Freeman Lake - Longest OWS (1.33 miles)

This morning marked my longest open water swim (OWS) to date.

I had signed up just this past week for the 2k OWS at Freeman Lake in Etown after giving some thought to the fact that everything I’ve done thus far has been in the pool. A tri friend I had ridden with about a month ago asked if I wanted to drive down together, and we met at my place at 6:30 a.m. to make the 45 minute trek in preparation for an 8:00 swim start.

My nerves really didn’t hit until we were on the dock, and about to plunge into the water. I had already made contact with many Landsharks prior to the race, some of which were doing the 4k swim – good for them. I myself had initially told one of the swim coaches that I was thinking about doing that distance as well. You know, to get my mind prepared for Ironman – psyching myself out to know that if I can do the 4k now, then 2.4 miles in 4 ½ months will be a piece of cake. His response: “I’m not trying to talk you out of it, but….” Hence, I signed up for the 2k and here I was – about to go off on this long, continuous swim.

We got in the water 5 minutes after the 4k group went off, and 5 minutes before the 1k group. Only a few minutes in the water to make our way to the start, they sound the horn and off we went. I hit the Garmin so that I would know exactly how long this little swim session would take me, and shortly thereafter hit a pretty good groove.

Most of the race is a bit of a blur, since there’s not much to see or hear or even think about while swimming through murky, deep water. I do remember getting into a rhythm and deciding that sighting every 4th breath is what was going to work best for me. The course was made up of a rectangle-shaped course that the 2k group had to complete twice. I finished up the first course and started in on the second, feeling fairly confident about my form and overall swim, even though I was dead last of the 2k group (a 1k swimmer had even passed me at one point during my first lap around, and by the time I was a little ways into the second lap, I began getting passed by the 4k group. Still, I know that I’m a slow swimmer so this snail-like pace did not dissuade me).

Rounding the next-to-last buoy, a 4k swimmer passed me on the right, throwing up a wave of water that I promptly took into my mouth and down my throat. After getting that initial choking sensation over with, I found myself unable to breath and was gasping for air. Thank goodness I decided on wearing my wetsuit, as I literally bounced there in the water trying to catch my breath. After the 3rd or 4th time trying to get air back into my lungs, I began to panic a bit and the wetsuit started to feel like a boa constrictor around my throat. I decided to lay on my back, floating for a minute or so while physically holding the collar away from my neck in order to try to get some air in and calm my nerves. By that point a kayaker had come over and began asking if I was okay. I was still having some trouble breathing, but managed to nod my head indicating that I would be. And then….. the water-works came.

Looking back I’m not sure why I had this reaction. Typically I don’t break down unless I’m feeling really overwhelmed, which I wasn’t at this point. In fact, one more turn and I was in the home stretch and about to be done with this race. I can only imagine that it was due to the anxiety and fear I had when I was unable to catch my breath. In those first few moments I was looking around for a kayak to hang on to just in case, but there weren’t any close by. I remember thinking, “If I can’t catch my breath, I could actually die out here.” A little melodramatic looking back at it, but in those scary few seconds it felt totally logical.

As I began to make my way forward once again, I starting to wonder what I would do if this happened during IMLOU, and if I would let it get to me the way it just had. Those thoughts only lasted a few minutes however, as I was back into my groove in no time and, again, sighting those buoys every fourth breath.

Near the end of the course I wasn’t quite sure which direction to head. A kayaker kindly showed me the way, and I was guided around one more buoy before hanging a right to make my way to the boat ramp and onto shore. Luckily, I had remembered to wear my earplugs so vertigo wasn’t a problem as I stood up out of the water. I felt only slightly disoriented and slipped only once before finally making my way out of the water. I hit the Garmin’s STOP button to see that I had finished in just over 56 minutes (after uploading the data from the Garmin, my official “moving” time was just over 54 minutes for 1.33 miles, which converts to 2:21/100m – a 1 hr. and 31 minute IMLOU finishing time).

