Ironman Chattanooga Race Report 2015

Apologies ahead of time this will be a LONG one, but hey the race took me 15 hours 41 minutes so there is a lot to write!

"Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life" John Collins, creator of the Ironman race

Let's make things more interesting:
-144.6, an extra four miles added to the bike course.
-7:30am late start taking at least 30 minutes off the normal 17 hour time limit.

PRE RACE:

My excitement levels were high the minute we started our roadtrip to Chattanooga the Thursday before race day. I made sure to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated which resulted in MANY pee breaks for the entire trip which ended up taking well over 14 hours. I packed all kinds of healthy snacks but by hour 13 I grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from a gas station. We arrived Thursday evening and trying to find a grocery store proved more difficult than anticipated but we picked up a few supplies and got settled in our house.  I highly recommend renting a house as it took the pressure off trying to find proper food and gave space to spread out.

Friday morning it was chilly and rainy and my desire to do anything was extremely LOW but J and I headed out to get in a little 25 minute or less swim above the damn and believe me it was less.  I think I ended up swimming maybe 10 minutes max because I was freezing, it was raining and I was just not in the mood to be cold and wet.  The water felt great and I was still looking forward to not wearing a wetsuit. After changing in the biggest handicap port-a-potty we had ever seen we headed over so J could buy race tats.  Seeing the line we decided checking in would be smart so we headed to sign our lives away in waivers and pick up our swag. Excitement level was at an all time high!  We headed back to the house to pick up Z so we could drive the bike course and then head to whole foods to purchase more food. My parents arrived later Friday and I made a big pasta dinner for my last really large meal because I don't like to eat a ton the night before a race. 

Saturday we got all the gear bags dropped off (what went in the bags is a whole other post!) as well as our bikes even though it was still raining!  At the athlete meeting they noted the water temperature had dropped closer to the 76.1 wet suit cut off and I was pretty disappointed as more rain was forecast.  The irony is not lost that for my first triathlon the morning of they announced it would not be wet suit legal and I cried because I wanted my security blanket yet this time I was hoping for no wetsuits! Things like this show me how far I have come and make me feel very proud.

SUNDAY! RACE DAY!

I slept pretty well and woke up excited with no stomach nerves which is very good for me.  Shortly after waking up the alert came out it would be wet suit optional which made me very happy, although at this point we were already awake so no extra sleep.  We headed to put my nurtition on my bike and in my run bag and then drop my special needs bags.  At that point I realized the myathletelive had been in the bike bag all night and not fully charged, sorry people who were expecting it to work and sorry self for the 75 bucks you spent. After minor tears over that I realized if something was to go wrong it was best to be that, at this point I was hoping it would still work so I wore it the whole race without realizing it never gave my location!

Swim 1:14:59

Spectators were allowed on the buses to swim start which was fabulous because they kept me occupied and made the time pass, Z even held my place in the LONG port-a-potty line.  Time seemed to fly by and my sherpas spent some of the time looking for items from their bingo cards which were a huge hit. I had my three scoops of Ucan and before we knew it the sky was brighter and it was time to march along to swim start, I quickly put on my borrowed swim skin, swim cap and goggles and did some exercises to warm up.  The wet suit swimmers went to the right and we walked by them so the line didn't seem quite so long and before I knew it we went through the arch way.  Many people had said we would go in two by two, but that was not the case, essentially you walked to the dock and just jumped in with about 20 of your closest friends.  This part created a bit of anxiety but I walked to the edge and more slid into the water, got myself together and then off I went. It was a surreal feeling to think that a year of planning had finally come down to the actual race.  The water felt great, the river is very clean and I was excited for the swim instead of anxiety ridden. It was pretty smooth and I enjoyed the scenery on the shores, it didn't feel as fast as my swim in June and there was definitely more contact with other swimmers.  At one point someone grabbed onto my leg and would not let go so I gave the a swift kick which seemed to discourage them from touching me again.  There was a tiny bit of chop at one point but luckily I trained all summer in the ocean so this didn't affect me but I heard a lot of people mentioning it.  I got sandwiched between two very large guys at one point and had to maneuver my way around them but once I saw the bridges I knew I was home free.  The left turn into swim exit was not difficult but getting out of the water was a bit hard, I wish I had practiced at these stairs, you had to really bring your leg up to sort of crawl out and next to me it looked like one girl might drown with people crawling out over her. 

T1 8:45

Jackie had me visualize what I was going to do in transition and I think this helped calm me.  I got excited to hear and see my fan club upon getting out of the water which got my blood pumping even more and then I faced that lovely hill up out of swim exit which was fun.  I remembered where my bag was but there were so many volunteers to help so things went very smoothly.  I ran into the tent and it was pretty crowded so I just looked for an open chair and sat down, a volunteer quickly ran over to help. I got the swim skin off, bike jersey on, salts in my shorts pockets, chamois cream on, glide on my feet, bike shoes on, helmet on and I headed out to find my bike.  A nice volunteer actually unracked Scottie and passed him to me and we headed to the mount line.

Bike  7:56:46

I am so happy I rode the bike course back in June because it helped me know what to expect and really increased my confidence.  The first set of train tracks out of town were covered in bottles and nutrition that had been ejected from bikes but I had no trouble and the tracks were covered, signs were there to slow down and volunteers worked tirelessly to clean up the road. I stayed in my zone, I raced my race as people FLEW past me for miles.  I didn't let it get to me and at one point I told myself it was because I did such a great job on the swim so these people needed to catch up. My goal was to stay consistent, pee twice, fuel properly, not fall and hopefully do a 7:45 bike split (15mph). I felt great on the bike and at times I pulled myself back to make sure I had something left for the second loop.  I sipped water every 15 minutes, Ucan every 30 minutes and BASE salts every 5 miles. Special needs came at the perfect time, I sucked down two fruit pouches, grabbed my third Ucan bottle, smeared on more chamois cream and was off on my way. My backup BASE had spilled all over the bag but luckily I had more than enough on me.  The rest stop after special needs was my first pee break and I decided to ask for the time of day because my watch only showed how long I had been biking and I was unaware of what time I had entered or exited the water. A kind volunteer said "12:20 pm" and I swear I could have kissed him!  This was my "moment" the pre-finishline moment that meant so much to me and made my day because at that point I knew that I was fully capable of making the 6pm bike cut off.  Around mile 95 I started having some trouble with chaffing and I pulled to the side of the road, apologized to the people cheering, put on more chamois cream and much to  my chagrin realized I should have done it sooner, the last miles were painful to say the least but I kept a smile on my face! I didn't get into my aero bars even once because I was too nervous from my last accident and I know this hurt my pacing on both the bike and the run, I need to get better at my bike confidence and handling.  I passed Scottie to a volunteer, said we were on a break but that he did a good job so he deserved to be taken care of and wobbled to my T2 bag. Total of 9 scoops of Ucan, 2 fruit packages, about 5 bottles of water.

