How far is that Ironman?

Time to Re-Focus

2011-12-06T16:27:00.004-06:00

Exactly one month ago yesterday I completed an Ironman. It was a great finish to the end of my 2011 season. It wasn't just that Ironman, but Ironman Wisconsin was just about 8 weeks earlier. I was due for some much needed rest.

I came home from Florida on a Monday. The following morning, I found myself in the pool. During sets, my training partner asked me, "OK, what time do you want to ride tomorrow?" Really? We did set a time and ended up riding...

But now is NOT the time to be in a routine. No structured workouts. It's a

time to kick back, relax and let the fitness level come down a bit before trying to get better, faster, stronger for 2012. So why am I having such a hard time letting go of the "routine"? I should be RESTING.

I did go to now my FOURTH doctor to take a look at the big toe. I just realized last week that in April, it will be 2 years that the toe has been

bothering me. It was Turf Toe - cortizone shot. No. Sessamoiditis - boot for 12 weeks. No. Physical therapy for over 4 months. Not good. Go to a doctor about my calves and he says, "You know you need surgery on that toe, right?" So I went to a 4th doctor - and it might as well have been the same guy, "You are going to need surgery on that toe."

Well, I'm not a fan of surgery and feel like the body should be able to heal itself. But I feel like I've exhausted all my other options and am ready to bite the bullet. And what better time of year to have this done than now when I should be RESTING? And, though I try to put it out of my mind every time I run and even when I'm walking, the toe really doesn't feel good.

So now I need to re-think my whole race strategy for 2012. In 2011, I had taken so much time off running, by the time January came around, I was ready to go! This coming year, I likely won't even be able to put a shoe on for that month. It's a bit challenging as there are so many really fun off-season, cross training workouts I want to do - for example - cross country

skiing! However, all of them require the use of my foot, so I have to forego them. And by the time I recover, I'll have to put the hammer down and be training for specificity if I have any shot at being competitive this year.

So maybe the "forced" rest will be good. Maybe not. It would be really nice to run again without pain or trying to compensate for it. I've decided I've done a really good job at compensating for it this past year, but what further damage could I be doing? So here we go. I've been collecting lots of books to read while I'm down for the count. If you have any suggestions, please share. Funny enough, all but 1 of these books are sports-related or some sort of self improvement book. Wish me luck.

Ironman Florida Race Report 2011

2011-11-09T17:19:00.019-06:00

Before I start with this report, I have a couple things to note. This was my 3rd time doing Ironman Florida. There's definitely an advantage to knowing what the course is going to bring. This was also Ironman #10. In the weeks leading up to this race, I've been considering taking a break from the Ironman distance. No matter how many of these events you do, they never seem to get any easier.

It really didn't get light out until about 15 minutes before the race, the sun started coming up. It was a brisk 52 degrees and while I wasn't worried about the temperature in the water, I was very concerned with the temperatures and predicted wind for the bike portion. Earlier than usual, I parted from the best training partner in the world and went to line up to get in the water. I needed alone time to focus and I wanted a contact-free swim start.
No, you can't see me in this photo, but I'm probably as far away as you can get from this shot. Yes. It was by design.

The anxiety is worst in the last 10 minutes before the cannon fires. But once it goes off, it's all about doing what you've been training for and the nerves disappear. It was a very gentle start and the water was fairly calm. The announcer said there was a current, but I didn't notice much. About 200-300 yards in, the water jumped about 10 degrees. It felt absolutely wonderful but I was confused. Shouldn't the water be warmer in the shallow part? Whatever, it felt good on my face and hands. I made the first turn and was disgusted by the number of athletes cutting the course. This was way worse than in 2009 or 2007 when I only noticed it on the second loop. Dear North American Sports - PLEASE do something about this! There has to be a way to make these swimmers STOP CUTTING the last buoy! The buoys are supposed to be on your LEFT throughout the swim. Where the hell are all these people going? Make the second turn and I see the coolest looking jellyfish! Well, it was just like the pictures you see - it was awesome. It was deep enough that I didn't worry too much and I was excited as this was only my second jellyfish sighting in my life. Then I looked up and they were EVERYWHERE! I had to dodge a few, but most were deep enough that they weren't an issue. I tried not to think about them too much. I was too busy wishing the guy drafting off me would quit hitting my feet. I kicked hard a few times, just to let him know he was agitating me, but he hit me regularly. As it got shallow, the water got cold again. We get to the end of the first loop and I hear him laugh behind me. As I got up to start running across the timing mat, I turned to him and told him it was his turn to take the lead. He stopped laughing. Heard some cheers for me and wondered how the hell people recognized me with a wetsuit, cap and goggles on!

Second loop was uneventful - more jellyfish, same temperature change, same thing with athletes cutting the last buoy (come on guys, you know you have to go to the RED buoy before you make the turn!!), but no drafter on this loop. Yay. As I get to the end, I hear more cheers and try to muster a smile as I ran across the mat. I ran under the showers, splashed some fresh water on my face and ran to T1. The calves DO NOT LIKE running in sand, but thankfully, that pulling sensation went away as soon as I hit solid ground.
I found my bag before the volunteers (I do go over this the day before as you never know if a volunteer will even be there or not) and it felt like an eternity before I hit the changing area. I sat down and had about 4 volunteers helping me. It wasn't until after I pulled on a jersey and started putting armwarmers on that I realized one of those volunteers was Barbara Shoemaker! I said Hi to her, but she didn't respond. Weird. They helped me put the armwarmers and gloves on. I had toe covers with handwarmers tucked underneath on my shoes - did I mention I don't like to be cold? I put on the helmet, grabbed my sunglasses and though the transition was a little slow, I was now prepared for the chilly conditions.

The volunteers hindered me more than helped me get by bike, I was positioned right near the bike exit and by the time I got there, there were not 1, not2, but THREE volunteers standing IN THE AISLE where my bike was. I yelled "excuse me!" and went to grab my bike. I sorta had to push through them. As I got my bike off the rack, there was another volunteer directly across from me, with a bike pulled off the rack blocking the aisle asking, "whose bike is this?" I had to yell again, "excuse me!" to get him to move so I could get out. UGH. I got out on the course and the frustration left.

Wow. Ccccccooooooolllllldddd! I was so happy I put on the extra shirt, gloves and armwarmers. I was very chilly. Now I hear a noise. It was in rhythym with my pedaling, I slowed, the noise slowed. I went faster, so did the noise. What the??? Damn...the sticker I used to cover the hole in my disc was flapping. Crap. OK, it's just gonna fall off sooner or later. But ridiculously annoying in the meantime! I rode conservatively and comfortably. It was windy. Really windy. A couple times, the gusts would move me and my bike, but I am still happy with my decision to use the disc. At some point, I saw Dan and Kurt and they rode in a car alongside me for a few minutes. HUGE pick me up, thanks guys!

The first out and back section was rough - the road was really bumpy. I searched for a smooth path only to come up empty. Just after the turnaround was special needs. I didn't have anything there, so I kept riding. Then I felt something hit my leg and as I looked down, I saw the shadow of all my flat tire fixing equipment falling off my bike. Uh oh. Should I stop to pick it up? Um....I could, but...no. Forget it. Hope I don't flat! I wondered how that fell off for about 5 minutes then forgot about it. Mike Boyle came up, we chatted for a few seconds, and off he went. That was a nice distraction.

Mile 80. I feel good. Mile 90. I want this to be over. The speed was nice on the way back in. It felt good, but I still had to push. The way out was rough and I know this ride is considerably slower than the last time I rode here. I stayed true to my plan and backed off my ride a little in hopes that it left me a stronger run.

The last stretch in was RIDICULOUSLY slow! It was a straight-on headwind and the only thing that kept me sane was that I knew we were almost done with the bike. It felt like we were crawling. Then in the last mile or so, there was a bunch of sand across the road that was blowing into our faces and I held my breath and closed my eyes as the gusts blew sand everywhere. You had to see it to believe it.

I handed my bike off, easily found my run bag and ran into transition. I had 2 volunteers help me there - and they were very nice - and convinced me to take off my armwarmers. I considered taking off the bike jersey, but opted to keep it on. I also kept the gloves. I wasn't frozen, but I was far from warm. I changed shoes, put my Gu in my jersey pockets and off I went. I felt slow, but good. Saw lots of Team Tri Smart members and smiled. It's always great to see familiar faces along the course. As I hit the first mile and saw my split, I was like, "I need to slow down!" I did slow down for the next few miles and hit cruising pace. I still had my gloves on and felt comfortable. I hit the first round of Inspiration Station and someone put an awesome message in there. "M. Slikas: DO IT AGAIN" Wow. I still don't know who did that - so if it was you, please let me know! I LOVED it!! I smiled and held the pace.

On the way back toward transition/finish, I saw Team Spectate again. They were just awesome and their cheers are priceless.

The first loop was effortless. But I saw a few women pass me whom I believed to be in my age group. In my head, I was frustrated. I am out of the running. I'm in 5th place with 13 more miles to go. It got hard. I fought with myself. I smiled for the cameras, but I was hurting. My hamstrings hurt. My quads ached. I started walking aid stations. I got to the second round of Inspiration Station and the message read, "M. Slikas: HERE YOU ARE" WHO IS WRITING THESE???? They were absolutely perfect and it was the push I needed. My time was slowing, but I knew if I kept running, my time would still be respectable. I kept wanting to see more of my spectator friends. Oh, friends, you don't know how much I needed to hear your cheers!! I was in a bad place and was struggling to keep the wheels from falling off. With 2 miles to go, I heard someone yell my number and then another number...of another woman IN MY AGE GROUP! Oh hell no, NO ONE ELSE IS PASSING ME! I kicked it in. It was very painful. It was then that the calves started screaming, threatening to seize like they had in the week before IMWI. No, no, no, no...just finish. I dug deep. I saw Team Spectate and Jeff Shoemaker took what I thought was the best photo of the day.
The sun was setting. I was struggling. I needed the cheers. I was pushing. Leaving it all out there. I need to be done. I passed 3 guys in the last mile and got frustrated at the volunteer who yelled at me that I needed to go out to the second loop. He yelled at me several times that I needed to make the turn. Dude, I know where I am, leave me alone! It hurts!!! Hurry! I. NEED. TO. BE. DONE. NOW. And then...I hear, "MJ Sli..#)($#@^)& from Oakland, er, Orland Park, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!"

I sat dejected and unable to move in the finisher area. Snips was a Godsend as she waited on me and lots of other finishers. I figured I finished in 6th place in my AG and was very upset with my run. It was not where I wanted it to be. After sitting in the finisher area for over an hour, it wasn't until I got home to the condo to look at the computer and see the results. MJ Slikas - 3rd. WHAT??! That means those women that passed me were on their FIRST LOOP of the run! DAMN myself for letting that get in my head. This sport is definitely mental.

I now have a date in Kona in October 2012. I guess I'm not taking a break from the Ironman distance just yet....

Ironman Wisconsin 2011 - the race that (almost) never was

2011-09-13T17:31:00.004-05:00

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so I’ll give a quick update. I took the entire month of July off from racing to prepare for Ironman Wisconsin. I reluctantly signed up for Steelhead in the middle of August and had a good race, despite the fact that the swim was cancelled. And then it all started.

Two days after Steelhead, I was out on a very leisurely bike ride on a trail and took a hard fall when my front wheel hit a thick branch that was hidden between the shade and leaves on the trail. I first thought it was my elbow that was going to give me problems, but on the drive home from that ride, I knew my shoulder took the brunt of the fall. I went to the emergency room where they confirmed nothing was broken. I was told I needed to be in a sling for 2 weeks with no activity. I was able to ride indoors the next day and pushed my luck in the pool two days later. It was extremely painful but I figured I’d have time to work it out before Wisconsin.

That weekend, I had 100 mile ride on the schedule. My elbow was still really chewed up and I had a hard time in the aerobars between the road rash on the elbow and the pain in my shoulder with any pressure. I was able to finish the ride but the next day, I felt the top of my calves, just below my knee, were really tight. I wondered if the weird position on the bike that day worked muscles in a way they didn’t like. I continued on with my regular training, all rides and runs going well and each time I went to the pool, there was a little less pain. I knew I was compensating for the shoulder and my pull was a bit off, but I was confident I could still swim the 2.4 miles.

The calves remained tight, but nothing I would really complain about. In fact, my longest run went well, holding splits exactly as planned. My last long ride went very well and then it was time to taper! I went out for what was supposed to be an 8 mile run, my last “long” run before the race…7 days away. I was very uncomfortable starting out, the calves felt like rubber bands that had been stretched to the max. I figured they’d just warm up and I’d be OK…it was only 8 miles, anyway. Just before the 2 mile mark, it happened. My calf muscle pulled so hard, it caused me to fall. I couldn’t extend my leg. I couldn’t put any pressure on it. I couldn’t walk. I stood there, leaning on the good leg, dumbfounded. WTF. I can’t run. After trying to compose myself for a few minutes, I painfully limped back to my car on pace for about 18 minutes/mile. What do I do now?

I drove to Accelerated to see if Gina (my physical therapist) was at her office and maybe her or someone in her office could work on me or at least tell me what I need to do! I have 7 days to get this calf thing to go away. Unfortunately, being Saturday morning, no one was there. I went home and packed on the ice. I compressed. I rested. I elevated. I used the stick. I took ibuprophen. I iced. Two days later, I took 3 steps in a running fashion and felt the pull again, although not to the same magnitude. What am I going to do??? I rested. I iced. I compressed. I started to be able to walk without a limp in a couple days, but the calf was still very tight and tender. I wouldn’t know until race day whether I could run or not.

Thursday morning, 9:45 am. BC was going to pick me up to head to Madison. Me, scrambling at the last minute, hurried down the stairs and took a long step with my left leg and – BAM! Calf pulled so tight, it seized and I fell down the rest of the stairs and rolled on the ground screaming with pain. I cried as I called BC to tell him the bad news. I wasn’t going to be able to race. Don’t come and pick me up, I can’t even walk. Being the voice of reason that he is, Bernie (BC) said he wanted to come over. We sat for a few minutes and talked. I could still go swim and bike and just not run. I could go and spectate as lots of tri club members were participating. And best of all, we knew Gina would be up there and maybe could do some work on the calf and I could get some much needed help.

I packed in 10 minutes (seriously, I packed for the Ironman in 10 minutes) and we got in the car. I already felt bad that I had us over an hour behind schedule. I texted Gina to ask her to please hang out at her ART tent, I was on the way and needed to see her badly. Bernie drove as close as he could get to her tent and dropped me off. I hobbled over to her and explained what happened. Within seconds, I was on a table and she was digging into the calf. If any of you have ever had the opportunity to be worked on by Gina, you know what I mean when I say OOOWWWW!!! But I knew I had to do something – if this pain would make it better, I’ll take it.

I thanked her and limped away, but it did feel a little better. I went and got some heat wraps, threw my compression socks on and hoped for the best. The next day, I went first thing to see Gina. Though the pain was still very evident, it had moved. It went lower into the calf, which is a GOOD thing! I was hopeful – I could walk almost normal. BC and I did our ride and hung out downtown so I could see Gina one more time that day. I started calculating - if I could walk 18 min/miles for the marathon, I could finish. But do I really want to walk 18 miles? I’ve already proven I can do an Ironman and I have another one coming up. Maybe I should just use this as a training day. Bag the run and get out there and cheer on my friends and tri club members. It would be a race day call.

Two more treatments with Gina on Saturday and that was all I could do. I was walking just a little better each day, but once in a while, I would do something with the calf that it didn’t like and it would remind me that I still needed to be careful. I tried running in the hallway in the hotel but it didn’t work. This was a different pain – the pain in the upper calf hurt really bad, but was continuous. Now, with the pain moving down in the muscle, the pain was sharp and sudden, but as soon as I relaxed the calf muscle, it didn’t hurt anymore. I spent a lot of time walking around, stretching, trying to figure out exactly what movement it was that the calf would freak out on me. I didn’t want to make that movement!

Race morning. Smooth and pretty relaxed. Still not sure if I would run, walk, DNF, or what. I’ll decide after the bike. After all, with the hills, I wasn’t sure how the calf would handle the climbs on the bike. Just take it one discipline at a time. I stood in waist-deep water for the start. The guy on my left was nervously chatting to me and I was trying not to pay attention. Then he shrieked, “Oh my God, my goggles just broke!” I looked and they didn’t break, but the rubber gasket had come off one of the lenses. He was now muttering, “Oh no. My goggles! What am I going to do? OH NO!” I told him to calm down and I was actually quite nice about it! I had him hold one side of the gasket and I pulled the other one back into place. I then told him to put them on and go under to make sure they weren’t leaking. They were fine. He was grateful. I asked, “First one?” “YES!” he replied. No kidding.

The gun went off without a countdown, which bugged me a little. We were off and it was a very gentle start of the day for< me. Unfortunately, I forgot that I hurt my shoulder and tried going into my normal swim stroke. It hurt to try and pull hard so I needed to make the adjustment so I could swim without feeling anything in my shoulder. First loop, no problems, but I’m a little bored. I just tried to enjoy the swim and flexed my feet every now and then to make sure the calf muscles wouldn’t cramp up. I never did find a good draft, though I did get into a slight altercation in the water. I was swimming parallel to the shore (if there’s one thing I’m pretty good at, it’s swimming in a straight line) and I see a guy in front of me swimming out toward the middle of the lake. We’re going to crash if I don’t do something so I stuttered my stroke and my arm ended up pushing a little on his thighs as I swam over him toward the buoy. Apparently, he felt this pass, looked to see he was swimming the wrong way and decided to change direction. Now he started smacking me on my right and I am not going to race him for the spot, so I now stutter my stroke again, roll over on my back where he’s under me and then back on my stomach so I’m pretty much still in the same spot I started in. The guy stops, turns around and starts yelling at me. I just told him maybe he should swim in a straight line. Yep, then I got mad and swam away from him so he couldn’t draft off me. Too long of a day to let something so stupid get to me.

I get out of the water, pretty slow swim, and try to run to the wetsuit strippers. Calf does not like the running, so I walk. Strippers take way too long with the wetsuit, they seemed very timid! I yanked the wetsuit off my ankles and got up on my own. Tried running again, but no go. Here we go to walk up the helix – embarrassing as there are a TON of spectators lining the helix! I walk without looking at any of the spectators in the face. I get to flat ground and try gingerly running easy. Not too bad! Right away, I see Maxine and I’m happy to see a familiar face! She takes the bag out of my hand and pulls everything out to help me get ready for the bike. Gina also walks over to see how I’m doing. Calves are OK so far! Here we go!

I carried my bike shoes out to the bike itself. Running on the cleats would really screw up the calf, so I didn’t really hurry. I get to my bike, put the shoes on and off I go! I was surprised I was not cold at all at the start of the ride. It might get kind of hot out here if I’m not cold now! I really dislike the out and back part of this course. Going on the trail where there is a no passing zone isn’t fun and sort of kills any rhythym you might have. Going through this empty parking lot also feels very random. But once out on the course, it’s all you and your head. My bike sure was making a lot of noise today. Weird, because it wasn’t making ANY noise on Friday’s ride! I didn’t realize there are a few hills before you even get to the loops, which we’ve practiced a lot in the last few years. I enjoyed getting to the loops because I’ve ridden the course so much, I felt like I knew every turn and pothole and I was prepared for what was up next.

I was having a good ride and feeling pretty comfortable. The noisy bike was really starting to bug me and I knew people passing me were like, “What the hell is wrong with that bike?” It was so LOUD! At the start of the second loop, the calves were tightening. I couldn’t put the power to the pedals as I’m used to, but I just tried to stay out of the pain zone. Now the bike wouldn’t let me into the smallest cog in back and I was definitely having some shifting issues. I hoped for 2 things: 1)Please let me finish this ride and 2)Please tell me I’m not ruining this bike. I heard some shearing noise at one point and knew whatever was going on wasn’t good. Just finish the ride. We’re on the home stretch!

I was able to get in off the bike and stopped thinking about it. Now all I could think was, “Should I even try to walk this? Run??” I took off the bike gear, switched to running shoes, put my visor on and Gina was right there. I asked if she had time for me. I grabbed a quick drink of water and hopped up on her table where she stretched out the calves. YOWSA, some of it hurt, but I knew I needed it. She finished and I sat there for a second and asked, “Do you think if I run, I will do further damage and hurt myself more?” She answered with a no and that’s all I needed to hear.

I gingerly jogged out of transition, being passed left and right, but still moving
forward. I was caught by Brian C. before mile 1. We shared a quick couple of words and I watched him run away and I tried to go faster. The calf just wasn’t having it. OK, I’m at mile 1…that didn’t take 18 minutes. As long as the pain doesn’t get much worse, I can finish this thing! I’m not going to go into all the details or thoughts that went through my head because that would take too long. But I would run and every 20-30 steps or so, the calf would pull in a way it didn’t like and I’d yell, “OW!” There was always someone there going, “Are you ok?” “Yeah, just hurt, I’m fine.” And I’d keep going. As I mentioned, the pain would be sudden and sharp, and I tried not yelling out, but sometimes, it was just a reflex! I pretty much did a run/walk and saw lots of friends out there – both racing and spectating. I walked a little with BC, just enough to get him going again. I tried to keep up, but it wasn’t happening.

I got to mile 18 and was starting to hurt now. I almost started crying as I thought about walking the 8 remaining miles. I took more ibuprofen and decided, it hurt whether I walked or ran. It did hurt more when I ran harder, but I’m now getting cold and I just want to be done. I started to think about the events leading up to this race – falling off the bike and worrying about the shoulder. Then the calf. And then – just 3 days ago, I COULD NOT WALK. I ran the last half mile without stopping to walk. I couldn’t believe it. There is no way I should have finished this race. Finishing an Ironman requires the physical strength, sure. But without the mental toughness, I wouldn’t have finished on this day.

Thank you to Bernie for convincing me to go up to Madison.

Thank you to Gina for taking good care of me and getting my calf as good as it could have gotten before race day.

Without you two, Ironman Wisconsin 2011 would not have happened for me.

Steelhead Race Report

2011-08-15T16:19:00.007-05:00

My first 70.3 really wasn't even a 70.3! Yes, of course I've done other Half Ironman races, but this year's Steelhead Triathlon was technically my first "70.3". In the last few years, I've purposely chosen races that were NOT "70.3". But this isn't the post for that, I'll get to that another day.

On Saturday, after we did our training ride, we were on our way to drop off the bikes in transition when a storm rolled in. The winds picked up, stuff started blowing all over the place and my short little Kestrel was just hanging on the rack,
too small to reach the pavement. With the wind, I knew it wouldn't stay up there, so I opted to bring the bike back to the hotel and bring it in the morning. After all, rack space was pre-assigned, so I figured I'd be good. The wind was blowing the sand so strongly as we made our way back to the car, it felt like we were getting a microderm abrasion treatment! Unfortunately, all that sand stuck to my legs and some got in my mouth. Ick.

Dinner took too long that night, but we were still back at the hotel at a decent time and went to sleep pretty early. Of course, nerves won't let me sleep in and I woke up before the alarm. I quickly gathered my things and we were some of the first people showing up to the parking lot. A long walk with the bikes to transition and before we make it to body marking we learn the swim has officially been cancelled. WHAT? You're kidding. It's not a "triathlon" without the swim! The news disappoints me and sucks some of my motivation to really try to RACE. I decide that if my training buddy decides, forget it, let's skip this and go home, I'll go. It's dark, cloudy, very windy and I don't even get to do my favorite part of the race. We get body marked (what a cluster!) and head into transition. I just threw my stuff down and wondered what to do. Now we were WAY early and they were not even closing transition.

Now the race is a time trial bike start (3 seconds between competitor) and then the run. No 70.3 here. Oh, but the Age Group winners still get slots to the 70.3 Championships. Doesn't seem fair. So if you're a really crappy swimmer but are good at the bike and run and want to get to the championships, go enter a 70.3 that might have the swim cancelled. There's your chance! And that's yet ANOTHER blog post...I digress.

As the sun came up and I saw the water, sure, it was a bit wavy. Didn't look too bad, but I guess they can't take the risk. I get that. Still disappointed, but I get it. So now how do I focus on trying to make this a good race? And at the very least, a solid training day. We headed out for a warm up run that really wasn't good or long enough because of all the people milling about. I didn't feel it would help one way or another, but it was a way to pass time.

I put on my bike shoes, helmet and must've changed my sunglasses 4-5 times. Is it sunny? No, too cloudy. Will it get sunny? Should I use the dark lenses? No, the orange ones. Wait, no, too dark, ok get the clear ones. Wait, here comes the sun, get the dark lenses out again. It was super windy and all I had was my disc wheel. I didn't even bring the other one. Oops. I'll just deal with it. We waited as they started the age groupers off every 3 seconds. Made some friends with the other ladies whose numbers were around mine. Saw lots of friends while waiting.

Off we go - anti-climactic start with no spectators, but what can you do? I ride for about 10 minutes before I try to find my groove. Within the first 15-20 minutes I realize I'm riding way too fast. This is not where I should be. I'm breathing too hard. My legs are working too hard. Oh, but in the back of my mind I am thinking about all the time I have to make up for there being no swim! If I could just make up those minutes on the bike...wait, what am I thinking? That's so silly! But at this point, this race doesn't mean much, so let's just see how much it takes to blow MJ up. Let's keep this pace and see if I can hang on for the run. If I can't, I don't lose anything anyway...

So I fight for every mph I can get. Every time I felt myself starting to coast I looked at the clock and tried to figure out how much further ahead I was of my predicted (SMART) time. I wondered if I was digging myself into a hole that I would regret being in on the back half of the run... I was glad I had armwarmers and toe covers on. It was chilly. I had to remind myself to drink. I just wasn't thirsty. The winds whipped my bike around a couple of times, but overall, the disc was a good decision for the day. Due to the time trial start, I witnessed very little drafting, if at all. Then again, I saw no officials, so it wouldn't have mattered.

Mile 36 of the ride and I see my favorite abandoned RV and think of the training day we had out there. I had to smile. It was one of those rides you'll never forget. And wonder what possessed you to continue riding in those ridiculous conditions. Back on to M63, the final stretch of the bike, and I poured it on. It is my favorite part of the ride. I counted the minutes and we had a sweet tailwind that made this last section really fun! At the end of the ride, there was a sharp turn
into the park...WAIT! ON TO THE SIDEWALK? WTF! NO! This sucks! It was narrow, you couldn't pass anyone, the banners were blowing across the very narrow sidewalk that was actually the course, the turns were too sharp to maintain any sort of speed. Oh, yeah, I did not like the finish to the ride.

Once in transition, it was THE LONGEST TRANSITION EVER! Ugh, I got tired of running with my bike! I quickly whipped off my helmet and armwarmers, switched shoes and grabbed my hat, gels and visor and took off. OK...let's see how the legs hold up! Right away, I was chilly. My toes were numb from the ride - yeah, I know it wasn't that cold, that's just what happens to me! They warmed up by mile 3. Running along, a decent hill at the first turn...had a woman pass me with "52" on her calf. 52? WOW, lady, you're fast for an old chick...I know I was running sub 8s and she flew by me! Then I saw her other leg. Um, 52 was her PRO race number, not her age. Duh. No wonder why she was so fast! :)

Since the run was 2 loops, I didn't see a whole lot of our teammates. I started pretty early and I tried to pick up the second loop of the run when I was told there was a certain someone about 5 minutes ahead of me. Can I do it? I pushed. We went through the Whirlpool campus - a small, narrow path. First time through, piece of cake. Second time?? WAY TOO MANY people and tough to pass. Some people were trying to run 3 abreast. Really? I hate pushing past people like that, but I shouldn't be expected to slow down for that, either. I took in water at every aid station and most of it was consumed. I did miss a few gulps.

A big motivator was the Team Tri Smart Team Spectate! These are the cheering fans of Team Tri Smart and can be spotted with the bright, red shirts. Every time I saw a solid, red shirt, I looked. It was a huge boost to see these guys out there, cheering us on. On my second pass, I
pushed. I caught up to the only female who passed me on the bike. It felt good, though because she started behind me, I knew she was still beating me. I didn't stop to wave to the peeps, I just focused. I wanted to see what I had left. It started to hurt. I knew I had about a mile left. Just a mile. I kept telling myself it was less than 10 minutes, just keep pushing!

