Here I sit here on Thanksgiving morning before the crack of dawn because I still can't sleep in though I am thankful for the 5 or 6 solid hours that I got.
My body is exhausted though I am thankful that the excruciating pain from Day 2 has come to an end thanks to rest, Dr. Hoy's magic cream, compression gear, hot tubs, slow motion, stretching and massage.
My mind is beginning to want my body to move again, yet I am thankful that the desire to move did not get totally wiped out from my brain. The act of moving will have to wait as I now possess the ability to resist temptation.
My family is coming over despite I have not the energy or strength to cook a turkey, but thankful that others will step in when I can no longer stand on my feet.
I am depleted, but thankful I am not defeated and I will be back on the track with new goals for 2013.
I am thankful that I had a year where I stepped out of my comfortable shell to experience something that not everyone will understand. I am thankful for the feeling that my life is complete.
I am thankful for a sport that is not all about what your body can do or how many people you can beat, but it is about what you can do in life. I am thankful for the men in Hawaii who decided to put together a race with 3 events to see who could endure. I am not sure I would have come up with the idea to "tri" on my own.
I am thankful for the people who have inspired me through their own journeys to overcome hardship, to work hard, to push forward, to pursue, to persist, to share, to stay positive, to run away from negative energy, to jump over the obstacles, to never give up, and to make it to the end.
I am thankful for completing something that I set out to do and for the people that inspired me and supported me along the way. I am thankful for those that accepted that I was too busy or too tired to do the simple things in life like clean my house, help with homework, stay awake to watch a movie together, or spend time with friends. I am thankful for those that did not question WHY and stuck by me no matter what!
Top 20 blessings of triathlon which I am most grateful for.....
1. fit body
2. fit mind
3. lots of friends
4. lots of food
5. events to participate in
6. triathlon gear
7. energy bars
8. compression gear
9. calf sleeves
10. good coaches
11. talented massage therapists
12. teammates
13. my bike, Scottie
14. sherpas
15. sag wagons
16. water to swim in and to drink
17. hills to climb
18. shade
19. volunteers
20. sanity (and insanity)
That is a lot to be thankful for. Enjoy your day!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
TURTLES CAN FLY! I AM AN IRONMAN, now tattoo or no tattoo is the question?
Seven hours ago, I became an Ironman. The day finally arrived after signing up exactly 1 year ago for this challenge of a lifetime when I decided WHY NOT instead of WHY! After 1 year of committing to complete a 2.4 mile swim, 112 bike ride, and a 26.2 run, I earned the sacred title of an IRONMAN. My goal was to make all the cut offs in order to beat the time limit of 17 hours. When I first started training, my abilities would put me close to those marks. I was a strong swimmer, weak on the bike, and running would be questionable with years of chronic back, hip and leg issues. For some reason, I wanted to accomplish what my brothers had already done as when I was actively running marathons, I used to joke that maybe by the time I was 65, I could qualify to go to Kona and be an IRONMAN when less people are active.
To complete this far out goal, I asked for my family's blessing, joined a team, found a bike expert to help find a bike that fit and to teach me how to ride it, and surrounded myself with people with the same goal. My life changed a lot over the past year. I gained a whole new family and I learned a lot about myself. The training results in a strong mind and a strong body and a higher level of fitness. Throughout the day, I felt confident that I could achieve this goal. It almost seemed easy, but it progressively became harder. I was slow and steady though my teammates still argue about the word slow. I was steady. I was strong mentally and that is how I got over the obstacles that appeared on the course.
My brother posted U2s song in the morning, "It's a Beautiful Day"! and that is what the day turned out to be. I woke up around 2:40 am to start my morning rituals and my brother picked me up after 4 am to get me to the start on time. We arrived 2 hours before the race to do final preparation for the day with our bikes and bags. My family came shortly after and staked out a position on the bridge above the swim start. Our team stood in a circle while our coach gave a speech and we ended with a "racelab cheer". Then we hustled to the swim start line where everyone jumped into Tempe Town Lake (all 2500 of my new friends) right after the pro start. By the time I hit the water, pink and green caps filled the lake with boats and kayaks right along our sides for support and a few words to pump us up were shouted out and THE CANNON WENT OFF. It was most certainly a test of survival for the first 40 minutes as you fought for your own space in the water. I questioned again why they start as a mass groups as this is part of the 140.6 tradition. People of all skill levels starting side by side i s just the beginning of this insanity! I kept a cool head and lifted my head and regrouped when I got punched, hit, kicked or pulled on and kept moving forward. Our docile lake turned into a turbulent ocean. The sun was in our eyes. My goal was to swim along the sighting buoy line, but part way through one of the kayak volunteers was yelling to swim right. It was a bit of a challenge to see each yellow buoy on the way out. Once we got under the bridge to swim toward the first red turning buoy, I was able to enjoy the swim. I was thankful the water was chilly in the low 60s to numb my arm that has been sore for the past few months from overuse. I was able to push a little and just enjoy this first part triathlons that make some others so uncomfortable. I reminded myself to take it all in for this part would quickly be over and then we would get on our bikes. The orange buoys were easier to spot, however, they did not appear to make a straight line, but more of a curved path to the last red turning buoy. I am usually a little sad when the swim ends, but I had a big day ahead. I mentally checked off 1 event and was relieved to survive the mass swim and the cold water temperature and come out of the water ahead of what I expected. Getting out on the steps and trying to re-orient to a vertical position is an interesting experience in itself. The crowd makes it even more exciting. You start running on a