Ann Sloan's Race Report From Victoria 1/2 Ironman

Victoria ½ Iron Race Report – Ann S.
(1.2 mile swim, 54 mile bike, 12.5 mile run)
June 22, 2008

Must have coffee or wine or something. It is my epic novel again.

Friday….
Steve (supporting husband) and I headed up to Victoria on Friday after a yummy Sushi lunch in Issaquah. On the way out of town I told Steve, I only have one spare tube and wondered if we should stop by the bike shop to get another one. I thought for a moment and figured, nope, don’t really need another one. If I get one flat I’d be lucky to make the noon cutoff, if I had two flats, there would be no way. I can change my tire, I am just very slow!. So we skipped the bike shop visit.

We had a lovely hour wait at the boarder, good thing we were not on a time schedule!! You know folks are struggling with gas prices, when they shut off their engine and push their car in the board line crossing. Yep, two apparent college gals chose to get exercise and save gas. They pushed their car every time we moved a few inches. Not sure how much it saved but….nice idea….for some. Anyway, we made the 5pm ferry, what a nice way to travel the ‘sprit’ ferries are much nicer than the ‘queen ferries’ The queen ferry lines are not upgraded.….this time the correct Victoria ferry. Found our hotel and had dinner at the hotel. We stayed at the HOJO about 3 miles from the race site.

Saturday
Saturday morning we were up early by default….I was planning a swim with Gail, Hope, Vickie and Paula at 10AM. Steve and I headed for Starbucks for breakfast when I realized I didn’t have any extra clothes to swim in. BUMMER! Starbucks was in a strip mall so we waited for the local walking/running store to open. Found a TRI bathing suit..and bought it….expensive workout, but I didn’t want to put on wet clothes on Sunday morning! Dropped Steve back at the hotel and headed to Elk Lake for the swim practice. Gail, Hope, Vickie and Paula were already there. Sharon watched our stuff as she didn’t need to swim since she was Gail’s runner on her relay team of two.  We got into the water and it was NICE! No yelps, swear words or anything….after Seward Park last weekend, this was bath water! We swam out to a buoy and back which was probably a total of a little less than ½ mile. Felt good. We said our good byes and headed off to lunch planning on meeting back at the race site for the 4 pm race meeting.

Steve and I headed to down town Victoria for lunch. I had a GREAT (hee hee) pre-race lunch….Fish and Chips – yummy. Yea, not the most healthy, but it was good and I enjoyed it. I checked my bike in and registered right at 2 pm…only to find out I really didn’t need to get there that early as we had assigned spots to rack our bikes. There were actually stickers with our names/numbers on the rack. No fighting for rack space at this race. Had some challenges attaching my number to my bike….there really isn’t a good spot so that the thing isn’t flapping around on your legs the entire ride. UGG. Exacto knife to the rescue….Steve cut a hole in my number and we threaded my bento box (food storage) strap through one piece the number and attached it to the bike under the bento box. Parking was a pain, so I already let Steve off the hook for photographer – if he couldn’t find a parking space I was ok on my own this race.

Race meeting – 4pm. Ok, can I tell you how much I hate RACE meetings?!? They totally stress me out, granted it’s all stuff I already know, but hearing it out loud makes me think too much. Make sure you know why you why your doing the race, make sure you eat enough, make sure you drink water today, drink enough tomorrow. Don’t follow the bike in front of you too closely….keep 5 meters between you and the biker in front or you may be penalized, what’s 5 meters anyway?!? Like they are really going to penalize us folks in the back of the pack? Not that I really want to find out! The other announcement/reminder was that the bike cut off for the men was 11:45 and women was noon. While I wanted my bike time to be under 3 hours 30 minutes well within in the cutoff time, you never know what can happen out there. The funniest thing at the meeting was that the race director was thrilled with the 9 porta potties! We said we have plenty of porta potties – yes, 9 along with the 3 stalls in the women’s washroom and mens. Ok – there are 1000 folks participating and spectators…9 ?!?! better make sure to empty before heading to the race site. UGG. He also announced there was ONE, yea count them, ONE on the bike course. Here’s hoping not stomach issues are encountered. The meeting broke up. After the meeting Steve and I had dinner near the hotel…I had pasta and a salad.

RACE DAY
Set the alarm for 4:50AM….Thankfully I was only 3 miles from the race site and Steve was my chauffeur. Parking was an absolute nightmare. That is one major drawback to this race. But since Steve was dropping me I could sleep a bit longer than most. I started my morning with Choc Milk and a Bagel w/ peanut butter and jelly. I added the choc milk at the last minute since Starbucks wasn’t going to be open that early! Usually I pick up 200 calories by drinking a latte on the way to the race or training! Stocked up my Ziploc bags for my bento box with Ritz Bits, Sambree cashew things, and a cut up cliff bar. Body Glided up so I would get chaffing anywhere and had Steve put sunscreen on my back. Bathroom stop…..done and done……then we were off to the race.

Got there in plenty of time. Weather was nice but that in between..do I wear long sleeves, arm warmers, nothing…then the wind blows and I want it all! I decided arm warmers and vest…then packed up the other choices so I would not waste more time than usual in transition. I then opened up my hand warmer things…let them get air to start the heating process …once they were warm I put them in my bike socks and then put them in my bike shoes. I then put my toe covers on my bike shoes just enough to cover the air holes of the shoes, but still allow me to get the shoes tightened. I also rolled up my Capri’s so I could get them on relatively quick. Checked everything…and then headed off to the lake. Wished everyone luck on the way.

THE SWIM:

Kissed Steve bye and headed to the water….got in and found it was warmer in the water than outside. They sent us off with a huge cannon blast. I found my rhythm pretty quick. Was around quite a few people, but nothing too bad. Hit the first buoy and was feeling good. Started heading to what I thought was the second buoy….was swimming along and saw the kayakers hanging out and not a ton of people. Granted I am usually at the back of the back, so that is not usual. I kept checking on the buoy, yep on track. Then I looked again… Holy SHIT I am headed towards the third buoy NOT the second. I am pretty much in the middle of the lake who knows how far off …at least 50 + Yards. So I cranked it up and started angling towards the correct buoy. Swim swim, fight and pull. Finally made the correct buoy and then was back on track. Then we turned back and there were some waves. Not too big, luckily I have swam in Lake Washington where there are always waves. But this time I moved a bit more than usual…and started thinking I was getting seasick…ok think of anything else…focus on the fact that you will not be sick…let’s see swim, I am a fantastic swimmer, do I really want to ever do 2.5 miles? Think of those folks freezing their butts off in Coeur D’Alene. Ok, next bouy…finally…feeling better…now turning for home. Ended up neck and neck with a gal on the way in….then I ended up dropping back but I swam until my hands hit the ground…then popped up and headed up to transition.

TIME: 49 minutes 23 seconds
Lost time due to swimming at least 50+ more yards than necesary!

Transition 1:
Got wetsuit off no issues. Dried off…put on Capri’s almost forgot and put shoes on first..then stopped myself. Took hand warmers out of shoes and put NICE WARM socks on my feet. My shoes were toasty too. Fought with arm warmers a bit then put on my vest. Got Camel Back on…gloves, glasses, ear/head band, helmet and was OFF.
TIME: 6 minutes 34 seconds
Need to work on that, but Capri’s and warm socks worth it!

THE BIKE:
I love the bike! The swim goal is usually just to get to the bike.  Since we had pre-ridden the route in May, I knew it was do able. My biggest concern was to eat enough on the bike to survive and do well on the run. June came too fast to work on nutrition. Set my bike watch to buzz every 20 minutes just to make sure I ate something. Out of the gate was a pretty good hill. HR was up so didn’t want to eat right away, but did drink some water. Went by Gail….then at the crest of the hill caught Paula…encouraged her to hang tough and remind her she had done ½ this ride before! Nice down hill…unfortunately saw a racer’s day had ended as he had crashed…volunteers were looking out for him. We kept on going. It was a MUCH more beautiful ride this day…no rain. I was perfectly dressed! Wasn’t cold or hot. We did have a few headwinds, but nothing like Moses Lake. I was happy to have had that experience there! Watched over my speed and kept cranking! Up another hill and then down and flats. My legs were feeling good and I was cruising along. Hit the second lap! Whoo hoo. Feeling good. Up up up again. This time I passed a couple of more folks on the hill. Words of encouragement…of you have done this once already…you can do it again! ½ way home.  Lovely views, several spots reminded me of the Chilly Hilly course along the water. The second lap near the end it did heat up a bit, but nothing unbearable….made me worry about Troika in August a bit! UGG. Ate lots of the Ritz Bits…and Sambrees, both are my new biking favs! Yummy. Didn’t touch the cliff bar…didn’t sound good. Drank 90% of my gadorade and NUNN. My water was at about 30 oz. I could have stopped to go to the bathroom, but didn’t really want to waste the time! They had us end on a bit of an uphill so we had to work a bit to then coast to the dismount spot. WHEW! DONE. Next ride, need to not use the interval of 20 minutes so I can monitor my cadence and speed better. I would have liked to have a higher cadence, was at 77.

