That Little Half IM Coming Up

If you would have told me before Eagleman that there would be a time when I wouldn't be as freaked out before a half IM as I was last May-June, I don't think I'd have believed you.

The truth of the matter is, I've been so focused on logging training hours lately, I haven't paid much attention to the impending Patriot Half - coming up in less than two weeks.

My logical self reminds me that I shouldn't worry about my race time. But little twinges of "I know I shouldn't be thinking this, but how cool would it be to beat my Eagleman time" thoughts start to creep in. Even though I know we ended up with very good race conditions for Eagleman. Even though we are not tapering for the Patriot - it is supposed to be a training exercise. Even though I understand there are more important goals for this race that I need to address - primarily nutrition.

Yes, that plaguing issue - nutrition. I survived Eagleman without hitting my nutrition targets. Working on my calorie consumption has been a priority for the past few weeks. I actually had an hour and a half workout where I almost achieved the 300 calories per hour goal. Now I just need to do that for - oh about 4-5 times longer - for the Patriot.

As Coach G and I discussed last weekend during a bunch of loops at West Creek, with any race, there are factors outside your control - no matter how well trained you are. You can't change a hurricane, an injury, a series of flat tires - or even panicking from a wetsuit that makes you feel like you are drowning. You have to go into the race willing to give it your best, but accepting that your well laid plans, detailed lists and months of preparation can be shot to the wind - leaving you kicking yourself for the "what ifs" and "I could have done betters."

So, on September 8th - in between the race jitters and nerves and doubts - I'll need to put it all in perspective. Practicing a nutrition plan, working through the bike gearing on hills and adding hours to my endurance base - the real tests for this race. Whether I beat my Eagleman time or not does not measure my success of failure as a triathlete, a half IM participant - or my ability to survive IMFL.

The Best Thing Since...

A few weeks ago, I was sitting with the Guppies and Ironwoman Canada during a post-work out Einstein bagel breakfast. We were talking about (surprise) triathlons, races, race equipment, etc. At one point I said, "They should have an aero water bottle with two compartments - one for water and one for sports drinks." Ironwoman Canada said "They do." And Coach B said "I saw them at Eagleman."

So, a couple days later, I googled around to see if I could find such a wonderous contraption. Lo and behold, these two compartment bottles exist. So while my million dollar idea was already taken - and though the price seemed a little steep for a water bottle, I figured it would be worth it to double my readily available liquid - and free up my bottle rack (the sip away system uses the bottle in the bottle rack). Thereby, tripling the fluid I can carry.

Most of the reviews were positive - so I placed my order for the "Revolution Hydration System:"

http://www.podiumquest.com/drinksystem.php

After using it for three bike rides, including this Saturday's wonderful ride with TriDi, TRIgirl Patty and honorary TRIboys Richard and Kermitt (totally requiring major hydration given the ridiculous heat and humidity), I give the Revolution Hydration System a big thumbs up. Fairly simple to mount and remove. Excellent access to two types of fluids. Easy to refill during a ride. Minimal spillage.

Now, why didn't I think of that - like three years ago?

Surreal Bike World

This past Saturday, I took advantage of the cooler weather and hit the road for a long bike ride. The 68 miles I pedalled was a deviation from our training schedule, but with many TRIgirls competing in various races or on vacation, offered the opportunity to ride by myself - to gain some experience riding long - alone - and to focus on playing with my nutrition.

I have to say, riding by myself is helping to gradually boost my confidence - the clipping in and out, the unnerving proximity to macho trucks trailing boats, the heightened awareness of the surrounding environment. While all these factors make the rides more stressful - and tire me mentally - I am hoping they are also fostering skills that will eventually help me develop into a stronger cyclist. But I am also thrilled and relieved that next week's 75 miler will be led by Coach B and will include many TRIgirls!

Nutrition continues to be a struggle. From what I've heard and read, I should be aiming to consume 300 calories per hour during longer training sessions. Part of my problem this weekend was that I only packed half my snacks thinking I'd do two loops and make a pit stop at my car. Instead, I was feeling brave and ventured further than I intended to make one long out and back. Another part of the problem was that the shot bloks just started to taste too sickly sweet - so I didn't even finish what I'd stuffed into my Bento box. The final part of the problem was not even thinking of buying more food during a stop at a country store. Why? No idea - didn't even consider the option until I was driving home and practically smacked myself in the head when I realized I could have purchased food along with water and Gatorade. Doh. Overall, I probably took in about 500 of the 1200 calories I should have. Coach B and Ironwoman Canada have been on me about my training calories - I've really got to nail this down better over the next few weeks.

So, anyway, though I felt fine, I started to wonder if I was hallucinating as I finished up the last few miles. Something skinny and very tall was riding toward me. Wow, must be a giant bicyclist. As our paths crossed, I saw it was an unusual tandem bicycle, with the front rider on some type of double-decker construction. A couple of cyclists on regular road bikes followed behind and gave me a big sh** eating grin.

Interesting.

