Caines Head and Derby Cove - Seward, AK

Kevin and I have been dating just about 5 months now.  It was time for a relationship test, aka camping.  I am writing about this here because I took time off from the rigid training schedule to do this, and ended up not running for 2 weeks.  Why would camping keep you from running for that long you might ask?  Well, it wasn't really the camping.  My ankle was hurting before we left for the approx 4.5 mile hike to a public use cabin.  At least 2 of those miles were over slippery rocks along a beach.  So my cranky ankle became livid.  All my fault.  I knew it was hurting, I decided to go anyways.  I'm not really going to blame the hike for that.  I was also going to miss 3 days of training, but it ended up being 2.

What was that you said about some sort of test?  Oh yeah, well...many things that could go wrong did.  I am not sure if I passed the test, I hope I did.  But Kevin certainly did.  A man of great patience, calm demeanor and level head.  We were attempting to haul a heavy sled of fire wood so we could stay two nights.  Suffice it to say this did not go as planned.  We abandoned our sled and loaded up firewood in our packs, for at least one night.  Not too much farther along the trail we get to switch backs that no sled was going to manage, so we would have had to bail on it anyways.  And then there was the beach.  It was beautiful.  It was snowing.  But the tide was coming in.  Because our sled had delayed us so much we were now racing the tide.

We made it.  But it was tense, stressful and a little bit frightening.  Water coming in on one side.  Cliff with snow avalanching down on the other.

The cabin was a very welcome sight.  Surrounded by big trees.  Not a soul around.  And falling snow.  Peacefully serene.

It truly was a beautiful experience.  But it wasn't particularly easy on my ankle.

(all photos taken on our hike out, back to the car)

I made another mistake and when it was feeling better a few days later I went rock climbing.  That was going well until the last move on the last climb and I tweaked it.  So I finally laid off of it for over a week and didn't run until Sunday.  It's doing pretty good.  Had a nice 4.7 mile hilly run up on hillside with Micah.  11 min mile pace.  It was also nice to have company. And Micah kept up a running dialogue that was very entertaining and distracting and all of a sudden we were back at the house.

So 2 weeks without running.  And I still don't know why my ankle was hurting in the first place.  But it seems to be on the mend now.  Might have to skip out on rock climbing another week though and let it heal and strengthen up.

In other news...37 days to Wildflower.

Sacrificing Toes For The Greater Good

My toes went painfully numb.  Then it spread through to the arches.  Then I could feel it all the way in my heels.  They hurt like they've never hurt before.  But it was nothing compared to the pain of warming up in the shower.  If I'd been alone in the house I might have screamed.  Getting my tattoos hurt less.

I should have admitted defeat and submitted to my frozen toes after about 45 minutes.

But that would have been quitting.

I'm weak when it comes to a lot of things.  Sometimes I don't get my butt in gear for every single workout.  But I am not a quitter.

Let's face it, there's no bragging rights in quitting.

I'm not particularly humble.

So I rode my 2 hours.  Approx 5 minutes to get from parked car to loop.  11 loops at 10 minutes a loop.  Approx 5 minutes to get back to car.  The hardest part of that ride was those last 5 minutes.  Nasty steep hills.

I am proud of 2 things.  I rode in aero practically the entire ride (second time riding in aero on the road ever).  Just a couple sections I had to pop up for sharp corners or stop signs/traffic.  My first lap and my last lap were the same pace, and every one in between too.  Consistent pace.

I would have liked that pace to be faster than 15mph.  But I will settle for that  as a baseline.  This was  my first outdoor training ride, so I should cut myself a little slack.  But it's not like I've been sitting on my ass for the last 4 months either.   This wasn't a flat loop but the hills were pretty gradual.

Goal from here until Canada...one hill workout a week.

My bike computer isn't working anymore.  So I need to pick up a new one.  It was working rather spottily last week.  It would either give me my cadence, or my speed, but rarely both at the same time.  And then it would cut out on speed for long sections, and then kick back in again.   But it seems to have decided to give up completely on me now.

I highly recommend training for aero on rollers.  15 minutes on my rollers is almost torture trying to stay balanced.  2 hours on the road and not a wobble.  Corners going downhill?  Piece of cake.  Looking back to check on traffic?  Not a problem.  One arm in aero and one hand shifting?  Super easy.  Heck, I even signaled a few turns still in aero.  I worried and stressed out for nothing.

