MS Update - Nutrition and Ups and Downs

I had originally planned to blog about nutrition and my adventures trying to figure things out but first I am going to grumble for a paragraph or two.  Feel free to skip the grumbles.

Last week was one of the toughest ones for me since my diagnosis and going on MS meds.  Mondays are generally the most difficult day of the week for me.  I take my meds on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights.  During the week I eat pretty clean, cut out gluten and sugars, but on the weekend I allow myself a little leeway with gluten, sugar and usually on the go so not enough rest or fluids and that sets me up for what can be rough Mondays.

Last Monday I woke up dried out as usual (I hate forced heat and my humidifier just doesn’t turn itself on often enough).  I was pretty achy on top of my normal Monday medication muddle.  I just chalked it up to being a typical Monday muddled through my day.  Wednesday started the same way but this time I took some aleve to knock things back.  Wednesday night I was feeling some fatigue although not to the extent of lead arms and midday Thursday had me dragging again.  I had been sleeping poorly the last couple of months but this week I was struggling to stay up past 8:30 and getting 8-9 hours of sleep each night.  I decided to layup on Friday to rest, ate pretty clean all weekend, and finally started feeling better by Sunday.  This Monday ended up being a good Monday and while I appear to be back to nights of sleep interruptus I feel tired but human.

MS is a tough disease because outsiders cannot see it and it’s effects, and I don’t like to fixate when I feel crummy… sometimes I have to stop my forward trudge to rest.  It is hard for the people around me to know when its a good day or bad day and I feel like it puts us all a little off balance.  When I have a week like last one it is easy to get frustrated and discouraged.  I am not a negative person by nature but sometimes I have to force a smile and be more upbeat then I feel.

So on to my original topic.  I am sure I have mentioned my massive diet changes as a result of my diagnosis. I miss my glass of wine with dinner... I don't drink much since I simply don't feel up to it most nights and have been more susceptible to migraines with the MS meds triggered by things I enjoy like wine, chocolate, etc.  I have done a lot of research the last few years about nutrition and diet feeling like I needed to make a change even before I was diagnosed.  The trouble is I am a mom and a wife and sweeping changes have a huge impact on the people I love. My family have sacrificed many a loaf of bread or plate of pasta the last year and I appreciate their willingness to support my health.  

My research on the current research has shown that wheat has been so genetically modified that they have minimized the nutritional value of our mainstream flour.  Also it is a fact that the more processed the food the less healthy it is so we have made a big push towards whole, organic (chemical pharma free) foods.  We have been focusing on lean meats (salmon, chicken, tilapia).  Lots of fruits and vegetables and many we hadn’t tried before.  For our grains we have quinoa, sweet potatoes, and wild rice.  Our cookie jar is filled with nuts and dried fruit, and we have avocados with every other meal.  We are finding that our meals are still quite filling and it wasn’t a huge surprise but we are finding our meals to be more flavorful and satisfying.  We only have desert nights on the weekends.  We are learning to make some gluten free things and have finally found a loaf of gluten free bread that tastes normal.  Joe and I were just talking and we have more energy most of the time and even crave veggies when we slack off on our eating habits.

So why am I rambling on about this?  Because it is forcing my family to give up things they enjoyed.  We all eat the same meals at our house. Joshua misses macaroni and cheese.  Abby misses white rice and bread, and she seems to understand why the change is important. She even pays attention to what I eat to keep me on track.  Even so it seems like they get excited to have me out for the night because now these things are special treats for them to have when I’m not home.  Of course we draw the line at good pizza.  Good pizza is always welcome in our house... oh and chocolate too… in moderation.  As always thanks for reading.

Remembering Our Sweet Girl

Shortly after Sage came to live with us.

In August of 2013 we lost our sweet girl Sage after about 18 months of deterioration.  I realized I never shared about her here and she was a special girl worth sharing.

Always being mauled by her brother

Sage came to us from under a porch at about six weeks old when Joe and I were in grad school out in Pullman, WA.  She was an angry little white puff ball and spent her first three days behind our couch hissing and spitting when we came near.  I had not been around cats since I was a child and honestly thought of myself as a dog person until then.  I had never seen a cat spit before and she was feisty.  Eventually she tired herself out and I was able to scoop her up and set her down out in the living room.  

