Ironman Questions

I have been away so long that I don't even know where to begin. Wait, yes I do! IMAZ is seven weeks away. How is that possible?!?!  I remember waiting in line to sign up like it was yesterday. There are so many different thoughts and questions that go through my head that I thought I would share them with you all. Any thoughts, in site or advice is more then welcome.

• What do I do when it gets dark and I have my prescription sunglasses on?  Do I carry clear lenses and change them out? I have inserts(actual lens that correctmy vision) that attach to my glasses.  I don't want to leave anything in the special needs bag that I might lose.
• Just how long would I have to wait after the gun goes off to really avoid being mauled during the swim?
• At what temps are booties  permitted and do they actually help? What about neoprene swim caps? ( I have the sense that any cap that has a strap would drive me nuts but if the water is really cold.....)
• Fuel belt on no fuel belt?  I haven't found a liquid nutrition that is working for me and carrying extra weight during the run isn't going to help matters. Yet, having water available at all times seems like a good idea and I will have to carry some other items.  Wish I could dump the fuel belt if I wanted to (would it be really bad of me to hand it off to a friend even though I am not supposed to?)
• Talk to me about sandwiches on the bike. Seems like a PP& J might be something that I would like. Do you carry it with you from T1 and if so where are you keeping it?
• Currently, I have two places to hold fluid on the bike. I have an aero bottle and a bottle holder on my frame. I like the idea of not having to carry more fluid then necessary and just grabbing more water from the aid stations. Since I plan on using solid food for most of the bike does that seem reasonable?  Am I missing something?
• Cut off times.  I know the cut off times for all three events but I also know that there are additional cut off times within the bike and run. Anybody care to share what they are?  Also, don't you have to be on the bike by a certain time?
• Morning clothes... how does that work?
• I know they sell all the finisher stuff early the next morning. What if you can't get out of bed (literally)?  Can I still get the items on line? ( If I finish this thing I want something saying I did so!)
• Just how painful is it to walk a full marathon? ( very well could be my reality) ( I know you can't really answer that but it is something I think about)
• Additional socks and  sneakers in my special needs bag?
• How is the bike support on the course?  Will they eventually show up if I get a flat and can't change the darn thing or run out of CO2 cartridges? 
• How many tubes/cartridges do you carry with you?
• Long training rides.  I am finding that I either have to ride alone or do them on a trainer. I prefer not to ride alone for safety reasons but finding people to ride with who are doing what I need to do are few and far between and the outcome so far hasn't been very successful.  I can handle being on the trainer for hours (call me crazy). Thoughts?

I could go on and on and writing this all down is helpful.
Thanks for reading.

Big Training Weekend!

OK, I admit it, I have struggled a bit with my training. While I have done most of my workouts, I have missed more then I should have. With the reality of IMAZ hanging over my head, I have re commited to my training (or maybe committed to it for the first time) and had a big weekend.

Friday consisted of  two hours of training between bike and run. I ventured out on my own for a nice evening ride. 

 Saturday was a huge day for me with four bricks! I wasn't sure how I was going to pull this off as I had no way to secure my bike but finally decided to put my trainer on the porch, hook up the industrial strength fan and go for it. The bricks were 1 mile runs followed by 5 mile bikes. It might not seem a lot to some but for me it was a big deal. First off, I am slow runner and it was hot! Like 90+ degrees hot. Also five miles on a trainer takes a lot longer then five miles on open road.  2:5 hours later I was done.. and tired!  I did feel like I accomplished something so that was a good feeling.

 Casey wondering what the heck I am doing

Sunday started off with an early morning swim at my favorite OWS place. There are buoys out in the lake and they are measured. You can really do any distance you want and know that it is accurate. I completed a 1.5 mile swim and while pretty tired, was happy with the distance covered. Interestingly enough, I got my first case of chafing around my neck from my wetsuit. That has never been a problem before. Not sure if it was due to not having done that distance before or I was lifting my head more then I usually do.

Thanks to Julie for taking this pic

I did an 1.5 hour long run(with a little walking) Sunday evening to round out my three days of hard work.

I know this is only a taste of what is to come but I feel like I accomplished something this weekend and I that feels good. 

I hope everyone had a great July 4th!

Where did June go????

