Successful Markers & Connecting With the Cause

Beautiful, beautiful day in the Bay Area last weekend. I got up at about 5:45 a.m. on Saturday morning to meet the gentlemen (Nick & Phil) for the carpool to SF. We arrived at chilly Aquatic Park, for our second swim in the Bay this season.



It was great to re-connect with some more faces I hadn't really seen or caught up with in awhile. The handful of us who got there earlier were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at BK's private open water swim session with Coach Sedonia. He had to cram both his workout and a conference with LLS into his day, so big hats off to him for making it out into the chilly waters at 6:45 a.m. to dedicate his time to the Cause and his training! And from our point of view, let's say we enjoyed the show :)



After shimmy-ing into my wetsuit*, I boldly followed the crowd onto the shoreline. Instead of our usual buoy-to-buoy route, we were instructed to swim the perimeter of the water counterclockwise for one whole hour. We would spot/sight giant boats and swim along in a humongous circle into the unknown. I made it a point not to even let that fear creep up. I mean, I had enough on my mind as it was, convincing myself to get into the 54-degree saltwater and stay in it for an hour. However, a few of my teammates struggled with some of their own fears (dare I say, Jaws-phobia, and mistaking dog barks in the distance for sea lions in the water). You may find this hilarious (and we can all smile about it now that we're on dry land!), but I don't blame them for having these fears. If I were 100% comfortable with open water swimming, myself, I'd probably find myself freaking out about something like underwater life too. I just haven't gotten there yet! What we don't know can't hurt us... I just try to keep that mindset for as long as I can!



So I ventured in and I was as prepared as any other day for the cold. Still, it was another shock to my system and as soon as I stuck my face in and the water flowed in and out of my suit, my heart started to race. I'd made it far enough out into the Bay so that I couldn't stand. So I treaded water and waited for my body to acclimate to the temperature. Once I got my bearings, I started on my latest open water journey. Sedonia stuck in there with me again (huge thanks!) with her flotation device and helped me to break up the swim into landmarks I could sight and swim toward. This made a world of difference as it made the whole course that much more manageable, and something I could wrap my mind around. First, it was the black boat; then, it was Coach Simon in his kayak by the white boat; then, it was the bright blue boat; then, it was the boathouse along the shore. When I completed my first lap (about half a mile), I was so thirsty for water. It was difficult to tell whether I was dehydrated, or just felt the urge to rinse after taking in a bit of saltwater. Despite my craving for water, though; Sedonia encouraged me to continue swimming so that I wouldn't come to rely on the water mid-swim (and I won't have that luxury on race day).

Sedonia and I parted ways as I began my second lap, and soon after, there were some other people getting into the water -- swimming in the opposite direction. Which now meant I'd have to not only sight forward to the landmarks, but also around me so I wouldn't get hit by an arm or leg. When I reached the first landmark (that large black boat), I caught up to Sandy and Dana. Sandy had suggested since we only had so much time left in the water, to swim from one buoy to another, instead of completing the circle for a second time. I followed suit and got slapped around by the current after switching directions. Made for an extra exciting second lap :) So for the next twenty minutes or so, Sandy, Dana & I swam a bit of our own made-up course, ensuring we got our full hour's worth. It was quite the rough, rocky adventure ~ but we had completed a little over a mile swim in the Bay. We made it back to shore just fine and with just enough time to dry off, strip down and get ready for core.



Off to the grassy knoll we went -- just outside of Ghirardelli Square. Flocked with runners and tour groups alike, we spread out our towels and yoga mats to stretch out and ham it up (in typical IronTeam fashion). Make no mistake, it was a tough strength workout, complete with push-ups and crunches against an incline, as well as a few other painfully good moves. But again, with views like the ones we had -- how could you really complain? Here's one of Phil and I muscling through "upward crunches" along the hill. He tends to groan through these.



We ended our relatively short workout day (done by 10:30!) with a relaxing brunch at Lori's Diner in Ghirardelli Square. I also had the first Coke Float I've had in years (not to mention my first real Coca-Cola in a decade) as a dessert, before heading back to the East Bay with the boys. Great, great, day all around. And we had all afternoon to rest up and stretch for the next exciting day...

(*Please note: These photos with me in the neon green ~ these are the spectator shirts I'm selling to all you IronFans out there! Consider buying one for $15 and be SEEN! Your support for the cause & all our training really means the world to all of us. Buy one in support of yours truly, or your other friends on IronTeam ~ be a part of OUR Team!)

===

Sunday was the 3rd Annual Brenda Donato 5k Rainbow Run at Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek. Team in Training participants from all around (plus their friends, families & pets) came out to celebrate and honor the life of one of our Honorees, Brenda Donato, who passed in 2007, from acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Our very own, BK, was a dear friend of Brenda's and spearheaded the very first Rainbow Run in 2008 as part of his campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man of the Year. It was a fantastic opportunity to see and catch up with teammates from the various teams (and I got to see all kinds of familiar faces from my previous trainings with the Marathon Team. I even saw the coaches from the SF Winter Team who ran with me in Rome!).

IronTeam took this as a great opportunity to record a new run marker. We were to do an all-out run for the 5k distance (naturally, getting in a 3.1-mile warmup as well; i.e. running the course before racing the course). I'd actually ran a 10k last Thursday at my marathon pace (with a few surges), after which I was still recovering. So my main goal for Brenda's Run would be to run the whole thing at my 5k run pace, per my VDOT score = 8:55 mins/mile. This is fast for me.

I was a little nervous (as I tend to get, especially when it comes to really pushing beyond my means or what I think I'm capable of). But as both Sedonia & Simon say, it's important to stay honest with yourself in your training. Complete the goals you set out to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Without embellishment. So after I finished my warmup (emphasis on warm) and with Tony to keep me company during the last few yards, I stretched it out and got myself in the zone.

