Augusta 70.3 was all new. The venue was different than I’d ever experienced before. The swim start was far removed from transition, Cindy found me by the Grace of God, the finish was far removed from transition so any way you set it up there were issues for bike and gear recovery. We figured all that out and on to the races! It was a wet suit optional race for the first time in many years. I swam the down river 1.2 miles in my swim skin making the change a little easier for the bike, that is if one remembers to peel it completely off before applying the bike shoes, then one has to remove said shoes, take the swim skin completely off, then reapply the bike shoes. Not that that is what happened to me, but it could happen.

Off I went on the 56.6 mile bike ride. The course didn’t look that hilly from the car the day before the race, but the hills were long and relentless, and the heat of the day was building. Three bladder stops were frustrating, but the 9:12 AM start time for my swim wave raised havoc with coffee and fluid consumption from the morning. This was a start contrast to the Clermont, Great Floridian the next month where I rode a non-stop 37 mile ride in complete comfort. All in all not a bad Half Iron ride. By the time we were racking our bikes at Augusta for the run portion of the race, it was well into the 90’s already. Another 60-65’er arriving at transition same time I did told me, “I’m not going out there in this heat.” I congratulated him on his wisdom, and started running. Hmmmm. Well, I’m careful about maintaining a healthy heart rate when I run so…what’s this? No heart rate data??? Had to run by feel in what later was reported as a high of 97 while we were running. But it was a dry heat,” No one ever really believed.” Turns out it’s a quirky programming thing, because I had to run Clermont Great Floridian with the same issue.

Well, the run was good all things considered. I’d had a cortisone injection on Thursday before we left for the race. The L-4 and L-5 were no problem. My hip is another story. Still running at 185 pounds, and five years ago I was running these distances at 175#. There’s a message here for you Clark! At the 7 mile mark I needed to be “at the fire station” by something:30″ I was 2 minutes late. They took my timing chip. No way was I going to stop. I kept running. About the 9 mile mark an official asked me to run on the side walks if I was going to continue. I did. Instead of negotiating the loop the loop of the finish line, I ran to my bike. Well, walked and ran to my bike along with Cindy. I turned in a 70.3 effort, just no finishing bling to show for it. Those of you who know me also know there will be bling, I just make it myself! These races truly are about the journey, and the jouney continues.

On to Clermont GFT October 22, 2016. It was cold on Saturday morning. Good news for wet suits, bad news for the last wave start AGAIN. Thanks to Cindy and Maureen I was able to wrap up in towels and blankets to await the start. At least transition was traditional!! I almost drowned in the swim. Enough said. Breathed in a bunch of Lake Mineola water and couldn’t clear my lungs for a scary moment or minute or two. Managed a 33 minute swim. Less trauma in transition than at Augusta, they had army cots to lie down on and the wet suit peelers were awesome. Bike ride about 2:40 non-stop minutes. Up and over Sugar Loaf and the other challenging hills. Easy transition into the out-back, out-back, bow tie course that was pretty pleasant, nice breeze and plenty of shade, but once again no heart rate data showing on my screen. No matter, I was rolling out my 4 minute run/1 minute walk routine, and it worked like a charm. Finish, finisher medal, finisher shirt, lots of smiles photos, and God is good, all the time, season finale.

Lessons from this race and the season: Keep moving. It’s the message all along, right back to 2011 when I started this racing thing. There aren’t defeats, there are teachable moments. I learned to check my heart rate monitor. I learned if you are going to race in the hills you have to train in the hills. Injuries can happen. I’d been very healthy up to this 2016 season. I have a deeper appreciation for my friends who have struggled with injury. There is no off season. Strength and conditioning and some pre-hab, maybe, but no off season. Cross train. Get the kayak out. Eat smart. You can’t out-train poor nutrition.

2016 was going to be a great year. In January of 2016 Cindy and I were planning an active year of preaching, teaching, ministry and physical fitness. I ambitiously planned two 70.3 Half Ironman Races, One Full Ironman, and would close out the season in October 2016 with a new distance, 1/3 Ironman in Cleremont , Florida. That race is coming up a week from Saturday. The good news is I’m more ready than ever, but it wasn’t an easy year.

