Aloha Tips for Training – The 20 minute rule and……

Some words of wisdom from Cheryl Isberg, reporting from Maui:

There are a few things that have come to mind the last week. This last week was my biggest training week since last summer. 17 hours and counting which has also included many calories and a few naps.

There is always that first big week that hits you after the new year that you know is out there but you have no idea what it will bring. Will it bring some break through training or just a miserable slog through the items on the training log. I had a few nice bike rides with RTB’er Brad Williams and that helped make the week “easier”. It is always nice to ride with someone else and it was nice of him to block the wind for me and take the long pulls. Come to think of it, I think I forgot and never took a pull in front J but he has an Ironman to train for so all the training in the wind will do him some good. J

By Thursday it hits me I am tired. I start consuming more calories but thin gs are getting slower. I am dreading my long run on Friday and what to do. I then thing back to some great advice we got at the 2005 Ironman CDA RTB training camp. Former pro Mike Pigg was on hand for the festivities and he said even when your tired, go out for the first 20 minutes of your scheduled workout, if it doesn’t feel better after 20 minutes then go ahead and stop and rest your body.

The great thing about the 20 minute rule is that it works. A lot of time our perception of being tired can stop us from even walking out the door to do the next swim, bike, or ride. The reality is that once you get the first 20 minutes you can usually mentally go “ok, I have the first 20 minutes done, let’s just finish this work out”. So, there my friends are your first rule for training this year. Give it 20 minutes, if you don’t feel better then stop and skip the rest of the workout and rest up for your next key workout.

That being said, I had to use the 20 minute rule twice this week. Saturday I headed down to my favorite open water swim place for what I was hoping to be a mile swim. As I looked down the beach toward Black Rock, I could see the swell hitting the shore break. I mumbled something to myself like “huh, I guess I will deal with that once I get there”. It was a murky swim and I broke 2 of the 3 open water swimming rules. The 3 rules being:

1) Never swim alone (ok I always break this one)

2) Never swim when it is murky*

3) Never swim after it rains*

*Cause the sharks like it when it is murky and they come in after the rains to feed on little fish – like you.

So, as I am swimming in the murky water, I keep thinking “this is stupid – get out of the water” followed by “sharks, love murky water”. I kept telling myself ok just 20 minutes, just 20 minutes trying not to test the fate of the shark gods.

I get in my 20 minutes then of course start to see the break now is breaking at the shore and it is coming from 2 directions. There are a lot of people who drown at Black Rock and I start to think that I now know why. After a few minutes of treading water, counting sets, and thinking ok I have faced 5 Ironman swims, how hard can it be to get myself out of this water? I count the sets and guess they are coming in 2 minute breaks and then I make my run, err, kick to the shore. The first one I miss and I get caught up in the rip tide and I duck under a huge wave to get back out beyond the break. Ok, that wasn’t very fun. Once more time to try and if I can’t do it I need to turn back and swim up the beach to try to find another easier route out – of course that would be more then 20 minutes though….. More counting, more waiting, then kick, kick, kick, kick, kick, kick!

Ahh, finally through the break, run like hell (make sure my swimming bottoms are on) and whew I am through. Gosh that was a workout in itself and note to self – let’s try to avoid that break in the future.

Of course on the return walk back up the beach, Brad and his lovely family is enjoying some beach time. Brad offers the “not going to swim back?” and I think well that would have been easier then trying to get out of that break but I only wanted 20 minutes of swimming. J

So, Day 2 of the 20 minute rule comes in the form of my long Sunday ride. Coach Simon wants this to be a tempo ride. About 5 minutes into my ride, my legs are saying no tempo ride today – it’s a recovery ride. Then I start doing the “just 20 minutes” thing and then I start to wonder when was my easy day this week and of course I hear Simon saying “the easy day was yesterday”. So, I then realize I only loaded one bottle, no heart rate monitor and I am already tired. I am coming down the hill and I think I see someone waving and then I realize it was Brad. Wow, I just blew right by him. Where is my head today? I need to focus because I have 3 more hours of riding and apology to make to Brad.

About 30 minutes into my ride I find my groove and realize the worst is over. I am already riding, some tempo and recovery. Some how I get my 3 hours in and it feels to good to be able to cross that off the list.

Who knew you could get 3 hours in by just telling yourself “20 minutes”?

Raise the Bar Triathlon Dating Help

Ever on the lookout for pertinent information for the tri-public, RTB’s Dating experts have recently come across this dating aid for triathletes. Happy Hunting! (Note: may also apply to already married triathletes)

"I am an outdoors type of person." Really means: I train in any type of weather. If it's raining, snowing, 90 degrees w/100% humidity, or winds gusting at 30 mph. I don't want to hear any complaints because I will still train in it and you're just a big wuss for complaining about it.

"I enjoy riding my bike." Really means: with or w/o aero bars, alone or in a peleton, I don't care. If you can't do a spur of the moment 30 miler then you're not my type. I will let you draft, but if you can't hang and I drop you - I will see you later. I am a capable mechanic, but don't expect me to change your flats or tune your bike. You need to learn that on your own.

"I enjoy jogging." Really means: Let's run hills until we puke. I have just as many shoes as you only mine are better because they are functional and all look the same.

"I enjoy dining out." Really means: I enjoy eating out, in or anywhere else I can find food. Don't be shy because with the amount of food I eat, you can have that main entree instead of a salad and you will still look as though you eat like a rabbit in comparison. Don't get your limbs too close though as I may take a bite out of you. Most importantly don't expect any taste off my plate unless you can bring something to the party like more food. Eventually though if your not burning 4,000+ calories a day you are going to plump up and have a terrible complex due to watching me eat deserts and not gain any weight. Friends and family will eventually decide not to dine with us anymore due to my horrid table manners. Oh, and don't ask me any questions during breakfast, Mid Morning Lunch, Lunch, Afternoon lunch, Dinner or Recovery Dinner as it does not lend to efficient food intake.

"I enjoy quiet walks on the beach." Really means: Walks on the beach warming up into an 8 mile run and then plunging myself in the ocean for a 2 miler. If you get in my way you're going to find out what mass start is and let me assure you that you don't want to find out.

"I find fulfillment in charitable work." Really means: If I am not racing, I am volunteering and I expect you to be there along side me as I stand out in 90 degree weather for 8 hours handing out sports drink to cyclists going 20 mph. Just stick the ol' arm out there and hope it doesn't get taken off.

"I enjoy sharing quiet moments together." Really means: It's taper time. Just back off because I am strategizing and in a pissy mood because I am worried about my "A" race and can't workout.

