2012 Ironman Wisconsin race report (a year late..)

My summer uniform, sunglass tan and all.  

This was my third Ironman, and also my best. I followed my race plan outlined by my coach, Chris Bagg (www.chrisbagg.com) and stuck to it as best I could. What made the difference in this race was I ate a lot more then I have in the past and I trained my heart out as well. I'll take you through the race and add my commentary as I wish, since this is my blog..

Swim.

An example of how many spectators were at the race.  Such great support! 

The swim was a deep water start which was great because it spread the field out. I seeded myself towards the front of the line. Ok, let's be honest, I seeded myself at the front of the line towards the outside of it. It was the perfect place to line up! The swim went well, not too much trashing around until the back side of the loop. It was a one loop swim course, I'm not sure why it started getting aggressive halfway through the swim. So weird. I came out of the water happy it was over and ready to bike.

T1.
The transitions are all indoors at a convention center in Madison, we had to run up the helix (circle ramp in a parking garage) for two floors. I was almost dizzy by the time I got to my bike. The spectators were awesome and totally lined the outside of the ramp cheering the athletes on!

Leaving the transition getting ready to ride 112 miles.  

Bike.
I made a rookie mistake on my bike. The night before the race, I put my sports powder in the bottom of the container I keep between my aero bars and drink out of with a straw. The problem? Well, when I put water in the container it didn't mix the powder up so it left me with crunchy/ clumpy sports drink! It even got stuck in my straw! It was really gross. Besides that, there were no malfunctions as far as nutrition was concerned the rest of the race. The bike was two loops of very bumpy Midwest roads. I'm really serious on this. My pelvis was numb by mile 30 because of the rough roads! It was a hilly course, but I stuck pretty close to my race plan and was able to flatten out the ride. My bike split was slower then I've had at previous Ironmans to hopefully allow me to have a better run. Again, the spectators were awesome at this race and cheered us athletes on throughout most of the ride! I even saw my family out in the middle of some town cheering me on! Such a spirit lift!! At the end of the bike we had to go up the helix before going to the transition and was totally dizzy when I reached the top. Thankfully one of the many awesome volunteers took my bike for me at the top and I only had to make my way indoors to where my running shoes were waiting for me.

T2.
Again, the transition was indoors. I felt like I was running through a maze! The volunteers were great and saw me through to the light where I had to run.

Run.
The run is where the race is won. Or lost. My plan was to keeping putting one foot in front of the other at an increased pace and eat enough calories to sustain my pace. I feel as though I was successful in this. The bike was a bit faster then it should have been, so my legs were not as fresh as I would have liked, but it's an Ironman.. No one has fresh lefts after swimming 2.4 and biking 112. Marathons are such a mental game, so I decided to play it. I had a smile on my face the entire run! Seriously! 10% of the run I was smiling! It was so much fun! I ran the first look of the marathon and felt strong, the second loop is where it became more challenging. Having ran over 15 marathons through, I knew that the pain is only temporary and continued to run finishing with a huge smile on my face with lots of tears in my eyes.

The finish line!  

My dad holding me up at the finish.  

Trying to laugh at the end of the race.  It hurt really bad.  

Flying High

My awesome compression socks that I wore in preparation of my race Sunday on the airplane.  

Had a layover in Seattle before flying to O'hare, Chicago.  Mount Rainier was beautiful!  

It's funny how so many things that are otherwise socially unacceptable suddenly become the norm in an airport. Yesterday I flew out to Chicago with a layover in Seattle and took note of some of the things I never see, except when traveling by air. Here are some of the things I observed:

1.  It is ok to ask a stranger to watch your purse while you go to the restroom.
2.  If you fly out before 9am or after 5pm, you can wear your pajamas... Or actually any time of the        day.
3.  You can sit or lay down in the middle of the walkway.
4.  You can have your pillow with you and use it anytime anywhere. (see 3 above)
5.  You will take your shoes and belt off without question when asked.
6.  Personal space means nothing.
7.  You can lay your head on a complete stranger and even drool on them without them saying anything.
8.  You can tell your life story and history to a creepy looking guy without worrying that they are taking note and could later possibly come after you, because they can afford a plane ticket and would never do that... (but really girlfriend be careful, you had me worried)
9.  You can park in the middle of the street if you're anywhere close to the airport.
10.  Shoes are optional, apparently even in bathrooms..

