Can an Average Runner Become an IRONMAN?

“Never say never” and all that, but seriously Never. Again.

August 4, 2016 by Amy Riley Leave a Comment

I’m a believer in “never say never,” you never know. I once said I was never interested in doing a triathlon. Who wanted to take on that swim? Ha! Well, evidently me.

So, never say never, but…

Never again! I’m one and done folks. This is ridiculous. The logistics alone.

I’ve got heat rash popping out on my thighs, back and butt whenever I go on a long bike ride.

I was told by my son “Mom! You came home for 1 night – no not even – 2 hours and then you leave again.”

During long rides, I get texts from home, “When are you coming back mom?”

I get up early to workout, to find the fitness center isn’t open yet (at 7:40am? Couldn’t imagine it’d be closed) or that they don’t have a stationary bike.

When traveling, I research all the details at a pool near my hotel only to find out they were closed to the public after 2pm (after telling my new co-facilitator that I couldn’t go for a drink with them, which I didn’t feel great about) Why not tell that to someone from out of town who calls ahead?

I forgot to pack my running shoes for vacation. Researched, found and bought new ones.

After my 5 hour bike ride in the South Carolina heat and humidity (heat index over 100), I went into a grocery store and couldn’t find a thing. I was totally out of it.

I’m mentally tired of figuring it out day after day.

I never need to do this again.

I believe that “one and done” can work mentally to my advantage on race day.

I’ll tackle each part of the race – each obstacle – because “today is the day.” I’m pushing through right here, right now. Not another chance around the corner. Time to be tough, be strong, keep going.

Now what I’m not likely prepared for is the chance that it can’t happen on September 11^th due to weather shortening the race or a big bike malfunction or injury that keeps me from moving forward. I’m not sure I’d be ready to handle that disappointment.

I want the chance to do this on September 11^th.

I’m ready to be one and done

I’m ready to be an Ironman Finisher!

Week 7 – desperately needed to prioritize time with the kids

July 30, 2016 by Amy Riley Leave a Comment

Desperately needed to prioritize some time with the kids. My time with McKenzie involved pedicures. (see pic)

Sunday – I was in California the last two weeks and was on a bike out in the burbs for most of the day yesterday. So I wanted to prioritize the kids today. I promised 1-on-1 time with them both, doing whatever they wanted to do.

Guess what McKenzie wanted to do? Workout! OK. I’ll take it easy. She’s so cutely proud of the certification card she earned to now be able to use different parts of the gym typically off limits to kids.

We rode on bikes for 15 minutes, then a 5-minute run on the treadmill, then 2 laps on the track. She pushed me on the track!

Then pedicure! = 25 minutes

Monday – Swim session. Was planning to do it in the afternoon while my husband picked up the kids. Yet he go in a work jam so I picked up the kids and did this in the evening.

200 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull, 200 swim. 1,950m ladder but pretty much did this continuous, stopped once with 500m to do.

After this, the workout asked for 10 x 1000. I skipped this to get home before the kids went to bed. Totaled 2,750m. = 80 minutes

Tuesday – I was to do an easy run in the am and then a swim/bike brick. I amazingly fit the easy run into my morning. I needed to get out of a webinar a bit early. I knew there was a chance of that and I was banking on it. I ran easy and it felt great.

Then I planned to go to Chicago Tri Club’s Stroke and Stride event to get in an open water swim and a 2-mile run with the group. I desperately need practice swimming in splashing conditions. Kevin planned to pick up the kids and take them to martial arts so I could ride my older bike down there, swim and run and then bike back. It would take care of the prescribed workout.

In the early afternoon, I got an email from CTC stating that Stroke and Stride was cancelled. They encouraged us to participate in the aquathon event. I click through to their site – SOLD OUT! Damn it! I felt like I just really wanted to go swim as part of an organized group.

I knew I could still go down and swim in the area – it is a public beach – but at this point I was annoyed. More accurately, I let myself be completely hijacked by this change.