path filled with hundreds of cheering spectators, stop for the wet suit strippers to pull off your supersuit (wetsuits feel like they do give you super powers, at least I swim much faster with one on), and continue running into the transition area, grab your T1 bag with all your bike gear and head into the changing tent. There were volunteers to help you get into your bike stuff which is a great big help when your hands and feet are numb and your body is shivering. One of my teammates was sitting right next to me and we had another teammate volunteering in the tent helping us. As fast as you can get out of your swim suit, put your bike gear on including warm shirt, bike jersey, bike pants, helmet, gloves, glasses, helmet and bike socks, you then run into the sea of bikes to your bike rack and grab your bike. I had to stop a few times to adjust my shoes with my numb hands and then I grabbed little Scottie my bike and ran to the mount line. It is an exciting time and again the entire transition area is lined with people cheering on their athletes. The first half mile of the course is also filled with spectators, so gives you a boost of energy on the bike. My job was to get my heart rate down and go easy on the first lap. The course was an out and back loop that you had to repeat 3 times. Our team has trained on it many times, but November brings more wind and today was no different. The weather forecast had predicted 2 mph winds, but it felt much stronger to me. The hardest part of the bike course, was the crowded course and having to leave 4 bike lengths between athletes. The course officials were handing out penalties on the first loop. I did not want a 4 card for drafting so every time someone passed you, you had 20 seconds to drop back. Going out to the turn around was tricky to pass others, because you had 20 seconds to get ahead and then stay ahead, so I limited passing to when I knew I could overtake and maintain the pass. There was a lot of drafting and blocking going on due to the narrow course, but if a reference was not present, no penalty was handed out. After each loop, you got to ride through the beginning of the course with all the spectators and refuel on energy with the loud roars. I waived each time I passed the racelab tent. It was hard to know exactly who was there, but I felt the love. For some reason today, my aero position that I have been training in did not feel so comfortable and I rode on the top of my bars a lot instead of aero much of the time. I also needed to stand a lot to relieve the pressure on my bottom and my back. Despite that, I still felt strong and find my space with a few others going back and forth. I was thankful for all the great aide stations on the course and was successful most of the time grabbing water bottles. Again I thought about how this was such a doable event and Ironman no longer seemed so big or out of reach. As I was fatiguing, I told myself I can't wait to finish and go run a marathon. I was actually going to be very happy to get off the bike.
It was another happy moment dismounting the bike and handing it to a volunteer who returned it to the rack as once again I ran through transition grabbed my T2 bag with my running gear went into the changing tent and had 2 volunteers help me get out of my bike gear and put on my calf sleeves, socks, tri shorts and top, race belt,running shoes, hat, and stuff my pockets with food. I ran to the bathroom outside the tent and then was off on the run. I tried to take it easy and remember how many times we had run on Sundays after being tired from a long bike ride on Saturday in training. I knew I could go slow and steady! That is what I do best. And, that is what I did. My goal for the marathon was to run the entire way which was big in itself because my running has been very inconsistent and sometimes non existent over the past 10 years. I had brought the jelly beans I usually take on a long run, salt tablets, and some extra food and used the supplies provided at each aide station beginning with water and Ironman Perform. The jelly beans and Ironman Perform were not agreeing with my stomach and I started taking shots of cola by mile 8 for the remainder of the race. Coke is my new best race drink. It settle my stomach temporarily and gave me a surge after each aide station stop. Every now and then I tried to eat a piece of fruit or a pretzel, but my stomach really was protesting about putting more solids into it. I felt thirsty a lot but had trouble quenching my thirst despite using a lot of salt sticks. I knew the caffeine and water might be cancelling each other out, but I felt it was the only way to control my stomach and it worked. The other things that made the run more fun was that many of my teammates and a few good friends were volunteering at the aide stations so that gave a needed boost. The course was a figure 8 loop where you crossed by the transition area 6 times (It was really more like a 3 leaf clover pattern). This helped break the run up into different parts and I got to pass by my people 6 times along with many other cheering fans. The course was never lonely. By the second loop many people were walking. I was able to sustain a run with my coach's words in my head if you follow your heart rate zone, you will be passing a lot of people during the run! This was not a typical scenario for me on a run because it is my slowest event and I have earned my turtle title here, but an IRONMAN is about endurance and being slow and steady is a definite advantage.
When I rounded the corner for the finish the clock said 12:58 which took me by surprise. I had no idea what time it was because I had to reset my Garmin a few times, so when I saw that I could break 13 hours, I sprinted to the end. I got a quick "Elizabeth Kozura, You are an Ironman" because there were several athletes finishing close together. As I crossed the finish and screamed "YES, I DID IT". One of my teammates was volunteering as a "catcher" and she literally reached out for me, covered me in a blanket and I held on and cried a few tears of joy as she kept me upright while they handed me my IRONMAN finisher hat, shirt and medal, removed my timing chip, got my picture taken and found my family. One of my coaches also came to take over and held me up and escorted me to my family. I went briefly the the medical tent for the nausea and had some chicken broth. Then my family and I found a area with a folding chair and I changed and sipped on clear soda. My husband and son went and retrieved my bike and gear bags while I recovered more and then we went back to the finish line to wait for some of my teammates to finish. It was a sweet celebration with lots of hugs.
