Tracking Info Update and final race prep

Update for the tracking link - This is specifically for me:

Browswer and Iphones go here:
www.trackmyathlete.com/vemap.aspx?name=035910

Handheld PDA and Blackberry/Palm go here
www.trackmyathlete.com/pda.aspx?name=035910

The race is 4 days out and putting the finishing touches on any race prep. I contacted the owner of Maplewood Bike (best bike shop in St. Louis in my opinion) and he got back to me immediately. Stewart used to be a very accomplished mountain bike racer so he understands pre race psychosis. I asked in "if you were doing the biggest race of your life this weekend, which of your bike techs would you want to look at your bike" He told me Jim and that Jim puts the hyphen in anal-retentive. That is good news because I know Jim and he built my bike in the first place. I picked it up last night and after checking everything, replacing the chain and some adjustments it is ready to go.

Today is pre packing all of my special needs and T1 bags so I don't have to spend all day Saturday doing it. Today is taking my bike apart and marking everything so when I put it back together it is exactly as it is now. For those of you that have never done this, being on a bike for 6 plus hours is (by itself) difficult. It is critical that you bike balances your body's ability to produce power while at the same time being comfortable. The more "aggressive" your layout on the bike the faster the setup but also the more uncomfortable. The more "conservative" your layout, the more wind resistance but more comfortable. I have had my bike fitted by maplewood early in the year using the Retul system to find that balance as scientifically as possible so it is very important I get everything exactly as it is now. Even the difference of an inch in a critcal area can turn a great day into a much more difficult one. Soo... that is what I will be doing today.

This will probably be my last big post before the race. I will be sending smaller ones via my phone with some video and pics throughout Saturday.

Lastly I want to thank everyone that contributed with thoughts, posts, emails, well wishes to the Olney's, financially, and even the silent prayers. The support in all aspects have been felt and personally I want to thank you. My last count I estimate that over 50 people will be tracking me the day of the race and those are only the ones that I know about. Although I will be the one where the "rubber meets the road" this has truly been a team effort. From my management team at Acropolis understanding the couple of times that I have had to leave a bit early or come in a bit late to get a key cycle of training in or just random people that have asked and wished me well. I know it is just polite conversation for most but really makes a big difference.

Lastly, Lastly I want to send a note to my kids when they read this one day. KGB, you will not remember this years from now but I will never forget it. We were watching the IRONMAN world championships one night and they were showing the people melting down being carried away on stretchers and as jazzed as I was for the challenge I looked down at you and you were crying. When I asked you why you looked up at me and said you didn't want to see me get hurt. That day I decided to not skip a workout, to do everything in my power to prepare the best that I could because I don't know what I would do if I saw the look on your face if that was me. Kathryn, I have prepared and now what happens happens.

NBB, you telling me that one day you want to do an Ironman with me is enough. No I am not going to win as you hope....but if the day comes that you want to do one of these, I will train with you and if my body is able (please don't wait too long) you have a training partner. I you wait until you are 40 like I have, I will definatley support you just as you have supported me.

What I want both of you to know is that the random pictures wishing me luck that I find that you have drawn me the night before a really long or really tough workout have inspired me. Walking in the back door from a 15 mile run and KGB meeting me with a glass of water has meant more than you know. However, one of the best pictures that I found that I don't think was even meant for me to see that says "my dad can do anything" with a picture of a stick figure swimming, biking and running is the one that I will have in my head in the toughest hours. I have wondered if the time away from the family these past 2 years has been worth the short term sacrifice for long term lesson and only time will tell that. However, so far, it looks like my kids have gotten the message during these impressionable years that 1) they can do anything with enough will and focus 2) you have to have the support and help of others to accomplish worthwhile things 3) Nerves are your mind's way of preparing for a challenge.

That is all for the mushy stuff and thanks for allowing my message in this semi public forum.

The time to get serious us upon me.... It is gametime!

Tracy

I work with some of the coolest people

Brad takes me out of the office today only to come back to this!!! I truly was speechless. The company decorated the office and catered lunch in! I am truly honored.





- read about my inspiration Deborah ... www.olneyfamilyonline.com

Real time tracking during the race.

At the risk of even adding more pressure I have rented a device that will allow my family (and all of you) to track me during the race if you want. It is a GPS device that I will wear during the bike and run (no swim) that will allow real time tracking, current speed, elevation etc... during the race.

