Race Report - Bluff Creek Sprint Triathon 2016

I am way behind in my blogging this summer so here is my race report from Bluff Creek Triathlon in late July.  After the car accident and then slogging through a half ironman triathlon three weeks later, I've spent most of my summer rehabbing my shoulder and then my ankle (see my national park post for details.).

Before the race

So going into July I knew I planned on doing one of my favorite races using the registration I couldn't use last year with my MS flaring.  The question was did I want to try for the Olympic or just get by with the Sprint.  It was looking to be less humid than last year, but was still going to have a bit of heat on the run especially if I did the Olympic length.  I figured since my season was toast anyway, and I really hadn't done any runs over three miles, that I would just do the sprint and have fun.  It ended up being a lovely day with a comfortable temp at the start and nice lake temp (I've done this race in May with water temps in the low 60's so I will take the 70's over that).

Hanging on the beach we noticed there weren't very many racers from our club this year.  We had a log of folks up in WI doing a training weekend for IMWI so pickings were slim.  I think I counted six of us and was grateful for a little company on the course.  As always we took the bus to the beach for the start.  The swim was pretty uneventful across the to the boat ramp.  I probably had more to give but my shoulder was starting to ache as I came around the last buoy.

Since the wreck in May I've done very little bike training (read none to speak of) and mostly just tooled around with the kids or the occasional commutes to work.  I didn't have high expectations on the bike and really felt my lack of training as people continued to blow by me the entire ride. This is a flattish straight out and back sprint course unlike Twister Hill on the Olympic course.  Looking on the bright side it was a beautiful day, and the wind wasn't too bad this year.  In past years I've done this one with not enough gears to keep up in one direction and not enough gears to stay upright coming back so this was pretty light work.

  

I wrapped up the bike course and then was off to the run course.  This is a bit of a rolling run course with a stretch on grassy and gravel trails, then into the park on the roads down a big hill, over the damn and up another long hill to the turn around point, then repeat in reverse. The run felt pretty strong for me and I probably could have pushed a bit more but heat was rising and I was enjoying the day.  All in all was a great race, not an age group finishs but I had fun and that is what counts.

Thanks to my trainer for the Stongar with Mongar plan who got me most of the way through July. Thanks to my physical therapist who worked to get my shoulder mobile again.  Thanks to my family who lets me wonder off in the wee hours to play outside, and to Pearl Izumi for the sponsorship this year #endureandenjoy365

MS Update - Changes abreast

Every year I go in for blood work once or twice.  My regular doc checks things like my thyroid and cholesterol (both doing just fine) and my neurologist checks my blood - white blood counts (what fights off illness) and my red blood counts.  My most recent major work up was at the end of June.  My blood numbers were off so we made a plan to test again in a month. I've had issues with my White Blood Count (WBC) in the past but the numbers have also recovered in the past. 

At the beginning of August they ran them again and they were even worse.  My WBC kept dropping.  It had been low in the past but had always rebounded.  This time it got worse and a bunch of other results went with them.  My neurologist was concerned and asked me to run them again later in August.  

I had two weeks off my MS meds to allow me to go backpacking in Isle Royale (see my nature girl post) and not have to mess with them.  My meds are a refrigerated injection that I do three days a week. I got back from the wild and had lab tests a third time... AND my labs are still in the toilet.  Certainly explains why I've felt tired.  It appears my meds are causing a bit of anemia in my bone marrow on top of depressing my immune system.  :(

So things I don't miss about being off my meds... No med muddle the day after, no ever weighty depression, no migraines, and when I've been cold and damp no Raynauds just to name a few.  My seasonal allergies and inflammation are still flared up but I am guessing it is because my immune system is a bit depressed.

So what now??  I wasn't real excited about doing another injectable med, so we decided to transition me to Tecfidera which is an oral capsule that I will take twice a day with meals.  I have to stay off my meds 2-3 more weeks to see if my blood work rebounds.  It if doesn't then I will have to see a blood specialist to see why.  I can't start my new MS meds until my blood work stabilizes and I have been off my current meds for a month.  I'll have to find a way to manage my stress during this time and rest to give my body time to recover.  Time will tell as I go through these adjustments over the next couple of months.

