The Ironman Journey - Part 3 ...First Official week of training.

The training program I'm on is a 34 week program. It's a long program but it's great and the first few weeks is actually a nice break from the miles I had been putting in for keeping conditioned. I plan on manipulating the schedule but the main goal is to get everything in. I have officially completed week 1 though I have 2 days left which is just more running ... it's like dual training, because i have the Miami Marathon next week.

Training doesn't just include run/bike/swim but it also includes core work and weights for the upper and lower body. There is a test, called the Cooper Test - Run and the Cooper- Test swim. The idea is you take this test at the beginning, middle and end and see if you have improved your running and swimming.

For the run, you warm up for a mile, run your best for 12 minutes and then cool down for a half a mile. I modified this just because of where I was at. I was in San Francisco in Golden Gate Park and I was trying to find a part that wasn't super hilly. So I warmed up for 1.5 miles, then ran fast for 12 minutes then had almost a mile cool down.
Now when you do this test, there is a chart and you see where you fall. You either rank Poor, Average, Good, or Very Good" Veronica and I renamed these. It is Grenade, Hot Mess, Smokin, and Hot Damn respectively. Of course we are aiming for a Grenade Free America...nobody likes Grenades!
The Cooper test run I was Smokin at 1.6 miles or 7:36 average. I'm going for Hot Damn next time closer to a 7:00 average.

For the swim, you swim 400 meters warm up, then kick 6x50meters then you swim fast for 12 minutes and cool down 100 meters. I followed this one to the exact. And, though I wouldn't say I'm super wonderful at swimming, I came out to 28 lengths or 700 meters which the cooper test grid says HOT DAMN. Of course I still want to further improve this. going for an extra 100 meters next time.

So, week one is done. I do have to say, I'm ready to pick it up...but I guess I should enjoy the low mileage while it's here.

...What i really need to work on and add to my training Journal, is nutrition, that's not going so well right now. I blame the 0 degree weather - comfort food gets you through the cold :)

Ironman Wisconsin - The Journey Part 2

Dear Readers,

With just under 37 weeks to the Ironman I thought I would post another update. Training programs are beginning. I do not plan on paying for a training group, rather do a program on my own. I have one picked out that's a 34 week program, and starts mid-January. Doing it on my own is what's best for me so i can modify to fit my 2011 racing schedule.

Though still subject to change here is what I'm looking at in 2011 for races:
1/30 Miami Marathon
4/18 Boston Marathon
5/20 American Triple T - Super Sprint Tri
5/21 AM: American Triple T - Olympic Tri
5/21 PM: American Triple T - Olympic Tri
5/22: American Triple T - Half Ironman
5/31: Vermont City Marathon
9/11: THE IRONMAN
TBD: Winter Marathon

These races put me at 386.34 miles raced. Which- with my goal in 2011 to raise $11 per mile raced, it means i have to raise $4,249.74.

Now- it would be in my best interest to have another Half Ironman in July or August for training purposes of the Ironman. In order to add that in the schedule I NEED YOUR HELP.

Because I vowed to raise $11 per mile raced, I have to raise approximately $800 more in order to add another half ironman.

Visit my Team DetermiNaiton page at : http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/DetermiNation/DNFY11IL?px=4909726&pg=personal&fr_id=35207

If I can get enough money raised in the first half of 2011, I'll add another Half Ironman to better my Journey.

Thanks!

Tara

**Please note it mentions i'm raising money for the Chicago Marathon, that's because I want the funds I raise to be recognized for Team DetermiNation Chicago rather than the National Level- it all goes to the same place, but I want Chicago to have the recognition since it's those in Chicago who inspired me.

CARDIO VACATION

I’m trying a little experiment that I decided is part of prepping for Ironman Training. In 2010, I logged over 5,000 miles running, biking and swimming. As my blog says, I am ADDICTED to endurance. As 2010 is coming to an end, and I have recently been hit with an ear infection that seems to be a little beyond ‘swimmer’s ear’ it’s a good time and idea to rest. It’s time for a CARDIO VACATION!

The idea behind my cardio vacation is I will take a full 7 days off of cardio (or maybe just biking, running and swimming?). My cardio vacation started, Sunday Dec. 18th.

What does one who spends a big chunk of their free time biking/running/swimming do when they are on a Cardio Vacation? This is what this blog entry is all about. I’m curious if I will go stir crazy. I believe I haven’t taken more than 2 days off running since Jen’s Bachelorette party in Vegas, April 2008.


And now the Cardio Vacation Blog:


Day 1: Sunday. Since my ear was super bothersome, I took a day of rest. This doesn’t differ from days that I might take off because I’m extremely hungover. However, this time, I wasn’t extremely hungover, just resting.

Day 2: Monday Morning: Slept in (til 7:30 instead of 5:30-6am wake up). Gotta do the push-up challenge (yes I’m still doing that- I just like to not move from Week 2 day 3 )

Evening: Lindsey offered a private class to some of us at her place. This was THE BEST yoga class of 2010. I thought, maybe I should add another yoga class in on my time off. Even if it’s on my own, with Joyce’s instruction cd she made prior to moving to New York.
After Yoga, I went over to Keri’s to watch the Bears game. I got home around 10:30pm and didn’t feel guilty because guess what- I get to sleep in on Tuesday! I thought, maybe I should add another yoga class in on my time off. Even if it’s on my own, with Joyce’s instruction cd she made prior to moving to New York.

