The Key Ride

My last big training session was Saturday in Emerald Isle. I did five hours on the bike and an hour run. It was a good mental and physical test. I fine-tuned my nutrition, I ran well off the bike and I faced the pros and cons of a relentless wind. It launched me into my taper.  It was a key ride for me in more ways than one.

See......what had happened was:

I headed to the Crystal Coast with Dirty Spice early on Saturday morning. The plan was to do an out and back from the south end of the beach to Fort Macon and back. Jen would then ditch me and head to a local chowder joint to grade papers, eat chowder and drink a beer while I headed out for the last of my ride and run. I gave her the key to the Falcon in case she needed to come get me or wanted to drive to ChowdaHeads.

We headed out into an AMAZING headwind (hashtagnotamazing) and made it to Fort Macon in less than two hours.  We took a nature break (in the restroom), ate a gel, fixed Jen's aerobar arm rest and took pictures.

Big Wind in the Background

We headed south and stopped at our favorite park and took our traditional goofy pictures and see-sawed. We hit the road again and ten minutes later, Jen yelled STOOOPPP!!!! Something she heard (tink tink in her spokes) prompted her to reach for the car key. It wasn't there. It wasn't in her jersey pocket or her bento box or her shorts. 

We rode on the wrong side of the road, looking for the key in the bike lane - super sketchy - do not try it at home. No luck. We headed back to the park to check the playground. No luck. I ordered her to retrace our route south while I headed north to Ft. Macon (praying for a miracle and forgiveness the whole way). The great thing is that we're pros at finding money - we're obsessed with finding shiny objects in the road. If anyone can find a key on a 26 mile stretch of black top - we can. Neither of us did.

I made it to Fort Macon and checked our photo op stop. No luck. I checked the spot where Jen had fixed her aerobars and checked every stall in the bathroom. No luck. I was about to leave when I thought, I'll just go in and see if they have a lost and found. As I clickety clacked across the rotunda at the visitor's center I asked the two women at the welcome desk, did anyone by any chance turn in a........ and before I could finish, the woman reached for a key, sitting on the edge of the desk and held it up!

Someone had found it in the parking lot and turned it in! Hallelujah. I cried a little and did a little dance. I called Jen, headed south with a tailwind and met up with her north of the bridge off the island. We proceeded as planned before I joined her for chowder. Last big ride in the books!

Post-Ride Moxie on an Abandoned Go-Cart Track

The Hay is in the Barn

It's here, it's here, it's finally here! It's time to taper! I did my last long ride on Saturday and now it's time to let my body adapt to that last bit of training load. I am so ready for it. My body, mind and spirit are tired. My goal for the next two weeks are simple: SLEEP. EAT WELL. STAY OFF MY FEET.   I'm scheduled for a massage and a yoga session this week, I am going to compex and foam roll every day and I will nap as much as possible.

I've been studying the taper the past few weeks (I really was looking forward to it) and how to do it best (for me). Generally, the run-in to a race and the reduced volume is hard for athletes. I sometimes feel sluggish and antsy. Doubt and fear creep in. Did I do enough? Why do my legs feel like concrete? Maybe I should just do one more mile. 

I have to remember that the hay is in the barn. It's a common phrase with runners or triathletes in the lead-in to a big event. I think it's derived from farmers who used to sit back at the end of harvest season (I imagine them on a front porch drinking sweet tea) and admire their hard work and success. I imagine them relaxing a bit knowing they had cleared the fields and the work was done.

My hard work is done. I get to enjoy the rest and get revved up for the race. I am strong and fit and steady and prepared. Now I get to prep for the trip and nail down my race plan and then I get to RACE!!!!

A Few Weeks in Ironman

Oh. My. Goodness. I'm so ready to taper. I've had a great - but hard three weeks. Here are some of the highlights:

TOUR DE FEMME: I rode 75 miles for an all-woman charity ride in Raleigh. It's a GREAT event that includes great fundraising incentives (wine glasses, hoodies, hats, arm warmers), a ladies night (which I missed), carnations for each rider and amazing post event food (and beer).

