10 Hours to Go

To tired to post much, so here are pictures from today- setting up the swim to bike transition.  Please send me and my team good thoughts tomorrow from 9 till 1 or so!  Thanks for everyone who made this possible for me:)

My Race Number

Swim Finish Line

Bike Transition

SUNRIVER

After a grueling four hour drive, we finally made it!  Why four hours?  Because I’ve been hydrating all day and I keep having to make potty stops!

The first thing I noticed when I got here was how hot and dry it is and how in spite of all the water I’ve been drinking, my throat got dry and I can’t seem to get enough to drink.  It’s supposed to be 83 degrees on race day.  Yikes!  I wonder if I can get acclimated in 2 days?

The house we’re staying in is beautiful and right along the running course.  It’s at about mile 5, so I guess if I’m really exhausted, I can stop off here for a little rest!

Tomorrow we pick up our race packets and head up to the lake for a practice swim.  Then the girls and I will hopefully go swimming at one of the fun pools here in Sunriver.  Then tomorrow night is our pre-race dinner with the whole big team (Portland and Eugene).

Hopefully I’ll post some pictures tomorrow.  I’m exhausted and ready for bed!

Relaxed, Packed, Ready!

RELAXED!

I made it back from the coast totally relaxed, happy, and excited.  I love that hotel and will be going  back again!  Last night I had a yummy 5 course, 3 hour dinner with a beautiful view of the sun setting into the ocean.  

Dinner was served family style and I sat with 5 other guests.  It’s a tradition to play “2 truths and 1 lie”, and it was a great way to get to know each other!  What a bunch of nice, interesting folks.  Here was mine:  ”I came to this hotel to 1.  Escape my stressful job as a coffee shop owner.  2.  Relax before my first triathlon.  3.  Work on a writing project.  One person thought the triathlon was a lie because earlier I had been talking about how I was on my bike ride and chickened out of crossing the big bridge

The bridge that I couldn't cross

because I was afraid of getting stuck in my pedals and falling, and he thought that if I was really doing a triathlon, I’d have my pedals figured out by now!  Uh oh!

This morning I woke up very early and skipped running on the beach (I hurt my back on Monday lifting something, but that’s another story) and went up to the attic library and laid down on a chaise lounge, opened the window, and drifted off to sleep again to the sound of  the surf and the smell of fresh sea air.

The very top room was the attic library where I slept in the morning

When I woke up at 9:00, I stretched out, then went for a walk on the beach.  I brought along my healing herbs and some sage and I found a spot and did a healing ritual and meditation.  I used items to represent the 4 elements- feathers for air, rocks for earth, shells for water, and burning sage for fire.  I thought about swimming through water, biking through wind, and running along the earth.  I’m going to burn some sage before and after the race.  A wise friend of mine thinks that this triathlon is a metaphor for me.  When I asked him to

The view from these chairs sucked the stress from my body and left me limp

elaborate, he sent me this message:

“… the wounded body and spirit moving beyond old limits, old beliefs, old attitudes and fears….a kind of betrayal turned into a new victory, a new alliance to challenge fundamental elements: earth, water, air. And to move through them,to become one with them. There are no enemies except the loss of faith, the loss of sacred ground. The water, the wind resistance, the earth under you feet are not obstacles. They are touchstones for the triumph of the spirit…”

Today on the beach, I got it.  I got it!  The swim, bike, and run are not obstacles to be feared.  They are simply elements to pass through on the way to transformation.

I don’t yet know all the ways I’ve been transformed, but I do know the bike has transformed the way I see the world.  I rode all over Newport yesterday and saw it in ways that I’ve never seen it before.  I kept to the bike route roads and saw that Newport is not just a vacation spot.  It’s an active, working sea town with fishermen and sea people coming and going.  On the back roads, I feel like I really got to see the heart of Newport.

It was so nice to get to see some new scenery on my rides.  As much as I love all the mountains we’ve been riding through, the ocean is stunning!

