A response to the question, "Why are you doing this?"

[...] "What I think drives us to seek out great challenges is that it is a choice that we make for ourselves. We don’t have control over the day, but we have control over our decision to pursue this epic journey. We all, for a variety of reasons, chose to wade into the lake with 3,300 other people to undertake something that the typical person would call 'crazy'.

But no one in this room has a burning desire to be, 'typical.' That is not why you do an Ironman. You do an Ironman because you want to reach the stars. And you want to do it the hard way. Because that is what makes it special."

-Jordan Rapp

2011 IM Canada Winner

Saturday taper, 9/1/13 2-hour bike

Does anyone else think a 2 hour bike ride  with 25 minutes in zone 4 is crazy the week beforehand race and during my taper?

I'm about ready to freak out. 

Shouldn't I actually be doing easier workouts during this taper?!

I rode at TCS again today on the trainer and decided to ride the simulated Madison course which may have been a bad idea for my "freak out factor" but I figured I'd ride the stick again outbound to refresh my memory of those hills.

Weather-dependent, I may meet up with my friend Sarah for a leisurely bike ride on my hybrid bike to Evanston for lunch.  I need to clean off that bike, pump the tires and oil the chain since I haven't ridden it all year and with this morning's rain and her Kid Rock concert experience last night, I'm not sure it'll happen. 

After my ride, I'm headed to Element  to buy some handbag tape and U-can nutrition for the race. I went there a week ago Sunday, but they were closed for to the Chicago Triathlon. Then after that, I'm headed to home and down to Hyde Park for a vet visit since my pretty 16 year old kitty isn't eating her hard food and I want/need her to feel better before I leave for Madison!!!

Friday taper, 8/30/13. Rest & bike shop for adjustments

To tell you the truth, I am not even sure what's workout program said to do today because I decided it would be a rest day in any case.   I honk it was a 2.5 mile swim. 

I worked in the suburbs in Friday and our office was closing at 2pm and I also decided that I wasn't going to work after 2pm either- when I normally would do so. (I did end up creating one weekly report during the evening and sending it out around 9pm, but I just didn't want to worry about it anymore & I was proud of the work we accomplished!)

After a meeting in Downers Grove, I took my lunch hour to head to the bike shop for one last once over. So glad I did this!!  I had been having issues with what I thought was my front derailer, but there were several other issues to fix!!

I asked if we could put my bike on the trainer so they could take a look with my full weight in it. I had explained this issue months ago and they told me it was "fixed" with the adjustments but it was still happening. The chain no longer was dropping (thank God!), but shifting in the front was soooo difficult!  After he told me that I need to push further forward to shift (I was literally pushing with ALL MY FORCE & I'm not weak), he decided to have me peddle and he shifted while I was on the bike. A light bulb went off (for him!) and he checked and my shifter was broken. It's been this way for at least 6 months. Since I honestly know very little about bikes, up until then, I let the mechanic tell me it was "okay" and I'm so glad that I kept pushing with my gut feeling!!!  

Also, we put on two new tires (I found a hole in my front tire with the tube visible!), all new break pads and removed a few extraneous items from my seat area. 

The only issue with the shifter is that it's a warranty part and they had to order it. With the holiday, they probably won't receive it until Tuesday or Wednesday and I leave for Madison on Thursday evening!!  There is a lot going on and that needs to happen between now and then so it does stress me out a bit but I'm so glad it should be fixed for the race!!!!!

This coupled with my planned tire changing lesson on Sunday should help me feel better about the bike!!  My teammate and friend, (& big individual donor!!), Mary asked her son-in-law if he'd be willing to help me learn as he's a bike tech professionally and he agreed. He lives out in Naperville so I am going to go out there Sunday morning and then also see Gramps at the nursing home afterwards since I'll also be out of town for the race during his birthday. 

When was

the last time... You did some thing for the first time?

it is happening again for me 9 days from today.

Wednesday taper - 1 hour ride & 15 min run 8/28/13

Wednesday I got into work very early (before 7, or close to it) to make up for the afternoon before when I had to leave a bit early for my chiropractor appointment.  I always like getting in early because I get a TON done before everyone else starts showing up.  The majority of our corporate office is really accountant-types who are working on properties all over the country and they generally arrive around 9 am.  The big boss is an early guy, so that's been advantageous when I need to follow up with him on projects with less distraction.

I headed out around 4:45 pm to get to TCS for a compu-trainer ride again on the Wildflower course.  I felt good and the ride program was okay.

Warm up
5 minutes zone 1
5 minutes zone 2
3 minutes zone 3 build
Then:
4x
10 minutes zone 4
30 seconds standing sprint
1 minute easy spin

I followed this with a 15 minute run at an 11 min/mile pace which felt "easy".  I think these are both good signs for my taper and my resting!  I am feeling more confident about the run!!  Yeah!  Swim and run... check!  Bike, though, I'm still nervous. I couldn't sleep this morning around 2:30 am worrying about flat tires on the bike course. I'm going to have to watch some YouTube on changing tires again and play around with my tire.  I'm not sure the next week is enough for me to learn to change it well.  I'm also still worried about my front derailer.  I'm going to see if I can hit up Greg at Deerfield Cyclery again during lunch tomorrow since I'll be in the suburbs in the morning.

Tomorrow, after work, I'm headed back to see Dr. Ryan.  It may be my last visit before Ironman.  My anxiety level is truly off the charts right now.

Everyone keeps asking me, "Are you ready??"  and I just answer, "I don't know.  I have put in the training and I don't think anyone knows if they're ready until they actually do it."  How can you know you're ready to go to the Moon, if you've never been?!  I have done all the training my body could do.  I've done all the distances minus a few miles here and there.  I've got all the equipment and the nutrition plan too.

I'm going to spend a good amount this weekend organizing my bags and supplies so I'm not completely freaking out next week.

I cannot believe race day is almost here.  I'm so anxious to GO!, but also totally terrified.  I've got to beat the bike cut off and I think I can do it in any weather condition without any mechanical issues!!  Please keep your fingers crossed for me!!!!

8/27/13 45 minute run, hair cut, dinner at Bread & Wine

On Tuesday, I decided to complete the week's run.  Again, I was feeling lethargic and not really wanting to do much, but I forced myself to get to the gym before work.

