How is it that I can only see the beginning by arriving at the end?
What does that mean for rainbows who have no beginning and no end?

How can I be more in the middle
Settle more in the middle
Inhabit that space
And not worry about the beginning or the end

Trusting in the $5 worth of gas I put in the tank on E
Confident that it will get me to the next gas station
Or that a friend can come and rescue me by the side of the road

My story is written day by day and I don’t know the endings
But I seem to only be able to read it backwards
One chapter at a time

What of speaking the reality of the middle
Being present with the snarky and tired parts
While they are there

Not just processing it afterwards
But truly being present with it in the moment
Inhabiting the pinnacle of the arc
Saying those big, strong and intense things out loud

Can I be all that I am as I arc?
Not just the points where the rainbow touches the ground (not that it ever does)
Those are created spaces but are never real in the moment
The real rainbow is made with what is in each passing moment

Arcing across the sky
Ungrounded in its beginning or ending
Unsure of its lifetime
But here for this moment in all its glory
Deserving of a moment to be seen, held and heard
Just like me

a ball of white that fit in an old hat
born from a familiar pedigree to a friend of a friend

she lived

sideways and puffy like a Halloween kitty
she made her presence known

standoffish consultant on the couch
who always came for the can opener

what I learned from you
negotiating my needs with yours
always having you in mind
finding a way to welcome one another
dancing with you and others

driving with you
co-co-pilot
being close, touching, but not totally committed

finding spaces that we could share together
people who would love and care for you when I couldn’t
sharing you with them and them with you

reminding me to find sunlight
always make sure you are well-fed
vocalize your needs

how different a mother I am now because of you

I knew all these things
Had read all the right books
Come up with the right scripts

I had shepherded families through the worst
Out of the darkness
Towards the light

It had all been in short chunks
One hour at a time
At a safe distance

But what is this now?
I am in the thick of it
Appreciating the check ins and professional support

But what happens in the in between times?
How to rise up one more time in the night
Sing another song through the haze of sleeplessness

How do I hold myself and my family aloft?

I am an Ironman! Those are words I’ve been waiting to say since I began this journey back about a year ago. Here is how it all went down:

Taper was good. I experienced some soreness, but kept stretching, hydrating and getting as much rest as I could. Early in the week, I used the time I’d been spending training getting my stuff together for the trip/race. I made my gear list and checked it twice, but still managed to forget a key piece of equipment for that darn front bottle (the straw). Luckily, Alden has seen me this a couple of times and rectified the situation while everything was still in piles on the floor of our townhouse. Molly sent an incredible CD of psych up/down songs which became my soundtrack for the race prep.

I went through several bouts of supernervousness and the first happened on Thursday morning. After packing up my stuff to go, I still had about an hour before we needed to take off for the airport. How’s that saying go? “Idle hands are the devil’s tools.” Right. Well, even though I don’t believe in the devil (that could be the subject of a whole other post later), I managed to think too, too much. Alden got tired of watching me try to distract myself with crocheting and breathing deeply so we eventually headed out to get some coffee at Caffe Ladro on our way to the airport. Leaving the house helped and I’d really settled by the time we sat down in our first class Virgin America seats.

We made it out to the house by 6 pm (yucky SF traffic), but managed to hear from friends and family along the way sending good luck wishes. Cory and John were at the house (huge, amazing, pictures to follow) and hung out while Alden reassembled my bike. We headed out to Santa Rosa for dinner and back home for an early bedtime.

The rest of the DC crew arrived later in the evening on Thursday and we got to meet them in the morning on Friday. Cory, John and I went out for a quick spin to put our bikes through their paces. All was good and Alden and I headed out to drive the bike course. It was full of rollers and one big hill as expected. The pavement quality wasn’t great in spots, but it was reassuring to see the course and feel good about it. We swung by the house for lunch when the course went within a half mile or so of it. I also gathered my T2 supplies and run special needs bag. It was a bit daunting for me to pack this stuff up as I’ve never done a two transition race, but pack I did. We met up with Cory and John at packet pick-up and dropped our stuff off.

