Half Half Baby!

Is what I will be running in Houston come January 17. I had said all along that this past weekend's run would be the determining factor in whether I stuck with the full for Houston or switched to the half, as the deadline to change is this Thursday. I said before this weekend that I imagined I would end up sticking with the full. I had to miss out on it last year because I was sick, and that was tough because had I not gotten sick after running St. George in October 2008, I could have built on that training and had the possibility of a really great run in Houston. But my health had other ideas. This time around I was fired up because I ran well at IMFL and had some really good training runs leading up to IMFL as well.

I know though that my body may have different intentions/desires than my head. I know I did not run more than 10 miles the entire month after IMCDA this summer, and that even then some of those runs were a bit tough. When I sat down after IMFL to plan out what I would have to do to run the Houston full, I was a bit shocked to realize how much time I did not have. I scheduled out 16 miles for last weekend, 18 miles next weekend, and 21 miles the day after Christmas, leaving a three week taper. Parts of that did not sound fun at all, but other parts sounded good, and the thought of being able to run the full for the 5th time in Houston after doing the half last year was exciting...

Until two days ago. My legs did all the talking on Saturday and made the decision for me. I did not even have to look to my head and my heart to know what the right thing to do is. I will be running the half, without doubt, and even that might not be anything spectacular. It stinks that I know many of my friends who did IMFL seem to be recovering just fine and will go on to run the full in Houston with no problems. They are back to some sort of a long run schedule and their legs are doing what is asked of them. Not mine. I know though that this is the right decision. I could probably finish the full, but every long run between now and then would absolutely beat me up and just be worse than the week before. I would not have fun with either the training or the actual race, and fun is the #1 reason I do any of this. The #1 indicator that my legs are not recovered from IMFL (and probably the past entire year) is that my quads feel like they have gone through the meat grinder way earlier than usual lately. The 11 and 12 mile long runs I have done hurt, and that is a distance I can usually do without blinking. During the race on Saturday, my quads again began to hurt very prematurely. They felt around 10 miles in like they would at the very end of a 20+ mile run or a full marathon/ironman race. Not before that. As I sit here two days later, after running 14.5 miles total on Saturday, I can barely get up from my chair or sit down in it without shrieking in pain. I am as sore as I have been after full marathons, and far more sore than I was after any long training run this year. So yes, my legs are doing all the talking.

I do miss "being a runner" as it seems that I have been more of a triathlete over the past year. I wish I could be both, but I am learning the lesson that so many of us learn over and over again: I cannot do it all, especially at the same time. On the other hand, I would not give up the last year that I have had as a triathlete for any marathon, no matter how great it could be, so I am content with the way things are working out. IMFL was my third fastest marathon ever, out of 12. I did something way right last year and running a full marathon next month would not help continue that "way right" streak. Maybe next Fall I can do the "runner thing" again for a few months and really focus on running and have a solid marathon then. Not until then though.

As sad as I am that I am having to "miss out" on another Houston full marathon, I am equally excited as a burden seems to have been lifted off my shoulders. My schedule seems much more manageable now and I am not going to have to bust my butt to get home on Christmas night so I can wake up and run 21 miles the next day. I am not going to have to run 18 miles at the crack of dawn next Saturday. Instead I can go play with Jon in a state park (and hope I don't die when I pretend to know how to ride a mountain bike), and on Sunday I can run the Jingle Bell Run (5 mile race) with a few extra miles and call it my long run for the weekend. I can enjoy the four Christmas parties I have next Fri-Mon without worrying on Friday about going to bed early, and worrying for the rest of the weekend if the place I'm going has stairs that I have to struggle up and down (I went to a baby shower on Saturday after my race and grunted/squealed/huffed and puffed up and down the whopping one flight of stairs because my legs hurt so bad).

So, all is not lost, and I can also look at this as perhaps a good way to kick off 2010. I will hopefully arrive at the beginning of the 2010 tri season well-rested and maybe with a tiny bit of speed in my back pocket, as opposed to fatigued, hurt, and torn up from running a full marathon.

