iron helen

Memories

2007-07-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

Some good memories from this past year. This is why I do this stuff:

http://alisarhee.blogspot.com/2007/06/omg-i-cant-stop-crying.html

IM CDA Photos

2007-07-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

Check out more here:

Ironman CDA 2007

Ironman CDA Finish Line - What a Momment!

2007-07-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

I did it. Dos. My race report is on it's way. I've been trying to digest everything, so I've been slow at getting it in writing. What a year.

My Ironman USA 2006 Race Report

2007-06-20T05:18:00.000-07:00

(Written at the end of the summer 2006 to friends who were trying to choose what training plan to follow)

My Ironman USA race report and thoughts from the past year...

I want to share with you my Ironman experience. What it is and has been
for the past year and a half. My race report is a little different than
usual. There is no play by play of July 23, 2006. Why? Because I feel
that that one single day is not what Ironman was about for me. It is so
much more. Ironman is....
A year and a half of hard training. Setting goals. Accomplishing what
others say you can't. Accomplishing what you thought you couldn't.
Pulling tacks out of your last damn tire and painfully riding 9 miles to
a finish on you rim. Cranky 5 a.m. swim starts. Meeting some of the best
friends you ever had. Charlie's Angels. Watching Bill and Alex kick
Mass-a-nothing's ass to the ground. Knowing that 22 Z's are out on the
same battlefield as you. Knowing that there are 100 Support Crew peeps
cheering you on. "What is Love". Listening to "Beautiful Day" for the
billionth time and still loving it like the first time you heard it
watching IMUSA 2005. Having a very supportive boss and co-workers. Susan's
awesome bike adventures. Knowing you can accomplish what you never
expected. Twelve workouts a week. Up to 18 hours a week spent training.
Getting sick of Powerbars. Puking Fig Newtons. Huge calves. Hard work.
Rewarding. Water stop pirates. Tearfully heading back out the door for
10 more miles after running 10 alone with Whitesnake's "Hear I go again
on my own" in the back of your head. Running in the snow. Glenn Echo 1.
Loosing toenails. Hours on a trainer. Squeezing in a 4 a.m. workout to
catch an early morning flight. Having your twin ride a bike next to you
during your first marathon. Tears. Happiness. More IOUs than you
remember writting. Dedication. Commitment. Having Ed "carry" you up
Skyline by blaring jock jams. Having the much needed support that only
comes from a team. Understanding the you don't always have to run every
race. Cramps. Sore muscles. New muscles. 10 pairs of the same sneakers.
Expensive. Priceless. Full of saddle sores. Blisters. Crotchitous. A new
physique. 6 a.m. weekend practice starts. Following you heart rate
monitor. A journey. A long workout. Meeting people on the run course
during the race. The feeling you get knowing you have inspired someone.
Being inspired by others. Bike dancing. Elizabeth's bike opera. Endless
mix CDs. A good friend believing in me to start this training in the
first place. Dragging yourself out of bed on a holiday or day off to get
a workout in. Painful. At times very crappy. Continuing on after you've
been told you have missed a cut off. Facing challenges and kicking them
to the ground. About finding a way. Seeing the big picture. Swimming
outdoors in the middle of October because you've got to. Running through
an upset stomach. What you live, sleep, eat. Something that takes over
your life. Siri Oswald. Alex Mirkow. Jessica Adelman. Justin Durst.
Elizabeth Barton. Marlene Tomaszkiewicz. Talia Moyher. Jenn "Flash" Byl.
Holly O'Conner. Pam Coleman. Bob Cox. Bill Hall. Betsy Elkinton.
Jennifer Schwartz. John Schlegel. Jenny Banks. John Mead. Tes Salb.
"Hunky" Jim Rauer. Scott Duncan.

We have all said it over and over in our race reports that Ironman is a
journey. It's been a long process of changes, overcoming challenges and
learning how to deal in situations. I removed the word "can't" from my
vocabulary when applied to myself and found that anything was possible
as long as you had the determination and desire to get it.

It's not the distance of the race you train for, but rather what you
encounter along the way. That's the journey. Don't let the season pass
by without experiencing it. Every meter, every mile and every minute
counts. Get out there and do it.