I went to FFC Lincoln Park for the views and the fact that I can generally find free street parking while I'm there rather than risking the longer, paid parking after 2 hours.  I knew I had to run and just assumed it was an hour and I didn't want to rush in the locker room either.

After about 30 minutes of running, I really didn't want to run anymore so I did run/walk and mostly walk.  After 45 minutes, I called it quits without doing the workout math.  I was pleased to find that when I went to log this workout, I was only required to do 45 minutes!  Boom!  :)  Part of this run was 20 second all out sprinting which I could do around 7:30 min/mile.  That is awesome for me!!! I had a very good feeling about the run for the race and so even though I did a lot of walking, I felt good.  I need more of these "feeling good" pre-race moments!!!

Towards the end of the day/afternoon, I left work to go to see Dr. Ryan again for my ART treatment.  He said my hips are opening up well and that he's confident my knee will be totally fine for race day.  He said my mind will play tricks on my about my knee and to just push through it.  The pain will go away as fast as it rolls in and to focus on something else.  This is good information; this is a professional telling me the pain I'll feel is not "threatening" to my health or my run, so I will keep this in my proverbial race back pocket!

After that appointment, the day was over and I went north to try to sell some clothes to consignment and then get my hair done.  I've let my roots grown in WAY too long, but didn't want to spend the time or money to get it fixed until I knew I wouldn't be pool swimming so much (also going to be a factor in my decision to join MB's Masters Swim Team or not!  Seriously!).  This way, I have fresh hair for the race (haha) photos and I am feeling better about myself.

Taper plays tricks on you too.  You still want to eat as much as you have been for the training, despite training less, and you are feeling less fit and a bit fatter.  I've been told not to look at my pre-race weight at my weigh in (they do this to insure when you finish you haven't lost too many fluids).  I'm not really concerned about my pre-race weight.  It's still less than my pre-training weight!!!!  :-D  And I intend to continue to slim down post-Ironman with my marathon prep and lining up a personal trainer after that to prepare for my midlife crisis and meltdown towards the big 4-0 in 2014!!!  No issues with weight at the moment for this big girl!

It took Christopher three hours to dye, cut and style my hair and then I picked up MB for a special celebratory dinner at Bread & Wine on Irving.  I had a note from the owner from my last visit for a free round of drinks for the table AND it was 1,000 points on OpenTable... boom!!!  It was a good meal for me, but his main wasn't that flavorful and quite dry (pork)... MB had the tasting menu.  It was also SUPER HOT, as if their A/C unit wasn't working or something.  We literally sweat the entire meal and I was getting annoyed that my new 'do wouldn't hold until work the next day.  Our waitress was nice, but a little too nice, you know?  A bit too familiar.  It's a place with a TON of potential, but just keeps slightly missing the mark.  I got home at 10pm and passed out!

Monday taper, rest day 8/26/13

I had all my things to swim on Monday, but ultimately, this heat and the exhaustion building from the taper meant that I wanted to just go home. So I did!

I put on my pajamas at 5:30 pm and watched horrible, horrible television all night before I finally fell asleep.  I guess my rest day just became Monday and I'll have to work out the rest of the week!

Sunday taper 8/45- 45min run + Chicago Triathlon spectating

Sunday morning, we headed downtown around 6:15 or so with a stop at Dunkin Donuts for some caffeine along the way to spectate the Chicago Triathlon as we knew several friends and my cousin participating.  I had made a bunch of signs for them the night before and packed a bag for my own workout that morning.

Shayna's sign

We got to one of the LPC buildings to park only to realize that I'd probably miss seeing cousin Shayna at the swim start.  Michael suggested that he keep the signs and the blanket and I just run to try and get there.  I had my running gear on (along with my backpack too!) and so I just started running.  I hit my watch "Start" so this would count for my 45 minute run that day.  ;-)  I made it to the swim start when her heat actually started so I didn't get to wish her well before she swam.

We set up at the swim exit because there was a lot room to see and anticipate people coming out of the water and just a few yards away was the start of the run course.  Unfortunately, as the day went on, we missed all our people running out of transition, though.

Shayna was doing the sprint and was the first person we saw in our quest on Sunday.  She was SO HAPPY when she saw us and our sign and was smiling the whole way.  She swam very well and completed her first sprint in an excellent time!

Next, MB laid down on the blanket to read and nap and I went for the remainder of my run (30 more minutes or so).  I ran down to the Aquarium and cheered on the participants from the overpass for a few minutes and then ran back to our spot.  This was a few minutes prior to when our second friend, Eric would be running out of the water.  He is a fast swimmer and we caught him in time.  Eric was pretty intense out of the water and didn't really say anything to us as he ran buy.  He did tag me with his goggles so I know he saw us!  Just after we saw Eric, his wife Sarah and their parents showed up and we chatted for a bit before they went towards where I had stayed for awhile to catch him on his run.

After that, we both laid down for awhile to wait for Wade and Ali's heats which were some of the last ones for the Olympic distance and the crowds built up around us after that time.    We managed to see both of them and got their signs in their faces too!  Ali did very well and has improved her swim over the past year.  Wade kicked butt!  It was so great to just watch them race this time...

After that, we walked all the way to the finish line to see the Max Multisport tent and meet up with my coach.  She said she had something to give me... it was an Ironman gift.  It is a light up Velcro strap, that I can put on my arm while I'm running the marathon portion of the race at night.  She said it flashes blue in color and will be easier for my friends and family watching to see and "find me" as I run by.  It was totally unexpected and a nice treat that I wouldn't have bought myself.

Michael saw some of his swimmers who reported to him that they had their personal best swim times from his coaching this year!  They wanted him to confirm he will continue coaching this season (he will).  In fact, he is going to be coaching their new Masters Swim Team (Max Multisport Marlins) which will also be co-ed.  I think that it's going to be interesting!  I haven't decided if I'm going to do this team or not either.  The practice locations are not located ideally and not along a convenient L line, so we'll see.  Plus I have no idea the costs yet...

After the long morning downtown at the race, we went back north towards home to Magnolia Cafe on Wilson near Truman College (city college) in Uptown for brunch.  IT. WAS. AMAZING.  I would highly recommended checking it out!  After brunch, I spent the better part of the afternoon just laying around and it was glorious!