I ended up NOT catching my rabbit, but I had him in my sights! I was able to meet up with him in the finish chute and we had a little post race celebratory water together. We both overextended those bike rides and paid for it a bit on the run, but it was fun. And I STILL haven't done a "70.3"....

Did I really do that?

2011-07-29T14:57:00.004-05:00

In looking back at the last week, I've done some pretty silly things. All to "get the training in." I sometimes wonder if being dedicated to triathlon is dangerous to your health, and my answer for the past week was: yes.

1. Last Thursday: Needed to get a semi-long run in. In order to not have to do this alone, I waited for my friends to be able to join me. It was to start at 3:30pm. It was 98 degrees outside with a heat index of 115. Not smart.

2. Last Sunday: Need to do my long ride. Forecast shows 60% chance of showers, but clearing up fast. Temperature was warm enough, what the heck? 30 minutes into the ride, we see that we are riding into a huge dark cloud. We didn't turn around. Lightening, thunder then pouring rain. We pulled off the road into a ditch under a tree. Still getting poured on and, unprotected from the winds, became cold quickly. We waited over an hour for a guy with a pickup truck who gave us a ride back to the cars.

3. Wednesday: Need to get in a semi-long ride. Forecast shows 30% chance of thunderstorms, but not until 2pm. We'll be done long before this. 20 miles into the 56 mile ride, it starts raining. We keep going. Lightening. We keep going. Rain comes down so hard, can't see the road, glasses fog up and no brakes. We still have 20 miles to go. We pull over into an abandoned garage where we waited for over 90 minutes until the rain stopped. Hands and feet numb, absolutely freezing, we get back on the road to finish the 20 miles.

Thankfully, no accidents or incidents to report, but really not smart training. I wonder why I sometimes think a workout is more important than the safe thing do to. It's easy to know what's right and smart and sometimes hard to do it.

Character Building

2011-06-23T08:41:00.002-05:00

We’ve waited long enough here in Chicago for summer to arrive. I planned for a long ride yesterday and there was little to nothing that could stop me. We’ve had record setting rain in the last 4-6 weeks (and the mosquitoes to prove it!) and have already had to cancel several rides. So when I looked at the hourly weather forecast for the day and saw 70 degrees throughout the day with maybe one hour of storms, I was excited to be able to pack up the bike and ride.
I forgot to look at one thing. The wind prediction. Though they were calling for 14 mile per hour winds, there were definitely gusts that had to go much higher than that. I couldn’t hear anything but the wind whipping in my ears for the first half of the ride. And then the rain started. Thankfully it wasn’t a pouring rain, but one of those misty-type rains that covers your glasses and you really can’t see anything. I wanted to take them off, but it was so windy, I would for sure lose one of my contact lenses! So I pushed on, telling myself this was stupid, why the heck am I even out here?

Once I got to the halfway point, I realized – if that wind didn’t shift, it would be a sweet ride home! And that it was – my computer wasn’t calculating speed for me yesterday, but I know it was fast because I was able to get in about 25 miles in 60 minutes. Hot damn! Now that’s what you call a tailwind!

I’m happy to have pushed through it. I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in such windy conditions. Maybe Kona, but it was hot there – with only 70 degrees, rain and wind make it really chilly and cold isn’t exactly my friend. Happy to have it done. VERY HAPPY with my new ride! And now to schedule the next one….

TTT

2011-05-25T18:47:00.004-05:00

Is Triple T harder than Ironman? I say no. However, I guess it's how you decide to play it. I went into the weekend not really knowing what to expect - except that I would NOT redline any of the events. First, I was in no way trained well enough. Second, who knows how the body will respond by doing a super sprint one day, two Olympics the next day and a half Ironman the third day? I didn't want to spend the next couple of weeks recovering from this. So let's do it.

Arrive around 2:15pm on Friday - first race is at 5pm. Find out assigned race jersey (which is required for all events) is too small. Go figure. Hustle to room and scrounge for food. No time to leave and get food, just eat some of the snacks we brought for the ride. Can't find parking near event. Circle around and go back to hotel, switch all gear to a backpack and ride down to race with all gear in tow.

I'm number 58 - how did I get here? Oh, they seeded you by your fastest Half Ironman time (now I wish I sandbagged that time). Don't even have time for a warm up swim, besides, I heard the water is pretty cold. Off we go - time trial start, by 2s, 3 seconds apart. I meet the nicest guy who I'd start with all weekend - Chris from Canada. One of the nicest guys I've ever met. Get in the water, hyperventilate for about 75 yards, then settle into a flow. Turn around - oh, it's time to get out. Only 250 yard swim. Really? On to bike - keeping HR low - up a hill. Slow. Manage watts - wait...PowerTap goes blank. Are you kidding me? Who cares, it's only 5 miles. Back to transition, out on the run. HR feeling high. How long is just ONE MILE, anyway? Damn, feels long. Finish. Some food provided at end of race. Normally, I wouldn't touch it, but I was starving. One done. Three to go.

Back to hotel, shower, discuss the day - head out for food. There is absolutely NO CELL SERVICE in the area. No email, no calls, no texts. Weird. Drive around for about 30 minutes before finding a pizza buffet. Cheap. Eat, go back and prepare for the next day. First race - regular Olympic distance. First climb on the bike about a 14% grade. Yay. Pace yourself. Went about the pace I felt I could do all day. Goal was to get both Olympic races the same time. FREEZING out of the swim on the bike. Wished we were riding in some sunshine. Wished I put arm warmers on. Run OK, nothing great. Hilly ride and run.

Go back to hotel, shower, wash jersey and hope it dries before next race @ 3pm. Athletes are pretty low-key....arriving to transition very close to race start. Different type of feeling to this event, hard to describe. Take a nap. Shovel in some food and head down for an Olympic that is Bike-Swim-Run. Heard nasty stories of people getting off bikes and jumping into the 58 degree water and cramping up. I'm just gonna chill. Did the bike - challenging, but not as bad as the morning course. Ripped my wetsuit putting it on but NO WAY was I getting in that water without one. Felt refreshing, but my chafing from the run earlier in the day stung. Stung bad. I know I screamed. Passed LOTS of dudes in the water. Made me smile. Out on the run, all those dudes got me back. :( Tried to hold same pace as the morning. Couldn't do it. HOT! Not used to the high temperatures.

Showered again, ate in the room. Had to pay for internet service. Packed up all my stuff since they wouldn't give us a late enough checkout to shower after race. Went to bed pretty early.

On Half Ironman day, I decided to start later. In case you haven't had this experience, being a strong swimmer, decent biker and mediocre runner can be pretty taxing in the mental department. People pass you all day long. Somewhere during the weekend, I decided that passing someone in the swim is not as satisfying as passing them in the bike or run. Just isn't. Swim felt great. Love the time trial start, no thrashing arms and legs to be scared of. Just the ice cold water and my rhythym. Felt nice.

Out on the bike. Brutal. Climbs are hard - wishing I had more gears or a compact crank. Got passed A LOT. Downhills were not better as my back wheel slipped on the first hairpin turn going downhill. I was overcautious for the rest of the ride on the downhills. I don't want to kill a season trying to decend like a fool when I really wasn't in contention for anything. Rode the brakes. A lot. Probably should replace them now.

On to the run. Very hot. SLOW. Just keep moving - only walked up hill. That's because I probably walked up some of those hills faster than I could run them! As usual, picked up my pace in the second half of my run. Not sure why, but I always have a better second half run. Maybe I need to do more brick training. One of the aid stations I had to grab a used cup and dip it in a garbage can full of water. Nasty! But I was so thirsty! It was near 90 degrees. Not complaining, I love the heat, but I needed water!! Descended my splits the last 4 miles of the run. Felt good to actually PASS some people on the run!

I felt great. Yes, my legs are pretty cashed still - but I still think it was easier to break up the 140.6 miles over 3 days than to try and to it all in one day. Especially on that course. The second loop of the bike on Sunday was mentally challenging. I didn't want to be out there anymore. But I came out to finish. And I did. Time for the next challenge.

Palos Half Marathon

2011-05-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

Was it really just a year ago that I had a really great PR at last year's Half Marathon in Palos? Feels like such a long time ago. My last "race" was Rev3 Cedar Point. And it turned out to be a pretty great race for me. Then I spent about 12 weeks in a boot. I spent even more time doing physical therapy and came back to running very, very slowly. It's harder to come back than I thought.

I had no idea how this race was going to go. I haven't put in the speed or mileage I know I should for the Half Marathon, but my entire season of racing is a bit later on this year, so I try to tell myself "I'm OK with going slower than last year." But who really wants to admit that? I paired up with an athlete whom I know is my speed and figured I'd hang on as long as I could.

The first mile was difficult with a lot of zigzagging. Then it opened up and, though the splits were OK, it felt hard. Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm only at mile 4! Is it bad to quit? I pushed on, realizing I really didn't bring enough nutrition for this run. Just as well, I had no pockets to carry it. At the turn around, it was fun to see 2 TRI SMARTers pushing each other - they were cruising and making it look effortless!

I jockeyed back and forth with one girl for probably 10 of the 13 miles. I promised myself I would try to get ahead. I had one pretty slow mile and had to dig deep to bring the pace back. I passed this girl around mile 11 and figured I had her for good. I didn't hear her feet or breathing any more. Coming up the last little hill, I got a few words of encouragement from a local Palos runner.

Down with about 400 yards to go, a spectator yelled "Almost finished, Ladies!" Ladies? Uh oh...it had to be her. Sure enough, with about 200 yards to go, she shot past me. Oh no - I can't let this happen. I tried to sprint. It didn't feel like much, but I was able to get about a half a foot step ahead of her at the finish line. HOLY COW THAT HURT! Results show me finishing one second - you got that - ONE second ahead of her. It was like we ran the entire race together! Wasn't a stellar performance, but I'll take it. Great race as always. I'll be back next year.

Introduction to Cycling

2011-04-18T12:49:00.003-05:00

INTRODUCTION TO CYCLING

Whether you are new to cycling or triathlon, or if you’re an experienced athlete just looking to improve your skills and technique on the bike, please join us for a two-part workshop designed to help you be more knowledgeable and comfortable in your cycling endeavors!

Dates:
April 27 and May 4, 2011
Location: Urban Tri Gear
210 Burr Ridge Parkway
Burr Ridge, IL 60527
Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Registration: SIGN ME UP
Cost: $45.00

This workshop will cover the following:
• Group Riding Etiquette
• Paceline riding
• Cornering
• Shifting
• Skills and Drills

Bring your bike, shoes, helmet and dress appropriately for the ride. Each workshop
will include a short informational session followed by a ride for hands on practice of the material discussed.

All participants must complete a registration and participant waiver. Registrations will be accepted on day of the workshop (cash or check only).

A FIST and BikeFit Systems Certified Fitter will be on hand to do free spot-checks during the first session for all Introduction to Cycling participants! A good bike fit is essential for strong riding performance.

LUNA Summit 2011

2011-04-08T15:05:00.007-05:00

Yet another year of Luna Summit has passed. I always head into the weekend knowing it will somehow go faster than the previous year. We headed out on Thursday afternoon and arrived to the hotel expecting to be in separate rooms. But we arrived to find out the 3 Chicago Triathlon LUNAs were all in one room! Unfortunately, it was an extremely small room – just one bed and a cot. I had no idea how we were going to fit all 3 of us and the bikes we had rented in this room. Good thing we wouldn’t be spending much time in this room!

For dinner on Thursday night, we ventured out to find the same little restaurant we ate at last year – only to find out it wasn’t really the same restaurant! We walked a while to another place we thought might suit our needs – we walked about 15 minutes and the place was perfect. The atmosphere, the food, all just what we were looking for! After a quick dinner, it was back to the room for some much needed sleep.

Friday morning, we woke early to fit in a run before I needed to be in Leader Training all day. Uh oh. It’s dark. It’s 5:30am. We’re in a strange place where we don’t know where we’re going. When exactly is sunrise? 6:32am? Considering I needed to be in the shower by 7am, we couldn’t wait that long. So we took off a little after 6am, and yes, it was still dark, but we stuck to the trail and road we knew and it was a perfect little run. Not as far as I would have liked, but better than nothing.

Leader Training was interesting. Clif headquarters had moved since the last time I was here and I was excited to see the new place. We were tucked away in just a
couple of the rooms for most of the day where we discussed the new teams, best practices, Luna products, minimum requirements for the Chix teams, the Breast Cancer Fund, and one of our sponsors, Ahnu. Then my teammates showed up and we took a tour of the new facility. As expected, it was incredible.

We finished the night with dinner at Clif headquarters, an overview of the Breast Cancer Fund and a quick introduction to the pro team and it was back to the hotel for us. The next day was a big one for us, so we went to sleep pretty quickly.
Saturday was individual sport training. So all the tri teams were off to swim in the bay and do a quick run along the ocean. This year was much warmer than last,
but still really pretty cold. Many of the LUNA Chix were freezing by the time they got out of the water. We did a very short run and were hustled off back to the hotel where we scarfed down a quick box lunch and took showers to clean off and warm up for our afternoon seminars.

The first 2 seminars were on nutrition. Then there was a road bike handling skills session with a coupl3 of the Luna pros. Quick break and then on to the Breast Cancer Fund talk and another presentation on LunaFest. Not much time before dinner and then we had the option of heading out to do some shopping of the Luna Sport line.
Now the weekend was almost over and on Sunday morning was the “epic” road ride. We were told it was a challenging ride, but I’m still not sure I got what I expected. It was tough. California has hills that we in the Midwest are not used to. A couple sections of 45 minutes of climbing. I haven’t been outside on a bike in 6 months! Though I looked completely overdressed, I have to say I was glad I brought every stitch of clothing I did because the steep descents were VERY CHILLY! I was impressed with the riding of the other Lunas and this was now by far my favorite part of the weekend. It was tough, but some of the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. And we’re still about a month away from decent outdoor riding in Chicago.

The rest of the day was basically grabbing another quick box lunch, which my roommates were kind enough to grab for me before there were none left (THANK YOU!!). A shower, a few minutes just sitting around and off to the airport to head back home. It always goes so fast.

I’m excited to have met some of the new awesome teams with the LUNA program this year. It’s refreshing to talk with new LUNAS and try to help prevent them from making the same mistakes we did as a first-year LUNA Chix team. I’ve given a lot of time and effort to this program, but I also think I’ve received more in return. As the saying goes, “you get out what you put in”. Our team has gone through LOTS of new members. Some teammates have been outstanding, others not so much. But I do think that this program gives back so much more if you really are in it for the right reasons and you do your part as a team member. I’m excited to see what spectacular things this team achieves in 2011. We have lots of returning team members, but we also have first-year members – the perfect combination for a successful year!

Beginner Triathlete Training Program!

2011-03-15T13:55:00.005-05:00

BEGINNER TRIATHLETE TRAINING PROGRAM

Tri Smart Coaching's 12 week Beginner Triathlete Training Program will teach you all the basic skills of triathlon and how to put them all together on race day. Program will run from Monday, March 21, 2011 through Friday, June 10, 2011. Participants will meet 3 times per week for group training and will be given a daily schedule detailing suggested workouts to achieve your race day goals.

The Tri Smart Beginner Triathlete Program includes:

Swim, bike, run technique clinics, core-strength and flexibility workshops

Informational discussions on training, race day nutrition, injury prevention and brick training

Demonstrations on transitions and open water swimming technique

Technical training shirt, Tri Smart water bottle, nutrition samples and 15% off all purchases at Runner's Soul for the duration of the program

Program Details:

MONDAY Run - 6:00pm @ Runner's Soul in LaGrange

WEDNESDAY Ride - 6:00pm @ Runner's Soul in LaGrange (Lectures on Wed evenings until warm enough to ride outdoors (Approx May 4), then rides will meet @ 6:00pm @ Urban Tri Gear in Burr Ridge

FRIDAY Swim - 5:30am @ The CORE in Lemont

COST - $249 for the entire triathlon training program. Price DOES NOT include entry fee for triathlon. To register, visit Runner's Soul in LaGrange or email info@trismartcoaching.com.

First Long Run

2011-02-20T06:04:00.003-06:00

Can you really call 6 miles a "long" run? Well for me, you can. It's been a very long time since I've been able to run well. I did 9 miles in early November then had a boot put on. The boot came off some time in January and I've done a few small runs here and there - starting with 10 min, 15 min, 20 min, etc. In fact, I think when I got into running way back when, I started much faster!

I helped arrange a preview run of the Quarryman Challenge yesterday. This is a local, very hilly run that is a really nice course and a great training venue for those going to Boston. On a Saturday morning, traffic is very light and the village helps out by allowing us use of one of their community buildings so we have shelter and bathrooms before and after the run. Last year at this time, I was cranking out the full 10 miles at - at least for me - was a pretty strong pace! Yesterday was a 6 miler that I really had no idea what pace I could hold.

But it went OK. Pace wasn't nearly as quick as last year, but that's to be expected. Last year at this time, I was coming off of the Goofy Challenge and was really kinda sick of running pretty early on in the season last year. I've decided that doing a winter marathon is really a bad idea for me - unless I have a lighter triathlon schedule, those winter marathons take it out of me both mentally and physically.

I'm hurting a bit today, but glad to get out and actually RUN more than 2 miles! Who knows what that will mean for my running this season but I'm glad to finally be able to run, no matter what the pace. Someone asked me earlier this week: what discipline would you pick if you could only do one: swim, bike or run. I still cannot really answer that. I love to swim. Biking is fine, but it takes a lot of equipment and time, and running is the most social.... This is a tough one.

2011-02-13T12:48:00.004-06:00

Join TEAM TRI SMART as we run a course preview of the Quarryman Challenge this Saturday, February 19, 2011.

STARTING LOCATION - We are moving the starting location of this training run to allow us access to indoor bathrooms before the run! We will beet at Safety Village which is located at 55 Stephen Street. View map HERE.

START TIME - 7:30am Sharp! Please plan to arrive a few minutes early so we can get started right on time. Safety Village will be LOCKED while we are out running.

FREE SAMPLE - Clif Shots will be available for everyone.

T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY - There will also be a few Quarryman shirts given away. The Quarryman Challenge is a 10 mile hilly race that takes place on May 7th. To register for the race, click HERE.

COURSE MAPS - The course loops around and you are able to cut the course to 6 miles, if needed. The course is marked, but you can find a map HERE.

BREAKFAST AFTER RUN - We should be heading to breakfast around 9:30am and will be going to the Pancake Cafe, 1264 State Street, map HERE. They have a variety of breakfast specials for under $5.00. If you can't make the run, please feel free to join us for breakfast!

10,000 yards complete!

2011-01-31T08:23:00.005-06:00

Swim-A-Poolooza 2011 is in the books! That's right, yesterday, 36 swimmers did laps for 3 hours and 30 minutes, some completing 10,000 yards, some doing 7,500 yards and others doing 5,000 yards. It didn't matter your distance, we were all there challenging ourselves.

We had music, food, friends and lots of laughs. I'm sure there are more than a few sore shoulders and arms right now, but lots of milestones were met yesterday, many people not believing they could swim such a distance - all at one time - and on a set interval.

So, swimmers, take a few days off from the pool, you've earned it! And your arms and shoulders will thank you.

But be on the lookout for another Swim-A-Poolooza this year - in the summer - in an outdoor pool. I've had lots of requests on doing this event more than once a year, so if we can get the pool time and we can get the participants, I will make this happen.

Swim A Poolooza

2011-01-29T18:14:00.004-06:00

100 x 100 x 100

Yep, I said it. 100 yards 100 times every 100 seconds. In other words hundred hundreds on the 1:40. It happens every year. It's happening tomorrow. And I'm in. I'm always in. What better way to spend a Sunday morning? We have food, drinks, music, but most of all...FUN!

Yes, you get pruny. Yes, it seems monotonous. Yes, it gets a little tiring. Yes, you wonder WHY the heck you signed up to do this in the first place. Yes, you want to quit. More than once. But when it's all over, it feels good. It's a CHALLENGE. Not many people can say they've done this. And maybe they don't want to. But it's similar to Ironman in that you have to be a special kind of person to even attempt to do something that seems so crazy. You want to see what you're capable of. You want to push your limits. You want to find out just how tough you are. And when you finish - it makes it all worth it. And that's what makes us do this year after year after year.

On deck will be plenty of samples of Tri Swim shampoo, conditioner, Foggle, body lotion and body wash. I mean, after that much time (3:45 hours) in the pool, the chlorine is embedded in your skin. And hair. With Tri Swim - you don't have to go around smelling like chlorine all day.

Are you up for the challenge? Put it on your calendar - last Sunday in January 2012

30 Minutes!

2011-01-20T16:59:00.003-06:00

Dear Toe - please stop hurting now, it's been too long!

So I went for my first run in - um, I think about 10-12 weeks. It was a pleasant little run. Nice and slow, just about 25 minutes. I stopped and walked a couple times. Does the toe hurt? YES. But this is a different kind of hurt now. Like it's stiff or something. The hardest part is that I found myself compensating by trying to run on the outside of my foot so I could stay off the toe.

That was last week.

And the only one who could possibly be more upset with my lack of running recently is my adorable beast of a dog.

Before the injury, I ran with him for just some shorter runs around the neighborhood. He was still much too little and not conditioned enough to put in any more than a few miles. So I thought, "Great, I'm starting running over again, he can start with me."

I let him out in the yard to take care of his business and went to get dressed. I came back, called him, and he starts playing games. He gets close enough to the door just ALMOST enough for me to catch him. When I go to reach out to him, he runs away. Clever. So, because I am smarter, I get a treat. I try enticing him to come in the house to get the treat, but the beast knows this means he will stay in the house. No deal.

So I grab the leash and walk around to the gate so he could see we'd be going for a run. I open the gate and he runs to the back of the yard. No leash for him. Now I'm ticked and running out of time. So I figure, "OK, well, let him watch me run away and then next time I come to get him with the leash, he'll remember we used to go run together." I throw the leash down near the garage door and start to head out.

His big block head is facing my direction and his ears are up. I turn around, figuring I'll only be gone for 20 minutes or so, he'll be fine in the yard. I run a couple houses down and I hear 2 thuds. With the third thud, I hear the gate swing open and 4 puppy paws running down my driveway and out onto the street to follow me. CRAP! He doesn't come when called and now I'm scared he's going to get hit by a car or run away for ever. I left the leash at the house.

What to do? The only thing I could think of - run like a fool back into the back yard. Whaddya know, the little guy follows me right into the back yard. I am relived, but now I have no time to run. Oh, and I need to fix the gate.

New Year, New Strategy

2011-01-06T07:25:00.002-06:00

You can imagine how depressed I'd be after spending 6 weeks without running and another 6 in a boot only to find out I was told I need ANOTHER 6 weeks in the boot. I mean, seriously, I've had friends who have had foot surgery come back faster than this. I don't get it - I don't feel like I even had a real injury! And with the boot means not just no running, but there are a lot of things I've had to completely stop: stair climbing, cross country skiing, push ups, lunches, plyometrics....need I go on?

So what is there to do? Aside from a lot of time on the bike and one-legged flip turns in the pool, I've now focused on changing the diet up a bit. I am now working on the Paleo diet - well, I'm trying! I cannot believe how wierd it is to not have bread, rice, pasta, bagels, etc. And I don't think I've eaten this much meat since I even started this sport. I actually bought a WHOLE chicken the other day. It almost makes me gag thinking about it. But we'll see how this goes - I'm game to try anything once. The real test will be to see what happens to my power numbers on the bike. Last time I made a drastic change to my eating habits, I just about lost all power on the bike. This was when I went RAW for an entire 4 months. I figured 4 months was enough time to decide if that was the right diet for me. It wasn't.

So Paleo it is - for how long, who knows? I'm trying new recipes and learning what to order when I actually go out to eat. Paleo is like the "caveman" diet. Wait, caveman didn't have First Endurance? OK, I guess I'm not going to be 100% on Paleo - there are some things I just need to have! I mean, have you tried the Wild Berry yet??

Hitting it in 2011!

2010-12-16T16:38:00.003-06:00

So for the last 5 weeks or so, I've been sporting this lovely boot. Yes, I even took this boot to Mexico. I wore it while walking around, when going out to dinner and even while watching Ironman Cozumel.

I've come to like the boot, however, I've found it's not very winter-friendly. I've been sporting 2 pairs of socks every day now, particularly since we've had snow. See, it's open in the front and the snow gets all up on my toes. I already have a problem keeping my fingers and toes warm, this is like a double-whammy!

The good news is that I swam today and actually did my flip turns with BOTH feet and - HOLY COW - it did not hurt! :) I mean, I kept waiting for that little twinge, that little pang of pain I've been feeling for the last 6 months any time I put any pressure on that big toe...I got nuthin'. And I couldn't be happier.

Yes, I've still got another week and a half in the boot and another 2 weeks of physical therapy, but I'm well on my way. When I start running again, it will be a run to walk or one of those Couch to 5K type plans, but it will come back.

I've missed you, running friends...I have about 4 pairs of BRAND NEW running shoes in my closet just calling me to wear them. I am well rested and ready to go! Yes, I will be hitting it hard in 2011.

Is Yoga Tougher than Ironman?

2010-10-28T19:10:00.004-05:00

Bikram Yoga Burr Ridge

Most of you know – I’ve been sort of out-of-commission with my running since JULY! YES, JULY! So, when a friend said to me, “Hey, I’m doing this 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge, wanna join me?” I thought that might be exactly what I needed. For those of you that never heard of it, Bikram Yoga is a 90 minute session of the same 26 poses each session. Oh, and the room is 105 degrees (and I’m told it’s like 135 degrees with humidity).

What the heck, I can’t run, I know yoga is good for me – because as a triathlete, I’m quite inflexible – and, hey, it’s only 30 days. Right? Oh so not right… (sigh).

I joined my 30 day challenge at Bikram Yoga Burr Ridge. I joined my friends at 5pm on a Friday night for our first of the 30 days. It must be very quiet in the yoga studio. I have a hard time keeping quiet for 5 minutes, forget about 90 minutes! I walked in the room, sat my mat and towel down and nervously looked around. I’m hot. What the hell did I get myself into?

The first thing you do in this class is breathe. Yes, I said it. Breathe. I’m sweating. We are 60 seconds into the class and I’m sweating. I want to cry. I want to leave. I want to douse myself with water. Sweat is literally DRIPPING off my arms and I’m not eve doing anything yet. NOOO! These people are crazy. But my friends looked like everything was OK, so I tried to keep it together.

I went through the poses, trying to follow the instructor’s directions to a cue. I saw other people in the room bending themselves into pretzels and I wondered how they did that. OUCH, that pose hurts. Ok, modify. Don’t laugh out loud at my friends who can’t do the poses, either. We so looked ridiculous in this class…we have no business being here. We are IRONMEN, not yogis! But no yoga class is going to defeat me. I refuse. Need to calm the heart rate down? Breathe. Need to stop the dizziness? Breathe. Need to get your bearings from being upside down?? BREATHE!

None of us left the room during the first class, but believe me, each of us thought about it. Yoga is supposed to be “zen” and relaxing. Bikram does not do this for me. How is it possible to get your heart rate up so high when you’re really not DOING anything? I have no idea, but in each class, I felt like I was going to puke, fall over, pass out, cry….you name it, I felt it. Keep it together! No yoga class is going to defeat me! This became very much a mental challenge as much as physical. Can you endure the heat? Can you give each posture 100% of what you have that day and still do the entire class? Trust me, each and every day was a challenge. One day, I’d have a pose nailed. The very next day, I’d fall out of it. I noticed a quite distinct – one step forward, two steps back pattern throughout the 30 days.

On two of the days, I did 2 classes. Can I tell you, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS! Holy cow, I would leave the studio completely exhausted. I’d go home, take a shower and sleep for two hours. Yoga is simply stretching and some of the moves made my muscles very happy, even though I was shaking to hold the posture for the duration. But I’d leave and almost feel like I could fall asleep on the drive home. Very important to hydrate. Well, I think I hydrated more than anyone else there, and it still never felt like enough. Some people even did class with NO water. During many classes, I wondered why I didn’t bring THREE water bottles in the room with me. I almost always ran out.

