We are house-sitting for our friend and her two dogs so last night was the first in her home. We got up early to be at the Fat Salmon Swim site at 6 AM to help out as volunteers. The dogs thought we were nuts and could not believe that they were being awoken at a very un-cool hour.

I had no goal time for the race and just planned to swim it paying the most attention to my sighting and body rotation. The conditions were beautiful and sunny and as usual, it was a longer swim than I anticipated (even though I should know better -- I think this is the fourth time doing this).

3.1 Mile Swim @ 01:50:56

Spent the rest of the day relaxing!

Had a nice bike commute into work -- actually worked it a bit and felt good. But by the end of the day, I was feeling pretty tired and convinced Ruth to scoop me.

12 Mile Commute @ 00:50:00

I have been lucky enough to swap hours with a teammate so my start time is now a more reasonable 8 AM. Now I can get in a workout before work without having to get up at 4ish AM. This morning, I ran from work down the waterfront knowing that it might be a half to hour run depending on how I felt. The first two miles were HARD and my body felt rusty. But after I warmed up a bit, it started to feel better and I ended up getting in a 7ish mile run -- and even negative split it!

7 Mile Run @ 01:08:54
141a, 149m

Out @ 00:35:00
138a, 146m

Back @ 00:33:53
144a, 149m

Had a very nice leisurely AM swim in the lake before heading back home. Definitely tired but enjoyed the scenery -- perhaps too much :)...

1 Mile Swim @ 00:40:00

WARNING: The contents of this post may contain coarse language and describe scenes not appropriate for anyone who has signed up for IM Canada or is thinking about signing up for IM Canada without either a triple, compact, electric or mental assist.

This morning, Ruth went out and brought us back some Starbucks and we had a nice breakfast at the hotel. Our directive was to ride the Ironman Canada course two days after racing the Desert Half Iron. Note how this was a directive, not an idea either Ruth or I had but for some reason, we decided to follow it...

We were on the bikes by 7:30 AM and had a lovely ride to Osoyoos boosted by a delightful tail wind and very pleasant temperatures. Then we made the mistake of turning right up "The Richter". There the wind turned and stayed firmly in our faces for the remainder of the ride accompanied by an unrelenting sun and only the occasional faintest tissue whisper of clouds.

This descent down "TR" was much better than the race because I left the Zipp wheels in the hotel room. I was okay with the slow grind -- both up and down and did a lot of self-talk throughout the descents. Ruth dropped me pretty quickly happily flying down any descents. She did make the mistake though of turning around to check on me and that unfortunately, is a trigger for me and my tude completely dropped. I was back on the race course that had kicked my ass so badly two days ago -- and it was doing so again and I was not a gracious cycling companion nor a nice girlfriend. This was not helped by the wicked headwind we were grinding through and the fact that I did not get enough to drink.

We turned into the first fruit stand in Cawston and refilled on water. By that point, I was really out of it and just sat there ignoring Ruth telling me to eat something. I finally did eat a PB & J and we also split a pint of cherries. I then gave Ruth the half of my powerbar that I had not eaten because I had another one in my bento bag. I did re-adjust my tude and decided that I probably would not leave Ruth, Triathlons or Seattle anytime soon to escape to a life that did not include riding Ironman courses during a "vacation".

From that point on, I pretty much had the worst GD F^%$&*ing ride of my life. Ever. The headwind and temperatures were unrelenting and no incline or descent was unaccompanied by varying degrees of headwinds. At one point we were climbing up to Yellow Lake at an 8% grade and were pummeled by a headwind the entire time. My HR hit 163 and the expletives we both let loose did nothing to help us up the hills. And the descents were not much better -- at one point we were "descending" a -2% grade and could not get our speed past 13 mph. Both of us agreed that this was the very very very worst idea Cheryl has ever had and took her name in vain more than once...

We finally limped back into town and I was losing it again. I had not eaten since the fruit stand (I just CAN'T in this heat) but did drink almost another bottle of Nuun.

