tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205855822024-03-07T13:09:54.469-06:00margo baxterswim eat bike eat run eat sleep repeatMargo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-16770150355260757452011-05-02T16:04:00.000-05:002011-05-02T16:04:18.640-05:00day 2 of 30One tricky part of this is working the Bikram class schedule into my schedule. If I want to do Bikram in the morning, the 5:45am class is the only one that allows me to get to work at a decent time. So this morning I went at 5:45. It was cold and dark. I doubt it will happen every day but today it did.<br />
<br />
The class was smaller today and the room had a calmer energy. Well, my mind was definitely calmer. I was able to put my personal judgments aside and just focus on doing my best much quicker today. I got into a zone where I was simply enjoying the process of flowing through the postures. I was able to be completely in the moment. I had no worries or concerns, time was on hold, I was just there. My body felt good. My Triangle was deeper than I have ever been and for the first time, my leg was almost straight on Forehead To Knee. I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow. I feel like going again tonight but I don't want to get carried away.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-17793316133283888232011-05-01T14:46:00.000-05:002011-05-01T14:46:11.762-05:0030 Days of Bikram YogaEvery day for the next 30 days I will go to Bikram yoga. I will not miss a day. This is my personal challenge. Why do this?<br />
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1. I haven't been able to run for 4 months because of a nagging injury/tightness in my hip, calf, and foot. Chiropractic, ART treatment, LED therapy, deep tissue massage, and all this time without running have not fixed it. I think something in my hips and back is messed up and I am hoping Bikram can help.<br />
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2. I just finished an intense 3 month build progression of swimming and lifting and need to change my routine. If running is not an option and Crossfit irritates my hip, I need to come up with something else. <br />
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3. When I have done Bikram in the past, even only going twice a week, my body felt healthy. I am very curious to see what will happen with a daily practice. Right now my muscles are tight, my back is sore, my shoulders are hunched over, and my mind is not calm. I trust in Bikram to reboot me back to a happy peaceful calm.<br />
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4. Focusing myself to a challenge of workouts that are not swim/bike/run-based makes me uncomfortable. I worry that I will lose all my fitness. The fact that I am taking a step to let the endurance come second for one month is a scary but good step forward for me.<br />
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--<br />
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Today was day 1. I joined a studio near my house that I haven't been to before (Pure Bikram) and it is a really nice place. Marsha (@princesshungry) told me about it. During the class, my mind was running on overload for the first half of class. I had trouble letting the thoughts go. I got much more in the groove during the seated postures. Overall I noticed that my shoulders are very tight (swimming??) and of course that my injured hip is much tighter than my other one. My balance is still good and my ankle flexibility is better than a few months ago. I made it through the whole class without having to stop or rest at all. That's all I wanted to do today.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-17059032056538357232010-09-06T22:57:00.000-05:002010-09-06T22:57:48.119-05:00Birthday Challenge 2010Friday was my 33rd birthday and I am always up for a good crazy challenge. The standard birthday challenge would have me either running or biking the number of years in my age. Hmmm... I don't want to trash myself with a 33 mile run and biking 33 miles isn't much of a challenge. So I came up with the idea of doing 3 races in 3 days. It turned out to be about 3.5 days, but close enough.<br />
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<b>Race #1: Zilker Relays on Friday night Sept 3, 2010 in Austin TX</b><br />
The event is a 4 person relay to do a total of 10 miles. I got together a group of my co-workers to form a team. We weren't planning to be competitive, just going out there to participate as a team and have fun was the plan. I am always competitive so my own goal for my 2.5 mile segment was to go under 17 minutes. My time: 16:58. Yay! That's a 6:45 pace which is just faster than my 5k pace and I had to push hard to get it. The reward: Taco Deli tacos and a birthday cupcake :)<br />
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<b>Race #2: Suzy's 10K Run for Cancer Kids, Sunday Sept 5, Madison WI</b><br />
I went to Madison for the holiday weekend and this was my second race. 10k is not my favorite distance to race because it just hurts so much to go as hard as you can go and stay focused for that amount of time. It's a brutal version of the 5k but it's an excellent workout and I wanted to get a benchmark for my 10k fitness. The race was for an inspiring cause and featured former Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton. The course was pretty, at least half on wooded paved biking trails. I came in as the third female with a time of 46:10 (7:25 pace). I thought I could go under 45 minutes based on my 5k pace but my high-speed endurance just isn't quite there yet. I was toasted after this and spent the rest of the day lying around and sleeping.<br />
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<b>Race #3: Safe Harbor 5K Run for Prevention of Child Domestic Violence, Monday Sept 6, Madison WI</b><br />
This was another good charity organization to be supporting this weekend. They had a 5K and a 10K but I opted for the shorter distance today. No thanks on running another 10K. My legs were feeling the burn this morning when I woke up and I was having some doubts about how I would do. I walked to the race and had to turn off all negative thinking. I was going to run this thing as hard as I could because I wanted to end my birthday challenge with a bang. Well, I did just that. I ran hard, didn't let up, worked the hills, and came in as the first female finisher. This was my fastest 5K of this year, and a whole minute faster than a month ago. It was a satisfying end to a fun birthday challenge and was a great way to kick off a new year of fitness. I am ready to make this my best year yet.<br />
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What did I learn from this?<br />
