Week One Post Ironman

is so boring. I am such a movement oriented person, just being and not doing has been hard on me this week. And, heaven forbid I had enough time to mop the house today. Yuck! Someone give me a training plan, quick! I don't want Dave to start to take advantage of my extra hours :)

I am recovering really well. I didn't have much soreness at all after the IM, and I am so eager to work out. I have taken the whole week off- the longest time I have ever gone in probably 15 years without some sort of exercise or sports. Tomorrow I am breaking the seal and heading to swim practice- and Sam will be going up to the pool too so I will get to see my buddy. Believe it or not, I am eager to get back on the bike and head out for a run! I am still contemplating my goals- what do I really want to do next? I have a few things in mind...

Nancy, Damie, and Joy- We couldn't quite make it up the stairs without sitting down to rest and pow wow. What is wrong with this picture? It wasn't taken Saturday after the race, it was taken pre-race, post-expo shopping! ha ha! Shopping wore us out!

Mostly right now I am missing my friends. Since there is no training going on, our daily conversations and crazy emails have ceased. I think about doing drastic things like immediately signing up for another ironman so my friends don't forget about me, but then I come to my senses. Life sure is boring without my training partners. Hopefully I will see everyone soon at the Second Annual Turkey Extravaganza hosted by our own Laura. I really feel lucky that we have such a great tri-girls community here in Memphis.

I also feel honored to tell everyone that my ironman has inspired Dave to go to the gym AND go on a run this week. My mom also reported that she hit the gym too, and I think that is great. Movement is so important to our health.

That is all that is happening here on the home front. Dave and I were given tickets to a very nice wine tasting event, so I am heading out for a night full of good, flirty wine!

Post Ironman Thoughts

My hubby and my mom spectating at Ironman Florida.

Yes, so the adrenaline has worn off- for 3 days I was sky high, but now.... So, what to do next? Another IM (yes!). Marathons (yes!) Short stuff (yes!). Life is too short for my long list of to do's! Okay, but I have been instructed to take this week to really think about my goals for next season. So, no decisions just yet.

I have decided to spare the blog world of a mile by mile race report. I figured you guys got the point with my last post that I had tons of fun and hit my goals. The hard part after any race is looking back and saying- could I have done this better? Well, yes and no. I have no doubt that with my new experience I could make some more aggressive goals for the next race and push myself harder. But, I would not change the way I executed my plan this past Saturday- I think it was spot on.

Speaking of, I did not come up with my 350 cal, zone 2, yada yada plan all by myself. I am proud of myself for being the executor of such a great plan, but my inspiration really came from Coach Jen Harrison. She has been my mentor for the past year- helping me undo my bad habits and approach racing differently. I came to her as a burned out, plateaued athlete destined to continue doing what I had always done. I am now growing into a more rounded athlete that can work consistently, push harder, and take charge of my mental outlook.

Jen helped me get to the starting line injury free with clear, appropriate, respectable goals. She always extended the opportunities for me to challenge myself and gave me permission to be competitive. This is something we are still working to develop- bringing out the healthy competitor and not hiding in races. I am still learning what makes me tick as an athlete.

For the past couple of years I viewed myself as a runner. I did what I needed to do to swim, rode once or twice a week on the bike, and then ran like hell. So when Jen yanked my running back for IM training, I freaked. I can't tell you how many emails I sent to her complaining about my running times that were slowing- and, she patiently answered them all and told me to pull my big girl panties up. I felt for sure I couldn't be in shape and I lost sight of my goal from time to time.

Me around mile 22ish? Wow, look at that salt on my shorts!

As I ran the marathon in Florida, I laughed to myself thinking how that dern Jen Harrison was right. She told me I would run the whole marathon, and I did. Yanking my miles back on my burned out ass and teaching me to be able to ride and run off of the bike was just what I needed. She saw the big picture, and I only saw that my 10k time was slower. And, let me tell you- I probably passed 200 people on that run who have faster 10k times than I do.