"I am an active person." Really means: Aside from my 40 hour job, and the 8 mandatory hours of sleep a night. 10 hours a week are devoted to me during the off-season and 20 during race season leaving us 4 hours. 2 of which are spent inhaling food and you not talking to me, so let's make the best of the 2 hours we will spend together on average each day. If you are a licensed message therapist or doctor this would make the most optimal use of our time together. Nutritionist is also acceptable, but I probably already know just as much as you.

"I enjoy road trips and leisurely drives." Really means: You have your choice of Wisconsin, Idaho, Florida, California, Arizona, and New York, but don't expect to do much site seeing. If I get enough support from you we might be able to include Hawaii in there.

"I enjoy site seeing." Really means: Lets grab a mountain bike and get our HR's up to 90%. There's plenty of time to look around on the descent as trees and bushes whiz by you at 40 mph.

"I like stimulating conversation." Really means: while we are running, we can talk about food. Then we can talk about how we decided what to wear on this run based on the temperature at start time versus the temperature at the time we expect to finish, how horribly out of shape we are, how many miles we did last week, and how many we will do this week and next week. Then we can talk about food.

"I enjoy relaxing soaks in the tub." Really Means: I'm going to stop on the way home and buy two bags of ice, throw them in the tub with some water, and sit in this torture chamber for 30 minutes.

"I'm interested in photography" Really Means: My camera is permanently perched a tripod in front of my trainer. I obsess over taking photos of my bike position and analyzing them to get the perfect setup.

"I'm into in technology" Really Means: My HRM and bike computer are my best friends. Until you can give me some hard data that can improve my training, don't bother trying to buddy up to me. You could one day break into the top three if I find you as entertaining on long runs and rides as my ipod nano.

RTB Sighting on Maui

I have received one phone call and one email about this RTB sighting on Maui. Here is the story from the point of view of those two involved. Kristine Kloepfer and Cheryl Isberg. And do not worry it has a happy running ending.

Cheryl:

The start of the season always seems to be the hardest. My Sunday ride today was the longest I have done since Ironman Canada and my body is really not playing along much. About 90 minutes into the ride my body seemed to remember back to that 112 mile ride and a promise that was made. I think I made one of those "if I can just get through this race, I promise we will take some time off". The problem is I never told my body that what that meant was a few months of low intensity training but at some point that would change. So, let's say the suffer was on. Then the strangest sight ever - could it be someone standing by the side of the road and a young man yelling "go RTB!". I first thought to myself "my god, I am in a race and I didn’t even know it" then I thought "who is that?".

Of course after I passed the young man I was wondering how he knew about RTB because I was not in my official uniform this day. I opted for RTB shorts and a new Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop jersey that was presented to me for my 44th birthday. Then to my right a while van pulls along and there is Kristine Ott yelling "we are RTB too" and a small conversation occurred on the highway. Who knew that RTB reached 2700 miles outside of Washington? The good thing was it was the kick that needed to get my F5 butt home. Kristine mentioned she spotted that F5 across my rear

Kristine:

So my family and I are on vacation in Maui. We come here often, it's really a beautiful place. We were driving back to our condo after a day of shopping and I am in awe of all the bikes on the road and I mention to Mike how cool it would be to bike here. Then up ahead I notice someone riding in aero and point it out to Mike, "Hey look, there is a tri-bike!!!" Feeling very excited!! As we pass this rider what do we see??? A big F5 on her butt! She is wearing RTB tri shorts. What the heck? We pull along beside her and it's none other than Cheryl Isberg. How cool is that. The next day we enjoyed a 5 mile run together along the north shore of Maui.

And rumor has it that Brad Williams will soon (256 hours and counting down) be seen in Maui in full RTB gear. Could you be next?

There's Good Press....then there's the Wine Press

Today, Raise the Bar has an article in the local Covington/Maple Valley Reporter Newspaper. It's a nice article - with a picture of RTB's most prolifically printed pretty face, Rick Osborn.... whom his friends refer to as "Front Page".

Find the article here: http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/cmv/business/38586834.html

While enjoying that little bit of RTB fame today, I got 2 phone calls. One from Kevin at the Seattle Thunderbirds.....wondering if I wanted tickets to the T-bird game on 3/6 for some of my customers. Well, sure!! Kathy's already got the word out on that one. You get a ticket and a free beer for $18. (email Kathy if you want in on that).

Just a few minutes ago, I got another phone call from a gal wondering if I was hiring bartenders. Huh. We have a theme going today with the drinking of the spirits. I don't HAVE any bartenders on my staff right now, I told her. She seemed nice, I was sorry i didn't have any openings. Kathy could probably do it anyway - even though she doesn't drink. She can do everything else.

I asked the unemployed gal where she got my number. Turns out Raise the Bar is now in the yellow page listings under Bars and Pubs. As a Catholic girl, I consider this to be good juju. And any press is good press.

At 5AM this morning before I met 21 committed athletes at the swim workout I coach, I was buying Chardonnay at Safeway for the Raise the Hope meeting at our house tonight. And as that meeting gets rolling, we could have probably used that nice gal. Thank goodness Kathy will be here.

Lindy Haffner's Goofy Challenge

First of all, if you didn't read Joe's sweet post, and don't know what Goofy's Challenge is, it is a Half Marathon on Saturday and a Full Marathon on Sunday, they also have a 5K on Friday for the ambitious (crazy) which we did as well. I somehow convinced my friends Regan and Diana to sign up for this crazy weekend in January 2008. My friend Kim came too but she is an old pro, having done the Goofy’s Challenge for 3 of the 4 years it has been offered!!We have been planning this race for a year and a half. It is a big commitment financially and physically. Just to register for the Half and Full Marathons came to $250!! I trained with my friends Regan and Diana. We logged some seriously twisted runs, including a back to back 8 mile/16 miler, a 5K race one Saturday morning followed by 15 miles in really cold weather then 12 miles on the treadmill on Sunday because of the snow and then hosting a taco dinner for a family Christmas celebration right after my treadmill run!! We ran in 6 inches of slush for 8 miles and it took us almost 3 hours (picture running in really cold sand for 8 miles!!) When there was a lot of snow, we would run a portion on the treadmill and then meet to run for the rest of the mileage. There was some whining as we were literally freezing our butts off and comparing this training to what we would experience in Florida! But how much whining can you really do when you are going to Florida in January!! My friend Kim has done the Goofy's Challenge for 3 of the 4 years it has been offered. We relied on her wisdom and insight in planning our trip. We didn't seek her advice on training, however. She ran a 5K and a couple of 5 mile runs in between last year's goofy and this year. That is crazy. We saw shirts on the course that said "Running Stupid! I didn't train for this!" We thought Kim needed one too. But she finished all 3 races and didn't seem any worse off than we were.