Time: 3 hr 23 minutes
Avg HR : 147
Avg Speed: 16 mph (yea me and Black Betty !)

Transition 2:
I was much more with it at this race than Barb’s race last year! Not much wasted time here. Some of my time was walking my bike to my rack! Then someone had put their bike in my spot…so I took someone elses. Changed socks, took off Capri’s arm warmers and ear band. Shoes on, Sunscreen on, Family of 4 (just 2 this time) on, Race Belt on. Everything CHECK – good to go!

TIME: 5 minutes 02 seconds

THE RUN:
Now for the run. Of course my foot pod would not work! SHIT! That thing doesn’t like ½ Iron races – it didn’t work at Barb’s either. Oh well, no distance/pace time. The course was marked every 1 or 2 Kilometers…but that was too much thinking. Started off by walking my 4 minutes or so. Started running, then found a bathroom. I was quick – 1 minute 4 seconds…and I was off again. I walked EACH aid station and took either Gatorade or water. I ate a GU about 2K and the 12K, I think. The first lap was good. Felt pretty strong. The back side was pretty busy with lots of people finishing up their day! Me, I was headed on to lap 2. I did pretty good on lap 2…it did get lonely out there several times…no one was around. You definitely feel like you might be last. Saw Gail at one point headed towards me…She had made the Bike Cutoff…Sharon could run! Way to go. She was running opposite of everyone as she was done for the day, but wanted to make sure to see if she could do at least 6 miles …training for Barb’s. Anyway…I kept going. Wasn’t feeling totally 100%....especially when I saw another gal puke. Yeah, keep running and don’t think about that. I think I probably was on the edge of proper/improper nutrition. Most likely could have used another gel or stuck with my Gatorade not theirs. Who knows. I do know I hate figuring KM versus miles..that had me all screwed up more than once. Now how far do I still have and what time is it and can I make 7 hours? Too much calculating. Thankfully I miss calculated near the end and thought I had further to go than I really had…whew! There was the finish line!

As I headed there, heard Gail, Brandy and Jennifer yell….then near the finish line heard Steve yell – go Ann! Then heard the announcer call my name! Yea great time! Very happy.


Time: 2 hr 22 minutes
Avg Speed: 11 minutes 28 seconds per mile

Total Race: 6 hours 46 minutes

Recovery:
I definitely learned from Barb’s race. I ate a mini bagel with peanut butter then had power bar recovery drink they were giving away….that stuff was actually good. I soaked in the lake for about 20 minutes…where I ran into a bunch of TNT gals from Seattle. I also ran into Stacy and Elyse from Cheryl’s group of prior years. Poor Elyse had 3 FLATS! But she still finished! I also checked in with Brandy, who barely missed the bike cutoff…Hope struggled with the swim as did Jennifer. Paula met her goal of doing the swim and bike! Vickie finished and we cheered for her as well as the relay team of Gail and Sharon.

I ate another bagel….and then a couple of hours later….a yummy filet at The Keg. Jack and 7 ups were nice too. 

Troika next on the plan! Don’t know if I can do better, but I will be Tri-ing! Won’t be as lucky with the weather I am sure.

Thanks again to Cheryl for her great training plan and group!

Heather Nugent's Coeur d’Alene Ironman Race Report

RTB had 15 athletes participating in IMCDA this year. For those of us that were not able to attend, Sunday was spent watching splits and wondering about how the triathletes were holding up. Here is the first race report of what we hope to be more from those Ironman. Congratulations Ironman!

Ok here is my report of my first Ironman race. I apologize because I’m not a detail person especially in races I tend to just zone out.
I got there at 5am to get body marked and finish getting the rest of my stuff ready only to realize that I had forgotten my 7 packs of gu for the bike ride……got a little upset and nervous because it messed up my routine. I was so glad that I had grab about 4 extra plus there was one in my bike bag from one of my training rides and I grabbed the one extra that was in my running pack that added up to 6 gu’s…..okey so I was one short…..it’s weird how little things like this just threw off my whole routine it’s not like they didn’t have gel on the course……I went and got my tires pumped up and off I went to get on my wetsuit.
As I was walking to the water I ran into some of my RTB teammates….Patty Swedburg came over and gave me a hug and I just lost it…..tears just started to run down my checks…I’m not an emotional person…. and I looked up at her and said “I am so overwhelmed!!” I wouldn’t of had the tears if I hadn’t ran into them but now that I think about it I’m so glad I did because it helped relieve some of that pent up nerves.
I walked to the water and stood there just looking out at the swim course trying to determine if I wanted to warm up….Patty Anderson walked up to me and we talked a little and then she said “let’s get our face wet” I’m glad she said that because I really needed to warm up…..It felt good to get my heart going a little….
The swim started at 7 and it was like a swimming frenzy….there were bodies everywhere and I couldn’t find my rhythm….a girl grabbed my shoulders and pulled me underwater and I got a big gulp of water….I had to stop and cough….off again trying to find my pace….I think every once in a while I started a good pace but then more bodies. I have some very weird places on my body that hurts from kicks and elbows….my time for the swim was 1:21:59….I was very surprised with my time it was better than I thought it was going to be….it seemed like it took forever to swim that course.
Transition 1….I get to T1 and there is PK and Tami Barnhart yelling “Heather over here”…so nice to see familiar faces….they rip off my wetsuit….which was also very nice….and off I run to the changing tent. Thanks PK and Tami 
I get into my biking stuff and start running to my bike when I realize that I don’t have my bib number….I run back to the tent and try to find my bag no bib number there…then I see it thrown behind the chairs….off to the bike.
The bike ride went pretty good…a little windy on the back side of the ride but overall a good ride. It was so nice to see all the RTB supporters out there cheering us on….Thank you RTBers you guys were AWESOME!! On the way back to the start of my second loop I see my cute family sitting on the curb waving at me….Gave me strength to start the second loop of the ride. It was a good feeling to ride those hills for the last time. The second loop of the second half was mentally tough because I was so ready to get off that bike seat and give my butt a rest. My bike time was 6:59:10 a little slower than I would have liked.
Transition 2 went smoothly…..it was nice to start the run portion because that is my strongest and also the last part of the whole race…..the run went really well until I hit the last 4miles of the run then fatigue really set in and I walked about 10 minutes off and on....of course now I kick my self for it but overall the run went pretty close to my plan. My run time was 4:18:15
When I was coming down the last part of the run I see my family Mark, Sterling, DuPree, Kadan, and Torin….they were sight for sore eyes…and body!!!! 
When I caught up with my family I tell Mark “I’m never doing that again” but I think it’s like childbirth….later on you forget the pain and do it again….I have 4 boys!! 
Here are my results:
Final time: 12:59:11
Place overall: 1003/1942
Age place: 33/117

W(h)en Cat Ran (aka, Wendy, Caitlin, Randy)

RTB introduces some of our fun, athletic and enthusiastic team members...

When Cat Ran, everybody knew it . . . cause we’re loud. Or, at least, two of us are. Randy’s always trying to shush us. . . but he’s seldom successful. For those of you in swim class with us, I apologize if Caitlin’s ever splashed you while aiming for me (Stephanie). Our enthusiasm is sometimes not viewed as such by others.

So, here’s the story of this mighty trio. Caitlin and I started our first tri season three years ago after our boss’ wife did Seafair the previous year. Caitlin was a runner, I was a cyclist. We figured, what are two more disciplines each? And if Diane could do it, so could we. Oh, by the way, have you met us? We’re a little competitive. Or so we’re told.

We had attempted to get together a group of friends to run together. Our plan was to do a running event once a month and eventually work our way into triathlons. Our team was called the “Belles of Beersville” (we’re in the alcohol industry – go figure). But somehow, everyone kept dropping off, not showing up to the races, etc. Only Caitlin and I stuck it out. Or maybe only Caitlin and I could put up with each other. Whatever.

Then last year we somehow convinced Randy to join us. He went for his first run with us on a “business trip” in Vegas. Who runs in Vegas? Well, we did for an hour and Randy has stuck with us ever since.

At the end of tri season, Caitlin and I again talked Randy into doing something crazy. For my 40th I wanted to run a marathon. Caitlin had run Dublin Marathon for her 30th, so I was already behind her (not that I’m competitive). So, since we were a team, Randy should also do the marathon with us. He reluctantly agreed. We trained through the winter for the Arizona Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. Nothing like running in 30 degree weather in the rain for 20 miles! Pure bliss.

