Some pix from the Race

Here are few pix from the race. Chris has more to come soon. Note the obvious deletion of photos where I am "running" on the course.

Still feeling strong. Maybe a little dizzy.

Weeeee! I sure love swimming.

Good thing this isn't video. I'm going about -4mph. Going up Lynch Hill, a tough one, but I made it. Speedsters looks good, too.

Hoooray! I made it. The series of photos after this involve some wheezing, hands on the knees, and general delirium.

OK. Pulled it together here. Look at my medal. :-)

Next series of photos involved stripping down and diving into the lake. Not shown for obvious reasons.

Glutton for Punishment

As predicted, I have a touch of the post-race blues. This past weekend, I felt like a sloth because I didn't get up at 6am and go swim in Aquatic Park and run 6 miles with the team. (Trainings are still going on because several folks are doing races later this month and in June). I did take a nice leisurely 5 mile loop through the Presidio, though. My, how my standards of sloth changed recently!

To ward off the blues, Chris and I have been investigating the next Tri we could do. His Death Ride is on July 14th. He'll be in tip-top bike shape at that point, so we thought we'd do a relay at the Vineman up in Sonoma this August. Hoping we can wrangle a few friends to join us, rent a house up in wine country, and make a fun weekend of it.

Anyone care to join us?

http://www.vineman.com/

It Was Really, Really Hard (But Sign Me Up Again!)

I did it!

What an amazing time I had this weekend. The whole weekend was such a positive experience -- from watching my teammates complete the long course, to watching 65 year old women zoom pass me on the course (knowing they started a full 30 minutes after me), to celebrating our accomplishments with big hugs from coaches and teammates at the start line. Today (Monday) I am still exhausted and thrilled.

The weather was great, probably mid or low 80's, very little wind, and clear skies. We started at 10:10am with one of our honorees (6 year old Lauren) singing "I Will Survive" to us at the swim start. While navigating the swarms of arms and legs, I kept chanting my swim mantras - "reach and twist" and from Finding Nemo "Just keep swimming." I had some serious going-straight issues, but finished strong.

The bike was great! I had a fantastic time out there and didn't even mind all the people passing me and Speedster. I conquered the hills, didn't fall or drop my water bottle, and managed to max out at at a top speed of 31mph (which terrified me to no end). In all the excitement, however, I did not drink or eat as much as I should have. I still haven't figured out how much energy I expend on biking. And I'm also a little afraid to drink while riding. I did stop once at the turn around to drink and managed to drink a few times while riding, but not enough. My butt and back were aching by the last few hills, but I was pleased with my ride. Speedster was happy, too.

The run, on the other hand, was less than impressive. I think I might have to rename the event to be a swim, bike, walk event. I couldn't catch my breath and the dust was making me wheeze more than normal. But I found my friend Eileen at the first few miles and we ran/walked together, which gave me a boost. The first 4 miles of the course is a series of uphills. I shuffle-ran on the flats, walked on the hills, and tripped down the downhills. By mile 3, I was getting delirious from the heat. The sun was over head (it was about 1:30 or 2pm) and the asphalt was radiating a lot of heat up. I started to get the tingly, blurry-eyed, dehydrated feeling. There were water stops at every mile and and Cal Poly students to hose you down. I took advantage of each stop.

Somewhere around mile 4, my head coach was out there in a clown suit/ pimp suit shaking a Budwiser can full of coins yelling me on -- this is what you got up every Saturday for -- this is what you've train for the last 3 months for -- look at Chris (honoree), a cancer survivor running along side with you -- you're doing it for him -- you can do it, girl. While I appreciate his encouragement and all of the support he was providing me, I was cursing him and wishing that he would stop running with me, so I could resume my walk of self-pity. After they left, I almost started crying from exhausting.

I kept trying to put things in perspective -- thinking of our 6 year old honoree and her "Beads of Courage" (one for every treatment or spinal tap or ambulance ride she has had to have in her short life) -- thinking of how much harder my first backpacking trip in the Sierras with Chris was -- thinking of the delicious Mexican food and beer I would have in a short time -- thinking about what it would be like to shave one of the alpacas I saw on the bike course --- wondering if alpacas made milk you could use for cheese. . . Clearly my mind started to wander.

