B2B (Half Iron) Race Report (FINALLY)

Saturday November 13, 2010

Wilmington, NC - Beach 2 Battleship Half Iron

 

Here is a "trailer" for the movie John John is making of our B2B experience:  

Now for the numbers: PR, baby!!  7:08:54

First I'll give the "official" times and then my watch times.  The timing issues were far fewer than last year, but having said that, there were still some.  Their "swim" time includes climbing up the ladder, wetsuit shucking and running through the fresh water shower before hitting the mat that starts your "transition time".  MY swim time is from the horn to the ladder - i.e. all the time I was, you know, swimming.  But my watch had its own complications, like me being unable to push the lap button until the middle of T2.  Again.  Anyway...

Officially - 

Swim - 37:45 (8+ minutes slower than last year but 84th out of 235 women)

T1 - 8:08

Bike - 3:34:04

T2 - 6:27

Run - 2:42:33 

My watch - 

Swim - 35:41

T1 - 10:02 

Bike - 3:38:49

T2 - 1:21 (Doh!)

Run - 2:43:59*

TOTAL/FINISH TIME - 7:08:54 which is 21 (TWENTY ONE!!) minutes faster than last year's 7:29:55!  Which you may or may not remember was in itself some 40 minutes faster than our wildest hopes for our race.)  Woo hoo! *Also? I didn't stop my watch right away because I wanted the picture to be good and then John hugged me and I remembered to stop it about the time the nurse made me sit down and wrap a blanket around me.  So...I'm gonna go with the "official" times mostly. 

But here is the backstory (which as always is mostly for me to re-read and re-live the moment so if you get easily annoyed at minute and random race details, feel free to skip on down to the comment box and leave me an Atta Girl.)  

The Day(s) Before

Donna and I got to Wilmington on Thursday.  We wanted to get settled and get an open water swim in.  We knew we couldn't swim in the channel so we just parked at Johnnie Mercer's Pier at Wrightsville Beach and waded into the surf.  Um - BRRRRRR!  It was cold and choppy and not so successful from a confidence building standpoint.  But it was good to be in our wetsuits, to remember the feel of the water and how it affects our breathing, and to remind ourselves Banks Channel doesn't have waves.  We met a lovely woman named Wanda in the parking lot.  She was doing her first half iron.  Nervous chatter ensued.  

Friday - it was great knowing the layout from last year.  The expo was fine.  This year, instead of butt ugly socks to go with our t-shirts, we got a great towel.  So useful!  The towel made me ridiculously happy.  Donna bought the PERFECT white and black bike windbreaker - a piece she had needed for over a year but wanted to wait for the exact right one.  All of that was good, but somehow we didn't manage our time quite right.  We slept in, which was important and good.  We grabbed bagels on the way to registration but they were inedible.  Then by the time registration, check in, expo shopping and the race meeting were done - we were plunging.  We were stressy and needed food.  We went to the Mellow Mushroom - which was fantastic in terms of food.  But we had to put ourselves in silent lunch. (I highly recommend this strategy when plummeting blood sugar levels and race anxieties collide. Especially if your lunch mate/training partner also happens to be your life partner.)  

******************************************

And that, my most patient friends, is as far as my race report got on November 18th, 2010.  Then life overtook me in a very big way.  So today, September 27th, 2011 - I'm gonna finish this race report from the lovely haze that 10 months will give to even intense experiences.  Randomness follows.  And "haze" does not in any way imply "pithy". You were warned.

Nanc and John - our awesome crew!

Random bit numero uno - My B2B bath towel still makes me unreasonably happy!  A perfect souvenir - I use it often (so practical!) and it reminds me of race day. Yay race committee!  Pre-race - we managed to meet up with our support crew. (The frustrations of those logistics no longer come to mind.)

We ate YUMMY pre-race dinner at our most favoritest hotel ever - The Blockade Runner.  (This amazing hotel is soooo tri friendly!  They sponsor several different tri's and other sporting events. They serve fresh, often organic and local food.  The rooms are super clean and completely reasonable in price.  And they let us put our totem mermaid Madge on the dinner table. You should stay there.  You really should.  Like soon.)  My pre-race dinner is probably all completely wrong according to triathletes who know about nutrition - but it very much works for me.  Lightly sautéed greens (bok choy, spinach, swiss chard if they've got it), seared scallops, and baked potato.  Mmmmm - I just made my hungry tummy rumble. Onward!

Race Day

It was frickin' freezing!  Beautiful and chilly.  I have no idea what I ate and drank that morning.  (Bad triathlete!  Bad girl!)  But I remember the cold.  My leg shivered when I got body marked - which is how I ended up with a special needs peace sign on my left calf.  

The volunteers at this race are simply amazing.  Do you know how many THOUSANDS of bags they moved with nary a one lost or misdirected??  I tried to let them know how much I appreciated it by leaving them a note on my bags.  (All pictures should be clickable by the way in case you want to see them bigger.)  I love having all the gear checked in the day before. It makes race morning delightfully calm for me.  (<---Ha ha ha - inside joke, in that the first time I typed that sentence I typed "clam"which always makes me think of the sign I saw somewhere that said, "In case of emergency, remain clam!"  We laugh about that sign a lot.  We have decided that someday we're going to own an awesome little bar at the beach called The Glamorous Clam.  Our emergency signage will be great.)  Anyway...see why it takes me so long to write these suckers?  Even after all this time - that's the stuff I think about to tell y'all.  Hey self - Triathlon.  The folks (if there are any reading) are here for TRIATHLON.  

Sunrise over T1

I like to get to the race start early.  Unreasonably early according to some.   Don't you love the glow in the sky when you get to transition for that final check?  I need an hour (or two) to get over the first rush of adrenaline and take in the day.  I want to soak it up.  I get revved - sure.  How can you not -  wandering around, feeding off the vibes from the crowd, the music pumping, etc? I like to ride that wave but then have time to dig in and get centered.  Not everyone is like that.  There are folks (cute but weird folks) who would love it if they could show up at the exact moment the announcer is calling our wave to get in for our five minute warm up wade to the start.  (<---Which by the way is a scenario out of my pre-race NIGHTMARES!  Being LATE for a race would unhinge me. Completely.) Luckily, Donna and I have figured out how to do our own thing on race day.  We train practically in lockstep, but we run our own races.  It works beautifully for us.  

The Swim - 

Um, cold.  Did I mention I was cold at the start?  And I totally forgot Body Glide!  (Had some at T1 and T2 but spaced on taking some to the swim start!) Luckily a gal scraped a bit off her stick for me to use on my neck.  More would have been better but I am oh-so-grateful for that last minute save. Donna was not so lucky and ended up with one heck of a wetsuit hickey!   

