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Irongeezelle™
November 2008
A monthly webzine for smart, savvy women
who live an active, healthy lifestyle!
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In Their Own Words
"The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have." - John D. Rockefeller III
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(Debbie Goodwin, Stephanie Buettner, and Marcella Jackson)
The Tahoe Midnight Express
by Stephanie Büttner
The Lake Tahoe Ultra, a 72 mile run, undulates over beautiful terrain, up hill and dale. Despite the distance and the agony of the feet, it was never boring. If I had doubts about finishing, I just had to look around, how amazing nature is and how we are able to draw from that beauty. It still makes me smile and I have memories I will never forget. As indicated by the name of the race, the Tahoe Midnight Express 72 mile Ultra, commenced at the stroke of midnight. It was perfect running weather. The sky was illuminated with Mother Nature’s twinkling lights, thousands of bright stars. We were around twenty runners, some of whom were doing the Super Triple (2 marathons + 72 miles), and some ,like myself, "just" the 72 miler. Surprisingly, I was not even nervous. I just knew that I would go as far as I could and then a bit more. Whatever the outcome would be, I would be fine with it. As training had not gone as planned, and a 2 month injury break had prevented me from doing more long runs, in fact only one 30 miler, two runs over 22 miles and the rest all under, I had no idea how far I would be able to go. But enough of that, back to the start: Most of the runners went out like they were here for a 10 K –zooooooom. And I found myself in the back after just a few minutes with just three runners behind me. So it was "alone time.” Luckily, my running buddy was part of my crew, so she joined me. I felt good; the night was cool and perfect for running. I had my sustenance: My amino drink, 1 GU and “S caps” every hour. This with my pacing plan worked and I actually passed two runners. Wohoo! After 25 miles, I was 15 minutes ahead of my schedule. “Oh boy,” I thought I have made a beginner’s mistake in going out too fast!!” Maybe it had been that Ensure at mile 24 that had made me faster. Go figure! But I settled back down, and after passing 37.5 miles, a turkey sandwich later, I was 5 minutes behind. “Here we go,” I though, but then I realized that this is the longest time and distance I had ever run. “Cool – way cool!” My pace did slow down some more; I did take another Ensure, as nothing else sounded good. At mile 50, we were supposed to be met by the race director to announce our 50 miler time. The cut off was high noon. I looked forward to seeing "real" people and to hear my name; I picked up the pace a bit.
But...arghhhhhh, race management had all left. They had packed up an hour too soon at 11 am, and so, besides my crew, nobody was at the 50 miler mark (except my crew) when I arrived at 11:44 am. Man, I was bummed.
My crew tried to reassure me and lift my spirits. They told me that just 30 minutes earlier three other runners had came through, expecting the same, but they were met with the same nothing as I. Obviously, they were bummed, too. That whole incident rattled my spirit. I had been motivated by something that now was not happening. Mentally, I felt like a kick in the rear. While I switched my running gear at this point, I should have switched my shoes and socks too. My left foot already had blisters, but somehow I did not care at that point. Somewhat downtrodden, I took a long time to get back on the road. I was tired. I knew that physically I had already given my all. from now, I had to run with my heart. And yes, I was already “waayyyy” behind my running schedule, but I wanted to finish no matter what. My pace slowed down. I did more walking than anything else. Then I spied another runner. That gave me some hope and I got faster. I even passed him. Wohooo! Until mile 57, I was able to jog a bit, then walk, but then I hit a point where my brain said "ok, let’s run a bit again," but my legs did not follow my order. The mind was willing, but the body was not. Weird! I started laughing and continued to walk. I also lost all my appetite, Gu and the electro drink was too sweet, Ensure was ok. I downed another turkey sandwich. Wohooo! Not! By mile 60, I was not hungry and the blisters on my left foot were getting bigger and bigger. “Funny, why were there no blisters on the right, too?” I pondered wearily. So my pace slowed down even more and my running buddy changed to my walking/crawling buddy!! I have no idea how I covered the last 12 miles; I just kept walking-squishy sounds from my L foot let me know that the blisters were like volcanoes. The pain kept me sharply "awake” and so I walked with my "noise" – the popping of my blisters. The final portion was two hills and then a steep downhill route. The second hill is called the “Hill from Hell.” I like uphills though and I enjoyed ( ok, maybe not enjoyed at this point) that part. I felt the blisters and slowed down more. (Don’t ask me why I did not stop to change the shoes or tape!!). The road was not very wide and we walked along a small shoulder. There was no fence, no nothing. One wrong step here and it it would have been down for a long good-bye. As you might imagine, it was not very easy to walk a straight line after 70 miles, I just kept my eyes focused on the white line. Follow the line was my mantra. I did not want to cast off into the great beyond. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my right pinkie toe. I thought, “Ok, I lost my toenail. No biggy!” But each step became excruciating. So we stopped. Deb, one of my crew, took my shoe off and said, “Don’t look, march on!” Now every step, every yard, every mile felt like forever my Garmin numbers did not seem to change. It was getting cold again as the sun was setting. As ishivered, tears were rolling down my face. I was no longer sure about my feelings. I just kept walking like a zombie! Finally, the last mile...one more mile...just one more mile. And then...it was over. 72 miles! Wohooo! 19:32 hours! I did not care about the time. I was elated to have finished 72 miles, albeit slowly, very slowly, but I had finished, while seven of the starters had not. What an amazing experience....something I cannot put into words. I know I have to work on my walking pace and my downhill technique. I also have to find a solution for my blister problem. Oh yeah...and chafing is a whole new topic, you won’t believe; there are places you ...oh, never mind. Funny thing is that I was not even sore, at least I did not feel a thing. My crew brought me back to the hotel (yes, I was kind of out of it). We ordered pizza (the best pizza I have ever eaten). They took care of my feet; I took a shower, nothing was really hurting. I expected "hell" the next morning, but, no. Nothing! Well, not much at least: my right hip was a bit sore, but the most painful issue were the blisters. Maybe my pace was soooo slow that that prevented the usual soreness I feel after a marathon. And now, after my 72 mile odyssey, I felt nothing in comparison. Go figure! So we all went downtown, walked through the stores, ended up at the casino, lost some money and ate at the "all you can eat" buffet. I never imagined that I would walk the next day (after completing 72 miles) let alome stay out until midnight playing! Another Midnight Express! Wohoo!
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(Jan and Tim at the Grand Canyon)
Trifecta Time À Deux By Jan Shaw
Tim and I have made it through our three weeks of "You've got to be kidding me, we are doing what?”
First, we participated in the Olympic distance for Nathan's, our first non-sprint. It was tough, but the event was perfect for us: a long, non-wetsuit swim. Therefore, I was happy with my race, especially the swim. This was certainly the best Tempe Town Lake swim I have had. Tim, too, was happy until he hit the run. I don't know, if it was the heat or hydration/nutritional thing, but he had no energy and ended up walking quite a bit. We both finished though.
The following weekend was our rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike. I love to do this. The weather was perfect - a bit overcast and a slight breeze which kept the temperature moderate at the top and the bottom.
We had a great time, although Tim's knee started giving him some trouble right before we reached the bottom. But again, we made it through together.
On the third weekend, the last event of our trilogy was Tour de Scottsdale. Not only had we never ridden beyond 55 miles, but we aren't used to hills. What were we thinking? It was a lot of fun and a gorgeous ride. Our goal was to finish: we hit three of the rest stops and had another break as Tim had a flat -- oh, darn. But again, despite a torn meniscus, Tim and I rolled in together.
But wait, there will be more: We will be doing the Quarterman together, but Tim will only be duing (pun) part of the tri -- running isn't much of an option until he gets it fixed.
Editor’s Update: Tim did the triathlon at the Soma Quarterman and, as always, they both finished.
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Profile: The Irongeezelle of the Month
(Ten Questions with Apologies to Proust and Vanity Fair) WHO ARE YOU? WHO? WHO? Elisabeth Lawaczeck and that’s who we really want to know...you! 1. What three adjectives describe you?
Adventurous, hard working and nature-loving.
2. What is your motto?
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life."
3. What has been your greatest athletic accomplishment?
Finishing my first Ironman in less than 11 hours- tied with winning my age group at the Wildflower Half Ironman in 2000.
4. What has been your greatest challenge?
Working through crisis in marriage. 5. Who are your role models?
My father, mother, and sisters. They are always giving of themselves to their family and others. My colleague at work Craig Levy is the greatest to work with and a great role model as well.
6. Who is/are your training partners?
Tribe athletes on Tribe rides - always a fun and safe group. My friend Heidi, my husband Christian and our dog Misty.
7. What motivates you?
In athletics, my motivations to be active are to stay healthy, enjoying the outdoors, the endorphin addiction, bonding with friends during training and racing, exploring the outdoors, and the passion to enjoy life to the fullest.
