Ironman 70.3 Muncie 2013 Race Report

Where do I begin???? This was my second half this season and I had an amazing race. Actually this year has been an amazing year for racing for me..I guess I will start at the beginning...

On Thursday morning, we packed up the car and we were off to Munice, IN. This was the first time that we didn't turn back a few times in the neighborhood because one of us forgot something.. maybe this is a good sign. We had an uneventful drive. When we got into Anderson, IN (all of the hotels were booked in April in Muncie). The hotel was amazing! The hotel changed their breakfast to 4:30 am for race day and we  all were given a care package at check-in. The next morning we went to the convention center and got our race packet. Race packet pick-up is pretty much the same for all ironman events. The Expo was really good. I walked around and I was able to sample new products. Just a Disclaimer: My opinions on the products are my opinions only and I have not been endorsed by the companies. I was able to try out Huma Gels and Core Power Nutritional drink.  I will have to say, I LOVED both products. The  Huma Gels tasted like real fruit jelly or preserves, just not as sweet. They tasted very similar to the squeezable applesauce. All I can say is YUM! The Core Power drink was so good. I love the honey milk. I am not a milk drinker and I liked this a lot. I actually drank some after the half and felt really good.. After we picked up our packet, we went to the race venue. This was the first time that I actually rode my bike for 10 minutes and then went for a run. I am glad I did. I got a feel for the roads. The weather the day before was gorgeous! The temperature was in the low 80s and the weather on race day was going to be a low of 66 and a high of 85.. The water temp was 76.0 degrees.. Yes... this was going to be a wetsuit legal race!! Whoo hoo!! I was so excited! I could have a great swim!

The next morning, we got up at 4:45 am. All three of us were doing something with the race. Don and I were going to race and Donnie was going to be a lifeguard on the swim course. I was so happy that he could do this! What a relief to a mom to know that the race officials would ensure my son was looked after.. I know he is 16 but I still worry. He was a great help on race day.. We had breakfast and headed out to the race venue, which was over 30 minutes away... About 15 miles later, I look at Don and said " I forgot to pack my wetsuit!" Panic started to set in. I have never swam a half without a wetsuit. What was I going to do??? I had planned my last few swims with the idea that I would be swimming with a wetsuit... Ughhh!!! I had no one to blame but myself.. Just before I took off in my wave, I told myself, that I would be fine and to just swim and think of Dori... This time, we took off in time and we were off. I was in a wave start and it wasn't as bad as last year's wave start at Hy Vee. The water was great! I was actually warmer than the pool at St. Georges. I put my head down and sang my song.. "Row, Row, Row your boat (breathe) gently down the stream (breathe), merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily (breathe), life is but a dream (breathe)" Each word was a stroke for me. I kept on swimming and made the first turn and then made the second turn. As I was swimming, I took a breath to my right and saw Donnie on the surfboard. That was so cool to see him. He told be good luck and that he loved me.. I don't know if I will ever have that experience again.. I continued to swim toward shore but it was really hard to sight.. we had the sun in our eyes, so I kept hoping that I was swimming straight.. After awhile, the guys behind me started to try to swim over me, kick me and pull my legs. I was getting a little mad when all of a sudden, I get a tap on my shoulder... In the water, there was Don. He caught up to me, spotted me and gave me "I love you" before he swam on.. Now I know that is an experience that I won't ever get to experience. I got to the shore and I encountered my first hill. I had to run up a hill to get to T1..so off I go.

