Mooseman, Here I Come!

I've signed up for Mooseman 70.3 for June 2010.

The lake is supposed to be pristine, the course should be beautiful and I get to race close to my MA/ME/NH friends and family. Perfect. However, the hilly bike course looks scary....er um challenging. The water will be chilly and it sounds a little intimidating after training for warm, flat races through 2009. It's just what I need. After doing IMFL, I want a goal that won't take up as much time as IM training, but remains outside my comfort zone to help push and motivate me to train hard.

I also want to run a marathon with out all the swimming and biking first. Running was my favorite part of IMFL. I was hoping for Shamrock in march, but the way my toe is feeling, I'm not sure I'll have the time. Perhaps I'll do a fall marathon instead.

Now, if only this toe would heal up. It still hurts and it's starting to really make me mad. I've had enough rest. I want to run. I'm not sure if this medical sandal or wrapping it is helping at all. Wondering if my miracle working podiatrist could have been wrong. He thought I'd be running by Thanksgiving. I think I was still so glowing and happy about IMFL, that I must have somehow miscommunicated how much this toe hurts. Even though I have no short term goals on the horizon, I am still not happy about this silly injury. At all.

blah

I don't feel like doing anything. I don't want to write my race report, go to happy hour, clean my house, plan my holidays or anything else. I do wish I could go for a run (darn toe injury) but maybe I'm only thinking that because its not actually an option right now.

I think I just need some down time. Activity has been non-stop since the Ironman. I got home from Vegas Sunday night and was at work 8 hours later and of course I came back to lots of problems needing to be solved. Hopefully, I'll recover a little this weekend and then I'll spill all the details about the ironman.

The ironman was such a wonderful, positive experience. I know myself so much better now. I am capable of more than I imagined and to know that, well, its a good feeling.

Ironman

I am an Ironman!

The race was amazing! A full race report will follow, but here are the highlights:

Beautiful weather, rough swim, windy bike, awesome run in the dark.
I did not cry the entire day, not at the start and not at the finish. I am so proud.
I PR-ed on the swim, the bike and ran my first Marathon.

I "recovered" working in Vegas, and I am now exhausted from my first day back to reality.
It felt strange not rushing off to the gym or jumping on the trainer after work.

I hurt my toe during the run and its getting worse, so need to see a doctor this week. At least I made it through!

More later...

one week to go...

I'm busy, but here are some of my random, unorganized pre-ironman thoughts:

• Earlier this week I was really happy and excited- but with a lot of temporary OCD about the swine flu. Now I am still excited...but worried about last minute things that could ruin the race.
• At this time in one week, I should be off the bike and on the run. That is cool.
• This morning was crazy! Broken stem and a really difficult tire

Ready?!

This year, I’ve run 22 hilly miles in the heat after a night of drinking, fallen off my bike and got back on, fixed flats & dropped chains. I’ve swam in choppy waters with jellyfish, vomited behind a tree and continued running for 8 more miles. I've been lost while biking, running and even swimming and always made it back. I once rode long in a cold windy rainstorm severely under-dressed. I swam 3 miles in a pool & another day rode 112 miles and didn’t die of boredom. I’ve come back from my camping injury, and severe plantar fasciitis before that. I didn’t think I could do any of those things, but I did. I've managed some serious stress from work and from a family member's illness. I’ve had hard times and good times. I’ve had help along the way, for which I am grateful. No matter what happens I’m glad I have the health and ability to say that I am ready for IMFL. (Now, would it just hurry up and get here before I catch the swine flue)?!

Rain Ride

I've been training and working so hard that I haven't had a chance to give an update:

10/16- 10/18- Training weekend with most of the team. Friday night we had lots of delicious pasta, a little bit of wine, and we were in bed by 10pm after helping one girl with a random flat tire. It turns out there was a hole in her actual tire- not just in the tube! After a few flats before ride morning, she switched entire wheels with one of the girls that did IMFL last year. After seeing her issues, I'm bringing my extra 650 wheel to IMFL in case anything like that goes wrong with my race wheel!

Early Saturday, we were setting off to do a century ride- last time I checked the forecast there was a 40% chance of showers and a high of 60, but that was a few days before the weekend.

Well, what we actually had to face was a temperature in the low 40's with winds of 16-18mph and a torrential downpour. I didn't even own a rain jacket or pack any warm clothes. I was out in the elements wearing a thin yellow summer windbreaker, a long sleeve shirt, shorts, knee warmers and fleece gloves (which became soaking wet after 15 minutes). I was so cold. Mentally, I tried to stay strong, chatting with team mates, trying to take in the scenery etc..but with in a half hour I couldn't feel my fingers enough to shift gears or eat any nutrition other than energy drink in my aero bottle. I was terrified about clipping out because I couldn't feel my feet. It was becoming worried about my fingers, my toes, my health, etc and I think I was right to be concerned. I wish I'd had a warmer layer, gloves that were not fleece and of course a rain jacket. I've since purchased all of the above, so this will never happen again!

Four of us turned around early and did almost 45 miles. Most of the group got in 70 miles. Only four brave souls of the group did the full 100 and it took them over 8 hours to do it.

At least I did thaw out back at the cabin and after a half hour, I could feel my feet again. I decided to run 13 miles to make up for the missed cycling. I could not convince anyone else to do that with me. They headed to a restaurant but some were planning to make up the time later in the week which I couldn't do because of work. I ran down to the ocean and around the park and at least I got in a nice 5 hour work out.

Then next morning was supposed to be an open water swim, but with the winds at 20mph and temperatures in the 4o's again, no one was up for it.

I feel bad about missing my peak cycling work out and starting to taper with out that training overload. It doesn't make me happy at all, but I know that I was seriously under-dressed and to continue, for me, could have been really bad for my health. I still wish I'd been able to do it right.

Now, I am tapering. Yesterday, we rode 48 miles and ran 10. The rain held off until after were were off the bikes and done with the run. Pretty easy! Next weekend is a simple cycle 25 run 5. Easy.

If IMFL were tomorrow, I know I could do it!

Costochondritis

Friday I experienced by far the scariest injury I have had to date through my training. My theory is that my HR monitor has been too tight, but we aren't really sure how it was caused. This injury is inflammation of cartilage in the rib cage. They symptoms? Are 100% identical to a heart attack.

Imagine this. Your daily life has become extremely stressful. Your days are long. You think you are handling it in stride as best as you can, but then you wake up 2 hours earlier than normal with terrible sharp chest pain. It turns into a dull ache lasting past lunch. Your day gets worse. Your chest pain is still there. You wonder, is this killing me? Really? You realize it's a long weekend for doctors. You decide to try to get in to see your doctor... and they tell you to go to the ER. You refuse since you are a healthy triathlete in your 20's. They insist. You have things to do. They put you on hold then tell you that they conferred with the doctor and you need to drop everything you are doing and get there immediately. Yeah, I was scared.

My family doctor is really good. An EKG and Chest X ray later, a full exam and a lot of questions, I am diagnosed with Costochondritis. It will go away and I can train through it.

After my 22 mile run today w/ my HR monitor, the pain was really bad. I'm now pretty sure it was my too tight HR monitor strap. I'm so glad its only inflamed cartilage. Now, I need to find a way to reduce the stress. That was a real eye opener.