Kelly is a pro triathlete who is competing in Ironman South Africa on the last day of March, 2001.

THE RACE

Monday AM is again the breakfast buffet, with an early morning run to wake the legs up. I don’t have much experience at the triathlon thing, but running a marathon I do know. And, I know I need to run every day up to the race as I go stale fast. So after breakfast, the boys break out onto their bikes. I head to the laundry place and do some already gathered dirty clothes. I feel domestic and it is so funny as I cheer outside the laundry place in town as I read Cosmopolitan Magazine as they speed by. I am pounding water and Gatorade daily. I am trying to stay hydrated and can still feel the airplane ride in the muscles.

An afternoon swim and I get out before the boys so I lay down on the bench poolside. Next thing I know, I am being waken by slapping towels upon me. I was out cold.

We head back to the hotel and arrange a massage for midweek. I notice the neighborhood as we drive back and start reading my tourist book, detailing different cultures of the area. I space out and watch some t.v. They have some bad soap opera shows here.

We ate at a great fish restaurant for dinner. A nice thing about this race is that the hotel is comfortable, staff great and that everything is close and convenient. Five restaurants at hotel, 50-meter swimming pool within running distance, coffee shop at hotel, and a pub right there as well.

Have I mentioned how cheap and delicious the food is? After eating, watch some more t.v., stretch and fell asleep early.

Tuesday I woke up and felt... Blah… so day off of training. I registered, picked up my packet, checked on missing Fed-Ex package. Tried out my new Saucony racing flats, the Swerve, which by the way are super comfy (and didn’t give me one blister out there.) It is a lightweight trainer shoe but I need some support. After 15 years of running, support is key to me. I sound old and at 26 if I need support now, ouch for later years.

So I used Tuesday to get organized or as organized as I am. See, Spencer was appalled at my pre-race organization and despite having to admit that he's right, he is. See, I had three outfits to choose from––still, I was still working on setting up the X-Lab bottle carrier on the back, and hadn’t even laced my racing flats (which is why I ran in them today). So after hearing him explain to me that this would be so much less stress if I cleaned up the dresser, laid out my stuff, had my race food laid out…. I listened. After all, he knows what he is doing. So I organized my race… and later in the week I was so thankful I did. Those pedals were still MIA.

Wednesday, I am stressing as no pedals have shown up. I go for a run in the AM, eat some breakfast and the boys go out to ride, so I grab this book Strange Fits of Passion (great book!) and head out to the dock to read. We grab some lunch after their ride and as I sort of mope back to the room, my day brightens tremendously. Susan Burr, another US pro, has unfortunately got sick and will not be able to race. Her mate hears of my story and kindly drops off her Speedplay pedals. She isn’t racing and is my hero for this trip. (Good luck Susan at Kailua-Kona). So God Bless them and I set up the trainer to do a late afternoon hour and a half ride. That evening we do a swim race––1.2 mile––and use it as a warm up. I also get a glimpse of how fast this German woman Nina Kraft is. She is darn fast in the water. I will also see on Saturday how fast she can bike and run as well (she wins.)

Dinner is great and I am at a much better level. I am relaxed for all I have to do now is race. Everything is set. Do all three EZ tomorrow, finish up this great book and then finish up the week with the race. I have some doubts as the field is deep and talented but knowing I am so inexperienced at this whole pro thing, I remind myself to do my own race and things will be fine.

Thursday 7 AM, up and run. Quick late-morning swim. EZ one hour ride. Done. Legs up and stretch. Massage lightly and only a half-hour.

That is really it for the day. We had a great dinner––steak and fish. Last big meal before the race as tomorrow is light and carbo up. I have gone so light on the candy and that night I have a few Jelly Babies. Oh well, it is still life––right?––not just an Ironman. We skip the carbo party, which I heard was really good so next year I will make that one for sure.

Friday, I do a light 30 minutes jog in the morning. My friend Spencer cancels on the run due to a pain in his foot. (Later that night he is rushed to the hospital for serious blood poisoning and spends three days there. He is full of the Ironman juices so watch out at Hawaii––glad I don’t have to race him).

I spend the run going over the race. I am worried that I don’t remember the pain that an Ironman brings as it has been over a year since my last race at this distance. But I remember the long rides and runs and home. I remember the transition runs with the puppies. I must make them proud. So at 3PM we turn our stuff in and get a ride back to the hotel. Stretch lightly and drink some carbo loading drink. We head to a local pasta place across from the transition area and I keep glancing out there. Tomorrow AM. I am so thrilled that the race is here.

John and I wake up at 4:10AM to eat that morning. 3 hours before race start. 1000 calories minimum. I have a problem with eating the morning of a race, getting sick and then losing all my calories. So I eat a couple spoonfuls of oatmeal, a bite of a bar, and repeat a few times. I eat slow and try to calm my stomach. Well, at 5:45AM we meet friends and depart from the hotel. It is a solemn morning as I had to assist Spencer to the hospital the night before and was sure wishing we would see him descend the stairs with a smile and a "just kidding" look. But, no Spencer.

Transition––okay, so far, so good on the food and keeping it down. Well, now my nerves are going. I pump up my tires, check my gears, place my water bottles on my bike, and my GU flask in place. I am putting on a jersey for the ride and carrying my food in my back pockets. It is super windy already and I check the flags and they are blowing straight. Ouch, it is barely 6AM. It is chilly too.

The light comes and before I know it, "Last call for the professionals to enter the water.". We were going to be given a 10-meter head start. I pull up my suit, hug my friend John and wish him luck. Goggles on and hit the water…. cold cold.

What? A delay? We are already 200m off shore and, well, it isn’t bath water warm. I can hear the announcement about something––storm washed some of the buoys and starting line away last night. Time goes by and as I pull my goggles on, the gun shoots.

Rough swim, and, well, all I had in my mind was sharks. I was thrilled to exit the water under an hour. (I don’t care if it was slightly short––under one hour for me). I move quickly to transition to remove my own wetsuit. I prefer that to having them strip it off. I put on my shoes and helmet and jersey, make sure my food is still in there and I am off. Well, little did I know what was waiting for me.

I am always behind out of the water, for I am not a great swimmer. I quickly found my legs and shook my arms out a few times. I ate immediately onto the bike and began my methodical drinking of my calories.

