Rychen's Half-Ironman Triathlon

Rychen has many marathons and even a 50-miler under his belt, but this past week he took it to the next level as he completed his first long triathlon event. It was comprised of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run, which he finished in just over 6 hours, in the hot Nevada sun.

The swim was in lake Tahoe. We all stayed the night in a motel close-by and left at 5 am. Rychen started at 6:30 am. The kids and I shivered as we waited and watched from the "beach" as Rychen swam through the course, about 40 minutes. Then he transitioned to his bike and we drove by him on the early miles of the bike course several times cheering him on. The kids really got into it.

When we reached the finish line over an hour away, we had some time to shop and watch other competitors, waiting for Rychen to get to the second transition area (at Sparks marina). It's always nerve wracking waiting for an athlete to come in! Rychen P. was afraid he got lost or had a flat tire, and asked to say a prayer. (aww, gospel parenting success!) pretty soon afterward, he came in. I asked how he felt and he replied, "like I've been on a bike for 3 hours!" 

....but he still had 2 hours of running ahead of him!! (WOW)

As we waited for Rychen to run, we watched the winners finish their race, as well as the Ironman triathletes get off their 112 mile bike ride and into their marathon leg! (Can you imagine!?)

Oh I should mention it was almost 100 degrees out there.

Finally Rychen came across the finish! Alive! I doused him in water and pointed him in the direction of the pizza tent. Melan and Ethan came to congratulate him as well.

 - Sorry these pictures are out of order... 

Before he went out on the run, we were able to run out to him and he gave the kids hugs :)  It was really sweet.

Finished!

He took a few days to recover and a week later was back out with his competitive edge...at the Pocatello Marathon! 

Rychen's Marathon Story

In the days prior to the race I had tried to get Annalise to tell me what run to walk ratio she wanted to use during the race. We had never really run together but we both knew there were going to be regular walk breaks I just wasn't sure when. I'm not sure she knew when. She had made a card with different sections of the race with corresponding ratios a few days prior but it never made it into my possession to carry (I had the watch we would be going by).

She had stated she wanted to run the first part of the course, the downhill portion out of the canyon which is approximately 14 miles, in about 2 hours. Two years ago I ran this section about that fast and paid for it dearly in the final 12 miles, so I wasn't sure if this was realistic or not, but that was the goal.

On the bus ride to the start line I asked one more time what the run/walk ratios would be and she said we'd start out walking every 6 minutes while we warmed up the first few miles. 

The race began in the dark and at 6 minutes, not even to mile 1, we were walking. Even on my worst training day I've never walked after just 6 minutes, but this was the plan. Walk early and walk often.  We had started with the 3:55 pace group leader, Amy, and by the end of our 30second walk we were slightly behind her. This wasn't a problem though because our running pace would be faster than her 8:58 pace she was running.

At 13 minutes we walked again (actually a 6:30 interval) and when we started to run again we were with the 4 hour group. I wasn't sure how long she had wanted to keep the 6 minute interval in effect, so I didn't call another break until 21 minutes, a 7:30 interval. Because we had run longer, the 3:55 group caught up as our walk ended. 

She seemed to have no trouble with the longer run interval, so I continued to call for walk breaks every 7 minutes instead of 6. We weren't running hip to hip every step of the way, but I'd keep an eye on her when I'd get a little bit ahead and slow down as the walk break came near so that we'd start the next interval together.

At the aid station in the 6th mile I glanced back and noticed she had stopped and was walking (not during a scheduled break). No problem, I thought, it was an aid station. But it took a little while for her to get going again and she mentioned she had a stomach cramp or something. We didn't take many scheduled walk breaks after that, maybe a few, but mostly I'd stop when I noticed she had stopped. 

We ping-ponged back and forth between the 3:55 and 4 hour groups and when we ran the little out and back tail around mile 7 I calculated that the 3:55 group was 90 seconds ahead. This was fine with me as I knew if we got back on our regular schedule we would chip away at that distance and be back up with them before we hit the halfway point.

Coming out of aid station near mile 8 Annalise just couldn't get comfortable and mentioned that she felt sluggish. We took an extended walk break and when we resumed, we were now playing catch up to the 4 hour group during our running intervals. But I could see the 3:55 group and figured as long as I could keep them within sight we'd be alright because Amy was running a constant 8:58 pace, slower than what we could run at if needed.