Aslan, our other kitten the same age from another litter, immediately took her under his wing and showed her the food and litter box.  After that he was always in her space, much to her dismay, crawling into the cat bucket with her/on her for naps.  Joe and I laugh now as we watch our new kitten Lilah do the same thing to Aslan that he did to Sage all those years ago.  But without that little guy with the huge ears we would have had a tough time with little Sagie.

She didn't warm up to us until my folks came out to Washington to visit for a week.  My mom was determined that Sage just needed some extra love and she sat with Sage on her lap for what seemed like an hour one day and that seemed to break away the last of the nervous stray in her.  She was a mamas girl but she was always shy around others and VERY leery when we added the dogs to our family.

Her princess pose

As a blue eyed chocolate point Siamese Sage was always a beauty and would strike poses that said look at me.  She has the most amazing soft fur and I loved snuggling with her and listening to her sweet purr.  When I was pregnant with our first child she would curl up with a paw on my belly at night and purr me to sleep.

Little sage loved the outdoors and while she and her brother are indoor kitties they always had a big window to sit in and watch the birds.  She loved chirping back at them when they came into view.  Occasionally we did let them out to explore while supervised and Sage always pushed the limits of gravity jumping to the top of a six foot fence or wiggling away under things.  She loved to just sit in the grass and enjoy a sunny day.

Sunny outside time

Into tight spaces

Her last big contribution.  Helping Abby with a science project.

Sagie was always a very athletic kitty and seemed to constantly find ways to get herself into trouble.  She loved to play but always on her own terms and would pounce on anything moving under blankets.   Her dad was always teasing her that way.  Even though she was petite compared to her 15 lb brother she could jump higher and father than any other cat I have known.  

One day when we were in grad school still I had a couple girl friends over to make candles and Sage and her curiousity got the best of her.  She jumped up onto the counter where things were drying and knocked over a votive.  I was pulling wax out of her fir for days.

One of my favorite pics of Sage
and Aslan at about a year old.

She was quite curious and would constantly open cabinets and pull drawers out so you could tell where she had been in a day.   I remember one very early morning about 4-5 months before she passed we had her in the bathroom because her bowel control was diminished.  Joe was up early to head to the gym and woke me with cussing because Sage had locked herself in the bathroom by pulling out some drawers.  Having had this happen before I got up and got the drawer back in but that was a rude awakening.

She was also a master hider and with her petite size she could make herself pretty small.  She was able to miss out on a vet appointment because we couldn't find her one day.  

Sage, Sagie Pooh, Poo, Princess Sage... our sweet girl.  It was hard to watch her decline in the end but I would not trade the time we had with her for anything.

Giving Thanks - Much to be Thankful For

Just wanted to pull together a short blog of Thanksgiving for all that 2014 has brought.

I am grateful for everything I have in my life... even though 2014 has dealt me a bunch of downs it has also provided me with an abundance of ups.

I am grateful to finally know what is the cause of many of the strange health issues I have and even with a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (non-fatal, manageable symptoms, and on the radar of some promising research towards a cure) I have found I am stronger than I knew and that I have an amazing circle of people who are there to help me when I have a day that knocks the wind out of my sails.

I am grateful for the personal family struggles that found me as it has reminded me that I have amazing children and a husband who is worth refocusing my positive energy around who all love me so much it overwhelms me some days.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of an amazing team of triathletes through Kyle's Bikes and Triathlon Racers of Iowa.  They encouraged me when my goals remained beyond my reach and cheered the loudest when I found my way to surprising triumph.

I am grateful to have a fleet of remarkable and diligent health care professionals on my team keeping me running through all the crap my body throws and me and the that I throw at it.

I am grateful to have a workplace filled with intelligent thoughtful people who give me a long leash to continue to make decisions that hopefully make a positive impact on the people I support.  I love my job (even when it is crazy busy and things don't go the way I planed.)

I am grateful for an amazing and crazy and loving family and extended family.  They have an enormous capacity for love and I feel that from across the many miles that separate us and wish we had more face time.