Getting on the bike, I got to my bike and started to take off. As I was about to exit, there were volunteers slathering sunscreen.. I had learned my lesson, I forgot to put on sunscreen, so I asked the volunteers to slather on the sunscreen. I am so glad I did. The bike was amazing.. The course was relatively flat and they even closed down a major highway. My average speed was 16.9 in the first half and 17 mph on the second half. I met my goal for the bike. I was on my way to finishing under 7.5 hours.  Knowing that the run had rolling hills, I made sure I kept up on my hydration and electrolytes.  I came in on the bike into T2 and got ready for the run. Off I went, I tried to make sure I didn't take off too fast because I was going downhill.. So, I held back a little.. only a little because I had a goal of running faster.. There were water stops every mile on the course. It felt like I was running into the next aid station after finally getting into a groove. I was doing great on the first half. I pushed up the hills, like I had learned and gave 100% effort. I didn't beat myself up if my speed was 14 min/mile. I just kept telling myself  keep on running, keep on running.. At the turnaround point, the run started to get hot! The sun was beating down and I was trying to keep cool. I am so glad I brought an endurocool towel. That was a lifesaver and the cold sponges. I was wearing down but I kept on running.. There were times that I would want to walk but I didn't. I actually tried to walk only through the water stops and then shuffled.. As I was coming up the last hill, I felt like I was the Bionic Woman running.. my arms were moving but my legs were going REALLY SLOW... you could almost hear "NANANANANANAA".. I got to the top of the hill and ran down the shoot to the finish line! What a feeling to see the time under 8 hours 30 mins on the overhead clock! I knew I had finished under 7.5 hours and I had a smile on my face..

Looking back on this race, it was one of my best races ever! I saw my son on the course as a lifeguard! I saw my husband on the swim, bike and run! This was a great race! I know we were lucky to have great weather for the race but I, also, know that all of my hard work has finally paid off. Lesley helped me with keeping me motivated and just always being there when I needed her and working Billy on the computrainer just gave me the strenght to maintain my speed on the bike.. This was a great race and I know my triathlons will keep getting better..I have one more mini sprint this year and I will be concentrating on the road runner race series..

Speedy Turtle is starting to get faster!!

Happy Training!
Eling

Still training... One week to Ironman 70.3 Muncie

Well, it has been over a month since I last posted.. I have been keeping myself really busy.After Memphis in May, I went back to training for another half ironman... I know you are thinking...."ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!" Yes, I am crazy.. but I think I am starting to get addicted to the training... That is a good thing right?! I started to run intervals with the Bartlett Rec Center and I started Computrainer sessions at BioMechaniks.. So... I am busy pretty much everyday of the week. Monday = run, Tues = computrainer, Wed = Swim, Thurs = computrainer, Friday = rest and Saturday and Sunday long rides and run... In between the training, eating a sleeping, I have been stuck playing Candy Crush...

One advice to anyone who reads this...if you have not started playing Candy Crush.... DON'T...  It can consume you.. So, I have made a pact to myself to limit myself on Candy Crush... We will see how far that goes..

Anyway, back to triathlon training... My training has been quite the adventure in Nature.. Today on my last Brick, on my bike ride, I saw a deer.. The deer just stood there and watched me ride by.. What a majestic animal..near the end of my ride, I saw a turtle in the middle of the road.. I had to save the turtle.. I moved the turtle to the other side and made sure it was  safe...finally, while I was running, I saw a baby frog hop past my feet.. It is amazing how much you can see when you stop to enjoy your surroundings and not just trudge through your workout.. I have had some bumps and bruises while riding.. During our 4th of July ride, I lost my balanced and fell.. I fell in front of the whole group... I was more embarrassed than hurt.. I cleaned it with water and had one of the best rides ever..

This looks worse than it really was.. I thought, well... I have a race in a week, so something had to happen.. :).

I am getting nervous about the race in Muncie but it will be fun. I will be doing the race with my husband and my son will be volunteering as a lifeguard.. How  cool is that! My goal is to finish faster than New Orleans (7 hours 29 min) but I will be happy to finish and feel good about my race.. Always need to finish with a smile and know that I did my best.. Who knows... if all goes well, I may look at a full next year.. but that is not a decision to make right now...

Until then... I will be going into my race week... I will know that I have been consistent with my training and I will continue..

Have a great week!

Eling 

Training again in the heat....

Well, the last time I wrote it was Mother's Day and I had a wonderful day.. the very next week, I had my next race which was Memphis In May Olympic Distance. This is a great race to participate in every year and I thought I was ready, cause I had just finished HIM New Orleans and I have been staying consistent.. So how did it go??? Let me tell you...

So, my experience at Memphis in May  was not as great as I would have liked but I did finish with a PR for MIM of over 23 minutes. Being consistent in your training really works and when you see results, you just want to keep trying harder.. 