I was actually supposed to swim before the run, but I skipped the swim all together.  This taper is amazing.  Well, mostly because I'm just laying around a lot.  haha

Saturday taper 8/24/13- 2.5 hour Wildflower course ride simulation @TCS

Saturday I had a 2.5 hour bike in my plan that wasn't too easy or too challenging.  Since my car was in the shop, there wasn't really a way for me to get out to Barrington or Morteum Arboretum so I decided to ride on the trainer at Train Chicago Studios.

Shaun set me up on the Wildflower 70.3 course in California.  I was a bit nervous, but I think it was the exact course I needed to ride.  I needed 10 minutes warm up in zone 1, then 45 minutes in zone 2 and then an hour in zone 3 and 30 minutes in zone 4.  Yes, if you do the same math I did (after being on the bike already for 55 minutes, this doesn't add up to 2.5 hours).  So I cut it short in zone 3 and frankly couldn't even get up to zone 4-- even when going 36+ mph...

Anyway, this course isn't really too tough after training so much for Wisconsin.  It's about 1/2 the elevation and a course I might consider doing in the future.

After my ride, I went back home via the El and did three loads of laundry including my duvet cover (that I still haven't managed to put back on my duvet.  It's Monday.) and watched some bad TV and napped.  I haven't napped like that in AGES.  I set my alarm for 3 o'clock to get up and shower and get ready for an early movie with MB.

He picked me up around 4:15 and we went up to Evanston (our favorite theatres!) for "Elysium".  It was a pretty good movie.

Quotes for today

"Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible"
Tony Robbins


"You are the only one who can use your ability.  It is an awesome responsibility."
Zig Ziglar

"The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Martin Luther King

Quote for Ironman

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts"

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Race map

This is a map that another participant marked up for his spectators that might help those intending to watch the race. 

Friday 8/23 Swim ...or not

If you can't tell from my last couple weeks of posts, I'm totally have an internal struggle to keep working out at this point.

Friday was a long day at work with several meetings in the late afternoon.  Fridays have tended to be a great day for me to catch up on drawing reviews and paperwork and I wasn't able to do that this week.  At the end of the day, I went back to Active Body & Dr. Ryan.

He was pleased with the improvements from the first adjustment and really, really worked on my right knee this time.  Again he did some hip work and more footwork.  I had a pain in my left arch and right ankle (since April) and the work he did helped out last week.

This week on my knee he also used the Graston technique this week.  This was done after ART and honestly, incredibly painful.  It's a metal stick that he out lubricant on and then "scrapes" the soft tissue, fascia and joints.  It created a lot of heat and pressure.  He said it was good to do after ART because it signals the blood to go to that area to regenerate and refresh.  I'm not going to lie, it did something because I couldn't even touch that part of my quad and knee for two days afterwards. It was incredibly tender. 

After this, I rushed to the Roosevelt redline stop to get all the way back up north to Andersonville for happy hour with Liz Meloy.  She agreed to meet me to give me some of her insights and suggestions for Ironman transitions and packing preparations and had some good tips.  She is spectating this year as well and let me know where she'd be on the course-- a couple places where there aren't going to be a lot of spectators so that's cool.

After that, I walked home and went to bed early!  No swim on Friday.  

Does the Chiro appointment kind of count as yoga?!?

Thursday 8/22 - 60 min stationary bike

Thursday I worked in the suburbs and had to borrow MB's car since mine was still in the shop.  I needed to go back out to check out progress on the project in Downers Grove.

This was beneficial too because my cousin's father (in-law ) passed away very quickly from pancreatic cancer and the memorial was in Bolingbrook right around lunchtime, so I was able to get out there to support the, during my lunch break and it was only a few minutes away.  

After lunch, I headed back home to work the afternoon from home. Later in the afternoon, I went to FFC South Loop to workout and get MB his car so he could leave prepping for the new school year whenever he was done.  I hadn't seen that gym before; it was cool.  They had free 20 minute massages noted and I wish I could've taken advantage of that, but I got on the stationary spin bike.  I couldn't bring myself to do 90 minutes in my plan, so I stopped at an hour. 

I probably should've been on my own bike, but I couldn't get my bike to TCS in MB's car and I didn't want to have to ride home afterwards (since the El is off limits to bikes during rush hour). Riding on the lakeshore path is useless for training since most people are using for leisure and I don't feel comfortable for going fast.

Again, when I got home I was completely drained.  I've been feeling very, very tired.

Wednesday 8/21 ART massage + 90min run

I decided to try going to a highly recommended chiropractor who happens to be a triathlete himself. I have had a few aches and pains the past few weeks and wanted to take care of some body maintenance.  I have never seen a Chiro before and I was going to see him primarily for ART or Active Release Techniques for soft tissue.

This first appointment was about an hour and I had to wait about 15 minutes for him to call me in.  He had me stand and do nothing to see my body alignment. I had a laundry list of concerns but admitted that my biggest concern was my right knee (the one that gave me trouble) those two long bike rides in a row the past couple of weeks.

He did an exam and then started the procedure. For me, it was a lot like Chinese acupuncture in the sense that he'd find a click or whatever in the area and apply pressure to the source of the pain.  He did a lot of hip, knee, ankle and IT band work. He noticed my "duck walk" right away and noted that I didn't have much internal rotation of my ankles and he would "work on that". 

The procedures were painful.  They weren't unbearable and they didn't last very long so they were tolerable. Dr. Ryan also did IMWI in 2012 so he wanted to talk about the race as a first-timer and gave me course suggestions too.  (Apparently he is crazy enough to want to do another one- no thanks!). 

After the appointment, the workday was over so I headed north to the gym for a 90 minute run.  This should've normally meant about 8-9 miles, but this day I was so tired that it ended up being about 5. Sh*t happens.  Dr. Ryan did say that I might be sore or tender after the procedures.

It was a very long day between work, Chiro, and run so I was even more pooped when I got home.

Mantra

My pace 

My way 

My race 

My day

Love this!!!!

Terrible, terrible tan lines

Tuesday, 8/20/13 make up run... Ooops...

I set my alarm for 5am this morning to make up for yesterday's missed/skipped run.  I could not get out of bed!  I hit snooze several times, even ignoring the cat's cries and paws to my face to get up!  It was so comfortable in my bed!!!