It can't be July 1st already can it??  Where is the time going?  Just yesterday I had six + months to get ready for IMAZ. Now I can count the months on one hand. Yikes!

June has always was a very busy month and one of firsts.  I did two triathlons, completed  my first Century ride which was both fun and enlightening,  had to use the kayak for the first time in  a tri ,  had to walk my bike up part of a hill that got the better of me and ran some 800's that were much faster then I thought I could go.  So it was a mixed bag.

I chalk up the OWS mishap to a combination of extremely cold water (for me) and going out to fast in those conditions. I had tried to acclimate to the water prior to the race and thought I had done so even though my feet were extremely painful as they began to freeze. (It was as if I had my feet in ice, it hurt that much). For such a small race, there was a lot of contact during the swim which didn't help things any. As I turned the first buoy I was having trouble catching my breath. I tried to breaststroke, pulled at my wetsuit collar and even just treaded water but nothing worked. I  remember looking behind me at the rescue boat and thinking that they were to far away and I was going to have to quit the race. I also remember looking at the buoys and the people ahead of me and thinking that there is no way I can make it to the finish. I raised my hand and a very nice man in a kayak came to the rescue. After a little while I was able to regroup and finish the swim but it was scary. 

The second tri I did was in Boulder. The swim was still rough in terms of contact but fortunately I had no other issues. For whatever reason the swims have been pretty brutal so far this season. Maybe I am being prepped for Arizona?  I need to learn to keep my cool in those conditions but it is sometimes hard not to get frustrated. For both swims, I have been hit over the head by some guy  within yards of the swim finish. I know that they knew I was there. That just pisses me off. Can't help it, it just does. And it hurts.

On top of my busy athletic schedule, I am in the process of purchasing a home. It has been a long road which has included a job loss which caused us to lose a previous home we had been under contract on.. After that happened I decided to see if I could qualify on my own even though working for a non profit and house hunting on that salary alone would  really limit my options. Fortunately I found a great house that I like better then the one we lost and it is $58,000.00 less then the other one. I have never owned a home before so this is a huge first for me.  This might sound crazy to non dog people but one of the things I am most excited about it having a yard for Casey.

I don't have many pictures to highlight my June adventures so I leave you with a picture of my soon to be new home (hope that doesn't jinx anything!)  

Denver Century Ride

The Century was quite an experience! It was certainly challenging and I often thought of the 112 mile IMAZ ride and how I was going to manage that as I took advantage of almost all the stops on this ride.  The longest I have ridden before this was 75 miles  and since I hadn't experienced Lookout Mountain (a famous climb around these parts) I wasn't sure what I was in for. At one point right before the first big climb there was a short VERY steep road. After that was an aid station where I proceeded to check my cassette to see if maybe I had the wrong one on my bike. (that hill was really tough).  I had correct one on (easier for climbing) and was a bit discouraged about how challenging I thought that hill was. Fortunately, Lookout Mountain, while a long and winding climb, was not as steep as the little monster leading up to it and I handled all the climbs fine. They were challenging and I got tired but I kept on plugging away.. The ride took us to places I have never seen before so that was great. My nutrition plan didn't work out so great. I did the two hour bottles of  Infinit but I didn't drink enough of it ,I don't think, and then didn't drink the water I needed. I just wanted some solid food so started with the Cliff bars and has a few animal crackers and some pretzels along the way. Cold water and pretzels were great at the 82 mile stop. My back and shoulder were acting up pretty badly by the 82 mile stop and I spent some time lying in the grass trying to stretch things out. I haven't ridden much on my road bike this year so I am sure that was part of it. Overall it was a good day but I was ready to be done at the last aid station. Once we arrived at the finish, my Garmin was at 98.9 miles so I road around the parking lot to get the last mile in. I wasn't about to go all that way and not have 100 miles to show for it. Of course if I spent the time to figure out all the features of my Garmin, I wouldn't have stopped it by accident and lost some of the data.
It was great to have Julie along for the ride (thanks for the pics by the way) and it was nice to meet Jill. My friends Sarah and Paul road also and as always I enjoyed their company.
Some pics from the day.

 Invesco Field at Mile High. Start of ride

 Pic from Lookout Mountain

 Almost at the top of Lookout Mountain

 Paul and Sarah enjoying a moment after a big climb

 I should have kept my helmet on for this pic but I was way to hot.

