Still Recovering

Well, this surely wasn't expected. The great doctor who cut out my tonsils last week said I would be out 7-10 days. I just didn't believe him. But, he was right. After what has been the most painful week, today is my first day out of the apartment - I made it to the library.

Everyone has been great, family and friends coming to visit with food (applesauce and jello - it's all I can eat), magazines, flowers and Grey's Anatomy. I can't talk, swallow, move my head much, cough, or laugh without being in a lot of pain. So, magazines and Grey's has really helped me through the week without cable tv or Internet.

My next appointment is on Friday, hopefully the doctor will say all is going well, just slowly. I miss swimming, biking and running. I miss food - REAL FOOD. Oh well, that will come soon enough.

Until later - it's my nap time.

On Hiatus

Tomorrow I am doing something I am very excited about... I am having my tonsils removed!! I know most people had this done when they were about 10, but I waited until I am 28 and it is a much more dangerous surgery with a much longer recovery time. YAY! Over the past 2 years, my tonsils swell and I get sick. This has been happening about every other month, so finally I am having them removed. I will be here for the better part of tomorrow.
By the way - I tried to find a cute cartoon picture of tonsils, they don't exist, so I settled for the hospital.

How does this affect the training... a lot!! My lunch run with Jess today will be my last workout for awhile. I forgot my HR monitor, but she kept me paced better than I did yesterday on my own - and it was faster than last week. I am starting to figure this whole thing out... I will be out of commission for about a week and a half, if not longer. My Dr. knows I am 'in training' and will do the best he can to keep me safe and have a quick recovery. I would like to think that even if I wasn't in training, he would do the same. Either way, it helps!

I also don't really have internet at home (the horror) so I might not be able to post any of my wonderful recovery stories for awhile.

I will post again when I am tonsil free!!!

Coach is happy! WooHoo!!

I received my first "you are doing great" from Coach today. YAY!! I was so hoping for that! I have been working hard this week on my heart rate stuff. I know I have like 51 week left, and boredom/burnout is a real possibility, but this still felt good. I added a "Encouraging Words from Coach" list on the right side of this blog. When he writes/says good stuff - I will post it. When I am feeling down - I will have something to look at.

Oh, also, I got to bump up my HR range from 163 to 170. It may not sound like much, but as I said, I always have a high HR while I run/jog/trot/shuffle. It drops pretty quick during my walk break (I am a big fan of the run 4, walk 1 i.e. 4:1). But during today's lunch run - to make up for missing yesterday's run, I think I was a bit overzealous. My average HR was 170...

But, it's all a learning curve. I will figure out how to run more efficiently.

Skipped Monday

Yesterday was one of those days that just got away from me.

In the morning, I had to take Marcus to get inspected. Lunch, it was Emily's birthday and we had lunch plans. I couldn't skip lunch because I skipped her b-day party over the weekend. I got in late and therefor had to stay late. By the time I got home, it was 7:30, and I realized I had not done my dishes in a week, gone through my mail in close to 2 weeks, or even unpacked from Sarah and Brendan's wedding. So when I got home - I just started to put stuff away. I didn't get to the laundry, but it's sorted. I have a kitchen counter again, clean dishes in the drying rack, and made some soup for dinner.

And I was in bed at 9:30. It was a good night and good decision to not workout.

Thank you Ron Burgundy

On Sunday after after my 7 hours at Carmax with Jess - saying goodbye to Audry and hello to Marcus - the 10+ hour trip left little daylight for my 1 hour and 30 min bike ride, followed by a 15 min run, that was on the schedule.
Sooo... I put Carlos on the trainer and turned on the tv. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was playing and proved to be a great distraction. Ride steady during the movie, faster on the commercials. It worked out pretty well. My HR stayed up and averaged 155. My butt was sore and I really do need a fan; but I was really happy with my self that I didn't just sit, watch the movie, and feel bad about what happened. I needed to do my ride, and I did. It wasn't outside, or the way I planned - but it was WAY better than nothing.

