2015: Ironman Wisconsin

       

IM Race Report and Training/Racing within the First Year of My Child's Life

This past year just flew by.  I can honestly say that it was amazing to watch my body go from top form at IM Hawaii in 2013, to being pregnant, to having a baby, and then back to top form again for IM WI (with a  few exceptions given that I was still breastfeeding).  Training was definitely more difficult this time than it ever has before.  Not because of the level of effort or type of workouts, but how to squeeze it into my day and not take time away from my family...

For those not familiar with what has been going on in my life since IM Hawaii 2013, here's a quick update:

2014
                                    Raced IM Hawaii Oct. 2013
                                    Pregnant Dec. 2013
                                    Ran a 10k snow shoe race Feb. 2014
                                    Ran a 1/2 marathon April 2014
                                    Ran a 10k trail run May 2014

     No more racing for me, but continued to try to run 3x/week, bike 3-4x/week, and swim 3x/week throughout the entire pregnancy.  Had to stop running around 35-36 weeks because it became uncomfortable and my right groin area started to ache after running.  Switched to hiking up hills, elliptical, and water running.  Was able to bike and run up until the day I went into labor!

     Had baby girl 9/8/14 and husband signed me up for IM WI 2015 while in labor.  (At that point I had no idea how much less sleep and time I would have with a new baby!)

     Walked for the first 8 weeks after delivery and got on my bike 1-2x (on the trainer) for 30 mins during this time period, riding very easy.  I started back running, swimming, and biking on the trainer at about 8 weeks.  I was slow and sluggish, especially at running and swimming.  Gradually, I got in better shape and by around January/February I was able to run 8-8:30 pace for about an hour, (although it was a good effort for me).

2015 
     Thanks to Mike Pierson, I gradually got in better and better shape.  I missed more workouts than I ever have before in my IM training (most of them being swim workouts--just because it was logistically harder for me to get to the pool with Matt traveling and taking care of a baby).  I also had to move my workouts around in order to get them in; sometimes doing 2 harder workouts in a row or doing easier ones back to back.  Timing of my workouts was also very different.  Most of them were done between 7:30pm and midnight.  Many of my long bike rides were done by biking home from work (with my breast pump and cooler in a backpack), then switching to my tri bike and doing the TriWisconsin group ride out of Wheel and Sprocket, and then getting on the trainer to finish off the ride (since it was dark).  I'd then get off and run outside to finish off the brick workout.  Unfortunately until about 7-10 days before IM, my daughter didn't start sleeping through the night and still got up every 3-4 hours to eat.  This contributed to fatigue that normally sets in from IM training.  It also impacted my ability to get up and do morning workouts as I didn't really know what time she'd wake up wanting to eat. 

     The best thing that I did with my training this year, was to take 3 consecutive Tuesdays off in the month of August during the heaviest training load.  This allowed me to sleep in a little bit more and then do either my long brick workout or a double workout in (which allowed me to get to the pool) while my daughter was at daycare.

     Going into IM I had several goals: 1.) to stay positive during the race and keep perspective--I had a very tough time mentally at the Door County HIM.  It was my first race back after having a baby and I felt a lot of "mommy guilt" out on the course.  I felt guilty taking the time for myself rather than spending those 5 hours on a Saturday with my family after being at work and training all week.  It was really tough.  Unfortunately I gave into "the dark side" and allowed my emotions to control me during the race rather than the other way around.  My performance reflected it.  2.) finish the race 3. ) enjoy participating in IM WI.

     The days leading up to the race were also very different for me this time.  There was no time to stress/worry or have a taper tantrum about things like I had in the past.  I did not have any opportunity to take naps or put my feet up to recover.  I was chasing after a now one year old, planning and celebrating a one year old birthday party, and dealing with other family challenges.  I also managed to tweak my back 3-4 days before the race when picking up my daughter to feed her in the middle of the night.  The day before the race was a bit hectic trying to check my bike in and get everything set up for the next day. 

FINALLY...THE RACE REPORT:
     The night  before the race I had about 1 cup of whole wheat pasta with a light amount of spaghetti sauce and some Vitamin Water for dinner.  I then took Salt Stick salt tablets to preload before going to bed.  I set my alarm for 3:30am so that I'd have time to eat and digest my food before starting the day.  I woke up to the alarm and ate 3 Clif Bars.  I took 3 more salt tablets and drank a cup of coffee on the way down to the race.  I felt ready and excited for the day.  The only minor hiccough that occurred with bike set up that morning was that I had to use a different bike bag on the back of my bike as the Speed Concept aero box did not fit with the race wheels that I rented.  Thanks to my sister watching Elliot and allowing Matt some free hands to help me fasten the bike bag on, we were able to get it attached.  I finished setting everything up in transition, put on my wetsuit, and headed off to the starting line.  I positioned myself close to the inside buoy, about 2-3 rows from the front.  When the cannon went off, it was a little rough with everyone jostling for position, but eventually I was able to find some space to swim.  I was able to stay in the draft well and not drift off course.  There was congestion around the buoys and I took a few hits--one time getting kicked in the mouth, but felt like I was swimming fairly easily.  I repeated a mantra the whole time ("swim smart"), and eventually rounded the last buoy to come into the swim finish.  I was surprised later to see that I had swum my fastest IM swim ever, 58 mins 11 secs; especially since I swam less than ever before (distance and number of times per week). 

     I ran up the helix and into T1.  I ran with my bike shoes in my hands to my bike.  When I got there the volunteers weren't ready.  I ran to my bike and got it off the rack.  As I turned the corner to run with my bike down the main isle, I somehow either tripped or lost my balance.  The bike went down and I had to jump over it to avoid crashing myself.  In the process I managed to scrape up my right ankle.  The volunteers sprung into action and checked my bike for me.  I put my shoes on while they did this.   They determined that all the necessary functions (e.g., brakes, etc.) were working.  I ran the bike to the mount line and got on.  Just before heading down the helix I heard someone yell, "Watch the chain!"  I looked down to see that my chain was only partially on my big ring.  As I rode down the helix, I was able to shift a bit to get the chain all the way on the bike. 

     I reminded myself to ride easy and thought about my nutrition plan.  I checked my power meter to make sure that I was within my target watts range.  All was going well until a little ways out on the stick when I was surrounded by a pack of guys.  They went ahead of me, but not enough to the point where I would have been outside of the draft zone.  I knew that I was within the draft zone (especially since the distance had been changed from 3 bike lengths to 5 this year), but figured that everyone in that pack was drafting and hoped that they would just pull away from me eventually.  Unfortunately a course marshal was behind the group.  Just then, the marshal pulled up along side me and gave me a drafting penalty.  This was a first for me.  I decided there was no point in getting upset and just took it in stride.  I expected there to be a large group at the penalty tent when I hit Verona, but I was the only one (even though the rest of the group had been drafting too).  I stayed positive during my 5 minute penalty, and watched the cyclists go by.  The remainder of the bike went well and I felt strong for the entire ride.  This was surprising because I have never felt this good.  My legs felt ready to run as I headed back into town and into T2.