Though I moved slow and swiftly for just under 13 hours, once you stop, you lose that ability. That is when the post IM shuffle takes effect. You walk like you just dismounted a horse and you look like a penguin. You need help stepping on and off a curb and you would dare take on steps. Sitting in a chair is not an easy task either. We made it home and I checked all the hub bub on facebook, got a shower, a drink and a few crackers, and worked my way into my compression gear. It was hard to turn off and shut down especially after drinking shots of cola all night! I talked until my husband passed out and then finally closed me eyes. I slept solid for a few hours, but I am sure I will be taking many naps to catch up over the next few days.
This morning is the post race celebration and award ceremony and the stores puts out finisher gear for purchase. Many of my teammates who trained along my side this year are heading down to Tempe this morning to sign up for 2013. I call them the CLASS OF 2013.
So eight hours after finishing my first IRONMAN I do not feel strongly compelled to do another just yet. It was a joyful experience and everything came together well for race day. I am one happy turtle. My biggest question is not what race I will sign up for next, but to get an IRONMAN TATTO like I have promised myself as as symbol of belonging to the club! I guess I will just sleep on it for now.
If you believe in yourself and you do the work even a turtle can do the unexpected. I am living proof that TURTLES CAN FLY!
To complete this far out goal, I asked for my family's blessing, joined a team, found a bike expert to help find a bike that fit and to teach me how to ride it, and surrounded myself with people with the same goal. My life changed a lot over the past year. I gained a whole new family and I learned a lot about myself. The training results in a strong mind and a strong body and a higher level of fitness. Throughout the day, I felt confident that I could achieve this goal. It almost seemed easy, but it progressively became harder. I was slow and steady though my teammates still argue about the word slow. I was steady. I was strong mentally and that is how I got over the obstacles that appeared on the course.
My brother posted U2s song in the morning, "It's a Beautiful Day"! and that is what the day turned out to be. I woke up around 2:40 am to start my morning rituals and my brother picked me up after 4 am to get me to the start on time. We arrived 2 hours before the race to do final preparation for the day with our bikes and bags. My family came shortly after and staked out a position on the bridge above the swim start. Our team stood in a circle while our coach gave a speech and we ended with a "racelab cheer". Then we hustled to the swim start line where everyone jumped into Tempe Town Lake (all 2500 of my new friends) right after the pro start. By the time I hit the water, pink and green caps filled the lake with boats and kayaks right along our sides for support and a few words to pump us up were shouted out and THE CANNON WENT OFF. It was most certainly a test of survival for the first 40 minutes as you fought for your own space in the water. I questioned again why they start as a mass groups as this is part of the 140.6 tradition. People of all skill levels starting side by side i s just the beginning of this insanity! I kept a cool head and lifted my head and regrouped when I got punched, hit, kicked or pulled on and kept moving forward. Our docile lake turned into a turbulent ocean. The sun was in our eyes. My goal was to swim along the sighting buoy line, but part way through one of the kayak volunteers was yelling to swim right. It was a bit of a challenge to see each yellow buoy on the way out. Once we got under the bridge to swim toward the first red turning buoy, I was able to enjoy the swim. I was thankful the water was chilly in the low 60s to numb my arm that has been sore for the past few months from overuse. I was able to push a little and just enjoy this first part triathlons that make some others so uncomfortable. I reminded myself to take it all in for this part would quickly be over and then we would get on our bikes. The orange buoys were easier to spot, however, they did not appear to make a straight line, but more of a curved path to the last red turning buoy. I am usually a little sad when the swim ends, but I had a big day ahead. I mentally checked off 1 event and was relieved to survive the mass swim and the cold water temperature and come out of the water ahead of what I expected. Getting out on the steps and trying to re-orient to a vertical position is an interesting experience in itself. The crowd makes it even more exciting. You start running on a path filled with hundreds of cheering spectators, stop for the wet suit strippers to pull off your supersuit (wetsuits feel like they do give you super powers, at least I swim much faster with one on), and continue running into the transition area, grab your T1 bag with all your bike gear and head into the changing tent. There were volunteers to help you get into your bike stuff which is a great big help when your hands and feet are numb and your body is shivering. One of my teammates was sitting right next to me and we had another teammate volunteering in the tent helping us. As fast as you can get out of your swim suit, put your bike gear on including warm shirt, bike jersey, bike pants, helmet, gloves, glasses, helmet and bike socks, you then run into the sea of bikes to your bike rack and grab your bike. I had to stop a few times to adjust my shoes with my numb hands and then I grabbed little Scottie my bike and ran to the mount line. It is an exciting time and again the entire transition area is lined with people cheering on their athletes. The first half mile of the course is also filled with spectators, so gives you a boost of energy on the bike. My job was to get my heart rate down and go easy on the first lap. The course was an out and back loop that you had to repeat 3 times. Our team has trained on it many times, but November brings more wind and today was no different. The weather forecast had predicted 2 mph winds, but it felt much stronger to me. The hardest part of the bike course, was the crowded course and having to leave 4 bike lengths between athletes. The course officials were handing out penalties on the first loop. I did not want a 4 card for drafting so every time someone passed you, you had 20 seconds to drop back. Going out to the turn around was tricky to pass others, because you had 20 seconds to get ahead and then stay ahead, so I limited passing to when I knew I could overtake and maintain the pass. There was a lot of drafting and blocking going on due to the narrow course, but if a reference was not present, no penalty was handed out. After each loop, you got to ride through the beginning of the course with all the spectators and refuel on energy with the loud roars. I waived each time I passed the racelab tent. It was hard to know exactly who was there, but I felt the love. For some reason today, my aero position that I have been training in did not feel so comfortable and I rode on the top of my bars a lot instead of aero much of the time. I also needed to stand a lot to relieve the pressure on my bottom and my back. Despite that, I still felt strong and find my space with a few others going back and forth. I was thankful for all the great aide stations on the course and was successful most of the time grabbing water bottles. Again I thought about how this was such a doable event and Ironman no longer seemed so big or out of reach. As I was fatiguing, I told myself I can't wait to finish and go run a marathon. I was actually going to be very happy to get off the bike.
