Thursday, December 16, 2010
For those who were inspired to watch and/or hear about my ironman experience, you can watch the experience through the "super bowl" of triathlons. The Ironman World Championships held in Kona, Hawaii, will be aired on tv this Saturday, Dec. 18th at 1:00 pm on NBC channel. There will be some awesome stories and inspirations to watch. You can see some truly amazing people who are just normal people like you and me. Enjoy!
Indoor spin at 24 hour.
Did my first indoor spin class since last year. OMG, my quads hurt! But they hurt before I started. So it was good thing though. It's been great at my gym, the whole thing was reconstructed. It's not what someone referred to it as a "armpit"! We actually have towels in the locker room, woo hoo! My hubby and bro-in-law, Mike, were all in there joining me in pain. My hubby was a baby about it! I was focused on the new bikes that were in there. They had watt output numbers and heart rate feedback, which is always interesting. Well, I'm addicted, I'll be going back. Hopefully my quads won't hurt.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Well, I feel much more recovered these days. I think it helped the week after the race, to eat my way back from Arizona to Calif.! I've been super motivated lately, and everyone around Tone has helped. See we do feed off each other! I've been so motivated that I signed up for a 20-mile trail run at Muir Beach! A bit over the edge? Probably...am I ready? Maybe, but hey it sounds like fun! I'll be incorporating hiking, so it's not all running.
The holidays feel different for me, these days. I'm a bit more relaxed and not too stressed about anything in general. However, I have not gone christmas shopping yet, so that might be a bit unfair to guage this right now. Anyways, find something that motivates you and have fun with it, we all need more of that as we get deeper into the holidays. Mine has been yoga, I've always loved doing yoga, so that's what I'll do. Hope to see you guys in the classes....what are you doing?
The holidays feel different for me, these days. I'm a bit more relaxed and not too stressed about anything in general. However, I have not gone christmas shopping yet, so that might be a bit unfair to guage this right now. Anyways, find something that motivates you and have fun with it, we all need more of that as we get deeper into the holidays. Mine has been yoga, I've always loved doing yoga, so that's what I'll do. Hope to see you guys in the classes....what are you doing?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Hello everyone, sorry for not blogging before, had some computer difficulties, finally straightened it all out. Well this is going to be long, and I apologize. The short version is I did a 14 hour and 20 min. race. If you want to know how I felt and what I did, read on, it might inspire you to do something on your bucket list!
Well here it is, my report on the Ironman Arizona that I participated in on Nov. 21, 2010. Well, where do I start. To sum it up now before I get started, it was simply an amazing experience. I've been thinking about this event for the last 4 years. It started as "no way, I'll never do one of these" to "I guess I'll take a stab at it! So exactly a year ago, is when I signed up this Iroman distance triathlon. You have to be quick, because they sell how quickly, sometimes a couple days or a few hours, in this case. I was nervous then and I was nervous a year later.
My hubby Steve, my brother-in-law, Mike, my friend and training partner Debbie, all signed up to do this race. They knew what they were getting into, they all did the ironman distance. This was my first, I was scared to death! So here I go.....
We left on a Tuesday, Nov. 16 to drive down to Phoenix, AZ. The race is in Tempe, AZ. We left at 4:30 a.m. to miss the S.F. and L.A. traffic, it worked, but I wouldn't know, I slept most the way! We drove the trip in 11 hours, got down there around 5ish. We checked into the hotel and got something to eat. It's all becoming real now, I've got no excuse, but if lightning hit me, or got sick or something, I wouldn't have to do the race, no such luck. Wed., Thurs. Friday--all we did was eat, train, check out the swim, bike and run courses, take naps, eat, repeat. Thursday we check in and get registered, we get bib numbers, colored swim caps, goodie bag, and stickers to label our bikes, etc. So now I'm Loni, or aka #2628 for the week. We drive the bike course, it's desert, exposed, cactus, tumbleweed. It looked kind of cool, especially driving it, Sun. I'd be biking it!
