Can an Average Runner Become an IRONMAN?

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

Week 17…Getting used to making it work and getting resourceful

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new orleansGetting business done in the midst of a full week getting ready to head off to New Orleans!

Sunday – I played the game of getting in my 2 hours, however possible.

Got up early before it was time to pick up the kids from their cousins’ house. Got in 1:05 on the trainer downstairs. After dropping my son off at his birthday party and before showering to meet my friends in the burbs for a late lunch, I got in the other 0:55, making it happen somehow, some way. = 120 minutes

Monday – 45-minute easy run outside, felt great, kept it easy. Average 10:13.

Swim session; took 1:15.

Wu – 200 swim; 200 kick; 200 pull; 200 swim

Main – 1 x 1500m; took me 43 minutes. 1st half was about ¼ bilateral. I’m improving and feeling more comfortable!

Cd – 4 x 50m; all bilateral = 120 minutes

Tuesday – 45-minute run outside; felt good, again kept it easy; average 10:16.

60 minutes on bike, 45 minutes of it in a cycling class. = 105 minutes

Wednesday – Swim session in the a.m. I started packing for our New Orleans weekend trip before taking the kids to school and saw that my white pants needed to be dry cleaned. I needed them back by Friday night so I figured I best get them over there first thing in the morning. I snuck the drop off in before heading to the gym. Then I was pressed for time before my 9:00 a.m. call.

Wu – 2 x 750

Main – 3 x 400

No time for Cd and cut Wu in half = 40 minutes of swimming.

90-minute run in late morning. Really enjoyed this! Great weather. Crushed it! Best average of the week: average 10:08. = 130 minutes

Thursday – Swim session after full day of facilitation. I headed straight to the gym through traffic.

Wu – 400, last 50 of each 100 is kick

Main – 8 x 100, 25 easy, 25 build, 25 easy, 25 hard

More than 75% bilateral. Cool down – 150m. = 55 minutes

Friday – Planned to bike 60 minutes in cycling studio; then I realized I had to shower and be in Rolling Meadows by 10:00 a.m. (no time to then shower before 1:00 p.m. call) – so I decided I had to cut my ride 5 minutes short.

Then I looked at my calendar later in the day and saw that I only needed to do a 45-minute ride anyway! = 55 minutes

Saturday – Travel to New Orleans. 90 minutes on stationary bikes (45 minutes on tall one, 45 minutes on lower one). Hot fitness center! Whew! I was proud of myself for getting on the bike right after arriving in New Orleans. Got it done and then could go out to play knowing that I’d already taken care of business! = 90 minutes

TOTAL = 675 minutes = 11 hours, 15 minutes

  • Swim – 170 minutes = 25%
  • Bike – 325 minutes = 48%
  • Run – 180 minutes = 27%

Week 18 – it’s getting kinda hectic

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creatingGetting used to this. Making adjustments. Fitting in a lot of family and other fun stuff on the weekend before it gets too hectic.

Sunday – Off!

Monday – I’ve not done well the past two Mondays, so I wanted to get the run/long swim combo in. After 10 minutes in, I did strides every 10 minutes, was supposed to do every 5 minutes. I wasn’t quite feeling up to every 5 minutes, yet I think I did them a little longer than prescribed.

Swam 6 x 500m (=3000m!) That’s mega long for me. Just did it. Didn’t think about it. My head was sore and I took my swim cap off for the last two sets of 500.

Makes me wonder: Am I just going to get used to bike helmets?? and swim caps?? and and my butt on a bike seat for so long? Because these things are a bit bothersome right now!

The swim session was listed as 60 minutes, but it took me 1 hour, 40 minutes. Yikes. I am going to try to not worry about this and just increase the times by 1.5 in my calendar and move forward. = 160 minutes

Tuesday – Cycled 60 minutes in the cycling room at the gym. About 15 minutes overlapped with a class. I’ve become fine with just coming into classes super late. I’ve talked to this instructor too, and he says it’s okay by him. I’m making it work.

Followed the cycling with a 45-minute run. I did on the inside track, and it felt good. = 105 minutes

Wednesday – Kevin (hubby) took kids to school and gave me the few extra minutes needed to get in the swim session before I needed to leave for a luncheon in the burbs.

