St George Ironman

 

I have been needing to write about my attempt at the St. George Ironman since May!  I just haven't really wanted to revisit it! 

So......

May 5, 2012.  Known as the toughest Ironman in the world.   No doubt the toughest Ironman bike course on the planet.   A life long dream to complete an Ironman.  Why St. George?  Because it is on a Saturday.  Most others are on Sunday.  I originally planned for Couer d'Alene, but in the end couldn't compete in it on Sunday.  I didn't think it would bother me....3 kids looking at me like "really mom?"   To make a long story short...a long story of agonizing over how BADLY I had to do an Ironman, how hard I had trained.... I signed up for St George because it was, of course, still open.  All other Ironmans sell out right away, but not this one, no one wants to do it!  2012 was to be the last year of Ironman St George because it never did sell out.  

 

 

 

This took eight weeks off my training, but it was my only choice if I didn't want to wait over a year to get into a different Ironman.  I was exhausted already and ready to just get it over with.  I couldn't imagine training for another year plus.  So I went for it, knowing it was a long shot because of the course, but also knowing that if I just plugged along I could do it. 

 

The morning of the race was beautiful.  Safety kayakers getting ready on Sand Hollow Reservoir.

 



Not very many pink caps.....less than 20% of the field were women.

 

Looking at this pictures is giving me a panic attack!  Because I know what is about to happen!

But even then, I felt like a lamb to the slaughter.  I was almost numb.  Looking back I just forced myself to put one foot in front of the other.  I was so nervous, felt so unprepared, and also had a head cold!  But sometimes there is no better way OUT of a situtation than to be all the way IN!

 

 

 

 

 



 

I lined up to the left of this picture.   I wanted to be in the center, but to start about 3/4 toward the back of the crowd.

The start.  Chaotic.  But I felt great.  I was passing people and staying calm.  I had trained swimming 2.5 in the pool (boring boring boring)  but I was WAY nervous and open water swimming is a head game for me.  It wouldn't be fast, but my plan was to just keep moving forward at all times.



 The wind starts. 

From my perspective, about five minutes in, I was really annoyed because I was wondering why the safety boats were causing a wake!  Didn't they know we were trying to swim!

 

 If only it had been the boats!  35 mile winds.  Total chaos ensued.  People  panicked.  You couldn't see the buoys.  We couldn't tell which direction to swim toward! 

 

I wasn't scared.  I had prepped myself for swim panic because of my disastrous Boise 70.3 swim.  I knew it had to keep my head.  I thought how I had swam rapids, big waves didn't scare me.  But Bummer.  Fighting 4 foot swells is hard.  The longest section of the swim,  1.2 miles in a straight line, went directly against the wind.  Hundreds of people got into safety boats.  Safety kayaks were flipping and flying across the lake.

 

On the shore Darren said people were freaking out.  1700 people in that kind of water was not a good thing.  I wouldn't let myself look at my watch because I knew it would send me into a panic.  You have to finish the 2.4 mile swim in 2:20 or you can't continue.  I had 1:30 - 1:36 in my head for my time.  I needed every minute after that for the bike.   I finally looked at my watch when I was on the back side of the island and had at least 1/2 mile left.  1:54!  I was so frustrated and went into overdrive.  I quickly realized all that effort didn't make much difference against the waves and if I was going to finish this thing I had many miles to go ......I just settled back in and realized there were many people in the same position I was in. 

Coming into the finish I could see volunteers lifting people out of the water like rag dolls.  Would I be able to stand?  The clock said 2:17 when I got out.  I had totaly mixed emotions about whether I was even glad I made the cut off.  I was wiped and pretty bonky.  That is a long time without food at that effort and my body felt it.  The volunteers literally dressed me.  I didn't even so much as put on a sock.  They shoved my banana in my hand and said "Go! You made that swim!  You made that swim! You can do it!" 

 



Off I went.  112 miles of biking in front of me.  

The wind was horrendous.  I was pushing it to go 10 mph at times.  It took me an hour to get enough food in me to make me feel like I even wanted to go on.  After about 20 miles and a few hundred calories I was really excited to be there!  The climb up to Gunlock was brutal.  It is steep.  The wind was screaming. 

 

25 miles out from the first cut off I knew I wouldn't make it.  With that wind there was no way I could make it.  I shed a few tears.  I felt love and gratitude for Darren who didn't blink an eye at letting me throw money at a race that was a long shot just to let me feel that I tried.

 

I missed the cut off at mile 65 by less than 10 minutes.  In other races they would have let you continue,  but this was a road closure and the Highway Dept was dead set on opening it that time. 

