Race Report

This is REALLY LONG. To skip to race day read below the *** line. But it’s still long. Here are the highlights – Swim 2.4, Bike 112, Run 26.2 Finish Line - Ironman.

Pre Race –
Marty (my Ironman “husband”) and I drove to Madison on Thursday. By the time we got out of the city (after I locked myself out of my building with all my tri stuff in the hallway) it was about 1pm. After a few stops and a long drive to the nearest grocery store, which was forever away, we got checked into the hotel about 4:30 and headed to dinner. Madison is a great town, and we were within walking distance of State Street – the main drag, and the college kids were out en-masse… so fun. Friday morning we popped down to the lakefront to swim a bit with the other 1,000+ athletes getting ready. Talk about intimidating. You should see the bodies on some of these folks. Incredible. Marty and I met Juliette at the lake and we did a short, maybe 20 minute, swim. Nerves were still intact, and the city was starting to get ready for a big weekend. The buzz was palpable.

After the swim it was registration time! Ironman runs like clockwork. It’s amazing. There are SOOOO many smiling and helpful volunteers everywhere. Line after line of athletes ready to be an Ironman for the first time or the 20th. A line to check your USAT card, a line to sign a waiver, a line to get weighed in, a line to pick up your bag and then they put on the magic blue bracelet. Like a hospital bracelet, this was our ticket for the weekend.

For some reason my appetite was lacking all day Friday and Saturday. I’m sure it was nerves, but I had to force myself to down my lunch and dinner on Friday to get my necessary 650grams of carbs in. Friday after lunch we came back to the hotel to put our legs up and I crashed – hard. You know that sleep when you kind of wake up but your body feels so heavy it pulls you back under? It was an awesome sleep.

Athletes and families were trickling in on Friday. We saw Kim, Erin, and the Paul crew. Everyone was looking healthy and strong.

Saturday was a big day. Another early morning swim before packing up the transition and special needs bags. On Friday we got 5 plastic bags for the race.
Morning Clothes Bag – for the clothes you wear to the swim start
Swim to Bike Transition
Bike Special Needs Bag – This you get at 56 miles and can put whatever you want in it
Bike to Run Transition
Run Special Needs Bag – Whatever you want in this one, too!

So you fill up your bags with all the stuff you need/want. Lists and lists of the things you’ll want/need, pack them up. Unpack, double check, and recheck. Once the bags are checked we walked the bags and the bikes down to the transition area.

The transition area is marked so there is no question where your bike goes. This is like the VIP of triathlon. It’s amazing, there are volunteers everywhere helping with bikes. We found our spots and took pics, of course.

All day long I kept getting emails and Facebook messages from friends and family. I have the most amazing friends and support. You have no idea how loved you really are until people come out of the woodwork to tell you how proud of you they are. It’s unbelievable. I’m so blessed.

Saturday afternoon Mom and Dad arrived and they walked around Madison after we did some final prep for the race and I took a nap. Beth and Justin met us for an early dinner and Kasia came by for a drink, too! It was such a fun dinner. Lots of pasta and bread to go around. We ran into Kim, Erin and Erin, at the restaurant, too. What a fun day. Spirits were high and everyone had big smiles!

Finalized the special needs bags Friday night. Unpacked, double checked, and re-checked. (If I never see another cliff bar again that would be Ok with me.) Best tip for the special needs bags: eye drops and gum.

Went to bed early and Eric finally got to Madison around midnight on Saturday. He had his company golf outing on Saturday. 4 hours of sleep and then he was up with me at 4:30am!

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Dad spent Saturday night trying to talk me into getting up at 5am instead of 4. But I was up all night anyway. Up every few hours to check the phone. Finally I was up and ready for Ironman day at about 4:30am.

Mom, Dad and Eric were awesome. No one complained about getting up so early and everyone was willing to help. We all walked down to Monona Terrace together, swinging by the Capital to drop off special needs bike and run bags. The stars were out, not a cloud in the sky. More than 15 hours later I would be in the same place, finishing under the same stars. Just 140.6 miles to go.

Got body marked with the mob of athletes by the bike transition area. Mom brought this humongous poster with my face on it (Eric designed) on a 12ft long stick. We were hard to miss. But it was awesome. Dora the Explorer, the balloon Mom brought had an M-Dot shirt on, too. There is no way to explain how happy I was to see Dora the Explorer about 12 hours later. She would bring tears to my eyes.

After getting my nutrition all set on the bike we went inside to chill out a bit and get centered. Listened to my Ironman mix to get pumped for the big day ahead, handed the phone over to Eric to give updates to the Ironman support crew and put the wetsuit on. Reading the text messages that night post-race was so fun.

Walking down to the swim start Eric, Mom and Dad were wishing well and there were hugs and kisses all around. For some reason I was super-emotional. Suddenly I was all alone in a sea of rubber-bound ridiculously-fit athletes. Nerves were pounding; people were making nervous jokes and for the most part being polite. We hit the water with about 10 minutes to spare.

At IM Wisconsin you actually get in the water and tread for about 10 minutes. Everyone is in the water before the gun goes off. So the atmosphere in the water is tense. Everyone is nervous and excited. I tried to lay back and relax. The full sleeved wetsuit helped, I floated like a seal! Suddenly the announcer said – “One Minute to the Cannon” and suddenly I felt ready to go.

I hadn’t looked up from my relaxed position in a while and I finally looked around. There were SO MANY swim caps around me and the view of Monona Terrace was spectacular. If you think the water looks cool with 2,500 athletes in it, you should see the view from the water. The sun was coming up over the lake shining off all of the friends and family waiting and watching their Ironman get underway. There were thousands of spectators lining the entire distance of the terrace and all the way up the helix. It was spectacular.

Suddenly, I was doing the Ironman!

The swim start is insane. I had to climb over a few people to get to a decent spot and ended up stuck behind and in between some slower swimmers. Eventually I saw an empty spot to my left and made my way that direction. The swim is a rectangle, so the first long stretch I got my rhythm down and just cruised.

The turns were crazy. 2,500 swimmers all headed for the same buoy caused a crazy bottle neck and everyone had to slow down. So I tried to stay to the right of the other buoys (Sorry Coach Charlie, I wasn’t going to risk getting trampled to get close to the buoy). The second lap of the swim was great. I got kicked in the face once but pretty much had a clear shot to each buoy on my own. And there was the view of the spectators that literally brought a tear to my eye. It was awesome.

And then the swim was done. Out of the water and there were two ladies waiting for me… strippers! After taking off the sleeves of my suit in one move they yelled, “Lay down and point your toes!” So I did. And .4 seconds later I was standing up with my suit on my arm. Smiling a huge grin when Beth and Justin were cheering me on! It was so great to see them!!!

Smiling all the way up the helix, I felt like a million bucks! I’M DOING THE IRONMAN I thought. This is freaking crazy! The spectators were cheering and full of energy and smiles. All the way up the helix their enthusiasm literally carried me to transition.

In transition Liz, my volunteer, helped me find my bag and dumped out all my bike stuff. I was cracking jokes and having a great time. Liz was a fantastic sport. Who wants to watch someone else put on butt balm? Yuck. After thanking Liz a million times, putting all my bike gear on and making a pit stop, I ran out to get my bike. Grabbed the bike and there were Marc and Betsy! Whoo Hoo! I’m doing it! Mom, Dad, and Eric were there, too! Dora the Explorer leading the cheering charge! It was awesome.

The first part of the bike is going down the helix, which is really a parking ramp, on the other side of the terrace, pretty fun. And at the bottom, there were Beth and Justin again! A little further down, more VQ friendly faces and cow bells! It is a long day for everyone out there – and it was so great to get a little kick headed out on the bike. It would be 65 miles before I was sure I would see familiar faces again.