I am grateful for interesting and wonderful friends all across the country with whom I share great memories.  May I cross paths with more of you in 2015. 

I am grateful to share this beautiful Earth with all of you and love the time I get outside taking in all the sights and sounds of nature.

I am grateful for every day I can get up (even if if the cats, dogs, kids or husband wake me before the alarm) and start a new day with a smile and drive to learn new things and have new experiences.

I am grateful to be able to see my flaws and be good with the ones that don't matter, and work every more diligently to refine the ones that do.  I work every day to find the calm in the midst of chaos.

So with that I have rambled on enough but I want to encourage each and everyone of you to open up your heart to all the good things in your life, and work to make the things that drag you down better.

Let the people who are important to you know  and be willing to put yourself out there to make a positive difference in another person's life.  It isn't easy but it is so fulfilling.  So with that I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I send you my love and wish you peace.

IMT Des Moines 1/2 Marathon race report - Oct 2014

Throughout the summer I have struggled with my runs.  I started working with a trainer in mid July in an effort to have a stronger run and bike as the triathlon season progressed.  It seems the training worked.  I decided to sign up for the half marathon about six weeks before the race for two reason.  I wanted something to close out my season and I wanted to see how i would do taking on a race of that length.  My goal is to race another half Ironman.  I have wanted to do another one since I finished my first one in 2011.  Health issues had me sidelined in 2012 and 2013.  This year was a building year… building my confidence and figuring out what I am still able to do after my MS diagnosis in February.

I wasn’t sure how I would do going into this race.  I had a great 8 ½ mile training run three weeks out.  I had a super slow 10 ½ mile training run two weeks out and meh short runs before and after this one.  Then I missed my last long run (soccer tournament out of town) and actually had seven days with no runs, followed by a decent 5 miler 5 days out and another 3 miler two days out.  Because my runs did not feel consistent the last couple of weeks I had no idea what to expect race day.  

I was struggling with what to wear to race so I had on enough clothes at the start not to stand around shivering, but not need to take off clothes during the race.  It was 36 degrees when I left Ames but around 45 by the time I got to the course.  I chose compression shorts, a short sleeve dri-fit and a long sleeved running shirt with thumb holes to keep my hands warmer.  I also had a spibelt (holds phone, gels and key), bia gps watch, and a number belt plus my Altras and a pair of smart wool ankle socks.  I end up getting a little warm around mile 10 but I didn’t want to wrestle off my top layer with the belts and my watch on over it.

Somewhere in Water Works Park*

I woke up feeling good and got myself to the course around 7:15 hit the kybo and stood around watching people.  I ran into a neighbor and some other friends before the race.  Then i queued up for the race start.  My goal was 10 minute miles for the race so i lined up between the 10 minute mile and 10:30 pace people.  I chatted with a lady named Mollie who lives near my hometown and it turns out we knew some of the same people.  We ran together the first couple of miles.

By mile three we were both in need of a quick bio break (my MS doesn't let me go more than five miles without one) and with that taken care of she could see that I was ready to let things go and put on a bit more speed.  I hung out there a little too long and the fourth mile end up being my slowest.  Rolling into Water Works Park just after mile 5 I pulled out a honey stinger gel.  My plan was to take on gel at mile 5 and alternate between water and Gatorade as needed.  I took on fluids at 80% of the possible locations.  Every time I started to feel like I was slowing down I used one of the principles from the book Chi Running by Danny Dreyer and took on a forward lean.  The great thing about this is then gravity is pushing me forward instead of my leg muscles so I can go faster for longer.

It ended up being a beautiful day to race.  I enjoyed all the fall colors throughout the course and was happy to see a few triracer teammates cheering along the course.  All in all I really enjoyed the race and probably had a smile on my face for most of it.  My final stats are below and I had a lady come up to me after the finish and told me she had been chasing me down the last five miles and was impressed with my burst of speed the last couple of miles (yeah me too).  I am now on a mission for a 70.3 with a run that won’t be too hot or humid in 2015 so chime in with options for me.  I had a great time until I realized I lost my car key.  My cousin came to my rescue and I was able to get back to Ames in time for a shower and get to Abby’s soccer game just in time.  