Ironman CDA here I Come

2007-06-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

Craziness. I need to pack and hop on a plan to get to CDA. I can't believe that I am racing yet again for another Ironman. As much as I love this distance (and training with such wonderful people) I realize what a time sucker this training is. A whole year has passed by since IMUSA. Check out Alisa's post on "you know you've been training with tem Z too long if..." (http://alisarhee.blogspot.com/2007/06/you-know-youve-been-training-w-team-z.html). Yup.

My Wedding Dress and Location!!!!

2007-06-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Although it doesn't have to do with triathlon or Ironman, I thought I'd post up some pix of my dress and the house I am getting married at. It's pretty bad when you have to schedule your wedding 3 years out between an Ironman, an Oly, the MD Bar, graduating Law school and a Clerkship yet you don't start planning for it until 2 months prior to it. No matter how simple and small you try to make a wedding, it some how consumes you more than Ironman. Oh yeah, that's right, I have an Ironman in a week and a half. WTF?

Kinectic Half Photos I Forgot to Post

2007-06-06T05:18:00.000-07:00

Celebrity Crossovers

2007-05-31T15:43:00.001-07:00

Dunkin Diet

2007-05-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight I discovered Cold Stone Creamery. I think I am going to stop talking now and just post pictures. To the right is a picture of out Ironman CDA team the night Tracey hosted a great IM team gathering. Somehow I found her place in Arlington and I also found my way to the team happy hour. Arlington is a very scary place.

The next photo is og my future mom-in-law and my sweet heart Invisible Noah at his graduation. If you asked me now if I did the right thing by skipping Columbia to watch him walk, I did. I am so proud of him and everything he has accomplished. I love him.

This third photo is of my good friend Shawn who completed his first triathlon last Sunday (Reston Sprint). Since it was right up the street I was able to catch him start the race and I saw so him begin the bike. I am proud of him too. Watching him put a lot of this training in perspective and reminded me of how far I have come. ..okay maybe I haven't gotten too far but it was very inspiring to see how excited he was about this event and to see how nervous about swimming 400 meters straight :) Almost every swim practice I still think about how I would swim 25 meters and latch on to the wall back in the days of team in training.

Kinetic Half Pictures

2007-05-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh Dunkin Donuts right before an 8:00 a.m. race.

Kinetic Half Ironman, April 21, 2007

2007-04-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Okay so here is my story. The Kinetic Half.
Pam came out to Reston in true Pam fashion – late from bypassing Reston and going to Manassas and loaded with lots of luggage. Gotta love her! When we finally got to Lake Anna we both decided to tough it up and test the waters that everyone had been fearing. BRRRRRR. 53 degrees is REALLY cold. I swam around for a good 30 or 40 minutes and realized I couldn't find the shoreline which was like 10 feet in front of me. Yes, I ditzed out more than my usual self and was starting to suffer from hypothermia. Pam and I headed to the Fishermen's Inn for the evening while I battled out the idea of how I might be able to pull the swim off. Oh - and yes, we roomed with Bubba Joe, Billy Bob Bass Man , Catfish Catching Charlie and a hand full of bed bugs.

RACE DAY! I felt others' choices to swim as a huge pressure, but after a much needed confirmation from Pam and * invisible * Noah via cell phone (which what the F - I only got reception at the water!?), I knew that I was making the right choice to opt for the run bike run. I was sad, but really, hypothermia was not really something that was in my race plan. As I made my way up the hill to meet the other Duathletes, to my surprise, there were many of us. I was absolutely comforted to be with EB and see another vet, Tracey. Both had made the choice with confidence. Maybe I am just boosting my ego, but in a sport where everyone always has to one-up each other, I feel it took major chutzpa to do that swim, but even more not to.

5K - I hate running. But this was actually REALLY fun. A bunch of us stuck together and started realizing how nice it was to actually be able to talk for the first leg of the race. There were definitely some pluses to doing this run, like cheering on the first people out of the water, scoping out the set up of the aide stations first, we got acclimated to the weather fast, we didn't have numb limbs, and so on. What I now know was bad was that I was WAY too warmed up. I was in upper Z2 for the 5K and that was the last I saw of that.