It was a beautiful morning for a bike ride. No wind, everyone was having fun. I was chatting it up and riding easy with A.J. a guy from Seattle I met who literally had a fruit stand in his pockets. He was carrying like 5 bananas. Turns out I probably should have saved the energy I spent chatting, but there were people everywhere!!! I was doing the Ironman and enjoying every second of it. It was awesome.

The bike course is 15 miles out to Verona, then two 40 mile loops, and 15 miles back. (Ok, math majors, it’s not exact, but you get the gist) The loops are made up of a few pretty serious hills. And luckily, I had done the course so many times I knew exactly what to expect. I was making GREAT time on the first loop. It was awesome. There were plenty of people passing me, but I was riding my own race.

Suddenly there was a beautiful dog. And I thought, wow, that’s a really great dog. It looks like Steve and… OMG, It’s STEVE AND JIM!!! HEY!!!

Then, at the top of the most gruesome hill on the course… was Dora the Explorer!!! Somehow my folks and Eric found out how to get to the top of the worst hill on the course and there they were. It was SO FANTASTIC to see them.

Right about the time I headed back into Verona to start the second loop it started to get HOT. REALLY HOT. I hit the special needs section looking forward to refilling my Infinit bottles. But there was no water. Major Hiccup. Steve, the guy that had my special needs bag, offered me HIS OWN water supply. Again, these volunteers are nothing short of angels.

Jammed ¾ of the PBJ from my bag in my mouth and some pretzels. But pretzels need water… so started the second loop feeling strong. I tried to give back some energy to the spectators and smiled as much as I could, even going up the hills. Smiling actually made everything a lot easier.

The Chicago Tri Club were set up at Cross Plains and they were a sight for sore eyes. Becky, Tammy, Juan and Jennifer were there in costume having a blast. They were going crazy and having a blast. I kinda wanted to get off a join them!

I stopped to say hi to Mom, Dad and Eric at the top of the same hill on the second loop. This time I wasn’t moving so fast. It was brutal and HOT. I asked where Mari and Todd, Diana and Jan were. I hadn’t seen them yet and I wanted to make sure I saw them and didn’t just fly by. Mom told me they would be at Verona. More reason to get there that much faster!

Finally made it to Verona and there were Mari and Todd! Big pink poster just like they said. It was SOOOO great to see their smiling faces! We took a picture and I was off to finish this darned bike ride.

But it just never seemed to end. Mile 86 I was hot and tired. Ready to get off the bike and I still had a long way to go. So I just kept plugging away. The second loop people were a little less friendly. Not in a mean way, just not as jolly. We were all hurting a bit. Arthur, another VQer and myself were doing a little hopscotch game. Finally the 100 mile mark. But Madison seemed SO far away.

Suddenly there it was! Like a mirage in the desert, or a beckon on the open sea – Monona Terrace and the helix were just a few miles away. Now all I had to do was run a marathon. I was just a few hours from being an IRONMAN!

The volunteers again are just amazing. Someone grabbed my bike and helped me dismount without falling and then my bike was gone and I was into the transition area. Bike bag found and the sweetest volunteer, Lorraine, helped me into my run gear. Juliette was in the transition with me – she was having a GREAT race! Heather from VQ was there, too.

So we got fitted up for the run and noticed I had some serious heat rash on my right thigh. No good. But just a few hours to go and I’d be done.

Headed out of the building to the run and there were Mari, Todd, Diana, and Jan! I was SOOOO happy to see them! We blew kisses and said hello while I was getting slathered with sunscreen by the volunteers. Kinda fun getting lubed up by someone else.

Then I was off to the marathon.
Beth and Justin were there on their bikes and rode while I ran until the race course took over the whole road. They’re amazing!

Dealt with some nasty side splints for the first few miles of the run. But I WAS RUNNING! And pretty much - shin at least – pain free. (This would not last) Down State Street the VQ crew missed me, but suddenly there were Ashley and Jackie! Totally unexpected and thrilling, I felt so great when I saw them I wanted to give them big kisses!

I ran (by running I really mean a shuffle) most of the first section except for water stops and the hills. By the way, no one mentioned there were MAJOR hills on this run course. I was going to think about this in 4 segments, but that didn’t last long. I’m not really sure when it happened. About 8 miles in I thought to myself, “Why didn’t I remember how much this hurt? I didn’t like running the marathon last year. I don’t actually like running. What am I doing?”

Near the turnaround I saw out of the ibis, Dora the explorer! Mom, Dad, Eric, Diana, Jan, Mari and Todd were all there! Happy and cheerful they were in great spirits! I’ve never seen people so happy to see someone. It was amazing. Diana had Becca on the phone and I actually started to cry a little. It was like angles came down to lift me up. Then it was onto State Street where the VQ crew was. Mia, Dave, Dan, Robbie, Deanna, where all there screaming and going crazy. It was awesome.

Somewhere on the back of the course were Marc and Betsy again. Marc signed up for IM MOO next year, and helping out at a water station. He gave me some cola and I kept eating pretzels. Still on the first loop, I was feeling Ok. A little nausea, and occasionally I was pretty light headed, but the pain hadn’t quite set in yet.

At the turn around for the run is the run special needs bag. I rifled through all the stuff I had put in it and didn’t want any of it. I had put some Swedish fish in there. Why not? I pulled them out and told myself I would eat them if I felt like I needed a kick.

On the out and back around the capital were Kasia, Dan and their puppy, Shelby. It was magical to see them there, twice! So happy! Seeing them was amazing.

I finally decided that I was going to walk the second half with my new friends Scott and John. They had been walking and had caught up to me, then I had run past them, then they caught me again. I thought, “If these guys are walking faster than I can jog/walk, why don’t I just walk with them?”

The pain in my legs and feet, mixed with nausea and the feeling that someone had hit me in the stomach and sides with a baseball bat, was reason enough to walk. My feet were killing me, shins were screaming and with every right leg strike the searing pain of my heat rash made me want to cry. So I hooked up with Scott and John and we walked into the dwindling sunlight together.

Erin Finnegan came out of the blue at some point and could tell I was in pain. “Stay strong. You’re going to do this. You’re going to be an Ironman.” Every single word helped my spirit.

Scott and John talked most of the way, I was in a dark place and literally unable to be cheeky and tell funny stories like I normally would. We were counting down the miles from 13 to go. We picked up some runners and some walkers. They would come and go.

Then they brought out the glow sticks – which is a little depressing. Not that I had any delusions of grandeur that I might finish in daylight. There were the stars I had seen that morning. So beautiful and serene over the lake we were running around. Any other night I would have been so happy to see them but I was not interested in pretty views. I was focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

There is a crazy-long out and back on the run course. I’m not even sure where it is to tell you the truth. But along this long, dark trail were the Razors. My swimming friends who can run a 3:00 Marathon and are the fittest guys I know… were sitting in lawn chairs in the tiniest running shorts you’ve ever seen – Wasted.

When they saw me they went CRAZY!!!! It was awesome.

Finally, there were Mom, Dad, Eric, Mari, Todd, Diana and Jan again. This time I was feeling pretty bad, but I didn’t want to lose Scott and John. They were keeping me upright and moving forward. I knew I would have given up long ago if it wasn’t for them. I kept going. I told my crew I would see them at the finish line.

We were counting down the miles. At 4 to go we knew we had an hour left and it was glorious. I wanted to run so badly. 4 miles? I can run 4 miles! But if I ran and ended up alone I would have walked even slower and I just wanted to finish. Scott and I were keeping each other honest.

