Confirmed races:
March 12 – CMSC Masters Swim Race, 1000M at Blodgett
May 15 - Gloucester Half Marathon
July 9 – Black Fly OT
July 17 – Fairlee, VT OT
August 27 – D2R2 - The Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnee (72 mi)
Sept 10 – Lobsterman OT
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Race Report: I am Ironman
I am an Ironman.
It's three days past Ironman Arizona. If it weren't for how sore my legs are, I might not believe that I actually completed what is known to be one of the most challenging endurance events in the world. In one day, athletes must complete a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Every course offers its own challenge. On November 21, 2010, Arizona offered chilly 61 degree water, 17 mpg headwinds and 30 mpg gusts, and 14 hours and 37 seconds of effort.
The day started at 3am when I woke up too excited to fall back asleep. My dad, brother, and his girlfriend were there ready to be my support crew. We headed over to the race at 5am. The morning of the event is pretty smooth compared to shorter distances because almost everything is setup in the days leading up to the event.
I had already checked in, gotten body marked, racked my bike, and dropped off my transition bags.
All I had to do was check for the essentials which for the bike are bike shoes, helmet, sunglasses, socks; and for the run: sneakers, socks, aquafor, hat. Otherwise, I dropped off my special needs bags, pumped up my bike tires, went to the bathroom, and had everything dialed in by 5:30am which gave me ample time to put on my wetsuit and go to the bathroom again.
The swim was a water start which meant that everyone had to jump into the water around 6:50am, swim up to the starting line, and tread water until the gun went off. Athletes lined up on the dock and jumped into the water like navy seals. My body was shaking and my teeth were chattering from the nerves but I had a huge smile on my face. The day had finally arrived.
The cold water, dim sky, and excitement from the athletes and fans was thrilling. From the water I could look up at the bridge overhead at the roaring fans. Athletes were jockeying for position along the starting line, careful not to line up too far upfront nor too far back. My heart rate was well over 110. The announcer roared - who's going to be an Ironman today!? And everyone in the crowd went bananas. Then he said - and let's hear it for your friends and family who support you and without them this wouldn't be possible. And everyone in the water roared back. Boom! The cannon went off and away we went.
My plan was to take it easy for the swim, stay calm, and just swim. With everyone starting at once it was more chaotic than any other tri I've done, although not intolerable. There was constant jostling and people bumping into each other. I was wary to not get kicked in the face or get my fingers broken. If there was a huge guy in front of me kicking like a maniac then I would take a stroke to the right or hang back for a second to get a better space. A few times the water opened up and I got into a nice rhythm.
For spotting purposes, the swim was 1600m out past the next bridge where there was a turn buoy and a little further coming back. The first turn buoy was crazy since everyone had to turn at the same place. Everyone was more upright and reaching out to move forward rather than horizontal and swimming. A couple meters past the buoy I accelerated to get out of the craziness. There was one more turn buoy and already I was heading back. It felt great to be half way done.
I did have one small snafu on the swim which was that my muscles in my right hand went numb, such that I couldn't cup my hand for my pull. I tried to squeeze my hand into a fist on my recovery stroke but it didn't help. It didn't bother me though. I was feeling strong and happy. Overall, the swim went by very quickly.
There were tons of volunteers ready to help people out of the water. I felt amphibian crawling up the steps to get out of the water - not quite ready to be upright. The shoot between the swim and T1 was packed with fans. I beamed up at my support crew, glanced up at my time, saw 1:18, and ran into T1.
Transition took forever. My hands were more numb then I thought and it took me a while to get my gear on. Coming out of T1 I was afraid that I wasn't going to have the coordination to click into my bike. Off I went though. My body was still pumping hard from the swim and already I was going 22 mph on the bike.
I ate a powerbar, downed half a gatorade, and went aero. I wasn't sure how hard I should push and I was constantly checking myself to make sure I wasn't pushing too hard or too little. The first loop went by quickly. Typically on the bike course it's slower on the way out and faster on the way back due to the small incline. But for race day, the wind was in our face on the way back and it grew stormier as the ride went on. By the last loop, it took me 1 hour to get out and 1.5 hours to get back. The report is that there were 30 mpg wind gusts and a steady 17 mph headwind.
About half way through the bike I started to feel a bit nauseous. I wasn't sure if it was because I was pushing too hard or if it was from the nasty gel I just ate. Regardless, a gal who was passing me saved me. She asked - how are you doing? My reply was - I think I'm starting to feel it. She said - don't fight the wind, it's not worth it. From there I decided she was right and I pulled back on my effort and just spun for the last loop. My goal was to flush out the toxins and get my head on straight for the run. I was starting to think, woa, this is hard. A fan on the side of the road held a sign that read: "it's not called an easy man," and I could second that.
The 6:58 hour bike ride felt more like a 3.5 hour ride, but not in the amount of effort and concentration that it took to pedal through it. For nutrition I had 2.5 chocolate powerbars, one hammer espresso gel, a banana (they cut them up into thirds), an apple gel (disgusting), 2 red gatorades, 2 ironman perform drinks (not good), 4 waters, and 1 pack of powerbar cola candies. Towards the end of the bike I couldn't take in any more syrupy stuff and the banana was all I could stomach. I knew I needed more calories but I decided to wait until the run where there would be real food.
Coming off the bike was like a check mark - check, that's done, on to the marathon. I took it slow again in transition but not because I could go any faster. The volunteers were amazingly helpful. The gal in the tent got everything ready for me, asked me if I needed this or that, and got me out the door.
I had finished my bike by 3:30pm which was within my goal time. My nausea had subsided and I was feeling pretty good as a started my run. I ran at a pace that I could sustain for the whole day. At the first station I ate a banana and a cookie thought, oh my gosh that tastes so good. A mile later I realized how hungry I was and I ate a banana, pretzels, grapes, a cookie, coke, and water. That food made me so happy. The next high point was seeing my fans at the end of the first loop. They were standing by the transition area among tons of screaming fans. Seeing them along with the excitement, the beautiful weather, and the fact that I felt good made me so happy.
I was strong through the first 20 miles. I ran the whole way except through the aid stations where I carefully chose what to eat or drink to continue to fuel myself without overdoing it and throwing up. I saw Dary at mile 20 or 22 and said to him - I'm just trying to keep my shit together. He said - yea - keep your shit together. Every step you take you're getting closer to the finish line. For the next few miles I said over and over in my head - keep your shit together.
Those 4-6 miles were pretty damn hard. I was a little dizzy, feeling a little fricked up, my stomach was off, my legs were spent. I knew that if I let up on my concentration for even one second that I could pass out randomly. I would walk a couple hundred yards, then run three quarters of a mile, then walk for 50 yards, then run half a mile, then run through the aid stations instead of walking through them to keep momentum, then crash and walk for 30 yards, then shuffle forward. My run was only a hair faster than a walk. Somehow I made it back to last stretch and ran for the last mile and a half into the finish line. I thought about 55 times in my head, you did all three laps, right? The last thing I wanted to hear when coming into the finish was - Abigail Porter, you have one more lap! In the back of my head I knew I had completed all three, but I was in disbelief that I was almost done.
