Best in the West Olympic Triathlon 2016 = FUN!

Race report of the final triathlon of the 2016 season.  A year ago I was beginning to think about maybe doing an Olympic triathlon the next summer.  I had started working on my swimming with Bri as the first step in working towards that goal.  Then I got back on my bike and worked through some fears that I had built up in my mind there.  Then I floundered a bit on how to figure out a plan that would work for me that included running, biking, and swimming and that pesky work type thing.

Joe kept telling me that I should work with a coach.  I kept saying no because I didn't want to spend the money on me.  It's a thing with me.  There are a lot of other things we could be spending the money on.  To me it made more sense to spend money on Joe for triathlons because he already did them and did them well.  But he kept bugging me and finally asked me to meet with Jon and see what I thought and we would go from there.  So I said okay.

That was a super smart decision on my part.  We met with Jon and had a great talk.  Joe and I discussed it and I agreed to having Joe coach me through my first Olympic triathlon and then after that we would see.

Fast forward to July and the Rolf Prima Tri at the Grove.  I had a blast and loved every minute of the race.  I also made sure Jon knew that I was keeping him and I hoped he was okay with that.   Because he was not able to be at that race he asked me if I would be willing to do the Olympic Tri at the Best in the West festival in September so that he could see me in an Olympic triathlon this year.  I was a bit nervous about it for a couple of reasons.  First, the race would happen about three weeks into my school year.  So I would be prepping my classroom, meeting kids and doing the work thing after my summer break all while trying to keep up with my workouts to prepare for the triathlon.  During the summer I could workout and then take a nap.  During work I do a workout before work and then one after.  Then I crash! lol  Second issue, (in my mind anyway) was that the course would be tougher than the one in July.  More hills on both the bike and the run.  That was a little daunting.  But I decided that I would go for it.  It would be fun and if I went into it with no expectations and just to have fun then it wouldn't matter if it was slower than the triathlon in July.  In my mind it would be much slower than the first Olympic tri because of all the hills.

My traditional pre-race picture.  :-)

One of the fun parts of working with my coach has been the other athletes I have gotten to meet that also work with Jon.  At this particular event there were four of us competing in different races AND Jon's son was doing the Try a Tri.  So much fun!

On Saturday Joe did the Sprint Triathlon and Mike and Ron did the Half Ironman distance Triathlon.  Joe and I took off early in the morning and headed to Foster Lake.  It was clear and cold!  Joe was planning on pushing it a bit on the Sprint just to see how he could do.  Mike was aiming for a successful half Ironman distance without injury and without mechanical issues (he had a flat tire on a race in June) and Ron was doing his first half Ironman distance.

Beautiful Foster Lake the evening before the race weekend.

I watched Joe do the Sprint and then once he was done we hung out and watched Mike and Ron finish their half Ironman.  We had a lot of fun hanging out with Jon and his son.  We cheered people on and helped out at the bike dismount area.  It is so much fun watching people do hard, awesome things.

My Ironman getting ready to have some fun doing a Sprint tri.  :-)

Joe, Mike, Ron and Jon.  Successful day for the guys!

Up until Saturday I hadn't really been nervous about my own race.  But as Saturday wore on I started getting nervous about my race on Sunday.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was seeing all the people doing their race and just wanting to get started on my own.  As the day progressed I got more and more antsy about my own race.

We got to see both Mike and Ron finish and it was fun to congratulate them.  We have put in a lot of miles together this year on the track and the trail.  I know how hard they have worked so it was awesome to see them both have a most excellent day.

Joe and I headed home.  It was nice to get out of the sun, get a nap and then have some dinner.  We headed to bed early since we had to be on the road early again the next morning for my race.

Sunday morning was not as cold as Saturday morning.  Some clouds had rolled in over night and had kept it from getting too cold.

We got to the park at Foster Lake and when we were starting to get my bike off the rack an old friend of ours came over.  His son was doing the Olympic and he was there to watch.  It was fun to see him and his son and then later the rest of the family.  Also, visiting with them was a nice distraction so I didn't have time to get more nervous.

Soon enough Joe and I headed to the transition area so I could get my body markings and set up my things at the bike rack.  Once I had things set up Joe and I went back to the truck and just hung out for a bit.  It wasn't long before I needed to head back to the transition area to get my wetsuit on.  I was really excited to be wearing the new wetsuit I had gotten in Couer d'Alene.  I had only used it once for a short swim while we were still in Idaho.  This would be my first long swim in it and my first race in it.

I got the wetsuit on without too much trouble and then headed down to the lake to warm up.  I made sure my goggles were all good and the suit felt alright.  It wasn't long before it was time to line up for my start.  They had the college teams go first.  Then the young men, then the older men, followed by the young women and last was the older women (35 and up) and the relay swimmers.  By this time I was more than ready to get going.  I was pretty anxious about the swim just because the last time I had done an open water swim it was at Foster Lake and it was awful.  The water was rough that day and I had a lot on my mind with some worries for a friend so it wasn't a good swim.  I was worried I would have a repeat of that day.

The gun went off and we started.  I tried to start the same way I have learned to do on run races.  Let everyone take off and just kind of find my rythym and get going.  I got boxed in at one point with a woman on either side of me and one directly in front but all of them were going slower than me.  So I put my head up and took a look around, saw a gap and made a break for it.  I managed to get around the woman in front of me and find an area that was open so I could get into a comfortable pace and do my thing.

I felt really great.  I felt like I was swimming smoothly and sighting well.  I was keeping a pretty straight line of sight on the buoys.  It felt really good.  It didn't seem to take long before I was making the first turn.

I had decided before the race that I was going to try and not look at my Garmin very much.  If I was going to be slower on this race than the one in July then I didn't want to stress myself out by getting worked up about the time.

As I was making my way back towards where we got out of the water I realized I had someone pacing me.  They were using me as their sighting.  I could see her checking to make sure I was to her left once in a while.  That was kind of cool.  She was a little bit faster than me but we stayed together for the whole return trip until we got to the yellow buoys to make the turn to come back to shore, then she took off.

