Journey 70.3: Getting Started

God willing, my goals for next year are to hit two milestones – my 50^th birthday in February and my first half Ironman in September.  Not having achieved either milestone before, there are a lot of unknowns as to how I will feel but suffice it to say that the first milestone prompted the goal for the second one.  Not achieving the birthday milestone didn’t sound appealing so I decided to go for it.  Not going for the half Ironman milestone had its appeal, but I needed a new challenge and new birthday wish list full of gear to milk this milestone birthday.

Here’s what I’m doing to get started:

Selecting my race – I want to have the experience of an Ironman branded race for my first (and only?) half Ironman.  Not being the fastest athlete on the planet I need an “easier” race to hopefully meet the cut off times.  I also prefer a race I can drive to, and want a later season race to insure enough summertime training.  The bay swim and flat course of Atlantic City meets the criteria so I signed up as soon as the race opened up – now I have no excuse!

Launching my training – I know I need to train differently (more intervals) and smartly (not overdo the mileage and get injured).  I found a great program, TriDot, that I’m trying out as part of their pre-season program.  Essentially, I get 2 free months of training in exchange for following their program and providing them with my data as they optimize their training program, which includes a dynamic, customized training plan.  In my professional world, I’m interested in how big data and predictive analytics can be applied in health and wellness so I’m my own living experiment!  I took an assessment at the beginning of the program and then a few weeks into my training and had already improved my 200 and 400 yard swims by 24 and 31 seconds respectively and my 5K run by 31 seconds.  My bike assessment is apples to oranges comparison as I had to do my second assessment indoors but I’m inclined to believe the 4 minute improvement on a 15 mile time trial since my other disciplines improved.  Over the next month I’ll be deciding what training program to move forward with as I think I will want some live coaching, but this program has motivated me to go from 3 hours / week to 6-8 hours / week and is yielding results.

Getting social – We’ve enjoyed being part of the Martha’s Vineyard cycling club and meeting fellow triathletes.  As I searched for a tri club in the CT / NYC area, I realized that my long commutes were going to make group training events a challenge.  I also tend to do more races in PA and places where the metro NY clubs don’t go.  So when our triathlon friend Diane recommended the Philadelphia Triathlon Club, we thought, why not?  After all, Philadelphia was my birthplace 50 years ago and we got a discounted and early entry into the Atlantic City race, where we’ll also have onsite race support.  They also have a great active Facebook community which is already giving me great advice.

Shopping for new gear – I read an article that reminded me that the time you need to put into race preparation extends beyond just training time.  To get faster on the bike, I’ve finally decided to get a triathlon bike.  I’ve been using my holiday break to get my bike fitting (a must before you begin shopping), research the brands that align to my fitting, and begin shopping.  My goal is to get my new bike in January so I can begin training in an aero position early in my training.  Stay tuned for what I ultimately choose.

The great thing about getting older is that we learn how to just enjoy the journey, which is what I’m doing.  I’ve never run past 10K without getting injured so we’ll see if I can train in a new way that gets me to a half marathon.  Learning to ride a tri bike is going to be a new (and maybe a little scary) experience, and I’m hoping it will give me the speed I need to make the bike cut off time.  My race goal is simply to finish, but even if I don’t I’m going to enjoy the journey.