Do you have any interesting airport stories?

Where did you fly to last time you were on an airplane?

Are you ready to watch me race Sunday in the Madison, Wisconsin Ironman?!  If so, follow me here: www.ironman.com or www.ironmanwisconsin.com remember to go to the results section and search for Sarah Shadle.

Sarah vs Sally

Sally or Sarah? with Buddy and Morgan.  

What the heck were my parents thinking when they named me Sarah but have always called me Sally?  If I told you the real story, my parents would deny it, so I'll tell you what they will never admit.

You know how writers will often times have a different name for themselves when they sign their writings?   It's called a pseudonym. I believe my parents knew I was going to be a star from birth.  They saw me and thought to themselves, "by golly, look at that Star!  We must give her a pseudonym to protect her from her fans when the world meets her!".  That is where the name Sally originated; so that when I go by Sarah no one would know who I was.  Although legally I am Sarah, you would never find me because I go by Sally!   Seriously though, my parents legally named me Sarah just in case if I were to become a professional (ie: lawyer or doctor) my name would sound as such as well.   So, my legal name is Sarah and I go by Sally.  (sometimes I am confused by my name as well)  If you look up in the dictionary you will find these definitions:

Sally: a sudden rushing forth or activity (dictionary link to Sally)
Sarah: princess (dictionary link to Sarah)

I think they both fit me rather nicely, and therefore would not be able to choose if I were forced to.   I tell you this because I go by Sarah on paper . I sign up for races as Sarah.   My paycheck is Sarah.  My drivers license is Sarah.  Everything I own is owned by Sarah!

In less then a week I will be racing in Ironman Wisconsin.   If you're anything like I am, you will be glued to your smartphone or computer following the race online and cheering on all the people you know who are racing!   That's what I do almost every Sunday.  When you see me on my phone, I'm either following a race or catching up on my favorite athletes on twitter. (follow me on twitter @skeetss)   If you're interested in following my race progress follow this link, Ironman.com or maybe this link, Ironman Wisconsin and search for Sarah Shadle in the results section.

I'll see you at the finish line!

Game face!  Although I race as Sarah, cheer me on as Sally!  

Are you going to be following the race?

What nick names were you called as a child?  

Today's Lesson

Driving to meet the start of my ride on Sunday.  I thought this blog was in need of a self portrait.  

I rode on the bike path for a short portion of Sundays long ride.  This is the Columbia River looking at the Blue Bridge.  

I had a fantastic run this morning!  It's my last big workout before tapering for Ironman Wisconsin on September 9.  Yesterday I had a long bike ride coupled with a short run afterwards then today I ran.  I thought I would share some things I learned during my run today with you:  

1.  When a parent starts counting they are serious.  1... 2... 3... 

2.  People appreciate you saying "morning" when you go by if it's before 9am.  

3.  People look at you like you have two heads when you say "morning" after 9am.  

4.  More men than women walk their dogs on this particular bike path.  

5.  When doing an 11 mile loop twice, the second time around is always longer then the first time around.  

6.  A lady biked past me and said, "you're obviously in shape, you're my hero!"  I am someone's hero.  

7.  I can run faster than I thought.  

8.  Most people wear headphones, I do not.  

9.  Having worship before a run makes everything better!  

10.  22 miles is a long ways to go without having a conversation.  (if you've ever ran or biked with me, you know I don't shut up)

For those of you interested, here are my two longest workouts up to this point in preparation for my race that I completed this past weekend.  You may find it interesting, inspirational, boring, or confusing.  I totally geek out on this stuff, so if you're one of my admirers, now you know what gets me..  Just kidding.  But seriously, follow the links to my workouts.  Real quick, Sunday I biked then went for a short run and Monday I ran.  