Then it was back to the house for dinner and an early bedtime. My parents and Molly showed up briefly on their way to the hotel for good luck wishes. Alden and I were moving towards bed by 8 pm. Alden read my race plan out loud and we made some last minute adjustments as I remembered things (inhaler placement, etc.) Our lights were out by 9 pm as planned. However, this is where that second bout of nervousness reared its ugly head. Any little sound woke me up/ kept me up. When I did sleep, I had a nightmare about missing the race. When the alarm went off at 4 am I was feeling awfully sick to my stomach. I forwent my tea and pb/honey breakfast plan and had real trouble even choking down a Clif bar. Yuck. Some deep breathing and visualization on the 35-minute drive to the start brought me back a bit. I thought about all the training and preparation I’d done and saw that transformed into an incredible performance. By the time I arrived, I felt better. I was still nervous, but didn’t feel like I was going to hurl at any moment.

Participated in the chit chat in the transition area. This was much easier than normal as half of my stuff was already set up at the high school. The race was so small that I saw many of the women out on the course later on which was great. Mom, Dad and Molly arrived in plenty of time for my swim start. Briefly chatted with Cory and John as they set up their respective areas.

The swim was just barely wetsuit legal so the water was warm when I went in. The atmosphere was super relaxed, which I really appreciated since I was already so internally amped up. Our wave went off at 6:54 am by my watch. There was a bit of mist on the river which lent a nice glow to the swim. As most of you know, the swim is my strongest leg and so my biggest concern was avoiding chaffing. Molly and Alden had helped get me into my wetsuit and did a great job as I didn’t feel any stinging starting. I thought about Molly while I was out there and how amazing she’ll be in her first oly at the end of the month. The course was two loops so I got the opportunity to hear the cheering crowd (Molly especially) as I went around the buoy for my second lap. We fought the current a bit on the way out and were pulled gently back in. It was fairly easy to sight and to see swimmers in front of me. I was surprised a couple of times to see folks standing up before remembering that the river never really got too deep. I fought my way out of the water with a pro guy who was peeved I think because he was getting his ass kicked by a age-grouper woman.

Swim: 56:00.9
HR: 152

Although tempted for a moment, I forewent the wetsuit strippers and made my way to my rack. I could hear my family yelling as I made my way out. Although I was in my smallest chain ring, the hill out of transition still proved daunting so I quickly made a call to run up the hill. This was the first of many places during the day where Molly’s words helped to keep me on track. She yelled: “All the guys behind you are doing- no worries!” Good stuff.

T1: 3:07.5

The first lap of the bike was fairly uneventful. I ate and drank as planned. I kept my cadence around 90 and watched my heart rate. Three separate guys went by me on the bike and commented in various ways that I must have had an incredible swim to be so far up. Great for the confidence-building. John passed me although I didn’t know it at the time. His comment of “Nice bike” helped me focus on his (a Cervelo) and not on him, so I was confused and missed his DC Tri Club jersey and other identifying factors. I was surprised and appreciative to hear Molly on the downside of Chalk Hill. Saw Alden and Stephanie from run club in their running clothes by the house. The DC crew was just up the way and screaming as I went around the corner. Saw Mom, Dad and Molly as I made the turn to start lap twp. Later learned they’d made it with only a minute to spare! Good timing.

I had in my head that the special needs area for the bike was just past Windsor High School so got concerned when things thinned out without any sign of the bags/volunteers. I was worried I’d missed it when basking in the support of my family near the high school. This potential miss was important as I’d learned at packet pick-up that both the water and the gatorade bottles at the bottle exchanges would be too big to fit in the cages on my frame. Why is is that this is all planned around big boys with big bikes? My bike is too small for those behemoth bottles. My strategy was to refill my front bottle in the aid station and toss the bottle right there. On my second lap, I had two normal-sized water bottles in my special needs bag which I wanted to supplement the front bottle. I was starting to come up with Plan B solutions when I asked a volunteer who said that there was an aid station ahead. Special needs was just beyond the aid station and I was so discombobulated that I asked for the 386 bag (my number was 385). The volunteer was kind enough to correct me as well as re-apply sunscreen to my back and shoulders. I got the bottles along with more food and was on my way!