     When I got into T2, I grabbed my bag and hunkered down for my planned 4 minutes of time with the breast pump.  I got a couple of surprised looks from the volunteers, but they were eager to help in any way that they could.  I was able to multi-task (thank you inventers of the hands free pumping bra!), and put on my socks and shoes while I pumped.  After taking the edge off, I was out on the run. 

     Unfortunately, my stomach decided not to cooperate with me from the start.  I had to stop at the first port-a-potty on the square.  Then I stopped again at mile 4.  Felt a little bit better after that and was able to run a more "normal" pace.  I was doing fair/good with running until I hit around mile 14.  Then my GI system decided to take a turn for the worse (again).  I battled issues for the remainder of the run, hitting port-a-potties 4-5 more times, with minimal success.  For a while I wished I could just puke because it seemed like nothing was moving through my body.  When I was shuffling/walking along and feeling really nauseous, another athlete gave me a mint to help.  I didn't know of this trick before, and it was helpful, although I still had the other end of the GI system acting up.  I was able to walk/shuffle my way to the finish line, and was still able to finish in my goal range. 

      Overall, I was happy with my performance.  I felt it was amazing to be able to complete an ironman just after having a baby 1 year and 5 days earlier.  I was on track for a PR given that I had clocked my fastest swim and performed equally on the bike compared to previous years (including the drafting penalty--would have been a PR without the penalty).  My legs felt fine on the run and were only minimally sore for about 2 days after the race.  I am certain that I could have equaled my 2012 IM WI time if not have gone faster without the GI issues.  My only thoughts about the GI issues are that maybe I took too much salt and this may have thrown my body out of whack a bit?  For me, digestion and nutrition have been a delicate balance that I have still not yet fully mastered after 6 IMs.  It's tempting to sign up again and give it another try, but I feel strongly that IM will always be there for me, and that it's important to spend this time with my new family.

Now, for the most important part!  The THANK YOU'S:

Mike Pierson (Your Training Zone)--I could not have achieved such a great performance.  You are a great coach and friend.  Although I will be stepping away from Triathlon for a while, I plan to keep in touch with you and cheer you on at your future endeavors.

Matt Amman--Thank you for your time and support this year.  I could not have trained without you encouraging me to get my workouts in, taking care of Elliot, and being supportive of this goal.  I realize that it was tough for you to juggle things at home while I was out training.  You are amazing.

My parents--Thank you for baby sitting and spending time with Elliot so that Matt and I could get a chance to swim or ride bikes together occasionally and also to help me get some workouts in.  We really appreciated you joining us for the Door County HIM and all of your help over the past year.

TriWisconsin--Thank you for the group rides and swims.  It was great to have others to work out with and encourage me along on the workouts.  The IM recon rides were especially helpful.  It was also wonderful to see you guys out cheering on the course.  You guys are great!

THE FUTURE...
     From the beginning (when I signed up for this IM), my plan was to "retire" from IM for a while.  Overall, I was happy with my race and really enjoyed the process of training and being out on the race course.  I have mixed feelings about my plan to "retire" from IM, but really feel that it's the best decision for me and my family at this time.  I plan to stay active and do some running races, snow shoe racing, and cyclocross, but at a more relaxed/social pace.  I look forward to running, biking, and swimming with people socially in the future and maybe even exploring some new activities, such as XC skiing and mountain biking.  (If anyone would like to help me learn how to do either of these things, I am very open to help!)

S-58
B-5:48
R-4:06
Total Time: 11:06
6AG
18OA

IM Hawaii

10:27

I'm not sure what to make of it. Somewhere deep inside of me I thought I'd be closer to ten flat. A few weeks prior to the race I was out on a run with Matt and we were just flying. Running sub 7 wasn't a problem. So when I got on the run and plugged along at 7:45-8:00 pace I thought I would hold up. It didn't happen.  I suffered a bunch and made a few mistakes like walking the aid stations to find myself crossing the finish with a 3:46. That might seem fast but when you're in Kona with all the other local heroes it's average. 

The week after the race was disorientating. Even though I got 23rd in my age group, a significant improvement over my prior Kona race plus a ironman finishing time PR, knowing that it wasn't a "nearly perfect" race gave me a sour stomach -- literally. After a week on the beach, I came to grips with reality.  

See you at the races!

National Age Group Championships

This was a fun race.  I was very impressed with the race venu and how well the race was run.  Especially for the number of participants entered.  For me, this race was like asking a marathoner to do a 5k.  I had a lot of fun, but had trouble accessing the top end of my speed zones. 

I started near the front of the swim pack.  I wanted to have a good swim race and work on my speed/drafting/swimming in the pack.  I had a side stitch a couple times during the swim and had to back off on the speed a bit.  I also drank a good gulp of water 1-2 times, but managed to come out of the water ok. 

Transition was slow for an olympic race, but fairly good for me.  I got on my bike and started do so some work.  The bike course was fast and mostly flat, so I was done before I knew it and running back into transition.  T2 was also not fast for an olympic distance race, but I got it done and ran onto the run course. 

I ran to the best of my abilities, but it was clear that I had not done a lot of speed work.  I huffed and puffed my way through the run (and yet another side stitch) to the finish line.  Boy, was I happy to be done!

Those shorter distances are shorter in time, but man are they hard when you try to push the pace!  All in all, it was a great race and I look forward to doing it again in the future.

Racine 70.3

I had my sights set high on this race as I had done well here in the past.  I was looking forward to a nice hot day; as has been typical for this race in the past.  Race day ended up being much cooler than normal--low to mid 70s.  There was no reason not to have a good race, but....

The swim was fairly choppy.  I watched the pro men and women start off and made note of what they were doing to handle the conditions.  The men ran into the water and over the waves before starting the swim.  The women dolphin dived.  I decided to dolphin dive as well thinking that I was shorter than the men and wouldn't be able to lift my legs that high. 

I lined up on the inside (closest to the buoy) and in the front row.  When they started our wave, I went to dolphin dive right away and found that the water was much too shallow.  I stumbled around several times, turned right too early (at the 1st buoy rather than the 2nd buoy),  and had to backtrack to correct, swam off course a few times, and then finally made it in towards the finish line.  The water was so shallow there, that people were walking in through the water to the beach.  I tried to swim as far as I could, but eventually had to stand and walk/run onto the beach.  This proved to be somewhat challenging as I weaved quite a bit. 

