Lessons learned from my first 1/2 Ironman distance

There are SO many things that I learned this weekend, either because things went just how they should, or because they didn't go AT ALL the way I would have liked, or for any other number of reasons.  Here is a small list:

1. I need a WHOLE LOT more work on my swimming.  I'm not sure if the issue was mental or physical, but it was obvious that I did not do what was necessary to have a peaceful, effective, efficient swim.

2. I need to do more open water swims.  A WHOLE LOT MORE,  My mental game in the ocean was at zero, nil, nothing.  I'm not sure how to do this.

3. I need to figure something out about the wetsuit.  After 5 or 6 buoys I started to feel like I was choking.  That may have been directly related to the panic I was feeling in the water, but it made me realize that I need to spend A LOT more time in the wetsuit before the full in November.

4. I need practice getting out of the water and running to something.  I could not run, it was all I could do to WALK to transition.

5. I've got to figure out how to get the salt out of my mouth, it took a WHOLE LOT of the ride, a liter of water, a liter of gatorade, and a pb&j to get the salt out...

6. ALWAYS, I repeat, ALWAYS have sunscreen in transition.  The cream rub on kind, not the spray on kind.  The cream stays on, the spray washes off.  (This is how it works on my skin anyway)

7. Uncrustables are perfectly acceptable as fuel on the bike, and work remarkably well for me.  Even though they are not "ideal" food as far as clean foods go, they gave me the boost I needed to keep me going.

8. Port-a-potties are a wonderful thing.  I just CANNOT bring myself to pee on my bike, OR myself at this point.  This may change the more I do, but right now I just can't do it.  Taking a minute or 2 to pee will not make enough of a difference in my finish time (until I am trying to qualify for Kona) to justify voiding on myself or my equipment.

9. Listening to coach WILL save you time in transition.  Rolled those socks like a pro, Thanks Coach!

10. I'm gonna need to get a 2 piece tri kit.  This whole one piece thing and emptying the bladder or colon...  Well, use your own imagination...

11. Simple math, in the midst of a physically and emotionally trying day, is extraordinarily difficult.  You get the time and you know what time you ABSOLUTELY have to finish each piece.  For some reason, your ability to count in hours and minutes flies out the window.  You WILL find yourself counting on your fingers to figure out how much time you have left to complete this part.

12. If you have a nutrition/fuel plan that works, STICK WITH IT!  It WILL pay off.

13. To scaffold # 12: Add something with electrolytes to your nutrition plan, especially on a hot day.  Your body needs them.  I broke the whole never try new things on race day and took in gatorades instead of straight water, I believe that is what saved my day.  (Thanks Roxy)

14. Train in what you will race in.  This is key!  I did this and had no problems with clothing, chafing, etc...  

15. Adding to #14, I changed my tank and socks at T2 to avoid running in soaking apparel, which would have caused me to chafe at one part of my body and blister on another.  Again - thanks for the sock rolling tip, coach!

16. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!  I cannot stress this enough.  I don't remember much about the swim but the panic feeling that accompanied it, had I not listened to my body coming out of the water I would have done what I wanted to do and RUN to T1, as it was, I took my time and calmed myself, forcing the focus to turn from panic to joy, knowing that the bike was next and that is my favorite part.  Had I run, I would have been unable to turn off the panic as quickly as I did and I would not have enjoyed the ride as much.  There are better reasons to listen to your body, but this is the one that applies to this race for me.

17. Do as your coach says, even if you think it is crazy, or you have to get up at 0330 in the morning to do it.  I would not have been NEARLY as prepared had I not trusted in his judgment.  (This could also be: hire a coach that you trust) 

18. Going back to 16 - if your body says to walk on the run, WALK ON THE RUN.  This will prevent injury and aid in recovery later.

19. It is ok to walk with another person, whether for your encouragement or theirs, especially if you have the time.  The race is NOT about beating anyone, but about reaching a goal.  Yes, there are times to focus on getting a PR, or meeting that goal for time, but there is also a time to RELAX and enjoy the journey.  You've worked very hard to get there - now enjoy it!!

** This is not to say that I am not competitive, I have just learned that ultimately, I am competing against myself, and this is one I needed to finish to prove to myself that I could do it.  I was not aiming for a particular time, just a strong, upright, and smiling finish. And I GOT IT. **

20. Take advantage of the free massages at the end, the stretching those people give is AMAZING and may just be the difference between, "I can't walk" and "I'm a little sore" the next day.

