Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
The beginning, 205 days to go.
The journey of 1,000+ miles begins with a single step. 205 days until my first #ironman on July 24, 2016. I’m going to do my best to chronicle my training here; at least a short update every day.
The road is a long one, but I am guessing it will be here before I know it. It’s going to be one incredible ride. Let’s get this party started.
Terribly overdue Richmond Marathon race report
November 14, 2015 AKA my best race ever. Though, it didn’t start out that way.
Sprinting to the finish
Celebrating a PR!
I’d been training for this day all season, my first marathon in 3 years (since starting triathlon) and my first realistic shot at a BQ….
…And of course the week leading up to it was a trainwreck. This took me by surprise because I had been so calm and excited for this race all season. It was the first marathon (out of 6 before it) that I looked forward to running. And when I kept visualizing it in my head, it continued to feel like it was going to be so fun. I wasn’t nervous at all, and I was ready to see where all the hard work would take me. I didn’t count on major family stress, crazy stomach issues, and sleepless nights – things I can normally keep at bay.
Despite a quick pep talk from my coach on Friday night, I didn’t sleep great, and my stomach continued to be a total mess the morning of the race. Not to mention, I forgot my oatmeal (I brought all the fixings) so I had to rely on room service for my breakfast. They were 10 minutes late, which left me even more frazzled before the race.
I got to the race about 30 minutes early to meet up with other athletes and my coach, and somehow missed the memo that I was supposed to bring a plastic bag to check my coat. I also had counted on stopping at the port-o-potty one last time, but after waiting in the line for 25 minutes, I gave up because I didn’t want to miss my wave. Really, universe, can I get a break here??
I ran into Sandra at the start and it was great to see a friendly face. When the gun went off, I really didn’t think my stomach would cooperate, but I knew I had to give it my best. Sandra and I started together and I eased into an 8:21 pace. It felt like an easy jog, which was great. I felt like I could hold that for a long time. She started to pick up the pace, but I decided not to be greedy and to stick with what I felt was a big stretch for me, for 26 miles.
The first 7-8 miles flew, and there were some amazing moments where I felt like I was flying – just like I imagined. The crowds were great, I got teary eyed, and was amazed that I was holding the pace (actually closer to 8:07 for several miles). It felt great. Once I crossed the first big bridge, I picked up a ton of speed on the downhills and saw the 3:35 pace group ahead (I started with the 3:45 folks and quickly passed them). I knew if I kept that pace it would also be greedy, and I wasn’t a 3:35 runner just yet. So, I told myself to ease back into something more manageable. I’m glad I did because I needed that energy later on.
The rest was a blur of tough moments (wondering if I could keep doing it) and pure awe (that I was doing it). I remember looking down at my wrists to see if I was on track with the numbers I had written down only to find the ink was smeared beyond recognition from my sweat. From that point on I just kept trying to hit 8:20 on my miles (or less). The downhills really helped, as did passing some of the sponsored athletes! And a few people surprised me on the course and cheered for me (thanks, Mimi!). I also ran into Sandra and encouraged the crowds to cheer for her. She was working so hard!
Around mile 22 things got really tough, and I knew my time was going to be close. I started doing the things my coach suggested – running faster to a sign (even if it was only 20 feet away). I recited the alphabet, told myself I was a badass, and kept saying that it was my day. I was amazed my legs never really hurt and I never hit a wall. My stomach stayed in check too, though the chews did sometimes feel like they were landing in my lungs or that I might throw up.
Around mile 23 I told myself it was time to go for it, even if I blew up. I had nothing to lose. So I slowly picked up the pace and got a lot of positive reinforcement from the crowd. I ran into my coach at mile 25, and the timing was perfect. When I saw her, I started sprinting, trying to chase her down the course. That’s when everything began to hurt. My quads seized up and my legs were on fire, but I knew I had to chase her. My pace went from 8:15 to 7:43. The last downhill was excruciating, but I rocked a pace of 6:43 for the last .3 miles. Not quite sure how I did that, but I wanted it that badly.
When I crossed the finish line I began to sob because I knew I had exceeded my time goal with a race time of: 3:37:54. And, of course my phone was dead so I couldn’t text anyone or find my friends. I beat my BQ time by 2:06, so time will tell if I can actually get into the Boston Marathon in 2017. In the meantime, I’m just celebrating that I PRed by 20 minutes.
I limped back to the hotel, following some race “coaches” who helped me find my way. Such a friendly course, and such nice people. Every moment with athletes or volunteers was a memorable one.
I showered quickly, hopped in my car, and drove back to D.C. so I could meet up with my friends at our Tri Club annual meeting. The drive hurt more than the race itself. Part of me wanted to just climb into bed, but seeing everyone and reveling in that moment made everything worth it. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to end my day.