T2: 9:13

This transition was not as busy, presumably because it took me so long on the bike but I had my pick of chairs and a very nice volunteer who assisted me with an almost complete outfit change! I put body glide on my feet with toe socks in hopes of no blisters.  I sucked down a fruit packet while the volunteer put my Ucan in the back of my tri top, I grabbed a hat put on my race belt. peed and went on my way only to realize about half a mile later I hadn't grabbed any of my base salts...FAIL.

RUN: 6:11:48

I got to see the family as I left out on the run and Z even ran down the huge hill to see me on the river walk, my biggest regret of the race is not taking the two seconds to go give him a kiss, my poor sherpa.  I went out WAY too fast, the excitement had me on a high and I was just so happy to be off my bike but I settled into a routine.  The first aid station had base salts so I picked up a few and set about my run to the aid station and walk through the station. About mile 4 my stomach was a bit unhappy with me for the first time of the day, I think due to my heart rate being a bit high for the first miles of the run and I threw up.  Nothing terrible and I think my proper fueling on the bike really saved me here, I slowed my heart rate down and it took a little while for my stomach to cooperate.  I didn't eat much from miles 5 to 13 and when I got to special needs my stomach was still a little iffy but I sucked down a fruit packet while dealing with my HUGE blisters.  I was so glad to have clean, dry socks and Vaseline in special needs because these blisters were out of control, I had been so careful not to get my feet wet so I have no idea what caused them.  My half marathon mark was 3:03 so all in all I ran a consistent run and I actually passed a ton of people so I was happy with my progress.  I found a partner who was going my speed and we hung out for a lot of the back half, Lauren and I power walked like soccer moms, dragged each other running, toasted to the joy of chicken broth and shared our stories which made the time pass more quickly.  I ditched her toward the end when all I could think was getting to that finish line, sorry Lauren!

The last time down the big hill on Barton was amazing a group was playing T.Swift so I started singing, they were yelling and giving me high fives and I kept screaming I'm an Ironman, I'm doing this, this is happening!!  At the bottom of the hill stood my rock, my support, the person who has had to suffer through the brunt of my insanity and he had a huge smile on his face and I said quick you can't miss my finish (of course he runs WAY faster than me so who knows what I was thinking.)  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry that the amazing journey was coming to a close and as I ran people kept saying you did it, you are an ironman.  As I rounded for the finish I saw a few people that I knew I could pass so I did with care to make sure I could get a good finish line picture and then I don't know what came over me but I SPRINTED, I mean full out ran down that finisher shoot.  Someone said "Oh wow what a finish!" and before I knew it I heard those words I had been waiting to here..."Katrina Purcell from New York City, NY, you are an ironman". I looked up, gave Packy, and all my angels a kiss and then the winner of the race put my medal on.

Total time 15:41:31        

Turns out that I passed a lot of people on the run, my bike and run times were pretty consistent and I really couldn't be more proud.  I wasn't the fastest person but I did my best and I didn't let others affect my race or mindset.  I kept my fueling and hydration plans under control even when there was a minor hiccup. I thanked volunteers and spectators all day, I had a smile plastered on my face and I enjoyed every single second (ok maybe not that second I found that really gross port-a-potty but all the others).

I am so happy I started this journey and I am so thankful that my parents, Z, Joanne, My aunt and uncle and Jamie and Mike could be there to share it with me.  It truly takes a village to get to the race in one piece and I could not have asked for a better support system. Z massaged my calves while waiting for swim start, carried every single bag, took on anything that could possibly cause me stress and kept me calm.  My words when I crossed were I am never doing this again but that has worn off and I could entertain it but first I have a long to do list of things I promised to do "after the race" :)

FOUR months!!

I promise that a Big Sur Race report is coming but not today.

Four months from today will be Ironman Chattanooga! I'm glad that as a gift to myself today I had a great swim, I even figured out what 'breakthrough' in training peaks means and checked it.  The day really started off like any other,  except I hadn't slept well the night before so I was pretty nervous about my stamina for such a long swim. The walk to the pool was steamy due to humidity so sliding in the cool water felt amazing instead of the freezing cold sensation for most the past months.

From my first 400 warm up I felt great, everything was in sync, arms were doing what they needed to, kicking was on point, kept the core sucked in and breathing was great.  I never felt like I got out of that groove and the whole swim went by pretty quickly well except for the SPRINTS that Jax so nicely added at the end when I was already tired and whoa nelly.  I'm pretty sure my brain said to me "Why are you trying to drown?" I did get a slight cramp in my right calf during the second to last sprint but was able to get it to go away in my ten second break between sprints.

I hate single arm drills, because they suck but also because they are missing from the Garmin ;)
I do feel my swimming is improving, I would like to see the per 100 meter average go below 2 minutes but that is a lot to ask.

I will however have to change my response when people say, "What is your swim time goal for Chattanooga?" because right now I say "Not dead".  I guess it might be time to come up with a time goal.

The tool my dad built me to track my sets is so helpful because in my 8 sets of 75 I would ALWAYS lose track but now I can easily look and know which number I'm on.

All in all I am not feeling where I wanted to be at this time in my training BUT I do feel I am where I can be for what my body is allowing. Coming up in June I will be venturing to Chattanooga for a training weekend on the course and I feel like this will be the true test of my mental state.

That's all for now but I promise I have some good ideas for blog posts running around in my head and I'll post them soon! (Especially now that I know people are reading! haha)

So much Data...what does it mean?!?

I belong to a triathlon team and our goal is to mentor and guide new women in the sport of triathlon, in fact that is a topic for another blog!  I mention it because today in our private group there was a lot of talk of swim information and what it all means.  These new fancy watches record all this data but what does it really mean to the normal athlete? Well apparently not much, there was a lot of debate and confusion so I thought I would break down some of the swim stats you are seeing from Garmin and what they all mean to me.

See below from my most recent pool swim:

SUMMARY Section:

Distance: Pretty self explanatory, the total meters or yards that you swam in your work out.

Pool Length: Again, this is set by you on the Garmin. You have 25/50 and then you can set custom length. 

Time: This is the elapsed time of your work out

Average pace: This calculates the average time it takes you to swim 100 meters over the course of your work out.

Calories: I never really use this to guide me but it gives you ball park what you burned.

TIMING Section:

Time: Is your total work out time

Elapsed Time: If you tend to pause your clock while working out for breaks, etc this will be MORE than the time section because it is calculating the overall total time. 

Average Pace: Again this is your average 100m time pace

Best Pace: This is the fastest 100m pace of your work out. (I think my watch got confused for this workout)

SWIMMING Dynamics (this is where things get tricky):

Total Strokes: How many strokes did you take in the entire work out? This will be affected if you are doing drills that don't involve strokes with your watch arm.

