Triathlon is Back!!! St George was epic

I was afraid to believe this race would happen, a manner of self-preservation, I am sure.   I trained for it, tapered, and was all in, but every day waited for the email, announcement of the cancellation, but it NEVER CAME!  This is a recap of the protocol, NOT my personal race report, that is next. 

THURSDAY

CHECK-IN:  I hope Ironman retains this protocol, make an appointment, show up, scan a QR Code, mask up, and I was through registration in 5 minutes. Health screening before you enter the tent, temp checked, and mask on. 100% COVID safe and no paper, they handed you a stylus for an iPad.  There was a merch tent, but I skipped it; word on the street it was "light" on branded gear.  The swim busses gave out a colored ticket corresponding to finish time, which seemingly would spread out the # of people, reduce lines, and wait. 3 bags, just like Ironman: Morning clothes bag, Bike gear, and Run gear.  Usual stickers for helmet, bike stem, and bags. Race #.

EXPO: It seemed like a standard 70.3 Expo, lacking the food and drink nibbles we ALL love to snack on,  Air Relax, and another compression product there, with chairs, etc.  They always sanitize after each use anyway, or at least I hope so. 

FRIDAY

BIKE DROP OFF: Again, you selected your own time.  12:00, arrived 11:45, easy parking and transition were empty for the most part. Masks on in transition and bike drop off.  This is another COVID-friendly piece. Bikes were 3 feet apart.  What a leisure that was!!!  Lots of space, no worries about overlapping brakes, etc.  In and Out.  There was no swimming at the race start, but a short drive offered a nice beach and a chance to get in the 62-degree water, which was perfect.   

RUN GEAR DROP OFF:  No specified time.  I drove up at 5:30pm, dropped my gear, back in the car 10 minutes.  You can drop off race AM, I did not want the added stress, and you CAN revisit your run bag race AM if you need to; the bus picks up is right there.  I left my nutrition etc., off Friday PM.

SATURDAY

BUSSES:  My roommate is a VIP, go Alison!  So she had a parking pass, and I was happy to jump in the car.  If you don't have a pass, I DO NOT recommend getting dropped off; cars without a pass can only go so far, and you then have a 1.5 ish mile walk with all bags.   Ride the bus; I hear it was efficient, and then you are dropped off in front of transition. 

TRANSITION: Mask up, and I would say 90% were compliant.  Again it was spacious and easy to get what you need—plenty of pumps and not crowded.  

SWIM: They called swim waves 50 minutes early, which was a bit of a shock, and I saw many scrambling.   The swim lineup was no different than previous races, where you follow your sign, swim waves in 3 min increments, and you wait.  Same rolling start, masks on until you hopped in the water.  They need a mask that works with swim caps, no straps, pinches at the nose.  Water temp 62, so no need for booties or neoprene cap. Well, marked course with a bizarre red arch that you swam through at the 1/2 mark; I think there was a timing device there as there was a mid-swim split on results—straightforward course to site. 

T1:  LONG run, 1/2 the run is carpeted, thank you, Ironman, but the T1 area is massive, so you have a long way to go to get to your bike or to run with your bike.  But that is the distancing.  With a split transition, you have to bag your wetsuit and goggles, and you are out.

BIKE: Aid stations at miles 12.5, 26.2, 41.6, and 46.3. Operated like pre: COVID. Volunteers handing you water, Gatorade Endurance, Quantum Energy Squares, Maurten Gels, and Fig Bars.  Business as usual. The only complaint is the aid station at 12.5 was on the descent, so you had to really hit the brakes if you wanted anything; let's move that to an uphill.   It was nice to have an aid station before Snow Canyon and at the top before the final descent.

T2: Another LONG transition and I would not recommend leaving your shoes on the bike, the transition area was filled with rocks, and it was painful on the feet. Plenty of space to get in and out.

RUN:  Aid stations every mile(ish) and well stocked with water, Gatorade Endurance, Quantum bars, Maurten Gels, Fig Bars, Chips, Pretzels, Bananas.  Self-service tables we well stocked, and you grabbed what you needed in open cups; there was plenty of ICE in cups, and never was it an issue.  The volunteers were amazing; most aid stations had music and a lot of energy. 

