We enjoyed an evening on Lake Taupo with some accountants who sure can party! Caught some good fish and had a lot of laughs. We had such a terrific time that we decided to skip the dinner with our travel group and got some take-away for dinner at home.

This morning Ruth got up and went for a long run while I made myself some coffee, stretched and did some core. I am going to take the day entirely off and go for a 20 minute run tomorrow. And the weather supports my plan because it has been chilly and drizzling all morning.

Ironman is in the air. And I am getting in a space where I do not want to be. Feeling little and like I do not belong among these people strutting around with negative body fat percentages. Last night, someone commented that they were surprised I was the one doing the race because they assumed that Ruth was. I know that is probably more often the case than not but it is tough to have to hear it out loud. Again. No matter how hard I train -- I just do not look like I belong here and I hate to feel like this because I start to believe it. I know it is just pre-race jitters too and right now, I just want to curl up somewhere and be away from all the noise...

CORE
5 x 1 Min Plank
3 x 20 Bicycle

For the first time this morning, we decided not to get in a workout and instead had a leisurely cup of coffee before heading into breakfast.

Went out for an easy two hour ride on the course and nearly got blown over while in my aero-bars when a truck passed. It was good for me to remind myself that I am not that coordinated, especially in a cross-wind and I need to remember to stay in the bike position I am most comfortable with -- not the one I everyone else is in.

@ 25 Mile Ride @ 01:48:00

I wrote out some notes for my race plan and just realized I forgot to bring them into town. Here is what I remember...

I have three goals for this event:

• My pace, my race (do not get flustered by everyone who passes me)
• Stick to my nutrition plan (eat and/or drink every 15 minutes)
• Celebrate being in New Zealand (enjoy the scenery and then experience)

Days before the race:

• Stay away from other twitchy triathletes and do not engage in conversations with them if it turns into a bragging session.
• Take a water bottle with me everywhere I go and sip often.
• Stretch every night.

Race Eve:

• Lay out clothing
• Spray on sunscreen
• Put together food and drinks
• Stretch
• Avoid too much salt
• Try not to alienate Ruth too much with my pre-crankiness...

Race Morning:

• Wake up early and have coffee while relaxing and stretching
• Then eat oatmeal and banana. Sip water.
• Body-glide EVERYTHING I can reach.
• Breathe
• Eat 1/2 a power bar with water at 6:15-6:30
• Make sure watch is set to 15 minute intervals.

Swim:

• Keep it at my pace but draft when I see an opportunity
• Sight over speed (site more often than I want to -- this will pay as I tend to swim zig zag)
• Jog easy from the water to T1.

T1:

• Put on bike clothing (probably jersey) and shoes.
• Eat other half of power bar.
• Drink some water

Bike: (break into quarters)

• Q1: This will probably have a sweet tailwind. Enjoy the ride and eat/drink every 15)
• Q2: This will hurt more because of the tailwind. Keep focused on high cadence and nutrition. Finish 2/3 of shake and at least one power bar.
• Q3: Maybe a break but the cross winds will pick up so continue to keep it at my pace. If my back starts screaming, get off the bike and stretch. Continue to eat.
• Q4: This will be the worst but remember the sweet downhill stretch waiting for me at the end. Do NOT obsess on how few people are left on the course and soak up the scenery.

T2:

• Change shirts, and put sunglasses in bag.
• Bodyglide and Moleskin
• Put on visor and fuel/water belt.

Run:

• This is happy hour time! Alternate Margarita Clif Blocks and water with energy drink.
• Enjoy how much more energy I feel because I earned it from eating and drinking regularly on the bike.
• Run 15, walk 1-3.
• Smile and encourage others.
• Do not get discouraged by the number of people who are ahead of me or gloat at the number of people I want to believe are behind me.

Post Race:

• Extra dirty martini :) (okay, maybe some recovery food first and martini the night after...)

The internet cafe computers here are logged into the German version of Blogger so I do not claim any responsibilities for misspelled words....

We woke up this morning planning another beautiful swim but one look at the waves on the lake turned it instead to a nice run on the path around the lake. I think I am more recovered from the travel than I am and while the run was entirely pleasant, I did not feel super strong or fast. Of course last night's fish and chips probably did not help...even though I peeled most of the breading from the fish before eating it. I do have the sample the native cuisine and beer of course....

