A lot of my friends did their first Ironman this year. This means I've read a lot of race reports, and most of them contain nuggets that reassure me why I am not training for an Ironman.
Here are some funny bits. I've left them anonymous for obvious reasons, and while I laugh and gag at them, I am very proud at the way everyone persevered...No DNF's!
SWIM
When the cannon went off, I started swimming and immediately got pummeled. Within the first few minutes, I got kicked in the right eye and had to stop briefly to release the pressure on my eye. A few minutes later I got an elbow in the left eye. Somewhere else, I had some guy swim next to me and grab my shoulder and push it down. After he did it a few times I slowed a bit to get away from him. A number of times someone grabbed my feet and gave them a slight yank.
Eventually I was able to really start swimming but 5 min in I realized I had practiced the wrong sport.. this wasn’t swimming, it was a cross between rugby and sumo wrestling. I had an advantage in this situation since I grew up playing with my friends in our pool… you know “try to drown your friend” kind of games:)… well that is what this sort of felt like. I felt like a salmon trying to swim up river with a 1000 of my closest fish friends.
I noticed I was getting kicked in the face and people were trying to swim over me. I have been to triathlons before and seen a little bit of this, but this was the first time it was relentless. I got kicked in the face twice pretty hard but it didn’t really hurt that bad. One guy I did kick accidentally tried to push my feet down and then punch me in the side, which was pretty crazy.
The swim was fairly violent. A lot of thigh slapping, foot slapping, and side bumping. At one point I was drafting pretty well behind someone, and suddenly his feet disappeared in the murky water. I was wondering “What happened?” just as he kicked me hard in the face – he had switched to a breast stroke to sight and I had caught up too close.
soon after starting swimming I was getting hit around pretty good. There was one guy who kept head butting my side, and then in the span of 30 seconds I had been head butted from the right, slapped in the face from the left, my ankles grabbed from behind, then my right arm hooked and my head dunked while breathing so I choked badly. I had a panic reaction right then – I was incredibly hot, I couldn’t get any air, and a little devil in my head screamed “GET OUT NOW”!
[L - I could post a hundered more like this, but you get the point]
BIKE
I ran to the mount line and it was like beginner-city. Two men in front of me fell off their bikes trying to get on in a hurry. One lost both water bottles and apparently decided his time was too important to stop and pick them up. Hey, people, it’s a freakin’ IRONMAN, not a sprint, get your crap together, take your time and get on your bike without getting hurt! "What’s with these people???" I thought. How could that guy leave all his nutrition at the beginning of the bike course!???!
[After she flatted just out of T1...] Just then, the boy I sent to get help came back to me and said if I wanted help, I had to go back to transition. WHAT??!?!? Crap. I chose to run back into transition. It was a nightmare. All these bikers were coming out and I was running all the way back in. I was almost run over several times by people who mounted their bikes and were still looking down at their feet as they rode off...they wouldn't even look up until I yelled to them. It was not only embarrassing, it was frustrating. Any lead I had built up on that fabulous swim was now gone....and then some... I saw some men standing under a tent and I asked them for a pump. They pointed across one of the aisles and I saw about 6 bike technicians standing there with a bunch of pumps. I called to them, but then one of the men I was standing by chastised me and said I need to go over there if I want to use a pump. I was like, "Dude, it's much easier to carry a pump across the aisle with all these athletes going by than it is for me to wheel my bike across the aisle!" He was pretty mean about it and told me I needed to wait for it to be clear. And just like Frogger, I maneuvered my way across the streaming flow of athletes and shoved my back wheel towards the technicians... I would later find out that no less than 700 athletes passed me during the time it took me to take care of this flat. Depressing.
Then I noticed I couldn’t see out of my left eye. I kept blinking and sure enough, my contact popped out! At mile 12 or so, I stopped to put it back in. I was a bit embarrassed as spectators asked me if I was OK. Man, I’d BETTER be OK considering as I’m only 12 miles into a 112 mile ride! Sheesh! The contact didn’t feel so good, but it was in and I could see, so I took off. Played more with my watch, not working. Mile 15, contact came out again. WTF! Pull over, tell the spectators I’m fine, and ride off. Now it’s stinging, probably from the salt on my fingers getting into my eye. Whatever, I got a ride to do. Between, mile 18 and 19, contact pops out again. YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! So I rip it out and continue the rest of the ride with just one contact in.
He also mentioned that putting ice in the crotch is the most important because it cools your body down without your body reacting to it. You have arteries that run down there and they don’t inform the brain you are cool and if you put ice on your head your brain can think that you are cool even if you are still hot. [L - my brain would think "WTF? Why are you putting ice in your pants?]
I looked down and the wrong display was on my computer. I must've looked down for too long because by the time I looked up, I was headed off to the side of the road in some deep, loose gravel. It was too late and my reaction to turn the bike back onto the road was too late. I fell less than a quarter mile into the bike course. I hit my elbow very hard and my head lightly tapped the pavement.
I rolled in to get my bike special needs bag and yelled out my number. The volunteer yelled back "It’s not here." I’m like, what do you mean, it’s not there, and I yelled my number again. She ran around, looking like a chicken with her head cut off and apologized, but my bag was nowhere to be found. Dejected, I pulled away from special needs and decided today just wasn’t my day.
I started to swing out around him, but he fell over and I wasn’t able to miss him. I hit him and went flying. I landed on my left shoulder and rolled over onto my right side. My first thought as I lay in the road was “this can’t be happening, it’s just not fair!” I laid there moaning, more out of pity than pain, then decided to stand and assess the damage. [L- OK, most of you know who this is. We don't call her Kollarbone Kris for nothing! ;-)]
I stopped at the top of the descent to retch, but managed to bring up only a little and only felt a little better. Yuck. Time wasted, and I still felt crappy and sloshy inside.
Around mile 80 I was really feeling the seat and i couldn’t get comfortable… I am sure if you were following me you would have thought i had ants in my pants because i just kept moving around on the seat attempting to find something that worked.
Now I'm at mile 90 or so and out of nowhere, both legs cramped up.
Physically I felt terrible and adding insult to injury my bike seat fell off at mile 70 forcing me to ride for an hour without at seat until I was finally able to duct tape it on for the final miles.
On the last descent I was going really fast and my back tire started locking up and skidding. I decided to keep the pace between 15-20 mph that way if I went down I would only break a collar bone or something and not worse. I looked down to see what was happening and then I saw it was my frame was cracked right on the back right wheel and basically my back wheel was about to fall off my bike and I was just like oh $H!t this is just great. I just kept preparing to crash to the right and mitigate the impact as much as possible when and if it happened.
While in the porta potty, I hear an athlete who just came out of another porta potty start swearing. Apparently, he broke his cleat. He’s screaming at the poor volunteer, who really has no idea what to do, nor is it his job, and I am happy I just don’t take myself that seriously.
After a decent swim and an uncharacteristically slow and uneven bike during which I was seeing spots and blacking out, I was pulled off the course before the start of the run and ended up spending several hours convulsing in the med tent with no idea of what was wrong with me.
RUN
My husband saw me immediately as I came out of the changing tent and yelled to me to ask how I was feeling. I was afraid to look at him because I thought I might start crying and I just shook my head.
I don’t think I even made it as far as the timing mat before I had to walk. It was just too painful. Walking wasn’t too painful, so I started preparing myself mentally for a long walk. After walking about half a mile I attempted to run again. I found that if I kept my arm tight against my body so that the shoulder didn’t move much, it was almost bearable. I continued running this way to the first water stop, they gave me some ice to put on my shoulder. After icing for 15 minutes or so, I asked the medical person to strap my arm down. She put it in a make-shift sling and I headed back out onto the course. Shortly before mile 22, there was a spot where we transitioned from a parking lot to a walkway, and for some reason there was a piece of carpet down. I tripped on the carpet and landed hard on my right side. Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have done any additional damage, so I got up and said a few expletives and told the volunteers I was okay, even though I didn’t really feel okay.
Everything was going really good, I was miserable and I felt like throwing up but I was making it.
About 1/2 mile later my stomach rolled and I barely made it to the side of the road to projectile vomit. I continued like this for miles.
As I crossed the bridge on the 1st loop, I watched one of the pros stop and throw up. I stopped and offered him ice, which he gladly accepted.
[I got] the hiccups at mile 18, which lasted (painfully) until mile 22, where I threw up again and got rid of them.
Right after Mile17 and my required gel, I yacked it right back up with a ton of liquid. I HATE PUKING!
Normally, I hate regular cola, but that day, it tasted like gold and I couldn’t get enough. I kept getting an ice and a cola, dumped the ice in the cola, waited a few seconds and chugged the cola like someone was going to steal it from me. After a huge belch, I started to feel pretty good! LOL! It became routine for the next several miles.
