140.6 Miles of Smiles--IMMD Race Report (Part 1)

It has been one week since I crossed the finish line at IMMD.  One week of reflection, celebration, rest and getting back to reality.  One week of digesting all of the events of last weekend leaves me with so much to say.  So. . .  grab an Americano, you guys. . . It's a long one.  I hope you will join me as I recount my first 140.6--IMMD.

Pre-Race:

Wednesday, September 17

When I arrived home from work on Wednesday afternoon, my carport had been transformed into a bike service center.  The hubby had my bike on the stand, cleaning gears, checking brakes, and making her nice and shiny!  Since I have little to no experience changing tires mid-race, I asked that he leave the tire changing to me to get in some practice. . .  just in case I needed to use those skills on race day.

Four tire changes later (both mine and the hubby's--trusting guy, right?), I was feeling confident and ready to tackle packing my things for our weekend away.  Soon, our bedroom looked like this

as I divided gear for each leg of the race.  I knew, based on the IMMD Athlete guide, that each athlete would be supplied with bags at check-in.  I could just shove everything in my travel bag and divide it once we arrived in Maryland, but I didn't want to take a chance with forgetting anything, so I used my bags from Raleigh 70.3 to organize my gear, planning to transfer it into the designated bags once we were settled and checked-in.  

After a quick trip to Target for our cheerleader to pick up glow-sticks,

we dropped the Little Guy off at the grandparents' house and turned in for the night, knowing that we had a long drive ahead.

Thursday, September 18

We got on the road well before sunrise, with hope of making it to Cambridge, Maryland in time for the 3pm Athlete briefing.  Knowing that the drive would be long, the reporter packed homework and books to occupy her time, while I worked on knitting a new sweater to calm my nerves.  

A few hours into our trip, we arrived here:

When the hubby suggested taking this route, I had a little panic attack.  The bridge tunnel had been on my list of places that I never had an interest in visiting.  First of all, I am not a fan of bridges or tunnels, and did I mention bridges??  But driving this route meant an "educational experience" for the Reporter (bridge-tunnel power point, anyone?) and a visit with our friend Heidi for a pre-race pep talk.  So, I sucked it up, and actually ENJOYED it.  Yep.  That "scary" bridge-tunnel wasn't so bad after all!  

Right on schedule, we pulled into Cambridge at 2:30pm--just enough time to find a seat in the grass at the Ironman Village and take in all the details of the pre-race briefing.  The atmosphere was relaxed and the head official running the meeting was comforting.  Soon all of our questions were answered and we were ready for athlete check-in!  The hubby and I made our way through each check-in station, receiving the trademark Ironman wristband, gear bags, swim caps, and a new backpack emblazoned with the IMMD logo.   A quick walk-through the Ironman store left me hopeful that I would be back on Saturday night to purchase my very own M-Dot gear to wear with pride, as a finisher. . .

After dinner on the river with our housemates for the weekend, and a quick trip to a local ice cream shop, we started settling in at the vacation rental we would call "home" for the weekend.  My first order of business was organizing my gear bags.  Soon our room went from this:

to this:

I double and triple checked each bag, ensuring that everything I needed was there--extra socks in special needs bags, nutrition for the bike bags, race belt and visor for the run bags--because these bags would be dropped off on Friday in the transition area and I wouldn't see them again until I was ready to use them on race day!

Friday, September 19

The hubby, the Reporter and I woke up early to meet friends for breakfast in Cambridge.  As I have mentioned several times, we have been fortunate to connect with athletes near and far through social media, and sometimes we are lucky enough to meet them in real life and even race together!  Friday gave us the opportunity to spend time with a fantastic family from Pennsylvania that we have known "on-line" for quite some time.  We instantly hit it off, so while our girls played in the pool all afternoon, Dave (a two time Kona finisher), the hubby and I drove the bike course to get an idea of what we would be riding on the following day.  In a word, it was gorgeous!

