Ch-ch-changes.

Big changes going on in these parts. After 6 1/2 years, I will be leaving my first 'real' job this Friday. It was a bittersweet decision, as the company has 100% supported my growth, both professionally and as a human being. My company has literally put the world at my fingertips and I will be forever thankful for the people I have met and the places I have visited.

My work isn't a job - it's a passion, a career and something I am fully vested in. While the past few weeks have been hard, I am ready to spread my wings, be challenged and take on the unknown. I am also very lucky that in a very small, niche field an opportunity has presented itself to stay in the exact field of research I have been working in since graduate school.

This will mean some life changes. The new gig will involve a very different type of travel that I am used to - this will be more constant, weekly/monthly trips within the US. While it pains me that for the first time in 5+ years I am not sure when I will step foot back in Africa, a continent I feel very connected to, I am very much looking forward to the longest potential plane flight being 5 hours. It will be a challenge to fit Ironman training into this new lifestyle, but I am confident I can make it work and am excited to see how things play out.

Another major change will be the commute. No longer will I have to drive across the city every day. My new commute (when I am in town) will be 6.5 miles, 97% on the Mount Vernon Trail. The plan is to have a majority of my run training happening to and from work. The level of stress contributed to my old commute that I am relieving myself of is worth its' weight in gold.




Some other major changes have taken place in my household in the past few months. For various health related reasons, the other member of my house has fully committed to a gluten-free lifestyle. This is not the result of following a fad diet or looking to 'eat clean' - this man loves nothing more than a heaping bowl of pasta, pizza and beer. But the change has been medically necessary and there is no doubt it is the best thing.

While I committed to cleaning the cupboards of wheat and gluten, I hadn't been strict outside of the house. However, after the millionth run together while I complain about my tummy and needing to find a restroom NOW - he challenged me to fully give up wheat. Why not? So for 2-3 weeks, I committed. Even through Thanksgiving. I may have had one bite of Pumpkin Pie, but otherwise, gluten and wheat were out of my diet. And I can't say I noticed much of a change.

How quickly we forget.

Last week I was in NYC wrapping up work projects. I totally gave up on eating wheat-free. And I couldn't sleep a WINK. I felt lethargic and gross. I could hardly push myself out of my hotel to run in my most favorite place in the world. And I came home and struggled through a 90 minute run. It's amazing how I really couldn't put my finger on a difference when I cut out the wheat, but this week confirmed it's the best decision for me. Willpower when it comes to food is something I struggle with, but I know this change is for the best and while it may take baby steps and I KNOW I will have some setbacks, I really want to make this change for good.

Training...is happening. I haven't been in the water since my last race, and have been on my bike once. But I have rekindled my love affair with running and it makes me happier than anything, I know I have 20 years as a swimmer in my back pocket, and hundreds of hours on the bike coming next year, so for now, running in enough.

Veteran's Day 10k

This fall has been all about running. After a long and happy triathlon season, I decided I was determined to find myself as a runner again. I LOVE running. Nothing beats a sunrise, chilly effortless run. Over the past few years, the effortless runs have been few and far between. The joy was still there, but I seemed to slug through more runs than not. So this fall has been about doing what I want, when I want. No mileage goals, other than to be smart, no paces, no watch, simply running for the joy of running. And my running is coming back, slowly but surely. I would love to chase a half marathon PR in the spring, so right now is all about building a safe and easy base.

Enter the 10k. Do I have any business running/racing a 10k right now? No. The last time I have done any running faster than base pace - September 16th. And that workout was when I decided I did not want to do any more structured training this year. But the 10k has always been a good test to see 'where I'm at'. And I wanted to spend every moment I could with this girl before she heads off across the country for bigger and better things.

Post-run, pre-drinking. I swear

So 10k it was. I decided I would run smart. I had no business chasing a PR, but I wanted to try to descend into a faster-than-tempo pace and see how it felt. I have run right around 50 a few times off the bike this year and felt HORRIBLE, so I decided it would be great to just run faster than that and focus in feeling GOOD.

I didn't look at my pace other than when it beeped the mile splits, and consciously pulled it back after I saw the first mile split. First mile? 7:08.

Well...there goes that plan.  New plan - hold on. Don't die.
7:15
7:22
7:23
7:33
7:30
(last bit at 7:19 pace).

Final (chip) time: 46:00, 7:25 pace

Did I run smart? No. Did I descend. Clearly not. But I am really happy that I didn't blow up, that I ran hard until the end, and felt happy and strong the entire way. This is major improvement on every 10k run off the bike I had this season (and last), so I feel like it's going the right direction.

Next step? 5 mile turkey trot in my neighborhood Thanksgiving morning. New goal: run smart, even splits with a faster average pace than this 10k. (Related goal: run with my man, don't get in a fight during run, make sure he does not attempt to 'race')

Side tangent: I have run a 10k faster than this two times before. Once off the bike (45:44), once as part of a OLY triathlon relay when I swam and ran (44:02). The best part of this blog (and reason why I continue to write) is that I can look back on these races and compare splits and my attitudes/thoughts about the races. It's so interesting to compare splits and see just how much a small difference each mile can add up to almost 2 minutes at the end of a 10k.

General Smallwood OLY

I went into the race with realistic expectations. I knew the amount of work I had put in over the past 7 weeks, fully letting my mind and body recover from Ironman. I decided to race the OLY over the HIM about 2 weeks ago, after busting  my knee as well as admitting to myself that 70.3 miles didn't sound like fun in any way. I made it my goal for the day to come off the bike as high up in the women's field as possible and not give up on the run.