Donna and I kissed and hugged and waded in to warm up.  The Atlantic is amazing.  Just love it.  The buzzer went off.  We swam!  I hadn't done as much swim training - and it showed. The tide was also not quite as strong as the year before. Interestingly - I also really did notice the drag of having my wetsuit be too big.  (I was 22 lbs down from my race weight of 2009 but hadn't been able to afford a new wetsuit.  Didn't think it was a huge deal - and it wasn't - but it was noticeable.)  All in all though - the swim was great.  (To think I was 8 minutes slower on the swim but 21 minutes faster in overall time makes me ok with having taken some training time from the swim to put towards the bike and run.)  

Transition - 

I'm just slow.  And? I was cold again.  Fine in the water.  Not so much on the quarter mile run to T1.  Was glad to have a tight and light long sleeve bike layer.  

The Bike - 

I biked!  I felt good.  Alive.  I got passed. Mmm - by about a squillion people.  I ate a shot blok every ten minutes. (That equals a sleeve an hour - easy math for my race brain which is not up to complicated shit - unlike my sweet partner - who (as you may or may not remember) plays algorithmic puzzle games with people's race numbers as she passes them. Whatever it takes, man.  You're out there on the bike for a long time.)  The countryside is lovely.  The volunteers are fantastic.  I LOVE being able to whiz through stop lights while cars are safely stopped by the terrific traffic cops.  (I did see an accident later involving an impatient (or stupid and mean?) motorist who did not follow instructions/restrictions.  I heard later everybody turned out ok. Not great but ok.)  

Transition - 

Surprise - I'm still slow!  :)  I was in good space coming off the bike.  Well...I say that.  I managed to change shoes and skirt, take my inhaler, suck down a gu and water and get on the course.  But somehow I ended up with my Droid in my hand.  I think I didn't want to leave it on my bike. I guess I thought I'd be able to hand it off to John or Nancy - but I didn't see them so that didn't happen.  And I was a sweaty mess so I didn't want to drown it (and possibly electrocute myself or something stupid) by sticking it in my soaking wet jersey back pocket.  Oh well.  

The Run - 

I ran! Physically - I was tired from the bike but hopeful for a solid run.  Emotionally - I was happy and savoring the day. Mentally - I was ridiculously non-functional. I ran all 13.1 miles with my brick of a phone in one hand and my water bottle in the other.  Oh, and at one point some guy on the course gave me a carrot.  An orange, floppy carrot.  One of those carrots from an actual farm - a carrot that still has the green stuff sticking out of the top of it and the little rooty tail dangling off the pointy part.  I remember looking at the guy, looking at my left hand (water bottle), looking at my right hand (droid) - and looking back at the guy.  (I laugh now because I think I must have had the same look my hound dog Tallulah gets when she has a stick in her mouth and you throw a ball.  She bounds excitedly after it but then has NO IDEA what to do when she gets there - because there is a stick already in the place where the ball should go!)  I ended up taking the carrot (why, why WHY?) and kind of switching it back and forth from hand to hand.  (I hate to admit that like Tallulah - the concept of DROP IT somehow did not occur to me.  Unlike Tallulah however, the concept of EAT IT also did not occur to me.) Picture me at the aid stations - can't you?  Gel? Powerade?  Are you kidding me?  Do I look like a Hindu goddess to you?! I'm thinking I can shave off valuable time in upcoming races by not having to put everything down on the aid station table, take in nutrition, then pick everything back up before setting off again.  (Those type of lessons are secrets the pro's aren't usually willing to share.  Kona slots being as hard to come by as they are, elite triathletes keep some time saving tips to themselves.  But me? I'm a giver.)  

I ran more.  I think I was kind of tranced out.  I did see Donna. My mile 7 and her mile 5 something?  Those details escape me.  A flyby hug and kiss, a puzzled glance at the weird hand baggage I had acquired - and we were off in our separate directions.  My run wasn't as strong as I was hoping it would be - given some of the amazing training runs I had had.  I ran/walked the last bit.  And the bridges.  But I smiled; I thanked the volunteers. And I crossed the finish line feeling remarkably better than the year before.  No weaving and babbling for me this year.  Elation, yes.  Goofiness, no.  Well...except the carrot. And the phone. And the two raspberry gels a well-meaning aid worker had wedged into my hand with the water bottle.  (I'm allergic to raspberries so I didn't eat them. Again, one has to wonder why I didn't say "No thank you" or DROP THEM or do something other than mindlessly accumulate crap as I ran!)   

I got hugs and kisses at the finish line from our fabulous support team.  I was handed a scrunchy astronaut blanket by some unknown saint.  I waited a few minutes and then cheered wildly for Donna as she came in.  And then we spent some time in the medical tent because D was having a tough go of it there at the end.  She had been training through some emotional stress and mysterious physical back pain for months.  She ran a hell of a race - but I think hell is exactly the right word to describe the final bits of it for her.  A scrunchy blanket, some chicken broth, the warm tent and a chance to sit down and let her heart and brain synch back up helped.  Soon enough we were getting our free 15 minute massages, drinking beer, thanking our peeps repeatedly, and collecting our gear - all the while, rehashing and exchanging our experiences.  Triathlon is a touchstone for me now.  I wouldn't trade my tri experience for anything in the world.  And if you're at all considering the Beach 2 Battleship - my two cents is YES YES YES!

I wish I could finish this race report up by telling you how even though I haven't been blogging, I have been training - and that I was supercharged for our third go at B2B.  In March or April or even May I might have been able to say that.  But the reality is - we had an incredibly stressful off season, began our training in physical and emotional deficit - and never really got it together.  To the point that my body rebelled.  I wasn't recovering quickly (or sometimes at all, it felt like). I could NOT finish the workouts as scheduled - which was confusing.  We've been through this exact same training plans fully and successfully three times before - so why was it so much harder this year?  Finally I listened to my body and not my mind.  Sore achilles tendons, pain through my hip and back, and nagging tiredness and pains that just didn't go away even after two weeks of full rest/recovery necessitated a couple trips to the doctor and eventually the physical therapist. B2B 2011 was taken off the schedule. I cried. (A lot. For a couple of days.)

