FROM THE TAPER TO RACE DAY.....

Going into taper I was looking forward to spending more time with my family & catching up on sleep. I kept waiting for that feel good feeling & more energy,  but truth is that it never really came. I felt tired, lethargic, sore, heavy, & hungry all the time. I was eating everything in sight, so much so that I was weighing myself to make sure I was not gaining weight, I wasn't. I told coach Jen my concerns & she said that is how I am supposed to feel & stop weighing myself it will only make me crazy. She was right, it was making me nuts so I stopped. The last 3 week leading up to the ironman I was getting a massage a week form my friend Bernie, a massage student & accomplished triathlete. He played a major roll in getting my muscles race ready & helping me relax physically & mentally for one of the biggest days of my life. I can't thank you enough Bernie. I was so excited to leave for Louisville that I started packing on Monday to leave on Thursday. I even made Todd pack early so once he came home from apprentice school we could hit the road. Luckily he was able to get Friday off of school or it could have been an issue. I just wanted to get to Louisville to soak it all up!

THURSDAY~ I woke up early & made breakfast, eggs on sandwich thin with spinach & avocado, and yogurt & granola. Eva & i enjoyed our meal & while we waited for the rain to stop I finished packing things up & finally headed to the gym for my swim & bike ride since the rain was not stopping. After my quick workout I brought Eva to my in laws where her & Shane are staying for the next few days. She was very excited to go & without a doubt will be spoiled all weekend, isn't that what grandparents are for?! Once Todd came home we headed out & made one last stop to pickup a favorite dish of chicken & lemon rice for me & a pizza for Todd from a local restaurant before tackling the 5 hour drive to Louisville. They are 1 hour ahead so it was late when we arrived to our hotel. Not surprising but we were hungry again so went down to the hotel restaurant for some grub. I had a chicken & apple salad & cornbread....YUM! We stayed at the Hyatt which was just half a block from the ironman finish line on fourth street live. Fourth street live was like a little mini Vegas with all the lights, bars, & music. I wish I could stay and party but it was way past my bedtime.

FRIDAY~ slept in today till 8:30am! No workouts scheduled for today....yay! It was time to really start carb loading, so we were on a mission to find FOOD! We ended up at a place called Dish on toast & it was real southern home cooking deliciousness. I had a massive breakfast complete with eggs, pancakes, toast, bacon, hash browns, grits, orange juice, & coffee. Next was athlete check-in, I ran into some tri smart peeps & solidified our dinner plans. While waiting in line I was able to see the pro panel that included Kate Bevilaqua (IMLOU winner) & Nina Kraft who all i think about when i hear her name is how she was banned from racing for 2 years for doping. I think if you are a cheater you should be banned for life, just like Lance. Ok, enough of that rant, I got my ironman backpack with all 5 of my race bags & other goodies. Todd & I browsed the expo & picked up some items I needed & ran into some more friends. How exciting to have so many people there that I know. Recently my foot was hurting more than normal, to be honest it was feeling so good that i did a few runs without taping it like i usually do, turned out to be a big mistake. i visited the ART therapists to see if they could help me. They did some work on it & taped it for me but it still hurt. I was just praying it felt better on Sunday. It was once again time to eat....this time in the heart of fourth street live. We found a cool sports bar with stools outside & a restaurant & bowling alley inside. We had some very tasty pretzel bread sticks & chicken wraps. With full bellies we went back to catch a nap before dinner with my team at 5pm. Dinner was at the Old spaghetti factory since I am carb loading it was more of the same, pizza bread, & chicken penne pasta with a small side salad. After dinner we all walked over to the "mandatory" athlete meeting & agreed to meet up for our pre-race swim, bike, run tomorrow morning at 9am. I was hoping for a great night of sleep but my noisy neighbors kept me up till almost 3am....not good.

