You pass a car on the
highway and mutter, "On your left" – Catherine D.
You have a bigger
selection of running socks than you do dress socks – Bill D
You are are still hungry
15 minutes after your fifth meal of the day – Dave P.
Spin teachers want you to
do the drills where you stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down.... But instead
you stay seated and crank the gear to practice IMCDA hills – Jai M.
When you hold your breath
that your car with 170k miles will pass inspection, only to then go straight to
the bike shop for your 2nd tuneup of the year. – ME!
You take your kids for a
swim in the ocean and you describe it not as cold, but as "wetsuit legal"
– Jim B.
When You race so hard you
vomit and your first concern is "there goes all my hydration! "
– Jeff M.
When you take a nap at
10am in your car! – Tata F.
You dread winter because
everything you wear will soon smell of chlorine. And sheets. And car. –
Blaik O.
Your equipment could have
been designed by NASA and it cost as much as a lunar mission.- Dwayne A.
Your bike is always up on
maintenance and your car is 3000 miles overdue for an oil change –
Melissa K.
People complain about how
long the line for the portas are at a local 5k and you think, 'you've got no
clue'. Ryan K.
You own more Lycra than
cotton or denim – Damien T.
Getting dressed for a
workout less than an hour seems like a waste of time. – Stefan M.
When your wife
affectionately calls the Cervelo P3 hanging on the bedroom wall your mistress.
– Stephen P.
When you do a sprint tri
then do 12 miles after- Shawn H.
You ride more miles on
your Tri bike than your motorcycle [car] annually. – Eric E.
That moment where you're
70.3 sticker just doesn't feel cool any more. – Kristel S.
When, as a man, you have
more pair of tights than any female in your family- Reed M.
You are more worried
about your bike than yourself after a hard crash.. – Shawn H.
When...If your house was
burning down you would grab the tri bike... Dwayne A.
When you invited for your
sister wedding to cyprus, and you seeking a triathlon contest on the island - Gabor W.
A bike in the living room
is perfectly normal.- Dwayne A.
When every family
vacation has to include a race or training time. – Mark M.
all day your wondering
'did i eat enough protein?'- Jeremy B.
When you wake up from a
dream in a panic thinking that you lost your wetsuit the morning of your IM
race. – Lance W.
When your house looks
like hyenas live in it two days before leaving for IM a week early! –
Christa M.
You have to wait for the
sun to come up to go for an open water swim.- Dwayne A.
When you don't question
biking 100 miles but think driving 5 is far – Colette S.
When one workout a day
feels like you wimped out. – Shawna B.
You are insulted when
people refer to your IRONMAN as a MARATHON – Julie S.
When 9 PM is kinda late.-
Dwayne A.
When one minute under the
hour is a very big deal.- Shawna B.
When you spot random
numbers painted on the street and you try to figure out if you are on some sort
of course.- Dwayne A.
When you have not styled
your hair or worn make -up in weeks...why bother...you are just going to either
get wet or sweaty and it's way too much work. – Ren H.
When you ride your bike
farther in a day than most people drive their cars in a weekend!- Nicole
J.
When you start taking
days off work to get in that 100+ mile ride for the week...- Kelly O.
Your gym locker smells
better than your car!- Mauricio S.
When you see the sunrise
more often than the sunset – Kristin M.
When your colleagues ask
who is smelling like a rubber duck after a lunch break wetsuit swim –
Volker E.
You know yer an Ironman
when you CAN'T SHADDUP ABOUT IRONMAN!!! - Dee C.
Your spare room is a
large walk in closet, laundry and sorting area – Ron E.
You just bought a Trek
9.9 and you have no problem telling people what you paid. –Chris W
Your wet suit costs more
than your nicest dress suit. Sina S.
Your social life is reduced to Facebooking with only friends whose profile pics are of them doing some race.- Matt I.
The facebook group is run
by the owner of Energylab, check them out, and thank them for crowd-sourcing this gem!
Here are my top 10:
Check out my facebookpage for more updates of my Journey!
I did Cman last year, and loved it. I signed up for this year a primer for Ironman Florida. I was to do the aquabike: 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike. Followed by a training run of 12 miles.
WELL.. life had a different plan for me.
We arrived in Cambridge MD on Friday AM, headed straight to the packet pickup that was to open at 10. I had my day planned out, I would pick up the packet at 10, go straight to T1, do a quick ride then rack my bike. Well, I need to learn to read the Athlete guide because you couldn't rack your bike until 2PM. I guess that's what I get for 'assuming' I knew what to do since I did it last year.
So alternate plan, we would take the RV over to the High School and get set up, I would go for a ride, that would end at T1. From there I would rack my bike and hitch a ride back with someone. FAIL #2 of the day!.. You couldn't really set up until SCHOOL was out.
We headed to the Great Marsh Park in the RV to wait out the afternoon. I decided that since I had some time now, I would go for a swim. The water LOOKED perfect.
I got in and swam 10 min out 10 min back, and was stung about 5x by the Jellyfish. They call them sea netties in MD. It wasn't that bad, just annoying. I decided I would lather up with aquaphor on race day. I went for a quick 30 min ride, racked my bike and went to the High School.
The evening was uneventful, the camping was rather peaceful and not as many RVs as Eagleman. I had a nice early bedtime.
Race AM: On the bus at 4:45AM. The worst thing about late season races is how long it takes the sun to get up. Although when it did make an appearance, it was beautiful.
