Seattle Meltdown

Well ug. This one will require some reflection. I arrived at the start optimistic for a good race. My training had gone to plan, I’d completed every workout as prescribed and I’d continued my five year injury and sick-free streak. My previous PR was 3:57:xx. I felt a good stretch goal was 3:50 and a super stretch goal was 3:45. After a nice pep-talk with fellow triathlete Laurie, I stepped out of the car into the rain and headed to the start.

Sure, it was cold and rainy as forecasted, but I waited ‘till the last minute (literally) to toss an old pair of sweats so I started actually nice and warm. I went out strong and a bit ahead of pace as planned. The Seattle Marathon course is really hilly late, so I knew that even if I negative split the effort, the pace would suffer in those hills. The miles ticked off one by one between at a pace of 7:30 and 8:30s. Perfect!  High-fives to Laurie on the out-and-backs kept my spirits high. I even hit a half-marathon PR at 1:50, woot!

Then, trouble in paradise. I’d planned to take a gel at miles 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 as I’d done in training. I didn’t see any gels by mile six, so I took the lone packet I had carried with me, hopeful to grab another by the time I hit mile 9. No such luck. I didn’t see any GU until mile 14 and by then I was waaaaaayyyy behind on my nutrition and starting to feel it. I started to slow down a little, then I got cold, then I got tight, then I got colder, tighter and progressively spiraled downwards ‘till it was simply GAME OVER. The 3:40 pace group slipped away, suddenly I was running a 9:30 instead of an 8:15 with what felt like the same effort and BOOM, I learned what it was like to hit the wall. I walked a bit which only made matters worse as I was soaking wet, it was raining sideways and did I mention I was reaaaally tight?

The last few miles entailed a bit of running to try to get warm, a bit of walking to ease the tightness, then rinse and repeat ‘till I stumbled across the finish line. My most valiant effort at that point was to make a beeline to my dry clothes bag so I could get dry and to try not to cry. I was successful at the former…

Lessons Learned:

• Yeah, pack more GU Jenn. D’oh. D’oh. D’oh. It’s always the simple things.
• I think I went out too fast. Sure there are hills late, but I should have limited my early efforts to 8:25s, not 8:00. Which leads to the next lesson…
• Run with a pace group. The 3:40 pace group came up from behind me and I ran with them from miles 11 – 15. That was pretty cool! I will certainly look to run with a pace group in the future as there was a lot less energy expended just following the feet in front of me.
• Laurie rocks!  And, by the way she is most pleased with her race. Congrats!!!
• I hate being cold. Actually, I didn’t need this marathon to confirm that. As I type, the temperature in the house is set at 75-degrees and Mark is sweating in his underwear while I’m wrapped in a blanket. I’ve been pretty lucky with the weather in my previous two Seattle Marathons but if finally caught up to me today.
• My Ironman coach, Coach P. advises me that running a standalone marathon isn’t really helping me in my Ironman marathon. So, why this race? I need to either have a GOOD reason to do it or I need to do a marathon where the weather is WARM! Mark suggests Hawaii… hard to argue with him.

And now, for my next trick: Five weeks of NO STRUCTURED TRAINING per Coach P. I see lots of Bikram (hot) yoga in my future! After five weeks of sweatin’ and bendin’ I just may be warmed up enough to venture outside again!

All in all, my favorite quote still rings true. “Someday I will not be able to do this. Today is not that day.” ~Unknown.     And for that, I am thankful.

*** Anatomy of a Meltdown  ***

IMC Race Report: Egg Beater, My Efficient Ass and Ice, Ice Baby!

Aloha!

First and foremost a big MAHALO to everyone who gave words of encouragement this year, travelled to Penticton to be part of the Cowbell Crew, took time out of their Sunday on race day to check in on my progress, and to YOU for reading this damn long race report! And last, but not least thanks to Mark who makes this all possible AND fun!


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The Year of the Data Geek

What a Year! After completing my first Ironman in Canada in 2010, 2011 was all about learning, learning, learning and hopefully improving! As such, my goals shifted from simply finishing with a smile and running the marathon to executing smartly according to a “pace and power” protocol. I joined a team called Endurance Nation which was all about intensity and time management. The swim, my strength and consuming barely 10% of an Ironman day was put on the back burner with just two swims a week until a few months before the race. The big bang for my time investment was to be had on the bike. There I acquired a power meter (built into new wheels!) that measured the amount of pressure I put on the pedals, did my training and racing at very specific percentages of my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and slapped some Endurance Nation graphics on my wheel to represent! On the run, I learned all about my “vDot” which is basically one number that correlated to my speed across all distances. That number was applied to races, tests and training paces. I worked hard all year to continue to make that number bigger… even a fraction of an improvement was cause for celebration!

*** Ready to Represent! ***

Life Balance!?! As a result of this training philosophy shift, the amount of time I spent training and prepping for training went down while the overall effort, measured as a Training Stress Score (TSS) went up for a couple of reasons. First of all, I got really comfy riding my bike on the stationary trainer. This eliminated a lot of driving to bike locations, cleaning a dirty bike, dressing for our perma-shitty weather, etc. Instead I just rolled out of bed and into our “Pain Cave” and went to town with a good movie on the TV. 100% simpler and my efforts were rewarded with a continually growing FTP. Secondly , the intensity of the training went up, wayyyyy up. There was no such thing as an “easy” run or ride. Even my long mile runs had segments at tempo pace in them and trust me, four plus hours on a bike trainer at 80% + intensity is no joke either. Consequently, I came into the race mentally fresher, much stronger on the bike, faster on the run and surprisingly even a bit faster in the swim. Most importantly, I made some great “life balance” improvements including playing hockey full time again and conjuring up a bit of a social life!

*** Our Pain Cave ***

Peaking. After a year of absorbing data like a sponge, I was really excited to see the outcome. I felt good about my preparation and knew I had managed my training load well. I had rarely been too tired to complete a training session at the prescribed intensity and logged another full year without so much as a cold or an injury. I credit my strength trainer for a well designed program, luck, and I also suppose there are benefits to being built like a tank after all! The taper went well and, according to the new protocol I had “peaked” exactly the day of the race. Nice! This chart below shows the impact of a taper. The blue line represents the Chronic Training Load (CTL) training load over 42 days, the green represents the Acute Training Load (ATL) over 7 days. When your ATL is negative, you probably don’t need this chart to tell you that you are “in a hole” meaning fatigued due to training. The pink line is the money shot: it represents the Training Stress Balance (TSB) representing the your fatigue relative to training load. Ideally the pink line peaks on race day – when your fatigue has faded but before your fitness follows suit!

*** TSS Graph Peak ***

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Pre Race: Nerves and Lucky #5!