It was excellent training for me to be out on the hills - a new challenge and new scenery. I arrived super early and hit the road alone for about an hour. I circled back to the start and took off with the rest of the metric century riders. The first hour was great. I made new friends, enjoyed some sunshine and got warmed up. Shortly after the first rest stop, it started to rain. I was alone for 10 miles in the rain - just before I met up with the leaders at the second aid station. I grabbed the wheel of one of the other women (hi, Michaela!) and we took off when the lead group stopped for a mechanical issue.  We took turns pulling and chatting about rides and triathlons. Just before the last aid station, the chase group caught us and encouraged us to stay with them through the end so that one of the riders - a cancer survivor could lead us in. Michaela and I fell in withthe group and the skies opened it. We spent 15 miles in POURING rain. I didn't know what was worse - the rain from the sky or the water off the wheels in front of me. My gum was gritty. I did those 61 miles in just over 3:30 and felt GREAT for the transition run. My legs felt amazing, BUT, my fingers were purple and my feet were numb.

LAST LONG RUN: I've been having some great runs lately and I'm glad to have finished the last long one on Monday. I did a three hour tour of Wrightsville Beach. The day was perfect.  A little windy, but sunny and dry and blue skies. I really enjoyed being out and found some secret weapons. First, I went through four pieces of gum. Second, I took an extra bottle of calories with me AND with 15 minutes to go, I ate three pieces of licorice. Yum.

I tried something new on my watch and really liked it. My Garmin 920XT has a virtual pacer setting. I set it to 9:15 and throughout the run watched as I pulled ahead of the woman on the screen. I could also see how far ahead I was and in the first hour and 15 minutes, gained 2min50secs on her. That meant I could walk for 2:50 and still be on pace. I walked for 30 seconds and only lost 20seconds to my pacer. I ran another hour and walked again. Unfortunately, at the 2:30 mark, I lost all my time to a cute lab puppy named Finnegan. I needed puppy love and when I restarted, I was 1:46 behind.

I logged just over 18 miles + later that night went out to celebrate Ace's birthday with Warren Haynes at Greenfield Park (which meant three more hours on my feet).

Baby, Let Your Soulshine

STRENGTH: In the mix of all this I've been working hard doing what I'm not doing. Meaning: doing what I haven't before. I've been working extra hard at functional strength, balance and flexibilty. I've been training my hip flexors and core and back and arms to be stronger than ever through a once-a-week intense workout with a functional strength coach. AND, I've been working with my pilates instructor to become more balanced, controlled and flexible. It's made me tired and even more ready for a rest.

Plank on a wiggly, suspended surfboard. I couldn't do this five weeks ago.

Kona Bound

Let me introduce you to Sami Winter. Nearly five years ago, I met Sami through the YDUBTRICLUB. She was our cycling coach that year and was a hero even then. She was a four-time IRONMAN triathlete - before I even understood what that meant - a Boston Marathon finisher, a Tar Heel grad - and she rode a custom Carolina Blue Guru tri bike. Oh, and she can dance! I even wrote a blog article  about her (almost five years ago to the day).

She is still a hero to me and I consider it a blessing to call her friend. I want to be her when I grow up! This past year, I've had the joy to get to know her better. Here is what I learned from her:

I was there when she competed in her 12th Ironman - her attitude when they cancelled the swim was remarkable. She adapted to the news and was able to encourage and motivate a room full of naked athletes. Her quote: It's still gonna be a good day. Check her out at 3:13:

I watched her qualify for Kona at Florida. She was technically going to qualify through the legacy lottery at this, her 12th race. Her name was supposed to go into a hat for a chance (a very good chance) to go to Kona for the World Championships. This was going to be a celebration no matter what. A celebration of endurance. She was the first coach to teach me about "steady state" on the bike and 12 IronMan races proves endurance and a steady state.

But something amazing happened on the way to Kona. She placed third in her age group at Florida. She finished on the podium received a Kona qualifying spot. When they called her name, we yelled,  KONA! KONA! KONA! from the grand stand.  Eff instant gratification. Delayed gratification - especially when it means you're going to the Olympics of your sport - is as sweet as a gold medal.

