2011 marked another year where I did something I said that I wouldn't do: a marathon. In 2010 it was Ironman...said I'd NEVER do an Ironman, which is swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, followed by a MARATHON. On November 14, 2010 I signed up for my first solo (non-Ironman) marathon in Little Rock. I wanted a goal to carry me through the winter, wanted to see what doing a marathon would be like after NOT biking 112 miles, and needed an Arkansas destination in my quest to visit all 50 states.
It was a wise decision, though a little challenging getting through winter's snow and ice. Leawood and Olathe's trail-clearing prowess saved me numerous times. The idea of spending any time (let alone over an hour) on a treadmill is MOST unappealing. I went to a few a la carte Runner's Edge sessions and scored big on the random inquiries "so what race are you training for?"...I found a big KC group going down there for the race (including some that I knew and people that I didn't know). It turned out to be a lot of fun! That plus my aunt Kristen going down there with me...which was helpful too. I swung through Springfield to pick her up and off we went.
We rolled into Little Rock and I thought it was so cute! I was feeling Little Rock's vibe. The metro area has around 900,000 people. Aunt Kristen and I went to packet pickup and then drove over to see the State Capitol building, and then to the national historic site/museum Little Rock Central High School. This was the site of the nation's first school integration after Brown vs Board of Education struck down "Separate but (not) equal".
The visit to Little Rock Central High School was deeply moving. The museum is excellent and includes photos and video, as well as context of our culture and the Civil Rights Movement at the time. The video kiosks overlook the actual school (which is still operating) and it was surreal to see the present day site compared to the video of the mobs and military on that site where history took place in 1957. Nine black students attempted entry to the school several times unsuccessfully before President Eisenhower intervened. The mobs & threats they faced were beyond overwhelming...it is hard to imagine how these 15/16 year olds faced it with the grace and convictions that they did. They just wanted a better future, and thank God they believed that they deserved to have a better opportunity. They changed history. I thought about them during the race...as "suffering" and "perseverance" tend to be themes for me during marathons. And perspective. To see more about the Little Rock 9 and the adults they became, see http://littlerock9.com/
So pre-race night comes and the KC running crew hit downtown Little Rock and we ate at the Dizzy Gypsy, which was a really unique cool place. Our meal of choice, pasta of course. We got back pretty early and I went over my race instructions and gear. I was ready to go!
Race morning was overcast and about 32 degrees...I chose 'less' rather than more and went with capri tights and a short sleeve with a long sleeve layered over that. No hat and no gloves. By the end of the race it became sunny and was mid-40s. PERFECT conditions for a marathon!!!!
My main goal was sub 5 hours and to NOT LET THE RACE BREAK ME. I executed my training plan, which included everything up to 22 miles (one 20 miler, one 22 miler). So now it was going to be a mental battle, and I didn't want to "break" mentally (which can mean give up / not try / etc). The Ironman marathon did break me a bit...I recovered but it wasn't pretty and I didn't execute the run like I really wanted to.
I ran with Renea and Angela from KC and we start out conservatively and had fun chatting. The first 13.1 to 14 miles are "easy"...I felt strong and really great. I tell myself how great I feel and enjoy that positive feeling while it lasts. The first part is fun...the scenery, the crowds, the experience. It's all good. A random weird fact...I didn't stop for a "pitstop" the whole time. I was well hydrated and drank at every station, but kept telling myself that my body was going to absorb it and sweat it out at the perfect rate. I didn't want to stop and jeapardize my goal time!
We run through many historical areas in town, by the capitol, high school, and Governor's mansion. The Governor is out to greet us. Lots of fun bands playing along the way.
After 14 miles, a little fatigue sets in. Miles 14-15 are a big hill that just goes on and on. Which for me is fine because I'm a hill runner. Bring it! Actually running back down the steep downhill after that was more difficult because of the angles on my muscles.
After that from 17 on it is mostly flat with an out and back where you can finally see a lot of the other runners. Now even more fatigue is setting in. It's sunny and warmer now. And around mile 18, the "wall" comes or "pain cave" where it is fatigue with way more discomfort. My legs feel a little stiff...lactic acid buildup? Not so much fun anymore. But I achieved exactly what I wanted to...I didn't give up and I hung in there. I wasn't quite as fast, but my pace didn't fall off the cliff either and I was investing the effort and fully engaged.
Getting to mile 22 lifts the spirit a bit because then you are counting down...but it is major fatigue time. The whole race I had been doing an 8 minute run/1 minute walk ratio but had to keep going the last 3 miles...I just couldn't stop anymore. It hurt too much.
There was one more hill and then the lipstick station. I grabbed a lip gloss but kept going and was SO ready to be finished. Overall I was really happy with my race. After I crossed the finish line, I'm just in a massive hurt locker...I can barely walk and feel exhausted and stiff. Not fun!
