Happy Cinco de Mayo!! And a happy 60th birthday to my "stepmom", Kathy Young.
So, we arrived yesterday into St. George, Utah. The flight and travel issues were negligible and we had a smooth arrival. Keeping in mind our arising at 4 am, factor in the time change, we were pretty beat by 7pm St. George time.
We checked in, freshened up and head over to Dan's place for a fabulous dinner with friends, meeting spouses, parents and children of my fellow captains. It went by in a blur ... I feel so bonded to the captains, it's nice to get to know the family - support system - behind the athlete! We had dinner and socialized for way too short, but everyone understood the toll of travel on your body. Home at 7:30, sleeping by 8:30! THAT'S HOW WE ROLL!!
This morning, bright and early, I arose in preparation for my first open water swim at Sand Hollow. I had my full wetsuit - and it would be my first time using it. I was excited!! I was picked up at 6:30 by Brian, Vic, and Annie. The excitement was building ... with an underlying nervousness!
We all donned our wetsuits and headed down to the water. There, of course, were other athletes there as well. The other captains had "booties" I did not. I felt sad. :(
I entered the water and ... excuse my french ... HOLY SHIT~!!!! OMG, OMG, OMG - It HURT. It's 57 degrees. Ironman will lie and say it's warmer, but Brian has a thermometer and it consistently read 57 degrees F. Let me tell you ... I was OUT! NO WAY. NO - F'ing - WAY!!!! This HURT. I could not get past the cold on my bare feet. Maybe with neoprene booties, I might feel better, but hey, how likely can I get those NOW?? I folded up my arms and the look on my face CLEARLY indicated to all my friends that I COULD NOT DO THIS!!! I started on reasons to DNS - food poisoning. Vomiting. Meniscal tear. Migraine (never had one!). ANYTHING to get me OUT OF THIS!!!!. The captains kept coaxing me to give it a few moments, get my face in, and just acclimate. HOW!?!?!?! How does one acclimate to this??
I got my face wet. I said, if I'm going to try this, we've got to GO - SWIM!!! Dan lead the pack and I just bucked up and did it. It hurt for about 2 minutes. I always chant: I can do ANYTHING for 1 minute. So, two chants!! :) Honestly, after the few moments, I DID acclimate. And then the clouds parted (metaphorically speaking) and I saw the light: I. CAN. DO. THIS.!!!!!! And I did~! The longer I swam, the better it felt. We were in nearly 45 minutes and after the acclimation period, I was truly comfortable in the water. My feet didn't feel cold. Some of the others felt that their face was numb - and it was comical watching and hearing them try to talk - kind of like after being at the dentist and getting novacaine. I didn't experience that. Plus, I do have a bit of "blubber" for insulation, and I'll take it - I can drop that before Rev3, but HERE, I'll take it!!
All in all, it was a HUGE mental hurdle for me to overcome! A fellow captain is struggling with self-doubt. I've been there. We all have. My advice to her is to do your best and forget the rest. Be kind to yourself. Talk to yourself in the same way you'd talk to me, or any other captain. The truth is, this is HARD!! We got the HARDEST course out there. We kind of got screwed ... better judgement could have prevailed :) The next generation gets a 70.3. JEALOUS!!!!
We then headed over to the convention center and checked in, and picked up my bike from TBT. I get a few things and am hoping to go get something "gifty" for myself! After all, I will have conquered IMSG!!! Now I'm in my hotel room, chillaxing, set up all my bags, which I'll revisit tomorrow, and relaxing with a great book on my Kindle. I'm avoiding restaurants and being a tiny bit anti-social, but everyone totally understands. I need to focus, stay mellow, and rest. No cycling or running for this gal ... there will be PLENTY of that on Saturday. Gotta say, I'm really, REALLY getting excited!!! This won't set any land-speed records, but, due to the difficult topography, I'm aiming for a finish, and praying we all - all TEN of us - get what we want! One is shooting for a Kona Qualify, a few have times in their mind. I don't think I could pull off a 14 hr race, but I know I can finish this in the cutoff times, if things go as planned. I'm stoked!!!
Ed Slovenkay took today and rode the course. He has great advice for us, and he'll share it at tomorrow's dinner with our triabuddies. We all really value his input, and he's already made me feel better about the climbs, although "the wall" won't be pretty!! :) Based on the intense heat we are having, I was going to forgo the arm warmers and shoe covers, but according to Ed: USE THEM! Thanks for the input!! :)
Okay, checking out for now. Tomorrow, another Sand Hollow Swim is on the calendar for the morning, then bike check in later. Finally, dinner with triabuddies, and to bed at 7pm. I'm really excited for Saturday!!!
Hugs!
Tiff
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Ironman ... (author unknown)
I had this sent from fellow Triabetes Captain Jenny Crandell, and I like it a lot! Thought I'd share it here. It rings so incredibly true to me that I become overwhelmed with emotion when I read it. This IS what it's like, the best description of how you will struggle over 10, 12, 14, or 17 hours. The journey is personal. It's dark at times. It's inspiring and euphoric at other times. It's the most amazing experience I've ever had! Enjoy!
Right now you've all entered the taper. Perhaps you've been at this a few months, perhaps you've been at this a few years. For some of you this is your first IM, for others, a long-overdue welcome back to a race that few can match.
You've been following your schedule to the letter. You've been piling on the mileage, piling up the laundry, and getting a set of tan lines that will take until next year to erase. Long rides were followed by long runs, which both were preceded by long swims, all of which were followed by recovery naps that were longer than you slept for any given night during college.
You ran in the snow.
You rode in the rain.
You ran in the heat.
You ran in the cold.
You went out when others stayed home.
You rode the trainer when others pulled the covers over their heads.
You have survived the Darwinian progression that is an Ironman summer, and now the hardest days are behind you. Like a climber in the Tour de France
coming over the summit of the penultimate climb on an alpine stage, you've already covered so much ground...there's just one more climb to go. You shift up, you take a drink, you zip up the jersey; the descent lies before you...and it will be a fast one.
Time that used to be filled with never-ending work will now be filling with silent muscles, taking their final, well-earned rest. While this taper is something your body desperately needs, your mind cast off to the background for so very long, will start to speak to you.
It won't be pretty.
It will bring up thoughts of doubt, pain, hunger, thirst, failure, and loss. It will give you reasons why you aren't ready. It will try and make one last stand to stop you, because your brain doesn't know what the body already does. Your body knows the truth:
You are ready.
Your brain won't believe it. It will use the taper to convince you that this is foolish - that there is too much that can go wrong.
You are ready.
Finishing an Ironman is never an accident. It's the result of dedication, focus, hard work, and belief that all the long runs in January, long rides in April, and long swims every damn weekend will be worth it. It comes from getting on the bike, day in, day out. It comes from long, solo runs. From that first long run where you wondered, "How will I ever be ready?" to the
last long run where you smiled to yourself with one mile to go...knowing that you'd found the answer.
It is worth it. Now that you're at the taper, you know it will be worth it. The workload becomes less. The body winds up and prepares, and you just need to quiet your worried mind. Not easy, but you can do it.
You are ready.
You will walk into the water with 2000 other wide-open sets of eyes. You will look upon the sea of humanity, and know that you belong. You'll feel the chill of the water crawl into your wetsuit, and shiver like everyone
else, but smile because the day you have waited for so VERY long is finally here.
You will tear up in your goggles. Everyone does.
The helicopters will roar overhead. The splashing will surround you.
You'll stop thinking about Ironman, because you're now racing one.
The swim will be long - it's long for everyone, but you'll make it. You'll watch as the shoreline grows and grows, and soon you'll hear the end. You'll come up the beach and head for the wetsuit strippers. Three people will get that sucker off before you know what happening, then you'll head for the bike.
The voices, the cowbells, and the curb-to-curb chalk giving you a hero's sendoff can't wipe the smile off your face.
You'll settle down to your race. The crowds will spread out on the road. You'll soon be on your bike, eating your food on your schedule, controlling your Ironman.
You'll start to feel that morning sun turn to afternoon sun. It's warmer now. Maybe it's hot. Maybe you're not feeling so good now. You'll keep riding. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep moving. After all, this is just a
long training day with valet parking and catering, right?
You'll put on your game face, fighting the urge to feel down as you ride for what seems like hours. You reach special needs, fuel up, and head out.
By now it'll be hot. You'll be tired. Doubts will fight for your focus. Everyone struggles here. You've been on that bike for a few hours, and stopping would be nice, but you won't - not here. Not today.
You'll grind the false flats to the climb. You'll know you're almost there. You'll fight for every inch of road. The crowd will come back to you here. Let their energy push you. Let them see your eyes. Smile when they cheer for you - your body will get just that little bit lighter.
Grind.
Fight.
Suffer.
Persevere.
You'll plunge down the road, swooping from corner to corner, chaining together the turns, tucking on the straights, letting your legs recover for the run to come - soon! You'll roll back - you'll see people running out.
You'll think to yourself, "Wasn't I just here?" The noise
will grow. The chalk dust will hang in the air - you're back, with only 26.2
miles to go. You'll relax a little bit, knowing that even if you get a flat
tire or something breaks here, you can run the damn bike into T2.
You'll roll into transition. 100 volunteers will fight for your bike. You'll give it up and not look back. You'll have your bag handed to you, and into the tent you'll go. You'll change. You'll load up your pockets, and open the door to the last long run of your Ironman summer - the one that counts.
You'll take that first step of a thousand...and you'll smile. You'll know that the bike won't let you down now - the race is down to your own two feet. The same crowd that cheered for you in the shadows of the morning will cheer for you in the brilliant sunshine of a summer Sunday. High-five people on the way out. Smile. Enjoy it. This is what you've worked for all year
long.
That first mile will feel great. So will the second. By mile 3, you probably won't feel so good.
That's okay. You knew it couldn't all be that easy. You'll settle down just like you did on the bike, and get down to your pace. You'll see the leaders coming back the other way. Some will look great - some won't. You might feel great, you might not. No matter how you feel, don't panic - this is the part of the day where whatever you're feeling, you can be sure it won't last.
You'll keep moving. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep eating. Maybe you'll be right on plan - maybe you won't. If you're ahead of schedule, don't worry
- believe. If you're behind, don't panic - roll with it. Everyone comes up with a brilliant race plan for Ironman, and then everyone has to deal with the reality that planning for something like Ironman is like trying to land a man on the moon. By remote control. Blindfolded.
How you react to the changes in your plan will dictate your day. Don't waste energy worrying about things - just do what you have to when you have to, and keep moving. Keep eating. Keep drinking. Just don't sit down - don't EVER sit down.
You'll make it to the halfway point. You'll load up on special needs. Some of what you packed will look good, some won't. Eat what looks good, toss the
rest. Keep moving. Start looking for people you know. Cheer for people you don't. You're headed in - they're not. They want to be where you are, just like you wanted to be when you saw all those fast people
headed into town. Share some energy - you'll get it right back.