Overall, I’d say this was a fairly decent race. Yes, I was slow, but as I’ve told the swim coach before, I feel like when I get into a good groove I can go at it all day. I just may not go at it as fast as others. I never got winded or felt tired. I never got mentally overwhelmed. In fact, I really do think I could have gone the entire 4k. If I would have made the cutoff or not – eh, that’s another question.

Breakthroughs

For some reason my depression hit me again over the past week or two, which hampered my motivation, which hampered my training, which hampered my confidence to even complete IMLOU. The rain, cooler weather, and overcast days certainly didn't help and I found myself missing a few workouts this past week. I wasn't able to get out of bed early enough to get my first swim of the week in, and then missed another swim and bike yesterday - giving me no workout whatsoever for the entire day. I had a meeting scheduled with my coach today to discuss my training thus far, and I had every intention of talking about all of my concerns. I wouldn't say I was ready to throw in the towel, but I was definitely questioning my ability to keep up with the training over the next 5 months and then ultimately finishing the race. However, things turned around for no apparent reason this morning. Maybe it was finally waking up to some sun, or perhaps the completion of my longest swim to date (2400 meters) and realizing that, given the time I completed the swim, I would be out of the Ohio in 1:47 - well below the 2:20 cutoff. The remainder of my workday went just as well, and even going out for my 1:15 run this afternoon was something I was looking forward to (the 64 degree weather definitely helped). I was more than surprised to see that I was moving right along with my 6:1 intervals at a 10:15 pace (10:45 average after the seven miles I put in), and never felt overly fatigued or drained (emotionally as well as physically). I gotta say though, I have to do something about these darn callouses on the inside of my feet, because they are causing some wicked blisters. Beyond that, I'm also developing a small blister under my pinky toe with these new shoes. Weird, but tender and worrisome nonetheless. After a short break back at the office, I walked over to Heine Bros. to meet my coach whom, honestly, I haven't really had much contact with since starting my training plan. Numerous things were talked about over the 2+ hours that we spoke, but some comforting things that I took away from our chat: 1) my sore knee/calf/shin could possibly be due to my bike fit. 2) I should be doing SOMETHING on the days that I feel too exhausted/emotionally drained to complete the scheduled workout. Even if I walk the planned 1.5 hour run - I should be doing at least that. 3) The 3:45+ hour bike rides (and growing), although overwhelming, do actually have a purpose - to get me mentally prepared for the IMLOU bike. I was even told that Barry would like to see me get to a 6:45 bike finish (man, he's got some high hopes). 4) Even taking into account my missed workouts, I'm doing great and am right where I need to be. This information concerned me the most since I wasn't sure where I fell in comparison to others, considering I have missed a workout or two each week since starting 5 weeks ago. I told Barry that two things I needed more of, from a athletes perspective, were sporadic check-ins and encouragement. He assured me this would not be a problem, and even suggested I give him a call the next time I'm feeling down in the dumps and unsure of myself. So.... with all of the information I obtained today, coupled with my 1.5 mile swim this morning, I have a newfound confidence that I can slay this beast - exhaustion or not. Next up: Riding part of the IMLOU course tomorrow morning - not looking forward to the dreaded 1694, but definitely loving the fact that I will finally experience what I'm up against.

Pancake Ride - 60 miles (longest ride to-date)