When I came out of the water Joe, Jon, Janelle and the kids, and our friend Kim and Troy with their daughter and granddaughter were all cheering me out of the water.  I looked at my watch and I had done the swim in 38 minutes!!  About three minutes faster than July!  That was awesome!  :-)

Finishing  my swim. 

I headed up the grass towards the transition area.  It was quite a ways from the shore but I managed a good trot and got my wetsuit unzipped and peeled off to my waist as I was heading to the bike.  I did my fastest transition yet from swim to bike which I was excited about.  The only thing I forgot was my sunglasses.  They were in the side of my backpack.  Usually I put them in my helmet.  When I had taken my stuff to transition in the morning I had tucked the sunglasses in a side pocket because it was dark and then forgot to get them out when I set up my stuff.  I didn't think about it until I was already to the mounting area.  Oh well.  Not the end of the world but I bet I don't forget again.

I headed out on the bike.  Mike was volunteering at the start of the bike route so I got some cheering from my teammate as I headed out.  The bike route at this race is beautiful.  I live in a beautiful part of the world and this race was practically in my backyard.  Since I was sure I would be slower on this ride because of all the hills I just was putting my best effort into the ride and enjoying it all.  I got to see all the collegiate competitors as they were heading to the finish of their bike ride.  Dang they were fast!  Got to see Kyle and get some cheers from him as he went by.  (Pretty fun to be cheered on a kiddo that I have know since he was born...and we are both doing the same race! lol)

About five miles in on the bike ride.  

It wasn't long before I got to the big scary hill.  But no excuses!  I had done this hill before so I put my head down and grinded up the steep part.  The hill was long overall but once I got up the short super steep section I was fine for the rest of it.  I think I might have even picked up a little speed.  As I got back down into the valley the winds picked up so even though I was going at more downhill elevation I wasn't going as fast as I probably would have without the wind in my face.  When I got to the turn around I took a minute to switch my water bottles and get set for the next 12 miles heading back up to the lake.  Most of the way back was up hill but not terribly steep.  I just tried to keep a steady pace and enjoy the ride.  A couple of times I could tell my hamstrings were feeling tight.  It was a little weird because I've never had that before but I would just stand on my pedals for a little bit to stretch out and that made it feel much better.

When I got up to the damn there was a bunch of volunteers, playing music and cheering me on.  I loved the volunteers on the bike ride.  They were so awesome and fun.  They made me smile.

Suddenly I realized that I had less than four miles to go.  The ride had seemed to go pretty fast so I looked at my watch and realized that I might finish in under two hours!  What!!??!  It took me two hours and one minute to finish the bike ride at Cottage Grove.  How could I possible do this bike ride faster with way more elevation?  Not gonna lie, I was pretty stoked.  :-)

Can you tell I'm having fun?  This picture says it all.  :-)

I came into the bike dismount area and Joe, Jon, Janelle and Lauren were there cheering me on.  It was so much fun.  It's another long stretch to get from the dismount area to the transition area.  I should have been trying to trot but my legs just didn't want to cooperate.  I walked my bike and Jon walked next to me giving me last minute coaching for the run.  My bike to run transition was my fastest yet as well and I took off for my 10k.  And I remembered my sunglasses!

The 10k was hilly which added to the difficulty for me but the nice part was it was very shady.  The cloud cover that we had in the morning had burned off during the bike ride so the sun was out.  I was happy to not be running in the direct sunlight the whole time.

I hadn't been running long when I spotted Jon's son who was finishing up the run portion of his Try a Tri.  I was able to cheer for him and get a high five!  That was the one bummer of the day for me was not being able to watch Logan do his race.  I loved being able to see him on the run!

I tried to keep to the 10 minute run, 1 minute walk ratio that Jon had me doing during training.  If I came across a water station during one the of the run intervals I got a bonus walk. lol  But I also didn't give myself permission to walk up the hills.  If I was in a 10 minute run section then I tried to run it as best I could, even if it was uphill.  None of the hills were ridiculously steep but they still felt like a lot after a swim and a bike ride.

When I got out to the last turnaround after mile 4 I was walking and drinking water since there was an aide station.  One of the radio operators shouted to me because he wanted to confirm that I was a walker and would be walking the last two miles.  I was a little offended.  Didn't he realize I was having a kick ass day?  I may have been at the back of the pack but I was rocking my race!! lol  I told him that I was just taking a water break and would be running again soon.  :-)  The volunteers at all the aid stations were awesome, so cheerful and supportive.  Definitely give me a boost to have all that positive energy along the way.

I was feeling pretty solid all things considered.  I only had two miles left and I was getting a kick out of the fast that I was using the word "only" in front of two miles.  Six years ago I remember when I ran two miles without stopping for the first time when I was at my sister's house.  It was awesome!!  Now I was doing two miles after a .90 swim, a 24 mile bike ride and already running four miles. I've come a long way!!

The last hill was tough.  I made it up about 2/3's and had to walk the last little bit.   But then I tried to turn up the speed on the way down the hill because I knew I was getting close to the entrance to the park where the finish line was.  As I got closer I saw my teammate Marcus standing on the side of the road keeping an eye out for me.  Then I got to the park entrance and there was Jon, Mike, Janelle, Logan, Lauren and Melissa clapping and cheering for me!  Joe was waiting up ahead at the finish line.

Almost done!

Lauren is a little one, just in pre-school, and she was running along side me with her mom and I could hear her shouting, "Go Lisa! Go!" So stinking cute! :-)  I loved it!  :-)

Jon is running on the outside of the chute telling me to dig deep and sprint to the end.  In my head I'm thinking there is no way I can go any faster than I already was but I dug deep and tried to pick up the pace a little more.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 4 hours, 7 minutes, 33 seconds.

I finished FASTER than I had at Cottage Grove!

What?

