I completed one of the last big hurdles on my way to Ironman Wisconsin. The Spirit of Racine Half Ironman was held on Sunday, July 23rd, and we couldn’t have asked for any better weather. July in the Midwest is usually brutal at best, but 70’s and low 80’s were forecast and that’s what we got!
I got into Racine around 2:30 in the afternoon, checked into my motel, and headed down to the beach for registration and bike check-in. It was a good thing I got there when I did, because I thought the line looked pretty long. After waiting in line for about 45 minutes, I finally made it through. By the time I got back to my truck and grabbed my bike the line was about 4 times as long as when I went through!
The group from Des Moines had made dinner reservations at a little local Italian restaurant, and I joined them for that. We ate a ton of pasta, but still had room for an ice cream cone from Baskin-Robbins on the way back to the motels. Roehr drove over from her long training day in Madison to be my race-day “sherpa.” And, I put her right to work!
Her first job was to mix my race nutrition – not an easy job in a motel room without any utensils. I was VERY thankful to have an experienced triathlete (yes, that’s what you are now, Roehr…) there to help! We headed down to the race site around 5:30am and got my transition area set up. There were over 1600 participants registered, but I thankfully, had a pretty easy spot to find.
My sherpa carried a bike pump and my sandals, took lots of pictures, listened to me ramble (a common pre-race practice of mine), and gave out lots of encouragement. I needed lots of encouragement as I looked out over the swim course. Unlike a lot of races that use a triangle- or rectangle-shaped course, this was a point-to-point. So, we had to hike about a mile down the beach to get to the start. I stuck my toes in the water to check things out, and it was pretty cold, but thankfully, I’d done much colder. There were also some waves, but, again, I’d also raced in worse.
The pros went off first, then waves of age-groupers for the next 45-60 minutes. I went off at 7:24am heading due east, so all we could see was the sun, right at the horizon when we looked to site. Even that wasn’t so bad when compared to the little waves I thought I had seen on the shore that had turned into monsters as I swam in them. I can only compare the experience to swimming in a washing machine. Between getting kicked and grabbed, and the waves throwing you all over the place, I had a couple moments of near panic. Soon, we rounded the first buoy and headed south, so now the waves were rolling us side to side, instead of smacking us in the face. Having grown up on water and even working summers on the water, I didn’t think I’d ever get sea-sick, but I sure came close during that 40 minute swim. Let’s just say that I think the wetsuit might have been my most valuable piece of equipment that day!
I got a slight cramp coming out of the water, but I didn’t really care because I was, well, out of the water! Sherpa Roehr was near my transition area cheering loudly, and I grabbed my bike and headed out. There wasn’t a ton of wind, and the course was relatively flat, so I just tried to get into a rhythm and get the 56 miles taken care of. This race was to be kind of a dress rehearsal for the Ironman, so I wanted to practice my nutrition, pacing, mental strategies, etc. I got about 8 miles into the bike, only to notice that my bike computer had died. Not completely, just enough that the only valuable information it would give me was cadence. I couldn’t tell speed, mileage, etc, but that wasn’t that big of a deal. I really needed cadence more than anything, so I just kept plugging away.
After about 40 miles, my nutrition wasn’t tasting all that good, I was getting hot, and my back had started to cramp. Overall, I was just getting cranky. By mile 45, I just wanted off the bike. My legs felt good, and I started to dream about getting off the bike and onto the run. There were even brief times that I thought about getting off the bike early and just running in my cycling shoes to T2, but instead, I dug deep and tried to do some weird stretching on the bike, and survived my way back to the transition. I asked my sherpa if it was a bad thing to run on feet I couldn’t feel. She basically told me to get out there and start running. No sympathy from my sherpa!
This was one of the first races that I felt really good right off the bike. That was a big encouragement to me since 13.1 miles is a long way to run if you feel like crap! The run course is a two-lap out-and-back course along the shoreline, up the tallest lighthouse on Lake Michigan. I really like the course because it broke up the run into bite sized pieces. I basically looked at it as four 3.25 mile legs of a race. And, I could see all of the people I knew a bunch of times during the run. There was an aid station at every mile and lots of nutrition and cheering from the residents of Racine. By this point in the day, it was getting pretty toasty, so I took advantage of the various sprinklers and hoses that people would spray to keep us cool.
