quick and dirty

I AM AN IRONMAN !!

I had The Best Day Ever.

more, of course, to come, but it is time to eat ! and get a massage ! and buy finishers gear ! and lay by the pool ! with fruity drinks !

PATRICIA CECIL
BIB 862
AGE 27
STATE/COUNTRY USA

SWIM 1:14:21
BIKE 7:19:54
RUN 5:16:13
OVERALL 14:12:29
RANK 956 (out of 1928)
DIV.POS. 23 (out of 55 for female 25-29)


TOTAL SWIM
distance and time 2.4 mi. (1:14:21)
pace 1:57/100m
rank 1040
div.pos 35


TOTAL BIKE
distance and time 112 mi. (7:19:54)
pace 15.28 mph
rank 1107
div.pos 31

FIRST RUN SEGMENT
6.25 mi. (1:05:57)
10:33/mile

SECOND RUN SEGMENT
6.85 mi. (1:22:50)
12:05/mile

THIRD RUN SEGMENT
5.6 mi. (1:14:26)
13:17/mile

FINAL RUN SEGMENT
7.5 mi. (1:33:00)
12:24/mile

TOTAL RUN
distance and time 26.2 mi. (5:16:13)
pace 12:04/mile
rank 956
div.pos 23

TRANSITION TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE 10:04
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN 11:57

cozumel bound ! + no. 862

bags packed
bike packed
husband ... not packed, but will start soon, I am told.
excited and ready !

A couple emails confirmed that YES, THERE WILL BE DAY OF ATHLETE TRACKING!

one more time, for the cheap seats in the back:

Sunday, November 29, 2009
7:00 am Central
Tricia Cecil
No. 862

a big thanks to all my bloggy friends for all of your support + encouragment over this past year. cliche but it really does feel like yesterday that I wrote this post on August 24, 2008.

and away we go !

five days ! FIVE !

FIVE DAYS TO GO !

(well, five days, 19 hours, and 28 minutes)

changed my flight + hotel information so we can get in on wednesday instead of thursday. will be nice to have a day to unpack, get settled before all the IM buzz starts !

my info:

Name: Tricia Cecil
AG: F25-29
Bib number: 862

website: www.ironman.com (link to follow athletes probably will not be up until race morning)

race time: 7:00 am Central

all my bags are packed

I am 7 days, 10 hours, and 21 minutes away from joining a couple thousand other athletes in the Gulf of Mexico to start the 2.4 mi swim.

wow.

> Race Plan is complete. I've included the course, loops (if applicable), nutrition, appx. time(s), and mental strategy for each leg and transition.
> Emailed friends + family the tracker information.
> I AM TOTALLY PACKED.

Yes, folks, I am almost completely packed! I thought it was take much longer, but I've been working on my "to pack" list for a few weeks and have been putting aside clothes, food, waterbottles, etc. for a while. I still need to pack some last minute stuff like meds and make up, but I'm approximately 98.45% packed !

the master to-pack list ^

bike bag -- note all the checklists, bubbles, etc. I am nothing if not thorough ! ^

water bottles, pre marked by the hour, plus post race recoverite ^

bed full of stuff ^

poe-the-cat did not make it into the suitcase ^

all the race day stuff is in ziploc bags, ready to go into the bike gear, run gear, or respective special needs bag ^

single digit countdown + how many times have I done this ?

it's the final countdown... na na na... dum dum dum dum. now I have this song on an endless loop in my head. for realsies, folks, we are 9 days 20 hours 25 minutes and 18 seconds away from the mass swim start at Ironman Cozumel. And I'm ready. And I'm excited. Like, jumping-out-of-my-skin-excited. Like, good-luck-having-a-conversation-with-me-that-doesn't-involve-swim-bike-run excited. Like, let's-get-down-to-Cozy-and-become-an-Ironman-already! excited.

I've seen some other bloggy buddies do this and I thought it was a good idea.

How many times I've done the race distance for each leg since I signed up in August 2008:

swim
total distance: 250,182.20 meters (155.45 miles)
total time: 87h 58m 07s
times I've done the IM swim (2.4 mi): 64

bike
total distance: 3,577.16 miles
total time: 233h 31m 25s
times I've done the IM bike (112 mi): 40

run
total distance: 1,357.57 miles
total time: 210h 06m 30s
times I've done the IM run (26.2 mi): 52

all that math just made me hungry !

11 days and I could use a(nother) nap !

I am exhuasted. All I want to do is sleep. The only place I want to be is in my bed and the only clothes I want to wear are sweatpants and tshirts. And if I'm not sleeping? I want food. A lot of food. Our grocery bills for two people are ridiculous.

Really, it's like there is a teenage boy in the house.