Run if you can.
Walk if you have to.
Just keep moving.
The miles will drag on. The brilliant sunshine will yawn. You'll be coming up to those aid stations fully alive with people, music, and chicken soup. TAKE THE SOUP. Keep moving.
You'll soon only have a few miles to go. You'll start to believe that you're going to make it. You'll start to imagine how good it's going to feel when you get there. Let those feelings drive you on. When your legs just don't want to move anymore, think about what it's going to be like when someone catches you.and puts a medal over your head... all you have to do is get there.
You'll start to hear the people in town. People you can't see in the twilight will cheer for you. They'll call out your name. Smile and thank them. They were there when you left on the bike, and when you came back, and when you left on the run, and now when you've come back.
You'll enter town. You'll start to realize that the day is almost over. You'll be exhausted, wiped out, barely able to run a 10-minute mile (if you're lucky), but you'll ask yourself, "Where did the whole day go?" You'll
be standing on the edge of two feelings - the desire to finally stop, and the desire to take these last moments and make them last as long as possible.
You'll hit mile 25. Your Ironman will have 1.2 miles - just 2KM left in it.
You'll run. You'll find your legs. You'll fly. You won't know how, but you will run. The lights will grow brighter, brighter, and brighter. Soon you'll be able to hear the music again. This time, it'll be for keeps.
Soon they'll see you. Soon, everyone will see you. You'll run towards the lights, between the fences, and into the night sun made just for you.
They'll say your name.
You'll keep running.
Nothing will hurt.
The moment will be yours - for one moment, the entire world will be looking at you and only you.
You'll break the tape at the finish line, 140.6 miles after starting your journey. The flash will go off.
You'll stop. You'll finally stop. Your legs will wobble their last, and suddenly...be capable of nothing more.
Someone will catch you. You'll lean into them.
It will suddenly hit you...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!
You are ready.
Right now you've all entered the taper. Perhaps you've been at this a few months, perhaps you've been at this a few years. For some of you this is your first IM, for others, a long-overdue welcome back to a race that few can match.
You've been following your schedule to the letter. You've been piling on the mileage, piling up the laundry, and getting a set of tan lines that will take until next year to erase. Long rides were followed by long runs, which both were preceded by long swims, all of which were followed by recovery naps that were longer than you slept for any given night during college.
You ran in the snow.
You rode in the rain.
You ran in the heat.
You ran in the cold.
You went out when others stayed home.
You rode the trainer when others pulled the covers over their heads.
You have survived the Darwinian progression that is an Ironman summer, and now the hardest days are behind you. Like a climber in the Tour de France
coming over the summit of the penultimate climb on an alpine stage, you've already covered so much ground...there's just one more climb to go. You shift up, you take a drink, you zip up the jersey; the descent lies before you...and it will be a fast one.
Time that used to be filled with never-ending work will now be filling with silent muscles, taking their final, well-earned rest. While this taper is something your body desperately needs, your mind cast off to the background for so very long, will start to speak to you.
It won't be pretty.
It will bring up thoughts of doubt, pain, hunger, thirst, failure, and loss. It will give you reasons why you aren't ready. It will try and make one last stand to stop you, because your brain doesn't know what the body already does. Your body knows the truth:
You are ready.
Your brain won't believe it. It will use the taper to convince you that this is foolish - that there is too much that can go wrong.
You are ready.
Finishing an Ironman is never an accident. It's the result of dedication, focus, hard work, and belief that all the long runs in January, long rides in April, and long swims every damn weekend will be worth it. It comes from getting on the bike, day in, day out. It comes from long, solo runs. From that first long run where you wondered, "How will I ever be ready?" to the
last long run where you smiled to yourself with one mile to go...knowing that you'd found the answer.
It is worth it. Now that you're at the taper, you know it will be worth it. The workload becomes less. The body winds up and prepares, and you just need to quiet your worried mind. Not easy, but you can do it.
You are ready.
You will walk into the water with 2000 other wide-open sets of eyes. You will look upon the sea of humanity, and know that you belong. You'll feel the chill of the water crawl into your wetsuit, and shiver like everyone
else, but smile because the day you have waited for so VERY long is finally here.
You will tear up in your goggles. Everyone does.
The helicopters will roar overhead. The splashing will surround you.
You'll stop thinking about Ironman, because you're now racing one.
The swim will be long - it's long for everyone, but you'll make it. You'll watch as the shoreline grows and grows, and soon you'll hear the end. You'll come up the beach and head for the wetsuit strippers. Three people will get that sucker off before you know what happening, then you'll head for the bike.
The voices, the cowbells, and the curb-to-curb chalk giving you a hero's sendoff can't wipe the smile off your face.
You'll settle down to your race. The crowds will spread out on the road. You'll soon be on your bike, eating your food on your schedule, controlling your Ironman.
You'll start to feel that morning sun turn to afternoon sun. It's warmer now. Maybe it's hot. Maybe you're not feeling so good now. You'll keep riding. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep moving. After all, this is just a
long training day with valet parking and catering, right?
You'll put on your game face, fighting the urge to feel down as you ride for what seems like hours. You reach special needs, fuel up, and head out.
By now it'll be hot. You'll be tired. Doubts will fight for your focus. Everyone struggles here. You've been on that bike for a few hours, and stopping would be nice, but you won't - not here. Not today.
You'll grind the false flats to the climb. You'll know you're almost there. You'll fight for every inch of road. The crowd will come back to you here. Let their energy push you. Let them see your eyes. Smile when they cheer for you - your body will get just that little bit lighter.
Grind.
Fight.
Suffer.
Persevere.
You'll plunge down the road, swooping from corner to corner, chaining together the turns, tucking on the straights, letting your legs recover for the run to come - soon! You'll roll back - you'll see people running out.
You'll think to yourself, "Wasn't I just here?" The noise
will grow. The chalk dust will hang in the air - you're back, with only 26.2
miles to go. You'll relax a little bit, knowing that even if you get a flat
tire or something breaks here, you can run the damn bike into T2.
You'll roll into transition. 100 volunteers will fight for your bike. You'll give it up and not look back. You'll have your bag handed to you, and into the tent you'll go. You'll change. You'll load up your pockets, and open the door to the last long run of your Ironman summer - the one that counts.
You'll take that first step of a thousand...and you'll smile. You'll know that the bike won't let you down now - the race is down to your own two feet. The same crowd that cheered for you in the shadows of the morning will cheer for you in the brilliant sunshine of a summer Sunday. High-five people on the way out. Smile. Enjoy it. This is what you've worked for all year
long.
That first mile will feel great. So will the second. By mile 3, you probably won't feel so good.
That's okay. You knew it couldn't all be that easy. You'll settle down just like you did on the bike, and get down to your pace. You'll see the leaders coming back the other way. Some will look great - some won't. You might feel great, you might not. No matter how you feel, don't panic - this is the part of the day where whatever you're feeling, you can be sure it won't last.
You'll keep moving. You'll keep drinking. You'll keep eating. Maybe you'll be right on plan - maybe you won't. If you're ahead of schedule, don't worry
- believe. If you're behind, don't panic - roll with it. Everyone comes up with a brilliant race plan for Ironman, and then everyone has to deal with the reality that planning for something like Ironman is like trying to land a man on the moon. By remote control. Blindfolded.
How you react to the changes in your plan will dictate your day. Don't waste energy worrying about things - just do what you have to when you have to, and keep moving. Keep eating. Keep drinking. Just don't sit down - don't EVER sit down.
You'll make it to the halfway point. You'll load up on special needs. Some of what you packed will look good, some won't. Eat what looks good, toss the
rest. Keep moving. Start looking for people you know. Cheer for people you don't. You're headed in - they're not. They want to be where you are, just like you wanted to be when you saw all those fast people
headed into town. Share some energy - you'll get it right back.
Run if you can.
Walk if you have to.
Just keep moving.
The miles will drag on. The brilliant sunshine will yawn. You'll be coming up to those aid stations fully alive with people, music, and chicken soup. TAKE THE SOUP. Keep moving.
You'll soon only have a few miles to go. You'll start to believe that you're going to make it. You'll start to imagine how good it's going to feel when you get there. Let those feelings drive you on. When your legs just don't want to move anymore, think about what it's going to be like when someone catches you.and puts a medal over your head... all you have to do is get there.
You'll start to hear the people in town. People you can't see in the twilight will cheer for you. They'll call out your name. Smile and thank them. They were there when you left on the bike, and when you came back, and when you left on the run, and now when you've come back.
You'll enter town. You'll start to realize that the day is almost over. You'll be exhausted, wiped out, barely able to run a 10-minute mile (if you're lucky), but you'll ask yourself, "Where did the whole day go?" You'll
be standing on the edge of two feelings - the desire to finally stop, and the desire to take these last moments and make them last as long as possible.
You'll hit mile 25. Your Ironman will have 1.2 miles - just 2KM left in it.
You'll run. You'll find your legs. You'll fly. You won't know how, but you will run. The lights will grow brighter, brighter, and brighter. Soon you'll be able to hear the music again. This time, it'll be for keeps.
Soon they'll see you. Soon, everyone will see you. You'll run towards the lights, between the fences, and into the night sun made just for you.
They'll say your name.
You'll keep running.
Nothing will hurt.
The moment will be yours - for one moment, the entire world will be looking at you and only you.
You'll break the tape at the finish line, 140.6 miles after starting your journey. The flash will go off.
You'll stop. You'll finally stop. Your legs will wobble their last, and suddenly...be capable of nothing more.
Someone will catch you. You'll lean into them.
It will suddenly hit you...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!
You are ready.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Reality Check
Sooooo ... it's been a long time since I've blogged :( SORRY!! I'll try to bring you up to date and share my latest escapades with you.
First, in BIG NEWS: I reached my fund-raising goal!!! WOOT! WOOT!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of you who have supported me. I am so grateful and touched, it's hard to put into words how much all your support has meant to me. Friends from childhood, HS, vet school, former co-workers, colleagues, cyber-friends, my "peeps", my family and even support from people I didn't know very well at all, just very peripherally through triathlon. The love ... I'm definitely feeling it!! I get very verklempt when I think of all the amazing support I've received over this past year. And I've truly come to understand the challenges that come with fund-raising for a charity. I feel very strongly that my charity - Insulindependence, and Triabetes, just one of their outreach programs, is changing lives for children and adults with diabetes. You can see all the amazing people who've supported me, several with two or more donations, HERE.
