IM World Championship Race Report

Post race...still smiling

The race…

So much to say about the days, weeks, and months leading up to this one day, but this blog entry will be about the race day.  I’ll have a blog entry for the before and the after…still to come later.

The boys and I in front of the IM sign with all the participants name.

Friday (day before the race):  I had planned to get a short swim, bike, and run in that morning, but ended up deciding I would completely rest instead.  Anything I did today would be more for my head than my body and I was all set with the metal game.  Actually, the mental game was the one thing I was looking forward to the most about the race.  I’m truly fascinated with the mind/body connection.  There is so much more to racing than swimming, biking, and running.  Huge gains can be made through mental training and learning more about the power of nutrition.

All my gear and bags organized and ready to go

 

After the race wheels were put on Wednesday I took it out for a short spin to make sure Black Beauty was all set.  There had been no running since Monday.  Running has been very minimal since I had the MRI done on my hip/hamstring after the 70.3 race in Vegas.  There isn’t anything major wrong I just have inflammation I need to take care of which is on the To Do list after Kona.

On my way to rack my bike Friday afternoon.  I waited until the last minute when it would be quieter.

I had a nice big breakfast with Lee and the boys about 9am – 2 eggs, 2 Gluten free pancakes with coconut syrup, and 2 slices of sourdough bread with fresh jam.  I snacked on a PR bar, banana and coconut water around lunch time.  Dinner was early around 5.  I picked up food from Island Naturals’ hot deli which was a chicken breast and mashed potatoes.  I was in bed by 7, but really didn’t sleep too much at all.

My favorite place to get food in Kona.  Here and Lava Java.

Nutrition: I changed my nutrition plan somewhat from IMoo.  One thing I needed to do was stay on top of my hydration and taking in calories – especially on the bike or I would more than likely be walking the marathon. For the first time ever I sucked down a GU peanut butter from T1 to my bike.  On my bike I had water in my aero bottle which I planned to refill at the aid stations on the course.  On my down tube I had Extreme Hydro-X. It’s a new product I started using this summer and I REALLY like it.  I highly recommend it to others.  In my bento box I had Cytromax energy drops (orange) which I love too.  Also, in my bento box I had MAP (master amino pattern) and Hammer Electrolyte tabs.  Taped to my top tube were 5 GUs…an assortment of flavors.  Also, I shoved an EFS liquid shot in my top out of T1 and had one velcro in behind my aero bottle.  Each of those had 400 calories.  In total I had about 1900 calories on my bike.  I had a little more than I would probably take in just in case I was out there longer than anticipated.  I did put a few things in my special needs bags, but I never stopped to get anything from either one of my bags on the bike or run.  I would try to take in calories every 15 minutes and around the top of each hour do 3 MAP and a few electrolyte tabs.  There is new research out which says we really don’t need the electrolyte tabs, but whether it’s in my head (a placebo affect) or not I like the reassurance.  Especially racing in Hawaii.  

Race day nutrition

I ended the bike with all of my MAP, electrolytes, EFS liquid shots, and Cytromax drops gone.  I’m not a huge fan of GU so I only managed two of them.  The bike penalty was probably a blessing in disguise because I took full advantage of the 4 minutes off my bike by grabbing a bottle of coke and two waters on my way to the tent.  In there I was able take in additional nutrition and hydration, apply more sunscreen, do some stretching, and even pee on the side of the road.  I didn’t even care the tent was full of other races and there was no privacy…just the lava fields.  For those interested…that was the only time I went to the bathroom the whole race.

Race Morning:  I like to get up about 2:30 am and have a bigger breakfast and then go back to sleep.  I had two sandwiches at 2:30am…sourdough bread with sunflower butter and jam was one and the other was sourdough bread with sunflower butter, sliced banana, and honey.  I was able to go back to sleep for a little longer and then my alarm went off for the second time at 3:55.  I had coffee and a PR and slowly and methodically went through my list. I remember Lee asking me if I was nervous and I remember thinking I wasn’t at all.  I felt very calm and I felt was on auto pilot in a way.  I had created a list with times and everything I had to do.  Sometimes I believe people get nervous because they aren’t prepared or they are uncertain about what is to come.  I was prepared and I was prepared for a variety of different obstacles which may come my way – both good and bad.   

