tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81539978285669512402024-03-14T01:23:19.524-07:00IronVetFrom puppy doc to triathlons... and everything in between. Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-23808435993649578082021-07-05T10:54:00.005-07:002021-07-14T14:41:35.734-07:00Race Recap: Ironman Coeur D’Alene - Feeling HOT HOT HOT<p>Do you ever have one of those weeks where everything just falls into place and your ducks line up like you want them and the chips fall exactly where you need them to fall? That was IMCDA; it was like it was meant to be *the* weekend from the minute we got to Idaho... welcome to the IMCDA race recap. Hopefully you have a glass of wine and 30 minutes to kill. </p><p>The evening before was a little rough. Bri and I are not experienced bike travelers and getting the bikes into the bags adequately packed and protected was a challenge but by midnight, we were in bed and ready for that 3 am wake-up call. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZ4yWBpazzw/YOzillmMCjI/AAAAAAABB0c/O9BQe4JEmhAMtK-60Ot0fSaN6iDc_Ej4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s3088/38BF95A6-0F04-4116-A8F6-BDAC2E4730EE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZ4yWBpazzw/YOzillmMCjI/AAAAAAABB0c/O9BQe4JEmhAMtK-60Ot0fSaN6iDc_Ej4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/38BF95A6-0F04-4116-A8F6-BDAC2E4730EE.jpeg" /></a></div><p>The flights were not noteworthy which I think is good when it comes to air travel. I prefer the boring, not exciting flights that result in smooth landings. </p><p>We touched down in Spokane and were greeted with a minimal line for Avis car rentals while Budget had an hour long line that Courtney and Ron were currently stuck in. We ended up with a car upgrade to a 4-Runner which was a blessing since it would have been tricky to get both bike bags and the luggage into a smaller SUV. By the time we had keys in hand, Court and Ron were just about done and we decided to get lunch in Spokane at a cute little brewery with delicious food and even hard Kombucha on tap which would be the last drink of the week until Monday. </p><p>After lunch, we headed over to our first AirBNB - the Mill house - an adorable little suite in the backyard of a larger home. It was perfect for us for one night. We set down all our stuff, got dressed and headed out for a shake-out run. Since Bri only had 25 minutes and I had a 45 minute run on tap, he turned around just before the start of the asphalt trail that would later be part of the run course during the race. I continued alone at an easy pace, enjoying the lake view. It was quiet with no people around until a man with a familiar loping stride came running toward me. In the split second before he passed me, I noticed the Canyon shirt and realized it was Lionel Sanders. I took a few more steps and turned around, attempting to get a video like the fan girl I am. Of course, I epically failed and ended up with a single picture from 50 yards away. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FseE_tIuIqI/YOziyLE4yUI/AAAAAAABB0o/F1-etY6hB-IaTGQmkX1g-aNS_c3INuiHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/8F57A1B6-2299-443A-A9AB-A7FF83B4A838.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FseE_tIuIqI/YOziyLE4yUI/AAAAAAABB0o/F1-etY6hB-IaTGQmkX1g-aNS_c3INuiHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/8F57A1B6-2299-443A-A9AB-A7FF83B4A838.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bye Lionel.</div><p>I ran home and Bri and I walked to the main drag to get pizzas to bring back as we worked on unpacking the bikes. A short while later, it was time for an episode of SVU and time for bed. </p><p>Thursday morning involved a practice swim with Cindy and Jason and we checked-in at our designated time in the Ironman village. Having the check-in entirely digitized was much faster and easier - I hope they continue this in the future! We celebrated Cindy’s first-timer status and the fact the we all got to be racked together. We got all our “stuff” and headed to the merch tent where I only purchased a hat and a mug. Not my best, but not my worst either. I think IMMT I bought a pair of goggles and that was it, but I couldn’t resist the race theme colors - deep teal and sky blue. Take my money Ironman.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwUv068jdbs/YOzjB1hF4RI/AAAAAAABB00/MKdvwA6DP8MsT7-XgdMxoVzKsBYPBCsPACLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/48A9E7B4-053E-4E0E-A166-071A0CD9320A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwUv068jdbs/YOzjB1hF4RI/AAAAAAABB00/MKdvwA6DP8MsT7-XgdMxoVzKsBYPBCsPACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/48A9E7B4-053E-4E0E-A166-071A0CD9320A.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2oc76j481GA/YOzjCIfP-jI/AAAAAAABB08/BNSQ_kuCCMQRbEWD6zZ7tvCVUSLpGOarACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/75A029C7-399E-4165-926F-2199411F80D8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2oc76j481GA/YOzjCIfP-jI/AAAAAAABB08/BNSQ_kuCCMQRbEWD6zZ7tvCVUSLpGOarACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/75A029C7-399E-4165-926F-2199411F80D8.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YanWkJWpnOk/YOzjBzrV0YI/AAAAAAABB04/riY9cAReXQQVc7uHatHyqnjOmAkLFx16wCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/ECB82430-0E1E-4544-BFC1-EB1A70CEB4A0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YanWkJWpnOk/YOzjBzrV0YI/AAAAAAABB04/riY9cAReXQQVc7uHatHyqnjOmAkLFx16wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ECB82430-0E1E-4544-BFC1-EB1A70CEB4A0.jpeg" /></a></div><p>We finished assembling the bikes and noticed that Raptorex’s disk brake was rubbing again and my rear wheel was loose. GREAT. Thankfully, the PlayTri bike mechanics had RR going in 45 minutes while we grabbed lunch and she was good as new. We then headed to Cindy’s house to meet up for our 1:30 bike ride. The three of us rode the first 14 miles of the bike course and Bri and I did another out and back to get some more time on the bike. It was pretty flat and fast with one uphill that thankfully had been cut-out of this years’ run course!</p><p>It was time to check-in to the big house airBNB and Dayle and Kevin met us at the house shortly after. It was SO GOOD to see them and I was pumped - and thankful - that they were going to be a part of race weekend. My parents arrived that night which nearly completed the sherpa crew, as LL would be arriving the next day. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OhTwN6UiqDQ/YOzjNRJY6YI/AAAAAAABB1A/_lyqpfzUGN0Yt_hpOz6-djP4Uj27C10KQCLcBGAsYHQ/s3088/AE4B52EC-EEA2-4E4C-AF6A-9050EA384A63.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OhTwN6UiqDQ/YOzjNRJY6YI/AAAAAAABB1A/_lyqpfzUGN0Yt_hpOz6-djP4Uj27C10KQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/AE4B52EC-EEA2-4E4C-AF6A-9050EA384A63.jpeg" /></a></div><p>We spent a bit of time Thursday evening watching YouTube vids and, as always, tuned into Lionel’s race week recaps. As he was preparing for his own shake out run on screen, I realized he was wearing the same outfit I’d seen him in the day before. Cut to a shot of him running on the trail… and me running past him! I’m famous now. *does the queen’s wave to no one in particular.*</p><p>Friday morning was another swim (and bike and run) and Dayle got to check out the water as well. Holli and Andrew and Holli’s mom Judith and Gary were there and I had my first big emotional breakdown of the trip. Hugging Holli and her Momma brought flooding memories of our time in Ireland and finally - FINALLY - this felt like a true racing weekend. I didn’t think I had missed racing that much in the past year (too busy being stressed at work and trying to train through it) but when we were all reunited, I couldn’t hold back the tears and I hugged them </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcPrcvSchOA/YOzjqSQuhJI/AAAAAAABB14/yKw-wmUk7h0RU9np6HAIyLQ6ANrfO6IvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/04192B70-6B5F-4F8C-AC22-37CE261AB0D8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="1440" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcPrcvSchOA/YOzjqSQuhJI/AAAAAAABB14/yKw-wmUk7h0RU9np6HAIyLQ6ANrfO6IvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/04192B70-6B5F-4F8C-AC22-37CE261AB0D8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWH1JsJuFps/YOzjWlXOaSI/AAAAAAABB1M/hftePmJtz8UtsSnyuDiP63lnaGLUu-97ACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/7AD850E9-7447-419B-BDB3-590F21EE34F6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWH1JsJuFps/YOzjWlXOaSI/AAAAAAABB1M/hftePmJtz8UtsSnyuDiP63lnaGLUu-97ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/7AD850E9-7447-419B-BDB3-590F21EE34F6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCKGSfSPG-c/YOzjXjHtkWI/AAAAAAABB1c/NCJqXMViVMwbJ4_XHoieMCS-wx0EfqbcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/9FD2735D-A3BB-4181-864F-17CA565FFFCE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCKGSfSPG-c/YOzjXjHtkWI/AAAAAAABB1c/NCJqXMViVMwbJ4_XHoieMCS-wx0EfqbcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9FD2735D-A3BB-4181-864F-17CA565FFFCE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-36vole_91hI/YOzjWqnbs8I/AAAAAAABB1U/pLucgyRSW1sISzfv1_sXWUqVQnU0RNbhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/48EFF2CD-7696-4F80-959D-EB216DEA09C0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-36vole_91hI/YOzjWqnbs8I/AAAAAAABB1U/pLucgyRSW1sISzfv1_sXWUqVQnU0RNbhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/48EFF2CD-7696-4F80-959D-EB216DEA09C0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Mczcr1dmBQ/YOzjXTh7RUI/AAAAAAABB1Y/xL6spg-oPLEKVLO-EtgnJ3rL9uWEKRZ0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/94A772CD-DDFD-4E57-9EAC-BDC2EC153AEE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Mczcr1dmBQ/YOzjXTh7RUI/AAAAAAABB1Y/xL6spg-oPLEKVLO-EtgnJ3rL9uWEKRZ0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/94A772CD-DDFD-4E57-9EAC-BDC2EC153AEE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Heather Jackson was at the swim as well and we all had a fan girl moment which was fun. Racing with the pros is one very cool perk of this sport. How many football fans get to just casually run into their favorite athletes and talk to them? How many baseball fans get to share the field and play with their favorite teams during the season? We respect and admire the professional triathletes and get to see into their lives via IG and youtube and even though they are amazingly talented, they are also just like us and they need to get their practice swims and bikes and runs in too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_R8KpNq4SQ/YOzjf4nVJ9I/AAAAAAABB1o/8lzkkEm6Z_I059R2DSC2HKoQMfOoO952gCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/3B479E9E-4F40-4FD3-8521-7C5C10A4C76A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_R8KpNq4SQ/YOzjf4nVJ9I/AAAAAAABB1o/8lzkkEm6Z_I059R2DSC2HKoQMfOoO952gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3B479E9E-4F40-4FD3-8521-7C5C10A4C76A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just having some laughs with our new BFF.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w9R52N7uSMM/YOzjf2isPBI/AAAAAAABB1k/H1gHb0-7j58RuPo5PCRd5xlQd5wykmqYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/AB30B4AB-75F1-44AB-BC8F-56F27E0EB607.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w9R52N7uSMM/YOzjf2isPBI/AAAAAAABB1k/H1gHb0-7j58RuPo5PCRd5xlQd5wykmqYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/AB30B4AB-75F1-44AB-BC8F-56F27E0EB607.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I headed out for a 45 min easy spin and hit the trail again to the bike turn around and back to the car. This time, I had two Lionel sightings and a bonus Cody Beals sighting. In my fragile little brain, I equated this to good race juju for Sunday. Raptorex was working well and I felt pretty good. I followed the bike up with a 30 min T-run and explored a bit of the run course through the neighborhood. Met up with Mom, Dayle, and Bri and we got some lunch to bring back to the house. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6vS74aplwhQ/YOzjqRXF3oI/AAAAAAABB18/V8XreI6bVNA-K9znnz7NMzle6BiaIrCaACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/309024D2-9DA3-4205-BB82-70DDDDBC4DD6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6vS74aplwhQ/YOzjqRXF3oI/AAAAAAABB18/V8XreI6bVNA-K9znnz7NMzle6BiaIrCaACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/309024D2-9DA3-4205-BB82-70DDDDBC4DD6.jpeg" /></a></div><p>LL arrived and the crew was complete! It meant so much that she came out to cheer us on and spend the weekend with us (Thanks Matt for sole parenting for a weekend while we got to play!). While we chitchatted outside on the porch, I got an IG DM from Sarah True. WTH? I opened it and learned I had won a month of Nuun hydration products via an IG contest on her recent post. Hell yea - we had been drinking tubes of it over the past week to bump up the electrolyte intake and had, in fact, just bought 2 more tubes at the expo the previous day. Good juju, yes?</p><p>Mom made lasagna for dinner and Andrea and Wes joined us which was awesome to catch up. We had a lot of laughs, traded cat stories, and talked about our upcoming big day on Sunday before heading to bed early. </p><p>Thanks to the time change, Bri and I had been getting up very early which would be helpful for Sunday and the 5:35 am start time. We got up sans alarm at 4:45, had coffee and a snack and headed back to the water for one last shake-out swim. After swimming daily for 3 days in a row, I was feeling good in the water and looking forward to the first leg of the race. The rest of the day consisted of bike drop off, packing transition bag and relaxing while watching TV and youtube. Dinner was chicken and white rice while the crew had chicken parm, then it was off to sleep to get some rest before Sunday… I did slam a water bottle with osmo preload before passing out though.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuzSmBPiO8s/YOzkRdBTxkI/AAAAAAABB2M/ReTFlailatIQAgNpdvypppU-Tc0Vh1cvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/66C8BB61-ACC6-4063-92CF-3292531A2C19.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuzSmBPiO8s/YOzkRdBTxkI/AAAAAAABB2M/ReTFlailatIQAgNpdvypppU-Tc0Vh1cvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/66C8BB61-ACC6-4063-92CF-3292531A2C19.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Raptorex with new decals</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g0c1p5r1UQc/YOzkRmvRTBI/AAAAAAABB2Q/_1S7-79h5dctdB8aH_L7B1VWs940iaJMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/BF2FC742-8103-42D8-A499-B3A15DA2C5E6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g0c1p5r1UQc/YOzkRmvRTBI/AAAAAAABB2Q/_1S7-79h5dctdB8aH_L7B1VWs940iaJMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/BF2FC742-8103-42D8-A499-B3A15DA2C5E6.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bike check-in - all racked together</div><p>Race day!</p><p>Alarm went off at 2:45 am and that was just a bit too early. I snoozed for 10 minutes and finally got out of bed to get coffee and food. I made my Picky Bar Matcha Oatmeal (RIP Matcha Oatmeal, you were my favorite and I’m sad you are discontinued). I didn’t have the best appetite and my stomach was a bit off but I was able to eat most of it and keep it down. Another bottle of osmo preload and i was ready to roll. The fam dropped us off - everyone got up to make the trek over, bless them - and Bri and I headed to transition to start setting up. In light of covid safe return to racing, there were no change tents and no bike or run gear bags so transition was just like any other race and it felt like i didn’t have enough STUFF! my transition area looked like any other 70.3 and i commandeered the area behind bri’s rear wheel. Jason and Cindy showed up shortly after us and it was awesome to be racked all together and soak in the pre-race feels.</p><p>I finally felt like I had all the gear laid out in a semi-logical fashion and had a salted watermelon Gu, a pop-tart, and some water before heading over to the crew to put wetsuits on and watch the pros start. Before I knew it, the cannons were going off and the men and women pros were on their way. When the cannon went off for the ladies, I cried (actual tears) and cheered for Holli (THATS MY FRIEND!). Bri and I finished putting wetsuits on but not before I cuddled a fun-loving mini australian shepherd that made fast friends with me. </p><p>Down at the beach, Bri and I lined up with the sub-1 hour group and waded into the water for a short, 2 minute warm-up. Everything seemed to be in working order and my guesstimate for a swim time was 1:01-1:03 if we followed the plan and didn’t go out hard. The plan being that I would lead us comfortably for the first loop (since B is often a bit overzealous for the first few hundred meters) and at the run onto the beach to start the second loop, Bri would takeover and I would draft off of him for the second loop. Right as we were about to get in, Bri said - stay on left side of buoys! - which seemed like it would have less traffic since many people assume you have to stay to the right - and he was right!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VqsULPhO4w4/YOzk4aqOH9I/AAAAAAABB2g/UpeHvnA5da8p5OTrlh177qkWaoOkAdwJACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/1F483CCE-071D-4F7F-910F-D9F873D292EE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VqsULPhO4w4/YOzk4aqOH9I/AAAAAAABB2g/UpeHvnA5da8p5OTrlh177qkWaoOkAdwJACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1F483CCE-071D-4F7F-910F-D9F873D292EE.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">10 minutes to go!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4kgY8ZFZsgc/YOzk4Egw_LI/AAAAAAABB2Y/UtY__HeGhYoc1d1GsgWlEV28374X3X2qQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/A79F21CD-1D42-4377-A5F6-D52995C6B89F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4kgY8ZFZsgc/YOzk4Egw_LI/AAAAAAABB2Y/UtY__HeGhYoc1d1GsgWlEV28374X3X2qQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/A79F21CD-1D42-4377-A5F6-D52995C6B89F.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gJgL2FMO49U/YOzk4PxMwuI/AAAAAAABB2c/aukXH_zf5hQlHV_MaQ0q74YKb8lR83pkACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/CF1BFDC6-BA91-42A0-AD3F-9D57D18DD4E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gJgL2FMO49U/YOzk4PxMwuI/AAAAAAABB2c/aukXH_zf5hQlHV_MaQ0q74YKb8lR83pkACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/CF1BFDC6-BA91-42A0-AD3F-9D57D18DD4E3.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b50vEsIdFtA/YOzk4geyokI/AAAAAAABB2k/InZt8knvec4eCxB4sDjY3eFryOBcBMKkACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/D89CA7F0-32C7-4DB6-9C1B-044583B928B3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b50vEsIdFtA/YOzk4geyokI/AAAAAAABB2k/InZt8knvec4eCxB4sDjY3eFryOBcBMKkACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/D89CA7F0-32C7-4DB6-9C1B-044583B928B3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The best support squad a girl could ask for.</div><br /><p><br /></p><p>SWIM: </p><p>The cannon went off and just over 3 minutes later, I was running into the water. I was already adjusted to the water temp from the short jump in the water earlier so I got to work right away - smooth strokes, exerting just enough energy to swim at a quick type of comfortable pace. I knew there were 8-9 buoys on the way out, then a red turn buoy, another red turn buoy, and 8-9 on the way back. Ironman does swim buoys right on their courses. I guessed it was roughly 100m in between the buoys which gave me something to think about as my watch vibrated with 500m splits. It was pretty smooth sailing on the way out with little traffic as we were very near the front of the masses but I knew this would later be a mess on the second loop. It felt like it took awhile to hit the first turn buoy - so much so that I couldn’t believe we’d have to do another full loop!</p><p>Shortly after the second turn buoy, on the way back toward the beach, I saw Bri come up on my left. I was glad the plan was working so far as his plan was to stay on my left hip. Except he kept coming up, pulled even with me, and even continued forward. I guess he got tired of our fun, comfortable swimming pace so I resigned myself to keeping on his feet, likely holding a slightly faster pace. The pace seemed to continue but I felt like my effort dropped slightly so I was happy with the switch - if he wanted to pull us for 3/4 of the swim, then by all means, let him! </p><p>We got to the beach and I was just a couple feet behind him on the sand. My watch said 30:23 and I was thrilled that we were right on pace with where I expected us to be. I also knew the second loop would be a bit slower with the increased number of swimmers. After a handful of steps on the sand, it was back in the water. I took a clumsy header into the waves that sort of felt like I dove into a soft brick wall but I recovered and quickly found Bri’s feet again. This time, I was competing with a dude for foot space and he was. not. having. it. he kept shoving into me in order to sit square on Bri’s feet but I wasn’t having it either and - whether he was aware or not - Bri took a sharp turn to get to the outer side of the first buoy and I followed and the man did not. Temporarily. A handful of buoys later, the guy was back and I was less than thrilled. I dropped off Bri’s feet for a buoy and lost sight of the silver arms that I had been following for 40 or so minutes. After a minute or two, I caught a flash of silver, crossed my fingers that it was Bri and took a handful of strong strokes to catch up. </p><p>At the turn buoy, chaos ensued as the water had gotten very choppy and the number of people getting around the buoy seemed to have quadrupled… and then I got run over. I coughed a few times and tried to just hold my breath for a handful of strokes to get out of the washing machine and get back on his feet. I survived part 2 of the washing machine around the second turn buoy and then it was a free for all on the way home. I could semi make out Bri’s silver arms and he was swimming very straight which was perfect. I kept on his feet, unintentionally tapping his feet and I knew that he knew it was me and that it was probably bugging the crap out of him so I tried to ease off but it felt like the waves were bringing us in and I just kept tap-tap-tapping along. Just a little friendly payback from IMMT baby. </p><p>I could make out the inflatable Gatorade bottle just beyond the arch and I could feel Bri start to speed up, so I did too. Before I knew it, I was back on the beach and my watch said 1:01 something - I’ll take it! Other than the slightly disorienting feeling that always comes after Ironman swimming, I felt fine and ran up the concrete ramp to transition. I waved in the direction of the crew to the right and took the left around the bank of portapotties to my bike while chatting with Bri. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3QUg5nhRDAs/YOzlTAA1jWI/AAAAAAABB20/1dfBuoNZXHwTiA1ncfTa8cg-5Xp8ju2SgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/0013334E-3874-4A04-82CC-8FA1AC33A739.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3QUg5nhRDAs/YOzlTAA1jWI/AAAAAAABB20/1dfBuoNZXHwTiA1ncfTa8cg-5Xp8ju2SgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/0013334E-3874-4A04-82CC-8FA1AC33A739.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVs651k8P6g/YOzlTVuBT7I/AAAAAAABB24/ieFAtaDwpT0NY0M2sKke6xugV1iWmqVdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/9ECE91F5-B715-4EBA-9B0C-B9BD9D5BE68C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVs651k8P6g/YOzlTVuBT7I/AAAAAAABB24/ieFAtaDwpT0NY0M2sKke6xugV1iWmqVdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9ECE91F5-B715-4EBA-9B0C-B9BD9D5BE68C.jpeg" /></a></div><p>SWIM TIME: 1:02:30</p><p>T1: </p><p>I quickly pulled the wetsuit off and got to putting on socks, shoes, helmet, and sunglasses. This seemed like a much quicker transition without the gear bags and other minutia that comes with the changing tent so I took 10 seconds to eat another salted watermelon Gu and take a sip of skratch. I also took an extra 20 seconds to apply sunscreen on my arms and exposed parts of my legs which I would definitely not regret later. </p><p>T1 Time: 5:49</p><p>BIKE: </p><p>I ran my bike past the mount line with Bri just behind me. “Love you, have a great ride.” Buoyed that our swim plan had worked (despite my semi-lack of swim fitness), I was excited to do some damage on Raptorex. This was going to be MY FREAKING DAY. I set out, waving to the crew as I passed them, toward the 14 mile out-and-back that followed the majority of the run loop. I started drinking my concentrated Skratch right away, aiming to consume 6 bottles over the ride (250-300 calories per bottle) plus another 2-3 bottles of water via aid stations. I had 3 packages of Skratch green tea chews ready to go in the bento box along with a tube of Base salt and I would refill exactly this set up at special needs around mile 63. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1bzs3KrO6Ws/YOzlgylwpRI/AAAAAAABB28/45O0T58OTpIMGOifSc5cJ2c_yWGFpisXACLcBGAsYHQ/s2208/3E321A99-B925-4106-94F8-DB566A1BABF6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="1188" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1bzs3KrO6Ws/YOzlgylwpRI/AAAAAAABB28/45O0T58OTpIMGOifSc5cJ2c_yWGFpisXACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3E321A99-B925-4106-94F8-DB566A1BABF6.jpeg" /></a></div><p>The plan was to not go out too hard (lets be honest, have I ever really gone out *too* hard?) and to keep power steady if possible during the cooler part of the day. I knew the plan would likely go out the window depending on what the weather felt like later on in the bike, but I didn’t want to tax my legs much leading into the warmer miles. 180-185w felt like cake but I purposefully slowed and my heart rate was nice and low, way under zn1, though the goal also was low zn1. It felt like I was out for a casual ride! </p><p>The first turn around was about 7 miles in, where special needs would later be set up. I was rolling back toward town when Bri passed me and he looked strong and I hoped that it would be a great day for him. I was focused on drinking consistently and eating a couple of chews every 15 minutes. At 45 minutes, I was already a bottle in - ahead of schedule but this was okay. </p><p>We headed onto the highway and shortly came upon the first climb, 2-2.5 miles up which started right where the road to our AirBnB was located. Spinning up the hill didn’t feel too taxing and a girl on a road bike with the Zoot Salty kit passed me. We would make this back and forth pass approximately 10 more times over the course of the race and she unknowingly became my friend that I looked forward to seeing on each downhill section. </p><p>An hour or so into the ride, my upper back started to tighten up and my worst fear came true. I’ve been having this fairly debilitating upper right back and neck pain during long rides that I hadn’t bothered to address in the weeks/months leading into the race. I assumed the new bike would be helpful but that hasn’t been the case so far. The only thing that helps is to stop biking… but that wasn’t an option here so I turned my mind onto singing Christmas carols as the temperature outside started to get warm. LL said that Lindsey Corbin said that Tim Snow (there were some other people in there too) said that when the temperatures were up, singing Christmas carols helped to feel cool. Whether this is true or absolute crap, I did it and it didn’t make things worse so… I hold to it. Unfortunately, this didn’t help my back. Aero was painful, sitting up was painful, and generally riding a bike for hours on end was painful but I just had to keep moving forward. </p><p>At some point (mile 30-ish) along the first stretch of highway, Jenny Stoner from LU passed me on her beautiful Felt in a very pretty deep teal kit. She looked phenomenal - so strong - and it was great to see a friendly face, even if that friendly face passed me like I was standing still! After that long stretch, mile 35 came around and brought the first turnaround. </p><p>Only a little bit more to go, right?</p><p>The bike course became a bit of a blur as the pain was coming in waves. I grabbed water at every aid station, dumping it on me and my back which gave me 10 seconds of sheer relief before the burning pain came back. I shifted focus to nutrition and continued to take in my calories and hydration because I knew this particular crappy bike leg was now just my warm-up for the now biggest part of the race - the run. </p><p>I continued to see my road bike friend in the Salty kit on the ups and downs and saying hello each time made me smile. We headed back into town and I waved at the crew who were still faithfully cheering as the temps were starting to rise as I headed back to the run course portion of the bike. Halfway baby, halfway…</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k86w35rLhGA/YOzlqd-MuYI/AAAAAAABB3M/7nuuWRPusXEhWg_fVb133hyJv5H2MvHDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/43B9675B-A82A-49DF-84BC-2FBDADCF4EC7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k86w35rLhGA/YOzlqd-MuYI/AAAAAAABB3M/7nuuWRPusXEhWg_fVb133hyJv5H2MvHDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/43B9675B-A82A-49DF-84BC-2FBDADCF4EC7.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Back was too painful to be in aero for long stretches of time…</div><p>Thank god special needs was a bit later. That meant I would only have 49 miles to survive my back pain after getting a minute to stand up and stretch. My volunteers were great, I refilled my chews and switched out my bottles while stuffing a strawberry uncrustable into my mouth. I stretched my back for some seconds and woefully set off for the last 49 miles. </p><p>Things did *not* get better. The temperature felt like it had climbed 30+ degrees from the first time we rode the highway and despite doing everything I could to hydrate, dump water on myself, take salt, and eat, I knew I was not in a good place. I started to get very sleepy on the downhills and flats - so much so that I caught myself closing my eyes and veering to the right off the road. Not good my friends, not a good sign!</p><p>I went into survival mode. I slowed my pace to the point where I felt like I was just soft pedaling tried my best to stay awake and in the moment. My legs felt like lead weights and I was shocked no one had stopped me from the flames that I felt emanating from my back - I felt like my back was on actual fire. A new fun sensation started as well - the bottoms of my feet were hot so I kept soaking them as well at the aid stations and from the extra water I was carrying on my bike. </p><p>The good news was that I peed 3-4 times on the bike so I knew I was hydrating myself at least. That’s really the only good thing that came out of that bike ride other than recognizing my friends and yelling out to them. </p><p>I woke up a bit on the no-pass, no-aero dangerous downhill section where I was lucky to get stuck behind someone riding their brakes so severely that we were going <15 mph down the hill. It was hard not to run into them and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the line of bikes building up behind our snail-paced leader. </p><p>When the no pass zone ended, the flood gates opened and cyclists began streaming past me and I tried to safely get around person in front of me but it was a little sketch. </p><p>One last little incline and we were back in town. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I was alive, I hadn’t fallen asleep completely and crashed, and I was ready to throw my bike in the trash. So, pretty standard feelings after 112 miles of an Ironman bike. </p><p>BIKE TIME: 6:22:30 (slowest ever. 10 minutes slower than placid when i vomited and was in the portapotty and my bike box broke and i rode one handed back into town… )</p><p>T2:</p><p>I barely got my bike racked, my back was so sore. I stood up straight and stretched, knowing that it would improve over the course of the run. I took off my helmet, sunglasses, shoes, and changed out socks for low cut breathable running socks. I realized that I hadn’t used the anti-chafe foot stuff so I peeled my socks off and sat down in order to give my feet 15 seconds of attention that would pay dividends later. The guy racked a few bikes over came in and we exchanged our grievances over the bike course. He said something along the lines of “yea, i’m not going back out there” and simply walked away. I finished putting my socks and shoes on and he returned with a bunch of water bottles and offered me one. I decided to stand up and pee right there, stupidly peeing into my left sock and shoe. I rinsed it with water, bid the man good-bye as he was now lying flat on his back, arms outstretched, in the grass in the shade and set off in my soggy shoe toward the run-out arch. </p><p>T2 TIME: 6:53</p><p>RUN: </p><p>I had legs which was not surprising given the lack of power on the bike. I definitely felt like I’d been riding my bike but my pace was quick and I consciously slowed. The heat was very apparent now and at the first aid station, I whipped out my ziploc freezer bag and filled it with ice and stuffed it in my sports bra and doused myself with cool water. It was going to be a soggy shoe run and now at least both of my feet were equally nice and damp.</p><p>I saw the crew shortly into the first loop and anxiously asked what my place was. “14th?” LL said as she shrugged her shoulders, obviously not wanting to be the one to share the bad news. Internally I groaned and felt the millions of available Kona slots slip away. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OiRB8R48GK4/YOzmC-lwJAI/AAAAAAABB3Y/KN1BQZrq6nYYm6Tv2ZlvUnbLXMFmnfVdACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/5DE2F25D-B10C-4018-8A3C-21FAC82E4EFD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OiRB8R48GK4/YOzmC-lwJAI/AAAAAAABB3Y/KN1BQZrq6nYYm6Tv2ZlvUnbLXMFmnfVdACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/5DE2F25D-B10C-4018-8A3C-21FAC82E4EFD.jpeg" /></a></div><p>Real talk - there were 200 slots to be had and I knew my AG was going to have 6 or 7 when originally there were 150 offered. With the late addition of 50 more slots, I was praying for 8. 14-question-mark-shoulder-shrug-placement is not close to 8. </p><p>Running isn’t really even my forte. I’m not a *great* runner. Consistent, yes. Fast? Nah, not really. Ironman fast? A bit better but yea, no, still not really. But who knew what was going to happen in these conditions. My only saving grace was that I knew I could outlast other people in shitty conditions - cheers to mental toughness. We also train in hot, humid DC - we know what terrible running weather feels like. And I have the experience to know I just have to KEEP MOVING FORWARD and maybe this time I pull the selfish card and I don’t stop to dick around and walk with friends a la IMMT 2015. </p><p>So I passed the crew and resigned myself to what would NOT be a comfortable run in an effort to give myself any semblance of a chance to get that Kona slot. My plan was to walk every aid station, keep the body temp cool, continue nutrition via Honey Stinger blocks and Skratch contrated hydration in my handheld bottle and take in Base salt.</p><p>This plan lasted two miles. </p><p>At mile 2.3 or so, just past the aid station, my stomach declared war. It had hit maximum capacity and it said “NO MORE LIQUID” as I pulled over to the grass (away from people as much as possible but this also was a very popular spectating spot in the shady grassy knoll) and puked my guts out. My stomach wanted to be outside my body as I vomited over. and over. and over again. I saw bits of Goji berries from that morning’s Picky Bar oatmeal. I saw the Honey Stinger chews. and I saw more liquid than I swear any human has the potential to consume as I watered the grass with my electrolyte filled stomach contents. I should send a bill to whoever takes care of the lawn because they won’t have to water it for a month - you’re welcome, town of CDA. </p><p>Some of the spectators had taken notice and expressed their concerned support. “You look… good?” “Get it out girl!” I waved and took a few steps and realized I wasn’t done throwing up so I watered the grass some more a bit further down on the knoll. </p><p>After 2 min to 2:30 stoppage time, I pulled my life together and started running again and I knew that if I played my cards right, I was done vomiting for the day. I would, however, be a bit behind in hydration-land but I was hoping this wouldn’t be a big set-back. I did make a snap decision that my nutrition plan was garbage and I would just be using on course nutrition - all of which I’d never touched before. As they say, always do new things on race day. </p><p>I saw Andrew and he basically told me “good job” and I knew I was not in a good position in my AG but I asked him for placement anyway. I don’t remember if he said anything that time around…</p><p>… But my pace was back and my legs felt good and I got back into a rhythm. Around mile 3 or so, I encountered my first Maurten gel and it changed my life. It was this thick gelatin-goo that was being held in an ice water bath and it was flavorless and I could swallow it by washing it down with water in just three gulps. It hit my stomach and didn’t immediately come back up which was already an improvement from the last aid station so I figured I’d keep on it and have one every 40 minutes or so. I continued to refill my ziploc with ice and douse myself in water at each aid station. Around mile 5, I picked up my first cold, wet towel and it was life alteringly wonderful.</p><p>I wasn’t really paying a lot of attention to my pace but i was closely watching the field and who I was passing. In the first loop, everyone is ahead of you so you have an idea of what is happening. With covid safety return to racing, there isn’t body marking so knowing who you are passing is just not a thing. In the 2nd and 3rd loops, knowing who is ahead would become impossible. I saw Andrew for the second time around mile 6-7 and he told me I was in 15th (maybe 16th), there were 9 confirmed Kona slots for my AG and 10th was 6 minutes away but girls were already fading. That’s all I needed to hear to keep going and keep on track. I could do this, I think.</p><p>I saw my family again as I came around for loop 2. I threw my handheld water bottle at my mom which felt like freedom. Now that my hands were both free, I could hold ice and keep my hands cool which felt really lovely.</p><p>Another Andrew update told me I was in 14th and continuing to move-up. Hold your pace, he said, and you will keep passing girls. Oh, and Brian is just up ahead!</p><p>A minute later, I came up on Bri. “I’m done” he said with a wave. For fraction of a second, I thought - “I could just walk with him and we could walk the marathon together” but I quickly put that thought out of my head. I told him I loved him and to do what he had to do and I ran away. </p><p>Most people were starting to hurt on that run while few others still looked incredible. I tried to encourage some of my favorite pros that were out walking but I didn’t know if that would be harmful or helpful. Lionel was struggling. But Sam Long looked amazing. Carrie Lester was running like she was just racing a marathon and hadn’t already swam and biked. I gained strength from watching the pros generally being awesome at their jobs and kept moving forward.</p><p>I continued loop 2 and continued passing girls without many girls passing me. I did math near the turnarounds to see if I was closing in on the strong, fast looking girls - and i was. I kept walking the aid stations - just be consistent and be smart - and kept up with my new nutrition plan. At the halfway point, I was sub 2 hours and I knew I could somewhat continue this pace. Or, I hoped I could. My longest run leading into this race was 1:35 but this was what I did for Ireland when I had my fastest IM marathon so I trusted Drew’s plan and the training. It’s 50% mental anyway and I had that part covered. </p><p>I always tell myself that after mile 13, its just downhill to the finish. I kept that mentality and kept up the pace. Andrew’s next update told me I was in 12th or 13th but close to 11th. I was moving up. And it was COLA TIME. From mile 14 and on, I indulged in the nectar of the Gods and it gave me new life. </p><p>I let myself smile as I hit the divide for the second time for “finish” and “loops 2 and 3”. My next time through would be toward that finish line and I couldn’t wait. Let’s just get there faster, shall we?</p><p>I saw the crew again as I started loop 3 and even though my legs were tired, I tried to fake it up the hills. Dayle told me I was in 11th and I tried to argue with her and inform her I was in 12th and that there were *only* 9 slots. I only semi-remember yelling at her but apologized later. Let’s just say I was deep into that marathon and not in the happiest frame of minds…</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GqxLarc6YNQ/YOzmSbU49hI/AAAAAAABB3c/_QFgKFjWN-QKJP-UOj15P_xQZkNtA09LACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/D53E2D84-0AA4-4B65-A34E-F363C08CEC02.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GqxLarc6YNQ/YOzmSbU49hI/AAAAAAABB3c/_QFgKFjWN-QKJP-UOj15P_xQZkNtA09LACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/D53E2D84-0AA4-4B65-A34E-F363C08CEC02.jpeg" /></a></div><p>Andrew’s next update was that I was in 11th. In my brain, I knew that two of the girls ahead of me in the AG already had Kona slots. If I could stay in 11th… I would be in. Just keep moving forward, right?</p><p>The last loop felt the quickest. I felt like the Kona slot was now mine to lose if I faltered. With each pass of a girl, I heard the replay of the Ironman announcer say “passes like these are always almost permanent” and “Heather Prochnow - reason to worry”. Obviously I was getting over-tired and slap happy, but it made each pass feel like an accomplishment and at that moment, I just needed little wins. </p><p>I wasn’t sure if I’d see Andrew again, but at mile 24.5 or so - there he was! Still in 11th, 10th was 4 minutes up but fading. JUST KEEP GOING. </p><p>My legs were getting stiff but my body temp felt controlled. It didn’t feel like 100+ degrees thanks to the ice and water and wet towels but I did feel like I had already run 25 miles. </p><p>Next, I channeled Lester from the final mile of IMMD 2017 and knew it was time to “eat the pain”. One more mile. You can do anything for one mile. Let’s make this our strongest one. </p><p>I upped my cadence and felt the weight of the previous 25 miles in my legs but I pushed that out of my brain. 50% mental, you can do this, the pain is in your head. I didn’t dramatically get faster, but I did speed up. I felt like I *flew* past the sprinklers and jogged the last aid station for one last douse of water and suddenly, the park was in sight and the divide was there. It was time to go left toward “finish”. My family was gone and I knew they were waiting for me on Sherman Avenue. With a smile, I veered left and Wes and Andrea were there yelling their hearts out and I absorbed their energy and kept running as strong as I could. I felt a smile starting to emerge on my face but I wasn’t *quite* there yet. I went over the bridge and down a block to the left hand turn and suddenly I was on Sherman and I could see the arch and that it was a downhill stretch to the finish. This part seemed to take forever as it was a couple (few?) blocks down but it was in sight and I ran faster. I felt like my legs were barely clearing the pavement in true Ironman shuffle fashion, but the arch was steadily approaching. I hit the red carpet and swung out to the right to high five a little boy as I continued to the arch. My face was one of grit and relief to be done. I didn’t try to jump (I couldn’t) which may have saved me from another broken foot. Instead I slowed and a kind volunteer grabbed me to slow my role before potentially crashing into a man being helped into a wheelchair. </p><p>RUN TIME: 4:01:37</p><p>OVERALL TIME: 11:39:18 </p><p>I was handed my finisher shirt and hat with the medal tucked inside. I medaled myself and took a picture and took a few steps over to my family and friends. They told me I got 11th and I broke down, I only needed 11th to get the Kona slot… or so I thought. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fnhsg5pPp5A/YOzma5qB-tI/AAAAAAABB3o/u1otzz2NHF4VJafCEMSmWTkZBkWYRPsSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/C54B0C84-1A21-474E-8F7E-2704DA711F93.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fnhsg5pPp5A/YOzma5qB-tI/AAAAAAABB3o/u1otzz2NHF4VJafCEMSmWTkZBkWYRPsSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/C54B0C84-1A21-474E-8F7E-2704DA711F93.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love racing with my dear friend.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tHOVPYBs588/YOzma4_iqCI/AAAAAAABB3k/QU05YkLSA3QogeMCmAen50BemskwzKePgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/FED121EA-D851-4677-B7E1-24E504DBC06D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tHOVPYBs588/YOzma4_iqCI/AAAAAAABB3k/QU05YkLSA3QogeMCmAen50BemskwzKePgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/FED121EA-D851-4677-B7E1-24E504DBC06D.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Real ugly cry.</div><p>It was too early to celebrate - I knew I couldn’t celebrate until Mike Reilly called my name the next morning during roll down. But I celebrated the completion of another race, healthy and whole, with the run of my life in 100+ degree temperatures. It wasn’t my fastest run but it was consistent and it was unfathomable to me that I could do that in those conditions. </p><p>For the next 20 minutes or so, I didn’t do too great. I started to overheat and really feel the toll of the day so I camped under some misters as the crew dumped water bottles on me. We moved the group into the next-door restaurant and enjoyed the AC for awhile before gathering our wits to get our stuff to go home. Brian had met me at the finish line which surprised me for a second even though I already knew he hadn’t finished. My heart hurt for him because I knew how hard he had worked this year to be in the best Ironman shape I’ve ever seen him in despite the significant injury earlier in the year. Ironman can be such a little bitch. </p><p>We got all our stuff and LL and Dayle thankfully took the bikes and gear to the 4-runner as Mom and Dad picked us up right outside transition to take us home. </p><p>The post-race shower was lovely as always and I hadn’t gotten too badly chafed with the wetsuit which was a nice surprise. The sunburn on the legs was crisp but I’d done a good job with sunscreen on the upper half of my body at least and my hat and sunglasses thankfully saved my face from the sunshine on the hot run. </p><p>We all sat and talked about our days - both athletes and spectators - and I stomached chicken broth and a slice of pizza before heading to bed and slept poorly as I always do after an Ironman. </p><p>The next morning, we decided to go to awards before roll down. The fam (minus Kevin who was golfing) met Bri and I at the pavilion as we waited for roll down to start. Kristen Yax (who Dayle and I know from SOAS and who I was counting on to roll her slot) came over to chat and told Dayle that she had deferred her slot from 2019 to 2022 and was accepting her 2021 slot. </p><p>My heart dropped and my face got hot. Not again. NOT FUCKING AGAIN. Was I going to miss NINE KONA SLOTS in my AG by one because I had the crappiest bike split of my life? I knew Meghan Fillnow had a slot from her win at IMMD but maybe she had deferred hers also? Would I have had to get 9th with no chance of roll down? All the feelings came bubbling up and the despair from Ireland came circling back - it had taken months to get over the disappointment in a 2nd place finish that day. Even deep into the fall that year, every time I heard the word “Kona” I felt like I was punched in the gut. It took me until 2020 to read the signed copy of Mike Reilly’s book that Mom had given me back in Ireland before the race. I had tears in my eyes as I walked away to find solace in Holli. </p><p>The minutes crawled by as allocation started with the oldest male and female age groups. I got teary as I saw some men’s AGs roll to 25th place and beyond. That would never happen for us women. </p><p>Finally, it was Female 35-39. Mike said there were 9 slots. I watched first take hers, I watched Meghan’s roll and prayed there was one single other person who would roll her slot. I watched Kristen take her slot and Mike continued on to 4th who accepted, 5th who accepted and then 6th… and it went quiet. </p><p>I grabbed Hollis thigh with my left hand and stared straight ahead. Mike repeated her name. And then again, one last time. And moved on to 7th place. </p><p>I started to ugly cry. My mouth and face were trembling and I was glad I was wearing sunglasses so no one could see the tears literally jumping out of my eyeballs. </p><p>Mike announced Stoner who got 9th and I clapped and cheered. He announced 10th… and then stopped and went on a tangent about something. I couldn’t breathe. He then said something like “well that’s it” and someone on stage said something to him and then he said “Heather Prochnow!” and the cheering started. </p><p>It felt unreal as I walked toward the tent with my credit card already out of my wallet. I stood in line surrounded by other athletes to whom this was old hat for them. I caught conversations about how they couldn’t wait to go back to this restaurant and how this year, they were going out on this day instead of this day, and so on. I blocked them out and continued to stare straight at Mike Reilly, listening to the hum of his voice while he continued to make dreams come true from his place on the stage, shaking only slightly with tears still freshly rolling down my cheeks. </p><p>Dayle and Mom joined me after awhile and Dayle was inconsoleably crying. Mom too. Mollie too via Facetime. I lost my chill and let myself celebrate with them, letting the rest of the line know that I was a newbie and this was one of the biggest things to ever happen in my competitive life. </p><p>Finally, I reached the ipad and inputted my credit card number, not even acknowledging the $1200 total that flashed at the end screen. I hugged Mom and Dayle again and said good-bye to Mollie, who was already making plans for October. I returned to the crew which had grown and included dear friends. I hugged everyone, grateful for their support and for waiting this thing out after the long days everyone had had the day before. I cried again hugging my Mom and Dad and then hugging LL - it meant so much that they were there - lets be honest, they’ve been present at many of my Ironman races but this was by far the most meaningful to me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uRqE1OrXtWs/YOzm0VJxowI/AAAAAAABB38/LPq2Dw79vV0lKHPWMoCLJwX5zvX85YCiACLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/BAD5A446-5A89-44D7-949F-89C76E402D6A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uRqE1OrXtWs/YOzm0VJxowI/AAAAAAABB38/LPq2Dw79vV0lKHPWMoCLJwX5zvX85YCiACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/BAD5A446-5A89-44D7-949F-89C76E402D6A.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-wN4vNFZws/YOzm0brZzMI/AAAAAAABB4A/ONbqXhTQVXoj0icmHlzExlpzcsVi6ArxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/FFA2DE70-F137-4608-9D53-8D450AB71ACA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-wN4vNFZws/YOzm0brZzMI/AAAAAAABB4A/ONbqXhTQVXoj0icmHlzExlpzcsVi6ArxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/FFA2DE70-F137-4608-9D53-8D450AB71ACA.jpeg" /></a></div><p>I then hugged Brian the longest, just whispering “I did it” over and over while I continued to let the tears flow and really acknowledged all the feelings that led to that singular moment in time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3lzwdx2TlI/YOzmt_FP4xI/AAAAAAABB34/H0RJ7_57H8M2jxbykJr10IWtBnTWpQqHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/FC2809B3-B74B-463C-8F52-20F7A42B61AF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A3lzwdx2TlI/YOzmt_FP4xI/AAAAAAABB34/H0RJ7_57H8M2jxbykJr10IWtBnTWpQqHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/FC2809B3-B74B-463C-8F52-20F7A42B61AF.jpeg" /></a></div><p>- - - - - </p><p>I can’t even begin to comprehend how overwhelming the support and congratulations have been. Thank you everyone who reached out or even just sent an emoji in response to the IG story from roll down. It means so much that its making me cry AGAIN, just sitting here and typing and reliving the weekend. You are thoughtful and amazing and I am grateful for all of you. </p><p>If you read this far - thank you. Thank you for being on this journey with me. If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably read the other 12+ page race recaps and know that there have been so many heartbreaks and successes along the way to get to this point. It took having 9 slots and my second slowest ironman ever to finally getting that piece of luck that I’d been missing in years past. To those that have made comments about the number of slots - yea it was a crazy amount but no, that didn’t guarantee placement by any means. It was the hardest I’ve ever fought and I’ve been on the podium more times than not in Ironman racing. 11th place doesn’t represent what went on that day but damn it, I finally earned that slot and that dream finally came true :) </p><p>Looking forward to writing that next race recap in October… Mahalo for your love and support my friends! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kyKbjhElLm0/YOzm9wTmfpI/AAAAAAABB4E/JfKGisJR-gIlE5o3MnlGaA9nrcMp4RtwACLcBGAsYHQ/s4032/C5659E3D-01C3-498D-B500-5448FFFF443E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kyKbjhElLm0/YOzm9wTmfpI/AAAAAAABB4E/JfKGisJR-gIlE5o3MnlGaA9nrcMp4RtwACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/C5659E3D-01C3-498D-B500-5448FFFF443E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Celebrating with drinks and dinosaurs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thank you Holli for the best floaty ever.</div><br /><p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-81465172056128173782020-03-05T14:12:00.001-08:002020-03-05T14:12:35.677-08:00an incomplete list of concerns i have about the new housewe moved a few weeks ago. it feels like months because a lot has happened and we wrecked our lives attempting to move ourselves from the apartment to the townhouse. but we did it. Brian and I didn't kill each other and i'd venture to say that if you can conquer what we've conquered in the past few weeks and still want to be in the same room with each other - then that is LOVE my friends. true. freaking. love.<br />
<br />
i set a fairly rigid schedule on moving day and we NAILED IT. we returned the truck by 5 pm, picked up the animals from Shannons place (thank you for babysitting the critters), spent 30 minutes trying to find a parking spot while meeting all the neighbors in a brief investigation into who was parking in our assigned parking spot, and settled in to pass out. <br />
<br />
initially, there were some concerns about the state of the house. small things. reasonably easy to fix type things. 1. neither the front door nor the back door locked properly. 2. the security bar on the back door was broken. 3. the master bathroom vanity drawer was missing a vital piece of hardware necessary for function. 4. the master bathroom shower was a bit leaky around the showerhead.<br />
<br />
little things that we could work around.<br />
<br />
day 2 in the new house was tough on the jazz. she was stressed and when shes stressed, apparently she pees. anywhere. her new bed arrived late morning, i unwrapped it and presented this new, fluffy, social-media-proven-to-be-anti-stress bed to her. 23 seconds later, i noticed a puddle on the floor adjacent to where i was constructing monsters new litterbox cabinet.<br />
<br />
her bed was now soaked in urine. i didn't see it happen. in this new house apparently shes a pissing ninja.<br />
<br />
BUT AT LEAST THE FLOORS ARE HARDWOOD.<br />
<br />
no big deal. the cabinet pieces were safe from pee. i cleaned it up and took it downstairs to the laundry room. i started a load... and nothing happened.<br />
<br />
i added to the list:<br />
5. the washing machine doesn't work.<br />
<br />
brian briefed me on functionality of washing machines and i turned the water on manually only for there to be a small flood from the cold water hose which was initially concerning but seemed to slow, then stop. i set the water temperature to cold and let the washing machine do its thing, assuming this would function as any other washing machine that ive ever encountered.<br />
<br />
i was wrong.<br />
<br />
i had the door to the washer still open as i threw in some other towels and what not and noticed steam coming from the water. i stuck my dominant hand under the water flow to assess the temperature and realized it was second degree burn level hot. on the cold setting. maybe the hoses are switched? i stopped the cycle and pulled the machine away from the wall and using my super handyman powers, i touched the hoses to assess the temperature and realized the hoses were indeed switched. after a few more tests, i realized that regardless of what temperature setting the washing machine was set at, only boiling hot water was flowing into the machine. logic told me to just turn off the hot water access which seemed to fix the issue. cool.<br />
<br />
45 minutes later, i was done with the cat cabinet and i threw the wash into the dryer. i hit start and... nothing. i checked to see if it was plugged in and realized there was no plug.<br />
<br />
6. the dryer doesn't work.<br />
<br />
after a trip to home depot, we had the plug, brian installed it and we were back in business. id like to thank youtube for the many things it has taught me over the years, but ive never been more thankful for DIY videos.<br />
<br />
i decided to install the hardware on the bathroom cabinet and i only slightly effed it up, so brian fixed that too and we had a working drawer for the first time since moving in.<br />
<br />
as we were upacking the kitchen, we noticed a spot on the ceiling over the microwave that was damaged and two cabinet doors were rubbing on the ceiling. bri had noticed this during the initial walk-through but it wasn't fixed prior to us moving in.<br />
<br />
7. the ceiling has a defective area that impedes the opening of two cabinet doors.<br />
<br />
i could still live with this for the time being - i knew not to fully open the door with the drinking glasses and the door over the microwave wasn't going to get used much anyway.<br />
<br />
by this point, after numerous trips to home depot, the locks on the doors were fixed and the security bar was fixed.<br />
<br />
i'd also like to thank home depot for its extended hours of operation.<br />
<br />
a few days later... 8. the filtered water in the fridge door stopped working.<br />
<br />
brian did some research, bought some repair kit off amazon and like magic, it worked again.<br />
<br />
after a number of days of "doing laundry", i realized that on certain settings, the washing machine would indefinitely pause and i would have to baby it with motivational words to get it to go through a full cycle. which, it never did. for some reason, it continued to stop after the initial rinse cycle, failing to go into the spin cycle. this was annoying and finally - after one of the infinite pause cycles - i told brian we needed to have this fixed. he reversed the hoses and in exploring the issue, he accidently broke the piece that triggers the cycle to start when the door is closed.<br />
<br />
i called the repairman - i have a thing about laundry. my top priority in a place of living is in-unit laundry. thats all i want. i want to do my whites, darks, tri-gear, towels, red clothing, yellow clothing, light bed sheets, dark bedsheets, etc in their own obsessive compulsive loads.<br />
<br />
i don't ask for much.<br />
<br />
brian ordered the replacement part and the repairman was scheduled to come out the following day. i decided to do my workouts on that particular day and finish off my afternoon with a nice bath in the soaking tub in the masterbath room (with JETS), a glitter bath bomb, and a protein shake.<br />
<br />
i filled the tub - which took a very long time - and threw the bath bomb in and admired its glittery goodness. the water was high enough to get in and i savored the delight of the deep tub with super hot water. a couple minutes later, brian rushed in saying "we have a problem" in a very calm, measured voice.<br />
<br />
this, i learned, is also his panic voice.<br />
<br />
noted: when brian says theres a problem - theres a PROBLEM.<br />
<br />
9. the defective part of the ceiling is actually from water damage and currently there was an active waterfall in the kitchen.<br />
<br />
i jumped out of the tub and ran downstairs. there was now a bucket collecting water and the flow had slowed to a couple drips. since the tub had been filling for 20 minutes (10. the water pressure sucks.) and only flooded when i got in, i suspected it was the overflow part of the tub that leaking. i stayed in the kitchen while brian confirmed and to my delight, the waterfall from the ceiling resumed.<br />
<br />
we contacted the landlord for the 6th time and he sent some people over to assess. by that evening, there was now a square cut out in the ceiling, a dehumidifier and three industrial fans in the kitchen.<br />
<br />
the following day, the plumber showed up, replaced the gasket which was totally shot, and we repeated our experiment. my job was to hold the bucket to collect the water while brian showed him what we had done the day before. as a sidebar, i had just made tea and the electric stove was still quite hot. i placed the bucket on the stove and smelled burning plastic and observed a fair amount of steam. a couple seconds too late, i realized that i had slightly melted the bottom of the bucket.<br />
<br />
11. plastic bucket melts when exposed to hot stove.<br />
<br />
so... um, i'll take that one. sorry stove. sorry bucket.<br />
<br />
the washing machine guy showed up and did a bypass action to replace the job of the door switch and pronounced the machine fixed. apparently switching the hoses fixed the issue and brian is now a legitimate handyman. trusting that we could replace the broken door switch, we paid the man and thanked him for his time.<br />
<br />
that night, we decided to order food since the fans in the kitchen were loud and stressing everyone out. we ate in the basement and at some point i glanced at the ceiling and noticed it looked a little odd but i was too tired to really make a solid mental note of it.<br />
<br />
the next morning, bri and i were having coffee in the basement and i looked at the ceiling again and that initial picture flooded back to me. "does the ceiling look different to you?" i asked him. in my head, the area of concern was larger than it was the night before. he cocked his head, got up and touched the spot (since hes over 6 feet tall, apparently he can touch the ceiling without a step ladder).<br />
<br />
it was damp and sagging.<br />
<br />
12. water damage in the basement ceiling - no where near the initial waterfall in the kitchen.<br />
<br />
i sort of blacked out and lost it for a few minutes so im not sure what was said. but the spot was right over the brand new couch so we disassembled the sectional and moved it out of harms way and brian taped garbage bags to the floor with that trusty - still functional - plastic bucket in case the ceiling decided to cave in and create a second water feature in the basement.<br />
<br />
i basically said eff this, and went to work completely forgetting about breakfast for probably the second time in my life.<br />
<br />
when i returned home, there was a second square cut out of the basement ceiling and a single industrial fan. apparently it was a slow leak from the masterbath plumbing and completely unrelated to the first water issue.<br />
<br />
curiously, we noticed the ceiling had previously been repaired - you could see the slight step in the drywall and the slight difference in paint in that area. same with the area in the kitchen ceiling. im not sure if the repairs were just quick bandaids from the previous tenants or the landlord or what but it is what it is at this point.<br />
<br />
a couple days ago, the ceilings were repaired over the course of a day in quite the dexter-like plastic sheet fashion. ive never seen an entire room wrapped in plastic other than on the murder showtime serial killer series. it was awesome. you know what else is awesome? we now have a normal ceiling and we can fully open both cabinet doors without specks of drywall falling on the stove.<br />
<br />
ive noticed a few more issues (13. broken drawers in fridge 14. broken silverware container in dishwasher 15. broken rail on the top rack of the dishwasher 16. broken cabinet rack for the pots and pans) but if you are gentle in opening/moving things, none of these issues are a significant problem...<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
in all seriousness, i actually really like this house. its finally feeling like home and we are fully moved in and settled in. so, come visit! i sort-of promise the ceiling won't fall on your head.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-73497019321762957432020-02-05T14:37:00.000-08:002020-02-05T14:41:52.740-08:00a letter and reflections of a decadedear family and friends,<br />
<br />
i've been trying to write this for a month. i got distracted. as i do. i made a resolution to blog more. i already failed. but who cares?<br />
<br />
if im being completely honest, i'm not sure where the past 10 years and 1 month have gone. im sure the same holds true for most of us - it feels like a lifetime and maybe a year at the same time. where were you 10 years ago? what was important to you? were you happy? how do you think you have changed?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
the end of a decade begs for retrospective thinking. i saw the standard #topnine and i love seeing a snapshot of the year my family and friends had. social media isn't really a balanced representation of who we are as humans, but for the most part, its at least postive. thank you for sharing your happy days with me. feel free to share your realities too. im here for all of it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
as for me - 10 years ago, i was 25. i was in veterinary school. i was in love. i think. or i really wanted to be in love. i was infatuated with the unknown. it was a new town, new way of life, and new partner. i wasn't going to get what i wanted in the relationship that i was in when i went away to school but i never fell out of love with that first man - at least, not for awhile. i think that set the stage for confusing and muddled relationships for years to come. i rushed into something new - with someone i thought would give me everything i ever wanted.<br />
<br />
i was wrong.<br />
<br />
but i learned a lot.<br />
<br />
and when my future was staring me in the face - the thought of starting a family with someone i was no longer in love with - i knew what i had to do. it took a long time to come to terms with my decision. i did a lot of soul searching. a lot of biking and running and soul searching. at the end of the day, there were fundamental issues that neither of us were willing to budge on.<br />
<br />
i decided to leave. it was time to start over.<br />
<br />
i did just that. with zero regrets. its the scariest and bravest thing i ever did. and i did it big. i had to change jobs and i took the opportunity to make a half-a-country-away leap of faith and move out of the state with a moving truck and my dog. that last morning in illinois, my family and friends helped me pack up my life into a u-haul that my dad would drive across the eastern states while i followed with Jasmine in my cobalt. dad helped me set up my new life in virginia and mom arrived a week later to put the finishing touches on making that new life beautiful.<br />
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i thrived. i found myself again. i found a tribe of people that supported the new me. i kept my loved ones that were there for the hard parts - my family and a few friends - but it was hard to keep the friends that knew me as the girlfriend or wife of my ex-husband. it was a constant reminder of him and i didn't - no, couldn't - handle it. to those that i cared for and who cared about me - i'm sorry for shutting you out and not including you in my present life. im sorry i fell off the planet without explanation. i'm sorry if i hurt you or you felt i didn't care. from the bottom of my heart, i cared. and i still do. and i think of you and smile. thank you for being there for me when you were.<br />
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i don't have many regrets in the past 10 years but i have done things i wish i could take back because people were hurt. im sorry if you were one of those people.<br />
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in this age of what feels like a whole new beginning - be it metaphorical or not - i ask myself what people will say about me when im gone. i know that seems dark, and trust me, i don't plan on going anywhere for a very long time, but i listen to <b>a lot </b>of true crime (*insert lighthearted laugh*). i want to be a person that leaves a mark and whos actions speak the most about her.<br />
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so, at the start of this - a new decade - i think the most important question we need to ask ourselves is a simple one: </div>
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<b>how can i make a positive impact on the world?</b></div>
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or better yet - and more tangible -</div>
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<b>how can i make a positive impact on the world around me? </b> </div>
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actions speak louder than words. the simple adage is so true.<br />
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i hope this year and this decade brings you happiness. love. laughter. fulfillment. in a world that sometimes seems scary but can be so beautiful - be kind to one another. </div>
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smile. </div>
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please share your light with me and with others. we need more light in this world.<br />
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share your triumphs. own them. remember how awesome you are.<br />
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be proud of YOU. did you win an award? high five! did you get out of bed? high five! each day doesn't have to be worthy of a parade, but if you feel like you accomplished something - be proud of yourself. stop comparing youself to everyone else on social media. don't be embarassed for being who you are. i bought a my little pony on ebay the other day because it made me smile and reminded me of being a kid. and because i have a job that im proud of and i made my money. high five! so, now its my pain cave mascot. what random thing have you done recently that made you smile?<br />
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share your struggles if you need support. we all struggle. its all relative. don't feel like your struggles are less important or less real. </div>
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cheers. and many, many blessings. <br />
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xoxo,<br />
heather</div>
Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-31191948918016967632019-10-23T04:20:00.000-07:002019-10-23T04:20:39.022-07:00Race Recap: Ironman Mont Tremblant - MAGICi love and hate double ironman years. i love the challenge, i love the training and i love the puzzle that is an ironman race. but sometimes... i <b>hate </b>the challenge, i <b>hate </b>the training, and i <b>hate </b>that ironman<b> IS</b> a puzzle and a balance board and that so many things have go right to have a good, if not great, day. IM Ireland was crazy. it was a lesson in survival and mental toughness - it wasn't a typical IM day. but then... is there a <u>typical </u>IM day?<br />
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in my world, Mont Tremblant is a magical place. i had an amazing IM day there four years ago - it was my first IM podium and first realization that kona could one day be a possibility. it was an incredible day racing with friends and developing those friendships and being grateful for where the sport had taken my life at that point. in the weeks, months, and years later - whenever i looked back at that weekend, it was always a happy, shiny memory and i always wondered if my brain was just manufacturing those memories into something bigger and better than they actually were. </div>
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when i met Brian at the end of 2017 (can you believe that?!) and learned that he had signed up for IMMT, i was so excited for him and it seemed like fate. as race day grew near and i decided to sherpa his race, i was looking forward to seeing if he would enjoy it as much as i had. and he really did - he loved the town, he loved the race and i got to see it from a different point of view as a spectator. i got to train on those roads in the days leading up to the race and in the days following the race (that long run following a spectated IM day is not easy!). and i found that it was still a magical place. </div>
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not long after we left canada last year, we decided that we wanted to return to do the race together the following year. i had already signed up for ireland and IMMT was scheduled for 7 weeks later. it was a few weeks closer together than i would have liked, but i couldn't pass up this opportunity to do two epic races in the span of two months. id done it before - and id done pretty well in the 2nd race in years prior, so i threw myself back into training after i returned home from ireland. my coach wasn't super thrilled (chattanooga was actually a smarter option) but he was supportive and encouraging nonetheless.<br />
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for the first time since i'd started triathlon, i was finally developing confidence in the bike. i always told myself i wasn't a strong cyclist - look at who my friends are! its hard not to compare yourself - but this year, i was getting stronger and faster and having that confidence and belief in myself was making a world of difference in training. ireland hadn't been a great representation of what i felt i was capable of and i was eager to throw down on a course that i had ridden before. </div>
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fast forward weeks - it was finally time for another road trip to canada. we did our usual - listened to music, listened to MURDER podcasts, ate road trip snacks, stopped at starbucks 15 times, and before we knew it (13 hours later) we were pulling into the airBNB - the same building we'd stayed in the year prior.<br />
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Tacos in Saratoga Springs</div>
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we immediately got dressed for a shakeout run and the sun had set by the time we headed out. i wasn't feeling great - my heartrate was up, the hills were taxing, and i felt <b>exhausted</b>. BLEH. we headed out to casey's for a quick dinner and went to bed way too late, but DAMN, it was a really nice mattress and i slept like the dead. </div>
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view of lake from shake out run (right out of transition on run course)</div>
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friday morning, we got up to go swim and i was looking forward to the COFFEE BOAT. swimming felt fine and i did about 30 minutes - the water temp was beautiful in the low 70s and the ironman vibe was growing strong. we met LL and Finn for coffee and crepe breakfasts and caught up on life. bri and i headed to check-in and got to bypass the loooooong time thanks to AWA status. check-in was done in 10 minutes and we headed to the IM merchandise tent to pick up our backpacks (meh) and spend money. i only ended up with a new pair of goggles so i actually think thats the best i've ever done in the IM tent.<br />
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view from our balcony</div>
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COFFEE BOAT SWIM</div>
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then... MORE COFFEE</div>
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i'm not sure what to do with babies, especially when they are eating blue shaved ice</div>
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it was time for bike riding, so we got our lives together and after starting/stopping a few times to get various technologies, brakes, and saddles adjusted, we finally headed out. we went straight to duplessis to ride the hill - and to my delight, it was not as bad as i remembered it. about half way up, we saw a couple of dudes outside their car cheering for us. i was so excited - i told you this was a magical place! - that complete strangers were out <b>days </b>before the race just to cheer on cyclists riding the hill! turns out - it was mike teske and alan, iowan love shacker extraordinairres and i was <b>thrilled </b>to see them. lets recall that teske was a <b>major </b>factor in me signing up for my first ironman in 2014. we would get to share another IM experience together! we exchanged hugs and laughs for a few minutes and bri and i left to finish our ride. </div>
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ready to roll thanks to Liz B for the hot wheels</div>
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we ventured to the little town of tremblant (the non-ski resort area) and it was adorable! we had a delicious charcuterie board and pizza and cokes and left full and happy. the rest of the night passed uneventfully as we ate dinner and binged on Mindhunter season 2 (amaaaaaaazing). we also attempted numerous times to learn the "Git up song" line dance and listened to Ed Sheeran's colab album on repeat. i don't wanna brag but.. we're super cool. <br />
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YUM</div>
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saturday morning involved packing transition bags, more Git up song, double and triple checking transition bags, more Ed Sheeran, and bike check-in. we watched more Mindhunter (seriously, so good) and dined on pesto chicken pasta before heading to bed. And maybe more Ed Sheeran. Defnitely more Git up song. i think we were both in a good mindset, pretty relaxed, and looking forward to the day ahead. plus, that mattress was amazing and perfect for binging TV shows and normatec boots. <br />
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standard pre-race rack shot</div>
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RACE MORNINIG! </div>
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we woke up, had leftover coffee from the day before, and dined on Picky Bar Oatmeal (apple, if you're curious). we loaded up the car with our stuff and drove to the bottom of the hill to leave the car so that we could avoid the steep uphill with our bikes many, many hours later following the race. #protip</div>
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in transition, i struggled a bit with the pump and had to take it to the mechanic to inflate the tires. this was an improvement from 4 years prior when i arrived to my brakes dangling from my bars and the mechanic having to do a quick repair... this was a low stress morning compared to that! i loaded up my nutrition, checked to make sure i was in a reasonable gear and eyed the pro racks like a creep. lionel sanders was pumping his tires and cody beals was attending to something on his bike. the stars... they're just like us! i didn't see sarah true, but i was giddy just seeing her bike.<br />
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im a loser. </div>
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we headed to swim start and positioned ourselves in the spot we had last year, a stoop right outside the beachbar area. wetsuits on, i downed a redbull i'd picked up along the way - YUM - and we headed to the water after throwing our morning clothes bag into the dump truck. the male pros were lined up under the arch and we had front row, swim-side seats to their start. we watched the pro men start their day and a familar pang started to rise in my chest - that panicky, chest-tightening feeling without the crippling anxiety - its the perfect state of mind in the minutes before the swim start. <br />
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view from the stoop, putting wetsuits on</div>
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bri and i waved to teske and alan and wished them both a safe and fun day. the pro women were now lined up at the start and brian pointed out sarah true. i watched her for a few seconds and that panicky feeling went away. then...</div>
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i cried. </div>
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wait, what?<br />
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why am i SUCH A CREEP? you know why i cried? i don't. but the best i can figure out is that all year long, i've watched her try... and fail... and try... and fail. and its not even that they are failures (if you can even call them that) - its that she tries SO DAMN HARD and goes SO DAMN DEEP into the darkness just to have it slip away for reasons beyond control. its awe-inspiring. its gut wrenching. its incredible. its raw. and ive seen this in other athletes, but with her - its in the public eye and the triathlon world has watched her <b>try </b>and <b>try </b>all year long. but here she was on the start line again, ready to give it another go, tough and fierce. as i watched her and the amazingly talented women in our sport - i decided to be like them.<br />
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<b>tough as fuck and fierce as hell. </b></div>
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mental state now decided - i relaxed. i kissed brian good luck - so FREAKING proud and happy to be towing the line with this human, this man that i couldn't be more in love with at this very moment. i hoped that we would see each other often on the course and be able to lift each others spirits and use that as motivation at different points during the long day ahea---<br />
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seriously, what is happening to me. find me my old sarcastic, self-deprecating self because prochnow-the-sap is scaring me. WTAF. this isn't why you came here, is it? well friends, you are in for an interesting ride. </div>
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the cannon sounded again and the crowd started to move forward. brian was a couple people ahead and as he hit the water, i focused on myself. beep... beep... beep... GO! </div>
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SWIM:</div>
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i ran into the water and did a sad excuse of a dolphin belly flop. i started swimming with a few hard, strong strokes, and i was on my way. i felt good, smooth, and enjoyed the temp and feel of the water. it wasn't crowded (the benefit of the rolling start) and i started passing people with each stroke. i started to pick people to draft off of, but nothing was really panning out and i ended up swimming around them. i counted buoys - there were 13 on the way out and 14 on the way back - and i zoned out. someone started tapping my foot and i knew they were drafting off me. which was fine - but i got angry each time they nailed my toes with their hands - so i kicked them hard a few times and tried to zig zag around but they were persistent. </div>
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there was a lag around the turn buoy and i thought my drafter was gone, but lo and behold, the foot tapping started again through the second turn buoy. i always breathe to my right and i was doing a pretty good job of sighting, but out of the corner of my left eye when i lifted my head, i recognized the familiar silver sleeved wetsuit with clear swedish goggles - it was Brian! </div>
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also, the foot tapping had stopped, and i realized that it was probably him the whole time... and that thought made me laugh because i wasn't sure if i had actually nailed him during one of my kicks. he pulled ahead and i knew it was my turn to draft off him. it was definintely effective - i saw a girl creeping up on me to my right but after i got into the draft zone, she quickly fell behind and we started passing more people. legal teamwork for the win! this was great for a short while until i realized that bri was zigzagging all over the place and i decided to pull up along side him. we swam mostly side by side until the finish and we ran out together, laughing about the swim and feeling giddy about our time, exactly 1 hour as we stood and ran out of the water. we chatted and jogged to transition, stripping off the wetsuits and taking advantage of the wetsuit strippers. into T1 we went, throwing out "i love yous" and "have a great days".<br />
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he always looks good. i look like i just got caught in a rainstorm while sprinting for the bus.</div>
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thank you finisherpix.</div>
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swim: 1:01:01</div>
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T1: </div>
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pink BASE socks on, Specialized cycling shoes, RudyWing57 helmet with visor and it was time to ride. no dillydallying here! i ran out to my bike as brian ran past with his bike. i quickly grabbed Daisy from off the rack and headed to the mount line, just steps behind him.<br />
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T1: 6:45</div>
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BIKE: </div>
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i got into a rhythm early with the goal of keeping brian in my sight for as long as possible. we set out on montee ryan and i settled in for the 112 mile ride. after a short bit, i decided to pass Brian and lay down a tiny bit of power - i knew this wouldn't last but i thought i'd let him chase me for awhile. montee ryan always seems so long, but 16ish minutes later, i was at the left hand turn for the highway. after a short out and back with a u-turn, we set out for a long haul on the open road.<br />