As we ran through miles 10-12 Annalise still was uncomfortable. And the 3:55 group was now out of sight because of all the turns. I knew they'd be crossing the halfway point at about 1:55 or 1:56 (Amy had told us beforehand that she was planning to bank 2 extra minutes in the first half because of the downhill).

I felt great and started to wonder if I should run my own race and catch up or stay and run with Annalise. I don't know how she felt about this because I never asked, but I went back and forth for a few miles on what to do. 

The 4 hour pace group hit the halfway mark right at 2hours and we were only a few seconds behind them. Annalise's cousin was running the half marathon and she said to me to get her up to her cousin that they would run together to the finish and I could go try to finish faster. Unfortunately the half started at our 1:45 mark, so we were 15 minutes behind. Even at her cousin's goal pace of 10 minutes per mile, we would run out of miles before we would catch her. I don't know if Annalise realized this or not, but the math didn't work. At that point I decided I would run with her the remainder of the race, regardless of what time we finished with.

Gradually the 4 hour group pulled ahead and then was lost to our view on the long straight stretch up the Old Highway 91. We most.y ran together durning the middle miles (14-19) though sometimes I would get a little bit ahead and would walk through the aid stations or slow down a bit until she caught up. She was taking a much different approach to being tired than I do: she wanted to talk to everyone. 

The hill in the 21st mile is the spot that busted my potential PR last year. I didn't have a prayer of running up it two years ago because I had no idea what 13 miles of downhill to start a race would do to my legs. I was running up the hill this year. I didn't care how I felt when I got to the top or what the last 5 miles would be like. We approached the hill together (along with another couple who had been running close to us for another an hour) and I took off up the hill. It burned, but it felt good. I felt like I could have kept going once I was at the top, but I walked though the aid station and kept walking for a few minutes until Annalise caught up. 

I was a little ahead a mile or so later when I reached my mother-in-law and our kids and I waited there for her as well. That would be the last time I would wait for her as I was totally gassed. A combination of two and a half weeks on the road, irregular diet, and , my half-ironman triathlon the weekend before, In addition to the previous 22 miles run, was my limit. From that point on we ran together or she would get ahead. I was letting her dictate the walk breaks (which I would use to catch up to her) and we both did a good job of making sure we didn't walk too long. 

She wasn't feeling like eating anything at this point and we were both just trying to finish. The last few miles ticked by and as we reached mile 25 I knew that it was a very real possibility that I wouldn't be able to keep up with her for the last 1.2 miles. We were walking together but when we were running she was running at a faster pace than what I could sustain.

As we approached the final turn and had a half mile left, I was about 50 yards behind, but hat distance was increasing. I needed her to walk or I wouldn't be able to catch up. Luckily for me, she did as she rounded the turn. I made up about half the distance before she started again and made up the rest as she walked again a minute or so later. 

I don't know how she felt as we ran the last 1/4 mile to the finish line, but it was all I could do to keep up. We ran up to the finish line together, but with a few steps left I nudged her ahead of me and then got right behind her to make sure she finished first. She had run the better race, really. I was just trying to hold on. We crossed the finish line in 4 hours 17 minutes, took a picture and started the post-race festivities.  When we finally came to a few minutes later, her first comment to me was "now that I know, I've got no more running tips for you and I'm not letting you do this every month." 

Luckily the 24-hour rule had begun as we crossed the finish line.

Annalise's Marathon Story

I trained for the downhills. I only realized it a few weeks in advance so I sort of "crammed" and did downhill running four times in one week. It hurt! But i figured better to hurt then, then during the race. My last training run was ten miles straight downhill and ten miles flat. I felt great and was ready for the downhill monster. And it worked, I didn't feel any effects in the race although others were complaining that it shredded their quads) I used this run to base my final time prediction and figure how to pace myself. I knew I could run downhill comfortably at an 8 min. Pace for ten miles, walking every mile for thirty seconds. However my planning was in error, the actual race wasn't straight downhill, and it was a much milder grade than i had planned for, and so I had to scramble to guess a good starting pace and it threw me off.

The day before I had 6-8 solid bowel movements and headache. I still don't know why. Maybe ihad a bug. At the time I was thinking it was good, I would be 2-3 pounds lighter and have a clear digestive track for the race. But it ended up being a bad thing. Either I was ill or it simply depleted me....and I didn't feel well the whole race. I didn't run the race I planned for at all, but it ended up being a wonderful experience. Here goes.

