Finally recovering from our trip to Kona for Drew's Ironman... it is quite the race! It reminded me of the Boston Marathon, but for triathletes. Lots of fast people, lots of hype. Sponsor tents everywhere giving out schwag. Everyone up and excited.
Running down Ali'i drive in the days before the race was awesome, because every half mile or so were sponsor houses, with tents set up (Gu, Powerbar, Cliff, etc.) so every run was supported. You could pick the racers out by their wristbands, but everyone was out and about. Strange to see so many people strutting their stuff.
I sucked up the energy, but oddly it didn't make me want to race Ironman again. I love the energy of a big race, but for me it is still more about pushing myself to new places. Pulling my Ironman time down from 13:45 to 13:00, or accumulating cool finishers medals is just not the right challenge for now.
Next season is that season for me to really push the boundaries.
Starting with the Double Ironman in Tampa in February, a few European Doubles (maybe 1 Double/1 Triple) in the summer, and then the DecaIronman in the fall in Italy. I want to show continual improvement through the season, do the Deca in under 150 hours, and throw down a challenge for the IUTA World Cup. It's my 10th year at my job, so I have 25 days of vacation and I am using them all in support of seeing what I can really do in the world of ultradistance triathlon.
Using this season to recover seems to have done the trick. I'm antsy, I'm ready to go.
Training starts today with my last challenge, a 10 day swim challenge.
2.4miles each day in the pool. Not crazy hard physically, but mentally this one will be the toughest (I really find it hard to get myself into the pool). After this Debi has the plan, and I am ready to execute!
Go long!
Leslie
Waterfalls
Friday, October 19, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Not a race, but a set of challenges...
As the 2012 season starts to wrap up, and I looked towards my goals for 2013 I decided that rather than finishing 2012 with a race it makes sense to finish it with three challenges. So, I consulted with Coach Debi, and with Gu and we came up with this… One challenge a month for the next three months. The first starts on Friday.
The challenges are:
Bike (50 miles a day): Aug 24 to Sept 2
Doesn’t seem too bad, but recall that I will be working full-time… So, next week I will park 25 miles away and ride from Golden to Louisville, work, then ride back…
Run (13.1 miles per day): Sept 14 to Sept 23 including the Buena Vista Autumn Color Half
Marathon and the Denver Half Marathon
Hmm… the most physically difficult of these challenges…
Swim (2.4 miles a day, in a pool): Oct 19 to Oct 28
The least time consuming but will require the most willpower…
As you know, I am a Gu girl, but I focus in on the Just Plain and the Blueberry Pomegranate Roctane… They are sending me all of their flavors for this. I plan to try a different flavor each day (10 per challenge) and see if I can expand my flavor pallet. I'll let you know how they taste!
These challenges should set me up mentally and physically for next season, which includes a few Double IMs and the Deca IM in Italy. I’ll be posting as they go along… anyone want to join me?
Go long!
Leslie
Monday, June 25, 2012
RATS
This stuff is extreme! I’m a spoiled pricess ultragal, and really struggled with the conditions… extreme heat, hours rationing water and then running out miles before the water stop. Heat rash, and total dehydration… Camping in the dusty wind... Even the rest day today was extreme as we sat in what shade we could find and got blasted by sand in the wind. It was more about survival than performance out there…
But, the racers and support staff were fantastic, and though I fell down (literally) in the face of the extremes I had a great time getting to know an awesome group of people. If I am lucky, our paths will cross in the future in more genteel circumstances.
From my training log:
Day 1: Planned 20 miles, actual 20 miles (7:00:49 hours). Started at 1:30pm in wicked heat. Was seriously struggling to keep cool, and ended up in the shade of a little tree at mile 5. Heartrate would go sky high with any effort. Soaked my shirt, got some ice at the aid staton and hiked it to mile 14. Then was able to jog to the finish. Made the cutoff, and then they added 30 extra minutes due to the heat. Well into the 100s. Forgot to mention I took a fall and got a nice handprint sized bloomer ony hip and road rash on my left shin.