Day 3: Tuesday Morning: Slept in. Had breakfast at home, that didn’t consist of a protein bar. What a concept.
Evening: Starting to feel gross.Bulls game with Mayer Brown- Thinking- maybe I shouldn’t drink much so I can wake up early tomorrow and do Joyce’s yoga CD. I would like to go to some dance class/aerobics class Wednesday night, but I scheduled a Massage at 5:00pm. I really should let the goodness of that soak in. ..Thursday…I wonder if there are still classes available on the 23rd? I wonder if I can find anything around my Parent’s house- HA that’s a joke. Maybe I should allow myself a 6 day rest and on the 7th day- run again? What if I forget how to run?

Day 4: Wednesday Morning: Though Anxious yesterday…still slept in. But did the push up challenge norm.

Evening: Massage!!!! Then walked to pick up my car from the shop, and then… watched a movie and asleep by 9:30. So nice! I’m actually enjoying this. I’m not as hungry but still… I’m starting to get a little nervous about weight gain.

Day 5: Thursday Morning: Decided to walk the stairs in my building up and down, just two times. Makes me feel a little less lazy.

Evening: Was looking into some flirty girl fitness classes, but everyone is out of town already, so I just made plans to go to a class there next week with Keri. The opportunity presented itself to go back to Wisconsin early so I first went shopping at Akira (Merry Christmas to me- Love, Mom and Dad), then made my way back to Wisconsin.

Day 6: Friday Morning: This is the tricky part, I am in Wisconsin. Facilities to workout are limited, and food in my mom’s fridge is plentiful. I decided to have a ‘Tara Made’ aerobics class. LOTS of fun, it’s kind of like dance parties with my niece. Also did the push up challenge and some abs. I’m really close to shortening Cardio Vacation to 6 days long. I will do my best to hold off one more day.

Evening: It was snowing large flakes, which made me really want to run. I figured, I might as well go for a walk. So Mariah Carey’s 2010 Christmas Music andn I went for a winter wonder walk….then it was Christmas Eve :)

Day 7: Saturday: Christmas Day- the Final Day. I decided to continue on with my aerobic routine fun and did that for an hour. Then I found my mom's ab roller....oooh fun! :p I thought about going for a walk, but I feared I might just start running, and I’m so close to finished with this Cardio Vacation, I decided to stay in and eat some cookies.
Day 8: Cardio Vacation is over. I had to define Cardio as Run, Bike or Swim because if I became 100% Sedentary, I really would not have been a nice person. It was a nice 7 days off to not be worried about mileage, but I am ready to run again. I think I’m still not going to log my miles for the remainder of the year. We’ll start a whole new calendar in the New Year.


…now time to go on an 18 to 20 mile run :).

Raise Your Glass

Raise Your Glass
Las Vegas, NV - State 21
4:14:49

Running a marathon in every state creates a risk of getting bored. You can only PR so many times. So what has been my strategy to keep things interesting? Well, I add an ultra here or there and I started to also complete triathlons. I finally qualified for Boston, so what next? I think my future will one day include a 100 miler, and of course I will go back to trying to get a new PR. BUT for state 21, it was time to have some fun.

If you were to ask most marathoners, especially first timers, what are the basics of preparation, I'm sure some would say they give up drinking for a bit before and if they don't give up the drinking for a long time, they certainly would say you don't drink the night before a race. Sleep would rank up there in importance. And then of course your nutrition and hydration during is key.

If you don't take those four factors seriously (Sleep, Soberness, Nutrition and Hydration), you put yourself at a greater risk of having a bad race, and potentially not finishing. Well, I just have to say: 'Raise your Glass if you are wrong in all the right ways" I most certainly was wrong in all the right ways in Vegas.

While most stay on the strip when in Vegas, my co-worker, Lily offered up her time share which was off the strip near the Palms, and provided a free shuttle service that runs every 30 minutes between the Time Share and Planet Hollywood. I arrived on Friday, and Ashleigh and Nate drove in from San Diego. The moment I stepped off the plane I grabbed a drink waiting for Ash and Nate to pick me up from the airport (okay partial lie, I had some work to take care of first, then i put a dollar in a slot machine...THEN I got my Triple Shot Vodka Red bull drink).

We spent most of our day at the Venetian and Caesar’s Palace. We didn't excessively drink, but we drank enough to keep a steady level of drunkenness. We stocked up our fridge with all sorts of liquids for the weekend then we went out for dinner. I'm sure I would have done just fine with one martini not two, but....Nate decided a second was in order.

Friday night was a good night for sleep, I slept maybe 6 hours. When I woke up I wasn't feeling the greatest from the day before. I managed to get a 4 mile run in but not without feeling extremely sick. So I decided Saturday would be a beer day.

Back track to training: On my 18 mile run I realized that if I went out the night before a run, I started my run strong. But once the hangover hit, I had to slow down, and even walk. With the 20 miler, I got a good night's sleep, and got drunk on the run, and it was a great run (Thanks for joining Sheila and Veronica, and Rachel A- Thanks for bringing me beer refills on the path!). What I learned in training was this: I must stay drunk on the entire run, otherwise it's game over.

