Journey to IRONMAN: 3 Weeks: The Bike

Well, if I thought the time was flying by doing a monthly blog post, I have entered a time warp doing them every week.  Holy Moley folks, the countdown is on!  I am so EXCITED!!!

.......and tired.....so very tired.  My body is at its max, and this week, its told me so.  The muscles in my legs are desperate for recovery and rest.  They burn doing simple tasks, they fatigue easily.  I've done exactly what an IRONMAN must do.......find their limits (for now).  This week I dabbled into the taper waters, but still had quite a bit of volume left to do.  IRONMAN taper is a funny thing.  This event is so big, that even when the distances start to go down its still a lot.  I had 5 hours on the bike and a 6 mile brick run yesterday.  I followed that up with a 12.5 mile run today.  I'm tired, but I feel the strong.  Its in there.  I KNOW I can do this.  Now to just rest, recover and make ready for the day.

Lets talk bike!  3 years ago when I set in my mind to do an IRONMAN I was the most afraid of the bike.  I have only owned 1 bike in my life, a 10 speed mountain bike, and after breaking my arm on it in my younger years, gave it up all together.  I will admit, cycling scared me to death.  Plus, there is nothing exciting about sitting on that little seat.  My amazing husband bought me my first road bike in March of 2014.  Lady Trek is what we call her.  I remember when I achieved a 45 mile bike ride on her and was wiped out for the week.  I remember thinking, "How?.....How in the world am I going to ride a bike for 112 miles? HOW?"  

One step at a time, that's how.  I bought Lady Dash, my TT bike, last year from an amazing triathlete Bev Crupi.  She was and is quite literally my bike angel.  Her bike fit me perfectly and she graciously allowed me to claim it for myself.  I love my bike.  Truly LOVE it.  Lady Dash has seen a few things in her lifetime, she is faithful and true.  She has kept me safe and has literally become a friend.  Sounds kind of silly, but when your bike is your companion for HOURS and hours and hours, you find yourself a sweet confidant.  Lady Dash gets me.  Together we have faced learning how to ride distance. We have learned how to go 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and 120 miles together. Together we have travelled far.  Together we will be  IRONMAN.

And now.......I know EXACTLY how you ride that far.  

The IRONMAN cycling course is deceivingly challenging.  The course is a 3 loop course that takes you out on the Beeline HWY.  The Beeline is one of the main roads that takes you from the valley up into the White Mountains.  The section that we travel is flat-ish with some hills going out and flat-ish with downhills coming back.  What makes it challenging is that it demands constant spinning.  There is not a single time during the course that you don't need to pedal.  The downhills aren't steep enough to just ride.  Its a grind.  Go into it with the wrong mentality and it will eat up your energy faster than you thought.

I am very grateful because I live and train near and on the Beeline.  I know it well and nearly have every aspect of the course in my head.  I understand its structure and am fully prepared mentally and physically for what it demands.  The greatest concern now is dealing with the crowd of cyclists on a closed looped course.  That is where the challenge will be.  

Once I am out of the water, my number one goal is going to be to get my heart rate down to a comfortable controllable zone and to stay in that zone for much of my ride.  For me, the bike part isn't about racing, it's about executing what I practiced.  Fuel, energy, mental acuity, salt tabs, water........it all must cohesively come together.  When it does it will be a FANTASTIC ride.  No doubts.

The idea of repeating the ride 3 times was once a big concern for me, but now I am grateful for it.  I just have to do the same thing 3 times.  That takes out a lot of guess work.  I know the course and am no longer afraid of the distance.  I will say......I'm actually really excited for this portion of the race.

Maybe because its the longest section, or most challenging personally, or maybe its because once I finish I will be a short marathon away from glory.  Whatever it is, Lady Dash and I will conquer it together.

Journey to IRONMAN: 4 Weeks: The Swim

Well folks, in case you are already tired of this blog being overtaken by Journey to IRONMAN posts, beware.....ITS ABOUT TO GET EVEN WORSE :)  4 weeks from today I do this thing.  I'm soaking up every second of every day and want to remember everything.  Its also time to start talking about the actual race.  When the day comes I want you to feel every mile with me.

