Tuesday, August 27, 2013

12 Days, Taper, Tracking and Other Schtuff ...

Well, with less than two weeks until the big day (just 12 days), I believe I am ready ... One doesn't ever know for sure, but I believe I have put in the necessary work to get me to THE finish line on race day.  I was able to accomplish my last longish ride, which was sidelined to feeling like poop towards the end of this past week. 

I have learned many things about my body over the last 9-ish months and, I think, have figured out how to balance things better and when I am starting to get sick. Resting the body instead of trying to push through is my best bet. This past week and for the first time this year, I did not end up with bronchitis and pneumonia ... I believe, partially due to me being smarter about it and part of it being modern medicine that has helped keep my asthma/allergies under control ... And if I decide to embark on another ironman again, then I will have better knowledge of myself, my body and what it can and can't do. 

The taper has been pretty awesome, besides being CRAZY tired and hungry ALL THE TIME ... Fortunately, we are spending 10 days up at the cabin in the peacefulness of the northwoods :-).  The extra bonus is that I can spend it with 3 of the most important people in my life.  I have been able to sleep in, wake up naturally without worrying about what is happening at work or what needs to be taken care of at home. The training is getting done, although my run on Sunday was terrible. I know better than this, but thought it was a great idea at the time ... Made a big breakfast for myself, then went for a run. The breaky almost ended up on the road. Quick and fairly easy reminder. Nothing like having to have your husband come pick you up off the side of the road and bring you home to regroup. I came home, took in some fluids and managed to limp through the rest of it. 

I am happy to say that, training wise, there isn't anything to crazy lined up for the next 11 days ... Feels good to not have to block off huge chunks of time  or completely rearrange everything that I do based on what my training day is like ... Now, that the volume is lower, this is the time when I (and I'm sure many athletes) start to question: Have I done enough, will I be smart enough on race day, will I be able to finish and accomplish my goals???  I just have to keep the faith and not worry about what I can't control.  The day will all work out as it's supposed to ... Well, at least that's how I am feeling today :-). 

I did have the pleasure of tracking several friends on Sunday at Ironman Louisville and Ironman Canada. So fun to see where they are all at, how they are doing and cheering them on from afar. I had my nose in my phone almost the whole day ... Between checking in on people, texting friends to see if they knew where they were at, it was a long day ;-).  I am so happy and proud to say that my friend Terry completed his first Ironman in Louisville on Sunday. Simply incredible. It has been fun to watch him transform and accomplish his goals over the past 9 months. And also, huge props to my friend Megan, who completed her first Ironman in Canada yesterday too!  Man, she is a fasty!!  Another big props go to my friend Jim, who did Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Louisville in less than a month. Holy crap!!  Impressive stuff!!  Also congrats to Kitty, Brenda and Bruce a/k/a Lite Jazz on their accomplishment at Louisville as well :-). Have to also give a big shout out to my friend Jodi.  Although, she did not finish the race due to a stress fracture in her foot, she gave it 110% out there yesterday and am so proud of her :-). 

For those of you that have been asking, I did rent a GPS tracking system for race day. It is pretty simple to use and if you have an android smart phone or an iPhone, they offer a free app so you can track me on race day when you are out on the course or elsewhere. You can also track from a laptop, desktop, kindle fire or iPad too :-). Here is the link to the website ... The actual Ironman Wisconsin race won't show up until the week of the race, but you will be prepared ;-). 

www.myathletelive.com. 

Go to upcoming events and you click on the app to download ... It's free :-). You can track directly from the website as well.

I will send out more info race week as to where are good spectator spots and where I think I will be at certain times (depending on weather and how I am feeling that day, those times are estimates, but if you have the app and are out on the course, it'll be a lot easier :-). And if you see some Effcansah shirts on the course, talk to them, get to know them and enjoy the day as spectators together.  it is incredible out there!!  also, pick people's brains as to where good spectator spots are as well.  I may miss some, but plan on getting an email race week with more info :-). 

Speaking of Effcansah ... Thanks so much to everyone that has purchased shirts!!! 74 were sold!!!  As soon as all are distributed and calculations have been made, I will let you know the total $$$ that will go to Dr. Mark Burkard and his breast cancer research. Again, if you are in the Madison area and chose local pickup, I will be at Fleet Feet Madison on Old Sauk road on Tuesday, September 3rd from 5:30-7:30pm. And if you are in the Janesville area and chose local pickup, I will be at the Janesville Athletic Club on Blackbridge Road on Thursday, September 5th from 5:30-7:30pm. 

If you are so inclined, my friend Jacque is teaching an Ironman themed spin ride on Tuesday, September 3rd at 5:30am ... Sign up on Saturday or Sunday of this week ... And if you ordered a shirt, I can get it to you then.  If not, just come for the fun!!!!!!  

I hope you have all had a great day and are staying cool!!!  And remember ... Life is good. Enjoy it, love it and be kind to one another!!!  I'll be back on Sunday :-). Love to all!!!!  


Sunday, August 18, 2013

T.I.R.E.D, #779 and Last Chance for Shirts ...