I tried every sports psychology trick I knew. None of them made me run any faster. Even the naked Cal Poly students at the last water stop didn't get my going any faster. But finally, finally, finally, I made it to the last mile, and it was mostly down hill. I dug deep down inside, past all the pain, cursing, and self-pity, ignored the fact that my quads might give out at any point on the steep descent, and rolled down the hill to the finish. Even found enough energy at the end of pick up the pace across the finish.

4 hours and 6 minutes of work and I finally earned the title of triathlete. With my medal in hand, I made a beeline for the lake, ripped of my shoes, and dove right in. 64 degree water never felt so great!

Thanks to everyone who supported me. I've raised nearly $3500 to cure blood cancers. (Know that I spent a good mile while "running" trying to think of all of the names of people who supported me. I don't think I got past the "Ds" before I wandered off into some strange thought tangent about what my double-layered socks would be saying right now if they could talk.)


I think it will take a few days for all of this to really sink in. What a trip it has been. I am exhausted, but ready to do it again!


Go Team!

Tapering

We are officially in taper! 7 days to go and lots of strange thoughts and emotions going on:

1. Why was the last aquatic park swim and run so hard? I was dizzy, nauseated, and out of breath. Aren't we supposed to feel strong?
2. My latest obsession has been potholes in the road -- no, not while riding my bike. I'm living in fear that I will gracefully trip on the street while walking along and twist my ankle next week. No heels allowed.
   
3. I'm already getting post-race blues. How is that possible? This has been such a trip, and I am already sad that I will have to come down off my high. I've combated this by investigating my next adventure. Hawaii anyone?
   
4. I love ice cream. And I love that I can eat all the ice cream I want right now. Especially Pollyann's banana chocolate chip ice cream, or lychee flavored, but definitely not Durian flavored.
5. I feel honored to have had the chance to train with my team. What an amazing group of people. What an amazing effort.
6. There is way too much gear involved in triathlons. I am betting myself a dollar that I will forget at least one critical piece of gear (e.g., a bike).
7. I am still fearful of the big-ass hills on the bike. And have no idea if I will be able to run the run.
   
8. Chris and I are not drinking for two weeks before the race. My liver seems happy.
   
9. Today I was passed on an uphill by a rollerblader. I kept thinking he has 8 wheels, and I only have 2. Unfair advantage.
   
10. I cannot wait to get to sleep in on a Saturday morning again. Hallelujah!
    

We're taking Friday off work to drive down to Lake San Antonio. The long course is on Saturday and Chris and I will race on Sunday. The weather forecast looks good - 70's or 80's and sunny.

I'm ready to be inspired, humbled, exhausted, and exhilarated. Wish me and Speedster luck as we complete our journey to the starting line and embark on our celebration across the finish line.

Quiet Doubts

10 days this time
Speedster and I will wait
Nervously, patiently, hungrily
To begin our journey.

Today
Speedster rests and I relax in body only.
I rest doubtfully, anxiously, curiously.
This may be the longest case
of pre-race jitters ever.

Confessions of a Wimpy Rider

This morning, I woke up and was saddened by the fact that it was sunny and clear.

Today's ride was supposed to be the Alpine Loop + 7 Sisters ride on Mt. Tam. 37 miles, 3700 ft of climbing. The most challenging ride of the season. Our captain had said yesterday that if it were raining, we would not do the ride due to the steep descents on the wet roads. So when I saw the sunshine, I knew I was going to get my butt kicked today. My stomach did little flutters all the way to Larkspur.

Upon arriving, I learned that it was still raining at the top of Mt. Tam and last nights rain had caused a fair amount of rock fall on to the roads. We would not be doing this ride. My heart silently sung. My brain was a little saddened because I knew if I could do Mt. Tam, I would be fine for Wildflower. But my heart of hearts was doing a little dance of joy.

Our ride was still 37 miles, but much less steep. Lots of fun rolling hills, horses, cows, and a wild turkey or two. All and all a great day. I do hope to someday tackle Mt. Tam . . .

My mom sent me a check for "Two Big Juicy Steaks." We will be eating them tonight! (Thanks Mom!)

Muppet Me

All of my color sense seems to go out the door when I am getting ready in the morning. Today I particularly look like a muppet. Here is a picture of Elmo at the run transition at Alpine Dam, with a whole bunch of other people's shoes.

Beautiful day on Sunday. 8 mile bike + 35 minute run + 8 mile bike. Weeeee!

Sleepy, Grateful, and Charmed

This morning was cold and dark as I hit the alarm at 5:30am. After having gotten up at 4:30am yesterday for a day trip to Portland, I was exhausted. But today was our "practice tri" on Treasure Island, so I mustered the energy and rolled out of bed.

