Houston Half Marathon - January 13

Sometime during the night, a cold front blew into town.  And with that cold front came rain.  When I woke up and checked weather.com it looked like maybe the rain had moved on through and we would be ok for the race.  The temps were in the 40s, which is about perfect for a half marathon or full marathon.  I decided to wear shorts and my run top with a long sleeve dry fit top over that.  Not really knowing for sure what the weather would do, I also brought with me a rain jacket, gloves, an ear band, a visor and a trash bag.  Trash bags are the greatest thing at the start of cold races.  You can huddle in them to keep the wind and rain off you and keep you warm until you get going and then just toss it.

I had spent the night with my Aunt Denise and Uncle Bob.  I would be doing the race with my Aunt Denise.  Bob drove us downtown and dropped us off as close to the convention center as he was able.  As soon as we stepped out of the car, I realized I was glad I had brought extra clothing.  It was VERY windy and a light rain had started.  We hurried inside where we got everything ready and dropped a dry clothes bag for after the race.  Knowing that the chance of rain was good, I wore the rain jacket, gloves and ear band and then attached my visor to my race belt in case I needed it.  I don't mind running in the rain, but I hate the rain getting in my face.  I put the trash bag over me and when it was time to go get in the coral, we headed outside.

Oh my goodness, the wind had picked up and it felt cold.  I knew that once I got running I would be ok, but I was freezing as we walked to the start.  And then it happened.  It started raining.  Not just a light rain, but a heavy enough rain that I went ahead and put my visor on.  By the time we got to the starting coral and the national anthem was sung, my feet were already soaked.  This race would be interesting.  Wet feet and at a slower pace than I am use to in cold and rain.  I figured I'd have blisters for sure before it was over.

When we got to the start line we started running.  My aunt is slower than me but we had planned to do this race together and I told her we would go at her pace and I would stay by her side the entire race.  It felt good to be moving, even if it was slower than normal.  Although I have to admit that as cold as I was at that point I wasn't sure I could move any faster myself.  The rain was still coming down and it actually started coming down harder.  It looked to me like a few people were actually turning around and heading back to the convention center.  If you were not prepared for this, I could see how you would be miserable.

Anyway, we got to mile 1 and I hit the split button on my garmin.  13:22.  Not bad and much better than I had anticipated based on the way my aunt talked.  The way she made it sound, I wasn't sure we'd make the cutoff.  Seeing the 13:22 made me feel better about that.

We kept going, making fun of the situation we were in - cold and miserable.  Why not make a joke about it rather than be miserable.  It was actually quite fun and made the miles go by.

Mile 2:  13:34 
Mile 3:  13:41
\
I'm thinking if we can keep this up we will be just fine.   The rain would stop for a while and then start again, but we just kept going.

Mile 4:  14:38
Mile 5:  14:14

We are slowing a little bit, but not much, and we are still doing ok.  Almost to the halfway point.

Mile 6:  14:38

Somewhere in here Denise said she needed to visit the port-o-potty.  I don't normally have to do that during a race, but because it was so cold, I needed to stop as well.  We should have gone one more mile, because the stop we picked cost us over six minutes.  Oh well.

Mile 7:  20:29

And of course when we saw the next stop for port-o-potties there was NO ONE in line.

Mile 8:  13:43

Yeah, we've picked up the pace a little bit again.

Mile 9:  14:34

It was at this point where my aunt started having some pains in her knees and lower back and she asked if we could slow down and walk some.  I suggested we do a run/walk interval, so we tried that for a while.  It worked great except I started getting cold when I was walking.

Mile 10:  16:00
Mile 11:  15:39
Mile 12:  17:09

At this point I knew we would make it.  We were heading back into downtown.  I still had my trash bag on at this point (I know, can't believe it either) and I thought about ditching it, but then we turned a corner and it was like a hurricane sweeping through the streets of Houston.  Luckily it was at our backs, but it was strong (it was actully pushing me along) and it was cold!!!  I was glad I still had the trash bag.

Mile 13:  16:14

At this point I finally ditched the trash bag.  As we turned the last corner to head down the finish chute, we grabbed hands and crossed the finish line together.

Last .1:  1:35

Total time:  3:19:30 for a 15:14 pace

This was definitely one of my slower half marathon times (I don't remember what my time was on my first half ever), but I have to say it was one of the most fun and definitley one of the most rewarding races I've ever done.  It was a real pleasure to spend that time with my aunt and to encourage her through the race.  I wouldn't trade that for anything.

We got our medals, got our picture taken and then headed inside to get our finisher shirts and some food.  I then went to try to find where I could get the third medal for doing both races.  That took a while, but eventually I made my way to meet my uncle and head to the car, which was nice and toasty.  After a warm shower and a quick stop for food, I made the drive back home.  It was a busy weekend, but I got to spend lots of quality time with several of my relatives who live in Houston, so it was a great weekend.

Houston 5K - January 12th

Last year my Aunt Denise and I planned to do the Houston Marathon this year.  Well, she had some issues during training and we decided to drop down to the half marathon instead.  Then, I heard that there was a 5K the day before the half marathon, and if you did the 5K and the half marathon then you would get a medal for each of those races PLUS a third medal for doing both races.  I'm all about the medals and since I knew the half marathon would be a slower race than normal for me, I figured what the heck.  Plus, my Uncle Josh and two of my cousins were doing the 5K as well, so I thought it would be fun.

