California International Marathon (No. 9)

What can I possibly write about a race that I have completed nine times? Believe it or not, there always seems to be plenty.

FARRAH FAWCETT KNEES

Ok, this may sound stupid and vain, but I spent a lot of time this year worrying about what to wear. You would think I would have this figured out by now, but sadly I don't. I fret about the weather and worry about being too cold or too hot. I also worry about hideous race photos and Farrah Fawcett knees. 

What are Farrah Fawcett knees? Short answer, they are loose skin that wrinkles and bunches up as your foot strikes the ground. It's the worst possible time for a photog to snap a pic. I prefer pics where both feet are hovering above the ground in complete defiance of gravity ;-)

OMG! Farrah Fawcett knees!

I call this phenomenon Farrah Fawcett knees because of the National Enquirer (or other gossip mag) that had a picture of Farrah running. At the time, she was probably close to my current age.  The picture was taken at just the wrong moment making her leg look horrible (see example above). 

I don't know why that photo or the commentary that went along with it stuck with me. I just remember being angry (and horrified) that they would publish something like that...and they called it out...like look how bad her legs look!! I really didn't think much about the picture again until I saw the 2024 IRONMAN California picture above of my own legs.

I hemmed and hawed all weekend before settling on compression shorts. Unfortunately, I found a couple of ill-timed race photos that proved my shorts only offered a mild improvement. 

Well that didn't work LOL

SHUTTLE CHANGES

I will be the first to admit that I absolutely HATE change. For the past several years, I have been dropped off at the shuttle location on Folsom Blvd. and Greenback Lane. It had become a familiar site on race day morning. 

This year, I pulled up the CIM website to double-check the drop off times and I didn't see my "normal" location. I tried a few other sources but everything sent me back to the original site. The two closest options were:

• Location: C/D - Folsom - All buses leave Locations C+D continuously between 5:00AM-5:30AM (No buses guaranteed after this time)
• Locations: E - Granite Bay - Buses leave continuously between 5:15AM and 6:15AM

Since location C/D was recommended for people off of the 50 Corridor, I figured it would be my best bet. I also assumed (shame on me) that we would be allowed to stay on the bus after being driven to the start. I mean, really, it's a 10 minute drive, the race directors couldn't possibly expect people to stand around in freezing temps (by California standards) for that long.

HS and I made the quick drive from our house to the drop off location on Iron Point. The drop off was much smoother than at the old location. Shortly after 5:00am, I gave HS a kiss and hopped out of the car. After a short walk across the street to the Folsom Outlets I found plenty of waiting buses.  I boarded the first available bus and tried to relax. I don't think I looked relaxed because no one would sit next to me. 

After a short ride up Folsom Blvd, the bus slowed and made a u-turn. Everyone on the bus started to stand and, to my dismay, began to exit the bus. It was 5:25am!!! The race wouldn't start for over 90 minutes. My first thought was to find a phone and call HS to come and get me. Ugh! I dutifully followed the pack up to the start area. 

My mind drifted back 11 years to my very first CIM. The race that actually did have freezing temps. I remember huddling near the exhaust vents of a bus just to stay warm. I only had to do that for about half an hour on that day...not an hour and a half. This time, being a seasoned CIM veteran, I walk up to the first bus in the line and waited for the driver to open the door. I was granted entrance and slowly walked up the aisle to an available seat. I was warm and sitting. Things couldn't get much better.

Correction, a short while later, my seat mate decided to get off the bus (must be my RRF...resting race face) so I had the whole seat to myself. I slid over to the window and curled up, resting my head against the seat back. Now things couldn't get much better. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the conversations going on around me.

Time crept by slowly. Eventually, more and more runners began to exit the bus. I checked my watch and decided to wait until 6:25am to leave. The plan was to hit the porta-potty and then go to my starting area. The lines at the potties moved very slowly. I thought I saw Donnie Osmond a few lines over, so that took my mind off of things (Note: I checked the results, no Donnie Osmond LOL).  After my turn in the dark, cold blue box, I had about 10 minutes to get to my starting area. 

THE PLAN (SORT OF)

My plan this year was to push myself and run with the 3:55 pace group. Last year I ran with the 4:00 group, so why not do something different. The only problem with 3:55 is that this group was headed up by my friend and coach from last year, Karyn Hoffman, along with her boyfriend, Scott. 

Official CIM Pacer Photos

So you may be wondering what could be so bad about knowing the pacers. The answer is simple, I was afraid that they would push me out of my comfort zone, especially if I got a bad attitude mid race and decided I just didn't feel like running. In the past, these two would race IRONMAN Cozumel sometime around Thanksgiving and then head back home and run CIM an couple of weeks later like it was nothing. I knew they would have no sympathy if I started whining about doing IRONMAN California at the end of October.

My plan to remedy this situation was to be in the group, but stay far enough behind that they didn't know I was in the group. By the time I got to the starting corral, this wasn't a problem. There were hundreds of runners in the area I wanted, so I hung out towards the back. Occasionally, I saw the 3:55 sign pop up above the crowd, so I knew I was in the right spot.