Eventually, at about 6:45am, I finally got out of bed and realized that there was no way I could make it to the gym for a 90 minute run, clean up/shower and get to work on time via the CTA.  (My car is in the shop for the next week-ish getting repaired after my fender bender.)  I logged into my coaching site and reported that I had slept and ate through yesterday's workout and my coach encouraged me to get it done today after work.  She said that this type of fatigue is common during a taper and it's my body's chemical reaction to decreasing my workouts.  I'm still researching if this is bullshit or not. While a lot of other athletes seem to hate the taper, despite feeling tired, I'm not scared of it.

I got dressed and was relieved not to have to carry my purse, work bag AND workout bag to work today.  Although, by the time I walked to the El, I was disappointed in myself that I hadn't brought my swim suit and goggles; I could have easily made up a swim post-Judy's birthday dinner tonight at Hub 51.  Unfortunately, I received my coach's email after I had gotten on the train, so I'm not sure a run in my future today?  ((Is this part of what athletes hate about tapering?  "Wanting" to workout?  I mean, I am just wanting to complete what I should have anyway.  :)  I'm not craving massive amounts of working out, that's for sure!))

I also just realized that I really, REALLY need to start thinking about what I'm eating (again) since I can't consume the (empty) calories I've been allowing myself and should probably look more at carbohydrates as storage for the upcoming event.  Carbs should really be fresh fruits, veggies and grains- this is not an issue for me, honestly.  I may finally just buy some delivered meals from Factor 75 over the next few weeks.  I was made aware of this company and service by a fellow (amazing!) triathlete, Joe Lotus.

Monday... rest day swap - 8/19/13

I brought all my running stuff to work so I could get to the gym afterwards.  Being so tired lately, I like to run on the treadmill (despite the lovely weather) because it forces me to keep running!

I jumped on the Redline around 5:15 or so to head to FFC Lincoln Park on North Avenue.

After I got off and started my walk to the gym, I remembered that I had a coupon for new free panties at Victoria's Secret... so I went in to redeem that.  Then as I passed by teh Gap, I thought I should pick up something for Emily's bachelorette party gift (yes, I should've gotten that at VS, but thankfully the Gap has fun stuff now too!).  I managed to by myself an $8 pair of pants (they're super fun!) and a sweater as well as some additional panties for Emily (and me!  haha).  At that point, I was feeling really hungry and knew I couldn't make it through a 90 minute run, so I walked over to Whole Foods for dinner.

I love walking around Whole Foods since the clientele is so varied:  it runs the gamut from hippies with dreadlocks to Yuppie dad walking around shopping with their kids with beers in their hands!  I just went directly to the salad bar and loaded up on a bunch of stuff.  I tend to eat vegetarian while I'm there since there are so many options!  I sat and ate at a table outside in the lovely summer evening air and when I was done, I was without pretty much any energy and just decided to head home!  So much for my workout!

When I got home (the train took FOREVER!), it was just about 8pm and I climbed into bed with Ferracat, set my alarm for 5am to make up the run Tuesday morning and promptly passed out!!!

Daily meditation until and including 9/8

Taper commentary

I read this from a blog that was linked to the Facebook Ironman Wisconsin group page and it seemed funny and probably true. 

"After all, this is just a long training day with valet parking and catering, right?  [...]  Everyone comes up with a brilliant race plan for Ironman, and then everyone has to deal with the reality that planning for something like Ironman is like trying to land a man on the moon. By remote control. Blindfolded."

Sunday rest day 8/18

We got up relatively early with all the kids at Jenny's house and headed downtown to meet Polly and John at the Avenue for brunch.  Jackie was in town with her kids and Chandra and Mark were in town and stopped by too. 

The physical improvements to the Avenue were nice but the food wasn't that good. It wasn't cheap ($3.95 for a side of bacon in Wisconsin?!?!!) either. Michael actually sent his steak back (steak & eggs) because it was cold and there really weren't a lot of menu choices. Not like the old days. :-(

We enjoyed catching up with everyone but I was also glad to get back home relatively early too. I did some laundry and relaxed on my couch- something I truly haven't done in many months. After a few hours, I got back up to go to Edison Park to meet Tona and a few if her friends for a "final"? Dinner before the babies. It was fun chatting with everyone but when 8:15pm came around, I hit my wall and was anxious to get going to climb into bed!

I have to take my car into the shop tomorrow for a week of repairs and get to the gym after work for a 90 minute run so it's going to be a long day. I have tentative plans to meet up with Mel but we are also playing that a bit by ear...  For a taper week I still have a lot of workouts and plans and I need to do some chillaxing!!! :)

Saturday 8/17 bike ride in Madison (after OWS)

After finishing the swim, I went up the helix at the Monona Terrace and changed to get ready for my ride. 

My coach put 112 miles in my plan but I was pretty well convinced that I'd only do 1 loop due to the fear of having a bad final course experience. I met up with the other gals I knew and we decided to skip the stick on the way out to verona in favor of the Wisconsin bike path- which was really lovely!  There were two portions where we could've jumped onto the street but we decided to take the path all the way to Whalen Road. 

Soon after we got to Fireman's Park, I refreshed my water bottle at the cooler I had dropped there prior to the OWS. I also ate 1/2 a Twix. Then the gals and I left and that's when I started the ride solo. Kathleen had asked if she could ride "with" me because she thought we might be at the same pace, but she kept up with Mary and Jessica (I think?) or at least was not riding with me!  Eventually near Mt. Horeb I saw and passed her- and she asked if I would wait for her at the area where we take the stick back to town. I told her (honestly) that I didn't want to wait and that I really new nothing more than anyone else since I'd never ridden the stick. She was understanding also because I was a bit stressed. As it turned out near Witte Road she left me in the dust and I saw her later riding up and down with Jessica and Mary. 

I actually heard someone behind me around mile 60 say "Hi Shannon" and thought that it was strange that there was another rider behind me named Shannon too...  It was Mary!  Apparently her chain dropped and they had to take some time to fix it. This means that I rode right past them without even knowing it!  I guess Jessica stopped too!  Then they both passed me heading up the gravel twisty road whose name escapes me now. By now my knee was acting up a bit and I was trying to move so that it didn't become worse (I'm going to try and get an ART massage or two this week.). 