Afterwards I was really sore, and super emotional, but overwhelmed. It really was one of the best moments of my life. I reached beyond what I ever thought I could do and did what seemed impossible.
I *really* hope my time is enough because I’m not sure I want to hurt that badly again, but we’ll just have to see. 3:37:54 is pretty damn respectable when your last milestone was breaking 4 hours :). And, #flufflepuff is a pretty big fan of the race blanket.
What a year it’s been
I’ve been just horrible about writing here. It’s really ambitious for any endurance athlete to maintain a blog since we’re training all the dang time – I’m surprised there are so many. That said, I didn’t expect to be so bad at this. Though, I’ve been busy doing some pretty awesome stuff.
At the end of September I finished my second 70.3 in Augusta – it was a pretty fun race, though I had a lot of issues with comfort on the bike. Regardless of barely being able to walk when I got into T-2, somehow I managed to start running and finish a strong 13.1 miles to score my first sub 6:00 half distance.
And just last weekend I ran my 7th marathon in Richmond, crushing my 3:58 best by 20 minutes, and meeting one of my life’s goals: qualifying for the Boston Marathon with a time of 3:37:54.
In the middle of all that, I registered for Ironman Lake Placid for 2016 – because if you’re going to do it, you should go all out.
Yeah. Wow.
All of this on top of changing jobs, moving in with the boy, and taking an incredible 2-week trip to Spain leaves me beyond grateful for 2015, and excited to see what’s in store next year.
As I slip into a well-deserved but brief off-season (training starts for Placid on January 1st!), I’m reflecting on all I’ve accomplished, and making some goals to be more consistent here during my Ironman journey. I hope to also be retroactively posting some race reports for Augusta and Richmond, and maybe a few other fun stories from the summer as well.
NJ State Oly Race Report
Against my better judgment, I decided to race the NJ State Oly last weekend despite having been sick for a week and a half. To add insult to injury, it was the hottest day of the year thus far — and I’m fairly inexperienced with racing in hot temps. But with a huge showing from my local tri club (it was the mid-atlantic tri club championships), I felt it was worth a go. And I’m glad I did.
The course and the sponsor – CGI Racing – were pretty phenomenal. Not that I’ve done a lot of tris (this was my 4th). Everything was clearly marked, the volunteers and race staff operated like a well-oiled machine, and most importantly, there was cold water on the run course even at the tail end of the day (when you’re in wave 12 out of 13, you expect most of the good stuff to be gone by the time you get to the water stops). But I’m getting ahead of myself.
So it was indeed the hottest day of the year. 95 degrees, and a real-feel of 108. I’d also been battling (and still am a week 
later) a pretty nasty summer case of bronchitis, which made it really hard to get a good night’s sleep. I knew that nailing nutrition / hydration, incorporating salt pills (for the first time), and being conservative would be key to getting through the course. With one of the last waves, and a huge fear of the swim, I also knew that it would be important to avoid watching the early waves swim, and find other things to occupy my mind until it came time to race. Luckily, our tri club had a huge shaded tent, it’s own private port-o-potty, and lots of folks who were also in later waves, so that kept my mind off of the impending doom of the swim and gave me some extra time to make sure I had everything I needed.
Pre-race Nutrition / Hydration
- Hydration with Smart Water
- Overnight oatmeal 2.5 hours before the start
- Honey Stinger caramel waffle 15 minutes before start
- 2 Hammer Enduralytes 30 minutes before start
The Swim
The bain of my existence. After having a panic attack during the swim at the Rock Hall Oly, I was determined to make it through this experience with much less anxiety. Since I had a much later wave (8:30 am start – one-hour after the first wave), it gave me some time to get in the water beforehand. I went down with a teammate about 15 minutes before the start and had a chance to see how my congestion might affect my swimming ability. Having been sick for so long, I hadn’t been in the pool in over a week, so I was a bit nervous that breathing would be a problem. The good news, NJ is a lake-based race, which is my preferred type of swim (I’m a midwestern girl and we love our lakes!). I swam about 25 meters, albeit a bit wonky because of my breathing, but I felt like I could get through it.
When it came time to start, I waited in the shallow end until about 1 minute before the race start, so I wouldn’t have to tread water for too long and wear myself out. There were definitely a few inexperienced racers in my wave, and one woman even dove in over my shoulder (into the shallow end) and kicked me and another racer in the face before they even started the race. This was a sample of what was to come, unfortunately.
