I can't think of any other time besides when you are pregnant (trust me guys), that people look at you with such awe when you tell them you are training for an Ironman. Suddenly people stop and treat you like royalty. They want to give you water, rub your feet, and fluff up your cushion (or maybe your bike seat). They offer you carbs, electrolytes, salt tablets, gels, and even fig newtons! Those who have already earned the title of IM or have some type of knowledge or expertise in one of the three disciplines have lots of advice to offer. Everyone knows how to become a triathlete! Besides, you stagger around with that glow after a workout. The only difference is that your stomach is getting flatter instead of fatter. People still reach out to touch your muscles in lieu of a kicking baby inside your womb, sometimes without even asking invading your sacred Irontemple you are constructing through endless workouts. You surrender your body to the sport and the fans.
Triathlon nor pregnancy does not come without discomfort which are just small inconveniences to get to the birth of an Ironman. It is the little things that can take their toll at times, that can bring you to tears and test out your modesty and humility to prepare you for the day. After a while, you no longer care if your teammates see you sweat, bleed, cry, fart, burp, barf, chafe, or see your sacred private parts.
Your body is in a constant state of imbalance as the nutrients are being sucked out to fuel your run, bike and swim. You are constantly reading and asking others "what to do" about the nausea, cramping, chaffing, bleeding, and blisters that are by-products of long distance along to the latest and greatest accessories and products to make this journey more bearable.
If I could bottle up the salt and sweat that drains off my body each day, I would be rich. Instead, I am helping all the companies that produce salt tablets, muscle gylcogen and carb replacment and hydration and nutrition products stay in business. I am going to have a new nickname soon like "Salty Senorita" or "Salt Mine". I am also contributing to the company that makes the GLIDE sticks to prevent chaffing which occurs in many cracks and crannies all over my body that produce friction when in motion. The only other solution for that is to "TRI" naked. My compression calf sleeves rub the back of my ankles raw and so I am keeping the BAND-AIDE company in business too. I am trying to learn how to replenish 16 ounces of water, muscle glycogen, and salt loss each hour without vomitting. I am still believing with all the nausea I am having the only way to go is an IV.
So, here we are in the second "TRI"mester, working this out. Getting stronger, leaner, faster (?), and more fit to handle the final trimester where we will be going even longer, farther and faster. But, nobody said this type of pregnancy would be easy. Overall, it is a "feel good" journey with some small pains on the side. The "glow" and the extreme tiredness are going to be worth the day this Ironman is born. Besides, how often do you get the privelege of training for 12 months (ok so it is slightly longer than the pregnancy where you get a little alien at the end). Conception can be tricky, you have to be financially stable and it helps to be in a solid relationship to support your efforts. Once you successfully sign up, there is lots of preparation to do. Shopping, training, and planning and more shopping. As you get closer, you start to nest, getting everything in order. One goes in with a "birth plan", but having back up plans will help get you through the day. Nobody really knows what is going to happen, but training and preparation are the key to the end. For some, this will be a once in a lifetime experience. The birth of my child was that for me and now I have to remember that this gestation is a GIFT and I am fortunate to be on this journey and for my "TRI" support team including my coaches, my bike fitter/coach who I call my bicycologist, teammates and fellow triathletes, and all my family and friends. I will enjoy the royal treatment while I have the opportunity and go back to being a meer mortal when it is done and then I will be giving the next generation advice. 146 days until the birth of another IRONMAN. Watch out they are replicating every where all over the world! If you don't use protection while training, it could happen to you!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
PLEASE PASS THE SALT!
and the body glide, the motrin, some bandaids, and some ice while your at it! I think most turtles find refuge from the heat in their own shell, but this turtle struggles in heat. I am what the sports books refer to as a SALTY SWEATER! And I seem to pay the price for my body's overactive filter system about 50% of the time. One thing I find myself doing is trying to stay out of the heat as much as possible. That seems like a sure way to win this battle. And why did I sign up for the AZ Ironman you are saying? Why do I even live in AZ? Well as a kid growing up in Pennsylvania, I always thought to myself while I was standing out at the bus stop and could not feel my hands or my nose that I would rather sweat to death than freeze to death and thus I ended up in Arizona after I graduated from college, in the dry heat where you don't sweat. Well, it is a different kind of heat and a different kind of sweat. But, my bike has reminded me that Arizona is a very diverse state and we have beautiful mountains and deserts to explore by wheel. When there is an opportunity to get out of the heat with my bike, I am there.