Sunday Long bike ride on tri bike by shadles81 at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday Brick run after long ride by shadles81 at Garmin Connect - Details

Monday Long Run by shadles81 at Garmin Connect - Details

What are some of  your long workouts?  

Have you ever pushed yourself harder than you thought possible?  

Do you enjoy people watching?  

  

Childhood Scars

First day of school, I must have been in 3rd or 4th grade.  

Yes, this is me.  I kind of look like a guy.. Ugh.. 

One of my terrible hair cuts.  Yes, I really posted this..  

Growing up I received two really bad haircuts that left me looking like a boy. Seriously. I was asked to use the boys bathroom twice in one week! How depressing is that? I was in elementary and then middle school when I had these terrible hair cuts.  (see above photo's)  In fact, half way through my 7th grade year I transferred to a new school and was the new "cute boy" until all the girls found out I was in fact a girl.

Do you see how bad my hair must have been? I'm sure it didn't help that I was very active growing up and refused to wear dresses, but that's not the point. I was a girl and did not like being told to use the boys bathroom or being thought of as the cute guy.

Three weeks ago at about 7:30am I set out to begin my long Sunday bike ride. There are very few cars on the roads that early in the day which makes it a great time to ride. This Sunday I was in for a surprise. As I was riding on a neighborhood road, I heard a car horn behind me. I looked and saw that there was plenty of room between him and me, so I stood my ground and didn't move over. I should tell you, this road has huge shoulders, so there was plenty of room. The car went past me with no problem, although closer to me then it needed to be. No biggie, cars don't like bikes and I understand that. As luck would have it, the car and I were both stopped at the stop light. (Seriously, there are no cars! How is the light red?) The driver was pretty heated, so he rolled down his window and let me have it-

Cadillac driver: what are trying to do, get yourself killed?!

Me: there's lots of room for you to go around.

Driver: you stupid son of a bitch!!!

Me: enjoy church!!

The driver was 70+ years old, dressed nicely and had his well dressed wife in the car with him. He was totally going to church! Zing! I remained calm throughout the entire reaction and wonder what he thought as he drove off. I like to think he regrets what he said to me after I called him out on going to church wondering if he maybe missed a chance to witness to me. I felt sad for him and his wife as they drove off because the driver was so full of anger. I mean, who yells at a biker early Sunday morning on a neighborhood street?

My point of this story? He called me a son of a bitch! I've worked so hard to remove myself from my younger years by growing my hair out long and being more feminine, (besides from burping, I totally burp like a guy) and he called me a son! I had my hair down my back while I was riding, so I know the driver saw it. How could he have mistaken me?

Making fun of people can be so harmful. I would like to challenge each of you to not hurt people with your words and to think before you speak asking yourself what the other person will hear.

Where you ever made fun of growing up?

Have you missed a witnessing opportunity recently?

Do cars bully you when you ride?

Do I honestly look like a "son of a bitch"?  I didn't think so.  

Troika 70.3 race report

Two Sunday's ago, August 5, I did my second half ironman of the year.  I like this race because it is a small local race that is well organized and always has a stellar race shirt. Actually, they give out a sweatshirt! That's the real reason I go back every year..

I'm learning to not let myself get nervous before a race and to trust my training and coach, it seemed to work out pretty good for me at this race!  Here's my report:

Swim: the swim started out with me drafting off two girls in front of me.  I was pretty proud of myself with this drafting because up until this race, I have not been able to find someone to draft off of because they were either too fast or too slow.  Sadly, this drafting only lasted about 500 meters because the women were too slow and faded.  It wasn't until the last 500 meters that I found another person to draft off of, great practice for me.  The challenge during the swim was that the sun was in my way to sight the buoys so I felt like I swam a zig-zag pattern.  I was the 5th woman out of the water, so I must have done better then I thought.
1.2 mile swim- 32:50

