Feeling IM Love

Have had some really great congratulations - emails, texts, FB messages, phone calls, vm's, and even some beautiful gifts.  The experience was gift enough! 

Thank you to all who have reached out in one way shape or form!  It is all wonderful. 

Tonight, some of my tri buddies had a party/dinner for me and Doreen.  Thank you Ashley and Tara, for hosting us :)  And to Derek, Ken, Bridget, and Caitie for coming to hear about our experiences and share in the excitement.  Ash is the best and so creative and made us a fabulous cake!

This was just tonight.

The day after the race, my parents and friends gave me cards and beautiful jewelry that I love.  I have been wearing them everyday since the race :)  A reminder to me of the experience, and has been so great as I have a rough introduction to reality this week.  I LOVE them - thanks everyone, and especially Mom, Dad, Aunt Mimi and Jean Ann!

The other surprise this week was when my neighbors and good friends decorated my car!  Samantha, I'm guessing this was mostly you (but didn't want to take any credit away from Sam).  Thanks for telling me that the world needed to know about my accomplishment, and that I'm an Ironman ;)  

Can't say it enough, thanks to all of the selfless things to all who have done something for me, I continue to be moved!

Comic Relief in IM

Before I forget the things that made me smile on raceday, there were a lot of great signs out there.  Wish I had pictures of them.  Here are some of my favorites:

"I wanna put your goo in my bento box!"

"If Ironman were easy, it'd be called your Mom."

"Go Fast and Hard!"
(Next sign 10 feet later) "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!"

"We're drunk." (Next to a pile of empty cans)

"Bears aren't the only ones who go in the woods." (So true)

(In reference to the "3 bears" aka the 3 big hills on the bike course into town)
"Goldilocks was a pussy"

Andrea Griffith, YOU are an Ironman!

I am an Ironman...those words are still amazing to me and put a HUGE smile on my face!!! :)  To hear Mike Reilly say "Andrea Griffith, YOU are an Ironman!" was invaluable.  But to make it even better was to cross that finish line and know that I did it; that I swam 2.4 miles in Mirror Lake, biked 112 miles in the heat and with crosswinds, and that I ran/walked 26.2 miles with a wiped body to cross the finish line and become an Ironman!  This was the culmination of everything I worked so hard for in the past year.  Since July 25, 2011, this was my goal and focus.  I can hardly believe it has been accomplished.

Race day was a day of so many ups and a couple downs for me, in true Ironman fashion.  From waking up after a night of little sleep (to be expected), in retrospect I'd set a meeting place and organize a little better in the morning.  Making a checklist for morning last minute things was a good plan.  Not having a set spot to meet Doreen was a little hectic.  But to make it all positive, I had a number of nice messages I woke to.  And my family made shirts for me :)  "Go Team Andrea" on the front, and "Taking Care of Business" on the back - perfect.  A nice surprise as I nervously headed out to the race start!  (Awesome "tough" face for pic btw.)

I could definitely have planned/packed nutrition better for my T1 and T2 bags and any special needs bags.  Really need to not overpack, and utilize real foods on the course.  Also, allot more time for transition checks, bag drops and bathroom time.  Everything is walking distance, but there are 2700 people out there with you so it's a little hectic.

Finally, found Doreen when leaving transition and breathed a sigh of relief to see my partner and then Mike, Amanda and Erica, who all walked down with me after my parents said goodbye and good luck to me.  Was nice to run into a couple other familiar, smiling faces on the way to the swim start.  Knowing so many people at Placid was spectacular. 

The scene on the beach was beautful.  Everyone working out nerves and squeezing into wetsuits, about to all embark on the journey we have been training for the past year.  The first cannon sounded as the pro wave started at 6:50 am.  After the wetsuits were on and flip flops ditched, that meant 10 minutes until race time.  Then the national anthem, which always makes me cry as it is (ever since Jer's deployment).  I was welling up as it wrapped up and everyone loudly cheered then turned to Doreen and saw the same.  We hugged in a tearful embrace as we said "I love you and good luck, that our day is here."  This guy nearby told us to stop as we were getting him emotional lol.  The plan was to wait for the cannon to go off holding to the back, and then count to 30 before we started swimming.  It was chaos as I watched most of the 2700 athletes take off, knowing I was soon to follow.  Mike Reilly said this is one of the most amazing starts to athletic competition, and he was absolutely right.  As OAR's "Love and Memories" wrapped up and U2's "It's a Beautiful Day" began, I smiled and tried to not fog up my glasses with more tears.  One more quick hug and some mental talk, "Andrea, this is your day."  Then, one stroke at a time.

The Swim
Didn't take long to come up to what was undoubtedly the most crazy swim of my life.  I was definitely hit, scratched and kicked more times than combined in all of my other races almost instantaneously as I made my way across the start line.  But I stayed calm, told myself I was ok and I was.  In retrospect, this was something else I'd do differently.  Good to hold off on starting, but should've placed myself more to the outside.  Rather, I was stuck swimming close to the buoys where the magical string is that many try to swim over.  As I gained distance, we spread out and I felt better as I moved more to the right and kept the buoys on my left (backwards from many races).  As I turned to swim back to the shore on the first lap, I found myself right next to Doreen and smiled to myself.  Got out to run across the timing mat to conclude 1.2 miles, and told myself to keep the solid pace I had for the second lap.  I was shocked to know I was swimming a good, fast pace for me.  The second lap was more spread out, and seeing the finish line from a couple buoys out was a beautiful site.  I fastly swam to the beach, feeling very victorious.  As I was "stripped," I thought you did it, you got out of the water!  And was shocked at my time.  After some very slow swims at the end of training, I had ended in 1:32 which I was thrilled about!  And then, I hear "Hi friend!" and see Doreen.  A great end to the swim.

The run to transition was so great - I loved the cheers and saw my friends just as I was about to enter transition.  As I passed, I heard "Andrea, you had an awesome swim!" and I was so happy.  Ran in to grab my bag and see a friendly face in Doreen's friend Lori, and then got to transition next to Doreen.  Another note, I need to remember to pack a towel - luckily, friends share towels (even after we use them on our feet) ;) 

The Bike
Started to bike to see the rest of my family, and then Aunt Wendy and Grandmom as I flew past Lisa G's onto the course.  Felt strong and took in all of the scenery.  Looked at the signs, and there were some good ones!  Thanked the volunteers and took the hills conservatively.  The last 20 miles of the 56 mile loop are the hardest, and were when the wind really picked up as did the heat.  Came through the halfway point feeling good.  Got emotional as I came to the top of the last "bear" as so many people were out cheering for us athletes.  Was happy to hand off Ruby to a volunteer as I ate my snickers and shamlessly reapplied some DZ Nuts Bliss butt butter (in public, the volunteer said everyone was so I felt it was acceptable!).  Packed my secret weapon of salt and vinegar chips in my bento box, grabbed some other fuel and asked for help reapplying sunscreen and was off in just a few minutes.  Just about 2 miles later, I came out of town to Lisa G's to see all of my cheer squad and flashed huge smiles and waves to them!!

