Ironman Lake Placid - Run Humble

When asking people to pray for my run, I asked them to pray for me to "run humble".  Running is my baby. My strongest leg. I KNEW once I got the run injury free, I would be fine.

E and I around the first mile

Starting off with E was a real boost for my morale too. We chatted away about the race so far, how we felt and how we were going to be Ironmen in a few hours.

We had all trained to run 4 minutes/walk a minute which is exactly what we started to do once we got out of town. Another training strategy we had worked with was walking all the hills. E felt great and I could tell that she was running faster than I was comfortable with. I tried to stay with her and not walk the hills in the beginning, but it was started to affect my confidence. I knew by mile 3 that I was not going to be able to hang on to her the whole marathon. We saw a bunch of people we knew and it really helped our spirits. In fact, around mile 5 for us, and 9 for the boys, we saw TG and E's boyfriend, B. Wow. It felt like we were immediately lifted up. A HUGE boost for us. And more importantly, it made me feel good that they were together, conquering the course as a team.

We got to the first turn around and at the water stop, we saw our Tri-mate, D. He was sitting with the medic team. He did not look good. E and I immediately started to get upset. We asked him if he was ok, and did not get a coherant response from him. The medics said they were treating him for dehydration. I kissed his bald head and E and I started running again. We ran upset for a few miles and when we heard the ambulance coming, we knew it was serious. I have to say it was one of the toughest things to do - to leave someone you know out there. (Turns out that D had a serious heart issue and spent the next few days in the hospital - happy to report that he is all well now!)

The positive thing that we saw on the turn around was that J wasn't that far behind us. J was a faster runner than us. She was gaining on us. E and J were very close and for some reason it gave me a peace of mind to let E go. At the next water stop around mile 8, I stopped and walked and told her to keep going. She did and it made me happy. She had her own race to chase and I had mine. About a mile later, when I was walking up a large hill, J passed me and I told her E wasn't that far ahead of me. (Turns out that J caught E and they ran the rest of the race practically together and finished very strong together!)

Around mile 11

 I kept with the 4/1 and walked all the hills and was feeling really good. But something happened at mile 11. It is very hard to put into words. Basically, I looked at my watch and saw that I had like 4 hours left. I started to weep. I was going to be an Ironman today. I WAS GOING TO BE AN IRONMAN TODAY.

I was so excited and at peace. And I did something that I had no plans to do... and thinking back it makes zero sense to me. I walked. Practically the rest of the race. Literally walked 15 miles.

I chatted with every one I passed, everyone that passed me. High-fived all of the kids because I was really missing mine. Thanked ALL of the volunteers. And I smiled. I was smiling from ear to ear. Everyone commented on my smile. I walked when I saw others that I knew. I walked when I got back to town and started my second loop. I walked.

At mile 13, I went into my special needs bag and got the hat my mother had sent me to wear in honor of my brother, Kenny, who had passed away a few minutes after he completed his first HIM. It made me cry again. I did run this part a little. I think having Kenny's hat on, made me feel like he was with me. I knew that Kenny would be proud of me. I also ran a few down hills because well, running down hill is just fun.

Andy, the man who convinced me that I could do it.

Heading back for the second loop was a little jolt to the spirit. I could hear people finishing and I had to go back out. I was doing a lot of walking here. I did see my teammates. It was a nice boost.

I felt fine but something just told me to walk. I walked fast, but rarely ran. Around mile 16, I started to get cold. I saw an older lady handing out some thermal blankets to the people heading back into town. I crossed the street and asked if I could have one. She gladly handed me one. About a mile later, it started to rain and I was so glad to have the warmth of the blanket. If I was running, the rain would have been a nice treat, but since I was walking and the sun was setting, it got cool.

As I was heading back into town, about 3 from the finish line, I saw finishers walking their bikes back. This hurt my morale for a few, but then someone said: Look here comes an Ironman. It made me smile ever bigger. I knew I was going to make it. I knew I would have plenty of time to spare.

Let me just tell you the last mile, the crowds and music was AMAZING. I felt so pumped. With less than a mile left, I started to jog. My body felt good. I wasn't sore or tight. I got to the finishers shoot and was overcome with emotions. I was going to be an IRONMAN.

I was so overcome, I never heard Mike Reilly say: Jen Green You ARE and Ironman. My friends said they heard it. I crossed the finish line and was so elated.

Look at that smile/cry face

Immediately they grab you and ask you your shirt size. I mean like literally. And they hand you a finishers hat while asking if you are ok. Then they usher you over to get your official finishers picture:

Not bad for 15+hours

Even better: the gang was all there to see me finish. Waited for me, the last one, to cross the line. It was humbling for them to do that.

 

 

 

 

Everyone here but C who wasn't feeling 100% and D who I would find out was at the hospital.

And then, an even more humbling moment was to see my GBA runner friend whose only purpose to be in Lake Placid was to see me finish - to be there so I wouldn't have to be alone at the finish line. I will NEVER forget her selfless act (and the good Doctor's) and I will without a doubt be there for her IM finish.

Ginny = GBA runner and friend

Final stats:

Run: 6:41:42 (not bad for walking 15 miles)

IM Finish Time: 15:42:41

My goal was to finish. I thought for sure I would barely make the 17 hour mark. I am happy with my time. I had zero heart issues the entire race and for that I know I am blessed.

