Rich Miller's Group - FULL (Page 45)

Hey Felipe.....what do you use to sharpen your elbows? LOL!

Rich

YEAAAAAAAAH Angela! That's my girl! You are doing soooooo AWESOME! CONGRATULATIONS on your first IM and 2nd in your 3.4 mile run? OK, Felipe and Caru, you guys have some competition developing! Angela....I'm soooo proud of you! Everyone has done a tremendous job, but you girl are just ROCKIN'!

Rich

Hey Caru:

Man you rocked! 11:56...... You broke the 12 hour mark! MOST EXCELLENT! Wow! I'm hoping to break 17 hours. Excellent swim at 1 hr. 15 minutes; 18 mph average over 112 miles.....flying......... and then a 4 hr. 13 minute marathon? I think you need to be the mentor!

Caru, I am sooooo proud of you! Look where you were 2 years ago. Frightened of the swim and not a lot of experience on the bike? OMG! You are an Ironman!!!!!!!

Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing your race report!

Rich

Holy Moly Caru! I've been waiting to find out how your results!  That's fantastic.  (Thanks Rich for posting)  How are you feeling?  High points?  Low points?  I want details!  I'm so proud of you.  You are amazing girl!

GUYS!!

i will soon do my race report! I promise!!!

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!! It really helped me through the day!

i dont want to sound weird or anything, but it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be AT ALL!! i had 1 isolated " why am i doing this again" thoguth during the day, 1 time.

It was so much fun guys, except for the flat I got 5 seconds after starting my bike...i was still in the cheering crowd shoot!!! it was terrible...it took me 16 minutes to change (Note to self...dont use ZIPPS from your friend if you dont know how to change them )

exPECTt the unexpected!!!....like being the only person out of 2500 with a flat tire coming out of the bike shoot.... also, except different temperatures...i had never trained in cold weather...well, now i can say i did!! hahaha

i had my boyfriend and trqining buddy helping me next to me (not touching me) but just giving me directions....the wind was 50 degrees( the water was 72)!! i couldnt feel my fingers so that didnt help the situation!!

I made a lot of little mistakes a long the way, like trusting the volunteer who said it wasnt cold, so i didnt take a sweater on the bike (kinda big mistake, i was cold like 80 miles)...same thing with the mary... but i can tell you i sprinted hard hard the last 4 miles...it was AWESOME...8:40 pace

the energy felt during the race was amazing!!!! the people everything... it boiled down (to me) to being patient and doing nutrition smart!!! like you said rich..the 4th discipline is nutrition!!! wow... my garming read 9- 9:45 min pace the entire run, by mile 10 my HR was 138 which is very low, considering the day...but i felt like bunking...i realized i needed to eat...i ate cliff bar and didnt take any gels.... that was KEY... that made all the difference...I HAD NEVER eaten while running...EVER!!!..but i figured out, my body needed the solid food...that gave me the power...i was tempted to keep drinking i was thirsty, but didnt... i knew not to screw up my stomach...

what an amazing experience... i had so much fun..ill put up my race report soon, for all of you to see!!!

thank you SOO MUCH GUYS... I AMS OOO HAPPY TO HAVE ALL THE SUPPORT I DID... i am happy with my results...i was sore after...drove back like half way(5 hours) and ijust woke up...dont feel that sore... he!!! crazy what your mind is capable off!!!!

anyways! expect my race report!!! also Felipe did the NY mary yesterday! he did awesome! he did 2:58 ... he was in line for a 2:45, but hit the wall at 24... he pushed too hard to early...its still an amazing acxomplishmednt though, im very proud!!

oh, and by the way... he and my brother signed up for IM FL next year... hahahaha,.. follow up question...no, im not doing this race next year!!! hahah ill be focussing on trwining my blind athlete!

big kiss y'alll AND THANK YOU AGAIN GUYS!!! YOU ROCK!!!

 

caru

Edited by carustol 2008-11-03 6:07 AM

Caru - FANTASTIC JOB!!! I'm so impressed!!! You totally rocked that race, as I knew you would.  What an awesome time and an incredible experience!  So proud of you.....