We hit the hotel room, changed into swim suits and then jumped into the pool. For some reason, I got super chilled in the pool and my teeth started chattering and I could not think right... But I got out, wrapped in towels and drank some sweetened iced tea and got back to normal.

97 Mile Ride @ 07:00:00
Attitude = D-
Nutrition = D-

Desert Half Iron 2007 Race Report

In summary, this race was not my race and I did the best I could with the tools I had. Ruth, on the other hand kicked some serious ASS and I am SO PROUD OF HER! She will report on that shortly.

The best part about the race was the swim and it went downhill (and uphill) from there... I supposed that is to be expected for a race with the word "Desert" in the title and billed as Canada's toughest triathlon. As well as the 2007 Long Distance Triathlon National Championships (that explains why 99% of the participants were uber buff).

SWIM 41:14 (137a, 150m) but my actual swim time was 36:56
Went in two waves with two minutes between them. I thought I had enough time to put on my wetsuit and get in the water to pee but all of a sudden everyone was getting kicked out and I did not have time. Had a good swim and learned how to pee while swimming and considered that a bit of a victory. Did not like having to get out of the water and run on the beach after the first loop but it went quickly. On my way to T1, I dropped my swim cap twice and retrieved it once and left it the second time.

BIKE 04:08:06 (143a, 167m) 13.5 mph
I knew going in that this was NOT my kind of bike course. I am not a good climber (getting better but not good yet), was using my new crank set and was testing my Zipp wheels for this race to see if I would use them for IM Canada. It started out climbing and for the first 8ish miles, I felt good even though it was all a slow grinding climb. The side winds started up and caught on the deep rims of my wheels blowing me more than I was comfortable. During the first descent down Richter Pass, I was SO SCARED. I am not a good descender and now I was descending on wheels I did not trust or feel comfortable riding. Despite making myself breathe and doing a lot of self-talk, I finished the descent terrified and very very tense. The winds continued and I just did not feel safe enough to ride in my aerobars. At every rest stop, I added more water to my water bottle and nuun and met my goal of eating a powerbar before the turn around point.

Right after the turn around, I heard (for the millionth time) "on your left" and was passed by a bright orange jersey -- it was Jeff and he was kicking my ass! I was so happy for him and told him to go for it. Had a nice tailwind for a bit and relished it and then started to climb again. I was fine climbing even though I was slow. It was the descending that was the worst. My bike just wiggled under me the entire time and I did not want to go as fast as my body weight was taking me so I would apply the brakes -- unfortunately they were not aligned correctly and it was like braking with a corrugated surface and that made me even more tense. I knew that I was going to be near the end of the pack and made peace with the fact that this was not going to be my best race. I resolved myself to finishing the race but not killing myself to do so and to support Ruth and Jeff as much as possible on the course. Near the end of the bike, I had a fantasy of kneeling on the dismount line and kissing the ground and even though I restrained myself from doing so, I did express my delight to the volunteers to be off my bike.

RUN 02:27:50 (152a, 163m)
Usually the run is where I can regain things a bit but not today in the heat. I saw Ruth coming back from a turn-around when I was heading out and told her how proud I was of her. I drank water and Gatorade and grabbed ice and sponges at every station. I kept seeing my HR soar and tried to keep it down but was unsuccessful. Because we had plans to ride the Ironman course in 2 days and because I was already so far behind, I did not push myself on the run and took a lot of walking breaks. I got to see Ruth and Jeff a lot on the course and was able to high-five and encourage them. And finally it was over :)

07:17:47 Overall Finish (145a, 167m)

07 Desert Half Ironman Race Plan

Race Eve
Today is about hydrating, breathing and relaxing.

RELAXING
The town is going to fill up with athletes of all shapes and sizes. I will NOT obsess about how different I look than the super buff looking ones strutting around drinking grass and pebble shakes out of blender pitchers during breakfast. I will take a deep breath and remind myself as many times as it takes that "I Belong Here". I have been consistent about training despite all the challenges of taking on a new job and have the fitness and mental strength needed for this race.