That's So Cathy, Quakertown Independence Tri 2106

The time had come, after what I thought was a fine balance between training enough without overtraining, the Independence Tri was finally here!  The forecast was for 100% chance of rain the day of the event, but in my new "just have fun" mode I decided not to care.   I made my way on the 2 hour journey to Lake Nockamixon, feeling lonely without my constant travel companion Bella.  After picking up my race packet, I headed over to the cabin on the other side of the lake.  Had I known nobody was there yet, I might have tried my hand at paddle boarding on the lake.  But Cathy arrived shortly after, and we had both brought something to eat.  So we sat and ate our respective wraps while catching up on sister talk.  As we unpacked all of our stuff, Cathy remarked that she knew I would bring practical and useful items like a fan for our bedroom.  I proceeded to start some food prep for dinner while Cathy went out on a pre-race bike ride.  Diane, Eric and Mac arrived shortly and it was hugs and kisses all around.  I hadn't seen them since the Philly Tri last year, when my car was broken into and my Tri bag was stolen.  We set about making a huge pasta dinner for the group of 3 cabins.  Before long the rest of Diane and Eric's friends came over to make a full house, which is always more fun.  We were all ready for bed pretty early thanks to some Lime-A-Ritas and 3 bottles of wine that various group members had brought.
It's always rough getting to sleep the night before an event, especially this time in a cabin with no AC.. on a less than super mattress.  But we drifted off before long, and woke up later to steady rain on the roof.  We were glad to have left our bikes under the porch overhang so they wouldn't be all wet for the event.  Cathy had been awake for a while, I was pretty groggy.  I am not, and will likely never be a morning person.  We were also a little silly due to lack of sleep and morning race excitement.  One of us cracked a joke at which point we were giggling like school girls, trying not to wake up the whole cabin.  I decided to break event rule #1 and wear a new "more supportive" sports bra even though I hadn't tested it.  What could go wrong, it's more supportive?  I brought 2 pair of swim socks, which was nice because Cathy had forgotten hers.  I recalled that one sock was a little loose, but out of the 4 socks I had no idea which one.  The group ate bananas, bagels, and other race morning foods.  Despite our plan to leave on time and get there early, we found ourselves hurrying.  So we threw our bikes on Cathy's car rack, and took off for the race.  At this point, Cathy backed the car straight into the cabin with our bikes taking a hit!  "Shit" she said, as I jumped out to survey the damage.  Everything looked in tact so we hurried off to the event, planning to figure it out when we got there.
At first glance, we thought only her pedal had sustained a scrape.  But when I spun her wheel around, clearly it was badly bent out of true and would be problem.  Disappointingly, there were no bike techs at the event as there had been in previous years.  So Cathy bent her wheel back in shape and did a fast test ride; only to discover that her handlebars were also bent.  Meanwhile, I was still in a morning fog and having not done an event in 2 years, forgot that when I left the transition area for the National Anthem I needed to have ALL of my swim gear with me.  I had my wetsuit on, but left my goggles, swim cap, swim socks, and ear plugs in the transition area.  So I had to beg the gatekeepers to let me back in, and blamed my blonde hair, which seemed to work.
Time to swim!  The buoys looked far away, and I reminded myself that it's the same 1/4 mile I do in the pool.  I was so thankful that the water was warm this time, as my last 3 events had been bitterly cold even with my wetsuit.  Speaking of wetsuits, therein lies my next problem.  Apparently my year of power Yoga classes had created some huge lats because I could barely zip up my wetsuit, and the neck was very tight.  The water was awesome, but I was really struggling.  My wetsuit was so tight I could barely breathe and was even wheezing.  While swimming, I reached up and partially unzipped the neck, which helped a little.  Then halfway through the swim, my swim sock started to come off so I was dealing with that, and the lake seaweed.  This coupled with my new supportive (actually constricting) sports bra made it the worst swim I had ever done!  For 2 weeks after the tri, the extensor muscles in my foot were aching thanks to the faulty sock, and I knew that it was all due to my bad preparation.  For my first event, I had planned every detail so precisely, and this time I had decided to mostly wing it.  Stress less, and just have fun was my motto!  I definitely favor precise planning should I do another event.
The bike leg went OK, I rode at a decent pace but my bike was making a strange noise and I think something was slightly bent from the impact of the cabin, but I had no idea what.  Race volunteers were yelling at us to slow down coming into the transition area, because although the rain had stopped, the roads were wet and slippery.
The run went fine for the first mile, but by that point I was in agony.  I had expected this, because I was unable to run more than a mile during training.  I was hoping that endorphins would kick in, and I could run the full 2 miles.. this did not happen.  I had to walk jog the second mile, but I knew coming into the event that this was a probability so I just accepted it and kept moving forward.  I had significant pain from my left foot all the way up to my left hip.  It made me feel better to see plenty of other people walking, and I reminded myself this was for fun. So I encouraged others along the way, and enjoyed myself, making new friends with other walkers.
There was the usual post-race high as I sprinted across the finish line where Cathy was waiting for me.
It was then that we learned Diane had crashed her bike, and could barely walk but had still finished the Tri.  We waited for the times to be posted and learned that Diane, despite having badly crashed, had finished second in her age group.  We later learned that she had some hairline fractures, and torn some ligaments in her hip... and still took second!!
Cathy, despite the condition of her bike and little training, had finished third in her age group.
I had a great time meeting new people and making memories with Cathy and Diane, so you could say my goals were met as well.  I had made some custom Yoli jerseys for the event, which garnered a lot of admiration on Facebook, getting 451 likes in the Yoli group!!        

