Today’s been crazy. VERY chilly swim at Aquatic Park (mid-50s I would say, and overcast with a breeze, plus a very strong and cold tide coming in). Jane and I got out after 45 minutes - we felt energetic, we were just super chilled, enough that we couldn’t talk. Another lovely surprise was on our 3rd lap when a bruiser guy ran RIGHT into me (after “skimming past” Jane – she shouted to try to warn me, but too late). KONK. And then he was mean about it. Jane’s reaction – and the reaction of the amazing 70 year old Danish woman with just a bathing suit and cap, no goggles or wetsuit - ”You should have told him if he’s such a great swimmer, why did HE run into YOU?”

Networking EARLY this morning, 1/2 hour cat nap, pack, swim, Sports Basement trip (to FINALLY replace our floor pump after it tore not one but TWO tubes as H prepared to take Angeline out for a ride), hang with Jane for a bit, drive home, collapse, read new Lava Magazine, work on the new front doors/picking colors for same with H…really tired now BUT had to sit down to get this down.

SO excited to go cheer my IronVinePeeps on tomorrow! Paula will drive me up with the kids, then I will hang with Mentor Margaret, then H will gather me up in the evening.

And for you VineIronPeeps, the most important thing to remember is:

THIS IS JUST A 140.6 MILE VICTORY LAP!

If you’ve gotten out there, gutted through all the workouts, puked through changing nutrition, bonked through understanding hydration, listened seriously to our coaches, gone from a guppy to a fish, gone from walking up Pig Farm to riding it, gone from surly puffing through runs to being able to walk and joke…that’s the Work. As they say in the country folks, “The Hay Is In The Barn.” Now it’s just time to do your Victory Lap.

Go VinePeeps!

I’m tired.

Mentor Margaret says that’s what happens about now. You’re just so tired of  training, tired of getting up at 5 a.m., tired of the pool, tired of your run courses, and perhaps particularly tired of your bicycle seat.

About 3/4 of my Teammates are doing the Vineman ironman-length race on Saturday – 2 days away! So exciting! [NOTE: It's "ironman-distance" not a sanctioned Ironman race - that's why they can't use the "M-dot" logo.] I will be up there most of the day to support them, and hope that everyone does great. I’m kinda jealous, I might add. Because on the day they have the Vineman, we have a 75 mile bike ride; on the day after, when they are DONE, we have an 18 mile run. And another century the week after. And a…

I’ve had some trouble dragging my sorry *ss to work out. I still have the nagging psoas issue, but I just feel tired all the time. Starting August 1, H and I will be going full-bore back onto a Good Eating regime – meaning, stopping all that “good stuff” that has crept into our gullets over the last few months. Alcohol, caffeine, bread/starchy carbs, milk products, gluten…no mo’. I’d like to lose a bit more of my “fuel belt” (a/k/a belly) before the event, and this is the only sure way I know to do it. By cutting out sugar/caffeine/etc., too, during the Ironman, things like the Coca-Cola that they pass out at the final miles of the marathon give you a real Kick. I’m all for that!

One of the big things that happened last week was my SOC Lifestyles interview went up. Michelle Bateman and I had a BLAST doing it. Here is the link. You can “scroll through” the talking parts if you don’t want to hear it (how I went from Couch Potato woman to an endurance athlete in 8 months), but you should definitely watch the parts where I take Michelle out to “do the sports.” We had to film it backwards – Run first, Swim last – for “hair and makeup issues” – and I surprised Michelle with not only a “finish line” (made up of a bunch of my scarves tied together!) but also by talking very seriously about how “technical” the bike part was – and then unveiling a TINY pink girl’s bike and a big white beach cruiser (with a basket) for her to choose from. It was such a blast.

So what else is up? I’ve been swimming at Aquatic Park with my new buddy from the JCC, Jane. Each time we go she’s been more comfortable; last week she smoked me. (She’s an amazing swimmer – just not an open water swimmer.) Last week we worked on sighting; she can now swim straight, too. It became a running joke that I would look up to make sure she was OK, not see her, stop swimming, and discover she’d basically set off at a 90 degree course to her previous line during the 3 breaths I had not watched her! It really was funny.

This time at the Park we had a little bit of an adventure. First, when we were getting into our wetsuits, a guy walked by on a cell phone saying “…oh YEAH, amazing, yup, a shark in Aquatic Park…” and then he walked on past. Jane didn’t hear him, but I did, and I was PISSED. She was just getting her heart rate down on open water swims – the LAST thing that she needed to worry about was a shark. I am quite sure that the guy was just being a jerk.

