It's Never Too Late To Tri

It's never too late to blog!

2009-12-30T12:09:00.003-05:00

Ok, I've been away for quite some time - eventually I'll even let people know that I'm 'back' here - but for now just a quick update to tell myself that it's time to blog on.

This blog pretty much stopped dead in it's tracks once the contest and my last Ironman was done back on November 1, 2008. The time since then, while nothing remarkable, has been very fun, and despite race results and stats to the contrary, I've made much forward progress ...

No, I won't be showing up in Kona anytime soon, or likely ever, but the progess I've made isn't something that I can measure in pounds or pace or miles or minutes - it's more in attitude and approach and laughs and my decreased level of angst and frustration. In other words, things have been kinda nice - a far more 'even keel' than what I experienced throughout the 'contest year' as it'll be forever known in my head.

I still run and love it more everyday, I still ride and realized this past year how much I missed just 'riding' - not training, not racing, but RIDING ... it's still the best ...as for swimming - well, ok, at least I still know how - and I CAN if I WANT to, and lets just leave it at that.

There were far less 'medals' this past year than in 2008, but in many ways they each meant more - they were of my own doing, and the events I did were carefully chosen and fully appreciated - they came to me absent of the anxiety, dread and fear of failure throughout my '08 race calendar. Though there was still plenty of sweat and hard work and struggle involved, everytime I crossed the finish line '09 there was the satisfaction in knowing I did something just because I could, because I wanted too - and you don't have to win or qualify or place or PR to be happy about that.

Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets for 2008 - that year definitely took me to places I thought I'd never be and in so many different ways. But now that I've been there? Well I can decide all on my own if I ever want to go back - and at the moment my best answer is 'we'll see.'

To be continued in 2010 ....

..End Of The Line

2008-10-31T01:56:00.001-04:00

"It's gonna hurt"

2008-10-31T01:41:00.005-04:00

At the moment I’m down in sunny (but not exactly warm) Panama City Beach, Florida for the 10th Anniversary Ironman Florida. (Side note: I’m starting to think these “10th Anniversary” events may be my forte – unknown to me at the time, my first marathon, the Flying Pig, was in it’s 10th year, as was IM Lake Placid, so not that I’m doing them all particularly well, but I am doing them – I’m also scheduled to do the 10th edition of Nashville’s Country Music Marathon in 2009).

So, I can’t say I’m all that confident headed into Saturday’s race, but I can admit that I feel differently than I did about IM LP. Lake Placid was so much fear, and about survival more than anything. Now, well maybe because I’ve been through it and know what to expect (god help, and yet I’m still giving it another shot!), maybe it’s that I’ve learned a lot and at least know what I WON’T do this time – like become dehydrated, maybe it’s because the race course and flat terrain play far more in my favor than did hilly Lake Placid, maybe because I know it won’t be pouring, torrential rain all day long, maybe it’s because I’ve had more time to train and just generally feel far better prepared, or maybe it’s just because I know the ‘end is near’ and after Saturday, for a time at least, I can resume a normal life where I can still ‘workout’ but won’t have to endure endless 15-20 hour training weeks.

Actually, I’m sure it’s some combination of all of those things that are helping me feel different about this Ironman, helping me feel better about it. I hope it goes better, I want it to go better, and actually I need it to go better than IM Lake Placid. Not that LP was so bad, but it definitely was an extremely painful struggle for me, mentally, physically and emotionally, and I have a hard time thinking that I could do this race if it’s equally as rough. I want to suffer less, and I really want to enjoy it more, if such a thing is possible.

As Ryan, my coach has told me on more than one occasion, “Mary Lou, you KNOW it’s going to hurt.” And of course he’s right, no one finishes an Ironman without a fair amount of pain and discomfort – so that’s a ‘given.’ But I think its a reasonable and realistic goal and expectation that I suffer for a shorter period of time for this outing.

So that’s it, in two days time, this “year of the Ironman” will be in the books. When I get back home, and have time to think about all that’s happened to me this past year, I hope I’ll gain some insight as to what it’s all meant, how I feel about it, what I should do with it, where it’s taken me and where I can go with it – in the meantime, I can just tell you all that it has been an awesome ride, I’ve met some incredible people and made some great friends and have gotten an unbelievable amount of support and inspiration from friends and family and strangers a like – it’s definitely been a ‘great ride’ – and well, it's all right, I'm going to the end of the line...

Two halves do not make an Ironman...

2008-09-16T22:10:00.009-04:00

It's been about three months since Ironman Lake Placid and I've been busy - busy training, busy racing and busy at work - the only thing I haven't been busy doing is emailing and blogging - sorry about that.

I think our lives have a way of evening themselves out and my job got crazy the minute I got back from Lake Placid, so I'm thankful for having had the time to train to do that race. Ironman training is not for the faint of heart. It takes an unreasonable amount of time and dedication to not only actually do the training, but planning it along with conditioning and nutrition planning and this all leaves little time for anything else. But here I am trying to balance the competing forces in my life as I prep for the final race of the year, Ironman Florida.

About eight weeks ago I did the Timberman 70.3 in Lake Winnipisauki, NH with some friends (huge congrats to Erik, Becky & Lucy on great races - Lucy on her first ever tri, a 70.3! and Becky for finishing 7th in her AG in 5:38!). When I signed up for it last year that was to be THE big race for this year - I was sweating bullets when I signed up for it - it was more than I thought I was capable of. Having to do Lake Placid as part of the contest changed how I thought about doing a half ironman - I thought it would be so easy compared to a full IM. Boy, was I wrong, of course it didn't help matters that I did it only 4 weeks out from IMLP -in hindsight, it was just way too soon. I wasn't recovered and the 15 or so pounds I packed on following the IM certainly didn't help either ... On a positive note, we got to meet Andy Potts -he is extremely adorable! and Chrisse Wellington - ok, she is too, and such a solid athlete - she blew away the women's field and finished 5th overall, watch out Kona!

I didn't feel well going into the Timberman, yet I still had every expectation of finishing it in about 6 hours - so I was pretty disappointed with my final stats there:

Place/group Spec Name G Ag Rank Swim Pace T1 Rank Bike Rate T2 Rank Run Pace Final

27/50 Mary Lou Hoffman F 45 38 49:59 41:40 4:28 6 2:54:42 19.2 4:00 42 2:44:08 12:32 6:37:15

My 2:44 half marathon just killed my time - that run hurt, a lot - but while I was disappointed at the time, in hindsight, all things considered, this wasn't really that bad of an outing for me.

Four weeks after the Timberman was Muskoka 70.3 (thanks to Laurie for making the trek and supporting me and my fellow Buffalo Tri Club members doing the race - Sergio, Eric & Brenda). These races really need their own posts, but I just don't have the time right now. So after the Timberman, I thought, 'ok, deal with it, I've got another shot in a month and will surely do much better at Muskoka." Yet again, I was wrong ... while I felt more rested and generally in better shape than I had at the Timberman, my time was much worse. But the course was the toughest I've seen, the terrain was far tougher than Lake Placid and the Timberman combined, not to mention it was another miserable rainy day, but in the end, it was the elevation of the run at Muskoka that pretty much did me in and my disappointing 2:44 half marathon at the Timberman was almost 3 hours in Muskoka.

Place Name Time Category CategoryPlace
1028/1299 Mary Lou Hoffman 07:13:55 W45-49 46/80

That said, I did actually enjoy the race - it was it's first year and definitely had an "ironman feel' to it - the town was behind the race and I really enjoyed getting to see all the folks from Kevin McKinnon's Tri Camp I had attended up there this past May. I've already registered for this event next year along with about 15 other folks from the Buffalo Tri Club and plan on making this my only long distance tri in 2009.

So now I'm knee deep in my final build weeks leading up to IM Florida before I start to taper. Since it's been about two months since my last post, I'll try not to overwhelm you with my thoughts on Florida, I will save it for when I have all that free time on my hands during my taper ...

The People You Meet on the Road to Ironman (A Guest Blog)

2008-08-15T01:48:00.008-04:00

I could introduce this post with an unbelievably long list of all the people I've meet and who've helped me along the way, but for now I'll spare you the details and save it for another day, but rest assured it's due and it's coming.

For now, I'd like to turn the keyboard over to just one of the thousands of people who were involved in Ironman Lake Placid on that rainy Sunday in July. How many times do we see someone or briefly interact with a stranger only to have them influence your day, or even your life. It happens all the time, but then we just continue on never to acknowledge or even see them again; never knowing their name; never taking the time or having the opportunity to properly thank them. But every once in a great while, we do it right – we share our names and someone remembers.

When I met one of the volunteers in T2 that Sunday, I knew her being there influenced my day - as she did for so many others, as so many others did for me. But unlike the folks passing me Powergels and Gatorade, I had a chance to introduce myself, and luckily for me Karen remembered and now I get to say a proper "thank you" and shift the spotlight, so to speak. Since Lake Placid we've exchanged a few emails and I asked Karen to talk a bit about her own personal Ironman experience, her triathlon aspirations and goals, and how she found herself there on that day. I asked her about her volunteer experience – what she saw, and how she felt. What follows is her reply:

“I did Ironman Florida in November 2006. What an awesome day! I got into triathlon back when I was young (24) with some friends. I got the “itch” to do an Ironman but could not imagine the amount of training. I decided I should try a marathon first….maybe that would scratch my “itch.”

It did for a while. I did the 1995 Walt Disney Marathon – 3:56!!! I couldn’t walk for about a week. I decided I needed a little break – try a 10-year break! I took up some different hobbies – snowboarding, barefoot waterskiing, moto-cross. Many broken bones later, I thought it was time to get back to triathlon – with the exception of the occasional road rash; I have had pretty decent luck staying fairly injury free. After a year of “getting back into the swing of things” the “itch” returned. I signed up for a half Ironman in 2005 and completed the Florida 70.3 in 6:27. I thought I was such a bad ass! Then, I did the Florida Challenge later that year and had a complete melt down. I went from bad ass, to sorry ass status!

So what do I do? I sign up for Ironman Florida and hire a coach (Jennifer Hutchison). I heard that Florida is a good first Ironman to do. The course is flat and the weather is usually pretty good. Jennifer did a great job getting me ready for the race – both physically and mentally! I am so lucky to have found her!!! I would have been lost without Jennifer!

She is a registered dietitian and has completed 9 Ironman races! She takes a very personal approach to my training – not a canned, one size fits all approach! She gave me a very realistic perspective on what I was capable of. I continue to learn so much from Jennifer and am so excited to see how far I can go with the sport.

The ups and downs of Ironman Florida?

High and low points of my Ironman day? Let’s see…

High points – my ankle (bad injury a couple years ago) holding up throughout my training, my first 100 mile bike ride, surviving Jennifer’s crazy brick workout day – ride 20 miles, then run 4 miles – not too bad….now do that 3 more times!!!

Low point – waking up to howling winds and 50 degree weather race morning High point – the gun finally going off – I started my Ironman! Low point – coming into the shallow water on the swim – it felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice on me!

High point – I finished the swim!!!

Low point – I’m freezing my hinny off! I’m shaking so bad I can’t buckle my helmet or get my arm warmers on!

High point – Volunteer helps me with my helmet and arm warmers! Thank you! Tons of people cheering as I head out on the bike!

Low point – I’m freezing!!! Mile 5 – girl lying on the pavement with her head bleeding, crying and shaking. Oh God! Please keep me safe and let me get through this! Killer head wind for 50 mile - 15 mph average @ mile 50 - this is going to take forever! I have to pee! I can’t stop – I’ll never get started again! I have to pee again, and again, and again. I can’t stop drinking because I’m terrified of being dehydrated and having a melt down. I have to pee again, and again, and again! Could this road be any bumpier?!

High point – mile 60 – tail wind! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Crowds cheering as I finish. I’m so happy to be off my bike - I’m so excited I get to start running! Mile 1 – there goes the male leader – he’s coming in to win the race! There goes some other pros! This is so AWESOME!!!

Low point – mile marker 2 – my back hurts, my right hamstring is in a cramp, whose bright idea was this anyway? I have to pee again, and again, and again.

High point – Jennifer riding up on her mountain bike giving me a pep talk. Just keeping going - one foot in front of the other - it’s ok if I need to stop and stretch for a little while. I’m feeling better; I’m in a groove, ok – just slow and steady – I will eventually get there! I’m done with the first of two laps! My friends and family are there cheering for me! They are SO awesome to be here for me!

Low point – starting lap number 2 – it’s dark. It’s REALLY dark! Am I going the right way? My feet hurt soooooo bad - I have to run through this stupid park again? Ugh …

High point – I’m out of the stupid park! There’s Jennifer! Boy, she looks silly in her shiny silver make shift skirt and big funny clappers and pom poms! I’m so glad to see her! Chicken broth!!! After about 10 bottles of Gatorade, 8 Carb Boom Gels, 3 Power Bars - This stuff is like LIQUID GOLD. One more mile!!! I’ve got to find some MOJO – I could finish in under 13 hours if I bust a move! Running up the ramp to the finish! I hear Jennifer screaming - GO WONDER WOMAN!!!

I did it! 12:59:36! I am an Ironman!!!!

The year after I’m still on the Ironman high. Now I want to focus a little on getting faster. I get a lottery slot to the World Championship 70.3 2007 race. I do a personal best – 5:14! The “itch” is back! I want to do another Ironman. If I keep up my training, maybe by the time I am 80 years old, I could qualify for an Hawaii slot!

I decide I’m going to do Lake Placid in 2008. I make all my travel arrangements. I’m so excited - I’m ready to go online @ 9am the day after the 2007 race. That’s weird? They have delayed the sign up time to 1pm. No big deal – I am online exactly @ 1pm. I can’t get in … What’s going on? I try and try for 5 minutes – which feels like an eternity. “Sold out?” “What do you mean sold out?!” Boo hoo – but, “no worries” - Ironman announces they are changing the Arizona race to November 2008 – I’m all over that!

So change of plans! Visit Lake Placid in July 2008, volunteer, ride the bike course (clean out my shorts after the first time down the terrifying decent – how in the world did you do that in the pouring down rain?! You Rock!) Then IM Arizona in November 2008, then Lake Placid in July 2009. I’ve got a plan!

My experience as a volunteer at Lake Placid?
I would recommend to everyone to volunteer if you are able to. I had a great day! It is so enlightening to meet so many people with so many different stories that have overcome so many different challenges in their life. I am so lucky to be part of that special day – all the athletes were truly amazing! I felt like I did a million squats the next day – I felt guilty for being sore and I didn’t even race!

I put down a couple different choices when I signed up to be a volunteer. I was actually surprised at the lack of instruction given to us prior to the race. I was grateful to have been a participant to at least know what to expect. The change tent was a bit of a whirl wind - especially T1. I felt so bad I could not help more people. It felt like everyone showed up all at once! Mud was every where, the lights keep shorting out and it was so hard to see, and I felt my heart sink every time someone would say to me “I’m so scared of the descent.” Having done the course the day before I was terrified for them!

T2 was much better – I felt like I was able to assist so many more people. Here I really was wishing that the people in charge would have given the volunteers a little more instruction – some people do NOT want help – they are very particular and don’t want their stuff touched – I think a couple volunteers were so eager to help but may have irritated some people. There were so many women coming in just chilled to the bone. I wish we had more dry towels, but almost everything was drenched and/or full of mud.

Several women came in that had missed the bike cutoff – but no tears. As there should not have been – anyone who actually finished the bike course that day is nothing short of AMAZING! It’s 5:30pm – we are done. I can’t believe people will be out on the course until midnight! I can’t wait to be part of this race next year!!!

Advice for volunteers: definitely talk to as many past participants as you can. Everyone is different – with different needs. This is such a big day for them! Try and make it better! Some people want you to get out of the way; some people need help getting all their crap together and want to get out of the change tent as quick as possible; others just want to take a few minutes to collect themselves. Just remember this is their day - be helpful, be kind, be amazed, do whatever you can to reassure the athletes that they will get through their day.

What it’s like to be an Ironman? You are an Ironman Mary Lou! And nothing….NOTHING will ever change that! How cool is that? Did you know how strong of a person you are? You certainly have conquered many obstacles in your life and hopefully will feel strong and confident when faced with your next challenge – whatever it may be.

