Beverly's Adventures in Ironland 5.0

Going long for a cure! Ironman Canada 2012

2011-11-16T18:09:00.001-08:00

In the past year, I lost four more friends to cancer. Several are still battling and many others are thankfully in remission. Every single one of us knows someone who is a cancer survivor or has lost their battle. It makes us sad, it makes us angry and it makes us feel powerless.

I hate feeling powerless, so I'm going back in to fight! I registered for Ironman Canada in Penticton, British Columbia on August 26, 2012. I have nine and half months of intense (and at times grueling) training ahead. I am out of shape and work long hours but I do not have cancer. While training, I have committed to raise $5,000 for blood cancer research and services for patients with blood cancers.

You don't have to feel powerless either. Please make a donation to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I will proudly carry the name of your loved one with me through my long training rides, swims and runs and in every race leading up to the biggest race on August 26, 2012.

Go long, go strong, Go Team!

48 hours to go!

2011-04-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

Race day is just 48 hours away. No more time for training, I'm compiling all my gear and revising my race plan. I've been hydrating and resting this week in what's called "Taper"- tapering off in preparation for putting all my energy and reserves into the big day.

I'll packing up my car in a couple hours and driving the three hours down to Lake San Antonio. Wildflower is called the Woodstock of triathlons for its brash, fun history, massive camping scene and shenanigans. However, the party atmosphere masks a tough course and intense competitions among the pro and collegiate athletes. Thankfully, I'm in the age group division but it will still be tense.

Finishing the course is my first and foremost goal. The forecast is for sunshine with temperatures in the high 70's. This means I'll need to keep taking in enough fluids and electrolytes during the race to prevent cramping and GI issues. I expect to be out there for about five hours so it's important I manage my hydration and nutrition correctly.

So far, I'm carrying 41 names of people who have survived or sadly lost their battles with cancer. I will also be carrying my mom's name since blood cancer research is now showing promise for treating brain diseases. These names are so important and will remind me throughout my race that what I'm doing is nothing compared to what they have endured and many will continue to endure. I am also motivated by the support all of my donors have given me. I will feel their encouragement when my spirits or energy dip.

Thank you everyone, I could not accomplish this without all of your love and support. I am humbled by your generosity.

New Kicks!

2011-03-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like a new pair of running shoes. They make you feel fast, fleet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!

When I began training again this year, I set a goal of not buying any new gear and only using what I already owned but running shoes are the exception. Worn shoes can cause problems but I made it this far on my old ones and a timely gift from Ellen D a couple weeks ago. Now that my weekly mileage is beginning to creep up, it was time.

Saturday, I went to Sports Basement and bought my first real pair of running shoes in four years. They feel amazing! Funny thing too, because after a gait-anaylsis, I switched from a stabilizing shoe to a neutral shoe. Big change! I may be on to something good, time will tell.

These are my new, super cool Saucony Progrid Ride 3 running shoes in Silver, Pink & Black!

Last night I tried them out on an elliptical trainer at Planet Granite. First time with the shoes and first time on the trainer. Fun stuff! I liked the trainer- got my heart rate up and a good sweat up in no time! Good times.

"Un-Friendly" Reminders

2011-03-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Another pre-race update arrived in my inbox today from Tri-California, the race organizers for the Wildflower Triathlons. In it were helpful gear coupons, race-day volunteer info, race details and not-so-helpful course descriptions.

Here is the verbatim opening to my race description:

The AVIA Wildflower Olympic Distace Triathlon is an amateur
age-group and relay team event. This world-class course includes a 1.5K open water swim, a 40K -extremely hilly bike course-, and a brutal 10K run course. . .

How could I have forgotten? This is indeed a tough course. I think I may be more nervous this year than my first time when I didn't know any better. I need more time on my bike. It's 39 days away.

View the whole race course here.

I'll be cosy-ing up to my trainer a lot more in the next week--- for sure!

Remembering Joanne: Joanne Byrne 1963-2011

2011-03-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

During the past month I unwillingly moved Joanne Byrne's name from my "Training in Honor of" list to my "Training in Memory of" list.

Although Joanne and I were born just one year apart, grew up in adjoining communities, both attended San Jose State University and both chose to work in the Recreation field; we didn't actually meet until 1991.

I first met Joanne at a SANCRA (Sports Association of Northern California Recreation Agencies) meeting. We bonded over our mutual impatience with the protracted discussions on the merits of various softball core fillings, stitching counts and synthetic vs leather covers. (SANCRA is an important organization but there are limits!)

Joanne soon became one of my go-to colleagues when gathering information from other agencies on policies, programs, legislation and hiring. She was dedicated to the field and extremely knowledgeable. She was also tremendous fun to be around!

It is hard to find a committee or group in Los Altos for which Joanne didn't volunteer and give dedicated service. She has made a lasting impact on the community and enriched the lives of everyone who knew her and many that didn't. She will continue to touch more people through the fund established in her name: The Joanne Byrne Fund. The new fund will assist single women in living as normally as possible while battling cancer.

Thank you for everything Joanne.

Please share your own memory of Joanne in the comment section below.

Read more about Joanne here. Donations to the Joanne Byrne Fund may be sent to the Los Altos Community Foundation, 183 Hillview Ave. Los Altos, CA 94022

Only for the Hardcore

2011-03-14T23:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, a month between posts? Just what have I been doing with my time? Lots of working, lots of home projects and some training was squeezed in too.

The past month has thrown rain, wind, freezing temperatures, snow and hail at the San Francisco Bay Area which translates into challenging workout conditions to be sure! I braved two nights of wet & cold, but many of my teammates are much hardier and toughed out many more. Missing practice for work has a small upside. . . ;-)

Nothing builds camaraderie faster than enduring hardships together.

Active stretching in the cold rain at Foothill College.

Coaches Dave & Steve don't let a little freezing rain deter them from their coaching duties!

Beautiful Brackets

2011-02-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Sunset on Friday, February 11 - driving home up Hwy 1 from Santa Cruz after my massage, about 6:00 pm.
Sunrise, the next morning about 7:00 am, driving down off Kings Mountain, on my way to bike/swim practice with the tri-team.

Massage - the fifth sport

2011-02-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

Often in triathlon, nutrition is referred to as the "fourth sport". In 2006, I learned the hard way that massage is the fifth sport.

Regular massage quickens recovery and assists with injury prevention. For someone jumping into daily exercise with both feet, it's key!

If you think I'm nuts- here's proof.

Ellen is not only my best friend from college, she is an outstanding massage therapist. Her deep knowledge of anatomy is instrumental in her ability to pinpoint the source of pain and assign specific stretching techniques to take home. She's been practicing and teaching massage for over --+ years. (trust me it's a significant number but no need to get crazy spouting out age-relevant info!)

After a few weeks of stressing and straining just about every muscle in my body, it was a relief to see Ellen. The feedback she gives me is invaluable. Her incredibly strong hands are a big bonus too, even if they deliver pain in the process. I truly do feel a lot better when I leave!

Here's a photo of Ellen with her new dog, Gypsy. Rest and catching up with friends is important too! Thank you, Ellen!

If you'd like to visit Ellen for a post-workout massage, please email me.

First Run Marker Set

2011-02-10T22:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our second track work-out at Foothill College. It was cold! The core drills were a little easier but I had to modify the planks since my lower back is pretty sore. I have to work on my push-ups & dips. Pretty pathetic showing tonight.

We finished the workout with a run marker set. The Pro & Elite Groups ran two miles for time and the Age Group ran one mile. I seaded myself with the Age Group since this was my first mile run since last summer and first timed mile in three years. It was mentally tough, but I found a good running partner, named Rebecca, and we kept each other going. We were able to build our pace on each lap, decreasing our time for each one. My final time was 11.44. I am pleased with that - especially after minimal to no running over the last three years.

I am already sore in my abs. . .

Week Two Recap

2011-02-06T17:47:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, this training business ramps up gradually! I've been re-aquainting myself with daily work-outs and the special twice daily work-outs that the BF (Steve) refers to as "Double-Dipping".

Jan 31 - Feb 6 : Week Two

This week, my goal was to work on building training into my schedule and getting the rhythm back of daily workouts.

Swim

I've starting swimming at 6:30 am on Mondays & Wednesdays at Burgess Park Pool in Menlo Park. I bought the monthly pass, so now I have to get my money's worth!

Core/Weights

Tuesday night I went to Planet Granite in Belmont with Steve for weights & core. It's always helpful to have guidance with weights and machines- they've always been a little bit out of my comfort zone. Planet Granite is clean & nice and not too intimidating, plus it's fun to be with Steve and Marty Phelps.

Bike

I've dusted off my trainer and taken over a corner of the living room for spinning. I took my bike in to Rob Mardell at La Dolce Velo for a much needed tune-up. It's riding much smoother now.

Run

I stayed with my run/walk routine on the Skyline Trail followed by yoga at the Community Center. Thursday night was the first track practice and that was a tough night. Running & core workout; I am still sore! I really felt it all in yoga class.

I was able to make it to Zumba class Monday night. It's really fun, but after swimming at 6:30 am, I was totally beat by the time I made it home.

Totals for the week:

Swim 60 min + 1700m

Bike 60 min trainer + 15 miles on road

Run 2 miles track + 50 min on trail

Up Before the Sun

2011-02-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

Waking up on Kings Mountain as night retreats and the sky begins to lighten is a special time of day. This is the fifth morning this week I've been up before the sun: Monday & Tuesday to swim, Tuesday and Thursday for bike/weights.

Monday morning an eyelash moon was hanging over the mountains to the east and a gentle glow was gradually lighting the sky as I drove along the ridge at 6:00 am. It was so beautiful. While I swam, the sun came up and fought its way through the thick mist hanging over the heated pool.

I saw a deer, two skunks and a rabbit on my way down the mountain Wednesday morning.

Remembering the Mission

2011-02-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday was the Spring Season Kick-Off in Foster City. I met my mentor, Jennifer, many teammates and listened to truly inspiring presentations including a young man from Soquel, Greg Melendy. (photo of Greg & his Mom to the left)

Greg was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) with a Philadelphia chromosome in 2004, when he was sixteen. This was a terrifying diagnosis and the aggressive treatments he's endured (and continues to experience) are horrific. Through it all, Greg has survived.

Greg is truly a special person and I am pleased that research funded by the Leukemia Lymphoma Society has helped him survive. His spirit exemplifies why it's important to keep on searching for a cure.

Greg's first round of intense chemotherapy was three years long. During that dark time, the Make-a-Wish Foundation asked him what dream they could fulfill for him. Greg didn’t ask to meet a famous person or visit an exotic location; Greg asked for a new piano for his school’s cash-strapped music department. His gift had a immediate impact on his school and has continued to benefit hundreds of students over the past six years. Read the Santa Cruz Sentinel's story about Greg's gift.

Who will be the next Greg to face a blood cancer? An estimated 259,889 people in the United States are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia. About 43,050 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States in 2011. (factchecker here)

Please post a story about the Greg in your life in the comments box!

We will find a cure!

Week One Recap

2011-01-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

Jan 29 - Jan 30 : Week One (yes, a short week!)

Saturday was our first official Tri Team Training. I rode 15 miles with the "Pro Group" and was dropped almost immediately. But once I let that go and concentrated on riding, I was fine. It was a gorgeous day and I felt good. The distance was no problem at all. The ride was followed by a swim workout which tested my endurance. My calf cramped up half way through and I had to stop and drink some electrolytes and stretch/massage it out. Very painful!

The Skyline Trail on Sunday mornings is the perfect place for relearning to run. Running is the hardest part for me- I've started out with run/walk intervals and will gradually build up to continuous running. I went out in the misty/drizzling morning and it was beautiful. Afterwards, I made it to yoga at the Kings Mountain Community Center. It was a tough class!

And then, magically, Week One was done!

Starting Over. . . Again

2011-01-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

It was time for a blog remodel. Hope you like the new design, now with tags!

After three years of sloth-- the road back will be tough. However, not as tough as cancer. After a couple of months of thinking about it, the final prompt I needed was learning that my collegue, Laura Toby, is undergoing chemo again for blood cancer. So I took myself to a Team in Training Info Meeting on January 8, 2011. There were some good omens right away! Maryann Prather is an Honoree for the spring season, hooray! She looks great and is still cancer free!

While at the meeting, I learned Dave Parsin is Head Coach and Steve Kelch, Barney Coangelo and Caroline JOnes are all coaching too! And that Larry Prensky is going to be a participant too!

I made the committment to join the spring triathlon team training for Wildflower and raise $3,000 along the way for blood cancer research and patient services!

Today I learned that former Ironteamer's TC Cheng & Trista Kelver are coachs too! I have great company on our quest to fundraise for LLS!

On a sadder note, I also learned today that Jim Delaney's (a former teammate and honoree) cancer has returned. He's been in the ICU at Stanford and I don't know much about his status. So many people I've trained alongside have fought valiently. Sadly, many have died. Some from the cancer and some as a result of health issues brought on by the treatment. Jim, I'm pulling for you! I know how strong you are.

There are so many people that will benefit from the funds I raise. I know I'm doing the right thing going back to my roots.

Desperate Times, Desperate Actions

2007-11-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a looooonnnnng time since Ironman Canada back in August. I've been the classic slug with only occasional bursts of activity: a couple runs, a couple rides, one open water swim and two heart-stopping surf-kayak lessons with Steve at Mavericks. That all changed last week when I went back to Bootcamp.

Bootcamp is my faithful friend, always there to kick my a#@ when necessary. It's my first time back since joining the tri team in Spring 2005 and it hasn't changed. I've done more crunches, push-ups and sit-ups since starting last Monday since Lori P was affectionately dubbed the Core W---- two years ago. This session I'm going to the Cupertino location at 6:00 am since it's on the way to work. I took advantage of the Veteran's Day holiday from work to do back to back sessions. A 6:00 am session of cardio & weights in Cupertino then a quick drive to the 7:00 am Los Gatos class for hill repeats on Reservoir Rd. Accckkk, of all the days for a double work-out! Now I'm covered in case I miss the day following Thanksgiving. Missing one day of the five day a week for five weeks session, will cost me the t-shirt at graduation. I gotta get another shirt! ;-)

Now maybe I'll be able to actually get back on my bike again soon. . .

The sore muscles are easing and I'm really hoping the waistlines will start to loosen up a little bit! Wildflower is going to be here before I know it!

Photos, We Got Photos!

2007-09-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

Checking my bike and loading race food into the Bento Box on my bike.

Pre-Race: lots of nervous energy! We were up at 4:00 am for breakfast and taking the shuttle down to the race start. After dropping off my special needs bags, body marking (getting my race number written all over me in black felt pen), I checked over my bike, pumped the tires and stood in the world's longest port-a-potty line. Then into my wetsuit and down to the start!

Heading for the finisher's chute!