This was a big week.  The fatigue was out of this world, and I was sort of dreading it ... But, I accomplished all I hoped to and was happy with the results. After I complete my 2.4 mile swim tomorrow morning, I will start to taper and I can't wait for it.  Just 21 days until the big day!!!  I AM ready for shorter training sessions and more time for family ... The best part is that a big part of my taper will be spent up at the cabin with family and friends, relaxing and enjoying each others company.  The cabin is my absolute favorite place to be ... counting down the days until we get there :-).  The house right now is not my favoite place as I have let some things slide around here. It'll have have to wait for a good, deep cleaning until after Ironman, but it's driving me a little nutso!!!  

Back to the training weekend ... Saturday morning, my friend Jacque and I headed up to the Ironman course to ride our hearts out :-).  First loop was great, felt really strong.  The second loop, we were on our way to a possible negative split.  We did stop to take a picture (which I've attached - people asked if we were ok ... the course is beautiful, one must appreciate it)! Then we hit mile 19 on the bike ... Jacque, as usual, was ahead of me on the hill (she is a REALLY strong cyclist) and all of a sudden I hear a POW coming from her bike. 

At first, we thought it was a blown tire, then we looked down and realized that one of spokes had broken off!!  Well, we didn't quite know what to do, but were trying to figure it out.  About 5 minutes later, two really nice guys came by and asked if they could help. I knew Wynn from Blake's team and his friend both took a look and took care of us ... There was good news and bad news here ... Good news was that she could still ride her bike another 20+ miles back to the car ... Bad news was that she had no back brakes as the wheel wouldn't turn as it was out of true.  So, we made it back, taking a tour of our old hood on our way, riding a little more timidly and gently than the first loop. We did not want a trip to the ER and plus we had lunch and a beer waiting for us as Gray's Tied House. :-).  So, a successful 2 loops on the course were completed :-). 

After we got back from the ride, I finished out the last 14 miles to get my century in. Jacque - you and I will ride 100 miles together!!!!  

This morning was my last long run. 3 hours ... Eesh. I wasn't sure how these sticks were going to feel after the long bike, but I was about to find out! The weather was perfect and I has some wonderful ladies to help me through it. Thanks so much to Lisa, Lesley, Kathi, Sherri and Lyndsey for the company!!!!  It was a bummer to not have Laura with us, but she has started a new adventure with her family in Michigan, but she is missed and I can't wait to see her again ... 

Back to the run. It started out a little rough as my legs were tired. Another great reason to have friends for company ... I got to listen to a lot of good stories and hear about everyone's adventures. :-). After about mile 5, the legs started loosening up and I got into a rhythm. Rounded out my last long run with 17 miles in the bank :-). I was really happy with it. And thanks to the Swenson family for letting me pop in to use the baaathroom. That was appreciated too :-). 

Another bit of info that I found out today was my race number!! 779 :-). It's real now!!!!  Seeing that made my heart jump a little bit with excitement. So happy that I am able to participate in this sport and am so lucky to have such supportive friends and family that have helped me along the way. I do have to say that B has been incredible with all of this. Couldn't ask for a better partner in life :-). 

And last, but not least ... Last call to order Effcansah - Team IronMichele Wilkinson shirts!!  i believe we are closing in on 60 shirts!!  fingers crossed that we can surpass that!!?  Just 2 days left to place your shirt order, so keep them coming in!!  All of the shirts are a unisex cotton t-shirt and come in Sapphire Blue :-).  When you place your order online, it will state that they are on backorder.  No worries, they will definitely be done in time for race day.  The company printing the shirts will be doing one mass printing, so that is the reasoning behind the backordered on the site.   

The cost for the shirts are $15.00 each and ALL of the proceeds will go to Dr. Mark Burkard's breast cancer research at the UW Carbone Cancer Center.  

You may choose to have your shirt(s) shipped (at a minimal cost) to your door or you can choose to pick them up in Madison from yours truly on Tuesday, September 4th from 5:30 - 7:30pm at Fleet Feet on Old Sauk Road or in Janesville on Thursday, September 5th from 5:30 - 7:30pm at the Janesville Athletic Club On Blackbridge Road.  

Please email me if you have any questions.  It would be great to see a lot of you out there supporting Effcansah!  Thanks so much to Dawn Whyte for getting this set up!!  You are awesome!!  It'll be so exciting to see Effcansah shirts out there on the course :-) ... Smiling and sweaty hugs will definitely be given :-).  I have attached a picture of the mock up of the shirts too.  

And, below is a link to the website :-)

http://shop.effcansah.com/Team-IronMichele-Ironman.htm

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sunday ... summer is back :-). Yay!!!  And remember ... Life is good. Enjoy it, love it and be kind to one another!!! Until next Sunday ... It'll be Louisville Ironman day. All the best to my friend Terry and Jodi and all the others participating ;-). 




Friday, August 9, 2013

Four Weeks, An Ah-ha Moment and Shirts ;-)

Just four weeks until the big day!!!  I am getting excited and nervous for what is yet to come. This past week was a great training week for me. Fun but challenging rides with Alison and Jacque, my longest training swim of the year, and my longest training run ... SOLO, and on a TREADMILL!!  I was pretty proud of that one and it was a great confidence builder :-).  