But my ultimate goal is Ironman.  (And as my FB buddies already know) - we decided that Ironman France is IT - even if it takes us a few years to get there! I believe I have been blessed early on in my Iron quest to learn vital lessons about how emotional/environmental stress can drastically affect performance, recovery, and overall health.  My plan is to go from my current PT regime (which includes picky little exercises waving my arms and legs about but zero actual swimming, biking or running yet) to a healthy, fantastic 140.6 miles in the Mediterranean Sea, the Maritime Alpes and along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, June 2014. Our new mantras are "Bon Courage!" and "Allez!" 

Maybe I'll even figure out how to blog about it along the way. :)  

 

Peace y'all!

The Second Time Around

I am sitting in my comfy Hampton Inn bed, contemplating what it will be like to repeat a race.  Tomorrow morning I'll stop contemplating and start experiencing.  Beach to Battleship. Take two.  I liked the first take a lot.  Even though I haven't blogged, I HAVE trained.  Not so much swimming this year, but LOTS of running.  Probably about the same amount of biking as last year.  We did a 12 mile run two weeks ago where our slowest mile was an 11:30, my penultimate mile was effortless, and my final mile was a 9:27.  (I KNOW!! Me - a nine something minute mile!!! Cra-zee!) 
Here are some things I have going for me tomorrow:

• Been here, done this, still have the t-shirt.  :D Some of the pressure is off because even if tomorrow sucks slimy rocks, I am STILL half iron.  On the flip side of that coin is the confidence piece of knowing I CAN do it because I ALREADY DID do it. Plus knowing the course and having the incidental logistics familiar from last year is decreasing my stress level. 
• I have done the training. (Always a good idea.)
• The weather is supposed to be about as perfect as possible: low of 40 something tonight, high of 67 tomorrow, ZERO percent chance of precipitation.  (Dude, it's mid-November on the East coast!  We could so easily have had 40 something and rainy.)  There will likely be some wind - and that may suck on the backstretch of the bike which is a false flat into the wind.  But the sunshine more than makes up for it.  
• The "downhill" swim from last year will be even more in our favor this year!  By the time my wave went off last year - the current was still there but it was ebbing.  This year at 8:50 - when the 40+ women start - the current will be full strength with us.  Woo hoo!  

Things I'm worried about despite all I have going for me:

• Not having done as much swimming (as in like a dozen pool workouts total and only one, count it ONE open water swim - er, yesterday) - I'm not feeling super confident about the swim.  Even knowing about the current.  
• There is a grated section on the drawbridge that scares the bejeezus out of me.  They say not to slow down or speed up or move sideways at all on that section.  Riiiiight.  Last year I slid and came about this close to going down and ending my race right there.  It happens less than half a mile into the bike, when your hands are still frozen from the swim and your coordination is not at its peak.  Pray for me.
• GI issues.  I have had some amazing training runs this year.  And?  I've had a few - where, as far as I can tell, I haven't changed a thing and yet...I have been seriously disturbed by tummy troubles.  Same nutrition, similar weather conditions, everything as consistent as I can make it - but one run my stomach is fantastic and another, ZAP!  I'm hurling in the bushes or hurtling for a port-a-john. 

I am so grateful to have the chance to race again.  I talked to and got love from all the kids; we have our fabulous sherpas (John and Nancy) with us; and of course -  I am lucky enough to have the most beautiful, amazing, and perfect training (and life) partner to get to race with.

Our deal is that we "race our own race" but she will be with me in my heart and in my head every single breath, pedal stroke, and step tomorrow even if she's not at my side.  (And she might be right next to me.  Remember last year?)

It's been so much fun to hear from my last year's B2B buddies Tracy Weir (<---lovely Canadian chica, whom I met on the course last year at run mile 3 when I was miserable), Carolina John (blogger pal extraordinaire and Ironman-to-be (IMFL 2011) who called today when we were at the expo to wish us luck), and Vickie and Shirley (who ROCKED this race - the full course last year.)  I will be thinking about all of my friends and family who have encouraged and supported us.  There's that long back stretch on the bike where I plan to savor each and every one of you!
Peace.

Reports From Around And About

Report from my weekend in Phoenix:
The city that gets like 6 rainy days a year - and which had a forecast that said "0% chance of precipitation" was engulfed in a DOWNPOUR for three of the the three and a half days I was there.  Still, it was a sunny kind of rain and I managed to be active even if I didn't get a run in.  (Trails I've never been on in the dark and in the rain - I just couldn't figure that out!! Next time though.  I figure Phoenix owes me.) 

Report from my kitchen:
Have you seen this book?  My fabulous partner Donna picked it up and welcomed me home with an amazing soup from it.  Seriously yummy stuff.  I can't wait to try more recipes! 

Report from my training plan:
If it's not going to be the year of the first marathon (and it isn't), then it's going to be the year I repeat a race.  I've never done the same race twice and I'm looking forward to it.  Of course the race we're going to repeat is the biggie.  I'm wanting to see if the 7 1/2 hours was a fluke or if we can better it!  I don't know that I can improve my swim or my bike much - but I know I have LOTS of room left to better the run.  I'm looking forward to our newly run-focused training plan. 

Report from my dogs:
They like grapes and carrots but really miss the days they used to get the occasional bit of bacon drippings on their kibbles. I'm thinking I ought to get them some of these. 

Is it Spring yet??  Peace.

TODAY I LOVE:  Reading books with my kids!!  Have you read The Hunger Games?   Are you collecting clues?  Don't you want to go to Camp Half-Blood?  You should.

A Few More Reflections

Things keep surfacing as I get back to "regular" life.  Here are some pictures and thoughts to go with:

John is a really amazing sherpa.  I guess he's used to having to deal with us, but to deal with both of us racing?  All I can tell you is that if you ever have the chance to vote on who's going to be the next saint, you should definitely put a check next to John's name.  That's my plan anyway. 

I don't have a picture for this thought - but I realized during this race that while parts of being a Fasty Mcspeedypants would be fun, I have no desire ever to be at the front of the pack.  I really like the supportive atmosphere at the back.  Women especially seem to be good at cheering each other on, but there were plenty of guys at the back calling out encouragement to me and each other.  When the front of the pack catches up or loops those of us at the back - that is when the congenial atmosphere is gone.  Gone!  What is with the spermheads (ie the aerohelmet-wearing jerkwads) who can't be bothered to say "On your left" much less say something nice?  I totally get being in your own head and having to race your own race - but seriously?  There's a middle ground that involves not glaring at me because you have to go around.  I know I'm slow but I stay very far over to the right.  Always.  Besides, the fastest guy in the whole race at least smiled as he went by so I know it can be done.   (You know, I bet the lead guy is a blogger.  Blogger guys - even the ones who wear aerohelmets - seem nicer.  DC Rainmaker and Steve In A Speedo, can you please teach those guys up front to be more like you?!)