It was another happy moment dismounting the bike and handing it to a volunteer who returned it to the rack as once again I ran through transition grabbed my T2 bag with my running gear went into the changing tent and had 2 volunteers help me get out of my bike gear and put on my calf sleeves, socks, tri shorts and top, race belt,running shoes, hat, and stuff my pockets with food. I ran to the bathroom outside the tent and then was off on the run. I tried to take it easy and remember how many times we had run on Sundays after being tired from a long bike ride on Saturday in training. I knew I could go slow and steady! That is what I do best. And, that is what I did. My goal for the marathon was to run the entire way which was big in itself because my running has been very inconsistent and sometimes non existent over the past 10 years. I had brought the jelly beans I usually take on a long run, salt tablets, and some extra food and used the supplies provided at each aide station beginning with water and Ironman Perform. The jelly beans and Ironman Perform were not agreeing with my stomach and I started taking shots of cola by mile 8 for the remainder of the race. Coke is my new best race drink. It settle my stomach temporarily and gave me a surge after each aide station stop. Every now and then I tried to eat a piece of fruit or a pretzel, but my stomach really was protesting about putting more solids into it. I felt thirsty a lot but had trouble quenching my thirst despite using a lot of salt sticks. I knew the caffeine and water might be cancelling each other out, but I felt it was the only way to control my stomach and it worked. The other things that made the run more fun was that many of my teammates and a few good friends were volunteering at the aide stations so that gave a needed boost. The course was a figure 8 loop where you crossed by the transition area 6 times (It was really more like a 3 leaf clover pattern). This helped break the run up into different parts and I got to pass by my people 6 times along with many other cheering fans. The course was never lonely. By the second loop many people were walking. I was able to sustain a run with my coach's words in my head if you follow your heart rate zone, you will be passing a lot of people during the run! This was not a typical scenario for me on a run because it is my slowest event and I have earned my turtle title here, but an IRONMAN is about endurance and being slow and steady is a definite advantage.
When I rounded the corner for the finish the clock said 12:58 which took me by surprise. I had no idea what time it was because I had to reset my Garmin a few times, so when I saw that I could break 13 hours, I sprinted to the end. I got a quick "Elizabeth Kozura, You are an Ironman" because there were several athletes finishing close together. As I crossed the finish and screamed "YES, I DID IT". One of my teammates was volunteering as a "catcher" and she literally reached out for me, covered me in a blanket and I held on and cried a few tears of joy as she kept me upright while they handed me my IRONMAN finisher hat, shirt and medal, removed my timing chip, got my picture taken and found my family. One of my coaches also came to take over and held me up and escorted me to my family. I went briefly the the medical tent for the nausea and had some chicken broth. Then my family and I found a area with a folding chair and I changed and sipped on clear soda. My husband and son went and retrieved my bike and gear bags while I recovered more and then we went back to the finish line to wait for some of my teammates to finish. It was a sweet celebration with lots of hugs.
Though I moved slow and swiftly for just under 13 hours, once you stop, you lose that ability. That is when the post IM shuffle takes effect. You walk like you just dismounted a horse and you look like a penguin. You need help stepping on and off a curb and you would dare take on steps. Sitting in a chair is not an easy task either. We made it home and I checked all the hub bub on facebook, got a shower, a drink and a few crackers, and worked my way into my compression gear. It was hard to turn off and shut down especially after drinking shots of cola all night! I talked until my husband passed out and then finally closed me eyes. I slept solid for a few hours, but I am sure I will be taking many naps to catch up over the next few days.
This morning is the post race celebration and award ceremony and the stores puts out finisher gear for purchase. Many of my teammates who trained along my side this year are heading down to Tempe this morning to sign up for 2013. I call them the CLASS OF 2013.
So eight hours after finishing my first IRONMAN I do not feel strongly compelled to do another just yet. It was a joyful experience and everything came together well for race day. I am one happy turtle. My biggest question is not what race I will sign up for next, but to get an IRONMAN TATTO like I have promised myself as as symbol of belonging to the club! I guess I will just sleep on it for now.
If you believe in yourself and you do the work even a turtle can do the unexpected. I am living proof that TURTLES CAN FLY!
