MORE HILLS.....

Well, it took me a few days but I'm back! No, I did not go on a 4 day bike ride....yet! Haha.

The weekend after the Elkhart lake triathlon I drove to Blue Mounds Wisconsin for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds....for those of you that have never heard of this race it is....horribly HILLY! I have been trying to do this race for the last two years but medical issues got in the way both times & the second year they began doing a lottery for the race. I was lucky enough to win a lottery this year & stay healthy enough to finally get to the start line. There are 100k, 150k, & 200k options. This was my 1st time doing this ride & I opted for the 150k route (93 miles). Friday night I slept on a lawn chair in the gymnasium of the Mount Horeb HS. There were only 10 others that stayed there & I really didn't sleep too bad, better than the weekend before..ha! While setting up my sleeping area I saw some old teammates & I was very happy I did. Melanie, Kim, Jeff, John & I made a plan to all ride together tomorrow or at least start together...all but John were doing the 100k. As I awoke Saturday morning I noticed that most people had already left & it was only 5:45am....did I miss something?! The state park was only 4 miles away & the ride didn't start till 7:20am. Anyway, I took my time have my breakfast & cold coffee from the day before & was on my way.

Coming into the Blue Mounds State Park we had a LOOOOONG hill to drive up & I noticed it was the only path to get to where we needed to be...the finish line! So coming into this race I knew there was going to be about 10,000 feet of elevation but if all the hills were like this GOD help me.  I found my friends & it started raining...never fails on a ride, I had my rain jacket & we were off. About 5 miles into the ride my aero bottle with about 2 hours worth of nutrition popped off my aero bars & came crashing to the ground spilling everywhere. My 1st thought was o crap now the girl I was chasing is getting away, my second thought was o crap what am I going to drink for the next 20 miles till I get to a sag stop. My friends stopped to help me & I thankfully I had another bottle of nutrition & gu's. About mile 10 we came to a hill that hurt. Come to find out it was an alternate path to get to where the cars were parked up that insane hill, however we only had to climb it halfway....this time! After a few more insane hills I lost all of my friends & gained others along the way :). I developed what I like to call the Tour De France climbing technique where I zigzag up the mountain...these were mountains, NOT hills! After sag stop #1, 26 miles in I was feeling great. I refilled my aero bottle & made sure it was secure & was off again. Gave a little wave to my friends on my way in as they were heading out on a different path. I was alone for this portion of the ride mostly except for the speed demons that flew by me....all men! That is 1 thing I noticed, not many women on this ride. So I knew the pink path was the 100k, blue path 150k, & green path 200k....I was staying on the blue path. After some time I only saw green arrows, WTF!!! I missed a turn...but where? I didn't want to turn around for fear of really getting lost so I kept on pedaling. I was now running out of water & really needed a sag stop, my watch stopped working at some point so I wasn't sure how many miles I had traveled or how many till I was finished. I was on the green path, 200k (124 miles) & I was NOT prepared to do that. I went into a little panic mode & started to get a cramp in my inner quad up another monster hill. While I was getting my salt tabs a few had fallen out so I didn't have them when I needed them & I paid the price. I rested a moment & got some salt from another rider & hoped for a rest stop soon. I found a ride offical & got more water & restored my nutrition & he showed me the map & how to get back on the blue path. Whew! I really didn't want to go 124 miles....

