Chilly Willy!

It's funny how a slight deviation in the weather temps can make such difference! In the spring when the temperature tops out at 60 degree we are excited by the warm weather and cheerfully bring out the summer running apparel. Yesterday's run was in 60 degree weather and it was COLD! Do our bodies really change that much over the summer?

Yesterday, I did a 5.2 mile run with Paul, Jerel, and Kathy from run club-then later meeting up with Sonja. The run went well, except that stupid knee thing that started on Saturday-maybe I do need to see Traci one more time before the marathon and before she leaves Massage Envy:(

Today will be a day off as TC marathon is quickly approaching.

I can't believe we are entering into fall, where the did the summer go? I love fall as it is my favorite season and it allows for me to run through the leaves that line the paths or streets-so fun! However I get a little sad when we reach this time of the year as the season is so short and there isn't much time to prepare for the cold weather. I like winter, its just the thought of getting there and the negative things that come with it like the lack of sunlight, being chilled all the time, and driving in terrible road conditions. Once it comes, I look forward to the first snow fall, especially to take my wild dingo out skjoring-She is crazy and often are off path, but she loves it!

Now onto my training over the past week. I have kept my running up but not much of anything else. I am missing the routine of having a training schedule to follow-I keep telling myself that this break is good for me and it will hopefully prevent myself from becoming burnt out during the next year of training.

Monday, I did a 4.4 mile run with Jerel and Kathy. As we ran I gave instruction on race strategy, running hills, and the importance of tempo running when training for longer events. I led Kathy through a track workout, focusing on maintaining race speed and gaining a feeling of goal race pace for her upcoming 10 mile race at Twin Cities. The workout went well and trying not to overwhelm Kathy, Jerel and I would switch off running laps around the track with her.

Tuesday, It was raining so Corrine and I headed to the Moore Lake Lifetime to get a run in around the track. While running around the track we met a man that had done 4 Ironmans and was heading to Cozumel for his 5th. We had a long discussion about race strategy and Ironman stuff, which took my mind off the monotonous circle running. We ended up getting in about 4.5 miles, maybe even further as the man was running a pretty good pace.

Wednesday, I ran with run club at Bunker Hills. I was feeling tired and very unmotivated or maybe just crabby that day. Once I started the run, I just wanted it to be over which is not really like me! Every step was a forced step! Maybe I just needed to run alone, I don't know, but the run was not very enjoyable! I ended up getting 5.1 miles.

I ended up taking Thursday and Friday off from training this week, which gave me time to focus on preparing my presentation on Nursing Engagement in Public Policy. I am not a public speaker so this whole speaking thing was stressing me out!

Saturday, Jen and I did a 13.55 mile run down at the lakes and Minnehaha. I love this run! My 4th toe on my right foot was giving me some isssue the first half of the run-this has been going on since the Ironman. The toe thing cleared up the second half, however me knee on that side started to become a little sore-my guess is that I was compensating for my sore toe by altering my gait. I had switched shoes a while back because I was having problems with the Hurricanes holding up and I'm not loving the shoes that I replaced them with. I need to get it figure out though as I have Twin Cities this week and San Antonio marathon in a month. Along the course I did run into Tracy, Joe, and Kai (my brother-in-law sister and her family-if that makes sense). Kai was intrigued by my running shoes-I guess shoes are one of his favorites things right now.

Today is the start of another carzy week! My training class is wrapping up since its race week, I have a test in my child and adolescent class, I head to Mankato for class on Thursday and Friday, test in my reporductive class, work on my thesis, get my house in order for the 3rd annual Coffee and Caravan, and then lastly the marathon......AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!! Plus I have to squeeze work in there too! But I will get through it because.........I am an Ironman!

Irongirl Race report

On Sunday I raced the Irongirl Dualthlon.....well sort of technically. I actually competed in the race as my friend Liz. Liz had signed up Irongirl a while back and decided that she would not be doing it, so I competed for her. I wanted to sign up for the event, however I wasn't sure how feel after the Ironman and the event filled quickly.

