Throwing Myself in Front of a Train

We ventured to the "other side of the river" today as we headed to Augusta, Georgia for a trial run of the Augusta Half IM course. We had a nice 10-15 car paceline zipping down I-20 with our bikes in tow, drafting along the way. There was a moment of clarity and childlike excitement within as reality hit me that all of the cyclists in line and I will actually soon be a part of something "bigger" when we complete 70.3. What a unique experience!

In addition to checking out the unknown route ahead, I was looking forward to meeting my Atlanta tri buddy,Teri, for the first time. I feared, like several times in the past, that it wasn't going to happen today either! The morning started off relatively chaotic. I won't use the terminology that a fellow cyclist used but I will say that it was a little short of a mess initially. Early obstacles included a short jaunt (NOT) down the Riverwalk to find the bathroom which became a 20 minute round-trip endeavor that resulted in me checking out the host hotel and the dirty waters we would be swimming in; we didn't park where I'd told my Atlanta buddy we were going to park; Google maps got one cyclist lost before we even started and when we finally hit the route, I soon realized that I may not get to see Teri afterall given that we never even made our way onto a few roads that were on the cue sheets. Nevertheless, despite the delays, we headed out onto the course.

As always, it was a quick start. Like horses out of the gate, we were off! Once we realized that we were not on the cue sheet mileage, several of us gave chase for about an hour with the lead pack. Although totally invigorating and quite a confidence booster, it was also a bit draining both physically and mentally cycling without a warm-up. We soon dropped several riders and a few of the guys dropped the bulk of the pack, too. As we began to find our groove, finally!!!, the meeting that seemed as if it would never happen took place in the passing of two cyclists on the highway. Teri and I finally got to meet and how appropriately so on the bike! It was short but seemed to be just the way it was meant to happen. Amazing how a random FB posting about a wetsuit led to this moment.

The route, overall, was a good route. There were some really good, long flats, some quick downhills and as always, a few inclines that left you begging for a chairlift to pick you and your bike up to take you to the top. Taxi!!! The cue sheets offline weren't accurate and this was a bit frustrating at times. Lots of "we missed the turns" and "that was our road". We stopped for directions once and close to the end of the ride, realized we'd overshot our final destination. Needless to say, we found our way back and were able to make a fairly quick transition into a run. Success!

Aside from meeting Teri and her friends, the highlight of the trip was undoubtedly my first official initiation into the hardcore cycling community. In an attempt to avoid the bolt-heads on the railroad tracks, I turned my front wheel slightly to the left. This proved to be quite an error in judgment as I soon found myself on the ground checking out the bolt-heads up close and personal and bringing new meaning to "throwing yourself in front of a train". In that instant, I saw my IM days flash quickly before me. It's amazing what you think of in the span of 10 seconds. Luckily, I wasn't injured (nor Barry who took a similar fall right behind me) and my body (today I was thankful for a meaty booty) broke Buzz's fall as I left no bike parts, only my own DNA, on the pavement. I think that I can honestly say, I got a Georgia peach tattooed on my hiney! As we gathered the group back together, a ringing bell and blaring horns reminded our group of exactly where I'd fallen...on the tracks! Oncoming train! LOL. This made for a much quicker recovery.

We ended the day, including the missed turns, downtown traffic and redlights, and my first crash averaging 17.1 MPH. We did a little over 65 miles in 3:52:12. Not exceptional, but today, I'll take it! :) And at the end of the day, Teri and I actually had a chance to stop and talk, if only for a little while. I have no doubt that we'll meet again on these same roads in near future. IM Augusta 70.3!

The Georgia peach tattoo and I will run 13.1 miles in the morning. I can hardly wait :)

BlueSeventy Siren Swim Goggles

Finally, a pair of swim goggles that rock! On the advice of a good friend, I decided to check out the goggle selection offered by BlueSeventy, the same company that makes my wetsuit. The product, Siren, are women specific goggles that are exceptionally light, comfortable and remarkably clear. I decided to try them in both the pool and in the lake. Both were remarkably successful. I would highly recommend these goggles to anyone having trouble with pain around the eye socket or if they are just looking for a comfy pair of goggles.

We did an open water swim last night for 45 minutes, non-stop. This was a great swim and I felt very strong overall. Continuing to work on spotting, stroke efficiency and endurance. I can't wait to put it all together and see how it turns out at the Half IM. I think this will be a good test of what I need to focus on in the remaining weeks before IMAZ.

Gimme A Break

Wow! What a weekend...I am so thankful that today is the beginning of a recovery week. Saturday was unbelievably hot and humid for a 90-mile bike ride. We started exceptionally early and joined in with some friends who started cycling at 8:00AM. By then, we were "warmed up" to say the least and rode with them for about 17-miles before breaking off and venturing out to climb the hills of Newberry County as we'd originally planned. This was an L1/L2 ride for us and despite pedaling at a consistent pace, neither of us could find our groove. Several times I looked down to check my gears - I felt like we were pushing through a dense wall of humidity and thick air. I can honestly say that this ride today was not fun. By the time the ride was over, all we wanted to do was hit the lake and that's what we did. No run like we had on the schedule. Some days are just like that right?...

