FUN, FUN, FUN

Fun, fun, fun is my top way to get the funk out. I mentioned in my last post that I have been in a funk. And I've been working hard to get back into the groove.  For me, fun is the answer. (Pizza is also an answer, but not right now.). I've said (many times) before that triathlon is like being a kid again - only faster. Part of that kid-ness is having fun. So, I've been putting some fun back into my training. If I'm not going to be on the roads of Pender County, then my indoor rides need to be fun.

So, SUFFERFEST it is. I've set up my pain palace, loaded an app and headed to Sufferlandria. I've cycled through the Alps, raced the Giro d'Italia and even done cyclo-cross from the comfort of my living room and the big screen. The workouts are good for my body, the music is rockin' and the sense of humor behind every Sufferlandrian command is good for the soul. As a coach, I know right where to put the different rides in my plan - but I don't have to think too much about the workout. The Minister of Sufferlandria is yelling at me to go so hard my eyes bleed. Ouch.

The Pain Palace

The second element of my jump start is NEWNESS.  I've been teaching at the our hospital's Employee Fit Center since it opened five years ago. It still looks brand new. But, it's expanding and being renovated. It's like pouring new on top of new. The new equipment has sparked some spunk. A little desire to go in and play. We have a jungle gym that looks like a training playground for American Ninja Warrior, a versa climber, erg skiier, new spin bikes and THIS: 

My third step to get the funk outta here? I'm getting out my microscope. France is out there - but it seems waaay out there. I've been using a telescope to see it. It's five months away and an event that far out can lull anyone into a sense of complacency.  It's hard to get out there for a run or bike or swim in January when June seems like another galaxy. So, I'm dusting off my microscope and readjusting my field of vision. What does that mean? Refining my goals. Making them smaller and closer. Making them show up. That will be new and fun. [NEXT UP: GOAL REFINING.]

FUN, FUN, FUN by Pharrell

Take me, far away, anywhere
As long as it's fun, fun, fun, fun
Fun, fun, fun, I wanna go

Just Wave Hello

I am now about 20 weeks out from Ironman France. One hundred thirty-three days, 22 hours, 4 minutes.  My training officially started last Monday and I'll tell you what: it's been hard to get going.  I've been missing workouts and feeling a little unmotivated. I've felt heavy in practice and grumpy when I'm not at practice. I've been dragging my feet about booking hotels and flights and I've been worried for no reason.

Fortunately, I've figured out the TOP THREE reasons for my hesitation and the TOP THREE WAYS to beat it. Here's why I'm in a slump:

FEAR: I've been repeating that line from Dirty Dancing: I'm scared of everything. Baby's voice is in my head!   I'm scared of not reaching my goals. I'm scared of the Alps. I'm scared of leaving home. I'm scared of traveling with my bike. And most of all, I'm scared of running out of transition and never feeling like I do when I'm running at home. Okay, that's a little dramatic, but it fit with her line. What I mean is, what if all my preparation doesn't work this time? I'm a little paralyzed by fear. It's amazing that this sign appeared on my first bike ride for the season.

COLD: The cold is something I've not had to deal with in Ironman training. It's new and it's a really good excuse. Those of you who are mocking me right now - I get it. It's not that cold. I mean I live in North Carolina. On the coast. Snowmaggedon Jonas did not bring us sleet or snow. The high yesterday made it into the 50s. I should not be whining.  But, I miss bike rides with sunflowers and blueberries. I miss sweaty runs at the beach with no shade and open water swims. I almost miss White Lake - JUST KIDDING!

BASE: I don't like base training. There, I said it. I don't like steady state on the bike. I don't want to walk/run. I don't want lots of zone 2. I want hard intervals at the track. I want sub-threshold. I want the pain cave! [Okay, again. Just kidding.] I wish my coach would listen when I say: base is boring. Oh wait, I am my coach.  And I know how to make base not boring.

So, tomorrow, I'll reveal the TOP THREE WAYS to get going.

JUST WAVE HELLO [Charlotte Church]

The dawn is rising on a new day
Time for us to go
The shadows fall and quickly fade away
Time to wave hello
It's time to go now
Time to wave hello now
Let your dreams be wings
That fly as far as the stars

Start Me Up

Happy New Year!