I also moved my seat back to it's proper position.  After a training ride the other day I noticed I was using my quads too much, not my hamstrings.  So after moving it to where it should be I was back to using my hamstrings and butt like I should.  But I still need to get back to double check I have my aerobars in the right position for the right angles.  And after yesterday's ride I'm not too concerned that it's not very comfy riding on my handlebars because I should only be there for the steep climbs and really sharp corners.  And yes there's a lot of long steep climbs but.... it's not the whole 56 miles so I think I'll be ok.

And now let's all pray for no more snow so I can get more road.  

A Review of Expenses for the Last 12 Months (Or Why I Am Broke But Happy)

Bike Expenses
New Bike (2010 Kona Zing Deluxe, on sale) -  1,126
Pedals - 30
Shoes - 40
Pump - 32
Race Tires - 76
New Rear Cassette (10 speed 11-27 for hill climbing) - 72
Training Tires - not purchased yet, estimated expense - 100-120
Saddle, Aerobars, Bike fitting - 565
Tri-shorts - 35
Bike shorts - 30
Bike Trainer - 50
Bike Rollers 30

Total Bike - $2,186

Swim Expenses
Swim passes - 5 X 45 - 225
Suit - 65
Goggles - 20
Cap - 2

Total Swim - $312

Run Expenses
Saucony Pro Grid Ride Shoes - 110
Nike Zoom Vomero 6 Shoes - 130
Brooks Pureflow Shoes- 90
Assorted running clothes(tights, sports bra, shirts, socks) - approx - 150
Twilight 12K Race - 35
Mayor's Marathon - 70
Lost Lake Race - 100
Tuesday Night Races - 30
Oktoberfest 10K Race - 20
Zombie Marathon - 30

Total Run - $735


Triathlon Specific Expenses
USAT Membership - 40
Gold Nugget Triathlon - 55
Hammerman Triathlon - 60
Homer Triathlon - 53
Ironman Canada - 700
Team in Training - Wildflower - 100

Total Triathlon - $1,008


Total Expenses - $4,241


Additional Expenses 
Flight to California for Wildflower - 623
California Car Rental - 98
Gas - ?
Bike Airline Fee for California - ?
Flight to Canada for Ironman - 51 + 25,000 miles
Canada Car Rental - 184
Gas - ?
Bike Airline Fee for Canada - ?
Lodging in Canada - 389
Passport for Canada - 135
Food - ?
Gu, energy bars, gatorade, etc - ?


Total - $1,480 + ?


Overall Expenses - $5,721


I would have thought that running was my cheapest discipline, but it looks like swimming is the most economical of the three.

I am hoping that I am nearing the end of major expenses for my bike and from here on out it will mostly be tubes and maintenance, small repairs, etc.  But I'm sure something else will come up, unfortunately.

There are obviously more expenses that have been left out.  But this is relatively close.  Also not included is the Rock Climbing Gym membership, which is not triathlon related but is part of my athletic activities.  6 month pass - $280

My income for the last 12 months is approximately $23,000.  Which means I am spending approximately 25% of my income on exercise.

Thank goodness I love it!!!!

Adventures in bike fitting

I had a bike fitting done a while back.  Spending a few hours with a specialist carefully dialing into the right angles for optimum power. I had aero bars mounted and positioned right.  And then I got home and the seat angle wasn't right.  You wouldn't think that there is a lot of difference if the front tire is just slightly lower than the back but there is.  (The difference between being on a trainer, even with the front tire on a block and rollers that are flat)  I spent a ridiculous amount of money on a seat so that it wouldn't hurt and I get home and it does.  Needless to say I was not all that pleased.  So I attempted to change it on my own.  I did.  Or so I thought.  I also went back and bought different aero bars because my wrists were experiencing excruciating pain.  I went from s-bend to ski - bends.  So much better.  I thought I'd placed the new bars in the same place.  They were ok for a while and then they didn't feel right.  I readjusted them.  And then I finally took a look at my seat.  I hadn't tightened it properly after adjusting the tilt.  It had slid all the way backwards.  No wonder my aero bars weren't right.  But when I moved my seat back to where it should be it felt horrible if I wasn't in aero and I was just on my handlebars (unfortunately I imagine I'll spend a lot of time in this position not being too comfortable in aero and on a real hilly course).  So, how bad is it if I change that seat placement a little?  Does that really mess up my power efficiency?  I'm talking about a half cm difference.  And now I have no clue if my aero bars are positioned anywhere where they should be because I really did move them a lot to get comfortable when my seat was in the wrong place.  I already went in a second time to buy a different seat from the first one I bought and had that fit to me.  I'm embarrassed to go back in again, especially since the bike fitter made me promise I wouldn't mess with the seat.  But I had to.  

I wan't my bike to fit right.  But how much should I follow "the numbers" and how much should I go with what I can ride for 4+ hours?  Not to mention the 8 hours I think Canada will take me.  

GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAL!

It's always important to have goals right?  The countdown ticker on the Wildflower website informs me I have 54 days, 15 hours and 23 seconds, wait, 20 seconds...18....until race weekend.  In short, the clock is ticking down.  54 days.  (actually I count 56 until my event, but there are a lot of things going on that weekend so I'll cut them some slack for not catering specifically to me.)  Maybe it's time to think about some goals.

I finally got around to reading the USA triathlon magazine article on Wildflower.  I really had no idea what I was signing up for. Apparently Wildflower is like the Woodstock of triathlons.  It's out in the middle of nowhere and an entire city moves in on tents.  Live music, food vendors, huge expo, and everyone is just camping out.  For it's first year it was a blue grass festival that had a triathlon.  It's definitely the other way around now. And this year it's turning 30 years old.  I get to be a part of that.

And I am scared shitless.
Seriously.

I'm not talking about how I was nervous before the 50k Tour of Anchorage or before my first marathon.  There's not really a whole lot that can go wrong there.  I knew how to run.  I knew how to walk.  That's pretty much all you need to know.  Drink a lot of water, keep moving.  No time limits, no real potentials for disaster besides cramping or pulling a muscle or straining something.  Perhaps tripping and falling but I've done that quite a few times already.  Not too scary.

So I'm back to the what ifs.

And there are too many to count.  Traveling, open water swimming with thousands of people, biking one of the hardest bike courses in American triathlons, flats, crashes, fuel, weather, running a half marathon after biking one of the hardest courses.  Traveling alone the day after racing.

Did I mention its one of the toughest bike courses?

Have I also mentioned I haven't actually ridden any hills since October?

Why?!?!?!  WHY did I foolishly decide to do an early season race?

Ok yeah, so I've been training.  I've been really good about following the schedule.  I probably haven't even missed more than 5-10 days total of training since I started in November.  But yesterday's workout wasn't even half the bike distance or half the run.  And I have 54 more days to feel confident about this?

I have a bike set up I haven't even ridden on yet!?  At least not really.  My rollers are great but they aren't the road.  My seat isn't really positioned for me to ride the entire 56 miles on my handlebars.  It's set for mostly being in aero and I don't even know if I can remain upright and steer in aero.

 I'm also trying to learn years of bicycling knowledge in a couple of months.  Race tires, training tires, fixing a flat, changing tires, pumps vs CO2, adjusting derailleurs, when to replace chains, when to replace gears, optimum cadence, etc etc etc.

And don't get me started on the hills.  At mile 40 there's a 5 mile climb.  Gaining 600 ft of elevation.  Followed by too short of a downhill and then another 3-5 mile climb of 400 ft.

And really, this would be no big deal if I had all day.

But I don't.

Which brings me to my goals.

At one point I thought I might be able to finish in 7 hours.  Then I reevaluated my speed and the course and thought maybe 7.5.  I figured 45 minutes for the swim, 3.5 hours for the bike, 3 hours for run and 15 minutes cushion for transitions and aid stations and what not.

But honestly, I don't even think I can set a goal for this one besides finishing.  It might take me close to 9 hours.  I might not even make the bike cutoff time.  Or I might make that one but not have enough time to finish my run.  All that training and not finishing?  So the goal is to finish. I'm having a hard time accepting this kind of goal.  Things have always been about time.  Even when I did the 50k Tour of Anchorage I had a time in mind.  Two times actually.  I always set two goals.  The one I am pretty sure I can make, and the one I really want to make.  I don't often hit that second goal.

But I can't estimate how long its going to take me to do this bike, or how long it will take me to run a half marathon after a grueling 56 miles.  I should be able to run a slow half marathon in just over 2.5 hours but....who knows!

The only thing I can say is that I want to do the swim in 40 minutes but will be happy if its under 45.  I'm pretty confident about that.

So there we go.  I have two goals as usual.  The one I think I can do, which is just finishing, however long it takes.  And then I have my ambitious goal of 7.5 hours.   If I get anywhere close to 7.5 I'll be ecstatic.

I don't really like it, these goals, but it's the best I can do.  And hopefully I'll enjoy the journey.  As much as I complain, as much as I bitch and whine about being sore, or how hard something is or how much time something takes.  I love it.  I really do.  I've enjoyed the journey up to now.  I'll enjoy the next 54 days.  And I'll try and remember to relax on race day.  I might need an extra reminder or too though.  Just ask me why I'm doing it.  And I'll probably grin.

For your viewing pleasure here is a map of the course.  And the elevation profile for the bike.

