Garbage

I had lunch with my friend Lisa yesterday and she exclaimed to me "damn, you are like a freakin' garbage disposal"...yes, anything and everything that resembles food is going directly into my mouth. All the years of hard work my mom put in teaching me manners, etiquette, non-slob-like living have been completely erased in the last few weeks. I can power through a burrito in 30 seconds before someone else even digs into the foil to unwrap theirs...and I will inevitably ask if they are going to finish theirs..."are you, chomp chomp chomp, gonna, chomp, eat that?" It's become a tricky balance of eating, drinking, working out and sleeping...it's a constant battle to stay fueled and hydrated.

I also felt like complete garbage on Tuesday/Wednesday this week. The weekend's activities had caught up to me and I crashed, hard. I came home from work on Tuesday and just couldn't do it, couldn't go for a bike ride, couldn't squeeze in a run...it hurt my eyes to stay open to swing by the dry cleaner to dump a load of clothes. I crawled in bed at 6:00 and slept for an hour, only to wake up to slam some dinner in preparation for my long run the next morning and then back to bed. My alarm went off at 5:00am and there looming before me was a 16 mile run...oh sweet baby J, how am I going to do this...well, I'm not. Checked the weather and it looked like Thursday would be just as pleasant, so Thursday it would be...back to bed for another 2.5 hours! Yes, over 10 hours of sleep that night...and still sloth like the next day. Luckily a mini trainer ride and swim practice Wednesday night did the trick and I was re-energized and ready to go again! Rocked my run this morning and am ready for this weekend...

What's happening this weekend?...you ask. We are doing another Dave Scott brick workout and it will go a little somethin' like this...20 mile ride/2 mile run, 20 mile ride/3 mile run, 20 mile ride/4 mile run, 20 mile ride/6 mile run...yep, 80 miles of ridin' and 15 miles of runnin'...then lots o' beer drinkin'...well, not really, Sunday calls for an OWS (open water swim, get down with the lingo will ya?) and a 3 hour ride...whew. Just waiting for the flip of the calendar into June where I will be able to see my sweet, sweet taper calling my name...where I'm sure I will feel like I could lift a garbage truck over my head with all my stored up energy!

Kickin' It

Sittin' back and relaxin' on Memorial Day...love that Monday is my day off from training, makes for a nice three day weekend when you have work and training off.  

I felt strong this weekend with my workouts, but my body was very ready for this day off.  After the CRAM on Saturday, I ran 10 miles and did a T60 on Sunday.  I was a little sloth like on Sunday morning so my run didn't start until noon...by the time I was finished I had to head directly to swim practice...not solid planning on my part in terms of no rest in between workouts, but I guess it's going to be that way come race day, so good practice I figure.  

Ashley, my swim coach, had a lane set up for those swimmers who are close to their IM races.  This lane was the T60 lane (all others were doing the usual T30)...so we were to swim for an hour straight, no rest.  This was a great test in mental endurance as well as physical...talk about boring!  I went out at a slow conservative pace and really felt I could have gone all day long.  I picked it up towards the end and knocked some time off my last 500 or so.  I was happy that I wasn't dog tired at the finish because now I know what I need to do on race day in order to stay fresh for the other thousands of hours of activity I will be doing.  I completed an even 3,000 in the hour (double my T30 distance, so I stayed consistent) and felt I could have gone faster...good place to be!  However, I also got smacked in the face by a foot...a dude in my lane and I came to the wall at the same time and he did a flip turn, which I was not anticipating, and his foot went square into my eye.  He knocked my goggles off and I said to myself "oh no he didn't!" so I took off after him and put a nice gap in between us in the last 600 meters or so...take that!  I'll show you for kickin' it!

I also found these pictures from the Vancouver Marathon I ran back in 2004.  This is EXACTLY what I anticipate the scene looking like after CDA.  Me straight chillin' with mom and dad hard at work rubbing my feet!  "uh, a little more to the left, no more, nope too far, there, yes, perfect!"

See, they enjoy this, I swear...look at those beaming smiles! ;)

Everyone who walked by was so jealous and throwing money at my parents to have them rub their feet.  We were literally hopping in the car and driving directly back to Seattle so we couldn't do this in the privacy of our hotel room...we are such exhibitionists! 

CRAM

The CRAM, short for the Clarksville Rotary Annual Metric...also could be known for cramming it all in, cramming food in my face and cramming my head to the pillow.  My friends and I did the CRAM yesterday in Clarksville, a ride that offers 20, 35, 62 and 100 mile options.  Can you guess which one I did?  Heck yes, the 100 miler.  After a disastrous ride on Thursday with Coach (see having to walk my bike up a hill, hyperventilating, almost puking and averaging 15.6 mph...yeah, DISASTER..."now boarding, one way trip to Bonk Town") I was a little nervous going into a century only two days later.  I came to find out I was terribly dehydrated (see 7 liters of fluid and only one trip to the bathroom...yikes!) so I took two days to really load up on fluid, solid nutrition and focus.  Not that I haven't done so for the last 6 months, but I really need to focus on being smart and making healthy decisions...it's officially game time.  