Day 2: Planned 39 miles, actual 24 miles (7ish hours). Not sure how long it actually was, but at least 7 hours. Slept quite poorly as when I fell yesterday's bruised my hip and every time I rolled there it hurt. Got up and planned to take it easy. Was suffering at the mile 14ish water stop after a long gradual and then milish steep hill. Drank alot and recovered well in the downhill. Was again wicked hot with a blow dryer style wind. After the next aid station we dropped down an asphalt road for 4 miles and it was horribly hot. Was getting tunnel vision and major unhappiness. Would not make the cutoff at this pace, so pulled out at the next water stop (24ish miles). The heat and I are not friends! Forgot to mention my new friend,... Heat rash. All over my legs. Oh, and I fell again but it was into soft dusty sand, so I just made a painless POOF.
Day 3: Plannd 9miles, actual 9 miles (2:45). Intentionally easy walked this stage. Hooked up with two others and had a great walk. still sleeping poorly. Hip still sore. Getting blisters but nothing I cannot handle. Had a good recovery afternoon.
Day 4: Planned 52miles, actual 27ish miles. (12'ish hours). No good. Was again beyond hot. Hooked up with 3 others, which dropped to 2 at mile 14 water stop. Filled up all water holders, and we headed out with the intention of continuing easily until it started to get dark then "pick it up". 10 mile uphill, 100+ degree air temps (hotter on the ground surrounded by rock). We ran out if water and started sharing our last bottle between us 8 miles after the rest stop. Got very dizzy, dehydrated, overheated. Heat rash, elevated hr, stopped sweating. Went a few more miles stumbling along until we got water/medical attention. (several bottles of fluid, shivers, salt, etc.) Major ugliness. I cannot tolerate heat, and no water. End of the day. End of any thoughts of effort for me.
Day 5: Rest day. Day off at rats, but not exactly recovering... Was wicked hot with a strong wind causing dust to blow in and on everything at camp. I hate camping. I hate dust. I hate heat.
Day 6: Race 26.2 miles. Planned 7 miles. Actual 7 miles. Easy walked this with some lackadaisical downhill running. Started at the first aid station and did the "pretty section" of the course to get in some mileage, but in no stress. Wanted to take the time to enjoy the beauty of the day and this experience. Did manage a quick trip, but only a wee bruise on my rump. Went to the finish line and cheered everyone in, the happy tears helped to clean the dust out of my eyes.
Looking forward to this upcoming recovery week. Lessons learned here at RATS are that I am not tolerant of high temps, cannot handle lack of water, and am not much of a trail runner. Did really enjoy the week in a twisted way, but this was not a race for me, conditions were too extreme for that. Walking away with some sore muscles, a nice set of blisters, a healing hip bruise and some "road rash". Looking forward to getting in the pool, getting back on the bike, and switching running to some sort of speed building mode.
It was a great, head clearing adventure. Time to go do some nice, non-extreme long stuff! I really am a lucky girl to be able to challenge myself with stuff like this, and to meet and hang out with a great group of crazy people!
Go long (but not extreme)!
Leslie
ps. My SturdyGirl sports bra held up to it all in fine fashion, with no chafing and no issues... 6 days of extreme and still extremely confortable!
pss. Gu chomps were a bit hard to get down, but the Gu Brew Tabs rocked when I had water to put them in, and the Roctanes were dry, but doable even in the extremes.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Desert RATS
Next week, starting Monday I am off doing the Desert RATS race. This is a 6 stage trail running race along the Kokopelli trail from Fruita, CO to Moab, UT. The stages are something like 20, 39, 9, 52, 26.2 miles. Camping each night, and sadly no showers (though we are near the river most nights... Not sure how I feel about that!). Although I'm still not much of a trail runner, and still nursing my achy soles, I am really looking forward to this challenge as a way to toughen up my mental game and to completely get away from the real world for a week.