Lap two was tougher than lap one. The rough road bouncing hurt more and the hills were bigger (stay with me here- it’s my race report so I get to create the truth with a capital T). The worst part was how freakin’ hot and windy it was getting. I mean hot, hot, hot. There was a stretch on Dry Creek Road where the headwind and sun were darn near unbearable. The turn onto Canyon Road was welcome relief and I stopped to stretch my cramping feet. People were super kind when they went by- asking if I was OK or needed help. I think this was the first spot I encountered Summer, who will become a major player in this race report later on after T2. Stayed tuned! Molly, Mom and Dad surprised me on the second lap out in Geyserville. Molly asked how I was doing and I said: “It’s hot!” She shouted back to me to remember what a great time I had out on STP (mentioned in my race plan and a fabulous reminder for me). That second lap was just tough, tough. A vineyard employee Molly encountered at one spot told her his thermometer read 103. Yikes! I stopped again to stretch before Chalk Hill: Take 2. Molly and Dad were on the downslope cheering. As one participant said to Molly: “You are everywhere!” I concur and the support was amazing! I came around nearby the house and saw Alden and Steph (now in different clothes, but in the same spot). I knew I was on the slower side of my expected time, but knew that between the heat and the wind that I was doing alright. I stayed focused on keeping my cadence up, getting my nutrition in and watching my heart rate. Even though I knew I had a marathon in front of me, I was so glad to get off the bike when I got to the high school!

Bike: 7:18:43.5
Cadence: 81
Speed: 15.52
HR: 131

Apparently my growing discomfort was showing as the fam was worried about how I looked in T2. They did misread some cues like applying Friction Zone to my belly where my shorts’ tie rubbed as grabbing my stomach, but they were right on that I wasn’t grinning and blowing kisses anymore- it was hot! I hit the port-a-potty on the way out and stashed my special needs back just past the aid station. I heard Molly shout to me to be careful as it was 97 degrees.

T2: 4:41.8

I started out on a run/walk pattern as planned, but my walk segments were certainly longer than expected. I remembered that my goal was finishing strong so didn’t push too much. I saw John around mile 1.5 under a tree. He got up and walked with me, but shared that he was dizzy and throwing up- not so good. He quickly sat back down and sent me on my way. I hoped that he’d be OK. The run course was hillier than I’d expected and the heat was oppressive. I kept plowing and applied some Friction Zone to my lats/arms as I’d forgotten to do so in T2. I stopped at one point to take off my shoes and apply more to the bottom of one foot that was feeling not so happy. Summer made an appearance here as well, asking if I was OK. We chatted a bit as I went by a few minutes later.

I passed by the finish line for the first time and instead of crossing got myself a bracelet (think Live Strong in grape vine tones). I now knew what it would take to get this thing done- a full lap wearing two bracelets like this one. It was fun to see where other people were in relation to me, both those who were almost done and those who had a long way to go. Mom was back at the hotel, but Dad, Alden and Stephanie were all there cheering. I learned from Molly out at about mile 1.5 (again, everywhere!) that John was doing OK, but was getting IV fluids in the medical tent.

About halfway through my second lap, Summer and I passed each other yet again. As you all now know, an Ironman is a long and steady affair. At least where I was in the pack, fellow Ironpeople were incredible supportive of each other. This was especially true of folks with whom I regularly played leapfrog. After passing back and forth several times, Summer and I decided to run/walk together a bit. Talking to her about where she was from, what got her into this crazy endeavor, etc. took my mind off the nearly constant pain in my legs and the searing heat. We stuck together for the duration of the run.

The rest of the race goes like this: pass the for-sale mini goats, exchange life stories, wave at my Dad, talk some more, see Summer’s Mom, run down the hills, pass the white mailbox with the skunk smell, walk a bit with Molly way on the other side of the road, eat potato chips, drink yet more Gatorade until the sun goes down. It was six fourish mile runs past the same scenery, but each time was a bit different. People got faster, slower, less delirious, better stretched out and more hobbly. Two braceleters left and others took their places, braceletless. The four food stops were like mini cocktail parties where we stopped, took a few things and then moved back out in two directions, each towards our shared goal- finish this thing!

The guy out at the turn-around noticed how far each of us was along and made sure to tell the last lappers to enjoy the last four miles of their Ironman experience. My Dad says that he knew that I would finish when I came in off my first lap, but I have to say that I always knew that I would do it. That being said, it became really real as Summer and I said goodbye to the turn-around guy and thanked the food stoppers one last time. By now, some of them had taken down their tents and were sipping on wine. The sun had gone down and the darkness was closing in as I went past the final food stop. Forgoing food and fluids for the first time in the race, we told them we wouldn’t be back. One of the volunteers said: “In a mile, you’ll be an Ironman. Welcome to the club.” The celebratory tears started there. I floated the last mile. Those atrophied fast twitch muscles woke up for a short contribution to the incredible day as we sprinted across the finish line- I am an Ironman!

