Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States.  At this time every year we sit down with family and enjoy our freedoms and give thanks for all that we have.  Then we go push people to save $5 on something we really don't need.  Gotta love Black Friday!

This year I thought it would be appropriate for me to list 10 things I am truly thankful for.  Here goes:

1) My Husband, he is a saint.  He is my best friend, an amazing father to our children, and so supportive of me in everything I do.
2) My children.  They are truly good kids.  Smart, compassionate and kind.  They drive me nuts sometimes but I love them so much.
3) My family.  My parents and brother sometimes don't understand me or even like me but they do love me and for that I am thankful.
4) My friends.  I have an amazing hodgepodge of people from different times in my life who support me through everything.  They are all so different but raise me up in different ways!
5) My co-workers.  I have been fortunate to find co-workers who are fun, kind, caring and supportive.  They are a great bunch of women (and a few men) who make work so much better than it has ever been.
6) Gastric Bypass.  Without Gastric Bypass I would still be unhealthy, sedentary and unhappy.  Gastric bypass has given me the opportunity to make myself shiny and new again (although the new me comes with stretch marks and saggy skin).  I am thankful for this opportunity every day.
7) Coffee.  Coffee makes me happy.  Without it I am a very sad person.

8) Wicking fabric.  Who ever invented moisture wicking fabric is a god.  Without this I would be a chafed and unhappy lady.
9) Online support groups.  I love my ObesityHelp ladies and the Triathlon related online groups I belong to.  They help me stay accountable and give me a much needed laugh or hug everyday.
10) My phone.  Yes, this is kind of sad.  But I am thankful for my smart phone that allows me to stay in touch with others through texting, calling, Facebook, Instagram and multitude of other avenues.  Thank you AT&T for providing me service :)

Happy Thanksgiving!  Enjoy your day!  I'll be reporting back on my very first Turkey Trot 5K.

What are you doing this Thanksgiving holiday?

Life Since Augusta

Hmm... All of my training was focused on Ironman Augusta 70.3 and I definitely had the post-race blues afterwards.  Sure the first week or two was awesome telling my story to anyone who would listen but after that I became lazy.  I didn't really know what to do.  I mean I have races on my calendar for next year but they all seem SOOO far away.  As I write this Ironman WIsconsin is 296 days away (yes, I have an app on my phone that tells me everyday).  I decided I needed something sooner...

I signed up for a virtual race.  The IronKiwi challenge, you have one month to complete the distances in a Ironman race (2.4 mile swim, 112 bike, 26.2 run).  I have all of November to complete (wait, that isn't all that long now).  I have only completed 18.2 running miles.  I need to get my butt to the pool and on my new bike.

Speaking of bikes... I bought a new one!!  I'm so excited.  Since I will be doing lots of long distance riding this year I thought it best to upgrade my bike (with the hubbie's permission of course).  Here he is... James the Jamis Tri Bike!

So, whats on my agenda?  Well, I've gained a bit of weight since Augusta due to my lack of training and poor eating.  So my goal is to get back to race weight by the end of January.  I want to enjoy the holidays without going overboard.  I would also like to run a sub 30 min 5K.

Last night I ran 2 miles during my daughter's swim team practice at 9:40 a mile.  Not bad for someone who couldn't run a mile at this time last year.

What are your goals?  Big or little?

Ironman Augusta 70.3 (Part II)

Transition in the morning was buzzing.  Nervous energy filled the air.  My only concern was making sure I hadn't forgotten anything essential.  I laid everything out carefully and rechecked one last time.  I met back up with my friend and we waited for the bus to take us to the swim start.

(Millions of dollars of bikes in Transition)

The bus dropped us off and we found our shepas (friends and family) quickly.  I headed off to the porta-potties and made it back in time to wait around for a while getting nervous.  We took some pictures and I slipped into my wetsuit.  The race directors were beginning to line up the participants according to swim waves.  I was in the 7th wave to go.  Luckily I didn't have to wait forever.  They played the National Anthem and the first wave of men 35-39 were off!