We went to a coaching conference together and met Andy Potts (road trip!). I learned a ton from Christian Van de Velde and Mr. Potts and Data from Training Peaks (I love you, Andy Coggan). But, I learned just as much in the car on the way there and back.  Plus, I learned what it means to be hard core.  She and Brian brought bikes and trainers and did a workout for the Tour de Sufferlandria, a nine day cycle challenge. She didn't miss a day (that's hard core). I watched and did pilates on the hotel room floor as they killed it on the bike at 5:30am. [I was also reminded to dream big dreams - and that led to my next adventure: Ironman France.]

She let me in on an amazing swim clinic with Olympian Sheila Taormina. I learned (from Sami) how to communicate, organize and make others feel important.

I drafted (briefly) off of her and her posse on a killer bike ride this spring and learned how to go harder than I thought I could. She helped me through a difficult run through Hugh Macrae park and I learned the power of distraction - she kept me talking and our fast miles flew by. Less than a month ago, we endured a 4500-yard swim (2.5 miles) from Sheila Taormina- a celebration of our birthdays and an amazing benchmark that launched her into her Kona taper. She reminisced at the end of practice of breast-stroking her first half iron seven years ago. She's come so far! I learned that practice is the effort that makes winning possible.

They don't call her Yoda for nuthin'.

Judge me by my size, do you?

On Saturday, Sami races the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. As she faces one of the toughest challenges,  my blessing/prayer for her will be:

May He cover you with his feathers and under His wings may you find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and protection. Psalm 91:4

In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds! Psalm 45:4
 

Adapt and Overcome

I am so proud of my friend Ty. Last weekend he headed to Cambridge, Maryland for IRONMAN MARYLAND. He's been training for months for his A-Race and just last week we had a send-off party for him. On Wednesday, he loaded up his amazing wife, Lissi, and their two girls to travel nearly eight hours to the race.

On the Road. Stolen Selfies from Ty's Facebook Page

I don't know if you know this, but the past week has been crazy - weather-wise - in the south and along the Atlantic. Record-breaking rain on top of high tides and wind from a low pressure system over South Carolina and the threat of Hurricane Joaquin created a perfect flood. When the weather goes crazy, triathletes go crazy. Even if you're not the one racing, you may become obsessed with Jim Cantore's location (never a good sign for him to show up in your neighborhood) or Al Roker's predictions. You also may become obsessed with the race website or facebook page. Will they cancel the swim? Will they cut it short?

IRONMAN's slogan is ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I've learned that in any triathlon - ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. Several hours into their trip, the Rabons got the news that MDOT had cancelled the whole race. I think it was a great decision - safety personnel were going to be needed for something more than a race.

Ty at IMFLA 2014

Now, let me add that this race was a redemption race for Ty. He raced his FIRST iron distance last November at IMFLA. As we were standing on the beach for the swim start, officials announced they were cancelling the swim! They would switch to a bike/run format. Again, probably the right call. Our swimmers from Wilmington were strong and probably would have weathered the waves and rough seas, but safety personnel couldn't stay in place and kept drifting into the area that would have contained 3000 athletes. In order to get in a full full, Ty signed up for Maryland.

When THAT cancelled, there must have been frustration, tears, cussing (?), anger,  surprise, disappointment, sadness, hurt. It's the ultimate C'MON, MAN. He'd felt it all before a year earlier.  Ty knows how to adapt and overcome. Here's what that looks like (from my perspective):

• He had a plan B. He had met with his coach, his close friends and family before they left and discussed the multitude of possibilities. He had people in place to help him sign up for Beach2Battleship, right here in Wilmington. Home field advantage. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
• He compromised with resolve. He could have taken the rain date that IM tentatively offered or probably deferred to next year's race. He could have said, to hell with this! He did not give up. Instead, he chose another 140.6. He resolved not to let the situation get the best of him.

My favorite thing is that his two daughters got to see this. How amazing that they can watch their father's example on how to adapt and overcome. How to turn lemons into lemonade. How to make the best out of a bad situation.  And how much WE can learn from him, too. 

