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Spirit Mind & BodyOctober 30 Ragnar RelayRagnar Relay Write-up October 24-25, 2008
To set the stage, you have to know how I got recruited to run in this 12 person 180 mile relay race. A good friend of mine called and said that his business partner (Chance) was signed up to run, but couldn’t because of a mountain bike accident. He asked if I could fill in and viola, I was part of Team Dimus. A flash of e-mails came my way and I knew that though the team was willing they weren’t too experienced in running or in a long distance relay. I’d done a couple back in the mid 90’s but not this distance. Basically, each person runs three legs of approximately five miles each. Each team was responsible for two vans with six runners (and two drivers) in each van. I was runner 1 in van 1. As I read through the e-mails, it was apparent that I needed to make sure we had drinks and food in Van 1, so I volunteered to get everything we needed. In the meantime, as e-mails continued to flash around, Van 2 called for a meeting to review the route along with the drivers and go over “strategy.” Since I didn’t know anyone, I attended the meeting, even though I was in Van 1. They seemed to get allot accomplished in their meeting at Z-Tejas, along with a few margaritas. Meanwhile Van 1 decided a meeting wasn’t necessary. Besides, the Team Captain (James) determined his best course of training prior to the race was spending a week in the Bahamas, returning just in time for the race. Fortunately we were in it to have fun and no one was delusional about actually making this a race. Our race started in San Antonio on Friday at 9:00am. Van 1 decided to meet at 6:30am in Austin and drive down to the race site. This was the first time I actually met the other runners from Van 1. We packed in all the food and drink I brought along with our gear into a 15 passenger van. The Team Captain was required to make sure we had all the necessary equipment that was required – headlamps, flashlights, reflective vests, 12 runners, 4 drivers, two-way radios, etc. There were a bunch of rules and clearly we would not be following the letter of the law. As we drove along, I got to know my van-mates. I knew we would have a good time. We got to the race start in plenty of time, which allowed me some time to get out and stretch and get loose from the van ride there. They called for all the teams to come to the start line. In order to keep all the teams somewhat close together, teams were started based on their predicted finish time. We started at 9:00am, along with 10-11 other teams. First Leg: I ran the first, 13th and 25th legs of the run. I went out first and was immediately welcomed by a series of hills. My leg was 5.1 miles (or so I thought). The course was marked by standing banner signs (see the photos) indicating left or right turns and also posted "One Mile To Go". I got out 2.2 miles and the guy was setting up the One Mile To Go banner and I was confused. At that point I started speeding up. There was one guy in front of me from the group that left at 9, but I knew I couldn't catch him. Sure enough the leg was shortened (don't know why) to 3.2 miles. I ran it fairly hard towards the end, which finished on an uphill. I certainly could have gone faster, but didn’t know it had been shortened. The maps of each leg were available on-line, which I had printed the previous day. We were given a packet of changes which we didn’t check until after the first leg. Our “baton” was actually one of those old “wrist snaps” that was popular with kids several years ago. I ran the 3.2 miles in 24:07, a 7:32 pace. The other five legs were spent dropping off runners and stopping along the route to give the runner water and then getting to the next relay point. We decided to make things interesting with each leg. One person would act as the “bank” and predict a finish time, based on distance and the runners predicted pace. The rest of the guys in the van would declare “over” or “under”; the runner would either be faster or slower than the “bank”. There was 10 dollars riding on each leg. The bank could win it all or it was split depending on who chose correctly. The first leg was probably the toughest, since we weren’t really sure how everyone ran. Quickly, it was apparent that everyone was going to go faster than their predicted time on the first leg, so the “bank” had to choose wisely. It certainly made each leg interesting, though it was a little weird hoping someone from your team actually ran slower than what was predicted – “take your time, we’re not going to win anyway”, if you chose over. Nonetheless, each runner knew that we were being bet on, though they had no idea what the bet was or who bet over or under until their leg was finished. As a runner, we just knew that people had money on the line and our job was to do as best as we could. 13th Leg: Van 1 runners finished around 2:00pm. I think we were in Comfort, Texas. Van 2 was running late, which was their tendency throughout the relay. Once we handed off to Van 2, Van 1 went straight to Fredericksburg for some lunch and rest. Lunch was on main street at a German restaurant and beer garden. (Pictures) I was the lone hold-out and didn’t partake in any beer, but all the others had at least one beer and two other runners had the Sampler (six small sampler beers). After eating, three of us (James and Jimmy and I) went for a nice walk to work off a little lunch. We met the rest of the guys at the van and proceeded to Fredericksburg Middle School where our next leg would start from. The school grounds were set up with teams scattered throughout attempting to get some rest, along with some temporary showers and rest rooms. We figured my next leg would start somewhere around 7:00pm. That left us just a couple of hours to get a little rest, laying on our sleeping bags under shade trees. I may have gotten 20 minutes of some light rest, but didn’t really fall asleep. We kept in contact with Van 2 to make sure we knew when they might be arriving. Sure enough, the last person running from Van 2 came to the relay point at right around 7:00pm. My leg weaved through Fredericksburg, including a short stretch on 290 heading into Friday night traffic. Shortly I was out of town heading away from any lights and into the dark of the night. I did have a headlamp, but there were stretches of absolutely no lights or any other team vans driving by. The course was marked with flashing lights on the banners. There were times I was worried that I went off course. Surprisingly I felt really good on this leg. I think the cool air and no sun contributed. Leg 13 was 5.8 miles; 49:10, a 7:26 pace. I was quite pleased with that and actually passed two other teams along the way. We still had five more runners and four hours to go in the van before we could sleep. The next leg (14) was tough in the pitch black and running over cattle guards! Jimmy handled