Eagleman 70.3 - Lessons Learned

There's so much to say, and so little at the same time! So I'll let the exceptional pictures Kyle took do the talking.

Every race I learn so much and Eagleman 70.3 was no different. It was my first chance to test swimming in open water this year, my chance to deal with extreme heat and see how I faired, and most of all, to hopefully really screw things up so I can get all that out of the way for the rest of the year (which I excelled at beautifully)! Kyle and I traveled down on Saturday and had a wonderful pre-race dinner with all those from Pittsburgh. All told, there had to be close to 35 of us doing the race from the area and 9 Ballou Skies athletes were in the house to represent.

I felt a calmness about the race. I had a plan and I intended to stick to it. Oh.. sometimes we make plans my friends, and God has a little chuckle :) All in all, I felt great going in and excited about the day to come.

My swim was slow (and didn't even CLOSE to show how very hard I've been working in the pool!), but everyone's seemed to be slow! I was very thankful I didn't know my time once I saw it later in the day.

The plan was to push the bike and see where we ended up. In all honesty, I had good sections and bad sections just like everyone else that day. At about mile 30 of the bike I started feeling a tad bit nauseous for no particular reason.

The Mark Allen Fluid Energizer from Infinit had never let me down before even in the hottest conditions. I took a few minutes an assessed the situation. I decided to switch to water / gels to help settle things down, so I would wait for the next aid station to grab it (which seemed like a very long time coming, and it was). In hindsight, I should have kept drinking anyway, even if I threw it up later.

The lesson here is dehydration hurts much more than loosing a little and starting over! By the time I switched to water, I only had about 15 miles left and I was at least 24oz short of my hydration goal for the bike.. aka.. a recipe for disaster on a hot humid day. I've had this happen two other times in my career (in terms of massive dehydration on the run, not exactly the same reasons) so you would think I could get this down! I finished the bike with a 2:32, not exactly what I was hoping (really wanted to go under 2:30!), but I was on to the run.

However, what I did next WAS the result of those experiences and lessons learned. Other times I've ended up with 6 liters of IV fluid a med tent and a whole lot of scary for myself and my family (and a Kona spot). However, today was not the day to put myself in that position. My Kona slot was already mine and I wanted to finish the race standing, not in the ambulance. During mile one of the run I was still feeling pretty good. I passed Liz and we had a nice exchange. By mile three, I was toast, overheating, high heart rate, felt dizzy and like general crap. My pace dropped off and I knew I was in trouble.

It was time to walk the aid stations. I hated to do it, but I was in such poor shape to keep running without trying to get in extra fluids would have been a recipe for disaster. During each station I drank at least two glasses of water and a Powerade Endurance. Liz reminded me of the trick (ice down the bra over the heart!) and that was a lifesaver. Thanks Liz! She looked great when she blew by me so I hoped she was on her way to a Kona spot - and darn it, she was!

I talked myself into running aid station to aid station. Yes, we've all been there.. not so fun. I exchanged words with a few competitors about the heat and decided there is no crying in triathlon.. so I would just be sucking it up and finishing no matter what, even if I had to walk the whole half marathon. Ryan Ballou never quits.. and neither does this girl.
I saw Beth and she was running so tough. Jocelyn too. Each and every thought was trying to crush out the negative voices and replace them with positives "you're friends are right there, they're hurting too - if they can do it, you can do it!" I kept shuffling until finally, around mile 7 things started to turn around. I could feel life coming back into my body and while it still hurt, it wasn't nearly the dizzy awful shuffle it was before. Never did I glance at my watch after mile 2, not one time.. I didn't want to know! It was for the better! I saw my teammates, slapped fives and thanked volunteers - hey, I had time! It became about enjoying the experience and not forgetting about why I loved this sport in the first place. Finally, right before the finish a girl yelled out "I READ YOUR BLOG" coming the other way out of transition and I smiled from ear to ear. I yelled thanks even though I was dying and it just gave me the strength to not be a sour puss about my race and be thankful to just be out there. We are truly blessed to be healthy enough to race. That's for sure.

Speaking of that..