Run: 5:59:47.4
HR: 124 (plus 25 minutes after the race)
Finish: 14:22:21.1

I found my parents, sister, husband and Steph just outside the finisher’s chute. Ironically, they’d been standing next to Summer’s Mom at the finish line. Earlier, she politely asked Alden if he wouldn’t mind not giving full cow bell and clown horn as her daughter crossed the finish line so she could record a video. Little did they know that we’d come in together!

The volunteers asked me if I was OK and I was able to say “Yes” and mean it. Alden had already gathered my stuff from the beach and T2 and taken it back to the house so all that was left to do was revel a bit. We settled onto a picnic bench and I had some chicken noodle soup while we debriefed. I realized my watch was still running and Molly had the wherewithal to figure out how to turn off the keylock and get the thing to stop running (hence my lowered hr average for that leg of the race). I learned that Cory had won the Athena division of Barb’s Race- woo hoo! There were texts and calls (all handled by my communications team) to get the news out about my triumph!

Then it was back to the ranch (literally) for some rest, stretching and recovery. It took a few days for my body to ramp down. I didn’t sleep well, feel good and hungry or walk normally for a while. However, I did manage to partake of an incredible BBQ thrown by Cory and John’s friends and catch up with Cami, Menko and Mattie on Sunday. On Monday, it was down to Southern California to go, of course, to Disneyland! My Dad won a lifetime achievement award at a conference in Anaheim and I was honored to be there along with my Mom and sister. It was a great way to end the trip!

—-

I made this journey in the company of amazing folks who pushed me and reminded me I could do this awesome thing. My coach, Cheryl; my nutrition guru, Emily; and my massage therapist, Angela; got my body and mind ready. Mom, Dad and Molly provided amazing support from afar and in-person. Alden was an incredible bike valet, training partner and constant supporter. Run clubbers, Husky Masters, the Fauntleroy Y spin class regulars and Cheryl’s bike training group provided camaraderie along the way. The Ironmamas, Jen and Meg, inspired me with their awesome athletic abilities and thoughtful reflections. The 35 & dry crew (especially Cory and Nate) kept me honest and on track. My extended family, Alden’s family and non-tri folks at work and from other places in my life were encouraging and excited even as they thought me a bit crazy for taking this on. Summer and the other incredible Iron and Half Iron athletes out on the course kept me strong and focused. The volunteers nourished my body & spirit and kept me safe out there. What an amazing circle of support- thanks to you all for getting me here!

I’m back at home in Seattle now, looking less like a Weeble Wobble and more like myself. However, if you look closely you can see the internal glow of an Ironman- Iron McKroll!

 Swim 00:56:00.9  T1 00:03:07.5  Bike 07:18:43.5  T2 00:04:41.8  Run 05:59:47.4  Finish 14:22:21.1 

Race report to follow!

After my longest ride last Saturday, I endeavored to complete my longest run and swim this week. Done and done!

I had to move a workout and shorten another due to work commitments, but managed to get all my shorter stuff in this week. I skipped the optional run on Friday morning in favor of resting my legs on Thursday morning (see paragraph below) and spinning/lifting on Friday instead.

I set out on Wednesday morning on my 20 mile run feeling good and strong. It was a looong way and my body was so, so tired of the pounding by the end. My nutrition plan worked well and I never felt queasy or thirsty. I finished feeling strong, even if entirely spent (if that makes sense). No chaffing or blisters anywhere either which is a real accomplishment! I took an ice bath shortly afterwards, stretched and felt good plowing through a full work day. However, I think I didn’t anticipate how long it would take me (like days) to really feel like I had my legs back.

Moving on to the Fat Salmon Swim on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful morning and I hooked up early on with the Husky Masters/run club crew. Some background: Although I was a competitive swimmer for a number of years, I was a mid-distance swimmer (mostly 100s and 200s). And despite the fact that I’ve had days when I’ve completed 10,000+ meters training, I’d never swum 3.2 miles straight ever before. I did the mile once at a long course meters meet in high school and threw up afterwards. Fun times. Not something I was ever interested in repeating! My goal for the race was to finish strong and without chaffing like I’d had in Victoria around my neck. I used my newfound favorite product, Friction Zone, which worked like a charm! The race was good, if not a bit long. I sang songs and was ready for it to be over about 2 miles in, but it was a good experience. Kirk finished way out in front of me with Tracy and Rainer close behind. Carl and Stacy were at the end, having run from the U-district down to spectate. We hooked up with the little ones and families and went to the Madison Park Bakery (Bear Claw with apricot jam = yummy!) and a brand spankin’ new kid park to chill for a bit. It was great to meet Colm’s family visiting from Ireland and Bermuda. And in the end, I got to spend good time catching up with Tracy, Rainer and Eva. I miss the run club crew so was happy we had some semblance of us there to congregate. I returned home for a nap and a nice evening with Alden complete with dinner out at Cactus and a good movie on the couch.