This was an amazing experience. I want to do it again. I WILL do it again. I want to see just how well I can do if I did push it more. The hard part is over, I know I can finish.... now I want to see how fast I can finish, safely.

For those reading who think they could never been an Ironman. Believe me, if you want to, you can. I had only been riding my bike for 2 years. I trained using the Be IronFit book. I started in January and raced in July. If you commit to the workouts, you will finish.

Believe in yourself.

And you can call me Ironmom from here on out! ;-)

Ironman Lake Placid - Hold Back

start of bike

For the bike portion of the Ironman, I asked people to pray for me to hold back. Cycing has always been my weakest link, but I had gained noticeable improvements by the end of the training. I was nervous that I may push to hard and then have no legs for the run.

Immediately there were two things that I knew that I needed to do when I started the bike. The first was to drink. I was incredibly thirsty and knew hills where approaching. Second was to eat. Fueling had never been my strong point during training but I knew I needed it. I ate a whole cliff bar before the first hill.

Suddenly, I realized that my bike computer had shut off. I fiddled with it some and gave up. I had no idea my cadence, speed, or distance. I immediately switched my garmin so I could see distance.

I had taken the first several miles too fast (based on time) and finally settled in. I was happily surprised by the camaraderie of my fellow athletes. People talked to me during the entire 112 miles. Encouragement and warnings the whole time. I got tons of comments, all positive about my Tough Chik jersey and spectators cheered for my rainbow colored arm warmers.

bottom of major downhill - view was stunning

My tri-mates had previously ridden the course and warned me about the 3 mile down hill where pros reach 40 mph. The warning was not to get in aero. At first I was very nervous and the hill was littered with tons of bottles, fuel, tubes, and other trash. This was more dangerous than the downhill. Athletes in front of my pointed out the hazards just like you would do on a training ride and I did the same for the riders behind me. After the first mile, I decided it wasn't too bad and went aero. Boy was it FUN!

By the time I got to the bottom, I really had to pee. There was no rest stop in sight. You guessed it, I peed on the bike. First time for everything, right? It wasn't as easy to do as I had thought it would be. Initially starting proved to be difficult, but once the flow began there was no stopping it. Gross part was that it sort of pooled in my shoes. GROSS.

I took water at every stop even if I didn't need it. The volunteers were awesome. They seemed trained to run along to get me the bottle without me slowing down too much. It was fun. As the ride continued, I took bananas and pretzels at some of the stops. On the second loop, my fuel was not sitting well on my tummy and I had hoped the bananas would settled it down.

It was around mile 30 on when my tri-mate passed me on the bike. I had expected him to catch me earlier and was a little happy that it took him that long (swim is his worst leg). Also on an out and back that I saw some of my tri-mates that were ahead of me. It was AWESOME energy to get shout outs. I did not see any of the chicks so I assumed I was in front of them. Finally, I saw one of them and guessed I was about 6 miles in front.

Around mile 45 my left leg was hurting around my timing chip. Like stinging and sharp. I tried to reach down and move my time chip, but nothing was working. I decided to push through it.
 
Heading back into town, the three bears (three hills that increase in size) definitely hurt. The amazing DCTri Club was there in full blast and it felt great to get shout outs here too. It helped me to pedal hard up the hills (probably too hard). Once back into town, I saw a few more people and heard my name. I LOVED it. And knew that I was half way done on the bike.

My second loop was not filled with as much joy. The thrill of seeing everything for the first time had dissipated and now it was just about getting done. I was super focused. Everything was like a science. When I ate, when I drank, when I pushed it and when I glided. I took the hill downhill the next time in aero. WOW... it was awesome and way fun.

bottom of major downhill  - 2nd loop

I had peed 3 more times by the finish line. By mile 95, I was beat. I wanted to get off of the bike. My left leg near the time chip hurt really bad. My shoes were soaked (with pee), my back was starting to ache and mentally, I was DONE. The three bears were vacant on the second round. Signs littered the sides of the road but no spectators. It was tough mentally. I tried to focus on what I was doing. Just get OFF the bike. This was my mantra.

Heading back into town was all I could do to keep going. I wanted off. I got to the bike dismount and an incredible feeling overwhelmed me. I was DONE with the bike. I never had to ride that THING again. I started to cry, hyperventilate cry - I was so happy to hand my bike over to the volunteer.

(Note: my twin sister later would ask: "Were you crying off the bike? I was watching you on the live feed and saw you.")

Bike Finish time: 7:19:35 (goal: under 8)

I started to jog into transition. I had planned to completely change my clothes and I was happy that I had planned for that considering the fact that I was urine soaked. The volunteers were awesome. I had one dedicated just for me. It did get awkward when I was standing there full monty and she wanted to help me get my run skirt on, but I declined that help. Before putting on my compression socks, I examined my leg where the pain was... and nothing. No cut, no blood, but it hurt. I took my timing chip off and put it on top of my compression sock hoping it would help. As I was lacing my shoes, a tri-mate entered and since she was not changing, we exited T2 at the same time.

T2 time (due to a complete wardrobe change): 10:30

It felt wonderful to start the run with a friend! Only 26 miles left!