(Happily waiting for my turn)

The line began to move quickly.  Suddenly I was on the dock and jumping into the water.  The first thing I noticed...the current.  It was already moving us downstream.  We had to fight to stay near the dock.  And we were off!  Augusta is a great first 70.3 due to its current assisted straight swim.  The 1.2 miles went fairly quickly.  I got off course twice.  Once I hit a buoy, well almost, I looked up right before I would have smacked into it.  Thank goodness they are blow ups!

Soon I was climbing out of the water and trying to strip myself out of my wetsuit.  I looked for my husband and friends but did not see them.  As I ran through transition I was happy to have completed the first 1/3 of the race.  Transition was smooth and soon I was out on my bike.  I did see me hubbie on my way out to the bike course.  He almost missed me until I screamed his name (Yes, I actually screamed).  I was very happy I had seen him. 

The bike course was fine.  The first 16 miles are flat and fast.  I went out a bit too fast but nothing that I regretted (well not too badly).  The next 20 miles are hills (nothing too bad) and the last 10 miles are not flat but not hilly, if that makes any sense.  I was happy with my progress throughout the ride.  There was mist through most of it and at times my helmet was dripping onto me.  I was so very happy it wasn't super hot!  I did manage my nutrition well on the bike.  I sucked down a camelbak full of Infinit blend, two Honey Stinger Waffles (THANK YOU ANN), and a package of shot blocks.

I had three concerns as the bike was nearing the end.  1) MY ASS HURT!  I mean really hurt.  I could barely stay in the saddle which was slowing me down considerably. 2) My left leg was cramping up and I was concerned about the run. 3) My shoulder were in knots.  They hurt.  I knew my run wouldn't be affected but it wasn't pleasant.

As I biked into transition I was thankful to be off my bike.  I have heard of people saying that it takes months to get back on their bike after a long course race.  I am one of those people.  In the month and half since Augusta I have ridden 3 times.  Ugh.  

T2 was smooth.  I left to go to the run course but my legs felt like lead.  I just couldn't get them to fire.  I stopped at the porta potties and after I tried my best to start running.  It was then that I knew it was not going to be a quick run.  Eventually I did get myself running but nowhere near the pace I would have liked.  As I ran out of transition I was really hoping to see my husband and friend Ann.  No such luck, they were already waiting further in on the run course.

Just after the first aid station I saw my hubbie and Ann.  It was like seeing angels.  I was so unbelievably happy to see them.  I kissed my husband and the words of encouragement from both of them kept me going.  Basically the run consisted of me running intervals and walking through aid stations.  I will never leave my nutrition to aid stations again.  I could not take in all the fluids I needed and I barely ate on the run.  Both very bad decisions.  

With 2 miles left I was getting so tired.  I began walking more than running.  I just kept moving forward.  Finally I was to the point where around the corner was the long finishers chute.  I began to run hard, I didn't want to leave anything out on that course.  I was so very happy.  I thought about my family and my friends.  All the support I had been given throughout my training. And how far I had come on this journey.  I threw my hands up and finished strong.  I had completed a half Ironman.  In 7 hour and 4 min.  4 minutes shy of my uber goal.  But I will take it!

(Running down the Finisher's Chute!)

(I earmed that medal!)

I found my husband and friend after I wandered through the athlete's area.  We went to cheer on my other friend on who was still on the course.  15 minutes later I felt like I was about to pass out.  My hubbie threw me on his back and we hurried over to medical.  My vitals were fine but I needed water.  I drank 3 bottles before I started to feel better.  I was fine but it made me painfully aware of just how little I had taken in over the course of the run.  There are 6 aid stations on the course.  You hit most twice.  I would grab a glass of Gatorade and Water at each aid station but the glasses were probably 6 oz.  That's only 120 oz. IF I drank it all (which I did not) in 3 hours and 13.1 miles.  I know for the next time that I will need to carry my own hydration and fuel if I plan to survive.

I was so proud of myself and my friend who finished too.  We went back to our room and my two friends left from there.  My hubbie and I stayed the night and took off in the morning.  The ride back I wore my finisher's hat and beamed at my accomplishment.  It was an amazing experience.  I cannot stress how much I appreciate the support of my husband.  He is a saint (I tell him this often).  He lets me be me and listens to my tri babble.  I cannot thank him enough.  