There were so many people crashed out on the side of the road and ambulances racing by. It was like a battlefield. I have since found out about 9 percent of the field DNF'd for various reasons. Not sure if this is typical or not but there were a lot of bodies scattered about for sure!
I continued trying to run as much as I could but I had to stop at every porta potty along the way.
Even "inspiration station" wasn't very inspiring. It was just one woman with a megaphone, yelling "Go runners" every minute or so.
My face was covered with salt. I’d take a sponge every few aid stations to wipe off my face, but then I saw them recycling sponges. That ended that little ritual.
My legs felt heavy and the sound of my feet shuffling on the pavement irritated me. I just didn't have the strength to pick them up high enough to not make that noise any more.
Thanks to leg rocking cramps, it became war out there.
In the second loop, I got supper dizzy and started walking again. At this point I knew I was in trouble. I figured I was pretty dehydrated and because of the goosebumps, close to heat stress. Rubbed ice on my face and neck to try to keep from passing out.
Once I got to 21 miles my body started sending me a lot of different signals that I had never felt before, I knew they were not good at all. My stomach I could tell was completely turned off, it wasn’t hurting anymore it was off. In fact nothing was hurting that bad anymore except my knees. I started to feel cold and I knew I was hot. I also noticed that I wasn’t producing saliva anymore so I would try to hydrate but I knew that my body just wasn’t taking in water.
The last 5 miles people kept yelling you are almost there and I kept thinking to myself damn it you don’t understand no I am not, this is a long way for me still considering the way I feel. In fact it started making me angry when people would say you are almost there because my body was getting weaker and weaker. I felt like blurting out, “you guys keep saying that this whole time!”
I started getting really tired on the last half mile to the finish and this lady passed me and this guy yells “don’t let that chick pass you!” and I was thinking man I should let her pass me just because it is so rude to say that and I know she heard that, but then I am like no I am not going to let her pass me, not because of what the guy said but because I know I can beat her and I should beat her to the finish, so I started to pass people.
POST-RACE
When I arrived at the finish I just stopped and then I look to my left and right and two ladies are holding me and I was kind of frustrated they were holding me and I was like, “I am fine,” but then they said you think so and they let go for a second and I started to fall over and then I realized I was not standing up on my own. They informed me that I fell over at the end and that they caught me. They were asking me simple questions like what size shirt I wear and I couldn’t even answer the questions, so they plopped me down in a wheel chair and I was under supervision. I tried to get up and they wouldn’t let me go. Finally they convinced me that I really couldn’t walk on my own and it turned out to be true. It was about 5 minutes that I really wasn’t doing very good and then I started to feel really bad and when I started to feel really bad I knew that I was okay.
We sat and talked for awhile and I asked if it was ok to lie down and I think he said ok. That is about when I passed out I guess I got into a wheelchair and I remember hurling copious amounts of vomit first on myself and probably XXX and then into a ziploc. My blood pressure was taken and registered a whopping 73/60 and that was my golden ticket to an iv. I had 2 liters put in and was finally able to sip enough gatorade to be allowed out of the med tent 90 min. later. I was so cold it was unbelievable!
The Finish was in this order: Cross the line, a few tears, Leg collapse, Sit in front of heater under blankets, and a waddle to the car
The doctor in the medical didn’t even look at the shoulder, he just told me to go to the nearest emergency room... I had lots of company in ER. There were a number of dehydrated athletes there and we chatted about the race while waiting for our turns. I got x-rayed fairly quickly. Then I had to wait a bit to see the doctor. When he came in, he asked what happened and told me my scapula was broken. He said that because it takes a lot of force to break a scapula he needed to check that I hadn’t also torn my aorta! He didn’t really think I did, since I’d run a marathon afterward, but said he needed to be sure. [L - she didn't tear her aorta.]
XXXXXX convinced me that I shouldn’t sleep in the street and finally we got to a place that she could drive the car to. I found a nice rock and layed my head against it and a guy walked by and told me that a pillow would feel a lot more comfortable then that rock. I remember being really surprised at how there were actually some people that seemed to be able to walk after the IronMan, because I wasn’t one of them. I was done.
After that I went with XXXXX and my parents to Denny’s which was the only restaurant that was open that we could easily find. I kept falling asleep in the restaurant and was spilling my food.
My last surprise of the day was next. The girls had spent time in the SUV reading and staying out of the rain, and the story was: ”Uh, Dad? I know you told us not to, but we turned on the lights so we could read, and now we think the battery is dead.” So my post-race time was spent calling CAA and waiting for a jump, and that took long enough that all the restaurants in town had closed.
In spite of drinking a lot of water and Gatorade after the race, it took almost a full 24 hours after the race before I urinated.
__________
YIKES! See what I mean? Lots of stories of crashing, barfing, cramping and passing out. And these are just the stories in print! Verbally I've heard:
- People would just get off their bikes in the middle of the race and lay down on the side of the road.
- My friend had such bad heat exhaustion in the middle of the run that we put him in a cooler of ice at the aid station.
- My knee really started bothering me about halfway through the bike, so I did 60 miles riding with one leg.
Yet at the end of all of these reports, the people say how happy they are to have finished, how proud they are of their race, and how they can't wait to do it again. And in all their picture they are smiling! So the suffering must all be worth it! And with that said...never say never. ;-)
Showing posts with label ironman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ironman. Show all posts
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
LUNA Pro Terra Castro's Ironman Arizona Race Report
Pro LUNA Chix triathlete Terra Castro is a wonderful and inspirational woman. Read her race report below. Congrats Terra!
Ironman Arizona 2009- Being Bold in Battle
The last race of the year on my schedule finally arrived, Ironman Arizona on November 22, 2009. I went into this Ironman knowing in my heart I had done all the work for a BOLD race. Racing all year with the focus of BEING BOLD, I desired to have the race that would put radiate exactly that. I have learned so much from the life challenges this year- my friend’s coma and my Papa’s kidney cancer. These experiences have made me stronger as a person. It intensified my hunger to achieve my goals in this sport.
Ironman Arizona had a very competitive women’s field. The weeks leading into the race, I had numerous people say I should race a different Ironman to obtain a “better result”. I kept to my plan knowing that one must not shy away from competition. I was prepared for battle and wanted to toe the line with the best, because it pulls the best out of you. I knew not to doubt what my heart said to do and what I physically was prepared for from training.
Race day was awesome. Things came together the way I had visualized. The swim was a bit frigid at 62F which lead to stumpy ice block feet as I got on the bike. I came out of the water with the eventual race winner, so was in perfect position going into the 112 miles. The bike was 3 loops, with a bit of wind the first 2 loops. I held steady, but lost a few positions near the end. I came off 11th though I biked a 17 minute PR. I handed off my bike to the amazing volunteers and knew I had work to do.
I kept telling myself to BE BOLD IN BATTLE because the race isn’t over till the finish line. I had my time goals for the marathon based on training and started clipping off the miles exactly where I needed to be. I started passing girls as the miles passed by, finding myself in 7th by mile 22. I remember Zane yelling at me that 6th wasn’t too far ahead, to GO! I dug deeper and passed 6th on a hill, and promised myself not to look back- the race is always IN FRONT OF YOU. At the mile 23 aid station Zane screamed 5th place is about 2 minutes up- BRIDGE THE GAP. I saw the excitement on his face, I threw my gel flask down as if it was WAR TIME and dug even deeper into that well to accelerate. I kept pushing forward, trying to see if I could see the 5th place mountain bike leader up on the path. I was using that as my carrot.
Unfortunately, I ran out of real estate by the time I got to the finish, crossing in 6th place. At that point it all hit me. I ran a 3:16, another HUGE PR, and crossed the line in 9:33- a 35+ min PR. I broke through a few barriers out there, I fought BOLDY the race before me and I could not be happier.
Once I crossed the line, USADA had me heading to drug testing, so I missed out on my finisher’s medal and t-shirt. My poor family had to wait awhile but we celebrated later with In and Out Burgers and milkshakes.
I sit here today on the Tuesday after the race more than grateful that I didn’t shy away from competition. I went to battle this past Sunday, and came out a better more BOLD Warrior. A warrior who is already craving the next battle.
Ironman Arizona 2009- Being Bold in Battle
The last race of the year on my schedule finally arrived, Ironman Arizona on November 22, 2009. I went into this Ironman knowing in my heart I had done all the work for a BOLD race. Racing all year with the focus of BEING BOLD, I desired to have the race that would put radiate exactly that. I have learned so much from the life challenges this year- my friend’s coma and my Papa’s kidney cancer. These experiences have made me stronger as a person. It intensified my hunger to achieve my goals in this sport.