Race prep was non-eventful for me, that is good. I was trying some new fuel options, since this was a training race. I added some salt potatoes to my bike and I added a new bento box between my areo bars to just 'pick' at peanut butter stuffed pretzels and Swedish fish.
I was getting ready, slathering myself with aquaphor and I saw this panicked woman who left her wetsuit back at the hotel. Talk about having a plan B! I offered her some aquaphor if she needed it, but we were all hopeful that someone would have an extra wetsuit..well SOMEONE DID. You have to love the tri-community. I swear some might even bring an extra bike.
I was prepared, ready for today.. SO I THOUGHT!
Lap 1 of the swim was fine, lots of arms and legs, and the normal bump and whack. There didn't seem to be much current on the way out. Coming back I was sighting on the buoys and TOTALLY thought the 2nd to last buoy was the turn buoy, only to get there and realize there was another 100 yards. Headed back for loop 2, there was a pretty swift current to face, luckily it was short.
I then turned and faced the jellyfish from HELL! I felt my first sting in my armpit. Then I grabbed one on a down stroke, yuck. Then I meet up with this total jerk. He was a 15 foot zigzagger. 15 feet to the left, then 15 feet to the right. I tried to sprint to get in front of him, or just slow down and let him go. I tried to go outside, then inside. I could NOT get away from him. He had one of the wetsuits with the rough elbows, so every time he'd hit me it would scratch me! I got to a point where I was contemplating how I could hurt him. For a moment I thought of just taking his goggles.
So as I was fighting him, I kept getting stung. One wrapped itself round my garmin and May-poled itself down my arm. I thought I'd flick it off, but that didn't work. I had to stop and detangle the thing from me and in the process it stung my fingers! This happened 3 or 4 more times and once on my FOOT!
As I turned on the far turn, I contemplated quitting. I have NEVER, EVER thought of quitting a race.. but I did today. I then thought about the medal and my nails, how stupid right? but that dumb thing kept me going.
I FINALLY ended the swim and was beyond pissed. I was SO slow, 1:55. My first thought was CRAP I can't afford that much extra time on the swim in Florida.
I was just inspecting my arms as I got out, thinking "really? just REALLY?"
I huffed over to the change tent. I had fully expected a quick T1, because I wasn't changing. All I had to do was remove wetsuit, put on shirt, and lube. I noticed I cut my toe and it was bleeding ..awesome. I just stood there for a min just looking dumbfounded, then proceeded out of the tent.
How's this for the most defeated, pissed off face?
From there I was ready for the bike... or so I thought.
I followed my nutrition plan, first street out I ate my Uncrustable. Then I knew I had to tend to the stings. I had biofreeze with me and I figured the menthol would alleviate some of the sting. It worked, a little. I had one on my foot that I couldn't get to and I wasn't about to take my shoe off (OR STOP). About ever 15 min it would feel like someone would electrocute my foot. The exposed ones on my arms would just sting as the wind hit it. The ones under my shirt, like my armpit didn't bother me as much.
I knew I was in for it with the wind, but I never expected what actually happened. I need to learn how to read the 'wind' forecasts. I had planned on the 16 MPH S as coming FROM the south not BLOWING south. So when I mentally prepared, I figured I would have about 30 miles of headwind, 60-70 of tail and 10-20 of cross wind. It was exactly opposite! The first finger of the ride was fine, little bit of wind but nothing to worry about. Once you turned into the Wildlife refuge it was like someone smacked you with a brick wall. My 18 MPH became 14. Every time I saw the road turn I would think "oh finally", only to have the winds blow HARDER. The winds ended up being sustained around 15-17 and gusts to 25+.
The cross wind is REALLY hard for my bike. It is quite aero, but that means in a cross wind I have to hang on for dear life. I HAVE been blown over before, I don't wish to do that again.
I put my head down and pedaled, and swore, and pedaled, and swore. I actually took the time to switch my garmin to show the heading in one of the views, that way I could see which direction this damn wind was going. Turns out, the only time we had a tail wind was when we were headed DUE NORTH... NNW was 'eh' but North was a nice downhill!
The last 15 miles of the loop were N, HOWEVER, the first 4 of those miles we're treated to this terrible road. It feels like you're using a 1950's weight loss 'shaker.' Add insult to injury, the town decided they should cut up the road 5 days before the race! So there were (4) 15 foot sections of sinking gravel/sand that you had to cross. So much for using that tailwind!
The race director said that the town did that like 5 days before the race! How nice, thank you town!
Anyway the last 12 or so miles were pretty fun. I was going double my speed from the last 50 miles! This is a picture from last year, but you get the idea.
I stopped at 2 port-o-potties along the first loop. The 2nd one I almost killed myself. First I noticed a friend's PMC waterbottle. I looked up and saw him, he was sad because his cage broke and he was going to have to abandon it. In case you missed my PMC posts, it is something you cherish and you WANT your waterbottles! Anyway I told him I'd take it, I didn't have anything in my rear cage.
I step into the potty, and my foot slips. I half grab the door which swings open, then I looked for another place to put my other arm. In those 3 seconds I thought of what would be the best way to fall and not hurt anything.. then all I could think of was falling IN.. It was close, but I didn't fall in... I did laugh, and swear some more.
When I came into the first loop, I saw John and threw the PMC bottle at him. It was safely returned to Rick - YEA one win for today!
I was ready to quit by loop one and thought, no way, I have to finish. But about there I decided I was not going to do my training run. I had talked about it, and I knew I should do it, but I just wasn't having it. My body was toast, and my hip still wasn't great from the weekend before. I also knew I was 3mph slower than last year so there was no hope of me winning Athena again.
