Ironman Arizona – 2019

Posted on November 30, 2019 by tootallfritz

Its been a long year of training, with very little racing. The road to an Ironman finish line is long, lonely and not always fun. It takes a lot of work. 2019 brought me 2 Ironman finishes. Texas in April and Arizona on November 24th.

If you know me well, you know that my preferred method of transportation is driving. We even drove to TX and that was 18 hours. Why do I prefer to drive? Its easier. Less “hurry up & wait”; I’m impatient. Plus, I have a giant, rolling cooler on wheels, that carries all the food that I want. And nobody worries that my chocolate protein powder might be a harmful substance that needs to be swabbed and tested ~~and opened to all the airport germs~~. However, for AZ, we had to fly. This meant paring down our gear to exactly what we needed. Sending our bikes ahead via TriBike Transport. Then renting a van when we got to AZ so that we could then move the bikes. Giant PITA, expensive, but necessary because it would have been a 26 hour drive to Tempe, AZ from the Ft Wayne, IN area. And that’s a lot, even for me.

Travel – Flew into AZ on Thursday night. Race was on Sunday. Straight to Whole Foods and the VRBO that we rented. I found a 2 bed, 1 bath house for $560 (THUR-MON). Full kitchen. Full sized washer/dryer. Pool.

The van rental was $420ish. TriBike Transport was $360. We didn’t spend much $$ eating out, or on other things, but its not a cheap race when you need to fly, rent a car & send your bike. Just an FYI, if you are considering something like this and have budgetary concerns, like myself.

Expo, Shake Out Ride/Swim/Run – Friday morning, we went straight to the expo and were waiting on TriBike Transport to open. We were 3rd in line, so very little wait. They quickly found our bikes, put on our pedals (you need to send your bike without pedals, and then bring the pedals to be reattached upon pickup) and we were off on a shakeout ride. We did notice that the line for TriBike Transport was long throughout the day, so go early if you don’t like to wait.

Saw Mike Reilly and got a few photos pre ride. Apparently we we were even on the local news, as they were interviewing Mike when we stepped in for a few photos. Smile Nicole C, Mike, Julie M & Me. Then part of Julie’s Endure It group, with Mike standing in the middle.

After the photos with Mike, we did a short shake out ride. Beautiful area. My legs felt fresh. Definitely wanted to go further but we kept it short and sweet. I was looking forward to seeing more of the Tempe/Phoenix/Scottsdale area on the bike course.

Expo & packet pick up was smooth & quick. Very efficient. Probably the quickest we have ever picked up a packet for a full Ironman race!!

Saturday – Early morning practice swim with the TriDot Training crew. Water was a crisp 64 degrees. Water quality was in question but I was trying not to think about that. Lots of debris & dead fish!! Note to self, take a few Pepto tabs upon exiting the water!

As we were waiting in line to get in the water, Heather D., a TriDot coach walked with us. Talked about the water temp. Told us to take a breath every stroke, for several buoys, to get acclimated to the temp and expel as much CO2 as possible. She also told us about the current and to relax as we would swim against the current for part of the swim. More info, then I have ever received from anyone, and that was in less than a 30 second time period. I am a TriDot athlete & Ambassador. I love TriDot and its program. I love the variety of levels & price points so everyone can pick the plan that best fits their budget and lifestyle. But what I love most is that TriDot helps EVERYONE, whether you are one of their athletes or not. I had several people come up to me on course and thank me for how wonderful the TriDot coaches were to them, on site, throughout the weekend. Very impressive. Thank YOU, TriDot!!

After the swim, I did a quick shake out run. Then we waited in a LONG line to check our bikes & gear bags.

Then back to the house to sit, eat, drink and wait for race day!

Race Day – My Race

We were a bit behind on race day. We have a routine, which started well. Then I forgot our pre-race food/fuel and we had to turn around to go back to the house. Then the line to the parking area was LONG. We had enough time but I’m glad this wasn’t our first Ironman because we certainly needed to be focused, not stress, hit the bathroom, get our bikes ready, drop our morning bag and get to the swim start without any extra time to dawdle. Crappy photo on our way to the swim start.

Swim (2.4 miles) – Not only did we not have extra time but the swim area was very congested. It was hard to even get where you wanted to go. I eventually just got in line and ended up between 1:10 & 1:20. I thought I’d swim about 1:15-1:18. I swam a 1:22. Race started just as the sun was coming up.

