It takes a village...

Hmmm, so it's been awhile since my blog actually made it to print.  Not to say that I have not been blogging, it has just all stayed in my head :-)  It's funny, one of my earliest realizations in triathlon was why triathletes blog.  Imagine being in a pool, face down staring at a black line for 1- 1.5hrs, three times a week; or pedaling down the road, usually with your closest friends for 7hrs on a Saturday & only being able to talk to them for 15min at a rest stop... My point is you have A LOT of time to yourself & many highly intellectual conversations (or, not) with... Yourself! ;-)
Although the bulk of my training is done alone, none of it could be done without the help from my Iron-Crew: Allen, Iron-Dad! When "we" decided that I was all-in for IMTX, without skipping a beat he said "I will be Iron-Dad!" Not that he already wasn't Iron-Dad, but we both knew it meant stepping in with the girls a lot more while I was training. The love, support & encouragement that I have received has blown my mind! I can't help but to feel extremely lucky, especially because we all know IM training can cause a huge strain on relationships, but I feel it has brought us closer and made us a stronger "team".  He always encourages to stay positive & Chi <3
My girls, Aleina & Ailani!  Thoughts of them have pulled me through many tough training days!  As a Mom, you have to stay on top of things: ballet, TOTS, Gigglebytes days at school; gymnastics & swimming after school; picture day coming up, outfits to wear; birthdays & getting gifts... You get it!  Well, during training I often find myself making lists or organizing tasks in my head and most of them relate to my girls.  And that makes me smile. Sometimes if I'm lucky, it can pull me out of that dark place that the pain is trying to pull me towards. Again, I feel very fortunate to have the support of my girls, even though they may not understand what Mommy is doing right now.  They've rarely said to me, No, don't go do... swim, bike, or run!  I am usually sent off with a huggie/ kissie (and so are my friends :-) ) and encouraged to ride or run FAST!
My Iron-Whiners!  Collectively the Iron-Whiners consist of: Kris, Linda, Shelly, Orissa, Brian, Herbito, Alphanso, and anyone else that has ever trained with us and whined!  And although we rarely hear her whine, our Coachie Dawn is an honorary member!  I couldn't imagine IM training without a single one of them!  I've learned so much from each and everyone of them: basic bike care :-), proper hydration & nutrition, we've brushed up our swim in Master's together at ridiculous times in the morning, we've suffered through cold, rain, wind, and snow (ok, lie. I live in SA!) & have actually encouraged each other to continue!  The friendships I have made along this journey are worth a million times more than the finish line!
Of course my family has been amazing too! My parents and in-laws have been tremendously supportive in encouraging my journey and helping out with the girls!  It is a huge stress relief to know that while I am out riding 100miles or whatever, my girls are spending time with their grandparents and having a wonderful time! I remember time spent with my grandparents as a child and I know they are receiving the same love!
And of course the list goes on: our amazing babysitter, Kelly, whom the girls love! My colleagues for helping out with call or coverage at the hospital. The Rehab staff for being understanding when they can't hear me on the phone because I'm running or biking (I know, not safe & I try NOT to do that!) or just got out of the pool. Etc...
My point is, that although IM is a personal journey... It takes a village! And I am blessed to have an amazing Iron-Village!!! :-)

FUN in the Sun!

After last weekend it finally hit me, exhaustion!  Yes, I am human & Yes, I was expecting it at some point... everyone warns you it will strike usually at the end of Build I.  Mine hit a week later at the end of recovery week. The hills of Vanderpool sucked every last ounce of energy I had left in me.  By Sundays long run I was dragging along, good thing it was a recovery week and all we had to do was 8miles.  My fatigue was confirmed by my heart rate, I was struggling to keep in zone 2 at a lot slower pace than I would normally go.
Monday swim is always a welcomed workout.  Mainly because it's active recovery & that's usually "all" I have to do for that day, but also because it feels great to shake out your muscles from the weekends workouts.