Close to the end and still smiling*

The data for 13.1 miles (13.4 by my GPS start to finish), Duration 2:10.39 (I stopped my watch before the bio stop… Official time 2:11.26 but this includes time in the potty), Pace 9:44 per mile average.

mile 1 - 10:11

mile 2 - 9:43

mile 3 - 10:04

mile 4 - 10:29

mile 5 - 10:07

mile 6 - 9:45 (gel must have kicked in) - official time at 6.5 miles 1:10.04 (says expect finish notification at 10:29… finish notification hit at 10:20)

mile 7 - 9:05

mile 8 - 9:07

mile 9 - 9:18

mile 10 - 9:53

mile 11 - 9:55

mile 12 - 9:45

mile 13 - 9:43

mile 13.1 - 8:38 pace

As always thanks for reading and thank you to all the great people who have supported me this season.  I still have two races left in 2015 but they are just for fun.  STAM chocolate run Nov 15th with Abby, and the Living History cross country race Nov 20 with some of my triathlon teammates.   I had a great time this year and am already plotting for 2015.


*Photos by Greg Grandgeorge

MS Update - Stress is bad but life is good

It has been a while since my last update that isn’t a race report.  The last month has been filled with ups and downs.  I finished two triathlons both of them sprint distance and now I am preparing for my next race which is my first half marathon in nearly three years (yes I am excited and terrified… I have a ten mile training run on Sunday).  While life isn’t all about sport it does keep me going to have a goal or three to work towards.

Outside of my workout schedule, my days are full of a busy work schedule, shuttling kids, and keeping the train on the track so to speak.  Both of the kiddos are in school now with Joshua in Kindergarten and Abigail in fifth grade.  Both kids are playing soccer (five days on the pitch this season with new coaches and teams), Abby is in band and choir, and I am still leading Abby’s Girl Scout troop.  Throw in a geriatric cat and dog, a second nervous dog, a crazy kitten and a lizard… well It has been a bit of an adjustment for everyone.  All of these school year activities on top of some other family issues took their toll on me and I knew I was not managing my stressors well.  

I have also been having troubles with my sleep.  I seem to wake up at 2 or 4:30am and struggle to settle back down, the big old cat fighting for my spot in bed isn’t helping. :)  After over a month I fear I am dragging a bit.  It all caught up with me a couple of weeks ago in a week long struggle with fatigue that left me toppled at home for a couple of days.  That followed up with three days of wrangling a migraine.  

It is obvious to me that I need to do more to manage my stress.  I am trying to work meditation into my routine and am hoping to start up tai chi again once I am not running long miles.  In the meantime I had my three month bloodwork done last week.  My white blood count went from 5.5 (normal) before meds down to 2.7 (May) but has been creeping back up closer to normal 3.7 (July) and my latest test was at 4.1 (normal is 4.8).  I am not bruising as easily as I was when my counts were lower and my body seems to be fighting off any germs that come at me so far.  The meds are still giving me the morning muddles with a mild headache the day after taking them.  It isn’t enough to have me breaking out the advil but frustrating and a bit distracting none the less.

I am still collecting data so to speak on what is working and what isn’t with managing my MS.  I find I am struggling to do the injections.  It was easier in the early months but now I feel like I need a longer pep talk and some thumb overriding to actually push the button.  Not sure what that is about however I really do hate doing injections.  At least it is only three times a week instead of daily and my side effects are mild.  I am also still having random issues with my bladder, along with mild hand and feet numbness, and all this has me not knowing what to expect from my body each day.

I continue to manage my foods keeping processed carbs and sugars to a minimum, and focusing mostly on whole foods.  I am finding however that the colder weather has me craving comfort foods so now I need to figure out some warm version of breakfast and lunch options to support my body.  I never seem to have enough time to sit down with some recipes(depsite my growing collection) and try new things so looking forward to November and the end of soccer season to get a handle of some of this.  If you have a great recipe to share send it over.

Well that is enough rambling for today.  I am still working to raise my own spirits some days but all in all still optimistic about the future.  Until then I will keep moving, learning, evolving… faking a little optimism here and there… but overall very grateful for my place in life and the capabilities I have.  As always thanks for reading.