Friday night I drove to Houston and spent the night with my grandma.  Saturday morning my Uncle Josh (along with my cousins) picked me up and we headed downtown.  As typical for Houston, it was muggy and warm - high 60s.  Shorts and a tank top for me. 

We checked out the little outdoor expo, got our packets and headed to the start line.  My 13 year old male cousin wanted to run, but my 16 year old female cousin wanted to walk most of it.  Since my Uncle Josh was doing the full marathon the next day, he said he would stay with Keeley and I said I would run with Blake.  Blake thought he would run the 5k in about 28-29 minutes which is my normal training pace, so that was perfect. 

Well, when the gun went off, so did Blake.  He sprinted fast in the beginning and it takes my body a little while to warm up, so I let him go.  I could still see him for a while but then he finally got too far ahead of me.  I thought either he would have a great race or I would catch up with him at some point in the race.

Mile 1 split:  9:46

I was perfectly happy with that pace and just kept going at a comfortable pace.  Just before mile 2, I saw Blake up ahead of me.  I caught up with him and asked how he was doing.  He said good, but I could tell he had gone out too fast.  I didn't want to change my pace at this point.  He tried to stay with me for a while, but then at some point he dropped back.

Mile 2 split:  9:29

One more mile and I would be done.  I never did see Blake again, but just enjoyed the nice run and getting my legs ready for Sunday.

Mile 3 split:  9:34

Last .1:  1:01

Total time:  29:48 for a 9:37 pace

For not racing, I'll take it.

Waited for Blake to cross the finish and then found my Uncle Josh and Keeley by the car.  Headed back to my grandmas to shower, take her to lunch at her favorite place (Luby's) and then wait for my Aunt Denise so we could go to the expo and get our packets for the half marathon.

More Yummy Recipes

Since my last post, I've tried quite a few more recipes from the Happy Herbivore and Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbooks.  Below is my summary:

*Neapolitan smoothie - this was good, but didn't really taste much different to me than my typical morning shake.  Anything with bananas, strawberries and cocoa powder has to be good, right?

*Black Bean and Salsa Soup - this was really good.  I like soups in the winter.  They are easy to make, they are warm, and they usually yield a lot of leftovers.  Always good in my book.

*Southwest Chop Salad -  not much can go wrong with a salad.  This was a decent change from normal and good for taking to work for lunch.

*Strawberry & Spinach Salad - not much of a departure from normal other than adding strawberries, but it was yummy.  I even made the special dressing for it and that tasted really good and gave me a change from the normal.

*Enchilada Casserole - this was a nice, filling meal and even the leftovers tasted good when I took them to work for lunch.

*Tuna Salad with homemade Mayo - oh my!  Growing up we ate a lot of tuna fish sandwiches.  As an adult, I didn't eat them much before I went vegetarian, but every now and then (like at a bridal shower or something) I just had to have one and it tasted good.  I was looking forward to trying this recipe, but was a little skeptical as to how it would turn out.  Well, let me tell you that in my opinion, it tastes just like a tuna sandwich should.  It even has the texture of tuna.  And, it made enough for several sandwiches.  Leftovers are always a bonus.  I'll definitely be making this one again.

*Southwest Zuchinni Pie - if you want some zing, this recipe is for you.  Very tasty, but definitely spicy.

*Tortilla Soup - this one will also be making it to my list of recipes to make again.  I even made the crispy tortillas to put on top of the soup.  It had a very nice flavor to it.  Very yummy.

As you can see, I've been doing more than just one new recipe a week.  It's been fun and has gotten me away from the same meals every week.  I've really enjoyed trying new things.  Stayed tuned to see what recipes I try next.

Making Progress

So far, the new year has been good and I have actually made progress toward my goals.  I finished my first book - Runner's Guide to Yoga by Sage Rountree.  While a lot of the book was repetitive information for me and I've done just about every pose suggested in the book, I did learn some things.  There were actually a couple of poses that she mentioned that I haven't done but will start incorporating into my practice based on where I get tight.  She mentions some tests to do to see where your balance is off and then offers poses to correct those imbalances.  And then at the end, she gives suggestions of quick warm-up or cool-down sequences to do before or after a run.  Hopefully, the new information I learned will help me and will help any future runner's I may coach.

I've also made progress in the "new recipe" department.  Both of the recipes I tried this past week were from the cookbook Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S Nixon.  Remember, I'm a vegetarian who leans toward vegan, and this cookbook is entirely vegan.  The first recipe I tried was the Mexican Frittata.  It's actually suppose to be more of a breakfast dish according to where it's placed in the book, but I made it as a dinner.  It's made with tofu and I still haven't mastered the art of cooking with tofu, but I keep trying.  The dish turned out ok.  I can't say that I was in love with the taste, but it wasn't bad.  To me, it needs a little more spice.  I did leave out the red peppers since I don't like them, so maybe I need something to take it's place.  Maybe a little cilantro or something.  Anyway, that one will go on my "maybe make again" list.

The one that will go on my "definitely make again" list is the Banana Frosty.  During the week, I drink a shake for breakfast every morning on the way to work.  I'm pretty boring and typical and usually just make a banana/strawberry shake.  Since I'm trying new things, I decided to try a new shake Friday morning.  OH MY!!!  It was yummy in my tummy.  The cookbook advertised it as tasting like a Wendy's Frosty and I think it was pretty darn close.  Plus, it was easy to make and I already had all the ingredients on hand.  That was a winner.