 Tuesday Kris, Shelly, & I rode out to Castroville for a donut.  It's always a nice treat when we can all get off from work a little early and get a ride in.  There was a nasty headwind on the way back, but the day was sunny and beautiful, so it made it less painful.  Regardless of weather conditions, and believe me we've been tested by a few days recently, it's always a privilege to be able to be outside in mid-February... and in short sleeves! :-)
Wednesday I had a great swim, followed by a wonderful trip down memory lane, 6mile track workout. I went to the track at Brandeis HS around 2:30pm, there was only one group of kids with their coach.  I asked if it would be ok if I ran & got the ok.  By the time  finished, half of the high school was on or around the track!  Surprisingly, I was able to get my workout in with too much crowding.  I started my warm up and was quickly drawn back to 1994.  Probably the last time I had ran on a track, senior year of high school.  My workout called for 4x800 with recovery in between.  As I was huffing & puffing, "sprinting" my 800's, the young kids were running in the outside lane, chatting away & laughing keeping up with my "sprint"!  Ahhh, man it was so easy when I was young! :-)
Thursday and Friday were both great workouts, and then came the weekend!  70mile steady ride.  Finally!!! A true "recovery" ride.  We decided to keep it light and keep it FUN!  It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a nice tailwind in many directions!  The ride from TA to Exxon started out cold as usual, but by 5miles out we were all pealing layers!  Luckily, Herb met us at the Exxon to ride to Castroville and back with us, so we through our layers in his car.  The ride to Castroville was flat and fast... it seems that the promise of a donut is like a light at the end of the tunnel!  We quickly grabbed our donut and started on the return trip.  From Exxon to TA, Kris, Alphanso, & I cruised back leaving it all out on the road.  It was a strong finish to a really FUN ride!

Today's run with Kris ranked right up there with yesterdays ride.  Sunny, beautiful weather and a nice conversational zone 2 run= FUN!  Again, up until last week all of our long runs ended with some efforts or we were racing 13.1, so it was nice to be able to enjoy a run, no pressure.
This weekend ended up being a much needed "break" from the last two long rides/ runs we had done & which each of us found "less than fun" at one point or another.  I know training isn't suppose to be FUN all of the time, but it's a nice reset point to come back to every now and then, especially when you hit the exhaustion point.  Now it's time to hit Build 2 with a strong positive attitude and a tank full of FUN!!! :-)

Vanderpool... aka: Recovery Week

After last weeks century ride, followed by a 16mile run, not to mention the weekday workouts that led up to that... I was definitely ready for recovery week.  Although a few weeks ago I put two and two together and realized the infamous Vanderpool ride was going to fall on our recovery week.  That meant we would be riding less, but we would be riding Texas "mountains".  For the past year I had been listening to my Iron-friends talk about "the Vanderpool ride"!  Any ride during which complaints were aired could usually be followed up with... "not worse than Vanderpool!"  I heard all about Shelly's panic attack, Santiago's speed wobble on a decent, and various other stories that contributed to an ulcer in the weeks approaching.
So Saturday came, just like any other day I've dreaded.  Kris & I drove up to Vanderpool together, 1.5hrs from San Antonio.  As we drove up Kris kept me entertained with more Vanderpool horror stories and details about camp coming up in March.  She made it clear, and has allowed me to hold her to her word, that if I can do Vanderpool, I can do camp.  As we neared Vanderpool, we drove up a very steep hill and back down the backside... "this is our first climb."  O.M.G.
We got to the parking lot, which would serve as our transition area for the next 3 out and backs.  When the gang was all there, Dawn explained to the group our game plan.  First out & back: 4miles out, 1mile climb & back.  Second: to Leakey and back.  Third: I have no idea what she said at that point, I just knew it was going to be hard!