The plan was for Coach, Ben, Sarah, Andy and me to ride together and average a solid 20mph for the full 100 miles.  Gulp!  20mph?!  Are you kidding me?  Luckily it was a nice flat course and we all took turns drafting and pulling, making for a really fun ride.  Riding in a big group really makes the time pass quickly and definitely makes for some good laughs.  We rode strong the whole way and came in under 5 hours with a 20.7mph avg...yee haw!  I even felt strong enough at the end to pull in Coach and Andy for the last few miles.  I hung with the boys again (granted, they could still go way faster and kick my butt any day of the week) and it was a big confidence booster after my major meltdown on Thursday.  Coach even exclaimed during the ride "you are going to kick ass in Coeur d'Alene"...whether he meant it or not (maybe he was just trying to get me to pick up the pace right then!) it was a huge motivator and really helped to solidify the fact that I just know that I am ready for this, know that I can complete it and know I can do it with strength and confidence!  

Even more crazy sightings on this ride...yes, there was the obligatory dead deer/cow/possum/bird on the side of the road (100 miles is a long way, with lots of opportunity to see dead sh*t).  However, we were in northern Tennessee/Kentucky in the Minenite country...so we ran into a few horse drawn carriages, plows powered by hefty steed, kids running around barefoot, and a woman with a wheelbarrow rolling down the road bringing her harvest home (to which the guys said, "see Tilghman, that's an example of a good wife right there...emulate that when you are married"...ha...ha).  We were a little perplexed when there was a horse and carriage coming towards us...what do you say to that "buggy back?"..."carriage up?"...I wonder what they thought of us flying by them with thousands of dollars worth of bikes and gear?  Have to sell a lot of churned butter to buy my next bike, I guess. 

"Borrowed" this picture from a friend...this was the beginning of the ride...can you see me?, I'm in black...ok, I can't really either.

Clarification on Urination

So, just to clarify, I do not tee tee in the pool, I can't, it's impossible for me to relax in such a way around 80 of my closest friends! Therefore, if I can't pee in the pool it's pretty much unimaginable that I would be able to do so on my bike, or in transition, or even on the run...mad props to people that can do such things...they put the port-a-potties out for the novices like me. All you hard core athletes that try to teach me, your time is wasted...I'm just not going to be able to do it...and for me it will make the difference between a 14:00 hour race and a 14:02 race, not going to win because I stayed on the bike.

Next time I get out of the pool, look and you will see that I have a pee-baby in my belly...I drink so much water before and during my workouts that I'm about to explode at the end, just not in the pool. I think I still have that fear burned in my brain from summer camp back in third grade that if you peed in the pool the water would turn red, remember that urban myth? Well, maybe, just maybe, it's still true! However, if you are wondering who is peeing in the pool come find me...I have learned way too much about people! :)

Stole this from Excel's blog...too funny!

Lessons Learned

Whoa, I am a month, yes a month, away from race weekend. This time next month I will be standing on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene trying not to vomit...imagining what will be in store for me the next day. I will be surrounded by my family and friends and probably be highly distracted with the upcoming events and high on excitement of making it to this day...probably wishing I were just "high" on some substance so I could just forget my worries!

I have become, simply put, IronObsessed. It has been on the front of my mind for months (obvi) but now it's totally, completely, all consuming. If someone asks "how's your day?" I simply respond "I'm training for an Ironman!" Like a special kid, it's all I can say or talk about. "Tilghman, we need that report ASAP!"..."uh, did I tell you I'm training for an Ironman?" I'm like a kid with her first crush, scribbling out her new last name on anything resembling paper and drawing hearts in her mashed potatoes in the cafeteria.