It's time to get this show on the road! I've taken quite a big break and it's time to get the year started. I've been building a steady base. I've picked MY ONE WORD (more on that to come). Goals have been made. I've already done a triathlon!

It was a new year's day bash hosted by Sami Winter. We met at her home in Wrightsville Beach, lugging indoor trainers, bikes and gear upstairs to her 1200 square foot home. Sixteen of us squeezed in the kitchen, den and porch and rode our bikes. We did 16 x 1 minute hard efforts. We eased off the bike and hit the road. I did 2 x 16 minutes (see the trend here?)  around the loop with Sami and Erin. Then, we transitioned to the beach and on the count of three, we rushed the waves and I did about 16 seconds in the Atlantic. My very first polar plunge!

Winterathlon 2016

Brave Souls. It was colder on the beach than it was in the water.

Here we go..........

You can start me up
You can start me up I'll never stop
I've been running hot
You got me just about to blow my top
You can start me up, you can start me up,
I'll never stop, never stop, never stop, never stop

You can start me up
Kick on the starter, give it all you've got
I can't compete
With the riders in the other heats
If you rough it up
If you like it you can slide it up, slide it up
Slide it up, slide it up
Don't make a grown man cry
Don't make a grown man cry
Don't make a grown man cry
My eyes dilate, my lips go green
My hands are greasy, she's a mean, mean machine
Start it up

Ride like the wind, at double speed
I'll take you places that you've never, never seen

Tough me up
Never stop, never stop
 

Ironman Florida Video

The Rearview

It's almost the new year and I always love to wrap it up with a few highlights and totals from the past year.

I tracked my miles for 2015! Swim = 171 miles + Bike = 2470 miles + Run = 569.5 miles = 3210.5 miles. Like going from my house to WB to Sonoma, CA via Barstow, San Diego and San Fran.

My first run in Central Park and my first bike over the Brooklyn Bridge.

First ever 4500-yard swim in the pool.

Eleven races: Six triathlons, one 10-miler, two 10ks, one 5ks, two swim races. That's 380.25 miles raced.

One dollar found in a training swim with Ace.

I won this year's bounty hunt by 15 cents. Together we found $9.07

Eight Podium finishes.

Second in my age-group for NCTS series points.

One sunflower patch.

Twenty weeks of training. Twelve bottles per week. That's 240 bottles filled, emptied and washed. That's about 228 ounces per week. That's 4,560 ounces in training. That's 35 gallons.

The loot for 2015 One pie, two bags, one puffy coat, two beanies, one water bottle and three medals.  Winner Winner Pie for Dinner!

One IRONMAN FINISH!

AND THE DESIRE TO DO IT ALL AGAIN!

Happy New Year!

IMFLA 2015: The Run

Can I talk about my transition again? It felt like it took forever - but I'm really so proud. I did it in under five minutes! I actually forgot that as you dismount, a volunteer takes your bike and racks it for you. So I nearly shouted, OH, THANK YOU! at the volunteer.  I hop-scotched quickly through rows of bike-to-run bags calling out my number. A volunteer pointed it out and I grabbed it. I passed another girl in my age group and remember her saying go get 'em! I found an empty chair in the changing room, warned the volunteer I was stripping, switched from tri shorts to run shorts, grabbed my ziploc of goodies, cruised out of the hotel, stopped for a slathering of sunscreen and cruised out of T2 in 4:49.

I will preface this by saying my run was not what I had hoped it would be. I expected to finish at least 45 minutes faster than I did. I was really primed to finish an hour faster than I did. My hopes were up and I was ready for a personal best. It didn't happen. My legs would not do what my brain wanted them to do. My run strategy may have been foiled by the heat, my nutrition or fatigue. I'm still sorting it all out and it's really a "wholenother" post.

I can't explain it: I wasn't happy with the results, but overall, I was a happy runner. I had two really low moments, but overall I was having a good time. How could I not? I AM DOING AN IRONMAN! Florida is an out-and-back-and-out-and-back - about six miles to the turnaround each time. It's easy to break up the segments: tri-club row and beach road > flat neighborhood > beach road-to-moonspinner > state park and back. 

