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today, i read about staying out of your head ironman race week and i may have mentioned via facebook that i have great coping skills.  part of which comes from a joke from one of my sisters consolers that told her in dealing with my parents ’situation’ at least she’ll have great coping skills.  

insert sisters reaction at 16 while dealing with her sucidal father and mother who won’t quit sleeping with young black men:  wow, way to turn a negative into a positive.  you went to school for how long to tell me THAT, really?!

but it’s a joke now, and we find all sorts of things dealing with death and drugs and rock n’ roll, funny.  funny haha.  when in all reality, they are not very funny.

okay, back on track…ironman race week coping skills:

1.  hay is in the barn.  you have done the work.  

2.  watch what you eat.  reduced work load this week means reduced calorie intake.  it isn’t rocket science…add and subtract calories.

3.  focus on the aspects of the race and your life and you day that you HAVE to.  and then get a book that you are really excited about and when all necessary parts of your day are over, read and read and read because thinking about the present and your upcoming race too much are just going to drive you crazy.

4.  don’t communicate with people that already stress you out.  

5.  try to keep your day as normal as possible.  so if you start your day with a workout and then coffee continue this routine onsite.  or in my case, if you have a thing for obsessively clean floors, buy a thing of clorox wipes and run through the condo cleaning…clean floors are my normal and normal helps me sleep at night.

6.  it’s race week.  you have time off work, you aren’t training as much, ummmm…NAP TIME!!!  Get some extra sleep this week.  the sleep the night before the race is going to be shit (at least, plan on it  be shitty and if you sleep well it will just be bonus.) so get an extra couple hours sleep throughout the week.  

7.  my main focus all week long is simply on taking care of myself.  my goal all week is to feel good, feel strong, feel like an athlete, and to do so, i have to stay focused on taking care of myself.  it sounds easy enough, but i find it is really a full time job.  

8.  i simplify any and everything.  i know i get overwhelmed and stressed out easier than most people so anything i can simplify when dealing with the race, i do.

(I won’t give you examples here because my examples will most likely be bad for most people especially if this is your first ironman.  if this is your first ironman, go to the meetings, go to the pasta dinners, enjoy the experience!

but unfortunately,  for me, at this point those things are all stressers.  honestly, even bike check in stresses me out a little bit…all the people and you are trying to fit through with all this equipment and you see people along the way and you have to stop and be polite and more than likely it’s hot outside and your friend Tom is busy hitting on guys for you…oh wait…but really for me it has to be simple…my pretty little head likes to run in circles.)

  9.  there are more than likely going to be BIG, obstacles race week because that is ironman and that is part of the process.  

examples.  on the way to my first ironman, my mom’s truck broken down and we had to call a taxi to get to the race, my first ironman hawaii, my bike didn’t arrive until friday and kona is a saturday race, ironman arizona this past year, i broke a $2,000 dollar wheel 2 days before the race.  

handle these obstacles as calmly as you are able, and deal with the part of the problem that needs to be fixed so that you can race.  laugh at the challenge and use the line, ‘this is ironman.’  i find it helped me to be sarcastic and expect the punches to just keep rolling on in.  

i am going to stop at 10 regardless…i have to cut myself off somewhere.  i am not THAT brilliant.

10.  use your filter.  95% of what you hear around you ironman race week is crap.  it doesn’t apply to you and it should have no impact on your race day.  

so when your new buddy Charlie, who you have dinner with at your first ironman, tells you ENSURE is the thing to drink during the race.  be happy that works for him, but by no means internalize it.

Or when Susie Swimmer tells you she breathes every 4th stroke and that is the best way to breathe and that she is the most awesome person ever, continue breathing the way you would normally breathe.  

Even if it’s a pro, giving you really great advice about your race strategy, and you are rapidly writing down everything they say because it is all genius and they are sure to win this race and save the world all at the same time.  put that notepad away and read it again post race and apply it to your next training block…use that race strategy then.  

