Augusta 70.3 Race Report

…I know, boring title, especially for me…was really hoping to call this blog entry something like “the cherry on top” (..of a great season) or “Vegas Baby!!”…but that was not how Sunday turned out.

I went into this race with a lot of hopes, but really trying to focus on a single expectation for myself – leave it all on the course, no holding back, and really just do my best.  The last two weeks of getting back to speed training had looked pretty promising, and the Augusta course favours me…and so I admit that I did have very high hopes for a PR, a sub-5, and a good shot at a slot.  But as we always say in triathlon – you never know what race day is going to bring.

The reality is, Sunday turned out to be a very tough day.  The weather was not in our favour, and at 5am when we got up to get ready it was already 74 degrees and almost 100% humidity.  Far from ideal.  But still, I was feeling good.  Had a nice San Juan reunion in transition with JLess, Vallee and Christine.  Met Z outside of transition for final words of advice and encouragement.  And then went back to the hotel to wait for my 8:44 start time…ya, also not ideal.  Just means longer in the heat on the run.

Finally down at swim entry, I donned the wetsuit.  I am no longer afraid of the wetsuit.  Possibly because it is a little big on me now after IM training, and therefore not as tight, but at any rate, I’m comfortable in it, and don’t really think about it anymore.  It was stinking hot already by this time.  Compare and contrast to last year where we were kinda glad to have wetsuits on because it was actually a tad chilly.  Jumped in the water, and the buzzer went off, once again seeming to surprise me for some reason.  Tried to stay in middle of the river, catch as much current as I could, but the river sure seemed slower to me.  Got kicked quite a bit in this race, almost lost my goggles once, and just generally didn’t enjoy the swim.  Not that I ever ‘enjoy’ the swim, but this is Augusta, and so it’s usually not so bad.  I didn’t feel tired per se, but I sure didn’t feel as good as I did in Canada (well, on the second half anyway).  I literally had to keep telling myself, this is nothing compared to what you just did.  I’d hoped for a similar or better current to last year, and given my swimming improvement, expected to be somewhere around 26-27 minutes.  So clearly I was not thrilled with the fact that my swim time was a mere 15 seconds faster than last year.   28:43.

Well, that’s okay, I figured I could make up the few minutes on the bike where I’d been conservative with my goal time.  I flew through transition, as is the norm for me, at 3:22. Out on the bike, I started the necessary passing that occurs when you are in such a late swim wave.  Heart rate started out pretty high, in fact I think it was a ridiculous 180 out of T1, and took me a good 10 miles to bring my heart rate down to my target zone of 157-162.  Once I got there though, I was able to stay in that zone for the majority of the ride, the larger hills excepted (both up and down).  First 20 miles, and I was a little slower than I’d hoped at about 20.5 mph.  Power was good though – and was interesting to race with power, this being my first race ever with it.  I kept on, and really didn’t experience anything unusual on the bike, aside from the idiot standing on the side of the road with a sign saying “stay home, get off the roads” …clearly oblivious to the amount of money we had been infusing into his community.  I had kept a pretty consistent effort over the ride, and at about 40ish miles, I was not happy with the clock, and decided I could put a little more pressure on.  Pumped up the power, and still managed to keep my hr at the upper end of my goal range, while managing to up the power to about 178 avg power for last 10-12 miles. Average power for the ride was actually 166.  So not too shabby, but clearly room for improvement there…unfortunately, total time was 2:43, an average speed of 20.5 mph…about 5-6 minutes slower than I’d wanted, and slower than last year.  Interestingly everyone was slower, so not just me. 

Again, T2 was lightning fast at 1:13, and I was off on the run.  Really felt hopeful about my run, given my performance over the last few weeks.  Imagine my surprise when I found a terrible cramp in my side, and found myself completely unable to bring my heart rate down from zone 4 unless I actually stopped running.  First 3-4 miles were far from my target pace of 7:45…more like 8:20-8:30.  WTF??  And I was in a LOT of pain.  The support out there by the Sport Factory crew was absolutely phenomenal, and it helped to get through it, but holy god, I hurt so bad.  I eventually had to do some walking, just could not do otherwise.   Janet found me around mile 5.5, and I was able to run with her for a bit.  This helped tremendously, but finally had to stop again and told her to keep on going.  Then, somehow I managed to lose the cramp around mile 8 for about 2 miles, and was able to pop the pace back up.  Actually caught up to Janet again.  After that though the cramp was back but on the other side, and it didn’t leave me again.  I ran most of the 13 miles in excruciating pain.  I’ve had these cramps regularly in the past, but have not experienced them in months, and they really took me by surprise.  I ran the entire run in zone 4, with an average hr on the run of 169, insane.  Three of the miles were 10 minute miles – I mean seriously, I haven’t run 10 minute miles all year.  The heat and the humidity was just brutal.  Time on the run was an extremely disappointing 2:00…far from my target of 1:45.  HUGELY disappointing, since I know I am much better than a 2 hour half marathon.  :(

So at 5:17 my final time was nowhere near a PR, and not meeting any of the 4 time based goals I had put out there, and which I honestly thought were mostly pretty attainable and reasonable.  Extremely disappointing.  Interestingly though, despite being 11 minutes slower than last year, I managed to exceed my placement by two spots, coming in 11^th in my age group, top 6%.  Which yes, is good, but just not where I’d hoped to land. 

In the final analysis, I have to accept a few things.  1) this was a bonus race and so my results are great from that angle; 2) I did meet my true goal of leaving everything out there…not sure I could have done much more; 3) in the last month I’ve completed an ironman in a pretty good time, undergone surgery, and had a pretty bad car accident…so all things considered, I have to be pretty pleased.  Still doesn’t stop me from being disappointed.  But it sure does make me hungrier than ever for that slot next year.

I’ve reviewed the results with Z.  My biggest question was really why my hr was so high right from the get-go on the run.  That just has not been a problem for me this year, and I’ve run in much worse.  My hr on the bike was where it was supposed to be, so this should not have happened.  All we can surmise is that I am tired, after everything I’ve done, and I was simply dehydrated.  And I was definitely that, which seems to be a common theme this year.  This is what prevented me from pushing the pace on the run as I had expected to be able to do.  And the high hr is what generally causes my side cramps.  The thing that hurt the most after the race?? My ribs and abs, from working so hard to overcome the cramps.  In fact, walking the next day caused the same cramps, and it hurt to even walk slowly.  I couldn’t keep up with Anne as we alked through the airport on our way to Denver.  Kinda made me wonder how I managed to run almost 13 miles like that, in zone 4 no less.  It’s amazing what you can push yourself to do in a race, and what a little adrenaline and competitive drive can accomplish.

Bottom line is you never know what race day is going to bring.  Everyone was slower this year, not just me.  Matt did an analysis of the temps and this year was 7-10 degrees warmer than last year, providing a pretty clear explanation for at least some of my issues.  I’m happy I was able to push thorugh it, and as Tracy said, god love her, you didn’t give up and that’s all that matters.  And that’s true. 

