Not-so-long run

Today I had wanted to get a long run in but wasn't sure I'd be able to go since my hamstring was sore yesterday (from sprinting like a fool at the Turkey Trot!). It felt pretty good so I decided to give it a try. Took it slow and easy and it felt pretty good.

But I took Daisy with me and for some reason, she didn't have it today. She stopped several times to sprawl out on the patches of snow. I feel too guilty yanking her up so I just let her lay there. But today I had to get back to get UNC work done so I didn't let her lay there long.

Finally, after the 3rd or 4th stop, I decided to take her back and continue on by myself. I did that, but I never get as good of a run that way. I felt good but I don't get the usual zen from two short loops from my house that I get from one long one. The things we do for our dogs!

Weather-wise, it was PERFECT!  I love sunny, cool weather and that's what it was today. When I brought Daisy back, I ditched the tights and long sleeve shirts and put on shorts and short-sleeved shirt (with long bra underneath) and liner gloves. The cool air felt really good (our thermometer said it was in the upper 30's when i left but I know it was in the 40's).

Either way, it wasn't a bad run, just not a long one like I had planned. No biggee - I'm still in the de-training phase!

First ride on my new bike!

Rode my new baby Felt B16 for the first time yesterday!  I was a bit nervous since I had paid a chunk of change for this bike but had never ridden it!  I had only ridden it on the fit stand in the shop, where I got fitted (Adrenaline Sports in Niwot, CO - great store - would highly recommend it).

The positioning on this bike is so different from my other bike!  I am much more "cramped up" and not as spread out as I was on my roadie. But I am in a very aero-dynamic position which should give me a lot more power.

I met Sarah, Kevin, Brenda, Todd, and Marshall at WOW on Friday and we headed west from there. Sarah had just gotten her bike on the same day I got mine so she was in that same situation. Kevin also got a new bike a few months ago but he has ridden his bike a few times already.

It took me at least 10 miles to get comfortable on this bike. It felt so strange!  I felt like I was going to slide over the top of the handlbars. However, I could instantly tell how much faster this bike was than my roadie. It's like going from a VW bug to a BMW or Mercedes. Still, it will take some time to get used to riding it long distances.

After I got used to the fit, I settled in and focused on riding. The weather was perfect - almost 60 degrees - and it was great riding with my new Ironman buddies. What a great way to spend Black Friday!

Turkey Trot

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we started it like we have done for almost 12 yrs: we ran the Turkey Trot. This year Evan ran it by himself (well, ran/walked) and Katerina did the 2k.

I ran the 5k and was very curious to see how I would do. I hadn't run a 5k in a long time and having just done the Ironman, I wasn't expecting a fast race time.

But the gun went off and I felt great. I started slow going up the hill but was just feeling so gosh-darn happy, that I pushed the pace. I started with Sarah, who I think was planning to run it slow and easy, but I kept pushing harder. Our first mile was 7:47 - way too fast for me!

But I didn't care. I felt good and kept going. I pushed harder and harder, to the point of feeling like I was sprinting. She was able to go up the hills faster than me and before long, she was long gone. But I still didn't care, I felt great at the pace i was going.

Onto Reservoir Road and I was running faster than I've run in a long time. I stretched out and lengthened my stride (a mistake I soon found out) and just kept going.

Around the corner and down 14th Avenue - yippee - I'm running fast!  As I turned the last corner toward the finish line, I started to sprint and then OUCH!  Someone stabbed me in the right hamstring - yousa! 

I shortened my stride and slowed down. Came across the finish line with a smile on my face and a knot in my stomach, worried that I just might have pulled a muscle.

Today, my hamstring is sore, even to touch. Not sure I should run for awhile but I really want to. Will see how I feel tomorrow. I did get a good bike ride in today (more on that later - it was awesome!) and I did have fun running that race. It kinda lit a fire in me to start doing some speedwork!

All in all, a really nice Thanksgiving, even with a sore muscle.

Gobbler Relays

My arms are a bit sore this AM. Why? Because of the Gobbler Relays we did in Master's swim yesterday!

What are the Gobbler Relays?  Its what happens when your swim coach decides he wants to do something for "fun" for the Thanksgiving holiday.

For someone like me, a swimmer-wannabe, who has finally mastered the freestyle (or who gets by in a triathlon with a stroke that mimmics the freestyle), who has no clue how to do the breast-stroke and butterfly and who thinks that IM stands for Ironman, the Gobbler Relays are NOT fun.

We started with a 20 min warm-up that included the usual - free, kick, pull 200 - 400 yards (I never know because I can't see the board so I just pretend that I know and no one knows the difference).