It is definitely official! IMAZ # 1844! Woooooo Hoooooooo!

In taper mode right now....feel like I should be doing a lot more training, but to keep my mind off of the upcoming little race, I'm in the process of looking for a new job. Seems like after 25 years with the company, no one wants me....I'm either to expensive or too experienced. It is a blessing in disguise. I don't know what to be nervous about, so they are cancelling each other out! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

Change is good, change is good, change is good! Just waiting to be RIF'd (Reduction In Force)....i.e. laid off! Getting calls for interviews, so not worried.

Keep you posted!

Rich

Okay Mr. 1844!!!  I've got your number...Good Luck!  I'm cheering you on...

THANKS Angela!

Reporting in from Tempe Arizona!

Arrived Thursday afternoon after a late start out of L.A. on Wednesday night. Made it to California/Arizona border at 2:30 (AZ time). Slept a little late, breakfast and off to Tempe. Arrived about 1:00 PM and checked into hotel. Went over to Ironman Expo to register. No one there.....place was empty, so we wizzed through registration in about 15 minutes.

Friday:
8:00 AM Open Water swim. Water temp about 62 degrees. Squid lid in order for this swim. The water was very choppy! Now it is smooth as glass.....cross your fingers.
10:00 AM Attended Pre-Race Meeting with Endurancenation.us Coach Strauss.
2:30 PM Rode most difficult (upper part) of the bike course. (14.18 Miles out and back) Felt good on the bike except disc wheel not holding air. Pump/changed/pumped/changed....forget the disc. I'm going with my training wheels. Great ride though....averaged 15.9 up the most hilly part of the course....(1000 plus ft climb in about 4 miles). Was a good confidence builder.

Saturday:
Great night sleep, although sinuses are kicking in....I think from the water. Hope I'm not catching a cold....but if I am, I'll be sick for Thanksgiving....better than being sick on race day.
10:00 Breakfast
12:00 Dropped bike off along with transition bags. Walked the transition "ins" and "outs".
1:00 Back to hotel and been laying down. Napping, hydrating, going to the bathroom (TMI) and catching up on BT threads.

Heading out to BT Potluck at Pauletto's house. Will be good to meet some of the BTers. Met a couple already over in the Expo wearing BT garb.

Will be heading to bed early. Looking forward to a beautiful race day tomorrow. Predicted to be 82 degree high. The heat of the day is at 4:00 PM ish. Will be cool up until 1:00 PM and start getting above 75 degrees. Weather sounds like it may be perfect. Wind....we are waiting to see. That will be the "X" factor!

Rich, I was watching for you on the Ironman.com video feed - but I lost my connection before you crossed the line....bummer!  Still - YOU DID IT!!!!!!!!!  You are so totally my hero.  Congratulations and rest up well!  Drop us a line with all of the stories whenever you can.....can't wait to hear the first hand scoop!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Heading out the door for Thanksgiving with the family, but recovery is going well. Only my feet hurt when I run. Already been back in the pool and also did a short run yesterday and today! Wooooo Hoooooo! Had a TOTAL Blast and will look at doing more Ironman distances in the future.

My wife is staring at me .... like....I better go!

Happy Turkey Day!

Rich

Here is my race report for Ironman Arizona. I provided the short report and the long report for your reading. The long report includes my race week activity and the process I used leading up to the race.

SHORT REPORT!I prepared, I swam, I biked and I ran!

LONG REPORT

RACE WEEK
I finished up my training with the scheduled workouts including 2 long swim workouts, 2 run workouts and 1 bike workout. Before leaving for Arizona on Wednesday night, I arranged for a sports massage to relax the muscles and help recovery. I and my “Sherpa” friend (Gary Purtee), arrived in Tempe on Thursday afternoon and flew through the registration process. I got out of the Expo area quickly. Worked on the transition bags on Thursday night to get it out of the way and done! On Thursday night, I got a great night sleep. Blood sugar readings throughout the week were in the normal range. Readings were 82 to 96. (Normal: 80 to 120).

