A long time coming...and just a little longer...

Kirsten's lonely husband Chad here...while Kirsten is off away at another week long vacation from work...well sort of...I am stuck at home, unmotivated, and unwilling to do anything else other than sit on the couch.  I have ran twice so far, once on Sunday on a rainy, cold, muddy trail run that was actually pretty fun and then last night with Phil.  Both times I felt great but definitely felt tired the last 20-30 minutes of each run.  

But I know all this isn't what you all want to know...where is my race report...where is it!!!  Well...it is on my new Macbook at home.  I continued working on it last night and I have to say it is longer than my Ironman Florida report.  To say it is detailed is an understatement.  As it stands it is 12 pages and I haven't even gotten to the run yet...but do not dispair...that is the next topic up I have to write.  Everything up until Transition 2 is done (with some minor editing needed) and once I am done with the run (tonight hopefully) then I will post it for all to see tomorrow night most likely.  It will have pictures and everything.

As I said though...it is pretty long so you might want to print it out and read it at your leisure with a cup of hot coco and a roaring fire...just kidding, I don't know if it is THAT interesting!

More to come later!

Recovering

We would be remiss if we did not do a sincere shout out and THANK YOU to Chad's family. Brian and Caryn volunteered at a water stop on the run and no doubt were met with all manner of athlete - the nice ones, the fun ones, the mean ones, the demanding ones. Their particular encouragement was very helpful to both of us. And in general, we both thought the volunteers were awesome. I tried to thank as many as I came into contact with, but that doesn't really say enough.

All of Chad's family were up before dawn to join us for the wait at the waterside before the swim. They were on their feet all day, yelling encouragement, worrying over our status, and generously pouring all their energy into the racers. We have some pictures from Brian to prove that they were all over the place on the course and we'll post soon.

And as if that weren't enough, when we got to Tucson, we spent most of our time laying on the couch, shopping, eating, napping, and anything else restful. We got hooked up to R&R at its finest. So by the time we boarded the plane to return home we were both feeling rested, relaxed and ready to face the week ahead.

Chad did a trail run on Sunday; I skipped out because I woke up with a headache and I figured, what the hell - I'm recovering. This morning I set my alarm for 6:05 intending to join some friends for an easy morning run. I reset it as soon as it went off for 7. And then I proceeded to drive Chad crazy by hitting snooze every 7 minutes.

So recovery is going really well. Anyone worried that we wouldn't take time off should rest assured that we're gaining weight, sleeping in, going out to socialize and getting the recovery job done. And that's a good time.

Some pictures from Phoenix

Race morning

The super cap that didn't keep Chad quite warm enough on the swim.

In the transition area the day before the race

At the mall - sexy outfits and oven mitts - perfect coordination.

Driving the bike course at sunset.









Getting to these bluffs meant you only have a few more miles to the turnaround on the bike course.









On our way to morning practice swim. Is that a bag on your back?

Kirsten's IM Arizona Race Report

Caution: It's kind of long. But not as long as the race.

Background:
Chad and I got married in May 2008 and late in 2007 we contemplated doing IM France in June to combine racing and honeymoon. But then we realized that was silly. Like really silly. Who wants to honeymoon after an IM? Or the flip side – who wants to honeymoon without rich dessert, fine wine and most importantly, a bike box looming in the corner? So when IM Arizona was switched to November and registration opened we thought – perfect! In hindsight, we’re not sure what was perfect about the whole thing except that we were perfectly in denial about how much it was going to suck to train for such a late season race. The nice thing is that Chad’s parents and sister and brother-in-law live in Tucson so we planned an extended Thanksgiving vacation to accelerate post-race recovery.

Training
We trained religiously for the bike starting in December 2007. We did a week of training in Tucson in December, “Tour of California” in February, Total200 in July and at least 2 centuries a month since April. We were ready for the bike.

We started long runs in July, really picking it up in August. We never missed a long run until Taper and we both were feeling confident that we’d get through the run. I experienced some serious stomach issues on almost all of the long runs but was able to attribute it to dehydration. The last long training run in October I really forced myself to drink and it went without a hitch.

