140.6 - It's Time

WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

Ok, so results aside, the IM experience was terrific. I expected to see a lot more human carnage than I did (or maybe I was just too zoned out to notice.) The volunteers were spectacular and the paper today said there 3500 of them. WOW.

SWIM - The water was a perfect 72 degrees. The race announcer made a joke that the water temp was 45 degrees and the newspaper printed it! hahaa! (BTW - 45 degree water would kill you after just few minutes.) I had a few butterflies when the cannon went off, but I was so consumed by thoughts of the bike that I wasn't concerned at all about the swim. I think I was too relaxed about it. I fell in with a pack of folks who were slow, and a few of them were backstroking, sidestroking, breaststroking... all of which are not common practice in triathlon. Anyway, I was 10 minutes slower than what I thought my slowest pace would be. Oh, well. I was 40 minutes ahead of the swim cutoff, so it was all good.

BIKE - My bike split was just over 8 hours. This was HUGE for me, as you all know, because I was terrified I wouldn't. The course was three 37-mile loops. When I got past the final turnaround point I had a good feeling about my chances to make it. I was at mile 84, headed down a long, fast downhill and I saw the sweep vehicles headed toward the turnaround point. WOOO HOO! They weren't coming after me!

The ride went pretty well. My left knee began to twinge a little at about the 3 hr point. I've been in that situation before, so I went into contingency mode and took care of my leg for a couple of hours. My experiment with eating the cooked yams was a big success. I needed real food after so much sports drink, cookies, gels, gummy bloks, etc. My Fig Newtons and bananas melted in the heat, so my eating consisted of scooping fingerfuls of gloop out of a baggie and stuffing it in my mouth. Of course, it ended up all over my face and my handlebars. Ha! I drank four bottles of sports drink + electrolytes and 3 bottles of water. I only mention it because you get into serious, serious trouble if you get dehydrated.

It was hot and a bit windy out on the course. Thankfully we only had a headwind going uphill once. The heat started to subside around 3 pm, so the run course wasn't hot when I got moving.

RUN - The run started great. I was so jazzed about simply being out there I was powering. When I rolled in to the place where I jumped off my bike to go get my clothes for the run there were 20 people all cheering for me by name - loudly cheering. It's a terrific feeling and I was cheering back and whooping it up. One of Coach Colleen's pals was screaming her head off for me.

The course was 3 8-mile loops that were so confusing you wouldn't believe it. It was like a scavenger hunt around town. There was an aid station every mile on the course. The aid stations were elaborate. They all had porta potties (unusual at big races) and each one had tables set up for ice, water, gatorade, food snacks (bananas, oranges, pretzels), chicken broth (for salt you need), and cups of flat soda (for sugar to boost your blood sugar level.) At the first 6 stations I took a piece of banana, an orange slice and soda. The sugar boost was such a lifesaver.

CONGRATULATIONS, BILL!

I'm pleased to announce that my friend Bill is now Ironman. He passed me on his last couple of miles before the finish and we shared a sweaty, tired handshake just before his huge moment in the spotlight. He worked so very hard for this accomplishment that I hope he basks in his own glory for a long time.

132.4

So, yesterday was race day. The big event. What we've all been waiting for. AND...

I did not finish the race. Sigh. I was at mile 18 on the run at 10 pm, which meant I had made it past the final cutoff point of the day. But, with 2 hours left in the race I made the call not to start the final 8 mile loop of the run course.

See, I needed to bang out 8.2 miles in under 2 hours then I would've been home free. But, anyone who's ever done a marathon can tell you that you don't get faster the longer you're out there. Add a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike onto it ... you don't get faster the longer you're out there.

The soles of my feet were covered in blisters, my knees had stiffened up so much I couldn't walk around corners or up inclines without a lot difficulty, and I was slightly nauseous. However, those are tiny complications in an Ironman. I was ready to gut it out and keep going. But. I knew the 17 hr finish wasn't going to happen. I needed 30 extra minutes to get the job done and the time just wasn't there.

