Peak Week

You see this picture! That's some scary, intimidating stuff! Well, guess what? I will be in the middle of this chaos in 25 days.

The positives:

• ! I think so. No wetsuits
• Sunshine
• Warm water
• Clear water
• Maybe a dolphin sighting?

The negatives:

• Will only be able to see colors and figures (yeah, I'm that blind)

This week marks my peak week of training. This will be my toughest week of training...I think. :)
 As I stated on Facebook, I apologize if I snap at anybody. Just be nice to me and give me coffee. In 7 days, my beloved Beeker leaves for Mexico. Lucky guy.

Anyhow, Let's recap last week why don't we. I stretched a lot, foam rolled a lot, Pilate'ed a lot, swam a lot, biked a lot and ran some, even in the rain.

I'm feeling good about training and race day. Everything else in my life right now, well that is a whole different story. Nutrition plans 1, 2 and 3 are all set. Outfits are just about set. Wayment!!!!!!!! Did she just say outfits? I sure did. One of the benefits of doing Ironman, there is a changing tent. #winning Oh, did I mention that I have already started packing as well? Yes, I am THAT person.

I just need to get through the next 22 days before I fly out. The waiting is the most annoying part since most of my friends are already done with their races or they are racing this Saturday at Ironman Florida, or they are about to do Ironman Arizona on the 15th. I have the luck of being in the last Ironman race in North America. Isn't that special. Well, I think so.

Just think:

• 7 days before my bike leaves
• 22 days before I leave
• 25 days before I race
• 26 days before my off season starts
• 27 days before I fly back and head right to work
• 28 days before I plot 2016

#trusttheprocess #believeinthepossibilities #listentocoach #respectthetraining

The Countdown: 39 days

39 things that I'm a pondering right now:

1. I am 39 days out from Ironman Cozumel.
2. I was 39 in my first attempt at the Ironman distance. (Ironman Arizona 2012)
3. This year was the 39th running of the Ironman World Championships.
4. The average age of all Age Group Athletes at Kona is 42.8. I am 42.
5. I have a list of 39 Prince songs in my head when I have to go into that dark place in my mind because training is getting tough. (ask me about that)
6. I probably have another 39 ignorant a$$ hip hop and rap songs in my head when I need to just get hyped
7. I have 13 favorite go to swim workouts that I love, 13 different body weight workouts and 13 favorite run workouts I love to do. 13 + 13 + 13 = 39
8. Crank Sports is my nutrition of choice this year for Ironman. Keep it simple.
9. 2XU are the tri shorts of choice. Yes, I do wear tri shorts for a 112 miles on a bike.
10. Would you believe this is the only race that I am doing? There are some things that I don't want to explain. Things are the way they are.
11. I think I have cried more than 39 times in this training.
12. I've made it through 2 seasons of "24" on my long rides. Ok, I never watched it when it was on originally.
13. I've also watched ALL of the Star Trek movies in CompuTrainer as well. The original 6, Next Generation and the reboot with Chris Pine.
14. Why do I always want to eat 3 extra large pizzas with mushrooms, peppers, anchovies and artichokes after my long swims??? Why?????
15. Coffee is a necessity in Ironman training.... actually in all training,
16. I discovered LYFE Kitchen during training. Oh my GOD!!!!! The Brussels Sprouts alone!
17. I've been really working on my weakness: The Bike!
18. I have done more maneuvering this year in order to do ALL of my training. There were only 2 days where I could not get my training in due to my work schedule. I really needed one of my locations to be 24 hours on the real.
19. I am not committing to any race for 2016 until I am finished with Ironman Cozumel. And no, I WILL NOT sign up for the following Ironmans: Wisconsin, Chattanooga, Kentucky, Texas, Coeur d'Alene or Boulder.
20. The goal next year is to get a new bike.
21. Yes, I am balancing on one leg on a disc to work on my core strength and balance while writing this.
22. As of today, I have swam a total of 275, 175 yards which is 156.35 miles. What the ???
23. I squeezed my a$$ into an Extra Large Roka Sports Swim Skin. Yes, I am an extra large, not an extra long which I actually am.
24. My bib number is 1451.
25. I'm missing Thanksgiving but I am totally fine with this.
26. I am working on my race plan right now. I have a time in my head but only 4 people are privy to that information.
27. With that being said, I'm working on my bike and run nutrition. South patch kids and Swedish fish are a MUST in my special needs bags.
28. I have not done any stress out workouts, but I have been doing stress out foam rolling.
29. I have not been eating enough. When I'm stressed, I don't eat. There, I admitted it.
30. I hope I can get my prescription sunglasses replaced without costing me an arm, a leg and my soul.
31. I am going to enjoy myself. https://youtu.be/Cj9GYUvj704
32. I will not workout for 2 weeks when I return. No, really.
33. I will say it until I am blue in the face, PILATES is my secret weapon. Let me know if you would like a complimentary session. :)
34. Everyone who has been doubting me (surprisingly, there are a lot). Thank you for providing me fuel for my workouts.
35. Everyone who has supported me, THANK YOU!!!!
36. I have not swam in a 17 yard pool since I started training.
37. Speaking of swimming, band and paddle workouts are just EVIL!!!!
38. I really need a shoe sponsor due to my shoe size and the lack of options out there. Thank you Brooks for the Pure Flow 4 in size 12.
39. I am not stressed out about this race.