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Butterflies, Belief and Dilemmas of an Ironman
So here I sit almost 24 hours away from race time. So many athletes have had BUTTERFLIES in their stomaches all week. I have felt calm, but know that it is probably the calm before the storm. Went to the big Welcome Dinner and Athlete's Meeting Last Night with a sea of 2500 triathletes. Took in inspirational stories of different athletes and last minute instructions about the weekend festivities. For an athlete that enjoys solitude on her swim, bike and run workouts, this is not that type of event. I will soon have 2499 new friends racing by my side for under 17 hours. I will share this journey with them, though will be in motion with my favorite trio once again: "me, myself, and I".....we will never be lonely as the ones we love and the ones that love us will be by our side and along the route. We could not do this without our fans, our cheerleaders or our loved ones.
As I was walking past the finish line on my way back to my car last night, I thought how out of reach this goal used to feel. I no longer feel that IRONMAN is so big, because over the last year of pushing back the wall and the boundaries, you find the BELIEF that anything is possible. And you have to put your faith that your body now knows what to do and that your mind can keep up with your body.
That is now not to say that us athletes don't still face many important dilemmas about what to wear, what to put in our special needs bags, what to eat before, during and after, what time to get to the race, and whether it would be bad luck to purchase your Ironman souvenirs before you complete the race. At least this will give me something to occupy my time until the cannon goes off tomorrow.
A big shout out once again to all the people who made getting to the start possible for this turtle who has earned the name IRONTURTLE. Thanks to my coaches, my family, my friends, my teammates, my blog buddy, my bike fitter/trainer, my massage therapist, my angels, and my body, mind and soul and the hard shell that holds them together. It truly does take a village to raise a triathlete.
As I was walking past the finish line on my way back to my car last night, I thought how out of reach this goal used to feel. I no longer feel that IRONMAN is so big, because over the last year of pushing back the wall and the boundaries, you find the BELIEF that anything is possible. And you have to put your faith that your body now knows what to do and that your mind can keep up with your body.
That is now not to say that us athletes don't still face many important dilemmas about what to wear, what to put in our special needs bags, what to eat before, during and after, what time to get to the race, and whether it would be bad luck to purchase your Ironman souvenirs before you complete the race. At least this will give me something to occupy my time until the cannon goes off tomorrow.
A big shout out once again to all the people who made getting to the start possible for this turtle who has earned the name IRONTURTLE. Thanks to my coaches, my family, my friends, my teammates, my blog buddy, my bike fitter/trainer, my massage therapist, my angels, and my body, mind and soul and the hard shell that holds them together. It truly does take a village to raise a triathlete.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Pre-Ironman Chores
The time has come to put our weary bodies to rest. Yes, I said REST! That is in the physical sense, except there are chores to be done.
We were able to get a swim in at Tempe Town Lake thanks to a 3000 meter Splash and Dash being scheduled. One week before Ironman should give us a good idea of what conditions are going to be for race day, however, a cold front arrived in AZ this weekend. We were spared the predicted rain, so the swim proceeded as scheduled with 67 degree water temps and 56 degree air temps. Everyone was wearing long sleeves except a few brave souls in their speedos and myself and a few others in their sleeveless wetsuits. I wondered if they knew something that I did not know because I always wear my sleeveless in all AZ water temperatures (because that is all I own and I also do not want my shoulder motion restricted by a piece of tight rubber). I knew the water was going to be warmer than the air, so all was good. I had a decent swim despite the water being choppy. It was not my fastest as I am still battling arm pain, but it was fast enough. My coach preferred that we switch our run and bike, so we ran a final loop of the IM course around Tempe Town Lake (8.6 miles). We ran with wind and through lots of dogs as there was an ANIMAL WALK going on in Tempe. I was afraid that I was going to get a chunk of leg removed by a hungry canine, but I survived the furry critters and the windy conditions. We were lucky to have the swim on Saturday because the frost arrived that night and we woke up to temperatures in the upper 30s. My husband accompanied me on today's final long ride (which was not really long) as I declared that I had to go and that the cold was not going to stop me. We have to be prepared for whatever happens on race day, but the good news is that the temperatures are going to warm up again during the week and the predicted conditions on race day are 56 to 80 degrees and sunny. The lake temperature will probably be in the low to mid 60s. Of course, part of the test is being prepared to respond to whatever happens. SO.....the preparation begins to be able to react to conditions and performance at any moment.
CHORE CHART: So for this week, I decided as part of my getting ready that my blog was going to include lists of what I need to do this week. Here we go.
Sunday: Wash bike, lube chain, practice tire changing
Monday: Prepare Gear and Divide into race bags
Swim: wetsuit, goggles, cap, glide, swim suit
Bike: bike, helmet, glasses, gloves, shoes, socks, nutrition, fluid, bottles, bike shirts & shorts
Run: shoes, tri shorts & shirt, socks, camelback, nutrition, number, race belt, hat
Extra: Special Need Bags, Warm clothes, clothes for before and after
Tuesday: 60 min ride, 3 mile run
Wednesday: Rest, Breakfast with my tri-angels
Thursday: 800 yard swim, pick up race packet
Friday: 30 min bike, 3 mile run, Massage, Welcome Dinner and Athlete's Meeting
Saturday: Final bike and gear check, Check Bike and Transition Bags In, Team Lunch
Sunday: IRONMAN
Monday: RECOVER, AWARD CEREMONY AND POST RACE CELEBRATION
Tuesday: Haircut
Wednesday: Post Race Massage
Thursday: Thanksgiving
DAILY PREPARATION: Ice massage to arm, stretching, eat, rest, eat, drink, rest, stretch, sleep, eat, drink, visualize, mental practice, tire changing, how to transition out of a bag...practice, pack, rest, eat sleep, SHOW UP ON RACE DAY and JUST DO IT!