But I digress.......IRONMAN is all about conquering fears.  This week I conquered 2.  I rode my longest bike ride to date 7:20.  I have been nervous about it ever since Coach said I would have to do it one day (as in a conversation 8 months ago).  I did it.  I also ate an entire pint of Haggen Daas Ice Cream by myself in one sitting this week.  I have never done either of those.  It was a good week.......

Okay....back to the swim.  The swim of the IRONMAN takes place in Tempe Town Lake which is right in the heart of Tempe off the highway and right by ASU.  It is an incredibly popular spot and highly populated.  Its basically right in the heart of town.  So.....anyone local, unless you are coming to the race, just don't go to Tempe on November 20th.

Tempe Town Lake is a man-made lake that has had its own fair share of history including a dam breaking and the entire thing completely draining.  They have repaired the dam and refilled, but not without trouble.  About 8 months ago they had to fill it with billions (yes with a B) of minnows to help combat a certain algae and parasites.  Who knows the creatures that live in the depths.  Whatever, I can outswim them.  Its a cloudy lake and not very pretty, but its my IRONMAN swim and I cannot wait to jump into its waters.

The swim is a rolling start this year.  Think of it like a marathon start.  You line up based on your predicted swim time and when the gun goes off, your specific time starts when you cross over the timing mat. You all just shuffle in a line down to the water and when you get to the edge, you jump in and you go.   Its quite different than a mass start which has everyone in the water and when the gun goes off all 2800 of you start at once.

I won't lie, its chaos.  You get hit and kicked, some get their goggles knocked off.  You swallow water and get shoved under.  If you are like me you just start punching back.  I deserve to be there just as much as you do buddy!

The swim is a 1 loop course that runs down from Mill Avenue to Scottsdale road where it takes a left turn and heads on a rectangular course back to the start.  I love that it is only 1 large loop.  That helps tremendously.

My strategy is simple really.  Stay chill, focus on long strokes, remember who you are.......and just go for a swim.  The race cannot be won or PR's hit in the water, but it most certainly can be lost.  The water, although the easiest on the body, is the most fear inducing, stress provoking, energy sucking event.

I have trained well and feel confident in my swimming.

I would love to come out of the water around 1:20.

No matter what....it will be a good start to a great day.

Journey to IRONMAN: 1 Month: 1610

I have been wrestling all week with what I want to write about for my 1 Month to IRONMAN mark.  I have been chronicling this journey for the past year and sit here with a little over 4 weeks to go.  That's 30 DAYS!  I am quite literally bursting with excitement!  I have so much to say and so much to talk about.

The IRONMAN Bib List was just posted today and it came at the perfect time.  I have not felt super great this week and am wrestling with a cold.  I decided to can my run today in favor of a nap.  I was a little discouraged about it, but then.........the bib list was posted and my IRONMAN idol Mary Knott posted on my timeline.  "1610! BOOM!"  I had just gotten back from my bike ride when I saw the post and instantly felt the excitement overwhelm.  I am on that list!!!!! I have a race number!!!!  I have waited over 3 years to have a race number and my name on an IRONMAN bib......and ITS HERE!!!!!!! There are not enough exclamation points to convey my excitement.

I have another big weekend of training ahead of me and then I get to enter that incredible time of taper.  I have nearly made it.  I chose a BIG dream.  I have chased that dream with abandon.  I have woken up every day and worked.  I have been scared out of my mind, felt the fear of impossibility, rode waves of doubt and have found the greatest strength within.  All because one day I felt the pull to be an IRONMAN.  One of my favorite books that I have read and re-read during this year is the book IRONSTRUCK: The IRONMAN Triathlon Journey by Ray Fauteux. It is all things First Time IRONMAN from the moment you are "struck" to the moment you become an IRONMAN.  It is empowering and moving and incredibly inspiring.

