Tina is part of our "Raise the Hope" squad and Cascades Edge was her first triathlon. She is a fighter. :) Congratulations to you, Tina!! Here's her story:
I felt like I got a good nights sleep, don’t remember being restless in the middle of night or anything like that, and I definitely didn’t have any more nightmares of coming out of the lake during the race naked. Yes, naked. After Patty worked my butt off in Lake Morton Thursday night, I had these nightmares that I was in the swim leg of a tri, and I was coming out of the lake naked and had to go back in the water to find my wetsuit and the race went on without me and I never got to finish. Is that weird or what? Anyway, had a good nights sleep, got up at 5:30am, my husband loaded the truck for me, I made a slice of pb&j toast which I gagged down; it’s really hard to eat when your nervous. By 6:15am we were headed on our way to Nolte, in the rain. The rain didn’t really bother or worry me; I knew I was doing this no matter what, rain or shine. I did have butterflies the entire way there though, and tried to keep drinking my water. Got to Nolte and found Teresa right away. I had my bike, my gym bag, a backpack and a Fred Meyer bag with my vitamin water and bananas in it. I was really loaded down with stuff and was driving Brooks (my husband) crazy because I wouldn’t let him help me carry anything. I figured it was my race and I should carry all of my stuff, I didn’t want any help, I need to do this myself. He just hated it because he thought it made him look un-chivalrous; so I let him hold my water that I was drinking. So I got my packet, had the bike people inflate my tires for me and got “marked”. Found our transition area, and happily also found Cathy, Patti, Elizabeth and Ruth. Once all my stuff was laid out, we decided to go look at the water and find our buoys. There they were, big and orange and daring me to come out and play. Went back to the transition area to suit up in my neoprene armor and prepare for battle. When we headed back out to shore we found Kristin Anderson and Teresa’s husband Ron. I was sick to my stomach and scared to tears, literally. I think Kristin was the only one who saw my eyes watering and it quickly passed as I had to pay attention to the announcer’s instructions. Before I knew it we were lining up to the start and stepping into the water. Water wasn’t too bad, not as cold as I remembered the week before and then I hear “45 seconds”, I’m in the water jogging in place to get the blood flowing, the “trickle” isn’t so bad either, I’m thinking I can do this, I’ve been training, this is equivalent to 18 lengths of the pool, I can do this! Then I hear “5, 4,3,2,1 GO”! I take off into the water and I’m feeling strong, 1 2 3 take a breathe, 123 take a breathe, 123 take a breathe and then I realize that the breathes aren’t going in. I am literally gasping for air, my chest is locked up and I can’t breath. So I stop. I am no longer swimming and I am bobbing around in the water trying to catch my breathe. I can hear Patty’s voice telling me not to stop, keep going, so I take off again and it’s no good, still can’t breathe. So I begin to doggy paddle, I think to myself that I have to finish this no matter what, and humility has gone out the window on this one. I begin to hear the announcer preparing the Olympic Men to start, I’m doggy paddling, I hear the Men take off and I’m doggy paddling, I hear them behind me like a tsunami approaching and I’m freakin’ DOGGY PADDLING! I don’t want to turn around, because if I do, I’m done for. So I make it to the first buoy just as the Men are jetting past me. I’m safe. The Kids in the canoe look pretty worried and I let them know that I’m ok. I look back to the shore and think wow, that’s pretty far, but that next buoy isn’t, so I take off swimming. I am feeling good and make it to the second buoy. I rest a bit and take off again for about 20 strokes and stop again, I look to shore I see Teresa getting out of the water. GO TERESA I yell and scare the canoe Kids who aren’t too far away. I go for it again and I am really disappointed at how fatigued I am. I stop again and try to pee because that 20oz vitamin water that I downed before the race is throbbing in my bladder. Can’t pee, relax Tina, you can do this you have to pee you have 11 miles ahead of you and you can’t stop at the buckets right now. Can’t pee, so I try to keep swimming and end up doggy paddling until I can touch the ground. I get out expecting to see my team totally disgusted at me for my weak attempt at pretending to be a triathlete and I all see are smiles and voracious cheers. I see Patty standing there in here bike helmet, yelling GO TINA GO!!! I walk the entire way to transition trying to shake off the shame of my swimming disaster. Then I see 2 RTB team members/spectators outside the transition area cheering me on as I am rolling out with my bike and helmet telling me I am doing great, clearly they didn’t see me swim. I yell back, “when do the nerves calm down?” and the gal says to me “right now, on the bike”. Good, I thought. So I head out on my bike and the first mile is a struggle, my legs are burning and I’m trying to open my power bar that I stuffed in my sports bra without crashing. Don’t really remember when the burning stopped but I do remember all our amazing RTB teammates cheering me on. I would see our colors flying by and I would hear “RAISE THE BAR” “you’re doing great”, “keep going”, “looking good”, “nice work”. Whether riders were coming or going, I heard shouts from both directions. I felt great and I’m pretty sure I was smiling. I was doing ok with my gears and I made it through all the hills. There were 3 times where I wanted to get off and walk but I kept hearing Patty “DON”T STOP TINA”! I made it over the hills and I kept thinking as soon as I see that little store, I’m golden. Now I still haven’t gone to the bathroom and tried to go while I was on my bike; gross, I know but by this time I was in serious turmoil. I can see the lights of the patrol car in front of the park and I know I’m there, I’ve finished the bike leg. I easily roll through the parking lot and I see my dear sweet husband at the end of the lot looking worried and proud and cheering me on. I dismount my bike and roll to the transition area, dump off my bike and head to the bathrooms, finally. Of course I lost at least 5-6 minutes in order to do this, but I didn’t care at this point. So I head back to the runner’s start, take a cup of water and start my walk. It was muddy, slippery and treacherous. It was at this point where I had lots of time to think, time to think about how insane this was and why would anyone in their right mind choose to do this. I was mad. I thought to myself, instead of calling this a Tri It, they should call it a Hate It. I can’t wait to be done, this sucks and I can’t believe I’m here doing this of my own free will. Then they started in on my again, “RAISE THE BAR” “you’re doing great”, “keep going”, “looking good”, “nice work”. This was also about the time that Luis Diaz passed me up and gave me a high five and told me to keep it up and said he passed Teresa up too and that she’s doing great. So I decided to run a little and it felt good. Not too long after that I was coming through park and really had my arms pumping doing kind of a speed walking thing. My legs were burning but I had to show my husband that I was ok and it felt great once again to see everyone, Brooks, Melissa, Patti, Patty, Kristin, Ruth, Elizabeth, Cathy and others. The second lap around the park was much faster and I did a lot more running than my first time around. There was this one RTB gal who had on red under armor, who was my run angel. She was so sweet and every time she passed me she gave me a big smile and would have great words for me. If anyone knows who she was please tell her she’s wonderful for me. She finished her Olympic just after my Tri it and I walked up and thanked her, but I wish I knew who she was.
