Two Weeks away... and I suck at fundraising

Hi everyone,

Well, it's crunch time and my big adventure is almost here. Tomorrow I do my last long run... 18 miler on tap, and then it is taper time! Woo Hoo!! Last weekend, I did a 92 mile bike ride on Saturday, a 15 mile run on Sunday, and a 2 mile swim on Monday. I'm tired all the time and I'm ready to get this over with.

I also have two more weeks to raise money for my charity. My dad passed away in February from Colon Cancer, so to honor his memory, I decided to raise money for the Colon Cancer Coalition. When I first came up with the idea, I had grandiose dreams. Raising $10,000 didn't seem too far out of my reach. Erin Truslow, helped me come up with the idea of asking for $1 for every mile of ironman, which comes out to $140.60 per person. I figured, surely I could get 100 people to donate that amount.... I was wrong. Dead Wrong. This is why I am not in sales, I suck at asking people for money. Except my mom will disagree with me on that, but I digress... Getting my friends to even donate $10 was like pulling teeth. The majority of the money I have raised have come from either friends of my dad's or from acquaintances that I barely see that I have somehow managed to touch with my mission. Don’t get me wrong a few friends have donated and I am extremely grateful for their generosity and a big thank you to all of you. I just wish that I had a better personality. I wish I had the charisma to charm my 250+ facebook friends into donating $10 each. I will never do this again, and I need to stop feeling like I am a failure at everything. In my last post, I posted a phrase that someone had said to me, about not needing to do an ironman to prove that I'm not a failure in life.... Failure seems to be my nemisis. I've been feeling sorry for myself the last two days, because I lost a job to someone who gave a better presentation than I did. The non profit, that I was really excited about, really made me go through a lot of hoops and called all of my references spending 30 minutes with each one, now I get to call all of my references and tell them that I didn't get it because the other girl gave a better presentation than I did. They made us give an hour long presentation to the marketing department, and I did a good job... just not good enough.... Let's hope that I am good enough to cross the finish line in Kona....

"Laurie, you don't have to do an Ironman to prove you are not a failure in life"

Yes, I heard those words this week and boy it felt like a little light bulb went off inside my head. Seriously, is this why I'm doing Ironman Triathlons? For anyone who really knows me, this totally makes sense. The sad thing is that I'm on my third one now, but I have made a promise to myself that it will be my last one. Once this is over, I can take a break, and then find some other way to prove that I am not a failure in life....

In terms of training, I'm about to pull my hair out. I did a 92 mile bike last week, and I'm on tap to do the same or more tomorrow. Training by myself really sucks and it really takes a great amount of motivation and will power to make it through. Sunday, I'm slated to run for 16 miles. I have to give myself mental rewards at this point, and my mental reward for the next two weeks is that if I just get it done, then I will have a whole week of doing nothing in Hawaii leading up to the actual ironman. If I can get through these next two brutal weeks, I'll have a complete week off of working out leading up to the race, and I can enjoy Hawaii. Afterwards, if I finish, I can brag for the rest of my life, and hopefully feel that I am an accomplished human being that doesn't have anything to prove anymore.

If I can complete the Ironman World Championships, what is to keep me from getting a great job, marrying the man of my dreams, and living a happily ever after life?

I fell into a burning ring of fire, I went down down down and the flames went higher, and it burns, burns, burns,... The ring of fire!

Holy Smokes! There’s a reason they call it the Ring of Fire! I can honestly say this was one of the toughest rides I have ever done, but I’m so glad I did it! 70 miles of brutal non-stop hills in 101 degree weather. Yep, I think I’m ready for Kona now! Seriously, this ride is not for the faint of heart. I was good and hydrated and didn’t drink alcohol at all the week leading up to this event. I carpooled to Luckenbach with my buddy Sara and her friend Mary. We all met up at 5:30 in the morning at Sara’s house for the hour and a half ride into Luckenbach. I had my alarm set at 4:40 am. God that is early. I am so not a morning person so anything before 5 am feels sacrilegious to me. Anyhow, I made it to Sara’s house by 5:30 and we were off by 5:45. We had no problems getting there and took our time getting ready. By the time we got to the start line the 70 mile and 112 mile bikers had already started so we were last out, before the 40 mile group took off. No biggie, this was not a race to me and I knew it was going to be a tough ride. I’m so glad that Sara kept me company on this ride. It’s hard for me to find someone to do long rides with and Sara is training for Ironman Arizona and we ride about the same speed so it worked out great.

