It has been just over 4 weeks since my bike crash. The only lingering damage are the scars on my face, elbows, knees, and legs; the touch up paint on my bike; and the flashing memory of the crash.
I was nervous but excited to start out on our long ride that day, Saturday, June 16th. We were riding with our German neighbor and friend, Bertram, with the plans to ride around 75 miles on the "round the river" loop. The weather was perfect and slightly chilly when we began the ride around 8am. I made sure to put on my sunscreen - I didn't want to get another sunburn or silly tan lines, ha! We were riding at a nice pace making our way south east through East Petersburg, Landisville, and Columbia on our way to cross the Susquehanna River into Wrightsville. At this point, we made our way south and traveled along the river towards the Maryland line. There were some really decent climbs along Long Level road and I was feeling pretty strong and confident at this point. As we continued south, I remember looking at my speedometer and we were about 2.5 hours into the ride and I thought, yeah, I'm doing ok so far but I should probably eat something of substance. After housing part of my citrus smoothie powerbar, we began our decent into what is called Indian Steps, a popular hiking area, I came to learn.
It happened so fast, but so slow that I could see it play out in my mind. We descended down a hill that became dark, like the trees and shade engulfed you and welcomed you into their territory. I welcomed the shade as it was pretty sunny out that day and thanked the trees for their coverage. Before I knew it, we were letting gravity take us down the hill and it became very steep, very quickly. I began to pump my brakes but came to realize that this was not good enough as the road turned to the right very sharply...I had to slow down FAST and maintain control! Bertram was at the front and around the bend where I couldn't see him, then Joe was just in front of me. We couldn't make the turn. This became apparent. I saw Joe lock up his back tire, skid some into the next lane, then regain control. While I was observing all of that in front of me, I was thinking, "Shit, he's going to wreck and then I am going to wreck right into him. This is going to be really really bad." At this point, I really freaked out and tried to brake as hard as I possibly could so I could maintain control, make the turn, and avoid the embankment across the road. This did not happen. My back wheel locked up as I was leaning into the turn, just as Joe's did, and I thought, "Oh shit, this is it. Prepare for something ugly." My bike slid out from under me and I fell on my right side, slid across the road (thank god no cars were coming the other direction!), and hit the embankment on the other side of the road, all while going about 30mph. At that point, my bike and I separated and I felt like a rag doll getting tossed down a hill. I rolled around a little bit, which happened so quickly I couldn't even prepare for it. Once I came to a stop face down in some dirt, twigs, and rocks, I remember standing up quickly thanking my lucky stars I could move and feel everything. "Whew, that sucked but I'm ok. Shit, where is my bike?! Damnit, I just bought this damn thing and it's going to be so f'ed up. God, just let the frame be ok...I'll pay for anything else that needs to be replaced, just don't let the frame be cracked." "What the hell is on my glasses?" At this point, I took my glasses off to realize blood was running down my face and dripping on my glasses, shirt, and pants. When I hit the embankment, I flipped over, separated from my bike, and hit my head (yes, I was wearing a helmet) on a rock of some kind. As I was trying to figure out what the hell happened, Joe and Bertram were running up the hill towards me. They sat me down, got some water to wash out my wounds, and tried to find something to stop the bleeding. All of a sudden (probably not, but I was out of it at this point), some wonderful motorcycle riders were riding up the hill and saw me in distress - they were so wonderful to give us their first aid kit with some gauze pads, bandaids, and more water. As Bertram was the only one with a phone on him, we tried to figure out how to get ahold of our friends that live 15 mins away in Wrightsville to see if they could come pick me up - an ambulance and the ER seemed a little unnecessary since nothing was broken and I wasn't unconscious. Now, I know Joe and his "We'll put a bandaid on it and it'll be fine" sort of thinking and even he said, "Damn, you need stitches in that". So, it was determined that I needed stitches and should go to the Urgent Care center. It was probably a half hour after the crash that our friends, the Bowers, picked my sorry ass up and took me back to Lititz.
We were about 35 miles into our ride and the FURTHEST point away from home that we probably could have been on our ride. Go figure! So, I got some stitches in my head above my left eye (again), cleaned up the wounds, and got my pain pills. I asked the Dr. that stitched me up if I could run the next day - I was still thinking I had to get in 2 hours! She proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't do any activity for at least 48 hours and that I didn't have to worry about gaining weight in that amount of time. Oh lady, if you only knew why I was asking, but thanks for your concern. I felt like shit the rest of the day, couldn't sleep that night (mostly from emotional trauma), and felt even worse the next day which was Father's Day. My entire body hurt like I was hit by a mac truck - I could barely lift my arms b/c my shoulders were so sore from my arms flailing around. It was confirmed the next morning when I visited the ER that I did suffer a mild concussion and to take it easy. $100 down the drain to lay in some bed and have some joker ask me to continue to subtract 7 starting with 100. Buddy, I can't even do that when I am wide awake without a concussion! My Sunday was mostly relax, pain pills, sleep, laundry, pain pill, sleep. I did manage to drive to meet the in-laws for Father's Day dinner that night as Joe was golfing with his dad all day. I felt silly eating dinner out with a huge bandage on my dome. I got some weird looks like I was a mental patient that escaped from the institution.
I took the whole next week off from training and tried to relax, tend to my wounds, and recover. Thankfully it was a scheduled "recovery" week in our plan, but I'm sure it wasn't intended to be like this :) It was difficult getting back into the swing of things since the first week back was somewhat hot - especially the weekend. I had problems just making it through an hour and a half run - what gives? I'm guessing my body was still healing and my concussion symptoms were lingering.
I've been spending the past 4 weeks trying to build back my strength, endurance in the heat, and my confidence. I am SO hesitant going down hills where I can't see around the bend, even if I rode the course before. You better believe I am taking my time, being cautious, and ready on the brakes. I was feeling so great after Eagleman and was starting to believe that I was in a good place in my training - I could really pull this Ironman off after all! Everything shattered when I wrecked. The confidence I had and believing in my ability was gone. It was also emotionally tough just sitting on my couch for a week...I can't remember the last time I actually did that. Maybe 4 or 5 days, but never over a week (8 days!) straight! I felt lazy. I felt like a failure.
After two weeks back into the training and still feeling slightly off, I said, "Time to pick myself up by the boot straps, get back on the horse as they say, and stop feeling sorry for myself." Whaaaa, I wrecked my bike. Whaaa, I had to get stitches in my head. Whaaaa, I have scars on my body. Yes, I was scared shitless and wouldn't wish that fear upon my worst enemy. But damnit, I'm going to try to learn from this and become a stronger, more wise athlete out of it. I haven't put in this much time and effort training to just lie down and quit because I am scared. Would I just quit the Ironman if I wrecked and had some road rash and bruises? Hell no. Wrap that shit up and let me continue on my journey. Hopefully this wreck has taught me that I CAN do this...I can't let my mind defeat me. I will run, walk, or crawl across that finish line. I am too stubborn to give up...I WILL become an Ironman.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Race Report: Ironman 70.3 Eagleman
HOT. That is the one word I would use to describe this race. I was told many times by multiple people how hot this race is, but it did not prepare me for what I encountered. Also, it shouldn't be called Eagleman. I did not see one Eagle during the sufferfest. They should rename it to Horseflyman. Then again, I wasn't looking in the air a whole lot, mostly down at the road trying not to hit bumps to avoid projectile water bottles. They were very necessary and needed.
