The Run

My feet felt like two peg legs at first. I focused on taking short little steps and keeping good form. I passed a group of cheering folks (not mine) and one of them looking very intently at me – I heard her say, very intensely, like it was really important I hear it: “Good footwork!”. I can’t imagine that’s what she really said to some random stranger, but it worked for me! For the next 15 minutes or so, anytime I felt tired which was oh, about every 3 seconds, I’d think: but that stranger looked at my form and thought I had Great Footwork!! And it would give me a boost every time. Spectators, seriously: You have no idea how much your cheering means. Thank you.

I knew the run would be tough and I was right. The entire backs of my legs, my butt and hamstrings, were so, so tired. After about a mile and a half I finally lost the peg leg feeling and turned into a runner, but it was still really hard to keep going. I kept on returning to my running mantra, which is very simple: tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock. It keeps me focused on my turnover, which helps my speed. And more importantly as I say it I can’t also concentrate on how dang hard this thing is I’m doing.

The run is a lot more social which helps for me. They had an aid station, passed twice, with sort of enthusiastic and cheering volunteers. There other runners to see, and cheer. I also had saved a treat for the run: a double-shot espresso flavored guu. Yuuuummm. When it got really tough I just sipped off my guu and told myself, pretend you’re just out on a lovely Sunday morning run, with some delightful coffee at hand. Not tired! Refreshed! Perky! Energetic! Glad To Be Out Here! On This Sunday Morning! Worked for a while anyways. Then it was back to tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock.

I also kept having all this emotion swell up in me, over and over, as I turned around at the halfway point, and started heading back. It just seemed so huge. The race, and what I had accomplished. My fitness level. That I was doing this thing. That I had a big cheering crew waiting for me. That over 100 donors had supported me. That we had raised over $5,000 together. It all seemed just so much. The emotion just kept rising, and rising. Ever try to cry when you are breathing hard? I did. I found it doesn’t work so well. Each time the emotion would swell, and I would sorta cry, sorta pant, and then my throat would get all tight and I’d sound like a wheezing asthmatic. One that you want to take to the hospital, stat. Finally, I had to just get a grip. Enough with the feelings. You gotta run right now, woman!

The run was just hard. I remember seeing some grass on the side and looking longingly at it, and thinking how good it would feel to lay down, just for a moment. Or for the rest of the race.

But I just kept going. Tick-tock-tick-tock. Finally the road part of the race was over. We pulled into the park for the final 1.4 mile loop around the lake. The woman in front of me had a mass of people appear, cheering her on by name. Gee, I thought, I wish my folks would see me running right now.

Rounded the corner to the nature trail, and there they all were, cheering, clapping, smiling. Noa ran up and handed me a guu packet (empty I might add). I was so delighted to see them! I gave a little leap as I passed them, that’s what boost they gave me.

Then it was back to tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock.

I had fun keeping my pace up and passing a few people. Then it was back to the running.

The last stretch was the worst. I was so, so tired, and the announcer was just around the corner. The next corner. Must be right around this bend. I guess in hindsight that the water carried the sound far across the lake, so I felt like I was chasing the finish line forever. Finally, I told myself, knock it off. This race is about to be over. Everything you’ve worked so hard to train for, this is it. Right here. Pay attention. Quit focusing on the end. Pay Attention. And of course, as soon as that worked and I got my groove on, I turned the corner, and there it was. The finish.

Run time: 57 minutes

I picked up my pace as much as I could, and raced through the chute. I could hear in the foggy distance people shouting my name.

Over.

Happy.

So Proud.

Done.

Total Time: 3 hours, 8 minutes

Race Report: The Bike

The Bike

My goal with bike was to maintain a steady cadence of over 80. I set my bike monitor to show that and steadfastly ignored the other data – time, speed, mileage, etc. I knew the course was comprised of a bunch of rolling hills and I just wanted to stay steady – spinning lightly up the hills, hammering the downs, and just riding smooth and steady. I was very successful in that. The ride is the loneliest longest part. The bikes were really spread out and there were long stretches where I was the only bicyclist I could see. Then I would come upon a spot and see oodles and wonder in amazement – where have they all been!? I passed a few, was passed. Nothing remarkable. I ate. I drank. It rained. It stopped.

There was one section that was an out and back with an uphill on the out. I was having a nice time just seeing other racers, spinning up the hill. Then I turned around and wheeeeeee!!!! I flew down that hill! I had the biggest ole grin on my face, just could not get enough of that speed. I think that fastest my odometer showed I went was about 32mph. My average speed turned out to be 16mph.

The longest and most grueling part of the bike was a portion that I mentally had erased. The course was a long road, with a loop at the end, and this out and back spur off the loop. Once I had come back from the out and back spur, I thought I would arrive back to the beginning of the loop in no time, which meant time for the last stretch home. But in fact the distance was a good quarter of the loop to get back to that home stretch. And that part was hard. I kept wondering, where is the road back, when will I get there? I’m tired. That girl just passed me. Another hill? My glutes hurt. Still? Still no home stretch? This is why they say the mental part is just as important as the physical training. Really, I kept pedaling no problem. Sure I was tired, but I was more tired further down the road and yet my pace and energy really picked up. But at that point in the ride my mind was too full of jibber-jabber and it actually slowed me down. Interesting.

Finally, the home stretch! As I passed the overflow lot I caught sight of my senior center van, and it gave me so much energy. I kept thinking of my crew waiting for me, watching all the athletes coming in, watching for me. ‘I’m coming!’ I was shouting in my head. Emotion kept rising in me, thinking of Pat, of Marge, of Fran and Beverly and John and Susan all driving such a long way to catch sight of me for a brief moment. It was so kind of them. I flew down the last portion and then it was time to slow down for the curves and wet leaves under wheel. I barely heard the person saying ‘dismount at the white line’ and am so thankful that volunteers repeat directions over and over in a clear voice, with hand gestures. You are just in such a fog and it’s amazing how hard it is for your brain to process, ‘Dismount at the white line’.

