For some reason, I had it in my head that transition opened at 4:30am, so I was antsy to get my bottles and water on my bike and tires pumped, etc. Shelley and Anna kindly walked Sharon and I down at 4:45 only to find out that transition didn't open until 5. Waiting was hard, I wasn't even out my PJs and hadn't eaten yet. Anna had volunteered in transition so she put her shirt back on when the transition opened and found us a tire pump and our T-bags. We were very lucky in our bag and bike placements, on end rows and near Porta-potties.
Back up to the condo for breakfast, and I managed to eat a good one: 2 frozen waffles, 2 eggs, applesauce, a banana and coffee. Fully fed, I laid back down and dozed for a few minutes until it was time to get my swim and wet suit on. MyKaren was a peeler, so she left a few mintues before we did.
The walk down the beach to the start area was pretty intense, I think it really hit me at that point that I was going to be in an IronMan race very soon! We met up with KateO and Patty and all of us slowly walked to the start corral. The whole scene was surreal; tons of wet suited people wandering around, some excited, some obviously very nervous, the energy was crazy and the crowd was everywhere. We met up with the remainder of the group inside, as we hugged the rear of the corral. We saw the TriGirls and boys (Jill, Grandison, Jackie, Cyndi, Derick, Sarah, Tim and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head--sorry!) Jill was the best, she was beside herself with excitement for us--a camera man filmed her hugging Sharon and then he gave Jill a hug as well...it was very cool. The gun for the pros went off, and then we waited for our turn, which came much sooner than I thought it would.
We had agreed to wait on the beach, but that plan fell apart very shortly. We all waded in as the masses surged into the water after the start gun. It wasn't but 30 second or so, when Sharon looked at me and said lets go. So off we went. I have to say, I loved the swim. I lost sight of Sharon at the first wall of people who were still walking and bouncing out further; I figured if the water was deep enough to swim, that was what I was going to do. I passed a crap load of people in the first hundred meters, lots of people were bobbing around; doing the breast-stroke to sight, and just kind of thrashing around. Thank god for ProKaren; I could SWIM! I would characterize the swim as aggressively defensive; I kept looking ahead in the water for feet and managed not to get kicked or punched. I just looked for openings between people and kicked like hell when I needed to break free from packs of people. It became a game for me to find the open water pockets and before I knew it I was nearly done with the first lap. As I exited the water, the timer said 50 minutes, so I was freaked out since I thought my first lap had sucked. However, I did see Som just yards ahead of me, so I thought I must be doing ok. After grabbing a mouthful of water, I waded back in for the second lap.
I swam as directly as I could to the corner turn bouy and was alone for much of that leg. At the turn bouy all hell was breaking loose as everyone was trying to be as close to it as possible. Again, I thought it was kind of fun to try to squiggle around people and find the smallest openings to try to squirt through before they closed. At one point, I almost got squeezed between two swimmers so I did a cheating catch-up and pushed them off of me without breaking my stroke! I was quite proud of that move, and actually laughed underwater at myself.
Sighting is something that I tend to do fairly well, and I had a good swim back to shore for swim end. I followed ProKaren's advice which is to sight something on shore; the huge arch is a good one for IMFL, and the hell with the bouys. I was again alone for most of the final leg and finally got to shore and waded out. As I was wading I could see part of the clock: 1:2xxx, so I was happy thinking I was like a 1:28 or 9, so I was VERY happy when I was 1:23! I peeled my wetsuit as I ran up the sand to the peeler station, and then began to call for MyKaren much like Rocky did Adrienne---KAAARREN. I saw Shelley and then Karen at the end of the peeler station, and ran to them for peeling. Both looked at their watches in amazement!
Peeled and showered, I entered the changing tent and came to a dead stop. Never have I seen such chaos and skin. I found a chair and began to dry off and get dressed when I hear my name being called by Sharon! Yeah! We were going to be able to ride together! TriLynn found me and helped me get changed the rest of the way and Sharon and I left the tent together. Tomorrow: the BIKE!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
11/4/2008
OK! I AM AN IRONMAN!!!! I'll break my race report into several sections; this one being the pre-race one. MyKaren, Shelley, Lisa and I all flew down to Panama City on Wednesday. Nothing much to do that evening since we got in after the expo and registration closed. I managed to grab my bike from TriBike Transport before they closed. We fed TriKate and Sharon dinner that evening in our condo as their people were not arriving until the next day. The Boardwalk condos are nice and very close to the action, but still quiet.