Almost Post Race: no more nervousness! Started at dawn and finished just before midnight. A long day, but I felt still felt great! This photo has a great story attached. This is my team cheering me just before I ran down the finisher's chute. It was taken by a Canadian guy from Calgary. He looked up my name by my race number, googled it and sent to my email address at my old job. The bounceback message said I no longer worked there, but to contact Nina for help. He emailed Nina (coincidentally another Canadian) and asked her to forward it to me which she did. Canadian's really are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet!

Official race photos here. My trip photos here.

D for Done!

2007-08-31T07:04:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished Ironman Canada in 16:51:19.

Short Version:

It was a great day, long but great. I felt strong, albeit slow, throughout the entire day. My nutrition plan worked, I stayed hydrated and didn't have any muscle cramping or distress at any time other than minor issues. I had some choice words for the headwind from mile 50 to mile 90, but other than that I enjoyed the entire experience.

An Ironman is a solo event and athletes are out there alone, but I didn't complete it alone. I would not have made it to the starting line without the support of my coaches, captains, teammates, honorees, family and friends. During race day, I had support from my coaches, captains, teammates and honorees again as well as the Ironman Volunteer Army along the entire course.

Here's how it breaks down:

TOTAL TIME: 16 hours 51 minutes 19 seconds

RACE DIVISION W40-44 finished: 146/159

SWIM- 1 hr 46 min 14 sec

T1 11:17 minutes

BIKE 8 hrs 27 min 26 sec

T2 3 min 25 sec

RUN 6 hrs 22 min 58 sec

Stay tuned for more details and photos.

No Way!

2007-08-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

Duathlon organisers insure against Loch Ness monster attack

Tue Aug 21, 5:17 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - Organisers of a duathlon in Scotland have taken out a one-million-pound (1.46-million-euro, 1.97-million-dollar) insurance policy against attack by or sighting of the fabled Loch Ness monster.

Transport operator FirstGroup said in a statement that its policy with insurers Royal and Sun Alliance would pay out should "Nessie" emerge from the murky depths of the vast watercourse and/or attack one of the competitors.

First Monster Duathlon race director Malcolm Sutherland said they were planning for all eventualities.

Jon Woodman, trading director at R and SA said: "This is one of our more unusual requests but it certainly gave our team something to get their teeth into."

Any "proven sighting" has to be independently verified, subject to policy terms and conditions, the insurer said.

The event, on September 2, requires individuals in each team of four to complete two legs of the eight-legged event around the shores of Loch Ness, in northern Scotland -- one 10-kilometre run and one 20-kilometre cycle.

Money raised will go to charity.

One More Time

2007-08-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

UPDATED: 4 February 2011

The original video I posted about the Hoyt's in 2007 is no longer available on youtube but I found another version of it!

ORIGINAL POST:
It's Thursday, August 16th, one week to go before I board the plane to Canada for my second attempt completing Ironman Canada. Many people have heard of the Hoyts and their incredible story and tremendous courage, but the inspiration they give is not diminished by repetition.

(Video went here)

Words cannot fully express their family's courage throughout Rick's entire life and future ahead.

(Thanks Lecia for sharing!)

1/2 Vineman Race Report

2007-07-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Two months between posts? I've been busy, really busy!

The Kindness of Strangers or my 1/2 Vineman Race Report!

My goals were:
1. Finish
2. Not finish last in my age group
3. Improve my overall time

I met all my goals but had to overcome a few obstacles to do so. My swim was almost the exact time as last year. I'm happy with this since I really haven't been spending as much time in the pool as I should. It could have been so much worse! My transition times improved and I wasn't even trying to speed through them. (so what was I doing in there last year?!)

My official bike time was six minutes faster and that includes the 20 minutes I spent off my bike on the side of the road. (26 minutes faster is great!) Immediately coming out of T1 is a short hill that catches people off guard. I put my bike in a low setting before racking it to make sure I'd be able to pop right up it. As I was peddling up it, I heard a horrible sound as if my whole gearing was tearing off my bike. Really I'd only broken a rear spoke but that was a scary moment. I spent precious minutes trying to take it off and then trying to wrap it around the spoke next to it but it took me forever to get it so it wasn't rubbing against my frame. Then more time trying to reposition my magnet. (It was the spoke with my Cateye magnet- coincidence?) A spectator pointed out the bike tent up the street and I got there just as they were packing up for the day.

The NorCal Bike Sport team was great! They loaned me a wheel, taking my rear cassette, tire & tube off and putting it on a spare Rolf wheel. They took my wheel to their shop for me to pick up after the race. They apologized for it taking so long, but in truth they were much faster than I would have been and it took away my fears. I was worried I'd ruin the wheel or crash. Does anyone ever carry an extra spoke?!

After that the bike was fun. There was slight breeze so I didn't feel the heat until the last 20 miles. My food/liquid intake was right on target. I'm still in love with my Thermalytes! The course is so beautiful and the hills aren't bad at all.

I started off the run feeling great. I felt so much better than last year! I thought I shaved off quite a bit but it turns out I only cut 11 minutes off. I'm not a fast runner on the best of days anyway. It was fun being out there regardless. However, by mile 9 I was ready to be done!

I know my nutrition is better because I didn't make any pit stops on the bike and only two on the run. My tummy wasn't perfect but it's improved a lot! I was able to eat on the run which is huge progress!

Monday I was tired and had some tightness behind my knee but other than that felt pretty good.

Anecdotes/Snapshots from the race:

The woman racked next to me just had a baby five weeks ago! What a rock star! Right before the swim she sat down and discretely pumped breastmilk. That's a transition first for me!

A woman racked across from me announced to us all that she'd had a boob job (prompted by all the breastmilk/size discussion following woman number 1's pumping) Another first! Of course, this all just proves that we women will talk about just about anything!

A man swam off course on the return leg of the swim and slammed headfirst into me while I was on the first leg. That was alarming!

Once again, lots of people continued the tradition of walking after the swim turn around. It's an amazing sight to see someone walking next to you while you're swimming. I tried it for a couple steps but my feet sank right down in the gravel. I think it was much harder than swimming.

There was a strong smell of weed on one section of the swim. Interesting way to watch the race. . .

A group of waterstop volunteers were having an intense discussion of people they'd seen die in bike crashes/century rides etc while I was in the port-a-potty. I'm happy I didn't overhear it all while I was on my bike. Intense stuff!

Here are my numbers:
2007 Swim 00:51:18.5 T1 00:04:30.7 Bike 03:28:03.5 T2 00:07:22.6 Run 03:02:47.0 Finish 07:34:02.4

2006 Swim 00:51:55.7 T1 00:09:19.6 Bike 03:34:41.4 T2 00:07:57.6 Run 03:13:00.1 Finish 07:56:54.4

This weekend is the infamous "Triple Brick" whoo hoo, bring it on!

2007 Uvas South Bay Tri Race Report

2007-05-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Let's hear it for the classic tri mantra: Nothing New on Race Day! Let's count the new items I used at Uvas: saddle, chain, rear cassette, toe clips, run socks. . .not just new, but the first time I'd used them ever! Not too shabby, eh?! I also rode without socks in a race for the first time. Woo hoo!

Sunday was my second year participating in the Uvas sprint in Morgan Hill. After Saturday's crash, I wasn't sure I'd do it. I spent Saturday afternoon at the bike shop having the damage repaired, cleaning the road debris out of my skin, picked up my packet and had an early dinner with T & O. I went to bed Saturday night with Advil on the nightstand ready for morning. I decided to see how I felt when I woke up and then decide. I was still stiff and sore in the morning but I popped the Advil (4) right away and had breakfast. The good news is I was sore from the crash, not Saturday's 50 mile marker set!

By the time I got to the reservoir I was moving better and knew I'd do the whole thing. I told myself: it's a sprint, so suck it up, pansy! Putting on my wetsuit wasn't much fun! Ouch! My old lady wave was combined with W30-34, W35-40, relays, mtn bikes, athenas, clydesdales and a random men's division. Why do they do that?! At one point before our wave, the announcer said, "Anyone with a swim cap on, get in the water, you're going next!" Due to lack of rain (drought?), the swim route was altered and the first leg was straight into the sun, but it was pretty short. Our wave was so full, it took a while to get away from the thrashing. I was never too far from clumps of bodies, but it felt good to pass a few people on the final leg. The water was as nice as ever, I love swimming there.

I had a fairly quick transition (for me) and got out on the road. My bike felt sluggish and a few people passed me that surprised me. About mile 5, I realized my rear brake was flush against my rim. duh! Had to stop and fix it. Then I felt a lot better and managed to pick up the pace. I passed an older guy weaving up Sycamore Hill. I shouted "on your left" and he moved over and then swerved right back into me and hit my handlebars. I peddled harder and stayed up. I looked back later and he hadn't fallen, whew!

I got back into transition and pulled on my socks & shoes. I stopped wearing lace locks last year training for Ironman and still haven't put them back on my shoes. I think I'll put some on my new pair. It did suck to stop and tie them. I ran out of transition and kept a steady pace out to the turn around. Several of the people I passed on the bike, now passed me on the run. I hate that! My toes stayed numb until mile four. I just didn't feel peppy running at all. The last half mile, I picked up the pace and sprinted the last 100 yards. I definitely didn't leave enough out on the course.

2007 Uvas Stats:
Swim 00:31:20.8 T1 -- Bike 01:01:32.6 T2 00:02:07.7 Run 00:51:36.3 Finish 02:26:37.4

2006 Uvas Stats:
Swim 00:29:50.7 Bike 01:01:39.9 Run 00:49:26.3 Finish 02:20:56.9

Last year's splits include transition times which makes this year's times even slower. Next year, I really will shave off some time-- hopefully!

To sum it all up: I'm thankful I was able to race at all. Saturday's crash could have been so much worse. I'm lucky I didn't seriously hurt myself.

Road Rash

2007-05-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a tough week to be a bike belonging to Beverly. First, she drove you into an overhang while you were riding in the roof rack last Saturday in Monterey. Thus destroying your saddle and breaking your rear bottle cages. Sunday, she took you on a hilly 45 mile trek through Carmel Valley with a worn out rear cassette, mangling your chain. That new bike saddle she used on Sunday simply wasn't a good fit, either. Good thing she dumped you to ride the tandem for the final 30 miles. (that's 75 miles on new saddles, yowsa!) Thursday, she took you on "Dave's Thursday Night RideTM" with SVTC, finishing off your chain and further wearing your front chain rings. Friday, she replaced your cassette and chain with brand-spankin' new ones -- only to jam the chain in the cassette during today's 50 mile marker set-- snapping the new chain. Luckily, a passing Good Samaritan saved you from the ignominious sag wagon by removing the broken link and mending the chain. Oh the indignities!

Good thing you got her back by crashing when she broke the chain. The road rash, bruises and pulled ligaments really showed her. She'll be sore for days! She'll have a tough time in tomorrow's race too boot.

Well done.

Old Man la Honda

2007-04-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning was my first special event in my new job, so I did my long ride on Friday with Shannon. We customized the ride to suit our starting location and various & sundry other influencing factors. Which included me forgetting my helmet and having to ride helmet-less (a little scary!) over to the Bicycle Outfitter for a loaner! (thank you great bike shop guys!)

A section of our ride went up Old La Honda, the classic benchmark hill in the area. It was my first ride up this year. I made it up in 37 min! I think that's my new personal best on the bad boy! I do know it's the first time I actually remembered to start my watch at the stone bridge on the way up. That in itself was miraculous! So I may have had faster times, but this one was accurate.

Funny note: I kept forgetting I was wearing an Outfitter loaner helmet for the entire ride. It had "TEST RIDE" written all over it, sweet! Dork alert!

Weekend Update

2007-04-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Props to the amazing Nicholas for allowing me to shamelessly plagiarize his uploads!

We had a great weekend full of spring goodness! Saturday was the gorgeous 56 mile Calaveras Loop: Milpitas to Fremont to Union City to Pleasanton to San Ramon to Pleasanton again to Sunol to the edge of San Jose and back to Milpitas, whew! Amazing vistas, Valley Oaks in new leaf, blossoming trees, young livestock, turkeys & more turkeys, hawks, vultures, rabbits, snakes, and more!

Due to strategically placed stop signs at busy intersections and a little headwind, my top speed down the final hill was only 39.7. Rats! Total ride time about 5 hours including a few stops along the way.

Sunday, we swam for about 2 hours, had a wonderful update on our Honoree Jack's lobbying in Washington on Federal funding for cancer research and then ran for 2.5 hours. Did you know the Defense budget contributes 5 million a year on cancer research? A complex response to cancers caused by military activities such as Agent Orange etc.

My run was slow but steady. I walked about 20-25 minutes of it. We were assigned to run at level 5 (marathon pace) and add in five - 5 minute pickups to level 7 (10k pace). I managed two picks up of 1 minute & 4 minutes. I missed sunscreening my face so had very rosy cheeks later but no muscle soreness-- even now two days later! Yippee!

Overall, it was a weekend of tough but fun workouts.

Lovin' It!

2007-04-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

I love my new job! Another bonus is the location in downtown Los Altos, right on prime cycle routes. Today, a teammate and a friend (CJ & TJ) met at my office for a noon ride. It was sunny & clear and the hills were gorgeous! We rode for 1.5 hours, climbed a few hills and had fun. What a great way to spend lunch! Forgot to check the mileage before I put my bike back on the roof. Oh well.

1/2 Way to Iron- WF WeekEnd 5.0

2007-04-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

Half Way to Iron was spent at Lake San Antonio 16-18 March training on the Wildflower Triathlon Long Course (1/2 Ironman Distance). It's amazing how fast the season seems to be blowing by. I think my new job has a lot to do with it zooming by.

I love camping at Lake San Antonio and this practice weekend was wonderful! The weather was balmy! No shivering, even during the swim! I'm afraid this means race weekend the first weekend in May will be wicked hot.

Friday, I drove down with Shannon with my trusty Subaru laden down with enough gear to camp/train for 10 days! Good thing the bikes & wheels go on the top! (once again I neglected to take any photos, I need to put the camera on the dashboard as a reminder or something!)

It was a beautiful drive and fun group meal on Friday night. Brenna brought a queen size air mattress that fit in my tent. What luxury! I just may need to get me one of those bad boys! (The environmentalist in me is shuddering- I'm going soft!) I had the best pre-race Wildflower sleep ever.

So, how did the course go? Fairly well over all, lots to improve upon, but lots of progress too.

1.2 mile SWIM: The water was much warmer than I anticipated! I wore my traditional winter dual squid lids and was almost too warm. (I also got the worst wetsuit chafe ever on the back of my neck!) My swim was okay, slow but steady. I swam off course several times. Must sight better! I forgot to put my watch on so my swim time estimate is 45-50 minutes.

T1: transition was slow. Ate, changed, restroomed, put on watch, sunscreened up (note: spraying sunscreen on a fresh chafe spot results in incredible pain!)

56 mile BIKE:

My ride was a huge improvement over last year's practice weekend. The weather was perfect: warm but not hot. The course is tough. There is no way around it. The climbs are exactly where I'd prefer they weren't, but that's what adds to the mystique that is Wildflower. The scenery and wildlife along the way helped ease the pain! My time as 4 hrs 15 min, only 19 minutes slower than last year's actual race. I concentrated on my hydration and it really paid off. I drank Ultima all day instead of a protein/carb drink. Oh yeah, no flats which was excellent!