This weekend was BIKE THE BLUFF ride in Show Low, AZ. We started with a small group going up to escape the heat and ended up with just my husband and myself and 2 other racelab teammates (one who has a beautiful Show Low home with bear warning signs right in front). It was supposed to be a metric century ride and turned out to be a little less. There is a lot of "ISH" in cycling....close enough to a metric century and by the end, I was just fine with that. The good news was that the temperatures were supposed to be 65 to 75 during the ride and then would reach high 80s later in the afternoon. A good 20 degrees below Phoenix temps. We arrived late on Friday night, checked into our hotel, laid out our gear and hit the hay. Morning arrived soon enough and the rituals began. When we arrived, cars were parked in series along both sides of a narrow country road with bikes on cars tops, tails, inside, outside and upside down. We walked to packet pick up amongst most of the other cyclists om their fancy team jerseys who in the pro categories. We stepped up to the table and the guy took one look at us and said "CITIZEN's RIDE", and I joked, how could you tell. And he said, because I was wearing a sleeveless jersey (My racelab jersey ofcourse) and that was not permitted in US Cycling events. As we headed back to the car to get our bikes ready, there were riders on trainers and rollers next to their cars. No aero bars, but lots of fancy carbon road bikes. My SCOTT FOIL, fit in very nicely at this event, but as my friend Bev said, "You're not in Kansas anymore". It was a different world than triathlon. The pro divisions started first and the small Citizen's Ride followed with a small group of 25 riders who mostly also wanted to get out of the heat. The course was awesome, full of what they call rollers through the pines. It went through downtown Showlow and turned on route 260 West through the pines. Then we turned off on some more rolling roads in the middle of nowhere with lots of brush, some livestock, and several cattle gaurd crossings. We turned on route 277 back to route 60. I had brought just enough fluids and was anticipating 2 aide stations like the Race Bible stated. The one that was supposed to be at mile 28 was not there and I was down to one bottle of water and needed more electrolyte. My ride was going well and it flattened out around mile 40 when I checked my stats and I was averaging 17.5 mph. I even passed a number of riders and held them off until the aide station finally appeared and I refueled, but I was starting to have some severe back pain on my right side, then nausea, and then during the 10 mile climb near the end, my adductors/inner thighs were cramping. I had to keep slowing down and I even stopped a few times. My husband actually had come back out to find me on the last mile and told me that he came in second place while I was in the middle of a severe cramp. I rolled into the finish and they had run out of water (which was irritating especially when you are dehydrated and salty). Awards and raffle were starting and I told my husband to go back to the car and get our tickets. Lucky that he did because we ended up winning the grand raffle prize of a pump, bike trainer and a GIANT handle bar and best of all my husband actually came in first place in the Citizen's division. He suprised himself and he got a cool medal and gift card to the local bike shop.
After we recovered partially, we went with my teammates to Fool's Hollow Lake and went for a 50 minute swim in a portion of the lake that was narrow and like a gently flowing river surrounded by canyon. Was cool enough to get some wetsuit practice in and felt sooooooo good.
The next morning I did my 11 mile long run in my heart rate zone enjoying the smell of pines while my husband did another metricish century ride on his bike. Ironman training complete for weekend. Headed home and dozed on and off while my driver brought me back to the heat.