As I dismounted I caught sight of my crew and shouted some of their names. I was so so happy to see them!! My regret is that I didn’t slow down at all to say hi other than wave delightedly with a huge grin on my face. Although it is a pretty big grin.

Bike Time: 1:31 minutes

Transition Two: I racked that puppy, flung my running shoes on and was out of there! I moved fast enough that my folks didn’t get a chance to say hi at transition! I was sorry to take off without even a hello to them but couldn’t fathom not going as fast as I could. So I did.

Transition Two: 1:43

Race Report...The Swim

The Swim

Finally it was our turn! We waded into the water thigh deep. It wasn’t a treading water start after all - I was a wee bit disappointed.

I kept squeezing my goggles tighter and tighter and ducking under to check them. When they work they work great with no issue, but every once in a while they seem to leak and leak during a swim. I yanked them so tight I had soreness all around my eye sockets for the next two days. But guess what? No leakage.

10, 9, 8…the crowd counted. Finally the airhorn!

I tried to focus on moving veeerrry slowly at first, like a fellow triathlete had tipped me off to do. There was a lot of wave action at first from all the other swimmers. I just focused on swimming. Occasionally I would bump into someone or they me. In the past I would have popped up to apologize and broken my stroke to give them room. This time I just kept swimming. I am getting more used to it I guess.

I felt a little of the old panic come up when it got real choppy from the others swimmers and I caught some water breathing in from it. But, I just kept focused and kept my relaxed self-talk up, and soon it passed. Yeay! I didn’t need to break my stroke or switch to breaststroke to manage it.

Soon we were all bunched up at the first buoy to go ‘round it. After we rounded it I was successfully able to draft off another swimmer for a while, but she moved ahead. By the time we passed the 2^nd buoy we were pretty spread out and it was really just about the swimming. For some reason this third stretch, my swim lines were completely off. I kept veering to the left. I’d look up to sight the buoy, have to swim back, then look up again and – way off again! I finally started sighting every 3 stroke or so. I was very pleased with my sighting overall. I was able to peek ahead with just my eyes and not have to lift my whole head out to breathe at the same time.

The rest of the swim just trucked along. We had to do two loops and I expected to feel a mental pull toward shore as I rounded the buoy for my 2^nd lap but I felt totally fine – I was happy to keep swimming. I do remember noticing as I turned to breathe a patch of light anemic blue in the sky, and I cheered it as I swam, hoping for good weather for my spectators. And I remember wondering how many other swimmers were still in the water and wondering if I could look around to check without losing too much time. I decided not to. I remember my feet started getting a bit numb the 2^nd half . It was cold water – low 60s I think. Thanks for the wetsuit Aunt Chris!

Finally I was swimming toward the finish! I was so, so happy with my swim. I had just put my head down and…swam! My sighting was efficient, I had swum fairly straight excepting that one weird stretch, I hadn’t panicked, I hadn’t had to switch strokes! I felt brilliant coming out of the water as the photo shows.

Swim Time: 33minutes

Transition One

The transition was a loooong way from the swim exit. I shoulda timed it. Leif was cute, he jogged along with me for a stretch. Most of the bikes were gone by the time I got there, likely because all of the waves started first, but of course I didn’t think that. What I thought was, boy, even with my super-swim I’m still last out. Got my wetsuit off with a wee stuggle compounded by adrenaline and a touch of vertigo, got my helmet strapped on, and was outta there…after stuffing a mini-Snickers in my mouth.

T1: 3:33m

The Race Report...the preparation

Olympic Race Report

Preparation

I got up about 5 am, and packed up the car (in the pouring rain!). We loaded up the sleeping boy, picked up our babysitter – who was a trouper to be ready and game at 6am – and headed to Black Diamond, about an hour away. Of course as soon as we pulled away I panicked that I had forgotten something, wished I had checked once more that I had everything packed. Over and over, I asked Leif – you’re SURE you packed my helmet? You’re SURE you put my gear bag in? etc. He was very good humored about it and just answered me each time.

There's the magic bag of gear

Sipped coffee and ate pb&j sandwich for breakfast. I managed to eat most all of my breakfast before we started getting closer and suddenly my stomach completely shut down: nerves.

I was really proud of the sign I had made. It says,

1 tri-newbie + 2 sponsors (thank you Aunt Chris and Snoqualmie Valley Hospital!) + 93 donors = $5124 for rural seniors

We made it there in fine time and pulled into the race parking lot at about 7:20. Butterflies. I was amazed to see so many athletes there already, the parking lot looked to be completely full. Thankfully we slipped into a spot that others moved out of. I was glad because it was still POURING at that point and I wanted the security of a dry car for the kiddo and babysitter to hang out in.

I was really glad to be there at the exact time I had hoped to be there. I have done races where I got to the race site late and it just adds to the nerves in an unhelpful way. So, my anxiety went way down once we had arrived.

Got checked in no problem, and started setting up my area. I was so happy to be there and start this dang race already! Set up my area. For those non-familiar-with-triathlons, there’s an area in which you transition from one sport to another. All your gear that you need is in one spot, and triathletes can get very specific about exactly how it is laid out, because ideally you zip in and out of there as fast as you can. My assigned spot was just about the worst I could get, with a really long run out with bike in hand. That’s what I get for signing up early I guess! (my race number was 96).

Once I got my gear set up, then the crowds really arrived. I put my shoes on and had a nice 10 minute easy warm up run. Then it was time to get the wetsuit on and go listen to the race meeting. I managed to squeak in a wee swim also, getting the shoulders ready to roll.

hmmm, this woman looks a bit nervous...




Men's Sprint wave starting

It was a long time from getting my wetsuit on till the time I actually raced – about 40 minutes. Olympic women distance was the last to go. There were under 50 of us. It was fun to count down for all the other racing groups that left before us.

Hooray for my race cheering squad, standing there in the rain! I kept hoping it would lighten up for the seniors I knew were coming later.

Taking 'er easy

Hi all,
I know that I need to get a race report out, but I must confess I have been taking it easy this week (oh, and I'm working three nights this week also). I will get a nice detailed race report up this weekend. For now, I am catching up on my zzzzzzs....`

Some quick photos

So excited and ready for this race!