That's So Barb

Recently I rescued a cat, and upon learning this news a colleague of mine for more than 20 years said "That's So Barb".  This is the same person who once described my life as more of a 'weekend mini series' than a soap opera during the most dramatic of times.  

So when my sister Cathy asked me if I wanted to do the Quakertown Tri with her, of course I said yes even though I was fighting shoulder tendonitis from too much power yoga, and can't run more than a mile without a lot of pain in my left knee.  

In true "That's So Barb" fashion, I got an injection in my shoulder at 11:30am and was signed up to do a Tri by 11:30 pm.  I told my husband a week and a half later (after I started training) that I was doing another Tri, also totally Barb.   Cathy wasn't sure if her husband Mike could come, as he has a wedding the same weekend.  My first  reaction:  you do the Tri, I'll go to the party with Mike. Definitely Barb.  

So it looks like Cathy and I are doing it again, although I insisted that this one would just
be for "fun".  Stay tuned for updates and send happy thoughts my way as I push the limits of my various injuries in pursuit of the goal.  

The Chocolate Tour

I have been saying "Yes" to a lot of new things this year.
I said yes to Cathy inviting me to do the Philly Tri as a relay, and we all know how that ended:  with my car window smashed, and my thong panties in a shop vac.  (You're going to have to read my previous post to hear the whole story.)  But then I said yes to her offer to visit her on the Vineyard and despite a long trip there and back it was the best part of my year!  Riding our bikes along the scenic coastline into Oak Bluffs for a girls lunch was amazing and I wish we could do it every weekend.
After doing the 35 mile Tour of Lebanon County early summer, I have been putting in a lot of miles on my bike.  Often I ride by myself but finally I organized a group ride with my friend and spin class instructor Linda and another lady a few Saturdays ago... and easily did 25 miles averaging 14.5 mph.  So when my husband suggested I do the 50 mile Chocolate Tour, once again I said "Yes".  And then panicked!
What, 50 miles I must be crazy?  But Cathy had just done a 50 mile ride on the Vineyard and she said "you can do it" so there it was: a challenge hanging in the air waiting for me to respond.  I checked the route on map my ride and felt confident.  The best part of this tour was that 90% of the roads I would be riding on were parts of my regular route.  It is easier to do a distance ride when you know what to expect from the terrain.    
This tour is a very scenic route starting out on back roads from Hershey to Colebrook with 1 or 2 short but steep hills, through Mt. Gretna past the lake to the first rest stop 25 miles in to the ride.  Then another couple tough hills, and out 419 towards Schafferstown and looping back to Cornwall right near our house.  Around this point, I thought maybe I would be tempted to just go home, but when the time came I still had plenty of energy.  More back roads through scenic and peaceful farm lands to the next rest stop at the Gingrich Mennonite Church, only 10 miles to go after this point.  Incidentally, this was the best part of the ride, in addition to the well stocked rest points we had real bathrooms with running water at both stops!  At the second rest stop I had to stretch out my back and my neck was getting sore, but my legs were fine, I was feeling very strong.  I easily did the last 10 miles with my only issue being my sore neck and was happy to see that I averaged 13.1 mph, very respectable for my first 50.
So how does a typically low carb eater get enough fuel to do a 50 mile ride?  Well the day before I ate bread (gasp) as well as beer and pizza the night before.  The day of the ride I had 4 pieces of whole wheat toast, and half a banana beforehand.  During the ride I had 1 Detour Smart bar with 18g carbs and 10g protein plus an all natural fruit stick within the first 25 miles.  At the rest stop, another half a banana, and a bag of potato chips for sodium.  Then between the first and second rest stops another Detour Smart Bar.  Second rest stop, half a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat and another bag of chips plus more banana.  Then on the last 10 another all natural fruit stick.  My basic principle was to drink fluids (Yoli Fun with electrolytes and Yoli Passion with caffeine) at least every 20 minutes and eat some fuel about every 40 minutes.  You must hydrate before you feel thirsty!
Later I calculated that I had burned around 1800 calories on my ride.  I was so pleased with my performance, I truly think the hydration and well spaced fuel played a major part in my success.  Aside from a sore neck, and a little sciatica at the end I think I could have easily done 60-65 miles.  After I returned to the venue, I ate a piece of pizza and pasta salad plus 2 bottles of water while I rested in the grass waiting for David to return from the 100 mile ride.  No, I am not ready to do 100 (yet).  