In other news, many things are happening, some good, some bad. Where to start ... PUMP! I have been thinking about getting an insulin pump. My doc said, when I brought it up, "It's about time!" I had no idea he'd thought it was an option for me! He sees mostly senior patients, so I'm a bit of an outlier for him. I've definitely brought challenges to him that he's not had to deal with before! But to his credit, he's been supportive, ponders my issues, and comes up with a plan. We try it. Sometimes it works, sometimes, not so much. He has zero experience with endurance athlete diabetics, so I give him credit for respecting what *I* bring to the table, as both a veterinarian with a strong medical background and being pretty knowledgeable in the disease, and in my experiences and challenges as I encounter them.
After researching, I chose Animas Ping as the pump for me. I had just gotten done discussing costs with Animas, who worked with my insurance to figure out my cost. To paint the picture, I have "terrible" insurance - basically, catastrophic insurance. It's a high-deductible HSA - $10,000 high. So, basically I pay for everything. I had just recovered from buying my new carbon Felt bike, and my next venture was to tackle the purchase of a pump. My Dexcom was purchased in the summer and it's supplies are an ongoing ebb and flow of cash-flow drain. I've gone weeks and a few months without it, just to pay other bills. Girl's got a mortgage, needs groceries, and has 3 kids! Let alone paying for my races!! Let's get our priorities straight here! :) So, the plan was to pull the trigger with a 10% down payment in April on my Animas. Late March, my father, who lives in Florida, and is NOT on Facebook, hears from his wife that I'm about to get this pump. He sends me this email: I've got one, not using it, not gonna use it, they won't take it back ... do you want it?" (paraphrasing!) Um, YEAH!!!! SEND IT NOW! I'll pay for shipping!!! He sends it promptly and I'm totally stoked at 1) GETTING A PUMP and 2) Getting it for FREE! (plus 3 months supplies ... which, with aseptic technique, I can stretch out to 6 months, I bet!). Now for the insulin. I'll need to change ... Apidra is FAR too pricey for my pump. So after researching and consulting, I chose to start on Humalog, as it's cheapest. My doc calls it in and I call the pharmacy for the price of 2 x 10 ml bottles: $252. Um no!
How about ONE? $114. Okay. I then turn to a Canadian pharmacy where I can get 5 bottles for $145. Or 10 bottles for about $250. Free shipping. I don't want to get into expiration of insulin, so I got 5 bottles, which takes about 2 weeks to process. This will be fine for me. I then consult with my peeps, including my friend Veronica Diaz, a nutritionist and CDE, as well as my local Animas rep, and we calculate my basal, overnight and carb/insulin ration, as well as my insulin sensitivity number. There were formerly all unknown to me! I had a crash course in pump training. I self-trained! The video was clear and helpful. I did 1 day on sterile saline then I pulled the trigger and loaded up the pump with Humalog. The first week was good! The second week was GREAT! Unbeknownst to me, I had my quarterly Endo appt. on Friday. Brought in my Dexcom and they could see a HUGE improvement in just the 2 weeks. Before my graph bounced from 30 to 450 and looked ugly and bad ... now it's tight! I'm in range almost the entire time! Boo yah!
Next up: Weight gain. This time last year I weight 120 lbs. I was happy there. It was a fine number for me and I work clothes with a cute little number. Last Sunday I stepped on the scale: 147. Yes. I'VE GAINED 27 lbs since starting insulin!!! Are there SOME other variables, sure. But not too much. It's the insulin. It puts that glucose into your body - and if you aren't burning it, it turns to fat. Clearly I'm not burning enough calories. I knew my clothes were getting tighter. It's a slippery slope and I was scared to head back into those big numbers again. I don't want to buy new clothes. And I don't want to be a stuffed sausage in my triathlon kits!! That's not a pretty picture for ANYONE!!!
I desperately reached out to Veronica for some guidance. Could she put together a nutrition plan for me for the next 4 weeks so I can drop some weight before this race?? I had run a half marathon the Sunday of the 147 and I felt SO SLUGGISH, like I was moving through molasses. I need to drop weight, and drop it fast. But fasting is NOT healthy and I can't risk the negative effects of dieting drastically before this race. I was in a BAD place, emotionally. Veronica was amazing and got me a meal plan to keep me focused. I wanted 1200 calories a day, but she fears it's too little. So, she made a 1200 cal day, 1500 cal day and 1800 cal day - with the thought being that if I'm doing a century ride and am in the saddle for 8 hrs, or running a 25 K, I need 1800 calories for those days. Okay - fair enough! She's the expert! I am SO grateful for the help. I've lost 6 lbs to date. I'm optimistic. I'm imposing strict "no crap" limits ... which is hard this time of year - EASTER - with all those delicious peeps and Reeses eggs! :( Very sad. But necessary and I'm DESPERATE to drop at least 10 lbs by race day. Larger goal is 115-118 for September's Rev3 full distance triathlon, my "A" race. Doable. As is my goal of dropping an hour off of that race time, but that's a story for another day.
So, in struggling with these issues, I find myself somewhat bipolar in experiencing panic, depression, disgust, anger at my lack of self-control and self-discipline, optimistic, trying to be supportive of myself, as I would be for any single one of my friends (why are we so much harder on ourselves???!!!???). I've owned my issues. Owned my culpability, and acknowledge that a lot of it is NOT my fault too, and I'm putting it out there - for accountability.
Moving on. Did a half-mary 2 weeks ago. Eh, it was not my best performance, but a decent training run, and chance to work with the pump in a race setting. I'd grade it as a solid C performance.
This past weekend, I upped the ante with a 25K race. I knew (know) my race holds up to about mile 9, MAYBE 13, but then deteriorates exponentially after that, so this was an effort to strengthen that. I had new shoes, which is always risky. It was a fine day, weather wise. I felt good! I had a nice steady pace going until ... mile 9. Then started the walk/run method, which is a great strategy for the IM "run" leg. I walk fast, powerful, and swing my arms like a pendulum - a drive train - opening up my gait and moving me forward faster than any other "walker". I would run until my HR hit 168 - that's where I hurt, walk for about 30-90 seconds, letting it drop down to 158, then start up again running, feeling "refreshed". That worked well ... for a while. Then some blisters started on the balls of my feet. Eh, I knew that was a possibility. The thing that, in hind sight, bums me out, is that Angie Ridgel had suggested Aquaphor in the past, and I forgot to try it! Grrr. I will try it on my long run this Friday. My BG was great - no issues there. Got passed by some friends - no biggie, I can handle it. Got passed by the plus-sized girls (you GO girls!). Yes, I could handle it. Got passed by an old man - I'm talking 70s! (Way to go buddy!). Feeling a bit dejected by this time, but still, it's just a training run, no reason to make this more of a "failure" right? Then, come to realize ... I'm DEAD LAST. Yes. LAST. And to add insult to injury, the "pace car" decides to "idle" along side me the entire last mile (that I forced myself to run, out of pure humiliation!!) Dude, do you have to drive next to me, at 1 mph? Can't you drive ahead and say, hey, our last runner has a blue hat - she's a mile out. That would have been SO much less humiliating!!! UGH! (Possibly, to their defense - they DID know I was diabetic, because at the last aid station I asked them to top off my gatorade with some concentrate, so I wouldn't need to drink as much volume. They had it "put away"... do I want them to go get it?? No. I'm okay. Then about 5 min later they came chasing after me with the concentrate ... I think they were worried about me ... or, at least let me believe that, rather than the "snail-pace" runner!) My average pace was 11:23/mi ...knowing I did a 9:10 mile pace for the first 8-9 miles, you can see that I deteriorated. But hell, I wasn't CRAWLING!!
Okay, that was humiliating. Clearly I have lots of work to do. I go home and guess what: Hematuria and glucosuria :( Laymans terms: The stones are on the move (or less likely, exercised-induced hematuria) No ketones though. Okay - I'm convinced - I will call urologist MONDAY!
Moving on, SUNDAY was to be my big century ride. Remember folks, I live in Cleveland! We don't get to ride outside until APRIL typically. This would be my MAIDEN VOYAGE for Felicity, my new Felt B16 Carbon Triathlon bike. I was invited to join a group of riders leaving out of Brecksville by the awesome Ed Slovenkay. Now, many of my Triabetes Captains know Ed, for all of his awesomeness, but let me tell you, what you know, is not even the tip of the iceberg! This guy is such an amazing athlete!! And, he's taken on a bit of a coaching role for me, as well as a positive supporter of Triabetes. His step-daughter Rachel is my triabuddy! I got lucky with a triabuddy and a very cool friend when I met Ed.
To give you a bit more background on Ed, he's done 2 IM that I'm aware of, and does them in, like, 10 hrs or something ridiculously good like that. This year he's training for IMLP (which I'm going to as an IRONFAN - CAN"T WAIT!!!) and hopes to qualify for Kona, as he's turning "40" (Oh, so old!!). Well, I see him training each Sunday, and hear of his workouts, and I will put $1000 down that Ed Slovenkay qualifies for Kona this year! He's just such a committed, knowledgeable, and superb athlete! And he's very humble and gracious ... not one of those blow-hards that are good and know it!
Getting back to my RIVETING story ... Ed invited me to ride with his group. Knowing FULL WELL, I am SOOOO out of his league, I put out several FB calls for B riders to join me. No takers. Well, my bad, because I am NOT a "B" rider ... I'm a C- rider. This is factual and irrevocable at this particular point in my "triathlon career". So, no takers. I'm okay with this. I've done 2 full century rides, not including IM races, both solo. I think there is a lot to be said by doing this alone. It simulates the mentality you face on race day. Right??? You are ALONE on your race day ... with only yourself to motivate or criticize yourself. So, I was fully prepared to ride alone!!! This is absolutely true and I wish I'd had made this clear to Ed from the onset. He assured me I wouldn't be dropped, but that just went out the door, as I never planned to stay with him at all. In hindsight, I should have had this conversation with him prior to Sunday.
He'd sent the course, and I had the cue sheet. I was familiar with much of the route. I was nervous, mostly because I didn't know most of the riders, and, it was to be my first ride on Felicity. There's an adjustment - like learning where your brakes are, how to shift, and fine-tuning your "stuff". I had a backpack - which had everything I needed for a LONG day. The weather was set to be in the 70's. I arrived at Starbucks and chatted briefly with Steve Thompson and Kim Shaheen. Janet Edwards arrived, and Martha Wood, everyone else, I did not know. I was very nervous by this time ... I can't explain why ... I'm typically pretty social and fine in these situations, but they all had their BAFF kit or Fleet Feet, whatever - they were all WAY better cyclists - a huge group of "A" riders. So, my HR was up from the get go.