Something about all this was different. I was with my Team standing at the starting line -- each of them with different goals in mind. I also had my good friends (Gina, Leanne, & Ryan) from the marathon team on the other side of me -- very familiar territory. But this time, I was on my own. With very specific and individual goals of my own. I know this was "only" a 5k. But this would be a new milestone for me. Going in with the goal and objective of gaining a new P.R. (personal record). To be honest, it was scary thinking about going faster than I have before, and trying to hold it consistently for 3 miles. What if it was too much for me?

Once the siren rang and we were off ~ I tried to settle into my pace. It's easy for anyone to fire out fast and be running 7/8-minute miles for the first minute or two after dashing out of the starting line. But I tried to keep it at 8:55-9 mins. People would pass me; we even had a line of bikes on the other side of the trail, keeping many of us from passing and forcing us to stay single-file. I tried to use it to my advantage though so that I could keep steady with my objective pace. The day had already been heating up and I was thankful I popped a salt tablet right after my warmup.

I saw some major speedys out there (Congrats to my Ironmate, Carolyn, for taking home the 1st place title for the women, completing in 20 minutes flat!) ~ and held my own for as long as I could. Everytime I'd see my pace drop down to 9:30 mins/mile I tried not to panic, but instead push some more. Sedonia was several feet up ahead of me and she just looked like a burst of lightning, with super-fast cadence. I just kept going and going and once I passed the turnaround point knew there was no going back (or holding back). I'd feel the occasional heavy-breathing coming on or a little pang in my lungs or howl of the calf -- telling me to sloooow down, but rather than listen to it ~ I kept a steady breathing pattern, relaxed my shoulders, and just thought of light, quick steps, and to stay at 8:50-8:55. We'd passed the shaded area and the sweat was dripping all over my face (rarely happens since I'm normally not running this fast!). It was getting into my eyes and stinging, but I just couldn't stop or slow down. Two more turns, and my finish line was waiting there.

To add insult to injury (or strength to a moment of adversity, in our case), the course was only marked for 2.9 miles and not a full 5k. Which meant once we crossed the finish line, IronTeamers specifically were to keep going for a couple loops around the parking lot in order to complete the mileage. So of course once I crossed the finish line, I threw out a smile and thumbs up, just before letting out the final pushes (and still not trying to break pace) for the last tenth of a mile! Just then... seconds later... I was done.

New P.R. for a 5k: 0:27:50 with an average pace of 8:56 mins/mile. I also found out to my own surprise that I placed 7th in the women's category (among 90 or so runners total). I'll tell you: I've honestly always considered myself an underdog whenever it comes to sports, so this bit of news put a real smile on my face :)

I had met my goal and could not have felt more proud or accomplished. I won't lie; there were times where I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest because I felt like my pushing and pushing was the slight equivalent of birthing a small child -- but clearly, with only the few cramps and mild muscle tightness ~ my body has recovered just fine and it's just another indication that my training has brought me to where I need to be.

Success all around this past weekend and I couldn't be more pleased! We followed-up our race with a relaxing potluck BBQ at Coach Dave's house in Walnut Creek, also getting to spend some time with our Honorees, Laura & Frankie.

Also: a few notes on last week's swim marker!

2000 yds in 0:46:05.

From Sedonia:

As you can see you are very consistent in pace with your previous marker BUT you went 500 yards further. This is a great thing Maria!! It shows that your endurance is building and you are able to hold the same pace...for longer. IM training is all about going long!

I know it is really exciting to see huge drops in time (for the extrapolated time) but you need to consider where we are in the season and the tremendous work load you've taken on. The mileage has ramped up considerably and your body is tired. Consistency right now is a sign of a strong base that, come taper time, will be ready to rock IML!

Great job Maria! It is so exciting to watch you turn a little more IRON at each workout! Congrats on all your accomplishments thus far!


***
Week #24 Workout Summary: [Recovery Week]

Swim: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Bike: 0 hours and 40 minutes
Run: 2 hours and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 1 hour and 0 minutes
Total Workout: 6 hours and 10 minutes

IronTeam 2010's Fundraising Progress to Date: $150,000+
My Fundraising Progress to Date: $8,005

Celebrating the Victories ~ Great & Small

Oh boy! What. A. Weekend.

Saturday morning: My alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. While a moderate portion of the Team would go on to complete the Tierra Bella Century Ride in Gilroy, the other half of us drove over to meet Mentor Margaret for her 50-mile ride, touring the wineries and vineyards of Napa Valley. (We Bay Area IronPeople are so spoiled with our scenic bike courses.)



50 miles. Ok, have never ridden this far. I've come close. But either a bike crash, shortage of nutrition or time cutoff has stopped me. Not to mention my fears, anxieties and the mental walls that have been put up as a result. This would be a new feat and milestone for me and all I could do was just not be nervous or afraid.

Coach Mike and I carpooled together from the East Bay and the morning had already been shaping up to be a gorgeous day in the North Bay. Coach Mike was in our trusty SAG vehicle and Coach Sedonia was there to sweep the course and ride with me.

Off we went and not even a 100 yds in, we were surrounded by breathtaking vineyards. As far as the eye could see, were acres of vines and fantastic wineries. We also passed by peaceful and placid Lake Hennessey.

Whenever I could, I'd attempt to drink on the bike. Yes, attempt to take my hand off the handlebar and balance, while trying to hydrate myself all at once. For someone who wasn't born riding a bicycle (like many of my teammates!) it takes so much coordination; you'd really be surprised. The last time I tried to do this, I lost my balance and smacked my head into a pole and scraped my leg up. But alas, duty called. And I need to be able to successfully fuel while riding, otherwise I would be stopping every 15 minutes. A few successful sips and I felt proud :) Sedonia and I got to really talk and catch up, making the ride that much more enjoyable (and far less lonely). She also reminded me to celebrate the small victories.

We made a few stops, whether to use the restroom, peel a few layers as the day heated up, or fuel up some more. I had caught myself taking larger-than-usual swigs of my super-concentrated bottle of Carbo-Pro and Gatorade mix (I had calculated this out to be 250 calories per hour, i.e. 750 calories over the course of 3 hours). But it turns out, this may be too much for me.