Stats on this race, 2600 athletes signed up this race. 2400+ actually start the race. 73% are male, 27% are female. 1200 athletes are "first timers" of this distance. So there's a least 1/2 of the entrants were joining me on this first-time wild thrill ride!
Saturday comes, I'm really nervous, because this is the only day that athletes can practice the swim course. We have a 2 hour window to practice. Most people swim between 15 mins. or more. The water was 61 degrees! It's frickin' cold! But the adrenaline kicks to help you not totally collapse and not move in the water. I swim for about 15 mins. come back out, and I'm alot more relaxed now, the stress of swimming somewhere you haven't been before can be a bit nervous. But feel a bit better, I think I can do this now.
We go back to the motel and start getting our gear ready to bring back to the race venue. We put stickers on our bikes, helmet, put clothes in our bike and run bags. After we do that, back to the venue to put all these items in what's called a transition area. This is where there's racks for the bikes, a space for bike bags and run bags, and big huge white tents for men and women to change , separately of course, into their gear for each sport of the race. Later that night we eat a simple dinner of brown rice pasta with olive oil and baked chicken, and that's it. We check out the forecast, doesn't look good. Rain and wind are showing up on the radar. Please, just a bit of good weather, please? We settle in and turn in early around 8:30, we have to get up at 4:00 am.
Sunday comes around, darn it. It's 4:00 a.m., it's here, OMG! We eat a little something, peanut butter on toast and a banana for me, that's all I can get down right now. I sip on an electrolyte drink as we get ready. Got the swim suit on, heart rate monitor, a chip (which tells race officials where I am in case I get lost). We get in the car at 4:30 a.m., it's quiet in the car. It's dark outside, don't see any stars, that means its cloudy, oh great, that means rain. We get to the venue with all our stuff--more rain gear, more nutrition, in case we run out.
It's quiet at 5:00 a.m., the transition area is opening up, so we can get to our bags and put in the "extra" you may need for the rain. We pump up our tires, put liquid nutrition in out bottles on the bike, my Cervelo steed is ready to go. As time marches on, more athletes and their families start coming in, it's starting to get crowded and the porta-potty lines are getting long. That's stressful right there, can never be enough of those lovely things! The race starts at 7:00 a.m., it's 6:15 and we meet up with our friends and coaches. When I get stressed I start to get goofy, make jokes and laugh a bit more! It only works temporarily. Where others stay quiet and mentally go through their mind how they want their race to go. We start to glide ourselves (like a body grease that helps put your wetsuit on easier) and put the suits on. We say bye to our friends, they wish us luck and off we go to the swim start. There's music blaring, and the commentator is talking about how cold the water is. Shut up! Don't want to hear it! My hubby and his brother go up front to jockey for a spot in the water they want. We have to tread water for about 10 mins. before the gun goes off. My friend and I wait a bit to let the bulk of athletes get in, then we look around then jump in the water and position ourselves where we want to be. We say our goodbyes and say good luck. I look at the race clock, it says 6:59:58, holy crap. I start my heart rate monitor watch, (which will track my time and calories), the gun goes off! I gaze over the water for a moment, it looks like a Titanic swim! Everyone is off, so I get going. Arms and legs everywhere! This is a 2.4 mile swim. It's a rectangular shape. Swim down, make two turns and swim back to exit. It felt long, but the cold didn't bother me. Kind of waited for the groups to thin out, so I could get a straight shot. People were trying to climb on top of you, cross in front of you, it was something else. The long swim back was getting easier, though I started to get cold, so needed to kick a bit more to keep warm. I see the swim exit, start going for it. Swim a little harder, that's what coach would say. Get blood back into the legs before trying to stand on them.
I reach out to the swim platform where a volunteer helps me out quickly, but carefully. I say thank you and off I go. Run down a chute where I see me in-laws. They call my name, I run over and kiss them both, I'm excited now, just got done with that horrible swim! Wound up swimming an 1 hour and 27 minutes. I'll take it. Now I'm happy, my favorite part next is the bike. Another few volunteers help me get my wetsuit off, again quickly, but carefully, without ripping holes in the suit. Thank you again!