Finishing was the best part of the day, finishing with at RTB jersey was a close second. Thank you all for your encouragement and support. I am so proud to be a RTB team member.
I will never forget my first outdoor triathlon. It was humiliating, painful, dirty, wet, exhausting, exhilarating, uplifting, empowering and wonderful. I ran across the finish line that day, and it was great.
What I learned:
Never give up. Even though triathlon is an individual sport, it’s good to be on a team, because you are never alone.
3 things I must do before Danskin:
1) warm up before my swim, so I can get my breathing worked out; both Patty and Kristin advised this and I didn’t listen
2) learn to pee in my wetsuit
3) work on my running endurance, I didn’t fall asleep after the race like I usually do so I think I had more to give than I actually gave. I wasn’t even that sore today, except for my bum.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Ann Sloan's First Olympic Race Report
Ann's FIRST Olympic Race
Hello all....get ready for a LONG LONG REPORT......it might be two sittings worth with a cup of coffee or wine.
Yahoo...the road to my first 1/2 Iron.....
The Pre Race Story:
Well, most of you all know I LOVE participating in races. Training for my 1/2 Iron has cut back on my race activities this season. Most races are on Saturdays, which is my training group day. Plus I need to do longer distances then sprints. This is where my fear, excitement, not sure what comes into play.....I wanted/needed to do an OLY distance prior to my 1/2 Iron and have very little choices.....in June it is Moses Lake or Cascade Edge. Cascade Edge is closer and cheaper, but they start the sprint and oly at the same time....my fear is being last so I opted for doing Moses Lake since they start their Oly at 8AM and Sprint at 10AM so you figure on the run I'll see the sprinters...PLUS it would be the same course I did my FIRST Tri on........
I talked a fellow Tri girlfriend into to going so we were on!!!! Moses Lake here we come for our first OLY - 1 m swim, 22 mile bike, 6.2 mile run.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Lisa and I drove to Moses Lake.
RACE DAY
Lisa and I got up at 6AM. I was dawdled too much....packed my stuff and dawdled more. Finally we left the hotel around 6:40, decked out with my RTB race uniform and headed to...you guessed it.....Starbucks! Got my pre-race green tea latte. YUMMY. Got to race check in about 7:05. Grabbed our stuff and set out to transition. We decided to set up next to another Biancci bike like Lisa's. The owner came over and it was a gal from Seattle, Gail - we made fast friends! this was her second OLY. She knows several of the gals I am training with for my 1/2 Iron. It made the time pass super fast...all of the sudden it was 7:40 and we needed to get in our wetsuits.
The SWIM>>>DA DA DA DUM
Got into the water and filled my wetsuit. Swam a few strokes then stood in the water for the 'Race Meeting'.
I was feeling pretty good. Excited.
Rory the race director started the meeting. He said....ok - now the swim has an hour cutoff.
"WHAT!?!" I yelled An hour!!? He gives me a funny look and several swimmers laugh and yes you need to swim a mile in an hour.
I yelled, THAT WASN'T on the website!!!! I am not kidding,this is not good." ok, now I was stressed!!!
I have never 'officially' done a mile in the open water let alone timed myself. Well, I pretty much did not listen to the rest of the race meeting....1 hour holy crap.
Once the meeting was over they did the national anthem. I think that calmed me a bit, but I kept thinking I need to do this in an hour.....30 seconds to send off....wished Gail and Lisa luck.....10 seconds....GO!!!!
ok, we are off. YEA, didn't even think about the people in front of me. The thought of being left NEVER entered my mind only, get to the 1st buoy.....just swim......
the swim course was 1/4 out, 1/4 back, then another time.
Got to the first buoy, hit my lap button on my watch - DID NOT LOOK AT THE TIME....figured that might stress me out. After I turned I felt some hands hit my feet. HUMM>>> someone is actually drafting off ME!?!?!?!? LOL. That kept me thinking for a bit. Midway back to the first buoy the leaders were headed towards me. I was a bit worried I might bump heads with someone. Nope, no head butting, but did have someone push off my legs. Got to the next buoy and hit my watch, again not looking at the time but did look back and there was a girl whose head popped up and she said ONE more to go. I said yep...and again thought wow what a change from last year....someone following me!