Head down and pedal and swear..that was the motto. I kept singing this, except the words were "every day I'm SUFFERING..SUFFERING"
I continued with my nutrition and hydration plan, but at some point I just didn't feel like eating or drinking. I just wanted OFF the bike. I managed to bring it in in 7:35, my goal was 7 hrs. I felt so defeated. I wasn't doing my run, I didn't make EITHER of my times. Before anyone replies, I HAVE To do my swim in 1:45 and my bike in 7 or under to make the run for Florida. It is ALL about the time. Although I think this crap is preparing me for the worst, only to give me the BEST conditions ever for race day!
So anyway, I get off the bike and they have a new finish line for Aquabike (YEA!!!). You run into the track just like any of the runners and pass UNDER the real finish line. I was so excited to see a finish line and hear my name.. ONLY to see the finish line.. the damn wind had blown it to pieces!
Hey but the Race director put my medal on!
I was so done. I was itchy, hot, cold, salty, sweaty, and very, very irritated.
I went and had a massage, NO LINE WOOHOO. Then I hear a friend's name as the woman's first place finisher. (She better tell people soon so I can mention it).
OK that was cool.
The woman with the lost wetsuit also found me to thank me for talking her off the ledge, so sweet of her. I'm glad SHE had a good race.
Then I look at the results. I shouldn't have even looked at them. I was 2nd place Athena. Which, I would be happy with in normal circumstances. HOWEVER, I was 38 min slower than last year.. had I reached my goals today, I would have taken first. She only beat me by 5 minutes. So then comes the over analyzing. Where could I have made up 5 min?
peed my pants, yea not doing that, although it would have saved my near death potty experience
not taking my friends water bottle (maybe 30 seconds added?)
not helped an athlete in need. A woman needed an Advil, I had some. So to give it to her we had to slow down and basically hold hands for 10 seconds.
NOT screwing around in transition.. yea that one I could have done different, but that might have been 2 min tops.
Not looking for a pity party, yea I had a REALLY hard day. Days like today make you tough, they make you realize what you CAN get through. I'm very glad that wasn't my first race here or I would never do it again.
I am nervous for Florida, I know what I can and cannot do. I NEED to have a 7 hr bike and a 1:45 swim to make my run. May the wind gods be at my back. and the jellyfish can go F### themselves..
Last can be an evil word in any sport. No one wants to be picked last for dodgeball, no one wants to come in last in any race, but is it a stigma that isn't worthy of it's name! Last really isn't a bad place to be.
If you are an Olympian but come in last in your sport, are you bad? Should you be ashamed? NO WAY, because YOU ARE AN OLYMPIAN! How many people get to say that? If you come in last in the Daytona 500, are you bad? nope, but you just did something not many folks get to do! Finish last in the Masters, uh you got there somehow!... I could go on and on!
When I started this blog, I often said "I have 2 goals, finish and not last." I was TERRIFIED of coming in last, until the day I did.
I was so mad this day. It was a 'stupid little sprint', and it actually wasn't my fault I was last. The swim was re-seeded and I started 10 people from the end in a 1 by 1 swim start. Meaning when I started, I knew I would be last.
I rounded the last corner and had the (insert expletives) police woman following me. She was in a car, she didn't look like she ever walked more than 10 feet in her life, and she was cheering for me "you go girl, you got this." I was PISSED, I wanted to punch something, I wanted her to shuttup. I didn't want to be last. I rounded the last corner as they were tearing down the finish line, my friends ran in with me as I heard my name, no it wasn't for the finish, it was for a "winner must be present" prize. Luckily I had friends scream "SHE'S AT THE FINISH." I was mad, but I finished. It was one of those consolation races where everyone says "at least you finished" or "awesome you tried." I was mad at all of them, especially those comments from the ones who said that and have NEVER TRIED.
I had a 10K last year that made me angry, I was last, but I ran 3 or 4 miles BEFORE the 10K. I was trudging up this hill and when you are last you get a pace-car, a Kayak, a biker, police car, police Harley, etc. Well this day I had an ambulance following me. Not only did I have the annoying rumble of a diesel engine, I had 2 guys who had ZERO interest in acknowledging me. Normally you can have a conversation (like the police woman I wanted to shuttup ?!?). No if I slowed down these guys backed out of my way. Grrr. I eventually passed the finish line and I did hear one guy say "hey I saw her running BEFORE the race,wonder how far she ran?"
After that day I broke the "I don't want to be last" mold. SO some days I might be last, you never know who is in the field? I mean if you run a half marathon with all Kenyan runners, and you are last, how bad are you? It is relative!
I was last for the Providence Half Ironman. Actually I am THE last finisher EVER for the PVD 70.3!
What did I get out of that? Well, I had a Harley pace 'car', I had my own SAG wagon, I had my own cheerleaders at the last 2 water stops, and I had the finish line TO MYSELF. All of my friend were allowed IN the chute! That's the only way I got this picture! My friend Lisa took it (the professional photographer missed this one and caught me on the ground after).
I've been doing this for a long time now, I know my strengths and weaknesses. I know I can DO it though. I have way too many friends who say they could never do a half iron (or even Olympic). They think you just take your speed from the shorter races and you should be able to carry that out for an endurance sport. It doesn't work that way. You can't multiply your 5K speed out to get a marathon time.
I don't mind being last now. As a matter of fact, I will 'take' that spot from a woman who is upset about it. No need to tell us we're ahead of the guy that didn't start, we know it. We know we're awesome.