There have been some lessons learned through all this and I've learned a lot about myself. A taste of some of my treasures gained from this experience:

• I can get 5 hours of sleep and still function (never thought this was possible). Starbucks is necessary, but I can still function.
• If I get more than two consecutive nights in a row of said sleep time, I become highly susceptible to such illnesses as "swine flu" and "smokers cough"
• If I get said amount of sleep, I am still functional but highly sensitive and can switch into b*tch mode at an extremely rapid pace
• A dog's love is truly unconditional...he may give me the "you look like a pork chop and I'm going to kill you in your sleep" glare every now and again, but he still loves me regardless
• I can get ready for work in 15 minutes and still look the same as if I'd taken an hour
• My toenails will take on the look of my fathers if I am not careful, I have apparently inherited his feet...pedicures are necessary
• The pedicure place does not give an 8 toenail discount, you still have to pay for the full 10 because they paint the skin of anything lost
• Peeing in the pool was considered social suicide as a kid, but highly acceptable as an adult, even encouraged by your coach
• It's completely ok to talk about GI issues at the dinner table as long as you are with your tri friends
• I have somehow forgotten the art of making my bed and cleaning my house...thankfully you can pay someone to do these things for you
• There is nothing better than a cold beer after a long workout...however, more than two and I may pass out at the table
• I have learned to appreciate the simple things in life...like an afternoon off lounging in the park with a good book and your dog...or a hot shower after a soggy 7 hour bike ride.
• The grocery store does stay open past 6:00 and I can get things done when it's dark out
• I can still carry on a conversation about things other than triathlon training, but currently much prefer to discuss mile splits, avg mph and T30 times
• I really can do pretty much anything I put my mind to and heart in!

Officially Unofficial

Today was yet another race day, I know, I know...I really shouldn't have done it, but I did...Coach was not necessarily happy about my decision but the money was paid and I was determined to do at least one race with my group of friends this year.  We all piled in our cars on Saturday afternoon and headed to the wonderful city that is Memphis, TN (okay, technically Millington, ahhh Millington, lovely, lovely, Millington!) for the Memphis in May Olympic distance triathlon.  For those that don't know this equates to a .9 mile swim, 25 mile bike and a 6.2 mile run (a quarter IM!...not technically, but close!).  

Since this is "hell month" there was no rest or tapering for this event and since I think I contracted the swine flu after Gulf Coast it made the week even more difficult trying to get over being sick, recovering from a half IM and still pushing it for the last phase of IM training.  The day before Memphis in May I had a long ride scheduled...luckily there was an organized ride (the Tour de Nash) so I had something to motivate me to ride 60 miles (again, in the rain...damn the rain, damn it!).  It was a fun ride and I tried to ride like I wasn't racing the next day...so I "pushed" it for my standards!  I finished the ride and literally hopped in the car with my friend and drove to Memphis.  Once in Memphis we checked in, got our numbers, ate dinner, went to bed and woke up at 5am to race...no rest for the weary I tell ya!  

I told myself this would be just a training race, but since I won Athena last weekend I was feeling the expectations to do it again...and again I did!!  Yay Athena!!!  Well, unofficially...I left the race sight and the results said I had won, however, they weren't the official race results (we had to leave in order to get back to Nashville for beers so there was no time to wait around)...so we will have to wait until tomorrow for official results.  I am starting to get this competitive bug that I didn't really know I had.  My age group started DEAD LAST in the race so I wanted to pass as man people as I could.  I was kicking and elbowing people in the water and pushing past as many people as I could on the bike.  I hit the ground running and pushed an 8:26 pace for the first 5 of the 6 miles (still not sure what measuring stick they used on mile 5...it seemed LONG!)...crossed the finish line in 2:40...25ish minutes faster than my last Olympic distance race...so I felt great!  It was a fun, fun race and I'm so glad I did it.  

Lisa came to cheer Katie and me on!  It was super cold in the morning (a chilly 57 degrees...cold after you get used to the heat)...Lisa was our official photog.  (who killed Kenny?!)

The whole crew carbo loading the night before (table for 13 please...you figure out the bill)

Katie and me the morning of the race.  This was Katie's FIRST tri...and an Olympic none the less!!!  She rocked it and I am so proud of her for making it her bee-atch!

Heading into the duck poop, algae filled lake...it was so gross, but such a nice reprieve from the ocean swim the weekend before!  Is there such a thing as duck flu?...a gross hybrid of the swine flu I seem to have already contracted?

Swim is done...took a good 5 minutes off my previous .9 mile swim times!  Thank you wetsuit...again, I LOVE IT!  Lisa was slow on the uptake for the rest of the shots...so it appears that I didn't bike or run, but I promise I did!  Lisa still gets mad props for this photo...so great!

All in all a super fun race and was so happy to have all my buddies there!  I will do Memphis in May again in a heartbeat!

Gulf Coast 70.3 Race Report

Don't really know what to write about since I think I blacked out in the first 2 minutes of the race and can't really remember anything! That's the only reason why I do these things...I can never remember them, thus never remember the pain!...ok, not really...but I can only imagine it's like child birth, you forget the bad and only remember the good!

The morning started with a 4:30 wake-up call. Transition opened at 4:30 for body marking to begin and I was a hop, skip and jump away from transition, so I "slept in." I made my way down, set everything up...sprayed myself with sunscreen which immediately washed my number off...oops! And headed towards the beach!