Something in me must have neglected to notice that I was likely taking in more calories than needed during a shorter duration of time. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. By about mile 25 (when I found myself getting a little impatient), I also felt kind of full. Like the liquid nutrition wasn't doing it for me, sloshing around and not agreeing with my tummy. [I've encountered this before during some of my bike/run bricks but had always assumed it was because of the transition, using different muscles, and moving around so much during the run -- that I was bound to become nauseous after all that activity.] But this feeling was back and it wasn't going away. Sedonia encouraged me to continue on, and concentrate on mind over matter. But this was proving difficult.

A few minutes later, we were approaching Ink Grade. Little did I know, I was heading for 4.5 miles and 1110 feet of climbing. [I've decided, sometimes, it really IS so much better when you don't see it coming!] Nice and shaded, and starting off with some great conversation, Sedonia and I started to climb. Again, just the fact that I could carry a full-on conversation while climbing astounds me, after looking back on my first hill climb on the bike this season. But once we had taken a few breaks in our talk, my stomach started to gurgle and churn some more. Coach Mike and IronMel were in the roving SAG up and down the grade, which was great ~ to see their friendly faces. Plus, they've always got a good joke or two to lighten the mood. However, my body just wasn't having it. By this point, it had taken everything in me not to toss my biscuits all over the place. Each time I'd pedal, I felt like all the food and nutrition I had been taking in, moved a little and it was close to unbearable.

But I couldn't get sick. I couldn't give up. And I wasn't going to make a fool out of myself on the bike in front of my teammates. Not this time! I climbed and climbed and before I knew it, Sedonia and I reached the top and were greeted by Mike and Mel parked along the side of the road. I was just relieved to take a rest for a couple minutes. After finding my bearings, we trudged on. My stomach still wasn't getting any better but I left myself little choice. I wasn't going to get into the SAG car. At this point, even if it was going to take me all day, I was going to keep riding until I NO longer could. Whatever creaks, pains, aches came on... I would deal with them and see what happened. But it was going to take a LOT to get me off that bike and walk away from the 50-mile challenge.

More than midway through, I realized that I had forgotten to start up my Garmin timer (and distance tracker) on the bike. I must have stopped it during one our refueling stops and never hit 'start' again. Which meant my time and distance recorded were probably an hour and something like 10 miles off. But in truth, all I really needed to know was my heart rate (our workout plan for the ride was to stay within Zones 4 and 5a, meaning we should have been exerting a considerable amount of effort and pushing it extra hard in small spurts when we could. Our effort levels are best determined by monitoring our heart rate, which is what I'd been doing all day, and it worked like a charm). With all the pushing (and pulling) though, I felt my legs starting to cramp up.

Despite all the unknowns and unanticipated 'monkey wrenches' thrown into the mix, Sedonia (and my own conscience) were continually there to remind me that not everything can be planned. And it's how you deal with all those mishaps, accidents, and imperfections that makes all the difference and it builds the character and maturity needed to complete an Ironman. I took it all with a big fat grain of salt and kept on going. Nausea, cramps and all :) I smile now, but it was near hell at the time!

And then, came the descend. Sedonia gave me ample time and notice, which was comforting. I prepared and went for it. [I had overheard Margaret refer to it as a screaming downhill earlier in the morning, but tried to ignore the jitters when I'd heard that.] To my surprise, as scary as it COULD have been, I took it with gusto and enjoyed the ride. I curved with the road, followed my momentum, got comfortable in the drops and made sure to keep my mouth shut (bugs, etc.). And it was exhilarating! Still fighting the nausea, but at least I wasn't pedaling hard and could give my stomach a bit of a breather.

By the end of the descend, I caught up with Mike again, who thankfully, brought me a pack of Rolaids. I'd hoped they'd do the trick instantly, but to my dismay, weren't as fast-acting as I needed them to be. Alas, I did what I could in that moment and kept on going. There was talk of a "homestretch" but I didn't want to get too excited yet (for fear that meant I was still 20 miles away or something). The day started to get even warmer, still no sign of reprieve from the nausea, but I took in water in little sips when I could.

When I felt more queasy and restless, I'd look around me. More vineyards, and with the sunshine beaming down on the leaves. Wineries and tasting rooms that were of a Tuscan-style architecture. Valleys and valleys of trees and gorgeous wildflowers. I just took in everything about the day and embraced all it brought me. We must have also seen 10-15 Ferraris and Lamborghinis zooming down the road. It was a picturesque day in the Napa Valley and despite the "imperfections" with my bike ride, I just couldn't have asked for more.



Soon after, we were back in Yountville and pulling up into the park. I had just completed my first 50-mile bike ride.

Popped a couple more Rolaids and got into my recovery drink, and soon, my leg cramps dissipated. It took another hour or two for my stomach to normalize and get comfortable with solid foods. I got home, stretched, foam rolled and headed to bed nice and early. The next day, Sunday, would bring loads more of new adventures...

===

Sunday morning: My alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. I thought it was Monday morning and said to myself, Time to get up for work. My body instantly felt the fatigue and mini strain from the day before and I was immediately reminded today I had a bike ride. A 60-miler.

Without even letting any doubts or worries creep up just yet, I kept moving forward. Into another pair of bike shorts, packed up another super-concentrated mix (I had decided to mix the same exact amount but plan to only take *one* small sip every fifteen minutes, and over a duration of 4 hours instead of 3). Headed out the door by 6 a.m. to meet the carpool in Walnut Creek.

This time, we were bound for the Vineman Course in Sonoma County, where 80% of my Team will be doing THEIR big Ironman race at the end of July. It was a great opportunity to get a preview of their bike course.

Those of us that rode through Napa the day before were in store for more views of California's Wine Region. Although I'd had a taste, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious and anxious to see whether I could do it again and go even further on the second day.

Honoree Captain Liz and I pulled up to Windsor High in the town of Windsor (just north of Santa Rosa) and I was delighted and mightily impressed to see our counterparts back from their Century Ride in Gilroy (that's 100 miles) and ready for 60 miles one day later. Hats off to you all, Tierra Bella Finishers! It sparked some inspiration in my mind and despite their vast knowledge and cycling experience ahead of mine, I thought I might be able to push it a little more too for my second consecutive day of cycling.