After the first 6.5 mile loop, my old hamstring started cramping. It was to the point that I could only run on totally flat surfaces or declines, and only walk on the uphills. That slowed me down a bit, but mentally I was still in the game, and I think that is 85% of the battle at that point. I cheered on some friends that had great days, and friends that had pretty miserable days. As I hit the last little downhill section to the finish line, I felt great. My goal was to cross the finish line with a smile on my face, and I crossed it running, smiling, and very happy!!
I didn’t know it at the time but I finished the 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run in 5 hours, 59 minutes, and 17 seconds. In the back of my mind, I wanted to break 6 hours, and I did it!
Actually I think the toughest part of the day was still ahead of me – the drive back home to Ames!
Monday, July 31, 2006
Grandma Turns 100 in a Grand Fashion
Over 100 years ago, my grandmother, Ruth Klein, was born. It was Friday, July the 13th, 1906, when the second of 4 Hevenor girls was brought into this world. She is a constant source of inspiration, encouragement, and amazement to all who meet her! She is truly loved in this world (and beyond), and we tried our best to show her on July 15th, 2006. Over 50 family members flocked to Plymoth Place in LaGrange Park, Illinois for a big ol' party! We had cake (and more cake and more cake... yum!), looked at pictures, played Sudoku, worked crosswords, inhaled Mike's "famous" guacamole, and shared some fun times with Grandma. And, she didn't miss a minute of it!
She is beautiful! And, I'm so thankful that she is my grandmother!! Happy Birthday, Grandma!
She is beautiful! And, I'm so thankful that she is my grandmother!! Happy Birthday, Grandma!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
6 Months Old!
The babies are still unbelievably cute and GROWING! Today, they are 6 months old! And tomorrow, they move into their new house! I can't even start to think what it's like to move with 6month old twins to deal with at the same time...
Sophie "reading" a magazine
Lauren "eating" dinner
Workouts are almost Zen, In Weeks Eleven and Ten
It has been another insanely busy 2 weeks of training and in general life... I can't really complain; I think I like it better when I am busy, but it sure makes it hard to squeeze all these workouts in!
It is SO hard to believe that IM Wisconsin is a mere 9 weeks away. Back when I started training, I really thought the day would never come. As I go about the training, it's really become more of a way of life rather than a means to some end. But now, as the weeks click away, I'm almost sad to see the day move closer to reality. It's been a lot of work (and a lot more work is yet to come), but I've just had so many great experiences and met so many good people, I'm just not ready for it to be over.
The last 2 weeks have been a bit more introspective for me as well. I've started to realize just how much I've changed since September. I think I am just starting to learn the athletic potential of my body. I've just never really challenged myself this way. I know I've run a couple marathons, a bunch of half marathons, and blah, blah, blah, but I've finally started to find that "next gear," the gear I never really believed existed.
My mom will kill me for saying this (as will a few other people in my life) but I've had more than a few passing thoughts about doing this again. I think this is really one of those times in life where the journey means way more than the actual destination. In fact, I could skip the actual race and still feel like I got more out of this experience than I expected to. However, I am NOT skipping the race! It's just going to be the sweetest icing on the cake!
After the wedding on Saturday night, I got up and ran with a couple new friends in Des Moines for about 90 minutes on Sunday morning. It was a good way to clean out the cobwebs of the race (and wedding reception) the day before. I was pretty wiped out after that, but I felt ready to tackle the new week. Truth be told, I came away from the race feeling like I had been a bit of a slacker the couple weeks before with all the racing. It's hard to train hard and still be able to perform decently at the races, so I picked a slightly lighter load to be fresher for the events. The panic attack caused by realizing there were only 11 weeks to go fueled my fresh start!
I hit my workouts with a renewed vengence, making training the priority of the week - to heck with the "real world!" So, I ended Week 11 with the highest run mileage of any week so far. I got two long swim sessions in, and my mid-week brick workout (that had been neglected for quite some time) made a return! It felt good to be able to hit all my workouts and not have to cut anything out. That was a good way to head into Week 10!
Week 10 turned out to be my biggest week of total hours of training so far! It was a great week of training, even though I miised another swim workout. The 4th of July weekend actually made it harder to get all my workouts in... and I thought days off of work were supposed to be great for training!
The week started back down in Des Moines, training with some of the DM Tri group, including a IM Wisconsin age group winner in 2004. Jan is a great triathlete and a wealth of information. I took advantage of having her there and asked lots of questions - at least for as long as I could keep up with her! It was a great overcast, cool day with a few drops of rain. We rode south out of Des Moines on the Great Western Trail to the city of Cumming, then jumped on a great, bike-friendly county road to Winterset and back. This route was a great practice ride in preparation for the IM, as it was quite hilly the majority of the way.