T2: Again, slow: restroomed, changed shoes, more sunscreen, hat, ate some Hammer Gel and was finally off.

13.1 Mile RUN: Run Map & Profile

Shannon ran with me which was wonderfully generous of her. I was struggling as usual in the beginning but my good hydration on the bike really paid off! We picked up Celeste along the way. We dodged rattlesnakes, found interesting animal bones and kept each other's spirits up. Shannon's watch beeped every 15 minutes to remind us to drink, very helpful! I need to figure how to make my watch do it. As the day wore on, I found that although I didn't feel great, I didn't have the GI issues and bloating as before. I felt so much better this time that I actually got hungry! Wow! Since it was late by the time we ran through the campground, we skipped the Pit. This meant our total run was 11 miles instead of 13.1. Total time: can't seem to find my notes, probably about 3.5 hrs? Again not stellar, but look at those profiles again! Hilly doesn't been to describe that run!

RANDOM WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

Team bonding! The inflatable mattress. Driving down with Shannon. Sharing a tent with Brenna & giggling like school girls all night! Seeing the Milky Way both nights! Coyotes, turkeys, deer etc. . . Sunshine! Sharing the weekend with the South Bay Tri Team. Learning to play Texas Hold 'Em. Winning it ALL in Texa$ Hold 'Em!!!! In 'n Out in Salinas!!

The Yoga Theory

2007-03-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

I read through some of my old journal entries and found that last year in March & April I was having a lot of problems with pain in my hamstrings, calves and neck. While I still have tight muscles, I notice that I don't have the same intensity as last season. I'm certainly not taking ibuprofen every day. I've resorted to it only two or three times since October. This could be due to a couple of factors: one, I still have a little juice left from last season or two, I went back to practicing yoga regularly.

My guess is number two.

Don't Try This At Home!

2007-03-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

or What did I learn today?

1. Don't drink coffee at 10 o'clock at night.

2. I need more than three hours sleep.

3. Dehydration, sleep deprivation and humongous workouts are not a healthy cocktail.

I survived my 6.5 hour workout but it was not pretty. I've never had leg cramps so intense I couldn't bend my leg or thought I was going to throw up. Thankfully Fabulous Coach K drove up and plied me with more Enduralytes and fresh water and I was able to ride the last few miles back to MVHS. Also thankfully, she let me alter the last leg and skip the final hills. So I can still say I've never sagged out of a bike ride, but today was very, very close.

Today's bike ride route was from Mountain View to Saratoga, then up Highway 9 to Skyline (Hwy 35) to Page Mill Rd and back through side streets to our starting point at MVHS. I just spent a very long time, tediously inputing the route into the running map that computes distance & elevation only to lose it all about 7/10s of the way through. Argh! Cool program but I'll skip it tonight. The overall ride was 40 miles and the biggest climb was six miles up Hwy 9 to the junction with Hwy 35, about 2,500 feet.

Good thing that this happened now and not in the summer. Good lessons learned!

PS: swimming an entire workout and cooling down only to be told by your coaches, "Okay we're doing it all a second time now!" is pretty close to actual mental torture! I will pay closer attention the next time a swim workout seems a little short!

Building with Bricks

2007-02-08T00:32:00.000-08:00

. . .and that's how I spent my base phase and created world peace!

Whew! Where did the base phase go? My last post was in October, pathetic! It truly has been a blur! I left my job I'd had for 15 years (That has to be 150 in Silicon Valley years!) Then I started a new job. Then the Holidays hit. And the off season blues seemed to hang around and sap my workout enthusiasm. I managed to keep riding , did a lot of yoga and tried to figure out my new commute. Which I still haven't figured out-- wild fluctuations every day, anywhere from 20 minutes to 65 minutes! Geesh! I'm finally feeling more settled but it'll be a while before it all feels familiar. And I want to sleep better. It's after 12:00 am and I'm still wide awake with no hope for sleep for a while. *frowns*

But give me one good weekend of fun workouts and I'm back in the saddle, literally! Last Sunday was brilliant! The sunshine and warm air probably had a lot to do with it too. It really felt like spring was in the air!

We rode a beautiful 45 mile loop from Pleasanton to Lake Del Valle, then across the Valley to the northern foothills and then back down to hte eastern foothills, past Castlewood and then back to Downtown Pleasanton.

Bizarre note of the weekend: Coming down a narrow valley in the foothills we passed the biggest, most GINORMOUS buffalo (or bison)I've ever seen.

Okay, time to try sleep again. I'm tired of the zoombie ads!!

Masters Mastery?

2006-10-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Week 2 of IT 2.0

Saturday was Ironteam University #2: Bikes, Bikes, Bikes! Tire changing clinic, spin, bike skills workshop, basic cleaning clinic & short ride. The bike skills clinic was fun!

After practice, I went for a ride with my friend T2. By the end of our ride I was tired! Sunday morning, I woke up "sicker-than-a-dog" and missed the team's coached swim/run.

Tuesday night was a spin/run brick at Sports Basement. I had to tear myself away from work, so got there a little late. Tuesdays, I work 7:30-5:30 in order to get to spin, but I may need to change that to 7:00-5:00, since I can never leave at 5:30. About 20 min spin, 10 min run & core strengthing afterwards. My left leg is feeling weak again. Something to work on. And I lost my core. Completely. That was fast! I had no problem with the crunches, planks & fire hydrants, but side planks & face up planks? Forget-about-it! Something else to work on. Thank goodness for Base Phase!

This week my friend Jeremiah and I started swimming with the Los Gatos Masters program and coach Pete Kain. I was a little nervous Wednesday for my first workout but once in the water, I felt much better. The pool is noticably warmer than Campbell Pool where I've been swimming for the last two years. A welcome difference! Pete gave us a modified workout, checked on us a few times, and with confidence, told us we would get faster. Nice touch. I think we're hooked.

Wednesday night I attended the City Council meeting with my department, so missed the team's coached swim. Good thing I swam in the morning.

I've been feeling a cold coming on all week. I've been taking Yin Chiao since Monday but it didn't it beat back as much as I would like. I skipped running Thursday morning, hoping that sleeping in would help. I felt worse this morning, so no, but I still made it to the pool in time. Our former teammate Amanda was there, swimming with the sharks in lane three. She's fast! Regardless of how warm & beautiful the days have been this week, it's definitely autumn! Back to swimming in the dark for many months. J & did basically the same workout today as Wed since the coach is in Kona for Ironman. Mmmmm, I'd love to be there spectating! One day!

Since I'm not working today and had no Hidden Villa tours either, J & I were able to have coffee at Caffe Siena afterwards. V. leisurely!

IT '07: Week #1- and we're off!

2006-10-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is the first official week of Ironteam 2007.

Kick-Off!

Kick-off was Sunday at Covington School in Los Altos. I met my mentor group in person for the first time. It was nice to put actual faces with everyone after meeting them all by phone the previous week. I have a great group!! Very friendly! I think we're going to have a lot of fun together.

1st SB Spin

Tuesday night was our first spin at Sports Basement along with the always welcome 20% off friends & family discount night. I had to check on one of my evening programs at work, so missed the spin, but I made it in time to spend, spend, spend on tri gear. No, you never have enough triathlon gear, ever! I looked longingly at the snowboard apparel but that will have to wait a couple more months. My favorite purchase of the night were rain/cold weather booties for biking. I'm hoping for a Popsicle-Toes Free winter!!!

1st Track Practice

Last night was our first track practice at De Anza College: run drills & strength training. It felt good to be running again. It was dark very early, another reminder that winter and cold training days will soon be upon us. We had a huge group running around the track last night. It's wonderful to see just how large our team is this season. Wow!

Today I did a lunchtime ride with my friend tomj. It was really hot out there! We road around Saratoga and up past the Mtn Winery and were out for about an hour. It's time to get back into my training routine. The time off has been great but now I need to get serious. I haven't been drinking enough water throughout the day or eating breakfast. It's good to have these reminders about what I need to do!

So it was a nice week of "firsts" and "feels-good-to-be-backs". This weekend we have IronUniversity #2 on Sat and our first swim/run brick on Sunday. Bring it, Babee!!!

What I learned in Canada. . .

2006-09-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ironman Canada Race Report

Canada was amazing. It ran the full emotional gamut: sheer joy, sorrow, happiness, melancholy, agony, heartbreak and much more.

I learned that:

My teammates are all rockstars!
My coaches are the best, most supportive people you could ever hope to meet.
Canadians are even nicer than you hear.
British Columbia is even more beautiful than you hear.
Ironman Canada is hard.
I'm going back next year.

I also learned the true definition of the racing term: DNF

DNF means "Did Not Finish". But that is really too simplistic of a definition. I had my first DNF in Ironman Canada. I finished the swim & finished the bike but I did not finish the run. It is a painful experience but I've survived it, I'm learning from it and I'll come back stronger for it.

So what happened? I got sick. And sicker. And then got really sick. I'm still sick now, weeks later.

Since I completed Big Kahuna, my first half-Ironman last summer, while sick with strep throat, I never worried about going to Canada sick. I wasn't happy coming down with a cold three days before leaving, I only worried that my time would be even slower than I had estimated. I never doubted I would finish.

Warning: slightly graphic descriptions...

I woke up race morning feeling terrible, with a major cough. (huge thanks to my wonderful roommate Meggen who never complained once!) I coughed frequently during the swim, but I figured out how to cough underwater while exhaling, so I could inhale when I turned my head. My estimated swim time for myself was between 1 hr 30 min - 1 hr 45 min. My actual time was 1 hr 45 min. which gave me little confidence boost getting out of the water.

My first transition was great. I had a nice volunteer helping me as I took my time and ate half my PB&H sandwich, drank 24 ounces of water & took two enduralytes. Thank goodness I did! I quickly realized that I'd dropped my vial of enduralytes somewhere in the first mile.

The first few miles on the bike, I kept a nice steady pace. I kept thinking about my mentor Christy's advice about really taking it easy on the first 40 miles. As the day started to get warmer, I was worried about dehydrating without my enduralytes, so I made my Heed drinks stronger than usual. Now I was coughing up large chunks of green stuff frequently. I also had to stop at every port-a-potty. I started to have trouble taking in food. By the time I got to Richter Pass, I was really worried about getting more Enduralytes. I was hoping to see someone I knew at the top of the pass. And I did! North Bay Ironteamers were up there cheering and gave me a handfull of enduralytes! I hoped that would get me to my special needs bag at mile 76.

The bike course was even more beautiful than I thought it would be. I think the scenery helped me focus on something other than how bad I felt or how worried I was. The day kept getting hotter and a hot dry wind was blowing constantly. (Bike course high temp was 95F) There was also a lot of smoke in the air from a forest fire burning just over the border in Washington State. About mile 65 I started to wonder if I would make it physically. At special needs, I was well & truly dehydrated and had classic heat exhaustion symptoms (nausea, chills, headache, rapid pulse), but I had a whole vial of Enduralytes and fresh water in my bag. I decided to keep going. I downed as many as possible but wasn't able to eat any food.

In the next few miles, the nausea abated, but my stomach was really distended and the chills were still with me. At mile 85 it dawned on me that I might not make the bike cut-off but I decided to keep trying and pushed harder. By the time I made it to the top of Yellow Lake Pass, I think I knew I was too late, but there was still time on the clock. I had some slightly loopy thoughts that maybe my watch was running a little bit fast or maybe I could squeak in and no one would notice... When I saw some of our wonderful mentors & captains and Coach Kristin still waiting for me just after the last water stop, I did my best not to cry. After that point, the course is all downhill back to town & the transition zone. I peddled like a mad woman all the way down & back. I was peddling a steady 26 mph on the last flat stretch.

I missed cut off by about 15 minutes. And yes, a race official was there, I wasn't able to sneak in. I met some wonderful people in transition: two other women who DNF'd, one I'd met on the course and another from the North Bay team. I met a nice father & daughter, the father was a lymphoma survivor & Ironman Canada finisher! I also met a lovely woman in the transition tent, who'd finished earlier, who shared her own stories of DNFing with me. Later on I figured out just how fast her time must have been if she was already changing to go home at 5:30pm!

Some of my new friends drove me back to my hotel to shower & change so I could come back and cheer my teammates in. I was still emotional (okay I was crying like a baby) and didn't feel as good as I thought I would after my shower and taking in more fluids. I had several phone calls from & to friends & my aunt that helped me calm down. But my heat exhaustion symptoms were building again and I decided to the medical tent. (Thanks Ellen for making me!)

Once there, I was really glad I went. They filled me with salty, hot chicken broth that tasted terrific! (I usually hate the stuff but I swear it was delicious that night.) There were really sick people coming in fast & furious. It was like an episode of M*A*S*H. I was put in the "Walking Wounded" section. I had handsome, fit men on either side of me puking their guts out. Those are images that stay with you! There were many people there much sicker than I. (I deleted the gory details) Suffice it to say, it all made my illness feel insignificant.

Afterward

I did have success in Canada: I successfully raised over the $7,500 amount I pledged for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I completed two legs of Ironman Canada. I didn't stop until forced to do so. I was able to see & cheer on several of my teammates crossing the finish. I survived to do it again. I signed up for 2007. And I've learned an incredible amount about racing and myself.

Once home, I went to my doctor and found out I had an ear infection, sinus infection & bronchitis. I took antibiotics for two weeks and slept like a zombie for a few days. The last few days on the antibiotics, another sore throat started but it only lasted a few days. Even with the new sore throat, I felt well enough to do the Pacific Grove Sprint on Spet 10th. (I'll post that separately.)

I took many photos on the trip. They can all be viewed on the South Bay Ironteam's website photo gallery along with photos from the whole team.

I'm glad I went and I'm looking forward to going back.

Stay tuned for Beverly's Adventures in Ironland 2.0... or Redux, Part Deux, or Part II-Electric Boogaloo (Thanks TW!)

A LOT HAPPENS IN 10 MONTHS

2006-08-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Cancer is horrible. It is particularly horrible when it strikes those we love. Since starting this journey in October, my friend Al died of leukemia in April. Last month my friend Paola was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double masectomy yesterday. Then this month, my director and mentor for over 16 years, Joan, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I am dedicating my race to all of them. It is unbelievably hard coming to work each day and not seeing Joan. It definitely feels different than her simply being away on vacation.

Everyone has been touched by cancer through family or friends. We often feel helpless as we watch our loved ones suffer through this illness. I am so happy that by training & competing in this Ironman, I am making a difference for people dealing with cancer. It makes me feel like I am doing something to help.

Training & work have left me little time for anything the last two months. Hopefully I'll be able to do some back dated posts before I leave for Canada. Until then, here is a brief synopsis of what's happened the last two months:

I've cycled more than I ever thought possible. My bike odometer is over 3,500 miles now. (this bike is only 1.5 years old so you can imagine just what that means!! Running has never been my strong point but I can go out and run 10 miles without worrying about building up. That's crazy!I've had the biggest blood blister of my life on my foot, twice! You don't even want to know what it looks like right now.