However, if you do want my advice for race day, make sure you look good out there.  people are taking pictures every 2 seconds, especially you first timers, you know you are going to buy the picture package, and most likely at least a couple of the photos will be framed.  make sure your helmet is straight, make sure your hair looks good, wear a sexy outfit (that you have practiced racing in…chaffing and blisters hurt!  trust me.)  no sense doing this if you don’t look good.  

take care of you.

it was always a process and in the beginning, i had no idea how long this road would be.  i was the one that set the goals, that kept raising the bar, daring to believe that i was capable of just a little more.  to that point, placid was my second pro ironman, my first semi-successful pro ironman, and my seventh ironman in total.  so numbers, yes, i guess, it all comes back to a bunch of numbers.  i always found i was more of a visual learner though SO we’ll sum the trip up in a tasteful pictorial. 

we landed in Canada, loaded up a couple carts, and headed back south to the New York border.  

i was a good little car rider (i tried not to complain about being thirsty too, too much.).  shelley navigated, aimee drove, and after awhile, i read my book.

we made to lake placid, NY.  i was immediately impressed.  it is beautiful.

we stayed at a pimp condo which i affectionately took to calling the playa house.

we did practice swimming, biking, and running.

here we are on a warm-up bike with the ski jumps in the background… Lake Placid, NY was home of the winter olympics in the 1930s and again in the 1980s.

mostly, pre race, i just read.

i finished one book during the week and had to start another to calm my nerves.  i am a geek.

skip to race morning…

in general, it was a really great day.  my best time, my first top 10 pro finish, i had to walk (hobble) away from the day happy.  the crowds were awesome, congratulating me all the way home, sharing beer, etc.  i had to sign autographs…crazy, right?

here i am with copper, my number one fan in lake placid.

i “recovered.”  still hobbling, and Shelley and i finished the day down at the finish line at midnight.  we watch Matt Long, who had been hit by a bus 4 years ago finish his first ironman since the accident.  he finished in 16:58.  it was by far the best race finish i have been in attendance to watch.  Matt helped me put air in my bike tires earlier that morning.  very inspiring.  i was very careful on to use the phrase “i feel like i got hit by a bus.” post race…

it was a great trip, a great experience, and i only expect improvement.  thanks to all for the support without everyone in my life, my dreams wouldn’t be possible.   

i will follow this post with a picture outline of the trip.  quite the little journey we have been on.  but race day, fantastic.  i learned, i grew, and i improved.  (and i am pumped to do it all again.)

the swim was the best ever.  the second half i got in a draft pack with girls a little faster than i was and i was able to push myself to stay on their feet.  the lake was crystal clear.  awesome.  

the bike, i got a little too excited and pushed way too hard.  i was riding hard, not riding smart.  i get anxious because i worry my running isn’t up to par (which it isn’t…yet.), but i can’t push beyond my limits to make up time the first half of the bike.  it isn’t rocket science.  i know this.  i’ve  repeated that same statement time and time again to athletes…why i don’t listen to my own good advice, i have no idea.  

i was worried i was going to feel like shit getting off the bike.  i didn’t.  my first mile was actually sub 7.  shocked the crap out of me, although that first mile is mostly down hill.  i felt great running until about the half way point when my quads started locking up.  i had to keep myself running.  i wanted top 10 and i had to keep moving to stay there.  overall result though, i dropped a minute off my ironman PR.  i placed 10th pro (got beat my 3 amatuers, but for me, that solidifies that this professional triathlon dream isn’t a waste of my time.)  on the bike in placid was actually the first time that i felt like i was chasing my dream.  i was doing excatly what i set out to do all those years ago.  i couldn’t do this without everyone along the way though.  it has been a long, hard road, but i finally feel like we are going somewhere.  my friends, family, and support system rock.  i am so grateful to you all.  

we are still in placid.  we fly home tomorrow.  i am excited to get home to ken.  but for now, girls gone wild ironman edition…it’s on!

look, victoria, you are an ironman!  it was her first. 

