Team FASTT

The Big Kahuna in Honolulu

2011-12-17T23:02:00.000-08:00

It was a dark and stormy night...and so began my preparations for the longest run of my life, the Honolulu Marathon. I'm in paradise and the wind is whipping around, the rain is coming down in sheets, and it's scary to drive the streets of Wikiki. Pedestrians are darting in and out of traffic, and when we finally found the restaurant at which we were to meet our group, there was no parking ANYWHERE. Knowing 3:00am would come early, my plan had been to get back and get to bed by 8:30 or 9:00 at the latest. We finally decided that we would go to Whole Foods for dinner and blow off the fun party. Sleep and staying alive were more important. I did grab a latte that I promptly put in the fridge for the next morning. We arrived back at the hotel room at about8:30 and I immediately began laying out my clothes, nutrition, body glide, etc. for the next day. Then I packed up all I could because we had to be out of our room when we left for the race at 3:40 in the morning. Our breakfast was laid out waiting for the bagels to be toasted. I brushed my teeth, changed my clothes and went to bed amidst howling wind and what would soon become thunder and lightning! Pumped up, it was a little hard to settle in and sleep, and I began thinking about what strategy I would use to get through the last 8 miles for which I hadn't trained and ideas formed, but at least I fell asleep before the thunder and lightning began. My roommates both either weren't asleep yet or the thunder woke them up. When my alarm went off at 3:00am, I'd already been awake for about 45 minutes, having gotten up to use the bathroom after my extreme hydrating! I covered myself in body glide (including my toes, something I'd never done before), pulled on my new running skirt and top, prayed they wouldn't chafe too badly, worked on the compression socks, and put on my running shoes, hat, watch, and mp3 player. Heated up that latte and drank most of it and then I started to eat, but it was time to go, so I brought my peanut butter covered bagel and banana in the cab, and headed to the closest drop off point we could reach. I was still eating my bagel when we reached Ala Moana Park, but was feeling I would be sick if I finished it. I threw the last bite or two plus my banana in the garbage and prayed again that I wouldn't feel hungry on the run. Checked to make sure my mp3 player was working properly and turned it off so I'd have a full battery for the race. Jeff had put my music on there for me the night before I flew in, so I wanted to be sure it was going to keep me company. Once at the park, where it was not raining, thank goodness, because I had no way to stay dry, we began looking for our group (really a group of friends that my friend trained with). Once a place was established to meet, I went to get in a very long, slow line for the restroom, or port-a-potty, more accurately. My friend and her group went off to seed themselves in the sea of 22,000 runners. My other friend waited for me and walked with me to the start, and I seeded myself in the 5-6 hour finisher area, which I knew might be a bit of wishful thinking. I really did not know what those last 8 miles held for me, but I went in with the optimism of President Reagan. Sylvia and I prayed together and she went to line up with the 10k walkers. I chatted with a woman who seemed to be alone and running in memory of a young woman with ovarian cancer, wished each other well, and soon the fireworks were lighting the otherwise very dark sky. The temperature was around 69 or 70 degrees, which was wonderfully pleasant start to the race. I spent the first three miles at least, weaving in and out around slower runners (can you believe THAT?) and listening to my music. 6 miles was over in no time. I suddenly became aware that my music was gone and i grieved for that loss! I knew Diamondhead was coming and geared up for the climb. I watched the multitude in front of me rise and just rose with them. The incline was much MUCH easier than I anticipated and as we crested Diamondhead, I think we were at about 9 miles and I think I may have let out an audible sigh of relief. I felt fantastic as the dawn began to break and a rooster crowed announcing the start of the day. I had maintained a 10:50 mile up until that point, and just was thrilled at how it was going so far.

I had decided that my strategy for the last 8 miles would be to dedicate/pray for some important people in my life and for friends and family that had battled or were battling cancer or other diseases. Mile 17 for Andrew, a friend's son who battles muscular dystrophy. Mille 18 for Dave, a young father currently battling colon cancer. Mile 19 for my husband and for our marriage. Mile 20 for our oldest, Ally, a cancer survivor, and for whom this very race was run 16 years ago, and for her new marriage. Miles 21-23 for my other three children. Mile 24 for my sister, Robin, gone after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Mile 25 for my dad, who had been here in Hawaii in the second world war, and lost his battle with bone cancer in 2004. Finally, the last mile would be dedicated to my brother, Dan, an amazing marathon runner, cyclist, baseball player, professor of exercise physiology, and all around fantastic man, who we lost to brain cancer last March. The hope was for these memories and important people to carry me through uncharted territory.

When I expressed sheer terror to a friend's husband about this race, he said, "What's to worry about? Just put one foot in front of the other". So I guess that's what I did. I had my walking strategy given to me by Lisa, and I know that worked for me well. I stopped to try to figure out the mp3 player around mile 15, thinking it would be considerable help in the ensuing miles, but apparently the Lord wanted me to concentrate on "the list" and I took off a few minutes later without it working. I took water at every water stop but the last one and religiously took my Gu every 5 miles until 25 when i just didn't want to stop. Of course, I walked a bit with each of those, and that ended up in addition to my planned walks of 30, okay at least 60 step walks....they sometimes got significantly longer as the race wore on, but each time I started again, I felt a renewed sense of energy and strength. Mile left mile behind and soon I was at 18, feeling fatigued, but otherwise fine. Then 19 and 20, when I said out loud, "just a 10k left". To myself I said, "At this point, it doesn't matter what kind of pain you find yourself in. You'll survive. You've protected yourself from injury for this moment. This is the fat lady singing". (And I wasn't referring to myself or the lady singing LOUDLY and BADLY, I might add, to her music!) In the ensuing miles, now and then I got tears in my eyes remembering and being inspired by those special people to whom I was dedicating them. The weather had stayed cloudy and in the 70's and I know I breathed more than one prayer of thanks for that, and I remembered my motto from my first event in Kona four and a half years ago, "Hana ho hele" which means "just keep moving."

As I began the blessed descent in the last mile and a half, I wondered why no one seemed to be taking advantage of the downhill as I passed them up one by one. The last half mile, I'd say, was flat and when finally I saw the long-awaited FINISH sign, I started to slow down, thinking that I just couldn't run anymore. How stupid is that? Then I told myself to shut up and RUN! I picked up my pace and finished as strong as I've finished any race. It felt amazing; I couldn't believe it was already over and that I'd done it with no major hurdles, although I did have my customary asthma attack post race. I finished slightly longer than I'd hoped, but I'm totally happy with my5:08 time, in the top 25% of my age group. You know that's the beauty of doing a "first": it's always a personal best!

By the way, I dreamed about going to see Dr. Scott that night!

I'm on the plane on my way home and feeling the stiffness, for sure, but otherwise unscathed by this event. Much mahalo to Lisa for her wise and seasoned counsel throughout my training. The call mid-run, feeling crummy not yet fully recovered from illness, she reiterated that undertrained is better than overtrained. The sitting down and looking over my plan, telling me how to split up my longest runs into two runs to avoid injury. The encouragement when I only got to 18 and not the full 20 miles in training. Telling me to use planned walks as a strategy, and giving me hydration/acclimation advice for once I got to Hawaii. It was all key to my successful (by my standards) run. Ironman here I come! (in a few years...)

Mele Kalekemaka! (There's no "Happy Holidays" in Hawaii!)

Paula Popp
Puget Sound Doula Care

Sent from my iPad

Sno Valley CrossFit

2010-11-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

For all my TeamFastt members....
Want to be stronger and faster for the 2011 Triathlon Season?

Sno Valley CrossFit can help you! Learn to lift weights correctly. Get a kick butt work out and make next years tri season the best ever!

Sno Valley CrossFit will give TeamFastt members 1/2 price on classes. (regularly $10) You can't get that price at a gym and you WONT get this kind of work out!

If you would like to come to a class, please e mail me at Jenoltmann@hotmail.com
And Louise, you are no longer the double under QUEEN! When will you defend your title?

10/ 2010 Austin 70.3 Blake B

2010-10-27T05:54:00.001-07:00

Good morning, everyone!

Now that I have the benefit of a week of hindsight on the Austin race, I think
it's time to get some thoughts written down to tell y'all the story.

What a fantastic race! Very, very well-organized, in a distinctively different
style from anything I've seen in the Northwest. It was really fun to see how
they do things down South. It was also a different model for transition than
I've used before, as there were two separate transition areas, which was new and
amusing for me. Also, if you're looking for a race to PR in, this is a great
choice - it's really, really, REALLY fast.

The swim in Dekker Lake is very nice, but a little bit crowded. Swim out and
swim in areas are very small, so they start in waves of roughly 150 or so
swimmers at a time. I was in 40-44 men last names starting with A-H, just to
give you an idea how finely broken up this thing was. Which, I should mention,
was wave 16 out of a total of 17. Which started roughly 90 minutes after the
pros, somewhere between 8:45 and 9:00. Not that I'm bitter or anything :).
Nikki started in wave 6, so about an hour ahead of me, which was kinda fun,
actually, because I got to think about chasing her around the course all day.
The water is WARM, but we were still wetsuit legal at 72.4 degrees.

T1 was interesting, though not necessarily in a good way. The soil in that
area, as the race organizer explained to us when talking about road conditions,
is mostly clay. When it gets wet, as it does after, say, 15 waves of swimmers
come out of the water (did I mention that they started me in the next to last
wave?), it looks just like you're walking on materials for a pottery class -
very, very firm, impressively sticky, and very, very dark, almost black. If
you're going to run this race, the most important thing you can bring with you
is cleat covers, because after you've gone about 5 steps in this stuff, you'll
need a pick like for a horseshoe or something to get it all out of your cleat so
you can clip in. Nikki didn't really have to deal with any of the wetness
(hello, wave 16 over here!), but by the time I exited T1 I had to take a couple
of minutes to even sort of get clipped into my pedals. It took really about a
mile and a half to get my right pedal in securely, and the left wasn't totally
in like it should be for almost 10 miles(!).

A few words about the bike course: flat flat FLAT! It's a single loop, which by
the way is AWESOME! And the elevation profile, according to mapmyride.com, goes
from 410ft to 656ft. That's right, folks, a whopping 246ft of elevation gain on
the entire ride. Check out the profile at
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/texas/austin/121127499439158476. For
comparison, Lake Stevens has approximately 4x the elevation gain, and the
longest climb is approximately 3x as long as Austin:
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/wa/lake-stevens/614128205957962986.
We kept running into people who were local, or from places like, say, Kansas,
who would tell us "Oh no, this is Texas hill country, we hear the course is
totally hilly, it's not a piece of cake, so be prepared". These people will NOT
be racing Lake Stevens any time soon :).

I mentioned the road conditions a little while ago, and I should really give you
some detail on that. According to the race official, the soil underneath the
roads tends to shift and break down, so you get these big cracks and crumbling
on all the rural roads around there, and trust me, this bike course is rural!
When we drove the bike course the day before the race, we were both a little bit
freaked out by the condition of the roads, because they're all kinda rough,
bouncy, and all patchy-looking. It turns out not to be too much of an issue,
actually, because at bike speeds it's a very different experience. Still, I saw
four racers on mountain bikes during my ride, and it didn't seem like such an
awful idea by the time I was done.

T2 is very straightforward, and mercifully on asphalt instead of in a field
(mud, blech - wave 16, remember?)! T1, by the lake, is about a mile away from
the Expo Center (T2), where you finish both the bike and the run. This is where
everyone sets up their tents outside and gathers to spectate. The run course, I
thought, was a lot of fun, but it is decidedly NOT flat. It's a double-loop
course, and the loop is about half on pavement and half on trails next to the
lake. Basically you run back out towards T1, up down and around on the trails,
then back onto the road and up to the Expo Center, twice. Almost all of it is
either uphill or downhill, with only a short spot along the paved part of the
lake trail that's flat. On the bright side, there are way, WAY more aid
stations than at the Lake Stevens run course - one per mile, as it turns out.
All were very well-stocked with sponges, ice, water, gatorade, gels, and Coke.
Halloween appears to be a much bigger thing in TX than it is here, BTW, and lots
(if not most) of the people at the aid stations were in costume, which was fun.
One guy in a penguin costume was offering to do pushups if you let him squirt
you with a water pistol - he had a lot of takers :). There was also a live band
playing near one aid station, which was a lot of fun. By any measure, this race
is a great party!

I loved the finish of this race! The expo center has two buildings, an
exhibition pavilion where they have the Ironman village before the race, and a
rodeo arena with a few thousand seats. At the end of the second loop, you run
INTO the arena to the finish, with a ton of people in the stands, etc. It's
very cool.

So, how'd I do? For me, the day was really uneventful, and that was a good
thing. I PR'ed by roughly 20 minutes, finishing 6:29:37, here are my times:

Div. | Swim Place | Swim Time | T1 | Bike Place | Bike Time | T2 | Run Place
| Run Time
-----+------------+-----------+------+------------+-----------+------+----------\
-+---------
191 | 213 | 0:44:50 | 7:34 | 201 | 3:08:06 | 4:35 | 166
| 2:24:32

I'm very pleased with this, actually. My improvement over Lake Stevens was
good, and I felt good after the race, which was a nice change of pace :). 6
hours remains elusive, but I am determined to go under 6 next season(!), and
where I need to do my work in the off-season seems pretty clear.

Blake

10/ 2010 I LOVE THIS TEAM... Nikki B Austin 70.3

2010-10-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you, everyone, for the thoughts and prayers sent our way! Despite the
heat, Blake had an awesome day out there despite being in wave 16 of 17...my day
started out great, but I had trouble on the bike at mile 30 that affected my
nutrition and, subsequently, my run (ha, it was really a walk with some jogging
in there). I will post a more detailed race report (as will Blake) soon...

Nikki

8/ 2010 Black Diamond 1/2 Ironman Shawn M.

2010-10-27T05:49:00.000-07:00

"Tell the aid guys to come pick me up. I'm at mile 5.5" I yelled to my teammate Douglas as he trotted up and passed me on the run course of my first Â½ Ironman Distance race. My dear friend and teammate Paula Popp had told me earlier "be careful, you don't want to hurt yourself" when she heard Thursday that I was going to tackle this event. To that I sarcastically replied "yes mommy, I can always walk on the run". I had the whole thing planned out in my head, had my goals broken down for each leg of the event but had not factored in "the unexpected". What happened was Not what I had envisioned or hoped for on my first Â½ Ironman race. Silly rookie!

The whole thing started about 3 days agoâ€¦â€¦
Teammate Steve Wick and I were out on a leisurely ride around Mercer Island on Wednesday when he said "so you're doing the Â½ Ironman race in Black Diamond Saturday right?". I said "Noooo. I'm done for the season". I had finished strong at my race in Elma 2 weeks prior and was switching gears to train more on running for my first Â½ marathon in October at Lake Sammamish. Being new to this sport and having so many "firsts" the past 5.5 months, I was not wanting to have my first Â½ marathon be after 1.2 miles in the water and 56 crotch hurting bike miles. To date, I had only swam 1 mile, my longest bike ride was 42 miles, and the longest I had ever run/jog/walked was 8 miles. "I'll just work hard over the winter to lose more weight and train hard for Boise in June" I said. Steve and I have a little weight dare going on right now and he asked how I was doing with that. The past week on vacation in Idaho with the family was hard and I had only lost about 4 or 5 pounds since he and I started our weight loss trek about 2 weeks prior. We were planning to ride around noon on Saturday and I told him that I was also going to go running with Paula Saturday at 8 am. He commented "wow all that in one day that's quite a lot, might as well do the race". I'm not sure if those were his exact words, but that is what my mind heard. I could just hear all the voices in my head saying "that's too much, too soon, Shawn. You've just started and need to build up to that". But I was already planning on working out for 4+ hours Saturday and figured why not just have a nice long workout and do the Â½. I don't know how in the heck I talked myself into it, but somewhere in my lunacy or passion for the sport I declared "what the heck-I'm doing it".

I found myself strongly wanting to back out on Friday after I had been thinking about it for 2 days. After writing that email to the team trying to rally up some more takers for the event, I said "you've got to do it now silly, you just sounded the horn and everyone is counting on you to do this". Isn't our mind so easily fooled with itself? That's hardily a good enough reason to stick to something so rash and sudden. I'm sure everyone that I told would have understood if I changed my mind and didn't follow thru with doing the event. I am not a man who says he will do something and then backs out. Except for the time that I promised Patty B that I would beat her someday, unless she gets any faster then my manly challenge would be off. Other than that, I am a man of my word and I was going to do it. Also when I challenge my teammates and try to encourage people to push the limits of what they think they can do, I feel deep down inside that they are watching me to see if I'm going to be able to do it myself. I wonder if they are saying, "Well, if Shawn can do it then maybe I can do it?" Then I tell myself that I can't back out now. I must do it. People are counting on me".

Up to that Friday afternoon, I had been relatively calm, with minimal anxiety about racing the next day. I guess the reality of it had not yet set it. Plus there was still the chance that I might have backed out. Committed I was and it was time to plan for race day. My wife did not even hesitate when I said that I was wanting to do the race. She just said she was coming. My 8 year old daughter had a soccer game Saturday at 10 am so I talked her 6 year old cousin, that also had a soccer game at 11 am, to invite my daughter Chelsea over for a sleepover. Problem solved!

You all know the "night before" preparations for a race. Where's my goggles? What socks do I want to wear? Is my Garmin watch charged up? Does my wetsuit smell like pee? Etc. So I get everything prepared, packed and all I have to do is put myself and my bike in the car the next morning. The race started at 9 and my plan was to arrive at 7 and get checked in. Since I'm wasn't caring about anything but a finish, I didn't really care about bike positioning in the transition area. No need to be first one there at the butt crack of dawn for nothing.

Race Day is here! It's 5 am and we're up. Cathy (my wife) and I load our 3 remaining children into the car and strap my bike on the back. Having eaten a bagel with peanut butter and some fruit already, I was able to justify finding a Starbucks for my routine Mocha Frappachino before the race. I get one after too, but that one doesn't count. That's for congratulating myself, not for good luck. "See how that works? Yep."