On another note I was accepted to be part of a clinical research study looking at two specific diets aimed at reducing fatigue in people with Relapsing Remitting MS like mine.  I start the study in mid September and will be assigned a a specific food plan between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The science is important, but I know it will be hard work to stick to the plan assigned to me so keeping my family and I in your positive thoughts over the next 6-8 months would be greatly appreciated.

MS Bike Ride 2016

So it is that time again for my yearly check with my neurologist and my annual foray into the wilds of Iowa for the Multiple Sclerosis Society MS Ride.  This is their biggest fundraiser and they raised over $100000 this year just from the Iowa ride.

It was going to be a hot and steamy ride this year, and my dad was not training for RAGBRAI so we opted for an 8am start.  I got to chat with a couple of my MS activist friends who also have MS and saw Dr Hughes (the leading MS doc in the state of Iowa) cutting a check for $100 to get signed up for the ride and clear his donation requirements.

Hubby Joe, myself, and my dad Joe at the start of the ride

The ride to Slater was nice and my dad and I caught up on our adventures since our last visit.  Joe rode along behind and the morning was lovely with a light tailwind but a bit sticky especially as the heat was rising.  We made it to the Slater oasis point and refilled our water bottles and got a snack, etc. and then rolled back south to Ankeny.  

Since we did this ride the weekend after my half Ironman I was feeling the toll of a bit of a strong headwind in the quads and was glad we only did 25 miles that day (did I mention I was sore from walking the 1/2 marathon the weekend before... totally uses different muscles to walk that far.)  Anyway it was a great ride with a couple of my favorite guys.

Here is a shout out to all the wonderful people who made donations to the MS Society on my behalf (I will add to this as more come in): The Schneider Family, Kate J., George K., Judy and Gary E., Teammate Greg G., collegues Matt H. and Bob Y., and family members Becky B., Sheila C., Mary and Dean L., Gloria M., and my awesome parents Joe and Gail.  Written thank yous are coming your way. It isn't too late to donate (July 29th is this year's cutoff) so go to this link today  and help researchers find a cure for MS.

As for my annual check up with my neurologist he said keep doing what I am doing.  He also said I can take a two week med break in August when I go backpacking in Isle Royale with my cousin.  It will be a nice break... and in bonus news one of the MS meds in trials right now just got a fast track with hopes for release in FY2017.  It is a different kind of drug and I am very interested in this one.  Last bit of MS related news I have been tentatively accepted into Dr Wahl's clinical nutrition trial to look at how two documented MS food plans effect MS fatigue in people with the kind of MS I have so I am super excited about that but I expect Thanksgiving and Christmas to be a bit of a food challenge yet again.

Until next time... thanks for reading. Have a great day!!

Race Report - Milkman 1/2 Ironman Triathlon

Teammates Galen and Andy before the
race - Joe Thompson

Sometimes life presents you with choices.  As my earlier blog post noted I had a rough couple of weeks going into this race.  That meant drastically reduced training, physical therapy, and on and on... Add weather in the 80s and a pile of hills into the mix and I made the decision to take the pressure off myself.  As I did my race prep the night before I was talking through the plan with my husband and cousins and warned them It was going to take me a while to finish.  I said it was likely I'd be walking the half marathon and worse case might not even finish (I never really know when heat will make my MS flare).  I was not going to strain my body to collapse with the heat and challenging bike course so with that I went into the next day with my mind and heart open to whatever experience was put in front of me.

Race day I was up before 5 and the guys and I headed over to the course lot.  My cousin Jay introduced me to Captain America Aaron who does ToughMudder races with him.  Jay and Joe walked over to the transition zone and Aaron and I took the bus with our gear.  With nearly 1000 people racing it was a good sized transition area.  I had dropped off my bike the day before but we didn't have time to check out the course which is pretty unusual for me. I got things reinstalled on my bike and set up my transition area.  I found a bunch of my triracer teammates and Ames racing buddies and shot the breeze before heading over to the lake to check out the buoys.  While chatting and waiting I met another Pearl Izumi Women's Tri team member GiGi and love my extended tri family this year.  The water was in the low 70s as was the air and I opted for a wetsuit.  