At the first turnaround I knew my time, and where I was in relation to the field. On the second half of the lap we had a sort of tailwind, with these huge gusts, and I lost some time. Okay I lost a ton of time. I had some bad moments but mostly I don’t know what went wrong. I hit the turnaround and it was sunny. At the far point of the lap it was raining. I got the time status, shed a few tears and decided I would just enjoy it. So that is what I did. Change of game plan. Battled the winds, finished the ride, and came into transition off-the-back and slower than I had ever planned. But I did see a monkey on the course.

I sat down for some time in the transition tent. I put my head into my hands. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to be in the hunt, not an hour back. So I sat there for some more time. I had lost my chip on the bike so they don’t have a time of exactly how long I sat there. But when I stood up, I knew one thing. I was going to run a damn good marathon. I clocked my marathon at 3:36. I passed a ton of people, met a nice man on the course and smiled or least I tried to. The wind was so bad, it was actually worse on the run than on the bike. The sand stung and it was dirty from the blowing dust. I kept my stride short, stood straight, and ate my GU every 30 minutes. Finish….

I was there. Done. Not how I wanted it time wise but it was done. Notch it up in the experience belt. Was it I needed more long rides? I ask John in the medical tent. "Not now he says, you finished 10th, just relax and enjoy it."

I had run hard, and that I was happy with. I had swum under an hour––short course but still that was good for me. I really don’t know what happened that day on the bike and am still trying to figure it out. After the first lap, I ate a ton: a Snickers bar, an energy bar (which I buy as I don't have a nutrition sponsor), one bottle of drink. The second half of that last lap, I was riding so strong. So maybe it was a calorie thing, maybe I didn’t do enough hard rides. Who knows? Well I finished 10th pro and it was a start.

Sunday I woke up stiff, but not too sore. Spencer said to me on Monday that was a sign that I didn’t go hard enough. I had to agree. I think that my pain threshold is down on the bike, that I need to stick my nose now in with the bigger boys, the boys that used to drop me, and see what happens. I have some base miles in, and need to do some long quicker rides.

We just hung out on Sunday and did some sight seeing and shopping on Monday. The fashion is tops there and, well, things are cheap in price. I tried to walk as much as possible and did a 40-minute run on Monday, I think to clear my head. Tuesday I was shocked with work emails and decided to shorten my trip and head home. I had things to take care off at work and was stressing. I wanted to see my puppies and share my marathon news with them.

The flight home is freaking long and I mean long. No one told me that it takes more time to get home than it does to get there. It might have been that I was slightly homesick and had some post-Ironman depression going on. After almost 30 hours of travel, I arrived LAX on Wednesday afternoon to be greeted by Erik and my two puppies. I owed them at least one trip to Petco.

So I laid low on Thursday, didn’t even let but one friend at work know I was home. I did laundry, ran the puppies and swam. I paid bills, cleaned the house and laid around. I was depressed and I didn’t know why. Here I was happy to be home, in beautiful southern California, had proud parents in Chicago, tons of friends leaving happy messages.

Well, I had it. Post Ironman depression. I had read about it, sort of laughing at the article. Now here I was, I had it.

I swam Friday am and rode to work. I was probably overdoing it a little but it was the only thing that could take my mind away from whatever was bringing it down. Went to dinner and the movies that night after a good 8-hour workday. Welcome back. Though I did love having something to turn my mind to after such a long build-up. See, the week before the race was super relaxing as usually I have a ton to do. I am a busybody and always take on too much. I was doing some freelance projects, working at the office and training. Then boom, here I was with nothing to do other than lay around and think about racing.

I welcomed the busy–ness and took full advantage of it over the weekend. I swam Saturday AM and then did an afternoon run on the trails with the puppies. Sunday I ran an hour alone in the lagoon and did some thinking––I wanted another chance to race an Ironman this year.

So here it is––I am looking for my next race, am going to take a slightly different approach to this one, and well am looking for that corporate sponsor to help me out.

Oh yeah, and I got a third puppy last week. With three running, it can only make me faster. See you next week as I regenerate my body and look to the summer for the next Ironman. I will be bringing you guys some shorter races and other stuff so stay tuned. Up next, Big Rock Met-Rx Race.

I have kicked the depression thing but will have some words on that next time.

THE TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA

Always, and I mean always, check your tickets. Check the time and the date, and then check them again. I will not bore you with the melodrama of the airport but to make a long story short I showed up on Thursday night for a midnight flight to Atlanta then connecting on to Cape Town SA. Well I had Thursday right, but the flight left at 12:10AM on Thursday––meaning Wednesday night. After hours of hassle, getting sick to my stomach, crying and then screaming, and buying a ticket to Phoenix, I got on a plane to Atlanta. I met my friend John, a professional triathlete who is also racing Ironman on the plane to Atlanta. (We were originally to meet in Atlanta.)

We get off the Delta flight for a few hours stretch before the 15-hour flight to Cape Town. I had planned on doing a run at the health club in the airport but that was postponed, as we had to beg our way onto the SA flight. (We were supposed to be on the one the day before). A kind and generous woman from SA Airlines changed our tickets and things were set. We grabbed some fruit salad and two turkey sandwiches from the deli in the airport (which is by far the best one I have ever seen in an airport).

Fifteen hours––movie, eat, walk around, bathroom, water, more water, movie, music, read, sleep a little, butt goes numb, walk around, water, water, eat, water––you get the picture. If you know me, then you know it would be hell to be on a plane with me for 15 hours, so give my friend John some serious credit for this one.

The flight wasn’t direct, as it stopped in Johannesburg and we departed through customs. In line, I met two super people from Chicago, and the man is doing his first Ironman. But more importantly, they are doing their first safari for the next three days––the joy of getting to a race super early. Avoid stress. We arrived one week from race day and some advice, don’t do it any closer. The time change is pretty tough and it took myself and my two San Diego friends nearly three days to feel normal (do I ever really feel normal––no––but you know what I am getting at!).

Arrived in Cape Town and a really nice shuttle picked us up. We arrived at this beautiful marina and hotel and …. We are here. Welcome to pre-Ironman. Emotions are high, food is constant.

I did an easy 50-minute run on that arrival Saturday. I ran merely to do something other than crash in our room. See, you get there in the early afternoon, which to us West Coasters is the middle of the night. After 24 hours of travel the bed and couch were calling my name. So, hard though it was, staying up was the key.

