IRONTEAM BOOT CAMP WEEKEND

Day 1: The First Day of "School" ~ From Guppies to Big Fish... and beyond!

One word: Unbelievable. It's the word I keep saying over and over to myself after my day today. I can't believe what we were handed by our Coaches today in the way of our training schedule. And I certainly cannot believe what I did with it.

I'm just continually astounded by what the human mind, heart, spirit & body can do. If you were to ask me a year ago -- no, four months ago -- what I thought I could successfully accomplish in one day, I don't think a triathlon would have even crossed my mind. What began as a rather intimidating, built-up Saturday morning ~ beckoning all the members of IronTeam (from all ends of the Bay Area) to show what we're made of... surely became a day filled with challenges. All I could really do was roll with the punches, keep on a good face and positive outlook, and not run away from what could potentially be the dark, scary face of adversity. And, boy, let me tell you -- I saw that face, it was ugly, and I didn't run the other way.



My very first open water swim. The Team suited up in the parking lot at the Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore. The temperature of the water was around 52 degrees Fahrenheit, or so. From what we were told, it was a "warmer" day because of the rain we've been having. As we faced the lake -- no lane lines, no visible 'bottom' of the body of water, I walked in. Some of my other teammates, I could tell, were also apprehensive. About all the unknowns, the unfamiliarity, and of course -- the temperature! But they trudged on, boldly and confidently and so I followed suit, in my wetsuit ;) Once I put my face in the water, it was piercing cold. Just imagine submerging your face in a bucket of ice water. And you'd probably get a similar sensation. And we had to swim in it for 30 consecutive minutes. Believe it or not -- once my body got acclimated to the water (I know, you're probably wondering, 'how does that happen?') -- I was actually able to swim normally. It took some getting used to, not being able to see through the murky water, but it was actually kind of invigorating! I also got the hang of my sighting technique -- gradually bringing my head up forward to make sure I'm swimming straight / on course, without breaking my stroke. Before I knew it, it was time to get out of the water! 30 minutes in the lake were up, just as I was getting comfortable. My first experience with open water swimming, though initially scary, was now in the bag and I couldn't be more thrilled by how it went!





Up next: the bike. And major hills to tackle. Well. By now I'm sure you know of my ongoing saga with the bike. I've been through quite an array of experiences (good, bad, ugly & with bruises aplenty!) with the ol' two wheels 'n saddle. But this time, we were warned by our coaches that we might hit a wall during the ride (as well as at any point during the long day). Ohh that wall. I know it well. From a few of my long runs during marathon training ~ and particularly during my bike ride through Berkeley when I encountered a hill so steep and seemingly endless that my brain just quit and so did my will to continue on. To simplify: It sucked. When you hit a wall that is seemingly impossible to penetrate or move around, it's just one of the most defeating feelings ever. And for me, bonking, or hitting the wall on the bike, is just a whole different kind of animal. Notice I keep referencing "seemingly" to describe this phenomenon. While the wall ~ both affecting the brain / central nervous system & your body, is a very real situation -- it doesn't mean that it's impossible to overcome. You just need to have what Coach Dave calls an "exit strategy" for when you do inevitably reach that point of no return.





I had this ammo in mind today and without even knowing the kind of hills I'd face, I was ready and willing to whip out that strategy whenever and how ever often I needed it. Would you believe... I had to reach into my back pocket for that strategy FIVE minutes into the ride?? Yep. Mines Road. For those of you local, drive it. You'll find yourself gassing up those hills like there's no tomorrow. And then hop on a bike and try it to compare. After today, I know what the term human-powered miles means! There I was again, at the bottom of a hill, looking straight up at the daunting task ahead of me. To get over that hill safely and efficiently -- without wanting to collapse at the top. Sounds dramatic, I know. But that's exactly how it was! And this was no foreign scenario to me.

So I took that hill. One pedal stroke at a time. Not looking up, to the side, around me, at anyone behind or passing me. I just focused. And damn it, I was going to get up that hill and I was going to feel strong at the end. I climbed and climbed and once I turned a corner -- there was another hill. This happened continuously throughout this set of hills. The me from two weeks ago would have undoubtedly quit by now. But to pull out a quote (which helped me during the climbs): Success is impossible without failure. So without my previous experiences of hitting walls, feeling defeated, not getting it right, getting back up and doing it over again -- I wouldn't be able to face today's challenges with as much mental fortitude and vigor. So with a little more focus, digging deep into what was in me (remember, this was only the start of the ride...) I did it. And man, you should have seen the smile on my face when I reached the top of that hill.

The rest of the ride consisted of flatter terrain, gorgeous views of Livermore's Wine Country, and LOTS and lots o' wind. I ended up having to cut down my mileage for time purposes, but I think the ride back -- complete with... you guessed it, the SAME set of hills -- more than made up for the quality of that ride, if you catch my drift. What can I say? It kicked my ass. "Hard" is not even the word I'd use to describe those climbs. There really is no word to epitomize it. They were long, semi-steep, with no chance of really catching your breath (I'm going to pull out another quote from a previous post -- When you start climbing [or even descending] a hill, you have to commit to it.). So if you're on your way up a hill. Honey. There's no stopping. You just keep climbing, because that's the only option you have. And same with descends. If you're flying down a hill at 30 mph (yes, with cars zooming past you on both sides of the street), you just hold on, take down the tension in your neck (and death grip on the handlebars) and you go for it. And that's basically the description of the remainder of my ride. Again -- highs. Lows. Exhilaration. And tough-ass moments. But 25 miles later, I was done and on a natural high. Once again, I feel like a different person after that bike ride.