Coming out of the swim

This race ran the waves starting in reverse age order with the elite heats and the older folks going first.  I think I was heat nine which put me in a middle heat.  I got a strong start and the sun was high enough it wasn't completely in my face but sighting buoys for the first leg was challenging.  I started to hit traffic about 200 yards from the first turn and found myself in people as I swam through the three heats of athletes ahead of me.  It was a solid swim but I wasn't pushing super hard.  I came out of the lake with 1.2 miles in right at 35 minutes.  YAY wetsuit strippers got my out of my suit in seconds.  It was quite a distance up over the hill back to transition and I jogged most of it.   

I took a few minutes to dry off, get my gear on, drink water and snarf down a Lara bar.  I was convinced that I wasn't going to bonk like I did last year.  Joe, Jay and Jodi  my training buddy Galen's wife all gave me a shout out as I headed out for my ride.  I had three water bottles (one insulated and cold, one with air temp water and one with skratch) and with the heat rising through the ride I made sure to work the warm one twice for every hit of skratch and saved the cooler one for later on the course.  The roads was rough the first ten miles and then the hills came, and came, and came.  I started working on my PBJ bonk bar around mile 20 and finished it off by mile 45.  I also worked through all three water bottles pushing the last of my water as I rolled the last mile into transition, and felt like my nutrition plan thus far was just right for my 56 mile ride.  This was my longest ride of the season by 20 miles since my training derailed with the car crash recovery.  So at this point I am 56 miles and 3 hours and 53 minutes in the saddle which had me at four and half hours so far.

My ROCKSTAR family at the halfway point
of the half marathon - LOVE THEM!!

My new triathlete friend Leslie
and I at the halfway point

Coming into transition I was cheered on by seven people I love (biggest cheering section ever for me) and I prepared myself for a hot shuffle around the lake.  I put on my Pearl Izumi cooling bolero which is wet and fun to wriggle into but worth the five degree cooler temps on my arms.  I had been chatting with a young man towards the end of the bike who'd been cramping and we came out of transition together with my soon to be new friend Leslie from the Madison area.  As we shuffled the first few steps we agreed neither of us was going to push too hard for the 13.1 mile "run" portion of this half ironman so we agreed to make the journey together.

Around mile 9 1/2

By this point the weather was heating up into the 80s and full sun.  Thank goodness for ice at every water stop.  The neighborhood course support was fantastic the first seven miles with lots of sprinklers along the way for us to keep cool. They also had bananas so when my tummy started to rumble around mile five that took the edge off.  I was carrying my skratch in a 16 oz hand bottle and took this one between water stops as needed.

At each stop we would put ice in our bras and in my hat, pour water on my cooling sleeves and drink some as well.  It was a beautiful shuffle the first 6 1/2 miles through older neighborhoods and lakeside houses.  After the water stop at mile 6 1/2  where I took on a banana as well it was a long stretch of sun and busy roads and left us simmering coming into the next water stop which was father down the road then the rest had been thus far.  This stop was at the edge of a large park and also where I found my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Kenny (did I mention my race support from my family was AWESOME!!) so gave soggy hugs and made plans to catch up before we left town.

The last four miles were very urban and sunny and tough and even though we were only walking by that point I was desperate to get to the end of the race.  It takes a VERY long time to mostly walk a half marathon and keep in mind by the time I started I'd already been racing almost four and half hours.  It took me three hours and 20 minutes to get around the lake for 13.1 miles.  The last 1 tenth of a mile was uphill... yes uphill but we finally got there.  I am grateful for the new friend I made on the journey and look forward to racing in the Madison area again in the future.  Final time... don't really care.

I have decided that running a half marathon is much preferred but was glad I made the choice to walk most of it.  A lot of people struggled with the heat and many needed medical attention.  Racing isn't work that for me.  In the end I had the most fun I've had racing in years, with beautiful scenery, fantastic volunteers, a challenging course and my AMAZING family cheering me on.  I promised Joe I would take a year off on the long course races, and promised my cousin Jay I would be back soon to race with him for his first sprint triathlon (something he has talked about for years).