I rounded the corner into the finish, and people were shouting - you did it! You are an Ironman! I picked up my speed a little and straightened my back to not look so wasted crossing the line. I came into the finishing shoot and gave high fives to the fans. I thought I was going to be more emotional crossing the finish line but the moment was a little different than I had imagined it to be. The day was no longer something I was dreaming about anymore, it was real and I had put in the work to complete the it. I was happy and my mind was blank.
They have catchers standing there to make sure you don't fall over. My helper gave me a blanket and talked to me. She told me I had accomplished something really great and that it was amazing. She talked to me as if a doctor would to make sure I stayed conscious. I was so exhausted that I could only respond to her questions with one word answers. Her last question was, how long did you train for this? I responded, since January. As I walked out of the finishing shoot, that's when I cried. I cried for the sacrifice, for the year, for the journey.
I gave my brother and my dad a big hug, watched a couple of finishers, and held on to their arms to not fall over. We headed back to the hotel. I passed out while my team went to get me some food. We ate, talked about the event, and passed out.
Strangely I woke up again at 5:23am feeling rested, or at least better than I felt the night before. I was pretty run down though and had cold symptoms. It wasn't until Monday night that I got a really good night of sleep. Thank god for my support crew to help me do basic things. They got my bags, dropped off my bike for transport, got me coffee. I truly couldn't have gotten home without them. For Monday and Tuesday I couldn't walk up or down the stairs without the hand railing and sitting down and getting up was painfully impossible. Now, three days after the event I can walk up and down the stairs but my legs are wobbly.
The hardest part about the day was by far the amount of focus that it took to complete the event. I was constantly thinking about my pacing, what I was eating or drinking, about moving forward, talking myself through every step, and trying not to throw up or pass out. The nutrition is tough because I was a little sick throughout the entire day. Either nauseous or my stomach was off, or I felt like I had to go to the bathroom. The physical difficulty is obviously very hard - but it's not worth even thinking about it since at that point, I was already doing the race and I had put in the work to get me through it.
Most people have asked - how do I feel and will I do it again. The answer is - I've never been this sore in my life but I feel good. My muscles are wrecked from my skin all the way down to my bones. In order to do another Ironman I would want to get stronger on the bike and build more strength in my legs. This next year I want to do fun stuff like trail running, long power climbs like Kangamangus in NH, sprinting... generally more power output events to build muscle. Oh - and did I mention - I want to have fun :-) I'll probably do a 70.3 next summer and any other event that looks fun.
I would recommend doing an Ironman to anyone who is willing to put in the time to train for it. In my mind I feel more prepared for everything else that I want to do. It's like I've passed through to the other side and I'm ready to live my life.
It's three days past Ironman Arizona. If it weren't for how sore my legs are, I might not believe that I actually completed what is known to be one of the most challenging endurance events in the world. In one day, athletes must complete a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Every course offers its own challenge. On November 21, 2010, Arizona offered chilly 61 degree water, 17 mpg headwinds and 30 mpg gusts, and 14 hours and 37 seconds of effort.
The day started at 3am when I woke up too excited to fall back asleep. My dad, brother, and his girlfriend were there ready to be my support crew. We headed over to the race at 5am. The morning of the event is pretty smooth compared to shorter distances because almost everything is setup in the days leading up to the event.
I had already checked in, gotten body marked, racked my bike, and dropped off my transition bags.
All I had to do was check for the essentials which for the bike are bike shoes, helmet, sunglasses, socks; and for the run: sneakers, socks, aquafor, hat. Otherwise, I dropped off my special needs bags, pumped up my bike tires, went to the bathroom, and had everything dialed in by 5:30am which gave me ample time to put on my wetsuit and go to the bathroom again.
The swim was a water start which meant that everyone had to jump into the water around 6:50am, swim up to the starting line, and tread water until the gun went off. Athletes lined up on the dock and jumped into the water like navy seals. My body was shaking and my teeth were chattering from the nerves but I had a huge smile on my face. The day had finally arrived.
The cold water, dim sky, and excitement from the athletes and fans was thrilling. From the water I could look up at the bridge overhead at the roaring fans. Athletes were jockeying for position along the starting line, careful not to line up too far upfront nor too far back. My heart rate was well over 110. The announcer roared - who's going to be an Ironman today!? And everyone in the crowd went bananas. Then he said - and let's hear it for your friends and family who support you and without them this wouldn't be possible. And everyone in the water roared back. Boom! The cannon went off and away we went.
My plan was to take it easy for the swim, stay calm, and just swim. With everyone starting at once it was more chaotic than any other tri I've done, although not intolerable. There was constant jostling and people bumping into each other. I was wary to not get kicked in the face or get my fingers broken. If there was a huge guy in front of me kicking like a maniac then I would take a stroke to the right or hang back for a second to get a better space. A few times the water opened up and I got into a nice rhythm.
For spotting purposes, the swim was 1600m out past the next bridge where there was a turn buoy and a little further coming back. The first turn buoy was crazy since everyone had to turn at the same place. Everyone was more upright and reaching out to move forward rather than horizontal and swimming. A couple meters past the buoy I accelerated to get out of the craziness. There was one more turn buoy and already I was heading back. It felt great to be half way done.
I did have one small snafu on the swim which was that my muscles in my right hand went numb, such that I couldn't cup my hand for my pull. I tried to squeeze my hand into a fist on my recovery stroke but it didn't help. It didn't bother me though. I was feeling strong and happy. Overall, the swim went by very quickly.
There were tons of volunteers ready to help people out of the water. I felt amphibian crawling up the steps to get out of the water - not quite ready to be upright. The shoot between the swim and T1 was packed with fans. I beamed up at my support crew, glanced up at my time, saw 1:18, and ran into T1.
Transition took forever. My hands were more numb then I thought and it took me a while to get my gear on. Coming out of T1 I was afraid that I wasn't going to have the coordination to click into my bike. Off I went though. My body was still pumping hard from the swim and already I was going 22 mph on the bike.
I ate a powerbar, downed half a gatorade, and went aero. I wasn't sure how hard I should push and I was constantly checking myself to make sure I wasn't pushing too hard or too little. The first loop went by quickly. Typically on the bike course it's slower on the way out and faster on the way back due to the small incline. But for race day, the wind was in our face on the way back and it grew stormier as the ride went on. By the last loop, it took me 1 hour to get out and 1.5 hours to get back. The report is that there were 30 mpg wind gusts and a steady 17 mph headwind.
About half way through the bike I started to feel a bit nauseous. I wasn't sure if it was because I was pushing too hard or if it was from the nasty gel I just ate. Regardless, a gal who was passing me saved me. She asked - how are you doing? My reply was - I think I'm starting to feel it. She said - don't fight the wind, it's not worth it. From there I decided she was right and I pulled back on my effort and just spun for the last loop. My goal was to flush out the toxins and get my head on straight for the run. I was starting to think, woa, this is hard. A fan on the side of the road held a sign that read: "it's not called an easy man," and I could second that.
The 6:58 hour bike ride felt more like a 3.5 hour ride, but not in the amount of effort and concentration that it took to pedal through it. For nutrition I had 2.5 chocolate powerbars, one hammer espresso gel, a banana (they cut them up into thirds), an apple gel (disgusting), 2 red gatorades, 2 ironman perform drinks (not good), 4 waters, and 1 pack of powerbar cola candies. Towards the end of the bike I couldn't take in any more syrupy stuff and the banana was all I could stomach. I knew I needed more calories but I decided to wait until the run where there would be real food.