The three of us completed the marathon on January 13th. Unfortunately, we broke Randy in the process. He ended up with a stress fracture and took months to recover. He’s back racing again but has decided not to let Caitlin and I talk him into any more of our craziness. So, Caitlin and I are training for our first ½ Ironman (Troika on August 3rd) and Randy has decided to stick with the Sprint and Olympic distance races.

So, that’s our past and present. Now for the future . . .

When Caitlin and I raced at the Moses Lake Tri on June 7th, Sister Madonna was racing, too. For those of you who don’t know who Sister Madonna is, she’s a 78 year old nun that races in triathlons. And not just any triathlons, she’s completed several Ironman events!!! And she only began racing in her 50’s. Pretty impressive. So, we now have a new role model and that got us to thinking. When Caitlin is 70 and I’m 79, we’ll finally be in the same age group (the 70+ group) AND we’ll be able to FINALLY medal! I can just picture it . . . We’ll have our aerodynamic walkers with our space age tennis balls and we’ll be fighting it out ‘til the end.

So, that’s our story. When Cat Ran. We love being part of the team and we love it when the race is OVER! And it’s time to start planning our next event . . .

Ann Sloan's Race Report From Moses Lake Olympic

Triathlon - Olympic

Total Time = 3h 10m 17s

Overall Rank = 141/161

Age Group = 40-44

Age Group Rank = 10/11

From: www.beginnertriathlete.com

Pre-race routine:

Got up at 5:30 or so. Sun screened up in hopes of SUN.

Ate PBJ then loaded up the car.

Next Stop..STARBUCKS for the pre race Green Tea Latte.

Ate another 1/2 PBJ after everything was set up in transition.

Visited porta only once...not very nervous..just another workout...just one I want to BEAT last years time.

Event warmup:

Got in the water a bit soon...like 15 minutes early. Got a little cold. Wasn't sure if my teeth were chattering due to cold or nerves.

Swim

Comments:

Just felt slow.

What would you do differently?:

nothing really except try and get faster

T1

Comments:

none really...no one to talk to so I didn't dawdle.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing.

Bike

Comments:

Holy COW went from 144 place out of the swim to 106 on the bike. SWEET!! This was where I rocked. The headwind was bad...but I stayed in Areo a ton. Was worried about eating on the way out due to the wind..needed to keep my hands on the handles! Thank goodness I have done many rides in the wind...don't like it and feel like i was struggling...but kept hoping coming home wouldn't be that bad....and as soon as we turned...QUIET! WHOO HOO>>>>I am off to the races. Pick that speed up. Did not let the speed go below 17 all the way home. Ate one GU and some cliff bar.

Lap Time Avg hr Dist Avg Speed

1 45:54.9 154 11.169 14.6

2 28:33.6 145 11.136 23.4

What would you do differently?:

Nothing...felt really good.

T2

Comments:

Talked a bit here...but nothing too bad. A guy in my rack was already done so we were talking a bit.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing.

Run

Comments:

Walked the first 4 minutes...I know plan called for 5 minutes, but couldn't resit. Was running after 4 and felt good....so kept running. I'll say it's because I didn't have my interval going on my watch so I couldn't keep track of when to walk...yea right. Ok, so got to the first Aid station and walked and drank....then ran again...and kept running. Got sucked into looking at the times and yea, kept running. Thinking all the time...probably shouldn't be running w/o walking...might mess up Victoria....but still I ran. I think I walked couple of times through the first 4 miles..but then on the way back...no walking for this chick. the last .8 miles I cranked it up to a 10:30 pace...

first time at the end of a race I was spent....I worked hard and felt pretty good. Ankle was making a bit of a stink but nothing too bad.

What would you do differently?:

nothing really except maybe follow my plan.... :)

A Spectator's Guide to Ironman Coeur d'Alene

We've polled some of RTB's most renowned Ironman CDA Spectators and are posting their words of wisdom here.

Jen Boesplug and friend Julie Guillen are spectating junkies....and spectate in style. Our athletes LOVE these girls....

About spectating......three words.....MORE COW BELL! Really the cow bell is so fun, I have to admit maybe not so fun for my neighbors though. The cow bell or other noise maker is good because seriously by the end of the day your clapping hands are tired. This is a hard one to complain about given what the racers are going through! I think by the end we were just pretending to clap, should I admit that? For the swim section, get there early. Maybe go a day ahead and scope out your spot. I think we were in our spot (which was awesome) at 5:00 am. So early, but totally worth it. We even had people try to crowd us out, but we held strong. Totally worth it again.

My other suggestion is watch until the last swimmer comes out of the water, seeing that person emerge and run up the beach was so awesome. (Maybe because if I did IM that would most likely be me!) Anyway, the last swimmer made me cry my eyes out! We headed north on the bike course and found a great spot near a round about. This gave us a great advantage point for people going and coming. My suggestion here is bring a small lawn chair and some snacks. Also have your camera ready and maybe take a few practice pictures of people ahead of the ones you actually want to photograph. These cyclists are MOVING, I can't tell you how many pictures of backsides I got, not complaining as those are not too shabby to look at either, but I would have like to have captured some pearly whites as well.

At this point we were so excited to see someone we knew that we usually ended up just yelling their name over and over. I think this year we will try practicing some more inspirational cheers, not that we will be able to pull it off but we can try. Really it's like seeing a celebrity only better because you know them, you've rubbed elbows with these people! We did have one guy, who had done IM before, tell us that someone told him once that he was "looking good" and it really helped him out. We tried that one, but Julie usually made it sound like she was trying to pick them up with her "looking good, looking REAL good". For the run I would say maybe stick to the part of the route where they are coming and going. You are likely to catch more RTBers in a shorter amount of time here, then you can make it to the run finish by the time the first runner is coming in.

You don't need to be right at the finish for this part, it's just as cool to be up the street where you can get a roadside seat and once more runners start to come in, even that part gets busy. It's a great day, this year I think we are going to try and stay Sunday night to watch more of the finishers. I can't wait to go. Last year I was so inspired that I did sprint distance that next weekend with only my inspiration as my training.

Bring sunscreen and dress in layers. The swim was really cold to watch. There are also a ton of great restaurants around CDA. If you like burgers Hudson's is the place!

Next up - Marty Larson - husband of RTB's stud Ironwoman Nancy Larson.

I have been to 5 Ironman events in CdA. All were great.

As for the swim take lots of picturs and tell them that they were the one in the picture. I always try to be there for MY Ironman when they head out on the bike. Once they have headed out I try to get breakfast as it is going ot be a long day. I pretty much stay on Sherman as I get to see them coming and going for the bike ride.

I then run down to see them off on there run, here I stay by the waterfront as I again get to see them coming and going. You need more than one of you so you can spot them for their digital moment. Alas you will get the rear shots a lot unless you are magic. I normally shoot from 230 to 400 picturs duing the day. I take extra batteries and extra memory sticks for my camera.
I stay close to the finish line, usally at he end of the bleachers so I can get my moment of glory running down to the finish line, being married to an Ironman Finisher and Podium Ironman for 2 of the last 3 years. (Note from editor - athletes can only take one person in the finish chute with them this year, and they have to be between 6 and 16 years of age - see athlete guide for details!! Sorry Marty!!!)

Water and food are a must as you never know what the day will bring. I have been very cold to over heated ( alas being support staff is not easy) but very necessary. If you work the Mexican resturant you can raise your ICE COLD drink and salute the athlete in pursuit of the finish line.
We tried walky-talkies and they worked OK, except it is hard to find a channel that is not used by more than your group. Cell phones seem to work the best.

Make sure your batteries and your phones are fully charged. It is also helpful to have someone at home monitor the race on-line so you can let them know if they ( the athlete ) needs to pick it up a-little. I use a backpack to carry the things I need. I also try to park as close to the race couse on Sherman so I can get what I need from my SUV ( that’s what it take to haul all of our IRONMAN STUFF over that one day event.As we will be taking ZAK, our maltese with us, I have a new set of challenges to handle, should be interesting. If you are going to support someone, remember that you can pick up their bike before they finish the race if you have the ID info you need.

And from Patti Anderson - 2nd time Ironman this year and 3 time spectator....

Jen & Marty, that is GREAT advice! As I have both spectated and participated, I can atest to your words of wisdom. If you can position yourself out of the crowd, it is nice. The bike course runs almost parallel to a main highway so if you can look at the course map it is easy to drop onto the course in a couple of spots.