And then, almost suddenly, I was on State Street passing the VQ crew. Mia came out to meet me. “You are going to finish this. You are awesome.” I was on the verge of tears, but she was there. She had waited all night for me, it was past 10pm. My family and friends had waited for me to do this. I was going to make it to the finish line. It was so close. Robbie Ventura was there too. “Just give us a trot, you’re so close. Run to the finish.”

“I will, at the corner.” I was going to be an Ironman.

As Scott and I approached the finish line there is the meanest little grade uphill that God has ever created. It is a quarter mile from the finish line and feels like a 90 degree climb. Over the top of this hill and suddenly there was LIGHTS and MUSIC!

Scott told me to go first (I had told him there was a .01% chance Eric might propose at the finish) he wanted to see the show just in case.

As we came around the corner I started to trot. It was barely a jog. The pain in my legs, hips and feet brought tears to my eyes. Every step was like a thousand fiery pins driving straight into my feet. My whole body ached. I had been in motion for more than 15 and a half hours.

As I came up to the finish line I was thinking about all the sacrifice I had made to get here. The 4 and 5am mornings. The dinners with friends missed or skipped out of early. The birthday parties and weddings missed for 100 mile bike rides, the money spent on all the gear, food, massages, coaches, hotels… Whole weekends spent without Eric to train. The mood swings, crazy lows and highs. My first age group win, debilitating shin splints, overcoming a back injury. Hours and hours in the pool, on the bike and on the lakefront path. Training with Liu, spending my lunch hours in the gym… all for this moment.

And all the sacrifice my family and friends had endured. Missing time with them, being crazy, talking about this race for an entire year. Eric dealing with my insanity – tri stuff all over the house and taking the bikes on vacation, planning our lives around my training schedule. Pep talks from Mom when it was just too much. More than that, I thought about our dedication to each other. Not just Eric, or my folks, but the people that mean the most to you. That I would be there, like my friends and family where there for me that long, long day. I will give back for all I have been given.

It takes a village. You cannot achieve greatness or accomplish goals like this alone. Ironman is most definitely a selfish pursuit. The support I received from my family and friends brings tears to my eyes now.

Crossing the finish line of the Ironman, I was elated, thrilled, exhausted, in pain. It was the highest of all highs. The adrenaline was pumping and I felt invincible.

And then my village showed up. And I cried.

Nothing short of a miracle, I am an Ironman.

Race Week - Holy Crap

Oh. My. God. I'm doing an Ironman in three days.

I finally had some freak-out time yesterday. I was writing my packing list and poking around online. This woman had the craziest packing list I have ever seen. And it sent me for a loop. I was a mess. On top of it I had a headache all day and my shins are still a mess.

But I'm doing an IRONMAN in three days. This is insane.

This weekend was pretty much the best thing that has happened in terms of training. E and I were hanging with his family at Raccoon Lake. They rent a condo every year right on the water. It was awesome. I got up each morning and headed straight for the lake. Perfect.

E would come and drink his coffee on the dock and watch me so I didn't get his by a boat. The water was fantastic. Clean and warm. It was ideal. We did a short ride one day and got chased by some dogs, but other than that we just hung out, eat, and slept a lot. One of the most relaxing weekends I've had in a long time.

So we get back from the weekend away, where no one talked about the race. E's family was interested, but not impressed by the Ironman, so we didn't talk about it - a blessed relief for me. The minute I get back it's 4 days to the race. Wow. It feels like yesterday it was 25, 26, or 6 weeks away. Always a distant something that would take a lot of work to get there, but would never actually arrive.

And now it's here.

The bike's tuned up, I have my food and gear packing list ready to go for tonight. Getting a pre-race massage from Michael and then it's off to the race. M.F. and I leave tomorrow about noon.

Then I'm in Madison and it's go time. No more screwing around. No more "what-if's" or "can I really do this?" I'm going to be DOING it.

I still remember years ago at the ADPi house... Angie and Sam would come back from runs and I would be sitting on the steps of the house smoking a cigarette after lunch.
Me "What are you doing?"
Angie/Sam or some other fit sister "Running."
Me "That's so crazy. Why would you WANT to run?"
Fit girl "Because it makes me feel good to run."
Me "I don't get it."

Or when I got my first job out of school and the girl I was working with, Suzie something, was doing the Chicago Triathlon. She wasn't sure if she was going to do the race..."I might do it this weekend, we'll see." To me it was an absolute. Something you did or didn't do. Who would want to do that anyway?

And now I'm less than a week away from crossing the finish line at Ironman Wisconsin. I think I'm going to cry. I'm sure I'm going to cry when I cross the finish line. I'm sure.

It's been quite a journey.

9 Days and still no running

So my swim has improved 10-fold thanks to Coach Melissa. And my bike is pretty solid. I know this b/c I can teach a whole spin class and not lose my breath. It's pretty cool to be this fit, to know you can do something so immense. But I am not running, and this still worries me - a lot.

I haven't run since August 26th, when I barely made it a mile b/c my left shin was screaming. But for some reason I'm not really freaking out about it. I feel like I should be. Like I should be acting crazy and making all kinds of lists and stuff, but I'm just not.

Dropped the bike off at the shop last night, so I'll be riding the road bike this weekend. Which isn't a bad thing considering we're going to be in a cabin and all that. It's safer to have my road bike around "regular" folks anyway.

Exhausted today. For some reason I watched a movie last night. I meant to just have it on in the background when I was packing for the weekend, but ended up watching it all night. Had a terrible night's sleep, too.

E and I are heading to his family's Labor Day vacation this weekend. Brought the bikes to work this morning and we're leaving right from here. I can't wait to nap in the car! I can't concentrate today at all - my mind is all fuzzy with all this work and IM stuff going on.

I can't wait to get this stuff over with! Almost there!!!

10 Days, and no running for 2 weeks...

So it's been at least 2 weeks since I've run. I don't particularly LIKE running to begin with, but I do have to do a marathon at the end of a 2.4M swim and a 112M bike next Sunday. So I'm pretty nervous.

Coach Rob pretty much said, let's make you as comfortable as possible on the run. Which is kind of like saying, your grandmother is not going to make it. She's had a great long life. Let's just make her comfortable.

I mean, really!?

This is how my mind is working these days. I'm pretty much in freak out mode.

And to top it all off, I had just about the busiest day at work I've had in probably a year. It's been crazy around here today. So now I'm freaking out b/c I have an Ironman to do and on TOP of it, I'm going to be INSANE the week before and after. I actually have to come back into WORK on Monday after the race right now. I might come in literally wearing my Ironman shirt.

Can you imagine? Walking into work on Monday: "Hey Kara, where have you been this morning?"
"Oh, I was just driving back from Madison where I did the Ironman yesterday. No biggie. Let's get this show on the road so I can go home and take a nap."
"Wow, you're a badass"

Or maybe it will go more like this:
"Kara, why are you limping so badly? You're a little pale, are you ok?"
"Yea, I'm fine. I just did an Ironman yesterday and I would much rather be in bed or at least at home with my legs up than here for this meeting that couldn't POSSIBLY be at ANY OTHER TIME!!!"

Who knows - either way it's going to be hysterical or inspiring.

Stress Fracture????

Do I have a stress fracture in my left shin?

Coach/Dr. Rob says that shin pain with 7-10 days of rest and no improvement usually equalls a stress fracture. But the amount of cycling I do clouds that absolute, so it could be just really bad shin splints.

Either way, I'm in pain and I don't like it.

