planning stages

I am finally home form what it feels like a whole lotta travel. The best part was taking a shower in my shower! We loved Tempe. Curt is thrilled with his performance, 45 minutes slower than his goal time but one of his best efforts. See, he's never had to deal with GI issues, never had to deal with that kind of stuff. Looking at his even run split it showed that he could keep his pace well throughout the difficulty. He knows he is capable of better.... so we are coming back in 2010!

Throughout the trip I have been filling my brain with lectures from some really awesome coaches and really breaking down the mechanics of running. I have an upcoming run analysis and I am learning how to sight run flaws in myself and in others.

In one of the lectures some really good points about running form were made. We work very hard on our swimming and cycling techniques, but no one ever wants to touch running. Running is probably the most difficult one to change..... but easy if you are willing to change it.

A 17 min 5K runner who has terrible bio mechanics will likely never be willing to change how they run. Yet they will deal with injuries and buy shoes to help this and help that when to avoid all that and become faster they could do it biomechanically. Running mechanics are described as being just like chiropractics, the change is immediate.

I was especially interested to learn bout running shoes and how they do more to diminish our perception than to help us run. The pronation issues that we believe we have are not necessarily true..... an analysis of running biomechanics can fix that better than a clunky shoe.

I am fully embracing what I need to embrace to become the runner I need to become to achieve the goals I have set for 2010. I have a meeting with Jesse next week where we will break down absolutely every single goal and the plan of action I will take to hit each one.

My biggest goal is to go as close to 10 hours as I can at IRonman Florida. Quite obviously the amount of work that will take is not a small task. The focus it shall require will be above and beyond anything I have ever done before. It will especially require more refinement to my body composition. I say 20 pounds, Jesse says 10. Next week we will know for sure.

It means a complete and I mean complete overhaul of my running mechanics. It means I have to work at swimming. It means I will be on Power Cranks. It means I have to commit to going further that ever.

Now we can look ahead at the year and wonder.... will I do it? Will I make it? That big long term goal is important but what brings us closer to earth are what we call the performance indicators. There are certain indicators that I need to shoot for every 6 weeks or so, in swimming, cycling, running and body composition, that will bring me closer to the big goal I wish to achieve.

So rather than wondering for a year ..... each training block we aim for the performance indicators, from there we can say..... these indicators will yield this result. Are we on track?

I like working through goals that way. As far as races are concerned the races I will focus on are:

Long Horn 70.3
Musselman 1/2 Ironman
Pumpkinman 1/2 Ironman
Ironman Florida

There will be 5K races and other races sprinkled in there..... but these four are the biggies.

Once I have this meeting with Jesse I will share all of the goals with you. Some people wonder why on earth I would share this kind of detail...... won't my competition get the inside scoop and take that info and .... blah blah blah......

OMG get a life, is what I say. People are freaking head cases out there. I know people who won't reveal who their coach is because they believe people are just that interested. What I have for performance indicators and body composition are nothing to be secretive about. Who is my competion anyways? A woman whose cheated on her husband and blew apart her family and has zero else to make her feel good except winning? Someone I don't know from Utah who is targeting to beat me? Someone who views me as some kind of threat?

I don't care who my competition is. I don't care if you develop your entire plan around what my season is. I will think you are a complete psycho, but if that is what drives your performance and helps you to become a better athlete and helps you to achieve your dreams..... as psycho as it is..... then have at it.

It goes back to what Cathy Y and I talked about on the beach in Clearwater...... we've been in this sport so long that the false elevating satisfaction of beating Mary or Cathy, gets old. As we mature and grow older and more experienced at this it becomes more about the personal satisfaction.

My good friend KR from Syracuse is also competing at IMFL with me, she was in Clearwater also, and we are the kind of friends that root each other on. Whether one wins over the other is not important..... we support each other on the journey. I can not wait to race this race with her.

So that's where we are at..... time for planning, goal setting, taking a very honest look at form and composition and what I am going to accomplish this year. I am very happy with 2010. I got back on my feet with the help of an awesome coach. Now we get to start from the beginning.

Upcoming coaching file topics:

Nutrition, swim, bike and run form, and how to plan a season.

Ironman Nutrition Thoughts

Ahhhh, the last day in Tempe. We went miniature golfing and walking around town and hiking in some mountain things. Luc swam and we ate pizza and yogurt. Big fun. Tempe kid of reminds me of Austin in some ways.

I have been thinking a lot about IM nutrition ad the lessons I ave learned about it through the years.

Ironman nutrition is the biggest enigma and by far the most difficult part of the training program for many athletes. As I watched athletes come off the bike and make their way through the run course. yesterday .... it was quite evident that GI distress..... as it always is...... was the number one reason for "failure to reach one's goals". Including my husband's.

