Gran Fondo New York 2014

 A few stats about Gran Fondo New York 2014 (aka GFNY):  70 countries were represented,  >5,000 riders started this ride, 9,000+ feet of climbing were on the 100 mile course,  Little Bear Mountain was the highest elevation point on the route, but by no means the most challenging part of the route.   All riders had to wear the GFNY 2014 Jersey in addition to a race number on their person and on their bike.   The race started on the George Washington Bridge in New York City.   Both the female and male winners of this race were from Bogota, Columbia.   For full video summary check out this link:   Gran Fondo Race Day Video 2014   Hands down, this was one of the hardest rides I have ever completed, but also one of the most fun!

I am not sure exactly when the planning for this race actually started, but I was roped into it last fall after a group ride with the Central Ohio Triathlon Club.   As is typical, my friends Rocco and Aaron were planning their next adventure and when I asked what they were planning, they said "you should come, it will be a blast."    I believe my response was something to the effect of "no way I can keep up with you kids."  And they then said JFM, Terri and Tani are also going.   Of course at this point, I said ok and signed up for it shortly after that.   And once again I had committed to something prior to doing any research on the course...

Elevation profile for the course

Once I found out about the course I wondered what exactly I was getting myself into, but trusted my friends and past training and decided I would just have as much fun with it as I could.    As the months crept closer our group kept growing and eventually reached 14.   We opted to all drive out as it would be cheaper than flying us and our bikes out to NYC.    8 of us rented a driver (complete with 15 passenger van and trailer to haul the bikes) and the other 6 drove themselves.   I have to say, hiring a driver was an excellent idea and I thought this worked out really well.

Inside of the trailer

We decided to travel out to NYC on Thursday to give us a few days to explore the city and sights prior to the race.   Our group rented out several rooms at a local B&B in the Chelsea area and this worked out great as well.   We were very close to the subway and quickly got familiar with using it.    A few of the things we were able to do prior to the race was visit the World Trade Center Memorial, bike in Central Park and along the the Hudson River Greenway to Battery Park,  explore the Chelsea Market,  the Highline, Times Square at night,  and in general eat our way through the city.    We also had to go down to the 69th Regiment Armory for the expo to check in for the race.    This was actually pretty fun as they had a sign in sheet and "podium girls"  just like they would for a real pro race!

Podium Girls + Todd

John signing in...

Race morning came early,  we had two options to get to the start of the race:  1) Ride our bikes down (9+ miles to get there), or 2) Ride the subway with our bikes.   The majority of our group chose the subway.   To give ourselves plenty of time, we woke at 4am and were on the subway by 5am.

Subway crew, bikes in hand

Good thing we gave ourselves plenty of time...we barely got to the bridge by 6:15 am, which is when you had to be there if you wanted to cross the start line.

Made it, only us and about 5,000 other riders!  

For the most part the ride got started without much of a hitch.   We were pretty far back on the bridge and it took us almost 15 minutes to cross the start line.   As with any race with a large number of participants, it was fairly slow going for the first 5-10 miles as thousands of riders tried to maneuver around the streets.   By 10 miles or so it started to spread out enough that you could start to go at a  pretty good clip.    Our large group separated almost right away.    We all generally go different paces to begin with but with that amount of people it was even easier to get lost in the crowd.    I was on a mission for the first 18 miles as I had to pee.   My goal was just to get to that first stop so I could use the bathroom, so I lost the group pretty quickly.

Found John at the first stop

I took my time at the first stop and waited for some of my friends to appear.   I almost gave up and then came across John and Tracy, they let me know everyone else had decided to skip the first stop.   After looking at my watch I decided I better get a move on so that I could keep on pace for the time goal.   The second segment was pretty uneventful and I rode the entire thing by myself.   Intermittently I would fall in with small groups, but I didn't stay with any group very long.   One thing I realized quickly is how many different countries/nations were there.   Many of the groups spoke languages I didn't recognize at all.   I found this pretty awesome though, that I was involved with such a widespread event.   It was fun too to fall in with some of the different groups and see how long I could draft, unfortunately most groups were either too fast or slow for me, but it did help to pass the time and gave me a quick segment to help balance out my first slower one.    The second stop came pretty quickly and I saw my friend Amy there, still no sign of anyone else.    Amy was taking her time, so I started off on the next segment by myself.

Found Amy!  Quick selfie!


The next segment of the ride was to include Little Bear Mountain.  At this point I wasn't trying to kill it, I knew I was still in the first half of the ride and there was still going to be a lot of  climbing after this point.   My goal really was to be around the same time I had for the IM Lake Tahoe bike course (8:50ish).    So I kept up what I thought to be a moderately easy pace.  Before I knew it, I reached the base of the climb!

Little Bear Mountain...to the left!

This was hands down the favorite part of my ride.   I LOVE mountain climbing.   I think once you realize you are going to be climbing for awhile and you settle into a pace, it isn't that bad and the views are generally spectacular!    Little Bear Mountain was no exception, the views were amazing and I just wish I would have gotten more pictures of it!