And It's September

I used to count the weeks out till this race by the turns on the pages of my calendar. And now today is on the same page as the race. I don't know why that makes it more real than anything else. But for some reason it does.

I've marked the DAYS to the race now and we're at 13.
13 days till I am an Ironman.
13 days until the finish line is only 140.6 miles away.
13 days until I purchase by Ironman and 140.6 stickers for my car.
13 days till I can wear an Ironman jacket.
13 days until I finish the most daunting and physically draining time of my life.
13 days until I do what no one would have ever expected me to do.
13 days until I have to stop eatting like a horse.
13 days until I can spend time with my friends on the weekend.
13 days till E and I have free time to go camping.
13 days until my friends and family can stop hearing me talk about it.
13 days until I can get the Ironman tattoo.

Wow. I'm tapering for an Ironman.

C-Beyond VS VisionQuest

So E and I went to the Chicago Tri Expo on Friday night. There are always awesome deals at the Expo so we went to pick up some cheap stuff.

I ended up with free compression socks (E stole one pair from my package) and a free visor from Infinit. Pretty sweet. Ran into a slew of folks we know, too. It's always fun to be there, around so many fun fit folks.

So we were there meeting Aaron, a friend of K.R.M. and the organizer of C-Beyond, a group that finds guides for visually-impaired athletes. I found out about the group from KRM and decided it's something that I just have to do next year. E is way on board, too.

This IM training stuff is super-selfish, so doing this for someone else... to give back, is important to both of us.

We ran into some of the VQ crew at the expo and said hello. Then explained the C-Beyond idea.

Literally, no one understood why we would want to do such a thing....
"Ummm... wouldn't that slow you down?"
"Riding a tandem bike is like riding with steel for pedals."
"So if they're too slow and they're pulling you down in the swim, can you just cut the tether?"

I mean, really people? You are so totally self-absorbed that you can't even IMAGINE helping someone cross the finish line at a triathlon or running race? REALLY???

C-Beyond - 1
VQ - 0

We met up with Aaron from C-Beyond (who is awesome by the way). And went to dinner at Jane's. She's also awesome, genuine, and just pain interesting. No one talked about how much training their doing or how fast they went... it was just normal people talking about normal stuff. With a blind joke thrown in here or there.

Real dinner with real people...
C-Beyond - 2
VQ - 0

C-Beyond wins in the "real people" department. Hands down.

17 Days... "Good Run"

17 days to go.

I guess I'm supposed to be really excited. But for some reason I'm really calm about the whole Ironman thing. Kinda funny. I've been freaking out forever about it and now I'm kinda chilling out.

Going to try the left shin out right now. Saying a little prayer the left shin holds up. Rob's been really great this whole time, but I feel like a fat-ass not having run for like 5 days. I just want to get back on the horse! Or running shoes, I guess.

So going to give it another shot. I'm hoping it will be good and will put me in a great mood for the rest of the night! Yippee!

Chanting in my head, "Good Run" "Good Run" "Good Run." Here's hoping.

Worried about putting weight on, too. But that's for another post.

"Good Run" "Good Run" "Good Run" "Good Run" "Good Run" "Good Run"

19 Days

19 Days to go. I can't believe it. It's so surreal.

I feel like I should FEEL more fit. I'm just exhausted really. It's just crazy that it's possible I'm fit enough to do this race. Especially naked, I just don't feel thin or fit enough. I don't know when I'll actually believe it.

Went up to Madison Friday night with M and stayed at a super-nice hotel. We got KFC when we got to Madison and were both hurting the next day from it (gross). We thought the swim started at 7 so we got up early and got to Monona Terrace at 6:30 or so. Turns out the swim didn't start till 8. Oops! But it was nice to get some extra time before the swim started.

The swim start is a bit crazy. As I'm sure it will be on race day. Everyone files through this little shoot and you cross the timing mat before you get in the water. Then they hit the gun and it's so crazy. People were a little nicer b/c it wasn't the race, but it was still a little crazy. Race day is going to be insane. The first loop was boring, but I got in a groove and it was a pretty good swim overall.

The second loop was better b/c I could think, "Ok, just two more turns and this is over." Pretty sweet. I'm going to try to stay closer to the buoys for the race. I started swimming out to sea a little bit on the second loop. I had no idea how well I did in the swim until I got the results Sunday night. 1:24. Not bad. It could be a lot worse. And if I pick up the pace I could get out of the water closer to 1:20 or 1:15. We'll see. No pressure.

Got out to Fireman's Park and everyone but J had bike issues. H had a broken clip, M had rim problems, and I got a flat in the first 5 miles. Kind of a mess of a morning.

Didn't feel good on the first loop. Just tired. For some reason I felt much better on the second loop. Marty always kills me on the ride, and at the end of the second loop I finally caught up to him b/c he had a flat. So we rode in together.

I was supposed to do a 1:30 run, too. But the shin splints have just wrecked me. They were sore all the way home. Just my left shin.

E was in IN for the weekend so I decided to make Sunday a Kara Day. Best decision I've ever made! Slept in till after 9 and it was a BEAUTIFUL day. Got a paper, ate breakfast outside with my paper, went to Target and Jewel, got goodies for the bookclub sundae party... vegged out. It was fantastic. Somehow this Ironman has taught me how to relax, I didn't think that was possible.

Got a massage from MMcCracken. Whoop Whoop! He's fantastic. My shoulders are a mess from the swim and being in Aero for so long. We're going to do a longer massage before the race. He's so good.

Talked to Rob yesterday about the shin splints and our game plan. Really the only treatment for shin splints is rest. Which is not ideal for my goals right now. Bummer. So I'm taking tonight off from running and Tuesday off entirely. We'll see what happens on Wednesday. Going to try to run again with three days off the legs. Here's hoping.

The idea is to go into the IM maybe a little bit undertrained but healthy. Instead of trying to squeeze in some long runs and going into the race injured or not recovered fully. So I'm following instructions and taking it easy. Feels so weird.

Bonus: I get Tuesday morning off!!! Whoop whoop!

Still hungry all the time, but have to watch the calorie intake with the reduced workout volume. Boo.

22 Days, but who's counting?

So Ironman sent out the athlete email for Ironman Wisconsin today. This freaks me out. I wasn't really nervous before. But now I am really nervous. I read every word of all 37 pages.

My favorite line from the Athlete's Guide: No form of locomotion other than running, walking or crawling is allowed.

Hysterical... Kinda.

So I must be ready for this. I've been training forever, doing all the right things. I was going to write "Eating all the right things" but that's not exactly true. But for the next 4.5 weeks I will be eating all the right things. But I've trained. I've put the time in. I'm tired all the time, I sleep like a rock, my swim is pretty darn good, my bike is strong and my run is kind of a hobble.

You can't be great in all three sports, right?

Decided to share a room with Mom/Dad and E for race weekend. This may turn out to be a big mistake, but it will save me lots of $$$.

OMG, the next 4 weeks are going to be the longest EVER....

Chicago's Finest at 5am

So I have the ridiculious job of opening VQ and starting the 5am workout on Tuesdays. It's a miserable job, but I get my intesity ride out of the way and have Tuesday nights off. Kinda sweet.

My bike was at E's house b/c I got home so late on Sunday night and went right there. And he couldn't bring it over b/c my diva of a bike needs a special contraption to fit on the Jeep rack... she's so needy. So last night we decided to get up early and go to his house, put my bike on my car so I could make it to VQ by 5am.

So we had to get up at 4:15, at the latest.

The power in my house went off at 2am. I have no idea why I woke up and noticed it was out. Maybe there was a noise that woke me up. I never sleep well the night before I have to do something so early. So I was up at 2am, set my phone alarm and tried to go back to sleep. Not so easy.