After a run with my two friends, we met up with the race director Gerhard Mynhardt. As an athlete if you ever get a chance to meet a race director, do it. These are the people that give their time, money and heart to something which allows us to race. This guy is a superstar. From the moment I met him via emails he was a second-father. We had some juice that afternoon and he ran through some media stuff for the week, all set around our schedules, makes sure we are comfortable, offers to drive us anywhere we need, talks about his family and then sits back and asks us about our lives and our races. Race directors––at least this kind––are a rare breed of true human compassion.

I put my bike together after that, only to discover that the box has cracked and one pedal has gone MIA. Don’t panic. Right, that lasted about 10 minutes and then I call my friend Spencer for help. See, I don’t really worry about the bike stuff most of the time. Erik my boyfriend, he does all that. I am a spoiled athlete. I can put stuff together, tune it, change flats, and handle minor repairs. One pedal––this was new territory to me.

Spencer calmed my nerves and we called back to California quickly. It is Saturday morning in the States and Fedex is near closed. I explain to my puppy sitter how to remove pedals off another bike and she rushed to make Fedex. They are sent overnight which I am hoping is two days. Next step is to find a bike shop in the area that carries Speedplay pedals and it doesn’t look good. I call one shop before closing time and they don’t even know what they are. Ouch. I am out of luck for tomorrow as I was planning on riding one loop of the course. My philosophy for this race was adapt to the day as I had for the last three months in my training. I was bummed. We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, which over the next week becomes our own kitchen. Spencer told me we will figure something out and we all headed to our rooms for the night. I fell asleep by 9 o’clock and don’t even remember lying down.

Breakfast in the AM: I learn quickly food is super, super cheap in SA. This killer breakfast buffet costs equivalent of $3 US. (I am guessing it would be about $20 at a local Hyatt). As we are eating Gerhard stops by, as he will every morning to say hello and offer one of his wonderful smiles. One of the staff of the race lets me borrow her pedals and shoes (she is a size bigger and has pedals with no float.) I take her up on it and I ride with John and Spencer to her hotel and get them. Now, I want to say here that these two boys were great. See, they had bigger races to run, their own concerns, and took care of me. I felt so special. (Cheezy, but you know what I mean.) At an Ironman, every one of us has our own crap to do, and Spencer was busy throughout the week. Yet, as my friend, he made sure I was all set too. I had always thought this man unselfish and meeting his wife a few times I felt the same of her. But, that Sunday afternoon, I realized what so many fellow athletes and fans admired in him. He was as concerned about my day as his. An honest and true friend and athlete.

Easy run later that day. Short swim. Done.

Dinner (and I was being so careful not to overeat but man, that country has unbelievable bread) and then some TV watching. Their television needs some American touch-up as I watched two very silly sitcoms. Thought through what needed to be done tomorrow. A good swim and EZ run. Don’t even look at the bike. The pedals are coming…..Don’t even remember falling asleep.

MARCH 15 - 22

Okay, so the work is done. I rode long on Saturday, but short in relation to these last weeks. Tony did a tempo 85 miles with me. We had a blast, it was hot out, I think 80 or so inland, no rain, and man I felt good.

No run off the bike for me that day, as was the case during my trainer workout––4 hours on Wednesday and ran an hour off of that. I didn’t need two transition runs this week. I stepped up my swimming to 6 days this week and those nutty guys in my lane had me working. Come Saturday I felt strong again, though, and had a solid feel for the water. I spent an additional swim hour at night with Erik going over my technique––which has a tendency to fade late in the swim.

My two runs went well. Actually the mid/long one during the week went great. Took puppies to the trails and did about 1:20. My long run on Sunday was tough getting going. Tony, who isn’t doing an Ironman until August decided that St. Patrick’s day was a good night to meet the ladies so he went out. I went to bed. He slept in. I ran. I know it will all be worth it come next week. By the end of the run, I had my legs and they were churning. My friend from Phoenix, who is racing South Africa as well, was in town and the group of us did a short spin on the coast. It was absolutely a beautiful Southern California day. The beaches were packed and it was a nice afternoon ride.

I noticed some sounds from the bike on Saturday so I took it in on Monday. The bike went to Nytro who is, by the way, my bike sponsor and the coolest bike shop in the world. It is owned by Craig Turner and his staff rocks. I had a lean mean fighting machine back on Tuesday. I wasn’t planning on taking Monday off as Friday is a travel day, but my legs needed it. Plus, my puppies needed quality time with me. So, Monday morning about 6:30, as they are early risers, we headed down to the beach and did a nice long walk. Have I mentioned lately that Southern California is beautiful? It can be loud and noisy but in certain moments of the day there is true peace. I went over my race in my head as we walked. I reminded myself of the many things Greg and Sian Welch had taught me, of the times that it is going to hurt really bad, and the times that I need to meet the person next to me and enjoy myself. I am more physically ready for this race than ever in my life for an athletic event. This one I am ready for. Still, anything can happen on race day. Make adjustments, just as in your daily training, and things will work.

Tuesday, ans my shoes came from Saucony along with some other goodies. I swam in the AM, then hit the trainer for two hours and thirty––the last long one. I got down on my bars and pictured the lone road ahead of me. I am not a strong swimmer. I am a survivor swimmer. I swim to ride and run. I got off the trainer with the biggest smile on my face. It was the final chapter of this book and I was going to make it good. EZ run that evening.

Wednesday was a workday as I am going to be gone for some time. So to avoid any stress about that next week, I put in a long office day with a swim at lunch and a night run with the puppies. They were so excited to see that I still wanted to run when I got home.

Today is Thursday, departure day. I will be crying my eyes out to leave my puppies. Go ahead and make fun of me. Tell me they are dogs, go ahead. Well, I owe them all my running miles and more as they are such the reason that I get off the bike and run. They are banking on me. I glued a picture of them on my GU run flask. So when my legs get tired and start to hurt, I have my puppies there to pull me along. Heck, if it works, watch out cause these are fast dogs!

Packing packing packing. I have my race suit ready, bike still on the trainer as I have to ride now. I had a wonderful swim the morning and got to say thanks to my swim lane. Wish I could bring them with.