Ironman Lake Placid - Just Breathe

Pre-race swim

When asking for prayers for my Ironman, I asked for people to pray for me to: "Just breathe" on the swim. Why? Because I have been notorious for my freakouts. Freakouts that sometimes last for the whole swim and only in open water - race or no race. Even during the swim pre-race, I tended to get really anxious - like my wetsuit was too tight kind of anxious.

Ironman Lake Placid's swim was in Mirror Lake. It was a nice lake, somewhat clear and had a yellow cord connecting the buoys. Andy, who did Placid the year before, gave sound advice: Hang back and try to swim on the yellow cord and you won't need to sight often."

I lined up with several of the MoCo Mafia (my Tri training group) to start the swim. The energy level at the start of an Ironman is unmatched by any race I have ever done. You could see the nervousness in each athlete's eyes. I began to tear up at the National Anthem.

And then: BOOM!!! Cannon went off. The crowd's cheers were loud. I felt ready.

Immediately I lost my tri-mates in the water. At first I felt alarmed and then I settled in. I attempted to swim near the yellow cord, but there were a lot of men flailing. I veered to the left and just kept swimming. Before I knew it, I was at the turn. At this point this at least 6 foot, 250 lb man swam over top of me. It happened so fast that I barely knew what happened. I decided to swim in his wake, but I made the mistake of touching his foot. WHAM! He literally (and purposefully) kicked me in the face, twice. OUCH! I hesitated and stopped to tread. Then I got mad. I sprinted to pass him. And immediately found my own.  I passed people left and right.

I made it back to the dock and headed to shore. The time on the clock said 43:01. I was immediately elated and hoped I could make the second loop as fast.

For the second loop, I made it to the yellow cord and swam the entire leg without sighting. It felt awesome and I felt strong. When I would start to think too much, I closed my eyes and pretended to be in the pool. Good thing I am a straight swimmer.

Before long the yellow cord was fading and I knew that meant I was close to the end. I swam until my hands were touching sand and stood up and immediately started to unzip my wetsuit. Clock read: 1:26 - I had practically even swim splits - Wahoo. (official results: Loop 1: 40:18, Loop 2: 41mins)


I had decided pre-swim that I would not lay down to get stripped at the swim exit due to the sand. I had about a 1/2 mile run to transition and it was chilly. I ran with my wetsuit peeled half way down and got to transition. I had minimal help as it was packed. I did a quick scan and did not see any of my tri-mates that I had started with. Either they were in front of me or I beat them out of the water.

I did panic a little because there were no available volunteers and I really wanted some water. I decided on arm warmers and couldn't get them to pull up on my wet arms. I handed my bag to a volunteer and headed to the exit. I asked the volunteer there if she could help and she happily did. As I was running to the bike, the volunteers called out my bib # and my bike was ready for me at the end of my row.

I was ready for the ride and all I could think was: here we go......

Ironman Lake Placid Day 1

Day 1: July 24th

Thankfully, most of us were able to leave several days before the actual start of the Ironman. I highly recommend this is you can afford the time away from family and work.

We met at a central location and the gang carvanned up to Lake Placid, NY. We knew it was going to be an eight hour drive, so we departed around 8:30. Unfortunately (at the time, more on that later), my ride had a change of plans last minute, so I had to drive alone. At first, I was disappointed in my ride's decision to not leave until late Thursday forcing me to drive and be by myself. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I despise to drive. If I won the lottery, I would hire a driver.

Excited to see the mountains.

Anyway, it ended up being a mixed blessing because I was able to think about my race strategy, listen to my own choice of music and sing out loud. :-) Despite a minor missed exit (20 minute detour), the ride up was uneventful.

The house we rented was awesome. E did all of the leg worth and while it wasn't cheap, if I was to do it again with such a large group of racers/sherpas/children, I would use this house. There were three floors and we fit 7 (4 adults and 3 kids) on the top floor, 9 on the second floor (6 adults and 3 big kids), and 2 adults on the first floor.  With a full kitchen, dining area, hot tub, deck and walking distance to transition, it was perfect.

We unpacked and headed to town for a nice dinner at local joint (slightly expensive) and walked around the town. The vibe of the town was totally Ironman related. I saw a lot of eye candy rolling in for the race ... meaning hot bikes. The nerves turned to excitement. Months of training was coming to an end. The race was upon us.

As the sun was setting, I was excited to be swimming in Mirror Lake tomorrow.

Throw Back Thursday

With the Marine Corps Marathon approaching, I thought I would share my MCM pics from the first time I ran it: October 2010

At the start line. My dear friend, Beth captured this shot.

Around mile 8, feeling happy.

Bob met me at mile 10 and this was around mile 12.

Around mile 20 - hurting!

Determined to finish!

My Bling.

And the ones that make me a BA Mother Runner!

Race Report (Yes, I was wordy back then):

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

Mother Runner House Party

I know. It has been a while. And I promise to catch everyone up.

Tonight, I attended the Mother Runner House Party, co-hosted by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell from Another Mother Runner  and Julie Sapper and Lisa Reichmann at Run Farther and Faster and it inspired me to reconnect with fellow mother runners.

SBS, Lisa, Julie, and Dimity

 

First I hooked up with Erika from MCM Mama and found out she will be in Richmond too in her quest for 5 half marathons before the end of the year! Woot! Can we say blogger dinner?

