JHC MADISON RIDE.....

Ok, so I am trying to play catch up on my blog. Now that I am in taper mode I have some more time..:-)


On Sunday July 28th my coach Jen Harrison had an organized ride in Madison, WI. I woke up very early that morning to make the 3 hour drive & be ready to roll by 8am. I had my coffee & breakfast in the car & got to the meeting place about 30 mins early. The weather was ridiculously cold for the end of July so I bundled up like it was a winter ride. I had my ice breaker socks on & toe covers on my shoes, tights with my cycling shorts, a cold gear shirt & gloves....AND I was still cold!

The plan was to do two loops(80 miles), taking it easy on the first loop & pushing harder on the second. This was the second time I went to Madison to ride these hills & the first time left me feeling like I had a lot of work to do, the 25 mph winds didn't help either. I expected the course to be tough, after all I live in flat Illinois & have tried to travel more this year to hit hills I will face in Kentucky. Despite the cold of the day I started off feeling really good, the hills were challenging but doable. After the first loop I was supposed to push it & I started off with another girl named Jenny that  soon pushed ahead of me & I was alone for most of the second loop. When you are out there alone, cold, on hills, & things start to hurt, it becomes difficult to keep pushing. I stopped at the sag stop & my left quad near the knee was really hurting now. One of the sag girls, Nathalie was a massage therapist so she spent some time helping to relieve some tightness. I was only about 15 or 20 miles from the finish but that's where the hills become longer & steeper. Nathalie was great as support ahe was at the top of almost every climb making sure the quad was holding up. During one of the climbs another rider passed me & Nthalie yell, ugh, you almost had her.....damn! I recovered from the hill & set out to catch her, I did! I finished the the second loop which seemed windier than the first feeling like I pushed. After I got another quick massage on my quad I was off on my transition run....30 mins. I got to start off my run with my coach but after a few minutes what I thought was a not too bad pace after 80 miles was obviously too slow for Jen so she went ahead with another athlete of hers. I was just glad I did not end up in a field like tha weekend before....haha!

I was tired on the 3 hours drive home so my newly found wake up call is a monster & some beef jerkey. I made my stop & I was happy & alert the whole way.

Catch you all up more tomorrow....
C~

113 MILES.....

Last Saturday my traveling buddy Mary and I headed out yet again for a LONG bike ride in Princeton, IL. I have never been to Princeton, it was about a 2 hour drive in Mary's trusty van....man I'm gonna miss that thing when this is all over......Anyway, Princeton is a cute little old town. We found our other friends & made our multiple bathroom trips before starting on the ride. Coach Jen had 115 miles in my plan & Mary was gonna do them all with me. This supported ride had about 4,000 feet of elevation so I knew we were in for some hills....somewhere. As we started out we got to see a helicopter crop dusting the fields, pretty cool to have it so close. Then we had our 1st big hill, so much for zone 1-2 for the 1st hour. Our friend Michelle is quite the cyclist so off she went. I wanted so bad to keep up but that meant really getting the HR up so I pulled back a bit & stayed in zone 2.  Many of the country roads were recently tarred & chipped which got all over everyones tires due to it melting in the hot sun. the only downside to this route, otherwise it was beautiful & reminded me of Michigan. This route was marked as 102 miles so Mary & I decided to add on our 13 extra miles after about 30 miles in so we could not wimp out after 102. Really good thinking because I might have done that. Especially after about 50 miles on I was not feeling so good. My tummy was hurting, I had gas & it was getting hot. I felt like my cadence was slow, my heart rate was high & I was now struggling to keep up with Mary. We usually ride about the same which is awesome to have the company but she was ahead of me & I was alone with my thoughts, aches & pains. I kept wondering what was causing this because other than a new electrolyte my nutrition was the same as it was for muncie, just more of it. then it finally dawned on me....i ate garlic the night before with my chicken & sweet potato. note to self....NO GARLIC BEFORE WORKOUTS! I did catch back up with Mary & our other friend Shannon who seemed to be feeling the same way I was, maybe she had garlic too :-(. We were about 15 miles or so from the finish of the ride & I just needed to keep moving. There were some pretty good climbs towards the end of the ride, thank goodness for the extra adrenaline rush I had to finish. Unfortunately my GPS said I only traveled 113 miles, not 115!!!! Ugh, so close, but I was not going out for 2 more. I was happy to be off the bike.

