I made a post on Slowtwitch.com about how to deal with the post season/post Ironman blues back on Nov. 27 and it went like this:
"So I spent my year training for and completing three half IM's, three Oly's, a sprint and the big Kahuna at Kona. A very productive year indeed. Now what? I know about the advice to try some new things, other sports etc. I am doing that and will even start doing some Yoga over the offseason. I do have Lake Placid to look forward to next year, but is it normal to feel down post season? This sucks".
I got some great advice to try some new, non-triathlon related activities. I did start to do Yoga, which I really enjoy.
However, I have really been slacking in my other training. I am still running three times a week, but only biking maybe twice and swimming only once or twice a week.
It's time to snap out of whatever the heck I have been going through. I have Eagleman and Lake Placid to look forward to in 2008. I am so glad it's finally January and although the wind chill is arctic-like this week, the temperature is expected to be in the high 50's to low 60's early next week (a sneak peek at spring is just what I need).
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Hawaii Ironman Triathlon - Kona Race Report
Here is my Kona race report. I enjoyed writing it. I tried to bring you along for the race as well as some insights into how I was feeling.
This race report is rated PG, due to a reference about needing a cold shower and the use of edited profanity (particularly on the bike.) Enjoy!
Ford Ironman World Championship, October 13, 2007
Kona, Hawaii
Stacy’s Race Report
You can read about the pre-race activities for the week from the previous posts on my blog. This report starts at 4am on Saturday Oct. 13 and ends at midnight on Sunday.
Swim: 1:27:51 (I wanted to go under 1:40 so I'm a happy camper)
T1: 6:33 (It's my first Ironman and there was more time spent changing clothes)
Bike: 7:23:33 (I got to experience the winds of Kona and yes, it hurts to be on your bike that long)
T2: 11:46 (not a typo, there is a really good explanation for this epic T2 time)
Run: 4:34:07 (This was my favorite part of the race, the sunset was amazing)
Finish Time: 13:43:50 (pretty happy with that actually and Lindsey was there with me at the finish :)
Rise and Shine (insert sound of rooster crowing here):
I slept surprisingly well and woke up about 350am, with my alarm set at 4. I got almost 5 hours of sleep. I was tired as the previous two nights sleep had been interrupted with phone calls about flight delays and cancellations for my mom and Lindsey.
Kona Kevin (aka K2), Dan and I were the first to leave to Kona. After getting dressed and having Protein Power Bar, yogurt and a banana and grabbing my special needs bags, we were off. I was still not nervous but simply excited.
Body Marking:
By about 515, K2 and I got in line to check in our special needs bags and for body marking. As we were standing there, Faris al-Sutan walked by. Little did we know then that he was already planning on dropping out of the race completely. Bummer.
I got in the short line for my race number, and when it was my turn for body marking, there was a camera crew right there filming it. This was completely unexpected. When I was done, the camera was still on me and then Kev walked up. He tried to get out of the shot, but I pulled him over to walk with me while the camera was on us. He had his Amino Vital jersey on – couldn’t pass up that opportunity. Plus he is a media ho, so he was enjoying it.
Transition:
I had to drop off my bike bottles, gel flask and Power Bars at my bike. I also had a picture of Lindsey and a sticker for the Jon Blais foundation that I wanted to carry with me. I also needed to pump up my tires. There was a camera crew there again as well. Jeez, I suppose it is possible I could end up on that NBC show – K2 – you may be right after all. I don't believe it. We will see.
Anyway, I spent maybe 10 minutes at my bike, the shortest time I had ever spent in transition pre-race. Everything else was in my bike and run gear bags. It was actually much simpler to have so little to worry about race morning. I liked it.
State of mind: Calm. What the hell? Where were those nerves? Maybe when I hit the water they would come.
It was now maybe 545am and now I had time to go check out the pros and their bikes. Natasha had already come and gone. As I mentioned, I was over being star struck. That was until I saw Craig Alexander. OH MY GOD! He is now officially the hottest guy (gorgeous in every way) in triathlon and as it turns out – very nice. He was hanging out at his bike by himself and I walked right up to him. While I was drooling on the inside, I was calm, cool and collected while talking to him and we chatted for a couple minutes. I told him to remember to enjoy the day and have fun. Yes, I even tell the pros that! There was no time to snap out of my Alexander encounter with a cold shower - I would have to settle for warm ocean water instead. It was time to get ready for the swim!
After hitting the porta potty, I saw other DC area locals in transition, including Carl Hendricks, Anne Viviani and Paul Graf. Check out the next edition of Tri DC for a feature on these awesome athletes. It was about 630 by now and I found K2.
On our way out of transition we dropped off our pre-swim bags and headed around to the pier and swim entry point. Here we go! And yet – I was still calm. Whatever, I was having fun.
The Swim:
The pros started at 645 and we found ourselves in the water about 5 minutes later. I said goodbye to K2 and told him to, yes, have fun! I headed way to the left of the main pack. K2 went straight in the middle. I started swimming to do a goggle check and make my way out to the start which is about 40 yards from shore.
I stopped swimming at an area about 10 feet behind a small line of people at the start line. There were two, maybe three deep, but that was it. The floating Ford thingy was right there. I looked to my left – only two or three people there - and then looked to my right – there were more there, but not a mass of humanity by any means. Me and a couple other people were treading water in this “hole” in the water. A kayaker was ushering people to move right – we just looked at each other and shook our heads and said, “No way – I’m not moving from this spot!” Any nerves now? Maybe a little, but by no means was I freaked out and could not have been happier with my swim start location. Brian Hain, you were right- of course there wouldn't be 1800 people around me - I had just three or four - awesome!
Before we knew it, there was a countdown and then the cannon went off – BOOM! Here we go! I was now doing the Hawaii Ironman. Un – freaking- believable! I just started swimming, never getting hit or hitting anyone. I got into a groove and tried to catch a draft a couple times. They were either too fast, too slow or swam terribly crooked. Many of these people zig zagged so much I wondered how the hell these people qualified as they surely must end up swimming 3 miles in the end! I didn’t even try to follow them. I then remembered that I forgot to start my watch. It had been less than 5 minutes since the start, so I started it right away.
You don’t have to sight much at Kona as there are people around you and I was close enough to the buoys that sighting was not an issue. What I was really looking forward to was seeing the turn around boat. Finally, it came into view but it still took about 10-15 minutes to get there. They “funnel” everyone into a smaller corridor around the boat and as we got closer, it got more physical.
Most people are just like me – trying to make it through without bodily harm, but some people are downright aggressive. One guy practically swam over me and I actually yelled at him and called him an inconsiderate jerk (ah, maybe I inserted a word starting with an f and ending with a g before the word jerk– I can’t remember :) What an ass he was. I stayed calm and just tried to make it through this washing machine of human bodies.
It remained more crowded on the 1.2 miles back to the pier and was able to catch a draft a couple times, but it never lasted long. Again, I saw more crooked swimmers at Kona that at any local race in the DC area. You should all be very proud of yourselves, because some of these people were out of control.
It seemed to take FOREVER to get back, but finally we made it. I climbed the stairs up to the hoses to rinse off the salt and looked at my watch. It said 1:29 something and I was ecstatic – as I had remembered that I also forgot to start my watch right away. I was pumped and let out a “WooooHooo!”. I had just swum under 1:30! I was hoping to go sub 1:40, so this was awesome news. I smiled the whole way to grab my bike gear bag and head to T1.
T1:
I entered the change tent and chatted with the volunteer assigned to help me. At Ironman, you get your own personal volunteer – particularly when there aren’t a lot of other people around. She was a sweetheart and was like a grandma and I thanked her as I gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading out of the tent. I had a long way to run around transition at the pier to get to my bike. The racks were very empty. I am used to that though and told those around me, “Let’s go catch some of some of those swimmers”. I am such a geek, but I didn’t care.
I got to my rack and with my bike headed out of T1. It’s funny, while it was different in many ways then other races, Kona is still the same in other ways. You still have to grab your bike, mount when they tell you and head out on the road, just like any other race. But what is obviously so different in the crowd size and enthusiasm. I was pumped and after getting on my bike and heading up to Palani Drive, I got the crowd cheering and yelling on my way out. This was a once in a lifetime thing and I was going to enjoy the hell out of it! WoooooHoooooo! Here we go, baby, the bike.
The Bike:
After riding about 10 miles in town, you head up Palani to the Queen K and then out to the airport and eventually Hawi. There are some up hill sections to the airport, but nothing that big. Just rollers really. There was no wind at this point. No head wind, no tail wind and no cross wind. Maybe a light breeze but that was it. I didn’t want to jinx it and tried not to think about it too much, but just wanted to take advantage of these amazing conditions.
The first 40 or so miles were incredible. I was actually having fun (this was my main goal after all). I cheered and thanked volunteers as I passed through aid stations. Their support is amazing and they are as pumped as the athletes and are masters at passing off water bottles and food.
I was riding along enjoying the ride and then the NBC camera crew came by. We chatted as they filmed me and then there was a down hill. While on my training bike rides when I have a long straight away or down hill, I say out loud or think to myself, “I feel the need for speed!” Scott Talbott and Roy Rumsey will remember this from one of our rides. My thought is not original, but it works for me (and I get a visual of a very hot Tom Cruise in Top Gun).
I felt that need at the time and took off. Whoooo, freaking Hoooooo - again! I was flying! I will remember this moment with great envy many times throughout the latter part of the bike ride.
Eventually, we made the slight turn to the left on the road and climb up to Hawi. Here we go. There were some slight climbs to start. Ok. Not too bad at all – thanks Susan Gantz for taking us on those hellacious bike rides with real hills! We need to do more of those. So, the hills were doable. Nothing scary, nothing real steep. Just gradual climbs and although sometimes they were long, they were still manageable. What we don’t have here in Virginia is the wind.
The wind started fairly soon after the turn up to Hawi. It was a headwind and hit you right in the face. Ok. It’s Hawaii and can be windy. “I am not being blown off my bike, I am ok, stay calm and just keep pedaling” I tell myself. So, for the next 18 or so miles, I just kept pedaling – into the wind with a gradual uphill.
I had few good moments on the way up to Hawi and tried to stay positive mentally. This was the challenge – it wasn’t a physical challenge – but a mental one. I started to wonder if I could make the bike cutoff. I had never considered this as a factor in my six months of training and preparation. “Stay calm, keep pedaling – you are almost there” I tell myself.
The final climb is a bitch. You are spent, you just want to turn around and get your special needs bag and the ride down hill out of Hawi, which I needed more than air and water at this point. The crowd and volunteer support was great here as well. I finally made the turnaround and grabbed my special needs bag.
I am riding along with my bag as the first thing I grab is a plastic bag with tampons in it. I didn’t need them and put them in there as a precaution. I put them back in the bag and next I pull out a baggy with Skittles and Twizzlers candy. Oh boy! I put that right into my RATs bike jersey. Then I pull out Ibuprofen. Just in case. Ok, things are looking up. Finally, I grab the peanut butter crackers. Oh yeah, here is the meal equivalent of a steak with a baked potato with butter and sour cream. Allright! I am feeling good. Let’s go, baby. We have a long down hill coming up and you are ready to have a feast. Yeah! I drop the special needs bag and finally I get aero for the first time in a very long time as I munch away at my candy and crackers.
It is a great opportunity to make up time for the long climb. I am flying and enjoying the ride downhill. Thank God! Then out of blue - BAMB! A brutal cross wind. Holy Shit! What the F? I was pushed several feet to the right by the wind that came from the left and I almost lost control of my bike. What is going on? I am going downhill and this wind is going to not only slow me down but practically blow me off my bike? I slow down. BAMB! Again. Shit! Ok. Get out of aero and hang on. Keep pedaling. Ok, ok, ok. It’s ok. Hang on. Stay calm. Cadence. Keep it up and hang on. BAMB! Another strong gust of wind. Fu**! You have got to be kidding me! Well, this is what I had heard about. Lucky me, I get to experience it first hand.
We finally get past this point in the ride that is notorious for its brutal crosswinds and I finally get aero again. I actually have a few good moments here but still…what is up ahead? One of the brightest moments of the ride down from Hawi was at about mile 70 when I knew I would make the cutoff and maybe or even probably, I would be an Ironman. I got teary eyed.
We get to the turn to head back to Kona on the Queen K. Finally. Thank God. I know this road pretty well now. Some rollers to come, many are climbs but they are doable. Right turn. “Kailua Kona – 26” the highway sign says. Ok. 26 miles to go. I can do this.
I make the turn and immediately feel a headwind right in my face! “Are you f**king kidding me?” I actually said that out loud to no one in particular. I was delusional to think that the conditions would be the same as when I was here just a few short hours ago with no wind, at all. Keep dreaming, Stacy.
Here comes the biggest lesson of all my training and racing since doing marathons back in my early 20s. Never, ever, ever, give up mentally. Physically, of course it happens, you have to listen to your body. Sometimes you just can’t go faster or you can’t go on. But mentally, you always can do more than you think. That last 15 or so miles of the bike was the hardest time for me ever in all my racing over all these years. And it was all mental. I let the wind beat me. I gave in. I didn’t try. I was upright most of the time. Physically I was feeling pretty good. Sure I was sore, I was tired, but I wasn’t beat physically. I was beat mentally. My mind wasn’t allowing my body to push harder. This is a huge lesson for me, and a good one. Don’t ever let your mind beat you.
The greatest sight on the bike is when you can see the airport. You know that you have less than 10 miles to go and much of it is downhill. It was time to think about T2 and the run. I wasn’t hating my bike at this point, but really, really wanted to start running. I wanted to do anything at that point except be on my bike against that wind.
As when I left 7 hours + before, the crowds were amazing. The pro men had finished and the first pro women were finishing and I had a marathon to run. But I was ready. I never let that distance get to me even during my mental struggle on the bike. I knew I could do this. The positive mental strength was coming back.
T2:
I love transitions. It’s a time to think about what is next. You are ready for something new, something different. In this case it was a marathon. My T2 time: 11:46. What the hell, Stacy? You are a master of transitions. What the heck were you doing in there? Some people have been asking me. Two reasons for this epic T2 time.
First, I got my period in the last part of the bike. When I first got into the transition tent, I asked, “Do you have a tampon?” They had one there for me immediately. Enough said.
The second reason my time was slow was that I simply took my time. I did not hurry whatsoever. This race is different and I had a personal assistant (volunteer) to help me. I visited the porta potty and then chatted with my personal assistant about the bike. She had heard it was pretty brutal. They really pay attention to you to make sure you are ok. I was ok. And after 11 minutes and 46 seconds, I took off on my marathon.
The Run:
I took off on the run and saw my daughter Lindsey. I was heading up Palani out of T2 and she was there with Tony. She said, “Mom, I am so proud of you”. “Thank you baby”. The bike was brutal, I almost got blown off my bike” I told them. Why I said that I don’t know but that is what I said. But it helped me realize that it was time to let the bike go.
So I did. I felt so good. I moved on to the run. My legs were not jellowy at all ( I love bricks!) Remember, I didn’t leave it out there on the bike physically, but rather just mentally. I was moving and began to pass people on the run. I felt strong and my first 10 miles flew by. It is so cool to run down Alii drive like that. You head south on Alii drive for about five miles and then back up to the Hot Corner and up Palani to the Queen K and then out to the Energy Lab. The next time I would be on Alii Drive was right at the end for about the last half mile or so.
I was out on the Queen K for about 2 miles and then the sun was setting. There were no clouds that day – at all – which makes for a perfect sunset. I had never watched a sunset as I ran and it simply was the second most perfect moment of my entire day. It was beautiful and it energized me even more.
The run is on the same course as the bike up until the Energy Lab, about 6 miles out of Kona. I still felt so good – it was amazing. I had my Clif Shot Blocks, which since setting my PR at the Lake Anna Half on Sept. 8, I now refer to as my “Magic Little Pieces of Candy”. These things are amazing and I was so tired of gel.
It was getting very dark (the sun sets about 615pm) and I grabbed the first of my two glow sticks at an aid station at about mile 15. So cool – I was running with a glow stick. All those super fast people just don’t know what they’re missing. It was like a badge of honor – I had a glow stick!