Lap 2 of the bike was tough.  I saw more friends and paced, but it only got hotter and the wind more difficult to pedal against on the flat parts of the course where I was hoping to gain time.  Was diligent on taking in salt, drinking and eating.  I think I need to eat more real food, and more frequently in the future.  By the time I got to the 85 mile mark, I wasn't feeling fantastic.  Kept dumping water on me to keep cool, and just tried to take each hill as it came.  Everyone looked to be slowing down so I tried to stay positive, cheer and talk to others out there and of course the volunteers.  I found a friend here who ended up playing some "tag" with me.  I'd pass her on the hills, and then she'd fly down the small downhills and power through the flats.  We kept telling one another "tag, you're it" to help pass some time.  The last couple miles were really difficult.  I found myself crying for the last 2 of the 112 mile ride.  Started as I finished the "3 bears" hearing the crowd support, but couldn't stop.  Part of it was extreme happiness and pride, part of it was feeling very tired and some worry about the marathon.  I was happy to hand Ruby off (for good) and give my sit bones a rest!  Another great split, 7:13 for my 112 tough miles with only one full stop and 4700+ feet of climbing! 

As I walked/ran into transition, the tears kept coming.  Seeing Lori's familiar face made me keep them flowing, but she was kind enough to take me into a seat in the shade and give me a few minutes to cool down and relax.  I knew I could do it, but was frustrated with how I felt.  Had a bad headache and my stomach didn't feel great.  Dumped some cool water on my head before changing and getting organized.  Another lesson here, make a list of all I definitely want to remember to grab or pack as I forgot chapstick and wanted it soon after.  I was told a lot of people were coming in sick and taking a long time in transition, that the conditions on race day were tough even for veterans.  Helped to know it wasn't just me.  My Dad later told me that he noticed I took a "15 minute break" in between my bike and run, haha a good way to describe it.  Feeling a little down, I left and told myself to take it slow.

The Run
Started running down Main St and saw Erica, and soon after Mike joined me and then the rest of my crew.  Told him honestly I wasn't feeling super, but tried to put a smile on my face as I approached aid station #1 and Derek.  Everyone cheered me on and Mike said to relax and I had plenty of time.  I knew in a couple miles I'd see Amanda out on River Road.  Had to make 2 porta potty stops as my stomach was feeling it.  Found it very difficult to hold down any gels or food.  I didn't get sick, but felt like I might.  So the nutrition plan had to be altered.  Got down a couple Shot Blocks, but was unable to take any gels.  Found Amanda who was there at the perfect time to try to distract me and get me back to being positive.  I know she could tell I was struggling, but she said to stick with it and to not worry about anyone but me.  I personally felt down as I was walking way early on, and didn't plan to except through aid stations until the second lap.  You can't control everything about how you are going to feel on race day, unfortunately.  I left Amanda and ran another 6 and through the turnaround point.  Doreen caught up to me, and we ran a little together.  I told her she looked great and to go have her race, and she had a fantastic marathon.  I am so proud of her!

I made some friends, Melissa and Tracey who were also run/walking earlier than planned.  It was nice to talk to other people going through the same things as me.  I only met more and more of these people as the day went on.  As I still couldn't eat, I had to do something to get calories.  Everyone always said to use the Coke so that become plan b.  My plan of using the "magicial" and highly recommeded "flat Coke" turned out to be a lifesaver.  Every aid station I took a glass of water and Coke.  Regularly kep taking salt.  I was staying pretty hydrated.  


As I found Amanda close the the first big uphill, she told me that I was doing great and that the second half of my marathon I'd get that good race karma that was due to me after helping during the bike crash I witnessed early in the week.  She left me as I found Mike and shockingly my Mom who had come out on the course to help give me a boost.  They ran with me into town, and Mom as long as she could.  "You are doing great" were nice words to hear, even if I was slightly disappointed.  As I approached the rest of the crew, Amy jumped in to join me as I turned down some chips Joe offered me.  


Mike and Amy walked me up the big hill onto Main St, right by a paraplegic athlete in a recumbant bike doing the whole race with only his arms.  Talk about inspirational and making me feel more frustrated!  But I cried as I cheered him on, and tried to suck the crowd's energy.  Did the out and back as Amy told me she had heard from TJ, her friend who sent me good luck notes and won Placid last year.  TJ said to tell me "you're doing great and have plenty of time" - awesome words to hear and take in.  And then, I see Todd P, my coach.  He cheered for me and after asking how I was and bluntly telling him this wasn't my best run, he said "just keep moving forward, you can do it."  And I told him that was the plan. 

Amy said I was doing better and looked great, I thanked her as she left my side after the most we've ever run together and Mike joined in again.  He said "you are making great time and are doing great" and as I saw my crew, I smiled again.  Then Pete jumped in to help carry me a bit further.  He said "I'm here to help you with whatever you need, babe" and it was much appreciated.  As we found Amanda, I finally started to find my stride.  


I started to feel like I could get some stronger efforts in, and Amanda and Pete said they noticed.  Was nice to hand my handheld to them (don't need one in the future I think).  The clouds came out and the sun was setting, perfect aid for my race.  I asked them for alone time and left to see some familiar faces on the out and back, and make more new friends.  Like Eric, whose wife got pulled after the bike but kept going because his daughter wanted to see him finish.  His sister-in-law was still going despite walking her whole marathon due to rheumatoid arthritis.  Another inspiring story as we passed her after the turnaround.  I passed Eric, and he later passed me closer to the finish as he gave me a quick pound and we cheered each other on.  Comradery of the sport is so special.  I also passed my tag buddy who was struggling after a stronger run start than me.  A quick cheer and wave to her.  As I passed Melissa and then Tracey passed me, I couldn't help but think of all the people I shared the day with that were brand new (and those are just to name a few). 

Amanda and Pete greeted me just before we left River Rd for the last time to climb the first big hill into town.  I told them this was officially the furthest I'd ever run as they told me we were at 21 miles.  Amanda told me I looked stronger every time she saw me and was definitely having a better second half.  She said Mike was just up the hill onto Main St and everyone else staked out a good spot at the finish.  I asked my support crew to leave me by Lisa G's, just as we passed the house with the lights in the shape of the M-dot logo.  A big smile for all the fans staying out there in the dark to not only cheer for all of us nearing the finish line, but those just starting their second loops.  After one last "great job and finish strong!" I was alone to run the last bit of the longest 5k of my life.  I had been so thankful of all the volunteers, especially on the way back of the second loop.  