SATURDAY~ Surprisingly I woke up feeling good on such little sleep. I had my morning coffee some yogurt & granola & a banana and headed to the Ohio River for a little workout. I met my team & prayed the river was not as disgusting as I thought. It actually turned out to be fine, it was a little merkey and warm but did not taste bad. I always put water in my mouth.....anyway, it was a short 10 minute swim followed by a 20 minute bike, & a 10 minute run. It felt good to get the blood pumping & work up a sweat. The temperature was very comfortable for me but I knew race day was going to be hot. My team & I said our goodbyes till tomorrow. I wanted to drive the run course so I knew what was to come then it was time to feed me. We went back to Dish on toast & had the breakfast buffet. I had a spinach, mushroom, & tomato omlet, pancakes, bacon, biscuit, fruit, hash browns, orange juice, & coffee. I don't think they thought a chick could eat so much...haha! We went back to the hotel so I could start sorting my gear for all my race bags. Bike & bike & run gear bag drop off was from 12-5pm. Once that was all set I had some time to kill before my friends Vanessa, Ezeh, & Mia came to town. I am a fan of getting in the hot tub & pool before a race so Todd & I were off to the pool for some relaxation, unfortunately there was no hot tub. I was very disappointed but still splashed around in the pool for a bit, then decided I should go up & take a hot bath in place of the hot tub. Best idea EVER! I felt wonderful after that. By then my friends had arrived & we had dinner at the hotel that night. My dinner was blackened salmon with polenta & corn salsa...heaven I tell ya. The ironman finish line was all set up so we took a stroll to see it, in  about 24 hours with determination, strength & faith I would be crossing that finish line & becoming an ironman. Bedtime was near so we hugged & my girls wished me luck& I headed upstairs to make my bottles of nutrition for the race & double check everything & have one last conversation with coach Jen. She gave me a little pep talk & told me I was ready & I felt ready.

THE LONG RUN......

The run has over recent years been the hardest discipline of triathlon. When I started racing I only did running races then graduated to tris & while I still do run races triathlon is my life. In my run only career I was consistently getting faster over the years & kept bettering my race times, it was very exciting & encouraging. For a while after competing in triathlon my run time did not decline too much after biking but then I got pregnant & took some time off of racing & when I got back to it it was hard to say the least. Things went up & down for a few seasons, I would have some really great races & some where I had to walk. Things were not consistent, but thinking back I was not training progressively either.

About 2 years ago I developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot & thought I could just train through it....boy was I wrong. I tried different shoes, ice, ibuprofen, everything but a foot doctor. My methods just masked the problem & I had to back out of the marathon in fear I would do more damage :-(. I continued to run till it became almost unbearable to walk upon waking & the pain after runs was horrific. Finally I went to see a foot & ankle doctor, I didn't know what to expect but I was hopeful he had some answers for me. I had some X-rays that revealed I had heel spurs on both heels but that was not the cause of my pain, I had a sever case of plantar fasciosis....apparently worse than fasciitis. Who knew!!! On the spot he said I should get a cortisone shot but I could not run till he was sure the inflammation was gone. I agreed to not run & got the shot. HOLY SHOT!!! if you have never had a cortisone shot it is crazy painful, i was like a child & asked to hold the other doctors hand & squeezed so tight he asked me to stop. immediately after I thought it was a mistake because I could not put any weight on it & it swelled up so much but the next day after icing it felt 90% better....already! I was also fitted for orthotics & never EVER go barefoot. So I had 4 months off of running which did not help my need to get faster, now all I wanted was to just run again.

Christmas time came & I found out I won the free training for a year from my coach Jennifer Harrison, I was super excited but now I really had to get running if I wanted to do IM. My doctor said I could start out with 20 minute treadmill runs & slowly progress. Jen has taken me from a 20 minute run to a 3 hour run in about 7 months. Over these few months it has been painful, promising, aggravating, exciting & more. I have had PT on my calf & foot, I have iced, taped, & taken more meds than I like to admit. All of it got me to this point.....my 3 hour long run. This was a great feeling run I needed going into this IM. I didn't have to walk or stop due to fatigue or pain, just traffic lights. Oh & the terrifying 1/2 mile out & back where I saw 3 coyotes & a deer. I was only scared of the coyotes....boy that 1 mile was a fast one too. Haha! Anyway, I logged 18.5 miles on that 3 hour run & it was the highlight of my week. I hope the first 18 miles of the marathon go that well.....without coyote sightings of course but I need to see some horses. I am racing in the right place that's for sure!

Goodnight,
Courtney

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.......