Zooming in off the bike after an hour 31 min


Hi folks - After trying three times to upload photos I just cannot pry my eyes open any longer.
Enjoy these tantalizing few and come back soon for the Big Report!

Done.

Three hours and 08 minutes.
Swim was my best ever, bike was consistent but long (hilly), run was H-A-R-D. Had a crew of seniors cheering me at the end of the bike and through the run, and that helped me a lot during the run.
I finished. I finished and I did it.

Longer (probably much much longer) post coming later with pics. For now I am going to pour myself onto the couch and sip my protein drink.

YEAY ME!

Race night ramblings

A few things running through my mind tonight, in completely nonsensical order:

1. My 'wave' starts at 9:20 tomorrow, so if you were planning on coming, you could count on delaying your planned departure by 20 minutes and still see me.

2. Just found out that the swim start is a 'water start', which means all the racers are treading water in the water when the bell goes off. Having all those bodies suddenly go from vertical to horizontal should be interesting.

3. I didn't get to do any yoga or stretching today.

4. Donations continue to come in! Wow. Thank you.

5. I am profoundly ready for this race and experience tomorrow.

And finally, this, from a local senior center volunteer and fellow triathlete, Robyn:

"You will do awesome and have a wonderful time! You can dedicate each mile to one of your Seniors to help you through. "This one is for Mary, she would be so proud of me." "Bill would expect me to pick it up right here!" It's amazing how the thoughts of the people who have supported you and who you are supporting will get you through."

Thanks, all, for being part of this journey with me. You'll be with me tomorrow.

Wow. Oh, wow.

You guys, I just counted the donations...

.
Together, we've raised OVER $5,000 for the seniors of the Snoqualmie Valley. That is just phenomenal. The donations came in from 90 people! and tallied a whopping total of $4,064. Add to that the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital's generous sponsorship of $1,000, and we have ourselves quite a substantial amount.
I am so honored and thankful to each of you for supporting this effort. Talk about putting some wind in my sails for the race on Sunday!
Wow. Thank you.

Last workout

Last workout before my triathlon tonight. A nice easy swim.

After babbling to my swim buddy nonstop on the way there about every neurosis and anxiety I'm experiencing - I haven't trained enough, I started the taper too soon, my legs won't carry me that far, I didn't do enough training on hills, I didn't stretch enough and now my hips will be too tight, I think I felt a little tweak in my knee yesterday, on and on...

It was lovely to slip into the cold water and into silence. With the rhythmic easy stroking, rolling to my side to breathe, the words came to me.

Yes. I am ready.

I MADE MY GOAL!!!!!

The donations have come streaming in in the past couple of days, definitely putting me over the top of my goal!!!! I will count them up and let you know what my total is when I have a chance to add it up. But I wanted to let you know as soon as I did.

Thank you, thank you, to all who have donated and supported me in this effort, both financially and with enthusiasm. I am a bit flustered and overwhelmed that we've done this. $3500, plus the $1000 from the Hospital, will mean an incredible amount to the Senior Center this year, and to the Seniors we serve.

I am so grateful.

So...Close...

$265 LEFT!

Taper week

My bike standing in for the both of us. What a view. What a place I live! (looking across Lake Washington to Seattle)

My gosh I am...well, I have so much free time! And so much undoing-ness during which to get anxious about the race!

Tapering is when you lay off the heavy hard training and just keep your body 'tuned up'. For big races like Ironman I think they start tapering maybe a full month before the race! For the sprints I just would lay off the training for the 3 days or so beforehand. For this one, about a week or so.

Tapering doesn't mean not doing anything. When I mentioned to my mom that I had gone on a 14 mile bike ride on Sunday - for my taper - she laughed, startled. I guess the 3 mile run the day before would have surprised her too. But with the intensity and length I've been training for, that is a taper.

(wheee, biking without the trailer! such a treat. caught the lovely sun on Saturday as I rode the circumference of Mercer Island).

Tonight I went out for a quick easy spin on the bike, squeezing it in as dusk arrived. It was real work to hold back on the pace!! My legs are used to pushing harder and going faster. It felt great to have that latent energy there, ready to spring on Sunday.

Tomorrow I hope to get an easy run in, then Thursday an easy slow swim. Then nothing. Nothing. For two days.

Then race day.

weather for Sunday

Finally saw the 5 day forecast and it looks hopeful that it will not pour on us (and more importantly the spectators) for the race on Sunday!

Sunday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71.

Hopeful...hopeful indeed.

Countdown: 6 days and $565

Well, folks. I'm in the final chute.

I've got butterflies as I sit here and type.

6 days. In 6 short days I'll be getting up at 5am, lucky if I slept at all the night before, choking down some breakfast on my stomach twisted in a knot from nerves.

In 6 days I hope to celebrate that I have raised my goal for and in honor of the senior volunteers of this great place.

If you've been meaning to make a donation - now would be a good time :-). You can click to the left there, and it will take you to a secure site.

Thank you.

Options for getting there

Option One: Hitch a cheap and fun ride with the Sno-Valley Seniors!

A cheering crew from the Senior Center will be taking a van down. It's an hour travel to get to the race site. I would highly recommend this option, as its the simplest detail-wise, the cheapest, and might be fun to chat on the way down. The timing is designed to catch me coming in from the bike leg, cheer me off on the run leg, maybe catch me halfway on the run leg, and cheer for me at the BIG FINISH. While you're driving in comfort I'll be doing the swim and the bike portion.

If you want to ride in the big blue van, be sure to sign up so they know you're coming. Call at 425-333-4152, or you can tell me. They can accommodate car seats.

Departure: 9am from the Sno-Valley Senior Center.
Return: NOT PRECISE but estimate return anywhere from 12:45 - 1:45pm.
Cost: $3
Bring: a sack lunch, your cheering enthusiasm, signs and pom-poms if ya wanna get fancy.
Expect: a lot of standing, some walking, an electrifying crowd experience.

Option Two: Come on your own

This gives you flexibility as to when you come and for long, but you have to drive yourself an hour each way and deal with the shuttle.
Here is Nolte State Park location, the site of the race. Here is the travel info the race provides.

