Monday, November 30, 2009
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!!!
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"
Third loop complete for Cheryl at Cozumel
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.
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!
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:)!
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!!!!
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.
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.
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!
Another 1/2 finisher
Jessi Richardson has finished but someone has taken her RTB sweatshirt. We knew they were a hot item but really!
more Seattle results
Becki Neel in her first 1/2 finished at 1:56:48 and the Swedberg girls are at mile 9!
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....
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!
News from Seattle
Craig Pitt is headed into the Arboretum... and PK is finding spectating to be stressful!
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.
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!
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.
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.
COACH MIKE MURPHY IS 50 TODAY!!!!!!!!!!
A shout-out to Mike Murphy on his 50th birthday. It’s been an interesting first 50…. LOVE YOU MIKE!!!
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!!!!
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
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
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Cheryl's Update from Cozumel..... 5 days till Ironman
Just a quick update from the Island of Swallows – Cozumel.
After 15 hours we finally arrived yesterday. Wow – it is beautiful here! We headed down to the beach and for some lunch and headed back early. With a midnight flight on Sunday it was a long day. I have some wicked sinus thing going on as usual for my pre-Ironman training combined with flying I think I certainly have an infection going on. I woke up to a major sinus headache and not being able to breathe too well. I did go out for a 40 minute run down to the park where the swim and T1 will take place. It also is home to a large national park and you can swim with dolphins there. It was very WARM even at 7am this morning. Very humid for sure.
Rob got the bike back together and I went out for a ride. There is no headwind/tailwind here – all just headwind and cross winds. Ironman is a very strange thing here for sure. Many of the locals seem to be in awe. A lot of long stares and confusion. Ironman has their work cut out for them here. They produced a small brochure and are handing out to locals to tell them about what is happening. It looks like a comic book version of trying to explain what Ironman is to someone. We saw one but have not been able to put our hands on keeping one. It was truly too funny and I want one for sure.
We met a lovely Australian couple who lives in San Francisco on the shuttle from the airport. We saw them again at the store (which was the weirdest experience trying to figure out what we were ACTUALLY buying – someone should have taken Spanish before coming) and they invited us out for a ride around the island in their car on Thursday. I met another guy this morning and we plan to ride in the morning and he said he rented a motor scooter yesterday and drove the course. He said the wind on the other side of the island doesn’t stop and runs about 15 mph. Whew. I have my work cut out for me.
We ventured downtown and they are literally jack hammering up the speed bumps and laying new asphalt in down for the race. Apparently there is 8 miles that still needed to be paved on the back side that we are still awaiting word on if it was done or not. Could be a bit like a cyclocross race instead J There were some great banners downtown saying “Impossible is not something I have on my mind”. Could be a cool new mantra. We hit the Americian Pharmacia for some lovely Cipro for my infection and hoping that helps – we will know in 4 days apparently according to Maria behind the counter.
Ok, off to swim for now and if we can figure out how to send pictures from here.
ci
Monday, November 23, 2009
And now we look forward to Cheryl Iseberg's Ironman next Sunday!!!!
Hi Everyone,
Well another year and another Ironman to do. This year I decided to do a “late” Ironman since last year was full of fun with two Ironman’s in 8 weeks. Although this has been one HELL of a year for me personally because of work related issues, once those issues went away in May I was able to concentrate on rebuilding a base phase for training and more importantly building a new business that I am quite proud of.
This summer brought some break through races for me personally with PR’s and just a few weeks ago, my fastest 5k EVER. That in the news that a local ranking group for sprint triathlons gave me top 10 overall female masters (anyone older then 40 – or old if you will) has given me some new inspiration for what might be on Sunday, November 29th. The bike has been spruced up (god bless Tory at Old Town Bicycle) and the bags are starting to get packed for a midnight flight this Sunday toward our destination of Cozumel, Mexico. About a month ago, reports were that humidity in Cozumel was a mere 100%. I just can’t wait for that J. In Maui over the last month or so brought some very tough conditions for heat and humidity so I assume that will par for the course on race day.
The swim will be in the ocean and will be way too hot for wetsuits so I am packing the Zoot Speedsuit (think of what Michael Phelps wore in the Olympics – but on me – that is kind of a freaky picture) and some sporty new goggles from Blue Seventy that I love. It sounds like the water conditions are pretty consistent with the current being the worst going out and will be with us coming back. It is a one lap swim. Out 1.2 miles and back 1.2 miles. Then a lovely transition with a change of clothes to a 112 mile ride on my trusty bike. This route will be a 3 lap circuit of roughly 37 miles each. Apparently there is a 9 mile stretch that is quite notorious for cross winds so that should be quite fun to do 3 times. After that another transition to some fresh shorts for a quick 3 laps around the island of about 8 miles each for a nice marathon in the tropical breezes. What more could one ask for but to do 140.3 miles on a lovely Sunday?
Rob and I are looking forward to getting to Cozumel and of course wondering what type of Thanksgiving may greet us. Perhaps turkey burritos? Well I am smarter then that and I am toting my Corn Flakes with me and I plan to dine on them for a week because I don’t dare get sick. I have been there and done the “get sick the day before an Ironman and never start the race thing” and I don’t plan to do that again.
I am hoping for a great day and of course hoping all of you will send thoughts of “speediness” to me next Sunday. As you eat breakfast, lunch, AND dinner, think of me because I will still be out on the course doing my best to circumnavigate the island as many times as possible. I am a bit worried that the race coverage will not be online for you to track me. Information has not been coming as standard as what we find in the states and the last one was in Spanish (which I am currently thankful for Google translator). This is an inaugural event and as my coach has warned me “perhaps may not be to the standards of racing in the US” so it could get interesting.
In case it is available, you can go to www.ironmanlive.com on race day. The race starts at 7am e.s.t and you have until midnight (17 hours) to finish. There should be a notice somewhere on the page that Ironman Cozumel is happening and a link that says “Track an Athlete”. You can put in my name or my race number (935) and find out what is happening. My coach has cautioned me about estimating a time and just to go hard and of course I plan to do that. I plan to go through heat, humidity and hell on Sunday but I am going to give it my best shot to come home with a personal best time.
Thanks everyone as always for their words of encouragement and support – it means a great deal to me. I am hoping that next Sunday, I will hear those words “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN” for the 6th time in 5 years.
Aloha and never let your memories be greater then your dreams….
Cheryl
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Norton and Graves are IRONMEN!!!
Well it sure didn’t turn out to be a long day for EITHER of our Ironmen!!! Norton turns in a 11:51 and Wendy a 13:30. Congratulations, girls! We wish you could have had a herd of RTBers cheering you across the finish line. We’re so happy for you!!!
Ironman Arizona is underway!
Caitlin Norton and Wendy Graves on the road to becoming Ironmen! Go girls!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
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