Average Strokes: This is the average of how many strokes it took you to go one pool length. 

Average Stroke Rate: This is breaking down how many strokes do you take in one minute, depending on how long it takes you do a pool length this number should be higher than your average stroke per pool length. 

Max Stroke Rate: The largest number of strokes that you took in one minute during the work out

SWOLF: The time in seconds plus the strokes it takes you to complete one pool length.  Ideally you want this score as low as possible. 

Now the real question is: What does all this mean to me?

Well as a swimmer you want to be as efficient as possible, gliding in the water with each stroke. Ideally you want to take as few strokes as possible while still moving quickly on each pool length thus having a low SWOLF.  The two values really work together to ascertain your over all swim health because a very low stroke count but a very long time to reach the other side will not be over all efficient.  Same with a high stroke count but low time to cross the pool, you are expending a lot of energy.  You need to find the sweet spot that results in a lower SWOLF.  

Your body composition may also affect these numbers so it is important as with all work outs NOT to compare yourself with others, if someone has longer arms they may have less strokes or if you are doing drills your numbers will be thrown off. If you want to compare work to compare your own workouts to see your development over time but keep in mind certain drills will affect these numbers. Also, try to limit your push and glide off the wall because this will really throw off your stroke numbers, there are no walls in an open water swim!

Did this clear things up? Still have questions? Leave a comment!

The lost summer of 2014

I have majorly slacked on updating pretty much all summer which is mirrored by the fact I haven't trained or raced well either. Let's try our best to do a short, concise catch up post before starting into the new, fun stuff.

Long Island Triathlon
We signed up for the Long Island Triathlon as a relay team for All Women's Tri Team, I was running the 5K. I'm not a very good 5K runner, I am really more of a distance runner but I figure I need to get faster at some point. The course was a little weird you ran on pavement for about a quarter mile, three laps on grass, a quarter mile on sand and then finished up on pavement. I was pretty worried about the grass but that was only because I didn't know about the sand at the time! I managed to figure out the grass but when I was hit with the sand well let's just say we are lucky I didn't stop entirely.  I had to walk a bit, it felt like quicksand! Once I got back on solid ground I sprinted the heck out of that last part and ended up with a fabulous PR of 24:57. Our team even won the Women's Relay grouping!

Aftermath
After the Long Island Triathlon is when things got a bit out of control. I woke up unable to breathe with a racing heart rate and managed to drag myself to urgent care. After passing out during a breathing treatment it became pretty obvious I was in fact quite sick. Turns out I had a very serious lung infection which lead to a two week break from working out.

Sadly that break from working out cause the aches and pains to start coming to light and turned out my left foot was KILLING me.  Off to the dr I went rather begrudgingly to discover that I was in fact falling apart.  Do you know how to make a triathlete very sad?  Tell them that they have an injured rotator cuff due to a bike accident, asthma, allergies, a stress fracture in their foot as well as ligament and tendon damage. How about that for a lot to handle?  I went from on top of the world to completely down in the dumps.

Physical Therapy
I personally find that physical therapy is harder than training because you are in immense pain and it is mentally exhausting without the normal endorphins from working out. The stress fracture was complicated by the fact I trained on it for probably several months, oops someone has a high pain threshold. I have learned that tendons and ligaments are MUCH harder to heal then bones, well isn't that just peachy.  I spent most of the time very focused on getting ready for Barrelman because I refused to admit I couldn't do it. After months of painful physical therapy and no training I don't know why I even thought I could do the race but sometimes I can be stubborn. Ok, ok not sometimes.

Barrelman
I wasn't trained and I had no right to expect my body to perform to that level BUT well I'm a stubborn, pigheaded brat (thanks mom) and I couldn't quit. I do have to give myself some credit because I hadn't really swim in weeks, unless of course you count some leisure swimming in the Spain and France and let's face it that was hardly training. The practice swim the day before didn't go very well but the water wasn't too bad, cold but not terrible and it was really clear.  The swim was hard and I wanted to quit several times, maybe some day I will love swimming or hell even like swimming but today was  not that day. The water was so clear but I got kicked and hit more than any other swim.

Coming up from the swim I realized it was pretty on par with Eagleman which given my horrible lack of training was not awful  It was fabulous to see my parents when I was trying to "run" to transition.  I felt very light headed coming up out of the water only to discover that there were yellow jackets in my bento box.  YELLOW JACKETS.  You should have seen me in transition trying to spray water to get them out.  Eventually I realized one was going to stick with me and set off on the bike course.

The course was not too hilly which was good until I realized there was a constant headwind.  You actually had to pedal to go downhill, yes you read that correctly, I had to PEDAL to go DOWN hill.  Holy crap I was not prepared. About 10 miles in I had a completely meltdown yelling at myself 'This isn't even fun' 'WHY are you doing this?' 'This is STUPID'.  Of course I stuck with it because Packy was with me and well let's face it I'm stubborn (noticing a trend yet).  It was the hardest bike experience of my life, constant headwinds, dangerous crosswinds, wet roads, a foot that hurt and a hamstring that was aching due to compensation.  I really should have rejoiced when I pulled in to transition 6 MINUTES over the cut off but I didn't, I was extremely upset and disappointed.  6 freaken minutes, that was all and in reality given my lack of training and the tough conditions I should have been proud but instead I was pissed at myself, upset that I hadn't pushed through the pain to train, ticked off that I slacked on my vacation, angry that the foot wasn't improving.  You name a negative emotion and I felt it.

After I had time to eat, get some water in me, stretch, and some tears I realized it was for the best, if my day was going to end early it ended before I started the run and possibly caused set backs in my foot recovery. It was a win because I wanted to quit so many times and I didn't, I powered through and tried the best I could get from my body on that day.  That doesn't mean it is the best I can do ever it was just the best I could do given the exact conditions on that day.  Another day will be better and the best part of life is you just have to keep moving forward and you will come across those days that the stars align perfectly for you.

Now that you have fallen asleep I will leave you with a nice little quote that means a lot to me "'It's impossible,' said pride. 'It's risky,' said experience.'It's pointless,' said reason. 'Give it a try,' whispered heart."

Listen to your heart, try the impossible, take risks and realize nothing in life is every pointless you are always learning.

I'm a half Ironman! Eagleman 2014 Race Report

I truly can not believe that I am writing a race report for a half ironman, a 70.3 mile triathlon that I completed.  This is going to be LONG so I apologize ahead of time!!

The week pre-race was filled with small freak outs over many small little things, nutrition, weather, packing, stuff, pretty much everything.  I did manage to keep it together for the most part though and the excitement was definitely out weighing the nerves.  I was feeling pretty confident after our training weekend but the confidence was nerve wrecking actually.  My goal was just to finish but I had a goal I hadn't really said which was to finish in 7 hours and 30 minutes, it was my first one though and I knew I had no idea what the weather or distance would have in store for me.