VISUALIZATION: Imagine the perfect Arizona day...not too hot, not too cold, not too windy. On race day, I wake up around 3:15 to go through my morning race day rituals. I arrive at transition at 5 am and check my bike, pump my tires and gather with my team. I donne my wetsuit and my coach says a few words. We stand in line to enter the water among 2500 people. There is a lot of chatter followed by silence. The national anthem begins and my eyes are full of tears because I made it to the start. I take a cleansing breath and focus on the job ahead. There will be a few minutes of excitement while everyone finds their space in the water. I will remain calm and let everyone around me flail until I find my place and I will focus on following the crowd and swimming straight. I love to swim. I will remind myself to enjoy this hour because it will come to a quick end and then a long day will begin. I will enjoy the cold water surrounding my body. It will provide healing and calming to my overused muscles and help me start off my day. I will slowly be passing a lot of people and finding my way to the steps. I will be sad to get out of the water but happy because I need to use this head start to beat the cut offs. I will grab my zipper and pull my arms out of my wetsuit and find the nearest wetsuit stripper. I will enjoy running with my wetsuit over my shoulder hearing the music and the crowd to T1 and call out my number "1010" to receive my transition bag. I will find a spot in the changing tent and fumble to get my bike gear out of my bag. I will call out for help as needed. I am planning on putting on my SKINS long sleeve shirt for warmth and sun protection, my racelab bike jersey and biking shorts, helmet, sunglasses, gloves, socks and shoes. Then I will run toward the bikes and find my SCOTTIE and run him to the mount line. Me and Scottie will take off and I will pass the racelab tent and get my first surge or energy, then I will mellow down into a comfortable heart rate to get warmed up for a few miles until I settle into a rhythm. In all the excitement, I will take a breath and focus on getting into a routine of eating and drinking on the bike to fuel the day and keep my muscles happy and able to keep going through the day and night. On the bike, I will remind myself to look at the scenery, enjoy the people around me (keeping 4 bike lengths between of course) and when times get tough, I will focus on my technique. I will use the CALM strategy that my bicyclologist taught me: cadence, air, leverage, and momentum and pull the rabbit out of my hat when I need a trick to get me through any "rough patches". I will daydream about my family, my friends, my heros who inspire me, my favorite places, the end of the race, hibernating like a bear when it is over, and many other things. I am sure my mind will go blank some of the time as I just BE and just PEDAL. That is the feeling that cannot be beat. When you reach that part of becoming one with your bike. I will wake up out of my trance to count my loops and see who has come out to watch the race and try to remember that they were there. As I head home on my 3rd loop, I will mentally prepare for T2 and the 26.2 mile run ahead. I will hand off my bike, pick up my bag, change into my tri gear and running shoes. Then I will throw my camelback on and personal supplies and head out onto the course. The crowd will distract me from the wobbly legs that are trying to reconnect with the earth. I will break that run into 4th, into 3rds, into halves and I will run from mile to mile, eating, drinking, taking salt, and celebrating one more mile down. Luckily I will pass the racelab tent 6 times during the run and hopefully be able to count that high to remember when to turn toward the finish. The run is going to be step by step, mile by mile, loop by loop and I will have to dig deeper and deeper. The turtle plans to run very slow and very steady and who knows maybe wings will sprout and she will fly into the finish. I will be thankful for the gift of health and the ability to to keep moving. The sound of number 1010 finishing at 10:10 at night is my vision with people cheering and screaming and a big smile and then a b-line to the medical tent for the most delicious cocktail of the day, the IV. If not the IV, I will need my family to put a blanket over me and just let me lie on the ground until I can make it to the next best seat. Maybe I will be able to find the strength to get up for a picture, but I am sure the photographer can lie on the ground next to me and shoot me. Tears will stream down my eyes and into the dirt. BETH KOZURA, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.
We were able to get a swim in at Tempe Town Lake thanks to a 3000 meter Splash and Dash being scheduled. One week before Ironman should give us a good idea of what conditions are going to be for race day, however, a cold front arrived in AZ this weekend. We were spared the predicted rain, so the swim proceeded as scheduled with 67 degree water temps and 56 degree air temps. Everyone was wearing long sleeves except a few brave souls in their speedos and myself and a few others in their sleeveless wetsuits. I wondered if they knew something that I did not know because I always wear my sleeveless in all AZ water temperatures (because that is all I own and I also do not want my shoulder motion restricted by a piece of tight rubber). I knew the water was going to be warmer than the air, so all was good. I had a decent swim despite the water being choppy. It was not my fastest as I am still battling arm pain, but it was fast enough. My coach preferred that we switch our run and bike, so we ran a final loop of the IM course around Tempe Town Lake (8.6 miles). We ran with wind and through lots of dogs as there was an ANIMAL WALK going on in Tempe. I was afraid that I was going to get a chunk of leg removed by a hungry canine, but I survived the furry critters and the windy conditions. We were lucky to have the swim on Saturday because the frost arrived that night and we woke up to temperatures in the upper 30s. My husband accompanied me on today's final long ride (which was not really long) as I declared that I had to go and that the cold was not going to stop me. We have to be prepared for whatever happens on race day, but the good news is that the temperatures are going to warm up again during the week and the predicted conditions on race day are 56 to 80 degrees and sunny. The lake temperature will probably be in the low to mid 60s. Of course, part of the test is being prepared to respond to whatever happens. SO.....the preparation begins to be able to react to conditions and performance at any moment.