BIKE - 2 loops, 56 miles and no potties. Heart rate...yikes Z4 the ENTIRE WAY. The sun decided to shine, making things hot and tough. I think I just got too comfortable this season with the cold, wind, rain and blizzards that my heart could not handle sun and 60 degree weather. I played leapfrog with a few of my girls including Trusty Linda and EB. Poor EB - some crazy lady almost turned her into roadkill at a bottle drop - honking, yelling and tailgating EB for "littering". Luckily the course was armed with tons of FBI guys in suits - I couldn't tell if they were fans of all of the new secret service Team Zers or if maybe they were with for Mayor Fenty.

RUN: Yeah. Can you say Zone 4+++?? How about a shout out for Zones 5a and 5b!!! I saw Angel EB about mile 3 and luckily caught her...well I think she actually waited fro my fat ass. Thank you EBs, this angel bonked long ago. You truely are an Angel. For the first time I went back down in zone 2 while under the watchful eye of EB. We cruised through all of the water stops, EBs making sure I stayed hydrated while I searched for lip gloss. No, gel does not make good lip gloss. The Team volunteers were awesome - It's amazing how many were out there in the draining sun and I can not believe all of the Sprinters that were out there Saturday sacrificing their rest. Shout out to all the newbies, Marlene, Jenn, Nick, Anouk, Keri, CJ, Tom and on and on. As the run went on, I got more and more drained. Had I been alone I am sure I would have walked back slowly. With about 3 or 4 miles left, EB and I met back up with Marlene and we headed to the finish line for what I think has to go down as my favorite finish next to Miamiaman. I was absolutely drained and hyperventilating (mostly because I wanted to cry and tears couldn't come out). Marlene ran us in to the finish with pirate gear, sword in hand, her keen shoes and bad a$$ stereo in a shopping bag. We sang out way to the finish!! Yeah!! Beautiful Day, Extraordinary Machine, Walking after Midnight, Groove is in the heart!!! YEAH! Dan got some pix and I am dying to see them. I don't think I can describe how happy I was about that finish.

I snapped a couple of photos each day. Note my fav- the one with my watch and a cup o' DD coffee. Note: The race started at 8.

http://picasaweb.google.com/helen.honeywell/KinticHalfAndSprint0421And04222007?authkey=b576nW1itJg