As I sleepily awaited the start, I slowly started added layer upon layer of clothing. First the hat, then the fleeces and sweat pants for warmth. Then the rain jackets came out. First a drizzle, then steady, cold rain. Eventually it just made sense to put the wetsuit on to fend off the wetness and chill. By the time we made it down to the water, the skies had opened up pouring down upon us. Standing on the beach was exactly where I did NOT want to be. But right before we got into the water, someone said to me, "Be grateful to be here. Be happy you're alive." Thinking of Brenda, I hopped into the water.

It was strangely not that cold, though it had a funky smell. It was actually pretty great out there -- only 600 yards and fairly warm. No one kicked me in the face and I only swallowed a minimal amount of bay water.

The bike transition was tough. I spent what seemed an eternity trying to snap my bike helmet on. A few bruises on my chin later, and several layers of clothes, I got on my bike. The course was very flat and consisted of series of turns around the island. We were to do 3 loops for a total of 12 miles. Somewhere along the way I got lost and ended up doing close to 14 miles through the rain and wind. Unpleasant to say the least.

The run was tough. The first 1.5 miles were almost impossible. Legs felt like jelly. I ran too fast out and my lungs were unhappy. But the second loop was good and I finished strong. We even got a "medal" for completing our sprint triathlon!

Thoroughly soaked and shivering, I arrived home with 2 thoughts on my mind. Warm shower and my personal guilty pleasure, Charmed. Annoyingly, while I indulged myself in front of the television, the sun came out. I kept the curtains closed, ignored the irony, and got lost in Wiccan stories.

All and all, a good Saturday. I am, in fact, grateful to be here.

The Reason

Last night, we received some very sad news about one of our honorees in the Bay Area. Although I have never met Brenda, I am literally reduced to tears reading about her amazing spirit as she struggles with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Below is a team email me received. We can all use some of the strength Brenda has. And I thank her for her inspiration and reminding me to be grateful for what I have.
m.
---

Hi Team,

For those of you who were at the track workout tonight, here is more information about Brenda Donato, the honoree Todd spoke about tonight. Todd says, "It goes to show us all how much work there is left to do when some of the treatments we have at our disposal are as dangerous as the disease itself." Read on to learn more about Brenda. Please, let's all keep her and her family in our thoughts. This is an email that was sent on to TNT honorees from one of Brenda's friends:

"Its with a very very heavy heart that I send this to you. Brenda Donoato, who is a dear friend and has been one of hour honorees for many seasons has been given 12-36 hours to live. My good friend Lindsay is at the hospital and has been helping Brenda quite a bit over the past few months and we are all just devasted. As an FYI, the summer team for the TNT has been named Team Brenda. I'll be doing the Summer Team so I hope you join as well so that we can find a friggin cure for cancer. The ironic thing is that its not cancer that is killing Brenda, its a complication of the bone marrow transplant she got called Graft vs Host where the host organism fought the incoming bone marrow and weakened her lungs and they coudn't reverse the damage. She is amazing woman who was so strong, so upbeat, so giving and so inspirational. If you'd like to read more about her, see her myspace account if you can log into it:
http://profile. myspace.com/ index.cfm? fuseaction= user.viewprofile&friendid=10230644&MyToken=ee6f7c5c- 5a87-4c34- 81b2-755d3a5ce0f 7

__._,_.___

Learning to Eat

As if I've ever had a problem eating . . .

But this whole "endurance sport" thing (and I continue to hesitate to call myself a triathlete-in-training (which should be evidenced by the fact that to this day, I still do not know how to spell the word athlete and must rely on spell check every time I type it - like i just did twice in this aside)) requires some clear attention to what, how, and when I eat. I can't just rely on hunger as my indicator of when I should chow down.

Here are a few things I've learned.

• I have to eat at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours before I work out or I get very bad cramps.
  
• 1 cup of coffee and no more before a morning or afternoon workout. If I work out after work, another cup is okay before noon.
• Caffeine has a half life of 11 days. Consuming a gel with caffeine will have no effect, except psychological, if you have had coffee recently.
  
• Fried rice is the perfect pre-race meal.
• I am hungry all the time. 3rd breakfast is not uncommon.
• Eat apple or vanilla gels and electrolyte drinks while running. Eat Clif Bars, Power bars, electrolyte and protein drinks while biking. Don't eat chocolate flavored gels, pretzels, or crackers.
  