And finally, the run. 1 hour of trail running through the park. Much of it was uphill, but I managed to get a second wind on the back half and pulled out a sprint for the finish. One of the most reassuring moments upon reaching the end of our simulated tri today, was my fueling and hydration plan. Somehow, I just got it right. I packed and downed a total of 700-800 calories today over a span of 6 hours, mixing up a variety of drinks, food and supplements. The fact that I didn't physically bonk, or have any stomach pains or digestive issues -- still feeling strong and able at the very end, is a testament to a well-executed fueling plan. I still intend to play around and experiment some more, particularly as the weather warms up later on in the season.

All in all -- a major success in each of the three sports, followed by some excellent stretching and foam rolling exercises with Core Coach Doug, which definitely helped to loosen the fatigue and lactic acid.

***

Day 2: A Day of Many, Many Transitions... in more ways than one!

Well. The joke was on us. We all thought yesterday was hard. But today, Day 2, hit new levels of challenge, endurance and pushing our limits ~ most especially on the mental front.

Where do I begin? The South Bay / Silicon Valley Chapter IronTeam graciously hosted us for the second installment of our Boot Camp, in San Jose. We were back in the comforts of a heated pool, but boy... we sure didn't know what was coming next.

First up, the swim. Simply put, we were told to follow the instructions / drills / workout on a sheet of paper -- and to "repeat it over and over until we were told to stop". And friends, that was a phrase we were going to be told all day.

We swam for an hour, which I handled pretty well. It's just extra tough when you don't have any type of endpoint in mind. So despite our swim being the hour we're normally used to, it seemed extra-long because we couldn't anticipate when we would stop.

After the swim, came the bike. We had set up our bike trainers on the pool deck, but for whatever reason, I didn't initially think that we'd be taking them off the trainers and onto the road. We rode through parts of San Jose I never even knew existed! Secluded wooded areas, horse ranches, and yes... hills. We were told the hills wouldn't be so bad. But to our dismay, they weren't easy either. I pumped those legs (still fatigued from Saturday) up more hills and took my time. Hard stuff, but I pushed and pushed my way up. For the descend, it was a bit scary. Sharp turns, high speeds and the rain had just started to pour down.



We rode close to 20 miles and by the end, I was as filthy as ever. Drenched from the rain, and with all kinds of mud and debris from the road sticking to me -- twigs, dirt, grime. You name it. But they never said training for an Ironman would be clean!

Upon our return from the ride, we were told to quickly and immediately transition for the run. So off we went -- I ran with Margaret, Liz & Kristie and we kept a good pace once we loosened up the bricks in our legs. But there was something "special" about this run. Not only were we to go out and back 30 mins each way. We had to do a series of "burpies" (kind of like a jump, squat & push-up all rolled into one single movement) and crunches every 15-20 mins. At this point, I could only laugh, because we couldn't get any messier or soggy or muddy ~ and so getting on the ground, hair and clothing getting all personal with the dirty trail... I just embraced it and crunched those abs whenever we were supposed to. The ladies were also very encouraging, which made a huge difference.

After the hour-long run, the South Bay coaches wanted us to transition quickly and immediately... to get back on the bike. And this time, we were stationary. I thought it would be a relatively easy spin, just getting us to loosen up the legs and utilize difference muscles on the bike. Wrong again. Simulated hills, hard gears; the South Bay coaches had a whole bag o' tricks for us and certainly weren't holding back. This was around the point where my tolerance level for these so-called tricks and at this point, SURPRISES, was starting to waver.



After the bike, I threw on my running shoes to head to the track. Alternating easy and hard laps around the track, we were summoned to the center of the field to do jump squats & reverse crunches. More laps, and then stadiums. More laps, and then bench dips and leg lifts.





And just when we thought we were just about ready to throw in the towel (and in my mind, take some time to stretch and cool down) -- we were told to quickly and immediately transition to return to the bike.

Now. It was getting personal. My crabby side, for the first time all season (and probably my most grumpy in all my endurance training seasons), reared its ugly head. Legs fatiguing, but perfectly able ~ I Ironed Up and did the damn thing. More than anything, it was my heart and mind that were keeping me from going or wanting to continue. I properly and successfully fueled again, so no concerns or issues with physical pain, cramping or stomach discomfort. I was ravenously hungry, starting to get sick of eating GUs, gels and Gatorade. But it is what it is and I just kept on going.

Sprints on the simulated hills. Sprints on flat-level easy gears. Sprints all around. Again, the coaches held nothing back. After the bike... say it with me now... back to running.