The "90" Mile Bike Ride Recap

2007-04-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

From an email I sent to the Angels:
Where do I begin? Saturday Ed made us run 4 times around the treacherous Burke lake which was covered is snow. It was pretty, but cold and I think running in circles makes you go a little batty. It was there that I discovered our very own Trusty Mark can not be trusted. Nonetheless, in true Ed fashion we had back to back meetings and clinics that we all re-routed last minute. God knows how or why, but I drive around Burke for an hour lost (I swear someone moved PRR) only to catch the tail end of one clinic and then I was off to search out another longwinded Team Z meeting regarding the magazine. I think I got home at 4, bitched and moaned to Noah for an hour and then passed out o the couch. I missed our Angel Jessica’s party (and I feel like crap about it, but somehow I think she might know what Ironman training does to you and may forgive me). After sending EB secret notes via text messaging, we decided to meet as late as possible at a top secret located to carpool for Sunday’s ride. I arrived fashionably late and yet we still managed to arrive to ride early. EB’s truck doubles as a beauty parlor and dressing room if you all didn’t know that already. It took guts to get out and start that ride. We were dissed right off the bat by trusty Mark, and from our discovery the day before, I think he should be renamed Malicious Mark. Exiting that park was painful, as Susan through at us with hill after hill and I am sorry, but what the hell – I was in my last granny ring and standing up like lance Armstrong trying to make it our alive. Team Z soon spread out as the carnage was left behind (Alisa, EB and me) but we were all soon reunited as everyone came to a screaming halt at the bottom of some 5 miles screaming gravel road decent. It WAS A FREAKING RIVER. Okay maybe it was just a big creek, but SUSAN!!!!!! Come on!! One by one the team struggled to get across and one Dyer brother actually attempted to ride across but fell over. I think he may have frozen to death because he was never sited again. Soon after that the mini angel trio were playing naughty guessing games and we were led in to victory by Brian Hain as we sang “This is the ride that never ends”. We didn’t like thinking of him as the sag-mobile, but more like the vehicle pulling in us top three female finishers at a race. That was the 30 mile loop. When we headed out for the next expedition, there were some new routes that had to be given to us verbally so we could avoid Susan’s river of death again. When we got to each location we were handed new cue sheets or verbal directions and I began to think we were not on Team Z but the Amazing Race. At about mile 40, EB decided she couldn’t bear to ride in the 20 mph wind gusts and mountains (or were they walls?) and wanted to hitch a ride with the Easter Bunny Matt Wolf - he sagged this ride complete with Jelly beans and Godiva chocolates and it is a good thing. As EB announced she wasn’t continuing on, Alisa broke down. Truly we should reenact this for you all live, but as Alisa was crying her heart out and EB and I consoled her, EB says “is it the training? Is it the guy? Is it the ride? Oh Alisa what it is?” Matt confesses to us the obvious- he’s a guy, he scared, doesn’t know what is happening and doesn’t know what to do. “It’s EVERYTHING!!! It’s the guy. It’s the training…and…and ….tomorrow’s Monday!!!!” – Matt comes back “I don’t. What about a peep???” It put a smile on everyone’s face and we all threw out our nutrition and food and mashed extra Peeps to our bike frames for the ride. That was classic. Around that time Susan drops off Joanna with us and explains that Joanna was forced to come back again through that river from the previous ride. Joanna was shivering and soaking wet – she said it was from the sweat, but I think it was from the river. We were lucky to have her and we collected 4^th rider, Carol Camel (“she doesn’t drink, she doesn’t pee” – that her tag line). In pure angel fashion though we made frequent pee stops and made sure she drank up. The 4 of us found ourselves being chased by a rotweiler at some point and it bite my leg and chewed off Alisa’s shoe. Okay, maybe not, but it came close. Joanna and Carol were simultaneously being chased by the owner, who exclaimed “don’t STOP! HE’LL HURT YOU!!!” – or so we all though we heard so we kicked it up zone 10 and got the hell out of there. It took us a little bit to recover from that and at the next point we saw Matt we were scolded for our bike etiquette. I almost clobbered him but decided we needed to keep him on our side as he had the peeps and Godiva. We were informed around mile 50 or so that most all teammates were dropping like flies and being picked up due to the hills, wind and cold, but we made the decision to carry on and finish this ride. Ed even caught us at one point to tell us at mile 66 we would be given a secret cue she that would magically transport us back to the cars 10 miles away. When we got to “mile 66” – it was more like mile 73 thanks to all the rerouting. Carol Camel decided that mile 73 was good enough for her OLY schedule training (she rocked!!!) and she and EB decided to lead the remaining crazies in the beauty parlor vehicle for the last 10 miles. I think I cried the entire way back in – if you couldn’t tell. The song “Are you strong enough to climb up this hill” broke me. When we came in I was greeted with a big hug from Susan, who I tried to strangle, but decided not in public. Roadkill side note – this ride had NOTHING. It wasn’t until the last 5 miles I think that I saw the rib cage of a deer. Who know though – it could have been the other Dyer brother.

This ride was hard. I should not compare it, but to give you an idea – the conditions were worse than that Gainesville ride a few weeks ago and it felt much more physically demanding than SkyMass. I can’t believe we did it. When I got home at 7:30 p.m., Noah ran out and bought me ice cream ;) YEaaaaaaaaaa.

Cuz I Eats Me Spinach

2007-04-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

A better look for me? Thanks a lot Larn!!!!

Withdrawing from Columbia

2007-03-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

I've never had to withdraw myself from a race, but found myself faced with a dilemma last night. While walking the puppies, Noah reminded me that his graduation was coming up and we might have family in town for that. When he told me which weekend that was going to be, the first thing I thought was "well that is not going to work to have people over because I have a race that Sunday and need to sleep...". Oops. Turns out his graduation is on the same day as Columbia. I plotted out possible schemes, one involved me showing up in my spandex in the nick of time to see Noah get his Law School diploma (what is it that they get anyway???). When it came down to it, I just could not make it work with out people stressing (me included), so I decided to withdraw last night (turns out that this was the deadline to get any amount of $ back). -It kind of sucks because even though I do not care for short distance races, I needed that race for the mental preparation. Currently the only triathlon I have prior to IMCDA is Lake Anna in a couple of weeks. Bahhhhh humbug.