On Friday morning, we got up early to get in a swim on the course. Water was cool, but manageable. The wind was blowing and created choppy water conditions. Everyone seemed to be concerned about the water. I tested out the neoprene swim hat and decided that I would use it during the swim. I made a pre-race decision to seed myself in the swim near the back instead of getting caught up in the “washing machine affect” of the mass start.
We attended the EN Pre-Race talk. I picked up some key insight that helped. “In the Box” was the most important along with “Execution”. After the lunch, I got a light lunch.

During the afternoon, Gary and I drove out to the top of the race course and rode the course for about 7 miles out and back which was the most difficult part of the course. Felt good on the bike. Tested the disc covered wheels. My average speed on the bike for this section was 16.1 mph. Coming back in, the rear wheel was going flat. Inflated it again, but found it deflated again. I made the decision to use my training wheels because I had a comfort level with them over the disc covered wheel. I’m sure it was the tube, but didn’t want to make worry about whether I was going to have to change a tube on the bike course. Returned to hotel and cleaned up. Blood Sugar: 97

We attended the EN Team Dinner at Gordon Biersch. It was good to meet everyone. Good conversation with Gilberto, Johnny, and Warren (aka Jim…inside joke). Warren, Gary and I headed over to the “mandatory” participant meeting. Seeing this was my first Ironman, I thought it might be good to hear the instructions from the race officials. The information was nothing really different from my IM 70.3 participant meetings. After a post meeting stroll down Mill St., I finished up the transition bags and the special needs bags. I did a dress rehearsal of T1 and T2 . Packed the transition bags in opposite order of how I would put stuff on. The last thing I was going to put on in the transition was the first thing into the transition bags. Worked out a couple of kinks. Created a Race Morning checklist on what I was going to wear to the race including swimwear and “dry clothes”. Also created checklist of what I needed to do in the transition area on morning of the race.

I got up about 9:00 AM after getting an excellent (Friday) night sleep. Blood Sugar was high this morning: 197 (after more than 8 hours of not eating). Started hydrating and had a breakfast of egg whites and wheat toast ! Packed the bike and transition bags into the car and then we headed off to drop the bike off in the transition area.

Bikes are racked and ready to go!


I walked the transition asking questions from the volunteers.

Felt comfortable with where I was going, where I needed to pick up my bags, where to exit and enter the transition after each segment of the race. We got out of the area as quickly as possible.

Basically rested and hydrated the rest of the day, got an early dinner and was in bed by 8:30 PM. This is how you prepare for an Ironman!


Attended the Beginnertriathlete.com Potluck! It was GREAT to meet everyone!
Just prior to bed, took my blood sugar. Blood Sugar reading 87. I downed an Ensure before I went to bed. I was in bed ready for the all night ceiling stare down. I think I finally fell asleep by 11:00 PM.

Sunday, November 23, 2008 – RACE DAY
I woke up at about 2:30 AM and had an Ensure, a Naked Juice Protein, and a banana. Blood sugar check was 205 which was a little high, but within range after eating an hour earlier. Went back to bed and tossed until 3:30 AM. Goal was to be out the door by 4:30 AM. Last blood sugar reading was 119. Hmmmm! I thought that the blood sugar dropped a little too quick, but it was on the high end of the a “normal range”. Parking might be a challenge. Successfully out the door at 4:35 AM. We arrived in the US Airways parking structure at about 4:50 AM. The transition area was scheduled to open at 5:00 AM. (Forgot my checklist….oops!)

Photo of the sun rising on race morning! (Photo courtesy of ChrisM?)


I entered transition area about 5:10 AM and proceeded through checklist: Pump up tires (tubes), walked transition entrances and exits, checked in “special needs bags”, verified location of the transition bags. Put IPod on and laid down to chill! I went through my 4 keys: Execution was important especially with regards to nutritional execution. Stay in my box. Look for the Line (i.e. Mile 18. Finally I reviewed “The One Thing”. I also reminded myself of my journey. Since August 2000, I lost well over 125lbs., struggled with my diabetes, battled recurrent colon cancer which included radiation and chemotherapy, and had a 3 ½ hr open shoulder surgery (2/2008). Yet here I was ready to toe the starting line of an Ironman. Whatever the day brought on, there was no shame. I thought to myself: “Hell, I’ve chewed on enough glass in my life and I’m not going to chew glass today!”