And laundry. You gotta be kidding me with the laundry. My clothes were so completely soaked through after each class, it looked like I jumped in a swimming pool. On most occassions, I even sweated through my yoga mat. Yes, THROUGH the yoga mat. How the hell is that even possible?? I’d pick up my stuff and scoot out of the room quickly after each class hoping the other people wouldn’t notice the big sweat marks I left behind. I had to do laundry every 2-3 days to keep up with the clothes and towels I was going through. And since the class is 90 minutes, it takes 30-40 minutes for commute there and back, let’s just say this was a very time consuming experience.

The first few days were tough. After ab0ut 7 days, I started to look forward to going. After 15 days, I was on a mission. After 25 days, I just wanted it to be over. Please stop. Please let me get through another class. Why did I do this again? Oh yeah, free t-shirt. With each couple classes, I saw a bit of improvement – and THAT is what kept me going. The instructors all had their individual style and I learned something from each of them. I had the opportunity to go to a lot of different time slots, so I had a really great variety of instructors. Midge, Erin, Chris, Mara, The Polish Guy (can’t remember his name), and a few others – sometimes it was like a lightbulb went on when one of them would describe exactly what you were to try and achieve with the pose.

Final word? The 30 day challenge is not for everyone. A couple of my friends dropped out (JQ and LP), but I had another one (GO COURTNEY) who is close to finishing! It was awesome to do classes and get some of my friends to experience this – to Lisa, Bernie, Mel, Marisa, Chris, Tracy, Michaela and Barbara – THANK YOU for coming out to do a class or two with me. Whether you know it or not, it really helped me in each class when someone else I knew was there. I hope to do more classes with each of you. I am WAY more flexible when I started, but I’ll be honest and say – I need to take some time away from the yoga right now! Definitely something I’ll continue and I think it’s going to be a great compliment to my Ironman training. But 30 days in a row? Not really sure I am up for the challenge again.

Is yoga tougher than Ironman? No. If you can stay strong through Ironman, you can stay strong through this 30 day challenge. How strong are you?

Rev3 Cedar Point

2010-09-14T17:52:00.005-05:00

Rev3 is in it's second year of races. None of them was very close by, but being a part of Team Trakkers, I went to Cedar Point last weekend. Unfortunately, I've been struggling with Turf Toe since early July, so I've done no running since then. I DID NOT want to go do this race. I had very little expectations of myself.

It was a chilly morning, so after setting up transition, I went back to the car to keep warm and fell asleep. Woke up about 15 minutes before my wave start and hustled down the beach. Yikes! Threw on the wetsuit, said good luck to all the Tri Smart peeps and maneuvered my way to the front of the pack.

The siren went off and all the W18-44 ran - yes, ran - out into the water. It was shallow for a pretty long time and that can be exhausting for a short girl! I took my time and tried to keep the HR low. Once swimming, I was way off course - the water was pushing from the left. This was good once we made the right hand turn, it was like having a tailwind in the water! One last turn, to the right, made the water hit hard on the right side of my head. I'm glad I'm a left-side breather. :)

Into transition, I fumbled a little and almost forgot to put my helmet on before running out. It was chilly, but I didn't take the time to put on gloves or armwarmers. About 30 seconds into the ride, I wish I had! It was COLD! I think it was mid-50s at that point and no sun. At least I had toe covers on my cycling shoes.

Road was rough for the first 15 miles, but we had an incredible tailwind pushing me to about 24-25mph with little effort. I knew this was going to be an issue coming back in, so I just focused on my effort vs. mph. Caught up to my man Dennis just before the point where the Half Ironman and Ironman bike courses split. It was a nice little boost. Had several guys pass, all pretty nice about it and 2 women. The headwind on that last little section back to the park was brutal. I was going what felt like 12 mph, but the effort was there! I wondered if I should even bother trying to run this thing.

Once in transition, it was nice to know most were still out on the bike. T2 felt quick and the sun was starting to come out!
But once out on the course, just about 30 steps, the toe let me know it is still unhappy with me and I considered the DNF. With just 2 words from The Saint, I pushed on. I knew there were just a few women ahead of me at this point. It wouldn't be a PR race for me, but if I could hold it together, I might not do too badly...

First couple of miles were OK. I figured it would start to hurt around mile 6. Luckily for me, it got a little warmer, which made me happy, and the run course was pretty flat and I liked it. Where I disliked all the turns in the bike, in the run, it made it a little more fun. I did more passing than I got passed and I wondered if I was dreaming. When was the wall going to hit? AH - MILE 10! OOOOWWWW! Now the toe was screaming at me to stop. But it was just 3 more miles - less than 30 minutes. I can handle this, right? Got to give BB from Team Tri Smart a little encouragement on her way out on the run and it gave me a much needed boost. Last mile winding through the park felt like FOREVER, but was worth the wait!

Down the finish chute, the scene was much like that of Hy-Vee - banners lined across the sides, big jumbotron with scenes from the ongoing race and a charismatic announcer calling names at the finish! It ended right in the park with the roller coasters, so there were spectators lined up on both sides.

One thing that deserves special mention is all the goodies that come with this race. Blue shirt and visor come in the TYR re-usable goody bag - nice medal and long-sleeved tech t-shirt at the finish. This series has some great stuff going for it, so if you missed out on Rev3 this year, it deserves consideration for 2011.

Costa Rica anyone?

Ironman Lake Placid Race Report

2010-07-30T10:04:00.010-05:00

Departed Mokena at 5am on Thursday morning for the drive to Lake Placid.

Slept in on Friday and went to check in.

Saturday, dropped off transition bags and bikes.

Saw some pretty interesting nutrition strategies.

And Ed was really excited about this race, his 2nd Ironman.

RACE DAY

Mirror Lake was warm, calm and clear as we lined up at the start. After chatting with a few competitors to make sure I was lined up properly, we listened to the national anthem and the race started with the sound of the cannon. Within seconds, I was struggling for breath and hyperventilating. As strong of a swimmer as I am, there is nothing that can prepare one for this mass chaos at the start of an ironman swim.

I fought for position and was clobbered both from the left and right - but thankfully no one was attempting to swim over me. For a few seconds I wished I could swim over to the side and quit. I can't breathe. I want out. WHY AM I DOING THIS? After about 100 yards or so, I found some open space and attempted to get my breathing and heartrate under control. I heard myself gasping for breath more than once and wondered if I was drowning. Within about 60 seconds - there was peace. A nice, open stretch of water in front of me, the mass of elbows and flailing bodies all to the left of me. I was back in control.

In the practice swim just 2 days before, I remember commenting on how Mirror Lake is probably one of the nicest lakes I ever swam in. It was a nice, relaxing start to an otherwise long, torturous day. Out of the water to cross the timing mat, I noticed I was on pace for about an hour swim. Very nice - I jumped back in the water and noticed it was now raining. The chilly raindrops hitting my arm and face as I turned to take a breath. I found the most absolutely perfect person to draft off of - I liked his line, I liked his pace and he didn't kick much! I smiled and relished the fact that I was barely working. In fact, I was thinking that I was breathing with about the same effort as I would be if I was just sitting on the couch watching television! Out of the water in a nice, solid 59 minutes. I'll take it!

Into transition, I grabbed my bag and headed to the changing tent. I took my time, put everything on comfortably and jogged to get my bike. Lots of craziness at the mount line with eager Ironman-wannabes with just a little too much gusto starting off on to a 112 mile bike course, but this is not surprising to me any more. I carefully stopped, got on my bike, hit my watch and rode off, careful to GO SLOW!

Lake Placid is the most challenging Ironman bike course I've ever done and I knew using too much energy going up those hills would cost me later. I rode stupid slow up the hills, taking my time, watching guy after guy fly by me - most of them out of the saddle. I tried to focus on myself - work my own race. It was chilly - cloudy and sprinkling rain on and off. The first big downhill was fun, but scary! At one point, I looked down and saw 45mph. That's it, I'm not looking at my computer any more.

The gusty winds caught my disc wheel a couple of times and I worried a little about being blown over! The second half of the loop is a lot of slow uphill. It's hard to put forth consistent effort - either you're riding too hard or you're flying downhill really fast. The time was going by quickly however, until about mile 90 when I realized I was about out of fuel. Then my legs started to cramp, something I've never experienced before in training or racing. My legs were seizing up and I thought I was going to fall over. I didn't bring any salt tablets - I mean, it wasn't going to be hot enough for that.

I started to think ahead of what I could do to rectify this situation if I could manage to make it off the bike. The last 10 miles or so were much slower than anticipated, but I needed to keep the cramping under control. Giving up a few minutes on the bike wouldn't be the worst decision I could make.

Off the bike and into T2, I grab my bag again and head into the changing tent. I sat down and went to take my bike shoes off and my calf seized - I screamed and the volunteers were staring at me. I felt pretty stupid. I tried to put my running shoe on, but every time I pointed my toes, the calf would cramp up and it was excruciating. I tried to hurry through and get everything else done, hoping this would pass quickly. A volunteer asked if I wanted sunscreen. What? It wasn't even sunny out. In fact, I left my sunglasses in transition - first time I've done the Ironman marathon without sunglasses.

Spent a little too much time in transition but headed out on the run careful to go slow. The first few miles are downhill and it's easy to get carried away with the pace. The toes on my right foot were numb. My left toe, where I've been dealing with Turf Toe, hurt almost immediately. So much for the cortisone shot.

The pace was on target for the first 6 miles, but my legs still hurt from the cramping and seizing up that was happening in the last 20 miles or so of the bike. So instead of being able to pick up my run pace, I had to throw some walking in. Then the toes started to thaw on my right foot and it burned! There was a section, furthest out from town, that was just beautiful. Thanks to the Comiskey family for putting up a message for me at Inspiration Station!

The entire run seemed to have hills with some of the hardest ones on the way back toward transition where all the spectators were hanging out. Some of the best volunteers I've ever experienced in a race - very nice, helpful and did their best to get you what you needed. I saw our other Team Tri Smart racers on the out and backs - mostly with smiles and still moving forward!

So not a great race for me, but definitely an experience. Now it's time to take some time off and let this turf toe recover. And think about the race plan for next year!

Tri Smart 101: Get Schooled | New Lenox, Illinois 60451 | Sunday, September 19, 2010

2010-06-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

Tri Smart 101: Get Schooled | New Lenox, Illinois 60451 | Sunday, September 19, 2010

Liberty Half Ironman Race Report

2010-06-13T23:12:00.002-05:00

As if driving about 9 hours the day before a race wasn't bad enough, we woke up to temperatures in the low 50s and rain in the forecast. I couldn't decide if I should put on armwarmers and gloves for the bike or save the time in transition and just grit it out. I set everything out in transition because I couldn't keep my teeth from chattering. I put on booties under my wetsuit too and, of course, toe covers on my bike shoes.

The swim was a bit weedy and seemed a little long, but it was easy to get out in front in my wave and I had a pretty clean swim for the duration. About 400 yards from the finish, some clown from the wave in front of me decided he'd try his hand at drafting as I went by. Here's a tip for all you wanna-be drafters: DO NOT TOUCH the person you're drafting off of. It's quite possible to have an effective draft without hitting my feet with every stroke, despite what you might think.

Once in transition, I was breathing deeply and didn't feel so cold, so I skipped the gloves and armwarmers and just hopped on my bike. Within 2 minutes, I thought about turning around. WOW - the air felt like ice and I thought about what 56 miles of this would feel like. I should turn around and get my armwarmers. Maybe put on a shirt. And jacket. And gloves. Wait, did I bring a hat? But no - at the risk of losing time and possibly screwing up my timing if I went backwards over the mat, I decided to suck it up and just ride. How bad could it be? Well - it was bad. I had goosebumps for the duration of the ride. My fingers would not work and I couldn't feel my toes. I didn't take much advantage of the downhill because the faster I went, the colder I got. This ride could not be over soon enough.

Back into transition, I couldn't work my fingers to get my bike shoes off and put my running shoes on. My toes were completely numb. I headed out and tried to figure out what pace I could hold. I started flexing my fingers, but still had trouble getting gel from my back pocket. At about mile 4, my toes started to thaw. It was around then that the rain started coming down. Are you kidding me? I'm not sweating in the slightest and the icy rain drops pelting on my arms once again brought on those goosebumps. At first it was just a drizzle. Then it came down. Cats and dogs. Well, at least it didn't rain while I was on the bike!

The rain was off and on for the remainder of the run. Hang on, can I see my breath? Yep, that's it! My pace slowed around mile 8 and my legs began to feel heavy. With a little bit of self-talk, I was able to bring those miles back down to where the first few were and continued on with that pace to the finish. With purple lips, frozen fingers, not a stitch of dry clothing anywhere and no shelter at the finish line and pouring rain, I was forced to collect my things from transition and run to the car and crank the heat. Worst weather conditions I've ever done a Half Ironman in. Aside from that, Final Stretch put on a terrific event!

Palos Half Marathon Race Report

2010-05-05T03:20:00.007-05:00

Not only was I excited about racing the Palos Half Marathon last Sunday, it was also the first "team" event for our new triathlon club, Team Tri Smart. In the week leading up to the race, I was just as excited to bring our group together for a powerful, fun kick off to the season as I was to see what I could do at this year's event.

The rain woke me up at 3:01am and I started to freak out. About racing? No - about providing gear check to the many Team Tri Smart members I had promised to could leave their belongings at our tent through the race. I needed to make sure everything stayed dry and so I started texting tri club members who I thought might have plastic tubs to keep things dry. I'm not sure how happy they were with me for that wake up call!

Thankfully, the rain subsided by 5:30am when we went to assemble the tent. Everything went smoothly and it started heating up and becoming rather humid. I scrambled to get changed and take in a bit of Pre Race from First Endurance. This stuff does not taste very good when mixed with plain water, but I'm adjusting because it's like magic! I was a little late in taking in my last bit of calories for the morning, but I tried not to worry about it. This is just a half marathon.

Plan for the day? Take it out a little slowly for the first mile. Increase speed in the second mile and settle in by mile 3 and hold it until I collapse. Not the smartest thing I've ever done, but if you never blow up, how do you know where that point is? Based on some of the long runs I've done recently, I calculated my target pace to be somewhat aggressive, but realistic if all goes well.

A quick team photo before the race kicked off took more time than one would think. The sea of red and black at the race was fun. It was Team Tri Smart all day - to the left, to the right, in front, behind. Don't slack, someone for sure will see it today! At the start, a big pack of red and black lined up between the 8 and 9 min/mile pace. It kept my mind relaxed right up until the gun went off.

Several teammates and I had our plan to run together. This lasted for about a half mile. The pace was too fast. We spread out faster than any of us expected. Mile 1 split - TOO FAST! Shoot, slow it down! We laughed and joked as people started settling into their grooves. Mile 2 - TOO FAST! OK, so much for easing into a cruising pace! But now I was there and didn't feel the need to slow down. So I didn't. I was able to hold good conversation until about mile 5 when I kept thinking how great it was going to be when we make the turnaround. Seeing all our teammates on the out and back was going to give me much needed support.

I tried getting water at each of the aid stations without actually slowing to walk. At one aid station, I dropped 4 cups of water. FOUR! Maybe I should slow down to walk next time. I was thirsty and it felt like the volunteers weren't letting go of the cup when I grabbed it...and then we both would let go at the same time and the cups went flying. I was fortunate that none of these cups landed on my shoes.

By mile 9, I'm in the hurt zone. My legs are feeling heavy and my breathing is labored. I want to let up. Why am I working so hard? Four more miles seems like an eternity and this stopped being fun several miles ago. My legs are hot, but my hands are freezing. It's humid as all get out and my shirt is sticking to me. The sunglasses I put on my head because it was threatening rain at the start have too much condensation to see out of when I tried to put them on as the sun started peeking through. Would anyone care if I started walking right now?

Mile 10 - ok, same pace. This is where it got tough. I'm not looking to get faster, but I want to be consistent. When one of my teammates, Ed, said, "Hey, let's turn on the jets at mile 11" I wanted to kick him. If I had any breath at that point, I would've started screaming at him. Jets? My legs are going to fall off. I encouraged him to move on - my pace was definitely not making him work hard enough! A little encouragement from some fans around this point was a huge help (you guys know who you are - THANK YOU!).

The last couple miles now seem like they went fast, but I do remember thinking "OK, I'll be done in about 24 minutes, OK, now it's like 10 minutes if I hold the pace," and so on... I had no kick and it felt like I could see the finish line forever before I got there. Happy with my time? You bet! Happy with not starting it out slower? Not sure - will test the plan out again at a future race.

Congratulations to the Team Tri Smart members who placed in their Age Groups. This is a competitive event and it was great to see some of the awards go out to the red and black!

Cary Half Marathon - March Madness Race Report

2010-03-23T14:02:00.007-05:00

The day before this race, I woke to frigid temperatures and pelting sleet. I thought, "No way do I want to race in these conditions tomorrow!" Fortunately, when I woke on race day, it wasn't sleet pelting, it was only rain. It was a balmy 34 degrees.

Plagued with insomnia for the last few weeks, I was up at 2:30am and tried getting a million things done. I had no idea my ride, filled with other half marathon participants, was sitting out front for about 10 minutes before I received a text asking when the heck was I coming out? Sorry, guys!

The Cary Half Marathon prides itself on being held in brutal weather. The thing about March in Chicago is just like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, "You never know what you're gonna get." Thankfully, the rain stopped before we arrived, but the wind was bone chilling. After running in Disney this year, I was ready for anything, but so very, very thankful of being able to wait inside the school until about 10 minutes before the start.

Spending the time inside, I was able to catch up with a few friends I haven't seen in a while. I remember when I first started running and triathlon, I used to go to races alone and see everyone talking to their friends and I wished I knew some people. It has come completely full circle as I didn't go more than 5 minutes before the start of this race without running into a familiar face!

The race wasn't chip timed and I was treating this as more of a training run than anything else, so there was no need to push to the front. The race has about 1000 runners, so it's a good sized group and most are pretty competitive! The gun sounded and off we went! Though I've run the race several times, I don't remember it being quite so bottlenecked for the first mile or two. We seemed to be zig zagging a bit, but the pace was still a little quicker than I expected.

Within the first two miles, I shed my long-sleeved throwaway shirt. This year, they gave the hills nicknames. I remember the first one being called "Shoe Tree Hill" and I thought it was funny. We jockeyed with this guy wearing those vibram shoes. He looked like he was running pretty gingerly along the road, so I decided to start talking to him and ask him how he liked those shoes. He said he did, but I think he said he got them after the Chicago Marathon (October) and only had about 70 miles on them - indoor. I can't imagine those shoes feel good to run in outide, but I've never tried them. And since my toes were numb from cold being all together in my sock, I know my toes would fall off in this weather if I attempted to try those things.

About mile 4, I decide to ditch my handwarmers. NO, people, I was not the one who dropped theirs in the road, I waited until an aid station before I pitched them. And yes, I still had 2 pairs of gloves on at this point. On we go, and I don't think I'm taking in enough fluid, but I don't want to take off my gloves to get the water yet I don't want the water to spill on my gloves to get them wet, so I'm skipping more aid stations than I should. By mile 6, my hands are cold and I wish I hadn't trashed those handwarmers! (you can buy a box of these at Costco for a very reasonable price!).

The hills keep coming and I remember one of them being called "10 mile hill". It was just before mile 10. Very original. The pace is now slowing a little, but overall still faster than I anticipated this run to go. I am tiring up the hills a little, but the downhills are my friend. I pass many people going downhill...the same ones that pass me going uphill. Flats seemed kinda equal, but not much passing being done this late in the race.

I remember one of the garages being painted in hot pink and brown - I don't know why it reminded me of the Brady Bunch, but the garage door is now painted all brown. I couldn't help but start singing the Brady Bunch song, "Here's a story, about a man named Brady..." Thought it would get some laughs, but I think these people were pretty tired. It was quiet on that course.

On toward the end, I give it a little sprint. Not much. If you've ever seen me sprint, you know what I mean. It was time for the race to be done. We didn't hang out more than a few minutes before heading inside to change out of the wet clothes. It became apparent just how cold it was when you were standing around after the race.
A good, solid effort to kick off the racing season!

Running and Eating

2010-03-16T15:16:00.002-05:00

Well, it seems that runners like to eat! Who knew that when we announced a Chili Cook off to take place immediately after our regularly scheduled Monday night run, we'd have a full house and more chili than I've ever seen all together in one place?

Come for the run, stay for the chili?

Luna Chix Chili Cook Off - March 15th!

2010-03-05T20:23:00.003-06:00

Chili Cook-Off

Hosted by the Chicago Triathlon Team LUNA Chix

Calling all Chili Chef’s! Come join the Chicago Triathlon Luna Chix and Runners Grove for a Chili Cook-off! We will be hosting our regular 6:30pm Monday run, followed by a Chili Cook-off! Bring your favorite prepared chili recipe on Monday, March 15th to Runners Grove to be tasted by our world-class experts! Prizes will be given to the top three chili recipes! Even if you aren’t a runner, come join us as a chili chef or chili taster for this fun-filled event!

WHEN: Monday, March 15, 2010, 6:30 pm Run, 7:30 pm Chili Tasting

WHERE: Runners Grove, 5155 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515

COST: $10.00 for Tasters ONLY, $5.00 for Tasters/Cookers.
All proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund

PLEASE RSVP to: chicagotri@teamlunachix.com or 708-466-2379.

REFRESHMENTS: The outstanding chili; drinks provided!

Keepin' it Clean

2010-03-01T05:09:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, I received a package of TriSwim products. The samples included some shampoo, conditioner, lotion and body gel. There was also a sample of Foggle - an anti-fog towelette and TriSlide - body lube (get your mind out of the gutter, it's for putting on a wetsuit!).

Though I haven't had a chance to try the TriSlide yet seeing as there isn't much going on in the way of triathlon here in the midwest this time of year, but I've been using the other products on a regular basis. Outstanding!

Like most midwesterners, the combination of chlorine and cold, dry air in the winter months leave the skin like the sahara desert - dry and cracked. The hair? Brittle straw. With a little help from these products by SBR, you can get a handle on keeping your hair skin healthy, particularly through wintertime.

For those of you who swim on the Lincoln Way Masters, you've been able to check out a few of the samples I've passed out through various workouts and, of course, our Swim-A-Poolooza, the swim endurance challenge! For those of you I don't see often, you can check here on where you can buy these great products. They work. Check them out. Stop complaining you smell like chlorine.

I kinda like the smell of chlorine...

Team Trakkers in 2010

2010-01-27T12:12:00.007-06:00

This year, I've been fortunate enough to earn a spot on Team Trakkers! For those of you unfamiliar with the Trakkers product, it's a GPS device used by athletes so their spectators can follow them online getting live updates throughout the event. One of the reasons I was interested in being a part of this team (other than being associated with some of the most talented athletes in the country!) was the complaint my friends had during my last Ironman race. Apparently the first bike split didn't come in until I was past mile 73. MILE 73! So for over half the time I was on the bike, my friends and family at home were wondering what was going on. Did I flat? Was I just having a bad day? Where the heck was I? Having a Trakkers unit on would have allowed these people to know exactly where I was and be able to predict very closely when I'd be heading back in to transition.

With this team comes a lot of prestige and other very cool, top notch sponsors! Trakkers is also associated with Rev3. In fact, if anyone is interested in participating in one of the Rev3 events, you can use this discount code to receive $10.00 off your entry: Trakkers123. I have heard fantastic reviews of the Rev3 race that took place last year. You can visit the Rev3 website for a video of highlights: Rev3

The 2010 season will be upon us soon, so now is the time to start planning which races and events you will be registering for. While I didn't plan to do 3 Ironman events in 10 weeks, that's what happened. Who knows what's on the agenda for 2010. If you have ideas/thoughts/suggestions, please share. Let's hope 2010 is as fun as 2009!

The Goofy Challenge Race Report

2010-01-13T09:23:00.007-06:00

I had no idea what I was getting myself in for when I signed up for the Goofy Challenge last January! Living in Chicago, the idea of heading to Orlando, FL for a run in January sounds like heaven. It was not to be.

Our flight was scheduled for Thursday morning. I awoke to the sound of my cell phone alerting me of a text - our flight was cancelled because of the snow storm. We were able to get on a flight later in the day! However, this flight had a layover in Ohio. The weather in Ohio was worse than it was here in Chicago and we sat on that plane on the runway for at least two hours. We finally arrived at our resort around 9pm. This means it took me longer to get to Orlando than it took for me to get to Hawaii! Go figure.

Getting to Orlando that late meant we missed the expo and packet pick up. It was very late when we got to sleep - and we lost an hour for the time change. It would not be fun getting up in the morning for the 5K on Friday. Oh well, it's only a 5K.

Hopped on a bus, got to packet pick up and everything ran smoothly. It was a chilly 41 degrees and I was concerned about the temperature. We spotted some unused porta potties, headed over there and then made our way to the corrals. It was a MESS! People squashed every which way and the corrals were not big enough to fit everyone. Athletes were pushing and shoving to try to get to corrals that wouldn't hold more people. Some were downright rude. This event wasn't even timed, so I questioned the need to move up front. They had the character from "Up" on stage and that was fun, but I had no idea what this movie was about. The race started - we ran, we laughed, we had fun, we ran through the parks and it was a blast. I tried to pace myself slow enough so I wouldn't sweat. I didn't want to be wet. The finish was uneventful with little bags with an orange, some raisins and a blueberry muffin in each.

Back to the room, shower and off to the expo. When you stay at a resort at Disney, it's convenient to use the park transportation. They took us everywhere we needed to be - no thinking required. The expo was a cluster - lots and lots of people crammed into space not meant for so many. I think many people missed the expo on Thursday due to all the flight cancellations - this made the expo a zoo. Very meticulous process to be doing the Goofy Challenge, including a separate wrist band - they want to be very sure that you meet the requirements for this challenge and that huge medal, or so I thought.

Expo took longer than expected which meant for a late lunch - which gave us little time to nap (still dragging from lack of sleep the night before) and grab some dinner. Dinner was great, back to try and sleep and I find I can't. I tossed and turned and I felt like I slept about 30 minutes before I had to get up at 3am to catch a 3:40am bus for the half marathon. It was colder than the day before. And sleeting. Oh well, it's only a half marathon.

Now they changed things up - gear check was now by alphabet vs. number (I still don't understand why they do this). Cold, windy and sleet - and no protection from the elements as we waited the almost 2 hours before the race started. We saw the fireworks marking the start of the race as we were still headed to the corrals. No rush, we weren't going for time today. I was happy to have remembered to bring hand warmers today, but wished I could do something about my freezing toes.

The run was ok, but the sleet never stopped. My feet were wet and cold before we started and never warmed up. The course gets narrow in many places and has some sharp turns. Definitely not a course to try and run fast for that would be very frustrating. It was fun to run through the parks and see the characters, but I didn't want to carry a camera for the run. Even if I did, I wouldn't have stopped for pictures for fear I would get cold. Seemed to be lots of Ironman athletes there - as marked by hats, tattoos and jackets. Yes, this is an event for the endurance athlete!

After the race, I hustled through the water/food line, through gear check, said goodbye to BC and headed for my bus. I was cold down to the core. Unfortunately, I had to wait about 30 minutes (which seemed like FOREVER) for a bus to arrive to take us back to the resort. I was just shivering and wondering how long one can shiver before something bad happens. Once on the bus, I felt better, but I couldn't wait for the shower! My feet were blue by the time I got in the shower - and the hot shower felt great!! But even after drying my hair and getting dressed, I couldn't get warm. OK, let's try some hot chocolate. Nope, still not warm. I put on another couple layers of clothes and hopped in bed with 2 blankets and the comforter over me. After about 45 minutes - I was finally warm!

This day went much more smoothly without the hassle of heading back to the expo! Lunch was more on time and we picked up dinner while we were there to make sure we could eat on our own time and get in a decent nap. This trick worked well and we even had some time to watch several episodes of Entourage!