Relaxing!

I made it to the coast and the place I’m staying at is amazing!  The Sylvia Beach Hotel.  Thanks to my friend Ruth for telling me about it, and for watching my kids so I could go!  The little secret to this place is that you can stay in a dormer room for only $40.00 a night.  I am sharing a room with 4 other very nice women, and I have a bottom bunk with no one above me.  A nice breakfast is included and for $11.00 extra, I’m getting the 5 course dinner where we all eat together.  So far today I have sat in a comfy chair, sipping tea and gazing at the ocean, had lunch at a little outside Irish pub, took a nap in the attic reading room on a comfy couch, with a view of a light house, road my bike to the lighthouse and took tons of pictures, rode my bike all over Newport, and walked to the local library where I’m at right now!  I am relaxed and happy and life is good again.  In the morning I plan to run on the beach, eat breakfast, and rest some more!

On the drive over, I reflected on the reason why I’m doing this triathlon- it was to raise a bunch of money to help people with cancer.  I’ve already done that (and I believe all my teammates have met our fundraising goal).  Now, the actual triathlon is just icing on the cake.  I’m less stressed now and just concentrating on how much fun it will be!

Insomnia

It’s 3:40 am, Tuesday morning. I’ve been up since about 2:00 am. I spent a good portion of yesterday organizing my gear, making lists, running errands, snapping at the kids. I also had an hour of body work and that calmed me down some.  And, I met a team mate at a coffee shop and we painted names onto our race jerseys.  These are the names of the people for whom we are doing this race- those that have had or currently have cancer.  When I got home, the girls had arranged my family birthday party, since we didn’t get a chance to celebrate it with just the three of us. When I saw the work they had put in, I decided to stop with the obsessive packing and organizing and just relax for the evening. They made a cake (all on their own!) and set up a treasure hunt for me to find all my presents. It was very sweet.

I went to bed exhausted around 10:00, and woke up at 2:00. I haven’t really had much insomnia since this training started. I used to have it all the time, but it went away. Now I see it’s back! I know it’s due to stress. Unfortunately, stress also brings on hot flashes, which wake me up and add to the insomnia. So, I’m caught in a terrible cycle.

When I’m tossing around at 2:00 am, I have two choices. Continue to toss around while obsessive thoughts race through my head, or get up and take care of some of the things I’ve been stressing about. So, in the past hour and a half or so, I’ve eaten 2 pieces of chocolate cake with a side of ice cream, washed dishes, cleaned the kitchen, folded a load of laundry, started a new load, scrubbed a toilet, had a little fire in the back yard to burn some very old love notes discovered as I was digging around under my bed for my lost running shoes, packed my two transition buckets (running and bike), packed my swim bag, packed for my trip to the coast tomorrow (or actually I mean today), made a list of what I need to do before going to the coast (get oil changed, print my lists of things not to forget for the triathlon, pick up sharpies to mark all my stuff in case it gets lost, stop by the library to get a book to read when I can’t sleep), scattered calming herbs amongst my stuff and on myself. What’s left to do? Go to sleep.

Here’s the good news- I believe I have all my stuff together for the trip to Sun River, and I am almost all packed for my trip to the coast. The purpose of the coast trip (just one overnight, by myself, at a cool little bed and breakfast) is to RELAX. I am staying in a place with a bunch of soft couches and cats. I am planning on getting a good book and just lying around reading. I also may do some writing. I’m bringing my bike too because I want the experience of riding along the coastal road. I’m planning on just an easy ride. And I’m bringing my running clothes in case I decide to have a run along the beach. I am really, really, hoping that I am getting all my stress and nervousness out of the way before the triathlon. Hopefully the insomnia will pass and I’ll come back relaxed and ready to go.