And just when one more run felt like the very end... we had a swim. The swim consisted of more drills, and I used it to really stretch out my muscles and relax. Before I knew it... finally... we reached the end of our day.



Swim / Bike / Run / Bike / Run / Core / Bike / Run / Core / Swim

...in 8 1/2 hours. Haha and can you believe, 9 transitions?!

Today I reached a tougher and much different mental wall than before. Rather than feeling like I couldn't do it or go on (as in my battles with hill climbing on the bike), this time it was more of a frustration and angst to get it done and over with. And that is exactly what our coaches wanted us to experience ~ to be pushed to our mental limits and break through that wall. To realize that not everything can be planned or anticipated. At some point, you WILL want to give up because you're tired and over it. But just like in an Ironman, you don't just walk off the course midway and call it a day. To be an Ironman, you have to endure and outlast your own expectations of what you think you have left in you.

It was a tough lesson to learn, especially first-hand. But as I looked around the track (the first and second time) I could see other teammates and good friends of mine getting fed up, aggravated and grumpy. So it was a relief to know I wasn't alone in my feelings. Many an expletive had been thrown around -- throughout the track and up and down those bleachers :) Just goes to show that it isn't easy, but it's doable. And IronTeam certainly proved that this weekend.

16 1/2 hours of swimming, biking, & running this weekend ~ and making it through it all not only in one piece but feeling that much stronger and able.. I'm so proud of us! Go Team! Way to Iron Up.

***
Week #15 Workout Summary:

Swim: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Bike: 7 hours and 30 minutes
Run: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Core/Strength: 2 hours and 0 minutes
Total Workout: 18 hours and 30 minutes

Bruised But Not Broken

What. A. Day. Let me start by saying this: The only time ROAD RASH isn't so bad -- is when you're wearing a helmet. A helmet so strong and safe that it enables you to walk away from an accident only with a few scrapes and bruises. And that's me today. And I thank my lucky stars.

The day started out beautifully. My IronTeammates and I met in Benicia for the "Jelly Belly Factory / Valentine's Day / Chinese New Year Ride" that would total 47 miles from Benicia through Cordelia, reaching Fairfield, riding through Suisun Valley and back to Benicia. We were given gorgeous weather to work with, once the sun burned through the Bay fog.

I rode with Dana, Erin, and Coach Mike for much of the ride ~ and once again, felt at peace with the road and my bike. Only this time, it didn't take as long for me to get comfortable -- which is a good sign. We had flatter terrain (a nice break from the hills we've been climbing week after week, both on the road and in our trainer workouts). It had been a successful ride for me, finally getting the knack for clipping in and out and anticipating the timing before traffic lights, stop signs (and even freeway on-ramps)! I got a true feel for shifting gears at the right moments, keeping a consistent cadence, and could even loosen my grip a bit on the brakes. The saddle and positioning of holding myself up on the handlebars for long periods of time will take some more getting used to (I had mild cramping / sore upper back and neck muscles by the turnaround, but I tried to stretch and loosen up whenever I could). I even tried some new fueling options, like Hammer Heed, mixed with a gel (in place of Gatorade). Seemed to work just fine except I noticed I should probably eat a little more often after 2 hrs or so. Something like a Clif Shot Blok or two, as it alleviated some stomach pain I was having.

The ride back was simply picturesque. I never even knew there were such pretty and serene vineyards and olive gardens through Fairfield and Suisun Valley. I was truly having a great time, and even made it a point to tell Coach Mike. "Not sure how the end of the ride will turn out," I said. "But I can honestly say that it's been a great one and nothing can take that away."



Unfortunately, however, things would take a turn for the worse. At about Mile 32, my farthest cycling distance to date -- I had a bit of a distraction come my way. Upon reaching Cordelia, and approaching a freeway overpass/bridge, I felt a little itch on my leg. Now, we had been riding through swarms of gnats and flies throughout the course, which hardly fazed me at all. My eyes were protected by my shades and I kept my mouth shut :) But this time, I had an infernal itch on my uncovered leg and it was irking me to no end. I looked down and saw a 'moderately sized' insect perched on my thigh. If it had been easy enough to 'blow it off' or keep cycling to get that bug off, then that would have saved me a world of trouble. But instead, it stayed stuck to my leg and I started to wonder if in fact it was in the process of biting me, drawing blood -- what have you. So I assessed the situation and wondered if I'd have any trouble gradually taking one hand off the handlebar, balancing the bike with my left hand and swiftly swatting that bugger off me. I kept both eyes on the road, took my right hand off the handlebar... so far so good... and in one single motion, swatted and managed to thwart all direction to the side of the bridge, hitting a concrete ledge with my leg and slamming my head directly into a steel pole.



It was truly a scary experience. However as I saw myself hurling toward the steel pole, I somehow knew my head would be fully protected. [above is a photo of my helmet model, the Giro Saros, which undoubtedly saved my life] I sat up on the ledge -- still clipped into the bike, and slowly removed my helmet. And would you believe -- not a single dent, crack or scratch? The underlying foam doesn't even appear to be crushed. I've got some notable road rash on my right leg and my right hand has a matching rash and is swollen (it's difficult to grip things with that hand for the time being) ~ and I'll spare you any photos. But I can't help but truly feel lucky that that was the worst of it. Lou, the bike, also has a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing that can't be fixed either.

