Kristine Kloepfer's Park to Park Swim

Park to Park swim across Lake Washington (1.5 miles)

I have never done an event like this before. Strickly tri's and stand alone runs in my race history. I was scheduled to do a sprint tri this weekend but with nagging knee problems I decided not to do it. I heard about this swim just in the last few days and decided it would be a good alternative for me.

Up at 5:00am as I had to be at the the finish line at 6:20 to catch the shuttle to the start. Had some coffee and some peanut butter toast. If you haven't seen the fresh peanut butter at your local health food store with the chocolate chips in it, you gotta look for it. You grind it yourself at the store. It's awesome!!!

Drive the 45 minutes from my house to catch the shuttle. Met a nice woman on the bus who also did the Lake Stevens 70.3 so we had a lot to chat about.
I saw lots of people who obviously weren't carrying wetsuits and I was wondering if they just weren't crazy.

Got to the other side of the lake where the start was and started looking for Karin (a woman from the tri club who I had never met in person but we kept in touch through email the last few days so I would have at least one friendly face there).

I was in the first wave (the slowest) and took off right at 7:30. It was overcast and very little wind so the lake looked very calm. Within the first 3 minutes I found myself out in front of everyone else from my wave. It took 20 minutes for people from the wave behind me to catch up so for 20 minutes I felt like I was winning (HaHa). But I also really felt alone out there (even with tons of boat support) and didn't really have anyone pushing me. Just got into a comfortable groove and held it. Sighting was pretty easy since there were boats on both sides and kinda made a tunnel, about 50 yards wide, to help with sighting.

My goal was to finish under an hour. I just missed it and swam it in 1:00:47. I was pretty happy with that. I will definilty do this event again and it's a great break from tri's. The post race food was awesome. Scrambled eggs, sausages, fruit, muffins, coffee, juice, etc. etc.

Team Managers Road Trippin

I love spontaneity. Can't pull it off very often these days, but on Saturday every celetial orb lined up perfectly and I ended up on the road to Ironman Canada with Kris Stolmeier, one of the managers of Team Fastt. No, we did not sign up for 2008.

Kris is the perfect traveling companion. She'll do anything....laugh at everything....go anywhere....drive anywhere......at any speed.....in my car. We didn't know each other very well before this trip, but I've got plenty of stories now to go around. Team Fastt, just email me and I'll hook you up.

I'll hit the highlights....

We left on Saturday afternoon after the Lake Sammamish Race for the 6 hour drive. We had no place to stay, but figured we'd find something. We had sleeping bags and a tent just in case, and a sparsely furnished cooler. It was dark when we got to Penticton. 2700 athletes signed up for the race and apparently brought everyone they knew with them to fill every hotel, motel, parking lot, dock, raft, sidewalk, and median. No lodging.....at all. We managed to make friends with Dan and Terry, two friendly Canadians who agreed to let us share their campsite. We pitched our tent in the pitch black and had a refreshing drink to celebrate our arrival.

My main reason for going was to see my teammates race. Cheryl Iseberg, Tim Larson, Win Van Pelt, and Sean Mabin. We learned before the start from Rob, Cheryl's husband, that she wouldn't be racing - she was sick all night. She's smiling in this picture, but her little Ironheart is broken, I assure you. Mine too.

The swim start was pretty amazing. It was really the only time of the day that I wished I was racing. This picture shows about 1/4 of the athletes, I suppose. They were endless. Tim tells me he started in this part of the crowd. He's in the black wetsuit and blue cap right there by that gal in the black wetsuit and pink cap. He beat her.
After watching the swim for awhile, we went to see the cyclists leaving.

This guy got married the day before Ironman and ended up carrying his wife (also racing) across the finish line at about 11:30 that night. Thank God he didn't drop her . I'm thinking they'll both just sleep through their honeymoon at this point...

This is Tom Price from Triumph Multisport. He's actually won this race a couple of times! Quite the famous guy out there.

And there was a crash right at the start of the bike.....it ended one guy's day, I think, but we did see him walk away from the fall.

Back at the end of the swim, these 2 gentlemen were the last guys to make the 2:20 cut-off. The crowd was crazy. They had to get to waist-deep water before time was up, and they were exhausted. And the water was shallow for a long time, so they tried to run it in.

There were a few swimmers who didn't make the cut-off....so sad to see their disappointment.

Tim Larson ended up being the only RTB athlete I saw during the race. We're still trying to figure out how we missed Win and Sean!! Tim looked great all day. I guess when you do one of these 5 times, you figure something out!

I'm pretty sure this was Tim's PR - 11:22. I'm anxiously awaiting his race report - and the others too. All the RTB guys finished and we warmly congratulate them.

And to Kris of Team Fastt.....my memory of our time together in Canada will forever haunt..... uh.....I mean forever delight me. I have since looked at our splits from the Lake Sammamish race and realize that you killed me on the bike. Absolute murder. So now I'm off to ride my bike up every hill I can find with your picture laminated to my aerobars. Hopefully the next view you see of me on the bike course will be this one, borrowed from Cheryl Iseberg.....

Patti Krebsbach's Bloody Danskin Report

“More Mud, More Blood, All Good” is a saying heard in the sport of Cyclocross, however in my case it sums up my 2007 Danskin race.

I start out the weekend by attending the expo with fellow RTBers Heather, Kathy, Ashley and Lindy. We have three bikes on the rack and two inside the van. Heather said “we’re going to look like a clown car when we all start piling out”. Thankfully, nobody called us clowns.

We get to the expo and grab our spot in line. Doors open right at 9:30. We quickly get body marked; pick up our packets and then head into the expo. It was nice being there so early, but my first thought was HALF the space as in the prior years.

Speedster Heather beelines to the cap and shirt pick up while the rest of us dally around. We finally catch up to her and wait in line for the rest of our race materials. Mass Mutual is giving out cute pink t-shirts with the frog on it so I pick up one of those. Kathy, Ashley and Lindy get one too. I asked where Heather was. Little Speedster once again was off and running. Note to self: Tell Heather the expo and the race are two separate events!

After grabbing some freebies and making a few purchases we head over to Genessee to rack our bikes and check out the water.

While Heather and I are getting my bike racked, she gets stung by a bee!! That was a bummer but she finds some ice to help ease the sting.

All racked up, we check out the lake. Buoys are out so we are able to gage the distance. Doesn’t look bad at all.

While discussing our parking plans for the morning, we discover that Ashley was way ahead of us on that. She actually checked out the transition area and part of the course on the Tuesday before. It paid off!! She met someone who volunteers his driveway for the day of the event. Doesn’t get much cooler than that. Our only hurdle in the morning is getting past traffic cop #2. With folded arms and a bit of a “yea, right” attitude, she buys our story and lets us pass (after the race, her arms were still folded and she had the same look on her face).

I really wasn’t quite as excited about Danskin this year. I had been nursing a hamstring injury for the past month. I just planned to take it easy and let my body do the race without causing further pain or injury to myself.

I do a pre-race warm up in the water. Great temp. I am surprised at the number of pink caps and how quickly the waves are starting. It is nice to get started and on with my race until I start catching up with the swimmers ahead of me. I even caught up to some triathletes that were several waves ahead of me. It was a very crowded swim. I focused on the orange buoys while spotting. Lots of back and breast strokers, arms and legs everywhere. I can feel panic starting to set in. For a brief second, I think about my Danskin from 2 years ago. Either I can let panic set in or I can get a grip, get my breathing down and finish the race. Luckily, option 2 takes over and I finish the swim in just over 13 minutes.

I run out of the water and start stripping off my wetsuit. As was the case last year, I pass dozens of women walking out of the water. It pays to be able to run and strip at the same time.

I’ve had the team Cervelo tri bike for the last 3 weeks and we’ve become very compatible. I get through the first half of the ride with no problem. I ride up Day Street and make it on to I-90 with little fanfare. I love picking up speed going down hill on the bridge and try my darnedest to go fast up those hills but the tri bike just isn’t made for hill climbing. Certainly isn’t me, right? I get to the end of I-90 to head back down Day Street and see quite the line up. Walking down the path isn’t mandatory yet, however due to a minor bike incident, everyone is forced to walk their bikes.