I went out to Jersey Friday night so I spent much of Thursday night cross checking SIX yes SIX different lists of "what to pack" that I found on the internet, compiled from LaDawn and the Athlete guide.  Type A to the max ladies and gentlemen.  I packed multiples of almost everything in case it got lost and read the Athlete guide every night that whole week before bed.  Friday, Jamie came to pick me up and off I went to my second to last sleep before the race!

Saturday morning we got up early, packed the car, headed to Maryland and once we arrived it was a whirlwind of activity.  We tried to wait in line for packet pick up but the line was HUGE so we had to drop out to go to the mandatory athlete talk.  We met up with the other girls and sat in the shade to rest our legs and stay out of the sun.  The head referee ( i am not sure that is the right word) was really good, I loved when she told the men "Women WILL pass you don't try and race them to get back in front".  I, however being a rule follower was petrified of littering or drafting already and her talk did not help those nerves!

After the talk we decided to ride our bikes over to transition to check them in and also give us a chance to ride them one last time to ensure they were working properly after the 4 hour drive.  We brought our wet suits and swim stuff so we could get in a practice swim as well.  At the Athlete talk they announced the water temperature was 74.2 degrees and it would more than likely be a wet suit swim.  The swim went ok, I felt more tired then I would have liked but we did realize it was pretty shallow all the way out to the number 6 buoy.

When we got back to the festival area we waited in line to show our USAT cards, sign our lives away and then pick up packets, shirts, backpacks and trackers.  Excitement was definitely out weighing the nerves at this point and I went CRAZY purchasing swag.  Siobhan and Jared arrived with O and we decided to head to the hotel to check in and find food.  I had been hydrating all day but I was starving, luckily the hotel had food so we could just eat and then head to bed.

Definitely still wearing the wrist band.

I actually slept pretty well that night before but I was pretty achy so I went to sleep covered in BioFreeze.  We woke up nice and early to get ready and head over on the shuttle.  As we were waiting for the shuttle, Dionne texted to say they were announcing it wasn't a wetsuit legal swim then my parents texted to say they were late leaving their house.  I may have almost cried on the shuttle.

At transition taken by Dionne.  The sunrise was AMAZING.

I headed to start setting up transition, all the while freaking out about the wetsuit change.  The finally made an official announcement and said they would add a wet suit wave at 8:40am and that you couldn't win any awards.  Now I knew that you couldn't win an award and was NOT concerned with that but I had no idea they moved your start time later.  I was already concerned about being so close to the time cut offs so it became a choice between using the wet suit which made me feel more comfortable and being the absolute last group up against the 8 and a half hour time limit.  It was a tough decision and there were definite tears in making that decision.  I sat down and took off my calf sleeves and with that the decision was made. Ladawn couldn't decide on her lava pants and eventually decided if I wasn't she wasn't so we could stick together.  I'm glad I did that because being last is not a great feeling, although I did manage to keep myself from having a mental meltdown about it.  Actually mentally this was a great race for me, well after the wetsuit/ swim meltdown I was mentally prepared and kept my cool even with the issues I faced.

All READY for no wetsuit swim!

I did my generation Ucan 45 minutes before the start and I was excited but the nerves were kicking in, however I DIDN'T throw up!  Success!  It was an in water start so we stood down there in the water holding hands when the start went off we hung back a little and then got started.  Things were going fine but I had a complete and utter freak out.  I hadn't been in open water with no wet suit and this was only my third time in open water.  I rolled to my back and I was saying I can't do this and Ladawn swam by and said "YES YOU CAN."  I rolled back over and got back to it.  I swear swimming is the worst, the whole time I never feel that I'm getting anywhere and it is frustrating.  The other age groups behind us started catching up to me and swimming over top of me.  In fact one guy actually swam over top of me to the point I was completely under him and couldn't come up or move my arms.  Before I even had a chance to freak out that I was drowning he grabbed my tri suit and pulled me back up.  He said, "You ok?" I said yeah and he was off, I have to admit that was so nice of him generally people just swim over top of you and don't even stop!

51:59 later I was so happy to see my parents as I got out of the water!

Transition went pretty well, I remembered everything I needed to remember but as I was walking out the guy goes watch your water bottle and at that point I realized the throw away water bottles I purchased were too slim for my cages!  Of course I started freaking about them falling out and getting me a littering call so I pulled over to wedge one into the metal and then held the other one in my hand for 5 MLES chugging it until I got to a trash drop zone that was technically for the run but I used it to toss both water bottles.  That of course meant no water until the next bike stop at 20 miles, oh man and it was HOT.  I got two water bottles at that stop only to realize the event bottles were too small too.  I didn't freak out, I just put the one down in the trash drop zone and then kept the other one in the back cage where it seemed to not fall.  Turned out the power aide bottles did fit so I got one of those but I can't do power aide so my stomach was very upset after one bottle.  Luckily I ran into Ladawn who told me that I should just dump out the power aide and fill it with water.  Thank goodness because my brain was NOT working.  The bike course is very flat which is good and bad, the headwind is AWFUL at points you feel you are going backwards. At times it was very lonely, probably because I was in the back. 

Things I learned on the bike: It is possible for men's armpit hair to blow in the wind, generation ucan did not work very well in the bottles I picked for it, I need to hydrate better, I need to put the salt pills in a more accessible area, wearing the bike shirt worked really well, bike seats and lady bits are NOT friends and the wind is NEVER at your back.

After an expected 3:49:54 on the bike I came in for T2, I am actually surprised to see my splits look so consistent for the bike.  I felt I wasn't very consistent, at times spinning up to 20 mph when the wind wasn't so awful and at times jamming it at 12 mph into the headwind.  My handling skills have improved but I need to get better and passing and not hanging behind people that I should just pass. 

Oh the Run, in my opinion this is where my particular race fell apart completely the sun was beating down on you and you could feel the heat off the asphalt.  I actually looked at the water and said wait can I just do the swim again.  I don't think I actually bonked but perhaps that is what happened because looking back I didn't take in NEARLY enough calories or water on the bike.  Starting off on the run my right calf was KILLING me for some reason and after a near ankle twist near mile 2 I decided it would be smarter to do a run walk method to finish.  My stomach was questionable, my legs were on fire and it was HOT.  I hadn't trained in the heat hardly at all due to the weather and my body was NOT prepared for it.  About mile 3 I realized that all the water I was dumping on myself, the sponges and water I was running through were causing a blister but the heat was unbearable.  At this point I met a girl who said she was going to throw up and as you know I am an expert at that sort of thing so I talked her through eating  banana and we started doing a run/walk together.  We stuck it out until the end with our plan and crossed the finish line together.  I never felt like I hit a wall but I do feel that I sucked at nutrition and I need to be better at it for the next one.  Again though my splits are super consistent so I guess I wasn't as back and forth as I thought.

