Chicago Tri

Packing for Chicago, I was nervous.

Leaving for Chicago, I was excited.

Arriving in Chicago and driving where I'd be racing, I was nervous.

Going to the expo, I was SUPER EXCITED.

Leaving my last meal on Saturday night, I was SUPER NERVOUS.

That's pretty much how it went all weekend long. Back and forth between nervous and excited. I got really sick in the middle of the night Friday night. I can't be sure, but I'm pretty sure that was nerves.

Brian and I drove to Chicago with my bike, gear and his large luggage in tow (We're going for 2 nights?!) Had a reunion dinner with two of my friends from college that I haven't seen since '02. It was a trip to look at old pictures Rosa brought. Saturday was glorious sleeping in for the first time since, well, I can't even remember.

Going to the Expo was like racer's crack. There were so many awesome vendors to talk to and browse. We got our packets and there was a check-list of things to do before you left. I've never been to an Expo like that. You had to go to a different area to do everything: get your cap, shirt, beer bracelet, check your chip, weigh in, get marked; everything! Brian was such a trooper as I dragged him around the huge expo space for an hour.

Saturday we hooked up with my Chicago-based race cheerteam, Marci. We met the Brinker family for a fabulous dinner at Harry Caray's. We walked off our dinner at Buckingham Fountain and Millennium park. Then back to the hotel to try to sleep. Besides waking up to Brian sitting in a chair with the light on in the middle of night, I slept pretty well.

4 a.m. rolled around and it was time to meet my Chicago race partner, Patrick. He and I got set up in the HUGE transition area after fumbling in the dark being half awake. We made our way back to the hotel to take an hour pre-race nap. It wasn't really a nap, more like resting my eyes.

I got back to the start line just in time to check my shirt and shoes, put my cap on and get in line. They are serious about the start times. It says 8:14 and the horn goes off at 8:14. The day was WINDY and quite cool for the end of August.

So this was the first swim where I started in a wave. The races I've done before people start at 2 second intervals. My wave was about 100 people and we jumped in the water and were treading water for almost two minutes waiting for the horn. People were pushing and shoving in the water, although there was no where to go. The horn blew and we were off!

I FLEW for the first 1/2 mile. My time was the fastest I've ever done. Open water swims with wave starts are fight or flight. There's no "sorry" when you smack someone with your hand. You don't worry about kicking someone in the face. You're on a path and it doesn't matter who's in it, you keep moving forward. I was lucky to not get seriously belted too many times. Although it's still a weird sensation for me to swim with people touching me and me running into people's arms and legs.

Then the last 500 meters is where I really felt the waves and choppy water. It literally felt like I was making zero forward progress. I happened to spot Brian so that was nice to see him walking along the edge as I swam. I saw tons of people hanging at the life boats and a few guys pulling themselves forward along the course using the pier, which I'm pretty sure is a penalty! Although the last 500 meters was terrible and almost took me longer than the first 1/2 mile, I never stopped and made it. I got terrible charlie horse cramps in my calf muscles that I never did fully stretch out. As a result, my calf muscles still feel a tad bit like jello as of today!

There was a .25 mile run from the water to T1. I was a bit pissed to find out at the end of the race that that is added to your swim time. WTF, it's a transition. Oh well. I made the transition in a few minutes which was good considering the area was HUGE. It helped having my auto zone bucket because I could easily find my stuff among the sea of bikes, helmets and racks. I pulled out and hopped on my bike. I flew up the entrance ramp to Lakeshore drive and took off. The wind was INSANE! I have a hybrid bike, so I sit pretty upright, which makes me feel like a sail to stop the wind. I had three women make comments about they couldn't do this race on my type of bike.

I wore a camelback for the first time and took hammergel out in a flask. SO MUCH easier to use the flask than to fiddle with opening a pack. It was the first bike ride I had hydration, makes such a difference. (My arms are too short to comfortably reach a water bottle on my bike..I even have two different cages.) I picked out three women I was going to beat on the bike. And I picked them off, one by one.

You think Lakshore Drive is flat as a pancake when you're driving it. When you're biking it, you realize it's a lot of rolling hills. I realize I'm a pretty decent hill rider. As I made the final turn in the 2nd loop I realized I was on schedule to finish the bike in about 1:20. Which was SOO Fast! I was budgeting 1:30 or so. At this time, I also realized that my charlie horse cramps were coming back and I was getting a cramp in both thighs I'd never had before. It was just above the knee, but toward the inner thigh part. Straightening my leg made the cramp worse, a bent knee position really was the only way to stretch it.