I made it to the Energy Lab turn off, took the left and headed down. It was pitch black – there were very few lights and I couldn’t see a thing, most of the time, I couldn’t even see the pavement in front of me. K2 told me later that when he ran down there (in daylight) he felt like he was running on the moon. I suppose that is true, except I was running on the “Dark Side of the Moon”, although Pink Floyd was not in sight, there were no laser lights and I wasn’t stoned :)
I was at about mile 18 just before the turn around and Special Needs handoff at the Energy Lab when the NBC camera crew showed up. “Hey Stacy” they said. “What’s up guys? This is a long day for you too” I say. I was still feeling pretty good at this point, so I took advantage of the moment. “Who won?” I asked. “McCormack. “Chris McCormack”, he said. Macca! Yes, it was my prediction for the men! I knew he wanted it more than the others. Awesome! How about the women? No response. Who won for the women? I already knew Natascha was out and saw her along the Queen K at about mile 5 on the bike with a broken collar bone and had seen that Desiree had blown up on the Queen K during the run when I was coming in on my bike, but I was clueless after that. One guy answered very quietly. “Wellington”. Who? “Wellington”. “Wellington? Who the heck is that?” I asked. Jeez, what a crazy day, I thought. “How did the Americans do?” I asked. They couldn’t provide much information. Oh well, I would find out later.
I reach the run Special Needs bag hand off but I wasn’t as excited about it as I was on the bike. They didn’t have it ready when I ran by, but a volunteer grabbed it, and ran to catch up with me in his flip flops. These volunteers are awesome. He may have been motivated by the camera crew filming me during this time, but I was happy he caught up to us and I got my bag. The NBC guys said I was looking strong. Thanks guys! I don’t have much of an ego, but what little there is, you just gave it a boost.
I ran with the bag for a while as it was pitch black, and I wouldn’t have been able to tell if I was grabbing the bag with the tampons or Twizzlers. I waited to get what I wanted out of the bag until I could see using the few lights which were set up at the Ford Motivational section, right before you leave the Energy Lab at about mile 19.5. Once there I ate a couple Skittles, a piece of a Twizzler and tossed the rest. It was time to concentrate on getting to the finish.
There is a bit of a climb out of the Energy Lab and when you get back to the Queen K, you can’t help but pick up the pace. Allright. We had about 6 miles to go – mostly downhill. I had resisted the cola until about mile 17 and hadn’t tried the chicken broth until this point, but now it was time to partake in the nectar of the Ironman gods. Forget the water, Gatorade and gel. Bring on the nectar. It was all Cola, all Chicken Broth for the next few miles (I did take water) but I was even getting tired of my life saving Clif Shot Blocks.
At about mile 20, the NBC guys caught up with me again. “Hi Stacy” they said. “Hey guys”, I said. “How are feeling?” they asked. I had slowed considerably since they last saw me. “I hit the wall at about mile 19, heading out of the Energy Lab.” I told them this was to be expected and was simply focused on the finish and seeing Lindsey there. They wished me well and said that they would catch me at the finish. “Ok, see you guys there”.
Never had I had this much concentration and focus on a race ever. Having the pitch black night surrounding me may have helped, but I seemed to be running through a dark tunnel with the orange lights of Kona and the finish line in the distance at the end of the tunnel. Wow man, what a trip, maybe I was stoned after all.
Other runners and volunteers commented on how strong I looked and I thanked them, but I was simply on a mission. To finish and become and Ironman with Lindsey there with me. Nothing else mattered. I just kept running. It’s funny, my mantras all day were: “Stay Calm. Keep swimming, keep pedaling, keep running”. That’s all you need to do for Ironman. It's very simple, really. Just keep moving forward, no matter the speed.
Amazingly, there were still people heading out to the Energy Lab as I made my way back into town. While it felt much later, it was only just after 8pm. They had almost four hours to finish – plenty of time. I saw Scott Rigsby who would become the first double leg amputee to finish an Ironman. His story is heart wrenching. Go buddy, you can do it.
I made it back to Palani Drive. It is down hill after that, you make a left down the Kaliki Highway (or something spelled like that) and then down to Alii Drive. I had walked up and down Alii all week, I even ran and biked parts of it, but this was something else. I was now running down Alii toward the finish. I kept looking for Lindsey. People were cheering like crazy and I had slowed considerably, just to enjoy the moment.
Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real that when you woke up you couldn’t believe it wasn’t true? I had the opposite happen. I was awake, and yet it seemed like a dream. I couldn’t believe it was happening, but it was real.
After a couple minutes, I finally saw her. Lindsey was standing there waiting for me in her Army uniform. She looked so beautiful and I ran up, stopped and gave her a big hug. We began to run holding hands and the crowd was amazing, cheering us the entire way.
Very close to the finish, a woman fell right in front of us. I had seen her earlier up on the highway and encouraged her to continue, but at this point, she was simply in the way. There was a guy helping her, so we ran around her. There was nothing I could do, but I thought, “Jeez, you are 20 feet away from the finish, you couldn’t make it the rest of the way”?
Anyway, the finish was amazing. I was so happy to have Lindsey there with me. She does not like people paying special attention to her at all, but she was so supportive with me at the finish. There were all kinds of cameras on us and she met Rob Vigorito, and Jon Blais’ parents and she had no clue who they were. But she was gracious and polite to them and helped me through the finish area.
Post Race:
I was walking pretty well and made it over to get my medal. My mind was starting to get kind of fuzzy and I knew I needed some real food. I had lost my voice sometime during the day and I wasn’t talking well. We made our way to a restaurant overlooking the finish and ordered some food. I needed protein – badly. I had some yummy coconut crusted Tilapia and rice with water and a diet coke. Perfect. Finally, my head was clearing up a bit, but I was tired. It was now around 1030 and I wanted to stick around and watch the finish until midnight.
Watching an Ironman for the last couple of hours is something everyone should witness at least once. While you may have been done for hours, these people were still out there – pushing their bodies beyond a pain threshold they certainly had passed hours ago. These last Ironmen are tougher mentally than you or I. Scott Rigsby came in with less than 15 minutes left and there was maybe only one or two after that. Then it was midnight. Almost silence at this point – no one left to cheer and encourage across the line. Kind of sad really, as we all wanted to keep the party going and welcome more Ironmen home.
This day I will never forget. From the moment the cannon went off to start the swim, to the wind on the bike, the sunset on the run and finally the finish with Lindsey, this will go down as one of the best and most rewarding days of my life.
From Macca to Kona Kevin and me to Scott Rigsby and all those that finish Kona or any other Ironman race and regardless of our finish times, we all have something that no one can ever take away from us. We Are all An Ironman.
Lindsey, baby, I could not do all this without your support and understanding. I love you more than I could ever put into words, I am so happy you were there with me. You told me you want to do this race someday, so I say that the next time we are in Kona – I will hold your hand across the finish line and you too will become an Ironman!
I love you, baby.
This race report is rated PG, due to a reference about needing a cold shower and the use of edited profanity (particularly on the bike.) Enjoy!
Ford Ironman World Championship, October 13, 2007
Kona, Hawaii
Stacy’s Race Report
You can read about the pre-race activities for the week from the previous posts on my blog. This report starts at 4am on Saturday Oct. 13 and ends at midnight on Sunday.
Swim: 1:27:51 (I wanted to go under 1:40 so I'm a happy camper)
T1: 6:33 (It's my first Ironman and there was more time spent changing clothes)
Bike: 7:23:33 (I got to experience the winds of Kona and yes, it hurts to be on your bike that long)
T2: 11:46 (not a typo, there is a really good explanation for this epic T2 time)
Run: 4:34:07 (This was my favorite part of the race, the sunset was amazing)
Finish Time: 13:43:50 (pretty happy with that actually and Lindsey was there with me at the finish :)
Rise and Shine (insert sound of rooster crowing here):
I slept surprisingly well and woke up about 350am, with my alarm set at 4. I got almost 5 hours of sleep. I was tired as the previous two nights sleep had been interrupted with phone calls about flight delays and cancellations for my mom and Lindsey.
Kona Kevin (aka K2), Dan and I were the first to leave to Kona. After getting dressed and having Protein Power Bar, yogurt and a banana and grabbing my special needs bags, we were off. I was still not nervous but simply excited.
Body Marking:
By about 515, K2 and I got in line to check in our special needs bags and for body marking. As we were standing there, Faris al-Sutan walked by. Little did we know then that he was already planning on dropping out of the race completely. Bummer.
I got in the short line for my race number, and when it was my turn for body marking, there was a camera crew right there filming it. This was completely unexpected. When I was done, the camera was still on me and then Kev walked up. He tried to get out of the shot, but I pulled him over to walk with me while the camera was on us. He had his Amino Vital jersey on – couldn’t pass up that opportunity. Plus he is a media ho, so he was enjoying it.
Transition:
I had to drop off my bike bottles, gel flask and Power Bars at my bike. I also had a picture of Lindsey and a sticker for the Jon Blais foundation that I wanted to carry with me. I also needed to pump up my tires. There was a camera crew there again as well. Jeez, I suppose it is possible I could end up on that NBC show – K2 – you may be right after all. I don't believe it. We will see.
Anyway, I spent maybe 10 minutes at my bike, the shortest time I had ever spent in transition pre-race. Everything else was in my bike and run gear bags. It was actually much simpler to have so little to worry about race morning. I liked it.
State of mind: Calm. What the hell? Where were those nerves? Maybe when I hit the water they would come.
It was now maybe 545am and now I had time to go check out the pros and their bikes. Natasha had already come and gone. As I mentioned, I was over being star struck. That was until I saw Craig Alexander. OH MY GOD! He is now officially the hottest guy (gorgeous in every way) in triathlon and as it turns out – very nice. He was hanging out at his bike by himself and I walked right up to him. While I was drooling on the inside, I was calm, cool and collected while talking to him and we chatted for a couple minutes. I told him to remember to enjoy the day and have fun. Yes, I even tell the pros that! There was no time to snap out of my Alexander encounter with a cold shower - I would have to settle for warm ocean water instead. It was time to get ready for the swim!
After hitting the porta potty, I saw other DC area locals in transition, including Carl Hendricks, Anne Viviani and Paul Graf. Check out the next edition of Tri DC for a feature on these awesome athletes. It was about 630 by now and I found K2.
On our way out of transition we dropped off our pre-swim bags and headed around to the pier and swim entry point. Here we go! And yet – I was still calm. Whatever, I was having fun.
The Swim:
The pros started at 645 and we found ourselves in the water about 5 minutes later. I said goodbye to K2 and told him to, yes, have fun! I headed way to the left of the main pack. K2 went straight in the middle. I started swimming to do a goggle check and make my way out to the start which is about 40 yards from shore.
I stopped swimming at an area about 10 feet behind a small line of people at the start line. There were two, maybe three deep, but that was it. The floating Ford thingy was right there. I looked to my left – only two or three people there - and then looked to my right – there were more there, but not a mass of humanity by any means. Me and a couple other people were treading water in this “hole” in the water. A kayaker was ushering people to move right – we just looked at each other and shook our heads and said, “No way – I’m not moving from this spot!” Any nerves now? Maybe a little, but by no means was I freaked out and could not have been happier with my swim start location. Brian Hain, you were right- of course there wouldn't be 1800 people around me - I had just three or four - awesome!
Before we knew it, there was a countdown and then the cannon went off – BOOM! Here we go! I was now doing the Hawaii Ironman. Un – freaking- believable! I just started swimming, never getting hit or hitting anyone. I got into a groove and tried to catch a draft a couple times. They were either too fast, too slow or swam terribly crooked. Many of these people zig zagged so much I wondered how the hell these people qualified as they surely must end up swimming 3 miles in the end! I didn’t even try to follow them. I then remembered that I forgot to start my watch. It had been less than 5 minutes since the start, so I started it right away.
You don’t have to sight much at Kona as there are people around you and I was close enough to the buoys that sighting was not an issue. What I was really looking forward to was seeing the turn around boat. Finally, it came into view but it still took about 10-15 minutes to get there. They “funnel” everyone into a smaller corridor around the boat and as we got closer, it got more physical.
Most people are just like me – trying to make it through without bodily harm, but some people are downright aggressive. One guy practically swam over me and I actually yelled at him and called him an inconsiderate jerk (ah, maybe I inserted a word starting with an f and ending with a g before the word jerk– I can’t remember :) What an ass he was. I stayed calm and just tried to make it through this washing machine of human bodies.
It remained more crowded on the 1.2 miles back to the pier and was able to catch a draft a couple times, but it never lasted long. Again, I saw more crooked swimmers at Kona that at any local race in the DC area. You should all be very proud of yourselves, because some of these people were out of control.
It seemed to take FOREVER to get back, but finally we made it. I climbed the stairs up to the hoses to rinse off the salt and looked at my watch. It said 1:29 something and I was ecstatic – as I had remembered that I also forgot to start my watch right away. I was pumped and let out a “WooooHooo!”. I had just swum under 1:30! I was hoping to go sub 1:40, so this was awesome news. I smiled the whole way to grab my bike gear bag and head to T1.
T1:
I entered the change tent and chatted with the volunteer assigned to help me. At Ironman, you get your own personal volunteer – particularly when there aren’t a lot of other people around. She was a sweetheart and was like a grandma and I thanked her as I gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading out of the tent. I had a long way to run around transition at the pier to get to my bike. The racks were very empty. I am used to that though and told those around me, “Let’s go catch some of some of those swimmers”. I am such a geek, but I didn’t care.
I got to my rack and with my bike headed out of T1. It’s funny, while it was different in many ways then other races, Kona is still the same in other ways. You still have to grab your bike, mount when they tell you and head out on the road, just like any other race. But what is obviously so different in the crowd size and enthusiasm. I was pumped and after getting on my bike and heading up to Palani Drive, I got the crowd cheering and yelling on my way out. This was a once in a lifetime thing and I was going to enjoy the hell out of it! WoooooHoooooo! Here we go, baby, the bike.
The Bike:
After riding about 10 miles in town, you head up Palani to the Queen K and then out to the airport and eventually Hawi. There are some up hill sections to the airport, but nothing that big. Just rollers really. There was no wind at this point. No head wind, no tail wind and no cross wind. Maybe a light breeze but that was it. I didn’t want to jinx it and tried not to think about it too much, but just wanted to take advantage of these amazing conditions.
The first 40 or so miles were incredible. I was actually having fun (this was my main goal after all). I cheered and thanked volunteers as I passed through aid stations. Their support is amazing and they are as pumped as the athletes and are masters at passing off water bottles and food.
I was riding along enjoying the ride and then the NBC camera crew came by. We chatted as they filmed me and then there was a down hill. While on my training bike rides when I have a long straight away or down hill, I say out loud or think to myself, “I feel the need for speed!” Scott Talbott and Roy Rumsey will remember this from one of our rides. My thought is not original, but it works for me (and I get a visual of a very hot Tom Cruise in Top Gun).
I felt that need at the time and took off. Whoooo, freaking Hoooooo - again! I was flying! I will remember this moment with great envy many times throughout the latter part of the bike ride.
Eventually, we made the slight turn to the left on the road and climb up to Hawi. Here we go. There were some slight climbs to start. Ok. Not too bad at all – thanks Susan Gantz for taking us on those hellacious bike rides with real hills! We need to do more of those. So, the hills were doable. Nothing scary, nothing real steep. Just gradual climbs and although sometimes they were long, they were still manageable. What we don’t have here in Virginia is the wind.
The wind started fairly soon after the turn up to Hawi. It was a headwind and hit you right in the face. Ok. It’s Hawaii and can be windy. “I am not being blown off my bike, I am ok, stay calm and just keep pedaling” I tell myself. So, for the next 18 or so miles, I just kept pedaling – into the wind with a gradual uphill.
I had few good moments on the way up to Hawi and tried to stay positive mentally. This was the challenge – it wasn’t a physical challenge – but a mental one. I started to wonder if I could make the bike cutoff. I had never considered this as a factor in my six months of training and preparation. “Stay calm, keep pedaling – you are almost there” I tell myself.
The final climb is a bitch. You are spent, you just want to turn around and get your special needs bag and the ride down hill out of Hawi, which I needed more than air and water at this point. The crowd and volunteer support was great here as well. I finally made the turnaround and grabbed my special needs bag.
I am riding along with my bag as the first thing I grab is a plastic bag with tampons in it. I didn’t need them and put them in there as a precaution. I put them back in the bag and next I pull out a baggy with Skittles and Twizzlers candy. Oh boy! I put that right into my RATs bike jersey. Then I pull out Ibuprofen. Just in case. Ok, things are looking up. Finally, I grab the peanut butter crackers. Oh yeah, here is the meal equivalent of a steak with a baked potato with butter and sour cream. Allright! I am feeling good. Let’s go, baby. We have a long down hill coming up and you are ready to have a feast. Yeah! I drop the special needs bag and finally I get aero for the first time in a very long time as I munch away at my candy and crackers.
It is a great opportunity to make up time for the long climb. I am flying and enjoying the ride downhill. Thank God! Then out of blue - BAMB! A brutal cross wind. Holy Shit! What the F? I was pushed several feet to the right by the wind that came from the left and I almost lost control of my bike. What is going on? I am going downhill and this wind is going to not only slow me down but practically blow me off my bike? I slow down. BAMB! Again. Shit! Ok. Get out of aero and hang on. Keep pedaling. Ok, ok, ok. It’s ok. Hang on. Stay calm. Cadence. Keep it up and hang on. BAMB! Another strong gust of wind. Fu**! You have got to be kidding me! Well, this is what I had heard about. Lucky me, I get to experience it first hand.