HYDRATION
Drink a minimum of two liters of water today sipping from the bottle throughout the day. No booze until tomorrow.

BREATHING
Control breathing first and thoughts will follow. Take every opportunity to stretch and breathe through the day. Stretch with Ruth tonight and apply sunscreen.

Race Morning
Drink coffee, water and eat a bagel 1.5-2 hours before race start. Re-apply sunscreen and stretch in the hotel room. Bodyglide everything :)

SWIM
Position myself to the outside and at the end of the fast half of the pack. Work hard on rotating hips and bi-lateral breathing. Follow through with long arms. Most importantly, sight every 3-5 strokes because that has been the biggest time waster of all for me on other swims. Use the first loop as an aerobic scouting loop and take it up a notch and negative split the second.

"I am a swimmer, mighty mighty swimmer"

T1
Stay in my bubble and don't look around at everyone else racing to go through this. Make sure I have everything and then jog out of the area with the bike. Accept any offers of sunscreen and water.

BIKE
Know that this is going to be challenging especially because it is not my ideal course with all the climbing and descending. Race my own race. When I get passed, visualize the energy from their pedal stroke behind them and absorb it for my race. Keep breathing climbing and especially when descending. Eat a power bar and drink half my nuun and shake during the first half and finish it all on the way back.

Get in aero-bars when feasible and keep shifting to optimize ride.

"I am a cyclist, mighty mighty cyclist"

T2
Rack bike and put on shoes efficiently and quickly without rushing. Put on race belt with water and gatorade bottles. Dump a cup of water on my head and accept any offers of sunscreen.

RUN
Here's where I can realize the most success if I keep my pace steady and strong. This is a double loop with four Greenlake sized sections. Drink every 10 minutes alternating between water and aid. During the second loop, take a clif block when taking a sip of water.

"I am a runner, mighty mighty runner"

Post Race
Regardless of finish time, know that I raced steady, smart and strong. Congratulate Ruth for kicking ass on her first Half Ironman :)

We had a very pleasant drive North yesterday in our air conditioned car while watching the temperature rise on the thermometer - at one point hitting 103! YIKES. Went out for a nice dinner and even ate outside to help get acclimated to this damn heat.

I feel so disconnected from this race -- this is the most disconnected I have ever been from a race! I plan to spend part of today working on my race plan and getting my head where it belongs. On vacation and in a Half Ironman.

Of course yesterday while we were waiting in the lobby a guy came up to Ruth and chatted her up with something like "You look like are going to pick up a race packet". Grrr. I was standing right there. Of course that is a trigger for me and made me feel like I do not belong here. HATE THAT. Ruth said that it was fine, I will just dust him at the end. So I am working on letting that go even though I have yet to be successful 12+ hours later...

More later...

This morning started with early wake up and when Ruth mentioned it was the first day of our vacation, I asked when it would start because a 5:10 wake up does not necessarily indicate vacation for me. She said it will start at Essential Bakery with coffee and toast AFTER our swim.

Had a really good swim -- wetsuit is beginning to finally stretch to accommodate me horizontally... And a really conversations and toast/coffee with the gang. I (heart) Fridays in the lake!

1.2 Mile Open Water Swim @ 00:45:00

3 x 1 min Plank

I was planning a lift in the afternoon and interval run after work but last night's activities resulted in a headache most of the day. I did get in my weenie weight session but noticed while lifting that I smelled like a big martini :(

UPPER
3 x 15 Pull Down @ 67.5
3 x 15 Row @ 67.5
3 x 15 Triceps @ 45
2 x 10, 1 x 8 Biceps @ 15

CORE
5 x 15 Crunch on Ball
3 x 15 Back on Ball

I bagged the run after work and instead went to pick up my car from being serviced ($1,200 later) and then we went to get our bikes that were tuned up ($500 later) and finally back home to an 8:20 bedtime.

A holiday for most, a work day for me. Rode the Hindenburg into work this morning and will then ride it to West Seattle for a 4th of July BBQ.