You can follow the race website (I expect to place near last) at http://geminiadventures.com/new/?page_id=130
And, if you are curious where I am when racing i will carry my SPOT which will be turned on and update my location every 10 minutes along the race course. To see this, follow the Where's Leslie link on the right side.
Have a great week, I'll be totally offline mon to sat night!
Run long,
Leslie
Monday, February 27, 2012
Late winter racing...
Whew…after 4:20minutes, missing the cutoff and the top loop of the course, I arrived at the finish line of the Southern Cross 50 (32miles for me) cyclocross race completely shattered, and very very happy. This race is in Georgia, and Drew and I figured it would be a nice early season hard effort.
I knew I was lacking on bike skills. I am also having difficulty getting my focus this season. I intentionally am taking until June pretty easy with no races longer than half-IM and lots of recovery time… but the fire is not in my belly yet. It’s more smoldering embers that are threatening to go out. I also had a week of work travel and no training right before the race, let’s call it a taper. I arrived at the start already tired, and really nervous. The last time I had ridden K (my classic Kestral CSX mountain bike) on a trail I tore up the rear derailleur and the snow in Denver has made the trails unridable, so while I had butt time in I did not have really any off road time.
But, start lines happen and before I knew it the whistle blew and we were off. The race starts with a mile of “cross” course with a barrier, some steep hills, and a mud section but this part wasn’t too bad since there were some 200 people… they couldn’t make it too technical. Then off to the roads. Asphalt at first, then gravel. Lots and lots of uphill. I went to that place where I was breathing heavily, but manageably, and stayed there. First hour went by at mile 8… oh yeah, I was tearing this course up! Mile 10 we hit the steep stuff, completely red-lined, and got off the bike and started to walk. Finally hit the top and the cutoff point at 2:30, mile 12.5, and after the cutoff. The option was to cut off the top loop, and continue on the course. So, down the big gravelly road I went. This was actually pretty cool, because I was now mid-to-upper-pack and could see how the fast folks were handling the course.
Mile 30, pretty tired. Turn back into the winery. Down a grassy hill, to a road, and then the flagging goes straight UP. Guys at the bottom are offering beer. Off the bike and trudge up, barely moving. They next 2 miles were killer. Steep climbs, no energy, completely spent. Through a little stream and I just didn’t care how wet my feet got… even had to walk a little grassy incline at the end. I was shattered.
I knew I was lacking on bike skills. I am also having difficulty getting my focus this season. I intentionally am taking until June pretty easy with no races longer than half-IM and lots of recovery time… but the fire is not in my belly yet. It’s more smoldering embers that are threatening to go out. I also had a week of work travel and no training right before the race, let’s call it a taper. I arrived at the start already tired, and really nervous. The last time I had ridden K (my classic Kestral CSX mountain bike) on a trail I tore up the rear derailleur and the snow in Denver has made the trails unridable, so while I had butt time in I did not have really any off road time.
But, start lines happen and before I knew it the whistle blew and we were off. The race starts with a mile of “cross” course with a barrier, some steep hills, and a mud section but this part wasn’t too bad since there were some 200 people… they couldn’t make it too technical. Then off to the roads. Asphalt at first, then gravel. Lots and lots of uphill. I went to that place where I was breathing heavily, but manageably, and stayed there. First hour went by at mile 8… oh yeah, I was tearing this course up! Mile 10 we hit the steep stuff, completely red-lined, and got off the bike and started to walk. Finally hit the top and the cutoff point at 2:30, mile 12.5, and after the cutoff. The option was to cut off the top loop, and continue on the course. So, down the big gravelly road I went. This was actually pretty cool, because I was now mid-to-upper-pack and could see how the fast folks were handling the course.