I'm starting to get a little nervous. It's all suddenly real. I am going to Canada next week. I am going to compete in an Ironman. Me. Yikes!!!

WHEW!! What a month!

2006-07-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

Just trying to catch my breathe! Here are quick highlights of the last month. (FYI my LJ site was blocked by my firewall. I'm working on getting access again.)

Day of Mental Toughness- July 2, 2006

Last Saturday our assignment was a sole 100 mile ride without outside support. A group of us chose a tough 108 mile route and decided to start out together but follow the rules: no drafting, no waiting etc.

Our route was the Mount Hamilton-Livermore Loop: 118 miles with 10,390 feet of climbing. We decided to cut off the Del Valle side bit which cut off about six miles. Needless to say, this was a brutal ride! I'm really happy I did it, but it truly was true test of mental toughness.

The week prior I made all of my workouts except Tues night spin, but I worked very late several nights and racked up a big sleep deficit. Friday night I managed four hours sleep. I had a lot of doubts heading to the ride and wasn't sure it was a good idea. To make matters worse, I left my map in my office and had another flat on my holey front tire. My Mentor Christy & Teammate Nicole made my ride possible with a map and spare tube.

It was a loooooonnnnngggg hoooooootttt day, but I survived! I learned a lot about myself. I also learned that food is a key component to endurance cycling. A Safeway turkey sandwich helped me get back on my bike in Livermore (or maybe Pleasanton- it's all a bit blurry!) I learned you can walk you bike right into Safeway and up to the Deli Counter and no will bat an eye. I also learned that a blended frapaccino has to most caffiene and will help you finish the last brutal leg from Fremont to San Jose.

Thank you everyone who helped me out! Holger, Dan, Nicole, Christy and anyone else I'm leaving out!

What happened this week...

2006-06-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Maintaining my pledge to not slack, so far so good.

Last Friday I played in a charity golf tournament in Gilroy. I took my bike down with me and did a very hot, sweaty & hilly ride before playing. It was lots of fun.

Saturday was a day off. I spent the day with my friend, Marilyn, at a wonderful winery in Sonoma County at a special lunch & tasting for members. It's the second time I've gone with her and it was just a beautiful & special as last year. I joined the Bench Members club this time before I left. Wow! It's not really like me, but I think I'm going to like it. I fully intended to do another ride when I got home, but I was too pooped.

Sunday was a 3,000 yard swim followed by a 13 mile run with the Ironteam. It was fun! Hot, very, very hot, but fun! We ran from Mountain View High School, through neighborhood streets to Rancho San Antonio Open Space and then did the Upper Wildcat Canyon Loop. I, of course, took a wrong turn on the trail and had to back out 1.5 miles and back to make sure I got in a full 13 miles.

Monday was an off day.

Tuesday, I missed my ride with the team due to work, but I got my 2,500 yd swim in.

Wednesday, was an 8 mile run on the Los Gatos Creek Trail. I was stiff, muscle crampy & dehydrated but managed to warm up half way through to have a somewhat decent run. I ran with Brenna & Matt with an 8 minute run/ 2 minute walk pace. I had to stop and stretch a few times and to get my heart rate down.

Today, I'm still at work so I've missed my swim. I took tomorrow off work in order to get ready for our team training weekend at Lake Berryessa and it's meant working extra today. This working full-time thing sort of gums up the training!

So tomorrow we're off the Lake Berryessa for the fabulous training weekend! I've heard we're in for a 2 mile swim, 90 mile bike ride with 8,000 ft of climbing and a 15 mile hilly trail run. That will keep me busy and keep my mind off of life's inconsequential drama.

Weekend Round-Up III

2006-05-31T17:33:00.000-07:00

Lots to report!

We've entered a new phase training-wise so I've decided to officially quit slacking off. So I've been much more diligent with all of my training- but still missed a big run. So here's what I've done since my last post.

Friday: Ran my marker set (I know my post was on Thursday, deal with it! *winks*

Saturday: Rode 30 miles easy-hilly loop from Chain Reaction around the Arastradero/Portola Rds Loop via Elena. (the schedule called for a 15 mile run, but I decided to postpone it to Monday morning)

Sunday: Swim/Bike Brick in Santa Cruz. This was quite a brick!!!!
I joined teammates Ann, Tom G, & Nicole for the swim. The water at Cowell's was in the lower 50's. It was pretty cold but not as cold as some of our swims in the SF Bay in December & January. The schedule called for a 2 mile swim but we got out after about 1.5 miles since it was pretty cold. Once my fingers start losing their ability to stay together, I like to get out. We all warmed back up really quickly once we got out. A huge improvement over our winter swims when our feet were still numb after several miles on our bikes! The swim was really fun. We gathered together at every buoy to check in and kept our spirits high.

We trooped back to our cars and got ready for our 70 mile ride on Highway 1. Sunday was the 8th time I've done this ride. It's one of my favorites. The scenery is gorgeous and the hills are high rollers, lots of fun! My fastest times have been clocked coming back to Santa Cruz. Our group changed slightly for the ride: Ann, Nicole & another teammate, Amadita. Tom G had to get back to his bachelor party.

Highway I notorious for it's northbound headwind. I've battled it a few times before but Sunday it was tough! It was a true headwind! We rode up 35 miles to the town of Pescadero and it took about an hour longer than the last time! Yikes! There were times I swear I was being blown up hill! But the beautiful part of a headwind is turning around! We flew back!!! I even recorded a new top speed coming down the hill before Bonny Doon Rd: 49.3 mph!!!! Yipppeee! It was a blast!!!

Needless to say, we were beat afterwards! We started our swim at 8:45 am and got back from the ride at 4:25. That was one long brick! We had a great meal in Santa Cruz (after fantasizing about food & torturing each other most of the way back!) followed up with gelato. We'd earned it!

After we ate, I was seized by a major allergy attack which didn't let up until the next morning. I blame it and the wind for my dehydration Monday morning. I felt so stuffed up & dried out that I skipped my 15 mile run.

Last night was a spin/run brick at Sports Basement. Afterwards I bought the new & improved version of my ASICS 2100s. I'm trying them out tonight at track.

This morning I was in the pool at 6:30 am, so I'm doing well so far with my no-slacking phase. Finger-crossed it lasts!

Marker Sets

2006-05-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Last week was Marker Set Week. We were assigned a 30 minute swim, three 1.5 mile runs & a 50 mile bike route to measure our progress so far and compare again in a few weeks.

As I freely admit, I have a problem with procrastination... however this time it wasn't me just putting it off. Between work & feeling unwell, I managed to miss the swim & run marker last week. This week I caught up. Here are the assignments and my results.

Swim Marker Set:
Swim for 30 minutes continuously. Record total distance and
calculate pace per 100 yds.
Results: 51 lengths, 1,275 yards (30 min/51 lengths = 58 sec X 4 lengths (100 yds) = 2 min 35 sec per 100 yards

Bike Marker Set:
50 mile bike marker "Vineman" Loop in Santa Rosa. Ride like a race – minimal stopping, no
drafting. (This was a fairly hilly course)
Time: 3 hrs 15 min. actual distance 54 miles, 16.62 mph

Run Marker Set:
(Use Track or Measured Course) Warmup 15’ L3 3x (1.5 mile @ L7) 3’ walk between Cool Down 15’ L3. Record Average 1.5 mile time.
Times: 14.29, 14.19 & 14.25 Average: 14 min 24 secs

Weekend Round-Up II

2006-05-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Three days of fun!

Friday was an off-work Friday for me, so it was my teaching day at Hidden Villa. Sadly, it was my last day of the school year. Great day with great students! The farm babies are all really growing fast! Maya the calf is very good natured and much braver now. The three goat kids are still the cutest & my favorite. No rain on our hike, which was wonderful! I also received a stack of written notes & drawings from two school groups I had a few months ago. Really nice! Afterwards, I drove over to Santa Cruz for my bi-weekly massage with Ellen. Ahhhh. We had a nice visit over tea afterwards.

Saturday, up at 4:00 am! Not my favorite time of morning! I picked up my teammate Ann at and we drive up to Santa Rosa to meet the team for a 50+ mile ride on the 1/2 Vineman course. The ride was beautiful! Lots of rolling hills through the Wine Country. We passed many tempting wineries and the scenery was gorgeous! The hill at mile 45 was not too fun, but not as tough as Wildflower. I was beat when we were finished! I wasn't feeling good when we first started out. My throat was bothering me. I drank two doses of Airborne before the drive. It's probably a gimic but I did feel better by the time we finished.

Sunday, another early start! This time up at 5:00 am inorder to meet everyone for the Uvas Sprint Tri. My throat was still feeling bad and my whole body was achey. I wasn't sure I wanted to race so I focused on getting through each step: load the car, meet the carpool, set up my transition spot and then suddenly it was race time. Once I got going I felt better, then I just concentrated on each event and not skidding in the rain on my bike.

All in all it was a good day. The race timing results include the transition times with the event times which is a bummer since I didn't remember to hit the split button on my watch each time. Here are my times:

Overall Time: 2:20:56.9 (491/653 overall & 32/46 in age group)

Swim split: 29:50.7 pretty close to my watch
Bike split 1:01:39.9 includes T1 time (my bike timer showed 56 min)
Run split 49:26.3

I'm not sure where the transition times fell. I know my first one was slower than my second. I'm guessing T1 was probably about 5 min and T2 was about 2.5 min. I wish I knew. More practicing with the watch!

There were some race hiccups (adding new waves & moving up my start time!!!) but the post race food was great. The rain wasn't too bad. I'm happy I knew the bike course, it was really helpful in the rain. My legs were very tired after Saturday's ride, I really felt it in the big hill.

I'm happy I did it!

New Equipment, when will it end??

2006-05-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

This sport needs just about the most crap of any other sport out there! Okay, polo beats it, but that's it!

Here are my latest purchases:

New tri shorts- trying to find a pair that's comfortable but not granny-long like all my other ones! I don't want to know how many I've purchased in the last year. The latest are De Sotos.

Shoes:- Genius 5 Lorica® Women's Road Cycling Shoes These are wonderful! I was able to buy them through a friend on a cycling team which saved me a lot of cash!! They're already making a big difference, my old shoes were mountain bike shoes.

Pedals: Look Keo Classic pedals I'm still getting used to clipping in and out of these. They feel good so far. I'm waiting for my inagural crash, I know it's coming!

Seatpost bottle cages. These go on behind my seat, so I'll have to learn how to use them too! I have to install them tonight for tomorrow's ride. Since my bike has such alrge tubes, I had to buy the complex ones. I'm hoping I can do it myself, otherwise, I'm going to have to go back to Sports Basement and ask for help. I'm going to give it a good try!

Tomorrow we're riding up in Santa Rosa/Napa and have to be on the road by 5:15 am. I'm off for a date with my eyelids now in preparation!

What's Harder?

2006-05-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

Completing Wildflower Long Course, completing Ironman Canada or breaking up with your boyfriend? I'm now qualified to answer based on two out three. I'm hoping Ironman Canada will be easier than both the WF Long Course and breaking up with Tom, the boyfriend formerly known as Dreamboat. I'm sad but I will survive.

I'm not alone. Seven people I know have ended relationships in the last month. One I just heard about today. Is it something about spring???

As a book I nearly read the covers off as a little girl said: "Spring is a New Beginning". That will be my new official mantra for the next couple of weeks.

And that's all this fabulous girl is going to say about that!

Flowers of the Wild

2006-05-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Wildflower Race Report- First Installment

There is much to report! This is the preliminary report, more details will follow.

Friday night after packet pick-up and setting up camp, I had a brief discussion with my teammate Ann about why we both hadn't signed up for the Olympic distance. Why were we going to torture ourselves with the Long Course? The hardest 1/2 Ironman in the US, possibly the world??? Were we nuts??

Well we both successfully completed it! And I'm really happy I did.

I'm also really happy I didn't know Natasha Badmann and Kate Major were racing in the same race until afterwards. It was tough enough racking my bike right in the midst of Shari Kain and her crew. They are amazing athletes!

So here is the quick version:

66/68 age group (women 40-44) 1588/1755 overall
Final Time: 7:57:59
Swim: 0:47:15 ; Swim Transition: 0:06:23; (1587 /1755)
Bike: 3:56:48; Bike Transition: 0:05:26; (1571/1755)
Run: 3:02:07 (1679 /1755)
368/410 Sex Rank Overall

Overall, I'm happy with my results, but I really want to improve. I stuck to my race plan, and completed my primary goals, which is great. However, I want to continue improving.

My goals were:

Swim: 50-55 min Actual 47 min 15 sec
Bike: 4:15-4:30 hrs Actual 3 hrs 56 min 48 sec
Run: 2:45-3:00 hrs Actual 3 hrs 2 min 7 sec

I'm leaving for track practice, I'll give more details about the race tomorrow.

On the Road

2006-05-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's that time already. Tomorrow morning I'm driving down to Lake San Antonio for Wildflower. I'm nervous, excited, worried. . . ad naseum.

I know I've trained enough, it's just the mental ghosties. My primary goal is to finish. Secondary goals are to stay out of the medical tent, stick to my food & hydration plan and come in under 8 hrs. My stretch goal would be 7:30, but that really is a stretch.

My conservative plan is:

Swim: 50-55 min
Bike: 4:15-4:30
Run: 2:45-3:00
Eat around 350 calories per hour
I'll be drinking Perpeteum & Gatorade Endurance on the bike and eating 1 Cliff bar per hour interspersed with chocolate Hammer Gel. On the run, I'll be drinking Gatorade Endurance & water, eating espresso Hammer Gel and maybe some pretzels at the water stops.
I'll also be taking Enduralytes every hour. The amount depends on how hot it is.

My Dream Plan would be:

Swim: 45 min
Bike: 3:45
Run: 2:25

I'm going to concentrate on my transitions and get out of there in under 3 min each!

I wish everyone a good race!

Weekend Round-Up

2006-05-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Friday Night: Run

Afterwork, I put on my honoree bracelet with Al's name on it and went for a run. I ran about 4 miles on the Los Gatos Creek trail from Los Gatos High to Lexington reservoir & back. It was tough going. I had trouble getting my rhythm and maintaining a good pace. The way back was much better and the fleeting thought that dusk was upon me, no one else was around and it was prime mountain lion time probably helped me along!

Saturday: Hill-ragious Brick

Since I was going to miss Sunday's coached workout for a sea kayaking trip, I attempted the work-out on my own on Saturday. It was a toughy! The route included three major climbs: Kings Mountain, Old La Honda & the backside of Hwy 84, plus three steep descents: front side of Hwy 84 twice and the backside of Old La Honda-- Quickly followed by an hour run in the hills of Edgewood Park. That's about 4,250 feet of climbing in 46+ miles on the bike. I'm not sure about the run route.