it very well. As our van of runners finished its second round, which we finished somewhere around 11:30pm (yes, Van 2 showed up barely in time), we went straight to Horseshoe Bay, as one of the runner’s (Corley) parents owned a lake house there. It was after midnight before we rolled in and we calculated we would need to get up around 4:00am and leave by 4:40am in order to make it back to our next relay point. Depends how you look at this, fortunately or unfortunately, we got about 3.5 hours of sleep. The alarm came quickly, just as I was getting to a deep sleep. We were all quite tired, but ambled off to the race site. Our driver, Steve (nicknamed Jeeves and Jeebes), was outstanding. We were supposed to have two drivers (Chance, who dropped out and allowed me to get into the race, was scheduled to be our other driver. Steve said that he’d be fine going it alone, so we told Chance to stay home. There’s a whole long story with that, but I’ll skip it for now.) He drove the entire way and was stellar and awake. We made it to the relay point in plenty of time. It was a bit chilly, dark and I will have to look on the map to see exactly where we were, somewhere outside of Dripping Springs. 25th Leg As predicted, my leg started at about 6:00am (actually 5:55am). I knew it was a short leg – about 3.9 miles. I had about 100 feet where I ran on Fitzhugh. I’ve ridden my bike on Fitzhugh and thought this might be a hilly run. Fortunately I turned off Fitzhugh and onto CR 185, which wasn’t too bad. It was, however, a narrow road with few homes and no lights. My headlamp was the extent of the light I had. I saw many sets of illuminated eyes along the way and heard several dogs barking. I didn’t get chased or attacked, so it was probably best that I couldn’t see what was all around me. The guys in the van did say that there was a skunk on the side of the road not far from me. They decide it’d be best not to warn me!! I was tired and felt my heart rate elevated. I just wanted to try to relax and get in a nice rhythm, but couldn’t quite find it. I just pushed on as best I could. My leg finished at the top of a hill. Once again, I passed two teams along the way. One of the runners had their van that stayed just ahead of them, which lit up the road perfectly for me towards the end of my run. As I crested the hill and saw the relay point, I could hear the guys from the van counting down “10-9-8, etc” and I knew I was going to be close. I sprinted to the end and finished 1 second ahead of predicted time by the “bank.” Then the argument began. It seems everyone bet under the bank and he was saying that my actual time was right at his prediction, based on calculations. Of course the rest of the van would have none of it and my posted time was one second faster than the bank. He was a little upset! Leg 25: 3.98 miles; 30:05 for a 7:34 pace. My overall distance was 12.99 miles; 1:37:12 for a 7:28 pace. I was pleased to average under 7:30’s! It was a great experience and I met a great bunch of guys. I would do that race again with them. I’ll post a few e-mails they sent out with “awards” to the group below. Our team finished in 27:44:09, good for 21st place (a 9:14 pace), though we were third out of ten in the 9:00 teams! Awards from the Team: Some awards: And more awards: We snagged the coveted 2nd place sub-masters award. Best idea: Dianna Lane for reserving rooms in Johnson City Best swap: Swapping out Lilly for Mary. She knocked out a 8.7 mile very hard at 1 am. And she managed this with less than 1 week to train. Best cheerleader: Briton lost his voice during the all-nighter. Best line: Mary to Lilly, "come on, Man Up" Best sacrifice by a driver: Lilly for sleeping in Tom & Jennifer's room. Best carbs: the brew at Fredericksburg brewery. Most pathetic: Smetzer for hobbling across the finish line jacked up on ibuprofen and ace bandages. I was asked if I needed a wheel chair.
September 18 IM Moo 2006September 10, 2006. Madison, Wisconsin. This is it. The race (event) I trained for. One year went by fast, signing up a full year ago. How did I get to this point so quickly? Did I train enough? How can everyone else be so sure I can do this? Leading up to the race, I took Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday off to prepare to leave on Thursday. It may sound like a lot of time to pack, and truthfully I had been putting things in a corner for a while to make sure I wouldn't forget things. I will tell you that unless you have done an Ironman, you can't imagine what goes through your mind trying to anticipate what you may encounter the day of the race. It's all about preparing for extremes and the unexpected. Susan Farago and I had been commenting for weeks that we both hoped for Texas heat since we trained in it all summer. Vicki was convinced that no matter what the weather forecast said, it would turn hot the day of the race. Its easy to pack for the heat, its much more difficult to pack for cooler weather and rain. Suffice it to say, my bags were filled with every scenario in mind. Several weeks before leaving, I had decided to make an IM Moo special commemorative something or other and talked with Susan and Vicki about my ideas, along with trying to keep it quiet until we were closer to leaving. After some discussion and contemplation, I focussed in on ordering red visors with the Txas Iron logo on the front and IM Moo 2006 on the side. The order was placed with plenty of time. The vendor knew the date I was leaving town and they took complete advantage of every minute they could. There may be something to ordering things too early. Any way, I was unable to get the visors until Wednesday, but they turned out great! I ordered enough for everyone from Texas Iron participating, plus plenty for those who were there for support. Vicki and I left Thursday and flew to Chicago (her home town) where we spent time with her sister, brother-in-law and her mother, before taking her brother-in-law's truck to Madison. All went quite smoothly; the flight, the drive, the hotel. We arrived, unfortunately, too late for packet pick-up and concentrated on getting some rest and getting something to eat. We contacted Cheryl and went down State Street and found a nice restaurant and had a pleasant meal. We awoke Friday with plans to swim, bike and run. We got down to swim at about 9:00am and found Joe and Ali doing the same. Joe has been saying some really supportive things over the past several weeks. Our Tuesday morning swims were always about those first 15-20 strokes in Barton Springs. We both hated the start of those swims and delayed as long as possible to get going. The plan was a 20 minute swim and off Vicki, Cheryl and I went into the water. It was a little choppy, but not too bad. Vicki and I got out to one of the bouys alreadfy in place and turned around to go back. We got back in and still had some time to go and went out and finished the 20 minutes. As I was getting out, I stepped