Rychen and I Ran with 3:55 or 4:00 pace group for 15 or so miles. (about 9 min miles) During that time the miles passed pretty quick, even though I wasn't feeling well. The first couple miles felt okay but it was soon apparent that i would have difficulty keeping up the pace for the 3:55 group. We had planned on walking every 6 minutes but i needed more frequent breaks.  Then about miles 3-7 I Was dealing with some cramping but not digestive related, or side stitches, it was under my ribs. I took it in stride knowing it would pass. Anyway my energy was low, and for several miles I told myself I always feel sluggish at the beginning of a run and I would feel good soon. But I never did.  I felt bad slowing Rychen down. I could see he was wanting to go faster. At mile 10 or so, I told him just catch me up to marissa (my cousin, doing the half) then he could go on. (but we never caught marissa, and as it turned out rychen couldnt have gone ahead anyway.) 

I walked so much more than I do on training runs. I usually feel comfortable on training runs, running at a 8'50" pace (for flat stretches). But today even the 9'15" pace was hard to maintain, even early on! 

At mile 8ish my music wasn't motivating me and I needed some encouragement. So I tried to start a conversation with the pace leader. He wasn't understanding that I was looking for encouragement.  The "conversation" sucked. Looking back I should have skipped my iPod ahead to my favorite songs but I just wasn't thinking straight the entire time.

Once we were past the half marathon start, we were passing the slow runners and walkers. This was a good distraction to me, as I tried to have a brief conversation with everyone. The first man I talked to said he wasn't feeling it either and had moved his goal finish back ten minutes. I was happy to have some commiseration. We leapfrogged a bit. I asked him if he had any jokes. The next time, I told him the one joke I know. It was then I got my brilliant idea: this could be fun if i be friendly and upbeat to everyone I meet.

During this time I was sipping my orange juice but it made me feel nauseous and I knew I needed to take in more carbs (usually I drink 16 oz. of OJ at the 1-hour mark. Here i was at more than 2 hours, fuel deprived but had no appetite). I should have started drinking power aid sooner but I didn't until after my OJ was gone.  I wish i had known that poweraid would feel better in my stomach, it could have been a different race. I gradually started feeling less sick with that, although by that time my body was slowing down anyway. 

I tried to do my mental tricks from ChiRunning but I just had no mental energy. I couldn't even figure math. I wasn't watching the mile markers, I didn't have a watch. I just ran what felt doable. I think it was a good thing not to know how fast or where I was. The miles passed quickly until after 20. In that regard I look back thinking it wasn't so bad. But it sure was discouraging at the time!

My family was waiting at the school after the huge hill. I knew they were there and that's what got me up that hill. It was mile 21. I loved seeing them and it was good to see Taylor happy. It was good for me to run that distance with them in sight. Then we passed my aunt Jolene and seeing her made me happy.. I had been making conversation with everyone we passed anyway but I was waiting and wondering when we would see Jolene (she and marissa were doing the half).

I knew in advance I would NOT count down miles. Its just bad thinking. I would only count upward. So when I got to mile 20 I was thinking "super, this is nothing new." and even when I felt bad I would say "well I can do this for two more hours," or one more more hour, etc. So my mental chatter never got bad really. I just wasn't enjoying myself like I thought I would..I was disappointed but wasn't dwelling on it.

I was walking more and more... Nothing hurt but i just had zero energy. I would feel nauseous every time I tried to eat. But then Some fun music came on my iPod so I started being silly. I was doing the hand motions for YMCA above my head, and I would pass people and sing to them. "You got to move it, move it!" or "if you don't wanna party then you should go home!" and at every mile marker I would stop to walk and scream out the distance with my hands in the air. It was pretty fun just being a dork. I realized competitiveness takes the fun away, and I was so happy my time goal had long since went ahead of me, I was just there to have a good time and be happy to run my first marathon! Even when Rychen tried to encourage me to run more, I would say "nah! I am in no hurry!" haha

The "good time" lasted 30 mins or so, and once I got to 23 it was just awful...the last few go...soo....slow...even though I was actually walking less and was running faster, due to not feeling sick anymore. However about 24 miles on I just felt nasty and wanted to throw up. I still hadn't eaten much, but was drinking lots of power aide and some orange segments at aid stations. So I was just focused on getting there. Rychen and I both felt horrible, it helped so much to have each other. (we had been running within eyesight the whole time, catching up, walking at different times, etc.) This really felt like childbirth. The whole thing was just long and draining!...then the last part is so awful and you just have to PUSH with everything you got! 