I did a swim race on Saturday. 2.7 miles. Who does a 2.7 mile swim? I knew before we even STARTED the race that I would be last. I knew most of the participants and there was NO WAY I would be close. My goal was MY time not theirs. I came in last by about 15 minutes, but still 30 min from the cutoff. Plenty of time and I did not fatigue myself. I had my own kayaker the whole way, and let me tell you, THAT was nice. Sighting was a little difficult and she was a great way to sight!.
If I want to do an Ironman in 8 weeks I cannot expend all of my energy on the swim. I must pace myself and if that means last, then I will be last. It is a very individual sport!
What was VERY cool about this past weekend, Back of the Pack Productions is a race company that recognizes that the last athlete matters just as much as the first! They give the exact same prize to last place as they do first place. WOOHOO.. (If you have a chance to go support them, please do)!
It really is OKAY to be last! I am looking forward to being last at Ironman Florida. I will get a Harley pace vehicle, TONS of supporters telling me 'you go girl'- (I welcome that now)!, a GIGANTIC standing room only crowd at the finish line, fireworks, and most likely have my medal placed on me by the Professional champion of the day!
Ask any rider of the PMC to describe it and they'll tell you that you can't explain it. I thought about this while I rode 192 miles from Sturbridge MA to Provincetown MA this past weekend and I hope this can give you a glimpse.
Everyone is inspired to do this 2 day ride to benefit Cancer for a reason. A mother, sister, daughter, granddaughter, grandmother, father, son, grandson, grandfather, brother, cousin, friend.
Most people that think about the PMC, are concerned about the very large fundraising amount. $4300 is a large undertaking, but this ONE reason pushes you over the edge. You forget the amount and just put your head down and do what you can.
Friday of PMC weekend rolls around, you walk into the Sturbridge Host Hotel, you see thousands of bikes, thousands of riders, thousands of volunteers, supporters, all there for the same reason, that ONE inspiration.
Although that ONE inspiration has suddenly become thousands. You find that you are riding for many. You think about all your supporters and why THEY supported you, each having a "one" inspiration of their own. You think about all your friends whom you didn't even KNOW fought a great fight. You think about friends or family you lost and weren't your initial inspiration. The miles don't even matter. You are riding to give people hope, you are riding to give survivors something to cheer for, you are riding to unite humanity, even just for one day.
You walk in to get your packet. Every few minutes you hear "FIRST YEAR RIDER" - and everyone in the room cheers loudly and embarrasses the first year rider. You get goosebumps. You are excited for that person to experience this THING. You are emotional over the number of people here to do the same thing you are.
You attend opening ceremonies. You bring tissues. You are inspired .
You hear stories of why everyone else is here, you hear stories of battles won, of battles lost, of new battles, of parents fighting for their children, of children fighting for their parents. You suddenly have lost your sense of "ONE" and have become ONE with this Essence, you are a collective unit with 5500 riders, thousands of volunteers, hundreds of corporate sponsors, and thousands of supporters that line the streets of Massachusetts.
You get up at 3AM ready to pedal. You see thousands of supporters out already lining the streets before the sun is up. They have signs, they are 'proud of you', they are inspired, they are thankful. You think to yourself, "I didn't do anything, YOU did, you fought, I just feel helpless with this disease and this is what I could actually do. " You know you can't take the pain away, you can't make a mother feel better, you can't even understand, but what you can do is this little fundraiser. And at 5:30AM on PMC Day 1, it feels like "that little fundraiser." You meet others, you see pictures of dedications, you ask about those people.
They talk about it, lovingly, with a tear, but some, for the first time can just TALK. The PMC ride is a place to talk about their fights, their losses, and their triumphs. You meet people who's loss is so fresh you cannot understand how they're here, yet you gain strength from them. They gain strength from you.
You pedal, you climb, you pedal some more. You watch the signs on the side of the road. "I"m 3 because of you", "I'm a survivor because of you." You are emotional, you know they are cheering for the collective unit, you don't feel you've done anything. The "YOU" Is the essence of the PMC, you are part of it, but it is more than you.
You find energy in the crowds, people dressing up in costume, people sitting in their pajamas at 6AM to cheer you on, survivors who just want to thank someone for the treatment they found, fighters who just want to have a day to be happy and cheer on the hopes of a cure. It is the one weekend of celebration for many, it is the weekend to celebrate loved one's journeys.
You meet up with survivor riders. They pedal, they fight so no one else has to suffer what they went through.
You think about every rider passing you has raised thousands of dollars. You think about the magnitude of $35 million dollars generated from one weekend. You hope, you are inspired, You pedal.
There will be one thing, it could be large or small, that brings you to tears:
You approach the pedal partner stop, and see posters staring a half of a mile from stop that line the street all the way. They represent children that many teams ride for who are battling Cancer. They are fighters, their families are here, they are having fun today. A pedal partner sees his picture on your back and says "hey that's me." You see courage in his eyes, even though they don't fully understand. For that one day, you see hope in the parents eyes.
You ride over the Bourne Bridge in the dark and find a family standing there, waiting for the first riders. They cheer. You pedal. You ride past "da hedge", a large group of cheering folks. You squeak your squeaky toy and the crowd goes crazy. They cheer for the collective you, for the cure, for the hope.
You are overwhelmed at the number of riders joining you on day 2. We are all still here.
You find a collective unit to ride in, you find your team, you make a team. You ride as one. You are one today.
For this one weekend, we are all part of the solution.