it doesn’t take much to overwhelm me.  after the last trip to Oregon, i now blame my family.  i think it has taken me years to understand myself  because i didn’t grow up around my family.  i had no way of knowing what i was dealing with, but when you combine the theatrics of my grandmother on my mom’s side with my fathers CRAZY side of the family…i think we got fireworks!  so here we are.  no, but at bike/bag check in, all the people and trying to push my bike through the crowds….uggghhh!  

i feel freaking fantastic!  my legs have been well rested.  i’ve really enjoyed these last couple easy recovery days.  it is beautiful here.  i think i have said that in a previous blog though.  i am excited to race and push myself tomorrow.  i think for the first time in years, i will really make some athletic progess tomorrow.  i will improve myself tomorrow.  i am checking out for the day here shortly.  i am eating dinner in the condo, yum, turkey and cheese sandwich.  i am such a fancy girl.  i don’t think i can handle main street placid again.  so i am sending the troops off to dinner without me.  we have quite the support crew out here in placid.  it is just aim and i racing and there are 10 of us staying in the condo.  we even have team awesome shirts…all aim’s doing.  aimee always out does herself.  she is FOR SURE a go big or go home girl.  tomorrow is her first ironman and i wish her the ability to breathe on the swim and a beautiful day.  i hope her first ironman will be as an enjoyable day as my first ironman was back in 2004!  (ironman wisconsin.)  this season will make 5 years of ironman racing, and here in placid tomorrow will be my lucky number 7.

alright to review for those that may want to follow along tomorrow.  i will be bringing sexy back.  again.  here in lake placid.  to follow along online go to: www.ironman.com my race number is 39  (39 is fine!).  see y’all on the other side.  

i am here.  it is beautiful.  i keep trying to get myself to sit down at the computer and get some thoughts together.  it hasn’t worked out so well.

so for race day, to follow online go to: www.ironman.com  i am number 39.  (39 is fine!)  or you can type in the last name, but shit, some days i am not sure how to spell my last name.

thanks for all those that helped me get here!  i have never felt so GOOD (in general) going into an ironman.  

easy taper workouts creates a bit of free time and without cable, i have taken to reading.  i read 2 books last week.  i’ll start a new one today.  i wanted to catch up with the computer, in general, first though, emails and facebooking.  the trouble with catching up is the outpour of response to the emails sent out which then require an additional response and then i find myself behind…again.

it seems odd for race week to be here.  i feel so balanced.  i look forward to life leading into ironman and life coming out of ironman regardless of what the day holds.  i’ll hope for the best, climb my ass off on the hills of Placid, and come away smiling.  at times like these, i always remind myself that i haven’t just been working towards this the last couple months.  i started swimming year around at the age of 8, we started swimming doubles at 12, and i missed out on a handful of normal kid things because we had training.  i’ve spent 20 years training.  it all counts.  on race day, i get to pull from all life experiences.  i get to use whatever keeps me moving forward.  i am currently fueled by jelly belly.  i found they are the lesser of all evils.  they seem to kick most of the sugar cravings without the calories of chocolate and ice cream.  

alright pretty uneventful day here in the metto, so i’ll leave you in peace before i start to ramble about dinner plans and coaching masters.  these are exciting times we live in kids, exciting times  

oh, Placid is coming…

i wanted to bag it.  i tried.  i tried to come up with every excuse and reason i could think of to save race day for Louisville.  i thought it’d be better to just be there as support crew.  my fitness isn’t perfect, but i have been doing some good work and the body is coming around.  so i am going to race and i am going to my best and we’ll take the day as it comes.  it all seems like such a mess going in and then somehow like magic it all comes together at the end.  

i’ve been awful about writing and i knew this first blog would be scattered and messy…much like my ironman prep.  i’ve had some real good training days, but i’ve blown off more days than i should have.  

i feel more settled in life than i have in years past, and i think that opens new doors for performance.  i am hopeful writing performance will also improve  

sidenote:  tour de france has been great and if you don’t twitter, you should.  lance provides his outlook on the day in the tour.  i find it entertaining (keep in mind.  i also find the metto entertaining.  take it for what it is worth.)