Trying to figure out something new to do on the treadmill? Ed Clarke has some ideas! www.weraisethebar.com/clarke122810.html
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Cheryl Iseberg's Ironman Cozumel Race Report
Nicely done, Cheryl. J
2010 Ironman Cozumel Race Report
Push your body to the limit. That is what the poster said in Cozumel.
And so it began. As does every week before an Ironman. The arrival. The few days of relaxation. The swim warm ups. The easy spins and recovery runs. The melt down on Thursday. The nervousness of Friday. The OCD that appears when trying to fill your gear, transition, and special needs bags. The complete chaos when you rack your bike. An early dinner on Saturday in hopes of sleep. The 3:30 am get of bed cause you have not slept more then 2 hours because of what you know is coming. The quiet trip to transition. The last run to the porta potty. The last few minutes standing with 2500 others ready to take on the day. Not knowing what that day will bring.
Then it does begin. There is nothing left to do. Everything is in your gear bags and your bike is racked. You’re hydrated and you have eaten the allotted calories that are required and you have said good-bye to your loved one and now it is time to wait for the gun to go off. There are the nervous ones you can see around you. There are the ones who look like they should eat another 10,000 calories before starting. But for the most part, most of the folks who have gathered at the start are staring forward at the water without saying anything. I believe it so quiet because this is when the voices begin…….
This is the start of my 2010 Ironman in Cozumel. I feel pretty good and I am glad that I have done this race before. It is nice not to have to worry about logistics and just race. The venue is still one of my favorites and if you have the chance to race, it really is a must on the Ironman “Best Of” events. The people are amazing and the course is beautiful. Not much else to say really. We decided to stay at the same place we stayed last year and the staff is amazing and very invested in this race. They wish you luck every time you see them and they are anxious for race day so they can watch the race.
The swim is located at a national park where they have dolphins and you can swim with them. I love being in the water near these animals. They bring me a sense of calm. This year there are new editions to the pens on the pier where the race begins. Three manatees that are just amazing to watch. So graceful in the water and purposeful in their movements. Next to the manatees I see what the locals in Maui call a “big fin”. Although this “big fin” isn’t really big I do find it just a strange bit odd that they have a shark in a pen. I don’t say anything to anyone else and I think everyone just ignores the obvious “what the f***” moment.
Time to jump in an empty dolphin pen and await the start. This year there are a lot more participants (I think they said over 2000 but not really sure) and it is hard to get everyone down to the start with a small area to start from. People are clinging to the fence under the pier and the volunteers are yelling to get out from under the pier so more people can come in. I was lucky last year but not so much this year. I was forced under the pier about 12 minutes before the start so I just had to tread water. I then realized what it was going to mean to be one of about 400 women in a race with the remaining being men. It was going to get crazy and it was not going to be pretty.
The gun goes off and I am calm but my fellow Ironmen are not. There is panic and there are waves under the pier and there are a lot of men hitting me from all sides. About this time, another woman and I start yelling “stay calm” but no one appears to be listening. I am trapped in a sea full of men hell bent on getting in front of me. I got my share of the ocean and I didn’t like it. Through the first 800 meters I am just trying to find my way through the maze. Last year I was able to find some faster feet and hang on for dear life with a current that treated us to a ride. This year all I found where people zigzagging their way around with a kick that would take your face off. I decided I had to switch my plan and on the back side decided to swim alone in the inside of the buoy line with one other woman who had enough also. Thus we lost the streamline of being behind someone else at least we were in control of our own destiny but we had to work harder for it. On one buoy we both took one stroke too many and with the current in our favor missed the buoy and had to swim like hell to get back around it. It was very freaky to know the water was moving that quickly but we made. I knew I was going to have a slower swim then last year and I just tried to settle in. The goggles begin to leak and I don’t dare touch them for fear of a complete disaster and I choose to swim with one half of my goggles full. Of course you can’t do an Ironman swim without boats around and thus that also brings the smell of diesel in the water. You will never get used to this smell and it is all you can do to just not think about it. Keep the voices quiet for now because later on they will not be quiet despite whatever you tell them.
Finally I reach the submarine and I realize I have about 30 more minutes of swimming. I have a bit of cramp building in the bottom of my foot and I don’t know why but I focus on keeping the voices quiet and to get out of the water. The weirdest thing about Cozumel (besides the “big fin” in the pen) is what you encounter around 300 meters out from the exit of the swim. There is this “ginormous” statue in the water. I don’t know how to explain it. When you first see it you think oh my god there is someone in the water down there. Then you realize it is about 12 feet tall and it is a statue of a “person” holding their hands up over their head. I have no idea who thought of this or why it is there but it is freaking odd. I just want to get around this thing and get out. I am done. My new Blue Seventy Swimskin kept some of the jelly fish from attacking me and that is a good thing.
Then it is time to take a number people and wait for your turn to do your best imitation of a seal and leap out of the water and land on a step before 100 of your best friends land on top of you. Now the tricky part isn’t the launching of your tired self onto what seems like a 1” board, but the trick is to launch, land, double twist vertically, land on your feet on a 1” board, and then run up 10 soaking wet steps WITHOUT hitting anyone, knocking over your swim friend, or landing on your teeth. Do not. Let me repeat. Do not try this at home. This is a very dangerous maneuver that should only be done by a professional. Thus, I hold up the Ironman train by actually sitting my fat butt on the 1” step and then trying to shimmy up the stairs.
All and all, not bad and I can’t be too unhappy with a 1:16 swim. Off to the changing tent to change clothes and run right by the sunscreen volunteers. Which will come up later.