There was a lot of walking going on Saturday as we were under the impression the Expo was at the Mandalay Bay (read directions Tara!). We Casino jumped from the Excalibur, to the Luxor to Mandalay Bay (all the while playing the slots- being conservative as I am, I broke even on that round). The Expo was actually at Sand Expo which is connected to the Venetian, so we once again spent a great amount of time at the Venetian (I'm actually a pro at finding my way around there by now!). I made it through the expo pretty quickly and then we had lunch.

Rather than going out too hard on Saturday night, we decided to go see David Spade. This was a great idea, because I was still doing the goal of Vegas (drinking), but it wasn't excess, and I had been on my feet long enough for the day that it was good to sit for awhile. After dinner, we did a little more casino hopping at Harrah's and Planet Hollywood. I was in bed by 12:30-1ish giving me maybe 4 hours of sleep before the Marathon.

My Alarm went off and I kept to most of my normal morning routine: An hour to wake up, move around, do my sit-ups (it's a mental thing where I think if I activate the core before the long run, I will have a good run), and have breakfast. As this is a drunk run, breakfast included a beer.

I planned on meeting up with Evelio at the start and hope to literally run into Tony on the run. Evelio was easy to find. The gun went off at 7am but we started with Coral 12 so it took some time to get to the start. I managed to jump out of the coral and go to the bathroom before we started. I handed Evelio my beer when I did this which I then thought. that could be disastrous... I might lose him and never see my beer again! Luckily I found him within a minute or two of the run (running fast where I'm sure people thought I was crazy).

It's amazing how long the strip really is, but you don't realize it until you are running it. Around mile 3, Tony and I were e-mailing trying to find each other (yes e-mail...that's what Tony does I guess because I attempted to call and he wouldn't pick up). He was ahead of us then. I was running low on beer already, but I figured I would find someone on the run giving away beer. Around mile 5 there was a beer stand, but we didn't see it until we passed it and I didn't think much of it thinking, this is Vegas, I'm sure there will be more (wrong).

Since I had my phone out e-mailing Tony, I was also getting work e-mails. Alice was busy working (it’s quarterly reporting season). I almost wrote her so she could have a fun e-mail between all the work, but I was trying to minimize my phone use to just finding Tony and Ashleigh.

Ash and I had planned to find each other around mile 12 to give me another beer. However, we missed each other. I was 12 miles down with only 2 beers. Now I know it is ONLY 2 beers, but add running to two beers at 7am, after a night of drinking...that's enough to make you start to feel miserable when you don't have a third. Evelio saw the unpleasant Tara as I yelled at a runner for stopping right in front of me at a water station…I maneuvered around them but managed to get citomax dumped all over me by the volunteer and I just wasn't happy. So, he said it was time we make a stop when there is a place to buy some beer. This is a little harder on the second half. Though the first is up and down the strip (and to the old strip), the second part is all industrial and pretty bare. This is pretty common for marathons with halves.

We saw places we could stop at, but they were on the other side of the road where you have to cross over the race. I didn't want to draw any attention to people to make them think we were cheating, so we just had to make our way to the gas stations that were on the same side of the road. Finally at the 25K we were able to stop and fill up. I waited out by the race in hopes to see Tony pass as Evelio went on in the gas station. He ended up taking about 10 minutes to complete the transaction. As I waited, I received some comments from runners passing, like "what's wrong with you, you look fine and you are just standing there like a spectator!" When Evelio came out, I learned, he was joining in on the fun as he got himself a beer as well and put it in a 'to go' container. We finally saw Tony for the first time as we were passing in opposite directions on the out and back. At this moment I was very happy, and half way done with the current beer, singing Poker Face or some other Lady Gaga song- I don't remember which one the band was playing.

There were a lot of cheerleaders from high schools on the course. Of course, with the next beer fully consumed in 3 miles, I was not just running a marathon, but pretending I was a cheerleader, attempting toe touches (these cheerleaders loved me). At mile 18 we stopped at another gas station for a bathroom break and another refill. Somewhere along the way, Evelio and I decided Gus and Nutrition were not in order on this run. So the only thing I really consumed was the Beer, and a few water stops when I didn't have any beer (but maybe 5 water stops at max).

We continued on, and the last part of the marathon was pretty boring with out and backs on a frontage road. Lucky for me, I was not boring, and I did what I could to entertain myself and Evelio. We were breathing in the wonderful car exhaust air and making our way to finish. I had one more bathroom stop in there (usually I can sweat off the need to go to the bathroom- but apparently not when it's beer). We crossed the finish together (second marathon I've ever started and finished with one person) and I felt GREAT. I got a text from Caitlin, she saw me cross. Apparently she turned on the live feed just as I was crossing - now that's pretty cool!

The party didn't stop there though. Ash and Nate greeted me at the finish, took me back to our place and took off to avoid the Vegas to Cali traffic. I fully utilized what the timeshare had to offer (soak in the hot tub then read my book by the fire), and then I got ready for one final fun night in Vegas: The post race party. I swore off beer when I crossed the finish line, so it was back to Vodka. The post race party was at Encore - XS. I was so happy to make it to a club in Vegas and dance. I went with Evelio and his friends and I made friends there. They let us dance up on the platform with stripper poles, and I happened to find a girl who is a teacher at a studio like flirty girl fitness....so... she taught me some tricks on the pole, where I proceeded to make a fool of myself I'm sure, but it was so much fun. I don't know if I'm more sore from the marathon or from that pole- but my right arm is all bruised (I kept on my bracelets....silly me).