Overall, worth it though for the learning & character building experience. And I met my goals! That's why I do it...and for fitness of course. There are other fun aspects too...like the people. I had a great time with the KC crew. Little Rock is a great race...highly recommend. The marathon finisher medal is enormous!
Marathon 1,811 finishers & half marathon 2,921 finishers
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Thursday, September 16, 2010
IMKY 2010 Video World Premiere
I'm not sure how stellar the streaming quality or speed is here...I've had a few hiccups and then times it runs pretty smoothly. It may need a "moment" to do some loading before you play it. At first it may look like the length is 0:00 but when it plays it populates to 7:45 ish in length.
This was my first attempt ever at editing and putting together a 'video' so enjoy. I hope it represents a little bit of the Louisville experience for you!
This was my first attempt ever at editing and putting together a 'video' so enjoy. I hope it represents a little bit of the Louisville experience for you!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
IMKY Perspective: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
During Ironman there are highs and lows; joyous moments, things that go smoothly, tough breaks, and challenging obstacles. With over 2,000 people participating in this event, there are a lot of stories that played out that day representing triumph and tragedy. Below are a few that I heard about.
When doing Ironman, tremendous amounts of preparation and planning are obviously required. Throw in factors beyond your control, and it can certainly get interesting. For some, maybe it just wasn’t their day. For others, there may have been issued with planning and preparation. For others, bad luck. We all were battling the elements. Although it was probably ~96 degrees, it didn't seem worse to me than the excessive heat we had in Kansas City over the summer. Heat does slow me down, but there are tactics you can use to deal with it (practicing hydration in those conditions, use of cold water sponges, bandana to hold ice in reserve, etc).
I was thankful to hear others’ experiences; to celebrate the good things and to learn from the obstacles that people faced. The perspective you get from others’ stories is interesting, and things can look very different in retrospect. There was a lot of cramping, vomiting, and equipment failures going on out there. I was very fortunate that day that the worst thing that happened to me was heat rash!
~~ A few anecdotes from iamtri ~~
“I had a very tough day on the bike: 4 flats and chain mishap. I was out of spares and crushed on the side of the road. Another rider who was also suffering, took the time to give me a spare tube and an extra CO2 cartridge. I can not thank you enough. Because of your kindness, I am able to call myself an Ironman finisher. I so hope that you are out there and read this, as I am tearing up as write this. THANK YOU!“
“A participant broke the pedal on his bike around mile 60. Mechanics came to help but it took about an hour and they couldn't fix it, the pedal was simply snapped off the crank. Another participant biking by heard what was going on and said that he was really struggling and knew he wouldn't finish so he GAVE HIS BIKE TO A STRANGER and said take it and finish this thing! (I just got chills typing this.) I watched the guy come in at 16:30 with a huge smile on his face.”
“I finished the bike and made it to mile 8 on the run when I had an allergic reaction and had to go to the ER. It has been 2 days and I still have hives on my face, neck and chest! Just wondering if anyone else had any medical problems, I made a doctors appt but still have never had an allergic reaction to anything. The doctor thought I got stung by a bee because of my symptoms but I still have hives!”
“Somehow I got a UTI at mile 30 on the bike! I haven't had one in 10 years! Needless to say, I had to stop at every porta potty on the bike AND run course. It made for a horrible feeling all day. Every time I tried to drink or eat something with sodium, I felt a horrible burning sensation.”
“It was a dreadful dreadful day. I got into the water around 7:05 AM and had a pretty decent swim (1:28). I felt great on the bike the first 50 miles (came through the 56 mile mark in 3:15). Then the wheels came off. I was so dehydrated that I cramped up every hill from mile 60-100. I literally had to walk my bike up every hill. It was terrible. I've never cramped like that ever. I didn't have water from miles 75-105. Luckily there were residents helping out with water. I finished the bike in 8:12. I had nothing left. I hit the last 10 miles of flats at about an 8mph pace.
I tried to run the 1st mile and cramped right away. So walked the first few, then tried to run and immediately cramped and fell over. I could not run at all. I stumbled for the next 10 miles when I then collapsed in pain. Somehow I got back up and met my friends at mile 14. No idea how, but I then managed a half limp/walk for the rest of the way... All I could think when I crossed the finish line was how stupid I was for pushing myself so hard. It was so dangerous out there. I saw multiple people passing out and not being able to move.”
When doing Ironman, tremendous amounts of preparation and planning are obviously required. Throw in factors beyond your control, and it can certainly get interesting. For some, maybe it just wasn’t their day. For others, there may have been issued with planning and preparation. For others, bad luck. We all were battling the elements. Although it was probably ~96 degrees, it didn't seem worse to me than the excessive heat we had in Kansas City over the summer. Heat does slow me down, but there are tactics you can use to deal with it (practicing hydration in those conditions, use of cold water sponges, bandana to hold ice in reserve, etc).