The Mother Runner House Party consisted of a lot of mothers. I believe there were 200+ registered. SBS and Dimity reading from their books and even giving us a hint at their third book that in it the works. LOTS and LOTS of giveaways, sadly I did not win anything... but Erika did!

Right before the start of the book reading.

It was nice to meet other mother runners, be recognized from my blog despite my hiatus and see that there is still a rich community of women who are authentic and willing to offer support.

So, with that: I pledge to reconnect and let you all back into my world.

Anyone else attend a Mother Runner House Party out there? Apparently the DC one tonight had the largest turn out thus far! Woot!!

(I know you can see my Ironman pictures above... so yes, that means I finished. Yay, right?! I had delayed posting my race report until I could give Bob, my running partner, the story in person. And while that did happen a few weeks ago, I sadly, did not like the tone of my race recap. It was very negative, because it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine; but I have decided that it wasn't what I wanted you to hear. As I have had time to reflect, I have a different perspective and perhaps it will serve my readers better. I promise, it is coming!)

Managing Progress

I am not sure if it was my recent "success" at my first half IM or whether it was when a friend PMd me to tell me he asked a group member: "Do you know who has really stepped up during training? He said: Jen! And that's correct. You are doing great!"... but I decided to examine my progress so far in IM training. And let me tell you, I was surprised.

1. Every Tuesday, the "group" rides bricks usually in LAV. It is a semi-hilly stretch with one of my highly hated hills, Griffith. Our brick is only 45 minutes and last night we had to add extra to our ride. Why? Because apparently, I have gotten faster. How fast? Well, I examined my data. In March, it took me 47 minutes to do that stretch. Last night, 33 minutes. What? No, I'm serious. Some of it has to do with my confidence on the bike. I still feel like it is my worst leg of the Tri, but I am coming along. Here is another example. First time, my average was 13 mph, last night it was 17.4 mph! Woot!!

2. Also, on Tuesdays, part of our brick is a run. In February, my 15 min run netted just over 1 mile... average was 1.2. Last night, we ran 1.67 in the same 15 mins. Again... that is a nice increase. Another significance is that I am riding faster (harder) and still able to run faster after! Woot!

3. During the Build Phase of my IM training plan, we swam 3000m. Once every 2 weeks, we had a straight 3000m swim without stopping. It became a great tool for examining my progress. The very first time I swam 3000m in 1:10. The last time: 1:02. That is an 8 minute decrease with the same effort level meaning I wasn't trying to beat my time. I simply swam and timed it.

The Peak Phase of my training began this week. As I told my husband: 9 weeks of hell before the big day. Swims increased to 3500m, long rides will get to 5 1/2 hrs and long runs to 3hrs. It is really going to wreck havoc on my family - basically mommy is busy during the weekend.... so I am making every second I spend with them count.

And I hope, when I am down about my training, when I have a workout that just plain stinks... I will look back at my progress and smile. Training for an IM isn't easy. The willingness to put in the required training and to be proud of my progress thus far will carry me to the start line.

How do YOU examine your progress?

Wordless Wednesday

 

1/2 an IronWOman

What happens when I disappear for a few months? I sort of crush my first HIM.

If you can remember, I have been training for IM Lake Placid with the Be Iron Fit book! I love it and believe it is the right plan for the busy athlete. In the plan, it calls for a HIM to be done week #22, or as we do in Maryland on week #19. We had to bump it up because it was the closest one we could find and it was a tough course. The run is ridiculously hilly and the bike course had some nice ones too. (BTW: did I mention Lake Placid is noted as one of the hilliest IMs out there). So for week #19, I placed Kinetic Half Ironman at Lake Anna State Park in Spotsylvania, VA on my race calendar.

I was blessed as a friend from church had two houses near the race and offered them up for the Mafia for merely the cleaning fee. As you know training for IM is expensive and this was definitely a blessing as there were 13 of us racing.

Me, with Joyce and E!

The morning of the race was daunting. I couldn't help but think of my brother Kenny. I know I've mentioned him often but today he was on my mind as he went to be with Jesus after his first HIM. Nothing related to the race (a brain aneurism) but he collapsed about 15 minutes after he finished. My family was apprehensive about me even attempting it at first but seemed to seek peace as race day approached. I kept checking my phone hoping someone was up to give me words but I gave up at 6:30 am and turned my phone off. Transition closed at 6:45 and I had to recheck my gear and get my wetsuit on. Another tip: in case there is rain in the forecast, use a small rubbermaid container. E's advice was perfect - placed my running stuff on the bottom and my bike gear on top and closed it. All safe and dry!

I did a lot of praying, not just because I was struggling to get my wetsuit on but to calm my nerves and trust my training. (BTW: when I commented to my daughter that no one wished me luck before the race, her response without missing a beat was: "Well, maybe no one thought you needed luck!" Touche, dear daughter!)

Aren't we hot in our wetsuits?

We all gathered near the swim start and it was everything I could do to hold it together. I wanted to cry. The water temperature had increased to 69 degrees which was awesome. The rain had held off and Lake Anna looked calm. I watched as TG and B and IronJay started in wave two. E, Casey, and I were wearing our bright pink caps for wave three. Casey disappeared near the front (she is a bad a$$ swimmer) but E and I started together.

Swim start, I'm the one with my head up.

