Running

As I get ready to do my last long run of my 2009 season, I find myself procrastinating the start for a warmer part of the day by reflecting upon my long runs of the past as well as my future long runs. I starting thinking a lot about running this weekend after following the NYC Marathon and following friends who were running the marathon. Not only was I psyched to see some awesome performances from my friends who were running, but I had the pleasure of helping to coach an athlete to a very successful first marathon! What a thrill!

Ironically, RockStar Tri wrote a blog about "the long run yesterday. Check out, "When is a long run long?" on RockStar Tri's Blog: http://rockstartri.blogspot.com/2009/11/when-is-long-run-long.html. I commented that I think a run is long when it reaches 12 miles. To me anything 12 and over seems long. I also commented that I do all of my long runs alone and without an IPOD as I learned that he, along with others wear an IPOD and do all long runs with company. I can only remember a few long runs that I did with others. I have been running my long runs solo since I started running in 1998 and I am so familiar with a solo long run, that it would be quite an adjustment to run with company.

After graduating College in 1998 I decided to enter the lottery for the NYC Marathon. Upon my return from spending a summer backpacking in the Arctic of Alaska, I found out I had gotten into the the marathon! I had 2+ months to train and I can tell you that my body was in shock as it was used to swimming many hours a day, but was certainly not used to the pounding of running! I can also remember training for Boston for the first time in 1999 and running SOLELY on the treadmill in my gym! I did every run, including my 3 hour runs on the treadmill that year! Now, I cant even stand running a half hour on the treadmill! A few years ago, I did all of my long runs at SUNY Old Westbury. That was really tough, but awesome prep as I believe running there makes you VERY strong!

As I try and map out where I will run today, I realize that I'm tired of the same old routes. For my last long run, a 20 miler, I ran from here at my home in West Islip to my parents house in Blue Point! My dad drove me back home after having a nice lunch post-run. To my surprise, I had to run up and down some blocks in Bayport and Blue Point to reach my 20 mile goal...it was worth it though...the one-way run was a fun little journey and a great way to mix it up! My friend Kathy did her last 18 Miler this Sunday. She's smart...she had friends meet her a different points in her run to keep her company and break it up. I think I may need to take advice from her next year! I'm thinking that if I had company with me today, I probably wouldn't be procrastinating (somewhat dreading?) this one quite as much as I am! No matter how many long runs I have done, the thought of running 18+ miles is absolutely daunting. The thought of running that distance never ceases to amaze me!

Reflecting has helped me to appreciate all of the runs I have done in the past as well as reminds me of the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment after completing a long run. I started running late in my life (I started at the age of 21...which isn't necessarily "later in life" but always seemed like it to me). Because of this, I never considered myself to be a "runner"... I still have a hard time calling myself a runner, but I guess I am. When I think about it, running has been a big part of my life... Running is so great because you can do it anywhere... Thinking about it, Ive run in so many great places and had such great memories. Ive run in Spain, France, Chile, Costa Rica , all over the US, the Bahamas...everywhere I travel to, I bring my running shoes. Maybe I'll reflect upon that today as I run long...

True Inspiration...

As many of you already know, Ironman Hawaii was last weekend. I've had the good fortune to race kona 5 times and every single race contains memories, both good and bad, that I will never forget. Picture: YOUNG Dee in Kona 2005.

My first Hawaii, in 2002, was TERRIFYING, "Will I finish? Will I be crawling to the finish line like Julie Moss?". There were 11 of us from long Island doing the race that year and it was a BLAST!

My last race in Kona was actually my first year racing as a Pro. I felt like it was my first time there all over again! While I wasn't nervous about my ability to finish, I was unsure of myself and insecure racing in my new category.

My 3rd time there was by far my best finish. Second place in my age-group (behind phenom Tyler Stewart), 4th amateur overall. It was after this finish that the idea of racing Pro seemed somewhat in my realm of possibility.

My 4th Ironman Hawaii was memorable because I was VERY lucky to spend 5 weeks in Kona training! The time I spent in Kona that year was especially memorable due to my roommate, training partner and friend, Simon Butterworth. It was that trip that made my friendship with Simon such a close one. Funny...I recall that I turned 30 that November after the race, and Simon turned 60 a week earlier! Of my 5 Kona finishes, that one was the toughest. I had problems handling my nutrition on the bike and cramps that made me walk on the run. At one point I thought I was finished, but I rallied and got through it holding onto 5th place in my age-group. Running down Alli Drive that day was my most emotional finish as I had overcome many obstacles that year as well as in that race...funny how the toughest finishes can be the most memorable!