 

Lots of people pulled up to the cut off.  There was lots of swearing and crying.  I wondered how they hadn't realized 20 even 30 miles back that they weren't going to make it?  More people missed the cut off than in any other Ironman in history, like by double!  This did help me feel better:)

 

I rode back to town and had a heck of a time getting hooked up with my family.  Nice volunteers let me use their phones.  The bummer thing was that I really wasn't even tired.  I had trained to ride another 45 and then run 26.2. 

 

I cried for two weeks.  But I also felt that this was not my time.  I did not feel a sense of urgency to sign up for another one to get it done.  Still don't, really.  Maybe it will come back.  But deep inside I know I had it in me to finish an Ironman, probably any Ironman but that one on that day.  And that is good enough for me right now.

At least I got my family to St. George where they love to play!  We celebrated Paige's 12th birthday.  Everyone had a great time while I was out suffering!

 

Aunt Clara's is the best place in the world!

Boys rode Poppy - apparently the best mtn bike trail EVER - and found this little gem!


Thanks for the great pics Heather!

Just Because

The first quarter of school is almost over. Time flies!

The first day of school was also our 19th anniversary.  Time flies!

Obsessed

I can't decide if Strava is from heaven or from hell.  

It's an app that records your bike time on sections of road or trail where there is a significant elevation change.  Then it compares your time to others.

The fact that it emails you when someone takes your King or Queen of the mountain,.....leads me to believe it is not from heaven.   The torture!
It allows people to follow you, meaning they know your every ride and how fast (or slow) you were that day.
But such motivation.  I ride the hills much faster when my Strava is running.  What does that say about me?
It's like being in a race - on every ride!!!  ARGH!

There are not many women in the area doing it on road bikes, and I haven't seen any other come up on the mountain bike trails....yet:)
Darren and his buddies have a pretty good competition going....although it is all in fun, there is no messing around when Strava is running.

High Cascades 100 mile Mountain Bike Race

Way back in December I thought it would be fun to ride a 100 mile mountain bike race.  I had recently finished LOTOJA, a 206 mile road bike race, and soon after that a 25 hr mountain bike race where in which I had mountain biked 104 miles, and Darren 130.  I was signed up for a full Ironman.   I was on a biking/racing"high", you could say.  I felt strong, healthy, and motivated. Well, the best laid plans.....

A lot of things can change in 6 months.   For one I became the Stake Young Women's President (gulp).  This has stretched me beyond what I thought possible.  I love it, I love what I am learning.  I love the girls, I love the women I get to rub shoulders with.  But emotionally it takes a lot of energy from me.  Speaking to 500+, meetings, giving trainings, being trained, Youth Conferences, youth dances, service projects, Standards Nights, and Girls Camp (double gulp).  It's amazing to be involved in such great things with such great people!  But, it takes just a little bit of time:)

And I just got tired. 

 While training for the Ironman I just kept getting slower and s l o w e r.  I needed a break.  I pushed through.  Got sick, and stayed sick for two months.  I had a weird Eustachian tube thing where I was getting vertigo. I went to a few doctors.  I slept a lot. Took my vitamins. I got put on a steroid for the ear thing....hated it, gained weight, felt MEAN, and emotional.  But it helped my ears! Although feeling much much better I am still not 100%.  Still cough at night... OK somebody call the WAAAmbulance!

So basically I hardly rode my bike.  Like maybe 10 times since May 5.  That might be high.

But...

Everybody was going to Bend to do the High Cascades 100 Mountain Bike Race.  I had paid 

$250 to do it.  Darren had reserved a super nice condo.  The trails were suppose to be amazing.  I tormented myself for weeks about if I should go or not.  Darren said to just come and ride as far as I could, eat their support food.  Enjoy the day.   So I did.  I was terrified knowing how unprepared I was for this challenge.  Literally terrified.  What if I got lost.  What if I couldn't even make it to the first cut off....

5:30 a.m. start. 

 Terrified look, right?  Eyes glazed, deer in the headlights kind of thing.  Gives me butterflies to look at this picture and remember how I was feeling that morning!

Darren left me to get a good position in the front with the fast guys.  

I felt like riding back to the condo and spending the day cruising around Bend, I could rent a paddle board on the Deschutes River, I could eat at the yummy restaurants....

But off I went!  

This is me riding up Funner.  Probably around mile 30.

My friend AB was riding with me.  I kept telling him how unready I was for this. That he should really leave me and ride on.  I had nothing more to give and we were climbing slow.   I had to finally YELL at him to get him to leave me.  There may have been some hitting and a little swearing involved as well.  

It was a struggle for me. I got feeling bonky.  I can always tell, because I start getting off my bike a lot, start feeling really discouraged....and then it dawns on me DUH!!!! EAT!!!!!    I downed 600 calories in about 20 minutes.  I had two pieces of licorice in my mouth at a time.  I was famished.  Luckily, my stomach did not reject this sudden intake of Honey Stinger Waffles, pineapple flavored licorice, and peanut butter GU (mmmm I love peanut butter Gu). It took an hour to feel my energy come back.  But when it came I was so happy to be riding!  How had I even thought of not doing this ride?

