Everything's Bigger in Texas: Ironman Edition!

On Friday night, I texted my dad with the link to where he could track me on Saturday, along with the comment, "I'm hoping to finish in 12:30 or so."  I told someone else at the athlete dinner on Thursday night, "top 20."  So with little formality, and not a lot of thought, I laid out my plan for Ironman Texas.  Yee-Haw! 

The Swim
This was my first non-wetsuit swim in an Ironman event.  And actually I've only done two open water long distance swims (ie: greater than 4k) without a wetsuit.  So I had a lot of anxiety about how I was going to fare in the waters of Lake Woodlands.  As always, I lined up in the front on the outside (away from the buoys).

Standing in the water prior to the start I was shaking.  My husband rubbed my arms trying to warm me up, and I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't cold.  I was terrified.  Those 20 minutes are absolute torture waiting for the cannon to go off.   Once the start was signaled and we began swimming, I was in my element and felt completely at ease.  Magically all of my fears and anxieties fell to the bottom of the lake and I just put my head down and swam.  Swam like I do every day.

The swim is a point to point swim, with 3 nearly equal distance legs.  For the first leg, I thought 'just keep swimming, swim swim swimming' until I got free from the pack and settled into a rhythm.  Then I began to recite my mantra from Arizona, 'I am a strong swimmer.'  I. Am. A strong. Swimmer.  With each stroke and each pull of my arm through the water.  I became stronger.

After the first turn, the pack had thinned but I maintained my position on the outside.  The water was more choppy but I continued to feel strong.  Soon, we made the final turn into the canal.  The last leg of the swim was approximately 1000 meters down a canal which was maybe 15-20 feet wide.  Because it was so narrow and there were many bodies churning through the water it was a washing machine.  I sighted every so often waiting and waiting to see the transition area come into view.  It felt like FOREVER before the white tents finally appeared on the horizon. 

Ironman Texas 2013:  Swim exit

 

I got out of the water and the official clock read 1:23.  This was about 20 minutes slower than my normal swim but I was thrilled.  I had felt strong throughout and knew I would be a little slower without the wetsuit.  What I didn't realize until hours after I had finished and showered and eaten my post- race meal was that I had actually swum a 1:12:18.  The clock at the swim exit was still set from the pro start- about 10 minutes before us! 

I took my time in transition, making sure I applied sunscreen and had everything together for my bike ride through the Texas countryside. 

T1 4:20

The Bike
The Texas course is often described by locals as rolling hills.  Being from Iowa, and having ridden RAGBRAI twice, I was sort of expecting rolling hills.  (Sidebar:  anyone who thinks that Iowa is flat, I invite you to sign up for RAGBRAI.  But please don't say I didn't warn you.)  But as we drove the bike course on Friday, I realized that, in fact, there were no hills, just a gradual sloping of the road. 

On race day, there was no free speed.  I was constantly working for 112 miles.  I was happy to have a single loop bike course on mostly fantastic road surface.  I took it out of transition very easy and maintained my easy pace throughout.  I told myself, once I hit 80 miles I could pick it up.  By the time 80 miles rolled around I was happy to have paced myself so well as I had energy to spare in the final 30 miles of the bike. 

Ironman Texas 2013:  Bike course

I encountered a few minor annoyances during the bike ride.  The first presented as an inability to process fluids and calories.  Everything I ate sat in my stomach for 112 miles (and then another 26.2...).  I never felt nauseated, just full and sloshy.  I tried changing things up.  Taking in more salt.  Taking in less salt.  Taking in more calories.  Different calories.  Less calories.  Nothing helped.  I feel that the heat and humidity were somehow tied to this problem, and maybe I was just dehydrated but I just couldn't get out of this place. 

Eventually my nutritional issues led to cramping of my adductor muscles.  Thankfully, it was not severe and as soon as I felt the cramping come on, I took in more electrolytes and shifted to a lower gear.  It never progressed to the point where I had to stop and stretch, I was able to manage everything to the transition area and even pushed the pace a bit in the final 20 miles. 