I went into this race thinking I would be around 30 minutes slower because of the hills.

I finished 8 minutes and 34 seconds faster!!

I did it!!!

Jon told me later that the bike had 200 feet more of elevation than July's race and the run had 300 feet more elevation than the race in July.

So I finished faster with more hills!

I was a VERY happy camper!!

Not the fastest person out there, definitely at the back of the pack.

But I rocked MY race.

I felt awesome about MY race.

I beat my own expectations and preconceived notions about what I thought I could do.

That feels pretty awesome!!

The very best part of all was that it was just FUN!

It was awesome to share my first ever Olympic Triathlon with my amazing, supportive husband in July.

It was awesome to share my next, kick ass Olympic Triathlon with my amazing, supportive coach (with the bonus of his awesome family being there and cheering me on as well!)

When I got done I walked over to Jon and gave him a big sweaty hug and cried all over him.  lol

Telling my coach about how it went for me.  ;)

Then later Joe and I walked a bit and he also got an even bigger sweaty hug and I cried all over him too.

At least I'm predictable.   It wasn't a big surprise to anyone that I was weepy.  Happy, proud of myself, grateful for the support tears.

One year ago I thought maybe I would like to try and finish an Olympic triathlon.

Now I've done three sprints and two olympics.

I'm totally hooked.

It's been challenging, downright frustrating at times, to work towards this goal.  But like most things that are difficult, it makes it mean more when I reach the goal.

While I'm enjoying the break and having a little time to just do whatever, whenever, just because I feel like it, I am really excited to get back at it and see what I can accomplish next year.

One more story:

All the athletes got a BBQ lunch included with the race and Joe had volunteered during the Olympic event so he got a free lunch too.  We got in line and loaded up our plates.  It smelled so good.  Then we made our way over to get our free drinks.  2 Towns Ciderhouse was there which is our favorite cider.  Unfortunately for us, they were a lot of other people's favorite too and they had run out before we got there.  lol  Good thing I planned ahead and brought some in a small cooler from home.

Joe set me up in a chair in the shade outside of the beer garden and awards area.  Our friend Kyle had gotten an award but had already left so Joe had gone to get his stuff because we figured we could get it to him pretty easily.

I wasn't paying attention to the awards at all but I could hear Stacie, on of the race directors, talking and calling out names over the speakers.

Suddenly I hear "in 3rd place, Lisa Van V!!"  I look up and say out loud, "No Fucking Way!!"

All the people who were sitting in the grass around me started laughing.  lol

I put down my plate and made my way up to the awards area to see if they really meant me.  Turns out they did.  I got 3rd in my age group, 45-49, out of three.  I love it.  I have never been an age group winner in any race of any kind.  So I really don't care that there were only three of us.  I got a big kick out of it and it was the icing on the cake of a really fun day.  I only would have had to be 30 minutes faster to beat the second place lady.  :-)  Hmmmm.  Maybe next year.  :-)

Check it out!  Age group podium!  :-)  

It was a very fun day!

Photo credit to my husband, my coach and Best in the West.  Best in the West takes a ton of pictures and posts them on Facebook so we can have them for free!  Pretty awesome!

Out of the five triathlons I did this year, Best in the West organized four of them.  Beaver Freezer, Oregon Dunes Triathlon, Rolf Prima Tri at the Grove and the Best in the West.  So they have been a huge part of my journey this year.  They put on great events, well organized and fun!  Everyone is positive and encouraging and they cheer the people finishing at the end of the race just as hard (maybe even harder) as they do the people who finish in the front.  If you are thinking about doing a triathlon or want a good race to add to your list next year check out their website!  They also organize several runs that are a lot of fun too.  They are awesome!  Thank you Blair and Stacie for helping me with all my fun this year.  You don't know me but I really appreciate all you do!!  :-)

http://www.bestinthewestevents.com

Fabulous and Frustrated....At the Same Time

I've been back to work for almost three weeks.  One week of training and getting my room ready and then the first two full weeks of school with students.  

I'm also getting ready for the last triathlon of the year in one more week.  So I'm back to working out before and after work and no naps!  Sadness!  lol  

The first week back to work it was very hot which means my classroom is extremely hot.  This made me really tired when I got home.  I had two bike rides that week.  The thought of getting on my bike and riding in the heat and concentrating on traffic and such was a little more than I was ready to deal with.  I went to the YMCA and rode the stationary bike instead.  Not ideal for my training I'm sure but it was better than skipping it completely.  I didn't have to think hard, just had to keep my feet moving and I had a fan blowing on me.  Both times I also got the stationary bike that gets a nice breeze from the ceiling fan.  Winner!  

I also had an interesting thing happen when we were doing a track workout with my coach.  We decided to move it from our regular Wednesday after work time to early Thursday morning because it was just so stinking hot.  Thursday was a prep day so I could be a little more flexible with when I got to work.  It was so nice to be running in the cool morning air!!  

I had looked at my workout and what my intervals were supposed to be before we got to the track.  I should have double checked what I had in my head one more time before I started.  I also should have done the math and realized that I must have read it wrong.  I'm going to chalk this up to how tired I have been.  :-)  I was supposed to do 4x800 with a four minute walk/jog in between and then 2x400 with a two minute walk in between.  I thought I was supposed to do the 800's in five minutes.  Eight hundred yards is half a mile so that would mean I was running a 10 minute mile pace.  I didn't realize that.

The first 800 I ran in 5:24.  I was not happy about that because it was way longer than I thought I was supposed to do.  I did my rest interval and then started my second 800.  I was almost done when my coach, Jon, caught up with me.  He said he thought I was moving pretty fast and asked what he had me down for.  I told him five minute 800's.  He checked his phone and laughed because I was supposed to do the 800's in 5:30 (an 11 minute mile pace).  Oops!  He told me to keep trying for the five minutes and see where we ended up.  I finished up the second lap and my time was 5:10.  Oh my!  I had two more 800's to complete so Jon said to keep trying for the five minute mark.  My third 800 was 5:03 and my last one was 5:02.  I couldn't believe I ran that fast for two laps!!