The horn blew and immediately I panicked. I think I was chanting: oh my God and it wasn't in vain, I was praying. E witnessed my freak out and said: calm down and breathe. Thankfully it was shallow so I walked for a while. I ended up doing the breast stroke until the 4th buoy and then finally managed to start swimming. I never really got in the zone but somehow caught up to E and we pretty much swam the rest together. I breathed every stroke instead of every third like I practiced but kept the tree line in my vision and tried to make it to 10 strokes before I sighted. This is how I finished. E had a good push at the end and managed to beat me by at least three minutes out of the water.

Happy to be DONE!

I was happy to be done the with swim. I made it to transition only to see IronJay. We were racked really close together and unfortunately the swim is his worst leg. We chatted as we prepped and headed out of T1 together just as the rain started. Yes, I said rain. Up until this point I have never rode my bike in the rain. I was glad I put my shades on and decided it was easy not to get a drafting penalty as the bikes in front of me were spitting up rain water and debris. I didn't see IronJay on the bike again, he is fast.

Since I rode the course the week before I knew what to expect. I felt great on the bike. I cannot believe I just wrote that as the bike is my worst leg. My friend Joyce's advice the night before on how to save your legs for the run: every time you really feel like you are working really hard, back it down. And that is exactly what I did. I dropped to lower gear on the hills, I didn't pound it away on the flats. Around mile 25 I thought, wow if I was doing an Oly, I would be done! :-)

Finishing ride

The rain stopped about 7 miles in and when the sun came out it was scorching. The road debris started to bother me but overall, I was thrilled as I re-entered the state park and started to mentally prep for the run.

I should note here my fueling issues:

1. I ate three blocks right before the swim. For breakfast I ate 1/2 of a Powerbar as my stomach was upset - 100% nerves.

2. Right off the bat on the bike I drank 1/3 of my Gatorade and took 3 more shot blocks.

3. 45 mins into bike I took another 3 shot blocks with Gatorade. Finished first bottle.

4. Another hour passed and I choked down 4 more shot blocks followed by Gatorade. My stomach started to feel sick. I knew it was too much sugary stuff so at the next bottle exchange I took a bottle of water to clean my mouth and throat out.

5. I took 2 more shots as I was entering the park to head back to transition on my bike and knew instantly it was a mistake. Chugged some Gatorade and wished I had water.

As I was approaching the dismount area, I saw E and Casey beginning their run. My first thought: wow, I must have crushed the bike as they aren't that far ahead of me! It was just the kind of mojo I needed to start the run. I grabbed another package of blocks but was pretty sure I wasn't going to use them.

1/4 of a way up the hill on loop one.

At the start of the run, my legs felt great. Too good actually was my first thought. But after about 200m the start of the first hill checked me. I had previously decided on a 4:1 for the run. With Placid being my main goal, I'm positive I won't be able to run the marathon straight. So I wanted to test my body and see how the 4:1 worked. It is also worth noting that I trained this way for the last 5 long runs.

The ONLY thing that was great about the three loop run course was that you get to see your friends, a lot! I decided to make the best of it and every person that passed me or that I passed, I cheered on. This helped me more mentally than I could even imagined. It got me to look at people, make eye contact and keep spirits alive. And almost always they returned the favor! I loved it. The first loop I felt great. Passing the finish line chute to make my third loop - yeah it sucked!!!! Some of my friends were there having already finished and I wanted nothing more than to be there with them. Thankfully the MC got my bib number and gave me a personal shout out that carried me up the next hill.

Start of the 3rd loop.

I took water at every water stop. Three swallows and dumped the rest in my hat to cool my head. When the sun came out it was steamy. Towards the end of the second loop I took some electrolyte tablets, spit out the first one and managed to swallow the other two, followed by a whole cup of water. I was still unable to fuel. My stomach was starting to feel better but my sugary blocks were not going to do it.

At mile 10, I decided I needed some fuel to finish and took 2 more blocks and dropped the rest so I wasn't tempted to eat any more. The next walk period turned into a 1:4 but I switched back once my stomach felt a little better, but it gave me enough to make it to the finish line.

As I approached the chute, a chick was in front of me. I knew I could smoke her and prayed she didn't try to race me in. I beat her and claimed my first 1/2 IM medal.

Yeah, I beat her!

Here is the thing I didn't tell you before: I thought my finish time would be between 7:30-8 hours. I have no idea how my bike was so fast (average 17.5 mph) and it wasn't too fast to kill the run entirely. I could have done better on the run for sure, it was a mental thing. And the swim, I could have crushed that if I just get my freak out under control.

Swim & T1: 00:48:56 (45:24 according to my Garmin)
Bike: 03:06:59
T2 & Run: 02:36:40  (2:34 run according to my Garmin)
Overall time: 06:32:35

The best thing about this race, besides doing it with 13 of my friends - I feel like IMLP is possible. I know it's going to be tough, but I kinda feel like I will be able to finish in 17 hours!

Most of the MoCo Mafia after.

I need to:

1. Figure out my fuel. Those sugary sweet blocks are not going to work for the whole race.

2. Get my freak out in the swim under control. Losing an easy 300m to the modified breast stroke (head above water) is not helpful. Try it sometime. You use completely different muscles and way too much legs for that stroke.

3. Figure out mental for run. I never doubted I would finish the 13.1 but I am sure that the daunting 26.2 miles will send my head into a tailspin.