Day two - Some days are just like that right? We were supposed to do an open water swim this morning. Feeling guilty from yesterday, we decided we would run first to get some mileage in so we headed to Riverfront Park with the IM ladies + 1. We ran a little under 6-miles and then were off to swim. ROADBLOCK - our swim location was unavailable as one of our fellow swimmers was sick! EEK! Change of plan. We decided that we would swim later in the afternoon. Ummm, yeah, that didn't happen. My training partner and I were just tired. Simply put.

I am so relieved that this is a recovery week. Perhaps this past weekend was a subconscious anticipation of the week ahead. We are going to take it easy except for a few days where we are going to add a few things in just for good measure and a little extra mileage. The weekend allows for an "optional half Ironman"...I find that so funny to think about...it's on there like today you decide, yeah, I'll do a half this weekend...hope I can find one. Anyway, we're going to Augusta on Saturday to ride the Half IM cycling route. Sunday will be a long run and then we begin the "Competitive Phase" of our training schedule. This is intensity at it's finest.

33 Days Until IM Augusta 70.3!!!

Drills, Drills and No Thrills

The last two days have been tiring, tedious and torture! One-legged cycling drills, speed running drills, speed cycling drills, etc. Between the indoor trainer and the treadmill, I am ready for some open road action this weekend. The plan ahead: today is a 1.8 mile set of swim drills. If I can make it through tonight's workout, I get an off night tomorrow and then the weekend begins. YAY!!!

The plan for the weekend includes some fun things like lake activities, shopping, dinner with friends, etc. BUT, the real fun is the 90-mile bike ride followed by a 3-mile run on Saturday with a 1.75 mile open water swim on Sunday. I know, for many, that sounds like the REAL torture but that's so much more fun than any "stationary" exercise.

Return to Open Water Swimming

I was supposed to race yesterday in the Tri the Parks Series in Georgia but had opted out given my lack of open water swimming time over the last month. This was my first post-op open water swim and admittedly, I was a little nervous, especially given the fact that it would not be just my training partner and I. Laura, Sheila, Midge and I had decided to meet to swim at Lake Murray in a cove where one of them lives. I'd heard and seen previous swim times and knew that Sheila is a very good swimmer. Last year she swam the 2-mile dam swim in a little over an hour. I think that's a very respectable time to say the least given the comparison to me. Being the competitive one that I am, I decided I'd give chase for a little while and see where that got me. Off the dock, into the water and in hot pursuit. Surprisingly, I actually wasn't that far behind her. My training partner and I really only had to swim a mile and we had a pretty good idea of what this entailed for us based on Sheila's previous GPS tracking of the area. This area is absolutely ideal for swimming.

It was nice to be back in the open water again. I still think breathing for me has improved. I also made a slight adjustment to my swim stroke based on some advice I'd received from my training partner's observation. This made a huge difference, too.

Two days off this week...Monday and Friday. I broke down and ordered some women specific Blue Seventy Siren goggles for a friend and I tonight. We've both had issues with a cramp about 2700+ meters into the swims right below the eyebrow and slightly adjacent to the bridge of the nose. Will give these a try during Thursday's swim workout. Looking forward to trying them out. I'll give a review of them perhaps.

Rise and Shine and 99

Anticipation hit today for real! I logged into my blog and there is was...then end of the triple digits. We have 99 days until IM Arizona. The emotions are unbelievable and a bit overwhelming as our goal nears. I cannot believe how much time has passed and how much preparation has gone it. I can't wait to count up the mileage in the end that has gone into training.

Today was an 85-mile bike ride. Rhea, Alison, Shelly, Midge, Rick and I completed the Tour de Cure Route plus 20 miles. This was a much better ride today not doing the route unhealthy. I am starting to reap the benefits of the tonsillectomy I think. Several things feel different...could be real or imagined, either way, I am okay with the outcome minus some lingering memory issues and temperature regulation problems that I am having, and based on research, am attributing to the effects of anesthesia. Neither have an incredible impact on my training so I'm not complaining.

Very strong endurance ride today. Overall, it was consistent. Bike time was 5:18:57 and average speed 16.3mph. The run afterwards, well, we weren't all that successful in this department. It was relatively slow and given the hilliness of the 3-mile run course, we all had to walk a bit. It rained off and on during the run and was sooooo exceptionally hot by this time off the day. We'd started out this morning at 6:30AM which was an awesome start time. Nevertheless, the mileage was completed and I keep being told that walking isn't a bad thing and more people do it than don't. Several folks actually walk the entire marathon - let's hope I am not one of them! But if I am, I will do it to hear, Tonya Lewis, you are an IRON(wo)MAN!

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Helmet

What a great afternoon to ride yesterday! I love the rain and I love working out in the rain even more than just watching it. The four of us (and then one we added along the way) debated throughout the day as to whether or not we were going to have a storm that would prohibit us riding. In the end, we decided to chance it and how happy I am that we did.

We biked 2 hours at a 16+ MPH rate. It was an L1/L2 ride for my training partner and I so we tried to stay in the ballpark although I was way ahead quite a bit. However, the long straightaways and downhills were a chance to push it. Still feeling exceptionally strong on the bike and looking forward to riding this weekend. I absolutely love my cycling buddies. I can't say enough how nice it is to have such a great group of friends to take this journey with.

Thursday night is a run night and a long swim tomorrow.