Marathon training ends before it really begins

The plan was to run Rehoboth Beach again this year.  Peej and I had talked and felt that I may even have another PR in me... not 20 mins but a PR nonetheless.

I went for a ride on Oz (my bike) on a beautiful, sunny Friday afternoon and was hit by a car.  I was lucky because the driver was going slow when she took the right at the lights without signaling or looking.  I was taken to the hospital and Oz was taken to the police station.  Mind you, I was a bit upset when I saw - from the back of the ambulance - the officer stick Oz in the trunk with half of her hanging out.  Once at the hospital they did an MRI to make sure my spleen and kidneys were ok because my back hurt and they cleaned up my elbow and checked my hip.  When the results came back the ER doctor told me - "I have good news - your spleen, kidneys and ribs are fine.  The bad news is you have pneumonia."  That explained the coughing that I thought was just leftover from a cold.  Peej and I talked and decided that the goal for my race would now be to just enjoy it - no trying to PR because of the time I was losing while I waited for my lungs to clear up.

My lungs started to feel much better and I could run without needing my inhaler - YAY - training is back on track.  I did a nice 11 mile long run with Gwen and we made plans to run Battle Rd the following weekend - one of our favorite places to run in the fall.

Training came to a crashing halt - literally - during the week when I went out for an easy 6 mile run and caught my toe on something and fell - hard.  I hit so hard that I broke my glasses (I've never been so grateful that I bought eye glass insurance), the arm of the glasses was embedded in my forehead and I was bleeding profusely.  So, another trip to the hospital in an ambulance.  This time no surprises but stitches and a concussion.  My season is over - no Rehoboth Beach.

I know withdrawing from the race was the right thing to do.  It took 2 weeks for me to be able to run without my head hurting or throbbing.  My first attempt was a run/walk which was frustrating.  This week I was finally able to run without walking, but everything is very slow.  Peej continues to reassure me that my 'speed' will come back and that I won't lose all my fitness.

So I'm officially on an off-season break - something I haven't done in quite awhile.

Timberman 70.3 2016 1 hour 2 min. PR!!!

So much went right with Race Day it’s hard to know where to start.

Heading into to race day there had been a lot of concern that the race would not be wetsuit legal. The Sunday before the race the water temperature was 79 degrees, wetsuit legal is 76.1 for age-groupers. Fortunately, the week leading up to the race featured cooler nights and a little bit of rain.  Hard to believe that Lake Winnipesaukee was almost 80 degrees. Phew!!!

Swim – 54:59 (2:29/100 yds.) 13.5 min. course PR and overall PR

I’m so happy with this time.  I worked really hard all season on my swimming.  I did a lot of it without my wetsuit so that I would have to work on body position – and truth be told, it was so damned hot all summer the thoughts of trying to get my wetsuit on was going to be a workout and not worth it.  I also swam in Mystic Lake a lot because it’s bigger than Walden Pond (although I still love Walden), has buoys to practice sighting and has more variable conditions – i.e. changing winds and waves. 

Because I had a hard time on the swim last year I spent the morning reminding myself of all the open water swimming I’d done and to swim my own race.  I lined myself up at the back of my age group to keep out of the fray as much as possible.  When the gun went off, I took off with my group, the water was really low so no dolphin diving, I just started.  I kept reminding myself to swim my own race – to stay within myself – and I’d be successful.  Holy smokes – I’m at the first buoy – ok keep moving. As the next group of swimmers catch up to me I’d get a bit jostled but it gave me the opportunity to draft a little – try and catch some of the bubbles, stay in a pocket as long as I could.

Another thing that I changed was how I sight.  I had been taught to lift my eyes out of the water like a crocodile, however I never really saw anything but water.  When I was watching the Men’s Triathlon during the Olympics I noticed that they were lifting there head up out of the water to sight – I decided if they could use that technique then so could I – HUGE difference (see picture – I swam pretty darn straight). 

 

First time I've ever stayed this straight

I’m sure there’s a few people that can relate – every time I see a picture or video of a swim start it makes me almost nauseous and very hesitant.  During one of my sighting ‘looks’ I noticed that ‘my’ swim was just like the pictures I’d seen – holy crap – don’t panic – keep moving.