I was thankful to hear others’ experiences; to celebrate the good things and to learn from the obstacles that people faced. The perspective you get from others’ stories is interesting, and things can look very different in retrospect. There was a lot of cramping, vomiting, and equipment failures going on out there. I was very fortunate that day that the worst thing that happened to me was heat rash!
~~ A few anecdotes from iamtri ~~
“I had a very tough day on the bike: 4 flats and chain mishap. I was out of spares and crushed on the side of the road. Another rider who was also suffering, took the time to give me a spare tube and an extra CO2 cartridge. I can not thank you enough. Because of your kindness, I am able to call myself an Ironman finisher. I so hope that you are out there and read this, as I am tearing up as write this. THANK YOU!“
“A participant broke the pedal on his bike around mile 60. Mechanics came to help but it took about an hour and they couldn't fix it, the pedal was simply snapped off the crank. Another participant biking by heard what was going on and said that he was really struggling and knew he wouldn't finish so he GAVE HIS BIKE TO A STRANGER and said take it and finish this thing! (I just got chills typing this.) I watched the guy come in at 16:30 with a huge smile on his face.”
“I finished the bike and made it to mile 8 on the run when I had an allergic reaction and had to go to the ER. It has been 2 days and I still have hives on my face, neck and chest! Just wondering if anyone else had any medical problems, I made a doctors appt but still have never had an allergic reaction to anything. The doctor thought I got stung by a bee because of my symptoms but I still have hives!”
“Somehow I got a UTI at mile 30 on the bike! I haven't had one in 10 years! Needless to say, I had to stop at every porta potty on the bike AND run course. It made for a horrible feeling all day. Every time I tried to drink or eat something with sodium, I felt a horrible burning sensation.”
“It was a dreadful dreadful day. I got into the water around 7:05 AM and had a pretty decent swim (1:28). I felt great on the bike the first 50 miles (came through the 56 mile mark in 3:15). Then the wheels came off. I was so dehydrated that I cramped up every hill from mile 60-100. I literally had to walk my bike up every hill. It was terrible. I've never cramped like that ever. I didn't have water from miles 75-105. Luckily there were residents helping out with water. I finished the bike in 8:12. I had nothing left. I hit the last 10 miles of flats at about an 8mph pace.
I tried to run the 1st mile and cramped right away. So walked the first few, then tried to run and immediately cramped and fell over. I could not run at all. I stumbled for the next 10 miles when I then collapsed in pain. Somehow I got back up and met my friends at mile 14. No idea how, but I then managed a half limp/walk for the rest of the way... All I could think when I crossed the finish line was how stupid I was for pushing myself so hard. It was so dangerous out there. I saw multiple people passing out and not being able to move.”
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
IMKY - Run + FINISH!
Okay. The marathon. The first three miles of the run were awesome and I loved the bridge view over the Ohio River!
After that I was feeling a little overwhelmed & intimidated by the notion of the marathon and was a bit cranky because of the heat. I walked a lot. Then I realized that I had to overcome this mentally and get with the running plan that I had practiced. I had to engage, get happy, and get to the finish line. I bucked up and started running 8 min with 1 min of walking. It wasn't bad once I got moving. I can't say it was as joyous as the swim though :)
We ran past the beautiful University of Louisville and wished that I could meander the course through the campus a little. The out and back seemed to go on and on and on. We also ran past Churchill Downs and then finally the turnaround. Tried to find positives to cling to and just take it bit by bit. As Tim O'Donnell helpfully reminded me - KEEP MOVING FORWARD. You have to keep going. Even if I did walk, I tried to prod myself to at least walk faster. There were a LOT of people walking - it seemed like "hey everyone is doing it".
Had to take it one segment at a time, and make it to the 2nd loop. And getting into the second loop required running right smack by the finish line. I just had to laugh...it was such torture!!!! But it reminded me of what I had to look forward too. It would be my turn eventually! The cheering spectators helped so much, including the awesome KC crew.
I started getting really tired around mile 18...started doing 5 minutes on, 1 off. Miles 20-23 weren't great with more or equal walking & running. But then I figured if I ran as much as possible from there, I could get in under 15 hours. All I could think about was that I WOULD get there...I WOULD be an Ironman...I WOULD be okay. I had to fight mind over matter.
Even though the run was the hardest part for me, in retrospect I realized that I was having a pretty good day...relatively smooth. There seemed to be a lot of DNF's and there were many many people throwing up on the run. Talk about tough times. I didn't have bad stomach problems and kept the nutrition simple - water, small sips of Coke and chicken broth, Hammer Endurolytes (2 per hour) and my yummy Sports Beans. They were AWESOME, because they are so small and you can just eat 2-3 at a time.
The sun setting was AWESOME...it felt so much cooler out. When it got dark, we got glow necklaces.
When I got to mile marker 25, it was just such an amazing feeling of joy. Almost there. Almost there. Keep going. This is happening! It was emotional. I got kind of choked up the last stretch before rounding the corner so I could vent that emotion.