Then the relays. We are divided into teams and luckily - or perhaps not-so-luckily - I am put with Todd, Amy, and Tom, three of the fastest swimmers in our swim group.

We have to do all 4 strokes twice in the relay: free, breast, butterfly, and back. As I said, I ONLY know how to do the freestyle and possibly the backstroke but I always end up running into the lane dividers and turning over to see where in the heck I am when I do the backstroke.

So my team wisely puts me at the end of the relay and I hear them screaming madly for me as I try to do the breast and then the butterfly but since I always get those two mixed up, they were screaming things like "no, Cindy, the BREAST STROKE, not the BUTTERFLY!!!" and "JUST DO THE FREESTYLE!" and "what the heck is she doing???" and even "where is she going?".

Then, the worst one was the Tandem relay. I don't think Todd will ever speak to me again. We had to hold onto the ankles of another person on our team while they did the freestyle and the person holding on kicked. Sounded easy at first but as I quickly sank to the bottom of the pool while I held onto Todd's legs that were moving way too much, I had to let go so I could get a breath (oxygen comes in handy), causing him to lose balance and momentum...it was a fiasco!  We had to keep trying several times all the way across the pool with me trying to hold onto his ankles, kick, and get some air at the same time. ARRRGGGHHH!

So, we switched it around on the way back - he held onto MY ankles and I used my arms to swim. It actually worked ok that way. Whew - I saved face but just a little!

Then we did the snake relay, which was easy because it was all freestyle - yay.

I am truly humbled to swim with such a talented group of people. But I think next year, I might just sleep in the day before Thanksgiving...

We got in!!!

Registration opened today at noon. I waited patiently until about 11:40 and couldn't stand it anymore so I attempted to register, wondering if maybe - just maybe - they'd open early (I knew better!).  Nope. No go.

So five minutes later I get a text from Sarah asking "U ready?" and then 5 mins later another text saying "I wish they'd open up so I can get on with my day!"...wait, wait, wait...for what seemed like the longest 20 minutes of my life.

And I if I was nervous, I know how nervous Sarah and Brenda must have been!

So at 12:00, I clicked on "go" next to the word registration on the active.com site...nothing happened....I saw the little wheels going around and around and I panicked. What if I can't get on?  My computer does that a lot - i try to go online and it won't connect. Yikes!

I quickly ran into the office and jumped on Kurt's computer....ironman.com, then click on Arizona, then entry, then the link to the active site...it opened up - YAY!  I nervously typed in my info as fast as I could, making TWO mistakes along the way, requiring me to do it over again TWICE!  Finally, I typed in my credit card info and clicked the last button....waited, waited, waited...then I see "Your registration is complete" - yippee!!!!

Kurt happened to be home (unusual) and he came in to the office. He was happy for me, which was really neat. He has been very supportive and I hate to say this but it has surprised me how supportive he's been of this whole IM journey I've been on.

I will say that last night I was having 2nd thoughts. I thought "what am i getting myself into?" The long hard weekends, the time away from my kids, the weekend events I miss because of training. Hmmm...

But I really want to try it again. I am looking at this one differently. With Florida, I felt like I was doing what everyone told me to do...that I was always behind the 8 ball and just following along...and doing the bare minimum of training. Oh, I had my days and I definitely had some good runs during the training but with the biking, I always felt like I wasn't doing enough (and I was right).

I also felt like I was behind Marshall. I remember last summer when he said he biked 100 miles and ran for 3 hours while he was on vacation (back to back days). I was shocked. I was nowhere near that point - in fact, we had just started the 13 week training plan and we were supposed to build UP to that point. And here he had already done it.

Several times during our training Marshall did way more than I did (mostly biking). And I'm happy for him because he had an awesome bike time in Florida.

But this time, I want to be more in control of my training AND I want to start earlier with the longer rides. I really have to get in 3 100 milers before the IM and I wan to space them out over the summer and fall.

The longest I rode during my training for Florida was 75 - 80 miles. We went by time and not miles so I'm not exactly sure.

I feel good about my swimming and running; I need to improve my endurance in both of those areas but I see that as easy to do. The main are for me to improve will be biking.

Sarah, Brenda, and Kevin also got in and we emailed 50 times back and forth (it seemed) today. It was really fun!  And my good friend, Dan England, wants to come along for support, which would be just awesome.

So, with Kurt, the kids, my mom, and 4 good friends along - how can I not have a great time?!!!

I wanna do it again....