The address is here http://www.myathletegps.com/EventTrackingInfo.html and if you click on Ironman Arizona my name should appear once I get my device. My buddy Mike Montoya is getting one also so track and send him good MoJo as well. Just as a heads up, if they have a beta site like they did for IM Florida it will not work on the Iphone or Ipad. You will need a device that recognizes flash or you will have to go to their regular site on the Iphone. Here is a screenshot of a random race I picked at the New York Marathon. I will say if you have a computer, the BETA site is much much better but both are very good. If you want to see what my pace has been throughout the race click on the history check box on the left hand side. The speed it shows is in MPH rounded to the nearest whole MPH. This is okay on the bike but the run it isn't great. The Beta site looks like it gives much better statistics.

T-Minus 12 Days

Good Morning, I hope this finds you all well.

First, I want to thank all of the well wishers who have sent email, phone calls, notes of encouragement. One of the greatest things about triathlon and the community as a whole is that we all pull for each other. There have been triathletes that I have only spoken to a few times send me email of enocuragement and it means a lot. Thanks

My taper is on track. I did miss a run last week just due to really bad scheduling on my part. It was only a 45 minute run so it will not be a blip of an impact in the large scheme of things. I had a 4 hour brick on Sunday (3 hour ride at race pace and a quick transition to a 7 mile run). The cycling portion went perfect and as planned, high energy, very low stress and all of my numbers were as expected. However, I transitioned to the run and I immediately started cramping in my stomach. At the risk of being too graphic, it was like my insides liquified and it was bad. I had to make 4 "emergency" stops on my run and when I was able to run my stomach was cramping horribly. I have never had this happen so I am marking it up as an abnormality and moving past it. I can only pin it on 1/2 things: 1) We went out for KGB's birthday the night before and I ate some foods that I don't typically eat or 2) my speedfill waterbottle has a long drink tube. The speedfill holds 40 oz of fluid and has a long drink tube that snakes up through my aero bars so I can drink while riding without having to change positions. I started my ride only to realize that I cleaned my bottle but not the drink tube so it sat in my garage since my last ride. I very well might have ingested some bad stuff that took the entire bike ride to affect me. I WILL NEVER MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN! I am still not 100% but with a week 1/2 half out I will be fine. Unless I am missing something, the only things that will threaten my finish is a mechanical break down on the bike or severe problems like I had on Sunday. It was pretty debilitating. I guess the good news is that when I was able to run I was able to easily maintain my pace.

I picked up my bike coffin travel case last night from the Tri-Club for me to use with the only stipulation is that I have to put an IRONMAN ARIZONA sticker on it when I finish. This case will make it much easier to travel with my bike and keep my ride much safer that the flat style of case.

This week I am going to be out of town for two days in Phoenix for work. Come home late Friday, pack and go back out for Ironman next Thursday. It is getting close.

Lastly, I know that I posted about water temperatures and the concern that it may be cold since Tempe Town Lake Dam burst in the summer and they had to fix it, and refill it from Lake Roosevelt at a higher elevation. That will not be a problem. There is a fellow Triathlete that has taken it on himself to measure the water temp ever few days and post it online. He isn't even doing the race! See what I mean about triathletes! It is a great group. Last readings the water temp was 70 degress and will probably be in the 66ish range come race time - Perfect. The long range forecast for Tempe has the lows at 53 and the highs of 75ish. It will actually be a bit warm but with low himidity it will be nice. It is shaping up to be a great day!

Now to finish with a quote from one of the tri and Ironman Doug Bristow. I actually met Doug last year at the local pool. He was swimming in the lane next to me and I was trying on my wetsuit for the first time. I asked him to help me fix the collar and it came out that he was training for his first IM - Ironman Louisville. He sent me a message yesterday and after I asked him for any last minute advice this is what he said: "I thought to myself during the race....swim like your warming up, bike like your bored and run like your obsessed" Now if I only have the mental control to do it.

Thanks for the support. I will post more when I get back from my trip!


Tracy

Transition, Special Needs, Morning Clothes bags defined

Good Morning,

First I want to give a special thanks to my buddy and Ironman Veteran Mike Montoya. He talked to me for about an hour last night telling me all that I need to know regarding equipment managment for the race. Keeping in mind I can be out there on the course for as much as 17 hours with no help (other than what the race provides) it take a bit of thought to figure out what you might need race day.

So, aside from nutrion (a totally seperate topic itself) I am going to recap some of the great tips that Mike gave me and share them with you.

