It is really time to get back on the wagon of fitness and health. My skin, my outbursts, and my jeans are telling me its time. But I have really really enjoyed sleeping until 6am on week days and even as late as 9 on weekends; enjoying my coffee and laziness.
I just don’t know where the damn wagon is…
I’m supposed to be running right now. I told myself, “this week I’ll do it”; I’ll get out there running. Maybe even try a bagel run. But after a few attempts this week, 3 miles here, 5 miles there, I am still just not ready. I have no speed under me and I’m a ball of lethargy. I realize the only way to improve the speed is to actually run. I realize that when I run I gain energy.
I know all the things I’m supposed to be doing right now, but I’m just not there. Everyone said it would happen, that after IM things would come crashing down. Well, I’m there. I’m supposed to be back to exercise, eating right, focused but I’m not there.. I know I need to set goals and I’m crying out for accountability to someone for it, but I’m not there.
I wonder when I will be there again.
My brain says: time to get back into the gear. go running, go swimming, for the love of God, put down that donut….(no eat it, eat it…)
My body says: my left big toe is killing me, I have mild plantar fac. in my right foot, the tendonitis in my left leg is raging, my shoulders are tense and I’m tired all the time.
Who is going to win?
Backstory
A year ago, give or take a month or two, I turned to my amazing friend MM and said, “Do you still want to do an Ironman? I’m in.” So off we went last September, signed up and officially changed our lives for a year. For me, the catalyst was a sincere desire to finish something. After a tumultuous year previous, I knew I wanted to focus my time and energy on something for which I would have most of the control determining success or failure (bike flats, water temperatures, course topography, and humidity notwithstanding). I had no idea what I was in for, but I can happily say, a year and a quarter later that this Ironman “thing” was the best decision I’ve ever made thus far.
So now onto the nitty-gritty.
I arrived in IL to Maggie’s on Wednesday and we went up to Madison on Thursday arriving to Ironman buzz all about. We were like to little girls going to first grade, nervous, excited, and on the brink of tears at any moment. We got all checked in and took a nice easy run to warm up. The next few days consisted of packing and repacking our five bags, having a great warm-up swim, getting Blue back, visiting the amazing Madison Farmer’s Market, and greeting our entourage.
I went into this race weekend with the hopes of finishing. I really thought that 16:30 would be a realistic goal for me. I knew that I wanted to get out of the water in 1:30, off the bike by 5:15pm and take about 5:30 to finish the marathon. I don’t do math well at all, but I figured give or take transitions and traumas that 16:30 sounded realistic.
Then the big day arrived. We set six alarms, just to be safe. I woke up feeling excited and nervous but at the same time focused…almost calm. It was just a methodical practice. “Check the bags, pack the wetsuit, do the pig tails, put on the sunscreen” etc. It was just a matter of getting each piece of the puzzle put together. We left for downtown and after some nice iron-angels gave us $2 to park (that was so not in my special needs bag), we headed to get everything ready. When I got to Blue, I kissed her and told her I was sorry she had to be out in the cold all night, she seemed ok to me.
SuperSherpa CJT found me in the Terrace and my family arrived shortly after. The wetsuits went on and we went off to go down the Helix to the water. The air was electric. The fans were plentiful and the M&S crew were in their neon best. Not too hard to spot neon yellow shirts with our cheesehead sportin’ heads on it!
So onto it….
The Swim
I got in, ducked my head under, and positioned almost in line with the red start buoy but back far enough so that I could get in at least a few strokes before entering the human blender. This proved a wise decision as I didn’t have to do a lot of unnecessary swimming to get in the “line”. The human wake was fast and furious and my little white cap (girl) found itself in a sea of red caps (boys). But alas, I just kept pulling along usually getting 6-9 strokes in between bashes of the head, hands, feet, booty, and the like. I felt pretty good and got into an ok rhythm. I had to fight off “ear plug whale shaped man” who seemed to be everywhere I was on the second half of the first loop. Finally I got peeved enough just to swim hard around him to get peace. I made it round the first loop in 38min. I was ok with this considering there were 2400+ other people in the water with me. The second loop was definitely more flexible, less bodies and less aggression. Just into smooth flow. As I neared the last few orange buoys (the second half of the loop) the second time I did a time check and saw 1:08. I thought, “damn, I could make my dream day goal”. I channeled many a months in the lanes with “my boys” and kicked like a badass to get to the finish. I made the last turn and it was game on. I pulled up and out of the water just as the clock turned to 1:20. WooHoo my dream day goal!