Yes, its true, I want to do another Ironman. I made the decision a few days after we got home from Florida. I just feel I didn't get the true IM experience. Well, maybe I did since many people struggle on the run but since I had so much pain on the latter part of the bike, I couldn't run like I normally do. I suppose that sounds like an excuse to some people but I don't care. I want to try it again.

But its not easy getting into IM triathlons and many of them are already sold out. Florida 2010 is already sold out (too bad I didn't decide this when I was in Florida!).

Which one should I do?  Arizona?  Cour de' Alene?  Louisville?  Canada?  I had a lot of factors to consider, like time of year, cost, feasibility of my family coming with me (this time i want my kids there!).

The one thing that made sense to me was to not let this amount of training "go".  In other words, I want to build on what I already have, in terms of fitness. The thought of letting it go and building it back up was too daunting to me (not that I would let it to all go but I wouldn't maintain it without a big goal ahead of me).

So, as I was making this decision two weeks ago, there were two IM's coming up: Arizona and Cozumel. I chose AZ because in the Cozumel IM, you're not allowed to wear wetsuits!  I'm not a good enough swimmer to forego my wetsuit!

But I had a few more questions....how hot does it get in Tempe, AZ, at this time of year, what is the bike course like, and is the swim one or two loops?

The answer to the first question was better than I expected: mid-70's for the high and not surprisingly, low humidity. These are exactly the same conditions we had in Florida and I felt fine biking and running there. It was a little warm on the run but I didn't feel it was a problem.

The answer to the 2nd question was also good news: the bike course was relatively flat. It had a few more hills than Florida did, but compared to Colorado, it was pretty flat. Yay.

However, the answer to the third question was not in my favor. The swim is one big 2.4 mile loop instead of two 1.2 mile loops. Uh oh. That means I would have to swim continuously for 2.4 miles...no beach to run out onto to catch my breath (which I didn't do anyway in Florida!), just nonstop swimming for an hour and 18 mins or so. Could I do it??? 

I decided that if I can overcome a major fear of open water swimming and a fear of swimming that distance in the ocean (with 2 loops), I could easily overcome a fear of one big loop. Besides, I would have a whole year to train!

So, AZ it is.

And, to get into an IM, you have to sign up as soon as the online registration opens up because they fill up within minutes. So, I will need to be at my computer, credit card in hand, as soon as registration opens up. That will be tomorrow, Monday, Nov. 23rd, at noon Mountain Time. Woo hoo!

And the best news is that two of my closest friends, Sarah Adams and Brenda Lynch, have decided to sign up as well!  Yippee!!!  They did most of my long rides with me this last year and it would be so much fun to train with them again this year, esp with the same goal in mind!

So here goes, another long, arduous, emotionally- and physically-challenging year to get to that finish line. We'd love the company, whether its on the road training with us, or here in this blog (comments are always welcome!). Either way, I'm going for it!

The Big Day cont'd

OK, now for the run (see last post for the swim and bike).

My feet felt like they were on fire. My legs were tired too but that was to be expected. I also did not feel the usual urge to start running like I did in the half-IM's I had done or the bricks during my training. In my last brick, I felt great on the run after my bike but of course, I hadn't ridden 112 miles! But I was so hoping I'd feel good in the run since that is my background. But nope, not at all.

I hobbled out to the run course feeling discouraged and just plain icky. I didn't want to do it - I wanted to just go back to my room. The slow bike portion really got to me, as did the pain in my feet.

Somehow, I mustered the energy to run (more like shuffle). There were lots of spectators at this point so it was probably my attempt to save face. I jogged down Thomas Drive, past the finish line chute, with dozens of spectators saying "go Cindy!". That helped a lot.

We wound our way out to the narrow road through a residential area. I was really hurting. I wanted to stop. I told myself to do what Lynne did: run to each aid station, then walk thru the aid station, then run to the next.

I did that for awhile, also stopping to pee at each aid station too. I started wondering where this urine was coming from as I was not drinking enough water. I knew that but couldn't bring myself to drink plain water. I had a few cups of it but mainly drank the Gatorade.

I noticed that after drinking the Gatorade, I felt better. I had small surges of energy between each station as I had in the long course but this time, I was moving much slower. Thankfully, I did not have any nausea or GI issues. I just had to pee like a banshee at almost every single aid station.

We ran 6 miles out to the national park that everyone had told me about, then around in one big circle inside the park, then back out on the same road. Basically it was an out-and-back course that we had to run twice. I had thought that would be nice but once it got dark (at 5:00 PM), the park was very dark. That turned out to be not fun at all.