Ironman Arizona had a very competitive women’s field. The weeks leading into the race, I had numerous people say I should race a different Ironman to obtain a “better result”. I kept to my plan knowing that one must not shy away from competition. I was prepared for battle and wanted to toe the line with the best, because it pulls the best out of you. I knew not to doubt what my heart said to do and what I physically was prepared for from training.
Race day was awesome. Things came together the way I had visualized. The swim was a bit frigid at 62F which lead to stumpy ice block feet as I got on the bike. I came out of the water with the eventual race winner, so was in perfect position going into the 112 miles. The bike was 3 loops, with a bit of wind the first 2 loops. I held steady, but lost a few positions near the end. I came off 11th though I biked a 17 minute PR. I handed off my bike to the amazing volunteers and knew I had work to do.
I kept telling myself to BE BOLD IN BATTLE because the race isn’t over till the finish line. I had my time goals for the marathon based on training and started clipping off the miles exactly where I needed to be. I started passing girls as the miles passed by, finding myself in 7th by mile 22. I remember Zane yelling at me that 6th wasn’t too far ahead, to GO! I dug deeper and passed 6th on a hill, and promised myself not to look back- the race is always IN FRONT OF YOU. At the mile 23 aid station Zane screamed 5th place is about 2 minutes up- BRIDGE THE GAP. I saw the excitement on his face, I threw my gel flask down as if it was WAR TIME and dug even deeper into that well to accelerate. I kept pushing forward, trying to see if I could see the 5th place mountain bike leader up on the path. I was using that as my carrot.Unfortunately, I ran out of real estate by the time I got to the finish, crossing in 6th place. At that point it all hit me. I ran a 3:16, another HUGE PR, and crossed the line in 9:33- a 35+ min PR. I broke through a few barriers out there, I fought BOLDY the race before me and I could not be happier.
Once I crossed the line, USADA had me heading to drug testing, so I missed out on my finisher’s medal and t-shirt. My poor family had to wait awhile but we celebrated later with In and Out Burgers and milkshakes.
I sit here today on the Tuesday after the race more than grateful that I didn’t shy away from competition. I went to battle this past Sunday, and came out a better more BOLD Warrior. A warrior who is already craving the next battle.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Sarah Reinertson
Sarah Reinertson is the first female above the knee amputee to become an Ironman.
picture from alwaystri.net
She has been missing her leg since she was 7 years old, and has become an inspiration for women athletes of all ages, and especially for young women with disabilities. Since she got her first prosthesis at age 11 she has ran in track meets, run marathons, and set world records! Read more about her story.
Sarah has recently released her autobiography, In a Single Bound: Losing My Leg, Finding Myself, and Training for Life. "A must-read for disabled readers seeking inspiration for their dreams, and will hold the interest - and crush the excuses - of those training for marathons and triathlons." - Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2009.
Sarah is also on the cover of the October 19th issue of ESPN Magazine, which is “The Body Issue”, celebrating the athletic form. Holly Bennett of Women's Running said after meeting with her recently that "the timing was perfect, after having exposed herself emotionally through writing the book, to expose herself physically as well."
Picture from usatoday blog.
You can visit Sarah's website at www.alwaystri.net.
picture from alwaystri.netShe has been missing her leg since she was 7 years old, and has become an inspiration for women athletes of all ages, and especially for young women with disabilities. Since she got her first prosthesis at age 11 she has ran in track meets, run marathons, and set world records! Read more about her story.
Sarah has recently released her autobiography, In a Single Bound: Losing My Leg, Finding Myself, and Training for Life. "A must-read for disabled readers seeking inspiration for their dreams, and will hold the interest - and crush the excuses - of those training for marathons and triathlons." - Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2009.
Sarah is also on the cover of the October 19th issue of ESPN Magazine, which is “The Body Issue”, celebrating the athletic form. Holly Bennett of Women's Running said after meeting with her recently that "the timing was perfect, after having exposed herself emotionally through writing the book, to expose herself physically as well."
Picture from usatoday blog.You can visit Sarah's website at www.alwaystri.net.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
LUNA Chix Pro Athlete Tyler Stewart's Ironman Hawaii Race Report
Ironman Hawaii I think there are a lot of people out there who have some sort of athletic goal that they want to accomplish before they “kick the bucket”. I didn’t sign up for Ironman as a lifelong goal but rather a lifelong lesson. I had things to teach myself, lessons to learn before I “kick the bucket”. After my fifth time racing at the Ironman World Championships I can say that I have achieved my goal of teaching myself some lifelong lessons.
What are these lessons? Well, they aren’t about to stop wars, cure AIDS or eliminate cancer but they are my little goals. When I started doing triathlon 6 years ago I did it as a way to teach myself to face fear. As a child growing up I had ridden horses and played a number of team sports including lacrosse and field hockey. I was quite good at all of them. In fact, I was one of the best at both field hockey and lacrosse up until the 8th grade. But when I went to high school I gave up team sports. There would be a bunch of kids coming from all different schools and what happened if I wasn’t one of the best anymore. Instead of find out, I just quit! What a loser!
When a dare got me into triathlon I couldn’t turn it down. This was a way for me to play sports after a 12-year hiatus. This was my chance to nip fear of failure in the butt. So what if I wasn’t the best, so what if I didn’t finish, so what! People weren’t going to think any differently of me whether I won or whether I lost.
I’m now 8 Ironman deep, 5 Ironman world championships in and I am confidently going to say I have faced my fear of failure! I have raced as an amateur, I have raced as a professional, I have been 6th in my age group, I have won my age group, I have been the last professional to finish, I’ve won an Ironman and now the 10th best in the world. As a kid 10th in sports would have made me quit. Today 10th feels like a huge victory to me!
About my race:
Every morning of a race I wake up and say to myself, “Why do I do this?” When you are about to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles you better have a good answer to that question. I recently read an article asking the same question. Many people said things like, “so I can eat what I want” or “it keeps me fit”….let me tell you when you are out on the Queen K running towards the energy lab with the wind in your face, 100 degree heat, blisters on your feet, you better have a better answer than that!
I had thought about why I do this a lot before I came here to Kona this time around. In the last year I’ve had some seriously bad luck and unfortunate events and I didn’t even think I would be racing this year. I came here strong, healthy and ready to race. I came here to race for my friend and training partner Monique Petrov, who was suppose to race with me but 3 weeks ago was hit on her bike by a car going 45 mph. She’s alive but with 8 broken vertebrae, a shattered patella, a punctured lung, the list goes on and on she couldn’t be here. I came here to race for my step-dad Don that was suppose to be dead 3 years ago from lung cancer but is still here stomping around my races and giving me splits as I bike and run by. I came here to race because last November I came dangerously close to heart attack during IM Arizona after an ignorant doctor incorrectly – and dangerously—medicated me for a thyroid disorder. I came to Hawaii to race because I could and a lot of people would kill to be racing this race. I am now healthy, I am now strong and I am fortunate, so I toed the line at 6:45 am on October 10th and the cannon went off.
For the first time in my triathlon career I spent the entire swim with a pack. I have been working a lot on my swimming and it has been getting a lot better. I felt like the swim was easy, I sat on feet and just got pulled along. I was a little disappointed in my swim time cause I know I could have done better had I found some faster feet! But I was still 2 minutes faster than last year so at least I’m improving.
The bike is always the fun part. Every time I get on my trusty Orbea I feel at home. My coach, Matt Dixon, and I had decided that this year we were going to go about the bike course in a different way. I took the entire ride up to Hawi easy. I felt awesome. On my way back down from Hawi I planned to pick up the pace a little bit and own the back half of the bike course. I was flying. I am pretty sure I passed at least 35 girls on the bike. By the time I hit mile 80 I had not been drinking enough and the damage started to set in. For the first time in a race I had not peed on my bike which had me a little worried and in the last 30 miles I felt terrible. A wretched head wind coming back on the Queen K, dehydration and a left foot that was bugging me, I think I lost about 10 minutes in that last 30 miles. But hey, its all part of the race and all part of the day. I had very negative thoughts in my head as I was getting off the bike.
Onto the run and immediately I was in trouble. I have never been passed by that many girls right off the bat. I’m pretty sure in the first 8 miles 6 girls passed me that I had passed on the bike. I was running like a slug just doing anything I could to get through mile by mile. I still had not peed and for a girl that usually pees 5 times on the bike, I knew I was in trouble. There’s not a whole lot that I can say about the run except that I ran from aid station to aid station, ice cups to ice cups, cold water to cold water, hose to hose. There was nothing I could do about my pace as much as I tried to motivate myself by thinking about all the reasons I was here to race, my legs just wouldn’t move. It was hot out there! There seemed to be no wind at times, no mercy and all just survival mode. As awful as I felt some of the girls that passed me in the beginning had slowed down and I was able to pass them back and hold them off until the end of the race. (picture from slowtwitch.com)
I learned a lot out there last Saturday. Often times when you don’t feel well its easy to give up, but if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other its amazing what forward motion will bring you. When I talk to my friend Meredith about this race I often find myself describing it as a race of attrition. Sometimes if you can just hang on, just keep moving, you will do better than you think. I ended up in 10th place last Saturday. Am I happy? I am happy to be 10th in the World. Does it make me wonder what I could have done had I had the race I wanted, sure does! But that is part of this sport. Aside from Chrissie Wellington, the athletes that finished in the top 5 last year either DNF’ed or placed way below where they did last year. It’s not because they are not as fit as last year, it’s just that this sport has such a huge x-factor that we cannot control. At the same time I think that is also what makes it so much fun!