I rode the stick back to the Monona Terrace and I'm glad I did. There are a few big hills on Whalen heading east but the actual road conditions were fine.  I was happy to be off the bike -even only having ridden about 75 miles (I forgot to restart my watch at one point when we had stopped so I'm not exactly sure)- and loaded it back up into my car and threw on my tennis shoes for my run. 

My knee felt totally fine off the bike and I hope it salta us that way on race day. I'm fairly certain it's related to the IT band and not my bike fit. I'm hoping it was just two weeks of massive fatigue that had it flair up. 

I decided that my race plan will be to walk the first 5 minutes of the run. I get super excited and the adrenaline starts pumping and I don't want to over exert myself first thing. I did this yesterday on the run and it worked well. Besides, you have to run up and out of the parking lot so it avoids one mini hill!

After that, I basically did 5/5 or 5minutes walk/5 jog and the first mile was about 12 minutes so I ended up running down around the capitol and off to a side street or two, towards Langdon and then up State Street to meet Michael at Himul Chuli- my favorite Nepali restaurant post-workout. I wish I hadn't been so sweaty and dirty so I could've gone into a new store called "Citrine" nearby, but it was probably better that I didn't spend any more $$$!

After that, we walked back to the Terrace and drove back to Don & Jenny's where Jackie was also just pulling up!  That night we built a fire in the out, roasted s'mores and had a bottle of wine and caught up. I was passed out on the couch in and out of sleep while everyone else was chatting until"The Big Lebowski" came on. :). It was fu. Watching parts with dear friends who know my affinity for it!

Bib numbers posted!

Ironman Wisconsin bib #598. 

This is happening. 

Reminder

Saturday OWS race 8/17 first 2.4 mile swim ever!

Saturday was a big day for Michael and me. We both signed up for an open water swim race on Lake Monona in Madison. I've never done one before and he hasn't done one since his mid-20's. I had signed up for the 2.4mi wetsuit swim and he for the 1.2mi non-wet suit swim. 

I was slightly nervous but glad I proved to myself that I can do this swim!  Since we left our phones in the car, I don't have a commemorative photo of the event. :-(

For me the start was very rough. It took a solid 5-8 minutes to get out of the chaos. I'm fairly certain that I kicked a few people as hard as I could in the arms when they were grabbing for me!  It was intense!!  

This is a seemingly small rub wound from not properly lubing up for the race.  The sting also goes at my hairline. I have another one on my right arm pit.  Not where it meets the edge of the wet suit, but across the arm.  Note to self!!

It was an in water start (not running in from the "beach") so you swim out and just tread water and float until the start. I think I was we'll positioned between the shore and buoy but not between all the people. I think I was too close to the start where the fastest swimmers should be. This probably made the start rougher BUT I also didn't want to add additional mileage to the swim!  As it was, Garmin said I swam 2.6mi (not 2.4) so I definitely wandered a bit. I thought I didn't pretty well sighting except for the first far loop, to be honest. I'll need to review the map it creates of the swim on Garminconnect.com.

I took the first mile/loop VERY easy since I really wasn't sure how it'd go. I think that took me about 50 minutes. The second loop I got in my grove and went a bit faster. I still went at a very comfortable pace finishing around 1:30. That put my 80th out of 116 female swimmers or 68th percentile. I am actually totally satisfied with my time despite not finishing that high up in the standings.  

Michael had a good swim as well and was satisfied with his time too. 

After the swim, it was time to ride.  I got changed and ready to ride and MB hung out in downtown Madison and had lunch and relaxed at a coffee shop on State Street. 

More on the ride in a following post. 

Friday rest and drive 8/15

I worked from home Friday morning as I needed to get out to one of our properties in the suburbs that afternoon. It always seems like a colossal waste of money to drive downtown for a few hours to "show face" and then go to the suburbs. At least I feel at this point with my employer that they know I'm actually working so, as I said, I did it from home. 

After getting out to Downers Grove, the Friday workday came to a close and MB and I headed to Madison. We took a new route (after all these years!) and really had no trouble with rush hour traffic or construction. 

We arrive to Madison and headed for a drink at Jolly Bob's Caribbean place and since they wouldn't let us have a drink outside, we left for Eldorado Grill for dinner- which was delicious. 

We got to Don & Jenny's fairly early in the evening and also both passed out pretty early too!

Here we are at Eldorado. 

Thursday run 8/15

My delta was still out of whack so I didn't work out twice as per my schedule (1:45 morning and evening runs) but did "run" after work. 

I didn't go the whole time alloyed but did 1:15 and then headed home to pack and prepare to leave for Madison Friday after work. 

Here's a picture of my one true love just for fun. :)

Injuries and ailments

The following may not be a complete list of ailments and injuries I'm quite sure that I *may* have:

1.  Something terribly not right with my neck that likely has to do with borrowing a helmet with a visor for my 72 mile Valparaiso-New Buffalo-Valparaiso bike ride. I needed a helmet and what could i di?!  it was generous to lend me one to use!  This requires a massage. 

2.  Ever since my bike fall/mini-crash in Galena in late April my right ankle hasn't been right. I went to Athletico to have it checked and they said it was fine, but since I can roll it inward still, I'm thinking they were wrong. I will have it looked at my an actual medical professional post-Ironman.  I think it is a stress fracture- maybe in the talus bone or a tear or stretch of the peroneus longus?  It is in that area, the pain.  I'm not a doctor in real life, I just play one on TV.

3.  Sciatica or something not right with my right butt cheek or piriformis muscle.  This has been an on and off thing for years. Sometimes foam rolling helps. Yoga can help and hurt. Thankfully this only stays in my booty and doesn't go to my knee or leg.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciatica. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome

4.  The newest ailment:  the left top of the foot near the inner arch.  Pain!  No more high heels.  Perhaps a (nother) stress fracture?

5. Saddle sores; they really don't need or require any elaboration. If you invite me to sit down and I say I'll stand, it isn't because I want you to remember me.  It is because even in "those shoes", I'd prefer not to sit.  Lady bits aren't having it.  

...I'm the picture of health!!!!!  :-)

Wednesday 8/14 - 3/4mi swim

My delta was still crazy this morning but I felt I should at least di something so I headed to the gym pool to swim some very easy laps. 