Swim: I was getting ready to poop myself at the start line. I was so nervous about the swim...just get me to the bike, was all I could think about. The gun went off at 6:35 and we were in the water. I dove under the first few waves and then started my swim. I did "tarzan" style for about 50 yards and realized if I kept it up I would exhaust myself, so I dug down and just went for it. It was almost a zen like experience...I just got in a zone (doing exactly the opposite of everything I have learned and practiced at swim class) and went for it. I swam pretty straight and had no major issues with sighting or masses of people or anything. I did get kicked in the face once, but that's par for the course and my hopes to be a teen model are long gone. My watch said 37:00ish when I got out of the water, but I crossed the mat in about 39 minutes.
Hung out with Ben and Sarah at the starting line getting ready for the big race. I accidentally zipped by Gu in my wetsuit...oops!, Sarah had to undo me so I could reach in and get it.

Again with blogger technology...a mini version I can't seem to get rid of! I've tried 4 times, to hell with it!Bike: What a great bike! SO FLAT! I wanted to "just go!" so bad, but I knew I would kill myself if I pushed the bike to hard. I kept watch of my cadence and kept it high (above 90rpm's) and took a mental check of breathing/heart rate every now and again to make sure I wasn't being crazy. The wind wasn't too bad...at least better than I had anticipated. I felt like the miles were just melting away (maybe they were, it was effen hot!) I felt like all I was doing was eating and drinking while riding. It's like there weren't enough minutes in the hour to suck down all the gatorade I had planned and eat the gels/blocks I had prepared. I never wanted to see gatorade again after that bike! At mile 35ish I started singing myself a song about how I was kicking butt and that I would win Athena (positive thinking people) and I just knew I was going to do well on the run. I was shocked when I passed the halfway point and saw that if I kept pace I would be well under 3 hours. "Barring any flats I will kick this bikes ass!" I thought...well, negative thinking has it's effect too! At mile 51-52 I heard this psssssst. Sh*t, that can't be me can it? Maybe there's a snake in the bushes...damn, it was me. I kept going for another mile and thinking, should I stop to change it? I figured it would take way to long with my un-skillz so I just took a CO2 cartridge to see if I could fill it and have it hold for a little bit...so dumb, I tell ya. Flat as a pancake within .5 seconds. So, I rode in the last 4 miles on a flat...still cruising at about 19mph! I didn't want to lost my sub 3 ride! I came in at 2:54ish...also got a 4 minute drafting penalty...the dude yelled at me, so I looked over and he took my number off my helmet...damn. If I'd have ignored him maybe he wouldn't have determined my number since it was all washed away from sunscreen/water/sweat. Race official: "What's your number?", me turning and looking at who's causing such commotion: "huh?!", official: "never mind, thanks!" Grrr!Run: HOT!!!!! Oh my lord it was HOT! I planned on walking through every other water stop, so every two miles, every 18 minutes or so. Well, as soon as I saw that first stop at mile 1 my strategy quickly changed. There were angels flying around it and choirs singing, with sweet little children handing out ice-water soaked sponges...it would just be too mean not to take them up on their offer! Those stops were what got me through the run. After many strategy sessions with coach, I knew that I could only walk as I got to the stop (not 20 yards before it) and start running again as soon as I went through and got what I needed...I did just that and it worked well. I was holding a pretty consistent 9:30 pace (slower than I had wanted...wanted 9:00's...but given the heat I was fine with it and as long as I was running, even better!). The dreaded park wasn't nearly as hot as everyone claimed it to be and by mile 10 I knew I had sub 6:00 in the bag...just keep chugging along! As I was running in the last .2 miles I looked to my left and saw a fellow blogger/blog follower Chloe and yelled at her...thanking her in my head for her nifty piece of advice to put ice in your sports bra...genius! So fun! I finished strong and saw Coach and his wife cheering me in for the last few yards...I had to pump my fists with joy, what a great race!!! Finished the run in 2:08...

Finish line: I immediately went to the medical tent to get some IV's of fluid...apparently all the cool kids are doing it and it makes for a much easier night of drinking...where do I sign?! I was on such a high and was so pumped about my race. My confidence about the Ironman was soaring! I had a sweet British nurse who couldn't find a vein to save her life. Apparently my man hands with bulging blue veins weren't enough for her... I squirmed and squealed like a little sissy. She asked "didn't you just run a half IM?"...yeah, yeah, lady...find the vein already!

Victory party!: Nashville had a strong showing and Team Tater rocked it! We were all so excited and were happy to be cleaned up and drinking! Got my award and then got a cheeseburger...well played, Athena, well played!