By packing all this high-speed work into a short amount of time, I broke down some of my fear about running fast. The majority of my running in the last week has been at a 7 minute pace or faster. I couldn't sustain this type of training forever without injury, but I could be incorporating more of this pace into my workouts on a regular basis. Even if I start out a workout thinking I won't be able to perform, that may not be the case at all once I get going. <i>My mind is a powerful thing, so I have to make it work for me not against me.</i>Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-16963426379512805082010-07-14T07:45:00.003-05:002010-07-14T07:47:35.556-05:0017 hours, 4 states, 5 workouts, 1000 repsMy Road Trip 1000 workout was a huge success (see previous post for the workout). Each time I did a round I felt energized and ready to get back in the car. It broke up the drive and I was able to go for 17 hours which was 2 hours beyond my goal of 15 hours. Always knowing I had another workout ahead kept my mind focused on each section of the drive, not the whole overwhelming thing. Another nice thing about it was that my "rest" time during the day was spent in grassy shaded areas outside, not hanging out eating snacks in gas station parking lots.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlahfPLFMWOCGRfG8rDqxg70Iq3hLSRcqB-L9nLyAn69qUBq7PDCCxR3nYpwT1nLdw83n_rlXoR4HoTCP2HQvxIbLrAX9GTr6FQs34dzBkiMGv3UZBUGKBZwhVSrbnjTk8bcbMw/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlahfPLFMWOCGRfG8rDqxg70Iq3hLSRcqB-L9nLyAn69qUBq7PDCCxR3nYpwT1nLdw83n_rlXoR4HoTCP2HQvxIbLrAX9GTr6FQs34dzBkiMGv3UZBUGKBZwhVSrbnjTk8bcbMw/s320/Picture+1.png" width="277" /></a></div><br />
<b>Round 1 [8:51]</b><br />
7:30am, Roadside picnic area outside of Waco, TX <br />
Feeling good. I liked the variety in the workout.<br />
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<b>Round 2 [8:30]</b><br />
10am, Rest area in Colbert, Oklahoma<br />
I shaved off some time with smoother transitions.<br />
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<b>Round 3 [8:38]</b><br />
2pm, McDonalds parking lot in Chouteau, Oklahoma<br />
By this time I was starting to feel sore from the previous rounds. It was also about 100 degrees in mid-afternoon Oklahoma. This was the hardest round for sure.<br />
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<b>Round 4 [7:53]</b><br />
6:30pm, Baseball park in Rolla, Missouri<br />
I was definitely sore. I think I just wanted to get this round done as fast as possible so I hammered it. Then I headed across the street and got a chocolate Frosty at Wendy's.<br />
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<b>Round 5 [8:06]</b><br />
9pm, Rest area in New Douglas, Illinois<br />
It had cooled down a little and the sun had just set. I had a great view of the moon and stars as I did this. I was starting to get to my limit for the burpees and mountain climbers. 1000 reps - done!!<br />
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<b style="color: #351c75;">[Total time 42:01] </b>Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-48151763436441269702010-07-11T15:09:00.000-05:002010-07-11T15:09:17.538-05:00The Road Trip 1000I am driving from Austin Texas to Madison Wisconsin this week. It's 21 hours sitting in the car and a lot of time for my muscles to get very stiff. So, I made up this workout that consists of 1000 repeats over the course of 15 hours for my first day of driving. I will do one round of the workout every 3 hours when I am at a rest stop. All I will need is my jump rope and a bench or step.<br />
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I'm hoping that not only will this keep me feeling good, it will help keep me awake and having fun as I am driving though Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and into Illinois. I'll report back about how it goes.<br />
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<b>The Road Trip 1000</b><br />
<i>5 rounds over the course of 15 hours (for total time):</i><br />
20 jumping jacks<br />
20 pushups<br />
20 squats<br />
20 burpees<br />
20 bench dips<br />
20 step ups (or box jumps depending on the height of the step I find)<br />
20 mountain climbers<br />
20 walking lunges<br />
20 situps<br />
20 rope jumpsMargo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-86058526723586815122010-07-02T19:17:00.000-05:002010-07-02T19:17:16.418-05:00bringing harmony backI woke up with a head cold and laryngitis this morning. I am certainly getting a broad range of symptoms during this recovery. I worked a half a day in the office and then slept for 3.5 hours in the afternoon. When I woke up, I felt amazingly better. My cold is not gone but my body is coming back. I am going to be ready for a light workout tomorrow. I am even looking forward to it. I am going to stick with swimming, biking, and light lifting through the end of next week and then try out my running legs after that. I don't want to force things too fast.<br />
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The thing I am most happy about right now is that I am switching back to being a vegetarian. I ate meat as an experiment in performance and recovery, but I am no longer willing to sacrifice my personal values for this. There are ways to be successful without eating animals. The last meat I ate was the yak burger on Monday at the natural foods store in Idaho. It feels like a relief to not have to eat meat anymore. It brings a sense of peacefulness to my life knowing that no being suffered or was killed for my plate of food. This has consistently bothered me for the last several months and I don't see that changing. My life is in harmony only when my actions agree with my values.<br />
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In the next couple of weeks, it is my intention to bring my life back to balanced harmony in all the ways it has gotten off course during Ironman training.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-64457044717032387162010-07-01T21:09:00.000-05:002010-07-01T21:09:01.556-05:00post-race week<i>Monday: </i>Overall very tired and sore, nothing bothering me in particular. Feeling out of sorts. I wanted to spend time at the race site to be around the athletes and go in the water again. I felt a loss coming on. Mo and I went paragliding on Lake Coeur d'Alene as her reward for putting up with all the Ironman craziness. Very fun! <br />
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<i>Tuesday:</i> Travel back to Austin. Came down with 101 fever and aches and nausea. Vomiting on plane, chills, bad ear pain, and headache. Still sore but walking normal. I should have been in bed, not traveling on planes all day. Very hard day.<br />
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<i>Wednesday: </i>Slept until noon, half day at work. Still sick but doing a little better. Stomach still sensitive. No appetite. Depressed.<br />
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<i>Thursday: </i>Went to work for half day in the morning, got massage. Still a little sick but fever is gone. Not sore. Doing better. Still depressed and out of sorts. Not ready to work out yet. Can eat again but neurotic about gaining weight. Haven't unpacked bag yet. Starting to get ready to think about what I will do next.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-78091805060366030472010-07-01T20:58:00.001-05:002010-07-03T09:24:23.962-05:00Reflections on IM CDAI didn't set PR's in any of the sports or overall even though I thought I could do so in all of them. The swim logistics were beyond my control and I know that my fitness is much better than a 1:16. Nutrition and bike comfort got me on the bike, plus I think I should have done more hill training. I didn't know that the course was going to have such steep hills like the IM Wisconsin course. My only controllable mistake of the day, I believe, was not forcing myself to get down more liquid and calories during the second half of the bike.<br />