We started out on 21 south. If you know the area ... it's an undulating climb. And climb, and climb. Long rises, not steep. By 30 seconds into the ride, I was topping out at 172 HR. Panic. I couldn't catch my breath. I was afraid to shift my gears into a lower gear and the pack pulled away EXPONENTIALLY! It was quite dramatic. I did a lot of self-talk: It's okay, just let them go, you'll enjoy this so much more. (bullshit! still felt bad!) I also felt like about 496 lbs and couldn't catch my breath. I made a decision right then and there: I AM NOT - NOT!!! - doing IMSG. I'm OUT! I will fake an ACL tear. Pass a friggin' kidney stone. Swerve into an oncoming vehicle to create some catastrophe ... but I am SOOOOOOO - SO - NOT DOING IMSG!!! F-this!!! I'm not ready. I wish I could get the last 6 months back ... I feel like I've never ridden a bike before. I was happy to be distracted with all the possibilities to bald-face lie to get out of doing St. George. It was NOT going to happen. Shit, I'm not even going to spectate. Who was the G.D. imbecile that thought IMSG was a "good idea" for an average person to take on??? I could kill him/her right now!!!
By this time, the pack is LONG GONE. My HR comes down. I'm still OUT for IMSG, but I figure I'll just enjoy this ride and use it to build for my "A" race in September. Next thing I know, I see a rider heading back (against traffic!!) and I KNOW it's Ed ... he's feeling crappy. Well, it WAS Ed. He's trying to pump me up ... but I'm WAY, WAY, WAY out of his league. He says, c'mon, draft, I'll pull you! Dude, you'd need a John Deere and tow rope to pull me! I tell him I'm fine, please, go back with your group. I'll feel awful if you babysit me. I'm FINE. I'm fully prepared. I have EVERYTHING I could possibly need, including the cue sheet, and I promise to call if I have trouble. PLEASE rejoin your group!!??!! I cannot handle the guilt of you riding with me today. You go work on your goal - I want you to make it to Kona so "I" can say I know a Kona qualifier!!! He FINALLY believes that I mean what I say ... he makes me promise to call if I need him, then he was off in a flash catching that long-gone peloton. Whew. Now I can just do my ride.
My plan was to ride 50 miles south, turn around and come back. Little did I know 21 dead-ends into 18 in Montrose. I stop there to use the facilities at a hotel, check in, and sent Ed a long text reiterating that I'm really, REALLY fine. I posted on FB (how could you expect that I would not??!!??), just to let hubby and friends know I'm okay. I'm in Montrose - never been there before. I pull up my iphone GPS and see that I can take Sand Run (or something similar) east and eventually end up in the CVNP. So, that's what I do. I loved that ride - by this time it had gone from CHILLY to nice, and there were lots of people out, on this first, beautiful weekend. It was very enjoyable ride! I was learning my bike, and I must say that my Adamo saddle is Da Bomb!!! Love it!!! I was pretty damned comfortable given the 8.5 hours on the bike ... but I digress ...
Turning onto Riverview Rd was a familiar ride to me and I knew of the steep climbs I'd encounter at, specifically, 3 separate spots. I'll own it: I dismounted and walked 3 separate climbs. Hey, it's the level of rider I am - I wasn't able to complete the climbs on the bike. The weather was great, and there were tons of riders out - I had a super ride. I took Riverview all the way up to Chillicothe Rd (Rt. 82) and looped back to my car. Had 2 Clif bars, texted Ed letting him know I was half done, and he was at mile 75. He thought we might see each other, but I knew otherwise ... there is no way in hell I'll be there when you will, you'll be long gone! :) By this time, it was getting quite warm so I took off my arm warmers and my cycling boots and made the best decision of the day: I would REVERSE the loop for the second lap! I was feeling tired, but not exhausted. I was ready.
Now, I should backtrack a bit to say that I'm a nervous rider. It's improved over time, but I'm still pretty sure that any day I'm doing a long ride, I am likely going to die. Hit by car, specifically. So many drivers are unaware that legally then need to share the road. So, I am resolved that this will be my final day of life, and I am at peace with this. But, on THIS particular day, I am NOT at peace with it. You see, while I know that my children will be sad to lose their mother, and my husband will be sad to be a widower, my primary concern on THIS day, is that if today is the day of my demise, it will be on my BFF's BIRTHDAY, and that's a shitty anniversary of the death of your friend. AND, should I perish today, poor Ed Slovenkay will likely feel wracked with guilt and spiral down into a deep depression, and there will go his Kona aspirations for 2011! I just cannot have TODAY be my death day! So, I was very diligent in my safety, taking breaks when I needed them, and being sure that when I became fatigued, I would take a rest and stretch, rest, eat and hydrate. I was on no timeline here. There were moments where I was a bit shaky on the bike, due to exhaustion, but I quickly refocused and was sure to do my best not to die on 4/10/2011! :)
Clearly I did not die! AND, the pinnacle of the ride was the GLORIOUS descent down the undulating hills of Rt. 21! I topped out at 42 mph! I felt good and was happy to be done. I texted Ed to let him know I was done, and safe. He replied that, while he was happy for me, he felt very guilty. NO!! No, No, NO!! Guilt is SUCH an unproductive emotion! There was NOTHING to feel guilty about. I had a good day. It was fun. I felt better ... even to the point of rethinking my DNS from St. George. (Yes, I'm going to do it!). This day was exactly what I needed. I built up my mental toughness, I worked on some mental race strategies, and, overall, had a really good day!! If Ed was going to feel crappy about any of this, it would take away all the GOOD it did for me. I was emphatic that I was FULLY prepared to ride solo and he had to PROMISE me not to feel guilty. He relented, and I hope he means it! He's such a great guy ... and I'm greatful for everything that happened that day! I learned a lot about myself on Sunday. A LOT. I did it. And while I'll never be a podium threat, that's not at all what Ironman is for me ... it's the personal, private testing of the limits of what I can do physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm okay being an average age-grouper. More than okay - I'm proud! How many of my friends are Ironman finishers? Not a huge percentage! And I'm proud of anyone that tackles ANY challenge ... it's pushing the limits and seeing what you are made of. I didn't curl into a ball and cry (although, in all honesty, there might have been a nanosecond of thought of doing that!) :)
Finally, moving on ... my BG was fab the entire day on Sunday. Today? Not so much. No hematuria. No glycosuria. But ketones. :( I always have a rough few days after an exertional event or training session. I'm finally below 200 (157 at 6:30pm) after being between 350-450 all day. I struggle with hitting that bolus button. I feel like each bolus hit will plop another pound on my ass. That's not acceptable!! So, it's this challenging situation that I am unsure if I'll ever perfect. I have GOOD days, where I'm optimistic, and all Pollyanna in my attitude about the 'betes ... then there are the dark, gloomy days where I wonder if I'm going to need to buy new clothes, moving up a size. NOOOOOO! I don't want that!! Sometimes I feel like I need to choose between being fit (and "thinner") and having high BGs, or having good BGs and plumping up. Now, I DO know how shallow that sounds ... but ladies, c'mon, you know what I mean, right??? As someone who topped out at over 212, I fear that backslide. I'm trying to find that balance where maybe I'm not a size 4, with a crappy A1c, and not a size 16 with a great A1c. It's an irrational fear, but it's my reality ... my blog, so I get to say what I feel. I want to weigh 118 and wear size 6 ... AND have an A1c of 6.1! Is that too much to ask?? Okay, I'll drop this ... my point is not to inflame anyone, or to judge - that's not who I am - except for myself. My struggles are personal and real and often VERY, VERY HARD. It's hard to watch that muffin-top develop over that kit that used to fit oh-so-well. So, I'll continue to work with my dietician, my support peeps, and do the RIGHT thing, which is not always the easiest thing.
So, there you have it! You are up to date ... please know that IMSG is a survival race for me. I am NOT good with hills. I'm a hill wimp. IMSG is chalk full ofmountains hills, and I saw first hand how hard that course was for what appeared to be super-fit athletes last year. I am not afraid to admit it: I AM SCARED! I'm scared of DNFing. I'm not afraid of pain. I just don't want to fail - at this - the finale of my incredible journey as a Triabetes Captain. So, with that being said, if you are open to helping me strengthen my ride and run over these next 3 weeks, PLEASE, ask me to join you. I'll do my best, I won't beat myself up, I don't need you to babysit me, but I can use all the ass-prodding I can get to get out and cycle, run. While most of my other captains are beginning taper, I am just not ready. I have no injuries, I need to toughen up my feet, and ... ugh ... get in Lake Erie for 15 minutes, so I will continue with my base building, since I cannot find a time-machine to get me back to December. I must continue with what I have, and build on it a bit more. Three more weeks for me. Oh, and one last item ... I meet with my urologist Wed. after having x-rays. I'm going to try to schedule Lithotripsy for April 29th. My urologist is cool, a realist, and if I'm totally nuts to consider this, she'll tell me. We'll just have to see how it plays out! Damn you, kidney stones!!!
Peace out, my beloved Peeps!!
OXOX
Tiff
First, in BIG NEWS: I reached my fund-raising goal!!! WOOT! WOOT!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of you who have supported me. I am so grateful and touched, it's hard to put into words how much all your support has meant to me. Friends from childhood, HS, vet school, former co-workers, colleagues, cyber-friends, my "peeps", my family and even support from people I didn't know very well at all, just very peripherally through triathlon. The love ... I'm definitely feeling it!! I get very verklempt when I think of all the amazing support I've received over this past year. And I've truly come to understand the challenges that come with fund-raising for a charity. I feel very strongly that my charity - Insulindependence, and Triabetes, just one of their outreach programs, is changing lives for children and adults with diabetes. You can see all the amazing people who've supported me, several with two or more donations, HERE.
In other news, many things are happening, some good, some bad. Where to start ... PUMP! I have been thinking about getting an insulin pump. My doc said, when I brought it up, "It's about time!" I had no idea he'd thought it was an option for me! He sees mostly senior patients, so I'm a bit of an outlier for him. I've definitely brought challenges to him that he's not had to deal with before! But to his credit, he's been supportive, ponders my issues, and comes up with a plan. We try it. Sometimes it works, sometimes, not so much. He has zero experience with endurance athlete diabetics, so I give him credit for respecting what *I* bring to the table, as both a veterinarian with a strong medical background and being pretty knowledgeable in the disease, and in my experiences and challenges as I encounter them.