He has a short chapter in the book of insights from some of the top Pro athletes in the sport.  There is one insight that has particularly stood out to me. I have dog-eared the page and read it over and over again.  It is from the Pro triathlete Scott Tinley.  He won the Kona IRONMAN 2 times in his career.  Here is what he writes:

"You ever wonder what regular people think when they hear that close to 20,000 people are trying to get an entry into Kona?  They're thinking all those people must have a screw loose, that's what.  Yet, I'd bet 1,000 sit ups that more than a few of them dream about crossing the finish line, all tan and trim, the crowd screaming, their smiles caught and beamed out everywhere.  And I bet that when they wake up in the morning, more than a few rollover and try to hide from the gnawing desire that they, too, could have that same screw loose.

Maybe they are realizing that too many of us die too young or too late.  Maybe they know that we pull ourselves up by making money, making the grade; all the while taking less and less time to face the fact that there are some things in life we need to do.  Just because.

I think the IRONMAN is one of those things.  For all those people, I can't pretend to know why. But I know people are changed by an IRONMAN.  IRONMAN finishers leave a mark on the world.

Try and define that.  Go ahead.  The words will never come.  It is enough to hear the stories, to watch their smiles, to witness their metamorphosis.

Yes, there is a price---relationships, jobs, sunburns, missing toenails, there always is for the good stuff.  But the call of the distant drum is too loud to ignore, too powerful to pawn off as some mid-life crisis of the middle manager or desperate plea of a soccer mom.  All they want is their one day.  One day full of enough feeling and emotion to last an eternity.

But like war, marriage, tight jeans, and stick shift cars, the IRONMAN isn't for everybody.  As much as it can give, it can take.  If it were easy, it wouldn't mean the same.  Even dreams are fair game in the forecast of one's decisions.  

In a world that tries its hardest to separate us from what matters, the IRONMAN helps us to reconnect with the pulse of our lives.  As long as it does that, we will be happy to have made the decision to even attempt the dream."

I get goosebumps every time I read that.  And every time I look at myself I feel enormous pride and say over and over again, "Good Decision."

The Power of Women

Every day I look at my girls and wonder how they are going to impact their world.  More specifically, I wonder how they will impact the lives of the few people they are destined to know, be influenced by and be influencers of.  Women are truly powerful beings, and my girls are headed on their way to being world changers.

I remember when I was desperately trying to become a mother and wondering if I ever did, the kind of children I would raise.  When I had girls the questions grew ever more poignant and ever more pressing.  How was I going to raise these girls to be women of greatness, women of courage, women of compassion and bravery and boldness?  How was I going to combat and wrestle with body image issues and insecurities that were lurking out my very windows anxiously waiting to prey on my little girls.  I know, it seems overly dramatic, but the realities of this world are real.  How was I going to raise little girls that were feminists and yet gentle, who were strong and yet understood their own weaknesses, who were able to speak life even when all around them they were bombarded by negativity?  Hmmmmm.......no wonder I had a few of the baby blues.

Here is the most amazing thing.  As I have journeyed to find my own self I have found this unbelievable clarity in my approach to these little women in my life.  If you want to raise little girls to be strong, be a woman who is strong.  If you want to raise girls that are bold, do bold things where they can see.  If you want to raise confident girls, be a confident woman even when its a struggle.  If you want to raise little girls with a strong work ethic, work tirelessly towards your own goals. If you want to raise girls that speak life into others, speak life into them.  Want a little girl to have BIG dreams? Then be a woman who is tenaciously chasing her own. Remind them daily about who they are, about what makes them special, about how much Jesus loves them about how much they matter.  Speak it, live it, show it, walk it, talk it, repeat it, over and over and over.

That is the Power of Women, and that is how we shape the next generation of bold female world changers.

This month my girls have shown me this power, its already blooming inside of them and the pride that I feel is overwhelming.  When I embarked on this IRONMAN journey I knew there would come a time when the training was all consuming.  That I would choose IRONMAN over them, when I would wonder if they will look back on this time and feel abandoned.  Instead of living in this fear I made the choice to chase my dream, to live boldly, to be strong, to be confident and live this life with abandon.   We have had some hard times, but.......my girls get it.  I have had hard days, long days, weeks where I am tired and simply not sure how I am going to get the training done and they have become my greatest life givers.  Twice in the past 2 weeks I have had moments of weakness where I have admitted to them, "Girls, I don't know how I am going to do this." To this they respond, "Go Mommy!  You can do this because you are strong!"