I've been hearing about this ride for the past couple of years, but never had the courage (or need) to go due to the distance. Of course, since my training plan called for a 3.5 hour bike I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to finally join in. I had been excited about the ride all week but, of course, the morning of I got a little anxious. I actually thought for a split second about not showing up at all, but then I remembered how guilty I've felt in the past when I've blown off a workout. Besides, even if I didn't show up to this particular ride, I still needed to somehow get that 3 1/2 hours in, and I thought the chance of that happening by myself - especially since there was rain in the forecast - were slim to none. More so none. So.... I got my happy a** out of bed and drove the 15 miles or so to meet the group out at Tom Sawyer. Before heading out I made the mistake of asking whether or not this course was hilly, and 100% of the feedback I got back was that, yes, it was in fact hilly. Very hilly. I believe the word "challenging" was even thrown in there. But, once again, I had to remind myself that these hills are going to help me during the actual IM race, so I took off feeling good about the upcoming ride. Not knowing where I'm going can be a bit of a mental struggle because I have no idea what to expect. I don't like surprises and feel that I can better prepare myself if I know what's next. For some reason, this didn't seem to be an issue on this ride - I just rolled with it (no pun intended). There were definitely some rollers on this course, but nothing too big and that I couldn't handle. Not having to get off the bike to walk my trusty steed up an incline was definitely a plus. About 20 miles in I asked Carlos how this course compared to IMLOU, and was told that it was very similar. Good - now I know what to expect. I've never been on the IM course before, so I was clueless as to what it actually looked like, and had only heard about the "dreaded hills." Having something that I have now survived to compare it to is actually kind of nice. Before I knew it we were pulling up to the small town of Eminence and dismounting our bikes to have a bit of a snack at the ol' Chat and Nibble. I had eaten a Nutri-Grain bar before the ride, and had been taking in some Clif Blok's as well as water and Infinit throughout the ride thus far, and although I could have eaten a big meal, I didn't want to take the chance on filling up only to have some major GI issues down the road. 30 miles is a long way to be feeling some crampage and poop-pains, so I opted for one scrambled egg and an order of toast with butter and jelly. Luckily this turned out to be a good choice, since I had none of the aforementioned issues arise. Thirty minutes or so later we all climbed back upon our saddles and pedaled off into the sunset (well, actually we pedaled off into the rain. We just wished there was some sun out.) The first ten miles or so were killer. The rain started to come down and the headwind had picked up. The temperature also felt as if it had dropped a bit and I was feeling a bit chilly. This was the first, and really only time during the ride that I was really hating life. Luckily the headwind didn't last long, and neither did the rain, as we trudged on. The pack was pretty broken up at this point but a guy named Ray had hung back and we began riding side by side, shooting the breeze. I must say, having someone to talk to pretty continuously definitely makes the ride go by faster, and this is probably what got me through that ride back more than anything. At one point when the group reconvened, I checked the Garmin to discover that we had just 15 more miles to go. What a happy girl I was when Carlos corrected me and said that we actually had more like 10. Sweet! The group took off yet again and we had just a few more rollers before we were crossing back over LaGrange road. I've never been so happy to see a place that I recognized before in my life, and realizing that we were just about done. A mile or so up and we heard a train, and thought we might get caught. Luckily, it was stopped just short of the road so Carlos and Jim crossed over while Rebecca and I brought up the rear. I had only a split second to realize that Rebecca had gone down, having slid on the slippery tracks before I myself ate the pavement as well. Luckily neither one of us was badly hurt - just some minor scrapes and bruises, but both our left handlebars got a little bent - guess I'll be calling Cyclesmith on Monday. Just up ahead there was another railroad crossing, but it was close enough that I opted to just walk my bike to, and across, it. I didn't want to take another chance on wiping out this soon after my last kerfuffle. Hopping on the bike one last time, we now had about 5 miles to go before the end was finally here. A few more turns, a small hill or two, and we were pulling back into the parking lot of Tom Sawyer - Wet, tired, chilly, and ready for a nap. Overall, I would say that this was a very good ride and route. My emotions never got the best of me, and although I'm still slow on the hills, I can feel myself getting stronger with each long ride (14.9mph average on this one). Even more amazing, as I sit here after my warm shower and comfy clothes have been placed on my somewhat sore body, I feel great - both mentally and physically. I was even thinking on the drive home that, if I had to do a half-marathon after that ride, I could have done it. This gives me hope that my Half Ironman in Muncie in two months is going to be a success. I know I have to get the mental part of it out of the way in order to get there, and it's rides like this that are going to help improve that. Huge shout out to Carlos, Ray, Jim and Rebecca for helping me bring up the back of the pack and keeping me going today. Closing thoughts - 1) I maybe should have worn my cycling bibs rather than tri shorts. I am SORE! 2) I think I'm finally getting the hang of this nutrition stuff.

