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!)

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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!


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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