So I came home to some awesome children who were quite proud of their #1 Iron Mom - a title I proudly wear!

I hope you continue with me on my journey. And if you do, I'll promise that my updates are more frequent!!! :-)

BTW: Would you put a 70.3 on your car or wait for the 140.6?

So where have I been?

First swim use of new Garmin = SWEET

Funny I have been wondering the same thing! Quick recap:

1. Yes I have still been training for my IM! I wondered if my absence would make readers believe I had abandoned my goal race! In fact I am in week 12 of my 30 week plan.

2. No, I am not longer working! When I last left you I was teaching 4th grade teacher! Basically it means that I have taught everyday but 3 since the start of school (actually prior to the start as I had to be there for pre-service).  My second gig ended March 15th and so now I'm "free at last"!

Do I miss it? I miss the friendship of fellow teachers, especially one in particular but not the parents. I miss the enthusiasm of the students but not their self-righteous parents. I miss the look in a student's eyes when they finally grasp the material, but certainly not the parents. I learned tough lessons while teaching and will forever be a champion of the hard work teachers put in everyday! Believe me: they down right deserve the time off in the summer!

3. Now what? Well, I have a bigger job ahead of me: IMLP training! I do believe I am fortunate enough to not "need" to work. So I will be focusing on my family and training, occasionally taking some sub jobs, but nothing long term!

My kids have certainly enjoyed our laid back mornings, my attentiveness to their needs, and our extra cuddle time! I feel blessed that I have to opportunity to be able to be a "better" mother! Teaching really takes it out of you and what I mean is patience!

I don't regret taking the jobs though! My kids grew some much during this time - independent and confident! I could count on them to be showered and have lunches packed by the time I got home from swim training in the morning! Some may gasp at a 9 and 8 year old doing this, but truly, they loved it! The first morning I left at 5:30 to swim before they woke I was back within 45 minutes because I was so nervous! They were disappointed I was home so early! :-)

I knew they were ready! Of course I had a little bribery in the mix: Krispy Kreme on Thursdays if they behaved all week! It was a huge incentive! I saw team work and love! And they saw that they were capable and that I trusted them.

Week #11 of IM training began the build phase. Swims are 3000 m, Bikes are 2:30+ hours, and most runs are 1+ (except for bricks). What also began was a 3rd swim for the week and I am currently toying with what to do about that.

My body is tired and it is clear that I am not consuming enough calories to keep the energy level up. I am attempting to rectify this, but as a formally overweight mom, this is the toughest part. I do look at food as fuel, but I need to eat more - it's just that simple.

We head off to Myrtle Beach for Spring Break tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. I am bringing my bike along and hope to find a pool to get my swim on.

Guess what? I'm still a runner at heart. No matter what the weather, I can always run. And I ALWAYS know how to dress. There is something about getting into a "chilly" pool at 5:30 am that is just evil. And cycling in 30 degree temps is just WRONG!

How do you get enough calories in to fuel your body?

IMLP Training Day #10

I think I enjoyed training when I wasn't working full time. That being said, I completed my Day #10 workout with a little less optimism.

IMLP Training Day # 10 - Run 30 min Z2, Swim: 2500 m

My husband has officially told me he will be late everyday until 22nd. I guess it is okay. I mean, usually he is a 4 o'clock husband, but every 4 years, we have to deal with a silly little thing called: Inauguration. I know, its pretty important but when it affects my training, I get grumpy.

Run:

Since my husband was late and once again I had a run in Zone 2, I tried to run again with my favorite HR Zone 2 keepers - my kids. I didn't think they would come, but they did. By .4 of a mile, the complaining started. I realized that having not really kept up with their running since the Fall, having them go out and run 1.4 miles yeaterday, did not bode well for a 3 miles run today. After .6 miles, I had to head back home and firgure out how I was going to get 20 more minutes in. I decided to run loops, sat them up with the homework and a candycane (bribery) and set off to finish with my phone.

Of course, I ran higher than Z2, and after 10 minutes I called home. Kiera answered, said they were fine and I kept running. After 5 additional minutes, I called again and Brock's sentiments hit the nail on the head: "Mom stop calling and run already!" Pretty cute! So I finished a 30 min run, probably mostly in Zone 3.

Swim:

With my husband still not home at 6, I was started to get worried that I would not have any energy for a late swim. When he finally arrived, I bolted.

Workout was: 300 wu, 8x50 drill, 4 x 125 @20 secs, 4 x 175 @30 secs, 4 x 125 @20 secs. 8x50 drill, 200 cd (well this was actually last weeks workout that I read wrong, but I still did 2500 m)

The pool was exhaustingly crowded. A silly Russian guy (no he told me he was Russian, no judgement here) wearing a tight speedy would not stop talking to me. And a really really slow but nice guy kept me from really getting into a groove. I think I hated everything but the 5 minute hot tub receovery.


*BTW: no children were hurt during this workout. They are legally allowed to stay home by themeselves, I just don't like doing it. :-)

IMLP Training Day 8 & 9

IMLP Training Day 8 = REST! (I was exhausted too and I am pretty sure it had NOTHING to do with training.

IMLP Training Day 9 = Bike 30 min Z2, Run 15 min Z2 (switched with Day 10)

First, I had issues getting to the pool again today, so I decided since this is still the build phase, I would switch with Wednesdays workout.