Mike and I walked our bikes down to a safer part of the street and called for a SAG (Sports & Gear) Vehicle to come pick us up. Truthfully, I was so disheartened I couldn't finish out the remaining 15 miles or so, but thought it smart to throw in the towel, while I still felt positive about the ride ~ rather than trying to hammer out the last few miles and overexhausting myself -- even with the possibility of having a concussion. My right hand also probably couldn't withstand any more pressure, let alone trying to grip the brakes and shift.

When we got back to the return point, I was greeted by my teammates (and first aid antiseptic spray -- ouch!), who very quickly helped to rejuvinate my spirits. We all had a great lunch together and I was soon back to laughing and just taking it easy after the long day.

I was out there for a total of four hours today ~ and despite the accident and being a little physically shaken, my spirits and hopes are not dashed and I will continue to get back on that horse and ride again.

***
Week #14 Workout Summary: [Personal Bike Focus Week]

Swim: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Bike: 7 hours and 0 minutes
Run: 1 hour and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 30 minutes
Total Workout: 10 hours and 30 minutes

Hello, Build Phase!

Well, we've arrived. Build Phase is upon us, and we're now upping the ante to see what our bodies and minds are made of. During the last three months, we have created a solid base and foundation for our training upon which we will now build our skills and strength in further preparation for our race day.

On Tuesday this past week, I did a great pyramid swim workout on my own and felt awesome afterward. Swimming after work has become highly therapeutic for me (even in the rain!). My plans for Wednesday night spin were foiled as a result of getting into a minor car accident on the way :( I saw the doctor (and auto body shop) and everything checked out okay. Be careful out on the roads, friends! I was likely rear-ended (on the freeway) as a result of cell phone use while the other party was driving.

I met up with Michelle on Thursday night to do the long-awaited run marker set. Yasso 800s - 10x 800m (0.5 mile) pieces as fast as you can, with 3-minute rest intervals. We ran an average of 4:17 per 800m (our first one was in 4:00 flat!). I'll tell ya, I never thought I'd get to the point of running this fast, ever. Michelle really helped me to stay focused and motivated ~ yes, amidst more rain pouring down on us on the track. It was a challenging, yet very fulfilling workout -- which now puts me at a brand new VDOT score of 34! Well on my way to a 10-minute mile marathon pace! Yes!

Yesterday, we had our first wetsuit/open water clinic in Novato. Our coaches took out all the lane lines from the pool and had us simulate an open water scenario by swimming around buoys in a giant circle, avoiding hanging on the walls, pushing off from them, standing or anything that would otherwise make us rely on the pool as an enclosed space. It was pretty neat. We really got a feel for having to swim and keeping up our endurance to continue swimming, because we needed to. The wetsuit took some getting used to as well; it was nice to be so buoyant in the water!

We also practiced 'mass starts'. We were instructed to swim at a level 8 (of 8) all at the same time, from one end of the pool to another. Really gave you an idea that arms, legs, blows and kicks are very much a reality. It was a lesson in learning to just roll with the punches, I suppose... literally.

And finally, we did a 'blind swim' assessment, to see our ability to swim straight from one end of the pool to the other -- eyes closed. I found I'm fairly straight, so I'm hoping that'll help me avoid swimming too far off course come actual open water time.

After our swim, we headed over to the track for a series of plyometrics and single-file runs (also termed Indian Runs, though not my favorite name for them). Here's a photo of my stellar group, Group C! We kept a steady and consistent pace and ran a smooth set of 1200s with some great surges in there.



Margaret, Sarah, Melissa, Rocky, Jim, Michelle & Kathryn (+IronPhil, who later joined)

My calves were tightening up midway through -- likely a result of just having done the run marker the other day. They resulted in some mild shin splints. I'll need to take extra precaution and care when it comes to stretching out my leg muscles. But all in all, great (tough), but fun workout.





Finally, we finished up with some core/strength exercises with Coach Dave on the soccer field. The planks are my toughest but I intend to master them. Coach Dave -- showing us how it's done:



And as for today... oh today. Another day, another demon to face.

What started off as a fairly muggy day, later became a gorgeous sunny afternoon in the Oakland/Berkeley hills. I met up with half the Team in Rockridge for what would become Captain Tony's Wild Ride. We were greeted at about Mile 2 with THE toughest and ugliest hill I've ever seen. Steeper (if not just as steep and scary) as Pig Farm Hill [see my January 24 post].