I make it down the path. I get on my bike, down a Gu and start riding like the wind! I’m going about 17 or 18 miles an hour! I’m aero! I’m hoping to beat last year’s 20 mph average. I’m passing everyone in front of me. I’m finally alone and then all of the sudden I see a wheel trying to pass me on my right. Huh? I didn’t hear anyone call out to me. There is plenty of passing room on my left. What the?!?!? Why am I turning sideways? I realize it is my back wheel trying to pass my front wheel. BAM! I hit the pavement and slide about 10 feet forward. I’m down! I scramble to get unclipped and get up. All I can think about is getting back on my bike. I have a race to finish. Two volunteers run over to me and ask if I’m OK. I start getting back on the bike and ask them to give me a little send off. My bike is in high gear and will be tough to start. I’m peddling but the bike is going nowhere. I think the chain is off but it doesn’t look like it is. Then I’m panicking. Bike problems! That CAN’T be. I hop off the bike and the volunteer starts cranking. The back wheel starts to move. YES! I hop back on and with a little help I’m on my way. At this point, I’m a little cautious. Only a couple of miles to the finish. I don’t even clip in. I ride unclipped and get it done.

I get off the bike at dismount. Look at my knee and there is a trail of blood down to my ankle. I rack my bike and continue with my transition. I look at my elbow and it is worse than my knee. I run through the next timing mat and see Patty and Bill Swedberg. They’re cheering me on and with a big smile I say “I got blood!!!” This gets a few cheers from the crowd and gets me going. I see a photographer on the road and I point to the elbow and say “you gotta get this”. He laughs and says “got it”! A few women cheerleaders offer their sympathy but I am not feeling pain at all. I give them the muscle flex and their “oh no’s” turn into “way to go”. That was awesome!

I make it to the finish. Shoes are muddy. Body is bloody. All is good.

I get my medal and am happy to be done. A near panic in the water. A bike crash on the ride. A run with a strained hamstring. A respectable top 25 finish in my age group and top 4% finish overall. I’ll take it!

I make it over to the first aid station. The ladies in the tent clean my elbow and knee. They are convinced I need stitches and tell me to get treatment within 4 hours. We wait for the several more RTBers to finish. I run to use the Honey Bucket. Pull down the shorts and see my hip and thigh. Ugh!! Sorry for the graphic description but my hip looks like hamburger. Ewww!! Back to the med tent for me. On a good note, no rips in the clothing!

On the way home, we’re talking about our next meal. I’m starting to really hurt now. I tell our faithful driver Mr. Heather (aka Mark) to drop me off at Valley and I’ll call them when I’m done. I spend 3 hours there. No stitches but I do get a few x-rays of the elbow. The doctor asked me if I was upset that I crashed and didn’t get to finish. You should have seen the look on her face when I said “Oh, I finished. NOT finishing was NEVER an option.” With disbelief in her voice, I hear her telling everyone outside my room that I got back on my bike and then ran 3.1 miles. Classic!

It has been two days since Danskin. I’m still bandaged up but the pain is fading. I’m ready to do it again…rain or shine!

Linda McCandless Danskin Report

What an amazing event the Danskin race is; purely in numbers and courage! It is so AWESOME to see so many women out there giving it their ALL. The broad range of athletes was more than awesome, it was amazing. I found myself throughout the race whooping it up and cheering on anyone I passed or was passed by. The sheer numbers from RTB was fantastic. Being a newbie to RTB, I really felt like I was part of a GREAT TEAM!

My story is pretty simple. I have been an athlete all my life, but my love (passion) was soccer. Unfortunately or fortunately, I had a back injury which led to having a numb right foot and calf (what do you do with that? No time to fill sorry for yourself). So, the soccer game had to be sidelined and replace with something else. Along with the replacement factor, I turned “40”. Motivation set my sights on doing a Triathlon. My first was to be the Danskin this year. But, by June I felt I could do one. So, I did the Blue Lake Triathlon on June 9th. My swimming was pretty close to a disaster, but I did make it out of the water on my own, and finished the race with acceptable numbers due to my bike and run (setting the bar for myself). I had to find someone to train with! My search led me to RTB. I thought I should do another TRI before Danskin. So, I did the “Work It Out” Tri on July 21st. Again, the swimming was discouraging (my face did not like the look of the bottom or lack there of, in the lake). It was back to the pool and many lakes for me: I found helpful tips and encouragement from Sharon Wright, and others on the RTB Team. Also, the Wednesday night workouts were a huge benefit. All of this brought me to the shores of Lake Washington on August 19th. I found myself filled with butterflies and complete apprehension. I had to conquer this swim and have FUN doing it! I was fortunate to pal up with Sharon until her start, just before mine. I lined up in the far front right. I told myself to stay to the side and one two three breath, one two three breath. I was the HAPPIEST woman on the planet coming out of the water (my husband told me later he new I had ‘nailed it’ by the look on my face. Swim in at 14:27. I was on cloud nine the rest of the race!!!!!!! I had a great time and enjoy every minute: I finished in 1:22:01 . This is the beginning of many races to come…..

THANKS,
Linda McCandless

Ken Pinchiff's Apple Capital Race Report

In the sea of Danskin reports there surfaces another race report - from a MAN!!! Yes, it's true, about 1/3 of our team is men, and being the less-verbal gender, we don't hear as much from them. But they are definitely out there!!!

I wasn’t sure how to blog this so figured I would e-mail it to the two of you and if you like you could forward it to the team or add to the Gallery.

The locals told me that it hadn’t rained in Chelan for 2 months. Well just for me and about 200 of my best friends it rained on Sunday for the race. The swim part of this race is always interesting but this year it was especially fun. This race takes place on the Columbia River just out of Chelan. Every year the local PUD has to go through and cut the milfoil down for the swim, but this year it was so thick that the best they could do was cut an 8’ lane through it where it was to thick to swim through. At one point I got off track and found myself in the middle of a milfoil patch trying to fight my way through it and find my way back to the swim lane. Not a swim for those that are easily freaked out by seaweed.

Once on the bike, although wet, things started to improve. It was a nice out and back and then onto the run. The thing I always like about this race it my family goes over with me and we camp for a few days before the race. The race actually goes through the campsite, so Jill and the boys only have to walk about 100 yards to see me swim, bike and run (and take some pictures).

The funny thing is that I spent the last few weeks worrying about the heat in Chelan and it turned out to be wet and cold – sounds a little like Seattle. Nevertheless, I was happy with my overall performance and improved on last year’s time by about 15 minutes (Olympic Distance). As far as I could tell, I was the only RTB racer, but did my best to represent the group.

Angela Meek's DAMPskin (I mean Danskin) Triathlon Report

Yesterday is a triathlon to remember for sure. Someone said that maybe God was just mad because 5100 women and their families were skipping church so he decided to flood the earth again. Needless to say – not the weather anyone had expected for August. This is my fifth one this season (3 sprints and two mini’s) and the worst weather yet!

Up at 3:30am, left the house by 4:15 and arrived at 5:10 to catch the first shuttle to the park. It was a strange feeling to arrive at the park and have it be so dark and wet. We got there checked our bikes and set up our transitions zones with multiple garbage bags to try to keep things dry – I had so carefully covered my bike seat the day before to make sure it was dry – so lets just say I am not sure the purpose of that since nothing else was dry and I would be getting out of the water and jumping on it wet.

Once everything was ready, I did a short warm up run and then got into my wetsuit early because I was too cold.

Down to the Water to watch the start and wait for my wave #12 start. I have to say I really hate this part. Finally it was our turn we are told to enter the water and given a high five by Sally Edwards. We were standing in the water and Sally was doing her PUMP UP speech and then finally the count down. We are off. 100 people kicking and hitting you – so much fun!! This was the most crowded swim I had ever done - we quickly caught up with people from the wave before and I swear there was a convention going on at both buoy's (people just floating and talking (did they forget this is a race??) It was crazy crowded and I was bumping into people most of the time. I still need to learn to just go and not try to swim around people and be polite, in practicing my assertive swimming I even swam through an angel (that’s a person in the water with a noodle that helps people who need help) and the person she was helping – they were taking up so much room I just had too – I hope she made it!!!