Bike: 30 min Z2 - today the trainer proved to be much easier. Dare I say tolerable. Next thing I know it was 20 minutes down and I only had 10 minutes left. Sure, the 10 minutes took forever but still! Trash on tv was Rob and Big - made me laugh at least!

Run: 30 min Z2 - I was trying to work on Z2 running and my husband wasn't home yet, so I suggested to the kids to run with me. Would you believe it that I stayed in Zone 2 the ENTIRE time. I think I may have found a solution for the short runs. They had fun, complained minimally and I finished my workout!

HR Zone 2 masters!!!

IMLP Training Week 1 - Check!

IMLP Training Day 5 - Run 30 min Z2

Ah, the bliss of running in Zone2 - NOT! I did not believe it could be so hard to run... slower! Oh, I know you are questioning me. But try it. When you have conditioned your body to maximize the time you have to run as many miles as you possibly can during a set time, heart rate zones mean NOTHING. I am not going to lie, marking down my 30 min Z2 run as 3 miles... was embarrassing. And truth be told, I probably was above Z2 85% of the run. I gave myself a break and realize that I have to condition myself to run in heart rate zones and that it will not happen over night. It did feel nice, but I know I will NEED this come race day.

IMLP Training Day 6 - Bike 1 hour Z2

What happens when all of your so called BFFs sign up for a morning Spin class with an awesome instructor and you cannot because you told your daughter that you would coach her basketball team? Bitterness - of course, and a trainer.

I got up and hopped on my trainer Saturday morning and vowed to stay in my HR zone (check) and ride for 1 hour. Oh the torture... mainly because the kid's choice of entertainment was the Fairy Odd Parents. UGH! It made me actually question why they felt this tv show was entertaining.

I limit my children's television time to around 2 hours a day. Of course, the tv is my best babysitter when I need to get things done, but I do try. At one point during my aero time frame (rotated every 10 minutes), I asked my son why he liked this show. His response, "Because it was silly." Agreed! He laughed at some of the funny parts while I was trying to ascertain why if limited this was the show he would choose to watch. I asked him again, and his response was, "I just want to wake up." Oh, I get it... it was mind numbing. Sort of like soap operas or that trashy LMN titilating drama that I just had to stay up and watch. Not sure I used that as an excuse when I was 8 though.

Finished ride: wanted to stop after 15 minutes, promised myself a smoothie at 35, cursed my lady parts at 45 and when the 60 minutes were over, I bolted for the shower. I cannot wait for the weather to be warmer so I can ride outside.

IMLP Training Day 7 - Run 45 mins Z1 to Z2

Long story short, large group run turned in to smaller group/solo run for an hour. It was cold and I felt good. The group was faster, a couple hung back for the first 2.5, but most took off the second 2.5. I ran probably in Z3, should have backed down more. But it was done.

Lake Placid Swim

Also, not really trying to make up the missed swim, but just to get time in the water, I did an easy 750m while my kids were at swim practice. Easy 300 w/u and then played 25 meters chase with TG. That made swimming fun. And coming off of Swim month in the USAT NCC, I was pleased to start enjoying the swim again!

IM Training Day 4

Day 4 and only managed 1/2 of the workout. There was no way I could get the swim in excluding hiring a sitter. Worked till 3:45 and husband did not get home until 5:45, and I had basketball ... blah, blah.

Raced home and got on my bike after practice. Kiera even said, "Aren't you tired from the day?" I replied: "Of course, but earning my IM title is more than just on race day." Sounded better than it felt.

I am not going to lie, it was a HUGE disappointment not getting my swim in today. I am currently deciding if I do it tomorrow or follow the plan. Thoughts?

Lake Placid Bike Course

Bike: 30 mins Z1 (100+ RPM) and my lady bits were sore from yesterday. About 10 minutes in and everything felt smoothed. Husband didn't complain today just turned the volume up. I was bored, wished I had company and sort of drifted into the: how in the world am I going to ride on the trainer for longer periods of time? Yuck!

Tomorrow's workout is: Run 30 mins Z2 which seems like a great way to end the week. After all, Run is my first love!

Ironman Training Day 3

I just completed my 3rd day of IM training and I am already wondering how I am going to get tomorrow's workout in.

I have been asking my husband to get a cheap TV for the basement as the trainer is too loud for the iPad and I don't want to wear headphones while riding (sort of need to hear where the kids are...). And over a year has passed and still no TV - even with all of the holiday sales. (And he said he didn't know what to get me for Christmas?) So, yesterday in preparation for today, I moved my bike from the basement to our family room, snuggled next to his computer. He didn't acknowledge it yesterday but this evening, when I hopped on for my 30 min Z2 workout during his new program of choice: Pass!Time (some weird drag racing car show), he said, "Is this going to be a regular thing?"

I wish I had thought to bring the bike up earlier! Anyway, I rode for 35 mins (the first 5 I used as a warmup) and I alternated aero and regular riding every 5 minutes. I think I am going to get "fitted" again as aero is a completely different ball game (on my lady parts).

After my ride, I quickly put the kids down and changed to cold gear and headed outside for a 15 minute which turned into 30 minutes. I KNOW. I said I wouldn't over train, but it hardly seemed worth putting my cold gear on to run for 15 minutes. I definitely ran most of it in Z2 so that was a plus. It was cold but I warmed up fast.