FINISH LINE: That magic red carpet and crowds along the chute and all the finish line feels you could ask for!.   Mask upon crossing, pick your medal and hat from a table, and volunteers were taking off chips for you, a seriously nasty job, so thank you!!  The food tent was around the bend. Self-served with prepackaged stir-fried rice, chicken or veggie (with eggs), fruit, chips, ice bins of cold drinks. Plenty of grass to hang out, no tables.

AWARDS: No podium or ceremony.  Table with longish lines in the hot sun, but come on, you are picking up hardware!  They asked for your name, AG, and then verified with your wrist band.   70.3 Worlds Slot Allocation, if you are automatic,  you could stand in line and claim it between 4-6:00pm or wait for the email, which came Tuesday.  You have 48 hours to claim and pay, and then the roll-down process begins.  So pay attention to your inbox.4

FINAL COMMENTS: Well done, Ironman.  The only "risky" piece would be the bus, but windows open, masks on, and no eating or drinking will help.   

Hands down, it was amazing. 

Buying a new bike? Yes to electronic shifting and disc brakes!

 Why you NEED to upgrade to Di2 and Disc Brakes!

Okay, you don’t actually NEED to, but you want to.  If you are in the market for a new bike, be sure to spend the extra money on the electronic shifting and disc brakes.

In MY opinion, here is why.

ELECTRONIC SHIFTING: Di2, eTap, 

CONSISTENCY: you will hit the gear you want every time, perfectly. 

EASE: It’s the touch of a button not pulling or pushing a lever down, touch and you are up or down a gear.  

CORRECT GEAR:  With one button to touch, most riders are in the right gear all the time, it’s quick and precise.   Especially on a TT bike, if you are riding a TT bike with mechanical shifting, the shift levers will be positioned at the front of the aero extensions, easy access when you are in your aero bars.  But you are not able to change gears when you’re riding out of the saddle with your hands on the base bar, this is when you need to be able to shift! With electronic shifting, you have a 2nd set of shifters on the base bar, so you can change hears when you are sitting up, out of the saddle, or coming out of a corner.  When you are riding in the wrong gear you either lose power or more likely are grinding away torching your quads before you start the run.  It’s also easy to shift under load vs forcing the lever.

NO CHAIN RUBBING:  

Once your system is set up correctly, no matter what sprocket you are in you never need to make adjustments to prevent the chain rubbing on the front mech’s side plates, it is done automatically.

 

MINIMAL MAINTENANCE: 

With electronic shifting, there is minimal maintenance once you are set up.  There is no derailleur rubbing, cables to be replaced, really you just need to remember to charge the battery.  You may need to install D-Fly for Shimano so your Garmin can find the Di2, you definitely want to do this as you can then program shifting, see battery, gear ratio, etc.  But if your battery runs out, it defaults to the small ring first and you can still ride the 50miles home, or so I have heard. 

 

 

 

 

 DISC Brakes

What are they?  RIm Brakes, the braking is on the outer edge of the rim (duh) of the weel.  Disc brakes apple the braking in the middle of the wheel on a rotar. 

Why I like them?

• You can actually stop.  Disc brakes generate greater power with less pressure on the levers,  Tapping the brakes and you can stop, vs cramping hands praying you can stop. 

• They work on wet roads. There is no delay as there are with rim brakes.

• Bottom line, I feel safer. I can feather the brakes and control speed and have the assurance I can stop quickly.

Cons:  They are heavier, they are more expensive, and if your bike currently has rim brakes, you will have to buy a new bike, which may or may not be a con.  And you will have to buy new race wheels if your old wheels are rim brakes, so consider that.   I realized that AFTER I bought my P5, lying awake dreaming about my cool bike and how my disc wheel and Enve 7 /8’s would not work on the new bike.  Oops, time for a set of 808’s! 

There are always people who will argue I am well aware, this is my opinion! All my bikes have Di2, and I will never ride a manual bike again. 2 of my 3 bikes have disc brakes and I love them and gravitate to those bikes for that reason. 

Both of these cost more, but they are 100% worth it!! 