4 Weeks In

Been feeling down the last few days and I'm not really sure why. My coach put the next two weeks worth of training on my Training Peaks account, and everything is looking pretty overwhelming. I remember when I signed up for the training, I confirmed I would be on a 3 week build followed by a 1 week taper plan. Well.... so far, that doesn't seem to be the case - at least from what I can tell. I've been trying to keep up with the training as much as possible, but sometimes it's not so easy. My only "rest" day this week was on the Sunday drive back from Chicago so, of course, there wasn't much resting going on that day. I did my planned 1:45 bike the next day which, in all honesty, took a lot out of me after that 4 1/2 hour race on Saturday. I missed my swim Tuesday because I was exhausted, but since 1 out of my 4 swims is optional, I knew I could make it up later in the week. I did manage the one hour I was to spend on my feet that day, although that "Zone 2 run" ended up being a steady walk (I'm not sure my coach knew exactly what a Tough Mudder entailed and how grueling it can be.) I ended up getting out of work too late on Wednesday to be able to do, what I felt, was a safe two hour ride outdoors. So even though the time on the trainer was torture, I managed the full 120 minutes - only to be greeted by sore nether-regions and a numb left foot when it was all said and done (not sure if my cycling shoes were too tight or what, but this is the first time I've experienced that). The ride must've taken it out of me because when I attempted to wake up early the next morning to get my run and swim in before a late start at the office, I ended up snoozing my way through the alarm instead. Still, I had every intention of finishing after work - anticipating that all the kiddies would be out of the pool by the time my run ended around 7:45. When quitting time came, however, I was mentally and physically exhausted and decided to call it a night. And by call it a night, I mean, I was in bed before 9:00 p.m. Luckily, that early bedtime meant that I woke up nice and physically refreshed this morning, although my mental state was still giving me a bit of a problem. I went into the pool completely unmotivated, and seriously thought after 200 meters I would be calling it quits. Luckily, by the time my Main Set started something clicked and I was able to continue on - oddly enough, finding my mood improving with every 100 meters accomplished. I have my longest bike ride of the season scheduled tomorrow (actually, this will be my longest bike ride ever if I can pull it off). And although it is approximately 60 miles total, the plan is to do 30 miles out to a pancake joint for a nice, casual bite to eat before heading the remaining 30 miles back home. I'm not sure if that break is gonna be good for me or not - guess we'll see! Sometimes, I find myself asking if I've gotten in over my head. Can I really do this? What if I'm not focusing on the right things? I say I'm not worried about the marathon portion, but what if I need to be? What if I need to be putting more emphasis on the things that I don't THINK are going to be an issue. I've heard more than once: "Train hard, race easy." The training is definitely a bit of a bear and, again, I'm only a month in with 5 more to go. Wow - ONLY five months? Seems not too long ago I was sitting around during the month of January thinking I had all the time in the world to train for this thing. Aside from the physical aspect of getting the training in, my depression sometimes get the best of me and I am concerned how that could/will hamper my training as well. Just like yesterday, when I did absolutely no physical activity at all. I feel guilty when I skip a session, but then I question - "If I'm really feeling this bad (mentally or physically or both), how good a session is that going to even be?" Regardless, I do try to believe it when I tell myself that I'm doing the best I can. Yes, not every day is going to be a stellar training day, and there are going to be times when I don't feel up to it but still muddle through a workout (like this morning). I'm also unsure that I'm utilizing the full benefit of having a coach. Yes, the training plan is phenomenal and I think it's exactly what I need, but I'm not getting any feedback really - or encouragement - which I think is something that a person like me needs. Someone who thrives on positive affirmation that I'm doing what I need to be doing to get to where I want to be. (I currently have a text into the coach asking for a meeting next week to discuss this specific issue). Until then, I will attempt to remain confident that my improved biking and swimming distances are sufficing to get me across that finish line. I've already improved my biking average by 1mph (little victories, I know), and figure it can only go uphill (pun intended) from here, right?