Last Train to Penticton! We travelled with our friend Heidi to Penticton on the Wednesday before the race. It’s always interesting to explain to the custom’s agents why you have a boat along to do Ironman – ha! Thursday was a busy day including an excellent open water swim clinic, checking into the race, 2012 registration (I know!), a bike ride on the run course and launching our boat. Mark was all set to be a swim course marshal again and I considered it a great sign that our boat was assigned my lucky #5!!! Friday included another swim and run, Saturday we checked in our bikes and welcomed our Cowbell Crew including Heidi’s husband Tom, her kids Dagmar and Joe and our friends Annette and Michelle. In an instant, it was 3:30 AM Sunday morning, time to do this thing!

*** Number Five! ***

Morning Jitters. On race day Mark dropped me off at the swim start to be joined by Annette, Michelle and two rescue swimmers on our boat. On my own for the day, I checked the pressure in my bike tires and added a new helmet to my T1 bag. Yes, against conventional wisdom (and common sense) to try NOTHING new on race day, I’d acquired a new helmet the day before. The temptress was on sale, fit better than any helmet I’d ever worn and PERFECTLY matched my bike – I wilted in her beauty! My new helmet safely stowed, I turned my attention to sunscreen. I hadn’t settled on protocol for the day and unfortunately this was the very moment my nerves set in.

*** Matched and On Sale - I Had No Choice!!! ***

Sunscreen Drama. Seems to be always one little detail that trips me up.  Typically athletes don’t put sunscreen on before the swim because it smears your race numbers and can cause your goggles to slip. In the transition area there is a sunscreen station where a saintly volunteer will slather you on your way to your bike. At the last minute, I chickened out on that plan and went ahead and slapped on some random SPF 50 they had in the transition tent. My numbers smeared, (no idea why I was surprised) and even then I wasn’t confident I’d gotten all my exposed skin . I headed to the swim start, goggles in hand with the plan to grab some spray sunscreen I’d left in my dry clothes bag on the way to the beach. Goggles in hand I sprayed myself heavily and, finally satisfied, headed over the timing mats certain I’d be adequately protected. What I didn’t realize is that I’d inadvertently spritzed sunscreen all over the inside of my goggles.  Cue ominous music...

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Swim: An Egg Beater’s Delight

2011 - 1:08:33, 14th (8.4%)
2010 - 1:05:50, 16th (9.7%)

Blurry and Bruised! Since I’d had a relatively drama free swim last year by lining up to the far left of the swim line, I intended to do the same this year. Apparently I failed. The gun went off and immediately I knew I was in trouble. Elbows were flying, feet were everywhere and all 3,200 competitors seemed to be a BIG dude that wanted to be in my little piece of Lake Okanagan. I got kicked in the cheek (still have a bruise) but luckily my goggles stayed on. I went from super calm and zen right before the gun went of to “am I even going to survive this thing?” about half way to the first buoy. My goggles were fogging up and I had to stop four or five times to rinse them out. Note to self: goggles + defogging solution + sunscreen + spit = can’t see shit!!!

*** Swim Start: Your Results May Vary ***

Eggbeaten. Somehow I was moving forward, rounded the second turn buoy and headed home. I still couldn’t see where I was going and there were still bodies all around. The most frustrating part at this point was that I didn’t feel like I could really swim. I’d take a couple of hard strokes and be right on some feet in front of me and have to slow down again. Arggggg. I felt like the batter in a egg beater: doing nothing, getting beat by both sides and yet somehow moving forward. On the plus side, thanks to our swim clinic I had my best exit ever - I swam right until my chest hit the sand, popped up and was onto the carpet in two steps while others waded in fumbling over rocks and stubbing their toes. The silver lining of the whole melee was I was not A BIT tired from swimming. Seriously not a tiny bit. I was a little mentally tired from “surviving”, but honestly I thought I’d like to turn around and do the whole thing over if they’d let me. Thankfully I was only a couple of minutes slower than last year and had somehow even improved by a couple of positions in my age group. I ran up the timing mat determined to put it behind me and had already plotted my revenge by the time I left transition.

*** Beaten on Both Sides, Doing Nothing, Somehow Moving Forward ***

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T1: The first transition was no drama-mama. I hadn’t been able to pee in the swim so I lost a few seconds in the port-a-pottie and then I was onto the bike in my schwanky new helmet!

2011 - 0:05:20
2010 - 0:06:48


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Bike – My Efficient Ass

2011 - 5:48:08, 8th (4.8%)
2010 - 6:23:58, 48th (29.1%)

Garmin File: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110654209

Eye on the Prize. I headed off confidently on the bike leg which has somehow become my strength. I felt really prepared with a solid race rehearsal under my belt and a very specific modus operandi to follow based on months of training. I kept my eyeballs on my the readout from my power meter and concentrated on maintaining a very steady effort. Bonus: My new helmet felt GREAT!

*** Eye on the Prize ***

My Efficient Ass. The execution protocol had me push a certain wattage regardless of hills, wind, etc. so it was really funny to see how I moved relative to the field. I’d pull away on the flats and descents and most folks would catch and pass me on the ascents. I felt like I was the only one out there with an ancient Chinese secret: the more steady the effort, the less tired you get even if you finish in the exact same time. I’d been playing this game awhile with another participant and we chatted as we passed and repassed each other. At one point he said “Jennifer, are we gonna do this all day?” I joked “ I can’t help it, I have a big ass!” to which he replied “I’d say you have a very efficient ass!” Ha! My efficient ass. He had no idea what a huge compliment that was!

*** All Smiles as the Alien Approaces the Cowbell Crew! ***

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom! I cruised through the bike comfortably with my calories, water and electrolytes right on plan. I peed but, um, didn’t stop to do so – a personal milestone for me. Up and down Richter Pass, through the Seven Bitches and love, Love, LOVED seeing the Cowbell Crew on ascent at Yellow Lake – what a boost! Then zoom downhill back into town where there was an unfortunately timed headwind. Soon enough, I was whisked into transition to start the run. In retrospect I learned I’d had some luck making it through the bike without incident. Someone had thrown tacks on the road causing scores of riders to have flats. Also, my front wheel cracked slightly sometime during the race. Neither impacted me and the wheel is currently being replaced under warranty thanks to the excellent service at Wheelbuilder.com. Whew!

*** Annette Takes her Cowbelling Seriously! ***

Tale of the Tape. There are two things I was most pleased to see when I reviewed my power file. There is a metric that measures essentially how steady (or efficient your ass) is throughout the day called a Variability Index (VI). The closer to 1.00 the better and I ended up with a 1.03 which is spot on. Secondly I was aiming for a certain average wattage of 151w and I finished the bike at 152w indicating I executed almost exactly to plan did didn’t “overcook” myself on the bike.