Unfortunately, just like last year, I lost the pacers as soon as the race started. I knew they were well ahead of me when I heard the announcer call out Karyn's name as she crossed the start line. By the time I crossed and finally started to run, I could not find the sign. I checked my Garmin and saw that I was running too fast. I tried to slow down, but my adrenaline overrode my brain.

RACE

I battled my pace for the first 10k as evidenced by my splits below. My extra speed paid off only in that I finally caught up with Karyn and Scott and was able to slow to a controlled pace. I prayed that I wouldn't pay for those speedy miles. I kept a safe buffer zone and followed along silently as we made our way downtown. 

The middle miles seemed great. I had a chance to chat with a teammate from last year's training program, When my hands got a bit too toasty in my gloves, I was fortunate to see my next door neighbor on the sidelines in Old Town Fair Oaks. I handed her my gloves as she tried to snap a pic. 

After doing this event so many times (and now living in the area) landmarks are easily identifiable and I no longer try to do any mental math to figure out distances, besides my pacers were in charge of that, I just needed to keep them in site and trust the process. 

I spy...on the right side of the picture :-)
(Photo credit to Alex Chiu for taking this pic, and Karyn Hoffman for sharing)

Feeling sneaky

And then I reached the dreaded "Why am I doing this?" point. 

The last 10k was a mental struggle for me.  I decided to slow my run and walk the aid stations. As I entered the last 3 miles, I fought the urge to just walk. I was dangerously close to the "F*** This!" moment where I want to completely give up. 

Final push to the finish

I reminded myself of IRONMAN California just about 5 weeks prior. After that race, I kicked myself for the amount of walking I did, especially in the last few miles. So, during the tough final miles of CIM, every time I wanted to start walking, I thought of IMCA and kept shuffling along...and it paid off!

Smiles now that the end is near :-)

POST RACE

I crossed the finish line about a minute behind the pace group. I found Karyn and Scott and said "Hello". I admitted to secretly following them along the course, and if they don't read this, they won't know I backed off at the end. My earlier speedy miles offset my final miles and I ended up :18 seconds behind them and :05 faster than my best time. 

Running a PR, no matter how small, 11 years later is a great feeling. It was also my third Boston Qualifying time, but I don't plan on registering for that race again. Boston is a one and done race for me. I prefer to stick close to home and enjoy my Christmas tradition of running CIM.

See you next year!!

NOTES FOR NEXT TIME

2024 temps: 40 at race start, 60 at race finish.

Shuttle location C worked out fine, be prepared to find a spot on another bus to keep warm. Wear an old bathrobe for extra warmth. 

Do not wait any longer than 6:25am to hit the porta-potty, lines are slow.

Clothing: Compressions shorts were OK. Would have been better later on with short sleeved shirt. Hands got warm with running gloves around mile 10, maybe get cheap pair to discard next year.

Running slow is preferable to walking.

Race Report - IRONMAN California 2024

May 13, 2024 was the official start of my training for IRONMAN California. I decided to try something different and purchased the "ADVANCED FULL DISTANCE (50yrs+) 24 week Plan" by Steve Moody on Training Peaks.  After several months trying to get back into shape and recovering from a string of injuries over the past year, I wondered if I had the dedication or physically ability to do IRONMAN training one more time. 

Day 1 swim test

Over the next six months, I stuck to the plan as close as possible and only missed a few workouts. I also made an effort to work on my weight and nutrition (Hello neglected mitochondria!), something that I never really focused on for previous races. Honestly, I think this helped just as much as the physical training. By race day, I was 15-20 pounds lighter than when I did IRONMAN California in 2022. I had stopped drinking any alcohol for 6-7 weeks prior to the race. I also worked on my sleep hygiene so my body had a chance to recover from the workouts. I was feeling the best I had in years!

GEAR CHECK

I didn't buy a lot of new gear for this race but I did get a few things: 

• New tires (Continental Grand Prix 5000) and tubes for my bike (better safe than sorry)
• Profile Design Heat Shrink Bar Tape (I was tired of dealing with wrapped tape coming loose)
• Zoot Elite Aero Calf Sleeves
• Fresh pair of Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 (Why not? LOL)
• Silicone ear plugs for the swim (can't stand cold water in my ears)
• The Feed running hat

Running gear 

PRE-RACE

TLDNR: Picked up race packet at noon on Thursday (the earliest time), spent some $$$ in the IRONMAN store, dropped bike off on Saturday around 2pm, woke up a bit earlier than planned, ate what I could, did my bible study, headed to the race.

I was awakened at 4:00am to my phone ringing. I instinctively grabbed it and flipped it around to silence the alarm. Instead of seeing the alarm, which I had not set to go off until 4:45am, I saw a message from Ring. My mind was foggy from sleep (or lack of) and I struggled to understand why I was getting this message. I listened to the voice mail and realized it was my daughter's alarm. I sent a quick text asking if she was ok. She was fine and apologized for waking me up. I told her it was OK, and actually it turned out to be a blessing. If I would have waited, I would have been pressed for time.