I knew the first section out towards Blanco was hilly, as I had ridden it a few weeks before with Erin and crew, and this is also where I had my nasty bike wreck; However, due to my wreck, I had not had the pleasure of climbing the hardest hill on the route . Right before the town of Blanco we made a turn on Crabapple road, and there was a nasty hill. Now, I’ve ridden the Leakey hill and this one felt just as bad. I was wheezing so heavily that Sara was afraid she was going to have to give me cpr. No joke! As I came up to the hill all the other cyclists had given up and were walking it, but I was determined to NOT have to get off my bike, and amazingly I made it up that hill. Everyone thought I was gonna die, doing it, but I did it! I think one of the things that helped get me up that hill was that all of the other bikers who were walking it were there cheering me on, saying you can do it! A short distance after the hill, there was an aid station and I stopped there to wait for Sara, and it turns out that one of the ladies that was cheering me on was a former coach with the very first triathlon training group I joined before doing my first triathlon back in 2002. I was so excited to see her and she told me how proud she was of how strong I have now become. For those of you who don’t know, my first triathlon was not a pretty experience and it has taken me years to get over my fear of open water swimming. It was so nice to run into her and hear her words of encouragement. Yay! Big shout out to Gina Lardon and Tri-Zones Training.

Sara and I took our sweet time at that aid station and I reluctantly got back on the bike for the next leg of the ride. The next leg was pretty uneventful, a few more hills and neverending sun and heat. We made it to the next aid station and I wanted to hitch a ride back to the start with the dreaded SAG wagon, but it was not to be, as Sara wouldn’t even let me think about it. “ It’s only 14 more miles, you can do 14 miles”. Ah, yes, ONLY 14 more miles, ok, as I wheeled out I jealously watched about 7 to 10 people board the SAG wagons. 8 more miles down the road and we came to Eli’s Meet Rack Aid station. Hands down this was the best aid station, as there was chocolate cake on hand. Thanks Eli for taking such good care of us!! That chocolate cake really hit the spot, and Sara and I were off for the last 8 miles of our journey, and I have to say it was the longest 8 miles of my life. By this point it was over 100 degrees out and the sun was beating down. There was a stretch of freshly laid asphalt that made the experience even more enjoyable…. NOT! At one point I crested a hill to see newly laid black asphalt and another neverending hill and I yelled an obscenity at the top of my lungs. I was bonking and wanted the ride to be over. The thought of yet another series of hills on hot black asphalt was enough to do me in. Seriously, it was so hot it was dangerous, and I’m still trying to figure out how I managed to finish this ride, as those of you who know me, know that I do not handle heat well and have succumbed to heat exhaustion on several occasions. We finally finished and Sara and I ate while we waited for Mary to come in. The chicken sandwich I got at the end, wasn’t quite enough for me so I purchased one of the pulled pork sandwiches and potato chips in addition to the two beers that I drank. I told Sara that she would have to stop by Dairy Queen on the way home for me to get my blizzard fix. After that amount of riding in that heat, I can pretty much eat whatever I want and not worry about gaining a pound. This is one of the few perks of ironman training…..aside from getting in great shape….. After tough workouts like this one, I can eat whatever I want and not worry about it.

I can honestly tell everyone, that training in the brutal Texas summer is definitely taking it’s toll on me. I’m not one to advocate doing more than one ironman a year, and there’s a reason for that. After I did Ironman Coeur D’Alene in 2009 I only took 2 weeks off before hitting the training grind again and I quickly burned out . I signed up for Ironman St. George last year to be completed in May of this year and started training for it, never dreaming that I would get one of the coveted slots to Kona. I found out that I got a slot for Kona less than a month out from Ironman St. George. Had I known I probably wouldn’t have signed up for St. George. Also, had I known that St. George was going to be as difficult as it was, I wouldn’t have signed up as well; however, even though I’m starting to burn out, I’m so glad I experienced the toughness of the St. George course, because it gives me the mental will power I need to know that I’m going to be able to do Kona, and everything will turn out alright. I know it’s still 6 to 7 weeks away, however, I’m ready for Kona now!!!