The one annoyance that I couldn't control were the "big guys" who would pass me on a downgrade and then start coasting.  As I mentioned before, there was no free speed on this course.  So there really was no place that you could coast and maintain your pace.  This meant that these guys would go by me, and then slow down.  Some even slowed so much that I actually had to hit my brakes to avoid colliding with them as I have to drop back to legal distance before I can pass them again.  Over and over and over again this would happen.  I know if I had been racing the bike course as I did at Arizona last year this would not have been an issue.  But that wasn't my goal for Texas so I had to just deal with it.  I managed to take it in stride and maintain my happy-to-be-here attitude for the entirety of the bike course, but I was happy to see T2. 

Bike 5:58:07.

I rolled into T2, and a good friend was camped out inside the tent.  I asked her if she wanted to walk with me, and she declined saying that her knee was hurting and she was dropping out to avoid further injury as IM AZ is her goal race for the year.  She helped me gear up for the run and gave me some words of encouragement.  I took some time to apply more sunscreen and drank a little water.  I hoped that by sitting for a few minutes my stomach would empty a little. 

T2 7:23

The Run
I loved the run course at Texas.  I know this might categorize me as crazy, or in need of mental help, but it was truly a fantastic course.  As a 3 loop course, there was so much entertainment and hundreds of spectators on course to keep us distracted and motivated.  The aid stations were wonderful. 

The course starts out circling through the woods back to the park where the swim started.  Then we continued through the woods alternating between paved bike path and a lane of the road.  The woods provided some much appreciated shade and protection from the blistering sun.  The middle couple of miles we looped through the most gorgeous neighborhood.  Every singe home was like a plantation.  Huge.  Southern.  Regal.  Beautiful.  It was wonderful to look at and so much fun.  Then we went through the woods briefly again and ended up on the path that circled the canal where we finished the swim.  This stretch was long, hot, and exposed but the sheer number of people screaming and cheering kept me smiling and moving forward. 

Checking out the run course prior to race day.  Beautiful!!

Throughout the run course I had to manage my fluids and calories, just working my way from one aid station to the next.  I was thankful to have brought along a bandanna which I filled with ice and alternated tying it around my neck or my head.  The ice would slowly melt and keep me cool.  I never felt overly hot, just occasionally weak when my blood sugar would drop.  I had a hard time eating on the run because nothing sounded good.  Usually I can take in a little solid food, or keep eating gels and I'm fine.  But with the humidity playing tricks on me, I had to force myself to eat anything at all.  I nearly did a cartwheel when I rolled into an aid station and was offered salted watermelon.  Yes, please! 

As afternoon turned into evening, the sun began to dip lower in the sky.  The temperatures dropped ever so slightly and the aid stations brought out the chicken broth.  By the third loop, I could feel the finish line and with 5 miles to go, I was already celebrating.  I teared up a couple of times thinking about what an amazing day it had been and how happy I was to be nearly done.  My last 4 miles were the fastest of the day as I ran with the hugest grin on my face.  I was about to be done with my 9th Ironman race. 

I had entered this race with a lot of trepidation and anxiety.  I didn't feel ready physically or prepared mentally for the challenge.  What I realized is that without expectation, I freed myself to enjoy every second of the race despite the challenges.  I never had a negative thought.  I never became discouraged even when I believed I swam a 1:23 or had to walk more than I would have liked to.  I allowed myself to race for the simple pleasure of Ironman.  It was a celebration of my strength and health and all the work I've done over the last 6 years.

I crossed the finish line in 12:33:04 with my arms in the air and joy written across my face.  It was the perfect start to my Year of Ironman.

Post Race
After the finish, I wandered into the athlete area and found my husband who had just emerged from the medical tent.  We went through the food line, but I just couldn't think of stomaching the burritos that were offered.  I drank a chocolate milk and then suggested we head off to collect our gear before my hour window was up and I was starving.  (It generally takes me about an hour after finishing to feel up to eating.)  With my medal around my neck, and a smile still plastered on my face we walked the quarter mile or so back to transition to collect our things.  We loaded everything into our car, parked in a garage across the street, and drove our bikes back to the finish line where we turned them over to TriBike Transport.  And then we left in search of the nearest drive through chocolate shake!  We made our first ever trip to Jack in the Box where we had burger, fries and shakes.  With a full belly, we relaxed on the bed and watched movies waiting for sleep to overwhelm us.