Let's ride!  It was the third time riding Zion & I expected nothing but great things from her.  Four miles out, the weather was cold, but sunny, with a slight wind.  Not bad compared to the past few weekends. We were already warned not to go throwing off layers as we climbed because the decent would cool us back down plenty!  Suddenly, I was staring at the wall!  OK, time to climb.  Pedal, pedal, pedal, breathe, breathe, breathe.  Pedal, breathe, pedal, breathe.  Whatever I had to do to get to the top... just keep pedaling!  And just when you think you've reached the top, the second half comes into view... WHAT?!  What am I going to do now?, other then PEDAL!  I finally made it to the top & Coachie was there waiting with a big smile!  What goes up, must come down.  1mile decent... Whhhhhheeeeeee!!!  I'm never out to break the sound barrier, so I was feathering on my brakes the whole time.  My max speed on that decent was 36.5.
Round two, 15miles out to Leakey and back. Within the first mile, BOOM!, Texas "mountain"!  The kind that you can see in front of you and then again off in the distance to the right, still climbing!  Then came the switch backs.  Kris had warned me, that this road was heavily traveled by motorcyclists & race cars.  As I climbed, I knew exactly why.  The road looked exactly like one that you would see in a Ferrari commercial that starts off with: expert drivers only, done on a closed road.  As I struggled both physically and mentally, I watched convertibles go flying by me and thought, "what a nice day to be out for a ride... in a convertible!"  By the time I reached Leakey, I was convinced I was DONE!
I had thought of very excuse in my head not to continue on.  I just wanted to get in the SAG vehicle and take my lashings from Coachie.  I walked over to Dawn, knowing I was about to step on hot coals!  "Coachie, I can't do this anymore.  I'm too tired & it hurts!"  "You're doing great!  This is your first time, it's suppose to be hard."  "I know, you're right... Yell at me some more!"  "You already had your hall pass on New Years Day... You're finishing this ride!"  ...OK...
I made it back from Leakey with every last once of energy left in my body determined that I was NOT going on the third leg.  Next thing I knew we were clipping in and heading out again.  OK, I will ride as long as I can while it's flat.  Then came the Texas "mountain", 1.5miles worth.  Pedal, pedal, breathe, breathe... just keep moving.  If I make it to the top, then I can get in the SAG.  As I slowly passed Alphonso I confessed to him I was getting int he SAG next time it came by.  He asked me nicely if I wanted him to wait with me until they came.  I told him I would wait for them to come & he urged me to keep pedaling until they came.  Again, next thing you know I'm at the top!  Ok, I will enjoy the decent and get in the SAG for the rest of the 5miles back.   Whhhheeeee!!!  At the bottom of the decent Kris & I grabbed onto Dawn & Jeff's wheel and drafted our way home.  DONE... well riding at least.
Afterwards, we "quickly" transitioned into our running clothes and headed out for a 30min run.  "Whoa, we are going way too fast, 8:23 pace!"  But no one slowed down, including myself!  We finished the day off with a 3.47mile run in 30min... 8:39 pace!  Where did THAT come from?!  I think Coachie riding along side of us on her bike helped :-)

Today, I think it all caught up to me.  Our recovery run of 8miles was done at a 9:40 pace & I felt like it was work to keep that up.  After our run Kris & I headed to the pool for a nice 2000yd PBB workout.  Wow, just what I expected... every single muscle was sore!  But nothing a relaxing swim can't work out.
So, in terms of "recovery" week, I feel I got ripped off.  But in terms of building strength & character, I got a full dose!  THIS is IM training... and I'm in the heart of it!

My First Century Ride!

Today I rode my first century ride!  The glitz and glamour that surrounds this initiation into Ironman training was definitely all that I imagined!  All week I had been daydreaming; imagining how amazing, comfortable, tiring, painful, etc., etc., my first 100 mile ride was going to be.  Allen had picked up my birthday present in Houston last Saturday, so this would be my first inaugural ride with Zion, my new P3 Cervelo!  I spent the week getting her ready; bike fit, CatEye odometer, bottle cages.  I brought my QR bike just incase I needed to get use to my new bike slowly.  Yeah right, I knew from the start, if she felt right... she was in for the long haul :-)

Our day started early, meet at Coachie's house 7am.  Dawn, Kris, Orissa, Brian, Alphonso, Nick, Mitch, Dale, Jeff, & Enrique... Team Tri-Belief training :-)  And of course, Devon, Dawn's son, who was nice enough to be our sag support for "a few" hours.  It was a first time century ride for Alphonso & I, so Coachie wanted to make it extra special!  As we left Coachie's house and headed up Blanco Rd., I got a quick flashback to our New Year's day ride (reminder- I tapped out that ride!) except this time a few things were different.  Slightly warmer, definitely less wind, it wasn't wet or rainy (yet!), and oh yes... a new carbon fiber bike with a few more gears to play with! {Thank you Brian Loftin :-) }  As I settled into my new big girl bike, I knew this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship & a great inaugural ride!

