'twas a long, hot, DRY RAIN

Next on the docket was to ride my bike across Indiana in the RAIN (Ride Across INdiana..get it??) ride...which, ironically and thankfully had NO rain. It actually started off as a pretty cool, nice, cloud covered day (some folks even had long pants/leg/arm warmers on.. not sure if these folks were from the equator or what...it was still in the 70's folks!). I kept marveling at how I thought the ride, which took part largely, especially in the 1st 1/2, along route 40..a fairly busy rd, felt strange..I guess just riding where I normally would avoid a rd like that.. and riding from town to town w/ no thought of going back.. All seemed kinda odd, but it was cool! By the time we made it to the Indy area, it was mid-day and getting pretty hot. The route took us down south of Indy, which was MY neck of the woods! Matt happened to be driving home with Mason from the zoo right at the time that I was passing through that area, so we were able to meet up for some quick hello's & then I was back off on the ride..heading toward lunch and just past 1/2 way through the whole ride. They may not know it, but seeing them was just the moral booster I needed right about then! We started off the day as a pretty big group.. We had Joe, Ashley, her boyfriend, Tim and I..and we were to meet up with Ginger, her husband, Sam, Mark, and a work friend of theirs that had a camper and was to serve as their SAG for the day.. The camper crew were running a little late, which I didn't think was a huge deal, seeing as how it was going to take the whole day & we weren't racing, but Ashley and Tim weren't having it! ..they wanted to get the police escort through Terre Haute..I don't know.. So I took off w/ them & we figured we'd see them at the 1st SAG...and we did. Trouble was, and this would continue throughout the day until I decided to soldier on solo...as we would be finishing up our time at the SAG..rested, fed, hydrated, evacuated, packed up and ready to roll..then the rest of the crew would roll in & we'd want to chat w/ them a bit. Well, this was all well & good until I started to add up the time & realized that this was pushing the overall time back quite a bit! Which is not a huge deal if it's just you to answer to, but I had Matt and Mason that had to pick me up on the other side of Indiana & I didn't want that to be too late. SO. After a morning of riding, some waiting & chatting...all of which I found quite enjoyable, but not time efficient.. At lunch time, Ashley gave me the go-ahead to just ride the rest out as I wanted. As much as I'd have liked to stick together, it's a long day & sometimes you just have to do your thing! So I took off.. I actually felt really good through the whole ride.. no aches or pains..stiffness..nothing! I just cruised along doing whatever felt comfy. My SAG stops got much shorter.. My only difficulty through the day was my lack of appetite! Not exactly something I expected to be an issue in a 164mi bike ride! But I just couldn't do any more sweet stuff! which all those gels and things are nothing but sweet.. and remember back to the Muncie lesson of not being able to do the sweet sports drinks after about the 1st 40-50 miles of riding.. So all I wanted was COLD water...and a burger.. is that so much to ask?? Needless to say, there were no burgers at the SAG stops. Even though they did have pulled pork sandwiches at lunch, which I usually love...the line was SO long there was no way I was wasting that much time.. So I just did pb/j & some chex mix & stuff...then back to the ride. But anyway, another lesson learned..pack some salty/savory type stuff for the longer rides/tris/etc b/c sweet stuff gets...unappetizing, I guess would be the way to put it. I actually felt bad b/c at the last stop, the folks were so proud of their selection, which included cookies, sunny d, capri sun, popsicles and fruit...none of which I really wanted by that point, so I just shoved a banana in my pocket & took off! But my ride time for the day was about 9-9:30? I think? Total time for the day would have been about 11 1/2 hrs since we took off a little after 7 & I came in around 6:40-ish.. So, again, all in all it was a good day. A little bummed, maybe, that we didn't end up riding all together.. But that IS a large group and a long way to go to expect everyone to go the same pace...especially since we don't draft.. Main purpose of this ride was to make the 112mi bike ride in Ironman seem like no big deal..and I can honestly say that after riding over 160mi in one day, I can't imagine any ride seeming 'long' any more.. so mission accomplished!

