Steelhead 70.3

"Go, sister you are almost there!" I turn towards the voice as she yells again. "Keep going!"
I see her smiling face with her camera in hand as she cheers me on to the finish line. "Go Lindy!" Another unmistakable voice says. I turn and I get a quick glance of my dad's face in the crowd.

My hands go up in the air as I triumphantly cross the finish line. Well done Linda, well done.

_______

I arrive at transition with my towel, wet-suit and gear in hand around 6:15am. I checked my bike in overnight so it's already racked and ready to go. My wave doesn't go off until 7:24am but they are kicking everyone out of the transition area at 6:45am. I know I am early but I always like to have some time to set up my things without feeling rushed.

I meet my dad and sister once I have everything ready to go and we make the 1.2 mile walk down the beach to the swim start. I've always found it odd when they refer to the stretch of dirt or sand surrounding a body of water as "the beach." I mean it's Lake Michigan not the Pacific Ocean. But make no mistake, today the lake is alive and moving. The wind has picked up and with it so have the waves. There is a slight current but the water feels warm.

Having my family with me has definitely helped my nerves. It's just a training I keep thinking to myself, no big deal. I put on my cap and goggles and jump in to test the waters.

Once out of the water my nerves are gone. I got this, no problem. We hear the cannon go off signaling the start of the race. The pros are first and shortly after the age groups start. I'm in Wave #7 Females 30-34. I give my dad and sister a hug and I take my spot on the sand. I see many nervous faces around me as everyone seems to be studying the water. I strike up a quick conversation with the girl next to me and ask if these conditions are typical. She informs me that this race is notorious for canceling the swim portion, so these waves are nothing like in years past. I love them, the waves I mean. It feels just like home. Like the beaches of Malibu or Santa Barbara where I normally train.

3,2,1... Boom! We all take off, but no one starts swimming. Instead everyone is walking. It's really shallow so no point in diving in just yet. We get further out in the water and it finally gets deep enough to start. I'm surrounded by a sea of yellow caps. I am calm. I concentrate on my stroke and focus on keeping my head down. I am feeling good as I weave through the yellow caps. One stroke at a time I keep moving through the water. The water is really choppy and it doesn't seem like I'm going anywhere. I take one stroke on the peak of the wave and another in the bottom of the trough. I remind myself to just keep swimming because there really is no other option. I breathe and see the buoy to my right. I follow the swimmers in front of me and I realize I'm now deep into a sea of blue caps. Where did all the yellows go? Oh well, keep moving. Another buoy, and another. Little by little I pass the blue caps, and I am well into the purples when I see a random green. Green? Holy crap, she was in the wave after me. Good for you girl. I swim by some pink caps who are literally stopped in the water, and some orange caps that are doggy paddling. The waves are absolutely relentless. We don't stop! The "we" I am referring to in this instance, is my mind and my body. "We" can slow down, but "we" never stop.

As I round the big red buoy and make my way in I start thinking about my transition. Don't waste time. Make every move count. I run out of the water and I see them again. I'm so happy that they're here. "Go Linda go!" I keep making my way through the sand, run down the long stretch of pavement and reach my bike. The next sequence of events flows just as I had pictured it. Wet-suit off. Dry off feet. Socks on. Shirt on. Glasses on. Helmet on. Bike off rack. Run out. I pass the mounting line, place my right foot into my shoe and take the first pedal stroke. The rubber bands break and I'm off and rolling.

I think the key to survive a long bike ride is not to focus on how many miles you have to ride or how long its going to take, but finding little things that will keep your focus elsewhere. For example, as soon as I get on the bike I tell myself, you can eat your first snack once you've been riding for thirty minutes. Awesome. Thirty minutes go by and I am enjoying my delicious apple cinnamon rice cake. Ok Linda, in thirty more minutes you can check your odometer and see how far you have gone. Yay! One hour later and I am pressing the buttons on my CatEye bike computer and I read the number.