Grab My Wheel

In the fight against cancer, no one rides alone. And so this weekend, I'm riding 62+ miles to support GRAB MY WHEEL a non-profit that provides physical, emotional and financial support to people with cancer and the institutions dedicated to finding a cure for this terrible disease. We believe that in the battle with cancer, no one should ever feel that they are fighting alone.

Mama in 1994

I'm riding in memory of my mom, Mary Anne,  who lost her battle with leukemia 20 years ago. The best thing about our battle with CML was that we were not alone. We raised money, held bone marrow drives, endured chemo, radiation and a bone marrow transplant TOGETHER. Our slogan for everything was TOGETHER WE CAN FOR MARY ANNE. The community of friends - our church, my parent's friends, my friends, the whole city of Wilmington, work colleagues, workout buddies - all pitched in to get us through. They were there through the good, the bad, the ugly. I wish that love, grace, mercy and positivity for EVERYONE faced with cancer.

Mama as Madonna in 1993. She was performing Like a Virgin for her tacky party with an Azalea Festival Garden Party theme.

I've been signed up for the ride for a while, but have been hesitant about raising money. Then I read more about GRAB MY WHEEL and the REX HEALTH CARE ANGEL FUND.

They step in for those in need - much like our friends stepped in for us. Our network of support was there for us for over two years during Mama's treatment. These two groups come alongside patients and their families to help them with their next steps.

If you know someone with cancer who might feel alone please consider a gift. If you know the son, or daughter or sister or brother or husband or wife of someone with cancer consider a gift today.

I know WE CAN FOR MARY ANNE.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Mantra Mashup

As my runs and rides get longer, so does the time spent inside my head. Talking to myself gets boring. Making lists and reordering them gets boring. So lately, I've been remembering quotes and making up mantras. This is about as zen as it gets for me. This is my om.  My favorite right now is:

MENTALLY TOUGH, FAST FEET, STRONG LEGS

That one is great for my cruise intervals. This is my favorite for long runs is:

thisismygroove/thisismypace/8:51willwinmyrace

I try to remember lyrics when I ride and run, but I find I'm a master at mashups: beautiful songs that flow from one to the other and back again.  I'd like to think I learned this from my hippie days of following the Grateful Dead and Phish who were kings of mashing covers into their own music. I really think it's accidental and my brain is mushy and can't remember where I am in one song before it turns into another. Here is my favorite mashup:

[Bad by U2]

If I could, through myself, set your spirit free
I'd lead your heart away, see you break, break away
Into the light and to the day.

To let it go and so to find away.
To let it go and so find away.
I'm wide awake.
I'm wide awake, wide awake.

[and now Katy Perry interrupts]

I'm wide awake
Yeah, I am born again
Outta the lion's den
I don't have to pretend
And it's too late
The story's over now, the end

[and now, back to Bono]

I'm not sleeping.

If you should ask, then maybe
They'd tell you what I would say
True colours fly in blue and black
Blue silken sky and burning flag.
Colours crash, collide in blood-shot eyes.

If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would let it go.

[and here comes Idina Menzel (and Jimmy)]

Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don't care what they're going to say
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway

It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all
It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I'm free

[encore, Bono Vox]

This desperation, dislocation
Separation, condemnation
Revelation, in temptation
Isolation, desolation
Let it go and so to find away
To let it go and so to find away
To let it go and so to find away

I'm wide awake, I'm wide awake, wide awake
I'm not sleeping
Oh no, no, no.

When I grow up, I want to be a mashup of Bono and Fallon.

This Week in Ironman

I made it through the week. Thank goodness! There were moments when I doubted I would make it. As previously mentioned, I was UNMOTIVATED. I bounced back I think, because of the light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, I made some changes in my calendar to lighten my load. I've had some big days lately:

BIG SWIM: My biggest swim workout in the pool - EVER. I'm going to write more about this one because I can't believe I did it and there's a great story behind it. For now, I'll recap and say that I did 4500 yards thanks to Sheila Taormina, Lance Tate and Sami Winter.

