2014 fitness goals (so far)

Although I have deliberately not been actively training for any goals as of late, I do in fact have several lined up for later in the year.

1. SPRINT TRIATHLON WITH KARIN

Karin has been wanting to train for and complete a sprint tri for a while now.  A typical sprint tri is usually about a half-mile swim, a 12-15 mile bike, and a 5k run.  We were planning to do one in Wisconsin last September (which, by the way, brings up a whole mess of logistical issues involving the cost and trouble of transporting or otherwise procuring a bicycle for a race thousands of miles from home.)  It didn't happen because of scheduling conflicts, but we still want to do one, so we are planning to do one within driving distance later in the year.  We are considering one in Flagstaff (http://www.mountainmanevents.com/mountainmantriathlon.htm), which would be beautiful and fun, but the altitude is a bit daunting.  Or perhaps San Diego, which is also beautiful and fun, but, I feel, also a bit daunting, due to the fact that San Diego is kind of the birthplace of triathlon and as such has a huge, serious, competitive triathlon community.

2.OLYMPIC TRIATHLON
 
This would be so fun to train for!  It is long enough to be a serious challenge (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6 mile run), and it would involve the same types of workouts as Ironman training, but it wouldn't take over my life.  I love the idea of working harder in a shorter time for a change, rather than going easier for longer.  Although I repeatedly thought during Ironman training about how "easy" training for any running event would seem in comparison (All I have to do is RUN?!), the truth is I love the variety of triathlon training and I know the cross training is really good for correcting muscle imbalances and having well-rounded strength and fitness.

3. HALF MARATHONS

Yep, that is plural!  I love half marathons!  It is a great distance to train for and race!  I want to do at least 2 this year.  I would love to do one just to get back into it, and also do one to try and PR (beat my Personal Record).  I may do another one as part of my marathon training...which leads me to...

4. MARATHON

In all honesty I truly believed my marathon at the end of Ironman would be faster than my first marathon last February.  I was so under-trained for the first marathon, and had no idea what to expect (what to expect, it turns out, is a lot of pain.)  I felt so much more fit going into the Ironman (duh!).  But alas, apparently the 9 hours of exercise prior to the marathon that day wore me out a bit, and I did not beat my stand-alone marathon time.  But I know for a fact that with proper training I can blow that first 5 hour marathon out of the water, and I fully intend to do that.  So I am planning to do a fall marathon (www.portlandmarathon.org), which allows me plenty of time to get into decent general shape, and then plenty of time to do a full marathon-specific training program.

I will begin training for all of these when we get back from Laos in March, and I am very excited about it.  Clearly I am the kind of person who needs concrete goals to stay in shape.

For now, I am still just training to fit into my pants.

Lightening my load

It's ironic that, just when I start posting again, I will be leaving in a week for a month-long trip to Laos.  The timing of the trip actually affects my recent unhealthy lifestyle in a couple of ways.

First of all, Karin and I started planning this trip before Ironman, so I knew we would be gone for the month of February.  Because of that, all of my upcoming fitness goals--triathlons, half-marathons and marathons--are in the fairly distant future; so I had nothing pressing to compel me to jump back into a training regimen anytime soon after Ironman.

Secondly, The closer we get to our departure for Laos the more imperative it becomes for me to shed some pounds and regain some fitness.  For one thing, our plans in Laos include some very challenging hiking.  But more importantly, when Karin and I travel long-term, we live out of a backpack.  That means we pack about 3 shirts, a pair of shorts or capris, and maybe a pair of pants.  What that means is: My clothes have to fit!  I don't have a lot of options on the road, so I have to be comfortable in the few clothes I bring.

When Karin and I went to Nepal in 2012 I gained some weight before the trip.  I wasn't too concerned because we would be hiking 5-8 hours a day in Nepal, so I knew the extra weight would come off fairly quickly.  The problem is, since we were carrying everything on our backs for those hours of hiking, I brought 1 pair of hiking pants.  I tried them on in the hotel in Kathmandu the night before we started our hike, and I could barely button them!  And when I did get them buttoned there were love handles flopping over the waistband, the crotch of the pants was all up in my business, and the butt was like one of those food-saver bags after all the air has been sucked out of it.  I was up half the night, stressed and near tears wondering how on earth I was going to wear those pants, much less hike in them!