Most importantly, WEAR YOUR TEAM GEAR. Have your family and friends wear it too! As you are looking for participants in the gear to cheer for (even louder than you do for the other particants) We, the participants, know the cheering is from someone in the RTB family, which spurs us on harder! (Surely we don't want someone we KNOW seeing us about ready to fall over, and then remind us of it at the next team social, right?)
I am so excited to see everyone on the course! Remember to tell me "You look so strong" not "smell so strong..."

any other spectator words of wisdom out there? leave a comment!!!!

Debbie O’Connell’s race report for North Olympic Discovery Marathon. June 8, 2008.

After all the cold, rainy weather we’ve had this spring, Sunday, June 8 dawned dry and a cool 48 for my first marathon. The weather forecast is to be dry all day and temperatures in the low 50s, perfect running weather. This is the 6^th North Olympic Discovery Marathon, my first. It is a one-way race, from Sequim to Port Angeles. Everyone says, relax, enjoy it, this is your first! I’m trying, but I’m nervous, excited, apprehensive, all rolled into one fun bundle.

After some restless “missed the start time” dreams, woke up early, had breakfast and was dropped off right in front of the race start by my Dad, 45 minutes before start time. There are some benefits to small races! (Only about 500 for the marathon, 1000 for the ½ marathon.)

Stretched and waited in a heated, dry community center at the park. Met up with Cathy Nelson when she arrived by bus. We marveled that there were no lines at the indoor restrooms, bonus!

At 9AM, we are off. We stash our food (bananas for me, fig newtons for her) under a tree near the start, as we know this part is a 5 mile loop, and we’ll pick it up on the way back. Well, before we know it, we are back already, yee haw, pick up our food and keep going. We see our friend Kim cheering for us in downtown Sequim, and give her our long-sleeve shirts. We’re closing in on 7 miles and feeling pretty good so far. After some training runs with upset stomachs, I have tried to be very careful today with food and drink, no surprises at the aid stations, so I carry my own GU20 and my own food.

Next thing we know, we are at the ½ way point already. One of the support crew at the mid-point station looks up our numbers and cheers us on by name, cool! We are at 2:25, which isn’t too bad, on target for a 4:50 finish. My goal is 4:45, but I’m trying to not have a goal and just finish, right?

Well, now the fun starts. There are 3 big hills on the second half, you run down into a creek bed, across a bridge and up the other side on two of them. One is at 16, the next at about 19, and the last one (just down) is at about 21. I find out that going down is actually just as hard as going up the other side. My knees and legs just don’t like the downhill pounding. So, now I have to walk down and walk up. Okay, I’ll count this as a walk break! See Kim and Don at about mile 20, get a hug and I’m off. (It’s so great having friends along the way, what a treat!) Going down the final hill at around 21, I feel a bad twinge in my right leg, on the front, right below the knee. It turns into a shooting pain. YOW! What is that? I never had any pain in THIS spot before! Hmmm. Walk down the hill, shake it out. Okay, keep going! Less than a 10K left, right?

Make it running until about mile 24, then the pain becomes blinding and I can’t run another step. Okay, let’s walk this off… Cathy goes on ahead, go Cathy! I can’t believe how much this hurts, did I break something? Try to walk a few minutes then run again, and it just continues to hurt. I want to run! Haven’t hit the wall yet, have energy still, boo hoo, and now it’s cold without long sleeves along the water here. Hmm, okay, look at the water, Canada, freighter boats, okay… try to run again now, boo, that muscle is just not going to be happy. Walk some more.

Everyone that was by my the whole race now passes me, I don’t like that. Try to run again, start crying it hurts so badly. Okay, my head is now in a bad place. I’m sure Jeff Galloway would have me saying the mantra I picked: “Win my own race, win my own race”. I try that for a bit. Okay, I now feel that whatever is going on with my leg is not good, and my body is telling me not to run. Okay, so I’ll walk the last two miles.

At mile 25 there’s my friend Kathy Snyder calling my name and running up to me. I’m a basket case! She is a PT, and looks at my leg, rubs it and says that muscle has had enough for today. So, she and her daughter Elly walk with me to the end, taking pictures and cheering me up and on! There’s the finish photographer, I tell him to hold on and I strike a good running pose. Now there’s the finish line, I can see it! I try to run, but just can’t. I still cross the line! I really cry now. My assigned “buddy” asks if I’m okay. Yes, they are tears of joy and pain. Do you have any advil? We go to the deserted medical tent; get some advil, and some ice for my leg. Cathy and Don Nelson are there, Kim is there, and so are Kathy and Elly. Good vibes all around. The best top ramen I’ve ever had. I’m totally shivering and teeth chattering. Out come the blankets, oh that feels good. Okay, so I had hoped for 4:45, and in the end, it was 5:24.

The day after, I had a little pity party for myself, since I really felt let down. I did the training, I ate right, I hydrated, and there was nothing more I could have done, how could my body let me down like this? Good thing there are friends to lift you up! They reminded me that I AM a marathoner; I DID finish. I ran a good 24 miles before this problem took my down.

After swimming on Tuesday morning, I had a talk with Coach Patty. I told her my story and she listened. Then she told me to keep in mind that endurance events just aren’t like other shorter events. Things happen that you just can’t predict or train for. She said that you need to mentally adjust during an endurance event to what is happening, whether it is weather, injury, illness, other people, bike problems, or whatever. The important thing mentally is to keep going, and get to the finish. She said a lot of people would drop out or give up. The way you deal with these things is what makes you the athlete you are becoming.

Sometimes I am just too hard on myself. I am a very goal-oriented person, and setting a tough goal and achieving it gives me great pleasure. I realize (mostly) that every race cannot be a PR. I am starting to also realize that not everything goes my way, nor can I control everything (as much as I may want to). I think there is a lesson in this for me, and I am still figuring it out. High goals are great, but perhaps instead of high expectations, it is better to have lower expectations. Meaning, shoot high, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make it. Perhaps this is a lesson in life in general.

Kelly Richards Escapes Alcatraz

Kelly Richards qualified for the Escape from Alcatraz last tri-season. She has been busy this winter and spring training for this big event. Here is the details from her impressive race:

Emotionally I went through a wide range of panic attacks leading up to our departure. Never having been to San Francisco and not really understanding the ebb, tide, and flow of the Bay I couldn't grasp what was being talked about in the online news letters sent to the athletes competing in Accenture Escape from Alcatraz.

I was frustrated. Having prepared myself mentally and physically as much as possible I still had some doubts. I quickly researched on line how to conquer fear. I read a quote that seemed to sum things up. I had two choices. I could be EMPOWERED and ACT or I could be FEARFUL and RETREAT. I wrote the Empowered and Act on outside of my hand and Fearful and Retreat on inside. As I went through the day flipping my hand back and forth I realized I didn't want to duck and cover. This was an event I wanted to participate in since I started racing 4 seasons ago. I have spent many months riding up and down hills. Doing more pushups and squats than I can count. The swim, hills and sand ladder were not going to deplete me. I knew I would be tired but I wasn't going to stand on side walking or thumping my legs telling them to move. (Which I did see someone doing
yesterday.)

We arrived in San Francisco Thursday night. We spent Friday walking around and being tourists. I did swim in Aquatic Park and took in two massive amounts of salt water. Enough to stop, panic, spit, curse, and start again. I thought the 56 degree water a little chilly. We attended three meetings for new athletes. One of them on Alcatraz Island. That was probably best money spent. To stand on the Island, understand where the boat would stop and to know exactly what you were trying to accomplish. It isn't a straight swim from point A to B. The swim across the Bay goes against every logical thought.

Sunday- Race Day.
In most Triathlons you have time to set up and really get lay of in and outs of transition. Here it was a mad dash to rack your bike, drop off swim exit bag, take another bag on boat, get on bus and head out to pier 3. If you didn't rack your bike correctly volunteers would move it. Every bike had a numbered spot. A few people didn't realize that, and I imagine were a little lost coming back to transition, as the volunteers moved bikes to there proper spot. In some cases rows away from where Athlete racked their bike.

At pier 3 you were quickly body marked, everywhere! I joked a pen for each person. 2012 people loaded onto a sweaty crowded, well overheated boat for a 40 minute ride. I choose to talk with locals and not pay attention to what
was outside. I learned my lesson from the Gorge. When we loaded the
boat the professional Athletes went into a separate area. You could see the camera crew out the window on deck, and hear the helicopters overhead. There were up to 100 kyack and motor boats flanked two hundred yards apart
to keep you on course. You could not see the exit. You just knew you had
to be careful not to land early or you would hit the rocks. Which I did, more on that later. If you overshoot the exit you would need to stop swimming and let current push you down 100 yards and climb out because there was a pocket of water that had an effect of a whirl pool. You could swim in place and never get anywhere.