The Race Formally Known as "Sunmart"

Saturday morning, Stephanie, Randy, Jon and I all headed up to Huntsville to run the Texas Trail Run, the race formally known as Sunmart (the largest trail race in the US). Essentially Sunmart pulled out as the big sponsor after 19 years and they weren't sure if the race was going to even happen. Roger Soler Sports out of San Antonio put it on, but on a much, much smaller scale. The good thing about it though is Sunmart was usually a 50k/50mile race. This year around they did it as a 20k/50k, so those of us not in 50k shape were still able to race. There is no way I could have run the 50k just four weeks after IMFL. I wish my body worked differently, but it just doesn't work that way for me.

Our biggest challenge of the day was getting to Huntsville. Houston had a rare early-season snow/ice/winter storm on Friday, leaving many frozen streets, bridges, highways, etc. We left around 5:45am and saw quite a few wrecks on I-45 in town. We never felt unsafe and just drove very cautiously on our way up there. The temp slowly dropped from 30 or so in Houston to 22!!?!?!? when we hit Huntsville State Park. I was excited, Stephanie was excited...I'm not so sure about Jon and Randy. Jon had run a bit up there before, but Randy had no idea what he was in for.

I had planned to run 2 miles before the 12.5 mile race, then 1.5 after for a total of 16 miles as a long training run for the Houston Marathon. I certainly had no intention of racing. The other passengers in my car had the same intentions (no racing), but that changed for them as soon as the gun went off.

I had a fun race, as always in Huntsville. The snow was still on many of the trees, and it along with ice began to fall as it melted and the trees rustled in the wind. It was beautiful. My run was uneventful for the most part, except for the fact that the drinks were all frozen at the 2nd aid station - for some reason that kept me entertained for many more miles. Also there are many wood bridges during the second half of the trail, many quite long. After a while I started slipping and decided I was going to have to walk all the bridges. I slipped going up one because it was a bit steep, and Catherine, who was running with me, slipped coming down one of them. I certainly had no stellar time, and averaged around a 11:45 pace I think. That is somewhere around a minute slower than my long run pace on the street, which was about right for trails.

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Something that surprised me is that this was not the same route used in the past when I have run the 50k (the 50k is a 10k loop and then two of the same 20k loops, the same loop we ran for our race). The first 4.5 miles or so, and the last 3-4 miles of the loop were the same as what I have done in the past, but the middle 4-5 miles were way different and way harder. In the past, we've mostly stayed on jeep roads and/or easy trails for that middle chunk. This time around I found myself in places I'd never been before, with far more ups and downs, roots, rocks, etc. It was still beautiful, and we ran across a dam I'd never been on before which was fun, but overall more difficult than in the past. You can just add that to one of the many reasons I'm glad I was not running the 50k! The jeep roads used to give you a little break - as much mental as physical as you did not have to fear every step was going to result in your body going somewhere you did not intend.

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Somewhere during the second half of the race I decided I was not interested in running those 1.5 miles afterward. My legs were getting a plenty good workout and did not need any more. I finished and found my peeps and pizza and was ready to go. I saw Stephanie had a big award in her hand - turns out she won the 30-39 age group! I asked Jon and Randy how their run went and they just kind of laughed - I figured there were stories to come. I happened to see the results right before we left and saw that Jon got 2nd in his age group and didn't even say anything about it. I asked him and he said "well, I didn't want to brag." Whatever. I told him it was perfectly acceptable to get excited. I saw Randy got 4th in his age group, which apparently would have been 2nd had he not fallen and ended up in the bushes somewhere (two guys passed him when he was finding his way back out of the bushes).

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I'm not sure Jon and Randy will be excited to hit the trails again, but Stephanie and I know we will continue to go back for more when we can.

My Christmas List

Hmmm....this one is actually pretty hard this year. I do not really need much and as usual (or maybe even moreso than usual this year), I have purchased many of the things I "needed" already this year. I really had all intentions of waiting until Christmas to get the new Garmin 310xt, but my 305 conveniently died in September and I had no bike computer, etc, without one so that was an early Christmas present to myself.

I cannot think of many specific things I want right now, but clothes and tri stuff in general are always fun. I actually do need more work clothes and shoes, but that is so boring.