12 Mile Commute @ 00:50:00

Ended up getting a scoop from Ruth to West Seattle and went to a fun party where I was a bit overserved.... :) But at least I was relaxed for the first time in a while!

I was having a tough time on Monday night trying to figure out how to juggle my training, work, appointment and time with the kid. I needed to get in both a swim and bike but had no time in my schedule to do both so I decided to do a swim/bike interval brick in the morning and get to work a little late. Here was my schedule for the day:

4:40 Wake Up
5:00 2250 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

6:15 Bike Interval Workout on Rollers
10 Min WU
5 x 3 min hard, 2 min recovery
10 Min CD

7:45 Work
3:40 Appointment @ Capital Hill
4:50 Meet Ruth and drive to West Seattle to pick up Janarah
5:30 At Key Arena for Storm Basketball Game
9:00 Back to West Seattle to Target to get basketball shorts for Janarah
10:30 Finally home!!!

Got in my usual weenie weight session in during lunch.

UPPER
3 x 15 Pull Down @ 67.5
3 x 15 Row @ 67.5
3 x 15 Triceps @ 45
3 x 10 Biceps @ 15

CORE
5 x 15 Crunch on Ball
3 x 15 Back on Ball

Went for a run around Greenlake after work. Legs still tired and was happy to only have to do 3 miles :)

3.1 Mile Run @ 00:29:13
140a, 154m

It was a beautiful day for a ride and the rain that was threatening earlier had disappeared. The plan was to get in a 100 mile bike ride followed by a 2 mile run. My personal plan was to get my nutrition together for this ride and chopped up two power bars, prepared a shake and packed my Nuun.

We started out the ride climbing Juanita and that offered me very false sense of athletic ability because I climbed it easily and the ride from Bellevue to Redmond and around Lake Sammamish felt good despite CMcC's tude :). I was drinking and eating well and my legs felt strong. Then we hit Inglewood Hill and that completely kicked my ass...at one point I was actually hallucinating about the road that is perpendicular to it to the point where I thought I was almost there and looked up again and I was not even close. But we made it up and had a really nice ride to Carnation.

After Carnation, we re-fueled again and it the road. When we hit Redmond/Fall City road, my goal was to keep up with Ruth as we climbed and I worked my butt off to try to stick to her. She did drop me but I was able to keep her in my sights the entire time even though my breathing I am sure frightened all the wildlife within a mile radius and my HR hit almost 170 (at least that was what I could see between the black dots dancing in front of my eyes). Someday .

The best part of the ride was the descent back to Lake Sammamish -- one where I usually just ride my brakes and hang on for dear life. I remembered the article Ruth had me read a couple of weeks ago and focused on my breathing while descending -- and was able to almost keep up with her! Whoop Whoop!

I was pretty much DONE when we got back to the car and only had the tiniest of a tinge of guilt for not getting in the entire 100 miles. Did a quick run and then caught Ruth's bike when she went out on her run.

86.6 Mile Bike @ 05:35:00
132a

1.9 Mile Run @ 00:19:00
142a

Nutrition: C- (started out well but deteriorated)
Descending: B+

Nice swim this morning even though I entered the water pretty sleepy. Gisela was back this week so it was really nice to have someone to swim with.

2200 Open Water Swim @ 00:45:00

Today's long run was 14 miles and I decided to run home after work to get in the distance. For lunch, I (over) carbo-loaded on some spaghetti but that was definitely a mistake as I felt it in my gut way too long on the run! Ran via the I90 tunnel and Lake Washington Blvd and then took the trail down to Gasworks and up Stone Way to get in the full mileage before Ruth scooped me at Greenlake.

I think it can be best summed up by what I said to Ruth when she asked me how the run went. "If there was a long run pill, I would have taken that instead today." Long runs at the end of a long work day are HARD but I know they are good training for an Ironman...

14 Mile Run @ 02:18:20
132a

Commuted in and back home on the Hindenburg.

25 Mile Commute @ 02:00:00

An 8:30 bedtime helped and I was able to get out of bed and make it to swim practice. It was an IM set and so I trailed in the back doing a lot of 1 arm fly with my good shoulder.