I run to get my bike bag, it has my helmet, clothes, glasses, wind vest and arm warmers. Into the white tent I go. It's filled with a sea of women changing their clothes getting ready for the bike. It looks cloudy outside, I take everything with me in case it rains, because you can't come back! Women are everywhere, chatter is high, excitement is high! So all dressed, the volunteers help you with anything, one helped me put my socks on, got me water and stuffed all my swim stuff into my bag for me to get later. We run like cattle down another chute into the bike area, where again, there's a sea of bikes, metal, wheels, bottles everywhere, 2500+bikes are in here. I get my bike, you have to trot out of transition and mount the bike is designated areas, as though not to harm anyone around you. Well I trot by the bulk of people starting to get on, so I can have open space to get on my bike. Some people are kind of loopy coming out from the swim and onto the bike, I've seen people fall over, you zig zag in front of you. I start to head out, hundreds of spectators are cheering everyone on! This is great (so far)!
This is my strongest and favorite part of a triathlon. It'd better be, have to do 112 miles of biking. I start out relaxed and get some nutrition, which will be a swig of liquid and a bite of clif bar. This is where the bike leg can either make you or break you. It seems logical, go hard on the bike, pay for it on the run! So coach said, go "stupid easy" for the first 40 miles, then build to a bit stronger effort in the next 40. A look in the sky tells it all and the wind is not nice. We wound up getting rained on, hailed on, 20 mph winds, with 30+ mph gusts! And a couple dust storms, and occasionally a tumbleweed would go by! There's about 5 aid stations on the 3-loop bike course. So 17 miles out to a turn-around, and 17 back. Going out was great, tail wind pushing you, and a not-so-great headwind pushing you. So a little more effort to come back. The volunteers were awesome, they were so upbeat for everyone, and they were there the whole entire day! There's about 5,000+ volunteers that help with this race production. Couldn't have done without them. First loop feels easy, 2nd loop gets a bit more challenging, the 3rd loop was challenging, the winds shifted. Had the head wind going out, and about a 20 min. tailwind on the turnaround. But the last 9 miles were hell. Strongest, gustiest head wind coming in, OMG, when's this going to end?
Finally see town and spectators. Thank goodness. But before I dismount, a thought trickled in my head, holy crap, I gotta run 26 miles! I dismount, a volunteer takes my bike. Thank you. And run down another chute, like cattle. Isn't this great? Another volunteer gets my run bag, where I'll transition in the white tent again, and change like superman into running clothes, where I'll attempt my first ever marathon! The change goes well, but my transition time of 10 mins. of a bit high, according to my hubby, which his T2 transition time was 1:36 minute. He sucks! I took my time, I believed there was going to be a banquet in the tent, no such luck! Isn't that what you think when you see a bit white tent? Or is that the circus, well anyways...
I start out on the run course, didn't no where to go, I yell out, "which way do I go?" A volunteer directs me. Thank you. The run course is another 3-looper, about an 8+mile for each lap. It was still light, but the sun was going down fast. I have my salt tablets, which I've been taking all along, 2 each hour, so I don't cramp up. I head out. The legs actually feel really good. Okay, I didn't waste myself away on the bike. I can actually do this! I started to believe I could finish this silly race! I kept a 10+ minute mile pace for the first loop. Things went well. Then the 2nd lap came, that was my low point of the day. It was drizzling off and on, but not enough to wear the pancho I packed. Darn it, was looking forward to wearing the sexy plastic! When you start your next loop, the run path takes a fork in the road, one way goes to the finish line, the other goes out for another loop. Unfortunately, I had to watch bunches of people run to the finish line, they were done, I was not . I had to run another loop, and then another. At the end of the 2nd loop, I saw my family and friends, there is where I dropped the "F-%#$" bombs! I wasn't looking pretty! But everyone was upbeat and excited, I only had one more loop to go. They knew I could do it, I didn't. My mind was there, but my legs were not wanting to cooperate. I was duking it out with my quads! What started as a run, became a jog, then became a power walk, then a drunk shuffle! But the funny thing was, and my coach told me this might happen. I must have passed about 60-70 people on the run! So the bikers that passed me, I was now passing them on the run. The plan was working. My mission impossible was about over. My mood started to lift. My coach, Jenny, started to walk with me on the last 5 miles. She asked how I'm doing? Really, do I need to answer! She knew...she said, "this is it, your last 5 miles, keep up on the nutrition, walk if you have to and now go kill it"! She slapped me in the butt, like football players do, oh, and that hurt...and off I went to go to finish off this crazy thing! I had passed the 20 mile marker, and was thrilled. You hear in marathons from runners that you can bonk, or hit the wall, at mile 18 or up to mile 20. I kept waiting for the bonk, was he coming behind me or in front of me? I don't think I ever bonked, I just slowed down.