Then, just as we were at the end of our hour swim, we “ran into” a sea lion. I had made Jane purchase a flourescent pink swim cap so that I could see her – we joked that the sea lions needed to take up the “colored cap” as well! That was a big big surprise.

And now, for the Triple Brick. Last weekend was the “Triple Brick” for us Ironman Louisville/Canada folks (30 mile bike/hour run/30 mile bike/hour run/30 mile bike/hour run without stopping – it took something like 9-10 hours). (Vineman folks are on their Taper, so came out to do a bit of a bike and then cheer us on). Cue Music Here. (ha!) As head Coach Dave said in his email to us: “Triple brick is Freaking Hard and it’s meant to really test your plan, which is exactly what we saw out there.”

My biggest “question mark” going into the Triple Brick was still whether my nutrition plan would work. As I have said before, I have moved totally over to Infinit Nutrition. (If you click on that link, I get some “Infinit bucks” so I’d love you to use it.) They custom-make a “brew” for you with all the salts/carbs/protein/amino acids/caffeine/etc. that you need. I had used it for the Century, and some other training, but not for a long cross-sport training like the Triple.

I started the first 30 mile loop rarin’ to go – all sunscreen’d up and following Margaret, Josh, Sedonia and Nick. The course was fairly similar to the course that we had done the Double Brick on a few weeks before (when the Vineman folks did their Triple). Very pretty – out in Danville. My DailyOM Horoscope for that day was guiding my day: It was entitled Flowing Tranquility:

You may be feeling laid back which could make it easier for you to go with the flow and take things as they come today. Perhaps this sense of serenity might be due to your recognition that there is really little in life that you have to worry about if you allow yourself to put your trust in the hands of the universe. Being able to simply let go and let life take you where it will may not be easy, but you can give yourself gentle reminders throughout the day should any fearful or doubtful thoughts arise such as “I feel relaxed” or “Life flows easily through me”. As you do this, you could notice that this gives you greater peace of mind through a more permissive and accepting attitude of whatever may happen to you today.

Trying not to control things but instead to simply let them take their course brings more tranquility into our lives. Our ability to release into whatever might occur may not be something that comes to us easily – even when we are the most relaxed, negative and worried thoughts may crop up. Once we know this however, we can easily come back to our state of peacefulness by using simple affirmations or prompts to gently help our minds release any thoughts that we are holding onto which also hold us back. By letting yourself go wherever life takes you, you will find tranquility in the quiet acceptance of the way things are today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sedonia and Nick rode side-by-side down the back country road, and Margaret and Josh rode side-by-side behind them. There was no traffic for miles. I was behind them; I had a mirror on my sunglasses, so could see traffic and give the “CAR!” warning if anything came up that would need everyone to get back single file.

Well, almost anything.

We were a bit of a ways out of a lazy curve in the road and I glanced up, and saw a GRILL in my mirror. I couldn’t even formulate “CAR” – I just shouted “YIKES!” Everyone pulled into a quick single-file…as a Ferrari Club tore on past! It was SUCH an amazing sight to see! A 1/2 dozen or so Ferraris, different styles, all red (one maroon) roaring down this gorgeous sunny country road. Vrrrrroom!

The last car in the line was obviously a BMW that had gotten “caught onto the tail” of the Ferraris as they slowed down to get past us. I smiled and said to Margaret,” That’s their mechanic!”

I lost the “speed demons” on the back 1/3 of the ride (uphills, of course!) – but then along a straightaway that has a LOT of stop lights, I caught back up. Nick had a blowout that involved a NASTY puncture by a twisted safety pin (Sedonia stopped to help); Margaret, Josh and I followed the directions that said to turn RIGHT on Camino Tassajara and wound up doing an extra 5 miles when we found out that what the directions were “supposed” to say was stay on the road we were ON, it BECAME Camino Tassajara. Even with the detour, the whole tour took 2 hours. Then it was time to take a pitstop, and get off on the run.

The run was an out-and-back along a paved running trail (flat). I felt good, and did my “Airborne Shuffle” run. (Just running, no walking.) Coach Mike was out there to be sure that everyone looked okay and that the heat wasn’t taking its toll. My only misjudgment was not using the whole Infinit bottle (one bottle = 1 hour). That worried me a bit, because I try to be assiduous about “doing what I’m told” nutrition/hydration-wise.