The 5K starts at 7AM so we were up at 5AM. Which feels like 2AM Seattle time. We had taken a red eye on Wed night though so we had no trouble going to bed by about 10PM Florida time on Thursday night. We did the 5K and then went to Hollywood Studios for the day. We rode the Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster (twice), Tower of Terror, and several other rides. We posed with some power rangers and had a lovely dinner at Mama Melrose's. We came back to the hotel, got our clothes ready for the Half Marathon and went to bed. We were up at 3:00AM (yes Florida time, so feels like midnight!) and we caught the bus to the start at 3:45. The race started at 6AM and Regan and Diana and I all started the race together. Kim ran with her friend Tony who she runs with at all the Disney races (he carries a US flag the whole way!). We got our pictures taken with several characters including Pooh, Cinderella and family, Goofy, Mickey, Donald, Pluto and Chip and Dale among others. We spend a lot of the race trying to get around walkers (and stopping for photos didn't help our cause). We crossed the finish line together, holding hands at 2:48:41. We ran through the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. It was nice weather with a decent breeze and we had a great run. We finshed, I found an instructor at the massage booth who wailed on my IT band for about 20 minutes (I paid for 11 minutes) and we headed off to shower and sit by the pool. We all felt pretty good except the bottoms of my feet were sore. I wore old shoes because I accidentally washed (and DRIED) the shoes I was scheduled to wear and they were a size too small. So I chose less cushioning old shoes over losing toenails. We got up Sunday Morning (same time) to do it all again (but twice as far!) I wanted to take it pretty easy on Sunday and we stuck together for the first half of the race. I had Regan's camera and I asked her if she wanted to take it and go ahead with Diana or if she wanted me to hold it. She said I could hold it. Well Diana and Regan just had more left at the halfway point than I did and they kept up the pace. I just did what i could. It was hot and muggy and my feet hurt. So once they were off I just enjoyed the race and got as many pictures with characters as I could. I think I counted 25 pictures with characters over the whole trip and 2/3 must have been during the races. I figured if I was taking my time, I might as well take pictures. I even had to wait a long time in Epcot to get my picture taken with Aladdin while a mom complained about how you have to walk all over the park to get pictures with characters and she wasn't even taking a picture of her daughter, then when her daughter was done and it was the runner ahead's turn she had her daughter go back for a picture because "we never see Aladdin!" So that added some time!! So when we get all the pictures from Regan's camera I will actually post a photo more recent than 1979 on my page.
Diana and Regan finished in 5:44 and I finished in 6:44 just 10 minutes ahead of Kim who didn't train!! Kim's mom and aunt were down there and we happened to get on the same bus to the hotel as they did. They bought us each a drink at the pool side bar and we enjoyed our cold beverages before we even showered!! That was the best drink I have ever had. Nevermind that it was only about 1:30 in the afternoon (we won't count it as 10:30 Seattle time!!).
So we had a wonderful dinner at Wolfgang Puck's that night and my very sweet husband jumped through hoops (more than you would have thought necessary) to have the restaurant give me a congratulations card and buy a round of drinks for us Goofy Girls! We slept well that night. On Monday it was my birthday and Kim had balloons in our room when I woke up and a big Happy Birthday sign. I got to wear a Happy Birthday pin and got into Epcot for free (free admission to a disney park on your birthday in 2009!) Everyone at Epcot wished me a Happy Birthday and it was a truly magical day. We wore our Garmins (GPS tracking) while at Epcot on Monday and we logged almost 13 miles (and that didn't count our indoor miles) on our rest day! We all had so much fun.
So what I have taken away from this weekend is that anyone can do this. I don't care if you can't walk or run, you can do this. I saw a guy out there on crutches (he probably injured himself training but wasn't willing to quit). I saw people who were concerned that they were going to get picked up by the sag wagon (if you don't hit certain mile markers by a given time, they pick you up and you can't finish the race). I don't think everyone has to do this but I think everyone should challenge themselves to do something out of reach. Maybe it is a longer distance race, maybe it is consecutive races, I don't know. But I do know it feels great to have completed the challenge that seemed so big. Now I better get my shoes out and start thinking about the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon (my 3rd marathon in 8 months) in June!! Run on friends!

Freaky Things are Happening

Sometimes life throws little weird occurances your way....

1. Lindy Hafner, not only a member of the RTB team, but also a member of our women's group Raise the Hope, completed the Goofy Challenge last weekend in Orlando - finishing a 5K on Friday, a Half Marathon on Saturday, and a Full Marathon on Sunday. Today, she is frolicking at Disney World.

I don't even know how to address that.... I thought Raise the Bar encouraged balanced, reasonable athletic endeavors. Apparently some cog has slipped in the system.

2. Between January 1st and January 15th (the day registration opens for our 2009 team), there are officially NO members of Raise the Bar. The team simply doesn't exist. In light of this, we had 25 runners show up for a team run on January 3rd and 42 (WHAT?) folks show up for a team swim and aquajog at Covington Aquatic on January 10th.

Here we were all worried that with the crappy economy no one would come and play in triathlon land this year. We lowered registration fees, we upped the benefits..... I'm fairly certain 2009 is going to kick 2008's _______. And I'm even slightly fairly more certain that RTB in 2009 is going to kick......oh never mind.

3 Days till registration. Don't miss the boat!!

Dear Economy,

You are stealing jobs away from our friends and making our houses less valuable. You are lengthening the time between now and our retirements, and causing otherwise positive people to whine. And we are sick of it - but you can't discourage us that easily.

Perhaps you haven't come up against us triathletes before. We aren't afraid of much. We embrace the challenge that you are throwing at us!! Our jobless friends with a little extra time on their hands are TRAINING!!! They are learning to fill out online job applications from their stationary bikes. AND..while on those bikes, they've turned down their thermostats thereby saving money. HA!!!

Think you can scare us with a little rise in the gas prices, eh..... Pfffsssttt - we learned our lesson from you a few months ago. We are carpooling and combining trips and commuting on buses and bikes (weather permitting) and are empowered by the memory of your almost $5 per gallon attempt to dampen our spirits.

Triathletes aren't this easy to beat down, you know. We're used to working hard for tiny, incremental gains. Shoot, we're even used to obsessive, ridiculously hard work and losing ground! So don't think for one minute you've won. Because you haven't.

Raise the Bar is ready to face you on January 15th with a whole new game plan - by focusing on the things that really matter - building community and forming alliances and using a great army of athletes to make your threat of misery and despair a mockery.

And we will. Game on.

2009 Team Workout #1.......and more coming!

25 of us showed up for the first team workout of 2009 at the Soos Creek trail today. WHAT???????? 25????????? That could be one of the biggest non-swimming team workouts EVER. If this is any indication of the commitment the RTB triathlon team is ready to lay down this year, the other teams better WATCH OUT!