Warning: Do not send head shots

2007-03-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Alter egos of Doug and Jess or too much time on my hands? In any case, never send your head shots to me.

Little G

2007-03-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Goggie should audition for America's Next Top Model. I'm too tired and drained to post anything today except for this fabulous photo of my pup. I'm in a recovery week from my training, but as the week has dragged on, I have just gotten more and more worn down. I want to go in to a long slumber. zzzzzzzzzz.

Covered Bridges Ride, Frederick MD

2007-03-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we did the Three Covered Bridges ride. Below are some highlights from the "new Angels" about the ride.

While I am definitely not the race report writer like Jessica or Marlene, I did want to note that it was an AWESOME DAY!

Some of the highlights included:

- The naming of Marlene, Suzanne and Alisa’s new rides (Zorra the Explorer, Quiet Riot and Pomadora)

- Hearing about EB's Thailand adventures! I still can’t believe she only arrived back the day before. What a rock star for starting her ride at “11 p.m.”!!!!!!!

- Roger Trusty Mark….could this be out missing Bosely????

- Jerry dubbing the Angels the Victoria’s Secret Angels.

- Jerry peeing on a tombstone (which turned out to be a porto-john next to the church)

- Pam kicking everyone’s butt

- Rocking out to def leopard with Jess.

- Discovering that Jessica sometimes goes to business meeting toothless.

- My attractive new farmers tan.

- Finding an Opossum in Opossumtown (“oh won’t you take me to…”)

Angels 2008

2007-03-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Ironman 2008 decision time is here. Maybe I am crazy, but I know I am ready to sign up again for my third Ironman. I originally signed up for CDA last year (happening this June) because I was not sure if Angels 2008 was really going to happen. Part of me wanted to complete another Ironman (or 2...) before really settling down. After some email gossip (and a head shot of our leader Chuckus of course) it looks like we are all almost with the addition of SAJ's BF (and possible Bosely), Doug. Now it's a matter of picking a race. I'm very excited. Training with them was a blast and the distance didn't phase me until the 120-miler bike + 20-mile run weekend. Unfortunately now with the 2007 CDA I have already hit all-time-low-I-need-to-cry-all-the-way-home-from-this-60-mile-bike-ride moments. Ok so those were plagued with bad weather. But in any case, it is a different beast this year and I truly look forward to what Angels 2008 will bring.

My Gunther and Goggie

2007-03-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

These are my beautiful rescue dogs, Goggie and Gunther.

Lake Placid Training Trip - Memorial Day Weekend 2006

2007-03-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

My Angels. Thank you for making Ironman USA so memorable for me. Siri, Alex (aka chukus) Jess and EB. The other picture is of me and Jennifer. That is where I would put my m-dot tattoo is I had the guts to do it. Ok, maybe it is a bit masculine. Never mind. One day though, if I can work it into my schedule I wouldn't mind the m-dot tattoo. I'm such a jock.

Miami Man Race Report from November 2005

2007-03-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

An oldie but good. I need more verbage on this page, so I may as well add some old race reports. This one was a huge deal for me.