Well, there it was, the 25-mile marker, it was dark, no more rain, no more wind, just the faint blare of fans, music and the commentator at the end. I wanted to be there, and I was about to be. I started to throw out any gel blocks, sports beans, cliff bars, etc. I had on me or in my sports bra. I wanted to look pretty for the pictures and the live camera at the end! Isn't that funny, I still had enough thought to look good for the end. I started to book it in! Oh, wait the quads are still rebelling, had to walk a bit. But then I saw my friends, Dave was first, he yelled me in! He goes "Go Loni, you're almost there!" I don't know where it came from, but I burst into a run, like running to your kids to save them from something! With every pound of the foot came pain, with every pound came the finish line closer! Saw my hubby and in-laws, they were screaming! I was almost done. I finally got to take the fork in the road, which I'll call the yellow brick road! 200 yds. to go! I saw this one gal who passed me so fast on the 2nd lap of the bike, that I had caught up to her and passed her into the last 100 yds! OMG, there's lights, screaming, music, fans with arms in the air! And there the commentator said the words that everyone waits for at the end, "Loni Behler, you are an Ironman!" I threw kisses out to the crowd left and right, the screams hightened even more, I did it, crossed the line with a big grin. And who was there at the end, was Chrissie Wellington, a women pro triathlete that hugged me at the end, and told me "Loni, you did it!" She only knew my name because my name was on the bib number I was wearing. Thank god, I'm done. My husband was next, we grabbed me, helped me to walk. Volunteers took my chip off, gave me a medal and a finisher's shirt and hat, and whisked away to the recovery tent where pizza and french fries, soda and hot chocolate were waiting. It all sounded good, but I couldn't eat a thing. I couldn't even sit down. Steve had to help me down, the legs wanted to stay straight.
So that was it, all the fear and anxiety was gone! I did what I came to do, 14 hours and 20 minutes later. Boy what a day. Thanks for reading this if you got this far! I'll blog the post-race events and the days that came after. That's a whole 'nother story! Thanks for your eyes and ears, and your support. You guys rock, and luv you all!! See you at Tone....Loni B.
Well here it is, my report on the Ironman Arizona that I participated in on Nov. 21, 2010. Well, where do I start. To sum it up now before I get started, it was simply an amazing experience. I've been thinking about this event for the last 4 years. It started as "no way, I'll never do one of these" to "I guess I'll take a stab at it! So exactly a year ago, is when I signed up this Iroman distance triathlon. You have to be quick, because they sell how quickly, sometimes a couple days or a few hours, in this case. I was nervous then and I was nervous a year later.
My hubby Steve, my brother-in-law, Mike, my friend and training partner Debbie, all signed up to do this race. They knew what they were getting into, they all did the ironman distance. This was my first, I was scared to death! So here I go.....
We left on a Tuesday, Nov. 16 to drive down to Phoenix, AZ. The race is in Tempe, AZ. We left at 4:30 a.m. to miss the S.F. and L.A. traffic, it worked, but I wouldn't know, I slept most the way! We drove the trip in 11 hours, got down there around 5ish. We checked into the hotel and got something to eat. It's all becoming real now, I've got no excuse, but if lightning hit me, or got sick or something, I wouldn't have to do the race, no such luck. Wed., Thurs. Friday--all we did was eat, train, check out the swim, bike and run courses, take naps, eat, repeat. Thursday we check in and get registered, we get bib numbers, colored swim caps, goodie bag, and stickers to label our bikes, etc. So now I'm Loni, or aka #2628 for the week. We drive the bike course, it's desert, exposed, cactus, tumbleweed. It looked kind of cool, especially driving it, Sun. I'd be biking it!