training notables

I just wanted to take note of a few trainings & things I've learned along the way here.. I've had a couple of 'long runs' on the ol' training schedule..meaning a 20 mile run at a steady, fairly easy pace.. what I've come to call my 'all day' pace. Now, this isn't the 1st 20mi run I've done...but this is my 1st SUMMERtime 20mi run, which is really a beast of a whole new color. So back in the day when I 1st took on some longer distance running, I used to think I needed to plot out a coarse for whatever distance I was going that day & just carry what I needed.. I guess I thought if I was close to home that would be too much of a distraction.. Well, these days with the 90+ degree heat w/ crazy humidity.. there's no way I could carry everything I needed on these runs, so I've gotten used to doing those runs in 3 loops, stopping back at my house to refill my water, get any food I need..and even change my clothes &/or shoes! (little known fact...I'm a sweat-er! clothes get pretty heavy when drenched in sweat & shoes can get pretty squishy! Both things make a longer run quite miserable, so if I can quickly change those things...I'm all for it!) So that's been a big difference in my longer runs. I've also really stepped up my nutrition during workouts & runs.. I only drink water on the run, but take either Gu/Gel/Chews something equaling 100 kcal every 3mi, so usually at least 200 kcal/hr..sometimes more, though, if I feel like I need it!

I'm also to a point now where I swim about 4x/wk, which has really helped with my stroke, speed and overall comfort in the water. It's a pretty average swim workout to get 3k in & some days I'll do 2 swims/day or just a longer straight swim of 4 or 5k. That might sound like small potatoes to a real swimmer, but for this adult-learning-just trying to make it-triathlete swimmer..that's quite a success! To put it in perspective, when I trained for the sprint in Chicago back in '09..I would get in the pool & aim to do just 800m, which was the race distance..or sometimes I'd go all out & do a whole 1k! So this is a big improvement in the swim for me..

As for the bike.. I still love to bike.. & I upgraded my ride this season and love to ride even more! I'm to the point where any ride under 50mi would be a 'short' ride..it's really not a big deal to do 80 miles these days..just gotta pack the nutrition!..and not only sweet stuff.. So that's the latest learnin's from my training!

Funcie Half-Iron!

First weekend in July brings me to my 1st tri of this season!!...the half ironman in Muncie, Indiana..which just so happens to be my ol' college stompin grounds! Of coarse, the race coarse was no where near the campus (bummer), but it was still nice to be up there doing something SO different from back in the college days! My goal for this race, being that it was my 1st tri since AGN last Sept, was just to race 'comfy', figure out where I am as far as training & nutrition & such.. finish feeling good & strong & ready to build for the next one. I know that drives some people nuts that I would say I just want to race comfy & that this was a 'training' half-iron race.. But that's the truth. So all went well. I was psyched that the water was too warm for wetsuits (!!).. I had planned not to wear one anyway, but I woulda felt strange if I had been the only one not wearing one...this just made the decision not to wear one easier! So the swim was really good! Felt strong..was able to push through the crowd (which I usually avoid by starting out to the side & hanging back a bit..but I was feeling confident, I guess, & decided I wanted to line right up w/ the bouys & get out there & move!) w/ only a little jostling..but got free pretty quick & felt great! I was pretty proud of my ability to stay right in line with the bouys, as I usually vere way out & can never seem to get close to the actual coarse..so I usually probably swim an extra few 100 meters, which can really make a difference! So I came out of the water feeling good (NOT the last this time!!)..saw Matt & Mason & made sure to make my way over to give Mason his now expected kiss every time I see him! (I'm not complaining) Now off on the bike! Pretty uneventful bike. Did learn 1 thing (at least)...I can't drink gatorade (or in this case it was IM Perfom..really any sweet drink) for the entire race/ride...it gets too sweet & I actually felt more thirsty after every sip, instead of feeling refreshed. I know I need the sugar & electrolytes...but I just can't rely on that for the whole race b/c it didn't actually hydrate me...just loaded me up w/ sugar. So the ride went well. Felt great, except when the wind knocked my pace down, but that'll happen out on a flat coarse! I took off for the run feeling good, initially.. Saw Team Blunck again on my way in from the bike & then out for the run.. But about a few 100 meters in or so, I got a 'punch in the gut' type of cramp. Oh, MAN?! This was a new one... I've had stomach cramps/pain/GI issues before, but never this kind of cramp. All I could think to do was slow down to a walk for a while, and since I felt so thirsty after drinking all that sweet sports drink, I just drank lots and lots of water. Well, that combo worked & I was able to pick 'er up to a nice jog at first & then was cruising along pretty darn well, if I do say so myself! I stuck w/ water and taking a Gu every 3 mi through the whole run (yes, even at mile 12) and by the end, I was passing folks left and....well...left, anyway. People had really talked up the 'hilly' quality of the run in Muncie and said you have to 'save up' energy for the end.. Well, it had some rollers, don't get me wrong..but dare I say it was a bit over-hyped. But that's where I did a lot of my passing...I was feeling good! (mind you...this is all relative..) I did run with my hand-held water, which I think was another big savior for this run. It was really hot, but with my constant intake of cold water (b/c I could fill up w/ ice at aid stations) and then could douse myself w/ ice water and cold water sponges at every mile/aid station.. I actually kept fairly cool! So...I head in for the finish.. came in at about 5:40, which was just where I wanted to be!..actually, a little faster, which is always nice. It wasn't a PR for me, but as I said, I wasn't shooting for one! Sometimes, I'm learning, you just need to practice racing smart & steady & not always shoot for 1-upping yourself. All in all, a successful day!