In other news, I finally finished unpacking all of my bags. Here is more random swag from the race.

They let us keep the anklet that holds the timing chip.  Don't know what I'll do with it, but ok. I thought it was cool to get a sample pack of endurolytes.  I think I need to figure out how to use these or some other salt tabs. (More on that in another post.) The little wooden key chain fob I bought from kids in this totally cool program.  The cowbells we bought from athlete3 because not only did they come in great colors, but these had that beautiful, deep sound.  I <3 COWBELLS!!  The Navy was a sponsor of this race (which as a Navy vet, I think is pretty cool).  We talked to the Navy recruiter (who gave me the lanyard) for a while.  He was nice but bored.   He told us the recruiting prospects were pretty much nil because everyone in the race was too old.  Ha!

And now that I'm all the way rested - I'm sorry I was such a lame-o that I couldn't go back to the finish line and cheer for the iron finishers in that last hour.  I absolutely meant to - but waiting 2.5 hours in the cold to get back to the hotel before getting a hot shower and food took away what little reserve I had.  I was asleep in my plate and couldn't think about staying awake another minute, much less getting across the river and back again.   Lame, lame, lame.  I have so much more respect for how much endurance it takes just to stay conscious that long - forget the part about continually moving your body through space for 140.6 miles.  Sheesh. 

This picture was taken about two minutes after I crossed the finish line.  I notice a couple of things about this photo - the sunburn, the crazy grin, the death grip on the water bottle - but the very first thought that crossed my mind was, "Holy shit!  Do my boobs look that big in real life?"  I mean, I see them every day but this picture made me wonder how on earth I manage to run with those suckers.

Did I tell you how Donna kept getting stronger and stronger on the run?  If she knew how to do a backflip she'd have done one at the finish - that's how jazzed she was.  I love this picture of her.  Speaking of pictures.  Here's a video of us getting our picture taken - which is a weirdly fun thing to have a video of:


What is totally awesome (besides showing you how calmly John puts up with me when I'm not functioning on all brain cylinders) - is that I remember that moment.  I remember wanting to make sure I had a way to connect with Tracy after the race - and then I remember wanting to stop and remember it all - the feeling of having finished, the music, being surrounded by friends who love me, the joy of being there in that moment.  It's so strange to see that moment from outside of me - that moment at the end of the video where I take it all in.  And had the video gone on about 10 seconds longer you would have seen my face light up as my buddy Duncan there offers me a sip of his beer!  We didn't know that Dave was taking videos - we thought it was a regular camera.  I probably would have made him turn it off if I'd known, but now I love having these little live snippets of the day.

The battleship was really cool.  I love that ships wear their honors painted on their sides the way I wore my service ribbon bar on my uniform.  Yay for the USS North Carolina.

And finally, this is my favorite picture from the day:

I can't wait to feel that way again. 

B2B (Half Iron) Race Report

Saturday November 7, 2009 - Wilmington, NC
Beach2Battleship Half Iron

For all you number crunchers out there - here are the stats - sort of.  First I'll give you the "official" times, then I'll give you my times according to my watch.  BUT both timing systems had race day issues!  Some craziness went on with one or more of the official timing mats.  No one has T1 times - and poor Donna (along with maybe 20% of the other racers) doesn't have a swim or a bike time.  My watch worked fine and dandy - I just forgot to push the lap button at the end of the bike.  I realized somewhere in the middle of T2.  Whatever.  Here are the two time streams (and ne'er the twain shall meet!)
Officially -
Swim - 29:37 (65th - woo hoo!  a mid-pack stat!) 
T1 - n/a
Bike - 3:50:19
T2 - 4:45
Run - 3:05:15
Total/Finish Time - 7:29:55 (138th out of 156 women who finished and 163 total.) 

Unofficially -
 Swim - 27:45 
T1 - 12:20
Bike - 3:43:30
T2 - :55 (Doh!)
Run - 3:05:45
Total/Finish Time - 7:30:24*
*I purposefully didn't stop my watch at the exact finish in the hopes of a good finish picture, but as the third place iron finisher was passing us in the chute, there's little chance of that.  The announcer didn't say a word about us either.  Not that I mind the third place iron guy getting his due!  Dude was fast.  And our personal cheering section was on hand with all the kudos we could want.   In the best tradition of putting the cart before the horse, here's a video of our finish:


It starts off with high fives before we actually cross the mats - and then our buddy Dave runs to catch the rest of the action.  What's totally funny to me is how consistently BAD AT MATH I am* during or after a run.  We were 41 (not 45) minutes faster than our most optimistic goal.  But I can also cut myself a little slack.  Did you notice how I'm weaving around?  I got really, really, really dizzy at mile marker 12.  Like I wasn't sure I could finish upright.  I felt ok - legs and everything.  But things were spinning and spinning.  The comment about being almost as fast as Chris Johnson (lightning fast running back for the Tennessee Titans) cracked me up too. 

*Unlike Donna who told me how much she loves her race number because it's 2³x 11².   That's my girlfriend - the math dyke.  I can't do basic subtraction and she's over there doing logarithms and shit in her head.  

THE WHOLE SHEBANG

OK OK - now I have to go back to the very beginning and tell things in order.  (I'm going to throw in a lot of details and musings, mostly for my own enjoyment.  Feel free to pass this part up.)  


The day before the race was smooth and perfect.  The strangest moment for me was when they put the plastic bracelet on my wrist:

You know how in Russian and German they have these polysyllabic words for an emotion that can't be translated into English in less than a paragraph?  Yeah, I needed one of those words when the guy wrapped this around my hand.  For whatever reason (maybe because the only other times I've gotten a plastic id bracelet are the times I've gone into the hospital to have a baby) that part of the check in process hit me hard.  "It's really happening.  I'm really going to do this.  I may or may not come out of this as a half iron triathlete - but I won't be the same person on the other side, no matter what."  Those were a few of the thoughts that went through my head.  I started to get overwhelmed - but I have the best partners.  Donna understood exactly what I was babbling about which helped make it ok to be right where I was.  John made us laugh by playing word games trying to come up with a name for the emotion we were feeling and then wondering if he could get a tattoo saying "Fahrvergnügen" in kanji.  The rest of the day was very low key.  I ate my sushi for dinner (yay!) and was asleep by like 8:30.  (The marines and the crying baby were magically silent!)