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

I am not a runner by nature

I am not a pretty runner

I am not a particularly fast runner

I like running, but only love running, when I cannot run

I have been striving to be a better runner since I started running at 28

I am intimidated by fast runners

In October, I started running "Track Tuesday's" with a group of badass women,  They are all younger, faster but they are welcoming and supportive,   Stepping into the group, I knew I would be off the back, DFL, and the first few weeks it took some getting used to.

I show up every Tuesday slightly nervous, knowing it will hurt,  The workout is 2-4 miles of hard running.  

A few weeks ago we moved to the track, which is also intimidating to me, not sure why but when the crew says "I love the track" my head tilts like a labrador, thinking why?  I am learning to embrace the track, appreciate its smooth surface, the markers around the circle, its consistency, and its ability to humble, hurt, and inspire.   

This AM we did our usual 25 min WU and the set was

1 mile at 1/2M pace, of course, I ask OTB  (off the bike)?  No, open 1/2 Marathon

.5 faster

.25 faster

200M balls out

1:00 rest / .25 between sets

Repeat

This is hard!  As I watch the pack run away from me, instead of getting intimidated or defeated, I was able to click into my zone, my pace, and kick the shit out of the workout.  Today Erin and I worked together and it was amazing!  Encouraging, pushing each other and danm it was amazing!

Find people the motivate, inspire and support you!  When you do, hang on and enjoy the ride!  

Bring it on 2021!

 

You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.  Steve Jobs

2020 was challenging; we all know it.   I started to list why it was horrible and quickly turned the page and started writing why it was an amazing year!

- I Co-Founded NYX Endurance with 2 amazing women, who I love and respect.  They are my business partners, friends, confident, and we are better together.  Better in that we generate ideas that build on each other, laugh, and know-how to call each other out.  We come together with a shared vision to create an amazing community under the guise of Triathlon!   So far, so good!  

- NYX Endurance grew!  Nearly all of our athletes trusted in us and trusted in NYX, and joined our vision.  And we added athletes in a year of canceled races. 

- Epic Challenges.  #noracesnoproblem was our mantra.  We had some epic events
    - Everesting - biking 29.029 feet on a bike in one day
    - Running 5 miles every 4 hours for 24 hours: 5.4.24
    - Running 4 miles every 4 hours for 49 hours: 4.4.48
    - BINGO: an epic month of swimming, biking, running, hiking, strength challenges
    - Running 50K

    - R2R2R 

    - 12 Days of Christmas Core Challenge

- Family: I am so thankful my parents are healthy; despite some scares, fractures, and hospital visits, they are COVID Free.  My sister is fighting Cancer and winning; yes, it sucks, but I am thankful to have been able to help out a few times, my only real travel.  My kids are thriving; while this is hard, they are crushing life right now!  I miss them like crazy, but sometime in 2021, we will see each other.  We did not have a family Thanksgiving or Christmas.  And I'm most thankful for my partner, John, there is no one else I would rather pandemic with. 

-Social Justice:  George Floyd's murder awakened something in me.  I could not sit at home in my comfortable house and no nothing.  I joined my first protest, and many thereafter. I discovered Encinitas4Equality and met some amazing people committed to chance.  I lead Run4Breonna weekly runs, volunteer, when I can, and found a great spot helping feed the homeless in Oceanside.  I have opened my eyes, recognized White Privilege, and commit to not stop protesting when I see wrong. 

- Friends:  So many amazing friends to swim, bike, and run with.  Thankfully exercise was not shut down.  No Masters swimming, but we swam a lot in the lagoon and the ocean.  We mask up and bike and run, and this is my salvation.   I'd be lost without exercise and am so thankful for this social outlet. 

There is so much I miss, so much I am sad about, but when I reflect on all the good!   2020 was not all terrible. 

With the turn on the calendar, life will not change, but there is hope on the horizon.  We have a new President, a vaccine that is coming.  I am confident we will have races, we will once again hug each other, have a table full of friends inside, but a lot will never be the same, and that is life,

We  need to stay patient a bit longer, mask up, stay home, and sometime this year, we will be free(er)

   

I RACED!