I am truly grateful to still be able to race.  I have two more triathlons and some runs scheduled yet this season but this season is just about having a positive attitude, lots of smiles and making new friends along the way. 

Thank you to the Race Day Events crew for an amazing course and fantastic volunteers and free race photos!  Thank you to my awesome coach John Mongar who encourages me and keeps me in the right frame of mind when I invent struggles.  Thank you to Pearl Izumi for the great extended ladies tri team.  #endureandenjoy.  And last of all thank you to my family for giving me time to do what I love and always cheering me on when I know you are stressing after me.  I love you guys!!  Until next time... get off the couch and experience life.  Thanks for reading.

Kansas City Olympic Distance Triathlon 2016

Joe and I before I put on my rubber suit

My first official outside triathlon of the year was a new one for me.  Since my favorite early season triathlon moved from May to July and I had the brilliant idea to sign up for a June 1/2 Ironman and I needed a new early season race to work the kinks out so I decided to try out the Kansas City Tri.  As I noted in my prerace blog the day of was cold! I had my hubby with me and he decided to race with me.  He did a duathlon (run, bike, run).  My race started at 7:30 am and with an air temp around 45 degrees and water temp around 62 degrees it was a bit brisk.

I am number 375 with my game face on.

I did all the things I knew to do... wet suit - check, quick plunge before my turn to start - check, high fives at the lake's edge before the horn.  And yet diving into the lake for my best leg of the triathlon, I still had a complete melt down.  The cold knocked the wind out of me and left me gasping for air the first 100 yards.  I even had a couple of seconds where I considered calling it quits, but then my big girl voice chewed my butt and told me to pull it together and stroke and breathe and stroke and breathe.

The course was a big rectangle where you swim into the sun to the first two buoys.  I really wish race officials got that the orange buoys are IMPOSSIBLE to see going into the sun.  We had two long legs into the sun on our two lap course and between laps we actually ran up on the beach and over a mat then back into the water. Needless to say I struggled to find my rhythm but got through the swim in 5th place in my heat at around 29 minutes.  I scooted up the hill to transition, toweled off, put on some sleeves, and then was on my way to the bike leg.

The bike was mostly on a controlled course along the lake.  It was two laps with three out and backs, a few rolling hills and one long hill.  I found my bike legs a couple of miles into the ride at the first out and back and then rolled into the second out and back which had two nice hills down and then at the bottom (yes the bottom, braking) we turned around and rode back up the two rolling hills.  I remember looking at my odometer and cursing because I was only at mile 5.5 and the "big" hill wasn't until mile nine, so I kept pedaling.

I had opted for sleeves while I was riding because it was chilly when I started out but found I was actually getting warm after the first leg since the sun was shinning down on us (and the hills likely helped.)  The big hill was about a half mile long but not super steep (no twister hill) but fortunately the turn around was at the top of this one and then back to the second loop.  I'm am pretty sure I lost some ground in my age group on the bike.  Even so I felt like the bike went well enough with a final time of 1:36 and an average of 15.4 mph.

While all this was going on Joe's heat started.  He did his short run, one lap of the bike course, and then a 5k run while was out on the bike.  Here is a picture of him finishing the duathlon.  I think it is really great that he decided to race with me. Joe has done a couple of duathlons but this is the first time we have competed at the same time.  I watched for him on the course but with all the out and backs and the run being a loop I did not see him.

Meanwhile I started the run course.  The first mile was on the road in the park and then the next two miles were on crushed gravel trails (Ames folks think Ames middle school track).  Not my favorite surface type, but it went through a lovely prairie with birds singing, flowers and people kayaking lakeside faster than I was running.  Even so I felt like my pace through the first two miles was solid.  I took on water at the water stops and finished the first loop at the finish line and then kept on going into the next loop. By then temperatures were climbing with the sun shinning and I was really working the positive thoughts, enjoying the signs (favorite on the bike was ride like you stole it) focusing on my smile (hard to mentally crash when you are smiling) and kept putting one foot in front of the other along the trail.  Also, towards the end of the first loop another Pearl Izumi ladies tri champion blew by me.  She was doing the sprint and we gave each other a shout out as she left me in her dust.

