ironcheryl2018

It’s been a busy triathlon month – did two sprint triathlons back to back two weeks. Probably a little much. Cypress Tri went OK; great run but not quite the swim or bike I wanted. River Cities Tri in Louisana was super fun. Pretty good bike but the exhaustion of racing two weeks in a row set in on this one. GREAT practice races getting me ready for my IRONMAN goal however.

I’m feeling so much more confident on my new bike now. Getting used to the different positioning and don’t even think about clipping in and out any more (my heart rate used to about double just thinking about it.) Finally able to drink while riding (super important). Next mountain to climb is feeling comfortable in aero – can get into it but not comfortable or used to it at all yet. Another step in the journey.

Feeling great about my swimming thanks to Gemma Hollis. Running is great too. Really feeling ready to go to Omaha in a month and finally capture that 2 hour Half time I’ve been chasing for so long.

I think the most significant thing going on right now is how much the daily training has become part of my life. With ten workouts per week and three companies to run, no small feat. So thankful David is supportive and does sweet things for me. Like bringing an ice water and putting it in my car to find at the end of a 42 mile solo training ride when all I had left was super hot water. Also so thankful for all the training partners around me who are encouraging me and helping educate me on what to do and how it should feel; absolutely no way I could be doing this without them.

So next major goal is the Omaha Half. Will need to navigate staying on course with IRONMAN training while trying to do my best at what is this year’s A race. Trust that Dana Lyons will skillfully help me through this.

Wow have I been bad about posting on this blog. So much has happened over the past few months. But had to post this week, because this week I OFFICIALLY REGISTERED FOR IRONMAN TEXAS 2018.  So, the journey has “officially” begun. 

Most important step has been the purchase of my new Tri Bike, named Valencia, meaning brave, strong and orange. Have 50 miles on her and a looooonnnnggg way to go in getting comfortable and up to speed. But I love her and we are going to be good buddies very soon. A bike fit this week with Tad Hughes went a long way to getting my seat and arm positions where they needed to be. 

Competed in CB&I and Sylvan Beach sprint Tris. Practice triathlons and learned something at each one. Sylvan was my first real ocean open water swim and the waves were HUGE. Course was 1/3 longer than advertised. At this one, I was proud of myself for just keep moving ahead after those terrible swim conditions. Had my best 5K in a triathlon at the end of this sprint, which I’m proud of.

Another major step has been a swimming analysis with local swimming legend Gemma Hollis. The video set up and patient, detailed analysis of my issues were more helpful than I can describe. Started going to her coached workouts twice a week and this is making a huge difference in my training, rather than mindlessly putting in laps with bad form solo. Really happy I found Gemma – I highly recommend and she is truly spectacular. Fast Fridays with Coach Amy are also going a long way towards improvement.

Started seeing a nutritionist a month ago to start getting the right fuel in my body for all my workouts and to figure out what the heck to eat on these endurance races. Christy Abrams is an athlete and she is very good. She has me eating more protein than I ever thought I could. I’ve lost 6 pounds, all while gaining some muscle. I’ve completely changed the way I eat and look at food. Keeping Sundays open to do whatever I want, but now that I’m in the habit of eating better, it’s really pretty easy to do. David has come along this eating plan with me and dropped a bunch of weight as well, so it’s been good all around. Did a bunch of blood work to find out about my micro-nutrient profile and still waiting for those results – it’s likely there will be more changes once we see those. Really need to thank one of my teammates, Ligia, for turning me on to Christy. She noticed in one of my Facebook posts that I was tired and suggested I may not be eating enough to fuel my works and she was right on target with that analysis.

Getting in 10 workouts a week now – it’s just becoming a way of life. I daydream a lot about crossing the IRONMAN finish line and the announcer saying “Cheryl Perry, you are an IRONMAN” during long runs. I know – dork for sure – but keeps me motivated at mile 9 of 11.  I have to say I am really really enjoying this journey.  I’m learning I can do more than I ever thought I could, I’m meeting the coolest people ever, and I’m working toward a goal I never in a million years thought I could achieve.

Work has been insane the past 6 months. We are close to going into a little quieter time of year and I have a new employee starting in July who I feel is going to make it possible for me to go into the “real” IRONMAN training December – April without being worried about work. I have a great team of people and I know that me stepping back a little bit is going to be just fine.

Next goal – Cypress Tri July 30 – I’d like to do a 1:20 here. Let’s see what I can do………

Going to do a better job of posting – I want to remember every step of my IRONMAN journey.

Met with Coach Dana and worked out my race schedule for the rest of this year:

CB&I Sprint Tri,  May 6
Sylvan Beach Sprint Tri, June 10
Cypress Sprint Tri, July 30
Towne Lake Olympic distance Tri, Sept. 4
Omaha Half Marathon, Sept. 17 GOAL: 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!
Oilman Half IRONMAN, Nov. 5
IRONMAN Arizona, swim & bike only, Nov. 19

Excited to train and work towards the ultimate goal of IRONMAN TEXAS 2018.

 

This is an important blog post because I will no doubt need to re-read this one many times over the next year. I volunteered at the finish line of IRONMAN TEXAS 2017 Saturday afternoon. AND I AM SO MOTIVATED TO BECOME AN IRONMAN IN 2018. So I will likely come back to this post as the training gets tough, to remind myself of how I feel right now.