T1
Wetsuit stripping was a hoot. I found a “hot guy” and said “hot guy, strip me.” They laughed and the girl said, “ass in the air, point your toes” and whoosh, it was off. I could have been faster but I didn’t want to jog up the helix. Seriously?! Who puts an uphill around in circles run in between swimming and transition, holy balance batman. It was in T1 that I realized, “maybe I should have used body glide on my neck?!” as my assistant sprayed sunscreen all over the ripped up skin…ouch!
The Bike
Anyone who is reading this blog probably knows me well enough to know that Blue (my bike) and I have a love-hate relationship. I love her, she is beautiful, but man she pisses me off. I knew going into Ironman that the bike would be my Achilles heel. My goal for the day, get around the first loop before 1:30 (the cutoff) and again at 5:30 (the other cutoff). I figured if I could be done the swim early enough I could have a good cushion to have extra time on the bike.
Little did I know that adrenaline would kick my butt and have me speeding up the helix (with a quick hello to friends from MD) and racing off at a “blazing” (for me that is) speed. The miles just seemed to click away and before I knew it, I was in Mt. Horeb at the top of the first really hard climb of the day. Who knew?!’ The Superfans were everywhere. It seemed like it was only just a few miles between spurts of neon. And the regular fans lining the climbs, they were salvation. Just as I was cresting one of the worst hills, the time clock car for the leaders approached and the leading men quickly followed. The fans and I had a chuckle at the “commotion and crowds, just for me” I couldn’t believe I made it to the second loop at 12:30. Really? An hour ahead of schedule, woohoo! So off to special needs I went where I ditched old sandwiches, got new ones, got my coke (yea!) and a bag of carrots and 4 blessed advil. Then, off again. I loved going through special needs just to have a few moments of human interaction.
I struggled in the early parts of the second loop. I really didn’t want to eat, never wanted to taste HEED again in my life, and was a little hot. But alas, I just kept pedaling even when I was in my granny and it was fairly flat…I knew if I just kept moving that would be good. Never once, NOT ONCE, did I feel like quitting. I knew that I had 265 children to answer to on Tuesday morning, plus my beloved friends and family. But more than that, the thought simply didn’t enter my head. I forced fed a gel or two, a few carrots, and finally just started mainlining water (no more heed, ew) which really helped my spirits. Around mile 80, I thought of my “kids” at school. I wanted to make them proud. And when I had 37 miles to go I just channeled the words of a wise man who said, “it’s just Columbia and a spin around your neighborhood.” That kept me going for the last 36 miles until we reached town again.
I spent a lot of time in conversation with God on the bike. I tried to maintain a constant spirit of thankfulness in this race. (but more on that later….)
I came through the last bit of the bike, sat back on the “no pass zone” and then hammered all the way back to the terrace practically giddy. When I heard beloved JE’s voice yell “Sarah” at the bottom of the Helix, I almost lost it. I was coming in at 7 hours and 42 minutes….a far cry from the expected 8-8:30…I kept saying, “no crying on the helix!!!” I plunged down the ramp past my amazing family and friends and hopped (ok, lumbered) off Blue. I told her I loved her but I don’t want to see her for a few days and then shuffled (ok, danced) into T2.