I also have an amazing online community through ObesityHelp who has encouraged me throughout my journey.  Thank you AV, Anny, DCGirl, Emie, Melissa, Sarah, Stacy and all the others!  I also have amazing co-workers who listen to me moan after long workouts and deal with my constant tri talk.  I have great tri friends and non-tri friends alike who have all been amazingly supportive.  TO EVERYONE: THANK YOU!  

Ironman Augusta 70.3 

September 27, 2015

Swim 1.2 Miles: 28:58

T1: 8:33

Bike 56 Miles: 3:25:39

T2: 8:19

Run 13.1 Miles: 2:52:02

Total: 7:04:31

2015 Tri Season V - Ironman Augusta 70.3 (Part 1)

Well, we made it here.  Sorry it took so many posts to get to this one.  But this is the big one!  The "A" race, the impossible dream.  The race I trained long and hard for.  When I started this crazy dream even my hubbie was skeptical (hell, I was skeptical).  When I signed up for this race on December 4, 2014 I could not run 2 miles or bike more than 15.  The only leg I was confident in was the swim (partially because it is current assisted) and even that was a stretch for me.  But I believed I would get there.  I knew it would be hard work but I knew I could do it (although at times I was not as confident as I displayed on the outside).

Enough enough...Fast forward many months, training really ramped up after Irongirl Pleasant Prairie.  Long rides were now 50 miles and runs were 8-10.  I felt ready.  So ready in fact that I signed up for my first full Ironman before I had even completed my first half Ironman!  What kind of lunatic does that?  I do, I am a certifiable lunatic!  But more about IMWI 2016 later :)

We left for Augusta, Georgia on Friday morning at 3am.  OMG, so early.  I drove the first 3-4 hours and let the hubbie sleep.  We stopped in Nashville at Arnold's for lunch.  SO GOOD!  Highly recommend.  He drove until we were just outside of Atlanta. We arrived in Augusta at 10pm.  That took so much longer than I imagined...

We unpacked all our stuff (my goodness I had a ton of stuff) and went to bed.  I got up in the morning around 8am and decided my legs needed a short run.  I dressed and headed out on the Riverwalk.  It is beautiful and the weather was so much better than anticipated.  It was in the mid-seventies with a bit of humidity but it could have been so much worse.  I ran a mile and decided that was enough.  I am not a fast runner but I am also not super slow runner either.  People were running past me left and right and my thoughts turned to finishing and all I could think was "I am in over my head"... I guess I would find out the next day.

The hubbie and I met up with two of our friends (one of which was doing the race with me) and we went down to registration.  It took a little while to get through the line.  We signed in, got our wrist bands, signed the waivers, picked up our swag and headed to the race expo.  SO MUCH STUFF!  I wanted it all!  But since I'm not made of money I picked up just one race t-shirt that had all of the participants name on the back.  I love that shirt.

(Our race bracelets, without these you are screwed!)

After the expo we headed out to the bike course.  We wanted to see the course first hand and get an idea of how to attack it the next day.  Everyone warns you that IM Augusta 70.3 is hilly.  I did not think it was too horrible.  Granted we live on the IMWI bike course so I am accustomed to hills.  There were 3 hills of note on the course and I was pleasantly surprised to see they were nothing worse than I had trained on.

We headed back to the hotel, met up with the SwimBikeMom Facebook group at the finish line, took our bikes to transition and then off to dinner at Carrabas.  They had our reservation wrong but they managed to get our group of 20 in anyway.  It was great to talk with others doing the race and Meredith Atwood, SwimBikeMom herself.  If you are at all interested in Triathlon and don't think you can do it I highly recommend her book "Triathlon for the Every Woman".

(The Fab SwimBikeMom Group)

Back to the hotel and into bed.  It would be an early morning.  I brought my own coffee maker and made sure to stop by Walgreens for cream the night before.  I was not leaving my one necessity to chance.  I am a coffee addict.  I love coffee with cream and sugar and I do NOT function well without it.

Wake up early, I drank a cup of coffee, got my race kit on, double and triple checked my transition bag, grabbed one more cup of coffee and a protein bar and we were off.  My hubbie and friend drove us to transition and then it was real.  The body markers put on our race numbers and I set up transition.  I failed to bring my bike pump but the lovely and generous woman next to me let me borrow hers.  Finally it was off to the swim start!

Part II to come!