Wu – 250m easy

Main – 4 x 400m

Cd – 200m easy

Did cool down all bilateral no problem! = 65 minutes

Thursday – Ran 90 minutes outside. Damp, got drizzled on some, yet rain held off! In second half, did 20-second strides every 5 minutes. Average 10:12. Got lost in the flow and my mind at one point and missed one of the strides, and I did 30 seconds the next time to make up for it. = 90 minutes

Friday – Swim session:

Wu – 300m

Main – 20 x 50m; odds RPE4, evens RPE9

Cd – 150m

Went well!

90-minute bike ride. Did bike ride outside on lake front. Busy on a nice Friday afternoon. Wow, are people unsafe.

Two sets of parents must think their strollers have a magic bubble around them.

Then quite a few young gals (I hate to say) are riding along on their phones without their headphones in. One along the center line couldn’t hear me “on your left” ing. Another completely oblivious to an intersection. Wow, I hope they stay safe. = 120 minutes

Saturday – 2-hour bike ride on schedule. With all we had planned on weekend, there was only one block of time to do it one Saturday afternoon.

Saturday morning I had my daughter’s martial arts belt testing. Then had a Target run slated Saturday noonish to get a birthday gift for son’s party the next morning. Saturday night date night. Sunday morning I was picking up kids from their cousins’ house, then taking my son to birthday party. Followed up by a late lunch with girlfriends in the burbs Sunday afternoon.

Saturday, after Target, had no desire to go down stairs and ride for 2 hours on the trainer, and I didn’t. I figured last weekend’s biking on the Ironman Wisconsin course would cover it.

Thought about how to not let this happen again:

  • Want to work out first thing in the morning as often as possible
  • It’s unusual for my daughter to have belt testing
  • Won’t have weekends with both a date night and afternoon with friends in the future.

This will be cut down in next couple of months. Unfortunately, there will be very little time with friends (they are busy with summer anyways!)

Okay, Feel like I’m on top of how to avoid this in the future.

With marathon training, you schedule your whole life around weekend long runs. With Ironman training, there’s just stuff all the time.

Preview – I did fit in two hours of cycling on Sunday, not consecutively, but I logged 120 minutes!

TOTAL = 540 minutes = 9 hours

  • Swim – 195 minutes = 36%
  • Bike – 150 minutes = 28%
  • Run – 195 minutes = 36%

Remembering May 7

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went outMay 7 was a great day! After a terrible 90-minute run – due to not being properly fueled the day before and a poor night’s sleep, I went out and handled – really well – 48 miles on the Ironman Wisconsin course. (I did fall at the first stop sign of the day, but we’re not talking about that here.) Friends came with me on the ride, I made new friends, I learned so much about gears and shifting, and I felt strong.

Had a quick, yummy lunch at a friend’s house in Madison and then headed towards my Mom’s for church (a Mass said for my Dad) and dinner with Mom and my sister for Mother’s Day.

Then – and this is a big reason to remember May 7 – I WENT OUT!

I went out to meet up with a couple of long-time friends and dance! We laughed and caught up and ran into people we know (because the band we went to see has 3 members from our high school), and danced a lot. I obnoxiously (and awesomely) played a tambourine on stage and had a great time.

I’m so glad my friend’s made this night happen (thanks Jules!).

In the next couple of months as Ironman training cuts into any possible social time more and more…I will remember May 7 and know that I had so much fun… way back when…

Week 19 – Getting too cocky? This sport will put you right back in your place. And, 40 miles on the Ironman Wisconsin bike course!

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IW bike elevationWhew! A week full of stories, different kinds of experiences, and hustling to fit it all in.

Sunday -Bike 2 hours, did 1.5 hour class + 30 minutes. = 120 minutes

Monday – Dim day from grief, in bed until 2pm. Took bike in for 30-hour check-up and to get total SPD pedals. While my bike was in the shop, I ran 45 minutes. Skipped my swim session. Didn’t really have time for it (after my time in bed) and had a swim lesson at night. It was just me for the lesson! Figure about 25 minutes of drills and swimming. = 70 minutes

Tuesday – I had a full training day downtown, and my husband out of town. So, I got up at 5am to get in one hour on the bike downstairs. My son set his phone alarm and got himself and his sister up so I could bike continuously, thanks kids! In the afternoon, I got out of training at 4:45pm. Traffic worked well (I willed it!). I changed quickly and started to run at 5:13. Was to do a 45-minute run. Had planned to run straight to school to get kids, yet that was getting tight on time, so I decided to do 40 minutes a little faster than an “easy” run. = 100 minutes

Wednesday – Swim session before my hair cut. I tried to complete the long session I missed on Monday; yet I didn’t have quite enough time.