I also hopped outside for a quick 15 min jog. It was a little late, but the main road I live on is very well lit, with lots of people, cars, and restaurants. I am not stupid and did not wear my iPod, but was very surprised at how many other solo female runners were out, with iPods. It made me feel better that I wasn't out there alone, but also glad I am smart enough to not wear headphones!!

RIP Audrey

If you haven’t figured it out yet… I name a lot of things.
Carlos is my bike
Todd is the stuffed frog my dad fills up with hugs and he sits on my bed. (No Judgment! It’s a really cute, but stuffed frog)
And I have named all my cars.
Judy the Toyota Tercel
Izzy the Infinity G20
And my most favorite car – Audrey – my little black convertible.

Here she is with me and my mom.
(Edit - my dad is in the picture too. If you click on the picture, you can see a distorted reflection of my dad taking the picture. Thanks Dad!)

I really heart her. Unfortunately, she was getting up there in age and issues. She also wasn’t the easiest car to transfer a bike around, or all my tri stuff. Some times the trunk wouldn’t open. The antenna was broken off. The tape player didn’t work. Neither did the PC/Cig lighter thing to plug in an iPod or phone charger. I loved her anyway. I really think I looked cute in the car, and secretly loved the shinny wheels.
I heard everyone should own a convertible once in their life and I am glad Audrey was mine.

Sunday I decided to look at some cars in the morning and go biking in the late afternoon. That was my plan, but Audrey must have felt I was going to let her go soon; and she decided to go on her own terms. While I was test driving a few cars, the ‘car buyer’ took a look, gave her a little test run, and she decided to start smoking. A lot went wrong – I am not a car person so I am not going to even try, but it wasn’t fixable at a reasonable cost. So, I let her go.

Audrey, you will never be replaced in my heart and always be my favorite.

However, you must move on in life, and I have with Marcus. We are in the ‘getting to know you’ phase, but so far all seems well. Marcus was a bit of an early surprise, but I am pretty happy. This isn’t Marcus, but a close look-a-like.

Marcus, you have a tough act to follow, but I have a feeling you will do just fine.

A Mighty Wind

Saturday was a good ride. Slept in a bit, felt nice and rested for a good ride. Stepped outside and turned right back around. It was CHILLY!! The news said it was bad but WOW!!! I was not expecting that. Grabbed a long sleeved shirt and was on my way.

I like biking at Hains Point. It's a nice, flat, 3.2 mile loop (or 5.6 for the long course, but I was just doing the short one). You start at the S and follow the green line. I had to bike for an hour. 5 loops, 16 miles - knew it would take me a bit over an hour, but that as my goal. Pretty easy, right?
WRONG!!!
What I added to the map are my arrows and text in white to describe where I was and what I saw. White Caps. On the POTOMAC! As I am biking directly into the wind.
IT BURNED!!!

Now, realistically, I know this is good for me. There are very few hills in the DC area, but man... did I feel the burn! Almost, almost, as much as hills.

Overall, it was a good ride. 1 hour 5 min, so I was happy with the time - even with the wind.

Mom and Dad - the title of this post does have to do with the wind. Also with a really good movie "A Mighty Wind". It's about folk music - but not really. We saw the end of it when I was just home. I HIGHLY recommend. I thought this was the appropriate post to remind you to go and rent it.

Last Night's Swim and Today’s Run

First and foremost, the major crisis of the moment has been solved. When I got home last night, I worked on the trainer and removed Carlos for its grips. Logic and turning the correct knobs in the correct direction DO NOT go together.

Last nights swim was good. Not many people were there so it was just me and one guy in the lane. I have noticed that if you swim straight, not many people jump into the lane with you. If you are done sets, they interrupt and hop in. Anyway, it was a decent swim, 1650M – 1 mile – in around 35 min. Pretty standard.

My run was uber slow again today, but my average HR was 159. Jess missed out on another 35 minutes of me complaining on how much I hate "running" like this. But, hopefully Coach will be happy. I run on the Mall, it’s flat and nice. Now that school has started, there are fewer tourists. That makes me VERY happy.

