#ironman70.3 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

maryalexandra25-blog · 7 years ago

Text

How I Completed the Lavaman Olympic Triathlon With NO Training...

And how YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

Disclaimer: the information shared here is my personal story. I am not a certified trainer or a pro triathlete. Any new activity that you embark upon should be with oversight of a medical or athletic professional.

I’m not gonna lie, I was seriously considering dropping out, all the way up until registration day….

But I didn’t!

It’s 2018 now, and I’d say I have not trained in any serious way since about 2013, before exiting the Marines. In fact, I vowed to myself that I would NEVER train long distance, intense exercise again, unless I truly enjoyed it. And thus far, I haven’t. So for the past four-and-a-half years, I’ve done almost nothing I’d consider intense. I skied a handful of times; ran a mile or two a handful of times; swam 35 laps, about 3 times a week, for about 3 weeks, a year ago; embarked on an intro ballet class; a little Jiu Jitsu; and some light yoga, movement and stretching, most days of the week. But nothing noteworthy as typical “tri training,” and I’d never ran a race like this, in my life.

In fact, I’d actually never swam one mile, or biked 25 miles, before the Lavaman.

Oh…and to answer your question, yes, I finished each event before the cutoff times, passing through the finish line at 3:52:07. At that pace, I could finish a half Ironman before the cutoff.

So, how did I do it? Well, it’s amazing how your life experience kicks in when you least expect it!

Whenever my platoon got in trouble, in bootcamp, there was this little ditty our Senior Drill Instructor would make us yell, as we held our rifles straight out in front of us, parallel to the floor, for what felt like hours at a time. It went like this, “if you give up in your mind, your body will fail.”

The number one key to any feat is your mind, first and foremost.

If you fail to conquer it, good luck conquering anything else. Even though there was a part of me that didn’t want to go through with the race, because I had not trained, there was never a part of me that wondered IF I could go through it. I know how to swim, and I know how to keep from drowning if I’m tired. I know how to ride a bike. I know how to run, or worse case scenario, walk. So that was never an issue. I didn’t sign up for, or run the race, planning to come in first. I just wanted to finish- which really took the edge off!

Oh the glory of the lessons we learn in childhood stories!

Remember that story, The Tortoise And The Hair? Well, I do. In fact, I distinctly remember it, because I had a little pop up version of it, that I read all the time, as a child. And during my last years in the Marines, after numerous overuse injuries, when my competitive spirit had finally escaped me, I used the mantra, “slow and steady wins the race,” to get myself through the three-mile running portion of the annual physical fitness test. Well, as it turns out, it’s an excellent tool for running triathlons too!

When I wasn’t watching the turtles swim underneath me; pedaling away, while singing songs to myself; or planning my next meeting, blog, or business idea, in my head; I was repeating the mantra, “slow and steady wins the race,” which allowed me to control my heartrate.

I hate running. When I decided to join the armed forces, I was a single parent with a baby, totally out of shape, and about 20 to 30 pounds heavier than I am right now- the stubborn leftovers from pregnancy. But, I had made a decision and by God, I was going to come through. So I strapped my daughter into the jogger, went to the track, just about every day for a month, and ran four miles (that’s 16 MISERABLE laps around my hometown, quarter-mile, track). Now, at first, I hardcore sucked. But I went out there with one rule: practice how you play on game day; which meant to me- whatever you do, don’t stop running. Go slow if you have to, but don’t walk and most definitely don’t stop!!! And, within 4 months, I was running three miles in 22:30 (which was great cause I really do HATE running).

Now, at the Lavaman, I was running much slower than that (32.5 minute three mile). So slow that some might argue that I may as well have been walking. But there is a totally different mindset involved with walking, a mindset of defeat!

“Slow and steady wins the race,” mixed with “whatever you do, don’t stop,” equals, passing a hell of a lot of people along the way!

The last mindset tool that I used, I learned in yoga instructor training: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! I’d been applying this rule to stretching, yoga and movement practices for years, but had never actually applied it to intense or long-distance exercise before (which is probably why I eventually stopped enjoying it). There must be something about that Aloha spirit, here in Hawai’i, that compelled me to focus on health and enjoyment, rather than unhealthy and potentially injurious competition. And this is how I came out of the whole thing feeling pretty good, considering. The last mile of the run, I finally began to feel a little bit of knee pain, but other than that, I felt absolutely fine. And the knee pain began to quickly subside, within less than 24 hours.

