Ironman Tahoe Course Review

I hope that this will help some of you training for IM Tahoe in September of this year.  Like any other race you have done, if you are putting in the training time you will be fine.  Remember, also, that everyone is different, the advice I offer below is from my point of view and I’ll try to reference that whenever I can.

Take a water bottle and electrolyte bottle with you to Tahoe.  Carry them with you EVERYWHERE you go.  Your kids usually get a binky, this is your Ironman, and you too get a binky or two.  Drink, drink, drink (water and electrolytes).  Stay hydrated and keep sunscreen with you as well.  You burn quicker at altitude, so pay attention to how long you’re out in the sun. 

As far as your method of training (Perceived Exertion (PE), Heart Rate, or Power) you MUST modify your zones in order to take into consideration the altitude.  I will be making a 5-10% decrease in my heart rate and power in order to compensate for the altitude.  For those of you that train with Heart Rate, my low Z2 felt like mid to high Z2 on my exertion level.

My suggestion to you: start your first training ride and run in Tahoe without looking at your watch.  Go off of PE and once you feel warmed up and like you’re running/riding at your Zone 2 level, take a look at your heart rate or power and see where you actually are.  From that point on in your training ride/run, pay very close attention to those zones and make note of the differences due to altitude.  If you stick with your regular training zones you’ll trash your legs before you ever get off the bike and you won’t be able to recover from that.   

RACE MORNING:  Bundle up!  Think pants, a hoodie, and SHOES (not flip flops).  It’s going to be chilly at the start and you’ll want to keep your body temperature up.  I may even consider a beanie (or for those of you from Texas, a toboggan…this will be confusing to anyone in Tahoe as we see toboggans as sleds…)

SWIM:  We swam Saturday morning at roughly race start time.  The water was 68 degrees, chilly upon first entry, but once we got swimming it felt perfect.  My rule of thumb is 65 degrees and up I’m in a sleeveless wetsuit.  I run hot and I also have a shoulder issue, so the extra material pulling against my left arm, and heat from the sleeves, makes me uncomfortable.  You know you, so think of races you have recently done and make your wetsuit choice taking that into consideration.  I swam Galveston, Marble Falls, and Buffalo Springs in sleeveless this year and was fine.  Something I learned a few years ago in Coeur d’Alene (and was reminded of again in Tahoe) is NOT to go swimming when you arrive in the early afternoon.  The lake is gorgeous, and inviting…and also deceiving.  We swam one day around noon in our bathing suits.  It was FANTASTIC and I could have floated in a tube all day with a beer in my hand…but race morning will be a different story.  Get out there a couple mornings around 7AM and test the waters.    

The clarity is that of Hawaii or the Caribbean.  I will deem this a “draft friendly” race (in the water, people!).  If you are going with a group (like the monster pack from Texas that is heading out) and you have people that swim your same pace, there is great opportunity to work off of each other.  Tip – the bottom of all feet pretty much look the same under the water…You can wrap a little K-Tape under the arch of your foot so you can easily find your draft buddies.  This offers great opportunity to work together and save some energy (and ultimately time) in the swim.  Warning here, have a conversation with your draft buddies before race day and get on the same page.  If you get separated, you get separated.  Go on your way and find some more bubbles to follow.       

I would also suggest bringing ear plugs for the swim.  If it’s a little cooler your equilibrium can be thrown off by the cold water in your ears.  I did notice a bit more fatigue from the swim, due to altitude, but was not totally thrown out of my zone by the compression of the wetsuit and the altitude.  Just like the bike and run, you’ll have to focus on your exertion level and adjust it.  It was nothing like it has been described, like a life-sucking, compression of death experience.  It truly wasn’t bad at all. 

BIKE:  I am having a hard time putting a description of the bike course in words.  I’ll lead by saying, I don’t want to scare anyone, but at the same time, I have to be realistic.  If you’ve been putting in your dedicated long, slow climbs, you’ll be just fine.  Lots of talk has been thrown around about the 11-32 cassette that can be purchased to assist in climbing (take note, that you’ll also need to get a new rear derailleur and new chain to accommodate the extra gears you’re adding).  For those that are VERY challenged by hills and/or have not been putting the training time in to build strong legs for these climbs, AND have the financial capability of making this purchase, it may be a good idea for you.  Yes, it will help during the entire race, as you will have less grinding up the hills.  I am running a compact crank and 11-28 and plan to stick with that for race day.  I would definitely recommend an 11-28 and if you are able to swap out your standard crank for a compact, I would do that as well.  The issue here is not being able to make it up the climbs, but rather saving your legs as much as you can so you have them left for the run.

The first section of the ride, along the lake, is pretty flat.  There is a surprise climb at mile 6-ish, that isn’t too bad, but kind of comes out of nowhere.  The next section of the course, up 89 to the town of Truckee, is flat and FAST.  My recommendation here, is to hold back.  You can make up a ton of time on this section of the course, but remember the climbing you have later on in the ride.  It’s easy to go 25+ on this section and it actually feels pretty good.  I was doing this at mid to upper Z2 (my regular Z2) and had I been completing the entire course, I would have found it tough to keep that pace up on the second loop.  On our recovery ride I was easily holding 20mph on this section and was not exerting nearly as much energy.  My biggest piece of advice, to the average age-grouper, is DON’T GET EXCITED HERE.  The speed is fun and you can fly, but remember what you have ahead of you.

 

You’ll wind through downtown Truckee and then head up another slow climb onto the bike trail.  This section will slow you down.  It’s a steady climb, followed by a narrow, winding bike trail.  Once you’ve completed the trail, you’ll be in the neighborhood north of highway 80.  Here you’ll find some more climbing, before descending onto 89/267.

The first section of 267 is pretty fast too.  We ran into a headwind here, but could still get some good speed going.  We didn’t attempt to go through Martis Camp (the closed off neighborhood), we were trying to keep the peace J  But if it’s anything like the climb up to the Ritz, on the opposite side (where we will descend prior to climbing Brockway), it’s going to be a tough one.  We have two challenging climbs back to back, with a pretty good descent between them.  Keep soft pedaling (continue your pedal rotation as you are descending) in order to keep your legs loose.  You don’t want to hold your legs steady after a difficult climb, your you may freeze up or cramp.

