Kim Miller, You are an Ironman!

This journey has not been an easy one for me...I must say that the training was very therapeutic and helped me in more ways than just physical; however, this did not become apparent to me until I had time to reflect during the race.  I feel like this experience has made me an all together better person. 

Becoming an Ironman became a reality for me in March when I found out that I would be completing my first Ironman because of the generosity of Team Refuel.  I owe them many thanks for helping me make my dream come true!

The beginning parts of my training did not go well.  I struggled to find the right balance between my new training schedule, work, personal relationships and my sister had just begun her fight to become sober.  Drug abuse and alcoholism is nothing new to me as this has affected many members of my family; however, it had never hit so close to home as it did when I found out my sister was struggling with a drug addiction.  Me and my brother and sister hold a very special bond.  My Mom left us when we were very young and my Dad raised the three of us as a single parent.  I believe that our bond as siblings is even stronger because of this.  Because of this bond (and maybe because I'm the older sister), I struggled with control issues as my sister was going through rehab.  My personal relationships deteriorated and my training suffered.  I finally came to realization that my sister had to want to fight this battle and nothing I did was going to affect this.  She was either going to do it or she wasn't.  She needed to do this without me for once.  I've always been the first person to step in when she had trouble financially and this needed to stop.  It took me a while to work all of this out, but I truly believe that training for Ironman helped me accomplish  this.  One day as I was looking over my training schedule, I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to complete the Ironman if I didn't get my act together.  I am not a quitter and I typically accomplish the things that I commit myself too.  From that moment on, I knew that my dream was going to become a reality! 

I'm happy to report that my sister just celebrated 7 months of sobriety and I am so happy for her!  Her strength and hopefull determination has inspired me to become a better person.  She will never know how much she has affected my training and my will to finish the Ironman strong.  I'm looking forward to continuing to watch her journey.  One of my fondest memories during the Ironman happened as I was leaving the transition area after the bike, I turned the corner to start my run and there were my friends standing there cheering me on, but the only person I really saw was my sister with this huge smile on her face.  In that moment, I knew that we would both be ok.  (Here's a pic that was taken at that time during the race.)

I was not going to write about any of these intensely personal aspects about my life but I realized how important it was to my Ironman story so I felt compelled to share. 

In the days leading up to Ironman, I became very nervous and had a stomach ache for several days.  I actually woke up in the middle of the night of one occasion and pretty much let it all out.  I had a lot of anxiety about the event bottled in and I just let it all go.  After that, I seemed to be good to go!  Nothing a good cry won't fix (it's just too bad it had to happen at 2am)! 

Aaron's Mom flew in on Thursday and Caryn, one of my best friend's, flew in on Friday.  On Friday, I went to the Athlete Check In and attended the Athlete Briefing with Aaron and his Mom.  Things became very real!! 

 
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to take a practice swim in Tempe Town Lake.  I am so glad that I did this as the swim has always been a cause for anxiety for me.  It was good to feel the water temperature and to get a few hundred meters under my belt.  After the practice swim, I turned in my bike and gear bags.  Saturday evening, Aaron's Mom treated us to a great dinner at Amano Bistro (really cute and yummy restaurant in South Phoenix).  I was able to get to bed at a reasonable time and got some really good sleep!  I never sleep good the night before a race, but when my alarm clock went off at 4:30am, I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go!

Once I arrived at the transition area, I got body marked and got my tires pumped with air. I had plenty of time before the 7am start of the race to eat and chill out.  Things got a little crazy right before the start as I still needed to get my wetsuit on, but I found Aaron, Caryn and Melissa and they helped me finish getting ready. I gave some final hugs and made my way to the start!