After researching, I chose Animas Ping as the pump for me. I had just gotten done discussing costs with Animas, who worked with my insurance to figure out my cost. To paint the picture, I have "terrible" insurance - basically, catastrophic insurance. It's a high-deductible HSA - $10,000 high. So, basically I pay for everything. I had just recovered from buying my new carbon Felt bike, and my next venture was to tackle the purchase of a pump. My Dexcom was purchased in the summer and it's supplies are an ongoing ebb and flow of cash-flow drain. I've gone weeks and a few months without it, just to pay other bills. Girl's got a mortgage, needs groceries, and has 3 kids! Let alone paying for my races!! Let's get our priorities straight here! :) So, the plan was to pull the trigger with a 10% down payment in April on my Animas. Late March, my father, who lives in Florida, and is NOT on Facebook, hears from his wife that I'm about to get this pump. He sends me this email: I've got one, not using it, not gonna use it, they won't take it back ... do you want it?" (paraphrasing!) Um, YEAH!!!! SEND IT NOW! I'll pay for shipping!!! He sends it promptly and I'm totally stoked at 1) GETTING A PUMP and 2) Getting it for FREE! (plus 3 months supplies ... which, with aseptic technique, I can stretch out to 6 months, I bet!). Now for the insulin. I'll need to change ... Apidra is FAR too pricey for my pump. So after researching and consulting, I chose to start on Humalog, as it's cheapest. My doc calls it in and I call the pharmacy for the price of 2 x 10 ml bottles: $252. Um no!
How about ONE? $114. Okay. I then turn to a Canadian pharmacy where I can get 5 bottles for $145. Or 10 bottles for about $250. Free shipping. I don't want to get into expiration of insulin, so I got 5 bottles, which takes about 2 weeks to process. This will be fine for me. I then consult with my peeps, including my friend Veronica Diaz, a nutritionist and CDE, as well as my local Animas rep, and we calculate my basal, overnight and carb/insulin ration, as well as my insulin sensitivity number. There were formerly all unknown to me! I had a crash course in pump training. I self-trained! The video was clear and helpful. I did 1 day on sterile saline then I pulled the trigger and loaded up the pump with Humalog. The first week was good! The second week was GREAT! Unbeknownst to me, I had my quarterly Endo appt. on Friday. Brought in my Dexcom and they could see a HUGE improvement in just the 2 weeks. Before my graph bounced from 30 to 450 and looked ugly and bad ... now it's tight! I'm in range almost the entire time! Boo yah!
Next up: Weight gain. This time last year I weight 120 lbs. I was happy there. It was a fine number for me and I work clothes with a cute little number. Last Sunday I stepped on the scale: 147. Yes. I'VE GAINED 27 lbs since starting insulin!!! Are there SOME other variables, sure. But not too much. It's the insulin. It puts that glucose into your body - and if you aren't burning it, it turns to fat. Clearly I'm not burning enough calories. I knew my clothes were getting tighter. It's a slippery slope and I was scared to head back into those big numbers again. I don't want to buy new clothes. And I don't want to be a stuffed sausage in my triathlon kits!! That's not a pretty picture for ANYONE!!!
I desperately reached out to Veronica for some guidance. Could she put together a nutrition plan for me for the next 4 weeks so I can drop some weight before this race?? I had run a half marathon the Sunday of the 147 and I felt SO SLUGGISH, like I was moving through molasses. I need to drop weight, and drop it fast. But fasting is NOT healthy and I can't risk the negative effects of dieting drastically before this race. I was in a BAD place, emotionally. Veronica was amazing and got me a meal plan to keep me focused. I wanted 1200 calories a day, but she fears it's too little. So, she made a 1200 cal day, 1500 cal day and 1800 cal day - with the thought being that if I'm doing a century ride and am in the saddle for 8 hrs, or running a 25 K, I need 1800 calories for those days. Okay - fair enough! She's the expert! I am SO grateful for the help. I've lost 6 lbs to date. I'm optimistic. I'm imposing strict "no crap" limits ... which is hard this time of year - EASTER - with all those delicious peeps and Reeses eggs! :( Very sad. But necessary and I'm DESPERATE to drop at least 10 lbs by race day. Larger goal is 115-118 for September's Rev3 full distance triathlon, my "A" race. Doable. As is my goal of dropping an hour off of that race time, but that's a story for another day.
So, in struggling with these issues, I find myself somewhat bipolar in experiencing panic, depression, disgust, anger at my lack of self-control and self-discipline, optimistic, trying to be supportive of myself, as I would be for any single one of my friends (why are we so much harder on ourselves???!!!???). I've owned my issues. Owned my culpability, and acknowledge that a lot of it is NOT my fault too, and I'm putting it out there - for accountability.
Moving on. Did a half-mary 2 weeks ago. Eh, it was not my best performance, but a decent training run, and chance to work with the pump in a race setting. I'd grade it as a solid C performance.
This past weekend, I upped the ante with a 25K race. I knew (know) my race holds up to about mile 9, MAYBE 13, but then deteriorates exponentially after that, so this was an effort to strengthen that. I had new shoes, which is always risky. It was a fine day, weather wise. I felt good! I had a nice steady pace going until ... mile 9. Then started the walk/run method, which is a great strategy for the IM "run" leg. I walk fast, powerful, and swing my arms like a pendulum - a drive train - opening up my gait and moving me forward faster than any other "walker". I would run until my HR hit 168 - that's where I hurt, walk for about 30-90 seconds, letting it drop down to 158, then start up again running, feeling "refreshed". That worked well ... for a while. Then some blisters started on the balls of my feet. Eh, I knew that was a possibility. The thing that, in hind sight, bums me out, is that Angie Ridgel had suggested Aquaphor in the past, and I forgot to try it! Grrr. I will try it on my long run this Friday. My BG was great - no issues there. Got passed by some friends - no biggie, I can handle it. Got passed by the plus-sized girls (you GO girls!). Yes, I could handle it. Got passed by an old man - I'm talking 70s! (Way to go buddy!). Feeling a bit dejected by this time, but still, it's just a training run, no reason to make this more of a "failure" right? Then, come to realize ... I'm DEAD LAST. Yes. LAST. And to add insult to injury, the "pace car" decides to "idle" along side me the entire last mile (that I forced myself to run, out of pure humiliation!!) Dude, do you have to drive next to me, at 1 mph? Can't you drive ahead and say, hey, our last runner has a blue hat - she's a mile out. That would have been SO much less humiliating!!! UGH! (Possibly, to their defense - they DID know I was diabetic, because at the last aid station I asked them to top off my gatorade with some concentrate, so I wouldn't need to drink as much volume. They had it "put away"... do I want them to go get it?? No. I'm okay. Then about 5 min later they came chasing after me with the concentrate ... I think they were worried about me ... or, at least let me believe that, rather than the "snail-pace" runner!) My average pace was 11:23/mi ...knowing I did a 9:10 mile pace for the first 8-9 miles, you can see that I deteriorated. But hell, I wasn't CRAWLING!!
Okay, that was humiliating. Clearly I have lots of work to do. I go home and guess what: Hematuria and glucosuria :( Laymans terms: The stones are on the move (or less likely, exercised-induced hematuria) No ketones though. Okay - I'm convinced - I will call urologist MONDAY!
Moving on, SUNDAY was to be my big century ride. Remember folks, I live in Cleveland! We don't get to ride outside until APRIL typically. This would be my MAIDEN VOYAGE for Felicity, my new Felt B16 Carbon Triathlon bike. I was invited to join a group of riders leaving out of Brecksville by the awesome Ed Slovenkay. Now, many of my Triabetes Captains know Ed, for all of his awesomeness, but let me tell you, what you know, is not even the tip of the iceberg! This guy is such an amazing athlete!! And, he's taken on a bit of a coaching role for me, as well as a positive supporter of Triabetes. His step-daughter Rachel is my triabuddy! I got lucky with a triabuddy and a very cool friend when I met Ed.
To give you a bit more background on Ed, he's done 2 IM that I'm aware of, and does them in, like, 10 hrs or something ridiculously good like that. This year he's training for IMLP (which I'm going to as an IRONFAN - CAN"T WAIT!!!) and hopes to qualify for Kona, as he's turning "40" (Oh, so old!!). Well, I see him training each Sunday, and hear of his workouts, and I will put $1000 down that Ed Slovenkay qualifies for Kona this year! He's just such a committed, knowledgeable, and superb athlete! And he's very humble and gracious ... not one of those blow-hards that are good and know it!
Getting back to my RIVETING story ... Ed invited me to ride with his group. Knowing FULL WELL, I am SOOOO out of his league, I put out several FB calls for B riders to join me. No takers. Well, my bad, because I am NOT a "B" rider ... I'm a C- rider. This is factual and irrevocable at this particular point in my "triathlon career". So, no takers. I'm okay with this. I've done 2 full century rides, not including IM races, both solo. I think there is a lot to be said by doing this alone. It simulates the mentality you face on race day. Right??? You are ALONE on your race day ... with only yourself to motivate or criticize yourself. So, I was fully prepared to ride alone!!! This is absolutely true and I wish I'd had made this clear to Ed from the onset. He assured me I wouldn't be dropped, but that just went out the door, as I never planned to stay with him at all. In hindsight, I should have had this conversation with him prior to Sunday.
He'd sent the course, and I had the cue sheet. I was familiar with much of the route. I was nervous, mostly because I didn't know most of the riders, and, it was to be my first ride on Felicity. There's an adjustment - like learning where your brakes are, how to shift, and fine-tuning your "stuff". I had a backpack - which had everything I needed for a LONG day. The weather was set to be in the 70's. I arrived at Starbucks and chatted briefly with Steve Thompson and Kim Shaheen. Janet Edwards arrived, and Martha Wood, everyone else, I did not know. I was very nervous by this time ... I can't explain why ... I'm typically pretty social and fine in these situations, but they all had their BAFF kit or Fleet Feet, whatever - they were all WAY better cyclists - a huge group of "A" riders. So, my HR was up from the get go.
We started out on 21 south. If you know the area ... it's an undulating climb. And climb, and climb. Long rises, not steep. By 30 seconds into the ride, I was topping out at 172 HR. Panic. I couldn't catch my breath. I was afraid to shift my gears into a lower gear and the pack pulled away EXPONENTIALLY! It was quite dramatic. I did a lot of self-talk: It's okay, just let them go, you'll enjoy this so much more. (bullshit! still felt bad!) I also felt like about 496 lbs and couldn't catch my breath. I made a decision right then and there: I AM NOT - NOT!!! - doing IMSG. I'm OUT! I will fake an ACL tear. Pass a friggin' kidney stone. Swerve into an oncoming vehicle to create some catastrophe ... but I am SOOOOOOO - SO - NOT DOING IMSG!!! F-this!!! I'm not ready. I wish I could get the last 6 months back ... I feel like I've never ridden a bike before. I was happy to be distracted with all the possibilities to bald-face lie to get out of doing St. George. It was NOT going to happen. Shit, I'm not even going to spectate. Who was the G.D. imbecile that thought IMSG was a "good idea" for an average person to take on??? I could kill him/her right now!!!
