TAPER TIME

Taper time is among us is you haven’t already noticed,

it’s when triathlete's are ready to race and are focused.

Gone are the grueling hours of pushing the bike for 110 miles,

the GU, the Gatorade, the Cliff bars and bugs in your smile.

Gone are the brutal morning swims that cause a chill up your spine,

the freaky people in the pool that say the “LANE IS ALL MINE”!

Gone are the bricks and the hot hilly runs,

that beat you and bake you under the relentless sun.

Now you can rest, relax, sit back and chill out,

to kick up your feet and not carry on about.

But no you can’t do this; your body won't let you,

it sends nervous energy to your brain that really will get you.

So you become tense, emotional and sometimes unruly

with liable moments of crying, laughing, and acting all squirrely.

Your spouse and kids will look on and see such a mess

while you are blissfully unaware of your taper duress.

“What’s the matter, what’s up, why are you always so mad?”

“just go for a swim, a bike or a run if it’s that bad.”

What do you mean, I’m fine, life is good, it’s not me

it’s all you others that’s got the problem you see.

Ah yes, the old adage that insanity is blind,

like a hormonal rage that makes you out of your mind.

Watch out for those of us that are going through this time

we’re clueless you see, it’s your problem not mine.

So we are at the end, it’s here, the race is in sight

the finish line is engrained in our will and our might.

We see nothing but this, our focus is great

so please be kind and give us our last little wait.

It’s only 7 more days till the Ironman is here

and then we’ll be normal again, I promise………. till the next following year!

It Takes an Army

It Takes an Army

            Being a newbie to the Ironman distance, I’ve learned firsthand really how much preparation and time is needed to accomplish this feat! There are so many factors that have to be weighed into the training, like the logistics, the financial preparation, the execution and the recovery of this race. It is an all encompassing event that affects everyone, from participant, to family, friends, colleagues and extended acquaintances. Here is a little glimpse of how it has taken an army of people to help me prepare for this upcoming day.

            Starting with the consideration of this race, there were many conversations between us friends trying to decide which race we would do, and who we could get to go with us. This really was no small feat, since there were four girls trying to decide on one thing, while trying to incorporate other acquaintances to partake in it with us. So there was a lot of wait and see, debates, and finally coercion! Lol  Everyone wanted to do the IM distance, but we knew that we didn’t want to do it alone, so this began the start of my army of comrades. (Zoe, Moe, Angela, and Myself).

            After the money was on the table and we signed the next year of our life away, a sense of urgency to start preparing over the winter months erupted. Thanks to Zoe Metro and John Loudermilk, our fellow personal trainers and expert IM distance triathletes, a winter cycling group was formed to ride indoors every Saturday for two hours. We would meet at cross fit in Ann Arbor to ride our bikes on trainers, with the classes being lead by either one of them. These classes weren’t your usual spin class, they focused on real cycling, incorporating long endurance rides, sprints from hell that never ended, gigantic mountain/resistance rides, and lots and lots of riding while standing up, sometimes with no resistance (just to add a little bit more misery).  This was the first taste of what type of endurance one needed to build in order to have a happy race day. (Did I just say happy?) Despite lack of sleep, wild winter days, icy roads, or vacations, these two made it happen every week, and never once complained, ok maybe they did take their frustration out on us once in a while ;)

            Winter swimming I think was one of the worst things I had to endure in all this training. Fitting exercise into my life without it disrupting my family life too much really forced me to swim and train early in the mornings, like 4am! If it wasn’t for my comrades agreeing to meet me there at those ungodly hours, I probably wouldn’t have survived. It was their company that helped motivate me to roll out of bed, begrudgingly put on my swim suite, head out in the freezing snowy drive way, freeze all the way to the gym, and then plunge into the coldest possible water for the next hour. THIS WAS HELL! And just when I started to think that I didn’t need to keep this up, I would swim next to my friends, and I would be lapped time and time again by them. So I couldn’t just give up, I had to give it more, and hence I would do it all again by myself later on. Thanks all for making me swim!!!!

            Other members of my army include my running buddies, i.e. Ninjas; Angela, Christine, Moe, Dan, & Bernie.  Even though I couldn’t run as well or as much as I have in the past, I still was able to meet up with them and run outside in the wintery months and indoors when our cold intolerance reached its maximum capacity. It was the long cold days that can somehow suck all motivation and life out of a person, but with this strong group of individuals’ contagious energy and their love for fun, I was always wanting more time with them, running of course. J So my days were filled with wonderful outdoor training in the slow snow falls, on trails, through the dirt roads, and yes, sometimes even in the freezing whipping winds. I think the coldest temps that I ran with them were somewhere close to 12-14 degrees, and yes we did actually enjoy ourselves. It’s amazing how crisp fresh air can make you feel especially when most everyone else is cooped up with stagnate heat blowing on them.