Gift certificates are always appreciated and used. DeSoto Sports and SkirtSports are two of my most frequently-shopped sites lately. Terry Cycling is pretty fun too. I think this skirt from SkirtSports is particularly cute, but a bit expensive at the same time. I guess it is for a good cause though. I can usually do some damage at Luke's Locker in town as well, now especially since I have conveniently decided I like the $150-$175 Newton running shoes. Maybe I will unlike them very soon. I can also get in trouble at good ol' Target. I love that place and can spend hours (and $$$$$) there.

I have an iPhone and my cheap little MP3 player is still going strong, so I cannot think of many things in the electronics department I need either. Perhaps I could look into getting a new TV for my bedroom at some point, but the one in there still works just fine. A travel docking station of some sort for my iphone to play music could be fun, or maybe an updated radio/ipone/cd player thing for my bathroom. Right now I have an old boombox in there that only gets one radio station...92.9.

Race entry fees are going through the roof. I know I definitely want to register for the Lonestar Half Ironman, at a steep $220, and probably 1-2 other half ironman races through the year.

Pink bike shoes and an aero helmet could have both been good things to put on that "list", but they instead ended up on the "bought myself" list when both popped up on the slowtwitch classified section at unbeatable prices. I want HED race wheels, but those are a bit steep for anyone looking to buy me a Christmas present. I assume those will come from a combination of Christmas, Birthday, and bonus money, assuming I get any for any of the above. I want to try a new bike seat too. My old seat just is not jiving with the new bike, but apparently the ones I thought I'd like to try are the most expensive ones out there - from what I can tell, they are all $220-$270.

Jon got me awesome Oakley sunglasses a few months ago, so I am okay there too. I could look into getting another pair of lenses for those, just to have options, but again that is not anything I necessarily need.

Ooooh, what I do need is a maid. Do they give those for Christmas? I really, really need one...although I did finally unpack from Ironman Florida last night - most of the stuff at least.

Jon and I did a pretty good job of stocking up on cold weather cycling gear last year. That stuff is expensive and needed, but usually not the most enjoyable time using it because that means it is freezing outside. If I cannot properly dress for a ride with everything I have, I'm not riding. Jackets are fun and something I probably already have way too many of, but I am still searching for the elusive perfect pink jacket.

I have my nieces and Kelly taken care of, Jon is mostly taken care of, and once again I am at a total loss for everyone else. So, what do YOU want?

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Update #1 - see, I knew I'd think of things soon enough! I would like a pair of recovery tights. They are well over $100, so they are something I have not taken the plunge for yet, but I would like a pair. I'd prefer something similar to the Zoot's (size 0 or 1), with at least a stirrup foot.

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Update #2 - A waterproof MP3 player to use while swimming would be kind of nice. Most of my swimming this past years was with a masters group, so music wasn't necessary, but I'm not sure what my schedule will be coming up this year, so a little music might help the yards pass.

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Also, I do not think I have bought new perfume or makeup in way too long (too embarrassed to admit how long). So, new Vera Wang perfume or maybe a gift certificate to Nordstrom to get Bobby Brown or Laura Mercier makeup could be kind of fun.

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Update #3 - Someone recommended SWIMP3 brand if I were to get a waterproof player. They have a 256mb and a 1gb version, but there is not much difference in the price.

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Next, I saw this C9 by Champion jacket at Target (in all black) before Thanksgiving. I thought "that is a nice jacket for $30." Then I saw it in PINK in the Black Friday ads for $15 and thought "great price, but no way am I going to Target on Black Friday." Last night I found that one about 5 sizes too small (but perfectly sized for someone), and in a size XL (about 4 sizes too big). I looked online now that I decided I do want one, and they aren't even online any more so I think I probably missed the boat on this one, but it looked like a nice jacket.

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Some of the presents I have ordered for people are starting to come in - very fun! I still have no idea what to get others. If you don't tell me, you may end up getting sticks.

Thanksgiving Day 14

Today I am thankful for my nieces. They are awesome. I look forward to seeing them for days and weeks before every visit.

I am excited to see Kate in her first Nutcracker at Christmas, and Molly as Chip, the Teacup, in her school's production of Beauty and the Beast in February.

Here are the girls trying on their new cold weather accessories in preparation for a cooold Turkey Trot.

Thanksgiving Day 13

Today I am thankful for the power of prayer. I'm certain it helps me every day, and it also just happened to save the life of my friend's mom. Read the story - it is quite amazing and I know I was praying as hard as I know how as this was all going on.