Above all else, I am so grateful for an amazing coach, and amazing support from friends and teammates.  Having the Sport Factory out there was really one of the best race experiences I’ve ever had.  Never been cheered so loudly and so often in any race, and it was truly amazing.  Tracy, Anna, Matt, Mark, Chris, Kevin, Suzanne, Amanda, Natalie, Amy, Mo (my roomie) and everyone else – thank you so much!  The second loop through the run, I was hurting so bad, but doing my best to keep my form and run it well, and they cheered so loudly – the girl beside me turned and said ‘wow, they really love you’, and I just smiled, and said ‘YES!  They really do!!!’.  Was a really wonderful feeling, to be so supported.  I love TSF!!!!  Huge thanks to Mark for bringing my bike to and from Augusta - thanks bud!

So my season is done.  And it’s been a great season. 

Happy Training!

Kat

The Final Hurrah

...for the season anyway, is tomorrow...Augusta 70.3.  I've done this race every year now, this will be my third go at it.  I've had some very good runs in the last couple of weeks, 7:45's, 7:35's, and a few 7:10's to boot, so I am feeling good about the run.  Feeling good about the swim.  The bike is where my confidence is a little weak, but I'm gonna go with Matt and Chris who have both said, your bike is better than you think.  Weather may be a factor...though the forecast has been changing dramatically every day, so who knows.  Last weekend's no humidity and low 70's would have been AWESOME...but whatever it is we will all have to deal with it.  As I sit here in the hotel room looking out the window, I can't actually see out...plenty o'fog...should be interesting tomorrow.  No sun tomorrow would be plenty welcome by this racer.  :)

As most of you know, I had a reasonably bad car accident on Thursday night...I know, go figure the timing.  Good Lord.  But, as most of you also know, I am not letting that get in my way.  I was very fortunate, and walked away with a few bruises, and some whiplash.  It wasn't great yesterday, but miraculously it seems better today, not worse.  And I seem to recall San Juan's whiplash (yes, unbelievable isn't it) being worse than this.  Recall I slipped on the swim entry platform and really cracked my head good.  My car is not so good - though I don't have the official word yet, I believe it is a write-off...front and rear completely smashed, and smashed good...and it is a 2003, so I doubt they will spend the money to fix it...also means I won't get much for it.  Guess I'm buying a new car sooner than 2013...damn.  So.  Ibuprofen, ice, and a few gentle touches from Dr. Sadri ("you're not REALLY doing the race on Sunday are you?"), and I'm ready to rock.  It's certainly not ideal, but it is what it is.  Make lemonade right, and HTFU.  After all, as Mo would say "You are an IRONman!!!"

It's funny the way the universe sends you messages.  Sometimes you don't really listen, and it has to keep sending them, until finally it gets fed up sending gentle ones, and just freaking shouts in your ear.  I've been telling myself for a long time that I don't have a lot of friends in Atlanta, and that my real friends are all back in Calgary.  Truth is that I do have real friends in Calgary, AND I have real friends in Atlanta.  I started coming to that realization through all the amazing support I received from everyone during my IMC campaign, and this car accident has reinforced that.  Zimm of course told me to call him as soon as I needed a ride.  Amazingly, Mike G was driving by after my accident, saw my car, thought 'that looks like Kat's car', and pulled over.  Waited there the whole time with me (and missed most of his workout because of it), threw my stuff into his Jeep, and took me over to TSF.  I walked in the door to TSF, and before I even put my bags down, Jason says "Kat you need a car? The camaro is all yours for as long as you need it".  Dozens of offers to help, and notes of concern.  Truly just amazing, and wonderful, and I am really really blessed to have so many friends that care.  Thank you all so much. So yes, universe, I hear you, and am integrating the message as I speak :)

So, back to the race, tomorrow I plan as always to leave everything on the course.  Wherever that lands me, I will be happy if I've done my best.  (yes Mum and Dad, you really drilled that into me).  And I plan to do just that - my very best, whatever that looks like tomorrow.  As I said to Kevin earlier this week as he secretly asked me what the whisper goal was :) 'this is the race that every year blows my expectations out of the water'...so possibly that is in the cards for me tomorrow as well.  I'll take whatever the day brings me, and give it everything I have.  Truly that is my real goal tomorrow - not a time or a certain placement, but to truly truly give everything I have, in a smart way, and know without a doubt at the end that there was no place in the race I could have gone harder.  Thanks for all the support from everyone, looking forward to seeing some of you out on the race course tomorrow, racing with me or cheering us on.

Good luck to everyone racing Tugaloo this morning, and to everyone racing Augusta tomorrow.  Go TSF!!!!

(and special thanks to Z for getting me to this point in an already amazing season)

Happy Racing
Kat

There's a first time for everything

Got in the pool this morning for the first time since the race...normally this means a hellish workout for me, since I am definitely no fish.  That's a long time outta the water, for anyone, and especially someone like me who has not grown a spare set of fins yet.  And so I fully expected it to feel like crap.  Well what do ya know, but it was great!  I felt good, felt strong, felt fast.  And Tracy said at the end of the session that I was looking pretty good out there today - "I could see your ass a lot today" she said...to all those non-swimmers reading this, this is a good thing :)  means I was floating up in the water and not dropping my hips.  Yay!!

Had a quick recovery spin tonight, which felt just fine, and actually had to hold myself back from letting it go in a few sections.  The average power just kept climbing, and I had to keep letting off - this is a recovery spin only girl!!!  Tomorrow I get to do some product testing for one of my FAVOURITE businesses - Lululemon.  Been wearing their stuff for 10 years, being a Canadian company and all, and in fact am still wearing stuff from them that I've had for almost 10 years!  Still looks brand new.  Really.  So should be fun, and I'm looking forward to it!

Now I'm off to paint another room, one more down in the quest to de-beige this house of mine!  And then to bed.

Happy Training!
Kat

Cutting myself some slack

And setting expectations...mostly for myself.  Those of you that know me well, know I set high standards...for myself most of all.  On one hand I'm not afraid to set the bar high - after all, if we are afraid to fail, we never really succeed, right?  By the same token, type A's like me can tend to go overboard sometimes.  :)  Hey, I'm nothing if not honest.

And I did just that for IMC - a pretty aggressive goal of 12 hours for a first Ironman, and not the easiest one out there either.  I'm sure there were lots of people who thought that was crazy and not achievable and what is she smoking and so on...and that's okay, I was certainly one of them in the final weeks.  And then I went out there and achieved it.

So point being, I've already achieved, nay surpassed, my tri goals for the year.  But my season is not over...I have one more race.  I decided a few months ago that I would race Augusta 70.3, and see if I could piggy-back onto the fitness level I've achieved with the IM training.  I need a third race to get ranked, so why not Augusta.  This will be my first year getting ranked with only long distance, so that will be interesting, in and of itself.  And I figured when I signed up, and in discussions with other athletes and coaches whose opinions I respect, that I had nothing to lose.  If I blow up, I blow up and I chalk it up to experience.  If I do well, who knows what that could mean.