39 problems and a race is not one.

Gratitude, beauty and friendships...

Gratitude: grat·i·tude [ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od]: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness:

"she expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support"

synonyms: gratefulness · thankfulness · thanks · appreciation ·

[more]

indebtedness · recognition · acknowledgment · credit

 

I am usually not at a loss for words but this is a slight departure from my normal blog post and  I really should be asleep or eating or something of the likes. It has taken me almost 2 months to come up with the words to really express how I feel on what happened on Labor Day. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you know exactly what happened. I truly thought that I was in on a 50th birthday surprise for my friend Sally. Little did I know that the surprise was actually for me.

 

In these past weeks, I have really just been thinking about how truly thankful that I am to everyone and I do promise to do my damnedest to kick Cozumel's a$$ as athlete #1451. Yeah, bib numbers are out!

 

Beauty: beau·ty [ˈbyo͞odē]:

1. a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight:

   "I was struck by her beauty"

   • a combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense.
     synonyms: attractiveness · prettiness · good looks ·
     

     [more]

     
     

     comeliness · allure · loveliness · charm · appeal · eye-appeal · heavenliness · winsomeness · grace · elegance · exquisiteness · splendor · magnificence · grandeur · impressiveness · decorativeness · gorgeousness · glamour · beauteousness · pulchritude
     antonyms: ugliness
   • denoting something intended to make a woman more attractive:
     "beauty products"
2. a beautiful or pleasing thing or person, in particular.

I find beauty in what I do. It may sound hokey, but I see beauty and grace when I am training/teaching Pilate; I see the magnificence in swimming, running and... yes, biking. Fitness is not about the pretty that most people see, but it is the behind the scenes,  the grittiness, the rawness, the struggle and eventually, the triumph.

 

Friendship... well, see below

THANK YOU!

The Tao of the Tutu

The last weekend in Chicago is a holiday of sorts.

https://youtu.be/0X7RyGBq2E8?list=RD0X7RyGBq2E8

Not your traditional holiday, but a holiday nonetheless for endurance athletes near and far. What holiday is that you may ask? Well, the Chicago Triathlon of course.

Race morning finds athletes setting up their transition areas, filling up their hydration systems, pouring water down their wetsuit to prepare for the impending shock of jumping into Lake Michigan, chant mantras and then there is me.

On race morning, after being up for over 36+ hours, I don...A TUTU!!!! Yeah, I said it, I put on a damn tutu. Now why would a self respecting coach don a tutu on race morning? I have been doing this for over 4 years and there are many reasons, but let me give you the top 10, David Letterman style:

10. You have to coordinate your tutu to your entire ensemble. This is me before the start of the 2014 Chicago marathon preparing to coach/run/motivate/cheer on my athletes. Oh, I taught my Pilates Mat class dressed like this as well. Notice the pick leopard print compression socks and Pink (can we talk about this) Newton Gravity 3 running shoes.

9. How do I stand out among the sea of other coaches and spectators? A tutu
8. How to have fun cheering? Wear a tutu with your partners in crime:

7. "Hey Coach Joy! How are we going to find you?" Look for the tutu. Check this one out of me running the Rock n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon last year. Not an epic enough tutu though it was in my favorite color purple.

6. What goes with booty shorts while you are striving for that professional, comfortable look while working an event? A tutu
5. Your athlete or friend is nervous, wear a tutu to calm their nerves. Or if all else fails, just slap some sense into them.
4. If a random stranger needs reassurance, wear a tutu and then dance, crack jokes, sing.  They may thank you at the end of the race.
3. You are trying to find your supporters, tell them to find the girl in the coach's shirt and red tutu.

2. You have to have a confidence, balls or be a bad ass to wear a tutu.

And the best reason of them all to wear a tutu...
1. When your friends all wear a tutu to give you the most EPIC SURPRISE OF A LIFETIME.

So, don't worry. This story is to be continued on why you can't do Ironman Training alone...

Happy Training... and the Road To Cozumel continues.

Why I do CompuTrainer and not ride outside?

Why do I CompuTrain? This is a question that I get asked the most.

"You're a strong cyclist! Get out on the road!"
"Stop being lazy!"

It's not about me being lazy. It is not that I am a strong cyclist. I have gotten stronger in cycling, but I have a confession to make. I do not like cycling. I am a very nervous cyclist. I always have been except in race mode. It is something that does not come naturally to me. Swimming, I feel like Dory from "Finding Nemo." When I'm running, I feel like Forrest Gump. You know, "Run Joy Run!"

