Iron Girl Atlanta Race Report

Where do I begin?
I've experienced my first Ironman, I've done the Ironman World Championships and I've done the Boston Marathon.....Nothing compares to the Iron Girl experience and I will remember this race for the rest of my life.

Katrine and I left Jacksonville around 10am on Friday. We started the day with a good 3000 swim at 6am and then it was time to finish up the packing and hit the road. We hit traffic outside Atlanta and nearly pulled our hair out but we made it to our hotel all in one piece.
After unloading out stuff we headed to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner. I couldn't wait to see Wes (http://www.codegeekstail.com) and catch up from the past year. We met last year (with his awesome wife Dee Dee) when Kate Weaver and I were in Lake Lanier for IG Atlanta '08 but because of blogging, it was like we had just talked the other day.
The salad bar was delicious and it was off to bed around 9:30pm.

Katrine and I headed out around 7:15am for a little race warm-up. We weren't familiar with the area so we picked a road with a bike lane to do an out-and-back 10 mile warm-up, followed by a parking lot 15 min run. We welcomed ourselves to GA quickly by warming up on non-flat roads....definitely not flat Florida!
After we cleaned up it was time for breakfast. With no coffee maker or microwave in our room (even though the hotel website promised me both) we went to Einsteins bagels for a healthy egg white bagel sandwich. Yum!
Because we had a fridge in the room, we made PB&J sandwiches for lunch with baggies full of veggies, fruit and nuts. We had a cooler full of yummy snacks for the car ride and lots of yummy snacks for the weekend.

After breakfast we headed to the race venue at Lake Lanier Islands Resort. I couldn't wait to see Judy (IG President) and give her a BIG hug (haven't seen her since my wedding) as well as seeing all of the other IG's.
Katrine and I may as well been first timers because we totally enjoyed our IG experience. After picking up our packets we attended the course talks. For some reason, I never get tired of attending course talks and hearing questions from newbies. I actually look forward to the pre-race talks because it takes me back to my first few tri's.
After the course talk we got our awesome goodies at the expo and then we got our first-row seats for the Pro meet and great.
Wow! I got to meet the Pros and take pics with them!!
And not just any pros....Kate Major, Sam McGlone, Pip Taylor, Helen Libby, Michellie Jones and Mirinda Carfrae.
The pros answered questions from the audience and their responses were so inspiring. I just can't explain how down to earth they were and how nice they were to all of us. It wasn't like Judy was paying them to be there. They actually wanted to be there, they weren't pressed for time and they wanted to hang out with us. It was so memorable!
We were laughing, smiling and nodding our heads as they talk...it was crazy listening to them tell their stories of how they got started in tri's. They all started the same way the "average" triathlete started. Borrowed gear, hated to run, wanted to lose weight, saw kona ironman and wanted a challenge....the stories were so inspiring and I didn't want the moment to end.
Well, the moment ended and it was time to eat lunch. I had 30 minutes until my 1:30 nutrition talk so Katrine and I headed out to the hotel pool at the resort to relax and eat.
My talk went well. I was nervous but as usual, nerves calm down once I am introduced. The crowd was small but as Judy (my #1 mentor) always tells me, it only takes 1 person to make a difference. Absolutely!
After the talk I could finally relax and think about the race. We spent a bit of time in the expo and Katrine finally got her first pair of compression socks. I've been bugging her for the past few weeks that she HAS to get some so I was super excited that she had the opportunity to try a pair on...what a great bargain as well!
I usually don't spend money at races but I saw a blue environmental friendly/organic shirt with a bike on it so I just had to get it for Karel. At least it wasn't Pink..like everything else in the expo (I was in heaven!).
After our day at the race site it was time to check-in our bikes. We made the drive to the transition area, parked and rode our bikes up to the transition parking lot. Up the big hill, we racked our bikes, took a few pics and headed out.
We relaxed at the room for about an hour and then it was time for dinner. The day went by so fast and at 5:30 it was time to eat!
Where else would a vegetarian go for dinner than a steakhouse?? Lonestar or Outback are my fav places for pre-race meals when I travel to a race so I was super ready for my sweet potato, salad (w/ pecans), bread and peanuts. Yum!
We were both nervous for the race so it was hard to relax for the 2-3 hours that we were sitting in our room. Luckily, the 40-year old virgin was playing on HBO. Nothing like a good laugh before bedtime. Lights were out at 10pm and before I knew it, it was race day!

