Can an Average Runner Become an IRONMAN?

Audaciously...I'm thinking, "YES!"

She wanted to go farther and faster!!

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mckI love this girl!

2 weeks ago my daughter – who is training for her first 5k with Girls on the Run – and I did a 5k training run together. It was great fun! We talked, ran side by side, took a few walking breaks, took our gloves on and off, and smiled at one another.

Last weekend we had talked about doing a run together, but she wasn’t feeling it. Okay, no worries.

This weekend, she wanted to get back out there. We started our run and about a mile in, she decided we should go longer and try to get it done in the same time. (I swear I’m not prompting for these things!!)

She decided to add on 0.1 miles. Last time we ran 3.11 miles in 38 minutes. She wanted to complete 3.2 in that same 38 minutes and kept asking me, “How long have we been out here?” I kept her up-to-date and let her know that we had this! And we did – 3.22 miles in 37 minutes (and some odd seconds). She met her goal!

Also, (and most importantly), she looked at me during the run and told me, “I like running with you.” Ahhhh, nothing is better for my heart than that!!

 

I went to my first Chicago Tri Club meeting, and I grilled a girl

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Chicago Tri ClubThis week I joined the Chicago Tri Club and went to my first meeting.

One of my cycling instructors at my gym let us know that he’d be speaking about metabolic efficiency – a way to burn fat (instead of carbs) – at the next Chicago Tri Club event. I was interested and wanted to attend.

I took care of membership, the RSVP, and sitter (hubby was out of town).

I focused on taking in as much as I could about metabolic efficiency. More on that here.

I also grilled a girl.

A very gracious gal named Karen – who has done Ironman Wisconsin – had the great fortune of sitting next to me… Ha!

She kept responding, so I kept asking!

I learned:

  • You don’t have a “space” in transition, you don’t rack your own bike. You go into transition and they get the bag matching your bib number, you go into a changing room, unpack and repack your bag, turn in your bag, and then they get you your bike. Wow, immediately that sounds stressful and chaotic to me. I’m going to have to take that in and mentally prepare.
  • After the swim you run up the “heli,” the round and round ramp up 6 stories into transition. Then you need to bike down that and bike back up that at the end of your 112 mile bike ride. You do, then, get to run out and down a regular non-heli ramp to start the run leg of the race. (The run is when I could probably handle the heli best!!)
  • You get your “special needs” bag, that you’ll pack, half way through the bike leg.
  • You want to start off with the 2 water bottles that’ll fit on your bike. The suggestion is that these be water bottles you’re willing to toss. Then you can grab water and Gatorade bottles from the aid stations and put them in your water bottle holders.
  • There are hockey-type nets prior to the bike aid stations into which you toss your used bottles. Then you grab new ones from the volunteers at the aid station.
  • The swim is no longer 2 loops, it is one big loop. (That sounds better!)

I learned a lot! This meeting alone was so worth my Chicago Tri membership fee!

 

 

Oh. My. Goodness… This. Is. Expensive.

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moneyHoly moley. I went cycle equipment shopping today. I’m overwhelmed about these little CO2 canisters and tubes I have (good gravy, how does that work?) and about how I spent over $300 and didn’t even get everything on my list!! And I’m not going with the high-end options, I’m going with the good-enough options.

I came home and started tallying it up for my husband… “You know how much it costs to do an Ironman?? Get me a calculator. I’ll tell you…”

Then I went off, my voice getting louder and louder as I outlined it all.

“Let’s just estimate. What? $736 to register. $90 for insurance. $200 for the photo option and for USAT day memberships. Something like $250 to register for Racine Half Ironman. $900 in hotel reservations. Go up and bike with Madison VQ a few times, that’s $70, I think. Register for Capital View Triathlon, $69, I’m estimating. Bought a bike this year, that was $2,000. Bought 2 pairs of swim goggles = $40. I still need a trainer, that’s $160. I still need a snack pouch, let’s say $24. I’ll need a wetsuit, no idea. $200? I just bought 2 new pairs of running shoes (got a great deal on these, they had just gotten in the newer versions). $150. I had been feeling some twinges in my knee, what if they come back I want to get them checked out at the chiropractor? That’s $55 to start. I’ll want some more cycling clothes and a more sporty swimsuit. Let’s budget $250. I want new pedals for my bike. We’ll go with $40. I’ll need some more swim lessons, let’s say $150. Do I need to pay extra to attend masters swim classes? At some point, God willing, I’ll be ready for those. I’m not sure…$30 a month for 4 months? $120. I might want some adhoc coaching sessions with a coach that’s done Ironman Wisconsin. At least $75.” I was punching away on the calculator, watching the numbers add up.

“That’s over $5,500!!”

Over $5,500!! I’m freaking out. Now, of course, I’m already in this – so I’ll just be throwing…what? Good money after good money. But, goodness gracious!!

Some of my estimates are horribly off, I’m sure. But, I’m thinking a number of them are probably horribly off on the low end. Yikes.

I’m suffering from post-shopping stress syndrome.

Uuuuugh, why can’t this be run, bike, run??!

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ugh swimmingDid my swim session yesterday. Ugh. I felt worried during most of it.

The truth is, I probably did just fine physically, for me, for where I’m at. It was probably just fine. But it didn’t feel fine in my head.

I was fixated on how tired and winded I felt after one length of the pool. (yeah, 64 lengths = 1 mile. and I just did the math – which I shouldn’t have done! – 2.4 miles = 153.6 lengths). That scares the Sh%^t out of me!

I can’t get it all right for even a half a length of the pool. If I focus on my kick, my breathing goes out of whack. It’s like I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. If my feet are going faster and in good form, then I don’t keep my steady, easy breathing going. If I focus on my arms, then I notice that I’m tilting my head up too much. I can’t seem to get arms, legs, and breathing all in good form at once. And…I know my swim instructor hasn’t even addressed probably half of the issues going on.

I was really getting myself worked up.

I finally gave myself a shake, realized that I wasn’t making progress with this thinking, and for the last lengths of the pool, I focused on one thing at a time. I think I can do everything I’ve been taught!!! Just not all at the same time… and not for long…