Progress is being made in my studies toward personal trainer as well.  Luckily, things haven't gotten really hectic yet after the holidays.  I only worked three days last week and we actually had a pretty free weekend this weekend.  For some reason it was really cold in the house today (although warmer than it has been outside - I think it's that thing where it gets warm enough outside to keep the heater from kicking in on the inside, so it just feels cold).  Anyway, once our morning errands were done I decided to build a fire.  And other than my 6 mile run, I've been in front of the fire all day.  Most of that time has been reading or watching videos.  I took my second test and only missed 3 out of 20.  Not bad.

I'm trying to really enjoy this weekend not having much to do.  The kids go back to school Monday and high school soccer started Friday, so there will be two games most weeks from now until the end of March.  Plus, the next two weekends will be busy with me traveling - first to Houston for the half marathon and then to San Marcos for the Yoga Fit training.  I'm getting really excited about both of those.

Here's to progress!!!

2012 in Review and A Look Ahead at 2013

As typical at the end of every year, I like to look back and see what I accomplished.  2012 was actually a pretty good year.  I had set out some goals for 2012 and actually was able to accomplish several of them. 

*I wanted to get more organized and pay bills online.  DONE
*I wanted to get rid of stuff by donating or selling it online.  I haven't been as good in this area as I would like to be, but I did donate some stuff and I have sold some stuff on Craig's List.  I posted some things on Ebay without success, so I still need to figure out that beast, because I have a lot of stuff to sell.
*I wanted to do more of my workouts outside.  DONE.  While I did have to do a couple of long rides on the trainer while leading up to IMAZ, most of my workouts, including the weekday workouts, were outside.  And I do think it was beneficial come race day.
*I wanted to get faster with my swimming.  SOMEWHAT DONE.  While I was never able to work out a private lesson with a swim coach due to crazy schedules, I was able to get faster in the pool.  Being faster in the pool, however, doesn't always translate to being faster in the race.  Since most of my swimming is in the pool without a wetsuit, my shoulders are not use to the wetsuit.  I did swim several times in the wetsuit prior to IMAZ, but  between the cold water on race day and the shoulders getting tired, my swim time at IMAZ was just a wee bit slower than at IMFL (by like 1 minute).
*I wanted to eat better and take more leftovers rather than eat PB&J sandwiches for lunch.  DONE.  While I occassionally still took the PB&J sandwich, I was pretty good with taking leftovers, too.

My 2012 races included the following:
3M Half Marathon - 2:02:46
Hot Chocolate 15K - 1:27:29
Rosedale Ride
Cap 10K - 57:28
Lonestar 70.3 - 6:24:55
The Ranch 10K Trail Run - 1:34:33
Lake Pflugerville Triathlon - 1:27:27
Katy Flatland Century Ride
Outlaw Trail 100 Century Ride
Livestrong Challenge Century Ride
Ironman Arizona - 13:49:58

In looking back at the races, I did two new races - a 15K and a trail run.  While the 15K was in temps in the teens and the trail run was my slowest 10K ever, they were both a lot of fun.  I'd like to do more trail runs in the future.  Maybe that should be a goal for 2013.  And, I set new PRs at the Half Ironman and Ironman distances, so that was a success.

My totals for the year:

Bike: 3178.23 miles in 198h 43m 32s (an increase from last year)
Run: 1068.6 miles in 184h 14m 22s (a decrease from last year)
Swim:  200254.1 yards in 70h 27m 9s (an increase from last year)
Strength Training:  19h (an increase from last year)
Trainer Time:  1h
Foam Roll: 1h 25m (of recorded time anyway)
Jump Rope: 3m
Massage:  4h 30m (a decrease over last year - what's up with that?)
Race Volunteering: 4h
Reflexology: 1h
Trampoline: 45m
Trapeze Class: 1h
Walking: 5h 46m 41s (a decrease from last year - poor Roscoe)
Yoga:  36h 5m (an increase over last year)

Overall, I'm please with what I accomplished.  In looking at my list, I did some new things this year.  We went with the kids to Jump Street and actually participated with them rather than sit on the sidelines and watch, hence the trampoline time.  We had a trampoline growing up and I was always on that thing.  Let's just say that my kids were really surprised when I started doing back flips on the trampolines.  They had no idea I could do that, especially at my age!

I also did a 1 hour trapeze class with my daughter and her friend.  I'm not afraid to try anything, so when I saw the deal on Living Social I jumped on it.  It really was a lot of fun, but I was surprised at how nervous I was up on the platform before I jumped off the first time.  I was afraid my arm strength wouldn't be enough to hang onto the bar, but I was able to do it and as long as I listened to the instructor on the ground, I was able to accomplish the "routine" just fine.

Another new thing I tried was reflexology.  I was given a gift card for this after my Ironman and it was a welcome treat.  It's cheaper than a massage and you still get some massage benefits.  I would do it again, but if I had to choose in how I spent my hour, I'd pick a full body massage any day.

So, looking back was good.  But today is the last day of the year and it's time to look ahead.  What do I have in store for 2013 and what do I want to accomplish next year?