Mary Hanna is continuing with her Wednesday morning track workout starting up again on the 7th. You can do your first one for free to try it out. I know this is a tough workout for some folks to make - it's at 6AM and it's usually cold this time of year....but the many athletes that have gone to this workout over the last few years wil tell you that because of Mary's magical powers (or just plain old good coaching) they get faster. So if you're complaining about running slowly (like I do) you should come.

Next FREE team workout is a run/walk this Thursday evening at 6:30 at Lake Morton in Covington - we like to call it the Frostbite Series. Jerry Sommerman is our handsome host. Bring a headlamp or a flashlight or do what I do and run NEXT to someone that has a headlamp or a flashlight. It's lame, but it works. Lake Morton is a PERFECT 2-mile rolling loop and you can do as many loops as you like. If you're late, just wait around for 20 minutes or so and catch the next lap.

And if you're looking for EPIC pool fun, sign up RIGHT NOW HERE for next Saturday's Team Swim at the Covington Aquatic Center from 8-9AM. We will take 36 swimmers MAX. (It's $5..gotta pay for the coach and the pool time). If 36 people are in the pool this week, we'll drop the price to $5 for the next team swim on January 24....and $3 for February 7th. Let's work together here, people.

IF YOU ARE TIRED OF ALL THE TEAM WORKOUTS BEING IN KENT/COVINGTON, then add a comment here or email Patty and make a slick suggestion of what you'd like to see on the calendar. People from the eastside and north of here are emailing me and wanting to see RTB make landfall in other areas. And so do we..... it will take some willing souls to make some suggestions and be willing to host some workouts, though. Some of us southenders will travel around and help populate those for awhile. Again..let's work together!!

Details for everything on the calendar....

See y'all out there!

Checked off the Bucket List.....

I was wimping out on the Polar Bear Plunge until I talked with a 70-year old lady at New Year's Eve Mass last night. I asked her what she was doing to celebrate the new year and she informed me she would be crossing the LAST of her bucket list items when she did the Polar Bear Plunge at Coulon Park this morning.

Huh. 70 years old. Taking the plunge..

This gave me a renewed spirit on the whole plunge undertaking. Never mind that the ONLY officially RSVP'd RTB athlete (Kelvin) opted out this morning with some recommendation from friends that he stay home due to a cold or something. Kristin was certainly behind this.... Doris Klein was there with her family sporting the RTB colors in support....she'll go in next year, I'm sure!

But there WERE RTBers there - with big huge hearts...and goosebumps. Tina Coleman, who was at the Steilacoom 5K this morning agreed to take the plunge after the race....NICE!! Tina has a heart just about as big as they come and she needed it today to get out of that cold water without having an actual heart ATTACK.

Paul Mueller was there too. This, in retrospect, does not surprise me.
Paul lives on Lake Morton and has a hot tub and HOT shower at his beach so that when he does open water swimming in MARCH, he can warm right up.(I'll give you his address but it will cost you...) Future RTBer (I hope) Sherrie was there too... although I don't think the pictures captured her - SORRY Sherrie!!

Best thing about this event was the time involved. Bill and I left our house at 11:45 and were home by 12:20. Done. The shortest event in history. A big shirtless guy in the fuzzy hat gave the rules, and a bit of a countdown, then the 60 or so athletes did a mass beach start. The rules state you have to go under ALL THE WAY. I complied....so did Tina...I'm sure Paul did. But I think every person - including the winner who stayed in the longest - was out in under 40 seconds.

So, Bucket List, TAKE THAT!!! I think I'll write this one back in so I can do it again next year.... Tina, Paul, Sherrie, Doris and family members - SO glad you were there too.

Some photos for your viewing pleasure - Happy New Year everybody. Off to drink some hot coffee!!

Polar Bears, Coffee, and Haiku

I've recently realized that unless something goes up on the RTB blog once in awhile, the world will completely lose interest.

So, world, we're back. Gee, your excitement is palpable.

On the subject of palpations... how about SOMEONE is this crazy triathlon team finally MAN UP and participate in a New Year's tradition completely ignored by Raise the Bar - the Lake Sawyer Polar Bear Plunge???!!

Seriously - this event is in our back yard, RTBers... I can see it now.. Team members kitted up in your tri gear (no wetsuits, you weanies) holding hands, singing a round of Kumbaya, and jumping with reckless abandon into the tepid waters of our own Lake Sawyer. Gosh...a stunning image, isn't it?

Good thing it hasn't been a particularly cold winter yet, or this activity could be uncomfortable.

So I'm throwing out a challenge. If 5 RTBers MAN (or WOMAN) UP, then Bill & I will jump too. (He doesn't know this yet, but I'm sure he'll be a good sport about it) And to sweeten the pot, Bill will spring for a cup of coffee for you.

Those of you who are who are saying to yourselves, "Aw Shucks,Patty, I would LOVE to, but I'm running in the Steilacoom Resolution Run that day" can just push that excuse by the wayside. Resolution Run is at 9AM, Polar Bear Plunge is at noon. I'm doing both.

To sign off, I've composed this inspirational Haiku

Jump in cold water
To celebrate the New Year
Bill buys us coffee

See you there. You may leave a comment here as an RSVP

Phil Kriss's Ironman Arizona Race Report

My Arizona Ironman Race Report
By Phillip Kriss # 1720
Training for this event started as an idea my son and new personal hero Terry had while watching the ironman on TV in December 2007. “You can do that Dad, can’t ya? You can swim that far, and you ride your bike like that all the time. And I know you can run” After a brief family discussion and consultation with my tri geek friends (Chris Blair) I signed up.

Along the way I had to learn new skills like swimming. I started at the Auburn YMCA and at first could swim half a mile in 16 minutes.

I was already running marathons and riding my bike, so those I thought were OK. All I needed to add in were the transitions.

3 Olympic and one half ironman later I found out I was doing quite well!

A month before race day I had the opportunity to take an underwater video lesson from Patty Swedberg at Raise the Bar. Huge help. My swim times immediately improved from 2 min/100 yards to 1:40 with much less effort.

My generous pal Chris Blair lent me his aero helmet and Zipp race wheels (more on that later)

I shipped my bike via Tri-Bike transport, got on the plane and flew to Phoenix where the weather conditions were perfect for a race.


The Swim
I was scared to death. My heart rate was very high. I remembered the Portland Marathon I had ran when my heart rate was high at the start line, and I was road kill by mile 20. That was not a good thought. The swim was 1.2 miles upstream in 62 degree water. Plus, the race started at 7AM, so the sun was not up yet and it was dark. There was a mass start after treading water for 10 minutes, I was on my way. The kicking, thrashing and throwing elbows was less than I expected. Before the turn around, the sun came up and it was easy to swim straight because it was right into the sunrise. That was cool! Before I knew it I was half way done and not even tired, so I decided to pick up the pace. I did on the way back and passed up several people, many of which were not eager to give up their position. I got out of the water in 1:13, 7 minutes faster than expected! I was a happy man!

