4 More Days!!

So it's Tuesday, July 28 and the half is just around the corner. Two weekends ago was the last big push (bike the course on Saturday, run 1 hour, 30 minutes on Sunday). Last weekend was an easy 25 miles on the bike, and an hour run. Funny how it works, 25 on the bike and an hour run used to intimidate me. Now in comparison to a 60 mile ride and a two hour and ten minute run, they are like walks in the park. Note: these are not back to back bike/runs!

I recall freaking out after the first 50 mile bike ride about 2 months ago and saying to the CES coach "how the hell am I going to be able to run 13 miles after that!!?" It seemed completely insurmountable then. Now it's something I'm confident I can do, but honestly, that whole half marathon part still scares me. For me it comes down to a matter of pace--will I feel strong enough to push myself at a good pace for 13.1 miles? My plan right now is to just go as fast as I can on every leg and worry as little as possible about "saving" energy for the next leg. The way I look at it, each leg is it's own individual event and the muscles I use differ enough that I really don't need to "save" much of anything. It's all there to go all out all the time. I will plan right for nutrition and everything will just work out (fingers crossed). Hey, I think I just found my mantra!! It's all there to go all out all of the time. I've been trained to use my twitch muscles as much as possible on the bike (faster cadence uses smaller muscles) and the big muscles on the run, so I'll be totally fine. Whenever I start doubting myself, I'll recall those tough workouts, the speed runs, the hill climbs, the long swims and I tell myself I can do it, and I can do it fast. And then I'll think about all those full Ironman athletes I know. Now that, my friends, is crazy and insurmountable!!

It's All There To Go All Out All Of The Time!

Wish me luck ;-) I'll share pictures after the big day. I cannot wait for that bottle of cold Oberon at the finish line!

What Happened??

...to the time? Well, a lot. I've been so bad at keeping up with this blog--I guess life got in the way. Andy and I moved in early June, I went to NYC to visit my sister for her 21st, and then I've just gotten generally busy with training...I would think about my blog as I was riding along Barrington Hills during the course of those 50 miles and kick myself for not being better at posting. I've never been the dear diary type.

So, it's almost here. I'm a two weeks away. The last 12 weeks of training have been great overall. I've kept on schedule for the most part (the CES gives us what I call my training bible) and I've upped the anty in some spots. When I filled out the online form to sign up for CES, I put that my goal was to just complete the race. So I was put in a level 1 training zone. I didn't really appreciate that too much because, well, because that means I'm not as good an athlete as others and when it comes to triathlons, I don't believe that about myself. It also means that I'm not doing as much as some of the others in the group (it goes to level 3) and therefore they are getting further along with their harder training schedule. I'm too competitive to be satisfied with the "lower level" (easier) workouts. I guess I should have been more honest when I filled out the form, but I realized nothing is stopping me from doing the higher level workouts. So about 6 weeks ago I decided I'd be okay doing the L3 workouts, depending on how I felt that day. They don't vary too much, just a few more sets of intervals for the run (or more time), more minutes for the bike and swim. I still haven't exactly figured out why the training goes by time and not milage--I have some ideas but I've been meaning to ask the coaches and haven't gotten around to it yet. It partially makes sense in that they need a training that's designed for all levels, but what if I run for 2 hours and never get to 10 miles? During the race I'll be in hell, right? I guess they figure hell for 7 hours is better than hell for 3 months.


So I've been up north at Old Mission Peninsula these last two weekends and have missed out on some of the group workouts. That is not me in the photo, but it's an idea of the awesome view when biking on Old Mission Peninsula.


Some people in the group went to Benton Harbor to bike the course last weekend. I'll be going this weekend with a small group. They said the hills were more gradual than the ride we are used to doing in Barrington, where there are plenty of rolling hills. I think the Benton Harbor hills are also longer. Here's some of the group that went to Benton Harbor last week. Beautiful weather for a ride.


As I've said before, the run is the thing I worry about most. I ran a 15k race with my sister Janelle last Saturday and added about 40 minutes (approx 4 miles), making it close to 13 miles. I felt good, but I want to be faster in the race. However, it was from 8 until 10, not 1 until 3, like the half run will likely be. And there was a continuous bay breeze. I heard this course is not shady, and the heat totally takes it out of me. And I also worry about my pacing throughout--I can kick it in the bike portion, but I can't kick it as fast for 56 miles knowing I have a grueling 13 to run. And my run timing is all over the place. One mile I am at 8:45 the next I am at 10. It probably has a lot to do with the music I am listening to (which I plan to do at the half).