Out of the water and ran to the bike. I heard my family and bunch of other people yelling for me – that is always great. My towel was wet so I did not even bother to dry off – on with the socks right over the wet feet with grass and then through on the bike shoes and off to the bike start. I took over 2 min off my Transition 1 zone this year. On the bike – which again was say crowded this year. Slow start with about 20 people jamming the road – so I started with the ON THE LEFT yelling and finally got going. Then I hit the little hill. Last year there were 6 people on the hill – this year there was at least 20 – the walkers stayed to the right and those who rode to the left. The problem was that some riders would give up and get off – luckily they all moved over quickly and all of us riding kept yelling at everyone (keep going) (when you clipped in and someone stops in front of you – you fall down – which happed to two of my friends – however they did look cool crossing the finish line with blood dripping) Made it up the hill and onto I-90, it was still raining and I was pushing it hard until I hit an expansion joint at 27 MPH and my wheel slid – that freaked me out and I slowed a bit after that – the turn around was slow there was a big line up so I tried to cut in and do a sharp turn I still had to wait but I saved a little bit of time. Back up the hill, through the tunnel and then when exiting the tunnel there as a huge side wind that freaked me out. I just kept telling myself – don’t slow, keep it straight and tuck low. So glad to off the bridge but then there was a big line up at the dumb little hill – they had everyone stopped and were making everyone walk down – that was irritating and it was so crowded that it took forever to walk down. Finally back on the bike – that cost me a lot of time. I was back on and flying. Some lady was right beside me and then she started talking to me, saying come on Spencer butt lets go (Spencer chiropractic is on our shorts). She kept saying don’t let me pass you – so I kicked it up and stayed ahead and listened to her say all that for the next two miles (she was drafting me) then finally I said you go girl and then I followed her in. With all the weather stuff and the crowd and being made to walk the hill my time was slower than last year by about 3 min so I know if it had been the same as last year I would have beat my time for sure. I loved the bike – it just flies by in time and it is so much fun. Next transition zone – again loved seeing my family there. Change of shoes and throw on the hat and number. (I beat my transition time form last J) Suck down a Gel and off on the run – It always feels weird to run after the bike. Now it is pouring! I wore my shoe laces that don’t need to be tied and I have a bone spur on top of my foot that was causing me problems and pain was shooting up my shins. I altered walking and running. At this point I know it is almost over – so just try to ignore the pain. My favorite part of the run is the bongo drums on the hill (it means less than a mile to go and it is just fun to have a cool beat to listen to as you go up the hill). Soaking wet I ran into the final path and saw the finish line and my family was there (YEAH !!!). My run was faster than last year even with the shin pain. Crossing the finish line is always amazing. I finished a bit above mid pack and it was a lot of fun.

It was wet and it was crowded but it also was a lot of fun. I loved seeing all the RTB people and hearing go RAISE THE BAR through out the race. 51 of our team were there. What a cool group of people and Patty kept popping up everyone yelling encouragement. I love our team. I think my favorite part of the day was seeing Teresa and Tina cross the finish line. YOU DID IT and did it well.

Everything was not perfect for sure as far as a race for time is concerned, but it was a perfect day to remember why I do this. It is not all about numbers (don’t get me wrong I love seeing those get faster). To me the purpose is having a great way to stay healthy – sure there are lots of options but I don’t think any of them compare with the fun of triathlons and running events and when you know you are getting stronger and healthier and you are doing it with such an amazing group of people cheering you on – what more could you ask for. Thanks so much to my family for letting me do this and cheering me on, to Shaun who trains with me and keeps me going, to the RTH gang who I absolutely love to be around, to the RTB group and to Patty for all you have done to bring this together. 3 years ago this month I was 345lbs and not healthy, now I am an athlete. Who would of thought???????

Next Race – BLACK DIAMOND OLYMPIC at the end of SEPTEMBER.

Jenn Geise's Danskin Report

It's now 2 days after Danskin and I have finally warmed up and stopped shivering uncontrollably. Let me just say that I was pretty stressed going into this race weekend. We had the expo to attend and had to rack our bikes the day before. I've never had to go through that kind of "process" for any other race, especially not the one other triathlon that I did last year. I was a nervous wreck. But, with my husband, Clint, continually calming me down and driving me to the race Sunday morning, I got there in high spirits and ready to roll. We took the shuttle to the race and walked to the transition area. I got there early enough on Saturday to get a spot close to the fence so that Clint could see me during transition time. That plan worked out well because I was taking too much time setting up my transition area when I saw him motioning for me to hurry. I went to look at the time and realized that I forgot my heart rate monitor at home. (That's my lifeline. Don't panic! I tried not to.) I quickly finished, grabbed my wetsuit, goggles, and swim cap and starting running. I got down to the swim start only about 2 waves before mine so I threw on my wetsuit (it slides on really easy now that I've lost some weight) and got ready to go. I felt great going into the water. I ignored what Sally Edwards was saying because I was trying to mentally prepare. The swim is usually my easiest and most enjoyable leg of the race. NOT THE CASE THIS TIME. I've never been in a pack of people that big and the water was so choppy. I could feel the water dumping into my wetsuit through my arms. So much for being easy to put on; I decided at that moment that it is time to get one that fits. I felt like I was a sinking ship going nowhere…I started to panic a bit. I have NEVER considered holding onto a kayak support, but this time I almost did.
THEN, I got a hold of my brain and started talking myself through it.
I did a silly little frog stroke and kick for, um, probably about 2/3 of the swim. I tried a couple times to start swimming again, but I kept sucking in water from the choppy waves. I finally pushed my head in the water and started swimming away as I rounded the last buoy and saw the swim finish. It took me a while, but I got my brain together.
As I was running out, tearing my wetsuit off, I was wondering how long that lovely little swimfest took. About that time, my husband yelled, "Good job, babe. 15 minutes!" What? All that choking and gasping and it only took me 15 minutes??? (Thank goodness Clint remembered his watch) What do you know? I suddenly found the strength to run faster to my bike.
I felt like I got through T1 quickly. (After the race, I found out that was not the case. I neglected to count the amount of time it took me to walk/run from the water to my bike.) I got out onto the
bike course with ease. I felt like a powerhouse. I took everything
I learned at our Wednesday night trainings and my 1:1 session with Brian. (Brian, thank you SO much for the amazing advice!!) I shifted perfectly for the hills. I sat up tall and breathed deeply while I was climbing. I didn't allow myself to fly down the hills because of the rain and the number of people. The rain was unbelievable on the way back. At one point, it was hitting my face so hard, I had to squint my eyes until they were open just enough to see the people in front of me. Not fun. I walked up and down the narrow hill that my RTH team had warned me about. I knew that a bike wreck would make me lose my mojo, so I didn't even risk it. I felt like the bike time flew by.
I got back to transition and felt like I breezed through T2. (Again, not the case when I checked my times later. I've got to work on these
transitions.) I set out on the run with my brand new hat that I got at the expo the day before. I got it because it has vents on the side for "heat". This time, I was just glad it was keeping the rain off my face. As I was heading out, I heard Clint on the sideline, yelling
"49 minutes on the bike. You're doing great!" Wow! That was great.
And I felt great. Last year, I walked the entire run. This year, I RAN the entire run. I even ran up the hill that I was mentally prepared to walk. (You know, the one where the bongo drums were).
When I heard those drums, I started plowing up that hill and down the other side. I slowed down only when I almost tripped when Mike cheered for me. (Note to self: Don't look backward to see who was cheering for you) I knew the finish line was close and I started running. Not just my normal fast jog…I was running, breathing rhythmically like Toby taught us, telling myself how well I did.
Then, I saw the finish line. I'm not sure what hit me, but I got an extra burst of energy and passed about 6 people in the last few hundred feet. It was unbelievable. I'm not sure whose legs I was running on, but I felt lightning fast. How incredible was that feeling? Was that my first "runner's high"? I thought that was just a myth? No, it must be real because I was on high. I crossed that finish line and ran straight into the arms of my husband, who was standing there looking at his watch with a smile on his face.
I'm still on high. I had an amazing time doing Danskin, despite the choppy swim and the pouring rain. My goal was to do it in less than 2 hours. I beat my goal and came in at 01:46:55. Yes, that's 1 hour and
47 minutes. That's a 34 minute improvement from last year. How
perfect is that? It's amazing what losing a few pounds, some wonderful support, and an amazing opportunity with a triathlon team can do.
And now for my thank you speech:
I have to thank Clint for running around in the rain during my race and for always supporting my endeavors (no matter how out of reach they seem). Oh, and for giving me his coat after the race, even though he was just as cold and water-logged as I was.
Patty, you are the sole reason I had the nerve to do my first triathlon last year. Thank you for giving every athlete a chance on Raise the Bar, even if we don't look very promising in the beginning.
Dad, thanks for joining the team, working out with me, and encouraging me all the way. It's so wonderful to finally have a sport that we both like. (I'm pretty sure you realized that I never really liked
basketball) :)
And last but not least, thanks to Raise the Bar and the Hope Heart Institute for putting together the Raise the Hope program. (Patty, Fianna – you rock!) Their intent was for our team to get in shape and inspire other people to do the same. Little did I know that the team would inspire me to do what I hadn't been able to do on my own…believe in myself.