They gave us advice that we should savor the finish and not sprint and rush through it, so I tried to take it all in. It was hard, because I had tunnel vision on the finish and there are bright lights in your face. :) I heard the people cheering and started to Jersey Shore fist-pump...I may have been yelling. I wanted to dance, or do cartwheels. It was just completely surreal. I heard some friends but couldn't see them. It was just glorious. I was SO happy to have completed this.
I cross the finish line. The announcer says "Amy Slater...you are an Ironman". And I smile for the cameras. (My finish is about 1:20 into the video below :) )
Run time - too long! Averaged 14 ish minute miles.
Total time: 14 hours and 57 minutes
The Aftermath
I am very very very very tired. My legs are stiff. The volunteer puts a medal around my neck and I get a post-finish photo. Apparently I think I'm a hilarious super model and strike some kind of sassy pose :). One of the volunteers says that I am 'working it' and I am happy that I'm lucid enough to laugh.
I feel okay and really really terrible at the same time. Looking down at my legs, I'm horrified to see a hideous hot pink heat rash. Meagan comes to greet me and thankfully takes me to where the post-race/morning bags are. Medical is there, so I decide to see what they think of my heat rash.
They immediately put me in a wheelchair and take me back (some people had to wait in a waiting area for quite some time)...and proceed to give me TWO IV's, one with Benedryl. It took the med guy 3 times to get the IV in and it hurts...I feel scared that it isn't going to work.
I'm pretty upset that I feel this terrible and am also missing seeing my friends and being at the party at the finish. I feel pretty alone too. I declare that I will not do another Ironman. I call my parents to let them know where I am. My coach is texting me and is worried.
The medical student volunteer listens to me babble on and on.
Finally I calm down and am FREEZING because of the IV's and my teeth are chattering. But I know this is doing me some significant good.
I can't really get a hold of anyone but am finished after the midnight race deadline, so I feel overjoyed when they call me and 5 of the KC crew stop by to pick me up. I am so happy to see them, and I'm actually able to walk back to hotel, which I know is good for me to move a bit.
Meagan, Carly, and I clean up and then chit chat about the race until almost 2 in the morning.
Why is it still surreal? I am an Ironman. We are!!!
Everything is going to be okay. You start to feel better and life will go on...
After that I was feeling a little overwhelmed & intimidated by the notion of the marathon and was a bit cranky because of the heat. I walked a lot. Then I realized that I had to overcome this mentally and get with the running plan that I had practiced. I had to engage, get happy, and get to the finish line. I bucked up and started running 8 min with 1 min of walking. It wasn't bad once I got moving. I can't say it was as joyous as the swim though :)
We ran past the beautiful University of Louisville and wished that I could meander the course through the campus a little. The out and back seemed to go on and on and on. We also ran past Churchill Downs and then finally the turnaround. Tried to find positives to cling to and just take it bit by bit. As Tim O'Donnell helpfully reminded me - KEEP MOVING FORWARD. You have to keep going. Even if I did walk, I tried to prod myself to at least walk faster. There were a LOT of people walking - it seemed like "hey everyone is doing it".
Had to take it one segment at a time, and make it to the 2nd loop. And getting into the second loop required running right smack by the finish line. I just had to laugh...it was such torture!!!! But it reminded me of what I had to look forward too. It would be my turn eventually! The cheering spectators helped so much, including the awesome KC crew.
I started getting really tired around mile 18...started doing 5 minutes on, 1 off. Miles 20-23 weren't great with more or equal walking & running. But then I figured if I ran as much as possible from there, I could get in under 15 hours. All I could think about was that I WOULD get there...I WOULD be an Ironman...I WOULD be okay. I had to fight mind over matter.
Even though the run was the hardest part for me, in retrospect I realized that I was having a pretty good day...relatively smooth. There seemed to be a lot of DNF's and there were many many people throwing up on the run. Talk about tough times. I didn't have bad stomach problems and kept the nutrition simple - water, small sips of Coke and chicken broth, Hammer Endurolytes (2 per hour) and my yummy Sports Beans. They were AWESOME, because they are so small and you can just eat 2-3 at a time.
The sun setting was AWESOME...it felt so much cooler out. When it got dark, we got glow necklaces.
When I got to mile marker 25, it was just such an amazing feeling of joy. Almost there. Almost there. Keep going. This is happening! It was emotional. I got kind of choked up the last stretch before rounding the corner so I could vent that emotion.
They gave us advice that we should savor the finish and not sprint and rush through it, so I tried to take it all in. It was hard, because I had tunnel vision on the finish and there are bright lights in your face. :) I heard the people cheering and started to Jersey Shore fist-pump...I may have been yelling. I wanted to dance, or do cartwheels. It was just completely surreal. I heard some friends but couldn't see them. It was just glorious. I was SO happy to have completed this.
I cross the finish line. The announcer says "Amy Slater...you are an Ironman". And I smile for the cameras. (My finish is about 1:20 into the video below :) )
Run time - too long! Averaged 14 ish minute miles.