Practicing my camera skills and took a selfie on one of the climbs

Just one of many views on the way up Little Bear Mountain

Just prior to starting this climb I kept playing cat and mouse with another girl.   I had seen her several times already throughout the ride, she would pass me, I would pass her, etc.   I attributed it to the water stops and pacing.   But as we started up the climb, she latched onto my wheel and told me "I am going to thank you now, because you are going to help me to get up this hill."    I actually enjoyed the company and we chatted the entire 6 miles up the hill.   Her name was Suri, pronounced "Siri", she lived in Brooklyn, was married with 3 kids and this was her first century ride.    The conversation let me know that I was keeping a good pace, but it wasn't killing me.   Despite what I thought was a conservative pace, we passed a lot of people on this climb and shouted encouragement at many fellow cyclists who looked to be struggling.    It was even more enjoyable as Suri had on a long skirt over her riding shorts and we heard several men mutter that they had been passed by girls going up a hill and one even in a skirt!   Needless to say we were both extremely happy when we reached the top!

My new friend Suri, from Brooklyn

We parted ways soon after this, as we both found our groups of friends, but I know she finished.   I looked up the results at the end and Suri was in my AG group and finished about 30 minutes after me!  

Found Tani and Terri!

Terri left the mountain first and Tani and I stayed together for the full descent (which was a blast), but parted ways soon after that as Tani wanted to slow down and pace herself.    The middle section between 50 and 68 was definitely the hardest.   I struggled the most here and at one point had to pull over and use my inhaler again.   None of the climbs were as long as Little Bear Mountain but there were a lot of them, they seemed to go on forever,  and they were steeper climbs.   I saw 15-17% several times on my garmin and at one point 22% elevation.   It was rumored that there was even a 30% grade along this section.   I believe it, my legs and lungs were definitely hurting at this point.   I was very glad to finally reach the water stop at mile 68!   And I found Terri there as well.    She was having an awesome day and looked way better than I felt.   The next segment of the ride I just tried to keep her in my line of vision.   This worked really well until we reached the last water stop.   I had to pee (again) and she didn't.   So we parted ways and I knew that would be the last I saw of her until the end of the race.     But, at this point there was only about 20 miles left, so I was okay with that.  

If you look really closely you can see Terri riding away from me! 

 The last segment was mostly flat but there were a few segments that were still hilly.    I saw several people walking these, but I never got off my bike and kept moving forward.    Until I got a flat tire with 5k left on the course.    And I got frustrated,  I know how to change a tire, but for some reason I couldn't get the tire off my bike.   My  tired hands couldn't budge the tire lever.    As I stood there trying to figure out what to do, someone finally pulled over and offered to help.   His name was Nigel and he had one of the nicest smiles I had seen in a long time and he was really cute,  although, at first I thought he said his name was Angel (wouldn't that have been perfect).    Nigel had no trouble getting the wheel off and changed the flat for me.   He then accompanied me all the way to the finish to make sure I got there safely.    A great end to a fantastic ride.   And wouldn't you know it...he is also a triathlete and also from Brooklyn.

The "Finish Line"  this is where the clock was located, the actual finish line was a few miles away and we had to descend into a park area, but this is where they clocked the finish time.    My final time:  8:53:01, pleased with this especially given my leisurely stops and flat tire. 

Nigel and I at the finish! 

Terri and I at the finish area

Todd, Molly, John, Terri, Tracy, Steve and myself.    The rest of our crew had already finished and were on their way back to the B&B.  Incidentally, Steve killed the ride and had finished at noon.   The rest of us finished between 2-5pm.   Steve enjoyed alot of the free beer at the end of the race...he made up for me since I opted not to have any.


One bad thing about the end to this race is that we still had to ride our bikes more to get back to the subway system.  There was no shuttle service and we were on the opposite side of the river, which meant we still had to get back on our bikes, climb a really big hill to get out of the park, and go back over the GW bridge to get back to the B&B.  This gave us an additional 500 ft of climbing over 6 miles tacked on  to the end of our 100 mile ride...of course I had my garmin on for this segment!    I also used this time to work on channeling my inner Jeff Henderson, and take more shots from the bike.    We all made it, but it wasn't pretty and our legs definitely weren't happy.  

Terri and Molly, this time we had our gear as well.

Over the shoulder shot!    

Finally made it back to the bridge,  this time we rode the foot bridge back over the top.   We were able to catch some amazing views of the city this way as well!

All and all this was an incredible experience.   I would suggest it to any rider that would want to challenge themselves on a brutal course but have an amazing trip as well.    I would love to go back again another year, but approach it differently and actually race it to see what I could do.   As my friend Philip said earlier, this weekend was not about the bike, "this weekend has been about reconnecting with friends, getting a break from the stresses of daily life for a few days, and finding the peace and joy in our efforts regardless of the outcome."  

Price of GFNY:  $199

Price of Transportion:  $220

Price for Lodging: $300

Price for food/drinks:  $no idea

Total GFNY Experience:  Priceless

Spring Race Report 2014

It has been a busy year for racing already.   I have participated in several triathlons and a 10k race this winter and thought I would do a brief overview of each.   None of these were done to "race" and I had different reasons for doing each of them.   All of them have been a ton of fun and I have used them as training and not as actual racing. 

Delaware YMCA Tri

I signed up for this race because it was a fundraiser for some of my friend's kid's swim team.   It was a short indoor triathlon that consisted of 15 min pool swim, 15 min ride on a spinning bike and 15 min running around a track.    So each of these you just did what you could do in the time allotted.    The swim was nice, I had a lane to myself and at least for my heat, I think I had the fastest time.   I was just happy to beat my friend Kristen in this part of the race because I knew she was going to kick my ass during the rest of it.   And I was correct as she blew me away on the bike and the run.    The bike was done on a spinning bike,  I had a hard time with this as I couldn't seem to get the bike set up correctly for myself and I was uncomfortable the entire time I was on it.   I think I managed to average a 19mph pace but not sure how accurate it was as they were very basic spinning bikes. I thought this was pretty good until Kristen told me she averaged over 25 mph!      The run was done around a short little track (I believe 16 times around or something insane like that was a mile).   I made a game out of this as I knew Kristen could run circles around me.   So I challenged her to try to lap me 5 times.   She did this pretty easily,  so each time she passed me, I would tell her 7 times or 8 times to get her going.   I don't remember the final amount of times she passed me, but it was definitely a lot...she did awesome.   I was just happy to be running as I hadn't been back running too much since my injury last fall,  so really I had no goal other than to run without my ankle hurting...which I achieved.     All in all this was a fun little race and if they do it again next year, I will likely be there!

