Raise The Bar: 2009

Thursday, December 24, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From the family at Raise the Bar to you and your families…..

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Thanks to all the RTB team members and friends who donated their gently used running shoes to the Kent Refugee Center. Rick Osborn, who pulled this little effort together, told me today that all the shoes are GONE – which is impressive seeing as there were a couple hundred pairs of shoes that were sent their way. Nice job everybody. J

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Post your race results...

RTB has a new way to post your race results... please go to this link: http://weraisethebar.com/rtb/racelog/ and put in your race results. This is both for RTB tri and run teams. Results from October on. If your race is not listed, simply email us and we will add it. We are still working on the kinks in this system but here are some helpful hints. If you do not have all of the information (i.e. Christmas Rush did not do sex or overall placing, put a 0), if your time does not go into the hours, place a 0 in that slot.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Christmas Rush Results posted

http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/arts/page.aspx?id=1424

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Monday, December 14, 2009

Remember to donate your old running shoes...

drop them off at Monday night swim today 12/14 or Tuesday morning swim 12/15 or Center Cycle at 7 PM.

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

What a Christmas RUSH!!!

Great turnout by RTB triers and RTB runners today at the Kent Christmas Rush. I haven’t seen the results yet, but I hear RTB had some great placings and heard of some PR’s. NICE. Photos posted on the RTB Gallery and on the RTB Facebook page. Looking GREAT in those RTB Runner shirts, I must say!!!

www.weraisethebar.com/Gallery for photos

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Friday, December 11, 2009

2010 Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens Price Increase!

If you’re planning to do the Lake Stevens Half next year, you might consider buying it for yourself for Christmas before the price goes up! Right now it’s $175. \

http://www.active.com/running/lake-stevens-wa/ironman-703-lake-stevens-2010

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Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Best of 2009 contest - Vote from the heart!

Competitor Magazine’s Best of 2009 contest is up and running. Vote for your favorites!!

http://competitor.com/bestof2009

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Monday, December 07, 2009

RTB Shoe Drive for Refugees

** Rick Osborn local Kent teacher and RTB member is helping us at RTB sponsor a shoe drive!

The Kent area has a growing Refugee population and they need our old running shoes. These kids often come to our schools in shoes that don’t fit, are worn out, or in flip flops. If you are like me and only run 300 to 500 miles in a pair of running shoes you probably have a pile of shoes in your closet or garage. I try to wear them casually or when I mow the lawn, but I can’t get rid of my old running shoes fast enough. Raise the Bar has the perfect solution, donate them to the Kent Refugee Center. If you wish to donate your shoes bring them to the December 15^th Specialized Bike meeting at Center Cycle (Team Member only meeting), Swim Workouts on Dec. 14 or 15 or drop off at Kathy Morrisson’s by Dec. 15 at 5 PM. They should be washed and wearable (don’t bring the ones you mow the lawn in). We would also accept younger children’s tennis shoes as well.

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Sunday, December 06, 2009

Deb O'Connell is finished

Deb finished with a time of 4:29... way to LV girls.

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The LV girls are finishing

PK at 4:27

Cathy at 4:18

And Deb is getting close to a finish

We are so proud of our RTB Teammates!

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Patti K (PK) is with in 6.2 miles of the finish

Pk is in the final 10K of LV Marathon. Cathy and Deb have hit the 16.8 mile mark and are holding on to their pace! Keep at it ladies!!

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RTBers racing today in Las Vegas

Watch splits here: Patti K (Ironbarbie) is half way done holding a 9:05 pace. Deb O'Connell and Cathy Nelson have hit the 10 mile mark.

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Saturday, December 05, 2009

RTB Member Recognition - Rob Spero...

Turns out there’s not really a lot of pomp and circumstance for retiring military personnel….which I think is a real shame. RTB member CAPTAIN Rob Spero quietly retired from the military this week after 30 years of service as a pilot in the Coast Guard and Navy. He continues his career as a pilot and instructor for Alaska Airlines. Your 30 years of service is older than some of our members, Rob! And it’s certainly worth our recognition and appreciation. So from this corner of your world, Rob, the RTB community would like to say Congratulations and THANKS. You make our team better. J

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Friday, December 04, 2009

"Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald....

Velopress is a sponsor of Raise the Bar's triathlon team. Their latest
release is on getting leaner. If you're interested in getting your hands on
this book, we can get it for you at a nice discount if you're on the RTB
team - let Kathy know!! kathy@weraisethebar.com. Book Review below...

Racing Weight Is the First Weight-Loss Book for Endurance Athletes

Boulder, CO, USA - December 3, 2009 - VeloPress has published the first
weight-loss book for endurance athletes. Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for
Peak Performance by certified sports nutritionist Matt Fitzgerald offers the
first comprehensive and science-based approach to weight management for
runners, cyclists, triathletes, swimmers, rowers, and cross-country skiers. A 2009 study found that three out of four endurance athletes are concerned
about their weight and half are dissatisfied with how much they weigh. Yet
these same athletes ranked weight loss dead last when asked about their
motivations for participating in endurance sports. Endurance athletes pursue
weight loss as a means to better workouts and faster racing. Fitzgerald's
own efforts to reach his racing weight for distance running led him to
discover that there were no comprehensive weight-management resources
designed for endurance athletes. Using Racing Weight, endurance athletes can find and attain their fastest
body weight and composition. The Racing Weight program offers 5 strategies
based on the latest advances in the science of weight management. After
finding their ideal off-season and racing weights, athletes will learn how
to improve their diet quality; balance their intake of carbohydrate,
protein, and fat; time meals and snacks; manage appetite; and train for lean
body composition. Racing Weight is grounded in the science of healthy nutrition and exercise
physiology. Packed with findings from recent studies on weight loss and
endurance sports performance, Racing Weight explodes myths about fat and
weight gain, protein and muscle building, macronutrient ratios, calorie
counting, glycemic index, and weight gain during the holidays and
off-season. Athletes will learn the truth about sports drinks, supplements,
and recovery nutrition. The book includes daily food logs from 14 elite pro
athletes and 21 healthy recipes from nutritionist Pip Taylor.

Racing Weight will help endurance athletes reach new levels of
performance-and become satisfied with their body weight.

Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance by Matt Fitzgerald
Paperback, 6" x 9", 296 pp., $18.95 | 978-1-934030-51-6

Matt Fitzgerald is the author of numerous books on running, triathlon,
nutrition, and weight loss. He has been a contributor to Men's Fitness,
Men's Health, Outside, Runner's World, Bicycling, Running Times, Women's
Running, and other sports and fitness publications. Fitzgerald is a featured
coach on Training Peaks and Active.com. He is a certified sports
nutritionist (CISSN) licensed by the International Society of Sports
Nutrition. He lives and trains in San Diego, California. For more
information, please visit racingweight.com.

VeloPress is an endurance sports and fitness publisher with books on
cycling, triathlon, running, swimming, nutrition and diet, yoga, and the
histories and personalities of our sports. VeloPress authors are highly
qualified, trusted experts. Our training books help both serious athletes
and beginners to build skills and fitness, and our human-interest books
inspire greater appreciation of our sports. VeloPress is the book publishing
division of Competitor Group, Inc., publisher of VeloNews, Triathlete,
Inside Triathlon, and Competitor magazines and producer of the Rock 'N' Roll
marathon and half-marathon series and the Muddy Buddy adventure series. For
more information, please visit velopress.com.