T2
The women’s assistants in the T2 changing room were amazing. My gal helped me with everything including my princess barrettes. What a great gal. It was her that kept me under 10 minutes in T2 (including a short “stop” and my sunscreen massage)
The Run
Ok, so I admit that when it comes to running in triathlon world, I’m a cocky B. I am a runner (or at least I used to be) so sometimes, I look at the run part with a bit of a scoff. But at IM, I was just so damn happy to be off my bike, I think it fueled me. Kisses to the Superfans along the shoot and then off for a “short jog” as I said to the regular fans. The 4:1 was perfect. I never felt tremendously uncomfortable and just kept moving forward. I ate a little gu, but never felt super hungry or mentally fuzzy. I felt really focused. Then I looked at my watch and started to do math. Really? What kind of person thinks they can do math 115-120 miles into a race? Yowza. But once I realized that I could just count from 7am, I was good. (duh). Then I got excited, really? Am I only at 13 hours right now?
The run was amazing. The miles kept ticking away and it felt, almost, effortless. I became a slave to my Timex and its 4:1 beeps. I fell in love with ice chips which gave me something to do. I came into special needs and it was still daylight! I met my “special needs date” and he helped me take exchange my hammers and get my reece’s pumpkin cup and my mini-coke. And…my princess tiara. I really wanted a glow in the dark tiara for the run and two days before the race we found a silver and pink tiara with glitter “princess” written on it. It was awesome. For the last 13.1 miles, I had a tiara on my head. I was called Queen, Princess, and crazy….but it made me happy and kept the fans shouting, so it was good. It got pretty dark on the back half of the course through the paths and it was eerily quiet but amazing. I could not believe how good I felt. Seriously? It isn’t supposed to feel this good right?
One more trip through inspiration point where my pink and brown sign cheered me on. And then it was back to town. I knew that I would be getting close, so at 24, I ditched every hammer and electrolyte tab that I had stuck in my bra, got rid of my glow sticks, and started to pick up the pace. At 25, I turned off the 4:1 alarm and kicked. I stopped at the last water stop to get a sponge to prepare for my “paparazzi” and turned it up. I saw KD before the turn, JE at the turn, MM’s family behind the SUV, and just as I heard “the guy” start to say the magical words…I saw my family and CL. I thought I might just about lose it. Hugs Kisses and a few more steps before with hands up and up and a “F*@& yeah….” I crossed the line. 14:42:19…a mere 1 hour and 48 minutes faster than I anticipated. The feeling was ridiculous.
The entire day was a great big thank you note to God. I spent a lot of the day channeling the words of wisdom from my loved ones. “You are a game day player” “You are the bike” “Quitting is not an option” “You have done the work now get the glory” I spent a lot of time thinking about my students and knowing I had to come back to them a finisher. I thought about the last year and love and loss and family and joy and pain. This year was cathartic. It allowed me to believe that I can be strong again. It allowed me to build a community which I had been longing for. It it proved to me that if I put my full trust in God that I can do anything. So He got most of my time on Sunday. Lots and lots of thank you’s. (and one small apology for the GD when I hit a bump that hurt…)
I truly believe that if I can do an Ironman anyone can. And now that I’m an Ironman I believe that anything is possible.
Today I had a brunch with the Cowboys, a phone chat with a dear friend, and a Triathlete potluck. Much of the conversation in all of these events had to do with the fact that Ironman is six days away from today. I am not going to prattle on other than to say that I feel so incredibly loved by so many people and my gratitude is overwhemling and overflowing.
I hope that I can make everyone proud. Please know that I am grateful.
Two weeks.
That’s all that is left of the structure free summer.
Memories of time well spent and unfettered will quickly fade to grey.
New classroom, new students, new grades, new work. All seem to be flooding upon me like a hurricane.
It is a bittersweet time to cherish the last mornings of late rising and the last evenings of ice cream and the daily show.
Turned in exchange for early mornings and commutes. Early nights and limited desserts.
But also exchanged for delight. 215 smiles. Hugs daily. Free lunch. music, lots and lots of music.