Once back on the right path I saw my friend John & then got some more salt tabs & kept drinking so I did not cramp again. I never did. There was finally a proper sag stop at mile 75, which turned out to be miles 85 for me...I went 10 miles or so out of my way. I took my time here, ate like it was my job...watermelon, banana, honey stinger waffles, blueberries, grapes, bagel, & more salt tabs. By this time it was hot, humid & not raining. I had 24 miles to go & I had spent enough time prolonging the inevitable....time to go! I was told the last 8 miles were tough so when I had though enough was enough there was a water stop & I was telling someone how I made a wrong turn & started to cry....I was done! The ride offical told me how to cut some mileage out so I took the opportunity. I knew that mother of a hill was waiting for me & as it turns out it was the same one at mile 10 we climbed...only we turned a different way to continue climbing. This was the point I had to walk my bike up a portion of what seemed like a never ending mountain. I found many walking their bikes & was encouraged by the race guys to get back on my bike still going up hill, so much so that I needed a push. I pedaled another 30 feet to the top, the FINISH LINE! I again has tears in my eyes not because I was defeated by the hill & had to walk but because I climbed those hills, traveled extra miles, & did something a few years ago I never thought was going to happen....after having to back out the past 2 years I FINALLY tackled HHH! I can't wait till next year!

Enjoy the pics below, they are from ALL of my adventures!

Goodnight.......

HILLS......

After the Palos half marathon I decided I needed to start adding some serious hill training to my bike so I headed up to Madison to ride the IM course. The plan was 2 loops(96) miles, well the weather was cold & windy & I only managed 1 loop of the course with 20-25 mph winds. The whole time I kept thinking thank goodness I am not doing IMWI....haha, sorry my friends who are. Being my 1st time on the course I was not sure if  it was just me or if it really was that tough. I was assured it was the toughest ride on that course due to winds by others that have done it many times. Whew! After a short transition run & some much needed food we headed back home. I was proud I tackled all the hills & want to go back when winds are not so high to see what I can really do on that course.

The following weekend May 18th I headed to Galena with Mary for a sprint triathlon in her big green van. We arrived in great time dropped our bikes off at transition 1 & picked up our packets. We were about to drive the bike course before heading to the house for dinner but suddenly realized we had a flat tire. Not wanting to wait for AAA I started to try & change the tire....how hard can it be? Well, the tire was not coming down & many of us tried. It was going to be getting dark soon & AAA didn't know when help would arrive. By this time all that were staying in the house were there to help. Finally Shannon went to see if there was a cop that could help & came back with a security guard & after some swearing, muscle, & some prayers he changed it before dark & we headed to the house. We were all starving & enjoyed a delicious dinner then prepared for the race the next morning. This race had 2 transitions.....don't ask! I saw coach Jen & she gave me some encouraging words, then reminded me of how hilly this race is. I warmed up & had a little freak out moment when I couldn't find my friends that were holding my wetsuit while I warmed up....I did finally find them. It was a beach start so when the time came we all run in & swim our hearts out. The distance of this race is a bit odd....660 yard swim, 17.8 mile bike, 4.5 mile run. After the swim it was on to the bike & a big hill out of transition to get the heart rate up & a pump in the legs. I was feeling pretty good on this challenging course & kept hearing about this on hill that was a doozy....then I got to it. Remember the name....Elizabeth scales mound road, it was a long hill! I made it to T-2 the off on the run,,,,,holy 1st hill, had to walk it. It was almost a mile long. The hills didn't stop after that, I felt like I would roll down some of the down hills & never reach the top of the up hills. My feet kept going numb & my tape fell off  before the swim start. I kept going & saw my coach once more on the way to the finish (she was warming down) & that gave me the extra energy to push hard to the finish line. 1st race of the season was a tough one. A few of us stayed another night & rode more hills the next day. We had a little rain delay & did an 11 mile loop 3x, it was a blast & the hill that I thought I might roll down on the run of the tri we rode up.....Wow, that was HARD! Mary got the tire fixed & we were headed home after a wonderful weekend. Come to find out there was a nail in another tire.....it was a miracle we made it home without another flat.