Click here to download:

Untitled Attac (358 KB)

Racing Weight Is the First Weight-Loss Book for Endurance Athletes

Racing Weight will help endurance athletes reach new levels of
performance-and become satisfied with their body weight.

Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance by Matt Fitzgerald
Paperback, 6" x 9", 296 pp., $18.95 | 978-1-934030-51-6

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Thursday, December 03, 2009

Cheryl Iseberg's Ironman Cozumel Report

Welcome to an Ironman paradise, the 2009 Ironman in Cozumel, Mexico. Settle in folks, this race report is going to be a long one. J

Well it started in August of 2008 when I signed up pretty quickly after the inaugural race was announced. I of course was coming off of what we sometimes call Ironman depression. That feeling that happens 12 seconds after you finish your Ironman and you start to wonder what you will do with all your free time. It is most certainly an addiction. Follow any conversation after an Ironman and once everyone finishes the blow by blow of their race they are talking about their next “fix” for their next Ironman. Finishing Canada in August just shortly after doing another race in June I was clearly looking for my next fix. I signed up, probably against my coach’s advice as usual. He warned me that racing in Mexico really wasn’t up the level of what we are used to here that and the issue of potential food poisoning before an Ironman (been there done that) worried me but nonetheless, I signed up.

I probably really didn’t commit to the race until April. Until then it really was an option. I remember talking to my friend Patty Swedberg about what I should do during a race we were at on the Big Island. Things were not going well for me professionally. A business that I owned and loved was not going the direction I wanted for me personally nor for my beloved staff. If you would have told me on January 1^st of 2009 that I would not own that business and would soon sell my interest to my partner by May 30^th, I would have told you were on drugs. I could have never envisioned the pain and loss that one can go through with the selling of a business. It was one of the worst times in my life. Thankfully, with the support of good friends and Rob we made it through and on May 28^th it was all over with and I could finally move on with my life.

What started out as a pretty good base for training in the early part of the year, I think ended up being a great thing. I had a good base through early May, fell off the map for a month and with the signing of the papers on the business, on June 1^st, I started by new life. One as a business owner without a partner (yeah) and the to re-build a new base of training for Cozumel in November. With a good summer of training behind me I headed back home to Maui in October to keep my MS “warm” and also continue to train. Maui was crazy hot and humid this year and again probably worked in my favor. As a pretty good traveler with my bike, I don’t seem to get too concerned with traveling with a bike so Cozumel seemed reasonable. The biggest concern really was what we would find there. Rob had never been to Mexico and I was alittle concerned that he wouldn’t like it. There were concerns about what we would find for bike support and could you even buy a c02 cartridge there? My coach the South African Wonder, had told me at the 70.3 race in Cancun he was offered a C02 for $20. My mission once I got there Simon told me was to search in find c02.

Well we headed out late Sunday night on a red-eye through Houston to arrive in Cozumel on Monday afternoon. After some flight delays and issues we landed to what seemed like to be around 80 degrees with about 100% humidity. I wondered if my body would remember Maui and not go into panic mode immediately. We met a lovely couple, Ben and Rebecca from San Francisco that were Australian on the shuttle and quickly bonded. Ben is headed to Canada in 2010 and both had done 70.3 Vineman this last summer like me and Rebecca was looking forward (but very nervous) for her first Ironman.

We got the hotel and were very pleased with the accommodations. All the staff asked about the race, would I “start” training in the morning, how many hours a week do I train, etc. They were very helpful and really excited about this race on their beautiful island. Once we figured out logistics I was able to settle in and get my last chance workouts in, visit the Pharmacia for a sinus issues and try to relax. My other new Ironman friend, showed up in the form of Alan from LA who is a movie producer and many time Ironman. It is always great to meet new people at Ironman and Alan and I hit it off pretty quickly. Toward the end he knew me well enough to start off sentences with “I pulled a Cheryl”.

So, Thursday was a great swim and an opportunity to see the swim start which is a national park and where you can swim with dolphins. The water is amazingly clear and toughest part about this swim would be the current. Depending on what way it went – it could be a great day or a bad day for swimming. Friday they actually cancelled the swim practice because the swell was too big. Several storms moved in that week and caused issues and I think everyone was wondering what would happen on race day. On Wednesday it poured rain like nothing I have ever seen for hours. I am sure the Ironman crazies who had to ride the course that day got caught in that thing. There would have been no where to hide with that rain. Friday and Saturday were stormy but getting better.

By Sunday morning the water was back to calm with cloudy skies. We headed down to the swim start via the shuttle (did I mention that the host hotels had shuttles to swim start, ambulances out front for any issues you had during race week, and our own bike mechanics?) and it was the standard find your bike, pump your tires, find the porta potty, drink and eat gu and try not to pee your pants while waiting for the start. I think it is always interesting to watch people before an Ironman start. Perhaps nervous people really don’t say much and that is usually what I find. I find on this day that I am not nervous but pretty calm. This will be Ironman number 6 for me if I am lucky and I think I am finally starting to be able to enjoy it instead of freaking out about it. The swim is always tough. You are out there with 2000 other people who are trying to get to the same place the quickest way possible and you better not be in their way. It is not personal – they don’t mean to knock up side your head, yank on your goggles, or tear at the bottom of your feet with the 5 inch painted fingernails, but hey just try to stay calm. I knew I wasn’t looking forward to the swim even though for me I felt it might be an advantage. The water was 80 degrees so no wetsuits were allowed and salt water and no wetsuits tend to freak people out. I figured since I like salt water swimming, I could use it to work in my favor. I am also not afraid of waves (well, less then 3 feet swell) and know if I could find a count to waves and how they rose that I could have the swim of a lifetime.

After checking back with Rob and getting ready for the Pro’s to start the most amazing day begins like this….

A Mexican band all in white, marches out to the pier and plays the Mexican national anthem, a helicopter comes flying out of nowhere and buzzes us just like Kona and then the dolphin trainers are whistling to our dolphin friends in the water – the dolphins then begin to jump and leap and perform right in front of us! It was truly amazing. I have always loved these fascinating creatures and we were lucky to swim with them in Hawaii just last year. The bodies are just amazing and their skin is the coolest thing ever to touch. If felt very calming and after a few tears I knew that it would somehow be ok.

Time to head down to the pier to jump off – the announcers are starting to get panicky we need to start at 7am and there is a lot of people still left to get in the water. I find Alan and we walk down the pier together and find a dolphin pen to jump in and find our way under the pier. Thankfully, Alan pulled me back onto something we could stand on because the current and the number of the people under the pier was getting a big large. Finally after a few minutes I knew the gun was going to go. Alan disappears and I go in behind him.

AND THEN IT HAPPENS THAT MOMENT WHEN THE GUN GOES OFF AND YOUR HEART STOPS BEATING!

There it was the start of the 2009 Ironman Cozumel. I am under a pier with what seem like 1000 guys (well literally in this race I think we ended up with 450 females and 1500 males so it was pretty close) and we are not going anywhere. I start to panic, I have been here before with the pushing, the shoving, the hyperventilating. But then all of sudden there is calmness, we are all being polite waiting, watching, moving forward until we get out on the other side of the pier to open water. Then it is time to swim. I start to think wow, I have so much room, this will last only a minute but I am finding that it seems like we all have our own space, even our own lane and it is truly a great moment. I find there is plenty of water swim and my job now is to get my head low, keep my kick to a minimum, determine the swell, determine how long between the swell, and do not follow the wrong person. I want to be efficient and not waste too much energy because it is going to be a long day. The swim is going good. A hard current the first 500 meters then a quick shot going west then 2000 meters down the stretch to the next turnaround. I don’t see a lot of fish but I did see a manta ray. I continue to hold my “lane” with just a few reminders that someone was drafting me from their fingertips down my foot. I am finding the 2000 meter stretch has the current with us but you need to be mindful – it was pulling to the left and you needed to point yourself right not to loose good time. I find the swell is rising and if you time it right you can catch your breath, swim 3 strokes and at the top of the rise kick hard and body surf down the back side of the swell. Whew hew!!!! I am still surrounded by my male posse and I wonder what happened to all the chicks in this race?