Mile 30, pretty tired. Turn back into the winery. Down a grassy hill, to a road, and then the flagging goes straight UP. Guys at the bottom are offering beer. Off the bike and trudge up, barely moving. They next 2 miles were killer. Steep climbs, no energy, completely spent. Through a little stream and I just didn’t care how wet my feet got… even had to walk a little grassy incline at the end. I was shattered.
Drew finished a respectable 21st in his category in 3:50 and was pretty pleased with his race...
This race was perfect for me. I was in no way competitive, but I did put everything I had out there and it was great to race at my max instead of the steady forever pace I usually work with. It reinforced the message that I am in NO shape today, and the only place I can go is up. I think I need to find some more short stuff for the spring, some trail 5Ks would be great, or maybe even some more mountain bike racing. And, it reinforced that it is time to find my focus. No more skipping workout or making excuses… with RATS in June and a Quintuple in the fall it is time to lay the foundations for success…
Time to focus!
Leslie
This race was perfect for me. I was in no way competitive, but I did put everything I had out there and it was great to race at my max instead of the steady forever pace I usually work with. It reinforced the message that I am in NO shape today, and the only place I can go is up. I think I need to find some more short stuff for the spring, some trail 5Ks would be great, or maybe even some more mountain bike racing. And, it reinforced that it is time to find my focus. No more skipping workout or making excuses… with RATS in June and a Quintuple in the fall it is time to lay the foundations for success…
Time to focus!
Leslie
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The end of the 2011 season: Deca report
The 2011 season was a good season for me, a return to the world of UltraTriathon. I learned a lot, and more importantly I am energized and charged up for the next part of the journey.
At the end of September we headed to Sicily for the DecaIronman, 10 races in 10 days, and when we arrived I was immediately reminded why I love this sport. It was like a huge sweaty family reunion, and it was awesome being around people who don’t think the things I try to do are abnormal, or insane… because they are the same way. These are “my people” and from the first night’s 25 person wine and food fest at a local restaurant to the smaller dinners towards the end of the trip I had a great time getting to know them. When we left we did not say goodbye, instead it was until we meet again… and we will see most of them again at races in the future.
The swim for the race was at a pool in Enna, about 4 miles from the hotel so each morning we met up in the lobby to shuttle to the pool. It was a nice way to touch base and see how everyone’s race was going each day. The pool was a 25m pool, with high walls (about 2 feet above the surface of the water). I was fortunate to have Tony (from Canada) as my lane-mate since he was just a tad faster than me but stopped frequently, so we would always finish within a lap of each other. The pool was cool, so I was comfortable swimming in tri-shorts, a sports bra (thanks SturdyGirl), and a sleeveless wetsuit. The swim was a nice way to stretch out, but 1:20-1:25 is a lot of time to spend in my head each morning. After the first day Drew started to do a poolside dance every 1000m which really helped break it up for me, and gave me a feel for where I was (I tried lap counting, but 76 laps is a lot to get right). My swims got a bit faster each day… though my arms felt heavier. I really struggled with the turns, since I couldn’t grab onto the wall (TRAINING NOTE 1: Make flip turns a natural part of swimming). The first few days I just stripped the wetsuit, threw on a jersey and headed for the bike after I got out of the water, but after the weather got cooler and my bum got sorer I took the time to change into dry shorts.
After the swim was a nice 4 mile trip to the Pergusa Autodrome. The road had a couple of long climbs that gave me a chance to spin, spin, spin and also to eat a Gu and drink some Clip2. The first day the bike course was on the roads around the track which had a few small hills and pretty sweet surface. This was my favorite day on the bike since the hills gave me a chance to stand up and coast down. After the first day we went in and rode on the race course, which was a 5K loop with a few fun chicanes, some rough surfaces, and a nagging headwind on the backstretch. The biggest problem on the bike was boredom… which allowed time to focus on the pain in my bum, my aching feet, and the odometer. I would settle into my “I can ride this pace forever” pace, and it often seemed to go on forever. Occasionally I would catch up to, or be caught by, another competitor and we would spend a lap or two chatting which was nice. We also passed the crew area every lap where Drew would hand me some food or drink or just a few words… but this was on the tailwind stretch and all too quick. (TRAINING NOTE 2: Need to do some shorter, faster bike rides with intervals and work on getting back some bike speed… TRAINING NOTE 3: Aerobars. Learn to love them. Seat adjustment? Core work? Do what it takes so I can ride them all the time).