When you arrive you'll need to park in the lot 1.5 miles away from the park. They close the parking lot of the Park for athlete safety, and any shoulders within miles are reserved for bicyclists and runners.
If you are trying to time your arrival to get to see me, your best bet is to plan to be IN the Park during the range of time I expect to come in/go out between sports. You'll want to add approx a half hour onto your travel time to make sure you get to the spectating area in time.

Here's what the race site says: "There WILL BE BUSES on Sunday morning transporting participants and spectators from Cumberland Fire Department (parking area designated with Event Parking signs), which is 1.5 miles north of Nolte State Park. "

So you think you might wanna come watch, huh?

I have a had a few people inquire about what it might be like to come spectate at the race next Sunday. I so love that you are considering it. And, I know that it will take up your entire Sunday morning, and then a smidge more, so I will have no hurt feelings if you decide not to. If you want to read a hilarious account of what it is like to spectate, check out this blog post another blogger/triathlete wrote up. WARNING: do not click if you do not like swearing words. The author very much does.

I will say that the race experiences I've had were really interesting, and the energy is electric and friendly. You'll get to see a sea of racked bikes, or athletes zipping in and out both on bikes and on foot, and grandkids cheering on their grandpa with sweet homemade signs, and overweight beginner athletes proudly crossing the finish line. It's pretty neat.

My total shot-in-the-dark ESTIMATED times:

Swim Start: 9am
Swim Finish, Bike Start: 9:30 - 9:40
Bike Finish, Run Start: 10:45 - 11:09
Run and FINAL Finish: 11:35 - 12:15

The fastest times I came up with by adding the fastest times I have recorded, the later times the slowest. I don't how much time to add on for the fatigue of the distance, nor how much time to subtract for the adrenaline and excitement of actually racing. Basically, plan to be at the transition area by the early time, then expect to wait for a while.

An Ode to Spectators - especially my sweet husband.

You get up early.
You drive long distances.
You schlep our gear.
You fuel us up.
You stand rooted at one spot and wait. And wait. And hold off using the restroom. And ignore the rain. And cheer on strangers. And cheer madly and wildly for the 5 seconds that your athlete whizzes by.
You put up with us when we are jittery and cranky pre-race.
You bring extra clothes because you know we might need them later.
You bring extra bananas in case of...well, bananas are always good to have in case.
You listen and listen to the complete and detailed and babbled and not-always-non-sequiter reporting of every second of the race.
You manage to mostly be interested.
You take picture after picture after picture.
You spur us on, knowing you are there, knowing you are waiting, knowing you are pulling for us, hearing your cheers and encouragement.

Thank you.

(there is a video of said waiting that I would LOVE to upload and have had no success with. If you are familiar with blogger and could tech-spot me I would really like to include it with this post. Leave me a comment or shoot me an email. thanks)

Yup, it rained. Yup, I ran.

Well, it was raining when I got home today, all fired up to go for a run. Not any misty, moist air - type rain. Raining. As in you are going to be wet if you stand out here for 3 minutes rain.

So I put on the running shoes, got the kid in the stroller in a rain jacket, and off we went. If I'm going to be sweating anyways, what's a little rain, right? I only saw one other person out there, another runner.

And you know what else? It didn't really rain for 2/3's of the run. Or, maybe I was wet enough at that point I couldn't really tell. In any case I was glad I went.

These next two photos have nothing to do with a triathlon or seniors. It's a gratuitous mom shot. This is my son's favorite trail game. He begs to play it whenever we set out on a jog, and whenever we approach this barrier the plea starts up again. "Mom, can we play Coffee Stand?"


"What would like sir?"
"Here you go sir. Would you like something for your boy?"

Talk about an utter Northwest kid. Thinks nothing of whipping up a foamy latte in the drizzle.

I had the delight of hearing from two friends that they read and enjoyed this blog, and a blushingly proud email from my mama sharing with her friends this blog link (welcome Taiji-ers from Illinois!). It was fun, since most of the time writing this blog feels like a strange combo of private journal and jettisoning my words out into outer space and hoping they land...somewhere! Thanks for reading, and sharing this journey with me.

The article is up!

Thanks to Bill Falcon over at Emerald Falcon Printing, you blog readers now get to read the article for free. Thanks Bill and Laura! If you don't know them, they really are a great couple that put a terrific service on for our small community through their publication River Current News. They also have a full service print shop.

If you are a local, please consider subscribing to help continue this local coverage. As a bonus, if you subscribe and let 'em know I sent you, they'll donate $5 back to the race!

Enough bally-who, here's the link.

So much great news I had to make a list!

I am not even sure where to begin!

One.
I now have a sponsor for my race! The Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District, a wonderful small rural hospital that serves our Valley, has offered a very generous sponsorship for my efforts. THANK YOU Snoqualmie Valley Hospital!


Two.
The article in the River Current News is finally online! Unfortunately a) tomorrow the new paper comes out, so it may be replaced, and b) you have to be a subscriber to see it. I will check with the publishers to see if they'll allow me to share it here. In the meantime, at least you can peek at the picture, and if you decide to subscribe, they'll pitch in $5 per subscription toward this race. Here's the pic featured in the article:


Three.
My goal is getting closer....and closer....and closer....I have $695 left to raise. Yup. $695. You all have been so incredibly generous. You have donated $2,805 toward supporting the health and wellbeing of seniors in the Snoqualmie Valley. Thank you thank you. I am humbled.

Four.
I am finally Finally FINALLY tapering. That means all my heavy lifting for training is over. I still need to get out there and keep it up, but at this point, as LunaChix Janet so aptly put it: all you'd do at this point is tire your body out and potentially injure yourself'. And she's doing a 1/2 iron this weekend, so I'm inclined to believe she knows what I'm talking about.

It is a bit unnerving to realize that whatever fitness tracks I've laid down before now, that's it. That's what I'll have in my pocket come race time. That, and the support of innumerable friends, supporters and donors at my back.

Calories. They matter.

Yesterday I went to check out the race site.
Here's what it takes to bring all my gear plus hubbie and kid in tow....