            Once winter broke and we arrived into spring, well what little spring we had, it now became time to make that maiden voyage outside to ride! YIPEE! It was time to really open up and see what my new ultra light and aerodynamic piece of machinery can do. So if one is looking for speed, who better to ride with than Amy Gluck and the capacitor!  One of my first rides of the year was with Amy and we headed to Hines drive to give it a test drive. Speed was on my brain, but nails were in my tires! Lol  Within the first 5 miles, I got my first flat tire and my first go at changing it as well. This process was taking a little long, so Amy stepped up very politely to give me some lessons on quick tire changes! Thanks Amy (I felt like such a dork).  Others that have kept me company on my many long rides were Eric Hughes and Suk-Kyu, along with their army of buddies. It didn’t matter that I was the only female; they gladly rode with me rain or shine, and kept my training on track. Thanks guys!

            So I’ve been asked time and time again, how do you find the time to do this??? Well the answer is in work schedule, the 4am workouts, the babysitters that come at early hours on the weekends (thanks Hailey, Lexi, Abby, and Natalie), my mother n law that helps us with EVERYTHING (thanks Elon) and of course because of my husband Darin.  Poor Darin has had to endure the most of what IM training has to offer, a tired and sometimes crabby ME! He gave his morning gym days to me so I can train, gave up nights after work for me to train if needed, did without running with me on the weekends to reduce babysitter costs, at times taken over bedtime for the kids if I was exhausted or too sick to help, and towards the end has endured 6-8 hours at a time of me being gone over the weekends to get my long training days in.  He’s heard me moan and groan over my multiple and ever changing injuries, he’s tried to reassure me, motivate me, listen to me, and most of all, he has tried to stay out of my way at times! J Without the support of my family, friends and husband, I dare say I would not have gotten this far in my endeavor.

            Other people that I have had to lean on were my father n law, who would patiently drive his boat next to me while I swam, often times laughing when I would scream about seaweed that I would swim through. Amy and Roman who helped me figure out my nutrition and would patiently listen to my tales of bonking and dehydration. Eric McBride who has been running with me for 3 years and started riding with me, just to give me that extra push and critique needed in my biking form to go the extra mile. Erika Myers for helping me early on with swim stroke and workouts, and thanks to my swim coach Chrissie. Dan McGuire for helping me with access to his pool for swim lessons and longer swim days. Amy and Alan for taking me to Kentucky to give me an IM weekend workout, show me the bike course, give me guidance for race day, and showed me all the stuff I would need to know when I get down there. All my Warrior pals (Janet, Dina, Debbie, Niki, Andrea, Suk-Kyu) who so graciously ordered a tri jersey just so that I was able to have a jersey made for the race.  And lastly thanks to my kids who put up with mom always “training”.

            In two weeks, the IM race will be here, and all these people will be with me. All their voices of what they have said over the year, their memories of times together, their energy that they have given to me, all will be carried with me through the race and across that finish line. I just wanted to give everyone that has helped me some idea of what you mean to me, how you have helped, and how very thankful I am to have you in my life. If I didn’t have you all, I would not be half the person that I am today. Thanks for everything!

            The last part of my “Army” is Liela Shrum. She has been with me for years, and even though she is no longer here with us physically, she definitely is with me emotionally and spiritually. She lost her battle to breast cancer 1 year ago, but her spirit and love for life has continued to be carried on in memories of her through her girls, her family and her friends. This race for me will be a testament to her and to all my friends with breast cancer (Janet, Trisha, Amy, Elon, Brenda).  It will be my opportunity to experience a small portion of the struggles that they face on a daily basis. To experience the emotional, physical and psychological turmoil that they may have endured, and to really appreciate the magnitude of strength it takes to continue to go forward, when every ounce of your being is screaming for you to stop. Know that when I am in my darkest hours in this race, it will be all of you girls, especially Liela, that will give me strength. You all are amazing, and I’m so proud to call you my friend!

Learning Curve Pains!

Learning Curve Pains!

            Starting the training for the Ironman was the easiest thing that I have ever done. My training was pretty much the same as it has been for years, so the learning curve was zero. As the mileage and time required to train increased, I figured that just like everything else, things would fall into place as they always have. But what I didn’t account for was Murphy’s Law.

            If a 2 hour ride was possible, then a 3-6 hour ride should feel the same, just a little more tedious mentally and physically. If running was easy, then it should continue to be so even after a long ride, after all, I’m not new to the triathlon world. Well was I ever wrong. Everything I’ve read and heard never prepared me for the “on the job” learning curve. I felt cheated, like someone was purposely not giving me the dirty little secrets of the “real” things that happened while training, and how to combat and prepare for them. I was left wondering why someone hasn’t written a Tell All book like they have for women who are pregnant, or for new parents.  What I was wishing for was a manual of triathlon, but not for the nuts and bolts of it, but for the neuansous that occur and how to handle them. For all you that don’t do these things, you’re probably left wondering “what could she possibly be referring to? “, well keep reading and you will find out.