Got to the buoy hit my lap button and decided to look at the time - 27 minutes. YES!!! plenty of time.
The kayaker was funny - he said I was just behind the leaders and he was sure I could catch them. I laughed, thanked him for being there and headed on my way......last 1/4 mile. No worry, no concern. Did try and push a bit faster. Then heard one of my trainers voices in my head - Make sure to pee before you get out! Hummm, pee while swimming...yipes. That took my thoughts through the last 1/4....was able to pee a bit finally after concentrating. LOL>
Got out of the water at 37 minutes and was greeted by Rory who quickly looked at his watch and said - What 37 minutes - weren't you the one who was worried about the hour cutoff ....plenty of time!!!
Overall - my swim was GREAT! I wouldn't have changed a thing. I was steady, didn't freak out - other than before at the hour cutoff, kept mostly focused.
Ann's top 5 list of - you know you've improved your swimming when.....
1) You do the entire swim freestyle instead of back stroke
2) Even though you are 5th from last, someone is actually drafting off of you!!! (felt the gal hit my feet a few times on a turn)
3) The first 3/4 of a mile doesn't feel like the longest 27 minutes of your LIFE.
4) On the last 1/4 mile all you can focus on is how to pee and swim before getting out.
5) You look at your time for 1 mile (37 minutes) compared to last years 20 minutes for 1/4 mile !!! :)
Transition: Lisa was already in transition when I came in....we chatted a bit. can't remember much...then she headed off saying I'd catch her on the bike. I was moving kind of slow.
Bike:
Now on to the bike.....not much to report here. We are on a frontage road next I90. The first couple of miles my HR was way up and my thighs seemed to be hurting a bit. Tried to work that out. Few things to look at....freeway, racers coming back, few racers ahead. Lisa left a few minutes before me...so I worked on catching up to her and did. Spent most of the race on my aerobars. Saw a snake in the road too. The course was probably close to the loop around Lake Sam. I think Lake Sam has a few more hills, but felt about the same. Ate my 6 potatoes for fuel. Didn't drink enough probably. Would have been a whole different thing if it would have been hotter. It was fun seeing my speed at 17 and 18 mph...that is rare!!!
My Avg speed...16.4
Transition: Got into transition and changed my socks for the run. My feet were wet. Lisa came in just after me. Grabbed my hat and fuel belt which was packed for a family of four, said goodbye to Lisa, cause I knew she'd catch me on the run. Yes, had my fuel belt packed with all four bottles.
RUN:
The first mile didn't feel great but didn't feel awful either. Lisa passed me before mile 1 and was looking good - even though she said she thought her legs would sieze up at anytime.
This is where I know training pays off. Kept telling myself that the first two miles would be hard, but then I'd get into a rhythm. Before I got to the first water station a guy started to pass me...I of course cheered him on. I got to the first water station, passed on the stuff indicating I had enough for my family of four and kept on going....the guy stopped. Then he caught me again and asked if I had done this before - I said just sprints, how about him...first time and this is hard....then off he ran.....
By myself again.....saw racers coming back....yelled at them...didn't get too much response back. Passed a house where some folks were bbqing...I said hi, they returned the favor and asked how I was doing - I said GREAT and them? They had hangovers. LOL. Run run run.....sing to my self...lets see what else to think about.....oh, there's a yard sale....run run run.
Opps almost missed a turn....the volunteer wasn't paying attention. Whew, the turn around. Lisa passed me on the way back. I said I had plenty of water/gu if she needed anything....she laughed said she thought about asking me but thought it might freak me out.
Turn around point here I am!!! passed again on the water station, thanked them and told them sorry I didn't need them to do their job. :) Passed the yard sale house...there were some more folks shopping this time. There were a couple of folks looking bored, so I clapped and said, come on and cheer for me! They did.....that made me laugh for a bit. SAW NO ONE....for a long while...then I heard a car come by and girls cheering...it was the yard sale folks. I waved and cheered back...kept on running. Finally made it to the turnaround for the sprint distance folks and started seeing people. To my surprise the yard sale car came around again....LOL....
I kicked it in the last 1. I was in my element - other racers! I cheered everyone I saw......of course I am sure some of the faster sprinters were trying to figure out where I came from...and how I got ahead of them. The race numbers were the same color so they may not have known I was on the OLY course as the 2nd to LAST person!!!! Yes, not last but there was only one runner behind me......Then on the last 1/2 mile I caught up to an OLY runner....checked in with him and said come on and get on my heels...we're ALMOST HOME!!! Let's go!
I see the finish line and head on in with a SMILE on my face and my thumbs up!!
Except for my first mile - I was under 12 minutes. the last mile was great - 10:30, that was when I could cheer on the sprinters and had something else to focus my attention on other than ME! this was about the time I was thinking about my 1/2 Iron as well as if I ever did an Ironman - holy cow how would I keep my self entertained for 17 hours...ALL by myself???
The finish!
Lisa is greeting me at the finish line! I hug her and am so happy she finished and was happy! This was her first OLY and she hadn't been totally training for it. BUT she was sporting a 3rd place medal !!! Good for her. Then to my surprise the race director Deanna says oh Ann - here I have your medal....LOL....I said how can I get a medal being 3rd to last?!?! But there it was, 3rd for my age group!!! Of course there were only about 40 folks in the OLY race...and 3 or 4 folks in my age group. I'll take it anyway I can get it... :)
Total Time: 3:23 - not bad for my first OLY and to still be smiling and want to do it again..