Yesterday dawned and I just couldn’t get moving. I was supposed to do a 100 mile ride and 30 minute run, but my body was done. My three longest workouts ever in an 8-day span. Enough said. I took a rest day which was fabulous. I am feeling strong and confident now as I begin my taper- yippee!!

Great week of training again. I made all my workouts, although I didn’t pay close enough attention and so did a couple slightly differently (only ran 12 miles on Wednesday and did a regular spin instead of an AT test on Thursday). With all the training, I’m finding that some small details are slipping by me. My laundry has to get to desperation levels before I’ll do it. I’m going through food like crazy. The number of water bottles I generate to wash is impressive. I feel like most of my free time (not sleeping, working out or working working) is spent stocking/restocking the tank and supplies. Thank goodness most of my bills are online or on automatic payment!

The most important thing now is building confidence and staying motivated to plow through. Things aren’t going perfectly, but I’m making sure the important stuff is getting done and moving towards my goal. A lackluster workout here or there isn’t derailing me, but I’m paying attention to my body to tweak my nutrition, care, rest and stretching as needed. It is an awesome thing to be doing as much as I am- my body rocks!

My biggest feat of the week was completing 145 miles of the STP on Saturday. Alden was a supersupporter, getting up at 3:30 am to drive me to the U-district after racing his first Category 3 track night the evening before. He then drove 6 hours round trip to pick me up just shy of the Oregon border. His support is incredible! I hooked up with Jen & Meg outside the Q Center and we got going just before 5 a.m. after the first chunk of riders had passed. We stopped every couple of hours to pee, stretch and refill our bellies & water bottles. In between, we kept up a great pace taking turns out front. I didn’t spent too much time in my aerobars as there were generally lots of people around, but felt long and strong on the bike.

We whooped it up a bit around mile 112 when we’d be transitioning off the bike and into the marathon if this were an Ironman. It was awesome to get to achieve this milestone in my training with the two of them by my side. They left me and headed out to Portland looking amazingly strong and fabulous! Meg had their camera you can read Jen’s report and see some more pics on MadBlog (link on the right). Overall, I felt great and it definitely built my confidence not only for the bike portion of the race, but that I could feel strong into the marathon as well. It was both my longest ride and my longest workout ever. I even averaged about 1 mph faster than my century last month, to boot!

I rested up in the evening watching Glory Road, a great inspirational sports movie. In other non-training-but-tri-related news, I did practice changing a flat back tire, but will do a repeat performance next weekend as I still felt a bit shaky on the whole chain/derailleur bit. I also scheduled a tune-up for my bike, which will be a bit later than we had set out in my plan since scheduling was one of my lost details (see above). It will be next week so I’ll still get in a 50 mile ride to put it through its paces before boxing it up for the trip to CA.

I’m in the midst of the toughest training now, coming off last week and heading into a week with a 20 mile run, 3.2 mile open water swim and a century ride. Then it will be on to taper! I’m in the zone and plowing along, just don’t step too close as I may have pulled the shirt I’m wearing out of the hamper. Details, schmetails… I am Iron McKroll!

It has been a couple good weeks of training. After healing and recovering for a week post-Victoria, I got back into things with meeting with Cheryl a week ago Friday. We went over my next (and final!) month of planned workouts. I made my first run club appearance in a while and managed 3 tough laps to get back into training. It was great to see everyone!

Then it was on to a 85 mile bike ride last Sunday. Although I had planned that we would head out to Eastern Washington to train, that wasn’t necessary as the temperature hit an incredible 91 degrees here in Western Washington last weekend. I rode out to Marymoor Park from home to meet up with Alden who had done a track workout. We then went out on a loop from Marymoor. Suffice to say that it was a bad, bad workout. I filed it away and moved on to another week of training…

My plan said that I should run 18 miles on Wednesday. I somehow had it in my head that I’d run 18 once before Victoria and I foolishly didn’t check my past workouts to make sure. I ran that route and took the 1-minute walk breaks every 10 minutes to simulate the aid stations out on the race course. That all worked out well so I’ll definitely keep that up on my long runs. I got home and was interested to compare my time to last time which is when I realized that I’d only gone 17 miles last time (and so this time as well)- oops! I now have already figured out where the turn-around is for my 20-miler in 10 days so I don’t repeat that mistake.