Trying to Stay Calm

I’m trying to stay calm- it’s too early to be nervous, right? I came across this video of last year’s Pacific Crest Triathlon and it is a great video to show what the course is like. Only when we practiced last weekend, I couldn’t imagine it with so many people. Look at all the people!

I took a rest day today and just tried to be calm. I had a nice long nap in the middle of the day, after mowing the lawn. I then took the girls to the pool to give them a swim lesson and play around a little bit. I figured that since I now know how to swim, I can save money on the lessons and teach them myself. Plus, they HATE swim lessons. We got to the pool and I quickly realized that knowing how to swim and being able to teach two rambunctious girls how to swim are two different skills! Help! Who knew it would take 15 minutes just to teach them how to get their goggles working properly?!

We had a lot of fun and ended up just relaxing in the hot tub. I know there’s no reason to be nervous. But I am anyway. Right now, though, I am more nervous about all the other stuff besides the actual race. There are SO many details to keep track of, so many places I need to be at certain times and so much equipment to keep track of. This type of organizational, attention to detail stuff is NOT my strong area. I can swim, bike, run, but I’m not sure I can keep track of all my stuff! And keep track of the girls too? No way. I am so grateful that my mom and brother will be there to help watch the girls and hopefully to help keep me organized and calm!

Goal for tomorrow: Get organized. Drink water.

Last Long Training Day

It's early, we're cold, tired, not happy!

Grey Dorena Lake

Today was our last long Saturday training day!  I got up at 6:30 am to make it to the lake by 8:00.  What am I going to do with myself when I get to sleep in on my Saturdays again?  It is challenging waking up so early, especially when the weather is so grey and chilly.

Nevertheless, there we all were, at the lake for our last big training day.  When the weather conditions are so miserable, all you can really do is look for the humor.  Luckily we all finally jollied up in time for the swim!

One More Time!

I decided today to take it easy on the swim and the bike and put all my effort into having a good run.  I’m so glad I did!  I swam about 1000 meters, in about 35 minutes.  I biked 19.3 miles.  And I ran about 6.3 miles!  Yeah!  I have not ran that far yet during this training.  The furthest I have run is 6 miles, and that was probably a month ago.  I have been worried about my run, but today I rocked it!  I ran it in 1 hour and 10 minutes, which is really fast for me.  I’ve been doing 4 miles in 60 minutes, so this was a huge improvement.  Four months of training has really paid off.

On the run, I felt terrible for the first 3 miles or so.  I had a bad breakfast of leftovers from dinner and just felt rotten.  But, after mile 3, I decided to listen to some new music on my brother’s iPod and I came across the song I Will Survive, by the Hermes House Band.

When I was sick last year, a friend of mine made me a “survivor” cd, with a bunch of songs having to do with optimism on it.  This was one of the songs!  Sure, it’s about a woman surviving after a loser guy ditched her.  But to me, it’s about surviving cancer and going on to live a full, happy life.  My favorite line is, “I’ve got a lot of love to give, I’ve got a lot of life to live”.  Hearing this song gave me the energy to run those last miles!  I do have a lot of life to live!

Training for this triathlon has allowed me to make peace with my body and myself.  I have felt, on some level, let down by my body.  How could my body have let cancer grow in it?  And in my milk duct, the source of life for my babies?  It just has never made sense to me.   So I’ve been sort of angry at my body.  Then, after cancer, my body has been stiff, sore, lopsided, and scarred.  I think this training is my way of getting my body to buck up and be strong again!  I have even made peace (for now) with my weight gain.  I stopped weighing myself and I put the scale away in a cupboard.  Ta da!  No more weight problem.  Now, I just trust that I am doing all the exercising I can and I know that I am eating as well as I can.  My clothes have stopped getting tighter, and, more importantly, I know that I am in the best health that I can be.

For next week, we are tapering down our exercise, drinking extra water, and concentrating on eating very well.  I’m taking a few days and going to the coast by myself to relax, write, read, contemplate, and just be me.  I am going to take my bike and hopefully get to ride along the coastal highway some.

