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I know. You all have HAD it with the half iron photos (and I haven’t even gotten to the race-sponsored ones). But, the truth is, I really like this one. Close-up, you can see I was still red and puffy from crying. I think I’m sunburned, too. But I was finally relaxed enough to let go and realize what I had just accomplished. Seriously. Somehow, I had dragged my ass 70.3 miles across this course after having a suck-ass day before with my husband in the ER. I didn’t want to race this morning. But James made me get out there.

And I’m glad he did.

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I’m really, really glad he did.

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I just had to share this photo. The photos from Racine keep coming in from my friends and from the race organizers, photographers, etc. When I received this from Brooke tonight, I just had to post. It’s the only image I’ve been able to find of James in his brace the day after his horrible crash. A lot of people saw him on the course cheering, but there wasn’t much documentation or evidence.
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At least until now.

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Luckily, he’s not in the brace any longer. He’s doing much better (aside from some bruised ribs that are painful). His bike is in miraculous condition (he’ll get it back this week). And he’s actually planning on teaching his first spin class on the bike since the accident tomorrow.

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Good stuff.

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Me, I’ve not been totally resting because Turtleman is in two weeks so I had some speedwork and other training to complete this week. Today was a longer brick and I was wiped afterwards. The combination of heat, sun and a nutso week made it a challenge. But I’m glad I got the 2 hour, 30 minute workout in the bank.

This week will be easier and then a slight taper for my last big race of the season.

Although, I am considering a Fall marathon. I told myself to wait until after Racine to see how a felt before making any committments. Now, after, I feel pretty damn good. I don’t want to take it for granted or risk injury. But I feel pretty confident and I can rest and ramp up for a late October run of 26.2.

I got to meet Tony the Tiger the day before the race. I thought that was a good sign.

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The girls and I at the swim clinic the day before. The waves were huge, but we were glad we did it in order to prepare. Luckily, the wind wasn’t an issue on race day.

I don’t really want to go in, but I do anyway.

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And we’re off…

I’m a little confused. I thought James was going to pass me off sports drink here — not take my picture. Luckily they caught up with me later with a refill.

I felt really strong here at 7 miles. Unfortunately, from miles 9 through 11, I felt much worse.

Finishing it up, this was all I had left.

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Brooke and I right after the finish. Can you tell I wasn’t ready to smile yet?

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Finally, I’m ready to smile. I’m with my girls. We’re all first-timers and we rocked!

I’m in the car on my way to Racine. It was hard letting go of work for the weekend, too much going on. But it can wait until Monday. I can worry about it then.

No, it’s race weekend now. I’ve been visualizing. I’ve been re-reading my race-related chapters of Friel’s book. I’ve been thinking about the swim and how I’ll remain calm. I’ve been thinking about my nutrition. And I’ve been reading all the 70.3 info I can on my slow little iphone conection.

This weekend will be great.

The plan is to catch the end of Sascha’s race tomorrow, catch the swim clinic, check in, do a mini-brick and then rest. I can’ t believe it’s here.Shanghai Kiss movie

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Okay. It may be too late to change, but I sent an email to the organizers of the Spirit of Racine triathlon a few days ago asking if I could switch from my age group category of 35 – 39 to the Athena category. For those not in the know, that’s the women 150 lbs. and up cat.

I haven’t post a lot about weight here recently. I’ve been more concerned with training this season than trying to dump the pounds that I’ve gained since I hit goal 2-1/2 years ago. But, the truth is, when I hit goal at 135 lbs., I was a size 8. Right now? I still fit in most of my size 8 clothes. Sure, sometimes, the 10s are more comfy. But I’m not the same 150 lbs. I was years ago. I have much more muscle now. How else can you explain the size 8s?

At any rate, when I stepped on the scale on Monday, I was a little surprised to see myself still at 150.1 (in fact, this morning I was at 151.5). My pants are actually fitting me BETTER than before Colorado and I’m the exact same weight.

So, you know what I decided? I decided to own the weight and try and take advantage of it by trying something new.

I have no idea how strong the chicks in the Athena cat will be. But, I thought it might be more fun to race a smaller field than the larger number of women in my age group. Just to see. Regardless, I’m going to cross the line. The time on the clock will be the number that concerns me most. And if I can get out of the way of my awesome other 35 – 39 female age grouper teammates, all the better.

So, tell me I’m not stupid for making the change if I actually can…

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So, the ladies I’m racing with and I have been sharing information on our tri team boards. I just posted a huge post regarding my approach to pacing and nutrition and thought I might share it here as well. If any of you have advice, please comment away:

——-

Links: here’s two articles that I’ve found helpful — thoughts on pacing your first half ironman:

http://www.byrn.org/gtips/halfpace.htm

http://www.endurancefactor.com/Articles/Pacing_article.htm

My attitude: I was actually really nervous UNTIL I started reading more about pacing. This race is all about discovery for me. I’m not going to make the mistake of going hard. I always go hard in all my other races, so Sunday will be a different approach. I’m going to follow both the advice of the link above the Friel article I posted above. Swim easy. Take the first half of the bike easy, ramp up a little on the second part of the bike. Start the run easy and then, if possible, go harder for the final third/quarter of the run.