At 4 I woke E up and we got ready in the dark. Getting ready in the dark can really make you sleepy. And quiet, for some reason. We were both up, I don't know why we were whispering. Funny.

So by the time we got to E's and got my bike on the rack it was only 4:15 or so, I was at VQ by 4:25.

So I could a) Go inside and start working out... but I would just have to get off the bike to set up everyone else's workout.
I could b) Go inside and get my bike set up and change, puts around and get ready for the workout for 20 minutes... but I could do all that while eveyone else was setting up.
Or I could c) Take a 20 minute cat-nap and get up at 5, when everyone else arrives.

I chose C.

Remember that VQ is in kind of a strange place. It's on Elston, just North of Webster. Which makes is definately commercial, not really the kind of place people take cat naps on Tuesday mornings.

My cat nap wasn't really an in-depth sleep. I had NPR on and was really only 80% asleep. But hey, I'll take what I can get at this point. Suddenly there is a rapping on my window. It's one of Chicago's finest.

Cop: "Good morning"
Me: "Hi"
Cop: "Are you Ok?"
Me: "Yea, just waiting to start the 5am workout"
Note - Remember VQ is a black door, kinda like a LA nightclub. It's not obviously a gym.
Cop: "Workout? Where?"
Me: "There"
Cop: "Ok, well it's about that time"
Me: "Great! Thanks for waking me up!"

A big thanks to Chicago's finest for checking on the passed-out girl in the bike jersey randomly asleep at 4:50am on a Tuesday morning in a random commercial part of town. Nice job.

"Anyone That Matters?"

So I was swimming Thursday after work with a particular VQ Clique. Well, two particular people of a particular VQ Clique. Whatever.

We're done swimming and VQer #1 says: "Will we see you on Sunday?"
Me: "Oh, you mean Pleasant Prarie? No, I'll be doing the long ride in Madison on Saturday. But I know a bunch of people doing that race, it should be a good time."
VQer: "Really? Who's going to be there?"
Me: "A bunch of folks, it should be fun!"
VQer: "No really, who's going to be there? Anyone that matters?"
Me: "Ummmm.... I don't really know, I don't know what 'Matters' means..."
VQer: "I mean, any real competition?"
Me: "Oh, that's who matters? Um, I guess not."


WHAT??? YOU ACTUALLY SAID THAT??? ANYONE WHO MATTERS??? MATTERS???

And you wonder why VQ gets such a bad wrap. Seriously.

4 Weeks Out

We're 4 weeks out from the race. OMG.

Big training weekend last weekend. We did the entire bike course on Saturday and then I was supposed to have a long run on Sunday. But the shin splints have returned, with avengence. So the run lasted 5 miles instead of 19. Bummer.

Left work a sec early on Friday packed for the weekend and ready to go. On my way to the bike shop by my folk's house to pick up the double-decker aero bottle deal - trying to get a bunch of liquid on my bike - as much as possible. So I called ahead and put the bottle on hold. Drove all the way to Arlington Heights in rush-hour traffic... wrong bike shop. Awesome.

Drove to another bike shop in Barrington to finally pick it up. Guy behind the counter was the squerrely guy from Taste of VQ a while back. Funny. He made some flirty comment about triathletes looking stupid. "When was the last time you went for a run after a 100 mile time trial?" Loser.

Anyway, I finally made it to Mom's house where she had an awesome dinner waiting - she's so great. By the time I got on the road it was after 8:30 - In Dad's truck that only has AM radio and ONE CD. Not awesome. It was a long 2 hr drive.

Finally get to the hotel at 11 - had a good time hanging with K and M when they showed up. Such fun girls!!! We decided to get up early and do the out and back with J.C. starting at 6. None of us had done that part of the course in a while. I didn't sleep that well that night. For some reason I had to get up like three times.

We were wheels down at Fireman's park by about 6:30 and headed to the out and back. K.H. is a BEAST! She's SOOO fast. We made it all the way to the Helix. Rode it up and down just to see how bad it's going to be. Could be worse. Should be fun on the way down!

Made it back to Fireman's park just as the rest of the crew was leaving. We made a pit stop, refuled and headed out for loop #1. K.H. was crushing it as usual and M.K. and I were chilling out together, chatting it up.

Suddenly this guy comes up next to us and is STARING at me. Usually guys just ride by without a word (which I think is also pretty rude, but whatever). This guy is looking at me and says, "You're looking really strong." What? Who says that on a bike? So I go to give the guy my best "Get the hell out of here" glare and I'm like, wait a minute... it's COACH ROB!!! In from Conn.! What? So cool! I introduce M.K. and Rob and then proceed to pick up the pace and ride just a bit too fast with him for the next 25 or so miles.

I was so excited to see him the adreneline kicked in and I wanted to do my best next to him. We chatted for a while - So much fun! He's so cute... in a dirty-hot kind of way. :)

Finished that loop, refuled and out for a second. Only 40 miles left! Whoop whoop! M.K. was convinced to do it again - she's a rockstar. Longest ride ever for her! I guess for me, too.

My Infinit fell off my behind the saddle bottle holders 20 feet from Fireman's park. So then I was short two bottles of nutrition. But I had cliff bars and Accel Gel, I said I would be fine.

The second loop was not nearly as easy as the first. it was brutal, actually. I was riding alone for the most part, and it was LONELY. But it didn't last long, we were done before I knew it.

Went for a short run post ride to see how the legs felt. The shins were a little tender, but not throbing or anything. So I figured I was safe. Felt great. I could have kept running for sure. I think the long ride stretched out the legs. We'll see how they feel tomorrow.

-------------------

That night Mom and Dad decided they would drop a car off for me 1/2 way through my loop on the run so I had hydration and nutrition for my 19M run. They're so great. I got them up at 5:30 and started the run. It was HOT already. I made it about 2M before the shins were SCREAMING. By the time I got to the first car (5M) I was done. A dissapointing run, but Rob says not to worry, so I'm trying to be alright with it.

Came home and took an ice bath = not awesome.

Mom and Dad are the best crew. They're just amazing.

Mom made an amazing dinner Sunday night and I got to take a LONG nap, so that helped the body out a bit. Nervous about these shins, but taking it one day at a time.

Hiccup

The shin splints are back.

Worse than they were before, these came on with a vengence. Got about 10 minutes into my run last night when I didn't have a choice but to stop and walk. Made it to the water fountain and walked back to VQ. A slow walk, too. Took me an hour total to finish the crap workout.

So frustrated. I thought I had these all taken care of. I was so careful. Stretching all the time... running slower. What a mess.

And on top of it, I think this Ironman thing is really messing with my head. I'm literally on a roller-coaster. One day I'm on top of the world, and the next day I feel like the world is on my shoulders. I'm a disaster right now. These shin splints really have me down. And I was feeling SO good.

I'm supposed to be running 19M in Schaumburg this weekend. But how am I supposed to run that far with these issues? The last thing I need is a stress fracture from trying to run through them.

Thinking about going to get compression sox at lunch today, or after work. I've heard they work and I can put ice packs inside them, too.

Such a mess today...

5 Weeks to go....

Weekend Report: 8/8 and 8/9

I had a chicken salad for lunch on Friday and it made me so sick I had to go home early from work Friday. I was sick all night with major stomach pains. Had some chicken soup and ravioli for dinner and tried to hydrate for the 100M ride Saturday with the girls.