FACT CHECK: It was actually 3:57am :-)

That wake-up call was the start of my new approach to IRONMAN racing. It was going to be a long day and I was not going to fret about things I could not control. If there was an obstacle or mishap, I was just going to roll with it. 

I got up, ate most of my oatmeal, sipped on a cup of coffee, and did my bible study. I thanked God for all the blessings this training season. I was feeling fit, healthy, survived the training injury free. I checked the weather and thanked Him again for the day ahead. It looked to be nearly perfect for this time of year. I wrote "Philippians 4:6" on my left hand as a reminder. 

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

(IRONMAN is a long day, and letting anxiety get the best of you can zap your energy) 

I had originally planned on leaving the house at 5:30am but since I was up, fed, and dressed early (wore my wetsuit pulled up to my waist), we left about 5:15am which ended up being for the best because traffic was S-L-O-W getting off of 50/I-5 and into the parking lot. I could tell that HS was getting frustrated by cars squeezing in a the last minute. I did some deep breathing and told myself that the worst case scenario would be that I had to hop out of the car and walk to transition, but I knew we had plenty of time still. I told HS "It's OK"...and it was.

Picture of the ball field from our stationary spot on 
the freeway.

To me, everything IRONMAN California is relative to 2021, the inaugural year, the year of the Bomb Cyclone. Compared to parking that fateful morning, today's slowdown was just a minor issue. Once we were in the actual parking lot, there were plenty of volunteers guiding the way. We parked, I grabbed my "Personal Needs" bags and headed towards transition. 

First stop...bike personal needs bag. It contained an extra tube and a CO2 cartridge (I had two tubes and 3 cartridges on my bike) but I figured better safe than sorry. I then dropped my run personal needs, I had an extra pair of socks, band-aids, and some Aleve. I really didn't want to put a good pair of running socks in the bag because I knew I wouldn't see them again. However, it didn't make sense, after all the time and money expended, to get cheap and worry about a pair of socks.

My final stop was my bike. I filled up the hydration bladder with Mauten Drink Mix 320 and gave my tires a squeeze. Everything was good. I double checked my run gear bag, shoes, socks, hat, running belt/bib. All good. Just to easy my mind, I walked to find my bike gear bag. Everything was still inside. I took a deep breath and went to find HS.

We walked in silence to the shuttle pick-up area. This year it seemed that there were plenty of buses. HS gave me a kiss and wished me luck. There was no point in him staying so we parted ways. I was alone in a crowd. When the next empty bus showed up, the volunteer asked that we all have our wrist bands showing and instructed us to go to the back of the bus and fill it from front to back. I watched in amusement as the first few gentlemen boarding plopped down in the first rows. So much for following instructions. LOL

SWIM

TLDNR: Crowded swim start made it impossible to get to the pace group I wanted. Asphalt walkway leading to the swim start was soaked in pee (kept my shoes on as long as possible), a little bit of nerves walking down to the water, cold fingers and toes but not for long. Remembered to go wide at the confluence. Great swim.

As soon as I stepped off the bus, I made my way to the area where the volunteers were collecting the day wear bags. I took out my cap, goggles and ear plugs and stuffed in the fleece sweater I was wearing. I put my wetsuit on the rest of the way and walked to the swim start staging area. As I approached, the staging groups moved into the corral and I could not get to the group I wanted to start with. I shrugged it off and just moved with the people around me. Eventually we stopped moving right next to the volunteer handing out timing chips.

I was surprised and mildly amused by the number of people coming up to get a timing chip. I assumed some had lost their chips since yesterday, but others simply had not picked one up (as instructed) when they dropped off their bike. Thankfully, IRONMAN does a very good job of trying to protect people from themselves and had plenty of chips available.

Saving the "race" day! Found this photo of the timing chip
lady on the IRONMAN California Facebook group.
Photo credit: Janet Kramshuster

 

Screen grab from the swim start video on YouTube
(Click HERE to watch)

The race seemed to start a bit later than expected and I didn't start my Garmin until 7:42am. Since I didn't get up to my desired swim group, I did have to make my way around slower swimmers through the first two thirds of the race. The river temp seemed very similar to 2022. My feet, hands and face were chilly for a minute, but I soon was focused on nothing more than swimming. I relaxed and just enjoyed the effort and the beautiful morning. 

As I completed the American River portion of the swim, I kept my eye out for the large red buoy at the confluence (where the two rivers meet). Last time I did this race, I stupidly swam towards the buoy and then found myself a bit downstream from it and struggling to get around it. This time, I kept wide to the right.

Each time I looked up to sight the buoy, however, I was shocked to see it appear to move towards me. I had to remind myself that the buoy wasn't moving, I was. Thankfully, I had plenty of time to move around the buoy (keeping it on my left) and into the faster, chillier Sacramento River. Besides the temperature change, I also noticed a change in taste (yes, taste...couldn't seem to keep the river water out of my mouth) and smell. It seemed to be a bit like oil or gasoline. Yuck.