Swim was cold - perhaps the coldest open water swim I've done. I felt pretty good once we started, but (not surprisingly) didn't have the extra gear to hang with the fastest eventual female swimmer. I watched her slowly pull away after the 1st turn and I just tried to stay strong and swim straight. Really nice 2 loop swim course, it was very easy to navigate and I felt like it went by quickly.

Bike was windy. Passed a female about mile 2 or 3 and was pretty sure I was riding in 1st. I tried to push the pace and keep my efforts up, but I went through miles 10-20ish without seeing a single other person. Based on the results, I had swam through most of the male field (all went in Wave 1), had a few pass me back in the first 10 miles, but after that - I was all alone for a majority of the race. Couldn't see anyone in front, no one behind. Hardly any cars. If it wasn't for the cops guarding the intersections, I would have thought I was off-course. So it was a bit hard to keep my focus and I a little bit wished I had a bike computer/HR monitor to gauge my effort. Looking at the results? Caroline and the overall winner put about 3 minutes into my on the bike. Oops.

Off the bike leading the overall race. Mission accomplished. Knew Caroline couldn't be far behind. Decided to leave my Garmin in T2, as I was racing for place, not for time at this point.

Was passed by eventually overall winner a bit after Mile 1, passed by Caroline quickly after. Wasn't surprised, was happy for my training partner and encouraged her to go after the woman in front. Was one of those strange runs/races were I had no clue how fast I was running - 7:30 pace? 8:30 pace? All I know is that it was hilly, hotter than I had expected and I was running hard. I focused on keeping my legs and arms moving, and the goal became to stay on the overall podium.

After the turn around I realized I had a very large margin over 4th place, knew I wasn't catching back up to Caroline as she disappeared in the distance, so I began to ease up a bit. Turned off the main road in the last mile, and tried to focus on just getting through the final few minutes. Through the woods, heard lots of footsteps coming up from behind and turned to see a female in a big pack of guys FLYING up from behind. DAMMIT. But then I realized the course was now shared between the OLY and Sprint - as the girl FLEW by, based on her number, I knew I was in the sprint and I was OK.

Happily crossed the line in 3rd, 2:32:56, to end my season. Perfect way to end a great year. I have surpassed many of my expectations this year and am ready for a mental and physical break. I honestly started the physical break after Ironman, but I have mentally been a little stressed about this race, and am so happy to clear my mind for the winter and just enjoy. Even better than the results - I was so happy to be able to share this race and podium with Caroline. I feel so lucky to have met such great training partners and even better friends this year.

This was far from my best OLY time, but I have learned over the past year - I'm not racing the clock. Every course is different. Conditions vary. All you can do is race yourself and anyone else who shows up.  I also think this was the quickest I have ever removed my race wheels and cleaned my bike after a race. The tri bike is hung up and taking a breather for at least the next few weeks and after that will be attached to the trainer through the winter months. HELLLLLO fall running, road bike and coffee rides!

Bump in the road.

I can tend to be a bit...dramatic. Especially when it comes to aches and pains and bumps and bruises. However, after not being dramatic ENOUGH about an ache that turned into a serious stress fracture, I learned the hard way to err on the side of caution when it comes to my body.

Saturday, I took a spill. Spill may not be the right word. Topple? Collapse? I had one foot clipped in, pushed off on some gravel going downhill, all while chatting away - leading to my falling over on my clipped side, directly onto my knee at about 0mph. It stung at the time, and was a bit bloody, but a quick clean with some wet-wipes and I got through 2 more (not-so-pretty) hours of my scheduled ride (I had already done 30 minutes before the fall).

Stopping about an hour into the ride to refuel, I could immediately feel my knee stiffen up and it continued to ache the next 15 miles back to the car. It actaully felt better when I pushed the pace a bit, so I tried to settle into the prescribed 70.3 race efforts. Proceeding straight to Rite Aide for alcohol wipes (BAD idea), followed by a second purchase of baby-formula no pain cleaning solution, the gash looked quite bad and my knee was starting to stiffen up.

While on Saturday I was worried about the gash and the blood and the potential scar on my knee (vanity trumps all) - Sunday morning I woke up and realized what I should have been worried about was the bruising. Turns out, falling with all your body weight [plus your bike] directly on your knee is quite traumatic, no matter how fast [or slow] you're going. As the day wore on, moving my knee at all became agony, and the pain radiating behind my knee started to really make me worry. Google confirmed I cleared had ripped, torn, or shattered something. Boyfriend confirmed I was a hypochondriac and told me to just let my knee heal up.

So two days of pretty complete immobility, an easy 30 minute run and an easy swim this morning - and it definitely still hurts. And the damn scab is in the perfect spot on my knee that it rips every time I bend my knee, so pretty much all day every time I move. However, I am in no rush. My next race is still about 2 1/2 weeks away, I have time to get in some solid training, and if it's not the race of my life - who cares. I signed up as a bonus and to keep me training through the fall and there is no urgency. My knee still feels a bit 'twisted' and hurts behind the knee cap, which continues to have my worried, but also is getting a little better every day.

So, in summary, I fell over going 0pmh and am being a drama queen. But this did in fact, hurt. And it continues to hurt. And yes, it has forced me to change my expectations for my race, but I don't think I am down and out and could possibly still have a great day.

More than 3 things.

IT has control of my computer right now so I have some time to kill.