After going through the park I found myself walking more and more. I looked at my watch and saw my dream of a 12 - 13 hr finish time fade away. For awhile, I was holding on to the 13 hr finish time but the more I walked, the more I knew it was out of my hands.

When I got back to the turn around point, I was completely miserable. I did not want to finish. I saw Kurt and Kevin there and they both cheered me on. Kurt ran a short way with me and I started crying again. I've never done that before nor have I ever felt that bad in a race before. I've run 12 marathons and 2 half-IM's and NONE of them have been like that.

Kurt was awesome. He said over and over again how important it was to finish and that it didn't matter what my time was. He said I was doing a great job and he was very proud of me, which being the total sap that I am, made me cry even more. So I sucked it up and kept going.

But I will say one thing - I will never, ever forget going around that turn-around point, knowing that I had 13.1 miles to go in the dark with feet hurting so bad that it made me cry, and how much I did not want to go - I will never forget that feeling and how somehow I just kept going.
Deep inside I knew that I could not, and would not, quit. But it was the hardest thing I've ever done.

The 2nd loop was run, walk, run, walk, run, walk and then just walk. I walked a lot of it with a few short bursts of shuffling along. I wanted to get to the finish line so bad. I tried every trick up my sleeve that had gotten me out of slumps before but this slump was too deept to get out of.

I thought of how Wendy Mader got herself to the finish line despite having a horrible marathon too. She had said she had finished with a smile on her face and fists in the air. It really helped me keep going. Here was a champion triathlete, one who was trying to mimic her previous race of winning the Hawaii IM - she had a lot more pressure to do well than I did - and she managed to finish. If she can do it, I can do it!

I stumbled on. Finally, at mile 20, I saw Kurt in the dark! He had run that far out to meet me! Yay! That really helped. He tried to get me to run more but I couldn't so we walked on. Then I started getting a little more energy and started jogging again. We were getting closer to that finish line and I wanted to get there so bad, even though I'd have to face the clock and see my disappointing time. But somehow, it seemed to matter less and less.

Then, at mile 24 we saw Marshall! I was shocked. I thought he had finished long ago. Kurt told me that he was having problems and he had tried to say something to me when we passed each other but I didn't know he was that bad. I felt so bad for him! He was walking very slowly and looked really pale. But as usual, he had a positive attitude and was fine just walking. Amazing!

I considered just walking in with him. After all, we had trained together for so long and I think of him almost as a brother now, but I had a little juice left in me and I knew he would want me to keep going. It was hard to run on but I did.

Not long after that, I picked up the pace and finally was in a full-on sprint to the finish line. I knew it may look silly but I didn't care. I stretched out and ran the last 1.5 miles in a fairly fast pace. Even Kurt was amazed! When I turned down Thomas drive, I was slapping hands with the spectators and they were yelling for me. Since my name was on my number, they all yelled "go Cindy!" and "bring it home, Cindy!" It was really cool.

I turned down the chute to the finish line and was on cloud nine. I started to sprint faster for the finish but there was a woman ahead of me going slow and I didn't want to blow past her at the end so I had to slow down and let her finish. I jogged in place so she could get her finish line photo and then I crossed the line. Finally.

Finish time: 14:26:34. Not what I wanted but then again, who gets what they want in a first time race? And I learned a lot along the way.

Now, two days later, I'm happy as a clam that I finished. I had a ton of support from my husband and friends and what more can anyone ask for?

And the crazy thing is, I've decided to do one more. I want to get a better bike, better bike fit, and better bike shoes, and a few more long rides under my belt and try one more time. I think that's a good thing that the experience ended on such a positive note that I want to do it again. For now, this blog is over, but if I get into Ironman Arizona...I'll be back!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my rantings on this blog. It was fun and it helped me stay accountable to my training. And someday, I hope it will help my kids if they ever set a big goal to work toward. Take care and keep in touch!

The Big Day

Well, the big day has come and gone. There's so much to say about it that I don't even know where to begin. But one thing is for sure: I'm glad I finished.

It was a day of many, many ups and downs. There was even a little drama the night before. We went to be, as planned, by 10:00 and I was tired enough that I went right to sleep. But at 11:00 PM, I was pulled out of a deep slumber to the sound of very loud music - UGH!

At first, I thought it was the alarm clock. I was completely disoriented. Then I realized it was live music coming from the nightclub next door. Don't they realize that the IRONMAN is TOMORROW????

Guitar, drums, whaling vocals pierced the quiet night. Great. Just what I need. A year of training goes down the drain in an instant (everything always seems worse in the middle of night, doesn't it?).