Over Memorial Day weekend, a few of us took the trip down to Cambridge, MD to preview the course. We started by swimming in the river for half an hour then prepped the bikes for the 56 mile loop through the hot swamp lands of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Then we threw on the running shoes and went for a quick jog on part of the course. This weekend seemed much easier in comparison to this past weekend's race.
So race weekend has finally arrived. We woke up early Saturday morning to finish our packing and loading of the car to head down to Cambridge. It's amazing the amount of crap you have to take for a long race weekend away from home: wetsuits, bodyglide, goggles (two pair), bike shoes, chamois cream for the crotch, helmet, water bottles, race belt, running shoes, hat, watch, sunglasses, sunscreen, gels, powerbars, gatorade mix, 24 pack of water, cooler, any munchie food you want for before/after, breakfast for the morning of....just to name a few things :) We got down there around 11:30am for packet pickup and the expo. I picked up a finisher tee...so that meant I HAD to finish if I wanted to wear the $30 shirt I just bought, haha. We then drove over to the transition/race site to do the mandatory pre-racking of the bikes. You weren't allowed to drive into the park, so we had to park on side streets and ride our bikes into the park. Hard to do in flip flops - will remember to throw sneakers on for next time. But, found our spots in transition to rack our bikes then walked around transition to see where the swim in, bike out/in, run out areas were located. Then we drove back over to the expo area to see the Pro forum and listen to a Q&A session with some of the best triathletes in the world that were racing Eagleman. It is incredible to be able to see and compete on the same platform against the world's best. It's like being able to line up on the track with Usain Bolt, race a car against Jimmy Johnson, or enter a swim meet and race against Michael Phelps. There are very few sports where you can do this, but triathlon is one of them. After the pro forum, we drove back over to the race site to test out the water and Joe's new goggles (he was having leaking issues with his over the past few weeks). Then we met some fellow EnMu's at the local host hotel for a minute before driving to our hotel 40 minutes away in Salisbury. Ugh. Bedtime was 8:30pm.
Race morning came and the clock read 3:45 when the alarm went off. Of course I was awake before then in anticipation. I never sleep well (especially the night before a race). We woke up and got our stuff together, checked out, then hit the road at 4:15 to arrive at the shuttle area by 5:00. I had to force down some yogurt and granola, then drank a fruit smoothie the rest of the morning as my silly nerves don't allow much solid food to go down. We parked and carted all of our stuff onto a school bus that drove us to the race site - we didn't want to attempt to find parking on the side streets close to the race site. After body marking (I'll be 29 by the end of this year?!), we started to set up our transition areas. This took me longer than normal for some reason. I wanted to make sure I had enough nutrition on my bike to make it through a hot 56 miles even though there were bottle exchanges along the way. I was somewhat scatter brained this morning and had a hard time focusing on the task at hand. We had to be out of transition by 6:45am when the pro's started the swim. I made my way over to the porta pots around 6:15 then came back for my wetsuit and make a final run through to make sure I had everything I needed. My wave, which was second to last, didn't go off until 8:25. So, I had a solid hour and a half to get really nervous for this thing to go off.
Finally, we swim our way out to the start buoy - thank god I was wearing a wetsuit, otherwise, I would have been exhausted trying to tread water before we even started the race! So, the gun went off and it felt like eternity swimming to the first buoy. I got to the first one, and looked for the next one. That seemed to be the trend of this race - make it to the next one. There wasn't too much bumping, kicking, elbowing that happened, although I almost got kicked in the face once, and someone almost tore my timing chip off my ankle. Thankfully it was safety pinned on good. I then started thinking about what I would do it if did get ripped off - stop and swim back to the start? Continue on and tell them when I got out of the swim? That got me to the next buoy. At the first turn buoy, I thought about good swimming form and trying to employ this to the next turn buoy...which I had a hard time sighting. During this leg, I was thinking about other swimmers around me and trying to find their "kick bubbles" and get in their draft. My shoulders started to burn. Then I thought about what other racers were thinking, what their strengths are, if they were feeling the same way I was. By the time I got there, my goggles were pretty well fogged. At this point, I had a hard time swimming in a straight line to the next buoy. The chop was worse on this last leg, so I was getting some mouthfuls of water and started to mistake the kayakers for buoys. Damn the sun glare. Thankfully, I made it to the swim exit and into T-1, which was nothing new or unusual, but being the last swim wave to start and coming into transition with very few bikes left on the racks is a very defeating feeling.
Got out on the bike and kept having to fuss with my helmet and my pony tail. I should just shave my head to make things easier, damn hair. But, I was just thinking, ok, cruise for a little while and get comfortable. Start drinking at 10-15 minutes (times according to time on the bike). Was feeling good through 18 miles and opted to skip the first bottle exchange at mile 10. I kept telling myself, "Bitch, you better keep that speedometer at or above 18 mph, otherwise, you are not good enough and you should not be out here. This is a flat course, you can do better than this". I guess this is my way of setting goals for myself? But, that was a common theme that came back to me...keep it above 18. Thankfully I had a period (tailwind maybe?) when I was holding between 20 and 21 mph and wasn't feeling terrible. So, I held it there while I could. By the time 30 miles hit, my crotch and feet were numb and my stomach started to give me issues. Too much to drink? I am usually good with my water/gatorade rotation every 5 minutes or so. But, I was feeling full and only ate half of my nutrition. At this point, we took a hard left turn and had solid wind in our faces for the next 20 miles. At this point, I did fall below my "18" standard but wasn't feeling too terrible about it b/c I was still passing other bikers in the face of the wind. A handful of relay and aquabike participants passed me, but I wasn't upset and thought, "Sure, pass me. You don't have to run 13.1 miles after this! I would hope you would pass me!" My one issue was the last bottle exchange - I needed water and the two water bottle people were sweeping up bottles, migrated around pizza boxes, or doing something else, so I had to STOP, unclip my shoes, and ask for a bottle of water. WTF. This should not happen. So, I was passed here by some of those I passed awhile back. Grrrr. So, I continue and feel like I have to "chase" and try to regain some spots. By mile 50, I was ready to be off that bike - my crotch and feet hurt so badly I was ready to start the run. I decided that I hate flat courses that are longer than 20 miles. Coming in was a little defeating also b/c I could see EVERYONE running already and a lot of people on their way back to the finish line. I felt like I was so far behind, at the end, SUCKING in comparison to those already out there. But, I kept telling myself, "You started in the last wave. For every person you pass, remember, they started well BEFORE you, some an hour before, so you're ahead of them by more than just seconds."