I’m SO sick of figuring out logistics and being uncertain of logistics. If I go down there, will I find a path that’s splashy? Will it work? Will it be worth it?

I went to bed and got up at 6:30pm and didn’t go to Ohio Street Beach!

I was upset and couldn’t shake it. At this point, I tried not to beat myself up and hoped for a better attitude tomorrow. = 45 minutes

Wednesday – Did the swim/bike combo scheduled for yesterday. 75 minute run for today will fall off the plan.

Swim: 30 minute continuous. I couldn’t get as comfortable as soon as I’d like. Yet I’ve got to just keep going and eventually my mind moves away from my breath and how hard I’m breathing. And am I breathing right? To other things in life. Then when I’m not hyper-focused on it, I can see I’m breathing just fine.

Then 60 minute of the bike. I did this on a stationary bike so I could prep my facilitation for the next day. Easy spin. = 90 minutes

Thursday – 90-minute bike ride, was trying to get to the gym by 5:45pm for a class. Traffic was terrible, jumped in the class by 5:50pm. It was an hour long class, then I tacked on 35 minutes.

Class had 3 hills and 8 intervals on a bit of a hill. = 90 minutes

Friday – Took kids to school then headed to gym, I was going to swim first, yet there was a bit of rain in the afternoon forecast, so I flipped it. 2.5 hour run. Felt tired and hot pretty early in. I didn’t think it was supposed to be that hot, yet obviously it was humid. I was completely soaked before I was half way through. Didn’t have enough sleep this week and probably didn’t have quite enough fuel in me. Ate my gus a little early, stopped a few times, kept it going! Slow. Average 10:57.

Then swim session. I took some time to cool off, eat, and check in with the tech person at my house setting up my new computer. I felt wiped and didn’t want to do the swim, but I did.

Warm-up: 6 x 50m. Main: Was 3 x 700 but I did 1 x 1400 and 1 x 700. Just wanted to get this sucker done! Took 1 hour 15 minutes. = 225 minutes

Saturday – Travel day headed to Hilton Head Island for vacation!

On the way to the airport I realize I forgot to pack my running shoes!

“Oh my God.” I uttered out loud a half dozen times. What a pain! I simply can’t seem to handle 100% of the Ironman logistics 100% of the time. On the drive from the Savannah airport to HHI (after trying some Google map searches while I was in line for the rent car with no luck), I called the bike shop where I was renting my bike and asked for a running shoe store recommendation. Called. Mizunno? Yes. Wave Inspire? Yes, women’s size 10? Yes. Hold ‘em for me? Yes. Another logistic handled!

TOTAL = 555 minutes = 9 hours 15 minutes

Swim – 185 minutes = 33%
Bike – 165 minutes= 30%
Run – 205 minutes = 37%

Week 8 – left side hurts on the bike

July 23, 2016 by Amy Riley Leave a Comment

Sunday – Racine Ironman 70.3 cut short. Stupid weather. Morning of waiting, being disappointed, mentally readjusting, standing around, going to my car to wait out the storms, started at 10:30am.

31-mile bike ride – I hammered it. (1:46)

Half marathon run – I suffered in the heat. (2:36) More about the race here…

Total: 4.5 hours = 270 minutes

Monday – Exhausted! Got up at 5:30am to lead a webinar from 6-8. Went back to bed at 8:30 and slept hard for about 2 hours. Flew to California.

Tuesday – Was meeting with my co-facilitator at 7am, so got up at 5:30 to bike from 5:45 to 6:30. Easy spin. Felt good to get some of the stiffness out. = 45 minutes

Wednesday – 2-hour bike ride in morning. Back to the fitness center. Cycling by 5am. Had a 5am call with a coaching client and a 6am call with my coach = multitasking! = 120 minutes

Thursday – Wrapped up this week’s work training about 2pm. Then one of my co-facilitators invited me out. I told him I’d go for a light bit to eat. At first I was impatient (as he drove to another area of town 20 minutes away) thinking about how long it would take and that I might not be able to start my over 3 hours of workout until 5pm. Then I thought, “What am I doing?” It’s a beautiful day in California. I have an opportunity to connect with a delightful person with whom I’ll be working in the future. So I relaxed and enjoyed and just knew the bulk of the rest of the night would be taken up with workouts.