T1. Chaos. Well organized, but too many people in too small of a place. But in and out in reasonable time

The Bike:
FUN. I passed hundreds and was wondering where all these people came from considering my swim was not bad. The ride went out through town and it was mostly flat until a road called the “Bee Line”. In my opinion an appropriate name because the wind blown sand hurts your face. The last 7 or 10 miles was up a grade against the wind. I attempted to keep my heart rate around 135-140 which I did all day, but I cheated going up the hill because I could pass so many people. Going downhill with a tail wind with Blair’s Zipps was an experience to die for. The sound of those carbon wheels really turned me on. Occasionally I would pedal out at over 40 MPH. Back into town with cheering crowds. I thought to myself “Thank you. Thank you very much” as Elvis would have said it. My new glasses made me feel like Elvis too!

Then things began to vary from my established plan. My right foot went numb. Loosened my shoe and fixed that. Had to stop and pee and pee and pee. Good to hydrate well, but that was ridiculous. Then passing a whole group of people on my way up the Bee line, I heard a POW Hiss hiss hiss. I said to the people I was passing “Somebody’s day is gonna suck” That turned out to be me. I was fortunate to have just passed an aid stating on the other side of the road, so I ran back and made them help. The called the roadside tech people, who fortunately knew how to change a tubular tire. I do not. I didn’t have the tools or glue. They did it for me and had me on the road again in 28 minutes as near as I can tell. They warned me ride slow because the tire was not glued on, but I told them I didn’t know how to ride slow and this was a race. We comprised in that I would ride slow around corners. That brings me to rule # 1

Rule #1 Never try out new stuff on race day.

Coming down the Bee line attempting to make up some time made me feel like one of the characters in the movie “Blues Brothers”. I had my sunglasses on, a half a tank of Gatorade and 50 miles to go. I thought of my tire barely holding on as I was riding over 40 MPH thinking “Oh blessed mother of mass acceleration, don’t fail me now”

If it weren’t for the flat I would have been very near the top in my age on the bike segment.

Bike time 5:37.

Even with the flat my total time after T2 was 7 hours and was exactly where I wanted to be. A 4 hour marathon would get me to my goal time of 11 hours

The Run
I started off doing great. Review of my splits revealed I was running an 8:40 pace for the first 1/3. The second lap I started to hurt. My legs were giving out and I was getting very hot. My mouth tasted like I put the Arizona sand in it. I had a burning feeling in my arm pits knowing I was starting to chaff and get rubbed raw. I was developing a blister on my big toe due to my new socks being slightly thicker than my old worn out socks. (See rule #1) The second lap was painful I now realize because I did not work my nutrition plan good enough. I did not take in enough stuff. I also developed a bad attitude and started walking. Unfortunately walking did not alleviate the cramps. I think now my error on the run was not not taking in enough nutrition, but a poor attitude caused by looking at the scale of the race thinking I had 16 more miles to run and based on my current condition I was not going to make it, so why try. I was hurting and mental distress. Then the words of my pal Chris ran in. “Run from one aid station to the next and drink the Coke”. I took care of my blisters and chaffing. At each remaining aid station I ate and drank everything they had. One water. One Gatorade. One gel. One coke. A few grapes or a bite of a banana. A few ice chips on the way out and I was on my way again. I had also realized I looked really bad between the salt of the sweat all over me mixed up with the sunscreen. I grabbed a few sponges and cleaned myself up a bit and thought time to get this thing done. When I left the last trash can at the exit of the aid stations, I once again began running with a personal resolve to not walk again until the next aid station chanting internally to myself the Marathon Maniac war cry, “you can do it, you can do it”. I began running much better! Reviewing my splits, my pace picked up from over 12 minute miles in the middle third to around 10 the last third. At mile 23, I could see the end and hear the announcements coming from the other side of the river “Congratulations Joe Blow, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” At that point nothing was going to stop me and I picked up the pace considerably. I ended up passing people in the last 3 miles, and that was blast!

Run time 4:37

Total time: 11:37 84th of 291 in age, 281 place out of 2199 finishers.

There are no words to describe running the last few miles with the cheering fanatical crowds encouraging you by name. Talk about feeling special! Then down the chute to the finish line. I was happy it was over. I was thrilled I had made it! I was glad I was there. It was De Ja Vue. I had done it! I am and ironman and nobody can take that away from me!

Lessons Learned
A race (or our lives) is not about the whole scale of things or maybe even the outcome. That can be overwhelming and so powerfully negative it can stop me in my tracks. We don’t know for sure what is going to happen to us along the way or how it is going to turn out. Sometimes you just have to shut up your mind and get over it. One aid station at a time. One challenge at a time. One problem at a time. Take care of yourself and give you what you need to get through the moment. Ask others for help. Many are supportive and want to. To not do so would rob them of their joy. Don’t let anything rob you of your joy. Circumstances may be unavoidable and we can’t change them, but we can change the way we think and therefore the outcome. Yes the event (and life) is hard. Did I think it would be easy? No, I did not. If it were easy many would be doing it. Plus they would have to change the name from Ironman to Marshmallow man.

Final Thoughts
I am blessed by God himself to have the ability and privilege to do what I did that day and in my life. Would I recommend it to others? You bet!

Special Thanks To
God: For the desire and ability to do this
My Wife Tina: For putting up with a mentally and physically absent lunatic who spent a considerable portion of the Kriss family treasury on toys and race fees.
My Kids: Who encouraged me and traveled with me hundreds and in some cases thousands of miles just to see me at the start and finish of a race. They got up early, stayed late, and stood out in the rain, cold, snow and dark just to watch. They put up with me when I was tired and grumpy. Not bad for teenagers.
Chris Blair: He generously lent me his wheels and aero helmet. He was a great resource of advise. He also got me back into running after I had quit. I have a new respect for this ironman who can do it in 9:21. “We are running a 22 miler Sunday AM at 4:30 and you are coming. Be there” He raises the bar on what it takes to excel.
My Sister Linda: When I needed a shoulder to cry on she was there. She always has the right words.
My Mom: She taught me at a young age I had what it takes to go long.
My Dad: He used to call me “The Man of Steel…Spring Steel that is”
Patty Swedberg: For her swim coaching, words of advise especially at the last minute when it counted the most. If you are reading this and want to do a triathlon, join raise the bar and listen to her. She knows her stuff.
Mary Hanna: Signed my up for the Marathon Maniacs..a turning point in my life.
Cliff Richards and Mel Preedy: They are there most every Wednesday running when I don’t want to. If Mel can keep going, so can I.
Sam McComb: I thought I could ride, but he taught me how to do it much better. And he had a major role in getting me back on my road bike after a 10 year absence. I thought of him several times when I hurt on the run. After he rides up Lakeland hills hill, he often says “this never gets any easier”. He didn’t say that to me, but I heard it loud and clear.
Bob Kaye: Encouraged me to ride a little faster when tired. And if you want to learn how to correctly ride in a pace line, ride with Bob. He will get you straightened our real quick. Both him and Sam are old guys who know how to do it. It can be intimidating to get dropped by guys 30 years older than you.
The gang in the Ring of Fire: Lots of encouragement in my personal life. Many texts and e-mails and phone calls.