Speaking of the toughest races being the most memorable...

When you get a chance, read Simon's latest blog (http://sbrhigh.blogspot.com/) entitled, "My Lucky Day-Angels in Kona". While it's a long post (that's Simon for you!) it is a FANTASTIC READ and a GREAT source of inspiration to me. I think it will inspire anyone who reads it.

What's Next?

I've held off on writing my latest blog update until I knew for sure which race I would be doing next...as if you have all been waiting, on the very edge of your seats, in anticipation of finding out which Ironman I, Danielle Sullivan, will be competing in in the Fall of 2009! Come on Danielle...it's not that exciting! But I have waited nonetheless. Gripping stuff, I know...

So, here it is: I will be competing in...Ironman Cozumel November 29th! Picture give it away?! After speaking with Armando, the race director, it seems that I will indeed be racing on November 29th and I am psyched! Here's all the great news and why I am so psyched: Positive #1) The ribs, while not 100%, are MUCH better! As a result I have been able to train hard and was able to swim with my team at CW Post again for the first time this past Saturday. In the meantime, I have taken advantage of my "easy swim time" by meeting up with Joe Petrush of Bayshore Swimming (http://www.bayshoreswim.com/) to work on my stroke technique. While I have a long way to go, I am already seeing huge improvements! I've been swimming for 20+ years now and have NEVER concentrated on stroke technique! After doing a video analysis I realize just how much I can improve my stroke... I find that I have been getting slower and slower in open water, so I feel like it's is a perfect time to work on my stroke!

Positive #2) There will be a group from Long Island that will be racing in Cozumel...most importantly one of my best friend's Nancy Cattabiani and Bill Romas, accompanied by Nancy's whole family and friends Mary Francis and Tom Horan who will be cheering us on! Also Lorraine from my swim team will be racing as well as Humberto who swims with us as well. Positive #3) It's Cozumel! ...supposed to be beautiful, Positive #4) I've convinced George to come with me to Cozumel as it's Thanksgiving break! It will be EXCELLENT to have him on the sidelines cheering us on and just hanging in Cozumel. The pressure is on too...he's only seen one other Ironman and it was not a good day for me! I really want this to be a great one..., Positive #5) Love hot races, no wetsuit swims... :-)

So, I am back in the swing of things and training very hard. We are 2 months out now (my "no ice cream zone") and I know that the time will fly by! In the meantime, It's an easy day for me and I have been catching up on some of my friends blogs (check out the links on my blog)... I want to wish Jen Gatz luck in her upcoming marathon this weekend as well Good luck to Simon Butterworth and Haley Cooper in Kona! Also if you have been reading Jacquie Gordon's's blog I wish her a speedy recovery (seems like she's well on her way) as well as RockStar Tri (on his way as well). Also, I want say Congrats to all of those that I coached this past season. EVERYONE had a fantastic season and PR'd and/or accomplished a huge goal, like completing their first Ironman. It's been really fun coaching everyone and making great connections with a variety of athletes! Also, I want to thank everyone for their lovely e-mails and responses after my last blog! They were overwhelming and unbelievable, so Thanks... :-)

Good and Evil...

I am writing this to thank everyone who has sent me positive e-mails and comments on my blog along the way. I was hesitant to write a blog at first ("who is going to care what I'm doing?") but I must say that it has been a positive experience overall it it is so great to have support from friends and fellow triathletes.

That being said, I have had been harassed on my blog since last winter. This person writes anonymous blog comments telling me the most horrible things about myself, basically what a loser I am and what a waste I am as a triathlete. The funny thing is, the person did not write a comment after IM Austria! Guess they couldn't think of anything to say... However, I just got a nasty comment this morning about how much I suck, etc, etc from Im Louisville. Honestly, I didn't read the whole comment, but I got the general idea. Even though I try to look at this with a sense of humour, it is never fun to read horrible things about yourself when you are trying the best you can and just living your life.

I'm sharing this because the funny part of the whole thing is that I have known EXACTLY who has been writing these terrible comments to me for months now! In the spring, after some really terrible comments, I decided to go through the proper authorities and have the comments traced by a professional. I've known who has been "secretly" harassing me for quite a while. I chose to ignore it and not waste too much time on this sad person as they don't deserve my time, but as I came home this morning to find yet another evil comment about what a no-talent, waste of life, bogus Pro Triathlete I am, I decided to write this blog. I choose not to "out" this person because I will then stoop to the sad level that they exist on, but one day (maybe soon) I will run into them again. That should be quite interesting!

