Vineman Ironman 70.3

I am not having a mid-life crisis. I am, though, enjoying life. 

On July 17 I completed my first Half Ironman event in Sonoma. This included: 

1.2 miles of swimming

56 miles of biking

13.1 miles of running 

Interestingly my first half-marathon last October was in Healdsburg. My first marathon in March was in Napa and this particular Ironman was located in Sonoma County. And even though I am not a big drinker I must apparently be drawn to vineyards. 

During each of these events I did feel like I was participating in a foreign country. All three were beautiful; rolling vineyards, majestic oak trees and quaint antique farm houses and barns. 

I do not like the heat. Or rather, it doesn’t like me. 

Running in October was slightly risky but there was a slight drizzle of rain during the half-marathon. I was happy. 

In March there was more than a slight drizzle of rain as I ran my first-ever marathon. I was more than happy. 

And so as I approached the Half Ironman training these past few months I seriously considered dropping out due to the possibility of hot weather. As luck would have it, we had a wet and cold spring so I reconsidered. 

Three weeks ago Northern California had a patch of hot days. I inadvertently chose one to go on a 50+ mile mid-week ride with two friends. We did not realize that by the time we finished the ride our thermometer would climb past one hundred. 

I had my first brush with heat stroke that day: I felt nauseous, my head ached, I got the chills and after it was over had a prickly heat rash up and down my thighs. Due to the quick-thinking of my two friends, lots of sports drinks, Shot Blocks, ice water and more, I recovered and finished the ride. 

I went home and read online everything I could about fueling and training in hot weather. Friends sent me articles, I asked other people their opinions, and I even purchased a new triathlon kit. I was ready to go to Vineman…though I was a bit intimidated by the thought of the hot weather. 

All this is to say I was prepared.
My goals going into this event were simple and easily:      

1. Have fun.      

2. Finish.      

3. Don't puke.

Realistically I knew the time for me to finish my first Half Ironman would be between six hours, fifteen minutes and seven hours. I figured if I could try to finish in around six and one half hours that would be a decent time.

My teammate, Pamela Herbert, and I drove down Saturday to pick up our registration packets. We needed to watch a presentation of the course, set up our running transition area and check-in at registration. 

Afterward we headed to our hotel where after a reservation mistake  we lucked out and they gave us two rooms for the price of one. After hotel check-in we met others and went out for a pre-race dinner.

I will say I had an unexpected ailment. My tooth. I lost about 1/4 of it on Friday and it was bothering me. Cold bothered it, heat bothered it and it was throbbing. I had an appointment for Monday and just hoped it would not get unbearable before then. 

At 4:40 the next morning my alarm woke me up. I needed to eat two hours before competing and also drive to the swim transition area. I ate oatmeal with ½ of a banana. I drank some water and a little bit of sports drink.

When I arrived at the Russian River in Guerneville with my two friends Kaaren Smith and Pamela, it was still very early. I noticed my prescription sunglasses were loose on my head. I went to a bike booth hoping for a small screw driver to repair the glasses but no such luck. There was not much I could do about it at that point and decided to not fret. 

As my friends and I walked into the transition area we were all marked with a permanent marker. Our participant race numbers were written on our arms and upper thighs. Our ages were on our left calf in GIANT numbers.

We headed toward the bike racks and set up all of our swim and bike gear. I felt honored to set up my area next to Karin LaBerge, my teammate and former Olympic swimmer. She is humble and kind and reminded me to set my bike up in a nice easy gear as the bike transition started with an uphill climb.

I ate the rest of my banana and a few Sports Beans. Eventually we suited up into our wetsuits, posed for a photo with friends and headed toward the river. The temperature was not bad. I had a full-body wetsuit but had rented a sleeveless one for today because the water was close to 78 degrees.

I had been forewarned to head toward the bushes during the swim because of currents. Well, I did. I am a proficient swimmer and because of the advice, I swam along the far short hitting the bushes with my strokes. It was the worst swim I'd ever done in a triathlon (note to self: preview the swim course whenever possible!). I swam in the shape of a backwards capital "B."  Let's just say I took the L-O-N-G route. I did get kicked in the nose at one point and stopped briefly to see if it was broken or bleeding. It didn't appear to be so I continued moving forward.

At the halfway point the water was very shallow and most people stood for the turn-around. I was no different. After finding the rocks a potential for getting cuts, I dove headfirst into the water to continue my swim.