Tough Mudder - Chicago

I had mixed feelings going into this race for a few reasons. Since I am training for IMLOU I didn't want to take a chance on hurting myself, so I knew I'd be taking it somewhat easy. Being my first Tough Mudder, I knew most of what to expect, but still wasn't quite positive which obstacles I would have trouble with, and which ones would be no-brainers. I certainly wasn't concerned about the distance at all (10.6 miles) due to my numerous half-marathons and current training regime, but being a wimp when it comes to weather, I wasn't too crazy about getting into Lake Geneva, WI on Friday night to see that a cold front had moved in and it would be an overcast, 64 degrees at the start. Now, "cold front" and 64 degrees may not sound like that big a deal to some, and to others (and even me, on a 'normal race' day) may seem like decent conditions for a 10-miler. But knowing that there would be lots of mud and water to trudge through on the course, I was concerned about getting too cold - especially since the only race gear I brought was shorts and a tank top - no Under Armor tights or long-sleeves for this chick. Nonetheless, my friend Daniel and I headed out to the parking area at about 10:30 a.m. in preparation for our 11:45 a.m. start, and although it was still a bit chilly at this point, we knew (hoped) it would warm up a bit by the time we went across the Start Line. As we lined up with approximately 300 other folks (300 go off every 15 minutes), a race official gave us all a nice little pep talk about safety, the goal of the race (to help out and be there for our fellow man (and woman) rather than go for time), and above all else to have fun. He had also mentioned that with the downpour of rain that the area got the day before, this course was the muddiest that they had ever experienced. Again, this being my first TM I knew that mud would be involved, but nothing could prepare me for what was to come after the countdown commenced. Off we went through stomped-down corn fields and thick, muddy conditions. Not enough to slip and slide in (that would come later), but certainly enough to throw your stride off and risk rolling an ankle if you weren’t careful. Therefore, Daniel and I took it easy and did a walk/run – not based on time, but by how treacherous the ground beneath our feet felt. Less than ½ mile in we came upon some thicker, deeper mud that would swallow your foot if you let it. We even stopped to help a gal who had lost her shoe to the Mud Gods, before we were on our way once more. Just past the ONE MILE marker we came upon our first obstacle: KISS OF MUD. Here we got down on all fours and crawled under barbed wire while simultaneously making our way over a few large humps of mud only to be met on the other side by a swampy mud puddle. Good times. No problems getting through this fella as I later said, “that was so much fun!” Another half-mile or so up ahead we came upon the BERLIN WALLS. This is probably a 12-15 foot wall that you had to scale up one side, then down the other with the help of your fellow Mudder’s. Due to all the mud and dampness however, I decided to forgo this obstacle after I initially attempted to reach the top. Again, I can’t stress enough how much I did not want to take the chance on hurting myself and screw up my IMLOU training. Shortly after this obstacle the real fun began. What was probably meant to be a shallow creek ended up being a waist to chest high flowing body of water that we had to muddle through for another half-mile. Coming out of the water, 25 yards of deep mud had most of us bottle-necked to get through to the other side. This stuff was like quicksand, and I was sinking up to my thighs with every step I took. I had to have 2-3 guys help pull me out more than a few times, and I would have to use my hands to pull my leg up since the suction was so strong where my feet met the bottom. I was lucky that I didn’t lose a shoe. Although this wasn’t an official obstacle, it may as well should have been. This, coupled with all the other mud that we had to trudge through made this race much more difficult than what the norm is for a Tough Mudder – where most of the mud and muck is experienced at the obstacles themselves, and not necessarily throughout the entire running course. ARCTIC ENEMA was next, and one of the two obstacles I was most concerned about. Those who know me well know that I absolutely hate to be cold (case in point, as I type this I’m sitting in my living room with the air conditioner on 73 degree with a blanket over me – you get the idea). This fun little impediment had participants take a short slide into a dumpster filled with ice water. But to make it more fun, and to ensure that you get to experience all the greatness of freezing you’re a$$ off, you are forced to lie at an angle so that your entire body goes under, head and all. Not only that, but you have to climb over a wooden wall placed in the middle of the dumpster and submerge yourself once more before finally climbing out. Probably not so bad on an 80-degree race day, but for those of us racing that day – not the greatest of feats to live through. Still, I came out the other side okay and had forgotten just how painful it was just a few yards up when my body got going again. Next up was BALLS OUT - an angled wall that had 5-6 ropes strung up and spaced out that participants had to attempt to grab