Kristen is the one in dark pink shirt and white hat out front,  I am behind her in blue, this was at the start of the run! 

 Instead of medals, we got finishers certificates!   Kristen almost placed first in the race, but actually got beat by an 11 year old girl!    I was not even in the top 10 finishers, but still a fun race!

Lifetime Indoor Triathlon

I originally wasn't going to sign up for this race as I am really trying to save money this year and keep a tight race schedule and at this point I had already figured out which races I wanted to do.   But, my friend Jessica begged me to sign up the day before as she had found out she was going to be the only girl in her wave and was freaking out about it.   So I caved and signed up for the race,  completely unprepared.   But once again, it ended up being a blast and I am glad Jessica talked me into it.    The Lifetime Tri has two different distances you can choose from:   1)  10 min pool swim, 30 min bike,  20 min run  or 2) 20 min pool swim, 60 min bike, 40 min run.    Of course Jessica had picked the longer of the two distances.   We shared lanes for the pool swim and Jessica and I shared a lane which was fun.   My goal was to swim 1,000m in 20 min.  I hadn't yet done this (most of my swims in the past were 30 sec to 90 sec slower than this) so thought I would challenge myself a little more here.   And I was able to do it with 15 sec to spare!   So very happy about the swim.    The bike was on a high tech spinning bike...so the resistance and cadence both changed the speed, which was nice and it measured watts as well.   I have no memory of how fast I was going.   They had the bikes out in the main area of the gym and I was too busy people watching and chatting with friends to notice my bike times.   And, my butt got really uncomfortable on this bike and I was out of the saddle quite a bit by the end.    The run was done on a treadmill and I did pretty well with it, fortunately I ended up next to Jessica for this one too and we chatted most of the time.   I did negative splits on the treadmill so last part of the run I wasn't chatting, but overall felt good.    I really didn't put alot of racing effort into this race (except the swim) and used it again for training and ended up having a blast!    I think if someone is new to triathlon and wants to get their feet wet prior to doing an outdoor event, this is definitely a good one and I would suggest it to others.  

Jessica and I on the treadmills! 

My friend Kim signed up to volunteer!  

Agoura Hills 10k

I had a score to settle with this race.   It is out in Santa Monica, CA and I had signed up for the same race 2 years ago, but ended up not being able to do it secondary to a stress fracture that year.   My sister lives in LA and does this race each year and has had a blast with it.   I wanted to do a race with my sister and it just so happened this race was happening the weekend we had picked for me to visit her this year.     I loved this race and would definitely do it again!   In fact, there is a half marathon that is also offered and I would consider that in the future as well.   The race is part of an entire race series offered...there are 2 different half marathons, a 10k, a 5k, and a fun kids run.   They all end in the same place and there is a mini-festival at the end.    This race is no joke though...it is a beautiful but very hilly area!     I originally was going to try to run with my sister and her friend Jane but Lora hadn't really been able to train much and Jane had just done a marathon the week before, so they were going to walk at least part of it.   I was itching to get out there and run, so they told me to go ahead without them.    My goal was to try and do the race in 1:05...I knew I was not in top racing form and it was really hilly, so I had a conservative time in mind.   The course starts out on a downhill, which was nice as it gives your legs a little time to warm up prior to going up hill.   There were relatively few flat areas on this course, you were either going up or down and there were some pretty steep hills.   I did end up having to walk one of the last ones,   it was easily a 12-14% grade and my asthma kicked in half way up the hill.   It took me a few minutes to calm it back down, but was able to pick up the pace after that.   My finishing time was 1:04:14...so met my goal!    I also ran back out onto the course and found Lora and Jane and was able to finish with them as well (although I took off my timing chip so I wouldn't mess that part up).   Loved being able to do that as well!  

Jane, Lora, and I at the finish. 

Finisher selfie!    

Miami University Triathlon

I signed up for this race because my cousin goes to school at Miami U and I thought it would be fun to go down to visit him and do a race while I was there.   My Aunt Debbie signed up as well, so I was looking forward to a fun weekend get away with family.    This race is a pool swim (400m) , then outdoor ride (13 miles) and run (5k).   I had never done a race like this and it had me a little nervous.   The pool swim is in 50 m pool and serpentine style, which means you start at one end and then swim up and down the lanes until you get to the other side of the pool for a total of 400m swim.   Also, it was going to be in the mid 40's at the start of the race so we had to figure out what to wear in the water that would also be worn on the bike, as there isn't anywhere to stop and change clothing in between.    I was a little freaked out trying to figure this out because after my Lake Tahoe experience, I didn't ever want to be too cold on the bike again!   