Once out of the water, I ran up the beach and through transition.  I noticed my stomach felt bloated and a bit funny.  I ignored it and focused on the bike.  The first thing I noticed was that my bike computer was frozen.  It was not displaying time elapsed, power, or cadence.  I tried multiple times to reset it without success.  Finally I just resolved that I would have to just bike without it and do the best I could.  I felt that I was biking ok because not too many people were passing me.  This was deceiving though, as I had started in the 1st of 2 waves of my age-group, and early on in the race.  My stomach continued to be troublesome and got fairly painful for a while.  It was difficult to ride in the aero position because of it at times.  Around mile 25 I started belching.  My first thought was, "Gee, that feels pretty good" and I was relieved because my stomach felt a bit better.  Then another one came and this time vomit came with it.  YUCK.  After that I lost motivation to push on the bike and tried to just ride and stay on top of my nutrition.  I really didn't feel like eating much and had to really force down my gels and water.  The stomach felt better eventually, but by then it was too late; I had just given up mentally. 

When I got to transition, I racked my bike and decided to go run (although I had seriously contemplated not running many times).  I didn't feel too bad.  I ran around my goal pace for the first 5-6 miles and then just seemed to run out of gas.  Again, it was hard to stay motivated and I really had to try hard to distract myself from "dark mental spots".  Support from friends and family was very much appreciated during this time and kept me running.  I ended up running shoulder to shoulder with another guy from Chicago for much of the 2nd 1/2 of the run. We didn't talk or anything, but it was nice to have someone to run with.  I seemed to get a bit more energy in the last 2 miles of the run.  I think it was just pure excitement and adrenaline because I knew the race was close to being over, and I was going to finish. 

I crossed the finish line and was so happy to be done.  This was not an especially fast race for me, but it was definitely a good challenging race; both mentally and physically.  It has taken a couple of days for me to get past my frustration of not achieving the results that I wanted, but looking back there are many things that I can learn from my race and my mistakes.  Also, I have learned to appreciate the mental strength that I had to use just to continue as well as complete the race.

From now until Kona, I am focusing on swim technique specific to open water and ways to modify for choppy water.

Kansas 70.3



My Cheering Squad!

Kansas 70.3 is one of my favorite races.  I get to visit some family and race in warm weather on a fair and challenging course.  What could be better?

We arrived at my uncle's house on Friday night and the rest of the cheering crowd (my 3 aunts) showed up the next day.  We were all set!

Race morning I woke up around 3:30am and ate a Luna bar and a Clif bar for breakfast.  I took 4 salt tablets (in addition to the 4 I had taken the night before).  I dressed, packed up my few remaining items and sipped a bottle of Gatorate and First Endurance Pre-Race as we headed out to the park.  The line was long getting into the park, so I had less time that I would have liked to set up my transitions.  After some rushing around, I was ready to go.

I headed into the water with the other girls and made sure to start at the front of the line in the middle of the pack.  My goal was to get out better than the last week and try to hang with the group vs. going out on my own.  Mission partially accomplished.  I got out ok, but ended up swimming alone as I lost track of the other girls.  I ended up swimming through people from waves ahead of me and having to dodge some traffic.  All in all, I swam a pretty straight line.  I came into the finish and got stuck in a bunch of traffic that caused me to go to the outside of the boat ramp.  I slowly stumbled through some rocks before reaching the ramp and running out.  I got to my bike fairly cleanly and headed out to the bike course.  My goal was to remain aero on all down hills and not break (as I had done in the past because of nerves).  I was a little nervous going down the first hill, but after that it was a piece of cake!  I felt strong and rode well until I started to feel a little tired on the last 10 miles.  I had to pee pretty badly, but was unable to do so without stopping pedaling, so I opted to wait.  This caused me to have a bit of a stomach ache, so I just did the best I could and kept going.  Once I re-entered the park, I got stuck in a bit of traffic coming into transition.  The bike area was narrowed to a single-file area because the run also came out about a mile on to the bike course.  I was unable to pass and had to ride slowly behind other riders. 

I got in and out of T2 ok and then started to run.  It was starting to heat up a bit.  I reminded myself to run easy the first 2-3 miles as it was mostly flat and/or downhill.  I had to actively encourage myself to keep running as it was warm and I felt tired.  The splits on my watch weren't too bad though, so I kept pushing on.  Around mile 3-4 a woman ran past me in the 40-44 age group.  She was running really well, so I pushed to hang with her.  She was really strong and just kept building into the run.  After about a mile or so, I decided to let her go as I knew I had a long way to run yet and didn't want to blow up.  I focused on running and had to ease off a bit at times, but my goal was to just keep running.  I faded a little bit on the last couple of miles (even though my effort felt stronger), and was pleasantly surprised with my run split. 

Overall, I had a great early season race and I was pleased with my performance.  I enjoyed the course, seeing my extended family (who even managed to make the front page of the sports section the next day!--see the link below), and the nice warm weather.

Thanks to my Uncle Ed for letting us stay at his house and taking care of us!  Thank you to my Aunt Mary Lou, Aunt Nancy, and Aunt Donna for driving from IA to watch the race and cheer!  We had an excellent time and I will always remember the fun I had that weekend with you guys!

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2013/jun/09/ironman-703-kansas-triathlon-attracts-thousands-cl/

Leon's Olympic

This race was a warm-up for the Kansas 70.3.  Conditions were quite chilly for June.  The temperature while setting up for the race was 61 degrees and by the time we got to the run the temperature had fallen to 49 with a misty rain. 

It was good to get out and race again and dust off some of the mental cobwebs.  I remembered to bring all of my gear, but somehow left my common sense at home...

The race was a "Best of the U.S." (BOUS) race, so there were a lot of fast athletes there.  They combined the BOUS and the elite wave for the swim start.  Somehow, at the time, to me, it made sense to line up near the far buoy as it appeared that I had a straight shot out onto the swim course.  Never mind the fact that everyone else (except the other 2-3 guys who lined up with me), were starting closer to the other buoy.  They started the race and I worked at swimming fast.  Somehow, I swam to the right a bit, hit a sandbar, and had to dolphin dive 4-5 times and then angle to the left to get back on course.  It was terrible!  Lesson learned: start in the pack and stay in the pack.  I ended up swimming the entire race alone and exciting the water quite a ways from the lead women. 

According to my race plan, I rode HIM watts on the bike course, which felt pretty hard to me.  I had a difficult time catching my breath and pushing that hard, but I achieved my goal watts.  It was really cold and by the time I got into transition, I couldn't feel my hands.  I tried to take off my helmet, but really had a hard time given the frozen fingers.  I asked a volunteer if they were allowed to help me, but they said they weren't sure, so we didn't risk it.  I contemplated running with my aero helmet on, but figured that would not be too cool.  Eventually something clicked and I was able to get my helmet off.  PHEW!  I headed out on the run course.

I ran the first mile with another woman and both of us remarked how we couldn't feel our feet.  She seemed fairly distressed about it.  I encouraged her to keep going and told her that after 2-3 miles I thought the feeling would come back.  I cheered her on a bit and then dropped back as I needed to stay to my "training" pace for 4 of the 6 miles of the run.  It was quite weird to sit back and not race the run.  I enjoyed the scenery and cheered people on.  Even the spectators commented on how I was one of the only athletes smiling on the course.  I finally reached the 4 mile mark where I was allowed to "let 'er rip" for the last 2 miles of the run.  I picked it up, but had a hard time "letting 'er rip" like I thought I could. 