Same setup as the day before: Mike would ride SAG (also in addition to Belinda and Meenu -- thanks, ladies!). And Sedonia sweeped. There was no need for a jacket or ear warmers starting out, since it was already starting to warm up. I was sleeveless all day, baby, and it was fantastic. Before I could let any fears creep up again (noticing a pattern?) I pushed off and pedaled my way into the start of our long day ahead. I hung in there for a bit with the gals (Erin, Patty, Sandy, and Mary), and yes -- drank from the bottle again while riding, almost immediately starting out! At one point in the beginning, we were even pacelining among the shaded areas which was fun. I'd never actually ridden in a group or in line with others so it was great to have the extra company out there, with Sedonia right behind, calling out our turn-by-turn directions (which was a MAJOR help; this course was not as straightforward as others we've ridden in the past).

We had a nice groove going in our paceline but something happened up ahead and I didn't know exactly what it was. The front of the line just stopped abruptly but thankfully I had enough reaction time (and no oncoming traffic) to move aside and slow down. One of the girls had abruptly stopped, and I don't think she knew there was a line of us directly following behind. As I looked forward, I saw we were approaching a bridge and a turn so I wanted to downshift. And just as I downshifted -- bam! I dropped my chain! I was bummed (as the rest of the girls rode on past me), and a little nervous because I was in a busy intersection with no shoulder. Thankfully, Mary was just behind me and helped me to the side of the road into a somewhat-safer spot. I had remembered in the past that Mike showed me how to get the chain back on the ring, by pushing down on the rear derailleur. In an instant, it was back on and I wasn't feeling as disheartened. So I hopped back on but realized I was still in a hard gear! Darn! It caught me off guard when I went to push off and I had a bit of a scary, wobbly start. It was a little frightening because I felt rushed for time, wanting to catch up with the girls; trying to find my balance; and timing it just right with the oncoming cars zooming by. I took a few deep breaths, told Mary I just needed to get my head back on straight, and when the time was right, pushed off and was back on my way.

Despite my small disappointment in losing my rhythm with the girls, I believed timing was on my side. Because just as Mary and I made that turn after the bridge, Sedonia & Mike were there to warn us to downshift to our easiest gear. A short, steep climb was there to greet us just after the turn. Had we not stalled and stopped where we did, I could have had an even tougher time not being prepared for that climb. So I think it all worked out for the best.

By this point, I was regularly hydrating with my electrolyes/carbs while on the bike... balance - bottle out - sip - bottle in. Every fifteen minutes. The trickier part was pulling out my water bottle from the other cage (directly under the saddle). As you can imagine, my bike frame is pretty small, so fitting not one but two 22-24 oz. bottles is difficult, let alone trying to take them in and out while riding and keeping your eyes on the road.

But I was determined, focused, and careful -- and I did it! I was now successfully riding and drinking from both bottles and was NOT afraid! Cautious and took my time, yes, but I was slowly beating my inner demons. And it gave me real comfort to know I didn't HAVE to stop just to take a sip each and every time. And I think my intake this time made ALL the difference because my stomach had ZERO issues. One small sip every fifteen minutes, followed by a couple sips of water, trying to finish a complete bottle of water every hour.

I stopped to refill my water a couple times, as well as to readjust my pesky new cadence sensor on my rear wheel (it moves if I roll over a rock or something, and slightly hits the cadence monitor -- making a steady "metronome" noise). When I stopped, I also took the opportunity to pop an Endurolyte (salt tablet) as well as open a pack of Shot Bloks so I'd have something to chew on every now and then.

We rode through more scenic views of Sonoma County ~ truly among the vineyards, and I imagined how exciting it'll be for my teammates to ride this course for their race. We had a couple headwinds come through, but I didn't mind them much. I think if we didn't have the occasional breezes, it would have been swealtering with the sun beading down on us. Mary and Sedonia were there to keep me company, get the conversation going, sing a few songs... it was pleasant. I'd been in front and really tried to push myself on the flats, cranking up the gears and pedal through the rolling hills. It was supposed to be a "recovery ride" from the day before, so I was very watchful of my heart rate, but tried to keep the cadence up and my power consistent.

A few of my observations for future rides included making sure I do a full pedal stroke and pull up with my hamstrings. I felt the results of mashing down with my quads a bit, leaving some pressure on my feet and an extra tight left calf. Sitting further BACK on the saddle for more 'seating comfort'. And checking / relaxing my shoulders often and regularly to prevent that pesky neck and shoulder strain on my left side. I had to take moments to stretch and roll my head around when that area started to ache and flare up.

After one more pitstop at the Jimtown Store, we set out for Chalk Hill Road, ending in a 6% grade climb. My left calf was still bothering me, and I still felt that strain in my neck, but that was the worst of it. My mental state and spirits were UP and I was ready to conquer whatever came my way. I also made it a point to not get swept up with (or even look at) the time, or mileage on the Garmin (I didn't stop it at any point this time; I just let it run so it could capture all the data, which I'd examine later).

The sun was bright and strong, but I would continue to hydrate and fuel and soak up everything about the day. I truly was feeling on top of my A Game. There was a short climb before Chalk Hill's steeper grade, which Sedonia warned Mary and I was not the infamous Chalk Hill (so we wouldn't be disappointed later!). When the real hill did greet us, we all went for it. Mike and Nate roved back and forth, even filming us climb. To my own astonishment... I never reached the Bite-Me Zone or 'Tourette's phase' (so termed by BK) that I've been accustomed to experiencing. I've reached MANY a grueling stage during my bike rides. It has sort of become inevitable. Where I'm done, over it, and ready jump off the bike and run the other way. But this time, that point never came. What gives? I thought.



The climb of Chalk Hill was done and I distinctly remember having the biggest smile on my face as we rode by Belinda's and Mike's cars as they took photos, video'd us, and cheered us on. I actually had the energy (and attitude) to smile, be happy and sincerely feel good about what I had done and looking forward to what was up ahead.