Total time: 14 hours and 57 minutes
The Aftermath
I am very very very very tired. My legs are stiff. The volunteer puts a medal around my neck and I get a post-finish photo. Apparently I think I'm a hilarious super model and strike some kind of sassy pose :). One of the volunteers says that I am 'working it' and I am happy that I'm lucid enough to laugh.
I feel okay and really really terrible at the same time. Looking down at my legs, I'm horrified to see a hideous hot pink heat rash. Meagan comes to greet me and thankfully takes me to where the post-race/morning bags are. Medical is there, so I decide to see what they think of my heat rash.
They immediately put me in a wheelchair and take me back (some people had to wait in a waiting area for quite some time)...and proceed to give me TWO IV's, one with Benedryl. It took the med guy 3 times to get the IV in and it hurts...I feel scared that it isn't going to work.
I'm pretty upset that I feel this terrible and am also missing seeing my friends and being at the party at the finish. I feel pretty alone too. I declare that I will not do another Ironman. I call my parents to let them know where I am. My coach is texting me and is worried.
The medical student volunteer listens to me babble on and on.
Finally I calm down and am FREEZING because of the IV's and my teeth are chattering. But I know this is doing me some significant good.
I can't really get a hold of anyone but am finished after the midnight race deadline, so I feel overjoyed when they call me and 5 of the KC crew stop by to pick me up. I am so happy to see them, and I'm actually able to walk back to hotel, which I know is good for me to move a bit.
Meagan, Carly, and I clean up and then chit chat about the race until almost 2 in the morning.
Why is it still surreal? I am an Ironman. We are!!!
Everything is going to be okay. You start to feel better and life will go on...
IMKY - Bike + T2
“Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen.” ~ Louis L'Amour
Before the race, Meagan and I got a chance to drive some but not all of the bike course. It was really pretty. The first segment is flat, and you can cruise along at a decent clip. I tried to keep it pretty relaxed though...note to self during the ride "this is going to be a LONG day...do NOT burn out". RELAX. There are a LOT of riders out on the course and it is crowded.
Riders had to be careful because of safety and there are lots of potholes. So I can't look around TOO much, but grab as many peeks as I can of the pretty scenery. The course gets hilly and the temperatures were rising. You see some crazy stuff out there. There were several bike wrecks and seemingly lots of ambulances going around that day. As the day goes on, I see lots of men on the side of the road sitting in the shade. Some looking dazed and confused. Not really sure if they are taking a break or hanging it up for the day. Some are massaging their legs. Some are changing flat tires (if you don't know how, all you can do is hope someone is nice enough to stop). One man literally just falls over on his bike up a very steep short hill.
I had practice changing flats a couple of times at my coaches' suggestion, and it greatly increased my confidence. Sometimes flats come in 2's, so I also decided to carry 2 tubes with me and had 2 in my bike special needs bag. Didn't need any of it. Good luck that day!!!!
Anyway, there is lots of carnage out there. I roll on. Favorite parts: the beauty of the course, HORSES!!!, the gauntlet of fans at La Grange (great energy, signs, cheering), and of course our KC Multisport fan contingency hanging at a great point in the course before the loop turn. These things helped a lot. Nutrition plan - used Hammer Perpetuem, water, 1/2 berry smoothie power bar per hour (YUM), and 2 Hammer Endurolytes per hour. No tummy problems.
I kept a positive attitude on this leg of the race, and try to celebrate the good things. I stop a couple of times for my special needs bike bag and to mix my 2nd 3.5 bottle of Perpetuem. Feeling solid and relaxed, but the ride was a bit slower than I would have liked. Oh well! I can't help but think that I need to be careful because a MARATHON is next up. Really I feel decent...just a bit fatigued at the end and my feet hurt and are numb. Not too bad!
I'm SO happy to get back to the flat section and ECSTATIC to get back to transition. YES...I'm getting off this bike.
Bike time 7:04:42 (avg 15.8 mph); Rank 340 / 525 women. 2nd best split of the day behind the swim.
Transition #2
I have a volunteer helping me with my bag this time. She lays out my stuff and I change my jersey and into run shorts. Grab my bandana (later would be dubbed "Bandana Girl" and people mentioned being jealous of it - my coach suggested I take it to wipe my face, fill it with ice to have to munch on or use to cool off...it was AWESOME!). Also grabbed my nutrition - had 2 to choose from, my gummy gel blocks and my Sports jelly beans, extra body glide (mini) for any chafing, and my Hammer Endurolytes.
Heading out onto the course...I feel good, but am a little overwhelmed that we now have to run a marathon. I've never run a marathon before...
Before the race, Meagan and I got a chance to drive some but not all of the bike course. It was really pretty. The first segment is flat, and you can cruise along at a decent clip. I tried to keep it pretty relaxed though...note to self during the ride "this is going to be a LONG day...do NOT burn out". RELAX. There are a LOT of riders out on the course and it is crowded.