on some rocks that didn't take kindly to my feet, but there was Joe to offer a helping hand. Joe seemed to be there at important times for me throughout our training. From there it was time to get registered, which proved to be a long process. The line was long, taking over an hour to get through and we both wished we would have gotten to Madison earlier on Thursday. The reality of doing my first Ironman was truly at hand. It was a strange feeling. How did the past year go by so quickly? Usually I'm upbeat and positive at races, but this time doubts and fears started to creep in. Did I really train enough? How would I react to 2000+ people swimming all at once? Vicki kept reminding me to trust my training, but the doubts continued. It was official, I was nervous. Next was the bike warm-up, where we tried and were somewhat successful at following the beginning of the bike route. It was good to go through that as there were plenty of turns trying to get out of Madison. We topped that off with a quick run. Nothing out of snyc, at least the body felt good. The rest of the day and evening was spent organizing everything we would need for the race. Having observed this for Vicki's two previous Ironman's, I had a sense of what I needed to do. We were watching the weather intently to determine clothes we would need for the race and Special Needs bags. So far, so good. 20-30% chance of rain and cooler temperatures. Vicki, being the astute weather person she is, boldly predicted absolutely no rain and hot temperatures. Fortunately we both packed for cooler temps. Saturday morning was quite busy with getting the bike and bags checked in. My nephew, Chris, from St. Louis had come in late Friday night and was quite helpful in getting everything to the Concourse. Friday night Dave Loadman called and asked if I had driven the course and mentioned that it would be quite helpful and said it was "humbling". So Saturday afternoon I went to drive the course, while Vicki spent the afternoon in bed. I toured the infamous course with a close friend of Vicki's, Helen, from her days in Chicago and her friend Amy. All three of us were doing our first Ironman. The course proved to look tough, but we all termed it "doable". The time was getting nearer. Late Saturday afternoon was all about staying off the feet, making last minute adjustments with clothes, reviewing the next days nutrition, getting an early dinner and being in bed by 9:00pm. Vicki still wasn't feeling too good, thinking she was getting a cold. We got off for a pasta dinner in our hotel with a bunch of people, including my two nephews (Chris, plus my nephew Tom had come in that day from Chicago); Vicki's friend Helen and her family; and Helen's friend Amy. I still wasn't fully convinced I could do this. My nervousness continued. Saturday evening was all about awaiting the arrival of Vicki's two sisters, who were driving in from Chicago. We were as ready as could be for Sunday morning, having anticipated all the weather predictions. Vicki's sisters finally made it into town at about 8:30pm. We had a short visit with them before crawling into bed. Vicki, knowing that I was nervous, had written out a prayer for me to take with me throughout the next day. She slept like a rock. I prayed all night, trying to get a little sleep. 4:00am and the alarm was calling us to get up. The day had arrived. I was up quickly and nervously began to get ready. Vicki was still not feeling well. Her heart rate was elevated, but she got up and got ready to go. We gathered all of our water, food and clothing to schlep to the Concourse and met Cheryl and Vicki's friends in the lobby at 5:15. The time went by quickly as we made last-minute additions to our Transition Bags, dropped off Special Needs and made sure our bikes were ready with water/sports drinks. there was a lot of nervous tension, so it wasn't just me who had doubts. Before I knew it there were pleading for us to get into the water. With zipped up wetsuits we followed the line into Lake Menona and jumped in to carve out a starting spot. Vicki immediately swam off and left Cheryl and I in her wake. We both tried to follow, but quickly lost her. As I turned to go towards Cheryl, a guy swam by me and knocked me square in the eye and knocked my goggles off. After some choice words, I was both nervous and angry. I couldn't get my goggles to seal again. I swam towards the ski jump and hung on there trying to readjust my goggles. The gun sounded and everyone was off. I tried to go three different times, but each time my goggles filled completely with water. There I was hanging on a kayak thinking that I won't even start the race because somebody knocked my goggles off and my day would be over. Several minutes passed and the nerves went away. It was all about anger now. I had two swim caps on to help prevent what just happened. I felt all the way around on my strap a few times and finally found that there was a twist in it, which prevented a seal. I flipped the strap and immediately there was a seal. Off I went, no one in site having hung on that kayak for at least 8-10 minutes. It was windy and there was quite a bit more chop than Friday's swim. I was having a hard time getting to the bouys, heck it was hard enough to spot them. I settled into my stroke and just kept going. In a short time, I was catching up with a few people. Whew, I wouldn't be last out of the water. It didn't seem like too long of a time and I was at the turn. It was near impossible to draft off anyone, as we got tossed around by the waves. I turned again to begin the second half of the first loop and was met with larger waves and the current. I thought back to the many times at Mansfield Dam where we encountered waves and knew to just keep my head down and paddle through them. It was hard to site and each time I attempted, I'd get slapped by a wave. I just kept moving forward and I was still having trouble getting close to the bouys. Each time I got close I'd look up and I had drifted away. I decided to just go with it and not fight it. Soon enough I had completed the first lap. I had no idea how long that took, but there were people I was passing and I felt OK. The second lap was similar, although waves got bigger. Because of all my troubles with my goggles, my swim cap came off. I was glad to have that second one. At one point I heard a kayaker nearby say something. I was afraid he was telling me that I had to get out as the cutoff time had come. He was merely encouraging me to get closer to the bouys. Finally the last turn and to the shore. I was quite surprised with my time. My watch showed 1:46 as I came out. Considering the time lost with my goggles, the chop and the inability to draft off of anyone and I was pleased. I remember thinking on the last stretch of the swim that this was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life and if for some reason I did not finish, I was proud of how far I had come in swimming