We all agreed to a practice swim at 8 am, so we all met up at the Gatorade bag check-in. A pre-swim is a must and the bag check-in is great since you also get free gatorade afterwards. We swam one loop; it was lovely! There was some chop out by the turns, but not too bad. We swam over schools of little fishes and I nearly swam into a jellyfish that was purple and pink. After the swim, we ate breakfast and got our race packets. Reality began to set in about that point, even though I kept thinking I was there for MyKaren and Shelley. Several of us rode our bikes on the run course (another must) so we knew how the run course looked and how far it was. MyKaren, Sharon and I also drove the bike course (yet another must) which showed that the course was not in fact, dead flat. There are some sections of rolling hills, not terribly hard, but rolling hills nonetheless.
Friday was bag check-in day. My sherpas took control and got me all organized and packed up which really reduced my stress! Thanks Sherpas! It was still scary for me to actually drop off my bags and bike in the transition area with all the other really expensive bikes and their zip wheels or disk wheels. My poor little Sweet Pea looked kind of out of place, but we did find a couple of bikes that were really low end and poorly maintained. Dinner was pasta and I tried to get to bed at 8 pm. Tossing and turning and dozing was about all I could manage Friday night...the alarm at 4:15 am was not a surprize.
We all agreed to a practice swim at 8 am, so we all met up at the Gatorade bag check-in. A pre-swim is a must and the bag check-in is great since you also get free gatorade afterwards. We swam one loop; it was lovely! There was some chop out by the turns, but not too bad. We swam over schools of little fishes and I nearly swam into a jellyfish that was purple and pink. After the swim, we ate breakfast and got our race packets. Reality began to set in about that point, even though I kept thinking I was there for MyKaren and Shelley. Several of us rode our bikes on the run course (another must) so we knew how the run course looked and how far it was. MyKaren, Sharon and I also drove the bike course (yet another must) which showed that the course was not in fact, dead flat. There are some sections of rolling hills, not terribly hard, but rolling hills nonetheless.
Friday was bag check-in day. My sherpas took control and got me all organized and packed up which really reduced my stress! Thanks Sherpas! It was still scary for me to actually drop off my bags and bike in the transition area with all the other really expensive bikes and their zip wheels or disk wheels. My poor little Sweet Pea looked kind of out of place, but we did find a couple of bikes that were really low end and poorly maintained. Dinner was pasta and I tried to get to bed at 8 pm. Tossing and turning and dozing was about all I could manage Friday night...the alarm at 4:15 am was not a surprize.
Monday, October 27, 2008
10/27/2008
OK, this is the last blog before the big day....only 6 more days, and I'll be in it! The last few workouts have pretty much sucked, but from what I hear, that is normal. MyKaren and Sharon and I rode 1 1/2 hours indoor followed by a 6+ mile run on Saturday. Not a good day on the street. My freakin foot hurt, and I was not nutritionally ready for a 2 1/2+ hour workout. My bad. I swam 1.5 miles yesterday, felt fine with that, at least. I'm hopeful for a good swim and bike and a tolerable run. Shoot, I'm just hoping for an official finish.
Thanks to all the TriGirls and MaramarcBoys who have cheered me on through this journey, and the support of all my nonTri friends and family.
I'll be sure to post copious blogs after the race, but this is all for now!
Thanks to all the TriGirls and MaramarcBoys who have cheered me on through this journey, and the support of all my nonTri friends and family.
I'll be sure to post copious blogs after the race, but this is all for now!