My boy turns 3??!!

Sometimes things happen that DON'T have to do with racing.. my little guy, Mason, turned 3 big ol' yrs old on June 27th! He's so big...and the light of my life.. We had a great weekend filled with visitors and fun.. he had ALL his grandparents here with him at one time, which is rare for him.. he was THRILLED! And his 'Aunt Lis' came to help him celebrate, too. Lots of fun. SO. With everyone in town, I knew I needed to get my training done early..so saturday, the day of the 'party' (at 3, our party only consisted of our family and the neighbor across the street who is only about 2mo older than him & they are great little buddies!), I got up early to ride 60 miles with the Y tri coach, Todd, at 5am, and then I ran 13mi on my own around my neighborhood. This workout felt really good to me b/c up to this point, I still never quite felt like I was triathlon training. I mean...I was working out a lot & in great shape..but I was still tinkering around with all my 'other' activities some..like the pilates, piloxing, yoga (which I still do just 1x/wk)..things like that, so this was the 1st time I felt like "I'm training for an Ironman!"..so that was good. The heat is starting to pick up a bit, so I was pretty ridiculously drenched at the end of it all... But I felt good & ready to clean up and get on with the party! (after a nap, of coarse..)

SWIM a 5k??!!

So after the bike ride, next was to swim a 5k in open water (at Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, IN). Definitely the farthest I had swum...and it was not wetsuit legal, which..it turns out..is a good thing b/c I'm HATING wetsuits right now. For those that haven't been around me much this season, I've worked my butt off trying to become a better swimmer. I'll never quite catch up to those life-long swimming folks..or the college swimming crew..but I've really worked on my stroke & am finally to the point where I really enjoy swimming & I feel like I 'glide' through the water VS constantly wrestling the water...which, as anyone knows..is a losing battle for sure. SO. Since I've worked so much on my swim, I'm now one of those that feels hindered by the wetsuit instead of being helped by it.. So it was a good thing that it was just the swimsuit and I out there for 3.1 miles. I actually felt great throughout the swim & gained a lot of confidence through the event, which was exactly what we set out to do! It started a little rough..it was POURING & we weren't sure if we were going to get a break in the weather long enough to do the swim.. Not quite as much of an issue for us 5k-ers, but there were lots of folks (real swimmers) doing a whole 25K (?!)...which required much more of a break in the storm.. But we got it & it actually turned out to be a really nice day. I didn't have any issues, really...a little bit of a 'rub' on the back of my neck.. not sure if it's from my arm or cap or what.. But no aches or pains of note.. took about an hr and 50 minutes, which is not fast by any stretch..but good enough for a 3rd place in the relay!! That's right...major award winners!! So it was a great swim. Great day. w/ the 2 hr rain delay, I got to spend some time w/ some buddies..Ashley and Ginger, who made up our team, which I believe the name was "Wait.. this 15k is in the water??!!" (catchy, I know..)..also both of whom will be joining me at Rev3 for the full iron distance race.. Mark, Joe and Sam were there as support/kayak.. Dru was there as the always wonderful support crew/cheer team AND she even stepped in and helped me a TON by watching my little guy while I swam.. huge thanks to her! So it was good! Another successful event on the road toward Ironman!!