After a few more turns within the Vineman countryside, we were heading back into residential territory. More sips of the fuel and Gato (and even one successful attempt at grabbing the Shot Bloks from my back jersey pocket!) and I was flying high. Patty had caught up to us (as she unfortunately missed a turn, but found us) and we were all on the last leg of the ride. I had officially beaten my farthest distance, reaching over 50 miles and we were home free.

Back into traffic (and after learning my lesson to downshift all the way when anticipating stops), and with my cadence sensor tick-tick-ticking its way round and a-round, we were this close to reaching the end, as Mike would show us every few minutes in his roving Mini. I had a surge of adrenaline rushing through me and hung with Patty. I picked up the pace whenever I could and made sure to keep fueling. I could feel, see and taste our finish approaching. One more turn and there it was -- Windsor High. At the end of my first 60-miler.

I was now 1000% sure that my nutrition was on-par and just where it needed to be. Not only had I been devoid of cramping, nausea, a bloated stomach or any GI issues -- I was WALL-FREE, had absolutely NO angry/grumpy/bite-me moments and it was a true testament of a well-executed nutrition plan! Not to mention, a great training schedule AND the help and support of my Teammates! I was on Cloud 9 and couldn't have been more pleased or proud of my performance. To think... all of this was actually possible after everything I've been through with the bike! I felt amazing and was even shocked to see my electrolyte/carb mix bottle more than half full by the end of the day. Just goes to show all the extra calories I overloaded myself with the day before, and within a much shorter timespan. I followed-up with my recovery drink and a cold-water bath when I got home.

I still have a tender left calf issue going on, which I've been attending to (foam rolling, stretching, and maybe some ice tonight). I just want to make sure it's treated ASAP to avoid any muscle pulls or further injury down the line ~ especially with a 10k marker run, followed by a 5k race next weekend. I'm a bit fatigued as I write this, but just couldn't have asked for a better day or culmination to my weekend o' cycling.

A total of 110 miles over two days. I've eaten well, have gotten the rest, will continue to recover this week, and am feeling fantastic. It shows me all the more that not only can my body do this, but my heart, mind & spirit can and will get me to the finish.

Thank you to all the volunteers, staff & teammates who helped make this huge milestone of a weekend possible for me. You all r-o-c-k.



***
Week #23 Workout Summary: [Bike Focus Week]

Swim: 0 hour and 0 minutes
Bike: 10 hours and 30 minutes
Run: 0 hours and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 15 minutes
Total Workout: 10 hours and 45 minutes

The Return of Boot Camp

I'm writing this post from home, with a glass of Vitamin C mix in hand, and sporting my 2xu's to aid in the recovery of my fatigued muscles. Believe it or not, I've been wearing them actually for about fourteen hours now. They're just too comfortable to take off...

Despite the packed bags and carpool arrangements already made for the Day 2 South Bay workout, I made the call at about 5:45 this morning (upon waking up with a chest cold and cough) that it'd be wiser to stay in and rest up. I had actually been fighting a sore throat all week but wanted to get in as much as I could training-wise this weekend, without forfeiting any extra days in the week (for work or work-outs). So I'm conserving my energy so I can be back to 100% for the week ahead.

As we speak, my Team is in the midst of a 7-hour training day, as part our Boot Camp II in San Jose. I can only imagine what incredible feats they're doing at this very moment ~ and on top of their own fatigued muscles, tired bodies and minds, they're tackling it all in the rain and wind chilling temps. Like I'm always saying, I train with an incredible group of individuals and consider it a privilege to do so.

So on to Saturday's workout, i.e. Day 1. We were in for another big day, venued at Pleasanton's Shadow Cliffs Park (15 mins from my house -- yes!) and were given these instructions during the earlier part of the week:



8:00 AM to 1:00PM - Swim 1000 yards, bike 9 miles, run 3 miles. Wash rinse and repeat as many times as you can in 5 hours. We will reconvene at 1:30 for a final stretch session before going about our day. Wherever you are at 1:00 PM, your day is "officially" over, head back to transition.



This was enough to instill the fear in all of us and so we marched into P-Town yesterday morning, anxious to see what the day would bring us. Low and behold, we had some great bike racks and a whole transition area set up for us. This always makes a difference because it gives you a much more official (and familiar) idea of what race day transitions will actually feel like. After setting up and inching my way into the wetsuit, we all headed to the beach area to prepare for our [1st] swim. Little would I realize, we were to swim from one buoy to another, get out of the water, do a short run to the beginning, and start again. x4. It made sense, once I did the math and added up the distance in yardage, but there was something about that method, that broke up my stroke and it ended up taking me a while to find my rhythm. I kept asking myself as went to breathe... why can't I find my groove like I did at Wildflower? It's hard to compare. Totally different bodies of water, different conditions, and no swim is exactly like another. It just took a little longer than I had anticipated to get as comfortable in the lake as I have in the past.



Upon reaching transition to change into bike mode, I noticed a slew of my teammates off to the side, with their back wheels removed and empty tubes flying all over the place. It then occurred to me to check my own back tire. Out of air. Yep, this would be the time I'd have to hunker down, get greasy, and repair my own [intentionally made] flat. Luckilly (and honestly, thankfully), I had just replaced this tire completely, and so it wouldn't be nearly as difficult to remove off the wheel as my front tire. So once I was fully changed (conveniently put together a makeshift changing room by switching swimsuit bottoms to bike shorts, under Kathryn's parka)... I took off my rear wheel and got to work. To my surprise, I had very little trouble at all. Even with the flat stopper (a rubber strip I had installed in between the tire and tube) adding an extra layer of thickness. I blew a little air manually into the tire valve, stuck it right back on the wheel, pumped that puppy up and locked the wheel back into place.

Soon after, I acquired my signal on the Garmin and headed out on the bike course. This time, I had a little concern over the "new fit" I had gotten earlier in the week. Some of you might recall, that my seat was raised a whole 2+ inches. So that would mean, hoisting myself up with an extra boost at traffic lights, stop signs, etc. in order to make sure I "land" on the seat fully. Well, let's just say, there was no trauma to my 'lady parts', but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about some kind of mishap occurring. You know the bike & I.

