Looking Ahead ... 365 days to go

Today marks one year till I toe the line for my next 140.6.  It's going to be an interesting ride, and I welcome you to continue along the journey with me.

As you may know, of course, I planned to do my second IM this year.  Things change, life happens, whatever you want to call it.  I had to withdraw.  (thanks WTC for the $450 cancellation fee).  So I knew I would do one next year.  I was debating between Texas or CDA, with a strong leaning toward Texas.  Then I had beer one night with Mikey G.  "Chattanooga" he says.  "Sign up with me".  Nah, I'm doing Texas.  Do Texas with me, I said back. Day before IMChatt registration, I am talking with Brett, and he says he's gonna sign up.  WHAT???!!  Thought you said you were never doing another one, I said (shrieked).  So we chatted, and by the end of the conversation I had let go of my hangups about if I qualify, I have to wait till 2015, and blah blah blah.  Reality is, its probably a better plan.  My goal is to qualify.  I need a really really REALLY good base to do that. Gotta get strong to take on the training load I'll need to do that.  September will be better than May from that perspective.  And if things go well, and I do qualify, it gives me a year to get ready for Kona, and actually go race it instead of just doing it.

We all, well most of us, know the CLUSTER that was Chattanooga registration.  Sold out in a minute, though many of us were hanging on for an hour or two. I'm pretty sure I texted more with G in that first 30 minutes than I have with anyone else in the same time frame, ever.  Bottom line, neither of us got in.  And the foundation slots sold out too.  So, I bit the bullet, and signed up as a Charity Partner.  That means that I've committed to raising $5000 for the CCFA (Crohns' and Colitis Foundation of America).  I didn't even know about this option, it was G who pointed me in that direction.  Of course, then he was asking me to do Texas with him - lol - but thankfully with all the patching up that WTC and Active had to do with the mess that was registration, G did eventually get in.  There is a whole crew of us, and I am pretty damn excited.

Turns out, I was scared at first at the prospect of raising that much money, but now, I am just feeling so good about it. It puts a whole new dimension to my racing, and makes it that much more meaningful.  The inspiration that it is bringing to my training is already noticeable.

Please join me in raising money for this very worthwhile foundation so they can support families that live with this disease while they research a cure.  I know people with this disease.  You probably know people with this disease.  It is more prevalent than MS or HIV, and almost as prevalent as epilepsy and Type 1 diabetes.  And there's no cure. Please help me change that!

My fundraising page is here:
www.active.com/donate/IMchattanoogaCCFA14/IRONMANKFergus

I have added some fun incentives to encourage you to donate more including these handmade silver medallion for all donors of $100 or more.  And if you feel like donating even more, I have bigger surprises for you, including stained glass art, and a custom piece of jewelry to the largest donor over the course of the campaign.  Details on the fundraising page.  Don't forget that everything is tax deductible.  Every dollar counts, and I appreciate every penny you donate.



Thank you for your generosity!

Happy Training, and please support CCFA!
Kat

Muskoka 70.3 Race Report

It was such a great day to race again in my home country, and to race in the neck of the woods where I spent my summers as a girl.  And so wonderful to have my Mum and sister, Leona, there for me.  What a great cheer squad they were for me!  LOVE you guys!

Wow!  Tim's before a race?  What a treat!!

The morning was definitely cold.  I have little to lay out at transition these days, just the basics, and it takes all of 5 minutes.  I pumped up the tires, and then tried to figure out how to stay warm.  Temps were low, about 40 degrees or so.  But it looked like it would be sunny, and so far no wind.  The topic du jour in transition was, of course, sooo, whatcha wearin' on the bike???  For me, I had my customized soccer-sock-arm-warmers, and I had one of my lulu long sleeve shirts there just in case.  As I wandered around for the next hour, I waffled back and forth, not knowing what to do.  By about 7 am, my teeth were chattering badly enough that I could not stop them.  But I also knew that if I made the decision based on that, it wouldn't be the right one.  I decided I would wait till I was in transition to make the call.

Mum and Leona met me promptly at 730 am, as agreed, and I got my wetsuit on.  I felt much better once I did that, and sat inside, managing to get some warmth back into my bones.  We walked down to swim start, which I have to say was CRAZY long with a super big hill.  Probably the longest run up to transition ever, although possibly San Juan was longer (but it was flat).  After the singing of O Canada!, which I proudly sang at the top of my lungs, we pretty much hung out.  Watched the pros leave, then the rest of the age groups.  I was second to last, and evenutally made my way down, after hugs to Mum and Leona.  The pic Leona took shows just how much my Mum was worried (it's what she does), though I don't recall it from the moment.  