Tina Coleman's Danskin Report

Here is my race report:

I got a great night of sleep and was up at 4:15 am on the morning of the race. I had my bag packed the night before, had some peanut butter toast and a yogurt for breakfast and continued my consumption of water that I had put on hold during my 8 hours of sleep. Teresa arrived at 5am and we were on our way to Qwest Field. I was unusually calm and quiet.

When we got to Genesee, I knew I needed to get air in my tires, use the restroom and scope out the water. I did all three in that order. After looking at the water, I knew I could do it. There was no doubt in my mind and it felt so good to be confident of that. Headed back to my swamp of a transition area and proceeded to get my wetsuit on, boy that was a dream with my tri suit on underneath, it was the easiest time ever even being wet from the rain. Once I was suited up, we (Teresa and I) headed down to the corral. We joined the other hundreds of purple caps and waited for our turn to be herded into the start. I think we were the third group to make it out, which wasn’t too bad. I was still very calm and didn’t want to stop to think about why, I just wanted to swim. It’s our turn and we get to step into the water, Sally Edwards is getting the crowd pumped, I didn’t quite here what she was saying, I just wanted past that swim angel. Finally I hear the countdown and I’m off! I’m going and going and going and then realize that I’ve caught up to people from the previous wave, I would see feet in front of me kicking wildly and knew I had to pass her, so I would. Then the next set of feet and so on. I get around the buoy for the turn around and I am feeling strong. There are 2 girls who are swimming side by side so I decide to go between them and one is determined not to let me pass so she would swim hard for about 6-8 strokes then rest, so yeah, I passed her. I was steady and consistent and still feeling good, even when I got kicked in the face and got my goggles knocked off. I didn’t stop swimming and remained calm. I just closed my eyes (so I wouldn’t lose a contact lens) and as I would come up for air I pulled my goggles back down on my face. Of course I had water in them and wasn’t very successful on my attempts to fix that, because I wasn’t stopping. Oh and the girl who kicked me? I passed her. So the goal I set 6 months ago at that RTH meeting, I DID IT! I swam the entire way, and my time goal was 20 minutes and I did it in 18:20.

I am not as skilled on the bike as I’d like to be and gave myself 55 minutes to complete the 12 mile loop. Not very ambitious, I know, but I was ok with that for today. I did it in 56:59. It was treacherous to say the least but it sure was fun yelling out LEFT! LEFT! LEFT! I really do have a wonderful bike; I just need to learn how to use it! The girls who were passing me on the inclines were the same ones I was flying past on the down hills. Tuck and fly! Right Ang?

By the time the run came I was feeling the fatigue, I usually drink an entire bottle while riding but with the rain, it was hard to stay stable, drink and put the bottle back; so I only got about ¼ of my drink down. I decided to gag down a GU and I squirted the whole thing in my mouth and it took me from my transition area all the way to the run start to swallow it without puking. I knew I was going to have to do some walking; there was no doubt about that. Toby told me to run until I couldn’t run anymore then walk until I got my heart rate down again. I didn’t trust myself to know when I couldn’t run anymore so I had to give myself time limits. Run for 5 minutes no matter what and walk for 2 minutes. 5 run walk 2, I did that the whole way including the uphill. My 5 minute run time didn’t run out until ¾ of the way up the hill and I wouldn’t let myself deviate from my 5/2 pattern so I had to run the hill. After the hill I had my last 2 minute walk and ran the remaining 6:31 across the finish line. I ran a total of 36 minutes and 31 seconds and walked for 12. My goal was to finish in 45 minutes and I did it in 48:31.

You know I could beat myself up for not making my 2 hour time goal, (sorry team I wagered 17 points on that), but I won’t. There is too much to be grateful for to beat myself up for 13 minutes and 12 seconds. There is always next time…

Thank you to Patty for being there at the finish line and straightening out my tank top for the pictures, you are great. Thank you Ang and Shaun for staying way past your finish time to wait for me, you are class acts. Thanks to all my RTH teammates who helped me keep my head up throughout this 8 month journey. Thank you RTB, for your support and for accepting me as one of your own. To all my coaches, Rick, Sharon, Toby and Patty, if you can turn me into an athlete, you can do it for anyone! And last but not least, thank you Teresa, I can say I honestly I could not have done this without you. You are my rock and you keep me motivated and you never give up on me even when I give up on myself.

My last race for the season, Black Diamond, will end where it all started, Deep Lake at Nolte State Park on 9/23. I can’t wait! Oh my, did I just say that? I sound like a tri athlete, oh wait, I AM.

Teresa Moffatt's Danskin Report

Teresa Moffat is the 2nd young lady from the right...and is surrounded by fellow Danskin finishers at the finish line.


“The Third Time’s a Charm”

I initially signed up for Danskin two years ago, prodded along by Kristin, who kept telling me I could do it. She said that Danskin was different and it didn’t matter how fast you finished – and that even people who never train and are not in great shape can do it. So I signed up…lots of excuses and two years later, I still had not completed this race…until now!

This was my third outdoor triathlon and it is my third in the rain, so the night before when it started to pour and I had given up hope at having a decent race day, I felt dejected and actually thought if my bike wasn’t already down there, I am not sure I would go through it. I got up at 4:00 and drove to Tina’s dreading the moment I would have to get out of the car with the heater and deal with the rainy and cold day ahead me. My original goal was to complete this in 2 hours or less, but given the weather, I gave up on that and just decided to have a good race and not worry about time. I was going to try and enjoy it, the way so many were while we were waiting to get in the water. I did not want to be last though…I had sworn everyone in RTH to one solemn vow that they would keep Sally Edwards away from at all costs! I know she is a great woman and I love that she comes in with the final participants, but I did not want to be one of those women! I knew if she came near me on the final leg of the race I would burst into tears! They all had instructions to get in between me and Sally Edwards if it came down to that!

The swim was good but Tina and I were in the last cap group so there were A LOT of people in the water by the time we were able to start and they were the friends and family division so they all wanted to stay together. I felt so good initially and I was making great time and then I hit a bunch of women (I think it was the wave before ours); they were having some kind of party, just floating and laughing, I just kept navigating between them. On the way to end, I came up in between two girls who were talking and said I am going in between you – thanks and swam between them, just as I took off I heard them say “some people are in such a hurry” and I laughed to myself under the water thinking, well it is a race they didn’t put timing chips on our ankles for nothing…I hit my goal of 16 minutes on the swim, but know that I could have done better with less partying in the water…oh well that is what Danskin is about!