The real heroes of the day are below.. The Challenged Athlete Foundation.
They may not wear a cape, but these athletes are REAL HEROES and their helpers are angels. Did you know that they announced Ryan Ballou and Ballou Skies before the race AND that one of these athletes DID have DMD? How amazing is that.... coincidence? I think not.
My heart just swells when I see pictures like this. I know.. sappy, but I don't care. How could I even remotely be dissatisfied with my race or think about myself when I see these pictures. These kids are amazing and what an experience...crossing the finish line is a victory.. for them, and for me.. every single time.
The courage in their little finger is more than I will ever be able to muster and I'm so thankful that we have the opportunity to share the course with them.
I gave a thumbs up each time, but that was little compared to their helpers, friends and family who love them and support them every day. Thanks to CAF for making dreams come true and for showing us the real meaning of the sport. Thank you Ballou Skies for teaching me that even a not perfect day, is still the best day ever to be out there living my dreams and supporting this great research.
On July 9th I will be doing a bike ride to benefit the charity. If any of you would like to place a one time donation or a donation per mile, please let me know. We'll make it happen. Great job to everyone who was out there on Sunday and racing all over the world. Hats off to Joe and Beth for chasing those Kona slots and getting their ticket to the big dance. You both inspire me to never quit on my dreams which are very much alive!! I'm not giving up!! I have not yet begun to fight!!
Lastly, a big shout out to my athlete Tom who completed his second half ironman to date at Eagleman 70.3 on Sunday. He had a bit of cramping at mile 10, but otherwise NAILED it and executed a perfect race. Way to go Tom! You have a long and happy road ahead of you in triathlon and I hope to be part of the journey.

Kyle - you are my biggest supporter and my life. I'm so lucky that you've decided to weather this crazy journey with me and make me laugh so hard I cry, comfort me in times of disappointment and remind me how lucky I am just to get the chance love you with everything you do for me.

To all the friendly faces - Mary E, Jen H, Liz, my fellow Pittsburghers and friends - you are my heart and soul and one of the biggest reasons I'm in this sport. Seeing your faces made me want to go on and push harder. The female camaraderie between some of us is amazing and I'm just so thankful for it each time I race. We are warriors together ladies... warriors.

Thanks to my sponsors who never give up on me and see me though my mistakes, learning experiences and great days! Thanks to my blog fans like that girl - whoever you are! You made my day!!!!!!!!

Friends & Family

Jocelyn and I

Jim and I at Clearwater 2009

Aunt Dena and I at Brian's Wedding last year!

Lisa and I at the Pitt 1/2 Marathon

All I can say is that it's a dang good thing that we have them. I don't know about you, but it seems like all over there is heartache, tough stuff and sometimes, even tougher stuff. My friends have been getting dished their fair share lately and my heart just breaks for them sometimes. The good news is:

They are strong people

They are more than capable

and with their faith rooted firmly where it should be, they can handle anything this world throws at them.

I'm a lucky girl to get to see their strength and just how amazing they truly are, both inside and out. Every time I get down because I missed ANOTHER swim workout or just don't feel great on a run I think of how many people in this world are going through things that are 100% harder so I better just buck up and stop feeling sorry for myself.

We're ALL balancing a million things and trying to keep things in perspective. I feel thankful that I can have friends that I know will be with me for life!

J and I in Aruba!

Barb, Heidi and I at NOLA 70.3 (Good Luck this weekend at Quazzy Barb! - you're going to do great!)

And lastly, I thank the world for animal friends. Who else would let you do this to their hair and just sit there still looking cute! A friend stopped by with their cutie dog and I got to hang out with Prince Jr. for a bit! SO freakin adorable!

Hope everyone is having a great week! Tonight is the big speech! Here we go!!

More Pittsburgh Half Mary Pics & Silversport Towel Giveaway!

The more I think about Sunday, the more I am fine with it. Ok, I'll admit it, at first I was a little bummed.. and a little perturbed that my coach didn't see this coming. Then, I got over myself. It certainly wasn't his fault - I'm the one that planned this race in the midst of hardcore 70.3 / beginning of Ironman training.

Thanks for all the comments and wise-words that were shared! That helped me gain a little dose of perspective and I'll take a little sympathy!! Sure!! LOL!