 Normally " I raced"  Is nothing to shout on the rooftops, however in 2020, after 9 months of canceled races, it's a BFD!   It was not a triathlon, but it was a 100% legitimate race with check-in, timing chip, aid stations, and a finish line. 

And it was a first for me—a 50K,  31.6 miles with 3200 ft of elevation of fun and adventure on the trails.

I have wanted, or at least of wanted to want, to run an Ultra for a while, but I was afraid.  Not afraid of 31 miles but afraid of 31 miles on the trails.  The idea of a 50K on the road was not appealing.  I found every excuse to not run a 50K over the years; however, this year, it was soon apparent that this may be the ONLY chance I would have to race.  So suck it up, buttercup!! 

My training was NOT conventional for an Ultra. My longest run was 3 hours in the trails and only 17 miles.  But I did some colossal strength during our September Gladiator Strength Challenge- think 1000 squats in one day and 500 burpees another day.   The month was peppered with all kinds of strength, along with a marathon in a day, a 3K hike, 2 hours of stairs with 20lbs, and more.   October I did R2R2R,  a 48 mile 10K of ascent and 10K descent, mostly hiking.   November was 4.4.48, 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours.   

I had miles in my legs for sure!

I had zero expectations for the race.  I wanted to enjoy the day, suffer at times, not get hurt, appreciate that I was out there, and soak up the finish line.  I did ALL of that! 

 Every runner had a buff   + a mask at the start.  Groups of 10 spread out went off every 5 minutes. Complete social distancing and no spectator allowed, so zero crowds. 

For the first 5 miles, I felt sluggish and was a bit worried. Was I too tired, not tapered enough? Could I really do 31 miles?  I put that out of my mind and tried to find my groove.  With Road Trip Songs Playlist in my ears, I found my happy place.  The trails were runnable until mile 18, not too technical or rocky, and I felt great.  I ran a pace that was comfortable and seemed sustainable.   I was fueling with UCAN for calories and Precision Hydration for sodium + PBJ for supplemental calories.  I had my first uncrustable at aid station 1, and it was horrific- OMG, it tasted like paste and chemicals!  Thankfully at the subsequent station, they had real PBJ. 

At mile 18, we started really climbing, and it was now single track and really rocky, those pokey jarring rocks that I could feel on the bottom of my feet.  Ugh, this is where I struggle.  I was only pissed for a few minutes and remembered my mantra, and power hiked like the others I could see ahead; whenever there was just dirt, I jogged and then resumed hiking.  Once we crested the summit, I saw the descent was similar jagged rock terrain, and I suck at this.  I tried to jog and simply quit for fear of a wipeout.   I was hemorrhaging time, and my sub-6-hour finish was slipping away, but I kept working on staying positive.

Mile 22, aid station, the last one was mile 10, and I was out of fluids.  I was thrilled for ice water to fill my pack + a  PBJ. I mixed 180 Cal of UCAN with 2x Precision Hydration,  3 times.    I felt my legs but happy to see I was back on runnable terrain and surprised to see the guy kicking back smoking a joint.   He soon passed me so, who am I to judge.   My legs were tired but feeling okay; the trial was good and bad, so I pushed the pace when I could run and hiked/walked when I was too scared I could not run.  Last aid station, I filled up ice and took a caffeine tab of 175mg.

5 miles to go, and on an uphill, I could see bodies ahead, and I went to work.   I passed 5 people in the last 3 miles; now I was racing, pushing through that pain, knowing it was only a few miles, and then I was done.  Mile 28, looking ahead at my next target, I clipped a rock and went down! Boom, thankfully on dirt and not rocks.  Tore open my knee and slammed my elbow, but I was up again and back to the hunt.

Caught the last one in sigh at mile 30 on a steep uphill; the last 1.5 miles were up and down and technical. I went all out when I could, power hiked when I was scared  I could not and finished with a smile!!! 

I loved that they gave out finisher glasses and not medals!

1- I am not a good trail runner

2- My endurance is good, and I can suffer  a long time

3- I can steal energy from other people suffering; I see them walk and use that to fuel myself. Unless it is really rocky and steep, and when I walk too.