Race Report CyMan Triathlon - Sept 21, 2014

After the Hy-Vee triathlon I was pretty pumped to go out and give CyMan all I had and try for a new PR.  My body conspired against me in the week leading up to the race and on the Saturday before the race I was not sure I be up to racing.  

I managed a strong training run on the Tuesday morning leading up to the race, but things quickly went downhill from there.  One of the more common symptoms for people with Multiple Sclerosis is fatigue.  I had not had a significant fatigue problem since June and all in all have been feeling pretty good.  However reality hit and I found that the end of August and beginning of September my stress level started to creep up on me with my two kids starting school, soccer, band, as well as other things going on in my life.  All that stress wore on me until Sunday the 14th I started having hints of a problem.  By Wednesday night “Lead Arms” were in full effect.  Fatigue manifests itself such that it feels like both arms and legs are weighted and all I can do is sit very still while my mind runs great and my body is on pause.  Thursday I spent the day on the couch waiting for my body to lighten and tried to go to work Friday morning but found myself back home on the couch by noon.  I was finally feeling better by Friday around dinner time and manage to participate in family activities Friday night and Saturday but still was not sure I would feel up to racing on Sunday.

The Kyle's Bike 2014 Triathlon Team
(Robert, Scott, Christian, Laura, Me and Andy)

Saturday afternoon I prepped my bike, loaded my gear (I actually remembered everything this time) and operated under the assumption that I would feel good to go Sunday morning.  The great thing about CyMan is that is starts an hour later than most races so I rolled out of Ames Sunday morning to head down to Bondurant around 7am feeling rested.  I got myself set up in transition and spent some time chatting with the Kyle’s Bike team as this was the first race all six of us were doing together.  It was a beautiful, albeit very windy, morning and while my hopes for a chance at a PR were dashed I was certain my race would be solid.

In the wetsuit waiting for the start (photo Katherine R)

I was not sure about wearing my wetsuit but after a stern talking to from “coach” I wrestled into it for the first time in three years.  I was the last wave to go in after the Olympic racers and all the sprint racers so struggled to stay warm in the cool breeze even with the wetsuit.  The swim start is a standing water start so I was able to get a good spot and pulled out front with another woman to lead our pack.  We were heading into the sun to the first buoy so I had found some landmarks above the buoy on shore before the start to keep my line.  After coming around the first buoy around 300 yards out we went left into the wind and the water was very choppy and stayed that way around the next buoy until about 100 yards from shore.  The 750 yard swim went well enough and I came out of the water second in my group in 13:43 with the best swim time out of the Kyle’s team for the first time all year (Andy you are tough!) and my fastest time of the season.

Coming out of the lake (Photo Katherine R)

After tugging myself out of my wetsuit (T1 2:02) I was off on the bike for 14 plus miles.  Wind was going to be a factor or maybe it was my legs as my bike miles have been low this year.  I did not feel strong the first couple of miles up the road with the cross wind.  I was trying to remember what the course looked like and how much of it would be into a headwind.  As it turns out not much but most was with a stiff crosswind and rolling hills. I was on my way back before I got into a good grove, it was my worst ride of the season at 50:17 (ave speed around 15 mph).

Starting the Run (Photo Katherine R)

I redeemed myself a little with my second fastest transition of the year (T2 @ 47 seconds) and was off on the run.  FINALLY I had perfect run weather with a little sun in the 60s and a nice cooling wind.  Once I made the turn onto the trail beyond the lake I was starting to get into the grove.  I was afraid to look at my watch but snuck a peek going into the second mile and was stunned by a pace under 9 minutes.  The run felt great and was a bit of redemption for all focused training runs the last month and I ended the 5k with a time of 27:51 which was my fastest 5k time of the year and left me with an overall time of 1:34.42 which was almost my slowest sprint time of the year but I felt great about things as a whole.

Showing off my hardware (Photo Christian B.)

The final outcome got me a second place age-group finisher spot (out of 3). This was the first time I did CyMan (sponsored by the ISU triathlon club) at this venue and it was a well run race with a fun course.  Definitely on my list for future years.  My next race of the 2014 season will be the Des Moines Half Marathon October 19th. This is my first half marathon in three years so trying to get focused to get the job done.