Then Jon said to do my 200's at the faster pace as well.  New goal for the 200's was to get them done in two minutes, thirty seconds.  I got 2:32 and then 2:28!  I could not believe that I ran one lap at a pace faster than a 10 minute mile!

After our workout Jon and I were talking and he smiled and said to me, "You know what this means?"  Since I'm a teacher and I know how this works I had to laugh.  Yep!  Now that I have shown I can do it faster the expectation is that I keep doing it faster.  

I had another run the next week that had intervals in it where I was supposed to go that fast and then not walk but just slow down my run in between. It was really hard by I somehow managed to make it happen.  That was pretty cool.

Last Saturday I had to get a 24 mile bike ride in.  I rode from my house out to the end of Scravel Hill Rd. (where I get hills) and back.  I had done this exact route a couple of months ago and new it worked out perfectly.  It was a little on the cooler side when I got going but my hubby let me borrow his warming sleeves.  They were perfect!  If I wear a shirt and then a long sleeved shirt I get too hot.  If I wear just a shirt, my arms get cold.  I was completely comfortable the entire ride.  Now I have something else to put on my list of things I want for triathlons.

I really worked hard on this ride.  I wanted to try and finish with a 13 miles an hour average.  Don't know why that was the number I had in my head.  But with the hills it would be a bit of a challenge.  I thought I had gotten stronger enough that between going faster on the hills and then being able to go faster on the flats I might be able to make it happen.  The ride felt really good and I knew that I had done it better than I had earlier in the summer.  On that ride I averaged 11.5 mph.  This time I averaged 12.8 mph.  So close to the 13 number I was trying for!

The next day I had my last long swim.  I was supposed to do 1900 yards with intervals.  This is what was in my TrainingPeaks:

w/u 200
m/s
5X100 (descending 100's @ , 2:34, 2:32, 2:30, 2:28, all out! (30"RI)
2 X 250 @ 2:30/100 (RI 45-60")
8 X 50 "fast" RI 20 seconds

c/d 300 easy swim (focus on head and eyes straight down, hips and legs up, glide)

It was a lot and I wasn't sure how it would go.  There were several times during the workout where I wanted to cut things short.  I would think that it was just hard today and it wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't do quite as many sets as was planned.  Except that it would be, at least for me.  So I plugged away at it.  Garmin figures your average pace for a swim with intervals based on the time you are swimming, it doesn't count the rest intervals.  So my total swim time was 47 minutes and my average pace was 2:28 per 100 yards. Which is pretty darn good for me.

A picture popped up on my Facebook "On this day" feature.  It was from the summer I started running.  It was a bit startling to see because sometimes I don't realize how big I was and how far I have come.  (I still myself as the way I look in the picture in my head).

Me & Miss Kendall at a friend's wedding. 2010

The weird thing was that I was frustrated.  I was frustrated with the bike ride, the swim and how I looked.  

It was like I was split in two.

One part of me knew that I had a really fabulous track workout, a solid bike ride and a good swim.  I should be super proud of myself.  Especially since I was back at work and managing my training before and after work while super tired.  I looked at the picture from 2010 and can see how far I have come on being a healthier me.

But the other part was frustrated and discouraged.  Not going to lie, there was some comparison going on.  Sometimes it gets old being the slowest at everything.  (Yes, I know, I'm probably not really but it feels like it most of the time.)  Some of the issue was just the desire to be faster by now than I am. I had a picture taken of me on Monday and even though I'm significantly healthier then I was in 2010, all I see when I look at the picture is the overweight girl.  Ugh.   A lot of it was just being overtired.

Dwayne & Faylene got everyone who has ever run CLR for our team this awesome shirt.  We got ours first!!  

As much as I don't like how I look, this picture made me smile.  

I really had to talk myself into even getting out the door for the bike ride and then the swim.

The half of me that was proud of myself knew that I was being silly.

The half of me that was frustrated didn't want to listen.

But one of the things I have learned the last few years is to honor my process while not allowing myself to wallow in the negativity.

I let myself have a couple of days to just be discouraged and work through all that in my own head.

Then it was time to suck it up and get over it.

Yep!

I'm getting better at that part.  ;-)

By the time Wednesday rolled around the proud part of me was squashing down the negative side and I started getting excited about my triathlon.

Found this meme the other day and it made me laugh.  So me at times.

Pretty much!

We had another track interval workout at the high school.  Jon's family came along.  His son, who is nine, is doing the Try a Tri this weekend (super short version of a triathlon to see how it feels).  I started doing my workout and I hear someone just behind me.  After a lap I looked to see who it was and it was Jon's son.  So fun!  He stayed with me for my entire workout.  I was supposed to do three 400's at a 10 min/mile pace and then do a slower run for three minutes in between.  My new running buddy kept pace with me the whole time.  I loved it.  He's going to do great on Sunday.  I'm just bummed that his event will be going on at the same time I'm doing mine so I won't be able to watch him.

I have learned A LOT since January and come a long way in a lot of areas.

While it is never fun to get frustrated and discouraged, I know that I'm stronger mentally than I used to be as well as physically.  Getting frustrated and discouraged would have been a place I camped out in for a few weeks in the past.  Being able to work through it in a few days is progress.

There are ups and downs in any journey.  My journey to becoming a healthier me is no exception.

I share both the ups and downs because I hope that people reading this can relate.  Maybe you are experiencing a down time and are ready to give up.  I hope that reading my blog shows that it pays off to keep moving forward.  I have said often that my weight has not come off and my pace has not sped up like I wanted or expected.  Hard to keep focused on the good sometimes.  But looking back I know that I have come a long way on this journey.

I tell my students all the time that history is important.  It's all about the story.  I also tell them that they need to be proud of their own history, their own story.  It's what makes them who they are.