Nolte State Park. Here we are. It's a beautiful peaceful morning and I'm just excited to get this thing going. Cathy drops me off with my stuff and leaves to drop the car off and ride the shuttle bus back to the park. With my duffle back on my shoulder and walking my bike in with my hand on the seat (like Kris and Lisa taught us to do), I come strolling in to registration. Filling out the registration form I always look right away for the "Clydesdale" category and complain that it starts at 198 lbs. That's still a freaking "skinny" in my book. That's like 2 legs and Â½ a torso to me. Oh well, that's my group, those are the competition. After getting my bike racked and all my gear laid out, I do the "triathlony" thing and walk down to the water, stand there and stare at it for some reason. That's what everyone else is doing so I guess I should go do that. That's done so back to transition to start pounding, I mean hydrating, with Gatorade. Walking back into transition I heard a guy say to one of his fellow volunteers, "wow do you see that guy? He looks like he could be a football player". His buddy goes "what guy?". "That big guy walking thru the tent right there. He's big enough to be a football player" he says. I don't know if he was complimenting me on my Tom Cyr like guns or making fun of my weight. I took it as a compliment, kept walking, and said to myself "looking good there stud man-you got other dudes checkin you out". Um wait a minute that didn't sound good. You know what I mean.

"All Racers head to the beach in 5 for our mandatory pre-race meeting" announces the race director over the sound system. He interrupted a really cool song too, darn it. So it's to the beach we head. I'm hoping for anything under 1 hour for my swim goal. First and foremost I am hoping that I don't have another panic attack from my wetsuit choking me out like has happened 3 times this year. Previously in Martha lake I literally thought I was going to drown and barely, I mean barely, made it to the nearest dock with the aid of Camila. That was because that suit was way to small for me. So during my search for another wetsuit, I was having trouble locating one that was rated for a man of my height and massive girth at the time. 6'4" and 246 was the biggest it was rated for and I'm 6' 3" and 284. It fit ok, so I bought it. It has worked great all summer and gotten me thru several other races and I have only had 2 episodes since then, but have now figured out exactly why it was happening. So now I wear a long sleeve, "underarmor type", skin tight shirt that my wetsuit can slide over easier. It has worked great that way.

So I throw up a quick prayer as I stand hip deep in the water counting down with the announcer..5,4,3,2,1. Now that I'm repeating it, I don't know if the announcer says go or what he says. I usually just dive right in and guess that he said go. We're off. It's a two loop clockwise swim which I was thankful for because I breathe to my right and it helps with sighting. I was happy to be in the first wave because I knew that there would be 2 other waves behind me and that improved my chances of not being the last person out of the water. It's embarrassing enough to have a brand new fancy TT bike, with my name on it, to be the lone bike waiting for me coming out of the swim. Everyone else has already left on their bikes and there's one shiny race bike waiting for it's trusty owner to get his butt out of the water. I can just imagine my bike saying "come on boss, we got a lot of people to pass to catch up" as I come walking in stripping off my wetsuit. "No, no we're not gonna push it today Betsy. We're just out here to finish today" I said. Am I really talking to my bike? I totally should've sat this one out. People are gonna talk.

It's been a great swim so far. Not too much kicking or straying off course. The water is nice and I'm feeling great. I come around to buoy number 4 to start my second loop and I hear a bunch of cheering. I'm like "oh how kind of them to cheer me on like that. Everyone is so kind out here it's awesome." Then I hear "here come our first contestant out of the water" over the loud speakers. Oh! so that's what the cheering was for. Curses. Well I'm just plugging along, glad that I haven't drowned yet and push my pride back and head out for loop 2. I know I'm slow but I felt good and it seemed to go by faster than loop 1. From my earlier pounding of the Gatorade, I mean hydrating, I didn't manage to get a pee in each loop. "Oh gross Shawn, you could've left that out. Really?" Just saying what we all know happens out there. J

Loop 2 is done and I'm coming down the home stretch. Happy to have swam 1.2, feeling good and ready to straddle ole' Betsy. I can hear my oldest daughter cheering "yay daddy" as I make my way up the hill to transition. I'm in and I'm out of transition in a blistering 4 minutes flat. Hardly fast. All I could hear was myself saying "slow down we're just here to finish".
The course has a nice little 1 mile or so of gentle uphill coming out of the park to get your legs warmed up. How kind of them. It's nice coming back in but no-one never thinks of that as they head out having just swam 1.2 miles. I concentrate on a smooth pedal stroke and trying not to pound the pedals to hard. I really had no idea of what to expect after a couple of hours in "race" mode. I had to force myself to back off and stay consistent. I wore my Garmin heart race monitor watch to keep an eye on my heart rate but actually only looked at it twice for some reason. I just went off of feel. I felt that a good groove would be anything that wasn't chugging air. So as long as I wasn't breathing hard (except for the few hills) I would fair well. And I did.

"These people will probably pass me on the second loop" I muttered to myself as I started passing people early in the first few miles. "But I'm not pushing hard to pass anyone I'm just going at a smooth pace", I justified. Oh well this was my first and we would see if I made the right choice later on. Having had a chance to do the Olympic Distance race there earlier this year, I was glad to remember the course and plan my energy accordingly. After a few miles I remembered that I had no clew what my swim time was, so I looked at my watch and it said 10:08. Race started at 9 am and I had already been going for a little while. Sweet! I was sure that I accomplished my goal of a sub-hour swim. It's gonna be a good day.

After about 12 miles I had still not been passed by anyone and was continuing to pass people and was really starting to wander if they knew something I didn't about riding 56 miles or what. But I was feeling good and could hear Stacy in the background reminding me to "gu every 30". I started, and I felt fine so far. I was cruising right along and hit 40mph several times. It was going great. Bottle exchanges were a new thing that I had yet to encounter in a race and was definitely awesome. A little tricky balancing your bike while your trying to refill containers but I needed some water and it came at just the right time. Weird how they kind of planned that huh?

The first loop had an out and back of about 6 miles added on to the end of it prior to starting the second loop. Heading past the cheering crowds lining the street, I pedal off to start loop 2. Mentally it was kind of cool because you know that you are half way done, but really you are more than halfway done because of the added distance that was only on the first loop. Starting the second loop I knew that I only had 25 miles left and I was still feeling great. It was a nice surprise to come around a corner to see my wife standing on the side of the road midway thru the bike course standing out there with the camera and kids clapping. A few miles later they were following me in the car taking some pictures and exchanging a few "I love you"s. I felt like an Ironman. I felt important. Truth is I felt cooler than an Ironman. I felt like a loved Dad and husband. I am!

My energy was fine, my legs were fine, but my neck and shoulders were starting to bother me. My new race bike has a much more aggressive geometry to it than my road bike and the longest that I had spent in the aero position on my new bike was a little over an hour in my last Olympic distance race (which I was sore afterwards now that I remember it). I was wandering how I would fair being on the bike for an expected 3.5-4 hours on my race bike. I was feeling it. I had to sit upright quite a few more times the second loop and those spots in my crotch weren't numb like everything else, so that was bothering me when I was upright. I had to go back down to the aero position to save my saddle bones, but it came at the expense of my neck and shoulders.

Swish, Swish, Swishâ€¦.."What is that?" I listened closely. Then a very nice fellow sporting a #45 in black marker on his right calf goes pedaling past me. I look down it was mile 38. "That's not bad" I said to myself. Getting passed once in 38 miles. I'll be fine. I hope this isn't going to become a habit. So I picked it up a little bit. I didn't want to lose sight of him, but I did after a couple miles. Swish, Swish, Swishâ€¦."NOT AGAIN" I yelled at myself. Oh this is not cool. "Calm down Shawn" I reassured myself. Don't race their race or else you may not finish. So I let them be. Thankfully they slowed down at the next hill and miraculously I was able to overtake both of them right away at mile 42. And "is that who I think it is?" at mile 42.5. Mister #45. Sure enough. Well I passed him and never saw him or anyone else pass me for the remaining miles. Coming back the last gentle downhill mile back into the park, I was stoked because, not only had I just ridden 14 miles more than I had ever ridden before, I had gu'd every 30minutes like I should, consumed plenty of water and Gatorade, had not been passed (technically) in 56 miles. I was feeling awesomeâ€¦except for my nagging shoulder sockets and neck. "Oh well, that's done with. It shouldn't bother me anymore now that I can be upright for the rest of the race" I told myself.

Dismount and trot through the tape waiting and looking for my cheering section. I was sure they would be there. "Yay Dad, you did it. 4 hours for the swim and bike" they said as I was running by. After racking my bike and heading out for my run I looked at my watch and sure enough. It had just turned 1 pm and I was already heading out on my run. That means that I had got my sub-hour swim and that meant that I "killed" that bike course in 3 hours or less. 2:59:16 to be exact. Hot dang, I'm feeling great (except for my shoulders) and I've got a great chance at not only finishing this in less than 7 hours but I was shooting now for 6:30. I headed out strong, too strong actually. I looked down at my watch and it said 8:55 pace. I was like "oops that's adrenalin, I better slow the heck down pronto or else". So back to a 10:30 pace which is what I had planned on and kept it at that. My legs were feeling good, my heart was feeling good, and my breathing was under control. My hopes were high. I kept saying "I've got 7 hours or less in the book. It's cake walk now. Even if I have to walk". Silly ole' me. How little did I know.

My shoulders hurt. They really started hurting. A couple of miles go by and I'm really running out of places or angles to hold my arms in such a way that didn't hurt my neck and shoulders. It was now starting to affect my ability to stay fully upright and my ability to breathe fully. Obviously resulting in a decrease of pace and a crippling effect on my morale, I was sad. I was also feeling quite upset in my stomach. I was afraid to drink or eat anything. So I sipped on water occassionaly. 4 miles had come and gone. My shoulder sockets felt like someone had just ripped my arms off of my upper body, like on a cheap horror movie, and stuck them back on in the left over hole in my torso. There was an Alpaca Farm ahead with a nice tall wooden fence. I would see if resting my arms on the fence for a minute would re-leave some pressure and let me keep going. So I stop and rest my arms on the top rail, to no avail. It didn't help. I then heard Stacy again. "keep moving forward, keep moving forward". So I walked.

The next mile and a half I struggled so much with not only the pain from my arms, but from the thought of failure. "I knew he was biting off more than he could chew" or "I told him to be careful" and several different variations of similar thoughts kept coming into my mind. What will people think? What will people say? No one person or one voice in mind other than my own thoughts and fears of anyone thinking that. I wanted so much to finish. Everyone has been so supportive and not a single person tried to discourage me from this event. So why was I trying to "prove them wrong". There was nothing to prove. My Teammates are awesome. I am sorry for thinking pessimistically but I am just being honest and telling the story exactly how I felt it. So many thoughts and emotions come out when you're at this stage of a race this big. A lot of you know what I am feeling to some extent.

I had resolved to quit. I was going to be a "DNF". It took me a mile and a half of unsuccessfully being able to walk without severe pain, I had to stop. I am in the middle of the road and look back to ask the next person to relay a message for me. To my surprise and comfort it was teammate Douglas looking strong. I said "I can't finish. My shoulders are killing me.
At the next turn around please ask for the aid guy to come pick me up. I'm at mile 5.5".

I took off my race belt and laid down on some grass like I was going to make a snow angel. It felt so good for my shoulders not to have to support my arms. I rested for a few minutes and decided "well I might as well try to walk while I wait for the aid guy". So I got up and plodded on. As I approached the next turn around at a slow walk, the 2 volunteer girls asked "is there a guy back there that needs an aid car?"
"That's me" I said. "but I'm gonna keep walking till he shows up".
I walked and walked and found that if I wedged both of my hands tightly inside my fuel belt, that it supported my arms enough to not kill me. Then I could concentrate on not throwing up. If it's not one thing it's the other, I know. I couldn't walk fast, but I could walk. A little while later the aid guy shows up and asked how I was feeling. "I'm walking ok now, don't go far. We'll see how I do. Come check back in a little bit please" I asked him.
Mile 6, mile 7 and so on pass. I had been able to keep trudging along and started having more realistic hopes of actually being able to finish. Then came a descend and I tried to jog a little downhill. Bad idea. That set me back a little. I just couldn't jolt my arms. I was so frustrated, but determined to not run because I had to finish. Finishing was more important than trying to run and make up time lost.

Mile 8 came and went and I made a mental note of congratulation myself on being in uncharted territory. That was farther than I had ever traveled on foot in any one of my exercises or workouts. I was doing it. I was still in a lot of pain having just tried to jog down that last decent and told myself that I would have to lay down again for a few minutes to let my arms recharge. Mile 9 was a good spot. I found some nice grass and did the whole snow angel thing again. I was kind of surprised that out of the 7 or 8 people that walked/jogged passed me that only one of them asked if I needed help. Oh well they were running their race and I wouldn't stop them for anything other than to ask them to ask for help next time they saw a volunteer or official. I was fine. After resting for a while, I said "come on. Only 2.5 more miles till you can see the park and finish line and only another 1.5 ish around the lake then you can be done." I just knew that I could hang in there for another 4 miles. My feet hurt. It felt like the top 2 or 3 layers of skin on the bottom of my foot were separated from the rest of my foot. It really sucked. Note to self: run more, train more, build up your body's resistance to this stuff. At least I was learning what I need to train for as I prepare for Boise. That mission I accomplished. Train to finish!

There's the Park! I know I can do it. I tried to jog. It hurt like the dickens. An M-dot (Ironman Finisher for those of you who don't know) fellow spectator ran beside me for about 50 yards cheering me on, saying nice things, and gave me a lovely slap on my ailing shoulder. Ouch! He didn't know. It was cool. I headed past the transition area down the trail that looped the lake. The finish line was right there. I had made it. 1.4 miles left. Two other racers passed me on the trail. I didn't care. I had been used to it for the past 2.5 hours. I was just happy to be almost done. I fought my emotions. What emotions? Guys don't have emotions? "Come on shut up Shawn" I told myself.

I was close. I could hear the crowds and the music. I said it is now time to "Finish Strong". I started to run. Around the corner I came and there it was. The most beautiful thing in the whole world that day. The Finish archway. I was just a few hundred yards away and knew that my wife and kids would be there waiting for me. I was going to finish. I would win!

Bells are clanging! People are screaming cheers! They are so kind to make me feel like I was coming in at first place. The announcer says my name and I cross the line. I was done. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me" I finished. 7:34:09

I cried.

8/2010 IM Canada Stacy W

2010-10-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Well, eventually i will get around to blogging...but i wanted to share a few
"IMC moments" with my team :) but before i do, Congratulations Stephen for
finishing strong your first Ironman!!!!! Well done! Also, Ben, i sure enjoyed
hanging out and training with you and coach Scott. I know that i have been
inspired once again to take things up another notch:) Thank you for letting me
tag along...prior to Nikki and Clarise getting in town :) Now, to the race....

after a few days in town doing the pre-race routine the big day finally arrived!
(so did the butterflies in my stomach the night before :) I did everything
according to plan. I ate my pasta in my room with my two ironman sisters (nikki
and clarise :) they left me to wind down..i headed for the hottub to relax a bit
then crawled into bed at 7:45pm. didn't fall asleep quickly this time...my
family came back to the hotel a little earlier than instructed! Oh well :) I
woke up before my alarm again (was set for 3:45am) began trying to eat a big
breakfast...my fuel for the day. i managed to get down a 2 eggs, 2 pieces of
toast with apricot jam, (1 packet of oatmeal and 2 plain pancakes with a couple
sips of coffee. this was an improvement over last year) headed for transition at
5:00am. hubby dropped me off....re-checked all my stuff, location of gear bags
and mentally ran through my transition strategies, then headed for the swim
start. positioned myself in the water near the front. (probably 500 in the
water, 1000+ on the beach) prayed my prerace prayer with my friend faye then gun
went off and ironman had begun! a mass of bodies created a "giant washing
machine" for the first several minutes i was very nauscious. I needed to swim to
stabilize my self and the problem with being in the front is that there was no
room to do that as the "horde" of swimmers kept advancing from the beach! I
wondered at one point..."am i going to be able to do this today?" I used my head
and told myself...just relax enough to breath, get my heartrate and stomach
right then it will be fine. It was rough until bouy #4...about (lesson
learned....start a little further back :) after that my mantra is "Swim, Swim,
Swim, this an ironman swim, I am Enjoying it, I am swimming another ironman
swim, praise God, I rock :) I savored the last mile of the swim, knowing that i
had conquered my swim challenge of the day and had won! I was happy when i
looked at my watch and despite my challenge had trimmed 4 minutes off my times.
whoo hoo! i was feeling great and on my bike in 4+ minutes. i flew for the first
40+ miles while keeping my heartrate in check (advise well rec'd from Ben ) I
climbed Richter and still had a 18.5 mph average! I easily passed every female i
saw and many of the guys :) My goal was to pass those fast swimmers:) then
about roller #3 around 60 or so miles in the winds picked up...and i had to work
harder to keep pace. I felt my muscles burning with fatique even though i was
guing on a every 30 minute schedule. It was a exhausting 20 or so miles to the
turn around. (this was my bike "WALL") I knew i needed to face the last big
climb up yellowlake (and still run a marathon) so i stategized to keep cadence
high but lighten up my gear a bit to save some leg. the climb up yellowlake was
windy and rainy but i was much stronger. (the 1/2 PB and J also helped) when i
got to the final crest of the climb there was a tunnel of spectators us,
cheering us on, (in the rain! Way cool :) after mile 95 the decent begins and i
flew once again (44mph!) had to make up time :) i pushed a little too hard on
the way back into town...as it took my to mile 9 to get my legs! to be
continued..