My life balance? I have definitely had to work hard “work wise” in the past 20 years or so but realized somewhere along the way that I need to follow my heart and that working 80 hours a week wasn’t something I was going to look back on and smile about. I decreased my hours 2 years ago at work and decided being a VP at a big company wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I love to compete and challenge myself each day. I believe it helps me keep a positive attitude when dealing with the little curve balls that life throws at me.

My goals? Ironman Arizona - goal number one: to finish. I hope I never lose sight of the fact that I am so fortunate to be able to compete in an Ironman event and it is a blessing to be able to actually finish one. Having said that, I would love to complete the race in under 12 hours.

Other goals? Enjoy every day like it was my last; meet as many people as possible; see as many different places as I can; live for the moment.

Interesting facts about Karen:
I love dogs
I was a gymnast for 10 years
I love red wine
I have broken my nose several times, broken my jaw, broken both ankles, broke ribs, broke tail bone, torn my rotator cuff, separated my shoulder - hopefully that’s it
I love meeting new people and visiting new places
I have an apple pie eating disorder

Oh, and I am an Ironman!

PS – I would have loved to run the marathon for you! But only if you rode your bike next to me and kept me company!”

(Guest Post from Karen, Ironman Lake Placid 2008 Women's Transition Tent Volunteer Extraordinaire!)

Ironman Lake Placid 2008 Slideshow

2008-08-07T14:37:00.006-04:00

A HUGE "THANK YOU" to Warren Hale of the Buffalo Triathlon Club for not only putting together this slide show, but also for taking so many of the pictures. I've watched it about a half dozen times and can't make it through without crying. Although when he and Jennifer dropped it off earlier tonight, they pretty much told me that was their intent - Mission Accomplished!!

Thank you so much! not only for this but for all of your support and advice since this whole thing started and it's truly been my pleasure to get to know you and so many others in the club - a great group of people that I'm proud and happy to be a part of. Awesome job Warren!

World's Longest Race Report

2008-07-31T03:08:00.001-04:00

To anyone that dare attempt to read this all the way through, I apologize, editing never really occurred to me. I hope I kept the rambling and random thoughts to a limit, but if you scroll down, well, that would appear doubtful.

I've enjoyed writing it, I guess I'll ask to hear from you or toss out a comment if you happen to read it... beyond that, put on another pot of coffee and have a go at it ... and let me know if you finish inside the 17 hour cutoff! :-)

Race Day

2008-07-31T02:34:00.003-04:00

The alarm went off at 3:45 but I had already been awake for nearly 2 hours, since 1:47 to be exact. I’d read where most people didn’t sleep much before their first Ironman, so I’d hoped my 3 hours of sleep wouldn’t cost me later.

Breakfast was my standard oatmeal along with a cup or two of cheerios for extra carbs and a cup of coffee. A trip to the bathroom and I was good to go. I gathered all of my hydration bottles, special needs bags, tire pump and dressed in what I would wear under my wetsuit. I think it was about 4:40 or so when I headed down to the parking lot to catch a ride with James, Wendy and Ben. We parked and caught the bus to main street and arrived just as it was starting to get light out … by 5:30 we were getting marked and were ready to head into transition.

My first of many shout outs to the Volunteers at this event – especially since the guy marking me agreed to put whatever age I wanted on my right calf!

I was surprised to see Warren Hale, from the Buffalo tri club as I was getting branded - I think he took pictures of that and he, along with a ton of other BTC members were out on the course cheering us on all day – I hope they know how appreciative I am of all the support and advice they’ve provided.

Once in transition, I readied my bike and placed all my bottles and actually surprised myself that I was as organized as I was and that so far I hadn’t forgotten anything. I didn’t want to leave transition, but both James and I were done so we headed out the main entrance at the end of Mirror Lake Drive. I wished James well and went off to try to calm myself down.

It was about 6:00 a.m. and I wasn’t so much nervous as I was tired, I felt very exhausted from not having slept and the more I thought about what I was supposed to do that day the more anxious and worried I became about my ability to finish … needless to say, I wasn’t feeling very confident. I was set to meet my brother at the Mobil station across from the Rink/Transition/Finish at 6:30 a.m. so I found a port-a-potty without much of a line and then headed to the less crowded municipal building across the street. A light sprinkle started and I hoped it wouldn't rain or at least hold off during the bike. Time was ticking down and I was tired so I just laid down on my wetsuit and tried to rest and NOT think about the day ahead… but there was none of either – I was anxious and apprehensive as can be – I think this was the first time I fought the tears that day and questioned what I was doing there in the first place.

Mike and Nick showed up right on time and I was glad to get on with everything, so I slathered up in body glide and did a decent job of catching every where I might chaff that day. I pulled on the bottom of my wetsuit and passed off my bike & run special needs bags and we headed down to Mirror Lake in a light rain. There were hugs and well wishes and then I headed down the lane to the swim start. There were quite a few people I knew in the race but in wetsuits & swim caps & goggles we were all pretty much unrecognizable. I waited until about 6:45 before entering the water. The temp was good and, as a few people had instructed me, I headed over to the far beach and little alcove on the far right side of Mirror Lake. It felt good to swim and unlike my earlier races I managed to get a breathing rhythm down right away. Once I found a spot to stand I started to get more nervous, there were a few women around me (they announced at the Friday night athlete meeting that the race was 73% male and 27% female) and we chatted about the spectacle of it all. The helicopter was circling overhead and it all seemed very surreal to me – like it was something I was witnessing rather than actually participating in. A few minutes before the pro start the Matchbox Twenty song “How far we’ve come” (I have the YouTube video in an earlier post) came blasting across the lake and I couldn’t help but smile. I took it as a sign and it went a long way in calming me down.

Mike Reilly was revving up the crowd and then the pros went off. As I stood chest deep in the water along the far shore, about 100 yards back from the start line I was searching around for my family and friends and regretted not mentioning to them that I’d be over on this side of the lake, the crowd was huge and it was a very cool sensation to be a part of it. As I scanned the crowd I noticed that just behind me was a group of the Buffalo Triathlon Club contingent – Rich Clark was there with his bullhorn – someone I’d see a whole lot of that day – I noticed Theresa Palmieri and Kara Klaasesz too, all IM veterans who’d provided me various bits of advice and information in the weeks leading up to this day

The Cannon Sounds (The Swim)

2008-07-31T02:31:00.002-04:00

Finally the start was less than a minute away and as the announcer yelled out for us to “have the best day of your life” the cynic in me doubted that would be the case, then the cannon went off and I held steady and watched along with the rest of the crowd the most amazing site (see the video below). At that moment, for the first time, I actually felt more excited than afraid to be a part of all this.

The Swim
As a slow, novice swimmer, I’d been advised to hang back at the start … as much as 3 to 5 minutes if I had to just to avoid the fray. So I watched a bit and then realized there weren’t a whole lot of people around me, and at my pace it wasn’t like I’d catch up to the scrum and I’d already avoided the worst of it. After about 30 seconds I decided it was time to go - I still had about 100 yards before I hit the actual start line, but that was ok, because above all I felt confident and relaxed – which honestly is somewhat unbelievable since the swim start was definitely a part of the Ironman that I feared most. And I mean it, 6 months ago I’d watch YouTube Videos of various Ironman swim starts and get so anxious that by the time the 2 minute clip was over I’d be in tears and swearing at myself for ever entering this contest in the first place.

The actual swim was pretty uneventful – I got clocked pretty good in the eye about a minute after I crossed the start line – it hurt and took my breath away, but it wasn’t like I was going to quit then and there, so I took a deep breath and got down to business – although I did make a point to try to protect my head by keeping my hands/arms out front as I should be doing anyway. For the first length down I stayed to the far right of the buoy line to avoid the congestion but tried to stay close to other swimmers and gradually worked my way back to the line (for those unfamiliar with the LP swim, the IM course buoy line lies along a cable system about 5 or 6 feet below the surface that is used to mark the lane lines for the kayak races that are regularly held in Mirror Lake). By about ¾ of the way down I made my way towards the line and could catch glimpses of the cable so I didn’t have to do much spotting. It didn’t feel crowded to me and I settled in and tried to pick up my pace to a quick yet comfortable stroke. At the first far turn I glanced at my watch for the first time and I think I was at about 22 minutes. If I could maintain my pace I should be able to finish in 1:45. Going into the race I had been very concerned with the 2:20 swim cutoff, after some training in LP over the 4th of July I was less concerned about the cutoff and figured I should be able to do it in 2 hours, maybe a little less. By race day my goal was to do the swim and be out of T1 and on the bike within 2 hours.

Coming in for the first lap was pretty relaxed, occasionally I caught myself thinking about the fact that I was indeed DOING an Ironman triathlon and actually smiled to myself. I know I’d thought many times “if I can just make it out of the water, I can finish” and I was doing what I’d feared most, the rest of the day would be a breeze! In hindsight, I realize how optimistic and unrealistic those thoughts were, but more on that later.

I had about 1 buoy to go in the first lap and then maybe another100 yards or so to exit the water before starting the second lap and as I’m taking a breath and looking to my right – towards the shoreline – I see about a half dozen yellow caps streak by me – I just got lapped by the pros as they FINISH their swim! I actually took a bit of satisfaction that I was as far as I was on the first lap.

When I make my way to the huge inflatable exit arch I stand up to make my way out of the water and am totally miffed by the fact that it’s pouring rain …while I was swimming I never noticed and was totally surprised by it – sorry, just a weird random thought. I loop around the dock and head back out for the second loop, following the lead of those ahead of me and taking a minute or so to just walk back in and use the time for a bit of recovery. The second loop was entirely unremarkable but for the fact that I was doing an IRONMAN!!! Now and then there were a few people swimming into me or using me to body surf – what the hell? I pay more attention to the sky – wishing it blue for the bike so I can use the down hills to my advantage and consciously try to figure out if it’s raining or not. The cool thing is I never feel that tired or bored – not like I always did when training – probably a sign I wasn’t pushing it hard enough, but my goal really was just to survive the swim. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I did, truly enjoy the swim – as I should’ve, it would by far be the best and easiest part of the day for me …

As I’m coming in on the second lap, for the first time I noticed the big screen tv/scoreboard thing at the end of Mirror Lake and am amazed by the fact that I’m part of such a huge event.

When I exit the water I really was elated. I can’t believe I did that and the clock showed an hour thirty-something, I wasn’t sure if it was on the pro time or not, but either way I’d beaten what I thought would be my best possible time.

Here’s a second shout out to the volunteers – the guy that tore my wetsuit off did it like a pro – Thank You!

I was having trouble getting my arms out and as I stepped up to him he took about 1 second to assess where I was in the process, grabbed the shoulders of the suit and pulled it down to my waist. As soon as my arms were out he told me to sit down and 5 seconds later my wetsuit was over my shoulder and I was on my way to transition … YAY!! now I get to ride my bike!

Transition note: keep cap and goggles on until after the wetsuit is off, otherwise they might get caught in the sleeve – and at the last race I thought I’d just leave them in the sleeve but ended up losing my goggles on the run to transition.

Swim to Bike Transition (T1)

2008-07-31T02:30:00.001-04:00

I did hear people yelling my name on my way into transition and I think I remember spotting Laurie and Sergio from the BTC but didn’t catch the faces of anyone I knew, I was just so relieved to be done with the swim.

After I grab my T1 bag I head into the women’s changing tent – OMG – I’ll save the details of this for a subsequent “Ironman Confidential” post about the things they don’t tell you – but I can say that I was surprised at how crowded it was. I was glad for that because it meant I wouldn’t be dead last heading out of transition. The tent was steamy and what wasn’t flooded was muddy and I wondered just how hard it had rained during the swim. I was trying to change my shoes but found myself standing ankle deep in water – finally I threw a towel down in the mud and was able to get my socks and shoes on and one of the volunteers helped me un-roll the Cadence Tri top I was trying to get into. Helmet was on but then I fumbled around for my gloves, which I typically don’t wear, but because of the weather decided I’d need them to avoid having my hands slip all over the handle bars. As I looked through my transition bag I realized the one thing I did forget was to put a rain jacket in my T1 bag – I had thought about it and intended to do so that morning but never brought it with me. There was nothing I could do about it now. I just hoped it wasn’t going to be too cold.

The Bike (aka The Fun Part)

2008-07-31T02:27:00.006-04:00

They call out my number as I headed out of the tent and into the bike transition area and the volunteers grab my bike and have it ready for me … it was a long slog through the transition area and I was worried about all the mud and gunk that was getting in my bike cleats – huge areas of the main path were entirely flooded and covered with mud. I tried to keep to the sides and maneuver my way down. I was so happy to see my bike waiting for me.

Yet another thanks to the volunteers for getting my bike to me so quickly.

I try to clean my shoes on the timing mat and cross the mount line and head out. There’s a steep descent coming out of transition and I knew to take it slow, not to mention it was wet and still raining pretty hard and I just wanted to get out on the open course.

Once I got past town I settled into the aero bars and was looking forward to taking on the first hill since that leads to the first big long descent into Keene. For those who haven’t done the course - the first half of the loop – about 25 miles (through the ride into Jay) is definitely the easiest – there’s a few climbs but they’re countered by some nice long descents and fast flats – definitely my kind of course. The last 30 miles are another matter – it’s a lot of climbing, some short and steep, some unendingly long – like the last 12 miles along the base of Whiteface Mountain … ugh.

Thankfully I’m smart enough (no comments please!) to know that the weather would prevent me from going all out on the down hills (my specialty!) – plus I’m just not that brave. I get nervous on dry roads when I hit 40 or 45 mph and I didn’t have the guts to do it on wet pavement in the pouring rain, plus, I discovered the hard way that going even 35mph into the driving rain really hurts!

Coming out on the bike I felt good and confident and settled into a nice pace – I watched my heart rate and kept it solidly in my endurance zone when I wasn’t climbing, I also kept an eye on my cadence and made a conscious effort to shift down and spin when hitting even slight hills – I worried less about my average speed and more about keeping the stress off my legs. On a few occasions (which likely were several too few) I reminded myself to drink – I’m a heavy, salty sweater and in the rain you don’t realize that you’re still sweating as much if it were dry out. My goal was to have at least a liter an hour - a bottle of sports drink (24 oz) and then another 8oz or more of water with any Gu’s or bars. I was shooting for about 60 gms of carbs an hour and figured I’d get at least that if I had my sports drink, ½ an Enervit bar, and a gu or more as needed each hour. The problem is you get caught up in the race and the rain is keeping you cool so you don’t think to eat and drink as much as you would if it were hot out. Also, with the course it’s tough to eat and drink when you’re climbing and downright dangerous to do so when you’re descending. There was also a 14 mile, rolling out and back (~7miles each way) about 30 miles into the course. When I rode here a few weeks prior I saw this as a good place to fuel, but for race day I was dead wrong. With so many cyclists coming and going in both directions, this was probably one of the more dangerous parts of the course – especially on the first lap when it was pretty congested. So as conscious as I was of what I ‘should’ be doing, I still managed to fall short of doing a really good job hydrating and fueling on the bike.

Prior to the out and back there’s a left turn at Jay and then you hit one of the steeper, longer hills on the course – the first time through, I have to confess, this was actually fun. It was pouring rain (surprise, surprise) and oncoming traffic was stopped dead for the race and backed up all the way up the hill so people were out of their cars and hanging out the windows ringing cowbells and cheering us on. A bit of a “Tour de France” moment and I still felt ‘fresh’ (with a nod to my sister Ann) and strong and dropped my gear and just churned by everyone ahead of me … I remember thinking how fun it was, despite the elevation and the rain.

For me, the out and back really was the start of the bike ‘race’ for me … I had settled in and was warmed up and was ready to go. And with all the cyclists coming fast and furious toward me it got my adrenaline pumping and I started to push more than I had in the first 30 miles.