1/2 Iron here I come - 1 month 3 weeks 4 days!
I really like this race I think it might be an annual one for me.
FUN TIMES!!!!
Ann
Hello all....get ready for a LONG LONG REPORT......it might be two sittings worth with a cup of coffee or wine.
Yahoo...the road to my first 1/2 Iron.....
The Pre Race Story:
Well, most of you all know I LOVE participating in races. Training for my 1/2 Iron has cut back on my race activities this season. Most races are on Saturdays, which is my training group day. Plus I need to do longer distances then sprints. This is where my fear, excitement, not sure what comes into play.....I wanted/needed to do an OLY distance prior to my 1/2 Iron and have very little choices.....in June it is Moses Lake or Cascade Edge. Cascade Edge is closer and cheaper, but they start the sprint and oly at the same time....my fear is being last so I opted for doing Moses Lake since they start their Oly at 8AM and Sprint at 10AM so you figure on the run I'll see the sprinters...PLUS it would be the same course I did my FIRST Tri on........
I talked a fellow Tri girlfriend into to going so we were on!!!! Moses Lake here we come for our first OLY - 1 m swim, 22 mile bike, 6.2 mile run.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Lisa and I drove to Moses Lake.
RACE DAY
Lisa and I got up at 6AM. I was dawdled too much....packed my stuff and dawdled more. Finally we left the hotel around 6:40, decked out with my RTB race uniform and headed to...you guessed it.....Starbucks! Got my pre-race green tea latte. YUMMY. Got to race check in about 7:05. Grabbed our stuff and set out to transition. We decided to set up next to another Biancci bike like Lisa's. The owner came over and it was a gal from Seattle, Gail - we made fast friends! this was her second OLY. She knows several of the gals I am training with for my 1/2 Iron. It made the time pass super fast...all of the sudden it was 7:40 and we needed to get in our wetsuits.
The SWIM>>>DA DA DA DUM
Got into the water and filled my wetsuit. Swam a few strokes then stood in the water for the 'Race Meeting'.
I was feeling pretty good. Excited.
Rory the race director started the meeting. He said....ok - now the swim has an hour cutoff.
"WHAT!?!" I yelled An hour!!? He gives me a funny look and several swimmers laugh and yes you need to swim a mile in an hour.
I yelled, THAT WASN'T on the website!!!! I am not kidding,this is not good." ok, now I was stressed!!!
I have never 'officially' done a mile in the open water let alone timed myself. Well, I pretty much did not listen to the rest of the race meeting....1 hour holy crap.
Once the meeting was over they did the national anthem. I think that calmed me a bit, but I kept thinking I need to do this in an hour.....30 seconds to send off....wished Gail and Lisa luck.....10 seconds....GO!!!!
ok, we are off. YEA, didn't even think about the people in front of me. The thought of being left NEVER entered my mind only, get to the 1st buoy.....just swim......
the swim course was 1/4 out, 1/4 back, then another time.
Got to the first buoy, hit my lap button on my watch - DID NOT LOOK AT THE TIME....figured that might stress me out. After I turned I felt some hands hit my feet. HUMM>>> someone is actually drafting off ME!?!?!?!? LOL. That kept me thinking for a bit. Midway back to the first buoy the leaders were headed towards me. I was a bit worried I might bump heads with someone. Nope, no head butting, but did have someone push off my legs. Got to the next buoy and hit my watch, again not looking at the time but did look back and there was a girl whose head popped up and she said ONE more to go. I said yep...and again thought wow what a change from last year....someone following me!
Got to the buoy hit my lap button and decided to look at the time - 27 minutes. YES!!! plenty of time.
The kayaker was funny - he said I was just behind the leaders and he was sure I could catch them. I laughed, thanked him for being there and headed on my way......last 1/4 mile. No worry, no concern. Did try and push a bit faster. Then heard one of my trainers voices in my head - Make sure to pee before you get out! Hummm, pee while swimming...yipes. That took my thoughts through the last 1/4....was able to pee a bit finally after concentrating. LOL>
Got out of the water at 37 minutes and was greeted by Rory who quickly looked at his watch and said - What 37 minutes - weren't you the one who was worried about the hour cutoff ....plenty of time!!!
Overall - my swim was GREAT! I wouldn't have changed a thing. I was steady, didn't freak out - other than before at the hour cutoff, kept mostly focused.
Ann's top 5 list of - you know you've improved your swimming when.....
1) You do the entire swim freestyle instead of back stroke
2) Even though you are 5th from last, someone is actually drafting off of you!!! (felt the gal hit my feet a few times on a turn)
3) The first 3/4 of a mile doesn't feel like the longest 27 minutes of your LIFE.
4) On the last 1/4 mile all you can focus on is how to pee and swim before getting out.
5) You look at your time for 1 mile (37 minutes) compared to last years 20 minutes for 1/4 mile !!! :)
Transition: Lisa was already in transition when I came in....we chatted a bit. can't remember much...then she headed off saying I'd catch her on the bike. I was moving kind of slow.
Bike:
Now on to the bike.....not much to report here. We are on a frontage road next I90. The first couple of miles my HR was way up and my thighs seemed to be hurting a bit. Tried to work that out. Few things to look at....freeway, racers coming back, few racers ahead. Lisa left a few minutes before me...so I worked on catching up to her and did. Spent most of the race on my aerobars. Saw a snake in the road too. The course was probably close to the loop around Lake Sam. I think Lake Sam has a few more hills, but felt about the same. Ate my 6 potatoes for fuel. Didn't drink enough probably. Would have been a whole different thing if it would have been hotter. It was fun seeing my speed at 17 and 18 mph...that is rare!!!