I find the girl and we are off on another Ironman adventure. I have my plan and find the highway and start to settle in for the long ride. Some things never change and the front hub of my Mavic Carbones are singing to me yet again. 112 miles of this and I will go crazy but perhaps the voices will remain silent for a bit longer? I find my cadence and now it is time to get moving. The odd thing about this year is that it does feel more humid and on this side of the island there is a head wind. Last year we were lucky that the only head and cross wind was on the east side of the island. I do think the flat, windy, hot venues work in my favor but I don’t know if I like that the wind will be with us the entire time. I push the gas a bit more and find that my first lap is a good one. I feel good and I get a chance to see Rob and Rebecca and some words of encouragement. Of course no one says “hey it looks like your back is a bit red” but hey whatever.
So off to lap 2 and it is for sure more windy then last year. I can feel myself slowing down but try to remain calm. There is a lot of racing to do and I just want to do my best. After another windy lap and another visit with Rob and Rebecca (and nothing still about perhaps the need for sunscreen) I am off to finish this bike ride. I am starting to feel it and the dreaded hot foot has started along with the voices and I realize now there is no reasoning with them. They are here to stay until I finish. This is where the race gets tough and you need to figure out how to deal with both pain and the mental side of this game. I do finally find one other woman in this race on the 3rd lap and we had some fun with the boys back there. They were getting a wee bit tired so we had fun picking them off while we chit chatted and ate while flying by them. I love a bit of revenge and I love it more when they realized they got “chicked” on the bike. Hola, have a nice day.
I realize once I get to the top of the island that I still have about 10 miles to go and I need to get some time going on my side. I decide to drop my friend and put it into high gear. I take my gel and put the hammer down. This is the fun part and I take advantage and pick off more then my fair share of the competition. The wind is still blowing but I want to get back to town so I am pushing. My goal was to try to get around 6:15 this year but with the wind we settled on 6:22 which still is a personal best time for 112 miles so that doesn’t suck J.
I take a few minutes to pull out my Father Damien coin who is riding along in my bento box. A fellow cyclist on Maui gave me this coin of Father Damien who was made a saint last year for his work on the leper colony in Molokai. He found it by the side of the road and gave it to me and told me to take it to Cozumel last year and that it would keep me safe. I kept Father Damien and my bento box last year and he did keep me safe so he came along for another ride. I am not a religious person but I do like the fact that Father Damien is along for the ride.
Off to the changing tent and of course the dizziness begins. The voices have suddenly elevated their game and they wish to be heard. They want me to know that at any moment I can fall over and be hauled off to the medical tent. They want me to know they are in control right now. I have my clothes bag and I sit down. I am thankful again for those sweet women who do not know you but will dump out your bag, lay out your clothes and gear, dress you, give you water, and say good luck. I totally tear my compression sock trying to put in on and that sucks but it is what it is. I then notice that the changing tent appears to well lets just say “wide open for all to see”. Not that I care but there was some skin being shown to the world without anyone knowing or caring at that point.
I see Rob and Rebecca and I think Ben (Rebecca’s husband) is about an hour behind me. I was wishing we could run together. It was starting to get lonely and I was hoping if I found someone to run with the voices would shut the hell up. I hand Father Damien to Rob and I am off for the marathon.
Of course then it is 3 miles of find a porta potty, get something to drink and eat and shuffle until you find the will to doing anything else. The voices think they are funny now. They think that they have me but they don’t and about 4 miles into it I can feel my body starting to understand that we are in the running state of this event and it is all hands on deck.
I don’t believe there is an Ironman out there that doesn’t have your local drunks on the run course to help make it crazy. It is after 5pm, they have been drinking all day listening to the theme from Rocky, Eye of the Tiger, and the Final Countdown. You can smell the alcohol and they cheer you on. They are having the time of their lives. I actually had one guy approach me and tell me he loved me and wanted to marry me. Huh, wow, I must be looking really good J . The best thing about this race this year was the water stations had these great water freezy things. Think of Otter Pops but with cold water in them. You could grab a few and bite the top and drink the water or pour it over you and it was easy to carry. So much better then a kiddie cup. This truly was an amazing invention!
But Chica is still on a mission. I have the voices at bay cause I am running to all the water stations and only walking the water station and I am on my pace! Hah, voices take that! I hear new voices now. I hear my friends online tracking me and saying “yeah, Cheryl”. I hear Patty and that voice that only a mother can love saying “GOOOO CccHhhEeeRrrYyyLlll”. I continue to move pretty well then the wheels come off at mile 15. Of course I did not realize it but that was also about the same time I stopped talking anything of value for calories. I was walking through the water stops getting Coke and water but not getting any gels. By this time it is too late. The wheels are off and the voices are screaming.
I know now I won’t make my goal for the run but I keep moving. Thankfully Ben was out there to stop and say hello but other then that I don’t know that I talked to anyone else the entire marathon. This has to have been the quietest Ironman ever. Well other then having to deny my marriage proposal out there it was pretty much “aqua”, “coke”, “Hi Ben”.
And so as it begins it also must end. I am finishing up the last miles and it is time for reflection. The voices have stopped screaming cause they know it is almost over and I have won this fight again and I take some time to just “be”. I will come in with a PR for every race this season, a PR for this race for overall time and for the running and cycling. Not to shabby for a 45 year neuro challenged gal.
The finish is as amazing as it always is. Nothing really can clearly describe those few seconds but perhaps that is a good thing. I don’t know that something that special can be described with words. I am thankful for being healthy this year and having the year that I have had. It was amazing to have Ironman do a story on me and post it the week of the race and I am lucky to have made some new friends through that story.