1. My foot hurts. Dammit
2. Having not run anything near tempo pace in months - last night I remember how it hurts so good. And makes 'race pace' seem impossibly fast.
3. There has been good news in my house this week and it makes me really happy.
4. Driving out to ride in Poolsville is so worth it.
5. As is stopping at Vie de France on the way home for fountain soda and pastries.
6. I realized my wrists have been hurting in aero for a variety of reasons: new, slippery tape on bars and arm warmers. Basically, my arms are slipping further forward than usual and I'm holding my bars at a different spot, causing my wrists to bend. Deep thoughts during my ride on Saturday.
7. I ate a Honey Stinger chew off the road on Saturday. It passed the 5-second rule, and I was HUNGRY. Those suckers are hard to open when you're riding!!
8. See this. Related, Saturday's ride was the best in a really long time.

These are my deep thoughts of the day, via iPhone. Apologies for spelling errors.

OH! One more, I've almost officially give up on morning work outs. No doubles on my schedule, wanting to spend more time with my man-friend when he gets home from work and the darkness in the morning have convincing me that working out from 5:30-8pm is where it's AT.  A blinking tail light plus a head lamp is all you need.

Also, this is how I've felt at work all week. It's a very productive attitude.

Confessions of a recreational triathlete

I have taken my recovery from IM to heart. With another IM on the calendar for next year, I am in no rush to get back to structured training. However, after a long pow-wow with my coach, we have mapped out the way to Lake Placid, and this includes racing a HIM in October. After three weeks of pretty close to nothing, I got the next two weeks in my inbox and I'm excited and motivated and looking forward to see how my Ironman fitness translates to trying to make it HURT over 70.3 miles.

But I have a confession.

During my three weeks of recovery, I remembered how much I really like TO DO NOTHING. 

I LOVE sitting on the couch, playing mindless computer games and watching mind-numbing TV.  I can get home from work at 5:30, sit down on the couch, and be perfectly content with not moving except for dinner. Tuesday, in fact, I couldn't even be bothered with cooking, so I made a smoothie for dinner. Ironman gave me an awesome excuse to be a hermit, to go to bed before the sun went down, and to turn down invitations to happy hour and trivia with friends. 'I have to swim' and 'I have to get up early' were built in excuses. HIM training this fall isn't going to consist of super high hours, doubles or lots of miles - it's more about learning how to make it hurt - but I find myself wishing I had my 'Ironman training' excuse.

This morning I set my alarm for 5:45. I had a brick I had to get done so I can join colleagues for a happy hour that has been planned for weeks. During IM training, I did most of my longer bricks at Hains in the evenings. It cuts off the crappy trail riding I have to do before I get to Hains, and allows for an extra 2 hours of sleep. I debated for 15 minutes before getting up and out the door - it would just be so much easier to do it after work. But I forced myself up, knowing once I'm out the door I love morning workouts. And of course, I loved my ride (cool weather, amazing sunrise, I LOVE fall riding) and watchless, speedy run.

And now, at 3:30pm, I am looking for any excuse to NOT go to happy hour. I just want to go home. To my couch. And watch the Voice.

Ironman Mont-Tremblant - The Run

Pre Race and Swim here.
Bike here.

As I entered transition, I took my feet out of my bike shoes, dismounted my bike, gave it to a lovely volunteer, and feared the worst. Coach had told me those first few steps after getting off the bike were like nothing you've ever felt before. Well, my feet were sore, and I was running a bit knock-kneed, but right away, I realized I felt really fine. Really OK. Almost great. Perhaps it was the adrenaline of getting off the bike and finally making it to the run, but I ran to the changing tent with a smile and was determined to keep the smile on my face for the next 26.2 miles.

T2
2:26

I grabbed my bag from a volunteer, and knew this transition was simple. I emptied my back pocket of my arm warmers and trash from the bike, changed socks and put on my shoes while I asked the volunteer to spray my back with sunscreen (irony: it rained.). I had my gels (just in case they didn't have what I wanted/needed on the course), plus aleve, tums and some Imodium in a small plastic bag that I stuffed in my back pocket, I grabbed my Garmin and a small water bottle and was off

RUN
4:19:02 23/AG
(2:07 first loop, 2:12 second loop)  9:54 pace

Right away, I fixed my ponytail, adjusted my visor and knew I needed to pee (yes, AGAIN). I wasn't haven't any stomach distress, and I didn't feel sloshy, but I just need to pee. The first few sets of porta potties I ran past had lines of people waiting, and my need wasn't urgent (yet!) so I decided to find my legs and stop in a few kms when hopefully there would be no lines. You exit transition, make a left, and right away are confronted with a climb. I focused on keeping my steps small and my knees high, didn't pay attention to pace, and knowing when I crested the hill I would see the Terrier cheering squad and my parents kept me moving forward. It was the best sight all day; I totally forgot about the weird feeling in my legs and I threw high-5s and loved every second of their cheers.

I turned the corner, saw more lines for bathrooms, grabbed a gel and kept focusing on small quick steps. My garmin finally picked up satellite and I was holding just about 9:30 pace. I felt GREAT, totally within myself and thought back to the course and how I had broken it up in my race plan. I finally found a porta-potty that was open, quickly jumped in and out and focused on getting through the first 5k and to the gravel path out and back.

The run is a huge blur in my mind, it seemed to fly by with very few low moments. I remember specific moments and people. I have tried to capture the run below, but these thoughts are not in any particular order - they are just my memory of the day as it progressed.

• I know I ran with a little guy in all black for most of 5k-10k, and we traded off taking the lead and keeping pace. Every time he took the lead he would push the pace from mid 9's down to about 8:30s, which still felt totally comfortable and I REALLY wanted to let it go, but I was scared to push my luck and I would reign myself in.