Another note on prayer - Mrs. Clark asked me what I do on such long bike rides, especially since we are not allowed to listen to music in races. I did not really have much of an answer for her, but during IMFL I remembered immediately - I pray. A lot. I pray every time I see a biker on the side of the road with an issue, I pray prayers of thanks for me being able to be there racing in the first place, I pray that everyone will stay safe, and the list goes on and on.

Thanksgiving Day 12

Today I am thankful for Dad. Just 'cause. Too many reasons to list, but one of the most notable would be the fact that he is doing a darn good job of making 77 look young. And I expect him to do a good job of making 87 look young when the time come as well.

Thanksgiving Day 11

Today I am thankful for trails, specifically the Memorial Park Hike and Bike Trails. No, not the 2.9 mile jogging path that we run circles on over and over (thankful for that too, it sure isn't Town Lake, but it is the best Houston's got), but the the ones on the south side of the park. A short 2 minute ride or run past the trail head, and you'd have no idea you are right in the middle of one of the nation's biggest cities. On my run there today I saw two other people total - granted the trails were technically closed because of Saturday's rain - but you can usually completely escape "life" back there as the trails twist and turn, up and down, across creeks, and through the woods. Hundreds of us use the main loop at the park on a daily basis, yet most never venture back on the other side to one of Houston's best hidden treasures.

Trail running (or biking, or even just going for a walk) is just such a nice change in pace from the concrete jungles most of us live in. Playing on the trails, whether they are in Austin, Huntsville, Houston, Cold Spring, or anywhere else I've ventured, reminds me of being a kid and "exploring" through the woods by our house. Kelly and I had built a fort one time and named it "Ulsee" - as in the response to when someone asks where we are going: "you will see." When I was running on the trails today I almost laughed out loud when I imagined someone was with me saying "where in the world are you taking me?" and my response would have been "Ulsee!"

Thanksgiving Day 10

Today I am thankful for my ability to run. I know that may sound similar to being thankful for my legs, but I feel that when I finally "learned how to" run, I also started to learn that there was not much I cannot do. Learning to run the first three miles was the hardest part of any of this endurance stuff that I have done, and it took nearly 10 years to get there. I started "trying to run" in probably 7th or 8th grade. I would set up a plan, and stick to it for about a week, and probably never got to running more than 1/4 mile or so at a time without walking. It was not until I was 22 that I finally ran my first mile ever, and then it took two more months from there to be able to run three miles consistently at a time. I grew up swimming, and anyone can ride a bike, so running was the missing link when it came to me and triathlon. My first 5k ever came after a 1/2 mile swim and 12.5 mile bike. My first marathon came right about a year after I ran my first mile, and from there you know how the story goes.

I am not a fast runner, and would not even be considered "a runner" by some of the die-hards who regularly run 50, 60, 70+ miles a week, but I still run. I will most likely never win anything, unless I manage to still be doing this in 40 years, but it is good for me and has taught me I am capable of more than I ever thought possible.

Thanksgiving Day 9

Today I am thankful for the Houston Racing Triathlon Club. I went to my first meeting several years ago, only after Jill dragged me there. I had been a member for over a year, but too afraid to go to a meeting by myself. Just a few years later, I found myself on the board as membership coordinator in 2008, and as president in 2009. My days on the board are quickly coming to an end, and while I will enjoy having a few more Monday evenings to do what I wish, I think I am going to miss it more than I originally envisioned. We as a board had a good year and somehow managed to get more people involved than in the past. We had several meeting with over 100 people, growing out of every meeting venue we had used in the past.

I have met some of my closest friends through Houston Racing, and was also first inspired to do an Ironman after reading someone's race report in the newsletter.

Thanksgiving Day 8

Today I am thankful for my legs. While I doubt they will be asked to model the latest running skirt or shoes, they have taken me to some wonderful places. They have not always been 100%, but they have gone way above and beyond what I have asked of them at times. I am thankful I have two legs that can take me anywhere at all. Yes, there have been times I have said I wanted a cheetah leg for my right one because it seems to always have something wrong with it, but I feel bad even joking about it. Many people have legs that don't work, or don't even have legs at all...yet mine have taken me over the course of 8 marathons, 4 ironmans, 7 half ironmans, 3 50ks, 4 MS150s, and countless other races, rides, etc.