We initially swam away from transition, against the current, under a bridge, across the lake/river, then had a long stretch on the return which was supposed to be with the current. Water was choppy from high winds. I never did feel a current pushing me on the backside. The swim took a lot more effort than usual. Especially crossing the lake/river and going under the bridges. It kinda felt like there was a swirling current under the bridges. We swam under 4 bridges. Quite an interesting swim. Took a little more energy than normal, plus took me longer than I anticipated but I didn’t hand over any mental energy, rather “just kept swimming”. The Swim OUT finally arrived. Volunteers were in the water, grabbed my hand, hauled me out. Up the ramp. Wetsuit stripped, then there was about a 1/2 mile run to T1. Air was cool, about 48 degrees, but I wasn’t cold. Just thankful to be out of the water, safely.

Bike (112 miles) – Three loop bike. Headwind on the way out, which was approximately 19 miles. Tailwind on the return. 3x. I’m not a huge fan of 3 loops of anything but the way the course was situated with the headwind and a climb at the end of the “out”, I wouldn’t have wanted to fight that wind much further, so was thankful each time to be turning and hitting a downhill with a tailwind.

I took it easy on the first loop. Trying to focus on calories and not over extending myself, knowing it was going to be a long day. Then I tried to pick it up a little on the 2nd loop. By the 3rd loop, I was ready to be DONE. And I had some issues with abdominal cramping (menstrual, not nutrition) and was struggling to stay tucked into aero with the cramping, which is less than ideal with a crazy head & tailwind. I’ll spare you the details but it wasn’t pleasant and T2 was a very welcome site. About 1500 feet of climbing. Took me 6 hrs and 51 minutes. Temp was 74 when I got off the bike. I had anticipated 6:45ish for a bike split so wasn’t far off, considering.

Run (26.2 miles) – Glad to be on my own 2 feet! Its no secret that the run is my favorite. I feel so much more in control. I’m a runner. This was my 56th marathon!!! And Arizona was my 33rd state in a quest to run a marathon in all 50 states.

Coming out of T2, I was still struggling with the cramping and well, the cramping leads to GI distress even though my nutrition was solid. I took some ibuprofen, which is definitely not ideal in endurance racing. Horrible for your kidneys but I was not doing well. Also took an Imodium for the GI issues. Hit the bathroom. Dumped some ice down my shorts to ice my abdomen. Said a prayer. And around mile 4, I realized that I was doing okay. I started to run and didn’t stop moving until I hit the finish line. I ran with a smile on my face. Thankful. I was happy. The highs and lows of endurance racing. If you don’t like how you feel, just wait, it will change. Just keep moving forward!!

5:01 marathon. Yes, I thought I would run faster. But I didn’t. I did a mental check with myself several times, “Can you go faster? No. Okay, then just keep moving at this pace.” You gotta know yourself and be reasonable when you are looking at an all day event. You have to be compassionate and grateful for what your body can do. Don’t stress about time or your race will just fall apart. Just keep moving forward and try to find the joy.

I will say that this run course was excellent. I really enjoyed it. The first loop was in the daylight as the sun was going down. Second loop was in the dark. However, the course was mostly along the water with lit trails or sidewalks. Variety of surfaces from concrete, pavement, crushed gravel & roads. Lights shining on the water from the lit buildings in the downtown area. It was beautiful; I wish I had my phone to grab some pictures. Some spectators. Bridges across the water for those spectators who wanted to run back and forth to see their people. Much less congested with the 2 loop course vs TX that had 3 loops and a million spectators spilling out onto the run course, slowing traffic. I really enjoyed it.

Finish – 13:27. I was 13:26 in TX. I didn’t have a watch, so I didn’t know my time before I finished and looked at the tracker. Could I have found another minute somewhere? I really don’t think so. I gave what I had to give on this course. Its said to be flat and fast. Probably was for a lot of people. Each race has its own set of issues, which can be the course, weather, your body, or other issues, like mechanicals on the bike. I felt lucky. This was a clean race for me, other than my cramping, I felt good the entire time. My nutrition is locked in and good. And the weather was perfect. Great day in Arizona!