My Avg speed...16.4
Transition: Got into transition and changed my socks for the run. My feet were wet. Lisa came in just after me. Grabbed my hat and fuel belt which was packed for a family of four, said goodbye to Lisa, cause I knew she'd catch me on the run. Yes, had my fuel belt packed with all four bottles.
RUN:
The first mile didn't feel great but didn't feel awful either. Lisa passed me before mile 1 and was looking good - even though she said she thought her legs would sieze up at anytime.
This is where I know training pays off. Kept telling myself that the first two miles would be hard, but then I'd get into a rhythm. Before I got to the first water station a guy started to pass me...I of course cheered him on. I got to the first water station, passed on the stuff indicating I had enough for my family of four and kept on going....the guy stopped. Then he caught me again and asked if I had done this before - I said just sprints, how about him...first time and this is hard....then off he ran.....
By myself again.....saw racers coming back....yelled at them...didn't get too much response back. Passed a house where some folks were bbqing...I said hi, they returned the favor and asked how I was doing - I said GREAT and them? They had hangovers. LOL. Run run run.....sing to my self...lets see what else to think about.....oh, there's a yard sale....run run run.
Opps almost missed a turn....the volunteer wasn't paying attention. Whew, the turn around. Lisa passed me on the way back. I said I had plenty of water/gu if she needed anything....she laughed said she thought about asking me but thought it might freak me out.
Turn around point here I am!!! passed again on the water station, thanked them and told them sorry I didn't need them to do their job. :) Passed the yard sale house...there were some more folks shopping this time. There were a couple of folks looking bored, so I clapped and said, come on and cheer for me! They did.....that made me laugh for a bit. SAW NO ONE....for a long while...then I heard a car come by and girls cheering...it was the yard sale folks. I waved and cheered back...kept on running. Finally made it to the turnaround for the sprint distance folks and started seeing people. To my surprise the yard sale car came around again....LOL....
I kicked it in the last 1. I was in my element - other racers! I cheered everyone I saw......of course I am sure some of the faster sprinters were trying to figure out where I came from...and how I got ahead of them. The race numbers were the same color so they may not have known I was on the OLY course as the 2nd to LAST person!!!! Yes, not last but there was only one runner behind me......Then on the last 1/2 mile I caught up to an OLY runner....checked in with him and said come on and get on my heels...we're ALMOST HOME!!! Let's go!
I see the finish line and head on in with a SMILE on my face and my thumbs up!!
Except for my first mile - I was under 12 minutes. the last mile was great - 10:30, that was when I could cheer on the sprinters and had something else to focus my attention on other than ME! this was about the time I was thinking about my 1/2 Iron as well as if I ever did an Ironman - holy cow how would I keep my self entertained for 17 hours...ALL by myself???
The finish!
Lisa is greeting me at the finish line! I hug her and am so happy she finished and was happy! This was her first OLY and she hadn't been totally training for it. BUT she was sporting a 3rd place medal !!! Good for her. Then to my surprise the race director Deanna says oh Ann - here I have your medal....LOL....I said how can I get a medal being 3rd to last?!?! But there it was, 3rd for my age group!!! Of course there were only about 40 folks in the OLY race...and 3 or 4 folks in my age group. I'll take it anyway I can get it... :)
Total Time: 3:23 - not bad for my first OLY and to still be smiling and want to do it again..
1/2 Iron here I come - 1 month 3 weeks 4 days!
I really like this race I think it might be an annual one for me.
FUN TIMES!!!!
Ann
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Cheryl Iseberg's Half Ironman Race Report
70.3 Hawaii Half Ironman
Race Report - Cheryl Iseberg
In my best imitation of the sports announcer Al Troutwig “you find yourself on the Big Island of Hawaii”. Beautiful music is playing in the background. Pan to show the lava fields and waterfalls of Hawaii. You triathlon freaks know the rest of the lead for this story.
So, I have found myself on the Big Island of Hawaii for the second time in 8 months. Rob and I volunteered at the World Championships (Ironman Hawaii) in October as finish line catchers. We caught a glimpse of the magic and also met someone that would make an impact on my life. Many of you know and have contributed to my Janus Charity Challenge effort for Ironman Coeur d’Alene for Jon Blais aka “Blazeman”. Jon is the first person to complete the race with ALS. I was lucky to meet him and shake his hand in October and I am doing my best as a Blazeman Warrior to raise money for ALS at Ironman CDA.
A lot has happened in the last few weeks so this race report will be long (ok as usual) to get everyone up to speed. A week before the race I got some very interesting news that lead to a frantic email to my friend in triathlon and life, Patty Swedberg. The email went out in pure panic and desperation upon the news. Patty responded and jumped on a plane within 48 hours to join me here in Maui for our first ever Maui Training Camp. One I hope we can do each year J
We started a regiment of eat, train, call husband and talk for 2 minutes, eat, train, and sleep. Some of us eat more then others CLEARLY. Coach Phil I tried to get those last few pounds off of Patty but she insisted on sherbet and cheesecake. We had a good week of dedicated training. We are both focusing on June 24th and looking for redemption.
At the end of the week as we changed modes to Patty flying home and Rob flying in for a visit and to join me on the Big Island I received news that Jon Blais had passed away on May 27th. Jon was a true warrior on the fight of this terrible disease and showed what could be done with courage, strength and honor. Jon was diagnosed just two short years earlier. This information set me back. I wanted so much to be able to send an email to the rest of the Warriors of my accomplishment at Ironman CDA and I wanted him to be a part of that. I was not prepared to loose him right now but I know that he is at peace and I find comfort in that. I know the next time I meet him I will not have to lean over a wheelchair and lift his hands into mine but perhaps we will be coming out of the water together toward the end of great swim.