(I'm thankful for pink running skirts too!!!! (and pink shoes, and pink socks, and pink calf sleeves))

Thanksgiving Day 7

Today I am thankful for my job. My boss is wonderful, the culture is great, and our company president and his son ran 20 miles of the Houston marathon with my best friend last year (until Kelly dropped them like a bad habit). This year he and his son are on a quest to break 4 hours (no problem...they did 4:08 in their first last year) after he promised the company he was going to do so.

I get to play with glitter. I am rarely bored and somehow my boss manages to keep my challenged even in the cool "internal audit" role that I have. So, yes, the real estate industry isn't in the best shape right now, and no one at the company got a raise last year, but I know they would have given them to us if they could have and left it at that, instead of feeling disgruntled, unappreciated, or overworked. I value and appreciate my co-workers and know that they do the same for me.

I fear the day that my boss leaves and/or the day I have to get a job elsewhere.

Thanksgiving Day 6

Today I am thankful for Jon. I have no idea what the future holds for us, but I do know I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have spent with him and cannot imagine him not being a part of my life now. Each night for the past 13 months I have asked God to help us continue to grow together and also thanked God for bringing him into my life. Jon has challenged me to become a better person, and I hope I have done the same for him.

Thanksgiving Day 5

Today I am thankful for great friends like Melissa and Stephanie. Melissa and I went out to a long overdue dinner and talked for over an hour and half. Stephanie forwarded along some awesome advice, and gave me a new perspective on something I thought I was familiar with, but gave me a completely different way to look at it. I have something to work on for myself and I'm excited about it.

Thanksgiving Day 4

Today I am thankful for my sister, Elizabeth. When we were little, I always looked up to her and wanted to do everything she did. Well, nothing has changed now that we are older. I still want to be just like her. I kind of missed the boat on the whole husband and kids thing, but I can still hope maybe one day I'll have a family like hers with a wonderful husband and beautiful, awesome kids.

IMFL Race Report

(a little more on my race is here)

If you have read my blog any time over the 7 weeks leading up to Ironman Florida, you know that just a few days after Kristi McCarthy's death on September 19, this race took on an entirely new meaning. I was Racing Against Drunk Driving in her memory and honor. My initial goal was to raise $1,000, then $5,000, then $7,500, then $10,000, then...well, you get the idea. All in all, we ended up raising $15,000. I thought I was the third highest fundraiser when I arrived in Florida, which would have qualified me for an additional $6,000 donation from Janus to MADD. I was crushed on Thursday when I found out I was in fifth at best (qualifies for a $2,000 donation from Janus) because a few people had been raising money entirely offline so the information I had was not complete. That news ruined my day that day. I was completely bummed and felt like I had let a lot of people down. I woke up Friday though and decided it was time to get over it and that I still ended up raising 15 times the original amount I intended to raise. The only person disappointed in me was me. When it was all said and done, I ended up being the 7th highest fundraiser. I will still get a $750 donation to MADD from Janus, which is better than nothing.

Mom and Mrs. Clark (mom #2) rode with me to Florida Wednesday and Thursday morning. We got to the condo around 10am and were lucky enough to get right in. When Mom saw it and the glorious beach view from the balcony, she said she thought she was going to be juuuuust fine. I must admit, it is by far the best Ironman venue as far as convenience we have been to. Perhaps the prettiest too, just depends on what you call pretty. Idaho was pretty too, but in a different way, and not so great for spectators spending 15 hours in temps that barely hit 60 for the day and ended in the 40s with rain. Dad and Dr. Doug arrived later Thursday night, Jon arrived Friday morning, and Mike, Katie, and Stephanie arrived Friday afternoon. We had a great dinner with 15 people at the condo Friday night.

The water had been almost as smooth as a lake on Thursday and Friday when we were there. Of course Saturday morning when I woke up, the waves and wind had returned. Awesome. That bummed me out too, but it isn't like I was the only one who was going to have a rough swim - all 2500 of us were in for the same thing.