I hadn’t really been thinking about much on the ride – had those 2 Great Big Sea song’s replaying on and off (‘Walk on the Moon’ and ‘Here and Now’) – as a cyclist and typical to most races, I find myself eventually passing a ton of the people that had crushed me on the swim, so the “on your left” call was one I’d probably made several hundred times that day. At several points throughout the race you find yourself at a similar pace as some other riders – William – was one I kept leapfrogging with and I think Frank was another who gave me the tip to stay off the shoulder to avoid flats – thanks for that Frank! Gustavo was someone who admired my riding and backside so much he decided to just sit on my wheel for a good portion of the out and back. Unfortunately this part of the course was too congested to be monitored by the officials on motorcycles and I witnessed quite a bit of drafting. A group of guys had a whole pace line going while a couple of other teammates were taking turns ‘pulling’ for each other. Gustavo enjoyed his ride for a few miles before I reminded him of the no drafting rule – he promptly passed me and complimented me on my pace - telling me ‘you’re a good rider” the reply under my breath was ‘you’re a cheater.’

Early on the bike I witnessed a lot of people who had flats and just figured I’d get one at some point – with the wet conditions they’re much more prevalent as the roads get covered with debris, stones, glass or whatever and they stick to your tires and eventually work their way through them. The more flats I saw, the more I prepared myself for one. Then about half way out on the out and back I saw a very young female rider sitting in a ditch crying – her bike was laid out next to her but I couldn’t tell if it was anything more than a flat, but I remember thinking it was way too early to have to give up because of a mechanical problem. I hope she didn’t crash, but I’d hate to think she decided to call it day for something as minor as a flat.

That was probably the first of several ‘defining’ moments I’d have throughout the day. After seeing her, I thought of the Kona Ironman championship broadcast several years ago when Norman Stadler, a favorite to win the race that year, encountered his second flat and the cameras caught him throw a fit – and his bike as I recall - and swear and cry and quit then and there – I’ve never cared for the guy since. I understand we can all have a bad day, but to be a “pro” and chuck the day because a flat threw you out of contention to win – well it does a huge disservice to all the age-groupers out there who suck it up and are fighting their hardest just to hit every cutoff.

As an aside (as if this isn’t going to be long enough) I had an email exchange with James after the race and we noted that there were a total of 41 pros that started the race, yet only 30 of them finished. I know one of the female pros crashed out near the bike start, but still that’s 25% who failed to finish – and while there likely were some mechanical issues on the bike, I doubt any of them failed to hit a cut off. For the age groupers it was in the neighborhood of 6% including people who missed the cutoffs – which I’d bet are at least half of those who DNF’d (Did Not Finish). I know that these guys do this for a living, not a lifetime achievement, and as far as professional athletes go, well this is probably the toughest sport they could choose to make a living at – but still, while I truly am in awe of their ability, I guess I’m not surprised to see a slight lack of interest in seeing who wins.

Back to the task at hand, riding the bike, girl crying in ditch, note to self: Don’t be her

The first lap along Whiteface was tough as expected but overall my legs felt good. I was happy that my mind steered clear of the “oh my god, I have to do this again” type thoughts. Coming up the last set of hills I was excited to complete the first loop and was feeling pretty strong. As you finish up the ride along Whiteface there’s a series of hills, I think the sequence goes Little Cherry, Big Cherry, Mama Bear, Baby Bear and Papa Bear … with Papa Bear being the toughest right before the turn to head back along Mirror Lake and into to town for the second loop.

One of the mantras I had in my head came from the coaches at the Triathlon camp I attended earlier in the year in Muskoka. I think it was Jay or Greg who, after reprimanding several of us for “saving gears” as we struggled and mashed up a hill, told us “Remember, it’s not the ‘fastest’ one up the hill, it’s the ‘freshest.’” So with that ‘not the fastest, but the freshest’ slogan in my head, I just kept spinning up the hills as easy as I could.

I had been warned that the BTC contingent would be camped out at the top of Papa Bear to cheer everyone in and I wasn’t disappointed – they were there in full force, bull horn and all and it was a huge boost to help get me up the hills and finish the first lap strong. I won’t lie that it would’ve been nice to be finishing up the bike at the point, but as it was I was excited to be starting the last loop.

As I hit town there seemed to be big crowds – very big crowds considering the weather and while I didn’t do much clock or pace watching on the bike I think it was around noon when I first came through which meant I was doing as expected, maybe a bit better considering the conditions. I can’t remember exactly but I think on the first loop, rather than circle behind the ice rink we come straight down through main street and down to the turn on 73 – I remember making the turn towards the high school, but I think that was at the end. Anyway, I know I was searching for my friends and family as I came down along the rink and as I was passing I heard my brother Mike holler out “Lou” to me – I caught him on the left as I was passing and put my hand behind my back to wave and give a thumbs up signal.

As I was riding out of town I was thinking that I didn’t know which way my hand was facing and I was hoping I didn’t signal thumbs down.

I should note, that while the whole bike course seems to function as one big urinal, there were plenty of port-a-potties along the route, but through the first lap I never had to go, and that right there should’ve been a big red flag for me to drink more – but in my non-logical way of thinking, I was glad for not having to stop. I also passed on getting my special needs bag as all I had in there was an extra tire and a dry pair of socks which would’ve been totally useless.

All and all I was happy with my first lap and thankful that I never got a flat and that I didn’t have to stop. Ok I promise I’ll finish the bike soon – the second lap was less eventful than the first – a lot of people with flats, I successfully took some Gatorade bottle handoffs, got some gu’s and powerbars and couldn’t believe what some people had tied on their person and their bikes – a lot of camelbacks, bananas and bagels and sandwiches stuffed in their back pockets or strapped to their bikes. Between the rain and the compression I seriously doubted how edible they’d be to the owners when the time came and was aggravated by the riders swerving around as they tried to detach, unwrap and eat said items while riding.

I figured my best defense was to simply pass as many of these people as possible. I also had no problem accelerating past a few riders who were vainly attempting to keep dry by wearing garbage bags. Sometimes you just have to wonder. First of all there was NO WAY donning a drawstring Hefty with your head (and helmet) shoved through the bottom and arms torn through the corners could possibly keep one even remotely dry in the driving rain while the bag flapped wildly and continued to rip larger and larger arm and head holes as the rider flew down the hill towards Keene at 30+ mph. Furthermore, I’d estimate that the garbage bag functioned more like a parachute or brake and effectively more than offset any “aero” benefit gained from the bars & helmet this particular triathlete had invested in. I realized it would be in my best interest to keep these riders behind me, since I couldn’t help but visualize the bag flying off them and into the face of a trailing cyclist, blinding them and sending them head over heals over the guardrail … no thanks!

Oh, and I forgot to mention the “gear’ drop zones – one on the downhills into Keene and another on the out and back … small patches of rough road where anything not totally secured to one’s bike or person was lost forever – I spent more time dodging water bottles and tubes and a lot of expensive sunglasses which, given the weather, had no business being out there in the first place. One of the saddest sights to me was about dozen fig newtons – they’d been there for awhile by the time I passed them and had clearly taken on a life of their own. Like one of those growing sponges, with all the rain they’d expanded to about five times their original size and due to the large quantity of them, they created the illusion of quite an obstacle in the road. Of course my only thought, as I’d nearly reached my limit on gu’s for the day was “Of course! Fig newtons, why the hell didn’t I pack some fig newtons! … next time.”

So the bike was great, it was wet, but it was fun … right up until about the 85 –90 mile mark. My second shot at that steep hill at the turn in Jay was when I first knew my legs and back were starting to feel it. I’d geared down and was doing my best yet I was getting passed a lot – something that pretty much hadn’t happened up till now. Things were starting to ache and the ‘novelty’ of doing an Ironman was beginning to wear off. While my legs ached I knew finishing the bike in decent fashion wasn’t going to be my problem, running a marathon was and I started to worry. I enjoy the out and back part of the course and with it being a bit less congested on this lap I took the opportunity to “buy whatever they were selling” at the aid station hand off and took water for my aero bottle, Gatorade, a bar that I shoved in my back pocket and then grabbed a PowerGel from a guy further down … whew, definitely got my moneys worth from that little slow down!

I knew the last 12 miles weren’t going to be any picnic, so I just geared down, didn’t worry about people passing me and tried to keep my legs spinning as steady as I could and keep the pressure light on my pedals. I was happy to see the hill names written in the road as that signaled the last few miles of the bike.

I was really excited to see the BTC folks again, when you’re doing the race you start to expect to have people cheering for you at certain points, but then forget that it’s been over 8 hours since the race started and it’s been raining, with varying degrees of severity, the ENTIRE time. I hope people realize how extremely grateful I, and all the participants are for all the supporters out on the course – especially that day. I can’t help but smile as I finish the ride up Papa Bear and head back into town. I know non-cyclists may want to kill me, but up to this point, despite the weather, it hasn’t been that bad, and I’d go as far to say that it’s been fun, enjoyable even, but then I remember I have to run a marathon – so you runners can have your fun then, as there’ll be none left for me.

Bike to Run Transition T2 (Ode to Karen)

2008-07-31T02:25:00.001-04:00

The crowds on Main Street as I finish the bike leg are awesome, I pretty much have totally lost track of time and with the crappy weather it actually feels much later than it is, it’s darker than the clock would indicate, like when we turn back the clocks in the fall. As I head into T2 it feels like 5:00 or later when I hand off my bike to the volunteers, grab my T2 bag and head to the changing tent. Once inside it’s dark and humid, but warmer than outside and I realize I could very easily nap at that moment, I’d like for it to be over now. As soon as I enter the tent a volunteer is on me asking what she can do to help, and honestly I have no idea – she looks like she’s in pretty good shape so I’m wondering if I can hand her my race belt and send her out to polish off the marathon for me! I hand her my bag and start to take off my shoes, when finally, after nearly 7 hours I have to pee – so I head back out to the port a potty while she places reflective stickers on my running shirt – I thought about doing it before the race but optimistically calculated that I would be finished long before dark, not.

I come back in and Karen, my volunteer whose name I later commit to memory has the contents of my T2 bag laid out and I sit down take off my cycling shoes – the ground is still muddy, but I sensed that they’ve done some cleaning and rearranging since I’d been there that morning – maybe it was just less crowded and less chaotic, no matter I was glad to have space and the individual attention. So I was told the volunteers would do anything for you, but they truly were amazing, and T2 was definitely another defining moment. Karen had already put a towel down on the ground for me to change my socks and shoes on. She hands me my now legal, reflective shirt and I change and she takes my soaking, sweaty bike shirt so she can get all my stuff back in my T2 bag for after the race. I’m sitting there on the verge of tears wondering how I’m going to run a marathon, I’m kind of shaky and very stiff and I start to take my socks and shoes off and I can hardly bend over. I’m checking out my shriveled feet when the next thing I know Karen is drying them off for me and putting my clean socks on for me.

I was just amazed, I had to believe that that was above and beyond the call. I’m still kind of staring at my now clean and dry feet when she hands me my shorts – same as what I was wearing but clean and dry. I stand to change and she helps steady me and takes my sweaty, smelly bike shorts (though to be fair, I think she was wearing gloves, at least I hope so!! ;-) Putting on the clean pair wasn’t easy in the conditions, much like pulling back on a wet bathing suit, so as I struggled to get them up she helped me with that too … I was so grateful to have gotten so much help. Karen started handing me the rest of my stuff – my hat & headband, my fuel belt and enduralytes. I grabbed everything and got them on and finally asked her name – I told her I’d remember and after a quick hug told her to check out my blog if she could remember. And I’m so glad she did. Keep and eye out for a future post with more info about Karen and her perspective on race day! Did I mention that she dried my feet?!

Ok, I’m finally ready to go, I grab the powerbar I had left over from the bike head toward the exit of the tent. At the doorway I stop and look out and tell a volunteer that I don’t want to go back out there. She basically yells at me to get going, to “finish this thing” and tells me it’s not hardly raining anymore, at the moment it wasn’t, but it wouldn’t last long.

The (long) Run

2008-07-31T02:20:00.003-04:00

I head out of the rink/transition area and onto Main Street and realize all those training ‘bricks’ and transition runs had paid off, as after over 8 hours I’m actually able to run. Just a few hundred yards down Main and I catch all of my family and friends behind the barrier on the right, Ann, Nick, Mike, Mary, Jaclyn and Cindy and Bob. All a bit drenched but cheering and yelling to me things I can’t quite understand but they seem excited and happy to be there despite all the rain. I wonder to myself if they’ve been drinking all afternoon, but figure it’s a bit early for that and I didn’t hear my sister yelling things like ‘give it to grandma” her standby sporting event instruction, so I figure they’ve exerted a bit of self control for my benefit. (Later I’m told she’s modified her cheer for Triathlon to “you look fresh” and the unknowingly cruel “you’re almost there” to folks with over 13 miles to go.

Sober or not, I’m happy they’re there and even happier to have made it as far as I have. I wave and smile and point to my legs and tell them “I’m running” mainly because I couldn’t quite believe it myself. When thinking about the run, my biggest fear was that I’d have to walk the whole thing so initially I’m happy just to be running – figuring every mile I can run is one less I have to walk.

Overall I feel good, and after the first mile I get all optimistic and decide I’m going to run the Ironman Marathon faster than the marathon I ran on it’s own in May. I was excited, I was inspired, I was motivated, I was wrong.

Once down the hills and out of town I immediately regret wearing my fuel belt. I’d trained with it a lot and did wear it for my earlier marathon, but it just wasn’t sitting right and felt heavy and uncomfortable. I thought about just dumping it but it wasn’t cheap, and I am, so I drink a little to empty one of the bottles. As I’m running out of town I get the sensation that I know TONS of people. Everyone is calling me by name – telling me how good I look, how strong I am, how nice my pace is, to ‘keep it going Mary Lou.’ I’ve never done a race with my name on my number before and it caught me by surprise, but I did my best to thank and acknowledge everyone that I was now on a first name basis with.

I think it’s at about mile two where the route passes the horse grounds. As I’m running by still feeling good I’m totally shocked to see my friend Lucy. I had met her at my gym three or four years ago and she’s one of the first people I started doing long rides with. Lucy, her friend Mark and her daughter Jenna had been in Vermont for a wedding and stopped to see the race ‘on the way’ back to Buffalo. It was a much welcomed surprise – and as happy as I was to see her, I was just as excited for having a ‘place’ to dump my fuel belt. She jogged along for a bit and told me how great I was running (thanks Lucy!) and then wished me well as I continued down the hill towards the River Road out and back.
After I hand off my fuel belt I thought that doing so might be something I could get disqualified for, thinking maybe I should’ve just dropped it on the ground and risk getting a warning for littering. Then I wonder if I do get DQ’d do they do it right away or wait ‘til I cross the finish line and then refuse to give me a finisher’s medal – that would kind of suck.

Shortly after the horse farm I also see James for the first time as he was making his way in on the first half of the run, a good 10 miles ahead of me. I felt bad to see him walking, but after greeting him he seemed content with the mix of running and walking he had to do and actually seemed to be enjoying himself – I no longer felt bad, I was just envious! I think it was in this same stretch that I also noticed Elizabeth Wittmack, another contest finalist who was taking her best shot at qualifying for Kona and was headed in and running strong.

The next 7 or 8 miles, through the out and back on River Road, went by ok, but I was beginning to hurt … a lot – in my lower back and butt (sciatic) and my knees, calves, quads and hamstrings, in other words, just about every muscle I needed. I was able to keep a good pace, about a 10 min mile when I was running and I followed the advice I was given by another BTC member and veteran IMLP’er, Dick Mullaney – nothing ground breaking, but sound advice to ‘have a plan, walk the hills and the water stations.’ So that’s what I did, I made a point to grab a cup of something at each aid station – about every mile. But the problem was I’d likely only take a sip and toss the rest and run on – I’m sure this lack of attention to how much I was drinking would later factor into my difficulties. But I was happy to start ticking off the miles and skeptical about how long this would last – on that issue, my fears would prove to be well founded.

Heading back into town I see Lucy, Mark and Jenna again, and it was a boost seeing how excited they were for me, I was really glad they were able to catch part of the race. But it was shortly after, when I hit the next set of hills coming into town that I sensed things were changing, I was just fatigued and sore and couldn’t bear to think about having to run another 15 miles or more.

