Check - TTT racing weekend accomplished!

Team "For better or worse" finished the triple t course this past weekend, and we are still married and happy!  In fact, my romantic husband got down on one knee at the finish line and said "will you marry me".  One of the volunteers said "did I just really witness a proposal?".  It was so nice of him, especially after being out there with me thru thick and thin, till death do us part.  It was a very tough day!
The day started at 4:50 AM with the alarm going off early so we could pack up the room, check out, eat and get to the race start by about 6AM.  I think this is where my problems began.  With getting everything packed up and ready, I only at a 100 calorie yogurt.  I should have at about 400 more calories than that.  I know that, and I've done it before, but I just wasn't thinking.
Anyway, I did do something race smart - I wore my neoprene cap for the swim.  Mark said that he thinks the water was the coldest it's ever been, as there was a lot of rain over the weekend.  But the neoprene cap worked wonderfully!  I was able to swim no problem.  No foggy goggles, no ice headache from the cold water - it went well and I exited the water and got to transition in about 38 minutes.  Things were starting off well!
We hit the first hill on the bike and I knew we were in for a long day.  My legs were so sore.  Mark was raring to go and I felt bad that I was holding him back.  But he didn't seem to mind too terribly bad.  At one point he told me I was "lollygagging" as I looked around at the pretty butterflies, horses and cows along the way.  It is a beautiful course.  The uphill switchbacks, which I was really nervous about, weren't as bad as I remembered them and I was able to do them, although slowly.  We usually seemed to get passed on the uphills, but caught up with people on the downhills.  Big mistake on my part occured on the bike, though.  I should have eaten.  I don't know why, but I did not eat anything except 4 pretzels and some power ade on the bike.  I drank a lot of water, but no food.  I should have eaten about 500 calores to prepare for the run.  Not smart at all!  Total bike time was about 4 hours.
On to the run.  The lack of nutrition hit me at about mile 1!!!  I knew I was in trouble when I hit the first hill and could barely move.  I was seriously doubting whether I could finish the race.  We managed to make it to the first aid station, which was at about mile 2.5, where I ate 2 oreos and drank some water.  That seemed to help a little.  But it wasn't until I started drinking the coke they had out there that I started feeling a little better.  We made it to the turn around and I knew I could do one more loop.  I think the 2nd loop went faster than the 1st loop (maybe not for Mark!).
Anyway, we finished the race in 7:25:01 (approximately).  We did it.
Total times for the weekend were:
Friday - 32:39

Saturday AM - 3:13:13

Saturday PM - 3:22:47

Sunday - 7:25:01                                            FINISHER'S MEDAL

Saturday - Race 2 & 3 - TTT

I'm sitting here in the hotel room with my feet propped up and my newly purchased compression socks on (their pink!!).  I hope they work, because today was a grueling day! 

The morning started with about 63 degree temperatures, but an announcement that the bike course would have to be changed.  It seems that last night, there were thunderstorms so severe that a tornado touched down 30 miles from here.  And it brought down trees right along the mornings bike route.  So no Thompson Hill this morning.  Instead we got to ride route 125 twice - same route as the afternoon would be ridden in the morning.  I was disappointed.  In my opinion, route 125 is the tougher of the two.  Sure, Thompson Hill is tough, but it's such a beautiful course, it makes up for the climb.  Some of the bikers call it a "technical" course, as there are a lot of downhills and turns, but that is what makes it a fun course to ride. 

Anyway ... the cold swim start was on time, however as Mark and I are seeded near the back (we can't figure out why, as Mark did very well in his racing last year), it took us about 15 minutes until we started.  It took me awhile to get going, as the water was COLD, but once I got going, I was fine.  The bike was tough - there is a really nice downhill as you're heading out, which you know you will have to climb on the way back.  VERY tough!  And the run is the hardest run I have ever done.  It's done on lampblack road, which is a dirt road that basically heads uphill for 3.25 miles and then back again.  The bonus is that it's shaded.  The downside is it's VERY hilly and there are lots of horse flies. 
Here's a picture of Mark and I before race #3 in the afternoon.  The swim on the 2nd day is the hardest for me, as you bike first, then swim and then run last.  But we made it and we are now back at the hotel resting.  Tomorrow is a half ironman.  So time for me to go to sleep and get some well needed rest!

Day 1 - TTT weekend - prerace

Mark and I are sitting here resting before the 1st race of the weekend starts.  It took us over 7 hours to get here yesterday, which is about 2 hours more than normal.  However, we stopped at a super walmart to get some supplies, so it really was only 6 hours driving time. 

We went on a 1 hour ride this morning on Sunday's course (Fire road 1).  This is a picture of Mark ahead of me on the beautiful course.  It rained for most of our ride, with a downpour at the end.  But it's pretty nice out there now.  And according to the volunteers, the lake temp is 72.  Woo hoo!  That means I won't be freezing!!
More reports to come as the weekend progresses. 

TTT weekend is here!!