I had one of my infamously long transitions though, I could not get my wetsuit off my feet to save my life…it has never been that hard for me (I think it was the long run from the water, it seemed glued it to me). Just as I was getting my bike shoes on, I heard “Go Teresa” and saw Kristin coming in from her bike. A helpful volunteer approached me just as I grabbed my bike to run out and said “oh, let’s wipe off the handlebars, wait here and I will go get a towel” and I was like “no, my handlebars are fine I have to go”!

The bike was surprisingly good for me, I was the most nervous about the bike coming in and The Hill…my biggest fear was someone getting off in front of me and me not having enough time to un clip and falling over. So it happened, two people above me a girl just stopped and got off her bike and the girl in front of me stopped too, I frantically started to unclip, just then they both moved and I just started pedaling fast and I ended up getting up the hill! I was going to drink my whole bottle of water during the bike, but it was too windy and wobbly, I took my water bottle out once and never again. I made pretty good time and the tunnels were a very nice break from the pouring rain, but then it was back out and into the rain again…They made us all dismount to come back down the hill, but I was fine with that.

When I came in from my bike and looked at my stopwatch I realized I was right on track to make my two hour goal, so I went on the run with a purpose of getting in under 2! I was tired and dehydrated from not drinking enough before or during the race and started slowly; eating some of the sport beans they were handing out and stopping to drink a few cups of water they offered at the first water stop. Now I started to feel better and started my slow run. I hit the first mile right on pace, then the second, still on pace but getting close…after the big hill (which I did walk up halfway) I started to run faster, thank goodness the last part is mostly downhill! I wasn’t exactly sure how far I was, I wanted to yell to people on the sidelines “am I within five minutes” since my watch was showing 1:55! Then I turned into the park and really started to pick up my speed, I wasn’t jogging, I was running in! I saw Patty yelling for me, then I entered the finish and heard Ang, Shaun, Connie, and Jodi yelling my name…then I crossed and stopped my watch and looked down…1:57 – yea I did it!

I really want to thank RTB, RTH, Tina and Kristin I never would have dreamed I could really do this and I know I wouldn’t have without all of your support! I have lost weight, lowered my blood pressure, I have more energy and I love the person I am today. I feel as complete and fulfilled as I have in my entire life!

So I can definitely say for me “the third time is a charm” and I really believe it was meant to be this way. I was meant to achieve this accomplishment – this year – with this group – everything is exactly the way it was meant to be! Maybe even the rain! Hey, since I have only raced in the rain, it is all I am used too! This also proves my theory that you only fail when you stop trying!

I saw a lot of women with a shirt and I saying that I really liked “The miracle isn’t that I finished, it is that I began in the first place”! This journey has given me so much and I wouldn’t trade any of my training time with you guys for anything. I love swimming in lane 6 and I love spending every Tue/Thu with them. Thanks to Toby’s clinic, I really am starting to love running! My whole life until now has been spent saying “I don’t run”, I can’t do it and I believed that! Now I am going to run my first marathon in June 2008! Guess what, I DO run! Oh yeah, I swim and bike too!

Cathy Christian's Danskin

Although this was my fifth Danskin, it was the best one I have done (actually nothing is ever better than your first Danskin, but this one came pretty close!).

It was the best not because I shaved 28 minutes off my time from last year (23 minutes adjusted for the swim difference) or because the baby powder in my wetsuit worked so well my T1 time was three minutes faster. What made this the best Danskin for me were the Raise The Bar team and the Raise The Hope group.

There is nothing better than hearing team members yell for you as you go through transitions. There is nothing better than feeling supported by a group of very special women with the same goal. There is nothing better than seeing RTB women on the race course and acknowledging each other’s efforts.
That said:
I didn’t want to use the shuttle so I arrived at the race course at 5:06. Parked in a great spot and sat in my car eating a rice and bean burrito. Sounds terrible but it gives me the right amount of energy! Walked to the transition area and paused for a moment to take in all the bikes sitting there – what a magnificent sight!
Set up my transition area. The bikes were so close together I’m glad I taped my bike to the post the day before. Hung with Janet Hominda who was in my age group but going in the wave after me (she passed me on the run!).
Wetsuit on, (powdered liberally), walk to the swim, get ready, and go!
A woman grabbed my ankle during the swim and my timing chip came off. I probably put it on too loose, anyway. I was following Patty S’s advice to cross the mat and then step to the side to take my wetsuit off. As I pulled-pulled-yanked-yanked my suit, the timing guy caught me and told me what to do through all the transitions to make sure I was counted. You could hear me loud and clear the rest of the race - “472 – lost my chip!” – I have a feeling this lost chip is going to cost me $30.00!
There were so many women in the swim – I aim really well and don’t (can’t!) change direction once I know where I’m going, so I swam through and over women; if she was in my way, I didn’t go around her – there was nothing that could deter me from my mission. Rounding the second buoy I ran smack into the kayak’s oar – in my right eye – I told the guy he was in my way and just pushed on! This last week I have been visually preparing (seeing) myself peeling off my wetsuit, and that effort really paid off. I ran up the transition carrying my wetsuit, and it felt terrific.
There are definitely advantages to being older. Out of the 51 RTB racers, I would guess I went first, in the 4th wave. The water wasn't too choppy, yet. I was able to bike both up and down the little hill to I-90 because it still wasn’t too slick. The rain didn't start in earnest until I was running the last mile - then the heavens opened up and it really poured.
The run! I slowed several times, took one step, thought about my wagered RTH points and then picked up the pace. I trotted up the hill, and ran as hard as I could down the street to the entrance to the park. I barely had anything left, and started counting my steps out loud to make sure I made it to the finish. Crossed the mat, yelled “472, lost my chip!” to the timer, heard her say “Got it,” and was all done!!!
After: Now I know what can happen when you train all year. I’ll be in a different age group next year, and 10th place in that group did 1:32. Wonder if that’s a possibility for me, who’s never been a runner, or a biker, or a swimmer, or an athlete – until now!!!!
AND, I may have to do the Black Diamond Olympic to end my best year on an outstanding note --

Cheryls Iseberg's Ironman CDA report

Race Report – Cheryl Iseberg
2007 Ironman CDA

An amazing summer it has been. I originally had not planned on writing a race report for Ironman CDA in June. There are a lot of reasons why I didn’t want to write one and a lot of reasons why I changed my mind.

Let me explain. The days leading up to CDA seem like they are a blur. I wish sometimes I had a video camera with me to record these moments and a lot of times I figure sharing them seems like me annoying you all with my accounts of craziness in this sport. I sometimes wonder if perhaps my audience is tired of my story and thus hitting the delete key?

So, why the reluctance to write about the race? I guess because for every action there is a reaction right? (Note Newton’s 3rd law which is the byline of my new running shoes J ). First there was the opportunity that presented in CDA to qualify for Kona (Action), then a training packed week in Maui with my friend and kick ass age-grouper Patty Swedberg (Reaction). We raised money for ALS and its continued research for medicines to help folks with this disease (Action). We ended up raising over $5800 and finished top 10 in fundraisers in CDA (Reaction). Then a month short of the race, Jon Blais whom I was raising money in honor of his fight with ALS passed away. I am not sure how to categorize this but it is a big part of both action and reaction to this race.

With all the preparation for CDA and my extra confidence boost from my week with Patty and a great race in Hawaii 3 weeks before, I felt like this was going to be my race. A breakthrough would happen. I would be faster on the swim, I had prepared for the heat, the bike would be the bike but I am a better bike handler (use your best Paul Sherwin Tour de France Commentator – South African accent) but the run would be faster, I would finish one hour inside my best time. This would be the “race of my life” (you have to do that with a German accent because that is my favorite quote from an Ironman Champion ) and I would qualify for Kona and I would race in Jon’s honor on triathlon’s sacred ground in the Islands that I love and the land that I feel “connected” to.