I had a 75 min transition run to do so I took off the jersey, put on the running shoes & fuel belt & started to run. Mary was gonna keep me company for the 1st mile then head back. I lasted exactly 5 minutes till I was reminded again of the garlic I consumed the night before. I literally stopped running handed Mary my fuel belt & ran into the soy bean field to do what had to be done.....needless to say the run was over. At that point I was thinking a marathon....HA!!!!

I got myself changed, cleaned up, fed, & I was feeling good in no time. Come to find put I was not the only one that was having GI issues that day. O the joys of endurance sports. We headed home, me with a doggie bag of food they were giving away, score! Once we got home Mary let me know her tire completely ripped open from the tar. luckily that didn't happen to mine but the next day i spent some time cleaning the tar off my tires too. Hope I don't need new tires too. After a great night of sleep I woke up not feeling too bad so I did my long run at peak heat of the day. After 16 miles I was back to not feeling good again. Coach Jen said it was too much & I should have just ran the missed 75 minutes from yesterday.....so much for trying to switch days, but good to know there was a reason I was feeling so crappy! I will not make that mistake again! Follow the plan!!!!!

As of today July 26th....I have 29 days till the big dance!

IMLOU.....;-)

MUNCIE 70.3 RACE REPORT.....

Lets begin with the day before the race.....

I go teach spin class at 8:45am then pack up the car & drop the kiddies off at the in laws. Todd & I are on the road about 11:15 am. I plan on arriving at packet pick up about 3pm then heading to the race site for my Pre race workout. Well.....it did not happen like that. We got to packet pickup  about 4:30pm, I forgot about the time change, 1 hour ahead! After looking around & talking with friends I finally arrived at the race site around 6 pm for my pre race workout. Feeling like it was so late I only did a quick 20 min bike & 10 min run. Todd & I headed to the grocery store for some snacks & then went to the hotel that was just across the street. Thank you Bob for letting us take your extra room so we didn't have to stay an hour away. I truly enjoyed the extra sleep. I always make my own food when I go out of town because I have had too many bad experiences with my tummy & restaurant food. My favorite meal is tilapia, quinoa, avocado & a little hot gardinera. I was still hungry later so I had sone chicken & rice. After we ate I was really looking forward to going in the hot tub so we did hot tub & pool, back and forth about 4 or 5 times. It felt wonderful & I was completely relaxed & ready for bed. We went up stairs I prepared my bottles & gear for the next day & watched a little borders & fell fast asleep. Of course 4:30 am came way too quick but I got it together & we were off after a quick breakfast.

Parking for the race was a good distance from the transition area & I still had a lot to do before my start time. Time to hustle! Got in to transition & I had a nice spot, near the end of a rack. I was kind of far from the bike & run out but close to the bike in....after walking through my transitions I went to the long potty lines & waited....still thinking about my warmup I needed to do I was running out of time. I did get in a short run & then put on the wetsuit as it was wetsuit legal & was ready to get on my swim warmup, that was until I had that feeling AGAIN! Off to the potty once again. I saw my teammates & kissed Todd goodbye & ran into the warmest water ever. I usually love cold water but this felt great. I did a short swim & then went to hang with team members till it was 7:35... My start time.