Ironman #9 in the books!

Thoughts on IM Texas
Though I wish IM Texas were in March or April, I truly loved this race.  It was well organized, well supported by the community and such a beautiful venue.  I'm already registered for next year!
There is something to be said for southern hospitality and I will never tire of hearing 'Y'all are doing awesome!'  They could probably swear at me with a southern drawl and I'd giggle.  The food at the pre and post race banquet was amazing.  So if you're on the fence about Texas, take a leap of faith.  Y'all will be happy you did!     

Back in the Game

Since my last post, I've taken measures to get healthy again and am happy to report that I feel *normal* again.  I saw my doctor and had some bloodwork done- all normal other than a borderline vitamin D level.  Proof that it's not summer yet here in the Valley of the Sun.  I picked up a supplement at Sprouts and have been taking that daily along with my multivitamin. 

I've been able to get back into training and have felt great.  I am making sure to drink my Ultragen recovery shake after all my workouts, unless I'm just doing an easy swim, so I know I'm getting all the amino acids, vitamins and calcium needed for rebuilding. 

A few highlights of my re-entry into the land of the living:
-Successful 21 mile long run.  I wasn't fast, but I made it!  Just the week prior, I tried to run 12 and had to stop at 6 miles.  And to top it off, I got a new running buddy out of the deal.  My friend MK joined me for the second half- a good run for her coming off of a recent stress fracture. 
-In an 80 mile long bike ride, I wasn't feeling well about 2 hours into the ride.  Just sort of foggy and weak.  I didn't think I was going to be able to make it back to the house if I kept going.  My husband convinced me to give it some time, reminding me that usually that feeling will subside.  I kept going, within a half hour I started to feel better and the last 90 minutes of my ride I finished the strongest ride I've had since before IM AZ. 
-I did my first track workout in months... and crushed it!  My 800 meter repeats were a solid 3:13. 
-I've increased my base swim workouts each week to 5k.  Texas, my first IM of 2013, is a non-wetsuit swim.  This means I won't have the extra flotation assistance in the water and I'm likely to feel a little more fatigued, and be a little slower than usual.  When I hop in for the 4k that morning in May, I want it to feel easy. 
-I learned a new exercise at rehab and LOVE it!  I've been doing burpees for the last 6 weeks.  This week I went in and my therapist had me do the burpees using a TRX.  I'll try to capture a video of this to share, but if you can imagine... one foot is suspended in the TRX (so I am balanced on one leg).  I drop down to the floor in plank position, do a push-up, then pop back up to standing and immediately hop straight up in the air - still one legged.  It was a fun way to change up the burpee and challenge my core strength a little more.  He mentioned that next week, I will have a bunch of new exercises.  *keeping fingers crossed that my hand walking on incline treadmill while holding plank position exercise will be replaced*  ;-)

This weekend I'm running a half marathon with a couple of girlfriends.  It'll be my first test of speed mixed with endurance.  I'm looking forward to it and hopefully it'll prove to me that I'm ready for Boston despite my setbacks in January. 

I've also signed up for an online class, free through my public library, on the fundamentals of accounting.  I decided that if I'm going to be tracking some of the financials for our new business, I better know what I'm doing.  Having taken only the first lesson, and being completely lost, it was a good reminder to me of how much we like to do things that are within our comfort zones.  It's easy to do things that we are good at, or practiced at.  It's not easy to step outside that comfort zone and try something new.  But I'm learning and with time, and practice, I might be good at it.  And if I never get good at accounting, that's OK.  I'm still proud of myself for trying.  I remember a time when cooking was outside of my comfort zone.  And running!  And now I can't imagine a day or week going by without them. 