The tri-club row and the beach road is lined with crazies. Cowbells, DJs, dominatrix divas dressed like something from a Britney video, string lights and people out in their driveways in lawn chairs cheering on runners. I got a whip on the booty from a diva, I got a high-five from Jay Ma and boost from seven little kids in a row with pom poms. The lower lagoon neighborhood is lined with la-goonies: a live band, a karaoke station and an aid station with everyone dressed as Charlie Brown. The live band was singing: Don't Let a Grown Man Triiiiiii, the Peanuts station had every college game score, there was a parrot in a bird cage under a car port watching runners go by. There was also a chance to play Ironman Roulette - a tray set out with shot glasses and a sign that read: PICK ONE: IS IT GATORADE? WATER? OR VODKA?

B-Double-E-Double-Are-You-In

The beach road to Patches to Moonspinner was my favorite part. Mainly because I knew that Ace, Dirty Spice and Airwrecka were waiting. Plus, there was a spot in between buildings, where the wind was blowing off the ocean and it smelled salty and sandy and beachy. It gave me a lift each time I passed.  Patches is where I'd been posted up for the past two years watching Jen attack the same course. It's a bar and athletes literally run through the outdoor patio area of the restaurant. Our home base was the Moonspinner and my crew was posted up nearby. They had a cooler and the loudest mouths on the course. I swear I heard them all the way into the park.

That state park is something else.  I don't know what it was about it that made it seem endless. It feels a little like a desert. The roads are uneven and there is no shade. You think that around each curve is the turnaround - and it's not.

I actually started feeling normal on that first pass into the park. I usually give myself about four miles to get my legs under me and get my mechanics and my rhythm. I was cruising along between aid stations aiming for a 10-minute mile and giving myself 44 seconds at each station to put ice in my bra, ice down my pants (#ironmanain'tpretty), take a sip of cola and go.

I caught up with Brian, one of our Moonspinner neighbors. We swapped bike stories (he told me he puked twice on the bike - hastagtoomuchinformation) and I trotted past him. On the way out of the park I passed a fellow Wilmington runner heading in. Then, I looked up ahead and saw a miracle: a runner wearing a tri top that said RUAH. Ruah is my one word for the year! I caught up with him and exclaimed: I can't believe your kit says RUAH! Ruah is my one word. Look it's written on my arm! He explained that a friend of his owns a yoga studio in Richmond, VA named RUAH YOGA. I proceeded to tell him all about my one word: that it is the Hebrew word for breath of God, the Holy Spirit. I chattered away about how our church picks one word to focus on each year - instead of resolutions - so that that word becomes part of our character. I think he got tired of my chatter and stopped at the Base Salt tent. He passed me a mile later, but I passed him back at mile 14 and made sure he stayed in the rear view for the rest of the run. (#yougotchicked)

Coming out of the park is like coming into the light. I think there were angels singing. Or, it may have been Jen. Yes, even Jen sounded like an angel out of that park. I picked up my pace a little here and started enjoying the runners and the sights again. Did I mention that my crew had made signs and chalked the pavement?  EV-ER-Y-WHERE. I laughed and pointed at most and said HEY, THAT'S ME! I pointed to the one that Alecia made of me as Vanna White and suddenly the spectators started chanting Van-NAH, Van-NAH, Van-NAH! 

I hit my first low point about a mile from special needs.  I couldn't wait to get there and take off my visor and shades, dump one of my nutrition bottles, grab my cranberry red bull and some licorice and head out on the last lap. It didn't last long, but I felt grumpy and irritable. Which means: EAT A CALORIE.

“MY ADVICE FOR IRONMAN:
if you’re grumpy, eat a calorie.
if you’re woozy, down some salts.
if you’re happy - SING!
keep moving forward and have fun!”

My volunteer at special needs was AWESOME. I asked her to read my bag as I poured items into it and pulled items out. She walked with me as far as she could as I grabbed a ziploc full of what I needed, included the aforementioned red bull and licorice. Plus, a card that was included in my 140.6 box. It read: BETH ANDROO. You. Are. An. Ironman. I poured the RedBull into my hydration flask and drank the rest. I sipped on that for the next four miles, took some salts every other aid station. 

