Getting out of the heat.

This is the first year we decided to leave town quickly after my son finished up school this year.  Looking forward to spending a week in cooler weather up in Prescott, AZ where my parents live and a brief road trip to Las Vegas.  The thought of doing long runs and rides in extreme heat really does not appeal to me and with Ironman in November in AZ, the chance of the temps being in the 100s is very slim to none (though there are 2 earlier races that could potentially be in the heat) so I am happy to take any opportunity to get out of the oven.  It is not often we take a whole week to chillax together and as long as my bike can come along, I am up for the adventure.  Unfortunately when we arrived, my son spiked a 102 fever and here we sit away from home and on a holiday weekend, so motrin and rest are our ticket, hoping to get him well enough to enjoy the Lazy River at Mandalay Bay and 2 shows in Vegas....however, now the momma turtle has a sore throat, but the good news is that I got my long ride and run in this weekend, but I had to elect to skip my swim this afternoon.  So let's not think about the sore throat right now and get to the bike ride and run.

My husband informed me right before we left Scottsdale that the temperature was going to range from 37-60 degrees which I found hard to believe since Prescott is usually 10-20 degrees cooler but we were coming from 90-100 degrees.  Once he showed me proof, I grabbed my long cycling tights and a heavier jacket, gloves and headband and I was very thankful the next morning when we went out for the ride.  It was sunny and cold!  Evenknow we did not need to get up early to enjoy cooler weather for this ride, my biological clock still woke me up around 4:30 am and I waited for my husband to rise and we took off by 6:30.  I was supposed to ride 3.5 hrs in my long HR zone which my coach gave me this week which is 125-148 which is typically the range I ride in, however, we were in a place that is full of steep hills and it is hard to find a route that does not contain a monster hill.  We chose to do an out and back course from Prescott Lakes to Skull Valley.  We had to ride up 6 miles to get to the 6 mile climb up to Granite Mountain.  Sorry, no pictures.  We were holding on for dear life on this ride.  What should have been a fast enjoyable 11 mile descent into Skull Valley was filled with gusty cross winds along the switchbacks.  It was scary but like a thrilling amusement park ride.  I was happy to get off at the bottom of the hill and we stopped at the General Store in the cute little town.  Some guy rode by on a horse and asked us if we saw any loose cattle wandering by.  When we walked through the shop, it was full of Southwestern knicknacks and 4 bearded old men sitting around a wood burning stove.  The winds were more in our favor on the ride back.  I had to dig deep through the wind and on the long climbs feeling a little under the weather, but it was a fun adventure as always.  My main discomfort and reason that I was ready to get off my bike after 47 miles was the back pain I was having on the climb.  I am still thankful for Scottie the bike and hopefully we will iron out what is causing the discomfort in my technique and position.  I have also slacked off on my strength and flexibility and I think that will help prevent the back pain in the future.  It has gotten harder to fit those parts in as the workouts are getting longer, but priorities.

So I woke this morning, looking forward to another workout in cool weather.  I had a 10 mile run on my schedule and opted to one of the flatter trails I could find around Willow Lake and Embry Riddle University.  Something strange occurred with my heart rate.  It was all over the place and especially on the high side.  My long running HR is 135 to 147 and only 5 minutes into my run, I looked down and I was 150-170, without being short of breath.  I got a signal saying low battery on my GPS but it seemed to be reading the mileage and time ok.  I think it may have been the altitude and perhaps the bug that my son shared with me.  It took me 1:55 to complete 10 miles. I could not go any slower.

There is always adversity to overcome whether it is wind, illness, cramping, flat tires, or cold weather.  Instead of wallowing in self pity, I know I have to just let these experiences make me stronger.  Pain never lasts forever and really we forget it once it goes away and we remember the good things.  Deciding when to push and when to rest still remains to be foggy line.  We had an Ironman Meeting this week and talked about how we were feeling and about when to back off.  Eventhough we are using science to design the plan, we need to really learn to listen to the little voices in our head and signals from our body.  Though, I am certain that part of this journey is learning how to ignore those little voices and listening to your heart.  This afternoon, I listened to the little pain receptors in my throat and decided that swimming may not be in my best interest.

As training gets more intense, I am hoping to learn to use my turtle shell as body armor to keep away injury and illness.  For now, I will have to stick to vitamin C, motrin, and rest.