PRE-RACE NON JITTERS
My race day alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. but I was awake at 3:45.  Not nervous - just feeling quietly determined.  I took my shower and started eating my PowerBar (the vanilla yogurt protein one).  I knew it was going to be a great day - no matter what the time results were.  I just knew it.  Donna and John both got up a little later and we were out the door at 5:40 and at the transition area by 6. 

It's an amazing experience to train and race with someone who is not only your training partner but also your life partner.  Triathlon has brought us so much closer.  We've learned a lot about ourselves and each other.  One of the things we've learned is that in stressful situations we need very different things to stay or get calm.  Poor John trying to cater to our opposite needs!  Getting to the event early early early helps me cycle through my adrenaline and gives me time to relax and enjoy the process.   Standing around for that long makes Donna a crazy person.  Ideally for her would be to get there with just enough time to pump her tires, zip her wetsuit, and run across the mat.  We compromised on raceday and it all worked perfectly. We checked our bikes, stashed a pair of old shoes along the swim exit, and got bodymarked.

As the sun came up, it was easier to lean into the spirit of the day.  We had enough time and energy to get cheesy and silly.   Do you like how we were posing and flexing for the camera? 

 

Even though it's faded in this picture (because it's from after the race) - I had the body marking gal put the peace symbol on my other calf.  Lots of people commented on it - as they passed me on the bike (sigh):

John didn't realize there was a "41" on my right calf.  He thought it said "Hi".  

There are so many parts that were memorable.  I loved being at the start - which was a crowded little dock area.  I chatted with Carolina John and Missy.  I got to meet SWTrigal and some of her cohort!  We cheered for the iron athletes as they swam by us.  We were their half way point - and they were all doing such a superb job!  Even the very last person passed us at the hour mark.  (You know how if you're the last person on the run, there's usually a cop car following you?  Yeah - how'd you like to be the last swimmer in this race and have the sweep vehicle be a Coast Guard Cutter?! Little bitty guy followed by a great big boat. I so wish I had a picture of it!  But there wasn't enough room for spectators at the start so my camera was with John away at T1.)  The American anthem was stirring (as always for me) and then it was time for the first wave. Just before we got in, Sage appeared!  (We are madly trying to save money to hire her to coach us.  She is simply an amazing athlete/coach/yogini/cool chica!)  Her hugs were our good luck charm as we hit the water.  And one final fun thing was that my mom had texted me the night before to say that she was going down to the lake to put her toesies in the water in a show of solidarity with us at the exact moment our wave took off.  I thought of her but didn't see this picture until later:

8:50 a.m. (7:50 Central time) How much fun is that?  I love my mom!!

THE SWIM (29:37 or 27:45)

We ran across a mat just so they had a record of us entering - but our race time started at our wave start's listed time.  For each wave we got to get in the water about 5 minutes before the horn.  It was PERFECT!  Enough time to get used to the water and be ready to swim.  Donna looked radiant!  The minute she got in the water, something changed for her.  I wish I had a picture to show you - but she was calm and energized and excited to swim.  She grew up in Miami - and I think her connection to the Atlantic made a huge difference for her in the race.  And then the horn sounded and it was time to swim!!  We were swimming down a channel so even though there were buoys, our only real navigational instructions were to "stay in the water and turn left at the Wiggly Man".  (The Wiggly Man was one of those strange, man shaped balloon things they have at used car lots that shimmies and dips as hot air is blown into it.  They had one on a boat - and you could see him even from the start.)  I started swimming.  Nice easy strokes waiting to fight off panic that never came.  I felt great in the water.  I had plenty of room; my goggles fit and didn't fog (thank you); I could breathe.  Every time I took a breath, I could see the moon still hanging in the day sky.  It was lovely.  "The moon, the moon, the moon," became my unintentional mantra.  I was at the Wiggly Man before I could believe it.  The water visibility was perfect - clear enough to see ahead but not too far down.  I always had someone swimming close enough ahead of me that I felt safe and on track.  It was the best open water swimming experience I've ever had.  BY FAR!  And then I was at the dock.  Realizing I had to pee. I know most people just pee in their wetsuits, but I can't do that!  Oh well.  I stopped my watch, climbed up the wooden ladder, got shucked by a wetsuit stripper, ran through a freshwater shower, found my shoes that I stashed and then "ran" a million miles the 400 yards through a parking lot, across a road, down a sidewalk, into transition to my bike. 

T1 (a long ass time)

My watch time says 12:20 for T1, but that starts from before I climbed the ladder until I hit the mount line and climbed onto my bike.  Contrary to the way it looks, I did not do my nails or dine on a seven course meal in transition.  That said, it was not a smooth transition.  Even after I finally got to my bike - I had to pull all of my stuff out of a plastic bag and then decide what exactly I wanted to put on and what I wanted to irrevocably leave.  Not easy!  I had been worried about being cold at the bike start - which was reasonable at 6 am when it was 36 degrees and even my wool socks weren't keeping my feet warm.  At 9:20 when it was clear and sunny on the way to being warm - I wasn't sure what I'd need and what would be overkill!  (Arm warmers would have been perfect dammit!  I've wanted some for a long time but they just haven't made it to the top of the list!)  And did I mention I still have my super speedy-in-transition bike shoes with laces that you have to tie?  (Funds!  We need a sponsor or a patron or just a shoebox full of fifties that we can spend on tri gear!)  Anyway - I did finally get out of transition just a few minutes ahead of Donna.  

THE BIKE (3:50:19 or 3:43:30 or somewhere like 3:39 if you adjust for transition)

Usually when I start biking (no matter the terrain, no matter the distance) my quads protest at first.  Not so this time.  Yay!  The course was exceedingly well marked and staffed with volunteers.  Even I couldn't get lost.  It was twisty and turny - but so freaking amazing to know the cars were being kept out of our lane and that the intersections would be cleared for us.  LOVED IT!!  I felt like royalty or something.  Well - except for the million and twelve people who passed me.  I stayed well to the right and got passed and passed and passed and passed.  I kept my cadence up and my heart rate down.  I adjusted my gears so that I wasn't mashing.  I didn't really mind that people were passing me - except they didn't look like they were working any bit harder and they were getting farther.  It's always a bit weird to get passed by those guys with the disc wheels - swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.  At first it must have been the relay guys passing me, but by the end of my bike - it was the first of the iron guys passing.  Wow! 

I enjoyed the bike.  It was as flat as it's possible to be. And there wasn't any wind to speak of until the last 20 miles or so.  I like rolling hills so the few bridges were actually fun for me.  (That's not to say I was fast, just that I enjoyed them.)  Oh, well, except for the first one which was a draw bridge.  They put carpet over the grating but it was a bit slippery.  We'd been warned about this in the athlete meeting the day before.  In fact the race director specifically said not to pass for those twenty yards of the race - and what did I hear the second my front wheel touched the carpet?  You guessed it, "On your left!"  Asshat. 