Monday, October 20, 2008
10/20/2008
Time keeps ticking and November 1st is fast approaching. Through this training, we have trained in rain, wind, heat, and now cold. It was cold as crap on Saturday, when at 7:30 am, Sharon, KateO and I decided to ride our 50 miles. None of us was really prepared for the cold, windy and damp day. Kate forgot to wear tights, so she was freezing and bailed after 33 miles. Sharon and I braved another 10 miles, but that was enough. We were too frozen to run, so we went and ate soup at Zuppa. Yummmy. We ran yesterday, a much better choice. My freakin right foot was (and is) killing me, I have not been to a doctor yet, don't see a point at this time. I hope I can get through the run and then I'll see what's going on. Waahh. Less than 2 weeks.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
10/13/2008
Yipeeeeeee! Last long workout done! This weekend was the Eastern Shore 100, and everyone did fantastic! Some of us got a little Bay swim in on Friday, there was some current and water was very salty, kind a good indication of the Florida swim. It was a flat and windy ride, the first time I've ever actually ridden the whole 100 miles on the Shore, although I've been at the ride the last 2 times as well. Sharon made a lovey and hearty meal for everyone; chicken pot pie, salad, some weird orange/onion thing, and pound cake with fruit and whipped cream for dessert. Yumminess.
Then, the ride. The IMFL peeps, as well as 2 of the IMAZ people (and of course MarcoDiablo and MyKaren the sherpa of the year) went on the ride on a beautiful autumn day on the shore. Karen turned around at about mile 17 since she has her last 1/2 IM of the year this coming weekend. It was a bit windy heading north, sometimes very windy, but everyone hunkered down and got it done. After our picnic snacks at around mile 53 (this was evidently the first time the riders actually stopped where I had envisioned...course it helped that I took some photos this time so everyone would know exactly where I thought the stop should be) we headed back to a nice tail wind. The group of 6 tried to get a nice pace line going, but it fell apart after some of the peeps got a little fire in their legs when it was time to lead....at one time the leader was going around 25 miles an hour and was about a quarter mile ahead of the group. There may be a teeny learning curve on how to ride a pace line, but everyone made it just fine. I think we averaged about 15 1/2 on the way out and 18+ on the way back. We may have had a tail wind, but we were cranking along.
After the long ride, we ran a bit on the trails in Kiptopeke, a nice run through spider webs. Whenever we stopped the mosquitos were so bad it really made us keep running. The run really was not any fun, we kept saying that we wanted crowds and water/food stops to keep us going. Afterwards, MyKaren took great care of us, with nachos and beer after our showers, and then a bountiful meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, carrots and salad. We ate like we had not seen food in days. We all had grand ideas of a camp fire and drinking heavily, but we all passed out around 9 pm.
Today, several of us did the dreaded 3-mile swim. We all went to 50 meter pool haven, and swam our little hearts out. Long swim. Very long. But, I felt OK and I think my last mile was my fastest of the day. Hopefully it will all translate into goodness come November 1.
I think we are ALL ready.
Then, the ride. The IMFL peeps, as well as 2 of the IMAZ people (and of course MarcoDiablo and MyKaren the sherpa of the year) went on the ride on a beautiful autumn day on the shore. Karen turned around at about mile 17 since she has her last 1/2 IM of the year this coming weekend. It was a bit windy heading north, sometimes very windy, but everyone hunkered down and got it done. After our picnic snacks at around mile 53 (this was evidently the first time the riders actually stopped where I had envisioned...course it helped that I took some photos this time so everyone would know exactly where I thought the stop should be) we headed back to a nice tail wind. The group of 6 tried to get a nice pace line going, but it fell apart after some of the peeps got a little fire in their legs when it was time to lead....at one time the leader was going around 25 miles an hour and was about a quarter mile ahead of the group. There may be a teeny learning curve on how to ride a pace line, but everyone made it just fine. I think we averaged about 15 1/2 on the way out and 18+ on the way back. We may have had a tail wind, but we were cranking along.
After the long ride, we ran a bit on the trails in Kiptopeke, a nice run through spider webs. Whenever we stopped the mosquitos were so bad it really made us keep running. The run really was not any fun, we kept saying that we wanted crowds and water/food stops to keep us going. Afterwards, MyKaren took great care of us, with nachos and beer after our showers, and then a bountiful meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, carrots and salad. We ate like we had not seen food in days. We all had grand ideas of a camp fire and drinking heavily, but we all passed out around 9 pm.
Today, several of us did the dreaded 3-mile swim. We all went to 50 meter pool haven, and swam our little hearts out. Long swim. Very long. But, I felt OK and I think my last mile was my fastest of the day. Hopefully it will all translate into goodness come November 1.