4- Only 1 BLISTER!!  Seriously, that is a miracle 

5 This was COVID - safe; everyone wore a mask, kept their distance, and was so appreciative! 

6. Trust your coach!!!  Marylin was right; the cumulative running  + strength had me 100% prepared for this.  When I was tired and hurting, I could hear here her voice and just kept pushing. 

I was quite surprised to see that I was 1st in W50-59; I am stacking this up to the
"weak COVID" field, but nonetheless am proud of my day! 

As  PSA, this run was really well done!!!  Registration was easy. Great pre-race communication and COVID updates.  Safe, efficient packet pick up- outside.   The run was well organized and so well marked, ribbons on trees every 200 yards, so you always knew you were on the right trail; at any turn, there were signs and then signs that said "wrong way" if you missed the turn sign, there was tape across turns that seemed like the right way, in case you missed the sign and wanted to go that way!   Well stocked aid stations with incredibly helpful volunteers.  AND ice old Diet Dr. Pepper at the finish- my 100% favorite!!!   Lots of other food and drinks too.  I was not cutting calories; that is just one of my favs on a long ride or post-race.  I still ate all the calories and continued to eat Sunday and well today too. I woke up at midnight Sat starving, was surfing the kitchen, and settled for pancakes with nut butter and chocolate + a protein shake.  

4.4.48 DONE

Never say never, but I will never; I don't think I ever need to do that again!

It was EPIC!  Here are my running thoughts.....  

 

- easier than I thought physically

- more mental than physical 

- sleep is overrated

- have a group to do it with, even virtually, we had 7, and the texts were motivating, funny and kept us all going.

- strength training helps!   Between our Gladiator BINGO and Squatober the extra strength was key to feeling solid all the way.  My quads were never blown, just fatigued.

- rest a few days going into it, not off but dial it back a bit

- try and bank sleep, especially the previous night.

- you will have to do laundry

- use multiple shoes; I cycled through 3 pairs

- mix up your surfaces, I did 3 on trails, and those felt so good.

- stay in the moment, don't ask, "how many more runs do I have?" 

- plan your calories, hydration, and then have random things on hand that may sound good when you just don't want to eat.

- take 5 min to foam roll, hypervolt, stretch after each run

- mindful hydration. Post EVERY run, I drank 24oz with 2x NUUN tablets.  

- after the 9:30pm and 1:30am- drank 150 cal Vega protein shake- 30g protein and amino acids

- buy or borrow Normatec's - they definitely helped!

- Epsom salt bath, I took 2, and that was helpful

- don't ever sit more than 30 min or you will regret it

- carb-up / calorie up the week of, as you do for an Ironman

- laugh a lot

- have a good headlamp and reflective gear, its DAF at 1:30, and we had a full moon

- lube your feet.  NO blisters.  I used Aquaphor before every run,

- pace yourself; if you feel restless or like, this is too easy, crush the last 4,8 or 12 miles.   We went hard mile 40-44 and then enjoyed the last 4. 

- We started at 5:30pm on a Friday, so we finished Sunday afternoon. I definitely recommend a start time around this time, finishing midday is great, you can celebrate, go out to eat and enjoy the experience.  Versus starting at 4:30AM and finishing at midnight, you will not sleep right away, and it's anti-climatic to finish so late.

- Plan to do laundry or have 12 outfits + 12 pairs of socks + hats/hairbands - nothing dries out in 3 +hours.  

- know your body, especially your gut.  My running belly is sensitive; you will see by my food log, nothing too crazy, and I had 0 GI issues and no blow outs, which is a slight miracle for me.

Here is how it went down

 

I mostly went for flat runs; I live in all hills and thus drove to many runs.  The night runs, I ran from home.   Pacing, this is around my Ironman run pace, so all-day comfortable pace, I let the fatigue come on its own. 