I tossed and turned and realized I wouldn't be able to sleep. I shut the windows and turned on the ceiling fan. Still, the music was there. I finally decided to go into Kevin's room, since he had two double beds and sleep in there, since his room was on the other side of the building.

I debated doing that for about a half hour and finally couldn't stand it...knocked on his door (waking him up, of course) and being the kind person that he is, he said yes I could sleep in the other bed.

His room was much lighter and there was all the street noise to contend with but it was better than blaring rock music. I crawled into bed covering my eyes with a pillow and as I drifted off to sleep, someone's car alarm went off. HONK....HONK.....HONK...HONK...HONK...oh great! Now I'm wide awake. Long story short, I didn't go to sleep until about 2:00 AM. Kurt woke me at 4:10.

We're up, caffeinated, and on our way to the race start. I was so sleepy that I couldn't feel any anxiety. I was numb.

Got to the transition area, got body marked, tires pumped up, and in the porta-potty line. Its a good thing I can do all of that in my sleep because I basically did.

We put our wetsuits on and walked out to the beach. Now, I'm finally starting to get excited. The sight of 2200 people in wetsuits on the beach was pretty cool.

I waded out into the water to see how it felt - it was perfect. Not too cold or too warm. I wasn't that nervous and i kept thinking that I should be. We heard the gun go off for the professionals but couldn't see them. We sang the national anthem, waited 10 mins, and off we went. Woo hoo!!!!

I placed myself midway in the pack, over to the right, like Jim told me to. It worked fine. I could sight easily from there and had a few less people to contend with.

There were, however, much bigger waves than the days prior to the race and huge swells. But I didn't care. I just started swimming.

The entire swim was amazing. I felt strong and fast. I did not expect to feel that way! The water felt fantastic and even though I was whacked in the face numerous times, I didn't care, I just kept going.

The first lap was easier than I expected. I came out of the water and my watch said 35 mins - YAY!!! I had hoped that I could do the swim under 1:45 (secretly hoping for a sub-1:30 swim) and so far, so good.

The 2nd lap was no less crazy. Lots of combat swimming and there were times I had to re-position myself due to the congestion. When we turned left around the first buoy, the swells were so big that it felt like I was on a rollar coaster. It was fun!

I made it around the buoys pretty well but ended up in the middle of the course. Had to swim back out to the course. That worried me; I don't want to lose time having to backtrack but I also wanted to come out of the water in the right place too.

I ended up with a 1:18 swim! I was pumped! Marshall did a 1:16 so we were both doing well at that point (emphasis on "that point").

The crowds were cheering us on as we ran up the beach to the transition area. The strippers were the pulling off wetsuits. Wow - that was so cool! They got my wet suit off in seconds - woo hoo!

Onto the transition tent...I was moving so fast I wasn't thinking and forgot to drink my ensure-like drink. Darn! Bike clothes, gloves, sleeves, helmet, and shoes went on in a flash and out to my bike.

Headed out on my bike and felt pretty good. As expected, many people flew by me right away. I don't have tri bike or racing wheels and I knew it would slow me down but as I found out, it made a huge difference....more on that later.

The first part of the bike course was easy and it seemed like we had a tail wind. I kept my pace around 17 mph and was hoping to maintain that the whole way (or at least average at 17 mph). Then we turned north (I think it was north - hard to know without mountains in the west!) and had a pretty significant headwind for 30 - 40 miles. My pace dropped to 14 - 15 mph. Darn! I felt reasonably good but the wind was tough. It wasn't horrible but enough to slow the pace.

We went on the same highway for a long time. Can't remember now how many miles but I was really ready to turn off that highway. When we finally did, the wind was much better but by then, my legs were feeling it.

I stopped at a few aid stations to use the restroom and then at the midway point for my special needs bag. Felt reasonably good. I was able to maintain 18 - 20 mph for awhile with the tailwind for awhile so was hoping to make up for the slow part.

By mile 70, my feet were starting to hurt. I had had problems with my feet before on long rides but it had subsided so I never went to get new shoes or move the cleats. The real problems started at mile 80. My feet (specifically the balls of my feet) were on fire. They hurt so bad I had to continually click out of my pedals and dangle my feet (one at a time) for awhile. That slowed me way down. The last 30 miles were awful - the pain was excruciating. I could hardly pedal.

By the time I got back into town, I was in tears. My legs were very tired but I could handle that - it was all in my feet. I spinned slowly back to the transition. I thought I would never get there. I had tried so hard to make a 6:30 bike time but ended up with a 7:10 bike. My psyche took a major hit at that point.

