ENERGY

I think I may be ready to start working out again...or is my current behavior that of a "normal" person. I don't know. I have way to much energy. Not the obnoxious loud energy, but the can't sleep, lots of time, keep myself busy type energy. Literally all year I would long for a nap, just a few extra minutes of sleep (you can only hit the snooze button for 30 minutes, and it goes off every 5), just would beg to lie on the couch and do nothing. With Mark out of town and not fully in the swing of working mode. I find myself doing the wonderful house cleaning duties. I have a few behaviors that I am not sure are normal, or where I got them, but they work for me.

Starting with the laundry. Since Mark and I have been dating I have not touched the laundry...why would I want to mess up the process, right?! So here I am thinking...I will wash the sheets. Why would I wash the sheets when shopping is much more fun...so honey...we have new bedding!

Now I am stuck with more laundry though because as I clean out the closets there is the KEEP pile, the DO NOT KEEP pile, and the I am NOT SURE what to do with this so I will just wash it! The washer is going as we speak.

Our telvison holder (what others would call a media station) has been falling apart for years....why do I want to super glue, hammer and everything else in between when, while shopping, I found a NO tools required media system: I spent all of 15 minutes putting it together, where you know the Ikea ones can take forever! Hope you like it Mark, the cats do!

So then I was left with organizing all my books (Magical Running, Anatomica, Exercise Physiology, Dare to Win, Bike maps- I had three of Seattle, Nutrition for practically every sport imaginable) that had been in the old media system. I have no space left in this place. Then I remembered, the white cat (Brenna) has a hiding spot in my closet that just so happens to be where the coats hang. I hate it when she gets in there because it means more white hair on the black coat dilemma. Ahhh haa, perfect spot for all my books! I may hear a crazy scream when she decides to jump back up there.

I would love to take out all the trash I have accumulated with all this new decorating (cardboard boxes, wrappings, etc, old books and pamphlets). Did I mention I replaced the shower curtain too, I did not want to scrub that thing! BUT Mark knows where the key is and it can wait till Friday! And the bike box, well, it hasn't moved. Bike is still resting. Oh, and we are painting on Friday too:) Hope you like my twin sister/your new post ironman girlfriend. Welcome home Baby!

Until I stop shedding....

Since Hawaii my skin continues to peel regularly, so I will continue to post and talk Kona until it stops!

The only way to see your loved ones on race morning is to volunteer...so here you go...inside the coveted transition area:

Alii Drive. See I cross my arms too!

I guess it is easy to do when you are doing the shuffle step, I have one foot off the ground though:)

A high five from coach Kainoa. Those rosy red cheeks are not from running a 6:50 mile, although I wish they were.

Bye for now.

Reality.

Today I officially start the working, all over again. The reality of life! I feel like I have only been working part time for the last few months and now it is here. No more lying on the beach/pool, no more long training hours, not that I am the least bit tempted, and definitely no more sleeping in!

My first attempt at working out was a little ambitious, and well, a little dumb of me. My mom has been asking me all year to do the Girlfriends half marathon with her and her group of training partners. They title their group "just us girls". The race takes place in correlation with the Nike women's marathon in San Francisco that is nearly impossible to get into anymore. I warmed up the morning before the event and felt great. Needless to say this was the first time I had even put on workout clothes since the previous Saturday. I figured "I can do this", maybe a top 10 finish or so. The gun went off and I went a 7 min mile, a little quick, but not too bad, then a 7:15, then both knees hurt, those dang IT bands, then the hamstring. Oh, then the 3 mile marker came up, hmm...I wonder what my 5K time could be, then reality hit. Talking to myself....what the heck are you doing, you promised yourself you would do this slow, all these girls you are racing did not literally JUST do an ironman. I decided to stop. Waited for my mom, thinking, I can run with her. Uh, no! 10 steps of running with her there was absolutely no way I was going to finish this race with out an absolute hobble across the finish line, along with injuries and not walking for days or weeks, it really was not worth it.
Although my day wasn't great, my mom's was. She had a 30 minute half marathon PR in a time of 1:59!!! She is ecstatic.
Good thing I stopped when I did. My IT band on the left still hurts today, and my ankles hurt through the night. How does that happen. Okay, back to resting. I decided I may do the elliptical for a grand total of 10 minutes tonight. The bike well, it is still in hiding! Can you tell Mark tried to get me moving on it, he unbuckled a few of the straps!