I finished the race 9th OA, which was ok considering my disasterous swim, my HIM paced bike, and my relaxing run.  I was not a fan of the weather and would take 98 degrees, sunshine, and humidity any day over 49 and misty rain!

Zoot Advertising Piece

Giving Swimming New Meaning...

In February I got to take an amazing trip to Florida. What made the trip so amazing is that I got to meet a childhood hero, Gary Hall Sr. Gary was kind enough to spend a couple of hours with me at the pool and give me some valuable swimming tips. It was a truly amazing experience that I will never forget and rekindled my childhood love for swimming. Thanks Gary!

Exorcising the demons....2012 in review

2012 was an exercise in patience and trust.  It started out like any other year with goals, plans for the race schedule for the year, etc., etc.  I was thrown multiple curve balls throughout the year and had to work through some times and push myself to experience situations that I had not before.  Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how it all turned out.

I went into the season running really well.  I had a PR at the 5K distance in January and again at the 1/2 marathon distance in April (despite having tendonitis).  After the 1/2 marathon in April I spent approximately 8 weeks without running--which seemed like forever to me (patience).  I had to cancel out of a scheduled olympic race in June and basically did an aquabike at the Kansas 70.3 race in June.  Eventually I was able to build back into running, but never really felt like I got on solid ground with my run for the rest of the season.  Despite this, I was able to do well at the Door County 1/2 ironman and ironman WI (trust). 

On the positive side of it all, I was able to spend more time on my bike than I ever had before.  I rode more frequently and became more confident on my bike.  I put on some good cycling muscle and improved significantly with my bike splits at all races.  For the first time ever in  my triathlon career I enjoyed riding my bike and didn't question if I could keep up with others.

After my "official" triathlon season was completed following ironman WI in September I decided to try my hand at cyclocross with the goals of improving bike handling skills, getting comfortable riding around other people, and practicing skills such as flying mounts and dismounts.  I was very nervous at the first race I did in October, and although it was just a 20 minute beginner race, when I finished I was hooked.  I had completed the race without crashing (or killing myself), and did not finish last despite starting well behind the field of beginners.  I rode the entire course in the granny gear and did not do any flying mounts or dismounts.  I knew that I could do better.  Eagerly I set goals and signed up for as many races as I could.  I steadily improved.  Each week I had a different goal to target; riding faster, getting out of the start faster and getting a better race position earlier on vs. hanging in the back and coming from behind, doing flying mounts and dismounts, riding the turns and downhills more aggressively, etc.  It was fun!

And then...I injured my back in mid November while unlocking my office door at work.  I spent a week in a back brace and again had to try my best to exercise patience and trust; both of which I still struggle with at times as my husband can strongly attest to.  After about 6 weeks of just walking and doing back exercises 2-3x/day, I was finally able to resume light exercise.  Surprisingly (to me), my fitness is still pretty good.  Again, I learned the lesson of trust.

Overall, 2012 was a year of ups and downs.  I gained confidence in my running and cycling, learned to be patient and trust in my training when injured, and accomplished goals in new endeavors which I plan to continue to target in the future with cyclocross.  Thank you to all of my family and friends who have supported me. Without your support it would have been difficult to accomplish all that I did. I am greatful to each and every one of you.


I look forward to the 2013 season and the process of training for more triathlons as well as another ironman. 

Accomplishments from 2012:

• 5k PR by almost 1 minute
• 1/2 marathon PR by 10 minutes
• improved bike splits at Kansas 70.3 and IM WI
• coming off the bike 1st OA at Door County 1/2 ironman
• PR at IM WI
• qualifying again for 2013 IM World Championships in Kona
• making the podium at a few cyclocross races
• learning to be patient and to trust in myself and my training

You're doing WHAT???

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try my hand at cyclocross with the goal of improving my bike handling skills and confidence.  I signed up for the beginner race in Sun Prairie and was instantly hooked!  Since then I completed the category 4 race at Washington Heights and am looking forward to the race at Estabrook Park this weekend.  Below is a brief synopsis of my first race as a beginner from Oct. 21st.

A couple of nights before the race I borrowed a cross bike from my friend Maria.  I practiced in the backyard the night before the race.  With time and practice I was able to do 10 consecutive flying mounts and dismounts (on the flat grass with no obstacles....).  I felt confident that I could do the race the next day.

The next day I got up and drove to Sun Prairie.  I got there early because Brian Matter (professional cyclist) was giving a clinic on how to ride your bike in a cyclocross race and I knew that I had pleanty I could learn. 

I was by far the worst person in the class.  Everyone else who showed up had already done at least 1 cyclocross race and was just there to refine their skills.  We practiced flying mounts and dismounts over a barracade.  It was horrible.  I got too close to the barracade almost every time and was unable to do the mounts.  We rode a practice lap on the course and I thought I was going to crash and severely injure myself.  It was very frightening.  I ended up walking a lot of inclines and technical parts.  I almost didn't sign up for the beginner race except for the fact that I had driven over an hour to get there, so I forced myself to sign up. 

I lined up at the start line with the other newbies.  There were probably about 7-10 of us.  I let everyone go ahead of me right out of the start and didn't even get on my bike until about 5 seconds after everyone left.  I rode very slowly in the easiest gear the entire first lap.  On the 2nd lap I was more confident and didn't go quite so slow.  I was really scared the entire time, but having a blast as well.  I ended up finishing 4th out of the group and even managed to win an award!  I was amazed that I didn't crash and really felt like I was getting the hang of it (relatively speaking) by the 2nd lap.  I didn't end up doing any of the mounts/dismounts that I practiced, but I was able to ride all of the course (except for a really big hill that most people had to run up and the area with the barracades).  I just wished that the race was longer so that I could have practiced more.  It was a great time!  The goals for the next race will be to become more confident, ride in a harder gear, and try to do at least 1 flying mount/dismount.

This is the hill that most people had to run up.   The really good guys could ride all the way up the inside track where the dirt was a little harder packed.

Ironman Wisconsin

Ironman Wisconsin 2012 

10:36

13th Overall  3rd Age Group

Kona Slot

I am very happy with how my race turned out.  I had dealt with tendonitis in my right leg since April and sprained my foot less than 2 weeks before the race, so I was unsure of my running abilities going into the race.  I went into the race with confidence in my swim and bike, but knowing that the run would be a wild card.

The night before the race I ate about 1.5 cups of rice pasta for dinner.  Before bed I took 6 salt stick tablets.  I set my alarm for 3:30am.  I slept pretty well until about 3am.  I woke up and laid in bed until 3:30am.  Then I got up and started working on my pre-race breakfast (3 salt stick tablets, 3 Bonk Breakers, and a cup of super strong coffee).  I packed up my remaining few things as I ate and we headed down to the race start.  It was a very cold morning.  I wore long pants, a t-shirt, and a jacket, but wished I had a stocking cap as well.  My teeth chattered as I walked.  I dropped off my special needs bags, put arm warmers in my T1 bag, pumped up my tires and put my nutrition on the bike.  I was ready.