Between mile 21 and 22 I thought I heard something pop in my front tire, but I look down and it's fine. A few pedals later I realize my back tire is flat. EFFFF me. Tears started forming in my eyes as I was pissed I came all this way and was afraid I wasn't going to finish. I didn't know what the rules were on this. Just as this happens, Patrick comes up the other side of the road about 1/2 a loop behind me. Double EFFF me, I so wanted to finish this race with him :( An assistance truck sees me and pulls over. No room, they'll have to come back. I sit by my bike for about 15 minutes and then I look at the traffic crawling in the remaining open lanes on Lakeshore, there's no way they'll be back before Christmas. So I get up and start jogging my bike to the loop return where some volunteers had been. I finally get there, they have tubes but no tools and don't know how to change tires. I'm thinking what am I going to do when a lady says, run it in, you're only about 2 miles out. So I run/walk my bike in. It's difficult with clip shoes on to run that long of a distance while trying to control your bike and hug the guard rail as close as possible so you don't block other bikers. (Which one by one I saw all my targets pass me!)

I finally make it back to the transition area feeling SO defeated but SO determined to finish what I had started. I took out jogging slowing on the run course. It always takes about a mile to get my running legs back, but this time I'm cramping everywhere in my legs. I've had plenty of the nutrients to avoid this, but something went wrong. I see Brian and Marci and I scream "I need a hug" so Brian hugs me. As soon as he does I start bawling and tell the story of my bike between sobs and snot. I try to stretch my quads using his shoulder to balance on and my charlie horse cramps get worse. No matter which way I stretch, something else cramps up worse. So I say eff it and continue on the course. Patrick passes me, encouraging me to run it out.

The run took me longer than expected. The pros start last. The male and female pro winners lapped me on the run. That was effing demoralizing. They took pictures of the two lead males duking out the lead and there I am in the background of the pictures.

However, I finished the 32.13 mile race strong. I watched my finish video and I'm running strong and smooth (ha for me anyway). I got my finisher medal. I hate my results. I hate that I had a 1h 15m extra tacked onto my time (at least) because I didn't know how to change a tire. I hate that this mistake probably cost me 1st place in my division; that I would have finished below my goal time. But I'm so proud that I had the determination to finish. I'm so thankful for every one's support! My mobile race team is full of rockstars! Thank you

Disclaimer

If you read any of my blog entries below, beware. My dirty old sailor mouth (as my mom nicely tells me) comes out in some of my previous entries. I kinda forgot about this small detail when I decided to post the link to my blog on my fundraising page. Sorry in advance. And yes, I had a crazy month of July full of bad habits that some of you probably didn't even know I had. Sorry about that too. I know the Internet is a terrible way to find out. fail.

BUT! I really am serious about finishing the marathon in under 5.5 hours and surviving the Chicago Tri (Olympic distance), so have faith! :-)

A new PR - I didn't drop dead??

Well. I've been quite a lazy-ass in the past month. I would say I've played hard, and played even harder. My liver still is wondering wtf hit it after two weekends of concerts. Such a great time, such lazy weeks between (well, work and sleep). I messed up, I didn't keep with my training at all, so now I'm three weeks behind in marathon training. Lazy. Only thing I can say.

So I had a tri this past weekend. I really debated if I should just skip it. It has been in the upper 90s. I knew it would be in the mid-80s at the start of the race. Even though it was just a sprint tri I have not been training, I have been drinking a lot and smoking when I drink. I figured I would probably either sink to the bottom of the reservoir or I would literally pass out on the bike or run.

I talked myself out of quitting, figured if I got to feeling bad I wouldn't chance it and would stop where ever I was in the race. I picked up my packet, packed up my stuff and got a good night sleep. I woke up late, rushed out the door without a proper breakfast (mainly because I haven't been to the store in 3 weeks) and got to the park.

In our pre-race meeting the told us we'd be DQ'd on the bike if we had an ipod and we'd get a 2 minute penalty for headphones on the run. Shit. I don't want that, but I've never done a race 100% without music. Even at Carmel, I cheated a little bit.

It was 85 at 8 a.m. when the race kicked off. The water in the reservoir was bathwater, it was absolutely disgusting and not refreshing at all. I got in the water and some how got a little off the course so I tried to rush back to the pack. In the process I ingested a mouthful of warm lake water (I almost barfed just now thinking about it) and spent a good minute treading water while coughing it out of my lungs. I got out of the lake and a guy passed out right in front of me. That scared the crap out of me as I ran by (they already had oxygen on him). I knew I was behind my June swim time. Oh well, I hadn't sunk like a lead balloon, so strike one victory.