Tomorrow Carlos and I have a date at Hains Point for an hour. Nice and flat, but it has been a month since we have been together on the road. I will do some speed work that Roxanne suggested and hopefully it won’t rain.

Sunday I am planning on taking him to the Mount Vernon Trail for about 90 minutes.

Good times should be had by all.

My New Best Friend

Well, I did it. I actually got up and sat on my trainer for 45 minutes this morning. It was hard to get out of bed, as it always is for me, but I did. It helped that I set Carlos up on the trainer last night so this morning all I had to do was put on my shirt, padded shorts, shoes, and HR monitor and I was good to go.
Nothing says good morning like Matt in Iran and Meredith’s 1-year anniversary with the Today show.

3 things I learned with this mornings ride
1. My hear rate does not go up biking on the trainer. I need to adjust the tension so I get a bit of a better work out.
2. A fan is GREATLY needed!
3. Be careful when tightening the turn things around the back tire.
Reason – Carlos is still on the trainer because I could not get the back tire off. Oops…

No worries though, I will not use a hammer to try and loosen the knobs on the trainer. I will think of something else.
I will share this story some day when I have a boring work out and feel the need to share something funny.

Tonight – a swim at the Y. Hope for people who can circle swim!!

I Feel Like the Tortoise

There is the saying “Slow and steady wins the race”. Well, first of all, I am not trying to win a race. Second, going slow is really hard, especially when you are pretty slow to begin with!!

Jess and I went out for a lunch run. It was not really a run; I don’t think I can even call it a trot. It was more like a shuffle, with walking. My goal, via Coach, was to keep my HR between 142 and 163. Usually my HR averages 180+. I know that is high, but that is the way it has always been and I feel fine. Can talk, not easily by the end, but I can; could keep going after the trot is over; and usually feel like I had a really good workout. Not so much yesterday. Poor Jess had to listen to me complain the entire shuffle! I was also only supposed to be out for 45 min, but the usual route that takes 45 min took about 1 hour. Ahhh!!!

However, I trust Coach and will do what he says. My avg HR was 160, so hopefully he will be happy with that. This is something new for me and I must trust him. I don’t like coming back from a run/jog/trot/shuffle/walk not very sweaty, however I have a feeling he knows what he is doing…

But I am still going to complain about it!! :-)

Circle Swimming

If I may quote Coach "Your training for an Ironman NOW, not later!" Wow, this is actually happening...

I went to the Y last night for my swim. It has been really crowded lately (4-5 per lane) and people tend not to circle swim correctly. It's annoying. Some nights they close 2 lanes for the Masters team. Again, annoying because I am not packed into a lane with more people who don't know how to circle swim. I have added a visual aid to help people understand the correct way to circle swim.

Today is my 'long run'. 45 minutes. I gave coach my workout log for last week and was reminded, again, that I need to pick up the biking.

Also, my HR is too high on runs. I have always had a high HR during my run/walk. I seriously don't think I will even be running to keep it as low as he wants me too. But this is what he is talking about with my patience.

"Patience is the key to success in Ironman training. Let your body make its adaptations. "

Fine - I guess this is why I am paying him.

My schedule for the week

What I thought I would be doing
Coach's additions in green

9/11 - Tuesday - swim - Probably around 1500
9/12 - Wednesday - run/jog/walk/trot - 45 min
9/13 - Thursday am - bike on trainer 45 min
- Thursday pm - swim
9/14 - Friday - run - 35 min
9/15 - Saturday - bike 60 min
Don't be afraid to double up if you have time, like maybe a short swim after a bike, or after a run.
9/16 - Sunday - bike 90 min
Run/walk.jog 15 minutes after this. Easy.
9/17 - Monday - run 40 min

"This a one year build up to an emotional event that you wont understand until you cross the finish line Amanda. In the end, all I can tell you is this, all the hard work, all the sacrifice, and there will HAVE to be some, is absolutely worth it! Coach"

O.M.G!?!?!?!