Swimming is my weakness. But I did get to pool at least twice a week. We did the CUA swims hosted by DC Tri all summer, and then in the fall I swam at Eastern Market in the evenings and weekend. Generally I did one swim of 2000 to 2500 on a weekday and then got in the long swim on the weekend. I always felt guilty about not doing more, but at the same time I figured it was better to spend the effort on the run and bike where the payoff was higher.

We did a lot of our weekend training with TJ, who raced IM Florida and had a kick ass time despite enduring eye surgery in August that put him out of training for most of September. We were glued to the computer when he was racing and seeing him perform so well was a confidence boost for sure!

Pre-race
We got to Phoenix on Thursday and were able to check in for the race. Highly recommend this strategy. Friday when we returned to the race site the line for check-in was hundreds long. We did a practice swim on Friday morning, going about a mile total. I swam with my HRM for the first time in the season and wouldn’t ya know, it filled with water. The air temps felt cool, even though they were about 60 degrees. And the water was a cool 63. Shocking at first. And very murky – once your hand went in the water it disappeared.

Chad and I both bought new HRM and then tried the practice swim again on Saturday. We did about ¾ mile – this time the water was still cold, but didn’t feel as bad as the day before. We then did a 40 min bike on the course and a 15 min run. By 11 am it was getting warm and I was worried about hydrating properly. We got all our stuff in order, dropped the bags and went back to the hotel to relax.

The Race
We woke up at 4:25, having slept through one alarm. Our brother-in-law Brian gave us a ride down to the transition area. I had an ensure and some oatmeal, though my stomach was feeling quite upset – I was definitely nervous even if I didn’t necessarily feel nervous. We did our separate things in transition and then met up with Chad’s family around 6 am. We hung out until just before transition closed at 6:50 and then we literally threw on our wetsuits and ran to the swim start, made our way to the front of the line, hugged, wished each other good luck and jumped in the water. That would be the last time I’d see Chad until mile 17 of the run.

Swim 1:12 38/91 W30-34
I positioned myself quite close to the front on the right side by the wall. The cannon went off and there was a body jam for a hundred yards or so until we all got going. And then I found clear water and only occasionally bumped into others the rest of the swim. The sun was still low in the sky so I had no problems sighting. Although it felt like forever to get to the turnaround, the swim back felt much faster. I tried to keep a steady stroke, stretching my arms as much as possible. The water felt cool and refreshing. I didn’t necessarily enjoy the swim, but it was almost pleasant; definitely not the experience I was expecting. And when I got out and looked at my watch and saw 1:12 I was completely stoked. My goal time was 1:18 – my time in Florida in 2006.

T1: 5:02 – easy and fast!

Bike 5:45 avg pace 19.4 mph division place 16/91
The bike course is three out and back loops. Out has some headwind and false flats and then about 4 miles of 2-4% grade hill. The way back towards transition is fast – wind at your back and downhill.

I got out of transition and was on fire. I could feel I was going out too fast but I figured I could get in front of this line of people I was passing and tuck in and do my own thing. But then a group of 4 age group men would pass me and they’d all tuck in front of me, three of them clearly drafting. So I’d drop back and then go past them again. This happened every 5-10 minutes until the first turn around. My heart rate was higher than I’d have liked, but on the way back I ran out of gears and really couldn’t push as hard as I would have liked. My legs loosened up and by the time I got back to the transition area I was ready push it again. My first bike split was too fast. And my pace dropped slightly each loop after that. On my third loop Infinit no longer tasted good and I found myself taking in mostly water. I forced myself to take in a few calories, knowing I’d need them on the run. I had been taking a bottle of water at every aid station (every 10 miles) to make sure I was hydrating. And I ended up having to pee 5 times. Although I was feeling a little bloated, I was glad I was hydrated, figuring it’s easier to get the water out than to recover from dehydration.

I rolled into transition in exactly the time I wanted, thrilled that’d I’d made my goal, but exhausted and ready to get off my bike.