onto and make their way from one end to the other without allowing their feet to hit the ground. As we stood there waiting for our turn, some pretty muscular guys couldn’t get past the second rope, and so I knew that with my puny upper-arm strength there was no way in heck I was getting past. Still, I walked over to the first rope, grabbed on, and allowed my feet to slide a time or two down the wall before giving up. Well…. at least I gave it a shot. DEVILS BEARD was up next, and was a lot like the first obstacle in that we had to crawl under a large net – this time with nothing but the ground underneath us and not so much the mud or water-filled ditches. It was actually a lot of fun and I enjoy challenges like this the most – not much of a possibility that I’m gonna break an ankle on something like this. The WARRIOR CARRY consisted of a fairly short walk where you had a carry a buddy for a certain number of feet and then switch it up. Daniel weigh’s 180lbs. though, so we asked at the half-way point if he could just carry me piggy-back style through the whole thing, and they were cool with it. Again, another obstacle where I wasn’t willing to risk hurting my back, or anything else for that matter, and screw up my training. A little less than halfway through we came upon the BIRTH CANAL. Now, looking at this obstacle I was thinking to myself “Oh great, another crawl-on-your-belly type that’s gonna be easy-peasy.” Well – not so much. It’s hard to explain it here, but if you Google it I’m sure you’ll get a better idea. Basically, they fill large plastic tarps full of water and sit them over planks of wood that you have to crawl through. This doesn’t seem so bad until you get down there to do it and realize just how difficult it is to worm your body between the ground and this heavy weight of water pushing down on your back. I’m actually getting a bit anxious just thinking about it. I got only one body length through before I freaked out and started to back out. Luckily, Daniel had chosen the same line I did and when he saw me trying to back out, grabbed my feet and pulled me back out. I never thought of myself as claustrophobic before, but it definitely reared its ugly head while I was squeezing through this obstacle. We both opted to go around and move on to the next. Apparently I wasn’t the only one whose nerves got the best of them, because as we continued forward we overheard a guy trying to calm down his girlfriend who didn’t look like she was in too good of shape, and was assuring her, “It’s over now, you got through it, there’s nothing else to be upset about.” He had good intentions I’m sure, but has obviously never had a panic attack. Our next task was something called the MUD MILE 2.0. This was by far one of my favorite obstacles. 6-7 huge mounds of sloppy mud that you had to crawl up and then slide down the other side into more muddy, sludge-filled water. There was very little chance of getting through this thing without lots of help both pushing and pulling by my fellow Mudder’s, and the mud just seemed to get thicker and thicker with each dive we took down the other side. I’m pretty certain this is the reason I am still finding caked-mud on my person after two showers and a bath over the past 24 hours. It was well worth it, though. Shortly after, we came upon BEACHED WHALE, which can only be described as a huge, capsule-shaped inflatable that you have to make your way to the top of only to slide down the other side. Only problem is, it’s huge so I had to have 2-3 people help me up the one side before grabbing the hand of another guy who was straddling the top. When I finally did make it up, I had to yell out a quick “catch me, catch me” as I slid down the other side so that I wouldn’t plummet to the ground below. There was a bit of an incline on that down-side and many people were eating it when their feet hit the ground. Another miles walk through the mud and water and we came upon SHAWSHANK. If you’ve ever seen the movie The Shawshank Redemption, and the scene where Andy Dufresne makes his way through the sewer pipes to reach his freedom, you get the idea. Although these pipes were not as long, and certainly weren’t filled with raw sewage (I hope), I didn’t want to stand in the long lines only to have a repeat of what happened at BIRTH CANAL. 3-4 people crawled through at a time only to come out the other side and plummet into a small pool of water. These two obstacles were the reason I began to understand why they call it the Tough Mudder. The physical stuff – yeah, I can handle it (as long as I’m not getting hurt), but these mental, claustrophobia-inducing hurdles…. Wow. CRY BABY was a new obstacle this year, and is supposed to simulate tear gas. Again, you crawl under tarps while a machine pumps in these vapors that, honestly, resembled something more like Halls menthol cough drops than anything tear gas-like (from what I hear). Daniel was concerned that I may have the same response I did with BIRTH CANAL due to the crawling under tarps, but since there was no pressure on my back, I did just fine. When I came out the other side I heard a couple of big guys talking to one another: “Well….. that wins the prize for the weirdest thing we’ve experienced today.” Can’t say I disagree. THE LIBERATOR was up ahead and, from a distance, I thought for sure I would do this one. Upon further inspection, however, it looked to be