Typically, I have a lot of anxiety (tears and all) right before the start of the swim. Not Today! I kept myself relaxed and told myself that everything would be fine! I saw my coach, Diane, right before I jumped into the water.  Since I'm a slower swimmer, I waited until the last possible moment to jump in, which also meant that I was pretty far from the starting line when the cannons went off. I knew that I would have a little bit of ground to make up but thought this was worth it not to be kicked, hit or swam over.  I did not realize until after I got out of the water how close I was to the cutoff!  Whoops!  LOL  Oh well, I made it and only got punched once! (A couple of days after, I checked my Garmin and noticed that I swam 2.8 miles during the swim... I got way off course during the swim!)

It was great to see my friends and family after I came out of the water and then again as I started on the bike. At this point, I was feeling pretty good.  I knew that I would have to get into a rhythm for my nutrition so I ate/drank something every 15 minutes on the bike.  I had planned to take salt pills once an hour; however, after my second serving, while I was putting the bottle away, all of the pills fell out.  That worried me a little but I decided to take in more electrolytes to compensate for this.  I also took ibuprofen once an hour on the bike.  I was pretty much pain free! 

A few really funny things happened while I was on the bike:  1.  There was a guy several bike lengths in front of me and a heard him blow a snot rocket; then, I felt the spray on my arms.  The really funny part was, I didn't really get grossed out by it...I just laughed it off!  2.  As I was finishing my second loop, a heard a bike coming up on me, then I heard this weird wolf whistle, then this guy came riding up beside and knocked shoulders with me.  It caught me completely off guard and I almost crashed into him!  3.  I was introduced to the You Tube video "What Does the Fox Say" a couple of days before Ironman.  I watched it several times and thought it was hilarious.  I could not get that song out of my head during the bike.  During the third loop, I became really lonely (I didn't realize how lonely it would be out there) and started talking out loud to myself and started singing that song out loud.  I even started changing the words.  Any one riding around me probably thought I was going crazy!  Maybe I was!  LOL  The bike was a success!  No flats!

 

 

 

I then transitioned to the run which was awesome because my coach was waiting for me in the transition tent.  She helped me get ready for the run and sent me on my way with a hug.  I started off strong for the run and ran the first 8 miles, but then I started feeling really nauseous and couldn't eat or drink anything at the aid stations.  I decided to start walking and hoped that the nausea would go away.  I ended up walking the next 12 miles.  For me this was tough since I'm used to running marathons.  I reminded myself that this was the Ironman not just a marathon and walking was ok.  I kept a smile on my face the entire way and my supporters were amazing.  I was able to see them every couple of miles and this really helped keep me going.  During those 12 miles, I started drinking chicken broth for the salt and calories.  Surprisingly at mile 20, the nausea went away and I did a 2 minute run, 30 second walk the rest of the way!  During those last 6 miles, I remembered when Katie finished the Ironman last year she had some french fries at the finish line that looked so good.  All I could think about was those fries!  LOL 

The finish was unreal and hard to put my emotion into words.  I felt amazing and finished strong.  My friend Kristin was at the finish line waiting for me (she was volunteering).  I took my finisher picture and then went to the food area.  My fries were waiting for me and they were so yummy!

Swim:  2:06:01
T1:  7:03
Bike:  7:25:45
T2:  3:34
Run:  6:01:32
Total:  15:43:55

The outpouring of support that I received during and after the Ironman means so much to me.  I had no idea that so many people would be watching me finish live online!  Kim's Krew was out in full force and I am so appreciative for them.  Spectating an Ironman is tough work and they were out there all day!  Thank you so much to all of my friends and family who helped me make this day so special.  A special thank you to Aaron!  Thank you for your unwavering support throughout my training.  You helped me through multiple meltdowns, gave me pep talks at just the right time, kicked me out of bed when I didn't feel like training, and had unconditional love for me at my greatest and worst times.  I love you!

I have no idea what the next year has in store for me but I'm sure that new adventures will be had!  Stay tuned!!

 

 

 

10/20/13 - Soma Half Ironman

This race was my first real test on how I'm going to do at Ironman.  Going into yesterday, I had a lot of anxiety, self doubt and the fear of failure.  I constantly wondered if I had done enough.  I was about to find out!