Got back to the hotel earlier than I expected after an enjoyable visit and a yummy light torta sandwich, connected at home and then got to work.

2 hour 10 minute run: 1^st hour 40 minute easy then last 30 minute RPE 4-5. Did well with this. Found the trail the hotel told me about and then went off on streets and found a park with a bathroom and drinking fountain. So I didn’t have to head back to the hotel for water. Used the park as a spot to run out and back to. Was hot and sunny out there. Did a nice job of going slow for 1^st part and then was able to step it up consistently for last 30 minutes. Felt good. Average 10:32.

Then off to swim! I walked past the swimming pool and it looked crowded still, even the roped off section with 2 marked lanes. It was 7pm. I decided to work a little and try between 7:30 and 8pm.

I was to do 6 x 400 as the main workout. So I did some math and figured I could safely swim 400m in 11 minutes. I have no idea how long this pool was! So I set the timer (That I just found!) on my watch to 11 minutes and did this 6 times. Ugh! Felt like a long time. But, got ‘er done. = 200 minutes

Friday – Was going to go over to a fitness center I had found in the area with a 25-yard pool. Then I figured forget it. I’d save myself the travel time and just do the workout based on time again. So I did 4 laps swim, 4 laps kick, 4 laps pull (with a kickboard), 4 laps swim. Then I did 2 x 34 minutes (to equal 2 x 1,200). Got out between the two 34-minute sessions to go up to the room to get sunscreen. Darn outdoor pool! 90 minutes.

Then 1 hour easy run that wasn’t that easy! I was tired and it was hot out. Averaged a littler slower than yesterdays long run! = 150 minutes

Saturday – Oh. My. Goodness. I did not want to do a 5 hour bike ride! I did not want to drive out to Barrington (to get some hills). I did not want to figure out the directions for the loop. I did not want to bike on busy roads. I did not want to be on my bike for 5 hours! I wanted more sleep.

But..I promised I’d do things with the kids on Sunday. The forecast looked better on Saturday than Sunday. I wanted to do it outside on my bike, rather than in the cycling room downstairs. It was time to bite the bullet, drive out and get this done!

I figured out the route I wanted to take, printed it out. Pulled my equipment together, 2 water bottles, and headed out.

I was able to follow the route pretty easily. Luckily, I had already ridden part of it, when we were out at the in-laws, where the road changes names. Loop took me on a couple of busy streets, didn’t love that, yet got some hills in. I did 3 loops plus about 17 more minutes of riding to get 5 hours.

The left side of my head was hurting by end of the 1^st lap. I adjusted my head band and decided loosing the headband would help. I took it off after the 2^nd loop and it did help. It was in the 90s and very humid. Why in the world did I not bring ice? I have my car in a parking lot on the route, why wouldn’t I pack a cooler of goodies?

Wanted to stop after 3 hours (probably before that but was trying not to think about it). Slowed down, legs felt tired. I paid no attention to my mileage and just kept going to get in the 5 hours.

My left shoulder and left side of my neck bothered me the last 2 hours. I thought I’d done a decent job of watching my form. Yet, I could’ve been tensing more than I thought on the busy roads. And, I put more pressure on my left when I shift and reach for food and water. I’ll have to watch this. I’m also hoping for great results from my bike fit.

Afterwards went to Starbucks to get ice water and a sandwich and drank a venti water without stop! Took awhile to rehydrate.

Done. = 300 minutes

TOTAL = 1,085 minutes = 18 hours

Swim – 160 minutes = 15%
Bike – 585 minutes = 54%
Run – 340 minutes = 31%

Racine Half Ironman … Almost

July 17, 2016 by Amy Riley Leave a Comment

Another Incomplete Triathlon

I felt so ready to tackle the Half Ironman. My game plan was to be conservative and have a confidence-boosting day. I was ready to take my time – spend up to 7.5 hours – and finish with something in the tank.