I think the alarm must have gone off at 3:30 am, but it was probably 3:50 by the time Siri, Sandra, Erica or myself decided to budge. My nerves were full of excitement and I had no idea what the day had in store for me. One thing was for sure- I was ready to face it.
On the caravan over to Larry and Penny Park, we body-marked each other with the markers they threw in our race packets (ghetto). Mead, Jill, Siri and Schlegel teased me for noticing the wind. Crap…wind. Lots of it. The area we are cycling in today is pretty wide open and I am already wishing there were hills instead of wind. You can't predict the wind. I set up transition and I am loving it - I am surrounded by Team Z. I'm getting too familiar with the bathrooms as the race start isnearing. Errrr my stomach is killing me today. The walk over to the swim is long and full of little pieces of glass. I decided to walk back with Sandra to pick up a pair socks to use when I run to T1 and also to get buttered up so I can squeeze into that damn wetsuit. My biggest pain is going to be this wetsuit; I get serious muscle fatigue in it. Back at the swim start I have 10 minutes and 10 teammates stuffing my butt into that wetsuit. 7:15 and I can feel my heart racing. We give our last hugs and wish each other a fun day. I'm next to Jenn, my running and biking buddy. "See you in T1! And on the course!" 7:20 comes and goes. The swim in the crystal clear water is 2 loops. After my first loop I am thrilled to see Betsy, Brian and Ed. My left bicep is dead. I swear I should just cut these sleeves off. After the 2nd loop, I pop out of the water and Ed high fives me and asked about the suit. Damn the suit. Betsey hollers to me that I look strong. I give them the peace sign and I am off to T1. In transition I am greeted by a wetsuit stripper - unbelievable. I am not sure if this is legal, but hey, the penalty I could receive would be equivalent to how long it would take me to take the wetsuit off by myself anyway, so what the hell. I'm gearing up and I see Sandra who then takes off with me. It is always so thrilling to run into your Team. I run out past the bike mount and had to be reminded to mount the damn thing. Believe it or not I am excited to see the scenery. We are warned about the intersections close to the park and almost had to stop due to traffic at 127 Ave. and 216 Street. As the miles go on past that intersection, FL becomes more and more dusty, desolate, flat and windy. At about 8.5 miles in (on 167 Ave.) a cop at an intersection shouts to us to watch for tacks on the road. Huh? Did he say tacks? I recalled a triCat once telling me about a race where he had encountered a section where someone had intentionally placed tacks on a race course. As I am pondering I notice bikers down. Flats! Oh crap!!! *****A large patch of shiny tacks*****I swerve to miss it, only to strike another patch, catching five in my tire. Tic tic tic tatic tatic tic tic tic ta-tic ta-tic. The entire past YEAR flashes before my eyes. All I can think is why me? Why now? I spot another biker with a flat and pull over near him. There is no space to change this thing and I am pressed against a guardrail. I don't want to be in the other racer's ways. "Gawwwd That must suck" one passing biker had to point out to me. I am composed. I can't waste any time, but still I can't help but wonder why would someone intentionally do this? Maybe it was competitors? FOCUS HELEN.
There isn't time to ponder and cry about it. I knew this was going to be a long day and 15 or 20 minutes wasn't going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. So I plucked out the 5 tacks and began changing the flat. I haven't flatted in a long time, so my tubes that were in my bag were "old"…they seem to have melted or something because at this moment I can't blow air into the fresh tube. This isn't happening. I decide to proceed, placing the tube in the tire anyhow and just pray for no twists. In the time I had been there, Sandra, Siri and Justin had passed me - pumped me up to know they were so close - and I wasted no time warning them about the tacks. The clock was ticking and the tube wouldn't go in twist-free. Moments later after my umpteenth try a cyclist yells to me "he's coming…he'll be here in a minute". Who? When all of a sudden I see this pickup truck practically do a 180 (aka Siri u-turn). It was a bike mechanic! I admit I cried when I saw him. Up until he arrived, I figured that I wasn't going to get my tire inflated. What took me 20 minutes took this guy maybe a minute to get me back up and running.
After the dude gave me a push and I was on the road again, I had a chance to witness all of the casualties of the tacks. I yelled to them like the other riders had yelled to me that "He is coming". It is only minutes later when…tic tic tic tic tic tic…. You've got to be kidding me! I try to ignore that annoying ticking and hope maybe it is just in my head, but it's not. I turn the corner onto 264 Street before I realize I have gone completely flat and can hardly move. Damn. I must backtrack and walk my bike back 1/8 mile to the corner since I don't quite know where I am on the course and I don't want the dude to miss me if he comes back. I know I need help, cause this tube won't inflate w/o a bike pump. I meet up with another flatter who simply needed CO2. I offer mine, but he refuses to take it…like he figured since I was on my second flat I was bound for more trouble. A new bike mechanic shows up and we are free wheelin' in no time.