Swimming for Dyslexia

Happy to help support Dean on his last swim leg!

My husband Mike and his Mom have recounted the stories of his 1970s childhood when he was diagnosed with dyslexia and she would sit down with him at the kitchen table to try and help him read.  Back then, the advice given was simply "try harder" or "get new glasses".  Needless to say, it was a frustrating and tearful experience for both.  Just like we now know a lot more how to optimize performance in endurance sports, there are now much improved methods for helping dyslexic children to succeed.

A Vineyarder, Dean Bragonier, who also suffered as a child has taken up the cause by founding NoticeAbility, a non-profit that according their website was "Inspired by the neuroscientific discoveries presented in The Dyslexic Advantage, NoticeAbility’s curricula provide authentic inquiry experiences in vocational subject matters that capitalize on the neurological strengths of students with dyslexia: entrepreneurship, engineering, architecture and the arts."  To gain publicity for his cause, he spent the last month swimming the 50 mile circumference of Martha's Vineyard, 2 miles at a time.

I've become intrigued with marathon swimming lately after picking up a freebie book at the library about Lynne Cox, who at age 14 swam the channel between Catalina Island, CA and the mainland and went to break the English Channel record at age 15 in 1972 and again in 1973.  She then went on to accomplish many other swimming firsts, including swimming the 2.3 mile In the Bering Strait between Alaska and the Soviet Union in 43 degree F water in 1987 as a means to bring the two Cold War countries together.  She allowed for a lot of ground breaking cold water temperature experiments to be performed on her and ultimately became the only person to swim 1.22 miles in Antarctica's 32 degree water!

So after reading this, plus following two other stories this summer about one 63 old swimmer who attempted to swim the 14 miles from Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket in one shot (he unfortunately had to abandon his attempt with 3 miles to go) and a 28 year old swimmer who swam 25 miles from Cape Cod to Nantucket in just over 12 hours this summer, I became intrigued with Dean's story and followed his video blog (http://www.noticeability.org/blog/ )

Dean finished his swim on August 16 and invited the community to join him in the last swim leg along scenic State Beach, my favorite place to swim.  I opted for the 1.25 mile swim (after a 36 mile bike ride!) and while I couldn't keep up with him, I had people cheering me on along the way.  I finished around 50 minutes, which beats my Vineyard Tri 1.2 mile swim last year by 22 minutes (albeit the Tri was much tougher conditions!).

It's perhaps no surprise that people who have had to overcome dyslexia go on to overcome other aspects of adversity and become successful in their careers and endurance athletics.  NoticeAbility’s website says that 35% of entrepreneurs, 40% of self-made millionaires, and 50% of NASA employees have dyslexia.  But there is a flip side:  35% of children with dyslexia do not graduate from high school, and 50% of adolescents in juvenile detention centers and 60% in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers have dyslexia. 

Just like the proper coaching methods make all the difference in athletics, the same is true with dyslexia, which is why Noticeability is making a difference to unlock the potential of students with dyslexia.