Michigan Mountain Mayhem, indeed

Next up was the Michigan Mt Mayhem, which was a century ride (actually, it was about 115-ish miles, but who's counting!) up in the hilly northern Michigan area (Boyne City, if you want to get technical). I was able to talk my friend, Jeff, into joining me..so we all packed into my car..along with 'Team Blunck' (Matt & Mason), of coarse, & set off on the 7-8-ish hr drive up north. The drive up was nice..nice sunset & such as we got into our resort, which was a nice little place that I didn't get to see much of..but it had a water park that Matt & Mason got to enjoy while we rode our bikes. We had a late dinner, then off to bed to wake up & head off to the start of the ride. We woke up to a pretty steady downpour. Well...I'm never one to count us out until it's actually 'go' time, so we got checked in & got our bikes ready. We did have a bit of a delay & got started about an hr later than planned, but it did let up enough to get us out there & get the ride on, so all is well! It never stormed..did drizzle a little during the ride...but it was COLD! After a few wks of not feeling anything close to cold, that was a bit of a shock. I, however, had checked the forecast & had packed accordingly... Jeff was not so lucky. The ride was really nice... had good hills, as promised (though we couldn't find the 'super hill' they had talked about..despite riding around & around looking for it), so it was a solid, challenging training ride & I enjoyed it. At around noon, which we thought would be a lunch stop (just realizing this..but maybe the later start messed this up?), I was out of 'juice' & seriously needing some nourishment..but the stop was out of bread! BUT, by this time I had already designated this ride as a 'peanut butter tasting tour' because of the delicious locally made nut butters that they had at the SAG's (vanilla almond butter, toffee peanut butter....mmmmm), so all I had to do was find some 'vehicles' to get me my peanut butter.. Had a banana..that's always good.. But what's this?? a pop tart? Perhaps a peanut butter pop tart sandwich?? Sure will!! It was actually just what I needed & I fully endorse the use of this tasty treat during a long bike ride.. But it was cold, so no time to sit around to enjoy our 'lunch'.. The rest of the ride was good & I made sure to eat well the rest of the day so no more 'bonking'. Not much else notable about the ride.. We had a good time & both rode further than we had ever gone before..so, success! I can't remember what our actual time was, but I think 'ride time' was about 7 1/2 hrs.. Not fast, but it WAS pretty hilly & we weren't out there to set any records.. So we packed it up pretty quick.. I got a freezing cold shower at the local school, which was the designated start/stop/clean-up/camping spot, while Jeff complained about how steamy & hot the men's showers were... Nice.. So, anyway.. that was the end of the Mayhem! I do recommend it as a nice century ride.. worth the drive, if you ask me..though, hopefully it'll be a touch warmer, or at least less rainy, next time.. But the ride was well run, well staffed, great volunteers at the SAG's & very well marked.. Good stuff!

Long time No Blog!

I've been delinquent, to say the least, in my postings, so I thought I'd try to catch myself up here, if for no other reason than just to serve as a journal for me to look back at how this whole season of training for a FULL ironman panned out. SO. Last entry was about the relay, which was a part of my marathon training.. AH, the marathon. I was planning to do the Flying Pig marathon on May 1st..& I was good & ready, too! But all was for not, b/c I wound up tearing my meniscus while playing soccer (which was my speed training...so part of marathon training, though, admittedly, maybe not the best choice for a gal w/ knees like mine) & it was torn in such a way that it was really unstable & not at all fun to run on. SO I had to bag that race & got the meniscus repaired w/ a scope the next weekend. It's been 3 months now & my knee is good as new! It took a bit longer than I had hoped for me to get back into running..the knee just took a while to get over all that messing around they do in there when they operate. But my 1st 'race' back after the surgery was a 1/2 marathon in KC...Hospital Hill, again, which I had done last yr and really enjoy that race. It was my worst run....ever... In fairness.. Looking back I should have seen this coming.. & I did, to an extent.. But going in to the 1/2 marathon, I had only been able to build up to a 6mi run, which I did the wk before the race.. & I'd really only been back to any running at all for about 2 wks after at least a full month completely off of running. The other kicker was that my last long run, which was a part of the marathon training, was way back when it was about 30 or 40 degrees...so the 90 degree temps & humidity were a bit of a shock to the ol' system. All in all, it was ill advised & I paid the price. I think it took me something like 2 hrs 20 min to finish, which is the longest 1/2 for me by far. At about the 7mi mark I had to make the decision to bag any pace concerns & just take care of my stomach (all that time away from training caused my stomach to forget what it's like to run longer distances while digesting...not fun..) & just get through the race. BUT.. I take it as a learning experience & even though it was a crappy return.. at least I was back into the racing & training! So Hospital Hill...we will meet again & I WILL come better prepared next time...