In town, I flashed huge smiles to all who cheered me on and even was able to laugh at the drunk guys.  Lots of high fives and cheers for #473!  Power walked my way up the final two hills onto 86 and Main St and then saw Mike on the sidelines waving an Ironman towl with his cutoff Go Team Andrea shirt.  He waived me over with a loud cheer, and grabbed me to give me a huge kiss.  He told me to finish this and he'd see me at the finish line.  I almost welled up as I smiled again and continued on the last 1.5 miles on the out and back on Mirror Lake Dr, a stretch that seems like forever when you are so close.  I see Doreen and our friend Todd I was able to ride and run with briefly.  We cheer each other on and high five.  I find myself running even more as I feel the excitement and can hear the loudness inside the Oval.  I hit the final turnaround and keep moving.  I remembering hearing "We Found Love" and being happy, forcing myself to down some more Coke and then seeing Main St in the distance.  I picked up the pace, after a brief walk, trying to ensure I'd have enough for a strong finish. 

Now I can't stop smiling as the lights hit my face and I enter the Oval!  The crowd is going crazy for all of us athletes, and I thought to myself "Ok, you've worked your ass off so now there is no way in hell you are going to share your finish picture with anyone so move it!"  And that I did, I magically picked up my pace to run faster than I had all day.  I hear friends and family cheering my name, and then come to the straightaway to the actual finish line.  I sprint and remember thinking you are doing it, this is the culmination of an unforgetable day and journey...and then I hear it, "Andrea Griffith, you are an Ironman!!!"  Throwing my arms up victoriously, I bask in the glory that is stunning, barely being able to comprehend that I did it :)

In a daze, Erica calls my name and I jump into her arms as my "catcher" - and then the tears start flowing down both of our faces as I tell her I did it and she says "yes you did!"  Then I see my family and friends, and Doreen says "stop hogging her!"  We hug and tell each other how happy we are, and then Derek medals me and it's tears and smiles and hugs all around as everyone else makes their way to the fence!

I hug all of the amazing people there for me: my parents, Mike, Erica, Amanda, Amy, Joe, Pete, Cheryl, Aunt Wendy, Grandmom, Aunt Mimi, Jean Ann and then see Jenny, Jerry and Doreen's family.  And last but not least, Dave and Bernadette and I cry some more as I truly think it doesn't get any better than this!

They pop some champaign as I take only a sip and take a giant Team Andrea picture, glorious :)  Erica made me eat a piece of pizza, only thing I could get down until much later.  After Aunt Wendy got me home and I showered, I couldn't help but continually thank everyone for sharing my special day with me.  I couldn't imagine not having them there, and they were all amazing to me.

Everyone told me this would be the best day of my life, and they are right.  As I sang one of my favorite songs to myself, I knew it was so true: "Hands down, this is the best day I can ever remember, I'll always remember."

This was the best day ever, and has forever changed me!  I will never forget it, and I am a better person for having embarked on this amazing experience.  I am stronger for it, and I love everything that has come out of it.  Mentally, physically and emotionally I tested myself in ways never before.  And I am forever different, forever an Ironman.  And it is so damn sweet.

I am an Ironman, and it is something I did for me and I'll always have this huge personal victory to savor for the rest of my life!  And I will :)

(And yes, there will be another one someday...c'mon, I need redemption for my marathon - which I can knock probably close to an hour off of alone!!!)


PS-More pics to come, these are all I have so far!

Taking It All In

Yesterday was another amazing day.  Started off with a 20 min swim in Mirror Lake.  Water temp of 74 and a sleeveless wetsuit.  Felt pretty decent, and it was serene to see it before the athletes all get in.  Apparently it is like a whirlpool effect when everyone swims in it on race day, creating a bit of a current.  


Swim was followed by a 45 min bike of the run course.  Nice and relaxed, and was wonderful to see so many athletes training.  Wish that was something we saw all the time. Enjoyed it all.

Cleaned Ruby, now she is very pretty and far less dirty!  This occupied me as I waited for my parents to get back from breakfast and for Little Bear to get here.  As I said "I wonder where Erica is" she came in the door and said "HI!"  Perfect!  

We had lunch in town, then headed to the Oval where Erica and I found Derek so we played and had fun looking at all the things I wanted to buy and goof around.  Was a blast :)  


Mike and Amanda hit traffic so they got here after I left with Doreen for the athlete dinner and meeting.  We met Brian and it was packed.  First real tears here, it was only a matter of time.  They should race footage from last year, and talked about this woman fundraised for this little girl who has NF (I can't not cry at these things).  Some fun facts:

• The oldest athlete is 76, and the youngest is 18
• There are 7 athletes over 70!
• PA is the 2nd most represented state to NY
• There are 22 countries represented
• All 50 states are represented
• The age groups M 50-55 and W 40-44 are 2 of the biggest groups this year
• There are a total of 2700 athletes racing IMPL 2012!
• There are 959 first time IM athletes!!!

After getting a little hyped up and seeing some other friends like Ryan and Todd T, we headed back to our families and friends.  Came back to see boo boo and Amanda!!  Was so good to see them, and made me even more excited.  We spent some time chatting and I again was too excited to sleep :)

Another great day here...it is so beautiful, all of Lake Placid.  My loved ones make it that much sweeter, and I couldn't ask for more.  And I have Doreen, and so many other IM friends here with me and tomorrow is going to legend (wait for it) DARY!

I'm too excited to sleep!!!

Lake Placid is everything I hoped for and more.  I have been up here twice before, for work and training.  Loved it both times, but this is so much different.  It's magical.  I found myself feeling the "are we there yet" vibes as we got onto me 73 and saw my infamous Sausage Man. 

Might I say, that is a beast of a road we mistakenly rode!  And the mountain E-Town...feeling proud :)  And glad they are not part of the course!

Got here and told my parents we had to go to packet pick up immediately because I couldn't wait and had to see Doreen (you'd think I was a child).  The Oval is beautiful, filled with vendors and awe.  We beelined to get our numbers and sweet bags!  Saw Derek and then went straight to the race merchandise.  I never really buy much race apparel, but am treating myself to a couple things :)  While short-lived, it was an incredible afternoon with my parents and one of my best friends. 

Had dinner at the Lake Placid Brewery, a favorite.  Had the Endurance Amber, brewed in honor of the IM athletes and it was delicious as it was described.  Walked my parents through part of town before heading home to take in Bear Lodge.

I am so excited, it is ridiculous!  Thanks to all for the incredible messages and well wishes...I have almost cried multiple times today talking to you and hearing from you.  I feel so loved it is so touching!