We went down the night before to have dinner with my cousin Ben.   That was pretty fun and Oxford is a pretty cool little college town.   Debbie and I stayed out at Hueston Woods Lodge though as all the hotels in town had already sold out for a variety of reasons.   Unfortunately as we headed out to the lodge we came up on flashing lights and stopped traffic.   After sitting there several minutes, I got out to see what was going on and found that a tree had fallen down across the road and a car was trapped underneath the tree.   There were already emergency equipment and cop cars out there trying to help the person out, but after assessing the situation we realized quickly that we wouldn't be getting through this point on the road anytime soon.    Getting to Hueston Woods from Oxford is pretty easy, but there really is only one route,  so we turned around and were able to eventually able to find another route, but it took extra time that we weren't expecting.   So, we got to sleep much later than expected that night.     

Race morning came way too early, but fortunately the road had cleared and we got back into town pretty early for the race.   My stomach was a mess though.   I am not sure if it was from eating poorly the night before, nerves, or lack of sleep, but my gut wasn't feeling great.   I was in the bathroom with dry heaves and GI issues 10 minutes prior to the start of the race.  Somehow I managed to get out of the bathroom and into the pool on time, but I was flustered and my stomach was still really nauseated.    Not my best swim, but I was able to complete it without any unfortunate GI accidents.   And, I loved swimming in a 50 meter pool, just wished I had been able to enjoy it more!  

It was cold running to T1 but I was able to dress quickly enough and was surprised that even with all the layers I put on that I was able to do it in under 5 minutes.   I was cold for the first 10 min of the bike, but warmed up quickly after that.   Bike was hillier than I was expecting and windier.    The nausea went away finally during the bike, but I felt slow and the legs heavy this ride.   I wasn't surprised with my slow bike split after I saw the results, but was disappointed as I felt I had worked harder on my cycling skills over the winter, but it sure didn't show up on this ride.    But, I had dressed warmly enough and ended up stripping off multiple layers prior to the run. 

The run was decent and went through campus, which I thought was quite pretty.   Normally the run is the hardest part for me and the most difficult.   But in this race it was where I felt the best and I did what I could while keeping my breathing in check.   And despite how crappy I felt this race, I was able to run a 29:38 5k, which isn't my fastest, but is pretty good for me, especially given how I felt earlier in the race.   

All in all, I liked the course and the thought this race was very well run.   It wasn't my day, unfortunately but I still enjoyed being able to spend time with my family and experiencing a new type of triathlon race course.    I thought the medal we got was pretty cool too!

My Aunt Debbie and I with our finishers medals!   We did it! 

So what is up next for me?  

1)  New York Gran Fondo   May 18th

2) Subway "Fresh Fit" Triathlon (formerly Wendy's) June 8

3) Mohican 70.3 June 22

4) Ironman Mont Tremblant August 17

The Tie that Binds

Is anyone else as stressed as I am these days?    Stress seems to come at me from all directions...work, family, training, friends, etc.   Some is good stress and some is not so good.    I was reminded during a run the other week how stress and how we handle it can affect workouts  and how our workouts can affect stress.   It is easy to forget how interchangeable they are to each other.   

 
Stress can affect all areas of our well being.    For me, exercise is one of the key things I do to help with stress relief, and most of the time a really good workout can help me to fell better, especially if I am more stressed.     However, there are times when I think the training I do and expectations I hold for myself while training can cause me even more stress.    And I think sometimes my "bad workout days"  are more likely a product of stress rather than me actually failing at the workout.  

 A few weeks ago I did a run out at Glacier Park.   I was really excited as the temps were at 30 degrees when I left work.    Sadly this was the warmest it had been in what had felt like months, and I was just happy that I wouldn't have to wear mulitple layers just to get out and run.    I also decided I needed a change in scenery which is how I ended out at Glacier.    Well, I didn't take one thing into consideration when dressing for this run...the wind.      I was already  grumpy that day as work had been very stressful for awhile, so I was also looking forward to the run to help relieve some stress.    Well, I realized pretty quickly into the run that I had underestimated the wind and under-dressed (after the run I looked at weather again and noticed real feel was 8 degrees).    The first half of that run was miserable.   I had a headwind, which was slowing me down, I was cold,  I also started to feel nauseated.   I was trying to be true to HR and it was reading higher than normal, which was causing me to slow down even more.    Needless to say, by the time I reached my turn around point, I was extremely frustrated by my speed, how shitty I was physically feeling on the run,  and how cold I was, how my body was failing me,  how I just wanted to have a good run,  the list went on and on.      Fortunately, with the turn around, the wind changed which helped improve my speed almost immediately.    I also started to feel warmer and the numbness in my arms started to go away from being so cold.    After about half mile I looked at my Garmin and noticed the HR wasn't tracking accurately.    So, I started fiddling with it to see if I could get it to work better.    And the HR kept getting lower (to 98) and I knew this wasn't right.   The HR monitor also started to get extremely uncomfortable and I could feel it chaffing me.    And I fiddled with it more.   It still wouldn't work and it felt like it was even more uncomfortable.  

And all the sudden I was pissed.    Pissed at my garmin for failing on me when I was trying so hard to do the right thing by staying in zone 2.   Pissed because it was chaffing me and causing discomfort.   Pissed because I was still cold and just mad that this winter has been so awful.    And all of the sudden I couldn't stand the HR monitor around me, constricting me,  making me even more angry.    And I wanted it off.    And so, during my run, I ripped it off, while running.    As soon as it was off I felt a HUGE relief.  It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.   And I took a huge breath, looked down at my watch, and immediately started laughing.    Even though I was holding the darn thing in my hand,   my Garmin was still reading 98 as my HR.     And then I realized something else, my running suddenly was feeling effortless,  and my last mile was the fastest (easy) mile I had done in years.    My body felt like it was gliding along and I could just feel all the tension melting away.    And the last 2 miles of that run were wonderful.   It confirmed my love for running and how it makes me feel good.    All was right in my world despite the horrible start to that run.  