Training Captain, Les, hung with me for awhile and was baffled by my fluctuating heart rate. I told him it was likely my nerves and feeling a little tense. Shortly after, though, any tension subsided ~ and I think it was because I was actually feeling comfortable on the new fit, and it helped that I was in somewhat familiar territory, riding through Pleasanton. Les rode on and I was on my own. It was a good ride, and I recalled all the previous workouts with lactate threshold I had been doing for the last two weeks. I made sure to keep my heart rate above 160 and to push it on the flats (which was the majority of the ride) ;) After passing through a few familiar vineyards and wineries in Livermore, I was back at Shadow Cliffs entering transition again, alongside Carol. I made sure to downshift just before getting off the bike (so it would make for an easy launch the second time around).

As I removed my helmet, I kept repeating to myself don't forget to change your shoes! The last thing I'd want is to storm out of transition clicking around in my cleats. [I'd later be glad I reminded myself of this, as somewhere during the run, I saw someone from the South Bay running around the trails with her bike helmet on.] So off I went, changing watches again (this was now my third ~ a regular waterproof stopwatch for the swim; Coach Mike's Garmin 305 for the bike; and now my Garmin 405 for the run, since it was already set up specifically on run mode ~ don't worry, I plan to minimize this process!).

Suprisingly, I went out pretty fast and had no trouble transitioning from 'bike legs' to 'run legs'. While I had originally planned to run/walk it, I figured it might be good to catch up on lost time (from the tire-changing) and push the envelope wherever I could. So I kept with my momentum and maintained a 10:15 min/mile pace until I reached Les on the run course. We ended up running the remainder of the 5k together, and managed to keep a good conversation going, while staying at that 10:10-10:15 min/mile pace. Came in strong at the end, and got ready for the next transition.



Our wetsuits had all been neatly draped along a rope to 'hang dry' while we rode and ran, but unfortunately, due to the sun's absence, they didn't dry much at all. I had contemplated bypassing the swim and doing a bike/run brick instead (as I felt that sore throat looming, but was urged to get back into the water). I had some frustration getting back into the wet wetsuit (feeling like I must now be the only person going out into the lake at this point), but once I took a few deep breaths, got my bearings, and suited back up, I calmly walked back to the beach to conquer another open water swim. Just then, Captain Tony walked up to me and asked, So are we ready to do this? And I said, Yep, I guess so. But why do you have your wetsuit on? Tony had been on volunteer staff all day so it surprised me to see him not only walking with me on the beach, but fully suited up as well. I'm going to swim with you. Do you mind? And I said, Of course not! It was great to have the company ~ especially when we found out our swim course was slightly modified. This time, we were to swim out to one buoy, and then do six lengths back and forth to and from another buoy. So Tony and I swam the first length together and I noticed I was feeling a little parched. I was worried I hadn't drank enough water leading up to that point. Tony gave me a choice as to whether I wanted to return back to shore, fill a bottle, and keep it close by, and swim back and forth to take sips whenever I felt I needed it. After giving it some thought, I felt I really couldn't afford to lose any more time. So I decided to just keep on going. But through and through, whenever I'd finish one length and prepare to start another, Tony would wait for me. And I just can't thank him enough for being there for me. As tired as I would get, his head would pop up out of the water, and with a smile on his face, and say something as simple as, "one more out and back and we're done!" and it would completely change my perspective of the rest of the swim. It's not that I dreaded it or wasn't enjoying my time in the water ~ but I was starting to get overwhelmed by everything I had ahead of me, and needless to say, got caught up in thinking where I was in terms of a race (I felt like I was dead last), which took a huge chunk out of my morale. But sure enough, we finished another 1000 yd swim and I unzipped out of the wetsuit again and prepared to hop on the bike.

This time, I felt much more confident. This bike course was now nothing new to me, I knew what to expect in terms of how the bike would feel, and I was determined to not lose any more momentum. Off I went... I felt like I barely saw anyone on the road from my Team, but it didn't matter any more at this point. I had a couple more hours in my day, and a run coming up. I just kept my eye on the prize.

Once I reached T2 for the second time, one of the South Bay IronTeam coaches told me I had twenty minutes left before my day would be done (I later found out I was misinstructed, but it sure made for a good pickup for the first half of my second 5k! ~In reality, I had double the amount of time to run it). So I picked up the pace for my second run... just in time for my stomach to get a little antsy. All my liquid nutrition was sloshing around in my tummy by Mile 2. My mentor, Michelle, offered to run the rest of the leg with me and I was happy to have her keep me company. We hadn't ran together in over a month, and whenever we pair up, we seem to do our absolute best and most consistent. So I welcomed her with open arms!

As we ran more, my stomach sloshed around some more. It was tough to find the balance between pushing it and not being too hard on my poor digestive system (likely confused by all the activity of these multiple sprint triathlons). We walked the hills, which seemed to give me a reprieve, but picked up the pace for the flats. It was basically mind over matter for the final mile. Michelle would later go her own way, leaving me to sprint to the transition and finish out strong. And so I did just that.

Two sprint tri's, an impromptu tire-changing, two costume changes in and out of the wetsuit, and some more duels with the demons... in five hours. It was another day wrought with challenge and adversity, but I made it through unscathed and have another victory to celebrate.

We finished up with some foam-rolling exercises and stretching on the lawn, and had another great post-workout team lunch at The Hopyard in Pleasanton.



I would like to give special mention and my heartfelt thanks to the following people for helping me get through the toughest parts of my day:

Les Giang
Tony Collins
Michelle Carter
Sedonia Yoshida
Mike Kyle
Rocky Reyes
Brian Kinion

Each of you, in your own unique ways, lead by extraordinary example, exhibit patience and true generosity with your time and doling out the pearls of wisdom on a continual basis :) Thank you for all you do. And thank you for being such supportive teammates to me.