Back into transition, and into the potty again for me (CERTAINLY hydrated!) I also saw Teammate Maria (“M-Dot”) Afan’s mom and dad – I had known Susan at a previous job, and that’s how I had initially met Maria. It was great to see her! She looked amazing. She was up in No Cal and had come to cheer Maria on.

Heading back out on the ride, I realized I was having to “guesstimate” a bit on the nutrition, because my Camelbak holds 3 hours’ worth of nutrition/hydration for me…and the bike only took 2. I still had “about” an hour’s worth of nutrition in the Camelbak, so I added 2 hours’ worth more and water. I figured that I should do my best to finish all of it, since I hadn’t finished off the entire hour’s worth on the run, and it was getting hotter.

Out and around the course…stopping a couple of times to do what I have realized REALLY helps me – just stop and stretch my back and shoulders. It makes a WORLD of difference.

On this round, on the “straight away” portion back (after dumping my chain on the way out – oy!) I ran into a cyclist, Raf, who said he had been on Ironteam before, and wanted to ride with me to Transition to see if anyone he knew was there (Mike Kyle, Kristie, etc.) Well, we got to talking and ONCE AGAIN, I missed a turn! This time we rode the “straight road” all the way to the highway! I was a bit embarrassed; we turned back around and came up the “correct” road, which added another 5 miles onto the route. I was going 2 for 2!

Out on the run again – and this time I wound up running OUT of hydration before getting back to transition! It wasn’t that far out (maybe 5-8 minutes), but far enough. After hitting the potty AGAIN (laugh), I mixed up the Camelbak and headed out.

On my first sip, I could tell that I hadn’t gotten the mix “right” – it was too weak. I had obviously put in 2 hours’ worth, not 3. I told myself not to sweat it – in actuality, the ride only TOOK 2 hours, so I should just try to get it all down, which would give me more hydration at the hottest part of the ride, anyway. And it was HOT! The “backside” of the ride had new tarmac, and the heat beat up from the smooth black surface. My feet were getting REALLY warm, but I couldn’t figure out a way around it. I just sucked down the Camelbak, stopped a couple times to stretch my back, and kept at it. I caught up to Sedonia and Paula turning down the last mile or so, and they looked a bit hot and tired. I suddenly got a surge of energy, and pumped on by. It was bizarre. Paula hooted at me!

The last run sucked. :-) I got off the bike, and Margaret told Paula and me that we should just run to the aid station and back, “no reason to kill ourselves.” I had to (can you guess?) hit the potty, then I headed out. Though the first 2 rounds I had been able to “Airborne Shuffle” through the entire run, I knew I would do a 5:1 run/walk combo. I also carried not one but 2 bottles of Infinit, because I was feeling low energy and a bit of a headache coming on from the heat. Oh and maybe a LITTLE from the fact I had been out there doing this for 9 hours!!

I was pretty much set to turn around at the Aid Station, but each time I would do the 1 minute walk, I would start up again and feel better and better. I thought I needed to remember that feeling for the actual Ironman, and so instead of stopping, I did the full hour out-and-back. By the end of it, I was feeling a LOT better, and was very surprised. That was a great learning for me. Just “keep on keepin’ on” and you can get through it.

Sedonia ran me in part way, and then near the end Simon and his wife were there to cheer me on. Then it was back to the cars to enjoy the sandwiches that Helen had purchased for us, and to pass around the “You Know You’re Iron When” T-shirt that Kathryn and I had made up (she did the iron-on and fit it to the shirt; I had of course collected the phrases). Once the Vineman is over, we’re likely to do it as a fundraiser. Too much going on this week!

And a few more “You Know You’re Iron Whens”…

“You know you are Iron when you email your personal trainer the race course description, map and elevation chart and her reply is: “OMG”.” (IronWu)

“You know you’re Iron when you’re heading down the freeway applying Body Glide to your neck to prepare for your open water swim.” (Jen Jay)

Mental Attitude for Ironman

from Triathlon Training

In the final days before you race an Ironman it is essential that you keep a few things in mind.

Ironman essence – Gratitude

The Ironman hype in the final week before race day often makes you forget the reason you are racing in the first place. Excitement is running high. Triathletes are everywhere, discussing race goals.

This is a good time to remind yourself why you started in this sport. It is very likely you were attracted to triathlon, Ironman, because of the lifestyle it provides you; its health benefits; the opportunity to visit the great places around the world where triathlons are held; and for the unique friendships that develop between athletes.

Ironman is a way to celebrate life: it is a gift to the have time, the health and the finances to take part in such a unique event.

Remind yourself of the above in race week and try to focus less on your splits in each discipline, age-group placing or Kona slots: those are only consequences of a great race execution, based on your fitness and mindset. 