Happy Training, Stay Cool!

Six Months and Counting

The Magic Clock
How many people sit around counting the months, the days, the weeks, the hours to their big day.  Maybe graduates, future brides, expectant mothers.....not I....I count the months, weeks, days, minutes, and seconds left until Ironman.  Every time I blink, the number of days on my counter gets lower.  Just 6 months ago, I sat in line at 5 am to sign up for Ironman AZ 2012 and here I am with only 6 months left to pack for this very exciting trip.  The road ahead is steep and long, but if you just focus on each step, you will summit before you know it.  There is not much time left for procrastination.  I would say it is time to get down to business.  I am finally getting comfortable in the middle distances and ready to start building on the base that has been built. 

Progress Report:
Swimming:  The workouts continue to work on technique and I am comfortable swimming 2000 meters in the pool or open water.  My open water swimming is much faster than my pool swimming and I still consider swimming to be my strong sport and I am relaxed and enjoy this part of triathlon training (though my coach still continues to try and make me more efficient, but all I feel is out of breath when trying to implement changes).  I especially enjoy finding a pool that has cool water instead of hot now that we have reached the 100s in AZ.

Cycling:  My new bike rocks.  I have gained speed and power on my new carbon road bike with shorter cranks that enable me to get more power.  I am not having to work as hard on my new bike and am able to ride with a lower heart rate at a faster speed and keep up with more teammates on our group rides.  I can comfortable ride for 3 hours.  Meeting the bike deadline during the race is no longer a concern.  Will meet with my bike fitter very soon to assess my saddle and add aero bars, however, I am actually getting attached to the saddle that came with the bike and I am enjoying my current position.

Running:  Finally feeling more comfortable running but track workouts and long runs are still the most challenging workouts for me.  My muscles seem to be more elastic and foregiving and I am having less tightness and cramping.  I have comfortably reached 10-12 miles for my long run.  I still feel like running is an area that has room for improvement as I have definitely slowed down with age, but I am not counting on speed during an IM, just hoping for sustainability and being able to run a good portion of the race cause 26.2 could make for a long walk home!

I look forward to the next half of the journey where we just continue to climb up, up, and away until our bodies are programmed to swim, bike or run in our sleep.  In fact, I am starting to read a book on mental training to help prepare my mind for the long day and all the tricks my mind and body will be playing on November 18th.  The tool of mental rehearsal or visualization has been effective in helping athletes reach their peak performance during their big moment when it counts.  I have competed against myself over and over again and some days the mind prevails and helps the body complete the task and other days our body breaks down and our spirit breaks with it which can end your race or make the outcome less desirable.  The only disadvantage I find when I dream about a race is that I wake up tired and sometimes it is hard to motivate yourself to get to the start line.

The next 6 months is really all about getting to know yourself very well and simulating the different challenges you may face on that day and practicing pushing through boundaries.  And other times, it is having the strength and courage to know how to adapt to the unpredictable or when to stop. 

COURAGE
Speaking of courage:  This weekend I participated in the "NOT ONE MORE" bike rally where many of the local bike shops, clubs, teams and individual cyclists came together and rode downtown to the AZ Capitol to honor cyclists who have been struck and injured or killed by motorists to plead with our legislators to pass laws to protect cyclist from distracted drivers and to encouarage vehicles and cyclists work together to make the road safer for everyone.  The 3 cyclists that I mentioned in an earlier blog were all able to make it to the rally in neck braces, wheel chairs, and slings.  The survivors were fortunate as names of fallen cyclists were read and remembered.  It is amazing to be part of the cyclist community filled with strength and spirit, but all of us together cannot withstand the impact of a moving vehicle, so there is much work to be done.  This organization is starting a campaign on You Tube highlighting cyclists experience to try to faciliate cooperation between cars and bikes on our roads.  Will post more about those as they become available or you can go to notonemorecyclist.com/.

