TGIF!

I had to share this video. It is incredible. If you ever wonder why your friends and loved ones pursue this crazy sport, this video will help you understand why. Amazing.



On another note, TGIF. I'm looking forwarding to a weekend full of sunshine and some good workouts. Long run tomorrow morning with Run Tex, and then long ride on Sunday with a group out of Georgetown. Hopefully I can work in an open water swim or two as well. My Friday evening plans? Grocery shopping, watching Friday Night Lights, in bed by 9 pm. Life in the fast lane, I tell ya...

Happy week-ending!

Back in the Proverbial Saddle

My little hiatus from structured training is coming to an end come next week. After a 2.5 week break, I had a good talk with my coach about the future and about what to expect for the rest of triathlon season and into my "A" race next year - Ironman Texas. Just talking about 2010-11 filled me with energy and once I had a grasp on what was to come, I was ready to get started again. I'll take the schedule seriously, but I'll also remain open to shifting for life opportunities.

So, here is the unveiling of my "big" race schedule.

• October 17, 2010 - Longhorn Half-Ironman (said I wasn't going to do another long race this season, but got talked into it...this will be my "A" race for the Fall.)
• November 14, 2010 - San Antonio Marathon
• January 8-9, 2011 - Goofy Challenge (Half marathon on Saturday; Marathon on Sunday)
• February 13, 2011 - Austin Half Marathon
  
• late March - Tall Texan Half-Ironman
• May 21, 2011 - Ironman Texas!!!!

Monday will mark the start of official training for Longhorn...but it won't really start until the next week since I'll be out of town for a wedding and otherwise occupied for the weekend :)

Hiatus

I have kind of disappeared from this blog lately. After deciding last week to take a few week hiatus from any sort of structured training, I've not only finally accepted the break, but fully enjoyed it.

I suppose I underestimated how much I would need to just disconnect and take care of the things I had been avoiding over the past 6+ months. It seems as though many things were just hanging by a thread, so I've spent the last week catching up.

I've still been working out. I don't think I could ever take an unforced complete break from exercise- I need it for my sanity. I've just been doing the workouts that I want to do and when I want to. Which have consisted of running in the morning and swimming at lunch. I've pretty much eliminated the evening workouts, which generally are the bike rides since that is the only time for me to ride.

Instead I have been spending my evenings with my husband and my dogs; catching up on my DVR and reading a few good books I got from the library; dinner with friends; and just general relaxing and enjoying. Last night around 7 pm, we were all on the couch - Dan watching baseball, me reading, the the dogs piled into our respective laps - and, I thought, this is great. Really great. It's been awhile since we all spent an evening together without rushing around. It reminded me again of how much fun I can also have with non-triathlon related things.

This weekend we'll be headed to Boerne for the Small Texan Olympic Distance triathlon on Sunday. While it will be nice to race, there is no pressure. I'm just out there to have fun. Dan will be racing (his 2nd Olympic distance), as will our friend Ben. I can't wait.

Weekend Update

The weekend was great. I worked out only once -4 mi run with Dan on Saturday- and for the first time, I didn't feel guilty about it. I swear I gained 20 pounds though. Not so good for my bridesmaids dress that needs to fit in a few weeks, but worth it!

Update

Well, friends. I was thinking it might be fun to abandon the ol' blog for a week and let people start to wonder where I disappeared to. And then I remembered that I'm just not that important or cute to cause such concern, so I am sparing myself the disappointment when there were to be no whispers about where Erin has gone.

There are two reasons for the lack of postings this week:
1) Work has been crazy. I'm working on a project, that has been incredibly time consuming.

2) I have a lot to say, a lot on my mind regarding upcoming goals and plans, but not sure how to say it. My mind is a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

So, to update you on my week's absence...
The Couples Triathlon last week was fun. It was pretty awesome to get to mile 8 on the bike and ONLY have 3 miles left, as opposed to 104 miles!! Both Dan and I improved from last year. I was so excited to improve in all three areas from last year. My overall time was 1:19, compared to 1:24 last year, so I'll mark that as a success. I also got to meet two Daily Mile friends in person, which was really cool. Both times they came up and asked me if I was Erin. Made feel like a celebrity (ha!). I was wearing my Ironman CdA tri-top and they knew my pic from Daily Mile and put two and two together...