After watching the race, doing a half Ironman most certainly does not make me an IRONMAN. It is twice the distance but clearly more than twice as hard. I touched a few hundred people as they crossed the finish line Saturday. I gave them their medal and was likely the first person to congratulate them – what an honor. I felt their sweat (literally), saw the look in their eyes, felt their emotion. Some were overjoyed. Some didn’t know where they were. Some obviously had some great pain that had driven them to do this. Some were simply overwhelmed.

I saw the good, the bad and the ugly, and I want all of it. All day as I watched the swim and some of the ride and watched the run for about an hour before my medal shift, I kept asking myself “can you do this?” And deep in my heart, I know the answer is yes. I know I can do this. I know this because I saw everyone of my teammates cross the finish line, except one who crashed on her bike due to another rider’s error. Watching these amazing people train and being on the receiving end of all of their support has helped me so much. Finish Strong won the team division and while many of these athletes did exceptional; you don’t have to be first or at the top to be an IRONMAN. All you have to do is finish in 17 hours; which don’t get me wrong isn’t easy; but I can do that. Not today. I have a lot of training to do. But I’m going to do every bit of it and I am going to become an IRONMAN.

Starting to work on some of the main things I need to get done by next year. Working on getting a tri bike and retire my ill-fitted road bike. Finally getting into aero when I ride. Making going to track a habit and getting a bit faster on the run. Feeling great in the pool and finally starting to do the workouts the way I should instead of just pounding through laps. Reading every single race report from last weekend I can get my hands on to learn what people ate, what they had in all those bags, how they dealt with the swim, etc. Still so far to go until next year, but truly enjoying the journey.

CB&I Sprint Tri is next weekend – looking for a new PR there. Then working to finalize the rest of my races for the year.

Hopefully the thought of hearing those words: Cheryl Perry: You are an IRONMAN will keep me as motivated on long runs in July as I feel right now.

Woke up this morning having completed IRONMAN Texas 70.3.  I am not going to say I “just did a half Ironman” – it was hard. Grueling. Kind of scary. But I finished in the allotted time, crossed the finish line and became an IRONMAN.

Had a really great swim – felt really comfortable in the water and got out feeling great. The water was kind of choppy so very glad I had done that last minute conroe swim Thursday night where the water was sort of the same.

Nothing previously could have prepared me for the wind I was going to have to face on the bike. Had a short practice session on the sea wall Saturday morning, but it was absolutely fierce. Just hung in there and did the best I could – rode at about 14 mph out and back around 13.5 – wind was more of a factor coming in. I was so happy to come back in and have so many Finish Strong teammates and David there cheering me in. Meeting the bike cut off (if you don’t get to a certain point by a certain time you can’t advance and get a Did Not Finish) was absolutely a goal for me here, so very very happy to have had this ride, even though comparatively it’s not impressive. I have a long way to improve here.

Got off the bike and thought I was home free. Started to run and felt terrible cramps on both sides of my stomach. I can tell you I literally have never had this happen before. So I stopped at every aid station to drink 2 gatorades and tried to stay calm. Ran the entire time the first of the three run loops. Second one I walked through the aid stations and slowed down quite a bit. But then just sheer determination kicked in to get it finished. Thinking my power on the bike was higher than it had ever been due to the wind and maybe I hadn’t taken in enough water for all the GU and gel blocks I had taken.

But I toughed it out and I really can’t even describe the feeling of crossing that finish line – PURE JOY. All the pain, the hundreds of hours of training, all the aches and scrapes and broken ankle; all of that just goes away and you know you have done something you once never even remotely considered a possibility just happened.

This happened because of excellent training. Thank you Dana Lyons for telling me what I needed to do. Thank you to my amazing teammates from Finish Strong Coaching for all their support and advice. Training partner Ivonne Vandanam; thank you for making this journey fun and I’m looking forward to the next year of training for IMTX 2018 with you!!! David Perry you are absolutely my soulmate and I love you so much for being supportive of all of this craziness.

I have 12 months and 3 weeks to prepare for the full IRONMAN TEXAS 2018. I plan to do another half before then. I know my IRONMAN journey is still a long road in front of me. I have SO MUCH MORE to learn about this sport; so much more training to do; so much more to learn about properly fueling my body. But I’ve conquered this BIG step and it was a giant leap.

Haven’t posted in a while – mainly because every waking moment I’ve either been working or training for this Half Ironman.

It’s clear to me now after training for 3.5 months for this race that God sent me a gift with my broken ankle before the Oilman Half. I wasn’t ready for that race and may not have finished. I have learned SO MUCH over the past few months and thanks to Finish Strong Coaching and Dana Lyons, I am as trained as I could possibly be for this Half Ironman on Sunday. I know I can finish in the time cutoffs and I am 100% more comfortable on my bike.  Funny how with a little time, something that seemed awful can come into focus.

So now all there is to do is go execute my race and not freak out over things I can’t control, like the weather. I have a time in mind for each segment of the race, but my goal for the Galveston Half Ironman Sunday is to finish. To throw my hands up in the air crossing the finish line knowing I did everything I could to get there. And it’s going to feel AMAZING!!!!

This road to the Ironman is taking shape and I know it’s still a long road to my full Ironman in 2018, but it’s very clear to me now what I need to do to get there and, most importantly, that I have it within me to do it.

Final OWS before Galveston

Today was one of those days – feeling sick. Laid in bed thinking I should just stay there. But I got up and ran 7 miles. Worked all day. Rode 6 miles tonight (got too dark to do the whole workout.) Occurred to me that crossing the finish line at the Ironman won’t make me an Ironman – it’s all these days powering through the training with no excuses is what is going to make me an Ironman. No excuses……