After the usual couple of bathroom stops I put on my wetsuit and headed down to the race start.  I got into the water (which was actually warmer than the air) and positioned myself in the front row approximately 15-20 yards right of the buoy.  The water seemed to fill up quickly with swimmers and I found myself getting pushed around a bit before the start.  The cannon went off and we were on our way.  I was surprised at how congested the swim was the entire way.  I got kicked/hit in both eyes at different times during the first stretch of the swim.  Even after I rounded the first corner it was still congested.  Some guy swam over the top of me and I had to struggle for placement and air.  I got dunked and swallowed water on a few occasions.  It was almost as rough as Hawaii!  Finally we rounded the last turn and headed into shore.  I wasn't prepared to pass the Monona Terrace and then to have to angle back into shore after the last turn buoy, but I followed other swimmers and figured it out.  I came out of the water and ran to the strippers who helped me out of my wetsuit.  I ran cautiously up the helix and assessed my left foot as I ran.  It was a little stiff, but not too bad.  I got through transition relatively efficiently and managed to get my arm warmers on with the help of a volunteer.

As I rode out on to the bike course I was glad that I had put toe covers on my shoes and put my arm warmers on.  It was chilly in the mid 50s.  I biked fairly easily and under control as planned out to the stick.  I took a sip of water around 20 minutes into the bike and then the first gel at 30 minutes.  Once on Whalen Rd. I settled into my race pace.  I felt strong and in control.  I didn't look at my power meter as much as usual, but rode more on feel and made sure to cap the hills and not over extend myself.  I focused on my cadence (tried to stay between 90-95) and my nutrition (gels at 30 minutes and 60 minutes, salt stick tablets at 15 minutes and 45 minutes, water every 15 minutes).  The tape on my right aerobar came unraveled and I had to tie it in a knot to keep it in place.  Frequently I had to redo the knot as it kept coming undone.  I started to feel tired heading out to Mount Horeb on the 2nd loop of the bike and the wind felt like it had picked up slightly.  I focused on getting to Cross Plains where I knew my family would be cheering for me.  They were there as promised and rooted me on.  I got a 2nd wind and continued on.  As I descended a hill heading towards Verona I noticed a guy infront of me hitting the breaks and swerving.  I came out of my aero position just in time to see a dog running loose on the course.  Luckily I missed the other cyclist and the dog and didn't have to slow down that much.  With approximately 30 miles left on the bike course I noticed that my right shifter was loose and rattling around.  To my surprise it started to come out of the aerobar and twist around.  I wondered if I should stop and get sag support.  It was still shifting ok though, so I decided just to hang onto the shifter with my right hand and continue on unless it stopped working completely.  Fortunately, it continued to work the rest of the way back to the Monona Terrace.  The last 10 miles of the bike a girl in my age group passed me.  I hung with her and eventually caught back up to her coming up the helix.  As she dismounted in front of me she fell off her bike.  I had to swerve to avoid running over her rear wheel and crashing myself, but was able to do it and dismount safely.

I ran into T2 and worked to get through there as fast as possible as I had just been passed.  The other girl ran out of T2 ahead of me.  I knew I would have to work to catch her on the run.  I ran outside and passed her wtihin the first 1/4-1/2 mile.  I felt strong running, but told myself to slow down.  Apparently my body didn't listen very well because I ran the first mile WAY too fast (6:54).  I told myself to slow down again and was only slightly better, but still too fast (7:27).  After that I was able to settle into my pace.  I passed another girl in my age group around mile 13-14.  I was now in 2nd place.  It felt easy to hold 7:45-8:00 minute miles until around mile 15.  My legs started to slowly cramp.  I was able to keep running, but by the time I reached mile 16-17 I had to walk the aid stations.  The girl passed me back and I became 3rd place once again.  The pain increased from there on.  I tried to take in more salt tablets, but my salt tablets had melted.  At one point I drank the melted salt tablets from my baggie and then semi-puked them back up.  Later I tried to take a gel to see if that helped.  Nothing was doing the trick and it got rough around miles 19-20.  I told myself that I needed to keep running even if it was slow.  This ended up being a good idea because I passed the other girl back once again and reclaimed my 2nd place position.  My running pace fluctuated between 9-9:30/mile and thank goodness for my friend Arnie who was also racing that day!  He had a few extra salt tablets that he was willing to share with me!  I felt slightly better after that, but it was still very stiff and painful to run.  With 4 miles left to go I was passed by another girl.  At first I thought that the number on her leg said either 29 or 39 and was relieved that she was not in my age group.  I took a closer look and realized that it said 34!  I pushed myself to pass her on a down hill with about 3.5 miles left to go.  She ran very strategically, about 10 yards behind me and matched me step for step.  With about 2 miles to go, she made a move and passed me quickly.  I could not respond and was running on empty...it was a feeling of desperation by then.  (Only later did I realize that she slowed her pace once she got ahead of me and actually only ended up finishing about 1 minute before I did.)  I was able to run the rest of the way into the finish with 3rd place in the age group and 13th overall.  I was pleased with my race.  I learned a lot from the run portion of my race about when to push and how to race strategically.

Thank you's:
Mike Pierson with Your Training Zone--coaching
Wheel and Sprocket Northshore--bike sponsor
Zoot--everything else sponsor.  The compression socks were invaluable this year.
Matt for putting up with my nervous breakdowns throughout the season
My family including those present and the ones cheering from afar over the computer.  I couldn't have done it without your support!
Elizabeth Hoffman, ART and massage therapist, for working on my leg most of the summer to get it healthy for this race
TriWisconsin triathlon club--thanks for the great support, awesome friends, and variety of training opportunities
I'm sure that I have forgotten others.  To you guys I am sorry, but please know that I really appreciate you!

Important notes for next time:

• Food eaten day before race day--breakfast: large Starbucks mocha, lunch: Milo's lettuce wrap and lemonade, dinner: 1.5 cups of Tinkyata rice pasta with spaghetti sauce and a water bottle of propel.
• Breakfast race day: 3 Bonk Breakers and a cup of Shock coffee
• Nutrition during the race: 2 gels per hour at 30 and 60 minutes starting 30 minutes into the bike, 2 salt stick tablets per hour at 15 and 45 minutes starting 45 minutes into the bike, water every 15 minutes on the bike, alternating between sports drink and water and coke and water every aid station on the run.  1 gel on the run.  Original plan was for only 1 salt stick tablet per hour on the run, but ended up needing much more than this.  Probably took around 9-10?
• Start the swim on the inside of the buoy to avoid getting clobbered and drinking 1/2 the lake.
• Be more patient on the run and don't run the first 2 miles so darn fast! Mile one was 6:54; Mile two 7:27; Miles 3-10 was higher 7's; Miles 11-17 was mid 8's; Miles 18-20 were walking with 9-10-11 min pace - took in a gel and some ibuprofen to overcome pain in legs-hips-quads; Mile 21 it came around to 9's; Mile 25 was sub 8; Mile 26 8:17
• Put salt stick tablets and Ibuprofen in seperate containers.  May not want to use zip lock bags again as water still got in there and melted everything--ew.
• Goal power was 170 watts with first half hour 140-150; race result was 156 avg/167 nor. 

