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).

Recovering, Training, Spectating, Coaching...

Recovery is going FANTASTIC post-Austria. I am signed up and ready to go for IM Louisville on August 30th! Hot, Humid and muggy...it seems like a race of attrition, should be an interesting one! I’m heading up to lake Placid today to get some great training in and to watch the race. It's always packed with people from Runners Edge and Long Island, so it's always a great time up there. I must admit that I’m happy to be watching this year instead of racing. I also have some athletes that I coach racing this weekend and I am excited to watch and cheer them on after all of their hard work!

As a USAT certified coach, I have really enjoyed working with athletes of all types, helping them to achieve their goals. After spending the last 11 years training for and competing in Ironman, I have learned quite a bit and enjoy passing as much as I can on to my athletes. With Placid being a major focus for some, I will have a couple of openings in my coaching schedule as of August 1st. If you are thinking about your training and would like to meet to discuss this, I am always happy to meet and offer my opinion, whether you are seriously considering a formalized training plan or not. If you are, then I will have some spots available. If anyone is looking for a coach or bouncing around the idea and would like to talk to me, you can contact me via e-mail at: imdeesulli@aol.com OR phone: (631) 922-1940. I coach athletes of ALL abilities and with all types of goals and would be more than happy to answer any questions!Again, Good Luck to everyone this weekend...I'll be out there all day cheering you on!

Race Day...

Im never a big fan of race morning. The anticipation for an Ironman is always quite nerve-racking and I am always anxious to just get going. The morning of Austria was no different, but I must say that it didn't feel quite as "daunting" as races have sometimes felt in the past. Erin and I headed to the race start which was awesome. Crowds of people packed on the 3 docks that jutted out into the lake, a huge balloon on the beach and almost 2400 people waiting to start. I was escorted to the "Profidis Start" which was located 30 meters ahead of the age groupers. We all jumped in, swam around a bit and next thing I knew, the gun went off! The start always scares me, but this one wasnt too bad. I hung onto the group for as long as I could and then found myself swimming with another Pro, who I thought was a guy, but Im not positive. Soon the fast age groupers would catch me and I would hang onto their draft for as long as I could. Once that group would drop me, I would wait for the next group to come along! Heading into the canal was AWESOME! People lined the side of the canal and it was the coolest feeling swimming along in such a narrow canal hearing the screams of the crowds!

Finally I was out of the water in 59 minutes! I giggled to myself because I definitely wanted to break an hour, but I knew that many of the other pro women were far ahead of me at this point. If anyone wants to help me with open water swimming, be my guest, because it is definitely a weakness of mine! On a positive note: Eli from Zoot shipped me a new Zenith wetsuit that I received a few hours before I took off for the trip to Austria and it was AWESOME! Super comfortable and the new size (small/tall) fit me PERFECTLY!!

I was so relieved to be through with the swim and onto the bike. My legs felt good right away and the watts came pretty easily, which is a great sign! I've done races where the legs do not feel good and it definitely ends up being a LONG DAY! The bike course is STUNNING! The section that lines the lake is FAST! Once you turn off of that road, the course becomes hillier. There a 3 major climbs and it feels as if you are riding in the Tour de France when you climb them. Crowds of people line the entire climb cheering and running next to you! The roads are covered with peoples names and the music is blaring! It's awesome!! I came in on the first loop in exactly 2:30 and I was PSYCHED!!!! I figured that even if I went 10 min slower on the second loop I would STILL do a 5:10!

My new Orbea was so fast and comfortable and I even made friends out there with another Orbea. Antonio from Spain was riding the same bike and ended up being near me the whole race! He would pass me, later I would see him and pass him, etc, etc...I even saw him on the run and was finally passed by him towards the end of the race! He was wearing and SBR Jersey (from NYC) and I thought it was strange to see a jersey from a store in New York when most of the course was filled with Germans and Austrians! Later at the awards I met Antonio and his family. Although he lives in Spain he is sponsored by SBR...he was 3rd in his age group 19-24. Congrats Antonio! The second loop on the bike went by fast! I still felt good, but of course I felt a bit more uncomfortable and the effort felt a bit more difficult. by the end, I was anxious to get off my bike and run! I was expecting a fast run! I got off the bike in 5:04, a personal best...Woo Hoo!