Setting goals

Crossing the finish line is always at the top of the list.

Then you have secondary goals that are usually linked to finish times and/or improving splits in each discipline.

Be careful how you set them and what benchmark you use. Always keep in mind that race day conditions are unique and hard, if not impossible, to predict. If you want to improve your finish time of the previous year, or from another other race, you have to take into account that the conditions such as wind, temperature and currents will most likely be different.

Another problem with predicting finish times, especially for first-timers, is using times done in training: unless you have done an Ironman simulation it is impossible to know how you will react during the final half of the Ironman run. The result window is massive: you might have a solid day and run those 21km in 100 minutes or less, or if you may get cramps and take 3 hours, or more.

Confidence

Maintaining confidence in your training and race strategy in the final days before Ironman can be a challenge. As soon as you arrive at the race venue you bump into all those sponsored athletes walking around in and with the latest equipment, showing off their lean and vascular legs. Such sights can be quite intimidating to the first timer or beginner athlete.

Remember: before a race everyone looks like a champion – don’t let this hurt your confidence.

Another common thought on race week is: “I should have trained harder!”

You have already done the best you could. Perhaps you had to take a week off training due to work, family or health issues but those are situations we all face. Every single triathlete on the startline of an Ironman had to overcome some sort of challenge during their preparation so don’t worry, you are not alone.

Be realistic

One of the biggest differences between the short races and Ironman is that the latter provides a better opportunity for the athlete to perform according to ability. Never forget this on race day. If you are not feeling great in the swim or the early stages of the bike, stay calm: there is a long day ahead and you will have the opportunity to get into your rhythm as the race progresses.

Other examples are a slow transition or a flat tire: unlike the short course events where your race would be over due to those setbacks, in Ironman you can still catch up on the lost time.

There is no such a thing as having a great race based on experience or “luck”. At best you minimize potential problems by going under-trained into an Ironman but no miracle will happen. Your best choice is to adjust your goals and expectations to avoid frustration.

Rational vs Emotional

Keep your emotions in check on race day: don’t let them take over your race strategy. Adrenalin released in the first few hours of the race, with the type-A and competitive personality of each triathlete, plus the fact that everyone is well-rested and tapered is a perfect recipe for disaster.

The main mistakes happen in the cycling leg, especially during the first hours, when athletes are excited and forget a very long day is only just beginning. As a result, people start to race each other or just ignore their nutrition plan.

Another common mistake that results in an emotional, rather than a rational, approach is after a setback such as a flat tire or a penalty is that athletes tend to “make up for it”. Don’t. Stay calm and be patient in those situations instead. Ironman is a long race and you can slowly, over the next hours, catch up on the missed minutes. Please do not try to do it within the next 60 minutes.

Positive attitude

It takes between 8 and 17 hours to finish an Ironman. That is a lot of time for everything to go as planned, especially considering the myriad of factors the athlete can’t control. It is very likely that something will go “wrong” at some stage during the race.

After I wrote an article about the mental attitude towards the race day challenge last year, several athletes came to talk to me after finishing their Ironman and mentioned that already in the swim leg their race wasn’t going as planned: they couldn’t see the buoys and went off course.

Ironman is all about overcoming obstacles. The challenges start with your training routine, how you manage your work and family commitments with those long sessions that take a lot of your time and energy. The training is 90% of the Ironman experience and is the biggest challenge. Race day is only the celebration of getting to the start line. You will still be tested during the event, be it physically or logistically, but with your Ironman determination you will find a solution and make it to the finish line. 

Have a great race!

http://www.trifuel.com/training/triathlon-training/mental-attitude-for-ironman

OK, first of all, let’s just get this out of the way – look at this:

OK, I know that you can’t really read this. But you can “kinda sorta see” the hills. Suffice it to say that the highest percentage was FOURTEEN percent. Yes, a 14% grade.

Yo. Mama.

Here is actually a URL that shows the route - though the elevation map somehow spreads out and “averages” the elevations, so nothing looks as high. Hardie-har-har.