We make the turnaround at the submarine (yes, a submarine) and I glance at my watch 45 minutes. OH MY GOD are you kidding me? This could be a great swim. We turn back into the current for the remainder and I have good open water, no jelly fish stings and I can see the pier. There is an overwhelming sense of this thankfully being over with and ready to move to the next chapter in this long day. I am able to launch up onto the steps and look at my watch. I thought it said 1:18 which I initially was disappointed in but once I saw it was 1:08 it was time to be a happy Ironwomen! Wow – that was a great swim and by far a personal best. I am sure that the Pro’s found that swim to be barely a warm up but it was truly the best swim ever regardless of the time. I head down the pier looking for Rob but with the crowd I can’t seem him. A quick shower under the showers to get the salt water off, grab by bag and I move into the changing tent. I am calm and patient. There is a lot of room in the tent and I start to toss my bag out to get my clothes on for the bike. Of course the volunteers are great and helpful getting us water helping us pull on our fresh clothes and pack up our bags to get out. I take a few minutes for the sunscreen girls to get a good swipe at my back and neck and clickity clock in my bike shoes to find the girl.

There she is #935 just waiting for me. I take a quick peek to see Alan if still in transition since he was race number 930 but he is already gone. Dang it….

More clickity clack down to the mount line and I see Rob! Then a quick flying jump onto the bike and we are off. A quick right on the highway and it is just a short 112 mile bike to end of this chapter in the race. I settle in. Remembering not to hit the “juice” to early, let my stomach settle from the salt water, find an easy pace, get things in order, listen to the front hub sound like it is launching off my bike. What the hell? Why is it making so much noise….grrrr….112 miles of racket. I see other people riding by thinking the noise is their bike and then realizing it is me. I then think well perhaps it will keep the riff raff away because they won’t want to listen to that carbon hub for 112 miles J

I settle in the first 4 miles. I am wondering what is going on. I start to panic. WHY DO I FEEL SO GREAT? WHY DOES EVERYONE ELSE LOOK LIKE THEY ARE SUCKING WIND. I am starting to worry. I feel great. I am keeping a good pace at around 20mph. I know I can push more and pull past the current peloton of Carlos, Juan, Humberto, and Miguel. I start to do the unthinkable. I start to change my plan. I start to think “roll the dice, go hard until mile 10 where you know the wind is for 13 miles – bank some time”. Then I listen to left shoulder (where my South African coach is saying “what the f*** are you doing” and I pull it back. This is a long day, doing 25 mph will not serve you well on lap 3. Keep it simple, keep spinning and pushing through the packs of CJHM’s (Carlos’, Juan, Humberto, and Miguel).

I ride with intent but not reaching into the depths. Every time I ride past a CJHM pack I receive a very nasty look from my Ironman “friends”. I think there is nothing like passing a group of guys and I make sure I smile as I pass and say “hola”. Trying by best to act like I am out for leisurely ride around the island. You have to have fun out there or the day will just be miserable. I find my way to the where the wind starts. I gear down and keep my head low. The wind is blowing the swell is up to probably 10 feet on this side of the island. We are probably 100 feet from the water in some places. There is no sign of life over here for 13 miles other then the 3 water stations. It is all you pedaling and pushing and keeping your mind on the task at hand. I see the GPS is saying I am down to a miserable 13 mph. This is going to be tough but I know it I have 13 miles of this until we turn down the middle of the island and hope for a tailwind.

I make it through the windy side and we get through to the road. It is not a tailwind but it is flat and I jump on this to make up some time but mindful not to dig into reserves. I still have 2 laps to go. I thrown down into the big chain get my Carbones to rattle at the magic mph of 22 where the internia of the wheels start to fly and I keep it there. Steady in the aero and just think about pedaling. I hit the transition area which was around mile 35 at 1:57. Not great but I will take it for the first lap. We ride through town and the crowds are going crazy. This is great! I ride past our hotel and look for Rob (our agreed citing spot) but I don’t seem him. I am wondering if he missed me because I was early. I didn’t think I would be there for another 15 minutes. It is so great to see someone and hear your name after a few hours but I figure I am back out on my own. I keep pedaling and then I see Ben and Rod further down the road! Nice – cool! Back on track.

Again, I start to re-think the plan. I see everyone is really struggling from the wind. I wonder again about why I still feel good and wonder if I should change pace. I still am passing CJHM packs and they are looking more perturbed about it. I secretly love it. I decide to make a goal. I am at mile 45 and I know the wind will be back at 52. I decide to go hard until I get to mile 50. I start to move out and flying by more people. I want to stay focused and do some hard work until 50, grab a new bottle at the aid station and head out until the wind. I follow my plan and it works great. I still feel good. I decide to take a mile spin and then hit hard again until mile 56 all in the wind. I don’t care now, I just feel good and I want to get through the wind again. As I pass another pack of CJHM I hear someone say “CHERYL” and it is Alan. Whew hew! We catch up and ride together. He is having tire issues and already had a flat. We do the unthinkable by riding side by side to talk and it feels good to have a friend out there. We are doing a good pace and I am thankful for finding him.

We ride to special needs where he plans to fill up his tire again. I have to get my special needs bag because my nutrition is in there. I drink all of my calories this way now and so I cannot continue with out. I have to have my water bottles. There is total chaos and this is the first example of something that wasn’t quite ready for prime time. The bags are everywhere and you are own your own to try to locate where your bag is. I get off my bike and wonder through the mess. There is a lot of panic going on by everyone but I try to stay calm. Just find the bag and move on. I was probably there 7 minutes before I found my bag. Then I have to find my bike, exchange the bottles and try to get out of the area without an accident. Finally I am free and drinking again and able to concentrate on the road. I have about 3 more miles to go until the cutover to the other side. I am patient the wind is starting to get gusty.

I catch up with Alan and we ride through town. This is great. The crowds are still there and I am riding with my new friend and I STILL FEEL GOOD!

We hit the lap 2 area but the timing mats are gone. That was weird. Huh well I did that lap (40 miles) in 2:14. Smoking hot baby. Alan and I continue to ride through town back toward our hotel. There is Rob and Alan’s girlfriend and I stop to move some nutrition into my sipper bottle. It is good to get off the pedals and talk for a few minutes. I started to get the “hot foot” a few miles back and knew what was coming. A quick goodbye and I am off for lap 3.

Alan an I are still riding together but his nutrition flys off the back of his bike for no reason almost bonking me in the head. The tri gods are not being friendly to Alan today but he is doing great. I find the next gear for me and continue to move forward. I play the same game in my head to get to mile 90. Just push and be consistent. Then it is back into the wind. I play my last remaining mind game. The stretch of road at home in Maui is 15 miles and a head windwind every day. I tell myself this is just Honokowai to the Pali over and over again until I get to the top of the course again. This is starting to be uncomfortable. I am getting tired. My butt hurts. My feet are on fire with hot spots and I want the pain to stop. I know this is where it gets tough. I see people releasing the pressure on their shoes. Heads are down. People are not happy. It is starting to wear on everyone. Finally, the last stretch and I am heading toward a 6:29 bike. I am very happy but very tired. I see a few flats the last miles and I am praying that nothing happens those last few miles. It is starting to rain and I wonder if a similar storm is a brewing like the other day. Now the goal is to get off the bike before it start pouring.