Ace giving me a low five in the dark.

I was great again until I got back out to the park. I remember seeing Jen on her skateboard in the lagoonie neighborhood and telling her I had at least 10 miles left in me. Which was great, because I only had nine to go. But, out in the park, in the dark before the turn around, I looked at my watch. I was at 12:09.  I had missed my A-Race goal. I did the math and even on a good Friday morning run, I'd be pushing it to make a 13-hour goal. I was disappointed and discouraged. I felt like I had let myself down, let down my crew. All that training and this was my result?! I felt like Chris Berman would say: C'MON, MAN!  I growled at myself and adapted a new goal and vowed to make it by 13:15.  I came out of the park and asked Ace to run with me for 10 steps - that I was discouraged. He said, don't be discouraged. You are doing this! You are an ironman! I will see you at the finish. He cried. I cried. I re-framed the situation and thought: I only have five miles to go. I do that every Wednesday at the track.

He must have relayed my discouragement to Sunshine Spice because she snuck up at every corner. At Patches: I see you, Beth Androo. Keep running. Keep moving. Near the hotel with the wind tunnel and salty breeze: I'm back, Bethie. You are amazing. You are strong. At Every. Other. Corner. In the Lagoon: C'mon, I'm not letting up. I see you. I'm Renee in your head. I kept running because A) I didn't want her to see me walk, B) I was afraid that the people around me were getting mad at me and were chasing me and C) I wanted to sprint to get away from her. I only stopped twice in the last five miles. At some point, I think with 1.5 miles to go she finally said: this is where I leave you. I will see you at the finish. When you see the Vomitron, you know you're there!

That last mile was just like the start of the day. It was quiet and loud. It was calm and frantic. It was quieter on the beach road and a lot of the tri groups had packed up. Before the race, my nephew Parker had written me a note. A few weeks earlier, he had been gvien the WEEKLY WARRIOR award at camp. It meant that he had shown RESPONSIBILITY. PERSEVERANCE. COURAGE. RESPECT. In the note he had written: BE THE DAILY WARRIOR. I was responsible for the mile I was in. I had persevered for 139 miles. I had the courage to start and the courage to finish. I respected myself and the distance.   I began to repeat the words responsibility, perservere, courage, respect. I am a warrior. 

The DJ was still there on tri club row and he made an announcement: Okay parents, cover your kids' ears because this one just has to be played. Suddenly Britney's WORK B!TCH was echoing between the buildings.

I turned the corner and I got goosebumps. Over the DJ, I heard Mike Reilly at the finish line. I saw the lights at Alvin's. I heard the crowds in the finishing chute and I saw the VOMITRON! I was so excited to veer to the right at special needs and head into the finish instead of back out to the run. I started shouting there and fist pumping and high-fiving strangers. I AM GOING TO BE AN IRONMAN! I yelled. HELL YEAH! I DID IT! I AM AN IRONMAN. I AM AN IRONMAN!

Finally, I heard: ELIZABETH ANDREW: YOU. ARE. AN IRONMAN! I jumped for joy and then I danced across the finish line. I call it the MDOT TWO-STEP.

I wobbled past the bright finish lights and Roger was my catcher. He hung the medal around my neck and said: Great dance!  I thanked him as he handed me my finisher's hat and tee. I had my picture taken and gave a woop woop to Sunshine and Airwrecka and Jay Ma who were all on the other side of the fence.  Ace was waiting at the exit and he picked me up off my feet. I'm so proud of you! That was your hardest one you've ever done and you did it! I cried again.

I checked my watch and the official splits as we ate pizza and I soaked my legs in the pool: I finished my run in 5:23:52 and my overall was 13:13:54. I was giddy. It wasn't my goal or a personal best. But....it was an IRONMAN.

IMFLA 2015: The Bike

Can I talk about my transitions? They were so fast! I based my T1 goal on Dirty Spice's transition in 2013. She is the fastest transitioner of ever. She did it in 4:42. I figured that if she could get through the changing area, take off the wetsuit, run in bike shoes, grab the bike and be on the bike in under 5:00, maybe I could, too. After all, I didn't have to peel off the super suit and I could leave my shoes rubberbanded to my bike. All I had to do was put on my headband and shades, grab the helmet, ask the volunteer to spray my back with sunscreen and go. I was able to cruise past seven men running in bike shoes because of my bare feet. My result: 4:41.