I gingerly got off my bike and took a few steps. The pain was horrible. I must have looked bad because I heard a volunteer call for a medical person. Two guys led me to a chair and although I'm embarrassed to admit this, I was crying - the pain was that bad. They massaged my feet and that really helped. I told them I was OK and hobbled over to the changing area, wondering how in the world I was going to run 26 miles.

Gotta get to the airport....to be continued....

Kevin and Marshall just left to go pick Kurt up at the airport so I thought I'd catch up on a few things...

This has been a very long, relaxing day. We didn't have much to do today. The main thing was to take our bikes down to the transition area (see above) and our bike and run bags. Our special needs bike and run bag we take tomorrow when we arrive at the start.

So this is the plan for race morning:

• Arise at 4:00 AM, drink coffee, eat cereal.


• Put on swim suit and dry clothes over it


• Get dry clothes bag, bike special needs bag, and run special needs bag and make sure everything I need is in each bag


• Walk to starting line and drop off bags. Fill water bottles on bike with CarboPro, Gatorade, and water


• Pump up bike tires! Please don't let me forget to do that....


• Put on wetsuit, goggles, and Ironman swim cap (I've been secretly waiting to do that!)


• Walk down to the "corral" (where all the athletes go) on the beach


• Watch the elites start at 6:50 AM


• Swim like hell at 7:00 AM!

Right now, I'm amazingly calm. I don't feel nervous about the swim at all. The water doesn't bother me but the distance is a bit daunting. I've never swam that far in my life but for some weird reason, I'm not worried about it.

I have been a bit frustrated today with the lack of physical "zest" that occurs with tapering. I feel downright sluggish. I don't feel like I'm an Ironwoman yet...quite the contrary! I feel like I've lost all of my conditioning. But, the weird thing is, I want to sign up for next year!

Yes, it's true...I really want to do this again. Well, right now I do, maybe that will change tomorrow. Marshall said that if Kevin signs up for 2010, he will too. Which means I might too...I'd like to try this again and now I know what I need to do differently. But, it may all change tomorrow!

The ocean is so beautiful (see pic above). I am sitting on the deck of the 15th floor of a high rise condo building overlooking the gulf. The water is turquoise and the sound of the waves is mesmerizing. I've always been a mountain person but I don' tknow....I can see why people live here.

I didn't know MTV hosts their annual spring break show here in Panama Beach City. In fact, it's at the hotel next to us. Maybe that's why the mayor of PBC said that the Ironman is "different" than other events they host! She said it was definitely "cleaner".

There are 2200 people in the race tomorrow AND its a mass start - wow, that means there will be 4400 arms and legs in one imaginary swim lane (and people wonder why I was nervous about the swim!). Did I just say I might want to do this again???

I'm not sure I'll have time to write again...the next time I post, I just might be an Ironwoman!

Bag lady

After the awesome swim this AM (see below), we went for a short run (3.5 miles), and then spun our bikes around the parking lot to make sure everything worked right. I had just gotten mine tuned up before we left and I wanted to make sure the gears were shifting easily. Everything worked fine.

We walked over to the Expo, got registered and picked up our bags. So far, this was just like every other triathlon I've done. But the similarities stopped there.

Inside our bag was 5 more bags, each labeled as follows:
Dry clothes
Bike to run bag
Bike special needs bag
Run bag
Run special needs bag

We were given stickers with our race number on them and a sticker was to placed on each of these bags. Each bag would end up in a different place and it's crucial that you think through the different parts of the race and put what you need in that bag or else you'll be in trouble...

Here's what I have:
Dry clothes bag (what I will take to the start to put my dry clothes in) but since I have to walk to the starting line, I will actually put my swim stuff in it: wetsuit, goggles, swim cap, Body Glide, ankle bracelet with timing chip. When we get there, I'll take off my dry clothes and put on my swim stuff.

Bike bag - Helmet, sunglasses, gloves, sleeves (it might be cold at the start), bike jersey, bike shorts, shoes, water bottle with water in it, water bottle with Carbopro in it, water bottle with Gatorade Endurance in it, Powerbars, pbj sandwich, race belt with race number....need to also make sure there CO2 cartridges, extra tube, tire irons on the bike and of course, a sticker with my race number on the main frame and one on the stem (and one on my helmet).

Bike special needs bag (to be picked up at mile 49) - 2 more C02 cartridges, jacket (in case of rain), Powerbars, Ensure, EFS to carry in case I want it.

Run bag - Running top, running shorts, socks, and running shoes. Keep sunglasses and race belt with number on. This will be the 3rd time I've changed clothes in this race. I'm hoping the new set of clean clothes will make me feel fresh and ready to go (I doubt it but it's a nice thought!).