We finally get past this point in the ride that is notorious for its brutal crosswinds and I finally get aero again. I actually have a few good moments here but still…what is up ahead? One of the brightest moments of the ride down from Hawi was at about mile 70 when I knew I would make the cutoff and maybe or even probably, I would be an Ironman. I got teary eyed.
We get to the turn to head back to Kona on the Queen K. Finally. Thank God. I know this road pretty well now. Some rollers to come, many are climbs but they are doable. Right turn. “Kailua Kona – 26” the highway sign says. Ok. 26 miles to go. I can do this.
I make the turn and immediately feel a headwind right in my face! “Are you f**king kidding me?” I actually said that out loud to no one in particular. I was delusional to think that the conditions would be the same as when I was here just a few short hours ago with no wind, at all. Keep dreaming, Stacy.
Here comes the biggest lesson of all my training and racing since doing marathons back in my early 20s. Never, ever, ever, give up mentally. Physically, of course it happens, you have to listen to your body. Sometimes you just can’t go faster or you can’t go on. But mentally, you always can do more than you think. That last 15 or so miles of the bike was the hardest time for me ever in all my racing over all these years. And it was all mental. I let the wind beat me. I gave in. I didn’t try. I was upright most of the time. Physically I was feeling pretty good. Sure I was sore, I was tired, but I wasn’t beat physically. I was beat mentally. My mind wasn’t allowing my body to push harder. This is a huge lesson for me, and a good one. Don’t ever let your mind beat you.
The greatest sight on the bike is when you can see the airport. You know that you have less than 10 miles to go and much of it is downhill. It was time to think about T2 and the run. I wasn’t hating my bike at this point, but really, really wanted to start running. I wanted to do anything at that point except be on my bike against that wind.
As when I left 7 hours + before, the crowds were amazing. The pro men had finished and the first pro women were finishing and I had a marathon to run. But I was ready. I never let that distance get to me even during my mental struggle on the bike. I knew I could do this. The positive mental strength was coming back.
T2:
I love transitions. It’s a time to think about what is next. You are ready for something new, something different. In this case it was a marathon. My T2 time: 11:46. What the hell, Stacy? You are a master of transitions. What the heck were you doing in there? Some people have been asking me. Two reasons for this epic T2 time.
First, I got my period in the last part of the bike. When I first got into the transition tent, I asked, “Do you have a tampon?” They had one there for me immediately. Enough said.
The second reason my time was slow was that I simply took my time. I did not hurry whatsoever. This race is different and I had a personal assistant (volunteer) to help me. I visited the porta potty and then chatted with my personal assistant about the bike. She had heard it was pretty brutal. They really pay attention to you to make sure you are ok. I was ok. And after 11 minutes and 46 seconds, I took off on my marathon.
The Run:
I took off on the run and saw my daughter Lindsey. I was heading up Palani out of T2 and she was there with Tony. She said, “Mom, I am so proud of you”. “Thank you baby”. The bike was brutal, I almost got blown off my bike” I told them. Why I said that I don’t know but that is what I said. But it helped me realize that it was time to let the bike go.
So I did. I felt so good. I moved on to the run. My legs were not jellowy at all ( I love bricks!) Remember, I didn’t leave it out there on the bike physically, but rather just mentally. I was moving and began to pass people on the run. I felt strong and my first 10 miles flew by. It is so cool to run down Alii drive like that. You head south on Alii drive for about five miles and then back up to the Hot Corner and up Palani to the Queen K and then out to the Energy Lab. The next time I would be on Alii Drive was right at the end for about the last half mile or so.
I was out on the Queen K for about 2 miles and then the sun was setting. There were no clouds that day – at all – which makes for a perfect sunset. I had never watched a sunset as I ran and it simply was the second most perfect moment of my entire day. It was beautiful and it energized me even more.
The run is on the same course as the bike up until the Energy Lab, about 6 miles out of Kona. I still felt so good – it was amazing. I had my Clif Shot Blocks, which since setting my PR at the Lake Anna Half on Sept. 8, I now refer to as my “Magic Little Pieces of Candy”. These things are amazing and I was so tired of gel.
It was getting very dark (the sun sets about 615pm) and I grabbed the first of my two glow sticks at an aid station at about mile 15. So cool – I was running with a glow stick. All those super fast people just don’t know what they’re missing. It was like a badge of honor – I had a glow stick!
I made it to the Energy Lab turn off, took the left and headed down. It was pitch black – there were very few lights and I couldn’t see a thing, most of the time, I couldn’t even see the pavement in front of me. K2 told me later that when he ran down there (in daylight) he felt like he was running on the moon. I suppose that is true, except I was running on the “Dark Side of the Moon”, although Pink Floyd was not in sight, there were no laser lights and I wasn’t stoned :)
I was at about mile 18 just before the turn around and Special Needs handoff at the Energy Lab when the NBC camera crew showed up. “Hey Stacy” they said. “What’s up guys? This is a long day for you too” I say. I was still feeling pretty good at this point, so I took advantage of the moment. “Who won?” I asked. “McCormack. “Chris McCormack”, he said. Macca! Yes, it was my prediction for the men! I knew he wanted it more than the others. Awesome! How about the women? No response. Who won for the women? I already knew Natascha was out and saw her along the Queen K at about mile 5 on the bike with a broken collar bone and had seen that Desiree had blown up on the Queen K during the run when I was coming in on my bike, but I was clueless after that. One guy answered very quietly. “Wellington”. Who? “Wellington”. “Wellington? Who the heck is that?” I asked. Jeez, what a crazy day, I thought. “How did the Americans do?” I asked. They couldn’t provide much information. Oh well, I would find out later.
I reach the run Special Needs bag hand off but I wasn’t as excited about it as I was on the bike. They didn’t have it ready when I ran by, but a volunteer grabbed it, and ran to catch up with me in his flip flops. These volunteers are awesome. He may have been motivated by the camera crew filming me during this time, but I was happy he caught up to us and I got my bag. The NBC guys said I was looking strong. Thanks guys! I don’t have much of an ego, but what little there is, you just gave it a boost.
I ran with the bag for a while as it was pitch black, and I wouldn’t have been able to tell if I was grabbing the bag with the tampons or Twizzlers. I waited to get what I wanted out of the bag until I could see using the few lights which were set up at the Ford Motivational section, right before you leave the Energy Lab at about mile 19.5. Once there I ate a couple Skittles, a piece of a Twizzler and tossed the rest. It was time to concentrate on getting to the finish.
There is a bit of a climb out of the Energy Lab and when you get back to the Queen K, you can’t help but pick up the pace. Allright. We had about 6 miles to go – mostly downhill. I had resisted the cola until about mile 17 and hadn’t tried the chicken broth until this point, but now it was time to partake in the nectar of the Ironman gods. Forget the water, Gatorade and gel. Bring on the nectar. It was all Cola, all Chicken Broth for the next few miles (I did take water) but I was even getting tired of my life saving Clif Shot Blocks.
At about mile 20, the NBC guys caught up with me again. “Hi Stacy” they said. “Hey guys”, I said. “How are feeling?” they asked. I had slowed considerably since they last saw me. “I hit the wall at about mile 19, heading out of the Energy Lab.” I told them this was to be expected and was simply focused on the finish and seeing Lindsey there. They wished me well and said that they would catch me at the finish. “Ok, see you guys there”.
Never had I had this much concentration and focus on a race ever. Having the pitch black night surrounding me may have helped, but I seemed to be running through a dark tunnel with the orange lights of Kona and the finish line in the distance at the end of the tunnel. Wow man, what a trip, maybe I was stoned after all.
Other runners and volunteers commented on how strong I looked and I thanked them, but I was simply on a mission. To finish and become and Ironman with Lindsey there with me. Nothing else mattered. I just kept running. It’s funny, my mantras all day were: “Stay Calm. Keep swimming, keep pedaling, keep running”. That’s all you need to do for Ironman. It's very simple, really. Just keep moving forward, no matter the speed.
Amazingly, there were still people heading out to the Energy Lab as I made my way back into town. While it felt much later, it was only just after 8pm. They had almost four hours to finish – plenty of time. I saw Scott Rigsby who would become the first double leg amputee to finish an Ironman. His story is heart wrenching. Go buddy, you can do it.
I made it back to Palani Drive. It is down hill after that, you make a left down the Kaliki Highway (or something spelled like that) and then down to Alii Drive. I had walked up and down Alii all week, I even ran and biked parts of it, but this was something else. I was now running down Alii toward the finish. I kept looking for Lindsey. People were cheering like crazy and I had slowed considerably, just to enjoy the moment.
Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real that when you woke up you couldn’t believe it wasn’t true? I had the opposite happen. I was awake, and yet it seemed like a dream. I couldn’t believe it was happening, but it was real.
After a couple minutes, I finally saw her. Lindsey was standing there waiting for me in her Army uniform. She looked so beautiful and I ran up, stopped and gave her a big hug. We began to run holding hands and the crowd was amazing, cheering us the entire way.
Very close to the finish, a woman fell right in front of us. I had seen her earlier up on the highway and encouraged her to continue, but at this point, she was simply in the way. There was a guy helping her, so we ran around her. There was nothing I could do, but I thought, “Jeez, you are 20 feet away from the finish, you couldn’t make it the rest of the way”?
Anyway, the finish was amazing. I was so happy to have Lindsey there with me. She does not like people paying special attention to her at all, but she was so supportive with me at the finish. There were all kinds of cameras on us and she met Rob Vigorito, and Jon Blais’ parents and she had no clue who they were. But she was gracious and polite to them and helped me through the finish area.
Post Race:
I was walking pretty well and made it over to get my medal. My mind was starting to get kind of fuzzy and I knew I needed some real food. I had lost my voice sometime during the day and I wasn’t talking well. We made our way to a restaurant overlooking the finish and ordered some food. I needed protein – badly. I had some yummy coconut crusted Tilapia and rice with water and a diet coke. Perfect. Finally, my head was clearing up a bit, but I was tired. It was now around 1030 and I wanted to stick around and watch the finish until midnight.
Watching an Ironman for the last couple of hours is something everyone should witness at least once. While you may have been done for hours, these people were still out there – pushing their bodies beyond a pain threshold they certainly had passed hours ago. These last Ironmen are tougher mentally than you or I. Scott Rigsby came in with less than 15 minutes left and there was maybe only one or two after that. Then it was midnight. Almost silence at this point – no one left to cheer and encourage across the line. Kind of sad really, as we all wanted to keep the party going and welcome more Ironmen home.
This day I will never forget. From the moment the cannon went off to start the swim, to the wind on the bike, the sunset on the run and finally the finish with Lindsey, this will go down as one of the best and most rewarding days of my life.
From Macca to Kona Kevin and me to Scott Rigsby and all those that finish Kona or any other Ironman race and regardless of our finish times, we all have something that no one can ever take away from us. We Are all An Ironman.
Lindsey, baby, I could not do all this without your support and understanding. I love you more than I could ever put into words, I am so happy you were there with me. You told me you want to do this race someday, so I say that the next time we are in Kona – I will hold your hand across the finish line and you too will become an Ironman!
I love you, baby.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Kona Post Race, Sunday and Monday
I did it. It simply was the most amazing week and day of my life. You can tell that by watching the video of me finishing with Lindsey. I could not have been happier and still can't seem to wipe that grin off my face. I don't have time for a full race report now but here are some major highlights of the day:
Swim: I felt more excitment than nervousness and I didn't get hit at all as I placed myself in a place with very few people, until the turnaround.
Bike: It was windy and it was hard.
Run: Amazing. I was up on the Queen K highway at sunset and it was the most beautiful sight to see as I ran out to the Energy Lab.
See you all soon.
Stacy
Swim: I felt more excitment than nervousness and I didn't get hit at all as I placed myself in a place with very few people, until the turnaround.
Bike: It was windy and it was hard.
Run: Amazing. I was up on the Queen K highway at sunset and it was the most beautiful sight to see as I ran out to the Energy Lab.
See you all soon.
Stacy
Friday, October 12, 2007
Ironman Eve - Friday, Oct. 12
I have good news and bad news.
Good news: Lindsey's flight just left San Francisco and will be arriving in Kona around 7pm tonight.
Bad News: After spending two days trying to get here from Oregon, my mom will not make it. They finally got her on a flight from Eugene to San Francisco, but it would arrive too late to make the connection. We are very sad, but there just isn't anything else we can do. Plus my mom is 71 and has had maybe 6 or 7 hours sleep over these last two days and desperately needed sleep and couldn't wait around another day to try to get here.
I just got back from racking my bike. Wow. I just racked my bike at Kona! I am in the third rack from the front, which means that while I will be running further from the T1 transition tent, I will be right at the T1 exit. I was escorted by a volunteer who took me to my rack and walked me around transition to the bike gear bag and run gear bag areas.
Macca was hanging out two racks away talking to a reporter. I didn't hang out to watch any other pros rack their bikes, as I just wanted to get back to the condo and chill for the rest of the day.
After having my pre-race linguine with white clam sauce and bowl of Mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream, I will head out to the airport to pick up Lindsey. I sure wish my mom was going to be here too, but I am so glad Lindsey will make it.
It's almost here. Just over 17 hours to race start. 17 hours. I am ok. I am still calm. I am excited. I am tired. I am going to take a nap.
See you soon.
Stacy
Good news: Lindsey's flight just left San Francisco and will be arriving in Kona around 7pm tonight.
Bad News: After spending two days trying to get here from Oregon, my mom will not make it. They finally got her on a flight from Eugene to San Francisco, but it would arrive too late to make the connection. We are very sad, but there just isn't anything else we can do. Plus my mom is 71 and has had maybe 6 or 7 hours sleep over these last two days and desperately needed sleep and couldn't wait around another day to try to get here.
I just got back from racking my bike. Wow. I just racked my bike at Kona! I am in the third rack from the front, which means that while I will be running further from the T1 transition tent, I will be right at the T1 exit. I was escorted by a volunteer who took me to my rack and walked me around transition to the bike gear bag and run gear bag areas.
Macca was hanging out two racks away talking to a reporter. I didn't hang out to watch any other pros rack their bikes, as I just wanted to get back to the condo and chill for the rest of the day.
After having my pre-race linguine with white clam sauce and bowl of Mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream, I will head out to the airport to pick up Lindsey. I sure wish my mom was going to be here too, but I am so glad Lindsey will make it.
It's almost here. Just over 17 hours to race start. 17 hours. I am ok. I am still calm. I am excited. I am tired. I am going to take a nap.
See you soon.
Stacy
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Kona Update, Thursday, Oct. 11
I got a call from my mom at 5am this morning. She had been stuck on I5 in traffic for four hours and had missed her plane to San Francisco from Eugene, Oregon. I told her to go ahead and go to the airport and see what they could do to get her later today or tomorrow. As it turns out, she will be in the same time tomorrow. I am so glad about that.
In the mean time, Kevin's family was at San Francisco waiting to leave to Kona. These stories are related and I will let you read Kevin's blog for the update later. He should also be reporting on the underwear run, which he did.
Kevin's parents are here and after the run and a swim, we went and had breakfast and coffee with them. Then off to the Ironman Village.
As I mentioned, I am officially over being start struck, but nontheless I wanted to catch a photo of five people fielding questions from the audience from the Triathlete tent: Dede Greisbauer, Lisa Bentley, Karen Smyers, Michael Lavato and Bryan Rhodes. I was up front taking pictures and the announcer guy walks up to me and asks if I have a question. "I haven't thought of one. Let's see. Ok, let's say it's going to be a really tough wind day out on the bike, what are your suggestions on how to handle it?"
Lisa gave some really good advice about not letting it get to you mentally. Michael Lavato talked about nutrition and that while the wind can make you feel like you are cooled off, you still have to hydrate continually. It was Karen who had some really great advice. She said to look for the rock crops along the side that can briefly break the wind to give you a chance to quickly hydrate. Also, look at the person in front of you. If they come out from behind one of those rock formations and get blown to the side, be prepared for it. Awesome advice. You don't get a chance like that. By the way, Kona Kevin thinks Dede Griesbauer is hot.
I pick up Tony from the airport at 2 today and may go down to the snorkeling beach for an easy swim. I got in about a mile yesterday, so I am pretty much good to go with that.
The Carbo Load party is tonight. It should be fun and I will post pictures from that tomorrow.