The sun continued to rise in the east and I was glad I chose my mirrored goggles. Before I knew it, we were being funneled to the exit ramps. The swim, my least favorite leg of the race, was over.

Struggling to put my Garmin back on
(I wear the Garmin on the outside of my wetsuit and 
have to remove it to get my sleeve off)

T1 

The run to transition was much shorter than in 2022. The wet suit strippers were friendly and efficient. The volunteer struggled to remove my bike gear bag from the clip on the fence and I could feel my anxiety rise. Once I had my bag in hand, I relaxed and made my way into the changing tent. I sat down in a chair, stuffed a Maurten bar into my mouth and went about the quick task of putting on socks, bike shoes, riding glasses and helmet. I stuffed my swim gear into the bag and trotted off to my bike.

BIKE

The weather was absolutely wonderful! There was a slight breeze, but after the wind storm of 2022, it was nothing to complain about. I smiled and thanked God for the day in front of me. 

Plenty to smile about on this ride.

I completed the first loop a bit above my planned pace. This small bank of speed helped offset the slow down on the third leg of the ride. As I headed back out, the wind picked up. It was definitely stronger than forecasted, but no where near the slow grind two years ago. I again thanked God and kept pedaling.

I carried my own Maurten gels on my bike and started the ride with my onboard hydration full of the Maurten 320 Drink Mix. At the aid stations, I would alternate between topping off with water and then Mortal Hydration. I had been training with the mango flavored Mortal Hydration mix because that is what was supposed to be at the aid stations. It may have been. However, Mortal Hydration doesn't not make a bottled version of their drink, so what they handed out were water bottles mixed by volunteers. Some of the mixes tasted much stronger than others and were quite bitter. 

Speaking of hydration. I'm not sure what was going on today, maybe I drank too much river water, but I have never had to pee as much and as frequently as I did on this ride. In the past, I have not been able to go "in motion". Today, after seeing the lines at the first aid station, I decided to try to go on the move. Success! Let's just say that after 112 miles of peeing followed by water wash offs at the aid stations, I was thankful that I packed a dry pair of socks in my run bag.

Besides not being allowed in an IRONMAN race,
drafting could result in getting a little wet ;-)

T2

Looking back, I wish I would have hustled just a bit in T2, but it is what it is. I racked my bike and sat down to put on my running gear. I chomped about half a Maurten bar and made a quick pit stop at the outhouse. Time to run!

Something Different: No bungee laces. I gave these up months ago and the few extra seconds it takes to tie my shoes has saved all 10 of my toenails!

RUN

TLDNR: I ran. When I got tired, I walked. 

For some reason, I really like the first mile where you run out and back past Drake's "The Barn". I checked my watch frequently and worked to slow down closer to a 10 minute per mile pace. The last thing I wanted to do was crash and burn.

The course went "off road" a bit as it took racers under the Tower Bridge and out along the River Walk Trail to the turn around point. After mile four, I hit a bit of a mental and physical slow down. All of a sudden, the realization that I had 22 miles to go seemed to be too much. I told myself not to worry about it and to just keep moving forward. I had no idea what my cumulative time was and I didn't care.

Crossing the Tower Bridge
(This is a great viewing spot for friends and family)

The course back tracked and took us over the Tower Bridge to the American River Trail. I noted that the sun was still out as I crossed the Jiboom Bridge and was happy to think that this year, the photographer would still be there when I headed out.

Sun is still out and I'm still running (sort of)

The course also took us through Old Sacramento. There were plenty of spectators cheering for everyone. I loved hearing "Go 6-1-9" but it made me long for the days when our names were on our bibs. There is something about hearing someone cheering for you by name that really lifts your spirits.

The Internet had me a bit worried about the run course. I had read about people getting lost in 2023 on the run. Honestly, the "H" shaped course didn't seem that bad. The split between Lap 2 and Finish was pretty clear and I was happy to cross the half way point. The second loop went along like the first. I walked every aid station and hill. The aid stations were well stocked. My go to became chips, grapes and coke. I also had a couple of Maurten Gels (one with caffeine and one without), and a half a banana. I switched on my light (clipped on my race belt) as I headed out of Discovery Park the second time. I had less than 5 miles to go.

The last miles were a struggle. Even when I got to the point where I could see the Capitol and hear the announcer, I still walked more than I ran. I finally got to the finish line chute and ran. I tucked my glasses behind me and made sure my light was off (I didn't want to ruin the finish line pics LOL)

This feeling never gets old!!

POST RACE

I waited a few strides before stopping my Garmin. At the press of the button, the watch face lit up and I saw my unofficial time...11:49:26. I did a double take and wondered if I had messed something up. My "B" goal was to try and beat my previous IRONMAN California time of 13:53:57. Based on my bike pace, I knew I was going to be able to do that.  My "A" goal was to beat my PR of 12:26:39 from IRONMAN Vineman (2016). I was prepared to beat it by a couple of minutes if everything went according to plan. I never expected to beat it by half an hour.