2014 Triathlon Summary below with fastest times in bold.

Copper Creek swim (750 m), Bike 12 miles (hills/rain), run 3.1 miles(hills/humid)

Swim: 15:54 T1 2:08 Bike 46:59 T2 1:22 Run 32:25 Final time 1:38:48

Iowa Games swim (500 yds), bike 15 miles (hilly), run 3.1 miles (flat/hot)

swim 6:37 T1 1:35 bike 53:12, T2 0:36, run 29.10 ave 9.51 - 1:31

Bluff Creek swim (1500 yards), bike 25 miles (twister hill), run 3.1 miles (hills/humid)

swim 30 min, T1 1:22, Bike 1:29.51, T2 1:15, Run 1:09.54 Overall  03:12:28.7

Hy-Vee swim (750 m), Ts (huge), Bike 12 miles (flat/fast), run 3.1 miles (flat/hot)

swim 15:40, T1 2:36, bike 38:23 T2 2:12 run 29:41 overall 1:28.30

CyMan swim (750 m), Bike 14 miles (hills), run 3.1 miles(flat/fast)

swim 13:43, T1 2:02, bike 50:17, T2 0:47, run 27:51 overall 1:34.42

As always thank you to my race sponsor Kyle’s Bikes and Discounttrisupply.com as well as my Kyle’s Bike and Triracers teammates.  It has been an honor to race with you all this season.  It means a lot to me to know you are out there on the course keeping me going. Also, a big thanks to my Facebook Family and all the encouraging words. You have lifted me back up when I felt like I had a huge hurdle to overcome. Thanks most of all to my family who put up with me through another season of training and chaos. Even if you don't come to the races its good to know I have you to come home to.

Race Report - Hy-Vee Triathlon - August 31st Des Moines

My ID for Transition

Race Tat the night before

I was apprehensive all week about doing another Olympic race after I imploded on the run at Bluff Creek.  I came up with a nutrition plan, I worked with my trainer to improve my strength, and had a few solid workouts in the last three weeks.  I also contacted the race officials to see if it was possible to move me from heat 22 (second to last) to something earlier as I was worried the heat and humidity on the run like it has in my other races.  I am still getting a handle on doing triathlons with MS since heat causes a flare up of symptoms.  The last couple of weeks with the stressors of all things related to my kids starting back to school I have struggled with nearly constant flare-ups in my hands and feet.  The race director decided to move me to heat 12 which is a para-athlete heat so they could keep an eye on me.  

We had a crazy amount of rain last week (5” in two days up in Ames) causing flooding to the race bike course, so the officials changed the distance from an Olympic to a sprint (750m swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run) which is half the distance.  I was disappointed and considered bailing out of the race because of some family issues that came up on Friday.  Ultimately, I decided I need to do this for me because of all the hard work I have put in the last couple of months.   I went through the athletes briefing Saturday and then dropped my bike off.  I had to ask for help finding my spot because they have the para athletes located at a different spot which had me set up along the blue fence that separated the 5150 racers from the age groupers (like me).

My spot in the middle of transition
Note there are just as many bikes behind me

Due to the sheer size of transition (over 2000 athletes) and my location within it was a bit of a solo endeavor for me.  I got to transition around 5:15 am to set up my gear and realized I had forgotten my hat and sunscreen.  Once set up I went to see if I could hunt down any of my Kyle’s bikes or Triracer teammates in the dark of transition.  I bumped into Triracers president Jim and chatted with him while he set up his space.  He had an extra visor and sunscreen and was willing to share, and I was extra grateful for that out on the run course.  I saw a couple other folks but once they closed transition everyone dispersed and made it hard to find people.

I headed around the lake to the swim start while listening to updates for the pro athletes on the course.  Their course is an Olympic distance and the rest of the athletes were not allowed to start until all of pros were off the bike course.  All the 5150 championship folks (qualified for a slot at other races) went off in wave starts around 8:20 with 10 heats.  The age group folks started around 8:50 with the elite athletes (super fast) and then it was my heat.  I was the only one racing para in age group so I rolled off the beach solo with my Kyle’s Bike teammates in the heats right behind me.  The great thing about the swim was no traffic until I got to about the third buoy and that was very lite.  The bad thing was I had very little splashing ahead of me to site off of and my goggles fogged a bit making it hard to see the red/orange buoys in the water.  I had a comfortable swim and am good with the time at 15:40.