Saturday morning my stomach was feeling better and I went to VQ at 5am ready for a long ride with the girls. We were going to drive to Mendota together to do the ride… but the weather was terrible. T-storms were being called for all morning. Got to VQ and the girls all decided not to go. So I stared the drive to Mendota on my own. About 45min into the drive it started POURING rain. And my stomach was bothering me again.

I decided driving 2 hours by myself to ride for 5:30hrs in the pouring rain (and lightning) was not worth it. So I turned around and went back home. Got went back to bed and got up… still raining in Chicago. Ended up having a nice day with E. (Got some credits for Sunday, not such a good day for E.)

Ran 17 miles on Saturday night, starting about 4… one of the worst runs of my life. It was SOOOO HOT. I stopped at every water fountain, had a hydration belt with me and was walk/running. But it was miserable. E left me about ½ way through, so I ran home by myself. Ended up with major chafing on my back from the hydration belt.

Drove to Schaumburg post B&M’s engagement party, it’s amazing how much things have changed in 5 yrs. E. drove and I slept (God bless him) we got there late and got everything ready for the race Sunday morning.

Up at 4 for the Bangs Lake Olympic Distance Sunday. Weather.com was calling for 100 degrees and ridiculous humidity. Awesome.

Got all set up in transition and was feeling really good. Told everyone around me that I knew, a bunch of VQ tasters – so fun! That this was just a whatever race… I just want to have a good one before IM. No puking or flat tires or terrible runs. That was really the only goal.

The swim start was really fun. Saw a bunch of folks I know and haven’t seen in a long time, had some laughs and tried to figure out what buoy we were supposed to swim around. The swim start was a beach start so I did some of the dolphin dives Charlie taught us. Kinda fun. And got some of the girls out of my way.

The swim was great. I was crusin’ just watching the other girls kind of right behind me so I didn’t swim out to sea. Went around the buoy and apparently there had been a wind at our back. Now it was right in my left ear. Every time I tried to breathe left I got a big shot of water in the mouth – not awesome. Then some chick kept trying to swim up on me. I just couldn’t shake her. And she was going sideways. So I finally spotted where we were getting out and kicked it up a notch. Dph from Taste (she’s awesome) passed me handedly so I tried to follow her head for a while.

There was a ½ mile run from the swim in to the transition area… random, but let me get my head on straight. It was already hot. Transition was short and out on the course. Picked up speed right away. Eric had told me, “You’re the 25th woman out.” Which didn’t really mean anything on the bike course b/c there were duathlaon folks out there. So I stopped counting how many I passed. Two women passed me handedly and one or two guys, but I kept to myself and tried to focus on turnover. It was WINDY!!!

Second ½ of the bike I picked it up b/c I was feeling really good. Drank a bottle of water, ¾ a bottle of Infitit and ½ a bottle of Gatorade. Started to get a bit of a cramp so I slowed down on the fluids.

Came in fast off the bike and hit the run. Thank God I bought the hand held bottle and filled it with GT Endurance, it was SO handy to have… the run was SOOOOO HOT. Cramps for mile 1 and 2, as usual. Mile 2 to 3 was BRUTAL. Uphill on blacktop in the beating sun with no end in sight. Rachel caught me and asked where the turn was… Not too much further I said. Then she went screaming past me not long after!

Saw a bunch of folks I know out there and tried to cheer them on. The way back was WAY easier than the way out. And I was really surprised by how good I felt. I picked up the pace – couldn’t catch Rachel, but it was fast for me with the heat. I was actually singing and talking to people, cheering them on all the way back. So fun!

Came in feeling really strong. I had been hungry the whole race (E. threw out my PBJ b/c he thought it was days old). So I got some chow and hung around for awards. 2nd place Athena and a PR! Not so bad with the wind and heat. Feeling really good about it. 3:00 flat. Solid time.

Had to do a 4 hr ride post race and figuring out a time was agony. E.’s parents were in town and we were at my parent’s house so we didn’t want to offend either. It was WAY too hot out to ride outside without support so I decided to do 4 hrs at VQ – Indoors. Not awesome, but the best choice really. Had lunch with my folks then headed back to the city. E drove and I slept again (he’s so great).

He dropped me off right at VQ and I did 2 hrs while watching Hair the movie and another 2hrs watching Basic Instinct. Right at 3:55 E texts me that he and his folks are getting fro-yo at Anthony’s so I grabbed the bike and met them.

It was funny seeing their faces as I pull up on my tri bike all geeked out. They had never seen me like that – funny really. We had icecream and then I finally got to go home! Yippee!

Overall, a great weekend. Kinda crazy with all the changing of workouts, but Coach Rob is awesome. I’m such a pain in his as* right now, but he’s so good about it. He’s fantastic.

Echo made the Inc. 500 list today. A very exciting day for Echo and my career really. Time for a 50 minute run and some more work tonight. Ironman bound, baby!!!

What A Weekend! Back On Track!

I CAN TOTALLY DO THIS!!!! :) This weekend was an absolute confidence builder. Awesome!!

E came up to do the course with me on Saturday morning and he went out WAY too fast. He had no idea that the back course of the loop is killer hilly. But he figured it out on loop 2 -- I had to wait for him! But it was good b/c it kept me from pushing too hard. Came off the bike feeling amazing.

The Infinit is AWESOME! Drank a bottle an hour -- or 2 scoops -- it's a little thicker than I am used to drinking, but it tastes pretty good and I was killing it at exactly one bottle an hour. I didn't get hungry until mile 60! And I only got hungry then b/c I was talking too much and not drinking enough. It is so much easier to pay attention to the bike when I'm not worried about stuffing my face with food the whole time!

Stopped by C&D's BBQ on the way home. They have such a nice quiet life. I'm kind of jealous in a way. But I do dig the city life, we'll make a change soon enough - then to my folk's house and crashed there. Eric was beat.

I kinda wanted to do the 1/2 in the morning but hanging with the fam was really good. We slept in and went to mass and mom made us a HUGE breakfast, it was awesome. Of course, we were hungry 2 hours later. Spent the day getting E ready for his big golf outing with the owners - so exciting.

Got back to the city and started the 15 mile run Sunday night about 6:30. Felt GREAT! Got new shoes (fitted by M*diggity, awesome) and my shins were fine, legs felt good, and kept a solid 10min pace run/walk the whole way down. Picked it up on the way back, was donig about 9:45's. Felt so good.

It's amazing that my body can handle all this. 4 yrs ago I was literally running from Addison to Belmont and that was a triumph... That I can physically do all this, it's just amazing.

So I know I can do this race! I did more than 3/4 of the bike and more than 1/2 the run this weekend and I could do it all again today. It might not feel quite as good, but I could do it.

This IM training stuff is really more about mental preparedness than anything else. And I can't wait to hear them call my name... "Kara Smith, You are an IRONMNAN." Holy crap.

7 Weeks To Go

So I had my mini-breakdown this week. People keep telling me it’s ok and normal, but it wasn’t any fun.

L. and H.’s wedding was this weekend on Saturday (SOOOOOOO FUN). So I rode that am with the VQ crew out of HP instead of doing the Madison course b/c I needed to stay local. Thank goodness I did, too b/c I got back just in time to shower and get to the wedding. But here’s the problem with doing fun things like hanging out with friends and going to weddings – it reminds you that everyone is not as insane as you are and you don’t actually HAVE to do this race. Your friends are all out having fun, not getting up at 4am on the weekends to do 6 hrs on the bike.

They sleep in, get brunch and hang out on the weekends. It kinda threw my psyche for a loop.

The wedding was a blast and we danced all night – met some amazing folks and just generally had a great time. L and H were so loving, it was a really special night. E decided we were NOT getting up at 6 to do our 8M run, and we slept in. So on top of the awesome wedding on Saturday night, I then got to have brunch with my best girls on Sunday morning. They were all off to the beach and I was off to my run/swim.