The trip to the Big Island is a short one from home here in Maui, just a 30 minute flight. We found our way to the race location and I knew this was going to be a great venue and race. It would be hot, humid, and windy. Perfect race conditions J My warm up bike ride was very windy and I soon realized that Maui winds do not equal Kona Winds.
Note to self, ride the white line so when the wind gusts come you have room for when you bike leaps and yes I mean leaps several feet over to the right. I knew the course was tough but I was not in panic mode. This race was not a goal race for me but a warm up to practice my nutrition and have a good training day in preparation for Ironman CDA. This thought made the pre-race panic attacks manageable well that in a few $15 drinks at the hotel bar.
As always, beautiful bodies riding sleek machines through the hotel complex. You wonder if these people do anything but train. This is always the time you start to wonder if you really belong in this league of triathlon freaks. Type A personalities everywhere but some things never change. A day of worry turns into “ok let’s do this”.
The day of the race is beautiful and the beach is fantastic. There was supposed to be cannon to start the swim but I never heard anything I just saw this mass of people running down the beach. Huh, ok let’s run as far down the beach before we swim. Sounds like a cool idea. The water is warm and clear. Not a lot of fish or reef but its nice. The current is running out and toward Maui. The first few buoys are tough. I have to fight off the other 1000 athletes struggling to figure out open water swimming in salt water without a wetsuit and fighting a current. I love the challenge and make my way through the blue caps (men) and leave them behind. On the backside of the course the kids are all way off course fighting the current. I make my way inside the buoy line and find a good deal of open water and no current. I love it! I take my swim as a nice swim in the ocean. No real pushes of power or kick. Just a nice 1.2 mile swim at a good pace. Coming out of the water in a near perfect time. I feel great despite the complications of a sinus infection and I take the time to go through the water showers to get the salt off of me. This is key to salt water swimming – get the salt off of you before proceeding on the bike for several hours of sun or you will suffer from that poor decision making.
I make a good transition and make my way up to the Queen K highway to race one half of the Ironman World Championship course. I think about Jon and ask for his help to keep things going well for my race. I see a lot of athletes with bike issues including many flats. The bike tech guys are on top of everything so people are not waiting long. I pray as always to the triathlon gods to let this not be the day that I encounter bike issues. My new ride and new Zipp wheels are screaming fast and I take the time to enjoy the ride. As the course gets more difficult as we make our way to the turnaround at Hawi, the wind picks up and the incline changes. I make sure just to focus on the plan from Coach John and keep a good pace. My mind wonders to Jon Blais again. How on earth did he ever do this race? How did he will his body to go up and down these hills and suffer the winds that never stop?
I am greeted at Hawi with “welcome to Hawi and God Bless” by a young bike rider. Perfect. This is just perfect.
I then proceed to drink up and eat. I was not prepared for the serious downhill I was about to encounter. I think my bike was giggling with pure joy down that hill. I of course was hanging on for dear life hoping for no big gusts of wind. I don’t know what the hell to do when you’re screaming (literally) down a hill at 66 mph and a gust of wind comes. Yes, kids, 66 mph was the top speed I reached and I took a picture of my bike computer to prove it to all of you race fans.
The lava fields are hot and I find my way back to the hotel and transition to the run. Of course as all of you know I always try to make an entrance and nearly flipped over as I unclipped. I have to blame that on my bike shop boyfriends who convinced me to swap out pedals and new shoes a month before a race. Not quite ready for prime time boys but thanks for thinking of me and I do think the carbon shoes made a difference.
So, T2 goes well and I stop to lather up with sunscreen. I have a pretty good base of tan from Maui but I know this Hawaiian sun and I take the time to get sunscreen on my back. Good plan for my triathlete friends now have some interesting red lines on their backs they are now sporting after the race.
I feel strong but hot at the start of the run. I take the time to hydrate, walk and cool down and thankfully within a few miles I am a new girl with a new attitude – that’s a song right? I feel much stronger then I have in any other race of this distance and I am sporting a smile (Rob said “no mean face” today so I was trying to comply). I have a pretty good run even though it was quite warm and I finish strong. This is a great race for me and I am pleased and tell myself “bring it on for CDA” during the last mile.
So to circle back with why Patty boarded the next flight to Maui. Many of you know this crazy dream of Ironman has been a part of my life for a long time. Many years of thinking of my hero Julie Moss before even starting any sort of training. To be exact, it has been 25 years since I watched her on television crawling to the finish. Doing an Ironman always seemed doable. Competing in Ironman Hawaii always seemed like a pipe dream. Something always to dream about but never to be attained by someone like myself a steady middle of the packer who sometimes can drift to the back of the back J One of the reasons is that Ironman Hawaii requires qualifying for the race which requires fast twitch muscles which only happens when the MS is causing trouble and never in the muscles it needs to be J
So, several months ago I saw an ad for something called the CEO Challenge. Which the short version is a bunch of 40 and 50 year old men competing against each in various sports. Once I logged on to the web site I realized I had to sign up. They only allow business owners or C suite executives with a certain level of yearly revenue from their business. The key part was they made the revenue limits lower for “women business owners” which really pissed me off. I don’t need anyone to lower the expectations for being a woman. So, to race with the boys, I signed up for the CEO Challenge at Ironman CDA. This challenge gives bragging rights to the fastest CEO of the race but also gives out rare Ironman Hawaii slots. Originally I did not qualify to compete for a slot because there has to be at least two women competing and the other woman had to pull out because of a diagnosis of breast cancer which is tragic. I had put the whole thing out of my mind until I was notified the week before the race that there was another woman who might sign up thus we both would be racing for a slot in October. Thus the email to Superstar with a clear panic attack coming on and her race to the airport to come to Maui to assist. Patty is also trying to qualify for Kona through regular age groups slots and after she beat me up for a week, I know she will be there.