......now that i have some time i will continue where i left off....legs were burning
from the bike (hard to keep a 10:30 pace) usually this wears off...i am patient
till mile 5 then i start to worry...21 more miles like this? !!! mile 8 i am
definately needing to focus and keep pushing thru. i am waiting to get my legs
and my motivation (to pass by the aid stations...i had my gu and electrolyte on
me...no need to stop and my strategy for this race was to limit my walking thru
aid stations to as few i could! but to get to mile 9 i needed the mental carrot,
ice cubes and pretsels:) That's about where the hilly portion of the run begins
and strangely enough i begin to feel my legs (in a good way) i chug up the hill
and pretty soon it's mile 11 with 2 to go to the turn around! I see Steven on
his way back from the turn around and am happy to see a fellow teamfastt member!
high five!!! i make the 13 turnaround and then climb back up the hills with a
consistant chug. I am the little engine that could! I know i need to keep going
consistantly because i still have a 13 miles to go (out of 140.6 i remind myself
the bulk of the miles are done...what is a mere 13 more :) at mile 17...I
remember that when i get to mile 20, I can slack off the gu :) it's the the
final stretch where i can feel the pull of the finish line. I also tell myself
at mile 21 that now "just a 5 mile fun run" with Greg :) then with 4 miles
left....It's a run with my teenagers....at 2 miles i am totally locked on the
finish...I have crowds of people sharing their energy with me as i run by and
smile and receive their "way to go's and great pace, you make it look easy," i
give them a thumbs up! I have it sewn up....I am finishing strong...i am offered
gatoraide at the final aid stations...no way...no slowing down...I see Nikki and
Clarise as i go out for the final mile (out and back)...someone say's from the
side lines as i am cruisin back in (about 200 meters from finishline) you can
catch him... I know i can and i do--i blaze in with a stong finish! It was a
Challenging day. I did Ironman Canada! and a 13:03 finish is a PR of almost an
hour! Romans 4:20 "I am strengthened in faith giving glory to God."

8/2010 IM Canda Stephen O

2010-10-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

Pheeew Glad that is over. Till next year.
The day started out picture perfect. The water was calm the sun was out and it
was not to warm or to cold. It was interesting watching all 2700+ competitors
getting ready to start the race. The lake was 66 degrees as we entered the
water. When the cannon sounded the chaos ensued. It was like an extreme rules
cage fight. I was only not fighting for my space in the water for a bout 10
minutes of the hour + I was in the water. About half way into the swim the wind
started to pickup and the lake got choppy. I had several mouth fulls of water
in stead of air. NOT so much fun. I caught an elbow in the mouth and have a fat
lip, oh well next year I will wear a mouth guard or learn to swim faster so I
will be in the front and not the middle of the pack. My swim split was a
respectible 1:12The swim to bike transition went smoothly. Now the long part of
the day had begun. The first 40 miles went by in a flash. I was passed by a
ton of bikers, I was thinking to my self I will see you later on the run course.
The wind was at our backs and was getting stronger by the minute. I made the
first big clime and still felt ok. Legs where starting to tire. Not a good
sigh as It was just half way. That is when the wind got tough. I struggled
keeping pace. I was in the little chain ring and was having a tough time
keeping my heart rate down. So much for a 6 hr bike, The wind just kick my
butt.(note to self MUST LIFT WEIGHTS over the winter). The second big clime was
slow and painful and I was very happy to see the top of the hill. I was lucky
to have been slow in the bike as I missed the hail storm and rain. The decent
back into town was a blast. 50 mph on little skinny bike tires is a bit scary.
By now my hamstrings where telling me it was going to be a very long run. 6:47
bike time, not great but not to bad given the weather. Now for the fun part. I
started the run and held my self to 9 min mile pace. Boy did my hamstrings
hurt. I thought to my self it is going to be a tough run. 6 miles in I was
able to find a better gear and was running well. At the turn around I knew I
was in trouble. The wheels had fallen off. I was able to keep my turnover high
but had no push left. So with my HR just high enough to keep me warm I settled
in a nice 9:45 pace and kept on trucking along. I was forced to walk up all the
hills to keep from cramping up. Yep running is fun. I was able to hold on till
the last mile and 1/2. Then the world went all kitty wampuss on me and I
started to weave all over the street. So I walked for 1/2 mile or so and was
able to trot the last mile to the finish. WOW was I glad that was over. I got
my space blanket and made for the Pizza! That was the best Pizza I have ever
eaten in my whole life. Of course I could have been made of skunk and still
would have been the best. The run time was 4:23 not a great run but respectable
considering I blew up on the bike. Again note to self WORK ON STRONGER LEG
MUSCLES!!!
My total time was 12:31:08. It was a good day and am very happy with my effort.
That being said I have a lot of work before next year.

10/2008 Rich B. Portland Marathon

2010-10-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know I finished the Portland Marathon yesterday and overall had a pretty good race. My finish was a bit more of a struggle than I would have hoped for but I'm glad I hung on as long as I did. In true fashion I was able to squeak in under the Boston qualifying time for my AG of 3:20:59 by a "cushion" of about 5 seconds(!)

Weather was great for running; overcast skies and dry (but kind of breezy too). I was on track to run about a 3:18. I was hoping to go through 20mi. in 2:30 which would give me 50min. to run the last 10k. I actually went through 20mi. in 2:31 something. Sure, I can do that, I would have to run slower than an 8min. pace to lose it. Somewhere around mile 22 my legs started to fade really fast. I had the energy but they just weren't turning over very quickly anymore. I got really nervous when the 3:20 pace guy who I had last seen around the halfway point passed me with about 2mi. to go. I tried to go with him but couldn't keep up. I thought for sure I was going to blow up; and didn't this pace feel slower than 8min/mi.? When I crossed the line it was over 3:21 on the clock but my watch was at 3:20:52. I didn't really confirm my time until my friends Angela and Trent checked it out online while I was headed back home. I was so relieved! I figured out my last 10k was an 8min pace.I'm looking forward to running Boston but probably not next year. One thing at a time, right?

Health,

rich

6/2007 Patty's New Balance 1/2 Ironman Report

2010-10-27T05:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Teamfastt ~

Thanks to all of the Teamfastt members for thinking of me and sending out your well wishes and congrats before and after the New Balance 1/2 Ironman in Victoria, B.C. on Sunday.

For those of you interested, I've compiled a short but hopefully sweet race summary:

Time: 5:09.59 (this 1/2 Iron is a bit short -- the swim is the same at 1.2 miles, the bike is a little short at about 50 miles and the run is 12.4 miles (20k))

Age group finish: 7th out of 50 women in the 35-39

Overall Women finish: 27 out of 226

Number of times doing this race: 2
Number of times doing the 1/2 Ironman Distance: 3

Weather: Cloudy and fairly cool. A bit choppy on the water and a slight cross wind on the bike. The sun peeked out for the run.

Swim: I felt good. It seemed long (but don't they always).

Bike: My race wheels zoomed down the hills. Unfortunately there was also lots of climbing. I started getting cramps in my quads the last 7 miles.

Run: Beautiful run around the lake twice. However, my quads were quickly turning into rocks due to severe cramping. I kept the cramps at bay but my run was a bit slower than it should have been.

The Best Part of the Race: My new tri bike felt awesome!

The Worst Part of the Race: The cramps. I also didn't get adequate sleep the two nights prior to the race. My three and one year old sons did not sleep well in the hotel. Therefore, I got 2-3 hours of sleep on Friday and about 4 hours of sleep on Saturday.

What I learned: Don't sleep in the same hotel room with your young children one-two nights prior to a race (ideally). Also, I need to work on my nutrition. Most likely I need more sodium to prevent future cramping.

What I'd bring next time: A towel to specifically wipe my face off after the swim so that my sunglasses on the bike don't fog up right away. Also, bring extra end caps for my handle bars and/or black tape. This is the second 1/2 Ironman that I've lost an end cap and risked being penalized by the officials.

Best post race food: Snicker bar and Coke

The Best of the Worst: Not getting a spot for Ironman Canada (I am on a waiting list for a possible left over spot). I am not so sure I am ready for that distance anyway.

Kathryn Klepinger also did the race. Hopefully she will share her thoughts too. If anyone would like more of the gory details I would love to share them with you. I highly recommend the race. Those Canadians know how to put on a good quality race!

For additional results and more race information you can visit:
http://www.island-multi-sports.com/Half%20Iron/NB_Half_Results_Photos.htm

Congratulations to all of you that did 5 mile lake. Teamfastt made a great show!

God bless,

Patty

I Can't Sleep....what am I 8 years old again or what?

2010-08-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

"I feel like I'm 8 years old or something. Here I am a grown man, struggling with the sleep demons cuz I'm so excited about my race tomorrow. My 5th wheel is sitting in the 5 mile Lake Park, graciously allowed by the race director, with my wife and kids fast asleep. I am running through the race and my transitions for the 312th time in my head. My heart beat rises with every thought of a mad dash from the beach or a sprint up the hill into the transition area shedding my wet suit. I can't control it. I've driven the bike course and have already practiced (in my head of course) the gears I'll choose and how hard I'll breath with each of the memorized inclines, and how fast I'm gonna fly by all those people who are gonna pass me on the run. My new TT bike is sparkly clean and my Zipps are ready to turn this large mass of a man into a flying blue smurf smear sizzling down the road as I try to listen for my little cheering section yelling "go dad" at hopefully 25+ mph. Every time I get close to falling asleep I get more excited because as soon as I fall asleep, I know the next thing is me waking up to run my crazy race with all them skinny peoples. I can't sleep, I can't decide on breakfast for tomorrow, and I still can't for the life of me remember what made me go from 345+ lbs to taking on an endurance sport. But Oh am I hooked and I LOVE feeling like a kid again. Yay me! To all my fellow Team mates, I know you share my feelings somewhat and that makes me feel a little less weird. But I'm okay with being weird. After all I wear little stretchy shorts:)"

These were the words of my late night email from my blackberry lying there in my bed at 11:15pm in the parking lot of the 5 Mile Lake Park. It was a great idea to bring the 5th wheel so that we didn't have to get the kids up at 4:00am and hit the road. Or so I thought. Things I didn't think about were; the Park is on a popular road and is right across the street from a 24 hr lit convenient store. I don't know if the owners of the store know it's a 24 hr store but there are quite a few of the local youth that do, and they apparantly meet there on friday nights to show off there new car stereo systems beneath the road lights. Wouldn't you know it the only window in my trailer that doesn't have curtains or blinds is the one facing the darn store. In my defense how was I to know it was the "happening" place for the youth to congregate?

I expected for the crews to be working setting up the event and didn't think that would be a problem. I could sleep through it, I told myself. I figured it was worth it to be able to sleep close enough to walk to the event, be on time, and have my stuff visible and safe. I didn't take into account the possibility of me behaving like a kid and not falling asleep when I should have. What does one do? Take a sleeping pill the night before and risk the groggy after affects the next morning? This wasn't even my first event. It was my 5th! Well it was going to be my first event with my new Tri bike but I didn't think it would affect me that much. Plus it's not even like I'm going to come close to winning or even placing anywhere close. At my size I'm lucky to finish one of these things. But I have my goals and I have my dreams. I figured my bike is my strongest, my swim is my scariest, and my run is...well I can walk if I have to. My goal was 3 hours flat. I figured my swim to be 40-45 min, my bike in 1:15, and a 1 hour run. All of which would have been PR's for me. What the heck you've got to set goals for yourself. My other goal was to do both of my transitions in less than 3 minutes combined. "If I could just get to sleep."

I figured I would be first or darn near first in line when transition opened so that I could take my pick of racks and get my dream spot. So I asked the director and he says that the TA would open at 6am sharp. I set my alarm for 5am and plan my morning accordingly. Alarm goes off and I said to myself "i feel like i just fell asleep". Well dodo head that's cuz you just did! I swear I didn't get more than an hour or so of sleep. I was so pissed at my giddy self for not getting more sleep. I walk outside to welcome the day and to my suprise I see a line of about 4 people entering the transition area already and "what the Heck!" Douglas is already in and got his bike racked! Holy Crap my evil plans are being thwarted. I must hurry!

So out the door I rush with my backpack and Tri bike inhand and hurry to get set up. Curse that race director. 6am sharp, my fat fanny! My dreams have been foiled. I get checked in and have to wait while the kind lady s-l-o-w-l-y marks my rippled tight calfs with her marker and both of her hands gripping all of my calf gently. I'm not sure if she was sweating or if that was a drop of drool, but whatever, I've gotta get to my spot. The best 5 spots were already taken and I could not get to the next best spot quick enough. Yay me.....I got it. I love my spot. If you drew a straight line from the "swim in" to the "bike out" then you would cross right over my bike. It was great. Not as good as Douglas's but oh well.

Gordon Gray and Lucas Montgomery show up and get settled in shortly thereafter. It was going to be a good day for TeamFastt. There were 5 of us racing that event and one of them was none other than "Lady Lightning" Patty Bredice. No one told me that girl was that fast. She had to have skipped the 3rd loop of the bike leg or something. That gal is speed! She was so fast that I didn't even see her at all in the event. Actually it was because she was already done with the first......and maybe second loop of the bike by the time I got out of the water. Did anyone tell her that you had to swim around all the bouys "twice"....maybe she missed the announcement. I'm kidding Patty. You're incredible. Both she and Gordon smashed the, what felt like a longer than .9 mile swim, with a 27:37 and a 28:50. I'm glad because I kind of need them and the other "lappers" to get out of the way so the water would calm down and I could get in my groove.

Finally I come around bouy number 4 finishing my first lap and see my cheering squad anxiously trying to recognize me in my swim cap. I give a little wave as I head out to start my second lap. I was finally feeling good and comfortable in the water. I had one lap left. I was definetely ready to get some moving going on and try to catch up a little after what happened to me about 200 yards out from the kick off.

I decided that I would do a little of a "mad dash" sprint from the start the first couple hundred yards and try to get around the first bouy somewhere in the middle of the pack. So I decided to go hard and breathe every other set of strokes instead of every set of strokes like normal. Result-I'm taking larger breaths when I come up for air right? Actually they're more like " oh my gosh i need air now-gasps". So it starts 10,9,8 and so on. We're off. Start went well and I was holding middle of the pack. Ok now I'm starting to slow down and need that air. Boy I'm out of shape. So as I'm coming up for a breath/gasp of air it just so happens that a wave of water was being propelled straight from another racers arm down my throat to my now open lungs yearning for that much needed air......aaaaaaah. What the Heck? that's not air, Oh my gosh I can't breathe! Where's a kayak? Not again, Drat! Dad Gum it I'm gonna have to drop out of this race cuz I'm gonna die!

Thank God I was able to hack it up and spit it out while steadily loosing ground to the middle of the pack. My trusty default breast stroke kept me slowly easing forward and all I could think about was "Im not even to the first bouy and I'm this choked up" I'll be lucky to finish. It took me about 200-300 more yards before I could even really get my face back in the water and swim correctly. I'm such a beginner. Thankfully it passed and I was able to finish my second lap without any more issues, other than the 3 or 4 people climbing over me towards the end of my first lap. Thanks Patty and Gordon. hehehe

I was feeling pretty anxious as I passed that final bouy of the second lap heading for the long home stretch. I felt good. I had no idea what my time was but to be truthful I wasn't worrying too much about it. I was thinking more like; breathe, stroke, roll, stroke, breathe stroke, oooh what was that in the water, stroke, roll, darn I forgot to breathe that time...kind of stuff. So I come out of the water, crowd is cheering like they do for that final finisher of an IronMan at midnight. I wave thank you and start heading up the hill for the transition area. My kids are on the ribbons yelling and waving to me. I look up and see 55:15 or something like that on the reader board and thought "drat, so much for my 45 minute swim goal. Oh well I'll have to make it up on the bike".

So I run into TA and out in what felt like a super sluggish 1:03 and take off on my bike. I knew that the first part of the bike leg was a little down hill and then a little uphill before the first turn off so I said I'm gonna power it right from the get go and start making some hay. Translation for all you Non-Hicks is "right from the get go and start kicking butt". So I put my head down and start stomping it. I'm crusing right along and I pass about 4 or 5 people and I'm thinking "oh yeah baby". Then all of the sudden the last guy I passed decided to swerve right and head down that other road. Then Oh that's weird theres a bunch of orange cones going down that road-hey everyone is turning there. Crap! actually I said something else but don't tell my mom. So I had to do a U-turn and head back to the course. See what happens when you don't get enough sleep. I even drove the stinking course. Oh well. So it just meant that I had to pick it back up and go get 'em. After I pushed it a little on the first loop and figured it out, I formulated my plan for the remaining 3 loops then promptly disregarded it because "there's no crying in baseball" quote from Tom Hanks popps in my head. Get to work. You just got a NewTri Bike and it's down right embarassing to fly by someone at 30+ on the down hill then be going slow enough on the hills to read each and every one of their sponsors on their jersey as they slowly pull away from you on the next hill. Bad Form Smee. So I just had to push it the whole way. I'm such a rookie. The rest of the bike leg went well and I enjoyed hearing my fan section each time I went screaming by.

Coming down the final stretch of the 4th lap, it was time to prepare for the dismount. I had yet to practice undoing my 3 strap bike shoes from my new Tri bike and was curious how my balance would be with the more aggressive geometry of a Tri bike. I would soon find out. Just as I start to bend over and reach for the straps, the guy on the P3 Cervelo that I had been playing hop scotch with for the last lap and a half was bending over to unlatch his shoes as well. Darn, I thought I was going to be special coming in all prepared and such. Oh well we both successfully unstrapped our shoes and did the half dismount as we come coasting in to the dismount mat. My family right there waiting for me, cheered me off the bike and into the transitiona area. Again I felt like I could've transitioned faster but I eaked out of there in a not to shabby 00:54. I didn't know it then but I had acheived one of my goals, with a combined transition time of 01:57. Which I thought wasn't that bad till I saw the Pro Chris Tremonte's combined time of 00:53. Wow he's fast. Something must be wrong with his timing chip-don't worry I've already notified the race director to check into that. :)

So I take off out of transition and head off on my run. I thought I was feeling pretty decent. That feeling would pass quickly. Actually it passed before I exited the park. But I wasn't going to let it show. I would run with my head up and proud. I am a "Triathloner" (not worthy of being called a Triathlete, I have coined a new word). Wouldn't you know it the run starts with a gentle incline, and unlike a bike, it's pretty hard to get momentum into the hill at 6 mph. So against my own desires, I did have to walk a few times on the run, but that was ok.

Not really. It's actually pretty wimpy, but that is what I told myself on the run. One side of myself is saying "there's no shame in walking to catch your breath, no one will fault you. you're still 290 pounds. It's crazy that you're out here doing this at all...while the other side of me is saying "you can't walk you sissy-that girl is gonna pass you-don't let them see you like this-you can do it-it's just pain-I'm so embarrassed at you (talking to myself remember)"

So I would squeeze another gu and trudge onward. It was nice to hear the encouraging support of my fellow teammates Gordon and Lucas on the run. Unfortunely they did not maintain my crazy pace and we parted ways. I won't say who pulled away from whom. They were on their second lap already, loosers!, but whatever. :)
I was doing okay, and was able to run the majority of my run and managed to pull out a 1:06 for my run. I was okay with that.