The final chapter in this book. Anything goes. I have done the work right this time and I wish the Welchs were here to see me and how disciplined I have been. That was always a problem. I was too worried about what everyone else was doing. Well, this time it was all about my just doing the work. (Ask Erik, he will agree! Thanks for everything.) So bye bye puppies, bye bye Valley Center market, I have a new aid station next Saturday. The transition run is mine next week.

See you in Cape Town next week.

MARCH 5 - 11

The weeks start to blend together. That is how you know the race is getting closer. One ride blends into the next long ride, the longer swims start to sink in and suddenly 500’s seem short. The shorter runs hurt more than the 2-hour ones and food becomes your best friend. Welcome Ironman training.

My boyfriend is a total babe. I don’t mean to brag or anything. This past Saturday I woke up and he was out in the garage, tuning my bike to make sure it was ready for the last long ride. Never mind that he had been up for an hour, loaded the dishwasher, done some laundry, and picked up the thousands of puppy toys that clutter our house. Yep, he is a babe. And, he was riding the last long ride with me.

I will get back to the ride. The week went great. Took Monday off totally as last weekend hurt me a little and the body needed to rebuild. Stretch and massage. I was watching my eating as I know I have to make sure with the constant hunger of training long to keep veggies handy and my iron uptake high. I am an Ally McBeal fan so Mondays it’s always a challenge to stay up ‘til 9PM.

Tuesday morning I swam and set up the trainer before I even left for the pool so that I jumped on it right as I ran in the door. I took the puppies for a quick 20 minutes run off the bike. Tuesday night we made an awesome dinner. Wednesday was the long trainer ride––4 hours.

Mentally, I am getting tougher. Lance helped me through the last hour and I hit the road for an hour run off the bike. Cloudy weather as I headed to the office. When I got home, I ran my pals for another run along the beach. They ran all 12 miles with me with the water crashing around. The trails are a perfect second run and I strongly push people to run soft as much as possible. I tell you it makes all the difference.

Thursday was another swim day and went to work right out of the pool. I had a wild work day––it was a constant runaround. But, I drank a ton of water and ate good healthy food. I went for an afternoon sunset run with my friend from work. Man, life is good. I am tired but life is good. Friday was to be the last long ride and I woke up to raindrops. Long ride is moved to Saturday. Went for a run Friday afternoon with puppies in tow.

That brings me back to the long ride. Okay, so, bottles ready, loaded with food, my babe of a boyfriend is clipped into bike and ready to go. Training partner Tony arrives and we head out. I am smiling. But, the dark clouds we are riding into are burying my smiles. Boom, 40 minutes into ride we are pummeled with freezing rain. I start complaining and am now wanting home. Erik tells me to stay focused and be careful. I mean, it is flipping pouring on us. I am drenched and my lips are purple, hands and feet are MIA. About 2 hours into ride the rain stops and we have now altered the plans to head up into the mountains. We will do some climbing but not out to the famous Dudley’s Bakery. We loop around Lake Wolford with some sun and then head west and suddenly, just as I was starting to sort of warm up, more rain. Tears start rolling and by this point Erik is so tired of keeping me motivated, he sits on his bars next to me and looks straight ahead. Our ride is moving but mentally I am broken. At 5 hours we are nearing the coast and I am told we are riding south to add another hour and a half on. I have both of these guys telling me how good it is for me.

The coast is sunny and 60 degrees. We finish the ride and I am happy we finished it. Rides like that make you treasure dry underwear, warm beds and oh yeah, your feet. Tony’s advice to me was no matter what, just make yourself smile. It will be over soon. So, if you’re in IM South Africa and see a freak riding by with this silly smile on her face, that is me!

Sunday was a tempo 2 hour run. Again I left running with Erik, who quickly got rid of me. I stayed focused on my leg turnover, which is something Greg Welch always told me. Remember to turn those legs over and stay in form. Those are things that start to go at the end of an Ironman. Remind your body of these things now in longer runs. At the end of the run, I felt great and ate some Pipes Café breakie

I am confident in my running mileage and actually 2:10 seemed really short (a good sign.) Well, three key workouts next week – swim, a bike and a run. Then bringing it home. I have a Post-it note everywhere reminding me to stay hydrated and that the most important things are rest, relax, and recharge. Come out of the gates firing…..

FEB 19- FEB 25

Life is all about flexibility and these week was just that. Monday is my normal day off, but this week I had to flip days because Tuesday was a crazy work day.

My training week started Monday with a 2:15 run. I shortened up my long run this week to then add some on for next week: start slow, and build. I stretched well that night. That and riding the trainer more has tightened my butt up. I have been slacking on the stretching and have been paying for it off the bike on my transition runs.

Tuesday was the treasured day off. It was perfect timing since it was pouring outside. Here comes that storm that the weather channel has been talking about. I got a massage and again did some stretching that night.

Wednesday arrived and pouring again so I set up the trainer, got my friend Lance Armstrong out of the video holder, and hung out with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer for 4 hours. This is a long time on the trainer, especially if you know me and the shortness of Kelly’s attention span. After sweating my brains out with my two puppies resting along the sides of the trainer, I ran a short run, pulled around by my tapered pups. They have been running a lot with my boyfriend Erik and are seeming to take to his pace. I have to remind them for the first mile that it is "slow mom" that they are running with now.

On Thursday there was a break in the rain. It poured much of the day, but then started to clear up around four, so my friend from work and I met at the trails of the lagoon. I had to run soft––mud was better than hurt legs. A bonus to living in California is that much of the dirt here is sand-based, so it drains well. As I am heading back around the lagoon and running west toward the beach, I overlook a cliff at the ocean to watch the sun set. It was the first site of that yellow orange ball I love so much all week and it was such a perfect setting for the start of the weekend and my long days.

Friday brought a long swim and an hour on the trainer in the morning then off to the office.

Saturday I woke up to mist and knew another long ride in the living room might kill me. So I headed out, along with my friend Andrea, and we headed north with a tail wind. I knew heading home wouldn’t be fun, as I had ridden south to meet her and had fought the wind.

After two flats near our turnaround point, we started heading home. She began to have some trouble with her back and told me to go on ahead. We have this sort of relationship and it is the best one to have with a cycling partner. We all have good days and bad ones, and she knew that the ride was important to me. She also knew it was 40 degrees, raining and windier then heck so I put my head down, found a gear to spin in, went down on my bars and just rode. I didn’t fight the wind like I normally do, I didn’t whine and cry as Erik will tell you I do. I just rode. And, I rode strong. I felt so good as I headed out of Camp Pendleton and down south to head home. I came in and was cold and sopping wet. My fingers were slightly purple. I canned the run. I gave in. But, man I had a great ride and was thrilled.