Now my season is over and I couldn’t be happier to get back to the more normal part of my life. Back to hanging out with all my friends who I have neglected over the past 2 months, back to hosting our annual costume party, and of course our annual mechanical bull riding night.
As much as I love this sport I will never give my life to it. There are so many great things to do in this world and for me I now have the wings to explore all those other things. I can’t wait to go skiing, run the Dipsea Trail, do my first 50k, go snowshoeing, have another Saturday at work where we wash 35 dogs and to sleep in on a Sunday with my husband and not get out of bed until noon!
If you do this crazy sport of Ironman make sure you thank all of those that support you. It may look like a one-man sport but it is a team sport and couldn’t be done any other way.
I was 4th at Wildflower this year, won my first Ironman at Coeur d’Alene, was second at Vineman and was just 10th in the World at the Ironman World Championships, I think I will call that a good year. Accomplishing my life long goal of “no more fear of failure”, I’d call that a great year!Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Ironman Perseverance
aka "Why I Don't do an Ironman!"
In keeping with the Ironman theme, I thought I would share part of my friend's race report from her first Ironman. With her husband having an almost fatal bike accident a few months before her race, getting to the race start was an accomplishment in itself. But what happened during the race made finishing challenging. She is an inspiration to never give up!
...........
I needed to figure out the cramping issue before attempting an ironman, so I went to a sports doctor to talk about my nutrition plan. She did a complete blood workup and discovered that everything was out of whack – my iron, B12, and D were low, and my leptin and testosterone levels were low too. She suspected overtraining syndrome, or celiac disease (gluten intolerance). I was a little surprised by the latter because I didn’t have the typically GI symptoms. The blood test came back positive for Celiac disease, and I was put on mega-doses of B12, D and iron. I was told to keep eating gluten before having a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. The biopsy was definitive, so by the time everything was confirmed, it was only 3.5 weeks before Ironman. Boy, did that mess with my nutrition plan!
I immediately went on a gluten-free diet and started trying out every gluten-free bread and pasta I could find in the hopes of finding something I could eat pre-race. Somewhat counter-intuitively, I was having more GI issues on the new diet than I was before. I saw a nutritionist and she said my gut was inflamed and the bacteria were out of whack, so I started taking a priobitic several times a day. By then, it was less than 1 week to IMAZ!
...............
[Race Day]
I wasn’t sure where to seed myself, but based on a perusal of past IMAZ results decided I should be relatively close to the front, so I started working my way forward. When the cannon went off, I started swimming and immediately got pummeled. Within the first few minutes, I got kicked in the right eye and had to stop briefly to release the pressure on my eye. A few minutes later I got an elbow in the left eye. Somewhere else, I had some guy swim next to me and grab my shoulder and push it down. After he did it a few times I slowed a bit to get away from him. A number of times someone grabbed my feet and gave them a slight yank. Whenever that happened, I kicked more vigorously and that seemed to scare them off. The pummeling continued for quite a while. I didn’t look at my watch, but I would guess that it went on for about 10 minutes. After that, I mostly swam without incident to the turnaround point.
...............
The bike is a 3 “loop” (really an out-and-back) course with a slight elevation gain as you get near the turn-around point. On the first leg out, I felt like I was flying. Even though there was a slight head-wind, I was averaging between 17 and 20mph for most of the way – way ahead of my expected pace (I was hoping to average 16mph overall) – and, best of all, I was staying in my aerobic zone!
Around mile 20, as the road was beginning to rise, I heard a loud pop, followed by a hissing sound. The front tire went immediately flat. I changed it (took about 7 minutes), and checked for anything embedded in the tire. I didn’t find anything. I didn’t take the time to look at the tire, but I’m guessing it burst either from being pinched or old. I was really wishing I had changed the tube with the tire two days earlier! I hopped back on the bike and headed to the turn around.
...............
When I started the third loop, I was really psyched. The bike was going much better than anticipated, and I still felt great. I rode out to the turn around without any stops, and was ready to fly back to transition. My only concern was that I needed to get some more calories in before the run. I had two choices – stop and put the bag of Infinit Nutrition powder into my aero bottle, or grab some gels along the way back and take them with the water. I opted for plan B, figuring that I wouldn’t lose as much time getting the gels as I would stopping to put the powder in. This turned out to be a big mistake!
At the first aid station after the turn around, I swung in and grab some gels. Right after grabbing them from a volunteer, I noticed a biker in front of me reaching for a bottle from the volunteer ahead of me. I started to swing out around him, but he fell over and I wasn’t able to miss him. I hit him and went flying. I landed on my left shoulder and rolled over onto my right side. My first thought as I lay in the road was “this can’t be happening, it’s just not fair!” I laid there moaning, more out of pity than pain, then decided to stand and assess the damage.
When I stood up, I was a bit wobbly, but managed to walk over to the first-aid table. A volunteer cleaned some road rash on my right elbow (which wasn’t even bothering me), and several people asked how I was. I asked to see my bike and another volunteer brought it over. He said the seat and the aerobars were crooked, and the front tire seemed low. I asked if he had any tools to fix them and he went to look. He fixed the seat and came back to ask what to do with the aerobars. We re-adjusted them as best we could, and I prepared to ride. The sheriff showed up at some point and called an aide car. He seemed a bit incredulous when I said I was going to try to ride. He asked if I wanted to cancel the aide car and I said yes, then headed on my way.
I didn’t ride as aggressively on the way back, partly because I wasn’t sure what kind of shape my bike was in. The front tire looked like it might be a bit wobbly. I regretted not letting the volunteer pump up the tire, because I felt more sluggish on the return. But that could have been any number of things. My shoulder ached on the way in, but the pain was not intense.
When I got to transition, I dismounted and a volunteer took my bike. I hobbled to the bag area to collect me stuff. I felt kind of unsteady. I don’t know whether it was from biking for 6+ hours, or pain, or both. After getting my bag, I headed to the changing tent. A volunteer asked if I was okay, and I said no. I told her about my crash, but said I was going to try to finish. She helped me get ready. The last thing she told me was that there was a medical tent just outside of the changing tent. I opted not to stop because I didn’t want them to tell me I couldn’t go on.
I headed out of the tent and let the volunteers slathered me with sunscreen and then I attempted to run. I don’t think I even made it as far as the timing mat before I had to walk. It was just too painful. The crowd was very encouraging, but I just kept walking and did a mental assessment of my options. Since the swim and bike had gone so well, I knew I had plenty of time (over 9 hours) in which to complete the marathon. Walking wasn’t too painful, so I started preparing myself mentally for a long walk. But the idea did not sit well. I just didn’t want to be out there that long! After walking about half a mile I attempted to run again. I found that if I kept my arm tight against my body so that the shoulder didn’t move much, it was almost bearable. I continued running this way to the first water stop. When I got there, I asked to go to the medical tent. While I was there, they gave me some ice to put on my shoulder, and one of the volunteers keep bringing me food and drinks. After icing for 15 minutes or so, I asked the medical person to strap my arm down. She put it in a make-shift sling and I headed back out onto the course.
Running with the sling turned out to be workable, and I was surprised to find that my run splits were averaging between 10 and 11minute miles, including walking breaks at all of the aid stations. So, I just kept plugging along. The crowd was very supportive, and the volunteers were great. I couldn’t get the fuel bottles in and out of my belt with one hand, so I would carry one until it was empty, then stop at an aid station and have a volunteer swap the empty bottle for a full one. I drank or ate something at every aid station, and felt really good. No GI issues, and almost no muscle cramping.
Everyone was very supportive. The course was 3 “loops”, so we passed the same volunteers and fans at least 3 times. On my second and third loops, I heard a lot of “oh my god, she’s back again”, “way to go”, and “hang in there”. A lot of my fellow competitors were very supportive too. More than once, I heard things like “you are an inspiration” or “you really are an ironman!” It definitely helped me persevere.
After the first loop, I stopped at the same medical tent to have some Vaseline put on my feet because I was getting blisters in my arches. The volunteer who helped me was so sweet. She put on my socks and shoes for me, because I couldn’t do it with one hand. She also hung onto my fuel belt while I used the loo, and then put it back on me because I couldn’t do that one handed either!