So far, my 2013 scheduled races include:
*1/13 - Houston Half Marathon with my Aunt.
*3/23-24 - Texas Independence Relay
*4/7 - Cap 10K
*6/16 - Lake Pflugerville Triathlon

That's all I have on the schedule right now.  I know more will be added, but I have to decide what.  Do I want to focus on short stuff and try to get faster?  Do I want to add another state to my 50 states of marathons?  Do I want to try to do an ultra run?  This is what I have to decide.  There is an ultra in October that I have been looking at that would give me a break in the spring from long distance training, but then I'd have to ramp it up over the summer.  I'm not sure if 2013 will be the year or if the ultra will come in 2014 (and yes, I'm already somewhat thinking about my plans for 2014).  I'd also kind of like to do another Half Ironman this year, but the one in Galveston I normally do falls on the same day as the Cap 10k, so if I do one, it would have to be something new.

Anyway, it's a lot to think about, because I also have some other big goals to accomplish in 2013.  For the last few years, I've thought about getting into coaching, but had not done anything about it.  Well, 2013 is the year to do something about it. 

First off in January I will be attending a YogaFit Level I Certification Clinic.  After attending this clinic, I will be able to teach yoga.  Probably not in a studio or big gym where they want a 200 hour RYT instructor, but I can teach yoga on my own.  I will most likely attend the Level II Clinic in June and then decide about continuing on to get 200 hour certified.

Then, in February I will be off to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the Road Runner's Club of
America Run Coach Certification class.  I am really looking forward to this.  I have written some run plans before, but attending this clinic will give me more confidence in what I am doing and I will feel like I can actually charge for my services.

And, if that isn't enough, for the next few months I will be studying so that I can take my personal trainer certification exam and become a personal trainer.  I've already started reading the materials and taking some quizzes.  It's pretty interesting so far, but I have a lot of studying to do when it comes to the anatomy part.  I know the major muscles, bones, etc., but it's the details that get me.

To help with my knowledge and understanding of all of this, I asked for several books for Christmas that have to do with yoga for runners, recovery for athletes, etc.  My plan is to read at least one fitness related book per month.  I've got enough to keep me busy for a while.

And in my quest to continue eating healthy, I've made it a goal to try one new recipe each week.  I figure that is doable even with the hectic schedule we live around.  I have 3 good cookbooks that I haven't really used yet, so it will be easy to find something new in them.  And it doesn't have to be complicated.  If I've got a busy week, maybe my new recipe will just be a shake. 

And last, but not least, the big one.  I have strong legs.  Always have and would like to always keep it that way.  My upper body strength, however, has always been lacking.  I do strength training, but it's with light weights and it is more to maintain tone than anything.  However, it's always been a secret desire of mine to be able to do a pullup.  A full pullup from just hanging there.  Maybe I'll start working on that and see if I can do just one by the end of the year.  It's a good goal to shoot for, but don't hold your breath.

Well, I think that about covers things.  It will be challenging to fit it all in, especially since high school soccer starts this week and we will have the typical club soccer in the spring as well.  And since Madison will be heading off to college in the next year and a half, I'd like to do a mother/daughter trip with her this spring.  We have talked about New York, so I need to start researching.  As always, stay tuned to see how things go.

I hope that you all have had a good 2012 and have an even better 2013.  Here's to health, happiness and new experiences.

Ironman Arizona 2012 Race Report

In November  2011 I volunteered for Ironman Arizona so that I could get up the next day bright and early to stand in the registration line for Ironman Arizona 2012.  I got in line bright and early and was soon registered.  A whole year lay ahead of me.  I planned to use the same training plan that I used for Ironman Florida in 2010 and knew that “official” training wouldn’t start until sometime in April.  But, as all Ironman athletes know, training technically started the next day.  Building a good base prior to starting the official training is crucial.  I did a half Ironman in the spring as well as several running races.  I felt good as I began the official training.

April and May went well , but getting into June, I got sick.  I hardly ever get sick.  At least sick enough to miss work, but that’s exactly what happened.  I almost missed my annual Lake Pflugerville triathlon as well, but somehow between adrenaline and will power I was able to complete it.  Then in July I went on a mission trip with the youth group from church.  While I was able to keep running during that week, there was absolutely no swimming or bike riding.  And I wanted to be stronger on the bike this year.  I wasn’t overly worried about these setbacks, but comparing my training totals from 2010 to this years’ totals, it seemed everything was down. 

As I got into the peak training weeks, we had some brutally windy days for training.  I did two century rides in winds over 15mph, one of which was also extremely hilly.  I also did a 5 hour training ride on the trainer.  Not.  Fun.  At.  All.  What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right?

So, as the race approached I knew I would go in and do the best I could with the training I had done.  I had some secret hopes.  I wanted to be close or better on the swim than I was in Florida.  I wanted to have a 6 as the first number for my bike split, even if it meant a 6:59:59, and I really wanted to go under 5 hours on the marathon.  If I did this, it would mean I would set a new personal record.  This didn’t seem a far stretch since my bike time in Florida was a 7:01 and my run was a 5:04.

I arrived in Tempe on the Thursday before the race.  I was with two friends who were also racing. One of the first things we did was go to the athlete check-in where we signed our lives away; got our blue wristband that would indicate to the world that we were, indeed, racers; got our race caps and chips; and then last but not least, got the coveted Ironman Arizona backpack.  When I did Florida, the race bag was a drawstring bag.  Nice, but how many drawstring bags does one need (and let me tell you, I’ve got plenty of them).  The backpack being handed out this year at Ironman races was a big bonus.  It is a nice backpack and one that WILL get used.