I left the room by 4:35.  We were lucky to be staying at the King Kam hotel which is the headquarters for the IM and the same location for the start/finish, T1, and T2.  It was so convenient for me all week and for Lee and the boys the day of the race.  

I made my way through body marking, getting weighed, and all the way to my bike.  Everything went very smoothly.  I was 7 pounds lighter than a year ago at IM Wisconsin.  One of the areas I really worked on the last 5 weeks leading up to this race was my nutrition.  I didn’t eat any gluten or any type of junk food.  It is absolutely amazing to me the power of food.  I know I’ve said this before in my blog, but nutrition really is the 4^th disciple.  Being as lean as possible on this course can really pay off.  

Hanging out with Scott Poteet at the swim entry before the race.

Swim:

I knew the swim was going to be brutal.  There were over 2,000 people who started the swim.  I was one of the first people to get in the water.  I wanted to be toward the front and the middle.  I told myself…3 minutes…You can handle 3 minutes of pure physical swimming.  My thinking was – go as fast as you can for 3 minutes and then it will settle down. For someone where water isn’t second nature the swim can be terrifying.I would have put me in this group until about 6 months ago when I attended the Total Immersion swim camp in Kona.  I learned more about swimming in the ocean and how to relax in the water in a week than I have learned in 10 years.  I’m so glad Jennifer Imsande invited me to take lessons from David Cameron in Minneapolis over the winter and did the swim camp with me.  Those skills I learned not only helped me for this race, but have changed how I view swimming and how much I enjoy swimming in the open water.

While treading water out there I hear a guy ask…”Can I hold on here too”…there were huge orange buoys were the starting line was which I was holding on with one hand.  I said sure and looked over to see the guy was Hines Ward.  Very cool:)

I started getting cold in the water waiting for the race to start.  Since I was one of the first to get in the water it was probably about 20 minutes of treading water before the race started.  The canon fired and we were off.  I took one stroke and my goggles were full of water.  Someone’s hand had hit my strap and they filled with water.  I kept swimming debating what to do.  My eyes started to burn from the salt water so for a quick second I stopped to dump the water out and got back to work.  Not a good time to stop at all – even if it’s for one second.  There was a point in the swim where I thought…I have a bloody nose and there was another point I thought…yep, I’m gonna have a black eye…and another point I thought…oh my goodness I’m going to vomit from the kick to the gut.  It was crazy, brutal, and something I never want to do again or at least until I’m in the 70+ age category and I’m in the back just taking my time.

I was thrilled to get out of the water and see the clock say 1:09.  The swim was hard for me, not the actual swimming part…I didn’t get tired or feel I was out of breath.  The hard part for me was staying calm and not letting all the commotion of all the bodies and arms and legs get the best of me.  I did very little sighting.  I kept my head down.  The view from under the water seemed calmer than the view from above.  When I would look up to sight it just looked like pure ciaos to me, so I tried to keep my head down and stay relaxed as much as possible.  Finding feet, staying relaxed and just keep swimming were a few of my swim goals.  I had to remind myself a few times when I was drafting to just stay in the draft zone.  It is so much easier swimming in someone else s draft that I would think…I can swim faster than this and I would slide out to pass only to realize they are going as fast as I would go so I would slip back in behind them and save my energy for the bike and the run.  

Bike:

T1 went great…very smooth.  I had gone through the whole race in my head so many times that when the day finally came I really didn’t have to think I just flowed.  I knew the course almost as good as I knew the Wisconsin course.  There were no surprises.  I knew the landmarks and picked them off one by one on the way out and did the same on the way back….airport, cemetery, donkey crossing, scenic overlook, ….

I had prepared for the mental toll the wind can have on a racer.  Race day was the best conditions I have ever biked in on the Queen K.  On the climb up to Hawi I was able to take in nutrition and hydration which usually is almost impossible with the wind blowing from several different directions.  The crazy thing about the Kona bike course is you can get a headwind in both directions.  So the earlier you can get out on the course and get back the less wind you will have to deal with since the mornings are calmer than the afternoons.  I pushed the bike hard on the way out of town because I knew what we would be facing on the way back and sure enough the last 25 miles into town was tough.  I tried to relax and stay aero and just keep pedaling.  Slowly each of the landmarks would come into view and finally over the horizon I could see the airport.  From the airport to T2 is less than 10 miles.