The following May 24th Mary, Ivy & I headed to Louisville, KY to ride the IM course there. Many of my tri smart team members were there as well. We arrived late Friday night & started a little later on Saturday....9am. It was a little chilly there at the start of the ride but it warmed up some. We went out of 2 loops (85) miles, including "the finger" which has the biggest hill of the course. I tell you, after Madison & Galena the finger was not bad at all. After the ride we relaxed in the hot tub & pool before dinner. We woke up early again for 1 loop of the course & a short transition run. On the way home we went to Ryan's for an insane amount of food. Yummmm! Great training weekend with great friends. :-)

June 1-2 I actually have a weekend I spent at home. It was nice to get my training done & still be able to enjoy my family. The weekend of June 8th I was out of town again for the Elkhart Lake Olympic triathlon. I have never done This race either but I won a free entry via Facebook. My friend Anna is doing this race as well & had an extra spot in their hotel room for $25...sweet deal, so I took it. I was excited to see her & race with her. It doesn't happen much anymore since she moved to Wisconsin & got married. I arrived to the Osthoff resort then me,Anna, & Jenny did our pre race workout. A little bike & a little run. They all went to the pasta dinner& I drove the bike course. I like to know what lies ahead of me. We all went back to the hotel to get set for tomorrow's race. 3 of us were racing & 1 was out due to an injury. I jokingly said I hope no one snores.....then it began!

HOLY SHIT! The only other person I know that snores like this girl ( not my friend) is my uncle. I thought I was going to lose it. She didn't even know she was snoring. Finally she left till we fell asleep....well, almost! Minutes after her coming back in it all started again, lord help me! This time she went in the bath tub& I think we all slept for a good 2-3 hours. GREAT! Ready or not it was race time, I needed coffee & lots of it. We get to transition early & have a long time till the Olympic starts , the sprint is first. I am ready to start my warmup & accidentally cross the bike out & get yelled at. I then decide a swim warmup is better than being yelled at & I'm so glad I did because that water was COLD, I needed some acclimation to that. My wave goes off & I'm swimming, my goggles are a tad foggy so it is hard to see the buoys I reach the turn around & haven't really encountered many bodies in the water. Good or bad? Bad! I swam off to the side & ended up near a boat & having to swim back to the crowd. Ugh! Out of the water to the bike. It was cold so I took the time to put my arm Warmers on. The bike course was challenging which I knew since I drove it the day before but some of the hills were bigger than though. I took a little longer on the bike than I wanted but now it was run time. I didn't know the run course at all & there were some really challenging hills, especially for me & my foot & leg. The last Nile is downhill so that helped with a strong finish. I had a little time to relax with my friend after the race then headed home....3 hr dive. Sunday morning I wake up still tired from the lack of sleep the night before & head out for a bike ride before we have Eva's 4th birthday party. The party was a blast & she loved it. We went to my bro in laws for dinner & his girlfriend Rachel did her 1st bike leg of a half ironman, so we got to swap stories. So proud of her! Maybe she will do a outdoor triathlon next. She is a fantastic swimmer......we all went home with full bellies & finally got some sleep!

I must go ride my bike now but I will be back later to catch you all up on this past weekend adventures!

WHERE DID THE TIME GO????

Time has been going by WAY too fast....I cannot believe ironman is in 3 months. I have had 2 races since my last post....sorry I didn't not write up individual race reports but Jen Harrison has kept me busy...;)

Palos half marathon;
I love this race, its less than 10 minutes from my house so no super early wake up....YAY! The morning went well I went with my sister in law & was abruptly stopped by the SWAT team in full gear with AK 47's to not cross the yellow tape. Holy crap! There were even snipers on the roof....what a shame it has come to that!
Anyway, I did my warmup as instructed & felt pretty good. Hit the potty 1 more time then Rachel left me because it was about to start but I knew if I didn't go now it would come & get me later...haha! I was told not to go out too fast, which I do sometimes, nothing sub 9:30's for the first 2 miles...then after 10k pick it up. The plan was working, I felt good. I even ran into my other friend Shannon, who was there despite having the flu all week....she's a rockstar! We ran together for a bit then 6 miles in was my time to pick it up...so I did. I was still feeling great, that is till about 8.5 miles in....uh-oh....I had that poopy feeling. So I walked & looked for a potty....nothing! I walked till I felt better & began to run again but it was a little slower, not what I was supposed to be doing. Keep the feet moving & I will be ok....mile 10 comes & it hits me again, oh God! So I stop & walk a bit more. By now doing better than last year is probably not going to happen. I come down the small downhill at southwest hwy & can see the finishline....I look for my family & finally see them.. I grab my little girls hand & we cross the finishline together. They put the medal around her neck & she told me she WON! I LOVE IT.....

