minutes to spare! My legs actually felt pretty good coming off the bike. I just wish I could say the same for my stomach.
Out to the run and the crowds are there to push you on. My goal is to run 13 minute miles for the first ½ of the marathon to give myself a little buffer on the second ½. This includes walking the aid stations and works great for the first mile. Then I make my first bathroom stop. After that, it’s 13-14 minute miles for a few miles until the stomach cramps return. Ok, run until the cramps get too bad and then walk until they go away. This is how I finish the first loop. I head out on the second loop with the same plan but notice that I am walking a lot more now. I look at my watch and think well, as long as I maintain this pace, I should just beat the cut-off. Doesn’t leave much room for a buffer, but at this point, anything is better than nothing. By the ½ marathon point I know that things are not looking good. I have lost count of the port-a-potty stops (with no TP by the way! That was just GROSS!) and even walking is causing major intestinal issues. I remember Jake saying that the coke on the course at IM Arizona helped calm his stomach and I am desperate at this point so I try it and end up throwing up on the side of the road. Ok, back to water. I try walking the next mile and just sipping water, hoping that slowing down will help. After another trip to the port-a-potty I realize that my race is over. I am doubled over on the side of the road trying to catch my breath just from walking. I flag down a passing police car and ask to be driven to the med tent.
They take me to the tent back at the run turn around, where the medic takes my blood pressure, says something quickly in Spanish that I didn’t catch, and I am immediately surrounded by 4 or 5 medics trying to find a good vein for an IV and asking me a ton of questions. The ambulance ride seems like a distant dream now. I was freezing cold but hot and sweating at the same time, don’t ask me how that is possible, but it is. I felt like I was still running a marathon and couldn’t seem to catch my breath so they put an oxygen mask on me. The medic keeps saying something about the hospital and finally I realize what she means and argue in broken Spanish to be taken to the med tent at the finish line so that Jake can find me.
After an hour or so in the med tent, 2 liters of saline (and I probably needed more), oxygen, and a nap, I was allowed to stumble out of the med tent. I couldn’t see Jake in the stands so I picked up my bike and gear bags and found an open spot in the plaza to sit and wait for him to find me. I could see the finish line and heard them announce the final people as they came in. I cried a little, more so when I had to tell Jake what happened.
After a few days of reflection, immodium, and pink death (pepto bismal, which I have to be desperate to take), I feel a little better about the way the race ended for me. I talked to people who have done several other races and they compared the stretch into the head winds with the 12 mile climb at Lake Placid. One guy also said he would do Louisville twice in a row before doing Cozumel again and ranked this as the hardest IM he’s ever done. I picked Cozumel b/c I thought it would be an “easy” course, not that any IM is ever easy. But it was flat, and I thought I would have a better chance here. In the end, I have heard people say that the winds on Sunday were some of the strongest the island ever sees. I guess for me to make it as far as I did given that I started the day sick is a pretty good accomplishment in itself.
A few things to note about this race (and other thoughts):
1. Mosquitos…tons of them. My kids and I are completely eaten up.
2. It was nothing like IM Arizona in 2007 (Jake’s IM). This was the only IM I had experience with and was what I thought IM was supposed to be like. I so want to race Arizona now.
3. Supposedly a spectator friendly course, but only if you want to spend the whole day at T2. The local taxi drivers made a ton of money off this event as that was the only transportation for much of the event since there was no parking at T1 so spectators couldn’t drive there. T2 was hard to get to in anything other than a taxi so if you had to make trips back to your hotel it would cost a lot of money.
4. All gear bags and bikes had to be picked up immediately after the race, not the next day.
5. The expo sucked. Only one T-shirt style, nothing in kids sizes, just a really crappy selection.
6. Where the heck was that crappy expo after the race? I thought it was supposed to still be there the next day.
7. I heard nothing but bad things about the med tent. The first aid on the run course was decent and they were able to start my IV on the first try, in the dark with only a flashlight. Of course, it took what seemed like 5 minutes for them to find a good vein, but at least she only stuck me once. I give her credit b/c my veins are always hard to find. But the quality of care changed once I reached the med tent at the finish line. Then it was just poor quality triage where they tried to boot you out to free up a bed as quickly as possible.
8. The special needs stops were a mess. Countless stories of bags being lost. This is easy to understand given the chaos and lack of organization during the dropoff of the bags.