Just before the start of the race a very nice prayer was announced over the loud speaker. The National Anthem was sung and at 8 a.m. sharp the Pro's
were sent off. The doors opened and the atmosphere quickly changed. A
once calm chatty crowd now huddled together waiting to be told "GO." Suddenly it was my turn to jump. I crossed the timing belt and was prepared to jump and not think for 90 seconds. My strategy was just to get out of the way, forget about the cold, and then find a good pace. When I got to boat edge a guy quickly halted, stuck out his arms and stood still. The volunteers were shouting to him. He was froze. I think 5 seconds only passed, but it felt like 2 minutes before I pushed his arm away and jumped. Twice I hit pockets of swimmers I had to wiggle through. Other than that it felt like a single swim through the Bay. Long, sometimes slow but strong
strokes pulling me through the currents. After about ten minutes you hit a
pocket of water that gets r
eally rough. We were told an old bridge was dumped there. Just to keep going and you will get through it. The swells come from the right, lift you up and put you down. It feels like you are not getting anywhere. The line you swim is decided on ability as a swimmer. I took the route I thought best described me. But I was wrong. A kyacker came to tell me to head west.
Finally off in the distance I spot two little yellow cone shaped buoys I needed to swim through. They might have been forty yards apart. Swimming with the current if you were positioned right you could make it. I made it through those. Next two Orange balls twenty-five yards apart. I made it through those. Sooner than I expected my hands touched the soft sand. As I began to stand up a huge rolling wave crashed into me and tossed me into the large moss covered rocks. I knew it was a tough hit. I would worry about it later. I tried to grab the rock as I was being sucked back out into the bay. My hands anchored into the sand. I felt the sand slip away, and so did I. I had to start the process over. This time I managed to grab a rock. As the wave went out I scrambled a few feet, anchored myself again and waited for third wave to slam into me. Finally I was out.. Scrambling up the shoreline and into swim transition. After peeling off my wetsuit and stuffing it into the
bag I attempted to put on my shoes. I couldn't quite get my toes to lay flat in the shoe. Next I put on my cycling gloves and off I went half mile to the bike transition. I was hoping the moving of my fingers and the gloves would help bring circulation back into my hands for holding onto the handle bars and to be able to use the shifters and brakes. Through training I learned I needed seven minutes for my wrists to be able to function after thirty minutes of cold water.

Once on bike I followed the suggestions for a new person on the course. Enjoy it. It is full of hills, potholes, launching pads, 90 degree corners with a wall. Up, down, up, down, corner, corner, sharper corner. Along the ocean, through Golden Gate Park, a little loop. Motorcade and helicopters for the pros. People lined every stretch of the course. Looking back I rode a bit more conservative than I probably should have. It was a beautiful course. I normally don't see any scenery when I ride. Yesterday I made sure to stop and look up every once in a while to enjoy the moment. The rest of the time I was trying not to pick up a penalty for drafting or crossing the center line on a sharp turn. Also, with each pothole I held my breath hoping not to get a flat. It had been mentioned there were four bike supports out there in case you used both spares. At the race briefing I had begun to wonder about which bike I should have picked to ride. When it is talked about catching
air and then having only five feet to start a 90 degree turn, but you can't turn early because of the two inch rivets in the road my heart begins to pound a little faster.

All too soon I have crested the final hill and am flying down hoping to carry that momentum into the transition. At transition I spotted a television crew man one aisle up from mine. I wonder how long he had been there. The pros were long gone. Or so I thought. (After I had finished the first leading pro lady crossed the line. Apparently she slipped on the way to her bike.) I quickly got my run gear on and off I went. At about mile one for me Andie Potts came flying by. The crowd was screaming. It was amazing to see him run like a cheetah.

The run is described as brutal for the beach and sand ladder. They left out the two other sets of stairs, deep rutted single path, tunnel to duck and run under, never ending hills. The run on the beach was gorgeous. Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge was amazing.

Last two miles just hold on to my pace and hope I don't stop till the end. (I saw a lot of people stopping at places I thought just dig a bit deeper for a few more minutes and all will be okay.) Incredible as come back and look out over the San Francisco Bay with Golden Gate Bridge just behind you and to see how far you have come.

I now know why it is so highly regarded as one of sports most awe inspiring races. Never a moment is your body not screaming at you while your head is swimming in all the beauty of the day. The final half mile is packed with people as you come into the bleacher filled finish line with television crew, announcers, athletes and more. So many moments to reflect on and be so grateful for. Would I do it again? Absolutely.

Thanks to my Mom for staying with the kids and a huge Thanks to my Husband for coming with me on this journey and always believing in me. To share this experience with my best friend of more than 22 years is fantastic.

Happy racing in 2008.
Kelly

p.s. The finish line will be available to view in next 48 hours to view online. I was number 1785. Finish time of 3:08. The television airing
will be June 20th. Maybe you will see my feet. The television camera was
on while I was coming into transition with bike and while I was going up sand ladder.

Thoughts from Cheryl Isberg Ironman Athlete and Coach for RTB

What DOES it take?

So you may have seen the documentary “What It Takes” that featured 4 world class triathletes on their “quest for greatness”. I have been wondering about what it DOES take lately on those long runs and rides. 2008 will be my 7^th year competing in triathlons and I am on my own quest this year to be a 4^th and 5^th time Ironman at CDA and Canada with a goal of a personal best time at the Ironman distance this year.

Seeking a personal best time has been on my mind for several years and even though I thought I was making progress and would achieve the goal, it hasn’t happened. Why not? Good question. I don’t know if I know the answer to that.

What have I changed this year to work toward my quest? I have embarked on a new training program that has involved a new coach with a more personal touch and someone who is vested in my goal. I don’t know if that will provide me with the full answer to “What DOES it take?” Yes, a coach is important to help you focus on your weaknesses and promote your strengths and to keep you on track, but the coach can only put the workouts down on paper. Someone still has to DO those workouts.

So, a new coach was Step 1. Step 2 was asking myself was I willing to give up more of my precious spare time and am I willing to give more to the workouts. Am I willing to push myself to the place where I feel uncomfortable and stay there for a while? The answer was yes so here I am four months later looking at being just one month away from the start line at Ironman CDA.

Has anything changed in four months? The answer is YES. Here are a few things that come to mind.

1) I have worked with some of the best swimmers in Maui and they have totally enjoyed kicking my butt on a weekly basis and in local open water swims. They were like sharks in the pool those first few weeks with a new meal and they loved watching me have a heart attack after each set. They laughed uncontrollably when the main set called for something other then Freestyle and I had to look up to the Masters coach and shyly admit that was the only stroke I knew. That was humbling. I thought I was dying several times in the pool but in fact I was just finding out how really hard I could work in the pool. When the Masters coach leaned over one day and said “you’re working hard Cheryl I see your dedication” it was a great moment.

2) A new coach was not just for triathlon in general but I also acquired a running coach in the form of Darren. I was extremely intimidated and yes embarrassed when I had to admit to my existing running pace. I felt like I had been “outed” some how to the rest of the world. Darren has given me a new perspective on running and somewhere along the lines I find myself allowing myself to perhaps enjoy some of those long runs. On my interval workouts he has become “Dr. Evil” because his workouts can be wicked but when I am finished and I have done something I have never done before, there is a sense of accomplishment. When the running days turned into disasters and believe me there were several, I was reminded by Darren that indeed that is ok to have bad days and more importantly that Rome wasn’t built in a day and to stick with it.

3) My triathlon coach in the form of Simon came with some credentials that were initially intimidating. I have a deep respect and admiration for his accomplishments and he is working hard to figure out a program that works for my crazy schedule but also help pull some of the missing triathlon puzzle pieces together for me. His approach is simple – let’s not worry about aero wheels, snazzy helmets, and carbon bikes. The words I hear over and over and my head are “work hard” and “stay consistent”. I hear them in my sleep. What has this new triathlon coach given me? New workouts that have tested me but also given me the opportunity to know that I can work harder then I thought I could.

Will I be faster? Wow, now there is an interesting question. The reality is I do think I will be faster and I am looking forward to the opportunity to prove that to myself. If that faster time is in CDA or later this year really isn’t the focus right now, the focus is that I believe in new thoughts like “work hard” and “have fun”. They seem to contradict but they really don’t – you can work hard and have fun at the same time.

So, I have a challenge for all RTB’ers. Ask yourself this question during your next race or your next swim/bike/run workout “can I give more” if the answer is yes then give more and see what your results are.

Second, think about this statement. “It’s a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired, you quit when the gorilla is tired”.