The real winners, as far as I’m concerned, are those who compete against themselves and come out of the race without injury!

The problem with a lot of hardcore triathletes is that they push their hearts too far, too often, for too long. The heart is a muscle, and just like other muscles, it can become overused and prone to injury. But with the right mindset, you can be a triathlete without destroying your heart, your body or your spirit.

That being said, I think that NOT using a Garmin actually helped a lot!

It meant I maintained my focus on the task at hand, and I didn’t feel compelled to constantly check the time, check the pace, check how much further to the transition point or the finish line, or to become so preoccupied with any of those things, that I stopped listening to my body.

Now, of course there were things I did, pre and post race day. Here they are:

PRE RACE PREP:

Rent bike (no I don’t own a tri bike or a road bike of any kind. I’ve always ridden a mountain bike) - Bike gloves - Good quality and perfect fitting helmet is a must (you can buy fancy aerodynamic ones, but I just used the one that came with the bike) - Anti-Chafe Cream (put it anywhere anything will rub- Chamois Butt’r is awesome, but unless you want your junk to burn, I’d avoid the menthol and the cayenne pepper variety) - Sunscreen (use the kind that doesn’t kill the reef!). Apply lotion before the race, and use a stick that you can quickly coat your face with, during transitions. - Good deodorant!!! (I usually use the non-cancerous stuff from the natural food store, but I don’t know of one that would cut it with intense activity, so I used Degree, during the race!!!) - Hydrate on the days leading up to the race- plenty of fluids, with just enough sodium (yes, there is a fine balance, pre race and during.) I took one bike bottle, and a bottle for each transition- but I only drank a few sips out of two of them. I used one half of a nuun electrolyte tab, in one of the bottles. For me, drinking water just upset my stomach during the race, so I stuck to what was handed out at aid stations, and splashed myself with whatever I had not drank by the time I ran past the last trash can. I didn’t stop at the aid station during the bike part, and just sipped from my water bottle, maybe three times. - Get plenty of sleep (don’t be like me. I got 4 hours sleep the night before and had a hell of a time getting up in the morning) - Carb load (good carbs like whole wheat pasta or rice) the couple nights prior, but don’t overeat and do include other nutrient dense foods of wide variety. - Buy the most appropriate gear but don’t get crazy! → for women, use a bib belt, it’s just easier- and you can get one that holds cubes → Cubes and gels- bring them, but don’t use caffeine until the last hour or less, if you need it. If you haven’t trained with caffeine, it will probably upset your stomach. → Headbands are awesome to keep sweat out of your face, and also protect forehead from sun (unless you’re a masochist, you don’t want to put sunscreen above your eyes) → For women, consider using a tri short and tri tank, or a tri suit, for the entire duration of the race (for an olympic length, that is. For an Ironman you might want to opt for a biking short [more butt padding], which you don’t want to swim with, but at the end of the day, it’s personal preference). If you can bear the temperature of the water, avoid using a wetsuit (if it’s even legal). It will take up a lot of time at transition and so will changing from a bathing suit to running gear. Wearing a bathing suit underneath a tri jersey can make you susceptible to unnecessary chafing, which can impact your mindset, in the long run. - Bring a small towel to wipe the sand and water off your feet, after the swim. - Hose down to remove the salt, after the swim, or you may experience chafing. - Lay your stuff out nicely at the transition points, so you don’t waste time digging through your bag. - Invest in an excellent pair of running shoes, at a running store, and have them do a gait analysis. Because I have low back and knee problems, I invested in a very cushioned shoe, which will slow you down, but might prevent injury. I also pronate, but have high arches, so I added orthotics. - It won’t hurt to keep a small fruit, like an apple or pear, at your transition points. Even if you don’t eat it during the race, it’s always a refreshing snack for after or on the ride home, etc. - Eat a light, but carb loaded, balanced, and easy to digest breakfast, with plenty of time to digest prior to race (I had a piece of toast with natural peanut butter and a protein shake with added peanut butter powder, almond milk, and a banana.)