First off, the day before the race. There are going to be 2,000 people doing this event so all of the checkin has to be done on Saturday before the race. On Saturday you have to rack you bike and drop of the following:

- What is already on the bike
- Transition 1 (T1) from swim to the bike
- Transition 2 (T2) from the bike to the run
- Morning Clothes bag
- Bike Special Needs Bag
- Run Special Needs Bag

I will describe them in the order that I will use them. The first bag is Morning Clothes. I had no idea such a bag existed until I volunteered last year. In the morning befor ethe swim the temperatures will be in the 40's most probably. It will be dark and it will be cold. We will have to go down to the swim and be in the water probably 15 to 20 minutes til 7:00am. Once I get my wetsuit on (or even before) I will have on a sweatshirt, flipflops, probably a hat etc... and right before I get in the water I have to put this "stuff" somewhere and that is where the morning clothes bags come in. Every bag is marked with a race number. I take my stuff, put in this bag and hand it to a "morning clothes" volunteer and get in the water.

Already on the Bike:
- Bike Computer
- my 40 ounce speedfill with my sports drink
- 2-24 ounce bottles - 1 with sports drink, the other with water
- My bento box (think a little box that I can access while riding) a nutriion bottle filled with salt capsules
- 2- Co2 Cannisters and adapter (in case of a flat)
- 1 - tightly taped and wrapped tubular tire
- Vittoria pit stop fix a flat taped to my bike somewhere (or I will carry it in my bike jersey)

T1: Because there are 2,000 funneling into and out of transition there is no way Transition can be handled like a typical triathlon, there is just not enough room. So, what the smart people at Ironman have done is require us to put everything in a T1 bag. As we exit the water and enter transition area, all of the bags will be sorted and either on racks on on the ground. As swimmers enter transition, volunteers hand you the bag and you run into the transition tent. It is my understanding that if it is not too busy, a volunteer will help you by dumping all of your stuff out of the bag at your feet, you grab what you need, the volunteer (or you) put you swim stuff in the bag along with anything else you do not want to take on the 112 mile bike ride. You leave the tent, jump on your bike and go.

Here is what I am putting in my T1 Bag:
- Bike Helmet
- Socks
- Cycling Shoes
- Cycling Gloves
- Arm sleeves for the bike (for the cold morning)
- Sun Glasses
- Race Belt
- Bike Shorts
- Cycling Jersey
- 5 bottles of liquid nutrition
- 1 bottle of tire sealant
- GPS tracking device (more on that in a future post)
One thing that I read that I am going to do is put hand warmers in my cycling shoes if I can so that when I put my cold feet into the shoes they will be at least a little warm. I have heard horror stories that it takes many many miles before your feet warm up. I would like to avoid that if possible

Bike Special Needs: A special nees bag is just that. It is a contingency bag in case something goes wrong or you can't carry everything that you need. You get one chance to access your special needs bag half way through the bike. There are volunteers at the spot with spotters. As you approach you announce you are stopping, they call out your number. A volunteer grabs your bag with your racer number on it, you get what you need, leave what you don't and head out. Total time at special needs should be less than a minute.

Here is what I am going to pack in mine:
- Skin Lubricant
- Sun Screen
- Extra Tubular Tire
- Extra CO2 cannisters
- Extra bottle of nutrion

T2: Transition between bike and Run: This works just like T1 and this is what I plan on packing:
- Running Shoes
- Fresh Socks
- Run Watch for pacing and time
- Skin Lubricant for my feet
- Sun Screen
- More Salt tabs
- Fuel Belt so I can carry water and nutrition with me

Lastly is my Run Special needs bag. I will be able to access this halfway through the run:
- More nutrition for my fuel belt
- Skin Lube
- Arm warmers (for after dark)

That is about it. I am sure I will add to this as the race approaches. Mike gave me some great advice last night and recommended that I pre-pack all of this up at home prior to travelling to Tempe. The reason being, I will have plenty of time to think about it now vs. Saturday before the race when it will be the most stressful. This was great advice. Then when I check in and get all of the bags above, I just fill them with the predescribed contents and go.

That is the plan, Mike, if you read this what am I missing???

Have a great day

Tracy

Why??

Good Morning

This post is a little different than most. My training is going to get pretty boring (for both of us) from here on out so I figured I would change it up a little bit. For those of you that run/bike/swim/golf/etc... and compete (against your own PR or others) you will totally understand. For those of you that don't in adult life I challenge you to pick an event and Go For It! You will quickly understand why.

Most of us competed in sports as a kid or in high school and although that touches on the feeling that I am going to attempt to describe, in my opinion, it doesn't do it justice. I don't know if it is because as a kid, I didn't appreciate it or fitness was a part of everyday through practice so it was less of a goal? Whatever the reason, competing (against myself) as an adult is really a big part as to what drives this silly behavor. Very few times in adult life have I been presented with an opporutnity to measure progress towards a goal. I have work but there are very few, very clearly defined thresholds of success. We look at numbers all of the time or we can look at a large sale but success is more "fuzzy" than a race so it isn't quite the same.