I always thought my Coach was crazy for doing so many Ironmans in one year (he did St. George in May; then Louisville in August and Florida in November). But, now I understand completely. I saw that IM Cozumel in November is still accepting registration and only semi-jokingly mentioned it to Dan, even though in no way would that fit on our budget this year. But if it did, I would be there in a heart beat.

I've been feeling a little lost the past few weeks. Okay, very lost. The challenge is that you absolutely need to rest. After an Ironman you are mentally and physically exhausted whether you want to admit it or not (which I don't). I didn't imagine that post-Ironman I'd want to dive right back into it... but it makes sense now because I'm caught up in the routine, excitement and adrenaline. For the most part, I've continued to train like I was pre-Ironman.

I thought I would wake up on a Saturday morning and realize I can finally sleep in or do something in the middle of a weekend day rather than be on my bike. But, there is guilt, I feel like I should be training. Last weekend, I found myself again in bed at 9 pm on a Friday night and up at 6 am to ride my bike on a Saturday...and, really, there is no purpose to that at all, other than that I am used to doing that on Saturdays.

Which brought me to some deep thinking this week. Ironman training - a good distraction from life's ups and downs? An essential part of my life? A distraction to living life? I think I do all three. I can see the addictive nature of Ironman training (or any endurance sport.)

So, after some thinking and a talk with my coach, I'll be doing my best not to stick to any sort of schedule for the rest of the month. Plan nothing, and decide when I wake up in the morning what I feel like doing. No pressure to swim, bike or run. There will be plenty of time to be on a schedule when IM Texas training starts, and I don't want to get burnt out.

So, I canceled my plans to ride/run with friends on Saturday. Which is good. It's my cousin's Bachelorette Party weekend, and the last thing I need to be doing in glancing at my watch every 5 seconds on Friday night, wondering when I going to get to bed and worrying about not getting enough sleep. I am not going to set my alarm in the morning, and if I wake up and want to go ride tomorrow then I will on my own. If I want to swim, I will when I feel like it. If I don't, then I don't. I am going to enjoy myself and relax. Make some deposits into the "emotional bank account", as my coach wisely stated (ref: 7 habits).

I'm excited to go out tonight. It's nice not to have to worry about being in bed by 9 pm. It's nice to remember that there is an incredible amount of pleasure for me in non-triathlon things.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Couples Triathlon

Couples Triathlon this weekend. Bring it. I'm ready to race. This will be the third year that Dan and I have done this race, and it's one of my favorite. Our team name is Team Flash & Lulu, in honor of our sweet bassets.

I used to get really nervous before triathlons. After doing half-irons and an Ironman, not so much anymore. For Couples the swim is 800m, the bike is 11.2 and the run is 3.1; which will seem like a walk in the park after the completing Ironman distance. I am not sure how much speed I will have, but I am hoping to improve on my time from last year (and beat Dan of course).

Hopefully we can make Flash & Lulu proud!

Ironman CdA Aftermath: Thoughts and Goals

Ironman is done.

I’m trying to remember life before Ironman. For over a year it was out there. It loomed even in the winter, before Ironman training began in earnest.

Now, life is back to normal.

It's back and I'm not sure how I feel. There is the elation, the feeling of did I really do that? The pride that comes with all of the mDot gear. There are the photos on Facebook, and the telling and re-telling of race day. And, then there is a feeling of emptiness, as I predicted there would be. There is no more checking my schedule every morning and see a 4 hr bike + 3000 yd swim on the schedule. There is no more anticipation of race day. And, this has caused me to realize over the past few days that I don't just thrive on a schedule, I need one to function.

So, what's next? Well, I may be crazy or stupid - or both - but I have signed up for Ironman Texas. There has been talk of this race happening for awhile, and it was finally announced 2 weeks ago that an Ironman is coming to the Woodlands on May 21, 2011. Which happens to be my birthday. I took that as a sign, and I could not resist racing in my back yard, so I signed up. My number one concern with this race is the heat. May in Houston will be hot, and it will be humid. But as my coach eloquently stated "It's not called Wimp Man. It's call Ironman."