Coming off the bike was like a check mark - check, that's done, on to the marathon. I took it slow again in transition but not because I could go any faster. The volunteers were amazingly helpful. The gal in the tent got everything ready for me, asked me if I needed this or that, and got me out the door.
I had finished my bike by 3:30pm which was within my goal time. My nausea had subsided and I was feeling pretty good as a started my run. I ran at a pace that I could sustain for the whole day. At the first station I ate a banana and a cookie thought, oh my gosh that tastes so good. A mile later I realized how hungry I was and I ate a banana, pretzels, grapes, a cookie, coke, and water. That food made me so happy. The next high point was seeing my fans at the end of the first loop. They were standing by the transition area among tons of screaming fans. Seeing them along with the excitement, the beautiful weather, and the fact that I felt good made me so happy.
I was strong through the first 20 miles. I ran the whole way except through the aid stations where I carefully chose what to eat or drink to continue to fuel myself without overdoing it and throwing up. I saw Dary at mile 20 or 22 and said to him - I'm just trying to keep my shit together. He said - yea - keep your shit together. Every step you take you're getting closer to the finish line. For the next few miles I said over and over in my head - keep your shit together.
Those 4-6 miles were pretty damn hard. I was a little dizzy, feeling a little fricked up, my stomach was off, my legs were spent. I knew that if I let up on my concentration for even one second that I could pass out randomly. I would walk a couple hundred yards, then run three quarters of a mile, then walk for 50 yards, then run half a mile, then run through the aid stations instead of walking through them to keep momentum, then crash and walk for 30 yards, then shuffle forward. My run was only a hair faster than a walk. Somehow I made it back to last stretch and ran for the last mile and a half into the finish line. I thought about 55 times in my head, you did all three laps, right? The last thing I wanted to hear when coming into the finish was - Abigail Porter, you have one more lap! In the back of my head I knew I had completed all three, but I was in disbelief that I was almost done.
I rounded the corner into the finish, and people were shouting - you did it! You are an Ironman! I picked up my speed a little and straightened my back to not look so wasted crossing the line. I came into the finishing shoot and gave high fives to the fans. I thought I was going to be more emotional crossing the finish line but the moment was a little different than I had imagined it to be. The day was no longer something I was dreaming about anymore, it was real and I had put in the work to complete the it. I was happy and my mind was blank.
They have catchers standing there to make sure you don't fall over. My helper gave me a blanket and talked to me. She told me I had accomplished something really great and that it was amazing. She talked to me as if a doctor would to make sure I stayed conscious. I was so exhausted that I could only respond to her questions with one word answers. Her last question was, how long did you train for this? I responded, since January. As I walked out of the finishing shoot, that's when I cried. I cried for the sacrifice, for the year, for the journey.
I gave my brother and my dad a big hug, watched a couple of finishers, and held on to their arms to not fall over. We headed back to the hotel. I passed out while my team went to get me some food. We ate, talked about the event, and passed out.
Strangely I woke up again at 5:23am feeling rested, or at least better than I felt the night before. I was pretty run down though and had cold symptoms. It wasn't until Monday night that I got a really good night of sleep. Thank god for my support crew to help me do basic things. They got my bags, dropped off my bike for transport, got me coffee. I truly couldn't have gotten home without them. For Monday and Tuesday I couldn't walk up or down the stairs without the hand railing and sitting down and getting up was painfully impossible. Now, three days after the event I can walk up and down the stairs but my legs are wobbly.
The hardest part about the day was by far the amount of focus that it took to complete the event. I was constantly thinking about my pacing, what I was eating or drinking, about moving forward, talking myself through every step, and trying not to throw up or pass out. The nutrition is tough because I was a little sick throughout the entire day. Either nauseous or my stomach was off, or I felt like I had to go to the bathroom. The physical difficulty is obviously very hard - but it's not worth even thinking about it since at that point, I was already doing the race and I had put in the work to get me through it.
Most people have asked - how do I feel and will I do it again. The answer is - I've never been this sore in my life but I feel good. My muscles are wrecked from my skin all the way down to my bones. In order to do another Ironman I would want to get stronger on the bike and build more strength in my legs. This next year I want to do fun stuff like trail running, long power climbs like Kangamangus in NH, sprinting... generally more power output events to build muscle. Oh - and did I mention - I want to have fun :-) I'll probably do a 70.3 next summer and any other event that looks fun.
I would recommend doing an Ironman to anyone who is willing to put in the time to train for it. In my mind I feel more prepared for everything else that I want to do. It's like I've passed through to the other side and I'm ready to live my life.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
The One Thing
A couple of weeks ago I met up with a gal who was about to tackle Ironman Florida. As we rode through Harvard on that chilly October day, we talked about our training, the ups and downs, how excited we were to actually do our races, and she said to me - figure out what your "one thing is"... the one reason why you are doing an Ironman. When times get tough in your race, you need to remember what the one reason is that you are doing this race.
The thinking behind this statement is this:
During the course of your race day, expect your body to have a conversation with your mind:
“Look, Mind, you’ve had me out here slogging away for 132 miles. This is really starting to get old and very painful. You need to give me a good reason to keep going forward. If you don’t have one, I’m gonna slow down and you can’t stop me!”
Before the race ask yourself “Why am I doing Ironman?” Your goal here is to determine what is the One Thing that put you in this race. To finish in the daylight with a smile on your face? To run a 4:10? To honor your family or a loved one?
Whatever your One Thing is, be absolutely clear and rehearse your mind/body debate beforehand. Be warned: your body can be a helluva good negotiator at mile 18, especially if your mind hasn’t prepared its rebuttal arguments beforehand.
That same day was supposed to be my longest bike day. It was also the end of October and only high 30s in the early morning. I agreed to start a little later in the morning just to let it warm up a bit. With a couple of friends, we met up at 10am and took a nice ride through Harvard stopping at the General Store and again at a farm for some apple crisp. Despite the good company, nice scenery, and cool but sunny day, internally I was battling extreme burnout. By the time the group got back to our starting point it was already 2pm and I had only gone 40 miles on what was supposed to be a 90-100 mile bike day. A quick calculation told me that I wouldn't be done until 7pm if I finished the entire workout. As I rode off alone, the sun was getting lower such that it would be hard for cars to see me. I was jealous that the others were done and annoyed that I had to keep going. As I thought more and more about it, I got angrier and angrier. I pedaled over Strawberry Hill, took my right on Pope Road, and in just the time that it took me to reach Acton Road I was so pissed off that I was ready to explode.
My heart was pounding, my breath was heavy, and my mind was harried. I was so worked up that I could have had a temper tantrum right there on the side of the road. But, I was 30 miles away from home and it still would be faster for me to bike home then wait for someone to come pick me up. I didn't have much choice but to go on. So I thought to myself -
Am I cold? No.
Are my legs sore? No.
Is the weather ok? Yes.
If all of these things were ok, then I must go on. So I said to myself -
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
This went on for 5-10 minutes until my frenzy calmed, my breathing eased, and my angry thoughts subsided. I started to think positive thoughts.