As seems to be the way with me, I've had some unexpected complications get in the way.  Had minor surgery last Friday, and although minor, and certainly nothing life-threatening, it was still surgery, and there is recovery associated with it.  And of course, on top of that, recovering from IM.  Surprisingly, the IM recovery has been much better than I ever anticipated.  By Wednesday of last week (3 days post race) my legs felt fine already.  Was pretty darn shocked at that.  Aerobically, I'm feeling good.  Hard to say overall what the impact is really, it's a new experience for me, but I can say without a doubt that I thought I would feel a lot worse than I do.  And I've been able to pull out some pretty decent workouts in the last week, even though I haven't been able to do as much as I would have wanted to or my coach has prescribed because of the afore-mentioned surgery.  But that recovery is going well too, and I think it will be a non-issue by race day.

So now that leaves me to decide my approach to how I will race Augusta.  Try not to let my overactive A-type goal-setting competitive set-the-bar-high tendencies take over.  ;)  And my workouts yesterday and today have helped to knock that down a few notches.  lol.

Went out with Chris yesterday to ride.  Glad he was able to come with, because I knew I was going to need some pushing to get back to the speed side of the equation.  And of course he did not disappoint.  I was cruising along at an average 160 watts, feeling pretty darn good about that, given where I was in the last 6 weeks of IM training.  So Chris asks what my power is, I tell him, and he says, okay, I want you to bump it up to 180 for the next bit.  ACK!!  Are you out of your freaking mind?  My threshold power is only 187, and I've lost a fair bit of weight since that was set, not to mention, I haven't been training at that output for a while.  But, OK.  Damn him for knowing me so well, because once he puts it out there, he knows damn well I'm going to bust my ass trying to do it.  And I did.  It was f'ing hard, I have to say. Couldn't get it up there, and then I just wouldn't give up till I'd raised the average to 180.  Finally did it.  Thought my heart was gonna bust right out of my freaking chest.  But, thankfully the fitness I've worked so hard on was there to save me, and my heart rate dropped pretty quickly again.  We cruised along for a bit, and then hit Harold Road, and he says, okay - again.  All the way along this road.  This is your kind of road, he says.  So I go.  And there is one mf hill at the end of it, but got'er'dun.  And then repeat - circle round, and bust it out again.  And then we still had to get all the way home.  Definitely dropped off on the power after that, I was tired, and the hills at the end were pretty brutal.  Had to run after, 30 minutes.  Plan was to pull out 7:45 if I could.  First 2 miles were okay, last mile was pretty sucky.  Only did 25 minutes.

And then today, what was supposed to be a 90 minute negative-split out-and-back run.  Directions were to see a BIG difference in the "oot and back".  Didn't eat enough yesterday, not nearly enough, and it messed me up for sure today.  My plan was to do about an 8:15 on the way out, and 7:45 on the way back.  Had a hard time reigning it in for the first couple miles, surprisingly, had to keep slowing it down a bit.  But, 2.5 miles in, I started bonking.  Shaky, faint, you know the drill.  I'd only brought one gel with me, planning to take it at the turnaround. So, stopped, had the gel then, knew that would mean I likely couldn't do the full 90, so would go out 30-ish and try and bust out the pace on the way back to make up for it.  The requisite couple of minutes passed before I started to feel the effects of the gel, and then I was able to get it going again.  Ran out 4 miles, and turned around, picking up the pace.  In keeping with my attempt to conquer the fear of not having enough in reserve, I decided to just give 'er, and see what happened.  Was pretty surprised when the mile splits came up at sub-7:30.  Last mile and a half were a bitch, and I was grunting and swearing with the best of them.  Didn't quite get to Tracy's level of making up new swear words ;) but I came close!  And yes, I did start to slow down in that last mile, but then pushed it in at the end to finish strong.  Managed to bust out an avg 7:30 pace on the way back in, so better than I'd hoped for.  But overall, not the distance or time I was supposed to do.

So, in the final analysis, what are my goals for Augusta?  I'll take a cue from what Chris convinced me to do for IMC.  Set layered goals.  Bottom line is I've achieved my goals for the year, and anything else is just icing on the cake.  So.  1) set a PR (better than 5:06);  2) run a sub-5:00;  3) finish top 5;  4) qualify.  I'll be very happy with the first.

The next two weeks will be spent refining my speed, maintaining my fitness, and getting my mind into the right state to do two things.  1) lay it all on the line and 2) not give a damn what happens in the process.  Time to conquer the fear of not having enough to finish, once and for all.  If I put it all out there, and I blow up, then so be it, I will finally have found that line, and be better in the future for it.

Happy Training!
Kat

I am an IRONMAN!!!

Pilgrim, how you journey
On the road you chose
To find out why the winds die
And where the stories go.

All days come from one day
That much you must know,
You cannot change what's over
But only where you go.

Will you find the answer in all you say and do
Will you find the answer in you
Pilgrim in your journey you may travel long, but
Pilgrim it's a long way to find out who you are...



*WHAT* a day.  It WAS epic.  It WAS hard.  It was one of the most rewarding days of my life.


Alarm went off at 4am, though I did not need one to get up.  Slept well the night before the night before, but not surprisingly, Saturday night was tougher.  Hopped in the shower, braided the hair, downed the liquid breakfast, got on the race kit, and kept waiting for the most important job of any racer on race morning to occur...not to be. :) It wasn't the first time this week my body betrayed me.  But no time to keep waiting for it so we went. 

We managed to get some pretty rock-star parking, and made our way to transition and body marking.  Made some last minute adjustments, since really everything had been dropped off the day before - much easier transition set-up than any other race I've done.  Made my way through the lines at the port-a-potty's, some success at last, and then we donned our wetsuits.  Snapped a few pics, and then started to make our way to the swim entrance.  The pros went off 15 minutes before we did, and then we got into the water.  We sang O Canada - how really great it was to sing my own national anthem!! ...a little verklempt, and then it was minutes to go.  Chris gave me a final hug, and we all pulled our goggles down.  There were SO MANY PEOPLE.  The count on Friday night at the Welcome Dinner was just shy of 2900.  That's a lot of people heading for the same point in the same quest to get there as fast as they can.

before the cannon, and this is only some of us

Before I knew it, the cannon went off, and we all surged forward.  It was unlike anything I've ever experienced.  The first 50 metres was actually okay, but then holy God...there was literally nowhere to put your arms, your feet, your head.  Everywhere you looked or touched, there was another body, and hands and arms all over you.  I got dunked, several times, and then swallowed a huge mouthful of water instead of air, and the panic just started to well up.  Oh God, was all I could think, I'm gonna be done before I start.  And then I actually truly thought there was a possibility I could drown here.  I couldn't even put my head up and tread water, and forget flipping on your back - you can't even imagine - to say we were sardines does not even come close.  And the adrenaline of the panic was getting stronger.  I tried to settle down, but there was no relief to the chaos.  Every time I got moving, someone was in my way or crawling over top of me.  I thought, okay, I might actually have to find a boat to hang on to, for the first time ever in a race.  I looked around, and I realized, "there is no way I can get to a boat, I can’t even SEE the boats, and there is no way they can see me...so get your shit together girl or you may actually drown here."  

and we're off, this pic really doesn't do it justice

And so I did.  I pushed it down, swallowed it, and moved forward.  And it was a good 500 metres before I could really take a full stroke.  I distinctly remember seeing buoy 9 before I could take 3 full strokes in a row without hitting someone.  