Bike: I tried a new thing on my bike this race.  Isn't that what races are for, to try new things?  Instead of putting my shoes on immediately after taking my wetsuit off, I left my shoes on my bike!  It worked well!  Not sure if it was any faster of a transition for me, but it was nice to let me feet dry off a bit more before putting my shoes on and not worrying about sliding when I run with the shoes on.  Anyways, the bike leg of the race went well.  The race plan was to keep my heart rate low for the first half of the ride and to steadily increase it allowing me to pass all the athletes that passed me the first half.  It worked!  I ended up passing a lot of people the last part of the bike who looked like they were struggling.  I felt great!  There were two struggles on the bike though, first I sneezed at least 20 times coming out of transition!  Not sure what was going on, it made it kind of a challenge to put my shoes on.  Second, I got stung by some insect on my forehead with only five miles left on the bike.  The insect got stuck in my helmet and must not have realized who he was dealing with so decided to sting me.  It didn't slow me down too much because I finished my ride feeling strong.
56 mile bike- 3:02:56

Run: the run is where the race begins.  Everything up until this point is a warmup.  This year Troika did not disappoint with the heat, and the temperatures were high. It was a very sunny and hot run.  I had the same race plan on the run as for the bike as far as my heart rate is concerned and it worked again.  Although the sun was hot, I kept plugging along on my run and ended up passing four athletes in the last mile!  Also in the last few miles of the run I got stung by another insect!   How does that happen twice in one race?!  I must have been running hard because I was stung on my tongue and didn't even see the bug until it was too late.  Looking back on my run, I am disappointed with myself that I did not increase my heart rate sooner and increase my pace earlier.
13.1 mile run- 1:50:10

At the finish line I learned that I was 3rd in my division and 7th overall!  Overall it was a pretty good race, I had a tough, high volume regimen the two weeks leading up to the race which may be the reason I was unable to push it sooner during the run.

I actually couldn't say it better then my coach, Chris Bagg (his website here) did in an email he sent to all of his athletes:

Congratulations to Sally Shadle, who took 7th overall and 3rd in her age group at the Troika 1/2 Iron this past weekend. It's especially awesome considering the two weeks Sally put in before this event, logging over 40 hours of training over the 14 days. Pretty stellar result on tired legs. Next up for Sally is IM Wisconsin in a month, where she'll actually get to race fresh for once!
Total race time- 5:28

My next race is ironman Wisconsin September 9.  I'm really excited about it as I will have loads of family supporting me there!  My "A" race is less then one month away!!

When is your next race?

Have you ever been stung by an insect during a race?

Are you going to be at the finish line of ironman Wisconsin to support me?

Here are my race statistics:

Race Standings

Race Place

55

Division Place

49

Gender Place

7

Age Place

3

Bib Number

137

Gender

F

Age

30

Start Time

07:05:00

Swim

00:32:50

T1

00:01:30

Bike

03:02:56

T2

00:00:34

Elapsed

05:28:00

Lap Times

Lake Stevens 70.3 Race Report

My race kit for the season.  The bright colors make it easy to be spotted among the other racers.  

Me and Kristen before the race with Lake Stevens in the background, she is the best cheerleader ever!  She battled out the cold and rain and cheered me on!  Thank you, Kristen! 

Yesterday, July 15, I raced the Lake Stevens 70.3 triathlon.  It was probably the hardest I have ever raced and I am feeling the effects today, but I am happy with how hard I pushed myself.  I finished 10th in my division, here's my race report..

The race started out in the swim (obviously).  The coolest thing about Lake Stevens is that there was a cable under the water that you could follow so you would not have to sight the floating buoys!  How cool is that!  I was pretty excited about it, so I followed the cable as if it were a swim lane and ran into the first buoy head on.  Oops! Hoping no one saw me, I learned my lesson and sighted the cable from there on out from about four feet to the side.  The swim was a wave start, so there were not hundreds of people fighting for the lead pack.  I was in wave 6 and did not see anyone in my age group the entire swim.  Turns out I finished 5th in the swim, so that would be why no one was around..  I had a good swim, finishing the 1.2 miles in 31:11.