And yet still, the night wasn't over. I needed ot learn how to play Craps. I never got to see Mike Evans on the race, so we met up at the Mirage and I watched him lose some money (only after winning $600!). I do have to say, when I was rolling that dice, I made many people a lot of money- go me for rolling the dice! :)

I tend to make friends post marathon on the flights home. I met Jeff on the flight home from Fargo (he was also in Vegas but we never managed to meet up), and this time I made friends with Christine- from the suburbs of Chicago. ...an Ironman and Marathoner...like Jeff, with her own inspiring race stories.

This Marathon wasn't just about the race; it was about the entire weekend. It was about having a good time, about celebrating my accomplishments over the last 20 states. It was learning that I've managed to make the Marathon so routine, that even skipping the most important elements to preparation (Sleep, Soberness, Nutrition, Hydration), that I still can manage to complete it in a respectable time. Raise your Glass- Cheers!

I Gotta Feeling

I gotta feeling
Detroit Marathon
State #20
BOSTON QUALIFIER
3:40:32

It’s finally done! I’m going to Boston. 20 states completed from Oct 2005 to Oct 2010, improved by 1hr and 7minutes since the very first one. Just over a year ago I was fantasizing over breaking 4 hours. A year and a day prior to qualifying for Boston, I ran in Indiana, and broke 4 hours by a landslide and that set the idea/pace for Boston. 7 marathons (including Indiana) and 1 ultra marathon later…I finally did it. With those 8 races, 3 of them were completed in the last 8 weeks. My weekend long runs looked like this: 26.2, 10, 31.2, 12, 20, 10, 26.2.
The previous 7 weekend runs made me stronger, made me confident and ready to take on Boston with that last 26.2; High altitudes, mountains, ultra distances, trails, and on the 20 miler, a strong kick-it last mile at 7:31. I was ready. Maybe I was always physically ready, but the past 7 weeks, and the help of my friends made me mentally ready.

Mentioning a few (but not the only) that were with me (in spirit) on my run:
As I spent some extra time in the past few weeks with Caitlin in the ACS office helping get ready for the Chicago Marathon, she said to me “I’ve gotta feeling, Tara- this is it- Detroit is your run!” She was so positive in her words, I decided to believe her and took her words with me.
At the ACS team dinner, Kristin spoke once again. Her words and her actions ALWAYS inspire me. She is DetermiNation defined. She never says "I can’t” even with the most horrific obstacles put in her way.
Then there is Emily. She doesn’t like running, which is great since her cancer took her ability to run. You would never know she has a cancer survivor story because of her attitude. Like Kristin, she is left with the aftermath of killing cancer. She doesn’t baby herself and she doesn’t baby others. There is something about her spirits - I see it in her expectations for herself and her expectations for others: if you set a goal, you do it no excuses- just keep your eye on the target.
Then there is Alison- what can I say- she thinks I'm amazing just the way I am. ;) So in the back of my mind, I knew if I didn’t get Boston- That it’s okay. Her words, heart and spirit remind me to not put so much pressure on myself and enjoy it.
Now I have so many more friends that I could mention, and I will mention more in my story below as the story unfolds. But I wanted to showcase these 4 girls because they have something in common which inspire me for my new goal noted at the end of this. They are all the faces of Team DetermiNation with American Cancer Society.

The week before the race was the Chicago marathon. I was heavily involved with volunteer work from 4:15am until about 2pm on Sunday with the race. I planned on getting a good night sleep. But then Jen, sent me an e-mail just saying she really wanted to go out but both Andrea and I were busy- she wasn’t asking me to go out, she was just using me as a sounding board laying out her thoughts (as we do with friends). The thing is, is I know what it’s like when you just want to go out, have a few drinks and dance. So when she complained, I understood and I couldn’t let her stay in with the itch to go out (because I mean, come on- when we go out we always have fun- and who can turn down dancing?). So…I decided to sleep Saturday from 6pm until almost 10pm. Then we went out which meant I got home at 3am and was ready to volunteer by 4:15 am with a 15 minute nap in between. The day of volunteering went off so well I got this thought: If I qualify for Boston, I’m going to drunk run Vegas! How’s that for a little extra motivation?

Now let’s dive into Detroit. As I said, Caitlin had inserted confidence in me.. So, I vocalized that I was focused on Boston. I knew for 2011 Boston, it was kind of my last chance! This was a Bank of America sponsored race, and Kelly was my Hostess from the Mostest. Since I wasn’t in the Troy office on a regular basis, she made sure I was set up and in the loop with all the fun Bank of America Events. She also told me she had a feeling that this was the one for Boston. More positive energy!