I can't believe this weekend is here!  Even as I say that, the butterflies in my stomach start to flutter.  I'm a big worrier (as Mark says all the time - there is a cloud over my head), and I always think about what could go wrong.  So I looked up the weather this morning, and it's supposed to rain tomorrow and Saturday.  Which means - the lake will be COLD.  When doing triathlons, for some reason, that is my big fear - swimming in very cold water.  So that will be my mental issue this weekend - getting thru the swim.  Mark will be with me on the bike and hopefully on the run (he's been battling some sciatica issues).  But the swim is a lone sport.  You are out there in the cold, murky water alone.  Sure, there are hundreds of swimmers around you, but they are mostly trying to push you out of the way to get by.  Well - I've done it before and made it thru, so I know I can do it again. 
As I said to our friend, Kim, who has been there every year we have done this race but won't be there this year - time flies by in TTT years.  It seems like just yesterday that we met Kim and her brother Rocky at Shawnee State Park.  That first meeting in the lodge restaurant turned into years of friendship ahead.  But sadly, Kim did her last TTT and ironman last year, and decided she needed to spend more time with her family.  I guess that's not something I should say "sadly" about - it's great for her and her family, but sad for me as I won't get to see her this year. 
But ... this is the first time I get to partner with my husband as team "For better or worse".  I'm looking forward to racing with him all weekend.  He's a great support on the bike and run and we'll have a lot of fun. 
So we are off.  Mark is downstairs packing the last of the gear into the truck.  We are then off for our 4+ hour drive down to Portsmouth, Ohio.  I'll try to post the results all weekend.  Wish us luck in our first BIG race of the season!

TTT is getting closer (and I'm nervous...)

The first big race of the year is drawing nearer.  The American Triple-T (http://www.americantriple-t.com/) is less than 3 weeks away.  In my opinion, after doing this race 3 times, it is a tougher race than the full ironman.  And this was confirmed today when I was looking up information on the internet and stumbled upon http://www.slowtwitch.com/, where there was a forum on what the hardest half and full ironmans in North America were.  Some of the people on the site weighed in and said the half on Sunday at triple t and Lake placid ironman were the toughest races in the US.  And I thought "what am I doing signed up for these races???".  But I've done them both before, and I know I can do them again.  But it still makes me very nervous. 
I remember the first time we decided to try out this race called "Desoto American Triple T" or DATT as we called it (or as a friend of ours (Rocky) calls it "The Delsoto Triple Crown").  Mark and I and our training partner, Mike Slabe, decided to sign up for this difficult race.  We figured it would be such a great accomplishment if we could train for and complete this race.  And we trained our hearts out.  I think all three of could say we were in the best shapes of our lives.  Mike, who is a phenomenal swimmer, helped us on the swim workouts.  He would meet us at the local pool and develop swim workouts for us that were tough, but a lot of fun.  We would meet on the weekends to do hill repeats on the bike and run for hours on end in the metroparks.  The race laid ahead of us as this daunting feat that we thought we could do, but it was scary and so we trained as hard as we could so that we would be ready.  And we did it!  Not only did we do it, but we came in 2nd in the coed team and each of us won a pair of Rudy Project sunglasses.  Wow! 
I guess it boils down to - there are challenges out there that may seem impossible to overcome when you first undertake them (triple t, ironman, breast cancer, etc).  But if you stick to the plan, and have what Mark calls "mental toughness", you can overcome, conquer, and excel at your dreams & goals.  I just have to remember this when I'm out there on the Triple T course and wondering if I can make it up that next hill.  I know I can do it and I know I'll feel good about it once I do.  The "doing it" is tough.  But the outcome and reward are definitely worth the price paid.     

It's not all about me

As I was swimming last night, I was thinking about what I should put in my next blog.  Every day has been a blur of working and training.  And I tend to think about - what am "I" going to do at work today, what am "I" going to do for my workout today, etc.  I think I've been thinking a little too much about me.  A couple days ago I got an email from a woman that I've been emailing back and forth with but haven't even met.  Her name is Colleen and she's going thru chemo right now for breast cancer.  She has so much energy and enthusiasm, and I hope that I'm helping her with my emails and advice.  But it made me think that the whole reason I started this blog wasn't to tell you all about how I'm doing in my races or training, but to inspire others that there is life after going thru the breast cancer treatments.  I clearly remember the days after my diagnosis and first surgery - searching the internet for some glimmer of what I would be able to do athletically after the treatments.  I was so fearful that my days of running and triathlon were over.  Many of you may think that is crazy - how could someone with breast cancer be worried about RUNNING!  But running, biking and triathlon are such a big part of my life, I was worried.  I wanted it to still be part of my life.  And I searched for something out there that would ease my fears and tell me that everything was going to be ok.  I hope this blog is helping someone out there with that fear. 
And although I may not say it enough, a big "thank you" to my wonderful, wonderful husband for everything he does to allow me to indulge in this one last ironman - my ironman in Pink.  THANK YOU!!!