Up again at 3am, catch the bus at 3:45am. This time, the line for the bus was LONG! I thought there were LESS participating in the marathon, but it didn't feel like it. This day was even COLDER than the previous day, but at least it was dry! I had 4 layers on and the mylar blanket from yesterday's half marathon. You got it, I was still cold. My toes were numb before the start. Got to the corrals ahead of time and was able to stand there a few minutes before the fireworks went off. Still didn't plan on running fast...let's just do this to get the bling!

The beginning of the race was the usual starting and stopping. There were a lot of garbage bags and throw away shirts/sweatshirts all over the course. I'll never understand why people don't make an effort to dump that stuff along the sides of the course! It was chilly and my handwarmers were doing the trick. I had not one, but two throwaway items - one long-sleeved t-shirt and one battered sweatshirt. At the first aid station, the water and Powerade was frozen in the cups. I was wishing they offered hot chocolate. At the second aid station, the water people were spilling on the ground was freezing and runners were wiping out all over the place. It was difficult to watch as some people went down hard. It was also very difficult to navigate around the slippery spots because you couldn't see them until you started sliding!

I took off the sweatshirt around mile 4 and then the long sleeved shirt came off around mile 7, but I was afraid to toss it. The wind would sometimes kick up and give me a chill. We made a few porta potty stops that seemed to have long lines. Maybe it was just taking people a long time to get the layers off to actually use the bathroom! By mile 10 or 11, they were finally putting sand on the ice at the aid stations and that helped tremendously. I kept taking my headband off and putting it back on, never really getting comfortable. The sun didn't come out until mile...hmmm, maybe 14 or 15 and it gave a little warmth and it felt good!

Around mile 17, my toes unthawed - and then they hurt. They hurt so bad, I considered quitting. But what the heck, it's just a marathon! By mile 19, I wanted this race to be over with. I still had the hand warmers, but they didn't seem to be working any more. I finally tossed the long-sleeved shirt figuring the sun wasn't going anywhere, I won't need it. My legs were feeling heavy - I wasn't able to get in a single 20 mile run for this marathon, so I was now going to pay for it. I tried concentrating on cadence and short, quick steps to prevent the hamstring from acting up. I was passing many people but I wasn't going very fast.

Once back in the park, lots of sharp turns, narrow pathways and lots of things to look at. At one aid station, they gave away those mini candy bars - Hershey's Krunch, Mr. Goodbar, etc. The foil wrappers were blowing all over the place and I wondered if anyone considered the mess that would leave when they passed those out! I pushed on, my legs getting really tired and my quads begging me to stop. I didn't want to slow down, I just wanted it to be over with already!

The music was blasting loudly and as I made the same turn into the finish as the 5K and Half Marathon had, I knew it was just about over. Turn the corner and you can see the Finish banner. I smiled as I thought about how close I was to taking a nice, hot shower! Though the weather was not ideal, it was a good race and I am the proud owner of the Goofy Challenge bling!

Indoor Cycling Classes!

2009-12-17T16:30:00.010-06:00

Indoor Cycling Class - December - March

Tired of riding alone in the basement on your trainer? Spin classes just not working for you?

Come join TRI SMART COACHING for Indoor Cycling classes this winter!

Each participant will need to bring a bike and trainer and fresh legs. Classes are designed on the principle of periodization and are created for triathletes and cyclists of all abilities. Attending regular classes will leave the athlete prepared to get out on the roads come spring!

Sign up HERE!

Not sure what to expect from an indoor trainer workout? Click HERE for a video on one of our latest classes! Participants of an indoor cycling class report that the time seems to fly by - so come on out and give it a try! Heart rate monitors are recommended, but not required. Team Tri Smart members receive discounted pricing!

Classes will run from December 20th through March 28th. NO CLASSES will be held on the following dates: 12/24, 12/31, 1/7, 1/10, 1/31, 3/21.

Sundays - arrive at 7:45am for set up - ride from 8:00am - 9:30am
Thursdays - arrive at 6:15pm for set up - ride from 6:30pm - 8:00pm

COST:

Full package (Pay for 20 sessions, get 3 free) - $309
Half-package (Pay for 10 sessions, get 1 free) - $154.50
Individual Session - $15.00

TEAM TRI SMART MEMBERS COST:

Full package (Pay for 20 sessions, get 3 free) - $206
Half-package (Pay for 10 sessions, get 1 free) - $103

Click HERE to register!

Ironman Florida 2009 Race Report

2009-11-14T06:08:00.019-06:00

Though it was dark when I arrived to transition in the morning for this year's Ironman Florida, the time change the prior weekend meant the sun would be up shortly. I was pretty calm as I pumped my tires, put my nutrition on my bike and double-checked where my T1 and T2 bags were located. Unlike when I did this race 2 years ago, the change area was actually inside the building. Based on where my bike was located, it made for a lot of unnecessary running back and forth, which I was not very happy about. After a quick stop at the porta potty, it was time to head to the beach.

It was chilly out. Many of the athletes were bundled up in warm-up pants, sweatshirts and some had hats on. I kept my shoes and socks on for as long as I possibly could because that sand was very cold!

The sun shining felt good as I hoped I wouldn't freeze when I got out of the water and onto the bike. I went to line up in what is now my "usual" spot at Ironman races and took a few deep breaths. I had seen a huge jellyfish prior in the week and I tried to block that out of my head and focus on the task at hand! I don't think I was quite prepared as the cannon went off and we all started running into the water.

It felt like we had to run a long time to get to water deep enough to swim in. I don't remember this from 2 years ago, but it could have been the same. I wanted to make sure I didn't get tired from trying to run through knee-deep water. The frustrating part was that the water got deep enough to start swimming, but then there was a sand bar where everyone started to get up and walk again - this was just about 30-50 yards into the water.

Once we got going, the water was very comfortable. Making the first turn, however, I noticed myself being pulled up by what felt like huge waves. We were getting rocked all over the place and I wondered how people that get seasick would handle this. I had someone draft off me the entire first loop - I just couldn't shake him or her - they continually tapped my feet every 6-8 strokes. I thought about stopping and letting that person take the lead for a while! The entire last stretch, the waves hit from the right forcing me to breath to the left the entire way. Coming out of the water at the end of the first loop, we encountered that same sandbar, deep again, then shallow - I felt like I was walking entirely too much, but it was exhausting to try and dolphin dive that whole thing! The second loop was a little easier because it had broken up a bit. However, the chop seemed to be a little bit worse. It made me wonder how windy the bike was going to be.

Out of the water, I ran through the make-shift shower and into transition. The volunteers seemed to be a bit discombobulated as they scrambled to find my bag - I yelled my number just a few times before running over and grabbing my bag myself. A quick change, I wasn't as shaky as I normally am out of the water, and I went to get my bike. Got on over to the bike exit and started riding. I was pretty surprised that there were no "packs" on this first stretch out along the ocean. Everyone complains of drafting on this course, but I was pretty much riding alone on this section, with a guy passing me here or there. It was VERY hard to contain myself - this is a very easy course to overextend early so I fought with myself to hold myself back in these early miles.

It was about an hour into the ride when I realized I WAS NOT COLD! I think the air temp was 54 when we started the race. I thought for sure I was in for some chills until I dried off and it started to warm up. I didn't even think to bring arm warmers with me, but it seems I didn't need them anyway. The ride went very well. Sure, there were a few packs of riders that came by - probably about 40-50 miles in. I also saw a huge pack of drafters when there was this little out-and-back section. Sometimes I think you just get caught up in that, sometimes I think it's done blatantly. Whatever, I'm only focusing on me. There were a lot of guys that would pass me, slow down, I'd pass, they'd go by again, etc. I just focused on my steady effort and wished I could just get away from them...they always fall back...eventually.

I enjoyed this ride. I had such a bad ride in Kona that I was a bit nervous about how this ride would go for me, but I felt great throughout. There was a section we must've had a tailwind because I was flying with minimal effort. It felt like it lasted a long time, but I was mentally preparing for the headwind we were about to face on the way back into town. Over the bridge (the only somewhat-significant hill on the course) and then a left turn. And there it was, the headwind. I didn't stress, just put my head down, tucked in and rode within my watts. Wow, the pace slowed drastically! On this section, too, I jockeyed with one guy back and forth - very frustrating. He just wouldn't go away. By now I was very uncomfortable on the seat and it was painful to stay aero, but the effort was much greater if I tried to sit up.

I rode on in, happy to be off the bike and again, confusion with the volunteers and getting bags. I ran over to get my own bag, which was a bit troublesome because there were people and bags all over the place, and into the change area. I took my time and headed out for the run. Unfortunately, almost immediately, my hamstring started to bother me. This is the same hamstring that took me out of running for about 8 months. It started acting up during Louisville and I've been playing a dangerous game ever since. It was now I realized I had a decision to make. I could push through and really try to hammer this run and possibly knock myself out for the next 6-8 months - or I could ease up, limit my damage and still put together a decent race. I argued with myself the first few miles trying to decide what to do. What would I tell my athletes? I would tell them to back off - the injury isn't worth it. And though it was tough, I did it. I started to walk.

I kept on with a run/walk for the duration of the race. I started getting cold around mile 15 but I didn't bring anything warm to put on. The sun was starting to go down and the conditions for running were ideal. I kept on with my nutrition and tried to figure out how long it was going to take me to finish. It was dark before I got to mile 20. I decided then that I was going to pick it up a little. I was ready for this race to be over. Then I ran after mile 22, skipping the last several aid stations.

All in all, it was a good race. Yes, the run was slow, but I'm OK with that. It was an end to a very good season for me. I had even considered NOT doing this race simply because I was tired and my head was no longer in the game. I don't recommend 3 Ironman events in 10 weeks. I don't think it's good for you body and I know it's not good for the head! It wasn't planned that way, it's just how it happened. It will likely never happen again, but if it does - I'll handle it better next time.

Ironman World Championship - Kona, HI 2009

2009-10-15T02:21:00.016-05:00

Just a few short days ago, I had the amazing opportunity to race in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI. It is the dream of so many athletes to be able to participate in this prestigious event. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to adequately describe how it feels to be among some of the most talented, disciplined and fastest triathletes in the world, but I'll try. There are so many things I thought about and experienced, but I'll keep this brief.

Because I had just less than 6 weeks to prepare for this event, and knowing what other things I have on my plate in the months ahead, I had no intentions of "killing" it during this race. I walked into the World Championship race with nothing more than a feeling of honor for being able to qualify and the confidence that I was ready to complete the distance. This took an enormous amount of pressure off myself - after all, I wanted to ENJOY this experience!

I didn't leave myself much time before the race to acclimate to the time change or weather - something that would prove a mistake later on. The roughly 50 degree temperature change from Chicago to Kona takes more than just a couple days to adjust to. One of the first things I did here was the "underwear run" that SO MANY people said I must do. Glad I did it, but boy was I hot. We were barely running (more like a fast walk) and sweat was just dripping from me. I was also a bit star-struck. There were pro triathletes running all over the place! Most were very cordial and friendly! The most disappointing experience was Chrissie Wellington - she seems so sweet and nice on TV. In person, not so much. Guess the true character comes out when the cameras are off.

For this race, I did something a little different than normal - I actually BOUGHT a couple of things at the "Official Ironman Store." Just a couple of things that said "Ironman World Championship" on them. Who knows if I'll ever make it back here - better get some things while I can. Went for a little swim-bike-run warm up and I realized how much I love swimming in the ocean. Many athletes complain of the salt water, but it really doesn't bother me. Sure, it gets in your mouth once in a while, but it's not revolting or anything. I could see so much! And the water was WARM! My last open water swim was in Louisville, where you couldn't see your hand right in front of your face. This was the complete opposite. I saw so many beautiful fish swimming around underneath me. Swam with this turtle for a little bit - very fun! Though I knew I wouldn't be seeing this on race day due to the thrashing about of 1800 other athletes.

The warm up bike ride was nice - hot, but the pavement has just been re-done and there are no bumps, potholes, rocks, cracks - NOTHING but smooth asphalt. What a fantastic change from what I'm used to riding! The air was thick, but as you ride, the wind cools you giving a false sense of comfort. I stashed the bike and started a short run. Now I could feel just how hot it was as was the heat coming up from the pavement. I needed to constantly remind myself to drink - I may have even gone into the race a little dehydrated because it was nearly impossible to keep up with my thirst.

Athlete check in was simple, as usual. Not much different than other races in terms of process. Friendly volunteers, but many of them were a little lost. One guy gave me 2 pink tickets. I asked what they were for. He said, "I don't know." WTF? I later found out they were to allow your family member(s) to come in the finish area - not to get on the course at the finish line, but to lounge around where the food and post-race photos were being taken.

I put a few of these comments on Facebook already, but in case you're not on Facebook, here's what I thought was pretty cool:
1. Athlete wristband was color coded by age group. Guess that's how they
handled the whole compression sock covering up the age group problem.
2. Hard, plastic number for your bike instead of a sticker (very cool!)
3. Normally, they give you a sheet of stickers to put on the various bags (T1, T2,
special needs, morning dry clothes, etc.). These stickers were already
affixed to the bags. Guess the talented athletes do not have time to do this
for themselves! ;)

Rest of it was pretty much the same. Day before the race, I went for another swim, then pretty much laid low. I was staying about a 15 minute drive from the start - which was great because Ironman athletes - especially these here in Kona - are a little uptight. I remained quite calm - I put no expectations on myself other than to try and remember everything I could about the experience.

Slept pretty good that night - race morning, I couldn't really take in the amount of calories I normally do. Transition opened at 4:45am. I think I got there around 5:15am. You must go get body marked before being allowed in transition - they stamped the numbers on your arms - fun! Tension was high, though. You could see the looks in the athlete's eyes - anxiety, nervousness, fear, excitement - all balled up into one. I got to my bike - oh yeah, you HAVE TO leave your helmet with your bike - cannot put it in your T1 bag. I think this is because there is not enough space with the way they have the bags hanging. But I didn't like it because I hate putting anything on my bike that could fall off. All you could see was aerohelmets - I think I might have seen 1 or 2 regular helmets. I put my nutrition on the bike, pumped up the tires, checked and re-checked the gears and brakes and then wanted to do a walk-through. However, you need an "escort" and it proved to be a PITA, so I just left transition. Guess I'll just follow everyone else when I get there.

Went to find a quiet place to hang out before the start - and did. It was a bit confusing how to get around there - every time you wanted to get from point A to point B, there was something blocking the most direct path. We were directed, redirected, routed and rerouted every time we went somewhere. I had no idea how long it was going to take me to get to the swim start, so I decided to head over early. The Navy Seals guys jumped out of a plane, the pros started and then there was the national anthem - no idea why they don't do this before the pros start.

I got to the water and immediately moved to the left. As strong of a swimmer as I am, with the best of the best here, I knew I'd get clobbered. I wanted to have the most peaceful swim possible to start the day. I went left. We treaded water for at least 15 minutes - many of the age groupers inching ahead of the Gatorade bottle start line. They kept yelling at them to back up, but the aggressive overachievers refused. It was frustrating. I met a friendly woman who qualified in Arizona last year - her attitude was awesome and she seemed just as happy as I was to be here. I looked back at the crowd that had lined the shoreline - amazing. I had tears in my eyes as I remembered how hard I worked to get here and how truly special it is to be able to compete in this event. Here was my pay off.

The gun went off and we started swimming! One of the most gentle Ironman starts I've ever experienced! It was great - for about 200 yards. Then the boats kept pushing us to the right - they wouldn't let me go as wide as I wanted, so I was forced to swim with the pack. It got violent. It was a very wise decision to safety pin my chip strap - even with that, I still felt it being ripped off my ankle. I was hit from both sides over and over and over again. I swam with my head out of the water to avoid being kicked in the faced. I tried to move left - blocked. I tried to move right - blocked. At one point I just stopped swimming and stuck my elbows out as far as I could to the left and the right just to create my own space. I wondered if I was going to drown. I gasped for breath and tried not to fight back. I was being pushed under by the arm strokes of other swimmers on both sides of me. I tried not to do the same thing to the other swimmers. My watch was just about pulled off my wrist (I didn't notice until the run how damaged it got). This went on for what seemed like forever and I despised that the most favorite part of my race was turning into a fight for survival.

We made the first turn and I went very, very wide. Aaahhhhh....peace. I was away from the other swimmers, so I caught my breath and found my rhythym. The water was the most amazing blue - there was not a single swimmer now on my left and I was happy again. Then I started to feel some chafing under my left arm. It really started to sting because of the salt water. I wondered how bad it was getting and I wanted to stop moving my arm so the stinging would stop. I knew I just had to suck it up - it was going to hurt until I got out of the water. I wasn't even half-way yet.

After the next turn, other swimmers started getting closer to me. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had enough of the "fun" of getting beat up by the pack. There was this guy who was swimming all crooked - as soon as I'd pass him, he'd speed up and pass me back - only to go all crooked again and I'd pass him again. It wouldn't have bothered me except that he was swimming right in my path each time and I'd have to jockey around him. I had people CONSTANTLY hitting my feet and, try as I might, I couldn't keep from getting agitated. I kept thinking to myself "GET OFF!" and then give a couple of aggressive kicks. But the toe tapping would continue....guess I'm an easy target to draft from because I don't kick much, but people, STOP HITTING ME! I hate people touching me! GRRR!

I was near the swim finish and those stairs they have in the water are tricky - everyone seemed to be tripping up them, including myself. They had hoses hanging with fresh water running through them and I stopped just long enough to spray my face and rinse off the armpit where the chafing was - it felt so good when the stinging stopped. Here's what sucked - I was running to my bag and was being PUSHED left and right by the men. No "excuse me" or "sorry", these guys were purposely pushing me forward, left, right, whatever. I think they should put in a new rule - no TOUCHING anyone running through transition. I yelled at one guy to stop pushing me - I followed it up with, "Not like you're going to win, anyway." I got a nice finger in response - that made me laugh.

No help from volunteers in transition, but it went smoothly. Got to my bike and see that my helmet had been repositioned. Yep, someone obviously knocked it off my bike and put it back on - the very reason I never put my helmet ON my bike in races! Well, guess I was glad someone put it back. Transition seemed long - it wasn't really long, but they forced you to go the longest way possible each time you went in and out - I suppose to make it fair - but it seemed goofy. Got out on the course and - UH OH - I forgot sunscreen. Usually, they have people outside the changing tents yelling it - and ready to apply! Not here - I hoped this wasn't going to be a problem, I couldn't worry about it now.

It wasn't 5 minutes before I saw a group of 5 guys blatantly drafting off one another. Are you kidding me? This is the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP race - why the heck are you DRAFTING?? And they continued to draft for as long as I could see them ride off. I was so disappointed - there was a lot more of this in the miles and hours to come. I did see lots of officials and lots of people getting penalties, but still...draft for about 20-30 miles and get a 4 min penalty? You still have an advantage. Maybe they need to make the penalties a little more stiff. I had a lot of guys pass me and cut over just too close - why do they do that? None of the women ever seem to cut over so recklessly, but it's like the men feel like they have something to prove. It's a big road, you can wait until your back wheel passes my front wheel before you cut over, tough guy (or DB).

Bike started out fine, but it was hillier than I expected. Not like Louisville hills - but these long stretches of gradual uphill. I'd be pushing out reasonable effort and would look down just to see 8mph - FOREVER. There was a cool section of black lava rock that had all these smaller white rocks spelling out names or words of encouragement. Biggest bummer was that the water on the course was not cold. And I couldn't seem to keep myself hydrated. I was drinking and drinking, but remained very, very thirsty. I saw my shorts and compression socks COVERED with salt. Not just a few salt stains - white could have been the new color of my shorts and compression socks - not kidding. I was taking Endurolytes, but I guess not enough of them. This was the first time I'd used Endurolytes all year. Just never got hot enough this summer!

As the bike went on, it got windy. Brutal wind. No matter which way you turned, it just seemed to hinder my progress. The cross-wind was tough - I had a tough time controlling the bike in a few sections. I wondered how the tiny girls don't get blown right off their bikes. I was uncomfortable on my seat. I wondered if it had slipped again because I could not find the right position. I felt like I was up and out of the seat way too much, but I was just miserable in the aero position. As the miles ticked by, I got more and more discouraged. My shoulders were now feeling the pain of the sun, my female parts did not want to be on the seat any more and my pace was slowing drastically. I tried to enjoy the scenery, but I gotta tell ya, not much to look at. I was out there so much longer than planned, I ran out of nutrition and Endurolytes. It's one of the loneliest races I've ever done. No spectators - just aid stations. Had this not been Kona, I might've quit. It was not fun.

Happiness was getting off the bike. I now took my time in transition - very slowly, methodically taking the time to get comfortable, cool down (a volunteer put a cool towel on my back - my shoulders were in heaven!), and slapped on the sunscreen. Unfortunately, it was a bit late for that. I started running and immediately was too hot. My heartrate shot up, I felt winded even though I wasn't running fast and then I started feeling a little dizzy. I stopped to walk - I had to calm down. Sweat was pouring off my head and face - I walked to the first aid station where I got a sponge to cool off - and I was elated that the sponge was doused with COOL water! It was a tremendous relief. I took in more calories than usual - I had run out on the bike a while ago, I knew I was down on energy. I continued to walk for about another quarter of a mile and then felt OK to run/shuffle. I could feel the heat coming up off the street. This first section of the run had a few spectators - people in front of their condos, cheering on friends - LOTS and LOTS of people riding bikes next to their athlete friends, cheering them on. A few more miles and I started feeling better. I ate an orange and it was like the best orange I ever had!! I now just wanted to finish and conserve. At this point, I decided to conserve. I didn't want to come out of this race too beat up to train for the next one, so I did a little run/walk that I had been thinking about doing ever since I signed up for this race. The sponges were key in keeping me cooled off.

The course lead you back through the town - with all the spectators - then back on, um, I think it's the Queen K - a very long, lonely, hot stretch of road. It seemed to go on FOREVER. I was doing a little more running now, but not fast. It was cooling off a little and I would get goosebumps when the wind would gust. Why does my body have such a small window of comfortability?? Did I mention the course was lonely? Not only is there really not much to look at, but there are NO SPECTATORS anywhere! Just aid stations. I was moving so slowly, I felt like I was going to be one of the last people to finish. Oh, I knew I'd make the time cut-off, but I had so many cyclists pass me - and now the runners were doing the same thing. I was passing no one.

I got to the Energy Lab as the sun was setting. I turned into it and the view was amazing. Absolutely gorgeous. No one told me how pretty this was - then again, most people were done with this section WAY BEFORE the sun started going down! Later, I was told it was 104 degrees in the Energy Lab. I was almost to mile 18 and I saw the special needs section. WHAT?? OK, not a problem for me since I didn't have a special needs bag, but mile 18?? Why wouldn't they put this at mile 13 where it belongs? I'd be so bummed if I had to wait until mile 18 for my special needs stuff!

Inspiration Station was a joke. Just a couple girls giggling and talking to themselves, music playing was less than inspirational. I'm trying to remember the best Inspiration Station I ever passed - think it was Coeur d'Alene...the guy there was just cheering and yelling and playing some real upbeat music. Now I compared all Inspiration Stations to that and, unfortunately, they are all falling short! Guess I didn't realize just how good that guy was at the time. Just after that, there were the...uh...fire eater guys? They were twirling their fire sticks and then blowing huge flames from their mouths. Quite a sight, but again - if I had been faster, I'd never have seen this - so good and bad that I was able to see it.

Now the sun has set and I'm on the way back in - about 6 more miles to go. I decide to run the rest of the way. It's getting cooler now and I'm comfortable, but found a new problem. I can't see! It got SO DARK on that street - I could see little glow necklaces, but nothing else. There were still a few athletes coming the other way (cool, I'm NOT going to be last!), but I didn't see them until we almost ran into each other. It was ridiculously dark! Did I mention it was lonely? Quiet. Very quiet. At many points, I could only hear myself breathing and the shuffle of my feet on the pavement. I had a hard time reading the mile markers. I could see they were there, but I no longer could read what numbers were on them - so I had to guess. These things were just a couple feet away from me and I could not read them. Like I said, SCARY dark!

Finally, oh but finally, I got back into town and they had streetlights. There were now a few spectators - I think I was near mile 25. I saw Sally and she cheered for me, but I couldn't even muster up a smile. I so wanted this to be over. I had to concentrate hard on not tripping over my own two feet. The last mile seemed to go on and on - turn left, then right, then curve around...ok, now I knew where I was in relation to the finish. There were more spectators here and there were chalk messages on the street - though it was too dark to actually read any of them. Then I could hear the announcer...now I knew I was close. OK, don't trip down the finish chute! People held out their hands for some hi-5s and I weakly slapped their hands as I ran by. I tried to smile as I ran down the finish, but I was wiped. I just want to be done. Then I heard my name being called and was able to throw up my arms and smile as I crossed the finish line. Totally beat up, but I made it. I just completed the Ironman World Championship 2009!

Ironman Louisville 2009 Race Report

2009-09-01T10:49:00.012-05:00

Most of the crew was heading down to Louisville on Thursday, so I decided having one extra day down in Louisville and hang out with my fellow Ironman (and Ironman-wannabes) friends would be a good idea. Athlete check-in for this race was a little bit like a game of pin ball. We bounced from one table to another, doing just one little task at each instead of taking care of everything at once as my other Ironman events have been. It was a bit frustrating, but the lines did seem to move quickly. I scooted right through the expo as I have a rule not to buy any event merchandise until after I FINISH the event.

The next day, a group of us headed down for a little swim-bike-run race warm up. I slipped on my new skinsuit and jumped in the water. Much warmer than I expected! I quickly jumped on BC's toes - and despite an expert drafter, kept hitting him because the water was so dark that even though his feet were just inches in front of me, I could not see them. This would be a critical thing to know during the swim portion of the event. Once out of the water, we did a quick run and hopped on our bikes for a very short ride. The roads in Louisville do not have a shoulder and the motorists do not seem very enthused with sharing the roads with cyclists. We were buzzed several times, including by a semi. Enough riding.

The day before the race, more spectator friends arrived but I didn't see much of them. I tried to keep to myself and be focused for the day. I felt amazingly calm and prepared for this weekend's event. Went down to drop off my bike and transition bags only to be forced to have an "escort" take me to my place on the bike rack. It was very distracting as I wanted to find the routes through the transition I would take the next day and my escort just kept chatting away. Did not like the fact that they would not let me in there to just do my thing by myself so I could focus.

All local restaurants were PACKED forcing us out of town for a dinner that ended up being a little later than planned. Back to the room, I laid out everything for the morning and went to sleep. Surprisingly, I DID sleep! Woke up at 4am, time to chow, despite not being hungry. Met BC down in the lobby and walked over to transition. Ran into more of the south side crew and we shared some laughs as we finished the walk to transition. Once inside, pumped up the bike tires, put my fuel on the bike, a quick stop for BC to drop off special needs bags and we were walking to the swim start.

Body marking was smooth and quick as they had plenty of volunteers lined up for duty. Quick stop at the porta potty and we went to find our spot in the long line of athletes lined up to get in the water. HOLY COW - this line kept going and going and going. Here we were, more than an hour before the race was to start, but all these people made it a point to get in line early for the swim. I refused to sacrifice sleep to get in line early and now I was questioning my decision. The line seemed like it went on forever. I don't think there were more than 100 athletes behind us in line - this meant 2900-ish athletes were getting in the water before me. This could be trouble. But it was too late to worry about it and there was no way I was cutting in line (even though I think it could've easily been accomplished).

We sat on the cold concrete sidewalk for about 40 minutes before the pros started and the line moved a bit. It was kind of like a marathon start, where everyone runs a few steps, then abruptly stops, then people run again, etc. It was about 7:36 when I finally crossed the mat and jumped in the water. Sighting was difficult with the angle of the sun, but I felt like I had to look a LOT because there were a lot of people in front of me and I also knew that I could easily get kicked in the face because you couldn't see anything in the water until you were right on top of it. We came to the turn at the end of the island and people were standing. That's right, STANDING. They were walking through this portion of the swim, kicking up muck from the bottom. The water turned really cold, then really warm and we rounded the turn back into the main part of the river. I went wide to avoid the traffic but found myself WAY too wide. I spent what seemed like a lot of time trying to get back closer to the shoreline. The swim felt long and when I got out of the water and hit my watch, I about panicked. This was about 9 minutes longer than any other Ironman I've ever done. What the heck happened here? I am like CLOCKWORK when it comes to the swim! Could the course be long? Strong current? Were everyone's times slow? I didn't have time to think about it. I just hoped it didn't mean I was going to have an "off" day.