After checking in, we had to check out the merchandise tent.  Yes, they gouge you on the merchandise but you just can’t resist buying things.  Ironman events have started making shirts with the M-dot logo on back made out of everyone’s name that is doing the race.  This event was no different, so I had to get one of those.  And I wanted a new visor.  I don’t wear visors a lot but the one Ironman visor I have is lime green and, well, it really doesn’t go with a lot of things.  So I got me a black one. 

By this time, we were all hungry so we walked down Mill Avenue to Fatburgers.  I know they have veggie burgers and that sounded really good.  It was kind of surprising, though, to see how many people asked about the backpacks and what we were here for.  One guy even asked if we got the backpacks “at the fair down there” (referring to the expo area).  We thought that was funny. 

After lunch we met up with my parents to show them how everything was set up so they would know where to go on race day to see me. 

Thursday night we met up with some folks from a triathlon forum I’m a part of.  It’s kind of funny to introduce yourself to people and not really know who they are until they tell you their screen name.  When you hear that, you are like “oh yeah, I know who you are.”  There are some really neat folks on the forum and it was nice to put some faces to the names.  One of the guys there could actually be a pro if he wanted to.  His mom actually was back in her prime days.  He lives around Tempe and gave us some tips for race day.  Thanks so much to Marianne for hosting.  It was great to meet so many others and to see Bryan and his wife, Deb again.  After that it was time to get settled and relax for the evening.

Friday morning we did a bike ride out on the Beeline highway.  The bike course meanders from downtown Tempe out to the Beeline and then out the Beeline for about 11 miles to the turnaround at Shea and then back to town.  The Beeline is a fairly steady false flat on the way out and has been known to have some pretty brutal winds.  We wanted to see what it was like out there.  It was cold when we started (in the 50s) but within about 10 minutes we were warm.  We rode out for about 30 minutes and then turned around and came back.  That ride was good for me mentally.

We headed back to town because Patrick had to be somewhere for some filming of the documentary he is a part of.  Selene and I just sat in the truck and talked while he was doing his thing.  When he was done we grabbed some lunch and began laying stuff out for the race.  Getting ready for an Ironman race is a lot different than other races with the gear bags and special needs bags.  The transition bags have to be turned in the day before the race along with your bike, so you have to make sure you have everything you will need race day in that bag.

Friday night was the athlete dinner and “mandatory” meeting.  Since it was Selene’s first Ironman, we went.  The food isn’t all that great, but the program is pretty inspirational.  We found out that the youngest racer was 18 and the oldest was 78.  We also found out that a guitar player for the country band Sugarland would be racing with all of us.  After the dinner and program, the race director went over some of the rules for race day.  There was nothing new so we called it a night.

Saturday morning was the practice swim.  Those of you who know me well know that the swim was one of my biggest concerns.  Not because of the swim itself or the distance, but because of the water temperature.  I absolutely hate cold water.  To me, the pool where I swim is too cold and I have to gradually get in.   It’s probably low 80s.  Tempe Town Lake, where the swim would take place, is usually low 60s or high 50s on race day depending on what the day time temperatures have been like.  Luckily, it had been pretty warm during the days leading up to the race, so the temps were in the low 60s.

We met up with some of the other documentary folks as well as some forum folks and got suited up in the wetsuits.  I did everything like I planned for race day – ear plugs, two swim caps and booties.  I wanted to make sure I was as warm as possible.  We walked down to the start.  Slowly.  I was dreading jumping in that water.  I walked down the steps and told myself to just get it over with.  OH MY!!!!!  That initial shock was unbelievable.  My hands and ears immediately went numb.  Originally Selene, Patrick and I were planning on staying fairly close during the practice swim, but when I came up I saw Selene and told her I had to go.  I had to get moving or I would freeze.  I had no idea where Patrick was and at that point I didn’t care.  I just started swimming.  I was really beginning to wonder how I was going to swim 2.4 miles while being that cold.  But I told myself to stay calm and just keep moving.  Finally, about 200 yards in I started to get comfortable.  Notice I did not say warm, but comfortable.  The practice course was about 500 meters out and then 500 meters back.  I think I cut it short by one buoy when I turned around, but I was ready to be out of the water.  When I got out and looked at the watch I had been in the water for 20 minutes.  Race day I would be in a lot longer.

I headed back down to our initial meeting site still in my wetsuit.  I was still cold and it was still in the 50s.  I knew if I took the wetsuit off I would get even colder.  I left the wetsuit on until both Selene and Patrick were done and back at our meeting spot.  Finally I got up the courage to take the wetsuit off and then I did what I call the “triathlete Houdini strip act”.  I managed to change into dry clothes right there without flashing anyone.  I’ve gotten pretty good at that.  Several others were doing it, too.  I’m sure it’s a funny site to watch.

After the swim we went back to the truck to get our transition bags and bikes so that we could turn those in.  It was the last time we would see them until race morning. 

We got them all situated and then met up with John “the tri doc” Tuggle.  He is a chiropractor who does Active Release and Graston and has helped me with some shoulder issues I’ve had on the bike.  He was racing, too, and told me he would tape me up for race day.  We found a table to sit at and I got all fixed up.  I thought it was funny that he bought taped that had a bio hazard logo on it.  Thanks John.