The miles from around 9 to 20 were uneventful, and I was feeling good, but definitely ready to be done. Shortly before mile 22, there was a spot where we transitioned from a parking lot to a walkway, and for some reason there was a piece of carpet down. I remember looking at it and thinking there must be some sort of grate or something they didn’t want us to trip on. Well, while I was thinking about that, I tripped on the carpet and landed hard on my right side. I felt it in my left side though. Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have done any additional damage, so I got up and said a few expletives and told the volunteers I was okay, even though I didn’t really feel okay. My shoulder started hurting more, and now my knees hurt too!
I walked for a short stretch after falling and did another mental assessment. It was getting close to 7pm and I only had 4 miles to go. Once again, I considered walking the rest of the way, but didn’t really like the idea, so I started running. My shoulder hurt more, and I was not having a lot of fun, but I was determined to keep going.
When I finally got to the point where we got to peel off and head to the finish, I heard a volunteer say only 200 meters to go. I was prepared to turn the corner and see the finish, but such was not the case. I zig-zagged through the cheering crowds for what seemed like a long time before I finally saw the finish arch. Several people tried to give me a high five, but after the first one, I had to stop because it was too jarring.
When I got to the tape, I couldn’t decide how to “break” it. I couldn’t put both arms up, so I just kind of reached for the tape with my right hand. I think one of the volunteers let go of it before I actually touched it because I almost missed it. While I was distracted by the tape, I forgot to pay attention to the announcer, so I never even heard whether he made the traditional “..., you are an ironman!” announcement.
A volunteer wrapped me in a mylar blanket and took me to get my chip removed. Then I posed for a photo and headed to the medical tent. I’m kind of sorry I did that, because I missed out on savoring the moment in the finish tent. The doctor in the medical didn’t even look at the shoulder, he just told me to go to the nearest emergency room. I did see the guy who fell in front of me in the medical tent. Apparently he finished not long before me. He had a mangled thumb and his back was hurting. He apologized for causing the accident and asked how I was. We exchanged some pleasantries, and then one of the medics helped me collect my bike and bags. Thankfully, I only had to take my bike back to the transport area. The medic was really nice, and carried all my stuff to the car.
When I got to the car, I decided to go back to the hotel to clean up a bit. I didn’t want to sit in ER in my sweaty smelly togs for hours. Driving was a bit tricky, but there wasn’t a lot of traffic. Getting my tri top off was fun. Thankfully, I had worn a sports bra with the zipper in the front, so I was able to get that off fairly easily. I showered and put on jeans and another sports bra (didn’t think I could manage to get a regular bra on). I was wishing I had some button down shirts to wear, but alas, all I had were T-shirts and tank tops. I picked the loosest tank top I had and awkwardly pulled it over my head. Then I drove to ER.
I had lots of company in ER. There were a number of dehydrated athletes there and we chatted about the race while waiting for our turns. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait excessively long to get called in, and got x-rayed fairly quickly. Then I had to wait a bit to see the doctor. When he came in, he asked what happened and told me my scapula was broken. He said that because it takes a lot of force to break a scapula he needed to check that I hadn’t also torn my aorta! He didn’t really think I did, since I’d run a marathon afterward, but said he needed to be sure. They wanted to give me morphine for the pain, but I told them I had to drive home. I didn’t really want it anyway. Unfortunately, they couldn’t give me anything orally until they had the results of the scan, so I couldn’t even take Tylenol. Thankfully, the pain just wasn’t that intense.
I had to wait a while for the CAT scan, then I had to wait an hour or so for the results. As expected, they didn’t find any damage to my aorta, so they wrote me a prescription for pain killers and anti-nausea medicine and sent me home. By now it was almost 4am, so I skipped the stop at the drug store and went to the hotel. It took a while to get ready for bed. I finally laid down at 4:45am. I really wasn’t as exhausted as I expected to be, so I must have gotten more sleep in ER than I realized.
...............
Despite the accident, I had a great race and I’m really happy I opted to finish.
In keeping with the Ironman theme, I thought I would share part of my friend's race report from her first Ironman. With her husband having an almost fatal bike accident a few months before her race, getting to the race start was an accomplishment in itself. But what happened during the race made finishing challenging. She is an inspiration to never give up!
...........
I needed to figure out the cramping issue before attempting an ironman, so I went to a sports doctor to talk about my nutrition plan. She did a complete blood workup and discovered that everything was out of whack – my iron, B12, and D were low, and my leptin and testosterone levels were low too. She suspected overtraining syndrome, or celiac disease (gluten intolerance). I was a little surprised by the latter because I didn’t have the typically GI symptoms. The blood test came back positive for Celiac disease, and I was put on mega-doses of B12, D and iron. I was told to keep eating gluten before having a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. The biopsy was definitive, so by the time everything was confirmed, it was only 3.5 weeks before Ironman. Boy, did that mess with my nutrition plan!
I immediately went on a gluten-free diet and started trying out every gluten-free bread and pasta I could find in the hopes of finding something I could eat pre-race. Somewhat counter-intuitively, I was having more GI issues on the new diet than I was before. I saw a nutritionist and she said my gut was inflamed and the bacteria were out of whack, so I started taking a priobitic several times a day. By then, it was less than 1 week to IMAZ!
...............
[Race Day]
I wasn’t sure where to seed myself, but based on a perusal of past IMAZ results decided I should be relatively close to the front, so I started working my way forward. When the cannon went off, I started swimming and immediately got pummeled. Within the first few minutes, I got kicked in the right eye and had to stop briefly to release the pressure on my eye. A few minutes later I got an elbow in the left eye. Somewhere else, I had some guy swim next to me and grab my shoulder and push it down. After he did it a few times I slowed a bit to get away from him. A number of times someone grabbed my feet and gave them a slight yank. Whenever that happened, I kicked more vigorously and that seemed to scare them off. The pummeling continued for quite a while. I didn’t look at my watch, but I would guess that it went on for about 10 minutes. After that, I mostly swam without incident to the turnaround point.
...............
The bike is a 3 “loop” (really an out-and-back) course with a slight elevation gain as you get near the turn-around point. On the first leg out, I felt like I was flying. Even though there was a slight head-wind, I was averaging between 17 and 20mph for most of the way – way ahead of my expected pace (I was hoping to average 16mph overall) – and, best of all, I was staying in my aerobic zone!
Around mile 20, as the road was beginning to rise, I heard a loud pop, followed by a hissing sound. The front tire went immediately flat. I changed it (took about 7 minutes), and checked for anything embedded in the tire. I didn’t find anything. I didn’t take the time to look at the tire, but I’m guessing it burst either from being pinched or old. I was really wishing I had changed the tube with the tire two days earlier! I hopped back on the bike and headed to the turn around.
...............
When I started the third loop, I was really psyched. The bike was going much better than anticipated, and I still felt great. I rode out to the turn around without any stops, and was ready to fly back to transition. My only concern was that I needed to get some more calories in before the run. I had two choices – stop and put the bag of Infinit Nutrition powder into my aero bottle, or grab some gels along the way back and take them with the water. I opted for plan B, figuring that I wouldn’t lose as much time getting the gels as I would stopping to put the powder in. This turned out to be a big mistake!
At the first aid station after the turn around, I swung in and grab some gels. Right after grabbing them from a volunteer, I noticed a biker in front of me reaching for a bottle from the volunteer ahead of me. I started to swing out around him, but he fell over and I wasn’t able to miss him. I hit him and went flying. I landed on my left shoulder and rolled over onto my right side. My first thought as I lay in the road was “this can’t be happening, it’s just not fair!” I laid there moaning, more out of pity than pain, then decided to stand and assess the damage.
When I stood up, I was a bit wobbly, but managed to walk over to the first-aid table. A volunteer cleaned some road rash on my right elbow (which wasn’t even bothering me), and several people asked how I was. I asked to see my bike and another volunteer brought it over. He said the seat and the aerobars were crooked, and the front tire seemed low. I asked if he had any tools to fix them and he went to look. He fixed the seat and came back to ask what to do with the aerobars. We re-adjusted them as best we could, and I prepared to ride. The sheriff showed up at some point and called an aide car. He seemed a bit incredulous when I said I was going to try to ride. He asked if I wanted to cancel the aide car and I said yes, then headed on my way.
I didn’t ride as aggressively on the way back, partly because I wasn’t sure what kind of shape my bike was in. The front tire looked like it might be a bit wobbly. I regretted not letting the volunteer pump up the tire, because I felt more sluggish on the return. But that could have been any number of things. My shoulder ached on the way in, but the pain was not intense.