Nutrition: Wow. I do really wished I would have trained with a liquid fuel like Perpetuim, but I didn’t. So, I’m going to stick to my initial plan. Get up early for a breakfast of Bagel, PB & J. I’ll have a banana on the way into the race site. I’ll take a gel right before the swim start. Then, on the bike, I’ll have both a bottle of water and Gu2O. I’ll drink only water for the first 20 – 30 minutes to allow my stomach to settle from the swim and then force myself to drink every 15 minutes and take in Cliff Blocks (2 to 3 pkgs) and Gu. I’m going to make sure I take in that stuff every 30 to 45 minutes after the initial 20-30 minutes of the ride. I’ll also bring a Clif Bar just in case I crave something heavier. I’m going to pick up water and drink at the aid stations on the bike. For the run, I’m going to stick with Gu in my flask and, again, take it in every 30 to 45 minutes. Finally, I’m going to take in Enduralytes and take one approx. every 20 minutes (depending on the heat). Finally, if there is fruit on the course, I may take some of that early in the bike because I know I ride on it okay.

A few more links:

http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/triathlon-training/preparing-for-a-half-ironman-triathlon-000892.php

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=438

As for changing flats, I don’t know what to say about wheel support. I’d check the rules. I think support wheel should be fine (in Turtleman one year, I had my flat changed for me by the bike mechanic). I’m bringing my bag with one tube, levers, patch kit and 2 cartridges so I can change my own. I’ve had enough flats this year, so I should be good at it.

Finally, my prediction time according to the calculator is between 6:48 and 7:07. Like my first marathon, I’ve given myself three goals, (1) ultimate, perfect race day scenario, (2) my regular goal time and (3) what I’ll be happy with if the day isn’t perfect. #1 is 6:45, #2 is 7:10 and #3 is just finishing the damn thing.

Oh, and we’re leaving on Monday. I don’t think I want to get in a car after racing this sucker.

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And today was it, folks. My last “real” brick before Spirit of Racine. I do have a pre-race one on Saturday — but that’s light and only 45 minutes long with a few short bursts of effort. I also have two swims, a bike and a run on the schedule this week, but they are all short, too. So, that’s it. My work is done before my first half-iron distance race and I’m nervous as hell but know that there isn’t much more I can do than just to remain calm and take it as it comes on race day.

I can’t control the weather.

I can’t do anything else training-wise to improve performance.

I can remain optimistic.

I can visualize success.

I can make sure I get optimal rest.

And I can make sure I’m prepared.

So, today? It was a short brick. A little over an hour bike ramping up to 20 minutes at 10k race pace followed by a quick transition (including removing shoes on bike — go, me) and a 20 minute run at 10k race pace. It wasn’t exactly an enjoyable workout. It was tough. But it was also short and the temperatures are great right now, so I enjoyed it. And I feel good chalking up my last real effort before my A race.

If I have any second thoughts about training this year, it’s that I didn’t make swimming as high a priority in the past couple of months. I was doing great up until May. But then work and vacations got in the way and, unfortunately, I probably skipped more swim workouts that I should have. I also wasn’t out there running as much in these past two months either. So, while cycling is (and has always been my strong suit), I was on my bike the most which, sure, will be great for the cycling portion. But I wish I wouldn’t have been such a slave to my Diva and had made time for the sports where I really need to see improvement.

But, what’s done is done. I’m where I’m at. And I have gotten some great training in (including that awesome week in Colorado).

So, here we go. Hopefully, this is my last week as a non half-iron distance triathlete.The Valley of Gwangi full movie Candyman buy The Dead Zone dvdrip

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This is my first post from my new iPhone. I’m having a rough time with the keyboard – but I’m learning. I just finished an hour thirty brick and it was cool to immediately log my workout into Training Peaks from my deck without having to log onto a laptop. Crazy stuff.

Side note: today was my second day of practicing taking my shoes off on the bike to speed up my Transition 2 time – and it wasn’t nearly as hard as I imagined it would be. In fact, I think there is a strong likelihood that I’ll even do it in Racine at the half iron. :) Never thought the day would come that I’d become one of them…

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I really need to sit down and just write up our vacation. The longer I take to do it, the harder it is to do.

That said, today had a different primary goal. It was my last long run before the Spirit of Racine half iron-distance race in two weeks.

I headed out in 85 degree temps with an insane dew point and pounded out the 12 miles I wanted to get in the bank. After a horrible run yesterday following our 60+ mile ride (long ride brick w/20 minute run), I was worried about the heat. I’m a terrible runner when there is humidity and high temps. And, yesterday, after a very decent ride in the morning yesterday, my run following was hell. The temps were in the 90s. The trail we were running on was sun-baked and I was struggling the eek out the 20 minutes required. I think I stopped sweating (not a good sign) and all I could think was, “how in the hell am I doing to do 13 miles if the weather is like this?”

But today, I tried not to think about the un-comfortableness of yesterday. I knew it was going to be hot. I knew I had mileage to get in the bank. So, I just prepared to be hydrated. I took enduralytes along (one for each 2 miles) and practiced my race day strategy. I had a Gu every 4 miles. And I hit the mileage. It did wonders for my spirit and my attitude for Racine.

That said, it was tough. I got some major chaffing (need to remember to bring Body Glide along on the run). But I’ll manage.

Somehow, I will manage.

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It was a great week. I can’t believe how much climbing we did.

And, honestly, the altitude wasn’t that bad.

That said, I got damn good at climbing between 6 and 7 mph. Slow and steady: the two recurring themes of my week.

More later. I gots laundry to do and an iPhone to purchase.

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