When I realized I wasn't going to make it I walked over to a fence and began to cry as if my dog had just died. Two very sweet spectators called out to me, "We've been following you the whole time! You did great!" Of course, that made me cry harder.

For about 5 minutes my disappointment was immense. The usual self-pity started in, telling me that all my hard work for the past 15 hours had been wasted, etc. I was swallowed up by sheer agony.

I saw a quote on a poster out on the course that summed up my feelings about the whole day: "Any accomplishment requires effort. The only thing you can achieve without effort is failure." That gave me a ton of inspiration between miles 7 and 17 becauseI knew I had given every bit of effort I had from the time the cannon boomed out the start of the swim until I leaned up against that fence and crumbled.

I had several small victories. Some are small, like getting out of the swim, dressed, covered in sunscreen and out on the road on my bike in less than 10 minutes. I then made the final bike cutoff with 20 minutes to spare. Remember how I was so worried I wouldn't? I was yukking it up with the spectators. I had a terrific time on the first 8-mile loop of the run course. I had no flats or any technical issues on the bike. I didn't vomit, hurt myself, lose any gear, or trip and fall down. I was physically strong and alert the entire time. I just wasn't fast enough at the very end.

I will try another Ironman; not to banish any demons or to prove anything to the many people who didn't believe I could do this. I will do it again to go claim what is mine. I believe that I showed I have exactly what it takes to do an Ironman. A couple of small adjustments and I'm golden. I will have good memories of the event and the experience.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who supported me on this. The e-mails I got from everyone were fantastic and I appreciated them more than I can say.
y
Love to you all,
Stac

140.6 - THE FILM

Last night when I was prowling the Web looking for photos to poach I came across a site for a documentary on regular folks hoping to become IronPeople called 140.6.

Visit the site and take a sec to watch the trailer linked from the home page. It has some very inspiring footage of folks who don't have Adonis bodies and million dollar gear crossing the finish in roughly the same time I hope to finish (16 hrs plus). It'll give you the same mental image I'll be carrying with me all day Sunday.

Enjoy!

DAY 5 -
PEOPLE GET READY

Friday, April 7
Weather in Tempe - sunny, 75, feels hotter

Ok, folks we're getting close. We're into the last 48 hours pre-race. The routine for today was pretty much like yesterday. Got up "early", picked up Bill and went for another practice swim in the lake. Today was better because I had my cap and goggles so I could actually swim instead of bobbing around and sidestroking. (Neither look cool surrounded by IronPeople.)

I feel OK about the swim. It took me a good 10 minutes to settle down my breathing and heart rate this morning so that I could get into my usual swim stroke and rhythm. I think it was just a combination of chilly water and some strong currents. The water level is also high in the lake right now. When you're treading water it's lapping up around your chin instead of your collarbones. After I finally got moving I was able to cruise along at a steady, comfortable pace. I don't plan on swimming fast at all on Sunday - there's no point. If I burn up loads of energy and exhaust myself that early ... hoo boy.

I also went shopping at the merch tent. I was very restrained in my purchases because a) Coach Colleen has taught me that it's bad juju to buy a lot of stuff before the race assuming you'll be a finisher; b)there wasn't that much good stuff. It should also be noted that the sizes on the clothing are predictably small. The size large on most stuff would fit around my back and that's all. Forget about even trying the cycling shorts or jerseys. I would get the shorts up to my knees and that would be it.

The rest of the day was spent resting. My butt and my hips are a little tight from all the walking I've been doing, so I need to cool it tomorrow. Maybe take my bike out for about 5 miles or so just to make sure all's well with all the gears and mechanics.

Finally, tomorrow is gear turn-in day. I'll need to have all my clothes, food and other pieces/parts packed up into special bags that will be tossed back to me during the event as I come out of the swim so I can get dressed for the bike, then again as I get off the bike and go get dressed for the run. As you can imagine, I'll need to be very meticulous when putting these bags together. It could easily take me an hour or so to pack up two bags of gear then another hour or more to get all my food packed up. My bottles with water, sports drink, etc can go with me Sunday morning.

(NOTE - Thanks to the lovely and kind Cheryl P. for the food safety tips!)