They don't feel abandoned..........they feel empowered.  They feel part of something greater than themselves and it has brought out the greatest things inside of them.  By choosing to live my own life courageously I have discovered the secret to raising my girls well.  Be the example of how you want your little girls to be.  Love daringly, show kindness unashamedly, celebrate yourself, live courageously, speak life to those around you, dream big, shut out negativity, show bravery and live a life of joyful abandon.

Journey to IRONMAN: Volume

I am in the thick of it.  I have dreamed for YEARS of being 6 weeks away from an IRONMAN and I am here...living my dream.....making it a reality......and kicking A** while doing it (can I say that here?)  My coach told me months ago that when I got to November I was going to be 100% confident that I could finish the race.  Its October 8th and I am nearly there.  I can do this.....I am going to be an IRONMAN!

I have to say it over and over again.  I have to believe it, dream it, chase it and know it.  The volume is high right now.  There are so many miles and miles and miles left to journey down before I get to that start line.  But I'm closer......every day brings me closer.  I have 18 miles of running today.  That's 18 miles closer to my dream.  I have another century ride/4 mile brick to do on Sunday.
 That's one hundred miles closer to my dream.  I have a nearly 3 mile swim in the lake on Monday.  A Great recovery.....and I'm 3 miles closer.

I never think about sleeping in past my alarm clock, I never wish I didn't have to train.  I love this life, I love this sport, I LOVE everything about it.  It energizes me and delights me.  It satisfies me and gives me incredible personal joy.  Plus I look pretty good in a pair of leggings.

Sure, sometimes it's hard to not eat the entire elephant when the amount of volume is substantial, this stuff is incredibly big.  But it's not scary.....not anymore.  I can do this stuff.  I can swim like an IRONMAN, I can bike like an IRONMAN, and I can run like an IRONMAN.  One session at a time. Eye on the prize Bethany.

Honestly the hardest part of this right now is making sure that I am fueling well and with enough food and that I am getting enough sleep.  Those two components are incredibly challenging and yet SO CRITICAL.

Everything is coming together and it's now when the volume is at its max that I am finding what truly lies within.

Hey, Let's Be Friends

I had the most amazing thing happen to me this month......I was able to reconnect with my childhood friend that I haven't seen in over 25 years!  She and I used to be neighbors and we would walk to each other's houses.  We played and had tea parties and dressed up and rode our bikes for hours as little ladies.  Oh the memories that will forever live in my heart!

We have recently had this awesome family move 2 houses down from us and they brought a house full of GIRLS!  My two little ladies are so excited and we have had ever so much fun getting to know them!

We have entered this new phase of life where the girls get home from school and then either run down the street or have their friends come over to play until dinner time.  It delights me and I sit and work or make dinner to the open door sounds of them chasing each other, coloring, riding their bikes or playing in some imaginary world.  It is everything childhood should be!

All of the girls were over yesterday playing princess dress up.  I wish I could truly paint the right picture of just how covered my floor was with dresses, clothes, crowns and shoes.  Once they were all trussed up I just had to whip out my camera.

Miss B is one of the most precious 10 year olds.  She is smart and social with a sweet personality and a kind heart.  She talked to me for about an hour the other day and then stayed to help me make dinner.  She is responsible and an absolute delight.

Miss E is full of life and as precocious as Miss Lily.  This girlie is in 1st grade this year and is always willing to help Lily with her homework.  She is happy and smiley and a great friend.

All of the girls wanted to blow kisses and my girls got in on the action.  I love my Lily.  She is wild and all Kindergarten.  She is beautiful and bold and brave.  I see it.  She is Ariel for this years Halloween and birthday celebrations and I simply love to see her boldly wear her sequins.  

Then there is this bundle of trouble wrapped in cuteness.  Everyone is blowing kisses and then there's Evie.  I showed Bob all of these pictures and when we got to this one he was like, "Ha, yep....that's Evie."  She may be the littlest of the group, but she is a giant amongst them.  She fits in with the big kids and yet gladly beats to her own drum.  Goodness I love my girls.

I LOVE this new friendship that my girls have found and pray relentlessly that it grows and becomes a delightful childhood memory