from just a little over a year ago of my first open water swims. As I exited the water, I realized it was raining. Not strong, but steady. Now where did that come from? I got to T1 and we were all complaining about the swim and how hard that was. I felt terribly unorganized as I tried to figure out what to wear. It was taking way too long to get out of T1, but then I relaxed and made sure I had everything. It was going to be a long bike ride and I needed to make sure I didn't forget something. Liner gloves, cycling gloves, arm warmers, jacket, ear warmer (just in case). I had it all and I headed out the door to my bike. It was raining harder now. This was not going to be pleasant, but I was convinced it wouldn't rain long. Still, I wasn't too pleased to be riding in the rain. On Monday before I left town, I found myself with a tooth ache. It's Labor Day and I called my dentist on his emergency number. No response, so I turned to Stacy Miller, pleading for some help. Stacy called and had already contacted an oral surgeon about my situation. He promptly prescribes some antibiotics for me. Now what does this have to do with a bike ride? Well, I can only guess at this, but the antibiotics seemed to prompt what I call a "pee reflex". Everytime I drank something I had to pee within 10 minutes. Believe me, I became quite proficient at peeing on the bike. The good thing was it was raining, so no need to wash off, and since it was a little cold out, I was able to warm myself up a little. Nonetheless, it was distracting. This bike course is difficult even in the best of weather, but add slick roads and it becomes, in my mind, treacherous. Everyone told me to take the first half of the bike easier than I think I should. Well that's really no problem, but I was pretty tense going down the hills,, which created some muscle fatigue and stress. Despite the weather, the crowds were outstanding. There are a couple of monster hills that sit back to back on the course, which we did twice. As I did the first loop the crowds were awesome. It really felt like you were riding in the tour as people lined both sides of the road. As I approached Verona, which signifies the end of the first loop, I was having some back and leg fatigue and pain. There was Jamie cheering me on. He asked if I was having fun and I shot back an emphatic "no". I just wanted to get to my special needs bag; get off the bike and stretch and get some food in me. I also took a couple of salt tablets. I decided to get back on my bike and ride to the next stop to see how I felt. Once there it was on to the next rest stop. I started noticing a number of athletes at the rest stops bundled in blankets trying to get warm. It was getting cooler which compounded our lack of comfort. I just kept trying to get to the next water stop and it was working. I was going to make it provided I stayed upright. It looked like a battle field on the second loop. There were tubes, tires, CO2's, bike levers, etc. everywhere. Obviously people were crashing, though it wasn't until about mile 80 that I saw someone actually go down. I felt fer her as she traversed some railroad tracks, went down and sat and cried. I hope she made it back up. I thought if I could just get back to the two big hills, then to Verona and I could finish the bike. The first big hill came and I decided I was not going to trash my legs anymore and walked it up. The second hill the crowd was just too awesome and I road all the way up. There were two guys that I had seen all around the bike course that were so inspiring. It was so cool to see them again. I finally made it back to Verona and knew I was going to finish. All the way to Madison was a stiff head wind. Though my legs were cold, I was surprised that my fingers and toes were OK. A bit of genius in choosing the correct layered clothing! Even so, the faster I went the colder it was. I just tried to stay in a tight tuck and pedal the best I could. At the end of the bike, one must climb a helix, which is totally unfair after that long hilly bike. Once again the two guys I'd seen ealier were right there at the finish of the bike. T2 was a mash unit. There were guys everywhere in mylar blankets, just shivering. We were all complaining of how cold it was. I, again, took my time to dry off, put on some dry clothes, knowing that I would warm up just fine on the run. Finally, the fun was beginning for me. Time to run! I had yet to see Vicki. I wondered if she bailed out from being sick. The course has several out and backs so I was able to see several people. At about mile two or three I saw Dave Loadman, who shouted some encouragement to me. He was walking, so I knew it was a difficult day for him. A little later and there was Joe. He looked strong. At about mile 5 I finally found Vicki and she looked great. By mile 7 I had caught her and we walked for a while. We saw Susan, who was having stomach issues. I left Vicki and headed on my way. She was so excited to see me and know I was going to complete my first Ironman. I had fun the rest of the way. I developed a knee pain at about 17 and walked and ran. My finish time was no longer an issue; finishing was. I walked with a new friend from mile 22-25.5. Somewhere in there I saw Jamie. At State Street I left Jeffrey and ran through the finish. I couldn't believe I was doing this on this day of rain and cold. Just aweful conditions for this race. But here I was finishing. I hit the tape and the catchers grabbed me and said I could stop. I told them I wanted to keep running and they responded with a "really?" It was a funny moment and caught them offguard. I got my medal and my finishers bag, got my picture and the race was over. What a day. I did two of the hardest things I've ever done in my life - the swim and the bike in that order. It was a long day. I didn't care about my finishing time. I had done it! A faithful journey that taught me a lot about myself and about others!!! September 01 Tune Up in ArkansasAugust 19, 2006 Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
I knew I needed a half ironman distance race to get in before the big one on September 10th. I really didn't want to do Buffalo Springs in June and there aren't many to choose from around Austin, so I settled on CATS Triathlon in Arkadelphia. It was close enough to drive to and Jamie gave it the thumbs up.
Vicki and I packed up and left at about noon on Thursday with the race on Saturday. We figured on arriving in the mid-evening on Thursday and take Friday to get out to the course and get to packet pick-up around noon on Friday. The drive was fortunately uneventful and we arrived at about 8:30pm. The B & B was fabulous; an ealry 1900's house that was recently refurbished to that era. Beautiful craftsmanship, 14 foot ceilings, hardwood floors; just an absolute gem of a house with all the comforts of home. We were greeted and shown our room and promptly had a late night snack of homemade cookies (yum).