One cool thing we did was a triathlon June 28 at Lake Geneva. It was the Bigfoot Triathlon (had to do it for that name alone) and Andy, AJ and Adam decided to do it relay style. So we woke up at 3:30 and set out for WI that Sunday morning. The water was very choppy for LG and the wind was pretty extreme. So the swim and the bike were very challenging. The swim turned out to be more of a water jog over the last half mile. I was pooped after fighting the waves for 10 minutes, which wasn't good. But once I was out of the water I was fine, even though I felt like I was going 0 MPH in those winds! But the last 5 miles was smooth sailing and I got a lot of speed in then. The run was great--actually my favorite part! All trail running through the campground area Andy and I stayed at for our anniversary last year. We actually ran those very trails, so it turned out I was somewhat familiar with the course. I was happy to find out that I beat the boys' time--I really didn't expect to. They have not trained at all for any of their respective legs but I still thought they'd beat me since they only had that one part to worry about and the transition was a matter of passing off the chip. So that definitely helped my ego!! Here's a link to the race: http://www.bigfoottriathlon.com/ I think my time was 2:54.

Taper week is next week, which also means I have to let up on the peanut butter and chocolate milk. Damn.

I feel good--a little more toned than usual. But I swear, during some of my runs I think my god, if I am not a stick by the end of this run I am going to hurl myself into the river. And I'm never a stick. Just a very sweaty, salty pair of turbo thighs with armpit and sports bra chaffage. But those endorphins make it all okay...

First Group Ride

Today's group workout was the first group bike ride. I woke up at 5:30 am to get out by 6 am and meet up with the group in Lincolnshire at 7 am. I had to borrow Andy's cousin's car b/c Andy has our car in MI this weekend and I set with a quarter tank of gas. I accidentally wound up in the express lane instead of local on 94 and missed my exit. I was planning on getting gas on the way there if I had time, but once I realized I went way out of my way, I lost time. Plus I took the wrong turn off the expressway and added even more to the trip. After stopping in two parking lots in the Old School Forest Preserve, I finally joined up with the group at 7:20 and yes, the gas light was on. At that point, I was just glad I didn't miss the ride and was able to get my crap together, hop on my bike and mentally prepare for a 43.5 mile ride. The ride was good overall--some rough areas on the roads and very strong winds. I realized I was getting a little too competitive with some of the women when I would see one ahead and push to pass, but hey, it's all part of the training I guess. However, I have to say there are some amazingly strong women in this group! This is not some whimpy club--I think there may even be a few ringers among us! Just about every woman I talk to has done at least one marathon, most have done several. To each her own.

I completed the three loops (one loop=14.5 miles) in decent time--I didn't count it exactly but probably around 3 hours or so. I almost didn't make it home-gas stations along 94 are like lakes in a desert!

The run tomorrow is either 60 or 70 minutes. That seems like a lot right now. But then I think about my sister, who is running the Bayshore Marathon next Saturday, and I realize how much of a whimp I am when it comes to running.

She's trying to qualify for Boston, which means she's shooting to average 8:30-45 min. miles. For 26.2 miles!! And she's been triaining in that range, which amazes me. She looks absolutely amazing and I think she's going to do it! If not, she'll be pretty close. She said if she doesn't make it, she'll still be happy she completed a marathon after getting ACL surgery (terrible triad to be exact) just two years ago. She's just amazing, that's all I can say!

By the way, this is a picture of my dad, sister and I after we did the Ludington sprint triathlon and duathlon. She placed second overall for women in the duathlon and my dad got second in his age group. It was one of the top ten best days of my life.

Dad is Living with Grace

So my dad emailed me the other day and I had to include his email here. It's slightly masochistic and morbid, but funny.

Hi Elena-

Have you checked out this website http://www.djsteveboy.com/podrunner.html ? I exercised on the spin cycle to “Prodigious,” and it was awesome. There is a song toward the end with the following line "Living with Grace." I pictured myself running with my heart monitor strapped on my chest , pulse oximeter on my finger, core temperature probe in place and the GPS system connected to my iPhone playing this music into my ear plugs. Suddenly it was interrupted by that woman's voice that you hear on the Garmin device with that same tone that she uses to inform you that you just missed your right hand turn. Only she was saying, "you're running at a 9 minute mile pace, Al. She knows my pulse, respiratory rate, core temperature, oxygenation level and the distance that I have gone. She knows I can do better, so she informs me by stepping up the beat and turning up the volume. The message is clear. I run faster. “We have detected a problem, Al. You need to stop running immediately and look for a soft place to lie down. Our communication lines are open, so please tell us your name. We can't hear you Al. Please speak louder. Don't be alarmed by that loud noise that you are hearing, we are summoning help. Somebody will be with you shortly. You did not purchase the chest strap with the defibrillator, so we cannot administer this service. We love you Al, and we hope the best for you and your family.” Living became “dying with Grace.”

The First Three Weeks

So I've completed the first 3 weeks of the CES half ironman training. So far, I've had some great workouts, helpful clinics and met some wonderful people. During each group workout I am reminded that this program was an excellent investment. I've gotten to know some fantastically determined, disciplined and friendly people. The longer runs are up to roughly 70 minutes right now with our last run being a 10k time trial. I had to do the 10k time trial on my own since I was in Michigan for mother's day. I had no idea what my pace could be for 6.2 miles. I set off at a clip I am not accustomed to early Saturday morning with my father, who is currently training for a maybe marathon. He's not 100% sure about the marathon quite yet, but I'd like to think this is his year, too. I think he took a short cut after about 3.5 miles--he's not quite there yet. I finished at about 53:55, so I was fairly happy with that. I had no idea what to expect, so sub 9s is fine with me.