Third Ironman!! Lake Placid, TX & now AZ. Lake Placid has been my favorite thus far. Can’t compete with the beauty of Lake Placid and that clean, crisp, clear water. We are headed to Ironman Maryland in September 2020. Then hoping to get into Ironman Coeur d’Alene for 2021. Hopefully we can run some marathons along the way too.

Happy Running & Racing – Amanda – TooTallFritz

RAIN Ride–160 Mile Ride Across Indiana

Posted on July 24, 2019 by tootallfritz

The 3rd Saturday in July is traditionally the RAIN Ride which is a one day ride across the state of Indiana. This year the event took place on July 20, 2019. The start is at 7am in Terre Haute at St. Mary of the Woods College. Event ends at 9pm in Richmond, IN at Earlham College. One day. 160 miles. Majority of the ride is along the Historic Route 40.

Packet pick up takes place on Friday at St Mary of the Woods. Easy in and out. SWAG includes a t-shirt and some ride glide. Todd, Sara & I at packet pick up. Easy in & out. Hardest part was finding St Mary of the Woods.

Logistics for this point to point event are a bit of a challenge and that is one reason why I have not done it previously. Oh yeah, and because I had to ride my bike 160 miles, in one day. Sounds daunting, right? Well, not as daunting as the logistics.

Options. 1) Park your car in Richmond on Friday and take a bus to Terre Haute. Bike rides on a truck, separate from you. 2) Have some super awesome friends/family who love you so much that they will drive you to Terre Haute and then following you around while you ride your bicycle ALL DAY on Saturday. I have some amazing friends and family but none that I could ask to do that. Fortunately, Todd has better connections and a spouse that must REALLY love him. She grabbed a friend and they became our Personal SAG Vehicle (PSV) for this event. Meet Darla & Jen. They said they felt like they were chasing a storm on Saturday. So they will forever be called the Storm Chasers. And we are now affectingly known as “Team Twister”. A little 90s humor. Smile

The main concern in the weeks leading up to the event was the heat ~~and the 160 miles~~. The Midwest was having a heat wave and the ride was promising to be one of the hottest in history. Fortunately, I’ve done a lot of endurance events and learned a bit over the years about heat, fueling, and salt/electrolyte intake. Its never fun when the temperature climbs but it can be manageable if pace/expectation is adjusted and you are uber aware of how you are feeling and how your body is responding.

Time to ride!!! 7am start at St Mary of the Woods! There were 6 of us and we started in the “Just Finish It” corral! Lots of riders in front of us who might have been a bit more serious.

And then there were 6! From left: Todd, Paul, Matt, Adam (back/orange), Sara & myself. READY to ride!! I have a lot of love for these people and have spent a lot of time with them. Some more than others. In fact, Matt may currently be looking for a new house since he lives on my primary ride route and I just pull into his drive and wait for him to come out and ride bikes with me. Smile

Off we go. Big pack. Police escort thru Terre Haute. Everyone was locked in, two to three riders across. Large packs continued all the way to the first official SAG stop at mile 39. View of the first riders coming thru the tunnel in Terre Haute from the RAIN Facebook page.

The official SAG stops were every 40 miles or so. Mile 39, 63, 92 (lunch), 113 (water only) and lastly mile 131. SAG stops had bathrooms, food, water, Gatorade, pickle juice, cookies, chips, trail mix, miscellaneous goodies, bike support techs and some had hoses or misting stations to cool the riders. Aerial view of the first aid station from the RAIN Facebook page.

We were very fortunate to have 2 PSVs for the 6 of us. Matt’s wife, Melissa. Then Todd’s wife Darla and Jen. The initial plan was for them to meet us at the official SAG stops for the initial 3 stops (miles 39, 63 & 92). They did a lot of driving. A lot of waiting. And a lot of managing our needs, both emotionally and physically. Darla, Jen & Melissa ….. waiting. Matt & I rolling into SAG stop 2.