I had a blast.  The trails were amazing.  The scenery incredible.  

There were some tough moments.  I filled my pack up with water at mile 29.  It was sooo heavy.  I drank a lot of it just to relieve the weight.  I flew down the descent smiling the whole way. I even passed two guys.    I came upon two riders at about 42 miles.  It was Lance and Celia!!!  I couldn't believe I had caught up to them. They were concerned about missing the cut of time at mile 56.  I had decided with Darren that 56 was my goal - could I even make it that far? But just to say I had made the cut off would be a good thing.  As soon as we started climbing again it wasn't long until all I could see was their dust.  I was alone again.

Soon after Lance and Celia's dust settled I sucked my last drop of Heed out of my pack.  Seriously?  12 miles left.  12 miles of climbing and I had no water?  Strangely, these are the moments that I think attract me to these events.  When all others worries in life become insignificant specks. When you fight against reality.  When you step out of the shadows of a protected, sheltered, safe life and into the broad daylight where all your weaknesses are exposed.  It was just me.  Just what my legs, lungs and I could do.  Which on this day, wasn't much compared to what the others in the race had.  But everything I had, I gave.

  All I had left in my pack was Shot Blocks.  Couldn't eat those without water! Yuck! As I was pushing my bike  I heard Darren's voice in my head,  "Lisa, you have to eat the blocks, you have to use what you have!" 

Pushing bike =  eat!  I am a slow learner.

This, of course, helped.  And I made it!  My longest continuous mountain bike ride ever.  

This is me at Dutchman's Pass with Mt. Bachelor in the background.  I missed the cut off.   And way at the back.  I have to admit I was happy to see others there missing the cutoff as well.  Misery loves company I guess.

Now for the exciting part of the story......

The part about Superman.  

This is Darren at Swampy.   He said the first 50 miles were hard.   Even his licorice didn't taste good.  That was his first clue that he was pushing too hard.  

He has trained hard.  Biked a lot.  Raced.  

He didn't feel strong a few weeks out from the race.  He needed a little break.  He backpacked into the Whiteclouds with the boys for a week and hiked a lot.  But it was enough of a break from biking to help his legs come back to life.

Darren at Dutchman's.  

His goal was to do it under 10 hours.

He came in at 9:05!  I can't even explain how incredibly fast that is.

He had three HARD crashes, as he explains it.  You can tell by the dirt on his right shoulder.  He said he got slammed a few times, and once the rider behind him had no choice but to ride over his tire.  He also said some not kind words....

I had gone home to shower and come back to see him come in.  He was already there!  I can't say I was surprised.

Even Superman gets tired and hot.

He took 7th in his age group.

His next "off the couch" activity is LOTOJA.  His main reason for all this training and madness this year is to do well there.  I think he's got it in the bag!

We had a great time in Bend.  We spent time with friends, ate great food.  I love the "biker-food" culture.  It's all about the food.  

Most want to go back to race next year.  Not me.  I want to go back to ride trails.  But I have no desire to train to ride that 100.  I have lost the fun factor.  I just want to ride because I feel like it, not because I have to.

Biking . Boating. Baseball.

Memorial Day went as follows.....

Darren left early to bike to Magic with the fast boys, leaving Justin, Brady and me to head to Indian Springs for some "real" biking...:)

Loved biking with my buddies!  

Brady showing off his smattering of cow pie.

He finished off the last 4 miles of this ride single speed style.....we will be visiting Mike and Mike soon!

It's been three weeks since the Ironman.saga and after drudging through life with heavy legs and heavier eyelids I feel (besides the cold I have had since before the race) like I might be getting my "groove" back.

I sent the boys home with the car and  rode my mountain bike the 10 miles back home down 3600, feeling for the first time in a long while that I might actually LIKE riding bikes.   May have even brought a tear or two to my eyes.

I came across TONS of road bikers going out 3600 who most certainly thought I should get the right kind of bike!  I think I might ride my mountain bike exclusively for a while......heaven knows I need to...hello Bend 100!  (Jury is still out on this one for me)

Then.....because we couldn't call it quits yet,  we did yard work

and then.......

kayaked with Sturgills.

Paige with baby ducks in back ground

and then.......

we did what REALLY needed to be done

Love a man with a vacuum!

I forgot to mention baseball practice......

Brady was a a little bit tired afterwards.  Now that he's in the league where they can steal  my laundry has been taken to a new level.

We also threw in a little Cafe Rio.

Maybe I should stop wondering why I have been so tired.

Post Edit:  the next day landed me in the Dr.'s office with a sinus infection, and to get that weird thing out of Paige's ear.  Never boring.

A little bowfishing and camping

Black Magic Canyon - February!

Playing a little blog catch up!