I think we are ALL ready.
Monday, October 6, 2008
10/6/2008
Today is my Mom's birthday, so Happy Birthday Mom! Saturday was the last long run of IMFL training, a 22 miler after an hour bike. The runs beat me up sooo much more than the long biking, but at least the next time I run (or walk) 20+ miles, it will be on November 1st in FL.
Got on the bikes at Maramarc at 6 am for an hour trainer ride. In my before the crack of dawn, blundering around the dark house , trying not to wake up MyKaren fog, I forgot my biking shoes so I had to bike in my running shoes. Not bad for an hour, but would have rather had my biking shoes. Then the IMFL and IMAZ peeps who showed up (Patty, Tammy, Heidi, KateO and Sharon) as well as a few other runner only people, all took off for a couple of 10 to 11-mile loops. IMFL had to do 2 11-mile loops, which took us generally up to the west end of Grove and east to VCU. It was a beautiful day for a run, and the Sports Backer group was out in force along the same general route, so we actually had herds of runners passing us for the entire first loop. While it was kind of a pain to have lots of runners thundering by, it was also nice to see other people, some of whom actually spoke to us! They were on a down week, and were only running 12 miles....we wished we had a down week, but I guess that will happen soon enough when the taper begins. Of course, I felt very self-satisfied that while they were only training for a marathon, I was training for a long swim, long bike and THEN a marathon. Ha ha-oh wait, maybe I am the dumb one...
The run was very painful for the last 2 miles or so, I told Sharon that I may begin to make grunting and moaning noises as I ran up Monument for the last leg, since I was in a lot of pain with my stupid hip. I always wondered about those runners that you hear who make little ( or sometimes loud) moaning noises every step they take, well now I understand. But I managed to keep my moaning internal, at least for now. I think I did ok with eating, I had 2 1/2 gus and drank 5-10 oz bottles of Endura, for a run that took about 4:15. I felt pretty good in terms of energy, but man was I sore. My quads are still a bit sore, even today.
So, less than a month away, and now it's becoming really, really real for me. I sometimes think I'm ready and just want it to be here, and the next moment I am scared @$%#less. Time keeps ticking and days go by, and I'll soon be on the beach in my wetsuit with the look of abject terror and perhaps, some excitement.
Got on the bikes at Maramarc at 6 am for an hour trainer ride. In my before the crack of dawn, blundering around the dark house , trying not to wake up MyKaren fog, I forgot my biking shoes so I had to bike in my running shoes. Not bad for an hour, but would have rather had my biking shoes. Then the IMFL and IMAZ peeps who showed up (Patty, Tammy, Heidi, KateO and Sharon) as well as a few other runner only people, all took off for a couple of 10 to 11-mile loops. IMFL had to do 2 11-mile loops, which took us generally up to the west end of Grove and east to VCU. It was a beautiful day for a run, and the Sports Backer group was out in force along the same general route, so we actually had herds of runners passing us for the entire first loop. While it was kind of a pain to have lots of runners thundering by, it was also nice to see other people, some of whom actually spoke to us! They were on a down week, and were only running 12 miles....we wished we had a down week, but I guess that will happen soon enough when the taper begins. Of course, I felt very self-satisfied that while they were only training for a marathon, I was training for a long swim, long bike and THEN a marathon. Ha ha-oh wait, maybe I am the dumb one...
The run was very painful for the last 2 miles or so, I told Sharon that I may begin to make grunting and moaning noises as I ran up Monument for the last leg, since I was in a lot of pain with my stupid hip. I always wondered about those runners that you hear who make little ( or sometimes loud) moaning noises every step they take, well now I understand. But I managed to keep my moaning internal, at least for now. I think I did ok with eating, I had 2 1/2 gus and drank 5-10 oz bottles of Endura, for a run that took about 4:15. I felt pretty good in terms of energy, but man was I sore. My quads are still a bit sore, even today.
So, less than a month away, and now it's becoming really, really real for me. I sometimes think I'm ready and just want it to be here, and the next moment I am scared @$%#less. Time keeps ticking and days go by, and I'll soon be on the beach in my wetsuit with the look of abject terror and perhaps, some excitement.
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