Not able to do the full event due to weather. I was okay with being rained on, with wind even with rough waters. I just wanted to do it. When they announced that the swim was cancelled my eyes teared up. I worked to keep it in perspective, but I really just wanted to do the Half Ironman. Okay, more delays. They’d let us know at 9:30am what biking and running we’d be able to do at 10:30am.

Finally we know: 31 miles on bike, half marathon run. Ok. Not what I wanted, but I’m here and I’ll do it.

Then as I sat with the new news, I got nervous about the bike. We’d have a mass start out of transition and then immediately go up a hill. I’d need to clip in quickly and power uphill, then unclip and dismount at the bottom of this same hill at the end. The turnaround would now be a U turn, I was hoping it wasn’t too sharp and that I could handle it well. We’d also be more packed together, not spread out after a swim like usual.

So, the bike start was certainly hectic, and I went to the side and clipped in quickly and was ready to go and had to manage myself behind others that were more wobbly than me at the start. I got up the hill and we were off at a fast clip. I continued to pass people (and of course be passed!) and knew I was going fast, probably too fast. I tried to slow down and settle in a bit. Did maybe a little bit, yet still knew I was pushing pace.

It was windy, quite windy. The wind was moving our bikes on the road. We often were riding into a head wind. It felt busy to me out there. I tried to relax my neck and focus on my form. I tried different bike positions and felt comfortable with the variety. I drank and ate pretty steadily.

Going through an aid station, I was riding just right of center because I wasn’t stopping/interacting with volunteers and I wasn’t passing. I was moving through steadily. All of a sudden, I heard right behind me, “Oh shit!” I gripped my handle bars and felt the rider behind me side swipe my back tire. I wobbled and held on. The rider behind me crashed. It felt like an asshole move, but I kept going. If I were to slow down, look around, try to talk to others, I might cause another crash. I hadn’t done wrong, so I kept moving and reminding myself to breath. Whew! I was doing well with my bike handling skills!

My butt on the left side was hurting by the end. I tried to stand and reposition a few times – helped some. Validates my need/desire to get a 2-hour bike fit and ensure I’ve got the best change of long-term comfort.

Got off the bike, moved pretty quickly through transition (for me!) and took off on the run feeling like a triathlete.

Tried to settle in to a slow pace, which is harder than you think it is. Took me the first mile to settle down and go slower. The hills in the first mile helped. We were out in the 90 degree heat and by mile 3, I felt pretty bad. I’d overdone it on the bike so it was time to get mentally tough and keep moving. The first loop on the 2 loop course didn’t look too impressive. Yet I was consoled by the look of the people around me, they didn’t look too good either. It was looking like a hot mess out there.

Okay don’t worry about others. How can I keep moving? I had orange slices, I took ice whenever it was available and put ice in my visor, down the front of my shirt, held it in my hands. Then I figured I might need salt. Got pretzels at the next couple of aid stations with ice water. All this seemed to help.

I did the 2^nd half faster than the first (Although not very fast at all!)

Bike 1:46 = 17.5 mph, faster than I’ve ever biked, a fast clip for me is usually 15 mph. And this was in windy conditions. Wow! Fast. (too fast).

Transition 2:49 – cut this in about half from my first tri.

Run 2:36 – 11:53 avg, nearly 12 minute miles. Yikes! A lot of walking.

Take Aways:

I can give myself more credit for my bike handling skills.
I have more cycling power in me than I think.
I need to and I can, hold back from full capability, and still be at a decent pace.
I biked faster than I thought I could in windy conditions.
If I was going to have a “bad” sport, its better that it’s the run.
I could keep taking in fuel, cooling down and improving conditions while on the run.
I felt bloated and terrible after finishing, yet I recovered on ride home.
I was tired that evening and next day. I will be good for nothing the day after the full ironman!

And of course I learned and grew as a triathlete.

Since I weather kept me from completing the full Olympic distance triathlon and the full Half Ironman distance… Guess I’m going from a Sprint to an Ironman!