I have been learning to be a lot more proud of my own story.  It may not be the story I planned on or the one I expected the first time I tried to run a lap on the track.  But all of the races, all the adventures, all of the amazing people I have gotten to meet along the way have made my story exceptional.

I wouldn't change a thing.

It has been worth every step.

It has been worth every spin of the pedals.

It has been worth every lap in the pool.

It has been worth every friend I have gained (and even a few that I have lost).

My next race is tomorrow.  I am really excited for it.  I have no idea how I will do.  The course has lots of hills.  I will just do my best and have a great time along the way.   However I do it will be another addition to my story.

One last pre-race shirt photo for the year.  

Ironman Coeur d'Alene-Spectator Viewpoint

Joe shared his side of Ironman Coeur d'Alene, the really hard side for sure.  Now it's my turn.  :-)

We headed out to Coeur d'Alene on Thursday morning.  There was lots of last minute things to pick up and lists to double check before we left.  Finally we are to the point where we know we have the important, hard to replace things and anything we forgot we can probably pick up when we get there.

Ironman #3 here we come!!

It's a long drive from our house to Coeur d'Alene, between seven and eight hours.  That is a long time in the car no matter what the trip is.  But I actually like road trips with Joe.  We talk a lot about random things.  Sing along to the radio or my iTunes.  Laugh about stories we tell each other.  It's actually fun to just hang out together without too many distractions.

We stopped in Hood River for a stretch break and to see if we could find some arm coolers for Joe.  He was thinking they would be good for race day because it was looking to be hot.  We asked at a bike rental shop and they directed us to a place that hooked us up.  Win!

We made it to Coeur d'Alene with plenty of time to head straight to packet pick up.  This is not like packet pick up at a normal race.  At a normal race there is just a table where you can walk up and pick up your packet.  At Ironman there is a large white tent that only athletes are allowed into.  They go in and get a bracelet put on that indicates they are a participant.  They also don't just get a packet, they get a really cool Ironman backpack with their participant shirt and all their other gear in it.  Pretty cool.

While Joe was going through the athlete tent I was shopping in the Ironman store.  It's always fun to look at all the cool workout gear and t-shirts and things they sell.

I liked this shirt but didn't want to spend $40 for it.  lol

It wasn't long before Joe was done.  Conveniently the athlete tent dumps out right at the entrance to the Ironman store.  :-)  We purchased some visors and a few small things and headed to a food cart near the hotel that had really great sandwiches.  We got one to go so we could just eat in the hotel room once we were checked in.

With all the gear needed for the triathlon, the cooler, our suitcases and the bikes it took a bit to get all our stuff into the room.  I had brought my bike along so I could either hang with Joe or do my own thing if it worked easy.  Once we got everything in the room we had our dinner and then spent the rest of the evening just hanging out.

Friday morning we got up and worked our way to Lake Coeur d'Alene.  Joe needed a short swim, short bike and a short run.  I was going to tag along the best I could.  I hadn't brought my wetsuit along and Joe didn't want to bother with his for a shorter swim so we worked our way into the water.  It was a bit chilly to start with but once we were all the way in it was really nice.  We both took off.  I figured that whenever Joe turned around and passed me I would turn around too.  Worked out pretty well.  The lake was pretty calm that morning and there wasn't a lot of wake.  The water was really clear as well so it was easy to see the bottom of the lake.

So beautiful!

When we were done with the swim we put on our bike clothes over our swim clothes and got ready to do a 30 minute ride.  The ride was on a paved trail that went around the lake.  It's a really pretty area. It was a treat for me to be able to ride with Joe and I kept up without too much difficulty.  Of course he wasn't trying to go fast but still.  There was even one point when we were heading back that an Asian gentleman was taken a selfie while riding his bike.  Joe rode up behind him and smiled and flashed the peace sign.  lol  I hope it turned out!

Getting ready to ride.

We got back to the car and got ready for a 15 minute run.  I didn't try to keep up with him but just enjoyed trotting along the lake and people watching as I went.  By this time people were showing up to enjoy a day playing in the water.  It's fun to watch people hanging out and playing.

I LOVED being able to do this workout with Joe.  While I'm not as fast as he is we still were together.  A few years ago I would have been sitting on the shore of the lake with a book or hanging out in the car waiting for him to finish.  This time I was with him.  This was a big bonus to all the work I have done the past year.  It's hard to explain but it made me feel really great to be with him, more of a participant in his experience instead of just a bystander.

We headed back to the Ironman area.  Joe wanted to listen to the briefing and see if there was any information that he might need to know that was new or different.  We also walked around the different booths.  They had everything from nutrition and clothes to $8,000 bikes.  We ended up going into the Zoot booth.  They had wetsuits there and they were half off.  I decided to try on the largest women's size they had.  The wetsuit I have is a men's suit and it is baggy in the elbows and knees which causes bubbling when I swim.  Not the end of the world but probably costs me a little time when I'm racing.  I have lost weight since I bought that suit so that has made it worse.  I got the suit on.  It was a little bit of a struggle because we had just biked and ran and I was hot and sweaty.  But I could get it on and once on it felt really good.  We decided to buy it.  Here we are supposed to be focused on Joe's Ironman and we are buying me a wet suit.

I was ridiculously excited to be able to get a women's suit instead of a men's suit.  It's such a thing in my head but whenever I have to get a men's size in order to make something it fit it just feels like that means I'm big.  Being able to wear a women's size is a victory for me, even if it's just in my own head.  I was going to try it out the next morning and I couldn't wait!

We went back to the hotel and cleaned up.  Joe started sorting out all his gear and get his bags ready for race day.  He had a check list of what he wanted in each bag.  There was a morning bag, a bike bag, a bike special needs bag, a run bag, and a run special needs bag.  Anything he put in the special needs bag he wasn't going to get back after the race.  Joe had a list and as he put items in the bag I checked it off so we knew it was there.  Anything that had to go in the bag race morning I circled so we knew to add it.  He had race crap all over the hotel room!  We even put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door that morning to avoid maid service because he had stuff spread out all over the bed and we didn't want them to mess with it to make the beds.