At the water's edge, sun shining, I tossed the socks I was wearing, and got in the water.  Water was warmer than the air, although the initial shock is just simply not any better regardless. Was able to get in a quick warmup, get things a little loose, and then the gun went off and  we were off.  I felt good.  With 6 minutes between waves, and only 1500 athletes all told, it was actually pretty tame compared to most 70.3's.  There was a good chop on the water, and I was glad I had swam earlier that week in the rough lake at Mum's.  I was using my new April-ized breathing pattern, and it was working very well.  I felt very strong.  Sighting was going well.  Turned the first corner, and I was in a groove.  Until I almost ran into the kayaker that is.  :(  "Over there!!!" she yells at me, pointing with the paddle.  I stop, look, "OH SHIT!!"  "Ya!!" she replied back.  Dammit!  I was in such a groove, and there was at least one other swimmer near me.  I was heading right for a buoy, it just wasn't the right one. Now I know why they usually have different coloured buoys on corners.  With the sun where it was, the chop on the water, and my lack of glasses, I just didn't know.  So, off I went in the right direction.  Got back into a rhythm, and honestly just felt the best I've ever felt on any 70.3 swim, ever.  I absolutely believe it is because I swam every day (barring the day before) for 8 days before the race.  (Yes, Luis, you are SO right.)

You can't even see the swim exit here anymore,
and we are only about halfway to T1!

I did get kicked very hard about 500 yards before the finish.  I'd caught up to the men in front of me, and this guy just belted me.  I honestly thought he had shifted my jaw, and 10 days later I still had a sore spot on my chin.  Another guy grabbed my ankle and pulled me back.  But other than that, the swim was fine.  Volunteers were awesome as they pulled us up out of the water and up the steps.  Up over the green on the 18th (?) hole, and then the big climb up.  Heard Mum shout as I came out of the water, and then Leona was waiting at the top of the hill yelling her head off!  By the time I got to transition, my feet were frozen - couldn't literally feel them.  But I also had decided that I did not need the shirt.  Took for freakin' ever to get the socks on my arms, and on my feet, but finally I was off.

There are a few initial hills on the course that get you good and warmed up.  About 4 miles in, some dude passed me and smiled.  "I know you'll probably pass me again" he said.  I just laughed.  By the time I hit about 15 miles, I felt I was really in a groove.  Head down, in the moment, riding, happy.  Felt strong, and was clicking along at the power prescribed.  Sure enough, there he was, and I just smiled and said "There you are!"  There was little wind, it was cold but certainly bearable, and the socks were doing their thing.  I felt great.  Then shifted to head up a slight hill, and the chain dropped.  Chain drops, if you have been following me for a while, are my nemesis.  We finally got it fixed and I didn't drop a chain for 18 months.  Then this summer I put a new chain on, and I've been dropping chains all over the place.  Murphy's law for me dictates that race drops aren't your simple run-of-the-mill chain drop either.  No hopping off and putting it back on.  This thing was JAMMED.  Like I've never seen before.  The link was literally sideways, jammed in the little groove on my bike that traps it, and I thought "Oh god, here we go again.  It's Blalock Lakes all over again."  I yanked that MF'er hard, and eventually got it out.  Hopped back on.  Ch-Chink.  Ch-Chink. Every 3rd revolution, my chain was skipping.  I looked down and tried to see what was happening, all the while trying to continue riding.  I could see something was wrong with the chain, but not quite sure what, and not yet willing to stop again.  I rode about 10 minutes like that, passing all the people I had already passed. I didn't know if something was stuck in there, or what.  Eventually I figured I gotta jump off again. I did, and was pretty dismayed at what I saw.  The link was twisted.  I was gonna be lucky to make it back to transition.  There was no way to fix it with my fingers.  So what could I do but hop back on and hope it a) stayed on and b) tech support came by.  Passed all the same people YET AGAIN.  My buddy said "Heard you coming that time".  It was just so disappointing.  I knew there was no way in hell I'd be in contention now, but of course, I was still going to finish.  I rode as best I could, watching my average power just plummet.  Couldn't get any power on the pedals, every time I tried, the chain just skipped,  Finally, after about 20 miles of riding that way, I spotted tech support as they finished changing a flat, and they were able to straighten out the link with a couple pairs of pliers.  Good enough to get me back.  I booted the last 15 miles, all of which are crazy hills, passing all the same people for about the 4th time, but the damage was done.  The chain dropped again, but I was being so cautious, it was an easy fix.  So 4 times off the bike.  So disappointing.  And I'd been feeling so good.  Very glad I pre-rode the course, and knew what the last section was like.  Also figure that my iron issues were at their worst when I rode it the first time, contributing to the abysmal outlook I had on the course.  But make no mistake - this is a tough course!!!