I felt a little weird competing as someone else-I actually haven't ever done it before!

The race was a 2 mile run, 22 mile bike, and 2 mile run. I started the run at a quick pace and the wet air made it sort of hard to breath. I settled into the quick pace and my breathing became easier about a mile into the run. My first run split was a 15.22 (a 7:42 pace/mile pace).

The bike was difficult because there were so many people out on the course the bike lane was very narrow. It was hard to find a consistent cadence or to use the downhills for the next uphill causing you to hammer the entire uphill. The other issue I had is that I hadn't been on my TT bike since the Ironman and with having the bike packed and shipped, then rebuilt, my bike fit was off causing my knees to hit the dropbars during the ride. I still maintained 19.4 mph-I would have liked to have been over 20.

After bike portion, my legs were a little tight on the run-more so than usual (it was probably the bike set up). My second run split was pretty close to my first run split. I was pretty happy with my run splits.

During the bike portion, I spotted Jen walking with her bike-she flatted. I felt so bad for her! I kept yelling for bike support to help her get the tire changed, which didn't happen. Jen hit a bump on the road and it immediately popped her tire-bummer!

It was fun seeing all the people that I know down at the race that day! Overall, I was pretty happy with my time and so was Liz (the person I raced under).

Check out the photo of Heidi and me-it's super funny!

It's been a while since my last blog!

Over the past week I have maintained my running-well at least a little bit, getting in I think a total of 20 miles. Today's run was about 7.5 miles down at the lakes-EASY!!!! I haven't run down at the lakes in quite a while-it was a much needed change from running at the Dam. I did end up running into Terri (my cousin) down there-she is training for Chicago.

After my run, Jen and I went down to cheer Cindy on at a cheer zone for Breast Cancer 3 Day walk-I brought her a goodie bag with Ben Gay patches, Aquaphor, and pain cream (the other walkers were quite jealous!)

On Tuesday (or one day this last week) I did manage to get in a short 12 mile bike ride with Erica-on my road bike as I still haven't changed out my race wheels on my tri bike since the Ironman. I really need to get my road bike worked on! I still have the bike set up as a tri bike in a pretty archaic tri bike set up and the positioning is very uncomfortable!


As with the previous post I am still having a hard time recovering/tapering (whatever you want to call it) from the Ironman, which is maybe a good sign, in a way. I am eager to start my Ironman Madison training! This coming up week Jen, Cindy, and I are going to be sitting down to put together our training plans.

Tomorrow, Jen and I are racing the Irongirl Duathon-welll sssshhhhh......I'm racing under a different name and age group. I didn't registered because I wasn't sure how I would feel after the Ironman, but I feel great and I got a race number.

Oh-one other thing....... my finish clip for the Ironman





"I AM A IRONMAN!"

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The clock is ticking.......now that I signed up for another Ironman!

What was I thinking? Today, I attended spinning class-the first time since I think April. I thought that it would be fun to go back-I was reminded quickly why I was so happy to get out on the roads last spring. We had a different instructor, one that I haven't met before leading the class; a nice guy, however was quite odd! The class seemed to drag on forever! The worst part about this situation is that it was such a great day to ride outside!

The plan is to do one last long run and then start to taper for Twin Cities this week.

In Limbo

What to do!!! Now that my Ironman is done, I have been trying to take things easy-not an easy task for me! My next race is Twin Cities Marathon, which only 23 days away-so basically my marathon training is just left to a taper.

I still haven't come down from the excitement of the Ironman's over the past couple of weeks. I want to start my training for Madison, however I need to give my body a break from the intense training.

Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to meet with Jen and Cindy to discuss our training plan for the next year.

Yesterday, I did a short run with Run Club. I think the run was around 3 miles-I forgot my garmin.