• I remember crossing the timing mat just before 10k, pressing lap and seeing it under an hour and being SO HAPPY that everyone tracking would know I was OK, that I was DOING IT! I wished they could see the smile on my face [come to find out later the splits weren't coming and people were really worried about me...oops! ha]

• I remember being a little frustrated that there were SO MANY aid stations (ha). My plan was to walk every other aid station, but there were so many and they weren't spread out evenly and not all them had gels and coke, so I tried just to not walk THAT much. I didn't want to be a slave to my watch and the miles/time that had passed, so I decided to just wing it.

• I have no memory of what I ate. I know I thad at least 3-4 honey stinger gels (maybe more?) and at the end I started grabbing orange slices and I had a few Honey Stinger Chomps that were SO GOOD at mile 22. I also grabbed a cup of chicken soup around mile 20 and threw it back like I was water and it splashed all over my face and chest and I just laughed at myself.

•  I remember taking Aleve and a salt tab somewhere around mile 10 and my stomach cramping immediately and feeling really nauseous and thinking "Well, there goes my day" with visions of the horrible cramps I got in Clearwater in my mind. I took a moment to walk and take some deep breaths, and focused on getting to the next aid station to take a gel.

•  One of the best feelings all day was cresting a nasty little climb just before going back through town, seeing my family and especially my mom again, and allowing myself to talk and say hi and give her a hug before she sent me back on my way.

• There was another group of Terriers and some of my best girls cheering just up the hill and I saw Dan and he looked SO HAPPY. I was so happy he was having fun and just wanted to walk and talk to him. He kept on yelling at me to keep going, that I was doing so good. It was just about 1 km through town and back to this section of the course, so I focused on just getting back to them again. 

•  Running through town was INCREDIBLE. I went through halfway just as some of the female pros were finishing, so the crowds were HUGE and CRAZY and when I turned off to start my 2nd loop they cheered for me just as much as those finishing. It was awesome and a huge energy boost.

• I saw 2:07 at halfway. "Oh geez, I still feel OK, and I am DOING THIS!! Oh god, I have 13 more miles?!" I decided I would walk up the hill out of town again and chat with Dan. I had actually told him before "Listen, I am going to walk up this hill when I come back to talk to you, so please don't yell at me to run!" Again, how excited he was made me excited, and he finally said the words I was trying to keep out of my head "Babe, you're gonna go sub 12!!" I told him to stop, not to jinx it, and I just needed to keep moving forward.

•  From 'hot corner' back to the gravel path I did not walk. I put my head down, stared at the blue line, didn't look at my pace and just focused on getting through the hills. 

• Thing started to hurt - not cardio wise, and not mentally, but my feet hurt and my right hip flexor, which started bothering me about a week before the race, was really tight. I found a little group that was running the perfect pace and tucked in behind them. I continued to walk some aid stations, taking in coke and gels.

• The first time I looked at my total distance on my garmin it said 19 miles. I was 2.5 miles past my longest run this year. I was really glad it took me that long to look, because 7 miles left felt really doable at the pace I was running.

• I was so happy when I saw sign for 32k. Only 10k left. I liked the course being marked in kms. It gave me something to do in my head and also seemed to go by a lot faster.

• I started running with a sweet French speaking older man. He asked if I was on my second loop, I said yes. He asked if this was my first Ironman, I said yes. He was the second person of the day to say the words "You're going to break 12." We had 8k left and it was 6pm. 12 minute miles to the finish. I finally let myself believe. He tried to pull me along, but I felt like I was holding him back so I told him to go - I passed him back about 1km down the road and he cheered me on.

• I remember walking an aid station to take some coke somewhere in the early 20s and finding it really really hard to start running again. I decided, that was it, no more walking except for some of the hills towards the end.

• Off the gravel path, I thought "I can do anything for a 5k" And I did. I again focused on the blue line, picking people off and getting to the finish line.

• With about 3k to go, the skies OPENED. It was pouring, there was thunder, and all I could do was smile. 

• I looked at my watch with about 2k to go and started to hyperventalite I was so happy. No. Not yet. You're not done yet.

• I walked the last little climb into town, picked it up through special needs, and was running pretty much alone. I heard a 'Sarah!' and looked up and say my dad waving from the awning in front of the Westin. I waved and then really started to lose it.

About 800m left in the pouring rain. 

• I vaguely remember running through town to the finish line. The atmosphere was so amazing and I knew I was ugly crying but I just didn't care. I was trying to keep it together and pretty much sobbing at the same time. I don't remember hearing my name, or really even seeing the finish line. I walked across the line (why did I do that?), watched the clock turn from 11:51:59 to 11:52:00 and was just in utter shock that I was done.

If I could have sat down right there, I would have.

Proof that RUNNING through the finish line would have in fact, been a good idea.

DONE!

 
Volunteers pretty much attacked me as I crossed, I was shivering pretty badly, sobbing and couldn't really catch my breath, and they said my lips were blue. I wanted to just sit down for a second but they made me keep walking and yelling in my face about being ok, blue lips, cold, rain, it was all a blur. Then I heard my mom and ran over and gave her one of the best, most satisfying hugs of my life. I then saw Dan and I said 'I did it!' and we hugged and then the volunteers continuing to pull on me.

I assured them I was OK as I was finally able to take deep breaths again, and was ushered to the finisher's area/food tent. It was still raining pretty hard, and I saw a teammate and finally SAT DOWN.