And I realized something else.    I think the way I was handling my stress the past weeks prior to this run was not good.   I was internalizing everything, whether I could control it or not.   And it was affecting me.   Sleepless nights, poor eating, poor attitude, etc.    I think it definitely affected my run as well.    That internalizing had turned me into a real grump and my body was feeling this and instead of my run initially helping me, it was making my run even worse.   A good friend once told me that there are many things you can't control, but, you can control how you react  and your attitude towards the things you can and can't control.   I really think that when I ripped that HR monitor off my body, it really was symbolic to me of the things that can bind you and bring you down.    Once I was able to get rid of that tie, I felt infinitely better.     And I have been feeling better both physically and mentally since that run.   I will admit though, that I am still not speaking to my HR monitor and it is still laying on my counter top where I left it after that run.    So, my last few weeks have been done "stress free"  as I have not been wearing my HR monitor and have really been going by feel.   I am trying to do this more in life as well, and have to admit I have been feeling much happier!  

Speed

I am not fast.   Many people think that because I am an Ironman, that I am fast.  My fastest marathon was a 4:47 and change,   my fastest half 2:05:55, fastest 5k just a little over 27 minutes,  fastest IM 14:11:something.     I will probably never run the Boston Marathon or  qualify for the Kona Ironman unless I am still running in my 70's or I somehow qualify as a special interest story.   My "intervals" on the treadmill right now are slower than at least half of what my friends run at for an "ez" pace.       I don't know how many times I have. asked people to run/ride/swim with me, only to be told "you are an Ironman, there is no way I could keep up with you!"  

 My lack of speed  is something I have struggled with for a long time.    I was fast at one time in my life.    I think I was 6 or 7 years old.   I could outrun most of the boys in my class and all but one girl.    But that was only across the parking lot at recess.  Short sprints and I was a short, spry, little girl at that time.     As I got older and I grew taller, I seemed to become more awkward and I lost that speed.    By highschool I was mediocre at best, it seemed the taller I got, the slower I also got.     I struggled to keep up with almost all the girls during soccer practice, especially when we did the longer runs and conditioning.    The only person that was slower than me was the goalie and she outweighed me by a good 50-60 lbs and made it very obvious to everyone that she chose to be the goalie so she wouldn't have to run as much.

  Mostly it was my breathing that kept me from going faster,  I would get to the point that I would have to slow down because I just couldn't breath, and the only way to get over this was to go slower.   My coaches friends, etc  said I was out of shape and I just needed to try harder, train more, and I would get faster.    I, in turn got more frustrated with my lack of speed, despite training, and trying as hard as I could, and eventually I stopped playing soccer my senior year.    I was so disappointed with my performance the first week of conditioning that I quit and decided there were other things I could do instead.    I did go back to playing soccer but only intramurals while in college and then after college.     But that lack of speed still plagued me.    In my mid 20's more of my friends started running and training for 5k's, 10k's and even half marathons.    They would ask me to join and for awhile I refused.   In my mind I was slow, running was hard and I didn't want to do races just to remind me of this.  I could do short sprints across the soccer field, but not much beyond that.      I ran on my own to keep fit for the soccer leagues I was playing in, but I was very frustrated that I couldn't seem to get past the 2 mile mark without feeling like I was going to die.    So to do a 5K?   Nope, impossible, I couldn't do it.

  I did finally relent and did the Komen 5k with a group of friends and I had to walk at least half of it.    I tried to keep up with them for a bit, and as typical I faded and eventually had to stop and walk.    Eventually one of my friends asked if I had ever checked my heart rate when running.   Why would I do that?    I remember thinking.    And the concept of pace was born...up to that point I really had no concept of pace.   Whenever I ran, it really was all out and I would quite literally run until I really couldn't anymore.    When I finally checked my HR on one of those 2 mile runs, I was at my max heart rate most of the run.  D'oh!    And wouldn't you know it, when I slowed down and kept my heart rate lower I was able to run longer and it felt easier.    So when the boy I mentioned in a prior blog asked me to try another 5k, I decided this time I could.  My goal was to finish it without having to walk.    And I did it.     But it was still frustrating because I was so much slower than all of my friends at that time.     Fortunately though, I kept at it, tried new things and kept pushing forward.   I set goals for myself...for awhile it was just to beat 35 min for a 5k  then 30min, etc.  Little by little I was getting a smidge faster.   And this helped me to  build enough confidence to try out longer distances and other events.    

The first half marathon I did was bittersweet.   I did it is part of a Relay for the Columbus Marathon.    My friend and I signed up for it together,  I for the first half, she for the second.     She was an experienced runner but we lived in different parts of the city, so we didn't train together.    Instead I trained with my roommate at the time and another of our friends who also signed up for the Relay.    I could start out with them and hang for a mile or 2 but after that I would have to slow down.    It got very lonely for me pretty quickly and I didn't look forward to those runs.   But, knowing my friends would be waiting for me at the end of the run, kept me moving forward and helped me to continue the training each week.     A few weeks prior to the race, my friend got sick and ended up having to have surgery on one of her kidneys.    We both worried that we would have to drop from the race...her medically, me because she couldn't do it.   Fortunately the race directors let us pick a substitute and my friend's Dad was also a runner, so he came down and did the race with me in her place.     Up to this point that race was the hardest thing I had ever done and I gave it my all.    But it was somewhat disappointing because instead of crossing an actual finish-line and rejoicing in my training and all my efforts,  I ended in a chute where the relay team handed off the timing chip.     I walked over to the finish area and waited for my teammate to arrive.    And I was very jealous that I wasn't the one crossing that line.   But it was still a defining moment for me because I realized that no matter how many doubts I had about things, I could still do something if I put my mind to it.    And I knew I would do another because I wanted to be able to see what it would feel like to cross that finish line!