T1 – 5:47

I thought I was quicker than this because for the first time ever I tried to jog to my bike – still not very successful running with my bike shoes on – work in progress

Bike – 3:57 - 26 min. course PR    Fastest speed – 40.6 mph

All of the hill repeats, 120% FTP workouts and hilly training routes really paid off (Thanks Coach Patricia Brownell).  I’m not a great climber, I’m not even a good one, but I’ve worked hard to get stronger and more consistent.  Of course, anyone riding near me going uphill probably thinks I’m a wee bit crazy because I sing or talk to myself in beat to the cadence I’m trying to keep – it also keeps me from either holding my breath or hyperventilating.

There are a ton of hills on this course with 2 that are killers, one is long and the other one is really steep.  First up is the long, killer one.  I took the hill in my steady but slow pace, concentrating on a) staying out of the faster rider’s way, b) breathing and c) my cadence.  There were a number of people walking this hill.  I’m not sure if it’s technically being ‘chicked’ but one of the walkers was a guy that was almost ½ my age.  All I could think was ‘dude – get on your bike, I’m way older than you’. 

During the out and back portion, I worked hard to stay within my plan and not get sucked into the pack and go too fast.  I knew if I did I’d pay for it on the way back. Before I knew it, I was turning onto Brown Hill Rd. (mile 41ish) the scene of my little crash last year and the second hill – this one is really snotty.  I’ll admit that I did breathe a little sigh of relief when I passed the scene of my crash.  At the end of the street you take a left and the hill is standing there, a little bit like a wall and if you weren’t prepared and in the right gears you’re (or at least me) going to have a hard time.  There were more people walking on this hill but I wasn’t surprised.  I hit the hill, knowing I had a short window of pain and the worst of the hills was done. 

You get a lot of nice downhills for all the work that you do and this year some of the really long downhills had been repaved, this meant I could ‘fly’.  I don’t have my bike computer set up to show me how fast I’m going – it can either be discouraging (going up a hill) or scary (flying down a hill) – so I go by my comfort level.  On the longest, newly paved, downhill section I pedaled until I had no more gears and then I let Oz fly.  I got to the edge of my comfort zone and then let my toes go a little over before I started to feather my brakes but I still went 40.6 mph – on a damn bike – and it is pretty cool to fly up the next hill.

Nutrition – I did pretty good on this – I had one tiny issue though – I forgot to open the Ziploc baggy with my Farbars.  I’ve gotten a lot more stable on my bike but I have a long way to go and I spent a few minutes trying to figure out a plan that wouldn’t require me stopping.  I decided that if I used up my Barnana Bites first then I could open the baggy and get it back into my bento box without losing any.  I also knew that if I did lose a couple of the squares I had extra GU with me.  I went with this plan and SUCCESS – not one square was lost.  I have to say that I was pretty damned pleased with myself. 

I get back to T2 – no crashes feeling really strong!!!!

T2 – 4:45 (it felt faster)

Run – 3:06 - 24 min. course PR

This is the only portion that I wasn’t that happy with.  I did better than last year but still struggle to not walk.  I made sure that I kept moving forward and I didn’t linger at the aide stations (volunteers – You’re the best!).  I spent the time trying to figure out how to make this portion stronger, I can run for hours without stopping so I need to work with Peej (my coach) to figure this part out.  We do agree that I really struggle in the heat – and I did keep hydrating, putting ice in my hat, down my shirt and shorts to keep my core cool.  I also think I need to figure out my fueling on my run – I may not be getting enough but I’ll be working with Marni @ TriMarni Nutrition and Coaching. 

Overall Time 8:09 – 1hr 2 min. course PR 

My mini-training 'camp' weekend

My second 1/2 Ironman distance race this year is 4 weeks away and training is right on track according to my coach - Patricia Brownell - Apex Coaching Group.

My training partners were going to be busy this weekend - Janice Biederman was racing Lake Placid, Adena Schutzberg was going to CA for her new job and Linda Davey was racing Whistler 70.3 - so I decided to have a mini training camp for myself.  I was able to get a motel on the run course and right on Lake Winnipesaukee.  I mentioned my plans to my friend and traveling 'gnome' Dan McCallum and he was interested in joining me.  I talked to Peej and she made sure that my training plan took full advantage of the opportunity to train on the course.