My swim was the best swim ever.. I was soo happy about that.. I got out on the bike and I loved it! The winds weren't as bad as New Orleans and when I finished the bike, I could have gone another 20+ more miles.. I think I blew up on the run.. I was not ready for the heat and lack of ice on the course.. but I was not going to walk.. I only walked through the water stations and continued running, even if it was a 13-14 mile/hour.. I was not going to walk.. my stubborn self..   As I was finishing up the race, my husband and my son started jogging with me  and cheer me on because I was so mad at myself.. I wanted to run so much faster.. I came in and I saw my time and realized that I was under 3 hours and 30 min, my goal. I actually cheered up when I found out that I had won Athena Master.. I never win, so it was so great to take home bling!...Actually, both my hubby and I won. He won Clydesdale Masters. We were able to get a picture together with our awards...  So, what was the take home message from this race??? I need to acclimate to the heat.. That is what I have been doing... My next Big Race is Half Ironman Muncie in Indiana on July 13.. that's right in the middle of the summer in the Mid West...Last year, they cut the distance of the bike and run to an Olympic distance due to the heatwave.. so we will see. I am actually looking forward to racing this because I want to see what else I can do. I think I have become hooked on my training...So many times in the past, I would "think" I was training and I didn't do very well, so I would just give up.. Not this time!! I have been following my schedule and I keep on going. Today, I finished my long brick - 40 miles on the bike followed by a 4 mile run and I ran faster than that I had during the Olympic distance two weeks ago.. acclimating in the heat is important. I have also started working on the nutrition again for the race distance.. during the half in New Orleans, I started to cramp in my quads, and I think it was due to not having enough electrolytes in the system, so I have started to add that to my nutrition and I will be adding salt capsules.. so many things to remember. I will have to start keeping a  list.. 

I have added new training items to the schedule.. I am now working on the computrainer twice a week and I have added some intervals.. Last week, I had 3x 1 mile intervals and I actually ran.. I didn't jog the intervals.. Yeah!! Once Muncie is done,  my next goal will be running the St Jude Half Marathon. 

Speedy turtle is trying to get faster, slowly but surely... 

Until next time... (maybe I will write about the laws of thermodynamics and how it relates to me and my triathlon training)..

Eling...

P.S.. I was just sent the Movie trailer for Turbo.. I can't wait to see it.. 

Happy Mother's Day to all of us Moms that try to do it all!!

Today was a really great day! As I think back to when I first became a mom, I was soo scared. How was I going to be able take care of a baby.. on top of that, my husband was just starting out as a Naval Aviator and was just about to go on deployment...OMGoodness...How was I going to do this?!?... I had many days, when I would go for a run or to the gym and feel guilty about leaving him with a sitter or with my husband when he was home.   I would drop everything to take my son to his theater class, little league and swim practice.. I have spent a lot of hours watching him grow up to be a great kid who is a honor student. I couldn't have asked for a better kid....It was hard back then when he was little, but  with a lot of help from friends, family and many time outs for mommy.. yes, I gave myself timeouts :) I was Donnie's mom..

Fast Forward to today.... My son, is 15 and will be 16 next month and he is my biggest fan and supporter for my training and my triathlons and my eating habits! He has told me not to feel guilty about training... in fact, he has encouraged me to go out and bike, run or swim..He watches what I eat and always encourages me to eat protein after a hard workout! He is, also, at the finish lines cheering me on to do my best!

Today I got the best gift ever from him... he posted a picture of me on Instagram and thanked me for being his mom.. What a great son I have! In addition, to the Thank you post on Social Media, I got a set of arm coolers for my triathlons! I know.. some moms would love to get flowers and chocolate.. I was really happy about arm coolers.

So, today's post is for all of us Mom's who try to do it all... We do not need to feel guilty about taking care of ourselves because what we are doing is setting an example to our kids... they love us and want us to be happy.. They know if we are happy and healthy, they work and strive to be just like us!