When I got to transition, I dismounted and a volunteer took my bike. I hobbled to the bag area to collect me stuff. I felt kind of unsteady. I don’t know whether it was from biking for 6+ hours, or pain, or both. After getting my bag, I headed to the changing tent. A volunteer asked if I was okay, and I said no. I told her about my crash, but said I was going to try to finish. She helped me get ready. The last thing she told me was that there was a medical tent just outside of the changing tent. I opted not to stop because I didn’t want them to tell me I couldn’t go on.
I headed out of the tent and let the volunteers slathered me with sunscreen and then I attempted to run. I don’t think I even made it as far as the timing mat before I had to walk. It was just too painful. The crowd was very encouraging, but I just kept walking and did a mental assessment of my options. Since the swim and bike had gone so well, I knew I had plenty of time (over 9 hours) in which to complete the marathon. Walking wasn’t too painful, so I started preparing myself mentally for a long walk. But the idea did not sit well. I just didn’t want to be out there that long! After walking about half a mile I attempted to run again. I found that if I kept my arm tight against my body so that the shoulder didn’t move much, it was almost bearable. I continued running this way to the first water stop. When I got there, I asked to go to the medical tent. While I was there, they gave me some ice to put on my shoulder, and one of the volunteers keep bringing me food and drinks. After icing for 15 minutes or so, I asked the medical person to strap my arm down. She put it in a make-shift sling and I headed back out onto the course.
Running with the sling turned out to be workable, and I was surprised to find that my run splits were averaging between 10 and 11minute miles, including walking breaks at all of the aid stations. So, I just kept plugging along. The crowd was very supportive, and the volunteers were great. I couldn’t get the fuel bottles in and out of my belt with one hand, so I would carry one until it was empty, then stop at an aid station and have a volunteer swap the empty bottle for a full one. I drank or ate something at every aid station, and felt really good. No GI issues, and almost no muscle cramping.
Everyone was very supportive. The course was 3 “loops”, so we passed the same volunteers and fans at least 3 times. On my second and third loops, I heard a lot of “oh my god, she’s back again”, “way to go”, and “hang in there”. A lot of my fellow competitors were very supportive too. More than once, I heard things like “you are an inspiration” or “you really are an ironman!” It definitely helped me persevere.
After the first loop, I stopped at the same medical tent to have some Vaseline put on my feet because I was getting blisters in my arches. The volunteer who helped me was so sweet. She put on my socks and shoes for me, because I couldn’t do it with one hand. She also hung onto my fuel belt while I used the loo, and then put it back on me because I couldn’t do that one handed either!
The miles from around 9 to 20 were uneventful, and I was feeling good, but definitely ready to be done. Shortly before mile 22, there was a spot where we transitioned from a parking lot to a walkway, and for some reason there was a piece of carpet down. I remember looking at it and thinking there must be some sort of grate or something they didn’t want us to trip on. Well, while I was thinking about that, I tripped on the carpet and landed hard on my right side. I felt it in my left side though. Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have done any additional damage, so I got up and said a few expletives and told the volunteers I was okay, even though I didn’t really feel okay. My shoulder started hurting more, and now my knees hurt too!
I walked for a short stretch after falling and did another mental assessment. It was getting close to 7pm and I only had 4 miles to go. Once again, I considered walking the rest of the way, but didn’t really like the idea, so I started running. My shoulder hurt more, and I was not having a lot of fun, but I was determined to keep going.
When I finally got to the point where we got to peel off and head to the finish, I heard a volunteer say only 200 meters to go. I was prepared to turn the corner and see the finish, but such was not the case. I zig-zagged through the cheering crowds for what seemed like a long time before I finally saw the finish arch. Several people tried to give me a high five, but after the first one, I had to stop because it was too jarring.
When I got to the tape, I couldn’t decide how to “break” it. I couldn’t put both arms up, so I just kind of reached for the tape with my right hand. I think one of the volunteers let go of it before I actually touched it because I almost missed it. While I was distracted by the tape, I forgot to pay attention to the announcer, so I never even heard whether he made the traditional “..., you are an ironman!” announcement.
A volunteer wrapped me in a mylar blanket and took me to get my chip removed. Then I posed for a photo and headed to the medical tent. I’m kind of sorry I did that, because I missed out on savoring the moment in the finish tent. The doctor in the medical didn’t even look at the shoulder, he just told me to go to the nearest emergency room. I did see the guy who fell in front of me in the medical tent. Apparently he finished not long before me. He had a mangled thumb and his back was hurting. He apologized for causing the accident and asked how I was. We exchanged some pleasantries, and then one of the medics helped me collect my bike and bags. Thankfully, I only had to take my bike back to the transport area. The medic was really nice, and carried all my stuff to the car.
When I got to the car, I decided to go back to the hotel to clean up a bit. I didn’t want to sit in ER in my sweaty smelly togs for hours. Driving was a bit tricky, but there wasn’t a lot of traffic. Getting my tri top off was fun. Thankfully, I had worn a sports bra with the zipper in the front, so I was able to get that off fairly easily. I showered and put on jeans and another sports bra (didn’t think I could manage to get a regular bra on). I was wishing I had some button down shirts to wear, but alas, all I had were T-shirts and tank tops. I picked the loosest tank top I had and awkwardly pulled it over my head. Then I drove to ER.
I had lots of company in ER. There were a number of dehydrated athletes there and we chatted about the race while waiting for our turns. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait excessively long to get called in, and got x-rayed fairly quickly. Then I had to wait a bit to see the doctor. When he came in, he asked what happened and told me my scapula was broken. He said that because it takes a lot of force to break a scapula he needed to check that I hadn’t also torn my aorta! He didn’t really think I did, since I’d run a marathon afterward, but said he needed to be sure. They wanted to give me morphine for the pain, but I told them I had to drive home. I didn’t really want it anyway. Unfortunately, they couldn’t give me anything orally until they had the results of the scan, so I couldn’t even take Tylenol. Thankfully, the pain just wasn’t that intense.
I had to wait a while for the CAT scan, then I had to wait an hour or so for the results. As expected, they didn’t find any damage to my aorta, so they wrote me a prescription for pain killers and anti-nausea medicine and sent me home. By now it was almost 4am, so I skipped the stop at the drug store and went to the hotel. It took a while to get ready for bed. I finally laid down at 4:45am. I really wasn’t as exhausted as I expected to be, so I must have gotten more sleep in ER than I realized.
...............
Despite the accident, I had a great race and I’m really happy I opted to finish.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Triathlon Tips from Chrissie
I can't get enough of her, so hopefully you can't either! Here are "My Top Triathlon Tips" that appeared in Shape magazine in September 2009:
"3 Rules I Live By"
1. Remember your past successes - "When I'm struggling in a race, I think of other times I've overcome other hurdles. I instantly feel more confident and get a surge of energy."
2. Grin and Bear it - "No matter how hard the workout, smiling makes it feel easier."
3. Support your pals - "I owe my triathlon career to a friend who noticed my athletic strengths and encouraged me to get into racing."
The Exercise she Loves to Do
The Norfolk, England native works out for 6 hours almost every day. A move you can steal? The elevated lunge. Chrissie says it helps her run faster in the final sprint of a race.
TRY IT
Face away from a bench with the feet together and hands on the hips. Place top of left foot on bench. Bend right knee until thigh is parallel to the floor. Rise and repeat. Do 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
What She Can't Live Without
TYR Jungle Floral Tankini ($66, tyr.com) "This wicking top keeps my skin dry no matter how many miles I log."
Kipling ($13, everymanslibrary.com) "My favorite poem, If-, by Rudyard Kipling, is in this collection. It's about perseverance, and I try to live my life by it."
Muscle Milk Light 100-Calorie Vanilla Creme Nutritional Shake ($12 for 4, at grocery stores) "The 15 grams of protein give me fuel for workouts."
Oakley Enduring Breast Cancer Awareness sunglasses ($165, oakley.com) "I wear these in honor of my grandmother, who died of the disease"
"3 Rules I Live By"
1. Remember your past successes - "When I'm struggling in a race, I think of other times I've overcome other hurdles. I instantly feel more confident and get a surge of energy."
2. Grin and Bear it - "No matter how hard the workout, smiling makes it feel easier."
3. Support your pals - "I owe my triathlon career to a friend who noticed my athletic strengths and encouraged me to get into racing."
The Exercise she Loves to Do
The Norfolk, England native works out for 6 hours almost every day. A move you can steal? The elevated lunge. Chrissie says it helps her run faster in the final sprint of a race.
TRY IT
Face away from a bench with the feet together and hands on the hips. Place top of left foot on bench. Bend right knee until thigh is parallel to the floor. Rise and repeat. Do 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
What She Can't Live Without
TYR Jungle Floral Tankini ($66, tyr.com) "This wicking top keeps my skin dry no matter how many miles I log."
Kipling ($13, everymanslibrary.com) "My favorite poem, If-, by Rudyard Kipling, is in this collection. It's about perseverance, and I try to live my life by it."