What I love about this pic is the angle of my head.  This was on the climb uphill with the wind just blowing.  I love riding bike!

Gadgets…I don’t race with power.  I have a power meter and will use it in training.  Not every single training ride, but for many rides I do.  For me, I enjoy training on perceived rate of exertion.  In my opinion, too many athletes are holding themselves back with all the gadgets they use for tracking and don’t listen to their body.  These gadgets are great tools, but they are just that – tools.  The mental training is more powerful than any power file will ever tell you.  When it comes to IM racing and it gets dark out there and lonely – which it will – you are the only one who can pull yourself out of the darkness and forge ahead.  You have to have strategies to be able to dig deep and believe in yourself no matter what.  

For races…I race against myself and try to push the envelope each time.  The challenge I was looking for was with me and seeing how far I could push myself and would I have what it takes to keep moving forward.  Viewing the race as a completion with myself rather than a competition with the other racers was very calming and relaxing to me.  I’ve learned through training I can push the bike hard and still run good off the bike. On the run I have a watch and I keep track to some extent my pace per mile, but once again I’m running on feel.  

The drafting penalty…not much to say about this…I disagree with the call, but it is what it is.  There were so many packs of guys that flew by me.  The call came right after I had missed a water bottle at the aid station and was out of water for about 30-40 minutes so maybe it was meant to be.  I was able to get water and have a break off my bike before getting back on and pushing the last 25 miles into the wind.

Run:

As soon as I got off my bike and made my trip around the pier to T2 I thought…there is no way I’m going to be able to run a marathon.  As soon as that thought entered my head I quickly replaced it with….race your race and be patience…You’ll find your legs.  

In T2 I put compression sleeves on, my socks, and shoes.  While I was doing this I had BioFreeze in my bag and one of the volunteers was smearing this all over my quads and hamstrings.  They also wrap an ice cold towel around your neck.  I have to say the volunteers are absolutely amazing!  So organized and nice.  

I saw Lee and the boys right out of T2 and the look on a few of their faces was…mom…you are really far back. I think they were used to seeing me race at IM Wisconsin  were I got off the bike and there was only a handful of women in front of me and they were all pros.  This race is different…everyone is fit and everyone is fast.  Qualifying and racing here is an honor in itself.  Anything and everything on top of that is like the cherry on a sundae – not needed but it does make it look pretty. 

Riley took this picture and I just love it!  Its about mile 7-8 of the marathon and only the second time I seen the boys on the course.  I still had a big smile at this point.

I’ve ran several marathons and I know it’s a long way to run and so many things can happen and change in 26.2 miles.  I kept saying to myself…race your race, be patient, just keep on keeping on.  I felt I kept getting stronger the longer the race went on.  I was able to overcome a few bad patches and focused on getting from one aid station to the next.  We were very lucky for the most part of the marathon the sun had disappeared and been replaced with overcast skies.

My original goal was to run a lot faster than a 3:20, so part of me is disappointed with my time.  But, on this day, with these conditions, and where my body (hamstring) was at this was the best marathon time I could put together.  I never walked, I never gave up on myself, and I never let negativity win on the course.  My nutrition was spot on so I really have no reason to be disappointed. 

Ali drive...what a thrill!

The finish line was so much fun!  I was high fiving random people and loving every second.  Turning onto Ali Drive and seeing the big bunion tree brought tears to my eyes.  I have dreamt of this one day this one race for so many years and now here I was running down the street with so many people clapping and cheering.  I couldn’t stop smiling.  We all have dreams and no matter how big or how small or how silly or crazy they may seem to others they are our dreams and we all can make them a reality through hard work, disciple, and sacrifices.  Just because we grow up and become moms and dads doesn’t mean our dreams are no longer important.  If anything I want to be an example to my boys to keep on living life and inspiring others to do the same no matter what your age.  

Keep dreaming, keep setting goals, and keep working hard.  Life is WAY too short to just keep going through the motions.  This race has been a long journey and I have learned more about myself than I ever would have thought.  I have no plans for future triathlons until I’m a great Grandma going for the age group win in the 70+ category.  

Being on stage with these other amazing women was a real treat.  They were all so nice!

I’ll do another blog about my training, tapering, plans for after the race very soon, and all the wonderful people who made the day go as wonderful as it did.