Sunday I was in LA, as I had a black tie affair on Saturday night up there. So my boss and I met in Santa Monica to run long. 3 hour run. Pouring cold rain. But the last 5 miles, I left good and my legs were still turning over. Smiles, I am all smiles.

FEB 6- FEB 11

So I have come to decide that training is the reason why I do this sport. I had Monday off of training, the first complete day in nearly two weeks and loved it. Especially after the long ride and run of the weekend prior. I cleaned the kitchen, washed the sheets (which I do more than just on my days off), took the dogs beach hopping (which means we went and played ball on many beaches where puppies aren’t supposed to be and had a great fish dinner that night.

I am back on my swimming kick and I go through serious stages with that sport. Tuesday I woke up early did some stretching and hit the water at 6am. The puppies were still snoring when I left. When I got home, I jumped on the trainer for an hour-15 to get some speed rolling in the legs. The long miles have a tendency to make me feel flat and I actually enjoy the trainer. Maybe it is because I don’t have to ride it, but this am I did as I will not ride in the pouring rain. Sprinkling, maybe, pouring no way. My brother makes fun of me as he lives in Europe and spends half of his young life riding in the rain of Belgium. Me, I am a Chicago-raised triathlete, which means I have ridden in the cold, the snow and the rain enough. I have paid my dues, done my time. Work is smoothing out, which always happens. I try and try not to get worked up about jobs, but then when the tidal wave hits, I forget that it clears out shortly with minimal damage. Tuesday afternoon, I started to feel really sleepy at work. About a half-hour after that, I felt yucky. I begged to head home. The Boss, being so kind, let me and I hit the bed immediately. I think the wall was coming down.

I slept for 18 hours straight. I swear isn’t that a record or something. Valentine’s Day, as cheezy as it is, stinks when you feel poopy. My puppies ran around nuts thinking it was a running day all day as 10 am hit and I was still home. Then they realized my fever wouldn’t let us go anywhere so they snuggled up next to me. Again, if you ever want a pal, get a dog. They are the best friends you can ever have.

I was kicking it. Thursday came and so did my mom. She was headed into town for a meeting and I must say I hate to be babied so it was an added bonus to get the system rolling again. I headed into the office and turned on some mellow music and cranked out the work. I was pleased at 3 pm for I felt good. I felt and hit the trails near the ocean (SD people- Lagoon) and just ran. Some days I tell you what, I think I could run forever. The cool air felt so good and I kept taking deep breaths, almost as if I was drowning in it. There is something about fresh air after being sick, I think it is better for you than antibiotics.

Avoided swimming on Thursday due to the fever. So Friday I awoke, no fever, and hit the early am swim. I love my swim lane. I think it might be the most fun swim lane in the whole country. I rode the trainer for two hours after the pool, with the puppies watching and my mom chatting. Quality time and got my workout in. I watched the A&E Lance Armstrong Biography again. If you haven’t read Lance’s book, read it- it will get you out on that bike in no time. Did a one-hour puppy tempo run in the sunset at the beach. They were wired and took the pace out from the driveway.

With my mom in town and a hair appointment, as my mom is more girly than me, I swam early sat with the gang. We then went out to breakfast and hit the town for the afternoon. It was nice in the afternoon though, as my mom says as we are shopping, "We should get home as you have to run 2 hours, right?" No lying to the mom. After my run, we went to a movie. I did some serious stretching while playing tennis ball with the pups. Life is all about multitasking. Just don’t do the cereal while driving.

Clouds rolled in on Sunday but I headed out on the two wheels to meet friends. I headed south and sure enough the sun started to shine and it turned out to be a gorgeous 4-hour ride. Quick 20 minutes off the bike and then showered to head to a family birthday party. We watched the sunset on Point Loma that evening. Capped off a great week. Stay focused and let’s get these last three weeks in…

Note: I had to miss the Valley of the Sun Stage race this weekend and being the first time I didn’t go in 5 years, I was bummed. But, I am a sure those Cat. I women had some one else’s butt to drag around for the weekend. Try bike racing. It is unbelievable and tough as nails.

JAN 30- FEB 5

I have the beat going. With nearly 5 weeks left in training––and two of those the taper––I have that long Ironman beat going. After a solid week of riding and running and swimming, I had two focuses last week. One 60-and-a-half hour ride, followed by a short 5-mile run, and a long 2:45 run. Yeah, I got both of them in, along with some quality shorter rides.

My long run was an epic run. I ran with my boss who is training for a marathon. We ran the canyons of Del Mar and then headed onto some trails in Rancho Santa Fe. The sun broke through the clouds and we had a slight mist fall on us, but finished up the run with the sun shining again.

I had to head to the Saucony Camp, which was an event head in San Diego where Saucony brought its athletes into town for some warm weather training and some clinics. So beneficial and I even live in the warm weather. It was great to get all these super stud athletes together and do some training. Joanna Zeiger is always up for long runs and rides so having her in town for the next month is an added bonus for me.

I am going to step away from the really long stuff at the beginning of the week next week and do some quick stuff. One thing I have found is that the short fast stuff keeps you fit and fast at the Ironman distance. Time trials on the bike are a great way to break the stride of the long slower rides. Track is a super way to turn the legs over and remind them of the faster days. Also, fast workouts keep up the pain threshold.

The week brought some stress at work and I had to forfeit one swimming workout. Some people are getting let go at my company and that always sends you running to your office out of panic. I am slacking at the swimming no doubt and I know I need to hit the pool hard the next three weeks. My mom is in town this weekend so it will be nice to have her ride with me on my long runs and feed me

I am trying to get this nutrition thing down. I have been experiementing with a new product, G-Push, on the market that Erik got and I like the taste (or lack thereof) and it sat well in my stomach on the longer rides last week. I took way too much food with me on the 6-hour ride and I felt great as I had eaten half the food. I was never really able to eat lots on long training. I am working with different bars and such to get the calories that I need.

I am looking forward to a day off on Monday and a relaxing Tuesday and Wednesday as these are key work days for me this week. I am going to get back on the bike on Thursday and Friday and and then have a great weekend. It is supposed to be 75 and sunny. Hey, it did rain two days this weekend.