Time	#	Pace/Mile	Elevation	Post Run	Calorie	Total Miles
5:30 PM	1	9:13:00 AM this felt stiff getting toing	95	24oz w/2x NUUN + 2 cups GF pasta with EVO + daiya cheese	500	4
9:30 PM	2	9:13:00 AM cool out and legs are feeling better	151	24oz w/2x NUUN + 1 cup pasta, 2 pieces black licorice + 1 T nut butter	500	8
1:30 AM	3	9:08:00 AM hill run, legs are feeling good and really enjoyed this	335	12 oz w/2x NUUN + 12 oz with Vega Sport protein powder	135	12
5:30 AM	4	9:04:00 AM Full moon, super foggy but legs relaxed and easy	89	24oz w/2x NUUN + 2 pieces WF Pizza dough cooked as rolls + avocado + Coffee	600	16
9:30 AM	5	9:33:00 AM hit the trails and this was a nice change, slower pace but worth the soft surface	131 trails	24oz w/2x NUUN + 1 small WF pizza dough roll + coffee	125	20
12:30 PM	6	9:07:00 AM super boring run	233	Candy Corn + York Peppermint Patties + red bull	400	24
5:30 PM	7	10:03:00 AM back to the trails, careful footiing	165 trails	24oz w/2x NUUN + 2 pieces WF Pizza dough cooked as rolls with Myokos butter	450	28
9:30	8	9:16 dodging people in costume in downtown Encinitas. Lookinga the crowds and lines at the bars, What COVID?"	112	12 oz w/2x NUUN + 12 oz with Vega Sport protein powder	135	32
1:30 AM	9	9:22:00 AM scary car that slowed and freaked me out, holy shitballs, totally freaked when he passed me stopped. It was either an UBER or a bootie call as someone came out to the car	351	12 oz w/2x NUUN + 12 oz with Vega Sport protein powder	150	36
4:30AM (daylight savings)	10	9:46 legs are stiff from sleeping. While the 2.5 hours sleep was great, this was hard to get rolling	167	24oz w/2x NUUN +bagel with almond butter + candy corn + pumpkin pancake + coffee	600	40
8:30 AM	11	8:27 - lets see how fast we can go. Why not? HR was in 170's but pace was slow....but we did what we could	131	24oz w/2x NUUN + 1/2 XO Chocolate Bar + coffee x 4 + red bull	350	44
12:30 PM	12	10:20 finished with a group and enjoyed the final run- 100% social and fun!	141	ALL the food I could find!!!		48

I slept 10 hours Sunday night and woke up stiff and tired. I swam and walked the dogs and felt too much better!  Starving all day, much like post-Ironman.   

Monday night, another 9 hours, and then went for a short run this AM. I am feeling pretty good.  Spin on the bike, and I feel even better. 

4.4.48

 

What is it?
Run 4 miles
Every 4 hours
48 hours = 48 miles of running
Why? check out the video

David Goggins created this and his video sums it up.  Why now?

1- COVID
2- No races

3- COVID

4- Because we can

Everyone has an opinion about how endurance athletes should approach COVID, there is not right or wrong answer and there is not one approach for every person.  Everyone is different and we all have different life stressors, motivators, limiters etc.  

For 9 of us, 4.4.48  in on the calendar this weekend! 

I was planning on this in July, but after my incident with the refrigerator  I was off running for 5 weeks.  I know have the fitness to pull this off!

Goals

- finish strong

- have fun

- don't get hurt

- push through physical and mental boundaries 

Today feels a bit like race week, the planning is in motion.  

1: increase the carbs exponentially!   Fuel up 

2: Rest up a bit, trying to go to bed early and bank sleep.

3: Plan my food. When it gets hard and I am tired I need to have good food that is easily accessible.

- sweet potatoes, rice, plain pasta, applesauce, pancakes. banana's, coke, more coke, coffee, chocolate, peanut butter pretzels.  The goal is 2-300 calories post each run, at some point I will want more, but the min is 2-300.  60g of protein /day which will likely be Vega Sport Protein powder as I am worried about anything else. 

Today's menu

- Pumpkin Pancakes 

- Lots of coffee with coconut cream

- giant kale salad with garbanzo's, craisons and nuts  + 2 sourdough rolls

- mid day dark chocolate

- banana + almond butter

- more kale salad with garbanzos, avocado, nuts and a bowl of gf pasta with vegan Parmesan + evo and onion salt

- more dark chocolate

 

Macro's for the day

Total Calories 3150

Carbs 403 grams 

Protein   60 grams