It took a bit to get my feet under me, even running my bike into transition was a challenge with my feet being numb. Then the run out of transition was a big loop around and felt longer than typical. The first two miles of the run were just getting my feet and legs under me and trying to get my damn gels into my race belt, which never happened. I had to stuff them in my jersey pocket, but they kept sliding out. I finally got them to stay by putting my race belt over top of them so they were pressed against my body. So, off I go shuffling along and the whole time I was trying not to throw up. I don't know where I went wrong b/c I don't think I drank or ate enough (compared to what I SHOULD have eaten), but something was off and my stomach felt full and upset the entire run. By mile 2.5-3, the only thought I had in my head (similar to the swim) was "Just make it to the next one...just make it to the next aid station". They were my lifesaver - and my lifesaver was every mile or so during the hottest run I've ever experienced. I chatted with a lovely fellow from mile 3-4 as we shuffled along together, then he slowed at the aid station and I took my ice, water, and gatorade, said my goodbyes and moved on my way. At every aid station, I made sure to drink some water (and dump a full cup on my head), put ice down my shirt, pants, and under my hat, and drink some gatorade. It became clear early on that I was not going to be able to force any gels down (unless I wanted them to come right back up, which would have been counterproductive), so gatorade would have to be my liquid food. I hit the turn around in 1:15, so I thought, ok, a 2:30 half marathon. Not what I was shooting for, but at this point, I'll take it! There was a lovely snow-cone stand shortly after the turnaround, so I chose the cherry flavor. So, this is how it went pretty much the rest of the race. Keep the legs moving, ice/water/gatorade at every station, and keep the legs moving. I tried to be encouraging to those I passed who were walking, but some were just in a bad place and probably wanted to be left alone. Around mile 10 I hit a wall where I thought I was really going to upchuck...so I walked for a minute and tried to burp it out. It was this way for the last 3 miles of the race. I am a little mad b/c my legs felt fine, I wasn't cramping, and could have picked up the pace to the end. But my stomach had other plans for me this day. So, when I hit mile 12, I said, "Ok, one more mile. Get your ass to that finish line so you can take these damn water soaked shoes off before the blisters get any bigger!" I was so happy to turn down the finishing chute, see my wonderful, supportive husband along the side cheering me on (more like telling me to kick it in and get my ass across that finish!), and put my arms up in accomplishment, pride, and pain from the chafing. I did it. Another 70.3 under my belt.
I set off on the goal of going under 6 hours, but someone advised me to throw all time goals out the window for this one. I thought that several times in my head when I realized 6 hours was not in my sights. Just finishing this was an accomplishment. I was happy to beat my previous 70.3 time by a little over a minute :) So, not a huge improvement, but my fitness this time around was much much better, especially considering we didn't taper much for this race, since it was more of a "training" race with Louisville as our main "A" race. We wanted to try to train through this race - so after today off, it's back to the pool tomorrow :)
After the days report, here is a short race report:
The Good:
The friendly faces of fellow EnMu racers and tri friends, TriColumbia organization, race site, and the massages afterwards. The water staying below 76.1 and being wetsuit legal! Course support and the community were fantastic - thanks to all of the homeowners/local residents that came out with hoses, buckets of water, and a full days worth of energy to cheer everyone on!
The Bad:
Although people equate flat as easy, this was anything but easy. The wind was the hill(s) - although, not that bad. The road surfaces were a little bumpy and uneven causing projectile water bottles along the course. Those riders that didn't read the athlete manual regarding the "drafting/passing" rules in place by the WTC. What jokers. The water logged feet by the end and random chafing spots on the neck, arms, and legs.
The Ugly:
HEAT. HEAT. HOT. HEAT. 94 degrees, 85% humidity, not a cloud in site or even tree shade anywhere along the course, and a code orange air alert. Why did I sign up for this shit again???! Notorious race conditions lived up to their hype.
My stomach issues, I feel, held me back from having a better race, but I guess that's all part of racing. You never know what you'll get come raceday. Just have to adapt and move forward. Even if it is a shuffle. I saw a great quote on the ride home yesterday: "If it's a 14 minute mile, or a 6 minute mile...it's still a mile."
Over Memorial Day weekend, a few of us took the trip down to Cambridge, MD to preview the course. We started by swimming in the river for half an hour then prepped the bikes for the 56 mile loop through the hot swamp lands of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Then we threw on the running shoes and went for a quick jog on part of the course. This weekend seemed much easier in comparison to this past weekend's race.
So race weekend has finally arrived. We woke up early Saturday morning to finish our packing and loading of the car to head down to Cambridge. It's amazing the amount of crap you have to take for a long race weekend away from home: wetsuits, bodyglide, goggles (two pair), bike shoes, chamois cream for the crotch, helmet, water bottles, race belt, running shoes, hat, watch, sunglasses, sunscreen, gels, powerbars, gatorade mix, 24 pack of water, cooler, any munchie food you want for before/after, breakfast for the morning of....just to name a few things :) We got down there around 11:30am for packet pickup and the expo. I picked up a finisher tee...so that meant I HAD to finish if I wanted to wear the $30 shirt I just bought, haha. We then drove over to the transition/race site to do the mandatory pre-racking of the bikes. You weren't allowed to drive into the park, so we had to park on side streets and ride our bikes into the park. Hard to do in flip flops - will remember to throw sneakers on for next time. But, found our spots in transition to rack our bikes then walked around transition to see where the swim in, bike out/in, run out areas were located. Then we drove back over to the expo area to see the Pro forum and listen to a Q&A session with some of the best triathletes in the world that were racing Eagleman. It is incredible to be able to see and compete on the same platform against the world's best. It's like being able to line up on the track with Usain Bolt, race a car against Jimmy Johnson, or enter a swim meet and race against Michael Phelps. There are very few sports where you can do this, but triathlon is one of them. After the pro forum, we drove back over to the race site to test out the water and Joe's new goggles (he was having leaking issues with his over the past few weeks). Then we met some fellow EnMu's at the local host hotel for a minute before driving to our hotel 40 minutes away in Salisbury. Ugh. Bedtime was 8:30pm.