The goal was 90 miles for the day, and that meant a couple additional out-and-back loops from the trailhead for us, but we got our full 90 in before we changed clothes for the brick run. The trailhead we used was right across the street from Des Moines' Water Works Park and that turned out to be a great place for our run. Thankfully, it was flat and had little traffic, but the highlight had to be the (huge) wild turkey and 2 young deer that we saw as we made our way through the park. I was a little cranky after all that time on the bike, but, once again, I was very thankful to have this DM group to encourage me along the way.
After the run, I got in my truck to drive back to Ames. I think I must have really burned some serious calories on the ride/run because I started to eat anything and everything within arms length almost all at the same time! I'm sure the other drivers on the Interstate must have thought I'd lost my mind, but I put away a ton of food on the drive home - pretzels, recovery drink, bagel, granola bar, applesauce, water... and about 2 hours later a BIG dinner!
After the big weekend of workouts, I took Monday off and helped out with the National Special Olympics. My job wasn't very exciting, but it was fun to meet all the people from all over the country and (hopefully) help them out by answering questions, etc.
A good friend was coordinating the volunteers for a local 4th of July race in Ames, and so I volunteered to help out with race morning stuff for that, too. As it turned out, she only needed me for a very brief time before the race, so I was free at race time and able to compete. The Four on the Fourth offers a 4K or 4 mile race, so I signed up for the 4 miler. I thought I'd just see what all this long, slow distance training had done for me - I kinda figured it would just be a long, slow 4 mile run... But, once I got out there I seemed to increase my pace every mile, and I ended up getting third in my age group! And my first "hardware" ever in a running race! And a pretty decent pace for me! It was pretty encouraging to run well and know that even though the training runs have been long and slow, I've still got some speed, and that big endurance base means that I can run faster for a longer time. Sparkle and I headed out for a 2 hour ride after the race, then got to work preparing the "Hilton" (the trailer) for RAGBRAI, which starts in just a couple of weeks.
The rest of the week I hit most of my workouts and took advantage of the great weather we've been having to get out and put a few more miles on the bike. The next couple of weeks should go back to being pretty crazy. I'm heading to Chicago for my grandmother's 100th birthday party, and that will be a great time! All of my cousins and their families will be there, along with family from all over the place! I am really looking forward to it. Hopefully, some of the family will also be joining me on a training ride somewhere, too, as I need another good, solid long bike ride before the following weekend, which will be my first half IM distance race in Racine, Wisconsin. Then, the day after the half IM, I'll be joining the rest of Team Satisfied for RAGBRAI XXXIV, until the following weekend, when I think I'm headed back to Madison for another training weekend on the course! Whoa! I'm gonna be busy!
Week 11 Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6550 yards
Bike: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Run: 36.7 miles
Cross-Training: about 60 minutes of core and strength work.
Week 10 Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 3850 yards
Bike: 9 hours, 30 minutes
Run: 23.7 miles
Cross-Training: about 60 minutes of core and strength work.
It is SO hard to believe that IM Wisconsin is a mere 9 weeks away. Back when I started training, I really thought the day would never come. As I go about the training, it's really become more of a way of life rather than a means to some end. But now, as the weeks click away, I'm almost sad to see the day move closer to reality. It's been a lot of work (and a lot more work is yet to come), but I've just had so many great experiences and met so many good people, I'm just not ready for it to be over.
The last 2 weeks have been a bit more introspective for me as well. I've started to realize just how much I've changed since September. I think I am just starting to learn the athletic potential of my body. I've just never really challenged myself this way. I know I've run a couple marathons, a bunch of half marathons, and blah, blah, blah, but I've finally started to find that "next gear," the gear I never really believed existed.
My mom will kill me for saying this (as will a few other people in my life) but I've had more than a few passing thoughts about doing this again. I think this is really one of those times in life where the journey means way more than the actual destination. In fact, I could skip the actual race and still feel like I got more out of this experience than I expected to. However, I am NOT skipping the race! It's just going to be the sweetest icing on the cake!