On the progression front, I have some great news! Coach Mike was kind enough to extrapolate my bike times, and compare them to my most recent bike marker. Now, they're not over the same exact bike courses, but it'll give a good idea of how my speed in general has improved in the last month or so (especially considering my new goal to stay in line with my lactate threshold):

Last bike marker: 10.08 mph average speed
4/10/10 Bootcamp 1st loop: 13.7 mph (161 average HR)
4/10/10 Bootcamp 2nd loop: 13.1 mph (151 average HR)

This translates into a 36% increase in average speed! This definitely gave me the boost in morale I've been needing.

So on to another week. It hasn't been the prettiest these last few days... and I've had all sorts of mental and emotional distractions to keep me busy. But I'm powerin' on through, putting my all into it, and having faith it'll all come together.

***
Week #22 Workout Summary:

Swim: 3 hours and 0 minutes
Bike: 3 hours and 0 minutes
Run: 1 hour and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 30 minutes
Total Workout: 7 hours and 30 minutes

My Fundraising Progress to Date: $7,855

You know you're Iron when... you're referred to as CRAZY on a regular basis.

This week, someone called me crazy for the umpteenth time this season. And I must say, it's interesting to see how my perception of the term has shifted since the beginning of the season.

In the first month of my training, I sort of believed it ~ maintaining my argument of, "you kind of HAVE to be crazy to sign up for this". But now that I've gotten into the mindset of focusing, working hard, dividing & conquering... I've realized, it's not so crazy after all.

Yes, training for an Ironman (particularly with no previous swimming or cycling experience) is like trying to take on an 800-lb gorilla (the subject of one of my emails announcing this decision back in November). And to Sandy's analogy, it's like deciding to eat an elephant. But what I've learned about all of this, which has been an invaluable life lesson for me too, is that it IS doable. You just do it one stroke, spin and step at a time [and in the case of the elephant, one bite at a time!].

Now that I can actually see Race Day on the horizon for the first time all season, I can say I've been through a series of emotions throughout this journey. If you skim back to earlier posts, you can probably infer the fear, anxiety and worry... Now while I can't promise those feelings won't creep up again, I CAN say that I'm also starting to get excited.

I think it's all too often that we get wrapped up in the pressure to succeed, be perfect and not make any mistakes. We become afraid to fall (ahem, I think my bike and I can speak on this) and more importantly fail. But you know -- that's life. And we aren't perfect. You fall, or you make a mistake? You pick yourself back up and you go at it again. And I don't think I could have chosen a better life experience to teach me this.

Now's a great time to reassess what my goals were in the very beginning and how I can bring myself that much closer to making them a reality.

So what might seem to some as 'crazy, 5-8 hour days' like the ones I'll have coming up this weekend, are to me ~ opportunities to work on getting stronger, having fun with my teammates, spend some quality time outdoors (yes, I've even gotten criticism on 'how tan' I'm getting) and seeing what I can do. Again, it's about perception.

The work I've been doing on both training and fundraising is part of a commitment I made. To myself, to my Team, and to LLS. And with all the eye-opening experiences and life-changing moments I've had in a mere five months, I can't imagine if I had never signed up at all.

~ just some more self-reflection that came to me this week that I wanted to put on paper and share with you.

Here's my mid-week recap:

Easter Sunday: In lieu of a road ride, I set up my trainer in the living room (my parents were in town and hadn't seen me do this yet), and powered through an interval set using my shiney, brand new lactate threshold. I maintained a heart rate (HR) of 155 throughout, and threw in about 5-6 1-minute sets at a 160 HR. Helped to have a good playlist on the ol' iPod. My mother was amazed. She attempted to sit on my bike and was traumatized and baffled as to how I could sit on that saddle for more than five minutes, let alone hours at a time. I recognized this horror back when I bought my bike six months ago and still don't know how I do it.

Tuesday: Got my bike refitted (and renamed to lulu) at Sports Basement, compliments of Oscar. To my surprise, a lot needed to be adjusted. My seat was raised nearly 2 1/2 inches, my handlebars were completely replaced (they had been 2 inches too wide for me all along). The cleats on my clipless shoes were moved forward, and now I'm looking into a new saddle. And first tire replacement (there was a gouge in my rear tire). Another small fortune to pay, but for the sake of improved efficiency on the bike (woohoo tied with all the ironmanpower I'm working on putting in now!), I plan to be a FORCE out on the L'ville course.

Wednesday: Team Shadow Spin (with a large IronTeam contingent) at Sports Basement [seriously, the Walnut Creek store has become my home away from home, except they're always taking my money]. Tried out my new bike fit and felt semi-pro being so high up on the seat. We had a series of simulated hill climbs for our workout and boy was it a toughie. The weather was gorgeous, in the low to mid 70s -- which meant it was HOT on the bike. Let's put it this way, I was in good company, spinning next to Haakon. I'm not particularly a big sweat-er. But after 20' at an average HR of 160 at sundown, I was working up more than a mere glow. After the 20' set, we bumped it up to the big ring and did 3 sets of 6' hill climbs, where I went as high as a 190 HR (a big deal for me). Thank goodness for those 4' rest intervals. They gave me confidence when I thought I couldn't do another climb. I sipped on my hour's worth of Gatorade and felt amazing afterward. I had successfully put in 110% of my effort on the bike, left it all out there, and didn't hold back one bit. This is exactly what I want to get out of each bike ride from now until race day. Now, I just need to get used to working up such a sweat as it's sure to amp up even more in the Kentucky humidity.