Happy Mother's day to all!
Eling

Donnie age 15, New Years 2013

Donnie when he was three 

Post Race Report and reflection

The  Ironman 70.3 New Orleans race was amazing. This was my second half ironman and I am hooked! The venue was great venue and the course is really nice too. I would recommend this to anyone who ever wants to do an early race.
Ok, the race. So, I woke up at 4:45 am to get to the swim start and transition area before 6:45 am (this is when the transition area is closed). I laid out my gear..(I checked and triple checked my gear the night before and I still forgot one item - sunscreen). Over the loud speaker, we get the water temperature: 64 degrees...BRRRRR... I am so glad I brought my wetsuit..We walk over to the corral area and I waited for over 2 hours. The coolest thing was to see the Iron Nun, Sister Madonna Buder take off on the swim! She is 82 years old, she started triathlons when she was 52. She was three people in front of me. She jumped into the water just like a pro.. I should say, she dove into the water like a pro.. Then it was my turn...I jumped in the water and my face was immediately cold.. I looked at the buoy and started swimming and I was knocked off course.. there was a current pushing us to the left, so I zigzagged back in line. I usually sing 99 bottles of beer on the wall but I wasn't getting into a rhythm, so I sang "row, row, row your boat." Great little song. I swam to the next buoy and made the turn.. I looked around me and I wasn't the only green cap around... there were many in front of me and many behind me.. Sweet..I wasn't last..made it to the next buoy and I started to swim.. About 800 yards before the swim exit, I heard a "scream for help".. OMGoodness... I didn't know what to do.. I panicked, "do I stop and help her or what".. I saw that someone else had stopped to help her, so   I just trended water until a boat came to her. You read so much about people getting scared and freaking out but I had never seen it before. So, I continued swimming and crawled out and up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, there were wetsuit strippers! Yes, someone to help you take of the wetsuit :)  I looked at my watched and was a little bummed..52 min (ten minutes slower than the last time I did this...oh well, I didn't want to mope.. I had the rest of the race to complete.
T1 - got my bike and took off.. I heard " Go Thunder!" What a great sound.. I took off and headed right into a head wind! I am so glad I practiced in the rain and wind.. I was able to maintain a speed of 13-15 mph.. I passed a lot of people on the way out.. One of the newest things, I started doing this year, was follow the nutrition from the "Feed Zone". I made me a rice cake. This was great! At about mile 20, I ate some stinger waffles and then had some of the rice.. Talk about getting a good boost of nutrition. I was not starving when I came off of the bike. I, also trained with Perform, so the drinking the Perform was not bad at all. During the bottle exchanges, I stopped and exchanged my bottles. I will need to learn how to do bottle exchanges, to help with time. I just did not want to risk a crash. Continuing on the course, I passed more people. I made the turn around and I was going 18-20 mph. I saw the beauty of the marshes and can totally understand why people wanted to live here. The area was beautiful! The breeze on the way back was soo nice.. I rolled into T2 and ran to my gear and racked my bike and I took off..
Oh boy, I could feel the sun now.. I ran out of T2 and saw sunscreen, what a relief.. I slather some sunscreen on and took off.. The one thing I forgot was my sunscreen. I need to remember this for my next race. As I started running,  I kept singing to myself, "put one foot in front of the other".. That helped because my goal was to run all the way and only walk the water stations. Running along the lakefront was soo beautiful. I saw all of the nice homes that have been rebuilt and the levee locks. I just maintained my pace and tried to make sure, I kept my feet moving.. At about mile 10, everyone I kept seeing, were telling me, you are almost there. After awhile, I stopped believing them because it seem like FOREVER....Finally, at the last turn, I heard my son yell "Go Mom Go!!!" I looked up and there he was smiling at me and my husband was talking to me to speed up.. and  he yelled " I am going to run faster than you".. I told, yes you are! I then said that I think I will make 7 hours and 30 mins, that is when he yell" Get your butt moving!" So, I tried to pick up my legs a little bit more to get faster..ouch.. that hurt. I turn the corner and I had the biggest smile on my face! I looked at my watch and I had beaten my stretch goal! What a feeling! It is a feeling of accomplishment that you can do anything! I am still slow, compared to the other Thunder teammates that were there, but I know one day I will get faster!
All of us has this within ourselves to do this! I am still a turtle, I am just becoming a speedy turtle, who is getting stronger. I plan to complete another half ironman this summer. Goal will still be 7 hours 30 mins.. My husband and I are going to do Ironman 70.3 Muncie in Indiana in July.. (a little hotter). After that, I will be watching my husband complete his first Ironman in Aug in Louisville. Who knows, I may end up signing up for an Ironman next year... We will see..
Reflection... I now know that to succeed, you must train and train consistently. In addition, believe in your training. I really focused this year and it has paid off. Going into the rest, my biggest worry was not finishing under 8 hours. I had worked so hard but I wasn't sure if I could do it. I just kept saying " believe in your training" Lesley knows what she is doing. My friends and family believed in me and knew I could finish under 8 hours..  I just had doubts... Once, I started the race, I started to believe..After this race.. I became a believer!