• I probably burned about 1600-1800 calories in my workout yesterday.
  
• Eat a recovery snack with protein shortly after working out ( Yesterday - Powerbar 229 calories, Wheat Thins 136 calories, Gatorade - 80 calories)
• Then eat a more substantial meal later on (roast beef sandwich and potatoes)
• And don't be afraid to have 2nd dinner 3 hours later (spaghetti and meatballs)!

Yowzah! and Some cows

Today we wrote 37 miles (officially a 34.5 ride, but we took a little, um, detour), on the "Cheese Factory" ride. Gorgeous green rolling hills, cows by the roadside, and low hanging fog. Great Northern California scenery. Days like today remind me why I choose to live here. We are so blessed.

The ride took for freakin' ever to finish, but I did it. Downhills getting better and only one minor mishap with the clips. Managed to actually drink from my bottles while riding and not dropping anything.

I think I'm beginning to really like this bike things (did I just say that?)!

Perspective

Training for these events is really an exercise in perspective.
For example:

• I think the bike at Wildflower is painfully hard.
• Chris thinks its easy.

• Chris thinks a marathon is hard.
• The guys on the Ironteam do them as part of their training.

• I swam 3000m last night and thought I was a rock star.
• I watched the masters team do the same distance in half the time.

I find it so easy to compare myself to others and feel bad about it. But I guess what I need to remember is something more like this:

• I used to think running 2 miles would kill me.
• Now I run 4 miles to clear my head.

• I used to thinking triathlons were for crazy people.
• Now I think I am crazy.

• I get freaked out by clipless pedals.
• Some of our honorees face cancer every day and never freak out.

Training Weekend Goodness

We went down to Lake San Antonio for a practice run on the Wildflower course last weekend. What a terrific time! It was a nice opportunity to get to know some of the folks on my team. One of my teammates graciously drove us down there. It was lovely to get to know her and learn about her work as a pediatric oncology nurse.

We also saw lots or large cut-out farmers along the highway.

On the training side of things, it was definitely challenging. But it was good to get a mental image of the course and to know that I have completed each of parts of the race.

Swim:
It's gorgeous in the lake. Fresh water and warmish (probably 60 or so). I tried out wax earplugs today, but found that, oddly enough, I feel like I can't breathe with them in my ears. I guess I have some amphibian qualities about me.

Bike:
Major victory on this front. The course was hard. I struggled with a lot of it, but didn't have to stop. There were times when I am sure I could have been running faster. I still need to work on the not-dropping-my-water-bottle challenge, as it was hot out there and will more than likely be very hot on race day.

Run:
Run was the hardest, even though it was on Sunday. It's a steady 4 mile climb before you get to a flatish part. Then a nice long downhill to finish it off. My legs ached and I had to walk a good part of it. The long-course folks were running circles around me as they did a half-marathon as part of their training.

In any case, I did it. Yay!

My Left Side

I think my left side
must be very attractive.
Or smell really bad.
Something must account for
the steady stream
of friendly voices that call out
"on your left"
"left-side"
"left!"
Maybe it's not me.
Must be my bike.

First Solo Bike Ride and Brick

Today was our first Brick (bike/run). Due to an 11am baby shower, I had to forgo the team workout and go out on my own. Now I would actually have to pay attention to where I was going!

I climbed some hills in the Presidio today. These are hills that Chris considers small, easy, and short. I consider them daunting, difficult and long. Clearly we have different standards. Although I had the baby shower as an excuse, I must admit that the idea of biking at 8am before many people, bikes or cars were out on the streets was very appealing -- less probability of humiliation in front of the masses.

I am amazed that people do this bike thing all the time and have no fear. I have absolutely no desire to go fast. I continue to mildly freak out on the downhills, even the slightest ones. I realize this is sort of antithetical to the whole triathlon race thing. But I will add this to my list of "Things that Freak Me Out", and go on with my quest to mark them off during this training process. Meanwhile, I will continue to ride slowly and not be ashamed by the fact that runners sometimes pass me on my bike.

One nice thing today was riding through parts of the Presidio I had never been to before. I think I found the wine caves that I had heard about.

The run was a short one and my legs felt like jelly. That happens, I guess, when you run after you bike for an hour. Is this natural?!

Onward to the next weeks training adventure!

Come On in the Water's Fine!