One more turn and there T2 is and I hand off my girl to a volunteer. She has served me well this day. We have been through a lot and she has delivered as usual without issues. I head to the changing tent. I think that is when I realized I was about ready to fall over. I was really dizzy. I sit down gathered my bag and start to change my shorts. I spent a few extra minutes there but I just needed a break. I then head out the door and see Rob. I stop and he tells me I am his hero (tears) and hands me a note. It was written on the hotel note pad and I wrote it down on Tuesday. It was something from the Ironman banners in town and it said “Impossible is not something I have on my mind”. I tuck it away in my shirt and head out to the 26.2 mile run.

As I head out for my first lap the winner of the race is just coming through town. The crowd is going crazy and I am still a bit dizzy but feeling ok. It is warm and lightly raining and I start to gather my plan. My first lap is about on pace and the crowds are on fire. Ben and Rob are in town shooting photos and trying to use their new Flip video things to record all of the action and I know I could have a great race if I can keep the run together. At mile 12 that goes out the window. I start to get really horrible stomach cramps and nothing will stop it. I keep running but very slow and I know that it is only going to get worse.

I continue to slow down and do my best. It will not be the 5:20 marathon I wanted but if I can somehow hang on I could go under 14 hours. I keep moving. There is not a lot of talking going on. I do hear people saying how horrible the wind was and how hard the course is. My feet are soaking wet from all the water I am pouring on me to stay cool and I was hoping to change my socks at special needs but I never found that bag. I just keep moving. I knew it would be tight to make it under 14 hours. I am starting to hurt. Everything hurts and I want to stop and lie down and maybe my stomach will stop hurting but I don’t, I continue my Ironman shuffle through the dark. At mile 23 I know that I have to start to do something to make my goal. I pick up the pace and my stomach feels like it will explode and I just keeping trying to stay focus. I am back in town and the crowds are still there. I am now hearing a lot of “go chica” and they point at me and say “anemall, anemall”. I figured out they were trying say “animal” and it makes me smile. This race is really truly something special.

At mile 25 I am elated. It is almost over and I can feel it and I know this feeling. I take a deep breath and do something I don’t normally do – well two things. One I was too close to finish to stop to pee so I pee while running J (sorry for those of you who are now freaked out) and then I acknowledge my demon. We all have them right? They are all in different forms and sometimes they are in our hearts, or our minds, or our bodies. My mine is in my body. It is MS and it has been with me for just over 5 years. It was just over 5 years ago that we encountered this demon and I was just 8 months away from my first Ironman and figured I would never see my goal of completing one because of this dumb disease.

So, at mile 25 I say very out loud “you will not defeat me – you can’t have my body yet”. I am sure the crowd thought I was crazy. I have learned a great deal from this disease and doing Ironman’s about myself. You have to be really good at being alone with your thoughts while training for something like this and you have to ready to sacrifice your time, the things you love and finally be ready to suffer. The challenge is for everyone and how you deal with it is not always easy. A friend has told me that she forgets I have this disease and we had a long talk about what is like for me to train and race. Because everything is “internal” and you look “healthy” and most of us hide our MS problems, no one really knows that the suffering isn’t just Ironman suffering but Ironman suffering on steroids. To give you an idea of what mine is like here is the short version. My left arm is constantly feeling like there is a belt around it. It is common symptom and it tightens up when I swim. You want to swat at it and remove the belt but it never goes away and you end up swimming with an arm that doesn’t quite extend or always work. In order to pedal my bike, I have to constantly tell my legs to “push down and pull up” and if I stop my mantra, I go pretty slow. It is like I have to fire my brain to fire my muscles. And then finally when I run my manta is hot feet in order to try to pick up my feet otherwise they don’t tend to turn over. I know I don’t run very fast but this seems to help. Those are just a few – the numb hands and feet are now normal and don’t seem very worthy to mention.

So we have our demons and challenges – but nothing is impossible.

OK sob story complete.

Back to mile 25 and I am chica on a mission. Get to the finish line under 14 hours. I am pumping my legs and arms hard. I can see the finish oh my god, this is amazing! Go, go, go, go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hear the announcer and she says “Cheryl Iseberg you are an Ironman” and I am home again at the Ironman finish line. I have done it by finishing my 6^th Ironman in 5 years with a personal best time by 45 minutes! Wow ! This feels great and for a moment I don’t feel the cramps in my stomach. I find Rob and he dares to hug the sweaty, pee stained body of mine and tells me again that I am his hero. Sweet! I find a curb and bend over trying to keep my stomach calm and after about 20 minutes I can finally walk. We find all the gear and take a taxi back to the hotel.

The day was amazing the people were ever more amazing and this race quite possibly could be the best Ironman around. Thanks to all that tracked me online or just send me thoughts. I know it sounds funny but I do hear them out there. I know you are all watching and thinking of me and it makes a difference for sure to have you guys out there rooting for me. As always, on my right shoulder is Patty Swedberg yelling “GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” in that voice that all the Raise The Bar athletes know. The one that can break glass. On the other shoulder is Coach Simon saying “for god sakes Cheryl run faster”. A deadly combination.

Thanks for listening and all the support. It looks like Ironman Canada and Cozumel in 2010 are on the schedule. I am looking forward to a 5k in a few weeks and few weeks of downtime then back in the saddle in January for the 2010 race season.

Hola everyone.

Cheryl aka the “anemall”

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Monday, November 30, 2009

Ladies Night Out TONIGHT at RoadRunner Sports!!!

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Sunday, November 29, 2009

Cheryl's IN!!!!

Timing mat didn’t pick her up, but she finished a LONG TIME AGO in 13:56. WAY TO GO CHERYL! She says the race is amazing – sounds like her favorite ironman to date. Great conditions, great people, and her best Ironman to date. Mentioned she might have put too much into the bike – and was just plain tired for the run. We couldn’t be prouder of you, honey!!! XOXOXOX Can’t wait to read the race report!!!

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Cheryl has finished her 6th Ironman ladies and gentleman

Words from Cozumel: "Best race ever - everyone come to Cozumel next year - amazing! Finish time 13:56"

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Third loop complete for Cheryl at Cozumel

THIRD RUN SEGMENT 5.6 mi. (1:21:43) 14:35/mile.... We are cheering for you Cheryl... 7.5 miles to go!

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from the Cyclocross Series

Matt Morrisson racing in Raise the Bar Colors all season finished the Seattle Cyclocross Series in 13th place for the Cat 3 35 plus Masters.

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Cheryl is on her third segment of the run

There are 4 segments and Cheryl is on her third- it is 5.6 miles and the fourth segment is 7.5 miles. You are doing great Cheryl!

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Cheryl has completed her first segment of the run course...

she completed in in 1:18:43. Keep at it Cheryl... your almost done. (So easy to say that when you are sitting at home:)!

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Iseberg off bike and on the run

Total bike time was 6:29:59 and T2 was 5:22... she is rocking at Cozumel! Go Cheryl!!!!

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Marathon Results

Mary Hanna with a solid race at 3:19, 21 overall plus a win in her age group!! Phil Kriss finished at 3:39! David Spooner at 3:30! Heidi Hubler at 3:33! Karen Leahy at 3:34! Josh Adams 3:51! Great job to all the marathoners! And if you were missed, please email Kathy.