The BTC cheering section were parked in the Score-This tent at the top of the Sentinal Road hill at the turn onto Main Street and it was nice to have a cheering section but the boost was temporary. Everything was really hurting and I was dreading the second half of the run. As I hit main street again I see my own cheering section – I’m not sure but I thought I remember there being half on either side of Main Street – they seem as relieved as I am to see that I’m still running, but I feel the batteries winding down and feared the difficulties ahead.

If you check out the run course you’ll see that you hit Main Street on the way in at about mile 11, and then there is this cruel little 2 mile out and back to finish off the lap. For the runners, or for me at least, this was the toughest part, you hit the crowd and want to be done, but no … you have another 2+ miles before you get to start the second lap – or finish which is what many of the triathletes were doing as I was just finishing my first lap. The first time, on what I’ll call the Mirror Lake out and back, was where I first started to lose it. I managed to run through town with the crowds carrying me, but once left to my own devices, around the area where we can pick up our special needs bags is where I first started to bonk, both physically and mentally. Everything hurt and I had so far to go. I walked by the special needs bags and opted not to retrieve mine – I only had an extra pair of socks, sneakers and a long sleeve shirt. Which given the current amount of rain wouldn’t last long, what was the point I figured. I continued on and tried to maintain a steady walk pace but that hurt too – I had run this part of the course on my training runs, but now it seemed SO much further.

As I made the turn to finish the last mile of the 1st half marathon I was wearing down mentally. It was a very bad idea to only focus on how far I had yet to go, over 14 miles, it just didn’t seem physically possible. I had to fight back the desire to just sit down and sob – I kept walking not sure what I was going to do - then I came upon the special needs area again. This time I thought maybe taking a break and at least putting on clean, dry socks and shoes couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t raining that hard at the moment and I knew I was in for a very long night so I put the long sleeve wicking shirt I had in there on over what I was wearing, changed my socks and shoes and started a slow jog back towards Main Street.

I used it as my own mini-transition and I was wishing I had something more in there: a towel, bio-freeze, pain killers, mountain dew – anything that would’ve tasted good or made me feel better. People had recommended some ‘treat’ item but I figured I’d be good with what was offered on the course and worried about how my stomach might react – I regretted not taking their advice.

I think I managed to keep a slow jog going as I passed all the spectators lining Mirror Lake Drive and at the split to continue on the next lap or head into the speed skating oval for the finish - I was just crushed looking at that sign - I would’ve given just about anything to be done. I fought the urge to cheat (and get DQ’d!) and continued on to the left and the second lap. I passed my friends and family on Main Street again and was wishing I were invisible. I was hurting and I knew it was going to be HOURS before I’d see them again. They were all excited and cheering for me and I just started to cry, I didn’t want them cheering for me because I was tanking, big time, and knew my chances of finishing were dwindling. I think I yelled out to them to get my special needs bags cause I didn’t want to lose the stuff that was in them – they told me I was doing great, that I looked good, I told them it was going to be a long night and tried to keep up something that resembled running untill I was out of their sight – I don’t think I was successful.

Next I would pass the BTC club members and a decent downhill. An amusing aside: as I passed, with the illusion of dusk due to all the clouds and rain (I think it was about 6:30 or so) and with me now wearing a different shirt I was secretly hoping that they wouldn’t recognize me, and no sooner did I think it than did Rich Clark call out on the bullhorn that I couldn’t fool ‘em with a change of clothes. It made me smile that he was reading my mind, but similar to when I passed my family, I didn’t feel worthy of their cheers or support – my being an Ironman was in jeopardy.

I tried to trot down the hill but it felt as if every jarring footfall was like a sledgehammer to the inside of my body. Bones and muscles in my back, ass, shoulders, neck and legs all seemed to be vibrating like a tuning fork and reverberated the pain through my limbs with every step. I hung my head and began what would be a several mile walk. I began to feel the pity of the onlookers and was thankful that my change of clothing had covered up my name, I wanted to be anonymous, hell, I wanted to be invisible. It didn’t stop some of them from telling me how ‘fantastic’ and ‘strong’ I looked – I often had to choke back the tears as I’d make eye contact and acknowledge their support with a weary nod or an uncertain shake of my head …'thanks.'

Around the horse farm (about mile 14 or 15) I was thankful Lucy & company were gone, and I figured they must’ve been driving back to Buffalo that night. I grabbed a gel at the aid station there – Powergel with 2X’s caffeine - and washed it down with a few sips of water. I continued on down the next hill to the turn on to River Road. Just as I made the turn I felt really ill, dizzy and sick like I may faint and wondered if I’d be forced to stop if I fainted. I hadn’t realized how little I’d been drinking and attributed how I felt to the caffeine I just had. I made it to the next aid station, just shy of mile 16 and knew I needed to do something to try to feel better.

As terrible as I felt, I so wish I had a camera, standing at the start of the aid station with a garbage can filled with white blocks, in the pouring rain I might add, was a volunteer in an army green poncho holding out wet sponges for us to use to cool off! Perhaps the people on a 3 hour marathon pace actually needed this, but at this time of day, considering the weather and who was left on the course, well I still can’t think about it without laughing.

I moved under the cover of the aid tent and leaned on and over a garbage can. I’m sure the volunteer who came over to assist me thought I was going to throw up, but I did it just to support and steady myself. He offered for me to sit down and I refused, I was exhausted and knew if I got even remotely comfortable I may just pass out cold, never to continue. If I was going to go down, I at least wanted to be moving forward, but this was the first time I really thought I was going to have to quit, I didn’t see how I could possibly cover all those miles, I wasn’t thinking about the time cut off then, I just didn’t know how I could continue to propel my body forward for the remaining distance.

Ok, massive ‘defining moment’ here. The volunteer stood next to me, holding cups of pretzels and chicken broth as I took what I could. He kept telling me to take all the time I needed, he was patient and kind as minutes passed and I still used the garbage can for support. Then I looked over to the road as an ATV race patrol vehicle came down the middle of the road heading back towards town. Sitting in the middle of the back was a guy huddled up in a mylar blanket, his race was over. I turned back to stare at all the cups in the garbage can, thought about the reality of giving up and knew that I didn’t want that to be me. Get over it. Get moving.

So I did that, I finished up my chicken broth, filled up my pretzel cup, and grabbed a cup of coke – I was worried about the caffeine but was sick of the Gatorade and figured I needed the sugar. I hoped if ate some more pretzels and kept moving the dizziness would pass, and eventually it did. Carry on.

Yet another shout out to the volunteers who nursed us all along the run in that miserable weather, and especially to the young man who assisted me at that stop. I’m thinking I wasn’t all that nice to him at the time, but I’m very much appreciative.

I walked on with a new attitude and resolve and tried to think positively – coming up with queer motivational quotes and sayings: “mind over marathon” “whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.’ And crap like that – it worked for a while, but the miles were going slow, everyone was passing me. I started to get pissed that I was even trying this, questioning why anyone in his or her right mind thought I was ready for this. I was whining to myself because I needed my ipod or someone to walk and talk with. I’d try to keep pace with people that passed me but I couldn’t, I was the slowest person out there, and to make matters worse it was still raining – what did I ever do to deserve this?

As determined as I was to keep moving I soon became aware of my pace, it was slow, really slow. I did some calculations and realized I might not finish – it was getting late, it was getting dark. At best I had a 25-30 min per mile pace and it was going on eight o’clock. Every step hurt, and I was stopping about every 5 minutes to try to stretch my back and legs. People would jog past me and all I could think was “How are these people running?” I was envious, I wished them well and told them ‘good job’ and cheered them on as they left me behind and then found myself secretly hating them and wondering what they did to train and how they managed to be so much better prepared than myself. I grabbed a mylar blanket from one of the volunteers and clocked myself over the next mile, it was over 25 minutes and every step still hurt, something had to give.

I’d like to say at that moment the clouds opened and the sun burst through and I got some kind of divine second wind, but I think it was just the huge construction lights being turned on and humming to full brightness. For whatever reason, at mile 18, I decided I had to try to run. Walking wasn’t working and my pace was too slow. So I tied my blanket around my neck like a cape and first started pumping my arms and then tried to move my legs along with them. The next thing I knew I was running, well, I’m not sure what I was doing would technically qualify as running, but at least it was a jog, probably at a 12-14 minute mile pace, but it was good enough and If I could keep it up it would get me in, hopefully with time to spare. And while it hurt to run, it actually hurt less than walking.

I kept it up, made the turn and now could see all the people still headed out behind me – it seemed like there were a lot and at first it was kind of motivating. Then I began passing those who’d passed me earlier and I really felt like we were all in this together – we were all just doing our best, sucking it up and trying to finish. Once I passed the nineteen-mile mark and still felt ok I knew I could not stop, for I may not get started again. I felt a bit ‘Forest Gump-ish’ but knew I just had to try to keep up this pace. I caught up with another runner, Cynthia, or she caught up with me, and we chatted for a while and it helped pass the time. We finally passed the 20 mile marker and I think I asked her how many 6 mile training runs she’d done, since that was all we had left – finally there was some hope!

At the ‘Inspiration Station’ on the River Road out and back there was also a spiritual/prayer tent, I was thankful that on the way back I no longer felt the need to seek some divine intervention, but believe me there were many times when I was sure that was the only way I was going to make it in!

So that’s how I covered the next 4 miles or so back into town, I kept up some kind of easy jog and never stopped or reverted back to a walk even on the hills – that would hurt too much, it was too hard. So I kept the motion of running, even if I was barely moving. I felt better, I knew I had a chance and I was no longer worried about the time cut off, at least not for me. I became extremely emotional when I made the turn back towards town – around the 22 mile mark coming in, but the 15 – 16 mile mark going out – it was about 9:00 p.m. and there were still people heading out – everyone I saw was struggling as bad as I was, or at least had been, and they were slow moving. I could hardly look at them, I had a sense of how they were feeling, and I realized a lot of them would likely not make it in before the 17-hour cutoff at midnight. I remember just wishing that the same thing that had happened to me would happen to them. That they would be able to run again, and have it hurt less – I was wishing it, but I was skeptical, and it just didn’t seem fair – they’d been out there in the pouring rain all day, and they still had so far to go, it was hard to see and I was thankful that I had gotten my ‘second wind’ so to speak at mile 18 and felt good about my chances of finishing – something I didn’t believe possible a few hours ago when I was doubled over a garbage can fighting off dizzy spells and an unbelievably strong desire to quit.

The Finish

2008-07-31T02:18:00.013-04:00

So it was more of that jog past the horse grounds and around the bend and up the hills back into town and then Main Street! I kept my jog going up the hills, and despite the darkness and the hour there were still people out to cheer us in – god bless them – I’d hug everyone if I could (and still make it in by midnight!). I took off my long sleeve shirt and tied it around my waist, people could see my name again and began to call it out – I thanked them and was happy for it, I was getting close, I could feel it. I could smile at the thought of finishing. With the smiles came the need to choke back the sobs and fight back the urge to burst out in tears, for the first time I felt like I was going to make it.

I reached the top of the last hill and the turn onto Main Street, and with that corner came the Buffalo Triathlon Club cheering section – I can’t believe so many of them stuck it out in that weather ALL day – awesome job to all of them, and the sincerest of ‘thanks.’ What a difference from the last time I passed – it was so long ago. As I reached the turn there were a bunch of folks in the street to greet me – I think I remember high fiving Sergio & Laurie and then Warren was there again with his camera and jogged along with me for a bit – was this really it? I could hardly believe it … I had been told how the crowd would carry you at the end, and while there weren’t a ton of people on Main Street there were some, there were enough. It hurt less to run, and I think I managed a run, rather than a jog, down main, I felt lighter – I think I was having fun.

I slapped some hands and could see the lights at the skating oval (the finish) and hear the crowd in there I was on the verge of being euphoric, then the cruel twist came, logically I knew I still had about 2 miles to go, but I didn’t realize 2 miles was SO far. Instead of heading to the finish I had to turn right and head the other way, I was SO close and now I had to run AWAY from the finish, which also meant I'd have to run back, with every step I was getting further away and every ache and pain of the previous 138 miles was back with a vengeance. The crowds near the entrance into the oval dissipated as I moved further away and I was back among the triathletes that had been struggling along with me for the past several miles. I saw Cynthia up ahead and was wondering when she’d passed me, and I was glad to see Eric of the BTC on his way into the finish and wished it were me.

I managed to keep moving but felt the jog down Main Street had used whatever resolve I had left – my brain and body had gotten all kinds of signs and signals that we were almost done, and now we weren’t, we had another 20+ minutes and I felt things breaking down. My stomach started jumping – please god don’t make me use one of these port-a-potties at this late stage – surely it’s been several hours since they’ve been filled to their capacity. The fear of that actually did wonders to settle my stomach, but back and hips and knees and shoulders and every other joint, bone and muscle had had enough. I passed the last aid station without stopping or taking anything, worried about my stomach, but asked one of the volunteers “how far to the turn around” ‘just around the bend’ was her reply. I saw a bend but when I got there I still couldn’t see the turnaround – I began to beg, please let it be soon. I finally saw it – thank god, but it was a few hundred yards away, it seemed so far. I felt myself fading fast, and my only hope was that I would get some kind of mental or physical boost after the turn.

I finally made the turn and jogged another 20 or 30 steps before I just stopped dead in my tracks. I stood there and looked down the road and looked down at my legs. On and off over the last half marathon I had a weird feeling in my left leg, like it wasn’t actually attached very tightly at my knee. I felt it now and could feel the ‘wobble.’ I wanted my legs to run, but I was wondering if they could still hold me up, for a moment I felt like the bottom of my legs were cast in cement and nothing could move them. I was sure I was going to collapse right then and there and I just started to cry because I couldn’t believe I was so close and wasn’t going to finish.

I don't know what went through my head at that moment, but I knew I couldn't let it end with me crumpled in a ball on the pavement at mile 25 or, I guess more appropriately, mile 139. I knew I was the one who had the power to change that so, somehow, I tried to walk, but that hurt, a lot. So I tried to get running again and managed a pathetic kind of shuffle. I was still far from the finish, the road was only dimly lit by the streetlights and there were no spectators, a few people passed me as I struggled to keep moving. I started counting my steps, I’d make it to 100 and then start over and I kept that up to keep my self moving for the next several minutes. Then finally the barricades resumed, there were still no spectators but I knew there would be, I was getting close and that was a very good sign.

Then there were people again, I didn’t know them, but I didn’t care, I still felt like they were there for me. They were cheering and I was happy, I moved over to slap every hand I could find, I came to the split: left for the second lap, right to finish. HOLY SHIT! I was going to finish. It was the Red Sea parting, it was a miracle, it was a moment that was never meant to be, that no one would believe. I kept slapping hands and I saw the entrance to the oval and could hardly believe it myself, yet I’m pretty sure I was there... I turned onto the oval and the location didn’t go unnoticed, I might as well have been Erik Heiden on his way to his fifth gold medal, I doubt he could’ve been more excited. I picked up my pace to what I thought was a nice easy run, and NOTHING hurt, I could move. As I made the turn onto the cement of the rink Mike called out to me and he and Jaclyn were cheering me on and running along with me on the far side of the barricade. I was happy to see them and hollered out to them asking if they could manage the few hundreds yards run that was left. As I rounded the far end of the rink I lost sight of them but was taking in the fact that it was bright in here, and there were many people cheering, and whether they were or not, they were cheering for me. I wasn’t winning this race, merely finishing it, after many, many hours, yet I was sure they were cheering for me, I’d never experienced anything like it – I’ll confess, it was very, very cool.

I made the last turn into the finishing chute and saw Nick first and then everyone else who’d been there at every lap for me – Ann & Cindy, Bob and Mary. They definitely were a sight for sore eyes, it seemed days since I’d seen them last at my teary start of the last half marathon. I couldn’t begin to describe how thankful I was that they came here and seeing them at the finish is truly one of the most uplifting points of my life. From that moment everything happened so fast – and now I know why people, even people who have more than an ounce of energy left at the end, often take their time in the chute – because 1st or 1859th it’s very fun, and very much a moment worth savoring. Of course I, unfortunately, was unaware of that little bit of information and fluttered it away with a so called ‘sprint’ to salvage some minor moral victory. So finally, here are the last moments of my race.