After the wedding on Saturday night, I got up and ran with a couple new friends in Des Moines for about 90 minutes on Sunday morning. It was a good way to clean out the cobwebs of the race (and wedding reception) the day before. I was pretty wiped out after that, but I felt ready to tackle the new week. Truth be told, I came away from the race feeling like I had been a bit of a slacker the couple weeks before with all the racing. It's hard to train hard and still be able to perform decently at the races, so I picked a slightly lighter load to be fresher for the events. The panic attack caused by realizing there were only 11 weeks to go fueled my fresh start!
I hit my workouts with a renewed vengence, making training the priority of the week - to heck with the "real world!" So, I ended Week 11 with the highest run mileage of any week so far. I got two long swim sessions in, and my mid-week brick workout (that had been neglected for quite some time) made a return! It felt good to be able to hit all my workouts and not have to cut anything out. That was a good way to head into Week 10!
Week 10 turned out to be my biggest week of total hours of training so far! It was a great week of training, even though I miised another swim workout. The 4th of July weekend actually made it harder to get all my workouts in... and I thought days off of work were supposed to be great for training!
The week started back down in Des Moines, training with some of the DM Tri group, including a IM Wisconsin age group winner in 2004. Jan is a great triathlete and a wealth of information. I took advantage of having her there and asked lots of questions - at least for as long as I could keep up with her! It was a great overcast, cool day with a few drops of rain. We rode south out of Des Moines on the Great Western Trail to the city of Cumming, then jumped on a great, bike-friendly county road to Winterset and back. This route was a great practice ride in preparation for the IM, as it was quite hilly the majority of the way.
The goal was 90 miles for the day, and that meant a couple additional out-and-back loops from the trailhead for us, but we got our full 90 in before we changed clothes for the brick run. The trailhead we used was right across the street from Des Moines' Water Works Park and that turned out to be a great place for our run. Thankfully, it was flat and had little traffic, but the highlight had to be the (huge) wild turkey and 2 young deer that we saw as we made our way through the park. I was a little cranky after all that time on the bike, but, once again, I was very thankful to have this DM group to encourage me along the way.
After the run, I got in my truck to drive back to Ames. I think I must have really burned some serious calories on the ride/run because I started to eat anything and everything within arms length almost all at the same time! I'm sure the other drivers on the Interstate must have thought I'd lost my mind, but I put away a ton of food on the drive home - pretzels, recovery drink, bagel, granola bar, applesauce, water... and about 2 hours later a BIG dinner!
After the big weekend of workouts, I took Monday off and helped out with the National Special Olympics. My job wasn't very exciting, but it was fun to meet all the people from all over the country and (hopefully) help them out by answering questions, etc.
A good friend was coordinating the volunteers for a local 4th of July race in Ames, and so I volunteered to help out with race morning stuff for that, too. As it turned out, she only needed me for a very brief time before the race, so I was free at race time and able to compete. The Four on the Fourth offers a 4K or 4 mile race, so I signed up for the 4 miler. I thought I'd just see what all this long, slow distance training had done for me - I kinda figured it would just be a long, slow 4 mile run... But, once I got out there I seemed to increase my pace every mile, and I ended up getting third in my age group! And my first "hardware" ever in a running race! And a pretty decent pace for me! It was pretty encouraging to run well and know that even though the training runs have been long and slow, I've still got some speed, and that big endurance base means that I can run faster for a longer time. Sparkle and I headed out for a 2 hour ride after the race, then got to work preparing the "Hilton" (the trailer) for RAGBRAI, which starts in just a couple of weeks.
The rest of the week I hit most of my workouts and took advantage of the great weather we've been having to get out and put a few more miles on the bike. The next couple of weeks should go back to being pretty crazy. I'm heading to Chicago for my grandmother's 100th birthday party, and that will be a great time! All of my cousins and their families will be there, along with family from all over the place! I am really looking forward to it. Hopefully, some of the family will also be joining me on a training ride somewhere, too, as I need another good, solid long bike ride before the following weekend, which will be my first half IM distance race in Racine, Wisconsin. Then, the day after the half IM, I'll be joining the rest of Team Satisfied for RAGBRAI XXXIV, until the following weekend, when I think I'm headed back to Madison for another training weekend on the course! Whoa! I'm gonna be busy!
Week 11 Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6550 yards
Bike: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Run: 36.7 miles
Cross-Training: about 60 minutes of core and strength work.
Week 10 Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 3850 yards
Bike: 9 hours, 30 minutes
Run: 23.7 miles
Cross-Training: about 60 minutes of core and strength work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