Being new to San Antonio, I still don't know the roads very well, so it's always nice to be able to follow a group.  I like to think that works both for and against me.  I had somewhat of an idea that we were heading north, and to the north there are HILLS!  But that was only an idea, I truly didn't expect what we were about to ride!  As I said, Coachie wanted to make it special :-)  Climb, climb, climb.... Whhheeeeeee, downhill!!!  Rewind and Repeat... for the next 6 hours!!!  A few hours after the ride Coachie informed us we had climbed 5000+... EXTRA special!!!  Again, ignorance is bliss.

About 1 hour in the temperature started to drop and the drizzle started :-{  Oh well, we were no strangers to these conditions.  It seems the past few rides have all included some sort of rain & cold temps.  Ride ON!  Each stop for food & restroom break made it harder & harder to start back up.  It was getting colder, and I was getting more tired!  Ride ON!  A few times I couldn't tell the difference between larger rain droplets or mud being slung at my face... OUCH!  Especially on the downhill, which I always enjoy so much to go fast... it would just hurt worse!  Ride ON!

I was hoping the rain would stop and the sun would start to peek through like it had on our last ride.  Nope, rain until 100.0 miles!  But that didn't stop me from smiling the whole ride :-)  As we approached Dawn's house the odometer was nearing 100 miles.  My OCD had Dawn take me around the block as to not stop short... 99.6, no way!  99.9...100.00!!!  WooHoo!!!  There were no bells & whistles or champagne popping as I had dreamed of earlier in the week, just a huge smile & high five from my Coachie!  D.O.N.E.!!! :-)

It's a privilege to be a part of a new group of awesomeness, I thank everyone that was along on that crazy ride!  The best feeling I am walking away with after that ride is that my next 100+ rides will never be that hard... or will they?!  Anyway, time for bed... 16 mile run in the morning!!!

My Birthday Weekend...

This weekend started off with a BANG... literally, my birthday was on Friday & Allen & the girls woke me up with a surprise party, party poppers and all!  After getting the girls off to school, Allen joined me for a 6mi tempo run.  It was a beautiful morning with my favorite jack rabbit!  In the afternoon, I got in my 2600yd swim.  I'm growing to love swimming, especially because I've been going during aqua therapy time & I really enjoy watching them underwater :-)  Later that night we had dinner at Paloma Blanca with a few of my closet friends.  It was so nice to be able to get everyone together... not wearing lycra!  But the BEST present I could ever receive came via text: "I walked I walked!!!"  My friend Monica had taken her first steps in the parallel bars at PT!!!  Wishes do come true!!!

On Saturday, Kris, Linda, Kelly, Alphonso & I headed out for an 80mi. training ride, Tri-Sition Area to Castroville.  It started out as most ride have in the past few weeks... cold & rainy!  Oh, well, it is what it is... pedal on!  20mi in Shelly met us at the Exxon and cruised with us to Haby's for a birthday donut.  But before I could enjoy my donut, the Iron-gods had to make sure I earned it... FLAT TIRE, 5 mi from donut!!!  It was just Linda & I, no Brian Loftin ;-(  I was a little nervous at first, but what else was I going to do but fix it!  I started to take the wheel off & remembered I didn't have a spare tube (used it last time I flatted!) & Linda only had a 650 on her, not a 700.  Yikes!  Luckily, another cyclist stopped to check on us & gave me his spare.  I knew he was good people when I noticed his Tri-Sition Area shorts!  The rest of the ride went well & the sun was even generous enough to peek through just as we were finishing.  After putting 75mi in the books & showering, I headed to the hospital because... I was oncall.