My shorter stuff felt pretty good during the week (spinning, lifting and running). I also did some pedicure-like work on my feet. It is good to mention here as I think it’s helping me to avoid irritating that repeated blister I’ve been having on-and-off on the ball of my left foot. That’s all good to have taken care of as I ramp up these last few weeks of training.

I also made a trip to the doctor’s office to get back on medication to help manage my exercise-induced asthma that has been acting up lately. Definitely something I don’t want to be a factor come August 2nd.

After consulting the weather forecast, Alden and I made a call to head out to Eastern Washington for some hot weather training. I mapped out the route of the Apple Century and reserved a hotel room in Wenatchee. We originally thought Alden would be able to mountain bike with some buddies and I’d ride solo, but he joined in my workouts when those plans fell through later in the week.

I took the holiday day off on Friday as an opportunity to work on some other things- I emailed Emily about during race and long training nutrition and generally got organized around the house. I ordered some new anti-chaffing stuff and nutrition. Training long on weekends has meant I haven’t had much downtime at home so it was a nice break. The day finished up with a trip out to Marymoor to watch Alden race. Renate made it out to spectate and he got some upgrade points- all in all a great night!

We got up on Saturday and headed over to Wenatchee. We decided on a pursuit model. After reliving some middle school math: “If two trains leave the station, one going 15 mph and the other going 19 mph…” we figured out how much later Alden should take off. We hoped that we’d hook up when the route got tricky and hilly. We planned well and crossed the Columbia and made the turns together around Lake Chelan.

I had several goals for this ride, the overarching one being to rid the demons from last Sunday’s ride. To that end, I used my brand spakin’ new inhaler and drank a ton more water/electrolytes. I focused on staying loose and in my aerobars as much as possible with a cadence between 90 and 100. I wanted to finish feeling long and strong.

We saw some fun stuff out there including a mariachi band playing a celebration at a park shelter with folks dressed to the nines despite the heat, dead snakes galore on the road and lots of people staying cool out on the water.

Alden stuck with me for the rest of the ride- generally being a fabulous domestique. He ferried water and gave me good emotional support. He has definitely earned the right to wear my Eagleman visor around!

All my plans seemed to work well and we finished the ride strong. Unfortunately, we’d misinterpreted a piece of the description of the route and ended at 89 miles instead of the expected 100. I am seriously, seriously salty after these workouts. Like rims on a margarita glass kind of salty. Yuck. And so, so tired of eating Clif bars and gels. Alden brought some snow peas from his parents’ garden in the cooler that we consumed after the ride- real food tasted extra yummy!

We checked into the hotel for quick showers and then went out in search of dinner. I introduced Alden to the joys of the Mongolian BBQ for a recovery meal and we settled into the hotel to watch the first stage of the Tour de France and Olympic Swimming Trials. Good stuff on the TV! We topped off the evening with a Dairy Queen run before heading to bed early in preparation for a run this morning. I felt like molasses, but managed to get in the miles. Then it was back across the mountains to stretch and recover at home.

For this week, I’m looking forward to dialing in my nutrition some more (talking to Emily and getting some on-the-course stuff to integrate in). I’ve made two tries at the century mark, and have fallen just short both times so it will be great to finally get my first official 100+ miler in with STP on Saturday. Jen, Meg and I will be at the starting line around 4:45 a.m.- look for us there!

It is Monday evening and I’m back in town after a fabulous trip up to Victoria this weekend. Pictures now up! Here is the scoop:

I spent most of Friday evening swigging Root Beer (yes, I know it was supposed to be Nuun) and getting my gear together for the trip. We took off for the ferry at 5 a.m. Saturday morning as planned, making a quick stop at a 24-hour Starbucks on our way up to Anacortes. The ferry ride was uneventful and I took about a 1.5 hour nap. We arrived well before packet pick-up opened and the mandatory race meeting started so decided to drive the bike course. I realized that it was more difficult than I had anticipated and adjusted my goal time to be a bit longer for that portion (thinking 3:30:00 would be great). There were some good climbs, tight turns and lots of open, windy road in between. The course looped around the beautiful Saanich peninsula (Victoria is at the base).

