Well, it's almost been three weeks and I have definitely had enough time to reflect on my race and learn from it. Although I had a time goal in mind originally (which I missed by oh, almost an hour) I managed to throw it out the window and still stay in the game mentally and physically after visiting the devil in hell for a brief hour or so when I first started my run. So, even though it wasn't the race I had hoped for, I did accomplish to finish, not quit, not to surcome to the pain and suffering, and for that I am a stronger person.
There were a few little things I should have paid better attention to before the race, such as how my bike would feel after reassembling it out of the box. Things did feel slightly off during the race, but I was way more focused on not falling off my bike than to realize that my seat was too low and too far back and my aerobars were too far forward. My one and only 40min test ride before the race failed to inform me of these things. It has taken me a few rides since the race to dial everything back in to where I feel really comfortable. Oh well, learn for next time. Otherwise, I think my nutrition was OK, although I don't advise meal replacement drinks in hot weather. I am amazed that the Ensure didn't make me puke. Will probably suck it up next time and eat solid food, unless it's a COLD race where my drinks don't heat up.
I have been easing back into training with some easy, short rides, runs and even the occasional swim. But since I don't need to swim right now, I haven't exceeded 2k most days. Ha. I am really enjoying this fall running weather and just love going out and running for fun, and seeing all sorts of wildlife and such since I am actually paying attention now, instead of trudging along half dead from training. Case in point, the other morning I went out for my usual morning run around the Wonderland Lake trails and was treated to one of nature's wonders. Well, I actually thought I was about to witness some gruesome animal brutality as a coyote was making his way over to a herd of 6 or 7 deer grazing up in the foothills. I was yelling at the deer to get moving (in my head) and realized I might be about to see some rather graphic display of mother nature. Low and behold, as the coyote nears the deer, they start charging towards him, chasing him up the mountain. I was so proud of them for bullying him away! I guess their superiority was in their numbers. 7 against 1.
Tomorrow is Halloween, and I am looking forward to a get together with friends around town. I am still due for a blowout celebration after Kona, ha! My costume does not involve spending a dime, so I will need to raid my closet to find something to be creative with. I'll have pics!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Not this year (again)
Well, after some contemplation and painful reconsideration, I have decided to give up my spot to run this year's NYC Marathon. This marks the second year in a row that I have signed up for the race and not competed. Last year I was going to race with my mom but she didn't qualify, and this year she did so we were going to run for sure, but then a little thing called Kona jumped into the equation, and most financial resources as well as physical were spent on that journey. My mom gave up her spot this year to come see me race in Kona, something only a mother would do! :-)
I seriously wanted to race NY, even three weeks after Kona, and I think I could have done it, but at last I could not afford another trip, so it's going to have to wait another year. I sincerely love the NYC Marathon, I have done it twice, but it has been too long, and I wish I could be there on Nov. 2nd. However, I know that I am also doing my body a favor in letting it rest for a bit, while I regain my power for next season. I am very excited about what is in store for me and I cannot wait until the next 4 months are over! Hopefully we are in for a mild winter, but probably not. It's CO after all!
I seriously wanted to race NY, even three weeks after Kona, and I think I could have done it, but at last I could not afford another trip, so it's going to have to wait another year. I sincerely love the NYC Marathon, I have done it twice, but it has been too long, and I wish I could be there on Nov. 2nd. However, I know that I am also doing my body a favor in letting it rest for a bit, while I regain my power for next season. I am very excited about what is in store for me and I cannot wait until the next 4 months are over! Hopefully we are in for a mild winter, but probably not. It's CO after all!
Friday, October 17, 2008
It's funny now...
but it wasn't then... Here's some video about 2 hours or so after I finished. Notice the close proximity of the finish line.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Time off and feeling nauseaous still
Going on day number two with post race soreness. I am coming to grips with the fact that I finished an IM. As they said last night at the awards dinner, which btw was rained out halfway through, it doesn't matter what time you did it in, you finished this race and that makes you an Ironman (Ironwoman). Although I had many ups and downs I stuck it out and finished, as did so many others out there. I went from terror and fear on the bike to utter despair and pain on the run (actually just the first 10mi until I left town and decided to give it another go) Then I went numb and ran the last 16mi on pure will power to get to that finish line and complete this day, no matter what my time would be. My goals for a time had gone out the window about 30mi into the ride when the crosswinds said hello. I am grateful that I didn't fall off my bike, as I was close to it a few times. I am grateful I felt good on the run for the most part, after regaining my composure, and although I had a hard time keeping up nutrition in the heat on the bike I diligently popped my salt pills which I credit with getting me through the day and not having me cramp up for the most part. Mme Pele has my utmost respect and I know she was out there giving us hell on Saturday as the temps were the hottest they had been all week and the winds were the strongest.