So coming into the park gearing up for the finish line a guy had just passed me and grouped himself with another runner lady that I had been chasing the entire 2nd loop of the run. I decided to stay on their heels and suprise them with a mad burst of "oh my gosh where'd he come from" speed across the finish line. Both of them had been running at my pace the past loop and I knew I had a little left in me to Finish Strong! So we come into the park and "what the heck?" they both picked up there speed considerably and were thinking the same thing I guess. Drat another one of my plans beginning to unravel before my eyes. So I said to myself "well there's two of them running side by side that should be about wide enough for me to try and run in their draft" :) So I have to kick it up a notch to maintain their pace and we weave through the final loops and there is the finish line about 40 yards away. I floor it! Blasting by the guy, at what felt like a 13 mph sprint but was probably only 6mph by this time, I come up next to the gal and was not able to overtake her but managed to land on the timing mat simultaneously and then came the chore of slowing this choo choo train down from my sprint before I knocked someone over. There were alot of spectators waiting at the finish and I just had to vere left miss the little ones.

Race Complete! I had done it. I had finished. I was depressed to see the 3:16:12 lit up as I crossed the mat but was later re-encouraged when I remebered that they started it when they let the women go first so my real time would be a few minutes less. It was. I finished with a 3:09:15 and was so stoked. I was already scanning through my memory of what events were coming up so that I could start preparing for my next one.

Catch my breath, return my timing chip and find my family. It was about time to find my lovely wife and get my well earned smooch. She's so great. She loves watching me do these races and I am so so so greatfull to have such a supportive family. My girl made a custom T-shirt just for me and especially for the race. who needs Sugoi?

I find my teammates and we swap congratulations. Where's the food? I want chocolate milk. They had none. Poop! Oh well some name brand energy drink and hot dogs would have to suffice. It was a great day. We raced, we finished, we dined, we left. We all return to our meager lives and little do all those other people that see us at work, or at Starbucks, or at the drivethru know that we are all Supermen! We are Triathletes! The crem de le crem of sport enthusiasts. And we the apprentice "Triathloners" bask in the glow of our fellow Team mates and dream of one day giving them a run for their money.

To all who read this and stay around long enough to follow my progress -"Patty, I am calling you out. One day girl I will beat you. Unless you get faster then my manly challenge is off" hehehe

Goals:

Remember to thank the Lord Daily for keeping me safe in my work outs and rides.
Pray for the safe return of my missionary friend Dave Ferris who introduced me to this sport.
Be a healthy and active example to my wife, kids, and overweight extended family.

Swim: Don't almost drown next time-spend more time working on my swim stroke and overall swim conditioning.

Bike: More time in the saddle, general conditioning, and hit the weights. What was that sound? That's the sound of Shawn's thunder thighs (the good kind)

Run: Again just more weight loss and aerobic conditioning to help me maintain a good pace.

Upcoming Events So far that I have found that I will be doing:

August 21 Finish Strong Triathlon Lake Tye Monroe Sprint Distance
Sept 11 Olympia Black Hills Olympic
Oct 23 Lake Sammamish Half-Marathon (already signed up)
June 11, 2011 1/2 IronMan Boise (already signed up)

To sum up, I want to thank Lisa and Kris for founding this team and providing me with a bunch of new friends that share this new passion of mine, and an outlet for my feelings via this blog and email. To all my fellow team mates. God Bless You and you are "Triathletes" ( I totally used my Ironman announcer voice when I said that".

Go TeamFastt!

2009-11-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

Don't Waste Your Run....Hebrews 12:1-2

therefore, since you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow wearly and lose heart.

Today I went to Lisa and Kris's church to hear a Hebrews 12:1 sermon. (Heb 12:1 is our team scripture.) It was a wonderful! and practical message about a favorite passage of scripture. It is very applicable to us triathletes so I thought I would share my notes....

1. Run Inspired--looking back at those wittnesses ...people who have gone on before you and pleased God. life is a trial of faith. living by faith. running this race of faith. The testimony of their lives should inspire us to action. To run well! People are not perfect, (Noah, Abraham, Moses, David) God uses people who step up to the line. The rest is History. Don't waste your run. Run well. Run inspired.

2. Run Light--Looking inside yourself evaluation and removing excess weight. everything that would hinder your best race. bitterness, unforgiveness, attitudes, the list goes on. Serious athletes wear racing flats and run faster. drop everything in your race/life that doesn't support your goal of finishing well. Things that slow you down or leave you so weary that you don't run well. What are you holding onto? what's in your heart? and Where is your life headed? 1 Peter 2:1-2 talks about pursuing rightousness.

3. Run with Direction- -looking to Jesus He is our personal trainer. He has marked the trail so we know where we are running. How did Jesus enter this race called life and how he ran the race. How he crossed the finish line. He finished strong. John 4:34 talks about "nourishment" and that food is doing the will of God for our lives. Strong athletes know they need to take in hydration and fuel along the way. Don't skip the water stations. . Spending time with God in prayer is refreshment that you need for endurance. Finally, Jesus focused on the finish line and finished strong for the "Joy set before him" . In doing this, we run to please God. We run to make God smile :)

by the way.... I have been meaning to blog about my finishing my first full ironman. I have to mention that this same Hebrews 12: 1-3 scripture was very much a part of my training and journey. It took a lot of faith for me to train for Ironman Canada 2009. What did I do to achieve that "Stacy Wingard....you are an ironman! On long rides and runs I regularly thought about my goal and "fixed my eyes". I focused on nothing else but the "the Joy of the finishline" I didn't let obstacles become "hinderances"--"not growing weary and losing heart"Even in the heat of the marathon run. 2 timothy 4:7 was my mantra...Fighting the good fight, Finishing the race, and keeping the faith. and I did it. in every way. The journey all those months of training. The day of the race. I knew God was with me every moment of that day. He was coaching me. I was doing this amazing thing with him. I trained well and according to plan. but on that day i raced from my heart. And it was truly amazing. I will say that it was my favorite distance ever!

Stacy Wingard "You are an Ironman"

2009-10-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

I was reminded at our Teamfastt end of season get-together that i had not yet posted my race report so here it goes....
Ironman Canada began for me last August 2008 when I made the trip to Penticton BC to volunteer and sign up for the 2009 race. It was a step of faith. It was going to take alot of "growing" over the next year to be ready for the 140.6 mile distance. almost unconceivable. I knew I would have to become a different person in a few areas. After serious training from March thru August I was ready. I had become diciplined to the core. I put in every training day according to my plan. (working your plan the key to not becoming overwhelmed with the amount of training you will do. It gradually builds and by the time you are logging huge miles it's all in a days work...because you are accustomed to the routine) I had trained in rain, freezing weather, a foot of snow, and 103 degree heat so figured i was as ready as i could be. I arrived in Penticton with my friends and iron training buddies Nikki Bender and Clarise Mahlner. we spent the first couple days registering, doing taper workouts and trying to rest up. We met up with other ironman friends Kathryn Kleppinger and Jo Ann Sittig, and Cindy Rach. It was such a cool thing this year to come back as one of the athletes racing the ironman!

My First Half Ironman-Lake Stevens 70.3

2009-08-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

I was more excited for this race than any other race I’ve done to date. If my count down on Facebook didn’t convince you of my excitement, I am sure my frequent jumping up and down and smiles for the last week would have. I am still a bit in awe of this ability and passion for triathlons that God has given me. Just one year ago I could hardly swim, had never ridden a road bike, and couldn’t run a mile without gasping for air. Now I am racing for 70.3miles! I don’t think I could have been more ready for this race, other than having done one already.

The morning started off EARLY. Not as early as some of my fellow teammates, thankfully my family actually lives in Lake Stevens. I woke up after 7 hours of sleep and ate a mediocre breakfast, a little oatmeal and a few bites of peanut butter and toast. Note to self: I do NOT like peanut butter and toast early in the morning. It is time to ax it from my pre-race menu. Next time I think I’ll stick to my Smart Start-Maple and Brown Sugar cereal and an egg. It has served me well before, why change it up? Around 5:20 I also ate a banana and just prior to the start, a gu.

My dad dropped me off at the transition area around 4:45am. Needless to say it was still dark and a bit chilly. I ended up using my cell phone as a light to see the pressure gauge on my bike pump while I inflated my tires. Next time I am bringing a flashlight. I loved seeing and talking with teammates/friends in transition. I would have loved to have seen more of you, but that transition area was so big (the biggest one I’ve been apart of anyway). Around 5:40 Patty and I went for a short warm-up run and afterwards went looking for a couple of our friends. In doing so we walked right by the time chip area and realized that we had totally forgotten about picking up our chip. Good thing we walked by it. But then again I guess that is why they chose a spot near the swim start. It would be very hard to miss.

The lake was beautiful this morning. The fog was just resting on the top of the water. The only problem with this lovely site is you couldn’t see the buoys through all the fog. The race was delayed 10 minutes in hopes that some of the fog would lift. I am not sure that 10 minutes made much of a difference. What really made the difference in this swim was the crew line (a rope under the water that is used to anchor buoys to it for crew races) that stretched all the way out to the buoys. All you had to do was keep that line in view and swim, not much sighting needed. I’ll get to this more in a minute.

So my wave, 29 and under was the first female age group to start. As we walked down to the dock and the announcer told us to hop in. I totally forgot the warning my teammate, Nikki, gave me about NOT jumping in because it is shallow and you’ll just sink into a bunch of muck and nastiness. Instead, I followed all the other ladies as they jumped in and got to experience the muck for myself. I don’t recommend it.

My swim started out pretty smoothly. I got knocked around a little bit, but held my ground and position near that crew line and just kept swimming. I was getting pulled along rather nicely thanks to a fellow swimmer. About 10 minutes into the swim some girl came up from behind me and completely started whacking me over and over again and pretty hard. She was breathing to her left and I was breathing to my right. She must have seen me and obviously had felt me. I’m not usually one to smack people, but I so wanted to punch her square in the face and say “come on! What are you doing?” I just figured it wouldn’t be a very loving thing to do. Finally after a number of whacks I backed off and moved to the other side of her and found my groove again. It was a pretty congestion free swim until I ran into the guys’ wave (that had gone 3 minutes earlier). I had to dodge all of the breath strokers and power kickers. That was interesting. Anyway, coming in at the end of the swim I STILL felt great! I felt like I was working steadily and by no means using up all of my energy. I felt light on the water and like I was gliding very well. I was hoping for a 40 minute swim and was out in 37:37! Sweetness!

Coming into T1 I located my bike pretty easily. However, it didn’t take long until I started fumbling around. First of all, after I stripped my wetsuit I picked it back up and threw it by my transition bag. Why? No idea. I usually leave it right where it comes off. Next I struggled with clipping my race belt on with cold hands (should have just worn it during the swim…like some people do). Then I grabbed my extra gu packets and salt tablets and stuffed them into the back of my jersey. And that is only the extra steps I made in transition this time around. I felt like I was in there forever. However, turns out it was only 1:47 (still under two minutes).

Felt a little rushed/frazzled when I got to the bike mounting line. Probably because I thought I wasted a ton of time in transition. That and my legs and feet were numb making the process a little more challenging. I paused for a second after struggling to clip my foot in, took a breath and tried again…success. I loved seeing/hearing so many cheers from my family/friends/teammates. I cannot say it enough, but all of you helped pull me through this race. You guys are the best!

Okay, so now I am on the bike, dripping wet, riding up in elevation, and it is only 7:40 in the morning. Brrr! It was cold, some where in the 50’s to low 60’s. Finally, by mile 30ish my goose bumps started to go away and I could feel my hands, feet, and quads again. Despite being cold I felt pretty great on the first loop. Patty passed me somewhere near the start of loop 2 and gave me a shout out “come on Louise, lets go!” Thanks for the encouragement and extra push Patty! My first loop split was 1:32:00ish. My legs were feeling fairly strong once they started to thaw and I continued concentrating on just keeping a nice steady pace. However, close to the same time that I started warming up, my stomach started feeling full and my battle with nutrition began.

I told myself that you may not be hungry, you may feel full, but you need this nutrition so keep it up. At mile 50, I forced myself to take my 4th gu and that ended up being my doom. I threw up, while riding, and not just a little but probably an entire 20 oz water bottle full of nutrition (500-700 calories) and hydration…GONE. Thankfully it all happened right before the bridge, the crowd, and the final water station. I grabbed another water bottle, but this time just to rinse my right arm and leg off as I was a sticky mess. (TMI? Sorry) I started thinking about what in the world I was going to do on the run. My stomach was still a bit in turmoil and my throat was burning. I drank some water during the last 6 miles hoping to get rid of the burning acid in my throat. Finally I made it back into town. My bike 3:09:14. I was hoping for under 3:10 which I accomplished, making that the fastest I have ridden that course.

Dismounting my bike was interesting. My legs were a little limp. I remember sort of trotting through transition to my racking spot. It took two attempts to rack my bike. I didn’t lift the seat up high enough the first time around. Apparently, my arms were a little fatigued as well. There was a little less to think about in T2- socks, shoes…run! Again, all of the support and cheering when I ran out of transition was AWESOME! I have the best family, friends, and teammates ever!

Almost immediately out of transition my legs felt fresh and strong. I was actually surprised by that, but I was ready to rock this run course. Only one issue, one BIG issue, how am I going to get more nutrition in to my now, fragile stomach? I had a gu in my pocket, but was completely terrified of throwing up again. I chose to forgo the gu. I didn’t even TRY it because I was afraid of getting sick again. That decision was the wrong one to make. Next time, I AM at least trying the gu! My first loop (6.5ish miles) split was 50ish minutes. No wonder I was passing so many people. That is a 7:45ish/mile pace. I passed two girls in my age group and was on the look out for more. I was feeling great, relaxed, and steady. Someone on the course even made a comment about my pace which was encouraging.

But after that first hill on the start of lap 2, I started to crumble. My run quickly turned into a jog and for the last 3-4 miles, a shuffle. I also had to use the restroom, but every time I got to a water station the honey bucket was in use so I kept going. Finally at mile 9.5 I waited for it to be unoccupied. That endeavor took about 2 minutes of my precious time, but I felt much better afterwards. My legs however, did not feel better. Those last 3.5 miles were the hardest 3.5 miles I have ever run. I wanted to walk so badly at so many different times. My feet were on fire and my legs just felt like dead weight I was struggling to lug along. I did walk at 4 different water stations, but only for 10 steps and only to down the entire cup of water. I still don’t have running and drinking simultaneously figured out yet. Every time I keep running and try to drink while pinching the top of the cup closed I get a little into my mouth but more sloshes up into my nose.

While shuffling my feet up one of the final two hills my head was telling me to stop and walk, but my heart was telling me don’t you dare. I saw a lady slowing tackling this hill and told myself just keep up with her and then “boom” she started walking. After trying to encourage her to keep going, I then told myself, “Okay, time to pass her.” As I was getting to the top of the hill I was thinking about that video clip of the women crawling to the finish line during their ironman race. For a time I thought I was going to end up crawling over the finish line as well. I was not feeling too good. During those final three miles I also spent some time thinking of Jesus and the indescribable pain he endured for me on the cross. I began thanking him for that and for giving me the ability to run and race for Him (not only in this race, but in life as well) and just asked for the strength and perseverance to push through this seemingly small amount of pain and finish this race. After the final water station I got this huge feeling of joy, realizing that I was going to FINISH my first half ironman. I think I managed to smile in that moment. Then with about 0.1-0.2 miles left I suddenly got dizzy and felt close to falling over. I thought to myself, you’ve got to get to that finish line…now! I just tried focusing on keeping my head straight. I think I even put my arms out, for a moment, like chicken wings to help me balance. Okay question? Who makes a finish line up hill? Haven’t we endured enough of them for one day? Regardless, I made it up that hill, that last incline, and finally crossed that finish line, standing up! I wish my face would have matched the joy in my heart.

My finish time was 5:50:15, just 10 minutes short of my 5:40:00 goal.

I learned a lot during this race and am so thankful for this experience. Honestly, at first I was a little disappointed with my finish time and discouraged by how fast the other girls in my age group were. How am I ever going to make it to the top of my age group? Then I was reminded of the bigger picture from my coach. Sometimes I pay too much attention to the numbers when there is so much more to this race. One thing, you cannot race your best without nutrition. The body simply does not work without it. Another thing is to look back and remember how much progress I have made in just this first year. Also, I believe that God has great purpose for me training and competing in this sport. And for that I am going to keep pushing myself, working hard, and having a blast all the while. With all of that in mind, I am proud of finishing my first 70.3 and I'm holding my head up high. Looking back, minus the nutrition battle I had a pretty good race. So believe it or not I am already looking forward to my next half ironman!

And a final THANK YOU to everyone who encouraged me along before the race even started and to all of you who were out on the course. Thanks for cheering me on even when I was struggling to find the energy at the end to even smile, wave, give a shout out, and/or a thumbs up. You all certainly helped push me along. And how about that cheering squad in town! I cannot tell you all how much I looked forward to being able to run, jog, or shuffle through there. Again, You guys are the best!