TEAM ANDRES post race in Kona.

70.3 World Champs Race Report

The day could have went better to say the least…..BUT…with the journey I have decided to take and the mountain I have decided to climb there comes some valleys and some missteps.  I fell this last weekend.  Many things I could have controlled and others were out of my control.  Here goes my 70.3 Ironman World Championship Race report…

The finisher medal was totally worth it!

Training & Tapering….My training leading up to this race has been great despite the constant hamstring issue I’m dealing with, but I can deal with a little hamstring pain and if I take care of it I’m good to go.  My training has seen a lot of volume.  Maybe too much…I could tell leading up to this race a 4-5 day taper really wasn’t going to do too much.  It was almost too short to really bring recovery and too long leaving me feeling blah.  I may have benefited from a no taper.  

Goals….I did have big goals.  I usually do.  I started the race with a clear mind and knew what my plan was and I was prepared for things that may not go my way or at least I thought I was.  

Training and the days in Vegas….I was so happy to be away with Lee for a few days.  We usually try to spend a long weekend together, just the two of us, several times a year.  This year with my training and us wanting to spend free weekends with the boys we just didn’t get away.  The last time we actually went away was Hawaii in October to watch the IM World Championships.  So, I wasn’t fully in race mode and did enjoy a few dinners a little too much and paid the consequence on Sunday about mile 3, 5, 8, and 10 of the half marathon.  

Race morning

Race morning….My new breakfast plan….I went with hot rice cereal instead of potatoe/cottage bread.  I mixed in honey and nut butter along with a banana.  I loved it.  I think I will stick with my bread for Kona.  Probably more of because of the race I had in Vegas and the races I’ve had with my other breakfast.  Why try and change or fix something if it’s not broken?  

Nutrition….I never touched my IM perform on my down tube for the whole bike.  My plan was to have water in my aero bottle, IM perform on the down tube, a GU and Cytromax energy drops.  I barely got anything down.  I just wasn’t hungry and could feel all that food from the previous days just sitting in my stomach.  

Swim….We had to wait in a line with our wave for an hour in the rain.  I never thought I would be wishing for warmer weather at this race, but on race morning I had goose bumps and was chilled.  We had about 3 minutes in the water before our wave started.  I was right in the front and I’m telling you these women were not friendly once we were in the water.  Everyone was visiting and chatting the hour before the race while we waited in line, but once we entered the water is was like GAME ON.  I was kicked and punched before the air horn even went off.  The start was pretty brutal.  I just kept my head down and swam.  I was very proud of myself the whole swim.  I felt I swam pretty straight and was able to feel the draft from other swimmers a few times.  I was planning to be out of the water around the 35 min mark and ended up around a 36 minute swim.  I was happy with the amount of women I was getting out with and felt I was going to have a great day!

T1…The run around the backside of the lake to T1 was crazy.  There had been 12 waves which went off before us and the desert doesn’t do too great with water drainage.  We sunk in mud up to our ankles.  I had a quick T1.  It was a long haul through wet dirt.  The climb out pushing my bike and seeing my bike go from black to a brown color was sad…I actually thought “Man, I don’t want to clean this thing!”

Bike…. As soon as I got out on the road and strapped my shoes tight I could feel the front didn’t feel right and then before I knew it my bike was slipping out under me and I was on the ground.  My front wheel was flat.  I started to change my tire and realized the pump I had in my gear bag was for my training wheels not my race wheels and I couldn’t air my tire up.  So, I picked my bike and wheel up and started running back to T1 in my bike shoes.  I was asking every volunteer for bike support….I had to run all the way back down the muddy hill filled with other racers pushing their bikes single file out of T1.  I felt terrible.  As I made my way to the bottom of the hill a guy starts telling me he has a wheel on his bike and I could use it.  How nice is that?!  I found out later he was sick and decided to pull the cord on the race when he woke up and saw the weather.  I quickly changed the tire over and aired it up.  The tire of his was flat, but there was a random bike pump just sitting there.  I thought…this is a sign that I’m still going to have a great race.

One of the last things I said to Lee was – no matter what happens out there – if I flat or crash I will finish.  So don’t be worried if you don’t see me for a while.  Once I was back out on my bike I was in heaven!  I love my bike and I love riding my bike fast – even in the rain.  My official time from my Garmin when I left T1 for the second time was 2:33.  Coming into T2 I thought I can make top 10.