Spring is finally in the air, and race season is just around the corner.  With Boston 45 days away, I am finally excited about the new year and everything we've got going on.  Though I have to admit, I'm already scoping out things I'd like to do for 2014 when I don't have to focus on Ironman...  Oceanside is top of my list- favorite. race. ever.  And my lil' sis and I are going to do back to back marathons in Utah and Idaho, a good way for her to check off 2 states in her 50-states quest.  And I'm going back to Tahoe for the 50 miler.  For sure.  Then I think I'll let my husband talk me into IM Wisconsin.... you get the idea. 
 

My Invisible Enemy

I can count on one hand the number of times that I've been ill and wanted my mom.  When I was young (probably late elementary age or early junior high) my parents were away on a much deserved vacation.  The girl who was staying with us, who we adored, was doing our hair in front of my mom's dressing mirror.  Lit with dozens of 60 watt bulbs, the mirror reflected my sad face as I tried not to cry.  I don't remember if I had the flu or what exactly, but I felt badly and I wanted my mom. 

The next time I remember wanting to be cared for by my mom was on RAGBRAI, the 7-day 500-mile bike ride across the state of Iowa.  On our 5th night we slept in a tent in a rainstorm.  I woke up with the worst case of bronchitis/ pneumonia.  I was scared because I couldn't breathe my lungs were so full of mucus and I couldn't even talk.  I could barely choke out a whisper when I asked the director if I could take the SAG van to the next town, where my mom was scheduled to meet us.  In order to do that, he said, I had to get on my bike and at least make it out of town before I could flag the van down for a ride.  I couldn't breathe, let alone get on my bike, so I opted to walk (with my bike) to the gas station on the outskirts of town where my mom could pick me up.  With 10,000+ cyclists, traffic into the campground was ridiculous and not even an option.  My husband and friend rode on to the next town, while my sister accompanied me to the gas station where we drank hot chocolate waiting for mom to come to the rescue.
  
A week ago, dealing with a nasty sinus infection and the after affects of food poisoning, I felt so badly that after working a 12 hour shift on Wednesday, I nearly cried because I was so exhausted and I just wanted my mom to take care of me.  Unfortunately, I'm 36 years old, and my mom is in Hawaii so she couldn't take care of me.  My husband, as wonderful as he is, just doesn't measure up to mom.  I wanted someone to tell me it would all be OK, this wouldn't last forever, and bring me everything I needed so I wouldn't have to get out of bed.  Ever. 

This was the not-so-happy ending to the 6 weeks it took me to trash my immune system.  So in an effort to permanently memorialize my experience so that I will NEVER do it again, I'm going to share.  I suspect that there are quite a few of you who can relate to my experience. 

For starters, I'm never sick.  Ever.  I don't get the flu once a year or come down with the funk that my step-daughter routinely brings home from school.  I've never missed a day of school or work due to illness since before junior high (a very, very, long time ago).  I. don't. get. sick. 

It all started in October.  After sleeping in a tent with my sister who had bronchitis, I KNEW that it was inevitable I would be sick.  There was no way around it.  Thankfully, I took a week off of training, got some extra rest and I felt better, if not 100%, for my Ironman race in November. 

Enter:  Stress #1.  Financial burden. 

We found out that week that my husband would be losing his job as of November 1.  It wasn't a complete shock, and we had already begun working on a back up plan but we have a mortgage, and bills to pay, and the thought of being the sole provider on my salary was a bit too much for me to bear.  We got through Ironman and put our plans to open our own retail shop into high gear.  Meanwhile I'm working overtime trying to make enough for the three of us to live on.  It's post-season so my training is minimal.  I'm sleeping in more, but most nights I lay awake for hours trying to fall asleep. 

Enter:  Stress #2.  Lack of sleep.

Some people eat too much when they are stressed.  My body reacts by plaguing me with worries at all hours of the night.  And then I drink too much caffeine to try to be functional at work, further compounding my inability to sleep. 