Tomorrow calls for 2500 swim and 30 min Z2 bike. Problem with my schedule is that Thursdays are completely crazy with both kids having basketball practice on different sides of the earth and I am the coach of Kiera's team... did I mention the pool closes at 9 and Kiera's practice is over at 8? UGH!

I contemplated a whole plan where I left them home asleep (they are of legal age to be left alone) and knocked out my swim before they woke... and having my husband call at a certain time to verify that I was home - but I am not sure I am ready for that. They were thrilled. Maybe in a few years. AHHHHH!

How do you work around your children's schedule to get your workout in?

Ironman Training Day 2b

Surprise! Yes, I am still alive. Life has been crazy. But I wanted to come back and ask you to join me in my journey to become an IronWoman!

Race: Ironman Lake Placid - July 28th (day before my 36th birthday)

And to make my life a little crazier, I decided to train for an Ironman while working full time (well, until March 15th any way!) as a 4th grade teacher.

Mirror Lake

The first day of Ironman training (btw: I am using the Be Iron Fit Intermediate plan) was Monday and was a REST day. A perfect way to begin, right? I certainly think so but unfortunately, the second day called for a 2500m swim and a 30 minute run AND the pool was closed today due to the holiday.  In order to stay on track, I decided to get my swim in yesterday and ran the New Year's Day 5k today. I think it is okay to be a little flexible and I am sure it will happen again.

Swim (Day 2a):
300 warmup
8x50 drill
12x100
8x50 drill (dropped 200 here due to time - had to be home by 7am)
200 cool down

Run (Day 2b):
30 min Z2 - 5k at a 9:27 pace and added a little run back to the car to complete the 30 minutes.

Tomorrow (Day 3) is Bike: 30 Z2 and Run: 15 Z2

I'll let you know how it goes.

What are your goals for 2013?

And the Confidence grows

I am gaining confidence on the bike. I am attending rides where before I would have been way to chicken to even RSVP. On Tuesday and Thursdays, the MoCo Mafia rides in hilly Laytonsville. The I first time rode there I opted for the shorter route and could not believe how many hills there were. Seriously, my average for the 25 mile ride was 13 mph. They rode 5 miles further than me and ended up waiting a good 15 minutes for me to finish - yeah, that bad.

My aero inspiration!

Last night, I managed to hang with them for most of the first 16 miles. I did get dropped like a hot potato on two smaller hills but thankfully there were stop signs at the top, so they waited for me. Up until mile 16, my average mph was 19.5 = see the difference with my new bike? Around mile 16, we went down a very steep hill... like the warning signs said no more than 20 mph for cars, and I looked down and was going 26, but I knew there was a huge hill - think vertical at the bottom of the hill. I slowed a little, took the turn and started to pedal up the hill changing gears... when I dropped my chain. YUP - 1/4 of the way up a HUGE hill. Thankfully I unclipped or I would have fallen over. I yelled after E and said: What do I do? She replied: put your chain back on and crank it hard.

I was stunned for a minute, but didn't cry. There was no way I was going to be able to pedal up at this point.  I quickly made the decision to walk the bike down the hill, fix the chain and pedal hard up. I was actually going like 3 mph up the hill. And was dropped by a lot. I am positive they waited at the top of a series of hills for me forever - it felt like that. It hurt my spirit a little, but I knew I needed to finish before it got dark.

And thankfully, the gang waited. We still had 6 miles left of some nice flats but also more hills. My legs were burnt so they lost me on the flats despite me clocking 25 mph - before I was doing 18 mph here and thought that was fast. BIG difference.

E waited for me at another turn and we sort of chatted as we took on the hills. I watched her a lot on this ride, when she dropped, when she changed gears. I have concluded that I do not change gears enough and I waste me legs. Fine for training, but not so much in a race. I learned a lot by watching her. (Brag a little: E dropped her HIM time by an hour last weekend - SWEET!)

When we had just a small 3 mile flat stretch home, a new guy wanted me to practice drafting. I was SCARED TO DEATH of hitting him... plus we were in traffic so crashing wasn't really an option. He said I didn't need to be too close, that 2 feet would work.... ugh, I was so scared. But then I looked down and was doing 26 mph and barely working - cool... but not sure I will be doing this regularly though.

Hmmm, I wonder what this girl will be capable of when she gets confident in all three areas!!! Only time will tell.

BTW: I will be atempting my longest ride ever this weekend. I'll keep the distance a secret, but my longest ride to date is 54.3 miles and that was on Athena!

3TT

Not Over Training -  I have accepted the fact that perhaps I do not get the results I want at races because I am over training. Yes, I am admitting it. I have lots of time and when I get stressed or sad, I workout. I think it culminating with me completing an Olympic Tri (there was a few hours in between each workout) a week ago. I have decided to find a plan and follow it. No making stuff up.

IMLP -  A fellow DCTri friend laid down the gauntlet for IMLP. Eek! I haven't even done a HIM. I'm nervous to sign up, but I have more than enough time to over analyze as registration isn't until the middle of July.

Bike Name -  I still haven't named my new bike. The name I am considering is PB&J for Pixie Blue and Jen (me) but I'm not in love. Can you help me name her?