26 Thoughts on my First Marathon...

2009-06-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

Waking up before 5:00am is tough, but I love to be up when the sun rises.
For breakfast I had Erin Baker's granola and a banana...I seriously love Erin Baker's products (and I'm not just saying that because she's a sponsor!).
It was a picture-perfect Pacific Northwest day for the inaugural Rock 'N' Roll Seattle Marathon!
Since this was my first marathon, and I wasn't sure how I would do, I made two goals for my finish time--one more reasonable (under 4:00:00), and one more ambitious (3:45:00).
It was overwhelming to be counted among the 25,000 runners, all there for the same goal--to cross the finish line.
There were also 25,000 people needing to use the bathroom. I waited about 25 minutes for a port-a-potty.
On the back of my hand, I wrote out my target pace for each mile.
On the palm of my hand, I wrote Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength."
I have the most wonderful, most supportive husband in the world! Scott dropped me off at the race start in the morning, then waited for me at mile 17/20 to take pictures and cheer me on when I would most need it.
The first 10 miles felt great; I ran at an easy, steady pace.
Those who were running the full marathon got to cross the I-90 bridge, where the view of Mt. Rainier was incredible. It will forever be etched in my mind when I think about running my first marathon.
As I was heading out on the bridge, a fellow Team Fastt teammate, Patty Bredice, was coming back in, and she called out my name. It was great to see a familiar face in the crowd.
The most memorable band for me was the one I heard while going through the first tunnel--they were singing the song "Dancin' in the Streets."
I hit the wall at mile 20. My legs felt like stone!
I stopped four times on the course--three times to walk a little, and once to kiss my husband.
Several times I saw medical personnel with a runner on the side of the road. Each time I thought to myself, "That could be me, but I hope it isn't."
For the last 6.2 miles, I was in constant battle with my conscience.
I lost quite a bit of confidence when I ran my first 10-minute mile at mile 22. Ouch.
Throughout the race, I played leapfrog with a man wearing a Marathon Maniacs shirt.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that I prefer triathlons to marathons. If I ever do another marathon (which I expect I will), I hope it's at the end of an Ironman :)
Even though I was suffering by the end, I still finished strong for the last 0.2 miles, passing a few people on my way to the finish line.
I had tears in my eyes as I neared the finish. I'm still not sure whether it was because I was overjoyed at completing my first marathon, or at the thought of finally putting an end to my suffering. Likely, it was some of each.
I was disappointed that there wasn't any chocolate milk offered for post-race recovery. Alas.
Afterwards, as I was stretching, the man mentioned in #19 came up to congratulate me. He said I looked strong most of the way, but faded at the end (which was true). He also said that this was his 78^th marathon. He really is a marathon maniac.
As it turned out, my timing chip didn't work, so I'm not listed in the official race results. But according to my watch, I finished in about 3:55:30 (it's an estimate because I left it running about a minute after I crossed the finish line). I'm pretty happy with it, though bummed about not being listed in the official results.
I can't help but compare my races to the spiritual race we all run (or don't run)--and realizing how important it is to have people we know and love encouraging and pushing us along the way (and for us to do likewise). Thanks to everyone for their support, both in this race and in life. You rock!

Riding at the Olympics

2009-06-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

This past week, my husband and I took a trip to the Olympic Mountains with my mom, who was visiting from out-of-state. As most triathletes know, it can be difficult to fit training into a vacation (or vacation into training, depending on how one looks at it). But for this trip, I ended up having one of the best bike rides I've ever had--a 12-mile hill climb up Hurricane Ridge! I was a little nervous about it at first (Would my legs survive climbing for that long?!), but once I got started, it was incredible! I was surrounded by God's awesome creation, and even though I was riding for 1 hour 20 minutes, the time flew by. When I reached the top, there were my husband and mom waiting for me, supporting me in this triathlon craziness we all love. I'm just glad I didn't have to ride back down--uphill is much more rewarding :)

"I lift my eyes up to the hills--
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalm 121:1-2

Where is Boise?

2009-06-15T20:46:00.001-07:00

Boise 70.3....a great race once you get there!

It seemed like a long way to drive ~ a quick plane trip sounded optimal. Lisa and arrived to the airport on time and we were at the gate...heck, she was even through the gate when they stopped me, called her (and a few others) back off the plane and told us their was a "mechanical malfunction". We were told to go ahead and leave but check back. We did just as we were told but when we got back the plane had left. No what? Quick thinking...we hopped on a flight to Spokane. Spokane must be close to Boise right? Once on the plane we looked at the back of the Alaska Air magazine to find out Spokane wasn't any closer to Boise than Seattle was. Who knew...wasn't Spokane and Idaho both east? Once in Spokane, we learned the next flight out was not until 4PM. That won't work...we need to get to packet pick up and rack our bikes. Drive? Nope...apparently it takes 8 hours. The laughter kept us going as we learned that SOuthwest had a flight out that would get us there just 3 hours later than our origianl plans. Problem though...the flight is oversold and we are on a wait list. Begging, pleading does work! They either felt sorry for us or just couldn't wait to get rid of us...giving us our boarding passes early. What a blessing...we were headed to Boise and things were looking up...briefly.

We've landed, lets get a picture! Where's the camera? Plane? Which one? Airport? Which one? I felt horrible...the Team FASTT camera was gone...or so i thought. After many phone calls I learned it traveled to Reno and then L.A. and would make its way back to Seattle. WHew! I didn't lose it (well, not for long) and i wouldn't have to 'smile' for a snapshot at every Kodak moment...and Lisa finds a lot of them.

Friday night is just a blur...and how do you get ready for a 2:00 start? It starts with sleeping in. No 3AM wake up calls. Sleep long, eat well and end the day with a race...perfect!

A cloudy day, nice breeze and no rain...not yet anyways. The swim was tough conditions with a lot of waves but eventually i exited the water and climbed the big hill towards transition. It was worth the climb...wet suit strippers everywhere. With a quick exit i was on my bike and heading down the fast decent. As soon as i hit the the bottom of the decent i felt my first raindrop. WIthin seconds the sky turned dark and the rain became a downpour. It never stopped but for those of us from the Pacific Northwest it was all too familiar. The difference being that it was 70 and raining in Boise ~ rather than the Seattle rain; cold and wet. It was a great bike course...fast...with the last 2 miles a downhill to the city. By then the skies were dark, rain became a torential downpour and shoes were sloshing.

Finally...T2...warm socks and dry shoes (even if only for a few steps). The rain did not keep away the spectators...cheering and yelling all the way to the finish.

Third Tri's a Charm!

2009-06-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday marked the start of my first full triathlon season and my third tri ever. And this time I would get to race in TF blue! Needless to say I was stoked and couldn’t stop smiling. This day was also particularly meaningful to me as my 19 year old brother would be participating in his first triathlon.

I woke up bright and early after a very restful night of sleep. My family, who had spent the night to limit drive time in the morning, was up at the crack of dawn as well. My dad kindly made my brother and I breakfast while we gathered our gear and loaded the car.

I was really surprised by the absence of butterflies in my stomach this morning. This was a first for me. I think the lack of nerves might have partly stemmed from the fact that my brother seemed to have enough for the two of us. I felt like I needed to be calm and relaxed for him to feel more comfortable. I think that ended up helping us both.

The drive to Issaquah was so great. I was enamored by watching the sun rise this morning. It was so glorious cresting over the mountains as I drove along I-90. What a beautiful start to the day.

We arrived to the race at 5:35ish, were greeted by Tory and Tracy in the parking lot (Can I just say that I love this team) and then checked in. Saw Kris who kindly helped me place my bike number on my bike and then told me to take off my tire changing kit and reflector as they just added weight (thanks for the tip!). After getting body marked, I headed into the transition area. I did start to feel a little rushed by this point as I didn’t realize how long everything would take especially when you’re trying to help out a first-timer, even though it is only your 3rd time and you’re still figuring things out yourself. Good thing my brother is pretty independent and managed to set up most of his transition area by himself. He was even smart enough to pick the premo racking spot on the end! Lucky!

I got my transition area set-up, grabbed my shoes, found Tracy, and went for a 10 minute warm-up run. I used to think people who spend any amount of time exercising or “warming-up” before the race were crazy. I would think “What are you doing expending precious energy before the race?” or “Why would anyone want to get into the water before you had to?” Now I just laugh at myself for thinking that. Warming up is so important. I felt loose, refreshed, and eager to race after my short run and swim warm-up!

Team prayer was great! What a perfect way to start my race. Seriously, the support from this team is incredible.

The Swim: Chaos! I was kicked, pulled, pushed, run into, etc multiple times but I confidently held my own. I never panicked! So different from my last race where I ended up swimming half of it on my back panting and gasping the entire time. As I rounded the first buoy I was hoping that a lane would finally open up as we were still clumped together and I kept swimming into road blocks (meaning other swimmers). I looked up after rounding the buoy and sighted my path with no swimmer in immediate view. I locked in and got in a groove. I was swimming pretty smoothly and felt like I was going at a great pace without expending too much energy. Every now and then I would brush up against someone to my left. It took me a couple of buoys, but I finally looked over and realized that I was totally drafting off of someone’s hip! That felt great, especially as I finished the swim in record time! A PR from my previous race by over 2:30 minutes.

T1: I located my bike easily thanks to the graduation balloon someone hung on the rack in front of mine. I exited my wetsuit in about 5 steps (still working on that 3 stage exit), slipped on my bike shoes, then glasses, helmet, and was off. I took a moment in the mounting area to clip my left foot in before pushing off and swinging my right leg over. For the first time I wasn’t frazzled, didn’t loose my balance, and most importantly didn’t drop my bike like I had before.

The Bike: My FAVORITE leg of the race! That no passing area in the beginning was rough! I wanted to pass so badly, but rules are rules. I caught sight of Tracy up in the distance once we turned onto East Lake Sammammish Parkway. Goal: catch and pass her. Reality: Easier said then done. When we came to the first hill, I passed a handful of people one of them being my brother. I didn’t realize I had passed him until he rode by me on the down hill while I was taking a drink from my water bottle. As he passed me he looked over and said, “I just love the down hills” I was like what, Luke! I quickly put my water bottle back and sped up to him, told him awesome job, and left him behindJ. There were 3 other riders that I kept ping-ponging with. They were great and so encouraging each time we passed one another. One of them even asked if Tracy and I were teammates. Then said “you should train together” I smiled proudly and said, “We do” At the turn around I finally caught and passed Tracy, but that didn’t last long as I was soon looking at the back of her Team Fastt jersey again and that was how it would remain.

T2: Amazing! Just last Wednesday I had no idea how to quickly mount my bike, let alone dismount my bike. After some practice, I was able to pull my feet out of my shoes, swing my right leg over and through, and taking off running with my bike still in motion. It felt so great to pass the 10 or so people dismounting their bikes as I came in. I do think I took my feet out too early, but that timing will come with more practice. I also realized that my toes were numb, making it a bit more challenging to stay on my shoes. I lost my footing a little when I first pulled them out and almost lost a bike shoe. Yikes! Got my heart racing for a moment, but I stayed composed and was able to regroup. I was out of transition in record time, :49 sec, for me and right on Tracy’s tail.

The Run: My LEAST favorite leg of the race. As we were running along path by the beach I saw Lisa snapping Tracy’s picture and then Lisa turned to me, took my picture, and then yelled “catch her!!” I totally tried, but “someone” had rockets attached to her shoes! My HR was in zone 4, 194-197 the entire time. I was hauling, well for me at least, but Tracy just kept getting further and further away. So I changed my focus to passing one runner at a time. I got an extra burst of energy at the turn around, picked it up, and sprinted the final bit through the trees to the finish line. My goal was to finish the run in 23:30 which I thought was still a stretch for me, but I ended up with a 22:19 run! I was quite pleased.

I ended up crossing the finish line in 1:12:06 which was over a 16 minute improvement from my last race! Aside from having a great race and a ton of fun, I loved sharing this day with so many teammates and friends!

Issaquah Triathlon - Tracy's Race Report

2009-06-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Triathlon season has officially begun! My first race of the season was the Issaquah Triathlon at Lake Sammamish State Park in Washington. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for race day. The view of Mt. Rainier on the drive from Woodinville to Issaquah at 5:30am in the morning was breathtaking. As the sun rose over Issaquah, filling the valley with its light, so the Holy Spirit rose in me, filling my veins with life as I prepared to run the course set before me. It was a course I was familiar with, as this was my third time doing the Issaquah Triathlon. It is a great course to kick off the season, and after a team prayer before the start, I was ready to race.

With a silver swim cap to indicate the 29 and under age group, my race started out a little rocky. Alongside friend and teammate Louise, I was in the front near the center of the group, not the ideal spot for someone who isn't a really strong swimmer. I got kicked all around, and then took in an unexpected mouthful of water that momentarily paralyzed me. I coughed and choked it down, but couldn't breathe regularly, so I had to swim about a minute with my head out of the water, trying to catch my breath. All the while I was thinking, "This is not a great start to my race." But we must do what we can with whatever circumstance we're in. I eventually made my way to my favorite swimming spot on the outskirts of the group--it may add some time to my swim split, but it also adds a lot of enjoyment. I love the swim, but not when I can't actually swim. Despite the rocky start, I finished with a new personal record of 6:37.

My T1 went relatively smoothly, though there is room for improvement. I'm just not sure how willing I am to do the jump-on-your-bike thing, especially since I prefer the longer distance triathlons where the transitions aren't quite as important. Plus, I don't want to get injured. And it scares me!

On the bike, I was looking forward to racing with aerobars for the first time. I had also gotten a shorter stem so that my oversized bike was less oversized. I felt great, though wondered if I might have pushed myself too hard too soon. The turn-around point was a bit of a surprise because it was sooner than I had expected, which I'm assuming means that the bike course was shorter than in previous years. As I turned the bend, I heard a familiar voice just behind me, Louise! I had finished the swim just seconds before Louise, who then caught up with me on the bike. She is the stronger biker, something I'm trying to work on. :) She passed me shortly after the turn-around. There were actually four of us playing leap-frog with one another, until I leapt ahead at the dreaded hill, though Louise was always just behind me. There's nothing like a friendly push to make you go faster!

My T2 was less than one minute, which was way better than the previous year (1:21). This was the first time I attempted taking my feet out of my shoes before dismounting my bike rather than clipping them out and taking my shoes off in the transition area. It definitely saved me a few seconds, which is a lot in a sprint triathlon.

Then began the run, which I consider to be my strongest leg in triathlons, though it never feels that way when I start running in a race. I kept reminding myself that it's only three miles, which doesn't seem like much when you're also training for a marathon. But three miles is a lot to sprint! I kept pushing myself until the end, where I caught up with a man just before the finish line who started racing me as I passed by. I didn't think I had any more power left in me, but my competitive side took over as I raced this man to the finish line. Too bad I thought the first mat was the finish, rather than the second. Oops. The guy racing me noticed I had stopped sprinting and graciously nudged me to keep going. He even let me cross the actual finish line first, which I did while laughing at my stupid mistake. What a gentleman!

In the end, I beat my goal by ten minutes, with a finish of 1:10:43, though that was with a shorter bike course, so it isn't a perfect comparison, but a PR nonetheless. Yeah! And even though I didn't win anything, some friends of mine got me a delicious cake from Whole Foods to celebrate. You can't eat a medal, anyway.

Some things I learned from this race include getting a more appropriate position at the swim start, training harder on the bike, and remembering to keep my eyes fixed on the finish so I don't stop too soon, and likewise to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. It is for His glory that I race.

Easter Sprint Tri Continued...

2009-05-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

Opps. I sent the post before I was ready.....

On May 3oth I am doing the Issaquah Triathlon and I am excited to try again. I have been doing more intense training and will mentally be more prepared for the cold weather (if we get some).

Even though I was terribly cold, it was exciting to see my friend finish her first triathlon and be the person that inspired her. Being involved in the sport of triathlon has so many positive attributes including bringing friends closer together. If my friend ever asks me to do a triathlon with her again, I will just suggest it be a little warmer and later in the season :)

Easter Sprint Tri

2009-05-19T22:10:00.001-07:00

On April 11th 2009, I drove to Elma Washington to support a friend finish her first triathlon. Since it has been some time since I competed in this triathlon, I will make this short (although the picture says enough). The water was so cold my body could never get a complete breath of air. I think I only saw a small handful of people actually putting their heads in the water. My body was shaking on the bike portion and my feet were numb until the last ten minutes of the run. Needless to say, I will never do an early spring triathlon again (unless I get paid the big bucks). My face at the end says enough about how I think it went.

A Mother's Day Half Marathon

2009-05-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful morning as I rose and began preparing to run the Kirkland Half Marathon, but I was worried. I had not gotten a run over 7 miles in in 3 weeks, my quads were screaming from a hard workout with Jenny 2 days earlier, and my hamstring issue was rearing its ugly head. I truly wondered if I would be able to run at all let alone finish the race. We began the run around 7:30am with my family looking on. My legs seemed to quiet down and I hardly noticed them. My husband and kids met me at around mile 6 with a quick energy drink and I was off again.

As I came up on the pedestrian bridge that crosses over 405, I saw the mountains spread out before me, the sky an almost iridescent blue, and the lake reflecting it perfectly. Just as my breath was escaping me, "Hallelujahs" the song by Chris Rice came on on my mp3 player. Don't know if you know it, but it paints all these beautiful pictures of creation and refrains, "My soul wells up in hallelujahs." I am and was in awe, not only of the beauty before me, but within me - that God has so designed our bodies to work together, to put all its faculties into the goal of running a race. My soul did well up in hallelujahs! And it didn't hurt that from that vantage point, it would seem that it was all downhill from there!

My hamstring wasn't particularly happy towards the end, but it held up. It's so much easier running a race than running alone. Those 13 mile runs alone are just killers (at least for me). I actually felt quite good running yesterday (although that's with 24 hours of rest I say that!) I was just wasted for the remainder of the day - and crampy.

I think next year I'll opt for the breakfast in bed before running a half marathon. (Read "I'll take the day off!)

My First TT

2009-05-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

That dreaded alarm clock went off way too early this morning. The sun wasn’t even up yet. I managed to finally roll out of bed at 5:10 after hitting the snooze a few times. I quickly ate some breakfast, got ready, and loaded the car. When I walked outside I realized that this was not going to be a warm sunny day like I was expecting. But I still got into my car smiling, after-all, today is race day!

During the drive to Auburn I was surprised by how calm my nerves were. Part of that might have been due to the fact that I was in a caravan and didn't have to think about where I was going. I was definitely way more excited than nervous for this new experience of time trialing. We arrived super early and got prime parking spots on the road with plenty of room in between our cars to set up all 9 bike trainers. When I hopped out of the car, I quickly realized that a hat and a hood sweatshirt would have been a great addition to my wardrobe choice this morning! It was cold. So with chattering teeth, I checked in. I was anxious to get on my trainer and start warming up.
Warmed- up easy on the trainer for about 35-40 minutes chatting and listening to all the conversations going on around me. It was great to be surrounded by such awesome people and teammates. I felt so blessed to have so many supporters surrounding me, especially when it was my first time at this. It is so much easier to relax!

My start time was 9:17. I got off my trainer at about 8:50 as Lisa kindly reminded me to take my dreaded gu. Good news is, I had a raspberry flavored one (apparently if I were to have a favorite this one would be it), got it down in three quick sips with a little water, and best of all NO GAGGING. You should have seen my grin, I was pretty happy about that. Oh, the small joys in life.