I don't coach my husband, I'd say I consult on his program. There was part of his Ironman nutrition plan I worried about, and although I voiced that concern.... no one knows him better than he does, so I have to let what works for him work, and what doesn't doesn't. He has been at this much longer than I have.

Now I am not a nutritional expert. I am an RN, coach and athlete who has spent years of her life barfing and experiencing all sorts of GI distress issues on courses. Which has launched me into a very long and extensive study of nutrition and distance events. In addition I get to work with one of the best coaches out there.... Jesse Korpelnicki who really sealed the deal on nutrition and taught me much more than I could possibly imagine in this area.

As I was in the merchandise line this morning I overheard a conversation between two guys ahead of me, and ones tale of GI issues during his race.

Guy 1: dude, I think it was all of the sugar that I had yesterday that really shut me down.

Me in my head: Probably not. I wonder what this guy had for breakfast and has eaten for the past 3 days.

Guy 1 continued: I had a HUGE coffee at starbucks with starbucks oatmeal and a packet of sugar. I think that packet of sugar totally F-d me up.

Me in my head: Nah dude, it wasn't the sugar. You had a giant cup of strong coffee..... plus you are nervous, you just added beats to that HR which slows digestion a bit. Then you had a bowl of oatmeal which is full of fiber, which slows down your gut. Without knowing the rest of his am routine I would then assume this was where his GI issues began.

Guy 1 Continues: Then 5 min before I got into the water I chugged a powergel and like 2 sips of water and got in.

Me in my head: Man, step two on your GI debacle. with your caffeine induced high HR and nerves, you down a gel 5 minutes before the start with not enough water. Plug number two of your GI system in place.


Do you see where this is headed? Most issues relating to GI distress in an Ironman happen before the gun ever goes off. In the days leading up to the event we carbo load, this should mean eating easy to digest things such as bagels, pasta,focusing on good proteins and doing everything possible to rid your system of potential irritants. Believe it or not this includes vitamins, and roughage. Think simple, easy to digest.

Your race day breakfast should be the same. Jesse taught me that the breakfast of oatmeal and peanut butter will slow your gut down on race day. He taught me they are great for daily nutrition but on race day that can serve as the first "plug" to your GI system. Assuming that you ate simple and easy to digest foods up to this point........ now you have set the GI slowdown in motion, and the gun has not gone off yet.

The next thing I see time and time again is failure to execute race day nutrition in training. A lot. I practice my race day nutrition every single long workout I do, including breakfast. Race day..... there are no surprises. Believe it or not, we have even removed coffee from the morning routine. Why? Again another Jesse lesson. More on that another time.

repeatability counts for a lot.

I also see athletes just have too many things on their Ironman menu. In my experience working with Ironman athletes, those who complicate the menu tend to have a lot of GI issues. People are terrified to be hungry so they choose a lot of items to combat boredom, fear of being hungry, etc. Keep it simple/ Make it stupid proof. Repeat it in training first.

Another area... calories versus carbohydrates. Many people calculate their needs using calories, but they are not all created equal. Carbohydrates are really the important thing here, and that as anything else is highly individual.

These are all just random thoughts that I will spend time developing over the next few months. In the past 5 years I feel that we've been able to nail nutrition with our athletes. I feel like I know my Ironman nutrition well, I welcome to questions and the collaboration and the things I can learn.

The biggest point: one size never fits all.

Now onto Curt.

The reason curts plan failed is a good one. This is very simplistic, and variable to the individual. The numbers i use are just for example. not for actuality.

Blood takes fluid to keep it's consistency, and fluidity. When we sweat we lose fluid. blood becomes thicker, the heart works harder to pump it through the body. To correct this and keep blood perfusing vital organs, it will slow GI function and pulling water from the gut to restore the consistency of the blood. This GI slowing and fluid pull leaves us in a state of reduced digestion. Now the stomach has less fluid to digest with. Then it stops digesting. The nutrition you take in backs up, sits there, causes pain and bloating.

Adding insult to injury Curt takes in GE + Carbo pro. GE itself is a perfect isotonic solution. The perfect balance. By adding carbo pro he creates a hypertonic solution. Now he needs more "fluid" to help balance that. The stomach tries to pull fluid from the system, that is pulling from it. Stomach loses.

It worked in Florida because it was not hot. AZ was hotter, and that includes the dry heat,

If he took out the carbo pro he would have been fine. He may have had to add more water to that plan. He could have tried to correct this situation by using water only for a while, but by that time it was probably too late!

So realize that if you have GI issues during a race, the issue was probably set in motion before you ever put on your timing chip. Spend some time this season researching and practicing. Just like you put the time into training..... put it into your nutrition.

You won't be sorry!