Friday started with a wonderful breakfast (all homemade yummies) and then it was off to the race site. We were no more than 10-12 minutes from the site and got there in plenty of time to go through a little bike a little run and a little swim, then drive the rest of the bike course. Once at the site we ran into a few people we knew. Terra Castro was there going through her routine as well. Jack Weiss of Ironhead Race Productions was there. I greeted him and pointed out that I was wearing a t-shirt from last year's Prairie Man race. I got an obligatory "ummm" (more of a grunt than anything). He asked if I was doing it this year and I responded that I was going to IM Moo, which resulted in another "ummm" (er grunt). If you know Jack, this isn't too surprising. Vicki and I chuckled about the encounter and proceeded on with our routine, which went on with one small little hitch. As we went on our warm-up bike ride I kept smelling rubber. I looked at my bike, but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. As we headed down the hill back to the car, Vicki's tire let out a large pop. i knew where that rubber smell was coming from. Apparently her back tire wasn't completely on and the brake was actually rubbing on the tire and made for a nice pop and one ruined tire. Tim Helmstetter had let me know that the bike course was going to look hard, but it really wasn't bad. One only had to survive the heat and a few tough hills. Driving the course confirmed Tim's assessment. A couple of tough hills, but overall it looked like a very doable ride. Off we went to packet pick up after assessing the course. There was hardly anyone there, which made pick-up a breeze. I did a quick check of the age groupings and noticed there were 19 registered in my age group. Vicki attended to getting a new tire and innertube for her bike. Overall, we got done pretty early and had plenty of time to get set for the race the next day.
We were up early the next day, as we wanted to get to the race site by 5:30am, which we easily accomplished. I went through my routine of getting my bike and transition area set, then went off for a quick run and swim. The water was warm and the course looked long. But, hey, what do I know about swim distance, it all looks long to me!
By 7:00am the gun sounded and we were off. Though I started in the back of the pack, I wasn't too concerned about the swim. I tried to get on one swimmer's feet, but after 100 yards I decided he was too erratic with his sighting and left him behind. I just plugged along taking it easy and trying to spot someone to draft off of. After the first turn, I started to pick up my pace and was soon catching a few people. Soon enough people from the other wave started catching me and I just tried to hang with them, which I did. I really started feeling good with the swim with the end in site. About 100 yards to the finish and to my right was Vicki. I jumped on her feet and cruised to the end of the swim.
Off to the bike. My transitions were not stellar, but I wanted to make sure I got everything I needed. Immediately out of the transition was a nice long hill. Trying to take it easy was difficult, but I knew there were plenty of hills to go for the next 10-12 miles. As I was heading up a hill a rider came up from behind with words of encouragement. I looked and saw a familiar face. Yes, it was the congenial Jack Weiss. We exchanged pleasantries and he was off. Before I knew it we were at the downhill phase of the "Caution Hill/ Bad Hill". The vistas were great, but this hill required concentration as there were turns all the way down. Soon enough the hills were behing me and the road turned very smooth and some easy rollers. I packed in with a few riders and we leap-frogged each other for several miles. A few miles from the turn-around I started seeing cyclists coming back at me. I was looking for Terra Castro and Louie Reisch. Terra was cruising along and gave me the thumbs up. Not long after came Louie, though I expected him earlier than that.
Right about then I picked up my cycling pace. There was a woman who kept passing me, but staying in the left part of the lane forcing me to pass on the right. I had had enough and powered off. I was feeling pretty good and realized at the turn-around that the wind was at our backs. As I headed back I also realized that we had been coming slightly downhill for quite some time. The su was out and the road was heating up. It created a much more difficult ride back. I was just trying to concentrate and make sure I got my food and liquid in me. My back and quads were starting to feel the continued effort. I made a quick stop to replenish my water bottles and take a quick break for food. It wasn't long and I was off. Several minutes later I was feeling much better. Before I wanted we were back at the tough hill having to make an extended climb out of the saddle. There were people struggling up the hill. I passed one guy who was doubled over at the halfway point. He was in tough shape. I got to the top and two girls were walking. I was fortunate to keep my bike going, but it was a tough steep hill. Once past this hill there were a couple more hills requiring a pretty good effort. The roads were also rough, which required more effort, as well. It seemed like the last 5-6 miles took forever. Finally we were over the bridge and heading towards transition.
I got off my bike and went off to the run. Once again, there was a considerable hill coming out of T2. My legs felt good and I concentrated on easy effort and fast turnover. I got to my first mile in just over 8 minutes and it was all downhill and slower from there. We came out of the shade with no breeze and there were people walking all over the place. The death march had begun. Right around mile 2 or 3 I saw Louie walking. He just didn't have it, but i was proud that he kept going. I just tried to keep moving, keep running. My goal became to just get to the next water stop, throwing some over me, drinking some and trying everything possible to stay out of the sun. Some water stops i walked through, others I shuffled, but I continued onward. By the end of the first loop my calves had started to cramp and I knew I was in trouble. I wasn't feeling well and the thought of drinking Gatorade didn't help. Even worse was drinking Gatorade. Off I went on loop 2. Again the nice uphill, though I didn't feel too bad. Once up the hill I found Louie. We walked through the mile 7 water stop. We talked for a while and he tried to run a little. We went about 300 yards and he just couldn't go. I reluctantly left him behind.
My God it was hot! There were familiar faces running towards the finish while I still had several miles to go. At one point someone yelled out as we passed each other that he had seen me all day and somehow I had become his hero. I got a great chuckle out of that. I reached the final stretch of the run, all downhill to the finish and I was a little relieved. I finished. I knew I needed something to drink and something to eat, although my stomach was not doing well. I found some water and some watermelon. Next it was off to the sprinkler the fire department set up to cool off. Back to get some more watermelon and then again the sprinkler. As I was getting cooled off, my now good friend, Jack Weiss, had finished and we actually chatted for a while. We had a pleasant conversation and he congratulated me on my finish.