My coach sent me this the night before my first race this year as I was sipping a cocktail poolside. Now first off, let me state that RTB coaches do not approve or advocate drinking the night before a race unless of course you have pre-race approval for drinking from RTB Head Coach, Dr. Phil so please keep that in mind. But since I was drinking with some fellow racers, we almost fell out of chairs laughing trying to figure out what the “gorilla” statement meant. Others around the table were receiving their race notes from their coaches via the Blackberry underground and they all were along the lines of “For the bike work toward Zone 3 and check your Powertap for wattage while noting not to exceed Zone 4. Make sure to consume x calories on the bike and x on the run, etc, etc” and I got something about wrestling a gorilla? I was confused about the message.

I did figure it out during the race though. Thank god for those mindless miles up a hill to figure out a statement.

What DOES it mean? After asking yourself “can I give more” then imagine everyone around you in your next race as gorillas, you know sort of on the lines of thinking about your co-workers in their underwear during a stressful meeting – ok that maybe weird but it’s the same concept. Picture that person you’re chasing as a gorilla. Large, hairy, and slow on the run (and I don’t think they swim and they look ridiculous riding a bike).

I am betting you can beat that gorilla.

Livestrong,

Cheryl

Teresa Moffatt's PRE-RACE Report for the San Diego Marathon

The San Diego Marathon is June 1, 2008.

Today's date is May 9, 2008.

This is one of the greatest posts we've ever posted....read on. Leave Teresa a comment if you like it....

Ask anyone and they will tell you, race reports are written AFTER the race…so why do I feel compelled to start my marathon race report now?

I think there are two key reasons:

1.) I want an honest report which is not influenced by the outcome
2.) I am excited and can’t think about much else but this race

I want to share how I feel about this race, now before I run, walk, or crawl it - right now it is a strange amalgamation of excitement, terror, confusion, adrenaline, and fate.

How will I feel? How will I do? Will I finish? Will I survive? Will I cry? All of these questions will be answered on June 1st, and I have heard so many people talk about hitting the wall at mile 20 and that scares me. I probably took this on too early in my training, I didn’t have enough of a base, I didn’t run enough, I don’t run fast enough…all stuff running through my head right now. But…I also feel strangely calm about it, like whatever is meant to happen is just sitting out there, waiting for me to come find it…my destiny with my first marathon! However it is written in the end, I can promise you this…I am not sorry I am doing this. My training didn’t go as planned, I didn’t lose as much weight as I wanted…blah, blah, blah, now is my time whether I like it or not. The calendar didn’t wait for me to be ready, and June 1st is looming a few short weeks away and I cannot change that.

Is this the biggest day of my life? No, of course not, but it just might be the biggest day in my growth as an athlete and the person I am slowing becoming.

I will let you know how it all turns out, good or bad…and don’t worry I am ok with not even finishing in my allotted 7 hours. I plan to enjoy the ride and learn from the experience, whatever is waiting out there for me to learn – I know I will get it!

One last thing…a marathon can’t really kill you…right?

Tim Smit's is #179 for IM Switzerland

Tim Smit is busy preparing for IM Switzerland and has this update for us on his number and inspiration.

22 April 2008

War on ALS and IM Switzerland!

I was checking out my tri-bike transportation options for IM Switzerland and noticed the Bib # selection option for the race. Immediately, I checked out the availability of bib # 179 (Jon Blais’ IM number). It was available (key word – WAS) until it was reserved – by me!

The moment I received confirmation that I had bib # 179, I contacted Blazeman Dad, Bob Blais, to let him know that I will be with Jon all day during IM Switzerland.

No more then did I send that note to him and my phone rang (area code (508)). I knew exactly who it was (as I am typing this, I am getting my goose bumps on top of other goose bumps).

I answer and the voice calls out, “Ranger’s definitely lead the way!” We talked for about ½ hr about the race and ALS updates and life.

Bob informed me that any Blazeman Warrior that is given bib # 179 for any IM race earns the honor to carry the original Blazeman Battle Flag during the race!

The race is 81 days, 23 hrs and 36 minutes away and I am so excited to get there (like the lil’ boy in the Disneyland commercial – I am too excited!!

http://www.active.com/donate/teamblazeman/TSmit

I can not wait to represent the War on ALS and RTB in Switzerland!

Tina Coleman's Whidbey 1/2 Marathon report

What a weekend. Started out the journey with my Husband and my Sons on the Ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton. It was a gorgeous day, the sun was shining down on the Sound and making it sparkle as if there were millions of diamonds floating on the water. My Guys were amazingly supportive and didn't complain one bit about the excursion. The ferry ride was much shorter than I had anticipated and basically I only had time to use the bathroom and walk Nico out to the bow of the ferry and back to the car. I had the directions to the rental house with me, and it sounded like we were going to be the first ones to arrive with Jenn, Clint and Elizabeth not far behind. The rental house was perfect and had just enough beds for the 8 of us. We (the Boys) unloaded the car and put away the food, and headed out to the expo to pick up my packet. Jessi was not going to be to the Island in time to pick up her packet, so luckily I was able to pick it up for her and got the pleasure of convincing the girl behind the table giving me Jessi's packet that I really did want a Medium shirt. "are you sure? they run small" as she's looking me up and down. Just give me the shirt toothpick, I didn't say that but wanted to. The Guys were pretty restless at the expo, as there were only healthy snacks and no "good" food to eat. They were hungry, so we headed back to the rental house. But, I insisted on driving the course first. Not sure that was the best idea, but I had to know. It was bad, but at least I knew. Funny how you can do your mileage on a workout, but when you are driving a new course that you've never seen, those 13.1 miles seems like forever. Plus it doesn't help when your husband is gasping around every turn at the hills.

Shortly after we got back to the house, Jenn, Clint and Elizabeth arrived. I was so happy to see them, it was like reuniting with family you hadn't seen in awhile. We talked about our goals for the race and what our game plans were. I told them that I drove the course and mentioned 2 hills that seemed pretty steep. In hindsight, I realize there were at least 4-6. We talked for awhile and the girls and I took a 30 minute walk (1 pt) around the neighborhood while our husbands started the BBQ. We had a wonderful steak dinner with grilled asparagus, green salad and garlic bread (which I charred pretty good). I think we went to bed about 10'ish and I woke up at 4:51am to the sound of animals running on the roof. At the time I would have thought it was a pack of wolves up there, but in the morning realized it was probably racoons. I didn't get back to sleep but stayed in bed until 6am and decided to get up and take a shower. I planned on wearing makeup for the race too, because I was planning on it being a great photo op day. Good call on my part.

We got to the start and had to park a couple of blocks from the start, as the parking was limited at Oak Harbor HS where the race started and finished. The walk to the start was a great warm up but we all needed to use the bathroom and we couldn't believe the line to the sani-cans! We got a tip from a passing runner that there were about 20 stalls in the HS stadium and we all sprinted for those and she was right, 20+ stalls and no line! After that we headed to the start which they started late to wait for some more runners to show up, as they were having problems finding parking. That's when I started to panic. Jessi was so calm, Elizabeth was so happy, Jenn was taking it one step at a time and was not putting any pressure on herself, and I was crying. I know, shocker, I was crying. I had so many expectations for myself and I was feeling doubtful. I put my sunglasses on but knew my lip was quivering. The girls and I huddled and Elizabeth led us in a pep talk/prayer. Suddenly all the voices of reason were popping into my head. I heard Ang telling me to set 3 time goals. 1 would be my backflip time 3:00, 2 would be my happy time 3:15, 3 would be the time I know for sure I could do it in, 3:45. The loudspeaker was playing "tequila" and I was wishing I had some. I could hear Teresa telling me to have fun and not to put pressure on myself. And I was reliving the presentation at the last RTH meeting that Connie M and Shaun gave. Live in the moment, live in the moment, live in the moment. That was my mantra for this race and it worked.