Friday
Dan and I arrived at Lake Winni mid-afternoon and decided to ride the bike course before our swim.  Dan has never done this race so he was seeing it for the first time.  This was an opportunity to figure out where he was going to turn around and head back to the motel - the traveling 'gnome' forgot that he had a birthday party in CT on Saturday afternoon.

Sunset on Lake Winni

Last year at the beginning of the swim I had a bit of a panic attack, the buoys looked so far away that in my head it had to be more than 1.2 miles. My goal for this swim was to take some of that anxiety away.  I was glad to have Dan with me this time - he led the way and we stopped a couple of times so that I could take in the scenery but also so I could get a 'feel' for the enormity of Lake Winni.  The lake didn't disappoint - it was a bit choppy and there were a lot of waves from the boats.  When we turned around to head back to the motel we were battered about as it got quite a bite more choppy,  I had to breathe to my non-preferred side - which was really good practice.

By the way.... a local boater told us that they really like that we were wearing brightly colored swim caps and had our little buoys trailing along behind us.

Saturday
We decided to head out around 7:00 am to try and beat as much of the heat as possible and so Dan would be able to ride and have enough time to get to CT by mid-afternoon.

Before we took off there was a Lake Winni water ski marathon. It only happens one day a year, because the boaters have to get special permission - the boats go 70 mph (20 mph over the limit) and tow the water skier 200 ft behind them - 7 boats total.  They were a bit far from shore but we did see them as we were getting our gear together.

We headed out for our ride - and there is new pavement as you turn onto the street next to Sawyer's Ice Cream - which is a perfect post-workout stop.  I forgot how hard this course is, especially for someone who is not that great at climbing but it is what it is and at least the 'auto-pause' on my Garmin didn't go on.  Dan stayed with me for the first 15ish miles - when we hit Rt. 106 - where he headed back and I continued on.

I was pretty pleased with my ride.  My nutrition and hydration was spot on.  I stopped a couple of times to get more water, something I didn't do last year.  I also made a stop on Brown Hill Rd. - the scene of my crash at last years race - and Oz and I had discussion with the road and we came to an understanding that it wasn't allowed to knock me over this year.

I got back to the motel and headed out for my brick.  It was nice to see Brian Kearney and Kristin Lawhorn go flying by me.

Sunday

Pretty nice scenery

I headed down to Ellacoya for my run and walked into the park to the 'swim' start.  I spent a fair amount of time looking out at Lake Winni, imagining where the buoys are going to be and how far out they go.  Last year I had a bit of a panic attack because it looked like the buoys went forever.  After a bit I headed out to complete my run. 

Post-run cool down

I need to work on my post-workout nutrition.  My legs felt dead and I just didn't have any energy.  I pushed as hard as I could but had to resign myself to the fact that I wasn't going to hit my paces but I could enjoy running along Lake Winni and not let myself walk -  good race day training.

All in all it was a great weekend!!!

Patriot Half Iron - 2016

Sometimes the success of a race isn't determined by your time - sometimes it's how you feel about your performance and personal accomplishments.  That's how I feel about this year's race - which I know my coach, Patricia Brownell, is happy about.

The Swim - 1:02
While this took longer than last year (4 mins.) I am really happy my performance.  Going into my swim I wanted to control my start and not go out to fast and I wanted to sight better. Last year I went off-course a few times and even started to head towards the 'house', which if you swim at Walden Pond is what you sight as you head to the shore, only problem is that the 'house' was not near the swim exit. This year I stayed right on course, sighting more often, counting buoys and my strokes so I wouldn't forget to sight.  I even managed to calm myself at the beginning and swim 'my' swim.

While I'm happy that I succeeded in these goals, what I am most pleased with is that I didn't panic when I realized that this swim was a bit on the choppy, windy side.  I had gone swimming at Mystic Lake with my friend, Dan McCallum and it was a good thing that I did.  The lake is bigger and the conditions change depending on where you are on the lake and this includes windy choppy conditions. This gave me the confidence that I could manage the chop, stay calm and focused, resulting in a great swim!

The Bike - 3:49
I love riding my bike and have worked on a lot of things during the off-season, most of them to help me improve my balance, comfort level and confidence.  Last year I only drank one bottle of Skratch because I was really nervous about taking my hands off my handlebars.