I ran to transition, picked up my transition bag (volunteers were there, but not really helping anyone by handing them bags as I've experienced in the past), and ran into the tent. There were many other athletes in there, again, something I'm not used to - no volunteer help again, so I methodically put the items on in the order I pulled them out of the bag. One quick look around to make sure I left nothing behind. I then stuffed my skinsuit, cap and goggles in my bag, placed it in the pile with the others and went out to find my bike. As I ran to the mount line, I was already worried about how cold I was going to be on the bike, but I didn't even bring arm warmers, so I just needed to suck it up. Got to the line, watched athletes on both sides of me struggle to get on their bikes with shoes clipped in (WHY do athletes do this when they've not practiced it??!??), jumped on my bike and headed out on the roads of Louisville.

The right side of the road is a little rough the first few miles. The road was congested with other cyclists, but I knew once we hit some hills, this would break up. We rode through some very pretty tree-covered streets before making a left turn onto a busier street. Soon I got to the part of the course I had ridden in my training. I was constantly reminding myself to slow down, but I was feeling great. We got to the out and back (the "finger") and I prepared myself for the challenge ahead. This section of the course is pretty tough and dangerous. The hills are decent and the declines get you moving with some speed. And, as usual, there are always the guys that like to jockey with you. They'd fly by me up a hill only to have me re-pass them on the downhill or flat section. I like to count how many times we go back and forth before they fall back and stay back. It helps pass the time. This section was shady and I was pretty cold. I knew, though, once out of this section, I'd have a good amount of sun warming me up!

Smooth and relaxed I rode, keeping high cadence, focusing on taking in my nutrition at the intervals I set for myself. First pass through LaGrange, where we get the majority of the spectators, I quickly tried to scour both sides of the street to see if I could spot any familiar faces. Disappointed, I rode right through the town seeing no one I knew. The sharp left on Ballard School Road brings on some nice challenges. All the athletes got quiet and I take the opportunity while spinning up hill to get out of the aero position (not out of the saddle) and stretch out a bit.

I pass by the familiar gas station on the corner (the one that is especially nice to cyclists and even offers us free ice!) and I know I'm nearing the end of the first loop. Temperature is perfect, though now I start to notice the wind. I'm so directionally challenged, I have no idea if this will make it harder or easier for the next loop. Second pass through LaGrange, I manage to see the saint and Schabel waving to me. I smile and give them the thumbs up so they know I'm feeling good.

I was excited to get back on to the busy street that means I'm on my way back into Louisville. I am now extremely uncomfortable on my bike seat and though my legs are feeling strong, I find myself standing and coasting a lot to give myself a little relief. I was told the way back in was a slight downhill - I like slight downhill (who doesn't?), so I took advantage of this and focused on keeping steady power to the pedals. I was conserving a bit for the run because it's always been a challenge for me to hold it together in Iron distance races. Feeling pretty good, but really want to get off this bike now.

Another quick stop in transition, this time a volunteer handed me my bag and another ran into transition with me. She took my helmet and tried to help me, but there really wasn't much she could help with besides taking my helmet and cycling shoes. I packed all my nutrition in my back pocket, grabbed my visor, took a quick look around and headed out on to the run course. Immediately, something wasn't right with my right foot. It hurt every step. I think my feet got a little too cold on the bike and it went numb for a while. The feeling was coming back, but not in a good way. I wondered if I was going to be able to run. As this was happening, my legs felt heavy - heavy like they did in Arizona. When I did Ironman Arizona, the legs felt heavy from the first step of that marathon and that lasted for the whole 26.2. Thankfully, this was not the case at Louisville. After about a mile, I started to get a rhythym and it felt good. I was getting passed left and right, but tried to stay focused and slowed myself down. This time, I saw the saint and Ramsey yelling to me as I was running. I turned a couple corners and heard them yelling down the street. It was echoing down the street lined with tall buildings and I had to laugh at the sight of them running, yelling after me. It gave me a good little boost as I headed out on the run course.

As soon as mile 7, I started gaining on some of those runners that flew by me in the first couple of miles. I simply held my pace. I jockeyed with a woman in an age group younger than me, but she really didn't want to chat. I had a hard time trying to remember when I was supposed to take my gels. I took water at every aid station, whether I was taking a gel or not. Sometimes, they'd give me warm water and I'd have to chase down a cup of ice. Some aid stations, they seemed to just be holding out Gatorade and the people handing out water were too busy pouring more water into cups, so I'd have to run to the table to get the water. I knew I was dehydrated and it was a challenge to try and get in enough water without filling my stomach with too much fluid.

I looked for more specator friends because I KNEW they were out there, but didn't see anyone. It was good to see BC heading out on the run but he was too far back. I was hoping he would catch me so I'd have some company. I saw Shoemaker a little after that and we exchanged a couple words. Saw some interesting things on the first loop of the run: spectator sitting in his front yard with his parrot in a cage on his lap, a dude running with a blue furry chicken on his head and then - a guy that looked like he was running in a skinsuit. Yes, the kind I had on during the swim. He was running in it. Not sure if my eyes were deceiving me, but it definitely caught my attention. What was his deal?

Came on in to finish the first loop and lots of spectators lined the course on both sides of the block we ran completely around. Just by luck, the saint was able to get this quick shot of me heading back out on loop two, still feeling pretty good. At this point, it was about Mile 14 and I decided I was running too fast. I knew I could not keep this pace for the rest of the run so I purposely slowed down. I saw Peck who said he felt tight, but he smiled and was determined to get this thing done. Came up on Pat who was clipping along and yelling after me, "You'll never make it!!" Laughing was using up my breath!! As I ran, I watched as I unintentionally slowed my pace even more. Now I'm starting to hurt and I'm wondering why I am killing myself out here. I forced myself to pick up the pace, though it wasn't by much.

I started counting down the miles: 8 more to go, 7 more to go, now just a 10K. I forced myself to keep running despite my legs screaming at me to stop with just 5 miles to go. My quads were aching and I was worried as I felt the onset of a cramp coming on. A guy running near me sounded like he had a metronome, but no, it was some pill or something he was carrying in a plastic container that was bouncing around with every step making a REALLY LOUD clicking noise! It was annoying, but I couldn't run fast enough to get away from him! The last time I passed by "Inspiration Station" it seemed the inspiration girls needed a little inspiring themselves. They had lost a lot of the energy and enthusiasm they had the first couple times I passed through there. Now just less than 4 miles to go - do I need to take another gel? Just do it, you have it with you and it certainly can't hurt! Besides, then you don't have to carry it any more!

Saw Mel looking strong on her run and BC giving me some much needed words of encouragement. I started coming in back to where all the spectators were gathered and I could now hear the crowd. I was checking my watch and blinking because I was sure I was seeing things. Could I really be finishing this thing in under 11 hours?? I heard Bill yell to me - I heard Anna yell to me - and then I made that turn where it was a straight few blocks into the finish. And there was Mel, yelling, cheering, running and trying to get my picture. I couldn't help but smile as I had looked for her and all my other spectator friends all day and had seen no one. It was go great to see her out there, cheering for us - and I was about to wrap the day up with a breakthrough performance. I was trying to remind myself to smile as I crossed the finish and once again, I heard it - pronounced CORRECTLY this time - "MJ SLIKAS, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

11 Days to Louisville

2009-08-19T19:00:00.002-05:00

Day 11: Complete the gluing of new tires on race wheels.

Day 10: Pick up new uniforms

Day 9: Make sure to get enough sleep

Day 8: Last long-ish ride

Day 7: Purchase any last-minute race day nutritional products

Day 6: Re-read Participant Guide

Day 5: Let friends and family know race number (1771)

Day 4: Pack and re-pack all gear

Day 3: Drive to Louisville

Day 2: Swim/bike/run prep

Day 1: Wish all my friends good luck and mentally prepare for a great race

Spirit of Racine Half Ironman Race Report

2009-07-21T15:39:00.010-05:00

Happiness is hearing that the water temperature was 63 degrees when all week you've been thinking it was 52. It still felt cold when I went in for a brief warm up, but those 10 degrees make a significant difference in the comfort of the swim. I was able to line up in the front row of my wave, but I was prepared to be knocked around a bit. The field at this race is typically very competitive.

Our wave took off, but we had to run quite a way out before we could begin actually swimming. The water was shallower than I remember and I worked hard at NOT tiring myself out trying to run out to some deeper water. Several other women ran out pretty far in front of me. Once the water was about mid-thigh level, I started to swim. It felt much easier than running! Surprisingly, I had plenty of room with about 3 swimmers on my left and 2 on my right. We clustered a little around the first buoy, but it was pretty tame and I was thankful for that. I felt smooth and strong but hit my hand a few times on the bottom of the lake. The swim was relatively shallow the entire time, but in a couple of sections, it was extremely shallow. About three quarters of the way into the swim, people began to stand up and they became little obstacles for me to swim around.

Around the last buoy, I began mentally preparing for that long, uphill beach run. It made my heart rate go up just thinking about it. Out of the water, I began running up the beach. The little containers of water to rinse your feet of sand were empty of water by this point, so I skipped them and just ran into transition. A quick look at my watch revealed yet another short swim - probably about 7-8 minutes short of my usual half ironman time. Trying to get the heart rate in check, I quickly stripped off the westuit and the booties (man, I love those booties!). Transition was a little slow, I felt a bit shaky, and though it was chilly by my standards, I opted to NOT put on the armwarmers I carefully laid out.

Out of transition, there is a decent climb. I passed a few riders right there simply because they were not in the right gear for this. Out onto the road, it was just like last year, very narrow street, difficult to pass. Some sketchy areas of road made it hard for cyclists to stay to the right, so they were riding in the middle of the street. I remember telling myself to be patient - the roads do open up if you just wait for it. Racine is also known for having new USAT officials on site, therefore the penalties are plentiful.

I have to say, I don't really remember the course from last year. I think it was mostly the same, but I can't really remember what happened last week, let alone last year. I was a little chilly but I was focused in on steady cadence and power output. I got agitated with a couple of guys who were zig zagging through other cyclists, passing on the right and across the yellow, but I figured the officials would catch this - besides, I didn't want to waste my energy with it.

The temperature was comfortable and there seemed to be some wind, but nothing too significant. I was happy that my hands and feet stayed warm enough, but I did notice I wasn't really sweating. I witnessed a 4 bike accident around one corner and it freaked me out a little. Two guys turned at the same time, one held his line, the other went wide and ran right into him. The two other cyclists that were following (probably too closely) then crashed trying to avoid the first two. Scraping of metal, yelling, a wheel flying across the street - it was scary, but I believe they were all OK. Did I mention the yelling?

And, of course, yes, I saw a few packs of cyclists go by. I don't know why they do this, but it happens. I didn't see a whole lot, but that might be because I was one of the later waves. Some riders seemed to be blatant, others just seemed to be caught up in it for a bit. I myself was caught up in a pack that came up on me and hung there, so I just sat up out of the bars, frustrated. But I really want to race my own race and besides, these guys seemed a bit squirrley for me!

I realized I wasn't drinking enough due to the cool weather and I missed one of the bottle hand offs. I skipped two aid stations completely on the bike because they seemed so crowded with other cyclists who, with one bottle in hand, seemed to be all over the road. I jockeyed with some girl who I assumed was in my age group for a while - I'd pass her on the straights, but as soon as we'd get to a hill or a turn, she'd fly right by, looking as smooth and comfortable as ever.

This was one of the most comfortable half iron rides I've done - in terms of a certain body part. I think this largely has to do with a new riding position I've been fitted in. The new position has also seemed to help me keep the power output coming for a longer period of time - so finally, after 7 years of racing, I think I found my position!

My power meter said the bike course was a little short and based on my time, I'd have to say that was true. I was now heading into T2 hoping I didn't just overextend on that ride!

My legs didn't seem to feel too bad and I seemed to sail right through T2 and on to the run. I heard BZ and her daughter cheering me on and I put on a big smile and thanked them for coming. I was struggling to catch my breath and I know there are 2 uphills there in the first mile. I had no idea what pace I was running as I missed the first mile mark - it must've been near the aid station and I was paying too much attention trying to get something to drink and missed the mark. But when I got to mile 2, I was surprised at my time and focused on keeping steady.

The thing about the Racine run is that it's 2 loops and you get to see all your friends on the out and back more than a couple times, if you're lucky. It can be a big boost to see someone you know, or you can be that person providing the boost to someone else who is struggling in the run. Most everyone I saw looked great out there. Must have been due to the weather - though I was a little cold when a strong wind would whip through. It obviously wasn't affecting my run negatively as I was putting forth a very strong run for me.
Just after the half way point, I started to feel it a bit. I thought, "Oh no, here we go - I pushed too hard for the first half of this run." And then I quickly tried not to think about how hard it was getting and tried to focus on what was going right. At this point, I could slow down my run and still turn in a strong performance, but I wanted to push. What could I really do if I leave it all out there?

And thanks to all my racer friends out on the course who cheered me on - I am sorry I had no breath to respond, but in my mind, I was cheering you back! It was a great day for the participants of Racine. Weather conditions were the best I think the race has seen in years and the finishing times showed it. My race went well, though, in my mind, I still think I'm tacking on about 8 minutes to make up for the short swim. ;)

Hy-Vee Race Report

2009-07-01T15:36:00.008-05:00

If you ever want to feel like a professional triathlete, then sign up for the Hy-Vee triathlon. Who knew such a top notch event was being held right over in Des Moines, IA? From start to finish, this race was one of the best experiences an athlete can have.

Driving to Des Moines took about twice as long as expected. I just figured, "Hey, it's Iowa, how far could it be?" Big mistake. All athletes were forced to attend a mandatory race meeting being held at the top of each hour. Unfortunately, we arrived exactly at 5:07pm and had to wait around for the next meeting. We hung around the race expo (which was surprisingly small) to wait for 6pm to roll around.

The meeting was held in the gymnasium of a school, so we all sat in the bleachers. They showed us a short collection of photos from last year's race then went over some race information. None of it was particularly earthshattering and I didn't really think there needed to be a "mandatory" meeting for this. There were no special rules or anything out of the ordinary.

Picking up the packet went smoothly and quickly. By far, the best, most comprehensive, valuable swag I've ever gotten from a race! We not only got a cycling jersey, but a backpack to fit all the other cool little goodies we received. Not even sure you can see everything from this picture, but it was like Christmas!

Dropping off the bike the night before in the 6-10pm timeframe was chaos. It moved very, very slowly and I was getting hungry and impatient. The line of cars with athletes trying to drop off their bikes was at a standstill and this normally easy process ended up taking close to 90 minutes! We headed to a nice little Italian place for dinner where we saw many other athletes wearing the bright yellow wristbands. Service was poor but the food was excellent.

The morning of the race transition opened at 4am! Trying not to be psycho about the whole thing, my plan was to get there around 4:45am - transition was to close at 5:45am. Thankfully, the parking situation was much better than the night before and we were able to get a spot and get to transition in just about 15 minutes. A few quick run throughs to make sure I knew where my bike was racked among all the other, most expensive looking bikes I've ever seen, and then it was time to hit the porta potties a few times.

The water was a balmy 81 degrees. I lined up at the front of the wave and within minutes of the start, I was warm. I was happy there were no wetsuits today. Pretty aggressive group and I fought for position. I then decided it was much more comfortable to just fall behind a good draft I was getting. Each time I tried to pull around her, I got caught up in another swimmer from a previous wave. I just tucked in and enjoyed the draft. This ended up being a slow, but comfortable swim for me.

Going out from transition on to the bike course, you get to feel like a professional triathlete riding down the bike course with the banners waving on both sides with blue fencing lining the course on both sides. The one thing that was blatantly missing was the spectators - not very many for such a high profile event. The bike course was hilly. No major climbs, but lots of long rollers. I felt like I was crawling but I was trying to focus on watts vs. mph. The bike course was very well marked and they even coned off the driveways of the people who lived on the course! Each turn was properly staffed with volunteers and, for the most part, a very clean race. I saw little drafting, though there were several competitors who were not riding on the right as they should. The hills seemed to separate any would-be packs from forming.

The wind didn't seem an issue for the ride, but the hills made this a difficult course. The trickiest part is toward the end when they direct you on to a running path. Many sharp turns - left, then right, then left - on a very narrow path. I had another athlete pass me - around a turn - on the RIGHT HAND SIDE! People, please do not do this! I almost took both of us out. Besides the fact that this was a designated NO PASSING area. To top it off, the guy was only in a relay. How frustrating!

A quick transition and I headed out on the run. My legs were feeling a bit fatigued, but not wiped, so I pushed a bit. Here we go again with the hills. Someone forgot to tell me that Iowa is hilly!! I had a hard time keeping my heart rate in check going up the hills. It was quiet out on the course - no spectators and the athletes were working hard to get up the hills. I kept thinking, "Who is that person BREATHING SO HARD??" And then I realized, "Aw, shoot, that's me!" My legs were feeling heavy, but I pushed on.

Nearing the finish, the blue fence lining and flags greet you with open arms. And though you can't see it as a competitor, as you are nearing the finish, they have each athlete on a jumbotron for the would-be fans to get a better view! It is very similar to what they have at Ironman races. I ended up finishing the run with a little left in the tank.

I then met up with some fellow Mideast Team Elite peeps for a quick photo. Both of them had great races and I feel very lucky to know them.

Introduction to Cycling - 7.15.09 and 7.22.09

2009-06-17T09:53:00.017-05:00

INTRODUCTION TO CYCLING

Dates: July 15th and July 22nd, 2009

Location: Urban Tri Gear

210 Burr Ridge Parkway

Burr Ridge, IL 60527

Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Registration: Tri Smart Coaching

Cost: $40.00

This workshop will cover the following:

Group Riding Etiquette
Paceline riding
Cornering
Shifting
Skills and Drills

Bring your bike, shoes, helmet and dress appropriately for the ride. Each workshop will include a short informational session followed by a ride for hands on practice of the material discussed.

A FIST and BikeFit Systems Certified Fitter will be on hand to do free spot-checks on all Introduction to Cycling participants! A good bike fit is essential for strong riding performance.

Rockman Half Iron Race Report

2009-06-10T08:57:00.006-05:00

It was a chilly 58 degrees race morning and the weather forecast showed 90% chance of rain at 9am. The high for the day was only to be about 67 degrees so I was already not looking forward to this race. On the positive side, the water was said to be about 70 degrees and the lake was smooth as glass.

After struggling with the cold in Memphis last month, I decided that it would be worth the extra time in transition to throw on armwarmers, a buff to keep my head and ears covered and long-fingered gloves. I even considered a cycling jacket. Transition times aren't quite as important as in a Half Ironman and I wanted to be comfortable for that 56 mile ride. I also made sure to put my run shoes and nutrition in a plastic bag for they were surely to be soaked before I made it to the run.

Once in the water, I was pretty cold but I knew I'd warm up once we got going. This guy in the clown suit on the right in this photo is the race director. That way you knew who the "Clown in Charge" was for the day. I'd heard about this before, but it's one of those things you have to see it to believe it!

I scooted my way to the front. This race was a bit unique in that all half iron competitors started at once. It was a small enough field that this shouldn't be too crazy and the space was nice and wide. A few second countdown and we were off! Within 10 seconds, I something was hitting my face. "Weeds!" I thought. I had been warned from friends who did this race last year that it was very weedy. I shook my head and dipped it lower than usual a few times to get this weed off my face. It wouldn't go away. So on my next stroke, I took my left hand and grabbed the weed and yanked it away from my face. AAAAAGGGHHH!!! It was my goggle strap! Now I start hyperventilating and my goggles are around my neck. Those of you who wear Swedish goggles know you have one strap that loops twice behind your head. Apparently, one of my straps snapped. I know using just one strap won't keep the goggles on securely enough and I can't swim without them because of my contacts. I panic for a second because I'm gasping for air, trying to tread water and tie the goggles on and there are swimmers flying by me left and right.

I regain some composure, turn around to face the oncoming swimmers (pretty interesting sight) and do an egg beater kick while tying my goggles back together. I'm struggling for breath and think about quitting. Here I was screwing up the best part of my race! I thought about swimming over toward shore where at least I could stand up and do this and decide this would take too much time. After what felt like an eternity, I got the goggles secured and turned on to chase everyone. But by this time, my heart rate was through the roof and I could not get my breathing under control. I swam very slowly and methodically to get back under control. It took maybe 200 yards and then I had to swim just a bit harder than normal to get out of the pack of swimmers and try to make up for lost ground.

Out of the water, I was feeling a bit exhausted. That little goggle fiasco played with my mind and I thought my race would be a disaster. I got to my bike and it was already raining. I tried to quickly pull on my armwarmers (impossible), put on the buff and struggled to get the long-fingered gloves over my half-numb hand. Put the rest of my things on and ran out to the mount line - which was way past where you exit transition. It was a decent uphill, so I guess they didn't want people trying to get on their bikes on the uphill.

As soon as I was on the bike and moving at a decent clip, I wished I had opted for the cycling jersey. The rain coming down and the frigid temperature made me question why I was even doing this race. But I kept going, being overly cautious on the wet pavement. A few significant hills in the beginning helped keep me warm, but then I would shiver on the fast downhill. A couple of uncontrolled intersections with no volunteer to stop traffic caused me to get off my bike once to let a car go by. This was an out and back - at the aid station furthest from transition, I was handed a bottle of water. I filled my aerobottle and took a swig before tossing the bottle aside - well water! YUCK! Nothing I could do, I needed water. I tried pushing hard on the straight sections, but the pavement was slick so I slowed down considerably at each turn. I knew this was costing me time, but I just wanted to stay upright!

Disappointed with my bike split, I ran in transition, struggled again with those stupid gloves, ripped off the arm warmers and buff, grabbed my things and headed out to the run. There was no one in front of me and no one really pointing anyone in any direction. I just had to hope I was going the right way.

Almost immediately, the hills came flying at me. I was breathing hard and wondering where the aid station was. I felt like I was running forever, so I glanced behind me....was I even going in the right direction? Surely I should have passed mile 1 by now, right? I did have a runner behind me, but how do I know I wasn't leading this guy off course? Well, I just kept going and FINALLY I saw a mile marker - 2. Sweet! But where is the aid station? I needed to take in a gel. Get to an aid station, take in my gel and continue on. The hills were some of the toughest I've run, but my legs felt pretty good due to having taken it easy on the bike. Unfortunately, there was not one other mile marker on the entire run course. I don't run with my Garmin, so I have no idea what kind of pace I'm running. I just tried to keep the heart rate under control and slow down on the hills. Several out and back sections gave me an opportunity to see some of my friends out there on the run. I thoroughly enjoyed running on the paths through this state park, just wished I had mile markers.

On the way out of the last out and back section, several runners asked, "when is there water"? The aid stations were few and far between on the course. When I got off that path and back on to the road, I asked a volunteer, "How many miles left?" I wanted this over! I had 1.5 miles to go and it got really hilly again. There was one part, up hill, turn left, that felt so steep, I thought I could have walked it faster than run it. I focused on staying upright and finishing strong. Soon I recognized turning on to the street toward transition. A few spectators were there and I saw a few friends. They chose to take pictures on yet another long, slow uphill section so I look like I'm moving so slowly...and I was! That hill seemed to never end! When I got to the parking lot near the finish, no arrows, no volunteers pointing you where to go. I just hoped the guy I could see up in front of me was doing it right! We had to run all the way around the parking lot to get to the finish. I was able to finish the run strong, with still a little left in the tank. Not a strong performance for me, but feels good to have my first half iron distance done for the season.

Transitions: The 4th Discipline - June 4, 2009

2009-05-26T13:59:00.002-05:00

TRANSITIONS: The 4th Discipline

Whether you are new to triathlon or you’re an experienced athlete looking to gain some time on your competition, please join us for a hands-on demonstration designed to help you be efficient, smooth and fast during your transitions.

Date:	June 4, 2009
Location:	McCollum Park 6801S. Main Street Downers Grove, IL 60515
Time:	6:30pm - 8:00pm
Registration:	http://www.trismartcoaching.com/sign_me_up
Cost:	Early Registration $20.00 before May 29th, 2009. Registration after May 29th is $25.00.

Goody Bags: Registrations before June 3rd include goody bags

Items you should bring to this event include:

Bike
Helmet
Bike shoes (if you use them)
Sunglasses
Race belt (if you own one)
Running shoes
Visor and/or hat for run
Socks (if you plan to use them)
Wetsuit (optional)

All participants must complete a participant waiver. Registrations will be accepted on day of the workshop (cash or check only).

Memphis in May Triathlon Recap

2009-05-19T13:24:00.012-05:00

This was my 3rd year participating in the Memphis in May triathlon. As usual, I was in a hurry packing up for the race and making sure we were prepared for the 8 hour drive. Because I had been sick since the beginning of the week, I was considering not even making the trip. Even Friday morning as I was loading up the car, I thought about bailing. It never occurred to me to get a weather report. Memphis in May = 90 degrees and humid.

Heading down with 2 members of my Luna Chix team, they were kind enough to let me sleep in the back seat and try to get some rest during the trip down. I was coughing, sniffling and sounding like I smoked a carton of cigarettes. Should I even bother trying to race? Well, too late, I'm in the car and on the way.

Saturday morning, we head to packet pick up, hook up with some other Chicago friends and Mideast Team Elite superstar, Jason S., and spend a little time at the expo. The expo at Memphis is always outdoor under a tent. While under said tent, it was hot and humid. It's not a very big expo, but they do a good job of making sure you can get just about everything you might need or have forgotten to pack.

On to check out the lake for a quick swim. It was not very sunny this afternoon which made sighting for the practice swim very easy. I was pleasantly surprised at the water temperature. The website said 71 - sure felt warmer than that to me. Then again,my last open water swim was done in 62 degree water, so maybe my expectations were a bit off.

Out of the water and on to the bike ride. We were running a little short on time and as soon as I got on my bike, I knew something wasn't right. With the help of Smart Fit Bike Fit expert, BC, we quickly realized I was missing a spacer. I had a spare wheel, so the fix was easy. Or so I thought. Back on the road, my cassette was jingling around like I had a pocket full of loose change. It was embarrassing to ride by people with so much clatter going on. First a quick transition run. It was hard to breathe, I was still pretty congested. BC and CL really just ran away from me but I had no energy to chase them. Now to the bike mechanic at the expo, blah blah blah, it's fine - go test ride. Seems fine.

STARVING at this point, we hook up with the Shoemakers and head for a quick, light lunch. I think our group outnumbered all the rest of the patrons in the place. Food was just OK, but we needed to eat something. Back to the room for a quick shower and a nap. The time flew and I think I slept for the whole 2 hours. I was bummed I had to get up. Dinner was uneventful then a quick stop at the Wal-Mart to pick up a few miscellaneous items. Being new at the self-checkout line, I screwed it up and had to have an employee come over and "supervise" me. I'm really not stupid. Really.

Morning came much too quickly and the weather report was scary. Forty degrees. Windy. Very windy. Shoot - I didn't pack anything to wear in the race in case it was cold. I didn't think about cold, I'm in MEMPHIS. I got dressed, we ate, headed out to put the bikes on the rack and I went back in to add a second jacket - yes, I had TWO jackets on. I was wishing I had gloves.

We get to the race site and follow all the tail lights through a field where we started parking. The procession of cars on race morning is just a cool sight. It's early, quiet and you can just feel the anxiety of the athletes as they prepare for the event. Everyone is just focused on doing what they need to get done and mentally preparing for the day.

It was one of my quickest transition set ups ever. I was cold. Very cold. The wind was whipping around and the chop on the lake was much more than I expected. Sure, I've swam in worse, but that was in RACINE, not MEMPHIS! I questioned the use of my disc wheel but didn't change it. How bad could it be? The announcer did his best to entertain us, but all I could think about was how cold I was going to be on the bike. Everyone always asks, "wasn't the swim cold?" No - when it's that cold out, the water is now warmer than the air. In fact, it's quite toasty to jump in the water at that point. It's when you get out, strip the wetsuit off, don't dry off and hop on your bike. That's when it's cold.

