tris & tribulations

what a weekend.

there’s nothing more inspiring than watching the best of the best overcome pain and adversity on what’s called the toughest course of all in my sport. If you’re a triathlete, you’ve no doubt heard about the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. While I’ve never seen it in person, for years now I’ve found myself glued to the screen (sadly, a computer screen b/c triathlon is not as important as other sports, apparently. pfft) for hours upon hours watching folks swim, bike, run and push themselves beyond their boundaries. you can’t watch it without getting goosebumps and literally feeling the energy that emanates from these superior athletes. saturday renewed my excitement, my passion, and my love for the sport of triathlon. i’m so super excited to race next weekend… now i’ve just gotta contain that anxiety and save my energy for race day…

so saturday morning i was scheduled to do a “Kona Workout”, which meant a mini-triathlon. my weekends always consist of “bricks” (aka bike-then-run), but never do i put all three together, aside from on raceday. i was excited for this day though. i haven’t worn my wetsuit in a year and i longed for the meticulous planning/prepping and full run through of my transitions. I lost some sleep friday night thinking about all the things i needed to remember and where i wanted to place all my stuff on my transition towel and all the logistics. it’s exhausting just planning for a tri. haha.

but, i woke up, ate my typical pre-training snack and began packing the car. i decided, i’d drive the 3/4 mile to the ocean, swim there, then do T1 at my car, bike out and back to my house, do T2 in my garage, finish my run at my car, then i’d be right at the gas station to pick up my ice for my bath. perfect plan.

… until i showed up at the beach. it was dark, gray, and misty. oh well, i’m tough. i get out of my car, slide my wetsuit on (and by slide, i mean struggle and jump up and down trying to force that thing up my body. i’m sure i gave the neighborhood some entertainment there), and started walking to the beach. i get onto the boardwalk and the rains and winds have picked up in just those few minutes and it started POURING. i could barely see the ocean, but i knew it was rough. i put my goggles on just to see through the rain and the waves were GINORMOUS. like, bigger than i’ve ever seen them before. i really didn’t want to miss this workout and i really wanted to swim in my wetsuit so i took a few more steps towards the sand… there was not a soul out there– not even the hardcore surfers who relish a day like this one. i finally got talked some reason to myself and decided to forfeit the swim. i wasn’t thrilled, but i suppose it was the smart thing to do. I got back to my car DRENCHED as though i had been in the ocean, drove home in my wetsuit and decided to still practice getting out of my wetsuit as though it were T1. i jogged to my dining room table on the tile floor, pulled the suit down to my knees and tried the trick my old coach showed me where i yank my knee upward and “pop” my foot out of the leg. welp. i slipped and fell on my butt. so that went well.

i checked outside one more time and it was still hurricane-like conditions, so i set up my trainer and did my ride in my living room. it called for 1 hour with 4×5:00’s at race pace. i got to catch up on some charlie’s angels, too. which i’m still deciding whether i’ll get into or not. it’s entertaining, sure, and they’ve got some good wardrobe styling, but so far every episode has been pretty much the same and predictable. ah well, it made my hour go by quickly. by the time i finished, the rain had subsided and it looked like it was just wind at this point, so i jumped off my bike, slid on my running shoes, grabbed my visor and my fuel belt and went out for my run. i did a 10K with 3×1 miles at race pace. it went by super quickly and before i knew it i was back home. i had kona on the brain.

after my breakfast(s) and coffee, i started getting set up for the big day. my face was inches from the screen, and had twitter and the IMlive updates open on another computer. i was set.

the swim start is my favorite part of the day. imagine 1800 bodies all with one thought in mind: GO. That’s 3600 elbows flailing and 3600 feet kicking and everyone vying for a better position in the water. it’s like turning the pacific ocean into a human washing machine. it’s jaw-dropping.

I remained here just until after the pros went through transition and hit the bike course. then i whipped together a quick raw zucchini hummus and chopped up some jicima to bring to my friends Katrine and Ryan’s house for snacking. I stayed up to date with the race (thanks twitter!) on my way over, so i felt like i didn’t miss a beat.

I totally love how K&R are welcoming a more high-raw diet with open arms and are eager to learn more about it. they asked me to show them how to make my famous kale salad, so i gave them a list of ingredients which they procured with full success and i told her to get ready to get her hands dirty :)
it’s so fun teaching about raw foods and so rewarding to see others enjoy it as much as me. we made a YUMMY meal which we all gobbled up blissfully.

great massaging, kat!

The bike course lasts for several hours, so while the pros were still laying down the hammer, we watched the video katrine put together of their recent triumph at IMWI. They both had KILLER races and came home with matching 5th place awards. does it get much cuter than that? The video brought tears to my eyes and once again reaffirmed my love of this sport. it’s truly an incredible roller coaster ride filled with emotion. the training, the blood, the sweat, the tears, and the joy. it’s all worth it when you cross that finish line and the sensation fills your body with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

we spent the day sharing race stories, tips, plans, recipes, and all the while tracking our friends on their race of a lifetime. the IMLive coverage was great, but it was entirely focused on the pros (which is expected), so we constantly updated the tracker feature. We were cheering on my coach and good friend, Marni, as well as Libby, Susan, and the rest of the Hammerheads. we’ve got some speedy folks in this here city.

Later in the evening, we walked on over to watch the Pro finish at our friend’s Kari and Adam’s house. it was super fun to watch with a room full of triathletes and cyclists. I stayed until the age groupers started trickling in before heading home at almost 11. way past this girl’s bedtime.

i of course kept tracking my friends and hanging on their every mile. I’m so incredibly proud of Marni for her inspiring race and overcoming some huge struggles. she had to dig deep and her mental strength helped bring her to her 5th Ironman finish and 2nd World Championship medal. you can read a bit about her experience here, with a full race report to come. She’s got a lot to be proud of.

Likewise, Libby wrote a race report you really need to read. it completely gives you a taste of what it’s like to be a part of this race. I got chills just reading it.

way to go, ladies. you are a true inspiration.

Sunday’s training included a 2.5 hour ride followed by a 3 mile run. The weather was only slightly better than saturday. no rain, but heavy winds. pretty sure it was windier here than it was in Kona where the winds are usually BRU-TAL. this was definitely a test of strength. my neck and upper back are pretty sore after that ride b/c i had to clench my bars the whole time just to keep control of my bike. at one point, the wind picked my bike up and shifted it (and me) horizontally a few inches. never had that happen before and still not sure how i kept from wiping out. So, the bike was windy and when i was slow, it was really slow… but when i was fast, i was really fast! Katrine let me borrow her front HED wheel and her Giro aero helmet for my race, so i used these and I gotta tell you, i know the wind had something to do with it, but i clocked 39 mph going down the bridge. i’ve never seen more than 30 here before. placebo or not, i’m pumped to use this combo next weekend.

I approached my run a little less conservatively than usual. i think maybe i hold back more than i should, so i pushed it a little today. my workout called for 1 mile at 80%, 1 mile at 90% and 1 mile easy recovery. b/c i usually take the first mile nice and easy warming up for the rest of my run, i expected it to be tough to kick it off at 80%, but it was surprisingly comfortable. my legs felt a bit still and i felt the lactic acid from yesterday, but all in all, it was a good run and left me feeling good about my last brick before the race.

one week to go!