The Iron Shecky

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." -John Bingham Augusta 70.3 - Half Ironman Triathlon Date of Race: September 30, 2012 Total Race Time = 6h 49m 38s Overall Place = 2496/3335 Age Group = Female 30-34 Age Group Place = 139/198 Pre-race:   I left Atlanta first thing Saturday morning with my mom.  Along with 3 potty breaks, it took us about 3 hours to get there.  We headed straight to the host hotel for athlete check-in.  We walked into the lobby and I was immediately overwhelmed.  There were so many triathletes!  We walked up the stairs and somehow, I managed to arrive when there was no line, so I breezed right through check-in.  In any other race I have done, I see one person, pick up my stuff and head on my way.  Here I had someone to check my ID and USAT card, another to give me mywaivers.  One more to collect my waivers, another to give my my packet, and a last one to give me m...

It's 5:30 PM, on race day eve, and I am sitting at a crappy hotel with my mom relaxing as best as I can.  I thought I would take this time to share the goals I have set for myself for tomorrow's race. Main Goals The ultimate goal for this race is to have fun.  I have worked my ass off for the past 6 months and this is the celebration of all that hard work.  I want to finish the race strong and smiling. I don't want to think "if only I had trained just a little more...." Time Goals A Swim:20 minutes T1: 2 minutes Bike: 3:20 T2: 2 minutes Run: 2:30 Total: 6:15 Time Goals B Swim: 23 minutes T1: 2 minutes Bike: 3:30 T2: 2 minutes Run: 2:40 Total: 6:38 The A goals are a big stretch for me.  The pros do the swim really fast.  We swim with a current, so I am really having a lot of trouble judging just how fast this swim will be.  As I dropped my bike off today, I saw that there is a gigantic hill I have to run up as soo...

Sheryl's Total Training Miles for August 70.3 - through September 27 Bike 697.40 miles Swim 66,640 yds (37.8 miles) Run 209.40 miles This last week and a half has been interesting.  As the taper started, I felt like I was slacking off.  My workouts were shorter, with less mileage. The jewish holidays got in the way as well, so I took a few days completely off.  The best part about the end of my training is how great I feel.  I did it!  I trained for a Half Ironman!  Other than being ready for the race, a few added benefits: I dropped 3 to 4 pants sizes since May I have lost 13 pounds since April I have lost 2.5 inches from my waist and 2 inches from my hips since June I feel amazing, and I still to get eat carbs and dessert.  Its awesome! My running has been significantly improving since April, and once again, it has jumped.  Since I stopped checking my watch every 5 seconds to see how far I have gone and what my pace is, I have been r...

Sheryl's Total Training Miles - Updated through September 16 Bike 672.40 miles Swim 58,040 yds Run 195.40 miles   I have been so busy these last 3 weeks, I have not had a minute to sit down and write.  I promised I would check in more frequently, and I apologize.  This time has been filled with some great workouts that helped build my confidence as well as a PR 10K and an amazing sprint triathlon.   Labor Day weekend, I over did it a good bit by doing a 72 mile bike ride on Saturday, a 12 mile run on Sunday, and a 10K race on Monday. My legs told me it was way too much, so I backed off a little bit with the running the next week.   My shins were hurting terribly after the sprint triathlon, so I took the entire next week off from running to heal and I focused on swimming.  My 8 mile run a week later was amazing! My pace started off great and I finished the run fast and strong.   A few things to note: M...

Being surrounded by amazing triathletes every day makes it hard not to become addicted to this crazy sport!  As I prepare for my Half Ironman, a ridiculous feat in itself, many of my ATC friends are either preparing for their Full Ironman races or have just completed them. I have been toying with the idea of an Ironman for next year and I was planning on waiting until after Augusta to make the decision.  But..... after talking with teammates and reading race reports from Augusta, I knew I was in. (Lauren, yours was the just the push I needed.) Registration opened on Sunday, and first thing Monday morning, I was checking out the course and the registration process.  Tuesday morning, I went back to the Ironman site and went through the entire registration process.  I put in my credit card number and sat there for a few minutes staring at the "complete your purchase" button.  My hand was on the mouse, and I wasn't really sure what to do.  Eventually, ...

Sheryl's Total Training Miles - Updated through August 26 Bike 511.5 miles Swim 42,090 yds Run 151.41 miles I have been asked this week about my blog and why I haven't been writing.  The truth - I have been too busy training!  When I get home, I want to relax and go right to sleep.  I will do my best over these next 33 days (I can't believe its almost here) to keep you updated at least once a week. 8/6 Monday Night Swim  - 6 100s moderate pace, 6 100s negative split, 6 100s fast This swim felt amazing.  I was able to negative split on the middle 100s and then leave it all in the pool for the last 6. 8/7 Tuesday Night Run  - Easy run 3 miles; 11:57 pace Because my IT Band has been hurting and I have a race coming up, I didn't want to push too much. 8/8 Cycle at Silver Comet  - 3.57 miles; 15.4mph I tried to get some cycling in before my race, but a storm got in the way.  As soon as I heard the large clap of thunder, I...