Muscle Milk Light 100-Calorie Vanilla Creme Nutritional Shake ($12 for 4, at grocery stores) "The 15 grams of protein give me fuel for workouts."
Oakley Enduring Breast Cancer Awareness sunglasses ($165, oakley.com) "I wear these in honor of my grandmother, who died of the disease"
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Chrissie Wellington wins again!
picture from Slowtwitch.comShe is amazing! After racing virtually as an unknown in 2007, she wins for the third year in a row, and sets a new course record at 8:54:02.
Miranda Carfrae, in her first Iron-distance race, sets a run course record of 2:56:51. Not only was it her first Ironman, but her first ever marathon distance run - and none of her previous runs were longer than two and a half hours. AMAZING!
A note about the race on Slowtwitch.com today...
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii -- The incredible Chrissie Wellington Express wrote a new chapter in triathlon history by taking down the 17-year Ironman Hawaii race record held by eight-time winner Paula Newby-Fraser with a dominating 8:54:02 that outpaced runner-up rookie Mirinda Carfrae by the Paula-esque margin of 19:57. While Wellington surrendered her year-old run record to Carfrae's blazing 2:56:51 marathon, she upped her Ironman-distance win record to a perfect eight-for eight and took her third straight win at the sport's crown jewel, the Ironman World Championship in Kona.
On a day in which the next fastest women's bike split was 5:01:42 by third place finisher Virginia Berasategui of Spain, Wellington essentially closed the deal with 4:52:07 bike that put her in the same dominant two-wheel category as Newby-Fraser and Swiss legend Natascha Badmann.
"I'm honored and incredibly proud to have broken such a historic record set by Paula Newby-Fraser, an incredible legend of the sport," said Wellington.
From her interviews, Chrissie seems like a really cool, down to earth person. No big head on her. I'll pulled some interesting and funny bits from previous articles:
From Ironman.com 10/10/09
What a change from two years ago ...
When Chrissie Wellington won here two years ago, she tried to call home from the finish line to let them know how she'd done ... and there was no one home.
Today her family was here in force to help her celebrate her record setting performance.
Sunday Times, 7/10/09
Wellington now coaches herself but has some advisers. Such a solitary, self-improving existence could lead to extreme selfishness but this is certainly not the case with Wellington. She has set up a women’s empowerment network, GOTribal, to help women develop themselves through sport, particularly those who are underprivileged. It is an extension to her former academic and working career.
Examiner.com - Washington DC
And where had she come from? Why, Nepal of course. Prior to starting her career as a pro triathlete, Wellington had spent 16 months working for a Nepalese nonprofit called Rural Reconstruction Nepal. Between intestinal parasites, Wellington rode her mountain bike. She also enjoyed going for hilly trail runs, even if it meant fleeing rabid stray dogs through the mountains.
What makes Chrissie Wellington the apple of everyone’s eye, though, is the personality she brings to the sport. While most champions race with a grimace on their face, Wellington races with her head up and one eye on the crowd. She always races with a big smile on her face, a gleam in her eye, and a laugh in her throat. While making women’s triathlon history, she cheers for the pro men she sees along the way. Wellington is like a superhero who feeds solely on love for the sport and the charged race energy.
Wellington does the Blazeman log-roll over every finish line in
solidarity with the war on ALS.
Photo courtesy Ben Mansford and Chrissie Wellington
The most important aspect of the sport for Wellington is what it allows her to give back to the community. All of the fame and exposure that Chrissie gains from her triathon success, she funnels right back into the sport through groups like GOTRIbal, an organization that aims to empower women through triathlon and sport. At Timberman, Wellington made it a point of hanging around at the finish line to hand out medals and hugs to grimy, sweaty age groupers.
[this is actually a great article, you should read the whole thing!]Slowtwitch.com, 9/10/2008
ST: Do you follow any other sports?
Chrissie: I am partial to a bit of mud wrestling, belly dancing and naked bungy jumping. Just not together.
ST: Can you share with us some of your food likes and dislikes?
Chrissie: I like food, and dislike not having any! I am wracking my brains to think of a food substance that I don’t like. I ate snake, dog and rat in Indonesia. I guess my foody favorites are bircher muesli (nuts, seeds, coconut, oatmeal, dried fruit – the whole kitchen sink - with yoghurt), huge bbq’s at my mum and dad’s house, salads with everything, steak, all things middle eastern, and dense, heavy German bread!
ST: What about music? Anything you listen to more often?
Chrissie: Country and Western. Dolly Parton is my idol. I would love to have her assets. Aside from that, I tend to jive to Placebo, Smashing Pumpkins, U2, Zwan, The Calling, Jeff Buckley, Jim Major (someone gave me this CD at the Awards Party at Kona last year, and it’s a gem), Tracy Chapman, Razorlight, The Killers, Feeder….Plus anything that comes on a 1980s cassette tape… Chesney Hawkes (famed for the classic ‘I am the One and Only’, and then promptly fell off the face of the earth) and Wham are my party favorites.
ST: What was the last book you read?
Chrissie: ‘A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali’ by Gil Courtemanche - a superb, powerful, humorous, yet shocking and disturbing commentary on the genocide, the AIDS/HIV crisis, poverty (and the West’s culpability) - juxtaposed against the color, joy and love characterizing everyday life in Rwanda.
ST: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Chrissie: I am thinking of becoming a nun. Sister Madonna is leading the way.
Alternatively, perhaps happily married to an aging sugar daddy with five kids, and one on the way. I will start taking sugar daddy applications now.
Seriously, I haven’t got a clue! I don’t even know what I am doing in 5 minutes, as the boss doesn’t tell me. I could still be competing professionally at triathlon, or another sport, going back into politics, cycle touring and traveling round the world, or starting a sport/development related foundation. I will seize any opportunity that comes my way, and you never know what might cross your path. So nothing is certain. But whatever it is, I will be smiling!
ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Chrissie: My nickname is Muppet. I prefer cats to dogs (got bitten by a potentially rabid one once and it put me off. That’s why I ate dog in Indonesia). I snore. Loudly. I have four toes that are all the same length. My middle name is Anne. I wanted to be a tractor driver when I was 5. I once went to a meeting at Number 10 Downing Street and wasn’t wearing any underwear (I had been swimming beforehand and forgot to pack said item of clothing). I am a very bad car driver (hence failure to reach pinnacle of tractor driving career).
You can also check out her website at www.chrissiewellington.org/
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Lucky Number 101
Check out what I just discovered today. Coincidence? I don't think so. I just need to figure out what it means...
Chrissie Wellington, in her first Ironman Hawaii win. Lucky number 101.
Me, in my first decent run picture. Lucky number 101.
I see good things in my future!
Chrissie Wellington, in her first Ironman Hawaii win. Lucky number 101.
Me, in my first decent run picture. Lucky number 101.I see good things in my future!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Underpants Run
Picture from The Kona TimesTriathletes blow off steam in their underpants
Two days before the Ironman World Championship, hundreds of athletes showed off some of their best stuff.
The Associated Press
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii —
Here are some pictures shot by Teresa Nelson (she's the hottie on the right!)...Two days before the Ironman World Championship, hundreds of athletes showed off some of their best stuff.
The Underpants Run started as a way to poke fun at European triathletes strolling around town in their Speedos. The 12th annual charitable event has grown into a much anticipated pre-race spectacle on the Big Island.
Thursday morning, 400 athletes trooped along a mile of the famous race course, dressed in their finest undergarments.
Paul Huddle is a retired triathlete and Underpants Run organizer. He says the world championship is an important race for the athletes, and the charity event "is just a fun way to release some of the pre-race tension."
The event raised more than $5,000 for local charities, including West Hawaii Special Olympics.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Ironman Hawaii Women's Odds
I guess it was inevitable that my first post would be about Ironman Hawaii. This blog is really geared more towards the average athlete, but I could not ignore the most exciting triathlon coming up, Ironman Hawaii! I have two girlfriends that are there now, preparing for the race this weekend. Good luck Teresa and MJ!!!
Here's part of an article from Slowtwitch. You can read the entire article with all the women they lay odds on, I just list the top 4. Go Chrissie! She is amazing, and I'm sure I'll talk more about her in the future.
Rebekah Keat (AUS) – 13-2
Age: 31
Bib number: 116
The good karma kid after lending the otherwise-dead-in-the-water Wellington her CO2 canisters at Kona. When Wellington left miracle worker coach Sutton because Team TBB contract limited her suddenly immense sponsorship opportunities, Keat signed on with Sutton and the results have been typically life-changing. After a third at Geelong 70.3 and a 23-minutes-behind second place to Wellington at Ironman Oz, Keat got in gear at Roth with an 8:39:24, a second-best-Iron-distance-effort-ever finish and outrunning Wellington 2:55 to 2:57. Under the radar since then, Sutton is likely devoting all his Henry Higgins mojo to give Keat her My Fair Lady moment in the Kona sun.
