Race Day!!!

Jitters. How am I supposed to eat that vital food with this stomach-ache?

After tossing and turning all night, living the triathlon in my head I was so glad to climb out of bed and actually be preparing for the race.

Bob is my emotional and organizational support. He puts my number on my bike. He puts my timing chip on my ankle. He hauls the unnecessary stuff back to the car. Then he asks, "Where's your helmet number?" Helmet number? I can't find my helmet number. Parts are flying everywhere while I search for my helmet number. One of the coaches comes along. He calmly cuts a helmet number out of my race envelope and tapes it on my helmet. Scissors and tape. Those were two of the things listed in that handy-dandy packing list Team in Training provided.

It's time to put on the wetsuit, but it is so difficult today. Oops, it's backwards. "No, no, don't take my picture now." So I turn it around and try again. Funny how it fits better.

Then we are off to the beach area, with our rousting final "Go Team" cheer. Three waves of swimmers leave first, 5 minutes apart. Then the Team in Training group goes.

The water is not cold. It's a small warm lake compared to what we have been training in. The swim is an out and back around a buoy, with only one minor collision with an oncoming swimmer. In 15 minutes, I come out of the water exhausted, but manage to hop up over the 3-foot bank, and fumble my way through the transition. I'm soon on my bike.

There's a short steep hill at the start. I weave around a couple of stalled-out bicyclists and head down the road. Did I say down the road? It's up the road. Definitely up. And up and up and up. It's not too steep but my legs are screaming. Finally, I crest the hill and get a chance to recuperate.  It's a beautiful ride, looping around Lake Samish, back down to Fairhaven in Bellingham. The police wave us through the red lights, holding back the car traffic. I'm having loads of fun rolling down the road, then I turn a corner, and there's the HILL. That looming, in-your-nightmares, HILL. It's several blocks of just put-it-in-your-lowest-gear and grind-up-the-hill. So that's what I did. I didn't walk. I didn't tip over. I made it to the top.

Then it's another mile. I yell, "We're getting close!" Another teammates adds, "Wriggle your toes!" (Remember how it feels like you are running on ice cubes when you have no circulation in your feet?). I zoom around the last corner, skid in, dismount, and run my bike through the transition. OK, I actually walk my bike. Off with the bike shoes, helmet, and on with the tennis shoes. That went smoothly.

What a beautiful running trail. It's the sort of trail I would love if I hadn't just spent the prior hour and 45 minutes swimming and running. I did mostly run it, slowly, except for the hills. There was so much cheering and people yelling "Clear the way," I felt like a queen. A sweaty, gasping, running queen.

One of my teammates was running beside me. She started getting cramps, so I pulled ahead a bit. Foolish me. She kept me in her sights. When I got to the finish line I didn't see it. I missed the markers to exit the trail.  So I kept running. Everyone was yelling "Sandy". I thought everyone was just cheering for me. Such nice people. Then I asked the spectators "Where's the finish line?" They all pointed backwards. So it's a quick u-turn, across the grass, and in to the finish chute. Meanwhile, my lagging teammate finished ahead of me. Should have stayed with her.

So I was done. I didn't drown, crash, get a flat tire, bonk, or pass out. What else can I say, except that I now have a tremendous group of supportive, fit friends.

Week 22: Race Week

Our coach warns us, "Do not add extra onto your workouts or feel like you haven't done enough. If you haven't it is TOO LATE!!"

I have some very worried teammates. Last February, one teammate could not even swim the length of the pool. Now she's been out of town and is panicked. Another teammate is a good swimmer but panics when she can't see the bottom.

Sunday: We are swimming in Lake Washington at Madison Park. The water is a bit warmer today. Our coach actually measured the distance between pilings. Turns out we have been shorting ourselves. So we swim three-and half times around the pilings (not two-and half).

Monday: Another open water swim at Madison Park. Just trying to get comfortable.

Tuesday: A bike ride with Bob and Greg. Our instructions are to go easy, with four 20-second pickups. So we pedal out the new section of the Burke-Gilman Trail to Golden Gardens. It's not very busy and a good spot to do those pickups. That's 20-second all-out sprints with about a minute of rest in between. They are very fun.

Wednesday: This is our last night at the running track. I am finally given my race outfit. It's a shocker. No way are those shorts going to fit me. I need another 3 months training to shrink up. But, later, I do squeeze them on. The miracle of spandex.

The coach announces that we are having one last Mission Statement, those inspirational stories of those who have dealt with leukemia and why they are doing this triathlon and why we are so important and so on. Our team member starts out telling her family and friend's history of leukemia. She goes on to credit her son and daughter-in-law (one is our coaches) for convincing her to do this triathlon. Then comes the big news: She has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This is shattering news.

It's a low blow. We are training and raising money to raise money to cure leukemia. And one of own is diagnosed with cancer. Cancer is not fair.

Suddenly our own problems seem trivial.

Thursday: I use it as a rest day and and to mull and mope about my teammate.

Friday: That taper must have worked as I'm bouncing off the walls.

The coach told us to pick the one thing that frightens us the most about this triathlon, then do three things to address it. How can one pick only one thing? Is it bonking? No, I think I've figured that out with my Bento Bag and my constant input of food on the bike ride. Is it that huge hill at the end of the bike ride? No, if I just pace myself and don't bonk I should make it. I debate a few other things.