Again, Kelly being the hostess with the mostest, made sure I got my other workouts in while staying in Detroit. We went to her gym before work on Friday and went to a spin class. I snapped at the spin instructor when he was going around the room increasing everyone’s resistance on the bike. Sorry to snap Buddy, but I had Boston on my mind- I wasn’t about to have a super killer workout 2 days before my race. On Saturday, Kelly and I ran and then went for a swim. I loved having her as a workout partner! She’s up for anything :)

Sunday morning we woke up at 4am, leaving at 5am. As we got in the car to drive to downtown Detroit, one of my and Alison’s song of the moment came on. I focused certain words to change it from the expectations of a man to the expectations of my legs… ‘I want you to take it like a thief in the night (talking about BQ) hold me like a pillow make me feel alright…want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world like I’m the only one that’s in command….(changing words: take me for a run run, oh Boston qualify-I, let me make you fast fast, make my stride so right! ). Hearing any of our special songs is always a great way to take off to the marathon. Coincidentally, this was the song that was on when I finished the race. I have to change the words too much to make it the title of this write up. So I figured I would at least mention it :)


Bank of America had the Hard Rock Café as their race headquarters. This meant all BAC employees that signed up, got free food pre and post race, clean bathrooms, a warm place to hang out and a better place to keep your stuff, rather than gear check. Only 10 people there were running the whole marathon. Most of everyone were relay racers. Kelly had a team of 5 people. She ran the leg that went from Canada back into the US.

Around 6:40 I walked to the start with two of the guys Kelly introduced me to that were on her relay team. I thought the race started at 7:15 (I swore I read that somewhere), but around 6:54, they were singing the national anthem, and I thought- why so early? Oh- it was time to line up (real start was 7:00). SO I had to shuffle through to my race Coral- D (I was by L when they were singing). I managed to make it there with time to spare.

The plan was to run the first 3 miles as a warm up. I thought this warm up would be about 9 minute miles. They turned out to be 8:45s but that was close enough since it felt so easy. It was dark, but the streets were well lit and I wasn’t tripping over people. We made quite a few turns as you could see people running up the Ambassador Bridge. The Bridge is under construction so as we were climbing, we had a very narrow space to run, which meant you weren’t running your pace- you were running the pace of the person in front of you. Now, not to brag, but after experiencing mountain marathons, the Ambassador bridge- at mile 3- was easy. I got a little nervous as I was already having some circulation issues with my shoes/left foot around mile 4. I thought- oh boy, this is going to be a long run. But then I just thought about Kristin. She runs with real issues and she does it like a champ. Then there is Emily, she wouldn’t make excuses. So I better push all excuses out of my mind right now!

The cramps started moving up the leg …so early on. I used the command Anne told me to use when feeling it: “Not now legs. You can be as sore as you want later- but not now.” The issues went away and by mile 6 (the first relay exchange where I heard Kelly call out my name), I was all warmed up and ready to run! My pace fell into an 8:04 to 8:10 comfortably. As fast as we made our way into Canada, we were leaving. I thought “man, already? That means I have to run in the same country for the rest of the race!”

Around mile 6 is when I took my first Gu. This was new; I usually don’t take any until 9 or 10. With David visiting Chicago the week before, I not only had his stern texts about Nutrition but I got the stern lecture in person- I knew I had to listen to him, because if I didn’t qualify and didn’t listen to him, he would be able to blame it on my nutrition and I had no excuses that I didn’t get the texts- he would have had every right to say ‘I told you so.’ So, I had a Gu at mile 6 (e-gel), 13 (Vanilla with Caffeine), 17 (Roctane) and 22 (Roctane), I also took electrolyte pills at miles 10 and 20.

The start of mile 7 was on the Canada side of the tunnel. We had a nice decline and the tunnel was hot. People were very quiet when we first made our way in the tunnel so I decided to do what would seem normal to my runners, hoping those in the btunnel would appreciate it: I shouted “Can I get a WHOO WHOO” and it echoed pretty loud. At first I thought I failed miserably with no response. Then…like magic, a few gave the return ‘whoo whoos” and people started to make more noise. …much better tunnel…much better! Also while in the tunnel, I passed the guy who runs with his son in the wheel chair-jogger I think this is the first race I’ve seen him at. We popped out at mile 8 as we were running up and out of the tunnel.

My miles all kept coming in at sub 8:10s. When I hit mile 13 I felt like I was flying, I was feeling REAL strong. Matt, the new Director in the Chicago DetermiNation office made a comment that it’s usually around mile 15 where you know if you blew your goal (or made it?). I around then I started to slow down a bit but with the sub 8:10s I was doing before then, I figured it was alright to slow to 8:15s. I didn’t want to slow down too much, because it’s like once you start slowing a bit- you start to completely slip... And this time, I wasn’t having that!

I knew I was pushing it, and if I was working this hard now, I didn’t want to have to try all over again, so this was it- Boston was happening here- it just was. I thought about my extra motivation. I started envisioning Vegas. My plans had not yet been confirmed, and I started to get a new idea for Vegas. I thought if I could run it drunk- it would be a perfect girls weekend/reunion for Jen, Tiffany, Amanda and I- it’s where we all came together thanks to Jen’s bachelorette party so why not meet up in Vegas again? Then I thought of Alison and my other most recent song. And I thought- that’s my Vegas song... ‘Why so serious? So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways... If you’re too school for cool, and you’re treated like a fool you can choose to let it go we can always party on our own” I knew that’s what Vegas needed to be- wrong in all the right ways, not serious, just fun. The only way to do that was to keep pushing myself at Detroit.