The first few days the run course was also around the track, a 2K out and back and then 8 laps. It is amazing how spread out 21 people and their crews can get, it was often a lonely dark place to be. I had Drew run laps 4,6,8 with me which gave me something to look forward to. On Day 4 Giorgio changed the run to be 2 out and backs which helped a lot as it concentrated the runners, let us go by the crew pit twice as often, and helped with the common ankle problem from running a cambered course. I was pleased at how much I “ran” although much of the time my running speed was the same as Drew’s fast’ish walk. TRAINING NOTE 4: Work on run “speed”. 10K’s, half marathons. Build the ability to create a cushion. Love the run.
Day 1: Started really nervous, but had fun. Tried to stay quite relaxed. 15:30
Day 2: First day on the real bike course, no fun. Bum hurt, feet fell asleep. 16:11
Day 3: Felt really happy on the bike, though the winds picked up. Was just a slow day. Did not eat as good as I aught. 16:41
Day 4: Tried to eat better. Started raining with 3 to go on the bike, then hail, then furious downpour. Walked the 2Kn with flipflops on waiting for the rain to stop then got on the run. 17:48
Day 5: Swim was fine, bike was fine except the rain the last couple of hours. Started the run in the rain. The weather made it hard to eat, and I wasn’t too hungry so I did not do a good job of it. Did the first half of the run and then I started to shiver. Badly. Became incoherent and dry heaving. Jan (Wayne’s wife) and Mario (race volunteer) came upon me and walked/carried me back to the crew area where they wrapped me in towels and forced in some electrolytes. I couldn’t stop shaking, and was freezing, though they say my skin was burning up. Sat in a car with the heater at full blast and eventually (maybe an hour all told) got under control. Drew gave me a new set of shoes and socks and when I could control my hands enough I changed, got out of the car, and said I was ready to walk. Giorgio (the RD) made the call that I had to stop. I argued a bit, promised Drew would walk with me and I’d keep a blanket around me, but he was firm and I do understand his decision. I was officially DNF. (TRAINING NOTE 5: Learn to listen better to my body. If I was able to see the signs earlier and correct for them, even if I sat down and rested/ate for awhile, I would have had a slow finish but a finish. I did not get the cues before I was in full implosion).
Day 6: Slept in. Ate a ton. Slept some more. Went out and walked the laps I missed the night before. Felt a lot like I was recovering from a bad illness… just weak and tired.
Day 7/8: Went sightseeing with Drew, and Mary and Steve (a great couple from Canada… he DNFd with ankle issues early on). Had a great time playing tourist.
Day 9: Did the swim, and 30miles on the bike until the weather got unfriendly. Decided I did not need to be out there, so took a shower, cheered folks on, and went out for a great meal with the other DNFers.
Day 10: Cheered on folks at the pool, then on the course. The weather was MISERABLE the whole day, and I was kinda grateful to be on the fun side if things.
It was really a great experience and I learned a ton from my fellow competitors. Each person taught me something, from the other DNFers and their whys and wherefores and what to do now plans, to Kim who averaged under 12 hours to win the race, to the middle of the packers and the pains and tough patches they overcame, to Vincenzo who averaged 20 hours and took a nap each afternoon.
So… there ya go. Once again I did not meet my goal, but I would rather stretch for something just out of my reach than play it safe. With Kari and Steve’s input I put together a great plan for the next two years. Until July I will do shorter and faster workouts, work on bike and run speed. No long slogs. August on I will build back in my endurance and do the Quintuple in Mexico in November. I will state my goal here and now… average UNDER 15 hours for each day of the race. Then in 2013 I plan to challenge for the IUTA World Cup which will entail doing well at a few doubles (including the World Championship), perhaps a triple, and definitely the DecaIroman in the fall.