As I swam upstream I decided to head toward the buoys in the middle of the river. The bit of banana I'd eaten just before the swim came back up. I had just managed to miss one goal, that is, to not puke. I had a sense of humor about it and made note to mention it in my write-up. I kept swimming and headed toward the finish. I decided the banana pre-swim was okay but not the Sports Beans,  or to give myself a bit more time for digestion. Even though my stomach was not cooperating I felt alright. I was still having fun. 

Before exiting the water, I knew I had well over five to six hours left to race. As you are swimming you have to try to "void" your bladder, or rather, pee while you can. Try swimming and peeing simultaneously. It isn't easy. 

I exited the water while unzipping my wetsuit and pulling off my cap and goggles. I ran to the beach towel I'd set up and tried to wipe off the gravel, dirt and sand on my feet before putting on my bike socks. I am usually fast at transitions. Today I took my time, knowing the bike and run were going to last a long time. I put the sunglasses on my face, unrolled my race bib which I'd worn under my wetsuit and clipped on my bike helmet. I tucked my wetsuit into a plastic bag, threw everything else into my plastic bag for volunteers to bring to the finish and grabbed my bike.

I ran across the T-1 pad and decided to run up the hill, rather than ride. I jumped on my bike and began the fifty-six mile portion of the race.

I loved the ride, we had perfect weather and I had no issues with flat tires. I tried to be good about fueling during this portion of the race, so I would have energy later for the run. I had one time where I almost fell but caught myself. It was as I was drinking and eating and somehow got off balance for a moment.

There was support on the bike portion with water, Gatorade, Gu, etc. I had purchased a new bottle for my aero bars before the race in addition to traditional bottles.

The volunteers would stand with their arms outstretched to hand off the water or Gatorade bottles. I would open the cap of my bottle, squeeze the support water into my aero water bottle and toss the  now-empty water bottle toward the garbage bags or cans. I have to say I got a bit of an ego boost at the last station. There was a bike club of young men gathered together on the opposite side of the road watching racers at the support station. I saw them in the left corner of my vision but concentrated on receiving the water bottle. I poured it into my aero bottle, emptied it's contents. Next I swiftly tossed my empty bottle hard to my right, hitting the garbage can stationed there. It made a loud THONG sound as I continued riding around the corner. The bike club all yelled, "Whoa, what a badass!" (and for just the teensiest moment I felt like one). I laughed out loud and continued around the corner.

My goal was to try and eat/drink around 250 calories per hour during the bike portion of the race. All in all, I did an okay job. I had Cytomax in my extra bottles, Shot Blocks and Gu in my bendo box and I even tried a bit of Aussie bites in the first half of the bike portion. I wanted my stomach to be settled for the run and knew I could not eat anything heavy after the first half of the bike was finished.

During the bike portion I was jockeying for position with a few riders. It was a mixed group, men, women, younger than me and older than me. I felt a sense of camaraderie as we were all working toward this goal. The most impressive person to me was a 71-year-old man. He had a great sense of humor and was teasing me about the hill we were approaching.

I loved when others from the Foward Motion Race Club passed me by throughout the race or I passed them. Frequently, though not always, the others or myself would yell, "Go FOMO!" or "Team FOMO!" This continued throughout the entire race and I will say two of our elite athletes and married couple, Steve and Carrie Chavez both gave me a shout-out. This is really quite something because both of them qualified for the World's in Las Vegas.

Just as we headed toward the last quarter of the bike portion my teammate and former "newbie" member, Janet Tsuji caught me. I loved seeing her and had been expecting her at any point in the race, as she's quite a rider and an excellent runner. We finished the bike course at nearly the same time (though she was much faster than I!) and headed into transition number two.

I quickly took off my helmet and exchanged it for my white Forward Motion baseball cap. I took off my bike socks and exchanged them for running socks and shoes. Normally I don't trade socks during a triathlon but since my feet were in good shape with no blisters, I decided to take the time to put on socks that I love best for running. The truth is, I will begin training for my next marathon and wanted my feet in good shape for that training plan.

I quickly headed out toward the second timing pad, it felt like it was very far away. I couldn't believe I was actually looking forward to the run. This used to be my least favorite part of triathlons but I no longer find that to be the case. I have learned to love running and was especially happy that although it was  warm, it was not record-breaking heat that Vineman has had in years past.

I started off actually at a good clip. I had been coached to consider walking up the hills for this portion of the race, if needed. I decided to watch my heart rate so as to not let the warmer weather affect me.