Ruth is still fighting a bad cold that has now settled into her chest giving her a cough that echos throughout our little space. In a way it is good for my taper week because it slows her down during our workouts.

6.5 Mile Run @ 01:00:00
138a, 153m

CORE
3 x 1 Min Plank
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After our run, we met our group for breakfast and again opted out of any of the group rides and activities except for driving to the Hot Springs this evening. I really do not like to be around other triathletes -- it just makes me too escalated. Our motel is about .75 miles from town so we are getting in a lot of long good walks here.

I just LOVE it here. It is so beautiful and relaxed. And I love the different sayings people have. At some point, I am going to get the courage up to ask someone why there are two different flushing button options on the toilets...

When the winds die down a bit more, we plan to get in our swim.
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Got in a nice swim along the course route. Worked on rotating hips.

45 Minute Swim

3 x 1 Min Plank

Yesterday was a very very very long travel day. We had a bit of a hassle when trying to get our bikes on the plane but managed to slide them through without additional cost.

The flight to New Zealand was over 12 hours and our economy class accomodations were not exactly spacious or comfy. It did not help that our seatmates (who were also going to the IM because the guy in the couple was racing -- and were a part of our travel group) were newly dating and rather expressive about their desires for one another throughout the trip. That alone could have been ignored but sometimes the impromtu make-out sessions would extend an elbow, shoulder, other body part into my bubble. Ruth agreed to switch seats with me about 2/3 of the way through to prevent me from commiting a crime while overseas.

We got to meet some of the others in our Endurance Travel group and have decided that we will probably not attend many of the group activities as Ruth is my favorite training and travel partner. After a 4+ hour van ride from Aukland to Taupo, we were dropped off at our hotel and went through the very last bit of patience and brain power assembling our bikes. We opted to skip the group ride and instead support the local economy by doing some research into what would be our favorite NZ beer over dinner.

This morning we woke up after sleeping 10+ hours, walked across the street and went for a sunrise swim on part of the Ironman Course. It is just stunningly beautful here and the kindness and hospitality of the locals have already exceeded our expectatations. I am already trying to figure out how to retire here...

We also popped into Stretton's Accounting -- the firm who has "adopted" me through the Adopt and Ironman program and got a very friendly tour of their office. We are meeting them on Wednesday for a boat ride, fishing and "drinkipoos". We are very excited about that!

Right now it is drizzling so we may re-think our plan to ride part of the course today and opt instead for a run.
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It cleared up enough to convince us to go for a ride. I wanted to ride one loop of the Ironman course (1/2 the total) and we set out around 2:45 after a quick check from the group mechanic.

Aside from nearly getting smooshed because I was still trying to get the hang of riding on the left side of the road, it was a fun ride out and got a nice tailwind boost. We opted to turn around early because I was getting a little concerned about the ominous clouds and sweet tailwind. It was a good decision. On the way back, we got a taste of New Zealand drizzle, rain, heavy rain and downpour as well as headwinds and sidewinds. Oh and big scary trucks :)

It sure was a beautiful ride and I plan to very much enjoy the scenery of the route on Saturday.

32 Mile Ride @ 02:11:00

CORE
3 x 1 Min Plank

I was supposed to get in a 10 mile run but I only ended up getting in 6 bcause I was so pressed for time. Ran from home, down and around Greenlake and back.

6 Mile Run @ 00:55:00

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CORE
5 x 15 Crunch on Ball
1 x 1 Min Core

Woke up early -- before the alarm and got in some time on the rollers. That was my only workout of the day.

30 Km Ride @ 01:10:00

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CORE
5 x 1 min. Plank

Got in a good swim in the morning. Work was tough and long and I just had enough for 15 minutes on the rollers.

3700 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Bike Roller @ 00:15:00

Last night, Ruth asked me to treat Monday like a holiday and sleep in because she got to. I considered it but put my clothes together instead for the morning spin class. When the alarm went off though, I was very supportive of the whole holiday idea and slept in until almost 7 AM!

It was a very busy work day but I managed to get in a run in the afternoon. It was raining and pretty miserable out so I opted for a cozy treadmill run. My HR was very high throughout even though the computer told me I was running at only a 9 min mile pace.