2500 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Got in a lift at lunch.

UPPER
3 x 15 Pull Down @ 67.5
3 x 15 Row @ 67.5
3 x 15 Triceps @ 45
3 x 10 Biceps @ 15

CORE
5 x 15 Crunch on Ball
3 x 15 Back on Ball

I had about two hours to get in a hill repeat workout before my board meeting at REi. To make this even more challenging, I could not stage it from work because of a Mariners game at 7 that would have had me trapped in traffic. So I drove and parked at REI and then headed over to a hill Ruth suggested at Roanoke. Even though there was a bike lane on both sides, I was not having any fun -- the bike lanes had a lot of debris, there was a lot of traffic and drivers were cranky. So after two, I pedaled around a bit looking for a better hill but actually ended up on that same hill for the third time. Then I decided to head up Interlakken and found THE perfect hill repeat hill going up past the Hebrew school. It was a beautiful road with enough curves to make it interesting, very little traffic and perfect turn around points at either end. I was so happy that I did 5 repeats before heading back downtown for my meeting.

16 Mile Hill Repeat Bike Ride @ 01:30:00

Bad Hill 1 @ 03:17
127a, 144m

Bad Hill 2 @ 03:23
126a, 145m

Bad Hill 3 @ 03:15
127a, 145m

Good Hill 1 @ 03:46
133a, 150m

Good Hill 2 @ 03:38
137a, 155m

Good Hill 3 @ 03:46
135a, 152m

Good Hill 4 @ 03:46
136a, 152m

Good Hill 5 @ 03:46
138a, 154m

When the alarm went off in in them morning, I made the decision to sleep in instead of going to swim practice because I was just still so tired. I hoped to get in a lift during lunch and then a run after work but my lunch plans were thwarted by things erupting at work.

I managed to escape at the end of the day and run around Lake Union. I did feel pretty much the entire time like I was running uphill and wondered if I have ever felt good and light while running...

6 Mile Run @ 00:57:44
138a, 164m

Today's plan was a 50 mile bike with a 15 mile and 10 mile time trial followed by a 20 minute run. I decided to try this on my new Zipp wheels and wasted a lot of time this morning putting them on and trying to get the brakes aligned. When we finally got the park, I still was having technical difficulties trying to figure out where to put the spare tube tire (ended up in my pocket) and lost one of my handlebar plugs. By the time we started, I was pretty escalated and hearing the rubbing sound of a brake pad against my wheel did not help one bit. I ended up stopping no less than 4 times to adjust and tweak the wheels, brakes and sensor that was not reading mph. Of course every time I stopped a mini-swarm of Team in Training would whoosh by and I was not happy thinking that I would probably have to pass them soon -- and they tend to ride three across with about 5 feet between them.

Reminding myself that this was an opportunity to re-frame my thinking (see Ruth, I do read all those articles you print out) I decided to focus on my goals for the ride and let go of the rubbing noise that I could not figure out how to fix.

My time trials unfortunately had two stops in them but I felt strong albeit a bit slower than I would have liked. My legs were very unhappy about the 10 and let me know about mile 7 as I was climbing that damn hill again.

55 Mile Bike Ride @ 03:13:35

WU @ 01:04:59
124a,

15 Mile Time Trial @ 00:49:15
143a, 166m

Recovery @ 00:11:02

10 Mile Time Trial @ 00:33:17
147a, 158m

I then followed it with a longer run than the plan because I really wanted to get in more running miles this week. The run felt strong and even though I knew I was running on fumes (I got 200 calories max on the bike damn it). I told myself that this run was going to be a mental challenge and that I was going to feel uncomfortable and under-caloried during races. I could not make myself eat any of the bloks but did sip from my gatorade every 10 minutes. Not sure of the exact mileage (I ran from Marymoor to the Bothell rest stop where Ruth scooped me) but I know that I was running a sub-10 pace because I kept gaining on the mileage markers. Even though it completely emptied me physically, I needed it mentally.

7.75 Mile Run @ 01:10:01
146a, 157m