By this time, the pack is LONG GONE. My HR comes down. I'm still OUT for IMSG, but I figure I'll just enjoy this ride and use it to build for my "A" race in September. Next thing I know, I see a rider heading back (against traffic!!) and I KNOW it's Ed ... he's feeling crappy. Well, it WAS Ed. He's trying to pump me up ... but I'm WAY, WAY, WAY out of his league. He says, c'mon, draft, I'll pull you! Dude, you'd need a John Deere and tow rope to pull me! I tell him I'm fine, please, go back with your group. I'll feel awful if you babysit me. I'm FINE. I'm fully prepared. I have EVERYTHING I could possibly need, including the cue sheet, and I promise to call if I have trouble. PLEASE rejoin your group!!??!! I cannot handle the guilt of you riding with me today. You go work on your goal - I want you to make it to Kona so "I" can say I know a Kona qualifier!!! He FINALLY believes that I mean what I say ... he makes me promise to call if I need him, then he was off in a flash catching that long-gone peloton. Whew. Now I can just do my ride.
My plan was to ride 50 miles south, turn around and come back. Little did I know 21 dead-ends into 18 in Montrose. I stop there to use the facilities at a hotel, check in, and sent Ed a long text reiterating that I'm really, REALLY fine. I posted on FB (how could you expect that I would not??!!??), just to let hubby and friends know I'm okay. I'm in Montrose - never been there before. I pull up my iphone GPS and see that I can take Sand Run (or something similar) east and eventually end up in the CVNP. So, that's what I do. I loved that ride - by this time it had gone from CHILLY to nice, and there were lots of people out, on this first, beautiful weekend. It was very enjoyable ride! I was learning my bike, and I must say that my Adamo saddle is Da Bomb!!! Love it!!! I was pretty damned comfortable given the 8.5 hours on the bike ... but I digress ...
Turning onto Riverview Rd was a familiar ride to me and I knew of the steep climbs I'd encounter at, specifically, 3 separate spots. I'll own it: I dismounted and walked 3 separate climbs. Hey, it's the level of rider I am - I wasn't able to complete the climbs on the bike. The weather was great, and there were tons of riders out - I had a super ride. I took Riverview all the way up to Chillicothe Rd (Rt. 82) and looped back to my car. Had 2 Clif bars, texted Ed letting him know I was half done, and he was at mile 75. He thought we might see each other, but I knew otherwise ... there is no way in hell I'll be there when you will, you'll be long gone! :) By this time, it was getting quite warm so I took off my arm warmers and my cycling boots and made the best decision of the day: I would REVERSE the loop for the second lap! I was feeling tired, but not exhausted. I was ready.
Now, I should backtrack a bit to say that I'm a nervous rider. It's improved over time, but I'm still pretty sure that any day I'm doing a long ride, I am likely going to die. Hit by car, specifically. So many drivers are unaware that legally then need to share the road. So, I am resolved that this will be my final day of life, and I am at peace with this. But, on THIS particular day, I am NOT at peace with it. You see, while I know that my children will be sad to lose their mother, and my husband will be sad to be a widower, my primary concern on THIS day, is that if today is the day of my demise, it will be on my BFF's BIRTHDAY, and that's a shitty anniversary of the death of your friend. AND, should I perish today, poor Ed Slovenkay will likely feel wracked with guilt and spiral down into a deep depression, and there will go his Kona aspirations for 2011! I just cannot have TODAY be my death day! So, I was very diligent in my safety, taking breaks when I needed them, and being sure that when I became fatigued, I would take a rest and stretch, rest, eat and hydrate. I was on no timeline here. There were moments where I was a bit shaky on the bike, due to exhaustion, but I quickly refocused and was sure to do my best not to die on 4/10/2011! :)
Clearly I did not die! AND, the pinnacle of the ride was the GLORIOUS descent down the undulating hills of Rt. 21! I topped out at 42 mph! I felt good and was happy to be done. I texted Ed to let him know I was done, and safe. He replied that, while he was happy for me, he felt very guilty. NO!! No, No, NO!! Guilt is SUCH an unproductive emotion! There was NOTHING to feel guilty about. I had a good day. It was fun. I felt better ... even to the point of rethinking my DNS from St. George. (Yes, I'm going to do it!). This day was exactly what I needed. I built up my mental toughness, I worked on some mental race strategies, and, overall, had a really good day!! If Ed was going to feel crappy about any of this, it would take away all the GOOD it did for me. I was emphatic that I was FULLY prepared to ride solo and he had to PROMISE me not to feel guilty. He relented, and I hope he means it! He's such a great guy ... and I'm greatful for everything that happened that day! I learned a lot about myself on Sunday. A LOT. I did it. And while I'll never be a podium threat, that's not at all what Ironman is for me ... it's the personal, private testing of the limits of what I can do physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm okay being an average age-grouper. More than okay - I'm proud! How many of my friends are Ironman finishers? Not a huge percentage! And I'm proud of anyone that tackles ANY challenge ... it's pushing the limits and seeing what you are made of. I didn't curl into a ball and cry (although, in all honesty, there might have been a nanosecond of thought of doing that!) :)
Finally, moving on ... my BG was fab the entire day on Sunday. Today? Not so much. No hematuria. No glycosuria. But ketones. :( I always have a rough few days after an exertional event or training session. I'm finally below 200 (157 at 6:30pm) after being between 350-450 all day. I struggle with hitting that bolus button. I feel like each bolus hit will plop another pound on my ass. That's not acceptable!! So, it's this challenging situation that I am unsure if I'll ever perfect. I have GOOD days, where I'm optimistic, and all Pollyanna in my attitude about the 'betes ... then there are the dark, gloomy days where I wonder if I'm going to need to buy new clothes, moving up a size. NOOOOOO! I don't want that!! Sometimes I feel like I need to choose between being fit (and "thinner") and having high BGs, or having good BGs and plumping up. Now, I DO know how shallow that sounds ... but ladies, c'mon, you know what I mean, right??? As someone who topped out at over 212, I fear that backslide. I'm trying to find that balance where maybe I'm not a size 4, with a crappy A1c, and not a size 16 with a great A1c. It's an irrational fear, but it's my reality ... my blog, so I get to say what I feel. I want to weigh 118 and wear size 6 ... AND have an A1c of 6.1! Is that too much to ask?? Okay, I'll drop this ... my point is not to inflame anyone, or to judge - that's not who I am - except for myself. My struggles are personal and real and often VERY, VERY HARD. It's hard to watch that muffin-top develop over that kit that used to fit oh-so-well. So, I'll continue to work with my dietician, my support peeps, and do the RIGHT thing, which is not always the easiest thing.
So, there you have it! You are up to date ... please know that IMSG is a survival race for me. I am NOT good with hills. I'm a hill wimp. IMSG is chalk full of
Peace out, my beloved Peeps!!
OXOX
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
WOW! .... Just, Wow!
Looks like 2011 is going to be a great year for me! So far ... Just WOW!! I can really use a good year after last year's bipolar nature. How about just letting 2011 be GOOD!
First, I want to tell you about the CTC Swim Challenge. My club, Cleveland Triathlon Club, is simply amazing!! It is SOOOO worth the joining fee of $20 dollars! You'll get 5 times that back in discounts with our sponsors and in race registration fees! Honestly, it's the best deal around!! I, of course, ponied it up at our January 1 Polar Plunge! That was a fun day! My hubby and kids joined me and it really was fun. I think next year I'll opt to help out the club and arrive early to help signing up more CTC members and signing a waiver for the plunge. I feel that now I'm ready to take a step and become more active in our club - I'm not a Newbie anymore!! :) So, I will step up - I plan to lead an OWS at Headlands in the summer again, and I'm even toying with starting a Lake County Masters Swim team so that we have some regular workouts over here. There are tons all around NE Ohio, but out in Lake County, it's slim pickins I tell ya!
Anyway, last year I did this and I signed up for THE BIG DOG! 100 x 100 yds .... yes, that's 10,000 yds! I'd never swum further than 4K. So, it's me and 3 guys and I'm sharing a lane with Mark Durno - who's a pretty damn good athlete!!! I hope to just be able to do it. But, before I knew it, (we were splitting the lane b/c there was no way I could swim with Durno!) we were hanging together!! We did it - and I was very, very proud! It hurt, I won't lie. And the aftermath ... Not Good. Honestly, if you factor in how sick I was afterward (probably dehydrated and shocky) - I'd say it was the hardest thing I've ever done! Harder than IM!
This year Mark and I decide we'll tackle this together again and shoot to improve our time. This year there are way more peeps in for the BIG DOG, but Mark and I are going to stay together - or, more realistically, Mark will hit the pace and I'll hang on for dear life! Well, we did it!! We knocked over 20 minutes off last year with a new 10K time of 3:03:43! Next year - we are going under 3 hrs!! (even cutting out that pee break would do it :)
So, I'm feeling very good! I'm in much better shape than last year and I feel SO much better. I had arranged a ride with the Jolliffs, who were kind enough to transport me. Last year 4 vomiting episodes and severe vertigo made me a menace on the road. I planned for disaster, but fortunately there was none. Plus, I was an extra pair of hands to help carry in all the nutrition Danielle was bringing for us. Got to see the Jolliff's new house - Sweet!!! And meet their dogs, Daisy and Hercules. And got to know them both a little better :) They are really great people and I am grateful they allowed me to hitch a ride!
Next, I get a case of Muscle Milk for completing the 10K swim. In the past, I've not been too thrilled with it, but I choose Malt and ... I kind of like it! It's growing on me!! Plus, it's good for my BG.
Got to meet a few new people, see some familiar faces, and had a great day!! I went to change in the locker room then came back out on deck to help carry stuff back to the car and guess what?? Everyone is smiling and hugging me and ... I won the Rev3 race entry in our CTC raffle!!!! WOW!! OMG - this totally great news! :) I've already registered, but I talked to the race director and I've gotten the entry fee refunded! Can it get any better??? Oh yes it can ...