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the highway is quite lovely. its a closed course and the roads are smooth. after a handful of miles, the male pros and female pros started to fly by on their way back to town. i concentrated on racing smart and taking in calories and nutrition. a pretty girl in a cool gray kit (from Mexico) passed me and i upped my power a bit more to keep up with her. Brian passed me at some point on the way out and we exchanged hellos. 45 minutes into the highway ride, i was at the turn around, just a hair behind brian with a few people separating us.<br />
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there is an uphill portion on the way back that is deceivingly long and steeper than what it looks like (it certainly doesn't feel that fast coming down it on the way out). i rode up alongside Bri as we slowly climbed the hill, trying to spin and keep heart rate in check - and at that moment a peloton of 20 or so men flew by. i know women draft and cheat too - but this is so typical and was so blatantly obvious on the big open road. not too long later, brian and i had separated and i was back to keeping an eye on his back and we passed the yellow penalty tent, now full of the drafting men. this race (more than other IM races ive done) has a solid official moto presence on the bike course and routinely nails people for drafting and other violations. i appreciate this.<br />
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ghetto screen shot - thank you finisherpix.</div>
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very quickly, it was back to montee ryan and the first trip up duplessis. i could still see brian but he'd gotten a little further away because of the hills. i kept my cadence high and spun around other people mashing the pedals and standing... they would pay for that later.<br />
<br />
the climb is not that long and there are parts with downhill sections so its not a straight climb and very do-able. i hit the u-turn at the top just behind brian and enjoyed the first descent down duplessis. my bike handling skills were improving and i spent a lot of the downhill in aero, zoom zoom zooming around the more cautious athletes.<br />
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just after the bottom of the hills is the turn around and i pulled up a bit behind bri and yelled at him as we turned. our split time at the half was roughly 2:45 and i was shocked but thrilled about making good time and setting up for a very solid (PR) bike split. the music was up and the crowd was energized as we began lap 2. i saw some familiar faces and waved, still feeling really good and pumped to be more than halfway through the longest leg of the day. special needs was early on montee ryan and i stopped to replenish my stores. i exchanged bottles and refilled honey stinger gummies and continued on, spending less than 1:30 in special needs.<br />
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shortly after the turnaround, thank you Jolene!</div>
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i had lost my rabbit/Brian so i rode "alone", continuing to pass athletes and keeping HR and power in the targeted range. not too long later, i was back on the highway but something had changed. the winds had set in, the temperature had increased and suddenly, biking wasn't as easy as it was the first time through. still... i rode smart and didn't fight the wind and continued the constant intake of fluids and calories. i started to slowly approach a pair of men - one who was riding very close to the man in front of him and would swing wide as if he was going to pass but then he seemed to change his mind and tucked back in behind the other man. after his third time of doing this, i rolled my eyes. pass the guy or drop back, but quit messing around and sitting on his wheel. i was close enough now to pass the pair, and i did, without exerting a lot of effort. i continued on without a thought, riding all the way on the right side of the lane. all of a sudden the drafting clown pulled up - on my right - and passed on the right. it startled me because he shouldn't have been there, and it made me swing left. thankfully, no one was to my left.<br />
<br />
all of a sudden, a moto came up and spoke to him, but i couldn't tell if he had been tagged with a penalty. the moto slowed and as i passed them, i acknowledged the rule breaking cyclist in front of me and told them not only was he obviouly drafting but that he was passing on the right and riding erratically. they thanked me and rode on, but slowly. ive never called another athletes out on course to an official, but he was riding like an ass. we don't need more bicycle accidents in this sport. be an advocate for safe riding and we will all have safer, happier races.<br />
<br />
*steps down from soapbox.*<br />
<br />
after this series of events, it was back to the turn-around and i caught a glimpse of brian again just behind me (he had briefly stopped). i was excited to see he was back and we were "together" again. i figured our friends and families were probably getting a kick out of seeing us crossing the timing mats within seconds of each other and that made me smile.<br />
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it was time to go back up the long hill and descend fast and aero back to montee ryan. i was mentally gearing up for duplessis and starting to get antsy to be done with the bike and onto the run.<br />
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duplessis part two was okay. i knew i was getting a little tired, but i took controlled the climbing and didnt burn any matches on the incline. i wasn't sure where brian was at that point but as soon as i rounded the u-turn, he was behind me - YES! he passed me and i tried to stay with him, taking the descent smart but enjoying the free speed with a higher cadence to keep the legs rested but fresh and ready to start the run.<br />
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at the bottom, i hit the right hand turn and transition lay before me. i pulled up next to brian at the dismount line and we giggled like children. we were both thrilled with our bike splits and surprised that we had done the entire race together up until that point. we handed off our bikes to the bike catchers (thank you!) and paused to take off our bike shoes for the long, but quicker run-sans-shoes around transition.<br />
<br />
bike: 5:38:39<br />
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run bag collected, i headed into the change area. i don't do a lot in there - just put on shoes and sunglasses and grab my visor, bib, and handheld and head out. i met Bri exiting the change area and paused for sunscreen as the sun was out and it was warm. i started to run and looked back to see what he was doing and he waved me on because he wanted to get himself situated, throw out trash, etc.<br />
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T2: 3:31<br />
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RUN:<br />
so, i took off. i wasn't sure what kind of run he had in him with his back issuess and i knew he wouldn't want me to wait. i actually knew he would get mad if i waited for him. i didn't look back as i took the first left onto the road and into the first hill. it was go time, FUN time, and i was on pace for a solid IM PR if i could pull together a respectable run.<br />
<br />
i had legs but i was feeling more fatigued than i had off the bike in Ireland. crazy how different it feels when you actually bike versus playing around a course in the rain for 6 plus hours. i started off at sub-8 pace - way too fast - but the hills in the first few miles helped to slow me down and keep HR in check. i think LL told me i was in 5th, but i may have dreamed that when i saw her on the first hill. <br />
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straight out of transition, BYE.</div>
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the course is delightful - it is rolling until the paved trail and there it is an out and back to transition that you repeat all over again. by the time i hit the trail for the first time, i had settled into a pace. i was taking in fluids and ice at the aid stations, but thankfully it felt pretty shaded for most of the trail. i kind of knew who was running ahead of my in the age group but i couldn't know for sure. everytime a female passed me, i looked at the left leg. the good news was that i was't passed by tons and the ones that did were either older or younger. one of my goals was to not get lapped by the female pros but i ended up getting lapped by carrie lester and i "held off" the rest of the female pros, including sarah true. but - this time the lead female passed me much closer to transition so i was ahead of the game from IMMT 2015 when mary beth ellis flew by me on the trail!<br />
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thank you finisherpix</div>
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i saw Bri on my way back into town and he was running but he had fallen a bit behind. i felt relief in seeing him and my spirits lifted as it was then that my legs started to feel a little tight. i enjoyed the net downhill back to town and waved at the Base tent as i went by. a couple more ups and downs and then came a short, nasty steep up to the hotel (where special needs used to be, i believe) and a hard right and quick left. i felt the cobblestones beneath my feet and saw the finish line ahead of me. unfortunately, i had to take the right and do it all over again!<br />
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i ran through special needs without stopping (my bag contained a 5 hour energy drink, pepto, and a tablet of ondansetron in the event of GI upset that i luckily didn't need). whenever i get to a halfway mark, i always picture myself running downhill - as if its just going to get easier from that momet on. its never gotten easier, but that mindset helps me when my legs are fading.<br />
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special needs proof of life... guess im not getting that 5 hour energy drink back...</div>
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and they were definitely fading. my pace had slowed, but i was maintaining. i had gone out in 1:53 for the first half and i just told myself i only needed to run 2:06 to be under 4 hours. the hills were tougher the second time through and as i approached the small village before the trail, i ran up on teske. i could see his love shacker colors from aways out and he was holding a great pace. my pace quickened in response. we exchanged hellos and ran side by side for a short spell. he looked so strong, but he laughed because it was his first lap. he told me to "go get it girl" so i ran off. i hit the trail for the last time and focused on passing people and tried to take my mind off the hurt.<br />
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hurt locker... with TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND. thank you finisherpix.</div>
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also... new midriff kit fashion icon... AWESOME</div>
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i looked for dogs. i did running math. i read spectator signs. i tried to smile (THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN). and the miles passed. or rather, the kilometer markers did and those came quicker than miles so it gave me benchmarks to pass. i loved passing the single digits and then the teens, because they didn't apply to me and made me feel like i was so close to the end. i saw Bri again and he was walking. he was hurting but he was still in good spirits and i knew the finish line would again be his.<br />
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ironically, the last hour seemed to pass quickly. i kept singing "one foot in front of the other" (i actually don't know any other words to that song so it was a quick repeat over and over) and i approached the water and the low bridges. only a mile or so to go! i passed the base tent for the final time and dragged myself up the steep hill to the hotel. once on top, i took the final right turn and straightened my race belt and pulled down my kit that had turned into a midriff top. i knew my parents were watching and didn't want to look as crazed as i looked in ireland!<br />
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<br />
the split in the cobbles came quickly. i took my left, and took in the crowd; i high fived and i smiled big as the finishing arch got closer. the downhill finish on the red carpet is amazing and its a finish unlike any other with the lights and people up on the balcony and in the stands. i ran up and over the finish and threw my hands up in sweet, personal victory.<br />
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FINISH! thank you caitlin for capturing this.</div>
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i didn't know my overall time but i knew i was under 11 and thankful that i could finally check that off my list. its been way too many low 11's - 11:05, 11:06, 11:08, 11:11, 11:13 - consistent AF but quite the plateau.<br />
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run: 3:56:32<br />
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i made my way past the food to the morning clothes pick up and retrieved my crocs (shut up, they are the best post-race shoes) and my phone. i opened IM tracker to check on Bri and then i looked at my stats and my ranking.<br />
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the best shoes. i'll fight you on this.</div>
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overall: 10:46:28, 5th AG<br />
<br />
3rd-5th were separated by 5 minutes and i knew i could retrieve those minutes somewhere next time. but it wasn't time for "what ifs" or "next times". it was time to <b>fucking celebrate</b> that 19 minute course and overall IM PR. i called my parents and relived the day with them as i slowly wandered around. i met up with LL, Matt, and Finn in the VIP area and had a glass of wine as i had the awesome opportunity to watch brian finish from the balcony. i met the race director and thanked him profusely for organizing what continues to be my favorite ironman.<br />
<br />
but there was no time to waste - i made my way through the building (an escape route i perfected last year while spectating) - in order to intercept brian in the tent. we hugged, we took pictures, and then we sat for a bit and took in the aftermath of what we had just done. we shared our different perspectives from the day and i reveled in being able to share this with my person.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
awards took place the following morning. we were moving painfully slow, as expected, and met LL and Matt and Finn for - you guessed it - starbucks and more crepes. we headed toward the tent for awards and kona allocation/roll down and grabbed a couple of seats near the stage. as i waited for my turn to go on stage, brian caught a glimpse of talbox cox and lionel and i joked that he should go talk to talbox. brian then nudged my arm and pointed toward the table in front of us.<br />
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<br />
sarah true was leaning over and filling out kona paperwork a few feet away. i looked at bri and he shook his head - he couldn't believe i hadn't noticed her literally standing feet away. after much debate, i decided to be *that girl* and talk to her. i congratulated her on her kona slot (YAY!) and we talked about the day and I told her about ireland. we laughed over how crazy it was over there and brian took our picture. i was giddy.<br />
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<br />
that was the icing on the cake for my magic weekend. i knew kona would be a long shot - suprise, no roll down - but i got to meet one of my idols and that was enough. more than enough. i love this sport. i love how personal it is and how much we learn about ourselves and how far we can push ourselves - and each other.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
thank you to brian - for being there day in, day out. for being my training partner and real-life partner. im so thankful to do this life with you.<br />
<br />
thank you to my family. your endless support and belief that i can do anything is unaparalleled. the older i get, the more grateful i am to have had the upbringing that i had - you raised me to be a strong woman with big dreams.<br />
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thank you Drew and Crew racing - it takes trust in a coach and trust in the process to succeed. you gave me the tools to lay the foundation and continue to provide the bricks to build me into a better athlete than i was the day before.<br />
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thank you friends - both in sport and out - you inspire me. you make me laugh, you make me happy cry. you care, and that is more than enough.<br />
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thank you to my teams, DC tri club elite - for your continued support and believing in me through the ups and downs the past few years and BASE performance - for being an amazing presence and forging meaningful friendshps. Thank you honey stinger, xterra, osmo, rudy project, louis garneau, district taco, xx2i, zealios, boco gear - awesome sponsors and super lucky to represent you.<br />
<br />
and finally, thank you sarah true for lifting me up this year and for showing us that showing up everyday and working your ass off pays off. that it pays to dig deep and when you feel like you can't any more - dig deeper.<br />
<br />
and that you need to be a fucking force of nature.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
with that, the bulk of the season is over. i raced a 70.3 "for fun" a few weeks after IMMT but it wasn't one for the record books. its time to embrace the "off season" with unstructured workouts (i.e. zwifting and listening to crime junkie on long runs) and lots of pumpkin spiced goodies. and bloody marys. all the bloody marys.<br />
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thanks for joining me, negative 3 readers - a sincere thank you if you are still reading this - im grateful for you. lets go play bikes or do monument runs (its been too long since i did a phallic run around the mall...)!<br />
<br />
next up... IM St. George and IMMT (AGAIN!)</div>
Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-90754629470736457592019-09-25T06:10:00.002-07:002019-09-25T06:40:47.520-07:00Race Recap: Ironman Ireland - and some overly dramatic thoughts on racing in tough conditions<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">EDIT: I TRIED SEVEN TIMES TO CHANGE THE FONT SIZE... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">negative three followers - I'm writing a race report only 3 months after completing a race - WHO. IS. PROUD. OF. ME? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">anyway... sláinte!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "proximanova" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;">that's basically "cheers" in gaelic, specifically "good health". we said it many times over the course of the trip and we had so many reasons to say "cheers" and "cheers to good health" - lots of reasons to celebrate and be thankful for the time we spent on the big green island. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "proximanova" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;">first of all, i have to say - i was so <b>lucky </b>to be part of the inaugural Ironman Ireland, Cork. i was also <strike>ignorant </strike>lucky that i did virtually no research into the course prior to signing up and in the time leading up to the race. fortunately, holli provided updates regarding the bike course and the now famous windmill hill, but lets be honest - i had zero idea about what i was getting myself into. coincidentally, my mom (henceforth known as momma p) celebrated the 39th anniversary of her 21st birthday this past year and i decided to give her a trip to ireland. i've never given anyone a gift this big before and no one deserves it more. my mom loves to see and visit new places and i knew she would love to visit ireland - in exchange, i wanted her to sherpa the race (she's a pro at this point). </span></span><br />
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after many months of planning, reading travel blogs, googling "best things to see and do in ireland", and writing itineraries for travel in pretty new notebooks with pretty new pens, it was finally time for us to leave. the training was done, i was finally feeling strong running and biking and i was excited to see what my body could do with this unknown course. my legs had finally stopped hurting all the time (still not sure what the problem was) with the help of stretching, normatec boots, consistent recovery smoothies, etc. my swimming was eh - its been a struggle to find the motivation to get in the pool this year but i knew i could muscle through the swim.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">B dropped me off at the airport after a stop at southblock for acai bowls for pre-flight fueling. my flight was delayed by 40 minutes but otherwise no issues. for the first time ever, i was NOT able to sleep on the plane and instead enjoyed the plethora of films that aer lingus had to offer. i enjoyed the double meals on the flight including a tiny lemon cheesecake that was so delightful, it would follow me into my dreams. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">we landed at 5:30 am ireland time (11:30 pm our time) and i was exhausted. i found my gigantically heavy bag and attempted to locate my bicycle. in retrospect, i should not have chosen the gigantically heavy bag WITHOUT WHEELS... oh well. i wandered around for awhile looking for momma p in the nearly empty baggage claim and finally i spotted a women holding an orange sign (i wasn't wearing glasses) and i assumed it was my mom so i ran to her. she had made a fantastic birthday sign (oh yea, it was now my 35th birthday in ireland time - i had forgotten) and an ironman sign on the flip side! we were here and together and it was time to start our adventure!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it even had a DINOSAUR.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">this involved picking up the rental car and dropping a paycheck on rental insurance. after choking back vomit on the pricetag, we trudged toward Hertz with our bags and bike bag in tow and located our audi station wagon. we were originally supposed to get an SUV of sorts but the audi proved to be an excellent vehicle. i am now a rental car snob and will refuse to drive anything less than a beautiful audi from here on out. the man divvying up rental cars gave us clueless americans <b>zero </b>guidance in how to operate the vehicle. <strike> i cursed his name</strike> this was much appreciated when i attempted to drive on the opposite side of the road in a vehicle that was a mirror image of cars back home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">we loaded up the car (plenty of room for all our things) and set out on the open roads just outside of downtown dublin. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">in morning rush hour. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">with no sleep. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">driving on the opposite side of the road. in the opposite side of the car.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">friends - <b>it. was. stressful. </b> it was white knuckling, straining to see (SHUT UP, I WORE MY GLASSES), playing follow the leader with the car in front of me, and trying to process how to make a right hand turn. the time finally came when i was at the front of the line at the light. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>it was go time. </b> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i would have to conciously make <b>the </b>decision - WHICH LANE TO TURN INTO. some wire tripped in my brain and short circuited and there might have been screaming but i remember little else until we made the executive decision to find coffee <b>immediately </b>(mom gets me) and arrived at a parking garage in the middle of dublin.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i turned in, realized it was going to be 30 euro to park there and immediately attempted to leave while driving in reverse on the opposite side of the road. then, a car pulled up behind me and i lost my mind and wanted to cry. mom then discovered we could park hourly for 4 euro (at that point i was ready to pay the 30 euro just to stop driving) so i went right back up to where i started and discovered the parking spots are half the size of the spots in the US. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i pulled in, turned off the car, and nearly passed out. we laughed instead. <b>"WE SURVIVED!"</b> we exclaimed. we got out of the car and tried to lock it and it wouldn't lock. for reference, i drive a 2011 nissan rogue that i love - its the lowest, most basic version of this vehicle - i dont need those bells and whistles yo!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">however, because my mom does drive a fancy car (in fact, the fanciest version of the same rogue I drive), she recognized the car was still running and that i had to push a button to turn off the car. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">excuse me, what? </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">whatever happened to those good old fashioned keys that turn on the car? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">we walked out into the narrow, winding streets of dublin and had no concept of where we were. we only knew that it said "cafe" on the building outside and we stumbled in, in serious need of provisions. i had scrambled eggs and coffee and i was rejuvenated. i <b><u>could </u></b>drive on the opposite side of the road on no sleep in morning traffic! BRING IT ON IRELAND! <b> I CAN DO ANYTHING</b>!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">we decided to head out of dublin as we would be back at the end of the trip. we headed in the direction of county cork where the race would be held so that we could meet up with holli, get checked in for the race, and do a little shake-out run. the town of waterford was on the way and we wanted to check out the waterford factory and all the beautiful crystal. i also wanted to try blaa bread (native to waterford) because, carbs. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">once out on the open roads, i was feeling better about driving. we parked in waterford along the water and booked a spot in the tour of the factory. it was AWESOME. i highly recommend the tour. the craftsmanship was astounding and incredible - im so glad we made the decision to visit. we had our first true irish meal of the day for lunch - irish brown soda bread, seafood chowder with chips, and some sort of shredded beef on blaa bread. it was delicious. truthfully, blaa bread wasn't life changing but i officially checked it off my ireland bucket list. because, yes, my bucket list included eating bread. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">we eventually made our way to youghal (pronounced y'all) and located the airbnb. as we were walking in, an adorable boy was in the yard near where we parked. we chatted with him and his mom and discovered that their names were norma and john. john was SO excited for the race on sunday and he had already met holli and judith and he knew all about us. immediately, i felt like a pro athlete the way that they were talking to us. i got all the warm and fuzzies and was so excited to get settled into our temporary new life in southern ireland.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">this is john. john is the best. everyone needs a little guy like this at some point in their life.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">pre-run, twins</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">holli and i set out for a quick 30 min shake-out run. she took me past the ironman village and through the town. it was like out of a movie. the narrow roads, the local shops, the clock tower - it was everything i had been picturing in my head for the past year. we picked up the moms back at the house and went to the village to check in. it was the most laid back check in process ever. and all the blue and yellow forms where ironman makes you sign your life away were electronic - so easy! the interesting part was that special needs bags were pre-assigned - you had to register for them ahead of time which i have never seen before. we were prepared and picked up our bags for a total of 5 gear bags, as normal.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">brag for the rest of your life, twiins</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The mommas were the real heroes of the trip - #1 sherpa mommas</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">friday morning, we "slept in" and headed to the beach to get in a swim. momma p joined us as the designated talbot cox of the trip and we headed to swim start along the boardwalk. this walkway would later become the initial part of the run on race day. there was a smattering of people in the water. the waves were pretty calm and the water looked beautiful. holli had already warned me that the water was fairly frigid so in addition my xterra pretty purple wetsuit, i added neoprene booties and a neoprene cap to wear under my normal swim cap. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">walking to the swim - also the first part of the run course boardwalk</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">legitimately not emotionally prepared for the cold water</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">me: holli, its FREAKING cold, this is crazy, my feet are frozen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">holli: dude... you're not even in the water yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">me: oh hell, WAIT FOR ME.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">this was one of the best decisions ive ever made in my life. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">we waded into the water, feeling that initial shock of the cold water. in typical holli fashion, she got right into swimming. holli does life at 100%. me... eh not so much. being the temperature princess that i am - i allowed a minute or two to get used to the temperature, but lets be honest, your body doesn't adjust to this level of cold - it just proceeds to go numb. face in the water, i set off after holli. i could swim but i was <b>highly uncomfortable</b>. at least the waters were relatively calm and i could easily sight the yellow buoys in front of me. after what felt like a mile, i looked at my watch. it had been 2 minutes and 13 seconds since i had started my watch. oh hell.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i finally got to the buoy about 5-6 minutes later and turned around to head home. my face was numb and exhaling felt odd since my lips were frozen in place. i was swimming and it was doable but i knew i was going to be nearly frigid getting onto the bike race morning following 2.4 miles in these waters.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">our plan was to immediately get on the bikes and head out for 45-60 minutes but we cozied up to the fire the mommas had started in the fireplace and warmed the feet for over an hour before finally getting on the bikes. while we warmed up, the mommas gifted us with signed copies of Mike Reilly's book - Finding My Voice - which was awesome! such a cool and thoughtful surprise. thank you Mommas!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">matchy matchy Rudy helmets + "pretty okay at bikes" socks</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">we headed out on the bikes and tackled the infamous windmill hill first. it is the 21% quarter-ish mile hill that everyone had been talking about for months. it was <b>steep</b> but i had thrown an 11-32 on there (actually i definitely did not do that - Brian did) and i was so thankful for the added gear. it wasn't impossible, but i knew the second time up the hill on race day would be somewhat painful! we then headed out to the beginning of the course - the first 20-30 minutes of the bike were relatively flat (we just did an out and back) but i knew it wouldn't stay this way. we got a little taste of the uneven pavement and potholes, but nothing too significant. the roads were noticeably narrower than in the states and quite technical. by that point - still 2 days out from the race - there were already signs cheering on the ironman athletes and old bikes displayed as decorations. it was amazing, i've never seen anything like it on a course. if this were back in the states - the residents would likely be furious about the massive road closures for the <u style="font-weight: bold;">closed</u> IM bike course. but here... they were <b>excited </b>and the excitement was <b>palpable </b>and that was incredible to experience as an athlete.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">by the time we arrived home, the mommas had already set out to explore, so we met them in town, shopped, and ate our way around the village. athletes were everywhere and the excitement continued to build - you could feel it in the air. we attempted a grocery store trip to get food and find disposable water bottles for the race hydration - but that proved to be quite difficult. we finally found some fat water bottles that we could jam into the bottle cages and it was mostly okay. i also had an encounter with the company that made the lemon cheesecake that i had been dreaming about - so we bought an entire lemon cheesecake, irish butter, and yogurt to go with our post-race champagne that our airbnb hosts had gifted us. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(later, when race day got hard, it would be thoughts of this cheesecake that would get me through the dark points. legit.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">must hug viszla baby... puppy kisses... pure bliss.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">welcome banquet, sitting next to Mike Reilly</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">saturday - bike and gear check in day! we woke up and had the customary big breakfast of pancakes (premade! how delightfully easy!), eggs, sausage, and toast. we put our gear bags together and made sure our bikes were prepped for sunday and holli and i and the mommas headed over with all our gear. per the rules - we had to wear our bibs and our helmets for bike check. looking superfly with our normal clothes and helmet/visor and race bib number, we checked in the bikes and dropped off our transition bags. we did a leisurely walk back to our place but not without stopping for a bowl of fresh mini donuts - they were <b>delicious</b>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">the coolest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">the rest of the day is kind of a blur - we packed special needs bags and the mommas made food for dinner. we read a little, and finally it was time for bed and time to dream some Ironman dreams before the big day. there was an update online that the swim would be shortened the following day and i wondered how my day would go with my strongest leg getting altered...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Race morning:</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">got up at 3:45 after a surprisingly good nights sleep. we made sure we had our bottles and nutrition and packed up our gear and walked to transition. it was drizzling but not too bad. looking at the water though... i knew in my gut we would not be be swimming and frankly, as a swimmer - </span><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I WAS THRILLED</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">. the waves were large and treacherous looking and i already knew how chilly the water was going to be. a part of me also knew that if they did have us swim, people were going to suffer greatly and possibly die. that is absolutely not an exaggeration. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i checked on miss daisy and loaded up my bottles and nutrition, and filled my tires, already feeling a bit of the chill despite dressing warmly. it was an odd transition vibe - the music wasn't pumping like it usually is, i couldn't hear mike reilly or anyone on the microphones giving their minute by minute updates and mini pep-talks. it was strangely quiet other than the buzz of athletes chatting, the whirring of expensive wheels, bicycle floor pumps - but it was still an ironman morning though the unwelcome sick-to-my-stomach feeling was wonderfully absent. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">holli and i met up with the mommas and so began the long wait. we waited... and waited... and the 6 am announcement regarding the swim came and went... and we continued to wait. around 6:30, via what seemed like purely word of mouth - we learned that yes, the swim was cancelled and that we were to wait by our bikes at 7:20 and we would be escorted row by row into the tent to retrieve our T1 bags and get suited up for the bike. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">once in the tent, it was a pure clusterfuck. my bag was adjacent to the pro rack and a volunteer stopped us from proceeding further because at that moment, the pros were getting dressed and had to get out of the tent since they would be starting before us. i turned around to assess the state of the rest of the tent and bumped my butt into the butt of the person behind me. Anja Ippach was bending over and putting her things into her bike bag. i had touched greatness and hoped it would bring me luck, ha! i looked over at linsey corbin (squeeeeeeeeeee) and assessed what she was wearing and decided to follow her lead of jersey, arm warmers, and vest. i had my sleeveless top on underneath the jersey for an added layer. i added a neck gaitor and woefully forgot my neoprene shoe covers, but remembered the latex gloves and wore those under a thick pair of full fingered cycling gloves. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">it was then that my first flash of stupidity hit me. i had been toting around a backpack all morning (which contained my empty plastic morning clothes bag among other things) and panicked when i realized i wouldn't be able to hand it to my mom as the pros had started and the spectators were now on the other side of a gate. i squeezed back inside the tent (ILLEGALLY since they'd kicked us out to let more people in) and stuffed my backpack into my T1 bag, proceeding to rip it apart in the process. i carefully hung it back up, prayed that it would hold together for the next 12+ hours until i retrieved it, and headed toward my bike, completely overlooking the fact that i had my empty morning clothes bag that i could easily have stowed my backpack in. dumb. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i grabbed my bike and joined the growing line of athletes waiting to begin the time trial start. it was raining and i was shivering significantly and standing still in the cold was not helping. >30 minutes after waiting in line, i finally started. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">BIKE:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i tried not to go out too hard and just settle into the pace, slowing bringing my heartrate up to where i wanted it. it was an odd change since normally my HR is sky high following T1. it was raining a fair amount and the roads were narrow in spots. i didn't know how hard to really push so i kept my eye on the power and kept it as steady as i could. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i recognized areas of the bike course from our adventure bike preview a couple of days before. i passed a lot of people, a lot of men passed me but not many (if any) females. i focused on taking in enough nutrition which was a challenge given the rain and being cold - its so hard to make yourself drink in those conditions! there were rolling portions of the course but any descent was hairy with standing water and hidden potholes. i started to get colder and colder but the latex gloves were actually helping - highly recommend! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">before i knew it, there were less than 10 miles to go in the first loop. i wasn't going particularly fast, but i wasn't getting passed by tons of women, so i wasn't too concerned. i headed down a pretty steep descent and in the distance, i saw someone on the left side of the road waving - it took a second to register that it was holli! i veered to the left (thankfully i was already pretty far over the left since we were riding on the left side) and hopped off the bike. i saw a shredded tube in the grass and asked holli what had happened. she had a flat after hitting something in the descent and the replacement tube had subsequently exploded and the CO2 cartidge was blown. a mechanic/official was on the right side of the road waiting. i handed my spare tube to holli, then realizing i had lost 2 CO2 cartidges because of the bumpy roads and the lid of my QR box had flown off at some point in the previous 48 miles - thats how uneven the roads were. had i been the one with the flat - i would have had nothing to blow up the tube with! i asked holli if she wanted me to stay and she said "its your race friend." i said "fuck it, this day already sucks, i'll hang out with you until we make sure you're good to go." i was already in pure survival mode and wasn't having any fun so hanging out with my friend seemed like a nice break from a really shitty morning. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">the mechanic/official ended up manually pumping up the tire with a hand pump and in the process, holli and i dislodged the motorcycle storage box from the back of the bike. whoops. we reattached it, holli got her wheel back on and away we went! there were a couple of ass kicking climbs that i hadn't really noticed during our course preview but i kept holli in my sight and slow grinded my way through them and made my way back to town. windmill hill was next and it was a page straight out of challenge roth or TDF - lined 2-3 deep with spectators, cowbells, signs, etc - very very cool! definitely a needed boost to get you up the hill and i made it up without too much of a struggle. from there, its all downhill to start the second looop and it was directly past our airBNB. i waved "hi" to my momma in her yellow raincoat and sped away - so happy to see her! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">special needs was next and the cold was really starting to hit me. brain fog was setting in from being so cold and as i rooted through my bag, i grabbed my bottles <b>AND LEFT ALL MY NUTRITION BEHIND</b>. i rode away without giving it a second thought. i was visibly shivering by then and i was worried about the next few hours on two wheels, knowing exactly what lie ahead on the course. i put my head down and just focused on pedal strokes, power, heart rate - trying to think about anything else except the cold and my shaking. i had nutrition in my bottles, but its never enough and i always eat real food as well. mid-way through the loop, i started to have tunnel vision and my peripheral vision was hazy and going black. i realized that my left hand was frozen to the point that i thought i was braking when i wasnt - thank goodness i still had feeling in my right hand to control the rear brake. a little bit before the next aid station, i realized that i was seriously bonking from the lack of food. thankfully, there was an aid station close by and i hopped off my bike and grabbed some food. i stood there for a few minutes, debating about asking a volunteer for a phone to call brian or my mom. i didn't want to continue, i wanted to quit so bad because it was so damn miserable to be out there with still 20 miles to go. i drank and ate a little more and decided to get back on my bike. i soft pedaled all the way back to town, my power and heart rate ridiculously low that i wasn't even looking at the numbers at that point - i just wanted to keep the rubber side down and keep moving forward. i ended up peeing on the bike numerous times - i hate doing it but i was soaking wet and its just gotta happen - and i consciously did it the first few times. maybe its gross - but the warmth was actually welcoming. the next few times however, i had zero control over my bladder and was surprised when i realized what was happening. <b>that </b>was the depth of the cold and brain fog i was feeling. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">finally - <b>FINALLY </b>- it was time for windmill hill again. since i had barely been putting effort into pedaling, my legs didn't feel trashed so i pulled my wits together to get up the hill. this time, people were struggling much more - lots of wide swerving or abruptly stopping and getting off the bike - both of which happened right in front of me and i had to swerve fast - twice - to avoid a collision and avoid having to get off my own bike. i made it to the top for the second time and headed back to transition - ready to turn in my timing chip, see my mom, and take a warm shower. i was <b>done</b>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i rode to the dismount line, got off my bike, and slowly walked it to the bike rack. i didn't run as i always do - i couldn't even keep the bike in a straight line because my hands were both non-functional at this point. it was dark and cloudy and it was still pouring rain.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i ambled into the change tent, grabbed my bag... and sat. after a minute, i made an attempt to take off my shoes but i <b>couldn't</b>. my fingers were actually not working - it was like trying to type on a keyboard with limp noodles for fingers. i tried to unzip my vest and get the cold, wet clothes off - same issue. there were no volunteers as there are at north american races. had there been volunteers, i would have been able to get through T2, but there was no one. after 10 minutes near a heater, i finally felt the tingle and feeling started to come back. i was able to take off my top wet layers (i kept my tri shorts and sleeveless trip top on) and added a long sleeved pullover and my cycling jacket. i changed into dry socks and put on running shoes, and found handwarmers at the bottom of my bag that i stuffed into my cheap 1 dollar mittens. i donned a beanie, added a visor and i was ready to find my mom. i dressed warmly not with the intention of running, but with the intention of finding my mom and going home. the initial run course started on the boardwalk along the beach with a pretty intense headwind that nearly blew my visor off. head down, i literally gritted my teeth and groaned/moaned out loud at the wind - like, for the love of christ, the weather was just continuing to get more and more <b>miserable</b>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">5-6 minutes later, i saw my mom near the top of the one hill on the run course. as soon as i saw her, i broke down crying. "its okay to stop" my mom said. i told her that holli had a flat (they already knew) and i told her how miserable and scary the bike had been. "i think im going to stop" i told mom. she said "thats fine... but you're in second place by 8 minutes."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">"um. okay. i guess... bye!" i said as i started to run away. i stopped crying and knew there was some work to be done. a switch had been flipped inside of me. i went from sobbing and nearly quitting to having hope dangled in front of my face. as i ran away, that was a pretty large pill to swallow - i didn't have the mindset to run - i was supposed to be on my way back to the airBNB to a nice, HOT SHOWER, not preparing for another 4 hours of exercising in the rain. i was also highly overdressed. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i channeled my friends who had raced louisville last year. i channeled my friends who had raced Boston last year. they had done it - and survived - and hell, i could too. "i can be a badass", i told myself. i then followed that up with "hell, I AM a <b>fucking badass</b>." i then started hearing the ironman commentator from the NBC Kona specials talking about <b>Me</b>. i could hear him talking about the lack of swimming being detrimental to my race, my struggle in the bike, my lack of nutrition, stopping to help holli, and putting all of that into the best run of my life. he would say, "passes like these are almost always permanent" among his other quotes that I've heard over and over again in the kona specials and those thoughts actually made me giggle out loud. i was headed straight to crazy town. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">the run involved 4 out and backs - i started out WAY too fast at a sub 8 pace on the way out to the first turn around and kept trying to slow the pace. it inevitably would creep down and i'd have to make myself slow jog a few steps to relax. i was feeling pretty good and loose, no big aches and pains so i was happy with that. halfway through the first loop on the way back, i realized i was overheating. i was sweating and then getting really clammy and started to feel a little dizzy. i stopped at an aid station and frantically tried to rip off my cycling jacket to take off my long sleeved pullover. a really kind older gentleman helped me take off the wet clothes and i chucked the long sleeved shirt into the trash. my hands felt pretty warm between the gloves and the handwarmers but i couldn't get the damn zipper to zip. the volunteer tried as well and finally, i said screw it, thanked him, and ran away, my jacket flapping behind me like a sail... as it would continue to flap for the next 21 miles looking like a damn fool. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">it continued to rain on the run but the frigid cold i had felt on the bike was gone. i was still cold and i was still unhappy but i wasn't so miserable that i couldn't keep moving forward. i was holding a decent pace and with each passing minute, i was doing a lot of mental running math to see if i could finally break the 4 hour barrier again. it kept my brain occupied. i looked forward to seeing my mom and getting updates on placing - at some point she said i was in third (i wasn't, but because of the time trial start, people were hitting checkpoints at different times) and said i was gaining on first place. eventually i ran my way within four minutes of the leader but i was running out of steam and my quads were getting <b>tight</b>. i also looked forward to seeing holli and she was looking so, so strong. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">mike reilly and the female announcer (Joanna, i think?) were calling people across the finish line and during one of my passes by the finishers arch, she said "we've got a runner wearing wooly mitterns!" yep, that was me! and i was definitely not the only runner in "woolies" but maybe the only one with hot pink mittens that looked like a crazy person with an unzipped <strike>cape </strike>jacket streaming behind her. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i received my last colored bracelet at the final turnaround at transition and it was time to run my way to the finish. the headwind on the boardwalk had really picked up (oh sweet jesus) but i was at 3:45 or so into the run and i knew that sub-4 was mine, even if i chose to walk. head down, i ran into the wind and up the hill for the final time. the red carpet lie ahead and i smiled big and high fived people with my wooly mittens and crossed the line. i saw the mommas and headed to them, medal and various liquids and drinks in hand along with a silver space blanket. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">thank jesus the day was over. i finished 2nd and that in itself was a true accomplishment given the events of the day. i was proud of myself for changing my mental game on the fly at the beginning of the run, for not giving up on the bike course, for stopping to give my dear friend a spare tube so she could complete the race that we spent a year looking forward to, and for putting ironman number 8 in my personal mental record book. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i called brian and relived the day to him while searching for holli. there was a serious lack of chicken broth everywhere so i sipped hot chocolate as i wandered. finally, she appeared, we took some pictures and we headed home... slowly... the post ironman legs were setting in and i was thoroughly chilled to the bone. a hot shower has <b>NEVER</b> felt so delightful. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">we drove back to transition a little bit later and retrieved our bikes and gear and ended up attempting to find dinner at 11 pm at our local favorite restaurant. sandwiches and victory stout beer was had and we happily headed home to sleep. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">awards were nice the next day, top 3 were awarded. we did the now customary wait for kona roll down and as per usual in the races that i attend, it did not roll down. 2nd AG and no KQ since I am a female racing ironmans and not a man. i get that it is proportionally allotted, but it still sucks. and it sucked to look at the final results and see that i had a faster bike and run than the first place girl by >17 minutes, but it was my 22 min frozen transition that stood between me and the KQ. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">i let myself be sad for a little bit, and we ended up in cork, ireland at the titanic museum later that day which was really fun. the sting of the lack of KQ and my final results continued to rear up a few times a day... for weeks... (and every so often even now writing this a few months later)... but i had another ironman to look forward to and boy, was that a magic day... </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">until next time my friends and negative three followers... thank you for following along this crazy crazy ramble of mine. stay awesome!</span></span>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-73268997701089820832019-07-10T03:25:00.000-07:002019-07-10T03:25:12.789-07:00Race Recap: Monticelloman 70.3 - Third times the charmwelcome to 2019 dear friends and negative three readers. i hope the off season treated you well and that you gained some weight, drank the things, and stayed up past 10 pm more than 1 night a week. in other words - you got craaaaaaazy.<br />
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but all good things must come to an end and make way for greater things. over here at casa de H & B (hell yea, we moved in together and straight into the apartment next door), we've been hitting zwift hard and buying new triathlon toys. thanks to being a member of the BASE performance team, we had the opportunity to take advantage of an amazing deal on ENVE 7.8 wheels and they are the prettiest things (besides Jazz and Brian) that currently reside in this apartment. being the super nerds that we are, we also got specialized s-works 7 cycling shoes (different colors) and invested in a couple pairs of Nike zoom fly flyknit shoes (same colors). in other words, we each spent our yearly triathlon "budget" in the first 5 months of the year so don't let me buy any more of the things. except a new bike computer. my converted 910 fake bike computer finally crapped itself and only permits me to use it for approximately 1 x 2.5 hour ride at 100% charge. LAME .<br />
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work update: i left my workplace and started working at a new hospital. and it. is. awesome. theres not a whole lot else to say because life is <b>good</b>. sometimes i work a lot, sometimes i don't. im generally happy, invested in work, and i care about what i do again. i was close to giving it all up and exploring other options and i'm glad that i didn't.<br />
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so thats life as i know it. can you believe that we already had our first tri of the year? i decided to tackle Monticelloman 70.3 again. i felt like i hadn't figured out the bike course at all and wanted to give it a third try. i love that its laid back and with an 8:30 am start, you can "sleep in". however, much like childbirth (or so i hear), i had forgotten just how hilly the run course is.<br />
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Bri and i headed down Saturday morning with the aim to get there around noon. we put our bikes back together and saddled up for a 45 minute bike and 15ish minute run. it was warm but not horribly humid. we saw a number of DC Tri folks as well as a couple of my DC Tri Elite teammates and they convinced us to jump in the water. we did so, sans wetsuits, and it was a beautiful temperature, somewhere in the high 60's/low 70's. following our short, out of order, triathlon, we grabbed noodles and co. for lunch and headed to the hotel because kentucky derby coverage was on and i had missed the first few hours of women in hats, beautiful horses, and $2000 mint juleps. i was having trouble calibrating my power meter to my POS garmin and i took a short adventure around the parking lot without a saddle in running shoes (you have to take the saddle off to put the bikes on the car rack inside the car). that was a terrifying, death-defying 90 seconds of my life that i'll never get back.<br />
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we packed our bags for the following day and settled in until capt Y-Bry summoned us to this hotel room and we hung with the guys + Joyce for little bit before dinner. dinner involved a yummy italian restaurant AND i was lucky enough to be able to see my friend Ryan from college. it was an awesome time catching up, drinking a bit of wine, and eating delicious food.<br />
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i guess you came here to read about the actual race - so here it is: race morning!<br />
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the alarms went off around 4:45 and by 5 am, we were dragging ourselves out of our beds. yes ,we slept in separate beds and neither of us was unhappy about that as im a sleep thrasher. though it wasn't the best mattress, i generally enjoy sleeping in hotel beds and this one did not disappoint. shout out to the Days Inn of Charlotttesville.<br />
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to our pleasant surprise, it was raining... kind of a lot. we took advantage of the continental breakfast as both of us had forgotten to pack anything of significance for breakfast. oops. i think i had instant oatmeal and some poppyseed muffins and i was happy.<br />
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we packed up the car and drove about 30 minutes to the race site where it was... still raining. we ran into Darren and we made our way over to transition where it was... still raining. i gave joyce a hug and said various "hellos" to teammates and club members, feeling that little flutter of excitement that only race day and seeing a harry potter marathon on TV can bring. i set up transition in less than 10 minutes, glad that we had the foresight to start keeping garbage bags in our transition bags after the monsoon that was wisconsin 70.3 last year. i would have dry running shoes and socks and i cherished the thought of how good that would feel if we continued to be soaking wet for the rest of the morning. i also was excited to wear my new rudy project PINK wing57 helmet with the surprise bonus of a visor - i haven't raced with a visor in a long time and was interested to see how that would feel.<br />
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remember that i was excited to try this out because the feeling would not last. <br />
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we dropped our bags off at the car (parking is easy and close at this race) and attempted to put on wetsuits on our damp bodies - not an easy feat. i tore a small hole in mine but eh, it happens. finally, FINALLY, it was time to head to the water for a short (like 10 strokes) warm-up swim.<br />
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the water felt chilly but i knew it would be perfect for swimming. especially after i peed in my wetsuit and felt all nice and toasty on the inside.<br />
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SWIM:<br />
the men took off promptly at 8:30 and we followed at 8:33. the start is a beach run into the water and only after i made a beeline for the water did i realize that it would have been MUCH faster to run to the end of the beach and THEN dive into the water. not my smartest move. the girl who did choose this tactic was immediately way ahead of me and would later be first out of the water.<br />
<br />
i settled into a comfortable (read: too comfortable) pace and enjoyed swimming alone. with a small field and being a generally strong swimmer, i knew it would be a fairly solo effort until we caught up to the men. and catch up to them we did - in less than 10 minutes. the buoys seemed far apart and i spent my time counting (again, why? since i have no idea how many buoys there are). i attempted some drafting which is ill advised when you are catching up to people and passing them. let this be clear - it will not help you.<br />
<br />
in the second half, i tried to speed up a bit - i was feeling relaxed and strong. then i realized the turn buoy was not the turn buoy and that was a bit of gut puncher. what felt like many minutes later, i arrived at the turn buoy and headed to shore. a faint memory came across my consciousness about swimming to the left of the dock. so - i made a beeline for that area and starting kicking and increased my turnover only to glance over and see a few people waving me and pointing to the RIGHT side of the dock. ah... my bad... a girl in a green cap was coming on strong and i shot for the gap between her and the dock and ran out of the water a couple seconds ahead of her.<br />
<br />
31:16 (definitely would have been well under 31 if not for the detour)<br />
<br />
T1: 4:10 (for reference, transition was like 20 feet long)<br />
this is where things sort of fell apart. the rain had stopped (thankfully) but the sky was pretty dark. as in - clear sunglasses would have been ideal over my very very dark helmet visor. but first, i had to remove my wetsuit - something i have done many times before but suddenly forgot how to do at this particular time. i couldn't get it over my watch and instead of just taking 10 seconds to remove my watch like sane person, i struggled for a solid minute and eventually succeeded. i put on socks and shoes as normal and then decided i needed to RIP OFF THE VISOR in order to wear equally dark sunglasses... i wasn't thinking clearly. first of all, let me thank Rudy Project for making this task impossible in the heat of the moment. yea yea, its secure and wont fall off your face during the race - but at this moment, i was PISSED. another minute spent struggling, swearing, watching the girl who came out of the swim on my heels peel out of transition, and then pausing in defeat that the helmet bestest me. i consented and just put the helmet on my head, grabbed my bike, and headed out after wasting enough time in T1.<br />
<br />
BIKE:<br />
my heartrate was in zn17 after my T1 antics and i needed to calm the F down. it was cool and i wanted to make sure that i got ahead of the hydration/nutrition game. my goal was to drink the majority of my three bottles of infinit over the next hopefully 2 hours and 45 minutes and supplement with snacks of honey stinger chews. my other goal was to find the woman that beat me out of the water and the woman that beat me out of transition. of course, i had no idea if the FOTW girl was even racing the half (possibly aquavelo or relay) but whatever. i settled into my HR and power and just rode. there were no large climbs, but lots of rolling terrain and pretty countryside. i stayed in aero for the majority of the ride and inclines and continued to drink and eat.<br />
<br />
at some point, we rode past a little country house and i heard a gun shot. i stiffened and froze. another gun shot. i whipped around to look and see if i could see anybody. i heard a third shot and started riding away as fast as i could. at this point in my life, i have listened to hundreds of stories about murder and true crime and i didn't want to be the next topic for Georgia and Karen on "My Favorite Murder". it was super jarring to hear so close to the road, but its the country. it happens.<br />
<br />
i found myself really enjoying the bike. its such a small race that a lot of the time, you are alone. i got passed by handfuls of guys but was able to pick up some power and leap frog a few of them. on one of the longer inclines, i passed the women from transition (YES). i figured that put me into the top 1 or 2. before i knew it, i was nearly back to transition and ready to head out for loop 2. my watch said 1:20 and i was shocked. i wasn't overbiking, i was not comfortable per say but it was a doable pace to continue and possibly pick it up a notch.<br />
<br />
a few miles into the second loop, there was a roundabout and a short line of cars in the road waiting to turn onto the roundabout. it wasn't clear if they were stopped by the police or because they were waiting for cars to move around the roundabout. i slowed, assessing the situation and decided to just stay right, but cautiously, and ride around the stopped cars. a man on a road bike came flying up behind me yelling, "move faster, cmon! lets go, lets go, LETS GO!"<br />
<br />
sir, may i politely ask you to SHUT THE FUCK UP? the space to the right of the cars was less than three feet wide and cars were slowing moving. after the MANY car-bike accidents that have occurred this year alone, losing 30 seconds was more than okay with me in order to keep myself and others safe.<br />
<br />
i replied, "dude, calm down".<br />
<br />
the roadie shot around me in the roudabout (are you kidding me) and took off. a minute later, i was coming up on his wheel and passed him. we leap frogged a bit, but on any incline, he fell way back and eventually i passed him for the final time and never saw him again.<br />
<br />
the second loop was consistent and i felt strong. i couldn't remember landmarks near the end of the loop and before i knew it, i was turning into the community a minute away from transition.<br />
<br />
2:42:32 (10 min course PR)<br />
<br />
T2: 1:56<br />
i saw Darren in transition and said a few things, not realizing (because im an idiot) that he wasn't in the race anymore. i took my dry shoes and socks out of the bag, fixed my ponytail and visor, and grabbed my racebelt and water bottle. on my way out, i asked what place i was in and was met with... "i don't know, maybe top three?" cmon! the last time i did this race, the guy said "you're in third.. but theyre way ahead of you!" hahaha.<br />
<br />
RUN:<br />
i ran out, shaking the heavy feeling out of my legs. my stomach felt... weird. i kept running, hoping the uneasy feeling would go away. i was having a solid race and excited to get onto the run to see what i could do, but for a minute, i couldn't shake this feeling of nausea. the road out of the community is a slight incline and then a right turn to get onto the road. i ran for another minute, past an aid station, and knew what was happening. i put my head down and vomited a ton of liquid. and remnants of apple cinnamon instant oatmeal. a few more heaves and i paused. a guy passed me and asked if i was okay and i confidently, but wearily, said "yep! thank you!" COME ON GUT! one more heave and i was ready to roll. unlike after the mid-race vomiting of the illinois half marathon last year, i was not able to rally. the magic was gone from my legs and suddenly, i felt tired. this course is all up and down and up and down. its not for the weak. i kept an okay but not great pace for the first couple of miles but then it was all damage control. i shuffled up the endless hills and prayed that the women behind me wouldn't start flying by. i got a lift everytime i saw B and any DC tri kit. at some point, a girl asked if i was "heather the vet" and i was like, "wait, whaaaaat?" and it turned out that she knows my coach and his wife! small world - i love this about triathlon.<br />
<br />
by the time i arrived at the turn around at mile 6.5, i hadn't been passed nor had i passed any women. again, no concept of how this race was playing out. however, i now had visual on who was coming up on me and there were a couple girls that weren't too far behind. <br />
<br />
i groaned internally since i still had 6 miles to go. i tried to maintain (if not pick up) my pace but i was definitely struggling. i kept repeating lines of the song "one foot in front of the other" (ooooOOOO<b>OOOO</b>! one foot in front of the other! ooooOOOO<b>OOOO</b>!) and each step was one step closer to that finish line. with a few miles to go, i tried to "surge", which essentially meant my heart rate went up but i wasn't really going any faster. <br />
<br />
finally - FINALLY - i saw the left hand turn toward the lake - and the finish. i surged and tried to look strong as the road leveled out and i could see the arch and our DC Tri tent. THANK FREAKING GOD. soon after, i figured out that i was the first OA female (cool!) and i watched secod place run in and congratulated her on a great, though tough, day. turns out she had struggled in the run too - that terrain is rough. <br />
<br />
i found B and found other clubbers and we sat and chatted for a bit. i had chocolate milk but couldn't really stomach anything else at that point. another excellent part of the race is the shower/bathroom situation - in that there ARE showers. i naturally was unprepared and didn't bring a towel, but i had swiped the shampoo and conditioner from the hotel so i grabbed my event t-shirt and used it to dry off. i relished scrubbing off the raceday grime and finally felt human again. <br />
<br />
awards (as is the rest of the race) are pretty low key. though it was a pretty small field, it was pretty awesome to finally be first OA female and a great way to start the season. i love racing with B and the team and the club. friends and familiar faces are what makes doing races so fun. it may be considered an individual sport but really... its not. its hard to train for this sport alone - ive done it - but the sport got infinitely better for me when i joined a club and a team. <br />
<br />
next up is Ironman Ireland in June. That one is definitely a tale worth telling. <br />
<br />
until next time, negative three readers...<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-84541233847346305052019-05-14T09:27:00.002-07:002019-05-14T09:27:46.559-07:00Race Recap: Ironman Wisconsin, aka you CAN go home again and it might be exactly the same as you remember it.*Deep breath.*<br />
<br />
i have so many mixed emotions about this past weekend. i signed up for IM wisconsin with the intention of returning to the place where i did my first IM. i was going to relive that magical day where i had <b>fun </b>and i discovered my love of long course racing four years ago. that race changed my life. thats not even a dramatic statement - it really and truly did. if i had never done that race, i would not have met mark and started that whole series of events that led to me moving to the east coast and starting over. that day will always be the day i started my new life.<br />
<br />
the last few years haven't been easy. i was burnt out last year and considered taking a break but instead decided to go back to my roots and have a go at IMMOO again.<br />
<br />
the good:<br />
there were so many things changed this year. i have a new coach that i trust and that formulated a plan around my crazy work schedule and work stress and who stresses quality workouts over quantity. i met a man that changed my world and who has become not only an <b>awesome </b>partner but also a workout buddy, motivator, and supporter. i moved into my own little apartment that i <b>LOVE</b>. ive become closer with my girlfriends in DC and love the community and support system that we have.<br />
<br />
the bad:<br />
work has been <b>hard</b>. its been difficult the last couple of years and my stress level has been through the roof which carried over into all areas of life. i don't like to be angry or upset on a daily basis and i know this hasn't helped my personal life in the slightest. i hate feeling so frustrated and helpless where the only things i want to do are scream or break things. so instead, i cry. and that sucks. it sucks to have a workplace that is run by people that don't care about you and that tell you no one likes you and that acts like you are 100% replaceable. screw that. <br />
<br />
the build to last weekend over the past 9 months has been typical. there are highs, there are lows... there are amazing breakthrough workouts and there are the workouts that you gut through, knowing each stroke or step is just another stalk of hay in the barn. there were days i slept in. there were days i got up at 3:00 in the morning just to get that long ride in before the craziness of the day started. we all do it to accomplish our goals. do i want to go to kona? hell yes i do. but that wasn't my focus this year. this year - and this race - i wanted to be happy and satisfied with my training and see if that translated into successful races. and overall, i think it did.<br />
<br />
i was feeling pretty confident and relaxed leading into wisconsin. my run was coming around well and i was feeling so strong in the swim and very steady and consistent in the bike. the last 1-2 weeks leading into the race, i started noticing my legs were feeling tired, despite tapering and easier efforts in workouts. they felt like id been running a daily marathon. they were tight, i could barely touch my toes, and overall just <b>sore</b>. ive never felt like that except after a weekend of heavy training and by day 2 or 3 the feeling always goes away. regardless of what i did, my legs wouldn't cooperate and they continued to hurt. i stretched, i foam rolled, i took baths, i took vitamins/supplements, and tried to eat well and drink water consistently. i cut back on wine. i was doing nearly everything right. this is total TMI, but multiple days leading into the race, i noticed blood in my urine. should i have done something than benignly neglect this? maybe. in the few days before the race, i didn't see anything like that so i figured all was okay and my body was just working through something like a UTI though i wasn't showing any symptoms.<br />
<br />
Brian and i set out from home early wednesday morning. we had a pretty good drive - listened to some murder podcasts and read a book. we arrived at my parents house and i went for a quick shake-out run while B worked on my bike. my legs were <b>tight </b>but my pace and HR were on point so i was happy with it. we met for dinner with all my family friends and had an amazing night catching up.<br />
<br />
thursday morning, we met laurie at Lifetime and she was so generous to take us in as her guests. we did a quick 1600m swim followed by a few min in the hot tub. i was feeling really solid and strong swimming and was getting super excited to see how that would translate into an IM swim.<br />
<br />
we headed straight up to madison and went to the expo to check-in. check-in on thursdays are <b>GLORIOUS</b>. there are no lines, check-in is a breeze and takes less than 10 minutes and then you are done and ready for the weekend. we hung out with matt and lauralee for a bit then headed out for a 50 min shake-out run. again, i felt so tight and my stride felt shortened, but pace and HR were so solid. nothing <b>hurt </b>per say, but it wasn't comfortable running - each step felt like work. it was going to be a mental run if this kept up, but i knew i could do it. hell, if i could muscle through the horror that was Placid last year, i could handle this minor (in comparison) discomfort.<br />
<br />
we met up with beckie, ellen, matt, and LL for a pizza dinner and B and i headed home to settle in and have a chill night.<br />
<br />
friday morning, ellen and i met up to find beckie in the arboretum - it was a fun, though short, stretch of tree lined asphalt through a nature preserve that i had no idea existed before that day. it was a nice change of pace from the open country roads that we would be riding that weekend.<br />
<br />
following the ride, i headed back toward the terrace. i had scheduled myself a massage thinking that it might help ease the tight muscles and allow a more comfortable run 48 hours later. i ran into Bri walking around the capitol and i headed in for my massage. it was fine, nothing spectacular, and my massage therapist just wanted to talk about herself and her practice so i didn't quite get the relaxing experience i wanted and, unfortunately, it seemed to do nothing for my leg muscles.<br />
<br />
brian and i set out to drive the bike course and it was mostly as i remembered it and i started to feel the little butterflies of excitement fluttering in my stomach. we finished just in the nick of time to pick up mollie from the airport. it was SO GOOD to see her! we had some lunch and hung out the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
my parents arrived saturday morning. i did a quick bike and run and i was ready to roll. i wasn't thinking about how messed up my legs were - i only wanted to think about fun i would be having the following day. we dropped off bags and bike at transition. bless the human with the orange duct tape - it was SO windy and bikes were blowing all over the place so i used the tape to secure my saddle to the rack so that it *hopefully* wouldn't crash into Jacqui Giuliano and Marni Sumbal's bikes. yes, i heather prochnow, was racked in between two of the top elite amateur triathletes in the country. <br />
<br />
WTF.<br />
<br />
the five of us joined the BASE team for dinner at a nice restaurant and we headed home to get some much needed rest (for all of us). i gulped down a bottle of osmo preload. i love what it does, but i hate how it tastes!<br />
<br />
RACE MORNING!<br />
<br />
woke up at 3:45 am and felt ready to roll. it was a typical race morning and i had my sherpa crew ready to help with anything i needed. i had oatmeal with - in a shocking twist - crushed up peanut butter filled pretzels and maple syrup because i had no peanut butter. it was actually pretty good! another bottle of osmo preload in the tank and i was ready to get to the terrace. i crushed a can of redbull too - never try something new on race day they say. have i ever drank redbull the morning of a race? thats a no from me.<br />
<br />
i dropped my bottles and nutrition off at my bike and unwrapped the bright orange tape from the saddle. we then met up with beckie, put on our wetsuits and walked down to transition. beckie and i bid farewell and i tried to get near the front of the line but i could only get as far as the 1:10 group... sigh. i stood with a girl and made small talk and with less than three minutes to go until the start, i put my goggles on my head and the goggle strap snapped.<br />
<br />
the girl next to me gasped and her eyes got wide. i calmly tied the strap in a knot and put them back on my head, good as new! "you handled that really well!" she said. "if thats the worst thing that happens all day, then we are in for a great race," i said with a laugh. no big deal.<br />
<br />
we inched toward the water and it was go time!<br />
<br />
SWIM: 1:04:04<br />
the first time i did this race, it was still a mass start. with the rolling start, unfortunately, it still felt a bit like a washing machine. it was windy and wavy, but i settled into a decent, potentially too comfortable, pace. i started counting buoys and almost laughed when i realized this was a fruitless cause because i had zero clue how many buoys were actually out there.<br />
<br />
at the first turn, i lifted my head and let out a diminuitive "moo". i heard no other "moos" however, so i quickly put my head back down and settled into the task at hand.<br />
<br />
the way back always takes forever. this time, it most definitely took longer than expected since i forgot how to swim in any semblance of a straight line. the field had considerably thinned out and i was having trouble seeing buoys. it felt like i was swimming directly into waves and started to feel a little seasick. "suck it up prochnow!", i told myself. the buoy color changed and i thought, "hell yea, we're almost done!" and then i realized that meant we were only halfway.<br />
<br />
well... hell.<br />
<br />
the second half seemed to go by faster. i started creatively drafting off a cluster of people in front of me and actually felt myself move faster. i jumped amongst a few people to draft off of and i suddenly saw the girl that i was standing next to when my goggles broke at the start of the swim. as i continued my drafting games, i saw her drift back and realized that drafting <b>actually works</b>!<br />
<br />
i saw the arch and powered in, kicking and waking up the legs for the little jaunt up the helix to transition.<br />
<br />
T1: 7:57<br />
aka the strangest transition ive ever encountered in ironman. the wetsuit stripper took off my wetsuit and i jogged through the turnstile through the crowd of people, blindly looking for my family or any familiar faces. i heard my name a couple of times from Lawrence friends which was awesome! up the helix i went - its a very Tour de France meets Challenge Roth feel with the spectators crowded up on you cheering for their loved ones (and me!) I headed into the terrace and the ballroom to grab my bike bag. i sat down and looked at my watch - UGHHHHH slow swim!<br />
<br />
there were a handful of girls around me which was the last thing i wanted to see - its not usually like this when i actually have a fast swim. my friend stephanie passed me - i know shes a really solid swimmer and knew i needed to get on my way and out to the bike. i put my helmet and sunglasses on, bike shoes in hand, and headed to my bike. the awesome volunteers had her waiting and i grabbed her, put my shoes on, and headed toward the helix.<br />
<br />
UGHHHHHH slow transition!<br />
<br />
BIKE: 5:56:57<br />
i gripped my brakes as i creeped down the helix, not at all confident in those bike handling skills. once at the bottom, i got on the paved trail and was excited to get out and really get the day started. i could see stephanie up ahead - i love all her pink things! - and i cruised up next to her. we exchanged some "heys!" and "have a great days" and i passed her. power was still pretty low and HR was high so i worked on getting in some fluids and a bit of food for the next minute. all of a sudden, a bottle flew out of the rear cage (which NEVER happens). i was using the usual deer park disposable bottles, same as always, so i know that they work and <b>*usually*</b> stay put. it was still so early and i needed my infinite bottles, so i pulled over and retrieved it. stephanie re-passed me and i laughed like the weirdo i am.<br />
<br />
with bottles back in cages and all my things on my person, i hopped back on and set out. i caught stephanie a minute or two later and settled into trying to drink and eat again. i then heard the now familiar sound of a bottle hitting the ground and couldn't believe the bottle had jumped out <b>again</b>. for the second time, i pulled over and ran back to grab the bottle and stephanie yelled, "quit causing trouble!" as she passed me again. "im sorry!" i laughed as i awkwardly jogged back to my bike. "third times the charm", i thought, and i returned to the bike - for real this time!<br />
<br />
one last pass by steph (i <b>really </b>hoped it would be the last time) and we made our way to the "stick" of the lollipop course. at every little crack or bump in the road (and trust me, there are <b>many </b>on this course), i'd hold my breath and wait to see if the bottle was going to leave me again. it never did and eventually i relaxed and focused on riding, HR, and power. 30-45 minutes later, jacqui passed me and i picked up the pace ever so slightly to keep her in my sights. this proved to be an achieveable goal and i sat about 10-15 bike lengths behind her for miles.<br />
<br />
it was then that the bottle from the other rear caged decided it had had enough and also wanted an adventure. it leapt out of the cage and my time riding behind jacqui ended as i stopped for a third time to retrieve the bottle and continue this comedy of errors which included having to run down a short hill as the bottle gained momentum and rolled away from me.<br />
<br />
she was long gone by the time i was rolling again so i reset myself and focused on the metrics for awhile. i made sure i was taking in 1 bottle an hour (nicely shaken from the trips out of the cages) along with honey stinger chews in various flavors that i had stuffed into my bento box. i was long into the loop by this point and it was so interesting to ride the course. it had been years but ive ridden it many times so it was surprising, yet familiar. the ride up to mt horeb passed before i knew it. its amazing how your perspective changes when you train on hills - i remember it being so long and arduous. i could still picture certain points in the course and i was excited when i got to those areas that i recognized. the first trip up the three bitches was about as i remembered it and it was very cool to have the crowd support chasing us up each hill, complete with costumes, noise makers, music, and cheers.<br />
<br />
it wasn't long before i was headed back to verona and special needs. i ate a few E.L.Fudge cookies, took a few swigs of coke (i have OFFICIALLY replaced mountain dew!) and switched out bottles, fingers crossed that this set of bottles would stay put!<br />
<br />
the second loop was much like the first except after the three bitches, on a steep downhill descent ending in a sharp 90 degree left turn, i watched as a man flew by me in an aggressive aero position and for a brief moment, i thought to myself, "that position is so dangerous, there is no way he can make that turn at that speed". moments later, my unfortunate thought came to fruition. he attempted to turn but carried way too much momentum into the steep left turn and I watched in horror as his back wheel skidded out and he + bike went flying - head over wheel - into a yard. I braked and pulled over, afraid of what I would find. surprisingly, he was in one piece and bike seemed okay. he did a once over on himself and then bike and he said he was all right so I left him to get back on his bike and (hopefully) continue on. <br />
<br />
the rest of the bike was unremarkable and I was eager to finish and start the run. cruised into T2, handed off my bike, and headed into the changing room to switch gears. i knew it was a slower than expected bike, id lost 5-10 minutes in all the stops, but oh well. <br />