**If you would like to read more about my 2013 PMC ride, please visit my facebook page, or if you would like to contribute, please donate here: www.pmc.org/profileid=LB0212
I know I owe a report on Patriot, but I really wanted to get this one out there!
I just came off of 2 back to back Half Ironman Aquabikes. Eagleman and Patriot. I LOVE Half ABs, just LOVE them. I think that is my distance. Of course Type A, obsessed here, I have to 'finish' and get that damn Ironman off my list.
Week 3 of major races was a Half Marathon in Fairfield, CT. It is a beautiful race that starts next to Jennings Beach. Much of the race winds through the beautiful communities around and along the coast. They have several bands playing, including a couple all KID bands. They were pretty good too! The weird thing for me is this one band was playing Johnny Cash and I kinda liked running to it!?!
Most of you know, I despise running. But in order to tick an Ironman off my list, I have to get through a Marathon. Yesterday was my 7th 13.1 and 2nd this year. I never talk about speed because I am pitiful. I tend to average 15min mile that puts me at 3:20 or 3:24 with pee stops. My EDS will never let me run fast so whatever, I'm doing it! I'm covering the exact same 13.1 miles as everyone else.
I am used to the SAG wagon, used to the last station closing up, but I am NOT used to what happened yesterday.
This is my 2nd time doing this race. I thought it was well run and great last time so when it opened I just signed up. About a week ago, I saw in the email "reminder, there is a 3:15 cutoff for all runners." - UGH! Then I noticed that cutoff was GUNTIME not your time. Race starts at 8:30, cutoff at 11:45. There are 5,000 runners going through neighborhood streets, so it takes some time to get everyone out of there.
I had a plan on how to make it. Ali and I would start at the front, much to the dismay of the fast runners. I set my Garmin to run/walk. Run 2 min, walk 8 min. I would run the first mile while the crowd thinned out, then listen to the alarm on the Garmin. I usually drink at EVERY water stop alternating between Gatorade and Water. And at every stop a water goes on my head or down my shirt. I usually eat something every hour as well.
We had lots of conversations this past week about the quantity of stuff I carry, and I decided to give being a more minimalist this time a try (never again!)!!!! I packed my meds and 1 larabar that I ate just before the start. I knew that I had to keep a 14:40 pace to make the cutoff. In my mind that should keep the water stops open and get me to the finish line by 11:45. I figured I would most likely make it to at least mile 10-11 before I passed the 'cutoff' pace. I scoped out a 7-11 around mile 11 so I figured, no problem, I could buy water / Gatorade there.
Onto the race: We passed mile 1 with a 12:15 pace. SWEET! (but really it was drafting). I did a quick portopotty stop and carried on.
There were many supporters lining the street, and this little girl with the best sign "WORST PARADE EVER."
Things were great, and all going to plan until mile 8. I was a bit concerned that there was no GU / nutrition until this point. I thought mile 8 was kinda late for that. I would expected it at 6 or 7 if only one station were to have it. I got to the station and it was mostly closed up. One woman stood there and she had about 1/4 jug left. She offered to pour it in my hands. I asked and just poured it my mouth for a good drink without touching it. I didn't take nearly what I wanted because I knew there were at least 5 others behind me, as I had just passed them.
She apologized, she said they ran out of cups. (ok where's the water though?). She also apologized that they 'ran out of gu a while ago.' Then I got to the other side of the station, this woman was picking up cups, I mentioned to her about the water and if they had any to keep those jugs filled. Her response "we had 7,000 gallons; is this the beginning or the end of the race?" I didn't really comprehend what she said until I passed her, WHAT? just WHAT? oh and she also had 2 GU's in her shirt pocket, sticking out. Great thank you lady. I caught up with another walker who told me she watched someone at that station POUR OUT the Gatorade.
I knew I had to slow down to conserve fluids. Bummer, there goes my making the cutoff, but I know my body and I like finishing, regardless of the time. The next station was about 1 mile later, with my slowing I was losing ground on my pace, I was just behind the 'cutoff' pace.
I saw 2 firefighters and I told them to keep an eye on the people behind me because there's no water/ nutrition for those of us left. One of the guys said "oh hold on" and the other said "keep going, he'll catch you. This very awesome fireman went to his truck and got me a bottle of water and ran it to me! I asked "can I give you a hug?" (sweaty LOL).. btw, this whole race is manned by the fire departments and they are just fabulous! They set up sprinklers every couple miles! And by the way, the sprinklers were still up when water was gone!
The next station had no cups either, but they at least had water in jugs. Athletes are resourceful - we just drank out of the jug. I asked those volunteers to not pour it out as cup or no cup, these guys at the end needed it. These volunteers were very sweet and said "of course." --- Although I did see a few young girls leaving the other side of that station with bags of Gatorade powder. I'm thinking we could have used that.
Next station was completely gone, no table, volunteers, but we were about 5 min past the cutoff pace at this point so I had expected them to leave, I just expected to be further along.
There were some amazing people out there, some cyclists from Team in Training offered some of their water, and there were families giving out water. These little girls came screeching across the street about mile 11 with cold bottles of water. Bless them! There was also these cute kids with a 'free lemonaid' stand about 12.5 miles in!