*** My Power File. It’s Pretty, Trust Me. ***

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T2: The second transition was also no drama-mama. A change of shorts (ha!), pee break, more sunscreen and off onto the run!

2011 - 0:07:24
2010 - 0:08:00

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Run – Ice Ice Baby

2011 - 5:11:57, 88th (52.7%)
2010 - 5:25:43, 117th (70.9%)

Garmin File: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110655696


Hotness! Our team has a resource called “Temperature Impacted Race Predictor” whereby you input your vDot and it spits out what your Ironman paces should be based on the temperature and humidity on any given day. For me, it predicted a 4:17 marathon without heat impact, but predicted a 5:20 on our ninety-four degree day. Although it was disappointing to know I was aiming for a much slower time than I’d hoped for, I knew it was simply the nature of physiology. The pacing tool made sure I didn’t head out too hard only to blow up later. So, off I went, attempting to keep may pace around a twelve-minute mile and stopping to pee probably more than I should have to the tune of about fourteen minutes – ack! Nope, I haven’t gotten up the gumption to pee on the run yet, maybe next year.

*** Predicted Heat Impact on my Ironman Marathon ***

Ice Ice Baby. Initially, my tummy wasn’t thrilled with all the sweetness of the nutrition I’d taken on the bike so I switched to pretzels for the first three miles which thankfully settled it right down. At each aid station I’d grab two cups of ice. One was dumped down my front (bras make handy ice pockets!) and one down my back. I also grabbed two sponges and put one in my top and one at the base of my neck. The ice would be melted and the sponges dry by the next aid station where I’d repeat the process. All in all, I never felt like I was really “overheating”, but I could feel the impact of the temperature slowing me down.

*** Not Feeling that Hot (Ha!) - Sponges are Fashionable! ***

Tears. I felt fine all the way to the half-marathon point and it got progressively harder from there. I was pretty close to maintaining my pace (it had been hard to go that slow early on and got hard to go that fast later!) and physically I wasn’t in near as much discomfort as last year but mentally I did hit a rough patch. I never stopped running, though, and chugged along in anticipation of seeing the Cowbell crew at mile 20. Their reward for waiting for me in the heat? I cried. WTF? Yep, I ran right over to Mark, got a big hug, shed a few tears, high fived the rest of the crew as bravely as I could and then took off again. Not one of my finer moments.

*** The Best Hug EVER. ***

What Ifs. My marathon time was slightly improved from the previous year, but I knew my run fitness was MUCH improved so I took a look at my results compared to last year’s ranking. I knew I would come in about ten minutes faster than the race predictor had indicated and that figure was closer to twenty minutes if you took out the pee breaks. One way to try to compare apples-to-apples when conditions are different is to do some math based on the percentile I ranked in my age group. Since my age group is pretty big and my run results are in the middle we can get a fairly good estimate. I finished in the 53rd percentile in 2011 (improved from the 71st percentile in 2010!) so I checked out what the finishers in the 53 percentile ran in 2010. Turns out they ran about 4:29 giving us a rough estimate that the conditions on the run were about 40 - 50 minutes slower than in 2010! Yowza!



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Finish This!

2011 - 12:21:19, 35TH (20.9%)
2010 - 13:10:18, 74th (44.8%)


Finished! The last few miles into town were a blur. That last mile, in particular is a total mind-f*** as you come within a few feet of the finish line and still have to do a half a mile out and a half a mile back on the lakefront. Whoever designed this course is cruel! In any event, I crossed the finish line THRILLED with my day. I knew I’d PRd by a significant margin, had executed well and learned a TON! I got scooped up by Mark, Annette and Michelle and they shepherded me back to the hotel for a quick shower. Then we went back out to mile 20 to watch Heidi come through (looking GREAT!!!), then back town to watch her finish and then at last back to the hotel and to bed with a thud. What a day!

*** Yay!!! ***

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Recovery!

Nemo and Bendy! The next day I felt 10,000% better than I had in 2010 and considered that a sign I was better prepared. We packed up the boat, headed home and turned around in time to be in Hawaii for our fifteenth Anniversary on September 1st. I finally got that hard swim effort I’d been craving in the form of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim with Mark. The rest of the vacation has entailed lots of Bikram yoga and beachside with Bubba the turtle!

*** Waikiki Roughwater Swim Route (Garmin Struggles Underwater)  ***

Lessons Learned

Swim – Figure out your silly sunscreen plan. And start left. No really LEFT!
Bike – Keep the rubber side down and power on!
Run – Get lighter, figure out a pee plan and keep doing Bikram yoga for heat acclimatization and continued bendiness!

Signing off 'till next year...

Mahalo! 

*** Bubba ***

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More Info:

Enhanced Race Results: http://www.slowtwitch.com/enhancedresults/
Power Terminology: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx
Endurance Nation: http://members.endurancenation.us/


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Summer Events Roundup 2011!

A look back at some really fun events with some really fun folks in advance Ironman Canada tomorrow. Really!





Bloomsday. Sunday, May 1st found us in Spokane for Bloomsday. I think it was my 24th year?!? For the first time I wasn’t running “with” anyone. We all went our own paces so I let ‘r rip. Breaking an hour would have been awesome but I came up just short (damn you Doomsday Hill!) at 1:02:38. Qualifying for “Second Seeding” has been a pipe dream for many years. Just a few more minutes and I'm in!

Lake Padden Triathlon. After Lavaman in April, the first true triathlon race of the year featured Mark, Christine and Annette in the Lake Padden Tri in Bellingham. I did my best as Uber Gear Bitch (UGB) though I really think Mark and Steve have that job down – I’m just a poser!   Most importantly: we hit the outlet mall on the way home for some well deserved shopping!

The Quad and Friday Night Swim. In early July, Mark and I participated in the “555 Quadathlon” hosted by our friend Denise from her home on Lake Lousie. The disciplines are: run, bike, swim and drink! The following Friday was the first of two Friday Night Swim Races at Lake Meridian to get some open water swim practice. Mark and I swam together (read: he swam, I drafted).  Heidi and her family joined us along with Ann and afterwards we all enjoyed steak and showers at our place.

Valley Girl. Next up was our little annual tradition of the Valley Girl Triathlon in Liberty Lake on July 10th with Annette, Heidi and Diana. This was the first time I really finished at the top of a race. I was fifth overall, beat some “elites” and had the fastest swim overall. The funny thing is they paid the elites down to fifth position, but since I was just in an “age group” division they skipped me and paid #6! Anyway, it was super fun to finish that high and the most exciting result is I get to be an elite (ha!) next year and start at the front of the race. FUN!