<br />
T2: 2:46<br />
<br />
RUN: 4:01:32<br />
this is where things took an slightly unexpected turn. I started to run and I realized I no longer had legs, but 2 cement pylons that had no business moving, let alone running. what the actual EFF. I was so excited coming into this race to have a solid run off the bike and instead, my body rebelled against me. each step was work, and each step was uncomfortable. I could run, yes. not fast though. and not pain free. my left butt cheek was cramped up but really, both legs were sucking. I started out at an optimistic 8:30-ish pace thinking that if I could maintain that, I could mentally keep going despite how bad my legs felt. aerobically, I was doing great - I was no where near zone 1 and barely breathing hard. the pace soon slowed and my spirit was crushed. I knew I couldn't let myself get too down or it would be a LONG 26.2 miles back to the finish line. <br />
<br />
I looked for my family and Brian and Mollie. when I first saw Brian, I lamented how crappy I felt and he tried to encourage me. I tried to run faster and see how zone 1 felt, but I. JUST. COULDN'T. its like I had no control over the pace I was running - just your standard ironman shuffle with no get-up-and-go to my stride. <br />
<br />
at mile 8 or so, I saw BASE for the first time - I whined to Lauralee about my butt and had volunteers to punch my butt which made me smile temporarily. it was uplifting to see my friends so often on course and I am thankful for the generally awesome crowd support that this race continues to have. <br />
<br />
Lindsey corbin passed me on the trail just before I returned back to the BASE tent and she looked incredible. it was awesome to be racing with one of my idols and for her to be so close I could touch her (I held back from doing so because that would be weird) was surreal.<br />
<br />
the run in general was a blur and at this point, I've blocked most of it from memory. it wasn't enjoyable, it was super uncomfortable and I was disappointed because fitness-wise, I had a good run in me. I wasn't going to be running 3:30, but i think I at least I had a sub 3:50 in there. almost breaking 4 hours with the way I felt was shocking. my average heartrate was well below zn1 - I wish I had been able to run like I KNOW I can. <br />
<br />
as I approached the capital building and knew I had less than a mile to go, I took in the crowd. I looked at the spectators and smiled. I saw the red carpet stretched out and felt relief as I ran toward the finish arch. <br />
<br />
Finish time: 11:13:16<br />
<br />
I saw my family and Brian pretty quickly. I sat down and could hardly move my legs. ive never finished a race and felt so stiff. I could barely move! I was admittedly in a terrible mood when I finished. it was a long run, a disappointing run, and I wanted out of my kit and into some sweatpants as the sun was starting to go down. Brian and I went into the terrace to retrieve my stuff when I saw HER. Lindsey Corbin was talking to another girl right inside the doorway of where the transition bags were sitting. I said a polite "excuse me" as a I stepped around them to grab my stuff. Seconds later, transition bags in hand, Lindsey was still in the doorway and was about to walk out as I walked out. <br />
<br />
Then - I threw caution to the wind and I SPOKE TO HER. <br />
<br />
"... um, hey... Lindsey? You had a great race, congratulations on your day today!"<br />
<br />
Starstruck. <br />
<br />
THEN SHE SPOKE BACK TO ME. <br />
<br />
"you look like you had a great day too! did you have fun out there?"<br />
<br />
OMG. <br />
<br />
we exchanged a few more sentences and there some something about post race beers and then i watched her walk away. she walked past brian who was looking down at his phone and i hissed at him, "did you see me talking to lindsey corbin?"<br />
<br />
he had not, in fact, seen me talking to lindsey corbin. sigh.<br />
<br />
we picked up my bike and walked/shuffled back to the airbnb. i showered and enjoyed the post-race shower feels (its so poetically beautiful to shower after an ironman - the feel of water on your tired, dehydrated skin is magnificent as your skin just soaks up the moisture like a sad flower in parched dirt) and attempted a beer and some snacks with the family.<br />
<br />
we all parted ways the next morning and brian and i stopped at the liqour/beer store to pick up a case of spotted cow and some goodies for me to drink on the way home. <br />
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the end of the season always seems anti-climactic to me. i always question if i should throw another race on the schedule and usually end up deciding to just enjoy the off-season. which is what i did. <br />
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and what an off season it was!<br />
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looking back on the day though - i was consistent at least. i didn't really hit the numbers i wanted to reach on the bike, and i definitely didn't have the run i was hoping for - but i was consistent and kept my head up when things started to get dark. i mentally got through that run at a pace that is respectable to me and it was my second fastest IM marathon to date (my first being my very first IM 4 years prior and 4 minutes faster). its getting there though. i have the puzzle pieces and with each race, im starting to figure out where the pieces fit together.<br />
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until next time, my -3 followers. i resolve to be better in 2019. well... maybe better in the second half of 2019 ...Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-47918953140524993172018-12-20T05:39:00.000-08:002018-12-20T05:39:07.426-08:00Race recap: IM Wisconsin 70.3/Tough Mudder Wisconsin 70.3well... this is awkward. i meant to write up some kind of race report months ago. like, June. July. even in august, i was still filled with good intentions but its December and, well, here we are. bear with me. details may be fuzzy or may be exaggerated for the betterment of the story. kidding - the details of this race need no exaggeration - the reality of it was ridiculous enough!<br />
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brian and i took our first half cross country trip together out to IL/WI in the early part of June. The race was on sunday, june 10th and we drove out thursday evening and stayed overnight in a small town in ohio - we snuck the jazz in to what we thought was a pet friendly hotel (still unclear if it was or not) but she was perfectly well behaved and we dined on buffalo wild wings in the hotel bed before we passed out for the night. we completed the journey friday morning and stayed with my parents that evening, driving up to madison saturday morning.<br />
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the intention was to get up and do a shake out ride/run, eat my dad's apple pancakes for breakfast, and head up to madison. we awoke to an epic downpour, so we decided to eat and start the drive up early, hoping to get that ride/run in as soon as we got to madison. we parked at the Alliance energy center (always a welcome site on the IMMOO bike course) and headed to check-in with our bikes. we met up with Dayle (YAY - she was doing the cycling portion of a SOAS relay) and our SOAS teammate, Jess (who happens to be related to some of my college friends/sorority sister) and checked-in with no issues. back to the energy center to head out for our shake-out ride/run. we did about 45 min on the bike along semi-familiar streets and i ran a sub 7:45 mile off the bike, feeling pretty fresh despite the warm weather.<br />
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we met the girls for lunch and the fish tacos really hit the spot - that chimichurri... mmmm... then it was off to drive the bike course, check into the hotel, and repack our stuff for the following day. there were a LOT of ups and downs on the course with many abrupt turns at the end of the hills which i knew would be a momentum killer. the roads aren't super smooth, but it was great to be back in the madison area and reflective of the terrain and flow of the full wisconsin course. the belmont stakes was that afternoon, so we watched Justify become the 13th triple crown winner, which was exciting for at least 2/3 of us.<br />
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dinner was at the great dane brewing company and we had the Dayle/T must-have of soft pretzels and a bit of beer. i had some sort of thai pasta dish that was very good and then it was back to the hotel to relax and sleep. i remembered my osmo pre-load (so gross yet so effective), hopped in bed, and fell asleep immediately.<br />
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RACE DAY:<br />
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woke up around 3:45 am to the gentle soothing sound of DOWNPOUR and had my thomas blueberry bagel with peanut butter and a banana. starbucks iced canned coffee for the win (and for the drive over) and we parked at the energy center. thanks to Dayle's presence, it was raining as per usual race morning so we sat in the car for awhile before venturing over to transition.<br />
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transition was obviously wet but the grass was still fairly intact at this point. it was pretty obvious that once 1500 people ran up and down the circumference of transition that we would quickly escalate from wisconsin 70.3 to tough mudder 70.3, but there was nothing we could do about that. we did have the foresight to bring garbage bags (thanks Dayle) so that we could keep some stuff dry. the only thing i really cared about was dry shoes and socks for the run so that got wrapped in a bag so i could rip it open during T2. Dayle didn't have a lot of prep to do since she was only biking, so we took advantage of her station under a pop up tent and attempted to put our wetsuits on our very wet bodies.<br />
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surprisingly, my stomach was pretty solid. no GI upset at this point, i had stomached my bagel and coffee and was still feeling pretty happy. the rain was a good distraction and it was exciting to be racing with both Brian and Dayle. my mom arrived while we were putting on our wetsuits and it was so good to see her. she is SUCH a trooper.<br />
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soon enough, it was time to get to the swim start. it was to be a rolling start by predicted swim time (as most IM races are these days). Bri and i tried to scootch toward the front but i couldn't see any predicted swim time signs. after a short while of standing, the first announcement was made that the swim start was delayed. we immediately sat cross legged in the grass and started chatting with a man next to us. as time passed, i was grateful for the wetsuit to keep me warm, but i was wishing for water. the swim start ended up being delayed by about 45-60 minutes but eventually, we stood and lined up appropriately and it was go time.<br />
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SWIM:<br />
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Bri and i kissed good bye and wished each other luck. we got into the water at the same time and i figured we'd have about the same swim time. the water was very comfortable and i knew it would be a bit of a shock getting onto the bike with the cooler air temperature. it was a little difficult to sight (foggy) but not too bad. ever since placid, i have this moment after i start swimming where i expect to panic and i have to talk myself down from that. the moment came and went and after a 10 second pep talk, i was totally fine. i knew i wasn't swimming all that fast, but i was trying to keep a good line and keep the systems in check being that this was my first real race of the year.<br />
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swim time: 32:06 - 2nd AG, though the first out of the water in the AG later DNF'd.<br />
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T1:<br />
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exited the swim and ran into T1 through a pit of mud. literally - it was just straight up mud on the way into T1. i saw mom near my bike and waved to her while i was getting everything ready. i wasn't thrilled with the swim, but it wasn't terrible given the conditions of the day. it was a little chilly but at least it stopped raining! the grass was slick but not too muddy at that point and my white cycling shoes were thankful. made the gametime decision of no socks on the bike since everything was soaking wet.<br />
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T1 time: 4:02<br />
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BIKE:<br />
my goal for the bike was to keep heartrate at the top of zn2. generally, im in high zn1 to low zn2 out of the water and i control heartrate from there. my other goal was AVOID VOMITING. i started using infinite a few weeks prior and so far, i had had pretty good results so this would be my first foray into racing with it. my plan was to take roughly 1 bottle an hour, making sure to take in 3 bottles over the course of the bike and supplement with some honey stinger chews as i saw fit or if i was feeling low or tired.<br />
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i settled into a good rhythm and was passing more people than getting passed for awhile. im usually near the front of the swim so quite a few people pass me over the course of the bike. the trick was to hold off the women, though i had no idea what place i was in out of the swim.<br />
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bri passed me at some point and mumbled something. it didn't seem like a happy tone and i worried he was having a bad day. turns out he said something like, "hey babe", except i heard "askjkdajfljdfjlf grrrrrrrr". he looked really strong and he quickly rode out of sight. <br />
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just as i suspected, the abrupt turns at the bottom of the hills were a killer. as the miles passed, my legs could feel the toll that slowing and accelerating were taking and i was generally just annoyed by the number of turns, the bumpy roads, and lack of solid aero time. i wasn't fazed by the amount of climbing at all and i was happy with my ability to sit right at the top of zn2 without feeling like i was killing myself, but i knew this wouldn't be a quick bike split. i worked on hydrating well, eating a handful of chews, and before i knew it, i was cruising along the path back towards transition.<br />
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bike time: 2:50:15 - shockingly, i was 1st AG for the bike split - apparently cycling wasn't the strong leg in my age group this time around (or in general as it was 9th female) which worked great in my favor.<br />
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T2:<br />
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during my time on the bike, the slick grass that i was run on out of transition was 1000% sloppy mud. i daintily stepped around the deepest areas of mud to rerack my bike and i was thankful for dry shoes and socks. in the same high stepping, slow and deliberate manner, i made my way out of transition while putting on my BASE hat and race belt and passed mom again, giving her all the waves as i set out on the run.<br />
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T2 time: 3:04<br />
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RUN:<br />
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running off the bike felt AMAZING. the fatigue i was feeling in my legs during the bike had faded and i settled into a quick pace along the path. after half a mile, i was running 6:50 pace and knew i needed to slow way down or i would burn out after a few miles. not too many women had passed me on the bike so i hoped i was in the top 5ish in the AG and wanted to maintain or better that imagined position. <br />
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i avoided puddles like the plague and got into a nice stride, passing handfuls of dudes. the slight up down up down up down terrain was rhythmic and i used all the downhills to my advantage, picking up my step to gain some speed into the next incline. around mile 6, i ran past a guy who said, "i think you might be in the top 5 for the women". i scoffed and said, "probably not, but thanks for the vote of confidence!" i was pretty confident that wasn't the case, but even so, i picked up my step a little while maintaining my heart rate at the top of zn2/low zn3. it wasn't comfortable by any means, but it was sustainable and i was looking for that strong run-off-the-bike that has been eluding me for years. i started to recognize my surroundings around mile 10 and I started to get excited. soon enough, i could see monona terrace and i felt that swell of pride thinking about that first IM in 2014 and what a magical day it had been. my legs were tightening, but with less than 2 miles to go, i pushed on. <br />
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we ran on the path underneath the terrace and headed toward the finish at olin park. i forgot how far it was from the terrace to the park and i tried to push a little early and legs started to fade. i willed my legs to keep going and before i knew it, i was running up a short but punchy uphill to the finish. i couldn't believe my run time - it was a solid 5 minutes faster than my previous handful of 70.3 run splits and a PR by at least 3-4 minutes. <br />
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run time: 1:43:17 - 4th AG<br />
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overall time: 5:12:44 - 3rd AG, 7th OA<br />
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not a blazing fast 70.3, but it was a strong, solid day that i was very proud of. nutritionally, i kept it together and its a wonder how much better you can run and feel when you have calories in your system. who knew? not lionel sanders and myself, thats who. <br />
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we all ended up being very happy with the day. Brian had a great overall race (i got him in the swim, but he smoked me on the bike) and Dayle was very happy with her bike split. we got to hang out for a short while until Dayle had to leave to go back home. My mom, Brian, and I waiting around a long time for an anti-climactic awards ceremony and we headed home before the 70.3 worlds slot allocation. apparently it rolled down, but i had no desire to go to south africa with IMWI being a couple weeks after!<br />
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stay tuned for more extremely delayed race reports my friends. i'll try to be more entertaining in the ones to come :)<br />
<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-17547211734944873892018-06-30T07:42:00.001-07:002018-06-30T07:42:52.872-07:00Race Recap: Illinois Half-Marathonwhat is UP 2018? hello negative three followers - how are YOU? its that time again, eh? about time to shake the proverbial cobwebs and do the damn thing.<br />
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run. the damn thing is... running. apparently. </div>
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i ventured back to the midwest at the end of april to have a much needed girls weekend with some of the best and enjoy a race back home. as in, this race runs directly past the last two houses i had the pleasure of calling home in good ole urbana, illinois. </div>
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last year I ran the rock-n-roll half in a respectable time of 1:40 which was nearly a PR when, in fact, the goal of that particular race was to nail a few specific heart rates and start off easy. that race was a solid negative split and i was happy with the time at that point. all things considered, running hasn't been a huge focus in recent years and i have wanted - needed - to get back to that place where i feel like i can pull off a good off-the-bike run whilst triathlon-ing. </div>
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no time like the present i suppose. </div>
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training has been going well and im pretty happy with where im at. of course, i hadn't raced up until that point so this would be a little window into the larger picture. maybe? </div>
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the adventure started off with a pretty excellent solo road trip to illinois. i listened to about 8 hours of my current favorite podcast - my favorite murder - with a couple hours of singatthetopofyourlungs sweet 90's/00's mixed CD jams for good measure. i indulged in starbucks exactly twice which was not enough to hold me over through the great state of indiana. upon my approach to gary, indiana, i determined i was hungry enough to test the waters at a random taco bell and i indulged in some hard shell goodies in the parking lot of a questionable BP. before stumbling upon this oasis in the desert that is northern indiana, I got a glimpse of this on the google maps:<br />
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if your question is, "is that the actual birthplace of michael jackson, king of pop AND a taco bell in the same 1 mile radius?" then my answer to you is, "YES, OH, YES." after verifying its legitimacy on Yelp, i decided i had to make a drive by appearance. </div>
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now, i've never knowningly ventured into gary, indiana but because my mother was tracking me via findmyfriends on the phone, she solidified her mother/stalker status when she called me in between tacos 3 and 4 in the BP parking lot. </div>
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"are you in... GARY, INDIANA?" she questioned, in a horrifyingly loud whisper. </div>
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"um, yea mom. and - GUESS WHAT - im about to go to michael jackson's old house! its on the google maps!"</div>
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after promising to stay on the phone with her for the duration of my short-lived upcoming adventure, i headed the 7 blocks over to the house. unfortunately the large marble statue depicting the life of MJ was recently stolen (thanks Yelp for the information) but i knew i was at the right house when i saw the fence. no other house in the neighborhood had a nice fence. or... any fence. </div>
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i snapped a few pics while still on the move and headed back to the highway to uneventfully take me home to my parents house.</div>
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we had dinner at domo 77 that night, lunch at portillos the next day coupled with a stop at kernels, and away i went down to champaign to meet dayle, T, and kevin. </div>
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the night before the race we had grilled chicken, pasta, garlic bread, and salad. no salad for me though, thanks. and a portion of the pasta sauce was blended - because pasta sauce with chunks is simply unacceptable and frankly, unappetizing. chew on that for awhile. </div>
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got a solid night of sleep, woke up around 5:15ish and had a thomas blueberry bagel with peanut butter and a banana. i planned to run with two gels in my sports bra and carried a third to eat 15-20 minutes prior to the start of the race. we drove over to the iHotel to the sweet stylings of JT (because, dayle) and various pump up tunes. </div>
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i did a solid 7 minute warm-up and reunited with my mom who drove down for the race that morning. side bar - my parents are amazing and my two best cheerleaders/supporters. </div>
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it was a touch chilly - i would later lament the decision not to wear gloves for the first few miles - but it really was gorgeous running weather. i was feeling a little sluggish but i tried to shake the negative feeling and just focus on the task at hand - enjoying a fun race with my friends in a place that i love and once called my home in a former life.<br />
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before i knew it, i found myself lining up near the 7:25/mi marathon group. it seemed overly ambitious, but i thought if i could maybe hang on for the first half that i could muscle through the second and later, <b>die</b>, but end up with a decent 7:35-7:40/mi average. i wasn't expecting a PR, but i wanted to at least go under 1:42. </div>
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the gun went off and away we went. as we ran north on 1st street, every other step sent waves of nostalgia through me. the ARC. the farmhouse frat. the old/new 6-pack. the apartment complexes along the way to green street. the first right hand turn onto quiet 7 am green street with the scattered spectators, devoid of college students stumbling out of bars and late night eateries. the new high rise apartments. papa del's pizza. legends. so. many. memories. too. many. memories. it was distracting, continuously reminiscing, and i nearly missed the first aid station. i grabbed some water and shifted focus to the 7:25/mi sign. i kept catching up and passing the pacer and consciously reigned in the pace, keeping step with the pacer. he would inevitably get away from me at the aid stations and i would work my way up in the interim time between water stops. </div>
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we travelled from champaign into urbana, took the left at lincoln mall and then a right into downtown urbana. crane alley - their ragout nachos still make my mouth water - and black dog - the BEST BBQ - were the next to go past. i glanced at "my starbucks" - where i used to walk with jazz after i got divorced and moved back into urbana - and <b>smiled</b>. we headed into the urbana neighborhoods and approached mile 4. my cottage grove house came up on the right and i looked over as we ran by - the huge planter box that mom painted black was still outside and that made me happy. </div>
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we took the left shortly after the house and passed the silver bullet - the local strip club that my friends and i went to a couple times... maybe a few times - including the night before vet school graduation. </div>
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the next turn was kinch and the location of our vet school house on rainbow view. the thought crossed my mind as soon as i hit the turn on kinch but oddly, i lost focus in trying to catch up to my pacer and all of a sudden, i realized i'd run past without a glance. that realization alone made me grin - id found closure so long ago, but this just solidified it -<b> i didn't need to see the house to know how far i've come since leaving it. </b></div>
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at mile 5, i was shocked by how great i felt. i was smooth and comfortable - and dropping pace. i threw down a low 7 around mile 4 and my legs weren't fazed. i was averaging about 7:20 and it felt easy. i cruised into mile 6 still running strong. we ran the "uphill" around the stone creek golf course and the memories of running that road came flooding back. ive run this route 100+ times, i know it better then anywhere else i've ever run and that thought alone brought me such <b>joy </b>through the entirety of the race. </div>
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i hit an aid station around mile 6 and when the girl said "water", i reached for the cup and took a large sip. oh sweet jesus nooooo - it was <b>GATORADE</b>. this seems like such a small mishap but we've been here before... circa may 2015 alexandria running festival... and it didn't turn out well for me then and history would indeed repeat itself less than a mile later. </div>
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we approached meijer which was mom's destination for cheering. it is also the location of the first marathon relay exchange so it is essentially a <b>madhouse</b>. i looked for mom and couldn't find her which was a little upsetting. i reached for a gel, ripped off the top and felt my guts jump into the back of my throat. </div>
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wait. wtf. why, Why, WHY?!</div>
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i decided to forge ahead and eat the gel because i wanted the calories, sugar, and caffeine. fuck it. imma a risk taker today, baby. </div>
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10 seconds later, i realized id made a grave mistake. i hiccuped some unknown stuff from my stomach and pulled over to the left hand side of the road which was littered with spectators. i spit up some saliva nearly onto the shoes of a pair of women. they asked if i was okay and i forcefully said "YES". a few more heaves and i stood up - i was fixed. </div>
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sadly, no i was not. i bent over at the waist and vomited the contents of my stomach onto the grass which was mainly comprised of copious amounts of tan liquid. a bucket of fluid later, i stood up and was met with two pairs of widened eyes of the women next to me. Out of the right corner of my eye, a volunteer came running up and asked if I was okay. "I'm fine! hahaha!" i assured her with a nervous, freaked-out, high pitched laugh.<br />
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i crossed to the other side of the street at a diagonal, carefully considering my current situation. my stomach felt... okay. i reached the right side of the road and unexpectedly heaved up what was left in my stomach in the grass.<br />
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it was at that point that i felt back to normal. really, legit normal. this girl in blue shorts that i had long ago passed flew past me and i got my legs back under me and ran quickly to catch up with her. i clocked mile 7 at 8:42 - a solid 1:20 plus where i had been averaging. <b>damn it</b>. i kept on eye on my current mile pace and watched it tuck back under 7:30 again and decided not to dwell on the pit stop but to put together a solid back half of the race.<br />
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we took the left in the neighborhood and before i knew it, meadowbrook park was ahead. this part is usually a crap shoot depending on where your current place in the race is. luckily, i didn't have to fight the masses for solid sidewalk space and wasn't plagued by the possible bottlenecking that can occur in this mile and a half section. the blue-shorts-chick was still up ahead but i was inching toward her and i knew by the time we exited meadowbrook, i'd be breathing down her neck.<br />
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i love meadowbrook. i like the familiarity of the art sculptures and the little section of nature just south of windsor road. i sometimes imagine living in the houses that border the south end (they are beautiful with large floor to ceiling windows, tucked away just past the wild grasses) and imagine the neat view from their perspective. the "uphill" section as you head north in the park usually has a number of spectators and then you see a band on the right on the small stage by the community garden. ive stolen water from that hose on more than one occasion!<br />
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i continued to glance at my watch and grinned as i watch my pace maintained itself. as we left the park for the quick left on windsor and right on race street, i passed blue-shorts-chick, exactly when i thought i would. a noticeable headwind hit me as i ran up race street and passed the 10 mile mark. all of a sudden - <b>I SAW MY MOM! </b><br />
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she cheered and yelled and me and I *<b>think* </b>i smiled (?) but i waved excitedly and it spurred me on for the final 3 miles. i did briefly wonder how she intended on making it back for the finish since the stadium was about 2.5 miles away, but i let the thought float away as i focused on running. my quads were starting to tighten but i was keeping pace and i knew if i kept my head down and focused for the final 5k, id have a PR for sure.<br />
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i ran past florida ave and took the left onto pennsylvania and within minutes, we were back on campus and running toward the stadium. miles 11 and 12 were strong, slightly faster than the 7:30 pace i was averaging and i was getting excited about my time and the finish. the cemetary hung out on my left side as i remembered countless trips through during the years. a right turn onto 6th street just past the law library and the finish was <b>so</b> close as i started my last mile.<br />
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i ran harder - my legs were tired and didn't have much left but i wanted a solid final mile. minutes later, i turned into the stadium and the finish line came quickly. i love crossing that finish on the 50 yard line of memorial stadium - its so awesomely special.<br />
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love my Base Performance arm warmers!</div>
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ooo theres the vomit-induced drop in heart rate and the tiny increase where i crossed the street and subsequent second drop with the second vomit stop. excellent.</div>
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blue-shorts-chick. </div>
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3/4 quadpod + goodrs</div>
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3/4 quadpod + goodrs</div>
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1:38:21 - over a 1:30 PR. had i not stopped to vomit, there is a chance i could have broken 1:37 and gazed into the 1:36 region... but thats a race for another day. im really proud of myself for finally breaking the 1:40 barrier (and i've only run 1:40 twice) at this point in the season and it makes me really happy for the start of the year.<br />
<br />
mom was no where to be found because, at that very moment, she too was running the race of her life through the grassy pastures that border my veterinary school to make it back to the stadium. picture her high stepping through knee high grass convinced she's about to step on a dreaded, tiny woodland creature in boots and a winter ski jacket. when she described her personal 5k run, i was in hysterics and later acted it out to whoever would watch.<br />
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post-race beers and OHOP (ORIGINAL house of pancakes) for the win followed by pedicures, normatec boots, and fun on bikes the following day.<br />
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APPLE PANCAKE</div>
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SWEDISH PANCAKE</div>
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is that sebastian kienle?!?!?!</div>
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Casey's pizza - my love. </div>
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next race is not until wisconsin in june so stay tuned, my dear negative 3 followers!</div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-80487306743034340372018-03-18T06:56:00.000-07:002018-03-18T06:56:00.447-07:00Race Recap: Ironman Maryland = IronMacy<b>"Its supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great." -Jimmy Dugan (A league of their own)</b><br />
<br />
i usually have some witty, funny comment to start these race reports. truth is, I'm pretty tired - mentally and physically. i might even say i'm <b>crabbie</b>. OH WAIT THERE IT IS - because IM Maryland finishers are "crabs"... okay you got it, *high five*. at the same point, im very satisfied with how things went down the other day/months ago. it was far from a perfect day. it was a nutritional nightmare. <b>again</b>. i vomited multiple times. <b>again</b>. i felt exhausted for exactly half of the day. <b>but </b>- there were great points you guys. <b> so. many. great. points. </b><br />
<br />
but first - the backstory.<br />
<br />
the two days after placid were <b>hard </b>- i was disappointed and continued to be sick for a couple days following the race. two days later, i was lucky to have the opportunity to join adam, devin, rubble, and the gang on a portion of their national parks roadtrip. nicholle and i flew out to vegas, spent an awesome night in the city, and set out for the grand canyon, eventually making our way to albuquerque before flying home. early one morning, most of us headed over to the south rim of the grand canyon and watched the sunrise. we took in the breathtaking view together and separately, taking photos here and there.<br />
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for awhile, i sat near the edge looking down and across the canyon, mesmerized by the expanse and greatness of its natural beauty. i thought about placid and triathlons and life - race day was still bothering me. before now, i hadn't taken a *true* vacation in years, thanks in part to work and triathlon. i had really started to dislike training and was ready to call the season quits - and maybe the following year too. when i sat and truly thought about this tri world and everything in it - i knew i loved it but i wanted a new goal. "qualifying for kona" was *a* goal, but not a concrete, 100% attainable goal - it never is and never will be. i didn't want to focus on kona anymore. i wanted to make a difference - even just a small one.<br />
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cut to - my friend molly from undergrad. she and her husband had a baby - macy - the year before. molly was one of the inspirations for my first ironman in 2014 - she'd done the race (and kicked <b>ass</b>) and her mom is a true phenom at that distance as well. i'd been following the journey with macy and her numerous health issues for the past year and had the chance to catch up with molly at reunion the month prior. i knew she and her family were going through hell trying to do everything they could to help macy but poor baby just couldn't catch a break. after reaching out to molly, i decided to raise money for their family and for macy. my race was going to be for #ironmacy. through the help of my family, friends, and generous others - we raised $1300 in the weeks leading up to IMMD. it was amazing.<br />
<br />
i arrived in cambridge late wednesday after work. in a surprising turn of events, i was in a solid mental space work-wise. it had been a pretty low stress week - had a handful of cases that i felt good about, a few very successful surgeries including a abdominal explore for a dog that was vomiting pieces of a balance exercise ball that she had eaten nearly a <b>year </b>prior to surgery. totally crazy, right? that week i was riding a bit of a work high, expecting the shoe to drop at any time. by wednesday at 6pm, it hadn't - i left work feeling calm and decided to head to cambridge that night. many times after work, i feel sheer mental exhaustion but on this particular week, i was <b>good</b>. it was a strange and unexpected feeling but i wasn't complaining. i grabbed a bubble tea for the road, finished packing up the car, and headed out.<br />
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arrived that evening and LL and matt greeted me with lobster rolls and wine (bless their thoughtful hearts). we had a nice chat and i headed to bed. the normatec boots were waiting for me and i did a nice 45 minutes in boots as i watched netflix and fell asleep.<br />
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we woke up on thursday morning and ate a quick breakfast while LL and matt headed to expo. i did my customary 20 min swim, 45 min bike, 10 min run and felt solid. I headed to the expo to check in and check my life. once the wristband of power was put on, i headed home with coffee and proceeded to watch SMASH (p.s. its great, why did they stop after 2 seasons, katherine mcphee you are <b>stunning</b>) whilst singing to it and re-applying bar tape to miss daisy. why do this 2 days before the race? because i had the distinct opportunity to borrow holli's aka rinny's (you've heard of her, yes?) disk wheel with teal zipp decals. the problem was that it looked like a blind person put my bike together - nothing matched. is this important? well... yea. i found teal bar tape in the exact color and it looked halfway awesome considering the front wheel still didn't match.<br />
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we headed to Base team dinner that evening and had wine and pizza which really hit the spot. a bit more wine at the house and i happily fell fast asleep.<br />
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friday morning brought a short spin and run. mom and dad showed up (huzzah!) and we headed to brunch. super sherpa adam met us at brunch and i finally had my crew together and felt ready to race. adam helped me sort my transition bags as i talked out loud - both to him and myself. we brought miss daisy and the transition bags over to great marsh park, checking off the last big to-do on the proverbial list.<br />
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for the first time in awhile, i felt relaxed. i wrote out the names of the donors to IMMD #ironmacy on a slip of paper and placed it in a ziploc bag so i could carry it in my pocket from swim start to finish line. mom and dad came over to make dinner - chicken parm - and we all ate together and watched the Nats game (GO NATS GO), followed by a "a league of their own" - hey LL - WHY AM I THE ONLY PERSON ON THIS BUS?<br />
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sports movies are obviously the only reasonable things to watch in the days leading up to races.<br />
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RACE DAY.<br />
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normal 3:45 am wake-up. mom and dad were miraculously already in the kitchen - god bless them. i drank coffee, had my thomas blueberry bagel and peanut butter and nearly cried when i was able to eat the whole thing. by 4:15 am, things were already looking better than they had at placid. i putzed around and gathered my stuff and by 5:15, we were walking to transition. it was cool and dark outside. i was buzzing on the inside and getting excited to get the show on the road. for the first time in a long time, i didn't feel the pressure on my shoulders. kona wasn't in the picture. i didn't have an outward time goal. it was mostly just, "don't suck prochnow". people were going to be paying attention after raising money and exposing macy to my world. i was going to make them proud.<br />
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deep breaths.<br />
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i checked on miss daisy, said hello to justin who was racked near me, and enjoyed the stir and buzz of transition. i made the portapotty line and reunited with mom, dad, and adam. they were holding a sign with lifesize jazz (and the office cat that they thought was monster) that read: "Go Mommy Go - The couch is waiting for you! You can DO it!"<br />
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i love them.<br />
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i wrote #ironmacy on my arms in permanent marker - a reminder of my "why" and a way to commemorate her - and double checked to make sure my ziploc bag of names was secured in my pocket.<br />