2012 Ironman Mont-Tremblant

11:52:01

I was happy to look at my Garmin file and see for most the run (save a bathroom stop at Mile 1.5, a stop for a hug about mile 12 - I also think I was having some satellite issues Miles 18-21ish bc nothing was happening there and I was clearly not running 6minute miles)  I kept my walk breaks fairly consistently spaced without being a slave to my Garmin. Based on the time of my two loops, I really think I was running about the same pace the entire way, but as I got closer to the end I started walking the hills a bit more.

It's back to real life for me as I head off on a work trip tomorrow. I wanted to get all the details about the swim/bike/run down before they started to blur. I have so much more to say about the race, the town, the experience, but I'm going to take a few days, or more, to let it all sink in and really pull my thoughts together. 

Ironman Mont-Tremblant 2012 - The Bike

Pre Race and Swim recapped here.

After the long run from the water, I grabbed my transition bag, headed into the changing tent, and ran to a seat closest to the exit. There was only a handful of other women in the tent, but a volunteer didn't help me right away. No big deal, I knew what I wanted and needed. I stripped off the shorts I swam in, pulled on my tri shorts (debated for weeks about bike vs. tri shorts, glad with the decision I made. I decided to change in T1 bc it was cold at the start and I didn't want to be in all wet clothes at the start of the bike.) This is when I volunteer came up and started to help. She put my race belt and and helped pull on my arm warmers. I didn't feel like I was rushing, but I definitely wanted to get out onto the bike. I put socks on and had decided to run to the bike holding my shoes and put my bike shoes on at the rack.  I thanked the volunteer and headed out.

I got almost to the exit of the tents (the change tents were located in the middle of a much larger tent), and realized SHIT, I forgot ride glide! I didn't even hesitate to turn around and start yelling for my bag back - no WAY was I riding the first loop of the bike with no ride glide! Thankfully, the volunteer was still stuffing my stuff in my bag and I was able to generously apply and finally be off for real. I caught a quick glimpse of Dan at the fence, grabbed my bike and was off.

Ouuuuuch my damn lip.

 T1 6:29
You will notice I do not mention anything about damn sunscreen. I made a point to get these cute little spray sunscreens bc I didn't want to deal with the volunteers slathering me with gloved hands, and I promptly forgot. I definitely got some sunburn on my shoulders on the bike, but I was lucky the temps were pretty moderate - it could have been much much worse and I made a point to apply in T2.

BIKE
6:24:00 24/AG, 109/female
(3:10 first loop, 3:14 second loop)
17.5 mph

Right away on the bike, I was still worried about my lip. I was trying my best to ignore it, but it still REALLY HURT. 

First time through 'hot corner' (I think)

I knew my some friends and family would be waiting at the very beginning of the bike course, so I waved and smiled and settled into my plan - SUPER FREAKING EASY RIDING. I cannot even explain what it feels like to be a somewhat-better-than-average swimmer and a moderately-average-female biker during a mass-start Ironman. With waves starts in shorter triathlons, yes you get passed, but it was nothing like this. If you look at the results, I was passed by about 800 people on the bike. That is 1/3 of the total racers. I do not think I passed A SINGLE person on the bike in the first loop. NOT ONE. Luckily, I was very prepared for this, and I didn't really let it get me down. I was actually riding a bit harder in sections than I expected I would - there were some pretty fast downhills in the first 18 miles, and even though I had planned to not use my big ring AT ALL the first 50ish miles, I just couldn't help it. Jon passed me somewhere at this point, we yelled hi, and he looked strong and we wished each other luck. I kept the focus on staying within myself at all times. I wasn't wearing a HR monitor, and had no bike computer - I rode totally based on feel and think it worked out perfectly for me. I didn't freak out when I sat up and spun up the hills in my easiest 11x28 gear - I didn't really have any clue just how slow I was going.

One thing that did shock me was the PACKS of people flying by. Men, women, all ages. Once we got out on to 117, there were signs that we were supposed to be riding in the right lane - not on the shoulder. But the packs were so thick that I felt unsafe riding where I was supposed to be. This only happened a few times, but it was always just a bit more disheartening when a woman was tucked in there. But I knew I wasn't 'racing' - drafting bothered me less in this race than any race before. What DID bother me, however, was when someone (always a male) would pass my on the right/inside. We had MORE than enough space on the road. And this never happened when it was congested to my left. There was never any reason for it, and it's just plain dangerous. The signs clearly indicated we were supposed to be riding in the lane of traffic, not on the shoulder, and it happened over and over again, mostly during the 1st loop.

I had my timex set to beep every 15 minutes to remind me that I need to keep on my calories, as well as to give me a general sense of how much time had passed (although trying to do the math, plus the course being marked in km, made it really confusing to figure out where/when/what was going on). So time was passing pretty quickly, but for the first 90 minutes, all I could think about was how bad I had to pee. I knew peeing on the bike wasn't going to happen - when I steady stream of people are constantly passing you, stage fright becomes a real issue. So at the top of Conception Hill, about mile 27?, I finally stopped. Luckily there was no line, and based on my watch, I was probably in and out in less than 60 seconds. But it made me feel new again and I FINALLY started to actually enjoy what I was doing. Going through St. Jovite was awesome, packed with people, but the course was still really crowded with people trying to pass during sections that were quite narrow.

You go back through town about Mile 43ish, and I was able to spot my family and was feeling good and happy. I knew the tougher section of climbing was coming, but I was on top of my calories and was excited to ride smart through the hills. But DAMMIT I had to pee again.

About Mile 43ish?