We didn't have time to do the bike all together (probably because it took so long to load up all that gear!), so my husband and I switched off swimming and running around the lake (which is small part of the run course) pushing the jog stroller.

My swim went fine, other than some annoying goggle issues. BUT. Get this: the lake was lovely. Smooth as glass, small, protected, trees all around (ie no pesticide run-off fouling the water). After the crazy wave debacle in my ChelanMan sprint, and the freezing early June water of Lake Sammamish from my first Issaquah Tri sprint, I am ready for some smooth easy swimming. Here's a pic from the website:


When I started my run, I felt so sluggish. I took an enormous amount of energy to move my body through space. And pushing the jog stroller, OI!

The negative voices started up, a cacophony in my head. "How will you ever do this race if you can't even swim then run a tiny portion? This race is in 2 weeks - you haven't trained enough! Who were you kidding that you could pull this off? Your body is just too tired, maybe you should just rest for today.' Man, when those voices start up, they really put up a fight.

Then - THANKFULLY - I thought...wait a minute...I calculated how long it had been since I had eaten breakfast. Ah. It was now 5 hours later. Ah. Thankfully I had stuck an energy gel in a pocket, so I sucked on that while I tried to be more patient with my chatterbox son. In a few moments, I didn't have to work quite so hard to be patient...what he was saying was amusing and distracting. And, in a few minutes, my legs suddenly felt like they were running through regular oxygen instead of goo. OOohhhhhh. I had been hungry. My muscles weren't working right. It's not that I am under-prepared for the race, or incapable of doing this much activity, or need to quit. It's that my body just needed calories.

(with apologies to the great Dinah Washington)
"What a difference a GU made,
twenty-four sips of glucose...
Brought the sun and flowers
where there used to be rain!!"

Still, after running the first 1.5 mile loop, I left the stroller with the husband and ran a 2nd lap just to be sure.

2 weeks and $1,365 to go

Alright folks...it's officially countdown time.
14 days till race day.
Just under $1400 to raise.

That's just $100 a day...right? Just 100 dollar bills every single day. No worries.

And, that's just 14 days left to prepare for a mile long swim. Then a 26 mile bike ride. Then, oh why not, a 6 mile run. No worries there either, right?

hmmm, I'm having one of those anxious days again today.

I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!

Things I had never done before

Tonight my swimming was in fine form. I was relaxed, I rotated on my axis to breathe instead of lifting my head up, I sighted well. Did I mention I was relaxed? It got me thinking about how far my swimming has come since I started training for my first Sprint this Spring. Which got me thinking about all the new things that I have done this summer all prompted by my decision to do a triathlon. The list grew in my head.

It is pretty impressive if I do say so myself. It is so funny how quickly I move on to the next thing forgetting to take stock of how far I've come. This list completely gives me perspective and energy for the last push of training.

I had never swum freestyle comfortably.
I had never used bike shoes or clips before.
I had never gone on a trail run.
I had never biked with a group of people before.
I had never considered my pace, my cadence, or my turnover before. Nor did I know what any of those meant.
I had never done a track workout before, or a tempo run.
I didn't know that bikes came in different sizes, and that it was important to ride the right size for you.
I had never run for an hour before.
I had never run a 10K before.
I had never swum in a wetsuit.
I didn't know what road bike etiquette was.
I had never read an athletic woman's magazine.
I had never eaten an energy gel before.
I did not consider my self an athlete.
I had never written a blog.
I had never raised funds for a personal cause.
I could not swim for 40 minutes without stopping . (especially not freestyle! - more like 2 laps at a time for freestyle)
I had no idea I was so capable.
I had never been so fit that I could find out about a 10k on a Tuesday and race it that Saturday.
I thought that a brick was only something that my old hometown of Chicago used for buildings.
I had never owned a road bike (thanks, Aunt Chris!)
I didn't know that I would love road bicycling so much.
I had never been 'body-marked' before.
I didn't know what it felt like to cry with pride and so much feeling both at the start line and the finish line.

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
John Bingham, aka The Penguin Runner

Over $2,000 raised!!!

You put me over $2,000 today! Yes! THANKS SO MUCH.

Now only $1500 to go...starting to seem like I might just get there, with your help.

Tonight I'm off on a swim, then tomorrow I'll go to the actual race site to ride the course, and check out the swim and bike area, generally to get a feel for how it will be race morning.

I'm starting to get very. tired. of training. I am telling myself, only 2 more weeks than time to taper baby! Your donations and support make a great difference to me, since I know I am training for all of us. Thanks again.

Fitting it all in

I was interviewed for an article for the River Current News about my triathlon, and she asked me with some astonishment, 'How do you fit it all in?' It's a question I get not infrequently, and I wish I had a good answer for her in that moment.

But I've been thinking it about it since then, and here's my answer.

Our family has decided that caring for our health is a non-negotiable. That is, it's great if we are able to do other things, but time for exercise, and for preparing and eating wholesome foods comes first.
And that's how we fit it in.
First.

Practically speaking:
Yesterday I got home from work, threw the kid in the stroller, and raced off on a tempo run. (Tempo is a run faster than you would like. Another word for it might be a torture run). I got back, changed clothes, grabbed a bite for my son and I, and headed off to a meeting for church. When we got home, I put him to bed, relaxed for a while then followed suit.

Tonight I'm all set up for popping him in the bike stroller and jetting out on a bike ride. Then I'll bring something for him to eat while he comes to a City Council meeting with me for a work presentation. When we get home, he'll go to bed. I'd like to say I'll clean the house then go to bed too, but likely I'll relax for a little instead.

And that's how it works. Not every evening is like this, but some are. It does take a decision to do it, and it does take some pre-planning. But my body is still ALL DAY LONG. Sitting. I figure the least I can do is wedge a quick 30 minute workout in there. Bodies are not designed to be sedentary, and they work better when you move.

How do you fit it all in?

What does the next 35 years hold?

I haven't talked as much as I would have liked about this Senior Center, and why I am so passionate about running this race in their honor and for their benefit. While long, I thought I would post the speech I gave at the 35th Anniversary Party we had two weeks ago. It may give you a glimpse into what this place is about.