When I am in the CompuTrainer Studio, I know exactly what I am doing. I am concentrating on my form: Keeping my abs drawn in, shoulders down and back, not mashing down on the pedals; I can focus on my breathing; I can focus on my nutrition; get a quality workout done in a finite amount of time.

CompuTrainer appeals to me for many reasons, but the main reason is my schedule. My work schedule is at times, very unpredictable. I may only have a total of 4 hours to bike, shower, change and be back to train a client. So this is why it appeals to me. A lot of people will argue until the cows come home that I need to be on the road. I will get on the road when I can arrange my schedule in a way that will work for me, but this will work for me and what my training plan says. Oh, don't worry coach, I will get my 4 hour ride in with that 40 minute run.

I digress, but a lot of professionals also use CompuTrainer. For me, I'm learning a lot about pacing, shifting, gearing, how hard I'm working or not working. It's about bridging the gap between perception and reality. I know when I am bullshitting my workout and when I am busting my ass with my power output numbers, my heart rate, my cadence, etc.

So there you have it. I still do not like cycling but I tolerate it as a warm up for the run.

I'm sorry, we don't carry that size...

The above title says it all. This is what I deal with ALL the time when trying to purchase running shoes and we will not talk about cycling shoes. The problem is I wear a size 12 AA. My feet are long and skinny. I will not say where I bought my last pair of shoes, however when I attempted to shop for new running shoes, I was in tears when I left. How is it that I am a coach and I can't get shoes? I do not blame the retailers except some of the employees need to be a little more sensitive, especially when I am the informed consumer. I come in on a mission; mission impossible, that is.

The shoes I was wear previously were the Newton Running Women's Gravity 3. These shoes were this obnoxious ass Pepto Bismol Pink with 5 lugs, but they were amazing. Well, I killed those shoes and was ready to get a new pair in time for marathon coaching and the continuation of my Ironman training. Well, I found out the update of the shoe ran very short., which meant I would have to buy a size 13. Where is my cocktail for this? No, really. Here is the problem, Newton's only go to size 12 in women and I had to change out the laces in order for them to fit my skinny feet. Well, a sales person insisted I get the men's version. Dude, do I look like a man? My feet are TOO SKINNY. What the frack?

So, we tried the Brooks Pure Cadence 4. Oh, they did not feel right at all. My feet were not happy when their slogan is "Run Happy". It was more like "Run Pissed Off". I use to run in the Adrenaline's version 10, 11 and 12 and the original Pure Project series. I was getting frustrated. It was worse than the Prince trying to find Cinderella and the glass slipper. And now I was really needing a shot or two of tequila. It was just as traumatic as shopping for jeans. Now that is a totally different blog post.

Ok, the guy is at his wits end. Really? What about me? I would have went with Adidas, but that super cushy stuff has gots to go. It was giving me pain. New Balance fresh foam was not so fresh and so clean. I was getting my hopes up since they were the first company I went with when I started actually running, running with my narrow ass feet. I had went through the 711, 712, 713, 714, 990, 991, 991, 1220, 1221...you get my drift. Again, no love.

Now I am challenging the shoe companies that I have mentioned to help a sister out. I am beyond frustrated that I have to go all "Mission Impossible" https://youtu.be/d-GEJri7HuI to find some running shoes for my feet and my running profile.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to create a running shoe that does not cost an arm, a leg and my right eye that will make me a Happy Happy, Joy Joy.

I AM...

Interesting title, right? Well, let's see:

1. I AM...an athlete
2. I AM...a damn good trainer
3. I AM...tired
4. I AM...feeling the lows and highs of training
5. I AM...determined
6. I AM...fierce
7. I AM...focused
8. I AM...you fill in the blank

This week has been hard. I'm heading into a recovery week, but I have been having a time. Today was the pinnacle of it. I went in early to CompuTrainer to change my back tire because that thing had a lovely split down the middle. WTF? Oh yeah, I have NEVER CHANGED A TIRE. A tube, yeah. So, I'm working on it but I forgot one little thing...my arm is still effed up from my EPIC FACE PLANT last week. That is a whole different story. I almost had a breakdown. I know I was tired physically and mentally (oh, I haven't been sleeping or really eating). Thank goodness I have some wonderful friends to help me out on this (thank you again Megan, Fred and Ed). Oh, and my gears were acting wonky. Uggghhhhhh!!!!!!! Yeah folks, Ironman training will test anyone and everyone. Right after, I had to do a 3000 yard swim. Well, the pool got beat up. I took no prisoners. I did shed a tear or 2 or maybe a million in the pool before work. I guess it proved I'm human. Just little things have been setting me off, such as finding running shoes in my size (oh, that is another post coming tomorrow...shoe manufacturers, get ready to be challenged); needing a bike that actually fits me (not in the cards); and a circus of stuff that I am dealing with. I think that next week will be, no, IT WILL BE BETTER!

So I think that is it for now since I have been slacking on my poor blog.

TOMORROW: The effing difficulty of finding size 12AA (that is double narrow running shoes). Almost as bad as blue jeans shopping.

#RoadtoCozumelcontinues