Until then, I know I need a break. It's been hard for me not to jump right back into training; after all, it has become a part of life, what I am used to, who I am. I went from warp speed to no speed, and that has been particularly tough. On one hand, this is the best thing I could be doing. On the other hand, it's a hard pill to swallow. Over the past several months I've started to identify myself first and foremost as an athlete so this is very new territory for me. But I'm determined not to stress and enjoy the down time for what it is.

But in the meantime, I've set a few goals for myself:

Goal 1: Don't get fat in the off-season. All of the 4th of July holiday food, celebration dinners, etc etc will start to add up if I'm not careful. I'm in a wedding in August and right now the dress fits perfectly; I need to keep it that way.

Goal 2: Do some workouts, but not in a pressured way. Don't ditch my bike completely like I've done in the past; maintain my bike base so I don't have to rebuild it come December.

Goal 3: I ain't riding when it's cold [obviously this applies to Winter. I did some frigid rides last Winter]. Period. If I have to wear leg warmers, a vest, gloves, neck warmer, ear covers, windbreaker, and a parka - screw you guys, I'm going home. That is what my trainer is for.

Goal 4: Focus on other physical hobbies, not triathlon related. Maybe golf? or tennis lessons? Try that boxing class at the rec center?

Goal 5: Focus on work, exploring Austin, and hanging out with friends in a non-training capacity. I missed a lot of happy hours, get togethers, dinners and lunches during training. I want to use the downtime to reconnect with friends and family.

I think this summer will continue to be a great one :)

IM CDA '10: The Run

At this point I knew that I would definitely be an Ironman by the end of the day. I had plenty of time to finish and unlike the bike, I didn't have to worry about mechanical issues or flats. Running is what I do. I was so ready to do this.

And I’m running. My goal going into the race was to run a 4 hour marathon. Sounds easy, right? My best marathon is 3:15 and I can easily run a 3:30 so 4 hours – no problemo. Well...I underestimated how hard running would be after the swim and the bike. I started at a 9:15ish pace, and my pace went up and down from there.

My nutrition strategy was to take a Gu every six miles, starting at mile 1 and to take water at the aid stations, until something else “called” to me. I have never trained with coke or chicken broth, but many athletes told me to listen to my body and if something sounded good, not to be afraid to try it (starting in small doses, of course). Of course, my precious Gu’s were in my Special Needs run bag, so I had to make do with the Power Bar Gel they had on the course – yuck, not a fan.

Mile 3! Okay. I’m okay. I look at my watch and my pace is faster than it should be, but I try to hold it. I’m taking in the people, spectators and racers alike. I’d hoped to find someone about my pace but so far everyone is either faster or slower.

I’m getting to the lake stretch now, I pass the section with all the signs. There are so many. It’s a sea of personal sentiments and words filled with love and that makes me smile.

Miles 4 and 5 have come and gone. I’m taking plenty of water at the aid stations. My stomach is fine, but I know that’s often what turns and I don’t want to push it.

Mile 6. I take a Powerbar gel from a volunteer. They hand me a green apple flavored one. Barf. I choke it down.

Mile 8. Big ass hill and turnaround point. I force myself to run up it; I fear if I stop to walk, I will not start running again. Coming up the hill I hear the ping, the sound of people running over the timing mat. Up the hill, round the corner and there it is. I run over it, and think about who might be checking it.

Mile 10. Aid station. Headed back into town. I’ll try a Coke. Hey, an orange sounds kind of good. And tastes good except now I have little pulp pieces between my teeth.

Mile 11. I’m feeling my legs, but what else could I expect. I’ve run 11 miles already after biking 112. I know things will be hurting. I expect the ache of exertion. My pace has slowed back down, but I am moving as fast as I can.

Just past mile 11, I see Team Erin and smile. I am so thankful they are out there; they keep me going. I think about what a long day this is for them as well.

I take another Gel. This time they gave me chocolate. Double barf. I could stop at Special Needs to get my own Gu’s but there is no time to waste if I am going to hit 4 hours.

Second loop. I hit the halfway marker and wasn't sure how to feel. Yay - I'm halfway done! or Oh god, another 13.1 miles. I trudged on. I have 13 miles until I am an ironman. I see Team Erin one more time as we head back towards the lake. The next time I see them will be at the finish line; this keeps me moving forward and I am energized. Their excitement was really touching and I realized the Ironman means just as much to the people who love us.

I am around 2:02 at the half-way mark.