Race morning came and the clock read 3:45 when the alarm went off. Of course I was awake before then in anticipation. I never sleep well (especially the night before a race). We woke up and got our stuff together, checked out, then hit the road at 4:15 to arrive at the shuttle area by 5:00. I had to force down some yogurt and granola, then drank a fruit smoothie the rest of the morning as my silly nerves don't allow much solid food to go down. We parked and carted all of our stuff onto a school bus that drove us to the race site - we didn't want to attempt to find parking on the side streets close to the race site. After body marking (I'll be 29 by the end of this year?!), we started to set up our transition areas. This took me longer than normal for some reason. I wanted to make sure I had enough nutrition on my bike to make it through a hot 56 miles even though there were bottle exchanges along the way. I was somewhat scatter brained this morning and had a hard time focusing on the task at hand. We had to be out of transition by 6:45am when the pro's started the swim. I made my way over to the porta pots around 6:15 then came back for my wetsuit and make a final run through to make sure I had everything I needed. My wave, which was second to last, didn't go off until 8:25. So, I had a solid hour and a half to get really nervous for this thing to go off.
Finally, we swim our way out to the start buoy - thank god I was wearing a wetsuit, otherwise, I would have been exhausted trying to tread water before we even started the race! So, the gun went off and it felt like eternity swimming to the first buoy. I got to the first one, and looked for the next one. That seemed to be the trend of this race - make it to the next one. There wasn't too much bumping, kicking, elbowing that happened, although I almost got kicked in the face once, and someone almost tore my timing chip off my ankle. Thankfully it was safety pinned on good. I then started thinking about what I would do it if did get ripped off - stop and swim back to the start? Continue on and tell them when I got out of the swim? That got me to the next buoy. At the first turn buoy, I thought about good swimming form and trying to employ this to the next turn buoy...which I had a hard time sighting. During this leg, I was thinking about other swimmers around me and trying to find their "kick bubbles" and get in their draft. My shoulders started to burn. Then I thought about what other racers were thinking, what their strengths are, if they were feeling the same way I was. By the time I got there, my goggles were pretty well fogged. At this point, I had a hard time swimming in a straight line to the next buoy. The chop was worse on this last leg, so I was getting some mouthfuls of water and started to mistake the kayakers for buoys. Damn the sun glare. Thankfully, I made it to the swim exit and into T-1, which was nothing new or unusual, but being the last swim wave to start and coming into transition with very few bikes left on the racks is a very defeating feeling.
Got out on the bike and kept having to fuss with my helmet and my pony tail. I should just shave my head to make things easier, damn hair. But, I was just thinking, ok, cruise for a little while and get comfortable. Start drinking at 10-15 minutes (times according to time on the bike). Was feeling good through 18 miles and opted to skip the first bottle exchange at mile 10. I kept telling myself, "Bitch, you better keep that speedometer at or above 18 mph, otherwise, you are not good enough and you should not be out here. This is a flat course, you can do better than this". I guess this is my way of setting goals for myself? But, that was a common theme that came back to me...keep it above 18. Thankfully I had a period (tailwind maybe?) when I was holding between 20 and 21 mph and wasn't feeling terrible. So, I held it there while I could. By the time 30 miles hit, my crotch and feet were numb and my stomach started to give me issues. Too much to drink? I am usually good with my water/gatorade rotation every 5 minutes or so. But, I was feeling full and only ate half of my nutrition. At this point, we took a hard left turn and had solid wind in our faces for the next 20 miles. At this point, I did fall below my "18" standard but wasn't feeling too terrible about it b/c I was still passing other bikers in the face of the wind. A handful of relay and aquabike participants passed me, but I wasn't upset and thought, "Sure, pass me. You don't have to run 13.1 miles after this! I would hope you would pass me!" My one issue was the last bottle exchange - I needed water and the two water bottle people were sweeping up bottles, migrated around pizza boxes, or doing something else, so I had to STOP, unclip my shoes, and ask for a bottle of water. WTF. This should not happen. So, I was passed here by some of those I passed awhile back. Grrrr. So, I continue and feel like I have to "chase" and try to regain some spots. By mile 50, I was ready to be off that bike - my crotch and feet hurt so badly I was ready to start the run. I decided that I hate flat courses that are longer than 20 miles. Coming in was a little defeating also b/c I could see EVERYONE running already and a lot of people on their way back to the finish line. I felt like I was so far behind, at the end, SUCKING in comparison to those already out there. But, I kept telling myself, "You started in the last wave. For every person you pass, remember, they started well BEFORE you, some an hour before, so you're ahead of them by more than just seconds."
It took a bit to get my feet under me, even running my bike into transition was a challenge with my feet being numb. Then the run out of transition was a big loop around and felt longer than typical. The first two miles of the run were just getting my feet and legs under me and trying to get my damn gels into my race belt, which never happened. I had to stuff them in my jersey pocket, but they kept sliding out. I finally got them to stay by putting my race belt over top of them so they were pressed against my body. So, off I go shuffling along and the whole time I was trying not to throw up. I don't know where I went wrong b/c I don't think I drank or ate enough (compared to what I SHOULD have eaten), but something was off and my stomach felt full and upset the entire run. By mile 2.5-3, the only thought I had in my head (similar to the swim) was "Just make it to the next one...just make it to the next aid station". They were my lifesaver - and my lifesaver was every mile or so during the hottest run I've ever experienced. I chatted with a lovely fellow from mile 3-4 as we shuffled along together, then he slowed at the aid station and I took my ice, water, and gatorade, said my goodbyes and moved on my way. At every aid station, I made sure to drink some water (and dump a full cup on my head), put ice down my shirt, pants, and under my hat, and drink some gatorade. It became clear early on that I was not going to be able to force any gels down (unless I wanted them to come right back up, which would have been counterproductive), so gatorade would have to be my liquid food. I hit the turn around in 1:15, so I thought, ok, a 2:30 half marathon. Not what I was shooting for, but at this point, I'll take it! There was a lovely snow-cone stand shortly after the turnaround, so I chose the cherry flavor. So, this is how it went pretty much the rest of the race. Keep the legs moving, ice/water/gatorade at every station, and keep the legs moving. I tried to be encouraging to those I passed who were walking, but some were just in a bad place and probably wanted to be left alone. Around mile 10 I hit a wall where I thought I was really going to upchuck...so I walked for a minute and tried to burp it out. It was this way for the last 3 miles of the race. I am a little mad b/c my legs felt fine, I wasn't cramping, and could have picked up the pace to the end. But my stomach had other plans for me this day. So, when I hit mile 12, I said, "Ok, one more mile. Get your ass to that finish line so you can take these damn water soaked shoes off before the blisters get any bigger!" I was so happy to turn down the finishing chute, see my wonderful, supportive husband along the side cheering me on (more like telling me to kick it in and get my ass across that finish!), and put my arms up in accomplishment, pride, and pain from the chafing. I did it. Another 70.3 under my belt.