The climb up Brockway was pretty much what I expected it to be.  Similar to what we’ve been doing at Mt. Scott, HOWEVER, it felt easier on my legs, but my pace was slower.  You descend down Brockway (you can get some good speed here too), it’s not too technical (that’s what Liesel thinks J Jenna here…most of the descents scared the shit out of me! ) play it safe, but you can really make up some time on this descent if you’re comfortable descending on your bike.  Post-Brockway descent brings you back down to King’s Beach for round two of the bike.

RUN:  SPELL-BINDING!  The first section of the run is pretty flat, before starting a quick climb up and around the Squaw resort.  Then comes a good descent onto Highway 89.  You’ll follow this South towards the lake.  This portion of the run is on the shoulder of the highway and is a slow ascent.  You’ll make sharp turn down a dirt path onto the trail for the remainder of the run out.  BE CAREFUL on the dirt section.  I would hope they light this section on race day.  It’s loose and has some wooden steps, so take it easy.  The portion along the trail is absolutely breathtaking.  You’ll slowly be climbing on the way out, but will feel the difference on the descent back to Squaw.  The trail will get dark at night (sunset is a little before 7pm in September), I would highly suggest getting a headlamp (my favorite is the little clip on light that goes on the bill of your visor/hat).  The tight elastic of a headlamp gives me a headache, but you can’t even tell the visor light is there, so I would highly suggest that.  There is climb on the run going back up into Squaw for the second loop, but it looks worse than it truly is (ask me about this again on my head back to the finish and I may change my mind on that description).

I would suggest putting arm warmers, a jacket, and possibly gloves in your special needs bag for the run.  When the sun goes down, it will get chilly out there!

Recap of my recap: This will be one of the most breathtaking, awe-inspiring events you have ever done.  Conquering this course will not be without hard work and mental toughness.  I know 20+ people going up to Tahoe and have no doubt that each of them can complete this course.  They MUST trust in their training and have the mental toughness to know that they can complete it.  It will not be easy, nor will any Ironman be easy, but this one will take true grit and the will power of knowing you’ve put in the time and effort and CAN DO IT.  We have eight weeks left to prepare.  Your base has been built and now it’s time to hone it all in.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Some of you may be expecting my Marble Falls race report and if you are, I apologize…it’s two paragraphs deep and really is not all that inspiring.  When I started this blog I promised to write when I had something to write about.  Sometimes I start writing and it’s just not there…like my Marble Falls race report.  I may, or may not, revisit it.  Aside from the four guys leap frogging me up every hill and “disc dude” that kept passing me on the out and back, a race report really won’t be all that exciting.  FYI boys, if you have the option of never being chicked or being chicked 5 times, I would suggest the never option.  By that, I mean, don’t pass me and then slow down so I have to pass you…over and over and over again…it’s frustrating to me and ego-deflating to you J If you pass me, please keep moving ahead.  Ok, that pretty much sums up Marble Falls. 

Now to the meat of this thing.

A couple of years ago a high school friend posted on Facebook about a group out of Redlands, CA (Exceeding Expectations) that introduced kids, who may otherwise not have the opportunity, to triathlon.  First thought to cross my mind?  I want to do that some day.  Fast forward to late 2012.  Brad Dodson attended one of the Mayor’s (Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price) “Rolling Town Hall” bike rides.  On this ride he met some students and teachers from Daggett Middle School.  From the meeting, and lots of work on Brad’s part, stemmed the Daggett Triathlon Club. 

Due to my commitment to Team In Training, I wasn’t initially able to volunteer much time to the program.  But come March 1^st, I promised myself that I would volunteer with the kids at least once per week.  The first couple trainings I attended were bike rides, until Brad mentioned to me that they really needed more instruction in the pool.  I transferred my volunteer days to Thursday and begin to attend swim trainings with the kids.  The first day I showed up I understood what he meant.  There were 12+ kids in the pool with one poor woman (AMAZING Cindy!) who volunteers her time with the kids.  How could one person teach 12 kids, with varying abilities, to swim?  I don’t know how, but she was doing a darn good job!  I made Thursday my routine volunteer day and plan to continue doing so going forward. 

The program was already off and running due to huge time commitments from the kids’ teachers and other FWISD staff – Mrs. Lopez, Mr. Bishop, Ms. Guevara, Mr. B, and Ms. Medina.  Who not only advocate on their behalf, volunteer their time to train with and teach the kids the sport of triathlon, but also pick the kids up and drop them off when they would otherwise not be able to attend training sessions, and ensure they get to Church on time, even after completing a triathlon.  Huge hearts, all of them.

Their first event was the Benbrook Sprint Triathlon on April 21.  About three weeks before the sprint I was standing at the pool’s edge trying to figure out how all 12 would complete the swim.  We have a couple of really strong swimmers, a couple of weaker swimmers, and a majority that fall in between.  The Thursday before the race, I was in the pool with one of the girls, teaching her to swim on her back when she got uncomfortable in the deep end.  Only issue was, she wouldn’t go in the deep end without me next to her.  I was nervous she would not complete the swim on her own.  As a USAT Certified Race Director (and a stickler for rules) I was racking my brain as to how to ensure she completed the swim on her own.  As it turns out, all she needed was will power.  Our other weakest swimmer had been mentally affected by the drowning of another student (not related to the triathlon club) about a week before.  He clung to the wall the Thursday before the race with more fear of swimming in his eyes than I think I have ever witnessed.  My heart hurt just thinking about them potentially not completing the swim.

 

Now, you can’t attend a triathlon (well you can, but we gotta look sharp) without a good looking kit.  Here is where the generosity of the members of the FWTri Club (Friends Who Tri) further expands.  I researched a few places to get kits made for the kids that had both the FWTri logo and “Daggett Tri Club” on them.  Our lucky day came when I found out, through Angi, that Pearl Izumi was offering a discount on full tri kits in the month of April.  I put an ask out on the FWTri Club Member’s Only Facebook page for 12 people to each sponsor a kit for the kids.  In less than 24 hours, I had 13 responses and the cost of the kits were covered. 