Me with fellow Zoot team mates and Kona qualifiers Mark Harms and Rick Lapinski.

Me with Sue Pierson (Kona qualifier and super fast runner) and coach Mike Pierson.

Door County Half Ironman

(Mark Harms--fellow Zooter and 1st OA male--and I after the race)

I went into this race not knowing how things would turn out.  I have been dealing with tendonitis in my right leg and have had to take a significant amount of running time off since the Oshkosh 1/2 marathon in April (exactly 3 months ago to the day).  Thanks to some rest and Active Releast Technique (ART), I have been able to start running a bit again.  My longest run going into this race was 75 minutes, so I was a bit nervous as to how I would hold up on the run.  I have been able to work on my biking quite a bit though as a result, so I was hopeful that my bike fitness would carry over to my run.

I knew the weather was supposed to be on the warmer side (although not that warm compared to how it has been lately around here!), so I took 7 salt stick tablets the night before the race.  I woke up at 4am and ate 2 Luna bars, took another 4 salt stick tablets, and then sipped on my pre-race/Gu Brew mix on the way to the race.  We got to the race venu with plenty of time to spare so I had adequate time to pick up my registration packet and prepare.  I rode my bike for about 15-20 minutes as a warm up and did 3, 30 second pick-ups to race pace.  I felt strong and ready to go.  There were quite a few people at the race that we knew, and it was nice to see a lot of familiar faces from all over the state.  It looked to be a great day for a race!

I was in the 1st wave (men and women mixed elite wave).  I got my wetsuit and other swim gear on and headed to the swim start.  I lined up on the left side of the start line to position myself for the first turn and to try to stay out of traffic a bit.  The first bit of the swim was a little rough and I had to fight for position.  I was glad that I had safety pinned my timing chip strap together because someone accidentally grabbed my chip and pulled on it.  I got cut off by some guy and lost my position for the rest of the swim.  The water was smooth and I just concentrated on pulling efficiently through the water.  It was easy to sight because the buoys were relatively close together and easily visible.  I got to the boat ramp and ran out of the water.  I ran over to the wetsuit strippers and laid down.  The strippers had some difficulty pulling off my suit and I had to tell them how to do it.  Once I was free of the wetsuit, I ran to my bike.  I had a good transition and was out on the bike course pretty quickly. 

I was able to hold my goal power for about 20 minutes and then started to falter.  I'm not really sure what happened, but it just felt like my legs couldn't hold the cadence at my goal power.  I worried a little bit, but decided not to dwell on it.  A few guys passed me on the bike and 1 woman did, but I hung with her.  She and I went back and forth for positioning for a while.  Eventually I took the lead and she wasn't able to hang with me.  I got water at almost every aid station on the bike.  At 1 station, about 1/2 way through the bike, I tried to grab a water bottle from a volunteer, but accidentally hit it with my finger and it went flying.  The next volunteer wasn't expecting me, so I just kept going and rode the next 10ish miles without water.  I made sure to grab a bottle at the next station and when I did I was really thirsty!  I kept on and tried to push the pace again on the last 10 miles.  I didn't think I was having all that great of a bike until I saw Matt around mile 54.  He shouted to me that I was the lead woman.  I was shocked!  (He was too.)  I tried to pick up the pace again and hustle it into transition.  I made it in fairly well and got out and onto the run course as fast as I could.  I had no idea how much of a lead I really had and how my leg would handle the run.

I must have really had some adrenaline going in my system, because I thought I was taking the first mile at my goal pace (7:00/mile), when I actually averaged 6:30/mile.  I tried to back it off a bit and ended up running the next mile at 6:58.  By then I was getting hot and my breathing was a bit rough.  I quickly hit up the aid station for some water and my pace slowed to 7:11/mile.  After that the day got progressively rough.  The heat, humidity, and 2 very large, long hills got the best of me.  Most of my remaining 10 miles ended up being between 7:30-7:45 pace.  I had to walk through most of the aid stations to get fluids and I also walked up the steep sections of the hill.  People around me kept giving me feedback and saying that I was the first woman.  They told me that I was putting time into the girl in 2nd place.  I felt pretty fried the last 2-3 miles.  It was all I could do to put 1 foot in front of the other.  I told myself that this race was a race of perserverance and not a day for a PR.  I could tell that my run fitness was good, but not great for the intensity required of a 1/2 ironman.  I was very happy just to be racing and running again.

I ran down the steep hill and into the finish line.  Before I got there I could hear them announcing my name.  I was so excited!  I ran through the finishers tape with my arms in the air.  At the finish line they had tubs of cool water to sit in.  I hurried over and parked myself in the cool water.  It felt great!  I was really happy to be done at last and to have finished well.  I definitely did not have the best power on the bike or even close to my normal run time, but I did what I needed to do to win the race within the elite women's wave.  (Only later did I find out after all of the hoopla that a girl in the 30-34 age group wave went 3 minutes faster than me to have the overall fastest time and take 1st.  It was kind of a bummer, but given the circumstances I was pleased with my race.)

I have had to modify my race schedule quite a bit this season and learn to be patient.  It has been challenging for me at times, and Matt has been fairly tolerant of my crankiness at times.  I appreciate all of support of my family and friends an thus far and look forward to Ironman WI as my next race. 

Oshkosh Half Marathon

Today I officially kicked off my "scheduled" 2012 race season with the Oshkosh 1/2 marathon. We got up at 4am (ugh) and drove the 90 minute drive up to Oshkosh for the race. I ate a pack of GU chomps on the way there. The weather was cool, but great for running. I warmed up for 15 minutes and did 3x30 second intervals at around 5:30 min/mile pace. I took off my warm up clothes and headed over to the starting line.

I lined up in the front row and happened to look over to my right to see some guy totally decked out in Zoot Ultra Team apparel...it was Dana!! I think he was as shocked as I was.

We started the race and everyone took off super fast. The 5k runners had started with us so it was hard to know who was running what distance. I looked down at my Garmin and noticed that I was averaging 5:38 min/mile pace (yikes!). This was a bit fast as my goal was to run between 6:30-6:45 min/miles. I backed it off some and reminded myself that some of these people were running the 5k. After the 5k runners turned off I could see that there was only 1 woman ahead of me. She was pretty far out there and when we hit the first mile marker I noticed that I had run a 6:12 minute mile. I decided to let her go and run my own race. I figured that I would settle into my pace and just see what happened with her. I then ran the next 3-4 miles pretty consistently at 6:25-6:30 min/mile pace, but started to get a slight side stitch. Therefore, I backed it off a bit and ran 6:30-6:35 min/mile pace, which eased the stitch.