Nerves are setting in as Ironman gets closer and I am struggling with heat with nausea and cramping and experiencing problems on my bike with back pain as I am getting into longer time in the saddle and doing more climbing. I am going back to my bike fitter tomorrow to determine if I can sustain the aero position without losing power. I did not want to have to go through a saddle search and hoped the saddle that came with the bike was going to work for me. Things feel a bit like they are falling apart and training is starting to take a little bit of a toll. But on the bright side....I can bike 4 hours, run 12 miles and swim over 2000 yards. We are half way there!
I am hoping that adding a little spice to my life will resolve some of the problems and make the long training rides and runs more pleasant. SO PLEASE PASS THE SALT. Doctor's orders this time!
This weekend was BIKE THE BLUFF ride in Show Low, AZ. We started with a small group going up to escape the heat and ended up with just my husband and myself and 2 other racelab teammates (one who has a beautiful Show Low home with bear warning signs right in front). It was supposed to be a metric century ride and turned out to be a little less. There is a lot of "ISH" in cycling....close enough to a metric century and by the end, I was just fine with that. The good news was that the temperatures were supposed to be 65 to 75 during the ride and then would reach high 80s later in the afternoon. A good 20 degrees below Phoenix temps. We arrived late on Friday night, checked into our hotel, laid out our gear and hit the hay. Morning arrived soon enough and the rituals began. When we arrived, cars were parked in series along both sides of a narrow country road with bikes on cars tops, tails, inside, outside and upside down. We walked to packet pick up amongst most of the other cyclists om their fancy team jerseys who in the pro categories. We stepped up to the table and the guy took one look at us and said "CITIZEN's RIDE", and I joked, how could you tell. And he said, because I was wearing a sleeveless jersey (My racelab jersey ofcourse) and that was not permitted in US Cycling events. As we headed back to the car to get our bikes ready, there were riders on trainers and rollers next to their cars. No aero bars, but lots of fancy carbon road bikes. My SCOTT FOIL, fit in very nicely at this event, but as my friend Bev said, "You're not in Kansas anymore". It was a different world than triathlon. The pro divisions started first and the small Citizen's Ride followed with a small group of 25 riders who mostly also wanted to get out of the heat. The course was awesome, full of what they call rollers through the pines. It went through downtown Showlow and turned on route 260 West through the pines. Then we turned off on some more rolling roads in the middle of nowhere with lots of brush, some livestock, and several cattle gaurd crossings. We turned on route 277 back to route 60. I had brought just enough fluids and was anticipating 2 aide stations like the Race Bible stated. The one that was supposed to be at mile 28 was not there and I was down to one bottle of water and needed more electrolyte. My ride was going well and it flattened out around mile 40 when I checked my stats and I was averaging 17.5 mph. I even passed a number of riders and held them off until the aide station finally appeared and I refueled, but I was starting to have some severe back pain on my right side, then nausea, and then during the 10 mile climb near the end, my adductors/inner thighs were cramping. I had to keep slowing down and I even stopped a few times. My husband actually had come back out to find me on the last mile and told me that he came in second place while I was in the middle of a severe cramp. I rolled into the finish and they had run out of water (which was irritating especially when you are dehydrated and salty). Awards and raffle were starting and I told my husband to go back to the car and get our tickets. Lucky that he did because we ended up winning the grand raffle prize of a pump, bike trainer and a GIANT handle bar and best of all my husband actually came in first place in the Citizen's division. He suprised himself and he got a cool medal and gift card to the local bike shop.
After we recovered partially, we went with my teammates to Fool's Hollow Lake and went for a 50 minute swim in a portion of the lake that was narrow and like a gently flowing river surrounded by canyon. Was cool enough to get some wetsuit practice in and felt sooooooo good.
The next morning I did my 11 mile long run in my heart rate zone enjoying the smell of pines while my husband did another metricish century ride on his bike. Ironman training complete for weekend. Headed home and dozed on and off while my driver brought me back to the heat.
Nerves are setting in as Ironman gets closer and I am struggling with heat with nausea and cramping and experiencing problems on my bike with back pain as I am getting into longer time in the saddle and doing more climbing. I am going back to my bike fitter tomorrow to determine if I can sustain the aero position without losing power. I did not want to have to go through a saddle search and hoped the saddle that came with the bike was going to work for me. Things feel a bit like they are falling apart and training is starting to take a little bit of a toll. But on the bright side....I can bike 4 hours, run 12 miles and swim over 2000 yards. We are half way there!