As I approached the first hill, I walked up it. I reminded myself of my other two goals, to finish and have fun. So far I was enjoying myself and I knew I'd finish the race. I knew that the run/walk combination was slowing me down, and in some ways it felt worse to run after I walked. Still, I continued that method. I alternately walked and ran throughout the half-marathon. I decided I would have to be okay with this today. My legs felt heavy. Just after the halfway point in the run, I stopped at a porta potty to pee. At least I knew I was drinking enough liquids. At each mile there  were volunteers with water, Gatorade, Gu and now, even food, ice, etc. I would take my hat off, pour cool water on my head, drink Gatorade and then sip some more water. This method seemed to work for me. 

My tooth was troubling me but not to the point of keeping me from finishing. Overall I felt pretty good. I could feel chafing on my right arm as it rubbed against the seam of my tri kit top, near the armpit area. Not much I could do at that point. At least my neck and chest felt chafe-free, something I have struggled with in past races, despite using Body Glide as a preventative measure.
As I was running, the thought crossed my mind that I could not imagine doing this race in weather that was 40 degrees hotter. No way.

As each mile marker approached I counted how many I had left to run. Before long, I was headed toward the finish. The thought crossed my mind that this felt more difficult than the marathon I had completed. I think partly because I did not "race" the marathon, I held back on my energy. I had to leave for the bike tour I went on six days later so felt I should play it safe and go at a slow easy pace throughout. 

Today I did not "race" the course either. I had decided I wanted to complete it as a personal milestone but to have fun. I kinda bombed the swim, poured a lot of energy in the bike and slowed down on the run to make sure I finished.

I ran across the last timing pad and felt good. Strong. I was not too terribly sore, like after having completed my first marathon. I did, however, feel very tired. And with good reason. Six hours and twenty-six hours had passed since I first began the event.

The day came to a conclusion with my two daughters and a friend surprising me by showing up. They did not see me race, I finished earlier than we all guessed. I didn't mind, I felt so touched that they drove all the way to come see me.

We waited for the rest of our teammates to cross. Kaaren with her taped ankle, Pamela who scared us after the race as her kidneys shut down for a while. Others from Forward Motion, quite a few, placed so well that they will go to Vegas for the World Championships.

It was, all in all, a good day. I had fun. I finished. And well, OK, I puked too. Reaching two out of three goals is not so bad. 

Swim 1.2 miles

 swim 42:39 pace

2:13rank

1620

Bike 56 miles 

bike 3:12:15mph

17.5rank

1463 

Run 13.1 miles

run 2:24:37 

pace 11:03

rank 1150

T-1 3:39 (we ran from water to racks, had to brush gravel,  bag all of our belongings...)

T-2 2:57 (it was a LONG run with our bikes to rack and then from our bike racks out to the shoot) 

Total Time

6:26:07place 45 out of 86 women in my division

346/676 out of the total women participants or

1140/2094 total men & women participants

To view on Patch: http://sanramon.patch.com/blog_posts/vineman-ironman-703?#c

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First Olympic Triathlon: 1500 yard swim, 24.9 bike, 6.5 run

(A.K.A. “Upchuck Kathy”)

Many friends and family members have asked me to write about completing my first Olympic Triathlon, the Silicon Valley International Triathlon (SVIT) on June 13^th. To begin “my story” I must first tell you that about three years ago I completed a sprint distance triathlon in Monterey with my very good friend Misti and her husband Scott (known as the “kelp crawl” because you muster your way through yards of kelp in the ocean). The next summer my father was gravely ill and sadly passed away in August of that year. I spent any free time I had with he, my mom, and my family at their house and have no regrets for doing so. Last year, in memory of my dad, my youngest daughter Shelby and I trained for several months with the Forward Motion Race Club (FOMO) “newbie” triathlon group. It was very special. And so it began “for real.”

What began “for real” was the triathlon bug or training. Or really, the love and enjoyment of exercising was ignited once again. Many of you know I was a synchronized swimmer and qualified for the Olympic trials. I grew up swimming most of my youth and teenaged adolescence swimming from 5 to 8: 00 pm at Heather Farms Pool in Walnut Creek and Saturdays from 9-12:00. Those were the minimum hours. Several times during the year I would make the trek before school as well or sleepover another swimmer’s house in order to make all the practices. I quit my senior year of high school, some would argue too soon (no chance for college scholarships despite good grades and decent ability). I had been swimming from the age of 8 until I was nearly 18 and I lost the joy of competition. I took some time off, gained tons of weight (was still eating as though I was swimming 15-20 hours a week) and then began to workout in other ways in order to burn some of the “lbs” that had made their way onto my body for the first time in my life. Aerobics, body sculpting, windsurfing, skiing, kickboxing, and more were added to my repertoire. Eventually I swam once more for a year, as a member of the cast of the New Orleans World’s Fair Aquacade show (think: beginning of Las Vegas “O” show). It was a kick and done totally for enjoyment & allowed me to save a great deal of money for college.