4:15am and the alarm went off. I was worried how I would do without my no-fail oatmeal breakfast and coffee but without a microwave or coffee maker, I settled for 1/2 bagel w/ PB and banana slices. At 5am we headed to McD's (the only place open) for much needed coffee and finally, Katrine and I could relax.
We made our 9 mile drive to the race site, parked, walked .62 miles to transition and got body marked.
I set up my transition area, made a few stops to the port-o-potties (gotta love all-women events...tons of potties, no guys waiting in line!!) and helped a few newbies set up their area.
Transition closed at 6:30 and the 20-29 wave was at 7:20. We were in the last wave (of 5) but we were anxious to see the pro's start.
We made our way down the steep hill that we have to climb out of the water and walked 10 min to the swim start. The swim start is beautiful, right near a water park with sand everywhere. The water was warm and calm. I swam a bit before the pro start at 6:58am.
After waiting 20 min. for my wave (5 min. intervals), it was time to gather at the starting line.
I got to the front and with 1 min. to go, my heart couldn't beat any faster. I wasn't nervous, just excited and anxious to give it everything. I wasn't looking forward to being in the last wave but it wasn't worth complaining about. We all reach the same finish line.
3...2...1...AFLAC!!!! We were off.
My swim was great. I have been working on my stroke so I was happy that I had a good swim. I had two other girls in my wave with me but once we caught up with the wave in front of us, I just spotted my way to the swim finish. As far as I knew, I was first out of the water for my wave and I ran up the steep hill to transition as if I was being chased.
I put on my bike gear and headed out on the bike course.
There is nothing easy about this bike course. Lots of rollers and 3-4 really big climbs. There were tons of athletes on the course so there was a lot of "on your left". Of course, for an all-women race, I heard a lot of "go get 'em" "Great job" from the athletes as I was passing them. I cheered for the athletes as well. It was a lot of fun out there but I was 100% focused on the course. Some of the descents were scary but I stayed calm and pushed hard. I was riding like I wanted to catch the first wave of 35-39 women so I pushed as hard as I could.
The worst part of the ride was a false flat around mile 12. It went on forever!!! It didn't matter what gear I was in or what chain ring, I just couldn't go faster than 16-17mph!!! I toughed it up and finally it was time to head back to the resort. There were a few climbs back to transition and without being passed on the bike by any women, I thought I could run fast for a top 10 finish.
I heard an amateur women finishing when I got into transition area and when I saw only a handful of bikes in the transition area, I thought I might be able to pull this off.
I sprinted out of transition area and ran steady. Once again, I tried for 7 min or less miles for the 3 mile run. The run course is hilly. You head out for 1.5 miles going up and up and up (with a few downhills) and then you head back 1.5 miles (mostly downhill) with a few ups and downs. Let's just say it is rolling the whole way.
I was holding a great pace but after the turn around I saw a girl chasing me down. I tried to keep my lead but I was passed. I looked at her calf and when it said 17, I knew she had to be a XC runner. Too fast for me so I cheered her on. I had .5 miles to go and I ran my way to the finish line.
Splits for the run:
Mile 1: 7:00
Mile 2: 7:11
Mile 3: 6:58
So close to 20 min...yet so far away. I still don't have those sprinting legs but I'm trying really really hard.

After waiting just a few quick minutes for Katrine to finish we headed out for an easy 2 mile run to loosen the legs. I was running really slow but I really enjoy an easy jog after a race to prevent the legs from tightening. I had nothing left in my legs so we used our jog as an opportunity to talk about our awesome race experience. It was a slow 2 miles but it was fun cheering for the other athletes.

Results:
1/3 mile Swim: 9:14
18 mile Bike (most of us had 19 miles on our computers): 53:38 (average 20.1)
3 mile run: 21:09 (7:03 pace)
Total: 1:27.32
1st age group 25-29 (1st on all 3 disciplines)
5th overall amateur
11th overall female (with pros)
3rd fastest amateur bike!!!! Still in shock by that one.


Here are the results if you want to check out the Pros:
http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?relist_record_type=result&lower_bound=0&upper_bound=25&new_group_size=25&use_previous_sql=1&group_by=default#racetop

(Mirinda won!)