21. KEEP MOVING!  Do NOT just stop and stay still.  Get up.  Walk around a bit.

Last, but certainly not least:

22. Having an amazing support crew is INVALUABLE.  There are NO WORDS to describe having people who love you enough to come and support you and offer sunscreen and lotion and unconditional "You can do it" power.  Angie and Alice, I will be forever in your debt for what you guys did this weekend.  Much love and many blessings to you!

That is a lot and I feel like there are so many more that I have not added here.  Perhaps that will be for another blog post.  I did an hour long bike ride 3 days after the race and felt fine (I expected it to be rough, but it was not)

If you made it this far - bless you.  

KEEP MOVING FORWARD.  12 minute miles are just as far as 6 minute miles.  Just keep moving.

Gulf Coast Tri race report

It took me a couple days to pull myself together enough to put this together.  The day consisted of SO MUCH MORE than this report, but here is a scratching of the surface.

I awakened in the morning with a hr of 75 rather than the norm, which is 55-60. 
Before the race I was excited and slightly apprehensive. 
When I jumped in I followed my coach's directions and started diving under the waves. Within a few minutes I was completely panicked. I decided to swim to the first buoy and then reassess. I did just that and caught my breath and decided to swim from buoy to buoy until I calmed down. Apparently I looked rough enough that one of the canoe guys followed me from buoy to buoy for a while, not sure if that's funny or sad. Think I'll go with funny. I was determined to finish the thing and every right arm stroke I said to myself these words, finish. Strong. Upright. Smiling. I have too many people that know I am doing this. I WILL finish this. When I made the final turn towards the beach I swam to one more buoy and then went continuously until I reached shore. It didn't help that the garmin kept griping about losing satellite signal. Not sure how to combat that, or if I even can. 

When I got out of the water I was choked up, not from the water I breathed in (and I DID breathe some in) but from tears. I made it to transition and had a little trouble getting the wetsuit off, (thanks to my coach, I had the presence of mind to wait until transition to strip the wetsuit off) but it probably came off quicker than it felt like it did. Thankfully, a friend of mine offered me sunscreen from the edge of transition. I took some and applied it to my nose and shoulder blades. 

Once I got on the bike I felt so much better. Then I proceeded to cry for the first 2 miles. Not a welling up or gentle cry, but an ugly sobbing mess cry. Not sure where it came from, but I pulled my emotional self back together by mile 3. The bike felt so good. I was comfortable and just focused on getting a good ride in. I did break a cardinal rule of doing a race and tried something new. Rather than grab a water at the first aid station, I grabbed a Gatorade. It was a great choice. Complimented my pb and j and I feel quite certain kept me going the rest of the day. The bike was uneventful. Nutrition on bike: pb&j and Gatorade the first aid station, half a banana and a Gatorade the second, and pb&j and a Gatorade the third. I did stop twice for a port-a-potty, just can't bring myself to pee on the bike. (I know you elite and long time triathletes do, feel free to judge.)

In transition I changed my socks and shirt to avoid chafing, let my friend spray me with sunscreen, and hit a port a pot before going off on the run. I had packed 2 pb&j's in my run belt to eat, but couldn't bring myself to eat them. 

The first mile I ran a minute and walked a minute and sobbed the whole mile. Again with the ugly cry. What on earth?? Managed to pull my emotional self together again and run/ walk the 2nd mile. Discovered in the 3rd mile I was walking faster than I was jogging. So I started power walking. Around mile 4 I ran into a woman who was nursing a hamstring injury. Did a little math and decided to stay with her the rest of the way. We power walked most of the rest of the way. I got sponges and Gatorade and soda (thanks Kenneth Boan for that bit of advice) at every aide station and stopped about every 45 minutes to pee, (can't bring myself to pee on the run either) or at least that is what it felt like. About halfway through the run I started to feel blisters forming. By the time we got to mile 12 it was getting increasingly difficult to walk. There were 3 of us walking together and at the turn for the finish, I told them to go. I wanted my finish on my own. I sprinted in and it hurt like hell, but I wanted a strong smiling finish and by golly I was going to get it. I learned a whole lot from this experience and will post those lessons separately.

