Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Ironman AZ 70.3 ReCap



A whirlwind weekend to say the least.  I have learned many lessons in my pursuit of Ironman branded events - one being that when you sign up for a race several months before the actual race day, that the picture that you paint of how you imagine it and reality turn into two very different things.  

In the case of Ironman AZ 70.3, I submitted my registration on March 11, 2015.  This was a new race added to the Ironman Brand this year - it existed in another format in years prior but Ironman took it over this year and it was expected to sell out quickly so I jumped on board.  At the time I was excited to be able to race in Tempe close to my parents’ home and in an area that I am fairly familiar with.  I would be able to stay with my parents so race related expense would be reasonable.  The race date also fell during the girls fall break so thoughts of a family vacation came into my head as well.  

Fast forward six months and it was now a month out from the race.  Training well underway and progressing toward the start line.  It seemed as though it was probably time to start putting travel plans together.  The advantage of driving to a race like this is that you have your car and can transport your bike and any gear that you want.  The disadvantage - you don’t have to make plane reservations and nailing down a travel plan can be pushed off!  As the race date approached, reality started coming into the picture and it seemed that the timing of the family vacation was not going to work - nor was it going to work for Mike to join me.  I reached out to my friend Kristen who thankfully ended up making the adventure with me.  Our schedules were aligned - the plan made and we were off.

We arrived in Arizona on Thursday afternoon.  The drive Wednesday night and Thursday morning was fairly uneventful and seemed to move along.  Kristen and I both had a run on our schedule so we headed out together.  Kristen is a trail runner and wasn’t excited about pounding pavement with me so we opted for a trail adventure in the desert at the end of my parent’s neighborhood.  Funny in all the years of coming to Phoenix and all of the miles that I have run there that I never knew the trail was there!  Trail running as my race warm up turned out to not be the best plan for me.  I managed to stumble on a rock and jammed my toe quite nicely.  My theory at the time was suck it up, push through the pain, you don’t have time for injury - it is race week.  I finished out the run in a lot of pain but tried to keep things on the down low.

I woke up Friday morning to a very swollen toe that had no interest in bending.  It was bruised and colorful.  I had a swim on the plan for the day so I headed up to the pool.  I quickly learned that pushing off a concrete wall was not the best option, made some adjustments and made it through my swim.  Fortunately or unfortunately I banged my toe again while I was in the shower.  It hurt like crazy but seemed to have unjammed it and there was movement again.  A good sign with two days until the race.  Hoping for the best.   My Mom, Kristen and I went to Athlete Check-In in Tempe.  It was pouring rain.  We stood in the tent for the athlete briefing watching water rush off the tent.  

Saturday morning’s plan was to drive a loop of the bike course with Jennifer Bendell, then go for a short ride before dropping our bikes at check-in.  We met at 8:30 - drove the course and learned about all of the turn and then headed out for a ride.  The ride was flat, fast and very fun.  We had a few sprinkles on us but all in all it went well.  The only challenge that my toe presented was clipping into my pedal.  I felt ready for Sunday and decided it is what it is!  We dropped our bikes at check in and spent the remainder of the day getting things in order for Sunday and trying to stay off my feet.  

Sunday morning arrived.  A 4:00 wake up came without the alarm but I felt as though I had had a decent night’s sleep and was ready to go.  I gathered my things together, lubed up with sunscreen and body glide and we were ready to go.  My Mom met us in the hallway as we headed out to say goodbye and wish me good luck.  I was excited to have my Mom and Dad see me race for the first time and to know that they would be there for support.  

We drove to Tempe and made a creative exit from the 202 to be able to pick up Jennifer.  The road closures were about to go into effect and I will admit that there were a couple of cone barriers that were dodged in order to get into her hotel.  Kristen dropped us at the corner and we walked into the transition area.  It was dark and cool with a bit of rain but looked like it was going to be a nice day.  Happy to see the heavy rains from the day before appeared to be moving out.  One of these days, I will remember to add a headlamp to my transition list as it would have been extremely helpful.  I rooted through my bag and set up as best as I could and sat down to prepare for the day.  I had had my race day oatmeal (oats, peanut butter and protein powder) in the car on the way and drank a bottle of UCAN just before the start.  My start time was 7:15 so plenty of time to wait around.  I met up with Kristen, found Jennifer again and found Mary Spalding who had come down to cheer on some friends.  We took some pictures and watched as the race got under way.  