T2….went great – no issues.  

Run… I was out on the run in no time and felt good for the first mile or so.  My run splits were close to where I wanted them to be and I was planning to pick up the pace from there.  Then my stomach had other ideas and slowly I lost the fight – both physically and mentally but more than anything my strong mental focus I usually can rely on during a race was gone.  I just wanted to finish the race and not be looking for the next porta pottie.  I got through it and crossed the finish line.  So many lessons learned in a few short hours that it’s hard for me to say it was a bad race.  When things in life don’t go as planned, whether it’s a race or just getting groceries, we have a choice on how we react to the situation.  We can think about all the negatives and be grumpy and upset or we have the choice to accept what happened, learn from it, and move on to our next adventure.  I’ve made the choice to take option two – accept it, learn from it, and move on.  

Post race...giving my update on FB. 

 

Final thoughts… I learned a lot about myself and what it actually takes to have a great race.  Not that I didn’t know this before, but it’s easy to lose the mental focus in the days leading up to a race.  For me, I was happy to be getting away with Lee for a long weekend and wanted to enjoy our time together.  It was our 16^th wedding anniversary. I ate more than I normally would have and didn’t make the best nutritional choices while we were in Vegas.  I had a very stressful week at home with the start of the school year and starting a new job.  I’m not making excuses for my results.  They are what they and I could have changed a lot of things before the race to have a different end to this story.  I didn’t and therefore I received the results I got.  There are so many decisions that are made before and during a long race.  I think that is part of the appeal of IM racing to me.  The winner isn’t necessarily the fastest person.  It’s the fastest person that day that made a lot of really good decisions for several hours.  It takes more than strong muscles to accomplish this…it takes strong muscles and a clear focused head. 

The venue…. It was interesting and not anything that I expected.  The bike course was hillier than I thought and the rare weather they had on race day made for a very interesting race. 

 

It was 111 degrees when I went riding in this picture.  Nothing like race day.

Lessons learned…So many…the biggest one is the focus I need for me before an important race.  Even though this sounds terrible, the truth is I know I have to become more self-absorbed and take any added stress out of my life.  Being organized is a huge part of getting rid of the stress and having a supportive family is the biggest key for me.  I will be heading to Kona two weeks before the race.  These next weeks before I leave at home with be filled with quality sessions and not a lot of volume.  For one, I don’t have the time.  Second, I have a ton of volume from summer and my body doesn’t need all that right now.  I have an apt scheduled for my hamstring on Monday.  I literally couldn’t sit after the race I was in so much pain.  I had my EMS (electric stim machine) hooked up for the plan ride home.  

I’m looking forward to these last few weeks and I’m not going to waste a moment!  Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive in this journey.    

Vegas baby...here I come

Kona is a little over a month away and as I type this Lee and I are on our way to Vegas for the 70.3 World Champs.  Crazy how fast the summer flew by and before I know it I will be on a plane to the Big Island.  It gives me butterflies just thinking about the opportunity I have earned.

Tomorrow (the 6^th) is our 16^th wedding anniversary and 7 of the previous 9 years Lee has spent our anniversary at an IM - either watching with me, volunteering with me, or being there to support me while I race.  All I have to say is – What a guy.  He did let me know that next year, come September, he will be hunting every weekend of the fall.  Sounds like a good plan to me.  I’ll probably be right there with him in the duck blind.

My best friend, Lee

These last two weeks have been very hard trying to fit in my training, work, and being a mom.  There are things I have decided that aren’t that important right now and everything doesn’t have to be perfect or according to plan.  Lee and the boys have picked up a lot of the slack around the house since I’m back working and just can’t get to everything.  We are ALL doing a countdown to Kona.  For one I think the boys will be happy to have me around more and I think Lee will be happy to not have so much on his plate too.  I think they have a new appreciation of all the little things mom did behind the scene that just got taken for granted.  Which makes me realize this whole Kona thing really is all about the journey for not only me, but also my boys.  

The Andres boys on the first day of school.  I was able to keep our breakfast tradition of homemade carmel rolls on the first day of school still going this year...and I even got a yoga class in before they got up.