Swim
After the obligatory pictures with Team Woodhead and kiss goodbye from Jon I found Robin and we walked into the start corral. I was having deja vu with her as she was a bit weepy (IMAZ '08 ring a bell?) and nervous. I took her hand and focused on calming her down - focusing on someone else's fears always helps me forget mine. Before I knew it, the cannon had gone off and we were running into the water. And running, and running, and running. The sandbars/shallow water made for a lovely entrance. It took forever it seemed to get swimming. The first loop sucked, as expected. It was not quite as bad as IMCDA, but still sucked. The salt water was burning my throat because apparently I drank half the ocean. I really enjoyed trying to swim in ankle deep water on the way back in, then when I stood up apparently the sand bar was almost over and I fell back off into the water again. I am sure we were an awesome sight to see...and make fun of! I got a quick drink of water and "ran" back to start the second loop - as in ran through knee-deep water for what seemed like eternity. The second loop was much harder for me. I could not figure out why at first - I almost missed the crowd and was thinking maybe the draft from the first loop made it seem easier. Since finishing, I have read several accounts of people saying the water had gotten much choppier for the second loop and that definitely makes more sense. I felt like I was making no forward progress whatsoever.

I finally made it back home though and was surprised to see 1:13 on my watch when I hit the beach.

T1
I thought the new transition configuration at IMFL would suck and I was right. We all had to run the entire length of the parking lot twice - first to get into the "change tent" which was a ballroom inside the hotel, then all the way back to where we started to get our bike, which mine was conveniently back at the other end. So I ran the parking three times before getting to my bike. At least my bike was close to the exit though.
Time - 5:43

Bike
As soon as I got on my bike I realized I forgot my number belt. In ironman races, and ironman races only, you are required to have a bib number on the bike (usually it is just the run). I completely forgot mine in the mayhem that they called a change tent. I was furious. Jon was right at the bike start taking awesome pictures again and he has a funny chain of pics of me yelling at him that I forgot my number. I got over it after about 20 miles. Every time I would hear a motorcycle come by (the officials ride motorcycles), I panicked and tried to "lay low" - as if that is possible, but I wished I could have just hidden from them! Turns out it wasn't an issue and that they apparently had much larger fish to fry that day - as in drafting like I've never seen before.

I had studied the wind and course map pretty well beforehand so I knew what to expect for the most part, and was pretty spot on with my expectations. I knew I would have a straight headwind from mile 23-50 and then after that it should only be 10 more miles total of headwind throughout the rest of the course. Otherwise it would be a cross or tail wind. Special needs came at mile 50 and it actually came surprisingly fast. My average was down to 16.1 mph at this point, but I knew I had tons of tail wind coming, and that was still higher than my 16.0 overall average at IMCDA. I grabbed my second bottle of infinit at special needs and our turn south, out of the wind, came soon after. I was on cloud 9 for the first time after that turn. I was ready to make a move (or more like just not die, but you know). I knew Team Woodhead would be at mile 70/77 where there was an out and back. What I did not know is that that 7 miles of road between seeing them would be the worst on the whole ride! It was like I-10 used to be in Louisiana. There were bumps every 3 feet - no lie. I rode as close to the edge as I could without falling off the road but that was taking a lot of mental concentration to do. After I saw Team Woodhead again at mile 77 (which, seeing them at 70 and 77 was just awesome - they were going crazy and were easy to spot), I knew I was home free. The road also got better too. I have ridden the course from mile 86 on three times previously as part of another race I have done in the area. I was dreading a 10 mile or so stretch starting at 86 because the surface was so bad. It left me in tears last time I road it because it hurt so bad. Well, we made a turn onto that road, right at mile 86, and I cried again - but this time it was tears of joy! They had repaved the entire thing, it was smooth as butta. Wow. I just had to pedal to stay upright and I let the wind just do its job. It was awesome. My average mph was creeping up ever so slightly, just as planned, which was awesome as well. Cathy Modaro came up on me around here too and stayed in ear shot the rest of the way home. It was nice having someone close by! I was so proud of her because she was clearly doing awesome during her first IM. She also told me I was covered in salt and to make sure I was taking care of my nutrition the way I needed to. Ironically I had just looked at myself for the first time before she rode up and decided to pop 2 salt tabs. I never had any problems so I guess I was still on top of things.