I headed to the start at about 9:10. Then I had to get back out of line to change my gears, after another friendly reminder (thanks Lisa), I realized I was still in my small ring in front. Pulled up to the start at 9:16, clipped in or so I thought, then with 15 seconds left I pulled up my right foot and realized it wasn’t clipped in. I got a little frantic for a second, but readjusted clipped in with 5 seconds to spare and then I was off! I could hear the wonderful cheering of Sandy (you're awesome) from behind who would be leaving just a minute after me and later end up passing me (you speedster) J.

The ride was an experience. I have never pushed that hard for that long! My goals for this first time trial were to push as hard as I could, stay in my drops the entire time, and hopefully maintain an average speed of 20mph. I had no idea how challenging it would be to keep up that pace especially when the wind, at times, was trying to blow me over. I kept telling myself that my legs are strong and keep pushing it.

My turn-a-round was, lets say, a lot less than perfect. When I was getting close, one of the volunteers put up his hand like I was supposed to stop. I was so confused…this is a race here, why would you be telling me to hold up? So I slowed up a little, grrr, until he pointed me to the official turn around. After the turn around I noticed who he was a holding his hand to, the car that was "apparently" behind me. But, it had to have been way behind me because it was still pulling up to him after I had turned around. I probably lost 30 seconds through that whole thing, but lesson learned!

On the way back I was really trying to focus on my breathing, steady strong pedaling, and staying low. My drool soon started flapping in the breeze, appealing I know. Then I tried to spit even though I am a terrible at it and of course it ended up all over my front and shoulder. No good. Probably won’t try that again.

Anyway, I tried picking up the pace the last few miles as best I could (which really turned into not slowing down) and sprinted to the end once I caught sight of the finish. Crossing that finish line felt so great!
As for my legs, they were complete jell-o. After hearing about the race from those who were back already, I put on my running shoes and ran for 20 minutes. It didn’t take too long to warm-up, and the run back felt great. It was good to get my legs moving again.
I managed to accomplish all 3 of my goals, learned a lot, and left myself a ton of room for improvement. I am excited to see where things go from here! It was an awesome day racing and spending time with teammates! I am so looking forward to more great times.

Running with the dogs

2009-05-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

April 16th, 2009 by Lisa Worthington

Now that my achilles is on the mend, I have begun running again. Some may call it jogging, others “speedwalking”. If both feet are not on the ground at the same time, I’m calling it running! Having limited soft surfaces to run on, I had the great idea to kill two birds with one stone. Get my dog exercise and MYSELF at the same time. So off to the dog park we go. Running at the dog park, just Rally (my yellow lab) and myself. This has recently become my favorite new running course. It is super soft (wood chips), beautiful landscaping (well for a dog) and fun dogs to watch.

Woof.. Look at that silly human trying to run.. woof

I have learned some amazing insight from these four legged creatures. Every single dog that runs, is happy! These dogs are actually EXCITED to be running. In fact some actually BEG for it. They will bark and bark until an object is thrown so that they can RUN for it. What is it that they know that I don’t know. I am never this happy to run. Yes, it feels good sometimes, even better afterwards when you are done. Not only the fact that you are no longer running, but the feeling of accomplishment, that your legs were able to move you faster than a walk and the internal great feeling that your muscles have after a workout. …. but Begging for it? So I put myself in the dogs shoes (paws) and think what would it take to get me THAT excited about running. Someone throwing a big gooey brownie across the room? maybe i’d outrun my kids for it, but only across the room. I picture the carrot stick (who thought of carrots? are you kidding, or was that reference for rabbits? Im confused. Maybe dangle a brownie on a stick for 8 miles …. nope, pretty sure I wouldn’t run for it.

Is it wrong to run at the dog park without a dog? I have also done this but felt a little wierd. If someone looks at me funny I just whistle and call Rally’s name as if she has just run off. Maybe I’ll just run with a tennis ball to make it look legit. :)

I really don’t know, all I know is I want what those dogs have!

Is is wrong to swim with them too?

Awesome reverse transition

Oops....Did I Tri THAT?

2009-05-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

April 12th, 2009 by Tracy Miklula

None of us are perfect triathletes; we all begin as novices, making many mistakes along the way–some more outrageous or embarrassing than others. But it is these mistakes that teach us, often making us laugh in the process (”You mean you’re not suppose to eat that before a race?!).

This post is a place to share the wisdom we have gained with others on the team, in the hopes that it will either prevent them from making the same mistake, or at least make them laugh. Are you willing and humble enough to admit your mistakes? I’ll go first….

I’ve learned never to put an open bag of Clif bloks in my team jersey…before the swim. They dissolve (duh!).

The Trials of Time Trialing

2009-05-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

This is what my backside looked like :)

Today was my first official race of the season, a time trial. You really have to just love this weather in the NW. I awoke to about 1/2 inch snow on the ground, checked the temperature and it was 31 degrees. So I decided I would drive to the course and let them cancel it for me, so I didn’t have to look like the whimp.

I brought the team tent just in case it was raining. We arrived at the course to hear word of a roll over accident down the highway…. the road was closed for them investigate and tow it away. The combination of this and the slushy / icey roads was a cause for concern for the race director. Tom said his car was slipping on the road on the way to the course. He was pulling out. Smart man! Marcus and Julian were eager as this was their first TT.

A 30 minute delay was announced so we headed to the car to crank the heat and stay warm. Kris couldn’t stop shivering. I was pretty cold too. A second delay was announced of 30 more minutes. Geesh, I could have slept in!! Finally we got on our bikes to warm up. Yes, it does help to actually raise your body temperature if you warm up. I was warm and shed my sweats and hat (kept the gloves on though).

It seams like no matter how prepared I feel like I am, it is always a rush at the end to get ready and make it to the start line. I misplaced my number (note, pin it on right away) and had to get a new one. Thank Neal He’s great! No problem there with helping the dummy ;0

I check in at the start line, then road away to do a spin up and noticed on my way back to the start line that my computer was not working. I realized after looking at my wheel that I had not switched over my magnet for the computer. I frantically looked around for someone I knew who had just finished who I could borrow one from. Nobody! I even asked (jokingly) the UBRDO guy holding my bike if he happend to have one in his pocket. Oh well, no HR monitor (low battery) and no computer. This would be interesting.

I actually focused better on this race because I did not have the “distraction” of the computers numbers. I would really had liked to get my HR average though. bummer! So good race, going only on RPE (which felt like 12 jk) I just kept pickin them off. one by one. I had one pass me, a young one I didn’t feel too bad. The corners were awesome, never left aero position. Oh, just remembered I threw my bottle at ne8th I need to go back and get it. I liked that one. (yes, I forgot to leave that at the start).

I ended up 4th in AG, Audry 3rd, Annette 2nd and KRis 1st. Kris won AG and overall. Nicely done. Tried to run afterward. REalized I think im pulling out of CA after the bike. Its the only smart thing to do. ( I usually don’t do the smart thing, but Im gonna try this time). I want to do well in Boise, so Im going to try to get healthy.

I didn’t realize how dirty I was until I rinsed out my knickers. They were full of dirt as was my bike which took an hour to clean. Next stop for the Cervelo…. sunny Cali.

Lisa

Still Raining?!?

2009-05-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

March 28th, 2009 by Lisa Worthington

Does anyone have a ticket to Arizona they would like to donate?

Green Valley Time Trial

2009-05-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

April 28th, 2009 by Lisa Worthington

What a fun day! It was exciting for me because TF had two newbies out on the course. My day started early meeting up at Marymore for the caravan. Wrong choice on vehicles, I should have taken Kris up on her offer of hers as it has seat heaters :) green-river-time-trial-april-09-0271

We arrived nice and early and got a great spot right at the start line with room for everyone to warm up. I was determined to NOT be late or hurried this time. After warming up I got off my bike with 20 min. to spare. I changed my wheel out (putting on my speedy zipp wheel) and had Kris help putting on my number. She didn’t have a start time until about 30min. later. I knew I had to use the restroom but I noticed my time was running short and I had to check out my bike on the road. I had to unfortunately let Kris fend for herself for number pinning (this was mistake number one - don’t ever leave your wingman …. she suffered later). I road down, found the restroom and as I was riding back up to the start, I heard them call my name. Darn it! late again, no I still had like 5 min. I still needed a sip of water, to put on my booties as my feet were cold, check my computers, give Louise and Clarise a pep talk, find someone to take pictures, check on Louise to see if she had any questions etc. etc. I rolled to the line and asked the guy how much time, he said 4 min. “do I have enough time to put on my booties” “yes, if you hurry” he said. I’m gone! This is why you park close to the start :)

I quickly roll back to my car, put on my booties, order Gary around to help, ask him to grab the camera, and roll back up. 1.5 min. to go. Yes! I made it. Check my computer - yes, Tell Louise to check her computers and HR monitor (she was a few behind me). Ooops, so worried about others, that I forget to check MY hr monitor. didn’t realize till I started riding. Darn!

The clock clicks down and Im off. Great speed feeling good, head down and don’t look around. I hit the turn around at 13:55. Wow, Im on pace for a great time. Coming back was harder. I finally with 3 miles left found some riders ahead. My goal, find Bill and pass him :) The first riders I thought was Bill, nope, keep going. Oh then I see him and another. Gotta ride harder, legs dying! I pass him and another, 200 meters to go. Hold it, Hold it. Wow, I beat my time byabout 30 seconds. I felt great. Couldn’t talk though, snot running across my face, drool hanging. Gotta love this sport ! :) Did I beat Tom??? Darn. he got me by 3 sesconds! Next time, watch out Tom!

Finish time 27:47 Place cat 4’s 2nd

Just an Ordinary Ride

2008-07-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went for a bike ride from my home in Woodinville to my church in Redmond via the Lake Samammish River Trail. It's a route I take regularly, but this time was a little different in two ways.

First, on my journey to the church, I passed some familiar Team Fastt faces, and it was great to see them out! I came up behind two people running, and recognized them immediately (especially with the Lake Stevens Half-Ironman shirt). As I passed, I said "Is that Nikki and Stacey?!" They said hi, and we cheered each other on like we were still in the half-ironman race :) It made my day. I also saw Gordon pass by me going in the opposite direction on his bike. I think he was too focused to notice me, but I was glad to see him.

All of this made me realize that encouragement during routine workouts and training is just as important as--if not more so than--encouragement during a race. In a race, we have myriad fans, endorphins, and the race excitement working in our favor. It's often the dirty work of training where we need the most support. Discipline is not easy.

And speaking of dirty work.... On my journey back home, after working diligently to prepare for Vacation Bible School, I came across some trash that was scattered all over the grass along part of the trail. I passed by it, and thought to myself, "Someone really ought to clean that up." The farther I got from the trash, the more I realized that that "someone" really ought to be me. It's a lot like the parable of the Good Samaritan, when the "religious folk" passed by an injured man on the side of the road--it was a Samaritan (an outcast) that actually stopped to help the injured man. So, after wrestling with my thoughts and pride, I turned my bike around to go pick up the trash. It was a bunch of beer bottles, plates, forks, napkins, etc., and it was pretty gross.

There was a couple sitting nearby that came over to help me. They commented that they wouldn't have done anything had I not stopped to clean it up. So sometimes when our paths come across something unpleasant, God might be calling us to be the ones to do the dirty work. Perhaps, no matter how futile it might seem, we'll encourage another person in the process.

That was my ordinary ride for the day.

Gordon's Lake Stevens 70.3 Race Report

2008-07-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

Decision to Enter: I have done triathlons for 20 some years, but have never done longer than Olympic distance. I had not intended to enter this year's race, but after seeing the enthusiasm on TEAMFASTT and hearing my niece and her husband had entered as a relay I started giving it some thought. After two weeks of good weather and finally getting some bicycle miles I registered a week before the event.

Race Expectations: Being number orientated I have the habit of of projecting how fast(or how slow depending on your perspective) I can do the event. Comparing to my Olympic experience I would swim at my Olympic swim pace. Since I had felt fairly strong riding the course recently, I planned riding fairly hard, but trying to hold back some on the hills. On the run I knew that I would be slowing down, so I put my expectations to try to hold 9 minutes miles, as I had recently completed 7.5 miles at that pace after a 38 mile ride. Therefore, I thought I should be able to break 6 hours and optimistically go 5:40 with a 35 minute swim, 3:05 bike, and then going under 2 hours for the run. Hopefully my transition times would be included in swim/bike, but could be made up with a faster run. Of course there was always the possibility I would “bonk” and come in much slower. This was not an impossibility, as just a few years earlier I was doing a 83 mile bike ride and at about mile 60 after climbing a short steep hill I was “wasted” and had to limp in at less than 12 MPH.

Race Preparation: My main concern was how much nutrition/hydration. For the Olympic distance I froze two large water bottles of Gatorade mix with added salt which seemed to suffice. I decided to carry three bottles and get replacement(s) at the bottle exchange. How much solids such as gels was unclear and decided to pack a few in my Bento Box. This was after consulting with several participants, even a couple at the transition area on race day(they were probably placing bets on when I would drop out). The night before the race I must have gotten only a couple hours sleep as my anxiety level rose. I left at 4:15 AM and felt a bit groggy. However, upon arriving at the transition area I quickly perked up and was ready to race!

The Swim: I started in the last wave before the relays. My group was smaller so I got off to a “clean” start. I considered the swim as a warm up for the rest of the race -- just keep relaxed and stretch out the muscles. By the time I rounded the end yellow buoys I had caught up with some swimmers in the previous waves. However at this point I started keeping further to the right of most swimmers as I had noticed the last orange buoy was set to the left. I exited the swim feeling energized in 34:06. My bike was on the nearest rack on transition entry – easy to find, and made it through transition in mediocre 2:39.

The Bike: Starting in the last waves has its advantages psychologically. Instead of constantly being passed in the bike, I was passing numerous bicyclists. I was still feeling pretty good as I made the turn onto Lake Roesiger Road and began the climb up the hill. Shortly I heard honking in back of me and thought: “This may get dicey with a car trying to pass everyone on the hill”. The honking continued and all of a sudden the leading pros, already on their 2^nd loop, passed me like I was hardly moving – so much for thinking I was “tearing” the bike course apart! At this point I decided to try downing a gel. Fumbling to open it, I squeezed some into my mouth, but also got on my hands. I guess I would stick to gatorade as I spent the next few miles licking my sticky hands. As I approached the halfway point I prepared to discard one of my water bottles for a replacement. They were passing out both water and Gatorade in the plastic bottle. As I passed the halfway bike point I noticed my time was just over 1:30 – I was on schedule for my bike split. Shortly thereafter I noticed a strange noise coming from my bicycle – not a good sign. After a few miles I realized it was simply the thinner Gatorade container rattling in my bottle cage. I continued downing fluids and took another Gatorade at the bottle exchange. I didn't feel like I was strong in the 2^nd loop and my 2^nd half time confirmed that out by being over 9 minutes slower. Total bike time: 3:10:17(1:30:19/1:39:58).

The Run: As I dismounted my bike I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder(which quickly went away) and a sore lower back. Since I had downed 90 ounces of Gatorade on the bike, I took a bathroom break and exited transition in 3:22. After the first couple of miles my lower back loosened up and I actually felt like I was running. For miles 3-5 I was running in the 8:40 range and thought: “The run isn't going to be all that bad”. I came through the halfway point at about 57 minutes. The first part of the 2^nd loop I thought I was still feeling pretty good, but I noticed my mile 3 was almost 1 minute slower than on the 1^st loop – I didn't feel like I had slowed down that much. The next two were even slower, closer to 10 minutes. However, I was almost done – back up over the hill and to the finish! As I approached the finish line I was energized by the cheering crowd and elatedly crossed the timing mats. My run time was 1:59:53(57:01/1:02:52). Total time was 5:50:15.

Conclusion: As I look back on my 1^st Half Ironman I can say I wouldn't have entered it weren't for being on TEAMFASTT and seeing the enthusiasm for it. The race was made much more enjoyable with all the support and cheering along the course. I'm just thankful I was able to complete a new challenge, even after all the years I've been doing triathlons. My race was by no means perfect, but was right in the middle of where I had predicted. I certainly could improve my nutrition routine(I mainly drank water on the run). My muscle endurance was definitely lacking which more time in the saddle could help. However, since my future schedule only includes Olympic distances, maybe I needn't get too serious about Half Ironman optimization.

Lake Stevens 70.3 - Tracy's Race Report

2008-07-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

In triathlons, as in life, each participant has a unique story to tell even though we all run the same course. This is my story of the Lake Stevens Half-Ironman, on July 6, 2008.

Race day began with two alarms (mine and my husband's) sounding simultaneously at 4:00am Sunday morning. Ouch. Thankfully, I had gotten a relatively decent night of sleep, all things considered. But once the alarms sounded, there was no more sleeping to be had, as the race excitement immediately took over.

We were lodging at a teammate's house nearby, which was such a blessing because we didn't have to get up even earlier! So thanks to Marci for housing three Team Fastt race participants (Nikki, Stacy, and myself), plus my husband, Scott. In fact, Marci's two little boys were excited to camp out in their parents' bedroom so us triathletes could use their beds. Not to mention all the other little things they did to encourage us in our race, like provide goodie bags and oatmeal for breakfast. May God bless you all for your kindness!

After getting ready--including applying team tattoos to my arm and leg--and eating a quick breakfast, Scott and I left to catch a shuttle to the race site...only to realize I had left my two drink bottles in Marci's refrigerator at the house. Oops. Thankfully, we hadn't gotten too far, so we turned around to get them. I couldn't race without my water and energy drink.

I arrived at the transition area at about 5:30am, a half hour later than I had hoped. My good friend and teammate, Serene, was already there. We have been training together for this race for most of the year, and it turned out we were right next to each other in transition; she was #640, and I was #641. It couldn't have worked out better. We went through all the motions to get prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually. We made sure all of our tri gear was in place, we psyched each other up, and we prayed with other teammates who were also racing. We donned wetsuits, caps and goggles, and waited in line with our age group (29 & under) to enter the water. As we were waiting in line, I told Serene, "Now I can finally relax." The preparations are so mentally taxing that it makes the race seem easy. Though in all reality, I knew it wouldn't be. But I had trained hard, and was ready for the challenge of a half-ironman.