I thought about blue skies and whispy clouds.
I thought about my life.
I thought about what would make me happy.
I thought about moving to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and hiking the pass with Zion every day.
I wondered what it would be like to drop everything that I'm doing... and start over.
I held on to these thoughts and I navigated wisely as the sun went sideways. I got back to my car safely and although I didn't complete the 90 miles that I was hoping for, I learned something about positive thinking.
For the past few weeks, I thought that my mantra would be "think positive thoughts, think positive thoughts, think positive thoughts." But those words don't really satisfy the question of - Why? Why did I choose to do an Ironman?
What is the one thing - the one reason why I chose to do an Ironman?
One year ago I moved back to Boston from my home in Colorado. When I came home, to the place where I grew up and where my old friends and family resign, I was happy to be among loved ones. But, I was also reeling from a recent break up and my mind and body was in despair. I wanted to be healthy, happy, and whole again. I knew that if I set a challenge for myself that was so difficult, so hard that I would have no choice but to make better decisions, to exercise, get out and meet new people, and explore my new world, that it would be my reason to regain myself, my independence, and my happiness.
In thinking about this, my training has become my right of passage. On race day, my pain will be transformed from etheral to physical. As the saying goes - I would rather have a broken bone than a broken heart. When I step up to the starting line on November 21st, my suffering will have come full circle.
So, what's the answer? Why did I choose to do an Ironman?
To regain myself, my independence, my strength. To heal my broken heart. To find myself.
I'm doing it for me.
The thinking behind this statement is this:
During the course of your race day, expect your body to have a conversation with your mind:
“Look, Mind, you’ve had me out here slogging away for 132 miles. This is really starting to get old and very painful. You need to give me a good reason to keep going forward. If you don’t have one, I’m gonna slow down and you can’t stop me!”
Before the race ask yourself “Why am I doing Ironman?” Your goal here is to determine what is the One Thing that put you in this race. To finish in the daylight with a smile on your face? To run a 4:10? To honor your family or a loved one?
Whatever your One Thing is, be absolutely clear and rehearse your mind/body debate beforehand. Be warned: your body can be a helluva good negotiator at mile 18, especially if your mind hasn’t prepared its rebuttal arguments beforehand.
That same day was supposed to be my longest bike day. It was also the end of October and only high 30s in the early morning. I agreed to start a little later in the morning just to let it warm up a bit. With a couple of friends, we met up at 10am and took a nice ride through Harvard stopping at the General Store and again at a farm for some apple crisp. Despite the good company, nice scenery, and cool but sunny day, internally I was battling extreme burnout. By the time the group got back to our starting point it was already 2pm and I had only gone 40 miles on what was supposed to be a 90-100 mile bike day. A quick calculation told me that I wouldn't be done until 7pm if I finished the entire workout. As I rode off alone, the sun was getting lower such that it would be hard for cars to see me. I was jealous that the others were done and annoyed that I had to keep going. As I thought more and more about it, I got angrier and angrier. I pedaled over Strawberry Hill, took my right on Pope Road, and in just the time that it took me to reach Acton Road I was so pissed off that I was ready to explode.
My heart was pounding, my breath was heavy, and my mind was harried. I was so worked up that I could have had a temper tantrum right there on the side of the road. But, I was 30 miles away from home and it still would be faster for me to bike home then wait for someone to come pick me up. I didn't have much choice but to go on. So I thought to myself -
Am I cold? No.
Are my legs sore? No.
Is the weather ok? Yes.
If all of these things were ok, then I must go on. So I said to myself -
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
Think positive thoughts.
This went on for 5-10 minutes until my frenzy calmed, my breathing eased, and my angry thoughts subsided. I started to think positive thoughts.
I thought about blue skies and whispy clouds.
I thought about my life.
I thought about what would make me happy.
I thought about moving to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and hiking the pass with Zion every day.
I wondered what it would be like to drop everything that I'm doing... and start over.
I held on to these thoughts and I navigated wisely as the sun went sideways. I got back to my car safely and although I didn't complete the 90 miles that I was hoping for, I learned something about positive thinking.
For the past few weeks, I thought that my mantra would be "think positive thoughts, think positive thoughts, think positive thoughts." But those words don't really satisfy the question of - Why? Why did I choose to do an Ironman?
What is the one thing - the one reason why I chose to do an Ironman?
One year ago I moved back to Boston from my home in Colorado. When I came home, to the place where I grew up and where my old friends and family resign, I was happy to be among loved ones. But, I was also reeling from a recent break up and my mind and body was in despair. I wanted to be healthy, happy, and whole again. I knew that if I set a challenge for myself that was so difficult, so hard that I would have no choice but to make better decisions, to exercise, get out and meet new people, and explore my new world, that it would be my reason to regain myself, my independence, and my happiness.
In thinking about this, my training has become my right of passage. On race day, my pain will be transformed from etheral to physical. As the saying goes - I would rather have a broken bone than a broken heart. When I step up to the starting line on November 21st, my suffering will have come full circle.
So, what's the answer? Why did I choose to do an Ironman?
To regain myself, my independence, my strength. To heal my broken heart. To find myself.
I'm doing it for me.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Scrambled Eggs and Ironman Toast
My mind has been scrambled eggs for the past couple of weeks. My emotions were in flux, my body was tired, and my mental fortitude felt like it was giving way. I was coming into my final weeks of working out and the longest weekends of the year.
I started to have nightmares about the event, waking up in the middle of the night wondering if I have done enough. I thought back on the last couple of months to recap where I have been and to double check with myself on what I've been doing.
August was the finale of the Sprint racing season and Catherine and I battled it out at Gloucester. At the race, I came out of the water first but she caught me faster than I thought she would and we left the transition together. Our first few biking miles we were neck and neck but after the course turnaround she took me by more than 2 minutes off the bike. My goal was to keep an even pace and go a little faster than her on the run. I could see the gap between us closing on the second and third laps, but the final turn came sooner than I expected. As we rounded the bend we both laid it out flat to the line. The gap was too much once we both started sprinting and she beat me by 4 seconds. Kelsey Abbott took first, Cath took second, and I took third in our age group.
If you look closely, you can see me in my signature magenta tri suit to the right of Cath battling it out to close the gap:
Motivated to compete again with Kelsey and Cath I decided to sign up for Pumpkinman at the last minute. The water temperature was perfect but I could tell that I had been swimming at the BSC on my own more than I had been with Cambridge Masters. I held a nice pace for the bike and I took it easy for the run, finishing 50 minutes faster than my first 70.3 at 6:04 hrs. The most notable part of the event was that when I finished I had no lactic acid burn and my legs felt fine. My quads were sore for a couple of days, but I was happy about how I felt.
The next weekend I rode with the Rippers up in NH across our finest notches including Kinsman, Kangamangus, Bear, Crawford, and Franconia Notch. The ride was 100 miles, 8000 feet of vertical, and a can of whoop ass. I bonked at 80 miles on Crawford Notch but I finished the ride with everyone else and read 100 miles on my odometer. The next few weekends were followed by long rides up to Harvard of 70 and 80 miles on Saturday and long runs on Sunday. On Oct 9th I rode for 83 miles and ran a PR 1/2 marathon the next day, dropping my 13.1 time by 11 minutes to 1:56. Those back to back long weekends fried my legs and it took a good week to recover. But, I didn't have the time. The next Saturday I ran 15 miles (1:20 run, 1:15 ride, 1:20 run) and rode 45 miles the next day. By this point, I bonked mentally and emotionally. With my biggest scheduled weekend to come and only 5 weeks out from the event, I was mentally and emotionally overwhelmed, exhausted, and done.
