Running Underground!

My registration is in for the TLC Groundhog Run in January! What makes this run so unique? It takes place in an underground mine that has been converted to commercial storage. What makes this so challenging to me? I have claustrophobia.

TLC Groundhog Run

After looking at pictures of the place and reading all I could about it I made the decision to go for it. I'm going to run the 10K this time because there is a finisher medal involved. I'm all about the bling! Several other ladies are signed up so it's looking like a group road trip is in order.

Since the race is inside the weather won't be a factor, but it will affect my training. The RA medication is supposed to knock my immune system to the ground so I can't afford to get sick. Plus I don't think my feet will take much more than one day of running a week. So I'll be swimming and riding the bike on the trainer as much as I can. I'll try to get in a long run once a week but it most likely will be on my treadmill. I LOVE doing long miles on that thing. (I wish there was a sarcasm font.)

If I can keep this up through the winter I should be in good shape next spring when the real training starts. I've been looking at the Tri schedule for next year and I can hardly wait!

Run Anyway

I’m not posting this for sympathy. I’m not posting this to make myself seem special. I’m posting this to remind myself to Run Anyway. Yesterday I was officially diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, commonly referred to as RA. I choose to think of it as Run Anyway because that is what I intend to do.  

A few months ago my fingers started swelling and would get “stuck” in the bent position if I moved them too far. The stinging and aching was beyond the control of standard over the counter meds and only getting worse. Soon the pain spread to my entire hands and my feet. Once it hit that stage I knew something had to be done. Running was becoming very painful so I didn’t do much of that at all. That doesn’t make for a good triathlete!

We live in an area without a rheumotogist so off I went to the big city for an evaluation even though my local doctor and I had already pretty much narrowed the diagnoses down to RA. The specialist confirmed it and we are now working on a plan of attack. There is no cure for RA but the treatment can slow the progression significantly. My joints are only slightly damaged and although it isn’t reversible I should retain most of my function. I’m really looking forward to a reduction in the pain. The treatment isn’t without side effects and I’ll have to be monitored closely.

So instead of feeling sorry for myself and picking out a nice comfy rocking chair and cane, I’m going to run. And swim. And bike. Heck, I wasn’t fast to begin with so slowing down doesn’t bother me. I’ll just have to be a little more careful about how I structure my training and I’ll be fine.

From now on, RA = Run Anyway. I’m not giving up. This is more reason than ever to stay active and as fit as possible. I plan on doing triathlons for many years to come. I’ll do the best I can with what I’ve got. No excuses and no expectations. Just RUN ANYWAY!

Which Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg

As I write this my eyes are having trouble focusing on the computer screen, a lingering side-affect of my latest set-back. To add to the aches and pains of my bike crashes a few days ago I developed a severe case of positional vertigo. It's an experience I don't want to repeat anytime soon.

In the middle of the nigh early Monday morning I turned over in bed. That doesn't sound like a big issue. But it is if you get dizzy and feel the room spinning out of control. I was hoping it would go away but when I next turned over the spinning hit so hard and fast that I had to wake my hubby up to get something to throw up into. My good big stock pot was the first thing he found. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat chicken soup from that particular pan again.

Every little shift of my head sent me reeling. The world would spin so fast and hard that I would flip over in the bed and hang my head in just the right position to make it slow down. I'm usually not an alarmist but this had me headed to the ER. The car ride was agony. Every turn brought new spinning and new nausea.

The staff there gave me some meds for the spinning and stomach problems, and a steroid shot to help my inner ear. They sent me home with instructions to return if it got worse. It did. By just after lunch the pain in my head was unbearable so off we went to visit the good folks at the hospital again. This time they ordered a head CT which came back normal. Hubby thinks they didn't see anything because I've lost my mind doing all these adventures.

And then the debate started. Did the crashes on Saturday contribute to the vertigo that started Monday? Or was my balance already compromised making me a wobbly rider a few days before the full onset of the condition? It all depends on which doctor you talk to. I've taken a drink from my water bottle many many times on a ride and not been that unsteady. But a blow to the head hard enough to crack my helmet is not to be taken lightly either. In the long run it doesn't really matter. Getting back on my feet is the goal, not finding blame.