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<br />
i put my wetsuit on and downed a gel and some water. the music was pumping me up, i was smiling, and i felt like wiggly puppy about to explode into zoomies when -<br />
<br />
i threw up. what the actual F.<br />
<br />
i heaved a few times and looked up at my family as they stared back, obviously concerned. "i'm totally fine," i said, laughing. it was 6:35 am. swim start was at 6:45 am and lord be damned if i wasn't going to position myself near the front. i was peeved that again, i was starting out this race with a less than ideal calorie intake but, whatever. cue national anthem.<br />
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i waved to jan as she took photos of me putting my goggles on and i swung my arms around a few times to loosen up. it was time.<br />
<br />
SWIM:<br />
i pretty much held my breath for the first 100-200m, taking delicate, gentle strokes but ready to mentally attack whatever panic thing happened in placid. once i realized that i was still swimming and could breathe okay, i started to actually swim with focus. i drafted, i played games, i kicked a couple people and i started to enjoy the view. we started before the sun came up and it was awesome to be out with 1200 buddies chasing the sunrise.<br />
<br />
two loop swim. i wasn't overly exerting myself and i could tell i was slow. i hadn't been swimming as much as i should have (sorry Jess!) leading into the race. i just prayed that everyone in my age group had the same anti-swimming mentality that i had going into the race.<br />
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as a blurry vision of the arch started to come into view, i started to pick up speed. i could feel some mild chafing on my neck from the wetsuit (this is nothing new - i have a permanent scar) but it wasn't too bad. as i hit that point of "do i stand or do i keep swimming" something stung me on the right side of my neck. "YOWSWA" i said (jk, i said all the actual f-words) and i stood up to run in. wetsuit was stripped and i ran into the tent.<br />
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swim: 1:07 - whoops. was i floating or swimming?<br />
<br />
T1:<br />
dang, i <b>almost </b>avoided the sea nettles! the tent was relatively empty and i sat down to put socks and shoes on. "they got me!" i said dramatically to a volunteer. "where?!" she replied and i pointed to the right side of my neck. before i could say something, she sprayed something cold right on my wetsuit burn.<br />
<br />
i damn near leapt out of my seat and shot through the roof of the tent.<br />
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holy shit, that freaking <b>burned</b>. apparently alcohol takes the sting right out of a sea nettle kiss. on the flip side, it does not improving wetsuit chafing.<br />
<br />
noted.<br />
<br />
T1: 4:32<br />
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BIKE:<br />
i'm riding along and i'm eating my food and i'm not feeling stellar. it felt like i'd just banked a 45 minute ironman swim and my legs and arms were lead. i attempted to eat - i'd reverted back to honey stinger waffles - and i ate one but my guts were unhappy already. i reverted to drinking BASE rocket fuel in an effort to at least stay hydrated as the weather was starting to heat up but i was very aware that i was quite low in the calorie department.<br />
<br />
this would not bode well for the next 4 hours on the bike and the run.<br />
<br />
i reached 20 miles on the bike, trying to think about other things, daydreaming about what i would eat and drink that evening. i started to feel really warm on the inside and s-l-o-w-l-y started to decrease speed and cadence until...<br />
<br />
i shook myself into consciousness - holy hell, some dude had just blazed past me and i realized id almost fallen asleep. something was wrong and i didn't know what to do about it.<br />
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as if the ironman gods were watching over me, the aid station appeared in the distance and all i heard was "red bull". i pulled over and proceeded to chug a red bull - as ive heard it gives you wings - and eat some food while i was at a standstill. i knew the calorie deficit was biting me in the ass but it was going to take time to replenish the tank.<br />
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it would take another 30 plus miles before i felt more energized, but i swear to this day that red bull saved my <strike>race </strike>life. daniela, jodie, angela, sebastian - im on team redbull all the way with you guys.<br />
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thank goodness for the 100% flat course because i did a lot of soft pedaling throughout that first loop. i loaded up on mountain dew and the customary EL Fudge cookies, as one does in special needs, and i begrudgingly got back on miss daisy.<br />
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halfway, baby.<br />
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shortly after special needs, octavio flew past me with a small group of people surrounding him. he yelled over his shoulder as he biked away from me and i felt a small surge of energy return. i sped up to keep up with his gang and before i knew it, i had caught up and was feeling stronger with each pedal stroke.<br />
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the energy returned and i started to feel infinitely better. i had group to follow and before in knew it, i re-passed octavio, giving a wave as i rolled by.<br />
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i continued eat and drink, slowly refilling the internal tank and gearing up for the, thankfully flat, marathon ahead.<br />
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naturally, as fate would have it, my stomach problems returned and for as long is it took to take that food in, it only took a second to lose it all over the side of the road. Again.<br />
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solution? more redbull. i swigged it and uneventfully cruised into T2.<br />
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bike: 5:37<br />
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T2:<br />
so, my guts didn't feel <b>great</b>, but i was doing better than placid, so i went with it. it had warmed up significantly and i was so thankful for the cooling towel that lori had supplied us with at mini camp. i soaked it in water and draped it around my neck. i let the sunscreen people slather me up and away i ran, 26.2 miles away from cold beer and chicken broth - the only things my stomach desired.<br />
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T2: 4:25<br />
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run:<br />
i saw my family and friends shortly after starting the run and i flashed them a relieved smile and my #ironmacy clad arm for the pictures. my mom and dad, liz, adam, brian, and others were out in full force and <b>it. was. amazing.</b> unbeknownst to me, the sunscreen latherers hadn't quite rubbed in the good stuff on my face and it looked like i had applied a homemade facial mask of eggs whites. if anything, it definitely made for some excellent race photos.<br />
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i started off watching my HR creep up - it was hot, my stomach was empty and i wasn't feeling the best, but it was coming along. the vision of sub-4 hour marathon vanished after a handful of miles - i had the same low energy feeling from the first half of the bike and i just couldn't shake it. i had a couple of gels, holding off the cola as long as possible but around mile 8, i succumbed and it was <b>glorious</b>. seriously, nothing is better than cola during the marathon. #nectarofthegods.<br />
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the first of half of the run was a struggle - I couldn't get the energy up. i'd think about the list of names in my pocket and i'd perk up a little, knowing they were counting on me. my battle on this day was nothing compared to macy's, and i kept on keeping on.<br />
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i loved running past the BASE tent with the music and my friends. LL gave me updates on my place and somewhere around mile 16, she told me to hang on because "girl, you're in 5th".<br />
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waaaaaaait, what? this was not a great day - it was an okay ironman day, but it didn't seem like a top 5 AG race. suddenly, my legs found a new gear. i <b>wanted </b>it. i wanted that podium spot, come hell or high water. ironically, there was no high water this year, but the temperature was knocking on the door of the lower realm and i was grateful for my chill towel.<br />
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I hit the turnaround in town and saw friends - including super sherpa adam - at the brewery. i felt a another surge - one more out and back and I would be at the finish. one more time running under the redbull arch (in that direction). one more time running past the BASE tent (in that direction). I kept hitting the check marks and trying to maintain speed in the heavy legs. Brian was dancing at the BASE tent and he ran with me for a second - thank goodness for awesome, supportive teammates.<br />
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i hit the last far turn around and it was <b>on </b>- less than a handful of miles to go. the sun was still high in the sky and the sun was out and it was really awesome out there. i entered great marsh park and ran through the BASE group. LL told me i was still in 5th but one girl was coming on STRONG. "you have to run HARD," she said as she ran with me down the block, "go get it!"<br />
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i groaned and ran harder than id run all day. just over a mile to go. i thought of macy. i thought about how no one wanted that 5th place finish more than me and no way was i going to let that go without a hell of a fight for the next mile. the struggle in a rolling start is you can't physically race your competitors because you usually can't see them. i was running blind.<br />
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my lungs and legs were on fire as i ran down the street. i hit the last right turn up the street to the brewery, knowing there was less than half a mile to go. i saw the group cheering and i tried to run even harder. i saw lester and he told me to "<b>eat the pain</b>" and he ran with me back down the street for a few strides while he pep talked me.<br />
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suddenly, i was in the chute and the bright lights of the arch were in my eyes. i ran through the line with my arms up and didn't even attempt a jump - my legs were cramped and burning. i saw my family right away and walked over to them at the fence.<br />
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"did i make it?" i asked them. they excitedly said yes and i demanded to see the phone with proof. once i saw the results, i collapsed into the arms of my parents and cried. "i wanted it so bad," i told them as i sobbed for a minute. shoulders heaving, ugly crying <b>sobbing</b>.<br />
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phone in adam's hand...</div>
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ugly cry.</div>
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happy cry.</div>
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you guys, its march 2018 now and i can't even write this without tears in my eyes. it was the best way to finish a race - i had my family and friends there - both physically and via phone - and i was surrounded by so much love and support. i pushed myself and it paid off. i felt satisfied and that in itself was awesome because i hadn't felt like that in a long time at an ironman race.<br />
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the rest of the night was really fun. my shower was glorious, we headed back out to the BASE tent for dancing and cheering with to-go shots of Fireball and beers capped off with a trip to the Taco bell drive-thru. I didn't watch the midnight finishers in the chute, but i did watch on the side of the road near the house (about mile 25) from 11 pm and on and cheered for the athletes.<br />
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my parents and adam and i went to awards the next day. by some small miracle, i was first out of the water in the age group and won some Roka money again (i still hadn't used all of mine from Vineman so I bought new goggles AND running clothes). I got my award for 5th place and couldn't stop smiling. it was no Kona - that may be in the cards in the future - and there are still SO MANY kinks to work out in my racing - but i was content and proud of what i had pulled out of a not so great race.<br />
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im excited for this year and what it will bring. while my motivation ebbs and flows as the work and life stress make an impact, im already feeling stronger and excited about swimming, biking, and running. my squad is strong and inspirational and motivating - i can't imagine doing this without them.<br />
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stay tuned y'all - i have a feeling 2018 is going to be <b>amazing!</b><br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-51174096813106076142018-02-01T11:49:00.001-08:002018-02-01T12:47:29.344-08:00Race Recap: Ironman Lake Placid - "Take a good look gentleman, because they're the ones getting off easy."<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. Screw 'em. This is your time. Now go out there and take it."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">-Herb Brooks</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">my thought process in signing up for IM Lake Placid was four-fold. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">3. OLYMPICS. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">4. Iconic Ironman race. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i've always wanted to go to lake placid and visit this two-time olympic town. its the site of one of my all-time favorite sports stories - miracle on ice, when the 1980 USA hockey team defeated the Soviets, who were nearly undefeated in the previous 7 olympic games (they won gold 6/7 games). </span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">theres a movie. its awesome. please watch it now, whether you've seen it 39 times or not. watch it... AGAIN. and while you're at it, watch cool runnings too because i'm feeling very olympic today. <br /><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> (im so proud of how i put that last paragraph together. if you understood all of it, you are my spirit animal and i just virtually high fived you.)</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> momma flew into DCA late wednesday night in prep for us leaving early thursday morning. my chiropractor, dr. taylor taylor at full motion life and sport in arlington, virginia (seriously, now go there) graciously agreed to meet mom and i at 6:30 for some last minute work on my wonky neck and then we headed to the great green north that is upstate new york. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3 starbuck stops later (with a short layover at panera), we arrived in the town of lake placid. i fell in love immediately with its adorable adirondack decor as mom and i headed over to the conference center (AND THE SITE OF THE HOCKEY RINK) to register and check it off the to-do list. mom took pictures, i waited in lines, and we reunited at the hockey rink. in my frantic, overly-excited state, i had mom take too many pictures at the ice rink, never realizing how small it seemed compared to all the pictures and video i'd seen of the 1980's games. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">yep. this isn't it. please don't tell the freak in the picture.</span></div>
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</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">guys - this is because it was the 1932 rink, not the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena - which i didn't realize until monday afternoon. but i was ignorantly happy for four days, so who cares. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">oh hai Mark #2.</span></div>
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</span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">we headed to expo to grab the signature IM backpack and then i decided to squeeze that 45 minute run in before the BASE team dinner. I ran part of the bike course on the fairly flat and shaded area along the lake. so freaking beautiful, i couldn't stand it. i couldn't keep my HR down, i just wanted to GO FAST! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dinner with the BASE team was delicious - went to the Three Bears - highly recommend. had a bloody mary with my salmon and potatoes - SO GOOD. we finally made it to the house where everyone was staying, unpacked and got settled and went to bed fairly early. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">there was a cat. hi, CAT. </span></div>
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</span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">up at 6 am for 7 am swim. met up with matt and angela - who i didn't realize was angela naeth until 5 minutes into the swim because im a moron. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">watch out - the claw will get you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">beckie and i, SOAS sistas 4 life</span></div>
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</span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">had a quick 20 minute dip in mirror lake - felt awesome - followed by 45 minutes on the bike and a 20 minute run. i biked the run course which was beautiful and goes past the olympic ski jumps and ran a short 10 min out and back along the end of the bike course along the lake. was feeling solid and pumped to be done with everything before 9 am. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DzA16dU0Hmk/WZ3aWckTkvI/AAAAAAAABJg/Xoz_jLCGswEuOgyN4oGsjfCza10hCzA4gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DzA16dU0Hmk/WZ3aWckTkvI/AAAAAAAABJg/Xoz_jLCGswEuOgyN4oGsjfCza10hCzA4gCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4083.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2c-JD8_ZxM/WZ3aWuGSYcI/AAAAAAAABJk/EbFMLHWpjwsvu97JLF0CF3g6PQ7t1kMegCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2c-JD8_ZxM/WZ3aWuGSYcI/AAAAAAAABJk/EbFMLHWpjwsvu97JLF0CF3g6PQ7t1kMegCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4086.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">we went to the expo to buy things and visit people. i got to hang with angela's dog, zoey, as well as the race wheels dog. DOGS. </span></span><br />
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</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">mom and i went grocery shopping and stocked up on snacks and meals to tide us over for the next few days and headed back to the house. i napped for awhile in ellen's normatec boots (stellar) and relaxed watching tv on my ipad. </span></span><br />
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</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">while hanging out in the afternoon, i decided i needed to try the infamous descent into keene so mom and i drove out and i borderline survived my quick 7 mile trip down <strike>everest</strike> the hill. </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">pasta primavera for dinner with a small salad and it was early to bed again. no issues sleeping, but do i ever?</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">similar morning for saturday - 15 min swim sans wetsuit preceeded by a photo op with angela, 45 min spin on bike (run course again), and 10 min run. weather was awesomely cool. we checked out the expo and the pro panel. cynthia was on the panel (WHOA celeb status) as was shawn booth (the bachelor dude) plus the pros. i loved hearing andy potts talk - very humble and professional, he seems like a really cool guy. we should be friends. somebody tell him.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">customary pre-ironman big breakfast</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">angela and i </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">cynthia, ann marie, and i </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">(ann marie did IMNC last year when the bike course was cut to 56 miles - cynthia and i met her because she did the second 56 miles at the BASE trainer party while we cheered her on after she completed the swim, shortened bike, and run - total bad ass lady. so awesome to reunite with her!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">it was back to the house after the panel because my brother was arriving! <b style="color: #333333; text-align: start;">SO EXCITED</b><span style="color: #333333;">. he stayed back in the house and napped while mom and i dropped off transition bags, checked in bike, and drove the bike course. it didn't seem as bad as the elevation map made it seem so that boosted my confidence a little bit. i didn't even realize we'd driven "the three bears" until we were past them!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I had a Stella, as is customary, that i spilled on the table when i got excited that <b>MARK MHLEY</b> had arrived. its true, i can no longer do ironmans without this man. he's been present, either racing or spectating, at 4/5 races i have done now. thank goodness for this human. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">we went to bed - chris and i turned on miracle (duh) and i fell asleep pretty soon after. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">RACE DAY!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">up at 3:45 am and didn't feel stellar. the goal was to get out of the house by 5:15 am which we easily accomplished. i ate 1/2 of a blueberry bagel with peanut butter and a banana, but my stomach was feeling strange and i was not at all hungry - which is <b>weird</b>. each bite felt like i was chewing cardboard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">mom and i headed to transition - she dropped me off and i checked my bike and loaded it up with water bottles and nutrition. tires were full, put in a low gear and bid daisy good-bye. i walked out and met up with mom and did a short 10 min shake out run. i felt <b>terrible</b>. i was sluggish and my stomach was jumping around. as soon as i finished, i wanted to cry, but instead i attempted to eat more of my bagel. i was getting stressed that i couldn't eat a solid breakfast. when mom went into subway, i sat on the curb and dry heaved a few times but nothing came up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">we walked over the swim start, i put on my wetsuit and got ready to go. i wasn't excited, i was dreading the day that lay in front of me and just had a bad feeling in my gut. <b>literally</b>. i lined up with the 1 hour group and before i knew it, i was running into mirror lake to start the day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i swam about 100-200 meters before i felt like I <b>COULDN'T BREATHE</b>. i've had panic attacks and asthma attacks before, but never while wearing a constricting wetsuit in deep water surrounded by a mass of neoprene-wearing humans. i put my head up and breaststroked a few times and decided that this was where i would die. i struggled to get to the first kayak (yep, i was that person) and held on for dear life. she asked if i was okay, i attempted not to continue drowning. a minute later, i decided i was good and set out only to discover not only was i decidedly <b>not </b>good, but i was, in fact, <b>worse</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">kayak #2 (yes, thats as far as i made it the second time) asked if i wanted to pull out of the race. i honestly paused for 5 seconds and considered it. "nope. i'm good now," i responded, lying through my teeth. i slowly swam away from the kayak, staying on the tow-line which was surprisingly not crowded. i knew i was swimming slow, but it was forward motion, so i made peace with that. i made it back to the beach in this fashion, looked down at my watch and saw 35 minutes. oh hell. at this rate, it was going to be a 1:10 swim, my slowest by many minutes minutes. i ran out and back into the water telling myself i was on the homestretch, not even thinking about the majority of the race that still lay ahead. the second loop was uneventful. the water temperature was lovely, i didn't encounter anyone significant and it was easy, clear swimming. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">swim: 1:08 something. oh christ - slowest swim ever. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">T1: out of the water. thank god. i ran to transition in a blur, thankful to have survived the <b>swim - </b>what a crazy new concept. grabbed my gear and headed out to miss daisy, crossing my fingers that the day would improve. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i saw my family as i headed out on the bike - YAY! i started off awesome, taking in the calories i had depleted earlier, staying on top of my game for the first two hours. i wasn't breaking any personal speed records, but i was biking a smart and conservative race. the descent into keene was a little unnerving due to the wind - i was thankful i had done the descent prior to then and knew what to expect. by no means was i in aero for more than a minute at a time - no, no, no - too scary. rubber side down prochnow. the psychological wheels started to come off between 2-3 hours when my gut started to act up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">crap. <b>literally</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i dry heaved a couple times, but things were staying down, so i was hopeful. kept HR low in the climbs and before i knew it, i was back in town. i hit a small bump and i felt some rubbing on the back tire. in my head, i had a rear flat and i was not happy about this. i kept going for another mile and it seemed to be consistent - i could feel and hear a constant rubbing. i looked back and my bento box was cockeyed and i reached back to grab just as it started to fly off the back of the bike. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">so now im in town where the crowds are, carrying this large, hard plastic QR bento box in my right arm and steering the bike with the left for two miles, looking like a damn fool. i head into special needs and try to re-attach it, but the plastic piece is busted so i throw it in the special needs bag, not thinking to grab anything in case of a flat tire. i chugged a mt dew, ate a couple EL Fudge cookies and headed out for round 2. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">the next three hours are blurry. i vomited multiple times. stopped in the porta-potty for liquid lava to pass through my body. literal crap. i ate food only for it to come right back up. i was a mess. i was miserable and angry as i watched my avg speed decline. i was hungry but i couldn't chew my food. it was one of the least fun 3 hour stretches on a bike i have ever endured. as i cruised back into town, i started to feel a little light headed and i almost cried thinking about the marathon that still lay before me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">T2: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>eff </b>this bike and <b>eff </b>this helmet and <b>eff</b> these shoes. i lubed up my toes and put on happy socks. i grabbed my hat and sunglasses and water bottle and headed out, dizziness still present. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i realized i still had bike gloves on. i heard someone yell, "go heather" and i whipped around and took off my gloves and handed them to... a complete stranger. "you're not my mom!" i wailed in the face of this random lady, confused about the situation. i looked down and realized this nice, innocent spectator was only reading names off of bibs and did not, in fact, know who i was. i turned around and started to run, figuring i would just throw the gloves away. i then saw my mom and chris and threw my gloves and an assortment of wrappers from my kit at them. "i feel TERRIBLE!" i cried to them, and my brother, supportive as ever, ran a block with me as i lamented about my day thus far. "i'm so proud of you sis" he said, and i straightened up and attempted to run. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i saw the rising tide gang and mark at the bottom of the hill and when they asked how i was i said, "terrible! HAHAHAHA!" with a panicked laugh and lisa ran with me while i shared my day. at the first porta-potty, i stopped and realized i had actually gotten my period, since the day just couldn't get better. i had an inkling it would happen that morning and lisa - bless her heart - gave me a tampon that morning which i shoved in a side pocket. "HALLE-FREAKIN-LLUIA". Also, more lava. <b>GREAT</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I kept a respectable pace for a few miles and then started to die and slowly came to the realization that i was going to struggle to COMPLETE the race in one piece. granted, i'd be in under 13 hours - god willing - but that number in itself was a little heartbreaking considering i'd never had a finishing time over 11.5 hours before. i tried to fake smile for my family and friends but they knew how bad it was going. the majority of the marathon is a blur. i ran some, i walked more. i eavesdropped on conversations around me like the creep that i am. i made all kinda of portapotty stops. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">as the marathon dragged on and i shuffled in a somewhat forward motion, i began to high five kids. and smile. i wanted them to think this was fun (was i delusional? it was effing miserable). i was still feeling horrendous, but eventually, there were only a few miles left. a man with a "63" on his left calf came running up next to me. his name was chris and he had done this race countless times. he pushed me to stay with him and i valiantly tried until we reach the last big hill and then... he <b>crushed </b>me. and my soul. damn. i tried to keep him in my sights and i made up a smidge of ground as the streets flattened out but i never quite caught up to him. we skirted the edge of the olympic oval and before i knew what was happening, the finish arch was looming. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i remember nothing about the chute, the finish, or anything - except for seeing my mom. thats when my memory kicks back in. i saw her, i collected my shirt and hat - all the while keeping eye contact with her. i don't remember if i even took a finisher photo. when i made my way to her, i collapsed a bit, and i cried. i cried in relief for the day being over, i cried for the time spent training only to end the way it did, i cried for just the damn fact that i felt bad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">so - we sat on the lawn. moments later, i heaved the remnants of gels and coke onto the grass with my head between my legs, recounting the day in between bouts of vomit. at least by then, i had almost finished crying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">its glamorous, this sport. dead sexy even. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">my brother wandered over and the first thing i smelled was rum. i love this kid so much, but alcohol was the last thing i wanted to be smelling. however, the fact that he was pretty drunk took my mind off the odor of Captain permeating the air around us because he always makes me laugh until i cry. then he gave me a hug and told me he was proud of me... and i lost it again. i switched from vomiting to bawling. like kristin bell says, if I'm not between a 3 and a 7 on the emotional scale, i'm crying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i was at a solid 12. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">i cried and laughed and cried more. it meant so much to have my brother and mom there and I really missed my dad. eventually, i got on the phone with dad and with some friends and they helped calm me down and make me feel better. it was such a <b>hard </b>day - physically and emotionally. i went to some dark places and really had to push to keep moving one foot in front of the other when i just wanted to curl up around a trash can in sweatpants with my dog. but those are the moments in time that make you stronger. just like climbing the wintergreen mountain at camp will forever be emblazoned in my memory, as will that one time i did that one race at lake placid. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">we meandered our way through the crowds to get my stuff and drove home. that first shower after a race is always glorious and this one did not disappoint. i put on some comfy clothes and mom and i headed back to town to meet the spectator gang and watch the midnight finishers - always my favorite part. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the next day was the highlight of the trip - OLYMPIC GLORY.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">COOL RUNNINGS.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Miracle. Herb Brooks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Nerding out so bad to Olympic everything. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">AGAIN!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And then... it happened. I got to see the actual arena where all the magic happened. My heart skipped a beat. I'd waited <b>years </b>for this moment. </span></span></span></div>
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</span> <b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?!"</span></b></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">we also luged.</span></span></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">we won medals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">We celebrated the Olympics all morning and ended our time in Placid on a very high note. Will I ever do this race again? Nope, I'm good. But I learned so much about myself and what I'm capable of doing that I have no regrets. as they say - anytime you finish an Ironman is a good day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I did leave New York feeling significantly unfulfilled and - as fate would have it - a college friend and her family would soon leave me feeling overwhelmingly inspired. So, Ironman Maryland ended up being next on the list for 2017. Some day, when I get my life together, you can read all about it... </span></span></div>
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-15746142421921488432017-10-18T14:37:00.003-07:002017-10-18T14:37:49.209-07:00Race Recap Maine 70.3: The toils and troubles of toilets and tubular tireswell my friends... it finally happened. A DNF. Did not finish. Ugh. UGH! But - silver lining - i'm about to brighten your day with this damn near epic hilarity of a story. <br />
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lets begin as we always do - with a long, drawn out lead-up to the actual race with very little detail paid attention to the actual race in itself. however, this time - the lead up is just awesome. And involved toilets. I hope you're ready for this because I just can't type this fast enough. <br />
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so, I get to Maine after 9ish hours in the car. songs were sung, podcasts were listened to, i talked to myself for about an hour - the standard solo road trip. i put the borrowed wheels on my bike and rode it up and down the street with great success. i did notice the valve was a bit finicky when i filled the tire, but it seemed fine and holding air so i though nothing of it. holli, thomas, and i headed to the beach for a quick 25 minute swim. first time ever actually doing quality swimming in the ocean - it was chilly, but after 10 minutes, i felt awesome and the swim on the way back in felt all downhill. we even rode a few waves - <b>SO MUCH FUN IN A WETSUIT</b>. i lost holli and thomas on the way back and momentarily thought they'd been eaten by sharks. <br />
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as holli would say, "<b>YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO WATCH THIS</b>" as she described the optimal way she'd want her friends to watch her die in the ocean - which involved actually having us watch a shark consume her alive. <br />
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i can't even. moving on. <br />
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the next morning, i did an easy 45 minute ride and 10 minute run to wake up the legs. i felt great. i was getting excited to have a hell of a race and get out there and see what i could do. ive been training well the last couple weeeks and i was ready to put placid behind me and have a really fun day racing with friends. we dropped off bikes and went out for lunch. i had my first lobster meal, a lobster roll - my favorite - and i was in heaven. i spent the afternoon watching movies, napping, and relaxing - a really lovely way to spend the day. <br />
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i packed my transition bag for the following day - a quick task now that we are well into racing season - and went old school for nutrition. i packed uncrustable sandwiches in my bento box - something that i <b>love</b> and am always excited to eat. in 15 minutes, i was ready to go. my bottles were made and in the fridge and i had my nutrition packed and ready. dinner was chicken, pasta, and a sweet potato and we hit the sack early. <br />
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race day! 3:45 am wake-up call since the race started at 6:20 am. i had no issues with my blueberry and peanut butter bagel, unlike the horrors of placid morning. drank some coffee and downed a banana as well. we put on our race tats and, as usual, i put my age upside down and backwards. we then started the walk to transition, only about 15 minutes from our house. i was getting nervous and i had to tell myself multiple times to chill the eff out and not become an epic head case. <br />
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this, my dear friends, is where life got a little bit better. <br />
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we cut through the expo and found a line of porta-potties - we will now refer to these as PPs, as i will go on to mention these multiple times. we stood there for a couple minutes and realized there was no movement to the first half of the PPs, but they all appeared locked. holli knocked multiple times on one door and no one answered, so she yanked open the door and it was empty. both her and thomas did the same thing to the PP next to it and again, it was empty. <br />
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do you see where this is going?<br />
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i took it upon myself to try the same thing on another apparently empty PP. i knocked. i knocked again. no signs of life presented itself so i yanked it open, as my friends before me had successfully done. i was greeted by a large man with his pants down and i slammed the door shut and ran back to where pete was waiting, as he just shook his head at me. <br />
<br />
the man came out of the PP and held the door open for me. "after you miss." <br />
<br />
i died right there, laughing. <br />
<br />
when i came to, i replayed the event to holli and thomas and continued to giggle as i replayed the scene in my head. we continued to transition uneventfully and set up our respective areas. i topped off the tires with air, and laid all my stuff on my red nats rally towel. bottles on bike, bento box strapped back on - i was ready. i stared for three minutes as i played out T1 and T2 in my head and i was feeling pretty good about my set-up. holli and i decided to hit up the PPs one more time before walking to swim start. we chose the slowest line, as is murphy's law, and waited for 10-15 minutes before we took our respective PP turns. i get in, do my thing, and put my hand down to the left of the toilet seat to get up. in that same movement, i looked down and saw that my hand was millimeters away from a <b>HUGE PILE OF HUMAN FECES</b>. <br />
<br />
what in the actual fuck.<br />
<br />
triathletes are disgusting creatures. <br />
<br />
i immediately felt my breakfast jump into my throat but i kept it down as i busted out of the PP like it was on fire. the nauseous drool had begun and i didn't even <b>think </b>to warn the person about to face my feces-filled-hell-hole. im a horrible human. <br />
<br />
im not entirely sure why i felt so seriously ill, but then the dry heaving started and i just couldn't stop. we walked over to pete and every 15-30 seconds i had to lean over and spit up saliva, praying that my breakfast would stay in my stomach. we walked over to swim start as i continued the annoying dry heaving. i attempted to drink water and i spit that up immediately and that was the trick. i was instantly healed as soon as i had <b>something </b>to throw up. i laughed. what is with my stupid sensitive stomach? its just poop. i touch poop everyday. animal poop, but still. this is the most amount of times i've seen poop in a paragraph in awhile. you're welcome. <br />
<br />
<b>poop</b>. <br />
<br />
we stopped to put on wetsuits just before reaching the sand. quick pic and it was time to jump in and attempt some quick cool water acclimation. it didn't feel that bad. truthfully, our swim two days prior felt colder. i was pumped. <br />
<br />
"hey pete - <b>YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO WATCH THIS</b>!" i yelled at him and i laughed, grateful to feel relaxed headed into the swim. <br />
<br />
swim:<br />
holli and i started side-by-side as thomas and carolyn were seconds behind us. holli sprinted into the water like she was in baywatch, saving a small human's life. holy hell. clearly, i need to step up my beach start. i started swimming and i had an immediate placid freak-out flashback. <br />
<br />
oh crap. or rather, <b>poop</b>. <br />
<br />
i then thought of the shit-filled PP and i laughed and just told myself to relax and do what you know how to do. just freaking swim, girl. i was still pretty wound up going into the first turn buoy - i still hadn't relaxed, but id survived the first third of the swim. freak out time had passed and i was ready to swim. the gently rolling waves and cool temperatures to the water were blissful. i was actually enjoying the swim for the first time in awhile. it seemed to be taking longer than usual so i wasn't surprised with swim time out of the water but dang, i didn't expect <b>that</b>. <br />
<br />
swim: 33:53 (<b>poop</b>). <br />
<br />
T1: it was a bit of a jog to transition and i overshot my bike by a rack or two (amateur) but i quickly put on helmet and sunglasses, made the snap decision to not wear socks, and away i went. <br />
<br />
or so i thought. <br />
<br />
bike:<br />