Sunday, Herothon 13.1!  The icing on my birthday cake weekend!  Kris, Shelly, Orissa, Linda & I were Team Captain America!!!  No, not Ms. Texas or Ms. Puerto Rico or even Wonder Woman... Captain America!!!  I learned from the last 13.1 that pacing was key!  I started out at a comfortable pace & kept finding myself creeping faster.  Whoa, girl... slow it down!  I saw a lot of friends along the course cheering, which is always like a boost of adrenaline!  Robert, Brian, Lexa, Jaime, Laura & Brody were all out there, fueling my fire!  When I saw Brody, Laura's 9 year old son who runs a 7:30 mile, I gave him a big sweaty hug hoping to channel his speed.  It worked, because next time I looked at my Garmin I had to pull on the reigns again... Whoa, Nelly!!!  The plan was to kick it in for the last 3mi, like we did last weekend on our long run... that didn't happen!  I was content with just keeping the same pace at that point.  Right before the homestretch, I turned the corner and my worst fears came true!  The bridge!!!  We DID have to go back over it :-(  Ok, time to find another speed!  I beasted it up the incline and right when I got to the top, there was Brody!  "Run Faster!"... OK!  I guess he didn't just see me run up the hill, but I couldn't say no to Brody!  He ran me down the other side & at the bottom, right before the final shoot, there was Laura!  " Don't let him beat you... KICK!"... OK!  I threw it into high gear and so did the guy in the orange shirt (I did end up beating him!)!  I finished unofficial 1:51... tied my PR!  On 75mi. legs... I'll take it!

All in all, I will say I had a wonderful & exhausting birthday weekend filled with lots of love & happiness surrounded by fabulous family & friends!  Thank you to all who were a part of it near & far!

Attacking Hills...

Since Friday morning I woke up looking forward to this weekends training ride and run.  This was going to be the first weekend of base build one and mark the first time I had ridden more than 60 miles.  Fri afternoon started out with a great 2800yd swim, which included my fave, PBB :-)  I find it so relaxing.  Then I quickly drove home in order to get a run outdoor before picking up the girls.  I was a beautiful perfect "winter" day.  Allen was home, so he joined me on a 6mi tempo run.  It was a fun, fast, sunny run... perfect!  After working up an appetite we headed out for date night, dinner (food!!!) and a movie.
Sat. morning we met at Target on Blanco to ride north and ride some hills.  Kris, Linda, & I had "70mi zone 2 ride, add some hills & attack" on our plan, and Brian was along for the ride... pun intended :-P  We headed up Blanco and it was a little cold, but nothing like the last time Linda & I had rode up!  By Specht Rd. the sun had started to peak out and you could tell it was going to be the start of a beautiful day.  Attack the hills... Blanco was the first of many!  I put in my best effort and attacked, feeling good!  I'm not sure of our route, I'm usually not leading the pack ;-) but we had some pretty nice rollers... and from what Kris saved until the end to inform me, we had done it in the harder direction!  We stopped twice and each time we started back up again I wasn't sure I "had enough"legs" to go up one more hill.  My attack weakened as the miles added up, but I did realize that every hill has it's upside AND a downside, and BOTH sides can be attacked.  That was the fun part!  Cruising downhill and pedaling strong into it, at least I still "had legs" to do that... whhheeeeee!!!!  By our last stop we had 25mi to go and my only reprieve was the tailwind that would take us back home down Blanco.  Headwind!  That's just great!  All in all, I will say my 1st 71miler was challenging and strengthening.

After our ride we headed straight to Willie's for some FOOD!  Our table looked like a fried frenzy: chicken fried steak, fried shrimp sandwich, fried chicken sandwich, hamburger; amongst a few milkshakes and iced teas; followed by a peach cobbler & apple sizzler!  Heaven!  By the end of our late lunch we decided we need to sleep in tomorrow for our long run, 9am Tri-Sition Area.
9am came sooner than I wished, but I was ready for our 13miler.  I finally had a chance to wear my new Lululemon skirt and long sleeve, which I had bought to wear last weekend for the Houston 1/2 marathon until the weather put a damper on my plans.  The whole team showed up with a look good, feel good attitude (even though 3 out of 4 of us were spent from yesterday's ride).  Kris was dazzling in green with a white Lulu skirt, Linda was the envy off the group in her pink Lulu skirt, and Team Loftin showed up in matching orange outfits... Let's do this :-)  The first 1/2 hour Orissa & Brian ran with us & then turned around, while Kris, Linda & I continued on.  The first 10miles seemed like a long warm up for the last 3mile efforts we were about to throw down.  Around mile 8 I reminded the girls where the last 3miles were going to be... hills!  Oh well, we were no strangers to hills... Let's GO!  We picked up the pace and beasted one hill after another along 1604... Attack!!!  By the last hill I found my "other gear" and threw it all down!  That felt... awesome!