Long Bridge Swim. Soooo…. In 2008 Steve watched this event and thought we were completely crazy. Look at him now – completed with a smile! We celebrated with smore’s over the fire at Laura’s amazing lakefront home. The next day I was to head to Penticton for my final race rehearsal for Ironman Canada. Too bad I’d left my passport at home so I had to head home first, then to Penticton. Oops – those are seven hours I’d really like back!

Friday Night Swim, Part Deux. Our final big weekend kicked off with Diana and Patrick getting into town in time to participate in the second Friday Night Swim along with Mark, Heidi, Christine and Annette. Mark won the 0.5 mile race outright earning him a homemade pie!  Ann and Jessica's family joined us for MORE steak and showers (and pie) at our place ensuring everyone was well fueled for the race Sunday.  

Lake Stevens 70.3. What started as an almost joke at dinner over a year ago turned into quite an event! The “Two Sticks and a Puck” relay team featured Steve on the Swim, me on the bike and our anchor leg was Patrick on the run.  Mark completed his first ½ Ironman in full while Steve, Patrick and I had a successful relay with smiles (and PRs!) all around. Annette, Megan and Heidi were awesome Athletic Supporters and Diana stepped in for Steve as Team Photographer and Heidi cheered her arse off!

Now, there’s just this one last little race on the docket….

Love and Lavaman

You Had Me at Party

It’s hard not to fall in love with Lavaman. A stunning beachfront resort location, challenging course, fabulous post-race party and some serious star power combine for a truly magnificent event. Add to that cherished time with dear friends and yep, we are in love.

The Olympic distance race entails a 0.9 mile swim, a 24.85 mile bike and a 6.2 mile run. While that might sound easy compared to a full Ironman, it is BALLS OUT from start to finish and that, my friends, is an entirely different kind of hurt!

In the race were not only triathlon superstars and professionals such as six time Ironman World Champion Dave Scott and local pro Bree Wee, but standouts in other sports including tennis legend Martina Navatralova and F1 Indy car driver Jenson Button. Button has some serious swim skillz!!!
Also, let’s just point out the overall winner Erich Wegscheider finished four minutes FASTER than last year’s winner, current Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack! Ohhhh, snap!

*** Lavaman Post Race Party: Beer is a recovery drink! ***

Goals

I had two goals for the race. The first was to have fun and the second was to execute my race by a “power and pace” protocol.

Having fun was easy! The first of our two weeks on the island was a loosely structured triathlon camp with almost twenty friends and family. Known as team “Huma Huma”, we capped off a week of training together prior to the race. Several of the camp participants were treasured friends made when we took our first triathlon class back in 2006. It would have been hard not to have fun with these folks around!

Executing the race according to power and pace was a little more challenging. I’d transitioned from a heart rate based style of training in December 2010 to the power and pace protocol and was anxious to put it into practice. The swim execution is relatively subjective, but the bike is based on a very specific metric called Functional Threshold Power (FTP) which is measured in watts. There is a device in my bike that tells me how many watts I am “pushing”. The run is based on pace, as in a certain number of minutes per mile. My good old Garmin 310XT kept me honest there. Though it didn’t give me any reprieve in the heat and lava!

*** Team Huma Huma: These peeps rocked the coolest custom jerseys on the island! ***

Back: Carin, Michelle, Jim, Kristin, Coach Duncan, Coach Julie, Jenn, Annie, Mark, Alison and Christine.

Front: Heidi, Stacey and Annette.

Prerace

We rode our bikes about five miles from our home base at the nearby Mauna Lani resort to the start of the race at the Hilton Waikoloa. A nice easy spin at sunrise will do wonders to settle your nerves. Bikes were racked and our transition areas staged as Eye of the Tiger blared over the loudspeaker. An excitable hum built and soon enough we were on the sand watching the professional start at 7:25 AM!

*** Transition: Also known as “T1” when you get out of the water and onto your bike and “T2” when you return your bike and start the run. ***

Swim: Elbows Up

I headed into the water a few minutes before my 7:35 allotted start time to find a place at the front of the deep water start. The nicest thing I have to say about these few minutes is: so much for self seeding! Many of the other women were really aggressive in getting to the front and elbowed for room. Soon it got so tight there was barely enough room to move my arms to tread water. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but honestly, I was skeptical that many of those jockeying for position could swim at the front of the pack. And I was right.

The gun went off, we all went horizontal and let the madness begin. I swam hard for the first 200 yards trying to be polite but firm to get out cleanly. Soon enough I was clear of the pack and able to swim comfortably. The water had been somewhat murky when we had scouted the course a few days earlier but race day brought a nice surprise with excellent visibility and tropical fish to brighten the scenery. My goggles had fogged up by the first turn buoy so when I had made the turn I took a moment to rinse them out and get my bearings. The lenses were much clearer, but I hadn’t emptied them well and had to refresh them again at the second turn buoy. Time wasted, but hopefully it was worth being able to stay on course. I got out of the water feeling strong enough to actually run to my bike for the first time in a race ever. Usually I’m so spent I have to walk as least half the distance. Maybe I hadn’t gone hard enough? Too late now, off to the bike!

My swim time was 27:01. This split was 6th of the 99 women in my age group (AG) and 27th of 577 women in the race. This result place me within the top 6% in AG and the top 4.8% of all women, including professionals. One word for next time: defogger!

*** Exiting the Swim: They guys in the blue caps were in Mark’s wave at 7:30. I didn’t catch him until the run. I’m going to have to work harder to chick him earlier next time!  ***

Bike: Stick to the Plan

The bike started off on the somewhat cramped access road into the Hilton Waikoloa. I took the opportunity to take in a Honey Stinger gel as we all got sorted out and into our rhythm. After about a mile, we took a right to hit the Queen Kaahumanu or “Queen K” highway and let ‘er rip. I was true to my race plan which called for me to go at 80% of FTP through mile five, 85% to mile 10 and then to 90% or more for the last 15 miles. Zip, zip, zip. Other than being passed by one woman and a few men in the first miles of the bike and other than that I did all the passing. I like this plan!

When we hit the turnaround I glanced at my watch and saw I was at about 40’. I was a little disappointed because I knew that an 80’ split would be slower than I role last year. Stick to the plan, stick to the plan. I took a water bottle from the volunteers and refilled my aero bottle as I rolled though the aid station and downed Double Espresso Power Gel and off I went, just like a race car at a pit stop, I was fully topped off! Before I knew it I was rolling into T2 with an overall bike split of about 1:10. I’d gone 40’ out and 30’ back. Weeeeeeee!

My bike time was 1:10:26. This split was 4th of the 99 women in my AG and 15th of 577 women in the race. This result represents about the top 4% in AG and the top 2.5% of all women, including professionals - woot!