They admitted me to the hospital for observation and late in the evening one of the doctors did a maneuver where he quickly changed my position and turned my head  from side to side. As awful as that felt it did seem to slow the spinning to an almost manageable speed. Between that and the drugs I was on the road to recovery. The next day was spent resting and practicing standing and walking on my own without falling down. Now, it's my eyes that are giving me the most problems. The side-affect of the patch I have to wear (just like they wear on a cruise ship) is dilated pupils. You know how it feels when you go to the eye doctor and they put those drops in your eyes? That's what I'm feeling now and will feel until I go back for my checkup next week.

It goes without saying that I won't be doing the Pedal the Plains ride. I may not have ridden all 100 miles but I would have loved to spend the day with friends just cruising down the highways and byways. My friends have been fantastic and I can't thank them enough for their prayers, concern, and encouragement. If anything, all these adventures have led me to a great place in my life filled with positive, caring people. Ladies, you are so special to me. I don't really care which came first, the chicken or the egg. Just as long as I can recover and get back on the road. Fried chicken and omelets anyone?

Record Ride, Complete With Road Rash

I woke up this morning and groaned. I ache from head to toe, side to side, and almost every place in between. But through all that pain there is a silver lining. I just completed my longest bike ride to date: 69.66 miles. Close enough to call it 70 miles. I couldn't have done it without the help of my good friend Traci W. but it didn't come without some unwanted excitement.

A week ago I struggled through a 60 mile ride and was plagued with self doubt. My arms and shoulders were cramping, I was dizzy, and the last 10 miles were agony. The goal is a 100 mile ride in just a few weeks and I was upping my mileage every week. But after that ride I just couldn't imagine finishing that challenge.

Traci W. to the rescue! She called me up and offered to come and ride with me this week and help me with my nutrition and pacing so I could finish with a positive outlook. What a wonderful friend! When doing big miles it's hard to find someone to share those miles because, face it, most others aren't looking for that distance or have the time to spend an entire day on the road.

I played with the route and checked the forecast and planned the best 70 miles route I could. Wouldn't you know it, the county put gravel on the shoulders the day before the ride so that messed up the route a little. Then the weather changed and we were blessed with some much needed rain. I've never really ridden in rain so this was going to be interesting.

Traci told me to slow down and ease up on my pace so we took out slow and steady and made good progress through the first 20 miles. I was feeling pretty good, especially when the rain stopped. The weather was cool but not cold and the traffic was light on the back roads through the country side. That's when disaster struck.

I was reaching for my water bottle and my wheel drifted. I could see it coming but couldn't do anything about it as my front wheel clipped Traci's back wheel and down I went. I hit the pavement pretty hard and it rang my bell for a little bit. When I finally was able to sit up and take stock it wasn't as bad as it could have been. My helmet was cracked, my glasses bent, my hip knee and hand took the brunt of the fall. The shifter on my handle bars was cocked a little and the chain was off. Everything was survivable except my derailer, which was stuck on the small ring and wouldn't let me shift up. At lest it wasn't the other way around.

A few miles down the road we took a lunch break and I had time to gather my thoughts. I was OK, just really embarrassed at my stupid mistake. We were soon back on the road and I was feeling pretty good, all things considered.

We made a few more quick stops and even met my Hubby for a few minutes as we made our way back to town on the highway. The wind was starting to pick up so we took the most direct route back to town to ride in a more protected area. That meant we needed to put in a few extra miles in town so we started riding the city streets.

I'm not an urban rider. Busy streets make me nervous. But what happened next was just dumb luck. We were on a fairly busy street and I wanted to head to a better less traveled street. As we were riding Traci saw an opportunity to turn a block early and took it. I was just a little ahead and by the time I realize she was turning I was past the intersection. I tried to make the turn and almost made it but was leaning the wrong way and clipped the curb. You guessed it, down I want again, landing on the opposite side as I had landed in the morning.

Talk about feeling stupid. Two falls for two stupid reasons. This time my lower leg was banged up and my should took a pretty good hit too. We had about 13 miles to go and I was a mess. Riding wise I felt pretty good. It was everything else that hurt.

We made it to the zoo and did laps around that area to round out the miles. I wasn't totally exhausted but I was ready to stop. 70 miles was in the book and I was upright and smiling.

I knew I would be sore in the morning but, holy cow! I expected all the bumps and bruises to hurt, but was surprised how much my shoulders and arms ached.  As of right now I am not thinking of riding the 100 miles next week but most likely will call it a day at the 67 mile marker. It's not what I was working toward by I don't think I'm going to be able to handle a longer ride.