I’ll end this rather long summary (it was a long race) with some big thank you’s:
Drew, who always believes in me and supports me in any plan I come up with,
Hilary, SturdyGirl Sports, who really does support me (the best bra’s in the world for endowed gals),
Debi, who coached me through this comeback to running and swimming without injury,
Gu, who made Rocktane… ,
The competitors, it is awesome to have found “my people” and be taken in as one of the family,
And, to all of you who believe in me… thank you for reading!
And, the journey continues…
Leslie
At the end of September we headed to Sicily for the DecaIronman, 10 races in 10 days, and when we arrived I was immediately reminded why I love this sport. It was like a huge sweaty family reunion, and it was awesome being around people who don’t think the things I try to do are abnormal, or insane… because they are the same way. These are “my people” and from the first night’s 25 person wine and food fest at a local restaurant to the smaller dinners towards the end of the trip I had a great time getting to know them. When we left we did not say goodbye, instead it was until we meet again… and we will see most of them again at races in the future.
The swim for the race was at a pool in Enna, about 4 miles from the hotel so each morning we met up in the lobby to shuttle to the pool. It was a nice way to touch base and see how everyone’s race was going each day. The pool was a 25m pool, with high walls (about 2 feet above the surface of the water). I was fortunate to have Tony (from Canada) as my lane-mate since he was just a tad faster than me but stopped frequently, so we would always finish within a lap of each other. The pool was cool, so I was comfortable swimming in tri-shorts, a sports bra (thanks SturdyGirl), and a sleeveless wetsuit. The swim was a nice way to stretch out, but 1:20-1:25 is a lot of time to spend in my head each morning. After the first day Drew started to do a poolside dance every 1000m which really helped break it up for me, and gave me a feel for where I was (I tried lap counting, but 76 laps is a lot to get right). My swims got a bit faster each day… though my arms felt heavier. I really struggled with the turns, since I couldn’t grab onto the wall (TRAINING NOTE 1: Make flip turns a natural part of swimming). The first few days I just stripped the wetsuit, threw on a jersey and headed for the bike after I got out of the water, but after the weather got cooler and my bum got sorer I took the time to change into dry shorts.
After the swim was a nice 4 mile trip to the Pergusa Autodrome. The road had a couple of long climbs that gave me a chance to spin, spin, spin and also to eat a Gu and drink some Clip2. The first day the bike course was on the roads around the track which had a few small hills and pretty sweet surface. This was my favorite day on the bike since the hills gave me a chance to stand up and coast down. After the first day we went in and rode on the race course, which was a 5K loop with a few fun chicanes, some rough surfaces, and a nagging headwind on the backstretch. The biggest problem on the bike was boredom… which allowed time to focus on the pain in my bum, my aching feet, and the odometer. I would settle into my “I can ride this pace forever” pace, and it often seemed to go on forever. Occasionally I would catch up to, or be caught by, another competitor and we would spend a lap or two chatting which was nice. We also passed the crew area every lap where Drew would hand me some food or drink or just a few words… but this was on the tailwind stretch and all too quick. (TRAINING NOTE 2: Need to do some shorter, faster bike rides with intervals and work on getting back some bike speed… TRAINING NOTE 3: Aerobars. Learn to love them. Seat adjustment? Core work? Do what it takes so I can ride them all the time).
The first few days the run course was also around the track, a 2K out and back and then 8 laps. It is amazing how spread out 21 people and their crews can get, it was often a lonely dark place to be. I had Drew run laps 4,6,8 with me which gave me something to look forward to. On Day 4 Giorgio changed the run to be 2 out and backs which helped a lot as it concentrated the runners, let us go by the crew pit twice as often, and helped with the common ankle problem from running a cambered course. I was pleased at how much I “ran” although much of the time my running speed was the same as Drew’s fast’ish walk. TRAINING NOTE 4: Work on run “speed”. 10K’s, half marathons. Build the ability to create a cushion. Love the run.