Well, I wasn't exactly successful, but I did get in a good workout after some set-backs. I woke up late and didn't get going until after 10:30. I made it up Kings Mountain and down 84. I changed the route slightly and rode back a longer way so I could refill my bottles at Robert's Market since it was actually hot!!!! Finally! Then I rode over to start up Old La Honda. About a 1/4 of the way up, my left quad went into what rigamortus must feel like. It scared me enough that I aborted the climb and headed back to my car. It was several miles away and I was worried, but then my legs felt great on the small rollers on the way back. Once back at my car, I realized I'd forgotten my shoes. Then I was mad & frustrated with myself. I decided to drive home, eat and come back to tackle the ride & run again. After consulting with my mentor & coach, I altered my plan slightly. I ended up going home and eating then I drove over to Los Gatos High for a modified brick there. I rode from the HS up Kennedy Rd & back and then ran up to Lexington and up & over the mountain & down the Jones Trail. So I got in another moderate climb and my hour hill run.

Sunday: Sea Kayaking

Sunday was a gorgeous day sea kayaking at Elkhorn Slough. We ended up paddling for about 4.5 hours. My elbow tendonitis came back as it always does paddling but it didn't inhibit me. We saw lots of birds (I'm in love with the tiny sandpipers & Avocets) and the harbor seal pup nursery. No sea otters though. :-( It was great to be back in a single kayak. I'm happy Tom suggested it or we would have gone in a double like all the others in the group. The trip was a good indicator of how much better my core is from all the training in that I am not sore today! Yay!! I slept with an ice pack on my elbow and it's pretty good today. One day I want to find out what causes it because I love kayaking so much. I'd really like to go on some multiple day trips, but that might hold me back.

My Friend Al

2006-04-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

My friend, Al Vollen, died yesterday. In the year I've known Al, he has had a major impact in my life. He had a direct, sincere approach to life and enormous love for people, known & unknown.

I met Al while he was serving as an honoree (cancer patient or survivor) with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. One of my first conversations with Al was over lunch after a swim & bike workout. Al told me about the pleasure he received serving as a Grand Juror. He relished the intellectual aspects of it coupled with giving back to society. He said it was his turn, and spoke about the importance of participation in a democracy. It was a very natural, gentle conversation, not lecturing in any way.

Al was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in January 2002. He immediately started chemotherapy and began searching for a bone marrow donor through the national registry, about five million people, without success. Once the search was expanded to international registries, a match was finally found in Israel. One out of an estimated eight million registered donors in the world. The man, Gavry (Gabriel), is a dairy farmer, who loves to swim and dance the salsa. Al's grandaughter was later named after Gavry.

Al generously gave of his time volunteering for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and encouring people of all ages training for their first triathlons through Team In Training. The following is an excerpt he wrote as an introduction to everyone on my first triathlon team:

There are so many stories to tell and miracles to relate--the one most poignant to me begins when I wrote an email to just ten friends and relatives before starting the first chemo. "OK, here is the drill. Everyday, or as appropriate, from now until I'm out of the woods, find a quiet moment by yourself or even better with your loved one(s). Hold each other in a circle; close your eyes; feel the love rise and generate. Love for me, love for who you are, and particularly love for those so close to you. Now send that energy to me. No need to effort - just let the healing flow. You may save my life."

Thanks to the Internet, that message whirled around the world; it was stuffed into the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, became part of sermons, and even reached into Tibet. I received loving and encouraging replies from people I've never met. I firmly believe that I have gotten this far and will go all the way because of the love that is out there for me and whether you know it or not, your participation in this triathlon is part of that. An act of loving and giving to individuals yet unknown - much like my dairy farmer freely and openly gave his stem cells to someone unknown.

Last May I participated in the Sprint Triathlon at Wildflower and followed that with the Olympic Triathlon at Pacific Grove. If any of you have any doubts about completing the challenge ahead of you, think about a 65-year-old guy with a history of Leukemia who managed to do it.

Last summer, Al's body began to reject his transplant, three years in. The first time I visted him in the hospital at Stanford University, it was his wedding anniversary. His wife, Carol was with him, and they were in great spirits. Al wanted to hear all about my training and how the team was doing. He ended up being able to go home and has had some tough times since then, but his death yesterday was very unexpected.

Al was a very loving husband, father, grandfather and a triathlete. He was one of the most positive people I've ever met and I miss him already.

I encourage everyone to register with the National Bone Marrow Registry. Bone Marrow transplants have come a long way. A cheek cell swab is all that's needed for registering. If a match is found, donations are often done solely by transfusion instead of an operation.

Al's friendship enriched my life. Please think of Al and his family as you go about your day.

Catch-up

2006-04-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

Training highlights since last week:

Spinnerval last Tuesday night. Tough but fun! 2.5 hours of:
spin, run, core, spin, run, core, spin, run, core, spin, run, core and finally stretching.

We all set up our bikes & trainers on the side of the track at De Anza College in blissfully warm sunlight. It was our first evening workout with sunshine (at least for the beginning). Amazing! The run felt great too. It was encouraging after my faltering run of the previous week.

Saturday was a minor bike ride: 21 miles with one hill thrown in to make it seem like I was actually doing something. I did get up to 43.1 mph on the downhill.

Sunday was a long swim workout made up of drills, a broken mile set, sprints and 30 minutes of swimming the pool covers across the lane lines. I think the pool covers bit was one of the tougher parts! Then we ran for 2 hours 25 minutes out and back on the Almaden Creek Trail. Instead of running continously, I ran with Christy & Karen in a 7:1 cadence. Seven minutes run, 1 minute walk. Apparently, few people actually run the entire marathon portion of the Ironman. Practicing run/walks now can help get you going when you're exhausted, bloated, sunburned, dehydrated, sick, nauseous, or any of the other maladies that Iv'e been hearing about! Some of the race reports I'm hearing make me question my sanity.

Okay time for inspiration. I haven't whipped on of these out for a while so I think I'm overdue:

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is
to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. -- Henry Ford

Bonk, Bonking, Bonked!

2006-04-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

We hear a lot about experimenting with nutrition and hydration from our coaches. I've heard nutrition and hydration mentioned as the fourth sport in triathlons too. It is crucial to find out what your body needs. Everyone has different needs and tolerates foods/drinks differently.

I tried an experiment last Saturday and it went horribly wrong. During a 60 mile ride, without any major hills, I bonked hard at mile 50. I wondered at some points if I'd make it back to the car.

What happened? I'm writing it all out to figure it out. CAUTION: obsessive technical talk ahead, skip down to "What did I learn?" if you prefer...

The original plan for Saturday was 60+ mile ride with Tom & SVTC (Silicon Valley Tri Club) on a course I've done several times which included some good hills. I had a good meal & good night's sleep. I probably should have been hydrating more through the last week. I also had real coffee Friday during the day and two and a half glasses of wine with dinner. These may have been contributing factors, especially if I was already dehydrated.

The nutrition experiment I planned was to drink Heed instead of Perpetuem & Heed and eat Cliff bars & Hammer gel instead of Powerbars & Gel. Last year I didn't eat many Powerbars and ate Gu instead of Hammer Gel. My goal is to figure out the bloating I've been having by excluding them one at a time. Neglecting to pack any Enduralytes was not part of the experiment.

Due to the rain and slick roads, the route was changed, eliminating most of the hills. I stayed with the group for the first half and it was pretty low key. The first bit was an out and back from Cupertino to Los Gatos. I had fun chatting with women in the group and kept up easily. Once back in Cupertino I felt great and continued on the second loop: Cupertino to Robert's Market and back via Foothill, Arastradero & Portola. By Foothill Expressway, Tom & I were only riding with one other rider.

At Robert's Market we stopped and I refilled one water bottle. By then, I'd finished 2/3 of my Hammer gel flask, one bottle of Heed & 1/4 of a Cliff Bar. Although I felt fine, I was probably in trouble already. At this point in previous rides I would have already consumed one bottle of Perpetuem and a whole Cliff bar or Powerbar as well as 2-4 Enduralytes, depending on the weather.

It was drizzly and rainy off and on but as we left Woodside the weather improved. Going up Sand Hill Road, Tom coached me up the hill which was terrific. I really want to improve my hill climbing and it was the first time I really understood that I need to be shifting a lot more. I made it up much faster than normal and then had a great descent down over the freeway and onto Alpine & Foothill. I did hit the bridge seam hard which knocked my cadence sensor off center. It took me a couple of miles to figure out what was making the strange ticking sound. (Actually the other SVTC rider figured it out for me!)

As we were passing the Stanford Dish trail, I was beginning to feel some cramping. By the time we were on Foothill Expressway, I was officially dropped. Going through Los Altos is one of my favorite sections. I love dropping into my aerobars and trying to beat the lights, but Sat it was torture. I had major cramps in my quads, calves & vastus medialis in both legs. A side ache came and went as I struggled along. When I'm running that's a sure sign I'm dehydrated. It's the first time it's happened on the bike. I felt like I was pedaling in slow motion.

Tom waited for me at Homestead & Foothill and I did my best to suck it up. We rode together the rest of the way and once back at the car, I thought I was out of the woods. When we got home, I realised just how "Bonked" I really was. It was not pretty: tears, uncontrollable shivering and no strength in my hands. After a hot shower, hot soup and some nice hugs, I felt a lot better. A couple hours later, I was ravenous again and Tom took me out for a great meal.

So what did I learn???

I need to take Enduralytes. I need to eat more often. Alcohol is a dangerous drug. Hydrating is important every day not just when you remember. What's the rule I've mentioned here before? Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty!

Good things that came out of this experience: I learned I can improve my hill riding. I can keep up with the middle of the pack riders at SVTC. My previous nutrition plan was pretty good. (I still need to figure out the bloating, though) and Mio Vicino is an excellent restaurant!

I also learned I have a wonderful boyfriend who took good care of me in my wretched state. Thank you, Tom! You're the best!

1/2 Way There!

2006-04-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

It's official! I'm halfway to Ironman. Has is really been six months???? I think I feel 1/3 ready. . .

Wildflower Weekend

Over the weekend of April 7-9, both the North & South Bay Ironteams drove down for our 1/2 Way to Iron race on the fabled Wildflower Triathlon Long Course. (The official race is May 5) It was three days of fun-- camping at Lake San Antonio in rural Monterey County. I've already written a little bit about Wildflower, but I don't know if I can convey the magnitude of the race course! Fabled, it truly is. Individually, each leg has fairly difficult aspects but nothing too arduous alone. However, several factors combine to make it one of the most difficult triathlons in the US.* (See below for the details)

I drove down with teammates Ann & Brenna and with my car stuffed to the gills with gear. (Have I mentioned this sport requires a ton of stuff??) I should have taken a photo of my car with three bikes & three wheels stored on the roof rack. We looked hard-core! Halfway there a storm blew in with high winds and cold rain. That concerned all of us! We had a wonderful potluck dinner, despite the rain, followed by the pre-race meeting. The coaches gave us a lot of information & tactics about the weather, the road & trail conditions and logistics, but there was absolutely NO talk of canceling! It was a slightly somber meeting for what is usually a boisterous crowd. We all packed our transition bags and went to bed early in preparation for the 7:00 start!

And we're off!- The Race Report

After a stormy night, we awoke at 5:00 am to thick fog but thankfully no rain. Due to the heavy fog & tough visibility, we had an abbreviated swim which was fine with me! As we started the bike, I wished I had my light on the back of my bike. It was scary on the road. But as soon as we got out of the park, the fog burned off and it was gorgeous! Spring hasn't arrived in Monterey County yet, either, but the countryside was beautifully green. The vistas along the roads were incredible!

I did fairly well on the bike course. My final riding time was 4 hrs 12 min which I think is good for my first time on the route. I have a new personnel top speed too: 44.1 miles per hour. Yay! The time I was actually on the course, not riding, was another story. I had a flat at mile 23 which set me back about 15 minutes which was followed by 5 more tire related incidents & hand numbness with the two teammates I rode with. I felt really bad for my teammates, they were both having a tough time. I had to make several potty stops which didn't help my time either. I finally made it back to the transition area with three hours to finish the run.

I started the run off okay but was quickly joined by my old friends nausea & stomach bloating but was still able to run about 85-90% of the time. I was joined by Coach Dan at the entrance to the park and he ran with me the rest of the way. It was great to have his company & his wonderfully irreverent jokes. Okay, some were downright dirty! I cut two miles off the course in order to finish before the cut-off time. I hated coming in last. My plan was to run the 13.1 miles in 2:45. I think I ran 11.1 in about 3 hours.

Not a stellar performance. The good news is that I didn't puke, I didn't cramp and my knees weren't sore. Those are all very positive signs. I know the next time will be easier. I'm still trying to figure out the bloating/nausea thing. I stopped at just about every Port-A-Potty on the run course. I may need to switch back to Cliff bars instead of Powerbars on the bike. I'm taking about 2-4 Enduralytes an hour, so I can experiment with taking less in cooler weather too.

Wabo-Flower

That night the North Bay Ironteam threw a huge party. It was a blast! I think I'll do a call back to the first week of this journal and say "What happens at Wabo-Flower, stays at Wabo-Flower!" But I will give these tidbits: adult beverages were consumed (along with plenty of water!), I did hear some choice chants including: "Shot! Shot! Shot!..." followed by the ever popular "Body Shot!", much dancing (what the kids these days call "freaking") was demonstrated. And we all had a wonderful time. I have even more love for all of my teammates! They are the best!

Water Stop of No Return!

The next morning, after a fabulous breakfast cooked up by our mentors & captains, the combined Ironteams sponsored a water stop for the SF tri team's long course run. It was really more of an obstacle than a water stop. I think if I'd been running I might have run a mile around it! We did an incredible amount of cheering and even saw some people we knew. I've included a very flattering photo of myself at the water stop below. (Not!)

Then we packed up the stuff again and headed home! Ann & I celebrated with a tasty lunch at In'n Out Burger in Salinas. Another time-honored tradition!

Little Bo Peep? Hardly!

*What Makes the Wildflower Long Course one of the toughest triathlons in the US?

First, the weather: high temperatures dominate the race day records. Many years it's been over 100F.

Second, hills: after several rolling hills, the steepest bike climbs are after mile 43. The run course has long climbs with a tough one at mile 9.

Third, camping. I love to camp no matter the weather, but if it's hot or stormy, a good night's sleep is tough.

But there are many aspects that make it a remarkable experience too! Lots of spectators. Many top professionals race and you see them up close & personal since most people are camping. It's a festival atmosphere, which makes it a lot of fun. There are many honored traditions that have stayed on through the years. Although, I've heard the naked water stop on the long course was phased out last year. Bummer! That's just what I want to see as I'm expiring from heat exhaustion on the run!

So I'm looking forward to the real race weekend, but I'm a little nervous too.

New Theme for the Season?

2006-04-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

Training while exhausted may be my new theme. I ended up working really late Saturday night. This meant that with the advent of Daylight Savings Time, I ended up just shy of 5 hours sleep before Sunday's swim/run brick. Three nights in a row without enough sleep took it's toll Sunday morning. It was a real effort to get to practice.