*** Zip, Zip, Zip: On my new Zipps! ***

Run: Go Hard or Go Home

What sums up the run? Tricky! A scouting of the course the day before had reminded us that the last mile and a half or so were on lava, unstable coral heads (think of running on a sea softball sized rocks) and sand. Gorgeous, yes, but not exactly ideal for hammering it home to the finish line.

I headed out of T2 mindful that I could really only run as hard as I wanted to for the first 4.5 miles. That meant going hard early, contrary to a classic race execution modus operandi. I took a Vanilla Energy Gel at the first aid station then just grabbed ice and water at each mile. The ice went straight down my top to help keep my core cool. Also of note: I appear to have mastered drinking water while running! The key is pinching the top of the cup in half so you just have a tiny opening and don’t slosh it all over yourself. I hit the lava and coral heads knowing I’d gone hard a little let down that I had to slow down to ensure I made it to the finish line without any broken bones.

My run time was 52:19. This split was 13th of the 99 women in my AG and 43rd of 577 women in the race. This result represents about the top 13% in AG and the top 7.4% of all women, including professionals. Relative to the other competitors, the run was still my weakness but I was really pleased with over a five minute improvement from last year.

*** Run! Just run carefully! ***

Finish: Tsunami Scores One for Mother Nature

The finishing stretch historically had taken us down a long stretch of sand with a fish pond on the left and the ocean on the right. Unfortunately, the recent tsunami had breached that stretch of sand and the pond was now really a little bay. The hotel had done a great job cleaning up, but sometimes Mother Nature just can’t be outdone and the finish line was rerouted around the breach.

*** Finish: Mother Nature wins! ***

Finish Line Extravaganza

After I crossed the finish line I camped out in a great place a few hundred yards from the finish and watched everyone else finish. I was even able to get photos of most of our peeps as they pushed to the finish. One after another crossed with a personal best, a huge smile and assurances that this was indeed the most fun race EVER! When Mark crossed the line the clock read 3:00:48. Initially he was disappointed because he thought he had JUST missed the three hour mark. BUT the clock had started 5’ before him with the professional wave. He had actually broken three hours by four minutes and twelve seconds with an official time of 2:55:48!

*** Really! You did it Mark! ***

Results?

My official time including transitions was 2:34:06 which was over 10' faster than last year.  I hadn’t considered my placing before or during the race, but as I watched the finishers I got to thinking it might be a good idea to check the results. I knew I’d only been passed by one woman on the bike, though I didn’t get a feel for her age. On the run, I’d been passed by a couple women and was pretty sure two were much younger and one was older. The wild card was I had NO IDEA who may have gotten out of the water in front of me. Considering my relatively strong swim, I thought it would be prudent to at least take a look at the results before we packed up and headed out.

After some serious snafus and delays in posting the results, scores of sweaty anxious finishers crowded around a card table trying to interpret our placing. Should be easy, right? Um, no. The results were posted simply in order of how we crossed the finish line. And worse, though each row had our splits, overall time, and age group there was no indication of WHERE we’d placed within our age group as is typical. Ug. I knew my time so I found myself fairly quickly. Then to see where I’d placed in my age group, I had to manually count the number of women in the 35-39 age group above me with my sweaty little finger.

My first, second and third count had me at sixth which is about the worst place to be. I knew that typically professionals and top three overall finishers were pulled from age group results. I also knew they were presenting awards through fifth place in each age group. But with no way to determine if a professional or top three finisher would be “pulled” from my age group, I had no way to know if that meant I’d just missed or just made the podium. I was starting to wish I hadn’t looked.

*** Results: Bring your abacus. ***

Waiting


I hated the idea of having everyone wait for an awards ceremony that could have been a huge letdown.  The post race party was humming, my teammates were insistent on hanging arond just in case and, after protest, I relented. Sigh.  What was the worst thing that could happen? We enjoyed the party a bit longer than planned and I didn’t make the podium? Or I made it and some of my dearest friends and hubby were there to share the moment? The silver lining to all the waiting was we had time to take some photos together with our bikes and finisher’s medals. We’re supposed to look tough and sassy. Sassy, sure, but tough? Ha!

*** Lavaman Chicks: Sassy, yes. But tough? ***

 From Left: Annette, Michelle, Jenn, Christine and Heidi. 

Podium!

Finally, the awards ceremony got underway. Three eons later, they got to my age group. The announcer began to read, “in 5th place in the 35 to 39 age group from Kent, Washington (peeps go hog wild and I can’t hear much else) something something blah blah blah... Jennifer Edwards!” I trotted up, bowed for a lei from a cute local boy and took my place on the podium trying, unsuccessfully, not to cry. The other finishers were called up, I kept trying not to cry, we stood FOREVER for photos, handshakes and prizes and were then dismissed for the next age group’s five minutes of glory.

I returned to the peeps and gave up on not crying with hugs and tears all around. Mark looked so proud. Love and Lavaman, indeed.

*** Podium: Trying not to cry. ***

*** Love and Lavaman ***

The Road to Ironman Canada 2010: The Final Chapter

Aloha!

The final chapter in the Road to Ironman Canada 2010 is complete! Woo Hoo! After two solid years of focus on this one event, man-o-man it feels good to be done. And again, I am so thankful for the support I received along the way. I’ll be doing it again next year but with much less fanfare as there truly is no time like the first time.

Thank you for being a part of the journey!

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PREFACE: Why it takes at least week to do an Ironman.

• Wednesday: Drove to Penticton, checked into the hotel and launched our boat.
• Thursday: Picked up race packet, registered for Ironman Canada 2011 (I know!) and drove the bike and run courses. Short swim and bike.
• Friday: Pre-race meeting.
• Saturday: Very short swim, bike and run. Checked the bike into transition.  Peeps arrived and we checked out the start.
• Sunday: The BIG day!
• Monday: Finisher’s merchandise shopping spree, pulled boat, checked out of hotel, drove home.
• Tuesday: Laundry, laundry and more laundry. And pack for ten days in Hawaii....  ;-)

Visions of Whitecaps: Annette, Mark and I checking out the swim start on Saturday.

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SUPPORT: More Cowbell!

I started the day with more people pulling for me than I ever could have dreamed of. Cowbell Crew on the Course included Mark, Denise and Laurie on our boat.  Mark had volunteered for the second year as a course marshal for the swim. Annette, Steve, Megan, Christine, Heidi, Dagmar, Joe and Ann were in Penticton, watched the swim start and would rendezvous with Mark’s crew afterwards.

 Cowbell Crew Pre Race Dinner 

Note the hand tie-dyed t-shirts that match my race top. And sugar cookies too!!!