Tomorrow more to come as I get in a swim and ride, explore the Village further, continue to share the joys of Lake Placid with my family, and see some of my other closest friends and boo - Mike, Erica and Amanda, you can't get here soon enough!!

In Preparation

I wish I had started packing earlier...I feel like I say this every time I go on vacation/race.  And this time it's both so double whammy.


Here's the Andrea list for Placid:

• Get a "once over" on the bike, and practice flat changing.  Thanks Kev, we had a great Friday night filled with pizza and bike grease.  
• Hit Costco and liquor store with Mom.  
• Organize paperwork.
• Pack tri gear - double of everything and anything you could think of needed to swim, bike and run.
• Get bike to Doreen.  Since I'm not driving the Suby, she was kind enough to transport the Ruby.  (No time to clean it, will have to do up there).
• Get a mani/pedi.  Had to, with some special flare (IM logo) and black of course (to be hardcore)!

• Organize food, kitchen supplies & purchase what needed at Target.  
• Do laundry, blah.
• Pack tri clothing - a surplus, totally ridiculous.
• Pack regular clothing and everything else (an after thought).
• Double check everything!
• Leave Thursday am for Lake Placid!!! :)

Good Luck & Karma

So this week has not been nearly as relaxing as I had hoped. 

Last night was interesting.  I had lots to do, and was trying to keep a tight schedule from 5 pm on.  But that of course didn't happen.

My Garmin Edge was acting up and I spent a few minutes fooling with it.  I had an 1:15 bike ride with stronger efforts in aerobars.  I left my house and was just past the Conshy train station (the small climb by the wood bridge, to my SRT friends).  If I hadn't spent time on my Garmin, I could've come up the the scene of a crash earlier.  I missed being involved by about 20 seconds!

Apparently this guy was coming down the hill and someone else was on the wrong side of the path and they crashed.  I pulled over immediately to offer help as another women with the other man stopped traffic.  The guys were pretty bloody, but seemed to have no serious injuries.  The one guy coming down the hill felt nautious so I shared my Shot Blocks and gave him my extra water bottle.  He asked me to call his friend to pick him up so I did.  I told them I could stay until help came.  He had some bad scrapes and road rash, but didn't appear to be seriously injured.  Bike had some damage :( The other guy likely needed stitches on his chin.  Another nice man brought hydrogen peroxide and bandaids.  Thank goodness for no broken bones. 

I was wearing a tri top since it was hot, and the guy I was helping asked if I was a triathlete.  He obviously was with his tri kit and Kestrel.  Turns out he is a local pro.  He asked if I was training for something, and when I told him about Placid he shared last year that was his first IM.  Once he felt better, he continued to tell me that he won the Placid swim last year, but had a bad run and fell back in the pack.  He said it was as awesome as everyone else tells me it is, and that I will love it. 

I sat there for about 30 minutes waiting, making sure he was ok.  He finally thanked me again and said he felt much better and to go.  He gave a couple Placid tips (stick to your nutrition plan, pace well, etc) and offered me his gel in exchange for the Shot Blocks.  He said he really appreciated all of my help, and I said I just hope someone would do the same for me.  He told me to kick ass up there, and that he would track me. Was pretty awesome to make yet another Placid connection, especially after the notes from last year's champ. 

My friend told me that this was some good race karma (thanks Tara).  So glad I was running late for once, a crash would've been devastating.  Helping someone else in need will hopefully pay off and help me in the end.

Heading up there tomorrow, with some good luck and karma hopefully in my corner!

So track me maybe?

Hey, my race is this week (7/22/12),
And it's sure craaazy!
But here's my number (#473),
So track me maybe?

Log onto http://www.ironmanlive.com/ and click on "live race coverage" in the upper right corner.  Under Ironman Lake Placid, click "track an athlete."  Enter my bib #(473) and my info should come up!

No text updates, you have to go the actual site fyi.  Also, it may not show today but will be a shortcut as we get close to Sunday! 

Gains and Losses

There have been a lot of gains and losses since December.  I thought I would share some of them, as they can be considered ironic, humorous, cool, and lame (depending on who you are and how close we are). 

Losses
My mind
My social life & tolerance (the first two are jokes, but partially true)
My boobs
Body fat percentage
Lbs.
Ability to save TMI things to myself (gross bodily issues)
NOT any toenails (knock on wood, last year I lost 3 in Half IM training)
Many chapsticks (while training)
Mucho mula (IM is NOT a cheap hobby)
Time (spend a lot on prepping for long rides and runs, it's crazy)

Gains
Endurance
Abs (yay!)
Swimmer shoulders (people ask me if I am a swimmer at the gym, shocking!)
Compliments from strangers while working out
"Realness" (also a loss or TMI on gross bodily issues)
Increased water bill (due to excessive washing of clothes and ridic amounts of water bottles)
Increased ability to sweat fastly (more than ever, not pretty)
Bedtime of an elderly woman (to go with the loss of my social life)
NOT getting hungover (you have to drink more than a couple for that)
Ability to get buzzed after 1-2 drinks (cheap date)
A tan (with SWEET tan lines)

From one training session, absurd!

Am I constantly wearing a glove?  Sadly, no.

Penis or dick knees, so we fondly call them.  I enjoy the gradual tan lines from running v. biking shorts.  Hott.

And the permanent racerback!

Testing Limits

I have had a couple long weeks, especially last week and the past two weekends.  Aside from the huge undertaking that is Ironman, work has been crazy busy due to a new position and life seems to have lots going on.  It's hard to keep up.  I have felt like it's all too much, and overwhelmed. 

I've had lots of good things going on, but also just a lot extra that combined with training has proven difficult to manage.  But somehow most of it gets done, with some shuffling and lack of sleep.  Bringing work home and fitting in long workouts doesn't leave much time for much else in life these days.  Maybe that's a little lame, but it is what it is. 

Last week felt like my breaking point, with the weekend being the culmination of two sub-par long workouts.  My last really big bike and run, naturally.  I remember thinking how can I do this?  And then telling myself you are testing your limits, getting through this makes you an Ironman. 

Last weekend was the worst.  I've had some tough long weekend workouts.  But last weekend was hot as hell and extremely humid as early as 5 am.  The 100 miles on the bike were not fantastic on Sat, but the 18 mile run was the worst.  Drenched at 7 am when I went out at 6:30 am I shed some tears along the way and wanted to quit.  But I dug deep and pulled it off. 

The end is in sight...I still can't believe it.  I just kept telling myself that.  I tested the limits with the workouts on mucho tired legs, in the heat, on little sleep, for long endurance, with a crazy work schedule, and little time for anything else in life...and I'm still here! 