My legs are still broken and last night was hard to sleep as they were trembling in an effort to heal. I twitched all night long and woke up feeling no better than yesterday. I still experience bouts of nausea as I try to get food down only to feel sick after doing so. Today is a tourist day as we rented a car to go explore the island. I'll post more pics soon.
Funny thing is, although I swore off any other IM in my future as I was torturing my body throughout the day, I quickly changed my mind just a few hours after I finished and realized that this is a challenge I want to conquer. Starting off with the toughest of all will only make other IM races seem "easier" and my search has begun in finding one! I am looking at Coeur D'Alene as well as Roth, Germany! Would love to race on my home turf some day!
My legs are still broken and last night was hard to sleep as they were trembling in an effort to heal. I twitched all night long and woke up feeling no better than yesterday. I still experience bouts of nausea as I try to get food down only to feel sick after doing so. Today is a tourist day as we rented a car to go explore the island. I'll post more pics soon.
Funny thing is, although I swore off any other IM in my future as I was torturing my body throughout the day, I quickly changed my mind just a few hours after I finished and realized that this is a challenge I want to conquer. Starting off with the toughest of all will only make other IM races seem "easier" and my search has begun in finding one! I am looking at Coeur D'Alene as well as Roth, Germany! Would love to race on my home turf some day!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Quick post race update.. bc there is nothing else I can do when I can't move...
I am back at my hotel room, feeling a little less nauseaous after having a cup o noodle that took a good hour to eat. I am not sure if I can move my legs to walk back out to the finish line to cheer the final finishers on, there are 2 hours left, I'll have to force myself. I have never ever been this sore in my life.. especially not immediately after a race. An icebath would be good, but there weren't any offered, um ok.
My day did not go as planned obviously. I hit my swim goal time right on, which was nice because I felt super slow out there and people were swimming over and into the me the entire time. The bike is where things went downhill. As soon as we exited town, the winds picked up and the rest of the bike was a struggle to stay in my seat and to get back to transition. People have said that the winds today were some of the worst Hawaii has to offer, glad I got to experience the whole thing.. I had about 15 salt tabs on the bike and could not really ingest my Ensure, as I kept burping and it came up. I forced some food down, but not enough. I was so cramped up on that bike, trying not to fall off, it was pure hell! I think we had headwinds for 60 miles and cross winds for about 30. My arms are sooo tired I can't touch them. I barely rode in aero in fear of falling off my bike. I swerved into the traffic lane several times. The winds were like Boulder winds at their worst, for 100mi... Got into T2 totally spent and thinking about quitting. Yes I seriously didn't think I could go on. Dragged myself out of transition and shuffled on. After about 1/2 mi I started walking. I continued to shuffle/ walk for the next 8-0 mi through town. When I saw my family I cried because I didn't think I could finish and I wanted the pain to stop. I thought about having to walk the marathon and that I would finish in 13 hours at best. Once I got out of town for some reason I got a second wind and I hooked up with 2 girls, one of them Tracy who I race against in Boulder, and so we all shuffled on and I didn't walk the rest of the race. Although we were going super slow we were still passing people and that kept me going. The last 4 mi of the run were the longest ever and that downhill into town pretty much tore my quads right open. Not sure how I will move tomorrow.
Well, I am going to try and get out, the winners are out there too. Wow is all I can say, that Chrissie is something else. Really happy Crowie won too! Congrats to everyone I know who raced today. This ironman was a monster and I will need a few days to digest and recover. My throat is sore from the salt this morning on the swim!
Tanks again for rooting for me, I wish I could have a better result, but it's my first IM, and probably one of the hardest ones I'll do.. For now I might just stick to 70.3...
My day did not go as planned obviously. I hit my swim goal time right on, which was nice because I felt super slow out there and people were swimming over and into the me the entire time. The bike is where things went downhill. As soon as we exited town, the winds picked up and the rest of the bike was a struggle to stay in my seat and to get back to transition. People have said that the winds today were some of the worst Hawaii has to offer, glad I got to experience the whole thing.. I had about 15 salt tabs on the bike and could not really ingest my Ensure, as I kept burping and it came up. I forced some food down, but not enough. I was so cramped up on that bike, trying not to fall off, it was pure hell! I think we had headwinds for 60 miles and cross winds for about 30. My arms are sooo tired I can't touch them. I barely rode in aero in fear of falling off my bike. I swerved into the traffic lane several times. The winds were like Boulder winds at their worst, for 100mi... Got into T2 totally spent and thinking about quitting. Yes I seriously didn't think I could go on. Dragged myself out of transition and shuffled on. After about 1/2 mi I started walking. I continued to shuffle/ walk for the next 8-0 mi through town. When I saw my family I cried because I didn't think I could finish and I wanted the pain to stop. I thought about having to walk the marathon and that I would finish in 13 hours at best. Once I got out of town for some reason I got a second wind and I hooked up with 2 girls, one of them Tracy who I race against in Boulder, and so we all shuffled on and I didn't walk the rest of the race. Although we were going super slow we were still passing people and that kept me going. The last 4 mi of the run were the longest ever and that downhill into town pretty much tore my quads right open. Not sure how I will move tomorrow.