i rolled out, feeling that familiar cool breeze on my wet skin/kit and before i could even think about biking, i heard a rhythmic and unfamiliar thump, thump, thump. i thought the breaks were rubbing so i got off and checked it out, no issues that i could see. started to go again - thump, thump, thump. again, i got off and looked at the bike, as if that would fix whatever new issues had cropped up between leaving transition and now. i crossed my fingers and got back on the bike. no dice. a thought struck me and i gingerly touched the front tire. 100% flat. <br />
<br />
<b>poop</b>. <br />
<br />
i was more than 1/4 mile away from transition so i turned around and jogged back with the bike. all the funny comedians came out of the woodwork with hilarious comments like, "the race is the other direction!" and "done already?!" and "it works better when you <b>ride </b>the bike!" "hahaha" i responded as i internally flashed them all my middle finger. i saw pete and he had a pump, but i was reluctant to take it - does<br />
<br />
once back in transition, i sprinted straight back to the mechanic (at the very back of transition) and lo and behold - they were gone. you'd think at least one would stick around until the swim was over? i was in the first group out of the water so its not like many people had already taken their bikes and left. i panicked and sprinted back to pete. f*ck it, i thought, i'm going to use his pump and if i get DQd for outside assistance, then so be it. i pumped up the tire, all seemed right in the world, and away i went, losing just about 10 minutes in the process. <br />
<br />
i was annoyed to say the least. slow swim, tire struggles. i was about 13 minutes back from where i wanted to be and i'd only just started the bike. but - it was what it was and i was going to have a hell of the rest of the race to make up some time. the weather was gorgeous and the roads were nice. i was enjoying myself, eating my uncrustables with delight and keeping hydrated. just before mile 20, i got an odd sense that something was wrong with the bike. it just didn't feel totally smooth anymore, but i couldn't pinpoint why. maybe its just the road, i thought to myself. i was holding about 22 mph at this point, lovely tailwind and heartrate was right where it needed to be. over the next 1-2 miles, i couldn't shake the bad feeling in my gut that the bike was having an issue. i wasn't losing speed and i wasn't working any harder so i pressed on. sure enough, minutes later, that front tire started thumping again. <br />
<br />
<b>POOP</b>. <br />
<br />
i had the fix-flat-stuff taped to the back of the seat but to my surprise, the nozzle had fallen off and it was just a canister with no top. i was done. <br />
<br />
at that point, i wanted to kick daisy to the curb... but given that she was already laying on the curb, i gently kicked the front wheel. damn you tubular tire. damn you to hell. <br />
<br />
for the next 40 minutes, i watched bikes whizz past me. a lot of them called out to see if i was okay, i waved them all on. after awhile, i got bored so i started walking daisy on the other side of the road in the same direction the other athletes were headed. i figured i'd eventually run into someone and get a ride into town. a man called out from his driveway - "do you need a phone?" "yes, thank you!" i frantically tried to look up the Ironman website on his Iphone3 but it wasn't working great. what are you left with when you feel hopeless? i called my mom. i had her try to get ahold of pete via facebook but at that minute a bicycle truck pulled up - and i was <b>saved</b>.<br />
<br />
he drove me to the previous aid station and i was handed off to a nice gentleman who took me the rest of the way to town. i walked up to transition at the exact moment that holli and tom came in off the bike. i stashed daisy next to a tree and ran up to them non-chalantly barefoot holding my bike shoes.<br />
<br />
me: "oh hey guys!"<br />
tom: "hey!"<br />
holli: "hey girl, you are having the race of your l---. wait, what are you doing?!"<br />
me: "oh, my bike broke. okayyy have fun!"<br />
<br />
i ran back to my bike, walked her home and jumped in the shower with my first of many ciders. via my broken ipad, i contacted pete and attempted to meet up with him on a beach cruiser i borrowed from the shed. i packed up the bike with multiple ciders and set off to the run course. <br />
<br />
eventually, i met up with carolyn and we walked to the finish. we met up with pete, watched the gang finish, and cashed in the tickets for the lobster bake. i was not about to miss my lobsters and they did not disappoint. by 1 pm, i was a little drunk and happy. <br />
<br />
during my 40+ minute stint on the side of the road, i made peace with the DNF. i conquered an ocean swim, overcame that strange swimming anxiety, and had a great weekend with friends. i tested my faith in the humanity that is triathletes via a few choice PP encounters as well. i really can't complain. <br />
<br />
on to Maryland! Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-1094360886086376332017-07-10T09:42:00.000-07:002017-08-14T09:43:23.874-07:00Race Recap: Ironman Eagleman 70.3Finally got around to signing up for an Ironman branded 70.3. My last (and only) was Racine in 2014. For two years, I'd heard nothing but wonderful things about this race and I knew I just had to do it. The weather - BEAUTIFUL! The course - epically SCENIC! The Cambridge location - SO EASY TO GET THERE. <br />
<br />
In truth - it was a very well put together race. Gerry Boyle does a phenomenal job with this location and he truly cares about the athletes. They can't help that it takes place on a weekend where you can't discern between Earth and racing on the surface of the Sun. Or that famous DC traffic... actually, really any traffic in the 100 mile radius of Virginia/Maryland/DC - its all terrible.<br />
<br />
Holli, Bicycle Pete/Honest Sherpa, and myself stayed at the Comfort Inn, a few miles from transition - easy to navigate around town. We arrived Friday evening and got checked in, thrilled to have that activity checked off the list of stuff to do the following day. In an idiot move, I realized I had thrown my xlab aero bottle straw away (it was moldy and i'm only so into building up my immune system within reason) so I purchased some profile design products so I could fashion a new one. In a McGuyver-esque move, I was able to drink water from the bottle while laying in bed since the straw was three feet long. a completely useless party trick but amusing all the same.<br />
<br />
In the morning, Holli and i geared up and did a 45 minute bike on the run course and a slow 10 minute run. the temps were rising and by 10 am, it was getting a touch uncomfortable. we reunited with BP/HS and traveled a few blocks up the road to a diner to enjoy a big breakfast and relax. shortly after, we packed up the bikes and dropped them off in transition. I bid miss daisy adieu and told her to behave herself overnight. there were a lot of pretty bikes and i didn't want her getting distracted for the ride tomorrow. like rider, like bike I always say. <br />
<br />
back in the hotel, we settled in and relaxed. and laughed a lot. we danced. okay, i danced. i didn't feel a lot of race jitters - i was pretty happy hanging with my friends for the weekend, nearly forgetting at times that in less than 24 hours we would be done racing. rotisserie chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner - capped off with a handful of E.L Fudge cookies, water, rocket fuel, and osmo preload. mmmm SALT. <br />
<br />
i coerced the group into falling asleep to titanic as i showed my skill at knowing nearly all the words to the 3 1/2 hour movie. i don't want to brag but... i'm pretty cool. <br />
<br />
race morning - up at 3:45ish. obligatory 1 & 1/2 thomas blueberry bagels with peanut butter plus banana. another bottle of preload to wash it down. SALT. YUM. plus one bottle of rocket fuel to carry around for the morning - thank you BASE performance for the ever-so-excellent hydration products. <br />
<br />
pete, holli, and i set out for transition - by the good grace of god, some fellow DC Tri-ers had a house 1 block from transition and were generous to let us park in the driveway and take over their abode for race morning (thanks you guys). <br />
<br />
friends were doing a relay and adam had asked me when i thought it would pass him on the bike. they were starting about an hour before i did. my random guess? mile 43. we would see...<br />
<br />
set up transition - bike was already there so topped off air in the tires, added bottles and nutrition, and set up camp on my red washington nationals rally towel. good to go. hung back at the DC tri house with a short solo dance party and then headed to swim start. wetsuit on, quick little freak out with Joanna (bless you friend for your hugs), and it was time to go. <br />
<br />
swim:<br />
i honestly recall close to nothing about this swim other than people were obviously cutting the swim short which is lame. as in - i could see them cutting buoys. meh. swam my swim, easy to sight with the sun way up (we were in one of the last waves), and it was pretty clear water, not a lot of wading through people with the lines i took so that made it easy. water temp was a little warm, very comfortable in wetsuit. really like my xterra vengeance for the shoulder flexibility and the rocking lavender sleeves. before i knew it, i was at the arch and running out. <br />
<br />
T1:<br />
wetsuit off, everything already on the bike, so quick ponytail adjustment, helmet and sunglasses on and it was time to roll. literally. pete hollered out that i was 22nd AG. we laughed. <br />
<br />
bike:<br />
goal was to keep HR at 140-145, i have the HR of a sloth, i know. the course is pancake flat, fast, and fun. i borrowed a pair of 808's from liz and felt like i was on cruise control just steady spinning - which i LOVE. none of those silly hills, just a constant high cadence and forward, steady movement. i felt great nutrition wise for the first loop - had all my calories in via honey stinger waffles and downed 2 bottles of rocket fuel - which is delicious cold but less than stellar when it is warm. as my heartrate set into the low 150's, i realized the heat was having an effect on me. i didn't feel tired, i actually wanted to push it more, but i actively slowed and conserved energy to follow the plan. <br />
early into the second loop, my stomach stopped cooperating and as i forced half a waffle into my mouth, i took a big swig of rocket fuel, swallowed, leaned over my aero bars and watched that waffle and liquid come right back up and all over my arms. solid regurgitation at its finest. <br />
<br />
well, bleh. that was nasty prochnow, i thought to myself. then a few lines of nasty girl ran across my brain and i laughed and looked around, still covered in puke. <br />
<br />
this sport is pure glamour, start to finish. <br />
<br />
i had my eyes peeled for adam as i rode into mile 40. sure enough, at mile 42.8, i passed adam - BOOM! "hey baby", i yelled at him, puke remnants still visible on my arms. damn, who wouldn't want to date me?<br />
<br />
as i cruised into the final mile, a rider two bikes up fell in the no passing zone which caused a fairly abrupt slow down and stop. damn. so close but so far... we waited a little bit and then were able to continue the two blocks into transition. <br />
<br />
T2:<br />
aka re-rack, helmet/gloves off, adjust ponytail, grab all your shit and keep running. <br />
<br />
run:<br />
the plan here was to start with HR @ 140 for the first few miles- this is also known as fast-walking-in-the-heat speed - like 9:30-9:45 min miles - pretty awesomely sluggish. i shuffled along for three miles, ate a gel and water, loaded myself with ice/cold water at the aid stations, and marveled at the squishiness of my shoes this early in the race. i imagined the epic blisters that were likely forming with water going everywhere at all the aid stations/directly on my feet. I picked it up through miles 3-6, still feeling really slow but good in the heat. this wasn't a race to PR or set any records, more of a long training day and i understood that - though the competitor inside didn't love it. definitely a lesson in patience and HR regulation. after mile 6, i picked it up more and finally felt like i could run. pace started to drop quicker and i moved into the mid-8's for another 3 miles. I passed a few people as I myself got passed and i knew i was out of the top 5 - but again, training day. the last few miles were low 8's, high 7's and i felt fine. i could feel my quads tightening up around mile 11, but thats the homestretch! you just have to get to the finish, which i did. wasn't happy with the time, but for the 40th time, i reminded myself that i was sticking to ironman plan. <br />
<br />
bigger picture, prochnow. <br />
<br />
i felt a little weird for the first 15 minutes after finishing - i was just so <b>hot</b>. got some water, sat down, and felt normal pretty quickly. it was warm out there! saw teammates, old friends, new friends - the beauty of a "local" race - so awesome. <br />
<br />
On to Placid!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-76973751380849194282017-07-06T15:33:00.001-07:002017-07-06T15:33:05.553-07:00Race Recap: Monticelloman 70.3 Family! Friends! Loved ones! Triathlon aficionados! <br />
<br />
What a welcome! Aw, you shouldn't have. Thanks for coming over. Sit around and crack open a nice cold bud light while I real-men-of-genius recount this latest race for you. <br />
<br />
That really doesn't even make sense. Wait, don't go. I'm sorry, please stay. I'll have beer at the end if you promise to hang around until the end. Just kidding, that was a lie. I have nothing for you. <br />
<br />
Anyway. Race season finally arrived after what seemed like the longest off-season ever. After Vineman in July, I basically shunned triathlon but continued to work out so I could also continue to fill my excessive need for tacos, pizza, and alcohol. <br />
<br />
It's a super healthy lifestyle and I highly recommend it. <br />
<br />
I've definitely been training a fair amount. Putting in some solid hours on the bike, lots of running, and the bare minimum for swimming (if we're being honest, and i think we are). Swimming hasn't been a lot of fun with a sore, aching shoulder, but it too is coming around. I was excited and nervous going into the first race of the season - aren't we always? I was also very interested to see how my legs felt off the bike and how the bike would feel in general with a new QR and the amount of training I've been doing. The gearing on the QR is a 53/39 with 11-25 in the back, my cervelo had 50/34 with 11-28 in the back. Very, very different. Not knowing too much about bikes and having only done a few outdoor hilly-ish rides, I wasn't super concerned.<br />
<br />
Ignorance, they say, is bliss. <br />
<br />
My friend Charlie from undergrad was also racing and came down Friday to hang out and do race prep with me. My intent for the day was to sit and do nothing except watch movies all day. However - I ended up a hot mess. We ran errands, went to Arlington Cemetery and paid respects to his classmate that was buried there, and then attempted bike stuff. I borrowed my teammate's (thank you Liz) new Zipp 808s and proceeded to inflate them and immediately found that one of the tubes was blown. DAMN THE BIKE GODS. and the valve stem on my spare tubes are great for anything less than an 808 so off to the bike shop we went. I also had a dilemma about the carbon break pads - I wasn't sure if the QR came with them or not given that the race model comes with carbon wheels (which I didn't purchase). After taking my cervelo's brake pads off and comparing them - it turns out I already had carbon pads on there. <b>Awesome</b>. The living room was a mess of bikes and parts and via telephone to Bicycle Pete, i next learned how to widen the brakes to fit the 808s. <br />
<br />
What it comes down to is this - I'm basically a bike mechanic now.<br />
<br />
Ordered sushi for dinner, watched Frozen and passed out. So much for sitting on the couch all day watching movies. <br />
<br />
Saturday morning - day before race: got up and took all the gear to Hains Point for a quick 45 min spin and 10 min run. It had rained a fair amount the night before and for the first time in my experience, parts of HP were flooded. Bike shoes got a bit soggy but not too bad. Quick shake out run around the Jefferson memorial and it was back to the apartment for waffles. Packed up and headed down to Charlottesville for race check-in. <br />
<br />
Arrived at check-in around 2 pm. Picked up all the stuff and met up with Joe, Mark, Ellen, and a few of the RTTC ladies. Quick swim in the new Xterra Vengeance wetsuit to test her out and I felt good to go. Love this wetsuit and the shoulder flexibility! I also discovered the legs are cut shorter to mid-calf which is much better than the ankle cut in my opinion. Its a size smaller than my old Xterra and that makes a world of difference in terms of fit - so much better! Who knew?!<br />
<br />
Checked into the hotel, got gear ready and packed for the following day and watched the Derby. Headed to dinner and had a seafood pasta with one Stella which hit the spot. Back to hotel for sleep!<br />
<br />
Up at 5ish - late race start of 8:30 am so nice to "sleep in" a bit on race morning. Transition opened at 6:30 - arrived at 6:45 or so. Set up transition, milled around for a bit. Used the bathroom a couple times. Made sure to eat 1 & 1/2 Thomas blueberry bagels with peanut butter and 1 banana prior to putting wetsuit on around 8 am. Ate a gel with water around 8:15 as I headed to the water. Men started at 8:30 and women started at 8:33. The familiar feeling of anticipation started to take over my chest and I could feel my heart start to race. "Chill the eff out Prochnow", I told myself, "Swimming is your thanggggg". <br />
<br />
swim:<br />
Started out at the front of the group and ran/dove in from the beach. Immediately, there were 3-4 girls around me for the first few minutes and eventually they dropped off until it was just myself and one girl to my left. and... NO ONE IN FRONT. its hard for me to maintain a race pace with no one to race and no one visible to catch. so, I swam. a bit too comfortably looking back - the pace was easy but i could see we were catching the men after a short time. no memorable encounters with anyone during this go-around, though a quick tip to the few men who swam perpendicular to my line of sight - "you're going the wrong way dude... buoy is 90 degrees to your left...".<br />
Saw the beach finally and headed in. The girl crept up a bit - so i did too. She managed to get out seconds in front of me. *shakes fist and dizzily runs into transition.*<br />
<br />
T1:<br />
working on those quick transitions, had a three second debate about arm-warmers or not - determined it was too much work and ran out. <br />
<br />
bike:<br />
chilly getting on the bike, but i wouldn't regret the lack of arm-warmers in the minutes to follow. I got into a groove and felt all right for the first loop. however, i was having trouble chewing food and swallowing - bonk breakers are dense and still apparently difficult for me to swallow (did I learn nothing from last year?) so I struggled with nutrition. it got to the point that every time 15 minutes came around and I went to eat the small 1/4 of a bar I got upset with myself and my stomach got queasy. it would just sit in my mouth for minutes which made me want to throw up but i knew i had to eat <b>something </b>that was my only option. hydration wise, i was good to go. i started off with 2 full normally concentrated bottles of rocket fuel (2 scoops hydro, 1 scoop watermelon amino, 1 scoop salt) and 1 double concentrated bottle with only 1/4 filled with water - the idea being i can grab a water bottle at an aid station and mix my own drink without dealing with powder while not carrying the full weight of an additional 1-2 bottles. worked awesome - i ended up drinking 3.5 bottles during the bike - easy peasy. by the second loop, my legs were getting tired - rolling terrain was hurting, I wasn't able to fly up those hills with my current gearing like I used to and that was frustrating. i got a little light headed, felt nauseous due to lack of eating, but forced myself to swallow chunks of the BB bars whole or I knew I would feel much worse on the run. Definitely not the bike time i was anticipating and was disappointed about that as i headed into T2. <br />
<br />
T2:<br />
screw you bike, i'm out. <br />
<br />
run:<br />
there has been a lack of "happy place" in my race running for a couple years now - or really running in general until the past 6 months. we did some run focused prep over the winter and i started to love it again so i was curious how this would translate into tri. heartrate was a little low off the bike and i felt a bit sluggish as i started into the run. i did hear "3rd female" as i left T2 and then "... but they're at least 5 minutes ahead of you!". i actually laughed and said "thanks dude!" <br />
<br />
i appreciate honesty in sport.<br />
<br />
i knew i wanted to build HR throughout the run - increasing about every few miles. i started out at a good pace for me - high 7 - but the course was <b>rolling</b>. <b>very very rolling</b>. with every incline i told myself "good placid prep, yay!" and forced myself to believe it. around mile three i could hear footsteps coming on strong - i hadn't been passed yet but i had a gut feeling those were female steps. <br />
<br />
sure enough, a women surged past me and kept going. i felt myself mentally shut down as i watched third place literally run away from me like i was standing still. i let myself feel like a failure for a few seconds and decided i had enough gas in the tank to pick up the pace a bit without blowing my HR through the roof too early. "just stay with her prochnow, only 9 or 10 miles to go." even thinking that statement felt a little ridiculous to me, but what was the worst that could happen? i run out of steam and slow down to a walk? this race means NOTHING at this point in the season! so, i picked it up a bit - and she stopped gaining on me. slowly, over the next couple miles, i crept up on her. i could see that the inclines were not her friend and i took that opportunity to gain a little more with each one and ZOOM down the other side (free speed! use the hills!). around miles 5-6 i found myself running on her heels and feeling my gas tank slowly filling back up as the pace slowed while i sat on her feet. an uphill was ahead and i decided it was time to pass her and put some distance between us. as i ran by, i told her how strong she looked - because she did. she looked awesome. i told her i'd been trying to catch her and she said she had taken it out too fast. <br />
<br />
"anything can happen in a race regardless of who shows up to race."<br />
<br />
i passed her and i charged a bit into the turn-around. lo and behold, three more girls were coming up on my fast friend. "oh crap... <b>MUST-GO-FASTER-MUST-GO-FASTER</b>." (thank you, Dr. Ian Malcolm). <br />
<br />
i ran away from them as if that t-rex really was after me in my 1993 jeep wrangler. around mile 10, i heard more footsteps and a strange yell - i turned around and a girl was <b>RIGHT FREAKING THERE. OH CRAP</b>! for the next 15 seconds, i wondered why she had made that strange noise and i turned around she was <b>gone</b>. <br />
<br />
... wait, what? i did a double take and sure enough, she had disappeared. <br />
<br />
super weird, but whatever! i kept running and slowing building my speed and HR - i was feeling really strong through mile 11 and i could feel my quads start to tighten and my stride shorten. i thought to myself, "only two more mi---"<br />
<br />
i heard the weird yell again, interrupting my self peptalk and realized the girl was behind me <b>again</b>. <b>WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON</b>? i gunned it for 15 seconds, turned around to see where she was - and she had vanished. now, this particular part of the course is a straightaway, so after the second time this happened, i questioned my sanity. now, sitting here, rehashing the race, i'm a little worried i was seeing/hearing things. but i felt <b>fine</b>. i actually felt really good all things considering at mile 11 of the run.<br />
<br />
the last two miles are a bit of a blur - i tried to pick up the pace further and just hold on to my suspected third overall spot. before i knew it, i was taking the left to the finish and the arch was right there - looked behind me and saw no one but at that point, who even knew where the ghost girl was at? ran through the finish and saw my time - 5:15 - not great, but it was a rough bike. my run was 2 minutes faster than 2 years prior when i considered myself to be in good run shape so I was really pleased with that. <br />
<br />
overall, the run was a <b>huge </b>mental victory for me. i stayed mentally strong instead of giving up and i worked my strengths and stayed patient. im really proud of myself for how i handled the run and aside from the two-time break from reality (was that girl ever really there? was i going crazy?), i had a strong, consistent run and i fought for my place and <b>raced</b>.<br />
<br />
i ended up 2nd OA thanks to the collegiate category taking the first OA girl out of the open results. ellen got 1st OA so we got to share the podium and were showered in prizes! really cool. joe won overall male, so DC Tri did pretty well in our first halves of the season. <br />
<br />
on to the next one! till next time...<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-77463096455382609102017-03-14T08:12:00.001-07:002017-03-14T08:12:20.949-07:00Race Recap: Rock n Roll DC Half-Marathon first race of 2017 in the books. Guys! it went <b>way </b>better than I anticipated. I actually felt like I could sort of run again. Haven't felt this way since early 2015. HELLOOOO LEGS!<br />
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i was coming off a mini (and very much needed) break in Florida. I only ran once down there but did manage to drink my weight in mic ultra and top shelf margaritas and spend every night in the hot tub. Which - to my knowledge - is the same as actually swimming. i also floated around in the gorgeous ocean next to the boat while my friends made sure i didn't get eaten by sharks. it was pure heaven. <br />
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i worked an insanely full day friday but managed to leave just shortly after 7 (only leaving 2 hours of notes behind). drove to Holli's to eat dinner with her and Lori, who was in town to run the full (and play with us, duh). Lori made dinner - god bless her, shes amazing - and we sat and chatted for a couple hours until it was time to get to sleep. <br />
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it was a balmy 20 degrees when I woke up and walked jazz. for a second (just a second), i considered the alternative option of <b>not running</b>. damn it prochnow, i told myself, don't be an ass clown. i really wanted to wear my lulu capris so i paired that with obnoxious neon yellow compression socks. wore a thick thermal layer and lulu vest with snapple cycling jacket. the only issue was my hands - when they get cold, im miserable. that broken finger with the plate/screws gets totally numb and stays numb for hours which is actually a little painful. i brought my hincapie cycling gloves and hoped for the best. <br />
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i ate a couple of english muffins with peanut butter and honey for breakfast with half a cup of coffee. i also chugged a bottle of BASE rocket fuel just before walking out of the apartment. bryan and i metro'd over to smithsonian, checked our gear, and walked to the W to meet up with Holli at the VIP area. a glorious, lucky turn of events then occurred. not only did i get to use an <b>actual </b>bathroom - i found <b>handwarmers</b>. <br />
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thank you thank you, dear creator of handwarmers - i wish to bequeath to you my first born.<br />
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you can have monster too. <br />
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with less than 10 minutes to start, we jogged over to corral 2 and got ready to run. it was windy. i wasn't excited about that new meteorological addition but there was no turning back now. literally. i was stuck in corral 2. it was go forward or get trampled by thousands of runners. saw ellen, jan, and justin and we all took some pictures and i pretended to be excited about 13 miles of running. jan gave me a hug and i considered stealing her very warm purple puffy coat (sorry jan). <br />
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there was a countdown and a lot of forward motion and a minute later, ellen, holli and i crossed that line. <br />
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and so it begins!<br />
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the idea was to gradually build HR every 3 miles (145, 150, 155, 160, then haul ass for 1.1 miles). so, i gradually built to 150ish over 2 miles. whoops. my legs felt a little tight (not warmed up) but i was running what felt like a good, sustainable pace. i could see ellen ahead and i knew holli had to be right behind me. i kept between 150-155 for the next few miles, slowing down a bit on rock creek parkway. the first 5 miles are fairly flat so HR was easier to control. holli passed me at some point around mile 5 and i pulled up next to her. i yelled over - "good mornin!" - she looked strong and we ran the next mile near each other. i knew erin would be cheering around mile 6 and i was eager to shed the snapple windbreaker. the mile 6 horrible incline into georgetown began - which is also where the "wear blue: run to remember" group with american flags and pictures are. so awesome. i tried to look, but i couldn't - last year i got super choked up. luckily, erin was right there with her #blessed sign (love her) and she ripped my jacket off and i continued running. <br />
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holli had passed me again - she's so strong! i took the giant hill slowly and deliberately, imagining the strength i was saving in my legs (man, i am just not good at hills). finally at the top, i collected my legs and charged down the slight decline. i consciously tried to run fast on every downhill, using the momentum to keep the legs going and keep the HR up while holding back a little on the uphill portions. it was a fun strategy - i passed so many people on the declines and it was a good boost of energy. i then started to pretend that i was sonic the hedgehog in the bonus rounds (you know, when hes running through the swirling rainbow tunnels collecting rings and gems? get on my level guys.) that thought led to mariokart - like when you have the mushroom and you pass over the boost in the road and you are just going unreasonably fast and out of control? yea! that was me on the downhills. zoooooooooom!<br />
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i grew up with a dad that worked with video games. i can't help it. <br />
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i kept a good clip going into mile 9. at that point, i sped up again and was feeling really strong. i could see my average pace ticking down which made it easier to keep pace. around mile 11, i felt my legs start to tighten... nooooooo... but i kept at it. just 1 mile to 12. then only 1.1 to the finish! at mile 12, it was on. most of the last mile is on a decline (<b>AWESOME</b>) other than the very very end. so i cruised. i passed people. i smiled. i knew i wouldn't break 1:40, but hell - it was going to say 1:40 on my watch - not 1:41. i could see the time on the finish arch, 1:40:35 and i was still a little bit out. <br />
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this is what happened in my head for the next 23 seconds - i was ellie sattler in jurassic park. she's just busted out of the control house and the velociraptors are going to come after her and she just grunts out "run." as she hobbles to the fence. <br />
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yep. i went there.<br />
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crossed the timing mat - 1:40:58. boom. told you it would say 1:40. <br />
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collected medal and turned around just in time to see holli as she finished. courtney appeared out of nowhere (who also had an awesome run) and we accumulated all the food and drinks on our way to the gear trucks. i threw on some layers and let myself feel relaxed, happy... content. satisfied. <br />
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its been 2 years since i ran a solid half marathon. it was just shy of a PR - and I didn't really set out to even race this one (except for the last 4 miles, i was definitely racing those - the last mile was 7:06). i told myself i'd be "satisfied" with a 1:42 or 1:43 since i ran a horrendous 1:48 last year; i was coming off the flu and stress fracture and had been running really poorly in general. it didn't seem logical to set a time goal considering i haven't been training for a running race - but i have a hard time thinking about races without time. i also made the morning decision to run without music and enjoy the people, city, and race itself. it was a great choice. i had a really fun day out there, despite the weather. no GI issues, definitely not enough water, but awesome nonetheless. <br />
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following the race, a huge group of us headed to district taco in eastern market for post-race provisions. huevos rancheros - youcompletemeiloveyou. i sat back and took a couple pictures of the group and couldn't help but grin and be grateful to be surrounded by this group. two years ago - i was just stranger, a DC transplant that wanted friends that shared my passion. i found that - but also found so much more. without getting sappy (shit, was that a tear? nah, its probably sweat), i love this life. the ups, the downs - its all mine. <br />
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anyway. cheers to a great weekend. the season has begun! Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-74930064022726224652017-01-06T14:49:00.002-08:002017-01-06T14:49:49.958-08:00Closing the loopsive been training my ass off. literally. as in, my butt feels smaller. <br />
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(... you were just picturing the last time you happened a casual glance at my butt weren't you? admit it. im flattered. thankyouverymuch). </div>
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however - in recent weeks, i've been having that panicked, #ihaveamillionthingstodo feeling in my chest. i get close to having anxiety attacks at work. i feel like im struggling just to get everything done at work, at home - and nothing feels <b>completed</b>. i constantly feel like my to-do list grows and grows and im running backwards-in-crocs trying to accomplish everything while getting nothing done. <br />
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guys, feeling this way sucks.<br />
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hence, ive been throwing myself into workouts more and more. when i train, i can control things. i can control pace, heartrate, cadence, breathing... hell, even just the direction i am running. it makes me feel accomplished. plus - my butt looks better. small wins. <br />
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i was biking last week and running out of things i wanted to watch on netflix, so after playing the netflix game for 10 minutes, i headed over to coach's website. i watched a video on training peaks of all things and how to keep yourself accountable. and she talked about "closing the loops" - finishing workouts, updating training peaks, foam rolling - all the while checking off the to do boxes in the training world and coming full circle in terms of being an accountable athlete and reducing stress. leaving all those little things undone or half done can be a cause of mental stress.<br />
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i took a real hard look at myself and realized that i am <b>constantly </b>reminding myself of things that need done - both in training and in life. i feel like it takes up a lot of brain power when all those little things are constantly floating around in my head in a circle. turns out, it <b>is</b> stressful. <br />
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so i ran - and checked it off the list. i updated training peaks. check. in starting this habit over the past couple of weeks, i've also narrowed down my to-do list. prioritized things. i finally finished putting up (and now taking down) holiday decorations. i finished notes at work. check, check, check. once i got the ball rolling, it was a lot easier to finish tasks. <br />
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*yadda yadda yadda - something about forming healthy habits - i have nothing inspiring to contribute*<br />
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closing the loops is a <b>thing</b>. that panic attack feeling is lessening and, added bonus, the cat seems pretty pumped about having a clean litter box all the time. go us. <br />
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Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-89829477498815236312016-11-30T16:29:00.002-08:002016-11-30T16:29:48.491-08:00finding mojo... and a day in my life on a random day off. my family was here this past week for thanksgiving - it was awesome being able to be together (its rare) and even though we didn't get along 100% of the time (who does when holed up together for 1 week in a tiny apartment), it was amazing nonetheless. <br />
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that being said - i slept on a tiny couch for the entirety of the visit. no complaints - i can usually sleep standing up. at a concert. next to a speaker. in the front row. no that didn't happen. wait. yes, yes it actually happened. i was 17. i was tired. eve 6 is still awesome. <br />
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wow. anyway. so i guess i didn't have <b>great </b>sleep this week. last night, i had the apartment to myself. i drank half a bottle of wine and ate leftover pizza and sushi. oh, and a tube of crescent rolls that we didn't eat for thanksgiving. with more butter than i have the self confidence to admit. at 9:30 pm, i convinced myself to go to bed. monster the cat was passed out at the foot of the bed. i laid down on the duvet cover with my head by his, had a heart-to-heart, and fell asleep while petting the cat. by 5 am, jasmine had joined us and I woke up and took her outside. upon our return, i got into bed like a normal human and fell back asleep until after 9 am. <br />
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glorious. <br />
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i think i also need a babysitter. <br />
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i made the conscious decision to improve my eating habits after waking up this morning so ate some eggs with a shit ton of spinach and a sprinkle of cheese for good measure. the rain was supposed to stop around 1 so i let myself be lazy until then. coaching call with jess at lunchtime - all good things, nothing exciting on my end, which is good i think - and then i accidently fell asleep rewatching the new gilmore girls. <br />
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woke up and it was 1:45 pm. time to quit procrastinating and get outside to run. lacking motivation so i put on new shorts (thank you COEUR, love them) and drove to hains point so i could run the mall. <br />
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workout was 20 min easy, 30 min MAF, 10 min easy. i decided for the first 20 minutes i would take pictures of all the pretty things i passed in an effort to keep the HR down. its amazing how much there is to see on this run in the first 20 minutes. <br />
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first stop - jefferson memorial </div>
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view of air force memorial on way from east to west potomac park</div>
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jefferson memorial across the tidal basin</div>
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roosevelt memorial - eleanor roosevelt</div>
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"the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." </div>
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FDR + dog </div>
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martin luther king jr. memorial </div>
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vietnam memorial </div>
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lincoln memorial </div>
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obligatory lincoln memorial reflecting pool photo </div>
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reflecting pool path</div>
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ww2 memorial - illinois</div>
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tried valiantly to keep heart rate at 145 for the 30 min - way too easy to make it jump up, especially on my random street crossing sprints to catch the lights. i thought about keeping up with the picture taking as i ran - washington monument, african american museum, american history museum, natural history museum, sculpture garden, capitol building, botanical gardens, smithsonian castle, the merry-go-round... its mind boggling how many awesome things are here in the span of a few miles... but decided to just <b>run</b>. and smile while taking mental pictures of cool things and cool people. accidently missed my intended turn and ran an extra 10 minutes past the floral garden that i like but has since gone into hibernation. <br />
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finished the run in a good, happy place. when i don't feel like running, i wear my favorite clothes, down to the socks that i like. i go to a place that i enjoy and i find something - anything - to make it fun. hence, today's photo shoot. <br />
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what do you do to find your mojo? <br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-48689717561148687562016-11-21T05:41:00.003-08:002016-11-21T06:01:53.299-08:00Race Recap: Annapolis Running Classic 10K<div style="text-align: center;">
Annual Funapalooza weekend is over and done, which is always a fun weekend with friends... but first - we run!</div>
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Recap - did this race the first time I visited the DC/Annapolis area in 2014. I had just met Mark at IMWI and was visiting the east coast - met tons of people that, unbeknownst to me, would later become some of my close and dear friends. Thank you Mark, for quite honestly, changing the trajectory of my life with one little note. I think that is one huge reason I hold this weekend so close to my heart.</div>
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Anyway, dry your eyes and lets move on. </div>
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I intended on going to Annapolis after work on Friday; friend Caroline was in town visiting and I wanted to hang out with her, Mark, and Holli - but it ended up being a busy afternoon at work and traffic was horrendous on the way home. I felt my eyelids getting heavy while sitting in traffic and decided to stay in and go to sleep early. Made my last Hello Fresh meal (salmon with fresh pesto, green beans, and potatoes) and headed to bed shortly after. </div>