With major claustrophobia and a fear of drowning, I always wait until most of the swimmers start so I can stay clear of the ‘washing machine’. What I didn’t count on was the fastest men (in the wave behind us), catching up and swimming over me… Having swam an additional 300 meters during the Rock Hall Oly, I decided to hug the buoys during this race – which was a good idea until all the guys caught up to us and were pretty relentless. I did have about 10 minutes that felt pretty awesome, but then the rest of the swim was dodging people, getting kicked, and reminding myself to just keep swimming. It always amazes me that I can keep going despite all of that chaos, fogged goggles, and being convinced that it’s just a matter of time before I sink.
I finished the swim in 37:16 – nothing close to my first Oly, but better than Rock Hall. All things considered, I felt happy with the time – particularly because I could barely breath out of my nose with my bronchitis. It was also nice to come out of the water in the middle of the pack, rather than the tail-end.
The Bike
The bike was a blur. I moved through transition pretty quickly and was onto the bike course in a few minutes. The course was really smooth, well-marked, and was fairly flat (my favorite). I passed several people – which is new to me – and was diligent with my nutrition and hydration, which I felt would save me on the run. Despite the heat, it didn’t feel too bad. It also helped that a car had crashed into a tree the night before, so they cut the bike course short by 4 miles. Regardless, I managed to average 19 mph – huge for me – but didn’t feel too worn out before the run.
Bike time 1:04.
Bike Nutrition / Hydration
- 1.5 bottles of Skratch labs
- 2 Hammer Enduralytes every 30 minutes
- 1 pack of Honey Stinger chews
The Run
My favorite part of the race, but the segment I was most worried about because I don’t do well in intense temps. This is where I could really tell that the Enduralytes were working. I felt hot, but I noticed my energy wasn’t draining as quickly. I can’t believe I waited this long to try salt tablets. It also helped that the run was mostly shaded (good job, CGI!). I started off fairly conservatively, but was able to pick up my pace after mile two. I began to pass a lot of people (and make up for my slow swim), which gave me more confidence to push even harder. It was also fun to see so many DC Tri teammates on the course, and I got a burst of energy every time I encouraged another racer / thanked a volunteer. Around mile 4 I started feeling pretty warm, but then the water stops started to give out ice, which I shoved into my top. Definitely a bit awkward, but the relief it gave me was huge and I was able to push harder again.
Near the end of the race, a volunteer said there was only .25 left to go. For some reason, that finish went by more quickly than any other race I’ve done. And there was this pretty amazing cold water shower at the end.
Run time 54:53.
Run Nutrition / Hydration
- 1 bottle of water, and sips of water at most water stops
- 2 Hammer Enduralytes every 30 minutes
- 1 Honey Stinger gel
- Ice and cold water over the head / in clothes at every chance I got.
Overall, not too bad. 2:42:26. I know I’m capable of a faster race, but with the heat and sickness, I was glad to even finish. And, they had some pretty amazing watermelon for us at the finish.
I think I’d definitely do this race again – which is something I haven’t said too often. I’m looking forward to incorporating the Enduralytes into my regular training, no doubt a good idea because Augusta is going to be warm in late September. Now I just need to kick this bronchitis and get back to training hard again.
Juggling #allthethings
A few summers ago I took up triathlon. I figured it was the next logical step after running 6 marathons. I didn’t really know how to swim, but I remedied that fairly quickly with classes from Arlington county. I thought they were both equal time commitments – running and tri-training – but that’s really not true. Running is pretty ‘portable,’ requires very little prep, and can be squeezed in at all hours of the day. Swimming and cycling are more difficult. Weather has to cooperate (unless you’re on the trainer), you need to factor in time to setup the bike, or get to the pool (and the times when the pool is open). Then there’s the two-a-days or bricks, and few to no days when you’re not doing anything.
Basically I’ve become one of those people that exercises nearly every day. That’s a good thing in most cases. I’m getting lots of exercise, I’m more fit than I’ve ever been, but it’s a constant juggling act (read: there’s no time!). I took a new job in February that I’m still figuring out, I have a pretty needy (and deserving dog) that wants 5-mile walks every day, and I just moved for the first time in 10 years (which is a full-time job in itself). I’d like to have a ‘life’ too.
I keep trying to remember that this stuff is supposed to be fun, but sometimes it’s hard not to feel I’m neglecting so many other parts of my life (and dog) just so I can perform well in one event at the end of the summer. And truth be told, I’m not sure how much I even like triathlons yet. So there’s that.
How do you fit it all in? I get up really early or work out in the early evening. I build my weekends around my workouts. I try to combine the longer workouts with friend-time so that I’m not falling too behind on either. I also try to give myself a break in the off-season when I can devote my free time to my favorite thing: skiing. Summer training is in high gear, so not much room for compromise right now. Instead I can only invest in the best tasting Skratch, stock up on Honey Stinger waffles, and appreciate the daylight savings time for now.
no sleep till boston 