But I get ahead of myself. I haven’t blogged in a while. Before this, on Saturday (a week before this ride), Mentor Margaret and Swim Coach Sedonia and I did a 16 mile rolling hill run in Napa, which was great. I wound up running a lot harder than my set V-DOT (we ran at average 11 minutes/mile), but I felt OK about it because we did a 5 minute run/1 minute walk routine. I’m definitely going to use that during the Ironman. I used the Infinit I had gotten (more on that below) and it worked out well, as did running in a cycling jersey instead of a running shirt with a belt to hold a bottle. The next day (Sunday) was “Honey Do” day for me – Herbert had a LOT of things for me to do around the house, and so we got those done; Monday he and I did the 75 mile ride that was on the schedule. We went from home out Lincoln to the Marin Metric Century course, but we didn’t turn immediately right at Nicasio Lake – we turned left first (so heading out towards Pt Reyes), to Sir Francis Drake Blvd., then turned around and rode back and then up and over to the Cheese Factory. Instead of doing the big hill at Walker Creek, we turned left (away from the hill) and had a really lovely ride on the rolling hills out that direction, up to and a bit past Walker Creek Ranch. Then we turned around and came back out Hicks Valley Road and rode on back. Big Rock and the hill “up and over” to the Cheese Factory were not pleasant, but they were do-able. I did the whole ride on Infinit and was pretty confident I had FINALLY found the energy/salt/hydration solution for me. Tuesday I went running with my brother Jeff out in Ross around Lake Lagunitas (70 minute run) – it was great to catch up. There were some seriously steep spots and Jeff is an a-c-e runner, but he was patient with me when I had to walk or just jog. It was so great and a gorgeous day. Wednesday I did the spin workout on Angeline - Thursday I was out with Les, Jen and Melissa to Crown Road in Ross – which looks “over towards” Lake Lagunitas (Jeff had even actually pointed Crown Road out to me on our run, across the valley). We did a 60 minute run, and Melissa looked 1000% better since she had been able to kick her sinus infection. I had so much to do Friday I didn’t get a workout in – bad me – but I also knew that Saturday was going to be a killer! So that’s a week without swimming which is NOT good, since I am in Dallas this week and there is no pool to be “had.”

I spent Friday night at Maria M-Dot’s over in the East Bay so that I wouldn’t have to get up at an INSANE hour to get on the road by 6:30 a.m. as scheduled. We got up at 4:30 a.m., mixed nutrition, puttered around a bit, and pasted on our snazzy Safeway tattoos. (I had gotten a sheet of these for the Clear Lake 3/4 Iron, and found them when packing. I picked a little Tahitian design, Maria picked this “tat” which means “DREAM.”)

Then we headed on over to meet the “usual suspects” – Carol, Patti, Susie, Janice, Mel, Tiffany, Dana, Marina, Kathryn, Paula, Mary (I think that’s it) in Heather Farms Park.

We were a bit later than we expected (I was dragging, I admit it), and so what with all the to-ing and fro-ing (and pottying!) that generally needs to take place before a ride, Maria and I wound up being about 10 minutes behind the main “pack” of the Earlybirds.

We got on the road after a few false turns, and headed out through Mt. Diablo State Park. I have never actually been to Mt. Diablo, and certainly don’t know the East Bay. I had admitted to Maria driving over that I was scared of this. Even more scared than I’d been for any of the other workouts. This was going to be a bear – Three Bears, actually! – and that’s not the least of it…8,732 vertical feet of climbing including Grizzly Peak, The 3 Bears, Pig Farm, Reliez Valley Road, Tice Valley Road - “oh and” Mount Diablo and Skyline Blvd in Berkeley/Oakland.

I had decided to do the ride solely using Infinit, the new beverage that I had had made up on my training mate Missy’s suggestion. I believe I’ve mentioned it before – it contains all the calories, salts, etc. that you need – and they pride themselves that the “osmolality” of the drink is such that it won’t pull water OUT OF your system to “dilute” it. Apparently that’s a real problem with some energy drinks – if the “osmolality” is over 300 (parts of drink mix per x ml of water), your body can’t digest it without sucking water OUT of your system. It’s just simple Osmosis like High School Biology. Many of us mix “power bottles” of mix with Carbopro, energy beverage, etc. in them, then suck down water “as well,” but if you don’t drink enough water to “dilute” the osmolality of the “power bottle” this can happen, leading to gastric upset. I was hoping that this would work (I had my Bento Box full of Thermolytes, GU, etc. “just in case” it did NOT).

We got to the gate at Mt. Diablo and though Maria and I had talked about how nice it would be to ride together, she was a bit slower that morning than it’s comfortable for me to go and so with waves and Atta Girls we parted. She had said Mt. Diablo wasn’t that bad (Coach Mike calls it “relentless”) – but I have to disagree – I think it was brutal. And right at the beginning! I am sorry at times like this I do not ride in the East Bay, as the East Bay contingent of our team goes out midweek and “tackles” this hill. I wish that our North Bay cadre lived closer, and had that sort of thing set up. I think that would really help me. I don’t like to ride alone, and so I wind up spinning most of the time instead of getting out and doing hills, etc.