I knew I was done when mile 8 had no nutrition and I was forced to just conserving water from that point. I was on pace to do a 3:10-3:15 but I ended up with a disastrous 3:42, but I did finish! I crossed the finish line and got a medal. I walked down to the beach where food was and took an orange, all that was left. Again that's expected due to my time. I asked around to find the Race director and he happened to come up to the food tent. I told him what happened, and he said "when did you finish" I said 3:40..he said "yes but volunteers need to go home at some point." I hope I made it clear to him that YES I totally get that and it should be that way, but they should NOT leave before the 3:15 pacing passes that station. I tried to reiterate that I was pacing to the 3:10 when I arrived at the first no aid station. It was the first he heard of this. In my mind that's breakdown #1. He should have known, the lead volunteer there should have called in and said "hey we're running low on GU/ Water / Cups." ESPECIALLY if it was still within the cutoffs.
I discovered later that they ran out for some pacing to the 2:45-2:50 mark.
The RD was very polite, listened to me and I heard him radio someone. They both seemed stunned. Ok peace said. I then tried to find Ali. I went to her car, of course she was at mine! As soon as I sat down and took my shoes off, I knew I was in trouble. I tried to sip down some Gatorade (from my car). Then I felt the nausea. AWESOME. I decided I would drive my car over to the med tent so it was RIGHT THERE. I went in, and told the nurse I needed to cool down and hydrate. She put these awesome towels on my legs and neck. Then as I sat in the chair I got the tunnel vision- I knew I was going to throw up or pass out (or both). Puke it was! She got an EMT for me, so I was with the rest of the people in the tent, ON A COT. Good for Ali for not taking a picture, I certainly would have taken one of her LOL!!!
My BP was fine but they were worried about hydration due to the throwing up and how hot I was. In the course of being there, I got to be super nosy. There were a few athletes with IVs, one sprain and I heard them say that 5 went to the hospital (I saw one go). When I told the EMT about the water situation he said "oh that explains the number of people in here today." This poor guy next to me with very chafed nipples and an IV finally pipped up and said "YEA I SAW NO WATER at many stations."
I knew I needed a banana, for some reason when I get hot and dehydrated a banana helps. Ali sees a half peeled banana on the table. Yea I broke off the end and ate the thing. Yup, basically ate out of the trash. That did it, I was starting to feel ok between that and the Gatorade.
They released me and I ventured back to my car. I opened the back and wondered who set the tornado off in my car!?! Ali said it looked like 5 people were in there.. hahahaha!
Then I had to drive 2 hrs home! Again why do we do this??
I really want to thank most of the volunteers (all except the lady that stole the gu from an athlete in need), and the Firemen. They were just incredible! Especially the one that gave me the water bottle! With a little communication I think it could be more successful for the end of the pack. I do not expect them to stay open past the cutoff pace, but each station should stay open until the pacing of the cutoff. They should also have someone to call if they run out early.
I feel like total crap today. I don't recommend dehydration to anyone. My muscles were sucked dry! Last weekend I did a half iron aquabike on Sat and a 10 mile run on Sunday, and I felt fine. Difference was nutrition and hydration. I also don't care what I look like in the future, I'm carrying my fuel belt, and several items of nutrition, including a banana.
Lesson learned, and at least it wasn't during Ironman Florida!
**I know I've been slacking on the actual blog posts, I do frequently update my facebook page : facebook !
This year was a late start for me. I usually have a few races under my belt by June, but I must have been drinking when I made my schedule this year. Eagleman on a Saturday and 6 days later Patriot. Both 70.3 Aquabikes.
We went big this year and added an RV to my collection of gadgets for my races. We're still learning, but it is REALLY nice to have a giant changing room, and BED to take a nap on the way home!
I love the Eagleman / Chesapeakeman course and race company. It is in the Choptank river and the bike is flat, flat flat & windy. Like hilly races, you love or hate the terrain. I watched the water temperature all week, it continued to climb and was rapidly approaching a non-wetsuit race. Sure I can swim sans wetsuit, but to me it's like riding a mountain bike on the road, I'd much rather have my wetsuit!
Tropical Storm Andrea surprised many of us and rushed in. The water temp fell and remained a balmy 73 perfect degrees! BUT, with Andrea came 4" of rain in a park that is called "GREAT SALT MARSH" - guess what a marsh looks like after 4" of rain? More on that in a bit.
Packet pickup was a large affair. I arrived Saturday afternoon and it was packed. The volunteers and TriColumbia had a smooth operation to get everyone through the pickup, get your swag and get around to the vendors. I love the newest trend of the 'virtual swag.' No more 20 postcards in a bag that you're just going to throw away! YEA save some paper! I got to the end of the line and found this SWEET transition bag. I'll take it :).
I wondered into the Ironman merchandise tent, fully expecting to purchase a 70.3 shirt where they print all the participants on the back. Turns out they 'forgot' to put Aquabike on there. I figured it was ok, but Relays were there and the Ironman lady said "yea sorry, all participants were supposed to be there, I've written a note for next time." !?! I told her that means I should get one for a discount and she just walked away. They didn't get my money.
We found a parking spot for the giant RV and I began to put my bike back together. I noticed that my rear brakes were sticking, that would make for a LONG ride. We both tried to figure out the necessary adjustment and nothing was working. I figured I'd ask the next guy to pass by, this very nice guy said "oh yea I had that bike, and THAT brake was the only thing I didn't like." He was super sweet and did a quick adjustment UNDER the frame and I was all set. Thank you PRO TRIATHLETE KYLE!
I then headed over to rack my bike and do my obligatory plea with the race official to rack it handlebars up. There are strict orders that all bikes must be hung by the seat. Well, I"m 5' tall with a 48cm bike, if I hang my bike by the seat it dangles. And if there's any wind it bangs into the bikes next to me. I have to plead this case every time, the officials are usually great about it, but then at least 10 volunteers or OTHER officials yell at me to move it. Oh well, I always have to be difficult!