Interesting Math Facts
There are over 6.6 billion people in the world, and 19 Ironmen triathlons, totaling 80 registered participants (not finishers). That makes me one of 12121 people internationally.

Figuring 16 ounces of fluid on each of the 11 aid stations on the bike, and 23 on the aid stations (I was naughty when I thought I was invincible in the beginning of the 2nd lap), I took in 544 ounces of fluid or 4.5 gallons of stuff. 24 hours after the race, not at the very end, I weighed 5.5 pounds less (or .66 gallons), I must have drank over 4.91 gallons of stuff.

My heart rate while up and around is 50. My average heart rate for the day was 134, meaning my heart beat 92460 beats in 11:37. Normally it would have beat 34500. That means I used up 2.68 days worth of heartbeats in one 11.5 hour event!. Let’s assume your heart is like your skin. If you are in the sun more than you should and you get burned and peel, you will likely have premature aging of your skin if not a good case of skin cancer. Is your heart any different? Did I shorten my life by 2.68 days? Hopefully not since up and about heart rate is 50, the average is 72. Even though I used up 2.68 days of heart beats, since my heart rate is low and theirs is high, I should still live longer. Not counting cholesterol and stuff. But, since I swallowed a lot of Gatorade (sugar) who knows what actually happened to my liver, pancreas and kidneys.

Karen Nolting's Clearwater Race Report

What I Did for my Winter Vacation

Or

70.3 Ironman World Championships

Kathy and Michelle have already covered a lot of the race. So, I won’t bore you too long with race details.

I had grown a little tired of training and just wanted to be able to enjoy the event in its entirety. And I did!

The Gulf of Mexico was warm but not so warm we were uncomfortable in our wetsuits. Just a few swells out toward the half- mile mark and then all was good. I improved my swim time by two minutes. Please don’t tell me the swim was short…. I will take any improvement in the swim I can get.

I loved the bike! It was nearly all flat and fast with so many cones and volunteers and police officers there is no way anybody could get lost. I tried to thank every one of them. I improved my time by 14 minutes and pedaled an average of 21.5 mph. J

The run was hard for me. Not as much because of the heat (although it was hot) but because of a foot problem I am now determined to solve. Thank goodness for those ice cold sponges and cheering crowds. I think my pace was nine-minute miles, which is pretty slow for me-oh well. My finish time was 5hours 14minutes. An improvement of fourteen minutes.

I would highly recommend this race. Although it is a long time to train the rewards are many. First, the event volunteers, staff and the citizens of Clearwater, treat you as a celebrity. It is only the third year for the race but the people of Clearwater have completely embraced it and the athletes. Everywhere we went we were treated with admiration and friendship. Even when it was evident drivers had sat in traffic for long periods no one honked at us or showed any impatience. Secondly, is weather. The temps averaged around 78 degrees, gentle breezes, sun and warm Gulf ocean water. Third, is the scenery. Out our hotel window was night after night of beautiful sunsets, porpoises, storks, and pelicans and of course boats. Boats of fishermen, para-sailors, pirate boats, speedboats, police boats and yachts. The beautiful white sandy beaches were littered with shells and grassy dunes. And the city is wonderfully landscaped with flowering bushes, palm trees, and architecturally attractively sidewalks and walls that separated the beaches from the inland. There were showers for the beachcombers and swimmers to use every block. What’s not to like? It was such a treat for northwesterners in November. Fourth, it is the most well organized event I think I have ever attended (sorry Toby). You are treated like a pro. We had our own personal tour guides for the transition area, wet suit strippers, bike catchers and people to help us change and re-bag our items in the changing tent and a free massage after the race. Pretty cool for age grouper participants. There was a welcome dinner with a flag procession that represented all fifty-one of the participating countries. I felt like I was in the Olympics and got all choked up. On the last night after the awards ceremony they closed the race with a pretty darn good fireworks show-wow!

We had great support from Patty (via phone and email), Uncle Al (Kathy’s Uncle) and his friends Mona and Mike. And of course, we had our Sherpa (Michelle’s husband Will). He was our chauffeur, Sherpa, photographer and cheerleader. We took a picture of him holding my bike and all our transition bags! What a guy.

A fellow athlete made this statement, which sums it all up. “Chances are most of us won’t ever get to Kona. So, this is the next best thing”. I agree and hope to cheer on several of RTB’s athletes at the 70.3 Ironman World Championships at Clearwater in 2009!

Michelle's 70.3 Race Report

Michelle’s 70.3 Worlds Race Report (second writing because I was too brain dead to save the first one and the computer died just before finish line)

I “thought” I was going into this event with the attitude that I would just “enjoy myself and be happy to even be here.” Wed. morning the girls and I went out for a short run before going to the bike shop and picking up our bikes. I had to have a flat fixed before I even left the shop. Glad it blew standing in the store instead of half way to the hotel. That afternoon we went for our first ocean swim. It was a bit windy and waves were bigger than we would have liked. But I was actually looking forward to learning something new. I had swam in Lake W. several time when it was pretty choppy so I wasn’t super nervous. It was actually easier than I expected since the swells were big and took you with them instead of bouncing across the smaller ones. Thank you all for the tips you sent, sighting on top of the waves, long slow strokes, water to rinse the salt out of our mouths, they were all helpful. The salt taste could have been quite a shock, had we not been warned. I quickly had to learn to swim with my mouth shut or risk vomiting when the water hit the back of my throat. We survived and actually went back for more first thing Thursday morning. This time the water was great. Nice and calm. We had decided to attend the swim clinic. I thought we would get all sorts of great tips for rough conditions but it was really more of what we have heard several times. So when he told us to make sure we keep our head down, I didn’t think much of it. I knew I didn’t have perfect position but thought it was ok. We headed out to swim about half the course and by 5 minutes in I had a kink in my neck from it being so high in the water. It didn’t occur to me that buoyancy was an issue for that, duh. It only got worse through out the day. After our swim we went out on our bike for about an hour. The sun felt so good on my back. I am not looking forward to our wet season. Friday morning the kink was still there, so after our prerace meeting, I went for a massage. It wasn’t completely gone but it was better.

