"We are training for Ironman, not Plasticman, and I mean that in a very literal way. Strike a match under a plastic spoon. Watch it curl up and see the plume of acrid black smoke that rises into a toxic cloud above you. Strike a match under a steel fork, forged from Iron, and you see it will begin to glow are vibrant orange yet keep its shape. In fact Iron is hardened by flame."
After returning from Clearlake last weekend ~ and upon the completion of 3/4 of an Ironman (118+ miles in one weekend), I came home feeling challenged; tired; sore -- but equally refreshed; fulfilled & proud of my accomplishments, and well as those of my teammates. Here I was, prepared for a full-on, cozy Recovery Week. However, this was not the case, and certainly not on the training calendar!
While I did take my Monday off to rest, recover and do nothing but put my feet up at home, stretch and treat myself to the simple luxuries in life (a pedicure, complete with a masque and hot stone calf massage), a glass of wine and some time to run a few errands and catch up with some girlfriends ~ I was in store for a few more tasks later in the week.
Tuesday, I was back on the bike. I gave myself little to no option as to whether I would turn around running the other way, so I gave Nick my bike to handle and bring to Walnut Creek later that evening. I met up with the Team outside of Sports Basement, and we had some high-cadence drills to do, to and from the North Gate of Mount Diablo. The terrain is a steady climb, but nothing too steep. For those of you outside the East Bay -- this is Mount Diablo. Gives a whole new meaning to "Devil Mountain"...
Despite not really having the desire to ride that evening, I was amazed at how quickly my body had recovered, actually. I bounced right back and was able to get my cadence up to 90-100 rpm with no problem (a portion of which was over rolling hill terrain), but it was remarkable that I had zero issues with riding that day. It was a super short ride, compared to what we had just been through. We were done in about an hour, yet it felt good to loosen up my legs and get them moving again.
A 90-minute firm/deep tissue massage on Thursday was just what the doctor ordered. My massage therapist noticed some trigger points near my trapezius muscles (neck, tops of the shoulders, center of the upper back) -- which completely makes sense because of my positioning on the bike. Also found some knots in my lats (a.k.a. my 'swim muscles'). I felt like jelly afterward and hydrated like no other to flush out all the toxins and lactic acid worked up after the massage. Ahhhh...
Friday I was headed to Shadow Cliffs in Livermore immediately after work to meet the Team. I used the public park restroom to change directly from my casual Friday jeans to my swimsuit. It was finally time to test for the Shadow Cliffs Orcas Swim Club, which enables me to swim outside the lane lines in the lake there. Most of my East Bay teammates are already members and my paperwork and fees had already been submitted. It was just time for me to test and do a couple laps in the lake without a wetsuit.
It's funny that I had been perfectly fine with open water swimming (no irrational fears or concerns) UNTIL Clearlake. The vegetation and creepy undergrowth down below threw me for a loop last weekend, and so going into Shadow Cliffs having had that experience, proved a little intimidating to me... Alas, I had to do it! Kathryn, Erin and I went into the lake together in swimsuits, tri tops and shorts, while the boys (Rocky, Nick, Phil & Haakon got all cozy and warm in their neoprene suits). Feeling the moss below my feet was a little icky (normally I wear booties with my wetsuit so I'm oblivious to the lake floor). I looked down below and there were SO many plants! The lake floor was covered in trees and weeds and... I don't even know what. Memories of the Clearlake underwater forest came flooding back to me, and I just tried to convince myself that the moss in Shadow Cliffs was nothing but green, mossy, retro shag carpet. It's just carpet, Maria. It's not going to hurt you. It looks cozy, doesn't it? It's carpet. -- I kept repeating to myself.
Our test began and I took the opportunity to practice drafting while swimming. I followed Kathryn's toes directly in front of me and it was pretty cool. We got back to shore and I felt great. Refreshed by the water temperature, actually.
It didn't even occur to me that not everyone would pass the swim test. There were some gentlemen in our wave who came to shore panting and out of breath. Those administering the test were reluctant to pass them or give them the coveted yellow cap, and allow them to swim beyond the restricted area. Times like these that I forget how often I swim and how much I've improved since November. Had I taken this same test back then, I certainly would have been freaked out by the challenge of swimming that distance in open water (300 yds in 10 mins).
After switching caps, Nick and Rocky joined us and we went back in for the actual workout (Phil and Haakon had already started their swim). We were to sight and swim toward this rockpile and back (for a total of about a mile). After watching Rocky and Nick imitate the backflip high jump with the lane line, we set out to do our swim. I fought more of the 'underwater swamp thing demons' and before I knew it, I couldn't even see underwater anymore. I was swimming in open water for the first time WITHOUT a wetsuit! And without the safety net of being as buoyant. And it was actually kinda great! The lake seemed pretty vast (if you were to swim the entire thing, you'd actually get the Ironman swim distance of 2.4 miles), and although Kathryn was somewhat nearby but for the most part, I was on my own. I just kept the boys in sight and tried to find my rhythm. Got to the rockpile, high-fived Kathryn for being the gals and only IronTeamers (in addition to Erin, who flew by - swimming is her strongest sport) to swim wetsuit-less and I think impressed the heck out of the guys.