We grabbed some lunch and got the rest of the stuff ready for race day.  It was getting real.  We met my parents and Selene’s husband along with a youth member from my church who is attending ASU for dinner.  It was nice to be surrounded by family and friends for a little bit.  We gave them the tickets for bike check out (just in case) and discussed where and when to meet in the morning and then headed our separate ways.  I think I was in bed at 8:30p.m.

Race morning the alarm went off at 3:00a.m.  I got up, got dressed, ate my breakfast, made my nutrition for the bike and gathered my things.  We got to the race site and parked at 4:45.  Then we made our way to transition to get body marked, drop off our nutrition, pump up the tires, and put the trackers in the transition bags.  We had made plans to meet with John at 6:15 for a prayer before the race, so we headed to that spot to put the wetsuits on. That’s also where I met up with my family and handed off my pre-race clothes that I would need after the race as well.  We did our prayer and then headed down to the race start.

I started taking deep breaths to prepare myself for the cold.  Because of the number of athletes and the small area where athletes can jump in, it’s tough to get all 2500 athletes in the water in 15 minutes.  We had decided to jump in early so that we could be at the start line when the gun went off.  You probably swim 200 yards from where you jump in to the actual start and none of us wanted those extra yards to be included in our time for the 2.4 miles. 

When we got to the ledge, we jumped in.  It was cold, but it was not near as cold to me as the practice swim was.  Selene, on the other hand, thought it was colder.  I’m not sure what the actual temp was race morning but someone later posted that it was 61 degrees.  We slowly made our way to the start.  We ended up in the middle side-to-side and fairly close to the front.  I’m not sure that was the best place to be, but it’s where we ended up so it’s what we went with.  I told Selene that when the gun went off I was doing my own race.  I reminded her to stay calm and just swim buoy to buoy.

The next thing we knew it was time to go.  I started swimming.  It was fairly crowded at the beginning and lots of contact, but nothing too bad.  I mean, when you have 2500 athletes in the water you can’t expect to have your own space.  I just kept going.  And going.  And going.  The swim course is just an out and back and let me tell you, the out part seemed really long.  I thought we were never going to get to the turnaround.  We finally made it there and turned around for the trip back.  Shortly after the turnaround, I could tell I was getting cold.  At one point I looked at my time and I was 52 minutes in.  I knew I’d be in the water at least another 30 minutes.  At this point, I encountered the worst contact of the race.  Someone actually grabbed my leg and pulled my (probably trying to pull themselves forward).  I may be small, but I played basketball in high school and I’m not afraid of a little contact.  I kicked hard and then did a hip check in the water to get that person away from me.  I also started getting a little bit of a cramp at this point.  I wasn’t sure exactly what was causing it, but I hoped it would go away.

Finally I got close to the bridges back at the start.  I knew that once I went under those I wouldn’t have far to go before I made the final turn to head to the exit.  It was pure joy when I made that turn.  I knew I’d be out soon.  I got to the steps and crawled up on them.  This was the advice I was given earlier.  Bryan said if you grabbed the bar, your feet would swing under the steps and it would be harder to get out.  So I climbed up on them and the volunteer right there pulled me up to a standing position.  I slowly walked up the remaining stairs and then had to decide if I was going to get “stripped” or not.  I made the last minute decision to do it.  And the volunteers definitely stripped me.  I don’t think I did a thing.  They unzipped me, they got the top off, they laid me on the ground, they got the wetsuit off and they stood me back up on my feet.

Swim Time:  1:24:02 for a pace of 2:10/100

I was so cold that I knew I couldn’t run.  I was frozen.  I saw my family briefly and started making the long way to transition. 

And it was a long way.  By the time I got to my transition bag I could hardly feel anything.  I was hoping the changing tent would be warm.  It was warmer, but I wished they had space heaters in there.  I took my time (as obvious by my transition time) to change into dry clothes and make sure I had everything I needed for the bike before I headed out.  Then I made the journey to get my bike and get going.

As I got close to where my bike was racked, I called out my number in hopes that a volunteer would grab my bike and have it waiting, but in the end I had to get it myself.  Luckily it was only a few bikes in so it didn’t take long.  When I got to the mount like there were lots of other folks.  They all stopped right at the mount line.  Not me.  I went past them to a clear spot and got on my bike to start the 112 mile ride.

T1:  12:47

For the first part of the bike you meander through town.  The course is flat, but you make several turns to get out to the Beeline highway.  I probably should have pottied in transition, but somehow I missed the port-a-potties.  I knew I’d need to stop soon on the bike, but I didn’t want to stop at the first aid station.  I managed to make it to the second aid station and tried to take care of business.  I didn’t have the success I wanted (and this would be an issue most of the day) so I just continued.  I figured I’d deal with what I needed to as the day went on.

Out on the Beeline you could tell that we had a headwind for the first loop.  I think at times I was going 13 or 14mph.  I was thinking that people tracking me were probably wondering what was going on, but I knew once I got to the turnaround and headed back into town they would figure it out.  And sure enough when I made the turn, I started flying.  I was going 24mph+ and it felt great.  I wanted to take advantage of the “free speed”.  I didn’t feel like I was pushing it for the most part so I just went with it.

There were times when I had to push a little to keep from drafting.  Although I have to say that since the bike is a 3 loop course, there were times on the first and even second loop where there was no way to not draft.   There are just too many people on the course at the same time.

I do remember that I got passed by the first pro males around mile 17 or 18.  They were, of course, on their second lap.  I got passed by more around mile 30.  I saw my family as I was making the turn around back at the transition area to head out for the second loop. 