Cow Bell Crew at Home: Ringing cowbell at home were lots of amazing people including my Mom, Dad, brother Kyle, Katie, Julie, Duncan, Debra, Sean, Centura, Jessica, Nicole, Pia and many others. Even nephew cats Skinny and Rocket got into the action. Thank you! Following online was complicated by the fact that the tracking website was FUBARed for most of the day due to a supposed “Denial of Service” attack for which the organization apologized profusely. Frustrating, I’m sure!

Skinny and Rocket Ring the Bell!

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RACE MORNING: Keeping Food Down Is a Victory

Mmmmmm, big pancake breakfast at 3:30 AM.  Unfortunately I didn't get to go back to bed as I had on several other long training days. I wasn’t really too nervous, just excited to get going. Mark dropped me off at transition en route to the marina at about 5:30 AM and I was officially on my own for the day!

I took a moment to review my race goals as written:

• 1: Finish!*
• 2: Have fun!*
• 3: Stick to the plan!
• 4: Part of the plan is the plan will change!
• 5: Run the marathon. **

* I reserved the right to cry if I didn’t meet goals #1 and #2. Then I promised to get over it.
* Super best case goal. I promised to be satisfied should I not meet this goal.

There were no finish time goals, just execution goals and estimates as is recommended for first time Ironman participants. My estimates were 75 minutes for the swim, seven hours for the bike and five hours for the run plus fifteen minutes for each transition. I guestimated my total race time to be of 13 hours, 45 minutes.

At about 6:30 AM I was to eat a MOJO bar (it gets props for being well named, a minimum!) but, alas, the nerves were starting to fire so I skipped it figuring better to NOT throw up than to have those few extra calories. I could see Mark and his crew out on the course from the transition area and it was nice to know he’d be out there for what would probably be the most stressful part of the day. A few last preparation items in transition and it was time to head down to the beach for the start!

Marshal Mark: It's a little like herding cats.

One rescue and the best view of the swim bar none!

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THE SWIM: A Washing Machine with 3,000 New Best Friends!

I walked down the beach to the area I intended to line up and got into the water about ten minutes before the start . It was enough time for me to make my way to the deepwater line, take a few warm-up strokes and get acclimated. Looking out onto the course from the beach I started far to the left and at the tape. There was just one person in front of me at the line, actually, and behind us swimmers were stacked 30 to 40 deep. Boom! The canon went off and let pandemonium reign!

Swim Start: I’m the red cap on the left near the line, see me?

 Swim start video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Wa8mXNX10&NR=1

For the first half of the 1,600 yard outbound leg I swam hard but not recklessly as I was mindful of maintaining my form and avoiding getting kicked. There were times when I held up my pace rather than push through the feet in front of me as I figured a few seconds was a small price to pay for intact goggles and no black eyes. I did get swum over a couple of times but nothing too brutal, plus I didn’t have to swim around many people. Overall I was very pleased with my start and felt I seeded myself well. Just as things started to settle down we were through the first 1,612 yards and at the first turn buoy (a houseboat, actually!) and that was chaotic, to say the least. I survived and quickly enough we were through the second 450 yard leg and into more mayhem at the second turn. I knew that to be on track with my estimated 75 minute time I’d need to be at about 40 minutes at that second houseboat. When I snuck a peek at my watch it read 35 minutes. I assumed I must have done my math incorrectly, especially because I was swimming well within myself and actually thought I might be putting out too little effort.

Triangulate: An aerial view of the swim course shortly after the start.

Looks pretty straightforward but it sn’t nearly that easy to tell where you’re going from the water, that’s for sure!

The crowd started to thin out on the last 1,800 yard leg and I was one of the outermost swimmers giving me a relatively unencumbered line to the finish. I caught a good look at Mark, Denise and Laurie. Denise was wearing her signature orange and our boat was hard to miss. Of course they couldn’t hear or see me but it was cool to see them none the less. I continued strong but controlled to the shore, swam through a lot of people who were wading who had stopped swimming too early, stood up and checked my watch which read 1:05. Really? I looked at the clock marking the swim exit, yep, 1:05 and change, a full seven minute PR at the distance. The magic taper? One huge 3,000 person draft? Two years of pent up anticipation? Whatever the case, I’ll take it. I was momentarily taken back to early last summer when we started swimming in Lake Washington with Duncan and Julie. Duncan had complimented my swimming and said something along the lines of “You could go 1:05 in your Ironman”. I’d never really come close to it with two recent swims at 1:12, or even thought much about it since then but now, coming into T1 with a 1:05+ split in my first Ironman I did think, “Well I’ll be darned, Duncan was right”!

Swim Exit: Thinking if I’m that fit when I’m over 50 I’d take my top off and show off my pecs too!

Swim Split: I’ll just keep my watch on this screen until next year.

OFFICIAL SWIM TIME: 1:05:50, placing me 16th of 165 in my age group and 599th of 2,732 finishers with a pace of 1:44 per 100 yards.

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T1: A Stripper’s Delight

Coming into T1 I got “stripped” of my wetsuit by two volunteers. I joked it was my first time and asked them to be gentle… they were and fast too! I trotted over to my T1 bag and headed into the change tent. There another volunteer helped me clean my feet, put on my socks, shoes, helmet, race belt, etc. I hit the port-a-potty (let’s start counting… pee #1 during the race), grabbed my bike and was off!

T1 Bikes: A whole lotta bling in a very small space!

OFFICIAL T1 TIME: 0:06:48.

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THE BIKE: Four Seasons, 112 Miles and the Cowbell Crew

The first 40 miles went out fast and flat as expected. The weather was cool and mild, I got a good start on my nutrition plan and kept my effort well within my target heart rate zone. I averaged much higher than the 16.0 MPH predicted for day simply because this was the easiest part of the ride.

The Flats: Fast, flat and easy does it!

Then we took the big right to Richter Pass, which is decidedly NOT the easiest part of the ride and the first of two mountain passes awaiting us. I shifted down, took off my arm warmers and braced myself gamely for the mountain to put the hurt on. Men went chugging by me breathing heavily and dripping sweat in the cool morning sun. I checked my ego and spun easily within my targeted zone. I waited for something dramatic to happen and yet still no pain, and yes, still within my zone. Fans lined the course cheering and clanging and generally being just amazing! Reality check: Still feeling fine? Yup. Within my zone? Yes. How long have I been at this climb? Oh hey, it’s over!

Elevation Profile: A climber’s delight!