I'll tell you... I started off with the highest hopes, most positive and self-empowering thoughts, but that hill almost ate me alive. I pedaled and pushed as hard as I could up Claremont Avenue (with an average grade of 9%), but about halfway up, I hit a wall. A wall tougher and more impenetrable than any I'd ever encountered in all my marathon training. My legs were exhausting, my heart was racing, my body was overheating from all my clothing layers, and I felt like my bike was going to tip over on this street with zero bike lanes and the occasional car that would zoom by. Coach Mike was right behind me and cheered, "You're almost there, Maria! Do you see that spot of sunlight over there? It flattens out and you can stop there!" The distance between where I was and that 'sunny spot' was realistically a few hundred feet away but it seriously seemed like I would never get there. I huffed and puffed and exerted all I had and when I got to the top of that stretch, I burst into tears. Claremont, we have a debt to settle, and I will conquer you someday.

After recovering from that uphill battle in the truest sense, we decided to turn around and take an alternate route -- which meant we'd have to descend that same grade. If the uphill sounded scary to you, well I'll just say the downhill frightened the crap out of me. And I'll tell you why shortly. So I got it together and composed myself once we returned to Rockridge, then we drove and brought our bikes over to the familiar and peaceful streets of Orinda.

Orinda and Moraga are my homes from a past life, since they house Saint Mary's College, my alma mater. But never have I seen these streets from a cyclist's point of view. And they were beautiful! Back into traffic we went (more good practice for the clipless shoes and pedals), bound for Pinehurst. After a few (what would now become) cute hills, I began to feel more confident and comfortable. Mike later noticed that upon my descends, as I grip the breaks, my hands are actually too small to grip the entire handle from the hoods. So that basically means I need to change my positioning and body posture down to the 'drops', or lower level of the handle bars, in order to better grasp the brake handles. So I'll have to have more forethought and anticipate when I'll need to readjust my body (which can sometimes make me less stable), giving me better control over the bike as I'm flying down the hills. Discovering this adjustment made a HUGE difference, and made me much more comfortable with descends.

The stretch from Orinda to Pinehurst and back showed me a lot about general bike handling skills -- lessons I never would have learned if not for real-time experience out on the road ~ and truthfully, getting out there and doing the best I can with what I've got. Mike said the terrain we rode in the latter part of the morning strongly resembled the bike course in Louisville. So with more steep hill climbing and training, I'll be that much more prepared to tackle Louisville, with a confident smile on my face. The ride back was startlingly enjoyable and fun again (this tends to be the pattern with my bike rides ~ they start off traumatic, and end happily and with me smiling). 4 hours later, I had completed another day battling the beast. The beast, not being the bike itself, but my mental and physical challenges to overcome my fear AND limits of riding it.



IronTeam, all flamed out.

***
Week #13 Workout Summary:

Swim: 3 hours and 0 minutes
Bike: 4 hours and 0 minutes
Run: 3 hours and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 1 hour and 0 minutes
Total Workout: 11 hours and 0 minutes

IronTeam takes to the Presidio!

Our recovery week culminated beautifully on Saturday with a nice, easy run along the San Francisco Presidio. It was a gorgeous day in the city and once the fog melted away, we had a picturesque view of the Golden Gate Bridge to keep us company during our 8 miles. I ran with my mentor, Michelle. My original goal was to run at my designated easy/long pace of 11:38 mins per mile. But after the Louie Tri last weekend and what I felt were some successful runs over the past few weeks, I thought I could afford to up my pace without risking burning out early or losing consistency. And quite rightly so ~ Michelle and I sucessfully completed our 8 mile run in exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes, averaging an 11:05 minute pace! It feels good to get faster :)



After our run, we congregated at the ever-awesome Presidio Sports Basement, where we discussed Wetsuit 101 with Coaches Sedonia and Doug.



We'll be heading out into open water in about three weeks!

Following our talk, we spent some quality time with the TRX. The TRX is like the informal mascot of the Team (or Coach Doug's) which is the primary source of our core & strength training. You can set up and suspend these things on anything stationary and conveniently enough, there was some space behind Sports Basement (strongly resembling a meat locker). We spent about an hour partnering up (thanks, Carol!) and doing an array of exercises. From lunges, to squats, to planks ~ all while using this handy-dandy contraption. A lot of people dread it; but personally, I love it. One might say I'm hooked! Ok, I couldn't resist.





Another HUGE perk to the location of Presidio Sports Basement is that no matter where you turn, you have THE most fantastic view of the Golden Gate.


From IronTeam to You: Wish you were here!

As for Sunday, we had our next bike marker set. It was time for me to revisit the bike course that once terrified me to no end. Some of you may recall it. I referred to that day as one of struggles. Not only because I rode the whole thing unclipped to my bike, but because I was still mortified by all the traffic, not having control over my bike, unanticipated climbs and descends. I had just seen better days -- I'll put it that way. Well, this time around, I needed to do the whole thing clipped in, and timed.

Apprehensive and tentative at first, off I went. From Danville, southbound toward San Ramon. Clipping in and out uphill was by far the most difficult. We'd often encounter stop signs and yellow-to-red lights where I could --yes-- anticipate the stop, but doing so while trying to glide uphill, proves harder than you think! :) But I continued on... still on my way to the start of the marker/test! I inched my way over to the starting point (The ~5-mile stretch is along a back road where an occasional speeding car will zoom through, but that's about all you'll see as far as traffic. To your left and right are herds of cows). It was a series of rolling hills. Tricky at first, but I took my time, got comfortable with shifting gears, and before I knew it, I was over the hump and completed the 5-mile marker set. Not exactly 'record time' or even fast at all, but I was happy to have completed it and to have done so without fear. I considered it a big personal success.