After driving the course, we headed over to Brentwood Bay to find some lunch. We settled on the Seahorses Cafe overlooking the water where I had incredible brie & baugette and Alden had yummy quiche. After a quick stop at the grocery store for some fresh essentials, it was then back to the race site. I went out for a quick spin on my bike to make sure it weathered the journey as Alden got ready to head out on a ride. He did two loops of the bike course (as I would race day) while I checked in, racked my bike and attended the mandatory pre-race meeting. Cory texted me good luck wishes which felt great. Alden and I met up again at the truck and headed to the hotel.

Our hotel was nondescript, tinier than expected (a bit of an issue when one of us is 6′4″), but we made it work. We ate sandwiches from home, made some chicken noodle soup and got everything ready for the next morning. After a pep talk from Molly, I was asleep by 9 with Alden following soon afterward. The real excitement came around 11:30 p.m. when I woke up with the beginnings of a screaming migraine. Nice timing, but not totally unexpected give how my sleep schedule was off (one of my triggers). Some Aleve calmed my head right down and I got back to sleep without any problems.

We were up at 4:30 a.m. and I ate while mixing Perpetuem and Recoverite. It was chilly as we headed out to the race site arriving around 5:15 a.m. We were early enough to secure a spot in the race parking lot which was nice. We grooved on some Linkin Park which somehow calmed my nerves. Then it was on to body marking and into transition. It was so chilly that I kept my hat and gloves on for the set-up. I was done in time plenty of time to pee and head back to the truck to transition out of my clothes and into my wetsuit. By this point, Alden had found a Hagens Berman teammate with whom he was chatting.

I headed down to the beach, hearing the announcer state that the water was a chilly 15 degrees celsuis and thanking my lucky stars I couldn’t remember how to do the conversion to fahrenheit. The men’s wave went off at 6:45 as planned- love the organization and on-timedness (fyi, this will be theme here). The Canadian military brought a Howitzer (putting that guy with a shotgun down at Lake Tahoe to shame) to announce the beginning of the race- ka boom! I went in a few minutes after the men took off. The water didn’t seem too terribly cold. Now, with the power of the internet at my fingertips, I did the conversion and it was 59 degrees. I didn’t warm up which is normal for me. I stood around and chatted until we heard that it was almost time…

Swim: My wave went off at 6:59 a.m. by my watch. There were some fast swimmers out there and I stuck with a good sized pack through most of the race. The neck of my wetsuit began to rub in a not-so-good way and I felt it before I made the halfway turn. I’d bodyglided, but wondered if I’d done it up high enough or if the velcro was on a bit crooked and was rubbing… I decided to let it go and deal with the effects later rather than try to fix it mid-swim. I thought of Molly, avoided the shipping lanes and just stayed long and strong. We only began to catch the slower men right at the end and I clamored up on the beach with a bunch of other folks. Fast swimming for us all!

Swim time: 30:34
HR average: 155

T1: T1 was fairly uneventful. I dropped my googles on the way into transition and it seemed like it took me an eternity to get out of my wetsuit. My bike was racked differently (hung by the seat rather than the handlebars), but I adjusted well and got out in good (maybe even record) time.

T1 time: 2:10

Bike: I got out strong on the bike and found my rhythm. Remembered Jen and Meg as I settled in. The first lap I took extra precaution about where I was downshifting and paid a lot of attention to the course.

Now, triathletes generally have some pretty sweet rides, but this race seemed to have an overabundance of such bikes. Almost everyone who passed me had a bike that rivaled or surpassed my Scott Plasma in its pedigree. I did get to bond with another Plasma owner and felt like Scott and I had a good time on our debut duet of racing. Beautiful stuff! However, that helped me to realize how much more comfortable most folks are descending and cornering than I am, especially in the aero position. Something on which to work for sure. This was also my first race wearing a heart rate monitor and I noticed than my hr was way high on the bike throughout (see average below). I’m not quite sure what to do with this. Cheryl, thoughts?

There were great spectators and amazing race support out on the course. Fans were plentiful as well. One guy had his floor pump next to his lawn chair with a sign that said Free Air! Another woman had crazy pompoms and a kazoo. I heard some great words of encouragement I’d never heard before. For example, in the middle of one long uphill a guy look at me and said: “This hill’s got nothing on you.” Right on!

Alden rode out to the passby spot for the second loop (it was a lollipop course with about 2k on the stick). I didn’t recognize him behind the telephoto lens and sporting a different shirt, but tuned in when I heard his voice. He’d run a lap around the lake so was warming up nicely in the sun. I was warming up as well and it was great to get to do the course twice as I could look forward to support folks again and felt more confident in my pacing, etc. on the second go-round. The 35 and dryers carried me into pushing a strong second lap.