I met up with fellow blogger Amy , we went for a swim. (I'd add a picture of the two of us but she won't sent it to me LOL) The water was chilly as I choose to do a non-wetsuit practice swim, but it felt great! It was a little murky but that's to be expected with a storm churning up the Choptank.
John and I then headed over to the High School to 'camp.' There are no campgrounds around so TriColumbia arranges for camping at the HS. There were several RVs there and Tents. I really couldn't imagine sleeping in a tent, then doing a 70.3. Those people should get an extra medal!
The evening was great, Tri people are great, Apollo was a total chick magnet. Even complete with two little girls screaming across the parking lot "BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG!!!!! I even found a 4 leaf clover.
I fell asleep and of course was up at 3AM without an alarm. I finally got out of bed and we headed back over to the park to get a much in demand parking spot. For those that are trying to get a front spot, 4AM is NOT early enough! We were about a block away so not too bad, but with an old dog the block plus the 300 yards inside the park were tough.
I knew the mud was going to be bad, but I didn't really expect what I saw. You step and the mud covers your entire foot, and in some places up to ankle! I kept thinking.. hm what will I do for bike out? I've never mounted with shoes ON the bike. I ended up strapping my shoes to the handlebars and packing a ziplock with paper towels. I planned on carrying my bike through the mud, wiping my feet outside of transition and then putting on my shoes. I followed through with MOST of that plan on race day. I neglected to add a separate water bottle in my rear cage. I simply use the speed fill when I have aid stations. So that meant I had no water to remove the MUD from my feet. I improvised, sucked liquid out of my speed fill and spit on my feet ! (oh the gross things that happen triathlon).
I wondered over to the port-o-potty and snapped this picture in line. The water looked perfect.
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Then I connected with Amy as it was the first time we both had a Four OOOHHH on the leg! She clearly had a better body marker!
I was in the 3rd wave, just after the Pro women. The start was uneventful, I always head outside front. I get kicked and bumped but never that bad, UNTIL TODAY. They started paratriathletes, aquabike and relays together. I noticed an athlete towing a boat next to me, and it turns out we were the EXACT same speed. I tried to speed up and go around him but I knew that I couldn't afford a speed burst like that this early. I tried to slow down, but it wasn't enough. So we swam next to each other. This was fine until the first turn. He cut the buoy and pinned me and a few other swimmers between the boat and buoy. We had to stand up (yea we could stand there). Next time I'll try to avoid the boats.
The swim had a current against us for the first leg, then the return leg was this strange pushing to the side. Everyone said they had slower swim times than normal. I'm totally cool with a slower swim time due to conditions, but I'm not cool with poor sportsmanship causing delays.
Around the 2nd turn I went WAY outside again in my attempt to get out of the way of the crazy people seeking Kona slots. I was kicked, swam over, bumped, which is normal and expected. THEN, I was about 20 yards away from the inside line with no one around me, and this guy climbs up my back and punches me in the arm. PUNCHES, WHO SWIMS WITH A FIST? He did startle himself and mutter 'uh sorry.' Ok fine, I had a Charley horse and my arm didn't work correctly for a bit. I swam away from the guy and he seemed to follow me. He kicked, bumped or pushed me at least 8 other times. I was just waiting for him to climb over my feet! I ended up with a huge bruise on my arm.
I got out at :55, a TERRIBLE swim for me, but considering the contact swim and the extra .2 miles I swam, I wasn't surprised. I found my bike and contemplated the cyclocross/mud run I was about to do. I picked up my bike and jogged through transition. I couldn't throw it over my shoulder because of the speedfill, so this is the best I could do. About 1/2 way one shoe fell into the mud, so lesson learned, strap those buggers down better! A quick wipe on the shorts and it was fine.
I was off, it was a perfect day for this course. Sunny, cool, and NO WIND. Well there was some, but nothing like it can get. I was happy with the bike. I cruised along, riding in intervals and really pushing myself. I set my watch to eat/hydrate and stand up every 30 min. I often forget all 3 of those. I can sit in aero for hours, so I have to set the alarm to get up (or I WON'T be able to get up!).
I saw a ton of drafting and pelotons. I'm always shocked when I see deliberate drafting. I'm paranoid I'm going to get whacked sometime because I take longer than 20 seconds to pass someone. There were so many rude athletes, they would pass without a peep, with only inches to spare. I could care less if they want to cheat, but don't put me in danger! I mentioned this on an Eagleman site and a guy told me that I should worry about me and not everyone else. uh ok thanks, but I kinda like my skin ON my bones. I saw so many cases of rudeness on the bike. This surprised me too, because usually I find triathletes are awesome, encouraging, and pleasant. Seriously why race if you are miserable?
I was approaching an aid station and one guy threw his water bottle under my wheel. He missed me by 5" or so. Why on earth would you throw your bottle UNDER someone's wheels. I am CLEARLY not his competition. I had someone else yell MOVE in the aid station. I was going about 15 mph to get my water from a wonderful volunteer. The volunteer rolled his eyes at the jerk too.
I grabbed a banana from one station, peeled and began to eat it while in aero. This peloton 4 wide and at least 10 deep came whipping round this corner. They didn't speak as they passed me, they're lucky I cut the corner wide or I would have wiped out the whole crowd.
Because I was in an early wave, I had a ton of jerks to pass me. About mile 30 or so it started to thin out and we were left with the normal, nice people again. So a group of us were together, not pace-lining, just kind of back and forth. There was a deer LEG in the middle of the lane. No guts, blood, blood stain, just a leg with fur and a hoof. The guy next to me passes and says "that is the first time I had to yell out "LEG" on a ride."