I went on an apple pie bender and made at least 12 pies in the course of a couple of weeks. Look closely to see the bike:
I realized that in 9 months I hadn't rested for one day. The days that I have taken off of have been during the work week, which means I'm still working, and the weekend days have been my longest workouts. Needless to say, I had my own little melt down and took a few days off of work to rest. During this time, I really rested. I slept, I baked, and I walked Zion. I completely let down and let myself relax without anxiety or worry that I wasn't working out. That weekend I struggled but I did ride 5:25 hrs on Saturday and ran for 2:20 hrs on Sunday. That night marked the beginning of my taper. I was elated and my mindset started to look up. This past weekend felt like a breeze with only 3:30 hrs on the bike followed by a 45 min run on Saturday, with Sunday off.
As I look back, there is certainly more that I could have done, but I am happy with the long weekends that I've had and my overall consistency. I'm officially 21 days until the race and every day I'm getting more and more excited. I can't wait!
I started to have nightmares about the event, waking up in the middle of the night wondering if I have done enough. I thought back on the last couple of months to recap where I have been and to double check with myself on what I've been doing.
August was the finale of the Sprint racing season and Catherine and I battled it out at Gloucester. At the race, I came out of the water first but she caught me faster than I thought she would and we left the transition together. Our first few biking miles we were neck and neck but after the course turnaround she took me by more than 2 minutes off the bike. My goal was to keep an even pace and go a little faster than her on the run. I could see the gap between us closing on the second and third laps, but the final turn came sooner than I expected. As we rounded the bend we both laid it out flat to the line. The gap was too much once we both started sprinting and she beat me by 4 seconds. Kelsey Abbott took first, Cath took second, and I took third in our age group.
If you look closely, you can see me in my signature magenta tri suit to the right of Cath battling it out to close the gap:
Motivated to compete again with Kelsey and Cath I decided to sign up for Pumpkinman at the last minute. The water temperature was perfect but I could tell that I had been swimming at the BSC on my own more than I had been with Cambridge Masters. I held a nice pace for the bike and I took it easy for the run, finishing 50 minutes faster than my first 70.3 at 6:04 hrs. The most notable part of the event was that when I finished I had no lactic acid burn and my legs felt fine. My quads were sore for a couple of days, but I was happy about how I felt.
The next weekend I rode with the Rippers up in NH across our finest notches including Kinsman, Kangamangus, Bear, Crawford, and Franconia Notch. The ride was 100 miles, 8000 feet of vertical, and a can of whoop ass. I bonked at 80 miles on Crawford Notch but I finished the ride with everyone else and read 100 miles on my odometer. The next few weekends were followed by long rides up to Harvard of 70 and 80 miles on Saturday and long runs on Sunday. On Oct 9th I rode for 83 miles and ran a PR 1/2 marathon the next day, dropping my 13.1 time by 11 minutes to 1:56. Those back to back long weekends fried my legs and it took a good week to recover. But, I didn't have the time. The next Saturday I ran 15 miles (1:20 run, 1:15 ride, 1:20 run) and rode 45 miles the next day. By this point, I bonked mentally and emotionally. With my biggest scheduled weekend to come and only 5 weeks out from the event, I was mentally and emotionally overwhelmed, exhausted, and done.
I went on an apple pie bender and made at least 12 pies in the course of a couple of weeks. Look closely to see the bike:
I realized that in 9 months I hadn't rested for one day. The days that I have taken off of have been during the work week, which means I'm still working, and the weekend days have been my longest workouts. Needless to say, I had my own little melt down and took a few days off of work to rest. During this time, I really rested. I slept, I baked, and I walked Zion. I completely let down and let myself relax without anxiety or worry that I wasn't working out. That weekend I struggled but I did ride 5:25 hrs on Saturday and ran for 2:20 hrs on Sunday. That night marked the beginning of my taper. I was elated and my mindset started to look up. This past weekend felt like a breeze with only 3:30 hrs on the bike followed by a 45 min run on Saturday, with Sunday off.
As I look back, there is certainly more that I could have done, but I am happy with the long weekends that I've had and my overall consistency. I'm officially 21 days until the race and every day I'm getting more and more excited. I can't wait!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
feel good currents
There are so many things that I'd like to share with you on this Sunday evening. First - a quick catch up on workouts, races, and training, and then perhaps some 'here and now' dating wisdom.
Gia and I ran a half marathon a few weeks ago in 2:08. Our plan was to go out easy for the first 8 and pick it up to the finish. We definitely accomplished that with a negative split of something like 8 minutes (first 6 vs second 6). I definitely think that if I go all out on my next one then I can shave a ton of time off. I left that race feeling overconfident only to wake up to very sore legs the next day. I was almost bewildered because I felt so good that I didn't understand why I was sore. I got hit with a stomach bug the next week, I think from swallowing water at Walden, and in general I felt very slow for the following two weeks. Mentally I also knew that my build program was fast approaching and I think that I subconsciously wanted to take it easy before moving forward with such a big commitment.
This past week kicked off the beginning of my 19 week program until IM AZ. I was overwhelmed going into it but now that I've finished one week I feel so much better about the rest. I didn't follow the program to a T but pretty darn close and here's a snapshot of the week:
Monday 1700 meter swim and core workout/lifting
Tuesday 1:20 hard ride w hills followed by a 25 min run
Wednesday 30 min spin 30 min run
Thursday 1 hr zone recovery and 40 min run w hill bounding; 35 min run and core workout/lifting
Friday 3000 yards swim
Saturday 25 mile zone 2 ride
Sunday Race - Falmouth Sprint
Generally, hard workouts are followed by active recovery work which are in a low heart rate zone. Many of the workouts are just under where you feel breathless and I'm strong enough that it feels like I'm bouncing along and floating on the pavement, breathing but not winded, and sweating but able to enjoy the feeling of the dewy air on my skin. The other morning I had a steady flow of feel good chemicals pulsing through my body and it felt pretty amazing.
Today I raced in the Falmouth Sprint. It was about 1/3rd mi swim, 10 mi bike, 3.1 mi run. I finished in 1:02 and 3rd in my AG. I thought that the first two times that I placed in my age group were a fluke so I was pretty pumped to repeat a top finish. Two things that I took from the last couple of races that I think helped me here were transition and pulling on the bike. When I looked at Kelsey Abbott's times I tried to figure out how I could cut time to get closer to her. I thought that if I could cut a minute on both transitions and some time on each event, then I would get closer right there. Today I hooked up my sneaks with the pull laces and when I got to transition all I had to do was pull them on like slippers. The second, which was reinforced by advice given from Olga on yesterday's ride, is to pull up with my feet instead of only pushing down on the pedal.