Hard to believe the triathlon is next week.  I was so sad about it being almost over that I decided to sign up for another one!  I’ll be doing the Dechutes Dash on July 17th in Bend, along with a bunch of my teammates.  I can’t wait!

9 Days to go!

I had another decent run of about 4 miles this morning!  I DID NOT want to get out of bed, and I missed meeting Lynn for our 8:00 run time.  But she waited for me anyway, so how could I not go running?  My time is still slow and I expect to do the run in about 90 minutes.

Tonight we had a fun, awesome fundraiser in front of Trader Joe’s to get the remaining money the team needs for everyone to make their goal.  It was so much fun!  Fundraising for me is usually not fun, but I was so very touched by the amount of people who stopped to thank us and to share their stories.  It seems that cancer touches many people’s lives.  Highlight of my night?  High fiving a young man who told me he is a 3 time cancer survivor!  3 times is horrendous, but the key word here is SURVIVOR!

There is still time to donate to any of my teammates (click on their names to the right)!

Krista and Lynn

A Good Run Day

Finally, finally I had a good run day!  Now that I am off work, I have the luxury of running when I want during the day, and taking my time a little bit.  I actually had time for a shower after today’s run!  I ran for about an hour, along the Amazon path.  I don’t know how far I went, but it felt good.  The first 30 minutes I was slow and didn’t feel great.  But for the second half, my body felt no pain and I felt like I could run long and far!

I tried out a new chiropractor yesterday, and she was amazing.  She did something called mylofashial (no idea how to spell this) on my back and for the first time in over a year, I woke up this morning with my whole upper back feeling loose and un-bound.  Ever since surgery a year ago, my upper back has felt tight and bound up, and it hurts when I run or bike.  I have never had body work that resulted in such a huge, fast change.  I see her again on Monday and I can’t wait!  I think there might be hope for my sore old body after all!

I also went for a swim today, and it was not so good.  I couldn’t get up this morning, so I missed the 6:00 am Amazon pool swim.  Instead, I swam this evening at the Y.  This pool is nice because it’s salt water, but icky because it’s usually small and crowded.  Today I had a lane to myself and all was well until a guy jumped in and shared it with me.  Just after he jumped in, I notice a strong smell and TASTE of cologne under the water as I swam.  He reeked of it!  I was really, really grossed out and stopped my swim after 20 minutes.  As hard as it is to swim in an icy cold lake, I think I prefer it over the pool!

A couple of my teammates have just a little further to go with their fundraising.  If you haven’t donated yet and want to, check out Lynn and Jeanette’s page.  Or better yet, come see us TOMORROW (Friday) at 4:30 in front of Trader Joe’s.  We’ll have our bikes set up on trainers and you can watch us pedal or take a turn yourself!  We’re hoping to raise some more money!

Send Off Party!

We had our send off parting tonight.  This is where we got our race day jerseys, along with lots of information about the weekend.  it sounds complicated with different practice times and different times to set up our transitions.  I’m a bit scatter brained, and I lose things, so I’m trying to figure out a way to stay organized.  I’m so happy that my mom and brother are coming up from California to watch!  Hopefully they can help keep me organized!

I learned tonight that our Eugene team has raised over 37,000 dollars!  The Eugene and Portland team combined has raised over $200,000!  I am so very proud to be a part of Team in Training!  If anyone reading this is interested in participating next season, let me know.  It really is a life changing experience.

I also had the very special, touching experience of seeing my friend’s name on the race jersey.  Everyone racing with Team in Training will have the purple jersey, with Sabine Lother’s name on it.  It makes me happy to think of Sabine looking down on all of us on race day and knowing that her spirit is with us.  My teammate also has her friend, Eileen Sandoval, on the jerseys.  Thank you again to Johanna in Germany whose generous donation made this possible!

Race Day Jersey