I wasn’t astonished, I don’t want to say I was surprised, the people that are a part of the endurance community are some of the most giving I have ever come into contact with and this just further proved that point to me.  I was elated and I was shocked.  Not at their generosity, I really don’t know at what, but I really just couldn’t believe it had come together.  The teachers measured the students and I went down to Pearl Izumi to get the kits ordered.  After being handed a kit I held it up and decided that a junior top and bottom would probably fit around my little finger…and looking at the kids we had, I just didn’t know if they would fit.  So I did what any intelligent adult would do and I tried the junior kit on…if it fit me, no problem it would fit the kids.  The top fit fine, little bit of a midriff, I won’t lie.  I got the bottoms on, but if I were to bend over they would have ripped…that being said, we got three of the boys men’s shorts.  I worked with Joe Brown at HF Custom Design on the decals and with a little hectic running around we had the kits done the Friday before their sprint.

Bikes and goggles were purchased, thanks to the drive of Ms. Medina, helmets were donated thanks to Matt Dufrene’s workings, Annual USAT Memberships were covered thanks to Mark Castro and his crew at Lift-Master, Rick from Colonel's Bike's takes care of keeping the bikes working properly, race entries were comped thanks Trident who put on the race, race belts were donated by the Cowtown Marathon, and many other donations and gifts were made to help get the kids to the start line.

Race morning started with a bit of a flurry.  We got the kids dressed in their kits, transition set up, and them into the pool for some warm up laps.  We reviewed the snake swim with them and before we knew it, race time was here.  Off they went into the pool one by one.  Our last two to enter the water were Eric and Roxan.  As Eric was about to enter his goggles broke.  Previously I mentioned the student that had been deeply affected by the drowning of another student.  My heart dropped.  Of all the kids this could happen to, please not him.  As adults we make excuses to back out of things.  We use the smallest “issue” as a reason to not complete a daunting task.  Would he do this?  I walked down the line of triathletes waiting to enter the water after the kids.  The first person I spotted was Joe May.  Now, I don’t really remember if I politely asked for or just requested Joe’s goggles, but I do know that he handed them right over to me.  I then looked at where he was in line and decided he was too close behind the kids and Eric may not be done before I could get his goggles back to him.  I handed them back and walked further down the line.  All this time (which was probably less than a minute, but seemed like FOREVER to me) Eric was waiting patiently to cross the timing mat and begin his swim.  The next person I spotted was Toby Poore.  If you want to find yourself a good person, go introduce yourself to Toby.  He is fantastic.  Same issue here, I don’t know if I asked Toby or simply told him the use of his goggles was required, but he handed them right over (I later found out someone in that line mentioned he was rather trusting to let me just take his goggles right before a race, but as I mentioned, Toby is a great person…he knew he’d get them back).  I briskly walked back down the line towards Eric.  I was fiddling with his goggles and just about got them fixed before I got back to him.  The guy doing the timing tied Eric’s goggles up, we got them on him and he started his race.  Stoic.  I returned Toby’s goggles and begin to cheer for the rest of the kids in the water.  For those of you who have done a pool swim, you know the other athletes cheer as your swimming.  Well, I have never heard cheering like this.  Everyone on the pool deck was cheering for the kids and the applause and hollers would resound with each kid as they exited the water.  I watched as Roxan walked half the pool, then flipped on her back and swam over the deep end and back, with no assistance at all.  I was so proud.



After the last one exited the water we made our way out to transition.  As the last of the Daggett Tri Club left on their bikes Brad Dodson and I gave each other the greatest high five, with the biggest smiles on our faces.  They had all conquered the swim.  There were still 15+ miles of biking and running ahead of them, but the toughest part was over.




All 12 of the Daggett kids finished the race that day.  All thanks to their hard work and the dedication and time volunteered by those who believe in the program.  Strangers, who noticed the bikes the kids were riding ($50 Walmart bikes), approached us after the triathlon asking if they could help raise funds to purchase new bikes for the kids.  Someone I had met a mere two days earlier mentioned the same thing to me. 

 

Daggett Tri Club after completing their first sprint!

A few days later I received a text from that person that read “you will have 5 bikes in a week.”  My jaw dropped.  Fast forward to about a week later and I sent that same person a text asking him if his friend would possibly match that donation.  A little back story here – I began this whole endurance adventure with Team In Training.  After an hour of listening to a few Team In Training staff and volunteers talk about how great their program was, I committed myself to doing two of the hardest things I had ever done at that point of my life, run a marathon and raise over $4,000.  From this, though, I learned to ask for support.  Yes, in a sense it was to support me, but the money I asked for was not for me, it was for a cause.  I am still not very good at asking for help or support, but in some situations I have learned that the worst someone can say, simply is “no”.  So I asked…after I asked I stuck my phone in my jersey and headed out with Mayor Betsy Price for her Rolling Town Hall.  About halfway through, during a stop, I checked my phone and here is what I read:  Text 1)  I’ll find some support somewhere.  Text 2) You’ll have 10 bikes in about a week.  Sound good?  Text 3) He came through!  After reading these, I squealed, literally.  Ask Steve and Brad.  I just shoved my phone in Brad’s face to read the texts and he gave me a blank stare for a moment, I think frightened by the strange squealing noises I was making.  So for those of you wondering what my post about my heart being so happy was yesterday, it is in reference to that text.  Because there are some really freaking (shout out, Bob Kilinski) amazing people out there, whose support is going to leave an ever lasting impact on some kids lives.

Daggett Tri Club meeting Mayor Betsy Price

 

Research is being done, but at this moment, it looks like this is the only triathlon club in a public school in Texas.  Big things are coming, y’all.  I hope you’ll join us and help these kids grow in the sport.

How I got my Start in this Crazy Endurance World

I don’t want to start this off with a lie, so I’ll be honest.  This won’t be short.  Sorry.  I suck at keeping my writing short.  That being said, if you’ve got an hour to blow off, this is the way to do it.  Don’t worry, it won’t be that long…I don’t think.  Well, it might be.