I was reminded that you can push your body farther than you think you can, and the mind is what will quit first.  So keep pushing the envelope and see what you can achieve. 

Thanks for sharing partner, and to another friend for the original inspiration.

The past couple weeks looked like this:

Week of 6/11-6/17:
Monday 6/11: 2700 swim, 30 min easy run
Tuesday 6/12: 1:30 threshold ride
Wednesday 6/13: tempo run (4x8:00 min at 7:45 pace)
Thursday 6/14: 2900 swim, 60 min spin
Friday 6/15: OFF
Saturday 6/16: 77 mile long ride
Sunday 6/17: 20 mile long run

Week of 6/18-6/24:
Monday 6/18: 2700 swim
Tuesday 6/19: threshold bike workout
Wednesday 6/20: 1:15 aerobic run
Thursday 6/21: 2400 swim, 1:15 spin
Friday 6/22: OFF
Saturday 6/23: 1:15 aerobic ride, 15 min easy run
Sunday 6/24: Philly Tri Olympic
 
Week of 6/25-7/1:
Monday 6/25: 1:30 ride aerobic
Tuesday 6/26: 2600 swim
Wednesday 6/27: 1:15 aerobic run
Thursday 6/28: 1:15 ride
Friday 6/29: 1500 swim
Saturday 6/30: 100 mile long ride
Sunday 7/1: 18 mile long run

Week of 7/2-7/8:
Monday 7/2: 2900 swim
Tuesday 7/3: 1:15 tempo run (4x8:00 min at 10K pace)
Wednesday 7/4: 2 hour aerobic ride - Happy 4th my schedule said!
Thursday 7/5: OFF
Friday 7/6: 3 hour aerobic ride, 45 min transition run
Saturday 7/7: 2.5 mile open water swim
Sunday 7/8: 14 mile run

Never Satiated?

So life has got in the way of my updates unfortunately :( And lots to be documented in the coming days to recap and plan.  Today I am amazed by all I have consumed.  And I am still eating.  Here's what it has looked like:

Plain Bagel with Nutella (out of PB this am)
2 packs Clif Shot Blocks
Honey Stinger Waffle
Snickers
2 bottles Donkey Piss (aka Ironman Perform)
Apple-Watermelon Vitamin Water
Smart Water
Numerous bottles of H2O
Banana
Watermelon/Grapes
Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar chips
Recovery Drink
Chocolate Milk
2 Cheeseburgers with Fixings & handfuls of Pirate's Booty
Handfuls of Multi-Grain Cheerios
2 bowls of Pasta with Spinach
PB being eaten now


And it's time for bed so I guess that will make me stop eating?

Grateful for the Added Inspiration

I have some really great friends!  I can't express how much the little comments, emails, texts and surprises have really helped me throughout the IM journey.  Sometimes on a tough day, a little happy thought makes all the world of difference. 

Yesterday I received a great gift - purple handle bar tape to give some flare to my bike!  Ruth saw I asked Roomie about her pink tape because I was thinking of purple, and just got this for me out of the goodness of her heart.  Lucky to have her support, and whenever I look down I will think of her and draw strength on July 22 from knowing that :)  Inspiration again - so giving and it means so much to me.  So excited to cheer her on as she embraces triathlon herself now!

My friend Liane made me an awesome IM basket.  She put together fun stuff I use/need in training from gels to samples to a headband and a book.  It was such a surprise and so thoughtful.  She rocks, and is undertaking her own huge challenge of biking across the US for MS, another cause very close to my heart.  On days my legs hurt, I think of her and how she gets only 5 days off in 2 months.  That's inspiration.  She will be an Ironman next year too, and I can't wait for her to accomplish this ride and that race!

The Art of War was a Christmas present I'm just now reading.  This was the book Chrissie Wellington read before her first IM.  She is a triathlon icon, and said it helped her prepare for the challenge.  As I write this, I'm watching the 2011 World Championships and Chrissie, and of course welling up with tears at the stories and awe that is the Ironman.  Thanks to Erica for giving me that extra inspiration :)  I purposefully waited to read it until closer to race day, and it includes a lot of good lessons and mantras.  Just getting started so lots to take in.  Erica has been one of my biggest supporters since we became friends, and I'm lucky to have such an awesome cheerleader to have fun with!  So happy to have her in Placid with me for this whole experience, couldn't imagine it any other way. 

And that is just some of the great gifts I've received - from bike sensors for my GPS and many other things from Doreen, a Spinervals DVD from Roomie/Jen, a gift certificate for turning my BIB# into coasters from Tara, and so many other goodies/gear from my family and sister.  


Not to mention the amazing people who are actually making the trek to Placid with me - much more on them later ;)  But it is amazing to have my family, Mike, Erica, Amanda, and Amy and Joe there.  


So today I'm feeling much gratitude for the spectacular people I have supporting me - who have supported me from the day of registration last July and the start of official training in Dec.  Thanks for it all, you guys rock my world, and I love you long time!

I get by with a little help from friends.

No joke, this was the most challenging mental day I've had in awhile, perhaps all of training.  I literally thought I was going to throw up.  That's twice this weekend, haven't really had this feeling until this weekend.  And I felt that way for a good few miles.  It was hot, real hot - 90-94 hott.  It was sunny, limited shade on the second half of the ride.  I was exhausted, so fatigued.  My legs felt ok, not too painful or sore.  But my body was beat.  My legs were done about 10 miles to go.  My butt...well it hurt all day and I am chaffed in places that are no fun.  And now 3 ice baths in a week, not too shabby. 

I almost started to cry at one point, which sounds so silly.  I wanted to give up with 40 miles to go.  But I kept pedaling, kept telling myself other people are fighting cancer and horrible diseases.  That this will be over soon.  That this is what distiguishes you as a future Ironman. 

Had fabulous company, thank goodness.  I needed it bad today.  Training partner of course Doreen, and Dave an excellent cyclist and TNT friend.  On many hills, he preached "every hill has a rhythm, every hill has a pace, now TAKE IT!"  His enthusiam was not completely contagious unfortunately, but was definitely inspiring and motivational at times I needed it.  "Relax your upper body, the power comes from your legs."  "Increase your cadence, downshift, use your aerobars."  "You missed the turn!"  And then there is always the way too personal talks of where you are in pain/chaffed/showing of body parts.  You definitely lose inhibitions in triathlon training.  The little mantras are helpful, more than you think, and important to remember from here on out to race day.  I'm thankful for having heard them, for having a coach today.  I always love riding with so many of my cycling friends.  I love learning.  I am lucky to have them, and they make it so much more enjoyable.

While I was struggling, my partner had a fabulous day and was thrilled her first century was a great one.  We even saw a fellow Placid friend for a few miles, it is nice to commiserate with others going through the same struggles. 