I had a mile swim in my plan and just decided to swim a little bit and see how I felt. Luckily I didn't have to swim much because the water was gross!!  I mean so gross that I told the management when I left. I swam an easy 500, then 200 kick, 200-300 pull and then some more freestyle "cool down" 

Tuesday 8/13. Rest day (again!!)

My heart rate delta is still off the charts so Tuesday was another rest day. I was initially supposed to do two 1:45 runs that I swapped with a yoga day but didn't even do that.

After work, I went to the Spa on Oak for a facial that MB gave me for Valentine's Day. I never get facials and had to laugh when she asked me my "skin care regiment". It was a short answer:  "I wash my face with the soap they have at the gym or the facial soap I have at home (Neutragena?) and then input on eye cream and occasionally overnight cream when I can tell my face is drier than normal."  She went on to talk a lot of "when I exfoliate..." Which was funny since I didn't mention exfoliation at all so I really had no input on those questions. Maybe I'm the first person to go to an Oak Street spa that doesn't exfoliate?  I have no idea. 

Anyway, she suggested I take off my clothes and that's when I got really confused. To wash my face, I need to take off my clothes?!  Seemed odd but I went with it after clarifying that it wasn't a massage but a facial, right?

Then she got down to it and started rubbing my face and wrapping towels all over it and stuff. I was able to pick any facial I wanted which meant nothing to me since there was no menu and I had no ideas the options. I just let her tell me what I needed and ended up getting a microdermabrasion and oxygenating facial. Ultimately this cost me an extra $20 and we got on with it. 

I had always thought that microdermabrasion would be w and that shoots stuff at your face to make it smoother. No so. The have something the texture of my cat's tongue scrape your face while at the same time the wand is suctioning your face off. It didn't hurt but was odd. After that, a lot of goop (my eyes were covered) with a paint brush and after it "sunk in" she sprayed oxygen (?) all over my face. Twice. And then back to the hot towels (which were awesome!!). 

In the end she reminded me several times not to exfoliate for five days- FIVE DAYS- which, is obviously not going to be a problem...

This illustration cracks me up

I'm guy #2 and usually #9 on the list!!

http://blog.rateyourburn.com/blog/post/2012/08/19/20-types-of-athletes-you-ll-see-at-an-ironman-race-from-a-first-time-spectator-1.aspx

IronMANG

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:/

Why is this the first time I'm thinking of calling myself "IronMANG"?!  It cracks me up...

Sunday 8/11 run with a 30 point delta

I got up and took my delta after my long ride and knee pain the day before.  I knew I was run down solely by the fact that my legs ached when I walked up my back stairwell to get into my apartment!

Unfortunately, I received an email from my coach after I had already gotten up at 6:30am and gotten to the gym which suggested I take my delta and rest.  Instead of doing the full two and 1/2 hour run, I did the the warm up and then continued for about 1.5 hours doing 5 minutes walk and 5 minutes run.  I did test my delta and it was brutal.... 30 point spread from laying down to standing still!

Afterwards, I got cleaned up to go to brunch with the gals from Urban Innovations with whom I used to work.  Kate met me in the Gold Coast and we drove to the South Loop and the new Brassiere LM restaurant.  The company was much better than the food and service, but it was so fun to see my pals and sister in from New York City.

After lunch, Kate and I went to get mani/pedis and then drove to the suburbs to have dinner with our parents in Wheeling before she got on her plane back to Brooklyn.  It was an incredibly long weekend and I crawled into bed around 7:45pm.

MB and I watched "The Newsroom" (well he watched the whole thing, I passed out) and called it a day!

Course preview: Ironman Wisconsin

This year is the 11th time IMWI is happening in Madison, Wisconsin.

Take a look at the course preview here:
http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2012/09/previewing-the-11th-ironman-wisconsin-presented-by-trek.aspx#axzz2brK8a8UA

This race is one of the toughest courses and sold out in 21 hours.

Monday rest day 8/12

I worked in the suburbs in the morning and had my car looked at on my way back downtown over lunch. I got into a fender bender in August 1st and hasn't gotten around to taking it in.

I had called my insurance agent and we talked about my options as far as insurance vs not and after today, it looks like I'll opt for a higher rate since we discovered that the bumper and grill are (obviously) messed up but the grill has pushed into the radiator and my A/C will probably eventually not work. He said it was safe to drive and the engine looked fine but it'd be at least $1,200-1,500 and with a $90/mo increase over 3 years & a $100 deductible, it makes sense to fix it. I called my cousin for some advice since he's also a State Farm agent.

After that, I planned to work remotely from home the remainder of the day but our server was down literally from 11:15 until (still) 9pm at night. Who knows what's going on this time!  I got 5-6 crazy spam messages this morning that were all caught in my spam trap (that I also permanently deleted) so I wonder if we all got that and it I overloaded the system??

Anyway, I did what I could to documents in the drive (the shared remote server was working, so it appeared to only be the email server) and checked in with the office several times to see if it was working yet. My phone was forwarded to my cell but I didn't have too many calls di my rest day did become easier too. I made breaded pork chops for an early dinner and MB helped me set up the soundbar I won at the golf outing last night too; it's awesome!!

He was able to insure it works for my radio tuner, AppleTV, and my regular TV and it sounds fabulous!  The cords were short, so we stacked my subwoofer between the DVD/cd player and the tuner and then I could stack the soundbar on top of the TV. This looked much better than just putting it on the floor or in front of the TV with all the cords hanging out. 

I have a swivel wall mount for my tv but I'm slightly scared to try and anchor it myself but eventually could mount both the TV and the soundbar on the wall. This way will do for now though!!

Valparaiso, IN to New Buffalo, WI ride 8/10

With my cousin's bachelorette Saturday night, my sister in town from NYC and the Urban Innivations ladies' reunion brunch on Sunday, I had to figure out where to ride nearby for 5+ hours. After a google search, I found the "Valpo Chain Gang" was doing their monthly ride from Valparaiso, Indiana and it was 72mi... Perfect!!  I signed up for $15 not knowing exactly what to expect but somewhat pleased they were starting at 9am!!

I left my apartment at 7:15am and about 39 minutes into the ride realized that I had left my helmet at home. I frantically pulled over and emailed Eric the organizer to see if anyone had an extra. He said he'd bring his wife's so I was all set. 