Traci was a good sport about picking me up when I was on the ground, and for driving over and spending the day with me out on the road. I did learn a few lessons along the way such as: leave lots of room between riders when you take a drink. Plan your turns ahead of time. Most of life's bumps and bruises will heal. But the most important thing I learned is that the miles are much easier with friends along for the ride. Next week is the Pedal the Plains ride and I will enjoy the adventure. Just not as many miles of it as I had planned.

It's All About the Bling

Kate, me, Claudia, & Meghan - Team 4F

Maybe it's a little silly, but give me a chance to score some unique swag and I'm all over that race. If that swag happens to be a tiara, well, where do I sign! When Claudia B. put out the word that she was doing the Tiara Tri in El Dorado how could I resist.

We made our plans, booked the hotel room, and even had shirts made representing our fitness club, Team 4F. Claudia, Kate H., Meghan M. and I were registered and on our way.

The only flaw in the plan was my training. Non-existent would be the way to describe my workouts over the past 4 weeks. I had managed a few long bike rides and a few short swims, but running was missing from my calendar. My son's wedding and reception, a family reunion, starting back to work, and just plain lack of motivation took it's tool. I have been working toward a 100 mile bike ride in mid September and was not even thinking about a running event let alone a triathlon.

Tiara Tri - How cool is that!

Claudia has been working all summer long and competed in the National Triathlon Championships a few weeks ago. Kate has been doing a triathlon almost every weekend to finish her goal of 5 for the year. Meghan, like me, has been struggling to find the time to workout but is still very active with softball and other activities for her work as a fitness director. But she's young and full of energy. I on the other hand am not a spring chicken and my body is reminding me of that fact.

But I was game to give it a try. This would give me the opportunity to accomplish my goal for the year of doing an open water swim. You see, I had never in my life swam in a lake. I live in an area where water is scarce. Being a farm kid and then a farm wife did not lead to a lot of spare time in the summer for camping and boating, especially when it involved a long drive to the nearest body of water. So an open water swim was really a big hurdle for me.

We arrived at the lake, which is actually a man-made pond near the big lake, in plenty of time to pick up our packets and rack our bikes. This is a new event and we had no idea of how many women would be there but the bike area seemed pretty full and we had to fit our bikes in where we could. But all I could think about was that lake. I didn't know what to expect or how I would react and was more than a little leery of what lie below the surface.

My first open-water swim - EVER!

Turns out I didn't need to worry about what was below because the water was so cloudy you couldn't see more then a foot or two. I walked down to the shore with the girls and dipped my feet in. And immediately cringed at the squishy sand between my toes. I didn't bring a bucket to wash my feet during transition so I was worried about sand in my shoes. I didn't need to add things to the worry list but it was getting longer by the minute. I felt things in the sand and Claudia just laughed as I jumped at every turn. Someone remarked about a fish flapping in the pond and I added that to my worry list. I joked about making friends with the lifeguards and water rescue people because they were going to have to save me, only I wasn't really joking.

But it turns out that I was not the only one there who had never done any lake swimming. While waiting for the start there were quite a few other ladies with the same look in their eyes: terror, mixed with resignation. Terror of the unknown, of not seeing the bottom, of feeling something touching you out of the deep. And resignation that we were going to do this. We were going to run head long into something we had not prepared for and didn't understand.

There were 4 waves and I was in the last. I thought that was a good thing because everyone else would be ahead of me and I wouldn't have that many bodies close to me. Claudia gave me some last minute advice and before I knew it we were set to go. I started strong and fell into a good stroke rhythm but was totally disorientated at not being able to see anything. I kept touching a swimmer to my right but when I turned my head as I was underwater I couldn't even see her. At the first turn I started to feel more comfortable but was still very tense. A few seconds of back stroking at the half way mark and I was ready to make the turn for the shore.

That's when I took in a mouthful of lake water. I instantly flipped to my back and started coughing. Claudia was near and asked if I was OK and hung back with me a little bit. I soon was in control again and back on my stomach for the last 100 meters. When the bottom rose up to meet me I took to my feet and started high stepping it to shore. Claudia and I exchanged a high five and she was off. I had made it through the swim!

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful for me. I passed several younger riders on my bike and was feeling pretty good. I took it easy on the run and walked when I wanted. Little did I know that if I had stayed with that old lady in the green top just ahead of me I might have passed her and placed in my age division. But that was not what this race was about for me.

Queens for a day.