For everyone else thank you so much. You don't realize how much it means to have the support and excitement from so many people!!! It makes the journey I have been on that much better... I am happy to have started this blog for that reason.
Cheers,
Danielle

Tough Break at Louisville...

I was excited to race Louisville for a few reasons: #1) I have maintained a strong fitness level with no injuries in the weeks since Ironman Austria, #2) I had confidence that I could get a slot to Kona and place well, and #3) I couldn't wait to race Ironman #13! Unfortunately, as I have posted earlier, I fell down stairs a week and a half before the race. Deep down I was hesitant that I could race Ironman with ribs that were bruised and /or cracked, but I tried to remain positive. My shorter workouts were going OK and I was extremely conservative the week before the race, but when I had trouble traveling down to Louisville and carrying my bike box and other luggage I thought it might be a long shot to have a "day of grace". The spasms I was having in the muscles that supported my ribs was an indication that I wasn't 100%. However, there is always the unknown... "Maybe race day will come, I'll have phenomenal race and I won't notice the ribs until the end"? Well, that didn't quite happen...

The day began much cooler than anyone had expected for Louisville. It was in the 50's..crisp and clear out. The pros got in the water ready to start at 6:50. I was afraid that I could possibly get kicked in the ribs (ending my day right away), so I was careful to position myself away from the main crowd. The gun went off and I started the swim very carefully. I couldn't pull too hard with my right side and I was so afraid that I would tweak my ribs, so I started in slow motion. I settled in behind another woman's feet and took the ride for the entire swim. I exited the water in 1:06 (yikes!), but the good news is that it was behind me with no major problems!

I got on the bike and things were OK. The ribs weren't perfect, but no major pains. The bike course in Louisville is tough! Constant up and down. I tried to keep the wattage that I normally hold in Ironman, but by mile 30 or so, I was feeling like it was a harder effort than usual. I had to get out of the saddle quite a bit (I climb out of the saddle better than seated) and it was wearing on my ribs. Still, they were OK...sore, but no sharp pains, which was good. I did notice, however, that my lower back was starting to hurt me. Especially the lower back on the opposite side of my injured ribs (maybe I was compensating for the rib injury?). I knew my day was done soon after that. I was having trouble holding wattage, I felt fatigued and my back was becoming more and more painful with each pedal stroke. As I continued on, I began planning where I would race next... "OK, Kona is out. A good finish here probably will not happen... I will focus on finishing the 112 and try to make it a great training day for a fall Ironman". I continued on my way but soon I was in excruciating pain with my back! At one point I was doubtful that I would finish the entire bike segment! I would pedal a bit, then coast... Every position on the bike was painful. I had trouble being aero for most of the second half of the bike. I just wanted to get back to transition and get off the bike!

As I rolled into transition I figured I would try the run, knowing that I would probably not finish... I wanted to be sure though... "Maybe my back hurts, but the ribs won't be so bad in the run and I can have an amazing run!" "I'll never know if I don't try!" The volunteer who grabbed my bike as I dismounted looked at me and asked, "Are you OK?" Guess I didn't look so good! "Yeah, I'm fine!" I slowly got my shoes on and headed onto the run. I made it to the first table right outside transition. I walked while I drank some Gatorade, then I started to run. I started having trouble breathing right away. I couldn't take a full breaths and I felt like I was hyper-ventilating. "Calm down...you will make it worse if you panic". I tried to take deep breaths, but I still couldn't breathe... In fact, it was getting worse! I was panicked...I stopped right there (maybe 1/4 of a mile into the run) and started walking back. I was trying to calm myself down and get my breathing back to normal before it became really serious. Soon I saw my mom and I started getting my breathing back a bit, though I was having trouble making full sentences. I went to medical and was relaxed and back to "normal" after laying down and icing my ribs. I'm glad I stopped when I did, but in reality I had no choice. I wasn't too upset at the time... Like I said, I knew coming into this race that it would be a long shot.