When I arrived I came to find out that the ride would be me, Eric and another guy names Matt. Eric and I were about the same type of rider pace and Matt was clearly stronger but didn't seem interested in going faster. Despite only being three people, we still had a SAG car on the way to New Buffalo, MI. 

We stopped in Michigan City, IN about 24 miles in and Leo's Mobile Bikes was there. I had a granola bar and some more cold water. You can't imagine how tired you get if lukewarm (or just plain hot!) water riding all summer long. 

It was another 10-ish miles to Redamak's restaurant which is apparently a famous place I should've known about (?). I had NO IDEA until I got there that we would full on stop for lunch so I was glad I had $10 in cash & my debit card with me. I was even more surprised to find out that lunch is INCLUDED with the $15 registration fee!!

After lunch we had a beautiful ride along the coast of Lake Michigan in a clearly fancy/expensive summer home area. It was relatively flat and slow going with traffic. Once we passed back into Indiana and the dunes area it got more hilly and unfortunately, that's when my right knee started to really schedule and it became excruciating pain. I kept thinking, "you need to keep pedaling with the other leg and rest the right".  This was harder said than fine especially on 5% hills. The last 14mi were horrible but again I'm happy they aren't the real race!

When we finally got back, the entire ride- including lunch- took 6:40. My knee was bad and I had to get right in the car to try and rush home to Shayna's shower.   Ultimately I realized that I cousins possibly get there before the bus left around 7:30 and if I did it would've been only 15minutes prior. I had all but realized that with my energy levels the way the are currently, there was no way I could go on the party bus all night.

I was totally defeated and upset to miss it   since Kate and Lauren were both in town.  I crawled into bed around 9pm and fell asleep in my chair before that around 7:30. It was already a long weekend and Sunday I had a lot planned too!

---PHOTOS--

Looping from New Buffalo back to Valparaiso, IN along the lakefront we passed through the Indiana Dunes parks and areas. I'd love to go back to relax and rent a house in that area next summer!!

Nuclear power plant!  You could hear the water running over the coils like a waterfall (to keep the reactor cool). This was not in a nice area of "town" and honestly freaked me out a bit. I thought about Japan and the reactor meltdown after the tsunami last year- scary stuff. This isn't far at all from the shores of Lake Michigan and literally in a bunch of houses' backyards. I wouldn't have been happy if this was put in my neighborhood!!

Along our route somewhere in or near Beverly Shores. It was amazingly ocean-like, beautiful and the houses were unbelievable. 

We arrived to New Buffalo, Mi after about 30-35 miles. Somewhere around 2:45 hours. It was a PERFECT day for a bike ride: mild weather, sun and minimal wind.

 

1 month & 8/9 yoga

Exactly one month from today will truly be the biggest day of my life. 

My plan called for an hour weights and a shirt swim. I ended up doing vinyasa at FFC for a hour and then went home to wait for Kate to arrive from NYC. 

The vinyasa class was only my second at FFC and also the same number of times I haven't done HEATED vinyasa in years. The instructor was quite good and it was a solid class. My triceps were I fire and I got some good ideas for October when I start teaching my weekly class again too. 

Her flight was 1.5 hours late which pretty much ruined the evening dinner plans and also really weakened me. I had t eaten because I was trying to wait for her but her plane just got more and more delayed. 

When I finally picked her up from Pharr it was 10pm. We were both ready for bed and a snack at least!  I made jasmine rice, cucumbers, ginger dressing and a fried egg. It was actually pretty delicious and literally the only ingredients in my refrigerator. I felt like an app coming up with the great dish I did! :)

Bike/run brick Tuesday 8/6

I did an indoor workout at TCS on Tuesday and then headed to FFC for some em treadmill running.

I really can't explain why I keep training on the treadmill for running other than the treadmill forces me to keep running -and honestly maybe because I get to watch Bravo and E! and a variety of other terrible reality TV channels. 

My ride went well and I ride the beginning of the Madison course again virtually. I've spent more time riding the loops and not the "stick" from Madison to Verona so this is good exposure again. 

After that, I went to the gym for an hour jog and got in about 4 miles no haven't been pushing these runs due to a fair amount of cumulative exhaustion honestly and I'm just proud that I'm actually doing something most days. 

I have never been this tired in my life and it's starting to show in my face, walk, attitude, patience and willingness to sit upright past 7pm. On the one hand I keep telling myself I'm "almost there" while on the other completely terrified of what that "almost there" actually means. 

8/5 2 mi swim

I was supposed to do a 2mi ows but the weather looked terrible and so I scooted to California Park 50m pool for laps there. They have open swim, adult swim, and lap swim all back-to-back so I knew I could get it all in. 

First off the people running this pool were 100% nicer than Portage Park!!  They explained to me the times and stuff and let me do what I wanted. Lap swim had already started and I jumped in to get it done. After lap swim was over, again I had to sit outside the water for 15 minutes for them to remove the lane lines and continue with open swim. This meant that at about 75% of the way down, they put in a lane line to cut horizontally across the pool (shallow from deep end). I didn't care because it really looked like it was going to storm (it rained while I was in the pool earlier and was quite chilly outside). Again, I used it as another obstacle to go under, perhaps like ironman will be!

After 1.5miles my body said "you're done" and I decided to head home. I was happy that I went to the pool because the ows was cancelled anyway (keeps happening in Monday and Wednesdays this summer!) and I was able to get at least a portion of my swim in before the thunder and lightning rolled in. 

What finisher do you think I'll be?

(As long as I'm a finisher, I do not care!!)

Words to live by!

Thursday, 7/25 OWS... psych

I had an annual work golf outing today and it was a lot of fun.  I had swimming in my plan, but that went to hell after a full 18 holes and some booze (not a lot!) and a long, long day.

The day started out well since we started on the roulette hole and I actually picked the winning number!!  I won a $25 gift card to Lettuce Entertain You restaurants.  Then our all female foursome was off to play some really good scramble golf!  I think we finished 4 under!

Me with the "Stanley Cup" on the golf course

After golf, we had dinner and then the raffle for prizes.  I was picked third- I couldn't believe it!  I had my choice of anything on the tables and went home with a Sony Soundbar!  I was so excited.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize a soundbar was for TV (I thought it was a radio thing) but from reading up on it, it seems like I should be able to route my Apple TV and iPad through it.  It may even have an FM Tuner which would be ideal since I listen to the radio every morning before work.