Score: Redneck Trucker 1, Laurie's dream of completing Ironman Hawaii -1

Well, as I say, it's not IF you get in a wreck, it's WHEN you get in a wreck..... I have now had my second serious bike wreck, thanks to an impatient redneck in his pickup truck.

I was previewing the Red Licorice Events Ring of Fire 65 mile bike course with some RLE team mates starting in Luckenbach. We were on about mile 15 on a two lane highway when a very big tractor was coming towards us on the other side of the road as he should be when suddenly I heard shouting. I couldn't figure out why they would be shouting about a slow moving tractor on the other side of the road until I saw what they were shouting about. A big black pickup truck was heading straight at us going the wrong way at least 90 mph trying to pass the tractor. We had nowhere to go, as there was no shoulder on this road and everyone was hitting their brakes and I was trying not to crash into my team mates when I lost control and totally bit it in the middle of the road. Apparently the truck driver swerved, narrowly missing us and just kept on going. I was very lucky. I was lying there on my back in the middle of the road afraid to move, when my team mates came and got me and gingerly moved me to the side of the road while they called 911. I was bleeding from the back of my head and was extremely dizzy. The tractor stopped and several other good citizens stopped to offer help, and unfortunately it took over 30 minutes for the Fredericksburg EMT's to get to me. It's a good thing I only had a minor concussion, as I probably would have died out there had it been more serious. Both Frederickburg and Stonewall sent an EMT and fire truck, however, the city of Blanco which was only 10 miles away would not send anyone! Luckily, the hospital did a cat scan and found no damage to my head other than the four staples that had to be put in to stop the bleeding. I'm still recovering and still feeling woozy, and I do have a bone chip floating from my ankle, so my doctor has told me not to run for 2 to 6 weeks. I'm hoping that the ankle will heal quickly, as I'm not giving up on my dream to do the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Hopefully this will be a small set back, albeit a very expensive setback. Luckily, I do have my cobra insurance, however, I'm still going to have to pay several hundred out of my pocket to cover the hospital bills and bike repair bills. I'm just happy to be alive and to not have any serious broken bones. I often forget just how dangerous of a sport I have taken up. I want to thank all of my friends for their support and good thoughts! I get my staples out next Monday and will start up my cycling and swimming again then. Looks like I'm going to end up walking the marathon of ironman, but hey... it's not the first time, I've had to walk a marathon... and I am only getting one chance to do Ironman Hawaii.... Perhaps I'll be the lucky last finisher to cross that line at midnight!

Breakdown number 1 has arrived

Well, I was feeling that I wasn't training enough a few blog posts back, and now I'm starting to burn out again. This past week felt intense and I'm still nowhere close to where I need to be. This heat is really getting to me and perhaps my general attitude needs an adjustment. I'm starting to question why I want to do this and getting a general apathy altogether towards training. Is this normal? I don't want to get into my personal life here, but I have to admit, I'm hitting a negative spiral and I don't like it. I have no motivation, nothing to get up for, and what feels like nothing to look forward to except a very expensive trip to Hawaii by myself. I think I need my happy shot now.

Last Saturday I did a 2.4 mile open water swim in Lake Travis and I came in last place. I don't think I did too poorly with an overall time of 1 hour 40 minutes. That is only 10 minutes off of my Ironman St George time for which I had a wetsuit on, and only a minute off of my Ironman Coeur D'Alene time for which I also had a wetsuit on. I didn't realize a wetsuit could make that much of a difference, apparently it does. The swim felt like much longer than 2.4 miles and it was hard knowing I was the only one left out there. I had my own personal kayak escort which was kind of nice. I got a couple of suggestions from some people observing my swim on my stroke. Apparently I wasn't catching enough water. Anyhow, the next day I did a 43 mile ride in Luckenbach with the Red Licorice Events team. It was fun and a challenge to keep up with the group. I just have to accept that I am a slow triathlete and that I have been given a huge privilege to compete in Kona, and accept that if I'm lucky I will finish by midnight.

Two workouts a day, training in Houston, and Rednecks oh my!