My goal this year was to drink at least 3 bottles of fluids and hopefully 4.  The challenge for me is that the water stops on this course are located on slight uphills, which for most is probably not an issue, but for me it meant that I needed to let go of the handlebars of my bike, going uphill and toss a bottle and then grab another one.  I had been practicing on some of my long rides - not actually throwing bottles but the action and letting go of my handlebars riding slight uphills to try and get comfortable with the motion on the bike.  Mission accomplished!

Another goal was to improve on my nutrition and take in enough calories to get my run off to a good start.  Below is the plan:

• 5 GU's - 4 consumed
• 4 Farbars - 3 .5 consumed
• 2 bags Barnana bites - 1.5 consumed

Even with the windier conditions on the second loop I was able to keep my nutrition pretty much dead on.  Success!!!

I also executed my race plan, increased my average cadence from 66 rpms to 77 rpms - that was a huge success.  And even in the heat of the race I was able to clip-in without looking.  Last year I was about a mile into the ride before I was able to clip.

The Run - 3:00

This turned out to be the same time as last year.  I was hoping to be a little quicker this year given the huge PR I had at my marathon (20 minutes) but the reality is that I know I don't run well in the heat and we haven't had a lot of hot weather for me to practice in.  That being said, the big difference this year was that my splits were much more even and consistent.  I also discovered -duh - that Coke and GU and the same time can lead to a very unhappy tummy.

My Support Crew

I have never felt so special and fussed over at a race - Ladies you've spoiled me.  My friends Adena Schutzberg and Linda Davey volunteered for the race and made sure I had everything I needed before, during and after the race.  My coach, Patricia Brownell was there cheering me on while I was on the bike course as I came thru on my first loop and when I finished.  Linda and Peej joined me after I left transition on my run.  Linda decided at the last minute to run the entire 13.1 miles with me.  Not only did she keep me motivated (although she did say I might not like her in the end) she also made sure that I stayed cool and hydrated.  She also cheered on other runners on the course encouraging them - she should get a medal for Best Cheerleader!  Also, around mile 6 Peej showed up again and ran we us for a few minutes, checking to see how I was doing with my hydration, my IBS and pace.  

Hitting that Finisher's chute while not the same at the first time - is just as special and amazing.  

Adena used her extensive experience from the ultra-marathons that she has volunteered at and participated in to make sure that I got cooled down and re-hydrated post-race.

And just a little bit of bragging - there were a few 30, 40 & 50 year old guys that got 'chicked' by a 61 year old gal!!!

DREAM BIG
WORK HARD
CHERISH THE JOURNEY!!!!!

Ironman Timberman 70.3 - My First WTC Triathlon

This was my second 1/2 Ironman distance race this summer and it was a tough day at the "office". Timberman was my first Ironman brand event and it was very overwhelming.  Even though my coach, Patricia Brownell, and I had talked about it, it was more overwhelming than I expected.

I learned a lot about myself at this race - I can be very stubborn and very single-minded to finish what I start, even when others don't quite agree.  I also came away knowing what I want to get better at during the off-season and even a couple of ways to make that happen.

Because of the size of the race you have to check-in and rack your bike in transition the day before. This was a first for me, and I wasn't too happy about leaving Oz outside all night.  I was even more unhappy when it started thundering, lightening and outright pouring during dinner.  Thank you Jana Richtrova for reassuring me that Oz would be ok.

Race morning I woke up and got ready to head to transition at 4:45 am (thank you Beth Adams and Emily Clement for your hospitality) and Beth and I headed to Ellacoya State Park.  I was nervous but didn't feel overly anxious.  That didn't last long... once we parked and I headed to transition I started to get really overwhelmed, there were so many racers.  This was the first time I've done a large race.

The Swim: 1:08
I was in the first wave after the pro men and women.  This should have been good for me because I didn't have to wait around long in my wetsuit to get started.  The horn went off and my wave started.  I had a really, really hard time - the buoys looked so far away and Lake Winni looked so big.  I could barely go 4 strokes without needing to tread water.  I wasn't getting hit by other swimmers I was just in over my head race skill-wise.  Slowly, very slowly, I made my way from one buoy to the next, stopping frequently.  At one point, Beth swam up beside me to check on me and offered to stay with me until the end.  I thanked her and told her to swim her race.