(see video here from this year's race http://youtu.be/tD-QdcWBMEk and this is 1650m in when we've already spread out quite a bit)  

It did get better, and I got into somewhat of a groove.  I still got dunked, groped, kicked, elbowed, and otherwise manhandled, but I made it to the first turn.  And it wasn't that bad actually.  The top end of the triangle was short - only 450m - and the beating continued, though I was able to get into some sort of a rhythm again.  A few times I actually thought I could be walking out of this with a bloody lip or a black eye.  The second turn was pretty funny really - the swimming stopped, the heads went up, and everyone just treaded water and the conveyer belt of IMC pulled you around the turn.  I waved to the divers that were hanging out below the buoy (where were they at the start?!), and then I was off.  The final leg, about 1800m, was a lot better.  While the first half had been about sheer survival, now I could focus on form, and hear Tracy's voice in my head.  I actually was swimming on the inside of the buoys, with a sighting point of the condos on the beach.  We were pretty much swimming into the sun so seeing the actual buoys was pretty tough.  I realized that I was feeling really very good.  This was a huge relief since one of my worries leading into the race was that I had not gone that distance in open water before, and I wasn't sure how I would handle it.  Here I was about 3/4 done, and I was not even tired!  I managed to look at the garmin, and saw 1:05:00.  So I thought, okay, my goal time is still possible, and I'm feeling really good, so let's turn it up.  And I did.  I got out of the water and was feeling pretty happy.  Goal time in the swim was 1:15, and I got out in 1:18.  Given the start of that swim, I was happy with that.  Would love to know what my time would've been if I could have actually swam in the first 500 metres!!  The best part really was that I was feeling fresh and ready to get on the bike.  Hell, I was still alive!!

I slipped and fell on the way through the swim exit, it was very muddy, but got right back up and found two strippers.  Wetsuit was off before I knew it, and I ran for my bag.  Unfortunately I started to run for my Run Bag, DOH!, but realized it before I was all the way there ;) and turned around to grab the right bag.  Quickly into the changing tent, and found a spot on the grass.  Before I even knew it there was a volunteer beside me dumping the rest of my bag out for me.  As I was putting on my socks, she was reaching around me to snap on my race belt, and getting my sunglasses ready.  Helmet on, and I was off to grab my bike.  Out of transition in 1:21:xx!  So, a little slower on the swim than I wanted, but transition was quicker than I'd allowed for, so overall I was ahead of the plan.  Great way to start a 112 mile bike ride!

Heading out through town there were a lot of spectators.  Turns out that Kayla, Mum and Aunt Pat were out there but I never saw them.  I was pretty focused.  Kayla got a great picture of Chris and me on the way back though!   At this point there are so many racers, that people are riding 4 and 5 abreast.  I was passing most of them so I hung out on the left side.  About 4 miles in, I was caught in between riders on both sides of me, and I had to ride over two bumps - couldn't avoid them.  BOTH nutrition bottles jettisoned.  Thank GOD I looked back and realized the noises were my bottles.  That would have been a disaster.  I thought about it for a split second, and realized I had to turn around to get them.  If it had been later in the race, or if I had lost only one, I probably would have kept going.  As it was, I pulled over, turned around, and of course they'd each gone to opposite sides of the road.  Took a good 60 seconds or more to find a big enough gap to get across the oncoming cyclists, and so all in all I probably lost 2 minutes there.  But I got back on and got going.  First real climb of any kind was McLean Creek Road.  Nothing really compared to what we've been riding, so I just got'er done.  Lots of flats out there, as was to be the story of the day, and we found out later talking to our favourite server Julie at Camp Creek Station in Naramata that someone out there had poured a box of tacks on the road – yes, seriously – tacks!! – many of the pros got flats going through that section.  Fortunately they'd cleaned up most of it before we got there.  Some people just don't have a clue. I just kept thinking to myself...okay, Matt sent me his best mojo and it is here in the form of a magical bubble around my tires...no flats for me today.  

Chris on the way back into town

With that out of the way we were into the fastest part of the ride.  A general downward slope out to Osoyoos.  Man it was awesome!  First of all, the scenery is just spectacular.  And I averaged almost 23 mph through this section.  I had hoped to be at the bottom of Richter in about 2 hours, and I made it in 1:53.  Ish.  Since I had messed up my garmin - damn that multisport mode - I'd had to finagle things a bit.  At the start of the bike, I ended up in T2 on the watch, and I couldn't get any actual data, so I had stopped it at 2:00 total time and restarted it, knowing I could just add 2 hours to the overall time to know where I was at.  Hence the 'ish'.

So I started up Richter.  This was the first place I really noticed the wind.  It was pretty strong, so knew it was gonna be a bit of a bitch going back into town.  But as I said in an earlier post, all the training rides that Chris had me doing absolutely, unequivocally, prepared me for this.  None of this course scared me, since we had done much harder in tougher conditions, all summer.  I thought of Kevin and Klafter, and said okay Richter, today you are MY bitch, and off I went.  


Halfway up Richter Pass was the first timing mat, and I had averaged 19.1 mph, including most of the climb.  Then a quick downhill, and up again to the top of Richter Pass in about 30 minutes.  The crowds there were great.  Support throughout the course was fantastic.  Then it was the downhill - which was not as fast as the practice run on Thursday thanks to the headwind.  I topped out around 39 mph, with an average of only 25, which is kinda surprising for me – one of the Flying Foreigners  ;) …goes to show how strong the headwind was.  And the crosswinds were pretty strong too, grabbing the race wheels, and really preventing me from staying in the aerobars; I was on the hoods for most of the descent.  Up again on Richter Mountain, and the final Richter downhill into the Bitches. It was exhilarating, and I think at this moment I yelled out "Damn!  I'm doing an Ironman!! F'Ya!!".  But it was only 3 hours into the day, and I still had a long way to go, so on with it girl.

I moved into the Seven Little Bitches (properly known as the Seven Sisters) and before I knew it they were done.  Richard passed me right at this point, interestingly at exactly the same spot that we had stopped our training ride!  We did a quick high five, and then got back to racing.  The next stretch was another relatively flat section with a slight uphill bent to it, and I was able to keep aero the whole way and really fly through here.  My nutrition was going well and according to plan.  The Infinit was working, and I was getting as much extra water as I could.  Through every aid station I grabbed water to dilute my Infinit (which I mix at triple strength so I can carry everything I need in two bottles), and more water to dump on me to stay cool.  It was a hot day, and getting hotter.  I think it got up to 96 degrees.  In retrospect, I am sure cooling myself was part of my success.  The volunteers were great; I just shouted for water, pointed at the volunteer I was aiming for, and they got it into my hands every time but once. And if I wanted one to dump, I just shouted for no lid, and I got it.  They were fantastic.  The out and back section was the least fun of the bike course, didn't hate it but sure didn't love it.  A lot of up and down, rougher road, and a couple of very narrow hairpins, both of which I had to unclip to get through.  It was very hot in through there, not a lot of air movement.  I didn't do a bike special needs bag, so I didn't have to stop there, and surprisingly there were no timing mats throughout.  Side note to IMC - really need to put out more timing mats throughout the bike and the run for all the people who are following online.