In long distance triathlons you have a lot of time to think or even have conversations with yourself. You have so much time out there that it's nearly impossible for your thoughts not to take over. Another hour goes by and it's time to check my odometer again and my thoughts begin to spiral as I see the number.

At this point I've been riding for two hours.

I believe I have a little more than an hour to go.

What if I picked up my speed even more?

Let's do the math

18 miles +18 more miles... 

I have to ride 56 miles, I've ridden 36 so far.

If I picked my speed up to let's say 20 mph

 I have a chance at breaking the 3 hour mark.

56 miles in under 3 hours.

Wow, that would be amazing.

I've never done that before...

I pick up my speed as it sets in that I might actually be able to do this. It helps that on the way back the course seems to be in my favor, a slight decline with a little bit of wind to my back. Keep moving Linda! It's going to be very close. It is safe to say that I have never pushed myself this hard on a bike ride. Up until recently the bike portion of the triathlon was just something I had to "get through." Now, I enjoy it immensely.

I have no idea what my final bike time is as I approach the dismount line, and to tell you the truth, I don't really care. Whatever it was I now have a 13.1 mile run to worry about. Transition #2 is always faster than when you come out of the water. Just less stuff to deal with. I see my cheering squad again as I head out on the run course. Last portion of the triathlon, yes!

Your body feels so weird, those first two miles on the run, as it adjusts to the pavement directly under your feet. This sucks! I feel like stopping. We don't stop! Remember? That's right, we don't stop. Little by little I run one mile at a time. There are aid stations all over this two loop course. I make sure to grab water and ice at each one, never stopping, never really drinking a full glass of water.

On the run course is where you start making friends. There are no rules about running too close to someone and because everyone is tired and most are ready for the run to be over with, people are eager to pass the time with any sort of conversation that you give them. I know I am. A few "good jobs" and "keep it ups" later I find myself on the second loop of the course when someone shouts out the time: 12:48pm.

My wave started at 7:24am

In order to break 6 hours,

I have to cross the finish line at 1:24pm.

If it's indeed 12:48pm right now

I have a little over 30 minutes to get to the finish line...

I'm not sure exactly where I am on the course

I know I'm somewhere between mile 9 and 10

I snap myself right out of my thought spiral as I see the sign to my right that reads Mile 10. Come on Linda, move it! Only 3.1 miles to go! You have less than thirty minutes! You can do it! My pace gets faster and my focus is razor sharp. I now have one single goal, to cross the finish line before it says 6:00:00. I grab one more cup of water and ice at the second to last aid station, and I don't drop my new pace until it's all over.

The finish line is near, I can tell because I hear the noise from the crowd. I smile knowing that somewhere in that noise, my dad and sister waiting for me to cross the finish line. 

My final race time
5:56:37

Overloaded

I am acutely aware of the knots in my back as I sit and type this latest post. I feel guilty that I have not been able to write in a long time and I am hoping that once I hit the publish button a sweet sense of relief will wash over me as I check one more thing off of my "to do" list.

These past few weeks have been absolutely nuts. Between attending a couple of weddings, flying to Chicago, keeping up with the increasing workload from my day job, having my car broken into, my family being in town, re-organizing my garage, planning activities and fitting in all of my workouts, my head has felt like it was going to explode on more than one occasion. But I am here. Still alive. Still enjoying the entire process.

When I feel overloaded, I find that the best thing to do is to focus on ONE thing. Right now that has definitely been my workouts. I am in the crux of "Phase 2" and as the distances have increased the importance of my sanity remaining intact is crucial. No matter how stressed out I get with all the other things going on in my life, every time I train I feel recharged. When I'm out on the road for a five hour bike ride (which I've done twice this month) all of my worries seem to disappear and I am ready to face the world.