It's a flat tire. That's what I am most afraid of. I don't really know how to change a flat tire. One time when Bob was traveling I wanted to bicycle but was afraid to go far from the house, because I might get a flat tire. So I did laps on the 3rd Avenue hill near the house. And I hate hills.

Early in training, we had to change a flat tire for homework. It took me 45 minutes. Try that in the Tour de France. Last week we had a flat on a ride. I got it down to 35 minutes, with Bob grabbing the tire from me only once, just to keep things moving. Those mosquitoes were getting the best of us.

So this my three things to combat this fear: 

1. Put two tubes in my bike pack. 

2. Don't run over glass on the road.

3. Change a flat tire. So that's what I did this morning. I got it down to 25 minutes with only three questions to Bob. I may be slow but at least I can remember the process now.

So finally, we load up the car and we are on our way to Bellingham.  I have my race bag, my transition bag, my overnight bag, my food bag, Marley's bag, my bike, my husband, my dog.

After we check in the hotel, there's a brief team meeting at the race site, then Bob and I walked Marley around the running course. It's a beautiful trail but what are these hills doing in the course?

Finished out the evening with the team's kick-off dinner. No wine tonight. Just lots of water. We are feeling very festive and taking lots of pictures.

Race day tomorrow.

Week 21: Slow but Steady June 13-19

Sunday: Met a few people at Green Lake to swim. Kaari and I trudged on to the outer buoy. There was a little bit of sunshine and it made a world of difference in attitude. It was very pleasant and nice.

We on our own this week. Our coaches are in Hawaii with the Maui crew.

Monday: Day off.

Tuesday: Very fun swim at Madison Park. Only four people showed up. The water is a balmy 62 degrees. It's laps around a row pilings that run parallel to the shore. You swim along you can look at the nice wave patterns in the sand below. What are those sea shells doing in a fresh-water lake? If you swim crooked you crash into the piling. Straight becomes a necessity.

Wednesday: Met Tessa, Karin, and Kaari at Green Lake. It was a slow run around the perimeter of the lake. I think I have finally found a pace I can do. Chatting with Kaari the whole way helps. The run was done before I knew it.  The pace was a 12-minute mile.

Thursday: Biking with Bob. My plan is to bike 1 to 2 hours, so we do a counter-clockwise trip around Magnolia, zig-zagging to minimize the hills. Then we walk our bikes through the locks and pedal on home.

Friday: Left work at noon. Ran with Marley around Green Lake -- non-stop except for a couple of water breaks for Marley! It was a 11:30 or 11:40 minute mile. Running slow but steady.

Saturday: Bob and I headed to Seward Park to ride our bikes. There was a big event at the park so we parked in a lot outside the park. Biked a loop up the hill and back. Bob then loaded my bike on to the car, while I ran down the trail with Marley. I am practicing that BRICK, the transition form biking to running, so it's important that I run immediately after biking.  I ran along the water with Marley, spotted a dock, ran to the end, did the Rocky hands in the air thing, then ran back. It was 4 miles. This is a record for me.

Then we drove to Bow to the Rhododendron Cafe for lunch. Then on to Bellingham to check out the hill I missed on our practice run. It is steep!

Sunday: Met my group at Madison to swim again. Kimberly, one of the coaches, is back from Hawaii. We have to do three laps. That's means I have to swim over that creepy seaweed at the end three times. It's cold again and I am shivering. The weather forecast for Bellingham is not looking good. A lot of my teammates have pre-race jitters.

Week 18: Listen to your coach

Monday, Tuesday: The cold is back. How can this be? This is its third round. So I spend these two days in bed.

Wednesday: Our group is running around the Green Lake track. We get to do fartleks. Yes, fartleks. Funny name, fun to do. First, do an easy lap. Then sprint the straight sections of one lap. Repeat the whole thing. Repeat again. Again. And again. Somewhere around here my knee started hurting. I switched to walking.

Thursday: A nice bike ride with Bob.

Friday: I packed up the Mini with my bike, wet suit, running clothes, sleeping clothes, food, tent, sleeping bag and whatever else I thought of and headed north to Skagit Valley. One of my teammates has volunteered her cabin as an overnight stop on the way to Bellingham. It is Friday night of Memorial Weekend so instead of an hour, the drive takes three hours. Our group straggles in, all complaining about the traffic.
This "cabin" was nice enough to be featured on the cover of Sunset magazine. I didn't even have to put up the tent or use the sleeping bag. Got a real bed.

Saturday: Our bunch caravans to Bellingham to check out our triathlon course. The weather report says, "scattered showers". I think there is nothing scattered about this. It is pouring.
We get on our bikes, break into groups, and take off on the course. It's wet.  I give a little advice on going wet downhills to one my teammates. The road is nice. The scenery is nice. We get lost. We loop around a few times. Finally, of trying to find the course, we concentrate on finding our way back to the parking lot. We are drenched and hungry. Dry clothes, some snacks, and most of us head back home.

Later I get a report from our hostess. She had spent the weekend taking care of us, but not taking care of herself. She didn't eat much breakfast, didn't dress warm enough, and didn't drink water on the ride. (There's that pesky problem of gripping the the handlebars.) Luckily her husband picked her up after the ride. She was fading in and out and ended up in emergency, diagosed and treated for hyperthermia, dehydration, and exhaustion. She now advises us, "When the coach talks about nutrition, listen."