It has taken me 3 weeks to write this race report but perhaps the thing that was holding me back was I wasn’t sure what to take from this race. I did take 23 minutes off my time from last year and that is truly amazing but there has been something that has been missing in my thoughts that I needed to figure out before sitting down and writing this. Some small recognition or voice that hadn’t been heard and I think after 3 weeks I figured it out.
Ironman has taught me a lot of things. To stay strong, be consistent, have fun, and how to do damage control during a race. I have learned how to control suffering. There it is. Controlled Suffering.
I have learned that I can get faster while the calendar and I get older but I want something else now. It is not about a faster time. I realize that each race is different and you can PR a distance at one event and go to another race and it can take you longer because of the conditions or the race attributes. I have PR’d my races this year and know I am faster and stronger but what I am chasing at Ironman? Is it a 12 hour Ironman or an Ironman slot or what?
The reality is I think it is the suffering piece. The voices. They are both controlled. I have done sprint triathlons where I have suffered but only because I know in an hour it is over but I have never let myself go to that place in an Ironman. Why? Probably because you train for 6 months for this and you spend a lot of money getting there so to blow up or DNF doesn’t make sense. But what if I did move past the controlled suffering and for some part of the race do what that poster said “Push my body to the limit”? What would happen? Does that mean DNF? Or does that mean faster overall time? Or ?
Through the pondering I do realize that it is time to move to that next place. I loved doing something different this year and loved doing my first off road triathlon race. In 2011 I will be headed back to Ironman CDA in June and off to Maui for Xterra in October so I have a full plate ahead. A few weeks of unorganized workouts through December then hop on the saddle again.
But this year my goals are different and it will not be about finish times. I have two goals this year. First to compete in races that make me grin and smile and second, to let the voices go uncontrolled for just a bit longer and just see what happens. You just never know what could happen J
And if you were wondering about the lack of sunscreen – well that racer back tri top left me a great burn. Rookie mistake but I guess you just keep learning with every race and the challenge is to keep those mistakes from happening again and to remember how far you have come.
Livestrong,
Cheryl
Monday, December 20, 2010
Holiday Swim Tonight!
Anybody else want in to the holiday lap swim at the Covington Pool? 7PM - a few slots left! Meet at the Rock after for refreshments!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Beginner Swim Technique Class and other stuff....
We’ve got a Tech class planned for January (includes some underwater videotaping!). Also, the Jan/Feb swim session is open for sign-ups. And if that isn’t enough, Patty wrote an article about swimming, so if you’ve nothing better to do this holiday season…… http://weraisethebar.com/swimswedberg120910.html
Cheryl Isebergs' TriLanai report
Can an Ironman be an Off Road Triathlete?
TriLanai Race Report
My goals this year were to stay healthy, injury free, complete my first off-road triathlon, and try to improve my time at Ironman Cozumel. Although it has been a long season for me, it has been one of my best. I was lucky to PR every race this year and even luckier not to break any bones in my first off road race!
I chose for my first off road race, TriLanai. It seemed perfect. A nice dip in the Pacific followed by some riding on some pineapple roads and a 4 mile run and I could knock this off the bucket list. Hah, I could do that in my sleep! This required of course a mountain bike so my buddies at Old Town Bicycle put together a wicked Specialized 29’er. It actually makes me giggle to ride that animal. I did absolutely no off road riding on that thing and that made me a bit nervous going into the race. Rob and I took the ferry from Lahaina to Lanai a few days before the race and the bike got a lot of looks and bike envy was everywhere. Of course she was clean as a whistle with a white saddle and white cables. The red dirt of Hawaii and all that white were soon set to collide.
We stayed at the resort that hosted the event and that was a nice treat. Cocktails at the ocean side bar to watch the resident Spinner dolphins come into the bay to treat the tourist snorkelers to a free show. It was great watching this pod come in and jump and leap and you could hear the laughter coming from the people in the water. I wondered if this group of amazing animals would show up for our race day swim but knew they probably would not want to hang around to watch a bunch of us thrash through their lovely bay.
Race morning was perfect and we walked the short path to transition. The folks who put on this race are all volunteers and are amazing (they also have some amazing prizes like Maui Jim sunglasses). They purposely have the race the weekend after Xterra Worlds on Maui in hopes of getting some of those athletes over and I think they succeed after taking a quick gander of the competition in transition.
Patty and I volunteered at Xterra Worlds the previous Sunday and we were treated to an amazing event. Of course I got the off road bug immediately watching these athletes. The most amazing swim venue followed by a torturous climb up the side of the volcano then a death defying; hold on for your life, 8 mile downhill through rocks, kiave stickers, dirt, and lava. Once you finish that, dust off your trail shoes for a trail run that on its own will set you back for a few days. Of course Xterra is nothing without a little blood right? Watching one gal come into T2 with her arm bandaged and to find out her brake shifter was now a permanent part of her arm was let’s just say “interesting”.
Either way, it didn’t matter. I got the off road bug and told the CEO Challenge group to sign me up for next year. I have raced with this group a few times and I knew this was the time to make the commitment. Why not right? I was doing my first off road race in a week – I have a year to train J for it!
I really thought TriLanai was going to be a bit like a walk in the park. I was in my peak training for Ironman how could I not do just little sprint on pineapple roads? After getting my gear set up in transition, I took the bike out for a quick spin to make sure all was ok. Of course about 15 seconds into riding on soft red dirt with large boulders made me start to think perhaps this was not going to be as easy as I thought. That and along with some pre-race banter from my fellow competitors indicating the climb was around 5 miles and the pineapple roads had major rocks in them along with red dirt and sand. The descend would include a part where I probably wanted to get off my bike and walk down unless I wanted to get some new teeth. Ok, that was not on the website when I signed up.