Unfortunately by the time I got to the second loop of the run the first water stop was out of Gatorade and apparently they had started putting fizzy tablets into the water.  I generally don't take on anything except water in races now after having issues last year on my longer races so once I realized I had fizzy water in my cup I started to worry a bit, and sure enough my GI track started to rumble.  When I got to the last water stop they only had Gatorade so I took on nothing.  By then I was getting warm and with my MS that is never a good thing.  Fortunately there were spots of shade and the occasional cloud (plus I has taken off my sleeves before the run) so managed not to overheat, but I certainly would have appreciated some water to wear and water to drink by mile five.  I kept going with the knowledge of cool bottled water awaiting me.  I finished strong and met Joe at the finish line.  It wasn't my fastest or slowest Olympic race time (final time 3:16) and on a new course 19th out of 30 in my age group is just fine with me. 

All in all the race course was challenging enough, the volunteers were great and there was a lot of fan support until the last two miles.  The KC Triathlon is definitely one I would do again.  I let them know in the post race survey that water and food are more important than two race shirts, a pint glass and a medal.  The banana at the end didn't quite hit the spot so we heading back for showers and a burger before driving back to Ames.

A huge thank you to my hubby who made the trip a lot of fun with museums, baseball, BBQ and triathlon YAY! And thank you to my folks who watched the kids and ran soccer shuttle while we were gone.  Also a shout out to my sponsor this year, Pearl Izumi and these great kits we get to wear as they are super comfortable.  To the right I am sporting my PI tri champ shirt... taking the ass out of ambassador.  I had a lot of fun and as always am grateful for any day that I can be out enjoying some exercise and nature at the same time.

Endure and Enjoy!

Thank you to Kansas City Triathlon - Ultramax Sports and their photographer for most of these photos!

Last comment.. .I am still looking for support for the MS Society and my bike MS team.  We ride June 25th the weekend after my next race.

A Birthday to Remember

Today I had the most memorable birthday in a long while.  Needless to say my day did not workout quite as planned.  I am reminded I have a lot of incredible people in my life who stepped up to meet my needs.  

Yesterday I got a call from a vendor that will be an important participant for a research project we are doing at work.  They asked if I might be available to come down to Des Moines for a 7am meeting before other meetings got rolling as part of our AASHTO Mid-Year.  I said sure despite it being my birthday and having a backlog at work because one does not turn down an opportunity just because it seems at first glance a bit inconvenient.

So in a steady rain I headed south at 6:15 this morning and was grateful it was not a heavy rain when I got out to the freeway.  As I exited the freeway to head into downtown Des Moines (the rain had mostly stopped by then) I got quite a surprise when another driver ran a red light and Tboned my car.  The impact spun me around into oncoming traffic and deployed my side airbags (right onto my head).  Once I realized what happened and figured out what the voice was that was asking if I was ok (my OnStar savior checking to make sure I was ok and alerting 911 for me) I realized I couldn't see anything with airbags everywhere.

A huge shout out to the Urbandale Fire squad, Des Moines police department and the Crow Tow team for be quick and efficient in making sure we were all ok and safe today.

I called Joe and while sobbing assured both him, and the dispatcher who had taken the place of the OnStar voice, that I was pretty sure I was ok.  By then the fire department had arrived and we realized I could open my car door and that I was trapped inside by my airbags.  They made quick work of that so I could get out of the car.  My drivers side is pretty smashed up and the rear axel is bent and the insurance company seems to think it may be totaled.  For those of you who know the history of my car there is some sadness and likely some joy because this Saturn Vue has been a real lemon for us.  I am grateful to have a car that ran and got us where we needed to go but it was constantly breaking and very frustrating since this started as soon as we drove it off the lot new.  So quite possibly this will be a blessing in disguise.