Specifically for triathlon, it isn't somethin you can cram for (like many other tests I have taken). You put in the time and when race day comes your body just does what you have been training it to do. I have to monitor what is going on and constantly adapt to changing conditions but you put the time in and all should go well. If things outside of your control change you deal with them but there really isn't much more to it than that.

Now race day is a special time, especially for the really personally stretching events. What I mean by that is any event that is a first time event. If you just starting running it may be your first 5K or if you are new to triathlons it could be your first sprint distance or first open water swim. Whatever the event, if it is a goal the feelings are the same for me. I am going to feel the exact same butterflies on the 21st that I felt the first Calcutta golf tournament I played in or my first running race or my first open water swim.... To my mind, a challenge is a challenge.

Currently, the race is starting to morph from something in the distance to something much much closer. With that said, I am starting to think of the details, devloping race plans, looking at the weather and what I am going to wear to be most comfortable and of course, looking at and planning for contingencies. Once it gets to a week out I will really start to get nervy. Rene will avoid me :-) and remind me not to be grouchy. As each day passes, the race will move from a tertiary thought to all consuming culminating when I am in the water waiting for the cannon to sound starting the race. Once I get to Tempe with the other participants (I still can't call myself and athlete) and knowing that they are going through the same mental checklists, the wondering if they have done enough, wondering if they will respond to the challenge. The best part, everyone is nice, everyone understands, everyone is borderline sick to their stomach, everyone is sharing the experience and wish the best for everyone else.

So the morning of the race, the nervousness shifts to focus. Every race begins with the Star Spangled Banner. My pics to the right, it shows my buddy Mike and I getting ready to start my first 1/2IM and I remember a focus coming over me, IMAZ will be no different and I am really looking forward to it.

During the race itself, you have people that are quiet, chatty, struggling or even almost euphoric and I respond in kind. When you see someone struggling, you encourage and tell them to run with you and help them overcome. I encourage everyone because I know how big of a deal it is when you have hit the wall and you feel like hell and a complete stranger comes by and basically says "we will get through this, come with me". I guess to sum it up, I have included a link to the video of the swim start at last year's Ironman Arizona. I have been to a lot of fantastic sporting events, I have been fortunate enough to see a SuperBowl, the clincher when the Cardinals won the World Series against Detroit and many other events and I can say, I HAVE NEVER seen a more spectacular event than the IRONMAN swim start.


Enjoy the video here

Now, if you wonder why and are looking for inspiration, I have included two more vidoes for you to view. The first is what inpsires me and I hope I have what it takes. You can watch it by clicking here.

The second video is geared to inspire all of you. It will bring tears to your eyes and if you have ever been scared of failure or to try, keep the Hoyts in mind. You can do anything you put your mind to do. You may not do it the first time or even the second but if you want it bad enough, there is nothing you can't do. Click here

The last thing I will leave you with is set a goal and follow where it takes you. You just may surprise yourself with where you end up.


Tracy

Bib number 1077

T-Minus 20 days and counting.

We received our bib numbers today. Mine is 1077, Mike M is 1093 and Justen D is 1088 They will rack our bikes in transition according to Bib numbers so when you think of 2,000 athletes doing this even and the total span between the three of us is 16 spots that is pretty amazing. I will be a lot slower than both of those guys so I won't see them during the day but will before the race.

My light week of training is over and I needed it. I was feeling fatigued all the way through Friday of last week. I was able to get all of my workouts in and my bikes are going to have to shift to indoors with the days getting shorter. Today is a pretty solid week of medium distance aerobic efforts. I have a swim tomorrow with a 9ish mile run. Tomorrow is KGB's birthday so I will have to get it in before we have people over or after she goes to bed. I ran with Lee Brousseau yesterday. He is a professional MMA fighter that we have become friends with over the last several months. He is one of the mellowist guys I have met. Hard to believe he fights as a hobby. He has a fight coming up at the Scottrade center in 5 weeks and is working on his cardio. He has to hate me, I asked him 1,000 questions about MMA and it is funny how the two sports parallel (except for punching of course). Speed, Power, Endurance and the balance between the three applies to both sports. It was interesting to see how he balances the three in what he does and compare it to what I am doing in Triathlon.

I have a full week again of 13 +/- hours of training with my load decreasing for the next 20 days. I am starting to shift my focus what I am going to pack and take with me.

All for now

Tracy