Woke up at 6:10.
Coffee with Mom - Dad was sick :-(
1 hour 40 minute drive.
1 hour 30 minute wait in a really long line.
Discovered they opened registration early because of the long line.
Discovered they opened registration last night to the finishers (which I totally agree with).
Have NO idea where I am in line, nor do the people around me.
1 a$$ h*le guy who shouts all the spots were full and we could all go home. I guess he thought it was funny.

All of this for 1 non-transferable, non-refundable spot in IRONMAN WISCONSIN, September 7, 2008!!

Oh My Gosh - I'm in...

All Choked Up

This morning I woke up at 7 with a funny feeling. It took me a few moments to realize, but I think it was because in one year, I will have hopefully started my first Ironman. When I got out of bed, I turned on my computer and started to watch the Live Video. I watched the last 3 swimmers come out of the water and the announcer say "You can do it. You WILL be an Ironman!!" and I got all choked up and started to cry. I have stated before, I am a crier. It’s who I am.

So I have been watching the video on and off all day. I watch Coach finish. Tons of people carry kids across. 64 year old men cross. It’s awesome. I am planning on watching from 11-midnight and seeing those athletes cross. I want to watch, listen, and remember because that is where I will be. This is what I am going for… What I want to do.

It all starts tomorrow. My parents are getting up early, again, and driving me up to Madison for registration.

My big butt and how Fergie got me to do loop 2

First of all, I am not on the bottom of Lake Michigan. YAY! I wanted to post this last night, but after the swim, my parents took Therese, Warren and I to brunch (YUM!!) followed by a trip to my old boss's house and saw them for a few hours. Heather and I have become very good friends so it was great to see her, Jim, and their 3 kids. Anyway, I stayed their later than expected, got home late and was really tired.

Here is my update from yesterday
Alarm goes off at 6. Therese was so good about getting up so early. We have breakfast and make our way to Navy Pier. My parents, bless their hearts, didn't want to miss anything and were there at 6:30. My dad learned the lesson that 5 am is the only time Chicago doesn't have traffic.



I register, get my orange cap, t-shirt and body marked with number 337. The first wave goes off at 8 and I start to get my wet suit on. Just as I pull up the string, adjust the suit, I feel a hole, right on my butt. Greeaat.... I just busted my wetsuit with my big butt, 10 minutes before I am supposed to start. Now, not only am I not physically prepared to do a 3.1 mile swim, I just lost all my mental and emotional positive thoughts. I tear off the wetsuit, trying not to cry. This is where having parents at the race is key.
Right away, "You didn't want to be a wimp in a wet suit anyway".
"Looks like you did this on purpose to get a new one for Christmas. Sneaky daughter!"
Therese and Warren started in too "They call it 'Big Shoulders' for a reason, show 'em off"

To all of you, thank you!!! This really helped me get into the 72 (but really, I think it was more like 68) degree water.

IT WAS COLD! But, at 8:15, the gun went off and I was off with the wet suit division, wet suit less.

I start swimming

my mind not exactly on board with what I was doing. I make the first turn, already thinking about stopping after the first loop. I get passed by a bunch of white caps (the first group of the 1 loopers). The waves are rolling and much bigger than it looked from the beach. I feel nauseous. I eventually make it to the second turn and really think maybe I should just get out. My hearts not in it, 2.5K is nothing to be ashamed of, I at least did something after I busted my wet suit, I am still allowed brunch after swimming 1.5 miles... etc. This is what is going through my head.

I get to the starting floating orange marker and stand up.
Decision time. Start the second loop or just call it quits. I can hear the music and it's Fergie Big Girls Don't Cry.

I am a crier. Always have been, probably always will be. I know that if I stop, I will get out and cry. Fergie says that big girls don't cry, I am a big girl and I start my second loop.

Thanks Fergie!!

I immediately start to regret this decision. The waves are bigger, I am more nauseous, and just don't feel like I am making forward progress. But I keep going, and going, and going. I start to think about next year. How easy it will be to just stop. Just quit. Justify to my self that what I have done is enough.
But for me, it's not. I make the final turn, swimming along the lake front. I stop a few times and walk, still feeling the need to puke. The waves just keep getting bigger. When I do swim, I can see the bottom come close, then get far away as I am raising and falling with the water. I can see the people, the finish and start to feel better. It's always amazing how much better you feel once you see the end.