We went for a quick warm up run (though I didn't warm up) and then quickly took my warm up clothes on to put on my wetsuit. Memphis is a time trial start, one racer every 3 seconds, so we all sat huddled, waiting for our numbers to come up, shivering though our wetsuits were completely on and zipped. One by one, it was time to race until finally it was just BS and I. We had plenty of time to chat and plan our race strategy. Once I was lined up, things went fast. The woman right behind me shot around on my left so I just jumped on her heels. I think I drafted off her for at least half the race. We swam wide to avoid all the other swimmers scattered throughout the water. A few times, I got a mouthful of water due to the choppiness, but I didn't feel like it slowed me down too much.

I caught up to her in transition and left her there as I ran out with my bike. I was already cold and I wasn't even on the bike yet. This wasn't going to be good. The wind, so I was told, was about 35 mph that day. I headed out and my arms and fingers were pretty cold. I struggled to keep the bike straight when the wind gusted. For a few sections, there was a nice tailwind that felt great, but then we'd turn and a wind gust would come and I'd have to fight with the bike to stay upright. I expected worse. My fingers were so cold, they weren't functioning properly, so I had to take my whole hand off the aerobars when I needed to shift. I knew this wasn't going to be a strong ride for me - my legs felt heavy from the first couple of miles. But I'm giving it everything I've got as this is an "MJ friendly" course.

Back in to transition, I ran one rack over my spot and had to go back. The rest was smooth and I was reminded how hilly the run is on this course. I forced myself to slow down the first couple of hills to keep the heart rate in control. My breathing was labored and I was still congested which felt tougher than it really was. Came up on the Luna Chix about mile 3 of the turn around and tried to encourage them. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to talk much, I was on a mission. Hammer sped up to stay with me for a bit, which I totally enjoyed, but it didn't last as long as I hoped. I tried to negative split the second half of the run, now knowing where the hills were and that the worst of it was over for me.

That last stretch on this long grassy berm or whatever you call it seems to take forever. It's along the lake and you can hear the music, specators and announcer for the longest time before you actually get there. I was able to pass a few athletes on that stretch which was motivating. A quick down hill, don't trip on the root that's sticking out, and I crossed the finish. A good race, not a great race for me. I never really warmed up on the run - not even sure if I sweated (is that a word?) But Memphis continues to be a fantastic event and I had great fun with my friends throughout the entire weekend.

Palos Bank Southwest Half Marathon

2009-05-03T19:25:00.003-05:00

The thermometer read a brisk 39 degrees when I woke up this morning. Despite reports that the day was to get up to 70 degrees, I found myself getting prepared for the race fighting goose bumps. I very much dislike being cold, so I pulled on a pair of tights, threw on a heavy long sleeved shirt and topped it with a short sleeved dri fit. I threw gloves and a hat in my bag of clothes I wanted to change in to and headed out.

Doing a race so close to home is so much fun. It felt like I knew every other person there and I think I was parked and at the meeting point within 20 minutes of leaving my house. I was hustling about, trying to say hi to everyone and get my things to gear check when I decided I was already warm. The sun was coming up and I ditched the long sleeved shirt. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a pair of shorts to change in to, but that ended up not being an issue.

We had a strong group heading out - BC, Peck, Shoemaker, Lauren and myself decided to try and keep pace together. We'd lose one person and pick up another and I think around mile 2 or 3, we picked up KK. At one point, I commented, "You know, if we slow down a little bit, I could talk a lot more!" That was answered promptly by BC with, "Hey, let's run faster!" WTF?

Yep, the pace was too much for me to hold much of a conversation with anyone and, at times, I could barely get out the one word answers. The sun came up and it got warmer and I was able to pass off my gloves to Gil, who was riding by on a bike (thanks, Gil!!). Once we hit the turnaround, I felt pretty good and it seemed the terrain started to go downhill.

My splits stayed fairly consistent, but the group broke up by mile 7. It sort of tuned into an "every man for himself" and then my pace was a bit scattered. I tried to push every time I got a slow split and started to wish this was just a 10 mile race and not a half marathon! Hamstring started talking to me around mile 9, so I pulled it in a little, but was trying to keep focused.

Great race, great weather and it was even better that I was able to share it with great friends. Go south side!

Hy-Vee Triathlon

2009-05-01T09:40:00.002-05:00

Twitter. It's all the rage. We're hearing about it just about every day now - talk shows, news, and of course, all over the internet. It's the big buzz.

I started my Twitter account many months ago, but I'm still learning how to use it. I've started "following" (because that's what you do, people aren't your friends on Twitter, they're your followers) a few triathlon-related people and/or companies. I check in every few days to see what new posts are up and catch up on the latest triathlon talk.

One day, I saw a "Tweet" (that's a status update) that the Des Moines Register was giving away 10 free entries to the Hy-Vee Triathlon. You just had to be willing to blog about your training up to the race and submit an article explaining WHY you want to participate in the event. Considering as I already blog about my training and Hy-Vee is a top-notch event that is on my "races that must be done" list, I figured I'd give it a shot. Two weeks later, I received an email that I have been accepted on to the "Des Moines Register Triathlon Team" and qualify for a free entry to this year's race!

This link here will take you to last year's team. I'm not sure how soon the profiles and blogs for this year's team will be posted, but I'm guessing it will be within the next couple of weeks. The content on that blog will be dedicated solely to my training for that race. I'll add a link to it when it's active in case you'd like to follow that also.

Anyone want to go to Iowa in June??

Get To Know Your Bike!

2009-04-21T10:00:00.003-05:00

GET TO KNOW YOUR BIKE!

Please join the Chicago Triathlon Luna Chix for an overview of the bike, general maintenance and tire changing clinic! This hands-on clinic will provide an overview of general bicycle maintenance and minor adjustments and a demonstration of changing a flat tire. Attendees are encouraged to bring a wheel from their own bike, tire levers and a pump to practice changing a flat. This is a must-not-miss clinic for new cyclists preparing for the outdoor biking season!

WHEN: Thursday, April 30th, 7:00pm

WHERE: Runners Grove, 5155 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515

COST: $10.00 - Proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Fund Everyone is welcome and encouraged to bring guests!

RSVP: info@trismartcoaching.com or 708-466-2379.

REFRESHMENTS: Will be provided!

No Easter Ride

2009-04-19T06:31:00.003-05:00

Today is the annual Folks on Spokes Easter Ride. Easter is over, you say? Doesn't matter. This group does a bike ride every year around this time. It's a great local ride, the first one of the season in this area.

However, with the weather forecast for today and this picture I just took out my front door, well, let's just say I'm taking a pass on this year's ride.

Really happy I went out for that ride yesterday afternoon!

Quarryman Challenge Course Preview #2

2009-04-18T09:20:00.004-05:00

Great morning for a run! I think many of us were a bit overdressed as we headed out to run the hills of Lemont. If you've never run this course, you're missing out. Some of the toughest hills you can find out in this area. Race day is May 9, 2009. If you're interested, you can Register here.

I think temperatures were in the low 50s when we started and reached low 60s by the end of the 10 mile run. Very little wind and beautiful sunshine made this a very enjoyable run.

Hope you can join us on May 9, 2009!

Introduction to Cycling Workshop - 5.6.09 and 5.13.09

2009-04-15T16:16:00.005-05:00

INTRODUCTION TO CYCLING

Whether you are new to cycling or triathlon, or if you’re an experienced athlete just looking to improve your skills and technique on the bike, please join us for a two-part workshop designed to help you be more knowledgeable and comfortable in your cycling endeavors!

Dates: May 6th and May 13th, 2009
Location: Urban Tri Gear
210 Burr Ridge Parkway
Burr Ridge, IL 60527
Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Registration: www.trismartcoaching.com/sign_me_up
Cost: $40.00

This workshop will cover the following:

Group Riding Etiquette
Paceline riding
Cornering
Shifting
Skills and Drills

Bring your bike, shoes, helmet and dress appropriately for the ride. Each workshop will include a short informational session followed by a ride for hands on practice of the material discussed.

All participants must complete a registration and participant waiver. Registrations will be accepted on day of the workshop (cash or check only).

MJ Slikas has been competing in the sport of triathlon for six years and has completed 4 Ironman distance races. She consistently places at the top of her age group in all distances. MJ has also qualified for and ran the Boston marathon, participated in the Wild Scallion Adventure Race and is active on the local running and cycling scene. MJ is a USAT Certified Coach and is the founder and owner of Tri Smart Coaching (http://www.trismartcoaching.com/). MJ can be reached at mj(AT)trismartcoaching.com.

Luna Summit

2009-04-02T19:37:00.004-05:00

Each year, Luna invites all the members of it's Luna Chix team out to Clif headquarters for some education, workouts, team bonding and much more. Though I've been a part of the Chicago Triathlon Luna Chix for 4 years now, this was the first year I was actually able to make it to this event called Summit.

I thought I knew what to expect. And in some ways, I was right on and in some ways I was completely off. On the first day, Leader Training, I forgot my camera. Taking a tour of the Clif Headquarters was an amazing experience and it's very similar to what I pictured it to be. It has all the things you'd expect a forward-thinking, environmentally correct, California-based company to be. I kid you not, during our meeting, there were employees skateboarding from one section of the warehouse to another. I couldn't control my giggling when one would skate right by.

The second day was a whirlwind of clinics: open water swimming, bike maintenance, a yoga class, Cross-Fit, Chi Running, I mean, it was almost exhausting. Being able to sit and rub elbows with the Pro Luna Team is an experience I will never forget. Listening to the CEO of the Breast Cancer Fund was also very moving and inspirational. It was almost too much packed all into a tiny 2 and a half day weekend.

I was very excited to be able to put faces with names - women with whom I've exchanged emails and phone calls with, with whom I've learned from and grown with through the program. Every time I turned around there was another women I was anxious to speak with and get to know better. I've learned so much more about Luna and the Luna Chix program - things you'd think I would have known years ago.

Before I could even blink, the weekend was over. I was happy to spend time with so many women gathered together to reach a common goal: to get women out and active while raising money for the Breast Cancer Fund. Each and every woman I met out there made some sort of impact on me. It was a great kickoff to what promises to be yet another successful Luna Chix season!

First Outdoor Ride of 2009

2009-03-22T19:01:00.003-05:00

It seems obnoxiously late in the season to be getting out on the open road for the first time this year, but it is what it is. Training has had to take a back seat for the last couple of months due to a number of work/family things. I was excited to be a part of a sizable group for this ride.

However, it had opened my eyes to how much work I have to do to get back to racing shape. I completely overdressed (I'm a big wimp in the cold). I was the only one with anything on my shoes - not just toe covers, but the big ol' neoprene booties. Though my feet were hot, they didn't really bother me during the ride. Nor what I bothered by the fact that I had these indestructable wind proof, water proof, nothin'-gettin'-through-these-bad-boys pants on which made me totally sweat.

What bothered me what my lack of ability to keep up with a group of guys that would normally be a regular ride for me. Within the first 20 minutes, I started to realize I was not going to be up at the front for long. And to my dismay, about half way through the ride, I felt the hamstring injury acting up. I thought I was PAST that darn thing! I ended up backing off and riding home with my tail between my legs.

Guess I need to start riding my bike again.

Team Mideast Elite

2009-03-14T18:23:00.004-05:00

This year, I've been fortunate enough to be selected to be on Mideast Team Elite. Until now, I've been familiar only with about half of the people on the team. This weekend we're having a Performance Camp, including several clinics and LT testing. It's only Saturday night and it has been a fabulous experience so far. It is amazing to be associated with some of the best triathletes (and duathletes) of the Midwest (Mideast is our category within USAT). Thanks to Guy P., Brett P. and the directors and team captains - what a truly great initiative to be a part of!

Unfortunately, my training as of late has been taking a back seat to some other things going on in my life. It concerns me for my races coming up in the next few months, but I'm hoping to be able to pull it together before the end of August when I will do my first of 2 Ironman distance events this year. This could be a blessing in disguise as I frequently fall victim to overtraining. When you have late season Ironman events, it's important not to start the season out like gangbusters, and I think I have that covered for now!

Still trying to decide on a July Half Ironman. If you've got any thoughts/ preferences, let me know! I could also probably skip that Half in July, but knowing how race-crazy I go year after year, I think I'll be signing up for something.

See you all out there.
Train SMART.

Injury Prevention Clinic

2009-02-22T06:49:00.004-06:00

Earlier this week, the Luna Chix held an Injury Prevention Clinic at Runners Grove. This was the first occasion in which we had the entire 2009 team together. Marguerite Ruminski of Healthy Sins (708-227-7177) provided us with a fantastic spread of delicious, healthy snacks. Of course, there was also plenty of Luna Electrolyte drink and Luna bars for each participant.

The clinic started off with one question. What is the number one cause of running injuries? Overuse. We then covered the top 5 ways to prevent running injuries:

Avoid the "toos": too much, too soon, too intense

Proper shoes

Right surface

Keep the balance

Stay loose - STRETCH!

All stretching should be done with warm muscles. This means you should stretch after a brief 10 minute warm up or after your workout. You should never stretch cold muscles. All stretches should be held for 30 seconds. The main stretches covered were:

Hamstring - place one leg on a chair, step or bench. Straighten leg, flex foot, keep back straight and lean gently into the stretch toward your toes

Calf - Stand on a curb or step with heel over edge, keep knee straight, push heel slowly down; Using a wall, place your toes on the wall with heel on floor, gently lean in toward the wall

Quad/Hip Flexor - Stand on one foot, bend knee of opposite foot and grab foot - not toes - with the hand on the same side of the body. Keep knee directly down, do not push out to the side or lean. Keep standing foot pointing forward.

Hip Rotator - Cross one foot over opposite knee. Brace yourself on a steady object and move to a sitting position. Point the bent knee down.

Groin - sit with bottoms of feet pushed together, knees to sides; move feet in as close to groin as possible, lean forward keeping back straight - do NOT overdo this stretch!

With each of these stretches, the audience got up and performed them - and held each stretch for 30 seconds. We covered some of the most common running injuries and what stretches runners can do to help prevent those injuries. After a brief question and answer session, we raffled off some great Runners Grove prizes. As a "thank you" to all participants, everyone walked away with a goody bag full of a variety of items.

If you were unable to come to this clinic, we certainly hope you'll consider joining us for the next one!

Indoor Triathlons

2009-02-01T19:25:00.003-06:00

Here in the midwest, the time is ripe for the Indoor Triathlon. With just a little investigation, you can find an indoor triathlon somewhere near you. So what is an indoor triathlon? Well, an indoor triathlon is a bit different from an outdoor triathlon. The biggest noticable difference is that you do each event for a designated amount of time vs. trying to cover a certain distance. Another major difference is that the transition times are set (i.e. 10 minutes) for all athletes, so there is no advantage to moving on to your next event - everyone starts at the same time.

Overview

The Swim: The number of lanes in the pool typically dictates how many triathletes can start together. Many of our local indoor triathlons will put two swimmers in each line to swim side-by-side. Circle swimming is not allowed. Each participant swims for the designated time, while “counters” assigned to each lane keep track of laps. When time is up, participants exit the pool and the next wave of swimmers begins.

The Transitions: After the swim, participants have the opportunity to go to the locker room and change out of their wet swimsuits. Most indoor triathlons allow 10 minutes for each transition which is like "free" time. After the bike, athletes are once again allowed 5 or 10 minutes to get from the bikes to the treadmills or track, depending on the race. Be sure to hydrate well during these periods.

The Bike: Stationary bikes are most commonly used for indoor triathlons. Make sure you give yourself ample time to adjust the bike seat and bars so you’re comfortable riding. The stationary bikes have built-in computers that will show you speed and distance. You will be allowed to adjust your resistance as needed and your goal is to ride as far as you can in the designated time period. In most indoor triathlons, the same "counter" (volunteer) will follow you throughout the day to record your distance in each discipline.

The Run: After getting from the bike to the track (or treadmill), the run begins. You are to stop when the designated time elapses. Again your "counter" (volunteer) is there to count your laps so you don't have to count. At the end of the event, this person will add up all your distances, show you the card and you are to sign off on it before having the card turned in to be recorded in the official results.

Indoor vs. Outdoor

While the formats for indoor triathlons can vary between indoor triathlons, most are developed to remove certain “barriers to entry” that prevent aspiring triathletes from participating in outdoor events.

Swim is in a pool. One reason many people hesitate to sign up for a triathlon is the swim, which usually occurs in open water with a mass start. Triathletes often describe the experience as “swimming in a washing machine.” Indoor triathlon participants swim in a pool, sometimes in their own lane, allowing enough space to swim at their own pace with the option to stop and regroup if necessary.

Transitions are less stressful. Most people define triathlons as swimming, biking and running, but a major part of the race is the transition between events. The clock doesn’t stop as you race to your gear, change equipment and set yourself on the right course. In many indoor triathlons, however, the clock does stop — for a short period — to allow you to move on to the next stage.

Predictable bike ride.
Since you’re not riding a bike on the road, you don’t have to worry about getting a flat tire, wiping out, navigating around other cyclists on the course, or perfecting some of the rules of conventional triathlons, such as drafting and passing.

Perfect weather conditions. Some outdoor triathlons have become duathlons because of dangerous swim conditions. Severe heat can shorten the run course. You don’t always get what you expect, and your own race results from the same outdoor course each year can vary because of weather. Not so with an indoor race. The conditions are always the same.

No one gets left behind. Everyone races in the same building, in the same area. Even if another competitor is running faster than you, you're on the same indoor track (or treadmill) next to you runs a mile in half the time it takes you to get there, you won’t be left in his dust. Because of this proximity, it’s an ideal format to race with friends and family.

So should you participate in an indoor triathlon?

While participating in an indoor triathlon will not significantly advance your training or fitness, it can be a fun event to add to your training schedule when working out indoors becomes monotonous. So if you're feeling like adding a little spice and excitement to your indoor regimen, go ahead and sign up for an indoor triathlon. You're bound to have fun!

Planning the Season

2009-01-25T09:45:00.002-06:00

I was just asked yesterday what races I planned to do this season. While I've already signed up for a few (see list on the left), most of the season is still up in the air. A couple of years ago, you could have asked me in December what my upcoming season was going to be like and I'd have every race listed and every weekend was accounted for! By the first of January, I would know exactly what races I planned to do for the entire year.

Last year, still fighting the hamstring injury, I had registered for several events only to sell off my entries knowing I would not be ready to compete. I did not regret one entry I ended up dumping (including Tri Shark which turned out to be a duathlon because of weather). So this year, once again, I am entering races slowly and deliberately. I don't want to go through the hassle of trying to get money back or selling an entry, and I really don't have extra money to just let a registered, paid event go to waste.

My focus now has become to race more strategically. In the first few years, I think I raced anything and everything that was convenient or went when I knew a group of friends heading out to the event. I have now become a little more "big picture" in terms of how each race might help me in my "ultimate" race. But that doesn't mean that there should be only one "A" race per season. There is room for at least 2, maybe even 3, "peak" events in each athlete's season. Much of this depends on the experience, motivation and ability of the athlete.

In some ways, not having the whole season nailed down makes me feel a little like a slacker - but knowing how well things turned out for me last year, I think I may be on to something. How many times have you signed up for an event 6+ months in advance only to find out there is something else you must do, family-wise or another, even better, event that now you have to miss out on? Sure, you might miss out on some of those events that close very quickly (i.e. the March Madness half marathon), but I think waiting to decide gives you a little more "racing freedom." Now, if you have your heart set on a race for the season, by all means, you'd better be logged in, at the computer, credit card in hand when registration opens up (think Ironman events, or even Tri Shark). But there are still plenty of well-run events that you can sign up for as close to a week before the race.

The 2009 season is just around the corner. If you haven't taken the time to plan out your season, now would be a great time. Even if you don't sign up for every event this month, you could keep something on the "back burner" and keep an eye on registration. You'll know how bad you want to do the event when it starts getting close to being filled. Try to think of how you would take the news if you found out the event was filled and you weren't in. No big deal? I'd probably hold out for another event. On the other hand, if you feel like, "Shoot, NOW what am I going to do that weekend?" or "NOW what half ironman can I get into before XYZ race??", well, then, I think that's probably the event I'd put my money in to.

And if you happen to get shut out of an event you really, really wanted to get in to, you have just two options: 1)as the event gets closer, keep your eyes and ears open and ask around if you can buy an entry from someone who has to bail (of course, some events don't even allow this), or 2)there's always next year.

13.1 Marathon

2009-01-19T16:18:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Mary and I drafted this note to the editor of one of the local athlete publications. I ended up never sending the email, but I still think it has validity.

Call it what it IS!

There is a need to speak out about the advertisement published in your December 2008 issue for the “13.1 Marathon Chicago ”. 13.1 miles is a HALF marathon. This is just some gimmick for event directors to get more money by preying on athletes by using the allure of “marathon” in the title of the event without it being the actual 26.2 miles. There is a certain prestige that goes along with saying one finished a Marathon . So why are we cheapening the accomplishment by coming out with races with the title of Marathon if the race is not the actual distance? But if that’s how you roll, I’ve got some suggestions for you. Let’s have a Shamrock Shuffle 4K. Or let’s have the Chicago Half Marathon 6.55. And for your short course specialists, we should have the 2.5K Ravenswood 5K. Personally, I would like to be called an Ultramarathoner – so I’d like to request we have an Ultramarathon 26.2.

New year, commiting to the blog

2009-01-14T17:25:00.002-06:00

Yes, I'll admit it. I've been much of a slacker when it comes to keeping this blog updated. One of my projects for the year will be to get back into regular blog posting. I was talking to a good friend of mine, someone outside of the triathlon world, and he gave me a new perspective.

All this time, I've been keeping this blog pretty much focused on race reports and workouts. But you can only race so many times a year and, honestly, most workouts are not blog-worthy. So in our conversation, he made me realize how many things I really could blog about and still have it connected to triathlon and or/training. Why this never occurred to me before is a mystery.

Things have been busy and I've been doing a lot of work towards my coaching business, Tri Smart Coaching. Just when I think I've got some free time, something hits me and I realize there is always something more I could be doing. In the upcoming weeks, I'll be focused on some deep base training to prepare for the 2009 season. I still have not selected all of my races for the year, but I've got ideas floating around in my head.

So be sure to start checking back more frequently. I will be posting on a more regular basis and hope you find it of some value (even if it's enteratainment value!). And if you don't really want to read anything I post, you can always just click on for the music!!

Dark, icy and sub-zero windchill...LET'S RUN!

2008-12-16T07:46:00.003-06:00

Every week, the Luna Chix host a run at Runners Grove. For the last several Mondays, the weather has been less than ideal. As the days get shorter, it gets darker earlier and the sinking temperatures are not enjoyed by many. Sunday night's ice storm did not help conditions. The streets were covered with a very thin, very slippery layer of ice all day that wreaked havoc with commuters, whether they were in their cars or walking to the train.

I had hoped that things would get better before Monday night. However, as I drove to the store, it took me significantly longer than usual and as I rushed from car to doorfront, the temperature down to the single digits, I shivered to think about running this evening. A quick check of weather.com and it predicted the temperature to drop a few degrees and, with the windchill, it would be feeling about -8 for our run.

But runners are some of the most loyal, dedicated, don't-interrupt-my-schedule type of people. A little darkness, icy surfaces and below freezing windchills are not enough to stop us. We are prepared with our double and triple layers of technical clothing, reflective vests and headlamps all designed to keep us moving during the most treacherous conditions. So off we went!

Surprising even myself, I found myself overheating in the first mile of the run. I had to unzip my jacket to let the bitter cold come just a little closer to me. Unfortunately, the damage had been done - I was already sweating! And once you sweat in these obnoxiously cold temperatures, it's pretty difficult to keep warm because your clothes are now wet. So now we picked up the pace just a little bit. Believe it or not, the rest of the run was rather comfortable. I'm sure we got plenty of stares from people in their cars with huge, warm jackets on and heaters a blazing, but it didn't matter. Another wintry run is in the books!

Ironman Arizona Race Report

2008-11-26T10:09:00.022-06:00

Some of you asked for it - this is the long version....

I didn't need the alarm to wake up this morning. In true Type A fashion, I was awake just about every hour looking at the clock. I quietly got dressed and headed down to the hotel-sponsored breakfast. I wasn't the least bit hungry, but I know I need to pack in my food now for the long day ahead. I went to drop off breakfast for the Saint (whohad a late night the evening before) and tell him he needed to get up soon. I picked up my bags and pump and headed down for the hotel shuttle to the race start. There were 7 athletes on this shuttle and I was the only female. We had some nervous chatter as we rode to the race start in the dark.

It was cold out. I had forgotten to bring warm up pants so I threw on the only pair of jeans I brought to AZ. I didn't realize how cold it got at night there! I pumped up my tires, was asked about 9 times to borrow my pump, to which I quickly replied "someone's already got it next." It got really irritating. Sally and I had talked about pumping up her tires in the morning - and besides, I didn't have time to wait around for all these people to use my pump and return it to me! I put my bottle of Perpetuem on the bike and filled the aerobottle with water.

Next stop was the transition bags, which were very close together. I had some last-minute things to place in each of them. Back to my bike - I forgot to attach my power meter. On to a potty break - holy cow, the line was long! I ended up putting my wetsuit half way on while in line because at 6:40, I was still in line and the race started at 7:00!I wished good luck to all my Ironman friends and scooted out to try and get a good spot in the water.

The water temperature was a crisp 63 degrees and I was happy to have survived Racine (54 degrees) earlier this year because that made this 63 not so bad. I jumped in off the pier and quickly came up for air from the shock of the cold. Idon't care if you know how cold it is, it's always a shock when you first get in! I swam tarzan-style over towards the front and close to the water's edge. Despite being a strong swimmer, I get a little freaked out in the washing machine of arms and legs that is the Ironman swim. I asked a girl up front what she expected to swim and she replied ":58". I asked another guy and he said "1:30". Me and “:58” quickly told him he may want to reconsider his positioning.

We treaded water for close to 15 minutes. I don't know how, but I managed to spot the Saint along the sidelines where he snapped a quick picture. One of the coolest sights was when I turned around to look and saw both bridges lined with spectators. I defogged my goggles for the last time and the cannon sounded - AW CRAP!

Almost immediately I was clocked in the head. I fought for my position as best I could, but I also know when to let an adrenaline-rushed swimmer with arms-a-flailin' to go on past me. Those are always the guys that run out of gas about 600-800 yards in, anyway. I think I was caught up in traffic for about 7-10 minutes and then I was able to get clear water. I did hug the side and know I was adding yardage to my swim, but I prefer that to the alternative, which is to get beat up. One negative: no draft - no one was out there with me.

Unbelievable, I have to pee! At the turn around (which felt like an eternity), I decided to cut in and find some feet. Unfortunately, people are now losing steam so just when I thought I found a nice spot, it would be too slow and I'd start clipping the feet in front. I then found a nice guy swimming to the outside - I had to kick it up a notch to catch him, but once I did, the pace was good! Didn't last long, guy couldn't swim a straight line if you paid him. I ended up swimming alone for the remainder of the 2.4 miles. I tried to pee while swimming - can't do it.

Coming to the finish, they have aluminum stairs dropped in the water. You cannot see the bottom stair and if you try to grab the rail and pull yourself out, it's very likely you'll slam your shin on the bottom stair. This is why it always looks like everyone coming out of the water at IMAZ is crawling out - they are. The advice we were given was to grab the stairs with your hands and pull yourself up until your feet hit the bottom stair. Looks funny, but it was effective.

Got to the top of the stairs, checked the time, business as usual. Headed to the wetsuit strippers and the woman who helped me really was not good. I think I could've gotten the stupid wetsuit off faster myself! It was clear she hadn't done this before. Ah well. Wetsuit in hand, I started the long jaunt to my transition bag. Between the chilly water and the cold ground, my feet were completely numb before I picked up my bag. I ran right over to my bag, picked it up and headed into the changing tent. There were a few other women in there, but relatively quiet.