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Up at 4:15 am with nothing to eat for breakfast. I had forgotten my usual Thomas blueberry bagel - for some reason it didn't even cross my mind to pick some up - so I made a toasted peanut butter and honey sandwich on wheat bread. I lacked coffee as well. Clearly, I was prepared. Headed to Annapolis with Jazz, got to Marks around 5:45 am, attempted coffee and failed again. NO COFFEE?! Since when does Mark not have coffee? The four of us got our stuff together and Caroline and I drove over to the stadium while Mark and Holli ran over. A little warm-up would've been nice, but I wanted a car for after the race - not to mention that I was completely illegally parked on Mark's street. </div>
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The worst shirt in the world. </div>
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Stadium was near full, runners were everywhere and dressed in anything from tanks and shorts to sweatpants, hats, and gloves. I smiled because based on what the runners were wearing, it was anywhere from 25 to 70 degrees outside. I settled on neon orange Nike spandex shorts, grey NB tech shirt, BASE arm warmers, and the BASE Kona hat that I love. A little chilly to begin with, but ended up being perfect for the upper 40's/low 50's weather once the sun came out. Portapotty stop. Then Caroline and I met up with Holli and Ellen and nudged our way to the front of the pack. Saw Pat and Michaela at the start and exchanged hugs and hellos while the announcer counted our way down to the 7:00 am start time. </div>
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(In my head, I figured I was capable of pulling a 7:30 pace - at least thats the target I've been training for. Based on how this year (and last) went running, I thought 7:30 might even be a little ambitious. In workouts, I've been running pretty well, but only for the past handful of weeks. Its been more working on getting to that happy running place in my brain than anything else. Anyway - that was my mindset.)</div>
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GO TIME!</div>
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Ellen and Holli took off. I waved goodbye to Michaela and started my watch. Within a couple tenths of a mile, I was up next to Holli. "This is too fast!" she said. I looked down and saw 6:40 pace on my watch - yep, definitely too fast. I could see Ellen's yellow hat about 50 feet ahead and wondered if it would be possible to stay up with her. She's fast as shit and just qualified for Boston... and is going to Kona next year along with Holli. Jesus, I have talented friends. </div>
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I inched away from Holli in the first 1/2 mile and was keeping a steady, consistent space from Ellen. I felt like I was running easy and I settled into a 6:50 or so pace - still too fast in my head, but what did I have to lose? I began to gain some ground on Ellen until finally I was damn near on her heels in the first couple miles. She seemed to ease back ever so slightly - so I did too. Mentally, I was saving that smidge of energy that I'd hopefully be able to call on in the last mile when I would be hurting. I wasn't really looking at my watch a whole lot and every so often I'd glance at my heart rate. Mid 160's - seemed good to me? Mile marker 3 took place somewhere near the boats in Annapolis near the naval academy. </div>
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I checked on my watch again - 5K time was 21 something - fastest 5K to date. I reassessed the situation - Ellen had gotten a little bit away on the downhill, but I was feeling really good and thought - I could maybe do that again for the 2nd half of the run? </div>
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Approached an uphill and I caught back up with Ellen and this chick in blue that I'd been watching awhile. At mile 4, watch was reading 28 something - running under 45 was a definite possibility. Between 4-5 miles is a turnaround and as we both turned to head for the stadium, I began to see my friends and they called out to us. I groaned and smiled simultaneously as I realized my friend and pace leader would probably realize I had been running on her heels. Time to move. I nosed forward and said, "hey girl, good morning!" - to which she didn't reply (headphones). She then did a double take when i was a foot or so ahead and said something like "hey you!" and I waved and we kept running. </div>
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The sun was coming up behind us and I was watching the shadows of our running selves in front of me. I never looked back. I just tried to maintain the pace and approached a very pretty downhill around mile 5. I cruised down the hill and then up and into the split for the 10K and half. I turned left to run to the stadium (I could finally see it!) and realized I was now almost alone except for 2 guys just ahead of me. We ran into the parking lot and I picked it up just a tad. At that point, I did glance behind me and didn't see anyone with less than 1/2 a mile to go. </div>
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All of a sudden, there were no volunteers. Or directive signs. Or cones. um. so. where to go? I took a gamble (the wrong gamble it turns out) and followed the guys in between some cars to a sidewalk and we skirted the stadium. I recognized where my car was parked - which happened to be on the opposite end of the stadium from where the course should have been. oh well. took a hard right and ran through the parking lot - past the finish line along the barricade - in between parked cars - and then a sharp 180 degree right turn to run under the finish arch. With less than 20 feet to go, a guy and a girl <b>SPRINTED </b>past and finished 2 seconds ahead of me. It happened too quickly for me to do anything about it - by the time they ran past, I was crossing the line. </div>
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I looked down - 6.38 miles in 44:50. finally - a run to be happy about! I turned around to see Ellen finish, and then Holli just behind her. Pat had already finished and one by one, we watched our friends come across the line. And Caroline - who was going to "run slow" - kicked ass! I think all of us were pretty thankful we weren't running the half; it was time for beer, oysters, music, and friends. So thankful for these people. Friends that I met two years ago at this race. Friends that I train with, sweat with, hurt with - the kind that push you past your limits - physical, emotional, mental. and new friends! However we all came to be here - I'm grateful and thankful for every single one of you. And thank you Ellen and Holli - just... thank you. You guys are amazing women and athletes. </div>
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The Coeur ladies.</div>
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By my watch, my pace says 7:02 - since the course (with detour) was a little long. Ended up running about 30 seconds per mile faster than I was mentally capable of. 4th OA (turns out the sprinter girl was 3rd OA). 1st AG. Little victories. Hell, big victories even. I know its just a 10K - but busting down those mental walls that I have been putting up<br />
<b>feels. so. good</b>. </div>
Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-54121964183513133992016-08-01T07:18:00.000-07:002017-01-10T07:18:36.071-08:00Race Recap: IM Vineman... Bring on the Whine.See what I did there? Didja get it? Didja, didja?<br />
<br />
Guys. Moment of clarity for a second. I just did my 4th Ironman. That's big right? At least my mom and dad think so... Thanks mom and dad. <br />
<br />
But I finished.<b> Healthy. Whole. And with a <b>smile</b>. </b> <br />
<br />
Lets recap. <br />
<br />
So, I was <strike>marginally </strike>fully prepared to leave the house at 4:00 am wednesday morning. I ended up leaving at 4:30, thinking that I had plenty of time to get to BWI at least by 5:15 (over 2 hours before the flight - which really should have been plenty of time), ride the shuttle, get through security, etc (okay, you get the idea - you've seen an airport). Hours later, I half jogged up to Mark and Deb, sitting comfortably at the gate with 15 minutes to spare - sweating and swearing about my general hatred of the human race. <br />
<br />
Step 1, complete.<br />
<br />
Travel was uneventful other than Mark got us into some high class area for seasoned travelers where I got a free bloody mary and lunch. My anger from the morning's commute lifted when the nice bartender recognized my earlier distress and graced me with an extra olive. <br />
<br />
We arrived in Santa Rosa - the world's most adorable and smallest airport - accidentally stealing someone else's rental car in the process, and arrived at our digs for the weekend. Cute airbnb less than a mile from the high school (finish line), great location in the somewhat sleepy town of Windsor. Mark and I put our bikes together, loaded them in the car and the three of us headed over to the high school to get checked in and collect our stuff. Took in the expo - pretty low key and quiet - and met Mark's awesome friend "Ironman Caroline" who I quickly developed a lady crush on because she's really cool. We explored, hit up the BASE tent, Normatech, and chowed on samples of Cliff bars. Again. and again. and again. <b>Lunch</b>. Thanks Ironman. Found a friend, Amy, to ride with us. Goal of the afternoon was to ride the run course and do some recon. <br />
<br />
The run course was a triple out-and-back with a single sizeable hill that you hit near the end of the out-and-back. The rest of the course was rolling hills, definitely not flat. But it was pretty and the weather was fabulous. <br />
<br />
Dinner involved sharing pizza at an adorable little restaurant in Windsor accompanied by local wine. We went home and headed to bed - huge bed all to myself with a private bathroom. Thanks friends!<br />
<br />
Earlier wake up call on Thursday to get to swim start and T1 (17 miles away) to get in a bike, run, and swim. hour easy on bike (with a few short intervals to get HR up), 30 min easy run (which ended up being multiple short loops in town), and a 20-30 min swim. the water was a perfect temp - no wetsuit needed except for speed; it was definitely going to be a comfortable swim. I shed the wetsuit and hung out for a few just enjoying the water. it would be a slightly different situation come Saturday morning...!<br />
<br />
Amy, Mark, and I found a cute café for lunch that served amazing sandwiches and then headed back home to get Mark's bike fixed. Cruised the expo again (more snacks) and wandered over to downtown Windsor. We found the candy shop of my dreams and I spent a paycheck on unnecessary shit including an energy drink called "Kung Fu Street Fighter" and chocolate covered bugs. <br />
<br />
Friday involved another trek to T1 to drop off bikes and gear bags and take a tour of the bike course. Mark, Nicole, and I drove the course accompanied by the vocal stylilngs of "Phantom of the Opera" - we sang all the songs. Despite the fun road trip, I was getting legitimately nervous seeing the course, given the recent crash and the fact that i wasn't totally comfortable on a bike still. Nothing I could do about it though except get up the next morning and put big girl tri shorts on.<br />
<br />
Family chicken-parm-and-pasta-night (thanks for cooking mark) at the house with a couple Stellas. talked to my family and friends via text and phone for a few and then it was time for sleep... no problem falling asleep in the comfortable bed. <br />
<br />
3:45 am arrived quickly. drank coffee. ate a bagel with peanut butter--- <br />
<br />
--- wait, can I just say that no where in the county of Sonoma are there Thomas blueberry bagels to be found? I went to three places and NONE of them had blueberry. I even got into an argument with the bagel shelf stocker who "works for Thomas" and he claimed that it was a seasonal flavor. oh please, guy. I am a blueberry bagel connoisseur (yea, its a thing) and I guarantee you that I buy them year round. then i kicked him. the end ---<br />
<br />
---ate a whole wheat (sigh) bagel with peanut butter... (thank you mark for pointing out that I eat the same thing before every race and I have yet to qualify for the big dance so might as well switch it up) and a banana. had another half bagel and banana ready to eat once we arrived at the swim and were waiting at swim start. Deb drove and dropped us off near T1 to figure out our lives. Thank goodness for her this weekend. Port-a-potty break and donning wetsuit. Started to eat my food and realized if I wanted to start at the front id have to wade through the 2000 people already lined up on the other side of the half fence. <br />
<br />
well, shit. <br />
<br />
met a girl with the same swim goal and same affinity for being late for life so we basically held hands and zipped through the crowd like a couple of crazy passengers late for a plane. stranger bonding at its finest. <br />
<br />
all of a sudden the pros were off. i got that excited feeling in my gut and got teary-eyed (as per usual) thinking about what the day would hold and how ridiculously lucky we are to get to live this life. <br />
<br />
(follow up thought to above internal monologue - prochnow, you're a sap - for the love of god, pull your shit together.) <br />
<br />
SWIM:<br />
my friend and I followed suit behind the pros and before I knew it, I was already under the bridge. Swimming felt great - I had only been in a pool a handful of times since the crash and only had one or two good workouts under my belt in the past few weeks. I felt comfortable though and I would laugh anytime I'd see someone just stand up and start to walk in the very shallow water. many times my hands would scrape the bottom and I began pulling pebbles and rocks along with every stroke and pulling with a very bent elbow. but time passed uneventfully. there weren't really a lot of people swimming around me so I had open water (despite the awkward depth). before i knew it, i could see the arch and found myself standing up and running out of the water to T1. looked at watch - big smiles. <br />
<br />
swim time: 58:55<br />
<br />
T1: <br />
MUD! ran in the mud to T1 where volunteers were waiting with paper towels to clean my feet (THANK YOU!). wetsuit was stripped off, grabbed a bonkbreaker for my pocket, Rudy project helmet/sunglasses and shoes in tow and headed out to reunite with Rosie. easy, quickish T1 (for once!). no naps!<br />
<br />
T1 time: 5:01<br />
<br />
BIKE: <br />
took the first 5 miles to get my heart rate at a sustainable level, drank some osmo and settled in. mile 5 is where the treacherous turn takes place and a handful of volunteers were on hand to remind us. i slowed <b>way </b>down for the sharp/steep downward turn - i'm really glad we rode that part previously because its not a safe spot if you are going too fast. the course is a constant up/down/side/side, difficult to ride in aero a lot of the time unless you are very confident on the bike. unfortunately for me, my confidence level was at a sad low and i had significant difficulty getting comfortable on that course. not a lot of places to just go out and cruise; its a constant shift-fest. by mile 80 or so, i felt my eyes getting heavy and i hit a mental exhaustion wall. my legs still felt strong, but i was mentally spent from being so focused on the roads and avoiding another potential bike crash (not the way you want to ride 100+ miles). at one point i actually shut my eyes for a few seconds on a straight away and jolted awake after a bit. scary. i was wide awake after that... kept at the heart rate that i son and i had talked about and executed the race as desired for the most part, but my heart just wasnt in it anymore. it wasn't <b>fun</b>. <br />
<br />
bike time: 6:02:15<br />
<br />
T2: <br />
off the bike and into the tent - grabbed my stuff and was ever so thankful to be off the bike. took a look at my bike split - 6 hours... UGH, not what i was hoping for - slowest to date on what i would call an easier or comparable course to previous IMs. socks and shoes on. swig of mountain dew with an EL Fudge cookie. grabbed my race belt, pink visor, purple handheld bottle with Osmo and GUs stashed in the pocket and i was off, putting on my stuff as i ran out of T2. <br />
<br />
T2 time: 3:37<br />
<br />
Run: <br />
jogged out of transition and my watch yelled at me - "low battery".<b> what. the. eff. GARMIN.</b> i charged it all night long. seriously garmin universe - WTF. i saw deb and adrian right away and was feeling all right for the first mile or so. then i developed an awesome gas bubble in stomach and began to run slightly doubled over.<br />
<br />
super. freaking. awesome. <br />
<br />
i had an idea i was around 5th or 6th off the bike. not ideal, but not the end of the world. i ran - but i really didn't want to. i was <b>exhausted</b>. i wanted a nap. i felt like if i stopped, theres no way i could get the momentum going to propel the body in a forward direction. so i ran. and ran. and ran. i thought about nothing. then thought about everything. i watched the athletes around me, took mental notes of what they were wearing, watched the spectators. saw Shan at the BASE tent dancing in bike shoes - that did make me internally smile, but I was too tired to actually smile so I maintained the "ill kill everyone" death stare. around mile 8, the watch died and i muttered a "fuck you" out loud to the watch. then i laughed because otherwise i would've cried. my gut felt like junk, my legs were tired, and my heart was somewhere back at the airbnb. i continued to amble along the course, taking pleasure at the start of the 3rd loop knowing it was the last time id be heading out on course. i had a few words with some random people, as you usually do during races, but my vision was focused on the mile markers and counting them down since i was running blind. my pace was somewhere between 9 minutes and 30 minutes per mile. in my head, i was rocking something like 12 minute miles and was a little scared to see what my final time would be. please let me be under 11:30. please let me finish before dark. thats all i was hoping for during those dark miles. <br />
<br />
finally - the hill... only a mile and a half to go! i mustered a smidge of pep to my step and passed some people in other age groups. tons of people were hanging out in the park outside of the high school but as i veered left to head back to the school and finish line, the crowd really dwindled and i was essentially alone when running the perimeter of the high school. as i turned the corner and saw the finish line 50m or so away, i forced a smile. another race completed. it was not the day i had imagined in my head - i could see the finish time as 11:28 - a full 20+ minutes slower than the races last year on a comparable course. as i ran down the chute, the forced smile because an actual smile. i stopped at the finish arch and actually stayed upright this time! i threw up my hands and grinned -there would be plenty of time in the future to dissect what went wrong and what went right but for that moment, i just wanted water, pizza, and comfy spot to sit down with my friends. <br />
<br />
(i found out i was first out of the water in the swim for AG, 11th out of the women. thats a cool 100 dollar gift card from ROKA so i was pretty pumped about getting the new bikini id been eyeing all weekend at the expo.)<br />
<br />
we hung out for awhile and watched more friends finish. eventually, we headed home to shower and change only to return to the finish later in the evening. when I think back to watching the final finishers and seeing their faces full of happiness and triumph while running down the chute - I felt grateful. not everyone has the opportunity to do this sport, to travel, to enjoy time away from work. not everyone that trains for these races gets to cross the finish line for one reason for another. despite the ups and downs of the day - i still crossed the finish line and for that, i feel all right. <br />
<br />
At the end of the day - I worked my ass off this season. Yes, I could have tried harder some days. I could have slept more. Ate better. Actually ridden up the hill at training camp instead of hitching a ride at the end of that exhausting day... But I did work hard this year. Just because that didn't translate into the results I wanted doesn't mean I wasn't successful. I learned so much this year. About me, my body, my response to stress, creating limits when I have to but not accepting them as permanent. Being accepting of myself and my needs. I'll push harder next year - be stronger and braver. When the 5th, 6th, 7th IMs come around, I'll still be learning - but that makes us better and stronger, both physically and mentally.<br />
<br />
looking forward to training and racing in 2017 my friends...Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-83241461063171463082016-07-21T16:27:00.000-07:002016-10-12T13:59:19.230-07:00Race Recap: Rev3 Williamsburg 70.3 and a lesson in how to make a race more challenging I'm horrible at this blog thing. Seriously. No wonder only my mom reads this... (mom? mom? Bueller?)<br />
<br />
I'm going to turn over a new leaf and be more productive with blogging. I've already turned over like 42 new leaves in the blogging adventure, but whats one more. This ones for you Mom!<br />
<br />
So - second 70.3 this year. And probably the one of the more painful experiences I've had in a racing weekend but more on that in a hot second. <br />
<br />
Trekked down to Williamsburg Saturday mid-morning. This ended up being a terrible time traffic wise to venture down south so I stopped at Starbucks for a double dirty pick me up and cruised along 95 South to the sweet sexy stylings of Eric Church for four hours. <br />
<br />
Arrived at the race site, picked up my packet - and I must commend Rev3 for the nice DC Tri/Rev3 hat - saw my SOAS sister Erin and her mom and got up the motivation to do an easy bike/run shake-out. Snapple'd myself up and away I went on the bike. Legs felt strong, I was replaying Eric Church in my head, and life was grand. <br />
<br />
Life was grand for exactly 14 minutes and 57 seconds. <br />
<br />
Life got significantly less grand when I went around some stuff in the road - cruising at 20+ mph on a slight downhill - and somehow ended up going over the handlebars and straight into the ditch on the side of the road. My face slid along the ditch, picking up dirt/stick/leaves in my mouth, and my bike flipped over and landed in front of me. I laid there for a few seconds, not really knowing what had just happened or what to do first. I rolled over and my first thought was, "shit, I just lost all my teeth - I wonder if I can even find all my teeth in the mess of leaves here. i don't want a redneck smile for the rest of my life." <br />
<br />
You think I'm kidding but that was my honest-to-god first thought. <br />
<br />
I spit out the mouthful of nature that was in my mouth and was surprised when I could feel all my teeth. I touched each one with my tongue and finger to make sure they were all there and relatively firm and in place. I then assessed my face. There was a little bit blood coming from my nose and mouth, the nose itself was incredibly painful, and I was currently rocking a unilaterally shadeless pair of Rudy sunglasses. Next thought was that I wouldn't have wearable sunglasses for the race the following day, so I looked down and by the sheer grace of god there was a tiny sliver of blue plastic peeking out from between the leaves. <br />
<br />
Hallelujah. small victories. <br />
<br />
As i picked up the shade, I felt a sharp jab in my left side. oh sweet mother of jesus, that stab in the ribs lowered me back to the ground and I questioned by ability to walk, let alone race the following day. <br />
<br />
(one step at a time prochnow. just figure out your life and then worry about the race tomorrow.)<br />
<br />
at that moment, a couple of dudes on hot bikes flew past. i looked myself up and down from my nest in the leaves and swore to god that if i ever encountered a person in my predicament in the future, i wouldn't fly past and ignore them. karma guys... karma. <br />
<br />
(not even the seducing whir-whir-whir sound of your sexy disc wheel will make me hate you less.) <br />
<br />
a sweet older couple arrived as i was in the middle of cursing out the cyclists. the woman looked pretty concerned but she handed me a rag and some water to clean up my face and asked if i needed a ride back. i said i thought i would be okay and they said they would stick around until they were able to see me ride away. <br />
<br />
i fetched my bike from the far tree and attempted to get back on without checking it over. i know - brilliant. <br />
<br />
i fell over immediately. <br />
<br />
fixed the brake and the derailleur that were slightly out of whack, fished out some leaves that were stuck near the chain, and did a quick check with the brakes and made sure the wheels were turning without any issues. attempt number 2 was successful. i waved to my new friends and started laughing as some tears rolled down my cheeks. seconds later (once I was out of sight of their van), I pulled over and composed myself. i wanted to laugh at how stupid this situation was and how bad it hurt, but when i giggled, my rib felt like it was stabbing me in the lungs which made me cough and then the cough made it worse and then the tears started coming. i figured out if i pushed in a certain spot, then i could cough and i figured i had broken a rib. meh, as long as I could breathe, I figured there was nothing the doctor was going to do except give me pain medication. <br />
<br />
got back on bike and made it back to the car. i stopped one of the volunteers to ask if a medic was around and as soon as he looked at me, he grabbed my left shoulder and asked if i was okay... yikes - my next stop would be a mirror with that kind of reaction... he said they were gone so i thanked him and trekked back to the car. i thought - hell, lets try running. i took my top off and a sea of leaves, sticks, and dirt spilled out. in front of a really attractive man in his mid 30's in the vehicle next to me. awesome. <br />
<br />
the run hurt but was tolerable. i did 15 minutes in total and called it good. breathing was going to be rough during the race and i knew i would be hurting even more in the morning once my adrenaline dwindled down. <br />
<br />
shape up or ship out - am i right? buck up or go home? harden the fuck up? the race was going to happen unless i was physically unable to walk in the morning. and even then - any forward motion counts right? i could probably float pretty effectively with the current and i could stay upright on a bike. i was golden! tip top shape even!<br />
<br />
i hung out with some friends for awhile at the race site waiting for them to check-in. i borrowed ice from someone and froze my nose off. it had started to swell nicely and i was getting some impressive bruising across the bridge and by my eyes. <br />
<br />
("hell yes I was in a fight" I will answer when asked later on. "and you should see the other dude. not chick - DUDE.") <br />
<br />
calzone for dinner. fro-yo and girl talk in the hotel room for dessert. sleep. <br />
<br />
woke up in the morning and did the whole laugh-cry thing again. dear god, that was some serious pain in my rib. i made the mistake of making sure my sunglasses were okay and i saw stars when i put them over my nose. that would surely feel excellent during the race a few hours from then... <br />
<br />
nevertheless, I got my stuff together and headed to transition. got everything in place, a couple people asked about my face and we all had a good laugh. well - they did. my laughing kept turning into tears when i tried to laugh and/or breathe. <br />
<br />
put on the speedsuit. had never worn it before. that was a treat to put on over my broken torso but lo and behold - i felt awesome once it was zipped up. that sucker was painted on and compressive and lovely - could i just do the whole race in it? <br />
<br />
SWIM: <br />
definitely a current. they were trying to keep us in a line and we kept drifting away in the active battle to stay near the start. i felt great for 3/4 of the swim. i felt a small twinge with every stroke using my left arm but it was the best i'd felt in about 18 hours so i was pleased. once i saw the arch, i knew i was starting to fade. i was losing strength in my left arm and i was drifting out to the right away from the finish. nevertheless, finished and ran out, happy to out of the water. <br />
<br />
27 something. <br />
<br />
T1: <br />
tried to book it in transition since the race wasn't too big and transition was pretty small. taking off the speedsuit was pretty easy but the nice tightness around the chest disappeared and breathing became a chore again. balls. <br />
<br />
BIKE: <br />
i knew i needed to keep my heart rate in check for the ride. follow the plan... first half at MAF-10 and second half at MAF-5. i knew i was out in front for the swim and that cyclists would start passing me in due time. the key was just to hold them off as long as i could without maxing out my heart rate and killing myself. i started to count the few going by - and it happened earlier than i expected (shit.) i stuck with the grand plan and did my thing, eating when i needed to, making sure i was taking in enough fluid because it was getting pretty warm out there. the course itself was pretty easy and I enjoyed it a lot. the "hills" were nothing compared to what we've been training on in west virginia and pennsylvania so it was a bit of a self-confidence booster. i didn't feel like i was putting a significant effort into the bike so I was excited to get out and run to see what my legs had left. i was able to stay in aero for most of the ride so my ribs and breathing were pretty well controlled. i wasn't taking deep breaths and i was optimistic for what would happen when i got off the bike.<br />
<br />
stupid. <br />
<br />
T2: <br />
my friend rev 3 ed was standing right by my row so i paused for a picture and smile as i pulled my running shoes on, grabbed my visor, race belt, and water bottle and peaced onto the run. <br />
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RUN: <br />
wait for it... oof. my ribs hurt. breathing hurt. #everythinghurtsimdying. <br />
suffice it to say, running 13.1 miles was a less than idyllic experience. BUT - i had running legs off the bike... it had been a long time since I felt that way! I got into a comfortably painful pace and just kept at it through the run. it was a double out-and-back with the end culminating in a fairly large incline on a bridge. saw friends on course and spectating and just took it all in. I was following the plan in terms of HR and perceived effort and just cruising. I actually started to feel a bit stronger around mile 9 and increased the tempo and pace a bit. before I knew it I was up and over the bridge and I could hear the finish line music. little did I realize it was still a solid 3/4 of a mile through the park to get there. I had just passed a girl in my age group so I turned on the jets... but may have turned them on a touch too early... I ran out of steam about halfway through the park, but when I turned to look over my shoulder, she was no where in sight. head down to the finish - looked at watch and saw i'd broken 5 hours. not bad all things considering. <br />
<br />
all in all, it was a punch-you-in-the-gut type weekend with the crash but i tried to step up and perform regardless. no excuses guys - life is what it is. <br />
<br />
thanks to Rev3 for a well run, fun race. thanks to Son and the team at Rising Tide :) and Snapple, Rudy project, Xterra, LG, District Taco and our other awesome sponsers! Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-47776636906158696272016-03-02T14:34:00.000-08:002016-03-02T14:34:37.101-08:00The most epic flu of my adult life. So I had that stressful week. Which ended up being a great training week since I focused my energy on training and not wallowing in the sad hole that was my life for a solid 7 days. <br />
<br />
I bought a car Monday. 2011 Nissan Rogue - she's awesome and Rosie fits nicely inside. I'm glad the car buying process is over, lets leave it at that. <br />
<br />
I thought to myself that night - self, you survived. your neck is back to normal. Let's try to stay in one piece from now on, shall we?<br />
<br />
Wednesday morning (my day off) I woke up and my first thought was "oh. shit." I felt like I'd been legitimately run over by a truck. that was speeding. while transporting cement. my head weighed 100 lbs, my body was sore and achy and my face was on fire. I proceeded to sleep all day long, waking up for 10-15 minutes at a time before passing back out. By that evening, I wasn't doing much better, but ventured out to DC to have my friend take care of me because I was done fending for myself. <br />
<br />
Thursday morning I woke up and couldn't remember when I had swallowed 37 knives, but apparently I had in the middle of the night because I couldn't swallow without searing pain. And head still weighed 100 lbs. I returned home very early Thursday morning after calling into work and passed out for the majority of the day. I tried to take Jazz outside and halfway down the stairs had to sit and take a break - it was pathetic. <br />
<br />
Friday, if possible - I felt worse. The upper respiratory portion had begun at some point during the night and I had a dry hack of a cough that <b>killed </b>my throat. Miserable, I trekked out to Giant (I had barely eaten for two days) to restock on cold/flu medications and to find something enticing to eat. I came away with about 50 dollar in medicine, an avocado, yogurt (for the following week for work, no way I was eating dairy), crescent rolls, bread for olive oil/balsamic vinegar, and sardines. i'm dead serious. looking back, spaghettios would have really hit the spot as well...<br />
<br />
Saturday I was off work - thank GOD. I don't even remember Saturday, that's how awesome I felt. I slept a lot. Watched Ian unpack from my view on the new amazing couch while watching Harry Potter... I provided moral support? Went to the movies Saturday night and tried not to infect anyone else with the plague. <br />
<br />
Sunday I was able to venture out and help Ian with his new place. marginally. We went to Ikea and dined on Ikea food. Then i made a mental note to never do that again... I watched more Harry Potter from the couch and was pretty happy about that. <br />
<br />
Today, however, is Wednesday and I <b>still </b>have a cough and I'm still raspy and snotty. This sickness has reached the 8 day mark and I'm over it. I was up for awhile last night hacking up a lung despite cough drops and medicine. But - I was able to ride (slow and steady) Sunday night, swim Monday and today, and bike Tuesday. Tomorrow I will attempt running seeing as a I have a half marathon next weekend... wish me luck. <br />
<br />
I apologize to any people I was in contact with that are now suffering the same demise that I recently experienced. I missed almost a week of training, which sucks because I feel like I can't catch a break with my neck issue and hip flexor and flu bug. Here to happy, healthy weeks ahead and getting back on the horse!<br />
<br />
Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-61879488089099991502016-02-22T13:05:00.000-08:002016-03-01T13:24:04.619-08:00Stress. It's a killer. Hi negative three followers... I come bearing sad news. The <strike>infamous </strike> well-loved chevy cobalt died a sad, painful death Monday night. We (and Jazz) hit a guardrail at the breakneck speed of 30 mph and proceeded to deploy the airbag and smash the hell out of the front end of the car. Oh and it was raining. Ice rain. <br />
<br />
It was scary. as. shit. I think I was in a little bit of shock, my neck got tweaked <b>again</b>, and I was just overall pretty shaken up. I had the help of some good friends that night and over the next couple days to get me squared away with a rental car and car shopping - very thankful to have these amazing people in my life. <br />
<br />
It ended up being a very difficult week between the wreck, my neck hurting again, and work issues and I had a bit of a breakdown mid-week. I cried a lot... almost every day that week. But that support system of mine is awesome and I reflected on what I learned with my car issues last year and I think I handled it better this time around. <br />
<br />
I'm proud of the fact that I managed the car shopping ordeal, work, and training without missing workouts last week. Training gave me something to focus on when it felt like my life was falling apart and I think I did pretty well overall. <br />
<br />
swim: 6700 (1:55)<br />
bike: 27 miles (1:30)<br />
run: 17.55 (2:26)<br />
<br />
I missed OSS sunday morning - with the hellacious week I had, I gave myself a mental health day and focused my efforts on organizing life and car shopping. I also did my taxes - yay. <br />
<br />
had an amazing swim workout wednesday - 10 x 250s IM pace. My IM pace with a wetsuit is about 1:25/100y. My goal was to hold that pace in the pool for the 250s - and I totally did. My times were consistent, ranging from 3:32-3:35 across the board (1:24-1:25 pace). It was tough, but I was thrilled at the end about being able to hold that pace - I didn't think it would be possible at this point. <br />
<br />
also had a beautiful outside run at haines point on saturday. it was 8.5 miles - 6 mile MAF test in the middle and I was pretty consistent with those miles too - 7:58-8:14 per mile. I felt comfortable and strong and it was <b>glorious </b>to run outside in shorts and a tank top in the sunny cool weather. <br />
<br />
Light biking week (since I missed OSS), but overall good with swimming and running. <br />
<br />
happy thoughts that I have some easier weeks ahead in life. and RIP chevy cobalt. I secretly (or publicly) hated you, but you were pretty reliable for awhile there. Thanks for being my first big girl new car purchase. To the junkyard with you love. Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-58783820878969778662016-02-15T13:01:00.000-08:002016-03-01T13:03:27.061-08:00I can wear my skinny jeans again...... and I am so pumped about that. I got fat at the end of 2015 with the injury and workout slump! Had to bust out the chubby jeans, HA! But I think I've lost about 10 lbs over the past 2 months and I feel like myself again. Getting back in shape sucks, but the rewards are awesome. <br />
<br />
week in recap: <br />
<br />
swim: 9900 yards (2:54)<br />
bike: 83.1 miles (4:50)<br />
run: 18.1 miles (2:50)<br />
<br />
still in base phase and feeling good. completed a whole week (finally) without skipping any workouts and neck feels back in working order (thank god). <br />
<br />
notable workouts include 9 miler (on treadmill) - but it was quite lovely, non painful. watched the marathon olympic trials which was <b>amazing</b>. had a moment with an older gentleman right after I watched amy cragg catch shalane at the finish line and I was tearing up. he was watching the tv screen on my treadmill and I turned to him and gave him a thumbs up and he returned the thumbs up and walked away. i love our sports - running, swimming, cycling - the team dynamic can be so awesome. <br />
<br />
also had an interesting swim set - broken 250s: 100 fast, 75 cruise, 50 MAX, and 25 easy stroke with various rest intervals scattered in there between the individual parts. my initial 100's were quick - in the 1:16-1:18 range and I didn't really feel like I was killing myself. the fitness is returning...<br />
<br />
... and training is good. makes me happy. Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-57086647373254110482016-02-08T09:08:00.000-08:002016-02-16T05:55:03.480-08:00Neck says don't swim, I say... um, okay you have a point. My neck is STILL bothering me BUT - I can run(ish) and bike fairly comfortably. I was afraid to swim at the beginning of the week because of the breathing and neck turning and all those things that feel just <b>fantastic </b>on my neck. However, I was able to do a 20 minute flop swim after the long run on saturday and neck felt tight, but not painful. Super easy swimming, I do love these short easy swims after running to loosen up the muscles and speed up recovery after long runs. <br />
<br />
I got some quality work done this week regardless: <br />
<br />
swim: 1300 yards (0:20 time) - STELLAR<br />
bike: 79 miles (4:52 time)<br />
run: 20.37 miles (3:12 time)<br />
<br />
Did my long run of the week with Andy for his "39 for 39" birthday run. We were running a pretty steady, slow-ish pace (he was doing 39 miles...) but I was pumped that I had very little knee/hip pain and I really wanted to keep running. Did a 2.5 hour ride with Ian the day before and was happy with that - I can feel my legs are getting stronger and its definitely helping my run strength. It is SO nice to have company for these longer rides - PLUS House of Cards AND eating a sushi-burrito post-ride (that's a real thing, trust me). Lovely day!<br />
<br />
We also did a tough hour trainer ride earlier in the week after work - 20 min warm up with a few 30 second sprints thrown in there, then main set was 15 x (30 seconds ON, 30 seconds OFF), 5 min easy spin, 30 x (15 seconds ON, 15 seconds OFF), 5 min cool down. Holy hell. My heart rate got up to 178 and I almost threw up over the last few repeats. Success. <br />
<br />
Next week, I vow to complete every single workout and turn all those boxes green. Neck needs to shape up or ship out... <br />
Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153997828566951240.post-46326657503152446692016-02-01T14:33:00.001-08:002016-02-01T14:33:27.491-08:00off with your head, slacker. im slowly recovering from the neck thing. i wish i could just lift off my head and give my neck a break. <br />
<br />
go ahead and picture that for a second. <br />
<br />
still no swimming. light run week. i did a fair amount of biking though and that is always my major concern, so happy #1 for that. kicked my ass in spin yesterday which actually felt amazing - super pleased with that. yay. me. <br />
<br />
my solo run of the week was an hour treadmill run - care free and easy. for the first time in awhile, i felt like my stride was smoothing out. still some IT band twingy ache, but i feel like i have more power back in my left leg. mission hip-flexor-loving is working. happy #2.<br />
<br />
swim: none<br />
bike: 94.2 miles <br />
run: 6.7 miles<br />
<br />
this is embarrassing. <br />
<br />
but its progress. <br />
<br />
this is a heavy week at work - I don't love the 4 full days in a row (monday-thursday) - but that means i have friday-sunday off. I have a long run sunday planned as part of my friend Andy Baldwin's birthday run for his foundation - Got Your Back Network. He is turning 39 and will be running 39 miles Sunday morning around the Virginia/DC area. I plan on doing about 10 miles with him, a short and sweet swim afterward then enjoying superbowl sunday. excited for the weekend!<br />
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Link to donate to GYBN - http://gotyourbacknetwork.org/donate<br />
<br />
Thanks guys :)<br />
<br />
<br />
Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03331337258510887489noreply@blogger.com0