Onto the rollers known affectionately as the “Seven Bitches” and I was still on track with my nutrition and pacing. At one point it occurred to me that I was about three hours into the ride and hadn’t peed yet. It was warming up, the sun was out and I knew if you were properly hydrated you should pee twice on the bike. I had a little bit of a headache and my stomach didn’t feel great so I started to worry that I was getting dehydrated and took an extra 20oz water bottle at an aid station. I added a couple of sips of that extra water to my repertoire which already included the planned 24 ounces of Gatorade per hour. Finally I had to pee (#2 on the day) at the “special needs” station at about mile 75 and hour four. I went ahead and took the Imodium I had packed in the special needs bag and used the wet rag to wipe all the splashed Gatorade and goo off my face and arms feeling MUCH better. My only annoyance now was that even though I was the first in line at that port-a-potty I waited FOREVER (about four minutes) to get in while better equipped men ran off into the bushes. Hrumph!

Do It Yourself: In less than a minute you can watch a simulation of my bike ride.

Click on the link and select “Play” in the upper right corner.

It’s MUCH easier than doing the whole thing, trust me!

http://connect.garmin.com/player/46791597

As we made our way from the special needs station and onto the flats before the Yellow Lake climb we were greeted with Mother Nature’s creative cocktail of rain, wind, more wind, a cross wind, a head wind and I understand some folks even encountered hail. Considering practically ALL of my training was done in the POURING ASS RAIN of the Pacific Northwest, I was hardly deterred and splashed merrily along. I considered yelling “Is that all you’ve got?!?” into the wind but kept it to myself the sake of the grim riders around me.

Go ahead Mother Nature, bring it. I’ve been training for this ALL FREAKING summer!

One of the lead pros in the rain.

Soon enough we were climbing again and fans lined the course tightly like the Tour de France. Car horns beeping, bells clanging, radios blaring and generally AWESOME energy! Despite the fans and the climbing I was starting to get cold and feeling a little less than fresh. Then there, up ahead like a mirage at the 90 mile point, magically though the rain appeared my very own Cowbell Crew! Oh they looked like they were having so much fun (maybe they were just really glad to see me so they could get their butts out of the rain) and even in the craziness of the crowd they stood out as PARTICULARLY loud and sporting. Nice job crew – more cowbell! I high fived my way up the line 110% refreshed and sooooo excited to have seen them. As we settled back into the climb the riders around me commented on how loud (read: obnoxious, in a good way) they were I wholeheartedly agreed, feeling like a bona-fide celebrity.

High Fives: Hit most of the Cowbell Crew and Heidi even gave a little back!

By the time I finished the climb I had to pee again (#3 on the day) and, facing a long decent, I decided to hit what looked to be the last port-a-potty. Here I had another delay. The potty was in some fine gravel and though I got in and out of the potty just fine, I couldn’t clip my shoes back in on my bike. I tottered through the aid station with volunteers asking what was wrong, was I feeling okay, could they help, etc. I pulled up and asked one volunteer (SAINT) if he could take a look at my cleats as I was having a hard time getting clipped back in. Yep, they were clogged with gravel. He got down on his hands and knees (in the rain), cleaned those suckers out for me and gave me a big push to get back underway. Did I mention the volunteers here are FABULOUS??? Zooooooommm down the hill and then rather suddenly into town a little chilled but no worse for the wear. A wave to Ann who was watching the last miles of the bike in town presto, into T1 I went.

OFFICIAL BIKE TIME: 6:23:59, placing me 48th of 165 in my age group on the bike and 1,340th of 2,732 finishers with a pace of 17.5 MPH*.
* All things being equal it would be pretty darn easy to improve on this next year and approach an average of 18 MPH by simply NOT spending a full eight minutes at port-a-potties. Or more specifically waiting in line or getting clipped back in at port-a-potties. ;-)

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T2: A Volunteer Extravaganza

Zoom I went into T2 where I found more fabulous volunteers waiting: one to catch my bike, one to walk with me to my bags (asking me if I was okay about ten times… maybe I didn’t look so good?) one to help me out of my cycling gear and into my running gear (actually she pretty much dressed me like a baby), one to direct me to the port-a-potties (#4!) and then presto, I was high fiving volunteers down the exit and out onto the run.

A Short Salute to IMC 2010 Volunteers

Everything from stripping wetsuits, to stringing finish line tape to digging sand out of cleats!

http://www.ironman.ca/#gpm1_2

Of note: The volunteer video is the second on the page. The first video is longer and about the race itself. It includes some fun footage of the race, interviews, a shot of an amputee who led a blind racer, a man in a kilt, a proposal and lots of finish line joy including the final finisher!

OFFICIAL T2 TIME: 0:08:00.

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THE RUN: The Long Way Home

The first three miles of the marathon include a short “out and back” down along the Okanagan lake swim start and then we head out of town on Main street. Honestly I didn’t feel that great right off the bike but it was hard to be too concerned with all the cheering and clanging going on by the HOARDES of fans. High fives to Josh’s wife Eryn and daughter Clara and by mile two I’d settled in and felt just fine. Shortly thereafter I saw the two leaders heading back INTO town running shoulder to shoulder with just a couple miles to go. Imagine 140.6 miles of racing coming down to a dead sprint! And then slowly but surely, silence overwhelmed the clamor. The course takes us along Skaha Lake where traffic is blocked off and it’s much harder for fans to access the course. After about mile three the crowds thin out considerably and a few miles later it gets downright desolate. Let the mental games begin.

The Run Course: Your mental toughness needs may vary.

Early on I realized two things: 1 - The thought of another Power Bar made me nauseous and 2 - I’d left my endurolites (electrolyte supplement) in T2. Hmmmmm, what to do? I soon discovered there were pretzels at each aid station so I just grabbed four of those in lieu of Power Bar bites and continued with the Gatorade and Honey Stingers as planned. I chugged merrily along to the turnaround feeling steady and comfortable. Or I should say I PEED along just fine. From the start to the turn around at mile 13.1 I peed FOUR times. That’s pee numbers 5, 6, 7 and 8 for those who are still counting. So I went from being worried about being dehydrated to being worried about being OVER hydrated. Hmmmmmm, all I’d really added was that 20oz of water. Clearly that was too much, though or I wasn’t sweating as much as I had expected. My pace was about 11:30 but add back in the pee breaks and my ½ marathon split was right at the 12 minute mile predicted. Oh well, I hit the turnaround at 13.1 still feeling fine and with full intention of implementing my plan to pick up the pace about 15 seconds per mile ‘till mile 18 and then see if I could pick it up even more to the finish. Meanwhile, little did I know the Cowbell Crew was formulating a plan to get onto the run course.

The posse had formulated a plan and were a just a few miles ahead!