6 Mile Run @ 00:54:00
150a, 173m

CORE
5 x 1:00 Plank

Met Charlie, Duncan and George at the dog for a long ride. They were planning to ride 70 and I needed to get in 100. The first few miles were fabulous -- I kept thinking "It's a beautiful day and I am riding with the big boys!" -- and then they dropped my ass on the I 90 bridge.

When I finally caught up with them, I invited them to go ahead without me because I knew I could not keep their pace. But Charlie said he was planning to ride the 100 with me and he would ride my pace. And he did while Duncan and George took off on E and W Mercer Way. After saying good-bye to Duncan and George at Marymoore, George took me on a really good ride via Newport Way, Renton and and extra out and back on the trail to get in the full distance.

I ended up getting in my full mileage, or distance in km as I needed to get in 161 km. I was WHIPPED when I got home (or at least to the spot near UW where I begged Ruth to scoop me) because I had spent the first half of the ride chasing down the big boys.

163.5 KM @ 06:38:50
134a
Ave Speed 24.7 KPH (15.3 MPH)

Swim practice this morning was good. Had a set of 100's that I was supposed to descend but I only managed to maintain it at 1:45 with 10 sec down to 5 sec rest. At the end of the workout, some people did relays and Duncan got in the lane with me. He suggested a set of 5 x 50's on the minute to cool down. It was perfect.

2700 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00
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CORE
4 x 1:00 Plank

Tomorrow I am meeting Duncan and Charlie and (hopefully) riding the first 70 miles with them and then finishing the last 30 to get in my last long ride before my race.

And then....HELLO TAPER!!!

Went for a long run today from home down and around Lake Union and back. Despite the strong winds, I made it through okay and felt good. I ran the entire time and did drink some energy drink near the end of the run -- but not as much through.

13 Mile Run @ 02:06:32
143a

I took the Hindenburg for a spin around Mercer Island during lunch. Of course I forgot my HR monitor strap and had to go by feel but I kept the pace up most of the ride. Near the beginning, some guy blew by me on his drops and that was good reminder to me to get aero -- and so I did as often as I could remember to.

20 Mile Ride @ 01:20:00
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CORE
4 x 1:00 Plank

This morning's swim practice was good and challenging. We did my least favorite set -- 1 x 75, 1 x 100 and 1 x 125 all on the same interval...but I made it within a second on a 2:00.

2650 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

I was supposed to ride my bike home but I ended up leaving work early because I did not feel well. More of an overwhelmed everything was too hard and big place than a sick place. But I hopped on the rollers when Ruth got home and on her trainer. I kept my speed at 30 kph and did some (hard) one-legged drills.

00:45:00 Roller Workout
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CORE
3 x 1:00 Plank

I was very unhappy when the alarm went off this morning and the last thing I wanted to do was go to spin class. But I forced myself out of bed (inspired by Ruth, who had hopped out) and drove to Bellevue where April did an excellent job kicking my ass in spin. I wore my HR monitor watch that did not work with the strap so I have no HR information.

53 Minute Spin Class

CORE
5 x 15 Back and Side

Then after work, I drove to Greenlake for a double loop run. I always find the first loop more difficult than the first and finished happy. Again, no HR information.

6.2 Mile Run @ 0:56:46 (Lap 1 @ 28:29 Lap 2 @ 28:17)

Looks like this morning promises a beautiful day for my 136 KM (85 mile) ride. I am making the same "Rasberrylicious Power Shake" and will set my watch to remind myself to take a sip every 15 minutes. I will also pack a couple of power bars as well as a PB&J sandwich.
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I survived the ride. I rode from home across Mercer Island (the long way) and around the South end of the lake. At Seward Park, I was lucky enough to run into Duncan and Charlie and got to draft them for 5 wonderful fast miles but they could not be convinced to keep riding with me so back around Mercer Island I went again and repeated the loop before heading home.

I was very good about taking in nutrition every time my watch beeped. I alternated between my Rasberrylicious Power Shake and a bite of peanut butter power bar and water. I also ate a banana the first time I stopped at Seward Park. I also choose to do the south loop twice because that route offers the most opportunity to get in my aero bars and I would say that I was in them about 20% of the ride. That is about 19% more than usual so it was a small victory.