I am hoping that adding a little spice to my life will resolve some of the problems and make the long training rides and runs more pleasant. SO PLEASE PASS THE SALT. Doctor's orders this time!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Numbers
Pick a number, any number.
4: Just completed meal 4 today
2: Just completed workout 2 and wanting to take nap 2
23: the number of weeks left until Ironman
161: the number of days until Ironman
2000: the number of yards swam today
210: the number of minutes on my bike yesterday
9: the number of miles I ran today
3: the time we had to wake up to get to yesterday's bike ride
10,000: the number of Kilometers in a short race or the number of dollars spent on being a triathlete training for Ironman.
When are the numbers going to end! How I crave just a simple run, bike or swim when you just open the door and go and let your mind wander. When did this become such a calculated activity where you must set your alarm precisely at the time it takes to go through your morning rituals and get to your workout on time, resetting the clocks to track your mileage, heart rate, route, speed, and whatever other information your latest technology will measure, and completing a training workout with a specific distance, time and speed and heart rate to follow. You can meet up with your teammates, but you must stay in your own heart rate zone. What ever happened to running at a comfortable pace where you can hold a conversation?
Turtles should not be intimidated by numbers, but I came to the realization today that the rest of the journey is about pushing just a little longer, a little faster, and completing just a little bit more. I think the days of comfort and conversation are coming to an end and the days of how much farther can you push yourself even when you are tired, your muscles are cramping, your legs and arms are empty and dehydration and depletion are setting in. This weekend was a turning point for me as last week, I accomplished some great climbing and was beginning to feel strong, but this week, my legs never fully recouped so the weekend began on tired legs. The battle was physical, but more mental in how much more I could get out of myself. We returned to Canyon Lake for a ride and open water swim. I started the ride with an unhappy stomach and overal sense of tiredness, but I felt good once I got started and then the heat took a toll, drenched in sweat and limited visibility in one eye from the constant stream pouring into it, the ride became more challenging. I would have short periods of recovery after taking in more fluids, electrolytes and nutrition, but they never seemed to last very long. After 3 hours I completed my second out and back to the parking area and could have easily called it a day, but I was determined to finish the last 30 minutes and though it was more climbing and slow, I PUSHED through it. My teammates were already heading for the water, so I had to make a quick change. My stomach did not want any more food, so I just drank some water on land and then quickly found relief in the cool water. No wetsuit for me cause I was not going to battle trying to squeeze that on over a sweaty and salty body. The temperature was perfect. Not sure if it was in the 60s or 70s, but it felt GOOD! I caught up to the team and as soon as we stopped to regroup, my left toes and inner thigh went into a group spasm and I screamed CRAMP. My coach was with us in the water because she is now officially in training for Ironman this year and tried to rub it out. I was not leaving, so I contemplated just pulling with my arms, but I was able to kick. So we left we a feeling off accomplishment and the post workout high. Someone asked me if they thought I would be ready by November and I said, "Ready or not, I am ready right now".....then Sunday came. The alarm went off at 4:15 am. For the first time this year, I thought, I cannot do this again. I cannot get up another early morning and do a long workout, but I knew I had 3 friends that would be waiting for me and I was the one that said meet at 5 am SHARP (to beat the heat ofcourse). My legs were tight and cramping and I drank some electrolytes, put my compression socks on and finished up the rituals and made it just in time (not without my friends giving me a hard time about my SHARP, but I made it!). I was expecting some cramping and walking this morning, but we were going at a comfortable pace and I was staying in my long heart rate zone, so all was good. But at mile 8, I started feeling fatigued. I have yet to finish one of my long runs feeling the same from start to end...there is usually a brick wall that someone places in front of me a mile before I get back to my car (evil break layers!). So I survived the run, but as soon as I stopped my muscles started cramping again.