POST RACE:

- Keep listening to your body- and eat what you feel called to, even if you wouldn’t normally eat it (so for me, that meant having a burger). Trusting my body and what I was craving at any moment after the race, I believe, really aided in recovery. - Go to the spa!!! Sit in the steam room / sauna / jacuzzi and stretch it all out. - Get a good night of rest - Next day, go to the spa again and bask in the anti-inflammatory glory of heat therapy and stretching. - Pre-schedule a chiropractor appointment for the day after the race. - Pre-schedule a sports massage, or thai/bali/deep tissue massage for the day after. - Research any new pain that you feel. Begin to learn what the root cause is and what therapy or exercise you need to embrace, to heal it. For me, I just had this pesky knee pain flare up, in the last mile of the run, and until the race, I never knew what that pain was all about. Because I want to run the Ironman 70.3 in a few months, I was compelled to finally give my knee the attention it needs. Luckily (and probably because of the anti-inflammatory response to the post-race heat therapy), my knee pain mostly subsided within less than 24 hours, but I’ll still take the time and attention to give it proper long-term therapy.

All in all, it was an incredible experience and I am super excited to run the Ironman 70.3, next.

I’m sure it will present many more challenges than the Lavaman, but as with all things, once you lean into the pain, your threshold of what is possible, increases. Hope to see YOU @ the FINISH LINE!

Join the FeminineStrong movement on Facebook

Add me on Snapchat

0 notes

thomaz · 7 years ago

Text

Ironman 70.3 Fortaleza (2017)

Essa foi, sem dúvidas, a prova que eu estava menos empolgado para fazer. Não fiz dieta para ela e treinei com o que deu para treinar mas dei meu máximo nos treinos, só não fiquei paranóico em ter que cumprir 100% da planilha. Na realidade eu confiei no que tava fazendo e o que viesse era lucro. Afinal de contas, minha cabeça tava em outro canto.. Casa, casamento, viagem de lua de mel (que aconteceria 1 dia após a prova)...

PRÉ-PROVA

Diferente da minha última prova onde eu conversei com meus técnicos para falar sobre a prova, dessa vez eu simplesmente disse para eles que eu ia fazer a seguinte estratégia: nadar forte buscando uma boa esteira; pedalar MUITO forte sem se preocupar com a corrida; correr com o que sobrasse esperando a ajuda da torcida em casa. Chutei um possível tempo de 5:44h.

Não fiz muita preparação diferente do meu dia-a-dia. Fiz uma liberação miofascial como é de costume e pronto. Talvez a maior mudança tenha sido na bike. Agora eu estava de P5 (11v) e não só isso: na semana da prova (segunda-feira, precisamente) chegou algo que eu tinha comprado da china e eu achava que não ia dar tempo de usar. Era um conjunto oversized pulley de cerâmica para o câmbio traseiro. Instalei e fui para prova para ver no que dava.

No dia da prova eu repeti o que fiz em Lima. Sai de cada se jejum e só fui comer alguma coisa faltando uns 40min para a largada. Comi lá mesmo depois de arrumar tudo da bike na transição. Alguns pães de leite com mel. Só isso era o bastante. Hoje já posso dizer que conheço um pouco meu corpo.

NATAÇÃO

Novamente a natação era dividida em ondas. Fiquei na 3a onda (penúltima). Normalmente eu não gosto de largada em ondas por dois motivos: 1) Eu nado mal e quando saio só tem minha bike na T1 e 2) Perco a referência de quem ta na frente ou atrás.

Não larguei na frente para ninguém me atropelar mas também não fiquei muito atrás para não me atrapalharem. Me posicionei bem e quando largou eu corri forte. A intenção era nadar forte. Busquei uma esteira mas percebi que o cara não nadava em linha reta e ia acabar me atrapalhando. Abandonei a esteira e fui sozinho em direção a bóia. Eu tinha feito aquele percurso várias vezes e estava conseguindo enxergar bem a bóia. Passei os 500m para pouco mais de 8min. Sinal que eu estava num ritmo forte.

Ainda na primeira bóia cheguei em alguns atletas de touca vermelha (2a onda) e isso me motivou a fazer mais força. Continuei fazendo força mas vi que o ritmo caiu nos outros 500m. Poderia ser o ritmo ou simplesmente o mar mexido. De toda forma busquei alguma esteira mas não arranjei ninguém fixo até que comecei a ver gente de touca azul (1a onda). Me motivei mais ainda quando percebi que já tinha tirado 10min daquele pessoal (que provavelmente nadam muito ruim).

Com 1500m vejo uma mulher me passando (e muito rápido!). As mulheres largaram na última onda. Ou seja, essa que me passou largou 5min depois de mim e já me alcançou. Tentei pegar a esteira dela mas era muito forte. Mantive a força e depois administrei para chegar na rampa de saída.