See you next week…………..

JAN 22- JAN 29

Yep, it was a viral lung infection. I was sick. No training through this, no "I will just start running and see how I feel." I was out. So I decided that the best thing is two days out of commission. I have two thoroughly escatic weimereiner puppies. They thought it was the greatest thing since peanut butter puppies treats- mom was home all day and none of this bike and pool thing. But wait, they realized it meant no running. A couple weeks ago I mentioned that my dogs are addicts to running (like me) and that dogs are the best motivational tool for training. Well, as soon as they figured it out that there were no afternoon runs planned, they whole attitude changed. They laid around with me, sort of sad and mopey, didn’t care who came to the door or when dinner was. They had an Ironman to train for and this wasn’t in the plan.

Thursday came and despite the lingering cough, I felt better. I ran home from the car repair place. (The best way to get your mind off of training is to focus on other things- I was going to get this crazy life of mine in order, step one- fix the car.) I ate a good breakfast with tons of oranges and cold tea medicine (from the herbalist). Threw two more oranges in the briefcase. I was sort of on eggshells all day, awaiting the sudden fever or horrible feeling. But it never came. I headed straight home from the office and went to bed at, I am not kidding, 7:45pm. Sleep is of the essence, especially when sick.

Friday brought a good race-the-rain ride. Last week I said I had no excuses, living in Southern California, and now I had one. Rain. I grew up in the Midwest and my long-time friends and introduction-to-riding partners (the guys I fell onto when I first tried clipless pedals) know I hate the rain. The weather channel was calling for rain.

I headed out in the bitter chill (I won’t say cold for the sake of all you east coasters) and rode to the office. About an hour-forty into the ride, it started to mist. I picked up the pace as I had one concern, my dry clothes were in my water-resistant – not waterproof – backpack. Just as I hit the parking garage an hour later, the rain started to fall. And, it fell all day.

Had a great lunch with my boss. I love Friday lunches, as it is a fun time for us to discuss the week. This week we had a lot to laugh about. The day prior my boss let me try out his new xmas present, a remote control glider plane. It had power, and left and right controls. I guess that offered too much power for me. I tossed it and the plane glided gracefully through the blue sky, and then suddenly the wind at the bluffs picked up.

"Left, Kelly left."
"I am turning it left, wait."
"Now, right, Kelly turn it right."
Down the glider went plummeting into the canyon. At first I laughed, then I realized it wasn’t tucked in the stick bushes near by. A long story short – two hours of hiking in brush, with no trails. Me getting stuck on one side of the canyon, boss on the other side. Mud, work clothes, suede jackets covered in grass stains. Ticks all over us. I figured that this was my second workout of the day.

Status of the plane – boss found it as we gave up hope and headed home. It was 10 feet off the only trail in the whole canyon. Oh yeah, and boss got poison oak all over him. Man, did I feel bad.

Saturday brought a great 4.5 hour ride and a half-hour run off the bike. Key to transition run -- puppies. They were ready to run the minute I set the GU packet down. I rode a time-trial bike for the first time in nine months. I have some more advice - always ride the bike you are racing for many long rides before the race.

Sunday I got in a long run nearly two and half hours of trails. Some of the girls ran with me for the first hour and then I set out on my own for the rest. I grabbed some joe and eggs at the local spot and then headed home quickly. Rode two hours easy on the coast and let whoever wanted to pass me do it. I snuggled with my puppies and watched some professional football (not as motivating as the Tour videos we have but…).

Late afternoon, I headed out for another 40 minutes of running (to simulate the marathon distance) and took the pups. A little tug of war occurred but once they realized it was a slow pace run things were perfect.

I am happy with the fact that I got in a long ride, a solid long run and recovery run, and most of all, had my body healthy. In the winter, that is part of the challenge.

JAN 16- JAN 21

Biking biking biking. The inevitable killer of the Ironman for working professionals. I am killing myself trying to get these miles in. Calm down. Let’s try the commuting thing. So Tuesday I rode to work and home. Wed. rode to work. Thursday- early conference call. No go on the ride. Friday, rode home. Saturday rode 3 hours and felt yucky yucky yucky! But at this point, I was just happy to have some time in my saddle.

Running miles were down and I was taking it like a tough chick, though. This week was a stressful one as I spent nearly two evenings looking at the calendar, trying to work how to get in two longer rides per week. On Friday evening, I took a bath and got a massage and relaxed.

I realized that I had to make those long rides a priority. Those rides are the focus of my next three weeks. Let swimming slide- do it only at lunch. Running- after riding. But riding riding riding. After all, I told myself, I live in southern California so I have no excuses.

I had a great swim this week; did the 10x400 as suggested by a advisor. Held the pace steady and headed to the coffee shop directly after.

Sunday morning brought the yucky feeling of Saturday to the surface- I was sick. Fulfilling a promise, I ran to the start of the half marathon and met my boss for the race. Okay, so I started him out right on pace and then at about mile 5, I started to fall back. Being the good soul that he is, he would ease up slightly at the crest of the hills and I would pull it back in. But at about mile 6 I told him it was best if he kept going on. He did and had a great race. I finished despite the coughing up of unknown substances. I spent the rest of the afternoon coming to terms with the fact that I was on the way to the doctor’s on Monday.

A viral lung infection. See you next week. I have some naps with the puppies now.

JAN 1- JAN 7

Palomar was postponed until all riders were healthy as the flu is going around.

Last week went alright. Happy 2001 to all. The beginning of the week started off right – riding riding riding. Got in 100 miles of enjoyable riding by Wednesday so I was thrilled. I am learning that sometimes the hardest thing about riding is actually pumping up my tires. Not because my triceps cramp up but rather the added step to the task at hand. Running is put shoes on and going. Swimming sort blends in my mind because it is typically a warm up to riding or a post run add-on.

I put together two swim-rides throughout the week, and a friend of mine -- and last year’s advisor -- Sian Welch, suggested this. It teaches the body to understand the feeling of coming out of the water and starting the riding motion. Now, don’t get me wrong, I head home after the pool. I do not set up my own private transition area at Carlsbad Pool as surely one of the lads from my lane would deflate my tires or GU my handlebars. These guys that I share the lane with are working men and are still great athletes. They swim, though, and the thought of this long stuff cracks them up. As they lift their tired bodies out the pool, they stand on deck and ask me the remaining workouts for the day. They usually tell me I am nuts or something like that and then steal my water bottle and head home. Goofballs.