So at mile 60 on the verge of tears, I made a choice.  Dave told me when I thought I was going to ralph that persevering through the heat and pain and continuing on is what makes you an Ironman.  It's how you survive the 17 grueling hours.  It's what makes you standout as a person, and challenges you to be strong in ways you didn't think you could.  To push your body to it's limits. 

This was by far the most challenging training weekend I've done.  And I feel pretty damn accomplished.  18 miles and 100 miles.  Both alone I consider admirable and amazing for anyone.  And that takes nothing away from any shorter distances, all of which are respectable.  I always try to respect any training and race, all can be challenging to different people. 

I am exhausted, and just need to keep this up a little longer.  While this may have been the first time I felt intimidated by making the bike cutoff for Placid, everyone is right that I was on tired legs and will have a nice taper to prepare for race day. 

In the words of my friend giving advice for the big day, race your own race and pace yourself.  I sound like a broken record, but trust the plan.  And don't forget to smile and enjoy it because that is why I do this stuff.  For the love of the game.

And the great friendships and challenges that come with the territory.  Now, time for sleep and some recovery!

One Week, Two 18 Milers and 2 Ice Baths

As I sat home on a Friday night, cleaning and mentally preparing my my run today I thought who else might be in too.  I thought of some friends, of course my training partner in crime and other buddies I ride/race with.  I thought of my crazy friend biking across the US, wondering where she was sleeping that night :)  These athletes are all amazing, and I continue to be inspired by them and am truly blessed to have them in my life as friends now.  


I read some of The Art of War.  Chrissie Wellington read this before her first IM so naturally it seems logical to do the same :)  This was in the intro and I had to crack a smile:

"The Art of War is quintessentially Chinese: wise beyond its pages, cryptic, simple, wonderfully profound - and at its root, pacific.

How fitting and I know everyone will enjoy that.  I love being Asian (as do so many of my friends love that I am haha).  


Had another shocking good run, my second 18 miler just 6 days after the first!!!  This is a huge personal accomplishment for me - as my longest run prior to this training was 14-15.  As my coach told me, no need to run a marathon during training unless you want.  And I didn't.  I wanted the first marathon I ran to be at the end of my first Ironman!  Call me crazy, but that is the truth.  Was tired during at the end of course, but refueled twice and tried to drink and eat enough.  Felt nauseous as I started my final 4.5, that wasn't pleasant but subsided in 2 miles.  Saw some familiar faces along the way, always helps give a boost.  Finished on a high note, and feel good about it. 


Best part was as I neared Manayunk and saw all these kids biking and telling me "on your left" (not doing this fuels my riding rage).  Then I see adults coaching them and the kiddies running.  I run to catch up to this one little girl (let it be noted she was ahead of me but I was running significantly slower since this was only mike 10 and I was conserving energy!).  I ask what she's training for and she tells me a youth triathlon.  They were so stinking cute, and made my turnaround there extra fun.  


The only bad thing was the need for a bathroom break 6 in so my first pit stop was a little longer than I wanted it to be.  My stomach failed me again.  Rats.  Playing with what I can eat before a long run has been frustrating, but now i know to KISS - keep it simple, stupid.  Eat white and it's alright.  No wheat, no raw veggies, no spice, limited fiber and protein.  Bland.  Fun.  I envy people with steal stomachs, those were the days.  


Mental prep for a training run, something that probably doesn't make much sense to many I understand.  But it's necessary for me, to keep nerves down and build confidence during these last few tough (most challenging) training weeks.  I rolled out my legs and convinced boo boo to rub my left hammy that I somehow pulled this week on a ride.  Excuse to grab some ass? ;)  Seriously, it is pretty awesome that we both know about the body and muscles for this kind of crap.  It is also nice to have company these weekend nights I feel a little lame with bedtimes of 10-11 and having 1 drink.  Prank texting other friends we know are drunk has been amusing though.


Tomorrow is another big day, a century.  100 miles.  Not my first, but certainly much hillier than MS and a lot different on tired legs from today.  But it is an organized ride, French Creek Iron Tour, and I get to be with friends.  So we'll take the pace as needed, enjoy the scenery, and hope that my butt and groin hold up as this saddle is not feeling so hot.  Had no time to switch/replace it either this week, unfortunately, time to suck it up.    


The end is in sight, just need to stay the course.  Follow the training plan, and start making the race day plans.  Trust the work.  Keep trusting your coach, he does know what is best.  These are my mantras.  


This is the stuff champions are made of, right?  :)

Dedicated to the weekend work

My weekend was a good solid training weekend.  And I was pooped out from it.  My leggies are still a bit sore, but it's a good sore and I'm proud of the hard work I put in!

Now, I may seem pretty boring these days because training is what I eat, live, breathe, and sleep seemingly.  But it's pretty amazing to me what I keep pushing myself to do.  The most exciting part of my Sunday was a classic ice bath thanks to Mike.

First ice bath since the Scrantastic days, 2.5 bags of ice.  

Saturday was an Open Water Swim Clinic run by TWiley Sports (my coach).  Swam 1.5 miles, opted to not shoot for the full 2.  Luckily, there are 2 more and I plan to build to 2 on June 16th and 2.5 on July 7.  For open water, 1.5 was my longest so I was pretty proud of myself.  My shoulder was sore early last week from the crash, and thank goodness it felt pretty good on Sat.  The first open water swim for me each season is a little stressful, mostly because swimming isn't my strongest and open water is challenging.  But went pretty well so that's good.  Definitely will not be a fast swim, but that's ok and expected.  As long as I can finish in 1:30ish!  I feel like my swim is getting slower and slower, but my Ironmen friends tell me that's normal and just wait until the taper...hopefully that is the case.  


The bike was another adventure.  I had the brilliant idea to bike up at Nockamixon which equalled 4 loops around the lake.  Four was too many for me. Just got boring, and it is not exactly an easy loop.  And in the middle of the second loop, I of course got a flat tire.  And it was the rear.  After successfully getting the tire off and changing the tube, the trouble started when we inflated my tire with CO2 and couldn't get it back on the bike.  Finally did, and the wheel was not sitting on the skewer correctly.  After waiving off a few cyclists, this nice man stopped and helped.  I was the one who discovered the problem on the spring being in the way of the fork of my bike.  Thank goodness my partner was kind enough to share her second CO2 we ended up needing.  Just broke up the momentum, and took 40 minutes with our delays.  Good practice, but now the plan is practice in faster time (by the pool).  The bike ended up being a solid 74, and we felt good when it was done.  A loooong day, and we didn't get home until after 6.  But I was in good company and it was a good day :)

My run was surprisenly good!  I was nervous about my first 18 miler ever.  Especially on little recovery from Sat.  Thankfully the Meatball helped me roll my legs out Sat night, and I tried eat well.  Got a late start because I fell asleep after eating my normal PB bagel.  Apparently I didn't get enough recovery sleep.   Set out to to 3 separate 4-6 mile loops by my apt, with home being a checkpoint to refill fluids.  Tried to minimize the time spent there.  A loop around town, and the other 2 on the trail.  Luckily had company for a couple miles at the end of the second loop that helped passed the time.  A nice ice bath helped speed up recovery.  Was very proud of myself for getting through it on my own.  