On every hill and throughout the race I made a conscious effort to pull. About three miles into the race another girl in my age group passed me. I knew that I couldn't let her beat me because that could be the difference between placing, and not ranking at all. We stayed neck and neck through the ride, each passing each other in different spots. In my head I thought, I bet I can run faster than her, and I just need to get a better transition to catch up. When we can into T2 she was only 20 feet ahead of me. On went my slipper sneaks and I was a step ahead of her. And, believe me... I knew it because I could hear her breathing down my back for the entire run. I kept saying to myself, take it easy, run your own race, calm down your breathing. The run was an out and back and when we got to the cone to turn around I stepped around the cone and sprinted out about 5 feet to put some distance between me and her. I didn't hear her on my back after that but I knew she was still there. This all sounds merry but I was not feeling strong for the run today. It was nearing 90 degrees by 8:30am and I had to constantly tell myself on the way back "focus, focus" and to run my own race. The finish was through the sandy beach and my opponent came in about 5-10 seconds behind me. I turned back and gave her a high five thanking her for pacing me.
Onto the dating wisdom... I think this topic will have to take shape over the course of the summer or most likely longer but I did find some inspiration today on the topic in the form of music and from a recent experience.
Here's an excerpt from Alicia Key's new song un-thinkable (I'm ready)
You give me a feeling that I never felt before
And I deserve it, I think I deserve it
It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore
And I can't take it
I was wondering maybe
Could I make you a (my) baby
If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy
Or would it be so beautiful either way I'm sayin'
If you ask me I'm ready
Slash the "my" and replace with "a" and this topic becomes such a point of sadness for my generation. I think about all of my beautiful and wonderful girlfriends who are ready to make a baby. We see the average age of marriage pushing from the 20s into our late 30s and movies that highlight the distress of having a family. We hear "man fear" that having a wife and kids will change a man's whole way of life to the point that he'll be unhappy forever. Sex will never be the same and committing to a white picket fence will be his demise.
One thing is still the same though. Men love women and women love men. So, why is there such a rift in our priorities?
Close your eyes, and listen
The next take away is - say how you feel when it counts. As time passes we have to make decisions about who we're going to spend time with. If having a tough conversation leads to learning something unfavorable or better yet, favorable about the person we're with, then it's better to have the conversation sooner rather than later. If the outcome is going to be the same then have the cahones to speak up when it counts and when you can do something about it.
...and by the way, this is me telling myself to act on my own advice. My strategy has always been to learn from many sources, digest the thoughts and ideas, and take what works best for me.
Gia and I ran a half marathon a few weeks ago in 2:08. Our plan was to go out easy for the first 8 and pick it up to the finish. We definitely accomplished that with a negative split of something like 8 minutes (first 6 vs second 6). I definitely think that if I go all out on my next one then I can shave a ton of time off. I left that race feeling overconfident only to wake up to very sore legs the next day. I was almost bewildered because I felt so good that I didn't understand why I was sore. I got hit with a stomach bug the next week, I think from swallowing water at Walden, and in general I felt very slow for the following two weeks. Mentally I also knew that my build program was fast approaching and I think that I subconsciously wanted to take it easy before moving forward with such a big commitment.
This past week kicked off the beginning of my 19 week program until IM AZ. I was overwhelmed going into it but now that I've finished one week I feel so much better about the rest. I didn't follow the program to a T but pretty darn close and here's a snapshot of the week:
Monday 1700 meter swim and core workout/lifting
Tuesday 1:20 hard ride w hills followed by a 25 min run
Wednesday 30 min spin 30 min run
Thursday 1 hr zone recovery and 40 min run w hill bounding; 35 min run and core workout/lifting
Friday 3000 yards swim
Saturday 25 mile zone 2 ride
Sunday Race - Falmouth Sprint
Generally, hard workouts are followed by active recovery work which are in a low heart rate zone. Many of the workouts are just under where you feel breathless and I'm strong enough that it feels like I'm bouncing along and floating on the pavement, breathing but not winded, and sweating but able to enjoy the feeling of the dewy air on my skin. The other morning I had a steady flow of feel good chemicals pulsing through my body and it felt pretty amazing.
Today I raced in the Falmouth Sprint. It was about 1/3rd mi swim, 10 mi bike, 3.1 mi run. I finished in 1:02 and 3rd in my AG. I thought that the first two times that I placed in my age group were a fluke so I was pretty pumped to repeat a top finish. Two things that I took from the last couple of races that I think helped me here were transition and pulling on the bike. When I looked at Kelsey Abbott's times I tried to figure out how I could cut time to get closer to her. I thought that if I could cut a minute on both transitions and some time on each event, then I would get closer right there. Today I hooked up my sneaks with the pull laces and when I got to transition all I had to do was pull them on like slippers. The second, which was reinforced by advice given from Olga on yesterday's ride, is to pull up with my feet instead of only pushing down on the pedal.
On every hill and throughout the race I made a conscious effort to pull. About three miles into the race another girl in my age group passed me. I knew that I couldn't let her beat me because that could be the difference between placing, and not ranking at all. We stayed neck and neck through the ride, each passing each other in different spots. In my head I thought, I bet I can run faster than her, and I just need to get a better transition to catch up. When we can into T2 she was only 20 feet ahead of me. On went my slipper sneaks and I was a step ahead of her. And, believe me... I knew it because I could hear her breathing down my back for the entire run. I kept saying to myself, take it easy, run your own race, calm down your breathing. The run was an out and back and when we got to the cone to turn around I stepped around the cone and sprinted out about 5 feet to put some distance between me and her. I didn't hear her on my back after that but I knew she was still there. This all sounds merry but I was not feeling strong for the run today. It was nearing 90 degrees by 8:30am and I had to constantly tell myself on the way back "focus, focus" and to run my own race. The finish was through the sandy beach and my opponent came in about 5-10 seconds behind me. I turned back and gave her a high five thanking her for pacing me.
Onto the dating wisdom... I think this topic will have to take shape over the course of the summer or most likely longer but I did find some inspiration today on the topic in the form of music and from a recent experience.
Here's an excerpt from Alicia Key's new song un-thinkable (I'm ready)
You give me a feeling that I never felt before
And I deserve it, I think I deserve it
It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore
And I can't take it
I was wondering maybe
Could I make you a (my) baby
If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy
Or would it be so beautiful either way I'm sayin'
If you ask me I'm ready
Slash the "my" and replace with "a" and this topic becomes such a point of sadness for my generation. I think about all of my beautiful and wonderful girlfriends who are ready to make a baby. We see the average age of marriage pushing from the 20s into our late 30s and movies that highlight the distress of having a family. We hear "man fear" that having a wife and kids will change a man's whole way of life to the point that he'll be unhappy forever. Sex will never be the same and committing to a white picket fence will be his demise.
One thing is still the same though. Men love women and women love men. So, why is there such a rift in our priorities?
Close your eyes, and listen
The next take away is - say how you feel when it counts. As time passes we have to make decisions about who we're going to spend time with. If having a tough conversation leads to learning something unfavorable or better yet, favorable about the person we're with, then it's better to have the conversation sooner rather than later. If the outcome is going to be the same then have the cahones to speak up when it counts and when you can do something about it.
...and by the way, this is me telling myself to act on my own advice. My strategy has always been to learn from many sources, digest the thoughts and ideas, and take what works best for me.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Pirate Tri, Arrrgh!