Those are not my race wheels either to the right, they belong to Mark. Mine are really in hiding, in fact, someone could have stole them right out of the wheel case at the air port for all I know, I haven't checked to make sure they are there. So if you see any Zipp 404's (650 c) floating around town with the front wheel not very secure...they could possibly be mine...in the meantime, I guess I will open the wheel case in the near future.
The swim suit and goggles are still packed away since I have only spent two nights at home since the 4th of October. I guess I have work to do around the house too.

The race report.

Ironman World Championships 2008

Kona, Hawaii

Bye, bye for now Kona!

An event like no other- the Ironman. As Paula Newby Frasier puts it “you haul yourself around for 140.4 miles, all to experience the 0.2 miles of Alii Drive”. So much of this is true.

Race Facts:

Oldest competitor: 78

Youngest competitor:18

Number of volunteers: 5,000

Number of people who started but did not finish: 96

Things to repeat:

1. Wear non-aero helmet
2. Start in the front of swim
3. Swim next to girls!
4. Wear sunglasses and visor
5. Smile and keep a positive attitude

Rookie Mistakes:

1. Put sunscreen on after the swim. This was the plan, but for some reason I missed the sunscreen rubbers.
2. Open valve extender before putting tube on, duh!
3. Eat if you have to stop!
4. Warm soup makes me have to go to the bathroom every mile!

Things to Fix:

1. Mount bike with shoes on bike
2. Red bull in t2 bag. I was wanting more energy
3. Wear Gracie’s Gear sport top so I don’t get the same chaffing on my chest.
4. Mentally keep your head in the game when you think you are going slowly, you are still moving fast.
5. Always put your arms up when you finish the ironman. For some reason I didn’t and I should of for several reasons. It shows appreciation to all the people cheering for you at the finish line. They love when you show your excitement. Two, it shows you are proud of yourself. And lastly, it makes the finisher photo look so much better (arms up, thinner waist j/k). It just looks like you are happier. And although I felt all those emotions, I need to show it to others.

THE SWIM:

I have officially decided that this is no longer a 3 sport event, but 4. Treading water for 15 minutes is almost as grueling as the first half of the swim. As soon as the pro cannon goes off the amateurs swim up to the imaginary line drawn between the ford vehicle and the huge blown up Gatorade. It takes less than a minute to get there and then you tread water with hundreds of people surrounding you. Let me back up, although the ocean is beautiful, it is incredibly salty. Not just a little salty, like when you are forced to gargle salt water, but so salty it leaves a taste in your mouth all day. Now add in treading water next to men who have forgotten to cut their toenails, or maybe this is just normal for them, but I have as many toe nail gashes as I do chaffing marks. And then add in the surfer boys flying back and forth on the surf boards to make sure you do not cross the imaginary start line, creating waves that hit right into your face, you have to make sure you breath at the right time or “gulp” a nice fantastic taste of salt water right into the mouth. I seriously felt like I was drowning and was definitely getting claustrophobic before the race began. I don’t know if I enjoyed this part at all.

“ Cap secure, goggles in place. Only 140.6 miles to go.” - 30^th anniversary Ironman book

What is different about this event too is that they do not tell you when you are starting, they say to look for the red flags and then you will be starting shortly. I did not look for the flags, as we were not to go off for another 4 minutes when all of a sudden the huge cannon went off. We were off, I reached down quickly in hopes of starting my watch, but had no idea whether I did or not. For the first time I truly felt like I was swimming in the washer machine. It was crazy. I was kicked in the left eye immediately, but did not think much of it. I stayed strong and aggressive and swam almost the entire first half with a girl to my right. Which worked out well because she was great about keeping her own space. The more you make contact with others the more energy you waste so I tried to keep my own path as much as possible. I was able to swim on some feet nearly the entire race, which was helpful, I barely have any recollection of sighting buoys, turning at the turn point, etc. And the idea of being distracted by the beautiful under water scenery was not even a thought. I saw zero fish or coral along the way. I did see about three scuba divers underwater filming as we were coming in. That was a first. About 40 minutes into it I was ready to get out. I had consumed enough salt water that salt tabs were no longer a necessity, my goggles were killing from the pressure created from the nice foot in the eye off the beginning and well, I was tired of being hit. I contemplated turning on my back to fix the goggles, but took a quick glance at my watch. 44 minutes it read (thank goodness the watch started), all right, less than 15 minutes I told myself, just hang onto these feet and get it done (as I learned form Ironman CDA, to never loose the pack you are swimming with). As soon as I could touch bottom, I stood up, not what I normally do, but the goggle pressure wasn’t worth anything to me at this point (notice the black left eye in the photo above) . I got out of the water and ran to T1. I was happy to later find out that I had the top swim for the 30-34 year old division.