In my profession as the State Public Health Veterinarian, I work long hours to use my talents and education to give back to society. We should all strive to make the world a better place. I wish my talents also were in the area of preserving nature, which I hope to contribute to by volunteering and donations later in life. In my personal life, I try hard to be respectful and caring to those in my life, another way to make life better for those in my life.
8. What is your greatest splurge?
Chocolate and race entry fees . . 9. What is your idea of bliss?
A full day of being active in the outdoors in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
10. What is your biggest unrealized dream?
Becoming a physical therapist in a small mountain town in Colorado and feeling connected to a community I love.
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Swiss Family Bivens: An Ironman Adventure
By Karin Bivens Rodger and I thought we planned things well as we booked a flight leaving a week before the race figuring we would arrive in time to do some training on the IM Switzerland course. The plans of mice and Ironmen. Due to weather delays, we finally arrived in Zurich a day late. Alas, our luggage did not. and waited for our luggage and bike boxes… At least we didn’t have to figure out our way around. Ah, the joy of air travel! We did check into our hotel and that was great. Our bike boxes arrived Wednesday, but our clothes had not yet arrived. We slept in the airline T-shirts and rinsed out underwear and wore the same thing for 3 days! By Thursday, we had our bikes together and our clothes – bonus! Finally by Friday morning, we were able to take a bike ride on part of the course… the shorter loop that had the steepest hill known as Heartbreak Hill. Endurance Sports Travel had arranged a bike guide named Richard for the group. He led us through the busy streets of Zurich out past Lake Zurich where the race start and finish were, and out to Heartbreak Hill. It was grunt work. Then there was the treacherous downhill section that included a “no-passing, no-aerobars” zone! In the afternoon we went for a swim in crystal clear 70 degree Lake Zuerich. That afternoon there was a bus tour of the longer loop of the bike course. Had our bikes arrived earlier in the week, we could have biked that segment. It is very scenic with rolling green farmland, cattle, farmhouses, and beautiful countryside. We noticed a couple of long hills that were sizeable, not quite as steep as Heartbreak Hill, but much longer. Plus, there was a winding downhill section with a 16% grade – another no-passing, no aerobars zone. That evening, during the pre-race dinner, there was a big thunderstorm during the Pre-Race Dinner… a sign of what was to come! The days leading up to the race were warm and sunny, but weather predictions for race day were not that great with rain and cooler temperatures predicted. On Saturday it was cloudy and by Saturday evening it began to drizzle. We had to turn in our bikes on Saturday evening in order of race #. Once we made it into the transition area to rack the bikes, we were given super plastic heavy-duty covers for our bikes. They were to come in handy as it poured during the night and was to continue most of race day! Race Day On Sunday morning, we took the group shuttle to transition. It was wet and already muddy! We kept our clothing and gear in plastic bags and stuck them under our plastic-covered bike, setting up our transition the best we could. After donning my wetsuit, I headed to the lake swim start area. Supposedly, women had a start off to the side if they chose to start there. Soon the gun went off and off we were. As the swim course had not been set up on the days prior to the race, I wasn’t exactly sure where the buoys were and with the crowd of athletes, rain coming down, and churning water, I really couldn’t see either. So, I just followed the crowd look. I got kicked quite a few times because there are a lot of breaststrokers at this European race. The swim consists of two loops including a swim around a small island where you have to maneuver under a little bridge with columns, then exit, go up a ramp, run across the island and down a ramp on the other side and back in the water for another loop. The island was hard to see, too, but I spotted the helicopter and knew I was going the right direction. It was congested going under the bridge to exit on one side of the island. There was a timing chip on the island so that they would know you crossed it. On the second loop, you exited on the mainland area and ran to transition.