Thursday (today): My reunion with the pool ~ and I had been looking forward to it all day! It's been so long since I've gotten a good swim in after work and I've really missed it. I arrived at the Olympic Pool at Cal High in San Ramon a little after 7 p.m. to discover all the lanes were full. I took it upon myself to ask another gentleman if I could split a lane with him. Just then, the head in the next lane over bobbed up, saying "You can share with me," and it was Phil! It was a nice surprise to share a lane together like old times (back when he was trying to coerce me to sign up for IT in the first place back in August). It was familiar territory now that we've reached daylight savings and the sun was still out for part of our swim. Only the remarkable part was seeing how far I've come along since the heavy panting after 25 yds ~ to now thinking of our 1/2 Half Ironman as a memory. After warming up and doing some drills, I saw a familiar shaved head a few lanes over. To make the world (and pool) that much smaller, it turned out to be my teammate Nate & my mentor, Michelle, on the pooldeck! It was a great showing of the East Bay following of IronTeam, all with the same plans to swim on a pleasant Thursday evening. Plus, we hadn't seen each other or all been together since Wildflower Training Weekend, nearly three weeks ago, consuming jello shots around the campfire. Made for a great group workout and an excellent surprise reunion. I had a rejuvinating swim and enjoyed getting back into the water to stretch out my 'bike muscles' as well. I am really starting to *love* swimming :)

Stay tuned for stories from this weekend's Boot Camp II!

I'll leave you with a quote from a multi-Ironman finisher who found me on LinkedIn and sent me some words back in December to remember... this one's for my teammates who may have also found themselves amidst some nay-sayers:

"So no tri ever before and you go for the big one your first year out? I really, really LIKE you! I've heard that crazy business a million times - WHATEVER I say! It's an amazing thing you're doing and raising money too is even harder. I found that IM training is a lot like the marathon training - well its more of course - a little bit each day and you'll get there. No question. Don't doubt it for a minute. It is the most amazing thing too - you'll see. This sport is fantastic and an IM race is done right. You're doing an awesome job!! You should be VERY proud of your accomplishments so far. You can do anything you set your mind to."

Grateful, Inspired & Ready to Ramp it Up

Well firstly, let me just thank each and every one of you who reached out, took the time to write, call, and bring me some cheer over the last couple weeks. You all know who you are, and I appreciate you very much. I had a couple bouts with doubt and felt a little strained mentally and emotionally -- I had recently heard about a loved one, who was diagnosed with cancer, just before Wildflower Training Weekend, and it really shook my world. Thankfully [I guess you could say] it's just about the best case scenario she could have, given the circumstance. It's a non-invasive type of breast cancer. But despite the odds and good statistics in her favor, I know her well, and I know she's scared. She puts on a strong face because it's in her nature to, but deep down, I know there's more to it than that.

I've spoken to her nearly every day over the last two weeks, and just want to be there to listen to her voice her concerns, and support her in whatever way I can. To my surprise (she's someone who never really got why I keep signing up for one endurance race after another, pushing my limits and am basically hooked on swimming, biking, running, and being so active), she's now starting to grasp my dedication and commitment to all this. It's not just about physically going the distance. It's not for the bragging rights. For me personally, this was always about growth. Growth as a person, expanding my view of what I think is possible, and attempting (in my own small way) to put myself in the shoes of others going through something much tougher, and dealing with adversity in a much bigger way. And as fate would have it, this brings me full circle.

So I've been fortunate enough to get more informed on the situation at hand, and will continue to keep the communication and dialogue open with her. And in the meantime, it's only fueled me to keep going. I'm a little more at peace with it and can only send my good thoughts and prayers for her to stay strong, be brave, and make sure she knows she's not alone.

So as you can imagine, the personal stuff (along with work getting hectic, after being ridiculously short-handed with my colleagues in and out of the office), it's taken a bit of a toll on my training psyche. However ~ with a brand new week, a phenomenal chunk of your generous change donated to the cause after the weekend, and all your incredible pearls of wisdom, I'm inspired to just move right along with a great new outlook.

As one of you wise ones said, "The development of the Iron athlete begins with the development of the individual. Successful racing requires a certain level of maturity: knowing your strengths and your weaknesses, recognizing your limiting factors and respecting the magnitude of the race."

Others have told me to focus more attention on the bike without fear or worry about comparing myself to others. Some of you have reminded me that this is NOT the first time I've thrown myself into unfamiliar circumstances or out of my comfort zone. And another key reminder many of you have given me is to continue believing in myself.

All of these messages are true gems and they're all going in my back pocket to pull out on future tough days ahead, and certainly on Race Day.

And now, my training updates:

- I've acquired my Lactic Threshold (LT) for the bike, which is 169. This means that for the time-being, I will be training at varied heart rate zones, centered around this number, to improve my fitness and intensity level when riding. Basically, it's to make sure I'm not sandbagging and it'll make me aware just how much harder I can push it on the bike, instead of holding back.

- Since my LT test, I've done two solid trainer workouts at a steady heart rate (HR) of 155 and I can already tell it will pay dividends in the long run (or ride, if you will). I've also been throwing in short intervals at a 165 HR. As soon as it sneaks up to 170 (beyond my threshold) I'm careful to bring it back down and not go overboard. Can't wait to see how all this translates over to my performance out on the road.

- I'm in a bit of a deficit with swimming (I've really missed it), as a result of putting in more bike workouts into my schedule, and due to general life happenings (Easter weekend, and a 2-hour deep tissue massage during Recovery Week). But I'm excited to get back into the swing (and stroke) of things this week. Speaking of which...

It's time for our second installment of Boot Camp! It's true: we're back at it again this weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing and training with my teammates for an extended coached workout (at Shadow Cliffs in Pleasanton this Saturday, and Gunderson High School in San Jose on Sunday). We will be doing three continuous, back-to-back Sprint Tris on Saturday, just to give you a sneak peek.

So all in all, I think today's blog title encapsulates it all. I've been through a bit of the wringer, but have come out strong, and ready to get back into the Iron action and get'er done! Thanks, everyone, for all your encouragement & support.

***
Week #20 Workout Summary: [Recovery Week]

Swim: 0 hours and 0 minutes
Bike: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Run: 0 hours and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 30 minutes
Total Workout: 3 hours and 0 minutes

***
Week #21 Workout Summary:

Swim: 0 hours and 0 minutes
Bike: 3 hours and 0 minutes
Run: 0 hours and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 30 minutes
Total Workout: 3 hours and 30 minutes

My Fundraising Progress to Date: $7,790