            It is my belief that the best training and education you can receive in life, is that of life’s lessons from firsthand experience. So things that occur without warning, become a lesson, leaving you to figure out the correct course of action by yourself. After dealing with many of these, I have become very good at posing questions to friends. What I’ve found is that most people have encountered many of the same situations, and have advice on how to proceed. This further compounds my conviction that it would be easier for the information to be told to me in the first place so I didn’t have to falter in order to go forward!  It’s almost like the seasoned athletes want more people to partake in these endurance races so that they can sit by and laugh when someone else is stumbling the same way they did. Now I’m sure this isn’t the case, and that there is not an unspoken pack amongst them, but it certainly feels that way sometimes.

            Case in point, I’ve known that bike seats can be uncomfortable, even downright painful, but how much pain is too much pain. And is it normal to have UNBELIEVABLE pain due to other medical conditions (i.e., allergic reactions to the glide being used on the nether regions! OUCH). Why didn’t anyone tell me that this reaction is not a normal variant and that making a change could produce a better outcome! L Nope, I had to suffer for months till I finally figured out what might be causing my pain.  

            Also it would be nice if there was a magical formula on how much fluid you have to drink, what kind, when, and what types of foods you have to eat and how much/often. This definitely is a learning curve that no one can give you the formula for. Don’t get me wrong, there are guidelines out there, but that’s it. No one is the same, and therefore what works for one person, certainly may not work for another.  To break this down more in what I’ve learned, let’s first look at fluids. There are many options of what to drink, water/Gatorade/Gu/Ironman products/Heed (well you get my point, I could go on for a while here).  All these different products will cause a different outcome for each person. One may cause severe diarrhea, one may just cause nausea and vomiting, it may make you thirstier, and it may leave you so you don’t want to or can’t drink anything more, too much will cause stomach sloshing and vomiting, too little dehydration and bonking. UGH. Next we have all the nutritional supplements. There is the thick liquid gooey stuff with or without caffeine, there are gu chomps, waffles, jelly beans, or powder to use in your water, there are salt tablets, electrolyte tablets etc…. WTF how do you know what to use and when. The process to figuring out your nutrition is really what the Ironman is all about. I think it takes 4-6 months of trial and error with keeping detailed statistical information either in your head or written down to figure out the best pairing of all the above. Then you have to throw in the weather elements as another factor, because it will create a change in your demand for all these things. Again, if you get it right, you’re well on your way to a great race, get it wrong, and you may suffer 17 hours of agony running from port o potty to port or potty, could end up road side needing medical attention, you could finish but need the medic tent, or you could just be in agony for a week trying to recover.  Ah the learning curves of the Ironman.

            My best advice for people who are thinking of doing this is to find a good mentor. I have surrounded myself with many seasoned endurance athletes, and if it wasn’t for them, I probably would be having many more problems than I currently am. I can’t thank all of my friends enough for your never ending supply of advice and patience to things that may seem quite elementary. Your unwavering support has been a blessing and has eased my learning curve pains, at least a little. Thank You!

There's no SHORT CUTS in life

There’s no SHORT CUTS in life

            The cliché of “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” can be applied to training, but reworded to say, there’s no short cuts in life.  This I have found to be very true when running, when trying to train without doing ALL the workouts and just in life in general. Last weekend at the Bernie’s and Friends Running Extravaganza, my friend Zoe and I set out on our long run. We had lots of friends with us at the start, but soon everyone paired off and went in different directions. The day was very hot, as we started our run around 11:30am with the high noon sun and not very much tree coverage. After about 11 miles, we had a choice to make, run back from where we came (which would have been maybe 3 miles) or take the short cut, as we were right by were he said it would be. We decided to do the Bernie’s Short Cut to the back of his house, as we really needed something to drink and thought it would be less than 1 mile.

            The short cut took us by the High School track (check), by the cell tower (check), and then follow the trail behind the woods to come out to his yard (WAIT, THERE’s NO TRAIL). WWWAAAA. All that could be seen was dense brush/weeds that were taller than our knees as far as the eye could see. So we decided to go through the brush to the woods and see if we could make our way through that. Once in the woods, it was too thick and we were getting scraped on our legs and bugs were attacking us. So out of the woods we came, only to venture over to the lawn mowing guy. We asked about this so called trail, and he said he’s been cutting this field for 10 years for the football guys and doesn’t know anything about a trail. So now we had a choice, go back from where we came, or continue on for our search of the SHORT CUT. Yep you guessed it; we had to press on to search for it. After walking another few hundred yards in scratchy weed infested brush, passing a little swamp lake, we realized we couldn’t get out of this situation very easily. We are now REALLY hot, Very thirsty, and about to have a temper tantrum cause of all the searching of this damn trail.  Zoe thankfully took the lead, as I’m sure she was tired of hearing me whine about my frost bite area that had started blistering and now was being ripped open from the weeds, Damn this short cut is no fun. So we finally made it to the road that would lead us back to Bernie’s, and so started another slow run to the finish. What was supposed to be a 12 mile run, ended in 15 miles. Not so short after all!