I wound up catching up with Dana after a bit, and she said she wasn’t feeling that great. After a couple turns I ran into Tiffany and Carol, then at a little ranger station before the Junction I ran into Janice. I pulled over to have a stretch, and she had me fill her Aerobottle – no way to get water in there when it’s all strapped down on the aerobars, and her “other” water bottle was filled with energy drink! I nearly poured MY energy drink into her bottle, but was smart enough to take a swig first (Infinit is clear). I put my water into hers, then filled up my bottle at the drinking fountain. We rolled up Janice’s jacket as small as we could, and I stuffed it into her back pocket; with the obligatory “potty break” we set off again.

I got to the Junction and headed down South Gate road, which was a blessed relief after all the climbing. At the end of the road though – WOAH! – the road is SO BAD! I managed to lose my GU bullet, which flew off (Maria lost her Garmin, but luckily was able to find it and it was OK). I am not sure I have EVER seen a road that bad, including the bad bit in Clear Lake.

I rode solo for quite some time, and in fact missed the first TNT water stop at Shannon Park. I’m not sure how I missed it – but when I took out the typed directions and looked at where I was, I was a couple turns past it. Somewhere along the way I passed Marina and Mel – Melissa had gotten her FIRST flat (in like 6 YEARS of cycling!) and was changing it. I asked if they were OK and they said they were – she had the tire off – but come to find out that after she got the new tube seated, etc. she didn’t have the right CO2 cartridges! I guess that’s how we all learn these things! (I have now had PLENTY of flats – especially as if H gets one he has me change it, too, for “practice.” On the 75 mile ride, he got a back-wheel flat RIGHT at a spot I had had TWO flats about 4 months previously. Something is up there.)

I did finally see a TNT stop where Dana’s wife Ro was womanning a station. That was good because it was 3 hours in and time for me to juggle getting the Infinit mix/more water/etc. into my Camelbak. I had made a 3 hour “concentrated” bottle and one of just plain water, and those were on my bike. Ro helped me top off the Camelbak with more water (and ice), and then I had another 3 hours’ worth of powder that I made another concentrated bottle with, plus the other bottle of water. After a potty break (which made me feel I was doing well with my hydration), I was off to climb up the hill from Ro’s car. I had seen someone taking off as I was coming into the stop. I had thought it was Paula, but after a bit of a ride I caught up, and it turned out to be Susie (Paula and Kathryn SMOKED the ride – I never even saw them). She stopped on the side of Dublin Grade and we shouted Atta Girls at each other, then off I went.

My hands/wrists were getting tired as was my right shoulder. Not sure “what up” with that – I had had Rand re-fit me with new handlebars after I had had SO much pain in the Wine Country Century (WCC), and everything had been going well until that day. I wasn’t sure what was up, but I decided that I would have to do what I had learned in the WCC – when I felt that I had to, I just pulled over and stretched my shoulder, my back, my neck. It felt like a little luxury, even though I generally wasn’t stopped for more than a minute. During one of these stops the “big guns” from the group that started at hour after us passed by - first Carolyn and Nate, then a bit later, Chris, BK, Jim, then Rocky, Sara, Josh, Tony, Nick, etc. As usual with our wonderful team, everyone wanted to be sure I was ok – “Just Stretchin’!” – and off they went.

There were some amazing and breathtaking views on Grizzly Peak Road and also Skyline Blvd. I have never been up that way, and it was magnificent. I was in a bit of a grumbly phase though along the way – the roads were a little bumpy, and my shoulder was hurting. There was also really no place to pull over and stop. I turned a corner and there was a big TNT stop and I saw all our “peeps” including Honoree Laura, the “fast folk” and Coach Dave. I had had a noise emanating from my bike that had actually made me pull over a couple times (I could never find it) but as I started to head out of the stop after topping up with water, I saw that my bike bottle looked odd. Turned out that my cage was almost rattled off! Coach Dave had the right tool, and so we tightened them right up. Oy! That would have been REALLY bad – losing the GU bottle wasn’t that much of a loss (as the Infinit was working), but dumping my water bottles (WITH the cages attached!) would NOT have been okay.

