Tuesday, I was back for some more quality time with the mountain. IronMel's mantra is "hills are my friend." If that's the case, then mine is: Mount Diablo's my homie! What once intimidated me ~ the concept of a bike ride up and down a mountain after a long day of work, is now something I actually look forward to on Tuesday nights. Eight months ago, I used to fear bike rides and would have much preferred the comforts of a stationary trainer and an overhang. And now, I can't imagine my days stuck on a trainer with no place to go! I did a couple hill repeats and pumped up my heart rate to as high as 176 bpm, staying at an average of 146 bpm. I felt really good and enjoyed the ride. [Bike Stats]
I took Wednesday off to spend some time with my parents at home. They made a trip up to NorCal for their 27th wedding anniversary and I figured it was the least I could do to stay in, hang out, enjoy the quality time and catch up. Especially since their anniversary itself fell on Saturday = 3X BRICK. I took the opportunity actually to get some good stretching and hydration in. I even showed them my foam roller and the Theracane and they instantly fell in love, wanting ones of their own.
Back to ironwork on Thursday -- and I met up with Liz and Team Shadow-mate, Barb, for an open water swim at Shadow Cliffs. Both are Ironwomen in their own right (having raced at Louisville and Canada, respectively) and I knew they'd swim their tails off ahead of me (and in neoprene). I hung in there and did my usual wetsuit-less swim and encountered some demons of my own. Maybe it was that no one was close by. Maybe it was the choppy water taking me away with some currents. But I had a few mental struggles to face out there in the middle of the water. It's funny that I hadn't dealt with this when I first started open water swimming -- it's only recently that I've started to get caught up and distracted by the 'unknown' and underwater creatures. But I was a little freaked out. My mind and thoughts were just taking me places I didn't want to go -- which made me have to stop, tread water, talk myself down, and keep on swimming. I couldn't turn back for fear I would worry the ladies if they didn't see me at the first checkpoint. But I felt scared to continue on. Mild waves were pushing me around and I was by myself. Stay calm, I thought. Just keep swimming and you'll get there, I told myself. You'll be just fine. At that point, I decided to close my eyes. If I just focused on a smooth, fluid stroke ~ not letting the fear of the unknown or strange get in my way, I'd be at my destination before I knew it. This tactic actually helped me in more ways than I would realize, because by closing my eyes (and therefore regrouping and finding my sanity to swim), I could really feel my stroke. Where I favor, weight distribution, hip rotation, how much water I pull during each stroke. It was great!
Sure enough, I made it to "point 2" of the small triangle and met up with the ladies to head to the next rockpile. I practiced the same strategy and kept my eyes closed again as I swam. The only time I looked up was to sight forward every 4-5 strokes, and as I would breathe to the side. I felt the current taking me away again, but muscled through and dug deeper with my arms. Eventually, I came to complete about 1.2 miles within the hour. Wasn't my prettiest or cleanest swim, but having come back after fighting those demons, made me feel all the more accomplished. The three of us celebrated over Thai food and laughter. Great end to another iron evening.
Friday night was another family night -- which included dinner with my parents and brother (carbo-filled of course, with plenty of water and the resistance of a glass of wine) and an early bedtime of 10 p.m., giving me a solid 8 hours of sleep in prep for the big day.
Saturday came pretty quickly. I woke up feeling like it was some kind of race day. An interesting feeling. No anxiety or fear or worry. I'll sound like a a bit of a freak for saying this -- but it actually felt more like Christmas morning. I think the first phrase that came to mind was, "Here it is. Let's do this!" I was juiced.
Coach Dave describes the Triple Brick as designed to be freaking hard! And I remember Phil telling me a year ago that there's 'this one day during IronTeam training season that you're just out all day biking and running in the heat. You basically just keep going until you can't anymore.' It's a 30-mi bike ride, followed by a 1-hr run -- 3 times consecutively. Coach Mike said the 1st round is supposed to be nice and steady; the 2nd round should be at race pace; and the 3rd is just squeezing out whatever you have left. If all of that's not an intimidating description for a training day, I don't know what is. So to wake up on Triple Brick morning with the mentality that I was READY to do this... astounds and confuses me.
I had it set in my mind that I wanted to tackle any and all adversity that came my way. DRY HEAT. HUMID HEAT. Cramps, nausea, 'Tourette's'. The BONK. Bring IT, because I'm gonna chew it up and spit it out! But to our comfort, it didn't get as hot as it has historically / notoriously been for the end of July in the East Bay. Don't get me wrong, it was still hot and we had our share of hot headwinds too along the bike course, but I knew we were kind of given a break from Mother Nature, which you can take as either a good or bad thing, considering the circumstances.