Phew... I survived my weekend of training... and this is only the beginning :-)

You gotta know when to...

The last few weeks can best be summarized by Kenny Rogers, The Gambler:  

You've got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

Know when to run

Before the holidays, training was going great.  I was back into the routine of things and my swim, bike, and run were all starting to feel stronger.  We had planned on going to Puerto Vallarta for Christmas, so I knew training was going to take a back seat.  I went in with the best intentions of swimming & running, but I knew I wouldn't be able to bike.  In summary, I did one run!  The pool wasn't the length I expected it to be, much shorter, and colder!  And the streets were like a runner's war zone between the cracks in the sidewalk, the one foot curbs, the car exhaust, etc.  I felt I would be putting myself in danger of derailing any future training by twisting an ankle or getting hit by a car.  So, I decided to be Zen and enjoy my time with my family... that is what Christmas is all about anyway!  And we had a wonderful time!!!... Know when to run :-)

The first day back was New Year's Eve, back to work & back in the pool.  No harm done.  I felt great in the pool & was hitting all of my intervals.  The next day Dawn had planned a 3:30hr New Year's Day ride, awesome!  I was excited to see my Iron-Twinkie's & get back in the saddle with all of them.  Unfortunately, New Year's Eve was cold & rainy, which didn't leave the streets in the best condition.  Before we all even showed up Orissa pulled out because of the weather, Kris pulled out because she was sick, & Shelly was out of town... that left Linda, Herbito, & I!  No worries, I was still positive, I would be cool to ride with some new riders... although, it was COLD!  We headed up Blanco Rd. into a bitter headwind & by 5miles in we started dropping like flies!  We planned to re-group at Specht Rd & that was when Linda rode up looking like someone killed her dog!  For once, it was my turn to be the voice of reason... "Come on, we can do this!  Let's just hang in there and cruise!"  That was also when we found out Herbito got a flat, his first!  Dawn rode back to help him out & pull him back up & the rest of the crew rode on.  Wow, it's COLD... and it kept getting colder!  A few more miles out, the next flat tire in our group!  That's when Linda & I had a pow-wow and decided if someone responds to our SOS txt, we are outta here!  Allen to the rescue!!!  We asked him to pick us up at a Starbucks 4miles down the rode, 20miles from where he was.  We got to Starbucks & initiated our defrost.  Then came the dreaded call... Coachie!!!  BUSTED!!!  "Did you guys call for a ride?... You need to HTFU!... You can't call for a ride in May at IMTX!"  We know, we know... but it wasn't going to happen today.  Long story short, we bailed!... Know when to fold 'em :-)

I tried to make the best of the situation & tell myself the New Year can only get better... and so far so good!  I had a great training week, redeemed myself on our long ride & even willingly choose to ride the hills of 211 that once almost made me cry!  

Today we participated in Monica's Mile, a swimathon fundraiser for my friend Monica who is recovering from spinal cord injury after being hit by a car while training for IMAZ.  The triathlon community never ceases to amaze me!  There was a huge turnout for the event, which included a one mile swim or a one hour swim.  Coachie never gave us a choice... we were swimming for an hour!  I implemented a strategy I learned while doing base training, entertain your mind!  Next thing I knew it was the two minute mark and everyone was yelling and cheering us on, including Monica!  I started to tear up a little in my googles & then heard Kris in my head, "Are you crying? Stop crying!"  I completed 2mi in the hour to my surprise & felt GREAT!  Then of course, we followed it up with our Sunday long run, 9mi in McAllister Park.  I know for a fact & I frequently tell my patients at work... "There will be good days and bad days... You just have to make sure there are more good than bad!" :-)