Yes, those are whiteout marks--->
There are days when the scheduled workout does not go according to plan so instead of crossing it off with pen I white it out ;)

Illinois.
My time spent back home was amazing! As always, it was a jam packed trip that had every hour accounted for. I got to spend some quick quality time with my sister and future brother-in-law. Had an amazing time at my college roommate's wedding with my old dorm mates. Ran a 5k with my best friends from high school. I even got in a half-marathon distance training run. All of this craziness was possible with a lot of help from my sister and friends. As some of my fellow mid-western transplants can relate to, I love California but nothing like going home for a few days.





Family Time.
Fitting in my workouts while my family was here proved to be easier than I thought it would be. They were extremely supportive of me in that we planned all of our activities around my workout schedule. Was I burning the candle at both ends? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Of course. Great dinners, lots of laughing, story telling, crazy dancing, some crying, introducing them to my friends, cleaning and re-organizing, planning. Everything you could hope for when you spend time with those who know you best.




"Balance is key," yeah yeah I know. When you are training for an Ironman, I'm not sure how you can ever balance it all out. But as you can see, this month the scales were definitely even. I nearly went insane in the process, but I had a blast doing so.

CONTEST!

I would like to invite you to participate in my

Kona Crew T-shirt Photo Contest

Get active and use your imagination 

For a chance to win some cool prizes.

Contest runs from July 1 - September 1

Here is how you can win:

1. Buy a Kona Crew t-shirt  http://www.maddenenterprises.net/KonaCrew
2. Take a picture of yourself wearing the Kona Crew t-shirt while doing something active
3. Email the picture to me at l.goeckner@gmail.com

I will pick the top three most creative pictures

and announce the winners via the blog on

Monday September 2, 2013 

Prizes will be awarded on a per picture basis. 

While I love the idea of many Kona Crew participants in one picture,

I only have prizes for three different picture submissions.

The men's shirts run true to size

The women's flowy shirts run true to size

The women's v-neck runs small so buy a size larger than you think

This is a women's v-neck size L
Fits me perfectly

This is the flowy style size L
Does not come with cutouts
I did that for my shirt :)

Have fun snapping pictures

Thank you!

Funding: Part II

I am rushing down the freeway desperately trying to make it on time. I am exhausted from all the dancing and the amount of drinks consumed last night at my friend's wedding. Another epic wedding to add to the books, I think to myself as I check the dark circles under my eyes in the rear view mirror. I always do this (a pet peeve of my husband) commit to too many things in one day. No matter the amount of anxiety this seems to cause time after time I always find a way to make it work.


Upon my arrival I am relieved to see that the "Box" is alive and moving. Competitors checking in, vendor booths being set up, and volunteers showing up asking what can be done to help. A sense of relief rushes through me as I see the efforts of our hard work have paid off.

Like I had briefly mentioned in the previous blog post, I struck a chord with someone willing to help me offset some of my costs for Kona. I approached the owner of the crossfit gym that I belong to with the idea of having some sort of fundraiser, and as luck would have it, he had been wanting to hold a competition at the gym for some time now so this was perfect timing. He generously offered his support as long as I was willing to help him get it all organized.


Let me tell you, this was no easy task. I had NO clue how much work goes into putting on a crossfit competition: recruiting volunteers, searching for judges, reaching out to vendors, finding sponsors who would like to donate items for a raffle, marketing the competition, finding a DJ, getting all the adequate equipment for the competition, feeding our volunteers, etc. Adding to the pressure was the limited amount of time that we had to put it all together but, when you have type A people at the helm, anything can be done.

Overall, the event was a huge success! The competitors were challenged and many firsts were achieved. The spectators were loud and thoroughly entertained. The head judges were exemplary and their crews followed suit. The score keepers were remarkable and extremely well organized. The vendors were excited, the sponsors were generous, the DJ was spot on and the volunteers were astounding. Overall, the event was a huge success!

There are moments in life where you are humbled by the generosity of others, and this was one of those moments for me. I know sometimes it's hard to believe that there are people out there who are selfless and eager to help, especially if you pay attention to the news, but it's true. We are surrounded by remarkable people and yesterday I was reminded of that. To all the vendors, sponsors, competitors, volunteers and particularly to coach Terry I want to say THANK YOU!