Moving again, I couldn't help the mix of emotions and thoughts running through my mind. Why would someone do this? This sucks…my bike time is going to be permanently recorded forever as sucky. Anyone who ever looks at the race results will think I was a lousy rider. They'll never see that I lost 30 minutes to 2 flats. FOCUS. I had to stop the negative thoughts and get my game face on. It was all happening for a reason I decided…I had to find the good in al that was happening. Like taking 5 tacks so others didn't have to. I told myself that stopping gave me a moment to get my heart rate down. I was now pulling deep from within myself to stay on track and couldn't help but think of the pep talk Erica gave me at Dewey (Thank you, twin!). I was determined to finish and rock this thing like you helped me to do at Dewey.
Ahhh the aid station. I have been longing for you…cold water and food, but I don't want to completely stop until my second loop time around. I think I hear Betsey and Dena cheering. Woo -hoo I cheer to them! In the meantime the bottle toss volunteers miss me and I receive no water.
I'm almost done with my fist loop and at 202 Ave. and…tic tic tic tic tic tic tic tic tic tic.......
Ok, now I am so far past the tears and feeling bad for myself at this point. No one is going to f-ing believe this. I tell myself that now I have a cadence meter that I can listen to as I read my MPH and distance…how cool, right?? I was out of tubes and hadn't seen support in awhile, and at this point I had learned that I can probably get a mile or two out of the tube if I don't remove the tack, so
that is what I am going to attempt. As the air slowly seeps, I hear a familiar voice behind me, "YEAH! Go TNT! GO HELEN!". It was Jim Raurer. What a comfort to hear his voice. I explain that I am riding on my third flat, I'm empty handed and need a tube. Jim impressively pulled out this only tube w/o stopping and passed it off to me a million times better than any of those bottle toss kids at the aid station could have. I pulled over and in the blink of an eye, there was that first mechanic. "I can't believe it's you again" he says, "lets hope I don't see you again until the finish line". I snagged an extra tube for the road. And as it turned out it's lucky I did.
Once again I was heading toward the aid station. When I got there, I made a pit stop and then instead of heading in the direction of the
rest of the racers, I had to head back out to complete the second 15 mile loop. All of the race support and officers flag me down to tell me I was going the wrong way. Nope. I still had another loop. The way they focused in on getting my number made it dead clear that I was that last rider out there…and far behind the rest. As I am riding down the long, lonely stretch I wonder why I didn't just quit and ride back with those bikers who were finishing their second loop. I can see for miles that it is completely empty out there. I feel desserted. Geeze, quitting would be so much easier right now.
As I passed through each empty intersection, the police would call out to me, "Are you 848?!" Yup…that's me. And as I confirmed and
looked back to make sure each cop had heard me I would watch them pack up their cones and call it a day. It's a pretty low feeling, knowing you are in no way physically spent, but you are in fact the dead last person out there. I had to go back to my distractions
because making a race time was never a goal for me in this race and now was not the time to get caught up in where I would place.
Came back to 202 Ave. - the intersection I had picked up the tacks for flat #3. There are no cops there and a pickup truck is doing a rolling stop. I signal to them so I can have the right-if-way through, but they never stop rolling. I quickly swerved and hit a gravel patch w/ hidden tacks, scoring a 4th flat. Here I was w/ no support and no other bikers, completely alone and no one to turn to. Tic tic tic tic tic tic tic. And I only thought to myself BRING IT ON!
My clock is now ticking to the beat of this tack and the minutes to the bike cut off are nearing. I decided I couldn't stop even though I had a spare because the back tire change would definitely put me in after the bike cut off and I had a better chance of riding this thing in flat and making it. Crunch…my rim…rrrr…I know that'll be expensive.
I call out to cops at the following intersections, but was told they can't or won't call anyone for me. The aid station - completely cleaned up - duh, all cops clean up as soon as 848 passes by.
I was back on 264 when I noticed that the cops were now speeding ahead and collecting at the next intersection. My heart sunk and my eyes filled w/ tears. This was my lowest point as I was sure they we gathering to tell me I was not going to make the bike cut off. As I passed through, I realized they were only gathering block traffic for me as I approached busier intersections. It was maybe quarter to 12 and I had formed an entourage of cops behind me, including two motorcycles. One rode by my side to ask if I needed water or food. I say no. Debating whether or to tell him, I explained that I'd just gotten my 4th flat and was riding my rim. He tries to persuade me to pull over. I'm sorry, I'm not stopping unless you find my bike mechanic, and either way I am finishing this race even if I have to