Should I pee? No, I'll get on the bike, maybe the urge will go away. The volunteer helping me dumped my bag - which I wasn't happy about. All my stuff came flying out of my bike jersey pockets. I bit my tongue remembering how one lady yelled at me when I volunteered - I know she wasonly trying to help. I crammed all my stuff back in the jersey, just the way I had it before. It was difficult to get my socks and shoes on. My feet were just so cold. Volunteer loses one of my bike gloves so I was scrambling to pick it up. Then she couldn't figure out how to put the race belt on me while I was snapping on my helmet. I just grabbed it and ran.

Not sure if it was planned this way or not, but I was simply directed to my bike. No volunteer handing it to me like has been done at previous races. The unfortunate part about this was that I was the furthest away on the rack that you could be - last bike on the row. I grab the bike and run out wondering if I'll ever feel my toes again. Get to the mount line, not very many people, and I easily get on and take off. I don't remember anything being cold at all - except my feet.

Out onto the course, I smile at the familiar streets and sights. I was fortunate enough to have ridden this course (or close to the exact course) twice this year. I knew when the turns were AND - I actually knew which WAY we were turning! Pretty exciting for this directionally-challenged triathlete!! I felt great. Holding my power exactly where I wanted it and it felt easy. My right contact now was bothering me. I kept blinking to see if I could get it to go back into place, but that wasn't happening.

For the first 10-15 miles, I did have to purposely slow myself down. My legs just wanted to go. I was uncomfortable now - but only because I really had to pee!! I make it to the Beeline Highway, which is a long, gradual uphill. It felt like the wind was coming straight at us, but looking at the bushes (or tumbleweeds or whatever it is they have there in the desert), they were not moving. I don't think there was ANY wind. Yet, I was riding on what looked to be flat, at my designated power, andsaw my miles per hour at 13. OUCH! "This is going to take me forever," I thought. Saw my first HUGE pack of drafters and wonder why people do that.

Now I really have to pee. I decided to hit the aid station at the turn around which was at the top of Beeline. I figure, do the work, use the bathroom, then haul it on the downhill back in to do the loop again. BONUS - going to the bathroom this early in the race is good - no waiting for a porta potty! While in the porta potty, I hear an athlete who just came out of another porta potty start swearing. Apparently, he broke his cleat. He’s screaming at the poor volunteer, who really has no idea what to do, nor is it his job, and I am happy I just don’t take myself that seriously.

Back on the bike, the ride back into town was SO MUCH FUN! I was flying down, in my biggest gear, having a hard time keeping the watts up. WOO HOO - I get to do this 2 more times! The spectators on the bike course were non-existent. About a mile before the turn around back into town, the people were lined up, cheering, ringing those beloved cow bells. I make the turn and I'm off on loop 2. Still can’t see out of my right eye. Gotta get that damn Lasik.

I was very comfortable temperature-wise and my legs felt great. On up the Beeline, I just told myself how great the return trip would be. It felt like it took me a long time on this second trip up the long, steady hill, but I just stuck to my plan. I was being passed by many men, sometimes riding way too close or cutting over before they should have - again, I wonder why people do that? I mean, it's a pretty big road! And with my right contact still not in the right place, it wasn't a good situation.

On to my third lap, I realize I drank my Perpetuem much too fast. I only have a couple of sips left and I have over 30 miles to go. For a split-second, I wonder if I just screwed up my race. I am no longer comfortable in the aero position. I had to get off the saddle and re-adjust every 10 minutes or so. One of my projects for next year is to find SOME WAY to remain comfortable for the duration of one of these rides! Now I'm at mile 90 or so and out of nowhere, both legs cramped up. OWWW!!! I quickly stood up on the pedals, stretching out the calves. This happened to me briefly, once, in Ironman Wisconsin. I think - OK, what does this mean? Salt. I whip out the Endurolytes Sally so graciously gave me in the minutes before the race started. Worked like a charm - thank you Sally!!

I pushed a little bit on the last 5-6 miles, just because I could. I now started to think about my run and wondered if the legs were going to hold up. Up to the dismount line, a nice volunteer grabbed my bike and I ran over to find my other transition bag. Again, I grabbed it myself (soooo glad I memorized where my bags were) and headed to the changing tent yet again. Full wardrobe change, including throwing on my really cool compression socks and I was off and running.

Almost immediately, my legs feel heavy. Uh oh. What did I do? Bike too aggressively? Not really, I stuck to the plan. Well, let's just go with a comfortable pace. About 1 mile in, my feet start burning. I think they were first NOW thawing out!! I take a minute to take off my sunglasses to rub my eye to get the contact back in place, but something is still off. I put the sunglasses back on and just kept blinking. The Saint was there at the second water station (close to our hotel) with my brother on the scooter cooler. It was a pick-me-up to see them both. I managed a thumbs-up, but I was already bumming with the lack of pep in my step.

The run is another 3 loop course and it was really, really difficult (mentally) to see the mile markers for all the loops on your first time around. So, you'd see mile 2...and then you'd see the mile 11 sign or something right after that and you wished you were on that second loop! It especially hit in when I saw “Mile 23” and I was on mile 6. Now I was getting passed left and right, by just about everyone. I knew I was slow, but I just kept moving. I thought about all the people who said they'd be watching online (damn you, Parello!) and it kept me going. Once again, this was a spectator-less course aside from the area near transition, which was also near the finish. Even "inspiration station" wasn't very inspiring. It was just one woman with a megaphone, yelling "Go runners" every minute or so. Very weak compared to what I’ve experienced in the past.

Heading around for lap 2, I now know what is in store for me. There are more hills than I realized. There were a couple sections of gravel – one with big, loose rocks. It was a very short section, but it was on a steep downhill and because I could only see with one eye, I slowed a lot for fear of tripping over a rock. On this second loop, the Saint and my brother were joined by Sally’s crew and they were all cheering me on. It was another little boost for me, but I knew I was slowing down. My face was covered with salt. I’d take a sponge every few aid stations to wipe off my face, but then I saw them recycling sponges. That ended that little ritual. There wasn’t much music along the course and I didn’t care for much of what I heard. I played my favorite iPod playlist over and over in my head to pass the time.

Third loop – right contact is beyond irritating, so I just ripped it out. I’m almost done, anyway. The sun is setting and I wondered if I should’ve put a long-sleeved shirt in a special needs bag for this (I didn’t even do special needs bags). The last pass I see my “fan club”, I smiled and said, “Only 8 more miles to go!” I felt better on the last loop than I did on the second loop. My legs are still heavy, but my pace is staying constant. With 10K left to go, I realize I could break 11:30 if I didn’t walk. I started skipping aid stations just to make sure I didn’t run out of time!

Somehow, I missed the mile 25 marker, but I knew I was close because I was getting near the group of spectators. There is one point on the course that has 2 signs. One said “Laps 1, 2 and 3” with an arrow. The other sign said “To Finish” with an arrow. I was DELIGHTED to be on the path “To Finish”!!! The fans are cheering and I am trying to pick up my pace. My legs hurt but I am so close now. A quick little detour through a parking lot, back out on the street and then one sharp left turn to see the finish line. There it is! I cannot help but smile. I am going to break the 11:30 mark! And for the very first time, I actually heard the announcer say my name and call me an IRONMAN.

Ironman Arizona 2008

2008-11-25T09:16:00.003-06:00

Is now in the books. I wrote a full race report on the way home, and looking over it this morning, it's much too long to post. I have been accused of putting in "every excrutiating detail", so I'm going to spend some time condensing my first draft and will get something up shortly.

THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. I cannot believe how many people either wished me luck, followed me online, or congratulated me afterwards. I appreciate each and every one of your kind words.

Report will be up in the next day or two...stay tuned.

Compression Tights

2008-11-18T18:52:00.003-06:00

Yes, Peeps, you've heard me rave about the compression socks I invested in a couple of months ago. Well, now that the temperature has dropped below 32 degrees here in good ol' Chicago, I've moved on to compression tights.

These are the CW-X Insulator Stabilyx Tights. You've probably seen the advertisement...some guy has a piece of sidewalk with the mailbox attached and it says something about the speed of his run....or another one has a guy holding (on one arm, mind you) a pile of people he passed during his run because of these tights. Well, I can't say I've ripped out a piece of road or passed a ton of people wearing these tights, but what I can tell you is - WOW - do my legs feel energetic while wearing these tights! The key is to get the right size - they are compression tights, so you will be squeezing into these a bit - and then you need to make sure the diamond part in the stitching is over your kneecap. This gets the compression part over the right places in your leg.

These fantastic little tights have this "wind proof panel" covering your thighs so they will be warm in the chilliest conditions. (wish they'd put a little of that over the butt cheeks!!) They seem to support your legs exactly where you need it and they are just so comfortable, you'll want to lounge around your house in them (okay, maybe not).

They're a little pricey, but I've found that with technical apparel, you get what you pay for. I had to shell out just over $100 for them, but the comfort they'll bring me in the upcoming chilly months will far outweigh the cost.

I'm still not happy about it being so cold out here. It seems every year around this time, I wonder why the heck I live here. If I wasn't able to dress warmly enough to run comfortably outside, I'm thoroughly convinced I would no longer live in the midwest.

Keep warm!

2345

2008-11-13T14:59:00.002-06:00

That's my bib number for Ironman Arizona.

'Nuff said.

AZ Training Trip

2008-11-07T15:01:00.002-06:00

When I say this outloud, I almost can't believe it, but I went to Arizona last weekend just to train. Sounds like I belong on the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or something, but the cost of the trip really wasn't all that much. When I planned the trip several months ago, I figured long bike rides were going to be brutal this time of year here in Chicago and I wasn't really that far off. The weather prediction for this weekend isn't making me look forward to my last long ride in preparation for this race. Sure, there's always the trainer, but....

Of course having someone to share the experience with makes it all that much better, so another fellow IMAZ competitor (SH) flew down to AZ for the weekend also. We arrived on Friday night and, trying to keep expenses to a minimum, we opted not to rent a car and decided to walk to dinner. This was Halloween night and I am now convinced that girls in college use Halloween to get away with dressing like hoochies. We also had some drunk college student talking to us as we walked past and actually burped as he was speaking. It was impossible not to laugh.

The two hour time difference screwed with us a little, but it allowed us to get a good night's sleep before the ride on Saturday. We headed down the street to get some bagels, bananas and peanut butter to fuel for the long ride. After clearing out the couple of ice machines the hotel had, our Camelbacks and water bottles were full and we were ready to go. It was already warm by Chicago standards - a balmy 68 degrees or so.

I'm not going to give a long, detailed description of the entire ride, but know these important parts:

The Beeline highway has a very deceiving incline
You get hot even in a dry heat
Wind and desert can make for a nasty combination

Though the ride was not brutal, it was tough. The drastic temperature change from the 32 of Chicago to the 97 of Tempe was hard to deal with...and I love the heat. At each stop, we filled up the water bottles and Camelbacks with ice, but our fluids never really seemed to stay cold. Biggest disappointment: I don't even have any tan lines after being out there all day.

Had my brother come and pick us up for some dinner. It was great to see him and AZ seems to be treating him well. Dinner was fabulous and we ate every bite. It was our first real meal of the day. Another early bed time.

Got a little confused because now the time had changed. But it doesn't change in AZ. So weird, I walked around the rest of the day not really being sure of what time it was. We ran 1 loop of the 2 loop run course (or something close to it). No real challenging hills, but definitely some ramps that will probably not be all that fun come race day. It was fun to see so many other people out there - on what was Nov. 2 - outside enjoying the day. There was an Autism walk this day and had an amazing turnout! We thought about snatching some water from some of the sponsors, but decided to head over and grab some recovery food at the Einstein's on the way back to the hotel.

Sunday night brought us right back home. It was not as cold back home as I expected. Of course, I was hoping for freezing, sleeting conditions here while I was away!! This time, my bike and box made it back safe and sound (huge sigh of relief!) and now my hardest training weekend for IMAZ is complete.

And The Countdown Continues

2008-10-30T16:59:00.002-05:00

Time is just flying by as Ironman Arizona gets closer each day. I don't really have much to comment on except that training is going well. The hardest part is that the weather really hasn't been cooperating all that much. The wind gusts of up to 50mph were enough to keep me from my scheduled long ride last Sunday. It seemed the smart thing to do to cancel the ride, but the guilt that forced upon me had me questioning my decision for days. I was still laying in bed around 7:15am wondering what I was going to do with myself all day. It made me wonder what the heck I did with my weekends before I started all this triathlon business.

Training for such a late season Ironman is not fun. Most of my training buddies have long since called the season a wrap. Not many people want to do a nice 20 mile run just for fun. Can't say I blame them. If I was finished with my racing for the year, I would be doing the same thing as them! On a positive note, the time change this weekend will help with the next couple weeks of workouts. And then it's time to taper so the need to start at the crack of dawn isn't there any more.

This is normally the time of year to start thinking about the schedule for next year. And while I have my "main" races targeted, I'm sure I'll be playing around with what works and what doesn't for 2009 in terms of races. One thing for sure is that the season has, once again, begun to feel like it's never-ending for me. I tend to fall into the trap of starting early, like everyone else, because I'm anxious to take advantage of the small window it seems triathlons are locked into. But most others seem to finish around the end of August. While my training volume has been pretty large the last couple of weeks, I am hearing rumblings of people who feel they've "lost it" from the summer and are now ready to start training again!!

So just a little over 3 more weeks to go. I'm sure it will just fly by and I'll have to keep reminding myself to back it down. I'm looking forward to a little desert heat!

20 at Chicago Marathon

2008-10-15T05:03:00.002-05:00

Though the Chicago Marathon isn't scheduled perfectly with the 20 mile run in my training program, I decided not to waste the opportunity to get in this long run because of its convenience. How many times can you do a fully-supported long training run with plenty of company??

I arrived plenty early at the Hospitality Suite hosted by a local running group to meet up with the "gang". Little did I know this would be such a hot spot for seeing other people I knew! It was like every time I turned around, there was another familiar face! It was fun to see everyone and the room was just buzzing with energy, but I will admit that made it a bit distracting. Even though this was just a training run, I still wanted to be prepared.

Several trips to a nearby bathroom were necessary because I knew the porta potty line down near the start would be a zoo. It was very convenient and, despite my multiple trips, I never had to wait in line. Bonus! I went over and over and over all the nutrition and supplements I had brought along to get me through the race. Meticulously, I placed everything into my pockets in the opposite order I'd need them in to make for easy access while running. Donna even decked me out with one of those pace tattoo thingys.

With about 40 minutes to go, we headed out toward the start. I had already ditched my throw-away shirt because it became a little toasty in the hotel. Once outside, I didn't even miss the shirt, a sure sign of the warm day ahead of us. Of course, I had my compression socks on and wasn't even feeling self-conscious about them. This year, they had the starting chute blocked off for what seemed like FOREVER and we ended up entering in at the 13 min/mile pace. This meant we had to zig zag our way through the dense crowd to try and squeeze up into a more adequate running pace.

Once in a position where all of us agreed we should be, we joked and laughed and tried to take our minds off the upcoming run. We paused for the national anthem (GUYS - PLEASE take your hats off during this!! I was shocked at the number of men who left their hats on during the anthem!) and the crowd moved up slightly toward the start line. I don't even remember hearing the official start, but soon everyone began walking forward. Next thing I know, RT is pointing to me where the "official" start clock had been running for some 5+ minutes. Huh. Ah, it doesn't matter.

Crossing the start line is always a little chaotic. People every which way, dodging the left over water bottles athletes just placed on the ground and jumping over piles of clothes kept on to keep warm (I don't advise jumping over anything at this point). There were spectators lined across 2 bridges right away that gives you a little boost. Not much cheering this year, though, as we ran under those. Sometimes, because of the echo, people like to make a lot of noise over there. If you're lucky and a lot of people are feeling overly enthusiastic at this point, it can be deafening and motivational! Today, however, that wasn't to be.

The pace seemed to be a little quicker than I thought it should be, but I didn't want to run alone, so I stuck with BC as he dodged his way around the slower people who had lined up a little ahead of us. Within 2 miles, I was already sweating, which is very unlike me. Another telling sign of the heat to be experienced this day. NOTHING like last year, but definitely warmer than ideal marathon conditions. Another mile or 2 pass and we see JM just ahead. A couple of strategic moves and we ran up on each side of him to start up a conversation. He seems to be running well, but really just wants to listen to his tunes. We run with him for about a mile or so and press on.

The pace still seems quick, but my Garmin is malfunctioning. I keep losing the signal. I am happy I'm trying to keep splits on my good ol' Timex and note that the pace is about 15-20 seconds faster than target. I wonder how this will bite me later on, but still don't want to run alone, so I press on. A few people here and there commenting on the compression socks - then I notice they have them on too, so then I don't feel like they're making fun of me. I pass Elvis - in a very heavy blue outfit studded in gold...he's shuffling along, though!

I'm having a bit of a hard time trying to keep up my end of the conversation and wonder how much longer I'll be able to keep the pace. I think we were at mile 9 when I asked if we were coming up on mile 12. My Garmin said we had 11.23 miles in...how frustrating! My heartrate is in zone 4 and I'm concerned, but I don't want to give up. I pass Elvis again...now how did that happen?

At each water stop, I fall behind quite a bit and have to quicken the pace to catch up. It's at this time I believe I lengthen my stride and the hamstring starts talking to me. Once I catch up, though, the pace isn't slowing down. Now we're progressively running each mile faster. Around mile 15, I'm ready to slow down. Now the pace is about 25 seconds faster per mile than planned and I am struggling. Can I do this for 5 more miles? BC had pulled out the metronome and it was funny watching people look around trying to figure out what the heck it was. Better than that, it made me focus on smaller steps and made the run go by just a bit easier. Another bonus was that when we had to split up for a while, I could always hear if he was next to me or behind me - so I never had to look. Just focus on keeping that sound nearby.

By mile 18, I knew I had it. No, it wasn't getting easier, but I knew I was stopping in 2 miles. Just 2 miles! No problem. In fact, the last 2 miles were 2 of the fastest miles of the run! And though I seriously thought about continuing on to the finish, I knew that just wasn't smart training. We finished the 20 in what was one of my strongest runs of the season. The heat was a factor, but didn't seem to cause a problem. I was happy to stop at 20 and call it a day!

Compression Socks

2008-09-29T10:37:00.004-05:00

Yes, the year is 2008 and I'm sporting those socks like I did back in grade school. Only those had the cool stripes in different colors at the top. I remember I had at least one pair in every color - an 2 pair of green striped ones because I liked them so much.

I did my first run in these compression socks on Saturday. Why, you ask? Well, compression socks are designed to strengthen and stabilize muscles, tendons and joints. They increase blood circulation therefore getting more oxygen through the blood and giving you more energy. I first saw these about a year ago during my last Ironman. As I go to events, I'm starting to see more and more people sporting these attractive little garments. I've been wearing compression shorts since I was diagnosed with the hamstring injury...so I decided to try the socks. What could it hurt?

The result? I found the socks quite comfortable! I was a little warm in them after a few miles, but very tolerable. I did find myself a tad itchy toward the end of the run, also. Could just be me not being used to having anything covering my shins when I run. All in all, my legs felt great and totally fresh for my ride the following day. Might just have to incorporate these socks in to my regular training wardrobe. Don't they look hot?

Runners are Crazy People

2008-09-16T06:41:00.005-05:00

It was already raining when I went to bed on Friday night. Because I enjoy cool, fresh air, I slept with the windows open that night. Somewhere during the night, the rain became heavy and I rushed around closing some of the windows, but keeping the bedroom windows cracked so I could listen to the steady beat of the raindrops.

Hours later, it was still raining. Now I wanted the rain to stop. I was to be meeting up with some people to get in a long run on Saturday morning. This rain wasn't just a sprinkle, it was steady. I shot out a few emails to see if I could get anyone to commit to running....after all, I didn't want to drive all the way out to be the only goof ball that showed up! I ended up calling Sally, who confirmed that she was going - after all, it wasn't lightening, and I packed up my things (with a couple of extra towels and an extra pair of shoes) and jumped in the car.

Amazingly, there were already a handful of people there. Sure, everyone was just sitting in their cars, but the dedication of this group surprised me. I couldn't believe there were other people so obsessed with getting in their long run that they'd come out to run in this rain. I worried about my shoes and socks getting so wet that I'd develop blisters. Fortunately for us, the air temperature was around 70.

The group was not the regular size, but still a good, solid showing for this rainy day. Another positive, the trail drains quickly and we reached mile 3.5 (Turtle Pond), a place that's known for flooding, and it was free and clear. Excellent! We ran on, not a dry stitch of clothing on any of us. Thankfully, the air was warm enough that even I wasn't complaining of being cold. As we passed mile 4 or so, another runner coming the other way said the trail was flooded out at mile 5.7. OK, well, we could get to that point and just turn around if it's that bad, we discussed.

At mile 5.7(ish), there is a small bridge. For most of the year, there isn't even much water flowing through there. In fact, it's such a small bridge, it's easy to forget about. I'm not even sure how long it is, maybe 25 feet? Well, we get there and it's covered with water bursting from a higher section of the forest preserve. It's loud and rushing by us quickly, pushing broken branches up against what is supposed to be the railing. You can barely even see the railing at this point. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in this forest preserve.

Being the only female in our group, everyone looked at me to see if I'd go through. OF COURSE! We took off our shoes and socks and made our way across the bridge. Slowly, to make sure we didn't lose our balance, we stepped very carefully across the bridge, one by one, to the other side. The water was cool and rather refreshing! Once across, I squeezed out my socks (I can't believe how much water was in them) and waited for everyone to cross.

We're lucky one of our runners, Jim M., had a cell phone on him and we were able to get this quick shot. The picture doesn't really do the water in the background justice, but if you've ever run at WFG, you might recognize this spot and have a better idea at how amazing this was. You can just barely see the railing of the bridge if you look to the right of the guy (Jason) in the orange shirt. I'm sort of surprised Jim's camera didn't fry out. You can't tell in the picture, but it was still raining hard when we took that.

We continued on through the rest of the trail with just minor little puddles to go around. We were again surprised there was no water collection just before mile 8 - another area known for flooding. The rain continued for the duration of this run (and for days afterwards!), but everyone made it through without incident.

Definitely a run I'll never forget. I've always known that I'm a little "too" addicted to this stuff and sometimes don't know when to quit. Well, the group of runners that ran outside in Chicago on Saturday morning - whether at WFG or anywhere else - are truly a crazy group of people.

Great Illini Half Ironman Race Report

2008-09-08T09:18:00.006-05:00

Though I'd had this race in mind for the last couple of months, I just signed up about a week ago for this event. I was tossing around the idea of doing the Full Ironman Aquabike here (2.4 swim followed by 112 run), as I did last year. However, the thought of getting in another half ironman in this year to prepare for Ironman Arizona sounded appealing.

Unlike last year, the predicted weather was just perfect for racing. We picked up Jess and arrived in transition at about 5:15am. We pulled up right next to AJ and then Caroline pulled in rightnext to us! Not sure how many total participants in this race, but transition is tiny. I like tiny - fast transitions! I was too late to get the first spot on the rack, but second wasn't bad. Truthfully, there is not a bad spot in all of this transition area.

I helped Elizabeth with a little tire problem and was pretty distracted...so distracted that when I was about to get into the water, the Saint asked, "hey, where's your chip?" I HAD FORGOTTEN TO PICK IT UP! Yikes! I ran over, pickedit up and slapped it on my ankle. I skipped body marking all together. (did I mentionI was distracted?) My feet were really cold, so I got in the water to warm them up. Swam a couple strokes and the water was a good temperature. Walked over to Caroline, got this quick photo and jumped over to line up for the start.

The first section of this swim is directly into the sun. The buoys are pretty far apart and it was a bit difficult to see them with the sunglaring in my face. After the first turn, I was already running into people from the previous wave. It was easier to see now. After the second turn, I had to stop more than once to find the next buoy...spaced too far apart. I didn't trust that the swimmers in front of me were on the right track. The swim felt good and I ran into transition and got out of there in a hurry. Nice to have small transition areas!

This was my first race on the new aerobars. I know I didn't put in as much time on them as I should have, but theyfelt pretty good. I had to rearrange the aerobottle and computer, so the whole set up was a new experience for me. Seems to have worked out! The first 10 miles of the course was turn after turn after turn. There was no time to get up to speed before having to slow down to go around a corner. Thankfully, the volunteers learned this year that we do not want unopened water bottles on the bike! They still don't realize it's easier to hand us bottles as they run in the same direction we're riding, though. My handoffs were pretty good because they had the stops right after the U turns on the course. I need to practice getting through those faster!

Once we got out further into the course, it felt windy in almost every direction we rode. Not terrible, but enough to make it loud in my ears. Lots of unleashed dogs running out onto the course. Very dangerous! I heard one run up barking after me and I freaked out a little and started riding faster to make sure he didn't take a chunk outof my leg! I yelled at several others as I rode up to them...they were just standing in the street and would begin chasing biker after biker as we rode by. Insane! I was working on keeping a steady power output. It turned out to be not quite what I was looking for, but taking into consideration all the slowing for the turns and U turns on the course, it wasn't too bad. Not a very fast bike split for me. I was getting uncomfortable in places I don't want to talk about and was happy to see transition up ahead.

Super fast transition (about 40 seconds I think) and I was off and running. My toes on both feet were numb. It's not fun to run when you can't feel your toes. I think it took until mile 3 for them to warm up. Note to self: put on toecovers when it's below 70 degrees in the morning! I've never complained of my feet being too hot during a race. The run course was rather boring. It was a "C" shape and to cover the 13.1 miles, you had to go out and back and out and back...I cannot imagine the people doing the full ironman today...they had to do that FOUR TIMES! Good God! Had some pain in one foot...something I've never felt before, but it didn't seem to slow me down. I stuck with my regular nutrition on the run and felt good until around mile 10 when the hamstring pain kicked in. I slowed, but not too much. I only ran the second "lap" 1 minute slower than the first one. I was happy to be done.

Weather conditions were perfect...aside from the little wind on the bike, the day was just beautiful. Don't get many days like that, so you have to enjoy them when you get them! I'm now suffering from a considerable amount of chafing. And now the Ironman training begins.

Accenture Expo

2008-08-26T18:04:00.002-05:00

Even though I did not participate in the Accenture Chicago Triathlon this year (first year I've NOT done this race!), I was at the Expo on Friday night to help staff the Luna booth. Some might look as the obligation to participate in staffing the booth as "work". However, nothing could be further from the truth for me!

First - the Luna Chix are just an amazing group of energetic, positive, fun women to be around. Second - I get to give out free products and collect the hundreds of positive comments (the Luna Moons are a huge hit, so if you haven't tried them, go out and buy some!). Third - it's sort of like a high school reunion for me. Triathlete friends are all around - those I haven't seen in years, those I just saw yesterday and those I'm just meeting for the first time. The room just buzzes with excitement non-stop and it's so easy for me to get caught up in it all.

My shift went by quickly and I was able to top it off with a little Luna bonding. I'm only a little sorry I didn't sign up for the race this year. But being able to work the expo and be so close to all the action is not half bad!

Pleasant Prairie Triathlon

2008-08-17T15:30:00.005-05:00

Of all the triathlons I've been fortunate enough to participate in, Pleasant Prairie has always been among my favorites. It's close to home, very well organized, the swim is one of the best venues, the bike course is mostly flat and the run takes you around the lake. Last year, it was pouring rain for about 18 hours before and up until the original race start. I dreaded racing last year because of the wet pavement.

Talk about an absolute opposite change in conditions today! It was chilly, maybe 62 degrees at the start, but the ground was dry as a bone and there was not a cloud in the sky (the sun wasn't up yet!). I forgot that transition closed at 6am because the race started at 6:30am! I think that's the earliest race start I've ever seen.

The racks were pretty jam-packed and there were a few women nearby complaining about it. What are you gonna do? You don't like it up where it's crowded, move your bike. I tried to ignore them, but I couldn't...I knew these are the same women I'd be battling it out with on the course. I tried not to let them bother me.

Almost brainlessly, I set up transition and waited for MN to finish setting up her stuff. A quick walk over to the "secret" porta potties revealed they weren't so secret. We had about a 15 minute wait and transition was closed before we got back. I then realized I had forgotten to leave a gel in there for the run. I easily snuck into transition to leave a gel with my running shoes, then began peeling off my outer layers to squirm into my wetsuit. A little mishap with the wetsuit zipper stressed me out for about 5 minutes, but it was under control in plenty of time before the race started.