I stretched and headed home contemplating the swim workout scheduled for noon in 100 degree heat. I went home and ate meal 2 and took nap 1 and when I woke, I had that feeling again, that I could not do one more thing, not one more! But, as one of my teammates said, I experienced that "IRONMAN GUILT" and ate meal 3 and got my suit on and drove myself to swim. They are able to keep the water cool at ASU, so that helps....cause swimming in 90 degree water is no fun. My coach swam in my lane today, so that pushed me a little more than I would have on my own, but there was not a lot left in the arms or legs. Oh the so good feeling afterwards and headed home for meal 4 and longing for nap 2! Looking forward to Monday, Monday, Monday....my day off.
Only 161 more days to count the miles, minutes, laps, speed, sets, repitions, yards, miles...Numbers, numbers, numbers. On 3 I am going to take nap 2 and dream about meal 5.....ready....one, two, three!
23 weeks
161 days
4: Just completed meal 4 today
2: Just completed workout 2 and wanting to take nap 2
23: the number of weeks left until Ironman
161: the number of days until Ironman
2000: the number of yards swam today
210: the number of minutes on my bike yesterday
9: the number of miles I ran today
3: the time we had to wake up to get to yesterday's bike ride
10,000: the number of Kilometers in a short race or the number of dollars spent on being a triathlete training for Ironman.
When are the numbers going to end! How I crave just a simple run, bike or swim when you just open the door and go and let your mind wander. When did this become such a calculated activity where you must set your alarm precisely at the time it takes to go through your morning rituals and get to your workout on time, resetting the clocks to track your mileage, heart rate, route, speed, and whatever other information your latest technology will measure, and completing a training workout with a specific distance, time and speed and heart rate to follow. You can meet up with your teammates, but you must stay in your own heart rate zone. What ever happened to running at a comfortable pace where you can hold a conversation?
Turtles should not be intimidated by numbers, but I came to the realization today that the rest of the journey is about pushing just a little longer, a little faster, and completing just a little bit more. I think the days of comfort and conversation are coming to an end and the days of how much farther can you push yourself even when you are tired, your muscles are cramping, your legs and arms are empty and dehydration and depletion are setting in. This weekend was a turning point for me as last week, I accomplished some great climbing and was beginning to feel strong, but this week, my legs never fully recouped so the weekend began on tired legs. The battle was physical, but more mental in how much more I could get out of myself. We returned to Canyon Lake for a ride and open water swim. I started the ride with an unhappy stomach and overal sense of tiredness, but I felt good once I got started and then the heat took a toll, drenched in sweat and limited visibility in one eye from the constant stream pouring into it, the ride became more challenging. I would have short periods of recovery after taking in more fluids, electrolytes and nutrition, but they never seemed to last very long. After 3 hours I completed my second out and back to the parking area and could have easily called it a day, but I was determined to finish the last 30 minutes and though it was more climbing and slow, I PUSHED through it. My teammates were already heading for the water, so I had to make a quick change. My stomach did not want any more food, so I just drank some water on land and then quickly found relief in the cool water. No wetsuit for me cause I was not going to battle trying to squeeze that on over a sweaty and salty body. The temperature was perfect. Not sure if it was in the 60s or 70s, but it felt GOOD! I caught up to the team and as soon as we stopped to regroup, my left toes and inner thigh went into a group spasm and I screamed CRAMP. My coach was with us in the water because she is now officially in training for Ironman this year and tried to rub it out. I was not leaving, so I contemplated just pulling with my arms, but I was able to kick. So we left we a feeling off accomplishment and the post workout high. Someone asked me if they thought I would be ready by November and I said, "Ready or not, I am ready right now".....then Sunday came. The alarm went off at 4:15 am. For the first time this year, I thought, I cannot do this again. I cannot get up another early morning and do a long workout, but I knew I had 3 friends that would be waiting for me and I was the one that said meet at 5 am SHARP (to beat the heat ofcourse). My legs were tight and cramping and I drank some electrolytes, put my compression socks on and finished up the rituals and made it just in time (not without my friends giving me a hard time about my SHARP, but I made it!). I was expecting some cramping and walking this morning, but we were going at a comfortable pace and I was staying in my long heart rate zone, so all was good. But at mile 8, I started feeling fatigued. I have yet to finish one of my long runs feeling the same from start to end...there is usually a brick wall that someone places in front of me a mile before I get back to my car (evil break layers!). So I survived the run, but as soon as I stopped my muscles started cramping again.