Swim:
We worked our way up through the start chute and it was our turn to enter the water.  The race was wetsuit optional and based on the number of people standing in our start group, it seemed that a lot of people had opted for the wetsuit.  Jennifer and I were trying out our new Roka Skin Suits.  We walked down the stairs, lowered ourselves into the water and swam out to the start.  We managed to stay together and to get a wave to Kristen for a picture.  The countdown began and we were off.  I felt like I settled into a rhythm pretty quickly.  A couple of fists, hands and feet to dodge and everyone seemed to settle in.  The water was choppy which made breathing a bit of work but I continued to move along.  I remember in two spots thinking how hot my body felt.  Not sure if it was the water temp, a hotter spot or a product of the increased heart rate from breathing effort.  I kept telling myself push on and get out of the water.  I reached the turn - did what every coach tells you not to do and checked my watch 22:49.  Not awesome but ok.  As I made the turn the swirling water really became a battle.  I felt the need to correct to stay in line with the buoys.  I focused on the next buoy and making the turn hoping that the swirling current would then be behind me and push me back in.  I made the next turn and headed back toward the start.  The swirling didn’t stop, in fact it seemed to increase.  There were starting to be some different colored caps around - wasn’t sure if it was the wave ahead or the one behind or a combination of both.  I rounded the last turn picked up the pace and made the push to the stairs.  Fortunately they had volunteers at the stairs as it was really hard to get your foot up to that first stair and the man that helped me out was awesome.  I asked him to unzip my speed suit and headed to the top of the stairs and transition.  Was fun to hear Mary and Kristen both cheer for me as I came through.  56:00

T1:  4:29
Entering transition it was nice to have several ladies around me at the rack although the conversation was the same among everyone, the swim measured long - my watch said 2459 yds and everyone else had similar numbers.  There was lots of frustration about the slow times.  I was bummed, had hoped to improve my Boulder time and was now trying to make up additional time that I hadn’t planned on.  I had some water, tried to get the dead grass off my feet and headed out on the bike.  

Bike:
I pushed a bit past the mount line - saw Kristen again and headed out.  I tried my best to get some water in and to start pushing.  Lots of bikes around on the course, people coming through on their second and third loops as well as others getting started.  I started picking bikes ahead, trying to catch them and trying to keep my cadence going.  I was feeling pretty good.  I kept looking out for Jennifer - always nice to have someone you know out there and someone to cheer on.  I say Jennifer for the first time around mile 13-14 - she was ahead.  Jennifer is a really solid biker so I made note of where I saw her and set a goal to see her in a similar spot each time.  I navigated all of the turns, and there were a lot, completed loop 1 and headed back out.  Saw Jennifer again toward the beginning of the loop.  Fun to cheer for each other.  She looked great!  As I came back onto Rio Salado, I heard my Mom’s voice cheering.  I didn’t see her but know for sure it was her voice.  I remembered from my soccer days!  That gave me a boost.  I pushed on!  

About this time is usually when I would eat on the bike.  I like whole foods on the bike but ran into an issue as the tri top I had on had different pockets than I was used to and I couldn’t get to my food.  This is a problem.  I had UCAN in my bottles so opted for that.  I focused on finishing my UCAN and getting my bottle of UCAN hydrate in and did switch out my water bottle for a refill at one of the aid stations.  I felt as though I did a good job getting fluids in.  

I passed Jennifer fairly close to the spot that I had seen her on the first loop.  I was excited about this and pushed on.  Lap three was fairly uneventful.  The turn-arounds seemed to improve with each loop and the ones that were really tight were approached differently which lead to pretty good results.  Passed Mary Spalding and her cheer crew with the dry erase board full of funny messages.  She yelled loud which was awesome!  I arrived at the dismount line to my Mom and Dad both there cheering me on.  I felt bad as I felt pretty beat up, told them it was a tough day and pressed on.  3:10:11

T2:  3:38
I went in, switched shoes, dropped the bike gear, grabbed my hand held and arm sleeves, waved to my Mom and Dad and headed out.  