In order to get to the front of the swim start, I camped out by the rail that corraled the upcoming waves. Piece of cake, I was in the front row on the outside for the start, right where I like to be. The horn went off and some girl ran in 3 big steps and took a huge dolphin dive and immediately got a good lead. DAMN! I swam along side one woman for about 200 yards until she petered out...then I just happened to see a light purple cap (my color) in front of me. Well, we must be about the same ability if we're both out here, so I jumped on her heels. She was quick and I was working harder than I'm used to, but I knew the draft was a good thing. She was swimming a little crooked, but every time I tried to get around her, I never made up ground. I decided it best to just stay on her feet. She was doing an awesome job navigating around the other swimmers and once she cleared the way for me, I had less effort to put in.
I stayed on her heels until the finish. One of the best swims I've ever had in this distance. Thank you, whatever your name is!

I was able to get out of the water and had the wetsuit half way off before I reached my bike. My breathing was a bit labored, but I knew I'd settle in on the bike after a few minutes. I seemed to be the first bike off my rack, but I still had this feeling that first dolphin-swimmer-girl was out there somewhere.

Due to construction, the bike course was changed this year. It was 2 loops of the sprint course, which I wasn't really happy about. The first half of the ride was more scenic. All too quickly, I was making my way up the overpass and the quads started burning. I just pushed the chain down to the easiest gears and tried to spin up so I could catch my breath from the swim. I was breathing too hard. Then a nice little downhill and we're already making our first turn. This year, the wind was steady and I questioned the use of my disc wheel. The turns were plentiful and though the first loop was easy (and a little short, I noticed), the second loop was majorly crowded and I was tired of yelling "on your left!" just to have few people move. It's like they never heard it before. Many, many riders riding just to the right of the double yellow, so I'm forced to sit back, pass on the right (illegal) or cross the double yellow (also illegal). It was frustrating after a while. The entire bike leg, I felt sluggish, just never found my rhythym, I guess. I was happy to be off the bike and this was a short ride for me. Just not a bike day for me.

On to the run, I felt pretty good. No hamstring pain and my breathing was under control. I thought I could push harder, but I knew I was off the podium already. With 1 swimmer ahead, 1 passed me on the bike and then another passed me immediately on the run, I just decided to do my own race. I was comfortable all the way around. It was great to be able to see so many friends on the out-and-back-and-out-and-back course. You wanted to look strong at all times because you couldn't be sure who'd see you next!

Other than the wind getting a little gusty, this was just a beautiful day. Some thought it to be a bit warm on the run (there is absolutely not one speck of shade for you), but I found it nice. The wind actually cooled me off just enough. My last Olympic distance race was this same race last year. Hard to believe a year has gone by so fast.

Closing the Pool

2008-08-16T06:10:00.007-05:00

Since June, I've had the opportunity to swim in an outdoor 50 meter pool on a daily basis. No, I don't go to the pool every day, but 2 or 3 times a week, you'd have been able to find me and a few other lap swimmers at this outdoor pool in Palos.

On some mornings, it was humid and sticky and the cool pool water felt refreshing. I think we were kicked out of the pool 3 times over the course of the summer because of thunder and/or lightening. Yesterday, the combination of the warm water and chilly air temperature caused a constant steam.

An outdoor pool gives you a great change of scenery from the indoor flourescent lights to the bright morning sunshine. You get to change the stale, chlorine-filled air to fresh summer breezes. The fact that this pool is 50 meters vs. the standard 25 yards just makes it better for long distance swimming.

The pool water was crystal clear throughout the summer. However, keeping the bottom of the pool clean of debris was a challenge for the lifeguards. I've seen numerous items down at the bottom: dirt, coins, the rubber gasket from a goggle, diving rings, leaves, bandaids, hairbands and something that looked like a dryer sheet. But all of that stuff stayed on the bottom so it really didn't bother me. In fact, it gave me something more to look at than the solid black line I was following down the pool.

So now it's over and we say goodbye to another season at the outdoor pool. They have threatened to close this pool down for a few years now, so I can only hope it will be open again next year. I am dreading going to my next swim indoors. Memorial Day 2009 seems so far away....

Monday Run at Runners Grove

2008-08-05T08:06:00.004-05:00

The weather has been all over the place here in Chicago lately. We've been having some really sticky, hot, humid weather for the past week or so. Saturday morning's swim at Ohio Street Beach was the roughest water we've seen all year and the wicked thunderstorms have been more frequent than usual. (I think all this extra rain is the reason for the influx of frogs in the yard...I think I have about 3 dead frogs floating in my pool every day now)

Our Monday run at Runners Grove was no different. The first Monday of every month, the Luna Chix have a fun run. Everyone is welcome, regardless of ability. Given the start of the day yesterday, I was worried about attendance. There were thunderstorms predicted throughout the area all day long. It was hot but very humid as we gathered for the run. There were a couple of new people, so we had some introductions, took a quick photo, and went outside to begin the run.

The sky was dark and threatening. Were we going to be able to get this run in without being poured on? Guess we'd better run fast! We had 3 different pace groups going out this night. Extreme Liz lead out front, Mel and I clipped along in the middle and Hammer rounded out the group. We were absolutely dripping at the end, but not from rain. It was so humid, we were soaking the sidewalk out front of the Runners Grove store!

Thankfully, the people at Runners Grove know how to take care of us - we had ice cold water and Gatorade waiting for us at the end of the run as well as sliced oranges. Even more fitting, one of the owners brought out wipes and paper towels! We needed these! After all, we were headed to Ballydoyle now to celebrate our run!! Almost everyone came next door with us and, despite the tornado warning that forced us to give up our spot on the outdoor patio, it was a great time! Looking forward to the next one!!

Metric Melon

2008-07-27T15:20:00.003-05:00

Last minute decision to do this ride...I'm typically not a "last minute" type of person, but a few other things fell through and even the original ride we were going to do today was changed after 7pm last night to be the MELON METRIC!

Close to home, weather predicted to be pretty good and a strong group of riders indicated today was going to be a good ride. We arrived, signed up and were ready to go BEFORE the scheduled time. The roads out here, we decided were excellent! Nice and smooth, pot-hole free. Nothing like the Spirit of Racine race that several of us did just the week before.

It was a little chilly starting out, I think the temperature was about 62 degrees. But it was supposed to warm up to 80 and I really didn't want to carry arm warmers around the whole day. Everything going well, get in and out of the first rest stop pretty quickly...on the way to the second stop (which felt like forever), we were witness to a dog running a biker off the road. We pulled up, watched as the irresponsible dog owner tended to her dog, not even caring about the cyclist, called 911 and told the guy to just sit. He seemed OK, helmet was cracked, but no road rash. Thankfully, he had ridden off the road in the ditch when the dog ran up on him. He knew his name, but not much else. The dog's owner came over to ask, "Did he bike you?" but she didn't seem to care about the fact that this guy had fallen off his bike and hit his head. It was weird. The ambulance got there and we headed back on our way, shaking our heads. Had that dog come up on us, it's likely several of us would've gone down.

We get to the next stop, quickly do what we need to do, and we're back on the road. Our pace is strong, but not overreaching for any of us. Then we realize something is wrong as we pull back into the first rest stop. Apparently, we followed the wrong arrows out of that second stop...how the heck were we supposed to know that?? They were just color-coded, but I guess there is one way to go for the century and another way for the 65 mile route...SHOOT! We decide to go back to the same place we just left in order to get the 100+ miles we were after.

A train of about 7-8 guys on road bikes pass us, I think we were slowing for railroad tracks or something. I notice a "fist bump" at the front of the line and now I'm irritated with this group. We continued to ride our pace and these guys were getting no further. It was like they just kicked up their pace to pass us, but then hung out. We didn't draft, but slowly passed them back. Once we passed, our pace picked up noticably. It was kinda like we had to put some ground between us and them to make sure they stayed back there this time. It worked. And it was a solid stretch of ride for our crew! We pass by the house with the attack dog and lo and behold, the dog is in the house...homeowner out front doing yardwork, eyeing up all the cyclists passing by.

At this rest stop, we feel like we're in the Twilight Zone - coming or going, we don't know what we're doing and everything feels like deja vu. As we're reloading our water bottles, I see some woman looking at JS's bike and commenting on how nice it is that his aerobottle is up front on his handle bars, making it easy for him to drink. She then says, and this is the quote of the day, "He even has a little sponge to wipe of his face!" She was referring to the yellow netting in the aerobottle that keeps the water from splashing out when you go over some rough road. I almost spit out my Gatorade at that comment. I had to walk away fast.

Now we were on the way home. We knew we'd be over 100 miles, but weren't sure by how much. We tried to lay off a little on this last stretch, but we really didn't slow down much. The roads on this last section were the worst of the day! I opted out of the group's transition run after the ride...I mean, my race is not for 4 more months! WHY ON EARTH am I out here doing 100 miles??!? Sheesh.

Great day. Wonder why I've never done this ride before.

It's Coming Off

2008-07-26T18:29:00.003-05:00

That's right, triathlon fans, I am about to go through the first-time experience of losing a beloved toe nail. After my very respectable run at the Spirit of Racine Half Ironman last week, I complained of severe pain in my second toe...the one right near the big toe. I have never before experienced this pain, nor could I figure out why this race had produced such pain.

It has now been 6 days after that race, and after 3-4 days of the second toe throbbing, I've noticed the coloring under the toe nail going more and more black with each passing day. Today, just about all of the surface under said toe nail is blue/black/purple. The pain seems to have gone away, but I am thinking this is what happens as a precursor to losing the toe nail. And because I'm such a nice person, I'm choosing not to post a picture of the nasty-looking sight at this point in time.

With any hope, the discoloration will go away without the toe nail falling off. I've also been told that if this toe nail falls off, it won't be for a while, but that it would fall off some time while pulling off a sock or (gasp!) while in the pool! YUCK! For now, I'm happy it no longer hurts, but I still can't figure out why this even happened in the first place!

Spirit of Racine Half Ironman

2008-07-21T17:47:00.009-05:00

After spending all day working the Expo on Saturday standing on my feet, I wasn't quite sure what to expect for this race. I was feeling pretty relaxed about the whole thing because I haven't been able to get my run miles up where I'd like them to be. I hadn't run 13 miles since NOVEMBER! And the water temperature was said to be 56 degrees. It's one of the only times I was heard saying, "I don't want to do this swim."

Per the usual race ritual, I couldn't sleep the night before the race. Tossing, turning, looking at the clock every 15-20 minutes or so to make sure I wouldn't oversleep left me pretty tired when it came time to get out of bed. I looked out my hotel room window to see that it had rained overnight. I quickly got my things together and headed out to transition in the darkness.

I was surprised at how calm I was. Transition was set, a couple trips to the porta potty, I walked with CR to grab my wetsuit and prepare to walk the mile down the beach to the start. I had both a neoprene cap and some nifty neoprene booties. In fact, I tried the booties on in the hotel room the night before and they are quite comfortable! I am considering using these as my house slippers this winter. I put them on before the walk down the beach and my toes stayed nice and warm. (too bad they don't have gloves I can use)

It was very foggy - so foggy, they delayed the start of the race by 15 minutes...again, and again and again. Now the race was a full hour delayed. I silently hoped we weren't going to swim. The temperature was now 55 degrees and I went in for just a few second and it was shocking to the system! I was almost upset when they announced that the first wave was about to take off. Now I've spent so much time worrying about how cold the swim was going to be, I've practically forgotten about the fact that I still have to bike 56 miles and run 13 miles after that!

The fog was still thick when we started and sighting the buoys was challenging! I ran a few steps and jumped into the icy lake and kept my head out of the water the first 200 yards or so. It was a pretty smooth start, though...didn't get beat up too much. Once we turned to parallel the beach, there seemed to be plenty of space. I tried following the flow of athletes in front of me, but at points they were so spread out, it was impossible to know who was going in the right direction. A couple times, I had to stop and look around to find the next buoy before continuing on the swim. It felt long...I was tired of swimming. I just wanted out. A few people were walking and we were still no where close to the end of the swim. Finally, I spotted some trees so I knew we were getting close to the finish. Again, people stopping and walking well before they should...they made for a few obstacles for me! Once my hand hit the sand on the bottom, I stood up...still very far from shore. It's exhausting to try and run through almost knee-deep water! A quick check of the watch tells me the swim was probably 200-300 yards short.

I immediately heard MN yell for me out of the water. It was really cool...nice to have someone cheering for you. As I ran to transition while stripping off the top half of my wetsuit, I saw her running along side, talking to me. It was encouraging. She mentioned many people were off course. I don't doubt it, it was TOUGH to see anything out there!

After a surprisingly quick transition (tearing off booties and all!), I hopped on the bike. I had to go well past the mount line because there were several people just past the line trying to get on their bikes. It was already congested and we haven't even started yet! The guy in front of me was weaving as we workedour way up the incline. He almost took me out! I was a little chilled at first, but that quickly went away as I started pumping my legs on the pedals. We were forced on a very narrow strip of road and it was difficult to pass. Several "on your left" yells, and still people wouldn't move. They were riding right on the double yellow line. I even had one guy point to the right and tell me to go around him on the right. Um, no dude, you're blocking, YOU move to the right.

I was quite comfortable except for the rough patches of road. Temperature was good. It was a little windy in some sections and I could feel myself being pushed around, but it wasn't too bad. I nailed the nutrition, though I don't think I was getting enough water. The aid stations were crowded and I rode by a couple of them without grabbing a bottle because it just seemed too dangerous. I realized my computer was wrong...I hadn't erased the data from my last ride, so now I have no idea what mile I'm on. I then realized the mile markers were spray painted on the roads in 10 mile increments. 40...50...cool, just 6 more miles. I'm very uncomfortable now on my bike seat. My legs feel nice and strong, I just don't want to be on this bike any more.

It was relief to fly down the hill into transition, just a bit of a bummer that you can't really go as fast as you'd like. Another pretty smooth transition and I was off on the run. Now the sun was starting to peek out from the dissipating fog. There were two pretty challenging hills right at the start of the run that tweaked my hamstring. I shortened my stride and just went slower. Once up that second hill, it was flat and my heart rate dropped quickly. I was on a good, solid run pace. There were lots of familiar faces on the course. Sometimes, though, when someone would yell out, I wouldn't realize who it was until they were long gone. Again, very comfortable conditions...not too hot, not too cold. The shaded parts of the run were well spaced and a cool breeze kicked up every so often.

Once I reached the turn around, I realized I was still feeling pretty good, so I decided to try and pick up the pace. I slowed down again significantly on those two steep uphills at the beginning. I still stopped at every water station, trying to make up for the fluid I did not take enough of on the bike. At one aid station, I grabbed a gel. I ripped it open with my teeth and squirted it in my mouth. Eeeegads, it was HOT! Not just warm, but hot! BLECH! I gulped down two lukewarm cups of water after that. I was trying to check on my splits and it was encouraging. I came close to the 10 mile mark and I realized that if I could keep this pace, I was on target for a half ironman PR. Never mind that the swim was a little short, this is turning out to be a solid race! I picked up the pace a little more, now breathing heavily where it really started to burn a little. Throughout the rest of the run, I was able to cheer on friends coming the other way...now I didn't have the breath. I tried to hold the pace for the last couple of miles, but I could feel myself now slowing. The hamstring has been acting up for the last 4-5 miles, but I'm almost finished!

Through the zoo, I know the end is near. Now I can hear the announcer and the crowd cheering. Do I have any "kick" left? No, not really, but I tried. I started the day hoping to just be able to not have to stop and walk during the run. I ended with a very respectable time and a new love for neoprene booties.

Valparaiso Triathlon Race Report

2008-07-16T18:09:00.003-05:00

Whew! One race weekend after another! I found myself heading down to Valparaiso on Saturday morning to participate in a sprint triathlon. I've always wanted to do this race because it's so close to home, but then again, with a measley 400 yard swim, I've never pulled the trigger. This year, I did it.

I picked up PS at the designated meeting time - 5am. It was dark, rainy and stormy but the race was several hours away so I had hopes of it clearing up. Besides, I already PAID for this race. Once we were on the road, we noticed we were driving into lighter skies. Excellent, it was like we were driving our way out of the storm. But the rain was coming down hard and I got a phone call from the Saint saying, "You guys are nuts, there's no way you're going to race today." We pressed on.

Once at the race site (we arrived very early), we put on our rain coats in anticipation. By the time we walked all the way to registration, we decided it was too hot for the rain coats - besides, it wasn't raining. A stop in transition to drop off the bike, a trip back to the car where we dropped off the rain coats and got the rest of our gear, and we were headed back to transition. Now it seemed the skies were getting darker in every direction, but we proceeded to set up transition. We met up with BP, his girlfriend and KK and it started drizzling. I ran back into transition to place both pairs of shoes in plastic bags (lesson learned from the Naperville race that soggy socks are NOT fun to run in!). Now it started POURING. I grabbed a light jacket I had in my bag and cursed myself for leaving the raincoat in the car. Within minutes, we were drenched. Not many places for shelter at this small race, but we were standing under a tree to try and keep from getting even more wet. (I've always found this ridiculous...where should you NOT stand when there is a storm that includes lightening? UNDER A TREE!) The 5 of us stood there, shivering, just waiting for an announcement. Someone did get on the speaker and said, "THIS RACE WILL GO ON!" We were shocked. None of us wanted to race in this monsoon. We stood there, looking around, each trying to talk each other into packing up and going home...one of those, "If you go, I'll go" back and forth.

About 10 minutes before the race start, there was a flash of lightening. 30 minute delay. Shivering, I silently hoped the race was called off. Teeth chattering, goose bumps covering my arms and legs, I wondered when it was going to stop raining. There was no way this race was going to happen...

Next thing we hear is that the first wave needs to line up. WHAT?? You mean we're going to race? I was in shock. And then I was scared. Lots of rain means lots of wet pavement means dangerous conditions on the bike. I stared at the athletes lining up in disbelief...is this really happening? Yes, it was. A few more times our little group talked about packing up and going home. But no, I drove all the way out here to race. So let's just do it!

Once my wave was finally called into the water, it was like a relief to have warmth on my feet and hands. It only lasted instantly, but I hoped once I started moving, I'd warm up. Ready, set go and our wave was off and thrashing about. Very quickly, superstar amateur athlete Chris Wickard shot out to the front. I couldn't even get a draft, she was just too fast. I watched as the rain drops hit the water of the lake as we went along...they finally stopped about half way into the swim. I could still see Chris' light blue cap up ahead of me, but couldn't catch her in such a small distance.

As I came out to head to transition, I was disappointed that I wasn't warm. I was pretty chilly as I ran to my bike. Once there, it was a fiasco trying to get my things from out of all the plastic bags! My fingers were waterlogged and pruny and pretty much refused to work for me. I put my sunglasses on but wondered if this was going to work...once they get so much water on them, you really can't see! The pavement out of T1 was very slippery and I almost fell 3 times as I headed to the bike course. I hopped on and promised myself to be safe.

Safe meant excruciatingly slow turns. In fact, I felt like I was practically stopping as I took each corner! However, it was better than the alternative, so I just hammered on all the straightaways. It wasn't raining any more, but there was some standing water on some of the roads and every now and then, a blast of wind would come and blow all the water from the leaves down on me. BRRRR! The wind was feisty and it tossed the disc wheel around a bit (I had forgotten my other rear wheel, so it was the disc or nothing!)

Once safely into T2, again fussing around with another plastic bag that contained my running shoes. Now I can't decide to take my sunglasses with or not. I picked them up, put them down, picked them up and put them down again. Then I had to move them just in case the guy next to me came in and might run them over, breaking them. WHAT AM I DOING, I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE! I grabbed my hat and number and headed out. It was a bit confusing in transition and I ran into 2 guys going the wrong way (everyone was to go counter clockwise in transition to make it equal distance for all participants). It was interesting to say the least.

I started out feeling OK, but it was now getting sunny and humid. I was glad I left the sunglasses anyway because I had changed the lenses to clear, so they wouldn't have helped with the sun, anyway! Just about to the half mile mark, I could see the bikers coming in on their second to last turn of the race. Just as I looked over, a girl who was turning too fast skidded, flew off the bike and the sound of metal scraping the pavement gave me chills. Spectators all turned to look, but I didn't want to see it! I hoped she was OK.

Mile 1 and it felt like an eternity. I felt like I was slowing, but at mile 2, I see that I got just a little faster (that is, if the course was marked correctly). There were some little hills that got my heart rate up and right around mile 2 was when the hamstring started talking to me. Oh come on, I'm almost done here, though! I tried to keep the pace and as I neared the finish, I saw PS and heard him yell, "Hurry, don't let the girl behind you get you!" So I tried to push harder...not really sure if I went any faster, but when I turned around, there was no "girl" there. Was he just toying with me??

I was able to capture first in my age group, but not by much. I was surprised that my struggling run was able to hold off the second place finisher. And to think we almost turned around and did not race...

Lakeside Triathlon Race Report

2008-07-13T16:53:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I haven't had time to write up a race report on this!! I have been doing so busy and doing lots of great things, but I can't skip a race report! The race was a week ago, so the details are now fuzzy memories, so I'll just give a quick recap.

First off, I almost cancelled out of the race. I had a little scare with my beloved labrador retriever and he trumps a race any day. A quick visit to the vet in the morning assured me he wasn't in pain and that he was going to be OK. I was a bachelorette over the weekend, so I needed to bring my little angel to the race (it's like bringing a small child...OK, almost)!

Mapquest never fails me and got me to packet pick-up with plenty of time to spare. While wandering the "festival", I ran into BC, his better half and some friends of his. I was quite distracted, I was so focused on tending to my baby. They told me I missed the trailer where packet pick up was set up, so I said goodbye and headed back. I got my things and headed to the hotel. I got a little lost getting to the hotel and just decided to get a sandwich and call it a night. I didn't want to leave the dog alone for long if I didn't have to.

I think there were drug deals being done at my hotel. Throughout the night, doors were slammed, lots of voices in the halls and just a general stench in the hallways when I walked through them. (what do you expect from a place that accepts dogs?) I slept horribly, but was happy that the dog seemed to be doing OK.

I picked up Neumann at her hotel and we headed to transition before sunrise. It was quite warm and humid already and I ditched my jacket quickly. I really enjoy smaller races because they're low key and I don't feel the pressure like I do at the high-profile races. It was exciting because this was Neumann's longest triathlon to date! We were in the same wave, so we were able to rack our bikes together. Do some socializing, take the bikes for a small test ride, play around with transition set up, meet up with BC for a quick run warm up and before you know it, the race was about to start!

Just before my wave started, three young girls jumped in front of me. Great, I thought, I'll get a really nice draft! These girls looked like they were in high school (I found out later they were). Off we go and these girls hammer it out. I found a sweet pocket and just coasted, smiling to myself because I wasn't working at all at this point. I was a little cramped, but I wasn't getting hit and we seemed to be moving. About 400 yards into it, these girls slowed dramatically. Now I was in trouble. I couldn't get around them! There were women to my left and right and straight across the front. Oh come ON, where is a gap when you need one??? It seemed like minutes, but there finally became a small space and I brushed right past two of the girls. I could see other caps with my color in front of me, but they were too far for me to try and catch them for a draft. So I settled into a rhythym and made for a good, easy-paced swim.

T1 seemed so slow. I felt disoriented and scolded myself for not practicing transitions more. I was the first one off my rack though, so I had lots of space to do my thing. On the bike, I felt good. I was breathing a little heavy initially, but got it under control in the first few miles. The same woman that flew by me on the bike last year did so again this year...but much earlier! I picked up my effort and kept her in sight. She is definitely a masher...I don't think she ever takes the bike out of the big chain ring! Whatever she does, she's very effective! One of the greatest things about this race is that they have PLENTY of volunteers and IL State Police covering the course! The way back felt easier and my legs felt good. As we neared transition, it's back through the hilly section of the course and my legs started to feel heavy. I could now see the runners and the leaders of the race!

Into T2 I had a hard time spotting my rack (scolded myself again for not checking that thoroughly!). I felt my transition was quick, but the clock told otherwise. I headed out on the run that was .5 miles longer than I expected! There were a couple of opportunities to see your competition on the out and backs. Jen Harrison yelled to me on her way back in...took me a few seconds to understand what was going on. I didn't even see her before the race! She was hauling on that run! I don't expect any less. The hills on the run killed my hamstrings and I felt myself slow and take shorter steps to compensate. It's just something I have to figure out how to deal with! I'm still having fun!

Down the finish chute, the crowd was bigger than last year. The band was on stage to the right and there were bleachers on the left. I didn't feel like I left it all out there, but I put in a solid effort. I was able to watch Neumann finish with a look of determination on her face! She waved her arms at the finish that made me know she was in a good place!

4th of July Ride

2008-07-07T07:03:00.003-05:00

This year, instead of the usual organized Metric Ride held in Joliet (I think), I opted to go for an "unorganized" ride. This was going to be closer to home, more familiar territory and give me the ability to control my own pace and distance vs. trying to hang with a group too fast for me. I didn't want to push too hard because of my upcoming race on Sunday. Technically, the day should have been a day off, but when you get a "free" day from work, just seems to make sense to get in a good quality workout!

It was nice to sleep in a little and the weather was just perfect for a ride! The group met up at 7:30am and it was about 61 degrees. It was chilly enough for me to start with arm warmers, but most of the group had short sleeves or no sleeves! We headed out on a nice, easy pace and chatted with each other for the first several miles. For the most part, the group was together for the first - almost half - of the ride.

A few of the stronger cyclists took off at one point and I wondered if this is what they always do as one by one, they just flew by me chasing each other. I started in on the chase and then held off - this was not the goal of today. I needed to save it. I slowed down to have the rest of the group catch up when I heard a loud snapping sort of pop. GH had a flat. It was a weird-sounding flat which I thought could only be made by a pinch in the tube. But how had he ridden 25+ miles without this happening already? It was his front tire and we were lucky that we weren't on a quick downhill at that moment. We found the spot where the tube looked like it had been sliced...a little over an inch long! We were just a few minutes away from the first designated stop - the Elwood gas station.

Heading out, we changed direction and realized we must've had a nice tailwind on the way out. The wind was too loud to talk to one another. We made a couple of side-by-side pacelines and were pushing at a pretty good pace. A couple of people were off the back within a couple of minutes. But we kept on...single pace line, double pace line, blah, blah, blah. Pretty uneventful.

Next thing you know, we're off the designated course a little and we have to ride back to the next designated stop - a 66 gas station - I can't remember what city this was. There are about 6-7 of us and we pull up to the gas station and no sooner did I unclip one foot and I heard some lady saying "yeah, I'm the owner here, get out." I thought maybe she knew one of the other cyclists and she was joking around, but then some of the responses made me realize she was serious! This woman came out and said "You can't hang out here!" Hang out? We weren't even off the bikes yet! So then TR said, "Well, what if I want to come in and buy something?" The woman responded, "Yeah, like you're going to buy something. What would you buy?" TR responds, "Gatorade." She says, "No you weren't, you guys get out of here." It was unbelievable. I was really thirsty, too...and I WAS going to go in and buy water. Instead of instigate her, we moved on up the street a little, just off the gas station property. We knew we were meeting the rest of our group here, so we didn't want to go far. Apparently, this wasn't good enough for gas station lady and she kept staring out the window at us. After about 5 more minutes, she came out of the gas station (no, I'm not making this up) and started waving her hands at us yelling, "I told yas to get out of here. YA CAN'T HANG OUT HERE!" Well, that did it and several of us started yelling back. I mean, she didn't even have any customers, why was she so against us just standing on the side of the road??!?! Then she said she was going to call the police. So I said, "OK, call the police, would you like to use my phone?" More yelling back and forth and she went back into the gas station. I should have asked her if she was on medication. We called the people behind and set a new meeting spot. It was maddening and hilarious at the same time.

I now couldn't wait to get to the next meeting spot because I knew I could get water there. The group sort of split some more, one turned off, a couple went home earlier, so our group was dwindling. Lots of talk about being kicked out of the gas station property. On our next stop, everyone was reminded that "YA CAN'T HANG OUT HERE!" Definitely a ride that will not be forgotten!