Heading into the run, of course, felt pretty good, since quite honestly I hadn't been able to push much on the bike.  It was a crazy hilly course.  I swear some of those run hills had a 15% grade on them.  And I have to admit, that I was having to do some crazy math to figure out my pace, and where I was.  After 7 years of running in the States, I only know miles now for running and cycling.  And my garmin was messed up - the GPS wasn't working, and so I had no idea.  Thankfully I recalled my pace from my very first half marathon, and was able to do enough math at that point to figure out approximately what I was running.  I felt pretty good on the run.  I did walk the super steep hills, because honestly I was faster walking them, and my achilles was starting to hurt running them, since I was so far up on my toes.  Other than that, it was all running.  The turnaround on the out and back course seemed to take forever.  My mind remembers km as being so much shorter than miles, but apparently they aren't quite that short.  ;)  One interesting thing is I really did have to pee, which never happens to me in a half, because it is usually so hot, and I am usually dehydrated.  I stopped to try (twice), and although it just never happened, I probably lost 30-40 seconds, and I kick myself now, because that was a spot in the finish.  One dude ran by and said "c'mon you can do it" - if only he were right!  lol.  The girl that passed me with a mile and half left (and got outside assistance I might add) wouldn't have done so if I hadn't stopped for that.  Lesson learned ;)  And I just couldn't catch her at that point.

In the final analysis, it is what it is.  Had I not had the chain issue, there is a strong chance I would have finished top 5 and secured a slot to Mont Tremblant.  Between the 4 stops, and the loss of power for 20 miles, it's hard to say exactly how much time I lost. Power was 141 in first part, 130 in last part (partly because I knew I'd lost, which was not the right attitude!), but an abysmal 99 in the messed up middle. I was 20 minutes out of 4th place, and I figure that is what the chain issue cost me.  Of course that is all conjecture.  And who knows what my run would've been like without the "easier" ride.  We can't control what happens on the day only how we deal with it, and what we take away from it.  

At the end of the day, I am absolutely ecstatic about the race, and what it says to me about next year.  My swim was the best ever, really.  I had hoped for 36 minutes, and I finished in 37.  Considering the little detour I took, I was right on target.  The bike, which I expected to be awful, was not bad at all, and I felt strong.  Too bad about the chain, but shit happens on race day. The run, definitely the hardest run course so far, was quite acceptable at just under 2 hrs.  Given that I'd only been back training for 14 weeks, I am viewing these results as quite promising for the upcoming year. In the end I finished 10th in my age group, with a time of 6:04.  Still have yet to snag a top 5 finish...I think that might be in the works for next year!

Thank you so much for all the support and well wishes.  I am so blessed to have such a supportive community around me.  And SO HAPPY to be back racing.  Love you all.

Happy Base Season!

Kat

Ready to Race

Tomorrow I race my 11th half ironman, the first in exactly a year. Since I started racing half's, this is the longest time between races.  It's also probably the least amount of lead up training I have done, except maybe Vegas, though I had done a lot earlier in that season.  But it was good solid training, and I've felt strong with no returning injuries.  I'm hopeful for the coming year, and will take whatever the day brings tomorrow.

Not much to say tonight except thanks to my sister Leona and my Mum for coming to cheer me on, and everyone else for all the good wishes and positive energy.  I'm definitely not at my peak fitness, but I am still very grateful to be able to do this thing called triathlon, and ironman.

My race squad!