After Beth left and I was on my own again I started to think about my bike - silly I know but I kept telling myself that if I didn't finish my swim, I wouldn't get to ride Oz and I love riding my bike.  And poor Oz sat out in the rain all night so I could have my ride.

When I made it to the first turn I started to get into a mini-rhythm and was moving, still slowly, buoy to buoy.  At the second turn as I headed to shore I looked at the shore and saw a house, from there I tried to pretend that I was at Walden Pond and headed to the house. It took a long time for me to reach that house.  When I got out of the water I was estactic and drained and looking forward to my ride.

Wetsuit strippers... can I get an Amen!!! That was wonderful!!!

The Ride: 4:23 (Actual 4:03)
My ride started out really good and I felt very confident that I could do this ride in the allowed amount of time.  The thing that I really needed to be cognizant of was my hydration and nutrition on this ride.  It was a really hot day and on the hill portions I knew I was going to be working really hard. Because of my balance issues, letting go of my handlebars to grab my water or nutrition has been a challenge and one that I have been working really hard to overcome.  I approached the 1st aid station slowly so I could check out the set-up so I'd be ready for the next one.

I had lots of riders going by me (read - flying by me) but I resisted the urge to try and keep up and stayed within myself and my race plan. As I approached the 2nd aid station I prepared myself to dump one bottle and pick up a gatorade.  Success - I felt pretty proud of myself - I know, it doesn't take much.

The aid station was also the turnaround point of the course. There is a short, steep little hill as you come around the corner.  There was a guy walking his bike up the hill who decide, just as I reached him, it was a good time to remount his bike and pull out - I managed to avoid him and did yell out "seriously dude" then grabbed a bottle of water and rode off from the aid station feeling pretty pleased.

The second half is a false-flat as you head back to Lake Winni so I settled back in, watched my power/pace and made sure that I was following my nutrition plan. When I hit mile 40 I knew that the last series of hard hills would be coming soon so I had a GU and planned to have water when I turned onto Brown Hill Rd. Because I had ridden the course before the race I knew that Brown Hill Rd was relatively flat so it would be a good place to drink. I made the turn and reached for the water bottle.  The bottle was slippery and I tried to keep it from falling and the next thing I knew I was on the ground with a mouthful of pine needles and dirt. My front tire had caught a rut in the road and everything happened so fast that I didn't even realize I was going to crash until I was on the ground.

Another rider stopped to see if I was ok and before I could even catch my breathe the police were there, and the bike mechanic/sag wagon and then an ambulance.  I conked my head, had some pretty good road rash on my shoulder and a pretty good cut on my knee (which had just finished healing from my fall Memorial Day). I think I frustrated the EMT's a bit because I was not ready to end my day.  First they wanted me to go to the hospital, when I wouldn't do that, they thought I should take the sag wagon back to Ellacoya.  I very nicely told them that I done most of the hard hills already and only had the one snotty hill that was around the corner left and I wasn't going to stop.  They cleaned me up and bandaged my knee.  I told them I would stop if I felt dizzy or anything else.  While all of this was going on the bike mechanic checked out Oz, fixed her seat, which had twisted, and said she was good to go too!

Off I went.  I made it up the 'snotty climb' and there was a bit of satisfaction that there riders walking up the hill and I was able to make it up, even though I'd lost some of my momentum. Shortly after that climb there's another steep little hill that I was climbing and there were a couple of people walking their bikes up but this pair had a friend in a car driving beside them.  As I got closer to them I thought the car would leave so I just kept making my way up the hill.  It got really obvious as I almost reached them that the car had no plans of moving so I started yelling at them - MOVE,,,,, PLEASE....MOOOVE!!! They finally got the message and go out of my way.  The rest of my ride was uneventful, I enjoyed the downhills although I was a little more cautious then I had been previously, probably because of my fall.  I continued to follow my hydration and nutrition plan and even managed to grab my back water bottle and put it back without the bottle or me falling - woohoo!

I was glad to see transition and the dismount line and knew that the hardest part was to come.

The Run 3:30

Heading out of transition I knew this was going to be ugly.  It was really hot and humid.  I tried running/slogging through the first couple of miles but it became apparent really quick that I was going to walk or not finish. My knee and my head hurt whenever I tried to run.  As I finished the first loop I saw Beth, Jerome and Jane and talked to Beth for a couple of minutes.  I had a couple seconds of tears when I realized that my time wasn't going to count because I was going to go over the 8 1/2 hour limit but then I saw a butterfly and knew that it would be ok... I just needed to toughen up and finish.