Run:

My goal for the run was to figure out some solid food that I could get in that would not hurt me too bad running.  Definitely needed the energy boost.  I grabbed bananas at the first stop and some water.  I stopped at the second aid station and used the restroom, put some ice in my arm sleeves and headed out.  I wasn’t moving quickly but was running and set a goal to only walk the aid stations.  One Day One Step!  Each aid station was refill ice - either shorts or arm sleeves, water over the head, water on the face, a drink of water and press on.  I went to my handheld for my UCAN Hydrate but found the valve was not working.  I unscrewed the cap and managed to spill all over myself and dump it down the wrong tube.  That was not going to work!  Jennifer passed me as I approached mile 5.  She looked great!  I cheered for her - glad she seemed to be having a great day!  As I approached the finish of the first loop, I found my Mom, Dad and Kristen.  I dropped my hand held with them, frustrated that that wasn’t working.   My mind continued to reinforce that it is a tough day just keep going.  Kristen jumped on and ran with me for a few minutes.  She gave me a much needed attitude check reminded my why I was there and that it was supposed to be fun.  At the time, she succeeded in making me mad but in hindsight she was absolutely right!  

Off for lap 2.  One more lap and I am done.  I reflected on my conversation with Karen Brown about what my post race treat would be.  I very clearly told her In N Out Burger and started to focus on that.  The sooner I finish this the sooner I get my burger!  I thanked the volunteers as I went through the aid stations.  Thanked some of the spectators that had been there all day and had cheered for me by name every time I passed.  The one that stood out was the guy in the unicorn mask and unicorn tights - he had a lot of energy and I told him that I really appreciated his effort all day!  I reached the last section - a long, hot out and back talked with a girl named Deni that mentioned she had spent 6 weeks in Boulder training, talked to another girl that was doing a calculated run/walk segment that seemed to be the same pace as me and a lady named Lori that was an awesome power walker and definitely keeping the same pace as me.  Passed through the last aid station.  There were two kids working the station that were funny offer ice in one hand, water in the other or a combo.  The repeated it over and over and had lots of energy.  Approaching the finish, I saw Mary again, then found my Mom and Kristen right before the turn-off to the finish.  Lori and I took off up the shoot.  Her power walk turned fast,  I backed off a bit so she could have her moment and finished behind her.  I finished with tears in my eyes.  Not upset with the day, just emotional.  It had been a long, hard battle and to be at the finish meant a lot.  Kristen was there taking pictures and videos and met me at the end of the chute.  2:50:58
Total time:  7:05:16

Kristen and My Mom managed to get separated at the end.  My Mom was trying to get to the perfect spot to see me finish.  It took a while but we finally found each other, connected with Jennifer.  I reconnected with Lori in the transition and we reflected on our days.  She found me as I was loading my car and gave me her extra supplies off of her bike as she was shipping hers and not able to take them.  That was so kind of her and I am hopeful that we are able to connect again.  We loaded up the gear and the bikes and headed out.  We dropped Jennifer at her hotel and headed to In N Out.  The burger, fries and milkshake did not disappoint!  (nor the Twizzlers - which seemed to be a diet staple of the road trip!)  Back to my parent’s house for a quick shower, loaded the rest of the car and were on the road back to Colorado by 4:30.  A whirlwind day.  

Reflecting on a tough day, I am happy to say that I can now look back and know that I learned some things, once again have opportunities to improve and am very thankful for all of the support that I had - from my Mom, Dad, Kristen, Jennifer and Mary in AZ,   from Mike - every day and every step of the way and holding down an unbelievable amount of responsibility between the house, the girls, the dogs, coaching, etc. for me to be able to be there to race and train, from the girls - checking in before and after the race and from all of my family and friends sending messages, encouragement and support.  It means the world to know that I am not on this journey alone.  One day and One step.  Learn, grow and press on!   A heartfelt thank you!


Monday, October 12, 2015

Taking Time for You



People often ask me, how do you have time to train with all that you have going on - a husband, three daughters, a full time job, etc.  For me the question is how do I not have time to train.  And in turn, how do you not have time.  

Time is our most precious asset.  We are all given the same amount and it is up to us how we chose to utilize it.  There are people all over the world making millions of dollars trying to teach different time management techniques.  We attend these seminars, notebook and pen in hand waiting for the answer to the world’s problem and telling us how we can fit it all in.  Truth be told we often thrive on having more to do than less - it keeps us engaged and keeps the drive moving forward as we fear not being able to get it all done.  