In the mean time, Kevin's family was at San Francisco waiting to leave to Kona. These stories are related and I will let you read Kevin's blog for the update later. He should also be reporting on the underwear run, which he did.
Kevin's parents are here and after the run and a swim, we went and had breakfast and coffee with them. Then off to the Ironman Village.
As I mentioned, I am officially over being start struck, but nontheless I wanted to catch a photo of five people fielding questions from the audience from the Triathlete tent: Dede Greisbauer, Lisa Bentley, Karen Smyers, Michael Lavato and Bryan Rhodes. I was up front taking pictures and the announcer guy walks up to me and asks if I have a question. "I haven't thought of one. Let's see. Ok, let's say it's going to be a really tough wind day out on the bike, what are your suggestions on how to handle it?"
Lisa gave some really good advice about not letting it get to you mentally. Michael Lavato talked about nutrition and that while the wind can make you feel like you are cooled off, you still have to hydrate continually. It was Karen who had some really great advice. She said to look for the rock crops along the side that can briefly break the wind to give you a chance to quickly hydrate. Also, look at the person in front of you. If they come out from behind one of those rock formations and get blown to the side, be prepared for it. Awesome advice. You don't get a chance like that. By the way, Kona Kevin thinks Dede Griesbauer is hot.
I pick up Tony from the airport at 2 today and may go down to the snorkeling beach for an easy swim. I got in about a mile yesterday, so I am pretty much good to go with that.
The Carbo Load party is tonight. It should be fun and I will post pictures from that tomorrow.
Kona Update, Wednesday, Part 2
Wednesday was a big day. I spent all day gripping the phone (except during my swim) in anticipation of Lindsey calling me so I could tell her she was coming to Kona afterall.
After the Macca sighting at the Ironman village, I headed back to the condo and got ready to head out for a short, easy bike ride. Besides the pre-race ride, this was going to be it until Saturday.
With still no call from Lindsey, I headed out along Alii drive and up from Keauhou into Kona (with my phone in hand - well tucked in my bike shorts anyway). There was and has been lots of traffic - cars, triathletes on bikes, triathletes running - the town is really pretty crazy right now. And today there were two cruise ships docked, so the people from those were also out in the streets. I carefully maneuvered through town. I wanted to go up Palini Drive from T1, as I had not done this yet. The short climb looks deceptively steep and I found it not to be as bad as expected. I headed out along the Queen K south this time for a bit and then turned back the way I came.
It was about 2pm when I got back to the condo and still no call from Lindsey. It was 8pm in Columbia, SC where she is in bootcamp. I wasn't getting worried yet, as I know they were getting back from the field sometime late in the day.
It was time to get ready for my NBC interview at 330. NBC had contacted me on Monday and were interested in talking with me. No, this does not mean for sure that I am going to be on the show. They are interviewing alot of other people who all have incredible stories have courage, strength and inspiration that are amazing. Only a few of the stories make the final cut.
I arrived for the interview. Everyone was very nice and we began right away. I told them that I am expecting a call from my daughter and apologized in advance for answering if it rang during the interview.
This interview was different than the others. There was a white background with a light on and the room was dark, but surprisingly I wasn't nervous - I remained calm (I am now making this my mantra this week - remain calm).
He asked a simple question about triathlon and the Ironman and I began to tell my story. I don't know where it came from, but I just started from the beginning and let it all out. It was kind of like therapy. Yes, of course - I was crying! Damn it - again! Christ, I think they are trying to be like Barbara Walters!
I am not sure how long I talked, but they didn't stop me. I actually got a call in the middle of the interview and answered right away. Oh my god, is this Lindsey? Nope, it was a friend and I told them I would call back later. Boy, that would have been really crazy had she called during that interview.
They followed up with a few more questions and we were done. I was leaving and then walking in for her interview was Desiree Ficker. You know, I am officially over the star struck stuff as these pros are everywhere. I told her to kick some butt, and she said you too (I didn't want to be cliche and say "good luck").
I like to be different.
Once outside, I was directed to go speak with Greg Welch with Ironman Live. com.
Ok, what the hell? This is now officially unbelievable. Jeez.
Greg came over and introduced himself and we sat down on a bench and started talking. He is a great interviewer and it was more like a conversation. We talked about how I was feeling in general and about the swim and bike. I mentioned about the predictions for a very tough wind year on the bike and that I would just take whatever came my way and just keep pedaling and not let it get to me mentally.
We talked about my daughter and that my mom was also coming to watch. Hey, wait a minute - I wasn't crying this time! Maybe because I had just got out of my therapy/NBC interview I didn't have any tears left. Hooray! I was going to make it through one of these without tears!
We continued our chat, and then he looked down at my wristband with my race number and he said "Stacy, I just noticed that your race number is 171. Your daughter is 17, and your mom is 71. That is a good sign." I looked down as well and said, "Oh my god, you're right, I didn't even notice that!" Well, so much for the moratorium on the tears. Here they came and I hugged him right there. He signed off with me once again sobbing like a little baby with my arms around his neck.
Greg Welch is such a sweetheart and we have a kinship as he too suffered from Ventricular Tachycardia that unfortunately forced this Ironman Hall of Famer to retire.
We finished up and said goodbye. Still no call from Lindsey. It was now just after 4pm (10 pm Eastern). I headed to grab a couple things from the grocery store. I had just picked up the first thing and the phone rang. Oh my god! I briefly noticed the area code of 803 - 803? Usually when Lindsey called it would just say, "Call".
Hello? "Hey mom". Oh my god. Lindsey. Hey baby. I headed right out the store and through my crying (boy, after this - no more crying for the rest of the week). I told her that she was coming to Kona. She said, "Mom, you have to stop crying I can't understand you." I actually think she may have thought something was terribly wrong because they let her call me at about 1030 at night. I realized this and calmed down (mantra - remain calm).
"Lindsey, baby they are letting you come to Kona. "Are you serious?" she asked. "Yes, I contacted your company commander and they said yes". Then she was quiet. "Lindsey, sweetie are you still there?" No words. But very quietly I could hear it - she was crying. Believe me, she doesn't cry much at all and certainly will never be told she is a crybaby like her mother. "Baby, it's ok. Your coming to Kona." "I am so happy" she said. "The drill sergeant just told me I am not allowed to cry and I have to hang up now" (he was just kidding) but she did have to go. She said she would call me again on tomorrow.
Lindsey is coming to Kona. She arrives on Friday at 653pm. I cannot wait to see her.
After the Macca sighting at the Ironman village, I headed back to the condo and got ready to head out for a short, easy bike ride. Besides the pre-race ride, this was going to be it until Saturday.
With still no call from Lindsey, I headed out along Alii drive and up from Keauhou into Kona (with my phone in hand - well tucked in my bike shorts anyway). There was and has been lots of traffic - cars, triathletes on bikes, triathletes running - the town is really pretty crazy right now. And today there were two cruise ships docked, so the people from those were also out in the streets. I carefully maneuvered through town. I wanted to go up Palini Drive from T1, as I had not done this yet. The short climb looks deceptively steep and I found it not to be as bad as expected. I headed out along the Queen K south this time for a bit and then turned back the way I came.
It was about 2pm when I got back to the condo and still no call from Lindsey. It was 8pm in Columbia, SC where she is in bootcamp. I wasn't getting worried yet, as I know they were getting back from the field sometime late in the day.
It was time to get ready for my NBC interview at 330. NBC had contacted me on Monday and were interested in talking with me. No, this does not mean for sure that I am going to be on the show. They are interviewing alot of other people who all have incredible stories have courage, strength and inspiration that are amazing. Only a few of the stories make the final cut.
I arrived for the interview. Everyone was very nice and we began right away. I told them that I am expecting a call from my daughter and apologized in advance for answering if it rang during the interview.
This interview was different than the others. There was a white background with a light on and the room was dark, but surprisingly I wasn't nervous - I remained calm (I am now making this my mantra this week - remain calm).
He asked a simple question about triathlon and the Ironman and I began to tell my story. I don't know where it came from, but I just started from the beginning and let it all out. It was kind of like therapy. Yes, of course - I was crying! Damn it - again! Christ, I think they are trying to be like Barbara Walters!
I am not sure how long I talked, but they didn't stop me. I actually got a call in the middle of the interview and answered right away. Oh my god, is this Lindsey? Nope, it was a friend and I told them I would call back later. Boy, that would have been really crazy had she called during that interview.
They followed up with a few more questions and we were done. I was leaving and then walking in for her interview was Desiree Ficker. You know, I am officially over the star struck stuff as these pros are everywhere. I told her to kick some butt, and she said you too (I didn't want to be cliche and say "good luck").
I like to be different.
Once outside, I was directed to go speak with Greg Welch with Ironman Live. com.
Ok, what the hell? This is now officially unbelievable. Jeez.
Greg came over and introduced himself and we sat down on a bench and started talking. He is a great interviewer and it was more like a conversation. We talked about how I was feeling in general and about the swim and bike. I mentioned about the predictions for a very tough wind year on the bike and that I would just take whatever came my way and just keep pedaling and not let it get to me mentally.
We talked about my daughter and that my mom was also coming to watch. Hey, wait a minute - I wasn't crying this time! Maybe because I had just got out of my therapy/NBC interview I didn't have any tears left. Hooray! I was going to make it through one of these without tears!
We continued our chat, and then he looked down at my wristband with my race number and he said "Stacy, I just noticed that your race number is 171. Your daughter is 17, and your mom is 71. That is a good sign." I looked down as well and said, "Oh my god, you're right, I didn't even notice that!" Well, so much for the moratorium on the tears. Here they came and I hugged him right there. He signed off with me once again sobbing like a little baby with my arms around his neck.
Greg Welch is such a sweetheart and we have a kinship as he too suffered from Ventricular Tachycardia that unfortunately forced this Ironman Hall of Famer to retire.
We finished up and said goodbye. Still no call from Lindsey. It was now just after 4pm (10 pm Eastern). I headed to grab a couple things from the grocery store. I had just picked up the first thing and the phone rang. Oh my god! I briefly noticed the area code of 803 - 803? Usually when Lindsey called it would just say, "Call".
Hello? "Hey mom". Oh my god. Lindsey. Hey baby. I headed right out the store and through my crying (boy, after this - no more crying for the rest of the week). I told her that she was coming to Kona. She said, "Mom, you have to stop crying I can't understand you." I actually think she may have thought something was terribly wrong because they let her call me at about 1030 at night. I realized this and calmed down (mantra - remain calm).
"Lindsey, baby they are letting you come to Kona. "Are you serious?" she asked. "Yes, I contacted your company commander and they said yes". Then she was quiet. "Lindsey, sweetie are you still there?" No words. But very quietly I could hear it - she was crying. Believe me, she doesn't cry much at all and certainly will never be told she is a crybaby like her mother. "Baby, it's ok. Your coming to Kona." "I am so happy" she said. "The drill sergeant just told me I am not allowed to cry and I have to hang up now" (he was just kidding) but she did have to go. She said she would call me again on tomorrow.
Lindsey is coming to Kona. She arrives on Friday at 653pm. I cannot wait to see her.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Kona Update, Wednesday Part 1 Oct. 10
This is the day. The day when I get to tell Lindsey she is coming to Kona. I am so excited!
I started the day with a easy mile swim out to the boat with the Kona coffee they were giving to the swimmers. I didn't have any coffee, but the swim was great. There was bigger chop than Sunday but it was actually kind of fun - up and over the waves I went.
Today was one of the registration days. We were heading into get our packets and found Desiree Ficker hanging outside the entrace. Kona Kev said "Hey Desiree" and I said "Hi". What the heck else do you say? We also saw Normann again who was heading into register, just like the rest of us. What a great sport this is, even at the World Championship.
We headed to Lava Java to eat. We were starved. We scored a big table and invited another party to join us. Kev was then off to the airport to pick up his folks.
I was heading back to the car and while passing the Ironman Village heard a familiar voice coming from the loudspeaker. Is that Chris McCormack? It sure sounded like him. I went into the village and found a surprisingly small crowd surrounding the table where he was fielding questions from the crowd. Holy crap - he was right there. Jeez! How cool was this? I started taking pictures and then asked a question, "I saw your recent Inside Triathlon cover - what's next, GQ?" If you have seen it ladies, I suggest you do - he looks so HOT! He laughed and said that his wife asked him why he doesn't look like that all the time!
Alot going on today, look for Wednesday Part 2.
I started the day with a easy mile swim out to the boat with the Kona coffee they were giving to the swimmers. I didn't have any coffee, but the swim was great. There was bigger chop than Sunday but it was actually kind of fun - up and over the waves I went.
Today was one of the registration days. We were heading into get our packets and found Desiree Ficker hanging outside the entrace. Kona Kev said "Hey Desiree" and I said "Hi". What the heck else do you say? We also saw Normann again who was heading into register, just like the rest of us. What a great sport this is, even at the World Championship.
We headed to Lava Java to eat. We were starved. We scored a big table and invited another party to join us. Kev was then off to the airport to pick up his folks.
I was heading back to the car and while passing the Ironman Village heard a familiar voice coming from the loudspeaker. Is that Chris McCormack? It sure sounded like him. I went into the village and found a surprisingly small crowd surrounding the table where he was fielding questions from the crowd. Holy crap - he was right there. Jeez! How cool was this? I started taking pictures and then asked a question, "I saw your recent Inside Triathlon cover - what's next, GQ?" If you have seen it ladies, I suggest you do - he looks so HOT! He laughed and said that his wife asked him why he doesn't look like that all the time!
Alot going on today, look for Wednesday Part 2.
Kona Update -Tuesday, Oct. 9
Tuesday was a good day. I slept in and relaxed around the condo first thing in the morning.
At 730, I had breakfast with Mark Allen. Yes, THE Mark Allen. There were a bunch of us and it was really great. He is so incredibly down to earth. I am finding that most if not all pro triathletes, current and past are so easy going.
He said he doesn't race anymore but runs, works out with weights and surfs. He said he hasn't been in a pool in two years. The Grip himself. Wow.
At 930 I had an interview with the Ironman Public Relations people. They wanted to know about my past heart condition as well as about Lindsey coming to see me in Kona. Of course - I cried - again. Damn it! Why do they keep doing this to me??? The story may be on ABC 7 news on Thursday or Friday.
I went to pick up Kona Kevin at the airport around 1130. After dropping his stuff off at the condo, we went for a short easy swim at the snorkeling beach and then an easy 30 minute run up Alii Drive. He slowed down for me - thanks Kev. We are excited to have his parents come in on Wednesday and wife and kids on Thursday.
The Parade of Nations took place at 5pm. This is when the athletes walk from the pier down Alii Drive to the Ironman Village. We got some intel from a guy named Steve that if we waited where we were at, we could watch the whole parade and then join the United States delegation to walk up Alii Drive. He said if we went to the back of the parade at the start (the countries are in alphabetical order) we would miss the whole thing. Best intel all week.
During the parade I saw Paula Newbey-Fraser, Natascha Badmann (leading the Swiss delegation) and for a short time walked alongside Sister Madonna Buder. Very cool.
I also briefly met the first guy to do Ironman as a double leg amputee. I am trying to find out his name, but I bet you will see him on NBC. What an incredibly nice guy.
I have never been in a parade and I enjoyed every single minute. I even gave the "parade wave" a couple times just to say I had done it. I actually caught up with two guys who had Placid finisher shirts from this year and got their picture, as I was wearing my Placid volunteer shirt from bike taking.
When we got to the expo it was so crowded, but we made it through. I got Michille Jones autograph and picture of her new bike - it is blue and pink - very girly, very cool and yet I suspect very fast.
Another great day in paradise! I coudn't wait to hear from Lindsey today to tell her she's coming to Kona. Tune in for that story on Wednesday' post.
Also on Wednesday's post look for pictures of Chris McCormack (Macca himself). I was RIGHT there.
At 730, I had breakfast with Mark Allen. Yes, THE Mark Allen. There were a bunch of us and it was really great. He is so incredibly down to earth. I am finding that most if not all pro triathletes, current and past are so easy going.
He said he doesn't race anymore but runs, works out with weights and surfs. He said he hasn't been in a pool in two years. The Grip himself. Wow.
At 930 I had an interview with the Ironman Public Relations people. They wanted to know about my past heart condition as well as about Lindsey coming to see me in Kona. Of course - I cried - again. Damn it! Why do they keep doing this to me??? The story may be on ABC 7 news on Thursday or Friday.
I went to pick up Kona Kevin at the airport around 1130. After dropping his stuff off at the condo, we went for a short easy swim at the snorkeling beach and then an easy 30 minute run up Alii Drive. He slowed down for me - thanks Kev. We are excited to have his parents come in on Wednesday and wife and kids on Thursday.