Anticipation is bubbling. Brewing. So much is new and can what shall be the outcomes of the new day? I wait. I listen. I remain at peace.
Pencils are sharpened. Seats are assigned. Lessons are planned. I’m here, your teacher, tired already, but thrilled to see you.
Come in, all are welcome here. Summer happily traded for the new year found every autumn. For MY happiest place on earth.
In School.
I have never been accused of overtraining. If anything, I am an undertrainer. I am lazy. I like to do as little as possible to accomplish my goals. I’m not saying this to be self-depricating, I’m just being honest.
So the last few months, with hours long workouts on the weekends, have been tough. I’m tired, all the time. I’m hungry, all the time. I rarely want to leave my couch or bed. But I’m trying so hard to do what I need to do so I can hear the words…you know them….in a month.
But this weekend, I decided to be satisfied for bucking my schedule and listen to my body. So instead of a 5hr bike/1hr run yesterday and a 90 min 4:1 run today I did this….. Yesterday, 4:30 bike, 60 miles/30min run (nagging hamstring pain forced the run to stop) Today, 3.5 mile trail run (no walking) with sister and two rambunctious dogs. I would probably have not gotten out of bed today if it hadn’t been for the dogs and my sister meeting me. It was hard, but it was good for my soul. (Plus, I now have two tired dogs at my feet)
Some might say I am undisciplined for not doing exactly as my schedule dictates every day. Some might believe that I won’t be an Ironman. But I know that listening to what my body is saying is something no one else can tell me to do. That something is better than nothing when motivation is weak. And that if joy is lost, what is the point?
I’m glad I found joy today.
So a lot of people have asked A)why am I not blogging anymore and B)how was the “suicide” double century weekend. To answer quickly: A)I haven’t really felt “moved” to sit down and write lately. My ADD rages in the summer without structure. B)I am going to tell you about last weekend’s bike stuff…right now.
Back in January when I started training for Ironman, I knew that the “drop dead” date was in June, that meant 12 weeks out. I also knew that part of the 12 weeks out meant that I would have to spend two days back to back doing 7+ hr days (roughly 80-100 miles) on my bike. While there is a strong physical element to this, it was more to get to the point of mental break and then to press on. I dreaded this weekend for months. For two reasons, I am a very slow rider and not a huge lover of pushing on the bike. But the week finally came.
Day one: Eat a Peach Century, Carroll County, Maryland
DF (dear friend) and I arrived in Westminster, MD to the Ag Center around 8am. We got ourselves ready to go and hit the roads by 8:30am for the 67 mile course. Most people had started earlier, but 8:30 is about the time I think I’ll be starting the bike in WI, so it was a good idea. DF was so sweet to do this ride with me. It is horrible. There is nothing nice to say about it other than perhaps you see a lot of cows. Climb after climb, up and up and up. As usual, I got crankypants early, around mile 30 and made a decision that perpetuem + hammer gel would NOT be my drink of choice any longer. Water, Coke = Good. Perpetuem = sugar tongue (and not the new song from the Indigo Girls). We played a nice game of “Sarah catches up” as I would get dropped by everyone and their brother up the climbs, but my giant tush would get good speed on the descents. (yay for my booty)
I was really needing some h20 and when we arrived at the water at mi. 40, it was empty (mother “chicken” is what came out of my mouth here). So trudge onto 49, but about 5 miles later, after getting dropped and descending, DF was at the bottom of the hill where there was a convenience store. YEAH! I love Mt. Airy’s random convenience store. There I was able to get lots of water and a really cold can of coke. This really really helped me feel better and kept my mind alert. So we pressed on.
With about 5 miles to go we faced some super duper big climbs and I started to notice that this point the flags weren’t just our orange one’s but all the other colors too. This made me realize that I would have to do this entire set of hills again, at the end of the 33 mile loop to complete the 100. Crap! But press on we did, arriving at the Ag center where I left DF behind and went out on the 33 mile loop.