I stretched and headed home contemplating the swim workout scheduled for noon in 100 degree heat. I went home and ate meal 2 and took nap 1 and when I woke, I had that feeling again, that I could not do one more thing, not one more! But, as one of my teammates said, I experienced that "IRONMAN GUILT" and ate meal 3 and got my suit on and drove myself to swim. They are able to keep the water cool at ASU, so that helps....cause swimming in 90 degree water is no fun. My coach swam in my lane today, so that pushed me a little more than I would have on my own, but there was not a lot left in the arms or legs. Oh the so good feeling afterwards and headed home for meal 4 and longing for nap 2! Looking forward to Monday, Monday, Monday....my day off.
Only 161 more days to count the miles, minutes, laps, speed, sets, repitions, yards, miles...Numbers, numbers, numbers. On 3 I am going to take nap 2 and dream about meal 5.....ready....one, two, three!
23 weeks
161 days
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Survival
I was thinking about how the past week has been about going with the flow especially when the flow sometimes gets clogged up. Isn't that just what Ironman will be like. You can prepare every waking hour, but when the day arrives, you just have to go with the flow.
We took a road trip with my parents to Vegas to start off our summer vacation after spending the weekend in Prescott. We were just going for a quick 2 night stay at Mandalay Bay to hang out at the pools and to see a few shows. Our morning started off at 5 am with a quick 1 hour bike ride before taking off. Sometimes when you are in unfamiliar territory you get carried away with exploration and when we returned we threw off my parents itinerary causing a little beginning of the day stress. My son had been running a fever and we had no medical care available due to it being the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, so he sucked it up and the road trip began. We stopped at Willow Beach which was on the Colorado River with Nevada on one side and Arizona on the other. I had hopes of doing an Open Water Swim, but my courage crawled under a rock when I found out the water temperature was 48 degrees and my sleeveless wetsuit would not come out of the bag. Instead we enjoyed lunch with a view and proceeded over the new bridge that goes over Hoover Dam. It makes for a faster drive into Nevada, but the new bridge impedes your view of the dam and the river. We headed straight through Boulder City right by Lake Mead when I started salivating wanting to get my wetsuit out, but we had show tickets for that night and wanted to take a dip in the Lazy River, so I held onto hope that I would get an OWS in on the way home.
So we arrived at our hotel and managed to get a quick swim in. My son was not a happy camper and started complaining about not wanting to be there. He was not feeling well at all, but all I could do for him was give him motrin and throat lozenges. My throat was sore too. We just had to tough it out. We made it to the show which was the Cirque de Soleil, Beatles LOVE show in the round. It was amazing watching very talented dancers, acrobats, extreme skaters, etc. entertain us to Beatle Music. The next morning I decided to take my day off and we spent the first few hours taking my son to a walk in clinic at a Walgreens for medical care. I decided I would find out if he had strep throat before having myself examined. He had 103 fever and double ear infections along with an inflamed throat and cough. The nurse practitioner did not learn after the first time he stuck a stick down his throat gagging him and causing him to vomit, he yet did it a second time to get a throat swab. He did not have strep, so I did not get checked out since I managed to not get a fever. We left with antibiotics, cough and throat medicine and took Jeremy up to rest in the nice comfy cozy hotel room, while my husband and I enjoyed a few hours poolside. After letting my son catch up on rest, we headed to the Elvis show, another Circ show watching more performers flip, jam, sing, and defy gravity to Elvis music. Fun, fun, fun!