I wasn’t looking at my overall time, but thought I should have about an hour left when I hit the 20 mile marker. Unfortunately, I only had 53 minutes to still qualify, which is playing with fire. I was a little frustrated because I didn’t understand how that could be when I was checking almost all my splits and I was very well under the 8:26 average I needed for Boston. Of course- this didn’t include the extra mileage you put in when you don’t run the shortest distance on the course- and have to weave at water stations and any other time around people (I finished with somewhere around .3 extra miles).

I almost let my time at the 20 get me down, but I thought- what’s six more miles of this? There is no ‘almost’, and there is no giving up- you just have to push.

I started running 8:45s and felt like I couldn’t go any faster. Mile 24 had a lot of turns and twists through a park it felt like the longest mile ever. As I approached the 25th mile marker, we were going up a hill. I looked at my watch. I had 12 minutes to get to that finish. That’s now a 10 minute mile. I did what I shouldn’t have done, but I did it anyway- I walked for maybe 15 seconds. I stretched my legs as I made it up that hill. Sometimes, when I stop and start back up again- I can get some speed back in my legs, and so I decided not to let myself cramp up the hill and maybe pick the legs up for a strong finish at the end. I made the final turn that was mile 26 with .2 left. Now, I have only ended one marathon really sick at the finish and that was Cincinnati. I thought I was going to lose it in those final .2miles of this race. I think it was the Boston nerves but I felt like I could either pee in my pants or puke …luckily I didn’t do either of those things. Rather, I finished with my arms kind of in the air- and it hit me…I DID IT….well…if my watch was right. For the next 2 hours, I was on edge fearing, maybe I didn’t really qualify, maybe something went wrong on my watch and I missed it by seconds.

When I crossed the finish I walked through all the finishers’ fun stuff. I made my way back to the Hard Rock, where Kelly walked in minutes after me all excited for me. She saw me finish and knew I had it. She said the 3:35 group passed maybe 2 minutes before me, and she never saw the 3:40 group. But, I was still worried. Luckily, Caitlin was tracking me- she didn’t get the updates until a good hour after the race, but she finally called me to confirm, I did qualify like my watch said.

I have been trying to qualify for quite some time now. I can’t tell you what the right way is or how to go about doing it. I just know on this day, for me, it was to just run it fast, and not let it slow until the goal was in sight. I think because I’ve been trying for so long, I’m still in shock I qualified. On top of qualifying, I get to go to Vegas and just have fun.

My friends had a feeling, and this time, I believed their feeling- I had a feeling- that this was it. I hung onto that feeling and told myself not to give up. I might have come close to that cut off, but that’s because it’s supposed to be a difficult goal.

The WSJ recently posted an article pretty much saying the women’s times are too easy where the race is filling up too fast. I do like the idea of being challenged a little more, and am always about equality, but with lots of thought on this I decided the gap between men and women is fair. Women aren’t built l like men- we don’t have the amounts of testosterone to build our muscle and be in the same athletic shape as men. Women are more emotional in nature. Maybe we turn that emotion into passion and push harder to obtain the difficult goal because the goal IS difficult as is. So great, if Boston Qualifying times are changed because Women are being empowered to push their limits and too many are qualifying – great- we will just keep pushing our limits to what you give us and make the goal.

As for 2011 I have a big year ahead of me. I’m going to Boston which has been a WIP for the longest time. Then I’m doing the Wisconsin Ironman which will consume most of my life in 2011. I do plan to still run a few marathons in the spring when training for the ironman is somewhat manageable. I have decided, with all these big races, it’s time to go back to raising some money for American Cancer Society. I’ve noted Caitlin, Kristin, Emily and Alison above who are such inspirational people. Early on I said I’d raise money for ACS for my Ironman, but because of how I’ve been inspired; I want to do something else/something more. My goal for 2011 will be something like this: I want to raise $11 for every mile I race- whether it be run, bike or swim. If I do 1 Olympic tri, 1 half ironman, 1 ironman and 4 marathons, that puts me around $3900 to raise. . The more I race, the more you give- it’s that simple :)

The Breakdown

The Breakdown
Fairbanks,AK
State 19 – 50K
5:29:54


In the fall of 2009, Molly had contacted me and said she was looking at moving to Fairbanks, Alaska. She said she heard of a great opportunity to and had been interviewing to be a nurse practitioner at a community clinic. One of the guys she interviewed with mentioned the Equinox Marathon. Molly told me if she took the job, she would be there for one, maybe two years and I should do the marathon.

Being Alaska, I wanted to make it more than just a weekend trip. I didn’t think it was going to work for 2010 since there were plans for a 2 week family trip to Greece. This trip ended up being cancelled, and when it was cancelled, I had vacation time open up. Making lemonade out of lemons, I decided, that meant I should go up to Alaska. When I told Ultra Jen of my plans to run the Equinox Marathon, she mentioned they actually have an ultra marathon, so I should add on an additional 5 miles since I’m already out there. I knew the run would be in the mountains, and I figured, since it was a tough one (ranked just behind Pikes Peak) it would definitely be a run/walk, so I might as well increase the distance.

It was official; I was signed up for the Ultra Marathon (50K), in the spring. In June, I booked my plane ticket. I made a detour in San Francisco/San Jose since Becky just moved there and spent 5 days (not including day of travel), in Alaska.