So panic sets in and I start to wonder what the hell am I doing here? These people are crazy. Their bikes are full of red dirt (of course the gleam of my white cables is truly amazing to see) and the athletes look like the typical triathletes with zero body fat but they look like they eat road triathletes for breakfast.
After roll call to make sure we are all accounted for at the start of the swim and a Hawaiian prayer for the group the race is off and I am ready to pee my pants cause this seems really dumb now. I have an Ironman in 30 days what am I doing out here? What if I fall, what if I break my leg? What if I can’t finish this dumb race? What if my amazing white saddle and cables get red dirt on them? WHY DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS!!!
It is too late, I am in the water for the first lap. It is a 2 lap course Xterra style race. Finish one lap get out run down the beach do the lap again. The first lap is weird – almost like a cross current and I am struggling to get my breathing stable. Going into the beach is a complete struggle with a good break set about 30 feet of the beach. This means if you don’t time it right you get pounded and your suit comes off in front of everyone while you trying to claw you way onto the beach. I some how made it in and start running up to the soft sand where we have to run back down the beach to enter the water again. Of course if it was easy, they would have let us run on the hard sand but these guys are tough and they want to make us suffer so soft sand it is. Suffer, suffer, suffer, and then back in the water for another lap.
I don’t have a great swim but it is over and I off to find my bitchin’ off road monster. Quick transition and I am feeling better ok, just stay calm and get this over. I hop on the bike find my way to the dirt and 3 minutes later dump it. Some red dirt, sand, and a hill with boulders and I toss the bike to the left and land on it. How embarrassing is that? I wonder if I can’t make in on the trail from transition to the “real” trail how on earth will I finish this race? I dust myself off and look for blood and get back on. I also make sure I don’t have a huge hole in my shorts on my butt from the fall cause I know that’s next. Photos of a wantabe off roader with her ass showing all the way up to the top of Lanai.
Finally up to the road and I find some good hills and able to just spin and start riding. Perhaps I just needed to get crashing over with and I will be good. I feel better until we make the right turn up toward the top of the island. Then I see it. The top of the f****** island. Wow, we really aren’t going up there right? A few questions to my fellow athletes and they laugh and say “Yeah, once we get up there we get on the pineapple road”.
Huh, perhaps the off roadies have some wicked sense of humor. The serpentening begins. Back and forth, back and forth, and back forth until we reach the top of the island. I am thinking that was the tough part but when we transition to the red dirt combined with sand, rocks, boulders, etc. this is where the game begins. Somewhere on this lonely stretch of road I realize I am grinning from ear to ear. I am still scared to death mind you, but grinning. Oh but wait. What was that? What was that blur running across the trail? Wow, there is again. Then I realize the comment before the race “watch out for the deer” was more then just commentary. There are folks flying down this road and in between them deer are leaping across the road. Yikes this is getting dangerous!
At some point we get to the area where they said - “you may want to get off your bike and walk it down”. We come around the corner and I realize I am “there”. The view is stunning I wish I had my camera (or at least my IPhone but that would have been way to Roadie to take with me on the bike) and you can see forever and the most amazing view of Pacific I have ever seen. As I transition to “WOW” to “OH SHIT” cause I realize there is no way in hell I can navigate this stretch with my smoking hot white bike. This is going to take skill and on a mountain bike I have clearly shown I can fake some of it but not this.
I jump off just as some crazy dude goes flying past me on the right and shows me what mountain bike racing is all about. That dude was truly amazing and he never stopped and never left the saddle. It was a thing of beauty. I then realized it just wasn’t going to be a easy walk down this section because those bad asses behind me saw me as lunch meat on a road bike and I needed to be careful or I was going to loose an extremity.
I watch a girl in front of me navigate and follow her lead and even though she finds a section to mount back on, I still walk a few more feet before I attempt to get back on. I finally am back on the bike and clipped in and then I start the process of full brakes and wind my way down the rest of the mountain. At some point I realize I can barely hold the brakes anymore cause I am hanging so tight! I finally reach the bottom none too early for my hands and off to find T2. Rob is volunteering at the corner and I am glad to see him but make a quote like “these people are crazy” and find my way to my run gear.
If the swim was challenging and the bike was beyond challenging I knew that the run was going to kick my ass. Only 4 miles but back up the hill and in the heat. That run might have been the hardest run I have ever done. It just kept climbing and it was about 100 degrees. I at least had some electrolytes to keep the cramping to a minimum and just kept moving until I got back to transition. Coming into the finish covered in red dirt and sweat was not pretty but I was happy. I knew victory when I finished! That was the most fun I have had in a race in a long time. My finish was good enough for 2nd in my age group and that medal ranks pretty high up there with my Ironman medals. One to keep for sure.
I plan to head back to TriLanai after Xterra Maui in October. It for sure has made my list of most favorite races and hopefully I will keep the rubber side down next year!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Brian Guillen's Half Marathon Report...