The only other thing I could possibly whine about is that I had to pee.  I remembered that there were aid stations every 15 miles on the bike.  Yay!  But mile 10 came and went and then mile 20.  By the way, Donna caught up to me just off the I-140 so we rode "together" (i.e. with the requisite Toyota Camry length between us!) for most of the rest of the ride.   She reminded me that they'd said "aid stations every 15 miles except the first one is at mile 25".  Rats!  And then double rats because at mile 25 it wasn't there.  Nor at 28 - which was about when we saw Carolina John on the other side of the road on his way back.  He didn't see us though.  He was focused - totally dialed in and spinning smoothly.  We finally came to an aid station (porta potty!!)  after the 30 mile marker.  That was a l-o-n-g time on the bike not being very comfortable bending over!  Made a quick pee stop, grabbed some water for my bottle and then was back on the bike!   My nutrition was pretty good.  I was eating a shot block every ten minutes and drank all of my gatorade and most of two bottles of water.  The last leg seemed to have a bit of wind and I felt like I was working harder for less progress.  My right hip ached a bit but when my right knee started to twinge I realized I'd been holding my leg out in an effort to soothe my hip.  I stretched as well as I could while moving and then focused on my form.  Aero bars sure would have been nice on this ride.

The last thing to say about the bike leg is that there is plenty of time to savor the race experience and life in general.  I spent whole sections of the ride listing the people I love and am grateful for in my life.  If you are reading this post, then you were on that list.  I also spent a considerable amount of time talking to my bike, Vivian.  Glad there weren't folks around to hear. 

T2 (4:45 which makes sense or :55 which is patently not true)

Donna hit a low point at the end of the bike and beginning of the run.  She had made an extra stop on the bike and then caught back up so we were in transition at almost the same time.  I was a little wigged out by the volunteer trying to take my bike from me because I knew where my rack space was and he took my bike and went in a totally opposite direction!  (This is my excuse for not hitting the lap button on my watch and hence having a screwy transition time.) After a few moments of "WTF?!" I went to my rack as that's where my run stuff was.  I was a little foggier mentally than I expected, so I was glad of all those double and triple bricks.  You get a lot of T2 practice with those!  A few mistakes I made that I want to remember not to make again.  I didn't take a gel in T2 the way I usually do because I had no water.  Since we'd had to check our transition bags in the night before I hadn't filled up my handheld water bottle.  It leaks a bit and I didn't want wet socks (or shoes or skirt).  I figured I'd have at least some water left on my bike that I could use until I got to an aid station.  I had not figured on not having my bike with me in transition!!  The guy did show up at the very end but I was already moving out. (And he racked my bike so she was resting on the brake levers instead of hooking the seat over the bar which worried me but I wasn't verbal enough to say anything.)  Leaving Donna behind when I knew she was holding back sobs was hard.  Being off kilter with my gel/water routine was a little stupid.  Worrying about my bike being ok was pointless.  Frankly I think I got out of transition and onto the run only because it was the easiest thing to figure out how to do at that point.

THE RUN (3:05:15 or 3:05:45)

Because T2 was at the Battleship where the finish was, it was spectator friendly.  Which was great.  Except one of my challenges is that I start the run too fast.  My heart rate spikes and it messes up the rest of the run.  On training runs I've gotten good at dialing it down until I am breathing well and running smoothly.  I have NOT gotten good at it when there are people cheering and ringing cowbells (OMG - I LOVE COWBELLS!!)  I was so glad to get out around the bend where people couldn't see me anymore so I could walk and get myself under control!  "Settle in.  You're going to be here a while," is a mantra I borrowed from RBR.  It helps!  I got my heart rate down, got myself to the first water station, filled my bottle, took my gel and got ready to run.  Just in time for the big "hill" of a bridge.  Oh well.  I walked up it (with many, many of my fellow athletes).  Then I settled into a rhythm of sorts.  One where I looked over my shoulder for Donna every few minutes.  A wonderful Canadian woman named Tracy befriended me in those first few miles.  Here's a picture of us all at the end:

Donna caught up to us around mile 4 - and things were great.  I was so glad she had worked through what she needed to.   It just feels right to run with her at my side!  She got stronger and stronger with each mile.  I felt good for the most part - but was decidedly not getting stronger and stronger.  I took a gel at mile 5 and a half of one at mile 8.  I probably needed a whole one, but couldn't stand the idea of it.  I had a knot centered and up high in my torso.  It didn't feel like anything could get past that.  I sipped on my water and drank actual cupfuls of it at the aid stations.  That helped.  The run was lovely.  It was a great course.  It was an out and back looped course with the half being one loop and the full being two.  You got to see not only the gorgeous scenery, but also most of the half and some of the full peeps in the race.  There was even a wedding going on in the park as we passed by.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  I was sad to be walking so much but it was very hard to get worked up about anything.  We knew (even with my sadly lacking computational skills) that we were well under our goal time.  We saw Shirley starting her first lap of the marathon.  We cheered for all the New Mexico Outlaws we saw.  We got passed by the lead iron male on his final lap.  We looked but didn't see any of our personal cheering section out on the course.  Our friends Misty, Dave and their 6 year old daughter Louise along with our dear friend Duncan and of course, John - our partner and sherpa extraordinaire with his camera and iPhone for posting status updates to FB - missed us at every spot due to our wildly unexpected early speediness!  Apparently after a day of missing us over and over, when they saw our bikes in transition they just went to the finish line.  And we were almost there.

I ate another half of a gel at mile 10.  That was just before the seven hour mark. Donna turned to me and said, "Do you think you can do a 5K in two hours?"  I smiled.  How amazing to have that much time before the cutoff.  We were weary but solid.  Ready to be done.  We came down off the bridge and hit mile 12.  Final mile - all down hill into the cheering crowds.  Should be cake, right?  Not so much.  I got incredibly dizzy.  Not queasy or nauseated - but like I was doing to fall off of my feet.  It was so strange!  My vision was swimmy.  I wasn't any more tired than I had been and I didn't feel like I was going to faint.  I simply felt like all of a sudden the loud world had started spinning.  I thought I might have to walk the finish.  I did end up running but I was none too steady.  But there were our people at last!  And cowbells (COWBELLS!) just for us!  And hugs and kisses and getting to stand still while soaking it all in.