Looking Back: A year in review

2011-A brief overview

January

-Reached weight goal of 160. Thats 48 lbs lost since 2007.

(Halloween 2007 marked my heaviest weight, 208 lbs)

 

-Sun Valley ski trip. Great skiing with family. Crossing my fingers that I might be able to go in 2013

(Me, Allen, Maria, Scott, Christmas Chair lift)

February

-Became lifetime member of Weight Watchers. (Maintained 160 for 6 weeks)

-Birthday ski, 26k for 26 years. Training for the Tour of Anchorage.

March

-Finished my first 50k Tour of Anchorage- 5 hours and 45 minutes. 64th out of 67 women. Which means I wasn't last! 

(I said I wasn't going to ski again.  The reason my smile is so big is because I am so happy to be done) 

 -Began marathon training.  I do believe this saved my sanity and accellerated the healing process from breaking up. There is nothing quite like a 3 hour run to really clear your mind.

April

-Freeze Your Keys. I vowed not to drive my car anywhere and biked everywhere (or carpooled) for the entire month of April.  I lost track of how many miles I logged.  Thank goodness for studded tires.

May

-Started what turned out to be a very successful "Tuesday Night Trek" hiking series. 12 hikes in all!  I'm looking forward to doing this again. 

- Competed in my 1st triathlon - Gold Nugget. I entered on a whim. Who knew this would be the start of something life changing.  I raced on my commuter bike.  Still managed a time of 1:37.  Placing 354th out of 1291 women.  I hope to shave off a lot of time this year.

June

-Finished my first marathon.  Words can not express how I felt about the entire experience.  Time: 4:49.  Placed 187 out of 526 women. 

I hiked up Flat Top just over a week later. NBD. 

(hmmmm that guy in yellow looks suspiciously familiar)

July

-Hiked up Mt. Marathon to cheer on racers.  Another year as spectator...maybe this year?

-Competed in my 2nd triathlon - Xterra Hammerman, an offroad tri at Kincaid. 1st in age group (I only beat one other person...) Definitely feeling hooked on this triathlon business.   But not a fan of mountain biking.  Give me pavement!

-Hiked all of Crow Pass in one day.  First time ever on the trail. That's about 25 miles in approx 8 hours. Was a great jog/hike until Ike rolled in poop. Really really smelly poop.

(we're still smiling because this is just the beginning)

August
-Ran the Lost Lake Race for my second time. A 16 mile xc race in Seward.  I went from a time last year of 3:42 to 3:11.  I placed 172nd out of 374.  This race marked a big change in my life for 2010.  And it was the beginning of my love of endurance sports.  I love this race because there's abouut 6 miles of running down hill.  I will miss it next year because....

-Signed up for Ironman Canada.  August 26, 2012.  I just about had heart palpitations while doing so. 

September

-Competed in my 3rd Triathlon in Homer. I won my age group.  I was the only person in my age group.  This was the first race on my new bike.  I also ran my fastest 5 miles as far as I can tell...under 50 minutes?  And that was after biking up the nastiest hill I've ever ridden. 

-Tuesday Night Races! I ran mostly in the Lightning League this year (longer distance than the Farm League). Slow but steady!   I ran in every one except the last one which doesn't even really count since it's less than a mile. 

October

-Finished my 2nd Marathon. Who knew these things were addicting.  Dropped 20 minutes off from my first marathon.  Time 4:28. Ran in the Tuesday night race 3 days later. Lightning league.  Farm league is for sissies. 

(I look like I've been bleeding purple, but its just from a recent dye job and lots and lots of sweat) 

November
-Remember that guy in yellow?  I convinced him we should be more than friends.  Decided on a tentative move date to Kodiak, AK post Ironman race sometime in September.  HUGE life decision.

-Started rock climbing regularly. About twice a week. Guess what, it's fun.

December
-Started serious training for a half Ironman distance race.  Wildflower Long Course in Bradley, CA on May 5, 2012.  I'm doing this through Team in Training.  If you haven't already donated you should.  I'm getting close to my goal but I'm not there yet!  http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/lavatri12/clendaniel

-Christmas without Dad. 

(I promise we're not all this happy because you're gone, we definitely missed you Dad)

-Kevin visits!  I inflict the family on him and he survives.  Might have to keep this one.  During this week it's -5 to +5.  But we still went hiking anyways. 

-Maintaining a weight of 155. 

Parting thoughts

I don't think I've ever experienced so much in one year.  Joys and sorrows.  Amazing accomplishments.  Life changing experiences and decisions.  But 2012 is off to a great start too.  And it has the potential for being a phenomenal year.