Around mile 7 there was a slight out and back section. I was able to see the lead men come around the corner (their mile 9ish) and noticed that Dana was in 1st place! He was running super fast, but had a group of 3 college runners only about 10-15 feet behind him. I gave him a Zoot wave and encouraged him on. (Matt later said that Dana got eaten up by the pack around mile 10, but he held on for 3rd and was only 7 seconds behind the other guys). I held this pace until about mile 10-11 and then I started to fade a bit, running around 6:47 min/mile pace. I was able to run the last mile in 6:39, and finished with a PR of 1:26.

I was pleased with the race and ended up placing 2nd OA. It was a great way to kick off the season.

My slick new Zoot cycling kit!!!

Here's me in my really slick new Zoot Ultra Team cycling kit.

South Shore 1/2 Marathon

Last weekend I decided to do the South Shore 1/2 marathon as part of my training. I was planning to do a 90 minute training run that day anyway, and the thought of running with large herds of people sounded more appealing than running alone. Needless to say I was pretty relaxed as I planned on running easy. It was kind of nice to show up at a race, sit back and spectate while registering and running. I ran with my friend Jodi (who found out she is just a bit faster than she thought that day...). The plan was just to hold around 7:30/mile pace for the entire run. Jodi had averaged 7:22/mile pace last year and she just wanted to have a good race. We started out running and were consistently and easily between 7:00/mile and 7:30/mile. Jodi was doing awesome! She was even talking to me. Therefore, at the 1/2 way point (which was also the turn around), we could see all of the women ahead of us. Jodi counted and mentioned that we were numbers 11 & 12. Seeing how good she was looking I encouraged her to push the pace a bit more and try to get top 10. She was agreeable, so we decided to pick it up a bit. The last 4 miles we were sub 7's. Jodi totally smoked it and I cheered her into the finish line. She PR'ed that day by 4-5 minutes and placed 9th OA! I was pleased with my training run (although it was a bit faster than what I had planned) as I was within 1.5 minutes of my PR. I believe Jodi and I can both run much faster as we were quite social the first 6-7 miles of the race. I'm looking forward to racing the Oshkosh 1/2 marathon in a couple of weeks. It's gonna be a fast one!

Garmin 910xt rocks!

I came back home to good old WI after attending the Zoot camp in Carlsbad, CA and tried out my new Garmin 910xt right away...I discovered that it totally ROCKS! In my opinion, the 910xt is a big improvement over the 310xt that I raced and trained with last year. It's lighter, it finds the satallite faster (and sometimes even indoors!), the display is easier to read, and the display of the mile splits flashes in larger print. (Apparently I must have really crappy vision...). As far as swimming goes, you can now use this model in the pool and it will even count your lengths and give you a stroke count/swim efficiency score. We tried it in the outdoor pool in CA and it worked pretty well for counting lengths. We did not try to calculate a swim efficiency score. I'll have to try that this summer. Overall, I was impressed by the improvements made from the 310xt, which I already thought was a great watch. Thanks to our sponsor Garmin for the support and for upgrading an already great product! I look forward to training and racing with my new 910xt this season!

Zoot Camp 2012

This was my 2nd year attending the Zoot camp in beautiful Carlsbad, CA. I was excited to go back to CA as I fell in love with the San Diego area last year when I visited for the first time. This year was especially nice because Matt happened to be in CA for work. I flew into San Diego on Friday afternoon, picked Matt up at work, and checked into the Grand Pacific Palisades where the Zoot team was staying. We got up Saturday morning and headed to the Oceanside 70.3 race to watch. It was an overcast, cool day but the athletes raced well. We stood at T2 and watched Andy Potts, Heather Jackson, and Melanie McQuaid get off the bike and run great races. We cheered loudly for the Zoot team and even got Mark Harms to smile on the run! We enjoyed the nice CA weather with a training run and a few swims at the outdoor salt water lap pool at the hotel. It was fantastic!

Saturday night I met up with the Zoot team for dinner. Very tasty :) Then Sunday we met for a team breakfast and to get information from our sponsors. We have a couple of new really great sponsors this year including Spy sunglasses and Speedfill waterbottle systems. Garmin was there as well and showed us how to operate our new 910xt watches. We got a chance to see the 2012 and preview the 2013 Zoot products. They look really great and I'm excited to be sporting a lot of them this year!

Sunday night we had another team dinner at a really cool brewery and took team photos. I met some more new fast and friendly team mates and even convinced a few of them to go for frozen yogurt after dinner :) Monday morning we snuck in another swim, ate some breakfast with some fellow team members, and then headed our seperate ways. I can't wait to race for Zoot again this year and look forward to seeing some of my fellow Zooters at races over the course of the season! Thanks to Zoot and our sponsors for another great team camp this year!

Outside Magazine

2012 Outside Magazine

From Left to Right:
Cam Knuth
Matt Amman
Adrienne Amman

Run Into the New Year

I wanted to do a 5k running race for a while, but just hadn't gotten around to it for whatever reason until now. The Run Into the New Year 5k worked out well into my training schedule, so I decided to give it a shot. Leading into the race I was very nervous. I hadn't raced since Hawaii in October and I wondered how speedy I would really be given that I had taken some time off, trained mostly for 1/2 ironmans and full ironmans the past 2-3 years, and that it is now the off-season.

I made sure to do a nice long warm up before the race. I lined up about 3 rows back from the start (about where I thought the other girls were), and the gun went off. I got boxed in quite a bit and sometimes pushed to the outside by the guys. I didn't feel like I was running all that fast the first 1/2 mile-mile, but I was keeping up with the lead group pretty well, despite losing some ground in the jostling. There were probably about 9-10 women ahead of me after the first 1/2 mile. I didn't worry about it too much and just kept running. All around me watches started beeping (signaling the mile mark). I did not have a watch on as I wanted to run on feel alone and focus on having fun rather than a time. I figured we must be at the first mile given all the beeping. Just then I saw the mile marker. It was pretty close. I continued to run, and passed 2 girls around 1.5 miles. I was feeling strong, but starting to get a little tired too. It felt like longer than it should have to reach the 2nd mile marker (and watches were beeping well before we hit the 2nd mile marker, which contributed to the long feeling). Someone yelled to me that I was the 3rd woman. I could see the 2nd place female ahead of me on the out and back sections and knew that she was out of my reach. I just had to hang on to 3rd! I started to feel very tired in the last mile of the race, but I continued to push my way up the hill, around the corner and down the hill to the finish. I couldn't believe that I was the 3rd place female! I also couldn't believe my finishing time...19:06! A PR by 50 seconds! I was very pleased with my race, especially given the time of year and how many turns were in the course. It was a great way to welcome in the new year!

Ironman Hawaii World Championships

After completing this race, all I can say is that I believe it to be a race of experience. This was my 3rd ironman, and I wished that I had more than 2 under my belt before trying to attempt this one...