Jenn's and my plan were to do the 1/4 run, 1/4 walk, walk the hills and sprint on the downhills. I had the GPS to keep track of the distance and our pace and she had the watch to keep track of our time. I think Jenn and I would both agree that the first 2 miles we were both pretty quiet other than just telling her when we needed to walk or run. I knew I needed to start talking or my monkey brain would start thinking too much and I would end up sabotaging myself. Live in the moment. We both started talking and we really shared and opened up a lot about our thoughts, fears and life. Before we knew it, we were running longer and faster. According to my GPS we went as "fast" as 9:39 at one point. It was amazing to have someone to race with like that. Jenn pushed me, not verbally, but just having her there pushed me. Jenn is a great athlete and to be able to keep up with her was a great boost for me. For most of the race we had Elizabeth in our sights and she even ran a bit with us, but she was long gone when we approached mile 10. I can't remember at what mile we saw our husbands and my sons for the first time, but it was awesome. My heart was full and I really pushed hard in front of them so they'd know that I was ok. At that moment, I felt so grateful for what I have in my life. A wonderful supportive family, great friends, 2 legs, 2 lungs and a strong heart. Live in the moment. We saw the guys again at mile 9 or 10 and we ran hard for them there too. They drove past us after that while we were walking and I have to say I didn't like being caught walking. We picked up the pace again and didn't stop until the next hill. At about mile 11.5 we hear from behind "Raise the Bar!" It was Kathy Morrisson! I don't know about everyone else but I get star struck when I see our elite athletes in a race, it was awesome. I'm glad we were running when she saw us. Jenn said that's why she wears her RTB tank in every race, because you never know when you'll see a teammate. It was right about then that I was starting to drag. Live in the moment, yes you are tired, but take one step at time, live in the moment. At about mile 12 we see Jessi coming up one of the last hills, she was looking for us. She just did 13.1 miles and she was back tracking to come find us and take us to the finish line. Who does that? I will never forget that, ever. She talked us up and over the last hill and we sprinted the last 1/2 mile to the finish with the last 1/4 mile being around the track in the Oak Harbor HS stadium. Just as we are entering the stadium, there was Teresa shouting for us and cheering us on. That was awesome and it helped me push. Being on the track was nice and as Jessi was talking us through it she reminded us of the nice cushy feel of the track under our feet. With the last 25 ft in front of us, Jessi asked us if we had anything left and she told us to push it. We did and it was good.

After crossing the finish, I hugged my Brooks, DJ and Nico, Jenn, Clint, Elizabeth, Jessi and Teresa. (I apologize now for the stink). At this time we saw Kathy Morrisson and Karen Nolting in their aluminum blankets and took some group photos. Karen asked me how I felt and I told her mentally I was great but physically I was beat. Then I said, if I didn't feel beat up then I didn't give it my all did I? She agreed, with a smile. According to my GPS, our finish time was 3:10:28. My official chip time was 3:12:01. I did it. I had been training for this day for 12 weeks since January 21st and have logged 138 miles and 34 run workouts leading up to that day. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. Would I do again? ABSOLUTELY. Will I do another 1/2 marathon? ABSOLUTELY. Will I do the Whidbey Island 1/2 marathon again? NOT ON YOUR LIFE.

Patty Morrison's Epic Catalina Island Marathon Adventure...

RECAP: Planes, Buses and Boats: The Catalina Island Marathon Adventure
Hello! I'm FINALLY back! OK, get ready for the quick 'down and dirty' cliff notes on my weekend adventure to Catalina Island!

Thursday morning: Life of leisure, get to airport with no problem. Greet Carla, Yipee! We're free and easy and ready to go!

No lines to check our baggage, woo hoo, life is good........oopps, computer just went down. Not a problem, we're free, easy and happy to go-with-the-flow. Besides, we're there in plenty of time and not in danger of missing our flight. All is good!

On the plane - giving high-fives, ready for our adventure....oopps, mechanical difficulties, please wait for a few minutes while they're fixed, no need for alarm....again, we're free, easy and still not razzled! All is good!!.....

Fast forward to 3 hours and several magazines later...sitting in the terminal, waiting....not dampening our spirits, though....thanks to Carla, we have plenty of time between our flight and our boat departure to Catalina....now we won't have to wander around in LA trying to find something to do....all is good!

Touch down in LA, sunny weather, yippeee!!! There's our shuttle we booked in advance, ready and set to take us to the boat terminal in San Pedro!! The shuttle rounds the airport looking for more fares for the second time and now I'm starting to worry..."excuse me, but we do have a boat to catch?" No problem, lady, we're on our way now....

Fast foward to San Pedro terminal....ghost town...boat left 15 minutes ago....No, there's not another boat until the morning. OK, we're still free and easy and thank goodness we decided to pad an extra day in our travels before the race!!! We'll catch a cab and head for a hotel for the night - all is kind of good still...

Hotel is nice...a little pricey, but at least we have somewhere to plant our travel-weary butts. Oh, are we sure the boat tomorrow is leaving out of San Pedro? There's is a terminal in Long Beach and maybe we should check? Yes, it's leaving out of Long Beach (we silently celebrate since this terminal is much closer). Maybe we could walk there? No, but there are free buses within the area and we can just catch one across the street. Did I mention how many flippin' boat terminals there are within a 15 minute radius??? Yep, we got on the wrong bus....but quickly caught our mistake (did I mention were shlupping all of our luggage thru all of this?). After pissing off everyone on the bus we just squeezed onto, by sqeezing ba ck off after only 5 blocks, we are still laughing...really...this is pretty comical. We shlupp back up the hill and stand and the correct stop and wait (now we are, of course, in danger of missing our boat once again....) Alas, here comes the bus, nice people on board, we are going to make it!!! Lovely seating inside the upper cabin of the Catalina Flyer (did I mention I forgot about the fact that I get seasick when I'm inside any water floating vessel?) Met a wonderfully funny and sweet runner next to us, but I couldn't continue my conversation as I had to make a quick exit to the lower deck and freeze my ass off while watching the horizon on our 1 hour boat ride (gale force winds that day).

There's Catalina Island!!!! OK, I really need to calm my stomach. (Note: I never did loose my cookies, although that ride was the talk of the weekend on Catalina as many people did get sick). Check in at our hotel....find some grub...nice and sunny...beautiful island. We are so very thankful and happy to just finally be there!!

Next morning, 4am...alarm goes off, we have to catch a boat at 5am that will take us to the other side of the island for the start of the race. Again, gale force winds, this time I'm smart and sit outside. I have no problems with the rocking boat, but Carla and I listen while several others loose their breakfast....what a way to start the race!!!

Miles 1 thru 3, straight uphilll. This is a beautiful, trail marathon. Extremely hilly, also extremely stunning! Not a problem, we are enjoying the scenery and having fun. Runners start 1/2 hour after us walkers and blow by us about mile 3.5. I am noticing that Carla is having some troubles and it is increasingly hard for me to keep her going. We really think she has asthma of some sort and she feels never able to fully get a good breath. We laugh, cry and climb our way up the mountain until mile 13...Carla is done and has decided to catch a ride to the other side at this rest stop. We hug, I apologize for wanting to continue on....then I start to run....(did I mention I have not been running a lot and this was suppose to be a nice walk in park?). It took us 4.5 hours to make it to mile 13. We really haven't seen anyone in a whi le and I'm now shifted into competition mode....gotta catch up, gotta catch up...gotta finish in under 7...bla bla bla....what the ***** does that to my brain??? There they are....people - I quickly gain momentum and run my heart out. There they are....more HILLS...oh my gosh, this is like hiking Mount Peak...seriously!! I walk these very steep parts....(did I mention the gale force winds are now back and my eyes are so full of sand and dirt that it's hard to see...) Still making good time...feeling really good - hey, there's Carla!! Nice people have brought her up the mountian to mile 18...yipeee, go, run, see you at the finish!! More hills, more sand, last 3 miles are down hill and I finish in just under 7 hours. What a course...I'm so doing this again next year....hee hee

Wow, we find out the wind is really whippin' and they've cancelled boats leaving the island for the afternoon....are you thinking what I'm thinking????.....

Up at 6am - gotta catch our boat which leaves at 8am. Boats cancelled, nothing coming or going...check back at 10am. Seriously, now we truly are laughing so hard we're crying. Plus, we're still thankful, because now we can go sit and have breakfast!

Yey - boats are running again and we leave at 11:45am. By this time though, we have already missed our flight to Seattle which left at 11:26. Not a problem, I know there are tons more flights leaving LA to SEA today. We check in and tell our sorry story, the lady is nice and tells us to try standby and we head off to security....yep, we've been flagged and get the total security search. I wanted to laugh so hard...but thought that would probably get me arrested!!! The last flight leaves at 9:15pm.....that's the one we catch, after sitting at LAX, trying to fly out on oversold flights the entire afternoon.

Arrive home at 1:45am. Carla and I figure we could have traveled to Italy and back by now. There were lots of wonderful people we met on the way, we really did have lots of fun!!! Here's to next year!

How fun would this be?

Found this today in my Inbox. How my family's email messages can't make it through my Outlook Spam filter and this kind of thing does is beyond me. But I'm glad I got it....

let's do this! Wear running shoes and we'll go for a run afterward.....

As posted on the web:
Activity: Flash Mob Pillow Fight,

http://www.seattle.com/flash-mob-pillow-fight-e264471

DATE: Saturday March 29th RAIN OR SHINE. Don't be a wimp ;-)

TIME: 3:15pm

PLACE: Pike Place Market, corner of Pike and Pine.

In the street, in front of the place that throws the fish.