Stats on this race, 2600 athletes signed up this race. 2400+ actually start the race. 73% are male, 27% are female. 1200 athletes are "first timers" of this distance. So there's a least 1/2 of the entrants were joining me on this first-time wild thrill ride!
Saturday comes, I'm really nervous, because this is the only day that athletes can practice the swim course. We have a 2 hour window to practice. Most people swim between 15 mins. or more. The water was 61 degrees! It's frickin' cold! But the adrenaline kicks to help you not totally collapse and not move in the water. I swim for about 15 mins. come back out, and I'm alot more relaxed now, the stress of swimming somewhere you haven't been before can be a bit nervous. But feel a bit better, I think I can do this now.
We go back to the motel and start getting our gear ready to bring back to the race venue. We put stickers on our bikes, helmet, put clothes in our bike and run bags. After we do that, back to the venue to put all these items in what's called a transition area. This is where there's racks for the bikes, a space for bike bags and run bags, and big huge white tents for men and women to change , separately of course, into their gear for each sport of the race. Later that night we eat a simple dinner of brown rice pasta with olive oil and baked chicken, and that's it. We check out the forecast, doesn't look good. Rain and wind are showing up on the radar. Please, just a bit of good weather, please? We settle in and turn in early around 8:30, we have to get up at 4:00 am.
Sunday comes around, darn it. It's 4:00 a.m., it's here, OMG! We eat a little something, peanut butter on toast and a banana for me, that's all I can get down right now. I sip on an electrolyte drink as we get ready. Got the swim suit on, heart rate monitor, a chip (which tells race officials where I am in case I get lost). We get in the car at 4:30 a.m., it's quiet in the car. It's dark outside, don't see any stars, that means its cloudy, oh great, that means rain. We get to the venue with all our stuff--more rain gear, more nutrition, in case we run out.
It's quiet at 5:00 a.m., the transition area is opening up, so we can get to our bags and put in the "extra" you may need for the rain. We pump up our tires, put liquid nutrition in out bottles on the bike, my Cervelo steed is ready to go. As time marches on, more athletes and their families start coming in, it's starting to get crowded and the porta-potty lines are getting long. That's stressful right there, can never be enough of those lovely things! The race starts at 7:00 a.m., it's 6:15 and we meet up with our friends and coaches. When I get stressed I start to get goofy, make jokes and laugh a bit more! It only works temporarily. Where others stay quiet and mentally go through their mind how they want their race to go. We start to glide ourselves (like a body grease that helps put your wetsuit on easier) and put the suits on. We say bye to our friends, they wish us luck and off we go to the swim start. There's music blaring, and the commentator is talking about how cold the water is. Shut up! Don't want to hear it! My hubby and his brother go up front to jockey for a spot in the water they want. We have to tread water for about 10 mins. before the gun goes off. My friend and I wait a bit to let the bulk of athletes get in, then we look around then jump in the water and position ourselves where we want to be. We say our goodbyes and say good luck. I look at the race clock, it says 6:59:58, holy crap. I start my heart rate monitor watch, (which will track my time and calories), the gun goes off! I gaze over the water for a moment, it looks like a Titanic swim! Everyone is off, so I get going. Arms and legs everywhere! This is a 2.4 mile swim. It's a rectangular shape. Swim down, make two turns and swim back to exit. It felt long, but the cold didn't bother me. Kind of waited for the groups to thin out, so I could get a straight shot. People were trying to climb on top of you, cross in front of you, it was something else. The long swim back was getting easier, though I started to get cold, so needed to kick a bit more to keep warm. I see the swim exit, start going for it. Swim a little harder, that's what coach would say. Get blood back into the legs before trying to stand on them.