When the announcer said "Go!," we were off. I was in the middle of the huddle, and got kicked a few times, but still kept my calm. It has taken me several races to get used to the swim starts, and this was the first time I didn't have to stop and catch my breath. I felt great, and tried to focus on my swim technique (thanks to Lisa!). About halfway through, the group behind me started to catch up, easy to spot in neon pink swim caps. Several passed me, too close for comfort. I got kicked, and had to stop once or twice when swimmers passed on both sides at the same time. But I persevered, even passing a few swimmers in the groups ahead of me. I exited the 1.2-mile swim course at 40:47.

In the transition area, I had a hard time finding my bike. I counted the racks, and knew which row I was in, but somehow I passed right by my bright orange and yellow towel. I probably wasted about 15 seconds just looking for it. But I finally found it, and prepared for the long 56-mile ride ahead of me. On my way out of transition, I heard my brother, Tyson, and his girlfriend, Andrea, shout words of encouragement. It definitely made me smile. :)

So, onto the bike. I was bummed earlier in the week when I heard that they had altered the bike course just days before the race. I had practiced the course three times, and felt ready to conquer it. But then I got a little nervous once they changed it--I even had a dream that I got lost on the bike course, causing me to come in last. I did not, however, get lost, and finished the course faster than I had anticipated, in 3:11:42. (Mom, if you're reading this, you might want to skip the next sentence...). Also, according to my odometer, I got up to 46 mph! That's the fastest I've gone on my bike thus far, and I don't intend to go much faster. With that said, the bike course was hilly, technical, and fun. Rather than a flat and monotonous course, this one made me feel like I had really accomplished something afterwards.

My bike-to-run transition was much smoother than the first transition. I racked my bike, took off my gear, and put on my running shoes. Running is generally my strongest area in triathlons, but once I got started, I didn't know how I would survive 13.1 miles. But just as we must trust in God to carry us through that which is too big for us, I had to trust that my training would carry my body through the run course. And it did.

The run course consisted of two loops. I felt a little sick on the first loop, and my heart rate kept jumping up, especially when going uphill or passing someone. But after about four miles, things settled down and I fell into a good rhythm. On the second loop, I actually caught up with Serene, who wasn't feeling very well. We jogged together for a few minutes. Before I ran ahead, Serene said, "I'm praying for you!" Likewise, I prayed for her, too, and gave thanks to God for bringing such a great friend and training partner into my life. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). In fact, that's the best part of being on Team Fastt--we are able to encourage and build each other up.

Beginning way back in January, I had decided to memorize Hebrews 12 during my training, because I needed something to think about during the long workouts, and figured that would be a good challenge. Though I didn't get through all of it, I did memorize the first 13 verses, which I then used to help me persevere during the run course. I estimated one verse per mile, with a sprint at the end. I think it helped out a lot, not only in the race, but also in life.

Family, friends, and fans also helped me persevere through the run. It was great to run past the crowds of people and hear them cheering me on. It made me smile, even if I was in pain. In all honesty, finishing a half-ironman would not have been possible without their support. Many thanks to Scott, Tyson, Andrea, and everyone at Team Fastt!

And are you ready for my finish? My goal was 6 hours, and I finished strong at 5:59:59! What's even more amazing is that I had no idea what my time was after mile 3 in the run, because my heart rate monitor decided to reset itself. So without even knowing my time, I beat my goal by one second. Crazy.

After all that training, and after finishing my first half-ironman, I was overjoyed. Not only did I finish, but I had a great time doing it. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11--the verse I focused on at mile 11!). There is a reason for training, whether for a triathlon or for life, and reaching your goal far outweighs the pain it takes to get there.

Oh yeah, and my favorite comment from a fellow participant: Someone passing me on the run said, "I like your fish." He was talking about my temporary team tattoo on the back of my leg. :)

Congrats to all Lake Stevens HIM finishers!!

Tracy Mikula

Stacy's pictures

2008-07-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Stacy Wingard's First Half Ironman

2008-07-08T11:45:00.002-07:00

I forgot to attach pictures....here they are!

My First Half Ironman

2008-07-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

Lake Steven’s 70.3 Ironman was my first Half Ironman. It was also a blast! I can’t wait to do it again….WOW! I can hardly believe I’ve grown this much as an athlete in a few short years! Well, here goes my first attempt at a race blog….After a long winter of training in rain, sleet and snow (with Kathryn who talked me into signing up for HIM, Robin who pushed me to ride faster, Nikki my training partner, and several others who would join the diehards) and then unusually frigid water temperatures until just a few weeks ago I really appreciated the perfect race weather the morning of Lake Steven’s 70.3! I need to mention that staying the night before at Marci’s near the race site was a huge blessing! She was so awesome! She even got up with us at 4:00am the morning of the race and had breakfast and coffee ready! I couldn't eat much as I was a bit nervous since our briefing the day before. When I got to the swim start my stomach settled down as it didn’t look as scary as I had imagined (I had viewed last years Coeur d alene Ironman swim start and it looked like a raging sea!) Also, as I approached the dock there was Lisa was on the dock snapping pictures! So at this point I relaxed and really had a good swim, very steady and when I finished the swim portion I was feeling absolutely great and ready to get to my bike as this was the part of the course I knew like the back of my hand as I had been out here riding the course for several months! I had a great ride. I felt strong the whole way and the hills were my friends…I knew exactly where they were J I was very relieved when I finished the bike without incurring a single penalty…(the orientation meeting the day before freaked me out as I listened to all of the rules from the head officiate and I was sure I forget something and see their motorcycle flagging me down. Also, I was worried if I had to drop back 7 yards every time someone passed me I would end up back at the start!) It is funny how our minds work overtime—As it turns out I had nothing at all to worry about , because when the really fast pro’s go by they are flying and there isn’t a need to drop back because within the 25 seconds they are way ahead! I was strong and had fun passing other riders too! When I came to the second loop I saw Rich cheering us on and that was a cool surprise seeing him out on a part of the course where there aren’t many spectators! It was during this loop that my stomach started cramping up and as much as I tried to stretch it out and get rid of it before the run it continued. When I left the transition area to head out for the run I had to keep telling myself that that my legs were not connected to my stomach so my feet had to keep moving! I was in the 3rd leg of my half ironman and I was tough enough to finish strong through anything! So, most of the times I was moving pretty slow but I smiled none the less, encouraged others running in pain by shouting “finish strong”, and prayed! Every time I passed the downtown transition area (5x) there was a mass of Team Fastt supporters and my huge family crowd (15 of them) in blue teamfastt t-shirts cheering me on. That was the equivalent of Super Gu and energized me for miles! Three miles from the finish I caught Nikki and almost started tearing up as I realized we would get to finish the race together! We trained as partners for this race the past several months. (She is a faster swimmer than I and was ahead of me on the swim by 9 minutes…) She told me I couldn’t get emotional because she was saving her cry til the finish line! So we ran …and at one point we saw the finish line around the bend it we realized that we were just minutes away from completing the race! We Finished Strong, beat our personal time goals and more than anything dug deeper, pulled stronger, and pressed through to our finish! I have a long way to go in rankings but I personally WON my race! I couldn’t be more satisfied. I Finished Strong The Race Marked Out For Me. With Perseverance! I checked a huge goal off my list. Now I’ll set a new goal, one bigger than me, one that will stretch me as I train for it! That life list seems to keep growing as I do triathlons…I realized as I added a full ironman to it as I was running this race! Who knows when I’ll check that one off the list…Next, I am going to support Kathryn and Jo Ann at Ironman Canada and catch athletes at the finish line… :)

Ironman Goals - Ironman CDA 2008

2008-07-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Couer d’Alene was my second Ironman but not my last. Although there were so many differences between this year versus last, the journey nonetheless was again so memorable.

The first few days in Couer d’Alene were spent with teammates Rich and Faye (and her husband Michael), my daughter, Sydney and her friend, Brittney. Apparently they were on “my training plan” for the week which included a few swims, runs and rides as well as great food, fun conversations, much laughter and a lot of walking! In looking back, maybe I should have followed theirs?!

By Friday I was joined by my husband, Tim, and son, Sam and friends, Lisa and Kathryn. Teammates Robin and Christy also rolled into CDA. Our house became the “Team FASTT” hangout and I enjoyed the constant flurry of activity.

In so many ways this trip to Ironman was so different than in the past. Last year my goal was to finish. This year I had more defined goals. My coach suggested I set and write down 10 goals for Ironman but that they could not be time specific. He told me that regardless of my finish, if I met most or all of these goals, I would be able to say that I had a great race. I met 9 of the 10 so I can easily say, I had a great race! (More about this later.) The time goals…well, yes, I had those listed on a separate piece of paper!

Three AM comes early but who can really sleep before an Ironman? Kathryn and Lisa were up with me as they made me breakfast and ensured I had everything that I needed. I felt so spoiled and yet so fortunate. Rich and Faye soon joined us and we headed to the beach.

One of the biggest differences for me this year was that I was never nervous. NEVER! As I stood there on the beach with Rich, Faye, Christy and Robin, I felt so fortunate to be sharing this with such wonderful teammates. The sound of the gun caught me by surprise. With the swim not being my strength, I waited a few seconds before heading to the water. Somehow I found myself in the thick of it all and I was repeatedly kicked and hit. At some point early on I came to realize it was going to be a brutal swim. On the first lap as I was headed back to the beach I decided to swim to the inside of the buoys in search of some open water. Somehow I ended up going a bit off course but pulled it back together and as I exited the water I looked at my watch and saw that I had a :40 minute swim. I was just a bit slower than I had hoped since I was aiming for a 1:15 finish but thought I could improve my time on the second lap as I was feeling strong and the masses seemed to have cleared a bit. As it was, I had a 1:24 swim but I was okay with that as I wasn’t supposed to have time goals anyhow, remember?

Out of the water I was feeling good – even warm (as the water temperature was 59.5 degrees). I love the wetsuit strippers. One yank and they had my suit off and I was running to the tent. The changing tent was busy with athletes and volunteers. All of the volunteers were busy with other athletes so I was on my own but it went well and I was out of there fairly quickly. I was anxious to get on my bike. As many know, that is my favorite leg of the race. (Well, that and chocolate chip cookies on the run!) At the end of the first loop I was 5 minutes slower than I had planned. Was this going to be the norm today as everything was about 5 minutes off? A few times the winds picked up on lap two and caught me by surprise but I was still feeling strong. I love coming through town and hearing and seeing my friends and family. They give me something to look forward to and they are such an inspiration.

Just towards the end of my ride I caught a friend, Patty, who is a fun, talented, local competitor. I figured the race was going to come down to the run between us. I left T2 feeling really good. My stomach was bothering me a bit - apparently I thought a few Gummy Bears would help as I grabbed a package as I ran through T2. I don't even like Gummy Bears!

The first few miles went well but then I started to hurt, physically that is. The mental would be later. I had put a lot of training time into my run this past year hoping to put it all together for this race. But I also have been plagued with injuries and about 3 miles into the run I was beginning to hurt. I stopped to stretch and this was soon to be the beginning of a run/walk run portion of my race. As some point I caught up with George McKinnon. We kept one another company as we stuck together for a portion of the race supporting one another and moving forward. There were times when I really felt like I could continue running and run well but each time I tried I limped back to a walk. I was feeling discouraged but not disappointed as I had a good race thus far.

Late in the run I saw a ‘friendly’ wave just 75 feet or so in front of me. It was my friend Patty who had caught and passed me early in the run. I took a few long and ever so painful strides to catch up to her. A friendly face…good company…run time goals way off…my choice was clear; I would finish the last portion of the race with Patty.

As we rounded the corner to the final stretch home my coach, Scott, stepped out from the crowd to remind me that I was not meeting one of my goals. Oh’ yes, now I remember….that list of ten goals that I had written and sent to him prior to race day. It was the one goal that I knew was going to be the hardest to meet…to not walk any portion of the run except the aid stations….and here I was, walking! As he checked in with me I realized that I was having a fantastic day; out there doing what I enjoy, with people I enjoy and absorbing every moment.

That moment lingered for a few hours as I stayed at the finish line until the last TF athlete crossed. Of course I ate my Gummy Bears then too. After that I returned home just long enough to shower (I am certain a few were pleased about that), eat and celebrate with a nice glass of wine before returning back to cheer for those Ironman athletes that would cross just before midnight.

The next morning realization set in….a few of the crazy ones, Robin, Kathryn and Faye had signed up for next year. Of course I did not want to be left out. So, as I continue to train, I will work at ensuring that I meet my missed goal; I will not walk the run.

Running and Riding

2008-04-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

Obviously taking some time off to mentally get away from the marathon helped -- running the Yakima River Canyon Marathon April 5th was like I had found myself all over again. I was relaxed and confident in my training and fitness and consequently was able to cruise to a 3:38 finish and qualify for Boston and guarantee me an entry to the London Marathon...it was an even sweeter victory to win my age group and place 8th female! It renewed my love for the distance and encouraged me to run the Tacoma City Marathon in a few weeks as another training run leading up to IMCDA. I'm feeling ready and excited! The best part for me was that there was no taper, in fact the weekend before I had run a 15 miler Saturday, followed by a 5 hour bike ride and 7 mile run Sunday! Maybe if I taper...

The thing I've learned the most is that each sport compliments the other. I firmly believe that it wasn't just the reduction in training miles (I ran between 22-30 miles/week) leading up, compared to my usual 40-50, but it was the dramatic increase in cycling and swimming that helped me along the way. I am now a fully converted triathlete, if for nothing other than the training benefits it gives my running. Ok, I know the physiological reasons behind the science, but to actually experience it rather than write about or discuss it was something else!

This weekends ride of the Lake Stevens 70.3 was some of the best times I've had riding. I started from home (Seattle Hill in South Snohomish) and rode into town, collecting a good friend, Nikki, along the way who wanted to come and meet the team. The ride itself was great: fun, friendly, relaxed, and encouraging. Regrouping and moving into small groups along the way. It was fun to chat with different folks and to share stories. Over the many hours I got to talk to so many different people.

Of course the weather made it even more enjoyable, but some of the highlights for me were: coming to the top of a hill and seeing Serosha sunbathing with what looked like war paint all over his face, no matter how sore, tired, or thirsty people were they never, ever gave up, seeing a "peloton" streaming down the trail at 9:30 on a Saturday morning and being a part of it, flying down Dubuque and clocking 42.6 mph (a new PR!!!), laughing and telling stories, riding loop two with Stacy, Nicky, Nikki, Clarise, and Serosha, and, when stopping to regroup half way around lap two managing to fall off of my bike while standing still -- what was actually cool about that was that a guy drove past and told the folks up ahead that one of their team had crashed (somehow I'm really glad I "crashed" while not moving!!!!) and the fact that then people turned around and came to check on me, regardless of their own training needs! You are all the best!

Clarise and I finished by riding north on the trail before turning around at Getchell and heading back through some of the run part of 70.3, before I headed home on bike. I made it 100.1 miles and felt like a million dollars, and in appreciation for all of those who didn't realize how much they helped me achieve that: THANK YOU!

Here's to more sun and companionship, Britt :)

My running rambles!

2008-01-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

Running….isn’t it one of first physical activity skills that we learn? Then why on earth can it be so difficult and so frustrating, and yet, two days later be the easiest and most peaceful thing on the planet? I suppose if I had an answer to this I could make myself rich!!!

Why do I run? I get that question all of the time and still I’m ‘running’ in search of the answer, and on any given day, that answer can be quite different. Some days it’s because I can: like when I ran a marathon 5 days after being in a car accident, other days it’s because it keeps me sane: as an assistant principal the things I can deal with in a day are quite profound, far-out-there, sad, or just plain frustrating, and running helps me to put everything into perspective – it’s a way to be free, to get away from it all, to think about anything and everything, but most of all finishing with some sense of a plan. Other days still it’s just to make myself feel physically better: how many of us have had those “I ate too much last night, I just feel fat” days?!?!? Yep, somehow running makes me feel less guilty and better about myself.

As I’m writing this I’m sitting in very cold, very snowy Spokane at the January OSPI conference. Being away from home can present its own challenges for getting our workouts in, but being at a conference with colleagues makes those challenges ten-times tougher: you sit listening all day and then your team wants to go out to eat to be social right at the end of the conference…do you say “sorry, gotta train”, or do you “suck it up”? For me, it’s more of the dreaded “I’ve got to drag myself out of bed at 5:30am to go run on the treadmill before the day begins, and then “can I sneak out of the last session early and jump in the hotel’s tiny little pool”? So, yes, I did both – the first met me with disappointment – all the treadmills were being used, and their occupants looked like they were on for a marathon, and there was a line of about 4 other excited onlookers! What to do? Well, those of you who know me know I love thinking outside of the box…so, I decided I’d just run around the hotel, and so made myself a fun little route, kept my heart rate at about 150, and just enjoyed people watching. It was probably one of the most relaxing runs I’ve had in a long time…and needless to say, the next day I didn’t even stick my head in the “gym”, I just went straight for my little “route”. I got strange looks, but no-one (at least openly) complained and those waiting in line for the treadmills were rather green with envy, or was that green from the heat and smell in the little room?!?!?! I have to say swimming in a pool that small made me quite sea-sick and taught me that I must learn to flip turn, oh, and take Dramamine! It made for a tiring few days, but at least I didn’t offend anyone, and I got my workouts in!

I’m “famous” for being the Marathon Maniac, but, seriously I don’t see myself that way at all. I don’t think I do anything special, nor am I anything special. I’m just like everyone else: tired at the end of the day, balancing a job and family life, taking classes that will one day hopefully lead to my PhD, and training. This last year I signed up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene. I’ve always wanted to do it, but never really dreamt that I could. Now I’m in the middle of “training my butt off” and loving every minute! I love the fact that cycling has made my running leg turnover quicker, and swimming has helped my asthma and my breathing. I should have been cross-training years ago!!! The whole 4 marathons in 10-weeks came as a result of my husband teasing me (oh, I’m so easily influenced!) and a thought that if I could do that I could finish Ironman…I think I forgot that there are other events in an Ironman ;)

This fall’s marathon experience was awesome. I loved it! I never, once, felt ready for running 26.2 miles when I was at the start line though, and yet, I finished each one, including a PR on #3 in Seattle, which is a brutal course…I felt like I was flying that day. I did everything right. You’d think I’d “got it”, but just 3-weeks later, I totally blew it on my 4th marathon and seemed to do everything wrong! Crazy! Those who have run a marathon know that the last 6-miles is brutal, almost an out of body kind of experience…those who haven’t, to explain it would be like me trying to describe colors to you if you had been blind since birth! There isn’t any way to describe it – and even fewer words to describe how your legs feel the morning after! Although, I have learned that after 10 marathons that feeling doesn’t last half as long, or seem half so bad as the first! I actually kind of like it now – it’s a personal “feel” of satisfaction in a weird kind of way!!!