Thursday brought some meetings for work so I swam long and ran out of the pool. I ended up working the rest of the day with a stop at Dog Beach in Del Mar with my training pals. They love that beach, and they had earned it on some of our longer runs.

After that afternoon of rest, I woke on Friday fresh and ready for my first long run of the training cycle. 1:45 and I actually smiled coming up the hill to home. I live on top of a long slow climb and it is a true test of your mental condition at the end of the session. There is just something so great about running long. I think you touch that pot of gold deep in your heart and I felt good burning a little holiday treat off of my behind.

Saturday was one of my swim-rides, and did the ride with my brother. Great idea to get some fresh legs into your workouts. I always liked it when I rode and then picked up a friend of mine for my transition run, as long as you can let them go if they are going too fast -- as my brother was about 40 minutes into ride. As soon as I saw him pull out the CD player and look back, I waved bye-bye. I continued through Camp Pendleton up to San Clemente and grabbed a Gatorade at the store and quickly turned around and started to head back. It was sunny and I was tired. Think happy thoughts, I talked myself through the remaining part of the ride.

I rested and laid low the rest of the day. Pizza night.

Sunday brought a sore throat and a stuffy nose. Dogs were really ready to run and I knew I wanted a breathe of fresh air. I started heading to the beach and about 3 miles later I was so ready to be in bed.

See ya next week…………

DEC 25- DEC 31

Happy New Year! A great 2001 season to all

I got to grab a post-training snack with one of the coolest people in triathlon, to me at least, last Sunday. If you ever head to the tropical training ground here, come out and see this weekly event. When I first moved here, Erik Burgan (my boyfriend) warned me about the Sunday Run, and of course I had to check it out. He said "It's fast, don’t get lost, and be ready for some trail running. " Well, I bonked -- and got lost -- and ran the 12-mile or so course in about 17 miles, and had two sore ankles after my first attempt.

The first time I did this run it was with the 20 or so triathlon pros, along with a group of lanky top-notch American distance runners blended throughout the group. It is quite a scene for sure. Okay so the run starts off downhill and seems to be your typical group run. I, myself, always enjoyed group runs and believe in their benefits. The course then flattens out and the pace picks up quickly. Before you know it, the groups spreads out and gets very single-file. It gets fast fast fast. The main group -- all boys -- is hauling, and then you have little groupings of runners at so many different paces you can’t even imagine.You have athletes completing the loop in an hour and others in nearly double that. But, everyone battles the same thick wood chip trails alike and regroups at the end. It is fast and, andi t's "Welcome to San Diego" for newcomers.

This past week I chatted with Terri Martin briefly as we departed on the famous San Diego Sunday run. I had become familiar with the run and knew my way and knew when it was better to just run alone. I finally convinced my boss, an elite swimmer, to join me. He signed up for a marathon in late march. I figured what is the best way to make workmates understand my time constraints with training -- have them join me. So my fishy swimmer boss will be doing long runs with me. (He is actually a college runner who, shall we say, is dusting off the waffle racers.) I am teaching him the benefit of GU and think he is finding out all about it.

Terri and I split up as she began to chat with a new face at the run -- a woman in shiny new running shoes. Their voices grew distant as my boss fell into the first Sunday run pit of going out fast, and I had to stay along for the ride. Terri has been fighting injury for nearly a year now, and the last couple of months, I have seen her out riding and running. She is active in the running and triathlon community in so many ways. From track coaching to getting young athletes into riding, she is a breath of fresh air every time I see her. See, Terri is different. She is balanced. She is happy. And, she is always interested.

Terri wants to share in your life. She is always the first to ask me about work and the last to ask about racing. She is always wanting to know how my puppies are, what books I have read, or how my parents are. Talk about her life? She shares her days with you as well. But, she never talks about her racing. She is too modest. Now, this is a women who kicks butt. I swear, give her 4 weeks on a bike and she is right in the pack. I met her for the first time at Hawaii in ’98, It was my first time racing there and I was quite nervous. I had chatted with her a few times around San Diego and she had helped me find some group rides, as I had just moved there. So she sat with me on the brick wall for that long hour before the cannon went off. Here she was, one of the top pros at the race, hanging with me, a chattering age-grouper who was scared poop-less. She told me jokes, gave me reminders for the race and then told me about silly stuff. Stuff that got my mind out of Kona for that hour. As I said, she is a cool woman.

So after the run, my boss and I head to Einstein Bagels (great hot chocolate there) and chat for a while. Terri, after repeated asking, says her foot is healing and that she is happy to be back. Back to running track with the groups she coaches, back to riding with the young girls she has introduced cycling to, and oh yeah, kicking my butt at the Sunday run. This sport needs more selfless people like Terri Martin to share this sport with the upcoming generation. She can race and she can live an athletic life and bring it to others. Anything cooler than that?

So I ran swam and biked this week too.

Got in 230 miles of riding. Two runs off of the bike. One with the dogs as it was mid week and I was tired when I got home so they gave me the motivation to head out the door.

My swimming slacked and I need to get on it for next week. I had a 4.5 hour ride and it was great. Went solo and started out nice and easy and felt really strong coming in. I made sure to ride on Sunday after the run and grabbed my two cycling friend and we rode 3 hours on the coast.

Had two sunrise runs and that was awesome. I am getting those in and then commuting to work (about 30 miles directly, or can add on) so I can get in 60 miles if the time and daylight allows.

More later… as work is calling!

----

DEC 18- DEC 24

Holidays, ugh… great for training… tons of time to rest, eat right and concentrate on training. Sorry to all readers as my journal is late these two weeks. My father came in town and that was wonderful. Got to show him training San Diego style with sun, beach and warm winds. (Sorry to all you cold weather tough ones.) Work was nuts so basically last week Dec. 11-17th I did what I could each day, trying to relax and enjoy time with my dad.