I couldn't be more proud of my race. I had such a great time and after the race, we even hung out with Michellie and Mirinda. How cool is that???!!!
I never take an age group win for granted so I have to say I gave it my all out there. And a BIG congrats for Katrine taking 2nd in our age group!! WAHOO!!
I even met another blogger Chloe on the course but she got 2 flats :( You are still an IG Chloe!!!

Enjoy the pics!

Iron Girl Atlanta

Heading to Lake Lanier, GA for Iron Girl Atlanta!!

Barbara salad

I think I've told this story before but it's a good one.

When Karel and I were in Lake Tahoe (for the first time, our first trip together) in 2006, we stayed with my Grandpa Joe and his wife, Barbara. We couldn't ask for better hosts to feed us great food after we biked around Lake Tahoe.
Here's a few pics from our amazing ride!





We only knew each other for 4 months and it was that trip that confirmed that Karel was the one for me. 1 week together, riding our bikes on mountains and Karel got to see exactly who I was on and off the bike.
Who would have thought that this picture from Tahoe '06...


Would lead to this in Oct '08




Anyways, while we were there, Barbara made us amazing salad's almost every day. She would put nuts, fruit, dried fruit, veggies, greens...you name it, it was in there! And it was sooo good.
Even though I am not a big "salad for a meal" eater (I like side salads with my meal) every now and then Karel and I have a Barbara salad for dinner.
I will list what I put in mine but I will leave it up to your imagination to make your own Barbara salad.



Romaine lettuce
Green peppers
Carrots
Tomatoes
Onions
Apricots
Grapes
Pine nuts
Nuts
Raisins
Strawberries

Here's another one with mandarin oranges and chives:

Hala bread pizza

If you've read my blog for the past 6 months, you know I LOVE pizza! What's better than bread, veggies, marinara sauce and cheese. YUM!
I have to admit, however, that I have not ordered-out for pizza in over 2 years. It may be longer. Let's just say, I can't remember a time when someone has delivered pizza to my door or I have picked up pizza after ordering it. I LOVE making my own pizza. I have not attempted to make my own dough but I think I have come up with every carb-creation possible for my veggies and sauce to cook on.

Karel and I save pizza for the weekend (usually sat with a movie) but last week I was craving pizza. I was heading to the grocery to pick up some ingredients for a pizza but I remembered I had a coupon for Hala bread (buy 1 get 1 free) at the local HALA store. Hala bread (not Challah, the Jewish bread) is kinda like pita bread. I'm not sure if you have a Hala store in your area but google-around and see if there is one nearby.
Here's a little about the arabic word Halal: (from the Islamic Food and Nutrition Counsel of America)

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life. However, we will use these terms only in relation to food products, meat products, cosmetics, personal care products, food ingredients, and food contact materials.

While many things are clearly halal or clearly haram, there are some things which are not clear. These items are considered questionable or suspect and more information is needed to categorize them as halal or haram. Such items are often referred to as mashbooh, which means doubtful or questionable.

All foods are considered halal except the following, which are haram:

* Swine/pork and its by-products
* Animals improperly slaughtered or dead before slaughtering
* Animals killed in the name of anyone other than ALLAH (God)
* Alcohol and intoxicants
* Carnivorous animals, birds of prey and land animals without external ears
* Blood and blood by-products
* Foods contaminated with any of the above products

Foods containing ingredients such as gelatin, enzymes, emulsifiers, etc. are questionable (mashbooh) because the origin of these ingredients is not known.


The bread there is super cheap and with my coupon, I could pass up whole grain and white Hala pita bread for pizza!

You could use a pita or wrap in place of the Hala bread if you want. With all of my recipes, I try to take meals that we all love and make them in a healthy, affordable and quick way. I don't measure, I just chop and load. Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Hala Pizza

Hala bread
Marinara sauce
Shredded cheese
Veggies- onions, chickpeas, green peppers, mushrooms, corn, tofu.
1 clove garlic (chopped)
Tomato (sliced)
Spices - cayenne, chili flakes, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450-degrees.
2. Cut hala bread in half around the edges.
3. Spread 2-3 spoonfuls marinara sauce on pizza.
4. Layer veggies on pizza (I pre-cooked my veggies with a little olive oil on a skillet. You can use fresh, frozen (defrosted) or canned (rinsed) veggies if you are short on time).
5. Top with slices of tomato.
6. On a cooking pan, lined with tinfoil, cook for 10-15 min until Hala bread is toasted.
7. Top with shredded cheese and spices.
8. Serve with colorful side salad.