I set off on the goal of going under 6 hours, but someone advised me to throw all time goals out the window for this one. I thought that several times in my head when I realized 6 hours was not in my sights. Just finishing this was an accomplishment. I was happy to beat my previous 70.3 time by a little over a minute :) So, not a huge improvement, but my fitness this time around was much much better, especially considering we didn't taper much for this race, since it was more of a "training" race with Louisville as our main "A" race. We wanted to try to train through this race - so after today off, it's back to the pool tomorrow :)
After the days report, here is a short race report:
The Good:
The friendly faces of fellow EnMu racers and tri friends, TriColumbia organization, race site, and the massages afterwards. The water staying below 76.1 and being wetsuit legal! Course support and the community were fantastic - thanks to all of the homeowners/local residents that came out with hoses, buckets of water, and a full days worth of energy to cheer everyone on!
The Bad:
Although people equate flat as easy, this was anything but easy. The wind was the hill(s) - although, not that bad. The road surfaces were a little bumpy and uneven causing projectile water bottles along the course. Those riders that didn't read the athlete manual regarding the "drafting/passing" rules in place by the WTC. What jokers. The water logged feet by the end and random chafing spots on the neck, arms, and legs.
The Ugly:
HEAT. HEAT. HOT. HEAT. 94 degrees, 85% humidity, not a cloud in site or even tree shade anywhere along the course, and a code orange air alert. Why did I sign up for this shit again???! Notorious race conditions lived up to their hype.
My stomach issues, I feel, held me back from having a better race, but I guess that's all part of racing. You never know what you'll get come raceday. Just have to adapt and move forward. Even if it is a shuffle. I saw a great quote on the ride home yesterday: "If it's a 14 minute mile, or a 6 minute mile...it's still a mile."
Monday, May 21, 2012
Race Report: Got the Nerve?
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.” -Vince Lombardi
The Got the Nerve? Triathlon was this past weekend in the scenic town of Mt. Gretna at the Mt. Gretna Lake. The race is put on by the IM ABLE Foundation which helps people both able bodied and disabled realize their full potential as an athlete and to push beyond your limits. They show people of all abilities the potential to lead an active lifestyle. I was amazed at the different walks of life that come out to support this Foundation and usually, give triathlon a try for the first time! While the race goes on, there is also a "Tour de Gretna" where people can participate in an outdoor cycling event for 3 hours. Their mission is to show people that no matter what your circumstances are - you are still able to get up and move!! Their mascot is even a 3-legged dog! The money that is raised helps to build hand-cycles or adaptive equipment so people can still get outside and be active. I am happy to support such a cause and know that I can help other people who are less fortunate who still want to be active, healthy people. Please check out their website to see all the good they do: http://www.getupandmove.org/home.php
As for the race report...here we go!
Good:
The weather couldn't have been more perfect. A cool but comfortable 55 degrees on our way to the race site with the lake temp around 65 come race time (the lake is drained for the winter then spring filled a week before race day). This felt nice compared to the 58 degrees last year. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but we had plenty of shade along the course. The swim went by unusually fast for being a tad longer than advertised. The bike went as expected although I found my legs to be a tad tired - need to practice swim to transition 1 a bit more...swimming/running out of the water then sprinting up a hill to transition left me a bit winded! I am very pleased with the way my new bike handled the climbs, downhills, and flats. The run was great on the shaded rail to trail path and I felt strong coming into the finish. I love this race b/c it is very spectator friendly, so there was a lot of cheering along the course, which helped towards the end! I saw a handful of friendly faces before, during, and after the race, which makes it that much more fun :) I finished 11 minutes faster than my time from last year, so I am happy with the gains I made. I believe I finished 4th in my age group and 19th out of 166 females with a 1:33:09. Joe finished 1st in his age group and 21st overall for his first time racing this course with a 1:18:change!! He's such a champ it makes me sick :)
Bad:
The only complaint I have about this race is the rail to trail section of the run course. Parts of the trail can cause you to lose your footing on larger rocks or soft brush if you're not paying attention. It is somewhat narrow, so you really have to choose your passing wisely so you don't get in the way of runners coming the other direction. Transition is kind of bumpy, rocky, dirt filled - so running the bike in and out wasn't the easiest either.
Ugly:
Nothing really ugly about this one. I wish it didn't take so long to get my legs under me after the bike - I think around mile 2 they came around to finish strong.
I would put this on my race calendar every year. It is a great first timer race too with a lot of support and a great, manageable course. So, if anyone is contemplating giving triathlon a try, come on up and give it a shot! :)
Now on to Week 11 of training. We'll be heading to Cambridge, MD this weekend to preview the Ironman Eagleman 70.3 bike and run course which is coming up in 3 short weeks. It looks like things are turning serious...
Cheers!
Chandra
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Race Report: Turkey Hill Country Classic
Who doesn't love free Turkey Hill ice cream?? Well, you'd be nuts if you didn't. This past weekend Joe and I raced our first 5K in well over a year. This was a last minute decision mostly b/c we heard it was a fun race, cheap @ $12, and was a fairly local race for us. And they give out free ice cream afterwards :) So, here is my race report for the Turkey Hill Country Classic 5K:
The Good:
The race was only a half hour drive south towards Millersville so we didn't have to wake up ungodly early to head to the race. There was plenty of parking, since we arrived early enough to pick up our packets and warm up a little bit. The nice thing about local races (small town type of local races) is you can usually park close by with little hassle, have easy access to the bathroom port-a-pots, and not get run over if you start close to the front of the pack. The race was extremely inexpensive and there was a really nice post-race gathering with fun moonbounce areas for kids and free Turkey Hill ice cream, drinks, and food. It was a beautiful day for an old fashioned foot race!! We had no timing chips, so starting towards the front was somewhat necessary if you wanted to have an accurate time. The good part about my race was having a 5K PR (26:15) on somewhat of a challenging course with no shade and heat/humidity taking it's toll. AND Joe placed 1st in his age group with a time of 19:41! We were able to stick around for the awards ceremony, get some sun, and see the start of the bike race going on after the 5 and 10K races.
The Bad:
Well, even though the sun was shining, it was pretty humid and I wasn't feeling 100% from our 10 mile run on Thursday. Although, I haven't been feeling 100% even on my off days lately...hm. The course was advertised as flat and fast (unlike the 10K), so the two "hills" were a little unexpected. I probably started out too fast and found myself having to slow my pace down even on the downhills. I didn't enjoy being passed by little kids maintaining an all out sprint...wth? The last mile was a steady downhill, which was nice, but I couldn't find my kick - or I kicked too early and petered out.
The Ugly:
I started out too fast for my little legs and ended up having to slow down even when I was trying to push harder. I wanted to break 26 minutes and thought I would, but time ticked away as I saw the finish line over a mile away and kicked too soon. There were a ton of kids, which I didn't mind, but they all started at the front at an all out sprint and were walking by the first uphill. I guess this is where racing experience and etiquette can be appreciated.