Definitely bought a finisher shirt the day before and then hoped I didn't jinx myself

My parents were on the sideline cheer for me and my mom was crying and I felt so proud of the accomplishment as I crossed that finish line.  They said my name and I headed to get my hat, shirt and medal!  The girl needed to get my timing chip off and I of course told her there was no way I could bend down to do it, she laughed!  I went to get my picture with my new pal and also alone with my medal and then went around to find my family.  My dad told me I finished in 7:44!  So I killed my original goal of just beat 8:30 but a bit off my 7:30 goal.  My run was AWFUL but I am proud because not once on that run did I think about quitting or giving up.  The entire time I just knew I was going to finish it and needed to beat the cut off time. 

Tastes good!

This whole experience has given me so much more than just the horrible sunburn lines.  I have learned so much about myself and how much I can accomplish and push through pain both mentally and physically. I set a goal and I put in the time needed to get myself there and I fought past many, many freak out moments where I didn't think I had anymore left to give.  I learned there is always more to give and just because things don't go to plan doesn't mean that I will fall apart it means I will find a way to power through.  I've made some amazing friends that I feel I have known for years, we've been through an experience together that has cemented a life long friendship. I know when I falter they will be there to push me and I will always do the same for them.  I was so proud of myself when I crossed that finish line and now on to goal setting for Barrelman in September and more contemplation of a full iron next year. 

Road to Eagleman 2014

I would love to start this post with "When I signed up for Eagleman in October 2013 I was a talented Triathlete with a bunch of sprints and olympics under my belt.  I was very experienced and knowledgeable about all three disciplines and owned an expensive bike."  As you probably know by now that could not be farther from the truth

In October 2013, I did not own a bike and I did not know how to swim but I had just been through the most tumultuous time in my life and was very deep in the marathon training process.  My best friend's husband had completed an IronMan in May of 2013 and I had been riveted by  his training and hearing about the race itself.  My friend Jamie decided she wanted to try her hand at a half iron man and told me that I at least had to come cheer.  I figured if I was going to cheer why not just do the race I had all the resources available to me to become better, Jamie was going to prepare a schedule of races to get me prepared and I had all the time in the world since work was my only distraction.

In October 2013 I was just learning to redefine myself and I had thrown myself in marathon training as a means to center myself and regain control over my life.  I was feeling a little adrift and in the midst of major life changes of selling my house as well as all my stuff to make the move back to the city.  Truthfully while selling the house was terribly sad the move was actually a freeing experience because I was able to start over in a sense.  Plus the loss of that commute changed my life in so many positive ways (more time for training)!

When I explain to people that I signed up for a half iron man having no swim skills nor owning a bike they normally look at me as though I am completely insane or have two heads.  Often times they will say "What was going on in your life".  Many times I say back "well I got divorced."  It is pretty weird but that seems to be the only thing they need to hear to make sense of my crazy choice, I guess divorce makes people do crazy things.  If your life is headed in one direction and suddenly takes a drastic turn as I see it you have two choices; wallow in self pity and relive the past day after day or take charge and become the person you always knew you were.  I clearly chose the later with a little help from my friends.

As I sit here, 6 days out from Eagleman 2014 I am nervous but I am excited. I'm proud of myself for taking a leap of faith in my own dedication and athletic abilities. I'm in awe of how far I have come since October but excited to improve even more over the summer.  The past months have been filled with conquering fears, completing new challenges and coming into my own skin to be more confident and self assured. I've restored my own independence and control over my life. The sport of Triathlon is more than a sport, it is a lifestyle born out of dedication and sheer desire to better yourself to conquer fears and achieve goals.

I may not have a swinging social life and I'm sorry to everyone that I don't call or visit as often.  I don't get as much sleep as I would like most nights and some days I really don't want to drag myself to the pool but on those days when I reach a new goal there is nothing better in life.  I don't have quiet, relaxing weekends anymore they are filled with fun new friends and adventures.

The friendships I have made as a result of my interest and rather crazy choice to do a half Iron man are extremely valuable and important to me.  The women of All Women's Triathlon team have become family to me and many of them have faced far greater challenges and adversities than I can imagine but we lift each other up to excel at this sport we have decided is our passion.  My biggest fear for race day is not letting myself down but letting down the women who have such confidence in my abilities to complete this race.

I'm honored and extremely proud to be a part of an amazing group of women that strive to help, train, and assist other women.  No woman left behind!  I will make them proud on Sunday, June 8th although I think many of them are already proud to have participated in my journey.  I will make my parents proud on June 8th although I am pretty sure my parents couldn't be more proud than they already are and my mom could do with less open water swimming ;-)  I will make myself proud on June 8th although I am already so proud that I took a leap of faith to start this journey to discover a life I never realized I wanted to live until I was a fancy watch, a nice bike and multiple tri outfits deep in it.

Alright Packy, it's you and me buddy....let's ROCK this!

Last Big Work Out

The bike ride the day after Brooklyn was awful, my legs were shot and by the end of it my confidence was completely destroyed.  As I made my way back to my apartment I was having some pretty severe doubts about not only my ability to make it in under 8 and a half hours but also my ability to just finish at all.  After some painful foam rolling and an early bedtime I reffocused on the week ahead.

Memorial Day weekend was a planed simulation of the event with a 56 mile bike ride followed by a 10 mile run on Saturday and then a 1.2 mile open water swim race on Sunday.  Nerves were at an all time high Friday when I got completely soaked walking home from work which lead to about a 10 minute meltdown on my bedroom floor while I tried to pack and get things together to take out to Jamie's house on my bike.  I was soaking wet, exhausted and freaked out.  After a call with my mom I pulled myself together, threw some things in a back pack and set off across town for the subway.  Once off the subway I walked my bike to the GW but decided to bike over and I'm glad I did.  It was beautiful although VERY stormy on the south side of the bridge, in fact part of the way across there was lightening striking as I was riding.  I think this was the exact confidence booster I needed!

BIKE
We woke up early and I had my generation Ucan and we set out on our bike ride with only a little sprinkle at the start.  I felt completely different than the week prior and it was a confidence booster for sure.  We had a few close calls with rude drivers but the bike ride was largely uneventful.  With about an hour left I had to take my generation ucan gel that I had made and put into a plastic bag.  This was not my most graceful moment but I did manage to eat most of it, while getting it all over my face and bike.  I was pretty proud at how long I could ride with one hand, my bike handling has definitely improved!

RUN
Transitioning to the run I tried to hang with Jamie too long and gas'd myself out pretty early in the 10 miles.  I need to be more aware and do my own pace and race.  I did eventually get it together and the 10 mile run took my right under 2 hours which was my goal.  I'm not trying to break any records, personal or otherwise on this half marathon!! The generation ucan from the bike did a great job and at the end of 10 miles I was just starting to feel hungry which was likely due to the fact I didn't get a chance to finish my whole baggie of gel.