As I was heading  out on the second loop on the Beeline I saw Selene heading back into town.  That made me happy as I knew she was worried about making the swim cutoff.   I stopped a second time at the special needs station.  Not because I needed my special needs bag, but because I needed to stretch a little and try to potty again.

At mile 80 I passed John.  I figured Patrick would catch me at some point as he is usually a much stronger cyclist than me, although I was having a really good bike ride for me.  Finally, when I made the final turnaround on the Beeline to head back toward town, I saw Patrick.  I’m not sure how far behind me he was but at least I knew he was out on the course as well.  I stopped one last time to see if I could take care of business so I wouldn’t have to in transition or on the run.  John passed me again about mile 105 and I told him to go and have a good race.  I figured I would catch him on the run.

The one big thing from the bike that I can remember is that at some point I can actually say that I passed a pro male.  I do fully admit that he seemed to be hurting and I’m sure he probably dropped out of the race, but I can say I passed a pro on the bike.  Ha!

As I came back through town and got close to the transition area, I had a big smile on my face. 

Bike Time:  6:42:12 for a pace of 16.71mph

I had made it through the bike with no mechanical issues or flats and it was time for the run.  As I approached the dismount line a volunteer said “I’ll take your bike.”  I said, “you can have it”.  That got a few laughs.  I headed through transition and grabbed my bag for the run as I headed into the change tent.  This time it didn’t take me as long since I didn’t change clothes.  I just needed to ditch the bike stuff and put on my running shoes and I was out of there.  I just wish I would have remembered to change socks before I started putting my shoes on.  Ooops.

The only bad thing was that the vision issues I had in Florida kind of came back while I was in the change tent.  In Florida, my vision became blurry with about 12 miles left on the bike and I never got clear vision again until after the race.  I figured it was either from the wind or the salt air in Florida.  And once again, my vision was a little blurry.  Not as bad as at Florida, but I wasn’t really looking forward to running 26.2 miles with blurry vision again.  Oh well.

T2:  5:38

I headed out to do my run/walk.  The plan was to run for 5 minutes and walk for 1.  I felt fairly good as I headed out, but it felt like I might have a rock in my shoe.  I also felt like I needed to use the restroom again.  I decide I would stop at the first aid station to take care of things.  If I had a rock in my shoe and left it there I knew I would have a huge blister at the end.  When I got to the aid station I took off my shoe and sock.  I didn’t see anything so I put it back on.  I tried to take care of business without much success (this would be the theme for a while). 

As I started running again I still felt like I had the rock in my shoe and I still felt like I needed to use the restroom.  I stopped two more times and finally decided the “rock” in my shoe was most likely a callous that was just bothering me today.  I also tried to think what could be causing the stomach issues.  I have a hard time drinking enough on the bike.  Always.  You should drink a bottle an hour and it usually takes me 1 ½ hours to drink a bottle.  On the bike today I only drank 3 bottles.  I knew I was a little dehydrated.  I figured I need to get more liquids in me.  It also got a little warm on the bike.  Not Texas warm, but the dry air can be deceptive.  After a long ride in the Texas heat, I am soaked in sweat.  I came off the bike today almost completely dry.  I decided I needed to get more salt in me.  And there was also the possibility that the earlier cramps and issues were from female issues.  Sorry if that’s too much information, but I had to look at all the possibilities.  At a couple of aid stations I took the salty chips.  And they tasted wonderful.  But that meant I also had to take water because they made me thirsty.  I couldn’t run when I had two cups of stuff, so I had to walk at some of the aid stations.

I kept up with my run/walk as best as I could that first lap.  I saw my family as I neared the transition area which was nice.  It gave me a little boost. 

I made the first lap and headed back out for the second of three laps.  As I was heading out, I saw Bryan and he told me I was looking strong.  That gave me a big boost.

Somewhere before mile 13 I really felt like I had to potty.  I stopped for a while to hopefully take care of things for the last time.  And after that I decided to try the cola at the aid stations.  I hadn’t done that at Florida, but when I took that first drink here it was heaven to my mouth.  Yum!!!!  From there on out I would take water or ice at one station and cola at the next.

The second loop was probably the worst, at least mentally.  There are some parts of the course that head out to some fairly desolate areas and it was starting to get dark.  Plus, it’s hard to know that you have to pass the turn to the finish yet again and do one more loop before you are done.  Eight miles of a training run aren’t that bad, but 8 mile loops during an Ironman seem to take forever.  I saw my family again and finally headed out for my third and final loop.  Bryan was there once again and gave encouraging words as I went on my way.  I couldn’t be happier.  I glanced at my watch and started calculating.  Could I beat my time from Florida?  What would it take to get there?  I decided at this point to ignore my watch and run when I could and walk when I needed to.  I knew I would finish at this point and I didn’t want to over stress my body but I still wanted to push as much as I could.

A lot of people were walking at this point, so I tried to be encouraging to those out on the course.  As I was running at one point with two other women one of the spectators said “you ladies are making this look easy” and I said “we’re just really good actors”.  That got a laugh. 