After catching a glimpse of my family I wanted to high five and slap hands but glanced down and saw all the water on either side of the lane, I remember that, stayed in the dry center, the rest is kind of a blur. From there I look up and finally see the inflated finishing arch and then below it the clock. WHAT? 14:59:XX .. I was only sure of the 14, but think I see 14:59 and can’t register the seconds, OH NO! I pointed at the clock and said “does that say 14:59?” Not hearing a definitive answer among the roar of the crowd I realize I still have to run. I definitely swore, but will refrain from repeating it here. For a split second I felt myself prepare my body and “rev up” as if I was swinging back my arms, and like the Road Runner, circling my legs before being propelled forward. Not knowing how much time there was before it clicked over to 15:00:00 I knew I had no time to spare. Before I knew it my legs were flying forward and like the cartoon, my body was fighting to keep up until I found myself in an all out sprint. I don’t know what it looked like to the crowd, but as far as I could tell, I was Michael Johnson in his golden shoes, I was the fastest person on earth, surely I was a blur, I hope my friends and family could tell it was me!

When I later relived my sprint to Cindy, I asked her how fast I was going and her reply was “Well, you were ‘running.’” Hmmm, ok perhaps I exaggerated a bit here, but you can be the judge (video of the finish feed on the scoreboard courtesy of Warren Hale).

I reached the tape and heard the buzz of my chip timer and nothing else. For the first time in a race I raised my hands in victory, my victory…and cheered for myself along with the crowd.

I am an Ironman.

Post Race

2008-07-31T02:15:00.001-04:00

"There’s a couple points in the race where I was in tears, you get past your limits, it’s like you’re pushing beyond anything you imagined before, it’s like sometimes they say ‘the mind is stronger than the body’ and that’s a danger, because you can push your body too far.”

Alan Peiper, Team Columbia, Tour de France

Still so much to say - mostly thank yous but also the medical tent, the contest, lessons learned and my future triathlon aspirations.

I thought I'd give you a bit of a break - but be warned, it's coming!

Ironman Spectator's Recap

2008-07-24T10:17:00.008-04:00

Nick (nephew):

I wrote a quick minute-by-minute (hour-by-hour?) recap of July 20th for Mary Lou to give her an idea of how the race looked from the other side, and our impressions of her and her performance as the day went on. She asked me to post it here--but this by no means lets her off the hook for delivering her own raceday narrative.

July 20 (some times are exact, others from memory and may be off)

~5:40am. Overcast and cool. Looks like it will be a nice day for a race (how wrong this was). A bit hung over from the night before. The house is creaky and everyone is up, even though the second group was going to wait and go into town a half hour later.

~6:35am. We've left Mary Lou to place her special needs bags and then stake a spot on the far shore. Many of the athletes don’t seem in that much of a hurry. They stroll languidly up and down the street in wet suits stripped down to the waist and bare feet.

~6:45am. The water is filling up. The beach looks packed. There is a lot of excitement. Seeing all those people in the water, ready to swim across that lake, I am feel for perhaps the first time that this could be a fun thing to do (this feeling quickly fades, and does not reoccur until much later at the finish line, but by then it has changed). When the pros take off, I'm surprised at how few of them there are. Then everyone takes off, and it's very cool to see that many people swimming out at once. Even in the mass of people, they look fairly evenly spaced, but I imagine this soon changes as they get farther from shore.

~7:12am. Rain. Hard rain. Hope it lets up by the time the swim is over. First two leaders are done with the first lap.

~7:38am. Uncle Mike and I go back to the cars to get the extra umbrellas. We rejoin the group. We walk around a lot. We finally find a small uncrowded deli to get breakfast and coffee. The rain hasn’t seemed to dampen the mood of the spectators.

~8:05am. We leave our prime spot at the deli (it had seats and was dry!) and head over to the beach. Some people are finishing, others are on their second laps. The rain is really coming down now. Some people have tents set up on the sand.

~8:20am. We push our way to the pathway leading from the swim to the bike transition. I'm struck by how jiggly everyone is as they run. Blame rain, blame spandex. Still, sort of a depressing thought, to see all these really fit people and I'm noticing this among all things. Blame society, blame me.

~8:35am. Mary Lou plows on through, faster than expected. This really excites us. Either she low-balled the estimate or exceeded her own expectations. I can't emphasize enough how pumped we are. As she ran by, my thought was this: she really looks like she belongs here. This isn't someone playing at something over their head or posing.

~8:42am. We run around trying to find the start of the bike course. We barely make it there to see Mary Lou take off, but too fast for pictures. The excitement from her awesome swim time has given way to worry. The rain hasn't stopped or slowed. I'm trying to remember if she’s ever told me about riding in the rain before. I can't recall. It seems really dangerous to me. I can't imagine its very fun for all those involved.

~9:15am. We find a hotel lobby to sit in to get out of the rain. There's a nice view of the lake from here. Lobby only has one bathroom per gender: bad idea.

~11:30am. We're in position in town to see Mary Lou’s first pass through on the bike. I'm determined to get a good picture, but my camera is really slow. I take a few test pictures, seeing if I can get some shots of people eating. No dice. The rain is coming sideways, so I give up and put the camera away.

~11:50am. All of my directions about what she was wearing (helmet, clothes) were inept, and most of us only catch sight of her once she passed us. Still, pretty exciting. Everyone looks good on the bike, no one seems to be struggling (later I realized could have been because we were half-way down a hill). Lots of people eating on the bike. Funny to watch.

~12:17pm. Back to the cars to get dry and find lunch. Bob and Cindy and Ann go back to the cottage to change, and Mike & Mary and Jaclyn and I to the little sandwich shop across from your hotel. The sandwich shop entertains a strange arcane method for ordering that flusters everyone. I overcome this by eating pig again in the form of a pulled pork sandwich (if you're keeping score, this is 3 meals in a row).

~2:30pm. After lunch, we're all back in the same lot and heading up the hill to the oval.

~3:10pm. We're walking near the oval when it is announced that the winner is going to be coming through in ten to fifteen minutes. I'm struck by the fact that no one seems to care overmuch. There isn't a big crowd near the finish line.

~3:19pm. We're in a good spot to see Mary Lou go by this time. Lots of people look thrilled to be finishing the bike.

~3:33pm. Mary Lou looks really good starting the run. "I'm running" she says, but the more amazing thing is that it’s true. Some people looked so stiff coming out of the transition, as if they were willing their legs to bend. Rain lets up. Hope it stays this way for the run.

~3:50pm. Raining hard again. Figures. We check out the expo. Most of the stuff is priced where I'd expect, but Ann finds a sweatshirt for $180. This is why Mary Lou didn’t come home with a commemorative Ironman sweatshirt.

~4:45pm. I drastically miscalculate when she will be coming through. I had thought that the course was neatly divided into quadrants, and guessed at her 6.5 mile time to get into position to see her go by. But it would really be closer to 11-12 miles when we would see her. This is where we misidentify Mary Lou frequently. You'd be surprised at how many people she can pass for 100 yards away in the driving rain. Some of our guesses even turned out to be women.

~6:35pm. By this time I've figured out that I was wrong on the timing. When Mary Lou passes us this time she doesn’t look as good, but after walking by us she picks up the pace again, and I'm thinking about the psychological effect of passing through and having to do that loop at second time, knowing what's in store. It has to be really tough.

~7:15pm. She goes by in a red shirt, determined to fool us again with a change of clothes. Ann yells "You look fresh." She disagrees.

~7:30pm. We go back to the cottage for pizza and beer. It would be easy for some people to forget that at the time that Mary Lou is out there running and has been competing for more than 12 hours, but we don't. We feel appropriately guilty and in awe. The bacon pizza is especially good (pig at a fourth meal in a row--am I closing in on a record?)

~8:50pm. We leave the cottage to get back in time for the finish.

~9:35pm. In position at the finish. It's really exciting--and moving. Most of the finishers seemed to have saved something for the end, or the crowd carries them. Most are running. But one guy, youngish, just walks, a slow, even pace. He's sobbing as he walks, and along the way he stops to give some people he knows hugs (and some random strangers hugs too). It may sound cheesy, but I think these people are the ones who have really earned the title of Ironman. Not to belittle the pros who can finish the thing in 8-10 hours, or their prodigious talent, but you have to give it up for the people who have struggled 15, 16, even 17 hours to finish. They've paid a higher price than the pros. They've struggled longer, spent more time alone with their thoughts, and surely resisted the urge to quit more often.

~9:47pm. Keep watching the clock. Hoping Mary Lou will come through before 10 because I know that she’d be a little miffed at a 15:01 finish.

~9:59pm. Mary Lou appears on the track. I take a picture [note: sad to say it didn't turn out; flash ruined it]. I try to get another one but instead point to the clock and yell, but she’s already seen it. I can see the look on her face as she mouths an expletive and picks up the pace. She’s got thirty seconds to close maybe a hundred feet, but she doesn’t chance it.

~10:05pm. Right after Mary Lou finishes we follow to the athlete exit and see her heading into the medical tent. Another athlete is holding her arm to steady her. This was a really scary time.
It was probably about a half hour before they let Cindy into the tent and another ten minutes before she called out to let us know what was going on. In that time we saw ambulances come through and take other people away. I don't know what the others were thinking, but I have to admit I was thinking the worst: maybe it was too much to ask of yourself, maybe your body is letting you know it was too much to handle, and if it was worth it. Even when Cindy makes contact, the worry doesn't altogether leave, because they don't let her leave.

~11:48pm. We move the cars closer on the news that Mary Lou is almost clear to leave the medical tent.

July 21

~12:10am. When Mary Lou passes in the Jeep with Mike driving she looks a lot better (four bags of fluid heavier). Only now does it feel like the race is over.

Final Stats: 17 spectator hours, 3 changes of clothes, 2-3 lbs. of pork products. ~Nick

2008-07-22T17:08:00.002-04:00

Just a VERY quick note to let everyone know that I'm home, safe and sound and happy as can be after having finished Ironman USA 2008. It's going to take me some time, and a whole lot of kleenex, to get something written about this, but rest assured that all is very well - it truly was an amazing experience.

More soon, I promise ... in the meantime, for those of you who weren't there, enjoy the start!

Lake Placid Ironman 2008 Swim Start

2008-07-22T17:02:00.001-04:00

Walk on the Moon

2008-07-19T20:13:00.008-04:00

The song that inspired this post, my 'one small step, my walk on the moon.' (Here and Now is equally as inspirational and 'Ironman appropriate!')

According to the countdown timer on James' blog I'm supposed to start Ironman Lake Placid in just over 10 hours ... HOLY SHIT! I'm doing an Ironman Triathlon tomorrow morning! If you had told me that a year ago I would've laughed at you and if you had told me that five or ten years ago, well a walk on the moon would've seemed the better odds, it does truly seem unbelievable to me still. To say I'm in place I never thought I'd find myself is a HUGE understatement.

I am totally overwhelmed by everything - by the people and participants, by the emails and phone calls, by the unbelievable atmosphere, by everyone here to support the athletes including a ton of people from the Buffalo Triathlon Club - everyone has been SO generous with their encouragement and support. And more than anything I'm blown away by the fact that my friends and family are here, not that I wouldn't do the same for them or that I'm surprised that they took the time to come, but just that they're here for me and excited for me and pulling for me - I can't really explain what a great feeling it is, how it makes me want to really give it my best - plus they actually think I can do this, and the more I hear that, well the more I think maybe, just maybe, I can too.

I'm pretty much an emotional mess, I've been crying off an on at the weirdest moments ever since I arrived in Lake Placid. Someone asked me what I'm going to do at the finish, and honestly I have no idea, first of all, I hope I get to see the finish before midnight, since that's by no means a slam dunk, but beyond that, well I guess I hope I have enough energy left to truly enjoy it and I guess I'd like think that I won't totally embarrass myself, but I couldn't in my wildest dreams imagine how that's actually going to feel - so stay posted for the answer to that one.

For right now, I can just tell you that I'm 'full.' Full of everything - emotion, admiration, appreciation, hope, love, excitement, disbelief, wonder, amazement, and anticipation ... it's all there and seems to be just bursting out in my tears - it's a truly awesome feeling that I'm sure everyone gets to experience in some point in their lives, but this is a first for me. I never would've believed that swimming and biking and running could do such a thing to a person - but I'm glad it did it to me.

A few pics from Lake Placid:

James, Wendy & Ben - James my contest partner in crime and Wendy who managed to bring me to my senses when, after the athlete meeting I told them I was thinking about signing up for next years race. Her comment to me in her perfectly proper english accent was "Mary Lou, have you been drinking?" :-) I didn't sign up, but more on those thoughts another time!

Me in transition - I do believe I've committed a social blunder by wearing the souvenir T from the town while I'm still in it! :-)

Hey? Anyone seen my stuff?

My niece and nephew, doing what they do best - Jaclyn being happy with whatever and Nick eating Bar-B-Q! :-)

I’ve got questions, you’ve got answers!

2008-07-16T11:27:00.003-04:00

Just wondering if some of the IM veterans out there wouldn’t mind taking a minute to give this Accidental Ironman the 411 for race day, along with some of your best advice. Never having done or even spectated at an IM event, well I’ve got a lot of questions and would also like to hear other peoples strategies (not to say I’m going to use them, but more just curious – I do know the ‘rule’ about not trying anything new on race day – I’m slow, but I’m learning! ;-)

Ok, for starters:

1. When do you typically plan on arriving to the race town – how many days in advance? What do you do to calm your nerves in the days/hours leading up to the event?

2. How does the transition area work? (I’m imagining a big tent where we grab our T bag, change then go get the bike or head out on the run?)

3. Are there tents? Are they split by gender?

4. What do you do with your wetsuit after the swim?

5. Is there anything beside your bike where your bike is racked? (Do you need to put helmet, shoes etc in T1 bag?)

6. Not that I would even consider trying it, but I think someone told me for IM that only the pros are allowed to leave transition with their shoes already attached to their bike, just wondering if that’s true?

7. During the bike when they do bottle handoffs are the contents cold?

8. Assuming I’ll find out during the mandatory meeting, but about how many ‘bottle handoff’ opportunities are there per bike lap?

9. How does the special needs bag work? Do you have to stop and get off your bike and go search for it? Do you typically use it?

10. What would you typically put in the bike and run special needs bags? I’ve read varying suggestions – one being not to put anything in there that you ever want back!

11. How many spare tubes/CO2 cartridges do you usually carry?

12. If it’s hot, is it a good idea to put frozen bottles of water/sportsdrink in the special needs bag?

13. I’ve read the Athletes Rules or guidebook and didn’t see it very accurately explained about port-a-potties on the bike course (and run course). Are the only opportunities for that in Transition? Do people go into transition between bike laps? Is that even allowed? Will you get penalized or DQ’d if you jump in the bushes or run into a gas station? (Don’t really think I could do that ‘pee on the bike thing’ not to mention, it’s much harder for women!)

14. What do you 'think about' during the race? Particularly the run, I know I'm going to be out there a long time and I think it's going to be to difficult to stay positive the entire time, how do you talk yourself out of being tired, exhausted, in pain, etc?

15. If its taken you 15+ hours how did you feel when you were done? What did you do right after (eat, sleep, pass out, cry)?

16. Were you able to sleep after the race? What about the night before? How did you feel the next day? (wondering if I’ll need a ‘driver’ for the ride back to Buffalo)

17. Do you do a ‘dry run’ for race morning in the days leading up to the race? (Get up ungodly early, eat breakfast, then do an early swim, etc?)

18. If you’re racing and don’t sign up for next year the day before, you’re still eligible to do so the next day, correct? Just not guaranteed?

19. Does anyone have any idea how many slots are typically left after the Monday onsite signup (just wondering for friends who can’t make the trip)?

Ok, and to wrap up a few more specific to the Lake Placid area:

20. Where are some of your favorite spots to watch the various legs?

21. What are good things in the area for spectators to do between laps/passes?

22. Any suggestions on restaurants that are good/healthy that both myself and family (not racing) would be happy with (In LP or Saranac)?

