Celebrating my 1st week of Training with my 1st Triathlon

Ok. Now at least I can say I have done a triathlon, even if it was a very short one (1/4 mile swim, 7 mile bike and 1.5 mile run). It was nice and short :) There were no places or t-shirts, just lots of fun.

I found this event on Thursday and talked to Irfan about doing it on Saturday. On Friday, I still wasn't sure, but as the day grew to an end, I knew I wanted to try it, even if I came in last. So on Friday evening when we got home, I began packing up all the gear I would need: goggles, swim cap, bike shoes, socks, running shoes, my garmin watch, visor, helmet, towels, gatorade... there seemed to be so much stuff to remember. Finally by 8 pm, I was finished packing and headed to bed. After a while I finally fell asleep even though the sun hadn't fully set. By 2 am I was hungry, something you should never be before a race. I got up, had some cereal and attempted to sleep some more, but didn't until 3. My alarms went off at 3:47 and 3:51. I turned them both off, said something to Irfan and then promptly feel peacefully back to sleep where I began to dream about getting ready for the race and then I realized I wouldn't be able to make it because I had forgotten my racing shorts and by this time, there wasn't enough time to go back and get them. I woke right up! It was 4:23 and I thought that maybe it was going to be too late. Irfan asked me if I thought we could make it, and I said, "Maybe, but it might be tight." The race was to start at 7am near Clermont, FL (about 90 miles from Daytona). By 4:37, my bike was mounted on the back of the car and we were pulling out.

Thankfully we made it to the site around 6:20, not much time to register, rack the bike, lay out gear and determine how a triathlon operates. I didn't know where the even water was (you can't see if from the parking lot), which way the bike or run course started. I felt a little lost. Irfan and I found a place for K2 (my beautiful bike) and I headed over to registration. I made it through the line and was marked with #225. I proceeded then to lay out my gear like the pros next to me did. I was already taking notes on how to do this. I asked a gentleman about the bike course, he explained how the transition worked, and I started to feel a little better.

We decided to trek down to the water and see where that was, but it was already 6:40. I asked several people about the swim course, but no one really knew, until maybe the 6th person. They proceeded to tell me it was probably faster to just run the swim course because the water was so shallow.

We set up in waves and watched the men go out first and then finally it was my turn. I stepped up to the end of the water, the horn sounded and we were off and running, literally! Later I saw people doing a "dolphin dive" and decided to join in. Then I ran, swam, ran, swam, swam, swam, ran, dolphin dived, ran, ran. I was back at the beach and headed to my first transition. Prior to the race, I had done exactly one, today I would do 2, more than doubling my experience :)

I ran barefoot up the beach, on the boardwalk and finally through the parking lot to K2. I geared up, had a sip of gatorade and took off. This transition was slow: 1) because I have never done it before and 2) I decided since this wasn't for anything other than fun and experience I would take the time to put on my GPS/heart rate monitor watch and gear. I fumbled with this, but finally managed to get out and onto the bike course. I still haven't mastered my clips for my bike shoes either, so I struggled with the left foot for a while and finally decided I would just have to ride unclipped; it was taking too much time.

The course was hilly, but with K2 I was flying. I passed 1 person then another, then another and then, well, I just kept passing people all the way to the end. I topped 25mph and shifted seamlessly even though I had never gone over a single hill on K2. Besides I had only taken her out twice, this would make the third time. For me, the third time was a charm. Everything felt so natural. Before I knew it, the bike leg was over. My time was looking really good. I thought I had a chance at breaking 1 hour. I settled into my run, trying to get a rhythm with my breathing. Since I had put on my heart rate monitor, my heart rate hadn't dropped below 180 bpm and running sure didn't help. In fact, I maxed out at 193 bpm.

I ran what I think was a pretty steady pace for the first half and continued passing people, then came the turn around. I headed back, having a great time. Then I decided to cheer on the others still working their way to the half-way point. I would yell out all kinds of crazy things like, "Let me see those smiles!" or "We're having fun!". To my fellow female athletes I might say, "You go girl!" or "You ladies rock!". It was a lot of fun and a lot of people smiled as a result. During this time my pace picked up. The winding road seemed like it was never going to end. At last though I saw my cheering section and I knew the end was near. I picked up the pace to go around the final bend and then I sprinted as hard as I could, almost falling over because I couldn't keep up with my legs; over the finish line I went, 1 sec ahead of the guy I overcame with my mad dash. I felt fantastic, but winded :)

I looked at the clock, 53:17. I was thrilled, but even more so when I remembered that my wave started 6 minutes after the clock started. Therefore, my actual time was 47:17, WAY above my expectations! It was awesome! K2 and I are a match made in heaven and my little cheering section was there for me when I left the water, headed out on the bike, returned from the bike and then for the start and finish of my run. Irfan is great!

What a wonderful day this has been! I'll sleep well tonight with a big smile on my face. Ironman, here I come! (Thank goodness I have months to train!)

"Ironstruck"

It's official. I needed a new goal and a new challenge, and I have found it! As you may have noticed, the title of my blog has changed to reflect my next adventure which officially starts today and unofficially a month ago. I have registered for the 2008 Ironman Arizona to take place on Sunday, April 13, 2008; mark your calendars and if you are able, come and cheer me on in Tempe, Arizona!

The Ironman is a grueling 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run in one very long day. The course has a time limit of 17 hours so my goal is to complete the race in less than 16 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds. I know I can do it if I dedicate myself to training as I have shown I can do with marathon training. The training plan I have is 30 weeks and I have almost 40, plenty of time (if there is such a thing in Ironman training) to prepare for my big race.