Near the end of the ride, I was feeling pretty whiny in my head and was very tempted when Ruth offered to scoop me but I realized that would put me behind in KM so I kept going. I also lost interest in food near the end but forced myself to continue with my nutrition plan because it was excellent training for the real race.

135.48 KM (84 mile) Ride @ 05:45:00
136a

There was a vote last night and sleeping in won. I was grateful because my legs were pretty hashed. During lunch, I headed over to the other 24 hour fitness health club that had a pool to make up my swimming workout.

The pool was oddly shaped with only three lanes. Two of them could not be used for flip turns and I think that the length must have been only 20 yards so I added extra to my workout to make it up. It was cloudy and a suspicious color and I was not sure how long I wanted to swim in it. But I made it through a decent workout and decided that it is an adequate back-up plan but not something I will do with any frequency.

2500 Lap Swim @ 00:55:00

Did the same route as last week around Mercer Island for my run and added a bit on the end to be sure I got in my full mileage. Set my watch to beep at me every 14 minutes and I walked and drank either my energy drink or water. Had 4 blocks and ate them every other time I drank water. I usually have not needed them but this time, I think I did.

I was pretty tired near the end and my legs complained more than they usually do but I made it through.

20 Mile Run @ 03:17:03
145a

Yesterday's time-out did the trick and I woke up feeling much better about training. Hopped on the rollers and got in a good ride.

30 km Bike Rollers @ 01:03:00

Had a good swim this morning -- my lane got pretty full so I grabbed my flippers and joined Charlie. It was nice to swim with someone new.

2400 Swim Practice @ 00:55:00

I was planning to ride my bike home from work but I decided instead to just take a time-out. I have been feeling more and more tired -- and my attitude has not been stellar so I drove home and took care of an errand I have been putting 0ff -- getting a new cell phone to replace my ancient one does not hold a charge for more than 15 minutes...

We were locked out of the spinning room this morning so class started late but April still led a good workout.

Spin Class @ 00:46:04
131a, 156m

After work, I went for a run around Lake Union. Coming home, I thought that I really do not like to train hard in the winter. I do not like being tired when it is dark and cold :(

6 Mile Run @ 00:55:44
134a, 159m

I need to get in a 113 km ride today. I will head out soon to beat the rain and hope ride outside the entire time.

I need to keep my pace between 24 kph (14.91 mph) to 28 km (17.40 mph).

For nutrition, I will take a large bottle of the sustained energy drink with some gel mixed in and take a sip every 15 minutes in addition to a smaller bottle of water. I will also take two power bars in my bento box.
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The first part of the ride was terrific. Decided to loop around the lake -- starting with the south end and was planning to ride to Marymoore to meet Ruth in Renton. I was comfortable and enjoying the ride -- and my pace was easy. Then it started to rain and I go very cold coming down Juanita. Called Ruth at the bottom of the hill to try to coordinate a scoop and my cell phone battery started to die after I hung up with her so I decided to head home. By the time I got home, I was very wet, dirty and quite cranky -- but still needed to get in 20k.

So after wiping off my tires to prevent a spectacular wipe out on the rollers, I finished my ride with very little enthusiasm. I think that it has finally dawned on me that I am really going to do an Ironman in a few short weeks...

113 Kilometer Ride @ 04:58:00
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CORE

3 x 1:00 Plank

Swimming this morning was brutal. I was tired and very very very slow.

2000 Swim Practice @ 00:50:00

Today I had an 18 mile run planned during lunch. So I decided that I would just run around Mercer Island as that should be about 18 -- maybe less, I could not remember...but it should be fine...

So off I went and realized it was definitely not an 18 mile run. I just checked my blog from other times I circled it on my bike -- 19.5.

I set my watch to ding every 15 minutes to remind me to drink and I alternated water and the usual energy drink. When drinking, I walked a bit -- usually about 30 seconds before running again. Once I realized the distance was further than I thought, I started to panic and ran a bit too fast. I was quite whipped when I got back to work. I also realized when setting out that I should have converted the distance to kilometers -- I will next time to get in that mind set.

Of course I had forgotten my lunch so there I was at Starbucks at 2:30, blue-lipped and shivering trying ask for a hot sandwich -- and not quite able to get the words out... They did take pity on me and heated up a breakfast sandwich.

19.5 Mile Run @ 03:03:53
138a