Luckily Kelsey Abbott in my age group was so fast that she ranked in the top three woman overall. That bumped me up to place third in my age group this past weekend at the Pirate Tri at Lake Sebago.
The race was a sprint, 1/3rd mile swim, 14 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run. After placing in the Saratoga race I went into this event with a different mindset. I thought, hmm, maybe I can place again. Since this was my first event of the season that required a wetsuit, I purposefully took my time putting it on. Slowly and carefully I inched every buckle of the suit over my body, being mindful not rip it. The gal next to me promised to be my moral support since putting on a wetsuit is demoralizing to the likes of jeans shopping. Visualize putting on your tightest clothes right after you've gotten out of the shower and finding glue on the insides. The experience wasn't as bad as usual though. Boom, it was on! I turned to the gal who was helping me, gave her the thank you, finger pointed at the camera look, and darted into the water. I wanted to get right in to acclimate to the temperature. I'm not big on doing too much of a warm up but I wanted to go out harder than usual for the race. I probably swam 200 yards to get my breathing up, felt the 64 degree water under my wetsuit and on my neck and head, and got water in my ears.
As everyone gathered by the start, I looked around and sized up the other girls. Some people hadn't even gotten in the water to warm up, some girls didn't wear a wetsuit, some girls wore suits that were too big, and then there were the girls who you knew would kick butt. Generally, I was impressed with the level of fitness that people seemed to have and, on a side note, there were a lot of hot guys.
My wave went second, just after the 30-39 year old men. I usually line up to the far outside of the pack so that I have plenty of room, but this time I decided - screw it. I got right up front and in the middle. I figured, if a girl wants to pass me, she'll have to work to get around me. We took off and I did my best to keep my breathing under control. Part way out to the bouy I rolled over on my back. My backstroke is pretty strong and in the open water I don't think it makes that big of a difference if I'm swimming freestyle or backstroke speedwise. I usually roll over and do both during the race since it's easier to breathe on your back. I was thinking about my swim coach during the race and realized why we do all those stupid sprint sets and how I should really try to stick to the set better during practice and not slack. In the midst of this, I was looking around to see where I was in relation to the other girls but the men were wearing the same color swim caps as we were, so I really couldn't tell how I was doing.
As I came out of T1 and up the first hill, my buddy waved to me and said, see, I knew you would pass me! I didn't know it at the time, but he had a terrible transition and his derailleur later crapped out on him during the ride. But still, passing him right out of the transition and knowing that he is a stronger swimmer than me and that he had a 30 second lead at the start, still felt good. I thought, cool!
Off I was on the bike. Usually I get smoked on the bike and people pass me like crazy. This was a short ride, only 14 miles, and it didn't seem like many people were passing me. There were two women that went by but they weren't in my age group. I didn't know where I was in relation to the other girls in my AG, but I thought that the faster girls must have already beaten me out of the water. As I would later find out, I was 4th out of the water in my age group so there were only a few girls ahead of me on the course.
There were a couple of hills and I tried to push it as hard as I could. I re-passed a couple of the ladies who had passed me and overall my bike pace average was 17.4. Coming into transition it seemed like the fans were on top of me, which was awesome. I need to get the pull shoe laces to speed up my run transition, but still my T2 was 1:13, which isn't too bad.
After seeing my splits from the Saratoga Duathlon my plan was to run as hard as I could. I pushed it right out of the gate and subsequently my breathing was sky high. I didn't care though. I pushed it past the mile marker then got a little disoriented looking for the turnaround. I thought it was an out and back run course, but it turned out to be a lollipop. By the time I knew where I was again I had finished the second mile. I'm pretty sure that the second mile was slow since I was hesitantly looking for the turnaround, but regardless I gunned it for the last mile back. .
Abigail PORTER 31 Winchester MA
3rd place AG
Swim Rank 4, time 9:44
T1 2:03
Bike Rank 5, time 48:11, ave speed 17.4
T2 1:13
Run Rank 4, time 23:11, ave mpg 7:44
Total Time 1:24:20.3
(rank by age group)
Female Overall Results:
16th out of 159 women, 12th out of the water, 34th on the bike, and 20th on the run.
I was happy and I got a pirate mug. I'm like a little kid showing off a trophy. Here it is!
Also, check out this IronKid running her race with her swim cap still on. Absolutely awesome!
The race was a sprint, 1/3rd mile swim, 14 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run. After placing in the Saratoga race I went into this event with a different mindset. I thought, hmm, maybe I can place again. Since this was my first event of the season that required a wetsuit, I purposefully took my time putting it on. Slowly and carefully I inched every buckle of the suit over my body, being mindful not rip it. The gal next to me promised to be my moral support since putting on a wetsuit is demoralizing to the likes of jeans shopping. Visualize putting on your tightest clothes right after you've gotten out of the shower and finding glue on the insides. The experience wasn't as bad as usual though. Boom, it was on! I turned to the gal who was helping me, gave her the thank you, finger pointed at the camera look, and darted into the water. I wanted to get right in to acclimate to the temperature. I'm not big on doing too much of a warm up but I wanted to go out harder than usual for the race. I probably swam 200 yards to get my breathing up, felt the 64 degree water under my wetsuit and on my neck and head, and got water in my ears.
As everyone gathered by the start, I looked around and sized up the other girls. Some people hadn't even gotten in the water to warm up, some girls didn't wear a wetsuit, some girls wore suits that were too big, and then there were the girls who you knew would kick butt. Generally, I was impressed with the level of fitness that people seemed to have and, on a side note, there were a lot of hot guys.
My wave went second, just after the 30-39 year old men. I usually line up to the far outside of the pack so that I have plenty of room, but this time I decided - screw it. I got right up front and in the middle. I figured, if a girl wants to pass me, she'll have to work to get around me. We took off and I did my best to keep my breathing under control. Part way out to the bouy I rolled over on my back. My backstroke is pretty strong and in the open water I don't think it makes that big of a difference if I'm swimming freestyle or backstroke speedwise. I usually roll over and do both during the race since it's easier to breathe on your back. I was thinking about my swim coach during the race and realized why we do all those stupid sprint sets and how I should really try to stick to the set better during practice and not slack. In the midst of this, I was looking around to see where I was in relation to the other girls but the men were wearing the same color swim caps as we were, so I really couldn't tell how I was doing.
As I came out of T1 and up the first hill, my buddy waved to me and said, see, I knew you would pass me! I didn't know it at the time, but he had a terrible transition and his derailleur later crapped out on him during the ride. But still, passing him right out of the transition and knowing that he is a stronger swimmer than me and that he had a 30 second lead at the start, still felt good. I thought, cool!
Off I was on the bike. Usually I get smoked on the bike and people pass me like crazy. This was a short ride, only 14 miles, and it didn't seem like many people were passing me. There were two women that went by but they weren't in my age group. I didn't know where I was in relation to the other girls in my AG, but I thought that the faster girls must have already beaten me out of the water. As I would later find out, I was 4th out of the water in my age group so there were only a few girls ahead of me on the course.
There were a couple of hills and I tried to push it as hard as I could. I re-passed a couple of the ladies who had passed me and overall my bike pace average was 17.4. Coming into transition it seemed like the fans were on top of me, which was awesome. I need to get the pull shoe laces to speed up my run transition, but still my T2 was 1:13, which isn't too bad.