We went and had dinner but we were back at the hotel early.  It was nice to just relax.  We watched some Olympics and then went to sleep.

Saturday morning we woke up and just puttzed around.  I got involved in the women's Olympic Triathlon so we had to stay in the room and watch that whole thing.  It only took two hours. :-)  It was awesome to watch!!  Very inspiring!  Joe took off to do a thirty minute bike ride.  I probably could have tagged along like I had the day before but I got the feeling he needed some alone time so I just enjoyed the quiet in the hotel and watching the Olympics.  It was a nice little recharge time for both of us.  One of the benefits to being married for so long, we kind of know these things without really talking about it and neither of us gets hurt feelings about needing a break.  :-)

We were leaving the hotel and we saw our friends the Yenchiks.  Terry Yenchik was also participating in the race on Sunday.  His son Joe was going to but pulled out because of an injury and difficulties that made training hard.  He had brought his daughter Emma who is a gem of a kiddo.  She had just done the IronKids race that morning.  They put on different length short races for the kids on the day before the Ironman.  She did the one mile race.  She got a big medal and showed it to us with a huge smile!  She was super proud of that medal!  Pretty fun to see her be excited about the experience and I think she had fun being a part of all the excitement going on for the Ironman.

We went to the Ironman area again so that Joe could check in his bike and his gear bags.  For some reason this is when it starts feeling really real.  He spent some time walking through the transition area to make sure he knew where he was supposed to go.

Then we went back to the truck and he got out a folding chair and I got my wetsuit.  It made me think of when I was doing my Olympic tri at Cottage Grove.  The day before that race he did an open water swim and I sat in a chair on the shore of the lake and just relaxed.  The suit went on much easier than it had the day before since I wasn't all hot and sweaty.  That was a good sign.  I got going in the water and the suit felt great.  Didn't pull or feel like it was restricting my arm movements at all.  I didn't feel like it was too tight around my neck.  I loved it!  It was only about a 15 minute swim but it felt great. I can't wait to use the suit at the Best in the West triathlon next month!!

My new Zoot suit. :-)

We headed back to the hotel and had some down time before we went out for an early dinner.  We found a place nearby that had wood fired pizza.  Joe wanted the leftovers for his race bags the next day.  The food was good and there was plenty of leftovers for him for race day.

We settled in early for the night because we would be up early the next morning.  It took me awhile to get to sleep.  I know Joe was restless too but I think we both got to sleep eventually.

Three thirty in the morning came all too quickly.  I made Joe some PB&J sandwiches for his race bags and gathered up what I wanted to have in the truck while he was racing.  In Canada I could just go back to the condo between times we saw Joe because everything circled through Whistler and was within walking distance.  At Coeur d'Alene the hotel is miles away and it's hard to get back because of the race route.  Also, then it would be hard to find a parking spot when you get back.  So I needed to have everything I might need or want along with me.  I had a small cooler and my backpack.  There was a chair in the car and I had a blanket as well.

This is the first time I have watched an Ironman without my friend Wendie along!  She was at the first Coeur d'Alene because her hubby was racing too and her and Josh came to Canada to cheer on Joe last year.  It was a little odd to be starting out the day without the Gums around!!

We headed to the race.  I carried the last race bags and Joe walked with his bike.  It was still dark when we were walking by the lake and we could hear the water splashing against the shore.  It wasn't going to be as calm as it had been for our swim on Friday, we could tell that right away.

Oh Dark Thirty for sure!  Let the party get started!!

Joe heads into the transition area and I walk around the fence to the side near where he will be racking his bike.  At this point my job is to hang out and take whatever he is done with and needs me to take back to the car.  First I get the bike pump.  Later I get his backpack that has his morning clothes in it because he is putting on his wetsuit.

All too soon it's time to walk down to the beach and get this party started.  I walk with him all the way down to where the athletes get on the beach.  Then I hustle down to where the inflatable is where the athletes will enter the water.  At first I couldn't get close enough to be able to really see much but soon a very nice gentleman told me I could squeeze in next to him.  I had a good view of where they funnel the athletes down to a single file line before they go through the start line.  At 6:00 a.m. they started the race.  I knew where Joe was going to position himself based on his expected swim time.  But a couple of times I was jostled by people and I looked away.  I didn't see Joe and I didn't see Joe. I started to think I had missed him going by.

I have one job at these races.  It's to be visible so that my guy sees my smiling face and knows that I'm there for him.  I thought I had blown it right at the start of the entire day.  I was pretty sure I had missed him and was getting a bit worked up about it.  Suddenly I see him waving his arms at me.  I was so relieved I cried!  He made the heart symbol with his hands and then headed for the water.

Found my Ironman!  Actually he found me first. :-)

Love this man so much!

Game face on!

Here we go!

I watched him take off and then I headed to the car to put his backpack and the bike pump away.  Then I hustled back so I could see him come out of the water for his first loop.  I saw him come out of the water and he spotted me before he headed back in.  I got a thumbs up.  I hung out and waited for him to finish the second lap.  I kept busy sending out updates on Facebook and texts to friends and family so they would know how things were going.

It wasn't long before he was coming out of the water and heading for transition.  I was able to see him after he got his wetsuit stripped off of him and as he was grabbing his gear bag.  When I say stripping the wetsuit I mean that literally.  They have volunteers who have the job of taking ahold of the wetsuit when the athlete sits on the ground and yanking that sucker off.  If the athlete isn't careful their shorts might just go along as well.  It's pretty entertaining to watch but it saves the athletes a lot of time.

Finished the swim.

I ran around the transition area so that I could see Joe come out with his bike.  The transition was pretty quick and it wasn't long before he came trotting out with his bike.  He gave me a wave and headed out for the bike ride.

Heading to the mounting area.