Fortunately, they did loosen up within a couple days, and by the end of the trip they were a bit baggy!  But man the first couple days sucked!

(Day 1) Holy tight pants, Batman!

(Day 20-something) Aaaahhhh, a little breathing room!

I actually had the reverse happen on a trip to Burma and Thailand in 2009.  When I left for Burma I was in great shape.  The one pair of capris I brought on that trip were a size 6, and they fit.  But after about a week in Thailand, with my days full of spring rolls, pad thai and Thai pancakes, I could not even button the capris on the plane ride home!  (The 18 HOUR plane ride home!)

So, having experienced the discomfort of limited-wardrobe-travel when that limited wardrobe does not quite fit, I am determined to lose at least a few pounds so I will be comfortable in the few things I bring with me to Laos.  To this end, I have put Karin and myself on a diet-and-exercise plan for the next week.

I have actually been exercising very consistently since the beginning of the year.  I exercise at least 4 days a week.  But of course, that is exercise like a regular person--40 minutes or so of running or intervals, or the occasional 2 hour hike.  Nothing compared to Ironman training.  Which means I can no longer consume Ironman calories!  So far the diet has been the missing link.  I have been eating a decent amount of fruits and veggies, but that is in addition to, rather than instead of an obscene amount of junk.

So far we have both been very successful on our "diet" (diet is a dirty word--really it is just mindful, very healthy eating).

It has been 14 hours.

The exact same weight

Yesterday I went to the doctor.  Karin and I are going to Southeast Asia for a month and I need anti-malarial meds.  So, naturally, they weighed me at the doctor's office.  I weighed 150 pounds. Sad? Yes. Shocking? Well, no; I have a scale at home.

When the physician's assistant went over my vitals and my chart, she said, "Well, your weight has not changed at all since you were here last year!  It's exactly the same."  (The last time I was there was last February, to get the stitches removed from my upper lip.)  But she said it like it was a good thing.  After all, I am 35; that age when one's metabolism slows down and women naturally lose muscle and gain fat if they are not careful.  And 150 pounds, at my height (5 ft. 8 in.) is actually a perfectly healthy weight.  So to someone who doesn't know me and sees me once a year, I am sure I seem healthy and consistent and should be downright proud to maintain the exact same weight year after year.

But the fact is that a few months ago I was in the best shape of my life!  I was 139 pounds of mostly muscle; just a few short months ago!  But they don't know that!  They see me at 150 in February of 2013.  And 150 in January of 2014.  And they see someone who is pretty healthy and, clearly, very consistent!  But in between those two weigh-ins, I DID AN IRONMAN!

But as far as my medical records and my pants are concerned, it's as if it never happened.

Still talking about Running Shoes

Karin is confounded.  And not happy.  Once I found my "perfect shoe" last spring (in fact, two perfect pairs, which I alternated during training) she assumed she would be free of the constant chatter and internet browsing relating to running shoes.  Especially since I barely ran in the month and a half following Ironman, she assumed the deluge of repetitive running shoe discussion was a thing of the past.  So imagine her despair to discover that, 2 months post-Ironman, with no real training going on, and what passes for recreational running barely playing a role in my daily life, the constant shopping, comparing, selecting, purchasing, returning and analysis of my next running shoe is still happening!

Most recently, on a lark, I tried on a pair of Brooks Pure Cadence from a clearance rack.  They were a half size too small, but the Brooks website had them on end-of-the-year clearance for a killer deal, so I ordered them in my size.

I loved them for a minute, but after a few miles they turned out to be a bit narrow and have too much arch support.

So back they went and the search began anew.  Which led me to the Men's version of the Brook's Pure Flow.

They are WAY BRIGHTER in real life than in this picture!

On the website they looked like the color of pumpkin.  When I got them in the mail they were neon orange.  And because I wear a size 10 (8 1/2 men's), between the giant size and the crazy color they seriously resembled clown shoes!  Thus began the multi-day should-I-keep-them-or-return-them debate.  A debate that, surprisingly, does not fascinate innocent bystanders as it does me. Though I am less than thrilled with the color, the shoes are so comfy, so, mostly to save my relationship, I decided to shut up and keep them.  (My relationship survived Ironman training; I will not destroy it with running shoe obsession!)

These new shoes should last me at least 4-5 months; so Karin, and the world at large, should be safe from my running-shoe-obsession till then.