The Parade of Nations took place at 5pm. This is when the athletes walk from the pier down Alii Drive to the Ironman Village. We got some intel from a guy named Steve that if we waited where we were at, we could watch the whole parade and then join the United States delegation to walk up Alii Drive. He said if we went to the back of the parade at the start (the countries are in alphabetical order) we would miss the whole thing. Best intel all week.
During the parade I saw Paula Newbey-Fraser, Natascha Badmann (leading the Swiss delegation) and for a short time walked alongside Sister Madonna Buder. Very cool.
I also briefly met the first guy to do Ironman as a double leg amputee. I am trying to find out his name, but I bet you will see him on NBC. What an incredibly nice guy.
I have never been in a parade and I enjoyed every single minute. I even gave the "parade wave" a couple times just to say I had done it. I actually caught up with two guys who had Placid finisher shirts from this year and got their picture, as I was wearing my Placid volunteer shirt from bike taking.
When we got to the expo it was so crowded, but we made it through. I got Michille Jones autograph and picture of her new bike - it is blue and pink - very girly, very cool and yet I suspect very fast.
Another great day in paradise! I coudn't wait to hear from Lindsey today to tell her she's coming to Kona. Tune in for that story on Wednesday' post.
Also on Wednesday's post look for pictures of Chris McCormack (Macca himself). I was RIGHT there.
Arrived in Kona and I am feeling....
Amazingly calm. After six months riding the roller coaster of emotion between uncontrollable excitment and sheer terror, I am in Kona and I am calm - still excited, but calm.
For now anyway.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday
I arrived on Saturday, but I nearly missed my flight. I woke up at 730am and my flight left Dulles at 835am (I live in Fairfax). You should have seen me - I got out of the house in five minutes, and after topping out at about 90mph along Hwy 28 and sprinting through the airport with my baggage cart and then to the gate, I made the flight with 10 minutes to spare. I got my speed workout in for sure. That is the first time I have ever come close to missing a flight.
On Sunday, I went down to the swim start at 7am. They have buoys set up out to the 1.2 mile turn around. My goal was to do the entire 2.4 miles easily and slowly. It was absolutely beautiful - I saw bright yellow and blue fish, it was like I was snorkeling and I wanted to just float around and look, which I did sometimes. But then I had to keep reminding myself to "just keep swimming".
I swam the entire 2.4 miles. It was important for me that I did that - not because I don't think I can do the distance, but I wanted to get a feel for what the conditions would be like at that time of the morning. There was some small chop, which I don't mind and the current wasn't too bad. I felt great after and not fatigued.
After the swim, I went to pick up my bike and went for a ride out on the Queen K Highway. Holy crap! I am riding on the Queen K Highway! I was laughing and on a couple descents even let out a woooooohooooo!!! What a geek, but I had a blast. I went out to just past the airport and the hills were just rollers. As they say, the major factor on this bike course are the winds and coming back into town I felt them, but these were not the infamous cross winds you get out near Hawi. However, they are projecting to everyone's consternation, pretty brutal wind conditions this year. But I am not letting this get to me too much and am still calm.
Viewing note for Saturday - the bike turn around at Hawi is at around the 60 mile mark not 56. It is also right after the longest and steepest climb of the entire ride, so my time will be slower on the first half then the second because I get to go back down that long, steep climb on the way back :)
On Sunday afternoon, I made my pilgrimage to visit Pele, the God of Fire at the volcano. I made an offering, as Kai suggested I do. It was a very spiritual moment.
I started to see some pros Monday - Normann Stadtler, Joanna Zeiger, Hillary Biscay. I went to the infamous Lava Java cafe. This is THE PLACE where anyone and everyone goes to see and be seen. I was sitting there talking to Mia and her mom, who offered that I sit with them at their table, as this place was so crowded. Mia is a very good friend of Jon Blais and was on the 2006 highlight show doing the roll across the finish line.
Anyway, we are chatting away and then Normann himself walks up to the table next to us, wipes it down and then him and his girlfriend sit down. I play it cool and keep talking to Mia and her mom.
Monday was a very easy going day. I went for a very casual swim at the snorkeling beach up the road and saw a giant sea turtle. He was beautiful and didn't seem to care that I was right there watching him.
I have been alone in the condo, which has been great. I have been able to relax, read, sleep, eat all in peace and quiet. This is a very good thing as it is going to start getting crazy on Tuesday, so I am taking advantage of this alone time. Hawaii is absolutely beautiful. I still can't believe I am here!
Kona Kevin arrives on Tuesday!
More posts to follow....
For now anyway.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday
I arrived on Saturday, but I nearly missed my flight. I woke up at 730am and my flight left Dulles at 835am (I live in Fairfax). You should have seen me - I got out of the house in five minutes, and after topping out at about 90mph along Hwy 28 and sprinting through the airport with my baggage cart and then to the gate, I made the flight with 10 minutes to spare. I got my speed workout in for sure. That is the first time I have ever come close to missing a flight.
On Sunday, I went down to the swim start at 7am. They have buoys set up out to the 1.2 mile turn around. My goal was to do the entire 2.4 miles easily and slowly. It was absolutely beautiful - I saw bright yellow and blue fish, it was like I was snorkeling and I wanted to just float around and look, which I did sometimes. But then I had to keep reminding myself to "just keep swimming".
I swam the entire 2.4 miles. It was important for me that I did that - not because I don't think I can do the distance, but I wanted to get a feel for what the conditions would be like at that time of the morning. There was some small chop, which I don't mind and the current wasn't too bad. I felt great after and not fatigued.
After the swim, I went to pick up my bike and went for a ride out on the Queen K Highway. Holy crap! I am riding on the Queen K Highway! I was laughing and on a couple descents even let out a woooooohooooo!!! What a geek, but I had a blast. I went out to just past the airport and the hills were just rollers. As they say, the major factor on this bike course are the winds and coming back into town I felt them, but these were not the infamous cross winds you get out near Hawi. However, they are projecting to everyone's consternation, pretty brutal wind conditions this year. But I am not letting this get to me too much and am still calm.
Viewing note for Saturday - the bike turn around at Hawi is at around the 60 mile mark not 56. It is also right after the longest and steepest climb of the entire ride, so my time will be slower on the first half then the second because I get to go back down that long, steep climb on the way back :)
On Sunday afternoon, I made my pilgrimage to visit Pele, the God of Fire at the volcano. I made an offering, as Kai suggested I do. It was a very spiritual moment.
I started to see some pros Monday - Normann Stadtler, Joanna Zeiger, Hillary Biscay. I went to the infamous Lava Java cafe. This is THE PLACE where anyone and everyone goes to see and be seen. I was sitting there talking to Mia and her mom, who offered that I sit with them at their table, as this place was so crowded. Mia is a very good friend of Jon Blais and was on the 2006 highlight show doing the roll across the finish line.
Anyway, we are chatting away and then Normann himself walks up to the table next to us, wipes it down and then him and his girlfriend sit down. I play it cool and keep talking to Mia and her mom.
Monday was a very easy going day. I went for a very casual swim at the snorkeling beach up the road and saw a giant sea turtle. He was beautiful and didn't seem to care that I was right there watching him.
I have been alone in the condo, which has been great. I have been able to relax, read, sleep, eat all in peace and quiet. This is a very good thing as it is going to start getting crazy on Tuesday, so I am taking advantage of this alone time. Hawaii is absolutely beautiful. I still can't believe I am here!
Kona Kevin arrives on Tuesday!
More posts to follow....
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Never Say Never - me and my daughter on Ironman.com
Check out the story called "Never Say Never" on Ironman.com about me and my daughter.
http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/betsy-redfern-profiles-stacy-taylor
http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/betsy-redfern-profiles-stacy-taylor
Monday, August 13, 2007
My daughter's first Triathlon
Photo by Dan Hicock
http://danhicock.smugmug.com
On Aug. 5, my 17 year old daughter, Lindsey completed her first sprint triathlon in Culpeper, VA. I am so proud of her! She is a very strong swimmer, runs pretty regularly and had been riding my rode bike for a few weeks (she is a mainly a Mountain Biker).
We did find out the Wednesday before that she was leaving to Army Bootcamp that very next week. She had a lot on her mind, so she wasn't really nervous about the tri - but more nervous about leaving so quickly and Bootcamp in general.
The Swim: She was in one of the larger women's swim waves, but it didn't seem to bother her. She placed herself right in the middle near the front (she is so brave - and it was her first open water swim). She swam for two years in high school and is a strong swimmer. I have swam with her in the pool and she is fast. She has given me several pointers. Anyway, she ended up with a 14:56 swim for the 750 meters (some people said it may have been a bit long). I was so excited!
The Bike: She had a strong bike and finished in about 1 Hour 4 minutes. She told me she was getting tired near the end, and then fellow Team Zer, Lynn came by and yelled and cheered for Lindsey. This energized her and she spent the last couple miles trying to keep up with Lynn. She did stay with her and came in right behind Lynn and another Zer, Harriet.
The Run: She had a great run and got a PR for a 5k in just over 28 minutes. She looked strong throught the race and finished the race in 1 hour 53 minutes.
Lindsey said she had a lot of fun. While she doesn't like any attention, she was glad she wore the bright green Team Z jersey, as there is so much support from racers and non racers throughout the entire event. It helped her so much.
I am sad that she is gone (she will always be my baby!) After nine weeks at Bootcamp in South Carolina, she will be at training for six months in Southern VA. She won't be able to watch me race at Kona, but am happy that she is doing what she has always wanted to do. She will be working on the weapons systems for Apache helicopters and hopes some day to fly them.
I am so proud of you, Lindsey and I love you so much, baby! I miss you so much.
http://danhicock.smugmug.com
On Aug. 5, my 17 year old daughter, Lindsey completed her first sprint triathlon in Culpeper, VA. I am so proud of her! She is a very strong swimmer, runs pretty regularly and had been riding my rode bike for a few weeks (she is a mainly a Mountain Biker).
We did find out the Wednesday before that she was leaving to Army Bootcamp that very next week. She had a lot on her mind, so she wasn't really nervous about the tri - but more nervous about leaving so quickly and Bootcamp in general.
The Swim: She was in one of the larger women's swim waves, but it didn't seem to bother her. She placed herself right in the middle near the front (she is so brave - and it was her first open water swim). She swam for two years in high school and is a strong swimmer. I have swam with her in the pool and she is fast. She has given me several pointers. Anyway, she ended up with a 14:56 swim for the 750 meters (some people said it may have been a bit long). I was so excited!
The Bike: She had a strong bike and finished in about 1 Hour 4 minutes. She told me she was getting tired near the end, and then fellow Team Zer, Lynn came by and yelled and cheered for Lindsey. This energized her and she spent the last couple miles trying to keep up with Lynn. She did stay with her and came in right behind Lynn and another Zer, Harriet.
The Run: She had a great run and got a PR for a 5k in just over 28 minutes. She looked strong throught the race and finished the race in 1 hour 53 minutes.
Lindsey said she had a lot of fun. While she doesn't like any attention, she was glad she wore the bright green Team Z jersey, as there is so much support from racers and non racers throughout the entire event. It helped her so much.
I am sad that she is gone (she will always be my baby!) After nine weeks at Bootcamp in South Carolina, she will be at training for six months in Southern VA. She won't be able to watch me race at Kona, but am happy that she is doing what she has always wanted to do. She will be working on the weapons systems for Apache helicopters and hopes some day to fly them.
I am so proud of you, Lindsey and I love you so much, baby! I miss you so much.
Photo by Vanessa Spiller
NV Racing
Friday, July 27, 2007
Working the Lake Placid Finish with Mike Reilly
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to volunteer at the Lake Placid Ironman on July 22. It simply was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced. I got up at 4am on Sunday and didn’t get to sleep until about 130am on Monday, but it was worth every minute! Everyone should witness an Ironman at least once.
The swim start was amazing and while watching I could only think about the start at Kona. I teared up and before I knew it I was crying because watching over 2200 people start a mass swim was such an awesome sight and I was thinking that most if not all of them were scared, just as I will be in less than three months.
I was there with Tri Team Z and we had two people racing – Anna and Alisa. I also knew David Cascio (a fellow Tri RAT - Reston Area Triathletes) was racing as well. We watched the swim finish and cheered both Alisa and Annie on after the swim. Jerry and I watched people finish the first lap of the bike at the special needs bag stop. That was crazy and there were several close call crashes.
Team Z volunteered to do the job of taking bikes from the riders. Our job was to get in a line and take the bikes from the finishers and run/walk them to the place on the racks. Our first shift began at noon. The first one off the bike was the eventual women’s winner – Belinda Granger from Australia. I racked Linsey Corbin’s bike, who ended up 5th woman overall.
I was right there when Dave Cascio came in from the bike. “Dave!” he looked up at me with a surprised look and said, “Hey Stacy”. I took his bike from him and cheered, “Go get ‘em, Cascio!” Very cool. Working this first shift gives you the chance to see some really cool bikes. It was pretty slow until about 130-2 when it really picked up.
A couple Z’s came by around 230 and said they were looking for women to escort the pros to go pee in cup after their finishes. While it would be cool to escort them, I didn’t want to watch them pee in a cup. We then found out that you just had to watch them to make sure they didn’t take anything from anyone or puke.
My bike taking shift was over at 3pm and I went up to the finish with Gina to see about the details of this new possible volunteer job. Helen, who basically runs the finish line, said they didn’t need help with the escort of the pro women, but if I knew how to work a computer, they needed a couple people to – get this – go up in the platform overlooking the finish line with Mike Reilly and work the computer so he can call the finisher’s names! Yeah, no shit I will do that! Holy Crap, I couldn’t believe it. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. It was around 330pm at this time and I would be up there with Mike Reilly around 530.
I wanted to hang out and I was right there at the finish line and Belinda was finishing soon. While waiting around, I met three people, two you may have heard of. One was another volunteer, Seth, who was very helpful and a really cool dude.
The second person was Greg Welch. Yes, that Greg Welch. I had emailed him a couple months ago, as we both had the same heart condition. He was typing on a Blackberry, but I wanted to take a moment to meet him. I went over and introduced myself. We chatted about V-Tach and my Kona slot and then I let him be. He was waiting to interview Belinda for the on-line race coverage. What an incredibly nice, down to earth guy he is.
The last person I met I had seen talking to Greg and hanging out at the finish for about 20 minutes before I met her. I was trying to be cool and not stare. It was right before Belinda came in and she had walked over and was now standing right next to me. Who was it? Freaking Paula Newby-Fraser! Christ! I was thinking I better introduce myself before it was too late and I lost my nerve. I calmly turned to her, put out my hand and said, “Hey Paula, great to meet you. My name is Stacy Taylor.” We chatted briefly and she was nice and told me congratulations on my lottery slot and wished me luck.
I had just met the Queen of Kona who won it eight times, the only woman to break 9 hours in an Ironman and who is arguably the best female athlete – ever. God, I love Ironman! For those who don’t realize how cool this is, it would be the equivalent of a roadie meeting Lance Armstrong or Eddie Myrxx, a baseball player to meet Babe Ruth or Willie Mays, a swimmer to meet (who was the guy that won all the medals at the Olympics – oh yeah, Mark Spitz), a golfer to meet Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus ok, you get the idea.
I went back to my team at bike taking and told them the news. They were excited and asked how the heck I got a job like that. I was in the right place at the right time, I said. I also headed back up to the Z tent to tell them and to get a couple things from my back pack. Damn, I was excited!
On my way back I got to see Annie staring her run. I screamed “Annie!! You go girl!” She looked really strong, and actually ended with about a 4 hour 20 minute marathon. She was flying!
When I got back to the finish, I retrieved a volunteer finisher wrist band and T-shirt as security was pretty tight. I was waiting for my shift to start in the platform when Dave Cascio came across the line. Most of the people who cross the line at Ironman need someone to lean on for a while. Dave was no exception.
A bigger volunteer guy took his left side and I was on the right. Dave said, “Stacy, hey Stacy”. He was a bit out of it, I must admit. We walked him to the food at the finish and I asked him if he wanted cookies, bananas or pizza. Dave said he wanted three cookies and water. If you know Dave, he is usually a pretty serious guy and takes his training and racing seriously. But to hear him say, “I want three cookies” like a little kid was great!
Within about 5-10 minutes of finishing, Dave was coming around and starting to analyze his race. He said he got a drafting penalty after a peloton passed him. Dave had major surgery on his left knee and had been rehabilitating for months, but he said his knee felt ok. As it turns out, he would have finished 2nd in his 45-49 age group without the drafting penalty. Bummer. Only when I knew he was ok, I left and went back to the finish.
It was time to go help Mike Reilly call Ironman finisher’s names. I climbed up the scaffolding with Sasha, the other volunteer. We had to jump right in, as people were constantly finishing. We didn’t even have time to introduce ourselves for about 10 or 15 minutes, it was so busy.