I rode with Les and Jen and Tony for a bit, as we were tackling the “bears.” We were on the middle “bear” (Mama?) – I think – the one with the false summit – when Jen Jay was there in her car around a corner. I was SO glad to see her. I was nearly out of water, and though I knew Meenu and Claudia were up ahead, I felt much better to be able to square my hydration away. Les and Jen caught up at that point and Les mentioned this was a “false” summit. That did not make me feel so great (laugh!)

I remember on “Papa” Bear, Simon pulled up alongside, and I was definitely feeling it. I could tell there was a car next to me, but I couldn’t even look up. It was all I could do to keep pedaling. Then I heard someone clapping and I looked slightly left, and realized it was Simon. He shouted “You’re more than 1/2 way up Papa Bear! You’re doing great!” and then off he went. (I wasn’t so sure I wanted to know there was still about 1/2 “to go” but I really appreciated the Atta Girl.)

Once I reached Meenu and Claudia’s “best TNT stop ever” (complete with butt’r, sunscreen, Meenu Bars, red vines, salt, chocolate, cold washcloths, what-have-you) I was on my way. I checked with them to see what was coming up, and they said “Yes, more hills, and of course Pig Farm.” I wasn’t exactly sure where that was. Somewhere along the way Bike Coach Nick and I had chatted (might have even been right there at the stop), and he asked me what my strategy was. I said that Pig Farm had “bitten” me twice – once on a training ride, and once on the Louie Tri. I had had to walk the bike up the hill. I knew that the highest I had gotten was to a “sign” that’s on the first of the ”steeps” on the hill (it is steep, levels out for a second, then steep and steeper). My goal was to get past that sign – then I knew that I had done better than I had either of the other two times. I said that if I walked up it from there, I would still be satisfied, because I would have done better than ever before, AND would be 60 or so miles less “fresh” than those other 2 times, to boot!

I headed away from Meenu and Claudia’s stop (Nick had gone up off ahead), and was riding alone along the hills and dales of the countryside for a while. After a while, I saw a WALL of road ahead of me. I was really bummed – this looked nasty, and I wasn’t sure I could take it and Pig Farm too. I just geared down and started pedaling, but I got about 1/2 way up and I was exhausted. I realized that I could start up again after I had rested a bit (I had been practicing this “feat” of starting up again on an uphill), and so I rested, stretched, and then got back at it.

The top of the hill was REALLY steep, and as I was coming up to it at my snail’s pace I realized that there was someone with a TNT Jersey up there to the side. I got up to the top, and I saw it was Nick. The first words out of my mouth were: “Is Pig Farm harder than that?” Nick looked puzzled. “Harder than what?” “Harder than that climb. I don’t think I can do it.” “That was it.” “That was what?” “That was Pig Farm hill. You just did it.” “I WHAT?” Nick started laughing…”Yes that

was it, you did it. I knew you’d said that you were going to be OK if you walked it and I saw you stop your bike, but you surprised me and got back on and finished it. You did it!” I slapped him a High 5 and could feel the adrenaline COURSING through me. I DID IT!

Interestingly, I wonder if I had KNOWN that it was Pig Farm, if (once past the sign that I wanted to pass) I would have “given up.” It’s a curious question – but one I don’t need to know the answer to!

I was PUMPED riding down from Pig Farm. I put the pedal to the metal and RACED down. Nick was right behind me and at one point he said “You have REALLY gotten to be such a good cyclist!” That made me feel AWESOME! Nick peeled off to join Jen and Les at another of Jen Jay’s impromptu water stops, but I just waved on by, and headed up the dreaded Reliez Valley Road. I had not anticipated that Muthah – and it was HARD. I asked Coach Mike after if we had done that in the Louie Tri (because we had done Pig Farm, of course) and he said no – we had peeled off on another route before hitting it. The funny thing is as I was on it, I thought that we MUST have done it on the Louie, so I was “determined” since (in my mind) I had done this months and months before (on my old bike) and hadn’t walked…ah, the Mind is so interesting. (On the Louie, I had only walked the Pig Farm part.) But of course we hadn’t done that at all. And boy, It SUCKED. But I persevered – and every now and again, stopped, and stretched. I can’t explain what a difference this made. And thinking I had “done this before” (on the Louie) and I “must just be more tired” because I was hitting it 70 or so miles into a ride. As I said, ah, the Mind…

I rode along again, and ultimately wound up turning on Olympic (there was another TNT Stop there in the shade, but I didn’t need it), and then hit Tice Valley Road. For me, this was the final insult. (laugh!) It was REALLY HARD! I was an unhappy camper and really just SO DONE with hills already! I wound up missing the turn back onto the bike path trail when I was sooooo close to being back, but some passers-by helped me find it. At the first part of the bike trail the pavement was like moguls – honestly – they were big waves up/down/up/down/up/down. It was odd because you couldn’t really ‘see’ them because of the afternoon light, and so I wound up just going “Woah! Woah! Woah!” Luckily Nick met me about then and I followed him in – I say “luckily” because at one point the trail we were supposed to follow went “up and over” a bridge that went over the highway, and NO way would I have gone the right direction as there was another seemingly “better” trail to the side. Thanks Nick! You rock!