T2: I had two volunteers helping and I did a full change of my shorts and socks. 3:20

Run 4:28 35/91
I started out of transition feeling pretty good. My goal was to make it to the 12 mile mark before I started walking. My first mile was too fast so I tried to bring it back a little and kept a very close eye on my heart rate monitor. Aid stations were almost every mile on the course and I took in water at each one. I carried a half bottle of Gatorade and some Cliff shot bloks so I could drink at my own pace. I had two shot bloks and decided I didn’t want any more of those. At mile 9 I took in a strawberry flavored PowerGel shot from an aid station. Yuck. Way too sweet, but I knew I needed the calories. At about mile 11 I could still taste the gel and started gagging. I stopped to walk for a minute. At the next aid station I took in some water and ice and walked for about 2 minutes. And then I proceeded to do that at almost every aid station thereafter. When I got to where Chad’s family was volunteering at an aid station (about mile 16) I told them I wanted to walk the rest of the way and to tell Chad to hurry up and catch me. Chad’s sister Caryn yelled at me to visualize the finish; just keep going! You can do it!

I started running again but kept up my walking at the next two aid stations. And then Chad caught me between miles 17 and 18. He told me he’d crashed on the bike, got a flat, cramped on the swim, but was running strong. He walked with me for a minute and then said he had to keep running. I decided right there that even if my run pace was 11 minute miles, I was going to run the rest of the way. And then I never stopped, taking in water and drinking Gatorade the rest of the way. I was fading fast, but I knew I would finish pretty close to my goal time if only I kept running. My run pace was a little over 10-minute miles the rest of the way, but it was a definite improvement over miles 12-17. I crossed the finish line relieved and happy. I tripped on the rug but didn’t really care since the clock above me read 11:34:42.

Overall 26/91 in W30-34. There were a lot of women that went sub-11.

Thoughts
I traveled to Sudan for work from August 28-September 14 and was unable to do any training while I was there. Because of security reasons and overwhelming amounts of mud we didn’t even walk more than 100 yds at a time. It took me three weeks to recover from that break in training, but eventually I think came back to my pre-trip fitness levels.

I like this course. The weather was nearly perfect. But it was very late in the year. Chad and I took taper very very seriously. We didn’t workout in the morning for two weeks before the race, leaving our last workouts for lunch time runs or evening swim and trainer ride sessions. Because of the early onset of cold weather on the east coast and a trip to California for a wedding, our last ride outside was November 1.

I’m retired from Ironman distance racing. No more IM. Don’t worry – I mean it.

We did it!

Well, we were 90% certain we would finish barring any serious issues. But it is still such a relief!

Chad finished in 11:19 and I finished in 11:34. We'll post race reports and updates soon. Chad had some drama on the swim and bike but turned in a stellar run, all things considered. I pulled a fantastic swim out of nowhere (guess the taper all season helped?) and had a strong bike. I was mentally done on the run and wanted to walk the entire way. But thanks to some encouragement from the Lewis-Nath families we were able to come back for strong finishes.

Thank you to everyone that tracked us on-line and sent well wishes! We are so stoked and glad we get to share that feeling with so many of you. Thank you! Thank you!

PS in the meantime TJ posted an update on his blog: http://imfl2008.blogspot.com/

A little less chilly a little more "LET'S GET IT ON!"

So here is an update from me, me being Chad...I am starting to get seriously nervous...but in a good way...I have my plan layed out and have been visualizing a lot the past week. I have been imagning the successes and even the hard parts that I have to overcome with a postive attitude. How will I overcome the pain on the run when it gets rough, well I imagine breaking through the "wall" persay and remember that at times it will get tough, but the hard times will pass. I just have to remember to think positive and remember to eat and drink.

So on to the past couple of days. Thursday was a bit of a "shock" to say the least. The water in Tempe Town lake was frigid, at least to me, and after swimming awhile I started to tense up and lose concentration on what I was doing. The way back was terrible as I wasn't wearing even a swim cap and was freezing my butt off! We got out of the water and I was trembling something fierce. I was a little dispondent about what to do...but more on that later. We hung out at the expo afterwards to wait for Race day Wheels to open up and for me to get my race wheels after picking up our bikes from Tri Bike Transport. After that it was pretty much relaxing at our hotel room for the rest of the day.

We drove the bike course during the late afternoon and there wasn't really much to see. We could tell that it was mostly a false flat on the way out almost the whole way so we are prepared for the out portion to be harder than the way back. We then went to "The District" which is a huge shopping mall on the east side of town across the river. We go right by it on the bike and I am sure the shoppers/drivers wont' be too happy with that entrance being closed! The mall is basically on 100 acres and has every shop and restaurant imaginable...they even have a Road Runner sports where we bought Kirsten a new Heart Rate Monitor since hers crapped out on the swim yesterday...totally full of water by the end!