So, while I'm not overly upset, I am disappointed...no training injuries this year and I make one wrong step and fall on my ribs a week and a half before my race! Oh well...things like this are bound to happen. I remember breaking my hand in swim practice the beginning of my Sophomore year of College after having a breakthrough season my Freshman year. A teammate of mine and I collided coming off the wall and my hand broke. I was devastated! I was so ready for the season to begin after having such a great season the year before! I went to a Doctor in Baltimore and had a special cast made so I could still get in the pool. With the new cast I would get in during practice and swim with one-arm. I also started using the step machine and jogging a bit to compensate for the decrease in yardage. A blessing in disguise: the extra work in the gym ended up making my legs stronger, improving my kick! Much to my surprise, I had an incredible season once I got the cast off! I've had many lessons like this in my athletic career, so I will look at this set back the same way. As with every other set back, there always seems to be a triumph that follows...

I just want to say CONGRATS to my friend Dan O'Connell. He had a fantastic race in Louisville finishing 11th in the 60-64 age group. Dan ran himself into 11th place after getting off the bike in 18th! He posted a 13:34! Also Congrats to Haley Cooper who finished 4th Place Overall Female in Ironman Canada, Tara Norton who finished 5th Overall Female and Wolfgang Guembel who finished 5th overall! Congrats to everyone else who raced this weekend, in Ironman Louiville, IM Canada and TOBAY triathlon here in Long Island!

Greetings from Louisville!

I'm here in Louisville awaiting race day on Sunday. I am happy to report that while my bruised ribs are not 100%, they are feeling better than last week. They are good enough that I decided to race with the hopes of a great day! Strangely, the weather forecast is for a high of 74 degrees. This is a far cry from what I had expected...the typical 90+ degree 90% humidity and oppressive weather that is typical here! Oddly enough, my friends in Canada are awaiting a 90 degree day there! What a switch!

I swam in the Ohio River today. 82 degrees means no wetsuits allowed. I actually don't mind swimming without a wetsuit. It never seems to help me out too much and I feel more comfortable without one on. Due to the rib injury, however, I may not be able to push too hard in the water, but we'll see what happens when the cannon goes off! I may not be able to help myself!

A friend of mine, and fellow CW Post Masters swimmer, Dan O'Connell is here racing as well. Dan will be doing his 4th Ironman and his first IM Louisville. He's in the 60-64 age group and will be racing for Team Runners Edge! I just had the pleasure of joining him and his wife Anna at the Carbo dinner tonight! Typically I don't attend the Carbo dinners much anymore, but I did tonight and it ended up being a nice surprise...one of the most entertaining carbo dinners that I have been to.

So, Im all ready to go. I believe there are 18 Pro Women racing Sunday and 3 slots to kona! Woo Hoo! It seems that plenty of girls want a slot and there is plenty of competition, so it should be interesting to see what happens!

For now, I am resting, eating and drinking. Tomorrow will be a short bike, then I will drop my bike off in transition (love dropping my bike off!), after that I will head to the airport to pick my mom (Yay! Race support!)! The rest of the day will be the waiting game till race morning...not my favorite time. Like most athletes, I like to get started. Once the race starts the nerves subside and I can focus on what I need to be doing. Racing hard... Good Luck again to everyone at Canada (Haley, Tara, Wolf, Nic, Kevin, Seth), and Good Luck to Dan O'Connell racing here with me!

Next up: Ironman Louisville (I hope)

Yet again time flies and I realize that I haven't updated since Lake Placid! It was so great to be up there training and spectating. Congrats to all who competed this year! A special congrats to Deanna, an athlete that I have the pleasure of coaching...Lake Placid was her first Ironman! It was so much fun to be there watching! The standout of the day was watching Matty Long finish (http://www.iwillfoundation.com/). Matty's finish was without a doubt the most inspiring event in sport that I have ever witnessed...

Since the weekend I have been training hard and recovering hard for my next event, Ironman Louisville. The race is already next weekend and I have been looking forward to it! Unfortunately, I had a nasty spill down the stairs the other day and did a job on the right side of my ribs. I am icing my ribs as I write this and have been doing so since the fall... I don't think I cracked them, but I know they are at least bruised pretty bad, so I am doing everything I can to get them healed for the race next weekend. Of course, if they are still sore by race time, I will have to bail and opt for a later race, but am trying to remain positive. Aside from the ribs, I am fit and psyched to race again. There are 17 Pro women entered in the race and a slot to Kona would be the icing on the cake!

Ironman Canada is the same day as Louisville...Good Luck to all of my friends racing in Canada next weekend (Kevin Browne, Haley Cooper, Tara Norton, Nicole Guembel, Wolfgang Guembel and Seth Graham).