Needless to say, when my run went really badly that night it was not a surprise I wanted to cry. E was running sub 9:00 and I was barely scratching a 10:00 pace. Then we tried to swim – another adventure. By the time we finished up it was 9pm and I was beat. THEN… Monday night I had a 50 min run before swim. I have never felt so bad in my life. And the swim wasn’t any better.

Even the girl in the lane next to me commented that I seemed really annoyed.
So I told Coach Rob – and took Wednesday and Thursday AM off. This is how AMAZING my friends are.

I had committed to going to a concert on 7/30 with BK, she had the tickets and I was pumped to go. But with the way I was feeling the alarm went off at 4:45am on Thursday am and I just knew I would be a mess if I tried to swim in the am instead of pm. I could use the extra sleep. SO I sent her a rambling email at 4:49am… and she told me that she supports me 100% and not to worry about the concert. So awesome. I have the BEST friends.

SOOO, swam on Thursday night and now I feel like a MILLION BUCKS! Going into the weekend strong. Doing the course with E this weekend at a pretty chill speed – trying out the infinit I bought. And generally feeling like I just might be able to do this race! Pep talk from Coach Rob helped, too.

10 Weeks to Go - Live on ABC!

Really? 10 weeks? It kinda feels like I should be a LOT more ready than I am. But the big volume training workouts are coming up, the next 8-9 weeks are crunch time. So longer weekend rides and longer runs are on the plate. It's crazy to think that I started the countdown at 50 weeks out. I know, that's a little much, but why not?

Big weekend this weekend. Eric's friend's wedding is Satuday afternoon and I have a race on Sunday. So somehow I have to fit in a 4.5hr ride +20 min run on one day and a 1:15 run + 1500 yrd swim the other. Oh yea, and the Schaumburg Splash Pedal Dash.

Speaking of the Schaumburg Splash Pedal Dash -- I'm pretty stoked about it this year. I really want to win my age group! Last year the winner beat me by 6 mintues. I was 2 mintues behind her on the swim but I did have a great run last year: 8:15 pace. So either the run was short or I was cruisin!

This year:
Hold solid 1:52 pace on the swim - 7:30 swim
Hold 21.5 mph on the bike - 42:00
Run 8:30 splits for the run - 26:30
Total Time: 1:16

But the course must be short. So it's kind of a crap shoot. It's crazy that I'm already getting nervous for this race. It used to be that I just wanted to get it done, and now that I have goals I'm getting all gitty.

It's weird. I feel like I'm slower on the bike than I was last year. I don't really know why though. I used to be ruthless but now I'm just kind of average. I really hope I can maintain a really fast speed through the Schaumburg race, I think it will restore my confidence.

In other news... I'm going to be a model for BADC or Borrow a Dress Cotoure on ABC 7 morning news LIVE on July 17th! I'm so excited! I tried the dress on at the store last night and it's beautiful! I can't wait!! Hopefully I can get a friend from IM training to do it with me - I hope she fits the dress just right!

I have done a few things lately that I said I would never do. Some in jest, some not.

I said I would never wear a VQ jersey during a race - I did at Galena.
I said I would not be one of those Ironman athletes that gets up at 4am to get a workout in - I did that this morning.
I said I would not let every conversation center around Ironman, b/c there is more to me than that - I don't think there is right now.

I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of them right now.

Galena this weekend was so fun! It was super hilly and windy and it was the second time I had my tri-bike out. I was so freaked out by the winds that I was too scared to change gears for the first 3 or 4 miles! I did the beginning of the race all in the same gear. Hysterical.

Felt good on the run. It was short of course, but it was nice to actally feel like I was running, not just shuffling, the run. All that training is paying off!

I'm hungry all the time.

It's May!

Wow, it's been a long time since I last posted.

Cortino says my training has been coming along nicely. I kind of can't believe I've already been at this for four months now.

I've been running. A lot. Marissa, Diana, Judy and myself did the Champaign-Urbana 1/2 Marathon Easter weekend. It was really fun. I finished in 2:04. WAY faster than I've done before. So I set my sights on doing a half under 2 hours this summer.

The goal was to do the Indy 1/2 Marathon under 2 last weekend. But the Garmin punked out and I had to climb over a bunch of walkers for the first two miles. So I did another 2:04. Which shows that I'm consistent, but didn't get my goal of under 2hrs.

We tried to do a long ride in Madison a few weeks back but got rained out. A real bummer. So my first long ride outside is this weekend. Doing the Bright Pink ride with Well-Fit this weekend. It's only 50 miles, so I have to do a 75 min. run after the ride. Awesome.

No rest for Ironman athletes!

Recovery Week!

Recovery week is a nice chance to take a look at what you've accomplished so far and how things have changed. Looking forward to taking a bigger bite out of this training and seeing what's next.

The bike rack modifier - so simple.
So I bought this beautiful new bike but there was a problem with getting it on the bike rack (see previous posts). We were going to cut the thing in half and soder it back together, make some crazy adjustments, etc. And then someone at swim last night mentioned that there is a bike rack modifier for this exact problem. And they're $15. AWESOME! So now I can transport my bike on Eric's bike rack problem-free. Yippee!!!

Swim technique - little changes make a big difference.
Two weeks ago I had a swim lesson with the Master Swim Gu-Ru Drew Surinsky. I was having some weird/major left shoulder issues. At the end of swims my shoulder was bothering me A LOT. So I had a lesson with Drew and he gave me two specific workouts to do and some strengthening exercises. Lots to do.

So I did them all last week, strength a bunch and two workouts with Drew's sets and drills. Last night I went to a VQ swim and I think my form is getting MUCH better! I'm so excited. No shoulder pain till today and it's light - and I was on the toes of the guy in front of me - awesome! There is always something to work on regarding swim technique. Next it is my pull through the water and then my entry - but I was doing 100's on the 1:28 last night, a solid time.

Yay for specific coaches!

Working out sick.
All last week I was on my deathbed. Grossly sick - stuffy nose, sinuses all blocked up. And when I would work out I would feel like a million bucks. The minute I got done working out all the grossness would come back. Ick. I spent 14 hours sleeping that Sunday and one week later I am finally back to normal! Even the guys I work for noticed I looked terrible. (real nice) So I think that working out when you're sick is a must-do. Get those good juices flowing and sweat that infection out!

Lent
Today is fat Tuesday, which means that it is my last day to have sweets for 40 days. Eeeeekkk!!! It's going to be rough, but I think I'll be able to hack it. Eric and I are doing it together and we can have fruit. We just can't have chocolate, candy or ice cream. Which is a bummer b/c we're going to San Fransisco during Lent. But it's Ok, we'll have a Sunday there to bend the rules. :)

The Pain...

Rode Kitty Kat on Tuesday night for 70 mintutes with no back pain!! Yippee!! There was other kinds of pain, but only b/c my bike shorts are too baggy. Read: yuck .

All the cool kids at VQ were admiring her, too. This is what a proud mother must feel like when her kid does something cool and all the other parents are envious. :)

Eric and I tried to do some work on her Monday night to get her ready for the Tuesday ride. We attempted to take off the aero bars and replace them with my (not nearly as cool) Profile T-2's. We got the first shifter half way off when it was clear we could not do any more without possibly doing serious damage to the bike. We need expert help.

But we did get the stem switched out. For a crazy-looking MTB stem. So I have this beautiful sleek tri bike with this HUMUNGUS MTB stem. It's pretty funny. I'm going to swing by Treck HP Saturday and see if I can get a different stem.