As I sit with friends I notice pink caps in line but not my color pink but it was minutes from go time so I hurry over there & sure enough this was my wave. How was I the only 1 with a different color pink cap on???? I was special I guess ;-) I find my friend Lisa & the horn goes off & I swim my little heart out. During the whole swim I barely touched anyone, it was awesome! On the way back in however, the sun was right in my eyes. Thanks MJ for the tip on tinted goggles, good lookin out! Since there was a long run in from the swim & I can't run barefoot due to the plantar fasciitis I had my crocks ready to go. I noticed wetsuit stripper & took full advantage of them. Once on transition I di go to the wrong side of my bike but thank god I was near an end so around I went. Socks, sunglasses, helmet, bike.....run. Mount my bike & I am gone. This bike course is supposed to be flat & fast but there were some rollers. I caught up to Lisa, shes a fast swimmer & we did a back and forth thing for most of the bike. it was great to have her there. One section on the bike was a no passing zone, going out & coming back, what a pain! There was a very bumpy section of road that lasted 15 miles or more that vibrated my insides & made me feel like I was losing bike parts. Aside from that it was great! I was not sure of my bike time but I wanted sub 3 hours & I know I hit that. T2 was fast even though Todd was yelling at me to go faster. I definitely felt like i hac to pee but the line was too long & i was not about to try and pull dowm my 1 piece trisuit only to wrestle it back up, so i just let it go....ahhhh! Maybe it will make people move out of my way. Lol! I knew the run course was hilly since I rode a portion of it the day before in my pre race workout. I was feeling great & kept reeling in runners even though I didn't feel like my pace was quick. The run course was amazing. Water, ice, perform, coke, sponges, hoses, music.....you name it, it was there. I can't tell you enough how much I LOVE ice. It went down my front & back every aid station. It was getting hot & holy hills. From all the ice & pouring water on myself I was cool, but wet. This meant my feet were getting wet too, & I felt a blister on each foot starting to form. There were some times I had to walk but I still felt good. I saw many friends along the run course & that just kept me going. Secretly I do math as I run & I finally realized I was not going to have a PR this day but I still ran tough to the finish. I saw my husband, teammates & the finish line. 5:55:05 was the official time & I finished with a smile on my face. This race was so important to me to build some confidence I needed going into this ironman thing....

Post race I had a seriously nasty blister on my right foot that kept me from running for 6 days. I had some soreness but overall I think I was in good shape. The next day I took a nap & enjoyed some pool time. :-)

Till my next adventure....
Courtney

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY....

It always seem that when I go on a long ride it rains at some point on that ride. A few weeks ago was no different. I set out for what was supposed to be my second 100+ mile ride & what do you know....it rained! We had about 30 minutes or so of no rain but then it happened, dark skies, cooler temperatures, higher winds & rain. Not just a little rain but a down pour. The kind of rain you don't want to drive in let alone ride a bike in for 100 miles. The skies did not look clear anywhere, the downhills were so scary I kept feathering the breaks afraid I was going to fall. it felt as though i was getting shot with a million little pellets & i had no choice but to keep riding. I could not see a thing through the heavy rain & didn't know weather to keep my glasses on or take them off. I decided I rather have rainy glasses than get hit in the eyes by the relentless rain.

I was with some really good company & although I was definitely mentally over this ride & getting crankier by the minute they kept my spirits up & helped me keep moving. After about 35 miles my low back was giving me some grief & if I could have had a way out I would have taken it. We all decided to take the shorter route 75 miles due mostly to time....we did not want to be out there for 8 hours or more. I was struggling with my back & my mood, luckily when we made a stop Michelle told me to fill a water bottle with hot water & put it down my back....OMG it worked! After about 10 minutes my back was feeling better and the rain was letting up some. Everything seemed to have gotten better, & I was much more pleasant to ride with. We finished our ride almost dry but my phone was not so lucky. I had my camelbak on & the rain soaked through & my touch screen was shot....DAMN!

The rain & the ride took it all out of me, I was tired & I slept like baby that night. This was a definite character building ride for me & I hope it doesn't rain on race day, but if it does I know I can get through it.  The next day I had a 2 hour bike followed by a 2 hour run. I actually had a really good run with friends. Great to have the company when you need to go long.

My next long ride was the 4th of July metric century....only 63 miles but it did not rain! It was a beautiful day & my friend Mary & I were cruising. The following day I had a 90 minute bike & did a 6 mile run with my running buddies again. Up next is Muncie....race report coming soon!

Goodnight,
Courtney

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.....