So, a huge thanks to Jen Harrison for keeping me in line, seeing the big picture, and putting up with my crap. Thank you for a great plan that let me reach my goal.

Ironman Florida!!!!

Yes, I had this much fun the whole time. This is me at mile 12 of the run. I was loving it!

An Ironman race report is not easy to do, so I will just do some highlights here, and then write a detailed report later. I think this will be good for the bloggers that don't really want to read my race mile for mile!

My goal- as stated on my goal sheet- for Ironman Florida: Finish Ironman Florida running the whole marathon. It was that simple. My secret goal was to beat 12 hours.

My plan for Ironman Florida:

• Make the swim easy
  
• 350 calories every hour on the bike (heed/carbo pro + gel)
• Pay hommage to my HR monitor and do not leave zone 2 on the bike.
• No battles on the bike- the ego has to stay home.
• Run the way you have practiced- 8:45 to 9:30 min miles.
  
• No walking. Period- non- negotiable.
  

Okay, I had the most frickin' perfect day ever. My plan was executed exactly the way I planned and practiced. I had only one problem the whole day, and it was the fact that I peed 13 times on the bike- yes, I went back and counted, 13 times on the bike. And, although I did pee on myself a few of those times, I had to stop 8 other times to really go. I lost a lot of time stopping, and I was also uncomfortable for a good portion of the race with a full bladder (plus my bladder is very weak and I cannot hold too much in there). That part was miserable. However, I was getting in plenty of sodium and I was not bloated, so I stuck to my nutrition plan. The problem was the cool weather in the first 2 hours was reducing my sweat output (I am used to Memphis weather), so I was not using all of the fluid I was taking in. And, in the end I think everything worked out because I was hydrated completely and had the appropriate amount of calories to set me up for the run. I was frustrated, but also understood that while my bike time would suffer, my run time would probably improve. In the future, I will probably practice some other nutrition strategies to keep my bladder a little more comfortable. Lord help me when I have kids- I will be in the bathroom all of the time!

But, a good point is- nutrition counts. I never got hungry the whole race. I got in every calorie. I stuck with the plan. I had no stomach problems because I went at my appropriate pace for digesting food.

Also, I stuck with my HR plan. When I saw my HR in zone 3, I immediately backed down. Even if this meant my pace would slow down. Yes, it sucks to let people pass you that you know should not pass you. Yes, it is hard to see a mph avg that you know should be higher. But, I made a decision to use my HR monitor and stay in zone 2. I averaged EXACTLY low to mid zone 2 for the bike. I think this was a good decision for me as a beginner to keep everything on the low end. It meant I was able to digest food. It meant I would be able to run the marathon- my goal. It also meant I had to control my ego when I didn't want to obey my HR monitor. This was the hardest part.

But, let's get to the good stuff. My run rocked. It was the easiest marathon I have ever done. I had one porto-potty stop for some diarrhea time at the 13.1 turnaround but never felt bad or had any problems beyond that. I made sure to get in all of my nurtrition at ever station. I took 1 gel per 3 miles. I did drop my endurolytes and had to start picking up salt tabs off of the ground, and thank goodness for special needs because I stopped there too to retrieve some things I dropped. I ran the whole time unless I was taking in nutrition and needed to walk to do so. I ran just as fast, if not faster at times, on the back half of the marathon. I loved every minute of the run. I never felt like walking- never went to a dark place. I cheered others on and enjoyed myself.

I ran at the pace I trained, and I trained at the pace I thought was reasonable to run for my first ironman. And I finished- no death march, no walking. Goal achieved. It is a beautiful day. Secret goal achieved with an 11:46, it is still a beautiful day.

Okay, that is all of the time I have this morning. I feel great- I am ready to starting training again, and I am not kidding. Don't freak out on me, I am taking the week off. I am just saying I feel good and happy. More details and thoughts to come later.

Cheers!