CHORE CHART: So for this week, I decided as part of my getting ready that my blog was going to include lists of what I need to do this week. Here we go.
Sunday: Wash bike, lube chain, practice tire changing
Monday: Prepare Gear and Divide into race bags
Swim: wetsuit, goggles, cap, glide, swim suit
Bike: bike, helmet, glasses, gloves, shoes, socks, nutrition, fluid, bottles, bike shirts & shorts
Run: shoes, tri shorts & shirt, socks, camelback, nutrition, number, race belt, hat
Extra: Special Need Bags, Warm clothes, clothes for before and after
Tuesday: 60 min ride, 3 mile run
Wednesday: Rest, Breakfast with my tri-angels
Thursday: 800 yard swim, pick up race packet
Friday: 30 min bike, 3 mile run, Massage, Welcome Dinner and Athlete's Meeting
Saturday: Final bike and gear check, Check Bike and Transition Bags In, Team Lunch
Sunday: IRONMAN
Monday: RECOVER, AWARD CEREMONY AND POST RACE CELEBRATION
Tuesday: Haircut
Wednesday: Post Race Massage
Thursday: Thanksgiving
DAILY PREPARATION: Ice massage to arm, stretching, eat, rest, eat, drink, rest, stretch, sleep, eat, drink, visualize, mental practice, tire changing, how to transition out of a bag...practice, pack, rest, eat sleep, SHOW UP ON RACE DAY and JUST DO IT!
VISUALIZATION: Imagine the perfect Arizona day...not too hot, not too cold, not too windy. On race day, I wake up around 3:15 to go through my morning race day rituals. I arrive at transition at 5 am and check my bike, pump my tires and gather with my team. I donne my wetsuit and my coach says a few words. We stand in line to enter the water among 2500 people. There is a lot of chatter followed by silence. The national anthem begins and my eyes are full of tears because I made it to the start. I take a cleansing breath and focus on the job ahead. There will be a few minutes of excitement while everyone finds their space in the water. I will remain calm and let everyone around me flail until I find my place and I will focus on following the crowd and swimming straight. I love to swim. I will remind myself to enjoy this hour because it will come to a quick end and then a long day will begin. I will enjoy the cold water surrounding my body. It will provide healing and calming to my overused muscles and help me start off my day. I will slowly be passing a lot of people and finding my way to the steps. I will be sad to get out of the water but happy because I need to use this head start to beat the cut offs. I will grab my zipper and pull my arms out of my wetsuit and find the nearest wetsuit stripper. I will enjoy running with my wetsuit over my shoulder hearing the music and the crowd to T1 and call out my number "1010" to receive my transition bag. I will find a spot in the changing tent and fumble to get my bike gear out of my bag. I will call out for help as needed. I am planning on putting on my SKINS long sleeve shirt for warmth and sun protection, my racelab bike jersey and biking shorts, helmet, sunglasses, gloves, socks and shoes. Then I will run toward the bikes and find my SCOTTIE and run him to the mount line. Me and Scottie will take off and I will pass the racelab tent and get my first surge or energy, then I will mellow down into a comfortable heart rate to get warmed up for a few miles until I settle into a rhythm. In all the excitement, I will take a breath and focus on getting into a routine of eating and drinking on the bike to fuel the day and keep my muscles happy and able to keep going through the day and night. On the bike, I will remind myself to look at the scenery, enjoy the people around me (keeping 4 bike lengths between of course) and when times get tough, I will focus on my technique. I will use the CALM strategy that my bicyclologist taught me: cadence, air, leverage, and momentum and pull the rabbit out of my hat when I need a trick to get me through any "rough patches". I will daydream about my family, my friends, my heros who inspire me, my favorite places, the end of the race, hibernating like a bear when it is over, and many other things. I am sure my mind will go blank some of the time as I just BE and just PEDAL. That is the feeling that cannot be beat. When you reach that part of becoming one with your bike. I will wake up out of my trance to count my loops and see who has come out to watch the race and try to remember that they were there. As I head home on my 3rd loop, I will mentally prepare for T2 and the 26.2 mile run ahead. I will hand off my bike, pick up my bag, change into my tri gear and running shoes. Then I will throw my camelback on and personal supplies and head out onto the course. The crowd will distract me from the wobbly legs that are trying to reconnect with the earth. I will break that run into 4th, into 3rds, into halves and I will run from mile to mile, eating, drinking, taking salt, and celebrating one more mile down. Luckily I will pass the racelab tent 6 times during the run and hopefully be able to count that high to remember when to turn toward the finish. The run is going to be step by step, mile by mile, loop by loop and I will have to dig deeper and deeper. The turtle plans to run very slow and very steady and who knows maybe wings will sprout and she will fly into the finish. I will be thankful for the gift of health and the ability to to keep moving. The sound of number 1010 finishing at 10:10 at night is my vision with people cheering and screaming and a big smile and then a b-line to the medical tent for the most delicious cocktail of the day, the IV. If not the IV, I will need my family to put a blanket over me and just let me lie on the ground until I can make it to the next best seat. Maybe I will be able to find the strength to get up for a picture, but I am sure the photographer can lie on the ground next to me and shoot me. Tears will stream down my eyes and into the dirt. BETH KOZURA, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The VOW
Today on my 10 mile run, I made a vow to myself that "I will do triathlons until the day I die". When I got home and shared the news with my family, they shook their heads and said, "I KNEW IT!". They made the assumption that I would be addicted to Ironman back when I signed up just less than I year ago and I reassured them that in my vow, there was no mention of the word Ironman. They shook their heads again. My son predicted that I would do 3 more Ironman races and we daydreamed together about places that would be on my list like IM Canada in Whistler or IM Lake Tahoe. It is hard to think beyond an Ironman, but I did take the leap and sign up for the Vineman 70.3 in July of 2013 this week because the you have to sign up within a few minutes of registration opening up for many of the Ironman Events and Vineman is a popular half IM event in Sonoma County. I decided this would be a nice first CA race which will soon be my home state and a chance to have a reunion with my Arizona teammates who love doing this race.