Riders had to be careful because of safety and there are lots of potholes. So I can't look around TOO much, but grab as many peeks as I can of the pretty scenery. The course gets hilly and the temperatures were rising. You see some crazy stuff out there. There were several bike wrecks and seemingly lots of ambulances going around that day. As the day goes on, I see lots of men on the side of the road sitting in the shade. Some looking dazed and confused. Not really sure if they are taking a break or hanging it up for the day. Some are massaging their legs. Some are changing flat tires (if you don't know how, all you can do is hope someone is nice enough to stop). One man literally just falls over on his bike up a very steep short hill.
I had practice changing flats a couple of times at my coaches' suggestion, and it greatly increased my confidence. Sometimes flats come in 2's, so I also decided to carry 2 tubes with me and had 2 in my bike special needs bag. Didn't need any of it. Good luck that day!!!!
Anyway, there is lots of carnage out there. I roll on. Favorite parts: the beauty of the course, HORSES!!!, the gauntlet of fans at La Grange (great energy, signs, cheering), and of course our KC Multisport fan contingency hanging at a great point in the course before the loop turn. These things helped a lot. Nutrition plan - used Hammer Perpetuem, water, 1/2 berry smoothie power bar per hour (YUM), and 2 Hammer Endurolytes per hour. No tummy problems.
I kept a positive attitude on this leg of the race, and try to celebrate the good things. I stop a couple of times for my special needs bike bag and to mix my 2nd 3.5 bottle of Perpetuem. Feeling solid and relaxed, but the ride was a bit slower than I would have liked. Oh well! I can't help but think that I need to be careful because a MARATHON is next up. Really I feel decent...just a bit fatigued at the end and my feet hurt and are numb. Not too bad!
I'm SO happy to get back to the flat section and ECSTATIC to get back to transition. YES...I'm getting off this bike.
Bike time 7:04:42 (avg 15.8 mph); Rank 340 / 525 women. 2nd best split of the day behind the swim.
Transition #2
I have a volunteer helping me with my bag this time. She lays out my stuff and I change my jersey and into run shorts. Grab my bandana (later would be dubbed "Bandana Girl" and people mentioned being jealous of it - my coach suggested I take it to wipe my face, fill it with ice to have to munch on or use to cool off...it was AWESOME!). Also grabbed my nutrition - had 2 to choose from, my gummy gel blocks and my Sports jelly beans, extra body glide (mini) for any chafing, and my Hammer Endurolytes.
Heading out onto the course...I feel good, but am a little overwhelmed that we now have to run a marathon. I've never run a marathon before...
IMKY - Swim + T1
Meagan, Carly, and I woke up at 4:00 AM on Sunday morning 8/29/2010 and it was go time. We ate some breakfast and got our morning gear together and then met Alex and Mike in the lobby. Alex's brother Miles got up super early and gave us a much appreciated ride to Transition. When bikes must be checked in the day before a race, it's best to let some air out of the tires and pump them up fresh race morning because of temperature differentials. We pump them up, check things out, then are off to the starting line!
Getting the ride over there really saved us a lot of time, and probably put us about midway through the swim line at Tumbleweed's restaurant. It was about a 3/4 mile walk to the start from transition. We had just about the whole KC contingency there with us in line minus a small handful that did their own thing. The line was much longer than it "really" was because so many friends, fans, and family were in line with athletes. Once it was athletes only, the line started moving and condensing.
We celebrated the Star Spangled Banner and then heard the cannon go off. Through the trees along the river, we could see the athletes starting their 2.4 mile swim. Since it was a time trial start instead of mass start...we had to wait only a short time longer. They say it takes around 45 minutes or so to get everyone in, and we went off around 7:22 (I think???).
As the line moved towards the start, we passed through an energetic gauntlet of fans and it was pretty surreal. I couldn't believe this day had finally come. We moved down the boat ramp towards the docks and they told us to run to keep things moving. I was jogging and it was totally wild - there were two docks and two lines so I picked one, crossed the timing mat, and jumped off the dock feet first. Our chips started timing us as we crossed the mat.
Oh my...here I gooooo!!!! I'm in the Ohio River and swimming upstream along Towhead Island. It is a tiny bit crowded, but NOTHING like the Ironman mass swim start where bodies are packed like sardines and swimming over each other. SO happy I'm doing an Ironman with a swim start like this. I manage to find some patches of free water and I'm a little freaked out and have to get my mind calmed down. That happens after a couple hundred meters and I'm doing this "swim 2.4 miles" thing.
No one kicks or scratches me, or pulls my goggles off. I manage to find my own water and go... relaxing and trying to focus on technique so that I can expend as little energy as possible. It feels fantastic...joyous. Is the Ohio River kind of gross? Yes. But you can't think about that too much. It's a beautiful day. I'm super excited to reach the turn-around buoy because then we are doing downstream. There isn't a crazy strong current like say the Missouri River, but there is some.