The back story behind my inspiration for this blog?  My friends and budding triathletes that I have recently shared some of my stories with about how I got to where I am right now.  Most of them end up giving me blank stares, because they realize a simple, yet astounding, truth.  I started off just like they did.

In high school (OMG, this might be long, I’m going back to 1995) I was a three-sport athlete – soccer, softball, and volleyball.  The only reason I played volleyball in high school (well, I ended up LOVING it), but the reason I tried out for volleyball in high school is because I was cut (eek, omg, I got cut) from my eighth grade team.  I think I was the only girl that didn’t own knee pads in eighth grade, and probably the only one who had never played volleyball before tryouts, but still, you can’t keep me down.  I was determined to prove to that coach that she had made a mistake. 

During my three-sport high school career, I decided I would not play any sport in college if I couldn’t play the three sports I loved at the college level (silly me).  So I went off to college and played on zero collegiate level teams.  I went from being on, on average, two teams at a time, to doing nothing.  NOTHING.  I gained weight.  A LOT of weight.  I never hit 200, but I think I hit 198.  Well, that was not fun to share, but like I said, this is for those people who see the triathletes they admire and wonder if they too can become “that triathlete”.  Believe me, no matter what the obstacle, you can kick ass like you want to!

After college I had begun playing indoor soccer (you want a serious ass-kicking, give indoor soccer a try).  Soccer has always been the sport I loved the most and playing indoor not only got me back in shape, but reminded me of how much I loved the sport and being active.  My very first game, I fell flat on my face.  Twice.  Not a joke, I really did.  I thought I was still in high school soccer shape, obviously, I had a lot of work to do to get my body to where my mind thought it was.  Some friends from San Diego had moved to Texas about a year before I did, they were indoor soccer buddies…I believe I arrived in Fort Worth on a Tuesday and was already on a soccer team by Thursday.  AWESOME J

In the end of 2006 (are we seriously six paragraphs in and still six years back???) my friend and college roommate, Susie Sanderson, called me up with the world’s most brilliant idea.  Susie said to me, “let’s train for a marathon and then meet up somewhere to run it!”  At this time, I was packing up to move to Texas and Susie was living in Virginia.  My answer?  “Sweet!  Let’s do it.”  (Have I mentioned yet, that I hated running?). 

So here begins my journey into the world of endurance sports.  About a month into my “marathon training” Susie let me know that, due to work, she would not be able to follow through with our marathon plan (and I am SO happy and PROUD to say that Susie will be completing her first marathon in a matter of weeks!).  Well, like I mentioned before, you can’t keep me down!  I had made my way up to a whopping five miles and wasn’t going to turn back.  There were only 21 more miles to be conquered.

In comes Scott Alexander, who I had met on a cruise right before I moved to Texas.  Scott talked up this Team In Training organization and told me how fabulous it was.  Now that my marathon buddy was no longer going to be able to join me in my adventure, I decided I needed to find a new path to completing this goal.  I also had recently come to the conclusion, especially because I worked from home, that there were three things I needed to do – 1) meet people, 2) find someone to do all this ridiculous running with, and 3) do something good.  I attended a Team In Training Info meeting, signed up for the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco in October of 2007 and promised the fine folks of Team In Training that I would gladly raise $4,200 dollars for their cause (Team In Training funds blood cancer research through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society).  By the time I got back to the house, I wondered what the hell I had just done.  I hated running, I knew a total of maybe 10 people in Texas, I was shy, and now I have SIGNED something that says I’ll run a marathon AND raise thousands of dollars.  Fantastic.

My first marathon!!!

I raised the money.  I ran that marathon.  I discovered what an IT Band is (sh*t those things hurt when they’re aggravated), and fell in love with this whole running thing (thanks mostly, to the amazing people I met through Team In Training).

Sometime in 2008 my friend, or so I thought he was a friend…Carlo Capua, talked me into doing a triathlon.  Now, I knew I could swim, but I also knew my swimming proficiency ended with my ability, simply not to drown.  I got out of this triathlon predicament for awhile, simply by telling Carlo that I didn’t have a bike.  No bike, no tri!  I was home free!  In comes Dianna Fuller, who showed up to a Team In Training workout with a mountain bike.  Well, crap.  The training for my first tri consisted of about three mountain bike rides and one test ride on Maria Capua’s (Carlo’s sister) hybrid bike.  The Capua siblings took me on a lovely ride, in which (after a whopping three training rides on the Trinity Trail on a two ton mountain bike) I got to experience Stephen’s Hills…one flat tire, one trip in a pick up back to the Y with some strange country woman, and one ass-kicking of a hill ride later, I was headed off to do my first triathlon.  I was nervous, but also somewhat excited.  I completed it and kind of fell in love with triathlon after that.

Let me mention a small note here, that I met Jeff Rizon in the pool at the Benbrook YMCA while training for my first triathlon.  Carlo and I (probably mostly Carlo) convinced him that he could do a triathlon.  Jeff was just about as good as swimming as I was at this point (have you seen him now???)

In 2010 I began heart rate training.  This is where the fun really began for me.  In early July I ran the Ryan Run 5k with my Team In Training team, with the caveat that I would run in my heart rate training zones.  So, I ran (if you can call it running, ask Don Armstrong, he accompanied me on the Ryan Run that year) in my zones.  Texted my coach – “I PRd!”.  He tore my head off in his response.  So I followed up with, “I set a personal record, I ran the slowest 5K I have ever run in my life.”  Thus (this is for my athletes) TRUST THE PLAN!  During this introduction into heart rate training, I went from running a sub-8:30 marathon to running about a 12-13 minute mile.  Ego shot?  Oh yeah.

This is Don and I after that speedy Ryan Run...good friends stick with you even during your SLOW runs :)

Enter Jeff Rizon and Chris Etter, who had recently completed Ironman Coeur d’Alene.  For weeks they tried to get me to ride with them.  To which I responded, “NO!”  I finally caved and met them at the Benbrook YMCA.  For those of you who know the route well, you know the gate in the park where you have to stop and lift your bike over.  Well, Jeff and Chris were patiently waiting for me at this point.  As I rode up, Jeff asked “did you get a flat?”  Talk about deflating :/  He did not mean any harm by this comment, but I was in no way anywhere near the shape they were in.