Finally through the out and back, I headed towards Yellow Lake.  I was actually really shocked when I got to the 90 mile mark...the time seemed to have gone so quickly!  Sounds crazy, but it really did - all I can remember thinking is Damn!  90 miles already??! I think it was at this point that I started thinking I might make my 6 hour goal on the bike after all.  It was completely doable, and only Yellow Lake stood in my way.  The climb is a long one, though most is not that steep.  I made it up, and the crowds up there are fantastic.  Truly remarkable.  The cheers and support were great, and with your name on your race bib, it was nice to get called by name through that climb.  Though honestly, after climbs like Brasstown, Wolfpen, Cherahola...this was not THAT hard.  Over Yellow Lake, and now the sweet reward, but sadly the wind was really very strong, and I did not get the 45+mph out of it that I should have been able to. Garmin shows a peak speed of 53.7 mph, but that was only for a second, and I only averaged about 21 mph here!  Crazy slow for me coming down a mountain like that, and I was even working hard at it, too.  Heard this from many people the day after the race as well – the wind just made you stand still.  Bummer too, because it cost me my 6 hr bike.  I was alone for that descent, and able to stay aero for most of it, since there wasn't too much by way of crosswind, mostly just head on.  The hardest part of the bike was the last 5 miles, straight into the north headwind barrelling right at us down Main.  Damn!  All I could think was so much for the recovery after Yellow Lake to get ready for the run, but I slogged through it.  Best part was actually getting to see Z as I pulled into town, around the 3.5 mile run mark for him.  I was only figuring on being able to see him once, on the middle part of the run where we would pass at some point, so this was an added bonus.  I did my best to drink more fluids in that last hour, since I still hadn't peed, but my stomach was getting full and I was mindful of not wanting the sloshing at the start of the run.  I'd taken in all the planned calories, and a ton of water, so I was in the best place I could have been for nutrition I think.  I reached transition with a 6:08 bike, not bad considering the bottle fiasco, the headwind, and the fact that I am still not in top condition from the iron thing. 

 T2 was quick, even though I changed fully - my TSF lulu top and shorts on, slathered with sunscreen, and I was off in about 3.5 minutes.    I heard my name being called as I headed out on the run course, and truly I was feeling pretty good.  To this point in the race, I had not yet had a single thought of 'can I finish this' or 'wtf am I doing', only 'oh my god I am actually doing an ironman!".  Richard, who had passed me midway through the bike, somehow ended up behind me, and caught me just around mile 2 - in fact I think there is going to be a race shot of us together, since it was right before the photographer.  We high-fived again, and I took off.  I ran pretty strong for the first 6 miles.  Something around an 8:50 pace.  Slower than my plan, but I was feeling okay about it.  I kept thinking I should turn on the auto-lap, which I had meant to do, and I just never did it…hard to get yourself to break the rhythm when it’s working.  

 I passed Kayla, Mum, Aunt Pat, and I did not even see them.  I did see a girl with a camera looking at me and taking my picture, and then I heard her shouting "I'm gonna run with you for a minute" and I was like "Ok..?.." and THEN I was like, "Oh God, Honey!  It's you!!"  I guess I was focused. lol. Made my day to see her.  I hadn't seen Mum or Pat, but they saw me.  Kayla did run and snapped a few pictures which were pretty good, and I was smiling big.

My pattern was to run through the aid station about halfway to the water, then grab, walk, drink water, couple squirts of gel, drink water, pour water over head, dump ice into sports bra and hat, pour water over head, and get running again well before the end of the aid station.  I did this for 9 miles. And with the exception of one pretty solid hill (which I ran 70% of), I ran the whole time.  It was hot hot hot.  Hottest part of the day out on the first half of the run, with no cloud cover, Lake Skaha bouncing the rays right up onto you, and the hills on the other side keeping the heat in.  I could feel the sun burning my skin, but there was nothing to be done.  My job was to keep my body cooled so my hr didn't rise, to keep running, and to stay as hydrated as I could.  Thank God for being a girl needing a sports bra - I was able to keep ice with me for at least a half mile after each aid station.  I would chew it, and hold it in my hands to keep them cooling.  There was one or two with no ice, but I managed through those ones without it.  

It started to feel a little harder moving into mile 10.  I was unbelievably surprised that I'd had such a great first 9 miles.  Based on some of the training runs, I was worried I would be hurting by mile 4 or 5, or possibly worse.  And even at mile 10 it was nothing I couldn't get through, just felt a little harder.  My pace did slow a little, but I was still running every mile, and following my plan otherwise.  Looking at the garmin data, I slowed to a 9:54 from 9 thru 13.  At this point I had also started to expect Chris to pass me.  I figured he'd gained another few miles since I'd seen him on the bike, though he'd have had to come up through the big hills, so he should be about 6 miles in front of me.  That meant I should have passed him somewhere between mile 9 and 10.  I didn't see him.  Another mile went by.  Still didn't see him.  I started thinking I might be able to pee, but no way was I gonna be in the loo and miss him.  So I kept running.  Finally saw him at around mile 11.5, was very relieved.  He said he was having a bad run, but to keep going.  We high-fived, or whatever you might call what we were actually able to do at that point in an Ironman, I continued, and at that point was not gonna stop till I hit the turnaround.  I got there in 2:04, a little slower than I really wanted, but honestly at this point, I knew there was no doubt I would finish, and that my 12 hour goal was mine to lose.  

The hills back out of OK Falls are tough.  Really tough.  I had grabbed my special needs bag though I did not stop running.  Strange they did not have an aid station there, which meant no water with which to swallow my ibuprofen or salt tabs.  But I needed them, so I managed without the H2O.  And I started the climb, back out of the OK pit.  It sucked, big time.  I think I ran at least half of the tough hills, and ran all of the more gradual hills - the Shiloh running sure did help with that.  Back up at the top and by this time it was getting tougher and I was just constantly focused on THIS MILE.  Chris’s voice was just there the whole time, all his advice and wisdom kicking in.  He has said these things to me so many times, and that’s okay, because that’s what you need when you get to this point.  Ok, you're running mile 15, all we care about is this mile, just get to 16.  I stopped to pee somewhere around here I think and I was WAY dehydrated.  20 seconds and back to it.  OK, you're running mile 16, just get to 17.  My walks through the aid stations started getting a little longer, but I would not allow myself to walk past the garbage can at the end of the station.  C'mon Katie Girl, I told myself.  You've got this, your 12 hours is yours if you want it.  So I kept on.  