Oops, I got a little off track with all the Vegas stuff....back to training....I managed to fit my "speed work" in on the strip the next morning, but by the time I figured out how to navigate Las Vegas Boulevard, my workout was nearly over. I had to keep climbing up and across 2 bridging to cross every main intersection in town, so my first step workout I guess. We only had a few hours to fit in a quick swim, stop off at The PAWN SHOP, where the reality tv show Pawn Stars is filmed that we love to watch and lunch in Boulder City....again just a few miles from the shores of Lake Mead. My parents had to go pick up their dog and I once again was deprived of my OWS! When you take a trip with other people and you don't have your own car, you lose a little bit of control.
We spent the remainder of the week in Prescott to enjoy the cooler weather. Now I could get back on track with workouts. On Thursday, Scottie (my bike) got his first flat. His tires comes off super easy and the only area I struggled with was getting air in the tube. I wasted another CO2 cartridge...so back to the old drawing board with flat tire clinics now that Scottie is officially broken in. He is actually ready for his 90 day tune up as he his clanking and talking back! Got a few pool swims in at my parent's community fitness center in hot water (ugh, I hate hot water). My 12 mile run was on a scenic path that used to be a railroad track around a lake, through large rock formations and through some ranches. I was greeted by one mule deer and a few giant jackrabbits. The next big ride was today on the other end of the Skull Valley Loop ride in Prescott. We went out with the bike shop owners of our favorite bike store in Prescott called High Gear. We went through downtown Prescott on Highway 89 through a scenic mountain pass and down to a town called Wilhoit and then back up and continued up a few more climbs to Thumb Butte, a popular rock formation that can be seen from all over Prescott and surrounding towns to complete a 3 hour ride. The second weekend in altitude and climbing was a lot easier than the first, but 12 hours later, I am officially sore. The temperature was perfect this morning in Prescott and then sadly we had to return to the Valley.
I did spend the afternoon on Friday reading the book IRONHEART about a young high school swimmer who who survived a terrible car accident several weeks after he graduated. He had earned a college scholarship in swimming and he was on his way home from a swim workout when his car was struck by a dump truck. It was about his journey from a Coma to Kona. It was a fascinating story about survival and as a health care provider it was really enlightening to read about the patient's perspective from his first memories of waking up and trying to put the pieces together. He was truly a survivor and another inspirational story for us Ironman wannabes and how the race has so much more meaning to most people that take it on. It is rarely just about the race. I could not put the book down, but if you are not interested in the medical miracles and are expecting the book to be about Ironman, you may want to choose a different story. This books was about survival and second chances and not giving up. Sometimes you cannot change the circumstances that surround you and you just have to go with the flow until you have the opportunity to make your move, continue on your journey, and cross the finish line. You can probably bet that once you finally achieve your goal, there will be something new awaiting you around the corner.
We took a road trip with my parents to Vegas to start off our summer vacation after spending the weekend in Prescott. We were just going for a quick 2 night stay at Mandalay Bay to hang out at the pools and to see a few shows. Our morning started off at 5 am with a quick 1 hour bike ride before taking off. Sometimes when you are in unfamiliar territory you get carried away with exploration and when we returned we threw off my parents itinerary causing a little beginning of the day stress. My son had been running a fever and we had no medical care available due to it being the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, so he sucked it up and the road trip began. We stopped at Willow Beach which was on the Colorado River with Nevada on one side and Arizona on the other. I had hopes of doing an Open Water Swim, but my courage crawled under a rock when I found out the water temperature was 48 degrees and my sleeveless wetsuit would not come out of the bag. Instead we enjoyed lunch with a view and proceeded over the new bridge that goes over Hoover Dam. It makes for a faster drive into Nevada, but the new bridge impedes your view of the dam and the river. We headed straight through Boulder City right by Lake Mead when I started salivating wanting to get my wetsuit out, but we had show tickets for that night and wanted to take a dip in the Lazy River, so I held onto hope that I would get an OWS in on the way home.