Well I am officially registered for Ironman Madison. I look forward to my upcoming training. I can't believe the differences between the Ironman races! Madison was so intense-the sign up, clothing, rooms, etc.....I think most triathletes must have type A personalities!

Right now I am focusing my training and energy towards Twin Cities Marathon and San Antonio Rock and Roll. I have taken a few days off-I haven't ran since Saturday morning when I did about 9 miles. I have been so wrapped up in all the things that I need to get caught up in-school, work, housework, etc.

Yesterday Jen, Cindy and I volunteered at the Madison Ironman! We worked at bike handlers grabbing the bike from the athletes. We had a blast! I only had one pro throw his bike at me, which a caused a small battle wound. Most athletes were so appreciative as I was when someone was there to help.

Currently, we are waiting in line to register for the 2009 Madison Ironman. We got up at 2:30 am, quickly got ready and to the registration site by 3:30 am. I know we are crazy-crazy for the sport of triathlon!

I got my M-DOT

Last night I went to get my M-DOT! Jen came to with to take pictures! I now have it to show off at Madison!

I made it home

I made it home afer a long trip! Recovery seems to be going well. I ran 3 miles on Wednesday-I was eager too! I know that I am crazy. Today, I plan to head out for another short run just to keep loose and feel that I'm doing something productive. Tonight is the big night! I'm getting my tag! Tomorrow we leave for Madison!!!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!
Check out the video that Jen sent to me!

The Day Finally Came!

Saturday was the day that I had to drop off my gear to the transition area. We got down to the area where I was greeted by a volunteer who then gave me the grand tour of the transition area. First, we stopped at the bike rack and I hung my bike on my space that was stickered with my name and bib number. I lucked out! A prime spot on the bike racks-on the end and close to the bike out and in! Then we headed to the bag area. The bags were placed on the ground in numerical order-I was towards the back closest to the changing tents. Finally, we took a tour of the changing tent. The changing tent was a tent with a bunch of chairs and a couple of tables for gatorade and bananas. As we left the changing tents I was guided out of the transition area was not to return to my things until race day.

Race day!

The day finally came! After months of the training, I couldn't believe it was here! I stayed in a separate room that night before hoping that I could get some sleep-I don't know what I was thinking! I hadn't slept much for the week prior to the race because of my nervousness and the night before wasn't any different. My alarm went off at 3:30 am and I got dressed and headed back to my parents room so my dad could drive me to the transition area.

We got to the transition area early and ended up waiting for about 15 minutes along with all the other early birds. After finally letting us into the transition area at 5:00 am I quickly got my bike and filled the tires, water bottles, and bento box. Then I walked quickly to the swim start to get a good spot in line where we sat and waited until 7:00 am. I sat next to a man from Roseville, MN!

6:50 the pros started in the water. They swam past us upstream so we got to see them for a brief moment. We were next! There was a time trial start, so each swimmer started about 1.5 seconds apart. We swam against the current for about a mile. The was extremely warm-84.5 degrees! As I got closer to the far end of the island, the current got stronger and I didn't feel like I was going anywhere. As we rounded the corner of the island, my right should started to act up. The course then led us out into the center of the river before we turned to go downstream. I didn't find that going downstream was a ton easier as I had a harder time keeping my legs up and I was being pushed towards the shore or side of the river. I found the swim difficult. I started counting buoys and repeated in my head the phrase with every stroke "long and Strong." When I finally made it to the finish a volunteer pulls you up onto the stairs to help you in. For a swim that I felt took forever, my time wasn't terrible for a non wetsuit legal race-1:22. Coming out of the swim was awesome and there were a ton of people cheering you on!

I ran to the transition area, grabbed my bag and a volunteer followed me into the tent to help me change. She helped get me out of my wet clothes and handed me my new dry bike clothes, got me gatorade so I could take my electrolytes and a bag of luna moons. As I was taking my electrolytes I realized that I forgot to pack my electrolyte tabs on my bike! Crap! As I left the tent there was another volunteer that sprayed sunscreen on me.