(Just a note...When Karin met me, I owned 1 pair of athletic shoes.  They were  a $25 pair of Spalding "running" shoes.  I wore them for everything.  Running, going to the gym, hiking.  Today I have 3 pairs of road running shoes, 2 pairs of trail running shoes, and 2 pairs of hiking shoes!)

My current line-up of athletic shoes!

Back to Basics

For those of you who occasionally still check this blog in the hopes of finding more stories of botched training attempts or the brilliant insights that only come after mile 18 of a run or mile 60 of a bike ride, you may be in luck.

It turns out that, even after a year of training and the completion of an Ironman, it remains very, very true that IF YOU DON'T USE IT, YOU LOSE IT!  (To be clear: what you lose is fitness. What you do not lose is weight.)

Several months ago I was the kind of person who sent actual texts like this: "I may be a few minutes late for our 4 mile hike because I have to finish my 13 mile run first."

Now I am the kind of person who eats this

after work and then, shockingly, finds it difficult to get off the couch and work out.  (Full disclosure: I ate several of the donuts on the 10 minute drive home from Panda Express!!!)

The new me feels like a magician's assistant during the trick where the magician saws me in half, but instead of a saw he is using the waistband of my pants to cut me in half.

Yes, I have gained a few pounds.  For reference, "a few" means 10.  When I did the Ironman I weighed 139 pounds.  When I did the marathon last February I weighed 148.  So I actually weigh about the same as I did at this time last year.  But once you have been Iron Fit, going back to how you used to be feels worse than it did the first time around.  Not that that fact gets me off the couch or pries the 2nd king size candy bar out of my hand.

In the weeks leading up to Ironman I was very healthy.  I ate very few sweets, drank very, very little alcohol, and the week prior I cut way back on caffeine.  It wasn't hard to motivate myself because I knew how much it would matter come race day; and I had been training for a year so I wasn't going to blow it in the last few weeks!  But I told myself that after Ironman I would let myself indulge without guilt.  I imagined that would be for a week or so.

It has been 2 months.

I was also looking forward to working out "however and whenever" I want.  For the first month and a half after Ironman, that turned out to be "not at all."

I remember in the beginning of my Ironman base training it was hard to make myself do all my scheduled workouts, but I managed to get in most of them, because I had a 140.6 mile day hanging over my head.  It turns out, without that hanging over my head...I just don't get out the door.  I think I will.  I plan to.  I eat like I am going to work out a lot.  But it just wasn't actually happening.

At least now I am back on the workout wagon (though in an extremely abbreviated form thus far) but it has been harder to get off the junk food wagon.

For example, this is a sneak peak at my backpack right now

Really that sums it up perfectly! An Ironman full of candy!

The cost of Ironman

We already know the entry fee for Ironman AZ, $700, is a ridiculous amount.  But that is just the beginning.  The cost of equipment, gear, nutrition and lost wages during training really adds up. And my endeavor was cheaper than it is for most competitors, since I didn't have to pay airfare, hotel, or bike shipping, as most people do.  I was fortunate to receive many necessities as gifts, which I will separate accordingly, but include in the total, so you can see the real cost of this endeavor.  Here is the rundown on what it cost me to become an Ironman.

MY COSTS:

ENTRY FEE....................................................................................$ 700
BIKE (my half).................................................................................$ 800
BIKE WATER BOTTLES (including one between aero bars)...............$ 55
BIKE SHORTS (3 pairs)....................................................................$ 150
BIKE SADDLE.................................................................................$ 120
HELMET..........................................................................................$ 80
SUNGLASSES (2 identical pairs-because I stepped on the 1st one)........$ 60
GLOVES...........................................................................................$ 10
SPARE TUBES & CO2 CARTRIDGES..............................................$ 100 (conservatively!)
REPLACEMENT ..............................................................................$ 30
BIKE CLEANERS & TOOLS.............................................................$ 60
BIKE COMPUTER............................................................................$ 25
SWIMSUITS (4)................................................................................$ 130
GOGGLES........................................................................................$ 45
GYM MEMBERSHIP (for pool, 1 year)..............................................$ 360
RUNNING SHOES (2 pairs)...............................................................$ 150
NUTRITION (fuel specifically for long rides/runs)................................$ 500
SUNBLOCK......................................................................................$ 100 (conservatively!)
GIFT BAGS/DRINKS/NOISEMAKERS ETC.
            FOR AWESOME IRONFANS.................................................$ 300
RUNNING CLOTHES........................................................................$ 100