I chalked it up to a few friends goofing off until a few miles later when several more of these freaky tall contraptions rode by me. As I loaded Patriot Sangria onto my car, my eyes started blinking as I saw the other end of the spectrum - several full grown adults riding bicycles that looked too small for a five year old.

I later Googled to find these pictures of similar "tall bikes" but couldn't track down anything about the tiny bikes. And I still haven't been able to find out what kind of out of the ordinary bike event took place in Richmond last weekend.

Then I chuckled to myself picturing what it would be like to run into one of these bikes at triathlon. Throw on aerobars for maybe even an Ironman!

Making Peace with my Metabolism

I used to be one of those people who would skip breakfast because I believed that eating in the morning geared up my salivary glands to crave more food the rest of the day.

I used to be one of those people who could literally go from dinner the previous day to dinner the next day without a bite of food – barely a hunger pain in sight – to save calories for indulging in a special meal.

An incident this week pointed out that this Ironman training may be slowly changing my body’s natural responses for food – or maybe I am just listening to it a bit more carefully.

Tuesday was my husband’s and my anniversary. We went out to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. I ate the entire tuna sashimi appetizer (yum) and about 2/3 of my steak with asparagus, mushrooms, etc. dinner. Throw in two glasses of wine – and I was quite content and full.

Wednesday morning, I woke up early for a swim lesson and decided a Gatorade would be sufficient nutrition given the big meal from the day before. After the lesson, I rushed home, quickly showered and dressed to squeeze in some work before leaving for a meeting on the other side of town. In the hustle and bustle, I forgot to eat. By the time I arrived at the meeting, a few hunger pangs started to hit. By the end of the three hour meeting, my stomach felt very empty and ravenous. Since another meeting was on my calendar, I decided to head straight back to the office, grabbing lunch from one of the street vendors. It was after 1:45 when I parked my car and found somewhere to eat. I was actually starting to feel a little weak and light-headed while waiting on line to order a fruit smoothie and a sandwich. As soon as they handed me the smoothie, I started to wolf it down.

It had been awhile since I had expected my body to go more than twelve hours overnight without food, but I still thought I wouldn’t have a problem going back to those habits if needed - until this week left me wondering if the past few months of healthier eating patterns may have actually changed my metabolism. Even if I am still not the person who needs to eat every three or four hours in order to not feel grumpy or sick, my body seems to have formed new expectations for being fed.

Probably a good thing.

Tagged by Tri Jones

Tri Jones has tagged me - and now I am running to base!

Jobs I’ve Held
Bank Teller
Friendly’s Waitress
Credit Tele-Verifier
Office Assistant
Teacher’s Assistant
Special Education Teacher
Web Developer
Project Manager
Director of Marketing

Movies I Can Watch Over & Over
The Princess Bride
Gladiator
Rainman
A Christmas Story
Silence of the Lambs
Legends of the Fall
Good Will Hunting

My Guilty Pleasures
Wine (OK, not much guilt)
Chocolate Candy (Hmm, again, not a whole lot of guilt)
Massages (see above)

Places I Have Lived (in order)
Brooklyn, NY
Elmhurst, NY
Floral Park, NY
Floral Park – Queens, NY
Glen Allen, VA

Shows I Enjoy
Oprah
Apprentice (alas, no more)
Sopranos (another one gone)

Places I Have Been on Vacation
Poconos, PA
Walt Disney World, FL
Killington, VT (back in the “trying to ski” days)
Cape Cod, MA
Bar Harbor, ME
Outer Banks, VA
Rehobeth, DE
Asheville, NC
Maui, HA
Chicago, IL
Las Vegas, NV
Barbados
Bahamas
Bermuda

Favorite Foods
Filet Mignon
Rare Tuna
Fresh Mozzarella
Chocolate Candy (milk with ganache or hazelnut)
Berries
Fancy Cheeses
Crusty Bread
Cake Batter Ice Cream with a Mixin’

Websites I Visit Daily
Virginia.gov
Weather.com
Various Triathlon Blogs
TRIgirls’ Forum

Body Parts I Have Injured
Broke Left Pinkie
Broke Right Big Toe
Broke Left Foot Bones
Nasty Bruises

Awards You’ve Won
Town Soccer League– 1st Place (I had nothing to do with it)
A Couple of Awards in Elementary School for Reading, Math
A Couple of Blue Ribbons in 6th Grade Field Day Contests
Some Art Thing in High School
Some High School Graduation Award
Some Graduate School Department Award

Nicknames You’ve Been Called
Dee Dee
Little Princess
Nyarly
DB

Pick 5 Other Bloggers
Triathlonmom
TriJinx
TriDi
TRIgirl Cyndi
TRIgirl SL

What is That?

What is that foreign entry in my training details?

Something that has not appeared since the end of March?

In utter desperation to procrastinate completing 10 half-mile repeats today, I actually lifted a dumbbell or two.