We're coming up on week 9 of recovery and I've been feeling overly exhausted lately. So, I'm going to take it REALLY easy this week and try to work on some stretching/yoga/icing/recovering this week. I also have some fun stuff to look forward to throughout the week (stay tuned!!) so it's hard not to be excited :) Although I can't attend this week, this is the first week of the Gretna Gut Wrencher training series with our tri club.
The past two weeks have been more of the same, although, we have moved into the "Aerobic Phase" of our training from weeks 7-12. We starting to get into some longer stuff and some more intense stuff. Last weekend was a mentally tough two days of long workouts. We were so busy out in Philly and had to fit in our long ride and run both days. I had a hard time on Sunday (29th) getting motivated and became overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done around the house. So, training is beginning to take it's toll in different ways. And after this phase, we'll be in our Ironman Specific training phase from weeks 13-18...it will come so quickly, I know. I can't imagine doing it right now...even a Half! I need to figure out wth is going on with me being tired constantly and get my shit together...race day will be here before I know it!
Thanks for reading!
Chandra :)
The Good:
The race was only a half hour drive south towards Millersville so we didn't have to wake up ungodly early to head to the race. There was plenty of parking, since we arrived early enough to pick up our packets and warm up a little bit. The nice thing about local races (small town type of local races) is you can usually park close by with little hassle, have easy access to the bathroom port-a-pots, and not get run over if you start close to the front of the pack. The race was extremely inexpensive and there was a really nice post-race gathering with fun moonbounce areas for kids and free Turkey Hill ice cream, drinks, and food. It was a beautiful day for an old fashioned foot race!! We had no timing chips, so starting towards the front was somewhat necessary if you wanted to have an accurate time. The good part about my race was having a 5K PR (26:15) on somewhat of a challenging course with no shade and heat/humidity taking it's toll. AND Joe placed 1st in his age group with a time of 19:41! We were able to stick around for the awards ceremony, get some sun, and see the start of the bike race going on after the 5 and 10K races.
The Bad:
Well, even though the sun was shining, it was pretty humid and I wasn't feeling 100% from our 10 mile run on Thursday. Although, I haven't been feeling 100% even on my off days lately...hm. The course was advertised as flat and fast (unlike the 10K), so the two "hills" were a little unexpected. I probably started out too fast and found myself having to slow my pace down even on the downhills. I didn't enjoy being passed by little kids maintaining an all out sprint...wth? The last mile was a steady downhill, which was nice, but I couldn't find my kick - or I kicked too early and petered out.
The Ugly:
I started out too fast for my little legs and ended up having to slow down even when I was trying to push harder. I wanted to break 26 minutes and thought I would, but time ticked away as I saw the finish line over a mile away and kicked too soon. There were a ton of kids, which I didn't mind, but they all started at the front at an all out sprint and were walking by the first uphill. I guess this is where racing experience and etiquette can be appreciated.
We're coming up on week 9 of recovery and I've been feeling overly exhausted lately. So, I'm going to take it REALLY easy this week and try to work on some stretching/yoga/icing/recovering this week. I also have some fun stuff to look forward to throughout the week (stay tuned!!) so it's hard not to be excited :) Although I can't attend this week, this is the first week of the Gretna Gut Wrencher training series with our tri club.
The past two weeks have been more of the same, although, we have moved into the "Aerobic Phase" of our training from weeks 7-12. We starting to get into some longer stuff and some more intense stuff. Last weekend was a mentally tough two days of long workouts. We were so busy out in Philly and had to fit in our long ride and run both days. I had a hard time on Sunday (29th) getting motivated and became overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done around the house. So, training is beginning to take it's toll in different ways. And after this phase, we'll be in our Ironman Specific training phase from weeks 13-18...it will come so quickly, I know. I can't imagine doing it right now...even a Half! I need to figure out wth is going on with me being tired constantly and get my shit together...race day will be here before I know it!
Thanks for reading!
Chandra :)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Week 5: Recovery is in sight!
So we've just completed weeks 4 and 5, which have felt like a non-stop workout session. These two weeks were build weeks, so we added some volume and worked on some speed and strength in the pool, on the track, and in the weight room. The weekly hour totals have been 13 and 14 respectively (average of around 2 hours a day), which are a few hours shy of our peak hours come weeks 16-18. I can't imagine cramming in another half hour to hour each day throughout the week without going insane. That has been the story of my life this past week between training and trying to manage the tax season rush at work. I am happy that taxes are due by Tuesday, so maybe things will start to slow down after that, but it's not looking promising. Just catching up on everything that has taken a back seat the past 2 weeks that has taken over my desk will take some serious focus. Exhausted would be an understatement at this point!!
Thankfully, the upcoming week 6 is a "recovery" week which is much needed. I've been slacking on my stretching/rolling/icing lately, so I'm going to try to focus on doing that each night - even if it's for 15-20 minutes while catching part of some tv show. One of the hardest things is still being motivated when you get home to take time to make dinner (which Joe does great at!!) after a tiring workout. Getting home at 8pm and still thinking about eating ...but I am so tired that I want to be asleep by 9:30 only to wake up for a morning workout? They don't mesh well...I don't want to turn into a sumo wrestler :) Work, train, eat, sleep. Repeat. But, Joe did great tonight by making a huge batch of soup so we have some quick reheat options for dinner this week.
Thankfully, the upcoming week 6 is a "recovery" week which is much needed. I've been slacking on my stretching/rolling/icing lately, so I'm going to try to focus on doing that each night - even if it's for 15-20 minutes while catching part of some tv show. One of the hardest things is still being motivated when you get home to take time to make dinner (which Joe does great at!!) after a tiring workout. Getting home at 8pm and still thinking about eating ...but I am so tired that I want to be asleep by 9:30 only to wake up for a morning workout? They don't mesh well...I don't want to turn into a sumo wrestler :) Work, train, eat, sleep. Repeat. But, Joe did great tonight by making a huge batch of soup so we have some quick reheat options for dinner this week.
I have been feeling good and the knees haven't been giving me much of an issue lately. It's been more of my foot/arch - I hope it's not a case of plantar fasciitis beginning to form. I hear that is a long, painful process to overcome. But, after almost a month post-marathon, I'm feeling ok and managed to do 9 miles today - which has been the longest run since the marathon. I actually miss the cold weather running that I got used to. The heat (70 degrees?) and humidity got to me today and I was so thirsty and felt like I was overheating. Maybe it was not enough water post bike/run yesterday and one too many beers this weekend :)
We're about a month out from our first tri of the season - the Got the Nerve? Triathlon in Mt. Gretna on May 19th. We've been riding the course to get reacquainted and build some strength for the climbs it throws at you. I'm just hoping that I'll have some speed come raceday since we haven't done a ton of shorter, quick stuff besides our fartlek runs on Thursdays (Track Attack!!). I guess we'll see how speedy the legs feel that day :)
Looking forward to some shorter/easier workouts this week and then the parents come to visit next weekend!! :) Lots to be excited about...and the weather looks to be very nice for training this week too. I believe Spring has Sprung!