Well, I am going to try and get out, the winners are out there too. Wow is all I can say, that Chrissie is something else. Really happy Crowie won too! Congrats to everyone I know who raced today. This ironman was a monster and I will need a few days to digest and recover. My throat is sore from the salt this morning on the swim!
Tanks again for rooting for me, I wish I could have a better result, but it's my first IM, and probably one of the hardest ones I'll do.. For now I might just stick to 70.3...
Friday, October 10, 2008
The day before the DAY
Quick post as I prepare for tomorrow. All that's left to do is check in my bike in later this afternoon, along with my gear bags. I'll probably be checking those another 5 times before I turn them in...
Yesterday I went for a quick ride on the Queen K and noticed that no car looks to their right before turning. I almost got run over 3x while trying to make a turn and a car cut me off. I got some ART done today on a rib that got jammed during my massage two days ago and was causing me some major discomfort on the run. Brock helped save my race by doing a simple adjustment, now I am pretty much worry free. He even made me sign a poster for his office, my first autograph signing! :-)It also appears that most people are finally taking a day of rest after running around like mice in a wheel since I got here. I am counting on my over rest to pay off tomorrow! I feel about as hard as a marshmallow right now, haha.
I also just did my last mini swim and was treated to a sea turtle sighting as I exited the water, wow! The turtle looked older than half the competitors. Upon entering the water I found myself standing right next to Natasha as she was chatting with some fans. If I didn't have such a keen eye for "celebs" I would have never noticed her, she is super down to Earth and very soft spoken, not to mention tiny! I hope she has a successful day tomorrow!
I'll post some quick pics of the sights outside the hotel, as well as in the room. I shall return sometime later to give a full report of my day tomorrow!
messy room
view of the swim course from hotel restaurant
the finish being set up- heart is beating fast...
turtle!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
My 100th post- Aloha!
What could be more fitting for my 100th post than a '1st day in Kona' update!? We arrived late last night after a rather adventurous trip to the Big Island. Let's start at the beginning. The first flight from Denver to Seattle was rather uneventful until a lady who was in line to use the bathroom, fainted and everyone around her started yelling "hey, hey" in unison as if that would bring her back. It ended up being nothing serious and a little drink and oxygen helped her back on her feet. Blood pressure rose for sure for a while but otherwise things were going smoothly. Once in Seattle we met up with my sister who informed me that our flight to Maui was delayed by 2 hours. Awesome. We finally boarded the plane when it sunk in: I had no real food in me and the flight would last around 6 hours. Um, yeah, not really the time for a diet I know. I refused to pay for a meal on the plane so I stuffed myself with tomato juice, which also served as a healthy helping of sodium. Once in Maui we had to get off the plane, just to get back on half an hour later, for our connecting light to Kona. 30 mins later we were finally here, whew. One thing I found of note was a family of 7 traveling behind me, with 5 kids under age 5.... Wow! Lets just say I tried to keep the headphones on for most of the trip. 4 boys and a 5mo-old girl, my hats off to the parents. They had been traveling from the East Coast and probably spent close to 24 hours on the trip over. Dedication!
Since it was 10.30 at night, nothing was open so we all went to bed hungry. Oh well. The morning started early with a run down Ali'i Drive- and wow, what a show that was! Tons and tons of athletes running or biking along, some at 5min pace and some at 10, but all determined. I kept my pace honest and was delighted by the abundance of oxygen, sometimes heavy to take-ha... The air is thick as expected, no dry mouth during workouts here, but the air is also thick from the vog, which has been abundant this year due to some Volcanic activity on the island. After my 40 min run I resembled a swimmer more than a runner, but it felt good! I am looking at the race as a looong cleanse! haha. All in all, it never got that "hot" today, clouds and vog cover kept the temps in the low 80s.
After the run it was time for some overpriced food and drink and Lava Java, where every other person just happened to be a current or former world champ, runner up, or other public known athlete. Wow! Fuelbelt had a super sweet deal and was giving away free belts to racers. I got a pink one, yay!
The race expo was interesting, it featured some Endless pools to try out, some famous triathletes talking (no one was even paying attention, jk) and bike envy everywhere you looked. We also ventured off to Safeway, Wal-mart and a sub place to get some grub, I don't think I have walked this much in a while. But I am ready to go, just need to attend the meeting tomorrow.