We went to Sports Chalet and I bought this awful looking swim cap that is meant to keep your head warm...I tested it out this morning and it worked perfectly! It may look terrible...but hey at this point with a sleeveless wetsuit...it was exactly what I needed! Kirsten thinks it's cute...but it truly is all about utility at this point!

So this mornings swim was a ton better than yesterdays. Not sure if it was because the air temp was a bit warmer or because of the cap but either way it gave me more confidence going into the swim tomorrow. My stroke was smooth and stretched out today and I felt efficient. I am sure once the cannon goes off, my mind will switch off worrying about it and I will be concentrating on what I am doing at the moment, with my 1000 closest friends of course!

We then got on the bike to do a quick 40 minute ride and to test out my race wheels. The way out on the bike course is definitely challenging if you don't have the right mindset. It is slightly up hill and has a head wind. We were going between 17-20mph depending on the road direction and wind direction. Some of the roads are in horrible condition, others are not so bad. We turned around about 5 miles out or so and the miles just clicked by pretty fast. As soon as we turned around the race wheels showed their mettle. Kirsten was about 100 yards infront of me after turning around a bit sharper than me and with little effort I caught her pretty rapidly...as I passed her she yelled out "OH YEAH!" since she was feeling the benefit of the tail wind and slight downhill at that point. I was keeping a steady effort with my power meter and was easily cruising along at 27-29mph. I wasn't wearing my Heart Rate Monitior but the effort seemed pretty easy.

After that it was off for a quick run after dropping off the bike to get the front wheel trued and have them replace the back wheel since there was a pretty good slice in it that the tube could get pinched in, better to replace it than have a problem on race day! The guys at Race Day wheels are awesome and were extremely nice and accomodating about it all, Kudos to them!

We set off on the run with my new Garmin 405, don't try anything new on race day? Well, pace is my most important factor on the run at IMAZ since I trained with pace the entire year up until now. I have a goal pace and time and intend to use everything in my power to keep to that pace and since my foot pod and polar are pretty good but kind of cumbersome and I would have to change out my HRM strap for the run anyway, I figured having GPS to track my pace would be a ton better. The watch worked perfectly for our little 20 min run and gave me an assurance that it would perform for me and treat me well on race day. It is going in my bike to run bag and will hopefully help me keep to my goals!

The run felt extremely easy even in the heat of the day. I didn't know what our current pace was at times since I used the "average pace" function of the watch but the run averaged 7:55 minute miles and my Heart Rate was extremely low the entire time and I was able to talk to Kirsten the entire time. The way out was hot and our mouths were dry but I felt well hydrated and when we turned around the wind was in our face but our pace didn't falter and my Heart Rate stayed low. It was a huge confidence builder going into race day and I can't wait to get onto the run tomorrow!

Things are winding down for the race tomorrow. We met my parents for lunch and then headed back to the hotel after running a couple errands to get some final things for the race and we are now relaxing in the hotel room and hydrating.

We are both feeling good, anxious, and ready for the day ahead of us...the next time we post here will be probably monday and hopefully we will have accomplished all of our goals and perhaps even exceeded them...in fact, I am pretty confident that both of us will do better that we can even concieve of...

WISH US LUCK!!!!

Temp Day 3 - the Forecast is Looking Good

Up and at 'em early today. On the calendar: 10 min swim followed by a 45 min bike and 20 min run. It doesn't sound like much, but we're going to use today's simulation to see just how cold we are coming out of the swim and onto the bike. The temperature is again near 60 but it feels colder. And if we're shivering when we get out of the water and onto the bike are we going to need arm warmers to keep off the chill until we get going?

I am testing out my new HRM today and Chad bought an insulated swim cap last night so we're both anxious to see how the new equipment works. He's thinking about renting a full-sleeved wetsuit if the cap doesn't help.

We had Gordon Biersch last night and we split a Heffeweisen, one of the first beers we've had in weeks. Yum! Today's other important task is to figure out where we should have dinner. Any ideas?