I gathered my finisher gear and walked to find HS. He had been tracking me and let me know that I got 6th place in my age group. He was excited and so was I, even though I knew it meant I missed out getting an age group award by one spot. It's funny how the elation of a great race and achieving a time I never even dreamed of can change just by knowing that I missed an award by a minute and forty eight seconds. My mind was flooded with "what ifs". What if I ran a bit more to T1? What if I pushed a little harder on the bike? What if I hustled more in T2? What if I ran the hills instead of walk?

I reminded myself that my ultimate goal was to enjoy the day and I did. The weather was nearly perfect, the course was great, I challenged myself and I was successful. I ended the day feeling incredibly blessed not only to be able to do the race, but to make it through the months of training healthy and injury free. 

I love our post-race photos :-)

Thank you, HS for sticking with me through another training season!!

NOTES TO FUTURE SELF

I'm not committing to doing this again, but I'm not saying I won't. I achieved things at this race that I never thought possible. With that in mind, here are somethings I want to remind myself of "next time" so I won't waste any energy worrying about them.

• Don't start to freak out when the days leading up to the race start to get chilly. 
• 4:00am is the perfect time to get up on race day. Eat breakfast, enjoy a cup of coffee and don't skip your daily bible study. It will feel cool in the house at this time, don't freak out, you will not freeze at the race.
• Don't leave the house any later than 5:00am. It's ok to be a bit early. Remember that traffic backs up at the exit.
• Don't make HS park the car. Getting dropped off is OK, there is really nothing for him to do other than fight his way out of the parking lot.
• Figure out how to protect your neck from the wetsuit...the anti-chafing stuff doesn't seem to be working! (Gross pic below)
• Check your bike and gear bags and get your butt on a shuttle.
• Wear a pair of worn out running shoes destined for the garbage can to the swim start. It will keep your feet out of the pee.
• Before you head down the trail to the swim start, dump water in your wetsuit to help pre-heat.
• You will not freeze on the bike if the temp is 65 degrees. Relax. It's a sunny course and with all the adrenaline pumping you won't feel a thing.
• Enjoy the ride, watch out for potholes and wheel eating cracks in the road. 
• Try to run (even if it's slow) in between all the aid stations. You will be happier when you look back at your effort.
• Don't get bunched up at the finish so the photographer can get a good pic!
• Smile and take it all in!

The only thing that really hurt the day after the race.

75 Hard - Wrap-Up

Seventy five days is a lot longer than it sounds. I can honestly say I am glad it is over. Will I keep doing some of the habits I have started, absolutely. Will I keep all of them, absolutely not. 

This didn't last long...my mirror was getting too cluttered.

THE RULES

Follow a nutrition plan of your own, no alcohol or cheat meals

This was sort of a gray area for me. I was going to try and follow the Mediterranean Diet (even bought a couple of recipe books) before I realized that it wasn't really a diet like Atkin's, keto, or whatever one you pick where there are hard and fast rules to follow.

North African Peanut Stew,
one of the Mediterranean Diet recipes I tried.
It looked like vomit but tasted pretty good. 

I remember doing the Atkin's Diet a long time ago and religiously sticking to the "Less than 40g of carbs" rule. I lost a lot of weight doing that, but I was also living off of cheese, meat, and pork rinds. Not exactly a healthy plan. I didn't want to do this again, so I did some soul searching about what this "nutrition plan" would look like for me.

Eventually, the "nutrition plan" I chose to follow was more of a nod to my time in "Overeaters Anonymous". I only had one hard, fast rule, "No eating after dinner". For me, that was my weak point that I wanted to focus on. I am an accomplished snacker and for some reason, even if I am full from dinner, I could always find room for popcorn or cookies or ice cream (Hey, it's keto ice cream! That doesn't count, right?)

I also stuck to the "No alcohol" rule. I had just come off of "Dry January" and had celebrated that feat with a weekend of wine (not too much, but enough). I noted that I really didn't like how I felt the morning after a night of sipping. That Monday, I started 75 Hard and once again pushed my wine glass away. 

For me, drinking wine had become a habit and it had gotten worse during Covid. It just became a thing I did. I would go to work, come home, do my workout, have a glass of wine and then another and then maybe another. Retirement only served to make the window of opportunity larger. I would complete my tasks for my part time job and have my workout done by noon. Who doesn't want a glass of wine with lunch? 

It took a while for me to replace the wine habit with something else, but I did. Actually, I didn't even realize that a swap had taken place until a few days ago. I woke up early and noticed that I was feeling excited for the day. I was looking forward to my new habits of getting up early to a nice quiet house, enjoying a cup of coffee while doing my reading (bible first and then whatever book I had chosen) and finally doing a bit of writing on my own book. I now look forward to the start of my day instead of the end and I am loving it.

Will there be wine in my future? Yes (I think). However, it is going to be the exception and not the rule.