I made a decision at this point in my training that there would be days that I could train with the group and there would be days I had to train on my own.  That being the last one in, being the slowest one in the pack, would pay off.  If I stuck with the plan, good things would happen.  And they since have.

So for those of you, who so kindly compliment me, on my achievements in triathlon.  STICK WITH IT.  It does not come without hard work and dedication, but you can do whatever you put your mind to.

As a recap (J):

-          I have been cut. 
-          I have been overweight. 
-          I have been the last one in. 
-          I have been “that guy” at the pool that can’t complete one lap, whose arms flail all over the place like they’re in the middle of the ocean during “The Perfect Storm”. 
-          I have had endurance sports heartaches, like missing the Boston Marathon by 4 seconds (yes, you read that right, that wasn’t a typo). 
-          I have overcome those heartaches, by realizing that I still had a 20+ minute PR in that marathon (BAM). 
-          I have been told “you can’t do it”, “you don’t deserve it”, and “you won’t do well, so why train for it?” 

But through it all, I still know I LOVE THIS SPORT! 

When I’m training, I do MY training (well, when I’m not coaching, but I love coaching more than doing triathlons, so it’s well worth it!!!) 

My main rule when racing?  I only race myself.  You can’t compare your time to the finish time of anyone else.  They are not you.  They do not have your history or your future. 

Decide what YOU want to do for YOU.  I have seen some of my athletes accomplish goal times they never thought possible.  I have seen some of my athletes complete race distances they couldn’t fathom a year ago.  You can do whatever you put your mind to!

I Get To

I started with Team In Training, as a participant, in 2007.  I hated running, but had been talked into running a marathon by a college roommate and once I hit my Saturday “long run” of 5 miles, there was no turning back.  I began as a participant in the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco.  I raised over $4,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for this event, and thus began my journey. 

In the Fall of 2007, I signed up to mentor the next season.  Mentors are the fundraising coaches for Team In Training participants.  The cheerleaders who give you ideas and share their experiences to help you believe that, you too, can not only complete the endurance event you’ve signed up for, but also complete the fundraising, which for many is just as daunting as putting the training miles in.
Not long after that, I got the bug to coach.  An opportunity presented itself, when the walk coach for the following season let us know they would not be coaching going forward.  I volunteered to be the walk coach, went off to certification and started the next season as the leader of the walkers on the team.  If you think running a marathon is hard, try walking one!  From that I became a run coach and then found my true passion in triathlon and set my sights on becoming a triathlon coach…here I am today!

As I near the end of six years in the world of endurance sports, and in the world of Team In Training, I find myself very thankful for the people who have entered into my life through Team In Training and through endurance sports in general.  And even more thankful that I have the opportunity help fund cancer research and that I get to train.

A year ago, Becky, a mentor on the Team In Training Galveston/Lavaman team, helped to motivate the Team by reminding us that “we get to”.  As the winter months approach (let’s be honest, we’ve had a pretty tame Fall) the dark cold mornings and evenings will soon settle in around us.  The alarm will go off at 5am, and we’ll realize we’ve cocooned ourselves in our down comforters and didn’t quite turn the heat on high enough to make it comfortable to get out of bed.  Or we’ll forget our jacket at our desk and walk out of work, realizing it’s stunningly cold outside.  When this happens, we have to come up with something to get us out on the trail or into the pool.  Every time that alarm goes off, have the first thing that goes through your head be, “I get to”.  When that brisk winter air hits your face as you walk outside, remind yourself that “I get to”.  And be thankful for that.

Although most of what I train and raise money for ties into cancer research, I was recently reminded of just how lucky we are that “we get to”.  A good friend’s 29 year old son had a stroke.  29 years old, yes you read that right.  This happened the morning of the Honored Hero Run.  While I, my friend, and a lot of his other friends, were frantically running around finalizing the pieces of a race that raises money to help save lives, his life was struck by tragedy.  There were a lot of unknowns, for what seemed like a long time to me, and probably like an eternity to him and his family.  His son was at his daughter’s wedding a couple weeks ago.  He’s responsive and interactive, he’s come a long way in his recovery, but he still has a long way to go.  Right now, as much as he wants to, he doesn’t get to and that is no fault of his own.

For those of us that have found a true passion in endurance sports, be thankful. Thankful that you have the means to purchase the gear you need to complete your training and events, no matter how fancy that gear is.  Beyond that, be thankful for the fact that you can log the miles on the run and/or bike and the meters or yards in the pool.  It’s not easy, this training thing.  But come event day your hard work will pay off. 

I challenge you, every morning you wake up or walk outside to a blast of ice-cold air smacking you in the face, to remind yourself that “I get to”.  I guarantee that if you do this, you’ll start that workout with a smile on your face.   

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Ironman 70.3 World Championship RACE REPORT!

Many of you have been asking about my race report for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships, so here it is!  It’s not a short one.  So grab a cup of coffee and put your feet up for a few minutes.

I made a promise to those that would read this blog that I would not write on a consistent basis.  Seeing as I have not posted anything in over a month, I feel that I am holding up my end of the bargain pretty well.  I also made a promise to myself that I would not use this blog to share negative emotions.  If you want drama you can go watch Jersey Shore or Keeping Up with the Kardashians (I am not even going to take the time to see if I spelled the right…).  I wanted this to be something witty, educational, and fun.  I didn’t want to be forced to feel like I had to write something, simply because it had been a week since I last wrote something.  That being said, the suspense is over…race report is below.  Read away!

I had a meeting in Flower Mound on Tuesday night, which ended a bit after 9PM.  On my ride home I had more free time than I usually do to think about things.  As I sat in the mess of glaring red taillights, that used to be known as “121” and now is referred to by many as “WTF, really”, I began writing my race report in my head.  And let me tell you, folks, it was pretty dang good.  Below you will find what my mind was able to regurgitate, once I finally arrived home at 11PM...thanks to “WTF, really.”