Will this be a freak occurrence or a regular addition to the workout routine?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Workout Snapshots

While it may seem that I've spent the last few weeks merely planning upcoming races and contemplating training goals, I actually managed to complete a few, uhm, challenging training sessions, too. Here are a few recent workout snapshots:

July 26 - Not quite, but almost, kicking and screaming, I've resigned myself to early morning workouts for some of our Tuesday/Thursday bricks. Because either I'll be too tired after work. Or I'll end up in a bind because of a thunderstorm. Or because a morning workout will allow me to actually partake in a social event or two. So, way too often, the alarm clock goes off around 5:15 am. On the schedule for this Thursday in July was a 45 minute bike and a 45 minute run at West Creek - by myself - and a perfect time to see if Patriot Sangria could help me beat previous 6 mile loop times. My best with Amarone was around 21 minutes. First lap - 19:50. Second lap - 19:35. Workout snapshot - "A somewhat stunned TRIgirl 40 staring at her Garmin."

July 28 - Ah, Saturday - meaning a long workout brick. This Saturday was HOT, Virginia hot and humid. TRIgirl KO and I decided to brave the 30 mile bike and 10 mile run together. Coach B lapped us for the upteenth time before riding along with us for a WC loop. We tried to bike harder so Coach B wasn't completely bored - while we picked his brain about form and nutrition tips. I thought to myself - cool, nice pace for that lap. Until we started the next one - and heard Coach B's challenge to take it up a notch. All that talking on the previous lap - not so much on this next one. That final lap was a great push and wore my legs out a bit more than usual for the 10 mile run ahead. Great practice for IMFL - when my legs will not be very fresh for the run. Coach B's push helped me understand what I should be striving for during a tempo bike - and that I can get through a long run (even if I need to walk occasionally) when I can't imagine that my legs will be capable of getting me past just a mile or two. Workout snapshot - "TRIgirl 40 toppling off her bike in the parking lot from being 'exercise drunk' as Devil Face so perfectly described."

August 1 - Gotta love Wednesdays because they are a swim day. With Ironwoman Canada back in town, I decided it was time for another private lesson. 7:00 am, we met and worked on my form. She videotaped my stroke - which showed my left arm having a "windmill" like motion vs. a nice relaxed elbow bend and extend. By the end of the lesson, my stroke was longer and stronger through focusing on more of a "catch up" action. I was excited for that evening's Masters swim class to practice what I learned. Except, when I got to Masters, I found myself struggling, exhausted, breathing heavily - and not having the productive swim I'd been looking forward to since the morning's lesson. My body rebelled with my first ever calf cramp while swimming. Workout snapshot - "Ironwoman Canada digging her fingers deep into TRIgirl 40's leg cramp."

August 4 - Another Saturday, this time a 30 mile bike, 12 mile run. I was so jealous of some of my TRIgirl buddies heading out for a 60 mile ride. The bike went fine - 30 miles in 1:41 minutes - and it didn't feel like a major push. Even the first 8 miles of the run were OK. Then the heat seemed to worsen. And I realized I miscalculated my route which ended up being closer to 13 miles. Workout snapshot 1 - "TRIgirl 40 has the best reason to take a slight break - a beautiful doe glides across the road and stops within yards of where TRIgirl 40 quietly watches." Workout snapshot 2 - "Lying in the parking lot as TRIgirl TB kindly offers a bandanna filled with ice to cool down a disgustingly sweaty TRIgirl 40."

August 6 - Guppy Swim. TRIgirl DL has joined Guppies - and since we both share an unusual first name - there are occasional funny situations where folks try to figure out how to address us. Ironwoman Canada helped me experience another "aha moment" when she pointed out that I was following through too far with my left arm - contributing to the windmill like motion we worked on the previous week. The cue of immediately bending my elbow when pulling out of the water made a big difference with understanding how to stop the windmilling. Workout snapshot - "TRIgirl 40 watching the clock for the end of five straight minutes of kicking."

August 7 - Another early morning bike/run with TRIgirl DL. Another ridiculously hot Virginia day. We were both thankful for waking up early to fit in the two hour workout before the predicted heat index of 105 degrees kicked in. We biked along at a good pace for the first 20 miles. For the last 6, I timed myself - 18:46. Beating the July 26th record. Workout snapshot - "TRIgirl 40 shooing the geese that strolled across the road just as she was trying to gain some momentum for the dreaded Farmer's Bureau hill."

A Little Melancholy

Though I guess the official start to this journey to Ironman began last November, I've been wondering lately if the "twinkle in the eye" happened about a year ago, last September, when I signed up for Eagleman.

A lot has happened in the past eleven months. I've learned to not only swim in a wetsuit, but to also like it. I completed two half marathons. I've swum, biked and run the longest distances in my life. And, of course, I finished Eagleman!

This year, the Eagleman registration opened a month earlier - on August 1. With a little melancholy, I've observed the excitement of others as they have signed up for the race. My name will not be on the participant list.

As of now, I'm planning on two half IMs next year - White Lake and Mightyman. Then, if I survive Florida, maybe another IM in 2009 (I'm thinking somewhere very far away with amazing Sauvignon Blanc...).

Eagleman 2007 will always hold a special place in my heart - the excitement and trepidation after hitting the registration submit button, the fear and panic race morning, the happiness and satisfaction of crossing the finish line, and all the hard work in between.