Ironman Hawaii is only three months away now and my training has started to get a little more intense. My coach is giving me two workouts a day now more often and this week, I get the pleasure of training in Houston, as I'm visiting family. Boy what a difference a three hour drive makes in terms of humidity and heat. Yesterday, I did an hour long run and I burned 626 calories. This is over twice as many calories that I would normally burn on an hour long run in Austin, if that gives you any idea. Today I got the pleasure of cycling in and outside of Kingwood. I only got honked at three times for my hour long ride. Apparently, people in Kingwood do not realize that a road bike is meant to be ridden on a road and not on the greenbelt. Some guy passed me in a truck, honked at me and pointed to the greenbelt and flipped me off. I guess I've been spoiled living in cycling friendly Austin. I really hope I don't have to move to Houston for work....
I also had a lovely experience swimming at the YMCA close to my mom's house. Full of kids and kids peeing in the water. The pool was filthy and a kid peed right next to me as I was swimming laps. Nice! I don't think I'll be going back to the Y any time soon.....

According to Ironman the average age grouper does 7 miles of swimming a week, 232 miles of cycling a week , and 48 miles of running a week…..

Seriously, if the above statement is the norm then I must be a miracle! In the two ironmen that I have done, I can honestly say I did not reach that level of training and have no desire to. Does that make me a bad triathlete? Discuss amongst yourselves…

Well I wish I had more of an exciting life that I could update this blog a little more, alas… it is not to be, I lead an incredibly mundane life right now…. My days are filled with sitting at a computer looking for a job, and training in the evenings. My coach still has me in transition mode, so my workouts have not gotten ridiculous yet. The weekend before last, I actually rode more than what he had down for me. I have a private coach that writes up a plan for me daily. His name is Shawn Bostad and he runs Pure Austin Coaching at Pure Austin gym. If you are looking for a triathlon coach, I highly recommend him. The one thing that I really love about Shawn is how emotionally connected he is with his athletes.

So two weeks ago, I rode with a few Texas Iron athletes and we did the Lost Creek/Barton Creek Dam loop and I have to say it was really tough. I had not ridden the Lost Creek hill since before Ironman St. George, and all I can say is that it was hot, it was humid, and it was tough as nails….but I did it. We ended up riding about 50 miles and the whole time I felt like I was still on my 11/23 cassette. I actually double checked it to make sure I had the 12/27 on there, so I don’t know if that means that I have a long way to go training wise or if the heat was just getting to me. Anyhow, this past weekend was the 4^th of July and I will admit that I was guilty in going to parties and drinking which ultimately affected my training. I went to a really fun party on Friday night and drank a bit too much and paid for it all day Saturday. Due to the rain and me not feeling 100%, I pushed off my long ride until Sunday. I had gone out Saturday night as well, but was good and didn’t drink. One of my friends is loosely related to Willie Nelson’s harmonica player, and we went to see him play at Saxon Pub. We also, got to hear Willie’s son’s band play as well. It was fun, but for some reason, Sunday morning I had the hardest time waking up. I didn’t start my two hour ride until 11 am. Not ideal in this summer heat. I decided to just ride up and down Parmer since I was riding by myself. Going out towards Georgetown was easy, wind at my back; but coming back was a brutal headwind. This is good for me, as I need to practice cycling in strong headwinds for Kona, as I’m told the winds can get up to 50 mph there. So all in all it was not too difficult of a ride, and I tried to make up for the fact that I didn’t do my 55 minute run by doing a 1.5 mile run at 4 pm in the afternoon. …. That makes up for it right????

Oh well, we can’t all be perfect triathletes… and I’m not going to beat myself up over it. I’ve got plenty of time. Three months to be exact….. By the way, here is an interesting statistic that I pulled from the Ironman World Championship web page Frequently Asked Questions….. The average age grouper in preparing for the Ironman World Championships does 7 miles of swimming a week, 232 miles of cycling a week , and 48 miles of running a week….. My jaw dropped when I read that. I’ve come nowhere close to that in the training that I’ve done for the two ironmen that I have completed. I can say at my peak that I swam no more than 4 miles a week, rode no more than 120 miles a week, and ran no more than 26 miles a week, and that was definitely not the norm. ….