I went to find some food thatr might be appealing, but nothing looked the least bit appetizing. I sat in a chair and I started to feel worse, like I was going to be sick or pass out. Terra Castro came over to check on me. she had been encouraging me throughout the race and noticed I wasn't doing too well. She gave me a couple of salt tablets and ordered me to immediately take them. She had a nutritionist freind with her and she instructed me to eat a gel pack and drink some water. Within minutes I was feeling much better. I became a believer in salt tablets!
From there I waited for Vicki and Louie to finish. Louie came in a little while later. He was walking and I was so imppressed that he finished depsite how sick he felt. He was covered in salt, but I wouldn't have been able to tell he wasn't felling well if he hadn't been walking. He was the same Louie as always - upbeat and encouraging. A few minutes later, Vicki came through to the finish. I was proud of her as she had a great race.
I finally decided to check the results. Up to then I hadn't really thought about it. I knew I had finished in just over 6 hours and I was glad to be done. As in previous races, I was shocked to see my name thrid in my age group. i really had no idea, but the results confirmed it. My swim was pretty slow compared to others, my bike was fairly average, but my run was 6 minutes faster than anyone in my age group. The heat really took its toll. It was a surprise ending to a very hot day. I was pleased with my effort and came home with some hardware!
Three weeks to Wisconsin.....
August 21 Kerrville 2006It's the 4th of July extended weekend and what to do, what to do... Jamie and Andrea, our coaches at Texas Iron solved that problem by inviting people out to Kerrville for "informal" workouts - a little biking, a little running, a little swimming and a bunch of eating. Kerrville is such a great area to ride bikes that I immediately asked Vicki if she was interested in going. A few days later we had reserved a bed and breakfast a few miles outside of Kerrville and were set to go.
We headed out on Friday and since both of our schedules showed the day off from training, we took our time getting into Kerrville. We made a quick stop in Fredericksburg where Vicki picked up a new pair of Keen sandals that she'd been wanting for quite some time. Thirty minutes later and we were in Kerrville heading into the backroads to get to our B & B. We were amazed at the site. It had a beautiful meditation garden and several other spots to sit and enjoy the outdoors and all the wildlife. We were in for a full weekend of training, but we knew we had a spot to come and relax in. Though we didn't take advantage of it this time, they even had a yoga room to go and use as we wish or to come to one of their classes. Maybe next time we'll take them up on it. Of course the first hour of our time was just investigating all the cool places the B & B had to offer.
A little later we headed into town. We found that we had absolutely no cell service at our B & B, so communication with the rest of the group was going to be a challenge, though in some comforting way, I enjoyed that. We headed to the park to find Jamie and Andrea and discuss Saturday's bike ride. They gave us maps and actually had several choices. We all settled on a route and Andrea warned us there would be little chance to pick up extra water along the way. Neither Vicki or I had ridden this route before, so we were looking forward to it. Besides, we were riding right by our B & B.
The next morning we all met up at the park to ride out. Based on the other six people that were there, Vicki and I knew we would be on our own for this ride, as everyone else was quite a bit more accomplished on the bike. The plan was for a ride of 100+ miles, with a 30 minute run off the bike (what's that about Jamie?). As we rode through town we were greated by one angry driver who kept honking her horn at us, even after passing us and comically as she parked in a grocery store parking lot and we rode by her again. Andrea, being the friendly sort, waved and greeted her each time she honked. Truthfully, that was about the worst driver the entire ride. The course was tough. We passed our B & B and Andrea had warned about a pretty nasty hill early on in the ride. Well this was it - the Freedom Trail hill, not but a mile past our B & B. I barely made it up the hill, huffing and puffing, then resting at the top. The first part encountered quite a bit of traffic on a busy road, but the cars kept their distance and we safely made it through to Hunt. At that point we loaded up on water, Gatorade and thankfully cookies from a local church's bake sale. That provide a chorus of "yums" throughout the ride.
At about a third of the way through, which was just beautiful ranch land and desolute of any stores, Jen Cobb came by to make sure we were filled up with water and food. We stopped and topped out bottles off a and she told us we were about 45 minutes behind the rest of the group. We got to about the halfway point and again Jen and Chris, who planned to ride three hours of the ride, came by and filled us up again. she explained that she nearly ran out of gas and emphasized there really are no stores in site. We had no idea how important that stop was for us. Vicki was determined at that point to do the 100+ mile route. I thought given the heat and the scarcity of stores that we might save that decision for later.
Onward we trapsed and travelled through continuous ranch land and really no store in sight. We came to a point in our ride that a decision had to be made - go for the full 100+ or opt for a little shorter route and hope to find more water along the way. Thankfully, Vicki opted for the shorter route. Along we went as the roads were excellent for riding a bike. We came to a stop and rested for a moment as we contemplated a turn and to read the map and anticipate our next turn. As we sat and discussed, I looked to my left and a woman was in a truck waving at me. It turns out it was a woman I knew from my church in Austin who had moved to Fredericksburg a few years ago. I didn't have much chance to sort through that when a man drove up in a car and offered us a book he wrote. I looked at him and said to him in my most un-sacastic tone that we simply did not have anywhere to carry a book. He gave a quizzical look and said where we might find the book. It was something about prison ministries and Vicki and I concluded that he had been in prison and used his time to write a book about his faith. Anyway, it was time to go and the rest of the ride was not nearly as interesting. We did find the last water stop about 8 miles from the finish. Asa we came into town the weather started to turn. Incredibly clouds were forming and the wind was picking up it really looked like rain. We were two miles from the finish of the ride and it was an outright downpour. We finished the ride happily being soaked in rain. Jamie was kind enough to call off our 30 minute run.