STRONG RUN: The Killer K workout at the track. I did 6 x 1K (that's 2.5 times around the track) with a 45" rest between intervals. I hated it and loved it. I will be honest, I found this on my Runner's World calendar and decided I needed to try it. I haven't been to the track in a few weeks and I needed some cruise intervals. This fit the bill. In two weeks, I'm aiming for 8 x 1K.

BIG BIKE: On the heels of my sprint tri, I drove up to Emerald Isle, NC for my first century ride of the year! I actually didn't expect to hit 100 miles, but I had to do five hours and thirty minutes. I did an out and back and out and back and when I hit the homestretch, I realized that when I reached my car, I'd only be two miles away from 100. I had to do it. I went out past the parking lot for one mile and then back for one. My mileage flipped to 101 as I rolled into my finish line.

It always feels like, somebody's watchin' me. StickOn nails for the long ride. I named them: Boo, Bo, Bae and Baby. It's a long time on the bike, People.

LONG RUN: I did my longest run this year! I started with Honey Spice at 5:45a in the misty rain. We did a five mile out-and-back. We chatted and caught up and the miles flew by. I refueled at the car and she headed to work. I headed out again to tackle 2:40 or 15 miles total. Whichever came first. I ran through the neighborhood I grew up in, past my elementary school and into a park. My workout called for 3 x 20 minutes at threshold and I did really well even though my last few miles were torture. The mist turned to pouring rain, my knee started aching and I realized I'd worn the wrong singlet over my tri top. The chafing under my arms = not pretty. I ran for a while with  my arms lifted, my elbows pointing way out to the side and an over-exaggerated swing.  I looked like a limpy bird trying to take off in flight. I finally took it off and tucked it into the back of my tri top - which made me look like a superhero wannabe [NO CAPES!].  I made it back to the YWCA and my watch read 15.67 miles. You guessed it, I had to finish the mile.

UNMOTIVATED

I am unmotivated. After my big weekend, I sorta lost some oompf. I'm tired. I'm sunburned. I'm chafed. I'm hungry. I'm dumb. [And, evidently, I'm whiny.] This is different than TRAIN BRAIN. It's an off-shoot - but it's different. I've been in a huge build phase of training and suddenly - I'm done. I rested on Monday, but skipped a key workout on Tuesday.

I remember my first year of ironman training. I had done a hot, long ride and my paces for my run were AWFUL. I couldn't keep up with my friends. I wanted to walk. I wanted to quit. I pouted. I sat under a tree by myself and cried a little bit while I stretched. I tried to pull it together for the ride home but I was snappy and mad as a hornet. I called my coach and she talked me off my ledge. When you're crying and sad and you hate your coach and your friends and your husbands (her words), it's time to taper.

It's not taper time for me, but I know when it's time to dial it back. I feel like a zombie. I dread everything about swimming, biking and running and I dread everything in between. This is how I deal:

GO FOR A RUN: An easy run on a cloudy day without my watch. It sounds ridiculous to go out for a run when I feel so against it, but there's something about running that takes me back to fourth grade when I started running. I was having a horrible year in school. My teacher was mean, my confidence was shot and my emotions were the tween twister. My dad and I ran every day after work and school. Running helped me get my emotions out of the way, it grew my confidence, it was a good escape. So, I ran on Wednesday. It helped me get my emotions out of the way and make some key decisions - about training, work and life.

WATCH A MOVIE:  I watched one of my top ten favorites: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. One of the most beautiful-fun-love-story-finding-yourself adventures. Then, I watched a new one: WILD, based on the memoir of Cheryl Strayed. After the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother, she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail to recover. The correlation of her hike is not dissimilar to my own swim/bike/run adventure: a quest to ask the WHAT IFS or find redemption, forgiveness and identity.

ANTI-TRI: I did non-tri-related stuff. I had a date night with Ace. It included a dress and press-on nails and heels. I decorated my house for Halloween (yes, already). I slept in. I flipped through a un-sporty magazine and watched Lip Sync Battle.  I watered my plants walked the dog. I reconnected, rested and redirected my mind and felt amazing in 48 hours.