I stand and start to walk to the finish. I hear my parents, Therese and Warren. I wave, smile and say "This was hard!". I walk up the beach and the guy next to me offers to race. We run to the finishing, laughing and smiling.

I didn't quit. I am happy I made that second loop. I am fortunate to have parents believe in me where they were surprised to hear that I was even considering not doing the entire 5K. I am lucky to have friends get up early, hang out and play ladder ball with my parents while I swim. And I am thankful that Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry was playing at my key decision making time.
Oh, and I finished in 1 hour 44 minutes and 14 seconds, a bit under 35 minutes per mile; which is not a bad time for me. And I am listed in the wet suit division, but I know I wasn't.

Day of Rest

My schedule is a bit off, again, this week. Yesterday I was supposed to swim and bike, today run. Yesterday I did run, and today I am resting for tomorrow. Tomorrow I am supposed to bike but I am swimming.

Coach is now asking for a weekly log. It's good because I am held more accountable for my actions. It's why I am paying him. But, I can't help it that I have been no where near Carlos the past 4 weekends! Last week when I sent my update, upfront on my lack of biking and knowing I need to do more, Coach said
"Nothing effects the run like a poor bike leg because of lack of training. Also, since its almost going to be 50% of your race time, we need to make it work!"
Now I am going to have to tell him AGAIN that I haven't been biking. Next week, I will be home and can bike.

Tomorrow is my 3.2 mile swim. I am feeling very unprepared. This is probably the closest I have come to changing my distance (5K to 2.5K) or dropping out all together. But, I haven't and won't. I am just going to do my best. Looking at last years times, I should be towards the end. Oh well, it's just about getting out there and doing the race, right?!?!


I will post next when I am not on the bottom of Lake Michigan.

No one is happy on a Treadmill

Last night I went to the City Sports sale and bought 2 pairs of 'longer shorts'. Not really capris, but close. I will have my mom hem them so they don't make my legs look too stubby - ask Rox how I look, she will laugh - it's that bad. But it's way better than shorts and having them ride up my thighs. I HATE that!

Anyway, I took my bro to dinner at Cosi and by the time I got home, I still had to pack. The sun was setting and I was lazy. So no run for me last night.

I went down to our gym at lunch today and hopped on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Usually I have to get off after 30, but no one came. Yay and Boo! First of all, no one smiles like this on a treadmill. And if they do, it's really annoying! Second, I almost died today. Not a good trot. Oh, I don't run or jog, I trot. Thanks Jess! Anyway, it started off well, but ended poorly - hence the 'boo'. Not all runs/bikes and swims will be good and that's okay. Usually I know why they aren't good - lack of proper hydration, not enough sleep, poor eating, etc. Not sure about today.

Oh well. I am off to Milwaukee tonight and Chicago tomorrow. I am staying with Therese and will be doing a 3.2 mile swim in Lake Michigan on Saturday. I am one of 14 people who signed up to wear a wet suit, out of 349. Those people are CRAZY!

Stupid Alarm!

I asked Charles yesterday to meet me this morning to go for a run. He is much speedier than I am, but it’s always nice to have someone to start with. That was our plan, to meet at the gym at 7. Unfortunately, I am a not the most observant at times and set my alarm for 6 pm, not 6 am. So when my phone rang at 7:09 and it was Charles, I believe I answered with “Oh $h*t!” and a whole lot of “I’m Sooo Sorry!!” Hopefully he will still be willing to meet me in the future...

I am going to try and get my 45 minute run in tonight after work, and then hit up a City Sports sale on my way home.

Oh, and I just signed up for my first 2008 race, May 18, 2008.
Coach said “The one you sent would be great! You should do maybe one more, just because if your going to train this hard, lets have some fun while were at it! Coach“

So, that’s good. I am glad he has that philosophy, a little bit of fun. We are still in the early stages and it’s good to know these things. So far, my comfort level with him is pretty high. Yay!