Addiction and Codependence:  Triathlon is a drug!
Some people might say if you have to have an addiction, pick one that has some healthy side effects.  So, I have to admit that it is hard to get through a day without a workout or three and if you have to take off more than one day, you will go through withdrawals.  When you have to do long workouts or short hard workouts, you can no longer do them on your own, but you rely on your training partner to text or call you to make sure you wake up and to make sure you show up.  Just make sure you read the warning label before you sign up for an IRONMAN and it helps if your family agrees to support this habit that strips you of your dignity as you change clothes in parking lots, depletes your savings account as you have to buy the proper equipment, gear,and then all the right accessories and the extra fees for fitters and coaches and fancy outfits, and it impedes in your bodies natural biological clock as you wake up at 4 am and you go to bed at 8pm not to mention the workout, eat, nap cycle in between.  Just wish that the ones you loved in the beginning will be the ones that love you in the end and they will not send you to rehab when you cross the line, but maybe they will sign up for the insanity next!

Counting Keeps You Sane, so keep your eye on the clock!

Mothers Tri to do it all

Seems appropriate to do a tribute to all mother triathletes in honor of Mother's Day.  One of my teammates asked me how I was going to be able to train for Ironman and take care of my son.  I have been reminded more than once about how big of a commitment this is.  Did the guilt seep into my mind and cause me to question my priorities, maybe for a second.  Us mothers are by nature multi-taskers so the timing of my decision to train and compete in an Ironman this year was not something I considered to be an impossible dream.  In fact, my son is at a good age to reap the benefits of having parent models who set challenging goals, work hard, and do their best to achieve them.  I also have a supportive husband though a bit leary about how we could do it all, who has allowed me to put my competitive desires first this year.  Being in the health profession, I also believe you can make health and fitness fit into any lifestyle.  So maybe this is a bit extreme, but I believe the positives outweight the negatives in this scenario.  The other truth is that my son is breaking out of his coccoon to become a teenager and is desiring more independence and though he still needs his parents close by for guidance and supervision, he is quite content to be left home on a weekend while the long miles are being logged.  Everyone is happy.  Sometimes a mother's brick workout consists of bike, stop home and feed your child or drive them to school and then run, you do whatever it takes to make sure everyone is taken care of and your miles for that day are complete.  Your child gains some independence at other times and has to make their own lunch or do their own laundry or get themselves out the door for school without you standing over them with verbal instruction.  Teamwork is required and everyone steps up to the plate and takes their turn.  And other times, you just have to be ok with dirty dishes filling the sink, sweaty clothes piled up on the floor, and a trail of crumbs.  There is always tomorrow to clean up.

The best gift in my lifetime was a son.  Some day he is going to leave the house and live out his dream.  As a woman and a mom there comes a time where you can no longer just serve others, but you need to find purpose and passion so you can be a better mother, daughter, friend, wife, sister, athlete, or professional.  Triathlon training gives back so much that for every hour you put in, you get so much back including fitness, good health, low resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, lots of friends, lots of laughs, and lots of stories.  I think mother triathletes have a lot to offer this sport and say a lot for what women can do in this world.  Not all of us have to win our age group, but it is very fulfilling to be a part of a sport that keeps giving.  It is time we kick our fit up and enjoy what we receive from our beloved sport!

IM Pre-test Completed

Two Olympic Triathlons down for 2012.  Consider this part of the pre-test for the Ironman Season.  With 3 months of professional training, VO2max testing, 2 olympic triathlons, upgraded equipment, IM training is well under way.  I never had any intention of making this so scientific, but rather a test of my mental and physical potential.  You get a taste of triathlon and it just makes you hungry for more.  Beware if you ever try it as triathlon has strong addictive powers!  Even when you experience the emotional roller coaster of pushing past discomfort or even surrendering to it at times, you will start to wonder if you could have pushed harder and what you can do next time to overcome obstacles you encountered.  The drive never leaves you at the end and there are always lingering questions swimming in your mind WHAT IF or HOW CAN I or WHAT WILL IT TAKE....the NEXT TIME.  When they announce the age range from 10 to 71, you hope that you will sustain the drive and the good health to enjoy the sport for many more years to come.  You will be in awe of the 10 year old who holds the future of the sport and the 71 year old who paved the way.  I LOVE TRIATHLON.

Ok, so  yesterday maybe I did not love it during the run when my feet, toes, and back were cramping and my stomach was in knots.  If only I could take last races run and combine it with this weeks swim, bike, and transition times.  How do you hit everything just right on the day?  My history is one of heat intolerance and I have consistently had issues in heat and humidity.  So one puzzle piece to figure out, though the chances of weather being in my favor for IMAZ are good which is one reason I chose this race.