Tonight I tried out my swim skin and had my first ocean swim experience. And you know what, it wasn't bad. I think I might have a slight fear of some water creatures lurking in the dark, deep waters, but I made it out to the 5th buoy and then back to shore in about 20 mins. The current was a bit choppy coming back as I put more effort into it and ended up even splitting. Tomorrow I will swim in the morning and see what the current is like then. The fish I saw under water were amazing and it felt like I was swimming in a giant aquarium. Wish I had an underwater camera to take some pics.
Well, that is all for now. I am off for a massage and dinner, and feel ready to explode with pre race energy. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I appreciate every singe one of them! :-) Pics to follow soon. I forgot to take some today, was too intrigued to take any- oops.
Since it was 10.30 at night, nothing was open so we all went to bed hungry. Oh well. The morning started early with a run down Ali'i Drive- and wow, what a show that was! Tons and tons of athletes running or biking along, some at 5min pace and some at 10, but all determined. I kept my pace honest and was delighted by the abundance of oxygen, sometimes heavy to take-ha... The air is thick as expected, no dry mouth during workouts here, but the air is also thick from the vog, which has been abundant this year due to some Volcanic activity on the island. After my 40 min run I resembled a swimmer more than a runner, but it felt good! I am looking at the race as a looong cleanse! haha. All in all, it never got that "hot" today, clouds and vog cover kept the temps in the low 80s.
After the run it was time for some overpriced food and drink and Lava Java, where every other person just happened to be a current or former world champ, runner up, or other public known athlete. Wow! Fuelbelt had a super sweet deal and was giving away free belts to racers. I got a pink one, yay!
The race expo was interesting, it featured some Endless pools to try out, some famous triathletes talking (no one was even paying attention, jk) and bike envy everywhere you looked. We also ventured off to Safeway, Wal-mart and a sub place to get some grub, I don't think I have walked this much in a while. But I am ready to go, just need to attend the meeting tomorrow.
Tonight I tried out my swim skin and had my first ocean swim experience. And you know what, it wasn't bad. I think I might have a slight fear of some water creatures lurking in the dark, deep waters, but I made it out to the 5th buoy and then back to shore in about 20 mins. The current was a bit choppy coming back as I put more effort into it and ended up even splitting. Tomorrow I will swim in the morning and see what the current is like then. The fish I saw under water were amazing and it felt like I was swimming in a giant aquarium. Wish I had an underwater camera to take some pics.
Well, that is all for now. I am off for a massage and dinner, and feel ready to explode with pre race energy. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I appreciate every singe one of them! :-) Pics to follow soon. I forgot to take some today, was too intrigued to take any- oops.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Countdown Has Begun
Well, it's here, I can't believe it. I leave for Kona tomorrow morning and I think until I get there I will still be in slight denial. In denial that I will do 140.6mi in water and on land in about 5 days! I have tapered to the best of my abilities, hopefully not too much, as my daily workout time has been cut in half at least over the past few days. I hope my body remembers how to ride 112mi and then with some Island magic, run 26.2.
I am almost packed, the bike is ready to go, I am constantly eating (nerves, body storing up for Saturday- I hope..) and getting pretty excited. If I manage to stay within myself during race week, I think I'll be alright. It is easy to get overly excited and do something stupid.. such as going for a bike ride just a little too long or a run just a little too hard. Most of all, I will make friends with the ocean. I have never swum in ocean water (unless we count playing around as a kid) and much less worn a swimskin doing it. My swimskin is arriving belated when I get to Kona- I hope it will fit! I heard the winds were kinda bad this week, well I can only hope for the best, and if it does get windy like it's said to get, then I will just need to be tougher.
I'll try and post some pics as I get into town, although it might be sparse, due to limited internet access. I am in for an adventure, and I can't wait!
www.ironmanlive.com will have race updates on Saturday throughout the day. Kona, race number 1733 is on her way!
I am almost packed, the bike is ready to go, I am constantly eating (nerves, body storing up for Saturday- I hope..) and getting pretty excited. If I manage to stay within myself during race week, I think I'll be alright. It is easy to get overly excited and do something stupid.. such as going for a bike ride just a little too long or a run just a little too hard. Most of all, I will make friends with the ocean. I have never swum in ocean water (unless we count playing around as a kid) and much less worn a swimskin doing it. My swimskin is arriving belated when I get to Kona- I hope it will fit! I heard the winds were kinda bad this week, well I can only hope for the best, and if it does get windy like it's said to get, then I will just need to be tougher.
I'll try and post some pics as I get into town, although it might be sparse, due to limited internet access. I am in for an adventure, and I can't wait!
www.ironmanlive.com will have race updates on Saturday throughout the day. Kona, race number 1733 is on her way!
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