Top 10 things I learned becoming an ironman

10. "Anything is possible" - This is Ironman's catch phrase and it's a good one!  I genuinely believe this statement and tell my students this all the time. 

9. "You are stronger than you think" – This is one of Powerbar's slogans, and I like it.  You are strong.  Go do the things others say you can’t.

Thanks Coach Jim! (@RedPerfRaceTeam)

8. Trust your training and your coach - If you put in the time and followed the plan, you are ready!  Your coach believes in you.  You should believe in you!  

7. Set goals and work hard to meet them – Be sure to celebrate milestones and progress along the way.

World Toughest Half 2014

6. Learn to be flexible - Things don’t always go according to plan in triathlon and life.  How you deal with ups and downs makes all the difference. 

5.  Smile often!  A contagious smile makes everyone happy.  I received so many positive comments when I smiled my way through race day.  I figured, why would you do anything but smile when you’re allowed to play a sport all day?!?

Cold Start to a rough IMLT 2013

4.  Every experience is an opportunity to learn.  I have gained a wealth of information from this year of ironman training.  Although my Tahoe DNF was painful, it was one of the most incredible learning experiences I have ever had, and I am grateful for all I have learned about sports and myself.

Race Hard, Mermaid!

3. Don’t be afraid to unleash your inner awesomeness.   If you know you can do more to make the world a better place or achieve more in your daily pursuits, go for it. You will be happier once you do!

2.  "Show your winning attitude and always race (& train) with gratitude" (- my tweet, see #1).  Thank everyone who has helped you along your journey (from Mom driving you to practice as a kid to the race day volunteers you meet on course).  Be proud of how far you’ve come.  Respect everyone and everything around you.  Appreciate how fortunate you are to play a sport like triathlon.

Mermaid Alameda 2014

Mermaid Capitola 2013

1. Focus on the positive in racing & life… it's a better way to live.  Surround yourself with positive people and avoid dwelling on negativity, it will make a difference in all aspects of your life.  30 days from the IMCDA race, I started tweeting something positive/motivational each day.  This simple act, plus all the cheers and support I received from my positive circle of friends and family, really brightened my overall perspective on racing and life.  

Thank you all for helping me smile so brightly everyday!

 More posts to come about the awesome people who inspire me to always do my best!

Welcome to Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2014 - Pre Race Activities

I'm kicking off my blog with some stories about the days leading up to my biggest triathlon adventure: Ironman Coeur d'Alene.  I'll post more about the race in the next few days!  Enjoy! 

Ironman Coeur d'Alene (IMCDA) took place throughout June 29, 2014.  I say "throughout" because, for many of us, covering 140.6 miles takes pretty much all day.  An iron-distance triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.  I realize this sounds ridiculous and more like a dare than something people would willingly sign up for (and pay money to do)... but it was one of the coolest things I've ever done, and I learned a ton along the way.
 

IMCDA was my second attempt at an iron-distance triathlon as I earned my first (ever) DNF at the previous one, Ironman Lake Tahoe 2013.  I'm happy to report that I proudly crossed that finish line at IMCDA and smiled like a crazy person throughout the entire race. 

I will try to capture various parts of the weekend here as well as provide some insight into what it was like to race this beautiful course.  I'll break up the report into various parts so you can skip around and not have to spend as much time reading as I did racing that day!

Welcome to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho!

We could sense how incredibly positive this race experience was going to be the minute we entered Coeur d’Alene.  The first place we went was Michael D’s Eatery (which has excellent brunch by the way!).  Outside the small restaurant was a large banner reading “Welcome Ironman.”   Next stop: the hotel, where they went out of their way to get us ready and excited for our race!  They were playing coverage from last year's race on the lobby monitor to get us pumped for our race.  In each room there was a goodie bag donated by Albertsons with a dozen Clif bars and other treats.  On race day they opened breakfast at 4am and also left each participant a goodie bag (from the hotel staff) in every athlete's room with snacks, water, Gatorade, cold packs, etc.  I couldn’t believe how genuinely welcoming everyone was.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the people of this small town who opened their arms to thousands of visitors who were going to shut down roads and take over the town for a few days.  Seriously, I did not meet one person that was annoyed at us crazy iron-people!?!  

I remembered being overwhelmed with the Ironman Village at IMLT (so many vendors, anxious participants, DBs at race check in, shops, etc.), so this time I skipped as much of the hooplah as possible.  I checked in at the race Friday afternoon by moving as quickly as possible through the registration tent and straight out of the Ironman Village.  Then I headed to the beach for a short swim in the beautiful lake so I would know what to expect and feel more confident on race morning.  The water temps were in the low 60s, so it was chilly, but not cold (by Tahoe comparison). 


Later that evening we headed back into the Ironman Village for the welcome reception.  This was a nice way to introduce the event and all those racing as well as supporting - even the Governor and Mayor were both there.  This ended with a pretty spectacular thunderstorm, so we took off quickly in search of snacks and other supplies tomorrow's final race prep day.

Final Race Prep

Saturday was a fun day of running around in total crazy pants fashion, setting up race bags and getting my bike racked.  The day before an ironman race you have to drop off your bike gear bag (with your helmet, shoes, extra clothing) and your run gear bag (with run shoes, hat, etc.) as well as rack your bike in transition.  I was better at getting all this together this time, but after sending my bike via Tri Bike Transport (great service!) my front derailleur needed adjustment, so I left it with the great on-site mechanics of Velo Stop who were happy to take care of it for me.  2 hrs later, I picked up Honu, racked it in my numbered space, and was on my way!  (bike’s name Honu = Hawaiian sea turtle… because a turtle relative taught us that slow and steady wins the race, plus Hawaii is the birthplace of ironman as well a very special place to me) 

True!  Banner from the IM Village

 
Luckily, I had my husband, Larry, there to help with gear and to help calm my nerves as I navigated the hectic transition area.  I also had my parents coming into town for additional support, which was awesome!  We had lunch back at our new favorite spot and then relaxed in the afternoon a bit before grabbing some dinner (salad for me at a restaurant, plus the pasta I packed back in the hotel) and making last minute additions to my other 2 bags I had to prep for the race (special needs bike and special needs run – for me these contain candy and extra race nutrition stuff).  Got to bed relatively early in hopes of having many happy iron-dreams!