SWIM
We woke up VERY early in the morning to head down to Rumson, New Jersey to swim in the Nave-sink river.  My nerves got the best of me and I threw up on a porta-potty on our way down to the river.  We checked in, got our swim caps, timing chips and body marked.  I was definitely chilly as we put on our wet suits but pretty excited.  Luckily Jamie and I headed down to the water for a test swim because as soon as I put my face in the water and realized all I could see was a murky yellow green color I had a freak out.  My heart was racing, my brain was screaming and my body was giving up.  Jamie told me to try Tarzan's so I did those and then realized that was going to exhausted me quickly so I decided to try breathing every three strokes.  This helped trick my brain as I saw light every three strokes.  Ladawn came down and we told her our tricks and she practiced a bit.

The men's group went and we headed to the start line with Ladawn and I holding hands and a plan that we would let the crazy people go ahead of us and start once it wasn't so stressful.  Once we got going I lost Jamie and Ladawn in the sea of pink caps and decided ok well here goes nothing.  That first buoy seemed SO far away and it seemed as though no matter how long I saw I never was going to make it there.  Eventually though I managed to make that first left turn and start toward the far buoy.  Unfortunately at that point I veer'd completely off course and when I brought my head up I noticed I was almost at the dock.  After cursing myself I yelled I was fine to the guy who asked if I was ok and then turned myself back on course and set back to it.  At this point I felt I had been in the water an hour and was getting no where, my heart started racing and I decided to roll over to my back. I looked up at the sky taking deep even breaths trying to calm myself down.  Mentally my brain was not on my side at that point as I thought about how I needed to give up, I couldn't do it, I wasn't going to make it.  Luckily something clicked and I said to myself "You can't quit, quitters don't get medals and you can't take a finish picture without a medal.  You have given up WAY too much to give up now, two weeks before the race"

At the turn around buoy I got kicked in the face pretty hard but luckily my goggles didn't come off and the way back went MUCH more smoothly than the trip out!  Sighting on the way back was nearly impossible because of the sun and there was a bit more chop to the water but my confidence had returned and I think that helped.  Overall a 49 minute swim which is not terrible!

7 days until the big race!

 

I apologize this will be LONG- First Triathlon!

April 12, 2014 was a Saturday like no other a day that forever changed my life.  The Power of a Woman Triathlon could not have been more aptly named for what happened that day.  Our group had over 30 women from all backgrounds and fitness levels participating.

The forecast called for rain all week but that morning when Joanne and I left Brooklyn it was beautiful.  We loaded the bikes in the back of her car with a blanket between them to protect them.  We arrived to Eisenhower Park about 6am and it was much colder there than it had been in Brooklyn.  We were some of the first to arrive and the nerves really set in at that point.  Luckily our support system was already there and that really calmed me down.  This was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for Eagleman so I could basically learn how to be a triathlete and do transitions.  Jacky helped set up my stuff with my bike and after much back and forth with a few volunteers we finally got things situated. Who knew there was a specific direction your bike had to be pointing depending on what side held the X.  Well the more you know the better you are I guess.

The really good part about our group is that we know how to party.  The event power folks were playing music and of course we all started dancing to get the nerves out.  After our big team photo we headed to the pool area and Dereka and I got in two practice laps.  It felt great to get some laps down to get the nerves out but when I got out of the pool I was pretty freezing.  Jacky recommended I do a couple more laps to keep warm.  Then it was time to line up for the National Anthem.

SWIM
 I lined up in the 10 minute group and felt nervous but pretty confident.  Well confident until the moment they told me, "Once she pushes off the wall you go."  I said, "Ok!." then promptly jumped into the pool with my goggles on top of my head.  I pulled them down quickly but of course they were filled with water.  Now back in January I did the same thing at the Chelsea pool and that time I immediately got out of the pool, freaked out and didn't go back in that day.  On Saturday I told myself, get to the other end, you MUST get to the other end.  I couldn't see much of anything just light and some shapes but I made it the 50 meters to the side of the pool, quickly fixed the goggles and then got to moving.

The pool set up was awkward as you swam down a length and then under the rope and back the opposite way.  I found it hard getting towards the middle as some people were taking rests and it was hard to figure out to navigate, I also felt every time I got into a rhythm it was time to stop and turn.  At the end I tried to sprint to the end but ended up boxed in between several other swimmers, I brought my head up and heard someone yell "Keep going KATRINA"  I have never put my head down so fast, I had no idea where I was going to keep going but I went back to swimming.  When I got out of the pool I didn't feel out of breath and I was really proud but things weren't over, time to run up to transition!

BIKE
I always tell myself just don't fall when getting on and off,  I was successful!  I did not try to eat or drink on the bike though and I think that was a questionable move. Looking back I also didn't push myself at all for those 6 miles, I was busy thinking I better hold back for the run.  Our friends were on the side  line as I came back into transition which was a really good energy boost and also pressure not to fall off when I unclipped!

RUN
Coming out for the run all I could hear was Jacky saying "FASTER KATRINA".  I felt like I couldn't go any faster, it felt like the longest mile of my life.  Once I finally hit that mile marker I sucked down that water took a couple beans and got back to running.  It honestly felt I was running backwards at one point.  Once I saw that finish line though I started an all out sprint.  I realized I had SO much energy left.  I definitely did not leave it all out there on the course but for a first time effort I was HAPPY.  52:52, 8th in my age group

AFTER

WOW is pretty much all I can say about our team.  The energy, team support and over all excitment really made the experience so much more than just a race.  We cheered for every single person and made sure no one was left out on that course.  I am so proud and honored to know these women who faced their fears and gave it their all to finish their first triathlon.  Many of them mothers who had their children there to witness such a spectacular display of human spirit and determination.  Setting such a positive example of not only health and fitness but also the never give up spirit.  I can not wait to see how much they continue to grow this year as many will tackle their  first open water triathlons.

Not a creature was stirring not even a Triathlete

Nerves are the name of the game today.  Soon I will pack my stuff into a backpack and take my bike onto the subway to Brooklyn.  Tomorrow morning I will wake up before the sun, gather my things and wearing my brand new team tri kit I will head to conquer my newest challenge.  By tomorrow afternoon, midmorning if I am lucky I will be an official triathlete.  Months of training coming down to one small race which is really just a short dress rehearsal for the much larger race in June, less than TWO MONTHS away.  Cue the freak out. 

I am feeling fairly confident going into tomorrow's race.  I'm looking at it as a training race, it is a chance to see how to transition.  A chance to see how I do in the pool with many other swimmers and how my swim anxiety does in a race situation.  Biking, oh the biking, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect here post duathlon but it is always good to get practice with no drafting and passing.  This time I will be more in the thick of things as opposed to the duathlon where everyone was WAY ahead!  The run is only 2 miles and will hopefully be the easiest part of the day but the bike to run transition was extremely hard in all my bricks as well as the duathlon so we shall see how my foot manages it. 