Funding: Part I

The other day a co-worker asked me about how my training was going. I told her I was feeling good. Tired and hungry, but overall really good. As you can imagine, I have this conversation a lot. Friends and family, people just checking in to see how I'm doing. I love this conversation. Then she asked me a follow up question that prompted me to answer "Oh no, I still have to pay my entry fee ." I won an invitation to participate, yes. But make no mistake, I also have to fund it.

So how much does one of these races cost? The entry fee alone can cost upwards of $800 and that doesn't include anything else. It requires a lot of work to put on an event of this magnitude. Lifeguards, city permits, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, announcers, etc. Ironman has built up a reputation of really well executed events and they sell out fast. If the people will pay, trust me they will charge it. As far as the other items on my list, I will let you use your imagination as to how much each one costs.

Things in life cost money, period. I happened to have chosen a hobby that while giving me amazing thrills and crazy determination, it has also put quite a dent in my bank account. But as the saying goes "where there's a will there's a way," and I have come up with some ideas to help me out.

1) Auctioning off a kidney. It could be quite lucrative. However, I am guessing that all the recovery time might interfere with my training schedule.

2) Fundraising dinner. I called a couple of local restaurants to inquire about it and it turns out most of them need a Tax ID # for the non-profit or charity that will benefit from the dinner. My personal SSN won't count. 

3) Spanish Tutor. This is something that I have been meaning to do for a long time. With some referrals here and there from a good friend I am off to a good start. Turns out, I'm pretty good at it and I enjoy it a lot. 

4) Extra work. This was a no brainer. To get more money from my day job, I have recently taken on more projects and even started to help an extra person. I am hoping that all of this will inevitably lead to more money. 

7) T-shirts. This has been by far my favorite idea. I have been working with a local screen printing shop and we have come up with a really cool t-shirt design. Check out this link and see what I mean:

http://www.maddenenterprises.net/KonaCrew

The website is live and ready for you to purchase!

As you can see, I have not been sitting around idle waiting for my money tree to sprout up. I have been busy forecasting where each dollar will come from to pay for this race. I shared these ideas with a couple of people and in doing so, I struck a chord with someone who was very interested in helping me out. More on that in Part II...

Small Victories

5:01 AM My alarm goes off. I lay in bed knowing that I have allowed for an extra 15 minutes today and I am so glad because I am going to need them.

5:15 AM The alarm goes off again. This is the toughest part of every morning. Even though the answer is always yes, I still seem to ask myself the same question every day: to get up or not to get up? 

As I make my way towards the bathroom through the darkness of my room I am happy to see the pile of workout clothes that I have carefully positioned the night before. If you are type A, like me, these are the little things about yourself that really remind you that you wouldn't have it any other way. If preparation is key, why wouldn't you lay everything out the night before in order to maximize your time and minimize your chances of starting off your day on the wrong foot? OCD to some. Genius to others.

5:30 AM I fill up my water bottle, grab a slice of turkey and I have just enough time to walk downstairs, open the garage, pump up my tires and hit the road.

My scheduled 90 minute bike ride turns into a 2 hour one. I am really learning to love the bike. Up until now it was just something that I had to do as part of the triathlon but I am actually starting to enjoy it. Seeing the road move underneath my feet knowing that each mile that passes was a direct result of my efforts makes me feel victorious. Adding to this feeling, is the incredible picturesque landscape of rolling hills, lush trees, and horses grazing which I am lucky enough to call home.

7:50AM I rip through my house like a Tasmanian devil. Clothes are flying all over the place and I shower as fast as possible. I run back into the kitchen and eat my scrambled eggs right out of the pan because time is of the essence. Another smile comes to my face as I see that my prepared lunch is sitting in the fridge in the exact same spot where I left it the night before. I finish getting ready, kiss my husband on the forehead, grab all my bags and rush out the door.