Not including my stops to refill fuel or brief stretching.
Pretty happy!

Since I haven't posted my schedule in a bit:

Week of 5/28-6/3
Monday 5/28: 2 hr easy bike
Tuesday 5/29: 1200 swim (optional swim) & 45 min run (was a tempo workout, but didn't do after the crash)
Wednesday 5/30: 1:15 aerobic bike
Thursday 5/31: 2500 swim & 60 min run
Friday 6/1: OFF
Saturday 6/2: open water swim 1.5 mi & 75 mile bike
Sunday 6/3: 18 mile run

Week of 6/4-6/10
Monday 5/28: 1:10 bike
Tuesday 5/29: 45 min run & 2500 swim
Wednesday 5/30: 1:10 run w/ tempo
Thursday 5/31: 2500 swim & 75 min ride
Friday 6/1: OFF
Saturday 6/2: 18 mile run
Sunday 6/3: French Creek Iron Tour - 100 mile bike

My weekends are comprised of looooong workouts, and preparing/recovering from them.  But it's all for the greater good of IM and what is ahead in the next 7 weeks and counting.  On the verge of greatness and doing something so incredible for myself I can barely put it into words!

Putting it into perspective

This morning on Preston and Steve, they were talking about a fan battling an illness (I missed the beginning so unfortunately don't know what).  Nick mentioned that things are not looking great, and they wish her the best and her family.  He said "it really puts things in perspective, the traffic you are stuck in now doesn't seem so bad."  Ironically, I was on the on ramp for 76, driving straigh into stop and go traffic on the Schuykill. 

He's right.  Sometimes I think it's important to have a dose of reality for us all, definitely know I need it.  Last night, I had a bunch of weird experiences.  There was a big accident on 76 and it was closed going into Philly most of the day, backing up traffic on the way out.  I was late to my appointment, but luckily could still meet.  Ended up staying an hour late talking to my customer about her son battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma and how her daughter is in the Performing Arts Center at PALCS.  So ironic since I worked at both LLS and PALCS.  Luckily, her son is doing well but having some recent scans to monitor some glands.  Hoping all comes back ok, and they have a great attitude about it.  Perspective.

Then, since I'm running late, I know I'll never make it to my normal pool to try swimming.  So I go to KOP and end up getting to see my partner a bit.  Tricep was a little sore so kept it short to 1200 yds, was an optional swim yesterday.  Had to dodge people with noodles, annoying.  Left and went home to run.  The wind was bad because the storm was coming.  I had so much crap blowing into my eyes I could barely see at times.  I thought I saw a snake, but it was a garden hose (I am paranoid about this after the Outberbanks where the snake ran me off the road because I was scared, and also running over a baby one on the trail - snakes 2, Andrea 0).  Not lying, not even 200 feet later, I see a real snake slithering to my left and sprint away!  I hate snakes.  My vision was comprised at the time, making it even harder to see. 

I get halfway through my 5-miler, and it starts to rain.  Feels good because it was so hot.  But then it starts to pour, thunder and lightning.  Awesome.  I make it home fine, more drenched than I felt in the pool.  It is hot as balls in our furnace of an apt.  I decide to cook something easy after showering, and talk to my cousin Em.  We talk about a little girl in her son's class who is fighting Leukemia.  I provided any helpful LLS info I could, and we briefly brainstormed on fundraising.  She said "it makes you think, this could be my child."  So scary and true.  Perspective. 

So my interesting day of traffic and noodles and rain and snakes was nothing compared to the terrible diseases people are battling everyday.  Working for a non-profit reminds you of this often, but we all tend to get caught up in things and forget about the really important issues that people are up against.  So today, I am trying to put it all into perspective and remind myself I need to do this more.

Whether it's a bad, frustrating training day or just not a good day at work, it's never as bad as some people have it.  We can all take a page from their books on how to persevere. 

Chicks dig scars (and men?)

Well it was an adventure of a weekend, training-wise.

My Sat run was unimpressive, had stomach issues and felt terrible :(  Bound to happen at times, but was bummed.  Got in less than 10.  Letting it go down in the books, and hoping for a better next weekend.  

Sunday's bike ride was something, something crazy.  Three crashes in one day unfortunately.  Set out for a 60-mile ride and was supposed to run 30 after.  We left from Oaks, and it ended up only being Doreen, Eric and I.  It was muggy and hot, rain on the forecast.  We ended up missing the rain luckily.  At mile 16, we had to reroute our course because of a bridge being out.  Ended up coming to a trestle bridge that unfortunately caused Doreen's crash.  She is ok thank goodness, but has some pretty crazy bruises (that she wouldn't let me take pictures of ;)).  Most important thing is she was ok, and hopefully all her bumps and bruises are superficial.  And thank goodness she wasn't riding her brand spanking new bike.  

After we got her help and made sure she was ok, Eric and I continued on with her urging.  Made it through a solid ride, and came to the literal end.  Mile 62 or 62.5.  Going down a 9-12% grade hill (GPS registers it as 12% while the sign says 9%).  Knew it was slippery so we took it slow.  Eric was ahead of me, and I had to watch him fish tale and slide to a hard fall.  He slide down the hill a bit, and I kept trying to brake on.  But I couldn't stop enough or slow down.  I came to the same spot I watched Eric slide on, and did the same.  Tried to steer away from him and keep control, but it was a wash.  Fell awkwardly, front first and slide into Eric.  Got up and made sure we were ok and tried to get my bike off of him.  I think my boob took a lot of it, randomly.  Both of us walked away.  Eric with some good gashes and falling hard on his bum leg right on the incision.  I have minor road rash on my shoulder, elbow and knee.  

This morning some soreness on my left side, shoulder and leg.  I got off the easiest.  Noticed my bike took a little beating too, and need to have her checked out.  I think the handlebars got bent and the tape is ripped.  Rode 2 hours today, and made it ok.  So that's a plus.  Damage to the other bikes too.  Hopefully nothing too major for us.  