I promised myself I’d take some time off from finishing the last marathon in December, and so my next one is Yakima Canyon in April. I’ve got talked into doing some halves along the way, but I wanted a mental break and a chance to focus on breaking the 3:40 mark, and to qualify for Boston…although I realize I’m more likely to do that in the Fall after Ironman, but I still plan to try! Really running 13.1 is SO much easier than running 26.2 so I’ve yet to figure out why I don’t stick to that distance!

TF Meeting - What I learned

2008-01-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

We had our January Team meeting last night. We should have known that it was going to snow. This is our second meeting that we have planned where the weather did not cooperate. Fortunately for me, I had a ride. Not that I don't enjoy swerving and sliding in the snow and ice, it is just that my car will not go in a forward direction in the stuff. I certainly did NOT want to walk up my hill at the end of the night.

Luckily Kris totally enjoys driving in these road conditions. She always has to prove that her mighty little car loves the stuff. My neighbors were probably wondering this morning what teenager was doing 360's in the cul-de-sac last night.

Kris and I thought we were totally prepared for this meeting. We were going to arrive a good 45 minutes early to set up. Her 10 minute drive to pick me up unfortunately turned into a good 45 minute drive due to those drivers who are not as confident as she is. We however made it with about 15 minutes to spare. Not much but we figured everyone else would be late as well.

So what I learned you ask? A statement that I used to live and work by, and was remind of by my husband later that night. "Piss poor planning makes for a piss poor performance." Boy did it show! I don't think I have been that flustered in a long time. Not even on a winter bike ride trying to figure out how to use the restroom while wearing those D@#n bibs! (bib shorts that is, for those of you who don't wear them, your smart. You have to take EVERYTHING yes, helmet too, off to do your business. A simple stop that could take as little as 45 seconds in a bush, and now your taking your helmet off!!!!?? can you tell how much I like bibs?)

Mistake #1 Always test out your equipment BEFORE leaving home. Or at least give it a run through when arriving. Make a note: Just because the projector light is showing on the screen does NOT mean that it is receiving input from the power point on the computer. Thanks to Kathryn for trying to fix it. Unfortunately we could not get it to work. All my efforts down the drain. And I had some pretty good pictures on there too. At least for not showing them, I was guaranteed a ride home. I just know everyone wanted to see the picture of Kris lying in bed the night after Ironman on the "how to rest" page. :)

Mistake #2 Please refer to picture above. (no, its not just a painful waxing session). Sometimes you have to shut your mouth when others are speaking. Ok, so I know Kris is the quiet one..where is that megaphone?....but when she's talking I really need to learn to shut my yap. I swear I don't even hear her over my loud conversations (maybe its the feedback in my own head, I don't know?) I appologize to her every time we speak because I am so rude and cut her off and don't let her talk. Ok, confession time, when we are working out, I am the one that can't get a word in. Seriously, she never shuts up! It's actually quite annoying. But anyway, I have come up with a plan. It involves duct tape. Need I say more?

Mistake #3 Always have a back up plan for when things don't work. How to take all those pretty words from the slides and talk about them? Ok, so all I could see was graphs in my head and could not get past it. How could I put that on a white board??? So much information running through my tiny brain and how to describe it all without boring the living daylights out of everyone.

Thank God for Rich! Ok, maybe Kris too if she would have spoken up.....or did she??? WE CAN"T HEAR YOU!!!!! Anyway Rich did a great job of explaining the whole periodization thing. Think linear. I was still on triangles, I think I was stuck in one, while he moved on to the line graph. Thanks Rich, nicely done.

Nutrition did someone say nutrition???? Up steps one of the newest members, Ben, what a great asset he is to the team. He's full of knowledge....all that mono sucrose, dextro,maltodextrin, potassium, sorbate, chain amino sugar acid talk! Nicely done! And to think I was just eating hammer gel for the great taste :) He pulled out his arsonal of nutrition, very amazing. I think he must own stock in that company.... I truely do like his approach to training though. HIRE A COACH! Let them figure it out and you just go and DO it. Whatever it is, its working for him. Again, Thanks Ben for the information.

I hope everyone came away with a head full of garbled gunk. Just kidding, hopefully it was usefull and you can use it for starting your training plans. Clarise even walked away with a Jimmie. You'll have to ask her. Jimmie is my new best friend though. He's always with me :).....yes, my husband knows about him, and he's ok with it!

I hope some of my learning experiences can help you in your next meeting or even family get together. Remember, Plan ahead, have a back up plan, and don't forget the duct tape!

Ciao - Lisa

Winter training plans

2007-12-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

As a triathlete, I occasionally find living in Seattle challenging...especially in the winter. The short days make training more challenging; the swimming, cycling and running all create unique challenges.

When my alarm goes off at 4:30 AM for my morning swim it actually feels like 2 AM and I find it easy to just hit the snooze - not just once but at least 5 times or to the first hint of day light. Often thinking that bowling would be a more suitable sport!

A run is less of a shock to my system yet I rarely can avoid the cold and wet. Soggy shoes are imminent! The glowing from my lime green clothing so that I can be seen by drivers makes me feel like a car flare. If I could only find treadmills more desirable!

With lights and fenders added to my bike, cycling remains my favorite however I am surprised at how many friends choose not to answer their phones or respond to my e-mails when I am searching for a riding partner. Although warmer and drier, spinning in the garage just isn't the same - although more entertaining when Lisa turns it into a Karaoke session and holds onto the microphone (a Nuun bottle serves this purpose) singing her favorite 80's tune. Yes, it is worth dropping by for a spin!

So just when when winter training seems a bit more challenging and hibernation seems like a great idea Lisa, my training partner and warm blooded friend has what she claimed to BE A GREAT IDEA...that should have been my first clue!

Her idea, 'Lets make a Team FASTT Christmas card to send to our friends, members and sponsors!' Her idea seemed so simple; snap a picture, print the cards and mail them out. Before agreeing I failed to ask the important questions such as, "What are your ideas for this picture"?

They were endless: lights around the bikes, running in the snow (should we find some), swimming outdoors...did I hear her right? Arguing is useless....she doesn't take NO easily!

Here we are; middle of the winter, thirty two degrees outside with the lake water below twenty degrees (or did it just feel like it), standing out there in our wetsuit. I begged for the simple request of just zipping up my wetsuit and standing on shore but apparently that was not in her plans...wetsuit was only to be pulled up to the waist so we could sport our TF tri top. Yes, they look good but they are made for warm weather....couldn't we wait until spring to show them off? Apparently not! There we stood in the icy waters of Cottage Lake with frozen feet and shivering bodies trying to smile but all I could mutter, as seen in the photo, was "I think we must have misread the winter training plan!"

Thank God we have now received our winter clothing....I can be spotted out there on my bike or trotting up the hills but you won't be seen in Cottage Lake until late spring!

I hope that you all had a memorable Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all when we come out of hibernation!

Happy New Year.
Kris

Not alone on the Mountain

2007-10-24T09:46:00.001-07:00

After being layed up for several weeks recovering from my unfortunate accident, I was excited to get back out to exercise. I didn't want to miss my monthly climb of Mt. Si. This would be my first time actually walking normal and not favoring my sore toe and I was ready for the challenge. Kris, I and my dog Rally met up with RTBers Karen Nolting and Patty Swedberg. We headed out on the trail in the slight drizzle. After about 1/2 mile I knew that I was not going to be able to keep up with the others. I would like to use my toe as my excuse, however, I really just felt out of shape!

The day was beautiful and it felt so good to get back outside with some exercise. Rally carried her own pack (with extra water) and she was lagging a bit behind. I felt a little guilty for making her carry the water but figured she would want some later. Karen was with me for a while but I could tell that she wanted to go faster so I let her go ahead and the three quickly went out of sight. They stopped for me a few times. This is very frustrating when you know you can't keep up and you know that they don't want to stop but stop anyway not wanting to leave you behind. Each time I told them to not stop and wait. I said it was not fair because they were getting more rest than me. Patty said that bike superstud E. Eronomo once told her that "until she could keep up, then she had nothing to say about it". So that was that.

The last mile Patty, Karen and Kris took my words to heart and just kept going. I was alone for these last long and difficult switchbacks. I started to feel alone and a bit sad (especially because I just could not keep the same pace) and began to second guess if I was going to correct way. The trail is very well marked but I wondered why I had not seen them in a while. I stopped and looked around and really noticed the beauty that I was surrounded by. The leaves below were turning color, it was a bit foggy and it was still and peaceful. I really felt Gods' peacefulness in his creation. I looked straight up and saw the path to the the top. I really felt God reminding me that all you have to do in life when you may feel a bit lost, alone or scared is to take a moment to stop; stop and listen to God and to focus UP. He is there and he will point out that path to take and make it clear which way to go.

The forest may be thick and scary but if you just keep persevering, you can see the light through the trees. Well today's trees were not scary, but absolutely beautiful in the calmness of the forest.

I finally reached the top to see them all eating as Karen attempted to go a little higher. I got a short rest then off we went down. I learned a great lesson after the first time we hiked and RAN down the entire mountain. Lesson learned: You won't be able to walk for a week! And walking like a duck looks very foolish! So I decided I would just walk fast. The other three took off running and I never saw them until the bottom. I couldn't help but try to run too. (something about my stature and downhills, they work together well). Unfortunately, but maybe a saving grace, my toe hurt pretty bad going down. I ended up kind of limping the entire way down. I had Rally with me though. She was so cute. Rally would run ahead then stop and look back at me waiting to get closer then she would run some more.

I spent the entire time going down focused on God. I turned my sad aloneness into a wonderful time alone with God. When I got to the bottom, Kris asked me how it went, I remember saying "it was good, I was not alone, I spent the hike with God!"

The End of a Great Season

2007-09-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

By Kris Stolmeier

A blog? I have never written my own; only read others or had them written about me. Now it is my turn? Well, with a whirlwind weekend I am going to give this a try.

Competing this past weekend was the end to a great season; great because it was filled with a multitude of firsts that included; first ½ IM, first IM, first Olympic. Of course, there were a few sprints in there too. Did I leave anything for next year?

The weekend started with the Flowing Lake triathlon on Saturday which happens to be one of my favorite sprints because it is a great course for cycling. It is a mere 400 meter swim, a short 4k run and a great 13 mile cycling course filled with hills, fast down hills and some sharp corners.

The details of the race were shared in Lisa’s blog but I need to add that it was great sharing this race with so many friends, family and TF members. Lisa was at the finish line (crutches and camera) cheering me and other TF members on as we crossed the finish line (although I would have much rather had her competing). My husband, Tim, was taking off chips and my daughter, Sydney, placing finisher’s medal over the athlete's heads. Great of Rory and Deanna of BuDu Racing to put those spectators to work! And where was my 14 year old son, Sam, during all of this? He was at a cross country meet but would be joining me on Sunday.

Sunday was the Kirkland Triathlon. I love ending the season with this race; competing as part of a relay team. This year would be no different. My son was our runner, Patty Swedberg, Owner of Raise the Bar, was our speed swimmer and I was the cyclist. Team Gewurztraminer! (Named in remembrance of all those wineries Patty and I passed on our way to IM Canada in which we never got to actually stop and taste the wine, not even sample the ‘fine’ whites; in fact I don’t even know if we can say or spell this one!)

I dragged Sam out of bed early Sunday morning. Late enough that the coffee shops were actually open but early enough that we could still park within walking distance of the park. (It was not until later that I would learn that a caffeinated drink in my other hand might have benefits!)

Sam and I just hung out; visiting with friends and teammates that were also up at this ridiculous hour. Oh’ to be 14 years old again! No warm up or pre-race jitters from Sam! No bathroom stops…just some time relaxing on the grass. His only worry came at 6:30AM. “Where is Patty”, he asked repeatedly. “Call her, Mom”, he kept yelling out. When she didn’t answer, he was convinced she had overslept! Who would swim? All I had was my cycling 'stuff'. No worries – Patty arrived at 6:40 with a coffee in one hand and another caffeinated canned drink in the other. Besides the fast twitches and quick words, she seemed relaxed and ready to go!

She was! She was out of the water in no time. An amazing 12:34 split. A high five and I was off; veering my way through the long transition to bike mount and then onto another great course with some good hills, long flats and fast descents.

My computer wasn’t working and the 12 miles ended far too soon. As I rounded the last corner in transition I saw Sam ready to go; legs wanting to move forward. He took off as soon as I tagged him.

Patty and I made our way over to the finish line; meeting up with some of her team members, yelling out to some of mine, watching a nasty crash with the athlete making her way to the dismount line – all while Patty is snapping photos. I don't think she ever puts that camera down! We arrived just in time to see Sam cross the finish line.

Sam finished looking strong. The results said it all…Patty had a great swim, my cycle time was good – the pressure was on having to go up against Suz Weldon; the fastest cyclist in all of ….. a lot of places…and Sam’s run time was great! Best of all, I didn’t even have to get wet!

A great way to end the season…surrounded by friends and family!

Team FASTT members DOMINATE Flowing Lake

2007-09-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

By Lisa Worthington

Wow! God is Good! What an incredible day. The injury to my foot just two days before my last race of the season turned out to be such a blessing. I may have been forced into this retirement this season a week early (maybe two weeks thanks to Mt. Si) however I had such an incredible experience at the Flowing Lake Triathlon today.

Team FASTT had 15 members competing today and we were out in full force. We had such incredible accomplishments, first time racers, overall winners, numerous age group podium finishes, conquered swim fears, smoking bike times, and well attended pre-race tri-prayer. So here is the race from my perspective: as a spectator.

This was only my second race a real fully involved spectator. I had SO much fun. The day started early with no pre-race jitters. When Kris and I arrived, there were already 3 cars in the lot, I felt the pressure to "race" down to the transition area to find a good spot for Kris. We always like to arrive before everyone has even poured their early am coffee to pick the prime spot. Today I was not racing but I wanted to be mental support person for Kris, Merg, Deb, and Darlynn, as well as rah rah support for everyone else. I however was on crutches! This was going to be tricky since I also wanted to video tape and take pictures as well as lend support to Deanna and Rory with BuDu Racing (our wonderful sponsors and excellent race coordinators).

As it turned out the 3 cars were just workers and thankfully Rory opened the T zone just for us. Kris got prime position as she was out for the win, unless of course Patty Swedberg (Raise the Bar) took me up on taking my race entry. With spot secured, Kris actually helped me more than I did her. She carried the banner, brochures, and my chair. I reverted back 15 year to the old fanny pack loaded with all my goodies, phone, camera, video camera and spare tube (just in case).

It was so cool to see TF members one by one, looking so sharp in their team kits show up and take their positions. Most racked near Kris but others took position at other end racks. BuDu did not need any help with registration which was great because I got to just hang out in the T zone. Deanna made the announcement that no spectators should be in the T zone, but she called me "special" :) She handed me a black marker and then I felt REALLY special. I was now a body marker! Ok, next to being a body oil lubricator (swim meets) this was cool! I saw some really nice arms out there, not to mention calves! Athletes rock! I made sure to put a smiley face on everyones number that had an 8 or 0.

I hopefully got everyones picture pre-race which juggling the body marking. Then I borrowed Rory's megaphone and stepped outside my comfort zone. I made an announcement for a pre-race prayer. I announced it for TF thinking maybe someone else might might want to join in. Well what a blessing I found not only TF but many many other athletes as well joined round arm in arm for a prayer. God is Good! No, God is Great! Ok, now time to calm some nerves.

I tried to calm some nerves of some anxious swimmers as well as Merg, Yeah, this was her very first triathon. I was SO excited to watch her complete this race. The waves went off, 5 minutes apart. Tom, out of the water in the top 5! He looked sharp running through the T all blue and white, with Steve not too far behind then Morgan. Morgan, what a stud, his first triathlon and new member as of 6 days ago. His kit accented by his tatoos, he looked just as strong. Tom, you better watch out for those two, they are on your heals!

Kris, fifth women out of water, not too shabby for a "non-swimmer" :) I watched all the gals as they all ran strong out of the water and through transition. It is amazing to see how many people just take their time and hang out before heading out on their bikes. Not TF, they are competitors! I thought Merg was in the top 12 as I yelled this to her, she later told me I was not very smart. Oh, well she looked great! Debbie, Yeah, told you that you would be no where near last! You rocked girl. The only thing I really missed that I wanted to capture on film was Marks' flying leap onto his bike. I would then use that footage to SHOW at the next tri clinic as I will not be demonstrating that anymore :) I guess I will have to go to a cross race to capture that move as well as watch his wife Sarah take another win! Good job Sarah.

I then positioned myself at the end of the finish line chute. I recruited Tim and Sydney to help with chip straps and handing out medals. I just stood and directed, while taking pictures and trying to video everyone crossing the line. First place male, Wow, under an hour with number 2 right behind. Then came Tom, Steve, Morgan, Mark, Richard, Serosha, (not too shabby for running a THIRD lap, who taught that kid how to count? I heard he road the course again after just because ) Then the women, Kris (first overall and qualifying for Nationals - thanks I didn't want to race without you), Nancy, (nice finish girl, your bike smoked!). Debbie Bond (finishing ever so strong), Vinette (ouch, you still looked great and finished strong despite dropping your chain and crashing- your tough), Darlynn (you know your awesome),Clarise ( oh, so strong looking),Marcie (Great job and always smiling), Mergie (Yeah! this was your day girl), Faye (strong strong finish, nice job), Debbie Boyce (you were strong the whole way and I don't think I heard you in the water :), and Kristine (for only your second tri, How cool are U? You rock!) So a good day was had by all. I can't even name all the awards that were handed out.

Big congrats on first time finishes first and formost. A ton of AG awards and hey OVERALL to Kris! Im so proud of everyone and it was just an incredible experience to be able to be there to support you all and watch you all FINISH STRONG!!!!!

Lisa