Race Day- I woke up feeling good. Not nervous or over confident. Just looking forward to the race and enjoying it. With everything set in transition we headed down to the water. I thought Thursday was great but this was perfect. I almost couldn’t wait to get in the water. I started an hour and ten minutes after the pros, so I would have to wait. The “reality” that this is a big deal finally hit me when two helicopters hovered overhead for the race start. It was an amazing scene but thankfully it didn’t freak me out. I was still here to enjoy it all. Pro men off, pro women off, then it was Karen’s turn. It was really neat to be able to stand right there in the water and watch it all. With Karen in the water it was time for Kathy to leave and warm up. After Kathy was off, I warmed up and headed for my coral. Feeling good, I knew if I could stay calm for the first couple hundred yards, I would be fine. The swim was amazing. I started towards the left, found a hole and away I went. I didn’t really know how I was doing but it felt really good. Only a couple of swells on the way out and a few on the way in. No problem. Through the showers, wet suit stripped and on to T1. I was a little nervous about the “clean” transition area but I had gone over it in my head several times and felt pretty good with it. I grabbed my bike bag and headed for the tent. The volunteers were great. I dumped my bag and the gal opened my water for me while I put my shoes on. She grabbed my race belt and put it on me while I took a drink and told me to leave my wetsuit and she would take care of it. I grabbed my helmet and glasses and off I went. I didn’t realize just how well my swim went until I got to my bike and the rack was still really full. But that was short lived as about 10 gals passed me on the bike before mile 7. But still just enjoying myself and happy to be here. At mile 7.9 to be exact, I got a flat tire. My first flat in any race. No big deal, as I was still in that, “I’m just going to enjoy this” mindset. The flat was probably a good thing as my hamstrings were not real happy but afterwards they didn’t bother me again. So, off the bike to fix the flat. I didn’t rush as I didn’t want to fumble and drop things. It went as well as I could have imagined. No problem getting the tire off and on. When I had the wheel back on the bike, I decided that it needed more air. So I fixed that and I was on my way with a few “good jobs” from some spectators. So on my way, thinking, I’m getting passed a lot but my average was a little above the 20 mph I had wanted, so I’m ok. Then I realized I had not checked the tire for whatever gave me that flat. Said a quick prayer that it would be ok and left it at that. Enjoying the temp. when I looked over to see a motorcycle on the left of the lane. The guy on the back asked if I would come over and talk to them. I thought it was an official and that I was in trouble for something. I couldn’t imagine what it was for. There were a few people in front of me but I was in no way drafting. Then he asked me a question and I realized it was the media. I was relieved and talked to them for a bit. Then was on my way again. As I was looking at the hill in the distance I saw someone on the course on what looked like a mountain bike. I thought “how do you get here on a mountain bike?” Then I realized that it was Dick and Rick Hoyt. Feeling inspired at how hard Dick was working to get up that hill, I just told them they were great and kept going. Almost in tears, I told myself to pull it together and get going. At about mile 40 a slight wind kicked up. Not really a big deal but I felt myself slow down. Then I thought of Brian and Nancy (at Kona) and realized this was nothing. I also realized that I don’t feel the need to do an Ironman because on the far out chance that I may qualify for Kona, I would feel obligated to go and I don’t think I really want to do that. I’ll decide that one later. So as I come to the end of the bike and having watched my average drop while not really feeling overworked or any good reason for it I am beginning to feel a bit disappointed. Which is where the first sentence of the report comes from. I guess I just know I could have done better and it bothers me. So into T2, I get off my bike and hand it to another wonderful volunteer to rack for me. I feel so free, running in bare feet, no bike to worry about anymore, the air is warm. I look for my run bag and do not see it, then, right before my eyes it appears in the hands of another volunteer. Did I run by it and she realized and grabbed it for me or did she know I was coming and have it ready. I’m really not sure but it worked. So off I was to the tent again. I dump my bag and as I put on my socks and shoes, I here the word sunscreen on the other side of the tent. I holler “yes please” and magically someone is applying sunscreen to my shoulders. I feel so pampered. (How ironic that I chose to read The Red Tent for my travel book) She hands me my water bottle and gently pushes me towards the door. I take a minute to walk towards the run start as I drink my water. A little hesitant to leave this transition area where my wish is there command. Where they do what needs done with out being asked. Then I hear a spectator cheer me on and I realize I am alone and they will not run for me, so run I must. On goes my visor and I am off for the run. I see my support crew. Will, Uncle Al and friends. I tell them of my flat and down the road I go. I see Kathy on her way in as I go out. I holler and wave. My legs transition well and I realize that the perfect temp. on the bike may not be perfect for the run. So when I see sponges at the aid station, I decide to make them a part of my uniform for the remainder of the race. Up the causeway I go for the first of four times. I am determined not to walk at least the first two times. Down I go, hoping to get some momentum going to the pace I hope to hold. I am about 15 seconds behind the pace I want. Then I see an amputee sitting on the curb drying his leg and I am back to being “just happy to be here”. So on I go, not really able to get to the pace I want but well under my worse case goal. As I get close to the end of my first loop, Will says that Karen is only about 100 yards in front of me. For a couple of seconds I think I will pick it up and catch her so I can give her a “you go girl” shout before she finishes. Then I think, that’s not going to happen so I slow down again. Around the turn I go to loop two and feel confident that I will make it. Not that I was concerned but you just never know. My last trip over the causeway, I hardly look up to see how far it is to the top, it doesn’t matter, I will not walk. Then I see Rick (our names are on our numbers) in a wheel chair, working hard. I tell him he’s doing great and on I go. It’s not far now, just under two miles as I head down the other side, I am in my own world enjoying the view when I hear an “on your left” here comes Rick. Had I not seen how hard he was working on the way up I may think “no fair” but I just think how great it is that he is out here at all. As I head in the last hundred yards my girls are waiting to cheer me in. Then there is Will on the other side. Sooo glad to be done. Not the time I had hoped for but still better than my qualifying time, so can I really complain.

Yes, I have complained, feeling like I didn’t take full advantage of the opportunity. I’m not really sure what happened on the bike but in the end it doesn’t really matter. I love this sport and have to remind myself that being able to participate in it is what really matters.

70.3 World’s Half Ironman Race Report: Kathy Morrisson

This report should actually start on Sunday, July 5 when I participated in my first Half Ironman at Lake Stevens. At Lake Stevens, I finished fourth in my age division which earned me a slot to the 70.3 Ironman World Championship in Clearwater, Florida. By paying my race fee on the spot at Lake Stevens with Karen Nolting and Michelle Fjetland, I accepted that slot.