T1

I debated a lot before the race, aero helmet or regular helmet, shoes on the bike or off the bike. I chose non-aero helmet, and I am thankful I did, and also chose to put the shoes on before mounting the bike. Next time I will mount with shoes on the bike, however, it did not make nor break me. It was just a long run in the bike shoes.

The Bike.

“The Queen K is ramrod straight, but the ironman will throw you curves all day long”. –30^th anniversary ironman book.

It was hot off the bat, immediately I knew I had made the right decision for me in wearing my regular Rudy Project helmet. I don’t do great in the heat and with all the crosswinds during the day it was not necessary for me. I was doing great. Men were passing in packs and a few girls here and there. I thought the crosswinds would not hit until we made the left hand turn off the Queen K, but they started early. It was rough; at times I was the only one out of my aero bars, hanging on for dear life. I figured, better safe than risk crashing, because for me the goal is to finish this race. Also, I race this long stuff and focus on cadence, randomly at mile 15, my bike computer decided it was time to reset itself. Nothing had been touching it, it was requesting date, time, etc. This has to be done by taking the computer off and resetting it, that wasn’t going to happen. Good thing I have spent hours of training at a high cadence, I could go directly off the feel. At times this was nice, as I could not focus on speed, cadence, mileage, it was jut me in Kona racing. Climbing is not my forte, so it was a mental challenge for me to keep my head on straight as I was getting passed on the way up to Hawi. John Bergen passed me here too. At the turn around it was a different story. I was picking people off, a few that I had cycled around at the beginning of the ride. I was filling strong. I think because I was fueled and hydrated well, (by the way I have decided that Gatorade is the way for me to go, the perpetuum is great for me in training, but I have a hard time with it when I race), and I kept as cool as possible, consistently dumping water on my head and on me. Right before mile 88 I passed John Bergen, later this would be a blessing. At mile 95 I kept hearing a “clunk” every time my wheel would spin, but I was still riding strong. With clinchers and a flat the mph go down drastically, so I was not quite sure what happened. I decided to pull over at mile 95. I looked at my watch 4:54 into the race, immediately John pulled over and helped me switch out the flat. He was moving quickly, the wind was blowing our bikes over, the tire was switched out and before you knew it we were ready to pump the thing up. We blew three cartridges before realizing that this thing would not fill. Crap….I forgot to open the valve when I put the valve extender on it before the start of the race. Big oops! “ Big time rookie here trying to fix the tubular mistake” I thought to myself. This was 15 minutes into the change, as a spectator and race official came over. John started on his bike again and we took the tire off, opened the valve, and did it all again. Then we used a hand pump to get the air in. Then I was off watch time of 5:19, I flew the next 17 miles and passed a lot of people. However, the additional sunburn and realizing that I did not eat anything during that 25 min pit stop, hit me on the run.

T2

I was craving a red bull, but knew I did not have one until mile 18 on the run. Pretty uneventful, just needed lots of sunscreen.

The Run.

I started running and dropped my gu flask immediately, I had to turn around and get it, then girls were passing like crazy. I felt slow, had the chills, not feeling great. However, I think many people feel this way at this point. I toughed it out, kept running, but my body wanted no calories. I saw Mark and Mom and Chris at mile 6 and told them it would be a long marathon. Somewhere up Palini I got a second wind. I thought I was running faster, but really a lot of people had slowed down. Mental note for next time…. stay within yourself and listen to your body. I stayed strong through mile 16 and then started fading again. I went to chicken broth but that made me have to use the rest room every mile. It made the liquid run right through me. The energy lab was when I got really tired and where temperatures reached 108 degrees that day. I kept running, but it was not pretty. It was getting dark, I was wondering if they would be handing me a glow stick soon. The miles got longer and longer and I just plugged away at them. Before I knew it I was on the home stretch of Alii Drive. It was loud, exciting and once again brought the smile to my face. It felt great to finish my second ironman.