So with that said -- here is the breakdown of how my 3X BRICK went:
Bike 1:
Used the restroom before leaving as I had been drinking lots and lots of water the last 2-3 days to ensure I was hydrated for all this. Also took an Endurolyte with breakfast. I felt good going in. We had some company from our Vineman teammates which was awesome, but I knew they wouldn't be there for long since they had a much shorter workout planned during their taper. Tried to find my groove and ride my own ride. Climbed and descended really well and finished the ride feeling FAST and STRONG. Actually, to the point of feeling like I may have gone out too fast. [Ride #1 Stats]
Run 1:
Definite BRICK-sensation in my legs. Restroom break #2 and stayed in my bike shorts for the run. Felt sluggish and heavy starting out, and also had issues with my run Garmin acquiring a signal, so the numbers were all off. Good lesson in flexibility though. For race day, as long as I more or less have my run/walk intervals beeping at me every five minutes; and have my average pace that's all I really need. Always have a Plan B & C! Saw Lorraine (Mentor Michelle's Mom and Full Vineman Finisher) and Joan (multi-IM finisher and unofficial Mentor extraordinaire!) at the water stop, which made me smile. Negative split by running with Liz and Belinda after the turnaround, and was happy to see my parents at transition! [Run #1 Stats]
Bike #2:
On my own along Sycamore Valley Road, and Camino Tassajara just focusing on this second bike ride -- nothing before and nothing after. I recalled that I ideally should be at race pace but feared I might be a little slower than my 'stellar 1st round'. Pacing can be a very complex thing. Saw my good friend Megan at the water stop which was fantastic! Just seeing her for a few split seconds rejuvinated my spirits, just in time for Coach Simon to join me for Highland Road. We climbed together (working on high cadence work) and pedaled and powered through the descents. Caught up to Liz for the final stretch and came in just 4 minutes later than the first round! Which gave me a HUGE boost in confidence. [Ride #2 Stats]
Run #2:
Another restroom break and changed to running shorts this time. Joined Liz and we kept each other entertained and moving forward. My IT bands were definitely starting to feel it by now, and I was covered in both sweat and salt from the heat. I wasn't as concerned with pushing it too hard on the run for distance/mileage since I wanted to space out my energy and reserves for the final bike. Coach Sedonia had said earlier in the day, "If you feel out of this world on the final bike, then go all out... but just pace yourself in the meantime." There was sort of this implication that most everyone is usually dead tired and dragging on the last round, so if it was in the cards for us and we somehow felt really, really good -- then we could give our bodies permission to kick and haul ass. Liz and I kept up with the 4:1 run/walk; drank at each walk interval; and stretched out our IT bands at the turnaround point. Took this run as the perfect opportunity to add in caffeine for the first time of the day, which gave me the necessary boost to finish out strong. Felt good coming in and saw my parents for a second time! [Run #2 Stats]
Bike #3:
Popped 2 ibuprofen before heading out. Ventured out for the final ride with Liz and Coach Mike. He recommended we do a loop that was about 3 miles shorter than the first two we had done. I had about a 5-minute window where I felt hungry, so I ate a Shot Blok - which caused me to feel a little nauseous/full. But once we got to Tami & Mike D's water stop, I popped one Tums, ate a strawberry; took another Endurolyte (I'd been taking 2-3 an hour); AND wrung out a sponge of cold water on top of my head, and down my bike jersey ~ and felt like a million bucks getting back out onto Highland to climb. UNBELIEVABLE. Third loop of the day, HOUR 7.5, hot, windy, hot wind. And I felt this good? Leapfrogged a bit with Liz and did not let up for one second on the descents and flats. Came in 8 mins faster than the 2nd loop and 4 mins faster than the 1st loop. It was startling how good I felt mentally, emotionally, nutritionally (is that a word?). Liz and I were ready for one more run to finish out the day. [Ride #3 Stats]
Run #3:
I swear I was high on something. Because I had more energy and mental ZIP and pep in my step than I would have ever thought I would, by this point in the day. Used the restroom one last time and changed back into the running shorts. Liz and I went out for the final run and caught up with Coach Sedonia for more entertainment, laughs and overall giddyness. Which are also ALL signs of a shockingly good last segment of a triple brick. Liz and I professed we DID feel out of this world, and we were thrilled! Saw Captain Tony & Carol at the water stop, who were as always so accommodating. I took a few sips of Coke and some salty pretzels for the road, which only helped. Did another bit of stretching of the ol' ITs at the turnaround and rocked our final miles of the hour-run. Coach Simon ran us all in and I actually had room for a sprint. My pace upon reaching transition at the end of the triple brick read: 7:57 mins/mi. [Run #3 Stats]
10 hours / 3 bike rides totaling 85 miles / 3 runs totaling 12 miles. I was absolutely floored by my 3X BRICK experience, performance and results. Everything just seemed to be aligned and yet I felt prepared to tackle whatever monsters, demons, weather conditions, GI issues, what have you... that made me that much more confident and feeling ready to do this. And by THIS, I mean the Ironman. I couldn't have asked for a better experience and am truly so, so thankful.
What I can also say is that my mental preparation and strategy for both the East Bay Century and Triple Brick were the same -- and unlike any of the other long rides or training days I've done in the past: I broke everything down into smaller, mentally manageable pieces. I knew this would be a long day, but I didn't look at it as one giant 10-hour chunk I had to swallow in one bite. If I was on the bike, I'd JUST focus on that bike ride and make it my best. If I felt sluggish and tired on the run, I JUST absorbed it 4 mins at a time. Then do a walk for a minute, regroup, and take on the next 4 mins. No dwelling on or regretting the past -- and no fearing the future. Just living in the moment and staying in the present. It's a lesson that's taken me no less than 8 months to learn, but it's such a valuable one. I'm a more aware and mature endurance athlete because of it, and it's a gem I'm taking with me to Louisville, along with the confidence & sense of accomplishment I've gained from this season and the smile on my face in celebrating my own Ironman Race Day in 4 weeks & 6 days.
***
Week #37 Workout Summary:
Swim: 2 hours and 0 minutes
Bike: 7 hours and 45 minutes
Run: 3 hours and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 15 minutes
Total Workout: 13 hours and 0 minutes
bad. ass. full stop.
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