On my off days from my job, I was trying to help my husband get everything set up for the new store.  At the same time, as some of you know, I was experimenting with some diet changes.  I had been reading about plant-powered diet (also known as veganism, though I hate the negative connotations that go along with telling someone you're "vegan").  I began to eat less and less animal products, focusing more and more of my meals on plant based foods.  It's wasn't drastic.  I was still eating some animal proteins at that time.  And to be honest, we've been following a vegetarian diet 80% of the time anyway, so I didn't feel it was crazy.

Enter:  Stress #3:  Travel.

We went home for Christmas during which time we followed a "normal" person's schedule, rather than our own.  We tend to be early to bed, early to rise types.  At home, we stayed up late and slept in later than usual.  We also drank more than we normally do, celebrating with family and friends.  Add to that communal air pumped into the cabin on our long flight home.

Begin respiratory illness #1.

Right after we got home, I came down with a mild respiratory funk that consisted of congestion, post nasal drip and mild sore throat.  It didn't last too long, maybe 3 days or so.  I slept a little extra, got on top of it.  No big deal.  I chalked it up to the travel.

Enter:  Stress #4:  More stress, more lack of sleep.

At this time, it's now mid-January.  I've started to try to follow a more normal training plan, though I'm having a hard time getting out of bed early.  Things with the store are coming to a head- we've jumped in with both feet and signed the lease, there's no turning back now.  We seriously need to start making money, cause otherwise we're about to be homeless but the shop is not open yet.  And then, a good friend asked me to do a week long trial of a product that she is distributing for a company that makes "natural" dietary supplements.  I trust my friend and was happy to help.  She raved about how great she felt, and the vitamins, and whatnot.  She called it a "cleanse" and told me that I was going to be getting rid of toxins from my body and gaining energy naturally without coffee.   

I started the cleanse on Monday, January 7.  The program consisted of a shake in the morning- filled with vitamins and natural energy for my workouts.  Followed by a pill to help suppress my appetite later in the morning.  Then a different pill in the evening.  And some tea to drink at bedtime which was supposed to help me poop, which I never have trouble with anyway, but whatev.  She acknowledged that I didn't need to lose weight, but it was all part of the detox program.  After the week detox, I could just use the shakes for my daily vitamin. 

I drank the shake.  I had a good workout that day swimming and biking with my husband.  I took the morning pill after our workouts.  3 hours later, I'm dizzy, nauseated and shaking.  I text my friend and she says that I shouldn't have drank my normal coffee since the product has natural caffeine.  OK, I think, I probably just overdid it on the caffeine. 

I don't sleep that night.  The next day, I have decent workouts but feel a little bit fatigued.  I find myself having a similar reaction to the drug, though not as severe as I've skipped coffee.  I'm starting to feel like I'm on crack.  Not that I know what that feels like, it's just one of those things people say when someone is jittery and can't focus.  My friend tells me that it's all the toxins leaving my body.  I'm skeptical but everyone else apparently swears by this and has lost tons of weight and have amazing energy. 

I don't sleep that night.  The next day, I'm back at work.  By now I'm exhausted from not sleeping in 48 hours.  I feel sluggish, fatigued, and like I'm underwater.  I HAVE to drink caffeine to try to make it through my 12 hour day at work.  I have a little time on my lunch break so I do some research online.  I discover that the drug I've been taking has an amphetamine derivative similar to pseudoephedrine (sudafed's active ingredient).  Suddenly it all becomes clear.   I can't take medications (benadryl, sudafed, cold medicine) because my body is very sensitive to them.  One benadryl will make me comatose for 3 days.  No lie.  I NEVER take cold medicines of any kind because I just can't handle them.  So my dizziness, nausea, shaking, and lack of sleep were all from medicine head because (turns out) I HAVE been doing crack.  Just the legal kind. 

Begin respiratory illness #2:

I stop taking the product.  The notes in my training log indicate that my sore throat started that Friday, January 11.  That's what happens with 72 hours of zero sleep.  From there, it progresses back into congestion, runny nose, and sinus pressure.

Enter:  Stress #4:  More diet change.