All in all, it was solid day with the mishaps at hand, I learned more today about myself, my life and racing than I could in any other day of my life thus far. At the awards ceremony they mentioned that this race is not always about crossing the finish line but what you learn along the way. Outside of the racing component I learned a lot.

1. The courteousness of John stopping to help me reminded me of remembering to give to others and to give back. He was selfless at a moment when it was and should be all about him. What he did for me will come back to him someday. Hopefully, not in a flat tire in the ironman but in another wayJ Thank you John.
2. My friends and family that put up with me, showed patience and cheered and were happy with me no matter what the outcome made my day easier. It made me realize that support is the key to being successful at anything. My friends and family do not judge me based on performance. They are proud no matter what. I had no idea the amount of support I had until this race day. Thanks to everyone. And I hope to return the support to help your dreams come true.
3. This event taught me to just keep smiling. It makes the day go by just that tiny bit quicker. In all reality there is a part of you that doesn’t want it to end, just as much as you want it to end.
4. I also learned more about patience and perseverance. The time and energy you put towards something will pay off. It paid off on this day, as it allowed me to cross the finish line, get back on my bike after a LONG flat and push hard on the way home. And although my time and place were nowhere near expected, it is part of the process is getting me to where I really want to be in this sport.

Thank you to all my sponsors and support:

InewMed: to Peter, Brian and William for helping me through all my aches, pains, nutrition and hydration. You could always make me feel better!

Road Runner Sports: For the wide variety of shoes to match each outfit and of course the variety for the race course. My mizunos are the perfect feel when getting ready to run a marathon.

Blue Seventy: Thank you for the amazing Helix wetsuit that helped me come out on top at my races. And the speedy Point Zero 3+ that led me through to be the top swimmer in my age division at Kona.

Hammer Nutrition: For the fantastic product. I think I went through an entire bottle of endurolytes at Kona and the Raspberry Gu is my favorite!

Richard Dizon: For his weekley stretching and massage work to keep me moving and healthy.

Montaland and McGrath Chiropractic: Thanks for helping me with my hip and putting up with me on a weekly basis.

Rudy Project: For the speedy aero helmet for the short races and the perfect team helmet for Kona. The vents were excellent in keeping my head cool. And the sunglasses stayed on for the run too!

Herriott Sports Performance Tri Team: Thanks to all the cool people I get to work with day and in and day out and for the cool party and motivational book you all put together. Not to mention the great training facility I have to train in every day! Thanks everyone. And to Natalie who helped me get ready for Ironman CDA, I couldn’t have done it without you.

Kainoa: My coach who put up with me all year, all my worries, fears, crazy ideas and most importantly for keeping me calm. Thank you.

Mom and Chris: Thanks for cheering all day long (Shana and Allan and Bri too) and helping me get through my race.

Mark: Thanks for everything. Everything you do, everything you helped me through. For putting up with me. And for sacrificing your time to make sure I was ready to race. I appreciate you.

What’s next? Many of you are asking. I am going to rest up, get this nagging hip healed as I want to run again, something I have not been able to enjoy in a year due to the torn obturator femoris. At the same time heal up my gut, as ulcerative colitis is much more challenging when you add in the additional stressors of training, supplement consumption and lack of rest. Then, I will be back at it. This year I want to race, race a lot, since that is what I love doing. Then in another year I will return to Kona, stronger than ever, faster than ever, and ready to go!

“You vow, you curse, and you chant. I’m done. No way. Never again. Then the crowds, the lights, the medal. The pain is all forgotten. And you hope you’ll get the chance to do it all over again.” –30^th anniversary Ironman book

Leaving today.