Skip will be here tomorrow - yayy! He's looking forward to his golf outings at some of the nice desert courses. I'll be glad to have him here. He may take over as guest blogger on Sunday to keep you guys updated on the day's progress.

I'll sign off for now so I can turn in "early". Tonight is my big sleep night. Tomorrow night's sleep will be short and I probably won't sleep very much. Wait - what am I saying? I'll sleep like a rock and I'll have those anxiety dreams that I overslept and missed the whole thing. Because, I could very easily oversleep and miss the whole thing.

MY LITTLE PONY

I have to take a minute to sing the praises of my bike. This is a very nerdy triathlon dork thing to do, but I have to do it. My bike is a Cannondale road bike. It looks similar to this picture.

It's about 4 years old, and I love it. I got it in Seattle to do my third sprint distance tri. The purchase was my way of saying to myself and to the world that I was going to stick with this sport for a while. It's not a high-end rig by any means, and it's a road bike instead of a triathlon bike. I love my bike. It's carried my fat ass up some pretty nasty Colorado mountain sides and kept me safe and steady as I screamed down the other side.

I got new (spendy) wheels for this race plus new aerobars plus a couple of other lightweight replacement parts. My Little Pony now rides like a show horse. I'm excited to give it it's first race outing with all the nice new gear. With the extra weight from my old wheels, aeros, etc gone my bike now weighs just under 20 lbs. I figured if I can't take 3 extra pounds off myself in 2 days then I'll take it off the bike. haaaa!

I have seen a zillion $5000+ tri bikes like this one around here, but they're almost just for show. I'll take my little steed any day.

DAY 4 -
COME ON IN, THE WATER'S FINE

Thursday, April 6
Weather in Tempe - 75, sunny

Boy! Much to report from today! I'll have to do some bullet points that I can flesh out when I have some more time tomorrow.

1. No barfing today! My sicky woes have vanished - yesss! I felt terrific all day.

2. Water temp in lake is great! Some people would find it cold, but I didn't. It felt like running outside in shorts and a t-shirt on a day in the upper 40s. It's chilly when you start, but by the first half mile you feel really comfy and good.

3. Due to good water temp, wetsuit for swim will not be needed! Not that I would've worn it anyway, but...

4. Met really nice Iron People! Must give a shout to Heather, Rico, Mike and Bob. These are some very friendly people that I met this morning at the swim session. In stark contrast to the M-Dotters, these folks were so genuine and friendly. There are more of "us" than "them", thank goodness.

5. Bike arrived! Yayyy!

6. Gear for swim and bike arrived! Yayy!

7. Coach Colleen and Coach Mike have arrived. Yayyy!

8. Saw bike course. Doesn't look too bad, actually. There are some long straight stretches where there won't be much to look at. Imagine the kind of road you see in movies where the pavement is shimmering out in the desert, vultures land on the road, then fly away just before an armadillo waddles across. There are spots that are just a little bit shy of that. Not by much, though.

Top 10 Things To Contemplate 4 Days Till Race

1. Why do I feel like barfing?
2. Why did I forget my sunglasses?
3. Why do humans crave physical challenge?
4. How does the autonomic nervous response work?
5. What if I'm still barfing tomorrow?
6. How many other first timers are here?
7. Will I feel sleepy if I'm running close to my bedtime?
8. How long will it take me to pack up all my gear on Saturday?
9. How long does nausea usually last?
10. The night sky, the city lights, and the rhythmic roll of jet engines overhead

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD

The issue du jour was food. How much to have, what to have, what will stay down ... A combination of nerves, travel, bad food and medications left me quite ill today. I had very little to eat and I felt really gross. Sigh. I think tomorrow will be better - it better be.

Even with the sicky feeling, today's adventure was buying groceries that will be my food on race day. As of this writing, this will be:

Bananas - 2 bunches (not all for race day, but close)

Fig Newmans - These are the organic Paul Newman brand of Fig Newtons. Don't laugh.