As I turn to breathe, I see my friend Meagan is right beside me!!! I give her a shout out. I am kind of over by the edge of the river and can actually touch the bottom, which is very very gooey. Here is some shocking news...triathletes pee during the race but that can be hard to do that while you are swimming. So since I can touch the bottom, I stop for a second and announce to Meagan - "I'm peeing!!!!". "Good call" she says and we take a break together and then get going. For some reason Meagan told me later that she 'decided' to run into a kayak instead of making the turn :). Luckily she is fine...lol.
We continue on back downstream for the last 2/3 of the race and it is still joyous. Luckily, I don't swallow much of that nasty water. I take it one bridge at a time. As I sight my swim line, the Crabshack restaurant by the swim exit gets closer and closer. I'm doing this!!! Yes!!! And I feel fantastic. I savor this, because I know later I may not feel fantastic.
I'm at the swim exit and am kind of sad it is over...looking down at my watch, my time is pretty on par with my time goal and is at a faster average speed than I did for the Kansas Half Ironman 1.2 mile swim!!!!!! All that work on technique and in the pool paid off. Not only am I faster, it feels easier and I'm expending less energy. Thanks Kathy!!!!
Swim 2.4 Miles - 1:24:01 (avg 2:11 / 100); Rank 272 / 525 female finishers. This is my highest ranked split of the day, which is highly unusual for me. In short course my bike split would be the best, then the run, and the swim 3rd usually!
Transition
I run a long way to get my Bike bag and then into the female changing tent. I didn't have a volunteer helping me with this one. I change into bike shorts and grab everything needed for my pockets...my berry smoothie Power Bars (delish!), Hammer Endurolytes, etc etc. I pour water into the water bottle and then carefully empty my Hammer Perpetuem drink powder into it...it can go bad so I wanted to mix it fresh. This is a 3.5 hour bottle that I'm going to pour into my aero bar bottle. I CANNOT spill it...do that, and it's trouble (although technically I'm prepared and have the next 3.5 hours of powder with me on the bike, and have some spare powder in my special needs bag). I swear this stuff is magic...Hammer does great nutrition.
Okay now I'm ready to get sunscreened by a volunteer...she does kind of a sketchy job and I have to give some instructions because we are out there a long time. You need that sun protection.
I'm all gooped up and ready to grab my bike and head out for this 112 mile bike ride. Let's do this!!!! 1 down...2 to go.
Getting the ride over there really saved us a lot of time, and probably put us about midway through the swim line at Tumbleweed's restaurant. It was about a 3/4 mile walk to the start from transition. We had just about the whole KC contingency there with us in line minus a small handful that did their own thing. The line was much longer than it "really" was because so many friends, fans, and family were in line with athletes. Once it was athletes only, the line started moving and condensing.
We celebrated the Star Spangled Banner and then heard the cannon go off. Through the trees along the river, we could see the athletes starting their 2.4 mile swim. Since it was a time trial start instead of mass start...we had to wait only a short time longer. They say it takes around 45 minutes or so to get everyone in, and we went off around 7:22 (I think???).
As the line moved towards the start, we passed through an energetic gauntlet of fans and it was pretty surreal. I couldn't believe this day had finally come. We moved down the boat ramp towards the docks and they told us to run to keep things moving. I was jogging and it was totally wild - there were two docks and two lines so I picked one, crossed the timing mat, and jumped off the dock feet first. Our chips started timing us as we crossed the mat.
Oh my...here I gooooo!!!! I'm in the Ohio River and swimming upstream along Towhead Island. It is a tiny bit crowded, but NOTHING like the Ironman mass swim start where bodies are packed like sardines and swimming over each other. SO happy I'm doing an Ironman with a swim start like this. I manage to find some patches of free water and I'm a little freaked out and have to get my mind calmed down. That happens after a couple hundred meters and I'm doing this "swim 2.4 miles" thing.
No one kicks or scratches me, or pulls my goggles off. I manage to find my own water and go... relaxing and trying to focus on technique so that I can expend as little energy as possible. It feels fantastic...joyous. Is the Ohio River kind of gross? Yes. But you can't think about that too much. It's a beautiful day. I'm super excited to reach the turn-around buoy because then we are doing downstream. There isn't a crazy strong current like say the Missouri River, but there is some.
As I turn to breathe, I see my friend Meagan is right beside me!!! I give her a shout out. I am kind of over by the edge of the river and can actually touch the bottom, which is very very gooey. Here is some shocking news...triathletes pee during the race but that can be hard to do that while you are swimming. So since I can touch the bottom, I stop for a second and announce to Meagan - "I'm peeing!!!!". "Good call" she says and we take a break together and then get going. For some reason Meagan told me later that she 'decided' to run into a kayak instead of making the turn :). Luckily she is fine...lol.