I sat up, spun up the hills and watched as other took off flying. I can honestly say, riding the Diabolical Double back in June was the BEST thing I could have done. Yes, these hills were steep, but they lasted seconds compared to the climbs in Deep Creek and that made me smile, and I knew I was OK.

My coached had warned me that this section is what will make or break most people's run - ride too hard on Loop 1, spike your heart rate, and your day will turn out very differently. So I was patient and I listened. I heard bikes making some damn strange noises, saw more than a few people with dropped chains, and almost run into a lady who had gotten off her bike and was still standing in the middle of the course (I yelled sorry and felt really bad!). I looked forward to the turn around, as everyone coming back was screaming down the hills and it looked like FUN!!!

 I also knew special needs was coming up, and I was looking forward to my coke and to stop and pee (again!). I made the turn into special needs, was so excited to go to the bathroom, and I realized there were not porta-potties near the special needs stop (or at least, I didn't see any) - there were across the street! You had to stop at special needs (where I restocked three bottles, took a HUGE gulp of coke, applied some more ride glide and sadly passed on my Snickers), get back on the bike, ride sorta of through the transition area, over the timing mat, around a corner, and then had to stop AGAIN to go to the bathroom.

It was sort of frustrating, but I was happy with how I was feeling, there was no line, so I was in and out again in about 1 minute. While I was peeing, I looked at my watch, did some math and realized I had ridden the first loop in about 3:10-3:20 (I didn't know how long T1 was), and I actually had no emotional response to it at all. I didn't have any clue or goal related to my bike time, but I knew I was riding smart and was excited to get back on the bike and finish up Loop 2.

I went back through the circle, saw my family and teammates, ran into and chatted with an old teammate who just happens to now be the CEO of Ironman, Andrew, and had a few laughs. He was out there racing like everyone else, and it was really nice to chat. We said our good lucks and he took off into the distance.

Andrew recognizing my kit and saying hi!

Somewhere in this section, the winds picked up, I had an espresso Gu, and it was the best thing I tasted all day. I was getting really blown around going north on 117 and realized my wrists and traps were aching from gripping the aerobars so tightly. I tried to relax and find a comfortable cadence. I was definitely pushing a bit harder than Loop 1, but still felt strong and focused. A teammate flew by at this point and I got a little demoralized, but I tried to just focus on getting to the turn around. After the turnaround, the wind was in your face, and it was STRONG. The teammate who had gone by didn't seem to be pulling ahead too much, so I focused on keeping my cadence up, not fighting the wind, and pacing off her - about 50m up. We fell in with a little group of about 5 who all were riding (legally) the same speed, and I was feeling better and better. And BAM! I have to pee, AGAIN!! I decided I would stop again at the same aid station at the top of the climb on 117S, again no line, but I lost my little group. However, I got back on the bike feeling rejuvenated and started to really push the pace, and by the time we got back to St. Jovite, I had caught and passed this little group. Back on Montee Ryan, I just wanted to get back into town and see my family again, then I just wanted to get back to hills bc this time I felt GREAT, was excited to attack, and was so close to being done.

Christian told me that if I rode the bike smart, I would start passing people around mile 90, and just like that it was true. I was cruising up the hills and riding the rollers and loving the bike more at mile 102 than I did at mile 40. I again fell into a little group that rode back into town together, all ready to be done with the ride, and I was so happy. I glanced at my watch, and rolled into transition at 2:30pm exactly. I knew I had swam exactly an hour, had ridden about 6:30, was really close to even or negative splitting my ride, and was ready to RUN!

Thinking back to this ride, I don't think I would do a single thing differently. Yes, I would love the ~5 minutes back from peeing/stopping, but over the course of 140.6 miles, I could care less about those minutes. I had fun the entire time, was only really low for a few miles because of the wind, and am happy and satisfied with my training, fitness and execution of this ride. Again, my goal of the day was to RUN, and the effort and approach on this bike ride set up the next 4 hours and 19 minutes of my day.

Bike Nutrition
6x200 calories bottles (3x200 cals of Hydra C5, 3x 200 cals Carbo+Pro with Nuun).
About 2.5 Honey Stinger Waffles
1 Espresso Gu
1 large bite of Banana (which looked good but I think I spit out at about mile 95)
Water gulps almost at every aid station
TOTAL ~1700 calories/~260 per hour.

Ironman Mont-Tremblant 2012 - Pre-Race and Swim

We arrived in Quebec on Thursday after a leisurely 2-day drive, only to find strange sounds coming from my back wheel almost immediately. Cue a meltdown: I had already dealt with a last minute bike issue before we left (this is after my bike tune up the week before the race), it had taken a few more hours to get to the hotel than I had expected, I was supposed to swim and ride, and I had a total breakdown. I excused myself from the room, went into the bathroom, and let it go. I cried, sobbed actually, and felt like the weight of the last three weeks leading up to the race was finally coming out. I calmed down, washed my face, and we took my bike down to the bike tent. I made it to race registration just before it closed, was forced to sit down and eat and RELAX, and went for a swim that cleared my mind and soul.

Thanks for fixing my bike and dealing with my madness.

 Friday felt just as hectic. It was raining, I picked my bike up and took it out on some of the run course and was still hearing sounds that make me uncomfortable, but I was assured the wheel was straight and the noise was coming from sand and crap from the road. The really nice bike mechanics told me to go home, clean my bike, and if it was still make the noise later, they would figure it out before I had to rack on Saturday. My parents arrived, we went out for pizza, lasagna, salad and wine and I decided I NEEDED Saturday to be low key. I was stressed beyond belief and just not feeling ready or excited after months and months of prep. I didn't go to the athlete dinner, but we enjoyed the fireworks show from our room.