MY TOTAL COSTS...........................................................................$ 3,875

LOST WAGES...................................................................................$ 2,000
(time off for race week and worked less shifts to have time/energy for training)


THINGS I RECEIVED AS GIFTS:

WET SUIT.........................................................................................$ 100
BIKE TRAINER.................................................................................$ 250
BIKE JERSEYS (3).............................................................................$ 100
GOGGLES (1st pair-lasted 8 months!)...................................................$ 30
SWIMSUIT (1-lasted almost 3 months).................................................$ 45
SWIM GEAR AND GYM BAG............................................................$ 40
SUNGLASSES+GLOVES....................................................................$ 50
RUNNING SHOES (1 pair)..................................................................$ 100
BIKE ("sponsorship" from parents!)......................................................$ 750
RUNNING SHORTS...........................................................................$ 55
COMPRESSION SOCKS.....................................................................$ 40

TOTAL RECEIVED AS GIFTS............................................................$ 1,560


TOTAL COST OF BECOMING AN IRONMAN       $ 7, 435.00 

IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!

IMAZ Race Report: Part 3

I was soooooo happy to be off that bike!  But I was even happier to discover that even with the exhaustion, the sore feet and the aching quads...I was ready to run!  Not just ready, but as excited as I thought I would be!  Suddenly I had a ton of energy, and I had to keep slowing myself down during the first few miles so that I didn't burn out half way through the marathon!

Heading out of transition to start the run!  I was so excited, I clapped my hands and
yelled, "Yay, I'm running!"

I felt great, and fell into a roughly 9:30 pace, which felt easy.  I had to tell myself that what feels "easy" at mile 2 feels like death at mile 20, so I consciously tried to back off.  But it was hard to slow down too much without feeling like I was plodding.  The first loop went by pretty fast.  There were tons of people on the south side of the lake, including, of course, my fantastic Ironfans!

Megan and Tyler

Ironfan BASE CAMP!

Damn Right!  That was my race strategy!

Sisters.

Group shot.  They all came to SEE ME!  I am the LUCKIEST Ironman ever!

Tiny Ironfan!

My nieces and nephew!

Including Ironfans who live far away
but were there in spirit...

Karin's nieces (like my own)

Karin got signs made from the pics of people
who couldn't be there and lined the course with
them!!!!!!

I even had a K9 Ironfan!  Riley supports me in all
that I do!

Awaiting my arrival...

Those balloons have my face and number on them!  Another
amazing touch by my #1 Ironfan, Karin!

Waving to my fans.  I was absolutely
dumbfounded by the amazing show
of support!

Once I crossed over to the north side though, it got pretty lonely.  A little more than halfway through the first loop it got dark.  But I kept up a good pace for that whole loop and I got a ton of "Good pace!" cheers.  I couldn't tell who was on their first lap and who was on their second, but I was just passing people left and right.  The race bibs have our names on them, so before it got dark I got a ton of people cheering for me by name, shouting "Good job, Kari!" and "Go Kari!"  Wow, what a boost!  I was silently thanking the Ironman organizers for implementing the stroke of genius to put our names on the bibs.  I also had people cheering me on by my number, #837, and one guy who said, "Good job, blue shoes green socks girl!"  I stopped a few times; once for the bathroom, once to apply some body glide to my toe where I felt a blister forming, and once to have some awesome volunteers rub pain relief cream into my aching shoulders.  Those stops slowed be down a bit, but I still felt pretty good, and I finished the first half of the marathon right on target, in 2:17. I was thrilled with my time and anticipating a 9 pm finish.