My first job was to point to the last finisher’s name on the screen of one laptop so that Mike could read it off. This was easy when there were only one, two or three people finishing. However, it got very difficult to track when there were 4, 5, 6, and 7 crossing at the same time. There was additional information such as where they are from, if this is their first Ironman, their age and job. When he had the time, he would call out some of that information as well.
The other job was to type the finishers numbers into another laptop that displayed their name and information about how many and which races they have completed before. There were some people who were completing their seventh, eight and ninth Lake Placid finishes.
I had probably been up there for about half an hour when I turned around to see who had just climbed up. You won’t freaking believe it – it was Paula! Holy shit – again! I was cool and kept working. It was after about 10 minutes I had the chance and I turned around calmly, waved and said “Hey Paula”. She waved back and said hi. She was up there for a long time and we didn’t have a chance to talk. I still can’t believe I was there with Paula and Mike Reilly. What an absolute privilege.
Around 10 or 1030pm, someone I didn't recognize climbed up into the scaffolding. She had braided pigtails and seemed to be looking for someone down below. I didn't know who she was until she was gone and Ollie told me it was Belinda Granger. I didn't recognize her with out sunglasses and her hair pulled back! My gosh, another crazy moment!
The finishers come in packs many times. There will be no one for 30 or 40 seconds, but sometimes it’s a flood gate. As the night goes on, it gets busier and busier. I saw Annie finish and I yelled for her, she finished with a kick ass time. I knew it was getting close to the time when Alisa would finish and I gave both Mike and Tom (Mike’s backup) Alisa’s bib number of 1999 so that they would make sure to say, “Alisa, You Are an Ironman”. When I saw her name pop up on the screen I went nuts. “Here she comes, Alisa! Bib 1999!” She may not have heard it, but we all did. She looked so happy has she finished and I was yelling her name and she looked up and waved. She looked tired, but very happy as well. We are all so proud of her and Annie.
The say the magic hour of Ironman finish is from 11-midnight, but in my opinion it is the entire time. However, there are some really inspirational finishes nearer to the end. There are two that stick in my mind. One thing to note, is that when the clock ticks closer to the end of an hour (like 13 hours, 14 hours) it gets really exciting. As the minutes wind down, Mike will announce, “10 minutes to go under 14 hours, 5 minutes to go under 14 hours, if you can hear my voice you are close enough to break 14 hours”. Gives you goose bumps. At Placid, the crowd first gets to see the finishers on the other side of the oval. From that point, they have about 40 seconds to make it to the finish. So, if there is less than a minute, you see people actually “sprint” to the finish.
While I was teary eyed a few times when some people finished, the first time I openly cried was the woman who came in just under 16 hours. She entered the oval with less than a minute left. The crowd went crazy, Mike was encouraging her that she could make it and she sprinted to the finish. I am trying to find her exact time and her name. That was so awesome. This woman had been racing her ass off since 7am, it was now 11pm and she was sprinting to the finish. If that doesn’t get to you, you are doing/watching the wrong sport!
The next time I cried, it was a gusher and came right at the end. It was around 1150pm, 10 minutes to midnight, 10 minutes for those left on the run course to become an Ironman! Mike was down at the finish, and a guy on a bike rode up to him really fast to tell him something. Mike then announced that there was a runner on the course that had a chance to finish by midnight. His race number was 2258 and his name was Tom.
At Placid, you can hear the finish from quite a distance away. Mike knew this and announced, “Tom, you have 10 minutes to finish. I know you can hear us, you can do it”. The crowd went crazy cheering for him. The minutes were ticking by….no Tom but we kept cheering and Mike kept talking to him. Now it was less than five minutes…. time was quickly running out. It must have been with about 4 minutes left that the crowd started chanting, “Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom…..” God it was awesome. We keep looking at the far side of the finish oval. We keep cheering and hoping and praying he will make it. The crowd is near a frenzy when some spotters on the far side start waving to us to let us know Tom is coming, he is right there! And then we see him. Holy crap, talk about insane. We are going crazy! Tom is moving it. He has been out there for 17 hours and he is running as as fast as he possibly can. He is coming around the oval - less than two minutes now. Here he comes around the last turn! Pandemonium is the rule here. He crosses the finish line and Mike says with so much emotion and excitement, “Tom, You.Are.An.Ironman!!!!! Simply the most inspiring moment I have ever witnessed in my life. Ollie and I were hugging and crying at the platform (I think even Tom in the platform got a bit teary eyed).
I have told this story a few times now, have cried twice and am teary eyed again while writing this. What a blubbering baby! I can only imagine what I will feel like after my first Ironman at Kona. WOW!
The swim start was amazing and while watching I could only think about the start at Kona. I teared up and before I knew it I was crying because watching over 2200 people start a mass swim was such an awesome sight and I was thinking that most if not all of them were scared, just as I will be in less than three months.
I was there with Tri Team Z and we had two people racing – Anna and Alisa. I also knew David Cascio (a fellow Tri RAT - Reston Area Triathletes) was racing as well. We watched the swim finish and cheered both Alisa and Annie on after the swim. Jerry and I watched people finish the first lap of the bike at the special needs bag stop. That was crazy and there were several close call crashes.
Team Z volunteered to do the job of taking bikes from the riders. Our job was to get in a line and take the bikes from the finishers and run/walk them to the place on the racks. Our first shift began at noon. The first one off the bike was the eventual women’s winner – Belinda Granger from Australia. I racked Linsey Corbin’s bike, who ended up 5th woman overall.
I was right there when Dave Cascio came in from the bike. “Dave!” he looked up at me with a surprised look and said, “Hey Stacy”. I took his bike from him and cheered, “Go get ‘em, Cascio!” Very cool. Working this first shift gives you the chance to see some really cool bikes. It was pretty slow until about 130-2 when it really picked up.
A couple Z’s came by around 230 and said they were looking for women to escort the pros to go pee in cup after their finishes. While it would be cool to escort them, I didn’t want to watch them pee in a cup. We then found out that you just had to watch them to make sure they didn’t take anything from anyone or puke.
My bike taking shift was over at 3pm and I went up to the finish with Gina to see about the details of this new possible volunteer job. Helen, who basically runs the finish line, said they didn’t need help with the escort of the pro women, but if I knew how to work a computer, they needed a couple people to – get this – go up in the platform overlooking the finish line with Mike Reilly and work the computer so he can call the finisher’s names! Yeah, no shit I will do that! Holy Crap, I couldn’t believe it. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. It was around 330pm at this time and I would be up there with Mike Reilly around 530.
I wanted to hang out and I was right there at the finish line and Belinda was finishing soon. While waiting around, I met three people, two you may have heard of. One was another volunteer, Seth, who was very helpful and a really cool dude.
The second person was Greg Welch. Yes, that Greg Welch. I had emailed him a couple months ago, as we both had the same heart condition. He was typing on a Blackberry, but I wanted to take a moment to meet him. I went over and introduced myself. We chatted about V-Tach and my Kona slot and then I let him be. He was waiting to interview Belinda for the on-line race coverage. What an incredibly nice, down to earth guy he is.
The last person I met I had seen talking to Greg and hanging out at the finish for about 20 minutes before I met her. I was trying to be cool and not stare. It was right before Belinda came in and she had walked over and was now standing right next to me. Who was it? Freaking Paula Newby-Fraser! Christ! I was thinking I better introduce myself before it was too late and I lost my nerve. I calmly turned to her, put out my hand and said, “Hey Paula, great to meet you. My name is Stacy Taylor.” We chatted briefly and she was nice and told me congratulations on my lottery slot and wished me luck.
I had just met the Queen of Kona who won it eight times, the only woman to break 9 hours in an Ironman and who is arguably the best female athlete – ever. God, I love Ironman! For those who don’t realize how cool this is, it would be the equivalent of a roadie meeting Lance Armstrong or Eddie Myrxx, a baseball player to meet Babe Ruth or Willie Mays, a swimmer to meet (who was the guy that won all the medals at the Olympics – oh yeah, Mark Spitz), a golfer to meet Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus ok, you get the idea.
I went back to my team at bike taking and told them the news. They were excited and asked how the heck I got a job like that. I was in the right place at the right time, I said. I also headed back up to the Z tent to tell them and to get a couple things from my back pack. Damn, I was excited!
On my way back I got to see Annie staring her run. I screamed “Annie!! You go girl!” She looked really strong, and actually ended with about a 4 hour 20 minute marathon. She was flying!
When I got back to the finish, I retrieved a volunteer finisher wrist band and T-shirt as security was pretty tight. I was waiting for my shift to start in the platform when Dave Cascio came across the line. Most of the people who cross the line at Ironman need someone to lean on for a while. Dave was no exception.
A bigger volunteer guy took his left side and I was on the right. Dave said, “Stacy, hey Stacy”. He was a bit out of it, I must admit. We walked him to the food at the finish and I asked him if he wanted cookies, bananas or pizza. Dave said he wanted three cookies and water. If you know Dave, he is usually a pretty serious guy and takes his training and racing seriously. But to hear him say, “I want three cookies” like a little kid was great!
Within about 5-10 minutes of finishing, Dave was coming around and starting to analyze his race. He said he got a drafting penalty after a peloton passed him. Dave had major surgery on his left knee and had been rehabilitating for months, but he said his knee felt ok. As it turns out, he would have finished 2nd in his 45-49 age group without the drafting penalty. Bummer. Only when I knew he was ok, I left and went back to the finish.
It was time to go help Mike Reilly call Ironman finisher’s names. I climbed up the scaffolding with Sasha, the other volunteer. We had to jump right in, as people were constantly finishing. We didn’t even have time to introduce ourselves for about 10 or 15 minutes, it was so busy.
My first job was to point to the last finisher’s name on the screen of one laptop so that Mike could read it off. This was easy when there were only one, two or three people finishing. However, it got very difficult to track when there were 4, 5, 6, and 7 crossing at the same time. There was additional information such as where they are from, if this is their first Ironman, their age and job. When he had the time, he would call out some of that information as well.
The other job was to type the finishers numbers into another laptop that displayed their name and information about how many and which races they have completed before. There were some people who were completing their seventh, eight and ninth Lake Placid finishes.
I had probably been up there for about half an hour when I turned around to see who had just climbed up. You won’t freaking believe it – it was Paula! Holy shit – again! I was cool and kept working. It was after about 10 minutes I had the chance and I turned around calmly, waved and said “Hey Paula”. She waved back and said hi. She was up there for a long time and we didn’t have a chance to talk. I still can’t believe I was there with Paula and Mike Reilly. What an absolute privilege.
Around 10 or 1030pm, someone I didn't recognize climbed up into the scaffolding. She had braided pigtails and seemed to be looking for someone down below. I didn't know who she was until she was gone and Ollie told me it was Belinda Granger. I didn't recognize her with out sunglasses and her hair pulled back! My gosh, another crazy moment!
The finishers come in packs many times. There will be no one for 30 or 40 seconds, but sometimes it’s a flood gate. As the night goes on, it gets busier and busier. I saw Annie finish and I yelled for her, she finished with a kick ass time. I knew it was getting close to the time when Alisa would finish and I gave both Mike and Tom (Mike’s backup) Alisa’s bib number of 1999 so that they would make sure to say, “Alisa, You Are an Ironman”. When I saw her name pop up on the screen I went nuts. “Here she comes, Alisa! Bib 1999!” She may not have heard it, but we all did. She looked so happy has she finished and I was yelling her name and she looked up and waved. She looked tired, but very happy as well. We are all so proud of her and Annie.
The say the magic hour of Ironman finish is from 11-midnight, but in my opinion it is the entire time. However, there are some really inspirational finishes nearer to the end. There are two that stick in my mind. One thing to note, is that when the clock ticks closer to the end of an hour (like 13 hours, 14 hours) it gets really exciting. As the minutes wind down, Mike will announce, “10 minutes to go under 14 hours, 5 minutes to go under 14 hours, if you can hear my voice you are close enough to break 14 hours”. Gives you goose bumps. At Placid, the crowd first gets to see the finishers on the other side of the oval. From that point, they have about 40 seconds to make it to the finish. So, if there is less than a minute, you see people actually “sprint” to the finish.
While I was teary eyed a few times when some people finished, the first time I openly cried was the woman who came in just under 16 hours. She entered the oval with less than a minute left. The crowd went crazy, Mike was encouraging her that she could make it and she sprinted to the finish. I am trying to find her exact time and her name. That was so awesome. This woman had been racing her ass off since 7am, it was now 11pm and she was sprinting to the finish. If that doesn’t get to you, you are doing/watching the wrong sport!
The next time I cried, it was a gusher and came right at the end. It was around 1150pm, 10 minutes to midnight, 10 minutes for those left on the run course to become an Ironman! Mike was down at the finish, and a guy on a bike rode up to him really fast to tell him something. Mike then announced that there was a runner on the course that had a chance to finish by midnight. His race number was 2258 and his name was Tom.
At Placid, you can hear the finish from quite a distance away. Mike knew this and announced, “Tom, you have 10 minutes to finish. I know you can hear us, you can do it”. The crowd went crazy cheering for him. The minutes were ticking by….no Tom but we kept cheering and Mike kept talking to him. Now it was less than five minutes…. time was quickly running out. It must have been with about 4 minutes left that the crowd started chanting, “Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom…..” God it was awesome. We keep looking at the far side of the finish oval. We keep cheering and hoping and praying he will make it. The crowd is near a frenzy when some spotters on the far side start waving to us to let us know Tom is coming, he is right there! And then we see him. Holy crap, talk about insane. We are going crazy! Tom is moving it. He has been out there for 17 hours and he is running as as fast as he possibly can. He is coming around the oval - less than two minutes now. Here he comes around the last turn! Pandemonium is the rule here. He crosses the finish line and Mike says with so much emotion and excitement, “Tom, You.Are.An.Ironman!!!!! Simply the most inspiring moment I have ever witnessed in my life. Ollie and I were hugging and crying at the platform (I think even Tom in the platform got a bit teary eyed).
I have told this story a few times now, have cried twice and am teary eyed again while writing this. What a blubbering baby! I can only imagine what I will feel like after my first Ironman at Kona. WOW!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Colonial Beach Tri on my Cervelo P2SL
Overall Time: 2:20:26
Swim: 17.35.75 (6/16)
Bike: 1.10.13 (1/16)
Run: 49.26 (5/16)
Overall Place: 122/304
Women’s Place: 16/92
Age Group: 1/16
Disclaimers: This is a very small race with a total of 92 females and 304 people over all. This is also a short Oly with a 1k Swim (I heard it may have been even shorter), normal 40k bike, but the run was just 6 miles. Everyone goes the same distance regardless.
Tri Team Z’s cheering and support for all competitors was awesome! We had an amazing showing. See Shout Outs for acknowledgements at the end of the report.
My main goal in this race was to see what I could do on the bike with my new Cervelo P2SL. I didn't go into the race with a specific time in mind, but I wanted to "hammer" on the bike as much as I could (I have never hammered before, but I wanted to try :) I knew that this would probably hurt me on the run, but that was OK, because this race was about the bike, baby!
The Swim: I started out at the back of the women’s wave to help a fellow Z team member who was really, really nervous. I wanted to make sure she was OK. It was only when I felt she was going to be fine and after she said, "Stacy, it's ok, go ahead", that I went. I am glad I was there for her.
What a cluster f*** the start was! There wasn’t much space between the shore and the first buoy, so we were all funneled through a narrow area. It was the most crowded swim start I had experienced yet. I worked my way toward the outside and by the first turn, the field was starting to spread out. My swim time was 17.35.75.
T1: 1.35.60 nothing exciting to report here.
The Bike: Here we go! Usually I look most forward to the run, but today it was all about the bike. While most were expecting a flat bike course, we had Intel from Talia and Brian who rode the course the day before that there were some hills and false flats. I started out “fast” for me, and got into a groove. Then I just kept it up the entire 40k. I have never, ever gone as fast on my road bike. The Cervelo just flew and was close to 32 mph at least once (countered by 8.6mph on one of the uphills)! I had a blast, it was so much fun! My time was 1:10:13.
T2: 1.35.65, which was freakishly close to my T1 time. I did fumble around with tying one of my shoes. Oh Well.
The Run: This is a VERY flat out and back course, with very little shade. It was heating up by then and Gatorade would have been great, but they only had water at the aid stations (but there were plenty of them). While I felt pretty good for the first three miles, I began to fade after the turn around and the last two miles were really tough. Here was the payback for the bike. I played my usual mental games to keep myself going, including my favorite bike game where I tell myself, “the faster I go, the sooner I get done.” And, “It’s going to hurt anyway, but it will hurt for less time”! I was still happy with my finish time of 49:26.