9. Some of the taxi’s are SCARY!!! No A/C, seatbelts not working right, can’t open windows…. I was sitting in the back of a van with my kids and Mackenzie was wimpering b/c it was so hot and there was no airflow. Poor baby was probably about to get sick. The driver barely kept it on the right side of the road and I found myself praying to God that I hadn’t DNF’d only to die in a taxi ride to the airport.
10. Where the heck are the emergency exits in the convention center??? The room that our mandatory pre-race meeting was in only had one exit and it took 20 minutes to get out after the meeting. Imagine if there had been a fire in there!
11. You can’t flush your toilet paper in the toilet, you are supposed to put it in the trash can… GROSS.
12. Severe lack of toilet paper in the port-a-potties. I’m sorry, what the HECK is up with that?
13. The roads for the bike course were in great condition
14. The section of the bike course with the head winds was BEAUTIFUL!!! You are right on the shore and can see the water almost the entire time
15. The swim is unbelievably clear
16. The locals really try to support the race, lining the streets cheering as if it were the Tour de France.
17. The city really tried hard to make the course enjoyable for us. They even removed speed bumps in town so we wouldn’t have to slow down for them.
18.It really makes you appreciate being an American
Longhorn 70.3 - Just a long training day
Saturday
Totally not motivated to go for a 2 hour ride but I force myself to drive to transition. I walk down to the swim course and count the buoys. I have no intent of swimming even though it would probably be a good idea. I haven’t used my wetsuit in months and hope that it still fits. Maybe I won’t even wear it. Yeah, right, I’m a wimp when it comes to the cold, I’ll definitely be wearing it.
Ok, pull the bike out, discover that my skewer has come apart on my front wheel, search the truck for the spring, put back together. Man, I really don’t want to ride. Glance at the map, and head out. After about 10 miles I realize that I am slightly lost and I have been riding BIG hills, hills that I hope are not on the course. I find my way back to the park, my legs are trashed already, and I am not in the mood to run. I throw the bike back in the truck, put my running shoes on and run to the port-a-potty… good enough, that’s enough running for today. I throw the last of my gear in my gear bags, drop off all my stuff and drive the course. Time to go get cleaned up and take the kids to my sister’s apartment for dinner.
Just as we are getting out of the truck, Ashlynn gets sick. Uh-oh.
Sunday – Race Day
I wake up with my typical pre-race nerves and tell Jake that I don’t want to race. I don’t need to do an ironman, I can skip this race and cancel the trip to Cozumel, I don’t care. He tells me to get over it, my sister’s are already on their way to the hotel to watch the kids, and I am going to race. He gives me that, “don’t make me kick your butt” look and I agree. Just then Ashlynn wakes up, says her tummy hurts, and throws up again. Ok, now I have an excuse to stay. I can’t leave my sick 3 year old with her Aunts that she barely knows. Besides, they shouldn’t have to take care of a sick kid. Yeah, right, that excuse didn’t work either.
Jake stays with the kids (so Ashlynn has someone familiar) and my little sister drives me to the race. I try to tell her that it’s not necessary and that we can skip it, but she kicks me out of the car at transition and tells me she doesn’t want to see me again until after I finish the race.
The swim: My lack of motivation carries itself out to the swim where I stop swimming several times are the beginning and seriously consider quitting. After about 800 meters I finally commit to the race, find a draft, and finish the swim. My swim time is very slow but that is ok, at least it is done. Heading into transition, I hear Jake’s voice and look up to see him, one of my sisters, and the kids. Ashlynn has made a miraculous recovery and they are there to cheer me on. I get hugs and kisses from my girls and from this point on, the race becomes fun.
The bike: Not a whole lot to say about the bike. I rode my anticipated pace. There were no surprises since I drove the course the day before. I stuck to my nutrition plan. I actually had a good time. I did make the realization that I need to be a faster cyclist if for no other reason than to have some good looking backsides to stare at and pace off of. Most of the people at the back of the pack just aren’t as good looking (myself included, I am sure). I see Jake at one point on the bike and finish right when I had planned. Now time for the run.