By the time we left SAG stop #2, things were really starting to heat up. The packs were finally breaking up a little but there were still a lot of riders on the road around us. We had 29-30 miles between SAG stop #2 and #3. But it was hot. Too hot. We had already been relying on ice as our primary cooling agent. We were putting it in our bottles, putting it in our cycling kits, and also using water to stay wet/cool. We were going thru a lot more water than we normally would, since most of it was being used to cool us on the outside vs. for traditional hydrating purposes. We were also being very cognizant of our fueling. Any time the weather is extreme (cold or hot), the body uses additional calories (fuel) to function. It has to have enough calories to cool the body and perform the task at hand, in this case cycling. Things were starting to get dangerous. Cyclists were overheating and stopping along roadsides, under shaded trees or beside tree lined fence rows. I realized by the time we had traveled a mere 7 miles past SAG stop #2 that we would not make it to #3 without stopping. We were also in the area around Indianapolis where our Storm Chasers had to jump on 465, to get around the city, to meet us at the 3rd SAG stop. Our PSVs couldn’t get to us and we were riding thru a very populated area where we had to constantly stop at stop signs or traffic signals, which further slowed our progress and the time on the road between stops. See ride route below.

We stopped 2x between SAG #2 and #3. Bought cold water & ice from a gas station first, then a CVS the second time. Then a nice lady had a truck on route at one of the busy intersections and she was handing out ice, water & cold towels. God always sends out angels, be on the look out! A few random riding pics below.

As stated, we used additional resources 3x between the 2nd and 3rd SAG stops. Hot. Hot. Hot. My bike computer read a max temp of 116.6 degrees.

Finally made it to SAG #3, which was also the lunch stop. Indoor bathrooms. Sandwiches. Chips. Lots of goodies. We loaded up and were off again.

After the lunch stop, the PSV route and the ride route converged. Our Storm Chasers agreed to leapfrog us and meet us every 10 miles, or so, to make sure we had access to ice, cold water & fuel on a more frequent basis. Sometimes, they found a parking lot in which to pull into, other times, we found them parked along the road with the trunk popped open and waiting for us. So thankful for the extra stops!!!

We had a few mishaps with tip overs, malfunctioning equipment, and my left cleat even lost a few screws at one point (no, I didn’t crash/tip over). Thankfully Todd, or one of the other guys, always seemed to have a solution to the immediate problem and ultimately, we kept moving forward.

As with all endurance events, the finish will eventually present itself, if you can just keep moving, avoid major mishap, stay fueled/hydrated, and manage your electrolytes.

We received a key chain as a token to remember the day. Both sides displayed below.

Overall, RAIN was a great experience and a well ran event. Because of the heat, I’m honestly not sure we could have finished without a PSV (or 2). We knew from some previously HOT training rides that 20 miles is a push before refilling water/ice, and most of these stops were 30 to 40 miles apart.

What to know if want to do RAIN in the future:

Be prepared for a long day.
Train. Stack training by riding multiples days in a row, decent length rides without getting silly and riding super long rides, every weekend. Its about time in the saddle as much as miles.
Cycling shorts over TRI shorts are recommended, due to the potential length of the day.
A PSV is recommended unless you are just super fast and do well in the heat.
Expect heat and humidity. Its July in Indiana.
Take extra electrolytes other than what’s in your fuel. We used salt tabs/capsules, in addition to Nuun and Tailwind hydration products. Nuun is all electrolytes, Tailwind is fuel with electrolytes. Then we used the salt tabs, Huma gels, ate food at the aid stations, drank Coca Cola & used Sour Patch Kids & Swedish Fish candies to help keep the sugar moving into our system.
Talk to people. Make new friends!
Appreciate your support crew. They are hot and tired too!!

Great event and I thought most of the roads we used were in decent to good shape. Lots of turns. We had the option of uploading the route to our bike computers using Ride With GPS or we could have relied on the well marked route, following the RAIN drops.

Lots of people do RAIN. This year was no different. 1200ish registered. 1028 picked up packets. 642 finished by the 9pm cut off. I will say that most of the issues we saw were heat and electrolyte related. Lots of people cramping up because they just didn’t take extra electrolytes. When you are taking in a lot of water, remember that you are flushing out electrolytes. Managing the heat during endurance events is about so much more than staying hydrated. My experience as a marathon runner and triathlete really came in handy for this event, even if my group was tired of hearing me ~~nag~~ remind them to drink/eat/take electrolytes.

Will I do it again? I would definitely do it again. I actually can’t even believe I just said that out loud (or put it in writing). That being said, I don’t have a lot of people who could/would do a PSV for me, so ultimately, unless I can get in with a group who has a PSV and is willing to let me tag along, I’m not sure it would be smart.

Definitely give RAIN a try! You’ll love it!!

Amanda – TooTallFritz