Dreams...

They have started. I have had a few already about the race when I was still deciding on whether or not to commit to doing the race.

Last night it was about missing the registration. Registration is on Monday the 10th from 9-11 at the Monona Terrace Hall of Ideas I. It used to be that if you stood in line, you were pretty much guaranteed a spot. Not so much any more. I know of people who did not get into Lake Placid who stood in line. Canada, you have to be there to register - there is no on-line registration. I don't think Madison is as popular, but I don't want to take any chances. I will get up at the crack of dawn to get to Madison to stand in line and Kristin is going to go on-line and try to get me registered. Hopefully between the 2 of us, I will get in.

Carlos I'm Sorry!!

I didn't mean to hurt you! I am still in Jersey, you couldn't make the trip and it was just there. A bit dusty - but it worked. Not like you, so don't worry! I know it has been 3 weeks, but I just had to get out for a bit. And it meant nothing and helped me to realize how much better you are. I hope you understand.

And for all you sick-o's out there, I am talking about my bike!!

I haven't been out for a ride since Iron Girl and that does not go well with my schedule. Kristin has 2 hybrid bikes and I decided to take one out for a spin this afternoon. After adjusting the helmet, creating a semi okay biking outfit, I was ready to go. Kristin helped me adjust the seat and I took off for the end of the street.

I had a few adjustments to make and a lot to get used to. No clips, no padded shorts, and just not my bike. Within 5 minutes, I realized I could not get the seat to lock in place. Kristin and S left for some errands and Lauren, Michael and their 2 friends were still at the beach. What felt like 10 more minutes, still no ride and really missing Carlos. The beach folks came back and Michael saved the ride with pointing out the fact I had the seat adjuster thing upside down. Oops. He fixed it, tightened it, and I was on my way.

Thanks Michael!!

It was a decent ride. I locked my elbows (ouch!), didn't wear my knee braces and my butt was sore. My quads felt it more than anything (again, no clips) but overall, it felt good to be on a bike, even though it wasn't Carlos. It also helped me justify eating lots of shrimp, crab cakes and cupcakes for Lauren's birthday. Happy Birthday Lauren!!

Oh Carlos, I hope to never leave you again. To prove it, here we are from 2006 Iron Girl. Not a great picture, but you do look good!!

Jersey - 2 weeks in a row

My schedule isn't the most convenient right now to be biking every weekend.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be in my friends wedding, which happened to be in Jersey.

I was up on Thursday, we had lunch on Friday, rehearsal dinner Friday night, hair Saturday morning followed by the wedding, brunch on Sunday followed by the 3+ hour drive back to DC. And I loved every minute of it. However that left only Friday morning to get my run in. And I did, and it was humid!!! But, I felt good about getting the run in. The groomsman I walked with discovered I am training for the Ironman and was so excited for me. It is really nice to have support from not only from my friends, but their friends as well.

This weekend I am back in Jersey for a good bye to summer and it's Lauren's birthday beach house weekend. Again, not the easiest place to do a few long bike rides. And I didn't bring my bike with me. However, the house is on this little inlet of water about .25 miles long. So after breakfast, I put on my suit, cap and goggles and jumped in. But the best part is that I was not alone. Kristin and S, Lauren and Michael all kayaked with me to keep me safe from boats. And gave me water to wash out the salt water taste in my mouth. How great is that!?!?!

With this race 53 weeks away, I am so lucky to have the support and encouragement from everyone around me. I am sure they will get sick of me at times, but we do that to each other even if an Ironman wasn't involved.