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I feel good about how I did on the run, how I was able to pull myself out of a nutritional bonk and wanting to quit, to feeling good and finishing in an acceptable time. If I hadn't worked on my mental training and had my head able to adjust to alternative goals and ways to stay positive, I wouldn't have been able to stay in it as well as I did.<br />
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My finish time is a bit disappointing because I can't stand feeling like I am just average or mediocre and my 12:48 finish is just too "mid-pack" for me. On the other hand, I feel that I had a good race because I worked with the conditions of the moment during every part of the day and was able to let negatives go. I executed my race plan well and was able to adapt to problems as they came up.<br />
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I am sure there are many people who would find it odd for me to think that my race makes me average. I was 33 of 131 in my age group but this just isn't good enough for me. When I do things, I want to be at the top, not just in the top quarter. When I do something, I go all out. The trouble with Ironman is that in order to go "all out" on it, you need to sacrifice all your time, money, friends, loved ones, and all your other interests in life. It is just not possible to put in all that work and live a balanced life. I have tried to make that work and can't. Perhaps I didn't sacrifice enough this time around.<br />
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This was my third Ironman and I have decided that it will be my last. Ok, don't hold me to that forever, but I have no plans to do another one for a long long LONG time.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-50495258594995511142010-07-01T20:30:00.001-05:002010-07-01T20:31:31.036-05:00Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Report - part 3<b>Bike-Run Transition</b><br />
It went like this. Stop at mount line, get off bike, hand bike to volunteer. Take off bike shoes and run to get gear bag. [oh boy, notice how legs are super stiff and feel like bricks, go easy, work it out...] Grab a cup of water and chug it down. Run into changing tent and empty gear bag on floor. Strip down naked and put on run clothes. Put on plenty of body glide to avoid chaffing. Run to sunscreen volunteers and get more sunscreen. I got burned on my hands and part of my back during the bike so I let them take a little longer to cover everything this time. Stop at the porta-pottie. I moved through this transition quickly but steadily. I made sure to do everything I needed to do to help me be more comfortable on the run. A few seconds more here would be worth it later. I ran out of transition and onto the run course.<br />
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<b>Run</b><br />
The first section went along the beach where the swim took place and there were so many spectators out there it was very motivational. I felt absolutely terrible starting the run. I could hardly move my legs and was doing something like run 3 minutes/walk 50 steps for the first 2 miles. My glutes and hamstrings were cramping up and were seriously painful. It crossed my mind to quit the race. I didn't know how I was going to make it 26 miles. I deliberated about this for about 10 minutes. I knew I would be mad at myself for quitting after traveling all the way to the race and training for so long. Giving up over something like sore legs felt like it would be disrespecting everyone else wanted so badly to be there and was willing to work through it to finish. I couldn't stop. I had to finish, no matter how long it took me. I wasn't going to qualify for Kona so did it really matter what my finishing time was? I would simply do my best and enjoy participating in an Ironman even if things weren't going perfectly. That was the plan.<br />
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I tried to sensibly take in as many calories and liquids as I could and after about 3 miles I began to feel better. That bike bonk was really messing with my mind. After that there was no question in my mind that I would finish. My strategy would be to walk the aid stations while getting all the fuel that I needed. This averaged out to roughly running 1 mile, walk 1 minute. I alternated drinking water and cola, finished my Liquid Shot flask, had a few gels, oranges, potato chips. The cola tasted good and was the best all-purpose fuel.<br />
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The run course was two laps with a long section along the lake. It was mostly flat but then had a big hill just before the turnaround point. I walked the hill on both laps, not wanting to use energy on it. There were three aid stations with music and announcers out there to keep things fun. I was wearing a t-shirt from the Lake Mills Triathlon in Wisconsin and got several comments from people from Wisconsin. It felt nice to have a little connection with my old triathlon community.<br />
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I started to feel really good on the second lap of the run. I was comfortable running a 9 minute pace and was having fun. It is amazing how things changed for me over the course of 10 miles. I was smiling and enjoying the day. When I got to the top of the big hill and ran down it, I was at mile 21 and had only 5 more miles to go. I can do anything for 5 miles, right? That's when things starting to get hard and I had to begin digging deep and remembering that I want it. Things got progressively darker until mile 24 and at that point I was struggling to run at all - maybe 2 minutes run/1 minute walk. My feet hurt and I was exhausted all over. At mile 25 when I was a little teary-eyed and walking, a volunteer said to me "Margo, when you get to me this is when you start running... ok? ... ok, now. Go!" I started running and people around began cheering for me. I smiled. I only had a couple more blocks until the finish chute. I was almost there. <br />
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I rounded that last corner onto Sherman Avenue, and could see it was less than half a mile downhill to to the finish line. The sides of the street were packed with cheering spectators. There were a few other runners around me but I basically had the whole crowd to myself. Thousands of cheering people. It is an unforgettable amazing experience. I broke out in a huge smile and got choked up from the emotion of it all. This moment made it all worth it. I savored that last 2 minutes of the run and felt no pain as my body was floating. I high-fived the hands of dozens of people as I ran. I was there. I did it! "Margo Baxter from Austin Texas, you are an Ironman."<br />
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Run time: 4:36<br />
Goal time: 4:00<br />
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<b>FINISH TIME: 12:48</b><br />