Two 45 minutes workouts per day - one must be outside

Doing two workouts a day wasn't too much of a stretch for me. Although it did make for tired legs at a couple of races. I didn't find it hard to find a schedule that worked for me :-)

Tracking my 75 Hard workouts on Strava

Of course, it is easy to fit in a second workout when you don't have a choice about the first one. Before I started this challenge, our daily walk with the dogs was a non-negotiable (at least for the dogs). The only adjustment I really made here was making sure the walk was at least 45 minutes. Thankfully, HS and the dogs obliged.

Always aware of my pace when walking 
the pups...didn't want to finish in less than 45 minutes.

As I prepare to start officially start training for IRONMAN California, I am glad that this part of the challenge will be in my past. Yes, my training plan will have days where there are double workouts, but there will also be days of rest. I want to enjoy those days and get the most of my recovery without worrying about logging another 45 minutes even if it is only yoga or a second walk with the dogs.

Drink one gallon of water per day

I struggled with this one in the beginning and it was my miscalculation that had me starting over after Day 1. Thankfully, I have finally gotten into a rhythm of drinking consistently throughout the day. This is a habit that I will definitely keep. However, if I find myself in a situation where I have only drank 2/3 of a gallon and it's 8:00pm, I am going to let it go. No more chugging water right before bed and getting up several times during the night. Sleep trumps hydration at that point.

Read 10 pages of a non-fiction, personal development focused book

I was a "reader" before this challenge and I did read the Bible every day. However, my daily bible reading was from "The One Year Chronological Bible" which places the books of the Bible in chronological order broken down into readings by date. Most days consist of 4-6 pages. Since this was less than the prescribed 75 Hard reading amount of 10 pages, I added another daily book according to the rules that was non-fiction, educational and that could be used to improve any area of my life. 

Here is my complete reading list:

• The One Year Chronological Bible (not finished yet) *MUST READ*
• Never Finished - David Goggins *MUST READ*
• Atomic Habits - James Clear *MUST READ*
• Grit - Angela Duckworth
• Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer - Priscilla Shirer (Part of Bible study group, still reading)
• Story Genius - Lisa Cron  
• 28 Day Prayer Journey - Chrystal Evans
• Think Like a Warrior: The Five Inner Beliefs That Make You Unstoppable - Darrin Donnelly 
• Dear Food (Journal, still reading)
• A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer - John Piper 

Take a progress picture every day

This rule seemed excessive to me, but I did it, begrudgingly. I have several photos in my PJs because I realized I hadn't taken a picture, so I went and snapped one before bed. On most days, however, I tried to take the photo in my workout clothes so I could see the change.

Angry pajama pic LOL

Moving forward, I am still going to take progress pics, but I think they will be on a weekly or maybe monthly basis. My monthly progress pics are in the final section.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 

The Good - Down 17 lbs.

I know that Andy Frisella gives the warning that 75 Hard is not a fitness challenge, that it is a transformative mental toughness program..."an IRONMAN for your brain" and yes, I agree it is. However, most people, including myself appreciate the outward changes too. In fact, you will find lots of before and after pics on his website. So here are my results:

• Starting Weight: 159 (and that was down from the start of the year!!!)
• Ending Weight: 141.6 (17 pounds in 75 days is pretty darn good)

After years of blaming age, menopause and bad luck, 
I would never have believed I could lose this much 
weight in 75 days!!

On to a new goal :-)

More Good - Progress Pics - Photographic evidence of change 

75 pictures of me, mostly unsmiling, in various running outfits is a bit much to show here. If I ever get motivated, maybe I will try and turn them into some sort of time-lapse video. For now, here are my monthly results. Moving forward, whether I take weekly or monthly progress pics, I will be more consistent in what I am wearing so it will be easier to recognize the changes. 

Day 1 (February 5, 2024)

A little thick around the middle, not much definition.
159 lbs.

Day 30 (March 5, 2024)

Not so bloated!
149.9 lbs.

Day 60 (April 5, 2024)

Don't ask me why I'm never smiling ;-)
144.5 lbs.

Day 75 (April 20, 2024)

No tan on the tummy!
141.6 lbs.

The Bad 

Going through my pictures today, I realized that I missed April 16 - aka Day 71. Will I start over because of this oversight? No way! As of today, I am done with 75 Hard and I am shifting my focus to IRONMAN California training. If I had skipped a photo on Day 21, would I have started over? Probably. 

The Ugly

Looking back, I can't really think of anything "ugly". Could I have made the challenge harder? Yes. Could I have pushed myself more? Maybe. All in all, I would call this experiment a success. It has helped me develop new, healthy habits that I hope will continue long into the future. 

If you are considering trying 75 Hard, do some research, get familiar with the rules and lay out YOUR plan. Remember, this is about sticking with something that is difficult, so hang in there!

Race Report - Ice Breaker Triathlon 2024

The 2024 Ice Breaker Triathlon marked the start of the tri season for me with my ultimate goal being to cross the finish line at IRONMAN California. As I write this, I think IM CA will be my last full triathlon...but we will see how the training goes. 