It was so great to be on the bike, but I had two glitches in the first three miles.  The first was that one of the rubber bands that I used to attach my shoes to the bike was still dangling from my skewer. Not a big deal - but annoying. The other: my bike computer wouldn't pick up my power meter! Kind of a big deal and very annoying.  As I headed off the beach, I powered my Garmin off and on. I searched for signal. I took my feet out, clipped them back in. Nothing. My watch was able to calibrate it and find it - why couldn't my Edge? I finally stopped at Goofy Golf to snap off the rubber band. I took the computer off the mount and held it near the pedals. Nothing. I figured my watch would have to do and set out again.

My ride was steady all day. I felt good and strong and averaged 17.6 miles between every checkpoint on the tracker. I broke it up into little pieces. The first 40 miles were all about hydration and looking forward to seeing Ace and the spices. The next 40 miles were all about nutrition, enjoying the change in terrain and deciding when and where to stop. The last 32 miles were all about nutrition, hydration, the uphill headwind, the downhill tailwind, a thunderstorm and temps near 90. Here's what I liked most about the ride:

LEAP FROG:  I played leap frog with girl on a white and green bike. She had green stripes on her helmet and green side-walls on her tires. It was like having Erica out there on her black and green tri bike, Mr. Anderson. This girl (she was 34) and I traded hellos each time we'd pass the other. We made fun of a guy who passed us: Mr. Pedal-Pedal-Pedal-Pedal-Pedal-Pedal-Pedal-Pedal-Coooooooassstt. Eight pedals and a coast for miiiiiiiles. I also got to see her pull over to the side of the road and kiss her baby and husband. She came up behind me again and I said: they sure gave you a boost. Was that your little one? She excitedly said, yes she's seven months old. My response: Wait. You have a 7-month-old AND you trained for an Ironman? You are badass! She passed me and I never saw her again.

BIKE TECH: I played bike tech! I won't go into details here, but I played bike know-a-little (not a know-it-all) and helped two riders on course. I used what had happened on my bike earlier in the season to diagnose crazy noises on their wheels. I reassured them that I had had the same issue, it was easily resolved and their bike would hold up through the rest of the ride. I felt like super chick - even though they both passed me in short order. At least I never saw them on the side of the road.

Look at all the mountains in Florida! Just kidding. It looked exactly like this in Florida - minus the mountains. I stole this picture from IMAZ.

SPECIAL NEEDS: I loved special needs. I debated on whether to stop or not. I didn't need the nutrition in the bag or the spare tube. What I needed was more sunscreen. About a mile from the stop, I noticed a girl on the side of the road, repeating numbers into a walkie talkie. As I crested the next hill, I could see special needs and realized she was alerting the volunteers to who was coming in. By the time I got there and called out my number, a volunteer was standing there with my bag ready and open. It was like having a NASCAR pit crew. I threw some used nutrition wrappers in the bag and retrieved my sunscreen. I asked the volunteer to read what was on my bag and so he did: PRETEND LIKE JEN IS SCATTING. RIDE FASTER. And I did.

LET'S GIVE 'EM SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: One of the first things I'm asked about Ironman is: what do you think about for six hours (or more) on the bike? The answer is A LOT. This time, I planned what to think about. Mainly, I did Pilates on the bike. What I mean is that I went through the basic Pilates mat sequence in my head: hundred beats, roll up, roll over, leg circles, rolling like a ball......... I practiced my cueing and my breathing. It took six hours and 23 minutes, mainly because my mind wanders. So, in between every few imagined exercises, I would insert a story or song or a memory from the past year. I had pre-planned what to think about, wrote the ideas on a card and taped them to my bento box so I could see them.

So, I thought of how Sami Winter made it to Kona. I thought about the coastal 10-miler I nailed early in the season. I remembered what it felt like to ride a CitiBike through NYC and ride over the Brooklyn Bridge. I pretended I was being chased by Misty Brown, I pretended I was chasing Misty Brown, I remembered Grab My Wheel and what it felt like to draft off Alecia and train with her this season. I had a great time on the bike reliving all the great parts of training for this giant race.