Philadelphia Tri-Rock, my first Event in 2 Years

     When Cathy asked me if I wanted to do the Philly Tri Rock Sprint as a Relay, I had just completed the 26 mile Tour of Lebanon County and was feeling strong on my bike for the first time in 2 years.  I hesitated, not being sure what to expect of myself after 2 years out of the game recovering from injuries, but eventually said yes.  Cathy would do the swim, her friend Diane would be doing the run, and I was invited to stay with them in the Philly suburbs the night before the Event.  I was looking forward to doing an event with my sister as a team!  Being an Independent Distributor of Yoli, I chose "Team Yoli" as our group name, and ordered Yoli Give Make A Wish T Shirts for us to wear after the event.  I thought the Tri-Rock pictures would be a nice way to give recognition to Yoli partnering with the Make A Wish Foundation this year.

     I was nervous about going to the City by myself, we go often but David always drives and I hate city driving.  But I have a Nav in my car, so what could go wrong?  The forecast for 100% chance of rain was a bad omen but we hoped it would hold off until after the early morning race was over.  
I planned to park in the Please Touch Museum parking lot, which was supposed to be near the Expo Tent to pick up my race packet.   After a pretty standard drive on the Schuykill to reach the city, I did get turned around once but finally reached Smith Field where the event check in was located.  I had envisioned reaching the Museum, parking, and then finding the Tent.  But my Nav took me in the back entrance and and the tent appeared first, so I grabbed a spot where some other people were parking along one of the side roads near the tent.  I wasn't altogether happy with my location on this small one way street in the park, but I was tired of driving and didn't feel like navigating around the park again to find a better one.
     After checking in and picking up my race packet, I meandered around the expo waiting for Cathy to arrive.  I didn't hear from her, but her friend Diane texted me that she had picked up her race packet and was headed back to the house.  I decided to go to Diane's place, since I hadn't heard from Cathy and was getting hungry.  After entering the address in my Nav, I headed out to meet my hosts for the weekend.  While driving down the highway, I was attempting to put up the rear windows which I had left cracked; when the passenger side window didn't seem to go up I glanced over my shoulder to see what was wrong.  It was then that I noticed someone had smashed out the window and stolen my briefcase from the center section where I had situated it, thinking I was being safe to move it out of view from the front seat.  Of course a wave of shock came over me, and I said some choice words upon realizing I had been robbed.  But I was driving on a busy 3 lane highway, and could not immediately do anything about it so I just kept driving.  Within a few miles I saw a Philly cop who had someone pulled over, and stopped to let him know what had happened.  He said to call 911 and file a police report when I reached my destination.  I asked him to radio in an alert so that the patrol who was currently working the area might be aware there were smash and grab burglaries occurring at the event grounds.  I then made a list of all the important things that were in my briefcase before getting back on the road.

    After leaving the busy highway, I called a friend who had written me a check and asked her to put a stop payment on the check immediately.  As soon as I arrived at Diane and Eric's house, I was on the phone putting a freeze on my business checking account because the blank checks were in my briefcase.  Diane came out to greet me, and I had to break the news to her while I was on hold, apologizing for arriving at her doorstep in Lockdown Mode with an emergency.  After several phone calls to cancel and freeze various accounts, I introduced myself to Diane and met her cat Rose.  I then began the task of cleaning the broken glass out of my car, which had infiltrated the open duffel bag I had tossed my clothes in for the weekend.  As I can usually find a moment of humor in just about any situation,  Cathy's husband Mike watched as I began laughing hysterically after accidentally sucking up a pair of brightly colored thong panties into my host's shop vac.  I contemplated letting it go, but eventually decided to open the shop vac and retrieve them.  I was afraid Eric might get in trouble  months down the road, when Diane discovered some random panties that were not hers upon emptying their shop vac.  I was happy to see that the thieves had not taken the wine I brought for Eric and Daine, and at least I had my clothes.  I felt lucky that I had my wallet with me, and that I was not personally injured during the robbery.  Eric, who is an engineer, did a magnificent job of patching up my broken window.  With the main tasks completed, and the police report filed, we could finally enjoy a lovely pasta dinner.
After dinner I went upstairs to lay out my clothes for the event, and realized that I hadn't brought my Tri bag in the house.  I had a sinking feeling, but went to see if I had left it in the car.  At that point I realized that they had stolen my entire Tri bag which had my bike helmet, shoes, jersey's, rain jacket, gloves, basically everything I needed to do the race.  The bag also contained my Yoli Give T-Shirts that I had ordered for our team.  Hopefully, the thieves had earned themselves some bad Karma by messing with someone who was trying to give acknowledgement to a company for partnering with such a great charity.  Fortunately Cathy had brought all of her biking stuff because she was doing the olympic event the next day, and we wear the same size shoes.  Luckily I had also packed an extra biking outfit.
After a fitful nights rest, I woke up before my 5am alarm and got ready for the event.  While getting ready, I also realized my sports bras were in my Tri bag, so I had to borrow one from Diane (or wear my Victoria's Secret push up bra under my jersey with the questionable zipper that had broken that morning).  We learned the swim was cancelled due to the heavy rain, so Cathy would have to do a 1.5 mile run instead of the swim.  At this point, I thought to myself:  maybe I was not meant to do this event, nothing has gone right this weekend, maybe I should just give up and go back to bed.  Sometimes you have to wonder if every obstacle that appears in your path is just a challenge or if it is a warning.  But my feisty nature would not let me cave and we departed for the race, me wearing Diane's sports bra, Cathy's bike helmet, shoes and gloves, and my Jersey with the broken zipper.
Even though the radar showed rain encompassing the area, the roads were dry for my ride.  As soon as I took off on the bike leg of the Tri, I saw a girl holding a sign that said "Ride Like You Stole Something".  This gave me a surge of anger adrenalin as I remembered that someone out there had all my stuff.  Despite being exhausted after getting only 5 hours of sleep, I turned in a respectable average of 16.11 mph.  I was happy to have completed the event safely despite all of the set backs.  Enjoying a weekend with new friends and family helped to take the edge off of the disappointing and stressful way Friday had started.  And the best part was that I did get to do an event with my sister!