What mile marker am I looking for next? I’ve forgotten. I’d really like to get to 17. That’s the magic number. At 17, I have single digit miles to go.

Mile 14. I’m starting to feel a little queasy and I have a headache. Perhaps it is those damn Powerbar gels, perhaps it is the heat, or perhaps my body just hates me. I hit my first dark moment of the marathon here when it hit me that (and I quote), "I still have 12 F*CKING miles to run." For some reason, that moment was a low one for me because the race seemed so far from over and I had been in perpetual motion for over 10 hours at that point.

Oh, check it out. I’m at 16. Okay. I can do this.

Mile 18. Single digits. There is the big hill again. I am walking up it, but that’s okay. I will still be an Ironman when I finish. It’s time to take another Gel, but I don’t; I don’t think my stomach can handle it. I try to find something at the aid stations that would be compatible with my stomach. Sucking the juice out of orange slices ended up working perfectly.

So many people look worse than I. There are people clutching their stomach or stopping to work out a cramping quad. There are the pukers. The guy doing the hobble-run, swinging one leg out to the side.

Mile 20. Just a 10k from here. I look at my watch and try to pick it up; I need too if I am going to make 4 hours. Then I realize it’s a mistake to expect anything in an Ironman. It’s about taking what the day brings you and not worrying about the things that are not within your control. I’m doing an Ironman. I’m lucky I get to do this.

This is a lesson I need to learn. I wanted to finish the marathon by a certain time. But if I don’t? So what. I’m going to finish. I’m privileged to be here.

Now I want 23. 23 means about 5k to go. 5k is nothing. 5k is a sneeze. Where are the mile markers?

Steady as she goes. Mile 23. Just over 5k.

I’m going to finish. I keep hearing those words in my head and, par for the course, I’m getting emotional.

But I never wanted to quit and I never questioned why I was there. I had never wanted anything more and I was determined to keep moving forward.

Now I’m passing people left and right. We’re back into town. So close.

There’s 24. Still. Two miles. Two miles until I am an Ironman.

25 steady as she goes.

I can hear the finish line. I am so close.

I’m running through the chute and people are holding their hands out for me and I slap them as I run by.

I’m both smiling and trying not to cry as I hear: Welcome Erin Ruyle from Georgetown, Texas.

I hold my arms up and cross the line and hear: Erin Ruyle, you are an Ironman. And so I was. And I am.

In that moment, nothing hurts.

Run Time - 04:03:32

And while I will never forget the feelings of pure joy turning the corner and grinning like a fool, laughing, running toward the finish line, I'll also cherish the memories that got me there. The proverbial rose colored glasses are beautiful indeed: some days were rough and some were really rough. but it. was. all. worth. it.

I pushed my body and mind to the extreme on that memorable day in Coeur d’Alene, surrounded by an amazing group of athletes and supporters. I gave thanks to all who inspired me and encouraged me along the way. I was thankful for having been blessed with the basic abilities to achieve such a goal, but also proud of my own grit, determination, willpower, dedication, and courage to take those abilities to the next level… and make the seemingly improbable Ironman journey over the past many years a reality.

And Team Erin who were there in person…they really took the cake. Spectating an Ironman is one seriously long day in the cold, the heat, the sun, the wind, waiting waiting waiting to see your athlete come by for 15 seconds.

See you in the Woodlands!!

IM CDA '10: The Bike

The bike exit was surrounded by cheering spectators – I felt like I was starting a leg of the Tour De France. The volunteers and spectators were AMAZING the entire race. I wore my University Texas bike jersey and received tons of “Go Texas” and “Hook ‘Em” cheers throughout the ride. It was fantastic. The funny part is I am not even a big Longhorns fan; I just wore it because it is the only full zip jersey I own, and that is the easiest to change into while wet.

Although I felt like my biking had improved quite a bit over the last few weeks, I had some concerns going into the ride: 1) I had done several 80 mile rides, but only one 100 mile ride. I was worried that I should have done more 100 mile rides, and at least one over 112 miles. 2) The hills. Coach Shawn had warned me about them; I was worried they would thrash my legs for the run. 3) My nutrition. I didn’t really have a plan, other than to eat when I was hungry. I had tried different things in training, but never really nailed any of them, so I decided to just go with how I felt. I didn't want to feel bloated on the run after eating too much...I figured I could recover if I got hungry, but I would have trouble if I ate too much and got too bloated. I didn't put myself on any kind of schedule with eating.

