Am I new to this triathlon thing?!

Looks like the cruiser bikes will need some work once they thaw out! I've needed some TLC after this season as well! Its been 3 1/2 weeks into my 6-week hiatus and I am just starting to feel like myself again! I rested well a few days after the race, but then I quickly got into my routine of "light training". What a rookie mistake! I tell my athletes to take serious off time both for their bodies and their heads, and what do I do? I start training after a grueling season where my body is just hanging on and I am mentally toast!

The week after Cozumel I was back swimming with my team, lifting, and running quite often. I took some time off the bike ( less than a week), but decided to go out with my buddy and ended up bonking on a ride that was too long for me two weeks out from Ironman. I told myself, "Three hours easy shouldn't bother you Danielle!" ...but it did. I was dragged to a 7 Eleven by my riding partner, Kevin where he bought me a powerbar and some Gatorade. Thank you Kevin! After eating and drinking my body responded quickly and I was able to make it back home! "Note to self: bonking 2 weeks out from a disastrous race in IM is definitely NOT a smart thing to do!"

So, knowing that the weather would be warm one last day, I decided to back up the 3 hour bonk-ride with an hour and a half swim team practice and a 2 hour ride the very next day... Again...not the smartest idea! At one point Kevin turned to go up a "steep hill" and I simply stopped and refused to follow him up it. I did not think I could make it up the hill without tipping over! He had to turn around and come back down! I averaged 112 watts on the bike and was spent. Again...not one of my brightest moments! I found myself constantly sleepy, dragging myself out of bed in the morning... The "easy training" I have been used to was feeling really tough and taking it's toll on my body and my mind. What I was used to not affecting me was making me feel like I was putting in wicked hard training sessions! This was a wake-up call as I was fearful that I would get myself really sick...maybe develop chronic fatigue and not bounce back at all!

That was a week ago and I have not been on the bike since. I've run a bit, but all easy and I have continued to swim, but just a couple of sessions...Ive also gone hiking , which was a fantastic change of pace! My tough workout was shoveling out the driveway with George on Sunday (Im taking a much needed photo break here while he shovels!)...I was more sore from shoveling than I have been in a while!

So, finally I came to my senses and decided to take my "off time" much more seriously! One week later and I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER! Practice what you preach, eh?! Now I am looking at 2 1/2 weeks more of off time. My goal after 6 weeks is to feel like I cannot wait to get back to training... So I will continue my serious rest through the holidays and back it up with a trip to Vail for some fun activities like snowshoeing, cross country skiing and some partying as well!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you all have been smarter that I have been during the off season! I also want to give my best wishes and a speedy recovery to Jim MacWhinnie who survived a very serious accident a couple of weeks ago. It seems that Jim has beat the odds and pulled through due to his strength both physically and mentally... His family and friends are calling him a miracle... My thoughts and best wishes are with Jim and his family!

Lucky #13?

Although many people see #13 as the most unlucky number, I have always included it in my list of favorite numbers (yes I have more than one favorite/lucky number...) Though I have always considered 13 to be a favorite number of mine, I am beginning to sway to the popular thinking that it's quite unlucky! Ironman #13 was a tough one to get through...first IM Louisville: Fall down steps a week and a half before the race, injure ribs badly, attempt to race (bad idea), DNF. Next is IM Cozumel and here is my story...


First let me say that the island of Cozumel; is one of the most beautiful spots that I have ever been to. The water is incredible, the people are laid back and kind and the air is warm and humid, just as I like it (or so I thought!)...

George and I arrived Wednesday and let me say that the journey was a long one! Drive to JFK, fly to Cancun, drag bags and bike to bus shuttle, take bus ride for 60 min to Playa de Carmen, drag bike and bags through streets to ferry, wait 90 min for ferry, take 45 min ferry ride (beautiful), arrive in San Miguel Cozumel, drag bike and bags through streets to car Rental (Volkswagen Bug Convertible Circa 1970's...very cool), drive in the dark to find condo (at this point our patience are a bit short...especially as we navigate through the dark to find our secluded home), drag bike and bags up stairs, drive into town for yummy tacos, and off to bed...

...wake up to the most beautiful scene! It was worth the travel!!

So, I may have enjoyed the island a little more than I should have? ...but it was so hard not to! I did try and keep the physical stuff to a minimum though. We did some exploring in the VW (found a great little bar/restaurant on the beach where I had killer fish tacos), did some swimming with the fishies, and drove the IM loop, but I did stay on the boat and in the shade when George went Scuba Diving, and no that isnt my Dos Equis on the table there, though it was tempting!