Taking on nutrition coming into T2

I took my time in transition (2:36 minutes) and got going on the bike. I realized in transition that I forgot to turn on my watch which also has GPS and was in triathlon mode.  I attempted to advance it to the bike setting but ended up in T2 so didn’t have any speed readings for my bike.  I also started to have blurred vision in my left eye during the ride and into the run which due to a combination of sweat and an allergy flare up so I just had to hunker down and grind through it all.  The bike course was really flat and fast and ultimately it didn’t matter as I gave as much as I had and ended up with an average speed of 19 mph with a time of 38:23 which is a solid ride for me.

Katherine grabbed a shot of me at mile 2

Next up was the run.  It was creeping into the high 70s with some humidity by the time I hit T2 (2:12 minutes) so I opted to race with my cooling sleeves again.  I love these because they bring my arm skin temp down and keep the sun off of me when I run.  The first two miles we had water stops every half mile or so and a lot of course encouragement from Kyle’s Bikes teammates racing and spectating.  The last mile really started wearing on me with no water to pour on myself and a fair bit of sun beating down.  I had no idea what my pace was and I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.  I ended up with a solid time with an average speed of 9:34 a mile and run time of 29:41 which still leaves me with room for improvement but was a solid time for me.  My final time was 1:28.30 which to my surprise is my second fastest sprint time only to my last Hy-Vee sprint race which had a significantly shorter swim distance.

Bringing it home

If I had been racing with my age group (assuming no heat issues) I would have placed 15th out of 36. They said I can race in the 5150 championship next year.  So for my age group this puts me top four on the swim, 17 on the bike, 23rd on the run.  I am still working through the mental issues associated with racing with MS but feel like I had a good showing at Hy-Vee and am pumped for my last triathlon, CyMan on September 21st in Bondurant.  Hoping to get closer to my last sprint PR which was a 1:24.50 in 2010.

As always thank you to my race sponsor Kyle’s Bikes and Discounttrisupply.com as well as my Kyle’s Bike and Triracers teammates.  It means a lot to me to know you are out there on the course keeping me going.

Race Report Shawn - Bluff Creek Olympic Triathlon - August 10th

Teammate Christian and I prerace

Bluff Creek Triathlon at Don Williams Park north of Ogden has been one of my favorite races for a while now.  I have done the course twice as a sprint and once as a almost Olympic.  The swim was cut short in 2011 due to water temps being very cold as the race used to be in May.  This is also a very similar course to the one Iowa Games Triathlon used to run in the same park which I did several times before they moved it to Easter Lake.

Out of the water

This was the first Olympic distance race (1500yd swim, 25 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run) that I have done in a couple of years for a variety of reasons, so I have to say I was more nervous than usual going into this one.  My prerace prep could have been a little better starting with learning the swim course.  I didn’t realize that there was one buoy we could not see from the beach so when some folks started cutting away from the buoy line to take a more direct route I did not and it probably cost me, according to my GPS almost 200 yards of swimming.  I felt like I had a strong swim but course disorientation had me all muddled.  I also forgot to spray my goggles with anti-fog yet again.  I considered taking on nutrition before the swim but opted not to and that was a series of nutrition based errors that cost me some functionality throughout the race.

The Olympic bike course is a bit notorious.  You can Google Twister Hill (first down and first up) and get a feel for what I mean.  There is a 3.5 mile N/S straightaway to start the ride with some gentle rolling hills and then the course turns right into Pilot Mound.  It continues for another two miles and then the "Hill" sign comes into view and seems like a giant understatement.  The downhill going out felt steep and is shorter than the uphill across from it.  I didn’t brake going down and at the bottom the road curves to the right before you cross a bridge and climb up the other side which bends to the right.  The Specialized Alias I am riding from Kyle’s Bikes didn’t quite have enough gears to keep me spinning comfortably up this hill and I had a couple of guys go by me as I was working the hill including teammate Christian.  