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Half Marathon Walk Update

Swedberg girls finish in 3:11... must have been a walk off at the end with Emily beating her mom by 3 seconds. Tracy Brown also finished in the half marathon walk.

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More RTB Finishers

Joe Hafner finished at 2:03 but was passed by a 13 year old wearing a shirt that said "You just got passed by a 13 year old". Kids these days. Pictures of Chris Lynch have been spotted. He is wrapped in Mylar- good look but I think it is due to his finish at the Seattle Half!

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Another 1/2 finisher

Jessi Richardson has finished but someone has taken her RTB sweatshirt. We knew they were a hot item but really!

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more Seattle results

Becki Neel in her first 1/2 finished at 1:56:48 and the Swedberg girls are at mile 9!

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1/2 Marathoners are finishing in Seattle

Lindy Hafner in at 2:33...

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Update on Isberg

h3h3

Cheryl's off to a great start she had a 1:08 swim and just finished the first loop of the bike in 2:15 and most important she had a big smile....

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Cozumel

Not getting any updates on Cheryl this morning... she is out on her bike after an impressive swim of 1:08 and transition of 7:52!

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News from Seattle

Craig Pitt is headed into the Arboretum... and PK is finding spectating to be stressful!

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Seattle 1/2 and Full Today

The 1/2 Marathon walkers and runners have started and the Marathon Runners will be taking off here in a few minutes. Wishing you all a great race.

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Cozumel update - Cheryl's out of the water

Update from Rob - Perfect conditions – water calm. Cheryl’s out of the water in 1:08 – KILLING IT!!!! Bike course is pancake flat and there’s no wind yet. Fingers crossed!!! Go Cheryl!

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HEY RUNNERS - Pin your bib UNDER the sponsors!!!

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Cozumel is underway

This from the Ironman website:

2009 Ford Ironman Cozumel

Welcome to the inaugural running of the Ford Ironman Cozumel. What a location for an Ironman. Tropical Island, Caribbean waters, incredible weather, locals that make you feel you truly welcomed and a community that is reflective of its countries culture and traditions… what else could one ask for.

This race is a single lap non-wetsuit swim, three looped bike and out and back run course that is repeated 3 times. It is natural to assume this course to be “flat and fast.” In the swim, it’s a given that competitors will have to deal with some mild current on Sunday. The waters can be choppy if the wind picks up early, which has been the case for the last two mornings. So if you factor in this being a non-wetsuit race, coupled with the potential of current and rougher conditions… there goes the “fast” part.

It is also a given, that once out on the bike course there will be wind. The only question is how hard it will be pelting those racing. The trend for the winds on the Island is to see them pickup dramatically in the early afternoon. This will play havoc with those visions of “personal best” bike splits dancing around in racers heads.

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Saturday, November 28, 2009

GOOD LUCK CHERYL ISEBERG at Ironman Cozumel!!!!

In a few hours, RTB’s Cheryl Iseberg will conquer Ironman Cozumel. GO GET ‘EM, TIGER!!! Track her tomorrow at http://ironman.com/coverage/?race=cozumel&year=2009. Athlete # 935.

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COACH MIKE MURPHY IS 50 TODAY!!!!!!!!!!

A shout-out to Mike Murphy on his 50^th birthday. It’s been an interesting first 50…. LOVE YOU MIKE!!!

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Friday, November 27, 2009

Wendy Graves' Ironman Arizona Report!

This journey started over a year ago. My crazy training partner somehow convinced me that we should do an Ironman. We chose IM Arizona first and foremost because it fell on her birthday, and birthdays are a big deal to Caitlin. On November 24, 2008 we registered for Ironman Arizona 2009. It’s been an extremely long and difficult journey. There were several times along the way when I was sure I was not meant to be an Ironman.

December - Insertional calcific tendonosis. No running for three months while in physical therapy. Mind numbingly boring aquajogging instead.

May - Start running again, just in time to begin our 26 week IM training plan.

July - Break my foot in karate. Apparently, hip bones are stronger than foot bones. In a boot for 5 weeks. Miss triathlons, though I do show up for Xterra and do the swim and half of the bike . . . before I decided I was risking further injury if I were to continue.

October - Our 14 year old cat, Sophie, falls ill.

End of October - Two weeks of business trips. The second week is my longest week of training at 18+ hours. But I’ve planned out how to get in all the workouts and I’m on track. However, Sophie has to go for overnight stays at the vet on two of our longest bike weekends. One of these is the weekend when Caitlin did her epic 6 hour spin. I did a 4 hour spin at my house, broken up by a visit to Sophie at the vet.

While in Orlando I discover Sophie’s illness is terminal. That Saturday, I decide to do a 3.5 hr trail run so I’m close to home. By the end of the run, I can barely walk my knee hurts so bad. The next day I start out on a solo 6 hr bike ride. I don’t make it 2 miles before the knee pain is so excruciating I have to turn around.

Nov 1st – After spending the weekend with her, we say goodbye to Sophie. We miss you.

Three weeks before Ironman: I have lost my beloved cat, I’m not getting in my long bike rides and I can’t run. I was a mess to say the least. My chiropractor thought he could get me running again no problem. But 10 days away from IM and I’m still unable to run. I contemplate not doing the race. Then I decide I’ll at least do the swim. Then the pain while biking disappears, so I can swim and bike. Then I decide I can always walk 26.2 miles . . . That’s when I get fitted with a knee brace.

One week before Ironman: My stepdad is in the hospital after a fall. I spend the day at the hospital. We hoped he’d come home the next day. But he didn’t. Nor for three more days. They finally release him to go home Thursday, the same day I fly to Tempe.

Thursday before Ironman: Ironman Athlete Village – I enter it with tempered excitement. So much has happened and is happening in my life. I continuously question if this race is worth it. But I’ve worked so hard, I can’t quit now.

Friday before Ironman: My mother calls to tell me my stepdad had passed away during the night. Two days before Ironman. I REALLY start questioning my priorities. What am I doing in Tempe when I should be at home with my mom? But as before, I decide I have to finish what I started. I know that’s what my stepdad would want.

I push my emotions aside and go for a practice swim at Tempe Town Lake. COLD!!!! Phil Kriss had warned me it was cold . . . but it was COLD! I didn’t stop shivering for an hour afterwards. And the air temp was 76! I become concerned about hypothermia on race day, but what can I do at this point? I had purchased a hood, but would that be enough?

Saturday – Spent the day trying to recover from the emotional trauma of Friday and trying to get in the right frame of mind for Ironman. My 20 minute workout definitely helped my mood! 10 minute swim in the hotel pool followed by a 10 minute run. Followed by our 15 minute bike ride to drop off bikes and gear at the Village. LOVED IT! This was followed by a great dinner at Caitlin’s brother’s house in Scottsdale. Then off to bed early. Caitlin’s sister gave her a fantastic birthday present of 1 night in the host hotel – which was 1 block from the start line! I got to stay as well. Fantastic!

Sunday, Nov 22: IRONMAN DAY!!! – 3:30am alarm goes off. So early! Oatmeal for breakfast. Shower, get dressed, head down to the Village. Drop off special needs bags. Get body marked. Freak out a little. Stand in line for bathroom. Stand in line again.