In any case, it was a great day and by the time I got home it was close to 9pm at night and swimming was not going to happen!

8/3/13 4 hours on the bike in Barrington, then Lolla Day #2

It was pretty tough to drag myself out of bed on Saturday morning after the jest evening of lolla- despite leaving "early" @9 or so. I had gotten up on Friday at 5am, worked out and worked a full day following at the office (as usual). Adding to that 4-5 hours of walking and jumping around and I was beat. 

This was made even more clear when I wanted to cry when my alarm went off at 5:30am on Saturday. I let myself "sleep in" another hour and got in the at for the hour drive to Barrington to get to some hills. 

The good news was it was a glorious morning as far as the weather went and there were plenty of cyclists on the roads so I didn't feel as "lonely". The other good news is that I was riding up the hills much easier!!

After 4 hours of riding, I drive the hour or so back home, showered and headed back to Lolla. It was a long, long, long (!!) day!!

Day #2 on Green Street

8/4/13 - 3 hours on the bike trainer, 1 hour run, then Lolla Day #3

I was pretty beat (understatement) after two nights of Lolla but super psyched for day #3 since it had most of the bands I wanted to see. 

I decided to ride indoors at TCS @7am for a few hours and after that went to FFC for an hour run on the treadmill. 

After all that, I showered and cleaned up and met Natasha at my apartment around 2:30.  By 3 or so, we for in the car and headed to the Loop. I parked at one of our properties (thank god that was an option- saved a lot of time and effort!) and we were back at the festival grounds. 

Two Door Cinema was the first great band we saw and we ended up most of the night on the north side of Grant Park. By the time Phoenix was done, I was literally dragging my tired legs back to where we parked and off to get home. If my body feels worse after the race, I will honestly be shocked. Apparently this week was supposed to be a cut back week but due to Lolla all weekend I reaped no rest benefits. I'm still feeling the after-effects a week later. 

Natasha also sent me some beautiful flowers to thank me for letting her stay at my apartment that weekend. :)

Sunday 7/28. Another wedding shower + yoga

Me and Emily

After my Madison Ride, it was time to drive to Wheeling for Emily's wedding shower.  She is marrying my cousin Ian on September 13th in Winnetka.

It was a lovely shower put on by my mother and "aunt" Kathye and it was small and not too long (thank goodness).  The food was excellent and I had a good time at the table with Melissa, Aunt Tarie and the little cousins.

After that, I drove home, unpacked from Madison the day before and did a yoga podcast on my living room floor. 

It was a long day and a long weekend and I was glad to fall asleep relatively early!!

7/31- Sculpt yoga class before work

I very much have a love/hate relationship with yoga scuplt at Core Power Yoga.

I think when I finally let go of the idea that they're selling it as "yoga" I could do it more often and get more out of it.  There is very little yoga involved and it's basically a weights class in a heated room with a few plyo/cardo things thrown in.

And it's HARD.  It's hard work that class...  they even try to make me do burpees, but if you read this at all, you know that I don't do burpees.  It's like Walter from "The Big Lewbowski", I don't roll on Shabbos!

I think after Ironman I may go to more of these classes to tone my arms.  We always joke that the goal is "Michelle Obama arms".

Friday- day off for Michael Franti concert! 7/26/13

It was nice to have a Friday night date night with my Michael for Michael Franti and Spearhead at Lincoln Park Zoo.  That being said, I was a bit stressed about it since I had to get up at 4am the following day to drive to Madison for a two loop ride and run.

I did need it for my soul though, that time with my buddy and listening to a musician that I think it really positive and supportive and upbeat.  It was a great time with Michael and my friend Angie who was also a trooper!  She had literally just walked off a plane with connections from the Tour de France and Paris.

8/2/13 FFC weight class before work and the start of Lollapalooza

I had a strength day in my plan so I decided to try another new FFC weight class before work at 6am.  It was brutal getting out of bed so early as I'm still in a very tough place mentally and physically.

This class focused on the arms and since my arms have been burnt out already from earlier in the week's sculpt yoga class and then almost 2 miles swimming, it was tough!

The instructor was nice and a great combination of peppy and direct.  Not too much of either and I liked her.  I must say that I am always amazed when an exercise instructor isn't super fit-looking but she did motivate and did a good job.  I was a bit of a wimp on a few occasions, but did use the 5# dumbbells throughout the class and had a solid amount of weight on my bar... maybe 20#?

I cleaned up and headed into work on time so I could get out for the first night of Lollapalooza.  It's hard enough to pack for working out and work, but when you add in also outdoor concert going... it was a lot of gear to work on Friday!!

8/1/13 - 1.5 mile swim that was actually 1.9 miles

II have sort of given up on outdoor open water swims and started doing them in the outdoor 50 meter pools around the city. It takes a hell of a lot of effort and logistics to swim in general, let alone at Ohio  beach. 

I need to keep up my swim fitness and understand ows is harder than a pool but I'm never affectively swimming out there. I bought a month lap pass and have tried out a few "new" 50m pools (new to me!). Jean from TCS doesn't live too far from me and emailed me all the pools and schedules on the north side. 

I decided to hit up Portage Park pool as it was on my way back from Arlington Race Track where we had out company outing that afternoon. 

They gave me a hard time that unwanted to swim (at all, really) laps during family swim. I wasn't allowed to swim in the lap lanes (ok, fine) but they all but said I needed to be there with a kid to swim. I was like, "so I can't swim if I have a kid and left them at home?"  I was so confused at first because I thought they were telling me out of concern for me and I was like, " oh it's no problem, I'll just swim around people" (thinking I'd get some IM practice that way anyway!) but then became annoyed when I realized that they didn't want to let me swim. They also do not allow bags of any kind in the pool deck and caution you to not leave anything locked in the lockers of value. You tell me what you're supposed to do- that was ridiculous. After I walked back to my car and left everything inside that, I just walked in and started swimming. If they wanted to arrest me for swimming during open swim, then I figured I'd let them!

Eventually, family swim stopped (& by the way, there were at least two creepy dudes swimming around without kids during family swim!) and they made us all get out and sit outside the fenced pool area for 15 minutes until lap swim started. Ultimately, I swam almost 2 miles of laps and then left. I don't think I'll be back there to swim laps but maybe to go off the high dives!!