The ride back was surprisingly a joy! Who knew? Last time I was there, I absolutely dreaded it. But by the time I caught up to Michelle, she mentioned I looked entirely different from when I had started the ride. More relaxed. And I was :) Another 20-mile fully clipped in bike ride to add to my name. Not bad at all!


***
Week #12 Workout Summary: [Recovery Week]

Swim: 1 hour and 0 minutes
Bike: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Run: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Core/Strength: 1 hour and 0 minutes
Total Workout: 5 hours and 0 minutes

The 9th Annual Louie Bonpua Memorial Triathlon

Today I did something incredible. By any other person's standards, it would probably be considered a walk in the park or piece of cake. And quite rightly so. Triathlons can be an exhilarating, fun, 'day of working out' that comes easy and/or natural to people who have been fit all their lives. Especially people who have either grown up swimming like fish, or riding their bikes for as many years as they've been walking.

But for me, today's accomplishment encompassed so much more.

I had worked up so many butterflies all last week, anticipating "my very first tri". But by the time I pulled up to our race location this morning, much of it dissipated and I just became set on focusing on the day at hand. We were greeted by the most beautiful sunrise. You could definitely feel Louie's spirit present among all of us.



I carefully set up my transition, with the help of Melissa ~ who also assured me we had this 'in the bag' (no pun intended). And after shooting that last Gu, we headed over to the pool to start our swim.



1500 yards (or 60 laps) was our distance. A distance I'd NEVER before swam. We were told we'd have some help counting our laps, and that someone would hold a bright blue kickboard in the water, to indicate our last lap. So we were off! I split a lane with someone from the Silicon Valley Ironteam, who is currently training to complete TWO Ironmans in the course of this year. So needless to say, I had a fish swimming right next to me. But I continued on -- not rushing or getting worked up or worrying about the others around me. Just keeping a steady and consistent pace. Stroke after stroke, I felt like I was getting progressively more fluid and stronger. I could even hear the voices of my good friends, Megan C, Lindsay, Olivia, Megan B & Dori -- cheering my name (as I bobbed my head up for half a second to start the next consecutive lap). Hearing them cheer my name gave me the momentum to make that next lap even stronger and smoother.



After losing count at about 30-something laps, I decided not to worry or even fuss with asking how many I had left to go. I made a conscious decision to just focus on my stroke, enjoy it, get a good rhythm going, and swim until I saw that kickboard. It wasn't long before I felt this tapping on the top of my head as I bobbed up to start another lap. It was Coach Dave: "Maria, you were done 25 yards ago! Out of the pool!" Where was that kickboard? I'll never know. But I ended up swimming slightly farther than necessary, completely unbeknownst to me :)

Total swim time: 0.9 miles (1500 yds) in 0:38:52
Estimated T1: ~0:10:00

So I hopped out and headed over to T1 (swim-to-bike transition). My legs were like JELL-O, and the prospect of clipping into my bike and actually riding off into the distance weren't necessarily at 'piece o' cake' status for me. I calmed my nerves at the starting line for the bike course, chatted briefly with Coach Mike to get my bearings, and off I went.

I was out riding, fully clipped in! Into residential streets, into traffic, clipping out carefully at stop signs, merging into left turning lanes, descending the mini-hills, some roads with bike lanes, other roads definitely without. I couldn't BELIEVE IT! And then. Came the real hills. They call this area (right around the city of Martinez), "Pig Farm Hill," infamous for this long stretch of a steep hill where atop you'll be greeted by this old farm formerly known to sell pigs (and smell like them). I climbed this hill like there was no tomorrow. The thing you have to know about clipless pedals is that once you stop pedaling, you will fall. It's just a given. So when you decide to climb a hill (as my friend, Olivia, would coin it), "you have to commit to it". Legs fatiguing, quads burning, heart racing, (sunglasses fogging up from all the heat rising), you climb. As slow as it'll take you, you climb. And that's exactly what I did.

As I climbed, I thought of Louie. I thought of Louie Bonpua (for whom this triathlon honors and remembers, annually), who must have climbed these very hills ~ or perhaps steeper and harder ones like it during his own Ironman training. And he did it while battling cancer. He did it persistently, aggressively, and successfully. And that's not just something to be 'wow-ed' by, but to be truly inspired by. And to be inspired is to follow an example. This was the hardest hill climb I'd ever done, to date, and I made it through by thinking about the positive examples in my life. Of people who have hardships literally in front of them, and who tackle them head-on. No running away. No matter how scared or apprehensive you are, you face it and you make it OVER that hill or obstacle. Or in my mind at the time, you work your way through the hill that's in front of you.