Mile 19 was my toughest mile.  Garmin tells me I was down to an 11:00 pace, very slow for me.  That's when I started to really really hurt.  My little grunts (Colleen you know what I'm talking about) started, the ones where I am hurtin’ bad and putting everything into keeping it going, even though my body is crying out to just stop.  I was telling my brain to shut up, and I wasn't sure who was going to win the fight.  At this point, some guy fell in beside me, and we ran together.  Same pace, same footfall, almost like we were the same person.  I never looked at him, we didn't talk to each other, we just ran.  I figure he was in the same place I was.  My grunting stopped.  I could feel myself find some kind of peace in the fellowship of shared pain. I didn't have the spare energy to even turn my head to look at him, nor did I want to ruin the rhythm he'd helped establish.  All I know is he had yellow and lime green on, I could see it in my peripheral  vision, and he got me through that mile and a bit to the next aid station.  I didn't even get to say thank you, but THANK YOU, whoever you are, because that was just what I needed.  It could have been a very different race for me without that mile with you. I lost him at the aid station, where I did not even stop.  I couldn't.  It hurt too much to get going again.  For the next quarter mile, I kept hoping he'd find me again, every set of footsteps behind me I hoped for the yellow and green, but alas, no.  Next few miles I had Vogel on the brain, trying to make mine a goldfish brain just like she said.  I didn't stop through the next aid station either, just kept running. 

Chris coming into the finish with the belt move .. lol

Mile 20 was an amazing 9:30 pace, and it included a fair hill. Stopped to pee again though it turned out to be a waste of 20 seconds with only a mere drop showing for my effort of sitting down (ouch). I don't think I stopped again from there on out.  I passed the neighbour from our house rental, who I'd also seen on the way out, and they cheered loudly for me.  All I could say was "what time is it??!!" and when he told me, I knew 12 hours was achievable, and at that point my calculations told me I might even do under 11:50.  That last hour I was really not able to take in any more nutrition or fluids.  At each aid station I took a sip of coke, 3 pretzels, and another sip to wash it down, but that was it.  Start of Mile 23, and I'm still pushing, I think here is where I heard that Sister Madonna had missed the bike cutoff by 2 minutes.  I teared up at that.  Some crazy girls out there singing a song that made me laugh.  Passed a family and a little girl was playing up on the lawn, I called out "hey honey give me a high five" and she ran over to slap my hand.  Another runner came past me and said "She's gonna talk about that for a long time".  And I kept going.  Then finally, back on Main.  Almost there.  I was hurting bad, but I was still running.  No DAMN WAY was I stopping now.  No way was I walking.  Just kept running.  Kept turning the feet over.  I was pretty much on auto-pilot, which is I guess what I trained for, right?  Teach the body to just do it.  Even when it doesn't want to.  It was all the way in or bust.  I'm sure my face was a picture of pain.  But the supporters were still there, cheering for me, calling my name.  Got a little teary a few times, but never broke down.  (did enough of that in training).  Some people say they don't like them calling out your name at that point, but I did...it really helped.  Mile 24.5 or something close, Chris was there on the corner - you're doing great he said, and he looked at his watch, you are doing REALLY great!! He ran beside me for about 50m, squeezed my neck and said "You're gonna beat all the guys...see you at the finish line", and he ran off.  At this point all I could say was "what time is it, what time is it" and keep my legs moving.  I managed to pull in a 9:30 pace for the last two miles.  I saw Jenann as I started the final out and back stretch of misery that they put you through at IMC.  But that stretch of road was chockfull of cheering spectators and it was good.  I picked up the pace a little, FINALLY got to the turn around, started running toward the finish.  Someone said, "Get ready to smile Katrina, you are going sub 12, and the cameras are waiting".  Saw Jenann and Stephen.  Both of them ran with me for a few short paces.  And then, Oh My God, then I was in the chute.  I had done it.  I HAD DONE IT!!  I came in strong, and I heard my name.  I crossed the mat, saw Chris, got through the tape (which I started to grab and wasn't sure I was allowed to...damn wish I'd done just that for the picture), and threw my arms around Chris.  Definitely bawling!!!  He got to put the medal around my neck which was just AWESOME.  Perfect ending to a great race.  I'm kinda crying right now re-living it.  Really really special to have him there and be able to get my medal from him, my AWESOME COACH, best coach ever. 

We walked through, got a photo, they asked if I needed Medical, and I didn't think so.  So we pushed through.  Couldn't eat anything yet.  Found Kayla and Mum and Aunt Pat.  All were crying.  Leona and Shona had been calling and texting all day.  I later read all the texts that Leona had sent to Mum, and man, I gotta say thank you for following me like that!  You were a great play-by-play reporter for me, and for Chris and Richard too!!  It was a real hoot to read through them the next day.  

We walked around to the bleachers to watch Rich come through, and then I started to feel pretty bad.  Very very dizzy, had to lay down, and Chris said, nope you need to go back to Medical.  So Kayla took me back.  I was able to walk there, but once I got there, I went quickly downhill.  I could no longer sit up and my hands were all numb and tingly.  They took me in and laid me down, put a blanket on me, and then my arms started to shake.  Couldn't feel my hands at all.  Doc said it was from the altered breathing, and it messes up the pH balance in the blood, or something like that.  Arm and leg shakes were getting pretty big.  I tried to control it and was able to a little, but it was hard.  My core temp was 34-something (around 93-94 F), and my blood pressure was 95/50...yikes.  Even for me that is low.  So in went the IV, which hurt like a MF'er, and some anti-nausea stuff.  I couldn't warm up though.  They went for my dry clothes.  Dr Peter came back and asked if they'd brought the heating blocks and I said no, so he got me some.  That helped, a lot, and the big shakes stopped, but I was still cold. I think I snoozed for a couple minutes (or possibly longer), and then the doc came back and said, okay we need to get you into dry clothes.  By that time most of the IV had gone in, and I was feeling a lot better.  The clothing change was well orchestrated by them in there, not too easy in that wide open space, though I certainly didn't give a damn who saw me, I just wanted out of my wet cold clothes!!  Once I was dry, I was feeling miles better.  One of the volunteers came by to see if I could go yet, and said that Chris and Richard were waiting for me.  The doc asked for one more temp to be taken, and the nurse is like, I just took her temp - it's 35.  And he said, one more, it'd be nice to release her with a temp over 35 (95F, still way low).  35.1 was the reading, so he looked at me and said, OK, I'll let you go, but you have to promise me you are going straight home.  I crossed my heart, and got to go.  I had missed Rich's finish :( so had been in there for quite a while - I'm guessing about an hour or so?  They told me I didn't need my sunglasses anymore, at any rate!  Hugs from Chris and Rich as the volunteer passed me off to them.  We grabbed a few slices of pizza, which tasted great, got another "official" pic, and we went to get our bikes and transition gear.  

And then we headed home.  Sat with the neighbours for a bit and talked about the race.  Went round to our local pub, Camp Creek Station, where we'd become regulars (lol) and Julie was there.  They were closing up, but she of course let us in, gave us all a hug, and poured us a beer.  Kitchen was closed, but such a sweetheart, she offered to pull together some nachos.  Another patron, not sure if he was one of the cooks, or just a friend, said to her that he'd go into the kitchen and whip up some real nachos, and he did!  How amazing.  And btw, the burgers here are the best burgers I've had in a long time.  We watched the end of the Race - which they broadcast on local TV all day - and then went home.  