I didnt feel "great" off the bike, but I am aware that sometimes it takes a few miles to feel "great". The sun was really intense and the first section of the run is hot without a lot of air movement. I felt like I was having trouble breathing, but after some time, I settled in. As I headed back towards the race site I was excited for the anticipation of seeing Erin! There she was standing on the side as I headed out for the next section of the run! I felt uplifted as I ran past her! This section of the run goes into the Neur Platz and around the Lindwurm. As I headed into the center of the city, I didnt know exactly what place I was in, but I calculated around 7th. A camera crew followed me into the city square and around the Lindwurm. Of course, I was "forced" to run well on this section! ...I can't look too bad in front of the camera! I headed back into the race site to start loop 2. I saw Erin again, which was great, and headed back out to Krumpendorf. This is when things started to fall apart. "No!" I thought..."just keep it together"! I started to feel nauseous and the heat was getting to me. I was "running"but it felt more like a shuffle. "Just keep moving forward" I would tell myself. Soon I knew that I was entering a delirious state. "This is not good". I stopped. I poured water over my head and forced a gel down. I also took some endurolytes. "You have to keep running", I said to myself. "You will not stop again. You will run even if you feel nauseous. You can't walk". Off I went. It was a terrible feeling, but I just kept repeating "keep moving forward" over and over again in my head. I took gels every 30 minutes or so and said to myself that I was "taking my medicine". I think I gagged with every gel, but they really did help to keep me moving!

Once I made it to the Lindwurm again, I knew I was only 4+ K to go and I would finish. Also, I knew I would reach my goal of sub 9:50! I saw a woman who was close behind at the turn around and I hoped that I would run fast enough to make it to the finish without being passed. I still fell sick, but I was able to "run". Finally, I passed the 41 K mark!!! With less than 1 Kilometer to go and with the roar of the crowds at the finish line just ahead, I got passed. "Oh well...she caught me." I said to myself...then, "No! I cant let her pass me with less than 1 K to go! How can I let that happen?! I have to at least put up a fight!" SO, I sprinted as fast as I could. I passed her and ran for my life towards the finish! I gave it everything I had. The finish line was a blur of screaming spectators. The finish line was just ahead and the other woman was right behind me. I crossed the line just 5 seconds ahead of her!!! 9:38:51! 6th Female overall! I reached my goal of sub 9:50! After such a grueling run I couldn't believe it was finally all over! I was so excited, relieved, in shock, exhausted, excited!

...also I was sick, so I tried my best to avoid the medical tent. I tried some chicken broth first and while couldnt get a lot down, I had enough of it to make me feel a bit better. Then I was able to eat some pretzels and drink some coke. I was able to avoid medical! I called George first, then my mom and dad and then Mike, who helped coach me for the past couple of months after I he learned that I was coaching myself. They were all tracking me non-stop throughout the day and they were all just as excited as me! Erin was UNBELIEVABLE throughout the race as well as pre AND post race! As I have said before, I am indebted to her. I wish I could bring her to all of my races!

THANK YOU to everyone back at home on the Runners Team, thanks Bob Cook, thanks to all of my friends back home and to all of my triathlete friends around the country who sent me such great messages race week, thank you to my "family" from Klagenfurt, thank you to Zoot and the Zoot Ultra Team, Orbea for the awesome Ordu, Profile Design for all of the best products to go on my Orbea, Matt Long and the I Will Foundation, Mike Monastero for the guidance and coaching since 2004 (with a small hiatus), thank you Erin, and of course thanks to my most amazing support, who I would have GREAT difficulty doing this without any one of them and the support they provide: thank you to my mom and dad and George.

Day Before...

Im sitting at my house watching the start of the Tour de France. Lance is just about to take off on his TT. What a great sporting event! Im so excited to follow along for the next 3 weeks! This one should be VERY exciting!!!!
I have completed all of my "pre-race" duties (dropping off the bike as well as the bike and run bags. I also did a short ride today. 37 min total with 5 min around 1/2IM wattage and 10 min around IM wattage. I felt great today! Woo Hoo!

Erin and I rented an electric boat yesterday and scoped out the swim. The swim ends in a canal and I wasn't quite sure where the entrance was. Typically, I would do my normal "haphazard" preparation and "wing it" race day, but I actually PREPARED this time, which is something I should do more of, but I am constantly fighting my "ditsy" personality. I wish I were a detail person, but I am not. Here is the start of the canal...