I got up about 4am on Sunday, September 9^th to eat my pre-race breakfast.  Like a good little athlete, I sat down and ate what seemed like far too much food to handle at that time of the morning, just so I’d be ready for my swim wave to start three hours later (and my body would be good and done with all its processing before I crammed my way into a teeny tiny little speedsuit).  Getting ready for the swim portion of a triathlon is very similar to getting ready to go skiing, especially if you have to wear a wetsuit.  As careful as you are to pee 27 times before you get all geared up, inevitably, the second you pull on that last bit of gear you have to pee again.

I ate my breakfast and since I had three hours to kill, I’m a strong believer in making the best use of your time, I laid down on the couch and set my alarm for 45 minutes later.  I’ll be totally honest with you.  I didn’t sleep at all during that 45 minutes, but I rested.  I had slept like crap the night before.  In fact, I can’t even guarantee you I really ever slept.  I went to bed around 9:30PM on Saturday night.  We had been watching a movie and I was falling asleep on the couch, so I headed off to bed.  I took half a serving of ZZZquil (yes, I do refer to it as a serving, not a dose, this may be detrimental to my health, but I’ve personally come to terms with that) and laid down to “sleep”.  I always tell my athletes that the most important night of sleep before a race is two nights before.  Why?  Well, I can pretty much guarantee, if you are human, you will want to do well in your race and you will be so caught up the night before in how to do everything perfectly so that you end up doing well, that you will fret yourself out of any potentially good sleep that might have been sneaking your way.  That being said, Saturday night consisted of pretty much no sleep.  But Friday, Friday I slept GREAT!

About 5AM my parents asked me how I was going to get down to the race.  WHAAAAAAT???  They had so kindly been totting me around for the past couple of days and they ask me this???  EEK!  Stressor #1, check.  I informed them I would appreciate if they would be so kind as to take me and we headed down to the swim start around 5:30AM.  Yes, I dropped my bike off the night before and yes, it was a clean transition, and no, I did not need to be there that early.  BUT, I am OCD and Type A and probably too much of a planner for my own good, so I wanted to be down there early.  Plus, I would have to visit the porta pottie a multitude of times to pee (does anyone know WHY you have to pee so much when you’re nervous???), so I wanted to get down there early.

My wave started at 7:15 (I think, I honestly can’t remember at this point) and I started slipping into my speedsuit a little before 7.  I ate my Gu 15 minutes before my wave started and then I headed down to be corralled into our swim waves. 

My stomach was in knots.  It was like my stomach was in a fist fight with itself.  There was only one long distance triathlon that I was not nervous like this before, and that was Coeur d’Alene.  I don’t know why, but I had been calm before my Ironman.  Today, not so much.  But this nervousness was usual and I know my race day self well enough to know that once I got my rhythm and warmed up in the swim it would go away. 

Stressor #2, check.  It didn’t go away in the swim.  I felt like crap.  Getting to the turn buoy took an eternity.  I headed back toward the swim exit, but it was nowhere in sight.  How long was this 1.2 mile swim?  The village where the swim start/T1 were located had an Italian theme to it and there was a bridge crossing the lake that reminded me of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy.  I knew once I made it back to the bridge I wasn’t far from the swim exit.  However, at this point, I was feeling terrible.  It had taken me forever to warm up and my swim just wasn’t what I thought it would be. 

In the last year I have stopped wearing a watch during the swim portion of my triathlons.  The swim is my weakest discipline, and knowing that so much of these endurance sports is mental, I knew I could not look down at my swim time.  If it was not what I hoped, or felt, it had been the rest of my race would be negatively impacted.  I got out of the swim, feeling as though it had been awful, didn’t look at the clock, and therefore had the ability to tell myself it hadn’t been as bad as I thought it was, it was just nerves.

T1 was a joke.  Really.  It was quite ridiculous.  We exited Lake Las Vegas on the left-hand side of the lake (no, I do not know directionally what side I was on, so I will stick with left, right, ahead, and behind, for us lay-folk), ran up a hill, over a bridge, down through a canyon of purple porta potties and to our bikes.  I had looked down on this crevasse the day before and truly dreaded it.  But to be honest, that portion of T1 ended up being less rough than I had imagined.  I grabbed my bike and headed up (yes, UP) and out of T1.  My wonderful cheer squad was there yelling for me the whole time.  I couldn’t tell you who was where, but I heard all of them J  The T1 exit included a switchback.  Yup, that’s right.  No jokes here.  It was much steeper than I imagined it would be, but it was over quickly.  I mounted my bike and head like a bat out of hell, oh wait, that is not right…like a snail up and out of the Lake Las Vegas Resort area onto the main bike course.

A switchback, in T1? Necessary?  I think not.

I had done a sweat loss test the day after I arrived in Las Vegas.  It was dry heat and, fingers crossed, maybe it would be cooler and I wouldn’t sweat as much.  WRONG.  30 minute run, 3 pounds lost.  Damn.  Unfortunately, I know that sad truth that I am not cut out for hot weather races.  I just cannot replace all the fluids I lose, for as much as I sweat.  Even if I tried to consume enough liquids, my body would not be able to properly absorb them.   

That being said, mile 10 rolled around on the bike and there was nothing but desert around me (HA, when I proofread this, I realized I had written “nothing but dessert around me,” THAT would have made for a great bike course).  No water.  For those of you not as familiar with triathlons, most Half Iron distance triathlons have water hand ups on the bike every 10 miles.  I was sucking vapor out of my aero bottle and began to panic.  This is where knowing your body is so important in training and races.  At this point, I knew I was in trouble.  No, I wasn’t dehydrated yet, but I knew that if I didn’t get water soon I’d be well on my way.  The first bottle hand up wasn’t until about mile 15 on the bike.  Stressor #4, check (those of you who are perfectionists are wondering where #3 went…keep reading). 

I had entered Lake Mead and it was absolutely gorgeous.  This portion of the bike course, I would relate somewhat to a train wreck.  You don’t want to look, but you HAVE to look.  I kept convincing myself that I would not have to climb those distant hills (mountains?), but as I rode closer I could see little shiny helmets making their way up.  The turnaround provided me with an absolutely beautiful view.  Like something out of a movie.  It was breathtaking. 