I had the cue sheet but noticed pretty quickly that there were no yellow flags as had adorned most of the 67 course. So one missed turn and 2 miles of wrong direction later, I found I needed to follow the old course markings on the road (which were accurate). The event directors had pulled all the flags from the 33 early. At this point, I was alone. And I don’t just mean without DF. I was the absolute LAST person on this course. There was not a single other cyclist for 33 miles. At one point a truck drove up and asked if I was with the “ride” I said yes. This turned out to be such a blessing as he called the water stop and told them to stay open. They cheered me in and gave me fresh, cold water. YEA! Bless them. Knowing all the other stops were closed, I stocked up and headed back out.
The 33 loop was a bit easier than the 67, but definitely NOT easy. I knew it would come time that I would find those hills again. But, I channeled DF’s words-”It’s just the Columbia course and a ride around your neighborhood” This really helped. At mile 96, Mr. Cool Guy (jackass) went to his mail box and said, “Did you have a flat? or are you just slow” Really? Really? (say those with rising pitch). No I’ve just ridden for 7 hours, 95 miles and I got lost, so screw you. Actually, I said, “I’m just slow, but I’m happy”. Soon thereafter the Charm City Dudes in the XTerra started following me picking up flags (those that were still left) They were nice. They didn’t make me feel stupid for being so slow. They even held traffic for me at one intersection. 
Finally, 7 hours and 45 minutes of RIDING time later (about 8:30 of actual time), I arrived back to the Ag center where lovely DF was the LAST car in a GINORMOUS field waiting for me. I may be the slowest person ever to finish 100 miles at Eat a Peach, but I finished (gol-darnit). And…I had a peach.
Day Two: This was technically supposed to be a solo century, but being in that I will never be alone during IM, DF decided to drive me out to Kent Island to ride a flat century for day two. This turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. We got a late start (I needed to sleep) and didn’t start the ride until almost 10am. This was, I think, our most fatal mistake as it was perhaps the hottest day thus far this summer. As I’m now remembering why I don’t blog much anymore (I’m tired) I will give quick highlights from day two.
First, flat doesn’t mean easy. It means constant pedaling and no break for the legs. Plus a headwind, which when its 90 degrees without shade means it feels like being behind a jet engine all day.
Second, this ride had the road to nowhere. Seriously, I found Sarah Palin’s bridge plan…its a long-ass road in Kent Island. By the time I got to the end of it, I had started to crack. I unclipped, put my head in my aerobars and started this laugh-cry breakdown thing that was hysterical. It was only mile 30. But alas, we had to go back.
Third, I love Sam and his store. Sam is the lovely proprietor of the convenience store on the road to nowhere. At the first stop, I had a coke, water, and the world’s most delicious ice cream bar ever. Plus, just being in air conditioning was awesome.
Fourth, when you have a full-on breakdown at mile 65, it helps to have a friend. Full-on mental breakdown occured at mile 65. I think I spent miles 50-65 just wondering “why the hell am I doing this” and then proceeded to express said anger in a colorful (read: curse filled) rant that lasted 5 minutes. DF just listened, in a fully non-judgmental way, then proceeded to convince me and go back to visit Sam. If we made it that far, we would add 10-15 more miles. “Ok” So off we went.
Fifth, Sam really is the best store owner ever. A second coke, another ice cream, fig newtons and water later and we had made it up to 75 miles. “Do I have to go down the road to nowhere again”, I asked DF. “No. We can go back from here now. You’ve been great” (:-)
And so DF and I pressed on, in the heat, through the paths, across the bridge and pressed on back past Ms. Frederick’s street and back to the car, where I proceeded to cry a little. So happy to be off my bike. We made it 88 miles. (which we called good as it was hotter than a w(*&^ in church)
188 miles. two days. 14:15. Four cokes, two ice cream cones, three pb&j’s, one peach, one great friend, and the toughest bike weekend ever. DONE.