Once I got to the top the course levels out a little bit and then curves to the right some more and throws a few more smaller rollers at you.  It also threw some headwind at us for a couple of miles which we encountered again for the last three miles of the ride.  Then we turn around and repeat the bike course in reverse.  Taking on Twister hill from the other direction is a bit more exciting because you are coming down it and around a curve at the same time so you can’t see the bottom right away.  I looked at my watch this time and nearly broke 45 mph and that was after I tapped the brake so I could check my speed.  I had to give a little whoot before we bounced across the bridge at the bottom and the nutrition I had planned for the other side of the valley flew out of my top tube bag.  I was bummed and opted against foraging in the bag for something else as things had been there a while.  So I tried pushing the EFS I had in my one water bottle hoping it would be enough to get me going on the run.  All and all my bike time was faster than when I raced the course in 2011 by three minutes.

Smiling at the start of the run while wrangling my sleeves

Joshua and I with an icy cool down

Going into the run I felt like I had prepared for the muggy warm weather by bringing my Pearl Izumi cooling shrug.  It was prewet in a little cooler in transition and was an adventure to get on but seemed to help  It is supposed to be able to drop skin temperature by up to 5 degrees so long as you keep it wet.  My husband also offered to come hang out on the course with ice water and ice for me at the run turnaround as the run is a loop you run twice.  I walked through the water stops which totaled four and drank a cup and poured a cup.  They only offered Heed for electrolytes which is nasty stuff so I didn’t take anything except water and didn’t grab a gel in T2 since I was distracted by the shrug.  The heat and humidity had me stymied despite Joe bringing me ice and my wearing my cooling sleeves, which I was able to keep wet.  I actually got dizzy and had chills going up the hill into mile 4 so I walked as well as around 5.5 miles.  I am sure it is combination of needing more longer runs under my belt, only having one run last week while on vacation, and not getting enough nutrition on the course.  

Pays to show up and do the race.
My teammates all age group winners.

In the end my run time was 14 minutes slower than my run time in 2011.  I try not to think of myself as limited by my MS so I am going to chalk this race up to a larger nutrition and training malfunction.  My favorite part about this weekend’s race was finishing and having a group of people cheering me across the line.  I was the only lady in my division at the Olympic length so despite having a time that was 11 minutes slower than my previous slowest Olympic race time I still got first place in my age group and a nifty pint glass with the race logo on it.  I guess sometimes it pays to show up and get things done no matter how much they challenge you

.

What my watch told me after my training run on Wed.  I believe!

My stats: Swim time: 30 minutes, T1 1:22, Bike 1:29.51 (three minutes faster than the last time I rode this course), T2 1:15, Run 1:09.54 (14 minutes slower than the last time I ran this course) Overall Time 03:12:28.7 (Previous slowest Olympic time was 3:01 so I have a lot of room to improve).

I big shout out to my sponsor Kyle’s Bikes and discounttrisupply.com as well as the Kyle’s Bike team and my Triathlon Racers of Iowa teammates.  My next race is The Hy-Vee Olympic Triathlon August 31st so come cheer me on in Des Moines.  

I worked with my personal trainer on Wednesday and lamented my story to him. First thing he told me is it is just one race and that I should let go the of the disappointing run.

After he got down making me work for my time he gave me two run workouts. One to help me build my distance (a slow easy 7 miler for this weekend) and a step tempo workout which I did Thursday morning.

It was a glorous "fall" morning with the sun not yet over the horizon and a lovely 58 degrees when I left the house. The plan, a warm up mile easy and then two sets of hard two milers with a 4 minute walk in the middle the goal holding a 10 minute mile tempo.

I did the first mile in 11:50 (good for me as I usually go out too hard) first two miler hard at a 9:11 pace mile 4 minute walk and then second two miler hard at a 9:30 minute pace, so not only did I get to my real goal pace I managed to talk my body into going fast for four miles. With a little conservative focused over the next two weeks I might just be able to get a decent run in when I do the Hy-Vee triathlon on the 31st. Feeling better about things now.