So we arrived at our hotel and managed to get a quick swim in. My son was not a happy camper and started complaining about not wanting to be there. He was not feeling well at all, but all I could do for him was give him motrin and throat lozenges. My throat was sore too. We just had to tough it out. We made it to the show which was the Cirque de Soleil, Beatles LOVE show in the round. It was amazing watching very talented dancers, acrobats, extreme skaters, etc. entertain us to Beatle Music. The next morning I decided to take my day off and we spent the first few hours taking my son to a walk in clinic at a Walgreens for medical care. I decided I would find out if he had strep throat before having myself examined. He had 103 fever and double ear infections along with an inflamed throat and cough. The nurse practitioner did not learn after the first time he stuck a stick down his throat gagging him and causing him to vomit, he yet did it a second time to get a throat swab. He did not have strep, so I did not get checked out since I managed to not get a fever. We left with antibiotics, cough and throat medicine and took Jeremy up to rest in the nice comfy cozy hotel room, while my husband and I enjoyed a few hours poolside. After letting my son catch up on rest, we headed to the Elvis show, another Circ show watching more performers flip, jam, sing, and defy gravity to Elvis music. Fun, fun, fun!
Oops, I got a little off track with all the Vegas stuff....back to training....I managed to fit my "speed work" in on the strip the next morning, but by the time I figured out how to navigate Las Vegas Boulevard, my workout was nearly over. I had to keep climbing up and across 2 bridging to cross every main intersection in town, so my first step workout I guess. We only had a few hours to fit in a quick swim, stop off at The PAWN SHOP, where the reality tv show Pawn Stars is filmed that we love to watch and lunch in Boulder City....again just a few miles from the shores of Lake Mead. My parents had to go pick up their dog and I once again was deprived of my OWS! When you take a trip with other people and you don't have your own car, you lose a little bit of control.
We spent the remainder of the week in Prescott to enjoy the cooler weather. Now I could get back on track with workouts. On Thursday, Scottie (my bike) got his first flat. His tires comes off super easy and the only area I struggled with was getting air in the tube. I wasted another CO2 cartridge...so back to the old drawing board with flat tire clinics now that Scottie is officially broken in. He is actually ready for his 90 day tune up as he his clanking and talking back! Got a few pool swims in at my parent's community fitness center in hot water (ugh, I hate hot water). My 12 mile run was on a scenic path that used to be a railroad track around a lake, through large rock formations and through some ranches. I was greeted by one mule deer and a few giant jackrabbits. The next big ride was today on the other end of the Skull Valley Loop ride in Prescott. We went out with the bike shop owners of our favorite bike store in Prescott called High Gear. We went through downtown Prescott on Highway 89 through a scenic mountain pass and down to a town called Wilhoit and then back up and continued up a few more climbs to Thumb Butte, a popular rock formation that can be seen from all over Prescott and surrounding towns to complete a 3 hour ride. The second weekend in altitude and climbing was a lot easier than the first, but 12 hours later, I am officially sore. The temperature was perfect this morning in Prescott and then sadly we had to return to the Valley.
I did spend the afternoon on Friday reading the book IRONHEART about a young high school swimmer who who survived a terrible car accident several weeks after he graduated. He had earned a college scholarship in swimming and he was on his way home from a swim workout when his car was struck by a dump truck. It was about his journey from a Coma to Kona. It was a fascinating story about survival and as a health care provider it was really enlightening to read about the patient's perspective from his first memories of waking up and trying to put the pieces together. He was truly a survivor and another inspirational story for us Ironman wannabes and how the race has so much more meaning to most people that take it on. It is rarely just about the race. I could not put the book down, but if you are not interested in the medical miracles and are expecting the book to be about Ironman, you may want to choose a different story. This books was about survival and second chances and not giving up. Sometimes you cannot change the circumstances that surround you and you just have to go with the flow until you have the opportunity to make your move, continue on your journey, and cross the finish line. You can probably bet that once you finally achieve your goal, there will be something new awaiting you around the corner.
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