Great report, Brian. Totally applicable, I think, to anyone who has run in a dark, lonely place – no matter what your pace is. RTB is proud of you!!! And proud of all our finishers today. J
GREAT Day!!
| Ok. I'll make it quick as it is 8:20 and is bedtime for this old geezer... Lined up directly at the front of the 3000 competitors and looked around for NJ (….Nick Johnson – fellow RTBer) who was nowhere to be seen. Gun went off and so did my plan for starting out with a 6:20 pace. After a half mile I looked at my Garmin and I was already sub-6 (5:30) and running with the Club Northwest runners. So I slowed a bit and let them pull ahead. I maintained a 5:50-6:00 for the first 3 miles and was running alone in between two primary groups. I could also see that the elite group ahead was already starting to split. At mile 3 I bridged up to a splinter group and ran with them for the next several miles. At the halfway mark I had averaged a 6:05 pace. I had dropped a few in the group that I bridged up to as the course started to head upward. After the first hill my legs tightened up significantly, then loosened back up as the course flattened out. Then a series of several stair-step hills continued to take their toll on my quads and calves. By mile 9, the feeling of looseness was only a romantic and very distant memory. At this point I was surprised that the course still had elevation gain considering that I was still in Seattle. I didn't know Seattle proper had such cruel elevation. At mile 10, I slowed significantly and lost a couple of spots. I was in a dark, lonely place and was running alone. I was trying to latch on to the back of each person that passed which was a good tactic. It helped psychologically, compared to letting them just run away. I NEEDED someone to help me through this trying time. Finally I latched on to the back of this kid that was running 6:15's and used him for the last two miles. He finally pulled away with a half mile left. Two more came by me as they had a final kick. Turned into the stadium and was thankful that the course was not longer since I was quickly going backward by this time. Final time was 1:22:47. My garmin showed a 6:15 average pace and a 13.3mile run. Adjusted to a distance of 13.1, the average pace was 6:19/mile. Finally saw NJ come through as I wandered zombie-like around the stadium field. -frig |
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sarah Lynch's Ironman Arizona Race Report!
Ironman Arizona 2010 Race Recap
Tempe AZ, Wednesday before the race, we arrive – I’m in my Ugg boots, being teased for wearing them, its 80 degrees outside - but I wanted them just in case it was cold in the morning or at night here!
Day 1: Went for a 1-hour run – knees felt really good, I can tell the warm weather has an effect on them. Lungs feel pretty good, can tell a difference in climate, but I think I like it. Headed to the expo to check in. Folks are getting body-marked – its Thursday, seems a little early for me, so I skip it. Headed to the Ironman store and picked up a couple of items, but not too much – anything can still happen, don’t want to jinx myself! Picked up my bike from tri-bike transport. Relax for the evening.
Day 2: Went for a 1-hour bike with David, Jason, and John. We rode part of the bike course, and so glad we did, I’m feeling better and better about this race. The ride is relatively flat, the weather is unbeatable – 70, and hardly a breeze. Please stay this way! We headed down to the expo again. Neil signed up for the 5K race on Saturday morning, as did Risa, John’s girlfriend – it will be fun to cheer them on Saturday morning for that! We hopped in David’s car and drove the rest of the bike course – there’s a bit more to it. It’s uphill most of the way out, but then downhill on the way back. Perfect – how fun it will be to ride downhill all the way back on each loop! The weather is beginning to forecast a little rain – please hold out until after the race, this weather is so beautiful…
Saturday, day before the race: Neil and Risa’s 5K! We watched and cheered, had a great time. Pre-race swim warm up – they only allowed us to swim this day for two hours. Water temp is 61, its cold, but I’ve swam in this before – I’ll live. Double-capped my head and had a pretty okay half hour swim. I can do this. Time to load up the transition bags, get the bikes, and check them in to transition! I laid all my stuff out on the floor before loading up my bags… dry socks, jacket in case of rain, long sleeves just in case, a stocking cap just in case, bag balm, nutrition, Kinesio-tape, sunglasses, hat, Aleve, salt pills…and glow sticks. I think I have it all – and if I don’t, I’m not sure I can carry much more! Checked the bike and the gear bags, this is happening. Neil body-marked me at the pool with a sharpie, body-marking onsite had actually closed, no biggie. Headed to pick up my family from the airport and get some dinner - ate as much as I possibly could. Hit the grocery store looking for Uncrustables, they were sold out. Auntie LaRae said she’d make me a pb&j for race day, even cut the crust off J Okay, we’re in business – gathered up a few last minute preparatory items, wrote out a time-map for my family, estimating my split times, and time to get to bed!
Race Day: Rise and shine at 4am. Forecast is rain, and man its cold out. Thank goodness I have my Uggs! I plan to wear them until they make me take them off. Choked down some eggs and bacon, and we’re on the road. Starbucks by our condo wasn’t open yet, and actually I’m not disappointed, I don’t want my morning coffee (?!) - Anything more in my stomach sounds nauseating. Wow, I’m nervous. The only thing that calmed me down was the look on others’ faces as I got to the transition area – they all felt the same way – thank God. I put my pb&j in my bike transition bag, checked my special needs bags, loaded up my sports drink in my water bottles, ripped the tops off all of my shot blok packages, and put one last bit of air in my bike tires. Ready. Oh man, I might barf still. Coffee, let’s get coffee. I had to sit with my head down on a table while Neil waited in line for coffee, I was so nervous I couldn’t stand still long. Headed back to transition. I put my wetsuit on. And my Uggs J I didn’t take them off until I had to check my morning bag – and I still kept my socks on until we had to get to the water. Soon enough, they were herding us to the water.