So fast forward to November 4 when Karen, Michelle, Michelle’s husband Will and I left Seattle for Clearwater, Florida. We spent the next few days trying out ocean swimming, getting our bikes, doing some easy training, organizing our tri stuff and sightseeing.

Race day was Saturday, November 8. We got up early and walked to the race venue. We had already racked our bikes and put our race bags onto the hooks the day before. The only thing we could do on race morning was to go to our bike to check tires and to add fluids and nutrition. Nothing could be on the ground at our bikes everything was in race bags hanging in a second transition area.

I went to my bike and asked one of the bike technicians to fill up my tires. He had trouble with the extender so referred me to the bike tech tent. The bike tent technician had no problem with the extender BUT did break the valve screw off the second tire but said it would not be a big deal. But as soon as he took the pump off, the tube deflated, so he changed my tire. So with that all fixed, I re-racked my bike and left transition.

As I was leaving transitition, I ran into my Uncle Al who had come from Seattle to watch me. He has friends that come to the Clearwater area in the winter and they invited him down to visit and watch the race. One of his friends, Mona had done the race the year before and was great to talk to prior to the event. Uncle Al has always been a big support person through out my life so it was great to have him there.

Karen was the first of us to start, so after meeting up she took off for her start. Michelle and I went down to the water with our support crew and watched the pro men and women start. Then we watched Karen’s group start and then I warmed up in the water.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to get in my swim corral. My corral slowly moved up through a series of corrals until we were at the start line. We had a few seconds to walk to the water and get wet again then we went back onto the beach for the start. Besides the count down by the announcer, a loud cannon goes off at the start of each swim wave. I decided to start on the outside as I do not like to be hit or get into a big group.

So off went the cannon and I was running into the water as far as I could until it was deep enough to swim. It was a very polite crowd and I settled right into my stroke. After all my concern about swimming in the ocean and in a large group, I have to say the swim went off without any problems. There were a few rollers in the middle of the course, going out and coming in but they were fairly easy to deal with. Coming out of the water was a big relief after so much worry. I then ran up the beach through the shower. I was thrown onto my back and two girls grabbed my ankles and pulled off my wetsuit. Someone else grabbed me by hand and pulled me up, handed me my wetsuit and I was off to get my blue bike bag.

I grabbed my blue bike bag, ran into the changing tent and had a volunteer asking me if I needed any help, handing me water and taking care of putting my wetsuit and goggles into the bag. Then I was off to find my bike.

Out of the bike transition and onto the course went well. I think this is the first race that there was not someone yelling to mount. We just went to a line and got on. The ride is one loop of 56 miles of city riding. The entire course is marked with orange cones about 4-5 feet apart from each other. We had an entire lane to ourselves. It seemed that the entire Florida police force was out directing traffic. If I was a resident in the area, it would have been a good day to stay home! The ride was warm but not uncomfortable.

The course is fairly flat but you do start by going over a Causeway (bridge to us) that is a little bit of a climb. They advertise it as a 12% grade but it did not seem very steep and was an easy climb. During the race, I was happy to find some other slight hills. I was with a rider from Colorado (Jodi) most of the bike race and could pass her on the hills. She claimed that they found every hill in Florida. Boy I just love hills!

During the ride, big groups of mostly men would go by (drafting like crazy), they were kind of scary but also exciting to have go by. I did not even try to go with them just stayed in my zone. I even made it through a water exchange with one of those big groups- quite an experience for someone new to the bottle exchange on the fly.

Jodi and I rode all the way into Clearwater together. Sometimes her in front and other times I was in front. We did have a girl riding a pink bike with pink rims around us. At one time I said to Jodi, as one of us was passing the other, that it just did not seem right to let her beat us. She laughed in agrement and we both made it our mission to keep Miss Pink behind us.

Coming into transition, I had both Jodi and Miss Pink behind me, though Jodi got off the bike right after me. Again there was no one yelling dismount, just a line and our desire to get the heck off the bike. I have to say the bike went smoothly- I did well on my drinking (3 bottles in 2 ½ hours), the salt tablets went down well though note to self, do not put them in your bento box on their own- they get kind of messy) and even got in 2 gels and 2 powerbars.

After grabbing the wrong color bag for run transition, taking 2 steps and realizing it, I was off to the changing tent to throw on my running shoes. Again a volunteer met me at the tent and took care of m bike gear, got sunscreen on me and handed me water.

I heard Jodi yell go get ‘em Kathy as I left the tent. It was getting warm so I decided to take a nice smooth pace that felt slightly uncomfortable and see what happened. By the time I hit the first aid station at ½ mile I was really hot and ready to drink and pour water over my head. They also had lots of wet, cold sponges to use and I happily grapped those too. (But I did make the mistake of also getting water in my shoes so got to slosh my way around the course.)

The first two miles is spent getting to the Causeway, going over it and down it. This is on pavement out in the open sun, the next mile is road and then onto a trail and through a neighborhood. Then you are going back to the Causeway- over and down again for a 3 mile loop. This loop is done twice. While I am not a big fan of loops, this worked out great for me mentally to break up 3 miles out, 3 miles back and then repeat.

I used every aid station, Gatorade for my mouth and water for my head and sponges at every station. (Of course in true Morrisson fashion some of the Gatorade ended up on my body too). I could really tell that the water and sponges were keeping me cool as right before each station, I would start to feel hot again, then fine after. I saw Karen and Michelle during the run as there is so much looping. It was great to get to see them and know that all was going well for them. I saw my Uncle and Will when I was coming back on loop 1.

At about mile 5.5 (and 11) they had a sign set up and would put your number and name on it plus some positive comment. I missed my name the first time through but the second time it read “907 K. Morrisson Good Job”. I have no idea why but that was really cool. About the same time I saw the Hoyts coming in on the bike. Both of these things gave me the push I need for those last few miles.

With about ¾ mile or less left, I saw my Uncle and he said I had 7 minutes to go under 5 hours. My goal was 5 hours so I picked it up to what felt like pretty fast clip. Must have looked like it to the spectators cause I got lots of calls of “looking good”. Before I knew it I was rounding the corners and could see the Ironman arch and then the finish line. I was finished.

In the end, I finished at 4:57… 29^th out of 67 in my age group. I was happy with my race- things had gone smoothly and I was done.

I have to say that training for this event from July to November was a very draining experience. You must remember that I started training in January for Lake Stevens and a Marathon. I did take a week off after Lake Stevens but the training did get to me. I did hit every workout on my plan. I did not always hit the intensity listed but I did make it happen. I am very thankful for the opportunity to compete at 70.3 Worlds. I am thankful that I got to train with Karen and Michelle and have this experience with them. And I am thankful for the support of family, friends and RTB… and Patty’s fast wheels and helmet.

I got to be treated like a pro for a day. You cannot beat that!