At this point I'm just ready to GO! I'm tired of waiting, tired of training, tired of resting, tired of planning. I'm tired of stressing over packing and remembering everything and buying last minute tubes, GUs, and tolietries.

I just want to get on the plane - with Bella-the-bike in tow - and get down to warm, sunny Cozumel. And become an Ironman.

let's do this.

Oh, and my most recent crazy IM dream? I finished the race in 9h 10m [you didn't know I was that fast, did you?]. I was waiting in line to get my picture taken at the finish, and I realized I didn't remember get a medal. Actually, I realized I didn't remember ANY of the race and that made me sad. I went to get a medal and the guy just had leftover medals from Rhode Island 70.3. He gave it to me and said "is it really a big deal?" and I said "yes! it's a HUGE deal!"

13 days and the email that started it all.

totals from last week > November 9 - November 15

in the water: 5000.00 M in 1h 44m 13s
on bella: 82.50 Mi in 5h 39m 50s
in my asics: 24.38 Mi in 3h 46m 29s
total training time: 11h 10m 32s

this week the training volume drops drastically. I felt like there was still too much volume in my training plan, and so I cut out some of the workouts. The workouts for this week are listed until "on tap" <------- . At this point all of the work is done and I feel like doing less will benefit me more on race day.

also, when will taper madness kick in? right now I am exhuasted... I've been sleeping and napping non stop this weekend ! I feel like one of my cats [minus the whole pooping in a box thing]. All I want to do is lay down and sleep. Should make for a productive week at work! AND I'm in court Tuesday and Wednesday... hope I can stay awake through my dockets.

finalizing the last minute to-dos and getting ready. Getting REALLY ready... nervous but so excited.

and here is the email that started it all:

there is debate as to whether or not the "two words for you: ironman cozumel" means "isn't this interesting" (my friend's interpretation) or "go ahead and sign up!" (my interpretation). look at the date. wow.

15 days and 15 things.

in typical me fashion, I've decided to do a list. are you surprised?

15 things and we're 15 days out!

(ohmygodohmygodohmygod)
1. <--- Google maps view of the bike course.
2. everyone is apparently freaking out about CO2 carts.. since a lot of people are flying (and you can't bring CO2 carts on a plane) there are worries that the expo will run out.
3. I'm really really tired. amazing what 8 months of training will do to a girl.
4. my husband has stoked up on beer to prepare himself to deal with me during taper madness.
5. yesterday I got the most fabulous arm warmers from the wild child. they are GIRRAFE PRINT and super comfy. love the bloggy world.
6. and today my desoto arm coolers arrived from trisports.com. trisports wasn't as kind as the wild child and charged me for them. boo.
7. I really hope the Powers That Be at the Mexican border don't mistake my Infinit for cocaine. both are white and powdery.
8. I have a "to pack" list going (of course. I mean, would you expect any less?). every so often I remember something - towel! hairbrush! tums! - and write it down.
9. I'm excited for my buddies racing IMAZ next weekend, especially my buddy Molly, who is 8 days out from her first IM!
10. I am so grateful for all of my tri buddies! - in person and online .. I don't think my coworkers/ husband/ friends/ family can take any more IM talk.
11. I think UPS wonders how much I've spent at Trisports.com.
12. I'd perfer not to tally it all up.
13. I'm debating renting race day wheels. Part of me thinks: hell, why not "buy" (rent) speed and save 5-6 minutes? Part of me thinks: do I really need to spend the money for that amount of time?
14. I did justify to my husband by first explaining the cost of buying Zipps.
15. My house is so full of IM stuff -- bike on trainer in the living room, foam roller on the coffee table, Infinit, GE, and Recoverite on the kitchen counter, dozens of water bottles also on the kitchen counter, running shoes by the front door or on my dresser, (stinky) bike shoes on the bike (on the trainer).

to sleep, perchance to dream [a ridiculous dream]

the IM dreams... they are a'comin' !

last night's gem:

I got out of the water in 1:11 (<---- not the bad part!) and went into the changing tent -- which was a locker room. None of the bike bags were in there -- me and this other girl were yelling out "has anyone seen the swim to run bags?!?" finally they were brought in and we had to sort through them to find our bags. It was a cluster. I realized that I had forgotten ALL of my nutrition (Infinit bottles and Payday bars) and all I had was Gatorade and water. I started running to the bike and I was crying because I had practiced my nutrition for so long and didn't have any of it with me. Then I got lost trying to find my bike - there were all of these doors and weird exits. Once I finally got to the bike I quit. I thought to myself "this isn't a DNF because it's not the real race" and it turns out it wasn't... it was a practice race and because the bike bags were messed up the "race judge" cancelled it.