[goal time: 11:30-12:00, previous PR: 12:36]Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-67895039567341661942010-07-01T19:58:00.000-05:002010-07-01T19:58:55.613-05:00Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Report - part 2<b>Swim-Bike Transition</b><br />
It went like this. Exit water and run 50m on sand to get to the grass. Run to wetsuit strippers and lay on ground as they pull off my wetsuit from the waist down. Run to get gear bag and run to changing tent. Empty contents of bag on the ground, strip naked out of swimsuit and put on bike clothes. Run out of tent and to sunscreen volunteers who slather me in sunscreen. Run to grab bike, run to bike exit, mount bike, go. 1:22 on the clock.<br />
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<b>Bike</b><br />
There were tons of people around cheering so the start was really fun. It felt like some huge bike race or something :) My legs were a little heavy to start and my speed was a little lower than I thought it should be. It was not until 8 miles later that I notice that my front brake was rubbing the wheel even though I checked it before the race. That happened in training and I was so careful about checking it, but it managed to happen during the race :( I may have used a little extra effort in the beginning but I don't think it affected my overall day too much.<br />
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The ride was beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. The first part of the loop went out and back along the lake, then there is a flat part through small towns, then the hilly section. I drove the hills but hadn't ridden them until the race so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was a little worried because some of them were pretty steep but I know that hills often seem worse in the car than when you are riding them - this was the case here. None of the hills were too bad. I just got in my lowest gear and kept moving the pedals until I got to the top. There were a few tight turns and downhills and I wasn't sure how to ride them since I hadn't practiced. I probably could have been faster if I had been more confident on the course. The first lap felt good and I was on top of my nutrition with 3 bottles of EFS and 3 Larabars. I got back to town in 3:15 to start the second lap. If I could hold that pace, I would still be on target to hit my 12 hour goal.<br />
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The second lap got harder. The beginning section through town was fun with all the spectators, and again I enjoyed the lake scenery. I felt positive until about halfway through the hills. They seemed much steeper the second time around. I got tired of being on the bike. My back started to hurt and it was hard to stay aero because of the back pain. My head started to get negative and I slacked off on my nutrition. I saw all the bikers heading back who were in front of me and I started to get a little hard on myself for being that far back in the pack. I have to work so hard at biking and don't see the improvements I wish I would see. Why didn't I do more hill repeats in training? That was not the time to be having those types of conversations with myself. I made it through the second round of hills and was able to refocus my mind knowing that I just had to make it back to town on a flat section, however the wind had picked up and it was now going to be a headwind. A strong headwind for another 20 miles. My back was killing me more than anything. My stomach was getting a little gurgly from the solid foods and I switched to Liquid Shot for calories. I only got down about 500 calories and 2 EFS bottles during the second half of the bike, which was not nearly enough. I ended the bike in a state of bonk/dehydration. My second lap took 3:28. Given the fact that I didn't know this course, and that my biking is a little weaker this year than other years, I am generally happy with how I did on the bike. It wasn't perfect but it was decent for where I am at right now. My nutrition was much better than at my last Ironman.<br />
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Bike time: 6:43<br />
Goal time: 6:20-6:30Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-56058226932755371272010-06-29T12:56:00.000-05:002010-06-29T12:56:35.195-05:00Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Report - part 1<strong>Race Morning</strong><br />
My alarm woke me up at 4am after 5 hours of good sleep. My race morning checklist went into action immediately - shower, dress, eat breakfast (oatmeal, 1/2 banana, peanut butter, 1 egg, hot tea). My stomach was a little nervous and it was hard to eat all this. I was feeling full already from eating extra the day before. This morning, however, it wasn't about what I felt like eating, it was about getting the fuel in my body. We left the hotel at 4:40 and were down at the race site with a good parking space by 5am. Next was to get body marked, pump my bike tires (they had special volunteers for this), put my food on my bike, and put chamois butter on my bike shorts. I was done with all of this early and was able to go sit on the beach wall for a while to sit and relax. There was a bit of a chop in the water but not too bad. My stomach was still nervous and I tried to calm myself by remembering that this is just another day of long workouts, something that I do all the time. <br />
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At 6:30 I made my last trip to the restroom, put on my wetsuit and caps, ate a Powergel, and walked to the timing mat to cross and enter the swim start area. I wasn't sure where to place myself, but I wanted to be fairly close in with the buoy line. The start was a running beach start and I didn't know how it was going to play out. It wasn't very crowded where I was standing so I thought this would be a good thing once I got in the water.<br />
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<strong>Swim</strong><br />
The cannon went off and we all ran into the water, taking maybe ten steps and then diving in to start swimming. The water temperature was 61 degrees - cold, but not terrible. In practice, I was fine in my wetsuit and neoprene cap. When I dove in I didn't feel particularly cold. However, it was less than 30 seconds and my lungs started to close up and I couldn't get enough air. I didn't think I was going that hard so it must have had something to do with the water temperature and sudden entry of it. There were people everywhere around me kicking and pushing and pulling, trying to get ahead. I couldn't continue my stroke and had to stop to try to catch my breath. People continued to battle their way around me as I struggled to stay above water. I remembered what EN Coach Rich said about if you have to stop during the swim, you should backstroke so that you don't look like a buoy to the other swimmers. I flipped on my back and did backstroke while taking as deep of breaths as I could. At least I was moving this way. I was not even 5 minutes into the Ironman and I was already backstroking. <br />