POST RACE

In retrospect, I probably should have talked to a medical person, but I downed a couple of bottles of water and half of my Recoverite and stood still.  Then I felt better. The world stopped swirling.  I was anchored by the wonderfully heavy piece of bling around my neck.  I was buoyed by the love of the people around me.  I was elated.  When we did move it was over to the massage tent.  Woot!  For the first time I'd finished a race in time to get a massage.  (I know, I know - it's because there were gobs of iron people still out on the course - but still!)  We got our bags so I could put on my jacket.  I ate a small slice of pizza and drank the first beer I'd had in months.  (I gave up alcohol for training sometime this summer.)  I nursed that beer for most of the two and a half hours it took us to get back to the hotel.  I thought this race was incredibly well run - with the following two exceptions: there was zero security on the bikes at the end contrary to what they'd said at the beginning and the water taxi/trolley situation to get us from the finish site back across the river to the hotels/downtown did not work.  At all.  The volunteers were PHENOMENAL and the course was the best of all possible worlds - but those two things at the end were definite detractors.  We finally got back to the hotel and showered.  We grabbed some seafood at Elijah's for a recovery meal.  I had every intention of being back at the finish to cheer the iron peeps on at the end, but I couldn't face the thought of having to wait for hours to get back and forth across the river.  I was feeling like a total lame-o and was sad not to have met all of the bloggers I wanted to, especially IMAble (AKA Jayme - but I can't make the link to her blog work for some reason!)  She has been such an inspiration to me.  So much of her journey resonates with my experience and early on she answered a desperate, newbie email full of questions about nutrition.  Then, like magic, there she was in our elevator!  We recognized each other at the same time.  Turns out they were in the room right next to us.  (Not the one with the crying baby, the other one - directly across from the Marines.)  I'm sure it wasn't so magical for her, because she had to tell an elevator of strangers-turned-new-friends about her DNF.  She absolutely gave it her all out there.  She covered 127+ miles but her ITB/knee wouldn't let her get that second loop of the run finished in time.  We snapped this pic the next morning as we were all heading home: 

RECOVERY
I'm still working on how to recover well.  I got quite sick on the trip home (had to get John to pull over to a rest area so I could puke.)  The dizziness thing is still coming in waves.  (Weirdly it seems to be triggered by noise sometimes.)  I've had tons and tons of water so I know it's not a dehydration issue.  The kidneys are working fine and dandy.  My legs are sore but I slept soundly.  (In fact I napped through some of the Titans game which was a shame because we played well and won!)  I stretched today but we're going to wait until Wednesday to run.  And even then, it will be a nice, easy jog on the (flat!) Bolin Creek Trail.  This was an utterly amazing experience for me - an achievement to savor.  For all the words I've put out here, I haven't gotten to the heart of how dreaming this big, working this long, and accomplishing this much has changed me.  Peace - and congratulations to all my fellow B2B'ers and all the IMFL, MiamiMan,  and OBX marathon peeps. 

TODAY I LOVE: being part of the community of athletes

Hot Damn We Did It!!!

More later - but the short and sweet is that we (Donna and I) finished together in 7:30!! (For those of you keeping score at home that''s 41 minutes faster than even my "Pie in the Sky" goal!!!)  We had an AMAZING swim. My official time will be slower because it will include part of the crazy long transition - but I was out of the water at 29:33!  DUDE!  And it was beautiful.  The weather was perfect.  The worst part of the whole race for me was at mile marker 12.  I got seriously dizzy and was contemplating walking in.  (But I didn't.)  We're going to shower and then go back and see if we can see other bloggy peeps finish.  (Shirley Perly will be done - she looked FABULOUS with that wonderful smile. We were finishing our lap as she was heading out.  She was that fast.)  Hoping to see others too.  Peace - and THANK YOU for the mojo.  I felt it out there.  Love you guys! 

TODAY I LOVE: Being a half iron triathlete! 

Last Minute B2B Thoughts

<---This?  Is kinda freaking me out.  But it's been a great day.  The race seems really well organized.  It was s-m-o-o-t-h picking up packets, going to the athlete's meeting, and checking in bikes & bags.  I've never checked my stuff in the night before (which is not surprising given that I've been in two triathlons) - but it's nice.  It's a relief to have all that figured out. 


 <---This?  Is kinda freaking me out, too.  We'll get to the race site when it's 37 degrees.  That is waaaaay too close to freezing for me.  We (in the half) will get in the water when the air is 42 degrees and the water will be 66 degrees.  I'm a little nervous about T1 and getting dry/warm to start the bike.  But don't you LOVE the "sunny, sunny, sunny" written across the bottom?!  The run should be beautiful.  Hope I can both get there and appreciate it when I do!  (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!) 

<---This?  Doesn't freak me out at all.  :D  We got to meet the fabulous Shirley Perly and the wonderful Nancy Toby!  (Y'all - they are even nicer in person than they are on their blogs if you can believe that!)  I haven't met Waddler, TriSharkie, or Vickie yet - but Shirley did.  They're all doing the full distance, so I hope to be able to cheer for them at their finish.  Oh - and we met Kevin and his wife Cathy too.  (Only I totally forgot to snap a picture.  Bad blogger!  John is under orders to take pictures of everything and everyone we talk to tomorrow, so maybe I'll have more then.) 

This is us, checking in our bikes.--->

This is us, obviously thinking, "WTF?" but I don't know about what.  ---->

And this is the view from our hotel window.  So lovely.  Goodnight!  Thank you again for all of your wishes and sweet thoughts.  I've got them all stored away to savor during those hours on the bike tomorrow! Peace.

TODAY I LOVE: Having SUSHI for my pre-race meal!  Yay!!! 

PS - Did I mention the Marine Corps Ball happening here at the same time?  Yeah, we've got an open room party two doors down.  And?  A crying baby right next door.  So if anyone has any special QUIET mojo - we could use some tonight.  Shhhhhhhh. 

Frazz and Other Randomness

I think it's time to break out the bullet points!!