The next spring I did another half marathon and did get to experience that wonderful feeling of finally crossing that finish-line.    I continued to do more races and train for my first marathon.    But I struggled with getting faster and trying to "PR" my half marathon time.    My first was still my fastest.      Several half marathons in I  had another defining moment.   I really wanted a PR this race and so I had tried to pick up the pace again.   By mile 8 I was walking because I was wheezing.   Frustrated, I started crying because I knew this wasn't going to be my PR race.   The rest  of the run was a combo of run/walking.   I tried to pick up the pace again the last half mile.    I was so short of breath by the time I finished that I actually thought about stopping at the med tent to ask if they had any oxygen.   A fellow runner was chatting with me on the way out of the corrals and I couldn't do anything but nod because I was still very short of breath.   It took me quite awhile to calm down my breathing and I was also having difficulty holding onto stuff and I kept dropping things.    Fortunately I had come with my boyfriend at the time and he drove me home.   I kept telling him I was fine, but I knew deep down that it wasn't.    Shortly after this I went to the physician and unloaded about the race, my struggles with racing, speed, etc.    She finally suggested I get tested for asthma.    Asthma?   This had never crossed my mind.  Asthma is something that lands you in the hospital, can cause you to die.   I had several cousins with asthma and they had to do breathing treatments, etc and couldn't exercise because of the asthma.    But my physician suggested that it could be exercise induced and not full blown asthma and pushed me to get tested.    So I went to a physician that specializes in Allergies and Asthma and got tested.   He expected me to pass that regular testing and explained that when I did, they would send me on to do the additional testing to diagnose exercise induced asthma.     Only I didn't pass the regular test,  I was only functioning at about 80% and he had me do an albuterol treatment and retest.   Diagnosis:  Asthma.  I was stunned.   I went home with a script for two inhalers, a maintenance inhaler that was a steroid that I would do 2 puffs/2 x a day and a rescue inhaler, which my physician suggested I do prior to every aerobic workout.      And a weird thing happened,   my workouts started to feel a little easier, and I finally was able to do more without feeling so winded.   

Through the years, I have obviously been able to conquer alot more than just a half marathon.    I have now completed 4 IMs,   4 half IMs, 2 marathons,  >25 half marathons and countless other races.     I have also been able to successfully improve my asthma scores to the 99% range and am now down to 1 puff 2 x/day on my maintenance inhaler and I no longer need to do my rescue inhaler before every work out.    I only use it now prior to a really intense workout or if I actually need it during a workout.     My asthma doc has told me I am his favorite patient as  I am one of the few success stories.  He said what most don't realize is that by continuing to exercise, the asthma can actually get better, I am living proof of that.   But, he said, most of his patient's use it as an excuse not to workout instead.    I am hoping that one day he can use me to inspire more of his patient's but for now I am just happy that my lungs are improving and each time I go back we continue to monitor and change my medicines.    I am by no means cured,  and I hope that one day I can get off the meds entirely, but for now I will do what I can do.   

Through the years I have also done additional testing for V02 max and HR zones.    These tests have been very helpful in preparing me for the longer distance events.    I am still slow, but I realized that I can go on for a long time.   And I realized I am doing what is safe and what is right for my body.  I still struggle with that, but I have to accept that I can only do what my body is capable of doing and these tests have helped to guide me to a much safer approach with my training.   I am more accepting now of my body's speed limitations because I have been able to succeed in so many more events and races.    

   I am what I consider myself to be a middle or back of the packer.   But I also see it as an opportunity to get my money's worth.   We pay alot for these races...this way I get to spend ample time out on the course enjoying what I pay for these days!    I also love it because it allows me to meet other runners.   The newbies, especially hold a special spot in my heart.    And I love that I can help them,  motivate them, give advice, inspire.    I think because I am slower, it gives others hope that they can do amazing things too.   When I think about my heroes in the endurance world, it is not the leaders of the events but rather the common folk that inspire me.    Sure, Chrissie Wellington, Crowie,  Ryan Hall, Kara Goucher, etc are all amazing to watch.   But they don't inspire me.    To me they are gifted athletes that were born with a certain amount of talent, something I will never have.  I can't even begin to comprehend what their world is like and although they are amazing athletes, they have never inspired me to do more.     The ones that inspire me are the ones that have overcome huge obstacles to complete races:  Jon Blais,  Rudy Garcia Tolsen,  Sarah Reinersten, Team Holt to name a few.    Their stories are the ones that I love, that inspire, that bring me to tears, and make me want to do more myself.     Each have overcome obstacles in their lives and accomplished amazing things.    To me, these are the ones that inspire  me to reach out of my comfort zone and try things that I never thought were possible.     This past year especially, I have finally started to be at peace with my "slowness."     For most of my life my biggest dream has been to inspire people.     It wasn't until more recently that I realized that I don't need to be fast to inspire people( which is what I have always thought).    In fact, quite the opposite, by being "slow"  I think I have the means to inspire more people.     I hope that by telling my story, my struggles, my successes, and my failures, that I can help more people to dream bigger, reach further, and be at peace with their "speed demons."  