All in all I am feeling excited for this step on the journey.  I'm proud of how far I have come but fully aware of how far I have to go in such a short time until Eagleman (still freaking out).  

Sunday, oh right then Sunday on to a half marathon in Central park because well why not?  I wouldn't be me unless I overscheduled myself :)  The goal for the half marathon is strictly to finish not a single time goal at all.  I haven't been putting in the training miles running wise and I owe it to myself not to push like crazy.

Hopefully there will be a nice update Sunday night about my race fun :)

Be Kind, Please Rewind

I have a new motto post my duathlon meltdown and it goes back to my new found appreciation for self and also my lovely trainer Rachel knocking some sense into me.  I'm going to do a little rewind to get myself some perspective.

"Success is not how far you got but how far you traveled from where you started"

I found that on an instagram page after a chat where Rachel basically told me I need to take a hard look at where I had started and enjoy my accomplishment instead of feeling angry at myself.  She is quite wise :)  When I saw the quote I immediately texted her to inform her of my new motto and needless to say she wholeheartedly approved.

Now for our rewind, or a throwback in the young kid lingo :)

RUNNING
I started running in June of 2012 and I couldn't make it a quarter mile without stopping and feeling terribly winded.  Then as I built up so very slowly I would get about 1.5 miles and I would throw up.  In those early weeks/months I knew I was getting better because I could go farther before puking.  Looking back I bet the neighbors LOVED me, although I did try and spice up my route so I never puked in front of the same house!  My first half marathon which I am sure you have read the race recap for since you are a dutiful blog reader, was in October 2012 and thus I was bitten.  A little over a year later I ran my first marathon, that is a pretty good progression if you objectively look at it.  I wasn't very fast but I put in the miles.

BIKING
Oh right, biking.  Well I got a bike, oh wait I was supposed to do more than that?  Crap.  So I bought the bike in October and refused to ride it pre-marathon for fear of falling and hurting myself.  Then cue winter and I rode it for the first time in February, that's right, February.  I have been officially bike riding about a month, I have no clue what right I had to berate myself for not doing an awesome 28 miles on my bike last weekend.

SWIMMING
Well in my 32 years I have not drown but I am most definitely NOT a swimmer.  My sister was on the swim team, I managed to propel myself from the end of the diving board to the side of the pool.  Don't get me wrong I love water, perhaps I have a healthy respect for the ocean but I do love being in the water.  Swimming technically started in November and then took a little hiatus while my foot surgery healed so back at it in January.  Not a very long time considering I was starting from pretty much scratch and I tell you learning things as an adult is HARD!

BE KIND
I'm turning over a new leaf!

1) I WILL set up my training peaks and I WILL follow it
2) I WILL start swimming at Riverbank in the mornings to take advantage of the 50 meter pool.  Goodbye sleep I was getting, it was nice knowing you
3) I WILL see the positive changes and improvements I have made and recognize them

In January 2013 I started my fitness journey.  I didn't want to just be skinny anymore, I wanted to be fit. Plus I had signed up for a crazy number of running races and didn't want to get hurt and I also needed an outlet.  My life has changed so much since then and I am truly happier than I have ever been and grateful for everyone who has come into my life as a result. I will leave you with a photo of my birthday present from my amazing friend Shawna.

I LOVE IT!!!

Sleep with the fishes

Well hopefully I will not be sleeping with any fishes or seeing any dead bodies that are currently in the East River. In order to raise money for the Never Give Up 26 foundation (http://www.nevergiveup26.com/about---mission.html)  I will be swimming from Brooklyn to Manhattan on July 20th.

Yes, me the person who just started swimming in November and who cried when her hands were dirty with cookie dough until her mom washed them will be swimming in the East River. I'm definitely a bit nervous about going in the gross water and also the current but I am looking forward to meeting the challenge.  This year is about confronting and moving past fears and this race will be high on that list!

Another fear has been my bike, I love riding it on the trainer where there is absolutely no possibility of falling off and spin class is delightful.  Well this weekend I took advantage of the nice weather and my bike and I did two loops of Central Park.  Oh wow, getting on and off are my two biggest fears followed closely by the curvy areas of the park.  I managed to not fall off and actually had fun going around.  The second lap was much better after I got more comfortable with it and wasn't so nervous about going too fast. When I first got on the bike I thought to myself for a second, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING? WHY DID YOU SIGN UP FOR THIS?

Luckily I had the ladies of AWTT (more on that later) and they made me feel comfortable and pushed me to keep going.  After a quick couple of minutes the nerves were better and I was feeling pretty excited to be feeling the wind in my face.  Although I could do without all the darn tourists just randomly walking in front of me while I am trying to climb harlem hill.  It will be a while before I am whipping around the park but it was very successful!

Swimming is well it is swimming.  I hate it, with a passion but I signed up for a Tri Stroke Clinic at Asphalt Green and I am really excited about it.  I feel like I get so many different opinions and recommendations on this and it gets hard to know what to do but I feel frustrated I'm not getting better faster.  I'm hoping some specific guidance will help not only my stroke but also my confidence.

Ok that is enough for now!

Running: 37 miles
Biking: 8 hours/ 12 miles
Swimming: 7000 meters
Strength Training: 13 sessions

4 MONTHS TO EAGLEMAN!

Yesterday passed rather uneventfully until I realized it was FOUR, yes FOUR short months until EAGLEMAN.  Cue freak out of epic proportions about not feeling ready.

Last week was actually a really productive work out week and I felt a little confident going into my swim Saturday morning.  I met with some ladies up at Riverbank park to utilize the 50 meter pool, my arch nemesis. I feel that swimming ALWAYS goes better when you have people with you but I was still super antsy about the length of that pool.  54th street where I normally swim is not even really a 25 meter pool and I am always searching for that wall.  Last time I swam at Riverbank was almost a month ago and I had to stop in the middle of every. single. lap.  Disappointing.

This Saturday I was feeling pretty pumped after swimming two mornings during the week and feeling as though I was making progress albeit small.  The first lap I actually made it to the end of the 50 meters without feeling like I was going to drown or having to stop!  2000 meters later it was a mixed bag but I think if I am being honest with myself I have made progress.  My mom always told me that I am my own worst critic and that I am always too hard on myself.   I tried to focus on breathing steadily and not freaking out.  I don't feel I am anywhere near ready to do multiple 50 meter laps without stopping but if I keep putting in the time hopefully I will feel that way by the April sprint.  I actually wonder sometimes how much is my own head knowing a wall is coming and searching for it rather than actually needing it.