Wu – 6 x 100 (2nd 50 on 2nd one I did kick)

Main – 30 x 500 (Was supposed to do 4 and cooldown of 2 x 150 pull – didn’t get to those)

 = 70 minutes

Thursday – Bike ride with Amy. An easy 2 hours. My SPD pedals worked great! I clipped and unclipped easily! So jazzed about this. I won’t be worried about falling!! Yay!

Swim session plan said 30 minutes – I can’t get the swim sessions done in the time indicated. I had my VA (virtual assistant) go into my calendar and change all the swim session durations to 1.5 times what they were listed at. Gotta face facts.

Wu – 300m continuous

Main – 10 x 100m

Cd – 200m (50 swim, 50 kick, 50 swim, etc.)

= 120 minutes

Friday – Morning routine with the kids had a few snafus so I didn’t eat as much as usual. Then took off in a hurry and forgot to bring a gel. I was not appropriately nourished! I felt okay in first half and started slowing down in second. Mentally kept it going and decided to arrive back at my car at 70 minutes to eat the gel I was pretty sure was on the passenger seat. It was! But damage was done by then. Finished very slowly.

Wasn’t too concerned about having a bad run. I was more worried about how depleting myself would impact the next day’s bike ride on the Ironman Wisconsin course!

Just fueled and hydrated the rest of the day. = 90 minutes

Didn’t sleep well before Ironman Wisconsin ride.

On the drive to Madison, my friend Betsy and I read/viewed (well, she read and played videos as I drove) information about the course and how to handle group rides and bike crashes. Good information, yet can raise anxiety levels easily – at least mine!

Saturday – 48-mile bike ride! Did 40-mile loop of IW (Ironman Wisconsin) course. Wow! Hilly.

Let me just tell you: When you get overly confident in this tri-sport, it will smack you back down and humble you! I was feeling so confident about my pedal clipping and unclipping. Then…at the first stop sign on the ride, those in front of me realized it wasn’t clear and stopped.  I didn’t get unclipped in time. I had time to shout, “I’m not unclipped” and fell over. Awesome! We are about to head out to do 48 miles of an extremely technical course and I can’t stop at the first stop sign. That rattled me (and stung) a little.

Whew, okay, back to acting real conservatively with the unclipping.

Learned so much about gear shifting. Used all 10 gears and shifted a lot. Big hills, plenty of them. I handled the hills! I was huffing and puffing at the top of some and was often pedaling slowly at the top. Yet, I never felt like my leg muscles couldn’t do it.

My goal was to learn about gear shifting and finish the bike ride. So a conservative approach was in order.

At the last aid station, my friends – with heavier bikes and about 12 miles left said, “Let’s all go at our own pace and meet up at Endurance House.” I heard there were a few dousy hills left to go. Yet with only 12 miles left, I headed out and pushed myself a bit. I felt strong. At the same time, it’s daunting to think about doing this loop twice, plus 32 other miles preceded by a 2.4 mile swim and followed by a marathon… Can make my heart rate increase just thinking about it.

If I was training for a Century Ride on this course, that would seem like a nice reasonable stretch goal!

Other riders were impressed with my friends Betsy and Harris who came to ride with me. They are experienced cyclists who’ve done many long, multi-day biking events. They helped me with shifting and pedaling approaches and with communicating and signaling. When other riders asked them if they were training for Ironman Wisconsin, they would say, “No, Amy is. We’re out for a bike ride!” Others thought that was pretty darn cool, and so did I!! = 240 minutes

TOTAL = 810 minutes = 13.5 hours

  • Swim – 95 minutes = 12%
  • Bike – 540 minutes = 66%
  • Run – 175 minutes = 22%