The bike was very challenging.  There was over 3000 feet of elevation gain and over 15 sharp turns all within 56 miles.  Did I say it was a challenging course?  The weather turned nasty during the ride as well.  The outside temperature was in the 50's, it rained and was windy, which does not do me good as I get cold easily.  Needless to say, my hands turned white and numb, and my body was shivering before I was even half way though the bike.  It was so cold!  I guess there were quite a few crashes because of the slippery roads and the numerous turns, I did not see any though.  I raced on the bike by following my heart rate, so I could not go much faster than I did but still managed to average over 18 mph.  With being so cold and having to keep my heart rate down, I was pretty happy with my bike slit finishing 56 miles in 3:04:11.

The run was also hilly!  What's with this course?  It was a two loop course which was nice as it kept the racers condensed.  I saw some friends of mine racing and got passed by some pro's, which is always cool and humbling.  (How do they run so fast?!)  I of course tried to keep up with the pro's for about 3 seconds, but immediately thought better of it and ran off my heart rate again.  I was surprised at how well I did running!  I finished the half marathon in 1:50.57, giving me 10th in my division.  I am happy with that final ranking.  


The goal for this race was not to win, but rather to race to my heart rate and to use it as a strong training day. I met that goal yesterday and was happy enough with my time.  The course was much more challenging that I had realized and the weather was very cold.  


Below are my race stats for each event for those interested.  I'll explain later why my name is Sarah when I race... 

BIB:	269
Division:	F30-34
Age:	31
State:	WA
Country:	USA
Profession:	Teacher

Swim:	31:11
Bike:	3:04:11
Run:	1:50:57
Overall:	5:30:23

CONGRATULATIONS, SARAH, ON YOUR FINISH!

Swim DetailsDivision Rank: 5

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace
Total	1.2 mi	31:11	31:11	1:36/100m

Bike DetailsDivision Rank: 8

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace
Total	56 mi	3:04:11	3:37:43	18.24 mi/h

Run DetailsDivision Rank: 10

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace
6.4 mi	6.4 mi	53:49	4:33:15	8:24/mi
13.1 mi	6.7 mi	57:08	5:30:23	8:31/mi
Total	13.1 mi	1:50:57	5:30:23	8:28/mi

Transition

T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE	2:21
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN	1:43

What kinds of races do you like to do?

Have you done a triathlon before?  Which one?  

Grading Racing

My first Ironman in Kentucky.  Can you tell I am excited?!

When I was in 5^th grade my grades were finally good enough to be on honor role.  I could not wait for my report card to come in the mail so my parents could open the letter and see what I had accomplished.  Yes, I was finally doing well in school!  I may make it after all!  Up until this point, I am sure my parents were worried that I would struggle through life as a professional dodge ball player.  It seemed things may change though, I had finally arrived!  Honor role, here I come! 

A few days passed after receiving my report card in the mail, and nothing was said at school about me making honor role.  This was weird; usually something was posted or announced.  I mean, nothing short of a miracle had happened and I felt like I deserved some credit in front of my peers.   I was supposed to be on honor role!  I mustered up the courage to talk to my teacher, who was also the school principle, and asked him when honor role was going to be announced. The answer I received was devastating.  “We are not doing honor role because it is not fair to those students who do not make it on.”  WHAT?!  Are you kidding me?  No honor role?  What school does that?  Obviously, mine did.  I felt like there was a conspiracy against me to test how far you could push my mental stability before I cried.  (I rarely cried as a child, and still struggle with mustering up tears)  It worked, I almost cried.  I felt the tears welling up in my eyes but pushed them back.  The only response that my teacher gave me when he saw how hurt I was, was that I did a good job and that maybe the next semester honor role would be reinstated and I would make it then.  I was not as confident as he was.  Needless to say, my parents were very proud of me regardless and after they picked their jaws up off the floor when they received my miraculous grades, I am sure we went out for ice cream to celebrate.  That is how we did things in the Shadle household.  Celebrations = Ice Cream!