Friday Night Fireworks from our balcony

I woke up Saturday at 5:50am to pouring rain. I went for a 15 minute run at 6am, which was JUST what I needed. Total peace and quiet, hardly anyone out, just chilly air, wet road, and quiet. I came back to the room, fueled up, and went for a short swim. I was disappointed the buoys were not up on the course yet, but was glad to get in the water - it was breezy and choppy and I knew it could be like that race morning. I made a point to be in line to rack my bike and drop off my bags at 10am sharp. I didn't want to be out and about and surrounded by the craziness. I spent the rest of the day in my room or on the balcony, visiting with awesome friends who came to support me and other NYC teammates, and just being lazy. I made an early dinner, realized I had forgotten the stupid yellow sponge for my aero bottle, but Dan made one appear, and was really my backbone all weekend, dealing with my craziness and making sure I had what I needed. We watched Hunger Games, lights were out by about 10pm and I had no trouble sleeping.

Race morning I was up at 4am. No trouble eating, no trouble 'going', and was out the door at 5am for the 5 minute walk to transition. I kept things simple. Did what I needed to do and removed myself from the madness of transition. Dan took the bike pump back to the room, I dropped off various bags and stuffed some last minute things in to my T1 and T2 bags, and had more than enough time to arrive at the swim start, find a seat, and relax.

Walking to swim start, "Yay let's do this!!"

I chatted with some teammates and sat with Dan for a bit, sipping on Carbo Pro and Nuun, and in no time it was time to get suited up and head towards the water. It had been announced as a beach start at the Athlete's Dinner and for some strange reason, I was MOST nervous for the swim more than anything else the entire day. I still wasn't totally clear on the course, there were boats on the course were I thought we were swimming, the sand was cold, and I REALLY REALLY wanted to start the day off on the right foot.

 

SWIM 

1:00:04,  4th/AG, 13/female, 118th overall.

The beach start was scary, I lined up sort of to the left, but the start line was quite tight and the way the course turned, there were LOTS of people to the left and I sort of wanted to stay away from them. We watched the pros go off, inched forward to about calf-deep, and waited for the start cannon that never came, and we were off.

This is me. I'm pretty sure I'm looking back at all the people and thinking  'What the HELL am I doing??"

Almost right away one side of my googles was hit and filled up with water. I tried to fix it, but didn't want to lose position, so I let out a bit of water and just accepted it. The first 10-20 strokes were not real freestyle strokes at all, I was simply trying to keep my arms moving forward and stay afloat. I was pleasantly suprised at how quickly things actually broke up and calmed down, save for the random dude that would swim across 3 people going perpendicular to the direction everyone else is swimming. I found feet almost right away and they were PERFECT. They were just fast enough that I had to focus on keeping up, but I didn't feel like I was over exerting myself. The person was putting in surges, perhaps to stay on the feet they were following, and I was so happy I was able to respond and actually stay on these feet (and fight for them a few times when silly boys in blue caps would try to steal my feet - they were MINE!) I took a few sights every so often, but I really just focused in on staying on these perfect feet. They were so perfect in fact, that I decided people should get body-marked on the bottom of their feet, bc I wanted to find whoever this was and thank them after the race (Yes, I really was thinking that). As we approached the first turn, things got a bit more crowded, but nothing like I expected. I knew I was likely going to lose my feet, which made me sad, but I was excited to be halfway done. 

Swim start from the back.

 Then I got confused. For some reason I had in my mind the swim was a long out and back (which it was), but I failed to take into account there was also a short 'across' portion. The map is clear as day, it just hadn't registered. So we got to the second right turn buoy to head back to the swim finish and I felt like the swim started for real. The sun had come out, maybe the wind had picked up bc I felt like all the sudden the water was a lot rougher (didn't even notice any chop on the way out) and I was having trouble finding feet. I basically started to play leap-frog with different feet just to keep myself focused on the task at hand. There were a couple girls around me (green caps), and I just kept thinking "Am I going fast?" I decided it was either going to be a really GOOD swim, or not good. I just couldn't tell. It took me until 45 minutes in to glance at my watch (I wore a simple Timex, didn't start the chrono, but knew the race started at 7am). I was glad to see that 45 minutes had passed and knew I could swim for 15 more. So I again focused on finding feet and counting buoys. I figured I had 2-3 buoys left, but was totally wrong [I'm not sure why I would think that, as the buoys were roughly 100m apart, so I had at least 800 or 900 left]. The last few hundred meters felt like it took forever, but I found some good feet FINALLY to pull me in to shore. I got out of the water, started to pull down my wetsuit and got NAILED in the mouth by an errant elbow. I made it 60 minutes without much contact at all, and then this. It was bad - my teeth hurt and I could taste blood.  Amazingly, I got race photos at the exact moment this happened.

Pulling his arm out, headed straight for my face.

Post impact, you can see both of our reactions. OUCH

The guy profusely apologized, and of course he hadn't done it on purpose, but it really hurt. I tried to ignore it, ran for the wetsuit strippers, and glanced at my watch to see 8:00:--. I heard my friends cheering and gave them a wave, and just focused on the long run through T1. I was pressing on my lip almost the whole way to stop the bleeding, but the second I got in the tent, I forgot about it.

I was SO HAPPY and really excited to get on with the race. I just felt like it was going to be a good day.

IM Mont-Tremblant 2012 - The plan

Before I start writing my race report, I want to share my 'race plan.'My #1 goal for the day was to run the marathon, and this race plan totally revolves around that goal.