    

Roar

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU??

Such a simple phrase but one I feel like I have asked and been asked a thousand times.   What motivates you to sign up for an Ironman?   More important what motivates you to keep going back to more Ironman events?    How do you stay motivated to train when it is a frozen tundra outside and sunny skies and warm weather are a distant memory?    How do you motivate yourself for a 5 hour sufferfest on this thing they call a  bike trainer?   How do you motivate yourself to keep going on a really tough climb?    How did you stay motivated enough to finish the world's toughest Ironman event at Ironman Lake Tahoe?   How do you motivate yourself for a 3 hour long run, by yourself, in 90 degree weather?    How do you motivate yourself to get off the couch and go to the pool on a 5 degree weather day?     How do you motivate yourself to put on this skintight, non flattering piece of clothing they call a trisuit?     The list is endless and could be adapted to any situation.    Mental Toughness in my opinion, is an often overlooked aspect of training and is one of the most important things behind motivation.      

Everyone is motivated by different things.   It is what drives us day in and day out.   At work.  At home.   At play.    But especially in the world of healthy living and exercise.   There are lots of reasons that people exercise...to stay fit, to lose weight, to gain a better body,  to fight depression, to be able to go to Northstar after a long run and not have to justify it,  to not  feel so guilty about the bottle of wine  that you consume each week, to race, to compete,  for a mental break,  to get outdoors,   to keep moving, to stay happy.     And often times it is a combination of many of these things.    Getting motivated to sign up for an Ironman was actually the easy part.   Just like signing up for a new exercise class, starting out fresh with new resolutions each year,  signing up for a 5k,  these things, although scary at first, are actually easier.   Initially, as with most new things, there is excitement, maybe a little fear, but it is normally a good thing.    You tell your friends, your spouse, your parents, your kids.    And although there maybe some doubt, most will support you and help you to start whatever this new event in your healthier lifestyle is.   The hard part is sticking with it.    When the excitement wears off.    When the weather sucks.   When the bike course becomes really challenging.   When you start to get tired.   When doubt or boredom kicks in.    That is when mental toughness comes into play.    That is when you really need to figure out how to motivate yourself.    

 A few years ago, I was on an 85 mile  bike tour out in the Granville/Utica area with a group of friends.    The majority of the group was much faster than me and I knew going into that ride that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group.   I also knew it was going to be a long day in the saddle as it was a hilly ride and I am even slower on my bike with hills than I am on flat ground.  And as I expected the majority of the group got away from me, and although they waited for me at alot of the stops,  I rode the better part of the ride alone.  But, I knew I had to pace myself so I wouldn't blow up midway into the ride when the hills would be at their worst.   A little over half way into the ride we got to the most challenging part of the course.   It was a very steep section of hills that seemed to go on forever.   As I got near what I thought was the end of a hill and what I thought was the end of any leg power I had left,  I turned and realized the hill was still going on a bit longer.    I had misjudged it.    But, I was determined that day, I wasn't going to stop on any hills.   I dug deep and I kept going.    And I passed one of my friends who had pulled off the side of the road.   Crying.  Defeated.  Beaten down.   She had misjudged as well, but her brain said no more.    I meant to call out to her but it came out as more of a grunt.  Keep going.    I could tell by looking at her that she was physically fine, maybe not so mentally.    She did get back on her bike, and eventually she caught back up to me.    How do you do it?  She asked.   What?    I responded.    How do you keep going when it is so challenging.

     


My friend was training for her first Ironman.   She was at the point in training where you are exhausted, mentally done,  and just ready to race.   She had done a century ride the weekend prior, was supposed to do another one the day of this ride, and then she would be ready for taper.    I could tell at this point that she had given up.   My motivation?   What keeps me moving forward?    My phrase.   Because I CAN.   During the toughest times of my training I focus on those who can't:     My father who has Parkinson's and gets fatigued just walking a few hundred yards.   My friends that have passed away from cancer.   My friends that are fighting cancer or another disease and are too sick to train.   My injured friends.   My friends and family that are too busy with the rest of their lives to be able to do what I do.   I am lucky to be able to do what I do.   And I remind myself of that as much as I can.   No matter how difficult the workout, no matter how slow I am,  I am very fortunate that I can do this training that I love (most days).    We did get to the end of the ride.  It was as tough as I imagined it was going to be.    And I knew my friend was going to stop at 85 miles with the rest of us and call it a day.   And I knew she couldn't.    So when we got back to the cars, I told her we were going back out.   Boy was she surprised.    And resistant.   But, mentally she needed to do this.   So I drug her back out, pretty much kicking and screaming, and we finished 100 miles.   I told her that as defeated as she felt by this ride,  finishing it would be more important for her mentally than any of her good days.   Why?   She asked.   Because an Ironman is not easy.   There will be a point where you doubt yourself, but you have to keep moving forward, your mind will give up before your body.   The tough days that you finish in training are ones that make you stronger on race day.    I am pretty sure she didn't believe me.   But she went on and did her Ironman a few weeks later.   And we talked after, and she told me I was right.

Mental toughness is something you have to practice as well.    My Coach Tim Barrett of  Power of One Coaching  recently wrote an excellent article about mental part of training.   It was published by USAT and can be found here.   I have used several of these techniques myself with training and when preparing for a big race.    As with most things though, I could probably utilize them more.