Jon Blais died on May 27th and we were officially notified on May 29th that the slots had been approved and the race is on in CDA for us two women. The fastest woman will be going to Ironman Hawaii in October.
At first Rob was on strict instructions (along with Patty) not to tell anyone of my fate. I had vowed not to share this secret with others. Perhaps because I felt I was not worthy of such a slot but more then that, it probably was that I could possibly not be good enough and I might be beaten at the finish line and I would be embarrassed. It has taken a while for me to realize that that is not in the spirit of how I race or approach life. It is not about being beat or being embarrassed about telling people your finish times. No, it is about you doing your best on that day whatever your best is. If you did your best then there is glory in your effort regardless of the finish time or finish place. I truly think that Jon was part of the good race in Hawaii this past weekend but also had a hand in the last minute entry of the other woman in CDA to race for a potential slot in Kona in October.
You all now know that a dream may come true on June 24th and I hope that on that day you will think of me and wish me luck with plenty of speed on that day. I know every positive thought sent my way will help me have a great day. Win or lose – it will be a great day.
Back to Al Troutwig – queue beautiful music and the pictures of lava fields of Hawaii “you learn a lot about yourself on the Big Island of Hawaii”
Thanks to everyone for the continued support.
Livestrong,
Cheryl
Race Report - Cheryl Iseberg
In my best imitation of the sports announcer Al Troutwig “you find yourself on the Big Island of Hawaii”. Beautiful music is playing in the background. Pan to show the lava fields and waterfalls of Hawaii. You triathlon freaks know the rest of the lead for this story.
So, I have found myself on the Big Island of Hawaii for the second time in 8 months. Rob and I volunteered at the World Championships (Ironman Hawaii) in October as finish line catchers. We caught a glimpse of the magic and also met someone that would make an impact on my life. Many of you know and have contributed to my Janus Charity Challenge effort for Ironman Coeur d’Alene for Jon Blais aka “Blazeman”. Jon is the first person to complete the race with ALS. I was lucky to meet him and shake his hand in October and I am doing my best as a Blazeman Warrior to raise money for ALS at Ironman CDA.
A lot has happened in the last few weeks so this race report will be long (ok as usual) to get everyone up to speed. A week before the race I got some very interesting news that lead to a frantic email to my friend in triathlon and life, Patty Swedberg. The email went out in pure panic and desperation upon the news. Patty responded and jumped on a plane within 48 hours to join me here in Maui for our first ever Maui Training Camp. One I hope we can do each year J
We started a regiment of eat, train, call husband and talk for 2 minutes, eat, train, and sleep. Some of us eat more then others CLEARLY. Coach Phil I tried to get those last few pounds off of Patty but she insisted on sherbet and cheesecake. We had a good week of dedicated training. We are both focusing on June 24th and looking for redemption.
At the end of the week as we changed modes to Patty flying home and Rob flying in for a visit and to join me on the Big Island I received news that Jon Blais had passed away on May 27th. Jon was a true warrior on the fight of this terrible disease and showed what could be done with courage, strength and honor. Jon was diagnosed just two short years earlier. This information set me back. I wanted so much to be able to send an email to the rest of the Warriors of my accomplishment at Ironman CDA and I wanted him to be a part of that. I was not prepared to loose him right now but I know that he is at peace and I find comfort in that. I know the next time I meet him I will not have to lean over a wheelchair and lift his hands into mine but perhaps we will be coming out of the water together toward the end of great swim.
The trip to the Big Island is a short one from home here in Maui, just a 30 minute flight. We found our way to the race location and I knew this was going to be a great venue and race. It would be hot, humid, and windy. Perfect race conditions J My warm up bike ride was very windy and I soon realized that Maui winds do not equal Kona Winds.
Note to self, ride the white line so when the wind gusts come you have room for when you bike leaps and yes I mean leaps several feet over to the right. I knew the course was tough but I was not in panic mode. This race was not a goal race for me but a warm up to practice my nutrition and have a good training day in preparation for Ironman CDA. This thought made the pre-race panic attacks manageable well that in a few $15 drinks at the hotel bar.
As always, beautiful bodies riding sleek machines through the hotel complex. You wonder if these people do anything but train. This is always the time you start to wonder if you really belong in this league of triathlon freaks. Type A personalities everywhere but some things never change. A day of worry turns into “ok let’s do this”.
The day of the race is beautiful and the beach is fantastic. There was supposed to be cannon to start the swim but I never heard anything I just saw this mass of people running down the beach. Huh, ok let’s run as far down the beach before we swim. Sounds like a cool idea. The water is warm and clear. Not a lot of fish or reef but its nice. The current is running out and toward Maui. The first few buoys are tough. I have to fight off the other 1000 athletes struggling to figure out open water swimming in salt water without a wetsuit and fighting a current. I love the challenge and make my way through the blue caps (men) and leave them behind. On the backside of the course the kids are all way off course fighting the current. I make my way inside the buoy line and find a good deal of open water and no current. I love it! I take my swim as a nice swim in the ocean. No real pushes of power or kick. Just a nice 1.2 mile swim at a good pace. Coming out of the water in a near perfect time. I feel great despite the complications of a sinus infection and I take the time to go through the water showers to get the salt off of me. This is key to salt water swimming – get the salt off of you before proceeding on the bike for several hours of sun or you will suffer from that poor decision making.