 

Pre-Race 

I woke up Saturday morning to rainy cold weather. It's not as if I wasn't aware of the forecast, I was. It's just that at 6:00am, looking out the kitchen window and seeing it, made me start to reconsider racing. I quickly told myself that staying home was not an option. If I chickened out of this race, IRONMAN California would be that much more difficult to get to the start line. 

HS and I loaded up my car and headed to Folsom Lake about an hour an a half before race start. TBF Racing had been very clear that, due to construction at the lake, there would be a 15-20 minute walk to transition. What went unsaid is that there would be a 15-20 minute walk back to where the swim start was.  

Check-in was easy. I had printed a copy of my USA Triathlon card and a copy of my drivers license and laminated them together. The lady at the registration desk loved it!! I took my numbers and had to go over what was what with the volunteer. This was my first triathlon since IRONMAN California 2022 and I was feeling like a newbie this morning.

After getting my bike and gear from the car, we started the long trek to transition...in the rain.

Transition is located at that white tent way in the background.

Transition
Credit TBF Race Photography

After arranging my gear into two large clear blue recycling bags, I made my way to the swim start. In the shelter of the restroom/snackbar building overhang, I put on my thermal swim booties, my wetsuit, my thermal swim cap and the blue latex cap for my wave. I was tired after struggling to get into my gear, but at least I was warm. That is, until I got in the lake.

Swim

I made my way slowly into the water, letting it first penetrate the booties. It still felt cold, but eventually, my body would warm up the water trapped inside them. I continued walking until the bottom of my wetsuit zipper was submerged and the icy liquid flowed down my backside and started to fill the legs of my wetsuit. Eeek!

Still contemplating my life decisions that got me here ;-)

When I was almost chest deep, I stopped. In my mind I kept hearing Coach James telling me to stick my face in and blow bubbles. Which I did, reluctantly. I know it's supposed to help, but it was so cold. Eventually, I pushed off the bottom and took several strokes. Cold water flooded into my ears and I remembered the one thing I forgot. My silicone ear plugs. 

I turned around, took a few more strokes (Warm-up done!) and went to find HS. Thankfully, we had put my tri bag back in the car so it wouldn't get soaked. I asked him to go and try to find the ear plugs and get back before the start. He made quick work of finding them. Yay! My ears were going to be protected from the piercing cold water.

My swim wave entering the water
Credit TBF Race Photography

The swim started. I didn't get in a hurry. I strode out slowly until it was deep enough to swim and then I just swam. It is actually nice with the ear plugs in because there is a serenity in the silence. It was also nice that everyone was so aware of their space and I was only bumped and slapped (my feet) a few times. I continued swimming, stopping every once in a while to see where I was at. My Garmin data shows a fairly straight swim (for me anyways).

Swim exit was almost as casual as the start! 

I am thankful I put a pair of shoes out, because it

was close to 1/2 a mile to transition through 

sand, rocks and mud!

Bike

Cold does not begin to describe how I felt on the bike!

When I got to transition, I stripped off all my thermal swimming gear and slipped on my helmet, the easiest piece of gear when you are soaking wet. I had a pair of riding socks, but my cycling shoes that I had just pulled out of the bag and set next to my bike were already getting soaked by the rain. I've raced without socks in the past, I figured I didn't need them now.

I grabbed my riding gloves next, knowing how cold and miserable my fingers can get. However, in what looked like a reenactment of the infamous court scene where a pair of dried, bloody gloves were tried on, I stopped before I got the first one on. I would just have to ride without them.

I slipped on a pair of clear riding glasses because I really hate water in my face and jogged off to the mount line. I have no pictures of the ride due to the fact that transition was so far away and there were no spectators on the course.

I opted to ride my road bike today. Unfortunately, the bike decided to act up and for some reason I struggled to shift into a high gear. I could downshift easily on a climb, but then I was stuck spinning for a while until I could get the bike to change gears...usually right before I needed to climb again. Anyone that has rode this course, knows that it is twisty, turny with lots of ups and downs. Having a bike that didn't want to cooperate was not ideal.

I'm not smiling, my face is frozen!
Credit TBF Race Photography

As I said, cold does not begin to describe how I felt. I was in my sleeveless tri suit, soaking wet, sharp rain pelting my skin at times. My bike does not have disc brakes, so I was very, very cautious. I averaged 14.7 miles per hour on this ride. I can safely say that is probably my slowest race ride average ever. Even at IM CA 2022, in the brutal winds, I still averaged 16.12 mph! So, due to my slow pace, I got to enjoy more time in the cold. 

I was relieved to finally complete the second loop and head into transition. I unclipped and struggled to dismount my bike. My legs and arms were so cold, they didn't want to bend or move as I directed. I gingerly jogged over to my rack and hung the bike. I took off the helmet and glasses and tossed them into the bag with some of my swim gear. I pulled out a dry towel and wiped my feet and took the time to put on a soft, dry pair of running socks. Heaven!! I slipped on my shoes, knowing full well that my sock would be soaked in minutes.