"35 years ago, this community institution was begun by a volunteer, Ethel Gould, whose daughters honor her today by sponsoring this event. We are honored to be joined tonight by Debbie Anderson, who was a young social worker at the time who worked with Mrs. Gould to get Sno-Valley started, and also by two charter members of Sno-Valley Seniors, Norma Pearson and Essie Sarver – both, who I would mention, have children who are now seniors and serving on our board.

The volunteer roots that are at the heart of this Center began that day. This organization is unique in the caliber, and capacity, and commitment of our volunteers. It is those very volunteers who are keeping us not only open in this brutal economy, in which we’ve taken $100,000 of funding cuts in the last 3 years, but incredibly, EXPANDING our service offerings to the community.

This event is a perfect example of that. It has been entirely conceived, planned, and executed by volunteers.

It's my job tonight to share with you a bit about this place.

I could tell you about our 24,634 programs we offer in a year. But I’d rather tell you about Mike who uses a scooter, and after faithful attendance to our Enhance Fitness class is now able to rise out of his chair to do squats with the class.

I could tell you about the 1300 we serve annually, but I’d rather tell you about the one, who, though in poor health, moved independently to the mobile home park and attended our Center daily. When she died last year, her family made a point of telling us that we had given her 5 good years, years spent as her own free agent in her home, as opposed to her other option which was substandard assisted living.

I could report to you the amazing difference in outcomes that are connected to senior isolation versus seniors who are connected into and integrated with their society. I’d rather tell you about a love story between two lonely individuals, who met in our exercise class, and who now share a beautiful life together.

I could report our astounding statistic of 263 volunteers, but I’d rather ask you if you knew that Fran Carlson, senior volunteer and board member, hatched the plan to turn our little rental house into a community Thrift Store, and now spends 20-40 hours a week running it with the help of other volunteers.

There is something magical about this place. There is some sense of grace that emerges from the community here. It is truly a gift.

I am privileged to stand in this role at this time in this organization’s history. We are on the cusp of some incredible changes.

The ‘silver tsunami’ is beginning to trickle in our doors, changing the way we think about and care for our aging population.

The diversity in this Valley will begin to change as well, creating opportunity for us to throw wide open our doors of this place we love and share.

The public funding for this Center, while always small, will move to almost zero next year, providing incentive for us to come to you, our community, for your individual support of this Center, and forcing us to take a look at our financial and fee structure.

We are preparing for it.

We are launching new ways of being connected. Facebook, email, online registrations…

We are actively recruiting boomers on our board, so they can help guide us toward continued relevance for the younger seniors.

We are launching a 5 phase building campaign, which will create a renovated facility in which we can support these new endeavors.

I ask for your help. Spread the word, let people know we are here. Visit us again, for one of our many events, or for Zumba or our homemade lunch. Connect someone who is caring for an aging parent to the support we have to offer them. Sign up online for our newsletter and stay connected.

This is all done on behalf of you, and because of you. I truly thank each of you for the role, whether small or large, in helping this incredible place arrive at its 35^th anniversary. And, I ask for your help in carrying us forward toward the next 35. Thank you."

I'm halfway to my fundraising goal!!

Whoot! You all just bumped me over halfway to my total fundraising goal. We've now raised $1,761 in honor of the senior volunteers here. THANK YOU!!!

And thanks too for all your supportive comments and cheers. I am at the point in training where it just seems like a LOT and my body is a wee bit tired as I push it toward higher strength and power. What a difference it makes when I read your encouraging words, or when you mention you've read my blog and it inspired you to do your PT. We are all on this adventure toward health and well-being together.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(Only $1,740 to go!)

Labor Day fun

"What'd you do for Labor Day?"

"Eh, not much. Just swam a mile. Then biked eleven. Then threw in a run of 2 miles. In the pouring rain. Just for kicks."


Also, what is with the burgers?! I am not a burger eatin' woman. I mean every once in a while is fine and good and all, but we are more a pinto beans and chicken kind of family. However, in the last week I have gone out of my way to consume not just one, but four cheeseburgers. Or was that five? It all started after the Aquathon, when I insisted that Leif drive me to find a cheeseburger after the race, even though he had packed a perfectly reasonable and healthy dinner. And it seems to have unleashed the beast in me.

I'm whooped after my training-workout-that-was-practically-a-sprint-triathlon, so I'm tuckin in early. Hope you were pleased with your Labor Day fun too.

I have caught the sickness

I think it is a strange and sick thing that when I realized I had a three day holiday weekend coming up, my first thought was SWEET! 3 whole days to get tons of training in! Yup, I have caught the sickness indeed.

Today was great with a nice long swim with some friends, and then later a fast shorter run pushing the kiddo. I also had some giddy shopping at the REI clearance, where I found an official tri suit on sale in my size. I bought it, not because I couldn't race in something else, but it makes me feel fast and sleek and official, and that counts for something.

I think that the Aquathon really helped me turn a corner on my confidence level. Now instead of quaking in fear when I think of race day approaching, I actually am starting to look forward to it. I also sent out a somewhat SOS appeal to some more experienced triathletes imploring them for advice, and their words of support and encouragement also really helped. I am so grateful for the great people I have met through this sport.

Now off to tend to that 4th oft-neglected pillar of training: rest.

Wheeeee!!! We topped $1500 today!

Thanks to all you donors, I am currently up to $1,552 in my fundraising efforts toward the Senior Center. THANKS! You donors are a fun mix of work colleagues, seniors and board members, and family and friends, and triathlon buddies. I appreciate every single gift. Thank you.

Only $198 to go and I'm at the halfway mark!

Race Report: Islander Aquathon

One of the things that goes along with this sport are the race reports - the blow by blow accounting of exactly how your race went, what ran through your head, how you felt, etc. It's great athletic navel gazing.

So in that great tradition I'm going to post my race report from Islander Aquathon, which I took part in tonight. Be prepared. It is very detailed. Scan away!

The course: 1k swim followed by 8k run. So, an almost Oly distance, minus the bike, basically.