The transition was scheduled to close at 6:30 AM so got up at 6:15 AM and started putting on wetsuit. Headed towards swim entrance and stood for a while waiting! Neoprene swim cap was great to stand on while waiting. I kept the feet relatively warm versus standing on the cold grass or cement.

SWIM
Pro-race started and age groupers were still funneling into the water. The water temperature was reported to be 61, 62, 63, or 64 degrees. It was reported as “cold”! I got in the water and it was comparable to Wildflower temperature. I thought it was a good temperature. By the time I got in the water and started swimming under the Mill Street Bridge, the cannon went off for the age groupers.

The Swim Start (Photo Courtesy of ChrisM)

I didn’t get a good chance to place myself in the mix. It turned out to be a good thing. It was like the sea of swimmers parted into two groups. One group followed the right side of the river nearest the wall and the other half of the swimmers hugged the buoys. I and a small group of swimmers headed down the center. It was a good call. I drafted on one guys feet for what I think was 500 yards, but then went around him because the pace was way too slow. Swam clear with only minor incidents of bumps and people not sighting well. Stayed within my box and swam relaxed. At the halfway mark, I checked my watch which read 40 minutes. I guess I went a little wide looked up and saw clear open water. Everyone else was following tight along the buoys. I sighted initially on some large power poles and readjusted line of sight on the Mill Street Bridge. Found a nice “all day pace and swam nice smooth strokes focusing on technique. I exited the water at 1:26:57. Pace was 1 min. 58 secs. per 100 yds. I was shooting for 2:00 per 100 yds. Close enough! Had the normal disorientation and a little wobbly, but the volunteers where great helping me up the stairs.

TRANSITION #1

The combination of wetsuit removal, T1 bag pick up, pit stop, changing for comfort and sun screen application resulted in a 15 min. 42 secs. Where I expected to lose some time doing a complete change, I didn’t expect the lost time going to latrine. As I was heading towards the changing tent, I had a major urge to go to the bathroom (Number 1) despite warming up the wetsuit twice in the water. I think I voided a gallon of water. (First indicator that I might be throwing blood sugar …….. oh crap….this is not good!) Action Item: Make T1 less complicated.

BIKE
I went out easy on the bike just under 15 mph. About Mile 4 or 5 of the bike, I had the first sighting of Coach Rich. He pulled up on the motorcycle with the videographer and conducted a short interview! Got to Beeline Highway where I turned into a headwind, but seemed very manageable. About 6 miles from the turnaround, started feeling a little shaky and a little dizzy. Analysis time. Started running down possibilities. Did stomach shut down already? No! Hydration? This was a possibility given that I had voided a hell of a lot of fluid at T1. Sugar level? Again a possibility given that I could have thrown blood sugar in the urine. I had been taking in nutrition as planned. Hmmmmm! Decision time! Take in an unscheduled Gu and pull out Powerbar in reserve. Provide additional hydration using Gatorade. Completed Lap 1 for a total time of 2 hrs 30 mins. 45 secs.

During the beginning of Lap 2, still feeling a little wiggy! I took a stand down at the first rest stop on McKellips Rd. I was there for at least 10 minutes. After taking in another Gatorade, I felt better and started out again. Got to Beeline Highway and there seemed to be less wind. Made the turnaround and found the wind. It had shifted and now the wind was coming from the opposite direction, but still manageable. Lap 2 time was 2 hrs. 42 mins 44 secs.