In the end CDA was a great race but one I don’t think I “connected” with. There really is no reason why but maybe this happens? Is it possible to train like a dog and like you have never done before, prepare, and feel good and then walk away going “huh, what was that all about?” “What up with that?” (Use whatever accent you need here)

The weather was unusually cool. Instead of 100 degrees during the day to slowly kill us off to a marathon of torture, it was cool and windy. The start swim temperature was only 48 degrees. The chop and wind was up. It didn’t seem like CDA. Walking toward the swim start with my 2200 friends and our seal like wetsuits, an announcement is made. The kayakers are seeing large swells the further out you get, you have an option if you don’t want to swim they will start a duathlon around 9:30. My first thought is “are you kidding me- how bad is out there?” The weird thing is no one actually said anything in line. There wasn’t this “wow, that’s weird” or “are you still going to swim?” Nothing. It was silence. Maybe we were all in our own personal state of shock. Not swim on this day you have prepared for for so long? Don’t swim because it is dangerous? Danger – is this going to be dangerous? Ok, I signed up for an Ironman but not to drown.

I kept to myself not saying anything. I then remember my mentor Patty saying to line up inside the buoy line. I see that she is there and we have time for a quick hug and kiss. Other Raise The Bar athletes are there, Phil and Nancy.

The gun goes off and I am cautious, no need to make this into a feeding frenzy. I am sporting a new wetsuit that doesn’t appear to quite fit right. For some reason, there is an excessive amount of water around my stomach. I feel sluggish but head out. Then the swells begin. Not my normal Maui ocean swells that you can time and get a rhythm on for breathing and counting strokes. No this swell is wind related and comes and goes at its own free will. There are people being pulled from the water. People throwing up everywhere. People hyperventilating. I try to remain calm and I stop to try to help a few others find their nerve to continue but in the end there is nothing I can do other then tell them to remain calm and to keep moving.

I make the turn on the swim and I am sure they will call the race – just too dangerous. I know the front of the pack is probably fine but the mid-pack racers and below are struggling. With 1000 first timers in the race, my mind races to Ironman Utah several years back and the drowning of an athlete in the swim and the swells in the water. I hope that this does not happen on this day. Finally, it is over and it is my worse swim at this distance. Taking me over 10 minutes longer then normal. I know that there is nothing I could have changed but it still sucks to see the time.

The race course for the bike changed and it was challenging with more hills and more turns but other then that it still is a 112 miles of mind numbing (ok ass numbing) at times riding. Your mind wanders but usually you just try to stay focused on eating, hydrating, watching the road, and moving forward. I am entertained by a soap opera star from Bogota. There was a group of athletes that came from Bogota to race and included was a soap opera star. Richardo Rubio. Don’t you love that name? With that name he should be a soap opera star. Richardo and I enjoy pulling ahead and dropping each other and then finding each other again. Each time he pulls up with the same deep voice “hello, it is me, Richardo” (insert best Spanish accent here).

I finish my bike and I feel I gave it my best. I wished for a better time but think I did alright. Time to change into my running shorts and out for a jog around the lake two times. For the first time, I think I gained weight during the race. My nutrition plan went well but I feel like I weigh 10 pounds more. My competition for Kona ends up passing me right before the run so I know I am in trouble. I know from my friend, Google, that she is indeed faster then I am. About mile 8 I hear my name “Cheryl, Cheryl, you look goooooood – this isn’t your first rodeo is it?” I have no I idea who this woman is but it makes me feel great. I do look good don’t I?

I then realize the dream is probably over for Kona for this race but I still can have a good run. The weather is mild for the first 20 miles but when the sun went down around mile 21 I start to get cold and that freaked me out. It is horrible feeling to be cold at the end of a race and I have never experienced this. They are handing out space blankets to the runners just to keep warm. I thought about taking one but knew that if I did I would start to walk. Everyone with blankets was walking. I keep moving and thankfully, I know the route and I know I am in the home stretch.

Another run down the chute and panic sets in. I know I must log roll across the finish for that is what Jon did in 2005 in Kona. It is what all of us ALS Warriors do to honor him. I think of Jon and know he was with me during this entire race and keeping me safe. I had never really thought about what it would take to stop after 140 miles, lower yourself to the ground, then try to roll, and then try to get it up. I pray I don’t screw it up and take out the finish line banner, but with much grace, I am able to pull it off and still look good. Although, there was at least one person watching online who can be quoted as saying “she’s down” thinking I had collapsed at the finish.

For the 3rd time, I am an Ironman.

A long shower to try and warm up and we head back to watch the finish at midnight. It starts to pour rain and the wind picks up. Horrible conditions but thankfully something I face under the cover of a tent and not as an athlete on this day.

So, a few weeks after the race, Rob asks me where my race report is, I say I am not doing one, nothing to write about. He keeps on me telling me people have asked about it. I go to the Seafair triathlon a few weeks later and many Raise the Bar athletes tell me how much they enjoy reading my reports. I try to rethink why I don’t want to write about this race. What did this race have on me?

In the end, I think it is a sense of disappointment in me and not wanting to show that side of me in the sport I love. I know it is not about finishing times and medals but your own best effort on that day. I do know that I did put in my best effort on that day and the reality is it wasn’t what I thought I “could” do. Maybe I had raised the bar (no pun intended) too much? Maybe I didn’t make the progress I thought? Maybe I just needed to be forever happy with 14 hour Ironman’s?

But now 5 weeks post CDA and 3 weeks pre Ironman Canada. The picture is clearer. No, there is nothing wrong with feeling sad or disappointed about something you wanted so badly and not achieving your goals. Yes, it is ok to figure out that disappointment is ok and it doesn’t mean you're not making progress. Yes, it is ok to feel like the best you gave on that day didn’t come close to what you had dreamed about for weeks. Yes, it is ok to say that someone beat me outright on something I wanted but in the end someone else was the better racer on that day.

Yes, it is ok to feel like you let yourself down and maybe your friends and family but you know that in your heart that’s not true. Once you figure out it is ok to feel disappointed the quicker you can move forward and move on. We all face disappointment and sometimes it hits us harder then we thought it would.

I think back to a quote in Lance Armstrong’s first book “It’s not about the Bike”.

"At what point do you let go of not dying? Maybe I haven't entirely and maybe I don't want to.
What I didn’t' and couldn’t address at the time was the prospect of life. Once you figure out you're going to live, you have to decide how to, and that's not an uncomplicated matter.
For me, the best use of myself has been to race in the Tour de France, the most grueling sporting event in the world.
The lesson of illness - what it teaches is this: pain is temporary Quitting last forever. To me, just finishing the Tour De France is a demonstration of survival. The arduousness of the race, the sheer unreasonableness of the job, the circumnavigation of an entire country on a bicycle. "

What will happen in Canada on Sunday, August 26th, I don’t know but I do know this. It truly is a journey to our destination of dreams and sometimes the bumps in the road get us to take a road we had not anticipated. I am off to Ironman Canada with words of wisdom from my coach, race number 179 which was Jon’s race number from Kona, and my suitcase of courage (again, best South African Paul Sherwin accent) to deal with the arduousness of the race, the sheer unreasonableness of the job in competing in 2 Ironman races in 8 weeks. For this action in CDA (or lack of action) there is a reaction for Canada and I will have a friend along for the journey in Jon Blais. Should be a great race.

Livestrong,
Cheryl

Ann Sloan's ½ Iron race report

WARNING it took over 1400 miles in over 175 hours to get to this report and this week, so it’s a long one…..but why would that surprise any of you?!?! I write this for me so I can read this in a year, two years or when I am 65 and can still smile and remember what a GREAT day this was and what an achievement. Thanks to Cheryl for all the fabulous training – I was as prepared as I could possibly be for this race!!!!
Thanks to Patty from Raise the Bar, for advice, all the swim training and the Friday swim without a wetsuit as well as all the support!