It was about concurring the unknown. Doing what you fear. Becoming a more complete triathlete. As I crossed the finish line and they hung a finisher medal around my neck and put a tiara on my head little did they know they were crowning me as a true triathlete. As I looked around and saw the smiles on the other ladies faces I realized that we were all glowing with pride. By putting that little cheesy crown on our heads we were bestowed with the title of triathlete and everyone of us was proud of our accomplishment.

I missed placing 3rd by just over 2 minutes. If I had trained hard and pushed a little more... Well, I did what I came to do. Claudia ended up placing 1st in our age group and Meghan placed 3rd in spite of a shoe lace verses bike chain incident. Kate, like me, finished just out of the medals but was very happy with her run.

My friend Yolanda R. once posted on Facebook: "You know you're a runner when..." My response was "you don't mind having your picture taken when you are sweaty as long as you're smiling!" I'm modifying that response by adding "WEARING A TIARA!! "

Life Gets In The Way

Finding time for a workout is difficult for me right now. I've started back to work and the first few weeks are packed with overtime and a lot of stress. Add to that my son's wedding reception, family visiting from all over the country, and all my other responsibilities and, well, you get the picture.

Some of my girl friends and I decided to do the Tiara Tri in El Dorado. That's about 5 hours from home. It's just one week away and I am so not ready. I haven't done any running for the last 3 and a half weeks and swimming time has been non-existent. I've gotten a few bike rides in but no brick workouts of any kind. To say I'm unprepared is an understatement.

So this weekend I set my alarm early on Saturday and packed my bike bag for a long ride. I also happen to have a century ride coming up in 4 weeks so I need to get in a lot of seat time. The 40 mile ride was good but that's a long way from 100. Thankfully the ride for the upcoming tri is only 9 miles. I can remember when a 9 mile ride sounded so far!

I set my alarm early again this morning and went for a run, the first in 25 days. I would really have loved to sleep in, but I need to do at least a little training. I took it easy and walked up the hills and ran the downhills and flats. Surprisingly my time wasn't too horrible and I felt pretty good afterward.

I know without proper training I can't expect great results at the race. Kate H. and Claudia B. have been doing tri's all summer long and are really ready for this one. Meghan M. and I have not and are going for the fun and experience. That's just the way it's going to be.

But I have one more thing to prove to myself. This will be my first ever open water swim. That was my goal for the year and it looks like I will have my chance to cross that off my bucket list. Without ever swimming in a lake or large body of water before I don't know what to expect. Everyone tells me it will be fine, but I'm still very nervous about this challenge. If I survive the swim I plan to take it easy on the bike and run and enjoy the day.

I'm realizing the truth in the saying "You can't train for two events". Between the triathlon and the century bike ride I don't really know what workout schedule to follow. I want to do them both but long rides don't fit into the tri plan. I guess I'll shift gears so to speak after this coming weekend.

In the mean time I'll keep working with my schedule to try and fit in workouts this week. It's funny how everyone has the same hours in a day but some use them more wisely then other. I'm looking for that wisdom.

Go Girl!

I'm so proud of Miss Claudia B.! She competed in the Olympic Triathlon National Championships this past weekend in Wisconsin. Claudia never ceases to amaze me. She meets every challenge and works her butt off to get it done. To see her smiling at the end of her run and hear the enthusiasm in her voice is so uplifting.

Her enthusiasm is also contagious. She has invited (read- dared, challenged, finagled) a group of us other Tri nutsto compete with her in an upcoming ladies only event, the Tiara Tri. I have to admit, she is winning me over and I'm seriously thinking about doing this one. It's a 400 meter swim, 9.5 mile bike, and 5K run.

The kicker for me is the swim. It's open water and that was one of my goals for the year. I've never swam in a lake and we don't have an open body of water in which to train. But this could be my one chance to cross this off my bucket list.

The down side is the timing of the event, only 2 weeks away. I've started back to work for the year and training time is almost nonexistent. To say I won't be physically prepared is an understatement.  The other problem is also work related. To get there in time to pick up my packet on Friday evening I would have to take off work at noon. I really hate to ask for a day off work when we have only been back a few weeks. I only get 2 days for the year and I don't use them unless I really need too.

But, I think I'm leaning toward going if I can work out the logistics. I know I can get through the race and finish and that's all I can expect this time. If I do this one it will be for the fun and fellowship of my friends. Plus the tiara we are promised when we finish!