Soon after, was the descend. I have no idea how fast I was going, but I can tell you it was enough to scare the living daylights out of anyone who's never gone down a hill on a bike before. Parts of this descend were honestly fun. I could loosen my grip on the brakes, and just enjoy gliding down. Until I'd remember I was on a public road and that a line of cars could be coming down (or up) that hill at any moment. I continued to speed down it, wind in my face, increasing in more speed. It started to become scary. All I could tell myself were these words: Let go, and trust yourself, Maria. Let go, and trust yourself. And sure enough, I made it down that hill. A little shaken, but successful. I had to take a moment at the waterstop to collect myself again, but soon after, trudged on. Three miles later was the turnaround point. Several descends later (which were miniscule compared to the one I just described) and then the rain came down. It rained, but I still rode. Rode back to the starting point feeling fulfilled, victorious and excited for the run. The rain was the LAST of my worries or concerns. I was at peace with myself and definitely at peace with the bike. I rode just over 27 miles today (my farthest ever, to date), from Pleasant Hill to Pinole and back, clipped-in, hills conquered and ready to run.

Estimated total bike time: 27.4 miles in ~2:35:00
Estimated T2: ~0:5:00

So, they don't call 'em BRICKS for nothin'. The transition from bike to run is typically known as a brick. And rightly so, because as opposed to the JELL-O sensation after the swim, your legs are as heavy as a ton of bricks after the bike, and trying to pick up one leg after another for a run AFTER nearly 30 miles of riding (including those hill climbs) is quite the challenge. Nevertheless, I was greeted by the friendly faces of Coaches Sedonia and Simon at the run ~ followed by training captain Nick and my mentor, Michelle, along the course -- and slowly but surely, the bricks loosened in my legs, and I started to run just fine. I kept an average of about 11/12-minute miles, which felt comfortable and steady for me. That run became a blur, because before I knew it, I was coming up on my last mile of the race.

During those last few minutes, I took stock of a lot of things. Part of which was looking back on the bike ride. One of my insights (now speaking from the other side of the fence) is that you really learn a lot about yourself during a long bike ride. I think the 'hill story' paints that well. But it was actually the whole race. You learn to trust and really believe in yourself. I picked up two very different (and by my own definition, foreign) sports in the last two and a half months that I not only learned how to do properly -- but managed to complete at an endurance race level. And as you can see by my times ~ I really took all the time I wanted and needed. For me, the priority was finishing strong and not overexhausting myself. And I'm glad I did it this way for my first tri.

I've often heard the finishes of endurance races can be very emotional for some, and was even told by a good friend of mine, Lynn, that I'd probably tear up upon reaching the finish line. At these last few steps of the run course, I rolled my eyes and said, "Oh please. I'm just finishing up a run, and this was just one of our practice tris. Hardly something to get all choked up about."

But once I turned the last corner of my run, after the 1500-yd swim, after the 27-mile bike -- the entire flurry of emotions, remembering how hard I've been working on the bike, all the time I'd put in on my swim stroke and upping my running cadence, during such a short, concentrated amount of time -- came hurling at me. There was a giant crowd of my teammates waiting at the finish line for me, cheering and yelling. I lost it. I crossed that finish line so incredibly proud of myself. I hadn't realized how hard I had been working all this time, to reach a high point as amazing and self-fulfilling as this. I completed my first Olympic-distance triathlon, and gained so much more out of this experience than I ever would have imagined.

Estimated total run time: 5.4 miles in ~1:00:00

Estimated total race time: 33.7 miles in ~4:30:00



A huge thanks to all the volunteers & staff who contributed their time, resources, energy and enthusiasm out on the course today. All mentors, coaches, captains -- I could not have made it this far without your guidance and encouragement. And to Louie, and all those who've dared to push their own limits, exceed their own expectations and have become true heroes in the eyes of people like me -- an ordinary girl, now with aspirations of becoming an Ironwoman: Thank You.

Coaches' Feedback:

"I don't know who that girl was in the water...but she is an entirely new athlete!!! You should be the poster child for dedication, commitment and progress. You have come so far and as you have more opportunities to ride you will only gain more confidence!" -Sedonia

"You are truly amazing! I absolutely couldn’t be any more proud of one of my athletes. You rocked today! I definitely consider today a complete success for you. You performed even better than I hoped, and you showed HUGE courage and tenacity. I am so proud to be your coach and teammate." -Mike

Bike Bliss

The following is an email Coach Mike just sent to the entire Ironteam Coach Staff, and I'd like to share it with you:

Coaches,

We have a NEW cyclist on IronTeam!! Today Maria rode, clipped in, through a myriad of very challenging conditions. She rode on the Iron Horse Trail, weaving in and out through the people walking, dogs moving in all directions, and other cyclists. We were stopping, starting, crossing streets and dodging obstacles. Next we went out on the road. We headed through Danville, dodging pedestrians, car shoppers, and more dogs, while dealing with traffic, stop lights and stop signs, crosswalks, etc. From there we headed north through Alamo and almost to Walnut Creek where we turned around. We went back through Alamo, and into downtown Danville again. We rode down Hartz, where there are no bike paths, lots of cars, and plenty of pedestrians. We turned down a side street and headed back north on Railroad where Maria had to dodge this douche bag opening his car door right in front of her (I’ll have to tell you that story some time).