While this may be the only time I come in first in my AG, I am very happy about as it was completely unexpected!
Shout Outs:
First and as always, Team Z was right there, providing their amazing support throughout the weekend and the race. All those cow bells, horns and the majority of cheering for ALL competitors at the turn to the finish was mostly due to Team Z. You guys all rock!
The “Toughest Guy of All Time Award” goes to Sebastian. He was in a bad bike crash during the race and not only did he finish the bike, but ran and finished the race as well. I saw him on the run and he couldn’t even move his left arm. We thought that he had dislocated his shoulder and may have needed surgery, but as it turns out his ok. What a stud! And thanks to Chris Wren for taking him to the hospital.
Grace, I knew you could do it! Just keep it up with training and racing – while it is never a piece of cake, it does get easier, I promise.
Manuela, Jenny, Ken and Robyn: Great job on your first Olympic distance race.
To all who raced (I can't possibly name everyone), I hope you had as much fun as I did. Thanks for your cheering also. We had a great showing and several individuals and relay teams won “software” in the form of a fleece blanket.
Ed, Talia and Brian – you are the glue that keeps us all together. Thanks so much for ALL that you do, day after day, week after week, race after race.
Last, but never least – to all those who aren’t racing, but come out to simply give their support – you are the bomb. It is amazing that no matter how crappy I feel at the end of a race, I find something inside that inspires me to sprint to the finish. THANK YOU!!!!!!
Swim: 17.35.75 (6/16)
Bike: 1.10.13 (1/16)
Run: 49.26 (5/16)
Overall Place: 122/304
Women’s Place: 16/92
Age Group: 1/16
Disclaimers: This is a very small race with a total of 92 females and 304 people over all. This is also a short Oly with a 1k Swim (I heard it may have been even shorter), normal 40k bike, but the run was just 6 miles. Everyone goes the same distance regardless.
Tri Team Z’s cheering and support for all competitors was awesome! We had an amazing showing. See Shout Outs for acknowledgements at the end of the report.
My main goal in this race was to see what I could do on the bike with my new Cervelo P2SL. I didn't go into the race with a specific time in mind, but I wanted to "hammer" on the bike as much as I could (I have never hammered before, but I wanted to try :) I knew that this would probably hurt me on the run, but that was OK, because this race was about the bike, baby!
The Swim: I started out at the back of the women’s wave to help a fellow Z team member who was really, really nervous. I wanted to make sure she was OK. It was only when I felt she was going to be fine and after she said, "Stacy, it's ok, go ahead", that I went. I am glad I was there for her.
What a cluster f*** the start was! There wasn’t much space between the shore and the first buoy, so we were all funneled through a narrow area. It was the most crowded swim start I had experienced yet. I worked my way toward the outside and by the first turn, the field was starting to spread out. My swim time was 17.35.75.
T1: 1.35.60 nothing exciting to report here.
The Bike: Here we go! Usually I look most forward to the run, but today it was all about the bike. While most were expecting a flat bike course, we had Intel from Talia and Brian who rode the course the day before that there were some hills and false flats. I started out “fast” for me, and got into a groove. Then I just kept it up the entire 40k. I have never, ever gone as fast on my road bike. The Cervelo just flew and was close to 32 mph at least once (countered by 8.6mph on one of the uphills)! I had a blast, it was so much fun! My time was 1:10:13.
T2: 1.35.65, which was freakishly close to my T1 time. I did fumble around with tying one of my shoes. Oh Well.
The Run: This is a VERY flat out and back course, with very little shade. It was heating up by then and Gatorade would have been great, but they only had water at the aid stations (but there were plenty of them). While I felt pretty good for the first three miles, I began to fade after the turn around and the last two miles were really tough. Here was the payback for the bike. I played my usual mental games to keep myself going, including my favorite bike game where I tell myself, “the faster I go, the sooner I get done.” And, “It’s going to hurt anyway, but it will hurt for less time”! I was still happy with my finish time of 49:26.
While this may be the only time I come in first in my AG, I am very happy about as it was completely unexpected!
Shout Outs:
First and as always, Team Z was right there, providing their amazing support throughout the weekend and the race. All those cow bells, horns and the majority of cheering for ALL competitors at the turn to the finish was mostly due to Team Z. You guys all rock!
The “Toughest Guy of All Time Award” goes to Sebastian. He was in a bad bike crash during the race and not only did he finish the bike, but ran and finished the race as well. I saw him on the run and he couldn’t even move his left arm. We thought that he had dislocated his shoulder and may have needed surgery, but as it turns out his ok. What a stud! And thanks to Chris Wren for taking him to the hospital.
Grace, I knew you could do it! Just keep it up with training and racing – while it is never a piece of cake, it does get easier, I promise.
Manuela, Jenny, Ken and Robyn: Great job on your first Olympic distance race.
To all who raced (I can't possibly name everyone), I hope you had as much fun as I did. Thanks for your cheering also. We had a great showing and several individuals and relay teams won “software” in the form of a fleece blanket.
Ed, Talia and Brian – you are the glue that keeps us all together. Thanks so much for ALL that you do, day after day, week after week, race after race.
Last, but never least – to all those who aren’t racing, but come out to simply give their support – you are the bomb. It is amazing that no matter how crappy I feel at the end of a race, I find something inside that inspires me to sprint to the finish. THANK YOU!!!!!!
Reflections on how I got into Triathlon
I was talking to some fellow Team Z members recently and told them how I got into triathlon. It was only last year when I really got hooked.
One day back in October or November of 2005, it hit me that next year in September of 2006 I was turning 40. At 39, I was overweight (about 25 pounds heavier than now) and while I ran fairly often and did spin classes, my diet was awful and I was just not in shape like I wanted to be. While you can't change your chronological age, you can change your mental/physical age. What was I going to do?
Well, Stacy being Stacy needed to think of something really challenging. I had no interest in anything crazy like skydiving, but wanted it to be something active and help me get into better shape at the same time. I had completed five marathons, so that really wasn’t going to do it. I thought about traveling, but that isn’t necessarily very active.
What to do? Hmmmm. I remembered that I had fun at a sprint tri I did in Colorado several years before (pool swim and rode my mountain bike). I run, I like spin class, I had done some mountain biking, but never any real swimming at all. I could do a few laps, that should be good enough to start. Yes, that was it – I would do a triathlon for my 40th! (My logic was non -existent during this thought process).
Which race would it be? I started my google search looking for something in the DC area. Some looked interesting and were very close, but remember, I am looking for very challenging. So, I found this race, you may have heard of it – Eagleman. It would be June of 2006. 7-8 months out.
I read through the website and keyed on the run distance – a half marathon. I saw the swim/bike distances, but didn’t really give them much thought at the time. Of course I can do a half marathon– sign me up!
That done, I didn’t give it much thought until a few days later when I went back and read more detail. Jesus, Stacy, what the hell have you done? A 1.2 mile swim – no way! A 56 mile bike! I didn’t even own a road bike (and never did before that). Well, you asked for it Stacy and you got it- challenging for sure. It wasn’t until race day did I realize what a big deal this race was, I was clueless.
You can read my race report on my blog, but suffice it to say, not only was it the hardest thing I had ever done in my life, but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cried tears of joy at the end when it hit me what I had just done – Happy 40th Birthday, Stacy!
One day back in October or November of 2005, it hit me that next year in September of 2006 I was turning 40. At 39, I was overweight (about 25 pounds heavier than now) and while I ran fairly often and did spin classes, my diet was awful and I was just not in shape like I wanted to be. While you can't change your chronological age, you can change your mental/physical age. What was I going to do?
Well, Stacy being Stacy needed to think of something really challenging. I had no interest in anything crazy like skydiving, but wanted it to be something active and help me get into better shape at the same time. I had completed five marathons, so that really wasn’t going to do it. I thought about traveling, but that isn’t necessarily very active.
What to do? Hmmmm. I remembered that I had fun at a sprint tri I did in Colorado several years before (pool swim and rode my mountain bike). I run, I like spin class, I had done some mountain biking, but never any real swimming at all. I could do a few laps, that should be good enough to start. Yes, that was it – I would do a triathlon for my 40th! (My logic was non -existent during this thought process).
Which race would it be? I started my google search looking for something in the DC area. Some looked interesting and were very close, but remember, I am looking for very challenging. So, I found this race, you may have heard of it – Eagleman. It would be June of 2006. 7-8 months out.
I read through the website and keyed on the run distance – a half marathon. I saw the swim/bike distances, but didn’t really give them much thought at the time. Of course I can do a half marathon– sign me up!
That done, I didn’t give it much thought until a few days later when I went back and read more detail. Jesus, Stacy, what the hell have you done? A 1.2 mile swim – no way! A 56 mile bike! I didn’t even own a road bike (and never did before that). Well, you asked for it Stacy and you got it- challenging for sure. It wasn’t until race day did I realize what a big deal this race was, I was clueless.
You can read my race report on my blog, but suffice it to say, not only was it the hardest thing I had ever done in my life, but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cried tears of joy at the end when it hit me what I had just done – Happy 40th Birthday, Stacy!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
My new best friend and first Tri Bike - Cervelo P2SL
Thanks to Bonzai Sports in Falls Church, VA for a great deal, I have my Cervelo P2SL Tri Bike for Kona. It's a mid priced model which is great for me. It is very pretty and very fast! I took it out for a four hour ride the other day. It will take some getting used to, as I have never rode a tri bike, but I love it! I will be spending many, many hours over the next 15.5 weeks on what I refer to as my new best friend!
Next race: Colonial Beach, VA Oly, July 15
Next race: Colonial Beach, VA Oly, July 15
Monday, June 25, 2007
Stacy Taylor, Lake Montclair Oly
Having done this race last year in 3:02, my goal was to break 3 hours, so I am happy with the day.
I was really pleased with my swim, which I completed in 36:16 (3 minutes faster than last year). Having gone to the swim clinic the day before, I realized for the first time (and it was blatantly obvious) that I was not following all the way through on my stroke. During the swim Sunday, I consciously thought of completing a full stroke and follow through the entire swim and it made a world of difference (I was of the school of thought that the faster you move your arms the faster you go - NOT)!
For ANYONE - slow, fast or in between, if you get the chance - get a video analysis done on your swim stroke. I have only been swimming about a year and half and never have had formal coaching of any kind, so the analysis was invaluable to me. Team Luna Chix and our own Mike Gillette and Katie Davidson made the experience well worth the time and worth way more than the $30.
Back to the race. T1 went well. The bike is a four loop (6 miles each). For whatever reason, I did about the same time as last year (1:20:25).
T2 was fine. There is a short doozy of a hill coming right out of transition until it levels out at the top on the way over the spillway. Then the fun begins – this is a very hilly run course (I must have blocked this out from last year). Up, down, up, up, up, down, up, up - ok you get the point. I finished in 51:14 (almost 4 minutes faster than last year).
Shout out to our fellow RATs who completed Montclair - David C (2nd place overall) Kevin K (3rd in his age group), Reid, Randall and Miro – and any others I missed – great job!
I was really pleased with my swim, which I completed in 36:16 (3 minutes faster than last year). Having gone to the swim clinic the day before, I realized for the first time (and it was blatantly obvious) that I was not following all the way through on my stroke. During the swim Sunday, I consciously thought of completing a full stroke and follow through the entire swim and it made a world of difference (I was of the school of thought that the faster you move your arms the faster you go - NOT)!
For ANYONE - slow, fast or in between, if you get the chance - get a video analysis done on your swim stroke. I have only been swimming about a year and half and never have had formal coaching of any kind, so the analysis was invaluable to me. Team Luna Chix and our own Mike Gillette and Katie Davidson made the experience well worth the time and worth way more than the $30.
Back to the race. T1 went well. The bike is a four loop (6 miles each). For whatever reason, I did about the same time as last year (1:20:25).
T2 was fine. There is a short doozy of a hill coming right out of transition until it levels out at the top on the way over the spillway. Then the fun begins – this is a very hilly run course (I must have blocked this out from last year). Up, down, up, up, up, down, up, up - ok you get the point. I finished in 51:14 (almost 4 minutes faster than last year).
Shout out to our fellow RATs who completed Montclair - David C (2nd place overall) Kevin K (3rd in his age group), Reid, Randall and Miro – and any others I missed – great job!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Summary of Triathlon finishes to date
Little Pepper Sprint (750m Swim or 15 laps; 14+ mile bike; 5k or 3.1 mile run)
June 17, 2007
Finish Time: 1:40:36
Swim: 19:12
T1: 1:47 (1st in my age group!)
Bike: 51:38
T2: 1:10 (1st in my age group!)
Run: 26:50
Comments: I am a slow swimmer and it showed here, but I am very happy with my transition times. This was the hardest, hilliest 5k I ever ran. Everyone had relatively slow 5k times, even for a sprint.
Eagleman Half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, Half marathon or 13.1 mile run)
June 10, 2007
Finish Time: 5:45:47
Swim: 40:27
Bike: 3:02:55
Run: 1:56:15
Comments: Awesome race, I took over 45 minutes off my time from last year and I got to see Natascha Badmann and Desiree Ficker battle it out on the bike!
Columbia Triathlon, Olympic (.93 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 10k or 6.2 mile run)
May 20, 2007
Finish Time: 3:03:31
Swim: 30:05
Bike: 1:33:55
Run: 54:46
Comments: Nice cool weather, hilly bike and run, but I had a blast!
White Lake Half Ironman (see above)
May 5, 2007
Finish Time: 5:53.01
Swim: 41:20
Bike: 3:10:20
Run: 1:56:29
Comments: Cool weather to start, no wind, warm 75 degree water and can you say very FLAT and FAST bike and run! Did I mention the course was FLAT? The last half of the run started to get very warm, but we were lucky this year as it is usually much hotter.
Odyssey Lake Anna Half Ironman (see above)
September 16, 2006
Finish Time: 5:44:22:70
Swim: 36:48.25
Bike: 3:03:54
Run: 1:59:32
Comments: Fairly small race. Nice cool weather, awesome warm water lake, mostly flat bike/run course. I was told by the race director that the swim was a bit short.
Naylor’s Beach Triathlon, Olympic (see above)
August 26, 2007
Finish Time: 3:03:50
Swim: 38:00
Bike: 1:26:15
Run: 55:30
Comments: Very low key, small race. Nice swim, flat bike and run (gets a bit warm on the run).
Eagleman Half Ironman (see above)
June 11, 2006
Finish Time: 6:33:51
Swim: 49:55
Bike: 3:16:06
Run: 2:14:16
Comments: This was my first real triathlon, I signed up to celebrate my 40th birthday last September. I did a very small pool swim sprint a few years ago, but I don’t really count that. I am a five time marathoner, so I thought, “Why not?” The water was rough, and the nettles were stinging, but I made it through. My transition times were embarrassingly slow, but I learned a lot from them. The bike was windy the whole way, no matter which way you turned. The greatest part of the bike was when Natasha Badmann passed me on her way back to T2 (I think I was just getting to mile 10)! I said to her, “You go, girl!” Very cool. The run course is flat, but can be hot. It wasn’t too bad today, but I was spent. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and willed myself to the finish. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but I fell in love with it right away! I now have a slot to the 2007 Ironman World Championship in Kona! I am excited, scared and humbled all at the same time.
June 17, 2007
Finish Time: 1:40:36
Swim: 19:12
T1: 1:47 (1st in my age group!)
Bike: 51:38
T2: 1:10 (1st in my age group!)
Run: 26:50
Comments: I am a slow swimmer and it showed here, but I am very happy with my transition times. This was the hardest, hilliest 5k I ever ran. Everyone had relatively slow 5k times, even for a sprint.
Eagleman Half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, Half marathon or 13.1 mile run)
June 10, 2007
Finish Time: 5:45:47
Swim: 40:27
Bike: 3:02:55
Run: 1:56:15
Comments: Awesome race, I took over 45 minutes off my time from last year and I got to see Natascha Badmann and Desiree Ficker battle it out on the bike!
Columbia Triathlon, Olympic (.93 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 10k or 6.2 mile run)
May 20, 2007
Finish Time: 3:03:31
Swim: 30:05
Bike: 1:33:55
Run: 54:46
Comments: Nice cool weather, hilly bike and run, but I had a blast!
White Lake Half Ironman (see above)
May 5, 2007
Finish Time: 5:53.01
Swim: 41:20
Bike: 3:10:20
Run: 1:56:29
Comments: Cool weather to start, no wind, warm 75 degree water and can you say very FLAT and FAST bike and run! Did I mention the course was FLAT? The last half of the run started to get very warm, but we were lucky this year as it is usually much hotter.