I then started cleaning up my space and putting some loose gear away in the bag. "Stop!" I told myself. "Do that later." I have no idea what possessed me to clean up at that point, maybe I was just delaying the run. I pulled on my running cap, thankful for the protection from the endless drops of rain and started running.

Run

The long run from transition.

Perhaps it was my freezing cold legs, but I felt fresh headed out on the run. My steps felt light and I just jogged along easily. I had grabbed my handheld water bottle with electrolytes in it because I didn't want to slow down at the aid stations. Unfortunately, the first time I tried to take a drink, I almost knocked out a tooth. I was shaking so badly that I couldn't steady the bottle enough to get a drink. Maybe things weren't as good as they seemed.

Since I hadn't studied the map of the run course, I was surprised when we ran past the standard turn around point and continued on up the hill. Even though I was freezing, the course was beautiful and it took my mind off of being cold. Actually, running in cold weather, even with rain, is 100% better than riding a bike in the same weather ;-)

I closed in on a female runner with 42 on the back of her leg. Some people had body markings, others did not. She told me to go ahead and pass her and I replied "That's ok." I was focused on just running and watching where I stepped, not racing. I wanted to get out of this race injury free.

Post Race

Eventually I crossed the finish line. I was so happy, but the misery wasn't over yet. 

Happy face, happy race :-)

I went to the car and put on semi-dry clothes. I should have packed a warmer jacket for post race and an umbrella but I never would have thought it would be raining the entire time. I also didn't expect that it would be so cold. This is April in California, right?

I had HS scan the QR code for the results. No sense standing around if I didn't need to. The results showed me placing first in my age group. We were going to have to wait. I got a plate of pasta from the post-race food tent hoping that it would warm me up. It was lukewarm and after a bite, I handed the plate to HS. The snack bar was open for business, so we headed over to see what they had.

It was warm inside and the friendly lady at the counter brewed up a fresh pot of Folger's coffee for us. I couldn't wait to take a sip and finally feel warm. As we walked out to see where award ceremony was at, I tried lifting the paper cup to my mouth. I started shaking so badly that I splashed out half the coffee. HS tried to steady my hand so I could take a drink. I am not lying when I said I was freezing.

The award ceremony seemed painfully slow but eventually they called my name and I stood on the podium by myself. The only other female in my age group was still on the course. I collected my award and started the long trek to get my bike and gear...feeling happy that I didn't sit this one out, feeling even happier that I was headed home to a warm bath!

75 Hard Challenge - Weeks 3 & 4 Wrap-Up

I'm combining Week 3 and 4 because really I don't have much to report.

I feel like I've finally settled into the challenge. Things are starting to become routine and I recognize when I've missed something...usually my progress pic. I have one picture from a week ago, when I am ready for bed, in my pajamas. I know, it's not going to show much progress but the picture was taken and that's what matters.

Reading

The required 10 pages of reading continues to be a highlight for me. At the end of Week 3 I was midway through "Think Like a Warrior" by Darrin Donnelly. I found this book on a recommended reading list for 75 Hard. 

The rules say to read 10 pages of something non-fiction, educational that can be used to improve any area of your life (part of the reason I read the Bible every day). However, "Warrior" is definitely wrapped in a fictional story that relates to "five inner beliefs that make you unstoppable". So I read this quasi-nonfiction book and enjoyed it. I would have liked it better if the story was real, but if you've read the book, you know that would be impossible. 

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good: Again, although this challenge is not a weight loss challenge, the weight continues to come off. Both weeks saw about a 2 lb. decrease and that made me really happy. My diet strategy is starting to become more focused. I started off deciding to follow the Mediterranean Diet. It's pretty opened ended...lots of fresh fruits and veg. I tried recipes. Some worked, some flopped but it didn't really feel like I was following anything specific. 

North African Peanut Stew
(mostly a vegetable stew with peanut butter mixed in, served over rice)
NOT a fan favorite, although I didn't think it was that bad.

 

I decided to clarify things a bit more in my head, so now my diet includes NOT eating after dinner. Dinner is the last meal of the day, no snacking. I have also eliminated refined sugar and sweets and for the most part gluten, but I'm not really hung up on the gluten thing...sugar is a big NO though.

The Bad: The only "bad" thing I can think of is that I have found myself chugging my last Stanley full of water at the end of the day. Everyday I start out with the best of intentions, but if I haven't started on my second one by lunch, I play catch-up right before bed and that is definitely not good. LOL

The Ugly: Ok, I hate calling any race effort ugly, and I'm probably only saying this because for once in a long time, I didn't get on the podium and there was a relatively small field of competitors in my age group. Nevertheless, the Lost Trail Half Marathon was not one of my better efforts. I walked at certain times when I probably should have been running. I tried to summon the determination David Goggins talked about in "Never Finished" but it just wasn't there. My legs were tired and I had no energy. (Maybe my double workouts were catching up with me?)

Taking a selfie mid-race is something I never do...
but hey, when you walked as much as I did, why not?

I thought about things I could have done differently after the race and moved on. No sense on dwelling on it. I just need to learn from the experience and try harder next time.