Hangin' Tough

Weather.com and I are no longer friends. The forecast for Sunday, according to them, was for temps in the 50’s all day, a 5-10% chance of rain from 7-10, and a roughly 25% chance from 10-1. Do you know what that means? Let me explain.

Less than a 40% chance means it will NOT rain. 40-60% means it might rain. 60% and over means it probably will rain. Is that so complicated?

So weather.com, that means you were wrong! Because from the time I left my house around 6:30 am, until the time I returned roughly 8 hours later, it rained. Constantly.

I figured I would be fine with my new, sporty rain jacket. It didn’t occur to me until the 5 mile mark when I went through a puddle that saturated my entire lower body that I could have done better. The plastic bags in the shoes trick would have been smart. Hindsight.

At that point I looked at my odometer and thought, “Great – only 55 miles left.”

Being part of the team made such a difference yesterday. For starters, I found a buddy to ride with at the beginning - a nice change from the last few rides. In addition, all team rides are supported. That means that yesterday there were 5 “sag” drivers out with us. They basically drive around the course and make sure everyone is doing okay. Sometimes they stop at the turning points to direct us. Our cue sheets provide their phone numbers and we can call them if we need any type of assistance.

On a previous cold and rainy ride, a sag helped me out when I mentioned that my head hurt. It turned out my pony tail was digging into my head and she helped me fix it. She also provided me a new cue sheet since mine had gotten so wet it tore in half. (Lesson learned: keep the cue sheet inside a Ziploc.) It is so valuable to have support out there. Just knowing they are around helps you keep going.

Mike was the one sagging for those of us on the 60-mile ride. He was wonderful. At around mile 45, my buddy and I stopped for a potty break and he was there waiting. She decided she’d had enough and accepted a ride back to her car. When he offered me a ride I told him that I was going to finish this ride if it killed me. He said it just might.

At that point, I was so cold and exhausted I could barely pull up my pants after using the porta potty. My hands were completely numb and I could barely shift. I had already given up shifting with my left hand because it was too difficult. Braking was no fun either.

But I kept going. I reminded myself over and over again that I want to be an Ironwoman. I had to hang in there and tough it out. It is the same mental toughness I contemplated during the 5k.

I rode along and began making up songs. Buy me a drink one day and maybe I’ll share with you the Ironwoman Cat theme song. There’s a line about numb genitals. I crack myself up.

Some 5 hours and change later I made it back to my car. A miracle! I thought I’d be elated, but I was just cold, wet, and tired. I heated up the car and hoped that the feeling in my fingers would come back after a few minutes in front of the warm vents. I needed to rack my bike. I also needed to remove my helmet and change my clothes – neither of which is easy to do when you can’t feel your fingers.

I came this close to wearing my helmet for the drive home, but after struggling for a few minutes I got it off. I also removed my wet socks and shirt, and barely got on dry versions.

The fruit punch Endurox I purchased this week to try as post-workout nutrition did not go down easily. I got drank about half of it and couldn’t take anymore. Yuck. So I snacked on some trail mix on the drive back. It has protein, carbs and fat, right?

I got home, took a hot bath, and felt much better except for my still numb fingers. So nothing got done last night except for the consumption of whatever calories I could force myself to eat. Stouffer’s Mac and Cheese, a Cadbury crème egg – excellent nutrition for an athlete… It did the trick though and I slept through the night.

Unfortunately, I woke up still without any feeling in my hands and with a very sore neck. Grrrr… It is really hard to function like this. At least I can type. I just can’t really feel the keys.

But I got it done. And I am elated to report that I have no real injuries to report. My popliteus and my foot are fine. I’m a little sore, but nothing unusual. I am really proud of my efforts this weekend. I am on my way… 6 months until Ironman Florida.