Wrightsville Beach Sprint Tri 2015

What a surprising race! I hemmed and hawed about doing this sprint race that is a fun, fast, local favorite. I haven't done it since 2011. I've enjoyed being a spectator and a cheerleader for everyone else. Last year I worked packet pickup and volunteered in the body marking tent (um, hello!), then cheered on course for tri-clubbers and friends.

This year, I was worried about jellyfish and knew I had a big ride the next day. Plus, there is this lingering fear that creeps in about this time of year that I may get hurt or sick or sore from something unrelated to IRONMAN that keeps me from training or racing the big one. By midweek, though, I pushed all fears and negative thoughts away and decided I needed a fun, fast race.

I decided to go outside of my comfort zone and push extra hard. I decided that my race plan would be this: swim a hard effort + bike in zone 4 + run a 7:30-8:00 mile. That's it.

It's funny what happens when you make up your mind. I raced exactly like I planned and I was more excited about that than the results. I swam hard. I biked in zone 4 almost the entire time and I did a progressive run an 8:10/8:00/7:48. I was so excited that I did a happy dance!

Not only that, but I placed second in my age group. I had joked, when I shared my race plan with Dirty Spice, that if I made it on the podium, I'd take my selfie stick with me. HASHTAGOBNOXIOUS HASHTAGI'MTHATATHLETE.

This Week in Ironman

This has been a weird week. I don't know if I'd call it an IRONMAN training week because my focus has been recovery. I've been training this week for my massage on Friday. Seriously. I was so sore from my 70.3 that I was actually dreading my massage six days later. So, I've been working more on recovery than anything. I've given myself ONE STAR in my calendar for every recovery tool I've used. Check out my calendar:

Here is what I'm counting as recovery:

NAPPING: I'm such a good napper. And this week, I've taken a nap nearly every day. Sleep is HUGE when it comes to recovery and I milked it.

COMPEX: I've borrowed Jen's TENS UNIT and used it almost twice a day every day this week. Some people argue the effectiveness of this tool, but I think.

I like the mountains in the background.

FOAM ROLLING: On Sunday, the day after the race I rolled my ITB with the pint glass I won for third place! I was only able to use an ounce of pressure. By Wednesday, I was able to use an actual foam roller. The green cushiest one on the market. I was able to use my body weight on my back, hamstrings and calves - but my IT band would have NONE OF IT.

COMPRESSION: I only used my CLOUDS twice, but they felt so good. These compression leggings are AH-mazing. I used them when I was sitting down (was that only once all week?) and once when I was napping.

These are not my legs.

MASSAGE: Finally! By Friday, after all my other tricks, I was ready for my massage. I am a member of Massage Envy and have my favorite therapist, Nicole. I haven't seen her in a while and after my general warnings about my IT band and quads, I settled into a 90 minute session. She used a new technique: LomiLomi. The strokes she used were quick and invigorating and warmed up sore muscles before slowing down to work on the sore spots. It was exactly what I needed. 

I did not wear a flower in my hair.

WHITE LAKE FALL HALF II

If I'm honest, at first glance I was disappointed with my race because of my results. In a sport that keeps score by the clock it's hard not to compare my/yourself to past results or other people. But, given a few days to reflect, I start to focus only on the positive. I recognize improvements and apply what I've learned. Every race becomes a win.

Plus, here's where I always win: if I compare the person I am now with the person I was in the spring, or the last race or the first race - then I see the success, the growth and maturity (and that is never about speed).

So, at first glance I was not pleased with my results. Compared to the spring race, I was four minutes slower in the swim, less than 30 seconds faster on the bike and two minutes slower on the run. My overall time was six minutes slower.

And then I remembered this: you can NEVER compare races. The external factors mean that no race is ever the same. Water temps, winds, humidity - heck even the courses may be yards longer - effect races.  Maybe if I raced in a pool, then on a stationary indoor bike and then on a treadmill, I would be able to accurately compare.

The amazing thing is that I was so close on all three. . And I placed in my age-group. And, above all - it felt - dare I say - easy. I respect the distance - but I felt like I could have gone farther.  I had a strong, solid race.

And that reflects who I am: a strong, solid athlete

Third in My Age Group

EVERY RACE IS DIFFERENT: Temperature