I enjoyed the ride and was cruising along , I ended up with a 16.4 avg and it would have been 16.8 if I didn't spend 4 minutes on the whole mud/shoe thing. That pace was super slow for the rest of this field but pretty fast for me.
Coming in you had to remove shoes and carry your bike again. I totally didn't understand
those who ran through it with shoes on pushing their bikes. UGH poor bike!
The finish line was disappointing. You run off to the side and they hand you a medal. You can hear the 'real' finish line off in the distance. (I'll write about Patriot in a few, they use the same finish line for everyone, and it is a much better experience that way).
Just after the finish John found I had a MUD EAGLE on my leg!
But hey in spite of the issues and the jerks, I had my cyclocross/mud run/half iron Aquabike medal!
And I did have fun!
**I know I've been slacking on the actual blog posts, I do frequently update my facebook page though: facebook !
This post is about me and living and training with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.
I have written many blog posts about EDS. As I've said before I don't want this blog to be ABOUT Ehlers Danlos, but it is part of me. I've tried to describe some daily issues I experience in hopes to bring some more awareness to the disorder. For Awareness month, I have added this new post.
This video is an example of what others with EDS experience.
It is a spectrum disorder, so it's affects are different on each and every one of us. Today I will share more with you on how it affects ME. I am highly active for someone with EDS, but it isn't without sacrifice or pain. I usually laugh when I am asked "on a pain scale of 1-10, what is it?" - I often giggle, who's pain scale? I live with a 3 every day. 3-4 is normal. If I ever wake up and have no pain, I wonder "am I dead?"
My migraines are what led me to my diagnosis of EDS. Migraines are debilitating, at one point I had a migraine for 24 days out of every month, I would have just a regular headache the other days. Then it would repeat. I learned to deal with them, and I became a fine tuned medical testing facility. I know so much more about my body than most non-medical professionals. My chiropractor laughs when I tell him the exact bones that are out.
I have learned how to cope, from medication, to massage, heat, cold, hottub, KTTape, or rest. Rest is a hard one for me though. As a Type A, go-getter, I find it REALLY hard to 'just rest,' especially when I have an Ironman schedule to keep! It is hard to tell when I'm being lazy and just 'want' to skip a workout, vs when I should just rest. Some days, I have no choice.
On an average day, one to several joints will be subluxed (aka out of place). If I run, the top of foot collapses at the Navicular bone. I try desperately to run and not aggravate it, orthotics don't really work because my bones are just squishy and fall over the orthotic. KT tape helps to reduce the squish, but it doesn't eliminate it. After a 40 min run, I am guaranteed to not be able to put weight on my foot for a few hours.
This is one of the reasons I hate running ;). But hey, it's part of Ironman so I have to push through!
I had a ton of problems with my neck and upper back, then in Feb I had a breast reduction. (I owe a blog post on that alone). It was the best thing I've ever done and can't believe I waited this long! My migraines have been reduced (not eliminated), and my upper back pain and ribhead subluxations have been reduced by I'd say 50%! Not to say they don't still bother me, but a 50% reduction in that pain is calls for a WHOOP WHOOP!
Another area of contention is my shoulder. This past weekend it was not cooperative. I had a 100 mile ride and every 30 miles or so I was off the bike, looking for a tree to shove my arm back in place. It isn't as painful as the foot, but it is incredibly annoying. I've fully dislocated my shoulder before on a bike ride, it happens so fast too. I stumbled on my aerobars and next thing I knew my shoulder was at my ear. Unlike normal humans though, I can shove it back and move on. Sure it hurt, but I live.
My hips often sublux, it happened on the 100 mile ride I mentioned before. The simple act of swinging my leg over the bike pulled my femur straight out of the hip joint. Sometimes I can put that back, sometimes not. In this case, I rode with it out for about 20 miles then it went back. It causes pain and I know if I KEEP it out of the socket that I will inflame the entire joint and will be in trouble.
There are many other joints that sublux or just ache, hands, neck, knees, really anything can come out on any given day. It depends on the weather or who knows!
Another issue for those with EDS (or really any joint problem) is the weather. High and low pressure systems particularly affect us. A high pressure system is like the earth giving us a hug, holding in the joints. Low pressure turns me into a big blob! The last week has been High ,Low, High , Low, extreme temperatures, crazy events, storms, etc. I am paying for it dearly. All I wanted to do last week was sleep, and it just killed me, I felt so lazy for not doing workouts. I finally gave up and decided my body needed a break. Another KILLER thing is when these systems come through it SUCKS THE LIFE out of my training. I can lose strength and muscle in a matter of days. It is the price I have to pay.
I have to THINK about all of my joints and muscles with every step, pedal or swim stroke.
Do I write this for sympathy? no. It is for awareness of those with 'invisible' illnesses. You REALLY don't know what people around you are going through, so careful not to judge.
There isn't anything I can do about the EDS. It isn't curable, and it's not that treatable either. I do fear that I use it as an excuse sometimes for my lack of speed, or sometimes when I just don't want to do a workout. There is a fine line between 'excuse' and 'yes I need to rest.' I HOPE I've finally found that line.
It is not without cost, I assure you. But I wouldn't have it any other way, I enjoy being active. I don't do small either, hence IRONMAN!
Here's to another High pressure system!
**I know I've been slacking on the actual blog posts, I do frequently update my facebook page though: facebook !