Lastly, I was approached in December about being a featured athlete for Ohio Sports and Fitness - a local publication. A CTC member, Angie Ridgel, suggested me. (Thanks Angie!!) In January we did a photo shoot. I was very nervous, but just felt that this would be great exposure for my charity, Triabetes. Stephanie, the creative director, had a vision that included hundreds of race bibs. Well, I had 22. Most I toss, but the special ones I keep. My BFF Elizabeth has 21. I should be set, right? Nope, Steph wants at least 100. Yikes!! My first call was to Kim Zepp. Kim is so organized and meticulous, I was SURE she kept hers ... and she DOES! But they are all in a scrapbook!!! Yes, most of us dream of scrapbooking our races and re-living our accomplishments, but MOST of us never actually find time to do it - but Kim is that organized!! Oh well. I make a few calls and PMs: Janet Edwards, Jen Collister, Elizabeth Hansen, Ed Slovenkay and Laurie Colon - who individually had between 1 and 10. I was prepared to zoom all over NE Ohio to borrow the bibs ... then I thought, WAIT A MINUTE! Mickey Ryzmek is a race director ... I'll betcha he can hook me up!!! And boy did he! We met in a parking lot in Hudson and he gave me 5 packages of bibs - easily 1000 bibs. I am now good to go!! Thanks to all of you that offered to help, though! I was happy NOT to zip all over NE Ohio for bibs :)
I did the photo shoot and it went well. The photographer, Scott Duncan, did a great job and Stephanie Park's vision came to life. Fast forward a few weeks and next thing I know people are commenting on the cover .. but I hadn't seen it yet! At the start of the CTC challenge, Tim Edwards says he's got it, just not with him - bummer! Next thing I know, he's tossing one to me - they had a stack at CSU! So, I finally got to see the cover:
It was my favorite of the images I saw - Scott posted them on his site. I like it, a lot :)
I'll share a little story that will possibly make you giggle. My oldest daughter Samantha says: "mom, where are your boobs?" That's what happens when you lay on your back with a snug race kit on. But really, when you see the original photo, my left boob is sneaking out the side! See where it says RACE? See how there's that yellow background behind RACE? Um, yeah, that's to cover my boob!! LOLOLOL!!! Oh well - this photo is my favorite of all the one's I saw. I'm happy with how it came out. And again, I feel very honored to be selected - and this is the KEEPER issue ... so you lucky folks get to hang on to this for months and months!! :)
Okay, today is my second SNOW DAY!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love a snow day!! It's a gift from Mother Nature! Keep warm, stay safe, stay home - don't go out unless it's absolutely necessary! My plans for today, run on the T'mill and spin. Those were yesterday's plans, but instead I did a monster SPRING CLEANING of my house and now I feel very at peace!! Those clean and purge days are so mentally helpful ... I just can't emphasis how great it feels to get my house in order. I still got a ton of exercise - a lot of core work - and I shoveled our driveway, which was exhausting! Yes, I shoveled ... and we have a snowblower. Two, actually. But they are in the shed in the back yard ... this would require me to brave the elements to get to the snowblower then get it to the front of the house. I'm exhausted thinking about it! I think I'll just shovel!! I should have paid those kids $10 when they came and asked me if I wanted to hire them. Next time: YES!!!
Kids arrive shortly, so the house will become chaotic and messy again, but I had a full day of a neat home :)
One last topic ... yesterday I posted a video on texting in the car. It was 10 minutes long. I almost didn't watch it. I knew it wouldn't be pretty. I knew I'd be bawling. I was. Please, please take 10 minutes of your day and swing over to my FB page and watch this. Then PROMISE ME you will never do this. I have been guilty of it. I admit it - with shame. But I vow to never text and drive, or even read a text while driving. There is NOTHING that important. If you need to reach me, call - I have hands-free Bluetooth technology in my car and I can talk and still have my hands at 10 and 2. Promise me you'll do the same. I never want to attend a funeral for a devastating tragedy that resulted from this. There are enough dangers out there ... too many to list. But this, this NEEDS TO STOP!! I see drivers texting all the time. I wish there was a number I could call to report them. I fear for the lives of my friends, family, and those in my community. PUT DOWN THE DAMNED PHONE!!! These tragedies can be avoided. Talk to your teenagers about this. Have them watch this video. Commit to X the TXT on Facebook, and vow to honor yourself, and your friends & family, by not texting in the car.
<3
Hugs!
Tiff
First, I want to tell you about the CTC Swim Challenge. My club, Cleveland Triathlon Club, is simply amazing!! It is SOOOO worth the joining fee of $20 dollars! You'll get 5 times that back in discounts with our sponsors and in race registration fees! Honestly, it's the best deal around!! I, of course, ponied it up at our January 1 Polar Plunge! That was a fun day! My hubby and kids joined me and it really was fun. I think next year I'll opt to help out the club and arrive early to help signing up more CTC members and signing a waiver for the plunge. I feel that now I'm ready to take a step and become more active in our club - I'm not a Newbie anymore!! :) So, I will step up - I plan to lead an OWS at Headlands in the summer again, and I'm even toying with starting a Lake County Masters Swim team so that we have some regular workouts over here. There are tons all around NE Ohio, but out in Lake County, it's slim pickins I tell ya!
Anyway, last year I did this and I signed up for THE BIG DOG! 100 x 100 yds .... yes, that's 10,000 yds! I'd never swum further than 4K. So, it's me and 3 guys and I'm sharing a lane with Mark Durno - who's a pretty damn good athlete!!! I hope to just be able to do it. But, before I knew it, (we were splitting the lane b/c there was no way I could swim with Durno!) we were hanging together!! We did it - and I was very, very proud! It hurt, I won't lie. And the aftermath ... Not Good. Honestly, if you factor in how sick I was afterward (probably dehydrated and shocky) - I'd say it was the hardest thing I've ever done! Harder than IM!
This year Mark and I decide we'll tackle this together again and shoot to improve our time. This year there are way more peeps in for the BIG DOG, but Mark and I are going to stay together - or, more realistically, Mark will hit the pace and I'll hang on for dear life! Well, we did it!! We knocked over 20 minutes off last year with a new 10K time of 3:03:43! Next year - we are going under 3 hrs!! (even cutting out that pee break would do it :)
So, I'm feeling very good! I'm in much better shape than last year and I feel SO much better. I had arranged a ride with the Jolliffs, who were kind enough to transport me. Last year 4 vomiting episodes and severe vertigo made me a menace on the road. I planned for disaster, but fortunately there was none. Plus, I was an extra pair of hands to help carry in all the nutrition Danielle was bringing for us. Got to see the Jolliff's new house - Sweet!!! And meet their dogs, Daisy and Hercules. And got to know them both a little better :) They are really great people and I am grateful they allowed me to hitch a ride!
Next, I get a case of Muscle Milk for completing the 10K swim. In the past, I've not been too thrilled with it, but I choose Malt and ... I kind of like it! It's growing on me!! Plus, it's good for my BG.
Got to meet a few new people, see some familiar faces, and had a great day!! I went to change in the locker room then came back out on deck to help carry stuff back to the car and guess what?? Everyone is smiling and hugging me and ... I won the Rev3 race entry in our CTC raffle!!!! WOW!! OMG - this totally great news! :) I've already registered, but I talked to the race director and I've gotten the entry fee refunded! Can it get any better??? Oh yes it can ...
Lastly, I was approached in December about being a featured athlete for Ohio Sports and Fitness - a local publication. A CTC member, Angie Ridgel, suggested me. (Thanks Angie!!) In January we did a photo shoot. I was very nervous, but just felt that this would be great exposure for my charity, Triabetes. Stephanie, the creative director, had a vision that included hundreds of race bibs. Well, I had 22. Most I toss, but the special ones I keep. My BFF Elizabeth has 21. I should be set, right? Nope, Steph wants at least 100. Yikes!! My first call was to Kim Zepp. Kim is so organized and meticulous, I was SURE she kept hers ... and she DOES! But they are all in a scrapbook!!! Yes, most of us dream of scrapbooking our races and re-living our accomplishments, but MOST of us never actually find time to do it - but Kim is that organized!! Oh well. I make a few calls and PMs: Janet Edwards, Jen Collister, Elizabeth Hansen, Ed Slovenkay and Laurie Colon - who individually had between 1 and 10. I was prepared to zoom all over NE Ohio to borrow the bibs ... then I thought, WAIT A MINUTE! Mickey Ryzmek is a race director ... I'll betcha he can hook me up!!! And boy did he! We met in a parking lot in Hudson and he gave me 5 packages of bibs - easily 1000 bibs. I am now good to go!! Thanks to all of you that offered to help, though! I was happy NOT to zip all over NE Ohio for bibs :)
I did the photo shoot and it went well. The photographer, Scott Duncan, did a great job and Stephanie Park's vision came to life. Fast forward a few weeks and next thing I know people are commenting on the cover .. but I hadn't seen it yet! At the start of the CTC challenge, Tim Edwards says he's got it, just not with him - bummer! Next thing I know, he's tossing one to me - they had a stack at CSU! So, I finally got to see the cover:
I'll share a little story that will possibly make you giggle. My oldest daughter Samantha says: "mom, where are your boobs?" That's what happens when you lay on your back with a snug race kit on. But really, when you see the original photo, my left boob is sneaking out the side! See where it says RACE? See how there's that yellow background behind RACE? Um, yeah, that's to cover my boob!! LOLOLOL!!! Oh well - this photo is my favorite of all the one's I saw. I'm happy with how it came out. And again, I feel very honored to be selected - and this is the KEEPER issue ... so you lucky folks get to hang on to this for months and months!! :)
Okay, today is my second SNOW DAY!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love a snow day!! It's a gift from Mother Nature! Keep warm, stay safe, stay home - don't go out unless it's absolutely necessary! My plans for today, run on the T'mill and spin. Those were yesterday's plans, but instead I did a monster SPRING CLEANING of my house and now I feel very at peace!! Those clean and purge days are so mentally helpful ... I just can't emphasis how great it feels to get my house in order. I still got a ton of exercise - a lot of core work - and I shoveled our driveway, which was exhausting! Yes, I shoveled ... and we have a snowblower. Two, actually. But they are in the shed in the back yard ... this would require me to brave the elements to get to the snowblower then get it to the front of the house. I'm exhausted thinking about it! I think I'll just shovel!! I should have paid those kids $10 when they came and asked me if I wanted to hire them. Next time: YES!!!
Kids arrive shortly, so the house will become chaotic and messy again, but I had a full day of a neat home :)
One last topic ... yesterday I posted a video on texting in the car. It was 10 minutes long. I almost didn't watch it. I knew it wouldn't be pretty. I knew I'd be bawling. I was. Please, please take 10 minutes of your day and swing over to my FB page and watch this. Then PROMISE ME you will never do this. I have been guilty of it. I admit it - with shame. But I vow to never text and drive, or even read a text while driving. There is NOTHING that important. If you need to reach me, call - I have hands-free Bluetooth technology in my car and I can talk and still have my hands at 10 and 2. Promise me you'll do the same. I never want to attend a funeral for a devastating tragedy that resulted from this. There are enough dangers out there ... too many to list. But this, this NEEDS TO STOP!! I see drivers texting all the time. I wish there was a number I could call to report them. I fear for the lives of my friends, family, and those in my community. PUT DOWN THE DAMNED PHONE!!! These tragedies can be avoided. Talk to your teenagers about this. Have them watch this video. Commit to X the TXT on Facebook, and vow to honor yourself, and your friends & family, by not texting in the car.
<3
Hugs!
Tiff
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Moving Forward
It's been awhile since I've checked in ... and last time was some pretty heavy stuff. So, for a change, I thought I'd check in with a light update!
I'm loving that we - CTC - have so many training options available to us. If you are in the Cleveland area, you HAVE to join, it is SO worth it! If you join by Jan. 31 - it's $20. Beginning February, it's $25. You will get discounts that easily save you the membership fee, and the support network is PRICELESS!