Despite my low energy in the pool, I did successfully make two fairly big changes to my stroke with Coach Dan's help. The first was rotating my hips more to generate more power. The second involves how I pull my hands back under the water. In the last year, I've really been concentrating on eliminating the "S" pull I learned back in the dark ages. I pretty much don't do it anymore, although sometimes it sneeks back in. Now that it's gone, I've been working on improving my pulling technique. I think I finally got it Sunday! I must have made a significant change because I'm sore in my arms & shoulders today. I think these two improvements could increase my speed, finally! We finished off with a four person relay race that sucked any remaining energy I had right out!

Our scheduled run was 2 hr 10 minutes, not to exceed 13 miles. Uh yah, not really a problem for me! I started off feeling okay but after the first mile I had to do a little run/walking, just no energy. Then Coach Mike walked with me for about a 1/2 mile and we started running again. By the time we turned around at 1:05, I felt much better! I ended up with a much better pace on the way back. Thank you, Coach!

Note to the squeemish: this paragraph is graphic. While running with Coach Mike, I learned how to do a successful "snot rocket" using the proper finger, nose and head/shoulder swivel techniques. Etiquette for the appropriate time to do one was also covered. Now, if I could only master spitting...

So instead of the "Training While Exhausted" theme, I'm going to call it the "You're Going to Feel Better, Trust Me!" theme instead!

My goal for this week is good sleep, healthy food and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate-- for this Saturday is our 1/2 way to Iron Race. Yes, good guess, this means we're doing a 1/2 Ironman distance triathlon: 1.5 mile swim, 56 mile bike & 13.1 mile run. The best part is, it's the storied Wildflower Long Course route, yay! I really am glad we're doing it on the actual Wildflower course. Even though Wildflower won't be my "A" race of the year, I want to do well.

Am I even going to mention the rain. I heard a rumor that it rained 25 out of March's 31 days.

Biking Through Exhaustion

2006-04-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Tough weekend! Hard workouts are great, I enjoy them. Hard workouts, coupled with long work hours and sleep deprivation are not enjoyable.

Okay, enough belly-aching!

I love trying out new bike routes and Saturday was a newish ride for me. We rode 56 miles from Milpitas City Hall up through Fremont to Niles Canyon, then up Palomares Rd over the ridge through rural Pleasanton & Sunol and then went over the eastern foothills back to Milpitas via Calaveras Road.

It was A LOT of climbing!!! I've never been up Palomares Rd before. It's beautiful as well as steep. The climb follows a rushing stream that was very loud. Lots of wildflowers are starting and everything is green. I don't know if I'm just getting used to the wet & damp or not, but I wasn't nearly as cold Saturday.

When we came down through Pleasanton, I knew where I was. I rode part way up Calaveras Road last summer from Sunol. What a difference nine months makes! The climb was much easier this time, even after how far we'd ridden already. I think I'm a much stronger rider now, plus it wasn't over 90F on Saturday!

Calaveras Rd was beautiful too. The gloom had burned off by the time we started climbing and there were lovely clouds, sunshine and gorgeous vistas. It was exciting to see the pro cyclists names still on the road from the Tour de California passing through. It's a little bit of a buzz to know we're out riding the same routes as the pros. Just a bit slower!

So I learned to push through my exhaustion and keep riding. I ended up feeling much better by the end of the ride than when I started.

Stats for the day:

56 miles
39.1 top speed of the day
14.5 average mph(pretty good for hills, I don't know our total elevation gain)

Best of Craig's List Post

2006-03-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

I found this on the Best of Craig's List. It's an anonymous post from Minneapolis. I really don't know anymore than that. It's a big reminder about why I'm training and raising money. It also makes all of my aches & pains feel so very trivial.

Title: Cancer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 2006-03-14, 11:08AM CST

You know what sucks? Cancer. I hate it.

See, while technically 'cancer free' for the past several months, I still feel the effects of $236,000 in treatment. I'm only 29, but I get out of breath so easily, exercise is so tough. It's a pure hell to me.

I mean all I had was Non-hodgkins lymphoma. That's the Cancer you want to pick if someone says "You have to get cancer, now pick one". 8 months of having toxic chemicals pumped through my veins... A catheter in my heart... A scar and 3 tattoos to remind me about what I went to, though I can't ever forget.

My biggest downfall is I handle it all in stride outside. When I was rushed to the HCMC ER, almost unable to breathe, a tumor the size of a dinner plate inter-twined around my heart and lungs, pressing against them. I thought I had pneumonia. After all, for a month or so I had the sniffles, a cough, a weird rash on my arms and horrible horrible night sweats. I'd easily miss 2 day sof work a week, so tired I can't move.

The doctors, well several oncologists, enter the room and quietly tell me I have cancer. I think they expected me to freak out when I simply looked at them calmly and said "Ok. Let's take care of it". And I think it bothered them a tad when I made the joke "Hey, at least I'll lose some weight now!".

But I didn't. The prednisone steroid made me nauseous, so I had to eat a little bit all the time. The chemo destroys any fast dividing cells, like taste buds, so cherry laffy taffy became my comfort food (And I have yet to eat it since I got better!). I think I destroyed a really good relationship that occurred at the wrong time, with a woman I love very deeply. Radiation wasn't bad. In fact, compared to 6 hours in the Oncology unit for chemo it was a breeze - 15 mins and out. Quick and painless. Free parking. Good deal.

It's been months, and I'm still so tired. My sleep schedule is destroyed - I'm up 40 hours, then sleep 18. Or maybe I'll be in bed by 10 every night this week. Or maybe not. I want to exercise, but it's so hard - I can do so little. And at 6'1", 280 lbs I look like I should do a lot more. More then being winded by half a flight of stairs.

It also sucks, because I don't know who I can talk to about it. People think it's so hard... It wasn't, it's just a different struggle... But they hear the C word and think the worse... I never thought I was going to die. I found out later I was a week tops from dying from my tumor.. But I just knew it wasn't my time. I remember saying that to my girlfriend, tears welling up in my eyes... It's not my time. It's not my time.

But the results, the shell of a man I'm left with.. Maybe I did die. Maybe emotionally and spiritually succumbed to the cancer. I don't know any more. I go to work, clean my apartment, I do the things people do - but I'm hollow inside. I'm missing something and I don't know what it is.

I'm scared. I'm sad. I'm lonely. I'm a lot of things.... What I'm not is the old me. I miss the old me... I hope I come back

---------------

I really wish I could send this man a note, but I can't. I'm sure you do to. But what we can do is raise more money for research and patient services. Donate today! Click here: http://www.active.com/donate/tntsvmb/tntsvmbBTucker1

Thank you again everyone for supporting me in this journey!

Keeping It Together??

2006-03-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

I had a nice test in maintaining my composure in the face of hardship prior to Sunday's long ride, and failed miserably! Sunday's saga began Saturday night.

Saturday night Tom & I watched a movie I'd been wanting to see for a while, Dancer in the Dark. It's an amazing movie from 2000, starring Bjork, for which she received a best actress Oscar nomination. She deserved the nomination. It's a powerful movie.

As some of you know, I am a crier. I admit I have cried during commercials, not very often, but it has happened. Well, this movie touched a chord, or maybe an entire composition in me, and I ended up crying through most of the movie. And afterwards talking about it, and again in the morning remembering it. So I was a bit dehydrated and discombobulated heading to Sunday's ride. I was also late.

I made it to Santa Cruz just in time and was dressed, bike prepped and heading to the pre-ride announcements, when I locked my keys & helmet in the car. Did I remain calm, cool & collected? As I'm trained to do? As I do successfully almost every day at work answering upset customers? Of course not! I cried again, I barked at my teammate Holger, I had a pity-party for myself. Thankfully, the rest of the Team took off on the 60 mile ride without me embarrassing myself further.

My teammate Kimberly generously called AAA for me and gave me her card. Coach Kristin loaned me her phone and I called Tom for more pity. AAA eventually arrived and unlocked my car for me. (I did not cry in front of the AAA guy!)

After comtemplating going home and going back to bed, or doing a short run or quitting, I decided to suck it up, quit being a cry-baby (literally!) and go ahead and do the ride by myself. I reminded myself that I'm training for an Ironman, race day will be a lot harder than this! The route was up Hwy 1 from Natural Brides to Bean Hollow State Beach and back: about 62 miles round trip. I've done it by myself before so it really wasn't a big deal other than my frazzled state.

I'm really happy I did it! I had a great ride. It was a gorgeous sunny day, the notorious headwind was a crosswind instead, and traffic was light for a Sunday. I ended up doing the whole thing in 3:45 and averaged 16.5 mph. I was able to catch up to some of my teammates after I turned around which felt good. I was able to apologize to Holger again when I got back, too.

So my teammate gave me great support in my hour of need and I am very thankful for it. You guys are the best! THANKS!

Planet Granite

2006-03-23T18:21:00.000-08:00

Two of my Ironteammates, Nicole & Holger, hosted a rock climbing fundraiser on March 16th at Planet Granite. I took Robert and it was a "rock"in' good time! (pun intended!)

What a great workout too. I couldn't believe how much my forearms and fingers hurt the next day. No wonder climbers are ripped!

Robert was a natural on both the climbing walls and bouldering. He's always loved bouldering. As a little boy, he used to scare the Dicken's out of me on just about every hike we took. I hope we can go again soon!

Roping in with Robert.

Getting ready to climb.

Racing Matt!

Here are more photos of the fun:

http://fotoalbum.web.de/gast/holger.pils/Climbing_Planet_Granite_Mar-16/

Don't let the German intimidate you, it's easy to figure out.

BOOTCAMP!

2006-03-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

boot camp noun
1. A training camp for military recruits.
2. A correctional facility that uses the training techniques applied to military recruits to teach usually youthful offenders socially acceptable patterns of behavior.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Ironteam Bootcamp lived up to the definition! Our bootcamp was a two-day training odyssey combined with the North Bay Ironteam.

Warning: this is a loooonnnng post!

The purpose was:
DAY I: PRIMARY GOAL-Emphasis on food intake while having continuous activity.
SECONDARY GOAL-maintain pace without bonking or having to slow down.

DAY II: PRIMARY GOAL-Emphasis on food intake while having continuous activity.
SECONDARY GOAL-Negative split the day - pace will increase

Each day was a seven (7) hour workout of swimming, running, spinning, riding, run drills, core strengthing, hill repeats, & water running. That's 14 hours in case you weren't counting! We had one 30 minute break on Saturday, and that was it! It was a tough two days but I made it through. About 12:30 on Sunday I had some GI issues but was able to finish the workouts. I think I need to take more enduralytes every hour than I have been. I didn't achieve the negative split for the day.

Although it was a tough two days, it was actually fun too. Having so many teammates makes any workout fun. (well almost any workout. . .) There was great commaraderie and people helped each other out with gear & food & encouragement. We had beautiful, sunny weather both days! I'm not sore from the weekend which really surprises me!

Saturday morning teammate Matt & I carpooled up to Treasure Island together and that was an odyssey in itself. We had to stop on Hwy 85 to re-attach my bike to Matt's car rack (scary!) Then we tried to find gas in Brisbane (the City of Stars) but it's a town with no gas! We finally found a gas station off in San Francisco. Needless to say we were late and missed the swim portion. Not an auspicious start.

When I got home Saturday at 5:00 pm, it was all I could do keep my eyes open. After a shower, I caught a second wind & was able to get my gear together for the next day. Tom cooked me the perfect big-workout-recovery-and-preparation-for-another-dinner of roast chicken, brown rice & spinach salad. It was such a lovely treat to not worry about fixing food for myself. He was recovering from his own 60 mile ride & seven mile run and getting ready for a swim & ride the next day in Santa Cruz.

Sunday I was on time! Yay! It was another sunny day and the warmest workout weather we've had all season so far. I used sunscreen for the first time this spring. The swim was great but I could feel how tired my muscles were once I got on my bike. The ride out to Los Gatos and up Shannnon was beautiful, but it felt v. different than a normal Sunday ride. I think "fatigue" took on a whole new meaning for me on Sunday. I forgot to make up my standard PB & honey sandwiches for the day, thank goodness Matt still had one of mine in his bag from yesterday. My mentor, Christy, gave me an orange that was a great boost while spinning in the afternoon. I really love oranges, they are the best! I don't remember oranges tasting this good during soccer games when we were little.

Not having a lunch break was a little strange. I had to plan when I could eat the sandwich (not before running!) and when to eat a bar or gel or just drink my carbohydrate/protein mix instead. I did pretty well energy wise but the GI thing worries me. I need to work on that.

The mantras I learned from my first tri coach, Steve K, were "drink before you're thirsty; eat before you're hungry" AND "drink every 15 minutes, eat every 30 minutes". It's worked well for me so far. I gauge the amounts based on how long I'm going. My Ironcoach, Mike W, recommends we consume roughly 300 calories per hour. It sounds strange that it's necessary to practice eating & drinking, but it's really important. I'm still figuring out what works best for me.

I think almost everyone's seen the Gatorade TV ad with Chris Leigh from Australia staggering towards the finish line at Ironman Hawaii. I really don't want that to happen to me.

Here's a detailed schedule of what we did throughout the weekend-- if you really want to know!

Day 1 - Treasure Island
PRIMARY GOAL-Emphasis on food intake while having continuous activity.SECONDARY GOAL-maintain pace without bonking or having to slow down.
8:00-8:15 Briefing
8:15-9:00 Swim -ALL TEAM
9:00-9:15 Transition -ALL
9:15-10:00 (A)Bike on trainers/(B)Run Drills
10:00-10:45 (A)Run Drills/(B)Bike on trainers
10:45-11:00 prep for lunch-ALL
11:00-11:30 Quick lunch-ALL
11:30-11:45 (B)Saddle up or (A)sneaker up
11:45-12:30 (B)Bike on the road(40 minutes)/(A)Running hill repeats (35 minutes)
12:30-1:15 (B)Running hill repeats (35 minutes)/(A)Bike on the road (40 minutes)
1:15-2:00 (A)Spinnerval single leg and slow cadence hard gear/(B)Core training
2:00-2:45 (A)Core Training workout/(B)Spinnerval single leg and slow cadence hard gear
2:45-3:00 Stretch
Depart by 3:15 PM

Day 2 - Gunderson High School, San Jose.
PRIMARY GOAL-Emphasis on food intake while having continuous activity.
SECONDARY GOAL-Negative split the day - pace will increase
8:00 - Workout Brief
8:15 - 9:15: All Swim - 60 min
9:15-9:30: Transition to tri clothes for bike and run
9:30-10:30: Group A: 60 min ride on the road, Group B: 60 min run on the trail
10:30-11:30: Group A: 60 min run on the trail, Group B: 60 min ride on the road
11:30-12:00: Group A: 30 min spin drills, Group B: 30 min track/strength drills
12:00-12:30: Group A: 30 min track/strength drills, Group B: 30 min spin drills
12:30-1:00: Group A: 30 min spin drills, Group B: 30 min track workout
1:00-1:30: Group A: 30 min track workout, Group B: 30 min spin drills
1:30-1:40: All transition to swim gear
1:40-2:10: Group A: 30 min swim, Group B: 30 min water run
2:10-2:40: Group A: 30 min water run, Group B: 30 min swim

Corned Beef O Rama

2006-03-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

While running with Nicole at Tuesday night spin the week before St. Patrick's Day, and lamenting how pathetic my fundraisings been so far, I had a whack on the side of the head: have a St. Patrick's Day fundraiser! It was a quickly pulled together do and I emailed out invitations a week prior for "Corned Beef O Rama" in the Irish Ghetto (my house).