Ironman 70.3, Hanes City, Florida was the first on the race ticket. April 2016 was a warm one. However, the swim was wet suit legal, so the 1.2 mile swim was a treat. Mission accomplished. A good bike ride too, a non-stop event for me, that’s always good. I had enough nutrition and hydration on board to ride the full 56 miles non-stop. That was a good thing because, that saved some real time, and the run took a while. It was hot, my sciatic was troubling me in my hips, and I took my time enjoying the 13.1 mile run course, looping around three times was nice to see Cindy throughout the day.

Next up, Ironman Lake Placid, NY. The training plan for this race interestingly enough starts January 1. So, with Hanes City race in April, I finessed a half Iron Training program January 1 through April 2016. Then I jumped into the Lake Placid Plan, “In Progress!” It was working. I breezed through May 2016, building my long rides. Three and a half hours, then 4, then 4 1/2. I was on a 5 hour ride on June 10 when something none of us care to think about happened. My front tire blew out, and although I’d ridden my bike to a stop in this situation before, I was on the aero bars, and watched in horror as my front wheel slid out from under me as if on ice. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground in a heap. Like many of us, the first thing I wondered about was…”what shape is my bike in?!”

I was a little sore and banged up my face. Thank God for my helmet AND my sunglasses, of all things, saved me from a serious eye injury, I am convinced. I changed the flat, rode the 12 miles back to the car, and took emergency action…went directly to the bike shop to insure the bike was ok. Then I took a picture of my scraped up face to send to my brother CJ in Denver. It’s a club I did not look forward to joining, but now I’m in. Just call me “Crash.”

Well, I knew I hurt my ribs. They hurt. They hurt like I’ve been hurt before, so I self diagnosed “bruised ribs.” I kept exercising because it didn’t hurt to ride the stationary bike, I couldn’t swim for a month, and I missed about that long running. I kept my cardio up with the spinning, and didn’t really think I missed much. On a Tuesday morning Strider Run, Dr. Randy, one of the Physical Therapists that runs with our club said, “Clark, just go get an x-ray, just for some peace of mind.” Good advice. I took it. Broken rib. “Non-displaced” (I call that a double negative!!)

Long story short, I kept training, went on to Lake Placid, but ran out of time at mile 102 on the bike. I had a good day in the water, 2.4 mile swim a little over an hour and a half. I hot day for the Adirondacks on the bike, but I guess I underestimated how much training I had missed out on for that broken rib. It was ok, on to Augusta, Ga. for a 70.3 in September.

That’s enough for today’s blog. There’s more for another day.

I realized today that I had strayed from the path to less pain in my back. When I had first lost a bunch of weight, and was exercising regularly, my back felt a lot better. My ability to do those things was at a higher level. I could run faster, ride farther, and felt pretty darn good! Then I got a little overconfident. I thought I can leave the weight lifting aside, I’m getting plenty of exercise in the swimming, biking and running. Big mistake on two fronts. A person cannot out-train poor nutrition. I had let some unhealthy food choices back into my life. That’s the first BIG THING. The second BIG THING is dropping the functional core workouts with resistance from my routine. So, last week, and continuing on this week, I’m back in the YMCA gym. Weight training is more than just for muscles, it’s for endurance, strong bones, and it is a huge calorie burn. So I’m getting back into the routine of adding some exercises back into my routine.

Oh, and did you ever notice there are always THREE BIG THINGS. The Third BIG THING, is count it all gain. It’s not I had failed, I had just failed to keep training, and the third big thing is pick yourself up and get back into the active lifestyle that works. For me that means keeping a healthy weight, and that means a little weight training to go with my swim, bike, and run.

What’s your ACTIVE? What are your THREE BIG THINGS? See you in the gym.