I reach out to the swim platform where a volunteer helps me out quickly, but carefully. I say thank you and off I go. Run down a chute where I see me in-laws. They call my name, I run over and kiss them both, I'm excited now, just got done with that horrible swim! Wound up swimming an 1 hour and 27 minutes. I'll take it. Now I'm happy, my favorite part next is the bike. Another few volunteers help me get my wetsuit off, again quickly, but carefully, without ripping holes in the suit. Thank you again!
I run to get my bike bag, it has my helmet, clothes, glasses, wind vest and arm warmers. Into the white tent I go. It's filled with a sea of women changing their clothes getting ready for the bike. It looks cloudy outside, I take everything with me in case it rains, because you can't come back! Women are everywhere, chatter is high, excitement is high! So all dressed, the volunteers help you with anything, one helped me put my socks on, got me water and stuffed all my swim stuff into my bag for me to get later. We run like cattle down another chute into the bike area, where again, there's a sea of bikes, metal, wheels, bottles everywhere, 2500+bikes are in here. I get my bike, you have to trot out of transition and mount the bike is designated areas, as though not to harm anyone around you. Well I trot by the bulk of people starting to get on, so I can have open space to get on my bike. Some people are kind of loopy coming out from the swim and onto the bike, I've seen people fall over, you zig zag in front of you. I start to head out, hundreds of spectators are cheering everyone on! This is great (so far)!
This is my strongest and favorite part of a triathlon. It'd better be, have to do 112 miles of biking. I start out relaxed and get some nutrition, which will be a swig of liquid and a bite of clif bar. This is where the bike leg can either make you or break you. It seems logical, go hard on the bike, pay for it on the run! So coach said, go "stupid easy" for the first 40 miles, then build to a bit stronger effort in the next 40. A look in the sky tells it all and the wind is not nice. We wound up getting rained on, hailed on, 20 mph winds, with 30+ mph gusts! And a couple dust storms, and occasionally a tumbleweed would go by! There's about 5 aid stations on the 3-loop bike course. So 17 miles out to a turn-around, and 17 back. Going out was great, tail wind pushing you, and a not-so-great headwind pushing you. So a little more effort to come back. The volunteers were awesome, they were so upbeat for everyone, and they were there the whole entire day! There's about 5,000+ volunteers that help with this race production. Couldn't have done without them. First loop feels easy, 2nd loop gets a bit more challenging, the 3rd loop was challenging, the winds shifted. Had the head wind going out, and about a 20 min. tailwind on the turnaround. But the last 9 miles were hell. Strongest, gustiest head wind coming in, OMG, when's this going to end?
Finally see town and spectators. Thank goodness. But before I dismount, a thought trickled in my head, holy crap, I gotta run 26 miles! I dismount, a volunteer takes my bike. Thank you. And run down another chute, like cattle. Isn't this great? Another volunteer gets my run bag, where I'll transition in the white tent again, and change like superman into running clothes, where I'll attempt my first ever marathon! The change goes well, but my transition time of 10 mins. of a bit high, according to my hubby, which his T2 transition time was 1:36 minute. He sucks! I took my time, I believed there was going to be a banquet in the tent, no such luck! Isn't that what you think when you see a bit white tent? Or is that the circus, well anyways...