Day 1: Started really nervous, but had fun. Tried to stay quite relaxed. 15:30
Day 2: First day on the real bike course, no fun. Bum hurt, feet fell asleep. 16:11
Day 3: Felt really happy on the bike, though the winds picked up. Was just a slow day. Did not eat as good as I aught. 16:41
Day 4: Tried to eat better. Started raining with 3 to go on the bike, then hail, then furious downpour. Walked the 2Kn with flipflops on waiting for the rain to stop then got on the run. 17:48
Day 5: Swim was fine, bike was fine except the rain the last couple of hours. Started the run in the rain. The weather made it hard to eat, and I wasn’t too hungry so I did not do a good job of it. Did the first half of the run and then I started to shiver. Badly. Became incoherent and dry heaving. Jan (Wayne’s wife) and Mario (race volunteer) came upon me and walked/carried me back to the crew area where they wrapped me in towels and forced in some electrolytes. I couldn’t stop shaking, and was freezing, though they say my skin was burning up. Sat in a car with the heater at full blast and eventually (maybe an hour all told) got under control. Drew gave me a new set of shoes and socks and when I could control my hands enough I changed, got out of the car, and said I was ready to walk. Giorgio (the RD) made the call that I had to stop. I argued a bit, promised Drew would walk with me and I’d keep a blanket around me, but he was firm and I do understand his decision. I was officially DNF. (TRAINING NOTE 5: Learn to listen better to my body. If I was able to see the signs earlier and correct for them, even if I sat down and rested/ate for awhile, I would have had a slow finish but a finish. I did not get the cues before I was in full implosion).
Day 6: Slept in. Ate a ton. Slept some more. Went out and walked the laps I missed the night before. Felt a lot like I was recovering from a bad illness… just weak and tired.
Day 7/8: Went sightseeing with Drew, and Mary and Steve (a great couple from Canada… he DNFd with ankle issues early on). Had a great time playing tourist.
Day 9: Did the swim, and 30miles on the bike until the weather got unfriendly. Decided I did not need to be out there, so took a shower, cheered folks on, and went out for a great meal with the other DNFers.
Day 10: Cheered on folks at the pool, then on the course. The weather was MISERABLE the whole day, and I was kinda grateful to be on the fun side if things.
It was really a great experience and I learned a ton from my fellow competitors. Each person taught me something, from the other DNFers and their whys and wherefores and what to do now plans, to Kim who averaged under 12 hours to win the race, to the middle of the packers and the pains and tough patches they overcame, to Vincenzo who averaged 20 hours and took a nap each afternoon.
So… there ya go. Once again I did not meet my goal, but I would rather stretch for something just out of my reach than play it safe. With Kari and Steve’s input I put together a great plan for the next two years. Until July I will do shorter and faster workouts, work on bike and run speed. No long slogs. August on I will build back in my endurance and do the Quintuple in Mexico in November. I will state my goal here and now… average UNDER 15 hours for each day of the race. Then in 2013 I plan to challenge for the IUTA World Cup which will entail doing well at a few doubles (including the World Championship), perhaps a triple, and definitely the DecaIroman in the fall.
I’ll end this rather long summary (it was a long race) with some big thank you’s:
Drew, who always believes in me and supports me in any plan I come up with,
Hilary, SturdyGirl Sports, who really does support me (the best bra’s in the world for endowed gals),
Debi, who coached me through this comeback to running and swimming without injury,
Gu, who made Rocktane… ,
The competitors, it is awesome to have found “my people” and be taken in as one of the family,
And, to all of you who believe in me… thank you for reading!
And, the journey continues…
Leslie
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