Run special needs bag - Bandaids, mole skin, chapstick, hat, long-sleeved shirt. This bag will have the least amt of stuff in it mainly because you don't wear much on the run and because you don't need to take so much nutrition or fluids with you. There are aid stations every mile with water, Gatorade, gu, Powerbars, defizzed Coke, chicken broth, oranges, bananas. So, i'm pretty much set.

Its a lot to think about. Marshall had all 5 bags laid out on the floor and we methodically thought through each part of the race and filled out bags. And I know I'm forgetting something.

The other cool thing about an Ironman, that is different than other triathlons (or marathons) is that they put your first name on your race number. That way people can really yell for you, which I totally will need starting at oh, mile 2.

One thing that is different this year from last year is the time change. Last year they had not changed the clocks back...this year they have. This means it gets darker much earlier, like around 5:00...which means I'll be running in the dark for about 3 hrs. Great. Did someone say they have alligators here???

The race course sounds good except for the tale end of the run (the most crucial part of the race, where most people either die or finish). They make you run by the finish line THREE times before turning to run down the finish "chute". Lovely. Do you know how hard it will be to run by a finish line after going 140 miles toward it for 12+ hours???

Tomorrow there's not much going on. Marshall wants to lounge all day and I do too...Kurt flies in around 3:30. Kevin will pick him up at the airport and I'll make dinner (pasta, of course). And then it's RACE DAY!!!

Ahhhh...the taste of salt water!

Today was the day I've been waiting for - really. You'd think it would be Saturday and yes, I am definitely waiting for that day but today, well, is the day I would see what swimming in the oean is really like. After suffering through two major panic attacks in two wimpy little lakes back home, I have been petrified that swimming in the big, bad-ass ocean would put me over the edge. Ha - not so!

We ventured down to the starting area after a breakfast I had to go to for the community fund people (that's me - I paid an extra fee to do this race, all of which goes to a really cool charity), and along with a few hundred other people, donned our wetsuits and jumped in.

Walked in, rather. The water was very shallow for at least 50 yards. It felt cold at first - colder than I expected, but after we got going it felt great.

I have to say that this swim will be one of the memorable moments in my life. After a year of stressing and worrying about swimming in the ocean, I was finally doing it...and loving it!

The water was very clear - I could see the bottom for quite awhile. When it finally got deep enough that I couldn't see it anymore, I got a little scared but quickly got over it. I swam and swam and swam, farther out than I had planned. But I didn't care. I was just so happy to finally be here and finally, swimming in the ocean. Mission accomplished.

The only bad part was....well, I swam way off course! Marshall and I started off together and I thought we were swimming next to each other. When I finally stopped to see where I was, I heard a faint voice that sounded suspiciously like Marshall's but was too far away to be his (or so I thought) saying something about "a straight line". I squinted and saw him waving to me....waaaaay over there, about 100 yards to the right. Oops!

I swam over to where he was and we ventured on to the next buoy. This may sound corny but there's something about swimming in open water, esp the ocean where you feel incredibly small out there, that makes you feel "one with nature". Ok, that is corny but I can't think of any other way of describing the feeling I had.

As we swam back to shore, I thought about how I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I felt incredibly happy and content and (it's been hard to say this) proud of myself. Here I was, swimming in the gulf of Mexico, getting ready to do my first Ironman triathlon. Wow. It finally hit me what I was doing.

I also thought a lot about my father. He had always been proud of me but I never knew it until my mom told me a few years ago. I was the only child that went to college (the only one in my entire extended family) and to him - a man who didn't graduate from high school - that was really cool. When I went on for a PhD, that was even cooler. I had kept my maiden name, Byfield, just so that it would be on my diploma - just for him.

And today, 3 yrs after spreading his ashes in the same ocean I was swimming in, felt comforting. I knew he was watching and probably shaking his head at how crazy this was, but underneath it all, pretty darn proud.

This may sound odd but even if I don't have a good race, I'm just happy being here...of making it this far....and swimming in the ocean.

We're here!!!

Marshall, Kevin, and are here in Panama City. The weather is fabulous - dryer than we expected, clear, and sunny. The beach is beautiful - white sand for miles. We're in a huge, 3 bedroom condo on the 15th floor with amazing views of the coastline. The woman who works here said "welcome to paradise" and I think she's right.

As soon as we got here we went to the Ironman expo which is in the parking lot next to our condo. I bought some cool-looking bike shorts and matching top with Ironman Florida on the back. We browsed around and then got our bikes from Velo Express, the company we went with to transport our bikes. We were very happy with the guy who runs Velo - he's meticulous about making sure the bikes arrive safely and charges less than Tribike transport.