For the remarkable price of $17 I cooked up: Corned beef (duh!), cabbage, potatoes, green beer, Guiness & ghetto-fabulous door prizes. What more do people need?

18 people came and I made almost $300 to add to my fundraising (only $5,000 to go!). I had a good time and it was pretty easy to put together. It was fun catching up with people I haven't seen for awhile. I printed out maps to downtown Los Gatos in case people wanted to go out later since the Ghetto needed to close down early. (Ironteam Bootcamp started the following day and I needed to be in the water at Treasure Island at 8:00 am Saturday!) My goal was to be in bed by 11:00 pm. . . a good goal and it would have been nice to have achieved it!

Thank you everyone who came & parted with your greenbacks for a good cause! And a big thank you to Tom for donating one of the Ghetto-phabulous prizes and for helping clean up the Ghetto afterwards!

The odds of winning a "Ghetto-phabulous" door prize were good! Congratulations all of you phabulous winners!

Holger and a fine wine!

Berend wins Green Cytomax, "Who knew?!"

Matt leads a discussion group about US immigration patterns and how to determine "where are you from. . .originally?"

Amanda & Grace

FEBRUARY 2006 - The Build Begins...

2006-02-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

We're officially in the build stage and things are starting to move!

I've been struggling to find balance between work, working out & socializing. I need to be more disciplined in working out on my own. The good news is that I've been very consistant on attending coached workouts and captain's workouts. Sleep has also been suffering this month. Early morning swims have been difficult in the cold & dark. I think I was more motivated last winter. Although, I'm definitely doing much longer and more intense workouts over all. I'm starting to feel the urgency of not falling behind!

I've signed up for two races before Ironman Canada. I'll be doing Wildflower Long Course at Lake San Antonio in Monterey County http://www.tricalifornia.com/ (1/2 Ironman distance) May 6th and Uvas Sprint Triathlon May 21st at Uvas Reservoir in rural Santa Clara County http://www.japroductions.com/. I'm thinking about entering the 1/2 Vineman in Napa July 30th. http://www.vineman.com/

Wildflower is referred to as the Woodstock of triathlons. It's a huge race & festival! Thousands of people compete, everyone camps out and the weather is very unpredictable. It's usually smokin' hot, occasionally stormy, and almost never balmy. I'm hoping for non-smokin' hot temperatures. The Long Course is a 1/2 Ironman so the distances are 1.2 mi-swim, 56 mi-bike, 13.1 mi-run. I'm almost more nervous about Wildflower than Canada. It is a very difficult course with tough hills on both the bike and the run legs. Hills named (I am not making this up!) Nasty Grade, Beach Hill, Polar Heart Rate Hill & The Pit. The only bright spot is that I don't have do go up Lynch Hill this year. I dreaded that hill last year on the Olympic course.

So now that I've painted such a lovely picture of Wildflower, everyone is welcome to come down for the festivities! It's only a couple of hours south, the scenery is gorgeous, lots of hot bodies in skimpy uniforms and the lakes are beautiful. Plus, I'll be there!

I really like my teammates. I'm getting to know them better and everyone continues to be so fun & supportive of each other. I look forward to seeing everyone at practice.

Our coaches & captains are wonderful. They are positive no matter how miserable the weather is or how long they've been out there. They arrive much earlier than we do for everything, make sure our workouts start on time and that everything goes smoothly. Ten months is a long time to be holding our hands!

I feel really privledged to be a part of this group.

Non-training news:

It's important to remember life outside of training!

My friends Taffy & Otto became engaged this month. YAY!!! I'm so pleased for them!

We've had snow, lots and lots of snow, on the peaks around the Valley. It's been cold!

The baby & wildflower season is underway at Hidden Villa. One lamb and multiple baby chicks so far. Lots of milkmaids are out on the trails and I've seen soaproot sprouts and leaf buds on the buckeyes.

Tom & I took our friendship to the next level and he's now my boyfriend. What a title, seeing it in print makes me feel about 17. But I have a big, silly grin on my face! It's very nice.

Robert is considering running again. I'm encouraging him with it.

I'm longing for true spring and warmer weather.

You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
- Kahlil Gibran

Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon

2006-02-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

I ran the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon in San Francisco on Febraury 5th with my friend Shannon. Lots of my teammates and friends from other teams ran it too. It's a great race, starting and finishing in Golden Gate Park and no big hills. Yay!

Shannon has been a great training partner for me since we met last January. She is always positive and gives great encouragement. She has helped me in so many ways in both my running & riding progress. We also swam together last winter and spring at lunchtime which was a huge motivation to get my butt in the pool.

We started out nice and easy and about mid-way through I was feeling fatigued but Shannon helped me through it. It's amazing how much easier it is to run with someone. The miles really do fly by. A couple miles shy of the finish, we faltered a little bit in our calculations and how far we had to go. Shannon started to feel really fatigued and it was my turn to encourage her. It was a great feeling to be able to keep her going after all the assistance she's given me over the past year. She was so mentally strong to continue on!

We picked up the pace for the last mile and then ran hard at the finish. We crossed the finish line hand-in-hand together. I really wish I had a photo of that!

Here are our times:

Place Name Age Age Group Time Pace
3383 Beverly 41 213 F 40-44 2:21:07.0 10:46/M
3384 Shannon 33 301 F 30-34 2:21:07.0 10:46/M

Check back for our race photo!

Side Note:
Last year this was my second half marathon ever and I finished it 2:46:06 and placed 238 out of 258. So this year I took 25 minutes off my time and moved up 46 spaces! Yipee! So if I keep at it, I'll could win my age bracket by age 85 or so!

JANUARY 2006- Year of Iron!

2006-01-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Matt & Shannon hosted a fun New Year's Eve at their house in Los Gatos. Thank you for a great time! New Year's Day was an optional swim at Aquatic Park in San Francisco, however it was so incredibly stormy, I didn't even worry about missing it!

In January we could feel the workouts really starting to build. We had more swims in the Bay at Coyote Point, the Saturday morning rides began to get longer and we learned to swim, run & bike no matter what the weather. I used to be so concerned about riding in the rain, but I've learned to suck it up! I could be better about cleaning my bike afterwards!

I joined 24 Fitness to begin strength training on my own, but didn't use it all month.

I continue to get deep tissue & pressure point massages twice per month from Ellen. What a wonderful thing! My recovery is so much better with the regular massage. I can't image going through these long days without them. (If anyone needs Ellen's contact information let me know!)

To give you an idea about our training this month, here are the workout details for the week of January 9-15:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Swim 1600 yds, Run 40 minutes, Strength training
Wednesday: Coach Track workout @ De Anza College, 5 miles total
Thursday: Spin 75 minutes
Friday: Swim 2000 yds
Saturday: Ride 180 minutes, run 15 minutes
Sunday: Coached swim (3000 yds) & run (8 miles)
Totals for the week:
Swim: 6,600 yds
Bike: 65+ minutes
Run: 18+ miles

I generally swap the Tues swim with the Wed bike and often miss my Friday workouts. I need to improve on that. I need more consistancy. I took off a lot of time swimming in Dec/Jan with tendonitis in my elbow. It seems to be from my computer mouse. Massage, ice, ibuprofen & rest have really helped. I reconfigured my workstation and I'm starting to use my left hand more which helps. Having a week off work really helped too!

New Year's Resolutions for 2006:

1. Complete an Ironman
2. Raise $7,500 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society
3. Stay healthy & injury free during training
4. See how long I can go without buying a new book for myself
5. Run a 10k in under an hour
6. Secret!

The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.
–Moliere

Now you're going to have to keep checking in to see how I do!

The Louie Tri

2006-01-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

5th Annual
Louie Bonpua Memorial Triathlon

Sunday, January 22, 2006

The Louie Tri held a lot of emotion for me. I regret never meeting Louie in person. However, even without actually meeting him, he has been a true inspiration to me.

Hang it there, it's a great story!

I first heard about Louie when a local news station covered his carrying of the Olympic torch for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. So his story was vaguely familiar when I joined TNT and heard his name from time to time. Many people on the tri team and Ironteam are former teammates of his and tell anectdotes about him occasionally. I've also heard some of his letters read a loud after practices and been moved by them. His is an incredible story. http://shrimplouie.com

The night before Big Kahuna in September 2005 (my first 1/2 Ironman) the documentary on Louie was shown after our team dinner. It was amazing. I'd heard many bits & pieces about Louie already, but this tied it all together. Plus, as most people know, I'm a sucker for documentaries. It was phenomenal to see; particularly in a room full of triathletes- after a grueling training season- in the company of cancer survivors and people still fighting- the night before the race- you can imagine it! I had lots of good company with my tears.

The next morning I woke up at 5:00 am for the race and couldn't swallow. My head weighed about 15 pounds and every muscle in my body ached. I was sicker than I'd been in a long time. But I immediately thought about Louie and knew I had to race. I downed ibruprofen and got myself to the start. Long story longer (thanks Theresa!)-- I ended up finishing the race, but only because every time I wanted to quit, I thought about Louie. I couldn't swallow food for most of the bike and had to walk the first three miles of the run. I kept thinking that no matter how bad I felt-- it was nothing compared to Louie's ordeal. It turns out I had strep throat and it took me a few weeks to recover afterwards, but I am so very happy that I did that race.

Read Louie's story here: http://shrimplouie.com/

SO, what about the Louie Tri???

This was our first Olympic distance triathlon as Ironteamers. We combined with the North Bay Ironteam and raced at Treasure Island. It was a beautiful sunny day, amazing after all the rain we've been having. It was also special because my son Robert and my friend Tom came to cheer me on and volunteer.

The race was a 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike & 6 mile run. The water was COLD, but my new Barracuda swim hood was great! Both the bike & run courses were loops. The bike route was very technical, lots and lots of turns and very bumpy which made it difficult to maintain speed for more than a few yards.

I had a pretty good race. I was worried about the swim since I'd had so much time off swimming and hadn't done a mile in awhile but it was fine. I felt great on the bike. I think the bike is my favorite & strongest event. The run was okay, but I really hoped for a faster time. Robert ran the last 1.5 miles with me which was fun. I sprinted the finish (as I love to do!) but for the first time my hamstrings really clenched up on me as I crossed the finish line. That was a little scary.

My final time was: 3 hr 24 min 57 sec
Swim 38 minutes; Bike 1.25; Run ?
I don't know my run time, but my guess is: 1 hr 10 minutes.
I usually have v. slow transition times. . . need to work on that!

On the bike leg of the Louie Tri

Louie's family came to our post-race gathering. His sister spoke to us and introduced his mom and some of his siblings and nieces and nephew. It was wonderful to see them. It is still very painful for them to talk about him.

PS:
The channel 2 news did a feature on us that night, but I missed my 15 seconds of fame. Rats!

DECEMBER 2005-3 months already?!

2005-12-30T18:29:00.000-08:00

Where did the last three months go?

Daily Grind: I'm getting used to our base training levels. I'm biking two to three times per week, running twice per week and swimming two to three times per week.

My friend Ken loaned me his bike trainer (thank you Ken!), so now I'm able to join the Team's spin workouts. Every Tuesday night after work, I head to the Sports Basement store in Sunnyvale. We set our trainers up in the store and do an indoor workout on our own bikes. The bike trainers have resistance wheels that simulate road riding conditions. The workouts are led by a team training captain: lots of high cadence work, simulated hill climbs & one-legged pedaling. After spinning for about an hour, we run for 20-30 minutes outside around the neighborhood of computer companies and the big Fry's store. I've started running with a headlamp to help avoid obstacles in the dark.

Building Bricks: Workouts with running immediately following riding or spinning are called "Bricks". I've heard they're called this in reference to how your feet feel when your body has to switch from riding a bike to running. It's an apt title! I have enough practice at it now that I'm able to do it, but after long rides it's still difficult. Often my toes are numb from either cold or the long ride and my less than optimal bike shoes. (I've been forgoing hair cuts & colorings for the past few months to save money for new bike shoes & pedals-- yes they are that expensive!) I also tend to get nauseous when I first switch over after rides longer than 40 miles. This is very common and goes away after a mile or so.

A couple times we've had "Spinnerval" workouts for our track practice on Wednesday nights. This means we set up our trainers next to the track at De Anza College and then alternate between riding & running: 10 minutes on the trainer, 10 minutes running and so on for 1.5 hours. The time segments vary and other bits are thrown in too, such as sit-ups, crunches, squats, push-ups or running the bleachers etc.

Recommitment #1
Our first recommitment deadline was December 16. I needed to have $1,000 raised so far. I was a little shy but I managed to get it together before the end of December.

I can't believe how quickly Christmas came this year! I hope everyone had wonderful times with their families & friends. On Christmas morning, I did a 60 mile ride with a new friend, Tom. We rode from my house down through south San Jose and Morgan Hill around Uvas Reservoir and back. It was great being out in the cold, wintry country-side. We got in our ride before the rain hit. Robert & I spent a fun & festive Christmas evening with the Lowery Family. Thank you Bob & Cherie!

Coyote Point Sprint Triathlon

2005-12-13T20:31:00.000-08:00

To "celebrate" the holidays, we had our first team practice triathlon at Coyote Point. Sitting just south of the San Franicisco International Airport, Coyote Point juts out into the San Francisco Bay. Our "sprint" triathlon was comprised of a 400 yard swim, 12 mile bike and 3 mile run.

Many former Ironteam members, honorees, family members and friends came out to cheer us on. We had wonderful support and hearing success stories from past participants and honorees was v. inspiring. The sun shone for us in the morning and the water was a balmy 53 degrees Farenheit.

Q: What's better than a December swim in the Bay?!
A: Having your photo taken in a wetsuit!

Getting ready for our frosty swim. That's mentor Dana B behind me.

Finishing the bike course; I still hadn't dried off from the swim yet, that was a pretty cold ride!

Starting off on the run leg. At this point my feet are still numb. I could feel my toes about 3/4 of a mile in to the run.

Final Coyote Point Sprint Race Results:
Swim: 0:18:02; Bike: 1:11:01; Run: 0:43:10
Total Race Time: 2 hours 12 minutes 13 seconds

The day after the Coyote Point Tri, December 12, was my Mom's birthday. I really miss her and think about her often. In the past, when I've heard about someone losing a parent, I felt bad for them. But since my own mother died, hearing about someone losing a parent, takes on a whole new meaning. It's like a punch to the stomach. When I meet people who've lost parents to leukemia or lymphoma, it redoubles my resolve to complete this Ironman journey. I know the money I'm raising is going to help so many people. It's wonderful to think that a parent is going to be able to continue raising their child because we took on this intense challenge.