9:00 AM Yes!!! I made it. Navigating through LA traffic is a little like playing the roulette tables in Vegas, you just never know what you're going to get. Any time that I can actually get to work on time is a sweet triumph. Wednesdays at work always fly by. I have to go to two offices where I have different projects going on which require different states of mind and some extra drive time. I don't mind it much since the change of scenery offers some variety to my work life.

I count down the minutes until the end of my work day. I am excited because today is going to be a short one. Have I ever mentioned how cool my boss is? He has been really supportive with all things Ironman. So on the days that I have to leave a bit early to train, all I have to do is let him know. It's pretty awesome.

4:30 PM I meet up with some of my triathlon friends to carpool up to Santa Barbara. We are headed to Nite Moves which is this fun little event every Wednesday night during the summer where for $20 you participate in an Aquathon (1k swim, 5k run). After the race, they feed you, give you beer and if you're lucky you can enjoy some ice cream all while listening to live music. Tonight we have assembled a great crew of misfits to participate in the event and celebrate the birthday of a fellow triathlete.

9:00 PM I am beat. The day's efforts are definitely taking a toll. I am utterly exhausted, and so thankful that I didn't drive so I can sneak in a little snooze (yay!) as we make the hour drive back home.

Our days are filled with small victories, and I think it's important to acknowledge them as they happen. You might not think of a pre-packed lunch as being anything triumphant but I feel that, in order to survive this life, we have to be able to find the good in everything that we do. So as tired as I may be right now, two hours past my bedtime, setting out my clothes and thinking about tomorrow, I have the confidence of knowing that when the alarm goes off I will be ready to face another day and that is the real victory.

The Brick Foundation

It has been more than a month since that fateful day when I received an email invitation that would change my life forever. Today I made it official, I am registered for Kona!

My training in the past month has been very good. Nice and steady. You see, I am in what I like to call "Phase One" of Ironman training. I am getting my body used to doing all three disciplines. Focusing on building a solid base, making sure that I am being consistent with my workouts and listening to my body for any aches and pains that I might be feeling. I've been a bit sore here and there, but so far so good.

Here is a little snapshot of what I have been doing for Phase One. You might think that this looks a little crazy, but I promise you it's not. This is just the beginning. I have some friends that are doing Ironman Coeur d'Alene in a few weeks and if you saw what they are doing for training right now your mind would explode! It's absolutely nuts. But in a couple of months I will be doing that too.

What the heck is a Brick? Glad you asked. A brick workout is a very important aspect of a triathlete's training.  It's where, like shown above, you do two disciplines back to back with little or no interruption in between just like you would in a race. These workouts are key. As you switch from one discipline to the next your heart rate is going a million miles an hour and your body needs to efficiently prepare for the next exercise while at the same time recover a bit from the previous one. One thing is to be able to swim, or bike, or run but another is to do all of them. Trust me, you don't want to have that "my legs feel like jelly" feeling during a race and brick workouts during your training will help your body handle the demands of a triathlon.

Physically, I feel as though I could push myself more. My body seems to be cooperating for the most part and on the days that I'm not so tired I always feel like I could swim, bike, or run longer. Mentally, I am not going to lie, I feel nervous. I psyched myself out a bit by watching a whole lot of YouTube videos last week of Kona races in years past like 2012 Ironman World Championship. Just hearing that cannon go off and seeing the mass of bodies thrashing in the water had my palms sweating and a knot in my throat. Not to mention all the talk of the winds. In my family, talking about the wind is usually a good thing. As an avid windsurfer my dad has been scheduling his days of fun around big winds for a long time. But I have a feeling that come race day he won't be enjoying the wind gusts as he tracks me on the bike wondering if I have been blown off the road or not.

Time is on my side. If I start out now with a strong foundation, as I make my way through each phase of training I will be just fine. Trade winds and all.