carry this bike in to transition in pieces. I love this guy. He sees my determination and works with me to get the mechanic called out. I am riding on my rim moving 8 MPH against some wicked headwind when I spot an older woman, maybe in her 50's…AH! I am not
the only one out here! As I came up on her with my entourage I asked how she was and tell her about my flats. "Now I can appreciate that!" she says. I will see you in T2 I told her. I soon approached another biker, a young guy. My entourage drops back to trail them.
I am hammering away 12 miles on this flat when I hear insane honking behind me -. YOU AGAIN!!!?? The bike mechanic dude stops and fixes me up. Then the two motorcycle cops pull over to talk to me. I jump up and down as the two other "competitors" (as the motorcycle cops called them) pass by. "Don't let them close that run course -I am going to finishing this race!" "We know you will", the cops respond like proud papas.
As I take off, I cheer on the 2 riders as I pass them and now a third biker- "Show us how its done" they yell to me. The mechanic meets me at every intersection on 216 Street. I had no clue I was that close to T2, but then I noticed that swarms of cops had gathered to close down that first busy intersectional - all for me. I MADE IT!! But it is 12:20…what does that mean?! In the distance I see the orange cap, grey shirt, red bike….it's Ed…"Yo Zerkle!! I had 4 freaking flats!! I'm just coming in from my bike and I am starting my run NOW(?!)! Don't you let them close down this course! I am finishing this thing today and they are going to have to catch me if they want this chip back!"
After jumping out of T2, I meet up with Jim and Ed. Jim - Thank you for keeping me focused. My stomach hurt so bad at that point and you helped me keep my game face on. Ed - I'm really at a loss for words. You were totally in my shoes at that moment. Only a simple 13 mile run I thought as I took off with Jim. I was minutes in to the run when I encountered the Official on the red Trek,
He warned me about the 2:30 p.m. first gate cut off. I must have reminded him and every water stop a hundred times that I was only on my first loop. Please leave out 2 cups of water if you have to close down.
It felt like only minutes before I was running down that lonely canal and noticed Ed, Brian and Terry. This was this first time I could eat anything (oranges). "7 or 8 miles left and I am a half ironman"!! On the second loop - I made the 2:30 first gate cut off at 2:10 and met up with a man from Ecuador (on his 3rd half IM). He was so inspiring and wouldn't let me stop moving. "You will never forget how you feel when you cross that line." "I'm not gonna let you walk, you are going to be first across that line." The man on Trek comes around again. "I've got good news and bad news. Good news: you aren't last anymore. Bad news is, you got to make that 4 pm cut off at the second gate". Dude - I'm climbing that thing if you lock it. Watch me. I've got a few miles left and I spot many of you like Siri, Jess and her monkey hat, and Durst on that out and back. Back at
the lonely canal, my running buddy and I spot half of the team - you all totally knock me over with emotions. I can smell the finish line.
That last 1/4 mile lasted so much longer than that bike ride….
My buddy from Ecuador was right. I will never forget the way I felt when I crossed that finish line. I completely lost it and could not stop hysterically crying and hyperventilating. It was the most beautiful feeling ever.
So much happened to me that day emotionally, physically, mentally...you name it...and I all I can really say is I would NEVER trade it or wish for it to have happened any other way. I would not trade it for a chance to have placed higher. Not even first place. Not even for a slot in Kona. I wouldn't have had that day any other way. What should have been the worst race ever was the absolutely the BEST FREAKIN' RACE EVER for me!!!!!! Ed - Thank you!!! Thank you to my Team. To be honest, knowing you all were there waiting for me is
what got me through. Words just can't explain what I felt knowing you all were there.
One more thing…Norman Stadler - bring it on!

Memories from Taining for Lake Placid 2006

2007-03-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

I think I am going to start posting photos in hopes of being inspired to use this site more often. This is a picture of Jenn and I during a Bike Packing Clinic prior to Miami Man. Maybe I will post that report so I have more verbage up here.

The second photo is from Snake Head Road in Gainsville, VA where Casey, Jenn and I decided to be explorers and follow a route that our bike captian, Susan had put together. We were a little behind the first group and didn't realize that they had turned around and taken a new route. We decided to venture on, thinking a mile or so of gravel wasn't going to be bad....we learned the hard way. Even though the route was hard and more for mountain biking, it was REALLY beautiful and I would trade it. By the way I am giving the thumbs down in the picture.

Ironman CDA Swim Start

2007-03-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

105 Days Out From My Second Ironman

2007-03-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

So why do I feel like a fat ass?