I go to Twinsburg Spin classes on Sat. mornings - lead by the amazing Todd Bolgrin! I look forward to this ALL. WEEK. LONG! Todd whoops my arse on the bike and I keep coming back for more. I'm hopeful he, and my other amazing support network, will get me through Ironman St. George in 109 days I think it is now. I love our group and I have a lot of fun there! Then we do some swimming afterward - and it's just MORE FUN!! So, by the time I return to my home, I've done a super workout and can spend the remainder of my day with my family. Kids every other weekend - Love that, too!
Sundays I head over to OBERLIN - yes, that's quite a trek from Mentor! But there I get a fun-filled, kick-ass workout with some of my favorite CTC peeps. This started out easy - very easy - but we are quickly moving into very challenging sets. After swimming, we move upstairs where me and 30 of my closest friends do a freakin' HARD spin class. OMG!
This past weekend, I was very bummed because I felt TERRIBLE. Initially it may, or may not have been steel-cut oats. I'd had 3 servings in 12 hrs, including a cup at 5:30 am before swimming. Boy was I sick. I was hurting like nobody's business! I hung the best I could. I started feeling okay, but as the workout amped up, I started feeling worse and had to sit out sets. I was bummed, too, because I had 3 new lane-mates and I'm sure they were thinking "what the heck is SHE doing in our lane?" Typically I can hold my own. I'm not the lane lead, but I can hang with Durno (who was also hurting, but for different reasons!). Ed Slovenkay, not so much!! He's a machine! :) I got out to see if it was my blood glucose ... took about 5 minutes for my CGM to sync ... next time I bring the glucometer. Nope. 148. So, back into the water and I tried to hang, but had to step off for a few 50s in each set. My gut was killing me. I was pretty bummed because this was our hardest workout to date.
After swimming I was happy to get on the bike, but the gut was still pretty painful. At least I could see my CGM though, so I knew it wasn't diabetes-related. By this time, I'm blaming the oatmeal. It may or may not have been the oatmeal ... I guess I won't know, because I sure as heck won't be doing that again! I think I need to lump (pun intended) oatmeal into my cereal ban - although for other reasons. I do love it, but this was brutal. I went home and writhed in pain for the rest of the day.
Monday, went to work and still hurting! By this time I'm considering the ER ... I'm bloated and - literally - look 6-7 months pregnant! I should have had Ted take a pic - I was HUGE!!!! Things weren't moving and I was hurting. Then, at work, epiphany!! I remember this ... it's a damn gall bladder attack! The last time I had one was when I was teaching and surgicating at Stautz and I was the surgeon for the night class. I writhed in pain on the staff lounge floor and everyone tried to get me to the ER ... but I knew if I didn't cut, the students would have to make up the lab. We got out the ultrasound and could see my glorious gall stone and an angry gall bladder. And, while it's not common, I get horrific bloating and chest pains too. I keep meaning to get this taken care of but the episodes are so few and far between, and my health insurance sucks, so I'd be paying for the entire thing. Well, damn it, I want an insulin pump, not a cholodochocystectomy!
I made it through work Monday, again, cutting while in pain - but it was merely 2 simple castrations, so no biggie. Got home and, while I wanted to curl into the fetal position and sleep and cry and bask in the glory of pain meds, I had course syllabi to finish. Damn it.
By Tuesday, the pain had abated. Mostly fasting and a lot of water. But still somewhat bloated. But, I have classes all day and am on campus from 8 am - 8 pm. Throughout the day, it seemed to improve.
Now it's Wed. and I'm feeling more like myself! I'm hopeful to get on the treadmill this evening! Swim and spin tomorrow and looking forward to camping out at LTF all day Friday doing my monster workout day.
I'm also very much looking forward to this weekend's Spin/Swim and Swim/Spin classes - and mostly, for redemption at Sunday's class. I want to show my new lane-mates that I CAN hang with them!! I''m not afraid to push and hurt in a swim set - but dang, gall bladder attack - that'll bring you to your knees. I hung tough, maybe more so than most realize! I was a trooper!! But let's hope that's over and I can have a great kick-ass work-out weekend again, then spend the rest of the time with my kids and hubby.
Today I'm trekking to the west side to see a few HS peeps!! I'm very excited!! I'll be seeing Ana-Lee, as I check out her classroom lizard. And Julie (Keefner) Bihn, and her 2 girls, Dakota and Bailey - as I drop off candles she bought to support my fundraising campaign - which, btw, was majorly a CF by Yankee Candle - I'm SO disappointed in them!! Julie was very understanding and I am grateful for that. But I'm really looking forward to seeing her. Lastly, I'm hoping to catch up with Mr. Dan Major, an old friend from Jr. High and HS, who is currently struggling with some health issues. I am fearful that he is still in the hospital at CCF, and not home ... if he's home, I hope to stop by if he's taking visitors. I'm very worried about my friend Dan ... Say a prayer for him - he's the nicest, kindest man you'd ever meet.
Lastly, we will be celebrating my son's 7th Birthday today, as he was at his Dad's on Jan. 17th. So, off to get cake and a gift ... not sure what! He didn't have any suggestions either! What kid can't tell me what toys he wants?? I'm stumped, but have a tiny idea in my head that may play out well.
Peace out peeps! Keep moving forward!
Much love,
Tiff
I'm loving that we - CTC - have so many training options available to us. If you are in the Cleveland area, you HAVE to join, it is SO worth it! If you join by Jan. 31 - it's $20. Beginning February, it's $25. You will get discounts that easily save you the membership fee, and the support network is PRICELESS!
I go to Twinsburg Spin classes on Sat. mornings - lead by the amazing Todd Bolgrin! I look forward to this ALL. WEEK. LONG! Todd whoops my arse on the bike and I keep coming back for more. I'm hopeful he, and my other amazing support network, will get me through Ironman St. George in 109 days I think it is now. I love our group and I have a lot of fun there! Then we do some swimming afterward - and it's just MORE FUN!! So, by the time I return to my home, I've done a super workout and can spend the remainder of my day with my family. Kids every other weekend - Love that, too!
Sundays I head over to OBERLIN - yes, that's quite a trek from Mentor! But there I get a fun-filled, kick-ass workout with some of my favorite CTC peeps. This started out easy - very easy - but we are quickly moving into very challenging sets. After swimming, we move upstairs where me and 30 of my closest friends do a freakin' HARD spin class. OMG!
This past weekend, I was very bummed because I felt TERRIBLE. Initially it may, or may not have been steel-cut oats. I'd had 3 servings in 12 hrs, including a cup at 5:30 am before swimming. Boy was I sick. I was hurting like nobody's business! I hung the best I could. I started feeling okay, but as the workout amped up, I started feeling worse and had to sit out sets. I was bummed, too, because I had 3 new lane-mates and I'm sure they were thinking "what the heck is SHE doing in our lane?" Typically I can hold my own. I'm not the lane lead, but I can hang with Durno (who was also hurting, but for different reasons!). Ed Slovenkay, not so much!! He's a machine! :) I got out to see if it was my blood glucose ... took about 5 minutes for my CGM to sync ... next time I bring the glucometer. Nope. 148. So, back into the water and I tried to hang, but had to step off for a few 50s in each set. My gut was killing me. I was pretty bummed because this was our hardest workout to date.
After swimming I was happy to get on the bike, but the gut was still pretty painful. At least I could see my CGM though, so I knew it wasn't diabetes-related. By this time, I'm blaming the oatmeal. It may or may not have been the oatmeal ... I guess I won't know, because I sure as heck won't be doing that again! I think I need to lump (pun intended) oatmeal into my cereal ban - although for other reasons. I do love it, but this was brutal. I went home and writhed in pain for the rest of the day.
Monday, went to work and still hurting! By this time I'm considering the ER ... I'm bloated and - literally - look 6-7 months pregnant! I should have had Ted take a pic - I was HUGE!!!! Things weren't moving and I was hurting. Then, at work, epiphany!! I remember this ... it's a damn gall bladder attack! The last time I had one was when I was teaching and surgicating at Stautz and I was the surgeon for the night class. I writhed in pain on the staff lounge floor and everyone tried to get me to the ER ... but I knew if I didn't cut, the students would have to make up the lab. We got out the ultrasound and could see my glorious gall stone and an angry gall bladder. And, while it's not common, I get horrific bloating and chest pains too. I keep meaning to get this taken care of but the episodes are so few and far between, and my health insurance sucks, so I'd be paying for the entire thing. Well, damn it, I want an insulin pump, not a cholodochocystectomy!
I made it through work Monday, again, cutting while in pain - but it was merely 2 simple castrations, so no biggie. Got home and, while I wanted to curl into the fetal position and sleep and cry and bask in the glory of pain meds, I had course syllabi to finish. Damn it.
By Tuesday, the pain had abated. Mostly fasting and a lot of water. But still somewhat bloated. But, I have classes all day and am on campus from 8 am - 8 pm. Throughout the day, it seemed to improve.
Now it's Wed. and I'm feeling more like myself! I'm hopeful to get on the treadmill this evening! Swim and spin tomorrow and looking forward to camping out at LTF all day Friday doing my monster workout day.
I'm also very much looking forward to this weekend's Spin/Swim and Swim/Spin classes - and mostly, for redemption at Sunday's class. I want to show my new lane-mates that I CAN hang with them!! I''m not afraid to push and hurt in a swim set - but dang, gall bladder attack - that'll bring you to your knees. I hung tough, maybe more so than most realize! I was a trooper!! But let's hope that's over and I can have a great kick-ass work-out weekend again, then spend the rest of the time with my kids and hubby.
Today I'm trekking to the west side to see a few HS peeps!! I'm very excited!! I'll be seeing Ana-Lee, as I check out her classroom lizard. And Julie (Keefner) Bihn, and her 2 girls, Dakota and Bailey - as I drop off candles she bought to support my fundraising campaign - which, btw, was majorly a CF by Yankee Candle - I'm SO disappointed in them!! Julie was very understanding and I am grateful for that. But I'm really looking forward to seeing her. Lastly, I'm hoping to catch up with Mr. Dan Major, an old friend from Jr. High and HS, who is currently struggling with some health issues. I am fearful that he is still in the hospital at CCF, and not home ... if he's home, I hope to stop by if he's taking visitors. I'm very worried about my friend Dan ... Say a prayer for him - he's the nicest, kindest man you'd ever meet.
Lastly, we will be celebrating my son's 7th Birthday today, as he was at his Dad's on Jan. 17th. So, off to get cake and a gift ... not sure what! He didn't have any suggestions either! What kid can't tell me what toys he wants?? I'm stumped, but have a tiny idea in my head that may play out well.
Peace out peeps! Keep moving forward!
Much love,
Tiff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)