The next water hand up wasn’t until mile 30ish on the bike.  I had tried to conserve my water as best I could at this point, but was sucking vapors again as I came up to water hand up number two.  I was toast.  I had goose bumps and could tell I was getting dehydrated.  It was somewhere around this point that I started laughing to myself, no not because I was dehydrated and delusion, but because I knew all eyes were on me that day.

Ironman has this great online tracking system where you can very thoroughly track (or stalk, as I prefer to call it) your friends that are competing in an Ironman event.  I am a very avid stalker of my friends on days I am not racing and because of this I knew exactly what all my friends back home were doing.  They were refreshing their computer screens far too often, wondering what the hell had happened to me.  The people I train with are like college roommates, maybe not as messy and don’t go out drinking as much, but they know you.  They know you better than you could ever think they do.  They know your race splits well enough to know when you had a slower swim than usual.  They know your bike splits well enough to know that it shouldn’t be taking you as long as it is to get through the bike portion as it is.  And they know your run splits well enough to know when you’re having a tough day.  They do not research this, they do not study your past races, they just know.

It was at this point in the bike that I began to smile.  I was laughing to myself.  And then this 60 year old guy came along and passed me going up a steep climb…my smile faded for a moment and then I read his bib.  “Bruno”.  He was from Italy.  I smiled again.  Go for it 60 year old, Italian Bruno.  You’re kicking ass.  And then I started laughing to myself.  I imagined all my training buddies back in Fort Worth watching my every move online.  Then I imagined all the texts that the people who were in Las Vegas were getting from people frantically asking if I was ok.  I know this is what was happening, because it is EXACTLY what I would have been doing.

I couldn’t even tell you the mile marker where I came upon water hand up #3, but I think it was somewhere near mile 40.  Here, I stopped.  Yes, you read that right.  I stopped.  If you know “race Liesel” you will have read this statement in shock and then re-read it to ensure you read it correctly.  I don’t stop in races.  I just don’t.  But here is where my “race smart” mentality kicked in.  People often ask me why I think I do so well in races.  I am a naturally gifted athlete, I will give you that, and I am extremely dedicated to my training.  But, beyond that, I train and race smart.  I know what my body is capable of and I know what I need to do to succeed.  This isn’t to say I don’t still make mistakes, but I do my best to always remember to train and race smart. 

So, yes, I stopped.  I had been informed there would be sunscreen applicators at the exit of T1.  If there were, they were not making themselves very visible.  So I had headed out on the bike, essentially, naked.  I’m white.  Let’s not lie to ourselves.  I am of German decent and I used to get this AMAZING bronze tan just from being outside.  However, somewhere along the line, that nice little asset was traded in by the sun tan gods for a deep red “boiled lobster” look.  Stressor #3.  It had been on my mind the entire bike ride.  So I stopped (I keep repeating this for effect, because I DON’T STOP!).  I asked the volunteer for two bottles of water and sunscreen.  I filled up my aero bottle and lathered up as I drank the other bottle.  Sometimes ego has to go out the door in order to race smart.  Racing smart can be the difference from finishing your race (even if it’s not the time you wanted) and DNFing. 

I got back on my bike and headed towards town (T2 was in Henderson).  A little before mile 50 I’d had enough.  I was dehydrated, my legs were tired and I was disappointed.  This was due to a personal mental error.  Part of racing smart is entering the race knowing what you are capable of.  I was competing in the World Championships.  I was racing with some of the strongest Half Ironman athletes in the World.  I, who am used to finishing somewhere near the top, was very well aware, that my ranking would be flipped in this race and I would be somewhere near the bottom.  Some of you may be thinking this is negative self-talk.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is quite plainly just the truth.  And I was ok with the truth.  I was ok with it, until I began to believe what others were saying, when they’d tell me I’d do better than the 6+ hours I expected on the course.  They were not trying to mess with my mental plan, they were merely being supportive.  They believed in me.  BUT, I knew I wasn’t trained as well as I could be, this was going to be the most difficult Half Ironman I had competed in, and I was racing with the best in the world. 

Because I changed my plan in my head, I began to get disappointed in my time.  My goal bike time was far gone and I still had many hilly miles ahead of me.  So I began to get down on myself.  This is why it’s so important to KNOW what you can do going into a race.  To know this and to know that you are simply being honest with yourself and in your abilities.  You know you best. 

I wanted to quit.  I convinced myself to finish the bike.  At least once I finished the bike I would be greeted by my cheer squad and it would give me the motivation to keep going.  This is where I really missed having all my training buddies racing with me.  When we did Coeur d’Alene, my bike time was over six hours.  But it was the fastest six hours ever, because I spent the entire time looking for the other 11 people I trained with.  Here, in Las Vegas, I didn’t have that.  When it comes down to it, your final time in triathlon is individual.  But, to me it’s a group event.  The support you get from your training buddies, while on the course, is priceless.  I missed having that.

I came into T2 and got really excited.  They took my bike for me!  I didn’t have to rack it, I just handed it to some wonderful volunteer who took it off my hands and I headed to my run bag. CRAAAAAAAAAAAP!  I had left my Garmin on my bike.  In my sheer excitement, of this great red carpet service, I had forgotten my electronic life line.  I realized this as I was reaching down to grab my run bag.  Split second decision, go back and lose time finding my bike and getting it or head out without it?  It is at this point, that I will suggest to anyone reading this that you go back and get your Garmin if you rely on it as heavily as I do.  However, I was dehydrated and I knew my heart rate was shot.  So I left it.  I took off my heart rate strap and helmet, tossed them in my bag, threw on my shoes and visor and headed out onto the run course.  As you have well become aware, I decided to give the run a try and not quit.

I came out of the tent and scanned the supporters for my cheer squad and their red and black shirts.  I scanned and scanned and scanned.  My heart dropped.  They were nowhere.  All I wanted was to get a little encouragement from them.  All I wanted was to see them.  There were eight of them and that’s a pretty big group to get coordinated.  I figured they hadn’t left the house in time to catch me go out on the run.       