My animal, the Deer, wishing me luck
on our drive to Hunstville

 The weather was overcast and rainy most of today.  I did not go for a swim today since my allergies are really acting up from the lake water, and I figured better to be able to breathe than get another 15 minutes in the water.  Lol.  I did get out on the bike and do a quick run, keep the legs moving, and also see just how cold it is.  Wasn't quite sure what to wear.  It's the complete opposite of what I am used to thinking about...how to stay warm!!!  Turns out, at least at this morning's temps, that April's brilliant idea of soccer socks for arm warmers was plenty warm enough, and super easy to pull on, and up/down while riding.  (Better than my expensive arm warmers, I can toss these if need be and not worry about the $8).  This morning they were still saying tomorrow would be about 44, feeling like 39, but now (probably due to the all day cloud cover) they are saying 50 at 7am.  High of 61, which is perfect for running.  So unless things change drastically overnight, that is all I will do for tomorrow.

Tomorrow I get to race in the place I spent my childhood summers, which is pretty damn cool.  Happy to be racing, and even better that it's here in Canada.

Happy racing!
Kat

Muskoka Weather

The loon greeted me today as I pulled onto Ahmic Lake Road, and the DJ played a rendition of Smells Like Teen Spirit by ...wait for it... Paul Anka.  Yes, seriously.  Could I make that shit up? I know, most of you don't have a clue who Paul Anka is.  He used to run with the Rat Pack.  He's a Canadian crooner. Point is, where else could you hear this but on Canadian radio.  Lol.

First things first.  It is F@#&king FREEZING.  No, I am serious.  And this is at 2 in the afternoon with the sun shining, and most likely slighter warmer temps than expected for Sunday.  Ya, I know I know ... I hear you all saying it "but you're CANADIAN".  Ya, get over it.  Polar bears wouldn't race in this.  Lol.  James I am thinking about how the hell you raced Boise that year.  My how things change in 10 days up here.  My last minute text to April last night:"OK. It's gonna be 43 at 7am on Sunday, high for the day only 66.  I got the soccer socks, but do you think I might need long shirt to ride in."  April says: "long shirt probably would not hurt". At this point I'm wondering if the expo will have full-body fur-lined tri kits for sale.  And I was worried about being the 2nd last wave.  Lol.  On a PMA note, the run temps should be just about perfect ;) ...I'm pretty sure I don't need to worry about there being enough ice on the course.  HAHAHA.  Wait.  At least not the kind I want!!!

It looks deceptively warm.  Trust me, it's not.

I am finding myself getting quite excited about the race now that I am here.  Whatever happens happens, and I am glad to be here. And very happy to have my Mum and sister Leona here to cheer me on.

Also, SO glad I changed my flight to an earlier one.  I was up at the butt crack of dawn to do it, okay actually earlier than that, but it allowed me to drive up here from the airport at a leisurely pace and relax this afternoon.  After the crazy that was this week, I took a little nap.  It was delicious.

The only thing about getting here early afternoon is that I really had no good excuse not to get in the water, so I psyched myself up and dove in.  Funny thing is the water was warmer than the air.  Go figure.  Had myself a nice open water swim, and will have another two before the race.

Happy Training
Kat

Chattahoochee Challenge Race Report

Okay, so I am a few (ish) weeks overdue in this.  :)  But still best to get it down now than not at all.  August 10 I did my first race back since Vegas last year.  Was excited to race again, that's for sure.

The olympic distance race is held in Columbus, GA.  I had no idea that it was THAT MUCH hotter a few hours south.  Apparently I'm the only one who didn't know that (according to Marc Waddell) so I guess it's those Canadian roots showing themselves again.  And honestly, it has not been hot this summer in ATL.  No, it's been wet.  I have ridden more in the rain this summer than in all my riding combined.  So I was definitely not prepared for heat.

Thanks to the aforementioned rain, the race directors made the determination to alter the swim course.  The river has been very high, so they cut it to a 500m swim that we were to do twice, with about a 300m run in between.  So, a bit of a bummer, since the only reason I chose to do an oly was because of the swim.  It's so close to a half, it's great prep.  And I do mean the only reason -- I don't like oly's, frankly because of the swim.  Thanks to its disproportionate percentage of swim time compared to other tri distances, I never do well in them.

At any rate, the hotel was, I dunno...like 32 seconds from transition?  Lol.  It was actually pretty freakin awesome.  And the transition itself was tiny!  Probably one of the smallest races I have ever done, with only 253 participants.  (although Beast of the East still take .  That being said, there were some of the more well-known triathletes from Atlanta there racing.  I think the timing is just good as a prep race for some of the upcoming 70.3's.  Certainly that is why I did this race.  Well, I could have chosen Richard B Russell, but frankly I really felt that I needed a race that was going to be nice to me for my first one back, and CC is basically flat.  :)  that means 'nice to me'.