Walked our bikes back to the condo and went to get some dinner. Took a look around Panama City - its not ritzy, that's for sure, and in some places is kind of run-down looking but the beaches are amazing.

There are definitely some serious triathletes here. Lots of hard bodies and carbon fiber bikes. I still vascillate between being excited to get going and feeling like I'm in over my head. I guess it's the unknown...I've never gone this distance before or even come close to it. Evan a half-ironman is just that: half an Ironman. When I did the 5430 long course, i remember thinking "there's no way I could double this distance today" but that was 3 months ago and I think we only do what we set out to do. And Saturday, I'm setting out to go long. Reeeeally long.

Tomorrow is a busy day. Breakfast for the athletes at 8:00, Gatorade swim thing at 9:00 (we will actually get in the ocean and swim - VERY nervous about that), registration and check-in 10:00 - 12:00, then get swim bag, bike bag, special needs bike bag, run bag, special needs run bag ready. I'm serious. There's that much to plan!

Then we'll take a spin on our bikes, get my seat adjusted and check my right pedal, get our nutrition plan figured out and go to the mandatory dinner and meeting for all the athletes. Both Kevin and Marshall were here last year and they said the dinner is a really special event. They have some of the elite athletes speak and present inspirational stories of people overcoming incredible odds to finish the race. Marshall said Lynne wanted to run right after the dinner, she was so pumped.

Gotta get to bed - more tomorrow!

Couldn't resist!

Ok...confession time: I ended up running today after all. Couldn't stand not doing anything and after i picked up the kids, I just felt like it. So, I went very slow for 30 mins (whoop dee do!). It was fun because I took Daisy and Katerina rode her bike along with me and we talked along the way. She told me that when she goes to college she wants to learn all about science. How cool is that?!

It was almost 5:00 when we left so we ran through UNC campus and through the tunnel that goes under 11th Avenue (which Katerina thinks is cool). We circled back onto Reservoir Road and back home. It was really fun AND my hip didn't hurt at all. It hurts when I get up out of a chair or move a certain way but there was no pain on the run (jog was more like it).

Went through every emotion today! Scared, confident, calm, stressed, excited, happy, you name it! But I'm starting to get more excited than anything.

And a BIG thanks to my dear friend, Dan England, who sent me a really nice message on Facebook today. It helped me more than he will ever know.

Off to bed - too tired to think anymore!

Blessings

Yesterday is a day that I won't forget. It started with a surprise at church: Lorin Cope, our interim assistant to the pastor (not sure of his correct title!), asked me to come up front during the church service. I was totally taken by surprise and wasn't sure what to expect.

I went up front and he announced that I was going to Florida this week and asked me to explain why. So I told the congregation and they clapped (and laughed) as I explained what I was doing...and that prayers during the swim portion of the IM would be much appreciated! Lark Hapke, our pastor, said the church wanted to send me off with their blessings. How nice!!!

Then, I got a call from Lizzy Ginger that afternoon to go for a slow, easy, pre-IM spin "out east". I had wanted to ride the Zip (fancy racing bike we have) and it was a beautiful day so I said yes. I had planned to work on UNC stuff all day but I couldn't resist the offer. So off I went with her on a new route "out east".

It was simply wonderful. The weather was perfect, the pace was easy and slow, and the route was devoid of traffic so we were able to ride side-by-side and just chat. We told our life stories to each other and I left feeling like I had a new friend. This is what life is all about - making connections with people you care about.

(We did something else on this ride that I won't forget: we both had to pee really bad and we couldn't find a secluded place so we just pulled over on the side of a wide-open country road and bared our bums to the wind - ha!)

Then last night, we went to a "send off" party at Cables End, organized by Jenny. That was truly the highlite of my day! It was for Marshall, Jade, and I and we had a great time. Many of our running/tri friends were there: Dan, Jenny, Kevin, Brenda, Todd, Jim, Duane, Paul, Jade and his wife (I don't know her name!), Lynne, Marshall, Sarah, and her hubby, John. Also, Allie, Logan, and Katie who were kind enough to sit with my kids. Last but not least was a dear friend of mine from church, a man I've gotten to know very well these last few months from a committee that we both serve on: Dick Bond. He is someone I admire and respect deeply and I felt honored that he came to wish me well.

What a day - I feel truly blessed!

Today I feel calm and confident. I decided not to train and to get my UNC work done. I will feel much more relaxed if I leave with my classes in order. Time to take a deep breath and get to work - everything is going to be ok.