My dad wrote a hilarious email about a recent bike training he did. My next post will be his email.

Happy tris!

First Saturday of Training

Yesterday was my first Saturday training with Chicago Endurance Sports. It was rough getting up at 6am on a Saturday morning but once I was up and out, it wasn't so bad. We did a few running drills--high knees, butt kicks and 100m speed intervals before our 60 minute run. I ran with another woman who will be doing her first triathlon and we had a chance to get to know each other fairly well over the course of 6 or so miles. It turns out that 3 years ago she worked for a big competitor of one of the magazines I work for. What a small world! The last mile was a very wet one, we got poured on and I was soaked. But once we were done, the rain stopped and I felt great. It was an anomaly to be done running by 9:30am on a Saturday.  Overall, it was a great way to start and I'm looking forward to Thursday's swim clinic.

The Next Step: One foot in front of the other

It's officially official. I have spent $300 on a half-iman training program through Chicago Endurance Sports. From now on it's one foot in front of the other and no looking back! I picked up the schedule and will start training with the rest of the group this Thursday, April 23. Last weekend was officially my last weekend of sleeping in--every Saturday from now until August 2 I will be waking up at 6am to join the training group at Oak Street beach. I can't say I'm looking forward to it.

The other aspect to complicate this experience my injured hip flexor muscle. I've had pain in the area that connects the hip flexor and quad for about a month. I've laid off running for the most part and scaled back to once a week. However, running is my weakest so I'm panicking a little, especially since the pain is not going away. I got new shoes about 2 months ago and I'm worried that the shoes are the culprit. They may have too much stability. So it's time to throw in the towel and spend another $100 on new running shoes and see if that helps. If not, I'm going to stock up on Advil! The bad part is that the pain is pretty bad in the evening and sometimes wakes me up in the middle of the night. As long as my leg doesn't fall off I should be okay. And even if it does, fine, its my ugly leg anyway!

Tomorrow's first group training is a 40 minute run and with a few Advil it should be pretty simple. I'll be back then!

The Stomach Drop: DREAD

A Feeling of Dread

I am not brand new to this whole triathlon thing. I started my first in 2005 in Mackinaw City, MI with an extremely daunting 800m swim by the Mackinaw Bridge, an 18 mile bike and a 5k run. 

Two of my girlfriends and I decided to tackle it together and learned a lot about ourselves (and each other) in the process. One 

of them cried when she saw the swim set up--the buoys were spaced so far apart, you could hardly even see the furthest one out. A feeling of dread overwhelmed me and I wanted to turn around, run to the car, and drive back home to Lansin

g. Then I reminded myself that I am a strong swimmer--I usually swim three times this amount in my swim practices--it just looks really long when it's all put together like this. I realized I had to fight back a few nervous tears. The next morning we carbo-loaded, figured out how th

e heck to set up your bike on the "rack" and psyched ourselves up for the race.

As a kid I was into sports and on a bunch of teams but was alwa

ys right in the middle in terms of ability. I never considered myself competitive. Well, as soon as they blew the horn and throughout the full two hours, this strong, competitive bitch broke into my body and I was possessed. 

Swim-Bike-Run

The swim felt really good and when I came out of the water running on the beach among the men in the heat ahead of me, I searched the crowd for my mom. When we spotted each other, she yelped, obviously shocked to see me much sooner than she expected to, and she let out the biggest, loudest, most genuine "WHOO HOO, GO ELENA, OH MY GOD, GO," and I felt like I had been handed that magic little pill that filled me with speed and pride. My big thighs took over the job of carrying me through the streets of Mackinaw City on my rebuilt mountain bike with road tires. I was averaging 19 mph and when the old scared and cautious Elena told me to slow down, take it easy, I said to myself, "hell with you, girl, I'm loving this rush, let me fly!" I felt like a speed racer and every time I passed a guy I was fed another magic little pill. The run wasn't the best--it's never been my strong suite. But I was inspired by the woman in her late 50s, size 14 at least, who passed me coming the other direction--she was on her way back as I was on my way out. She ended up placing 2nd overall and I will never forget the look on her face as she cheered with her kids when her place was called during the award ceremony. Coming in to the finish line I heard my crew with their cow bells and when I came by the screams and cheers turned my legs into feathers and arms into pistons, carrying me to the finish line. I don't recall the exact time but it was about 2:40ish. Damn did I feel great!

Fast-forward three years, a few sprint and olympic triathlons later to mid-April 2009. I've decided this is my year to complete my first half-ironman. To some, no big deal, but to me, it's a huge challenge. So I decided to blog about my training experience. And the first step in committing to this race is signing up for the Chicago Endurance Sports half-ironman training program, which kicks off in a few short hours. Practices every Thursday evening and Saturday mornings at 7am. Ouch. It's time to get serious.