I make a good transition and make my way up to the Queen K highway to race one half of the Ironman World Championship course. I think about Jon and ask for his help to keep things going well for my race. I see a lot of athletes with bike issues including many flats. The bike tech guys are on top of everything so people are not waiting long. I pray as always to the triathlon gods to let this not be the day that I encounter bike issues. My new ride and new Zipp wheels are screaming fast and I take the time to enjoy the ride. As the course gets more difficult as we make our way to the turnaround at Hawi, the wind picks up and the incline changes. I make sure just to focus on the plan from Coach John and keep a good pace. My mind wonders to Jon Blais again. How on earth did he ever do this race? How did he will his body to go up and down these hills and suffer the winds that never stop?
I am greeted at Hawi with “welcome to Hawi and God Bless” by a young bike rider. Perfect. This is just perfect.
I then proceed to drink up and eat. I was not prepared for the serious downhill I was about to encounter. I think my bike was giggling with pure joy down that hill. I of course was hanging on for dear life hoping for no big gusts of wind. I don’t know what the hell to do when you’re screaming (literally) down a hill at 66 mph and a gust of wind comes. Yes, kids, 66 mph was the top speed I reached and I took a picture of my bike computer to prove it to all of you race fans.
The lava fields are hot and I find my way back to the hotel and transition to the run. Of course as all of you know I always try to make an entrance and nearly flipped over as I unclipped. I have to blame that on my bike shop boyfriends who convinced me to swap out pedals and new shoes a month before a race. Not quite ready for prime time boys but thanks for thinking of me and I do think the carbon shoes made a difference.
So, T2 goes well and I stop to lather up with sunscreen. I have a pretty good base of tan from Maui but I know this Hawaiian sun and I take the time to get sunscreen on my back. Good plan for my triathlete friends now have some interesting red lines on their backs they are now sporting after the race.
I feel strong but hot at the start of the run. I take the time to hydrate, walk and cool down and thankfully within a few miles I am a new girl with a new attitude – that’s a song right? I feel much stronger then I have in any other race of this distance and I am sporting a smile (Rob said “no mean face” today so I was trying to comply). I have a pretty good run even though it was quite warm and I finish strong. This is a great race for me and I am pleased and tell myself “bring it on for CDA” during the last mile.
So to circle back with why Patty boarded the next flight to Maui. Many of you know this crazy dream of Ironman has been a part of my life for a long time. Many years of thinking of my hero Julie Moss before even starting any sort of training. To be exact, it has been 25 years since I watched her on television crawling to the finish. Doing an Ironman always seemed doable. Competing in Ironman Hawaii always seemed like a pipe dream. Something always to dream about but never to be attained by someone like myself a steady middle of the packer who sometimes can drift to the back of the back J One of the reasons is that Ironman Hawaii requires qualifying for the race which requires fast twitch muscles which only happens when the MS is causing trouble and never in the muscles it needs to be J
So, several months ago I saw an ad for something called the CEO Challenge. Which the short version is a bunch of 40 and 50 year old men competing against each in various sports. Once I logged on to the web site I realized I had to sign up. They only allow business owners or C suite executives with a certain level of yearly revenue from their business. The key part was they made the revenue limits lower for “women business owners” which really pissed me off. I don’t need anyone to lower the expectations for being a woman. So, to race with the boys, I signed up for the CEO Challenge at Ironman CDA. This challenge gives bragging rights to the fastest CEO of the race but also gives out rare Ironman Hawaii slots. Originally I did not qualify to compete for a slot because there has to be at least two women competing and the other woman had to pull out because of a diagnosis of breast cancer which is tragic. I had put the whole thing out of my mind until I was notified the week before the race that there was another woman who might sign up thus we both would be racing for a slot in October. Thus the email to Superstar with a clear panic attack coming on and her race to the airport to come to Maui to assist. Patty is also trying to qualify for Kona through regular age groups slots and after she beat me up for a week, I know she will be there.
Jon Blais died on May 27th and we were officially notified on May 29th that the slots had been approved and the race is on in CDA for us two women. The fastest woman will be going to Ironman Hawaii in October.
At first Rob was on strict instructions (along with Patty) not to tell anyone of my fate. I had vowed not to share this secret with others. Perhaps because I felt I was not worthy of such a slot but more then that, it probably was that I could possibly not be good enough and I might be beaten at the finish line and I would be embarrassed. It has taken a while for me to realize that that is not in the spirit of how I race or approach life. It is not about being beat or being embarrassed about telling people your finish times. No, it is about you doing your best on that day whatever your best is. If you did your best then there is glory in your effort regardless of the finish time or finish place. I truly think that Jon was part of the good race in Hawaii this past weekend but also had a hand in the last minute entry of the other woman in CDA to race for a potential slot in Kona in October.
You all now know that a dream may come true on June 24th and I hope that on that day you will think of me and wish me luck with plenty of speed on that day. I know every positive thought sent my way will help me have a great day. Win or lose – it will be a great day.
Back to Al Troutwig – queue beautiful music and the pictures of lava fields of Hawaii “you learn a lot about yourself on the Big Island of Hawaii”
Thanks to everyone for the continued support.
Livestrong,
Cheryl
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