At the athlete meeting, we had been warned of the possibility of water covering parts of the roadway through the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge.  The thought of pedaling through the water made me a bit nervous, but after I saw the areas affected, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.  

We had also been warned about. . .  THE HILL. . .

The bike course consisted of two loops, confirmed by the navigators in the front seat. . .

Once we returned from the bike course preview, it was time to deliver our gear bags and rack our bikes.

The transition area was unlike any race I had ever done.  There were drop zones for bike bags, run bags and special needs bags (these are bags that you have access to half-way through the bike and the run for refueling).  Bikes were racked side by side with no "transition space" because all of your changes would take place in the "changing tent".  But the transition area was not the most intimidating part. . . 

Beyond the barriers of the transition area was the Choptank River where our swim would take place the following morning.  The buoys were set for the swim course to give a preview of what was waiting, but if the wind, the chop and the swells were the preview, I surely didn't want to see the main event.  As I stood on shore, trying to make sense of the swim course (2 loops) that didn't match the online map in the athlete guide, I swallowed back fears and reminded myself that I hadn't put in all those miles and hours to back out the night before.  I was also reminded, by the hubby, that the wind was picking up due to incoming clouds and the morning should be calmer and less choppy.  Still, I wasn't convinced.

In an effort to calm my nerves and fuel for the next day's event, we had wine and dinner (and wine) at a local brick oven pizza company.  

Pizza and Wine--athlete food, right?

While we were dining, we chatted with other athletes at nearby tables and that is when we met Gregory Durso.  Greg was a para-triathlete who was paralyzed from the chest down in a sledding accident, competing in his second Ironman attempt.  He had not been able to finish the race in Lake Placid in July, but was back for redemption at IMMD.  His spirit unbreakable and his determination contagious, I knew he would be a face to look for on the course the next day.

Nerves calmed by Merlot, ice cream, and a good pep talk from the hubby, I was ready for my final race-day prep. . .

My friend, Gina, sent an Ironman care package in the weeks leading up to the race, complete with race-day nail polish.  As a two-time Ironman finisher, she knows all the important things to remember on race day.  As I sat chatting with one of our house mates, painting my nails, I began to feel a sense of calm.  I was hopeful and confident that the next day would be one of joy and celebration.

Finding My Balance

 balance

1.

a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight,amount, 
etc.

2.

something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.

3.

mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior,
judgment, etc.

4.

a state of bodily equilibrium

When taking on a new project, commitment or challenge, one of the first things I do is sit down with my trusty notebook and pencil to develop a plan.  I am a list-maker, a scheduler, and a planner.  I don't like the unexpected and unscheduled.  I like to know exactly what to do and when to do it.  Maybe that is why I enjoy training for races--choose a race, choose a plan, plug it into the calendar and go.   

After I recovered from the initial shock of registering for a Full Ironman triathlon, I realized that I needed a plan.  

"Of course," you are thinking, "You need a training plan to tell you when and how far to swim, bike, and run, and when to take rest."

While this is correct, I soon realized that this was not the only plan I needed.  I need a plan for my life for the next thirteen weeks.  A plan that would ensure that I could keep all facets of my life in balance while still devoting enough time to training to get me to the starting line on September 20.  

One complaint of many triathletes during the training period is that they feel that they lose touch with their families because of the long hours required for workouts.  With both hubby and myself training for the same race, we had to figure out a way to reach the starting line healthy, happy and with our marriage and family intact!

If you remember this post from several years ago, I went on and on about how the hubby and I share a love of running and triathlon and but over time, we have learned that training together is not always the best choice for our own personal goals, not to mention our marriage.  He is becoming rather speedy and most days I am stuck in one gear--"semi-slow".  Even so, we like to try to schedule some of our workouts together, especially trips to the lake or the pool for a long swim.

