Race Report: Wake-Up to Swim

It's high time I get to this race report. Tim wrote his race report more than two weeks ago, but again, because he likes to fly below the radar, that write-up won't hit this blog...yet.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

I didn't sleep well the night before the race. I was anxious, excited, nervous, worried I'd over-sleep. So when the alarm finally rang at 3:45am, Tim and I both jumped out of bed, thankful that we could get our morning routine started.

A few minutes after waking up, we were both eating breakfast. I ate my usual - yogurt with granola and sliced banana. I also ate two pieces of toast, smothered in almond butter. Tim made delicious coffee in our french press we brought from home. I drank my coffee while reading the Going Long chapter "What to Expect on Race Day." The last-minute cramming helped me focus on the long day ahead.

At 4:45am, we left the hotel and drove down Scottsdale Boulevard to the race. We turned the volume up on a few Kings of Leon and Aerosmith songs during the drive, anything to pump us up. Once in Tempe, we headed for the US Airways building, where all athletes were allowed to park. We unloaded our bags from Tim's truck and made our way to transition. The morning was dark and cold - and packed with people.

The morning was also busy. We dropped off our special needs bags, checked our bike and run bags, checked our bikes, put air in our tires, dropped off our water bottles - there wasn't much time to freak out because we were on the move. I did freak out about my timing chip (see my 11/23 post for the full story). But once my "replacement" chip was firmly velcroed around my ankle, the countdown to the swim start was on. Tim and I got in line for the porta-potties and made use of the wait to eat a Gu (me) and a Roctane (Tim). We also put on BodyGlide and our wetsuits.

And then, all of a sudden, we had about 15 minutes before the swim start. We quickly found Tim's mom, gave her our tri bags, put on cheap grocery store socks we had purchased the day before, and made our way to the lake. Mike Reilly (aka my Ironman boyfriend) was working the mic at this point...and the music was booming. The pros were off at 6:50am. They hit the swim hard. The line that Tim and I were in began to move as the age groupers headed into the water. We threw our socks in a pile of discarded clothing, kissed each other goodbye and good luck and jumped into the (freezing) 63 degree water. We had about a hundred yard swim to the actual start. Tim swam ahead while I found a spot near the middle of the pack. Mike Reilly was still working the mic...saying something like, "At the end of today, you are going to be an Ironman!" I took a minute to look around me and soak up the moment: There I was, about to race Ironman Arizona...an Ironman!

Bang. The gun went off. Boom. Two thousand-plus athletes hit the water.

My mom's big fear for the day was that I would "get drowned" during the lake swim. Not that I would drown, but "get drowned." She pictured 2,400 people swimming right on top of me for the full 2.4 miles. She made me promise to be careful and "stay alive out there." And if I had to guess, I'd say that her fists were clenched and her blood pressure was sky high and a million Rosaries were prayed during the entire swim.

So my mom was thrilled to see that I survived the swim. I actually felt really good during the swim (I knew then that the taper had worked); amazingly, it didn't seem like I was in the water all that long (even though I was for one hour and 15 minutes). I got banged up in the beginning - about four people hit my head, seven others kicked me, one big dude kept swimming into me (I could go on, but I won't). But for the most part, I kept my pace and my mind strong. And I got to watch the sun come up in between strokes.

Finally, I saw the stairs at the end of the swim. I swam and swam until my fingers touched the first stair. I felt two arms grab me - volunteers were pulling me out of the water. I stumbled up the rest of the stairs and down the carpeted sidewalk. I stopped in front of another volunteer to get my wetsuit stripped. Once my wetsuit was yanked off, I ran with it around the changing tents and into transition. Before I reached transition though, I made the mistake of looking down at my feet. They were purple. And they felt like frozen stumps. I decided not to think about my feet or how cold I was, and I found a volunteer inside the changing tent to help me into my bike outfit.

Next post - Race Report: The Bike!

One Week to Go

Oh. My. Goodness! Ironman Arizona is one week away. How in the world did this happen?!

We're heading out on a two hour brick workout soon. Today marks the last day of Taper. Starting tomorrow, we head into Race week and reduce the volume of our workouts even more.

This time next week, we'll be swimming in Tempe Town Lake. Tim's swim plan? To swim around the buoys and finish in a respectable time. My swim plan? Avoid swallowing the detritus in the water.

Tim and I are now talking non-stop about Ironman. A conversation about what to have for dinner invariably turns into a race day nutrition talk. A conversation about getting the car's oil changed morphs into a discussion on race day transitions. We are wholly consumed.

Oh. My. Goodness...

It's November

I have a midterm tomorrow. I should be studying. I should not be drinking that second glass of wine right now. But alas, the wine wins and learning loses.

Because it's November! It's race month! Exactly three weeks from today, Team Middleton will be swimming and biking and running in Ironman Arizona. Bring. It.

This weekend marked our last long brick workout. Tim biked and ran yesterday while I made about 27 cups of tea and popped at least 49 cough drops (thank you, common cold) at home. Tim returned from his 10 mile run around the Back Bay triumphant - and a bit dehydrated. Ok, really dehydrated.