Lisa, good training partner and GREAT friend pre-race! I'm sporting my socks-turned-into-arm-warmers look! Loved them - never even got too hot to pitch them so I'm definitely going to use that idea again if I have to this season! It will probably be too hot though!
Staci and Monique got up at 3:30am to head down to Pitt just to see me race! Thanks ladies - that means sooooo much to me! A big thanks to K for being the photographer for the day! Sorry I'm a bad wife and didn't get any pictures with you in all the madness!!
As usual, it was a rainy race! It was cool to see all the elite runners come out of the hotel and just line right up in front of the rope holding the rest of us in Corral A back. Yeah, my time had no business being up there with them - none! At least not this time!
The crazy part was, the pacer actually ended up winning the marathon! He was only supposed to help them split the 10 mile and the guy goes on and wins it! How cool is that! The article can be read here!

Here I am showing off my silver towel after the race! My boss is involved with the company responsible for these very cool towel. I am not sponsored by them in any way, but I am helping them out when they need a little assistance! The really cool part is that they are anti-microbal! You can find them for purchase at Dicks Sporting Goods.

I did not propose we use this photo, but this is what they liked.. hey whatever!

Here I am at a video shoot for SilverSport - over toward the corner with my arm up!

It's a wonderful concept that I know athletes everywhere can really benefit from as we are living out of our gym bags, cars, lifting on fitness equipment that who knows where it's been, and spinning on spin bikes with peoples grubby hands all over them! I'm into NOT getting sick as much as possible this season so, for people like me, this towel is a must.

Therefore, I'm giving away two sets of two towels to two lucky people in a very easy way!!

Do one of these = one entry:

#1. Follow This Blog (above - see the box with all the faces)!

#2. Say you like Silversport on Facebook because you read my blog!

#3. Follow me on TWITTER - @fuelyourpassion

#4. Post that you entered this contest to your facebook page linked to my blog

Leave me a comment and let me know what you have done! I'll draw the winners a week from today! (May 27th)

Type - A

Kim, Heidi and Jocelyn - Summer 2010! I'm not saying they are Type - A, I just needed a good picture to remind me - SUMMER WILL COME EVENTUALLY (or I will keel over and die).

There are times when I really feel I am trying to do it all, and frankly, it's too much sometimes!

Wikipedia Says:

Type A

The theory describes a Type A individual as ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitive, impatient, preoccupied with his or her status, time-conscious, andtightly-wound. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving "workaholics" who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.

In his 1996 book, Type A Behavior: Its Diagnosis and Treatment, Friedman suggests that Type A behavior is expressed in three major symptoms: free-floating hostility, which can be triggered by even minor incidents; time urgency and impatience, which causes irritation and exasperation; and a competitive drive, which causes stress and an achievement-driven mentality. The first of these symptoms is believed to be covert and therefore less observable, while the other two are more overt.

Because of these characteristics, Type A individuals are often described as "stress junkies" by individuals with Type B or other personality types. Many successful business and political leaders have Type A personalities.

I typically find that triathletes, like myself, are pretty type-A personalities. I don't necessarily agree with everything described above, but I definitely agree with some! We have a list, we like to check it off and when things are going right on that list, or we just can't seem to get enough done.. well, to be frank, we freak right out.

Although I know this sport lends itself well to this type of personality. Sometimes, between the my day job, the side career, the athletes calling, the workouts, the to-do list for Birthdays, the blog and everything else still required to keep my life going (laundry, groceries etc.) -it's a little.. well.. much.

Lately, I've been wondering just how much more I can take on, while still retaining some semblance of organization, time with my family and friends and sanity. The problem is, I like to be good at.. well, everything. I don't want to feel I'm "shorting" any of these aspects, especially my time with family and friends. However, I think by the very nature of all of these types of things, you can be good at some things, but only great at a limited few.

I've been spending some time thinking about what those few actually are and how that will shape the future of my life. I guess the blessing is that I have a full wonderful life with lots of things to keep me busy. The negative is that one can only stretch so far or be worked so thin! I'm not complaining, just thinking and trying to prioritize and get ready for what's to come. I believe in the fact that there is a plan for my life and if I keep doing what I love, and doing the best I can, that it will be revealed to me slowly and over time. I refuse to give up certain things that seem like they are on the right path for me, so in the mean time, I'll just have to become a really good juggler!! I have great family, great friends and spring is coming (I hope! So in just a few weeks we'll hopefully be riding outside - preferably not at NOLA 70.3 for the first time!).

Do you think most of us are Type-A personalities in the sport of triathlon? I'd love to hear so leave a comment.

In addition, if you would like to read a little about my first ever mention on Ironman.com just click HERE for the highlights of Ironman Cozumel 2010.