   

Got the Nerve 2015: Personal Bests

Personal bests are what keeping us triathletes coming back for more.  It’s a thrill after 5 years in this sport that I can still achieve personal bests.  I know at some point as I age that won’t be possible but I’m hoping the thrill of competing against “my current self” will keep me engaged.  Staying in the game no matter what physical limits a person has is the mission for I’M ABLE, the organization that sponsors Got the Nerve Triathlon in Mount Gretna, PA: 

The mission of the IM ABLE Foundation is to remove obstacles that prevent people affected by disabilities from being physically active by providing grants, resources, fitness opportunities and motivation. We change attitudes about the potential of disabled individuals by redefining what is possible.

This first race of 2015 proved that it’s not about volume of training but how experience and focused training can pay off.  In other seasons, I felt I sometimes peaked too early so I decided not to go as hard this past winter (not to mention having a busy work schedule).  Last year, I was seeing that my total ranking was usually higher than any one of the rankings for the 3 sports.  I realized that the volume of swim training I was doing was no longer paying off now that I was an adequate swimmer.  After having a successful, injury free season last year, I decided to focus on getting faster on my run this season.

A funny thing happened on my way to less swimming and more running training – I got faster in both!  I can’t really explain it other than the water temp was reasonable this year and I didn’t hyperventilate like last year, cutting 2 minutes off of the 500 yard swim.  I also cut about 50 seconds off the bike.  I know this was a Sprint tri 5K personal best but the open question is by how much as my GPS watch only registered 2.86 miles at a 9:23 pace, and the results are showing I did the supposed 5K course in 26:45 at a 8:38 pace, which is plausible.  Mike also had his best sprint 5K time.  Nevertheless, the third time for this race was a personal best for both Mike and me as I cut close to 7 minutes off my last year’s time, and he cut over 4 minutes off of his best time.

At each race I'm reminded why I race.  It is about constantly improving my own abilities but it is also about being surrounded by the energy and inspiration of fellow athletes of all life situations and abilities.  We often have to recalibrate our “personal best” to our current life’s situation.  I was thrilled to cross the finish line at the same time that a miracle was taking place.  A man who had lost both legs came down the finish line in his hand cycle and then put on “his new legs”, a technology that was demonstrated for the first time at this race that allowed him to walk over the finish line.  As I was approaching the finish line, I heard the announcer declaring what was about to transpire which gave me inspiration to speed up so I could witness it.  It was a personal best for both of us.

A thrill to cross the finish line and then witness this amazing feat!