With the nearing of February, I really wanted to make the commitment to try a vegan diet for a month.  So I further began changing my diet.  I still was taking in enough calories and I never went 100% vegan, but I was stressing myself out about it more than I needed too.  And then, on Super Bowl Sunday, I got food poisoning.  I didn't even get to enjoy a beer during the game.  For 16 hours I was nauseated and couldn't eat or drink a thing.  Then for the next 4 days, everything I ate made me feel sick to the point that I was barely eating anything.  (And yes, this was food poisoning and not the flu.  There was no fever, chills, body aches.  It started 6-8 hours after I ate the offending bite.  And it resolved in about 12 hours.)

From January 11, my respiratory illness continued and progressively got worse to the point that I wanted to crawl into bed last week and cry.  (February 6th, by the way.  4 WEEKS after my symptoms started, which was only a week after they ended the first time.)  Having progressed to full on sinus infection, I finally started some antibiotics last week and the sinus infection cleared up.  Despite that, I continued to feel tired, fatigued, and unable to maintain my normal schedule with work and training.  I basically took a week off of training and tried my best to make it through my work days, which was challenging enough. 

I was starting to become really paranoid, thinking there could be something really wrong with me.  Valley fever.  Mono.  Pregnancy.  I knew it wasn't overtraining because I had taken 8 weeks off after Ironman and I really hadn't done much in the way of training yet.  I was supposed to be training for Boston, and Texas, but I was physically unable to do anything remotely resembling a workout. 

And then, as if the message were sent by God himself, I got an email yesterday with the monthly newsletter from First Endurance.  One of the articles was about cortisol and how it affects the immune system.

(http://firstendurance.com/2013/02/11/how-cortisol-effects-performance/)

The wheels began to turn in my head and I realized that I probably didn't have some deep seeded viral infection.  And it wasn't likely that after all these years, my birth control pill had failed me.  But I had deprived my body of sleep, and taxed it to the point that my adrenal glands cranked so much cortisol into my bloodstream that my immune system became suppressed and I became susceptible to these upper respiratory infections.  And the only way I was going to get better would be to take care of myself and allow my immune system to return to normal function. 

Believe it or not, I have an amazing immune system.  As I've said, I haven't been sick in years.  Decades practically.  But everyone has a breaking point and I found mine.  After finishing the article, I wrote down the suggestions on how to reduce cortisol levels and boost the immune system.  I popped an Airborne.  I drank a liter of water (extra, that is).  For dinner last night, rather than reach for a bowl of cereal which is my usual after a long day at work when I get home late, I made myself a proper meal with fruits and vegetables, and protein and carbohydrate.  And today after my workout, I drank my Ultragen recovery shake with proper amounts of amino acids and proteins. 

I can't say that I feel great, but I can say that I feel a whole lot better.  Just knowing I'm not dying of pregnancy or valley fever is a weight lifted.  I'm paying attention to how I feel and I'm going to bed a little bit earlier.  (I know, how can you go to bed earlier than 8 pm, right?)  I'm eating better and I've given up the whole vegan thing for now.  Not that I'll never consider it again, but now is not the right time for me.   

For now, I'm going to go back to MY normal.  I will listen to my body and do what it allows me.  I've got a full schedule this year planned, but nothing that really matters to me until November.  So if I run a slow race at Boston, I'm OK with that.  I'm not going to stress about it even more.  Yes, I might be the plumpest runner on the starting line, but hey, I qualified, right?  At one point I was fit enough to deserve it.  SOMEday I will run Boston in great shape, and super fast.  But it won't be this year, and I'm OK with that. 

I'd rather focus on getting well for the future, not just one marathon.  I have realized this year, in a very short period of time, how important it is to focus on total wellness.  Sleep.  Nutrition.  Stress management.  Thankfully, Cadence Running Company is open now and my stress level is decreasing as we get into a rhythm.  My job is stressful, but as long as I keep everything else in check, it is manageable.  I firmly believe that exercise is important, that endorphins are a positive influence on the immune system.  But I'm not going to stress out if I don't do as much as I would normally be doing at this point in Ironman training. 

If we don't have health, we don't have much.  I have never taken my health for granted, but now I'm appreciating it even more.