Cheers,
Chandra
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Week 4: Put to the test
So we've reached week 4, which is a "test" week after this past recovery week. I guess it is supposed to test us to see how far we've come since the first week with various "test sets" and checking your heart rate after recovery. Not sure how that is going to go since the past 3 weeks have basically been mostly recovery after the marathon. This past week we got in some good workouts, especially yesterday's 7 mile run and today's leg busting 53 mile bike with some "fun" climbs throughout Mt. Gretna. I've learned that my idea of a "hill" isn't the same as what it was this time last year. And it still isn't the same as that of Coach Mike :) Then we had to go and lift afterwards - as always on Sundays and Thursdays. We'll say this weekend was tiring and quite busy. But, I did manage to throw together a pan of lasagna tonight while eating sushi and edamame for dinner. We're trying to cook mass amounts of food on the weekends so we have quick reheats during the week when we get home at 8pm and need to make dinner still. Hopefully we can keep it up and it'll make life a bit easier.
This upcoming week goes as follows:
Monday - Swim Test: 4x300 Warmup; 16x25; 500 free; 16x25; 400 free; 16x25; 300 cool down
Tuesday - Bike/Run brick
Wednesday - Swim: 8x100 Warmup; 1,500 free; 6x150; 12x25 cool down
Thursday - Run 60 min fartlek; Strength train
Friday - Optional Swim/60 min Bike/40 min Run
Saturday - Bike 2-3 hours/Transition run 20 mins
Sunday - optional 60 min bike; 70-90 min Run; Strength train
Looks like it is all uphill at this point. I am just so thankful that I have my best friend and love to go through this experience with. It makes it much easier when we understand what the other is feeling and going through...but doesn't make it easier when nothing gets done around the house!! I am really looking forward to the upcoming 3 day weekend with some family time on Sunday for the Easter holiday. I hope the Easter bunny still remembered me and hides a basket for me to find :)
Happy April!!
Cheers,
Chandra
This upcoming week goes as follows:
Monday - Swim Test: 4x300 Warmup; 16x25; 500 free; 16x25; 400 free; 16x25; 300 cool down
Tuesday - Bike/Run brick
Wednesday - Swim: 8x100 Warmup; 1,500 free; 6x150; 12x25 cool down
Thursday - Run 60 min fartlek; Strength train
Friday - Optional Swim/60 min Bike/40 min Run
Saturday - Bike 2-3 hours/Transition run 20 mins
Sunday - optional 60 min bike; 70-90 min Run; Strength train
Looks like it is all uphill at this point. I am just so thankful that I have my best friend and love to go through this experience with. It makes it much easier when we understand what the other is feeling and going through...but doesn't make it easier when nothing gets done around the house!! I am really looking forward to the upcoming 3 day weekend with some family time on Sunday for the Easter holiday. I hope the Easter bunny still remembered me and hides a basket for me to find :)
Happy April!!
Cheers,
Chandra
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Race report: One down, 23 to go!
Upcoming - Week 2: Recovery time
Well, yesterday was the marathon in DC. Needless to say, today has been a day of hobbling around attempting to ascend and descend the stairs and not look too awkward walking around the grocery store. I have managed to eat a ton since the race (not quite on purpose - the stomach wants what it wants!) and I did manage to treat myself with a cinnamon chip muffin from the bakery this morning. Joy! The pain isn't too terrible but I keep trying to move around so I don't get stiff or cramp up - although I should be icing more than I have been, unfortunately.
So this coming week will be mostly recovery with some swimming and light biking...and a little volleyball this coming weekend with some old Altoona friends for a little reunion :) I probably won't do any running until next week, which will still be light and easy. But, here is my race report for the Rock n' Roll USA Marathon in DC:
The Good:
The race was in a great location downtown at the RFK Stadium. We stayed in Landover and took the train a short 15 minutes in and got off at the stop right by the Armory. It couldn't have been easier and I'm so glad we did that instead of trying to drive. The gear bag check was nice with ample space for storage which made getting in and out pretty painless. Probably the one painfree thing of the day :) The day couldn't have been more perfect for the race - cool in the morning but warming up nicely (maybe a little too much) by the time I hit the half marathon point. I started out feeling great during the race and carried this through for the first half of the marathon...which I was hoping for at least. Mile 4 and 9 were a little interesting. I managed to get a second wind of some kind around mile 16...and then again at mile 22. These were fairly short lived in the world of "second winds", I believe.
The Bad:
The bad? Well, there were a handful of bad things, from a dead bug in our hotel bed (free room for that, btw) neglecting my sunscreen, wearing pants I never trained in, and various other things, I'd say things went ok for my first marathon. For a "Rock n' Roll" race, I was a little disappointed with the so called bands they had set up along the way. Now, I know that you can't get Switchfoot to play at every stage along the course, but come on. You could have done better than some of the stuff that was out there. Thank god I went with my gut and wore my ipod. As for the race itself, things were already getting to my head by mile 4 - I was hungry! My pre-race nerves managed to curb my appetite so I couldn't force much down beforehand besides half a bagel, half a powerbar, and some gatorade. It managed to get warmer than I was anticipating early on and was thirsty a lot. At mile 7 they were handing out water bottles, so I grabbed one and carried it with me and refilling at water stations until mile 26.1 before tossing it aside so I could try to "sprint" to the finish line. I'm thankful for that, otherwise, I don't think I would have made it. I also felt somewhat defeated when all of the half marathoners started to pick up the pace around mile 9 and were passing me. It was hard to not keep up with everyone, but I kept telling myself that I just needed to cool out and stick with the plan...otherwise I'd be hurting later (which I was). I wanted so badly to follow the half marathoners to their finish line - I couldn't believe I still had another half to run!
The Ugly:
Sunburn, popped blister/bloody sock, mile 22...