New year, New goals, Old me?

Change is an interesting word.  It can be good and it can be bad.  Change can mean a loss of income or a gain in a family member.  It can mean great joy or enormous heartache.  It can mean gaining friends or losing them.  Sometimes, however, change can mean accepting what is rather than fighting it or seeking to discover reality as opposed to pushing against it.  

Moving on to other things not so philosophical.  I swam 4,250 meters yesterday with a great group!  They swam everything from 3,000 to 10,000 (MAD PROPS to those who did the whole 10k) maybe next year I will be able to do that whole 100x100s.  I discovered that I have the go juice (meaning I can go for that far and longer) but need to up the speed.  It took about 2 and a half hours to do that give or take 10 minutes and I need to shave at LEAST half an hour off that to be able to finish.  Here's to giving it my all!!

New year, New goals, New me!

It has been 2 years since I have published a blog post and it is about time I changed that.  A lot has happened since then.  I was diagnosed and treated for an autoimmune disease that causes my body to create T-cells and B-cells to treat my thyroid as though it is the enemy.  I was on medication for a while, but was able to be weaned off and live solely on a strictly regulated diet (that I have not wholly followed this December).  I have also had a broken ankle and 4 fractures in my feet (2 in each) that kept me from doing things that I love.  On the upside, I got my dream job as a 5th grade math and science teacher.  I am now whole and well and registered for my first 1/2 ironman.  On THAT note...

I took my first relatively long ride today after several months of healing and physical therapy.  I rode with 3 guys who train on a regular basis and they were incredibly kind and did not leave me even when I was incredibly slow on the uphills.  It was an incredibly difficult and long ride at times and absolutely enjoyable the entire time.  I was SO happy to be on my bike again!  Felt like flying!  I am so excited to be training and to have a goal that is attainable again.

It is an interesting conundrum knowing yourself so well in one sense of the word, and on the other hand, not knowing yourself at all.  I'm not quite certain how to articulate what I mean by this, just that I am only beginning to know one side of myself while knowing very well the other...

Some February pics and haikus... Yay!

Ok, wow, once school started my time became someone else's.  Therefore I am a bit behind...  Sooooo, here goooooooes!  Hope you are all having an amazing February!

February 1, 2012

Shocking school supplies

Funds are wonderful to have

Ridiculousness

February 2, 2012

A fam'ly of bikes

Waiting for sunny weather

So ready to ride

February 3, 2012

A boy and two dogs

Playing outside together

They love each other

February 4, 2012

Some glasses of wine

At a dinner fit for me

New experience

February 5, 2012

Dinner then dessert

A show following dessert

Interesting news

February 6, 2012

Violet winter

Flowers during winter spring

Dead tree, live flowers

February 7, 2012

Beautiful flower

Pure, white, amazing, newness

New life in winter

January 8, 2012

Brocc'li, Papa grown

Delicious to eat raw and

Straight from the garden

January 9, 2012

An old water jar

Overgrown in the garden

See beauty in all

January 2012

All right, the amount of homework I have been assigned as well as the amount of training I am now doing is preventing me from actually posting a long blog post.  I will, however, catch up on my pics a day for January.

January 26, 2012

A boy with a bow

Feels strong, as he's a hunter

Shooting a target

January 27, 2012

A moon surrounded

Fog, darkness, light, beautiful

A way is made clear

January 28, 2012

Life in the darkness

A tree, blowing in the wind

Soon to be alive

January 29, 2012

Life can wear you down

There is beauty everywhere

Hope in the beauty

January 30, 2012

Caring, curious

Interested in people

and also afraid

January 31, 2012

January Spring

Trees with flowers, blossoms, blooms

Beauty in "Winter"

And that's the end of the month!

HA! Caught up again!

Well, I'm catching up again.  Now that school has started, my time is not my own.  I have continued posting pics and haikus on FB, but Blogger has kind of fallen to the wayside.  Sooo, here is a catching up of things...


                                                                     January 23, 2012

Oh the gloom of rain

Mirrors the soul filled with grief

One day to lighten

January 24, 2012

Spamalot row A

Arthur's English adventures

In search of a grail

January 25, 2012

Matthew "Tebowin'"

Team Lakers undefeated

Awesome sportsmanship