Grace and Peace

Clark

Being the youngest of five daughters many times my father called me by my four sisters names until he got to me. Auntie Eleanor always called me Suzy. Suzy is my sister. One time many years ago when I was much, much younger I was mistaken for a country singer in Wheeling, West Virginia. The most recent case of mistaken identity happened to me on Saturday at the Mock tri in Fort Desoto. I was running, working on my 5K. I saw a runner behind me and knew that she would be catching me soon. Sure enough she did and when she got beside me she said,” It probably goes without saying you are quite an inspiration!” I replied “Thanks.” She took a few steps past me and turned around and started running backwards and asked me “Have you ever heard of the Iron Nun?” “Yes.” I chuckled. “I have heard of the Iron Nun.” A few more steps and she says “Are you the Iron Nun?” Laughing out loud. I say, “No. I am not

the Iron Nun.” By then we had reached the turn around and she ran all the way back with me. We chatted all the way. Now sister Madonna Buder has 45 Ironman Triathlons to her credit. She is 86. I have 4 sprints and 2 mock Tris to my credit and I am 64. I am wondering…..do I look 86 running ahead of you or do I look 86 when you are running backwards in front of me?

Greetings Friends: It takes a lot of energy to be a chicken. For some reason the thought of doing a 400 yard swim in the Gulf of Mexico at Fort DeSoto, Florida was causing me more anxiety than I can even describe. I did this mock tri last year and asked Clark to take me. I did OK last year. I wore my wet suit. I did not drown. I have been taking a few stroke development classes recently that really helped me. For some reason though my emotions were out of control. I broke down and cried at the Thursday Strider run. Ugh! Even today on the way there I was gasping for air before we even arrived. Show time. Clark reassured me that he would be right there by me. Off we went and I rounded the first buoy. Swim, swim, huffing and puffing . “I want to go in now!” I wailed!! Clark said, OK. As we headed for shore he encouraged me to try to swim like I was at the YMCA. I managed to calm down enough to put my face in the water for a few strokes. More encouragement from Clark and I noticed two other ladies had bailed out of the swim course. It appears there was a little flock of chickens. Clark became a volunteer swim angel. As the three swimmers with Clark’s guidance and encouragement neared the second buoy I decided I could go around it and swim in like the rest of the swimmers. It is an awful feeling to be afraid. It is a awesome feeling to make a little progress in swimming. Thank you, Clark and Marie Grubb and Aaron Jett for cheering me in. Whew!

This was day two of running by the numbers. If I’m going to tackle this arthritis in my hips, I’ve got to be more clever than the pain. So, on Tuesday Cindy and I ran for 2 minutes, then walked for 1. We did that for a little over an hour and covered 4 miles. Today we ran 2:30 and walked 1:00. Ta-Da. After an hour we had covered 5 miles. We’re working toward the Gold Standard of Run/Walk pacing of 4 Minuets Run / 1 Minute walk. For my friends in my Active Living Classes there are implications here for you too. Walk for 2 minutes, walk slowly for a minute: repeat, repeatedly. Find your clever place.

Grace and Peace and Love

Clark and Cindy

Greetings from a former reluctant runner! I was very happy when my husband decided to lose some weight and get active. I also could have killed him when he joined the Suncoast Striders Running Club and suggested that I “come out and meet the people”. Ugh. I was not interested in running or any kind of exercise. I rarely sit down and I am always doing something. Why, why, why would I want to meet a bunch of runners? I am not just his wife I am also his team mate. I went and met this happy, sweaty, chatty group of runners. I walked a bit that first day. And the next time I walked a bit more and after a few weeks I did my first 5K in 59 minutes. I think that was October of 2011. Now I am one of those happy, sweaty, chatty runners. Gotta Run!

PS : Clark Here: She is far too humble. She has since run the Buffalo Half Marathon, Clearwater Marathon, and the Croom Zoom 31 mile Trail Run. She is my Iron Woman. We are a team. True that: she never stops moving. She is an inspiration, my running partner, and “Cheerful Little Earful.” I believe you will look forward to getting to know her.