Tuesday(7/31) was a busy day at work before leaving on vacation, of course to most this isn’t a vacation….doing a ½ Ironman Triathlon. To those of you unfamiliar with the world of triathlons, a ½ Ironman Triathlon is a 1.2 mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike ride, then finished off with a 13.1 mile run…all in the course of a day. Reality didn’t really hit me until around noon. Once noon hit, I received a ‘good luck message’ from my sister, a phone call from Lisa (a great running partner and soon to be training for her first ½ iron), an email from a fellow triathlete – Seujan (who is an Ironwoman and my hero) and a good luck note from my co-workers…then I got antsy and excited….finally the day was over with things still to be done, they will just have to wait until I return.

Wednesday and Thursday, not much to report as we had the LONG drive to California. Less than 30 miles from the race the thermometer on the car said it was 105 degrees!! Holy cow…oh my, please get cooler!!! Each mile that passed, I looked at the temp gauge. Finally, it was at least down to 80 at our hotel. Whew…….

Friday was a BUSY day!!! It was a day to DRIVE the bike/run course and was race packet pick up day and run transition drop off and potato cook off day J.

Steve and I met Paula and Diana ((Paula’s high school bud)) and we drove the Bike course. First we drove, via map quest instructions, to the start of the race at Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville. Twisty turning roads…not really sure this was the way I really wanted to go for race day….finally 30 minutes later we got to the beach. Several folks were in the water testing it out…Paula and I just watched and wondered where the buoys were and where transition was going to be….nothing was set up as of 11AM on Friday….hummm….what was this going to look like at 5:30 AM tomorrow? The water was nice and calm……but didn’t appear very wide. Oh well…it’s straight!

Bathroom stop for the girls and then we piled back in the car to start our 56 mile trek to view the bike course. Well the first 5 miles were flat…then right turn down and then UP….and a few hills….Paula was not feeling the love on the course. I wasn’t totally feeling it but kept thinking, it’s not that bad right?!? From the drive it didn’t seem like we had too many spots where we could just GOOOOO. It was really up and down, but it was really scenic.

Finally we got to Windsor High….the stopping point for the bike. Then we attempted to drive the run course. Saw a few hills and got lost …. Hoping we were NOT climbing all those hills we saw….ugg. By that time I had seen enough and couldn’t really process the run course anyway.

We graciously thanked Steve for driving us all around….glad we drove it. For the most part I still had my typical positive attitude. J I was ready and I knew it.

It was also the day to cook my riding meal….potatoes! Yes, I needed to cook my potatoes. Steve didn’t think they would be good cooking them before we left so we brought our camp stove to CA with us and I set out to cook my potatoes.

After cooking my race food, it was off to check in. Got my number, t-shirt and water bottle. Also, went shopping and got a souvenir jacket and shirt. J Gotta have some souvenirs. Coordinated with Paula and Diana about getting to the race. Steve was going to be our chauffeur. We were going to meet at 6:00 AM, so we wouldn’t be pushed for time…(reminders of Chelan where we were almost LATE)

Went to the pre-race meeting to find out all about the race and learn yet again that folks just don’t listen….how many times does the director have to say….ask RACE questions, not personal questions like – do you think it’s too cool to go without a jacket on the ride?!?!

We had to drop off our running gear at the transition area. This was clearly a challenge for ‘control freak’ Ann. I brought a little cooler with my frozen “family of 4” water bottles and a wet washcloth. Packed them with two ice packs and also put my gu and hammer electrolytes in the front pocket. In case I was spacey (which of course I was) I put a reminder tag on the zipper of the ice cooler to ‘remember the GU!’. Also, included my shoes and socks in my bag.

Here are Cheryl’s - Barb’s Race Training Girls! -
Sharon, Brandi, Jennifer, Paula and me. – Ready for the RACE!

Met up with Steve’s parents for dinner at Applebee’s, where I promptly announced that I turned into a pumpkin at 9 pm. Had my glass of wine at the hotel and snooze I went. J

RACE DAY!!!!

Well it was finally here! After 5 months of training…..over 1400 miles covered in over 170 hours. WOW!! I am READY!

The alarm went off at 5:30AM and I got up and put on my jog bra and RTB(raise the bar) team shorts and had Steve lather me up with sunscreen. My casper white shoulders and back needed to be protected!! Made my three PB and honey sandwiches. Ate one and put the other two in my bag. Made sure to put a gu in my RTB race tank to eat before the swim, so I wouldn’t be STARVING after the swim. (Thanks Patty) It was kind of weird, I wasn’t my usual bundle of nerves. Only went to the bathroom once before leaving the hotel.…. LOL>

Met Paula in the lobby of the hotel….loaded our bikes on the car and headed to STARBUCKS for my pre-race Green Tea Latte (Yea!!!).

We went a more direct route to the race start this day….101 down River road. Got there in about the same time, but a much more calming road. Paula and I didn’t talk too much in the car…..I think we were both in our own worlds, or not awake yet. We got there super early….like around 6:30……but no stress…..and it gave time for Steve to go back to town and get his parents and STILL be back for the start.
Ann and Paula headed for transition with smiles on our faces…..

Set up my transition area with my signature bucket to sit on. Also had a rug to dry my feet on and water to wash my feet…we were going to be transitioning in dirt/gravel. Laid out my helmet, shoes, sunglasses, gloves, camel back. Looked at it several times and felt I was ready. Rehearsed in my head……then had a good wait…..went down to the water and watched the IRONMEN swim their “laps”. Ate my second pb and honey about 7:30 and went to the bathroom before the line got too bad.
Steve and his parents showed up – gave them all a hug…kissed Steve of course. By that time I had my wetsuit on and was ready to go. Look familiar?!? Yea – my next cover shot…LOL


In the corral I go and then ……we are off…….and I am swimming….and swimming and swimming…..Am I to the turn around YET?!? Oh my there goes a person from the next wave…oh my how slow am I going and where is that DAMN turn around. Nope, not this buoy, maybe the next one…nope, that’s not the turn around….where is it….FINALLY…balloons on a big orange buoy….I take a peak at my watch…24 minutes….thank god! It’s not an hour like it felt like. While swimming in a STRAIGHT river might be great for those that don’t go straight, it’s nerve racking for me because I do swim straight. So it just seems to go on forever! Oh well….home stretch! I make the turn for home …and off I go…I am trying to push a bit and stay with some swimmers who are going past me…..make sure I take care of the ‘bathroom’ business along the way. Since I do swim straight I wasn’t doing much sighting on where I was going, but there were two bridges so I was concerned about running head first into the pylons, so I did look for those. As I was sighting on the last bridge, I saw one of the kayaker’s slamming their oar at one of the swimmers in front of me. Not sure if the swimmer ever realized she was heading right towards a log sticking up! I did and thanked the volunteer! J Yep, didn’t want my race day to end by running into a log or a bridge. LOL>

Continued on and saw the white finish banner in the distance…..also to my surprise I saw my other beacon …… Steve. J That made me smile, made me happy and push a bit more. He was standing watch for me away from all the other spectators…..where I could easily see him…..not sure if he knew that by standing there I’d be able to pick him out…either way it was cool!
Finally, I was done….and of course smiling with my thumbs up. YES, I do this for FUN and photo ops, not necessarily for the speed record…..

T1 – I was pleased with the swim.. I was right on my target of 45 minutes! Yahoo!! Now to the bike. Found my bike. Took off the wetsuit, rinsed my feet put on my shoes, helmet, camel back, gloves and glasses. Stuffed everything into my bucket and handed it over the fence to Steve for safekeeping. Ok all set and don’t I look ready to go?!?!

I walked my bike out of transition and then up the hill. No way was I going to try and climb the little steep hill out of transition. I had heard rumors of others not making it. I was having a good day so far….no need to change that!!!

The BIKE:
GREAT…..I really felt good on the bike on this day. The road was rough and I was always fearful that something was going to rattle off or break….don’t know why but I just had this weird feeling, which luckily never came to fruition. The bike ride was ups and downs and through many, many vineyards. I passed a few people and a few people passed me. I never really looked at my watch except to eat. Ate my potatoes, had one quarter piece of pb and honey, a few pieces of payday bar. I drank a bottle of this ‘gu stuff’ mixed with a salt tablet and h2o. Also drank ½ bottle of nuun. Passed the aid station at mile 13 felt great….was ready to go to the bathroom at the aid station at 26, but there was a line of about 5 people….so decided I didn’t need to go that bad. BUT I would stop at 40 before the ‘hill’ at 46!! While it was beautiful scenery at one point did get bored and unfortunately had read a post about singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall and guess what popped into my head…yes, I was out in California Wine country signing 99 bottles of beer on the wall. Ya, know that’s actually a hard song to sing since you have to pay attention to what number you are on…..and when you are kind of tired that’s a bit hard. I made it to 80 and gave up!