So the back pain was alleviated from the bike riding - which is awesome. But now I have a shoulder problem - Going to Drew on Saturday for a swim lesson. And hoping the shoulder will hold up tonight for the 1.5 hr. swim workout. It feels kinda funky already.

If it's not one thing, it's another!

Left Shoulder

My bodey is broken. I'm a mess. First the back problem and now this.

Was swimming last night with VQ and about 2/3 of the way into the workout my shoulder started to bother me, a lot. It gets sore after I swim for a while, but it's not like it's painful all the time.

Anyway - Craig, the coach last night, told me to stop about 3/4 of the way through the workout. Bummer.

So I emailed Drew Surinsky about it and we're doing a private lesson on Saturday morning to see what's going on. He's really the only person I trust to diagnose and treat this kind of thing. Thank goodness for Drew! And I haven't seen him in a while, so it will be fun to hang out.

Eric and I tried to take the bike apart last night to switch out the aero bars - it didn't go so well. We flipped out the stem but it looks pretty silly. I still need to switch out the aero bars, too.

If my body wasn't broken this would be a whole lot easier!!!

Meet: Kitty Kat

New Bike!!!

She's beautiful. And so light (skinny). And already demanding - she doesn't fit on Eric's bike rack.

I found this beautiful baby on Craig's list Thrusday. I emailed saying I was interested, can I take a look? The answer was sure.

So we picked it up on Saturday morning in Eric's car. We get there and the bike is beautiful. Stunning, really. But she doesn't fit on the bike rack. Her frame is a wedge, so it's not a standard size. So we drive back to the N. Side to get my car and then back to the S. Side to pick up the bike - then to VQ.

Cortino moves the seat around to match my setup on my road bike. And we put her on a trainer. She rides like a dream. We move some stuff around to see what kind of changes we can make to make it work. The previous owner had a 110cm head tube on the bike, so if we bring that back, plus switch out my aero bars for my profiles that are adjustable... we can make it work.

So we decide it's worth a shot, for a full carbon-fiber frame with all the bells and whistles, this is a tremendous deal.

After a quick call to my parents for some negotiation guidance, I decide to offer $1000 cash. The guy took it right away.

So now I am the proud new owner of a carbon-fiber tri bike! Yippee!!!

The 2006 Felt S22

I found this bike online in a 54cm. My 56cm Felt F80 road bike is too big to be a good tri bike, so I'm going to give it a shot on Saturday. Eric and I are going to pick it up on Saturday morning and take it to VQC where Cortino can check the bike out - and take a good look at me riding it. Awesome - this is what coaches are for, baby!

I've gained back all the weight I lost in the last few weeks. Ick. It takes like two days for me to put on the lbs it took a month to take off. Brutal. So it's back on the strict calorie restricted diet. I'm going to swing by Jewel tonight and get lettuce to make a bunch of salads for this week. I need to stop eatting crap at lunch and dinner.

So it's back on the training horse. I have to work late tonight - the Echo blue book needs to be re-written and we're creating an eBay website. Lots to do and I can't leave right at 5 again tonight. So I'll make up the Aqua Jog on Friday.

Too much Aqua Jogging and not enough time running!!! I'm listening to the coach, but I'm running a 1/2 marathon April 11th and I hope I'm ready.

It's February Already?

That's crazy.


David Barton Gym totally busted my bubble. I had three classes a week, a nice little set up, and then I picked up two more from someone on maternity leave. Today I found out they're cutting this back to two classes. That totally BLOWS! So there goes the spin income. Big bummer. I had to cut my trainer back to once a week, too. Big blow.


In other news, I subbed a pilates class on Saturday. Which is hularious b/c I don't do or teach pilates. But hey, I'm a good faker. I've faked this whole athlete thing for a while now. It actually wasn't that bad at all. It would have been better if I had made notes. But I can't show up to Pilates class with notes.

So I feel a lot like a load of crap today. It might have been the amount of food I ate last night (superbowl) but I don't think that's what it is. I'm hoping I'm not getting Eric's awful cold. He was a big mess for a long time. ick.

I'm kind of sore all over. My back, hips, hamstrings, etc. I'm going to aqua jog tonight and then go home and Eric and I are going to go right to bed. It's silly to stay up when we both feel bad. We need a nice long sleep.

So we'll see how taht goes - I'm looking foward to the sun breaking through a bit here and to start to see some more warm days. I know it's won't be warm for a long time, but it would be nice to just get outside for a quick run every once in a while.

Retul Bike Fit

A successful bike fit today. I felt kind of like a lion in a zoo. A bunch of dudes standing around watching this guy take my measurements and check out my bio-mechanics to see how I was currently riding. Though a little awkward, still pretty cool.

The first part of the fit is check out flexibility, musculature imperfections, etc. Turns out I'm pretty flexible, who would have thought? I think it's the stretching I've been doing plus all the work with Liu (my trainer, named one of Chicago's hottest trainers: http://www.timeout.com/chicago/articles/spas-gyms/70361/flex-symbols/8.html) So that was a bonus. Everything but the flat feet.

The new speedplay pedals, cleats and SIDI Gen5 shoes were all an added bonus. Thanks Mom and Dad for the Ironman support!

So the Retul bike fit process is really cool. http://www.retul.com/ They hook you up to a bunch of nodes that feed a computer set up to read and suggest geometry improvements.

The result is basically that I need a new bike for this back problem. But that's not going to happen this year, so we're going to make the most of what I have. Moved the seat up considerably and the handle bars up so I wasn't reaching. Everything was good on the back minus the aero position.

To get the right aero I needed new aero clip-on bars. Profile T-2's to be exact. So the fitting finished and we tightened everything up. I ran to Element and grabbed the bars. Brought them back to VQ and Cortino and I put them on. Fits like a glove.

We may have to do some modifications in the future for riding outside on hills and such, but this should alleviate at least some of this intense back pain post long-ride. So tonight I try the new fit for a 45 min ride. We'll see how it feels!

In other news: It's not 650 calories a day I have to EAT. It's a 650 calorie DEFICIT from what I was eating. Well, that's totally different! Whoo Hoo! 1,200 cals a day, here I come! Still using the online tracking tool to chart those - it works really well. Good old Lance: www.livestrong.com.

Alright! Back to training!

34 Weeks to Go

The back is killing me today. And all day yesterday. Did a 2.5 hr. ride at VQ Sunday morning and I've been a mess ever since. It's a different kind of pain though - this one feels like I pulled a muscle or something. So no swim yesterday, just resting the back. Going to do some pilates today at lunch instead of my standard workout with Liu.

Ironman Wisconsin Training Kickoff!

This is where it all starts! January 9th, baby - one day after 5 years sober and I am training for the Ironman! I couldn't me more excited. And terrified all in one.

I met with Cortino today, my new Ironman coach. We're doing 4 months of base training or "springboard" training as he likes to call it.

Goal #1: Loose 20 lbs by May 1.
I'm on a restricted diet for the next four months. 650 calories a day. 650! But there is a GOAL at the finish line, a reason to be hungry. The Ironman.

Goal #2: Get my marathon time to 4:30.
We're going to do a bunch of aqua-running in the meantime. And swimming 2x a week.

Tuesday the 20th Robbie and Cortino, along with Dr. Max Testa of the Retul bike fit technique, will re-fit my bike to me. It's absolutely necessary, so I'm going to do it. 112 miles is a long way to ride on a bike that doesn't quite fit. So I'm sucking it up and doing the re-fit.

So we're in and ready to go. Cortino is a rockstar and I can't wait to get started!

Here's hoping my back will hold up in the meantime.