With all of these things in mind, I had to develop a plan that would allow me to achieve balance in all areas: spending time with the hubby (training or otherwise), spending time with my children, maintaining a sense of peace in my household by keeping it organized, clean and cozy, preparing healthy meals for two hungry triathletes and two crazy kiddos, getting adequate rest, and of course, getting in the training on the plan. I had done it before while training for other (shorter distance) races, and with a little creativity and some compromise, I was determined to do it again.

Here is a quick list of seven survival strategies I have utilized for staying sane and maintaining my balance during training:

1.  Be flexible.  Seriously.  It seems so easy, but often it is the hardest part.  Triathlon isn't paying my bills, and probably never will, so I can't let it rule my life.  If the plan says "run 5 miles" on Monday, but that is the only day the pool is open for laps at a time that you have a sitter, make it work and move on.  The hubby and I quickly discovered that we couldn't get caught up in details that wouldn't matter in the long run.  As long as we got the workouts done as close to the plan as possible, it was a win-win.

2.  Involve the kids!  I can't even count the number of people that ask me how we train with two young kids.  My answer?  We train WITH two young kids.  The reporter loves to ride her bike while I run (3 miles or 16, she is there with a smile) or join me for laps in the pool.  Lake swim?  No problem!  We added a Stand-up Paddleboard and a mini-kayak to our collection this summer so the kids can paddle or ride along while one of us plays "lifeguard" and the other swims.  Sure, it takes longer, but our kids are enjoying the fun of weekend trips to the lake and the Reporter has even started joining us in some Open Water Swimming!

3.  Change your wake-up.  75% of my runs take place before my kids even open their eyes in the morning.  I meet my faithful and loving running partner twice a week before sunrise for our morning miles.  While we solve the world's problems by the glow of headlamps and streetlights, my kiddos are still snoozing at home with the hubby.  The same can be said for early morning swims and bike trainer rides, as well.

4.  Schedule your housecleaning.  I don't have the luxury of a maid or chef, so those responsibilities are left to us to deal with.  At our house, Friday night is cleaning night.  While everyone else is at "Happy Hour", I already have clothes swishing away in the washer and my vacuum is getting warmed up.  While we dine on pizza and watch the latest Disney feature, I fold and sort laundry.  By getting these chores out of the way on Friday evening, I have the whole weekend ahead of me when I wake up Saturday morning.

5.  Menu Plan and Meal Prep.  I started weekly menu planning when we got married.  Although my method and eating habits have changed, the basic idea stays the same: Plan a menu for the week--breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, shop on Sunday after church and prep as much as possible on Sunday afternoon/evening.  The time saved during the week is a huge pay-off for a few hours of prep on Sunday.

6.  Ask for help.  For Christmas, we asked my husband's parents to gift us with babysitting for the year instead of gifts, and the results have been fabulous.  Not only have we been able to utilize this for training time (and much-needed date-time), our kids have enjoyed spending time with their grandparents and going on adventures while we are away.

7.  Honor the REST day.  It is so easy to get caught up in training and think that MORE is better.  But, I have learned that "more" eventually leads to less because of burn-out, injury and fatigue.  During both 70.3 and Ironman training, I have been diligent about following my "rest day" plan. That means, NO swimming, biking or running and lots of cuddles, reading and relaxing with family.  Your body and your mind will thank you for it.

The Final Countdown

6 days.

6 days until I arrive at the starting line of Ironman Maryland.

It's been 13 weeks since I last posted on the blog.  13 weeks filled with swimming, biking, running, fueling, rest days, researching, and planning.  13 weeks of celebrations, setbacks, fears, frustrations, victories, challenges, courage, improvements, accomplishments, and adventures.

In six days, I will set out to swim, bike and run 140.6 miles to the finish line of Ironman Maryland before the stroke of Midnight (and reach every cut-off point from point A to B in ample time to move on) to earn the right to call myself an "Ironman".

Over the next few days, I plan to share a few things I have learned throughout this life-changing training on the blog.  Stay tuned. . .