We continue on back downstream for the last 2/3 of the race and it is still joyous. Luckily, I don't swallow much of that nasty water. I take it one bridge at a time. As I sight my swim line, the Crabshack restaurant by the swim exit gets closer and closer. I'm doing this!!! Yes!!! And I feel fantastic. I savor this, because I know later I may not feel fantastic.
I'm at the swim exit and am kind of sad it is over...looking down at my watch, my time is pretty on par with my time goal and is at a faster average speed than I did for the Kansas Half Ironman 1.2 mile swim!!!!!! All that work on technique and in the pool paid off. Not only am I faster, it feels easier and I'm expending less energy. Thanks Kathy!!!!
Swim 2.4 Miles - 1:24:01 (avg 2:11 / 100); Rank 272 / 525 female finishers. This is my highest ranked split of the day, which is highly unusual for me. In short course my bike split would be the best, then the run, and the swim 3rd usually!
Transition
I run a long way to get my Bike bag and then into the female changing tent. I didn't have a volunteer helping me with this one. I change into bike shorts and grab everything needed for my pockets...my berry smoothie Power Bars (delish!), Hammer Endurolytes, etc etc. I pour water into the water bottle and then carefully empty my Hammer Perpetuem drink powder into it...it can go bad so I wanted to mix it fresh. This is a 3.5 hour bottle that I'm going to pour into my aero bar bottle. I CANNOT spill it...do that, and it's trouble (although technically I'm prepared and have the next 3.5 hours of powder with me on the bike, and have some spare powder in my special needs bag). I swear this stuff is magic...Hammer does great nutrition.
Okay now I'm ready to get sunscreened by a volunteer...she does kind of a sketchy job and I have to give some instructions because we are out there a long time. You need that sun protection.
I'm all gooped up and ready to grab my bike and head out for this 112 mile bike ride. Let's do this!!!! 1 down...2 to go.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Twas the Night Before Ironman...
...and all through the hotel, athletes were carb loaded and rocking compression socks with visions of GU packs and the Big Race dancing in their heads.
Is this for real??? The race is tomorrow??? What???? Really?????
I arrived in Louisville with my buddy Alex on Thursday morning and the rest of the KC rolled in late Thursday or early Friday. It seemed like we had SO much time. Friday night the big KC group went to the banquet and pre-race orientation.
And here we are the Day Before. We rolled out for the official practice swim in the Ohio River this morning at 8 am and that was interesting. According to Ben Schloegel, we'd have more athletes around us in the practice swim than the actual race. I am SO SO happy this isn't a mass swim start. My swim was nice and relaxed, and it was a good ice breaker to have been in the river.
Then I went for an easy 30 minute run and picked up a Starbucks latte on the cooldown.
Meagan, Mike, and I had some Jimmie John's and then Meagan and I dropped our gear bags and bikes at transition, got mini-orientation on the swim entrances, bike in/out, run in/out and changing tents. Then Meagan and I drove some of the bike course. It's pretty! A bit hilly in places, but not much different than what we train on in Kansas.
We bypassed the craziness of actually trying to get a table at Spaghetti Factory and ordered takeout...then Mike, Alex, Meagan, Carly, and I had our carb feast back the hotel. That was WAY more relaxing. So glad I have these friends to share the experience with.
And so now it's time to chill, and hopefully sleep. And tomorrow is the BIG DAY. I really can't believe it.
Yes, I'm feeling a bit emotional but feeling good. I want to really enjoy this day. The good and the bad...embrace the experience. And really savor crossing that finish line. I want it.
Amy
Is this for real??? The race is tomorrow??? What???? Really?????
I arrived in Louisville with my buddy Alex on Thursday morning and the rest of the KC rolled in late Thursday or early Friday. It seemed like we had SO much time. Friday night the big KC group went to the banquet and pre-race orientation.
And here we are the Day Before. We rolled out for the official practice swim in the Ohio River this morning at 8 am and that was interesting. According to Ben Schloegel, we'd have more athletes around us in the practice swim than the actual race. I am SO SO happy this isn't a mass swim start. My swim was nice and relaxed, and it was a good ice breaker to have been in the river.
Then I went for an easy 30 minute run and picked up a Starbucks latte on the cooldown.
Meagan, Mike, and I had some Jimmie John's and then Meagan and I dropped our gear bags and bikes at transition, got mini-orientation on the swim entrances, bike in/out, run in/out and changing tents. Then Meagan and I drove some of the bike course. It's pretty! A bit hilly in places, but not much different than what we train on in Kansas.
We bypassed the craziness of actually trying to get a table at Spaghetti Factory and ordered takeout...then Mike, Alex, Meagan, Carly, and I had our carb feast back the hotel. That was WAY more relaxing. So glad I have these friends to share the experience with.
And so now it's time to chill, and hopefully sleep. And tomorrow is the BIG DAY. I really can't believe it.
Yes, I'm feeling a bit emotional but feeling good. I want to really enjoy this day. The good and the bad...embrace the experience. And really savor crossing that finish line. I want it.
Amy
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