IMFLA 2015: The Start & Swim

My day started at 3:45am. It really could have started at 1:27am because I woke up, "checked my hydration level" and ate a pop tart I had stashed in the nightstand. Somehow I willed myself back to sleep between making lists of things to do when I woke up.

We were all up by 4:00 and out the door by 4:30. I hopped out near Alvin's Island and headed to transition. I made a list of everything I needed to do - get body-marked, hydration and computer at bike, sunscreen in the bike bag, nutrition and headband in my run bag. Fortunately, on the way out of transition,  I heard the announcer say something about rubber bands and remembered that I still needed to put my shoes on my bike!

There is something so beautiful about the hours before a race. It's quiet and loud. It's calm and frantic. You can choose where you want your nerves, your mind, your attitude to go. That day, I was calm and quiet. I sang along to The Way You Do the Things You Do and Sugaree [a gift on race day] as they blared on the speakers. I got to hug a friend from Wilmington doing her first 140.6. I got to hang out with my crew.

Race directors announced the water temp and that this would be a non-wetsuit legal race. Athletes were allowed to wear a wetsuit, but they'd have to start at least 10 minutes behind the last non-wetsuit wearer and wouldn't be considered for awards. It was an easy decision for me to go without the wetsuit. I am a strong swimmer and sometimes feel I swim better without the wetsuit. I knew I wasn't going to see a podium slot or a chance at Kona, but I'm in it to play the game on race day. I didn't want a penalty or an asterisk by my name for performance enhancing tactics.

Spice Girls! Erica my social media director and Jen my coach for the day.

By 5:45 I was warming up with Jen. The water was a perfect temp. There was a strong east to west current in the first 25 yards and two sets of breakers on either side of the sand bar. Past the sand bar, the waves were rolling, but not steep. I felt good. I sculled and did a hand stand. I did a few drills and was ready to go.

Florida is now a self-seeded rolling start instead of the mass start from years past. [See this video from Jen's first year in the mass start. The year that Erica and I looked at each other and said simultaneously: oh, hell no.] Athletes are funneled into a starting chute and the idea is that you swim in the group closest to your estimated finish time. Well, that did not happen. They opened the gate and all 3000 athletes shuffle in. Somehow I got stuck-slash-wedged in with the 1:30 section instead of the intended 1:10 group. I couldn't move. Plus, I was a little disappointed in the start - no cannon (not even an freakin' air horn) and no Van Halen (Panama!).

It took me two minutes to make it to the start line and into the water. I danced across the start line to GO BIG OR GO HOME and swear I was smiling as I went in. It felt just like home. It was exactly what I trained for at the Carolina Beach Double Sprint and the Pier to Pier swim. It felt like being on Masonboro Island in the summer. I dove under waves and was at the first buoy in no time. I actually had a lot of real estate until about the third buoy, then it seemed like every buoy was a cluster-eff.

There I am in the pink cap - ha ha. I'm in at about the 2:40 mark. Check out the waves at the 3:05 mark.

A fog moved in and the rollers were a little bigger the closer we got to the turn. At the top of every wave I could look down on the sea of caps. It also got physical in the stretch between the turn buoys. Some guy kept zig zagging across me and I got a punch in my left arm at some point. On the turn back to shore, I found two men with the exact same swim stroke as mine. For two buoys I drafted off their hip. I barely sited and was able to breathe bilaterally again. That might have been my favorite part of the swim.

Headed out for Lap Two

I reached the shore and I checked my watch. I knew then I was off my timing mark. I was a little disappointed when I hit the beach, ran 25 yards down the sand and jumped back in for the second lap. But, I reset my goals and dove under a wave. I knew that I could probably negative split this lap and still come in at 1:20. Plus, I'm doing a freaking IRONMAN! I love this! I came up from the next wave,  gave a big woo hoo! and dove under another.

I watched a man beside me try to jump over the next breaker and when I came up on the other side of the sandbar, he was back in the trough and I was in clear water. I sited on one pink cap in a sea of green caps for that second lap. It felt long, but I felt strong. I remember thinking: this is hard, but I don't hate it. I remembered my last super-long set with Sami and Lance - the 4500-yard-She-Ra workout - and reminded myself that if I did that I can do anything.