Ironman training in a sauna

First off a BIG congrats to all of the IMCDA athletes. Way to go for my good friend LIBBY who was 7th in the 25-29 age group! Our friend James S. did awesome in the MASSIVE 40-44 men age group and blogger-friend Marit did amazing once again. There were many more athletes out there so congrats to everyone!

I knew this weekend would be hot but I had no idea how blazing hot it would be.
I guess you really don't know until you train in it.
In order to acclimate to IMKY temps, I am trying to train outside, in the sun, whenever possible. I try not to start my workouts too early in the morning because I want to get use to the heat and see how my body does when the sun is out. More so, these workouts are getting longer and more intense and I am trying to find what my body requires in terms of hydration, calories, electrolytes, etc. Rather than just giving my body what I think it needs, I start out simple with sport drinks and gels and then as the workout volume increases every week, I focus on how I feel during the workout. Because I want to keep my nutrition strategy as simple as possible during the Ironman, I am using each and every workout (especially the long ones on the weekend) to practice, practice, practice possible nutrition plans. Right now, I am not bonking, not cramping and not losing energy so I am thankful that what I am doing is working. However, with just under 70 more days until the IM, I have many more workouts to try my plan and tweak it along the way. My race day strategy is to race my own race and to focus on my own nutrition needs. This should allow me to have a good race...I hope :)

Karel headed to clermont with Jeff on Sat morning. He had an 80-min crit on sat and then a 7 mile TT at 6:11pm that evening. The TT was up and down, up and down sugarload in Clermont. If you know the area, that is one of our mountains in Florida. And honestly, it is really steep and challenging. Karel finished mid pack for the crit and 17th in the TT. On sun, at 9:30am Karel raced amazingly in the 80 mile (1 loop) road race. Luckily, neutral support was on the course handing out water bottles. Karel was in the lead group, feeling strong. Hot, but strong. The temp in Clermont that weekend was around 103-105 degrees! As the field was getting smaller and smaller Karel was still fighting for a top 10 finish. With 5 miles to go...FLAT! Bummer! Because the riders are not allowed to carry anything on their bikes, Karel had to wait for the wheel truck..which should have been right behind the lead pack. well, after 10 min of waiting and seeing that chase pack zip on by, Karel was out of the race and got a 5 mile ride in the race car (picking up riders who dropped out) back to the start/finish. What a bummer. We found out later that there was a crash and that is why the wheel truck wasn't around. He handled it really well but he is still thinking about that challenging race, where he felt so good. Ugghh, the life of a cyclist.

On sat morning, Katrine and I headed to Jax beach. We decided to change things up this weekend. Running with the ocean in site is 100% better than running in neighborhoods. The plan was 10 miles together at a 8:30ish pace (slower than normal but we were both feeling like we needed to run slow to have consistent splits) and then I would run 6 miles alone and katrine would ride her tri bike. I have recruited Katrine to train with me for my IM even though she is doing 70.3 Augusta. Isn't it great to have training partners that enjoy training with you even though they aren't doing your race!! I love the company!
We started at 7:30 and our run went by super fast and 10 miles later we were back at the car. I re-filled my fuel belt and off I went for 6 more miles. I wasn't sure if I would make it to mile 12 because I was starting to get super hot but I was able to keep myself cool and hydrate every 1/2 mile.
My focus right now is not speed. I work on that during the week. For the long runs, I am trying to be consistent with my pace and pace myself to be able to have enough in the tank for my last 3 miles, whenever I do a long run.
Splits:
8:32, 8:41, 8:33, 8:32, 8:34, 8:33, 8:38, 8:41, 8:41, 8:35, 8:44, 8:26, 8:25, 8:41, 8:15, 8:16, 8:09.
Average 8:32
After the run I was bummed that I didn't bring my bike. I really needed to spin out my legs cause they were toast. I quickly jumped into the beach shower to cool off and then we took a dip in the ocean to cool off. The water felt great and it was nice to just relax after a quality workout.
I was moving really slow on sat but I had enough energy for my happy doggy to take him on a few long walks during the day. I spent a few hours studying in the afternoon but luckily, I was able to rest as I laid on the couch with my books and notes.