23. Where’s the best place to get a massive pancake breakfast on Monday morning? :-)

And finally, please post about yourself:

24. What IM's have you done? Why/how did got into triathlon? What drives you to go through the rigors of training for one? Plus anything else you might want us to know!

Ok, that’s all for now – answer whichever ones you like, or just copy and paste it into an email and send it to me at mlh@roadrunner~nospam~.com (remove ~nospam~). If I get enough replies I’ll post a summary.
Thanks everyone!!

Reflections in Mirror Lake

2008-07-10T23:11:00.008-04:00

I took advantage of the long holiday weekend and spent the 4th, 5th & 6th in Lake Placid trying to wrap my hands and my head around the Ironman Course. But instead I think it just about choked me those first few days.

But first things first I have to thank Becky, my friend and training partner for making the trip with me and showing me how to really ride and run this course – not too mention putting up with all of my anxiety and stress and down right bad attitude – I’m finally coming around though, I swear! And when she can work this race into her schedule, well, look out Lake Placid!

Despite all the reassurances from people who’ve done it – I have to tell ya, you’re wrong! The routes, while certainly scenic, are, quite frankly, a bitch! Sure there’s a few nice downhills on the bike, but there really is nothing “rolling” about it. And true also, that parts of the run are a bit remote and really beautiful, maybe I'd feel better if I didn't have to do it all twice.

I’ve pretty much been a pile a nerves since the announcement that I was selected to do Lake Placid.. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t want to appear ungrateful for all the support and opportunities I’ve been given, but I will be honest and tell you that I’m pretty much scared to death of actually having to do this race.

Race? Hmm … that’s another issue. You know the real goal of this whole contest is to not only do an Ironman, but also to do it fast enough to qualify for the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, right? I will confess that there were times during my training, rare, optimistic moments, when I really believed “yeah, I can quality.” Then I’d realize to do so I’d have to swim twice as fast as I’m capable of, have the bike ride of my life and then go out and run a marathon at my 5k pace – absolutely, it could happen! What a story!

Ok it’s been months since I’ve had those thoughts, I’m far too much of a realist – I know I’ve had brief moments when my body has performed slightly better than expected, but more times than not it’s been quite the opposite. I toe the line with visions of glory and see myself sprinting through the tape with my arms raised in victory … then the starting horn blows and I find myself minutes later floating on my back and asking the lifeguards in the kayaks if there’s a cutoff for the swim portion of the Olympic distance race that is now rapidly leaving me behind.

I do know my limitations, but it doesn’t mean I’m not going to will every muscle and bone in my body to be it’s best on that day. But what I have to accept is that “my best” for this distance will likely be a far cry from any qualifying time and I’m realizing a 15 hour Ironman IS fast – and more than likely damn near impossible for someone like me – doing my first Ironman with only a hand full of poor showings in some local sprints and a couple of Olympic distance races. Someone whose body was probably never really built to run, and someone who, a year ago, was convinced a 70.3 race (half Ironman) was a VERY lofty goal for 2008.

With that said, the competitor in me has been working and struggling day and night to let go of the word “race.” This cannot be about age groups, or winning, or placing, or qualifying, or split times, it just has to be about finishing, plain and simple … cross the line before they unplug the clock and pack up the tents and put away the medals, there can be no other goal. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone whose taken the time to try to convince this stubborn girl that training for and doing an Ironman is supposed to be fun. I think I let the unlikeliness of this whole situation get the best of me at times and I focus on what I fear: Won’t it be hard? Of course. Painful? Absolutely. Isn’t it impossible? Definitely not. I’ve never heard anyone say they’ve regretted doing an Ironman, so I’ve got my ‘Lucky Triathlon Stone’ in my pocket and there’s no way I’m turning back now.

Finally, to Andy, whose last name begins with an “S” and ends in a vowel with something ethnic in-between that I can’t begin to remember, who spoke to me about the race as we both set off for a 6:30 a.m. training swim in Mirror Lake on Sunday morning, thank you. Our discussion wasn’t unlike a lot of advice I’d been told before, but with the past 2 training days fresh on my mind as we were treading water that morning, well, it was the first time I actually “heard” it. So thanks for explaining the swim start to me and giving me tips on how to manage it. Thanks for the advice on how I should hang back on the first lap of the bike so as not to get “eaten up” on the second and how a “14-hour guy” keeps coming back for more year after year. But most of all thanks for showing me your enthusiasm and for letting me know how fun the day can be, because above all I want it to be that ..

Winning the Cadence Kona Challenge vote is cool, but ...

2008-06-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

Helping to Cure Cancer is WAY Better!!

I know I've been asking a lot lately - but this is far more important than the contest vote.

Please support the Ride for Roswell this Saturday. You can donate through my ride page or better yet, put on your helmet and come join the 5000+ riders who will be riding and raising money for Roswell Park Cancer Institute on the 28th.

My training and involvement in the contest means I'm getting a late start this year, but its so easy to donate and such a great cause and event and I have no doubt I'll reach (and hopefully surpass!) my goal of $1000 for the 3rd year in a row.

So please consider supporting me, but more importantly supporting the Ride for Roswell and all the vital cancer research and excellent patient care they provide at Roswell Park Cancer Institute!

Click here to visit my Ride Web page
Click here to make a donation

Mail Donations & Make Payable to :

Ride for Roswell, P.O. Box 644, Buffalo, NY 14240-0644

(Please note my name in the Memo area of your check)

Philadelphia Triathlon, Finally a Race Worthy of a Report

2008-06-23T22:56:00.006-04:00

On my sixth attempt at a triathlon (4 sprints last year, 2nd Olympic this year) I finally, finally actually raced one. And I'll admit, having a decent race and performing at or at least close to your potential on that day in each of the three disciplines is a hell of lot more fun than totally 'sucking' on race day. I was really good at the latter, crying and hyperventilating on the swim and struggling to make it out of the water, spotting the field a good 20 minutes or more. The mental aspect of that alone was usually enough to dictate the remainder of my poor performances - it honestly was never 'fun' for me and I continually questioned why I kept trying...

The Philly Tri yesterday wasn't exactly 'the performance of a lifetime' but it was a breakthrough nonetheless and after having learned of my selection in the Cadence Kona Challenge just a few days prior it meant that such a race was badly needed if I were to have a chance at completing Lake Placid.

I'm not going to go into all the boring details, twists, turns and mind tricks of the race but there were a few items of note:

1) About halfway into the swim I consciously realized that I was actually SWIMMING, that I was doing it and I was happy - then, Buffalo folks will appreciate this, I honestly told myself "keep at it and don't get too confident, it's not over yet" and then reminded myself that the Buffalo Bills played really well in the first HALF of several Super Bowls and still managed to lose them all ... so I had to keep pushing all the way to the end. (Then I actually laughed at my own joke which resulted in my swallowing a fair amount of the Schuylkill River ... yuck! joke over - "remember the Bills!" ;-)

2) Hopefully the course photographers were looking the other way as I entered the bike dismount area, the only place where the fans were out in force yelling and cheering me on as I approached the bike finish - my adrenaline was pumping as I expertly unclipped my right foot, pushed back in the saddle, came to a dead stop then went to unclip my left foot and hop off, but instead my foot stayed attached and I pulled myself and my bike sprawling onto the ground in front of all of our adoring fans making for an unconventional, but not uncommon dismount! What can I say, it happens ...

3) By coincidence it turned out that the only other Cadence Challenge finalist to compete in Philly was James, the other winner who'll also be going to Lake Placid. It was really fun to see him for the first time on the run (he was WAY ahead of me and we passed on an out and back part of the course). And since Cadence was also a major sponsor of the race it was fun to see a lot of Cadence Coaches and Staff at the race and cheering us on - thanks Cadence!

4) After the race I had the extreme pleasure of just hanging out with James & Wendy and the newest and most handsome Pearson, Ben! ( I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of him, though in my defense, he did sleep the whole time - yes triathlon talk can be that boring, just ask Wendy! ;-)

5)Wearing the Cadence 'Kit' meant James and I were recognized by our fellow triathletes from the magazine and our blogs - it was tough having to fend off all the fans and paparazzi - but we handled them all without out incident. Well, uh, OK, so between us maybe there were a dozen or more folks that spoke with us or wished us well by name - but it was really cool talking to everyone and hearing from people who said they had voted for us, were reading our blogs and cheering us on - thanks you guys!!

Overall Rank 777 of 1892
Class Rank 12 of 56
Swim 00:34:37
Swim Rank 1472 of 1892
Trans1 00:03:32
Bike 01:10:05
Bike Rank 251 of 1892
MPH 21.2
Trans2 00:01:56
Run 00:56:18
Run Rank 1014 of 1892
Pace 00:09:04
SexRank 149 of 597
Final 02:46:30

So does that qualify as a 'race report?' If you don't have anything better to do, feel free to compare it to my race two weeks prior, the Keuka Lake Triathlon (same distance - my place was 195 and I show up on page 6).

Just Checking My Email ...

2008-06-21T08:56:00.003-04:00

CADENCE KONA CHALLENGE WINNERS DECLARED BY TRIATHLETE READERS' POLL!Since the summer of 2007 it's been quite a trip! From narrowing down thousands of applicants to a pool of the Top 100, to an exciting and emotional weekend of testing, and finally to the selection of the 6 CKC semifinalists, it's been an incredible journey. The six semifinalists showed extreme perseverance and dedication to the sport of triathlon. Not only did they include us on their personal highs and lows as they challenged themselves psychologically and physiologically, they took us along as they trained and raced to become better athletes. All of us at Cadence have the greatest respect for the CKC finalists who took up the challenge, faced their insecurities, overcame their weaknesses, and built upon their strengths during these last seven months. In our opinion, you're all winners!

Now the final results are in and Triathlete magazine has notified us of the outcome. The two CKC athletes with the largest number of votes are James Pearson and Mary Lou Hoffman! CONGRATULATIONS JAMES AND MARY LOU!!!

Stay tuned for more information and to follow the training, trials, and tribulations of James and Mary Lou as they prepare for IronMan Lake Placid with the goal of qualifying for Kona!Lastly, we again encourage all of you to support the sponsors who helped make the Cadence Kona Challenge such an amazing event. Please support these brands: they are the best in the world at what they do, and, above all, they are passionate about triathlon and triathletes. The CKC sponsors are:

Triathlete Magazine
Zoot Sports, USA
Suunto
Cyfac/VeloEuropa
Zipp Speed Weaponry
IronMan
Sidi
LAS
Enervit

Cadence Cycling
4323 Main Street, Philadelphia, PA 19127
P. 215-508-4300
174 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013
P. 212-226-4400
1-8PRO-CADENCE

This email contains images, if you can't see them please add our address to your address book or click here to view this email online.

Blog Interrupted ...

2008-06-21T08:49:00.002-04:00

So I’ve been trying to come up with a clever and redeeming way to give my first Triathlon Race Report of the season - the Keuka Lake Tri (way down on page 6, #195)– an intermediate distance event and my longest ever. The race didn’t go anything like I’d imagined and other than the heat we all suffered, I was having a hard time trying to justify and explain my poor showing. There was humor in my swim placement – putting me as 232nd but then only listing 225 swimmers – mathematically unlikely, but seemed about right to me (they didn’t list the DNF’s).

And after the swim things went from bad to worse, so I’ve been procrastinating. I didn’t want to make excuses for my poor showing and had a feeling my ‘career’ in Triathlon may be a short one. It was discouraging to me that after 9 months of diligent training and coaching I’d faired little better overall than my very first tri, the sprint distance in this same event, exactly one year ago.

So cue the coach – my Cadence Coach, Ryan Oelkers, had a different perspective on my race and managed to twist it around enough until some positive things started squeezing out – including having dealt with the heat and conquered the mental struggle of a poor race, but primarily he pointed to some realistic expectations of such a novice swimmer … so thanks for that Ryan.

Between his evaluation and pep talk, the great feedback & support I got from everyone at Cadence Philadelphia and then Kevin McKinnon’s Muskoka Tri Camp, and all the continuous encouragement and enthusiasm I get from everyone who knows about this contest in my everyday life; folks at my gym (the Buffalo Athletic Club), the Buffalo Tri club, the people at my local Weight Watchers meetings, my “Bruce” friends at E Street Canada, my cycling club (Niagara Frontier Bicycle Club) even my local bike shop (Handlebars) – and of course all my friends, family and coworkers (both past and present), I decided, with less than a week left in the contest, I had to get the word out and ask people to send in my name for the contest finale, Ironman Lake Placid.

Don’t get me wrong; I seriously considered sending out an email asking them all to vote for anyone BUT ME! But at the eleventh hour I guess I had just enough confidence from everyone to think I just maybe, just might be able to finish an Ironman event. And then ultimately decided, whether I knew I could finish or not, it would be way too chickenshit to have gone through all this and then not even try to be the one selected. And soliciting some votes surely didn’t mean I would be one of the ones selected.

So I sent out an email to about 50 friends and family 5 days before the deadline asking people to vote for me … I don’t know what exactly happened out there in cyberland – but you all have a huge hand in changing this girls life – pushing me so far out of any ‘comfort zone’ that I don’t even know if I still have one anymore – putting me in a position to do the improbable and you’ve helped me believe anything is possible … ‘Thank You’ doesn’t even begin to express my gratitude ….

O Canada!

2008-06-09T23:40:00.003-04:00

So much to say, so little time … I’ve been terribly negligent in my blogging and I apologize. I think initially, after the marathon it was because I didn’t really have much to say – everything seemed a little stalled and I was generally feeling lukewarm about the whole contest and my ability to complete an Ironman.

And then the vote was announced and, to be honest, with the pain and difficulty of the marathon still fresh on my mind there was more than a small part of me that questioned whether or not I even wanted to try to be voted into Lake Placid – it’s so soon, and an Ironman is so far – I found myself wondering how I even got myself into this in the first place, and if I really had it in me to do 140.6

Then things changed – I went to an awesome Triathlon camp up in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. I found out about it through the Subaru Race series (I’ve participated in a few of the tri’s & du’s over the past few years and really enjoyed them all). I’ve lived most of my life 30 minutes from ‘the bridge,’ I grew up with Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada as the highlight of our household television week and spent 20 years of summer family vacations in Bobcaygeon, part of ‘cottage country’ a few hours northeast of Toronto, I’m a fan of Canadian music and any excuse will do to head north for a show and come Springsteen tour time I hang with the greatest, luckiest group of Bruce fans, E Street Canada. Is it possible, that through osmosis, or CTV and CHUM-FM and shows at Massey Hall that I’ve become part Canadian?

Ok, so I think you get the picture that I don’t need to be bribed to spend time north of the border. And Kevin MacKinnon’s Mackatak Tri Camp at the Clyffehouse in Muskoka was no exception. Still dragging from the marathon I felt I needed to refocus and could use all the help I could get with this Triathlon thing. The Memorial Day Tri camp, except in Canada it was just another weekend :-), was just what I needed (uh, minus the black flies!!) The coaches, Kevin, Jay & Greg were great! Helpful and encouraging and very on point with their comments and evaluations (except I'm still waiting on some pictures Jay :-).

Along with the great coaches it was so fun to meet and train and hang with ‘my fellow Canadians.' ;-) Everyday folk who also happened to be great athletes; Ironmen, Ironwomen and marathoners galore! So impressive and positive and fun to be around. And a special thanks to my ‘cottage mates’ Mary, Mary, Gail & Jackie for being so inspiring and encouraging (I do believe this fall’s Muskoka 70.3 is now in my future too – see you there! ;-)

Since I’ve been back when asked about the camp, I’ve told everyone exactly that, but also noted that, for me personally, it was a big confidence builder. Everyone, other than myself, seemed to think I had an Ironman in me, and similar to the contest weekend at Cadence, by the time I left the camp I had joined in the chorus.

But as they say, a journey of a thousand miles, or perhaps more appropriately, 140.6 miles, starts with a single step – and that first step is your vote, so send your e-mail to triathletemagcontest@gmail.com with my name in the subject or text and then let’s see how far we've come!!

Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come (video)

2008-06-09T23:33:00.001-04:00

When Pigs Fly

2008-05-11T22:10:00.012-04:00

From Wikipedia:
>>>"When pigs fly" is an idiomatic way of saying that something will never happen. Pigs are heavy animals, without wings, and cannot possibly fly. So "when pigs fly" is a time that will never come.

The phrase is used for humorous effect to scoff at someone's intentions to achieve or carry out something which is beyond their previous efforts and accomplishments<<<

I'm going to wear my medal everywhere!

Congrats to Becky too on an awesome run time of 4:09:07 (unadjusted)

Yes, there are certain things in this world that are impossible; just never meant to be, and we have sayings for them … When pigs fly; In a month of Sundays; When hell freezes over; When the sun rises in the west; Once in a blue moon; When Mary Lou runs a marathon …

On rare occasion in sport the stars align, ability and determination trumps expectations, the unimaginable happens. People compete beyond their known ability and records are broken, the underdog prevails, miracles happen: Roger Bannister’s 4 minute mile, the ’69 Mets; the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team’s Miracle on Ice, Mary Lou runs a marathon ...

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t quite all that dramatic, and lord knows it wasn’t pretty. It definitly was far from perfect, but the fact remains, I did, indeed, run a marathon. It played out much different than it had days previous in my head, it hurt more than I ever could've imagined, it didn't go as planned and the downhill running meant I was in trouble by mile 13, and I was much slower than my goal pace.

I've been telling people that in the days immediately following the race I experienced a common phenomenon I've dubbed "PMF" or 'Post Marathon Funk.' Part of it was adjusting to having accomplished something you've worked months for, part of it was dealing with my disappointment in knowing that I did my best on that day but that I can do better.

Between the joy and dissatisfaction there was something else, perspective. I'm posting this with much hesitation, but if nothing else it does help make my case for an unlikely accomplishment. Below are my marathon stats along with a picture of me 5 years ago. When Pigs Fly, when Mary Lou runs a marathon.

Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
May 4, 2008
Mary Lou Hoffman, #2097
Age:44, Gender: F
Distance MAR
Clock Time 4:43:37
Chip Time 4:40:30 (26.45) *
Adj Time 4:37:50
Overall Place 2893 / 4734
Gender Place 945 / 2010
Division Place 154 / 262
6.8M 1:08:13
12M 2:00:33
13.1M 2:10:50
19.7M 3:17:52
25.2M 4:27:22
Divtotal 262
Sextotal 2010
Pace 10:36

I'll spare you all the details of the race, with the exception of the asterisk to denote that a fire on the marathon route caused a detour that added a little over a quarter of mile (just what we needed!).

You Are What You Eat

2008-04-19T23:21:00.008-04:00

With this month’s Triathlete Magazine Cadence Challenge Article (May's 25th Anniversary Issue) focusing on nutrition, I thought this was something I knew a little bit about. Having lost over 100 lbs with Weight Watchers, I not only learned how to lose weight, I've also had to keep it off. But the prospect of participating in an Ironman meant I had to learn how to fuel my body as an athlete for performance and endurance. Something I never really considered. Sure, I’ve completed plenty of century rides – however, those were never a ‘race’ and usually involved plenty of support and rest stops. Obviously, this was going to require a lot of attention and far more knowledge about sports nutrition than I had. Fortunately, I have some great resources to help me out and was able to solicit some expert advice from Nutrition Therapist Mary Jo Parker, MS, RD CDN.

Triathlete Magazine asked Mary Jo to address the conflict athletes face between performance and weight loss. Unfortunately, space limits for the print edition severely edited her advice, but since it’s so important to what I’ve had to do in the “4th discipline” of triathlon, nutrition, I wanted to present it fully here.

She acknowledged that “the challenge is to eat sufficiently to power up for endurance training and at the same time limit what you eat to manage weight. Food choices must be balanced to supply sufficient calories and nutrients to support optimal performance and weight loss (or maintenance) simultaneously. This can be tricky as there's not a lot of room for foods that don't serve a specific purpose toward both goals.” So it’s no secret that I have to lay off the junk food but it’s just as important to make the healthiest choices possible. I’ll always opt for a fruit over juice or if it’s pasta, then the nutrient rich whole wheat and high fiber varieties are the way to go. But it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Mary Jo explains, “for example, balancing the macro-nutrients, (carbohydrate, protein and fat) is critical. Having adequate carbohydrate, and the best types, pre- and post-training, makes a difference for performance, glycogen recovery, and sparing dietary protein for muscle repair. In other words you have to balance not only what you eat, but when, in addition to properly pairing your nutrients. Protein ‘sparing’ means eating enough carbs and calories so that the protein you eat gets used efficiently for rebuilding.”

As my training sessions have gotten longer and more intense this is definitely an area I’ve had to address – working on my nutrition plan and making sure my pre & post training meals work not only to fuel me and fill me up, but they also have to help my aching body recover. When I have 3-4 hour intense sessions on back-to-back days, I think the fact that I can do them at all tells me I’m finally doing something right in the area of nutrition.

Mary Jo also noted that “in terms of micro-nutrients, the vitamins and minerals, we know that calcium and dairy are important for bone health, but I have since learned that there is mounting evidence that adequate dairy intake, a mere 3 servings per day, while widely shown to support increased fat breakdown and decreased fat synthesis, may also aid in the actual destruction of fat cells. At the same time, dairy gives you the type of amino acids that support increased muscle mass and helps regulate your blood sugar. So, a simple thing like adequate dairy may not only help fight obesity but can also enhance performance.”

No doubt you’ve all noted the current trend towards more dairy – and don’t ignore all the research promoting Low Fat Chocolate Milk as a great recovery drink – practical and delicious, not to mention chocolate! But heeding all of her advice, I guess it’s best to skip the ice cream and reach for the low fat yogurt. It really is that simple, but, as I’ve struggled with a lot of this she also provided support and reassurance by pointing out “simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy.”
I certainly agree with that, paying constant attention to your nutrition plan takes diligence and persistence, and is just as important as the other 3 disciplines. While I’ve been far from perfect, I am making progress, slowly but surely, and I’ve managed to attain a healthy weight loss of about half a pound a week for a total of just over 10 lbs since the start of the contest. Similar to the triathlon coaching we’ve received from Cadence, when it comes to your nutrition plan, it’s invaluable to solicit some expert advice!

(More Nutrition info soon - including some gripping information on the importance of your sweat rate and proper hydration and I'll also talk about my favorite nutrition products including the R2 recovery drink from Enervit - bet you can't hardly wait! :)

My ‘Race Report’ for the Virginia Beach Shamrock Half Marathon

2008-03-28T22:30:00.007-04:00

To be filed under the 'better late than never category,' finally a training related entry!

On March 16th I participated in my second half marathon, the Yuengling Shamrock Sportsfest in Virginia Beach. When I registered for that race I was pretty excited for it – I wasn’t afraid of the distance anymore and even have quite a few longer runs under my belt. The prospect of getting out of Buffalo and going some place warm was very appealing – also, very inaccurate, but I promised no more weather related entries! – and after having my best per mile pace in a 10 mile race in February I had high hopes for a good showing St Patrick’s Day weekend.

It was nice too that after signing up for the run it didn’t take much convincing to solicit some company and one of my training partners, Becky, made the trip with me and we picked up my nephew, Nick, on the way down. It was Becky’s first race since suffering a broken pelvis in a bike crash in early November and it would be Nicks first Half and longest run to date – so we all had a little bit to prove.

For my part, I can say my optimism had pretty much vanished by the time I got in the car and headed south. The two weeks before the race I had a pretty hectic schedule (see Springsteen post below) and also got sick with a cold and things were picking up at work. I missed quite a few training sessions and the one week taper was more like three – and far less than ideal.

Since I was committed to doing it, and had friends and family along for the ride I just thought I’d make the most of it but figured I had to shift my expectations. I had originally hoped for sub 9-minute miles – not fast by most runners standards, I know, but a year ago that pace was not even on my radar – especially when dealing with any kind of distance run. I still held a glimmer of hope for finishing under 2 hours, but given how fatigued I was, I knew that was really just wishful thinking on my part … so I set my sights on a more attainable goal that would still require quite a bit of effort – to best my pace from my first half marathon this past October – on a very flat course I finished that one in 2:08:15 a 9:48 per mile pace – so I thought maybe 9:30 min/miles were doable.

I don’t know what happens when that gun goes off and you head out over the start line, but I’m always amazed that I’m able to perform better than I ever could in training … uh, but not quite as well as Becky & Nick! Congrats to them both on their great performances – way to go you guys! … Here are our results and links to the race page.

Place Bib# Name G Age City St Chiptim Pace Guntime Div /Tot Div Gend/Tot G

1480 8251 Rebecca Ashare F 26 Tonawanda NY 1:55:38 8:50 1:59:32 130/705 F25-29 497/2962 F

1783 9911 Nicholas Hoffman M 27 West Chester PA 1:56:39 8:55 2:03:05 190/367 M25-29 1133/2315 M

1755 8407 Mary Lou Hoffman F 44 Lockport NY 1:58:53 9:05 2:02:46 74/346 F40-44 635/2962 F

While I missed the 9 min/mile mark, I did finish under 2 hours and considering how I felt going into it I was very happy with the result. It’s not gonna get me a 3 hour marathon and I’m sure it doesn’t compare to my colleagues in this contest, but a little perspective helps me appreciate how far I’ve come in the last 4 years, not to mention the fact that 13.1 miles is a long way to run!

And as fun as the run was, I have to confess that taking advantage of Yuengling’s sponsorship and tossing back a few with Nick at the post run tent party beat the hell out of having to run all that way! Oh, and Nick, don't worry, we'll discuss your race day 'nutrition plan' in a later post! :-)

Everybody Needs a Hobby

2008-03-11T22:45:00.013-04:00

Mine happens to be Bruce Springsteen. Magic, indeed.

If you thought I was gonna say cycling, or running and I hope you know me better by now than to think I’d say swimming, … Well, no, sorry…sorry Triathlete Magazine, sorry Cadence, sorry Ironman, sorry sponsors and fellow finalists – if forced to choose, hands down, every time it’s gotta be Bruce.

He might be getting a little older, but the man can still rock. He can command an arena with the twitch of a finger or by raising an eyebrow. He’s got an amazing songbook and the greatest band and the greatest fans and he never disappoints.

Last week was 3 shows in 5 days (and yes, it may have caused some missed training sessions) – but Bruce and the E Street Band with great friends, both old and new, just doesn't get any better. And a big thank you too to my Toronto Bruce ‘mentors and guardians’ who’ve given me the best luck and kept me in the loop and brought me not only up to speed but also to the front of the stage despite my failure to remain iin the know about all things related to the man from NJ.

My status as a card carrying “Tramp” was in serious jeopardy prior to last week, as my commitment wavered these past few months and I was distracted by all of this training – having attended only 2 shows on the fall leg and giving up tickets to ‘neighborhood’ shows in Albany and Cleveland – I was in desperate need of a large dose of the Boss. Entirely shameful in hindsight, but with the buzz of the contest I think I confused my priorities.

Last week I remedied that several times over, I’ve been to the river and have seen the light, and am now re-energized and revitalized! As for all the training that lies ahead? Well, bring it on! ‘Cause I’m ready to Rock and Roll!!

See the rest of my Rochester & Buffalo pictures here.

(p.s. I promise my next entry will bring this blog back to it’s intended purpose and will actually discuss my training. I’ll be reporting on my participation in the Virginia Beach Shamrock Run ½ Marathon this coming weekend).

Spring Ahead

2008-03-09T20:49:00.003-04:00

This weekend brought some sure signs of Spring to Buffalo - a good foot and half of new snow for starters! Really, this is a good thing, it's winter's last hurrah and now it's done. And not only did we lose an hour but the Tastee Freeze and the Drive In Theatre are opening this week too - yes, spring is right around the corner!

(Took this picture today (Sunday 03/09/08) as I went to snow-blow and shovel for the 4th time in 12 hours. At least Gulliver had fun!)

And since I've made complaining about the weather my full time job as of late you'll be happy to know that I will now place a self imposed moratorium on weather related blog entries!

February 29 2008

2008-02-29T10:45:00.007-05:00

Dear Calendar Makers:

The next time there’s a need to add a day would it kill you stick it in July or August? Would that not do as good of a job of properly aligning the earth’s rotations with the sun? Does Vernal Equinox really care if the extra day were to fall few months later? And why does Vern get to decide which month gets the extra day in the first place? Who is this Vern guy anyway? Huh?

Sincerly,
Mary Lou

Are We There Yet?

2008-02-22T14:43:00.005-05:00

If you’re wondering where “there” is, well, uh, no, it’s not Lake Placid and it’s definitely not Disney World … the “there” that I simply can no longer wait for is.... March!!

I may be slow to the draw, but after 44 years of Western New York winters I’m finally beginning to realize how much I HATE February! With apologies to the Presidents, skiers, St Valentine, and family and friends with February birthdays, for I know that those events cannot save me from this month of gray skies, sub zero wind chills and lake effect snow falls.
To the outside world I want to profess my love of the Buffalo weather and prove how we “get a bad rap!” If asked about living here I’d like to wax poetic about being awoken to the steady hum of snow blowers and the piercing sound of ice being scraped off my neighbors’ windshield. I want to throw on some thermals and hold up my head and proclaim how tough these winters make me – because they have, but as I get older I believe this weather has also done to me what was once unthinkable, it has turned me into my parents!

As a devote hater of Florida and all things related – like the palmetto bugs, the stone ‘lawns,’ the boiled peanuts, the hurricanes and octogenarian drivers, for example, I am truly perplexed as to why I find myself longing for retirement and a ‘double-wide’ in ‘Tiki Village’ on the gulf coast!

These thoughts haunt me lately and I find myself wondering if I’m suffering from S.A.D. – Seasonal Affective Disorder – where we become depressed by the weather and lack of light and sunshine – I think all of Western NY must have this. Symptoms are not only feelings of depression, but sufferers also “lack energy to perform everyday activities.” Yes, definitely. I have this!

They say it's treatable with ‘light therapy,’ and evidently I need more serotonin, more melatonin, more ions in my air – but before I sell my house, put my dog in the car, toss my bike on the back and head south, I think I’ll wait … just one more week …for the promise of spring ... for March.

The Marathon, the fear of it, the reality of it, the spirit of it …

2008-02-08T17:55:00.001-05:00

When I was selected as one of the six finalists in the Cadence Kona Challenge I know the very first thought that entered my head was “oh shit” immediately followed by “I can’t run a marathon.” These were not meek little thoughts tucked away in the recesses of my mind, no, these were HUGE big bright neon light danger signals flashing uncontrollably and blasting away any sense of happiness or euphoria at having been selected from among all the other competitors. It left little room for the realization that I was gonna get a hell of a lot of free gear and some pretty nice swag. Lost in the buzzing of the blazing red warning signs was the idea that a whole lot of professional coaching and assistance from Cadence was going to help get me to where I need to be. No, none of that mattered; the only thought I had was “I can’t run a marathon.” Ok there were a few other expletives along with similar anti-marathon ramblings like, “I’m not a ‘runner’” and “my body isn’t built for running” and “in my lifetime I don’t think I can run a marathon, let alone in 7 or 8 months” quickly followed by the ridiculous idea that now I’m supposed to do this AFTER exerting myself in other disciplines for an ungodly number of hours.

Up until October 21, 2007 I had made the most compelling argument and had thoroughly convinced myself that 26.2 was never, ever going to be in my future. Even despite the fact that I was scheduled to run my first ever half marathon a week later – but 13.1 was a world away from 26.2 and considering where I was coming from, I knew I was going to be pretty damn satisfied if I could run a half. To say I was afraid of the marathon is putting it mildly, I was scared to death of the mere prospect of it, and now here I was being congratulated and told I was going to do an Ironman. All I could do was nod and try to smile as the pounding of my heart kept rhythm with the flashing lights and blinking billboard on my forehead telling everyone present “you picked the wrong person, because, don’t you know? Can’t you tell? I CAN’T RUN A MARATHON.”