(in all seriousness, I think having been through childbirth plus raising children is good preparation for this. Being a mom, every day is an endurance event. We are always in uncomfortable situations where you just have to grin and bear it. You learn patience. You learn to shrug things off and take whatever comes.)

I finally I passed the finish line and I cried with my arms outstretched. I have come close to crying many times i finish races and usually choke up but you still have inhibitions...well after 26.2 miles there are really no inhibitions. I showed exactly what I felt, which was relief mostly but also the incredible accomplishment of finishing a marathon which brought me to tears.

Rychen felt very worn out and slumped immediately to the ground. I was a bit concerned about him but I knew I had to stay in motion to warm down. I walked around aimlessly, still crying a bit, drinking as much water as I could. We took our time recovering. After 10-15 minutes I started to look for my family. I took my baby and sat down to stretch and call my mother in law. At this point I felt good again and had little to complain about. I remember thinking "well, NOW I could go run some comfortable miles." ironic what life throws at you sometimes. We stayed for a while, letting the kids eat our food and play in the kid areas, and visiting with everyone. I could have stayed all day, it was so fun to see all the amazing athletes and revel in our accomplishment together.

In the end I was very happy with my time and amazed that it wasn't slower. I FELT like I was going very very slowly. But it still came out to less than ten minutes per mile! And I don't think my pace dropped too dramatically at the end, which was my original goal. I just wanted to be wise and pace myself so I wouldn't hit a wall and have to walk for more than a minute and a half. I don't think I ever did that but I did walk very frequently! One person made fun at me for all my stopping and going. But that's just my style! Mix it up. 

The rest of the day I felt so happy about it but not sure how soon I would want to do another one. The day after, I am ready to tackle another one! I will be excited to,try this same course again in the future and try again for the race I was hoping to do.

Pocatello Marathon!

Rychen and I ran the Pocatello Marathon together Sep. 1st.  You can check out the race course, statistics, pace and split times, etc. here  Our finishing time was 4 hours, 17 minutes. I thought it would be fun to get both of our individual recaps and you can see how they match up :-)  We ran within 30 yards of each other the whole way but we didn't talk much to each other, and we had different experiences. Plus I think its funny that his recap focuses mostly on numbers and external data, while mine is focused more on emotion and experience. Haha! We are a perfect match. Anyhow it was such a great experience (am I really saying that? Because that is not what I was thinking at the time...) and Yes I will do it again!!

Click here for Rychen's story
Click here for Annalise's story

Here are the photos taken afterward. My cousin Marissa and aunt Jolene did the half marathon race too.

Baby Goes Bananas

Rychen and Elisabeth: Stop leaving banana peels on the floor!

It happened twice!!

Elisabeth Had a Little Lamb

Taylor's first swing ride

And Rychen.....

This photo is hilarious, because he was NOT posing. I was just clicking away with the fast shutter speed and happened to catch this!

Pocatello marathon in 3 weeks!

I forgot to mention, I AM DOING A MARATHON IN THREE WEEKS!!! Holy crap!

I am way excited. I have been running about 30 mile weeks, four days per week. I run an hour at a time except Saturdays I run 2-3 hours. My longest run was 20 miles and I have one more of those in a few days, then taper.

The first half of the race will be downhill so I have been running the decline treadmill at the gym to prepare. Good thing I have that resource! Cuz my hips hurt! Better now than during the race.

Rychen and I are running it together. I would be thrilled to get a time under 4'15" and if everything lines up right it could be closer to 4 hours. I divide my runs into chunks and check my progress. I usually run 6 miles the first hour, then 7 miles each additional hour. And that's on flat ground, so the race will be faster. I just hope I can keep running the last few miles, I know I will be hurting!! I wish I could have trained for longer runs, like Jeff Galloway recommends. Oh well. I will be carrying fresh OJ, my secret weapon. It has never failed me on race day! I keep my energy up the whole time.

Here is a cool video I found. I might like to do something like this. Would anybody want me to document it during the race?

Pocatello Marathon  Sept. 5, 2009