Crashes suck.  I haven't had one in 2 years almost, my first.  We had just finished saying we need to live in a bubble, and how Eric hasn't been a crash clipped in.  Karma, dang.  Most important thing is we are all ok.  The thing is you can crash anytime, doesn't have to be a race.  You can injure yourself running down the street or swimming in a pool.  Unfortunately, that's the reality of training and endurance sports.  Injuries can happen anytime.  We do our best to prepare for them not to happen, and to rehab well if they do.  

Hoping for a healthy and safe last few weeks of training for all of us, especially me and my training partner!  Bubbles necessary, apparently.  

Humbly Humbled

Work has again been interfering with training and blogging, sorry for the delayed post!  


I love Lake Placid.  Last weekend I had the pleasure of heading up there with Doreen for a training weekend with Todd and a small group of athletes.  What a weekend, it was completely humbling and absolutely awesome.  I was thrilled to go, and once there remembered very quickly why I find the town amazing.  It's picturesque, beautiful, athlete-friendly, healthy, clean, and full of history.  Olympics and Miracle on Ice, pretty amazing stuff.  


Before I get into the adventures of the weekend, a few lessons learned:

1. Snickers are a delicious, satisfying, perfect mid-ride snack.  And perfectly acceptable by Coach standards.
2. I go to bed earlier than my Grandmom (she is a night owl ;), just kidding Grams).
3. I need to stretch and foam roll.  My body is abused.
4. Pack at least $10 on bike at all times.  The longer the ride and higher the temp, the more mula needed.
5. I will never again sacrifice my copy of a map for others.  
6. Other athletes also have cried during/after bad workouts, validation.
7. There is a good reason why you don't swim after you bike.
8. I will permanently look like I am wearing bike shorts and gloves, sweet tan lines this summer.
9. People in the mountains are very nice.
10. The hills at the end of the bike and run courses are the worst.

Met some really nice people I look forward to seeing race day, 8 of us plus Todd.  The more friendly, smiling faces the better!  Always gives me a boost.  The weekend was full of my longest workouts to date.  

Friday - 30 miles biking, run course and end of bike course through Wilmington

Saturday - 82 miles biking, over 2 mountains NOT on the course (slight detour due to being lost twice), followed by a short (very) swim for me

Sunday - 14.5 miles running, run course and around Mirror Lake

Friday we ride the run course and met the rolling hills by Whiteface Mountain, and the hills fondly known as Mama, Papa and Baby Bears (yes, those are the names).  Had a decent ride and was a good intro to the course.  My competitive side took over to be up by the front.  

Saturday the plan was to ride the first loop, 56 miles, and add as we wanted to.  We ran out of maps and I gave mine up, bad mistake.  At least I was with someone, unfortunately not Doreen though!  Jen, another athlete Todd is training, and I got lost first by missing the left turn to 9N (the N does not stand for North, as there is a North and South 9N, stupid - more on that later).  We rode 73 all the way to the Sausage Man, who has a stand when you get off the highway in the Adirondacks.  After he turned down our money for water and directed us to the spring or "fountain of youth" as we called it (marked by a rock with water and an arrow on it), he proceeded to tell us that we were "no where close" to where we expected to be.  Directed us to turn onto 9N by the red barn.  Oh and on the way back got up to our highest speed, 41.5 MPH, even faster than the 7 mile downhill early in the course (aka the was a big hill we rode up).      

We approached the red barn, and turned onto what we thought was 9N...wrong.  We ended up going South instead of North.  Turn and immediately start climbing an insane hill, that we learned was a MOUNTAIN.  It was so steep that I thought I was going to have to walk up it, and thought why the hell didn't Todd tell me about this...got to an unexpected intersection and realized something was wrong.  Went to the Napa store and asked for directions, and again was told "I'm really sorry but you are not anywhere close to where you want to be."  Excellent!  Bruce ended up closing his shop early to drive us back over the mountain since there was no other way to get back to the course.  To ease the pain, we got cold water and my snickers from the Dollar Store next door and called Todd to get the ok to hitch a ride.  He sounded worried.  Bruce was super nice and delightful, and saved us a ton of time and agony.  If you ever need to buy a car in Elizabethtown, NY, I know a guy.  Turns out Todd was concerned we'd be able to finish the ride after the huge climbs, and we opted to skip the 2 out and back flatter portions of the bike course due to our detour.  This whole little adventure added about 30 miles to the ride.  Had some good practice with nutrition and fueling, need to stay on top of that in the heat now as mileage really increases.  Thankfully, Bruce turned down our collective $7.20 after the Dollar Store...we ended up needing it for another pit stop to get more water and G2 (which I now know I really hate).  The Bears kicked my butt at the end of the ride, but when a fanny-pack wearing rider passed me I managed to pick it up on the last hill out of pride.  Was spent after we finally finished the ride.  

Bruce, Jen and our bikes in a pick up.

When we finally got back, had about 35 minutes to explain the adventure before some of us planned to go to Mirror Lake to see the swim course.  Water temp was 61 and warm enough for everyone (I hate cold water after last summer's ocean adventure in sub-50 temps).  I squeezed into a wetsuit and got in, but my arms felt like jello.  I think I made it to the second buoy, and was spent.  Turned and swam back, feeling slightly defeated.  But, that's why you swim first and hoping I was just exhausted.  Went to the Lake Placid Brewery that night so it made it all better.  Yum.  


Sunday was the run, which I was nervous for because of my leggies.  Ran the course and added on mileage around the Lake at the end.  There is an out and back there, and I just went completely around.  Learned that there are 2 killer hills at the end of the run course - I will be likely walking these.  Awesome to do the not once, but twice!  My group will be staying just by one of them so that is good - friends and family, you will be joining me up those hills for support, thank you in advance :)  


When I asked Todd how I would run 26.2 miles after the bike, he said "you don't have to, you can walk them."  Words of wisdom.  Spoken like a Pro and Coach ha, and a pretty amazing athlete.  He told us he'd never bike up the mountain we were on, so I felt pretty good about myself.  I asked him about what to wear, and he said he wore a Speedo for his first IM because everyone was doing it.  So naturally I googled...

Todd, our beloved coach!

I do not plan on doing this in a Speedo, or any type of bathing suit.  Hardcore though.  He would love to know I found this haha.


Hope that I don't have to walk most of my first marathon, but he taught us the importance of pacing yourself during this IM.  No need to kill your HR and legs early.  Need to be strategic.  Also was reminded how important my nutrition is.  I ate a ton on the bike, but it was needed.  I am also always hungry, it is fun.   

The weekend was exactly what I needed and hoped for.  You can read as much as you want, but until you get to experience the actual hills for yourself you have no idea what you are in for.  Thank goodness for Todd offering to take us up there.  So glad to have him, this experience, the weekend, Doreen, and all the love and support I've been given so far into this journey. :)