I was determined to stay hydrated during my brick today. I got out on the bike and practiced drinking water from my aero bottle. Aside from the fact that I kept poking my face with the straw, it went well. Staying hydrated on the run? Not so great. I returned home broken by the Back Bay sun and a personal water shortage. Note to self: Don't let this happen on November 22.

Tim and I are now celebrating the end of heavy training days - and mourning the end of 'strapping on the feed bag' days. Evidently, now that we're tapering, we can't eat absolutely everything in the fridge and, um, cupboard, um, every day of the week.

But I can still strap on the feed bag tonight. So, I will bid you adieu, grab a third glass of wine and head on over to the kitchen where my snacks - I mean, studying - awaits.

Finding Mike Reilly

Disclaimer: I swear I'm not a stalker.

It's inescapable the sway that Chris Brown's "Forever" song has over me.* Domestic violence aside, I get seriously fired up at the first beats of that tune.

When I run with my iPod, "Forever" gets put on repeat - several times.

And the song always conjures the same image in my mind: me, running down the chute at Ironman Arizona, heading toward the finish line and official Ironman announcer Mike Reilly, who, incidentally is blasting "Forever" from the announcer's box.

Then it hit me today: Find Mike Reilly and ask him to play "Forever" at Ironman Arizona!

Now, mind you, this idea came to me after several hours on my bike, so I wasn't exactly "with it." But now that the idea has firmly lodged itself in my frontal lobe, I must act on it. I must find Mike Reilly. And I don't have much time left.

So, bring on LinkedIn. Bring on Facebook. Bring on Googling up the wazoo. Bring on tweeting and texting and tri-ing my hardest to find Mike.

Yes, this is a strange mission. And yes, I think training for Ironman has finally, wholly consumed me. But, considering that the dude gets accosted by Ironmen and women on a regular basis, I bet he's up for this challenge.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some Googling to do...

*As evidenced by the fact that this is my second post devoting way too much time to this song...

One Month to Go

Oh. My. Goodness. Do you know what today is? It’s October 22nd! [Insert shout-outs here: Happy anniversary, Barb & Kevin! Happy birthday, Noah! Happy un-birthdays to the rest of you!] Do you know what happens exactly one month from today? That’s right: Ironman Arizona.

I measure time now in reference to race day. Thanksgiving feels eons away, even though it’s just a few short days after Ironman. Halloween? I’m pretty sure I missed it. In fact, if you asked me what month it was, I’d most likely answer November.

So does this attitude toward time mean I’m ‘in the zone’? Or does it mean all the Gu and Gatorade Endurance have truly, finally, successfully addled my brain?

I’m not sure, but lately, I do find myself consumed with thoughts of November 22. And my behavior shows it.

When I’m running on the sidewalks these days, I don’t allow myself to step on anything but the cement pavement. I specifically run to the edges of sidewalks to avoid those metal doors.

I wash my tri shorts a certain way. I hang my tri shorts up to dry a certain way.

After I’m done swimming, I place my goggles back in my gym bag a certain way.

Every time I get off my bike, I unclip from my pedals a certain way.

Hmm. And now I officially sound neurotic.

If this is what’s happening a month out from race day, then I can only imagine what superstitions will take hold of me a few weeks from now...

Bring on Ironman.

Another Week in the Books

It's Sunday afternoon and Tim and I just put another Ironman training week in the books. We've got a mere five heavy weeks to go before tapering.

I'm sitting on our living room floor with my trusty Endurox recovery drink beside me and a couple of frozen pea packages on my knees. Who knew that when you turned 30 the knees turn a tad uncooperative?

We ran 13 miles around the Back Bay just a bit ago. This followed our longest Saturday brick workout to date: I rode 100 miles - Tim rode 110 miles - and we both ran an hour. When I finished the brick yesterday, my white tank top was a grayish color and my face, neck and arms were peppered with little black bugs that had had the misfortune of being in my way during the bike ride.

Speaking of the bike ride, I met a couple of interesting cyclists along my route. Lexi (met her in Santiago Canyon) races in 100 mile trail rides. And Ira (met him at a red light in Irvine...and then kept seeing him at subsequent red lights) is cycling in the Hemet double next Sunday.

Me: "So, Ira, when you say 'double,' do you mean two centuries?"
Ira: "Yes. We'll start at 5am and hopefully finish before it gets dark."
Me: "Yeah. Good luck with that, dude."

And this is why I love crazy people. There's something for every endurance junkie...trail rides out the wazoo, double centuries, ultra marathons, Ironmans...triple Ironmans. For the record, yours truly will not be participating in a triple Ironman, but good to know there are triple-crazy people in this world.

We'll keep plugging away with our Ironman Arizona training. A quick glance at next week's schedule shows a near three hour run on Wednesday night and a 100+ mile bike ride/run on Saturday. Lexi, Ira, and my trusty spate of Orange County restrooms - can I count on you to see me through another week?

Signing off now. I think more Endurox is in order...