Mile 100 marked the first of our last two turns to get home, and also marked the lovely bridge over the intracoastal canal. It actually was not bad at all and my legs still did what I asked of them, so I was still happy. I knew the last 7 miles would be back into the wind, but it is along the beach and there are so many condo buildings on that stretch the wind gets swirly no matter what direction it is coming from. I could not believe my average was up to 16.9 when I made this turn, and I wanted to keep it at that for the last 7 miles. I could feel the wind, but it was not slowing me down too much.

I think miles 109-112 were the three longest miles I have ever ridden - I could not wait to get done. Not necessarily because I was in pain (I was, but not awful), but because I was excited to see everyone and to start running. I was finally back at the Boardwalk and Team Woodhead was once again in full force. I thought my bike time was 6:40, but after looking at the results it turns out it was really 6:36 with a 17mph average speed. That is 1mph and 24 minutes faster than I did CDA...I guess those hills really did slow me down there!

T2
This was not nearly as bad as T1. A volunteer took my bike immediately and my transition bag was very close to the entrance to the change tent. The volunteer in the tent helped me quickly change into my pink skirt (note - always wear the pink skirt - it received raving reviews from other racers and spectators alike!), run shoes, etc. I did have a hard time getting my calf sleeves on. I guess my legs were a bit swollen - something I was not expecting. The sunscreen girls did their job on the way out and I was ready to run.
Time - 4:01

Run
This is where the truth comes out: within 24 hours of finishing IMCDA in 13:29, an hour and 10 minute PR, I wanted to finish IMFL in 12:59. I had no idea if I could do it, but that number was in my head. I did not share it with too many people because I was not sure myself if it was possible and I don't want to jinx myself with stuff like that, but at the same time plenty of other people had mentioned that number as well. No pressure. As the race grew nearer, I had less and less confidence in my ability to break 13 hours. I crunched the numbers over and over and they looked impossible. Well, as I was finishing the bike, I thought to myself "oh crap, I swam like I needed to and biked like I needed to, now I have to go freakin' run a sub-5 hour marathon (something I have only done twice, without a swim and bike beforehand) to break 13 hours." No problem. Ugh. Yeah right. Of course I would never know if breaking 13 hours was possible if I did not try, so try I did.

I saw Team Woodhead twice in the first few hundred yards of the run and they fired me up and sent me on my way. I had 2:20 in my head for the first half of the marathon which would allow me to do a 2:40 half for the second and still break 13 hours. Sounds easy, right? Not. The first half, maybe so, but the second half of any ironman marathon is a huge wild card. There are no guarantees; nothing is free. I have already forgotten much of the race, but I do know I was having a good time on the run. I saw Houston groups all over the place cheering for us and it was awesome. I learned where everyone was on the first out so I could know where to find them on the first back and the second out and back. Shellie, William, and Randy were just around the first corner, along with Kevin and Jana. Julie Krueger, who I used to ski with, was just past "Girl Zone" on Surf Drive, and a few other Houston fans were further down, around mile 3 or 4. I was able to see all of my speedy friends and encourage them along the way and started to gauge where I thought they might finish.

I was keeping very close to a 10 minute/mile average well into the first loop. I was running 4 minutes/walking 1 minute, and repeating. This was working great and I was not slowing down very much. I finished the first half just under 10:15 pace which put me in a great place going into the second loop. The sun was long gone by the time I got back to "home base" area to begin my second loop. I saw Mike and Katie on one side of the street then saw everyone else after I turned around. I shouted to my mom that I was going for 13 and went on my way. I told Jon and who knows else that I was going for 13 as well. I think the more people I told, the more I would have to stick with it. I was so energized after seeing everyone that I forgot I had wanted to switch to 3/1's at the halfway point.

I do know the smile on my face in Florida was not nearly as big as it was during IMCDA. Everyone at CDA knew I was having a great race because of my smile. I didn't have the energy to smile as much this time around because I was working hard! Jon said later he was never entirely sure how I was feeling because it was not plastered across my face. I guess I was a little more "business" this time! I had to conserve some of that bouncing-off-the-walls energy I had in CDA to pull off a sub-13 hour finish.