All in all, we hit just about every type of scenario which required very quick thinking and good reaction time. Maria did awesome, and I fully expect her to crush the bike tomorrow!!

I can't believe I did it!! What an amazing day! Louie Tri, here I come!

Channeling my Inner Fish & Bonding with the Bike

Solid training week.

Tuesday, Jan 12: Spun with Coach Simon and his weekly Tuesday circle of triathletes / multi-Ironman finishers. They put on some tough speed intervals. In fact, I got so caught up on my last one, I didn't even realize I exceeded the 10-minutes I was given (in a really hard gear). Still loving / hating the bike (likely, because my poor little hamstrings are confused by all this new work I'm giving them)... but I'm getting the knack, I think.

Wednesday, Jan 13: "BWW Run with Michelle". Mentor Michelle spoiled our group with a tempo run course, specially mapped around our favorite watering hole, "Buffalo Wild Wings". We did two 20-minute pieces at our individually-designated tempo paces. Mine for the time-being, is a 10:11 minute mile (based on my current VDOT score of 32). It was a toughie! But I'm so glad to see my run pace gradually picking up. Beer & Wings followed as our reward.

Thursday, Jan 14: Started out as a rough day, personally, outside of training. By the time I made it back to the East Bay from my hour-long commute from the city, my mental energy was zapped and I just didn't have it in me to focus on having a worthwhile workout afterward. Nevertheless, I ironed-up, got dressed into my swimsuit and headed to the pool. The rest of the gang (Phil, Tiffany, & Carol) had already started their swim, with Coach Mike there to help with form. After my warm-up, some force came over me and I all of a sudden felt motivated to make this a really good swim. It's like I owed it to myself. And just like that, I began the main set: My first 1000 yds. Better yet, with flipturns! The goal was to make all 10 sets of 100 [continuous] yds as close in time to one another as possible. My first three 100s were at a 2:26. By my fourth one, I brought it down to around a 2:20. I continued to decrease my time (getting negative splits) to a 2:17, then a 2:10. My flipturns hadn't been perfect (I was left with few lanes to choose from and ended up with the one with two ladders and the big twisty slide, so it proved mentally challenging to flip and not imagine my ankles smacking a slide or ladder). But my flips straightened out over time, and I finished my first ever 1000 yd swim in roughly 22 minutes! I was so proud of myself, especially facing that challenge head-on when my mind and my heart had initially tried to convince me I couldn't do it. Mind over matter, people ~ learn it, live it! It really does work :)

Saturday, Jan 16: Spent a grand total of 4 hours working on clipless pedaling on the bike. Coach Mike was gracious enough [again], not to mention patient ~ to spend time helping me overcome my fears about taking off on the bike AND stopping, while clipped in. We tooled and rode around the Foothill High School parking lot in Pleasanton, and I got as far as comfortably being able to clip (and stay clipped) into my left side, and cycling with my right foot resting on the pedal -- but not yet clipped in. I just wouldn't let my mind convince me to fall over on the clipped side. So much so, that during one slight lean as I was riding, my body weight started to shift to the left, and I literally threw my body over to the right side, ending up in a handstand, still straddling the bike. That would've been a priceless photo. I've got the mechanics down, but truthfully, it's mostly my fear that's keeping me from just taking off, guns blazing, and fully attached to the bike -- ready for a long ride ahead. After much repetition in the parking lot, I swapped shoes and headed out onto Foothill Road (for those of you outside of P-Town, Foothill can be treacherous for cyclists). Narrow (to disappearing) bike lanes, fast cars, & small hills and descends. But I went on a short ride with Coach Mike and got a little more comfortable, just feeling slightly more at ease and confident about sharing the road with "large, scary, fast cars" and facing a few more fears.

The bike is and will be my top priority sport. I'm so determined to get this down. Whatever it takes!

Sunday, Jan 17: Just before the storm... Ran a 6.5-miler at an easy pace with Kathryn and Marina on the Iron Horse Trail. We unfortunately had to cancel our swim due to a swim meet being held at our local pool in San Ramon. Spent the evening and rest of the holiday weekend helping my teammates fundraise by attending a few events supporting the cause.

All in all -- another great, well-rounded training week. And now... to anticipate and prepare for (drumroll, please)...

My First Olympic Triathlon!

IronTeams from the San Francisco Bay Area & Silicon Valley, as well as other local TNT Tri Teams will be simulating a race course for an Olympic-distance Tri (0.93 mi swim / 24.8 mi bike / 6.2 mi run) in Pleasant Hill ~ in honor of Louie Bonpua, one of our most beloved and remembered IronTeam Honorees. Please take a moment to click on his name, which should link you over to a short video on his story. Truly an amazing and inspiring individual, and I find it to be a privilege to train with this Team. The Louis Bonpua Memorial Tri will be next Sunday, January 24, 2010 -- eek!

Well... off to conquer some more fears! Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers next weekend!

***
Week #10 Workout Summary:

Swim: 1 hour and 0 minutes
Bike: 5 hours and 0 minutes
Run: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 30 minutes
Total Workout: 8 hours and 30 minutes