The woman who hit me I think was more shaken up then I was and I made sure to give her a couple of hugs before the wrecker hauled both of our vehicles away.  I had the "pleasure" of being delivered to my meeting via the back seat of a Des Moines police car and was grateful to have reached my destination.  Yes I went to the meeting I had scheduled and we made some great progress but by the end despite a gift of Aleve I was starting to feel pretty rough.  Through the good graces of my colleague I received a ride back to Ames while talking to insurance companies all the way back.

Once I got there I set my intern to work, and my bestie Adri gave me a ride to the clinic so I could make sure I didn't have anything broken or things to worry about.  After an hour with a very thorough doctor I was given the green light to carry on with my day and Adri brought me home and I was reminded again of the wonderful kindness of my friends.  Joe made sure I was settled and was off to shuttle a little boy back from home.  I got to spend time building a tin can cable car with my boy and then taking him to his first official piano lesson.

Joe and Abby arrived home with yummy chocolate and beautiful flowers.  We had a great meal and did an ice cream run.  My brother called to make sure I was fully functioning (I welcome the concern from him and Joe but really, I'm doing fine.) Then I got to read all of the wonderful birthday wishes from friends and family from around the country and I was reminded again how blessed I am.  I really am doing ok despite being a bit battered and bruised and I am ever so grateful to have another year of wonderful memories even if the path taken is not always what I expected.  Wish you all a wonderful day!

Ready to Tri!

Triathlon season is among us.  I did my first race of the season the first week of January.  It was an indoor triathlon and got the season started.  I have just about figured out the rest of the of my schedule but more about that later.

 

Leading up to my first official triathlon of the year I admit I've been cramming a bit.  I caught a bad cold that my MS kept me from kicking in January into February.  Then I had a couple of good weeks of training and then threw my back out and was on super low impact activities for almost three weeks (even swimming was painful).  I finally got myself back in business again and had a bit of a panic in mid April when I looked at my original training plan and was way off.  Once I realized the plan was designed before I dropped two runs from my list of races I regrouped and my coach confirmed I was right where I needed to be although I needed to get some focused bike rides in and a start adding runs.

I did manage to put in one or two rides each week after that but had more than one lack luster run.  I threw in a few challenges like a 4.5 mile trail run through the beautiful bluffs and forest north of Decorah.  Add a 25 mile bike ride in 20 mph gusts and we call that a hill workout.  Whew!  Love the challenges of spring in Iowa.  Anyway I was feeling like finishing my first race of the year was going to be no problem, and then I saw the weather forcast for the weekend.  Race start temp of 45 degrees and water temps in the low 60s if I was lucky.

Now I had done several races in the fall and had some colder water temps so had an idea of what to expect, but it left me wondering how many layers I was going to need.  Joe and I did a Goodwill run in Kansas City and found some potentially "disposable" sweats in case we needed to have some layers right before the swim start to keep from hypothermia.  I also wasn't sure what I would need for layers during the bike and run so I was throwing all sorts of things in my gear back at the last minute.  As a result I forgot to bring my sandals and breakfast stuff.

With a plan in hand I had some time to think about what the rest of my season should look like.  I am supposed to do four races as part of the Women's Pearl Izumi Tri Champion team.  I front loaded my schedule with my big races, the KC Olympic Triathlon and a new half Ironman called Milkman in Madison Wisconsin on Father's Day weekend.  I'm also hoping to race Bluff Creek which is a long time favorite of mine (Twister Hill) at the end of July as well as the ISU Cyman Tri in September.  In August I am taking a break from training to go backpacking in Isle Royal with my cousin so it is shaping up to look like a great summer.

In between racing I plan to help coach the youth tri clinic over a series of Saturday in a neighboring town with my tri club, and volunteer at three triathlons as well.  I also plan to do one or two family 5k runs just for fun as well as ride the 50 mile MS bike ride with my dad again the weekend after my half Ironman race.  I am ever grateful to be able to keep up my activities and have been fortunate my body has cooperated so far.  Looking forward to a great summer of sport, which even includes at least three Major League Baseball games.  Stay tuned for my official KC Triathlon race report.