We made it back and I had completed the mile distance in about 40 minutes. I was happy with my time, considering it was one of my harder swims without the wetsuit. I collapsed into bed and slept so well after getting my body to do all that work.
No rest for the weary, however, as I had a wake-up call of 5:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Ladies of IronTeam had a 7:00 a.m. start time for The Tour of the East Bay Alps bike ride, starting at Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek.
Ah, the East Bay Alps. I'll tell you now (as I told Carol during the ride), that I was afraid of what we would see and what the climbs would be like. But for whatever reason, there was some driving force compelling me to get up on Saturday, put on my bike shorts, and head out the door. A big part of of it was that my Team would be there and I made it a point to thank them for getting my rear out of bed and back on the bike so early in the morning for such a daunting task. I mean, what do you visualize when you hear the word Alps? :)
After properly affixing my aerobottle to my bars this time (thanks, Kathryn!), I headed out into the unknown. We rode some of the bike trails (shared with runners, dog-walkers and strollers = prepare for the unexpected), before heading up Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek and off into downtown Clayton. So far, this seemed to be familiar territory for me. And then.... came Morgan Territory. Ew, it makes me cringe just saying it!
The gradual ascends weren't so bad. They were manageable. But I barely blinked and before I knew it, I was doing some serious climbing. Thankfully, I had Patty with me to keep me preoccupied. We'd have a conversation, pant up the hill, and then commiserate on how hard it was. Although it's all YOU doing the climbing and the sports we're doing are all very independent, it makes such a huge difference to have someone next to you on the road or in the lake, going through the same thing -- who can understand the pain and sense of satisfaction you're experiencing too. And that's one of the biggest reasons I'm so lucky to have IronTeam.
The only way I can really describe Morgan Territory Road is to say it would be a climb, a sharp turn, then a climb. A climb, another sharp turn, and then another climb. It would just go up and UP -- with no real let-up or flattening out of the road. The roads tucked away back there are narrow too so thank goodness the only real cars that would come through were our Sports & Gear (SAG) Vehicles.
During one particular climb, my mind was really tested. Patty had been a little further behind me and it just seemed to be me on the road, with no one else in sight. I kept pushing and pushing through the hill (if you hesitate for one second, you'll fall over). My heart was pounding, the sweat was building up underneath my helmet, my neck was so strained -- with my left side in particular just pulling and aching. I told myself -- Afan, the next clearing of the road you see, give yourself a break. You need it and you deserve it. You've been climbing for about a continuous hour and you should allow yourself a short break. Then I reached a small patch on the right side of the road. I unclipped really fast and came to a stop. RELIEF. I just stood there, letting my heart rate go slowly back down, stretched my neck and back, sipped some water and took an Endurolyte. These are freakin' hard! I thought to myself. I saw Kathryn up ahead and she was actually walking her bike up the hill ahead of me. I had wondered whether she also had experienced the same mental game I did; and I felt tempted to follow suit and walk on up it too. Unfortunately, and to my surprise, she had slipped from the loose gravel and fallen right where I was standing. She landed on her hip and decided to walk her bike up just to get to a more level area, before she'd hop RIGHT back on. "You ok, Kathryn?!" I yelled to the top. "Yeah, I'm fine. Good thing I only landed on my hip. I'm going to keep on going." I was inspired by her fortitude and willingness to get back in the saddle after that. So despite the temptation to walk up the hill, I mustered up whatever I had and got back on the bike to scale the hill. No walking. Pure cycling.
There was a small descend after that hill, followed by a really sharp turn and a quick ascend immediately following. It was tricky to maneuver, but I got out of there and prepared for the next climb. Training Captain Les came up behind me and told me the next rest stop was less than a mile away. I was now determined to finish this set of hills and just get to a safe place so I could unload and recharge my batteries. It was one of the longest half-miles ever; I thought I'd never get there. But sure enough, I saw a clearing and our Team Manager, Merla, standing there waving and cheering. Aloha, rest stop! How I've longed to see you.
I got there and my brain felt like mush. After using the restroom, topping off my bottles and taking another salt tablet, I entered whiney phase. "I don't want to do this anymore," I said to Coach Mike. Whyyy? Whaaaahh... Both he and Helen looked at me and said Maria, you don't always have to WANT to do something, and suggested that continuing the ride is just how it is and what I had to do next.