SWIM: I was determined to start in the back, I didn’t want to be in the middle of the mess. I am a middle of the pack swimmer and I know it. So I waited to get into the water until the race officials were yelling at us. “Get in the water! Let’s go folks! You’ve got 5 minutes to swim 100 yards to the starting line!!” Okay, in we go! The drop into the water really is a jump, and all of a sudden I realized how funny it was that 2500 of us were jumping into Tempe Town Lake – I looked over at a guy next to me in the water and said, “Wow, it’s kind of like Titanic, huh?” He wasn’t as amused as I was. Boy everyone is wound tight. As we approached the start, the crowd is roaring, the announcers saying “Who’s going to be an Ironman today?!!” the athletes cheering… The cannon goes – we’re off! The swim wasn’t as bad as I had pictured. I’m so glad I started in the back – I swam, pictured myself in the pool at home, just tried to keep it steady. One disadvantage from the back is I never really found a good draft, but it did allow me to just have my own swim. Every once in a while I would come upon a “flailer” – I’d widen my stance, put my elbows out, and claim my space. It seems each time we approached a bridge or a buoy, the crowd would thicken a bit, but I kept telling myself to get it over with and don’t fight it. There were plenty of times where I had someone on top of me, below me, kick me in the face (I’m missing a tiny piece of my front tooth), and I swam a lot with one eye because my goggles got shifted, but overall? Pretty okay swim, not as bad as I had pictured. I was out of the water at 1:26 – I had predicted 1:20 to 1:30. Frozen to the bone, thank goodness for volunteers – they helped me get my arm-warmers on, and everything in order for the bike – off we go, pb&j in hand, thank you Auntie LaRae!
BIKE: My third favorite part of the sport. I really wanted to keep my heart rate in check, in the 130’s, so I was watching it the whole time. I was going 18-20mph without a ton of effort – even had to ride a little harder at times because my heart rate would dip into the 120’s – can that be right? Oh man, the wind is pushing us uphill isn’t it. Yes. As soon as we hit the turnaround, we saw why everyone didn’t look to be “flying” downhill on our way out. The headwind was so strong, I couldn’t keep 15mph, riding downhill, without a struggle. Yikes, this is going to be a long ride. But I can do it – its Ironman, anything can happen, here’s what we’ve been dealt. I kept an eye on my heart rate and nutrition the entire ride – kind of impressed myself actually – no cramps! The second loop was the toughest – as we rode uphill I noticed people struggling even more on the downhill. On the way back we had an opportunity to get into our first special needs bag – I didn’t really need anything in there, but took a power bar out – and used the restroom, I had held it until then because I only wanted to stop once. Back on the road.. So, so windy, dust storms.. On the way downhill on this loop I wondered what the mph gusts were – there was a point where I couldn’t get down on my aero bars, because I feared I couldn’t hold my bike straight the wind was blowing so hard. I was in one of my smallest gears pedaling away and going 12mph.. downhill! Oh man, one more loop. So the last loop I decided to push it a bit. I knew I had obviously lost my chance of having the race of my lifetime as far as time goes, but I wanted to see how hard I could push the last bike loop, within reason, let’s see what my body can do. I pushed my heart rate into the low 140’s and cruised up the hill pretty well. I noticed the wind had died down a little from loop 2, and found some folks to legally draft – if it was illegal, I was willing to risk the penalty at this point. Flew in on my bike knowing I gave it all I had in that last loop – felt good. Off to the run after transition, Snickers bar in hand (Neil had snuck into my T2 bag)!
RUN: I really thought I could do the run, mentally. But my knees had been hassling me over the last month of training, so I was skeptical I may end up walking quite a bit. Keep it slow, pick it up in the end if you have it in you… My watch bezel was locked at the start though. ??Huh? Something must have been pressed in my transition bag. I don’t even know how to unlock it! Took me the first mile to figure that out and I was finally off to my calculated pace. The KT tape I placed under my knees immediately fell off – whatever, I tossed it in a trash can. I knew I wanted to start at around an 11 minute mile, if I was going to pull off 26.2. I was running just over that. I had to stop at honey buckets WAY more than I ever have in a race – I think it was so chilly that all my fluid intake was actually too much, and my body was actually digesting food – I cut back on the water / sports drink about a third of the way into the run, going with only broth for the last half – oh man, that broth was like heaven.. At mile 10 or so I realized that my knees were going to hold up – yes I’m sore, but I’m not feeling injured! I felt I could pick it up a little – and did, for a short while. Nope, 11 minute miles it is. Again, I didn’t need anything out of my special needs bag, just took out the glow bracelets Neil bought for us, so my family could see me. And slowly, surely, the run happened.. I think I was beaming for the last half mile into the finishers’ shoot – it’s over, it’s really over!! Sarah Lynch, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!! I can still hear it ringing in my head, and I’m still beaming.. What a great, amazing, fulfilling day. Many, many special thanks to my family, friends, and so many great people I am surrounded by. I am lucky.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Check out Dave Koon sporting the RTB Running Jersey at last years Resolution Run...
He can be found before and after the dunk in Lake Washington... and no that is not him in the speedo.... it is the other dry shot.
Cheryl Iseberg on Ironman.com?! WHAT??
As if she didn’t get enough attention already, now she is on the FRONTPAGE of Ironman.com. You deserve it, sunshine. J Go kill it at Cozumel!!! www.ironman.com
Swim Workout Cancelled Tonight!
No Wednesday night workout at Covington. Sorry guys! Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Swim Cancelled Tuesday Morning too
Inclement Weather….sheets of ice….treacherous driving conditions. Swim is off for tomorrow too.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Ironman Arizona is under way, both Sarah and John are out of the water.
To follow their race today, go to the Athlete Tracker at: http://ironmanlive.com/tracking.php?race=arizona&year=2010. Look up Lynch and Pearsall! Go RTB Go!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
999 Race Entries in 2010.....
After a unprecedented campaign of heckling, the RTB team has reported a grand total of 999 race entries in 2010……. Who’s got #1000?!?!?!?! Bring it!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Raise the Hope Class of 2010! (with a couple absences)
A great year for Raise the Hope with some big goals made, new goals set and positive experiences! We are looking forward to seeing what is in store for these wonderful women in 2011. We guarantee that we will see some amazing things!