Now is when things get really long.  The morning up until this point is pretty busy.  I spend a lot of time with Joe and then the time between seeing him is shorter so it goes faster.  The bike ride is a long part of the day.  There are places to see him but it's longer in-between.  I stayed near the bike transition to see Terry and a few other people take off on the bike.  They all came out of the water really close to each other so that was fun.

Eventually I worked my way up to the road so I could see Joe pass by after finishing the shorter loop. It's fun to visit with other people and find out where they are from and who they are cheering for.  I met people that were cheering for first timers and ones that were cheering for experienced Ironman.  One family was from Calgary Canada.  That was the most represented city at the race that day.  Because their phones didn't work in the US I looked up their athlete on my phone and let them know where she was.  They told me that she had never done a triathlon at all until July where she had done a 1/2 Ironman distance to get ready for the Ironman.  Geez!!  lol  I wish I could be that daring.  Her boyfriend said that she was super fit and athletic.  He also said she loves to just go for random, hard things because she loves the adventure of it.  I loved it!  He had done the 1/2 Ironman with her but was going to wait to do a full next year and they were going to do it together.

Joe came by and I got to whistle and holler for him.  The people who I had been visiting with cheered for him as well and I stayed and cheered for their athlete as she went by about 10 minutes later.  I love that part of these races.  Well, any race actually.  Meeting fun people and cheering people on that are working hard and doing badass things.  It's so much fun!!

Finished with the first time on the small loop, heading out for the long hill.

I headed back to the car at this point because Joe was on the big loop and I knew I wouldn't see him for quite awhile.  I charged my phone, updated everyone and got some food and water in me.  I had decided to volunteer at the race.  Joe said they had posted several times on Facebook that they were really in need of more people so I figured I would.  Especially since I didn't have any family with me to help keep me distracted.

About 10:00 a.m. I headed to the booth to check in.  Cynthia was my volunteer captain and she walked with me to my spot.  I was supposed to be on the corner of 9th and Sherman but they still had people there.  The people that were supposed to cover 8th and Sherman had told her they were going to take their dogs home and then they would go straight to their spot.  Cynthia wanted me to cover the corner until they got there and then go to the corner I was originally assigned.

Another hiccup was that there was some issue with crowd control somewhere over near the transition area so all the security people that were supposed to keep people from crossing the street when racers were coming were gone.  I literally was the only person on this corner.  I was standing in the middle of the road.  It was basically at the second bend of an S curve.  Bikers would some flying around the corner and then zip right by me around the second corner.  People who wanted to cross the street had to come half way, stand on the side of the cones that would keep them from getting hit by a biker taking the corner tight, and then wait for me to give them the clear for biker coming back in the opposite direction.

Most people were really great about following directions but there were some that were jerks.  First of all, when I say hustle get a move on.  I would tell people they could go if they hustled across and they would just stroll to the other side.  Seriously!!  Other people wouldn't listen to me and just go when they felt like it.  Ugh.

One guy refused to stand on the side of the cones I said.  He said he didn't care if he got hit.  I said I didn't care if he got hit either but I really cared about an athlete not crashing, thank you very much.

It was a lot of fun cheering on the athletes as they went by and then again as they were returning from their loop.  Four hours standing on concrete in the hot sun was hard on my feet though.  But not as hard as biking 112 miles in the hot sun and strong wind so I did NOT complain one bit.

Joe passed me and I didn't see him at first because I was helping people cross the street.  When he came back the other direction he actually stopped the bike to give me a kiss which was awesome.  The people watching were cheering.  :-)  I asked how he was doing and he said he was struggling but then he took off so I didn't know what that meant.  Struggling in general?  Something was hurting?  One of his spots that had been bothering him was flaring up?  So hard not to know!

Nothing I can do about it so I took a deep breath and finished my volunteering.

Then I walked back to the car.  It was quite a hike from where I was volunteering but I knew I had plenty of time.  Joe had 40 plus miles to go before I would see him finish the bike ride.  I changed out of my volunteer shirt and put on a tank top and a hat.  Then I charged my phone and made sure I had my portable chargers and the cord.  I went back to the park and managed to hook up with the Yenchik family and got to hang out with them while we waited for Joe and Terry to finish the bike ride.

Emma and I got to talk about our puppies, my boxer and her boxer are sister and brother.  So we compared silly stories about our dogs.  Then she told me all about the IronKids race.  Later her dad took her to find some food and I got to visit with Joe's mom Mary.  What a sweet lady!  It's nice to have someone to visit with while we wait.

Awesome IronKid with a fabulous smile!

The tracker app on my phone had been working pretty good up to this point so I knew that Joe had gone much slower on the second big loop then he had the first time around.  That didn't surprise me considering the heat and the wind, especially when he said he was struggling.  I could see when he was heading back down the big hill and knew it wouldn't be long (compared to the rest of the day) before he would be there.

Where we were hanging out was just after the athletes dismount.  We also could see up the hill and watch them on the main road.  If you could recognize your athlete then it was easy to be at the fence by the time they were dismounted and walking past.  The volunteers would take the bike from the athlete and then one would walk with them to make sure they were steady and feeling good.  It was quite a process and they did all of their support very smoothly.

I saw Joe come in from the bike ride.  It was so good to see him!!  He said he had a hot spot on his foot but felt pretty good.  The path around the bike area to the transition tent went on the opposite side from where I was but a friend he works with was on that side and walked and talked with him as he worked his way to the tent.  Mike was there to watch his sister but had fun seeing Joe as well.  I made my way to the other side of the transition tent so I would be ready when he came out to start the run.

Joe came out looking good.  He saw me right away and gave me another kiss on his way out for the run.  Only 26.2 miles between him and another Ironman.

Leaving transition 2 and heading out for the marathon.

I went back to where I had been waiting with the Yenchiks.  I wanted to see Terry finish the bike.  The tracker app was not updating like it was supposed to.  It didn't show Joe finishing the bike and starting the run.  It showed Terry way out on the bike yet and we thought he should be farther than that by now.  This is where it gets hard.  Are they injured?  Is the tracker just not updating?  Did they have mechanical problems?  There is no answer and no way to find out.