There were changing areas but they were not at all conveniently located so most people just changed in the wet transition area. There were big plastic bike bags all over the place! Also, some athletes apparently had nothing under their wetsuits, and when they stripped down they were totally naked in transition. Obviously, in Europe nudity is not such a big deal like it is here! I put a knit top under my cycling jersey because normally once I get going, the cycling jersey and knit top are warm enough. This was not to be the case! Finally, I was out on the bike course. The first stretch of the bike course goes around the lake. This is a pretty flat and fast stretch before heading into the rolling countryside. With the rain coming down hard and the cold temperatures, it was pretty miserable out there. I wish I had windshield wipers on my sunglasses! Caution was called because the streetcar and railroad tracks were made even more dangerous in the rain. Once out in the countryside, it got colder and the rain continued pelting down. The course has some pretty tight turns and you really had to be careful. My husband actually crashed on one of the tight turns when someone swung wide and cut him off. Luckily, he had mostly road rash and was able to continue. I can’t say that I saw a lot of medical aide or SAG support out on the course. I even saw one fellow carrying his bent bicycle and walking up a hill in his bike shoes! The climbs were a real challenge especially in the rain, but actually it was the only time during the bike course that I was warm! At IM Switzerland, they do not hand out special needs bags as they do in other Ironman races I have done. You have to put together your own and also get your own bag. Luckily, our travel company, Endurance Sports Travel had volunteers that would hand out bags to us, but I almost missed them. I had packed a peanut butter and honey sandwich (typical for me during an Ironman) and it sure tasted good! I needed the food that day as I spent a lot of energy trying to keep warm. After some more hills, I got to the 16% downhill section. I had Valerie, my competitor, in sight at this point, but then I freaked going down that steep section as my brakes wouldn’t grab well. Apparently, Valerie is used to biking in the rain and she got way ahead of me. I just held on and kept going and was glad I made it to the bottom. Then, once back toward the lake area, the road was flatter again, although really wet. It was hard to see and the rain was flipping up off the back of the bikes.
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the bikes. Then around the lake and up toward Heartbreak Hill, the rain let up. I made it up the hill fine as cowbells were ringing and people were shouting, “Hopp, hopp, hopp!” Then it was back along the lake and off for another loop. Along this stretch of road, our son spotted me and cheered me on. What a lift! The second loop of the bike was equally challenging. I heard later that some people had dropped out of the race by this time. I guess the temptation of being so close to the finish area as we began the 2nd loop had made them decide to bail right there and then. I have to admit it was miserable out on the bike course, but I had come a long way to do this race and I wasn’t about to drop out! Besides, what would our son and daughter-in-law think! On the other side of the lake, I spotted Valerie just ahead of me and then she stopped?? Apparently, she went to throw something in the garbage, and while her gesture was nice, it was my opportunity to pass her. When I got to Heartbreak Hill the second time, I could read the monitor above the arch. It had my name and indicated that I was 2nd in the age group. That was exciting! I just hoped I could hold on. Finally, I was back at transition. My feet were soaked. Luckily I had dry socks in a plastic bag and I did put them on, but I didn’t take time to change anything else. I headed out on the four-loop run course. The course is fairly flat and goes along the lake for the most part, under the roadway through a tunnel, through a little park area with some dirt paths which were wet, onto some brick walkways, on some sidewalk and on pavement. After completing each loop, a colored band was placed around your wrist to keep track of your loops. Mentally, it was a tough run course. My legs were really getting tight, especially my ITB. The rain had stopped for awhile, but then it started up again. I felt like I had something in my shoe which turned out to be a huge blister! I kept going. The downhill sections really hurt my legs. Oh, no, not a downhill again. Ouch!... This was turning into a survival marathon. Whenever I would walk, crowds would yell, “Hopp, hopp, hopp!!” Until finally I exclaimed, I can’t “hopp” anymore! I saw Rodger out on the run course not too far ahead of me and try as I might I could not catch him. I think he was trying as hard as he could not to let me! (Nothing like a competition between husband and wife!).
Finally, I was on the last loop of what seemed like the never-ending marathon. By then it was dark, it was raining again, my legs were tight and I could feel the blisters on the bottom of my foot. I was so glad to be able to head down that Finish Chute and into the arms of our son Mark and his wife Trista. I was so glad to be done!
Well not quite, we still had to get our stuff. Luckily our son and his wife were there to help us sort through all the wet gear in the wet transition area. Plastic bags were all over the place, even shoes and wetsuits had been left behind! When we at last got to the hotel, we were exhausted, but then were buoyed up when we learned that Rodger had won his age group. Rodger was stunned! Apparently, he was the only one in his age group to finish! I, on the other hand, ended up 4th in mine. All the women in my age group finished! (Perhaps the women were tougher than the men!).
That brought us to the end of another Ironman day: We were glad to get to bed and happy to have completed this challenging event in a beautiful setting especially under very tough conditions. Hopp, hopp, hopp! IrongeezelleSays: “Hopp, Hopp, Hoop!” is a Germanic cheer of encouragement, not to be confused with a bunny hop.
Let us hear from you! email irongeezelle@msn.com
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