Sandra Wallenhorst (GER) – 7-1
Age: 37
Bib number: 103
Last year’s third place finisher at Kona whipped Kona runner-up Yvonne Van Vlerken and cracked 9 hours at tough Frankfurt course. Also won Austria 70.3 and ran 1:21 there for a 1:17 margin over ITU short course star Lucie Zelenkova. Potential negative; She IS 37, the age at which Paula Newby-Fraser retired from serious 24/7/365 professional status.
Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) – 8-1
Age: 29
Bib number: 131
The one and only reason Carfrae isn’t listed as second favorite is the fact that the mighty mite from Queensland has never done an Ironman before. That said, the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Champion has had a fantastic year: wins at five half Ironman distance venues -- California 70.3, Revolution3, Eagleman 70.3, Calgary 70.3 and Muskoka 70.3 – with a narrow loss at St. Croix to Morrison. During that spell, she beat the almost-new, revived Natascha Badmann twice, reeled off several sub-1:20 half marathons, and kept her yearlong focus on Kona. Under coach Siri Lindley, Carfrae has prepared perfectly for Ironman Hawaii. Having waited a few years to fully mature for the Ironman grind, Carfrae has the potential – tricky word - to actually defeat Wellington head up. But with no Ironman marathons under her belt, that will be much easier said than done.
Here's part of an article from Slowtwitch. You can read the entire article with all the women they lay odds on, I just list the top 4. Go Chrissie! She is amazing, and I'm sure I'll talk more about her in the future.
2009 IMH Women’s Odds
Written by: Timothy Carlson
Date: Thu Oct 01 2009
[Editor's note: Timothy Carlson's odds, presented here, are those used by ProBikePool. The winner takes home a Kuota Kalibur bicycle.]
Look. The only reason the odds are so high for everyone else is that Chrissie Wellington had proved to be an Ironman phenomenon that comes around every decade or so. Anyone seriously looking at guessing the order of finishers should start with her. Unless you have a hot hand and a strong premonition that the best triathlete in the field has somehow run out of luck, CW, which also stands for Conventional Wisdom, dominates the chalk.
Still, folks like Catriona Morrison, Rebekah Keat, and Mirinda Carfrae have looked really really well prepared. If you are talking a bout top 5, you can’t write off great champions like Michellie Jones and – against all odds after her devastating crash in 2007 – six-time winner Natascha Badmann.
Really, the only sure thing is that Madame Pele is in charge – and she likes to play tricks.
Good luck
Chrissie Wellington (GBR) – 3-2
Age: 32
Bib number: 101
After her dark horse, longshot straight-outta-nowhere win at Kona in 2007, Miss Wellington is unbeaten in seven attempts at the Ironman distance – plus an ITU long course world title -- and is the two-time defending champion at Ironman Hawaii. Not only that, she smashed the world best mark for the Ironman distance with an astonishing 8:31:59 clocking at Quelle Challenge Roth and on the day also smashed the women’s Ironman bike leg record with a 4:40 clocking. Whew! Perhaps even more impressive is her record of breaking the 9-hour barrier not only at Autobahns like Roth, but also managing that feat on much tougher courses like Frankfurt and Port Macquairie. She also runs sub-three hours at every venue. The only reason she is not going off at 1-2 odds is a series of slender hints of threads of potential vulnerability: (1) switched coaches from Brett Sutton to Simon Lessing and then decided to go on her own. Danger? Her inherent inclination to do massive amounts of work. Needs a governor to last. (2) While she finished 6th at Olympic distance Columbia Triathlon, that can be dismissed as not her forte any more. But loss to Julie Dibens at Boulder 5430 long course showed pretenders to her throne that Wellington can be beaten. (3) On Wellington’s amazing record-smashing day at Roth, Rebekah Keat was just 7 minutes behind – and Keat outran her, 2:55 to 2:57. Wellington beat Keat earlier by 20-plus minutes at Ironman Australia. Shows what Brett Sutton coaching can do for everyone, not just Wellington. (4) Also, hard-running Catriona Morrison came within two minutes of Wellington at Timberman 70.3 (5) Anything can happen at Ironman Hawaii – catch a virus on the plane or bacteria on the swim after rains, hit by a car riding or walking in town, get two flats and run out of CO2 canisters, etc.
Look. The only reason the odds are so high for everyone else is that Chrissie Wellington had proved to be an Ironman phenomenon that comes around every decade or so. Anyone seriously looking at guessing the order of finishers should start with her. Unless you have a hot hand and a strong premonition that the best triathlete in the field has somehow run out of luck, CW, which also stands for Conventional Wisdom, dominates the chalk.
Still, folks like Catriona Morrison, Rebekah Keat, and Mirinda Carfrae have looked really really well prepared. If you are talking a bout top 5, you can’t write off great champions like Michellie Jones and – against all odds after her devastating crash in 2007 – six-time winner Natascha Badmann.
Really, the only sure thing is that Madame Pele is in charge – and she likes to play tricks.
Good luck
Chrissie Wellington (GBR) – 3-2
Age: 32
Bib number: 101
After her dark horse, longshot straight-outta-nowhere win at Kona in 2007, Miss Wellington is unbeaten in seven attempts at the Ironman distance – plus an ITU long course world title -- and is the two-time defending champion at Ironman Hawaii. Not only that, she smashed the world best mark for the Ironman distance with an astonishing 8:31:59 clocking at Quelle Challenge Roth and on the day also smashed the women’s Ironman bike leg record with a 4:40 clocking. Whew! Perhaps even more impressive is her record of breaking the 9-hour barrier not only at Autobahns like Roth, but also managing that feat on much tougher courses like Frankfurt and Port Macquairie. She also runs sub-three hours at every venue. The only reason she is not going off at 1-2 odds is a series of slender hints of threads of potential vulnerability: (1) switched coaches from Brett Sutton to Simon Lessing and then decided to go on her own. Danger? Her inherent inclination to do massive amounts of work. Needs a governor to last. (2) While she finished 6th at Olympic distance Columbia Triathlon, that can be dismissed as not her forte any more. But loss to Julie Dibens at Boulder 5430 long course showed pretenders to her throne that Wellington can be beaten. (3) On Wellington’s amazing record-smashing day at Roth, Rebekah Keat was just 7 minutes behind – and Keat outran her, 2:55 to 2:57. Wellington beat Keat earlier by 20-plus minutes at Ironman Australia. Shows what Brett Sutton coaching can do for everyone, not just Wellington. (4) Also, hard-running Catriona Morrison came within two minutes of Wellington at Timberman 70.3 (5) Anything can happen at Ironman Hawaii – catch a virus on the plane or bacteria on the swim after rains, hit by a car riding or walking in town, get two flats and run out of CO2 canisters, etc.
Age: 31
Bib number: 116
The good karma kid after lending the otherwise-dead-in-the-water Wellington her CO2 canisters at Kona. When Wellington left miracle worker coach Sutton because Team TBB contract limited her suddenly immense sponsorship opportunities, Keat signed on with Sutton and the results have been typically life-changing. After a third at Geelong 70.3 and a 23-minutes-behind second place to Wellington at Ironman Oz, Keat got in gear at Roth with an 8:39:24, a second-best-Iron-distance-effort-ever finish and outrunning Wellington 2:55 to 2:57. Under the radar since then, Sutton is likely devoting all his Henry Higgins mojo to give Keat her My Fair Lady moment in the Kona sun.
Sandra Wallenhorst (GER) – 7-1
Age: 37
Bib number: 103
Last year’s third place finisher at Kona whipped Kona runner-up Yvonne Van Vlerken and cracked 9 hours at tough Frankfurt course. Also won Austria 70.3 and ran 1:21 there for a 1:17 margin over ITU short course star Lucie Zelenkova. Potential negative; She IS 37, the age at which Paula Newby-Fraser retired from serious 24/7/365 professional status.
Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) – 8-1
Age: 29
Bib number: 131
The one and only reason Carfrae isn’t listed as second favorite is the fact that the mighty mite from Queensland has never done an Ironman before. That said, the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Champion has had a fantastic year: wins at five half Ironman distance venues -- California 70.3, Revolution3, Eagleman 70.3, Calgary 70.3 and Muskoka 70.3 – with a narrow loss at St. Croix to Morrison. During that spell, she beat the almost-new, revived Natascha Badmann twice, reeled off several sub-1:20 half marathons, and kept her yearlong focus on Kona. Under coach Siri Lindley, Carfrae has prepared perfectly for Ironman Hawaii. Having waited a few years to fully mature for the Ironman grind, Carfrae has the potential – tricky word - to actually defeat Wellington head up. But with no Ironman marathons under her belt, that will be much easier said than done.
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