The run: Well, the run is what it is. Again, no real surprises. Given the hills and how much walking I did (aid stations and up hill) I was happy with my run. It was just ever so slightly faster than PrairieMan which I thought was good since that was flat and this was HOT, sunny, and hilly. A few clouds would have been nice. Finishing my 2nd lap, I see Jake and Ashlynn. He tells me where Mackenzie and my sister are and runs off to hang with them. They are right at the start of the 3rd loop and I stop to hug my girls. Mackenzie cries for me when I leave so I turn back, pick her up (getting her covered in my sweat… yuck for her), and run a little with her in my arms. I kiss her one last time, promise to hurry back, and hand her back to Jake. I can hear her cries for “Mama” and that motivates me to get this darned race DONE. I finish right when I thought I would and was able to cross the finish line with my girls.
All in all, it was a good training day and actually an enjoyable race.
Totally not motivated to go for a 2 hour ride but I force myself to drive to transition. I walk down to the swim course and count the buoys. I have no intent of swimming even though it would probably be a good idea. I haven’t used my wetsuit in months and hope that it still fits. Maybe I won’t even wear it. Yeah, right, I’m a wimp when it comes to the cold, I’ll definitely be wearing it.
Ok, pull the bike out, discover that my skewer has come apart on my front wheel, search the truck for the spring, put back together. Man, I really don’t want to ride. Glance at the map, and head out. After about 10 miles I realize that I am slightly lost and I have been riding BIG hills, hills that I hope are not on the course. I find my way back to the park, my legs are trashed already, and I am not in the mood to run. I throw the bike back in the truck, put my running shoes on and run to the port-a-potty… good enough, that’s enough running for today. I throw the last of my gear in my gear bags, drop off all my stuff and drive the course. Time to go get cleaned up and take the kids to my sister’s apartment for dinner.
Just as we are getting out of the truck, Ashlynn gets sick. Uh-oh.
Sunday – Race Day
I wake up with my typical pre-race nerves and tell Jake that I don’t want to race. I don’t need to do an ironman, I can skip this race and cancel the trip to Cozumel, I don’t care. He tells me to get over it, my sister’s are already on their way to the hotel to watch the kids, and I am going to race. He gives me that, “don’t make me kick your butt” look and I agree. Just then Ashlynn wakes up, says her tummy hurts, and throws up again. Ok, now I have an excuse to stay. I can’t leave my sick 3 year old with her Aunts that she barely knows. Besides, they shouldn’t have to take care of a sick kid. Yeah, right, that excuse didn’t work either.
Jake stays with the kids (so Ashlynn has someone familiar) and my little sister drives me to the race. I try to tell her that it’s not necessary and that we can skip it, but she kicks me out of the car at transition and tells me she doesn’t want to see me again until after I finish the race.
The swim: My lack of motivation carries itself out to the swim where I stop swimming several times are the beginning and seriously consider quitting. After about 800 meters I finally commit to the race, find a draft, and finish the swim. My swim time is very slow but that is ok, at least it is done. Heading into transition, I hear Jake’s voice and look up to see him, one of my sisters, and the kids. Ashlynn has made a miraculous recovery and they are there to cheer me on. I get hugs and kisses from my girls and from this point on, the race becomes fun.
The bike: Not a whole lot to say about the bike. I rode my anticipated pace. There were no surprises since I drove the course the day before. I stuck to my nutrition plan. I actually had a good time. I did make the realization that I need to be a faster cyclist if for no other reason than to have some good looking backsides to stare at and pace off of. Most of the people at the back of the pack just aren’t as good looking (myself included, I am sure). I see Jake at one point on the bike and finish right when I had planned. Now time for the run.
The run: Well, the run is what it is. Again, no real surprises. Given the hills and how much walking I did (aid stations and up hill) I was happy with my run. It was just ever so slightly faster than PrairieMan which I thought was good since that was flat and this was HOT, sunny, and hilly. A few clouds would have been nice. Finishing my 2nd lap, I see Jake and Ashlynn. He tells me where Mackenzie and my sister are and runs off to hang with them. They are right at the start of the 3rd loop and I stop to hug my girls. Mackenzie cries for me when I leave so I turn back, pick her up (getting her covered in my sweat… yuck for her), and run a little with her in my arms. I kiss her one last time, promise to hurry back, and hand her back to Jake. I can hear her cries for “Mama” and that motivates me to get this darned race DONE. I finish right when I thought I would and was able to cross the finish line with my girls.
All in all, it was a good training day and actually an enjoyable race.
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