The Sunday before the race my GI problems (severe abdominal pain that has plagued me in the past) kicked in. All week leading up to the race I rested and tried to get it under control. Going into the race it was about 75-80% better, but still present.

We started the day with the swim, which was insanely brutal!!! People were all over each other and I got clobbered multiple times. No black eye this time, but I did get hit in the mouth, which gave me a cut and a fat lip. I also came out with bruises all over my left arm and scratches. It was not a fun swim.

After what felt like an hour in the mosh pit, I came into shore and ran up the stairs. I ran into T1, grabbed my bag off the hook and ran into the changing tent. I made it through transition pretty cleanly and headed out on the bike.

I couldn't believe how packed the bike course was! People were wheel to wheel and elbow to elbow all the way through town. The amount of packs and drafting was crazy almost all the way out to Hawi (the turn around point). The winds going into Hawi were like nothing I've ever experienced before. It was like riding into a giant wall of wind. I felt like I was working really hard and only going about 5 mph. It was also up hill most of the way. I stayed aero and rode as best as I could, but still got passed by quite a few people. Finally we hit the turn around and headed back down from Hawi. We had a nice tail wind, but still had to watch out for cross winds. At one point, the wind blew my bike over about 5 feet!





Somewhere along the way, I started to feel sick. I was having a hard time keeping my nutrition down and my nutrition plan started to fail. By the time I reached the turn to get back on to the Queen K, I had puked up stuff into my mouth about 4 times and things weren't getting any better. I pulled off to the side of the road and stopped at a porta-potty. After about 5 minutes in there, I got back on my bike and continued to ride. I knew I was still on track for a solid bike time and just needed to keep going. It was really hot, but the aid stations were frequent and well stocked. We had a head wind most of the way back into town. Finally I came into town and took my feet out of my shoes (although probably a little too early). I rode into transition and gave my bike and helmet to the volunteer. Again, I made it through T2 relatively cleanly, although the changing tent was PACKED.

I ran out on to the run course. I felt tired, but not any more so that usual. I expected my legs to feel this way and also expected them to turn around and feel better after about 4 miles (like they usually do). I ran well for about the first 10K, and was able to hold my goal pace pretty well (sub 8's).









Around mile 7 I could feel the GI pain start to kick in. Mentally I groaned, slowed my pace a bit and tried to manage it with breathing techniques. No luck. The pain worsened and I had to slow to a walk around mile 8. I knew Matt was just a little bit behind me, and I knew he would need to go slower, so I figured I'd wait for him and offer some support. I continued to try tricks to eliminate the pain (massaging, stretching, etc., etc., etc.). It was frustrating, but not totally unexpected. I decided not to let it get me down and rather to enjoy the race, the atmosphere, being in Hawaii, and being able to complete the race with my husband. Matt was having a rough day as well. He had not been able to train for this race as much as he would have liked due to back problems starting in July and a busy work schedule. We walked for a while, then ran a bit, walked for a while and then ran a bit. We tried to do a pattern of walk 1/2 a mile, then run a mile. This worked for a little while, then just walked for a LONG time. My stomach had gotten somewhat bloated over the course of the run from taking salt tablets (another failed pain management strategy). I was thirsty, but had to stop drinking water and Perform because of the bloat. For the last 10-15 miles of the run, I was only able to drink Coke. After what felt like forever, we reached the energy lab and went down in. Since we were walking, we were able to see the messages that our friends and family had written for us on the screen. It made us smile. We enjoyed the aid stations and the volunteers, making sure to thank them. I even danced a bit as we went through aid stations with music. We continued to mostly walk, and sometimes run until about the last 5 miles. We started on another run attempt and decided to just keep going (except for a couple of aid stations). The last 2 miles were really hard. I was hurting everywhere and wanted to walk really badly. Matt was battling a side stitch. Finally we hit town and ran the last mile in. The crowd was nice, but didn't help as much as I had hoped. We muscled it down Alli'i Drive and then ran through the finish line holding hands in the air. It was unbelievable to me that we were able to finish under 11 hours given that we had walked an enormous amount.

Overall, I was happy with my race. I was able to finish the race with good swim and bike splits and I am confident that I could have run much faster without pain. It was fun to be able to do the race with Matt and finish with him. I am happy with my race season overall, and feel honored that I was able to partake in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

Now some time for R & R. I am looking forward to spending time enjoying the fall in Wisconsin, hanging out with friends and family, and getting my new puppy enrolled in some dog training classes.

Thanks to friends and family for support both on-site and from a far on race day. I was lucky enough to have my parents, 2 aunts (Nancy and Mary Lou--who came all the way from IA), Matt's brother John, and our friends (Paula and Travis from La Crosse) in attendance on race day. I also know that I had countless other supporters cheering for me and rooting me on race day on-line. Also, thanks to my cousin Brent for designing some cool race day t-shirts! I really appreciate all of the support and could not have gotten to where I am today without you guys.

Thanks to Zoot for all of the support and team commaraderie this year. I've had a great time being on the team and am looking forward to next year.

And last, but definitely not least, thanks to Mike Pierson. You have pushed me beyond what I thought I could do in workouts all year long. I have enjoyed the training, the racing, and the challenge. Thank you for helping me achieve so many goals this year in racing, personal/mental challenges, and in balancing life. It has been a great learning experience and I look forward to continuing to work with you for next year.

Things to remember for IM Hawaii (if there is a next time):
1. The first 1000 meters of the swim I need to go all out to get out of the masses.
2. I need to work on swimming in a straighter line and consistently drafting off of people in front of me.
3. Body glide the upper tongue and around the upper inside of my bike shoes.
4. The first 1-1 1/2 hours there were HUGE bike packs. I need to push along with the bike packs and deal with the congestion better. I need to understand that much of the time people will not be riding legally and there is not much that I can do about it; especially when I am coming out of the swim ahead of much of the field and there are men who are pushing for a 5 hour or less bike split. In the future, I need to try to stay exactly draft legal at 7-10 meters directly behind (not off to the side) of the person in front of me (vs. staying further back).
5. When I approach a hill, and I have to go from aero to upright position, I need to sit upright on the saddle while seated. Somehow I got into the habit of standing up first and then pedaling for about 25 pedal strokes, and then sitting down to climb the hill.
6. I need to seriously consider taking more NSAIDs for my GI pain, although it is not medically recommended due to possible negative side effects. Will continue to have to try to sort this out on my own, although I do believe that a GF diet has helped.
7. I will keep my life a little simplier. The last 2 weeks prior to this race, we rented our house, bought a new house, moved in with a friend temporarily, and had our dog die suddenly the day before we left for Hawaii. I don't know for sure how much this affected my race day, GI issues, etc. but I am sure that less stress is better. (YIKES!!!)
8. I ran in socks provided by the Super Run in Milwaukee that I got in summer of 2010. These socks were awesome and I had less blisters than ever before. My Ultra Kalani Zoot running shoes were comfortable and worked well for the race. I had no issues with my turf toe or other feet problems.