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Matt out on the bike in Florida
Apparently cold and windy this morning on the swim. 4 foot swells!!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Matt Hoover at Ironman Florida
Out on the bike course after a 1:52 swim. Go Matt!! Got some catching up to do on you!! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
If you have a off-season hankerin' to get faster next year,
Signups are happening for RTB’s last training session of the 2010. www.weraisethebar.com/training.html
Monday, November 01, 2010
Hope Heart Institute spotlights RTB's Teresa Moffatt
Teresa Moffatt was The Hope’s Pick for an athlete profile in their 2009 Annual Report.
Read it here! http://www.hopeheart.org/files/HHI_AR09_FINAL.pdf
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Costume ideas for the party from the Udelhovens...
Apparently these costumes were good enough to win trips to France and Spain….. Ridiculous!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE...
The First RTB member who can sign a political telephone solicitor to the team gets a free membership in 2011. Ready....Set....Go. (I’ve tried twice in the last 15 minutes. No luck)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday, October 08, 2010
Monday, October 04, 2010
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Trev Dakan's Black Diamond Half ironman report
And it’s his FIRST half Ironman, by the way – and was sub-5. DANDY!!! Way to go Trev
Well, I have had a week to mull this one over and am finally able to sit upright in bed, so here is my report....
I don't think I have truly tapered for anything since I have started this triathlon thing last June('09). I was getting pretty antsy, and had plenty of energy all week. I caved once during the week and rode hard on my bike, but other than that, I rested and only did shorter, intense efforts. Luckily, my team mate and friend RTB Hat, kept things interesting with a little competition leading up to the race. I enjoyed this because, to be honest, with all the training involved, I sometimes fell a bit narcissistic and often thought it would be nice to somehow help others while being narcissistic, you know? Thanks RTB Hat!!
The morning of the race was great. Nice weather and I like to drive to Nolte Park along the Green River Gorge road. It is scenic and peaceful and these are the very roads I often get my back side handed to me on Sunday mornings with the Geyser Crew. I also get a lot of great advice dished out in nice heaping portions along the way. The Geyser Crew is a grizzled group made up of a lot of the veterans of RTB, who were doing triathlons before many of us were born!! Haha. But anyway, I digress. Got to see lots of people I knew before the race. What great RTB support both Sat. and Sun. at Black Diamond.
I followed one of my mentors (and fellow RTBer and Geyser Crew member) to the edge of the water to start the race, Ed Clarke. He went to the middle of the pack and worked his way to the front. He is a much stronger swimmer than I am, so I stayed back a few rows. With about 30 seconds left, Ed worked his way left in the front. Wiley veteran move. Everyone around me seemed hesitant to take the front, so I moved up and we were off. I kept waiting for the inevitable elbow or hand in the face, but it never came!! It is always a rush the first 100-150 yards, but I settled down and felt like I was swimming straighter than normal. I was a bit to the left of everyone, which is perfect for me, because I breathe to the right and I can keep an eye on people. About half way through the first of two laps I was feeling like I was cruising along. Not too hard of an effort, as I had a long half day ahead of me. On the second lap, some guy came up on me and hit my feet 4 straight times! Can't he see where he is going?. OK, then I will kick you!! I missed and around me he went and I get a calf cramp to deal with, for my effort. Lesson: worry about me, not the a$$hole next to me. Like I said, I felt like I was swimming very straight, but I was always outside the main line of swimmers. It looked to me as if they were curving inside the buoys and I was straight on line. I came out at 32:13, which was slower than I had expected. (maybe I was the one swimming in a curve?)
T1 was uneventful and I was out on the bike. Patty yelled that Ed was only 1 minute ahead (yeah right, like I believe that). A wave went out ahead of us and the Duathlon was out on the road, so there was the illusion of being really fast and passing a lot of people. Again a long race, so I tried not to go too hard on the bike. I ate as many gels as I could and drank 4 bottles of water/electrolyte/maltodextrin. I had to go to the bathroom at the start of loop 2, but decided I would not go off the bike. By the time I came into T2, I felt a little upset in the stomach, maybe should have thrown caution to the wind and gone on the bike. Bike time 2:33 and change, which I was happy with.
Came out of T2 and immediately used the bathroom. Much better!! I started the first mile at 8/mile pace. After getting my run legs, I picked it up to 7:30 pace. Now that's better. A few miles at this pace then I'll put the hammer down and catch Ed. I had just run a stand alone half marathon at a 6:40 pace 2 weeks earlier, I can run 7's no prob, right? After 4 miles of 7:30 I thought I better eat, but stomach said NO! I grabbed a cup of the electrolyte from the water station and drank it. A few minutes later, it came back up and I spit it out. Now I was doing 8/mile again and was feeling really fatigued. Oh yeah, I haven't eaten yet. So I had a gel, but...too little too late. I was getting slower with more (perceived) effort at each mile. I held 8 for 3 miles, then 8:30 pace and was walking each water station and hill. I am pretty competitive in my head and this was something I thought I would never do, but it felt right at the time and it was all could do. I was passed at mile 11 for the first time of the day, as I remember it. And from there, I dropped to 9:30/ mile and watched my second in age group fall to 5th and 18th overall. It was pretty tough watching all those 40-44 year olds I passed on the bike go by and I couldn't do anything about it. Coming out of the woods and to the finish, you bet I ran as best I could. Finished with a 4:58:55. A great first Half Ironman effort and some serious lessons learned.
Now a little rest and then to see if I can run a marathon this fall/winter. Good training for an Ironman, which is good, since I am signed up fro Ironman Coeur d'Alene in June 2011 along with a good 20 or so fellow RTB team mates. this was by far the hardest effort I have put into a triathlon to date. And I am looking forward to a long winter of training with RTB to get ready for my first Ironman!! Look out Coeur d'Alene, here comes Trev and RTB!!