Sunday I attended a great seminar on Bikes at Brands Cycle in Wantagh.  It was weird to be back on the Long Island Railroad again, when they announced the Long Beach train I felt like I should be on it.  The seminar was really awesome and made me really excited to ride OUTSIDE!  I got bike shoes, clips and pedals but at some point really soon I need to schlep my bike out there and have those great guys put my pedals on my bike and make sure my fit still works.  They were so informative and helpful even when I was trying on shoes, I highly recommend their shop for all your bike needs.

Running is improving, my foot seems to like running intervals on the treadmill so I am sticking with that for now.  No need to cause any more pain than necessary! I also ordered a new pair of shoes to use for my trainer sessions that do not have a seam across the toe box so hoping that will assist with the foot issues during burpees and planks!  Progress my friends, sometimes it is slow but it is beautiful.

Big week planned this week, more swimming practice, spin class and some interval runs then home for my sister's baby shower so I will have a little trouble getting in my weekend work outs but I'll see what I can do at mom and dads.

Running: 26 miles
Biking: 6 hours
Swimming: 5200 meters
Strength Training: 9 sessions

Are you dating anyone?

Friday is my rest day and also pretty much the only day I ever head out to do something outside of my general, workout, work, workout, stuff my face, sleep schedule. This past Friday a particularly nosy co-worker who shall remain nameless asked me about 15 questions about if I was dating anyone, why I wasn't dating and then lectured me that if I didn't go out more often I would end up an old spinster.  Frankly I was rather annoyed and thought a few other choice words I don't want to write BUT she gave me an idea for a blog so I guess, "Thank you annoying, mean coworker."

My schedule this week...

I use dry erase boards to keep my schedule on my fridge with my 70.3 magnet to remind me why my schedule looks insane. So, yes annoying co-worker I actually am dating someone. I am dating a woman who has big dreams and goals of completing two 70.3 races this year and we actually decided to make our relationship more solid and plan a 140.6 race for 2015. We are extremely happy together fulfilling our own needs and wants without having to compromise our goals, sleep or schedule. Why is it so crazy to spend a period of your life more focused on yourself than finding someone else? Incidentally why should finding someone to date be more indicative of a successful life than challenging yourself to learn a new discipline and then complete 70.3 or 140.6 miles in one day and three sports.

My podiatrist once told me, "You know why you never want to date a triathlete?"  I said, "No, but I can't wait for this answer." He laughed and said, "they can't commit to one sport how can they commit to one person?" At the time it really made me laugh, a little doctor humor as he was being supportive of my switch to multisport training. Now, I realize why it is difficult to date a triathlete because they are too busy training in multiple disciplines or foam rolling after a week of intense work outs or sleeping because they are completely exhausted. That isn't to say it is impossible to date me or any other triathlete but let's just say my standards are a bit higher these days.  So pals, lovely friends of mine if you are thinking of setting me up here are my requirements these days:

1)Must love the smell of chlorine mixed with biofreeze; bonus points for being able to apply biofreeze before bed

2)Know how to wield a foam roller or lacrosse ball to get out all my muscle knots

3)LOVE waking up early...every.single.day.

4)Enjoy seeing me with crazy, frizzy hair from being washed twice a day almost every day

5)Not mind that I am pretty much ALWAYS in sneakers

6)Be able to hold their own on a run, or maybe a swim, or maybe a bike trainer session

7)Let me sleep when I have the time to sleep

8)Give good massages

9)Listen to me talk constantly about strength training, swimming, biking, running, shoes, race nutrition, race locations, well you get the idea

10)Come to every single race to cheer me on and carry my shit

BONUS: Squats make me look nice in my Tri suits :-)

For now I will stay content dating this fabulous woman I know who has decided to focus on herself and her fiercely independent streak to achieve some amazing dreams that she never knew she had until recently.  I will be selfish but guess what it won't be considered selfish because I only have myself to answer to and I'm pretty damn happy right now. 

Thanks for letting me get that one off my chest :)

Running: 20 miles
Biking:  4 hours
Swimming: 2800 m
Strength Training: 7 sessions

Less than 5 months to Eagleman!!

The thought occurred to me this past week that the 5 month mark to June 8th had passed rather unceremoniously as I was sick and super busy at work this week.   If I am going to be completely honest with myself I am no where near where I planned or wanted to be but I think my expectations were unrealistic.   Recovery from surgery is taking longer than I anticipated and I need to step up the dedication after the holidays.   The goal is to swim four days a week, that needs to move from being a goal to a reality.  I need to be doing at least one spin class a week and hopefully getting some runs in addition to my two strength training work outs a week.  

I had foot surgery at the start of December which really threw off any work out plans for that month, essentially I am not that far behind as I intended to start training a month post surgery on January 6th.  My post op visit on Friday made the doctor happy and it continued to make me sad.  Turned out the cyst as not just on the tendon sheath but inside the tendon sheath so they had to go in and cut that sheath causing some extra recovery.  I am cleared to try running on the treadmill which I plan to attempt tomorrow.  If my foot swells at all I'm supposed to stop running but all I can think about is my half marathon scheduled at the end of the month.   Luckily it does seem that my work outs with Rachel are not really causing swelling at all although I need to get some new gym shoes as my current ones are a little worse for the wear.

Let's talk swimming!  Swimming is my weakest sport and it is extremely frustrating to me.  Today I went to a swim session at Riverbank State Park which has a very nice 50 meter pool facility.  Perhaps I have told you about my last experience at a 50 meter pool and if I have you get to hear it again.  Normally I swim in 25 meter pools but one morning Rachel and I got feisty and went to Chelsea which has a nice 50 meter pool and it was packed for lap swim.  Both slow lanes were FULL, the medium lanes were crowded but the fast lane only had two people in it.  After a vote of confidence from Rachel that I could do the fast lane I jumped right in with my goggles up on my swim cap and about three stokes down had a meltdown while trying to put my goggles on but did manage to swim all the way to the end where I got out quickly.   After that no more 50 meter pools for me, until today.  It does feel good to accomplish something that make me nervous before although accomplish might be a strong word.  I think I need to set smaller swimming goals and realize it is difficult for me and smaller goals will be more easily tangible to show success.  I am pretty sure that I never made it all the way down without at least pausing but I did do a ton of laps, I really need to break out my garmin and use it next time.  I rested between every single 50 meter swim, sometimes for a little while and most times just a few minutes.

I tried my hardest to breathe out while in the water, my brain has major issues with that but I think I did it better job today.  I got two AWFUL cramps, at different times in both calves.  I will be working to drink even more water and maybe even wake up early to foam roll before swim instead of the night before.  I just have no endurance at all when it comes to swimming and it is extremely frustrating but I was in awe today of women who actually have fears of the water getting in and swimming.  It is amazing to watch people overcome their fears and work to better themselves!   I'm so proud of each and everyone of them!

Only thing to do at this point is to get my butt to the pool and put in the time and effort to get better, no more whining about it only actions!


Running:
Biking:
Swimming: 1600 meters
Strength Training Workouts: 2