Yams - 2.5 lbs. I can't chew while I'm on the bike, and I'll need lots of carbs, calories and vitamin. The little sign over the bin of yams said they have 400 cals, 48 g of carbs and potassium. perfect! my idea is to cook them in the microwave then mash them up with some turkey and cream cheese to make this nice healthy stuff i can just stick my fingers in then eat. all while moving at around 17 mph. I haven't tested this idea yet, but i will before Sunday.

Clif Bloks - Yummy little gummy squares packed with electrolytes

Organic oreos - These are for the run only. I can chew better while I'm fast walking than riding, so I'll scarf down some sugar to get going. I tried this in the Vineman race a couple years ago and it was a lifesaver.

Honey sandwiches - Again, this will be for bike rest stops and/or the run.

This doesn't sound real enticing, I know. But, the idea is to keep the calories coming in while you're burning them up at lightning speed. Bigger bodies consume more calories, so I gotta be double sure to eat lots. Jeff Galloway told us at the TCM expo that your body goes into a diabetic state after the effort of something like a marathon. So, can you be triple diabetic? Isn't that comatose?

DAY 3 - THE M-DOTTERS HAVE LANDED

Welcome to Day 3 of the Ironman Adventure! Weather in Tempe - 60, cloudy, windy, kinda rainy.

So, who are the M-Dotters? The M-Dot is the little guy you see to your right - it's the I and M of Ironman combined into one symbol. It's one heavy-hittin' little symbol, too.

See, people who finish an IM race - male and female - are then entitled to have the M-Dot tattooed on themselves, preferably in a prominent area on the calf/shin or upper arm. some are large, some small, some color, some just black. Once you actually etch this symbol into your skin, you are no longer just someone who did an IM. You are an M-Dotter. Coach Colleen taught me early on that the M-Dotters can be a clannish bunch and they're not always friendly. It's best not to make prolonged eye contact with them unless you know one.

At breakfast this morning, I saw 3 of them in a span of 15 minutes. (The best symbology I could produce was my Twin Cities Marathon running hat. sigh.) They are a steely bunch, no doubt. For a minute it's impressive to see these guys with their IM hats, clothes, fit bodies, etc. But then I realized the insecurity it must take for someone to wear an entire outfit proclaiming a single part of their lives. It would be like having a hat, sweatshirt, shorts, socks, jacket, tote bag, backpack, keychain and tattoo that said "Married - Since 1997" and you wore them all every time you went to a movie, restaurant or bar.

FOOTNOTE - Before you all speculate, I will not be getting the M-Dot tattoo. I have another design in mind. ;-)

TAPS FROM TEMPE

Well, Day 2 is coming to an end. I'm here in Tempe, where it was 83 at 5 pm. My rental car is one of those PT Cruisers. I feel like a huge car- rentin' dork in that thing.

I spent my evening setting up a wireless internet connection on my laptop (see? i can fix computers!) and eating take out pasta. not much different from my normal tuesday evening, after a workout, of course.

I had a big attack of scaredy-cat nervousness in the Denver airport today. My mind was calm but my body was freakin' out - rapid pulse, shallow breathing, shaking hands. I guess my body was figuring out what my mind is setting it up for. Legs say, "omigod, wait a second ... you were serious about that 7 hr bike thing, AND that 6 hr run thing..." Butt says, "awww MAN! that bike seat for 7 hrs AND a 6 hr run!" Arms say, "dude - y'all are spoiled. we're gonna be working all day."

When I got on my plane I calmed down. Point of no return and all that. Got a really good book I've been wanting to read. So, I was steady freddy by the time we landed. However, when I drove by the corner of Mill Ave and Rio Salado I saw the giant inflatable archway constructed to lead into the Athlete Village, which will be ground zero for the weekend. I instinctively looked away quickly. It's spiritual glow was too bright - my mortal eyes couldn't comprehend it.

So, it's taps from Tempe. Check y'all ta-marrah!

I LOVE MY DAD

My dad is a terrific guy. He won't ever believe I actually typed that so let me do it again. My dad is a terrific guy. He's a very talented athlete who will always be faster and stronger than me. That's OK. I can fix computers. HA!