I start out on the run course, didn't no where to go, I yell out, "which way do I go?" A volunteer directs me. Thank you. The run course is another 3-looper, about an 8+mile for each lap. It was still light, but the sun was going down fast. I have my salt tablets, which I've been taking all along, 2 each hour, so I don't cramp up. I head out. The legs actually feel really good. Okay, I didn't waste myself away on the bike. I can actually do this! I started to believe I could finish this silly race! I kept a 10+ minute mile pace for the first loop. Things went well. Then the 2nd lap came, that was my low point of the day. It was drizzling off and on, but not enough to wear the pancho I packed. Darn it, was looking forward to wearing the sexy plastic! When you start your next loop, the run path takes a fork in the road, one way goes to the finish line, the other goes out for another loop. Unfortunately, I had to watch bunches of people run to the finish line, they were done, I was not . I had to run another loop, and then another. At the end of the 2nd loop, I saw my family and friends, there is where I dropped the "F-%#$" bombs! I wasn't looking pretty! But everyone was upbeat and excited, I only had one more loop to go. They knew I could do it, I didn't. My mind was there, but my legs were not wanting to cooperate. I was duking it out with my quads! What started as a run, became a jog, then became a power walk, then a drunk shuffle! But the funny thing was, and my coach told me this might happen. I must have passed about 60-70 people on the run! So the bikers that passed me, I was now passing them on the run. The plan was working. My mission impossible was about over. My mood started to lift. My coach, Jenny, started to walk with me on the last 5 miles. She asked how I'm doing? Really, do I need to answer! She knew...she said, "this is it, your last 5 miles, keep up on the nutrition, walk if you have to and now go kill it"! She slapped me in the butt, like football players do, oh, and that hurt...and off I went to go to finish off this crazy thing! I had passed the 20 mile marker, and was thrilled. You hear in marathons from runners that you can bonk, or hit the wall, at mile 18 or up to mile 20. I kept waiting for the bonk, was he coming behind me or in front of me? I don't think I ever bonked, I just slowed down.
Well, there it was, the 25-mile marker, it was dark, no more rain, no more wind, just the faint blare of fans, music and the commentator at the end. I wanted to be there, and I was about to be. I started to throw out any gel blocks, sports beans, cliff bars, etc. I had on me or in my sports bra. I wanted to look pretty for the pictures and the live camera at the end! Isn't that funny, I still had enough thought to look good for the end. I started to book it in! Oh, wait the quads are still rebelling, had to walk a bit. But then I saw my friends, Dave was first, he yelled me in! He goes "Go Loni, you're almost there!" I don't know where it came from, but I burst into a run, like running to your kids to save them from something! With every pound of the foot came pain, with every pound came the finish line closer! Saw my hubby and in-laws, they were screaming! I was almost done. I finally got to take the fork in the road, which I'll call the yellow brick road! 200 yds. to go! I saw this one gal who passed me so fast on the 2nd lap of the bike, that I had caught up to her and passed her into the last 100 yds! OMG, there's lights, screaming, music, fans with arms in the air! And there the commentator said the words that everyone waits for at the end, "Loni Behler, you are an Ironman!" I threw kisses out to the crowd left and right, the screams hightened even more, I did it, crossed the line with a big grin. And who was there at the end, was Chrissie Wellington, a women pro triathlete that hugged me at the end, and told me "Loni, you did it!" She only knew my name because my name was on the bib number I was wearing. Thank god, I'm done. My husband was next, we grabbed me, helped me to walk. Volunteers took my chip off, gave me a medal and a finisher's shirt and hat, and whisked away to the recovery tent where pizza and french fries, soda and hot chocolate were waiting. It all sounded good, but I couldn't eat a thing. I couldn't even sit down. Steve had to help me down, the legs wanted to stay straight.
So that was it, all the fear and anxiety was gone! I did what I came to do, 14 hours and 20 minutes later. Boy what a day. Thanks for reading this if you got this far! I'll blog the post-race events and the days that came after. That's a whole 'nother story! Thanks for your eyes and ears, and your support. You guys rock, and luv you all!! See you at Tone....Loni B.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Hot weather...
Notice how the weather is very cold in the morning and very hot in the afternoon? It would happen when the kids go back to school! Oh well, I'll take it....time to bike for awhile.
Back to business in an extreme way...
It's been awhile (about 1-1/2 yr. according to my boss, Al!) but I'm back! Lot's going on, had a boy graduate from high school and going to SRJC, and my youngest a senior in HS! Yet, I don't feel old, should I? No....that may be due in part to my puppy black lab, Sadie, that believes I'm the door man (or mat) to let her in and out as she pleases. I feel more like the cook, event coordinator, accountant, delivery person, and much more, of my house hold. But that's okay as long as I get to exercise, and boy did my wish come true. Last November my husband and I signed up for an Ironman race in Arizona, which will take play this November, yes 3 months yet. So even though I've been racing all year, this time of the year seems to have more meaning than any other.