The vacation part of Alaska was great. It was like the Ultra Marathon was a side thought. It was a race to enjoy the state, and put the time/pace on the back burner. On the Wednesday before, Molly and I hiked the out/back portion. This would be miles 13 to 17. It was rocky and bumpy and I thought, there is no way I will be running this, falls would really hurt! I knew I had 10 hours to finish, so really, just 3 miles an hour was all I needed to do.

Friday, Molly and I went out to Denali Park (Mt. McKinley). It was a clear and beautiful day. We had a great time there, and then made our way back to Fairbanks to pickup my race packet. Packet Pickup was again, a smaller venue, no ids required just give your name, and then get your shirt and a water bottle. No timing chip for this race, once the gun went off that’s when the clock started.

Saturday morning I got up, Molly took me to the start (University of Alaska). I was hoping there would be a gear check, and I believe this is my first marathon race without a gear check. I made the mistake of tearing off this tag on my bib, thinking it was for gear check and I put it on my bag. When I realized there was no gear check, Molly just took my bag.

What I took with me on the run
~ Molly’s Ipod as my shuffle stopped working somewhere on this trip and I otherwise only had a big ipod.
~My work blackberry just because I knew I’d be calling Molly with about 5 miles left to come watch the finish, and my work blackberry is ATT while my personal is Sprint. Out in Alaska, sprint doesn’t work too well.
~Four Gus (I only ate 3)
~Two Aleve (Never took).

I originally wanted to bring a camera, but I didn’t like the thought of falling on it. If Sprint weren’t unreliable in Alaska, then I could have brought my phone with a camera on it. My work disabled the camera function on my Blackberry so there was no camera. I should just be thankful I had a functioning phone the whole race.

If you visit the equinox marathon website, you would see a picture of the start. The start consists of running through a field and up a hill 250 feet. When the gun went off to start, we all started running up this hill which then funneled onto a trail. Because you had to make it through the gate, even if you ran up the hill, you had to then stop and wait to make it through the gates, and run on a trial single file. The race started off in a great way, feeling so laid back. I wasn’t here for time; this was another one of those ‘remind me why I love running’ races.

We managed to make our way onto an open road and everyone spread out in their respective paces before the next trail. I couldn’t tell you what pace I started off with, because I wasn’t worrying about time. I also didn’t mind the trails so much, because my legs were fresh. I was actually having a lot of fun. About 5 miles into the run, I started talking to a local, Keith. He pointed out a lady just ahead of us who holds the female course record. This time would be 3:20ish back in 2002/2003 (that is the Marathon distance, not Ultra). That should give some perspective on the toughness of the course.

Around mile 8, we actually started running with Ms. Course Record holder, and I think her husband, which she was pacing for this race. At one point, Keith pointed to the mountain a little bit away and he said, that’s the top of Ester Dome, which is what we are climbing today. Okay, I knew we had climbed on the drive, but seeing the exact mountain and how high it was from the distance we were at, that put the whole race on a new level. I reminded myself, 3 miles an hour, and since I was already doing over 6 an hour at that point, I could go even slower on that climb.

Before Mile 9, I decided to Breakdown the run into sections. The portion I just talked about was the warm up run portion. The next few portions include:
2) The Climb;
3) The Bumpy Hike;
4) The Oh $hit, let’s not die on the down;
5) The Fast Down;
6) Extra Credit;
7) Final Mile.

2) The Climb. I started with Keith and his friends. However, I pushed ahead. I knew they had a goal to make the initial part of the climb running until we hit trail again. I almost managed that but walked a little earlier on. Once I hit the trail, Keith and friends passed me. This was between miles 9-10 and I was walking a brisk walk, and my calves were burning. When I could run, I would run, or more or less jog. Before Mile 10, I started to pass this man and just as I was passing, I hit a root, and tripped. I caught myself, which he applauded my catch, but that scared me enough to slow down and walk again. This guy and I started walking and talking together. He mentioned he was doing the relay with his wife and son. He had the toughest of the legs. He made climbing the mountain not so bad. Once we got on the open road, I did try to run for a bit and left him. I managed to make it to mile 13 which meant I was close to part 3: the bumpy hike. I decided since I had my phone, I’d give Alison a call, and tell her so far I loved this race- walk or run- it was a great challenge and beautiful.
There was a porta potty and I got all excited, having to go to the bathroom, so I stopped. This concluded part 2 at about 2 hours and 20 minutes (the half marathon marking)

3) The Bumpy Hike. From the point of Molly and my hike, to actually being out there for the race, I gained a little courage. Unless it was one of the huge inclines, I was running this portion. The bumpy hike is also known as the out/back. The turnaround is part way through a decline. They had a water stop at the turn around, so I stopped, grabbed a drink and walked on the incline (like everyone else). At the end of this portion, I stopped to refill the bottle I was carrying with me.