     Because of my work schedule I do the majority of my training alone.  I think about many different things during my workouts:  food, what I look like swimming, what the person in the next lane looks like,  am I faster than that said person,  how is my form, how is  my breathing,  how my body feels, my next workout, just to name a few.   But I also practice race scenarios in my head.     Some days I envision myself at a race and how I want to feel.   I will do it on the bike, the swim, the run.  I envision myself executing the perfect swim stroke, gait pattern when running or aero position on the bike, .  I practice my finishers pose in my head and  I will daydream about how awesome I will look when I come across that finish line.   Some days I feel so tired I am not sure I can workout.   With fatigue, I really have to evaluate this and I give myself some latitude.   Sleep is as important as training, especially when it comes to recovery.    There are definitely days that I have skipped a morning or evening workout to get more sleep instead.    Lacking in sleep can lead to injury, illness, and mental breakdown.   To me, it is worthwhile to get a few extra hours of sleep if I really need it to ward off long term problems that can arise from lack of sleep.   I would rather train healthy and make it to the start of a race, rather than get injured or ill and lose out on a race (which has happened all too much in the past).   So, I don't beat myself up if I miss a day of training here or there to sleep.   If it starts to become more of the norm, then an intervention might be needed.    There are some days that I really can't tell,  I am tired,  cranky, in general just blah.    On these days it can be especially hard to get motivated.   I have the 10 minute rule for these days.    I give myself 10 minutes to exercise.    Start whatever that activity is and give it 10 minutes.   If I still am not feeling it after 10 minutes, I give myself permission to stop.    Thus far, I have finished every workout I started.  

 I also use music a lot to help me train.  When I run, I look forward to listening to music.   I love it.   I use it as a reward, but I also use phrases in songs to help keep me moving.  On the bike or in the water I sing to myself.  Sometimes out loud, sometimes just in my head.     Each year seems to be a different song, but I normally will pick out a few phrases and sing them or say them when I am at a difficult part of a workout.   "Stronger."  "Lose Yourself."  "Defying Gravity."  "Pride."   Very different songs, but all have given me motivation over the years.     And I won't lie, sometimes I just sing whatever happens to pop into my head.   "Party in the USA", unfortunately,  has been with me on many rides.    During IMAZ 2009 "Just Keep Swimming"  was my theme.   I just changed the words to whatever activity I happened to be doing at the time and made up words as I went along because the more tired I got, the less I could remember the words to the song.    This year "Roar"  by Katy Perry was my song.   I will admit when I first heard it, I thought it was dumb.   But the more I heard it, I started listening to the lyrics and the song hit home.

"You held me down, but I got up

Already brushing off the dust

You hear that voice, You hear that sound

Like thunder gonna shake the ground

You held me down, but I got up

Get ready 'cause I've had enough

I see it all I see it now

I've got the eye of the tiger, the dancer, dancing through the fire

Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar!! "

Perfect for an Ironman.   And my IMLT group embraced it as well.   It became our anthem and anytime it was on the radio that week, we blasted it, and sang with it!!    And I sang it almost nonstop that day when I was out on the bike course. There was one segment on the bike course that I almost gave up.   I had calculated the time in my head and I was sure that I was going to miss the cut off.   But I didn't.   And at that time I had to make the decision to push myself as hard as I could to get to T2,  or slow down and be done with it,  I was close enough to the cutoff time that I knew a few minutes could make or break me.   And I thought of this song, this phrase.   And I knew I couldn't give up.   I wanted to be a champion and I wanted to have people hear me roar!   

    In training for Ironman Lake Tahoe, Coach Tim and I talked often about how I was going to prepare for this race mentally.    We both knew this would not be an easy race for me.   Lake Tahoe sits at 6,200 ft of elevation,  Dublin sits at about 800ft,  my schedule wouldn't allow for me to go out early to adapt or train at altitude.   The bike had 8,000k of climbing and this would be the first IM I would attempt without having ridden at least part of the course or seen in advance to know how to train for it.  In essence, I would be going into this race blindly. Add the fact that I have asthma to the mix and you have the biggest challenge I had ever signed up for in my life.  The physical training we could do, and we had a solid plan in place.   But, I knew I would need something even more to help me to dig deep, to keep going, to motivate me during this race.   Coach Tim kept asking who is your  "Power of One?"    I thought alot about my phrase "Because I Can" and I kept thinking about all the people in my life that had passed away,  especially two guys that had inspired me so much  in the past years with their stories, their battles with cancer.    I was not creative enough to come up with a jersey or anything, but I thought if I had something personal to take with me on that day to remind me of them, it would help.   And somehow I came up possibly wearing one of Jeff's running hats.   I knew that part of the race would be hardest for me.   So I contacted his widow, who fortunately still had some of his things, and she said absolutely, I could wear one of his hats.  And I did just that. I used that hat to honor all of those that can't do the type of thing I do, to honor the memory of both Jeff (who passed away in 2012)  and Cory (who had died earlier in the year), and  also to honor all of the others in my life that had passed away.  And it was a huge help.   Very few knew that I did that.   But I knew.   And I knew both Jeff and Cory were with me that day to help me get through that day.  I needed Cory on the bike to get over those hills and Jeff on the run to keep me moving forward.   And they didn't disappoint.    Although, I probably should give a little credit to Katy Perry as well, for her well spoken words that influenced me in "Roar".      My ability to finish that race had everything to do with the preparation and hard work I put into training...both physical and mental.   

   "Cause I am a Champion and You're  Gonna Hear me Roar!"