Well, okay, only if you define "fine" as:

• 53 degrees
• 2 foot visibility
• Full of a greenish-black scum

Today we had a first open water swim at Aquatic Park. I have never swum there before. It's a location I have always associated with "crazy people," i.e., Polar Bear Club swimmers (who swim without a wetsuit in any temperature water) and people training for open-water swims and triathlons. So Saturday I officially became a crazy person.

The water is so cold that is takes your breath away for a few minutes. Once you start swimming, you body starts to warm up. Then you hands start to bend all funny and go numb. Then you can't feel your feet. And then, as the cold water seeps into your swim cap and ears, you start to get dizzy. Then the rest of your body goes numb. And that's when you get into your rhythm and start enjoying the swim, if you can believe it.

I had a conference that I had to go to for work after the workout. The plan was to go directly from the swim there. But upon wiping my face with a white towel and seeing a big greenish-black spot let of it, I thought better of it. A quick hot shower brought the feeling back to my hands and I was good to go.

I actually am looking forward to more open-water swimming!

SF Bay Water Temps

Saturday we are doing our first open water swim. I generally like swimming and am up for the open water. But I am not sure I am up for 54 degrees water in Aquatic Park. That and the crazy human biting seal.

My Secrets

I think my bike is a little bit scared of me.
Which is just as well because
I am secretly still scared of it.

It's called the Speedster 5.
It's shiny and red and new.
When people compliment it,
I smile and nod.
I secretly wish it was called
The Slowster 5.

Conquered My Bike Fear (Almost)

One of the real treats of training this time of year is that we go to Marin each weekend. When I left my house on Saturday morning it was wintertime in San Francisco -- cold, 52, and yucky. But as I crossed the bridge, the fog started to burn off and a glorious spring day awaited me.

As the sun appeared, the butterflies in my stomach started to flutter. Today was to be my first day on my new bike with my clipless pedals. My previous rounds resulted in 12 bruises on the inside of my knees (which, btw looked awesome with my bikini when I went to Mexico for my friends wedding 3 days later). But I promised my coach I would put them on for todays 21 mile ride.

The swim was great. The pool is heated and the sun was out. We swam for an hour, close 2000 meters. That was the easy part.

Then with great trepidation, I got ready for my bike. It turned out that there were only 2 of us in the "age groupers" today. "Age Group" is a really nice name for "Utter Beginner" group. As I was getting ready to leave, a friend of mine who had gone out earlier in the morning, and who is also an newbie on the clipless pedals, calls out my name and points to her bleeding leg. She fell about 2 miles out, broke her rear derailer, and had to head back. This did not encourage me.

Feeling unsure about what was in store, we set off. My coach right beside me encouraging me. Much to my amazement, I did not fall once! It was a glorious ride and the new clipless pedals made things a whole lot easier.

I still have to over think every stop. Here's roughly what goes through my mind: "OK, slowing down. You'll be fine. Don't think too much. Put on the breaks. Clip out one foot. Stick it out. Get off the seat. Lean to the right. Keep leaning to the right. Lean some more or your going to fall the other way. I can't control this! This isn't looking good! Panic! Ahh. My foot's on the ground."

Today I also purchased a women's bike seat. Hopefully that too will make things a bit more, um, comfortable.

Ouch!

6 weeks of training under my belt. So far I have:

• Been sore in every muscle of my body for 3 weeks
• Gotten up and swam BEFORE work 3 times
• Managed to successfully get my water bottle out of my cage while riding AND take a sip of water. (mind you this was after almost crashing and dropping the bottle twice)
• Ridden over 100 miles on my ironically name bike, Speedster 5.
• Raise over $2000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Spend a buttload of money at Sports Basement.

Today's training was by far the most challenging for me yet. I swam about 1600 meters and then biked 21 miles with a really challenging hill. I had to stop twice on the hill, but I made it! Our coach was with me most of the way and was amazingly encouraging. Knowing that riding with clipless pedals increases efficiency by at least 30% has convinced me to practice again tomorrow. That hill kicked my butt.

I've been swimming with the "elite" group - the middle group. And being a wimp about my running and doing it with the "age group" aka easy group. Biking, I am sure I am the slowest person out there. I am usually one of the last to finish. But it's getting easier each time I do it.

Tomorrow we have a run in the Golden Gate park. If day lights savings time doesn't keep me in bed, I'll be there with the team. And will try to do the full 65 minutes with the elites. I'm sore all over and signing off! More to come.