Getting back to shore that second time was hard. My siting was a little off - maybe because of the wind - but, I made it out of the water and up the sand and stairs in 1:18:59. I found out later I was 16th in my age-group - and I beat two of the podium finishers out of the water. Outstanding!

I headed for transition. R2D2 was waiting.

This Week in Ironman

I AM AN IRONMAN!!!! I promise I'll get to my race rehash - and a lot more - in the next week. I have been recovering physically, mentally and emotionally and I'm realizing it takes time for me to process.  I haven't had much time to write and honestly, I haven't wanted to share what I've been writing. Every time I'd start, I'd cry. All the crazy emotions would come out - gratitude, pride, disappointment, elation, positivity, negativity - which was hard to face and hard to share.

It's been almost 14 days, though, and I'm feeling back to normal.  I was sore on the drive home from Florida. Being in the car for 11 hours is bound to make anyone achy. I have had spotty soreness - my piriformis, my lifters (hip flexors) and quads were all sore on different days. My face broke out, I gained five pounds then lost six and I had a few headaches.

The 11-hour trip home included compression tights and ChickFilA.

THE WEEK AFTER: I took the whole week off. No swim, no bike, no run. I hit the hot tub before we left Florida -- twice. I slept a lot and tried to remain in the lounging position as much as possible. I ate some of my favorite things [hello, ChickFilA and Wheat Thins (at least 3 boxes in one week)] but didn't go crazy. I'm craving black licorice and Twix bars. I did walk the dog a half mile and I did pilates on Thursday.I had to teach a bootcamp style class on the first Saturday after the race. I demoed four lunges and was sore the rest of the weekend.

Wearing my Florida Finisher's medal, my B2B finisher's pants and eating a snack in bed.

THE FIRST RUN: I admit I dove back in a little fast this second week. I have done a lot. I went for an easy run on Monday afternoon.  I was surprised that my easy run felt easy, that I did about 3.5 miles and that it was faster than my training paces before the race. But, the weather was cool, I'd been resting for a week and I ran with a friend at the beach. It was a great run. My lifters were sore in the last 15 minutes, but I felt strong.

THE NEXT RUN: I jogged at the track on Wednesday with the tri club. My intervals were endurance effort followed by walk effort and it felt good to get my heart rate up. In past years, I haven't been able to or even wanted to run this soon after Ironman and I'm excited that my body and brain are able to bounce back.

FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH:  I went back to my functional strength sessions this week and I may or may not have overdone it. The first session on Monday was a good reintro into core, leg work and arm work. Six of us met and did a timed circuit. I kept my reps to a minimum and spent a lot of the time mocking the others and creating excuses to NOT do a station. My second session on Wednesday was hard core. Jen and I went through a circuit and the coach timed us. Then we cut everything (distance and reps) in half and went through it again. My first time through was 36 minutes and the second time through was 20:00. It was an awesome challenge - but was a little much.

PILATES: Ahhhh! My Thursday session at InBalance feels like home base. Tardy Spice and I kept our date with Carrie and she provided an amazing workout. More core, pull-ups on the reformer, pikes on the chair and some amazing stretches. I always feel taller and happier when I leave.

BIKRAM YOGA: And then I tried something completely new! I went to my first (and second) Bikram Yoga classes. Sue gave me a 30 day pass at our studio and so I sweated through two 90 minute classes this week. My training mantra through this next season is: do what you're not doing. Yoga and stretching is my weakest link and I thought this would be a great jumpstart to a good habit.

Needless to say, I'm taking today off. And Sunday off.

The Run-In Week

The last few weeks have been pretty wild.  Training wise,  I have reduced my volume and taken some days off. That leaves room for all the other pre-race activities: packing, obsessing about the weather, bike tune-ups, carb loading and hydrating.