Besides making this declaration to myself, It is truly hard to commit to any races in the near future and to imagine what your body and mind are going to feel like after completing Ironman. So first things first as we are getting down to the wire with 2 weeks left until the big day. This weekend we had a 4 hour bike and 4 mile run brick workout on Saturday and a 10 mile run and 4000 meter Open Water Swim on Sunday. Everything went smoothly, but the body is tired and sore and ready for a smooth decent to the starting line!
Preparation is in order. I got my bike tuned up this week and we had a meeting to learn more about what to expect and how to prepare for the big day. Our coach talked a lot about visualizing the race from beginning to end. We discussed check in, the welcome dinner and athlete's meeting, dropping off bike and transition bags, all the parts of the race from the swim, T1, bike, T2, run and the finish. So this morning on my run, I packed all my bags and decided what I would wear for each discipline and I went through the race in my head.
Now the waiting game begins. The days are going to move fast, yet slow and once again as I am in the present, soon I will be sitting here writing my blog about my race day. I think about how I will want to make the moments last when I am feeling high and though some people are out there racing against other athletes, the clock or themselves, that I just want to enjoy the gift of movement and celebrate it all day long by swimming, biking and running. I want to celebrate the ability that I have to overcome challenges that come my way and to have the mind that will allow me to adapt to the circumstances that present themselves during that day. It might be wind, rain, cold, stomach aches, pain, raw skin, a flat tire, etc. The thing I can imagine most is the Turtle going strong and steady and eventually budding wings that will carry her to the end. What the end will mean for me after the many hours out there will evolve throughout the day. I picture how I will need to lie down right away with my medal close to my heart.
I will appreciate friends and family that come out to the race to support myself or their loved ones or just out of curiosity and wonderment about why triathletes tri or what goals they might find to challenge themselves. I will carry with me loved ones that have gone through struggles or angels that fly down to give me a lift. It is going to be grande. I might not be able to show my appreciation until I am fully recovered, but I know it is going to be spectacular to feel the energy around me. Yes, I am visualizing, but soon I am going to be in the middle of it all. I hope the real story is as great because once you make a vow there is no turning back.
Besides making this declaration to myself, It is truly hard to commit to any races in the near future and to imagine what your body and mind are going to feel like after completing Ironman. So first things first as we are getting down to the wire with 2 weeks left until the big day. This weekend we had a 4 hour bike and 4 mile run brick workout on Saturday and a 10 mile run and 4000 meter Open Water Swim on Sunday. Everything went smoothly, but the body is tired and sore and ready for a smooth decent to the starting line!
Preparation is in order. I got my bike tuned up this week and we had a meeting to learn more about what to expect and how to prepare for the big day. Our coach talked a lot about visualizing the race from beginning to end. We discussed check in, the welcome dinner and athlete's meeting, dropping off bike and transition bags, all the parts of the race from the swim, T1, bike, T2, run and the finish. So this morning on my run, I packed all my bags and decided what I would wear for each discipline and I went through the race in my head.
Now the waiting game begins. The days are going to move fast, yet slow and once again as I am in the present, soon I will be sitting here writing my blog about my race day. I think about how I will want to make the moments last when I am feeling high and though some people are out there racing against other athletes, the clock or themselves, that I just want to enjoy the gift of movement and celebrate it all day long by swimming, biking and running. I want to celebrate the ability that I have to overcome challenges that come my way and to have the mind that will allow me to adapt to the circumstances that present themselves during that day. It might be wind, rain, cold, stomach aches, pain, raw skin, a flat tire, etc. The thing I can imagine most is the Turtle going strong and steady and eventually budding wings that will carry her to the end. What the end will mean for me after the many hours out there will evolve throughout the day. I picture how I will need to lie down right away with my medal close to my heart.
I will appreciate friends and family that come out to the race to support myself or their loved ones or just out of curiosity and wonderment about why triathletes tri or what goals they might find to challenge themselves. I will carry with me loved ones that have gone through struggles or angels that fly down to give me a lift. It is going to be grande. I might not be able to show my appreciation until I am fully recovered, but I know it is going to be spectacular to feel the energy around me. Yes, I am visualizing, but soon I am going to be in the middle of it all. I hope the real story is as great because once you make a vow there is no turning back.
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