Hi everyone. Just a quick update to let you know we are still super busy relaxing and having fun in Hawaii. We went to the awards banquet on Monday night that became an absolute nasty, "bloody" as Chrissie Wellington would describe it, downpour of rain. People were hiding under tables, wringing out their clothes, hobbling through the streets with 3 inches of rain on them. We tried to tough it out to listen to the winners speak, but the rain came down even more at that time. So hard that you could not hear a thing. We had to leave, as we were freezing at this point.



The next morning we went snorkeling and saw some beautiful fish and another sea turtle. Then we were out by the pool where I attempted to teach my mom flip turns. However, I learned a long time ago you can not teach family new skills :). Then last night we attended a luau where Mark and Chris had enough Mai Tai's to last them through the next year. And the coconut cake was amazing!

Oops, forgot to mention we went and watched cliff jumpers too. I was tempted, but after hearing a few "ouches" my mind quickly changed. I am sore enough from the race, let alone adding in blistering red marks and gashes from the lava rock. I will keep both feet on the ground for now.

I have done nothing exercise wise for days now and will be ready to get back in action when I return. In fact, I am doing the Girlfriends Half Marathon this coming weekend.

Yesterday was filled with sleep, food, sleep, food, massage, and more sleep. Pizza and Pasta dishes for dinner.

Today we are backing away...trying to fit it all in, under 50 pounds.

We are leaving here today, mid day. Will be in Seattle around midnight. I look forward to catching up with all of you and eventually I will get this race report out!

My Race Day In Photos.

Things have been busy since race day. And I am still "soaking" it all in. So as you wait for the race report I would like to share the day in photos with you!

The alarm went off at 4am, but this wasn't too bad since I did my best to stay on Seattle time. So really it was like 7am. Mark made me a pancake breakfast.

We arrived and went through a huge, yet super organized process, of body marking, bag check in, etc. They stamp your numbers on here, that was a first for me.

The Start line was and imaginary line between this floating Ford and a HUGE Gatorade blow up.

The port-o-let lines! Perfect photo op!

630 am. The sky divers are coming!

3 jumpers! Imagine jumping out of the plane and then racing an ironman. 2 of the jumpers did just that. One of them is a Navy Seal. We ran into him today (day after the race) and he did a 15 mile run to "loosen up"! I could barely get out of bed:)

645am. The pro start...a little over 100 competitors, so just multiply the swimmers in this photo by 16 for a visual of the 7am amateur start.

8:03 ish, I started the bike.

The Culprit! This is the staple that decided to hop right into my tire! We tried to be nice to all the Gods of the Island since we arrived. Not sure where we made a mistake.

2:30 ish. I started the run.


Here is John, my savior on the bike, he came back with a strong marathon time of 3:45.


4:50'ish. Tracey finishes with a Kona PR!


There is writing on the streets and Mark noticed my name. Dr Brian Perry from inewmed who was volunteering in the medical tent, left me (and Chris Lieto) a little message. I was so suprised!

6:15 ish. Athlete #1598 finishes. (I can't seem to download the footage, well actually I don't know how from Quicktime 7 Pro)

My star struck moment, with a girl who can change her flat faster than me. (I didn't know she flatted last year in the same place)


Post race I shuffled back to a hotel we got for the day, rinsed and was back to the finish line for the final two hours of the event. Burnt, racoon eyes, and exhausted. I know it looks like we are just posing for a picture, but my mom is really holding me up:)

7am. The next day! Not looking good at all...but had to share with you that a little something full of calories was waiting for me in the fridge.

WOW!

What a day! This was by far the toughest race mentally and physically of my life. I consumed more salt water than any could imagine. My triceps were getting sore from the death grip on my bars from the crosswinds and the 25 minute flat tire (I timed it) at mile 95 allowed for the additional sunburn. I have the the straps from my helmet across my face! I owe my life to John Bergen for actually stopping to help me out (15 minutes) with the flat. A gesture that saved me, kept me from crying, and truly showed what a great person he is. He just asked for coffee! Chrisse Wellington's teammate threw her a tube too! It just confirms the benefits of having a team. I am happy with my time with the conditions at hand. I learned a lot, made a lot of mistakes, and will be back for more...someday! I was no where near my goal, but it is the Ironman! I have lots of photos and much to report...that will follow. Thank you for all you texts, messages and for spending your Saturday following me online. I thought of you everytime I wanted to walk. Off for some fun!