Sunday was a big day. The first 100 mile ride of the season. Not only that, but my longest EVER run after a 100 mile ride. When I trained for IMFL and Kona, I never ran more than 3 miles after a 100 mile ride. The plan for today was a 5 hour bike (or 100 miles) and a 35 min run.
Because Karel was out of town, I was a little sad about leaving Campy alone for so long. However, we went on two walks before I left at 6am. Campy actually loved going for a walk at 4:45am and then again at 5:30am. In between our walks I had coffee and my normal pre-bike breakfast of oatmeal, honey, raisins and slices of banana.
I left my place at 6am to ride 8 miles to katrine's. I met her and Ryan (her hubby) at 6:30 and we headed 7 miles to meet the group. I was never a fan of group rides for long rides because you can't draft in an IM bike but because this group makes me push and constantly focus (there is no easy part of this ride), I enjoy the challenge every sun.
We left at 7am and the plan was 65-72 miles. The ride was hot and I was sweating at 6am when I left my house. I didn't mind the heat because I was really focused on my hydration and focusing on my energy and my body during the ride. Luckily, all went well and as usual, I felt better and better as the ride went on. My endorphins seem to come around mile 60. :)
We averaged 22-23 for over 3 hours and we each took a pull (Katrine and I don't pull very long). My drafting is also much better than ever before.
I ended up with 100 miles, and even with my slow ride home in the wind (alone) I was able to average 19mph for the whole 5 hour and 5 minute ride.
After the ride it was time to get some love from campy. He was SO excited to see me. I put on his harness and we headed out for a run around the block. .6 miles at a stop and go pace of 9:09.
I told campy I would be right back and off I went for my run. I wasn't sure how I would feel, considering it was 97-degrees out and 12pm. I filled two flasks with water for my fuel belt so I could practice cooling myself and hydrating. I drank every .5 miles but more so, I wanted to pour the water on my face. Most of water went to my face but I felt like I was able to hydrate with what I had with me.
The run was amazing. Even though I didn't push it, my pace was great. Nice and comfortable off the bike. I seem to run better off the bike and because I am not a fast runner, I feel like my strength would be pacing.
Here are the splits for the 4.2 mile run.
mile 1 - 9:09 (with .6 at campy's pace, stop and go)
mile 2 - 8:04
mile 3 - 8:12
mile 4 - 8:12
average 8:09 for the 3.4 miles that I did alone.

After the run I filled up a large glass with water and ice, turned on the fan we use for the trainer and put a towel on the couch and just sat there for about 10 min. w/ campy. I was toasted!
What a great weekend! So happy with how things are going but now it is time to buckle down with my other life and that is student. It is finals week and my last week of my two 6 week classes. Luckily, I am choosing to recover this week with my training so I won't be too exhausted for my finals on Tues and Thurs and so I can be ready to go for Irongirl Atlanta on Sun!
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Jane Nation wants YOU!!

My good friend Katrine (pronounced Katrina) showed me this website that her PR company is working on. As everyone knows, I am all about all-women stuff...especially when women can come together and celebrate the beauty of life! I'm totally obsessed with IronGirl.com!!
Whether you are focused on life with your husband, boyfriend, significant other, parents, children, grandparents, animals, work, school or athletics...we all can relate to each other in some way or another.

Katrine and her company created a unique online community where women can share information, make friends, and discuss issues, topics, products and services related to growing, evolving, changing or even reinventing their way through life. I think everyone will find it interesting and informative.

Check it out at JaneNation.com


There is also a video that tells the story (Jane Nation Video). You can also find Jane Nation on Facebook and Twitter. The future of Jane Nation is to be a premier destination for women to find information, inspiration and an invitation to affect change in their lives and the world.

Enjoy!!

JaneNation.com

How was your day?

Everyday, when Karel comes home from work, he asks Campy "How was your day?" Karel asks me too but my day is pretty boring and routine....Training, computer, walks with campy, school work, made dinner.
Campy usually replies with a few kisses, as he stands on his hind legs hoping for a nice back massage.
For anyone who is having a bad day, needs to smile or enjoys looking at puppy pics, I hope you enjoy the pics from Campy's day.






















By the way...a big congrats to Karel for suffering with the heat this past weekend in Ocala. He survived the 65 mile road race on Sat and placed 6th on Sunday in the 65-70 mile road race. Lots of miles in heavy heat this past weekend. The sat race started at 10:30am and the sun race started at 12:30. After a week of re-hydrating he is getting ready to suffer again in the 3 stage race (crit and TT on sat and road race on Sun) in hilly and hot clermont. Yay Karel! Campy and I are so proud of you...as usual!