The finish chute - I was so glad to see the end and I cried - again - but this time because I had fought really hard for my finish and my medal.

Finish Time - 9:11 (this includes the 20+ minutes in the ambulance)

This was a tough day and having my team mates and friends shouting out encouragement kept me going and fed my heart when I started to get to much into my head.

Patriot Half - My First 70.3 Triathlon

Patriot Half - My First 70.3 Triathlon 

6/20/2015

The swim

Overall I’m happy with my time – it would’ve been even better if I hadn’t swam off course so many times.  I actually swam 2,351 yds @ 2:26/100 pace. 

I need to work on sighting better and managing the chaos.  At one point I had one person hook my left arm while someone else grabbed my right ankle.  It was only momentary but I all could think was – I’m going to drown and I only have 2 buoys left – God damn it!  I also almost got run over by a kayak!!!

I was happy that when I stood up I didn’t have any vertigo – that was huge!!!

T1

I lost a lot of time trying to get my wetsuit off.  I need to become more efficient at this.  I also was a little flustered when GU’s wouldn’t stay under the leg of my tri shorts. I had practiced this in my rehearsal but it was with my bike shorts and I wasn’t wet.   I lost a couple of them trying to run to the bike mount line.  Need to figure out where to put them until I get on my bike.

The Bike

I am really happy with this time – my goal was 4 hours and I did it in 3:44 and averaged 15 mph.  I had a little trouble initially trying to clip in with everyone watching but I just told myself to relax and take my time.  Once I did that I was off and I felt great then I realized that I had forgotten to take my watch off my wrist and put it on my bike.  I thought about how to remedy this for a bit because it would meant I had to let go of the handle bars with all these other bike whizzing by and tight turns that were congested.

Before I left T1 I had some coke so I knew I had some sugar on board giving me time to settle in and get thru the tight squeeze areas around Dunkin Donuts. A couple of miles in I decided to get some more nutrition on board so I had a couple of potatoes.  Now I had to fix my watch situation.  I decided I had 2 choices – stop to fix my watch or be courageous, slow down a little and switch it – I opted for the latter and was very proud of myself when I was successful.  Now I could settle into my race and tried to stay on race plan watts.  I also tried to be conscious of my fueling.  In hindsight, I could’ve done a better job on this aspect of my race, but at the time I thought I was doing a good job. 

I managed to get over the railroad tracks without losing any of my water bottles but I did see the water bottle carnage from the faster riders who lost theirs and carefully navigated Oz around the mess.

I had a lot of riders’ whiz by me and it seemed to me there was a fair amount of drafting going on but I didn’t worry about anyone but me.  I did pass 5 riders and they never passed me during the rest of the ride so that made me feel good.  I still struggle on hills but I am getting better at managing them and being conscious of ‘pulling’ up – which when I remember helps a lot.

I somehow pulled my groin muscle on my bike and so the further into the race when I tried to pull up on hills it ‘reminded’ me not always so gently that it wasn’t happy.  It wasn’t bad enough that I needed to stop and adrenaline helps a lot with the mind over matter. 

I’d practiced on the course 3 times prior to race so I knew that, for me, the last 2 hills, although short, were going to be snotty because they were the last 3 miles of the ride.  I just reminded myself of this and that once I got over them I was back to the beginning and time to get off and run.

T2

Again, this was slower than I would like but I didn’t fall over on my dismount and that was really important to me with my daughter, coach and team mates standing there.

The Run

Coming out of transition my daughter was standing there and I couldn’t help but stop and give her a hug and kiss – it was awesome.  Then my coach, Patricia Brownell, joined me for the first ½ mile or so to see how I was doing and how my stomach was doing.  I told her about how my groin hurt but other than that I was ok and my IBS, to that point wasn’t an issue. 

The paces that Peej has planned for me were slower than what I had been running lately and we had talked about it and she assured me that I’d want those paces.  The first 2 miles were sub 12 min. miles which were faster than she wanted me to run so I tried to slow them down.  I figured that it would happen organically because I planned to stop at each water stop for water, Gatorade and coke.  This was the first race that I didn’t wear my fuel belt and just had my gels. 