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I kept alternating backstroke and freestyle until I was able to swim freestyle continuously again. It probably took about 5 minutes. Ugh. The whole rest of the way out on the first lap was super congested with people. Someone kicked me hard in the top of the head and my jaw slammed down. It was more about survival than about swimming. When I slowed down, so many people passed me that I was now in the middle of slow swimmers and it was hard to get around them. I couldn't stretch out on my stroke because I was running into people. <br />
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I thought things had already gotten ugly but when we all reached the first turn, that's when they really got ugly. It was a major crush with 2500 swimmers converging on too small of a space. The rescue boats were too far in and there was nowhere for anyone to go. We actually all STOPPED in the water and everyone had to stay still treading water for probably 15 seconds until we could move. We started moving and then 100m later at the next turn, this happened again. I was aiming for 16 minutes out to that second turn buoy and my watch said 21 minutes. Ugh. I was getting so mad at all these people for being in the way. I'm sure they were all just as mad at me.<br />
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After the first lap, my time was 37 minutes (goal 32 min). Again ugh. I was hoping I could get some clear water and decent drafting on the second lap. I didn't sight well and went too wide as I headed back out. I had clear water there, but I ended up swimming much more than I needed to. When I worked myself back onto the course, it was packed with people again and I never got any space to myself for the rest of the swim. Second lap: 39 minutes (goal 33 min). At least it was over. I needed to let it go and just focus on the rest of the day. It was disappointing and maddening but I knew the extra time it took could easily be made up with a good bike and run. Time to get my head on.<br />
<br />
Swim time: 1:16<br />
Goal time: 1:05Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-60913219734353430942010-06-26T21:48:00.000-05:002010-06-26T21:48:24.116-05:00pre-race eveningToday was restful. I slept in (until 7), watched TV in the hotel, had breakfast, and slowly got down to the lake to do a quick swim and run just to warm up my legs. I am feeling so rested that I am stiff. I packed all my bags last night and took them along with my bike to the gear check-in right at 10am when it opened. I wanted to get all this done with as early as possible and get away from all the nervous energy of the athletes. Mo and I went to the natural foods store, bought some lunch (burger and salad) and took it to a different beach for a picnic. Then it was nap time back at the hotel for a good 2 hours. Then we returned to our favorite Thai restaurant here for an early dinner. I had the "drunken noodles", rice noodles with chicken, vegetables, and some delicious sauce. We splurged and shared the mango sticky rice dessert. Then back to the hotel to do some final packing for tomorrow and here I am.<br />
<br />
I have been having conversations with myself (and outloud) all day addressing my concerns about the race. I think I have worked through all my nervousness about the bike course, and calmed the doubts that have creeped into my mind. I have done a lot of biking and have done a lot of hills. I can do this. It seems like there has just been so much WAITING and I am getting antsy. When I get started racing I know what to do because I have rehearsed it in practice and in my mind a gazillion times. All the stories that have been going in my head will disappear. The bottom line is that I am really well-prepared for this and it's going to be awesome. I am going to remember to smile the whole day and savor how lucky I am to be doing it. I am going to use the energy of all the spectators and other racers to push me forward. My progress in the last couple years has been huge and I am ready to put it all on the line tomorrow. See you at the finish line.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-11178352448726475712010-06-26T21:36:00.000-05:002010-06-26T21:36:28.696-05:00Race week workouts<em>Wednesday </em><br />
BIke 45 minutes easy with 2 x 90 seconds hard [13 miles]<br />
Run 3 miles easy with 2 x 90 seconds hard [24 minutes]<br />
<br />
<em>Thursday</em><br />
REST Day - Travel to Coeur d'Alene<br />
<br />
<em>Friday</em><br />
Swim 20 minutes on race course<br />
Bike 30 minutes on race course<br />
<br />
<em>Saturday</em><br />
Swim 10 minutes - practice running beach starts and exits<br />
Run 20 minutes - easy with 2 x 30 seconds hardMargo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-29165917460248242682010-06-22T14:09:00.001-05:002010-06-22T14:10:20.992-05:00pace planning<b>Run 4 miles with 5 x (90 seconds hard/3 minutes easy) [33:43]</b><br />
<b>Swim 1600m with 6 x (100 race pace/100 easy) [32:01]</b><br />
<br />
These were both nice short workouts just get get my body moving and to keep my speed up. As far as cardio workouts go, this was a nice brick - short but with enough intensity that I felt like I did something. Barton Springs was cold as usual today but it's good training... I'm thinking that maybe 68 degrees with no wetsuit will feel similar to 58 degrees with a wetsuit?? <br />
<br />
Last night I wrote out more lists: specific steps I will follow for each transition, my nutrition plan for race day going all the way from my first breakfast at 2am to my post-race smoothie, what I need to do each day leading up to the race once I arrive on site on Thursday. Nothing that can be controlled will be left to chance. I also looked at past race results, specifically a few athletes I know, to get a more clear idea of how I should pace myself. Based on those results and my current fitness, here are my time predictions:<br />
<br />
Swim 1:05 [two loop course as 4 x 16 minutes]<br />
Bike 6:20 [two loop course with 3:10 per lap, 17.7mph]<br />
Run 4:00 [two loop course as 4 x 60 minutes, 9 min/mile]<br />
T1/T2 0:08<br />
FINISH => 11:33<br />
<br />
In my first Ironman, my finish time was a mere one minute off my predicted time. This will be huge success if I can duplicate that this time.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-10001882563978556652010-06-21T22:17:00.000-05:002010-06-21T22:17:51.626-05:00p-p-p-poker face<b>Strength Session</b><br />
3 rounds:<br />
10 deadlifts@45lb<br />
10 push press@45lb<br />
10 push ups<br />
10 goblet squats@15lb<br />
10 assisted pull up10 step ups (each leg) - 24" box<br />
20 sit ups<br />
I forgot to time this but I did it for time. I want to make sure I keep my muscles sharp. None of these exercises should make me too sore and even if I am a little sore, I still have 6 days to recover. I find that I race better right after my muscles have rebuilt from some hard stimulus.<br />
<br />
<b>Bike 60 minutes with 4 x (8 minutes moderate-hard/2 min recovery)</b><br />
I did spin class tonight and Danielle played some Lady Gaga in honor of my Ironman. P-p-p-poker face p-p-poker face. I am enjoying this week and celebrating my fitness and all the hard work I have done. I am getting filled back up with energy and anticipate that after a few more days of these lighter workouts I will be busting out of my skin.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-10073325199194620172010-06-20T16:48:00.001-05:002010-06-21T22:10:46.529-05:00Final weekend<i>Saturday</i><br />