Anyway, my dad called me today to "check where (my) head is." That's something only a real athlete would know to do. We discussed the difference between hurting and being hurt in a race. (See FAQ for more detail.) It was a very cool chat to have. I promised my dad that I won't get hurt and try to soldier on during the race. It's interesting to make that commitment to myself and to others while I'm also steeling myself to push through the extreme discomfort and moments of unhappiness that 140.6 is sure to bring.

So, from one (very good) athlete to another (plod along) athlete, we have this thing sorted out.

MY FRIEND BILL

I can't let another moment pass without introducing you all to My Friend Bill. Bill and I met almost exactly 3 years ago. We found each other in the crowd at the (one and only) Loveland Splash & Dash series. He - 6 ft 7 surrounded by 5 ft 10 men. Me - One-fitty-plus-plus-plus surrounded by 130# women. We bonded as Clydesdale and Athena in a tiny athlete's world. We sealed our friendship that day when we ended up swimming next to each other and kicking, punching and slamming into each other for the first 500 meters. We've been pals ever since.

My Friend Bill is also doing this race. He has trained like a champion because he is a champion. He has a huge desire to kick ass at this event and he will. He's kept me honest in my own training by checking in with me every single day to tell me about his workouts and to ask about mine. His dedication knows no limits. Tanning sessions, tinted contact lenses, feng shui for his training gear... ok, i made up that last one.

Anyone who sends me good luck wishes should also send them to Bill. Shoot him a note right here - Bill's e-mail.

My Friend Bill is a fantastic human. He deserves to have a knockout race this Sunday. GO BILL!

Top 10 Things I Can Worry About For the Next Six Days

1. Water temp in the lake
2. Bike cutoff times
3. My weight
4. Snakes out on the road
5. Forgetting to pack the gear I'll need
6. Not eating enough on the bike
7. Bike cutoff times
8. Boredom
9. Having all the good merch sold out by the time i get to the expo
10. Bike cutoff time

FAQ About the Race

I just realized that not all of you know exactly what's going on with this Ironman thing. So, here's a quick FAQ.

What's the name of this race?
Ironman Arizona - www.ironmanarizona.com

Where is it?
Tempe, AZ

How far is it?
140.6 total miles. 2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 run

How many days do you have to do it in?
Not days, hours. 17 hours.

How many people are doing this?
About 1500, I think.

Why are you doing this?
Because it's there.

Doesn't it hurt doing all this stuff?
Well, "hurt" can mean different things. If you mean searing, sharp pain that makes you catch your breath and go "ow ow ow....", that's not supposed to happen. If you mean an extreme discomfort that makes you whine and even cry a little bit, and say things like "i hate this!", then yes. There's a good bit of the latter.

How do you get food while you're doing this?
You pack up what you want to have with you and you carry it in baggies stuffed into your clothing and all over your bike. You shovel it in and chew while you're cycling or running. It's incredibly important that you keep eating, too. you burn around 800 calories per hour on the bike, and about 500 per hour on the run. 800 x 7 = 4800, 500 x 7 = 3500, plus the swim and the amount of energy it takes to keep you alive for a day. you come up with well over 12,000 calories burned in one day. it ain't the day to try a new weight loss plan.

What do you eat?
Everyone has their own things they like to eat and that they can chew and swallow while moving. I don't chew well at all when i'm on the bike, so i'll be sticking to things like fig newtons (the food of choice for triathletes, why i'm not sure...), bananas, Gu.


Where do you go to the bathroom?
On yourself or in a port-a-pottie at the aid stations. Your actual situation will dictate the location.

DAY 2

Weather in Tempe - Cloudy, 72, east winds at 7 mph

Today is the day I go down to Tempe. My bags are packed and my bike's on its way south, so I'm doing this blog. It's part procrastination and part time-filler. I could come up with a lot of ways to kill time this morning, but they'd all seem to come down to worrying about the race, so I'm not doing them.