I now workout 7 days a week, which I love. I feel like I'm in a boot camp, the only thing different from the military is I get to come home and do laundry, cook dinner, and walk the dog! So it's forced me to be organized, and disciplined, which I'm normally not. So I thought I would share my next 3 months of life with family, work and etc, of my journey from CA to AZ!
I need some kind of stress relief, and since I can't afford a psychiatrist (only a chiropractor), this will help me out, since my kids and hubby probably don't want to hear me of my highlights (or complaints) of the day.
So hear goes, my coach now has me working out 7 days a week, it was 6, with a day off! I enjoyed that day off, even though I work most that day. But like many other athletes doing IM AZ this is a must. It gets your body ready for volume--getting ready for the stresses of a long day of racing, which may take me 13-14 hours. Average athletes might be 10 to 12 hours, darn it!
On Monday I swam at Finley working on strength using paddles. I was a bit sore the next day, lats had a workout. Tuesday I rode with our trigroup around Windsor for a little over a hour, with a 20 minute transition run, that just about killed me. I've never run that fast before, and probably never will, unless I can avoid it! Wed. was running and swimming. I ran in Fountaingrove to help strengthen my legs, that was hell too, especially after my Tues. run of quad burn. Then Wed. evening swam at Johnson's beach in Guerneville with trigroup. I was really tired by this time. I was supposed to swim 50 mins, but shorten to 40 mins. because everything is catching up to me. I asked my teammates how long they were swimming, some said just past the bridge and back, which would make for a 30 min. swim. They asked me back how long I was swimming, I said I'm just going to "float" up river and back! But I managed to gut it out and swim a bit further than I thought. I figure as long as I'm dressed up in the wetsuit, better make good use of the time there.
So today I'm weight training a small bit, then off for a 1:20 hr. bike ride. So looking forward to this journey and see what happens the rest of the year. Just one day at a time. So if anyone has some thoughts on how life would be easier during a busy schedule, I would love to hear them. I think just having a good "sense of humor" will help tremendously. Thanks for listening and reading. Any one else out there going through this, would love to hear from you!
I now workout 7 days a week, which I love. I feel like I'm in a boot camp, the only thing different from the military is I get to come home and do laundry, cook dinner, and walk the dog! So it's forced me to be organized, and disciplined, which I'm normally not. So I thought I would share my next 3 months of life with family, work and etc, of my journey from CA to AZ!
I need some kind of stress relief, and since I can't afford a psychiatrist (only a chiropractor), this will help me out, since my kids and hubby probably don't want to hear me of my highlights (or complaints) of the day.
So hear goes, my coach now has me working out 7 days a week, it was 6, with a day off! I enjoyed that day off, even though I work most that day. But like many other athletes doing IM AZ this is a must. It gets your body ready for volume--getting ready for the stresses of a long day of racing, which may take me 13-14 hours. Average athletes might be 10 to 12 hours, darn it!
On Monday I swam at Finley working on strength using paddles. I was a bit sore the next day, lats had a workout. Tuesday I rode with our trigroup around Windsor for a little over a hour, with a 20 minute transition run, that just about killed me. I've never run that fast before, and probably never will, unless I can avoid it! Wed. was running and swimming. I ran in Fountaingrove to help strengthen my legs, that was hell too, especially after my Tues. run of quad burn. Then Wed. evening swam at Johnson's beach in Guerneville with trigroup. I was really tired by this time. I was supposed to swim 50 mins, but shorten to 40 mins. because everything is catching up to me. I asked my teammates how long they were swimming, some said just past the bridge and back, which would make for a 30 min. swim. They asked me back how long I was swimming, I said I'm just going to "float" up river and back! But I managed to gut it out and swim a bit further than I thought. I figure as long as I'm dressed up in the wetsuit, better make good use of the time there.
So today I'm weight training a small bit, then off for a 1:20 hr. bike ride. So looking forward to this journey and see what happens the rest of the year. Just one day at a time. So if anyone has some thoughts on how life would be easier during a busy schedule, I would love to hear them. I think just having a good "sense of humor" will help tremendously. Thanks for listening and reading. Any one else out there going through this, would love to hear from you!
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