inclined walls that we climbed up using nothing but wooden pegs that weren’t fastened into the holes. So not only do you have slippery, muddy hands and feet climbing up this thing, you also have the same hands and feet grasping and standing on these pegs that could fall out at any minute. Case in point – the woman who went directly after Daniel (which would have been me had I opted to go), got half-way up before grasping a peg that immediately came out and she went tumbling down. No thanks. It was around this time that I told Daniel that, although I’m having fun, I’m not really sure that Tough Mudder’s are my thing. I like running consistently, not dodging mud holes and walking lightly around slick spots to ensure that I don’t bust my bum. And although I really like most of the obstacles, I feel that bypassing the ones that I’m not willing to take a chance on somehow lessens the experience. Next came WALK THE PLANK which was a jump from 20 feet high into 15 feet of water below. After ARCTIC ENEMA this was a piece of cake, as the water was comparatively warm. I channeled my childhood days of jumping off the high-dive at Paradise Pools on Terry Road, and went for it. It was only after I jumped that my stomach went up into my chest, and I felt like I was under water a little longer than I would have liked, but I did it. Mission accomplished. At this point we had 2 miles left to go. The wind had picked up, our muscles were tired and achy, and we were cold. We had estimated that we had been out on the course for over 3 ½ hours, and were both physically and mentally wiped out. SKIDMARKED was another inverted wall that came with the possibility of falling so we both opted out of that one. EVEREST 2.0 was up next and required a hard run up a curved wall with the hopes that you could make it just far enough to reach the hands meant to help you up at the top. As we stood there watching, many a folk tumbled back down that curved wall and it didn’t look much too appealing. We muddled on. FUNKY MONKEY looked good to the both of us, and we would have done it had the line not been backed up as long as it was. Standing in the cold wind with a wet bod when you could see the finish line up ahead was the last thing we wanted to do – so we didn’t. And although 6 FEET UNDER was technically the next obstacle in our path, the purpose was to jump in and then out of a small mud-hole to make sure you were drenched enough to get a good shocking during the final obstacle: ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY. Remember when I said that ARTIC ENEMA was one of two obstacles that I was concerned about? Well, this was the second. This is always the final obstacle for any Tough Mudder race, and the one that I was definitely looking forward to the least. Three mounds of mud that you have to make your way over, while multiple strands of electric wires hang down to give you a nice little jolt of electricity – sounds like fun, right? Daniel went through first and, quite quickly to be honest with you. I, however, took my sweet time standing back and trying to strategize how I was going to make this work with as little pain as possible. Do I take the “eff it,” approach and just make my way through as quickly as possible – kind of like ripping off a band aid? Or do I slowly make my way around the wires, hoping not to get zapped as another runner pushes ahead? I slowly got through the first strands and sat upon a mound looking stupefied. Some ladies next to me were taking the same approach, only they were trying to wiggle their way under the wires. At one point I said out loud, “I don’t think I can do this.” Daniel was already on the other side with a shit-eating grin on his face, knowing that I still had to conquer what he just had. Looking to the right I saw another open spot between wires that I could make my way through. I did just that and found my way onto the second mound of mud. Straight ahead another opening I wiggled right past. Then another, and another, until I came out the other side – shock-free and finally done with this race! Still muddy, wet, and cold I made my way to the area where participants collect their famous orange headbands, as well as the finisher’s shirt. With my finisher’s picture taken, I headed straight to the hosing area where tons of other runners had already abandoned clothing and shoes as they sprayed themselves down with luke-warm water to get rid of the murky muck that we would all be finding for days to come. Overall, this was a fun experience and I’m glad I did it. Later, I asked Daniel if I could really call myself a Tough Mudder considering there were many obstacles that I opted out of. He reminded me that we did, in fact, finish the complete 10.6 mile course and with the mud and water that we had to trapes through between each obstacle being a feat all on their own, I definitely deserved the title. Again, I’m not sure the Tough Mudder will be a repeat race for me. Unless/until I can get over my fear of getting hurt – then again, as a single, self-employed woman it may be stupid of me to chance my physical well-being just to “prove “ that I can scale a wall. If I ever do decide to attempt another, my hope would be that the rain holds off the days prior to the run. When you’re looking forward to an impromptu “bath” in murky, dirty water just to get the mud off, you know you’ve reached a whole new level of desperation.