That's when the wheels started to fall off.  It was almost like a switch was flipped.  I had told myself that I would run the whole first half, if humanly possible, then I would allow myself to walk through aid stations or if I really needed to at some points.  At 14 miles I started to get a side cramp.  I ran through it as long as I could, then I finally had to stop and walk for a minute to breathe it out.  Unfortunately, this pattern would continue for most of the second lap.  I walked for a minute or 2 of almost every mile between miles 14-23.  I would make myself run for as long as I could bear it, then I would walk and breathe deeply and slowly, but as soon as my Garmin showed my pace had slipped to 13 minute miles, I had to start running again.  My quads were like lead by then, and it finally occurred to me to stop and stretch them at one point, which helped immensely. By mile 20 I felt like I was shuffling.  It was very familiar pain; exactly like my marathon in February, but in this case it started a little earlier, what with me having biked 112 miles immediately prior to the run.  I started to get ravenously hungry around mile 18, but with my side cramp issues, I was afraid to eat too much.  I also started to get really tired.  I was actually yawning a lot, and I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep.  So I started drinking the Cola they offered at every aid station, desperate for the sugar and caffeine.  I also ate lots of potato chips and cookies!  Best things ever!  They offer all sorts of things at the aid station (including warm, salty chicken broth, of which I partook) based on the theory that after going all day, you have no idea what your body is going to want.  It's ironic, because I so finely tuned my bike nutrition strategy, and yet my run nutrition strategy was always "Whatever my body wants!" because you just have no idea.

When I came back around to where my Ironfans were, I was greeted by the best surprise ever! They had lined up on both sides of the path, and when I approached...THEY DID THE WAVE! Have you ever been struggling through the 11th hour of an Ironman and had people do the wave just for you????  Well, you should try it some time!  Because it is awesome!!

I got the wave the first time at the end of my first loop, when I still felt pretty good.  Heading back toward my fans on the second loop, knowing they were all there and waiting to cheer me on, make a fan tunnel, and do the wave is really what kept me moving forward at a decent pace!

Entering my tunnel of Ironfans, doing THE WAVE, just for me!

Running past my awesome supporters! (P.S. Check out my rippling Ironman muscles!!)

High-fiving Karin.  I felt like I had a smile on my face the whole time!
Even when it hurt like crazy, I was just so happy to be there!

By about mile 20 it was clear I was not going to make my 9 pm goal.  But I kept moving as fast as I could, walking only when a side cramp became literally unbearable.  At the 23 mile marker, with 3.2 miles to go, I started running, and I refused to stop again.  Side cramp be damned.  I could taste the finish.  I knew exactly what I had left, and I was going to get there as quickly as I possibly could!

With 1 mile to go, my friends Kristin and Jon founf me on the course and ran with me for a bit. Then Peggy ran alongside me, telling me where my friends and family were waiting at the finish line.  I picked it up a bit in the last mile; then, about 200 yards from the turn that leads to the finish chute, I really picked it up.  I didn't sprint (as if I could!), but I put a bounce in my step and lengthened my strides, and I came around the corner like someone who just spent 14 hours and 35 minutes giving everything she had to give and now I was going to leave it all out there on the race course!  I would finish with everything I had left!  

I saw my mom and dad and my sister Denise and her husband Chris at the corner, and I threw my hands in the air and whooped as I passed them.  Then I saw a sea of green shirts on the left in the grandstand next to the finish line.  Everything was a blur of screams and lights and faces.  Karin's may have been the only face I actually saw.  I threw my hands up in the air as I ran toward the finish line...

Running toward the finish line!

And that was it.  It was over.  Only later did I realize that I didn't even hear the announcer say "Kari de Jong...You. Are. An. Ironman."  The very phrase I had said to myself on so many long runs and rides for the past year!

The finishing chute was a bit of a blur, but afterwards was not.  I was on cloud 9, riding a wave of endorphins like no other!  A volunteer gave me a bottle of water, another gave me an aluminum space blanket, yet another gave me my finisher's hat and tee-shirt; and then, finally, a volunteer gave me my medal!

I finished at 9:35 pm.  My "realistic" finish time prediction had been no later than 9:40.

After 140.6 miles I got my pizza, just like the shirts promised!

My family found me at the finish line, but they couldn't get into the athlete area where I was, so I quickly got my pizza (finally!) and a cola and some french fries for Karin and made my way out to where they were.  Everyone was talking a mile a minute, and they were worried that I should sit down.  I knew from my port-a-potty stop at mile 22 that if I sat down it was unlikely I would get back up.  I got hugs, and pictures; it was everything I thought it would be!

Me and THE GREATEST IRONFAN THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN!

I DID IT! I. AM. AN. IRONMAN!

Not just any Ironman; I am the luckiest Ironman!  I had a ridiculous number of fans who spent the better part of a day out there cheering me on, not to mention fans all over the country who were tracking my progress and cheering me on from far away!

Fans both present and absent were with me for all 140.6 miles!