Sat and read all the amazing messages from everyone on facebook.  I can't truly express just how much they mean to me.  The support was overwhelming!  I really did feel the support and energy from every one of you out on that course, and it's just such an amazing thing to know how many of you were following us and cheering us on.  I am very touched by all of the congratulations and well wishes.  Thank you so very much.  



So final analysis - 11:54:01, splits of 1:18:45/3:25/6:09:13/3:45/4:18:53.  18th in my age group, which is better than top 10%!!!  When I started this, I hoped to be top 20%, which I thought was a stretch for a distance I've never done, and so I am ecstatic with the time and the placement.  Top 22% overall in the race – male and female all ages.  Considering that I was not in top condition going into this race (iron def.), the wind, and the crazy swim start, I am pretty pleased with my performance.  It makes me wanna race again!  Now!  :)  

There are definitely some good learnings from this race, as with any other, but for the most part the race went well for me.  The minor blips that did happen I was able to let go and move on, which is key in im races – it’s a long day, and things happen.  The biggest thing I had going for me was my Coach.  Chris pushed me hard, but with a purpose.  All the training we did led me to this finish.  We definitely had an advantage with having trained in the bloody awful heat and humidity of GA.  Though it was tough, it reaped rewards on race day.  I passed a lot of people on the run, even though it was not the run I’d hoped for.  It was hot, but it was not humid, and that was the winner for us - we could actually breathe air.  lol.  I shoot myself now for not putting the mile alerts on my garmin (I know Coach, I was supposed to, and I meant to, and I still could've then, but I didn't).  I likely could've squeezed a bit more out, especially at the end.  But then again, seeing those couple miles at 11:00 might have just crushed me.  Who knows. 

As I've always said, to anyone that has asked and many who haven't, Chris may push me hard, but I wouldn't want it any other way.  Sometimes I don't know if I can keep going during some of the training sessions, and especially towards the end of the training for an A race I often doubt my ability to even do the race, never mind do it well.  But Chris never doubts me.  And what I know for sure is that he always gets me there.  And this was just one more huge demonstration of his coaching skills.  After 3 years, he knows me, he knows how my body will react and how my mind will react, and he knows when enough is enough and when I'm just saying it is but there's more to squeeze out.  I never thought in a million years that I would be able to do an Ironman.  Chris, thank you for getting me here.  Thank you for everything.  You are a total kickass bad ass coach, and I luv ya for it.  ...and I know you limited me to 5000 words, but I just couldn’t do it.  ;)

A good friend sent me an email and made this statement, very much a mirror of what Chris has always said to me:  "Set a vision, put up with lots of pain and drudgery and wondering wtf am I doing this for? and then figuring out 'I did it, I really did it...did I really do it?'.  Nobody can ever take the accomplishment away, ever.  Forever an Ironman.  There should be inner peace from here on out that 'yes I can' is real and not just a slogan."  Couldn't have said it better, Murph.

It WAS a long way to find out who I am.  I learned a lot about myself.  Today, I am an Ironman.  Forever an Ironman.

Happy Training everyone...and thanks for reading
Kat

Twas the Night Before Ironman

Sitting here with Chris and Rich, in the backyard of our rented house in Naramata, contemplating what awaits me tomorrow.  I've trained long and hard, physically and mentally, and I am ready to take on whatever the day brings.  Bikes are checked, our bodies are fed, and now it is just a matter of trying to get to sleep before the 4am wake-up call.

Me and Zimm at one of the original IMC signs;
all checked in and ready to race

It's been a week of mostly all ups with a few small downs.  Some minor medical issues, taken care of best I can.  They say they come in three's, and so I think I'm covered, with the third coming after we checked our bikes in and I went to take a picture of the swim start, promptly splitting my big toe open on a protruding step.  Nice work Kat. I guess that's a bit more blood to add to the sweat and tears I've produced over the last nine months.  Add that to the 3125 miles of biking, 730 miles of running, and 175000 yards of swimming, and I am as ready as I could be to do this.

Can't say enough how happy I am to be doing this with Chris and Richard.  I think it has made the experience all that much richer.  Also can't say enough about how truly thankful and awed I am by all the amazing support from everyone out there.  I'm so touched by the outpouring of support - facebook is a beautiful thing.  And from all corners of the world no less; I am feeling very very blessed.  I plan to take every ounce of that energy and focus it on my efforts tomorrow.

Here is the IMC temporary tattoo we all put on for tomorrow.  May be exactly what I tattoo on for real in a few weeks.  Coach gave the OK for the mdot tatt pre-finish as long as it was only a temp!


Wishing the best race possible to Klafter and Brett racing Louisville tomorrow.  And to Richard and Chris who will be racing alongside me - race your hearts out boys, and see you at the finish line.  Love you both.  Good night everyone.  Talk to you when I am an ironman!





Happy Racing!!!
Kat

Final Preparation

Thursday I actually got the bracelet put on the wrist.  What a moment!!  I'm really here, I really trained for this, and I am really racing an Ironman.  Damn!

 Wednesday and Thursday we were out in the lake to swim.  Wed's was shorter, get ourselves wet and back into the wetsuits which we haven't been able to wear in ATL all year.  Felt good.  Having lost another 8-10 pounds since I bought the wetsuit, it's probably bigger on me than it should be, but as such feels much better around the neck.  Didn't really have any claustrophobic moments, and my shoulders didn't feel tired. All good.  On the way back, Z started slapping my feet, pushing me down, bumping into me...which of course I knew he was trying to get me used to what is gonna happen on Sunday morning.  This only made it funnier, and I could barely swim for laughing!  Thursday we did the same thing, had Rich out with us, and went for quite a bit longer.  Good 45 minutes I'd say, with some good solid settled in stretches of swimming.  More of the same on the way back, he even grabbed my foot and held me back, but even swimming straight into me at a 90 degree angle, I held my own and just pushed him off.  So I think I passed that test.

Wed we had a quick 40 minute ride and 2 mile run around the tiny town of Naramata, where we are actually staying.  Thursday, we headed out to drive the bike course and do the descent from Richter.  It was pretty good.  Much more open and straight than the Gaps, which could lead to a quicker descent, but the wind is definitely a factor.  Could not stay aero, had to move to the drops, due to the side winds.  Probably didn't hit higher than 42-43 mph.  We then moved onto the Seven Sisters - a set of rollers immediately following Richter...affectionately known as the Seven Little Bitches here on the IMC course.  All I can say is this - Chris has done an amazing job of preparing us for this ride.  Neither of the big climbs - Richter or Yellow Lake - scare me ... we've done much harder climbs all summer.  And the Seven Bitches, while not easy, are doable compared with the rides we've been doing in Georgia.  Since I had already given him all the gold stars for being a great coach, I had to break out the platinum star for that one.

This truly is a beautiful bike course.  I know you think I am biased because it is home, but truly it is outstanding.   Here are some pics taken in the middle of the seven bitches...judge for yourself.  And sadly, these pics don't do it justice, and they definitely are not the best views out there.