 Sarah, Paul, Julie and Jill



No Pity Party for Me

So, I ran (and walked) my first half marathon of the season. It didn't go as I would have liked but to be honest I didn't expect much more then I got.  I haven't said much about it to anyone as it is just one of those events that I would rather not think about. For those that know me or read my blog, you know the outcome. Slow at the start, end up walking much of the last few miles all the while battling the GI mystery that no one can figure out. So, that about sums it up!  Oh but here is a nice picture of Julie and I before the race. (Thanks for being such a good picture taker Julie!)

Moving on....

I went with the Speedplays.  I have only done two trainer rides on them but so far so good. I think I will get a better feel for them and the new shoes once I hit the road.  Thanks to everyone for all of your suggestions and thoughts about the whole peddle decision. They are always much appreciated.

What a difference a day makes!

It was 80+ degrees in Denver yesterday. A new record!  Bikes and Rollerblades were dusted off , the winter mood that effects so many of us was lifted and new possibilities seemed within reach. Then it was Sunday.
Julie and I met at Chatfield Reservoir to do one last long run before next Sunday's Platte River Half Marathon. The wind was blowing and the skies looked ominous but we drove out there and were going to give it a go!
Quickly it was apparent that my stamina was lacking today and that this was going to take even LONGER then it normally takes me (and it takes me a long time to do any run).  The winds picked up right at the first hill and it was there where the walking started. Julie was kind enough to walk with me and we ended up doing a 9.75 run (with a lot of walking of hills) while having great conversation. Now, when I say winds, I am not talking about a breeze. These were winds that could blow your hat off or make you feel like you were being pushed back while trying to move forward. While I was watching the skies and hoping that we would beat the weather, it wasn't to be. With two miles to go, the temperature dropped, the winds got worse, the rain started and hail/sleet began to beat on us. It was brutal. More then once I thought about trying to wave down a car for a ride but really there weren't many people out and I knew we were just going to have to move on despite the elements. By the time we got to the car my hands were in severe pain and I couldn't move my fingers to turn off my Garmin. Julie had to do it for me.  Opening that car door and getting in was like crossing the finish line of a very very hard race. One that you thought would never end. That is how it felt. The only thing better would have been to have hot cocoa waiting for us.
So with that, here are a few pics from Julie and I that give you a much better picture of what we experienced then I could ever do by writing it.

Before we started. We knew the weather was coming.

Taken from inside the car after the run

VERY happy to have shelter!

See the slush on the window?

Ice/slush on the windsheild

Julie looks great! I swear we were in the same weather.

Wet and frozen me. 

Great weekend and new bike shoes

This past weekend was full of outdoor activity! Julie, our friend Gaye from BT and I had a nice yet challenging ride on Saturday. It was sunny and warm but the wind was blowing.. and I mean hard! 

Julie and Gaye

On Sunday, the three of us met up with a couple of others from BT (Beginner Triathlete) for a run. Going in to this I knew I was unprepared and would be the slowest but I figured "what the heck". Julie was kind enough to run with me as I moved a long at a snails pace. We did eight miles and while not where I need to be for a half marathon in three weeks, eight miles is by far the longest I have run since October. I still need to figure out the nutrition piece when it comes to my running but over all I didn't feel to bad afterwards and I have to say, I  really wasn't sore at all the next day (a very good sign!).

Now, lets talk bike shoes.. and cleats and peddles. Thanks to a gift certificate to a local bike shop that I needed to use and a Christmas gift card, I was able to purchase a pair of triathlon bike shoes. I have always used mountain bike shoes and cleats, which I love, but for the longer distances I felt that I needed a shoe that was a bit stiffer and a peddle/cleat system that provided a bigger platform. So, I am now the proud owner of these.. and they actually match my bike which I didn't realize when I purchased them. 

Now here is where I need some help. I don't know what type of peddles/cleats to buy.I lean towards Speedplay due to the double sided entry but I know there are pros and cons to each system. I am curious what all of you use and what your experiences are. I have to say that I am a bit nervous about giving up the comfort of my mountain bike cleats but I am hoping that the payoff will be worth it.  
Finally, here is a video of Casey playing with Lulu, the boxer tonight at puppy kindergarten. Yes, I am a proud mom :)