Here is a little pre-race report from me leading to the 70.3.  I’m trying lots of new things which I always tell people never to do on race day.  I’m trying a new breakfast, new bike shorts and top, and a pair of shoes I ran 2 miles in yesterday.  I’m even going with some new things on my bike.  I’ll make sure I give an update on those post-race.  This is my run through for Kona…my double check of things.

I’m feeling really good…strong and solid.  I’m not where I want to be in terms of fitness…yet…but I don’t need or want to be there until October 12^th.  I still have a training block to complete after Vegas.  This race, this weekend, is my springboard to jump my fitness to the next level.  The only issue is my hamstring has been bothering me lately, but I found out when my bike had some work done on it a few adjustments were missed and/or changed.  I haven’t felt right since I got it back from the shop, but chalked it up to my training.  Another bummer was finding out last night while my bike was being boxed up that my carbon seat post is bent.  It was over tightened at the bike shop. 

   

By no means are any of those two things excuses I will allow myself to fall back on when the race gets hard.  I have worked so hard this summer for these two races – Vegas and Kona.  I will be putting it all out there come Sunday when wave 16 (women 35-39) starts.  Go Hard or Go Home!  Bring the heat, bring the wind, and bring the hills cause I’ve been waiting months to swim, bike, and run fast.

Goals…I always have those!!  One of my big goals is to be able to manage the heat.  I’m very curious to see how the heat feels, how I tolerate it, and how it affects my times.  My swim goal is to go hard.  I find in previous racing I just swim relaxed and don’t push out of my comfort zone like I do on the bike and run.  My bike goal is to stay aero and focused the whole time and no matter what happens to stay relaxed and make good decisions.  On the run – its 3 loops….My plan is to be able to run stronger and stronger with each lap.  Making the podium in my age group will be amazing and I will be shooting for a spot on the stage.

Lastly to my friends Sara Carlson and Jarrod McKinney who are racing IM Wisconsin on Sunday – Go out there and Rock that course!  Enjoy the day and stay strong and focused.  All you need to do is keep moving forward.  You will be an Ironman!!  Also, to my good friend Sarah Simpsom who will be running herself to a Boston marathon qualifying time on Sunday morning - You got this girl!!

Is it really less than 8 weeks away?!

It’s getting closer and closer.  I’m having the time of my life planning and organizing my training, travel, and life around this huge goal of mine.  Sometimes I think it’s more about the journey and what I’m learning about myself and my family and friends rather than what actually happens on October 12^th.  I have learned so much about myself and about my relationship with my husband, Lee and others who are close to me.  There is no one in this world who knows me better than Lee.  He just gets me and gets how much this means to me.  There are days when I start to doubt my lofty goals, but he is always there with the words that brings in all back to reality and puts it in perspective.  Sunday mornings we get up and he kayaks while I swim and then we go for coffee.  Sunday morning swim workouts are my favorite!

Lee kayaking for me during my Sunday morning swim. 

My training…I’ve walked a very fine line for 3 weeks between overloading and over-training.  Now this week is my step back week where I’ve dropped the volume and spent more time on some speed work and slept in a few mornings and caught up on the list of to “to do’ items.  Really – I have a running list of things I need to take care of and do during my recovery week.  They are things like making travel arrangements for Vegas and Kona, registering my boys for their fall sports, calling the cable company, getting my hair cut, and get things ready for the start of the school year.

I have another big building block before I take 2 weeks to fine tune leading into the 70.3 World championship race.  I’ll take a small taper and use the 70.3 race to check my gear and my fitness. 

One thing about IM racing, I’ve learned through my few years of racing at IMoo is it’s about durability and how much your body can hold up.  When we see people walking in the marathon it’s not that their heart rate is so high and they can’t catch their breath, but the fact their legs just have nothing left in them and they can’t keep going.  Another reason I belive so many people end up walking in the marathon is the mental strength it takes to finish the IM.  It’s hard to explain how much you have to hurt and how deep a person needs to dig to finish the IM.  Anyone who does, no matter what the clock says, needs to be proud of the accomplishment.  

For me, Kona is more about finishing…I want to race that race and I’m willing to dig deep.  I’ve spent hours mentally preparing for the start of the swim, the long climb to Hawi, the windy hot sections making my way back to town, and the run…oh the run how I have prepared for you.  I will be waiting for those negative voices at mile 6 and mile 16 and mile 20 and believe me I know what I will say to them.  