From a weather perspective, we're not going to be blessed with cooler Canadian temps.  It's definitely hot out there boys and girls, and it's gonna be hotter on Sunday.  Still better than where we've been because of the dry air, but nevertheless, the heat will be an issue for the race, especially on this course with no shade to speak of.  

So now, time for bed.  This night is the most important from a sleep perspective, and it's been a longer day than planned.  So off to bed, start going through the race in my mind in preparation, and eventually fall asleep to thoughts of racing each and every moment of the race on Sunday.

Thanks to all of the great energy you are all sending me...the shout outs are just amazing, and I appreciate every single one of them.  This tri community is just so supportive, it really touches me.  

Happy training, and get a good night's sleep

Kat

Gratitude

I have so much to be thankful for.  Not the least of which is a healthy body, and the ability to do this thing called triathlon.  Especially on this journey, I am grateful to so many people, and I wanted to take a few moments to thank them.

First, to my Mum and Dad, who raised me to be strong-willed and dedicated, with the belief that I can do anything I set my mind to.  That truth has definitely been borne out in this last year.   I'm so happy that my Mum is going to be here; wish Dad could too, but I know he'll be following me at home.  And thanks to all my sisters for your support too.  And my nephew Andrew.  Running a mile for you dude.  And thanks to Aunt Pat for coming to cheer as well, you've rounded out our international contingent quite nicely!

To my friend and fellow ex-pat Richard, husband to one of my greatest friends, who said a few years ago..so Kat, how about IMC 2011?  And I said, ah maybe, I dunno, not sure I can do a full.  And then followed up with the fb post that got us into this race.  Can't wait to race this with you, my friend!  IMx 2013?

To my friends at work, especially Marc, Anne, and Carol, who cheer me on and support me.  Special thanks to Marc, my lunch bud, who has had to listen to so many workout details over a Jason's sandwich...poor guy, and never complained once.  I love you guys - you are awesome!

To Tracy and Mike, current and past Masters coaches, thank you both so much for taking this wind-up water toy and turning me into something that at least resembles a swimmer, even if I am still not all that fast.  Mike got me started, and Tracy I know for sure you have made me a better, more efficient, swimmer.  Your voice will be in my head come Sunday morning...long and smooth, and 'Katrina, you are swimming flat again'.  :)

To all the Sport Factory team members who make racing triathlon so much fun, and really provide the best community there is to do this sport.  The support from all of you has been overwhelming!  I especially want to thank these guys for training with me all summer: James, Jim, Mo, Jennifer, and Kevin.  I continue to become a better cyclist because I ride with ya'll.  And Kevin, thanks for all of the really great encouragement you've given me, it has really meant a lot!

To Jen Vogel and Dr Sadri for keeping my physical body tuned up.  I'm pretty impressed that my body has held up through this training, and you guys definitely get some credit for making that so!  (Not to mention the inspiration served up by Jen.)

To Matt, for allowing me to be a mild pain in your butt, I appreciate the guidance and interest you have shown me on this journey.  Especially grateful that you paid enough attention to get me in for blood tests that might just possibly have saved my race.

To Curtis, my faithful mechanic, for keeping my ride ready to rock.  You are awesome dude!!

To David and Kira, for your support and understanding.

To all my girlfriends in Calgary, and even older friends in Ontario, thanks for your support and encouragement, and for still giving a damn what is going on in my life.

To Kayla, my girl, for just loving me, and while you tell me that I am inspiration to you, you are my inspiration.  Remember, love, you really can do whatever you set your mind to.  Having you here at the race just means so much to me.

To Chris.  Don't even have the words.  Three years leading up to this day, though at the start we didn't know this is where we'd end up...you've really brought me a long way.  Never in a million years would I have imagined myself doing this, and here I am.  And the greatest gift is this - I do know I can do it.  And a lot of that is because of you, your coaching skills, and yes, you knowing when to talk me down off the ledge.   ;)  Over the years you have also become my friend, and I've really enjoyed training more closely with you this year.  I am looking forward to a great race, a great experience, and savouring every Moment.  You are a great coach and friend.  I hope to make you proud on Sunday.  Thank you for everything.  And I'm just so thrilled that you are doing the race with me, what a perfect ending to this campaign.  And to Suzanne - thanks for letting me hang with your husband all summer!

To everyone else whose path I have crossed as I made this journey, thank you so much.  Thanks for reading this blog, sending your encouragement, and I plan to take the energy of every good wish and put it to good use on Sunday.

Happy training,
Kat

Finally Here!!

We arrived in Penticton yesterday evening, after a long journey here.  No trains...but two planes and an automobile.  Woke up at 4am yesterday, and was picked up at 5 sharp by our awesome buddy Mo (aka my fellow Flying Foreigner).  Flights were pretty much on time, and the only real issue was the teeny tiny overhead bins on the first flight, and the fact that I had taken all my race gear on as carry-on...not trusting Delta with that stuff...so it was a little overstuffed.  But, removed the helmet, and voila - it fit.  We got one mother of an SUV - Chevy Suburban - so we could fit all the bikes and people at once, and headed out from Spokane for the 5 hour drive to Naramata.  We are actually staying up the road from Penticton, since there was no room left in Penticton!  The drive was beautiful.  

We got to the house around 6, and headed out for dinner around 7.  Stayed in the little "downtown" of Naramata, given how late it was and how tired we were.  Good choice, as it turned out, as we pulled into The Station.  Had a really great burger, a good glass of BC wine, or 3 pints of really good beer, depending on who you are, and some great conversation with a senior couple sitting in the booth next to us.  Girl who served us, who is engaged to the owner of the Bike Barn who will be out on the course, also very nice to talk to, and typical Canadian making instant friends and getting right in your business like an old friend.

Full and smiling we headed back to the house to reassemble the bikes, which went very smoothly, thanks to the expert tutelage of bike mechanic extraordinaire, Curtis Henry.  We love ya dude!  Bikes were all good and happy.  Of course, neither of us has a pump  :)  lol.   But apparently the next door neighbour, Paul, should since he is also racing...looks like we'll be calling on the neighbour sometime this morning.  So bikes together, Z and I sat out at the firepit for a good chat and some more beer (aka water for me).   Then we headed to bed for a good night's sleep.

So today, most of the rest of our international entourage arrives.  Richard will be at the house this am, having arrived from Australia on the weekend, and Mum and Aunt Pat (here from England), should arrive this afternoon some time.  Kayla doesn't get here till Friday morning, but if this warp speed movement towards Sunday continues, that'll be here in a flash.

Today the plan is to go for a swim, then drive the course while partaking in some of the best wine the world has to offer...truly.  Too bad the wineries are so small, and it doesn't make it to most markets.  This is world class wine here people.  We'll bring some back to Atlanta for you to enjoy at our post-Ironman celebration.

I'm surprisingly not nervous.  Yet.  I know the butterflies will come Sunday morning, but those are different from nervous.  I've had such an overwhelming feeling of support from all of you, I just honestly am looking forward to experiencing the day, and rocking it out the best I can.

How blessed I am to be able to do this.

Happy training
Kat