Last week got me back on my bike. I was shooting for 150 miles of riding- didn’t care what sort of riding, slow on the coast or constant in the east hills. I took Monday off, and rode to work Tuesday the long way, so it was about 3 hours in the saddle when I hit the high-rise; and then rode home about hour and a half. Work participated on my shortened day. Actually hit home and the doggies wanted to run so I took them for a transition run. The Transition Run is a run off the bike to stretch the legs out and familiarize them with the feeling of running after a long ride. Key for an ironman. You will see many of these in my workouts coming up as I find my body to adjust better on race day after tons of practice with this.

Wednesday brought my to early morning masters at UCSD- long course! I am shooting for swimming 5 workouts a week. Swimming is great for my work schedule and since my boss is an elite swimmer, noon workouts fit great into my day. Like I said first off, work your schedule so it creates little stress. I can’t sit in rush hour for an hour to arrive home mentally ready for the trainer. Ugh… Most of my key workouts are in the am’s. Had a great hour and some change run with dogs. They held the tempo up for me.

Rode easy to work Thursday and my brother came along. My brother is a cyclist who is racing in Europe so I am working him to bring up my mileage. He is a positive personality on me for sure. Find someone who is encouraging for your training. Use them to keep your spirits up. I got in the easy swim at lunch. Feeling worried about my running mileage but I will trust my legs to hold the miles from these last weeks.

Friday I needed the longer run this AM. Swam masters at Carlsbad and then hit the road and trails for a combo run with dogs. Hour and a half. Concentrated on my form while running and worked on the GU intake. I have had problems with my stomach holding stuff before.

On Saturday the surf was up -- 12-Footers -- so I ran along the coast watching the surfers. Great entertainment and makes the time go quick. Two hours flew by. Rode an easy hour in the afternoon. The easy ride after running long really makes my legs regenerate.

Sunday -- Xmas even -- and I am cooking the big dinner. Felt stressed about 10 AM so headed out in my Sauconys with my two grey "reindeer". Turkey was ready along with everything else. Ate tons and slept like a child.

Dogs woke up like 10 year olds, ready to open more presents. Played in the yard with the new squeeze toys and then pulled out the old bike again. I was smiling though as I had new sunglasses to ride in today. (Santa treated me alright so I must have been a little good.) Rode 3 hours. My brother dropped me climbing out of town but I just let him go and finished the ride feeling strong and mentally ready for some longer miles.

Back on Track for this week. I have the week off of work so I am really filling up the bottles for some riding time. Look forward to my Palomar climb stories from this Friday as I head up the mountain with some of the San Diego roadie boys.

NOV 27- DEC 3

I ran the marathon in Culver City California rather than in Tucson.

Marathon- fun fun, Always carry more food than you will need. The race start was delayed almost two hours and they held us at the starting line for that whole time. I had the lead for 21 miles and then BONKED. I was out of GU’s and there was only water on the course. My stomach was growling at mile 10. I stopped and ate a hotdog at mile 21 which I don’t typically recommend but when you bonk, anything tastes good.

Well, I have a great running basis and am taking Monday and Tuesday active rest. Then I am pulling that old bike out again and get my fitness up on the bike. I have lost about 9 pounds with the long running and need to watch the weight to stay at my best race weight. You won’t see me skipping any meals for sure but I have upped my intake of fish and red meat over these last 4 months and watched my refined sugars. (I am a jelly bean nut still though- I am searching for that Jelly Belly sponsorship). I feel strong and ready mentally to take on this Ironman. Bring it on.

NOV 20-26

I'm already stressing about this race (a little), because although my "training" started this past week I'm skipping many of the workouts -- like two-thirds of them. Why? Because some time back I decided to do the Tucson Marathon, which takes place on December 3 (this weekend). This means I'll get a slightly later start on swimming and cycling, but I'm telling myself that I'll have made up for it by virtue of the extra running miles I'm doing.

But that isn't to say I'm ONLY running. On monday I rode 2-hours along the San Diego coastline (the coast is the San Diegan's easy route) after running about 8 miles that morning. But that was it for the week, cycling-wise.

By the way, I should say right up-front that I'm not one of those pros who earn billions of dollars from sponsors and have race directors throwing wads of hundred-dollar bills at me just to show up and shoot the starting gun off. I work for a living -- meaning a real job. A day job. So I, like most of you, get to fit Ironman training around the daily bump and grind.

On tuesday I slept til I woke (no alarm). I do this twice a week to assure that I get enough sleep. Went to bed about 8:30 that night so I felt so fresh waking up.
I ran an hour-twenty at a HR of 155-170. (My maximum heart rate is really high)
Stretched for 30 minutes with some sit-ups. Off to work as I check voicemail out the door. DRANK GALLON OF WATER AT WORK! I lift weights at the gym across the street for lunch. (Find somewhere to lift weights that is convienent as it makes all the difference.) I ran 50 minutes HR 150-165 felt better at end of run than at beginning that afternoon.

I'm still keeping up my swimming a little, and on Wednesday I swam the AM workout at UC San Diego (one of the two big masters programs in North County that triathletes join -- the other is in farther north, in Carlsbad). I swam 5,500 yards (started slow but by the end, body felt awesome. Had a lunch appointment so no run that day. I figures I'd pile a few miles in on the weekend to make sure my miles are up. It was an easy work week with the Thanksgiving holiday, so there wasn't much stress about having to miss workouts. I had a massage Wednesday night. I love my massage guy, Allen.

Thursday wasTurkey Day- Drank a ton of water and electrolyte solution as I was dehydrated yesterday. Ran 45 minutes with dogs in AM. Let me introduce my puppies- two hyperactive Weimariners- one is one year old the week and the other is 7 months. Ran with them off leash during Turkey Ride-n-Tie in Sorrento Valley (trails). They are the best running partners in the whole world. Thursday PM ran temp with HR at 160-175 for 1:10. Watched the sunset as I ran on beach. Lovely day. Stretched, sit-ups

Friday, no work, swam 3000 yards EZ. I helped a friend move and that was my weights workout. I ran 1:15 in the evening holding 6:45 pace for marathon touchup.

On saturday I ran 2 hours at 6:50 pace with first mile slightly slower. Felt so good. GU’s went down easy and drank my whole fanny water pack on run. Great sign of holding fluids. One GU every 45 minutes worked well. Rode one hour easy in afternoon.

On my sunday run I tried to hold back so that I didn’t burn my legs one week out. Ran 1:30 at 165-175 HR. Felt good running but got a stomach ache in afternoon- called it a day. Rang Allen for massage for next week. Stretched 30 minutes.