The problem with the plan to pick up the pace on the way back was this: I’d tell my legs to go a bit faster they'd just gave me the big middle finger. Ug! Oh well, I was still running except for those fifty paces at each aid station as planned. Then, at about mile 17 things got REALLY.DARN.HARD. My pace slowed more. Faster? Ha my legs scoffed! How ‘bout slower. I.KEPT.RUNNING. A chorus of voices in my head told me to walk. I tried to drown them out with Christmas carols and images of that fifth goal as written: “Run the marathon.” Pee stops 9, 10 and 11 on the way back. The volunteers did their best at the aid stations as they read my name off my race number: “Good job Jennifer!” “Keep it up Jennifer!” Last big hill Jennifer!” But each time I started running after the aid station got harder and harder… so much so that I contemplated not even walking through them because it was getting soooooo painful to resume. I.KEPT.RUNNING. Miles 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 can be summed up in three words: desolate and painful. Why am I doing this again? And then, for the second time today, the Cowbell Crew appeared at just the right moment: Mile 22.5. They’d walked from the hotel to the last lonely stretch on the course before the crowds carry you into the finish. I was honestly at my lowest. High fives, clanging, cheering, a few tears and signs waving. Nice job crew... no stopping now! I.KEPT.RUNNING.

  

Cowbell Crew: Waiting and cheering!

**** Applause: SOOOOO glad to see the crew! ****

The sun set that day at about 7:50 PM, just as I was coming to the start of the short out and back I'd done once before, oh, about five hours ago. Though it was getting dark I would finish, thankfully, without a glow stick. And then there AGAIN was the Cowbell Crew. Man, they are fast! High fives all around and then the turn onto the out and back. More high fives to Eryn, Clara and a freshly showered Josh who assured me “just five more minutes” of running and I’d be done! I turned around and kept on chugging ‘till I saw the sodium lights that illuminated the finish. More high fives to the Cowbell Crew who had crossed the street and now stood just in front of the finish line.

No stopping now: A few more steps and that finish line is all mine, baby!

After thirteen hours of racing suddenly the finish line tape was literally within my grasp.  What an incredible feeling. For some reason I felt compelled to grab it and shove it over my head like I was Chrissie Wellington and had just won Kona. I pretty much felt like it too. :-)

Yeah baby, yeah!

OFFICIAL RUN TIME: 5:25:43, placing me 117th of 165 on the run in my age group and 2,019 of 2,732 finishers on the run with a pace of 12:26 minutes per mile*.

* Here again, all things being equal it would be pretty darn easy to improve on this next year and approach 12 minute miles simply by NOT spending an additional eight minutes at port-a-potties.

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WHAT A DAY: Reunions

At the finish a volunteer “catcher” wrapped me in a space blanket and help me navigate my way to the finisher’s reunion area. There I found the crew for hugs all around, a few tears, congratulations, a Diet Coke and good-byes for the day. AMAZING!!!

Hugs and tears.

 Happy Hubby!

The Cowbell Crew Reunion

OFFICIAL RACE TIME: 13:10:18, placing me 74th of 165 in my age group and 1,614 of 2,732 finishers.

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RECOVERY: What to do, what not to do.

Post Race: We made our way back to our hotel where I partook in the official Edwards Ironman Recovery Modus Operandi: a sugar cookie and a Diet Coke in a bubble bath. Thanks to the crew for the goodies, they were just what I needed to turn my brain off so I could sleep. I actually was SO pleased with my protocol that I repeated it on Monday night. Yep, it was THAT good. A quick peek at the computer and I was overwhelmed to see how many people had been following me all day via e-mails, Facebook posts, etc. I am indeed a lucky girl.

Bliss: Every Ironman finisher should be so lucky!

BTW: One of those toenails has since committed suicide. It had been unhappy since last November's marathon and I guess the Ironman just pushed it over the edge.  Ewe.

Monday: So, how should one feel, exactly, the day after their first Ironman? Well, I’m not sure how you’re supposed to feel, but I for one, felt fine. Sure I was sore, but I was moving and luckily avoided the dreaded “Ironman Shuffle” completely. I was moving well enough, in fact to toe the line for the 100th time this week at the finisher’s merchandise tent. I must have momentarily forgotten how “Type A” triathletes are when I thought nobody would get up to be in line for the 7:00 AM opening of the tent. We showed up at 6:55 and yep, a line had formed down the entire block. Some creative maneuvering and thirty minutes later, we were in the tent spending an embarrassing amount of money on merchandise that read “Ironman Canada 2010 FINISHER!!!” Still not ungodly sore we enjoyed a big breakfast with the Cowbell Crew and sadly said goodbye. A few hours later the boat was on the trailer, we were packed and headed home!

Swag: Sure, I bought my share of official merchandise, but the best stuff is handmade!   

Other than being sore and (soon to be) less one toenail, my biggest injury was the worst case of neck chafe I’d ever had. This is a rub mark that occurs when your wet suit rubs your neck raw as you sight on the swim. I was surprised because I normally didn’t get it too badly and I’d even taken the extra step of applying the product known as “Glide” for my big day to keep the chafe to a minimum. Later the next day when Mark asked where his deodorant was, we had our answer. And no, for the record, deodorant does not make a good substitute for Glide. It actually has the exact opposite effect, in my experience.

Mark-ism: There’s a fine line between slick and stuck.

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CELEBRATE: Aloha baby!

Ironman Canada falls precariously close to our anniversary on September 1st. It’s also really close to what has become a mini family tradition of the Waikiki Roughwater swim on Labor Day. My solution? Off to Hawaii on Wednesday for ten days of rest and relaxation with my brother on the North Shore of Oahu. We took this “active recovery” thing to another level. On tap were two paddleboard adventures, the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, five 90 minute Bikram yoga sessions plus other assorted walks, swims, etc.

Walking the paddleboards to launch across the street from Kyle’s house.

We did a full practice run a few days prior to the five-mile race. Yes, you use your swimming muscles… and about forty others!

The Waikiki Roughwater Swim

The race that inspired the 2.4 mile distance of the Ironman swim!

My favorite movie of all time is Jaws I and I have a healthy obsession and straight up fear of sharks. So, what would be an appropriate gift for someone who just completed an Ironman? In my mom’s way of thinking: a shark cage diving adventure, of course! Ahhhhh!!! I’ll return active, recovered, bendy(ish) and with my healthy respect for sharks intact!

The smile is because the sharks are on the OUTSIDE of the cage.

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Overall I am THRILLED with the journey and with the race itself. It's truly an honor to be able to participate in such an event.  I met all my goals and though there is LOTS of room for improvement I’m making a point not to put a big buzz kill on this moment and choosing to be fully satisfied with my performance. I’m probably not ever going to win one of these things but it’s hard not to think about how to improve in some obvious areas so, of course, I’m formulating plan to do just that at Ironman Canada 2011. I'll also be focusing on giving back to those who gave so much to me along the way.  For now, though I’m just going to soak it up, literally and figuratively and enjoy these last few days of Hawaiian recovery.

Mahalo!

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