I drank more than I expected and so picked up an extra bottle at Brentwood Bay. The whole village was out manning the bottle exchange and I felt badly only taking one as they were so ready for a higher volume operation. Again, great support! I manged to get in all my food and even more liquid than expected which was good since the sun was certainly warming things up quickly. I spun out the last bit heading back towards the park to get my legs ready to run!

Bike time: 3:13:54
HR average: 141

T2: I saw Alden lounging in a lawn chair just before the dismount reading and he yelled words of encouragement. Once in transition, it took me a minute to find my rack as someone had thrown her wetsuit over my entire transition area (usually easily identified with my Little Mermaid towel). Yuck! Everything was wet, including my shoes. I threw the wetsuit under another bike (not on someone else’s stuff) and sat down. At this point, the announcer was heralding the finish of the 3rd place guy. I decided not to switch socks so just did a quick shoe/hat exchange, picked up my Gu and was on my way!

T2 time: 1:46

Run: I headed out on the run expecting a gravel trail. What I found was much more similar to the trail running at Discovery Park minus the hills. Clumsy me had to really think about picking up my feet around the tree roots. The water stop crews were great and I especially enjoyed the hula ladies (full clothed, but donning crazy grass skirts on top of it all).

I peed about 2k in and had my first Gu.I thought of Alden and his newly acquired mad running skillz out on this lap. I felt strong and kicked it up on the backside of the lake. The trail was great and the twists and turns kept things interesting. Every kilometer was marked and it made for a good progress check every 6 minutes or so. I finished strong on my first lap, seeing Alden on the left and resisting the urge to turn right into the finish chute.

I started to feel a bit out-of-sorts at the beginning of the seond lap and popped my Endurolyte and Gu a bit sooner than expected (1st aid station instead of 2nd). I felt a bit better on the backside on the lake, but the nausea and beginnings of cramping in my belly weren’t going away. I took it easier the seond 5k of the last lap, keeping run club and a lap of Discovery Park in mind. I stopped for water at each aid station and walked inbetween as needed. I managed to finish strong despite feeling still a bit out-of-sorts, going three minutes slower on the second lap than the first.

Run time: 1:57:58
Average heart rate: 152

Overall time: 5:46:19
Heart rate average: 146

I crossed the finish line and grabbed a bit of food. Alden and I found some shade and shared impressions. I noticed that I had raw spots on my neck from my wetsuit and on my lats and inside upper arms where my arms rubbed out on the run. I also had a good welt on my right armpit I can’t explain (maybe that’s from the wetsuit too). I’ve got to get back in my racing gear and figure out where to bodyglide up for next time. I’d forgotten about how sensitive my skin is and these were new spots that I hadn’t know about before. All the more reason to do a practice race like this and see where the gaps are for Vineman.

I ate a tiny bit of food, but was still not feeling great so mostly stuck to the recovery drink I’d mixed up. We checked the preliminary results and then headed to get my gear out of transition and pack up the truck. I got out of my salty, wet clothes and climbed into the truck for the short ride back to hotel. Showering was a relief, despite the stinging on my various abrasions. I had good blisters on both feet as I usually do, but one set looked nasty and still hasn’t gone away 24 hours later.

The nausea was sticking around which was a new post-race feeling for me. I still was feeling like anything I ate might come right back up, so we decided to head to the Inner Harbor to walk around. Alden convinced me to sit down for some food around 3:30 p.m. and I ordered what I thought I might like to eat if I’d ever had an appetite. My appetite came back in spades once I started putting in the food. That’s a good lesson to learn: I have to eat post-race even if I don’t feel like it.

I’m not sure if I managed my nutrition badly at the end or if my stomach was just unhappy I’d given it all, but things got much better once I started having some food in my belly. We walked a bit more, found some coffee and headed to see Kung Fu Panda. More food after the movie and then back for an early bedtime.

We slept in this morning, headed out for a yummy breakfast and walked around Sidney (site of the ferry dock) before getting on the boat back to Anacortes. Many of the ferry/customs officials we met along the way were a combination of confused and impressed with my feat which was fun. I really enjoyed spending some downtime after the race and felt like we got a little weekend in, not just racing and traveling.

All in all, it was a great time full of racing, food and fun. I’ve got a whole list of musings, thoughts and revisions for my Vineman plan. I’ll work on getting those up in a post mid-week. For now, it’s 9:40 p.m. and I’ve got to get to sleep so I can get up in the morning and train!