JFMTT RACE REPORT & MORE.....

John Frasier Memorial Time Trial....

It all started Saturday, I did my pre race workout...a short ride followed by a short transition run. I went to get some new bike cleaner to pretty up baby blue (my bike) & then some food.
When I got home I put the little one to bed & began polishing my bike & making sure I had everything ready for the TT. This was my 3rd time doing this race so I knew where I was going & how long it would take to get there (1hr 20 mins). The forecast said 40 degrees & rain, truth be told I am scared of riding in rain & falling. Coach told me I can go straight the same so....there you have it. Basically get over it....lol!

While cleaning baby blue all up I noticed I had a flat back tire & put some air in & waited...a little while later it was flat again. I begin to inspect the tire & I am ready with a new tube but I find a small hole in the rubber of the tire.....EFFFFF!!! I change the tube & hope it works, after all I only have to go about 10 miles for the TT tomorrow.

Wake up in the morning at 6:15 am, check the tire & its FLAT....panic sets in & I don't know what to do. I pump up my tire & then Todd (my husband) tells me to stay home. Is he CRAZY?! I CAN'T stay home....so I leave all frantic & sit at the end of the block for what seemed like 10 minutes only to turn around & come back home to try & somehow fix my tire....I felt it & I was convinced it was loosing air much more quickly that it actually was. When I got back home Todd assured me it was not loosing air & to just go & get em....so I pulled it together & I was on my way!

I get to Maple Park in plenty of time to get my bib & do my warmup....but it is 40, windy, slightly rainy & feels like its 30 on the bike....hard to warmup. Against that wind easy felt hard & hard felt impossible. They were running about 8 minutes late on start times so I had some time to go back & make sure my tires were filled & pray they lasted the 10 miles. This is a VERY competitive race with lots of disc wheelers &  aero helmets & then there's me....

The wind was crazy....going 13 miles an hour one way then 30 the other. Gotta love a tail wind! After my warmup I was NOT warm my face was freezing & my nose was running & I had to spit a few times only to have it come back at me....gross! I went as hard as my legs could against that wind & pushed hard on the tail wind...the tire held up. Thank you GOD!

Coach Jen had a 30 min transition run following the TT so I hit the pavement right away. My feet were numb from the cold air & I couldn't feel my legs from the effort. I felt like I was running so slow but GPS said 8:40....Woah, had to slow it down. Funny thing is, is that it felt better to run faster on my legs than slower but I slowed it down & found my legs & finished up just in time to see my coach & her hubby finish.

My time was the slowest of all 3 times racing but it was also the most windy....its all relative. I felt like I gave it all I had out there & that's what counts. When I got back home wouldn't you know my tire was flat....I was much calmer than when I left & happy to spend the rest of the day with my family.

More to come.....

Goodnight

What's going on....

What's going on you ask.....well, lots!
It has been a while since I have posted but that doesn't mean there was nothing to post about, in fact I have been so busy with training & life that I haven't had time for much else.

I want to put a solid effort into my training for this ironman & as many know I am a fitness instructor so working out is my job. Training for this ironman is my workout. Confused? I know...let's just say teaching multiple spin, bootcamp, & yoga classes is not going to get me to the finish line of IMKY. That being said I had a VERY hard decision to make...I decided to cut back on my classes so I could have more time & energy for training. Not only is it my livelyhood but I genuinely love all of my "clients" but I am taking the time to focus on a dream & I will be back to all of my classes after I cross that finish line.