Terry's son Joe was really worried, I could see it on his face.  Especially when we heard that they last biker to be allowed to continue before the cut off had just gone through the dismount area.  Now we knew that Terry wasn't going to be able to continue but we still didn't know if he was okay.

He finally made it.  Turns out he got a flat and damage to his tire.  Even when he got the tire inflated again the damage made it so he couldn't ride.  His day was over at that point.  I felt so bad for him!  That's a lot of work to have something out of your control end your day.  But at least he wasn't hurt!  That was a relief!!

I headed back to my car.  I was tired of lugging my small cooler around and wanted to drop it off.  I grabbed my backpack, shoved the blanket in it and headed back to the park.  I wouldn't be back to the truck until the race was over.

A wildfire had started between Coeur d'Alene and Spokane.  Made it a hazy afternoon.

The marathon route had been changed since Joe had done the event in 2013.  I wasn't sure exactly where to go to see him.  I was a little worried that I would miss him on his first loop since I had waited so long to see Terry.  Yenchik let me know where to go and I found a great spot where I could see the runners coming up the sidewalk for quite a ways.  I laid out my blanket and just sat down when I looked up and there Joe was!  I didn't even put on my sandals, I just started running so that I wouldn't miss him.  He told me he had a blister on the ball of his foot but was doing pretty good considering.

I didn't realize that they looped around and I could have seen him on the other side of the park.  I thought that was where he had just come from.  I did better the second time around.

On the second loop I saw him on both sides of the park.  He was pretty tired and knew that he wasn't going to make his original goal.  I was pretty sure he was still going to beat his time from his last Coeur d'Alene Ironman.  He was struggling but moving along pretty good all things considered.  I headed back to my blanket.  The spot I was at was also where runners that were finishing their last lap and were only about three blocks from the finish line.

Heading out for the third and final lap of the marathon.

Some were very focused and didn't pay any attention to people cheering.  Others knew they were close and got the biggest smiles on their faces.  A few looked like if they responded to us they would start to cry so they just kept moving.

I decided to work my way towards the chute at the finish line.  That is literally my favorite place to be during the Ironman.  They have music playing and people are lined up along both sides of the fencing along the road.  Everyone is cheering for every single athlete that comes down the chute.  The different ways they finish is awesome.

Smiling with their hands over their heads.
Total focus as they sprint to the finish.
Stopping to hug and kiss friends and family.
Running up and down the chute to give as many people high fives as they can.
One guy stopped in the middle of the chute before he crossed the finish line, dropped to his knees, put his hands over his face and started crying.
There was a married couple that finished together holding hands.
A father waited for his daughter down the street so they could finish together.
Painfully trotting by and then collapsing after they crossed the finish.

All of it is inspiring and emotional.  I was in tears more than once.  They didn't care that they were finishing in the dark, they were ecstatic that they were finishing!

My view of the chute as the athletes head toward the finish.

The Ironman Finish line!

Waiting for my Ironman!

The people around me were friendly and I had fun talking with them, cheering for people and singing to songs I knew.

When you leaned out to see up the road you could see the silhouette of runners as they came towards the finish.  Suddenly I saw Joe, I knew it was him by his run.  They ladies next to me didn't think it was possible to tell in the dark but I was sure.  The first Ironman Joe did he didn't see me as he came down the chute, he was looking mostly on the opposite side.  So the Ironman in Canada and this Ironman I made sure he knew which side I was planning on standing on so he could find me.  He ran down the left side of the chute and found me pretty quickly.

I got a HUGE hug and an awesome kiss.  The people around me that I had been hanging out with for the last hour all went, "Awwwwwww" which made me laugh.

Then I watched my guy finish the Ironman again.  "Joe Van Veldhuizen,  You Are An Ironman!!!" Wow!!  That does not get old!!

I turned to the ladies I had been hanging out with and told them to have a great rest of their evening but I was going to find Joe.  Of course I was in tears.  They gave me hugs and sent me on my way.

I watched him get his hat, shirt and medal.  Then they took his picture.  We talked for a minute and then he headed to the med tent to have them check out his blister and get some food.  I settled down to sit on the curb near the exit.  It felt good to sit for a bit.

It wasn't too long before Joe came out and met up with me.  He was moving slow but looked pretty good to me.  We went and I got his bike and he got his race bags.  We walked to the end of the park and I had him sit on the wall by the beach to the lake while I walked the bike to the car and then came to pick him up.

We got to the hotel and I we got into the room so he could shower.  I made a couple of trips to get things back in the room.  By the time Joe was cleaned up and things were a little organized it was close to midnight.  What a loooooonnnngg day!

We both had a teary moment about him finishing.

I have watched and supported Joe through two other Ironman races.  Each time is nerve wracking and tough.  This was no different.

I think I am the most proud of him for this one though.  He had to push through a lot of injuries and setbacks in order to just get to the race.  He did this while still supporting me with my new adventures in working towards an Olympic triathlon.  Then he had to push through tough conditions that made it difficult to make the goal he had set for himself.  He did both in the strong willed way he has.

To say I am proud of him never seems adequate enough to express the feelings I have.  Not only am I proud of him but I also feel privileged to be the one he knows he can count on to support him on the journey to the race and during the race.

He has inspired a lot of people but most of all he has inspired me.  I know I never would have thought of doing a triathlon of any distance without him doing them and then encouraging me.  I know that I wouldn't have decided to work with a coach, because I don't like spending the money on myself, but he insisted because he wanted me to have the best experience possible in this new adventure.  There are so many things Joe does is for me and our family or friends.  I absolutely love being able to make him the focus for a change.

Looking forward to many more adventures with my Ironman.

**If you want to read Joe's side of the event check out this post: Guest Blogger-Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2016  It doesn't have any pictures, he was a little busy to bother taking any.  :-)