The morning started off well.  I ate lighter the day before and for the first time before a race, my stomach was calm.  It was still a little bit cooler in the mornings in AZ, but the highs were supposed to reach mid 90s.  We found out that it was wetsuit legal by only 2 degrees so we donned our suits.  Then there was a problem out on the course with road closures not being completed so they delayed the start of the race by atleast 30 minutes.  I always have to start in the last wave being female and over 40....so that means it is going to be a hotter race for us old ladies!

My swim was about the same and I did better in my first transition onto the bike and I clumsily put my bike gloves on as I tried to ride at the same time (don't like to ride without them).  Scottie performed well in his first event.  (my new bike).  My bike time improved from 16.5 mph ave to 17.9 albeit it was a different course shaving off about 8 min off my bike time.  I did experience some back discomfort again and tried to work on my technique.  I can feel the power when I am able to pull up on the bottom part of the circle, but find that I cannot sustain that motion for very long.  I did love standing up on Scottie and that was when I felt like I was flying (as well as passing a few souls on the hills).  I was happy when I got off my bike and knew I could set a PR with a good run (I was 10 min ahead from last race), however, when I started running, I did not have much left in the engine, so I made it my goal to just go slow and try to run the whole thing.  It was a different run and I was just not feeling well.  I had cramps right below my chest to start and then my toes, feet, outside of my left calf and my back started cramping.  Running slow was sustainable, but I progressively got tighter and I was just looking for mile marker 4, then 5.  I bargained with myself to get to five and then promised myself I could walk.  When I hit the 5 mile marker, if I could have ran a 10 min pace, I would have broken 3 hours, but my spirit was broke (not shattered) despite all my mental chanting and I surrendered to the discomfort and would run 2 light posts and walk 1.  I was able to run straight for about the last 1/4 mile.  The cramping lasted all day despite taking in a lot of electrolytes.  I have a lot to work on with my fuel efficiency and nutrition.

My overall time was about 2 minutes faster than 3 weeks ago, despite a much slower run.  If you multiply 3 hours by 4, you get a 12 hour Ironman which gives me 5 more hours to slow the pace down.  A lot is going to happen in the next 6 months.  The mid season test will take place in Flagstaff at the Mountain Man Triathlon in August.  Oh so much to learn and so much to improve on.  I tried to imagine IM during the race.  It is still a bit much to fathom.  So going to take a few naps today and enjoy a few days off before the turtle is back at it.  SLOW AND STEADY NOW!

INSPIRATION

in•spi•ra•tion (nsp-rshn) n. 1. a. Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity. b. The condition of being so stimulated. 2. An agency, such as a person or work of art, that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action or invention. 3. Something, such as a sudden creative act or idea, that is inspired. 4. The quality of inspiring or exalting: a painting full of inspiration. 5. Divine guidance or influence exerted directly on the mind and soul of humankind. 6. The act of drawing in, especially the inhalation of air into the lungs. What is INSPIRATION? Nobody chooses to do an Ironman without some. Inspiration is what drives a person to perform an act with passion. The inhalation of air into the lungs is key as well for endurance events (just saying). In my work as a pediatric physical therapist, I am inspired every day by the children and their families that I work with as they are faced with daily challenges at all different levels. I am able to draw on my work experiences to find strength to help me achieve challenging goals. When I am experiencing a physical challenge, I think of how my discomfort is temporary, transient and just a step into another state of consciousness while others have faced so much more. In the past as I get into my rhythm during a race, I invite my little angels on my shoulder and together we fly. This weekend in particular I am taking a special little boy and his family on my journey during my race as I hold a piece of them in my heart. This family has inspired me from the day I met them as they took some devastating news about their child's condition and have surrounded themselves with positive energy. If I could bottle up their love they have for their child, I could complete 1000 Ironmen. I have so much admiration, respect, and love for this family as they inspire me daily to appreciate the time that we have, the body we were housed in, and the people that surround us. I ASPIRE to be more like them as they INSPIRE me. This weekend I TRI for them and I will always put this little guy on my shoulders with my other special friends and we will fly together. Remember, TURTLES CAN FLY……with a little help from their friends.