Right in front of Lava Java on Ali Drive ... marathon run course

Recovery…those who know me know how much I preach about recovery.  There is no reason to go out and do mile repeats on the track and work at TT effort on the bike unless you take the time to rest and recovery so your body can absorb all the training.  I’m getting more and more particular about my training and especially my recovery.  Fridays are my body maintenance days – I go to the chiropractor every Friday and get a massage every Friday.  It’s not the relaxing kind where a person could fall asleep massage, but the just about fly off the table in pain deep tissue massage.  I literally work on my yoga breathing techniques to get through the massages and I literally end up sweating.  I sleep 10 hours a day – usually about 8 at night and a 2 hour nap.  I wear compression A LOT.  I really don’t even mind grocery shopping in my compression socks anymore…it’s the new look – right?

Staying sane…It’s very easy to get caught up in the training and forget about the people who are helping me on this journey.  It really does take a family of support to make this all work for me.  Lee and the boys are very supportive.  Every Thursday night Lee and I go for dinner.  It’s such a great end to my big week of training.  My big days are Monday thru Thursday.  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are much shorter.  We usually plan fun activities with the boys – go-carting, paint balling, tubing, fishing, renting movies and ordering pizza.  

Getting ready for paintball.  I had huge bruises on my legs for at least 2 weeks.

I have to give a huge shout out to Minnesota Hockey Camps.  My boys have made this camp their home away from home this summer.  They love hockey and everything the camp has to offer.  They are hard workers and have the support at MHC to reach their goals and make their dreams their reality.  If it wasn’t for MHC there is no way I would allow myself to train the hours I do.  Just knowing the boys are being taken care of by responsible and fun counselors and coaches and they are eating good, having fun, and learning many life lessons at camp.  I can’t say THANK YOU enough to Minnesota Hockey Camp.  

The boys working hard at Minnesota Hockey Camp.

My goal of this blog was to be able to reach out to anyone who wants to listen and realize you can do anything you set your mind to.  When I first watched the IM World Championship race on TV back in high school I said – One day I will race in that race.  At the time I was terrified of the water and couldn’t swim 25 yards.  Actually, I was so scared of the water I couldn’t put my face in the water without my heart rate exploding. I signed up for a swim class my senior year in high school and learned to swim.  There were many life experiences that took place from them until now like getting married to my HS sweetheart, having 5 wonderful boys, becoming a teaching, and now even earning my master’s degree.  But I never lost sight of the – “someday I will race in that race”

So now, here I am with less than 8 weeks to go to “that race”.  No matter what happens on October 12^th I will be happy and I will be proud of myself because I’m staying focused.  I set out with a dream, made it into a goal, and step by step I’m making my dream a reality.  

When a person wants something deep down inside of them – it’s their passion, it’s their dream and there is no stopping them from reaching it.  We all have that – we just need to find our passion.  Most of the time I think too many people are scared of failure or scared of what others might think or say.  They may think they are being selfish by following their passion.  The truth is we all deserve the right to be happy and doing what you love is one sure why to find happiness.

No one ever said it was going to be easy.  There are very few people who are at the top of their sports.  In my opinion, there are certain traits which a person needs to have to be a great athlete in their sport.  It takes dedication and sacrifice.  I have had to ask myself this – how much am I willing to give up to reach my goal?  It’s not about what I’m doing when other are watching…it’s about the time I’m putting in when no one is watching.  When there is no one there to push me – am I willing to gut it out?  You bet I am.  I believe it’s’ my hours in my Kona room that are making me the triathlete I want to be.  When it gets hard out there and I need to dig deep I can go to all those training sessions when no one was there but me and I dug deep and finished my training session.

Soon, the fall school year will start and I will be back working.  The boys will be starting school and their fall sports.  There will be a lot going on this fall in the Andres house.  I’m starting my master’s program this fall too.  I’ve structured my training where I’m building a big base before fall so I can put more race pace effort and speed work in my training with less volume.

My Team Andres Kona shirts are in the works and I’m very excited about them!  The Brainerd YMCA has a great fall Road to Kona event planned…stay tuned!

Rough draft of the back of the shirt.  I'll load the final product when completed.

Happy training….my next blog post will be right before the 70.3 World Champs!