 I know there will still be days, that I will start making up excuses to not get out there and train, but I will have to ignore those thoughts and move forward.. 

Time to keep on training and getting ready for my next race in May.. Memphis in May Olympic distance..

Happy Training!
Eling 

2 Days and 9 hours and 25 min....

My second half ironman is on Sunday 21 April 2013.... I have ran, swam, and biked to prepare for this race.. Do I have butterflies?? Yes.. I do!

 I know I have completed this distance before but I wasn't as prepared as I am now. I tried to be dedicated, I tried to have NO Excuses this time... I worked hard and I have been consistent.. Now I need to BELIEVE IN MY TRAINING...

I have been thinking about the swim and I have in my head going, don't cross your arms pass your body, think of pulling your arms along the black line...Nutrition on the bike, eat and hydrate... run..remember to run... walk through the water stops...

Finally, I need to remember this: Focus on how far I've come and not how far I have to go...

 I will remember this and have fun...

I will not give up!

Happy Training!

Eling...

Believe in Your Training!!!

28 Days until IM 70.3 New Orleans...


This weekend was a big training weekend... Friday, I started out with a 2000 yard swim.. completed this in 49 mins..Saturday, I was supposed to ride my bike for 50 miles, but I didn't have a three hour time block because I had to be Taxi Mom.. (in the past, I would just skip the workout...) Not this time... I rearranged my schedule and ran my 8 miles on Saturday in 1 hour 45 minutes.. in the wind and rain.. Sunday, I rode my bike for 3 hours - the wind was over 25 knots with rain and snow.. not a good combination to ride a bike... 

Am I crazy?? I think I am.. I have exactly 28 days until I line up to start the swim for the Half Ironman New Orleanss.. Am I nervous, scared,  and ready to take this challenge on???  YES!! I will be ready to take on this challenge. I have been really working hard so far this season and really want to do well. The last time I did a half ironman, my training was done in the middle of summer.. The summer heat of Memphis...I, also, was not committed like I have been this season.  This time around, I have been training during the winter and spring.. This winter/spring has been really cold. We are in the last week of March and today we had snow flurries.. It rained over the weekend, so I wasn't able to ride my bike for 50 miles.. instead.. I rode my bike on the bike trainer for 3 hours.. I am following the plan and it is starting to be a habit for me. I am still nervous, but as my son's swim coach told me today, "Believe in your training".. I am going to continue training.. on the rode, the treadmill, the trainer and in the pool. 

I need to keep reminding myself that I can do this. There is a mental game going on in my head.. Everyday, I have doubts about what I am doing.. I come up with excuses to not do my workout, in the beginning of the day, then by the end of my day.. I pack my gym back and I am off to either go for  a run on the treadmill... my friend and foe..., or swim in the pool... I have a lot of arguments with myself on these workouts, but I feel soo good after I swim.. or I hop on my bike trainer and ride.. I try not to give in to the excuses... I have doubts about finishing the triathlon and I talk to my coach, my husband or my son (my biggest supporters). I just have to keep on believing in myself and Believe in my training... I am doing more for myself now than I ever had.. So, here we go.. In 28 days, I will be nervous, anxious and excited to jump into the marina..I will swim my heart out, run to T1, get on my bike ride out and back to T2 and take off and run to the finish line. I will do this because I Believe..

Happy Training, 
Eling