The years flew by as I married (and divorced 17 years later), taught students in grades K-12^th and had three kids of my own. As a result, I have attended a variety of sports and more: baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, Irish dancing, a bowling league, Girl Scouts, science camps, basketball, and the National Charity League. I “participated” in all as a spectator, a volunteer, or as a team mom. I cheered, rooted and clapped my way through many hours of joy and heartache with my kids. Now they are 21, nearly 19 and 16 years old. And though I’ve always remained active, I did so around their schedules and activities.

Since completing a Tri for Fun with Shelby last year, I added the Tri for Real in August (the day after a painful breakup of a three year relationship), and a longer sprint distance triathlon in Morgan Hill this past May.

During the past year I have learned many things. I’ve learned first and foremost that cross training helps Arthritis of the knees feel as if it doesn’t exist. I’ve learned that if you don’t take the time to stretch after 50 mile bike rides and longer runs, you can pull your back while folding laundry & sitting improperly at work and it can take 6 months of physical therapy and lots of determination and patience to fully recover from it. I’ve learned the benefits of icing right after a race or working out and daily morning stretches.

I’ve learned to swim in open water, wear and care for a wetsuit. I’ve learned if you don’t put on Body Glide on your neck while wearing a neoprene cap in the winter, you will end up with a chaffing on your neck that feels like a rug burn and looks like a horrible case of “hickey-itis” ( but comes without any of the benefits). I have learned what my split for a 100-yard swim is (thanks to clinics), to relax my arms more, to reach over a barrel while stroking and to try to glide with each stroke. I’ve learned that when you swim in open water and it is very wavy you just keep heading straight and that it is really fun. I’ve learned that women and men in all age groups can smoke me but it doesn’t matter as I’ve rediscovered the joy of swimming.

I’ve learned how to begin to handle my road bike, bouncing like a bunny, shifting gears for uphill and downhill and to try and speed up my cadence. I’ve learned how to draft while bike riding (or swimming for that matter) and to not to use Aero bars in a group ride as injuries will result. I have learned to sit upright while riding up a hill and crouch down and forward while going down or into the wind. I have learned to eat and drink while riding so I won’t “bonk.” I have learned if you don’t feel good before a bike ride begins and your tummy is rumbling that yes, you will vomit on a rather benign hill. Speaking of hills, I have learned to take the rear position on uphill climbs, another lesson in humility, as I become road kill for my teammates as they pass me by. Again. I have learned how to change a tire (but thank God, have not had to do it yet). I have learned about leg warmers, arm warmers, windbreakers and what it’s like to bike in weather so cold that ice forms on my helmet and fogs up my glasses.

I have much to learn about running still, as my injuries have prevented me from really being able to push myself in that arena. I do know I need to relax my shoulders (that is a constant in all three disciplines), keep my fingers near my hips and take tiny steps rather than long strides. I have learned to find dirt paths or lost all humility in groups and run on the Astroturf instead of the track when my back hurt. I learned to remember sunscreen and drink water before working out. I learned that if you don’t clip your toenails very, very short that if it’s hot and you race, you’ll lose half, if not all, of the entire big toenail. And it will hurt. And it will look ugly. I will learn that next time I will wear a shoe an entire size bigger. And you will learn humility all over again.

I have also learned that hard exercise affects my health in “womanly” regions. I will spare many of the details (as a courtesy to the reader) but let’s just say it wasn’t pleasant in the southern area of my physique for a while. I now take an Acidophilus dietary supplement. And even though I am menopausal, “Aunt Flow” comes to visit on occasion even though “she” hasn’t visited in a year and a half because of the stress of the longer competitions.

So what about that Olympic Distance Triathlon of a few weeks ago? Well, I finished. I had fun. I did not vomit. I was part of a team again. However, I did get overheated. My toes hurt and I lost a few toenails. I was slower than molasses for most of the entire race. I was like the tortoise. I finished s-l-o-w-l-y but surely. I went home happy. I road while I was in Tahoe the next day, just for fun. I am signed up to do another Olympic Distance Triathlon in August in Folsom. I guess you can tell, I have rediscovered a newfound love for exercising again. I am not competitive. I have changed. I enjoy it just for the sake of doing it. The triathlon in Silicon Valley confirmed what I already knew in my heart, I just love being active.