So the day began the night before with this image. The sight of seeing my lovebug’s name on my rack spot. Tears ensued, I covered Blue’s computer and headed home to sleep the night before. For the record, I think chicken with a little pasta rather than pasta (or pizza) and a little chicken the night before was totally the way to go. Sleep didn’t come easy but eventually.
Brrrring..Brrrrring. 4:30am on Sunday morning to cool breezes in my Hobart William Smith dorm room. Bags were already packed so it was body glide up, braid hair, brush teeth, and eat time. Breakfast: banana, smuckers pb&j, apple, and tube of almond butter (and water)
Heading to the site I got the gorgeous view of Seneca Lake at sunrise.
I set up my transition area, realizing that every bike around me belonged to a boy. This was weird but I did see chicks around, so I figured I was just the lucky one. I set up my t area on my strawberry shortcake blanket. The boy next to me had spongebob which I thought was hilarious. The USAT nazi was out looking for mis-racked bikes so I helped a few strangers who were going the wrong direction. She was warpathing. (Seriously? It was 5am.)
Swim
The weather was lovely. In the 60’s with light winds and partly cloudy skies. The water was coming in at 68 deg, perfectly wetsuit legal. The day before I had gone in for a warm up without one and it wasn’t horrible. It could have been done without one but who doesn’t love extra bouyancy in the caboose right? My wave went off third and I positioned towards the left, near the front. I did this at Columbia and didn’t get kicked in the face all that much. This water was weird. It was very clean, but it definitely messed with my head that I could see all the way to the bottom. I did not want to see a snake, fish, or barracuda. (ok, so no barracuda’s in new york) I had swam (swum?) over a ginormous fish the day before and it was weird. I got into a decent rhythm early, but really had to think about form and kicking. My ws is really too short which messes with my barbie legs. The buoys came fast, which gave me confidence. The swim was fairly uneventful until the turn in the canal. This was supposed to be home free but the smell and taste of the water made me so sick. I had to sit up to (excuse me) gag. I had a two second mental smackdown and stuck my head back in and kept along. I found my way to the boat ramp and got up. whew. done. (34:39, 14th in AG! Woo Hoo!)
T1 was not particularly fast. I did not want to jack up my HR just to get to my bike faster while waddling in my wetsuit. My rack was halfway across the t area so I had to waddle pretty far. (do you have a mental waddle image? did it make you giggle?) (3:21, it was the waddling)
Bike
So I started out on the 56 mile bike course with very low expectations. Finish in 4 hours without dying. I had very little idea what the bike course would be like so I just went out and figured I would learn something along the way.The first 10 miles just plain sucked. I couldn’t get my body to feel right, everything from waist down hurt. Finally after the first bottle exchange we had a nice section of flat, really nice. It tucked in and pedaled like a mad woman, just to build my confidence. It worked, I felt much stronger, even though my legs hurt. I was hitting up to 23mph, which for ME, is huge. (I did get passed by a mtn biker and several people in cages….but at least this race doesn’t allow 12 year olds, the would’ve passed me too) Next thing I knew, I was at mi. 20. I felt pleased with this and kept fighting hard head/cross winds and long slow grades that were on the flat side, but deceptive. All in all, I felt the course was mostly flat. We had an amazingly gorgeous downhill to Cayuga Lake. I did take a moment to observe the beauty (two seconds) before snapping back into the fact that there was a hard right at the end. (or you end up in the lake so the RD says, he wasn’t kidding) Turning right back into the headwind, I just kept fighting it along Cayuga, pulling out 17+. Another right turn went up a steep climb. It actually felt great to be working the quads hard, the pain dissapated whenever I had to push. (what does this mean I wonder?) The sixish miles through the State Park kind of sucked. I held a decent pace (Pat didn’t pass me until 2:45 in the ride!!!) but the surface was rough which messed with mentally. Finally with 12 miles to go, I got excited. I allowed myself to look at my avg. pace and saw it was right at 15. I knew I didn’t want to let that go so I pedaled hard and got a good push to the final turn. (I took a gel just before the turn into the park, I think this was great prep for the run.) Just as I was finishing the bike, the oa winners were finishing. Really?! I just pretended the cheering was for me.