This week will be the biggest volume yet. About 10,000 yards in the pool, about 35 miles running and 200ish miles on the bike. Biggest focus is to be rested going into all of the sessions, make sure that I am fueled properly and HAVE FUN!!!  

That brings me to my AH-HA moment. This has probably been evolving over the past few weeks and, I'm sure has been there all along, but I just wasn't truly aware of it until now. While I benefited from the time that I had Blake as a coach and really appreciate everything he had done to get me going and to have my best half marathon ever ... I have determined that having a coach isn't what is best for me. 

I am not knocking coaches in any way shape or form.  I have seen what they have done to help many of my friends to be prepared for their big race whether it be their first half marathon, full marathon, sprint distance triathlon, olympic distance triathlon, half ironman, full ironman or working to set a personal best in any of these events and definitely respect and appreciate what they have done for many, many people, including myself, as I have seen so many achieve great success with the guidance of a coach!! 

My thing, is that one of the biggest reasons why I participate in this sport is because I LOVE it, I have so much FUN doing it whether it be the training for races or just spending time with my friends training. Swimming, biking, running, strength work and overall general fitness are all a HUGE part of my life, both work wise and socially, so having fun has to be at the top of the list of priorities.  I was starting to lose some of the fun in the process.  This gave me that ah-ha moment that I needed to reevaluate what I really wanted from this journey.  

I wanted to go out and run with my girlfriends and solve the worlds problems and catch up on what is happening in their lives in the 30min - 2+ hours we have together on a given day.  When I couldn't do this, it made me sad and was an eye opener. They have been some of my favorite moments of the day (even though, we at times grumble about how early in the day it is as its usually at the pre-buttcrack of dawn).  

The same went for the bike, there were specific training sessions that needed to get done on certain days (which I understood as there is a plan and process for the goal), but I was wanting get the necessary miles in AND spend time with friends.  This year has been incredible as I have REALLY enjoyed my bike this summer (which hasn't been the case in past years) ... And a lot is due to the training rides that I have had with Alison, Jacque, Lyndsey and Synthia. We work, but still make sure to have fun while getting the necessary work in. A win, win :-). 

So, these past few months, I have been setting my training schedule weekly with a plan that is flexible to when my friends are available, but still getting the necessary training in in an organized and purposeful way.  Who knows, maybe someday in the future, I will hire a coach again, but for now ... me being my own "coach" is what works best for me, gives me more balance in my life and keeps me and my family happiest :-). 

I know this is frustrating to some as my original thought was maybe I could hit a certain time goal.  People have asked if I would like to be faster than in 2010. Well, of course I would like to be faster, but we will see what happens on race day, how I am feeling, what the weather is like, etc. I do know this: I want to soak in the ENTIRE day (the course, the spectators, friends and family that have taken time out of their day to support me and the others out there racing, the volunteers (I think I said thank you about 500 times in 2010 to the volunteers), the accomplishment itself, the reminders as to why I do this and the sweaty hugs on the run ... Those are important things for me to embrace) ... It's a pretty incredible feat and no matter if I come in at 11 hours, 13 hours, 15 hours or at 16:59:59, I will still be an IRONMAN :-).  In my mind, that's pretty AWESOME!!  

So, stick with me for a just a little while longer :-) ... I appreciate you all joining me on the journey!!!  

Now, last but not least ... the shirts ...

I believe, that as of today, we are at over 40 shirt orders for Effcansah - Team IronMichele Wilkinson!!  So exciting!!   There are still 9 days left to place your shirt order, so keep them coming in!!  All of the shirts are a unisex cotton t-shirt and come in Sapphire Blue :-).  When you place your order online, it will state that they are on backorder.  No worries, they will definitely be done in time for race day.  The company printing the shirts will be doing one mass printing, so that is the reasoning behind the backordered on the site.   

The cost for the shirts are $15.00 each and ALL of the proceeds will go to Dr. Mark Burkard's breast cancer research at the UW Carbone Cancer Center.  

You may choose to have your shirt(s) shipped (at a minimal cost) to your door or you can choose to pick them up in Madison from yours truly on Tuesday, September 4th from 5:30 - 7:30pm at Fleet Feet on Old Sauk Road or in Janesville on Thursday, September 5th from 5:30 - 7:30pm at the Janesville Athletic Club On Blackbridge Road.  

Please email me if you have any questions.  It would be great to see a lot of you out there supporting Effcansah!  Thanks so much to Dawn Whyte for getting this set up!!  You are awesome!!  It'll be so exciting to see Effcansah shirts out there on the course :-) ... Smiling and sweaty hugs will definitely be given :-).  I have attached a picture of the mock up of the shirts too.  

And, below is a link to the website :-)

http://shop.effcansah.com/Team-IronMichele-Ironman.htm

I hope you all have a fantastic evening, and an awesome upcoming week!  And remember ... Life is good. Enjoy it, love it and be kind to one another!!! Until next Sunday, when I will be able to embrace all of work that has been done and start to enjoy the taper!!!