It's important for me to remember that going through cancer treatment or facing any debilitating illness is harder than any Ironman training program.

NOVEMBER 2005 HIGHLIGHTS

2005-11-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

Again, just the highlights to catch up!

Pyramids: Our training schedule is divided into three week pyramids. The training builds up, getting consistently harder over three weeks and then we have a recovery week. Not complete rest but a less intense set of workouts. My October cold hung on through most of Nov and I ended up going to my doctor and now have an asthma inhaler to use. I haven’t needed one for over 15 years so I’m feeling like a wuss. (As I write this in March, I’m still using it occasionally

Iron University: The Team has had three special training sessions to cover important issues like gear & gear maintenance (and which sport has more gear than triathlons??) , nutrition & hydration, training tips, injury prevention etc. One particularly grueling demonstration was by Coach Kristin and the foam roller. This is a torture device that is v. beneficial but would have been at home in any 16th Century dungeon. Here’s an intimate look from SMI (Sports Medicine Institute International) in Palo Alto. http://www.smiweb.org/massage_clinic/pdf/roller_guide.pdf A great place, BTW! The key to the foam roller is to use it where it hurts the most. Simple & effective but oooohhhh the agony!

Personal Notes:
In the midst of all of this training, I'm still working full-time and volunteering at Hidden Villa every other Friday. I really treasure my time teaching at Hidden Villa. It truly is a sanctuary. No matter how hard or stressful my week has been, I leave there feeling refreshed and re-vitalized. I know that the environmental education program makes a profound difference in the lives of the suburban & inner-city children that attend. I am very proud to be a part of it.

I'm also still floating around in the online dating pool. I feel more confident in it this time around, have made some new friendships and I'm dating some v. nice men. It's nice to take it slow and have fun. Lots of active & cultural dates: museums, galleries, hikes & bike rides and some great meals.

November 1st I turned 41, yay! (Can you hear the sarcasm?) I had a great birthday dinner on the day with my friend Karen who was born the same day. We had a great meal & a great time at Evvia in Palo Alto, rare lamb chops, yum! Later on in the month I had another celebration with my friends Matt & Ajay who also have birthdays within a few days of me. A great meal at Buca di Beppo in PA and afterwards at F&A's. Good times! Although we just don't seem to stay out v. late anymore, practices come really early weekend mornings.

Thanksgiving Day

2005-11-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving morning I ran the inaugural Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 10K with my friend and teammate Matt, aka Mantri. I decided to run it the day before, so it’s my first official “spur of the moment” race.

I finished the race in 1 hr 2 min 0 sec which put me at 20 out of 49 for women 40-49 years and 385 out of 544 overall. Me in the top 20, yipee!

My goal for 2006 is to run a 10K in under an hour. My current best for a 10k is 1 hr 1 minute so the Turkey Trot was a good time. Then I didn’t feel guilty about anything I ate on Thanksgiving!

Whoever would have thought that I would run a 10k on a whim?? Sometimes when I’m running, I think about when I couldn’t walk without a cane and to my, thankfully brief, time with a walker (aka Zimmer frame). That was just three years ago! Modern Medicine is truly amazing.

For the first time in over 20 years, I didn't cook a Thanksgiving turkey. Robert and I had Thanksgiving with Warren & Yvonne L. and their family & friends. It was a warm & wonderful time. And v. delicious food! Thank you again!

Ride & Tie

2005-11-21T19:10:00.000-08:00

My teammate, Ann G, was my rockstar partner for the Ironteam Ride & Tie at Bayfront Park! As "The Two Lucys", we ran, rode, solved a quiz, threw Frisbees, did blindfolded convolutions with PowerGels, had a great time and finished well up in the standings. However, due to some **questionable** penalties for our innovative racing techniques, we were ranked near last. . . But it was still a great event!

A ride & tie is loosely based on the two people, one horse race: http://www.rideandtie.org/ For our training event it was two people, one mountain bike and a 2.5 mile loop course that we circled a few times. Everyone dressed up in costume and lots of mental & physical challenges and hills are added into the fun.

When teams earn points with mental & physical challenges that help reduce their overall time. Ann and I did well and received some bonus points. However, we were penalized for riding tandom at the finish line without two helmets & the one helmet we had being unbuckled. Ah the technicalities! We were robbed!

Oooohhhhhh Ricky!
The Two Lucys: The Most Innovative Ride & Tie Team Ever!
Ann & Me

More information on Menlo Park's Bayfront Park: http://baytrail.abag.ca.gov/vtour/map2/access/Menlo/Menlo.htm#Bayfront

Ironman Championships 2005 "LIVE"

2005-11-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

First Official Fundraiser

Everyone engrossed in the action!

For my first fundraiser, I invited current & former teammates to my house to watch the TV broadcast of the grandaddy of them all: IRONMAN HAWAII 2005, the World Championships! Through the magic of television and Michele's VCR assist, we were able to see Faris Al-Sultan from Germany win the men's title in 8 hours 17 minutes 17 seconds and Natasha Badmann from Switzerland win the women's title (coming back from a big time penalty!) in 9 hours 9 minutes 30 seconds.

It was terrific to watch and so inspirational! My mentor, Christy, Web Captain Mindy and her husband, Guy, helped out tremendously! I made $300 which was a nice fundraising boost. Only $7,200 to go!

Here are some highlights about the 2005 Championship from the IronmanLive website:

A Championship like no other …
Madame Pele must have been in a good mood here in Kona today. Instead of pounding the best endurance athletes in the world with brutal winds and scorching heat, she left out the winds and went a bit easier on the heat. And the best endurance athletes in the world took note, and put on quite a show. In today’s Ford Ironman World Championship, we were witness to more than 16 record setting times.

We saw 45-year-olds finish a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a marathon run in 9:11.

We saw Sister Madonna Buder become the oldest woman to ever finish an Ironman. She’s just 76-years-young! She managed that feat in an impressive 15:54:16

We saw Robert McKeague become the first 80-year-old to finish an Ironman. He did that in just over 16 hours!

We saw Johnny Blais become the only athlete with ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) to finish an Ironman.

For more information about IRONMAN click on: http://ironmanlive.com/

OCTOBER 2005 RECAP

2005-10-31T17:19:00.000-08:00

I made it back from Vegas & the Ironteam Season officially started! I’m going to post just the highlights of October 2005 to catch up faster. But if anyone really feels like they’re missing out, let me know and I’ll add in more graphic details. This is a long one, bare with me!

OCTOBER 2005 HIGHLIGHTS

Simpson Doherty Wedding: Fabulous! Rebecca & Mike planned a wonderful wedding and took terrific care of their guests! I had a tremendous time! I made wonderful new friends, flew over the Grand Canyon by helicopter, ate delicious meals and had big fun! I even managed to go on two runs and complete two swim workouts. And new friends I made are coming to visit in Summer 2006. Yay!

Ironteam Kickoff: I missed the official kickoff but I did talk to my new mentor, Christy, on the phone from Sin City. She’s a great mentor! This is a good omen!

The Relay October 15-16 (formerly the Providian Relay): I’ve heard so much about “The Relay” http://www.therelay.com/index.htm over the years, that I was really excited to be asked to join a team, 24 Feet of Fury! It was a blast! We ran from Calistoga to Santa Cruz, that’s 199 miles, to benefit Organs R US: http://www.therelay.com/organs/indexmain.html I may have slept a total of 6 hours over the weekend, from Friday through Sunday. I ran the first leg of each of our van’s three sections: 1. the start in Calistoga, 2. as the sun went down in Nicasio, northern Marin County & 3. as the sun rose through Woodside & Redwood City.

Here are my team’s results: (that’s 31 hours!)
Place: 52 Time: 31:35:35; Team: 24 Feet Of Fury; Start: 9:00 AM Oct 15 Finish: 4:35 PM Oct 16

Memorable Relay Tidbits: 12 people, 2 vans, red shirts, black shorts, 24 painted feet on both vans, one broken arm, a full moon, crack-laced potato chips, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (LSH) run leg, 5 Bitches & 1 Stud VS 4 Studs & 1 Bitches, incredible generosity, sleep deprivation, very cool van decorations, great camaraderie, terrific support and bonding, bonding, bonding and so much more. . .

Here are particularly memorable quotes compiled by Jill our amazing chief driver: Christina: “I’m sorry you lost your dick in the accident.” Tracy: “Wait, wait…what do you mean…like…what kind of sexual dysfunctions?” {book discussion on Middlesex which Christina & I had both just read} Paige: “Dude, can I have the mace…I’m spooked.” Beverly: “Hey, wait, wait your van copied us…Excuse me, do you know that you have the word “Fag” written on your side mirror?” And my favorite quote of Jill’s: "She's kinda freaked - let's follow her close", repeated every two minutes during the LSH run leg. I can’t believe I don’t have any photos from the whole weekend!

The previous paragraph could be filed under “You had to be there” , but David’s quote was truly the best and deserves it’s own spotlight! (And I am NOT making this up!!) Here it is:

Hey, do you girls want to know a secret? I haven’t run more than 3 miles in over 15 years.

David was the lone man in our van of five women (which grew to six women when our teammate from the other van broke her arm running in the dark). He put up with a lot from us, and provided us with much humor fodder too. David really hadn’t run farther than three miles since high school. He also never drinks water when he runs, and never drinks electrolyte replacements—ever! You can imagine how much grief we gave him on both subjects. He was lectured about proper hydration by everyone in the van, more than once! But we were glad to have him with us, and he ran the leg through Sausalito on the dark & scary bike path with no lights and where the van couldn’t follow! Big stud! I would have been wicked scared to do that!!

Nike Women’s Marathon 10.23.05
The weekend after the 199 mile Relay, I ran half of the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco. This entire event benefited the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, many cancer survivors and people currently undergoing treatment ran along side us. It was very inspiring!

When I ran it in 2004, it was the first ½ marathon I’d ever attempted and my second ever race. This year I ran it with several friends from my first TNT triathlon team, Chienyo, Michele, Jeremiah, Ellen & Matt (if I’ve left out anyone, let me know!). We had a great time and took it easy. I was happy to do so since I was still recovering from The Relay and the big-time cold I came down with afterwards. My final time was 2:50:37, not my fastest time, but still 27 minutes faster than the previous year. Michele and I spent a whopping 12 minutes in the port-a-potty line which really packed on the time!

From left to Right
Chienyo's arm waving, Michele in blue shirt, Jeremiah in black shirt, me in white cap and a random woman who thought we were hilarious!

Ironteam Training

We’ve begun the “Base Phase” which lasts until January 30. We workout six days a week with Monday as a rest day. So far the workouts are about an hour a day, either swimming, biking or running, with double workouts on the weekends. We’ve had coached swims, runs & rides and a bike maintenance workshop. Everyone is really nice and our coaches and captains are terrific! So far the days are fairly easy but I can already tell how hard it’s going to be later. The mentors, captains and coaches who completed an Ironman last year are light-years ahead of us in stamina & fitness. They’ve had a few months off, but I can really see a difference between them and those of us coming over from the triathlon team. This is going to be a long and grueling program. August 27 seems a very long time away!

My October cold is still hanging around and making the runs & rides difficult. Between Vegas & The Relay, I really got run down.

But it’s nothing compared to radiation!

Vegas Babee!!!

2005-10-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

One Day to Kick-Off

Suffice it to say, I'm in real trouble already.

What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas!

For the first time this decade, I was out all night. The sun was coming up as I made it back to my hotel. Lots of fun with the crew from Ireland & England. Strangely, copious amounts of alcohol were consumed, both dancing & gambling were experimented with, and photos were taken. And that's all I'm going to say about last night. . . Not surprisingly, no physical exercise happened at all today. Hair of the dog was an excellent remedy in the afternoon. I called and cancelled my ride to the LVTC run and will run with Nigel, Mike & Rebecca's soon-to-be brother-in-law, instead tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Must drink more water. . .

Breid, Neil, Me & Mike at Rain (that's water in my cup, really!)

Rebecca & Me at Rain

Can you tell it's about 4:00 a.m.?

IRONTEAM KICK OFF WEEKEND

2005-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

The Ironteam Season Officially Begins this weekend!

I'm in Las Vegas, attending my friend's Rebecca & Mike's wedding at the Bellagio. Very posh! I'm staying at the Flamingo across the street. It has a section of the pool dedicated to lap swimming and I fully intend to keep to my training schedule. Sin City will not corrupt me! I've arranged to run with the Las Vegas Track Club Sunday morning. http://www.lvtc.org/ A van's picking me up at my hotel at 6:00 a.m. for their weekly long run. I'm running 10 miles on Sunday in preparation for the Nike Women's Marathon on October 23. Originally, I was training for the full marathon, but I've scaled back to the half. Tonight I'm going out with everyone from the UK and tomorrow morning I'll swim.

I'm sorry to miss kick-off and meet all of my teammates for the first time, but I'm so pleased to be here to share Rebecca & Mike's wedding. I've been looking forward to it for a long time! I surprised them a liquid refreshment room service delivery to their room when they arrived. It really did surprise them! Yay!

Swim Girl or the absolute beginning. . .

2005-09-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

Swim Girl

Here I am, age 3.5, in my favorite bathing suit of all time in San Diego, CA. You can't see the front which had a wonderful "real" anchor in between the suit & the mesh overlay. I loved that suit!

When the Santa Ana winds were blowing and the heat was unbearable, my Mom would dress me in my bathing suit when I first woke up in the morning. We played lots of water games outside and my Dad buried our small wading pool (with built-in slide) in the ground so it was almost real! I loved those days. Looking back now as a parent, they must have been torture for my cold-climate loving mother who was missing her San Francisco fog.

Okay, I'd said I'd go back to the beginning but this is probably tooooo faaaarrr baaacccckkk, although training will last for many more days, weeks & months!

This will be a journal following my training, fundraising and mental journey to Ironman Canada. I don't have a pre-defined format, so prepare yourself for stream of conciousness-esque reading. It will, hopefully, be entertaining. To paraphrase my friend and former teammate, Michele (http://drip-dry.blogspot.com/), you can help without breaking a sweat.

As I go back and update, be sure to check old posts since I'll try to use the historical date for catch-up posts. I'll also be peppering my posts with some of my favorite inspirational quotes that I tortured my mentees with last season. Things like:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead
Remember we're curing cancer here people, one mile at a time!

Thank you again for your support!

. . .and the journey begins!

2005-09-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'm training for Ironman Canada on August 27, 2006 in Pendicton Canada! While training, I am raising $7,500 for the Leukemia Lymphona Society for research & patient services.

To donate click here!

http://www.active.com/donate/tntsvmb/tntsvmbBTucker1

This is going to be a long and arduous journey so I've decided to document it. This way my family, friends and donors can track my progress and share in my experiences.

I started this journal in March but through the magic of technology, I'm able to go back in time to bring you up to date. My posts will be more detailed once they make it to March 2006.

Please feel free to leave comments or ask any questions. If you notice I've left out a key memory, let me know right away!

Thank you for your support and encouragement. I can't conceive of doing this without all of you!

Love,

~Beverly