Odyssey Lake Anna Half Ironman (see above)
September 16, 2006
Finish Time: 5:44:22:70
Swim: 36:48.25
Bike: 3:03:54
Run: 1:59:32
Comments: Fairly small race. Nice cool weather, awesome warm water lake, mostly flat bike/run course. I was told by the race director that the swim was a bit short.
Naylor’s Beach Triathlon, Olympic (see above)
August 26, 2007
Finish Time: 3:03:50
Swim: 38:00
Bike: 1:26:15
Run: 55:30
Comments: Very low key, small race. Nice swim, flat bike and run (gets a bit warm on the run).
Eagleman Half Ironman (see above)
June 11, 2006
Finish Time: 6:33:51
Swim: 49:55
Bike: 3:16:06
Run: 2:14:16
Comments: This was my first real triathlon, I signed up to celebrate my 40th birthday last September. I did a very small pool swim sprint a few years ago, but I don’t really count that. I am a five time marathoner, so I thought, “Why not?” The water was rough, and the nettles were stinging, but I made it through. My transition times were embarrassingly slow, but I learned a lot from them. The bike was windy the whole way, no matter which way you turned. The greatest part of the bike was when Natasha Badmann passed me on her way back to T2 (I think I was just getting to mile 10)! I said to her, “You go, girl!” Very cool. The run course is flat, but can be hot. It wasn’t too bad today, but I was spent. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and willed myself to the finish. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but I fell in love with it right away! I now have a slot to the 2007 Ironman World Championship in Kona! I am excited, scared and humbled all at the same time.
Diagnosed with Ventricular Tachycardia - as was Greg Welch
I wanted to share an email I sent to Ironman winner and triathlon legend, Greg Welch. We shared a common heart condition. He did reply to me, but I don't have permission from him to publish his response, but I will share the email I sent to him.
Greg,
I am new to the sport of triathlon, competing in my first "real" triathlon at Eagleman Half Ironman in 2006. I did a very small sprint tri a few years ago, but became "hooked" on triathon last year and have done five more since (including two more half-irons). My biggest news is that I won a lottery slot to Kona this year. Being a middle of the pack age-grouper, I'm extremely scared, excited and humbled all at the same time.
My reason for writing though, is because I too was diagnosed with Ventricular Tachycardia seven years ago at the age of 33. I just read in the latest edition of Inside Triathlon that you too experienced V-Tach, which was a factor in your retirement. I know however (and have seen you host many, many events) that you still remain a positive and well-known face and voice for the sport.
While living and training for one of my five marathons in Colorado, I first felt the systems of V-Tach on one of my long runs. You know the symptoms: pounding chest and head, dizziness, excessive sweating. They hit you so suddenly, and then they go away. It happened to me next in a half marathon race and then a couple other times afterward. I knew something was wrong. I first saw a very young doctor who asked me questions about my stress level, if I have panic attacks etc. I told him I had no issues there, but as a long distance athlete who was attune to how my body should feel, I told him I knew there was something wrong. Thank god he believed me and didn't just put me on medication for stress.
He gave me a Holter Monitor, which I wore for 24 hours. I was to follow my normal routine, including any exercise I had scheduled. I was doing a run on the treadmill and felt the symptoms while wearing the monitor. After the 24 hours, I returned the monitor and waited for the results. I remember it was a Friday evening around 7pm when the cardiologist himself called and his first question was, "Are you feeling OK" Well, yes, I replied, I am fine. Why?" He then tried to explain the best he could in layman's terms about my condition. I remember hearing him say things like, "electrical connection", "240 beats a minute", "right ventricle", "maybe genetic". I had no idea what he was talking about at the time, but I knew this was serious, there was something really wrong with my heart. But I felt fine right now, how bad could this be?
I don't have to tell you. I was told that I would have an ablation, where I remained awake the whole time. The procedure was the most unpleasant experience of my life. The only way the doctors could get me into V-Tach to find the place in my heart where the problem resided, was to pump me with an incredible amount of caffeine. They even had me put my hand in ice cold water. How primitive is that?
Well, I guess I was a lucky one; they fixed the problem and I have been fine since. There was a time about four years ago while living in Florida during a run that I thought I felt the symptoms again and immediately went to the cardiologist. He had me wear the Holter Monitor, but there was no indication of V-Tach at that time.
When I first diagnosed with V-Tach, the doctors told me that if I didn't have such a strong heart from running, I probably would have had a heart attack and died. They also told me that if the ablation didn't work, I would probably have to get a pace maker for the rest of my life. Jesus, there I was at 33 years old, hanging out in cardiac wards with really, really old people and talking with doctors about pacemakers. What a life changing experience that was.
This is why running (and now triathlon) is still such an important part of my life. Having a strong heart literally saved my life. I just wanted to share my story with you, as I know you understand and I have never met anyone else that experienced it. It will be a privilege to race at Kona, in the same place as legends such as you have competed and won. I really enjoyed watching the 25th ESPN Anniversary show that you hosted with Bob Babbitt, which featured your win at Kona. I will think of you throughout the race, but particularly on the run and through the "pit" where you really kicked ass. You are a legend and an inspiration, Greg.
Greg,
I am new to the sport of triathlon, competing in my first "real" triathlon at Eagleman Half Ironman in 2006. I did a very small sprint tri a few years ago, but became "hooked" on triathon last year and have done five more since (including two more half-irons). My biggest news is that I won a lottery slot to Kona this year. Being a middle of the pack age-grouper, I'm extremely scared, excited and humbled all at the same time.
My reason for writing though, is because I too was diagnosed with Ventricular Tachycardia seven years ago at the age of 33. I just read in the latest edition of Inside Triathlon that you too experienced V-Tach, which was a factor in your retirement. I know however (and have seen you host many, many events) that you still remain a positive and well-known face and voice for the sport.
While living and training for one of my five marathons in Colorado, I first felt the systems of V-Tach on one of my long runs. You know the symptoms: pounding chest and head, dizziness, excessive sweating. They hit you so suddenly, and then they go away. It happened to me next in a half marathon race and then a couple other times afterward. I knew something was wrong. I first saw a very young doctor who asked me questions about my stress level, if I have panic attacks etc. I told him I had no issues there, but as a long distance athlete who was attune to how my body should feel, I told him I knew there was something wrong. Thank god he believed me and didn't just put me on medication for stress.
He gave me a Holter Monitor, which I wore for 24 hours. I was to follow my normal routine, including any exercise I had scheduled. I was doing a run on the treadmill and felt the symptoms while wearing the monitor. After the 24 hours, I returned the monitor and waited for the results. I remember it was a Friday evening around 7pm when the cardiologist himself called and his first question was, "Are you feeling OK" Well, yes, I replied, I am fine. Why?" He then tried to explain the best he could in layman's terms about my condition. I remember hearing him say things like, "electrical connection", "240 beats a minute", "right ventricle", "maybe genetic". I had no idea what he was talking about at the time, but I knew this was serious, there was something really wrong with my heart. But I felt fine right now, how bad could this be?
I don't have to tell you. I was told that I would have an ablation, where I remained awake the whole time. The procedure was the most unpleasant experience of my life. The only way the doctors could get me into V-Tach to find the place in my heart where the problem resided, was to pump me with an incredible amount of caffeine. They even had me put my hand in ice cold water. How primitive is that?
Well, I guess I was a lucky one; they fixed the problem and I have been fine since. There was a time about four years ago while living in Florida during a run that I thought I felt the symptoms again and immediately went to the cardiologist. He had me wear the Holter Monitor, but there was no indication of V-Tach at that time.
When I first diagnosed with V-Tach, the doctors told me that if I didn't have such a strong heart from running, I probably would have had a heart attack and died. They also told me that if the ablation didn't work, I would probably have to get a pace maker for the rest of my life. Jesus, there I was at 33 years old, hanging out in cardiac wards with really, really old people and talking with doctors about pacemakers. What a life changing experience that was.
This is why running (and now triathlon) is still such an important part of my life. Having a strong heart literally saved my life. I just wanted to share my story with you, as I know you understand and I have never met anyone else that experienced it. It will be a privilege to race at Kona, in the same place as legends such as you have competed and won. I really enjoyed watching the 25th ESPN Anniversary show that you hosted with Bob Babbitt, which featured your win at Kona. I will think of you throughout the race, but particularly on the run and through the "pit" where you really kicked ass. You are a legend and an inspiration, Greg.
Little Pepper Sprint - I came in 1st (for T1 and T2)
Ok, not for a full race, but at a the Little Pepper sprint yesterday, I came in first in my age group for T1 and T2. I am so excited! And this helps make up for the fact that I am a relatively slow swimmer, which doesn't bode well in a sprint tri! I ended up with a respectable time of 1:40:36. The bike was good, but this was the hardest 5k I ever ran and my time of 26:50 refelects that. The course was very hilly and it was getting very hot. The sprint course in Culpeper on August 5 is supposed to be much better - which is great for my daughter Lindsey who will be doing her first tri! WoooooHooooo!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Race Report - Eagleman Half Iron, 10 June 2007
Eagleman. My validation race for Kona! I was excited all week as I had been looking forward to doing this race again since last year. What was so cool about this year is that three of the pros were at Sailwinds on Saturday. I got a chance to talk to Natascha Badmaan for a few minutes. She is genuinely a nice person. I told her to win one more at Kona and do it for us 40 year olds! She said she is trying and from her world record time at Eagleman on Sunday - she could do it. I chatted with Desiree Ficker as well. I also met coach Troy Jacobson of Spinervals (what a hottie he is)!
Race Day: The temperature was cool, it was overcast and the water was as calm as it can be on the Choptank - it was going to be a fast day for everyone. On Saturday afternoon, the winds had been blowing 10-20 mph and there were whitecaps on the water. Thankfully, by Sunday morning, it was much, much calmer.
The Swim: I hadn’t been nervous all morning until it was time to put on my wetsuit (then it hit me, like BAM!) By the time I got into the water though, I wasn’t really nervous anymore – and surprisingly calm. I noticed the same thing at Columbia as well. I was in the 40-44 age group, which was the largest women's and men's age groups of the day. There were 91 of us and when the gun went off , I never felt crowded or got kicked or hit. There were yellow buoys that were easy to sight leading out to the orange turn around buoy. It took quite a while to get out there, but when we turned back, the current was practically pushing us along. It was awesome and a much better experience than last year – and no stinging nettles! I was very happy with my swim and finished in 40:27 (I swam over 49 minutes last year).
The Bike: It is always a relief to get out of the water. T1 went well and I was off on the bike. There was practically no wind this year, which was another major improvement over last year. I saw the guy who won – there was no one else even close. At about mile 10, I saw Desiree on the bike in first. Guess who was right behind her? Yup – Natascha. She was very close to passing Desiree at this point. They were really battling it out – it was awesome to see!
Going 56 miles on a flat course is hard, but at least there were several turns, which helps break up the monotony of the ride. The major change I made on the bike for the first time was that I kept it on my small chain ring the entire way. Jeez, why hadn’t I thought of this before? You learn something new at every race, I swear. I ended up with an average of 18.3 mph for the bike, which was one mile per hour faster than last year. I finished in 3:02:55, (I did 3:16 last year). The wind had picked up a bit on the way back to Cambridge and I was really glad to be off that bike though, because now it was time to run!
The Run: The bricks I have done over the past year have really paid off. While I wasn’t into my real groove until about mile one, I didn’t have the pain and discomfort that I had last year. It really was a completely different race. I was feeling pretty good until about mile 8. Then I slowed, but just kept moving. I saw Tony out there and we gave each other a hug. One of the best parts of the run is that I saw Dave Rozelle – the Army guy from Kona last year who lost a leg in Iraq. As I passed I said, “Dave Rozelle – you rock!” he said thanks and we high fived each other – so very cool. The last five miles of the run were very tough, but the sky was overcast which saved everyone’s butt. I finished the run in a time of 1:56:15 (I finished the run in 2:14 last year).
I couldn’t be happier. I finished Eagleman last year in 6:33 and on Sunday I finished in 5:45:47. The conditions played a huge role, but I can tell that my training has paid off as well. I still have much training to do. 17.5 weeks to Kona! Yikes!
Race Day: The temperature was cool, it was overcast and the water was as calm as it can be on the Choptank - it was going to be a fast day for everyone. On Saturday afternoon, the winds had been blowing 10-20 mph and there were whitecaps on the water. Thankfully, by Sunday morning, it was much, much calmer.
The Swim: I hadn’t been nervous all morning until it was time to put on my wetsuit (then it hit me, like BAM!) By the time I got into the water though, I wasn’t really nervous anymore – and surprisingly calm. I noticed the same thing at Columbia as well. I was in the 40-44 age group, which was the largest women's and men's age groups of the day. There were 91 of us and when the gun went off , I never felt crowded or got kicked or hit. There were yellow buoys that were easy to sight leading out to the orange turn around buoy. It took quite a while to get out there, but when we turned back, the current was practically pushing us along. It was awesome and a much better experience than last year – and no stinging nettles! I was very happy with my swim and finished in 40:27 (I swam over 49 minutes last year).
The Bike: It is always a relief to get out of the water. T1 went well and I was off on the bike. There was practically no wind this year, which was another major improvement over last year. I saw the guy who won – there was no one else even close. At about mile 10, I saw Desiree on the bike in first. Guess who was right behind her? Yup – Natascha. She was very close to passing Desiree at this point. They were really battling it out – it was awesome to see!
Going 56 miles on a flat course is hard, but at least there were several turns, which helps break up the monotony of the ride. The major change I made on the bike for the first time was that I kept it on my small chain ring the entire way. Jeez, why hadn’t I thought of this before? You learn something new at every race, I swear. I ended up with an average of 18.3 mph for the bike, which was one mile per hour faster than last year. I finished in 3:02:55, (I did 3:16 last year). The wind had picked up a bit on the way back to Cambridge and I was really glad to be off that bike though, because now it was time to run!
The Run: The bricks I have done over the past year have really paid off. While I wasn’t into my real groove until about mile one, I didn’t have the pain and discomfort that I had last year. It really was a completely different race. I was feeling pretty good until about mile 8. Then I slowed, but just kept moving. I saw Tony out there and we gave each other a hug. One of the best parts of the run is that I saw Dave Rozelle – the Army guy from Kona last year who lost a leg in Iraq. As I passed I said, “Dave Rozelle – you rock!” he said thanks and we high fived each other – so very cool. The last five miles of the run were very tough, but the sky was overcast which saved everyone’s butt. I finished the run in a time of 1:56:15 (I finished the run in 2:14 last year).
I couldn’t be happier. I finished Eagleman last year in 6:33 and on Sunday I finished in 5:45:47. The conditions played a huge role, but I can tell that my training has paid off as well. I still have much training to do. 17.5 weeks to Kona! Yikes!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Stacy Taylor - Kona bound, 2007 lottery winner: Hawaii Ford Ironman Triathlon World Championship Triathlon - 19 Weeks and counting
Having found out about my lottery slot in April, I have decided to start a blog to share my journey to the Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii on October 13, 2007. For those who don't know what that is, it is the Super Bowl of triathlons. 1600 of the 1800 are the best triathletes in the world. Most of the other 200 are mere mortals like me. We are average, everyday people who do triathlons, but we also have regular jobs like everyone else.
The race takes place on the big island of Hawaii. The swim is 2.4 miles in Kailua Bay. The bike is 112 miles along the Queen K highway through mostly lava fields to the turnaround at Hawi. Then, I get to run a marathon - 26.2 miles!
I am excited, scared, humbled, inspired, awed - you name it, I feel it! What an incredible opportunity!
I was told about my lottery slot on April 13 on ABC 7 news here in the DC area. I was in complete shock and I was crying - it was so embarrasing! I will be uploading the news piece, as many people have been asking to see it.
The quote, "Be careful what you wish for" has been coming to mind lately. Warning! If you are lucky enough to get a lottery slot, you need to prepare financially. Within the last month alone, I have paid out about $4400 for the entry fee, air fare, condo and car rental for 10 days. Ouch! I don't even have enough money to pay all my rent this month!
The race takes place on the big island of Hawaii. The swim is 2.4 miles in Kailua Bay. The bike is 112 miles along the Queen K highway through mostly lava fields to the turnaround at Hawi. Then, I get to run a marathon - 26.2 miles!
I am excited, scared, humbled, inspired, awed - you name it, I feel it! What an incredible opportunity!
I was told about my lottery slot on April 13 on ABC 7 news here in the DC area. I was in complete shock and I was crying - it was so embarrasing! I will be uploading the news piece, as many people have been asking to see it.
The quote, "Be careful what you wish for" has been coming to mind lately. Warning! If you are lucky enough to get a lottery slot, you need to prepare financially. Within the last month alone, I have paid out about $4400 for the entry fee, air fare, condo and car rental for 10 days. Ouch! I don't even have enough money to pay all my rent this month!
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