Swim:
Put on wetsuit and gather at the dock. We have to jump in, swim a couple hundred meters and then tread water until the start. I don’t jump in until they tell us we have to (why hang around in the water longer than necessary?). Caitlin’s already in the water and I’ve lost sight of her. I scull out to the start line, listen to the national anthem, think of my stepfather looking over me and get ready for the beginning of a very long day. The cannon goes off and the chaos begins! Over 2000 bodies all swimming at once! It wasn’t even swimming at this point, it was merely crawling over the top of one another. Fighting for space. I’m not sure how long it took before it thinned out . . . probably ½ a mile. Then I tried to get into a rhythm and just enjoy the experience. It didn’t happen. At least, not the enjoyment part. I started getting cold pretty quickly. I played mind games to keep going. Thought of everything I’d been through. Then I saw the bridge. Our turnaround was just past the bridge. If I can make it to the turn around, I can do this. At the buoys, someone is getting assistance from a kayak. Maybe I should do that. No . . . that will be just as cold. Let’s keep going. My whole body is aching. I stop and scrunch up my body because the backs of my knees are aching (what’s that all about?). I can do this. I keep going. I see the finish line bridges and they’re getting closer. I stop. Catch my breath (I never stop when swimming, again, what’s going on?). Wonder if I can finish. Think about how I might be even colder when I get out. Then I see the turn to go to the stairs. I’m going to finish the swim if nothing else! Hurrah!

Swim time: 1:30:14

Up the stairs to the strippers. This was not the experience I was expecting. I felt they were fighting with me to get my wetsuit off. Then I’m stumbling towards transition, freezing, wishing I had a towel. I see the “warming tent” and am corralled into it. The volunteers quickly wrap me in a warmed blanket and put hot packs under my arms. I am shivering so violently that when they try to give me hot broth I am spilling it all over my blanket. The tent starts to fill up so I decide it’s time to move on. I drag myself out of the tent to pick up my T1 bag and into the changing tent. It takes me a long time to change my clothes. I changed everything because I knew I’d be cold and was hoping dry clothes would warm me up quicker.

T1: 19:32

Bike:
Off to grab my bike. Coach T’s (my IMAZing Battle nemesis) bike is gone. Damn. Maybe I’ll catch her on the bike. I am freezing. My jaw and neck ache from my chattering teeth. And I want to sleep. Please get warm. I have to do the bike. Maybe I won’t be able to do the run because of my knee, but I have to do the bike.

The bike is three out and back loops. I am halfway out before I start to warm up and pick up the pace. I see Caitlin coming back from the turn around. She looks strong. The pros pass me as they are on their 2nd loop. They are loud with their disc wheels. I love the sound. I am eating and drinking on schedule. I have no idea of my speed because my cyclometer won’t work. I just ride steady, staying in aero position. Finally the turnaround appears. Yeah! 1/6th done. Now for a fast downhill section. That feels great! Back at the start I see Dave and Caitlin’s family cheering me on. Start my second loop. I’m feeling stronger now. I can do this. My mood improves greatly. Halfway to the turnaround I tell myself, I only have one more time to come up B-Line and two more downhill sections. That’s what keeps me going. I’m now to halfway done with the bike. YEAH! And I’m actually on schedule to do a sub-7 hour ride, which is my goal. Keep it up. Stop very quickly at special needs. Grab the food and go. Throughout the ride I grab Gatorade from volunteers as I ride by. This is amazingly easy. I do stop twice to go to the bathroom. No lines and volunteers hold my bike and replenish my Gatorade stock. Love it. This whole time I’m watching for #2551, Coach T, but I never see her.

Back to the beginning for Loop 3. Only one more loop. The course is much emptier now as all the fast people are on the run. No more whoosh whoosh of the disc wheels. But now I’m the one passing people. I’m feeling strong. I get to the turnaround and head back to town. My back and neck start feeling sore (more sore?). I start getting nervous about the run. Will my stomach get upset? Will my knee hurt? Okay, one event at a time. Just get through the bike and we’ll deal with the run when it happens.

Bike: 6:43:42

Back in town and into T2. Dismount bike. My bike time is under 7 hours, which was my goal, and I’m pleased. I am on schedule to do no worse than a 14 hour event if I can do a 5 hour run.Grab my gear bag and into the changing tent. Moving a little faster than in T1 . . . but not as fast as I’d like. Change, again. Dry shorts, dry socks, hat, knee brace, remove jersey and run in jog bra. Water bottle holder on. Glide on. Volunteers slather me with sunscreen. That was fun.

T2: 6:49

Run:
The run begins. I trained to run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute. Try to turn on my watch for those intervals. It won’t work. Crap. Oh well, I have my other watch, so I’ll just have to check it regularly. My legs are bricks. I feel like crap. Get through mile 1. Okay, 1/26th of the way done. Mile 2, 1/13th of the way done. Stop thinking that way. Just think “5 more minutes”. Sponges are FANTASTIC! Keeping me cool because by now it’s in the mid-70’s and I don’t deal well with heat (yeah yeah, I get hypothermia in the swim and overheat on the run). I see Dave around mile 3. He asks how I’m doing. Crappy, but my knee’s not hurting, so that’s great! It’s so good to see and talk with him.

I pass by Caitlin’s family twice and scream both times while flexing my muscles. YEAH! Then, I’ve finished the first of three run loops. 8.7 miles done. On to Loop 2. The brick feeling has gone and I’m feeling much better. I’m sticking to the 5 min run, 1 min walk plan. I’m eating and drinking regularly. My stomach is feeling good. I’m not overheated. This is all good. I look for Dave at mile 11 but don’t see him. However, I do see my amazing training partner Caitlin. She’s on her last loop. We talk for a while. I tell her how I have cursed her name over and over throughout the day. But I still love her and she’s having an amazing race. I’m so proud of her. Then I leave her behind. I’m feeling fresh and strong and she’s struggling a bit on her last lap. I can’t wait for her. But . . . why not? This is stupid. We trained for this together for so long. I want to bring her in to the finish line. I want to hear Mike Reilly say those words . . . Caitlin Norton, you are an Ironman. So I stop and wait for her to catch up. We run together the last couple of miles, talking about our day. As I’m bringing her in, I start yelling to the crowds and pointing at Caitlin “Here’s an Ironman!!!!” I wish her Happy Birthday and tell her to show them what an Ironman looks like as I split away from her and she goes down the finisher’s chute. I continue on with my last loop.

The adrenaline rush of seeing Caitlin off to the finish has taken a bit out of me. Why can’t I be done, too? Suck it up. Just one more loop. Keep on schedule. I see Dave again and he tells me that there is a bike split missing for Coach T. Did she DNF? Did I pass her without knowing it? Am I winning the Battle? This gives me a burst of energy. That and the fact that my pace has been steady and I’m sure to do a sub-5 hour run. I think I’ll finish in 13:30. Dave tells me if I keep up the pace, I can easily make it. I see him again on the bridge. It’s so nice to have him supporting me. Not much further to go. I’m now at mile 25. No more walking. I’m finishing this thing. I start yelling at spectators “I am going to be an Ironman”! Some nice woman asks if she can have my abs. I tell her only if she wants to finish the race for me. Hmmm . . . no takers. Oh well. As I approach the chute, there is Dave again, helping me finish. Then he veers off so as not to get me DQ’d. I start yelling to the crowds “I AM GOING TO BE AN IRONMAN!” They start cheering and I high five everyone along the route! Uh oh . . . where is the finish line? Did I get too excited too soon? Do I have enough in me to keep going? Hells yeah! Right before the finish I burst ahead to pass one more person and cross that finish line. Did Mike Reilly say something? No idea? I was too busy digging at the finish line . . . cause what else would the Gravedigger do?