By mile 3 my groin had started to hurt more than I had anticipated so I had to come up with a plan on the fly because I wasn’t going to DNF at this point in the race.  I didn’t care if I had to walk the whole way – I’m just too stubborn and I had worked too hard, and even more important to me – Melissa was waiting for me at the end and her face is what kept me going.

Running up the hills seemed to hurt the most so I opted to walk those and run the flats.  At each aid station I took water, poured some ice down my shorts to help my groin muscle (I know - TMI), and alternated between coke and Gatorade.  Unfortunately the Gatorade didn’t always agree with me and I had to stop a couple of times to ‘get rid’ of it.

After the last aid station at mile 12 I knew I was close – I could feel it and when I saw Camp Cathedral I started to cry.  The last ¾ mile all I could do is cry and kept repeating to myself – ‘I did it! I did it!”

I’m still awed that I finished this and in under 8 hours. My friend and teammate took the series of pictures below and they sum up how I felt in that moment more than any words I have.  Thank you for these Jess!

Peej trying to reach over the fence since it's taller than she is.

I can't believe that I did it!

I see Beth waiting for me!

No words - just joy!

Sums up how I felt because there are no words!

 

There are so many people to thank and that helped me get to the start line but at the the top of my list is my daughter, Melissa Lawless.  You have no idea how much it meant to me to be able to share this with you. Melissa had never seen a triathlon and I'm sure she wasn't expecting it to be an all-day affair. But giving her a hug on my way out for my run and knowing that she was at the finish line made it an extra special day.

Also having my coach Patricia Brownell there was special - and she helped me keep my head on straight and re-assured me that I could do this distance.

And what can I say about my E3 Training Solutions teammates and coaches - each of you have been the best support system a girl could ask for - especially Jana Richtrova - who I've asked a million questions and Stephanie Feltman, when I was having a meltdown. There are no words to express my appreciation and gratitude.

The End Of My First "Triathlon Off-Season"

Having started this short journey as a runner there really was never an off-season.  My friends and I still ran outside all winter training for a spring marathon. This year however I decided that instead of a spring marathon that I'd like to do the next distance in triathlon - the half Ironman. This race consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) run for a total distance for the day of 70.3 miles. Weather wise I couldn't have picked a better winter to do most of my training indoors. We had a blizzard, broke several snow records including the snowiest winter ever.

In triathlon there is an 'off-season' - where you focus on improving your performance and strength while not "training" for a specific race necessarily. I've  had a few people ask me which sport I was going to focus on during the offseason which leads me to think that's what some athletes focus more on one aspect and just keep a base in the others ... but I'm not sure. In my case my coach has me focusing on swimming and riding because those are the newest sports for me.

E3 Tri-Team has a swim coach, Karen Vasso, and she has been running open water swim classes on Thursday nights at MIT - which is a beautiful pool by the way. I have been attending class since October. The classes have gotten increasingly difficult - which they should - but I have struggled at times often feeling that my swim experience (read - speed) is far behind everyone else in the class. The support and encouragement that I get from everyone though is wonderful and it keeps me going back. I swam my longest distance a couple of weeks ago, 2600 yards - a little under 1 1/2 miles, and while it wasn't non-stop it's still a long way and a lot of time and if felt great!

E3 also holds indoor bike trainer classes at one of our sponsors - Landrys Bikes - which is ideal for me because my coach, Patricia Brownell, leads the class.  At the beginning of the session we do heart rate or power test to see where your fitness level is.  I had done this class last year and I increased my fitness level a lot of the past year.  As my coach put it - "Someone has learned how to pedal"!  That meant a lot to me, especially since I really love riding my bike.

The weather finally broke and I've been able to get some outdoor riding done and have even gone out by myself which was a huge accomplishment.  Its still a bit to cold for me to get into the open water which is frustrating but it will happen.

Tomorrow, May 10th is Mother's Day and my first race of the season.  Originally I had signed up for the triathlon but decided, with my coaches "help", to change to the duathlon because the water temperature was only 58-60 degrees.

In comparing tomorrow's race to my first race of last season, I am still nervous about getting to the start line but this time its not because I'm not sure I can do it - this time I KNOW I can do and that I really like it - its nervous anticipation and excitement.

Here we go - bring on Triathlon Season 2015!!!!