<b>Bike 40 miles with 4 x 10 min, 1 x 20 min moderate hard [2:30]</b><br />
<b>Run 3 miles [24 min as 8:08, 8:00, 7:51]</b><br />
<br />
Since my tri bike is already shipped, I rode my road bike. I love my road bike and I love how much more control I have when I am not in aero position. My legs felt fresher than they have in a long time and my head was a lot more positive too. I actually was not dreading this ride. I got out early as the sun was coming up (as usual) and took Mesa out to 360 for the intervals. There were a ton of bikers out there. I reflected on all the hard work I have done biking this road in the last few months.<br />
<br />
Run: When I looked down at my watch after the first mile I couldn't believe the 8:08 because I felt like I was going so slow. I attempted to slow down for the second mile but ended up going faster. My legs felt really good. The last mile I just gave it a comfortably hard effort and ended up with a 7:51. Clearly my legs are coming back with this taper.<br />
<br />
My Ironman run pace will be 9:00/mile for a 4 hour marathon and I tried to hit that today to see what it feels like but it's actually much slower than my "slow". This run was a good reminder that on race day, no matter how good I may be feeling when I start the run, I still need to go slow. Maybe even slower than slow. I absolutely must not go faster than 9:00/mile in the beginning or I will likely have a major slowdown in the later miles. <i>My ultimate success in this race is to run an evenly paced marathon.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Sunday</i><br />
<b>Swim 1.2 miles [33:20] - half race rehearsal<br />
</b><br />
<b>Restorative Yoga</b><br />
<b>Swim 2250m - easy steady pace in open water [38:30] </b><br />
<br />
The race rehearsal swim went really well. I wore my wetsuit and neoprene cap and swam in barton springs to simulate the actual race. In Austin, wearing a wetsuit in the summer is like going running in a sweatsuit but you gotta do what you gotta do. The neoprene cap was tight and kind of uncomfortable around my chin but I got used to it. Same for the wetsuit. I prefer swimming without one but... the water in CDA will be around 55 so I will suck up the tightness for the extra warmth.<br />
<br />
The pace I swam was hard but sustainable and know I could have swam twice the distance at that same pace. That puts me in for a 1:06 swim which would be a PR by 1 minute. Of course there are other factors to consider like swimming in a draft, swimming not exactly in a straight line, water chop, the affect of cold water on my breathing, wind, etc, that could all make me faster or slower. I feel very confident that I will have a good swim.<i><br />
</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Yoga... nothing crazy just an easy class for some extra stretching on my hamstrings and hips. Felt good. <br />
<br />
I came home got packed and took a 2 hour nap. Ahh. This is so relaxing. Nothing to freak out about because the work is already done. Things are good.<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, and then I did a spontaneous second swim of the day with D. A nice enjoyable evening in the lake.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-62293328165400313222010-06-18T21:44:00.000-05:002010-06-18T21:44:22.097-05:00gonna name it stephanieThis will be my third Ironman and each one of them has been different. I don't have kids but this seems kind of similar to giving birth. At Ironman you get a medal and a hat to take home instead of a baby. Quieter but less rewarding. The parallels are uncanny. I've spent 5 months putting my body through huge physical stress and transformation. I had hormonal and emotional changes as a result of this. I had to eat well, get extra sleep, and was tired a lot (pregnancy). The race itself is some serious physical labor and one of the most painful experiences you can go through (giving birth). I have worked on mental strategies to reduce my discomfort during the labor (Lamaz anyone?). I have plans on what I will do after the race to reduce post-race depression (post-natal). After the race I won't want to do another but after a while I will forget about the pain and then sign up again. No but seriously, I don't know if I would want more than three kids.<br />
<br />
<i>Checking in on my mental work...</i><br />
I've been thinking hard and long about why I am doing this. I need to know the answer to that question and the answer needs to be good enough so that I don't give up. My one thing is that <b>I want to master execution of a long race</b>. I want to prove to myself that I can have a solid run after a solid bike. Two years ago at IM WI, I didn't have enough calories during the bike and I gave up during the run. I wasn't mentally prepared for setbacks and had no reason to push through. My training season was filled with injuries and overwhelming stress and it came with me on race day.<br />
<br />
This season has been completely different and I want to use this opportunity to prove to myself that I am a strong competitor at this distance. I have a solid race plan written up with realistic pacing for each section of the course. I am extremely organized with my gear. I have made lists of all the potential problems I am worried could happen and can now come up with a solution for each one. If I have a clear plan ahead of time, then there is nothing to worry about because it is just a matter of executing a slight detour in the plan. I have more experience troubleshooting physical and mechanical issues on the spot this time. <b>There is nothing and no one that is going to stand between me and success.</b> I am not accepting less than 100% effort from myself. I have put in the work and I have the mental strength to do this thing.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-12523104540598440572010-06-18T21:13:00.001-05:002010-06-18T21:47:14.239-05:00last week of taper<i>Wednesday</i><br />
<b>Rest day and massage</b><br />
<br />
<i>Thursday</i><br />
<b>Run 9 miles [1:14] </b><br />
35 min@8:30 pace, 2 mi@16:16, 1 mi@7:52 <br />
<br />
<b>Core Routine</b><br />
3 rounds of:<br />
20 tick-tocks (each side) with stick<br />
10 med ball twists<br />
30 sec plank hold<br />
<br />
<b>Swim 2400yd [38 min]</b><br />
MS: 4 x 600@9:06, 9:06,9:11,9:24 (race pace)<br />
I'm planning to split up the race course into 4 sections in my mind so this was good practice for that. Section 3 of 4 is always the hardest because you are tired but still have a lot left to go. That's the time when I find it most necessary to divert my mind away from external thoughts and stay focused on swimming each stroke with perfect form. Long and strong strokes. Reach and pull through. Kick even and steady.<br />
<br />
<i>Friday</i><br />
<b>Run 5 miles [40:13]</b> with 8 x (30sec hard/30 sec walk) <br />
I did this run in the mid-day heat: 95 degrees and humid with full sun. I used the difficult conditions as a way to simulate the later sections of the Ironman marathon. When my mind thinks I should stop, I keep going. In the case of today, my skin was burning hot, my heart rate was elevated, and I just felt bad in general. However, my legs themselves felt fine, and there was no reason they couldn't keep running. I wouldn't feel much better walking in the heat anyway. It's almost always the case that my mind is ready to stop before my body.<br />