As of April 1st I have had more time for training & then some personal things were going on....not going to get into all of that but for now the stress & worry is over, THANK GOD! So back to training, I have had some good training days & some not so good training days. My swim is coming along nicely, not much to talk about there except the idiot that wanted to race me in the pool today...seriously?! I told him I had a workout to do & he kept trying to get me to race him, I just laughed & said "you know I will beat you, right?" Then kept on swimming. Haha! Some people kill me... Biking has been going pretty well too, I love the CT sessions I have been going to & hope to do another FTP test soon. Looking for an improvement of course. And finally the run....ah, the run...well, its still slow but there was one run this week that felt amazing. Coach Jen is implementing some speed work & I mentioned how I was getting a little nervous for my half marathon coming in May so now I'm running more...be careful what you tell your coach...lol! I secretly love it Jen :)

I also got a great massage from my fellow team mate & recent massage therapy student BC...it has been quite some time since I have had a massage & I didn't know how much I actually need one until these muscles were manipulated. I will be your guinea pig anytime BC, happy to help..;-) Thanks so much, it felt wonderful! Just in time too, I have the John Frasier Memorial Time Trial on Sunday....

Till the race report here are some fun pics of what's been going on....

RUN TEST.....

I went to see P!NK this past Saturday, she is one of my favorite artists & she was AMAZING! She has one of the most physically demanding shows I have ever seen. She flys high over the crowd, does her silk act & more, all while singing. She also has abs for days...rediculous!  Monday after my spin class I did not feel well at all so I headed home took some meds and basically slept for 2 days....maybe I had too much fun seeing P!NK....:p

Today was another test....this time it was the dreaded run test. I knew this one was going to hurt! I was prepared to suffer for an ALL OUT for 20 minute effort, but I went out too fast and was dead by the end of it....

I had my music on loud so I couldn't hear my rapid breaths or any noises I was sure to make. Thank god there were not many people on the path to hear me or see the ugly faces my husband tells me I make when running hard...haha! It really was a beautiful day for a run, I beat the rain!

Later was a quick swim & my legs were definitely still feeling the run...they are still feeling that damn run! My foot on the other hand feels great! This taping thing really works. Getting in some good stretches & foam rolling then off to bed so I can hit it tomorrow....

Sweet dreams
Courtney

"TRY" ing....

1 week ago was my longest run since being on this journey with Jen Harrison.....she gave me a 1 hr run. My runs are still slow & I am working on form & continuing to heal my foot & hopefully be completely pain free....soon! But I got in 6+ miles in that hour and it felt great! PT is done & I discovered taping my foot has helped a lot.

This past week was a bit scaled down from previous weeks since I had a FTP test on Wednesday & an indoor tri today. My FTP test was disappointing to say the least, I would kie to come up with a million excuses on why I didn't do as well as expected (sore, tired,....blah, blah,blah) but it is a number I can & will improve on. On Friday it was really nice to have a full day of rest, although I did feel a little lazy & I was kind of bored. Saturday rolled around & I had my pre-race workout & it was the 1st time I ran FAST....well, fast for me, but only for 30 seconds. It felt good, but what will tomorrow bring when I have to swim,bike, & run consecutively for 15 mins each....

Sunday morning I leave at 8am, my wave goes off at 9am...I'm only 10 mins away....sweet! I get to Evergreen Pk HS & begin to feel a little nervous, after all this is my 1st race of any kind since September. I was supposed to warm up for 20 mins on the bike or run....but the bikes & treadmills were all being used for the racers so 20 mins was NOT going to happen. I did get to sneak in for about a 4 min spin on the stationary bike & didn't feel warm at all.....so I decided to just go to the pool thinking I could warmup there. Not a chance! On with the race....I am not sure of the results yet but the swim & run felt good, but the bike hurt a little. Maybe its time for a massage! Once results come in I will post again!

Nighty nite....