I got back to the Park, and I had 9:26 of full elapsed time, 8:38 of moving/riding time. I had only prepared “Nutrition” for 9 hours, but had been able to top up about 1/2 way through my final (third) Camelbak with water so I was fine. The Infinit worked like a champ, and I was able to sit down and lounge with the team (and stretch my aching right shoulder) and munch lumpia, Pringles, Meenu Bars, Coke, and the like!

After the last of us was in, we were off to Sports Basement for a 20% off spree (THANK YOU Sports Basement) and a team pizza-and-beer meeting. Then it was time to gather Maria up and drop her off, then get back home. I was nearly there and my tiredness hit me like a ton of bricks. I really dragged myself those last 3 miles of driving – and got home, showered, and hit the sack!!

The next day (Sunday) was supposed to be an Open Water Swim and a Run – I was set to go with Mel to meet a gang up to the Vineman course, but H was feeling a bit left behind so I texted her that I wasn’t going to be able to make it, and got back in bed. I woke up at NOON – no Herbert, sun streaming in! He “hadn’t wanted to wake me” and had taken off on Angeline for a ride around Paradise to Sausalito for brunch!

I cleaned the house a bit, and then prepared to be interviewed for SOC Lifestyles. We had such fun. They did the main “sit down” portion of the interview on Sunday, and then Monday (yesterday) we “simulated” an Ironman. I surprised Michelle (the presenter) with a few things – I had strung together a bunch of my scarves and held them across the path so that she could “break the tape” and presented her with an Ironman (coffee) visor…I had also gotten a TINY little girl pink bike with streamers, etc. and a huge white beach cruiser with a basket for her for the bike (after being very serious on camera about how “technical” and “important” the equipment was on the cycling portion) – then we all went out to swim at Aquatic Park. I had such a blast, and we just laughed and laughed. I hope that it comes out on the video.

We got out of the water at Aquatic Park with the usual post-open water/salt/bay swim “Oh So Sexy” look (yeah…and FILMED, too), and then I took them to Sports Basement (Michelle wanted some Injinji socks for her husband) and then they were off to the South Bay. I hightailed it home and Sue Bird was already there for the Goal/Manifestation Workshop that we were holding that evening. I jumped in the shower, warmed up, washed out the wetsuits, and then it was time to get the Workshop going. 4 of my teammates came, and I think we all really had a fantastic and profound experience. YAY! This morning, up at 6 a.m. to go sub at BNI at McInnes Park, catch up on emails from being off the computer for 4 days, write this blog (and you wondered why my blog posts are few and far between?), approve the draft of my new Fempowerment Playbook for “blue line” (draft) publication (we get one that we look at before it goes to full print), and today I think I will run. Tomorrow I have a MUCH needed massage in the morning, have some more time to “catch up” with things falling off my desk, then I have to pack for Dallas. I am leaving Thursday from Oakland airport at SIX so I have to get up around 3:00 - the plane takes OFF at 6:00 a.m.! I guess it’s long term parking for me – not a chance I can get a ride at that hour! Then in Dallas through Sunday at 10 p.m. I plan to run outside there (humidity, come and get me) and use the spin bikes in the Hyatt gym. They don’t have a big enough pool to make a difference, but I will take a suit anyway and maybe I can find a time to do some drills.

So – that’s my story and I’m stickin’ with it!

More You Know You’re Iron When’s from the weekend…

…when you take 20 lbs of ice to the tub with you and don’t even flinch. (M-Dot)
…when your cat drinks from your ice bath. (Kathryn)
…when you catch yourself talking about energy/nutrition and you sound like you’re part of an underground drug ring. As per an email from Maria: “I caught myself saying to Phil yesterday… ‘So you’re off the Cytomax now?  How long has it been?’ ”
…when you can unlock your water bottle with your teeth while climbing up to Mt. Diablo Junction. (Melissa)
…when you go to the bar for a drink and realize all your money is in your bento box. (Nate)
…when you didn’t even REALIZE that THAT was Pig Farm! (me!)