I was really nervous about this race, because, well, I always get really nervous before races. But also because the last swim I did - both for race and training - was ChelanMan. And, a) that was a long time ago, and b) boy, those were some waves. They really freaked me out - everytime I came up for a breath I got gobsmacked in the face. Grabbed hold of a boat 3 times. But I did finally haul myself up on that shore. Oh, and c) longest swim distance I had done in a race.

It was an evening race, kind of unusual and kind of fun. My family was able to come with me to cheer me on, which was a sweet bonus.


Pre-race I am not very nice to be around. I am a total case of nerves getting there. I am able to relax only once I am in transition (the spot where you leave all your stuff for all the legs), with my wetsuit on, and everything set up. Even if I have lots of extra time before the race. I just become incredibly mono-focused. This race was no different. Happily I was ready to go and even dunked in the water for a few strokes for the race meeting.



The race meeting is right before the race begins. The race director gives you important information like which buoys you are supposed to go around, which side to go around them, how many loops the run course you should do. This is sort of helpful information. I wish I had listened more carefully....

This race, like many, had multiple distances. I was competing in the long distance. Long swimmers - men - started first, then long swimmers - women - followed three minutes behind. This is called a wave, and is much appreciated since it cuts down on the thrashing from everyone starting out all at once. The shorter course swimmers started behind us.

I felt good starting out. I felt relaxed, and I tried to keep it that way. It doesn't bother me too much to get bumped and touched by the other swimmers. I caught the first buoy of 3 very quickly! Rounding that buoy each time (we had to do the loop 2 times) was when the waves hit. Not big waves tonight. Just enough to catch a mouthful every once and a while. It brought up the panic of the last swim. I relaxed, I flipped to my back, I relaxed, I did breaststroke. It worked, both times around. I still felt that panic rising, but I was able to calm myself. Success!

You had to run up on to the beach and back down again for the 2nd loop. Leif caught some pics - VERY hard to do when everyone is in wetsuits, googles, and swim caps. Thanks, honey.

I noticed on the 2nd loop around that there weren't many swimmers left out there. I thought, really? I felt like I was swimming pretty standard for me, which is not really fast but not super slow. And I reminded myself to focus on my own race.

The other thing you have to do in a triathlon/open water swim race is 'sight' - that is, you have to keep looking up to check you are still swimming in a straight line toward the buoy. You can very quickly waste a lot of energy zigzagging the course if you don't. And tonight, everytime I started to get a rhythm and start to feel good and strong, I would think, nah, I'm sure I'm swimming pretty straight, I'm going to ride this rhythm and wait for a while longer to sight. (you know where this is going don't you?) I didn't veer completely off course, but I was frustrated at having to choose h between getting a good swim rhythm going with my head down, and then having to interrupt that to sight.

There is something about swimming in a race that just sucks it out of me. Something about the combination of nerves, being in essentially a pitch-black, soundless medium in which you are racing, and the limited oxygen all makes for a very tough mental experience.

Racing up to transition, I was pleased. Wow! I can do 1k and not collapse! My swim time was 25:03. Interestingly, the ChelanMan, which was 1/2 the distance but SO. HARD., my time was 23:53. Conditions matter a lot.

Switched out to my running gear and took off. It was nice not to have the dead-legs from a bike to run transition.

The course was 3 loops long. This is where it would have been really helpful to have listened to the course directions. I had no clue, nor had I walked the course before. It's mostly mental, to have a sense of how much longer, but mental matters alot. So I felt like I was running 'blind' until the very end, when I heard 'final loop to the finish'.

The run went great, other than that mental blip.

I ran it my recent, first 10k very conservatively. Now I knew I could do that distance, so I decided to move at a faster clip. Again, I felt like was at the complete back of the pack. Strange, since I have mostly been in the middle in races. I finally decided that since it was an evening race, it probably attracted mostly more elite athletes. It is really inspirational to see those folks whiz by you. In triathlons, they mark your age group on your calf, so you can play with 'racing' others in your age group, or be wowed by someone in the 60year old age group.

I felt great coming into the finish line. My run time was 46:43, which I am very pleased with. I shaved a minute from my 10kpace time (ie tonight I ran an average of 9:24 a mile, whereas in my 10k I ran an average of 10:25 a mile).

My total race time was 1:13:43. I came in 10 out of 10 in my age division, and 110 out of 125. It wasn't my imagination that I was at the back!

However, tonight's race I will remember the heavy older woman, who was the last out of the water, and heading out on her final, slow loop as I was celebrating with my family at the finish line. The race had a pretty tight timeline for ending, since it got dark. She didn't make the cut-off, and as I was leaving after the awards were given out and the race clock had been taken down, there she was, in the growing dark, lumbering her way toward the finish. Good for you, woman in the yellow jersey. Your grit and determination and focus inspired me tonight. I hope you felt as in awe of yourself as I and the fellow racers who saw you did. Good for you.

Four weeks to go and a third the way there.

Well, I've got four weeks - four - until my triathlon Sunday Sept 26th.

And, I am very happy to report that I am a THIRD of the way to my fundraising goal of $3500! Today I raised the themometer up to $1,227 raised so far. THANK you to all of you who have donated.

Now, only $500 to go until I'm HALFWAY...help a girl out will ya?!

Some days are just hard.

It's been a bit stressful at work lately, and I usually look to my training and exercise to find some relief. Actually, I rely on my exercise and training for relief. If I didn't do that, I joke sometimes, I would drink a heckava lot more.

But some days - some days the relief just isn't there. Some days the whole thing is a slog. Today was that day. Is it really possible to run uphill both ways?

When I'm experiencing this - the internal groaning, the slogging, I have a few strategies I try. Here they are in order of use - ie, I drop down to the next one as the first fails to improve my spirits.