Ironman Arizona

Man I love the Ironman. It sometimes just grabs hold of me and wake me the heck up like never before. I blame the damn finish line and the cascade of emotions that occurs as a year's worth of emotions and training come to one final 30 second stretch. for a few the day goes as planned. For most it becomes plan B then C. For some the day falls apart and the victory comes in an entirely different form.

For some, like Rudy Garcia..... I don't even to continue with that. If you know the story of Rudy then you know exactly what I mean. I know that you know that we know what he knows.

The Ironman is not easy. It's a privilege and not a right.

we dropped Curt off at the race at 5am and came back to the hotel. The plan was to take the metro down sometime after the start. I am sensitive to Luc's age and his interest in all of this. I won't be one of these parents who forces him to be there all day. But this morning he surprised me.

"Mom we have to go because we have to help Dad." I didn't know what to say.

30 minutes later I had coffee in hand, we joined Rich and were watching the swim from the bridge. Ironman Arizona is the most spectator friendly swim ever. The water was cold, 64 degrees. Perfect for us northerners. Not perfect for the 50 folks who didn't make it out on the bike due to hypothermia.

Somehow I spotted Curt..... I know this man anywhere. I can spot him a mile away in ever discipline. He looked great. after we sent him on the bike we parted ways with Rich for a bit and stumbled on a great discovery.

The Kid Zone. It was the first of it's kind, a concept developed by a local woman who saw the need for families to be cared for at the Ironman. for a pretty good price (not cheap) you enjoyed a VIP tent. It included 3 meals throughout the day, buffet style, coffee, drinks, snacks, a kids area where there were DVD's, a nap area, toys and crafts. Couches, flat screen TV's with streaming Ironman TV from the course. Laptops everywhere for checking in on your athlete. Come and go as you please, real bathrooms (not porta potties) and clothing check. First class all the way!

I balked at the price at first, but it was worth every single penny. Luc made friends...... he got to play, watch a movie, he at well at an Iornman. I met some really nice folks as well. I was sitting on the couch with one older man and we were watching Jordan Rapp as he led the race. We began talking and I commented on his bike fit, how he seemed to be born on the bike and his helmet seemed to blend into his bike.

"He's pretty good." he said.

"I think it's his day." I said. Then he told me he was Jordan's Dad. He was really proud. He was really nice.

After our break at the VIP tent we headed out to the bike course. We saw our friends and athletes come through and they all looked great!

We caught Curt a few times on the run. He was having GI issues. Coming into this race I knew his nutrition plan. It worried me but it has always worked for him. The difference today was it was hotter. I will explain more about this later..... but he gutted through it.

He came down that finishers chute with a smile and high five-ing the crowd. I love when he breaks loose and does stuff like that. The Ironman is like this. It's fun. It's high five-ing, it's a celebration of life no matter what the time.

Luc was so completely into the finish line antics I was amazed. Dancing his little self out!!!

Curt's happy with his efforts, he admits it was hard. really hard. The Ironman is hard. I am so proud of him!

Afterwards we sat at the VIP tent and enjoyed the heaters, the food, the couches and the people. It was a good crowd there at IMAZ. It was fun, it was relaxed, it was special.

More to come gang! Time for some rest!

Ironman Day

Good morning and welcome to Ironman Arizona Day! The guys are all ready to go! Its a perfect day and there will be some fast racing down here!

Join me over on FaceBook for updates all day long, pictures pictures and more pictures!!!

Tempe day 2

Day two in Tempe was awesome. It began with the kids race, where over 1,600 kids ran a mile, best organization of a kids race that I have ever seen! Luc ran one awesome mile. As I stood there and watched them all come in through the finisher's chute there were tears in my eyes. Smiles so big, so bright, the kids all had so much fun. Heather Fuhr was placing the medals around the kids necks.... Roch Frey led them on a mountain bike. It was beautiful to see all of these children have their moment. Their 15 seconds. That finish line was bigger than Kona.

After he was done Luc grabbed my arm and said in my ear.... "Mom I was crying at the end of the race." Fearing that he had been crying because he did not have fun.... did he felt pushed into it...... was this the right thing to have him do..... his words made me so proud..... "I cried because everyone was cheering for all the kids. It made me feel special. I did a good job. I did my best!"

May each of those children always feel special. Luc's words were the very best finish line statement I have ever heard in my life. May every single person tomorrow, from Sam McGlone to the very last finisher..... experience that kind of happiness.

We continued the day with a hike, Rich is here and he met up with Luc and I for a hike up one of those mountain things. Curt got some much needed time to rest and pack his bags. On the metro I asked a local what the big dirt hills were called.

"We call them mountains." she said to me. Told you these people are smart!

The hike was awesome. Steep, but short and it was an amazing view of an amazing place. I can only imagine the riding possibilities that exist in the mountains beyond the borders of the city. Mountains and sun..... sounds good to me.

After that we did a little tooling around Iron Town and grabbed some lunch. I caught up with Mark, and Cathy (stalker). Everyone looks ready!