Now I am an adult and have forgiven my elementary school for not recognizing my outstanding achievement of all A’s and B’s.  I have not, however, forgotten the importance of good grades, but in the a different way than many of you would think.  Some things seem to follow us into adulthood no matter how hard we try to outrun them, my fear being bad grades.    

As far as triathlons are concerned, I think of my races in terms of letter grades.  “A” being the most important, “B” being the second most important and so it goes..  The more important the race is, the more focused and ready you go into it and will usually have higher aspirations for yourself concerning your finishing time and placement among the other athletes.  Well, this next week I have an A- race coming up.  Lake Stevens 70.5, meaning it is a half ironman.  My “A” race for the year is Ironman Wisconsin on September 9.  (more on that later)  I have been focusing on my training for Ironman Wisconsin for almost a year when I hired a coach, Chris Bagg, to help me after my disaster last year at Couer D’Alene Ironman, read about it here.


I am still working towards getting good grades, only now I do it on a race course!  I always was competitive; hence my parents concern of me wanting to be a professional dodge ball player, only now I want to be a professional triathlete.  Guess they were not too far off!  Wish me luck next Sunday, July 15, when I race Lake Stevens 70.5!  I have studied, trained, and prepared for the race.  That is more than I can say about school growing up, but you live and learn..  The competition will be stiff, but I am up to the challenge and hope that I feel healthy and well on race day so I can race my hardest and not get a bad grade on an A- race.  

Race day!  Getting ready to swim Troika.  

Preparation is key.  Working on my bike before a half ironman. 

Do you have any nightmare stories from your childhood about grades? 

What are your “A” races this year?

My Blog History

Me, smiling after a half ironman.

During the course of a conversation, I find myself talking about blogs more often that I like to admit.  "I read on a blog last week.." or "My favorite blog talked about.."  It is almost embarrassing how much I enjoy reading blogs except now I have decided to start my own, so I am not embarrassed.

My sister (her blog here) is the one who actually got me started reading blogs about a year and a half ago.  She was visiting me and laying on my couch when I got home from work.  I asked her what she had been doing all day and her reply was, "catching up on my blogs".  Apparently Kelsey follows numerous blogs, I am talking over 40 of them!  I sat down next to her and together we looked through some of the blogs she had recently read.  She showed me blogs about furniture, fashion, families, and interior design.  I was hooked.  My entire world opened up.  This blog thing was a new concept for me!  I began to look into this more and discovered that there was a huge array of blogs out there!  There were blogs on hair, triathlons, animals, running, racing, humor, and photography just to name a few!  I immediatley downloaded an app on my phone and began following over 30 blogs  Yes, us Shadle girls may have a problem.  We love our blogs.

Now, over a year later I have finally decided to begin my own blog.  Kind of a big step..  The question is what do I write that may be of interest to people besides my parents?  I have decided to not answer that question and instead just go with it..  Yes, I will allow this blog to find its own legs and run!  I will put a disclaimer out there though.  I am an aspiring athlete who dabbles in triathlons and enjoys racing.  Dabbles and aspiring may not be the best words as I do numerous races a year and take my training seriously in hopes of taking my racing to the next level.  (more on that in future posts, I am sure)  As a result of my athletic interests, you will find a lot of race reports on this blog.  I love reading race reports!  (not everyone does and I understand this)  I take it back, no disclaimer!  This is a blog about me (Sally) and the life I lead.  Triathlons are a large part of my life as are my two wonderful dogs, Morgan and Buddy.  I look forward to watching this blog grow and morph into what it will.

Morgan, the black Labrador and Buddy, the wire haired dachshund.

What do you like to read about?

What are some of your favorite blogs?