R2D2 - And this year's co-pilot is......Artoo! Every year I choose a PEZ dispenser for the bike portion of the ride. I've made room for Princess Leia and Wonder Woman in my bento box the past two years. This year, R2 fit the bill. I mean after all, THE FORCE AWAKENS this year! Plus, R2D2 plays a critical role in every Star Wars film (co-pilot to Luke when destroying the Death Star, rescuing countless rebel forces, his masters have been Padme, Anakin, Luke and Leia and he's the only one who knows the truth of the Skywalker family). Oh, I'm sorry. Did my inner nerd just leak out? He's the Forrest Gump in a galaxy far, far away. 

YOU MUST CHECK THIS OUT

BIKE ISSUES - I took my bike in last week to my favorite mechanic to get my race wheels loaded and ready to go. I took Lucinda out for her last long ride (two hours flew by!) and something wasn't quite right with the back wheel. It felt a little out of true, the brake was rubbing and it was a little noisy. I took her back in later that Saturday afternoon and Charlie found the problem: four of the nipples where the spoke meets the rim were cracked. The solution: replace all the nipples. [Can I call them Zipples?] By Monday afternoon, Lucinda had new brass hardware and four new spokes on the back wheel.

I am nervous and confident about the last minute fix. I trust Nick and Charlie. And, although another solution would have been to borrow wheels (I brought Jen's with me), I rode yesterday and everything felt fine. And sounded better. It'll give me something to obsess about for 112 miles tomorrow. 

SEND-OFF PARTY - This past Sunday I had a send-off party with my friends, family and training buddies. We met for dinner and it was just what I needed to calm my nerves and bring joy to my world. Dad and Joyce were there, Anna, Colin and Parker made the trip from Raleigh, the spice girls made it as well as my newest friend and brand new ironman, Alecia.

Jen created the most amazing box of goodies. It was decorated with pictures from races and training days and inspiring scripture verses and quotes. Inside she had a book where all the guests had signed good-luck wishes to me. Of course, I can only read a few at a time before I start crying. She also created 140.6 REASONS WHY we do Ironman. Each reason was listed on an index card. It is amazing.

Renee gave me a road trip packet that contained two CDs and a Name that Tune game for the 12 hour trip to Panama City Beach. Plus, almost everyone made signs for the run course (I was only allowed to see three of them). It was the confidence booster I needed!

Artoo is helping me read the reasons why.

So here I am, the morning before the race, unable to sleep. I've been writing and reading through past posts in order to remember the good, the bad and the ugly in my training and racing. It's been a great adventure this year and I'm so excited to celebrate tomorrow! TOMORROW! I will see you on the other side of 140.6 miles!

Inspiration, Move Me Brightly

I have been finding inspiration in so many places these past few weeks. I've been working HARD in training and I'm days away from tapering. I am so ready. There are big and little moments in every day that keep me moving.

PPD B2B: Nothing is more exciting than watching others race. Last Saturday, I watched as one of my ALLSTAR athletes finished her first 140.6. I cheered on two training buddies doing their first full distance (Alecia and Ty - you are amazing!) I watched another friend race his second full in under 10 hours. I cheered on almost 20 tri-clubbers and friends in the half iron and was there to watch the very last two women in the IRONMAN pass through the last mile marker at about 11:50pm on Saturday night. All of that got me FIRED UP!

AllStar Athlete: Kristen Sheldon

MUSIC: I've mentioned my playlists before, but it's fun this time of year when things pop up on the radio that you haven't heard in ages but are timely and motivating. This is my new favorite. I like the lyrics:

Game. Set. Match.
It's time to put it in your past.
Feel the winter leavin'.
It's redemption season!
Long live the young at heart (Here we are)
Cheers to a brand new start (Here we are)
We're revived and breathing
To live a life of freedom

MY ONE WORD: I've been carrying my one word 2015 with me everywhere. And, it's been popping up everywhere. My word is RUAH. Ruah is the Hebrew for spirit. It is considered the Holy Spirit.  The breath of God. The word itself hasn't been showing up - although I carry this small shell in my bento box on my bike:

Breathe.

But, the words SPIRIT, BREATH & BREATHE have been popping up all over the place. Reminders of a fighting spirit, a gentle spirit, a kind spirit and a Holy Spirit in me. Reminders to breathe before I jump in the pool, to breathe in the sunshine on the bike and to breathe in salty air on the run. I'm sure this is the word that will be written on my arm on race day.