The second loop was very very dark, but it was only really a problem in the park. I had my light saber on the whole time and it was fun seeing the other light sabers out there. It was kind of like our own little "secret society" (name that movie!) or something. Somewhere around mile 14 I tried to get my garmin back on track with the mile markers as it has gotten off and when I pressed lap it sang a song and said "race complete." Ughhh no, I had half a marathon left to run! Apparently my new garmin does not work exactly like the old one. So I waited until I saw another mile marker, which was not until 15, to restart my garmin. I did the math there then to figure out what pace I had to run to finish under 13 hours. I knew I was still running hard because I could not for the life of me do math. I had 11 miles left and was trying to figure out of 13 min/mile pace was going to cut it, but 13x11 was just too much math for my head! When I got to mile 16 I had a little better time because I had a nice even number to play with: 10. At this point I knew I needed to maintain a 13:20 pace to finish under 13. I knew I was pretty safe because I was still running around 11-11:30 minute miles. At each mile I did the math again, and each time the pace I needed to maintain got easier and easier. Some miles had easy math, some had hard math. I think the hard ones were probably better for me because it kept my mind off running longer. Jon makes fun of me for doing math on the run, but I know I'm not the only one who does it...triathlon is full of CPAs and engineers...what else are we going to do to stay entertained?

Around mile 21 or so I decided to move to running 2 minutes/walking 1 at a time because I only needed to maintain a 14 minute mile pace or so to finish and I knew I could do that with the 2/1's no problem. I was getting more and more excited the closer I got to the finish, and also getting more and more emotional. It had been a crazy 7 weeks and it was all going to culminate under the bright lights of the finish line, with Team Woodhead looking on, and Kristi looking on from above. I knew I was going to make them all proud. When I got to about mile 25.5 I picked up the pace and ran faster and faster and faster. I saw Shellie and their group first, and the smile began to grow. I saw Jon next, going absolutely insane. After that, things were a complete blur. No matter how many times you do it, and you say "next time I will try to soak it all in better," you never do. I knew more of Team Woodhead was in the bleachers and I heard them but I never saw them. I picked it up more and more and felt unbelievable after covering 140.6 miles. I was fighting back the tears as I headed to the finish line. When I crossed, I pointed and looked up to Kristi said thank you.

I managed to run the marathon in 4:48 for an overall finish time of 12:47. Wow. I had 12:50 in my head for most of the last few miles, but anything under 12:59 was just icing on the cake. My last split (6 or so miles) was obviously my slowest, with a 12:15 min/mile pace. The funny thing is before CDA my entire marathon pace in an ironman had never been better than 13+ min/mile.
Jon had apparently bummed a volunteer wristband off someone on a bus during the day (smart thinking!) to be able to get back to the finisher area after I finished. The new finish area was not very user-friendly. He got back there very quickly though and I was surprised and relieved to see him. He hopped in for a finisher picture with me and then picked me up and hugged me for what seemed like eternity while I just bawled. Once I got that all out pizza and the rest of Team Woodhead were top priority. I got my pizza and headed to the gate to see everyone else. It was very unorganized and hard to get to anyone but we were finally all reunited.

Apparently some of Team Woodhead had been testing the Spinnaker out throughout the day, so the rest of us headed that way after I finished. I was not super hungry but I knew everyone else was and it was nice to be able to rehash some of the day with everyone. After we ate Jon and I headed back to the finish area to watch a few more people finish and then we headed back to the condo to hang out with everyone else. I took a bath in the tub in my parent's room - it was a whirpoool. Ahhhh. One of the best baths I have ever taken!

There are so many people to thank I do not know where to start and am afraid I will leave someone out. I will try though...
- thanks to Mom and Dad for being my #1 supporters, no matter what
- thanks to Jon for standing by me through not 1 but 2 ironman races this year. I know it wasn't easy for him and I appreciate it probably more than he will ever know.
- thanks to Mike and Katie for allowing me to share Kristi's story and for helping with RADD
- thanks to all of training partners in Houston, especially the BAM members I met and got to know during their training - they welcomed me with open arms and we shared some great experiences
- thanks to Mrs. Clark, mom #2 for joining us on this trip and always being the first (and sometimes the only) one to send me good luck and congratulations cards in the mail.
- thanks to Dad's best friend, Dr. Doug for coming along for this 3rd Team Woodhead experience and for wearing pink for an entire day even though he complains the whole time!!
- thanks to Philip for helping to pimp my ride, and for loaning me his race wheels for the weekend. I think I definitely got the most "nice bike" compliments of anyone else out there.