The next day was a long run. We had scouted out our route basically leaving from our B & B. We knew we would have to plant some water along our route and actually had made sure we went right by our B & B for more drink or water if needed. We awoke to rain, a nice steady cool rain. We sat and enjoyed a lazy morning waiting for the rain to let up. Well unfortunately the rain did not let up until after noon. Yes, we shoudl have gone to run in the rain, but didn't. We had clearing skies and nice hot weather. I decided that a good thing for my training would be to run up the Freedom Hill. Riding up is one thing, running up is something different all together. So, yes, I did that, and, yes, it was tough. I was pretty wiped out from that.
Day three was a 50 mile bike and an hour long swim. This was also our getaway day, so we also had to sadly pack up and leave. The ride was another great ride that Andrea had a map for. More great ranch roads with very little traffic. We thoroughly enjoyed the ride. We coasted back into town, feeling pretty good and anticipating a nice 60 minute swim in the river. The river was a perfect ending to a great training trip. We both left wanting to come back again, despite the hours and hours of training! May 30 Cap Tex Tri 2006This was my first race of the season and I really wasn't looking forward to it. I'm not sure if it was the difficulty I had on last year's swim or my trepidation on the bike course or the exhorbident cost. I just wasn't too excited about it. Even when I went to sign up I was somewhat relieved to find that the Olympic race was closed and even when I found out later I could still opt up, I stayed with the Sprint.
My training is going well. My swim is starting to come around and my bike and run have definitely improved this year. I have told my coach, Jamie, that i wish I was in this good of shape for the Austin Marathon in February. Jamie has told me over and over that he wants me to feel fresh going into July and so far I'm very encouraged.
So on to the race. This is a little different in that you have to check your bike in the afternoon before. Last year we had a torrential downpour that evening, so covering the bike is important. Vicki took me down to the bike check-in and I immediately found that I forgot to pack the plastic bags to cover my bike. No big deal, I live just a few minutes away. I racked my bike and noticed that it was the rack closest to the bike out and in, which should make transition a breeze. Another change for this year was racking the bike by age groups and swim waves. Normally it is done by race number. I like this as it keeps the age groups evened out, though it could cause a traffic jam if several get out at the same time. I did come back later that evening to wrap up my bike and felt good about the location.
No storms were in the forecast, so it was an early night to bed and a surprisingly restful sleep. Since my race did not start until 9:00, I got to "sleep in" until 5:45am. A leisurely walk of my dog, a quick breakfast and a slow cup of coffee and i was out the door, having packed everything up the day before. Getting to the race site was not a problem, nor was parking in the garage. I got there in time to hear the start of the Invitational athletes. I felt pretty calm and got my transition area ready and talked to friends and other Texas Iron athletes racing. I still was a little uneasy about the swim, but felt ready. It seemed like a long wait, but I am one more likely to get there early than get there at the last minute. This strategy does come with some increased anxiety as I over-worry or over analyze every piece of transition and every element of the race.
I spent a little time talking with a fellow 50+ age grouper. I remember talking specifically about transition and how I don't spend too much time worrying about it because I won't be finishing high enough where it will matter. The day before at my swim clinic Jamie had asked how my mounts and dismounts were going on my bike. I shrugged it off and said that is wasn't going well and i needed to practice it more. What I was thinking was why worry about it, I'm not finishing in the top three for it to matter.
Soon it was on to the swim staging. I took my water bottle, got my wetsuit and headed down to the staging area. On my way there I turned and saw Andrea. I knew her bike had some mechanical issues and she had to drop out of the race. She was in good spirits about it and even laughed that a homeless guy offered to fix her bike.
I felt relatively calm about the swim and knew that I would position myself in the water to avoid contact with other swimmers and allow myself to get into a comfortable rhthym. Soon we were on the dock and were asked to get in the water. It's a deep water start which means you get in and tread water for a while before the gun start. I listened for the race reports knowing that Jamie was certainly in contention even though he had just raced a half Ironman the previous weekend. Just a minute or two before the start of my wave, Jamie was announced as the winner. A few seconds later the gun went off and I went splashing forward. About 50 yards into the swim I saw people already starting to breastroke. A few yards more and i saw someone roll over on their back. I just kept a slow easy pace and tried to settle into an easy rhthym. My plan was to begin to pick up the pace after the second turn, or at about the halfway point. Just as I got to the halfway mark I noticed that I had been staying with a guy to my right for a while and decided I would move in behind him and draft. He was so erratic that after 25 yards I abandoned that. He couldn't site and his stroke was too inconsistent, so I moved to the side of him and swam past again looking for someone to draft. I started passing people and decided to just charge ahead to the finish knowing that I was in a comfort zone, while others were running out of gas on the swim. Before I knew it I was out of the water and the announcer mentioned my name. It's cool to hear your name during the race. Once out of the water I knew to strip off the top of the wetsuit and run the rest of the way to my bike. All went to plan. i was passing people on the way to my bike, then the struggles hit. I seem to have a lot of problems getting the wetsuit off of me, even with Body Glide on my calves and feet. Finally I sat down and got it off, but it wasn't pretty. Maybe I'm just too easy on the wetsuit. I guess I better start listening closer to the transition talks.
I knew I was doing well. I had beat my goal time out of the water by a minute!I was surprised to see some of the bikes of the guys I had been talking to before the race started. No time to think too hard, it was on the saddle and hi-o Silver away. Ok, my bike isn't really silver, it's orange and I don't wear a mask, but I do have my helmet on!
I have convinced myself that I don't really like the bike course. It has too many hairpin turns and the course is crowded. What I found was actually quite pleasant. Though the course was crowded, there was plenty of room to manuever. I sensed that the first lap was going quite fast and my plan was to try to just hang on to that speed and still have something left for the run. It seemed like those two laps went by very quickly and I was surprised to see that once again I beat my goal time on the bike.