My tush was happy to be off the bike. I definitely need to adjust my fit. I am really struggling with the right position both in and out of aero. The way I felt the best was definitely NOT the most aerodynamic…appt for a fit????
Bike finished. (3:42!!! under 4! 15.1mph. Alas, 30th/32 in ag…but this is to be expected)
T2: Fine. No drama but a little slow I’m realizing. Did I stop for a coffee or something? (3:32)
Run
I knew going into this race that the run was going to be a 4:1 run/walk system. What I wasn’t sure of was how fast to run the 4. So I just ran, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. What I did not expect after mile 2 was the GIGANTIC hills in the run course. It was harder than CT (I’m serious). The first big hill was so steep you could choose grass or steps. I chose grass as to not fall down. It was a walker, I would like to see the dude/chick who runs this hill. Then back on and through Geneva (concrete, SUCKS) to a turn into the HWS art school where I must say, the aid station folks were the best of all) My moment of hilarity came in a “nature break” behind a garden wall only to discover a p-o-j around the corner. Another girl and I had a good laugh at this one and decided my choice was more sanitary. I was continuing on the 4:1 and getting frustrated by the run speed. It felt good, but I knew it was deceptive. I know now how SLOW I really was, alas, at least I learned. The run was truly uneventful but so darn hilly I got sick of it. What I did learn from the 4:1 is that in the end, it is better. I played cat and mouse for over an hour with a girl from the adirondacks who told me the bike course was hilly (really? come do CT). In the last 1.5 miles I opened up and stopped 4:1 just to finish hard. I ended up kicking her tail. (not that i was racing but…) In the end, I am most disappointed by the run. Really? Me? It was just to damn slow. But, now I know. (2:21, which is 10:47 pace, yikes.)
Final: 6:45:14 (Not 7 hours!!!) Not the fastest, but not the slowest. Not as good as friends, but good enough.
The finish was fun. the little boy gave me my medal and said “this one is the best because it has TWO” All the medals were made from old bike chain pieces. I have two cogs(?) from an old campagnolo cassette. It is the coolest medal EVER. Then onto food which included fresh local peaches and ice cream.
What I learned:
(So I don’t forget here is the food log)
Food: 3 Hammergels’s (two on bike and one on run), 1 PBJ on bike, 2 full bottles-1 HEED, 1 Perpetuem w/a choc. hammergel mixed in), drink at every water stop on run (mix water, heed, two stops of coke yum.), 4 electrolyte tabs on run. (really needed advil on bike)
Onto IM…..
So up to this point I haven’t blogged from the Great Midwest Tour of 2009. It is not from lack of desire or topics, in fact I have kept a running list things upon which I shall ruminate. Here are the highlights of the last 8 days.
(In no particular order)
1. Seeing M&P in Libertyville, IL, eating Gino’s East for the first time in many years.
2. Getting “through” 102 miles of the IM Wi bike course. Thought I was going to die at 50 but a lunchable and coke later and I was all good.
3. Running along Lake Michigan on the 4th of July. (Ok, the running sucked, but the company was great and the day was beautiful)
4. Holding the 10 day old Emma Ruth in my hands.
5. Having a glass of wine while observing the cows and relaxing with Cam (the cows were in the brush beyond her yard…awesome)
6. Getting my a*& kicked by local triathletes in both swim and run.
7. Having a big giant cherry lime coke in Iowa and then crossing the Missouri border and passing by towns I’d actually heard of
8. Seeing my bff and her new husband blissfully in their home.
9. Watching Stage 6 of the TdF and getting to explain “bike stuff” to bff
10. Riding up and down the rollers of JoCo, KS in the blazing sun.
I can honestly say that all of the miles on my car and tanks of gas shall be completely worth it to see the world’s best friends. I am blessed beyond measure to have these women in my life.
More to come……