Friday, October 01, 2010
Raise the Bar Patty Swedberg saves the day....
well she saved the day for a little heron that had wandered out towards the road at Lake Morton. The little bird is now safely swimming around Lake Morton... All in a days work for our RTB leader!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Josh Adams' Black Diamond Sprint Report
6th overall and 2nd fastest bike split (behind Erin Eronemo – aka EE in the report)
The week leading up to this race was ruff because I was trying to get over a bad cold all week. I didn't really know how my body would react to 3 full days of no training before the race but I felt good by Saturday night and was ready to giver hell.
The swim start was greeted by a nice kick in the face by EE. That was enough to get the juices flowing and Finished with the 25th fastest swim split. I did the same thing as EE on T1 and went the wrong way.
Felt like poop most of the bike but still posted the #2 bike split so I will take it. I got through T2 in 1:32 and on to the run leg.
I passed someone early on the run...this is a first for me this year. I haven't passed anyone on the run on any of my sprint races this year, so I was pumped! It was a 3 step lung buster the whole way for me. I was about 1/4mile from the finish when a guy was moving up on my left. I asked him what loop? He hesitated and then answered "2nd"...I met that answered with a dead sprint for 200yrds, I looked over my shoulder and he was 50 ft back. I have the finish in sight and gave another look over my shoulder and he was right on my ass. I sprint through the line and got him by a body length. That was fun!!! Run was 20:10 and 25th fastest run split.
Overall time was 1:07:33 6th overall and 2nd in my age group.
25th-Swim
2nd-Bike
25th-Run
At least I am consistently average on the swim and the run...My off season will consist of a lot of tech work in the pool and speed work on the track/treadmill. Because I have to get a lot better with the other two disciplines but I cannot say enough about how much this groups mentorship has meant to me and my progress as a triathlete. I consider this my first real season and I got one more shot at a podium spot in Elma in two weeks...I am due.
Cheers
jQa
Ed Clarke's Black Diamond Half Ironman Race Report
Ed’s been racing for 23 years and can still mix it up. Congrats Ed!!
Unlike Sunday, Saturday’s long course weather was fabulous. In fact, too sunny for my taste. I had been salivating over the predicted 60s partly cloudy early in the week but as Saturday neared, looking like Sunny and close to 80. Got there 1.5 hours early and the lot already full so had to deal with shuttle bus. Set up in transition with 1 full hour to spare. Chatted strategy with Trev and others, studied course details. Trevor asked me if he should ride all out on the bike leg. Ha ha… never ask a Vet for advise on day of race. I suggested relaxing on the bike leg to save legs for the ½ marathon. As it would turn out, Trev out-biked me by 2 minutes… not sure if he relaxed – I rode hard.
40+ age group went off in wave #2 - 5 mins behind. After a lot of physical contact and head-slapping I faded to the right and caught the toes of a great lead-out man. By first buoy it was the two of us off the front. We were working through wave 1 traffic by the 3rd buoy and all through our 2nd lap. My boy was perfect with line and pace, even through the riff-raff. Never a need to bully the lesser swimmers, just slithered by with grace and courtesy. Off the beach in 27 low, I thanked my man and proceeded to the bike. Onto the bike feeling good and rolling on familiar roads. It was nice to have an ongoing line of wave 1 men to roll through, giving the illusion of out-riding the field. At the out-and-back of lap 1, I counted 6 minutes without spotting the Trevenator. By the end of the first lap I seemed to have found my position as there were no more riders coming back to me. Through lap two I exchanging places with two others and late came a 41 year old with authority – dang, there goes the masters aspirations. Now my race was with Trevor and the 5 hour clock.
Into T2 in 5th spot. Feeling pretty good onto the run and floating along in 7:30 pace. Was looking forward to the run format that featured three out-and-back sections so as to monitor my status vs Trev frequently. Time-check #1 and there’s the Trevstor looking strong, 8 minutes back. I felt comfortable with this but certainly not a guarantee. One side-ache and two miles of walking erases that gap. Had to keep composure, not push too hard… checked back to “prevent” pace. Time-check #2 and there’s my boy Trev still at 8 minutes. Feelin better now (with the gap) but the heat started to erode my fleet-footedness. No more high knees and hands, back to traditional survivor shuffle. Time check #3 and Trev has taken a minute, gap down to 7 mins. Finally back into the park and only the lumpy, rocky, loop around the lake to get ‘er done.
Finished in 4:51 to wrap my season with 2 out of 3 goals reached: sub-5 and put Trev off for one more season. Did not nab the masters as a very fit 41 year old demolished in 4:30. Great props to Trev who also went < 5 with 4:58 in first ½ ironman - that’s amazing work.
d.a.d.d.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Off-Season Triathletes - you might want to read this!
RTB is tapping the brains of our experts and posting articles on stuff you might want to learn about. This week’s article by Karen Nolting is about Strength Training in the off-season. Karen will also be teaching a free strength training class at the Kent Easthill Physical Therapy gym on October 7th at 7:00pm. (If you aren’t an RTB member, it’s $10 though….) Find the article and class here: http://weraisethebar.com/strength092710.html. THANKS KAREN!!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Erin Eronemo overall sprint winner by 4+ minutes.
Does he look skinny to you? I think he looks a little skinny
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Saturday, September 25, 2010
Phone recharged- sorry! Here's greg Kline.
Ed Clarke in the top 10 off the bike and went in the 2nd wave 5 min back. Trev about 5-10 min behind Ed. Got some KBA folks looking great out here too- perfect day
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