Since I was Garmin-less it was time to run free.  This was going to be a perceived exertion run.  Here goes nothing.  When I started all this endurance stuff, I would go hard at everything and I WOULD NOT STOP nor would I walk.  However, in the past few years, and with the discovery of my ridiculous sweat loss, I have come to rather enjoying walking the water stops in races.  For me, this is a necessity.  Until I master running and actually being able to consume more water than I spill on myself, I will walk water stops.  I would like to thank the WTC for providing rather lengthy water stops on the run portion of this course.  Long water stops meant an excuse to keep walking.  So, I walked.

This was by far the most challenging run course I have done in a Half Ironman.  It was a mile+ uphill, a mile+ downhill…times six.  It was brutal.  As I came near the end of my first loop (the run was three loops) I heard hooting and hollering from across the street.  There was my posse J  Monica and Cristal had made a sign for me. 

I honestly don’t remember what all the front and back said.  But they had printed out and taped on pictures of many of my training buddies, so that they “would be here with me.”  I looked over at them, but was pretty much in the bite me phase at this point, so I’d be lying if I said I jumped up and down with joy and waved at them.  I looked at them and then looked back ahead.  I did not acknowledge them.  Now, some of you may believe this is rude, for those of you who have done an endurance event…you get this. 

I cleaned up my attitude after this and as I began lap two I saw Tim and Jenn.  When I saw them I stopped to talk to them.  Yup.  I stopped again.  I was morphing into the honey badger.  I mentioned, in passing, that the course was brutal, and headed back out.  Lap two was tough and lap three was just cruel.  I’d had a stitch pretty much the entire run and spent my meanders through the water stops trying to get rid of it.  I drank coke and visited numerous porta potties, only to discover that whatever I was feeling while running disappeared when I tried to ride myself of it…The last mile of the course was downhill.  I kept saying “less than a mile” over and over in my head.  I wanted to be done and I WANTED WATER.

I finished and was given the biggest medal I have ever received.  It was well worth not quitting for that.

Although I had mixed emotions during this race I have walked away from it as an absolutely amazing experience.  It was like the Olympics of triathlon for me.  There were people from all over the world.  The expo was huge and the atmosphere was just amazing.  It was the toughest Half Iron course I have ever attempted and it is well deserving of being the World Championship course.

Facebook (oh lovely Facebook!) was plastered with congratulations from people who had known I was racing.  It lifted my spirits.  The thing I love, about those I train with, is they don’t care what your finish time is.  They could care less if you finish first or last, they just care that you’re out there doing it.  At points, during the race, I felt like I was letting people down.  I was there representing everyone I train with and my time was not what “MY” time would usually be.  But I realized it wouldn’t matter to anyone if I came crawling across the finish line as the sun set.  All that mattered was that I was there.  For this, I am truly blessed.

WATER!!!

ONE MONTH TO WORLDS!!!

In one month I will be standing on the shore of Lake Las Vegas with some of the greatest 70.3 athletes in the world.  Up until about a week ago I was not excited for it, I didn’t feel prepared.  But the excitement recently kicked in.  I have no idea what to expect.  I try to always follow the rule to only race myself, train smart and race smart and you’ll succeed.    

I am excited and am I nervous.  Most of all, I don’t have any clue how I am going to get through an entire Half Ironman without all my racing buddies!  My Ironman bike time was around 6:30 and, in my mind, it flew by.  Why, you ask?  Because the ENTIRE TIME I was watching the course for the other 11 people I trained with.  I am so excited to go, but at the same time I will miss having everyone I train with out there with me.  The motivation and happiness that resounds when I see someone I train with on the course will be empty and for that I am sad.

So how did I get here?  It all starts in the city where Vegas goes to die (is that harsh???)  Branson, MO. 

The bike portion of Branson kicked my butt.  Bad.  When I knew T2 was close though, my spirits lifted.  The bike leg hadn’t been what I hoped for but, my legs felt good and I was confident of my run.  We were on a narrow path and I said to the guy in front of me “we’re almost home free”.  Damn karma!!!  I should have kept my mouth shut.  I had seen more flats during Branson then I had seen the entire year during training and racing (this really is not an over exaggeration, ask anyone that raced at Branson). 

Not two seconds later my tire flatted.  AHHHHHHHH!!!  Seriously???  Was that mine?!?  I jumped off my bike, looked at the huge slash in my tire (had a gnome jumped out and slashed it with a switch blade???  How in the world do you get a slash like that in your tire?).  I knew I was about a mile out and so I did what any sane triathlete with the goal of qualifying for Worlds would do (and the triathlete that knows they’re not strong enough to tear their tubular off the bike in less than an hour).  I took of my bike shoes and I began to run in.  Tamara and Jack both passed me and asked what I was doing.  I verified with Tamara that we were about a mile out and I just kept running.  I came out of the park to see Jack had turned around to help me.  I couldn’t believe it.  He had sacrificed his race for me because he knew what my goal was.  I was almost in tears running my bike in because I had been so ready to start the run and I thought for sure my chance to qualify was gone.  Then I saw Jack.  Although he tried to help, I showed him that the tire was too far gone and told him to go ahead.  Jack stopping to help is what got me through running my bike in and to the run.  Apparently, my running my bike in is what got him to the run. 

The run portion of Branson was a joke.  It was pouring down rain, Heather saw ducks on the run course (not a joke…), transition probably could have been designated a national disaster zone due to flooding, yet everyone kept running.  I ran much of the run with Jack (I say I did this because he’s taller and, thus, the lightning would strike him, but really it’s much more enjoyable to run with someone).  We ran much of the run faster than I cared to run, but Jack was running fast, so I ran fast.  At some point I told him he could go ahead because I couldn’t hold the pace and he said something along the lines of “thank God, I was just running fast because you were.”  This is what I will miss at Worlds!

I finished Branson in 7^th place.  Two slots were allocated to my age group, so I had to wait for roll down.  When they called my name I nearly tackled Heather and I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face.  I’m a stickler for earning things though.  So, I plan to be at Worlds again, some day, by taking one of the top spots in my age group.  But for now, I can’t wait for September 6^th, when I’ll be in Las Vegas scouting out the course.  I am so thankful for my parents, cousin Karen, Tim, Monica, and Jen Lee for coming out to support me.  Although triathlon is an individual sport, I don’t view it that way.  This will be the first time I’m truly racing alone and I’m more worried about that than actually completing the race!