• If you haven't already seen this post, you must hie thee hither.  Shirley Perly interviews Jef Mallett, the creator of the tri-friendly comic strip Frazz.  And?  She's got a cool giveaway going on.  
• I find myself cursing at the weather channel.  The high temp forecast for Saturday has dropped 7 degrees in a week.  (But is up from a predicted 61 yesterday to a predicted 63 this morning.) 
• My brain is like a sieve.  I reheated water for my tea yesterday three times before I finally gave up.  I kept putting the cup in the micro and then walking away only to come back HOURS later.  Who can't keep focus for the two minutes it takes to boil a cup of water in the microwave??  
• Nightmares of Unpreparedness.  I haz 'em.  Srsly.  Last night I had about a dozen mini stress dreams in a row.  Stuff like we discovered at the starting line the swim was 26 miles long. Then I dreamt that I was checking my bar ends* only to look around and see everyone else had mountain bikes.  Sweet!  Maybe I won't be DFL.  No - look, the bike course is a hilly single track.  Then there was the one where somehow I ended up having my dogs with me as the start gun was about to go off.  I was freaking because they hadn't trained AT ALL and I was worried about their toepads on the run**.  And what nightmare dream sequence would be complete without a bathroom worry?  I dreamt that I ducked into a port-a-potty and while I was in there some worker men loaded it on a truck and drove it ahead to a different mile marker.  Aside from the logistics of trying to pee and reassemble my wardrobe in a moving stinkbox - I was all in a dither about the unwanted "help".  I didn't want to get in trouble for having gotten a ride but the guys wouldn't take me back to my correct mile marker.  I didn't have time to run back - and besides that my math brain wasn't working and I couldn't even figure out how many miles I needed to go.  I had no idea what to do.  And then I woke up.  I wonder if my brain does this to me to make the actual race seem simple and straight-forward by comparison.  
• Rockslide.  I'd heard about this but somehow did not connect it to the fact that Donna's mother and sisters were going to drive to the race to cheer for us.  (The rockslide is smack in the middle between Nashvile and us.)  They are now probably not going to be able to come because adding an extra 2 to 3 hours drive time (each way!) makes it pretty unworkable.  We totally understand, but dammit.  And I hope that any of you B2B traveling peeps can avoid this area.  I should have posted about it earlier.  I just didn't think.  (My mind=sieve.  Remember?)  
• Sushi.  I am CRAVING sushi.  I have neither the money nor the time to invest in assuaging my sushi craving.  (If you have followed this blog for a while - you may have noticed that my cravings do not politely go away from just one hit of sushi.  No, I pretty much have to immerse myself in a vat of sushi - for a week - before my brain will stop sending the "I MUST HAVE SUSHI NOW" message.) 
• Crop circles.  I think about crop circles way more often than is probably healthy.  
• I have no idea what my next steps are.  I've put so many things off until "after the race" that I can't even remember them all.  It's kind of like cramming a bunch of stuff into a closet.  I'm a little worried about opening the closet door and having all that crap spill out and bean me on the head.  So I'm not going to do that.  Until after the race.  

I don't know if I'll be able to post again before the race.  Probably not.  And you know how timely I am about race reports.  (Not.)  BUT maybe I'll surprise us all.  I do have it set up so that John can post from his iPhone to my Facebook during the race.  I'm going to have my camera with me all day on Friday as I lurk about trying to meet bloggy peeps.  I don't have any super recent pictures of me and Donna - but this is close to what we might look like during the race: 

 I hope we're smiling that much! 

Oh wait!  I do have a (stolen) picture that's more recent.  Here's a picture of us - after a lake swim - with our long time blogger buddy and new real life neighbor, Carolina John: 

Again I'm hoping we have smiles like that at B2B.  (Although I am also hoping for less cold and swamp funk at B2B than we had on that OWS.   Don't you love how he brought his camera out AFTER the swim?  What a guy.)  Peace y'all!

TODAY I LOVE:  Sunshine.  (I like it.  I love it.  I want some more of it!!) 

 *Did someone once die by being impaled on an uncovered bar end?  USAT is like freaky concerned about bar end covers.  They make such a big deal about it and it seems like such a small issue to me.  But I carry two around in my bike stuff now because I don't want to get DQ'd!
**WTF - I'm worried about my dogs on the run?  Why wasn't I worried about them riding bicycles?  Dreams make no sense.

Happy New Year!

Celebration:  In the spiritual tradition I follow, dark comes before light - a day begins with the eve and the year begins anew as it cycles down into the cold and quiet. Today is the first day of the new year.   In my devotions last night, I was overwhelmed to reflect on how much love and joy I've experienced in the last twelve months as I've thrown myself into my passions: my family, triathlon, art, and life coaching.   Happy New Year indeed. 

Countdown:  OMG - the countdown says 5 days (and 15+ hours) - but still.  Remember when the number 5 in the countdown was preceded by numbers like "36-" and "24-" and even "6-"?  I'm a little freaked out because our last two real workouts (yesterday's and today's) have been rained out.  If the weather clears we may yet get our longish brick in, but it might "only" be a pool swim (while wearing a wetsuit) and a trainer ride (while watching football) today.   And then we hit serious taper mode:  easy indoor spins, a three mile run, a short swim.  Then nothing.  Then race day.  I'm to the point though that I'm excited about the race.  Glad that it's almost here.  Ready to see what I can bring to it.  Calm enough (for now).  <-- I'm sure that part will fluctuate a bit but we'll see.

Goals:  Seems like now is as good a time as any to post my goals for B2B!

• Be present, take it all in
  
• Finish injury-free (Oh - I really, really want to finish!!)  
• Pie in the sky time goal: 8:11 (An hr swim, a 4 hr bike, a 3 hr run, and 11 minutes of transitions)
  
• More realistic time goal: anything before the 9 hour cutoff!  

Other Goals:  These are my goals for this week leading up to B2B

• Try not to worry about things I can't control (like the weather, or when Shark Week starts)
  
• Pack calmly but not obsessively
• Eat well
• Rest and sleep
• Hydrate
• Foam roller and gently stretch
• Envision myself enjoying each segment of the race
• Spend time with the people I love and thank them for their support
  

Journey:  This has been such an amazing year for me.  A year ago today I was still trying to breathe in and out on a regular basis after the gut punch of losing the court case.  So much of what I had planned about the way my life would go went completely sideways.   And yet, here I am with a new career, new directions in my art and writing, and pushing a new horizon (=the half iron distance) for my triathlete self.  However it turns out next Saturday, I'm so grateful to have had this point to focus on as all the other pieces came into alignment. 


Social:  I don't really know how to be social and meet up with all of the many blogger peeps who are going to be at B2B.  We'll be there on Thursday night but not in time for the athlete's kickoff dinner.  Friday night I'm pretty sure we're going to be trying to stay calm.  Maybe Friday day at the expo or walking around?  I'm likely to be one of the few athletes with a pierced lip - so if you see me - please say hello!!  Once I figure out what I'm going to wear I'll try to post a picture so all you fast peeps can cheer me at the finish line.  :D

TODAY I LOVE:  Bit O'Honeys (unfortunately!!)