<br />
I dropped off my bike at the bike shop today to be shipped to Coeur d'Alene with Tri Bike Transport. For $300 they take care of getting it to and from the race. Pricey yes, but worth saving the hassle of paying to rent a case, pack the bike, pay to take it on the plane, and reassemble it at the race site myself. I've got enough gear to carry around without having my bike.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-8379173800894347722010-06-15T11:13:00.000-05:002010-06-15T11:13:28.364-05:00run and crossfit<b>Run 5 miles with 4 x (400m hard/400m moderate on 4 min)</b><br />
[40:13]<br />
<br />
<b>Crossfit Helen</b> - Gymrat version (burpees instead of 400m run)<br />
3 rounds for time:<br />
10 burpees<br />
21 KB swings (15#)<br />
12 pullups<br />
[8:48]<br />
<br />
I felt stiff and sore in the first two miles of the run but felt amazingly great after that. The morning humidity is an issue... at 7:30am it was already feeling too hot and I was drenched in sweat. I headed over to the gym for a quick strength workout. The goal right now is to sharpen up my upper body and core strength without getting too sore. Feeling strong gives me confidence and I need that.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-16509442195454960182010-06-14T21:36:00.000-05:002010-06-14T21:36:12.644-05:00big day at the gym<b>Strength Workout </b><br />
Crossfit warmup <br />
5 rounds: 7 deadlifts@95#, 7 push press@45#<br />
3 rounds: 10 air squats, 25 situps<br />
<br />
<b>Swim 2900yd [54 min]</b><br />
MS: 20x100yd@1:25-1:29 (on 1:45)<br />
<br />
<b>Bike 55 minutes with 3 x 6 min hard/2 min recover</b><br />
[did in spin class]<br />
<br />
<b>Run 3 miles easy </b><br />
[27:20 on treadmill]<br />
<br />
This took a solid 3 hours at the gym and then I was done. I didn't have to deal with heat or traffic and all my quality work got done as needed. It was a load off my mind to make it simple today. I hadn't been to the gym in a few weeks and it really lifted my spirits to be back there working out around other people. It makes me realize how isolated, lonely, and monotonous this training has become. Spin class was upbeat and I actually smiled and had <i>fun</i>. I have missed Danielle's class a lot. How strange when smiling feels weird. This is really messing with my mind.<br />
<br />
So... all the workouts were decent today. I feel kind of tired overall but I am going to come back in time to race.<br />
<br />
Other things.... I dropped off my bike at the shop for it's final tune-up and cleaning, and I bought all the nutrition products I will need to top off my stash until race day. Working down the checklist.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-9847794690081670662010-06-13T17:56:00.000-05:002010-06-13T17:56:30.400-05:00IronKids Triathlon[Rest day today]<br />
<br />
This morning I volunteered at the IronKids triathlon in Round Rock. My job was to ride back and forth on a section of the bike course and make sure everyone was safe. The age groups were 6-8, 9-11, 12-15. It's interesting to watch kids race because you can see in them the same variety of seriousness and focus as in adults. Some kids are out there with expensive tri bikes, race wheels, and aero helmets racing to win. Other kids are out there with cheap bikes from Target with pink streamers on the handlebars just having fun. Some kids were able to push themselves really hard out of a competitive spirit and some of them didn't care much about that.<br />
<br />
It was very rewarding to see their faces light up and smile when I would ride next to them and tell them what a great job they are doing. I asked a few girls about the swim and they told me it was good but there was seaweed and it stuck to them (giggle). When I saw kids slowing down or about to give up, I told them to go chase the kids ahead and that always lit a fire under them.<br />
<br />
This race reminded me how triathlon is fun stuff. It's play. For the kids today, the distances were plenty long (2/4/8 miles on the bike) and for us big kids at Ironman the distances are longer but it's still the same fun game. And with that I'm gonna go chase down those girls ahead because I don't want them to beat me.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-30686033490446677002010-06-12T17:22:00.001-05:002010-06-13T17:41:09.687-05:00friday and saturday<i>Friday</i><br />
<b>Run 11 miles [1:34 with 2 x 20 minutes harder effort => average 8:32 pace]</b><br />
<b>Swim at Barton Springs [BOMB]</b><br />
<br />
It was so humid I felt like I weighed 200 pounds plodding along the trail this morning. Ugh. My body was just going through the motions on this. I went to Barton Springs after and intended to swim for an hour, however after my first 400m lap things just weren't going well. My shoulders were sore and I had no energy. Fast repeats definitely were not going to happen. I stopped and stretched thoroughly in the cold water, then got out and called it a day.<br />
<br />
<i>Saturday</i><br />
<b>Bike 50 miles [3:05 with 3 x 25 minutes hard]</b><br />
<b>Run 5 miles [44 min]</b><br />
<br />
I got out early and hammered 360/Bee Caves road out and back. I've been having a lot of trouble with saddle sores and chaffing so I changed my saddle. The new saddle worked better, well enough that I am making the executive decision that I will race on it. Saddle choice is a big issue because it has a huge impact on bike pace. A painful saddle means I can't stay aero and that directly translates to speed lost. I've never found a saddle that feels perfect, so I am happy with "pretty good". Some discomfort there is expected.<br />
<br />
I used water, EFS, and Liquid Shot as my nutrition today - no solids and it worked really well. I am getting better on swallowing the Liquid Shot in big blasts and can now get down about 100 calories in one gulp. On race day I am going to use solids in the first half and switch to Liquid Shot in the last quarter so my stomach can settle before the run. This was a good data point.<br />
<br />
Run. Ugh. Slogging through. I wasn't sore, but just exhausted overall. Mental tricks were needed. I practiced picking a landmark like a tree or mailbox or driveway and running to that, telling myself I could re-evaluate walking when I got there. Most times I could pick another landmark and not walk. I took just a few 60 second walk breaks. I imagined the race and how I am not going to give up no matter how bad I may feel.<br />
<br />
I was thinking to myself, why why WHY is this so hard today? 1) no-brainer - heat and humidity... 2) oh yeah, I did most of an Ironman on Monday and am probably still recovering from that. Relax, this is allowing me to practice working through things with my mind.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-20333355550120729732010-06-10T20:58:00.000-05:002010-06-10T20:58:12.674-05:00thick brick<b>Bike 2 hours [35 miles, 3 x 25 min hard/5 min rec]</b><br />
<b>Run 5 miles [41:09 as negative split - 20:38, 20:32]</b><br />
<br />