My Schedule

Coach and I have been discussing what I have been currently doing and what is needed for me to finish the race, but not burn out too quickly. He is really working with me on the patience thing. When determining my schedule, we had to keep in mind I had 1 spring tri (two weeks ago), I have a 3.2 mile swim next week, and a 2.5 mile swim in October. Also knowing that my biking needs some serious work to keep a decent pace for 112 miles. So, this is what he has come up with

Monday – Run 33 minutes
Tuesday – Swim
Wednesday – Run 45 minutes (long run days)
Thursday – Swim and bike (on the trainer if needed)
Friday – Run 35 min (instead of an off day – this will be my third run and eventually shortest run)
Saturday – Morning bike – 90 min and evening swim (sometimes substituted for a 4th
run)
Sunday – Bike 60 min

So this is what I am supposed to be doing. He is okay with me doing my own swimming thing for now, which I like. Also, he is very supportive of the run/walk that I do. However, the biking – which I know needs the most work – is the hardest to do. It’s hard for me to get out during the week because I am used to driving somewhere to bike. Doesn’t work now with the whole I have a job thing. And every weekend so far I have been away. But I know what I need to start doing and will work in this schedule for awhile.

The Coach

I want to cross the finish line. I have 17 hours. I wanted to find someone who would not push me beyond what I can do, but still get me across the finish line. I went with Coach.

At first I didn't think Coach was right for me. He seemed a bit too hard core. I my intro e-mail, I told him about my self (size included) and race/activity back ground.
His response "Well, you certainly don't have the background one would expect to even think about trying an Ironman"
Um, okay... He proceed to talk about what he has done, blah blah blah, but ended with
"Anyway, enough gabbing, lets get started! I've got an Ironman to build! Coach"
I liked that.
After a few more e-mails and a phone call, I decided he was the one for me. We are finding the balance of starting 13 months before the race, having patience, not getting burned out too soon, but still "starting to train like an Ironman".

He is totally hard core, knows his stuff and I truly believe he will get me across the finish line, in 17 hours or maybe a few minutes less.

The Run

I did a marathon in 2003. It took me 6 months to train with the AIDS Marathon Training Program. It was the best and I am still close with a bunch of people I ran with. In all honesty, I am having a hard time grasping the concept of running this distance after biking 112 miles! Something I need to work on.

The good thing is that I know I can do it. My body might not be completely supportive of me running another marathon, but hopefully it will last long enough.

There are a lot of turns and out and backs. Again, I need to not care that most people will be on their second loop when I am on my first. I have this problem every once and awhile. It is great though because I will (hopefully) have a lot of family and friends out there for me the entire 17+ hours, especially the 6.5 hours I have for the run. That is just a bit faster than a 15 min mile. Also, this is right after classes start and I heard there are a bunch of college frat guys cheering you on. NOTHING makes me pick up the pace than cute boys cheering me on!!

The Bike

The bike is what concerns me the most. I am not that fast. You have until 1:30 for the first loop and 5:30 for the second. I am hoping to be on my bike by 8:30 (the race starts at 7) and that gives me 9 hours for the 112 miles. I think that is around 13 mph. The race I did 2 weekends ago, was only 17.5 miles but I averaged 14.5 mph - my best yet for a non-flat course. So, I have some hope.

People say the bike is harder than expected. It's good to know this now. I am told there are very few flat parts and given the elevation map, that does sound true. I know this is nothing compared to Ironman Lake Placid or Canada, but this will be a challenge for me. Than again, if this wasn't a challenge everyone would be doing these!

The Swim

The swim is the one thing, besides the finish, that I am looking forward to doing. Swimming has always come 'easy' for me.

- Thanks Mom and Dad for all those summer mornings where I had to finish my swim lessons!!



I swam the Chesapeake Bay the past 2 year, which is 4.4 miles. Hopefully 2.4 will be 'easy'.





It is a bit hard for me because compared to the rest of the people on the course, I am on the slow side. But, that is okay - I have my own personal goals. I am not racing against others, just trying to finish. That is what I must keep in mind...

And it starts

I have been thinking about starting this blog for awhile. I have been trying to figure out if an Ironman is really what I want to do.

• Am I ready to make the life change for a year?
• Can my body physically allow me to do an event like this?
• It's a lot of money...
• Is it worth it?

After a lot of consideration, my pro/con list, and watching Ironman Lake Placid, I decided I had to try.

So here starts my journey to Ironman Wisconsin