Run: 4:50:24

Then my catcher grabs me, wraps me in mylar and walks me through the line. This was amazing. My catcher told me he did a full Ironman and four halves this year. More impressive, last year he weighed 400 pounds. And this guy looked like an Ironman. I told him he was way more impressive than me and it was an honor to meet him. Wow. What an end to an amazing day.

Total Time: 13:30:41

Wendy Graves – You are an Ironman!!!!

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Caitlin Norton's Ironman Arizona Race Report....

IRONMAN Arizona 2009…

All people say this journey started a year ago from when they registered for the race, more accurately, you have to consider your craziness months in advanced, then logistically figure out who, what, where, when, why and how…

Who: Wendy calls me her arch mimesis because I talk her into doing these crazy schemes…This is true, but without her, training would cease to exist…she is the task master and bike router extraordinaire!!!

Why: Arizona November 2009…We were looking for a late season event so that we had plenty of time to train and so we could take advantage of the summer training weather. Oh and did I mention Arizona fell on my BIRTHDAY?! Love me the birthdays!!!! And it’s SUNNY! Who doesn’t want a break from the Seattle weather?! In November 2008, I was on a road trip and call three days ahead to a Starbucks in Centralia to make sure they had internet connection and pulled in two hours before registration opened so that I could make sure we had plenty of time!!! It took me almost 2 hours of refreshing the page before I was officially registered for Ironman Arizona. Boy Howdy, no turning back now…training day 1, June 1, 2009!

Because of the overwhelming generosity of the fine folks of RTB, the premier triathlon club in the Pac NW, we had a copy of Gale Bernhard’s Multisport training guide, which we decided to follow…26 week plan. We also modified the run portion of training to include the Jeff Galloway method of running. For every endurance run, lasting over an hour we would run five minutes and walk for a minute…I think this really helped me mentally. Having completed a handful of marathons previously and always having a mental problem J knowing I only had to run for five minutes at a time really made this whole craziness seem doable!

This summer-- also to my training partners dismay, I added a lot of 100 mile bike rides (about every other weekend)…our plan didn’t call for 6+hour rides until a little over a month out from the event, but I really wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and free tanning we could get by being out in the elements…I am really glad we did, case by the time our long rides came about, my ass was sitting in my garage, doing spinerval videos…by myself for that matter…my advice to all that have a hard time doing training sessions inside…DON’T watch a movie, DO a spinerval video…much more effective and makes the time go by faster…its an actual workout, not just spinning your wheels…

Ok, moving on, after a year of training, eating and sleeping, I was finally packed, my bike was on its way south--courtesy of tribike transports (the only way to deal with your bike if you are going outside of the immediate area) and I was headed to the Sunny State of Arizona!!!

I honestly thought I would be a lot more emotional getting on the plane, getting my adventure on its way…It was pretty intimidating arriving at the village with all the athletes …but as many a smart Ironmen before me have said…I did the time, it was now time to do the crime!

On Friday morning we took a quick drip in Tempe Town Lake…I just have to wonder what kind of water other triathletes are use to swimming in because the lake was no worse than Beaver Lake and a balmy 63 degrees. It was actually a little bit cold, I was worried that on Sunday it would be a problem…but then again I thought of 2500 athletes churning the water and doing what they do…not like I could do anything about it so no need to worry. After that I drove the course…fingers crossed Sunday would be just like today…no wind…After that mandatory athlete meeting and confirmation Mike Reilly would be commentating…I was worried we would get the backup guy and that would totally have sucked… J

Saturday consisted of a quick 20 minute workout and then legs up for the rest of the day…Dinner at my brothers house then back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep…when I got to the hotel, I noticed my sister in law sitting in a chair in the lobby…Holy Crap! My brother and his wife surprised me, very cool…Then up stairs for a good night sleep…In real life I have a really hard time sleeping, but that night I was relaxed, surprisingly relaxed, asleep by 9PM dreaming of sugar plums and trips to Disneyland!

3:30 AM wake up call, breakfast of oatmeal and half a bagel with pb&j…then it was bathroom jockeying till 5AM…family in the lobby and awesome birthday wishes…who’s crazy idea was it to do this on my birthday anyway…it was actually pretty cool! Off to Tempe Town Lake…dropped off special needs, more pictures and oh wait…bathroom! Walking back to transition I noticed the current on the lake was picking up and I knew the perfect conditioned we had hoped for were, well not going to be perfect!

The water temp was 63 degrees…waiting on the dock to get in the lake, security asked us to get out of the way so that Rudy Garcia-Tolson could enter…damn, if he can do this, then so could I…that’s it…in I go…With a hug to Wendy and “today you will be an Ironman…see you at the finish” I jumped in…

It was a little warmer actually than I expected and I was presently surprised…today was going to be a good day! I swam out past the bridge about 200 meters and claimed my piece of lake close to the starting buoy. Mike Reilly got on the mic…I was so freaking excited…today I was going to be an Ironman…and then Mike asked “who’s going to be an Ironman today?” Yea I was…that was going to be me!!! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…boom…and we are off…at first we were all doing the water polo swim--head out of the water, just to damn messy for anything else…it took about .5 mile or so for the field to thin out. Finally a chance to swim, I just kept repeating to myself, what my brother in law Bryan told me…”just keep it long”…I knew I was in for a long day, so I didn’t want to over exert myself in the first discipline . I had a harder time fighting for my water space then I did swimming. Took me about half way through to get into the buoy line and once I got there I got kicked in the head, my goggles were knocked off my face and I got a huge cramp in my calf…It took me a minute to get my cramp out and it freaked me out a little considering I still have about 139 miles left to go…I hoped that it was only because the water was cold and I kept going…

Getting out was another experience cause we got to get out on aluminum steeps that barely touched the water…you had to swim to the step and use your knees to get you onto step.

Swim time 1:09:00

T1 run to bag area and yelled out number for bag…I had “personalized” my bag, but note to self for next time…not the bag, but on top…someone had used xmas garland…I liked that (feel free to use my idea for your next race), helmet, shoes, glasses, number…good to go…existing tent to bike volunteers stopped me to put on sunscreen…I yelled “just the face”…they didn’t listen…check out the pictures, I look like a doof…my sister said that when I existed T1 she realized how serious I was about this race cause I let people put sunscreen on me…yuck!!! T1 4:41

Bike: Yet again I heard a voice in my head…Phil Spencer said, your entire race is determined in the first 40 miles of the bike ride…I didn’t want to go out too strong, make sure I maintain an 18mph…no problem…winding out of the city I felt great, no wind, easy stroke, not a problem…then I turned onto the Beeline highway…luckily the road had just been repaved, but the wind hit you like a brick…the 18mph I had easily enjoyed turned into a 12mph fight up over 10 miles of false flats…but boy howdy that downhill was well worth it…Right at the turn around back into town, I encountered my first bike pee…not by me, but the guy in front of me…I was so disgusted…we JUST passed porta potties and there was no line…luckily I caught on quickly and back off before I effected…so wrong…so so so so wrong! After that, I kept a look out for Wendy, it gave me something to keep my mind distracted from the pain I was experiencing from the seat…I finally found her about 25 miles in and yelled “the downhill is worth it…keep going”…turning back into town, I realized that the wind was picking up and that the second loop was going to be more of the same. At this point I was settling in, staying consistent and on my nutrition plan…again drawing on previous Ironman experiences (thanks Ann) I had a watch on my bike that beeped every fifteen minutes (freaked out the bikers around me J) that reminded me to drink my carbpro and eat a piece of powerbar of which I had cut into pieces the night before. One loop down, two to go..My favorite quote of the day (And I am being factitious) a women said to a friend as I made the second turn into town turn, “Oh my God, look at the size of that girls calf’s”…Bitch! Anyway…moving on…The second loop was much windier. I saw Rudy again heading out on his first lap as I was coming back into town, I wanted to yell great job, but didn’t want to take away anything from him…he is out in the field, just like the rest of us, so I kept my mouth shut…at about mile 65 TJ Torkelson came whizzing by me and I looked down at my cyclometer to see just how far ahead of me he was and I looked up right as I was heading into a large orange cone...I hit it—“come on, can I not have a race without crashing?!” luckily I was able to recover and I continued on my way…on the third lap, the winds had changed yet again and the head wind I encountered the first two times, became a nasty little cross wind…I was feeling good and just kept telling myself to keep it steady, don’t push to hard, cause the hardest part was about to come. At this point I was just enjoying myself. I could not believe that I was already finishing up my 112 mile bike ride…I felt like it was noon… …I biked into T2 and saw 7 hours straight up on the clock, I was pretty stoked…