A car will be blocking traffic so that we can safely fight in the street. Because we'll be stopping traffic the fight will be 3 minutes. Tell Everyone about the fight. Bring people. Conceal your pillow Listen for the whistle (When you hear it start swinging!!) I'll blow the whistle again to stop the fight. When you hear it, stop fighting and walk away.

Phil Spencer on Time Trialing

While there are differences between a pure time trial (TT) and the cycling leg of a triathlon, the similarities are huge and mastering this discipline should be high on every triathlete’s to-do list. That is why it is so surprising to me why so many triathletes have never done a TT. After sitting out last season with an injury that kept me from running, I became a student of this specialty and over the course of the last year really made some improvements that will help me in my triathlons this year. Cycling season is officially underway and there are a number of great TT’s on the schedule so the following is a summary of what I have learned about getting your best result on race day.

Mindset:
I think what draws me to the TT is that there are two specific factors that go into mastering this specialty. Keep these thoughts in mind as your read on.
1. Work: Unlike road races which require frequent max efforts and sprinting followed by recovery, the TT requires the ability to maintain a steady state of work-it is an event of work much more than speed.
2. Pain: The other aspect of a great time trialist is that he/she can dig down deep and suffer like a dog!

Day Before the TT:
One of the top US coaches, Hunter Allen always stresses the importance of “blowing out” your legs to a certain extent the day before the race. The best and most efficient way to do this is by doing some hard intervals. He recommends at least one effort in the 12-15 minute range at your max sustainable pace for that length of time. You should also include at least 3 intervals in the 2 minute range. These are much more intense than your longer effort, and they are intended to help “open up” your legs to a super intense effort. Give yourself adequate recovery between efforts and be very sure of staying hydrated the day before. You will want to eat plenty of carbs and be sure to have your chocolate milk or other appropriate recovery fuel after your workout.

Race Day Breakfast/wake-up:
Like triathlons, a frequent problem with TT’s is an early morning start. Many riders find it hard to do a maximum effort so soon after sleeping. If your race starts at 7 or 8 am, your body needs a minimum of two hours to be awake so get up at 5:00am at the latest. Have your pre-race breakfast and keep a bottle with you to sip on during your warm up to keep your fluids and electrolytes topped off. If you have a later start time, try and work it so you have your main pre-race meal about 2 hours before your event. There is no pre-race meal formula, it is different for everyone and should be determined through trial and error long before the morning of the race so that you are not doing anything different that morning. I always have a gell w/ a Red Bull about 15 minutes before my send off time. This may be purely psychological but it works for me. Remember that caffeine is a proven and legal performance enhancer (both physically and mentally) so if you are a caffeine drinker, take advantage of this benefit.

Day of a TT:
Just like with triathlon, I recommend arriving 2 hours before the event. Arriving late is stressful and definitely not optimal. If you get there to early by the time the race starts your initial psych and adrenalin has gone and you just want to get the whole thing over. Neither of those two options will lead to a very good race.

Warm up:
A successful time trial begins with a super warm-up. You must be ready to make an intense effort right from the first pedal stroke. Find out exactly what time you have to be at the start, then begin warming up with one hour to go. Wear a watch so you will be certain of the time remaining…I say this from experience as I am still smarting from missing the podium of last weeks TT due to missing my start time…ouch! So you have to get your body ready for the “shock” of the hard effort that you are about to do. This shock will come in the warm-up and NOT in the first 5 miles of the TT. Do some 2 – 4 minute efforts and sprint in the last 15 seconds of each one. Your goal in the warm-up is to get your body so ready that when you get on the line and take off, it’s just like your warm-up and you can immediately get into a rhythm. 20 minutes before your start time go back to your car and put on your skin suit, dump any water bottles you don’t need, dump your spare tire and change kit, get a fresh bottle if the event is over 20 minutes and have your Red Bull. You should have another 5 – 10 minutes to ride around the start line and be sure not to pull a Spencer and miss your start time. As you get in place shift into the gear you want to start (remember you are starting from a dead stop so make it a relatively easy gear), and as you get in place clear your computers GPS’s and any other data-retrieving devices. When the count reaches 5 seconds to go start your watch, grab your bull horns, get out of the saddle and GO!

The Start:
Stay out of your saddle until you are up to speed then sit down and start shifting toward your primary gear. Do not get out of that saddle again except after sharp turns that slow you way down, the turn around or a short, steep hill.

Pacing:
It is absolutely critical that you “hold back” in the first 5 minutes of the TT!! Power meters show us unequivocally that your perceived exertion will be very low as you are excited and ready to go. This is a trap and if you were to maintain what “feels” right, you would blow up in 5 minutes. It is better to start out and gradually build up to your TT HR and hit this HR at about 4 – 5 minutes into the race. If you are using a power meter, bring up to your goal power and hold it there despite the urge to push harder. Going back to Hunter Allen again, he describes a properly executed TT like the unrolling of a carpet. At first it starts un-rolling slowly, then picks up speed as it further unrolls and finally it slaps on the ground.

The key to achieving your best performance now is going to be your ability to focus. TT’ing requires total focus and concentration to keep you delivering that steady effort, high cadence and proper effort. The middle portion of the event is crucial as you are now really starting to hurt and questioning if you can keep up this effort for as long as it will take….resist the temptation to back off, you can! When asked how do you know how hard to push, the great British rider Chris Boardman said that at the half way mark, you should be seriously questioning if you can hold this pace to the end. Hold your rhythm and have a positive mantra to go over in your head. Decide that you may or may not win, but you’re not going to let anyone outwork you on this day. When you get about 75 yards to the turn stand up and stretch your legs, it is your only chance. If you are carrying water, now is your chance for a quick drink. As you approach the cone, shift int a slightly easier gear and go past the turn with the cone on your left and point your left knee at the cone (into the corner). Get up to speed out of your saddle as quickly as possible and then immediately back into the aero position.

Final Miles:
These are crucial and it is very important to keep your pace as high as possible in the final miles. You should try to gradually bring your speed a notch higher throughout those last miles. At the end of the TT, you should be riding faster than you have ridden the entire time! You should totally blow right at the finish line! Forget about standing and sprinting, you should be so maxed out in those final 100 meters that it is impossible to get out of the saddle and go faster. If you can stand and sprint, you haven’t gone hard enough!

Make sure to cool down properly and get that acid OUT of the legs so that you won’t be so sore the next day. Get your chocolate milk recovery drink and then get online and let us all know how it went!

While you can’t execute the cycling leg of your triathlon quite to this extent, you will be surprised how close you can come and still run well by simply backing off a bit in the final mile or two before transition. More importantly, this is one of the best ways to perfect that steady effort, focus and mental training that will translate to improved times on the bike. So including a few TT’s throughout the year can help you have your best year ever!

A submission by Jim Murphy - RTB's Performance Coach

Performance coach Jim Murphy - RTB's latest resource in training the mind, sent me a great email the other day.... here it is.... I love this stuff....

Jim will be teaching a clinic to interested athletes this spring on getting the most out of ourselves and our experience in sport......in how we give and what we get back. Watch the calendar for details...

Sports Psychologist Doug Newburg writes:

Dawn Staley was one of the best women basketball players in the United States in the 1990s. A two-time National Player of the Year in college, Dawn provided the best description of performance I had ever heard. In fact when I showed others, such as pro football star Howie Long and surgeon Curt Tribble, what Dawn said they both said, “Exactly right! That’s why I do what I do.”

Dawn was a difficult interview… bright but quiet. She grew exasperated with the questioning. She was trying out for the 1996 olympic team soon after I interviewed her. She slammed her fist down on the table and said:

Winning the gold medal is my goal, not my dream. My dream is about playing to win as often as possible with and against the best women basketball players in the world. Winning the gold medal as a goal gives me some direction, but my dream is something I need to live everyday. And I’m doing that each time I play to win… When I’m playing to win, that’s when I feel resonance. If I win, that’s great. I want to win and having the gold medal as my goal forces me to play to win. But what I love to do, what my dream is, is to play to win.

From The Most Important Lesson No One Ever Taught Me, by Sport Psychologist Doug Newburg.

Note from Jim:

The elite athlete has a different perspective than the rest of us. Most athletes get so caught up in winning, they lose sight of why they’re playing, and aren’t able to focus on the process of winning. Dreams are internal… feelings… goals are external… outcomes. You may or may not reach your goal, but the important thing is your inner world. Can you have a peaceful calm while pushing your boundaries? Why are you doing it all in the first place? The elite, I believe, strive, like Dawn says, to live their dreams every day, which means to learn what you really value and how you can live in accordance to those values, and put yourself in that place where you feel resonance.

PS
Dawn and her teammates won the gold in 1996.

Jim Murphy
Performance Coach
Author, Dugout Wisdom: Ten Principles of Championship Teams
http://www.innerexcellence.com/
800-756-3140