I got my bike and headed out on the course. The bike course was out Hwy 42 to an out and back section and then two loops through the town of La Grange. About two miles into the ride a lady past by and asked if I was from the Midwest-she noticed my water bottles that said Gear West. That lady was from Minnesota too and trained with Gear West.

As people passed me, I realized that I forgot to wear my race number! When the officials passed I would get really low in my aerobars so they couldn't tell that I wasn't wearing it-it worked as I didn't get kicked off the course or DQ'd.

I had my plan in place for the bike-take the first half easy then if I felt good up the speed. I tried to maintain a speed between 16-18 mph on the way out. The course was pretty hilly until we got to La Grange. Some of the climbs were monsterous, however I relaxed and took each climb easy-focusing on keeping a steady cadence. The down hills were just as big as the up hill meaning people were flying down the narrow roads going probably 50+ mph. The heat really started to pick up and there wasn't much shade on the course. I was having a hard time taking in my solids that I brought, so I relied on the gatorade and carbopro mixture for most of my ride.

At miles 38 and 68 we rode through the town of La Grange where they had a festival going on and tons of people cheering. As I rode through La Grange, I became energized!

After the town of La Grange, there was a area that had a single lane road that was twisty and hilly similar to an area that I did some training rides on in Marine. On the first loop through this area a man crashed in front of me!

As the ride went on the wind really picked up- a head or cross wind for about 70 miles. The downhills became a little scary with the wind gusts.

During the ride I set milestone-first to get to mile 38, then 56, then 68, then 80, then 90-once I got to 90 I knew I had it in the bag! Each 10 miles I tried to remember the tips from my century ride with Jen and Cindy-except when I got to mile 70 I said "I will NOT get a Flat!"

The last 30 miles were great! The hills started to settle out and the wind was at my back. I was 20+ mph on the way back-passing all the people that hammered it in the beginning.

As we approach Louisville, traffic had picked up and I got mad and started yelling at the vehicles on the road! I think that everyone around me thought I was a crazy women-I was maybe a little loopy, but I didn't want to get hit!

Next I came into the transition area, a volunteer grabbed my bike and I head to the bag area and a volunteered helped me get changed. My feet were sore from the biking, but I was feeling good. before heading out on my run I took some electrolytes, a bag of luna moons, and some gatorade.

My plan on the run was to do Galloway 5 and 1's until the half way point and then reassess where I was at. I'm glad that I went in with a plan! I felt rely good on the run portion except for the blisters that I could feel on the bottoms of my feet. Each waterstop, I took a glass of ice that I put in my bra, dumped water on my head, took in either coke or gatorade and some pretzels. The half way point is where I picked up my special needs bag where I had more electrolyte tabs and some clif blocks waiting.

The run was two loops, which was crazy because you ran through the finish area twice. I felt strong on the run and the miles seem to peel away quickly.

The finish was awesome-ELECTRIFYING! There was thousands of people to pull you into the finish! After crossing the finish line-I couldn't wait to get my medal put around my neck!

After the finish we walked over to get my morning clothes bag at the KICC. There was a little mishap-they couldn't find my bag! I got pissed and made them keep checking that they kept saying they didn't have it. Finally, a volunteer found my bag that was in the wrong place-thank god!

After showering, guess what I got my nachos and beer!

Monday, we had the awards banquet. They handed out awards to the pro's, age groupers, and racers that raised money for charities. Then they finished with the official video of Ironman Louisville. As we leaving the awards dinner they gave us a copy of the video but they cut off our wristband that was placed at the beginning of the weekend-it was so final, everything was over. I almost was willing not to get a video just to keep the wristband on.


Tuesday, we got on the road early to head back. The ride was long to Madison. After arriving to Madison we walked around State St. I took pictures of the signs for the weekends Ironman, which brought my excitement. They started setting up course already.

This overall experience was amazing!