Bike 5:49:21

Remember garland for next time, dang nabbit…transition was bag--socks, shoes, Garmin and visor…stopping at the sunscreen station I got molested again and slathered in sunscreen.

T2 2:21

Headed out on the run I was trying to get my Garmin to start intervals of 5/1, but as always I was having technical difficulties. I also dropped my fuel belt (again thanks PhilJ) and that got quite a laugh from the crowed. I decided to screw the watch and just run until I had settled into a rhythm. From the very beginning yet another coach, Debbie from Fitness Forward, told me to just walk the aid stations…so again I listened. There were a few times that I considered giving exception to the walking rule…like it would be ok if I walked up/down the hill, etc. I decided that if I started making exceptions that pretty soon I would be walking more than I was running, so I didn’t allow any exceptions…aid stations—and that was it! Again I stuck to my nutrition plan...hydration and carbpro and powergels every five miles…unfortunately, I am not sure if it was the Arizona air or if I was started to get sick, but by about half way through, my throat was on fire. The lemon lime Gatorade I had been drinking all day, stung like no other…so at each station I grabbed first orange Gatorade, then a cup of the most foul tasting temped watered down chicken broth and then a swig of coke…the bubbles soothed my throat! Since I didn’t train with any of the foods, I kept it simple , but made sure I stayed on plan the entire run…and by then that was the hardest part. My second favorite quote of the day (and this one I am serious about) was at about mile 20…This really tall, thin pretty women can running up alongside me and said “Wow, you look really strong, hardly like you are working at all” I replied, well we only have 6 miles left and she said…”I am only on my second loop…I can only hope I look as good as you do on my third lap.” That gave me a nice little boost and I carried on my merry way…just kept putting one foot in front of the other…with only about 2.5 miles to go, I heard the MC at one of the rest stops call out “go Wendy”…I hoped it was my Wendy and within a few minutes, I heard “well isn’t that the sexiest damn ironman I have ever seen…” We ran and talked together for a minute and then Wendy was off again…with about a mile to go, Wendy slowed down and told me to hurry, up, she wanted to hear Mike Reilly call my name…and she emotionally pushed me forward…she started yelling at the crowd that I was going to be an Ironman, that today was my birthday…It was really great…we held hands the last few hundred feet before I had to veer off into the finishers shoot…it was really great to have Wendy there at my final moment…with that, I was off…running as fast as I could…why is that last .2 always so damn long…and then finally those words I have been waiting for more than a year to hear…”Caitlin Norton from Kirkland, WA, YOU are an IRONMAN…”

Damn Right!! Run 4:46:24

Total Time 11:51:46

What are my final thoughts? Make a plan and STICK with it. Make a plan B, use in case of emergency, but don’t freak out. I gotta say, I was surprised how calm I stayed all day…I knew I had done all I could to prepare, now it just came down to execution…and Enjoy the day…the one piece of advice EVERYONE told me was to smile and enjoy the experience, you only get one first time…and thank the volunteers…I did that and thanked everyone that called my name…really helped keep me in the moment!

I really enjoyed every moment of this journey..Every time something would get hard, I would remind myself what I was working towards…and an Ironman wouldn’t give it…so I never did…

This year 2696 miles SBR

Almost 420 hours working out

216636 calories burned

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Ironman Cozumel - Wed/Thursday update

Well it certainly has been a few interesting days…

Wednesday I went out for an hour spin and made sure the bike was in good condition. We had planned to go back downtown in order to get some new medicine from the Pharmacia and I wanted to get that done early. About the same time we arrived in town a very black cloud came over the island and it rained like I have never seen rain before. It stranded us in a market for about an hour. The merchants were trying to convince us to buy some Crocs because the water was coming in pretty fast. The wind was blowing and you could see the surf across the street coming up over the streets. Within minutes the water was half way of the wheels of the tires on the road and it was very much a flash flood kinda of thing. I have seen it rain like this in Maui but never as long. It was like a mini hurricane. They call them “nortes” and they come in quick and fast and are basically a cold front.

We finally braved the 25 feet to taxi and got back to the hotel for a nice massage and rest. Whew. I am glad I wasn’t out on my bike for that storm.

The people are truly amazing and we finally got our hands on the book that explains the race to the locals. They are getting very excited about the event. There is a lot of work going on here to bring this race back in 2010. All of the speed bumps are being removed (by hand) and repaved on all the roads. This has usually a group of about 10 guys working on each one. New palm trees have been planted everywhere. Road crews are out on the entire 40 mile bike loop cleaning up any trash and there are people with brooms hand sweeping the roads. If there is one place that wants this race in their city it is Cozumel. At every host hotel there is a Ford car or truck and our own bike mechanic. Can you imagine?

We had dinner with a friend I met yesterday (movie producer from LA) and that was great. He I think is an 8 time Ironman and patiently waiting for his girlfriend to show up tomorrow. It was nice to relax and unwind with a few drinks and a great dinner. This morning we walked down to the swim start as my new friend buzzed by on his scooter to the start. Everyone is a on a scooter here. We got to the swim start which is actually a national park that has dolphins you can swim with. You could see they were excited and wondering what was happening in their water. I found my way to the end of the pier and knew this was going to be interesting. With the storm returning again this morning the water was very choppy and I knew this would scare a lot of folks. The start involved jumping off a pier about 10 feet in the water. This is what we will do race morning also. This could be quite interesting with 2000 of us. The pier isn’t that big. They are busy building the swim exit so hopefully that will be done by Sunday. After several minutes of hemming and hawing I finally jumped in. The swell was rough and the current even rougher. Rob said they had to rescue one person while he was standing there. I made it out about 20 minutes and go no where to being even close to the 700 meter buoy. I decided to head back. I got several stings from jelly fish and I figured that come race morning the water would be still again (Ironman dreaming).

After the swim we caught up with our new Australian/San Francisco couple and we jumped in their jeep and drove the bike course. Very beautiful. Flat. Windy. This could be a very interesting race for the bike. If we escape the wind it will be a very fast course. If not, it could be a very slow one for everyone.

We headed up to registration and again were overwhelmed with the welcome group and everyone just thanking us for being there. I got registered and they gave us these totally cool Ironman Cozumel jackets. Wow – beats a t-shirt for sure!

I think the buzz here is that this Island truly is invested in this race. If we escape in weird weather (the forecast is for sunny and 77) it could be the race to do in the coming years. I cant wait to see how it turns out.

Cheryl

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