Then we grabbed Curt and brought him back for bike check in. Where we spotted Rudy Garcia, the double leg amputee who we all got to know on the cover of Road Runner Sports when he was 12. Feel like I have grown up with this kid. We will be cheering for you Rudy.

After bike check in was perhaps the most exciting part of any one's trip. America's Best Contacts and Eyeglasses! Oh yes, even Rich came along for that fun! In the morning I tore a contact. Normally I travel with both my glasses and extra contacts. I even race with extra. But they were in my Florida bag. Yeah, great! A quick call to America's Best and less than an hour later I can see again. Which is a bonus when you are at an Ironman.

I like this race venue. I like the swim venue. I like the scenery. I like the atmosphere. I love running into old friends. Ed is here with Triabetes and I got to get a big hug from him..... we will be seeing him tomorrow ( we will have that beer!).

As for Curt..... the man is ready. I am honored to be able to give him the same support he gives to me. He's rested, carbo loaded and ready. The only thing he races with is a watch. No power, no speed, not even a bike computer. I feel like hes the last of the old guard in so many ways.

I am so excited for tomorow I feel like I am going to burst!!! It will be a great day! Sun and Ironman. Together as a family and with amazing friends!

See you on the other side of this finish line!

touchdown Tempe!

Greetings from Tempe Arizona, home of Ironman Arizona..... stop #2 on my whirlwind trip across the world! I have 2 athletes and 1 alumni racing here in Tempe, and all are set and ready to go. In addition we've got a boatload of friends from Buffalo here and word on the street that Cathy Y. is stalking me around the country. ER has also warned me that a random chick might run up to me at any time..... so I am on guard! Ed is down here as well meeting with Tribetes and I promised him..... like I got to share with KR last weekend..... we'd have a beer.

2 beers in 2 weeks. You know this can't be good!

The trip down was terrific, as far as air travel goes. As I exited the airplane in Cleavland Ohio the pilot stuck his head out of the cockpit and said "Mary Eggers! I read your BLOG!"

Not during flight I hope.

I regard pilots very highly, they are so in control of something that is so impossible. Flying a three ton bird through the air. That's a lot. So to be told they read my silly words.... that is nice.

I spent the flight from Ohio to Tempe completely immersed in Bobby McGee. He's an absolutely amazing running coach and sports psychology guru, I have read so many of his things, I watched three DVD's of him speaking on various topics. Because of school I never get to immerse myself in these DVD's and webinars like I dream to, so this weekend I am. I only have 2 weeks of school left and I can dive back in.

The mental game, structuring training, running form, etc. I love the way he thinks, I love the way he teaches. In those four hours I learned a lot. I need to process all of it, I took so many notes, the guy in the seat asked me what the hell I was doing!

Being a sponge.... I told him.

This is all the shot I need as an athlete and as a coach. So look for some good posts on these thoughts soon. I was going to write about swimming next but we need to remain broad before we get narrow. Stay tuned.

Curt and Luc picked me up at the airport and I fell in love with Tempe. I have never been here. It's warm. There are like these random mountain like things (smart people actually know what they are called) and palm trees. I like the bridges. I like the college atmosphere.

We didn't even need to rent a car (but did). The metreo goes door to race site.

Curt bought me the M Dot pendant I have been begging for.

We ran into K Dub, the Buffalo gang is confirmed to be here. Ed texted me that there was this shining bright thing in the sky....

THE SUN ED! IT'S THE SUN! I got to see it 2 weeks in a row.

So all is well here in Irontown. I could get used to this traveling from event to event week after week. I could get used to seeing new places all the time. I could get used to palm trees.

The difference between an Ironman and a World Championships is that here the atmosphere is more like a party. While game faces are on it's a game face that says... brother I will see you out there, let's have a great day.

Time for bed. Luc is running the Iron Kids 1 mile race tomorrow. He's carboloading on animal crackers. His T shirt is ready to go with number pinned on. He ice bathed in the pool. Kid's ready to go.

And Curt.... you know him. He's just the man!

a thousand eyes

A thousand of you stop by this blog each day.... for whatever reason. Thank you so much for that. We all have our reasons for reading blogs, I hope you can identify with something I write, and know that we are all just regular people who are stumbling through life, being passionate about our passions, and living.

I'd like to share with you the best blog I have ever read in my life (thanks Jen N for posting this). It's especially for those of you who tend.... to forget that there is more to this life than what is written on the computer screen that sits between you and I. There is more than being on a podium. There is more than the sport we all love so much. I am very fortunate that as a Pediatric emergency nurse I get to experience that reminder every single day.

This is by far the most important blog I have ever seen in my life. Please stop here to meet the most inspiring woman on the face of this earth:

Paul and Amy's Amyloidosis Blog