Speaking of worrying... Most of you have had my monologue on the bike cutoff times. After my experience being chased for 17 miles by a sweep bus in the Twin Cities Marathon I'm very worried about cutoff times. This is actually the only thing I'm fretting over right now. Colleen mentioned something about the good kind of vomiting on the course and the bad kind. That's been sticking in my mind, too.

The issue here is that you have to maintain a certain speed/pace over the distance of 112 miles in order to finish the bike leg by 5.30 pm. when you add in time you'd stop to stretch, use a porta-potty, fix a flat if you have one, etc your riding pace can be dragged down too low. therefore, the anxiety for someone like me who's new to this whole thing.

DAY 1
Monday, Apr 3

Weather in Tempe - Highs in low 80's, slightly breezy. Bill sent me some info saying that the water temp in Tempe Town Lake is right at 70. Perfecto.

So far, so good. Today was busy getting ready to leave town tomorrow. Biggest job was getting my bike and a bag full of gear for shipment down to AZ. I'm using this luxurious service called TriBike Transport . They pick up your bike, put it in a truck, and drive it straight to the race site. Any of my tri pals who've gone through the anxiety of packing and shipping a bike to a race will recognize how sweet a service this is.

Anyway, I had to drive the bike down to Boulder to be picked up at a shop called Pro Peleton. Boulder's a nice place, but I always hyperventilate when I drive down there. Ft C has nice, fat wide streets and the drivers are ever so polite. ("Would you like to merge in? Why, here you go, pull in front of me!") Boulder's not like that. So, in addition to following bad, bad directions I'm dodging in and out of bumper-car traffic. By the time I got parked in front of the shop I was muttering out loud, "i don't need this right now... this is not good for my nerves ... why do I come down here..."

To add more humor and anxiety, I parked right in front of a day care and it was outdoor play time. As I'm trying to decompress and get my bike and gear collected the constant high pitched dog whistle scream of 4 year old girls filled the air. Y'all know how I feel about that.

Later on, my dear sweet pal Jenny came by to wish me luck. My dear sweet husband cooked a really good baked ziti, and I packed every single piece of workout clothing I own into my suitcase. It was a good day.

THE THANK YOU PAGE

Ok, before I start in with the travelogue/journal I must get the thank yous out of the way. The following folks will be mentioned frequently, so I'll give them their due right now. You must imagine me reciting these as if I'd just become Miss America - wearing a long silk dress, holding a dozen roses, a fake tiara sliding off the side of my head; fake tears flowing, mascara smearing, lipstick smudging .... Ok, enough.

Coach Colleen - Coach Colleen has been a part of my world for the past 4 years. "A part of my world" doesn't really explain it. She's part of my brain. She's part of the family. I don't take two steps out the door for a workout unless Coach Colleen says it's OK. If she were a Scientologist I'd be a lost cause. Whatever the outcome of this weekend's event, Coach Colleen receives untold gratitude for telling me that I can do this then showing me how.

Wendy Mader - The Chicken. World Champion. Hero to all. Wendy has been my swim coach and spiritual guide for the past year. Over that time I've come to understand exactly what it means when her esoteric solution to a technique problem is "Just stop doing that." Wendy's encouragement and advice have meant a great deal to me. When this race is over I'll have to pretend I'm immediately doing it again so that I can stay in touch with her.

My Husband Skip - The short story here is that he's a terrific husband and my best friend. The details are that without his support during my training I would've never had a meal on a weekend, we'd never have groceries, the laundry would never have been done, the bills never paid, etc.

OK, on with the show!

Hi everyone! It's now officially race week for my first attempt at an Ironman. I will be updating this blog over the next few days so I can share the experience with everyone near and dear. I'll be taking pictures of all the pre-race activity and we may even get some shots of the finish.

Everyone I've invited to come read my ramblings has been supportive of my decision to do this race and I can't thank you enough!

So, I've spent the past 9 months training for this event, and the past 5 years training, racing, and learning about triathlon. I'm now 6 days away from the culmination of all of it. Thanks to my wonderful, talented, supportive, funny and very wise coach Colleen I'm now ready to go the 140.6 and I didn't give up my life to do it. Perfect!

Ok, let's go do this!