The swim was fine, although I never really felt like I got into much of a rhythm, which is to be expected after only 500m.  Literally in my workouts it takes that long into the main set (aka after warmup) to start feeling anything remotely like a swimmer.  That would be of course because of a) my age and b) the fact that I am not actually a swimmer.  :)  Us old folks take a little longer to get the engines revving.  I also did not choose wisely on the tri suit.  I decided to wear my lulu kit, and it turns out that it does not go so well in the water.  A skinsuit of course would solve that problem, but I haven't yet invested in one.  I basically was swimming with a parachute on.  HA! The other interesting note - even thought the swim was 'shortened' the Garmin shows a total distance for this leg of 1825 yards.  This includes all the running, of course, but still...longer than a typical oly swim.  Time: 22:xx

The bike was definitely not my favourite course.  First off, I found it a little dangerous.  And in discussions after the race, that seems to be the consensus.  Riding on the greenway (or whatever they call it there) when it is not closed to traffic, is not a hot idea. We were hopping curbs to get on and off the greenway - yes *on purpose* ...yikes. And there is a massive 90 degree turn at the bottom of a pretty steep hill, and it was completely unmarked.  I know we are responsible for knowing the course, but still.  I was FLYING down the hill (as is my MO) and was lucky not to completely wipe out.  Second, I was alone for a lot of the race, and it was not all marked, nor were there volunteers at the key turns.   There were definitely a few points in the bike course that I wasn't sure I was on track. I believe it was Laura who told me she actually DID go the wrong way, and it was only thanks to one of the guys on the base saying she was going the wrong way that she got back on track.  As for my performance, I had gone in thinking I would stick around 150W, and if I could do that I'd be pleased.  When I started out, I was significantly higher than that, and after 15-20 minutes, still felt good and that it was sustainable, so I kept my target around 165W.  I ended up at an average 162W, which given where I've been for the last year is pretty okay with me.  In fact had the course been on a real road, I probably would have been around 165W, but with all the stops and starts and slowing down for pedestrians, it was hard to sustain constant power.  I was quite please with the overall bike time, and particularly thrilled that I finally had some real speed back, averaging in at 20mph.  Time: 1:09:xx

The run was pretty good.  Getting hot, though, no doubt.  Not exactly FLAT per se, but I guess in the grand scheme of things...maybe overall flat. About mile 1.5 the photographer told me I was the first female, which I found hard to believe.  However, given the out and back of this section, I was able to verify for myself.  As it turned out I was 3rd female at that point.  Which actually made me pretty ecstatic.  I was aiming for an 8:15-8:30 pace overall.  I got passed at mile 2.5.  No way I could catch her, she was just way more fit than I was.  Managed to hang on to my pace though.  Mile 5 I got passed by a 30 year old, and I didn't feel bad about that one!  I'm twice her age (just about).  I managed to push through and pull out an average 8:20 pace, which I was thrilled with, especially given the heat.  Time: 49:xx

So, I ended up 5th OA, 1st in my AG, with a total overall time of 2:23:23.  Had there been a Masters category, I would have won that.  Happy to report also that my time would have won several of the younger age groups too ;)  Absolutely thrilled with that result, given where I am in my training and my fitness level.  Not too shabby for 12 weeks back.  Kinda shocked the shit outta myself too.  Oh, and I got one of the best texts EVER as a result.  Was texting with Klafter, and I reported on my results, saying 'not too bad, especially given the olys are not my specialty'.  His response? "Your specialty is kicking ass.  I don't care what the distance."  Thanks friend - you sure know how to bolster a girl's confidence!  Thanks for keeping the faith :)

Post Race Retrospective given its three weeks later: I totally trashed myself in this race.  :)  When I reported to Brett the week after that I couldn't get my heart rate up and was struggling to complete workouts, he says 'ya, I am not surprised.  You outraced your fitness, which I expected, cuz that's what you do".  lol.  He knows me well.  So we took it easy that week, knowing I was heading into a mini-training camp the following week in Muskoka.

All in all a good experience.  Apparently my "brick is in the mail" since they somehow didn't get all the trophies (which are bricks) made.  I don't have it yet, but I think it is hilarious that they were willing to mail me (literally) a brick.  Glad to be back racing.  I've sure missed it.

Happy Training
Kat