I take time once a week, typically on Saturday or Sunday to sit down and look at the week ahead.  This involves looking at my entire family’s calendars, and yes, we all have our own.  I look at the events that I have to be at and that I have no control over the time that they occur.  These are built in first.  I then block in my training time.  It is put on the calendar just like any other appointment.  My time allocated to this event and unable to have other things scheduled over it and remains “sacred.”  At this stage of the block, I then reach out to people that I need to meet with during the week and let them know my availability.  By doing this, there is never a concern that the meeting will overlap my training as my training times are no longer available.  No one will know if the appointment that you had at a another time was training or a meeting and it is none of their business as long as you show up prepared at the time that you committed to!  The rest of the day to day tasks are filled in around the above scheduling.  The grocery store, the bills, the desk work or calls - they will all get in the schedule and get done and have a focused time to occur!

I have been following the process above for over a year now.  I have learned many lessons along the way.  The first being that I am much more prepared, engaged and eager to participate after having my workout in.  For me it is an outlet and I feel much better after having the workout done.  The second is that I will not be able to attend every lunch, every activity, every networking event, every social event and that it is ok to say “NO.”  A hard thing to learn but definitely worth it when you do.  And finally, if the schedule didn’t work the week before, I am in control to change and modify it - before planning ahead look back on what worked and what didn’t and why.  You schedule and how much you add or subtract from it is in your control.  Embrace it and be sure to take time for you!  Your mind and body will thank you and so will those that you are in contact with.

One Day!  One Step!  Enjoy the Journey!

Monday, October 5, 2015

The Importance of a "B" Race

October 5, 2015
The Importance of a “B” Race

Who wants chocolate?  I added another race bib and finisher medal to the collection this weekend upon completing the Hot Chocolate 15K in Downtown Denver yesterday.  This race was not part of my original 2015 race schedule but came to be an addition for a multitude of reasons - a solid reminder of why we put different types of events into our training.    

Two weeks out from Ironman AZ 70.3, my training plan called for a long run as my final long preparation for race day.  It is always nice to have a change in venue for the long runs especially this late in the game as most of the time you put the miles in for longs runs in the same spot.  Purpose 1 of the Hot Chocolate 15K - change in venue!  Purpose 2 - Add a little bit of the race day excitement to remind you of the need to control your pace and energy and not get caught up in the excitement.  Practice in this area provides mindset that you are ready and “know” what to expect.  Purpose 3 - A little friendly competition - trying to catch that person that you’ve played cat and mouse with the whole way, the final push for the finish - to provide the spark to remind you why you race!  Finally, Purpose 4 - the opportunity to support friends, family and training partners participating in the race and out for their own goals.  The best and most rewarding purpose for me!

The race report.  

After stopping at the nearest Porta-potty one last time before heading toward the start corrals, I ran into a friend also headed for the start.  We walked together and talked about the upcoming run.  Her goals were to go the distance and use it as a basis for continued training going into the fall.  Her friend had joined her wanting to get a longer distance in - she had completed the Colfax ½ Marathon in May but the longest run since then was 3 miles.  The third person in her group was running the Rock N Roll Half in two weeks and using this as the final tune-up.  We agreed to set off together and part ways if our agendas did not match up.  I am always happy to have company!

Three of us stayed together for about 2 miles.  One peeled off for a restroom stop and asked that we continue on.  The second peeled off at mile 3 as her plan was to run 3 walk :30 and run 3 again.  She encouraged me to forge on.  The pace was good and even with the body struggles this week I felt good and in my groove.  I stepped up the pace a bit and decided to see if I could maintain it.  My first 5K was around 31 minutes.  A normal training pace but not a PR.  Second 5K was about 27-28 minutes which is in the neighborhood of my best 5K time.  The final 5K around 29-30.  Overall time 1:28:21.  Approximately 9:21/mile pace.  I enjoyed the run.  Enjoyed seeing a few people that I knew and enjoyed the race environment.  Overall all purposes were accomplished and it was a fun event!

Looking around at the people on the course - it is important to reflect on your “why.” And to remember that your “why” may be very different from the people surrounding you.  Focus on your journey.  One Day One Step!