So, I managed to get a nice sunburn on my arms, back, and chest since I neglected to wear my sunscreen. I think my only saving grace was the fact that I wore my hat, thank god! Otherwise, I would have a ridiculously burt face with a sunglasses tan line. I have one from my ipod and watch, ha! I won't make that mistake again...even on the long training rides and runs we do on the weekends - no sir! So, things started to turn ugly around mile 18-19...I kept thinking in my head, "I've only gone 20 miles so I only know what 20 miles feels like..." and then I got scared. Around mile 19 we had to cross a metal grate bridge which didn't feel good on the feet that were already hurting terribly. I managed to pass everyone that was walking at this point, so that made me feel good. When I hit the mile 20 marker, I had a sense of relief that there was only a 10K left. Little did I know that this 10K would be the hardest of my life. It seemed the closer I got to the finish line, the longer it took the mile markers to show up! By mile 22 I was ready to call it quits and employ the run/walk strategy, but just tried to focus on eating and drinking and thinking about how often I had to do that so I didn't think about how painful things felt at that time. And then it hit me. Like someone driving a nail through my foot - the blister that I felt forming at mile 8 finally got fed up with me and busted wide open. I screamed at the pain and managed to take 4 or 5 more strides but the pain was incredible. I ran off to the side and sat down on the curb...I had to do SOMETHING. I ripped my shoe and sock off to assess the damage expecting to see a blood soaked sock with half of the skin on my toe missing, but it was just slightly red and my skin was intact (by the end of the race it was much more red). Not that I could have done anything about it if I did have a blood soaked sock and was missing all of my toe skin. So, I took this time to retie my shoes, stretch for a second, refocus, and go on my way since there was nothing more I could do by sitting on the curb. It was painful starting out running again, but once I got into a stride, the pain in my toe subsided (or it just went numb) and I was able to keep a decent pace the rest of the way to the end. It was tough trying to tick off the miles...23, ok only a 5K to go, 24, ok 2 more, 25........almost....there....26. At mile 26 I was just so happy to see the finish line and the people lining the road I couldn't help but smile the last .2.
It wasn't a pretty race and the marathon doesn't do nice things to your body (chafing). I can't say right now that I would do one again, but who knows. I think the first one is the hardest and now I know what it is like and can say I've done one. I don't find it as enjoyable as other people and don't expect to...I'm just glad that I finished :) But, what if I hadn't sat on that curb assessing my damage for 5 minutes....??! There's always room for improvement, right?
Cheers!
Chandra
Well, yesterday was the marathon in DC. Needless to say, today has been a day of hobbling around attempting to ascend and descend the stairs and not look too awkward walking around the grocery store. I have managed to eat a ton since the race (not quite on purpose - the stomach wants what it wants!) and I did manage to treat myself with a cinnamon chip muffin from the bakery this morning. Joy! The pain isn't too terrible but I keep trying to move around so I don't get stiff or cramp up - although I should be icing more than I have been, unfortunately.
So this coming week will be mostly recovery with some swimming and light biking...and a little volleyball this coming weekend with some old Altoona friends for a little reunion :) I probably won't do any running until next week, which will still be light and easy. But, here is my race report for the Rock n' Roll USA Marathon in DC:
The Good:
The race was in a great location downtown at the RFK Stadium. We stayed in Landover and took the train a short 15 minutes in and got off at the stop right by the Armory. It couldn't have been easier and I'm so glad we did that instead of trying to drive. The gear bag check was nice with ample space for storage which made getting in and out pretty painless. Probably the one painfree thing of the day :) The day couldn't have been more perfect for the race - cool in the morning but warming up nicely (maybe a little too much) by the time I hit the half marathon point. I started out feeling great during the race and carried this through for the first half of the marathon...which I was hoping for at least. Mile 4 and 9 were a little interesting. I managed to get a second wind of some kind around mile 16...and then again at mile 22. These were fairly short lived in the world of "second winds", I believe.
The Bad:
The bad? Well, there were a handful of bad things, from a dead bug in our hotel bed (free room for that, btw) neglecting my sunscreen, wearing pants I never trained in, and various other things, I'd say things went ok for my first marathon. For a "Rock n' Roll" race, I was a little disappointed with the so called bands they had set up along the way. Now, I know that you can't get Switchfoot to play at every stage along the course, but come on. You could have done better than some of the stuff that was out there. Thank god I went with my gut and wore my ipod. As for the race itself, things were already getting to my head by mile 4 - I was hungry! My pre-race nerves managed to curb my appetite so I couldn't force much down beforehand besides half a bagel, half a powerbar, and some gatorade. It managed to get warmer than I was anticipating early on and was thirsty a lot. At mile 7 they were handing out water bottles, so I grabbed one and carried it with me and refilling at water stations until mile 26.1 before tossing it aside so I could try to "sprint" to the finish line. I'm thankful for that, otherwise, I don't think I would have made it. I also felt somewhat defeated when all of the half marathoners started to pick up the pace around mile 9 and were passing me. It was hard to not keep up with everyone, but I kept telling myself that I just needed to cool out and stick with the plan...otherwise I'd be hurting later (which I was). I wanted so badly to follow the half marathoners to their finish line - I couldn't believe I still had another half to run!
The Ugly:
Sunburn, popped blister/bloody sock, mile 22...
So, I managed to get a nice sunburn on my arms, back, and chest since I neglected to wear my sunscreen. I think my only saving grace was the fact that I wore my hat, thank god! Otherwise, I would have a ridiculously burt face with a sunglasses tan line. I have one from my ipod and watch, ha! I won't make that mistake again...even on the long training rides and runs we do on the weekends - no sir! So, things started to turn ugly around mile 18-19...I kept thinking in my head, "I've only gone 20 miles so I only know what 20 miles feels like..." and then I got scared. Around mile 19 we had to cross a metal grate bridge which didn't feel good on the feet that were already hurting terribly. I managed to pass everyone that was walking at this point, so that made me feel good. When I hit the mile 20 marker, I had a sense of relief that there was only a 10K left. Little did I know that this 10K would be the hardest of my life. It seemed the closer I got to the finish line, the longer it took the mile markers to show up! By mile 22 I was ready to call it quits and employ the run/walk strategy, but just tried to focus on eating and drinking and thinking about how often I had to do that so I didn't think about how painful things felt at that time. And then it hit me. Like someone driving a nail through my foot - the blister that I felt forming at mile 8 finally got fed up with me and busted wide open. I screamed at the pain and managed to take 4 or 5 more strides but the pain was incredible. I ran off to the side and sat down on the curb...I had to do SOMETHING. I ripped my shoe and sock off to assess the damage expecting to see a blood soaked sock with half of the skin on my toe missing, but it was just slightly red and my skin was intact (by the end of the race it was much more red). Not that I could have done anything about it if I did have a blood soaked sock and was missing all of my toe skin. So, I took this time to retie my shoes, stretch for a second, refocus, and go on my way since there was nothing more I could do by sitting on the curb. It was painful starting out running again, but once I got into a stride, the pain in my toe subsided (or it just went numb) and I was able to keep a decent pace the rest of the way to the end. It was tough trying to tick off the miles...23, ok only a 5K to go, 24, ok 2 more, 25........almost....there....26. At mile 26 I was just so happy to see the finish line and the people lining the road I couldn't help but smile the last .2.
It wasn't a pretty race and the marathon doesn't do nice things to your body (chafing). I can't say right now that I would do one again, but who knows. I think the first one is the hardest and now I know what it is like and can say I've done one. I don't find it as enjoyable as other people and don't expect to...I'm just glad that I finished :) But, what if I hadn't sat on that curb assessing my damage for 5 minutes....??! There's always room for improvement, right?
Cheers!
Chandra
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