Erin has been a GREAT help to me for this race and I am indebted to her! She was taking pictures as I got my things together last night. I feel like this is my first Ironman all over again! It's great to have the positive vibes from her and from everyone else! I just found out this morning (more preparation) the course has 800 meters (2,600 ft) of climbing PER 90 Km loop. I checked out Placid and it's 3000 ft of climbing per loop...what??!!! I thought this was supposed to be a fast bike?! Im guessing that the downhills are fast here and spaced out better than in Placid. See? ...doing research and preparing isnt always a good thing...ignorance is bliss!!

Im ready though. I will continue to eat throughout the day and try and get some sleep...a glass of wine might be in order tonight to help me fall asleep. Im psyched and ready to go! GOOD LUCK to Charlotte as well who will be racing Germany the same time tomorrow!!!

Ironman Week Begins...

It’s Friday and I’ve had a busy week. Erin arrived Tuesday evening and I went to the airport with Brigitte to pick her up. No luggage for her, of course! Luckily, she got the luggage the next morning, which was a nice surprise! We headed to the lake Wednesday and both went for a run. I did some “intervals” to wake my body up! It was tough to mix in the fast stuff, but necessary, as I know. Once we were finished we “iced” our legs in the lake and chilled out. Nothing else for me to do that day, so we headed into Klagenfurt and had some lunch, checked out the city (took pictures with the Lindwurm, which is the turn around on the run course) and visited the bike shop “Mountainbiker”.

Thursday was a full day. I woke up early and headed out for a bike as Erin headed out on her run. The bike paths all over the city here are awesome and everyone seems to bike to work. On my way out I passed a woman dressed up in a beautiful dress and high heels, pocket book strapped onto the back of the bike, biking to work! Once I found some open road I did a hard effort to open the legs up a bit. Tough in the beginning, but it felt better as the effort went on which is what I was looking for! We headed to the lake after that and I got a massage at the expo. After the much needed massage I registered for the race! I love doing a race in a different country. Things are just a bit different and it feels like a new experience, which adds to the excitement! After checking out the Expo Erin and I headed out to the lake for a swim. Erin does a lot of open water swimming (including being part of a relay for a double crossing of the English Channel!), so it was great practice for me to try and stay on her feet! We swam for 25 min, then laid out on the dock (or “bridge” as they call it here) and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Thursday was the last day that I wanted to head out for any “sightseeing”, so we decided to visit a castle nearby. Burg Hochorsterwitz is a castle perched upon a hill that overlooks the valley below. The castle was apparently the inspiration to the castle in Walt Disney’s “Snow White” and you can see why. It’s pretty remarkable looking and incredible to think that people actually lived there! Since I am resting for the race, Erin and I opted for the lift up instead of the walk up to the castle. Bad decision! I’m not afraid of heights, but this lift didn’t seem like the sturdiest piece of machinery. As we were lifted up almost vertically I checked out the chain that was holding us up. It didn’t look nearly as thick as it should have! I imagined us plummeting down. I thought, “if we fall, we probably won’t die from the impact because we are in this compartment…instead we’ll just be badly injured and stuck inside this HOT small elevator...Yikes!) Needless to say, we were grateful when the trip up was over! The castle was impressive, but as you can see in the picture probably more so from far away. We took the lift down after walking the grounds and some of the rooms and headed back to Klagenfurt.

Last night the family that has taken such good care of me had us over for dinner. It was spectacular! An aperitif to start, then Pumpkin and Zucchini soup, pork Wellington (Brigitte made Erin a special vegetarian wellington), vegetables and for dessert a fruit salad with a bit of white chocolate mousse on the side. We had a wonderful dinner filled with laughs. The family will be headed down to the race on Sunday and Michael, the son, will be volunteering for the race! They have been so generous to us and I can’t say enough of how wonderful they all are.

So, today I head to the Pro meeting, which always gets me a bit nervous. I will take the day off from training today, except for a possible “swim” in the lake sans wetsuit, mostly to “ice” down the body and chill out. The lake is 20 degrees Celsius, which is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, so I say “ice the body”, but it isn’t cold enough to really ice it! It feels chilly without a wetsuit, though and perfect with a wetsuit! Tonight is the pasta party, which I don’t always attend, but will definitely be attending here. Like I said, being in a different country racing almost feels like doing my first Ironman again and I’m trying to experience everything that is here! Two days to go till race day and I’m psyched and ready!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has been so kind sending me e-mails of good luck, and messages wishing me well. It is so wonderful to have such great support from home and from the many other places that I have met wonderful people through triathlon. Thanks so much! it really means a lot to me!