112 miles is far, so I wanted to say within my means on the ride. My estimated range is 7:00-7:15. I do have to run a marathon when I’m done. I tried to keep that in mind. The best I’ve averaged on the bike for a half-iron was 16.2, so I would have been ecstatic to average 16 mph for 112 miles.

I get on my bike and go. I know the first 25 miles are fairly flat, then the hills begin. I am reviewing my plan in my mind. I let the riders who pass me go. Their day is different than mine. This is not a race for speed.

My stomach is unsettled at first. All the lake water I drank is not sitting well, or maybe I put too much Nuun in my water bottle, or maybe I just really need to pee. I stick to the plain water in my other water bottle for now and think I would feel better if I could find somewhere to pee. But every porto-john has a line, and I don’t want to waste too much time, so I hold it. My stomach starts to feel better shortly afterwards.

The entire first loop was incredible. I'd heard the course support was amazing but was still surprised by how many people were out there cheering. In most races you have supporters at the swim start and along the run course, but it's rare to see so many people on the bike course. Some of them were out there all day and never ceased to share energy and enthusiasm. The miles were clicking by and my average was about 17 mph, even with the hills, at the first timing mat.

Scenery was amazing and I took it all in. The course and surrounding areas were amazingly beautiful. It would've been a shame not to appreciate that and I'm glad I did.

I saw Team Erin at the half-way point which made me smile and motivated me to hang in there. Seeing them out there meant the world to me. I wanted to make them proud.

Just pass the half-way point, I REALLY had to pee after holding it in the past 20 or so miles. I thought about going on my bike (they were definitely others doing that), but this girl just couldn’t do that. I pulled over at a porta-john. Had to wait a few minutes, but I used the time to stretch which helped, then peed for what felt like 10 minutes. Ah, relief. {afterwards I kicked myself a little for stopping because it slowed me down, but maybe next time I can practice peeing on the bike? Kidding. Maybe.}

I pulled up to special needs just after mile 60. I can't say enough about the volunteers and organization of this race. As I approached they called out my number, asked if I wanted my bag, pointed where to stop, and by the time I got there, a volunteer was holding my bag open and ready. I clipped out, grabbed the two things I needed (included my PB&J sandwich which was a life saver) and he offered to spray me with my sunscreen while I got things situated. I couldn't have been there more than 45 seconds and was back on the course.

The second loop was a little more humbling than the first. I swear the hills grew a few feet while I was away. When we hit the 15 miles of hills, my legs felt it. I was out of the saddle more the second time to give my legs a change of scenery. The heat had risen significantly and the spectators thinned out as did the riders. My overall pace had slowed, but I tried ignore the number on the computer. It doesn’t matter. This is about controlling my exertion, not how slow I’m going. Still though, I was holding my own and my nutrition was working.

As I neared mile 90 I recalled someone saying you'd hate yourself around mile 90 and question why you were there. I had a different feeling. Yes, I was starting to feel the pains of a long ride, but I was also having my best ride ever and I still had no idea what the rest of the day would bring. I got very emotional and thought to myself - please don't let this be over. Please let me get through the bike with out any mechanical issues or stomach problems. I continued to do the only thing I knew I could do for sure that day: enjoy every moment.

As we headed back into town on the final miles, I started to get excited because I knew I would see Team Erin again before I got off my bike. It propelled me to pick it up, and my overall average went back up the last 20 miles. I saw them about mile 110, waved, smiled and told them I would see them on the run.

I pull into transition and hand my bike off to a volunteer.

Time: 06:47:17/16.5 mph

T2: This sweet little lady grabbed me in T-2 and started going through my bag and helping me get my socks and running shoes on. Bless her heart. That job is not one for the faint of heart. So I start saying "Thank you, thank you...gu...gu...gu is in there, right?" And she looks and looks and can't find them. So I dump it all out. No Gu. I had put them in my special needs bag...not the T-2 bag. Great. Oh well...nothing I can do now, so I take off running out the tent.

As I’m exiting the fact that I’ve finished my Ironman swim and bike hits me. I’m starting the run.

t2 time: 3:10