Many of the pieces of the ride were familiar based on our drive the prior day so I was happy to have done the pre-look. I stopped at mile 40 for a bathroom break before the hill climb….saw Paula zoom by…and cheered her on as I popped into the porta pottie….no real line here. Other than one woman who said she was procrastinating before the hill….of course she was in front of me…I wanted to say …fine you can wait for me as I do need to pee and I am not procrastinating! Luckily she wasn’t too slow.

I was back on the bike in about 4 minutes or so and feeling really good. We hit the hill and had one gal behind me yelling go go go!! And Go we went. Seujan had said I would climb this hill and say – is that all you got?!? Humm, I wasn’t saying that on this day. I wasn’t swearing or even ready to walk, but I did use ALL my gears and was very happy when it was over. Granted it wasn’t any worse that what we trained on, but it was at mile 45 or so and it was warm…but I was up it!!! There was one more little hill where I saw Diana pointing us to turn. Then it was all flat to the next transition. I tried to eat another potato and spit half of it out. Note to self….need to eat some other food. Was sick of potatoes by mile 52…I had other food but nothing was sounding good…..
There was Windsor high school……YEA I was done….and again, Steve was there! He yelled…good job 3:30 hours!! I felt GREAT and very happy with the ride.

T2 – Well, this is where I definitely need to improve and practice. I can’t believe how unorganized I was and how slow I could be. After the race, Steve said even his mom was saying I need to hurry. I guess I wasn’t thinking very clearly. I am used to everything being organized and this was chaos. While the cooler was a good idea, my water bottles had issues after freezing. I didn’t get the top screwed on to one too good, so all the water was in the cooler instead of the bottle! Then some were actually still a bit frozen. Attempted to put nuun tablets in two of the bottles which still were intact…. On the good side, my legs were getting cooled off by my leaking bottles. Basically this was all a BUST…Thank god there are aid stations every mile. THE BEST thing was the COLD wash cloth…yes, I did spend too much time in transition, but let me tell you one thing I wouldn’t change is having that COLD WET wash cloth to wipe down my face with!! THAT WAS PURE HEAVEN!!!!
Lessons learned – practice taking everything out of a bag and getting it all on me - QUICKLY!



FINALLY I AM GONE after an awfully embarrassing 12 minutes 49 seconds – and I didn’t even go to the bathroom, comb my hair or apply make up!!! Cheryl will be rolling her eyes!!!
I guess if that’s the biggest thing I need to work on – I’ll take it!!! LOL I can fix that.


The RUN:
Well I felt GREAT the first mile, I think that was all adrenaline from the awesome bike ride and maybe due to the long break I had – 12 minutes… why wouldn’t the first mile feel great. I was excited…I was going to finish, not that there was a question! My first mile I did in about 11 minutes 30 seconds. Then the heat caught up with me about mile one and we hit the rolling running course. Walked through the aid station as planned and it just got down right HOT. Many people were walking…I didn’t really feel like walking as I still felt pretty good. No cramps, just feeling the heat. The miles ticked slowly by. I walked up most of the hills, looking at my heart rate monitor and saying to myself, it’s just not worth killing myself. Take the chance on the hills to eat my gu and get up the hill. I ran every opportunity that was flat or shade. I have never been on a run where I was SOOOO happy to see the green Gatorade cups on the ground. As soon as I saw them it was my cue to walk! LOL. Since my ‘family of four’ had all graduated and left me an empty nester, I drank water and Gatorade at the rest stops…many of the stations had ice. This is where women definitely have it better than the men. Jog bras are GREAT to capture and hold ICE CUBES! At every station that had ice, I opened up my shirt and down the hatch…..porno alert……the ice congregated at the front, so as I was running along picture me rubbing my chest trying to move that ice around…yes, the scenes you see in an ironman/1/2 ironman race!! To on coming runners looking at me I said…..No, I am not playing with myself, I am moving my ice around to keep cool!!! I cheered runners on and I saw this one guy who was running an Ironman (26.2 miles) and cheered him on. He passed me I think 3-4 times! Every time I smiled and gave him a ‘good job’ he smiled back. I think I looked forward to seeing him every so often. He was one of the few Iron people that actually didn’t have the stone face, which I can totally understand…..cause I was THANKING my lucky stars I was only doing 13.1 miles……. I was re-thinking that Ironman goal on this day, let me tell you. On my last lap I told him good luck and that this was the last time I’d see him to cheer him…off he ran with a smile on his face or a grimace, not sure which…..I saw Paula about mile 7 or so and cheered her on…..later I saw Sharon and said her plan of 13 minute miles we laughed about last weekend was right on target. Saw Brandi and Jennifer too. GO GIRLS… Finally I headed in for the turnaround….got my Vineman wristband indicating I had done one lap…..out I went for the final lap (4.2 miles)…..My shoes were squishy due to all the sprays by water hoses and sprinklers…this was the last run for these babies. I kept thinking, this is like running in the Seattle rain, hoping that my thoughts of running in the rain would cool me off a bit.
I had given up on my watch (the distance thing wasn’t working) and to be honest, miss data head really didn’t care how fast or slow I was going, I just wanted to finish and since I knew I would…I didn’t care when…..until I got to mile 11 and looked at my watch….I thought to myself, which was hard to do by this time, if I run harder than I am I can meet my 7:30 goal!!! Ok, that did it…FOCUS>>>>> I am going to get that time! Run, run, run and that I did! Here I come down the street to the finish line……I get into the finish area and I am going to do it….
OVERALL:
Swim plan – 45 minutes – DID 45 minutes! SWEET!
Bike plan – 3:30 – Did 3:33 – bathroom stop! SWEET!
Run plan – 2:38 – Did 2:46 – HEAT and rollers!

Overall plan – 7 hours 30 minutes – did 7:24 with a smile!!!

Thanks to my supporting husband Steve for all the great photos! Plus being such a great athletic supporter – I know I could probably have done this without him, but I AM SO GLAD I DIDN’T HAVE TO!!!! He was there, along with his parents, at every transition and at the finish.



After race cooling AHHHHHHHHHHHHH:
Steve commented to me after the race…he said, it’s amazing to me that you come across the finish line smiling every time…I responded the day I don’t smile doing this, I’ll probably stop doing it….though I have been blessed in having good races, so hopefully if there is a day I am not smiling, I can at least pick out parts of the race which will make me smile and keep doing this wonderful sport! J

I look back on this day and think there is really nothing I could / would have done differently. Except of course T2…but that’s my fault! Cheryl’s training was great and I felt totally prepared. THANKS CHERYL!

Things I (we) learned
Ø Steve (athletic supporters) need to body glide feet. Steve got a couple of blisters from all the walking he had to do.

Ø After reading some of the Troika reports – know that I had a GREAT day and not every race day may be as beautiful. I am very lucky and happy.

Ø Practice transitions if they are at different spots. Be prepared to put stuff on in a ‘grab bag’ manner.

Ø Do better at eating different things.

Ø It was great to do a race plan. I didn’t really pay attention to the plan during the race for times…other than that last push. I was really glad that the last few miles of the run I could push to that goal.

Ø EAT something after the race. I drank some OJ and my yummy DARIGOLD chocolate milk that was transported from Washington and brought to me by Steve. BUT I didn’t eat anything until much later.

Hope you enjoyed my epic novel of my race.
ARE YOU READY for your next goal??!??!
Are you inspired??!?!
Or just tired?

Whatever the case, thanks for reading….

Ann
½ Ironman – Barb’s race – Aug 4, 2007