4) The Oh $hit, let’s not die on the down, is also known as the Chute. I’m pretty sure this isn’t part of a real running path, it was along some power lines and you had to jump back and forth left to right, for the most compact rocks that didn’t make you slip. If you looked up (which I could really only do on the peripheral), you saw this was nearly a vertical drop and if you tripped and fell, you would be tumbling into a bloody mess (which has happened before). I managed fine at first, but when I didn’t know where this down would end, and how long I would have to shuffle and kill my quads and knowing you couldn’t stop because if you stopped, you would then just slide on down (and become a bloody mess), I could feel the tears forming in my eyes (and I said out loud- I want my Mommy!). I was catching up to a girl in front of me as I could hear a guy right on my tail. I really worried he was going to try to pass me and that would trip me up. The guy behind me told me we were almost to a place where we turn off and go back on a path. When I completed this portion, I’m pretty sure I had a loud sigh and as I started to pass the girl who was in front of me I said “I’m so happy I’m still in one piece” she agreed.

5) Being alive and in one piece, I made our way to the next portion. Still very steep, but more manageable was the fast down. I don’t know if it was Idaho that prepared me for this, but this is where I passed lots of people. I started to use music (I needed to be focused on my step for parts 2-4 so there was no music then). I also don’t know if it was because I was taking it slower and walked some, but I still felt more than fine. I figured I should live it up as my quads were really killed on this section and part 4, so soon enough I would be slowing down. Around mile 22, we made it back on a trail, and I was still really enjoying the run. I gave Alison a call just to tell her I was doing a lot better than all my expectations and still loving the run minus the part where I thought I was going to tumble into my death. Not only did I get to talk to her, but I also got to hear from Michelle. I might have looked like an idiot running on my phone, but it made me happy. Around mile 25 I called Molly to tell her when I had about 6 miles left. I told her, this could either take me 50 minutes, or an hour and a half. I also told her the part of my bib I put on my bag thinking it was gear check- I needed it for the finish. So I asked her to bring that with her and pass it off to me just before I finished. We agreed I would call her again with 4 miles left, so she could make it there on time.

6) Extra Credit. If you know Tony, he introduced me to the term ‘extra credit.’ Tony goes out to the Tour De France course every year and bikes it. They aren’t the people actually racing the Tour De France, but his group is out there during the race and just does random parts of the course. Each day they have X amount of miles to accomplish, then they have some extra miles/extra climbs they call extra credit. Since the marathon/ultra was together until just over the 25 mile marker, I decided the ultra distance was my extra credit. This course was very soft and woodchippy for the most part. It was rolling hills and awesome. I walked/ran more and was all alone- just me and Molly’s music which I really enjoyed the randomness and so many songs with memories of College. Every now and then I’d catch up to a person and exchange a few words before passing. You had to watch the course arrows because the path was windy and you could easily turn a wrong way. Around mile 19.5, I wasn’t sure I was going the right way. Just as I realized I was correct, I tripped. Somehow, after 29.5 miles, I still caught myself without falling, but that sent a Charlie-horse like pain up my leg. I stopped for a minute to regain control of my leg, and then walked some. I finished mile 30, as the course turned off the trail and back on a hill, on a magnificent decline. I could tell I was near the finish.

7) The final mile was brought us back with the Marathoners. It was also a steep down for a lot of it. Somehow, I was still feeling great where I picked up my stride. I was listening to Lips of An Angel, and was so into the song and the down, I blasted my music, which I think turned a few heads- oops! The .2 was all that remained. We were back on that open grass where we started. And some sick joke of the race, we had to climb half way up the 250 foot climb again before we could go back down it to the finish. I did walk on that up until the turn down, and then I picked up the down. I grabbed my little ticket from Molly, and I sprinted the final 200 feet to the finish. It felt so great to finish in just under 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Because this race was tough, and I knew I should just take it easy - I managed to really enjoy it, and I managed to cross the finish line feeling happy. I really didn’t know if this would take me 6 hours, 8 hours or the full 10. Breaking down the race really helped my mental game, and remember all the different parts of the race. It was a great state #19, and I kind of want more like it.

Ironman Wisconsin - The Journey Part 1

Over the next year, the blog is getting some additional writings.

On Monday, Sept. 13, 2010, the Wisconsin Ironman opened the 2011 registration.

If you don't know, the Wisconsin Ironman sells out within minutes, maybe even seconds of it opening up for regitrations online. There are other ways to get a slot:
1) The current years participants can sign up actually the day before that year's Ironman. (So next year, I could register for 2011, the day before I actually complete the Ironman)
2) If you volunteer for the Ironman, you get first in line when in person registration opens up.
3) After the volunteers get to line up and register, then everyone else can line up to register in person.
4) THEN finally, after all this, it opens up online.
(You can also pay something like an additonal $1,000 or something like that for other charity slots).

What this means, is you really should be there in person, otherwise you are gambling on slots still being open. My schedule didn't allow this since I had my California/Alaska trip planned. So, I had to take a gamble.

The Journey for the Ironman, starts the moment you register. The adrenaline rush that hit me leading to signing up was ridiculous. I watched that clock tick down to 10:00am (PDT). I tried to register earlier, but it wasn't until 10:00am hit the clocks, that you could register.

Once it opened I went to business. It wasn't your typical registration. They asked all sorts of questions for purposes of publishing. I just wanted to confirm my entry, so all i kept typing on all the questions was "i'm a 50 stater" and managed to say something like that to each question.

I figure since it's a year long journey of the ironman, I'd write a few updates along the way.

So expenses thus far? Registration: $614.43
That's enough to remember this is serious business. You must train enough to be ready and make it to the finish, but not too much where you get injured. Easy enough? Right?

Well see....