Hmmm, so I guess things change, and thankfully, we are not bound by our thoughts or abilities or our fears or the limits we place on our lives. This isn’t exactly my version of ‘the little engine that could’ and as I write this my longest run is still 13.1 miles. But that’s going to change soon, and for the first time I welcome the prospect of running further and running longer. Something has happened to me this winter – it might’ve been on the chilly Sunday mornings on the bike path, or maybe it was while I was sweating away on the treadmill in my crowded club in January. I’m not really sure when or how it happened and I don’t really care, but all I know is, at this moment, I believe that someday I will be capable of running 26.2 miles.

Ok, maybe I’ve got a lot of ‘qualifiers’ in that statement, but the important thing is that I really do believe it, and I’m really not afraid, uh, ok, not THAT afraid of it anymore… and hopefully that “someday” I refer to will be May 4th 2008, since that’s when I’m scheduled to run the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon (I think it’s apropos since the name originated from someone professing that they ‘would run a marathon when pigs fly’ – look! Up in the sky! It’s a BIRD! It’s a PLANE! It’s a pig? ;-)

So that’s it – I’ll write about the agony and ecstasy of my long runs as appropriate but do want to put in a final plug for the movie documentary “The Spirit of the Marathon.” There’s another showing in February and I can’t recommend it enough – especially for someone like me, who never thought this was possible. And it doesn’t hurt to drag along all of your training partners! Watching it with my gym crew – my friends who show up to spin with me for an unreasonable length of time on Saturday mornings and run and ride with me throughout the year – was the gift I gave myself. I was inspired and motivated not only by the movie, but by the people sitting next to me too….

Swimming Counts

2008-01-19T22:32:00.000-05:00

Prior to my involvement in this contest I would schedule my workouts for the week with a mix of mainly runs and bikes (or spins or other cardio) with the occasional strength session and a swim thrown in here and there when I thought I could manage to get to the pool.

The swims were always at night and if I had them scheduled I’d usually try to get in an early morning cardio session since otherwise I was ‘only swimming.’ Swimming was a pain to coordinate and technically difficult, but it wasn’t a hard cardio workout. My heart rate rarely got into my training zone. Since you’re already in the water, well, I never felt a good ‘sweat’ like I do with other cardio exercises and it never provided a decent calorie burn, in other words, when scheduling my workouts, swimming didn’t count.

Do something right and my oh my how it changes things! Since starting my training with Cadence swimming has become the most mentally, physically and technically demanding discipline of triathlon for me. I’m a ‘new’ swimmer, having started just over a year ago by taking lessons and spending my Saturday mornings last winter at a local high school pool with the ‘Swim America’ kids. So to say I’ve got a lot to learn and a long way to go is a huge understatement. Swimming takes the most thought, the most effort, the most time related to the distance covered, where I’ve got the most to learn and where I have the opportunity for the most room for improvement.

So I think I’m finally starting to get it. Like training in the other disciplines, it doesn’t help to be fatigued at the start. When you do it right it’s hard – physically and technically – but it feels good in the end. Improvements come in very small increments and coaching, guidance and evaluation by those who know what they’re doing makes all the difference in my ability to improve.
The swim may be the shortest leg of the race, but for me it is definitely the most challenging and it definitely counts!

By the numbers

2008-01-04T16:09:00.000-05:00

So I’ve been checking out the blogs of my fellow Kona Challengers and I’ve been noticing that they’re pretty free with providing the details of their training and competition/event stats. In the interest of full disclosure, I thought maybe I should do some of that too …

Uh, and be nice when you see them, think of them as ‘triathlon stats for mere mortals’ I’m really only putting them out there to make everyone else feel better about their own stats!

One of the first stats that struck me was Scott’s note about his swim time improvements – which I’m totally impressed by – thank god he’s a guy and no where near my age group! His 50 meter time is 40 seconds, so the math wiz in me would roughly calculate his 100 meter time at 1:20 – wow! I’m pretty sure my pool is measured in yards – so I know this might be a little off, but last time I timed myself, my 100 yd time was 2:20 … hmm, is it possible that 100 yds is actually about 175 meters? I’m hoping that’s the case, then I’d be neck and neck with Scott on the swim! Right?

Now Randy, well he’s the veteran triathlete of this group and his race stats and training stats are truly amazing, definitely something to aspire to. A recent blog entry shows him ranked 5th overall in his region, only a few spots beyond his son who he’s got almost thirty some years on … again, wow!

So that got me thinking - since I’m a card carrying member of the USAT and with the 4 races I did last year, well, I must be ranked someplace. So I looked myself up – turns out only a couple of my races qualify for ranking (the other races were in Canada). But still, I am a somebody and I’ve got stats! You ready for this? Ok here goes, first number is my rank, second is the # of people in the category, remember, I said be nice!

5392/7358 Ranking per New England region

I’m thinking putting myself in with guys isn’t really fair, maybe I did better against just women:
1483/2589 Ranking per females in the New England region

Ok, now were talking I went from the top 73% to almost breaking the halfway mark by being in the ‘top 57%’ of women in my region, but if more people are ahead of you, is it more accurate to say I’m in the ‘bottom 43%?’

Wait a minute, how about my by my age? Yeah that’s gotta make a difference:
267/432 Ranking per females 40-44 in the New England region

Finally broke into the top 1000, but seeing how there’s only 432 women in my age group I guess that’s nothing to get too excited about plus percentage wise it’s worse at 61%

Ok, I’ve got it, finally “TOP 10” and I’m not talking about top 10 in the state, I’m “TOP 10” overall in the WHOLE COUNTRY!! So watch out you guys!
10/14 Ranking per females with the last name of ‘Hoffman’ in the USA
It gets even more impressive when you only look at my region – I’m 2nd!!
2/2 Ranking per females with the last name of ‘Hoffman’ in the New England region.

Suddenly I’m feeling pretty good about my chances in this whole Ironman thing, after all isn’t it really just a matter of showing up? ;-)

(written with tongue firmly placed in cheek and in total awe of Scott and Randy’s stats!)

re·solve

2008-01-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

re·solve (re-zolv) n.
1. something one has decided to do, a resolution
2. great determination

My gym is going to be packed for the next few weeks and there’ll be a line out the door to sign up and weigh in at my Weight Watchers meetings, but sadly come March the New Year’s promise of health and fitness will be long gone from the majority of those vowing to turn over a new leaf this January 2nd.

I know, I’ve ‘been there, done that’ many times over. Thankfully, for a fortunate few, there’ll be resolutions that stick – they’re usually the kind that come to you, not on a certain ‘date’ or after a season of indulgence, but rather out of the blue. Out of the blue after years of frustrations, failed attempts, self doubt, unanswered questions and endless excuses – but then a sudden realization that something’s clicking or an instant ‘a ha’ moment that makes you realize your time is now.

So go ahead, make a resolution, be resolute, resolve something … and be relentless and unyeilding in your quest to make it happen.

Avoiding the inevitable …

2007-12-26T16:59:00.001-05:00

I know at some point I’m supposed to be talking about my training program on here. Up until now I think I’ve done an excellent job of pretty much avoiding the subject altogether, and with good reason. Well actually, I’ve got a few good reasons. The first being that I’m very much a novice and consider myself to be sort of an ‘accidental triathlete’ and I’m not really sure what I can offer to anyone reading this blog. I mean chances are you’re either a friend, train with me or are related to me (and therefore either already know or don't really care about my training sessions! :-) or you're already a subscriber to Triathlete Magazine and I certainly have little to offer in the way of technical advice since I’m just reading and learning right along with you all.

As recently as yesterday, my sister asked me why I felt the need to do triathlons, rather than maybe just stick with cycling (since it wasn’t like I don’t have a lot of room for improvement in that sport alone!). All I could do to respond was kind of shake my head and meekly reply ‘good question.’ I’m still working on my answer and I’ll get back to you all when I figure that one out myself.

So I’m thinking I may just have to stick to singing the praises of Cadence, and Ryan, my coach, along with providing moral support for anyone who thinks they wouldn’t be able to do this, because I'm proof that you can. If you don't set limits on your goals, and, not unlike trying to lose weight, if you can just take it one day at time and not get overwhelmed by the big picture, well then you just never know where it'll take you! And believe me it's not 'talent' that got me here, and more than a tricked out bike and cool gear, this is gonna take some hard work and a lot of dedication, and those are things I’m starting to know a little bit about!

Which brings me to another reason: I'm not gonna sugar coat it, for the average person this training stuff is a lot of hard work! Not to mention it can be a bit tedious at times. I’m not saying that’s always the case, but having to pick this up in the traditional ‘off season’ has had it’s challenges, logistic and otherwise. And certainly the stress of the holidays adds another wrinkle on top of what’s already physically and sometimes an emotionally exhausting regime…and I’m not looking to be some kind of killjoy for all the opportunities I’ve been handed with this, but no one ever said it was going to be easy, I can attest to the fact that, indeed, it is not!

But it certainly is challenging and exciting and satisfying and, while I really hate to admit this, at times it can be pretty rewarding and a whole of fun ... so I leave at it that and wait till next time to talk about my 3 hour spin classes 4000 yard swim sessions!

It just wouldn't be Christmas ...

2007-12-24T11:14:00.000-05:00

....without an ‘all-nighter!’ I really wasn’t kidding about the last post, and since shopping and wrapping and baking weren’t on that list I had to make some trade offs the past few days. Turns out I traded in a few swim sessions and whole lot of sleep to get ready for the holidays. But as I wandered around Target in a daze yesterday after spending an hour and a half on the treadmill at the gym, the one thing I knew for sure was that I was in good company. Why else would that young woman be buying a nose hair trimmer for her husband? And why would her husband be thinking that the “Ab Away 2” would make the perfect gift for their first Christmas together? I was definitely not alone, but just because I was among friends doesn’t make it right! You should see what I ended up with for a “tree!”

I actually think decorating my bike may have been a better call, and this was a tough decision given it’s the first time ever I haven’t had a real, full size Christmas tree in my house. I’ve certainly thought about it before, when you consider all the time saved putting it up and then packing it up, not to mention having to spend the better part of New Year’s day vacuuming up pine needles! But it just didn’t seem right, well, I guess it still doesn’t but given my schedule and the fact that I’m not doing any real entertaining this year I’m happy to have all those hours back for something more important, like sleeping and swimming and … well, you get the picture. And when I post up a picture of my tree this year please be kind, since I already know it’s pathetic, but it’s the best Target had to offer on December 23rd in the “pre-lit, $7 price range!”

So I’m thinking pretty soon I may actually get around to writing about my training, perhaps I'll make that my New Year's resolution. Yes, that's it! Since I've already got the typical things like 'join a gym,' 'workout more,' and 'lose weight' pretty much covered 'I resolve to blog more!' But for now I’ll spare you the details of my sweaty 3 hour spins and never ending swim sessions and leave you to enjoy your holidays with your friends and family. Safe travels and happy holidays to all!!

Work, swim, bike, run, eat, sleep, repeat

2007-12-14T16:35:00.000-05:00

This is pretty much my life these days, if it’s not on this list, I’m not doing it, but there seems to be a slight problem. No where on that list do I see shopping or baking or decorating or entertaining or wrapping or even cleaning or shoveling or ‘blogging’ for that matter. So are you starting to see my dilemma? This Ironman training gig seems to be taking an unbelievable amount of time and coordination, and I know it’s only going to get worse. I’m sure that’s the reason I never thought to do this before now, well that and the fact that I couldn’t swim or bike or run ... but I digress ...

On the bright side of things, my family and friends seem to be a pretty understanding lot and I’m sure they’ll forgive me when their usual homemade gourmet gift basket is reduced to a powerbar and a packet of chocolate energy gel. Or when they stop by my house for some ‘holiday cheer’ and the only ‘mixers’ I have are protein powder and glutamine. And even then I’m sure they’ll be kind enough to not comment on the fact that a bicycle on a trainer is now the centerpiece of my living room. Conveniently, it has taken over the spot traditionally reserved for the tree – actually I’ll bet they won’t even notice if I throw some lights on the handlebars and let them pile the unreciprocated presents around the sweat mat, uh, I mean ‘tree skirt.’ But the final straw may just be when my single crack at ‘holiday entertaining’ is inviting them to read this blog! Glad I’m not the only one having to suffer this holiday season.

Well, how did I get here?

2007-11-30T23:13:00.000-05:00

There's a song called "Once In A Lifetime" by the Talking Heads with the line in it: 'you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?' It's been running through my head for the past several weeks and I can't seem to shake it. I remember the video from early MTV days and while it was just a fun song back then that didn't, and still doesn't, hold any particular meaning to me, I keep finding myself thinking about the title and referring to those lines in the song - along with a few others like:

>>And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?

And you may ask yourself
Am I right? ...am I wrong?

And you may tell yourself
My god!...what have I done?<<

It's right about then I break out in cold sweat!! I guess for me now, it's just the idea that you can wake up one day and find yourself in a place you could've never imagined, doing things you never dreamed possible and you have no idea how you got there. I mean really, how does someone who's been severely overweight and pretty inactive their entire life end up in an Ironman Triathlon competition? It just makes no sense to me so I keep asking myself, well, how did I get here?

As I think about it, certainly there's been a sequence of events in my life over the past four years that has taken me down this path and I'm realizing that it's lined with family and friends, both old an new and colleagues and competitors alike. And they've all guided, and pushed, and supported, and motivated, and inspired and moved me every step of the way. From my family who got me started on Weight Watchers in the fall of 2003 and my friends who encouraged and put up with me as I started to change so drastically, along with all the dedicated online and meeting members and leaders who continue to inspire and support me as I inch my way towards my goal. There's my gym crew who motivate me to show up at 6:00 a.m. and my spin instructors who helped push me out the door and put me on the road to begin with. There's my cycling club gang who challenge and complement my riding all at the same time. And this past year especially riding and running and learning to swim was so much fun because I trained with people with similar goals and ambitions who loved it too. Plus I've been fortunate in that I've managed to work with some great coaches and mentors and counselors who've always seemed to have my best interests at heart. And for the past year I've had a friend and training partner who's far younger, faster and stronger than myself, and pushes me past what I would consider a reasonable limit. She is certainly smart enough to make her own judgments when I provide pointers and I profess to be "older and wiser" but it’s her determination and dedication to triathlon as a sport that has finally started to rub off on me. I'm thankful that we'll be training to compete together in 2008 70.3 and Ironman events.

And I couldn't begin to explain how much it meant to me when it was so many of these same people who stood by me and made and kept me strong as I faced my cancer diagnosis. And despite all the physical changes my body had been through previously, it took this event to really change my life and force me to realize how fortunate and blessed I've been. Having any kind of cancer is scary for sure, but I was far luckier than most and couldn't be more grateful for the experience I've had, for all I've learned, for the people I've met because of it and for all of life's graces that I've been given.

I can attest that the folks at Triathlete Magazine got it right when they talked about my 'second chance' - actually I think I've had a few of them and few people are that fortunate. And because of this perhaps it's my responsibility to make the most of all the opportunities I've been given, to not just sit idly by or fritter it away, but rather to stand up and get out make the most of it. I can't say that I ever sat back and made a conscious decision to make triathlon my 'vehicle' of choice in this regard, but with this contest it's more like Ironman Triathlon picked me, and considering how unlikely this all is, well who am I to argue?!

It feels like this contest has been a great catalyst for all of us, and I think I speak for at least a few of us when I say it's pushed us WAY outside of any comfort zone we may have known. But as long as we’re here, there's no doubt we're all looking to make the most of this incredible opportunity we've been given. And I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge and thank all the great people associated with this contest. The New York City event was a wild rush enjoyed by everyone who attended. And without trying to suck up too much, I can also say that everyone I've met through this contest has been great! Not only all the other contestants and finalists from NYC, but especially all the Cadence staff and coaches, the sponsor representatives and of course the judges. Sure the time trialing and endurance tests were fun and all ;-), but it was all the great people involved in this event that have really sealed it as being 'once in a lifetime!'

So as I slap myself on the forehead and ponder "Well, how did I get here?" I'm still not exactly sure, but I know I didn't get here by myself.