2 Weeks Down

I've just finished up my second full week of training and I feel that it's getting a bit easier. Not easier in that I'm breezing by without a care in the world, but mentally easier. My 40 mile bike today didn't feel nearly as bad as that first 28-miler I did about a month ago. In fact, I was to get 2.5 hours of biking in today, and at about 16 miles, which was approx. 1:08 into the ride and a good place to turn around, I opted to go out an extra 4 (for a total of 8) to make it an even 40 miles. Honestly, I probably could have gone more, now that I have at least 48 miles under my belt from a few weeks ago, and have finally gotten into a good groove with my nutrition (Today's menu: Nutri-Grain bar in the car on the way over, Cliff Bloks on the ride (4), and Infinit and Water throughout the ride). Not once did I have an upset tummy, that "urge to go" feeling, or did I feel at all like I emotionally or physically bonked. All good things. I averaged 15.2 mph, which is the fastest I've averaged thus far. And although this was a mostly-flat course, my typical average of about 13mph or so tells me that I am definitely improving. I'm not sure if it's cardio, leg strength or mental - maybe a mixture of all three, but when Jeff and Jeanette pushed me today, I never got that little voice in my head telling me, "I can't do this." I still need a lot of work on hills. The last 5 mile of the ride included the long climb up Zorn Avenue where both my bike-mates kicked my butt, as I staggered along at about 8mph. But I'm not nearly as afraid of them as I once was, and I know they're only going to prepare me and improve my IMLOU course time (hopefully), so I'm trying to embraced them. I only had one day this week where I felt so exhausted that I didn't do the planned workout. Still, I got two out of the three swims completed so far (third is scheduled for tomorrow), and technically only missed a 1-hour bike ride on Thursday. I'm not sure what the differences are on those days - whether it's lack of calories, stress or what - but I don't feel I can do much of anything on those days. And mentally feel like I'm walking around in a fog, as well. I anticipate, and hope, that as my body gets used to doing so much that this will improve over time. Closing thoughts: 1) I still need some kinda cream for my pooniny. This is definitely a must-buy before the next long ride. 2) I need another bike fit. I continuously have to scoot myself back on the seat and my shoulders/neck are still more sore than they should be. 3) Everyone keeps asking me if I like my seat. I DON'T KNOW! It's supposed to be somewhat uncomfortable, right? 4) I love my aero-bars.