I thought about it, and knew that I always had (and have) an option. Sure, I can get in a car and be done for the day. Grab some lunch while everyone else is scaling the mountain. I don't HAVE to finish. But I would have been so disappointed in myself, which is a choice I knew would have been the wrong one.
Meanwhile, I turned and saw Patty sitting in a chair covered in blood and ice. What happened?! I asked her. She apparently also got caught in loose gravel (at that sharp turn) and fell, cutting up and injuring her arm and had to be taken to the hospital to have it cleaned and checked. She had also been nursing a knee aggravation and so riding further just wasn't in the cards for her. But her spirit and enthusiasm were still intact and in "typical IronTeam fashion," she would later join us post-ride for lunch and laughter -- when she could have just gone home. If that's not inspiring either, I don't know what is. Here I was, battling the mental game, with no injuries or anything physically wrong with me. My body felt fit as a fiddle (especially after giving my neck a rest and stretch and now loitering at the rest stop for 20 minutes).
But I was also afraid. There was this "screaming descend" the Team was talking about and it was the last thing I wanted to do. I'm comfortable more or less with going downhill, but when it's super steep, and over a long distance -- just the lack of control or knowing what to expect is what scares me. As I was telling this to Mike, Tony came up to me and said he would ride it with me. He wasn't even in cycling clothes - he was manning the SAG Vehicle for the day, and was now willing to change and hop on his bike (mix a bottle for fuel) and ride with me.
I was out of excuses. I collected myself and got back on the bike. Tony rode in front so I could sort of mimic some of his countersteering and speed down the hill. It was frightening, and my hands were getting tired from supporting the majority of my weight on the drops of the handlebars. We were flying down this hill and I didn't know when it was going to end. It was like being on a roller coaster except I was at the mercy of my own bike-handling & maneuvering, which actually made it worse! We saw another snake in the road on the way down, and I took moments to look up over the Livermore Valley and take in the view. But the road would just curve and I had to hug and hold on tight! We had a strong tailwind too so I didn't know if I was going to literally fly off the handle or what. Finally, we reached the bottom of this massive hill and once again, I was relieved to have reached the end in one piece. Tony gave me the next set of directions to get back to San Ramon and sent me on my merry way. Despite that being one terrifying hill, I was really happy to have him ride it with me.
I don't think I mentioned yet that it was a hot day. 87-degree air temperature, but hot hot HOT on the blacktop. I was really thankful to have my aerobottle with me and in stable condition (versus the jostling situation we had last week). Because it really kept me on top of my hydration. Haakon says that he takes a sip of water whenever he thinks about it. I think that's a great way to do it, and it's been working really well for me. And then I've kept up with taking a few sips of my superconcentrated Gatorade/Carbo-Pro mix every fifteen minutes, with one Endurolyte salt tablet every hour. It's great to have a nutrition plan that's working for me! These things are so hard to get down and "perfect". Especially when weather conditions change. I still have more experimenting to do, seeing as how we haven't really reached anything similar to what humidity conditions at Louisville will be like.
I was on my own for the rest of the stretch from Highland Drive to Blackhawk until I reached the final water stop in Danville. Former IronTeam members from previous seasons (Mike D, Becky, Nancy) were there to greet us, and it was great to see them and get some friendly insight on what their "East Bay Alps" experience was like last year. It was one of our harder workouts, they told me. Something about hearing that gave me comfort. Knowing it wasn't "just me" gave me relief. It was supposed to be difficult!
After fueling up and topping off, a small group of us headed back to Walnut Creek via San Ramon Valley Road. I wasn't sure about whether this route was on our original directions, but I followed the pack (in lieu of climbing to the summit of Mount Diablo) and after 6.5 hours, I finished 52 miles.
It was another long day, but I felt really good and proud of myself for sticking through it, working at it, and completing the ride I set out to do. And thanks to the pals of mine on IronTeam as well as the mental pushes and pats on the back I give myself from time to time, I made it through and succeeded another tough day.
I had said to myself earlier that morning that the only way to finish is if you start. Sometimes even the lessons you think you've learned before need some testing so that you can really understand their meaning and value. Sometimes you'll fall and will be faced with the decision of whether or not to get back up. Your mind and mental fortitude could be tested and you won't be sure whether to listen to your head or your body. Life is full of crossroads and tough moments, but it's how you deal with them and the attitude you keep that can be the difference of success or failure. And that's what this whole journey is about for me. This week & weekend ride was yet another example of how I know this is IRONMAN -- Not Plasticman! And by definition, I can really feel myself being molded and shapen into a tougher version of myself through these unforgettable experiences.
NOW -- On to Recovery Week!
***
Week #31 Workout Summary:
Swim: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Bike: 7 hours and 30 minutes
Run: 0 hours and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 15 minutes
Total Workout: 9 hours and 0 minutes
IronTeam's Fundraising Progress to Date: $185,168
My Fundraising Progress to Date: $8,741
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