1. Raise your eyes up off the ground. Look around! Look at that lovely creek. Enjoy the feel and smell of this fall-but-supposed-to-still-be-summer air. Aren't you lucky to be jogging/swimming/biking through this beautiful place, with nothing to do but place one foot in front of the other/swim one arm overhead after the next/turn the crankshaft over? No? Not lucky? Not happy? Okay, then,
2. Focus on your breathing, your in and out, the pumping of your arms. Think about how your body is being infused with oxygen right now, how all your little cells are so grateful that you're exercising so that each little cell can do exactly what it's supposed to do. Get mesmerized by the turnover of your peddles.
   Still not buying? Still?
3. Hey, let's think about some completely random thing about your day, or a funny story, or let's write tonight's blog post. Oh, that won't work, will it, since you had a grumpy day you're trying to escape, and it does not help one bit to rehash it. Okaaaaay, now we're moving into serious territory here...
4. FINE. Be grumpy. Feel the slog. Crank through the jog/swim/bike. Focus on how long it's going to take you to get to the next post, the next swim sighting, the next turn. Feel the hard. Be unhappy. Which unfortunately invariably moves right into.....
5. Oh I live in the house of dooooooom!!! Why did I ever sign up for this folly of a race?! And WHY did I have to do it so publicly? How will I ever complete the 10K if I can't even get through half my measly run? And before the race, how will I EVER, EVER even GET to the run since I haven't swum nearly enough, I haven't biked nearly enough. And how is the Senior Center ever going through this tough economy, and where are we ever going to find the money that we're losing in funding? And oh my gosh, why am I even out here forcing my son to jog with me instead of spending quality time with him and getting dinner on the table!!!! WAAAAHHHHHH.
   

You get the picture. It ain't pretty. It sure wasn't tonight.

But, one of the great things about being out and going somewhere and back, as opposed to say, doing your excercise on a treadmill is, well, it's kinda hard to quit in the middle. You still have to get back to the beginning so you might as well just keep truckin'. Where as with a treadmill, when it all gets to be too much, well, you can just hop off. As I have.

And eventually either one of the prior strategies FINALLY kicks in, or you simply arrive back at home, where you started, simply glad to have it over with, and glad to have done it.

You know what finally turned it around for me tonight? My son kept asking me questions, which I kept refusing to answer because I was huffing and puffing so much. (My son, for those of you who don't know him, is the incessant KING of question-asking). Finally, I said, 'This workout (pant) is really hard. (pant pant). I am working (pant) really hard tonight.' And he, gliding along in his jogging stroller - which I would point out in case you missed it, I was pushing - said decisively, 'Yeah, me too. I'm working really hard too.' It just cracked me up.

What strategies do you use to keep it going when you are ready to quit?

Well, I am happy to report that our 35th anniversary party last night was an unqualified success. The volunteers put on a spectacular, seamless event; Elvis was not only enormously entertaining but genuine; and everybody left with a huge smile on their face. The planning committee decided from very early on that they didn't want to make this another fundraiser. They just wanted everybody come and have fun at a great party. And, they did.

Except the 85 year old I found sitting by himself on the stairs, and when I asked if he was feeling okay, grumbled about how he had never liked 'this guy' being Elvis...'bunch of racket, if you ask me.'

I feel very honored to be in this role at this time in this organization's history. I spoke at the event, a little bit about that. I'll share it here when I have a second to type it up. The place really is amazing.

Today was all about recuperating from the week. A great church service with jazz and blues music that had our staid protestant church up on their feet cheering, and then...

A great 2.5 hour bike ride, my longest ever, featuring the following:

• the longest coyote sighting I've had - it watched me watching it for a good 3 minutes before trotting off
• gorgeous country roads with towering Mt Si accenting the drama
• my first on-the-road flat ever! Good practice, since in a race its not permitted for others to help you. You hafta fix yur own. I am happy to report that I was successful and kept on truckin! Wish I had snapped some pics for you.
  

I felt so great and proud after. Wow! I did that! Training is great for marking progress. I remember when I pulled off my first ultra-long ride, a 2 hour ditty around our Valley. I came home, collapsed into bed, and slept hard for two hours. Today I feel good. Ready for some dinner for sure, but good.

This evening is all about tackling this poor neglected home. Between work hours, trying to stick with training, actually spending time with each other, the house definitely gets the short end of the stick.

When I'm leaving dishes in the sink and head out to get some exercise, I try to remind myself that investment in my body today pays enormous dividends later, and that the dishes still will be there when I get back. How do you juggle your commitments with the commitment of exercising and good health?

Elvis is Coming! And will be draped in Leis!

I just had to share these pics of my Center all decked out in Hawaiian garb and awaiting 200 people to fill it, celebrating 35 years of serving seniors and their families. I'm so proud of this place. We make a difference in people's lives, every day. Every Day.

Thank you to all you 268 volunteers who make it so.

Seating overlooking the 'stage' and main room.
















Handpainted flip-flops and surfboards, contributed by our Adult Day Program participants, decorate the walls

You put me over a cool G!

I got four more donations in the last 2 days that tipped me over the $1000 mark. I'm now up to $1,026.50. YES! Thank you very much.

I also got out on a training ride this evening after work with my training buddy. About 75 minutes at a pretty good clip. I'm on my way!!

At the Senior Center we're gearing up for a tremendous 35th anniversary party this Saturday night:
Blue Hawaiian. For those not in the know (this included me) Blue Hawaii = Hawaii theme + Elvis.

So, yup, to celebrate the fact that Sno-Valley Seniors was started 35 years ago by volunteers, we're going to nosh on a delish Hawaiian buffet (cooked by volunteers) in a room decorated (by volunteers) to the hilt in Hawaiian-themed decor (4 feet flip-flops, anyone?), enjoying our beautiful old Oddfellows Hall building (cleaned by volunteers), watch not one but TWO community talent shows (uh, yup, volunteers).

And finally, a professional Elvis impersonator (the only non-volunteer of the evening but on all reports totally worth it) will put on a show for us. And the whole thing has been completely planned, organized, and executed by volunteers.

It's a great reminder of the reason I'm doing this race and this fundraiser. The effort of the volunteers is just phenomenal at this place. They truly are the heart and soul of the Center, and work so hard to pull events like this off. Hours have gone into the planning, and it should be a ton of fun.

If you're anywhere in the area, I invite you to join us. Here's the link for more info.