Sai da água com incríveis 35m58s. Um tempo incrível para minha natação. E melhor do que o tempo foi a força para fazer uma T1 rápida.

Como fiz a prova de macaquinho, não tive muito o que fazer na T1. Peguei a sacola, tirei o óculos e o capacete e coloquei as coisas da natação. Corri para bike e corri com a bike para área de monte. Pronto. Menos de 2min e eu já estava subindo na bike.

CICLISMO

O ciclismo era meu ponto forte. Onde eu ia arriscar tudo. Comecei girando mas com pouco tempo encaixei fui fazendo força. Com pouco tempo vi o primeiro conhecido que tinha largado 5min antes de mim. Aqui fiquei feliz pela minha onda de largada ter sido a última do masculino. Era sinal que quem estava na minha frente ou largou comigo ou largou antes e em todo caso se eu passasse eu estaria na frente. Isso me motivou a fazer mais força e ir buscar todo mundo.

Aos poucos fui chegando em alguns conhecidos. Alguns que pedalam forte. Cada vez mais motivado e me sentindo bem. Não olhei muito para a velocidade. Tentei controlar um pouco a potência para não estourar tanto. Em teoria eu deveria rodar a 170W mas eu estava imprimindo algo em torno de 190W. Enquanto eu estivesse bem eu iria continuar. E foi o que eu fiz. Aliviei em todas as subidas para não chumbar as pernas. Eu via gente me passando na subida mas tinha certeza que iria buscar na descida ou no plano. Dito e feito. Cheguei na metade do percurso com 39km/h de média. Fiz uma conta rápida e vi que se eu voltasse a 29km/h de média eu faria 34/km/h na média total. Isso seria ótimo e MUITO melhor do que o esperado.

O problema é que a volta do percurso é contra o vento e machuca demais. O segredo era olhar para potência, não se afobar, descer para o clipe na posição mais aero possível e... fazer força. Foi o que eu fiz. Coloquei força e mantive. A única coisa que passava na cabeça era: "amanhã de manhã estou embarcando de lua de mel para a Colômbia e não interessa o resultado de hoje".

Entreguei a bike com exatos 02h04m02s (33.9 km/h). Foi incrível. Ali minha prova tinha praticamente finalizado. Uma natação forte e uma bike forte. Missão cumprida.

Entrei na T2 feliz da vida. Correndo para não fazer feito com o público (rsrs). Na tenda sentei, bebi água, descansei. Sem pressa. Afinal, agora era só correr mais 21km no sol de Fortaleza às 11h da manhã.

CORRIDA

Saí para correr me sentindo bem. Olhe pro relógio e lembrei novamente da prova em Lima. Lá eu sai muito concentrado. Lá eu não conhecia ninguém e só tinha que correr.. ir e voltar. Tentei fazer a mesma coisa. Vi gente me passando no comecinho da corrida. Gente que eu sabia que não corria mais que eu. Segurei a cabeça e continuei tranquilo e calmo num ritmo de 5:20/5:30. Não me afobei em nenhum momento e até curti muito a corrida.

Fiz a corrida toda a base de água e coca-cola. Isso me satisfez. Não senti fome e nem deu nada errado. À medida que o tempo foi passando eu fui pegando alguns que passaram por mim no começo. Ao mesmo tempo o sol foi esquentando mais ainda e comecei a sentir a lombar a partir do km 13. Essa dor é comum em longas corridas e acredito que seja por falta de força no core. Aos poucos vou envergando para frente.

Administrei a corrida no pace pretendido mas nos últimos 5 ou 6 quilômetros o cansaço bateu. Diminui o ritmo e evitei andar (exceto nos postos de água). Consegui sustentar até o km 20. Faltando 1km eu resolvi caminhar um pouco por dois motivos: 1) Não ia conseguir bater meu tempo de 5:17 em Lima e 2) Para forçar o último km (leia-se: "não chegar se arrastando").

Há poucos metros da chegada fiz força para chegar antes de 5:20h e consegui. Tempo final: 5h19m58s. Dadas às condições da prova, essa foi, sem dúvidas, a melhor prova que eu ja fiz. Foi a segunda vez que consegui correr abaixo de 2h na meia-maratona.

#ironman #ironman70.3 #ironmanfortaleza #im703fortaleza #im703

0 notes