My coach asked me to write this out weeks before the race - as a way to organize my thoughts, my packing, as well as something to meditate on when things got crazy and hectic and stressful in the week and days leading up to the race. He suggested dividing the course into sections, and taking 1 section at a time through-out the day. I studied the course maps and Jon's awesome details of the course and felt confident in my plan.  I studied this piece of paper leading up to the race. I had it on my phone, had it printed out, in my purse and felt confident in my preparation, despite crazy nerves about the day.

I wanted to share this, as well as remember for myself when this time comes around next year, because when I finished the race, achieving every single 'best case scenario' goal I could have imagined, Dan asked 'how did you do that??' And my simple reply, about 15 minutes after I finished, was 'I 100% trusted my coach and followed my race plan'

T1 bag: VEST Ride Glide Arm Warmers Bib+race belt #1 Bike Shoes – OPEN! Bike Helmet Small spray sunscreen Extra waffle/gels Salt Pills

Bike Special Needs: 3 bottles with 200 cals of HydraC5 each Extra gels Extra salt tabs Snickers and COKE

T2 Bag: Shorts (lulu and nikes) Socks Brooks Launch GELS GARMIN – Autolap OFF. Small spray sunscreen Bib +Race Belt #2 Advil/Immodium/Tums

Run Special Needs: Extra socks GELS Advil/Immodium/Tums

3:45am	WAKE UP! Shower, eat, relax Breakfast: COFFEE, 2 bagels with nut butter (or frozen waffles with nut butter?), 2 bananas, supplement with CarboPro+ Nuun in a bottle through-out the morning
4:30am	Transition Opens/Leave Hotel for Transition
5am	Arrive Transition, drop special needs bags, body marking, bottles on bike, 3xgel and 2xwaffle on bike.
6am	Find a quiet place to relax/reflect, wetsuit on, make way to race start Line up LEFT – 2nd row back (don’t be afraid to ask those around what they plan on swimming to make sure you’re in a good group!)
7am	Race START!
SWIM	Go out HARD (but controlled) for first ~10minutes/800 meters (about half way to turnaround – count buoys in practice swim to figure out how many). Settle in and FIND feet. Focus on swimming straight to turn buoy. STAY ON FEET. After turn, reassess how feeling. If good – try to pick up pace a bit and hop on faster feet. Don’t be afraid to settle in and feel comfortable on feet. DON’T DO ALL THE WORK YOURSELF!! Wetsuit Strippers Try to keep breathing under control in run to T1 – EXPECT A LONG RUN!! Have fun, look for Dan/Parents, SMILE!!!
T1	ride glide VEST/Arm warmers (if necessary) Race Belt ON Bike Shoes Sunscreen Helmet (Rudy aero) Extra nutrition/Salt Tabs in jersey pocket
BIKE – 1st LOOP	Section 1: Start to Turn around on 117 (M0-18) EASY EASY EASY SPIN out of town. Small Ring until after climb at Mile 10 Don’t over work the flat to the turn around! Don’t let drafting/passing bother you – ride you OWN RACE. Section 2: Turn around on 117 to Monte Ryan Aid Station #4 (M18-39) Again, don’t overwork the flat! SMALL RING SPIN SPIN climb at Mile 25 – focus on keep HR and breathing under control. Don’t underestimate hills in out/back in St. Jovite Section 3:  Aid Station #4 Lac Superior turn around (M39-49) ENJOY TOWN, SMILE!! Rollers. Ride Conservatively the first Loop, use your gears, but SPIN UP THE HILLS Section 4: Lac Superior turn around to Special Needs MM49-56) ENJYOY this section. Work the downhill but reassess legs – SHOULD STILL FEEL FRESH!!!
Bike – 2nd LOOP	Section 1: Start to Turn around on 117 (56-74) Stop at Special Needs, refill/replace bottles, Don’t stress about stopping. ENJOY your COKE! SPIN the large HILL – do not attack this. If feeling good, work the flats a bit harder. Section 2: Turn around on 117 to Monte Ryan Aid Station #4 (M74-95) Stay present. Work the flat. SMALL RING SPIN SPIN climb back – DO NOT ATTACK THIS. Don’t underestimate hills in out/back in St. Jovite – but can attack a bit more if feeling good. Section 3:  Aid Station #4 Lac Superior turn around (M95-105) ENJOY TOWN, SMILE!! Rollers. Work this section, use your gears, Trust your fitness. Section 4: Lac Superior turn around to Special Needs MM105-112) ENJYOY this section. Work the downhills, stay aero – keep cadence high to prepare for run!!
T2	Leave bike shoes on bike. Run shorts ON. New Race belt ON. Socks/shoes ON. Garmin on – autolap OFF. Gels in pocket Small handheld water bottle for first few miles. Small spray sunscreen
Run – 1st Loop	Start out conservative. Run based on feel, let legs come around. Trust your fitness Don’t stress about hills in the first 5k, find your stride. Enjoy the out/back on the path. Smile at friends. KEEP SMILING. Try to find a comfortable pace you feel like you can run forever. Walk every other aid station, focus on getting in fluids. Water first, Coke last.
Run – 2nd Loop	Reassess how you’re feeling – do you need more calories? Salt? Advil? Stop at special needs IF you need more gels based on aid stations. Focus on getting back to out/back on path. Find that comfortable hard pace on the out and back. Find people to pick off. Keep walking every other aid station. Focus on getting off path. IGNORE the last few hills – you can do anything for a 5k!