After seeing my splits from the Saratoga Duathlon my plan was to run as hard as I could. I pushed it right out of the gate and subsequently my breathing was sky high. I didn't care though. I pushed it past the mile marker then got a little disoriented looking for the turnaround. I thought it was an out and back run course, but it turned out to be a lollipop. By the time I knew where I was again I had finished the second mile. I'm pretty sure that the second mile was slow since I was hesitantly looking for the turnaround, but regardless I gunned it for the last mile back. .
Abigail PORTER 31 Winchester MA
3rd place AG
Swim Rank 4, time 9:44
T1 2:03
Bike Rank 5, time 48:11, ave speed 17.4
T2 1:13
Run Rank 4, time 23:11, ave mpg 7:44
Total Time 1:24:20.3
(rank by age group)
Female Overall Results:
16th out of 159 women, 12th out of the water, 34th on the bike, and 20th on the run.
I was happy and I got a pirate mug. I'm like a little kid showing off a trophy. Here it is!
Also, check out this IronKid running her race with her swim cap still on. Absolutely awesome!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Happy Saratoga
I'm happy to report that I placed second in my age group this past weekend in the Saratoga Lions Duathlon. Boy, is it good to race on the East Coast! :-)
Results:
5k Run 24:56, avg HR 173, pace 8:02 min mile
T1 1:10
20 mi Bike 1:15:06, avg HR 156
T2 1:24
5k Run 25:32, avg HR 173, pace: 8:13 min mile
I participated in this race just for fun. The transition area is around the corner from our house in Saratoga. It was fun to be able to sign up for the race last minute and be in good enough shape to compete and place in it. I've never really placed for races before this year and I owe a lot of that to racing on the East Coast versus in Boulder where most of the people in my age group are borderline pro athletes.
Overall, I'm pumped that my run pace was an 8 min mile. That is about a minute better per mile than my race pace last year at the Bolder Boulder. And, I'm glad that my second 5k pace was very close to the first.
Things have been great lately. Training has felt so good, my fitness is improving, and I'm happy.
A few weeks ago I found myself in an interesting spot. I had about a month and a half or so of hard training under my belt. The problem was, I was exhausted. It was a Monday and I found myself falling asleep on the train on the way into work. My head bobbed with exhaustion and my appetite was insatiable. I was nearly crying on the way home because I was so tired and hungry. I was feeling guilty for eating so much when my office mate had probably a quarter of what I had all day long. After placing a phone call to a friend, I was re-assured that I didn't have to feel guilty about eating so much. With that, I went home and ate a real meal and was in bed by 8. The next day, I took the day off and went to bed again at 8. It was so early that it was still light out when I went to bed! Two days later, I arose from the dead as stiff as a board. I was so sluggish but I forced myself to go for a run with Zion. The run was absolutely pathetic. Zion was looking back at me like - when are you gonna start to run? Another day passed, and I felt a little more normal, and by the third day I had some energy back.
The next week I met with my Ironman mentor and I shared with him how I was feeling - tired, hungry, afraid to take a day off. He assured me that I needed to take it easy. His advice was - take a week off and if you're feeling like you're hungry all the time, then eat more protein and fat. That week and the following week I took it much easier on the workouts. I was doing one a days rather than two and three workouts. Now, about three weeks later, I feel amazing.
I don't feel like I can report any consistent volumes since I'm not following my set workout plan yet. But, I am consistently swimming twice a week for 50 min to an hour; I've been running a lot lately because I had to travel with work and it was about all I could do, and I've been biking probably two or three times a week for about 30-50 miles. I also do two core strength workouts in the gym per week.
Amazingly, I'm only a month away from starting my build training. The sound of that is super scary. It means a lot more discipline and a ticking clock until the race. I am however feeling on track for the program. I'm wondering if I should try to squeeze in a 70.3 before the race - mostly because I have so much energy to burn that it might be fun and a good way to test my race day nutrition.
Otherwise, I'm feeling amazing. I can see muscles in my body, my fat percentage is definitely less, and my disposition equals happy. I can't even begin to contemplate the difference in how I feel now versus how I felt 6 months ago. Working out consistently, a healthy diet, and a healed heart....that's where I'm at and I couldn't be happier.
Results:
5k Run 24:56, avg HR 173, pace 8:02 min mile
T1 1:10
20 mi Bike 1:15:06, avg HR 156
T2 1:24
5k Run 25:32, avg HR 173, pace: 8:13 min mile
I participated in this race just for fun. The transition area is around the corner from our house in Saratoga. It was fun to be able to sign up for the race last minute and be in good enough shape to compete and place in it. I've never really placed for races before this year and I owe a lot of that to racing on the East Coast versus in Boulder where most of the people in my age group are borderline pro athletes.
Overall, I'm pumped that my run pace was an 8 min mile. That is about a minute better per mile than my race pace last year at the Bolder Boulder. And, I'm glad that my second 5k pace was very close to the first.
Things have been great lately. Training has felt so good, my fitness is improving, and I'm happy.
A few weeks ago I found myself in an interesting spot. I had about a month and a half or so of hard training under my belt. The problem was, I was exhausted. It was a Monday and I found myself falling asleep on the train on the way into work. My head bobbed with exhaustion and my appetite was insatiable. I was nearly crying on the way home because I was so tired and hungry. I was feeling guilty for eating so much when my office mate had probably a quarter of what I had all day long. After placing a phone call to a friend, I was re-assured that I didn't have to feel guilty about eating so much. With that, I went home and ate a real meal and was in bed by 8. The next day, I took the day off and went to bed again at 8. It was so early that it was still light out when I went to bed! Two days later, I arose from the dead as stiff as a board. I was so sluggish but I forced myself to go for a run with Zion. The run was absolutely pathetic. Zion was looking back at me like - when are you gonna start to run? Another day passed, and I felt a little more normal, and by the third day I had some energy back.
The next week I met with my Ironman mentor and I shared with him how I was feeling - tired, hungry, afraid to take a day off. He assured me that I needed to take it easy. His advice was - take a week off and if you're feeling like you're hungry all the time, then eat more protein and fat. That week and the following week I took it much easier on the workouts. I was doing one a days rather than two and three workouts. Now, about three weeks later, I feel amazing.
I don't feel like I can report any consistent volumes since I'm not following my set workout plan yet. But, I am consistently swimming twice a week for 50 min to an hour; I've been running a lot lately because I had to travel with work and it was about all I could do, and I've been biking probably two or three times a week for about 30-50 miles. I also do two core strength workouts in the gym per week.
Amazingly, I'm only a month away from starting my build training. The sound of that is super scary. It means a lot more discipline and a ticking clock until the race. I am however feeling on track for the program. I'm wondering if I should try to squeeze in a 70.3 before the race - mostly because I have so much energy to burn that it might be fun and a good way to test my race day nutrition.
Otherwise, I'm feeling amazing. I can see muscles in my body, my fat percentage is definitely less, and my disposition equals happy. I can't even begin to contemplate the difference in how I feel now versus how I felt 6 months ago. Working out consistently, a healthy diet, and a healed heart....that's where I'm at and I couldn't be happier.
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