I ran to my bike and took off. As soon as you get out of the transition area you face one of the biggest hills on the course, so cruel. It really wasn't an issue at all and I got up it a bit faster than I remembered in June. I screamed "HI Richard" (a volunteer from the museum) as I rode by. I was passing people left and right. Surely there were slower people this race. As I got out to the main street I had a few cops cheering me on. I guess that's the benefit of being one of the biggest chicks out on the course, everyone seems to be amazed you're out there and passing people, so they get really excited when you go by.

I flew back into the park and realized I killed the bike but I knew I had a slower transition than June as I got my running shoes on. It was so effin hot I spent a few seconds just taking down liquids. I ran out of the transition and faced that cruel hill again. The first 1.5 miles are an uphill incline in the direct sun. Fucking sucks, not going to lie. I alternated running (shuffling?) and walking up the hill. I passed a girl coming down the hill the other way that I had been neck and neck with in June at the finish line. I was outright pissed at myself for slacking, had I trained, I KNOW I would have beat her. Instead I got lazy, partied my ass off and was getting my ass kicked. Lesson learned. Also without music, I realized how much I have screwed my lungs and can hear every breath as I hit the pavement. Lesson learned 2.

Running down the hill I knew I was finishing the run faster than June by some weird act of god. I run by and scream "Hi Richard" again and get a bunch of screams back from people " GO BLUE" as I run by in my blue puma shirt. Who greets me at the top of the last hill? The girl who I should have beat. Turns out her name is Shannon and she said she wanted to run the last quarter mile in with me (she had already finished and came back up). I said that was sweet and we chatted as we sprinted down the hill. Well as best I could "chat" as I was running, drenched in sweat.

I finished and looked at the time and knew I had PR'd the race. WTF! How did that happen? I should have dropped dead somewhere along the 13.35 miles.

I have no clue how I did it. It certainly wasn't a PR that I earned or deserved, but I'll take it with a big lesson learned. I'm a tough bitch that can push through anything. I should know this after the ridiculous weight sets that get pushed at me every Wednesday (60 pushups into 60 dips? I've perfected my "are you fucking serious" look)

I'm ready to stop messing around and get serious. I'm so excited that PK and I are going to do our training (swim, run, weights) in Phoenix next week. I told my trainer I was giving her the gift she always wanted.. she now owns me. She tells me to jump and I'm going to ask how high. I'm ready to put all my energy and time into myself and training and get shit done. I'm ready to kill the Chicago Tri and then put all my focus into smashing the marathon to bits. There's clarity in all aspects of my life that are lining up just perfect to tell me now is the time.

Independence from myself

Today was day one of marathon training. The thought of running 26.2 still scares the living bejesus out of me. I find it ironic in a way that I finally lost my first toenail due to running the night before I began chipping away at the 435 to get to 26.2. Luckily there was already one growing underneath a bit, so it's not completely tragic, but still upsetting.

As I sit outside on this Independence day, listening to neighbors chatter over bbq, fireworks and kids playing horseshoes, I feel like this is a start to gain independence from myself. The thoughts and feelings that trap me and hold me back from really breaking free.

I had an amazing chat today with PK. He's so awesome, I really admire him. He's a fantastic runner and overall athlete, a perfectly fit guy, yet, he's still open with me about his own struggles with training and journaling his food. I can always tell him whatever is on my mind and he doesn't judge, he just listens. He provides me with words of inspiration and then tells me something he's currently struggling with, so I don't ever feel alone. I'm so glad he'll be in Phoenix to train with.

I've decided to ditch the online food journal and go back to good 'ol pen and paper. No excuses not to write it down because I'm not at a computer. I know this is the key to get me to my goals, it's tried and true and has worked before.

I think, actually, I know I'm ready to get off this plateau I've been camping out on for the last 12 months and ready to get back to business. Of course I'm starting this right at the worst time, I'm going to be gone the next 3 of 4 weekends, but maybe that's the best time. Work hard, play hard is the motto for July. Not that I don't usually live by that, but it seems more important than ever.

Just like a run, life has seemed to go slower in the first half than the second half. On a run it seems like forever to get to the half way mark, yet the 2nd half flies by. It felt like my whole life up until recently, I was always anxious to get through something and time crept by; high school, college, MBA. Then all the sudden I woke up one day and time starting flying out of the hour glass. Days just melt into months and now seem to melt into years.

November 5. Seems so far away but yet, it will be here before I know it.

3 down, 432 to go.

435

4-3-5 is the minimum number of miles I'll run to get ready for the marathon on November 5. I know I'll run more as I have some triathlons coming up as well.

It all starts MONDAY.