I hit mile 23 and did calculations.  I could beat my time from Florida as long as I ran some.  But let me tell you.   Those last three miles seemed like they took forever.  When you are out on the course at this point, you are on the opposite side of the lake from the finish, but you can hear Mike Reilly at the finish line.  It’s torture.  You want to be there so bad.  So when I made that turn to cross the bridge back to the other side I was beyond happy.  And as I approached the spot where you could either turn to the finish or go out for your second or third lap, I knew I’d be making the final turn.  It felt good.  But darn if they didn’t make you climb a small incline to get to the finish chute.  That didn’t stop me from running.

When I did Florida, I remember running down the chute, but since I couldn’t really see, I didn’t really “enjoy” it.  I just ran down in the spotlight and crossed the finish line.  I told myself I would enjoy this one.  So I started high-fiving people.  I went down one side at first and then went to the other side.  I found out later if I would have stayed on the original side I would have gotten to high-five my kids.  Oops.  It’s just so bright that I couldn’t see them.

I got to the finish line and crossed with a huge smile on my face. 

Run Time:  5:25:19 for an average pace of 12:25 per mile

Despite the cramp and cold of the water, despite the lower back pain on the bike and despite the stomach issues on the run, I felt great after crossing the finish line.  I got my medal, my shirt and my hat and then I saw my family at the end of the chute.  I made the detour for hugs.  My daughter told me that one of her male friends watched me cross online.  He told her I looked “bad ass” crossing the finish line.  As a 42 year old woman, I’ll take that compliment any day from a young, fit teenage boy.

Total Race Time:  13:49:58

I got my warm clothes from my family and told them I was going to get a massage and grab some food and that I would call them in a little bit to see where to meet them.  I got my massage (which wasn’t that great – she only worked on the my quads and it was my back that really needed it – but it was free so I guess I can’t complain).  I went to check out the food thinking I wouldn’t be able to eat anything (I can’t eat pizza) and they had French fries.  Oh yeah.  I grabbed some of those and a coke and sat for a bit talking to some other finishers.  Then it was time to find my family.

We sat for a bit on the sidewalk waiting for Patrick and Selene but decided based on the tracking it might be a while before they crossed the finish line.  My dad had some issues and had already gone back to the car, so I got my family to help me carry the bags I had to the truck and I changed into dry clothes.  They went ahead and left and I headed back to the finish line and found Selene’s husband to wait for her and Patrick.  After they finished we got our transition bags and bikes and headed back to the truck.

Surprisingly, I was walking pretty normal and had lots of energy.  After Florida I was exhausted.  I think it was all the cola I had at the aid stations.  I finally crawled into bed at 2am and then was up again Monday morning at 4am to head back downtown to get in line for finisher gear.  I know, call us crazy.  But I’m glad we did as the line to get in for finisher gear was over 200 deep when we left.  And the volunteer line – oh my.  I’m not surprised the race for next year sold out in 40 seconds.  The volunteer line was probably 250-300 deep at 4:45am.  It appeared that some people even camped overnight.  It’s just crazy.  But I got what I wanted.

I spent the afternoon packing and then the tiredness and soreness finally hit.  I crawled in bed Monday night at 8pm and slept like a rock.  I’m just glad I have the Thanksgiving weekend to be lazy and recover.

Katy Flatland Century - July

From July 7-14, I was gone on a mission trip with the youth group from our church.  Because of this, I missed a week’s worth of rides (and swims).  I knew I needed to get back on the bike and decided to do the Katy Flatland Century ride on July 22^nd.  I did the ride in 2010 when training for IMFL and it was a great ride.  I was hoping it would be once again.

Saturday morning I got up and did my long run of the week.  Once I had showered and packed I headed to Katy to get my packet, eat dinner, and get ready to ride.

The start of the ride was a little different this year.  Instead of a mass start, there was a rolling start.  And, instead of starting at 7:00am the rolling start began at 6:30am this year.  That was nice as being in Texas, things heat up fast.  I wanted to be done as soon as possible, so I rolled out as close to 6:30 as I could.

My goal today was to do my ride and not get caught up in what everyone else was doing.  I wasn’t going to get caught up in the pace lines or worry about people passing me.  This ride is a flat ride and some of the riders are fast.  Besides, not all riders do the century ride, so it’s hard in the beginning to know who is doing what ride.  It’s obviously easier to ride 40 miles at 19mph than it is 100 miles.  Today was my ride, at my speed, whatever that speed turned out to be.

My plan from the beginning was to stop at every other aid station.  This would take care of my potty needs and allow me to refill my bottles and take enduralyte tablets.  This worked well and kept me feeling good on the bike.

At the half way point, I was still averaging 17.3 mph (which for me is good) and at mile 75 the average was still 17.1.  I was very happy with how the ride was going, but I will admit the last 25 miles (and especially the last 12 miles) were tough.  I have issues with my upper back (think traps and rhomboids) getting tight and today was no different.  Plus, it was finally starting to get hot and at this point the crowd is thinned out greatly so there are times you are pretty much on your own.  I pushed through, however, and finished with a ride time of 5:54:22 for a 16.94 average.  I would be so happy to have that average at IMAZ, but that time does not account for stops.  I don’t stop for long when I stop, but it does factor into your time during an IM.

After the ride, I enjoyed a veggie burger and some lemonade.  I’m so grateful they have the veggie burger as an option.  I then went outside and got a 20 minute massage to see they could loosen up my back.  After that I showered in the locker room at the stadium and then headed home. 

This ride gives me some confidence that my training is where it needs to be right now and that makes me happy.  Now if I can just figure out the tightness issue.