I woke up before my alarm at 5am and was on my bike at 5:45 when it was still dark. I was determined to get the workout done and do a good job. I rode a fairly hilly course out to 360 and back and did my best to ride all hills on my big ring and focus on leg power. My legs felt oddly fresh yet quick to burn on hard efforts. I have not recovered from Monday's saddle sores so this ride was challenging to stay aero. Time is getting short and I am finding myself visualizing the race, rehearsing my mental strategies, and tuning in to my paces all the time.<br />
<br />
My run was very solid and I was able to run a negative split even with a huge headwind and uphill on the way back. The goal was tempo effort in the last half and I delivered. The air was SUPER humid and soupy, but it was cloudy so the temperature wasn't too bad. I'm kind of a nut about Lady Gaga and when Alejandro came on my player, I put it on repeat for the last 30 minutes of the run.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-28216058874789303292010-06-09T22:33:00.000-05:002010-06-09T22:33:35.240-05:00psych! not there yetTapering sucks. That's what they say.<br />
<br />
Finishing that monster workout on Monday led me to some big celebrations in my mind - the hardest part of the training is done, you are almost there, it is all downhill from here, etc. However, as I come back to reality I must face the fact that I do still have 3 weeks of work ahead of me and this is not the time to slack off. When you get to mile 23 in a marathon it's easy to start thinking "woohoo! I am almost there!!"... well those last 3 miles are the hardest and 3 miles is not nothing. Mile 23 is too early to start celebrating, as is the first day of an Ironman taper. Yesterday I celebrated, and today I was hit with the reality of the fact that I still have some hard workouts left and need to stay consistent.<br />
<br />
The beginning of the taper freed up my mind just enough to see a sliver of the light of day and make some realizations about my state of being. Right now I am exhausted from all this work. I am stripped down physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have no energy to do the simplest basic things in life other than the absolute essentials to maintain the training. For example, essentials are wash workout clothes, buy groceries to fuel self, get gas in car so I can drive to workouts, go to work. Non essentials are things like mow lawn, vacuum floor, clean bathroom, replace burned out lightbulbs, balance checkbook, keep in touch with friends. Small things become extra annoying and hard. This is the real-life equivalent of mile 18 of the Ironman run. It's hard and I want to stop but I can't give up now. I won't.<br />
<br />
When I woke up today it was pouring rain so I couldn't do my ride. I decided I would go to work early and then do both my ride and swim after work. Well, after work I needed a nap and after my nap I couldn't get myself motivated to go do the workouts so they didn't happen. I beat up myself for a while about this and then changed perspective to get mindful about it all. One extra rest day is not a big deal as long as I get back on it tomorrow. <i>Key point:</i> I am not starting my celebration until I cross the finish line. If this were easy I wouldn't be doing it.Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20585582.post-7427588600430293112010-06-08T19:30:00.001-05:002010-06-08T19:34:18.331-05:00final race rehearsal workout<b>Bike 100 miles [6:15]</b><br />
<b>Run 7 miles [1:07]</b><br />
Temp 93, Humidity 50% = Heat Index 100 degrees<br />
<br />
I took the day off work today so I could do this grand finale mega-brick. The idea was to do a dress rehearsal for the race: use a similar course, plan nutrition accordingly, wear the same clothes/gear, etc. The only uncontrollable factor was the weather and I got a tough day. The heat made this truly an Ironman-like effort and the good news about that is that it is very unlikely that the actual race conditions will be that hard.<br />
<br />
I left my house at 5:45am and got started on the bike right at 6:15am when the sun came up. My course was 3 laps of the Mansfield Dam loop, which has lots of long gradual climbs. My first lap went well with all my nutrition going down right on schedule. The sun started to get real hot around 9am when I was about 50 miles in. That's also the time when I started to feel pressure in my saddle and my neck started to feel the first signs of fatigue. Ugh, this was going to be a long second half. Around mile 70 I was getting chills and some dizziness. My body was on fire and my mind was foggy. My fluid and calories were not lacking.<br />
<br />
For the sake of my safety on the road, I stopped at the end of my second lap at mile 80 and called it a day on the road. I was on the borderline of heatstroke or something similar. I drove to the gym and finished off the ride with 75 minutes on a spin bike (rolling hills) to approximate the last 20 miles. After that, my body had cooled back down to an acceptable level of hot and I felt normal... as normal as one can feel after over 6 hours on a bike. I was ready to head back outside into the oven for my run. I changed into my run clothes, slathered on the sunscreen, ate a package of Clif Shot Bloks and drank half a bottle of water with EFS.<br />
<br />
I chose to do the 7 mile loop on the Town Lake trail because it has a hill in the middle, which is much like the Ironman course that I will be racing on. It only took my legs a few minutes to get warmed up and feel decent. I was so happy to be off the bike that I was actually looking forward to the run. A few minutes in I got stomach cramps and gas and had to walk to work through the shooting pains. I think Clif Bloks + EFS + heat + my stomach don't go well together. Luckily it only took a few minutes to go away and I was able to jog again.<br />
<br />
As long as I was able to get some water to drink and put on my skin every 1/2 to 1 mile I was ok, but there was a stretch between mile 2 and 4 with no shade and only one water stop. This section was tough and I had to walk a lot of it as I was starting to burn up again. For the last 3 miles, I got serious and put my game face on... how would I deal with this in a real race? My strategy became run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat. My legs were still feeling ok, but the heat was taking all the energy out of me. The 5 minute run sections were so hard. I sucked it up and ran most of the last mile, visualizing the finish line and lots of spectators around me. OMG, I'm done!!<br />
<br />
<i>Key Lessons Learned</i><br />
- I will need to focus hard during the last 30 miles of the bike<br />
- It is important to start the run slow<br />
- I should plan to use a walk/run strategy<br />
- I need to keep working on my mental training and come up with some key words I will use to keep myself going when I want to stop <br />
<br />
<i>Workout Nutrition Today:</i><br />
6 Larabars<br />
5 scoops EFS electrolyte<br />
12 bottles water (about 200 oz)<br />
1 package Clif Shot Bloks<br />
1 Clif Shot Gel w/ caffeine<br />
[2100 calories total]Margo Baxterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07216013144472263092noreply@blogger.com0