I'm sure many of you wonder if I've lost my mind. Nope! I've been "Ironstruck" as they say. Over the past month I've missed many hours of sleep lying in bed dreaming about this adventure. I've spent hours researching online for books and other triathlon information and finally decided it was time. If not now, when? Live life to the fullest and don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Life's too short to fulfill all my dreams so I must lay out a path to reach these dreams one at a time.

Most of you who know me are probably wondering, "Has she ever even done a triathlon?". Nope! I haven't, but I had never run a road race or even more than 3.3 miles prior to training for the San Francisco Marathon and yesterday, I ran 23 miles! I've got several races penciled in beginning in August and running through November. These races will be great practice and give me a chance to gain some confidence in my triathlon ability. I'm not here to win (that should be obvious), I'm here to have fun, participate and enjoy the spirit of the competition.

In addition to researching books (which I've bought several but still need several more) I've spent a lot of time looking at bikes. Over the weekend I finally ended that search with K2, my new baby. She's amazing! I don't have a picture of us together yet, but it's on the way. For now, I'll just post a picture from online. I scored a great deal on the ALL CARBON triathlon bike! K2 is actually the K-Factor made by Kuota. It's not a brand any of you have probably ever heard of, but they're one of the best. In fact, the winner of the 2004 and 2006 Ironman Hawaii (Normann Stadler) rode the higher end version (Kalibur) of the bike I bought. See how sweet she is in the picture below.

Sure, it doesn't look all that exciting if all you see is a bike, but K2 is amazing to ride, very smooth, very fast and shifts effortlessly. I can't wait to start training on her, so I think I'll start tomorrow, maybe tonight if it's not too dark when I get home.

If there's something you've always wanted to do, I encourage you to make it a priority today. Lay out that plan and make your dream a reality!

23 Miles of Pure...

JOY!!! Today was an awesome run. We started early, up at 3:45 and running at 4:30; we ran for almost 4.5 hours including 2 water stops to refill our bottles. The weather was much nicer than we've been having. It was in the mid to high 70s and overcast until around 8:30 which means that the last 2 miles maybe weren't quite as joyous as the first 21.

I decided today was about finishing and having fun on the last of the long runs before the marathon. I feel that I accomplished both of those goals. I took it much slower than I have been, but I was able to run 22 miles before stopping to walk for 0.2 miles followed by a slow jog to the finish.

At the finish I still had about 1/4 mile or so to walk to meet up with Irfan who had finished several minutes ahead of me. We stripped off our shoes and all unnecessary extras and headed into the ocean for a quick dip. It was soothing. Finally we picked up our stuff and headed up to stretch and begin the ice baths. After a short bit we then trekked back downstairs and enjoyed some aquatic stretching in the indoor pool.

Now, several hours after our run, we still move like the oldest of the residents here in our building, but with youth on our side, tomorrow we will be back to normal, well mostly anyway.

I did it!

Whew! 20 miles is a long way to run, but Irfan and I did it!

After the failed attempt on Friday, Sunday turned out to be a winner. That's a relative statement. Maybe winner isn't quite the right word. Yes I finished, but it was a struggle from the beginning.

The alarm sounded at 4am for the 3rd day in a row. I think my mental preparation for this long run was already exhausted. I've learned that when you mentally prepare for these long runs, running them on schedule helps, a lot. Everyday it's postponed means you are that much less likely to actually complete the original mileage.

We had a little bit of a late start, 5:20am, and so the sun was up just a little over 1 hour into the run. I lost/dropped a gu within the first 3 miles so was going to be one short, but thankfully, the guy at the runnning store told me to always take an extra, so I was fine. It was hot and humid, but it seems to always be that way. By mile 3 I was already drenched. It was bound to be a long day and it was every bit of that.

Part way into my run when a car would pass from the opposite direction I would raise my arms up to cheer and the drivers were nice, they did the same. So there for a small stretch I found a few strangers to cheer me on. It was nice. I need all the help and motivation I can find on a run like this.

When crossing the 4th and final bridge of the day I was at mile 16.5 and a nice fisherman said good morning and told me he runs in the evenings. I told him what mile we were on and that we were going for 20 and he yelled to me as I passed "16.5 Miles! You must be crazy!". "Yep!" I replied, I am crazy.

I plug along, one foot in front of the other, just trying to pass the time and more importantly, the miles. As I neared the end I came across a couple that was walking and taking up the sidewalk. I ran up behind them and walked for only a few seconds. They let me pass and I told them I was at mile 19.5, only 0.5 more to go. The man replied, "You're running 20 miles!". "Yep!". He responded "God bless you" with a very bewildered look on his face and I ran on finishing the last of my 20 miles.

I'm greatful to have finished with very little pain. My knees were in good shape and overall I felt great. My legs from the knee down though did ache, but what would one expect who just spent 3 hr 40+ min running. Just go and walk for that long and let me know how your feet feel. Everything was a little sore, but no injuries.

After streching for a bit it was time for an ice bath. I had bagged 2 bags of ice each for Irfan and I. I ran the water in the tub on as cold as it would go and sat down in it as it filled. Once filled to my knees, I dumped by 2 bags of ice in and sat for 10 minutes. I'm sure this sounds horrible to you, but it felt great! I was almost sad my time was up. I wished I'd had more ice to make it colder. The purpose of the ice bath is to reduce swelling from the trauma of the really long runs which helps speed recovery. I do think it helped.

Around the corner is my last long run, 23 miles. I'm not sure how I'm going to finish, but I will, and in 25 more days I'll run the big race, 26.2 miles. I'm almost there and it's very very exciting!