End of Lap 2


Lap 3 was slow. Feeling a little dejected that many people were already finishing up 3rd lap and I was just heading out. Sucked it up and needed to get it done. Got to Beeline Hwy and was out of the box. It is funny how Coach Rich shows up at the right time. Here comes Coach Rich up on his motorcycle with me totally out of the aerobars. He asked how I was doing. I provided a brief status and he said something like “What the day is, is what it is!” He then suggested that I get back down in the areobars. It would take less energy. Off he went and I did exactly that. I was thankful that he showed up when he did. It put me back in the box. Lap 3 time was 2 hrs 41 mins. 10 secs. Total Bike Time: 7 hrs 54 mins. 38 secs. Action Item: Add Power Meter to bike. Action Item: Increase slow twitch muscle fiber by going faster/adaption training. Action Item: Change out bike seat saddle.

I provided the scenario I experienced during T1, Laps 1 & 2 to Dr. Sheri Colberg (author of Diabetic Athlete). She indicated it sounded like I threw large volumes of my blood sugar during T1. I was having classic hypoglycemic conditions caused by excessive urination. Based upon what I am seeing from EN teammates, it is not uncommon to void after being in the water. Action Item: Will have to develop strategy on replacing sugar and fluids after major voiding. Based upon feedback from Dr.Colberg, I made the right decisions on the rehydration and taking in simple fast acting carbs.

TRANSITION #2
I had a little trouble locating my T2 bag. It had been kicked over into the next row and out of order, but only slowed me down for a minute. I changed out of PTC race gear and put on EN gear for the run. Action Item: Make T2 less complicated.

RUN
Simply put, this was just going to be a slow, slow grind. Even though I was able to recover from the hypoglycemic episode earlier in the bike ride, the damage was done. At the beginning of the run, mentally reviewed by goal (i.e. The One Thing) of finishing my first IM and to show that diabetics can do this distance. No chewing glass today.

Starting out on the run as the sun sets!

I started out a very slow jog. I came across a third Coach Rich sighting at the north end of the bridge on Priest Rd. He was with his videographer taking more video of the race. I was on a nice all day pace. Hit the 3.5 Timer pace registered at 15 min. 12 sec pace. This was the basic pace I maintained through the entire run. At Mile 12.1 Timer, the pace was registered as 14 mins. 55 secs. At Mile 20.4, my pace was registered at 15 mins. 18 secs. Total run time was 6 hrs. 40 mins. 26 secs for an pace of 15.17. It was just a consistent run pace. Nothing spectacular….just getting it done. Action Item: Focus on more speed drills during off season. Need to go fast to get fast!

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE


It was a total BLAST to come down the Finishing Chute. People were high fiving and yelling. Absolute bedlam! And I have to admit, I just soaked it up with the biggest smile on my face. It was a long day, but nothing was more rewarding to here the announcer tell the people in the stands that I was an Ironman!

NOTE: Had my blood sugar tested in the medical tent because I was feeling a little unstable and dizzy. Blood sugar was 83. This was low in comparison to blood sugar readings after my training workouts. I'm suspecting that I was crashing quickly, but because I had tested blood sugar readings during training, I knew what I needed to do! It was time to eat something solid.



Edited by Cyclingmaniac 2008-12-05 6:56 PM

THANKS Caru! I love this group, too! And we are still going strong! It is my way of giving back! Regarding the tattoo? I taking design suggestions and location suggestions! I'm thinking something with the M-dot and cactus to illustrate IM AZ! I'm not an artist, so I'm up for ideas!

Rich

Hey Gang! 2009 is coming up! I'm borrowing the following idea from LEFT, RIGHT, REPEAT's Mentor Group. Sounds like fun and a way to keep us motivated and accountable.

I want everyone to count how many times you crossed the Finish Line in 2008 and then let's set a group goal for how many Finish Lines we can cross in 2009! As an example, let's say that we crossed the Finish Line 50 times! Again as an example, maybe our 2009 goal is to cross the Finish Line 75 times.

What do you think? I know I can increase the number of Finish Line crossings. I only crossed a Finish Line 4 times this last year: Surf City 1/2 Marathon, Disney 1/2 Marathon, Long Beach 1/2 Marathon and IM Arizona.

So here are my numbers:

2008: 4
2009: 8

Who is in? (These can be triathlons of any distance, organized bike events of any distance, running events of any distance, duathlons of any distance.....you get the picture!)

Rich