Once again my transition was a little slow, though not too bad. I got to my favorite part, the run. I knew I could make up quite a bit of time with a fast run. By now it was pretty hot and I was trying to give it everything I had, but keep it steady. It was great to see and hear all my friends along the race course yelling encouragement. I concentrated on keeping a steady rhythm and tried not ot over-stride or over-extend myself in the first half of the run. I knew if I could hang on to just before Congress Ave., it was a very fast last mile to the finish. I was thankful for the two areas of shade, as the sun really started to heat up the course. I gave it all I had down Congress and then the turn on Riverside and on to the finish. I looked at my watch and felt pretty good about my time. Though the run was a little slower than last year, I was really happy with it all.
I was back home looking at my results when I realized the truth about my race. Had I done even a halfway decent job at transitions I would have finished in the top three and had I really done a great job, in the top two of my age group. Cursed that Jamie Cleveland for preaching about transitions like they actually mean something! OK, I better get back to my mounts and dismounts on the bike to get ready for Marble Falls in July.
Here are my results http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/87787_117885_2006.html
March 11 The Quest BeginsMarch 11, 2006
On September 11th I completed my first half Ironman race (1.2 mile swim; 56 mile bike; 13.1 mile run). It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I was spent at the finish. Mind you, I have done many run races and bike rides over the years, but never have I put those two together along with a swim at these kind of distances. Oh sure, I've run eight marathons, including Boston. And, yes, I've ridden 100 miles before. Certainly, as I looked at each of the three distances, I thought this is something I could do. But on that day, putting those three distances together was incredibly challenging. As I finished, I remember stumbling along and finally just sitting on the ground until I felt like I could get up and find some food and drink. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep.
So how does one celebrate an accomplishment like that. Oh, that's simple. The VERY next day I signed up for a full Ironman race. (Do the math - 2.4 mile swim; 112 mile bike; 26.2 mile run.) I'm sure this will be a walk in the park. No problem, right? What in the world was I thinking? I've been spending way too much time around people that think doing Ironman distant races is fun and no big deal. They say "anyone can do it." And guess who got sucked into that trap. You got it, me!
The money is sent in so I might as well go ahead and do it. So today started the Quest to IM Moo. (Translation - IM = Ironman; Moo is the affectionate name for Wisconsin.) I am exactly six months away from the race. Three weeks ago I finished the Freescale Marathon and so it's time to get busy. Once again, I have signed up with Jamie Cleveland and Texas Iron to coach me through this. I've also met with and will continue to consult with a nutritionist, Meredith Terranova. While Jamie is a professional triathlete, along with his wife Andrea Fisher they make up Texas Iron. Merdith is an ultra-marathoner. She's actually completed a 100 mile run. (Do you really actually run 100 miles? Is that even possible? That's one event I can't begin to get my head around.) She also consulted with her husband as his nutritionist. He recently completed Ironman Hawaii in just over 10 hours, which is absolutely incredible. I'll also continue to recieve massage from Carmen Garza, who has saved me more than once. (By the way, if you think massage is nice and relaxing, you have not been to Carmen, who tends to take a small amount of joy inflicting pain.)
What's left is I just have to follow the plan - Jamie's workout plan, Meredith's nutrition plan, and Carmen's torture, no stretching and massage plan. I am really excited to get going. I know there will be long and hot training days. Days whenI just don't feel like doing the workout. Days where self-doubt creeps in and I'm sure I can't accomplish this. In the end, I am committed to completing this, much like my very first marathon. Follow the plan. Stick to it and have faith and believe in yourself.
This is how I've chosen to celebrate my 50th birthday - complete an Ironman, then next April go and run Boston. The Quest has begun. Onward to many long days in the saddle, followed by endless runs and swims that will calm my mind and ease the pains in my body.
"It's never too early to start training for Ironman Wisconsin."
- Susan Farago September 14 Git er dunOk, I've tried three times to write my race report. Apparently my "blog" site doesn't want me to write it, as it's gone bye bye all three times! So here are the abbreviated highlights: 1. Arlington hotels are filled with evacuees from Louisiana. 2. Do not stay at a hotel whose claim to fame is that it’s the closest hotel to Six Flags. 3. Every once in a while read a bumper sticker - sometimes it is prophetic. In my case, a Texas truck with "Git er dun." 4. An innocent lie just might get you a good nights sleep. 5. Jack Weiss runs an extremely "by the book" triathlon and don't be offended if he speaks abruptly. "No, packet pick up is at 2pm, you need to read it. I've got another call." 6. The day before the race, make sure you eat lunch at an appropriate time, not like 4:30pm! 7. When you pray for overcast skies for fear of the heat, be ever so careful of what you pray for. Wind can be worse than heat. Especially when the wind is a head wind during the bike for somewhere between 20-25 miles of a 56 mile ride. Also when the wind begins to pick up at dawn and creates some rough waters during the swim. However, it can be quite enjoyable during a 13.1 mile run when combined with a light sprinkle. Two people told me it added 20 minutes to their time from the previous year. 8. It's tough to meet your goal when the swim takes 7 minutes longer than you thought and then there's all that wind to contend with on the bike. Once you've drained most of your energy on the bike, it's tougher still to make up those 7 minutes in a 13 mile run. 9. "Git er dun" is what I did. I'm happy I did it. I'm tired, even more than a marathon, but not sore. 10. I've gone to the "dark" side (as Susan pointed out) by signing up for Ironman Wisconsin. I go in tomorrow to have my head examined. As the line goes - "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy." check out my results: http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/59152_131036_2005.html Thanks to all for your support! |
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