20 things about 100 miles.

first, last week:

swim: 9500.00 M in 3h 17m 26s
bike: 145.50 Mi in 9h 25m 03s
run: 9.52 Mi in 1h 26m 23s
total training time: 14h 08m 52s
[not bad for a week that started with a wonky knee!]


today was my last long ride.. Easton to Tilghman Island and back to Easton .. twice [each leg is 25 miles]. in honor of being 20 (20!) days out from my first Ironman... I present to you, 20 things about this ride:
1. miles: 101.0
2. time: 6h 03m 48s
3. average mph: 16.66
4. a ladybug fly on and stayed on my leg for about 5 miles. yay for good luck.
5. we saw a fox !
6. the shoulder is for bikes only. dbags on mopeds who pass too closely and then burn runner should Stay. Out. Of. Our. Lane.
7. got waterbottles refilled at a bar. everyone there was ordering Coors Lights
8. apparently the bar was BYOBC [that's bring-your-own-beer-cozy].
9. post ride mcdonalds continues to be the most delicious deliciousness ever.
10. no soreness/ stiffness in the upper body !
11. calories of Infinit: 1320
12. payday bars: 2
13. it was in the high 60s. in November. in Maryland. awesomeness.
14. I love my Maryland Terps bike jersey and am excited to wear it in Cozy. [see below]
15. I'm so tired of driving to and from the Shore. no more for a long time !
16. loving the desoto 400 mile bike shorts. the pad is thinner than a bike short pad but thicker than a tri short pad. In a word: perfection.
17. got really warm on the first 50 miles -- took off arm warmers and tights at the car.. and regretted that coming back at around mile 85 when it was getting dark.
18. I'm feeling really ready for Cozy.
19. this ride makes three total rides over 100 miles.
20. I'm hungry. time for more food!




also: a big congrats to Anne and Bob for rocking Ironman Florida yesterday !

a good knee, a great massage, and 24 days to go.

what has two thumbs and no knee pain ? this girl !

the pain started slowly going away with RICE - both in duration and intensity - on Tuesday, and yesterday I woke up with no knee pain. I'm still taking it easy but I am just delighted. deeeelighted.

oh, and I bought two new pairs of flats to wear when I couldn't wear heels. so really, I came out ahead.

today one of my bt buddies just finished massage school.. talk about a good person to know ! she came to my house with her massage table and gave me a massage a little over an hour. A.May.Zing ! she's a triathlete too so she really knew what muscles to work. turns out my TFL something (tendon? muscle?) was a little tender... and that somehow connects to the ITB which can affect the knee. going to keep rolling with the foam roller.

oh, and 24 days to go. squeeeeee !

magical miracle RICE

thanks everyone for the advice and well wishes!

I'm happy (ecstatic, really) to report that my knee is feeling MUCH better. Last night I swam and it felt fine.. the flip turns made my knee feel a little wonky, but I managed to do them with my left leg straight (that must have looked hilarious). This morning I really don't feel any pain, except when I bend or strighten it suddenly. I can walk normally without pain or limping.

RICE has really been amazing.
Rest: swam last night, haven't run since Saturday, and will not run for a while. May try cycling in a few days.
Ice: I've been icing as often as possible.. at home and at work.
Compression: Bought a cheap knee compression sleeve and have been wearing it regularly.
Elevation: when I can. currently my leg is propped up on my desk with a bag of ice on it. have been propping it up with a pillow at home in bed.

I think maybe it was just really inflamed? I'm not sure but I'm glad it appears to be healing quickly. I need to remember to continue resting. I have a strong enough running base -- from both IM training AND from an early spring marathon this year -- to not run for a while. I'd like to get in one more long ride this weekend but I'll see how I feel.

This week will be a lot of swimming.. which is good. I like swimming.

25 days!

crappity crap crap [and welcome november!]

bad news:

I ran my 18 miles yeterday with no pain... well, there was the "ow my legs and feet hurt/ are tired" that kicked in aroun mile 16, but nothing out of the ordinary. I got home, took an ice bath, and noticed that my left knee was a little twinge-y.

no biggie, I thought. Just a little sore from the long run.

I went to run errands and almost cried when I got into the car -- I could not bend or straighen my knee without a sharp shooting pain. I suffered through it, came home and got ready for Halloween. I tried to ignore it.

I went upstairs to get something, sat down on the bed, and started crying. My husband helped me out of my costume (Morton's Salt Girl) and into sweats. He got my ice for my knee, elevated it, and reassured me that it's almost time to taper, that the race is still 4 weeks away, that I have plenty of time to heal.

I spent Halloween propped up, alternating reading and watching bad tv, with a bag of ice on my knee. It was a superfun pity party.

Today it feels BETTER, I think. I'm going to keep up with the ibprofuen and the ice 20 minutes of each hour. I might swim but I'm not sure.

Please send good healing vibes my way. I'm confident that I'll be okay to race... just a little scared right now.

________________________

green = race day.
there it is on my bt training log!