Saturday came quickly and it was time for me to do one last little bike workout and drop off the Orbea for Sunday . My legs felt AWESOME! I was SO ready for this race! Sunday morning seemed warm and calm! Yippie! We got to the race site early and met up with Bill and Nancy (both racing see picture below) and their family (spectating). Off to the water and before I knew it, the Pros were getting ready to go! The gun went off (actually, I dont remember if it was actually a gun, but we started the race either way). I felt strong and the very first thing I said to myself is, "Im going to have a great day". Hmmm...what happened to the power of the mind?!

I exited the swim in :56 min with one other girl who stayed on my feet for the whole swim. WooHoo! My fastest swim ever! I did not know, however, that the lead girls swam :46-:51! Wow... Sadly, I let my swim companion exit the changing tent before me and she was on her bike quicker than I was, which is not necessarily surprising given the fact that I never practice my transitions (Note to self: Goal#1 for 2010...practice transitions!)

I felt strong on the bike and the watts were as they should be. I was doing a solo time trial in no-mans-land, but hey...Ive done plenty of solo long rides, so Im mentally prepared for this!

Then came the wind...the other side of the island was much windier than I had expected and I found myself going 16 mph and dreading the two loops ahead of me that would bring me to this windy section! Oh, and there goes the nice little bar/restaurant on the beach that George and I had enjoyed just a few days before...wasnt that nice?! OK, back to the race...

I was SO excited to get to town on the first loop...I got to see George and he told me that a girl was just up ahead...yippie! I soon passed her and was back to no-mans-land... Then the bottom fell out from under me. I had a major meltdown about half way into loop two and started to get worried. I looked down and saw that my shorts were COVERED in salt! What?! This never happens to me! I got through the second loop and almost stopped in town when I saw George again...I think I told him that it was very windy out there...he just encouraged me to keep going. I did and I can say that the last lap was absolute torture! For those of you who know watts, I averaged around 120 for the entire loop! I stopped a few times just to rest my head on my handlebars, I contemplating stopping at one of the parked ambulances on the course, but decided to do the best I could to get back to town and finish the race...

When I finally got to T2 (the bike course was 114 miles, by the way and that last 2 miles nearly killed me!) I was delirious. I knew I was delirious, but there was nothing I could do about it. I was stumbling around and while George was talking to me, I couldnt quite focus on what it was that he was saying. I entered the changing tent and the Dr. approached me. She asked if I was OK...I told her yes. I figured that if I knew that I was delirious, I could still forge ahead! When I exited the tent I grabbed a coke and drank it down, I also had a banana and a few bites of a Powerbar... I started to feel a bit better, but not good enough to jog.

As Im realizing that this blog is getting to be WAY too long, I am going to sum up... My saviors out on the run helped me finish the race:

Savior #1, though he will argue this, is George. He met up with me out on the run course and I saw him every loop. He walked with me and joked with me, then told me in a joking manner to "run the last loop...Im tired of walking, my feet hurt. I'll give you and hour and meet you at the finish line!" He was there at the finish line, even though it took me longer than an hour to get there! He was screaming for me, apparently...I was in a bit of a fog to notice at that point, but he was there at the end and I am so grateful to him for being there for me.

My savior #2...Bree Wee. What a fantastic person Bree is! I can see why there are so many Bree fans out there and now I am one too! Not only did Bree scream for me every time she saw me and encouraged me to hang in there, but she came up to me on lap 2 of the run (she was on lap 3) and said, "Come on Danielle, run with me... we are going to play a game...its called How Slow Can We run?" We ran together for a while...I felt so much better...Then, as we parted, she told me to make sure I kept running...that now matter how slow I ran, it would be MUCH quicker than walking...she was right and I tried to keep the walking to a minimum... Oh, and not only did Bree encourage me, but I think she encouraged EVERYONE out on the course!

Savior #3...Nancy Cattabiani. I wanted to finish for Nancy... I know how tough Nancy is and I didnt want to let her down. I thought of her out on that course every step of the way and I am so impressed with her for so many reasons... Not only did she ace the swim, but she got through a horrendous (and long) bike. Unfortunately, as Ironman can be an "unknown", Nancy had back issues that could have become very serious, so she did the smart thing and pulled out before doing serious damage... I am so proud of her though...

One last thing: CONGRATS to Lorraine Huether on her first IM finish (a fantastic 5th place in her age group, I believe), Bill Romas on a great finish, and Christine Kenney who ROCKED her first IM with a 10:25 and a slot to Kona...unbelievable!!