Soma Half Ironman - Swim = 1.2 Miles, Bike = 56 Miles, Run = 13.1 Miles

The transition area closed at 6:15am, so I got to the start at 5:15am.  I'm typically not this early to races (see previous post regarding getting to races on time... I blame this on Penny!).  I had enough time to get everything ready and even had a few minutes to socialize!  It was great seeing Jim and Mitzi and Jackie before the start :) 

Prior to the swim start, while standing in the corral, I was quite emotional and was just trying  to keep it all together.  As soon as I jumped into the water, it was game on!  All of my self doubt was washed away.  I immediately got myself acclimated to the water, put some water down the front of my wetsuit and got my face and head wet.  I warmed up my stoke as I swam to the start line and then floated until the start.  I had a much better swim than my last attempt at 2000m.  When I came out of the water, I felt fresh!  I have to thank Coach Diane and the rest of the Master's Swim crew at Lifetime Fitness!

After the swim, I quickly got into my shoes and put my helmet on and started off for the bike course.  I really did not care for this course.  The course was 3 loops and there were so many turns and u turns.  My friend Elaine was volunteering as a pointer, so it was really nice to see her out there!  I actually did crash once on a U Turn.  There was one u turn in particular that gave me trouble.  On the first loop, the guy in front of me crashed, and then I crashed on the second loop.  On the third loop, I just took it really easy, unclipped one of my shoes and made it through cleanly.  After my crash, I slowed down a little and finished in one piece!  I saw my friends, Amanda and Chris, on the third loop which was awesome!  It is very helpful to have people out there supporting me and cheering me on!  As I entered the transition, I was very thankful to get off the bike!  LOL  Even with the crash and all the tight turns, I was still below my goal!  (Amanda took this picture of my transition area while I was on the bike.)

After the bike, I put on my running shoes and visor and took off!  The first mile was rough...the bottom of my feet hurt and I just couldn't seem to find a good stride.  Plus, something I hadn't really noticed earlier stared bothering me.  I decided to wear my Team Refuel kit to try it out because this is what I'll be wearing for Ironman.  I'm really glad that I did this.  When I first got the kit a few months ago, I tried it on right away and it was a little bit to small.  I knew that I would probably tone up and lose a few pounds, so I tried it on a few days ago and it seemed to fit fine!  In fact, the top is a little bit big around my chest and shoulders.  Well, I didn't notice it on the bike portion, but when I started running my top kept riding up and I had to keep pulling it down :(  It was soooo uncomfortable and it had chafed my arms from being a little to big.  Well, I can't really go up a size so it fits my hips because my current size is already to big in some areas (story of my life!).  The next size up would fit my hips but would be HUGE everywhere else.  I'm glad I figured this out now.  Luckily, I saw Chris and Amanda at about 3 miles in and asked that they find me a shirt.  They met up with me again around the 6 mile point and I was able to change my top!  LOL! 

At about mile 7.5 or so, I met Kristin!  We had first met on the bike course when she passed me and complimented my bike (she too has a Giant Trinity!).  Somehow I must have passed her again, because she caught up to me on the run, so we started talking and we ended up running the rest of the race together!  It was great!  We walked the aid stations and ran everything else.  It was so nice to have someone to talk to...plus she did Ironman AZ last year!  She gave me a lot of advice and really helped me out :)  We finished our run strong and finished together!!!  Amanda, Chris, Bryan, Jackie, Coach Diane and the rest of the Master's Swim crew were waiting for me at the finish!

My goal was to finish between 7 and 7 1/2 hours....  my official time was 6:54:06!!! 
Swim:  55:32
T1:  1:57
Bike:  3:25:13
T2:  2:45
Run:  2:28:40
I was so excited!  This experience helped me get the confidence I need to become an Ironman!  All of the self doubt and low confidence is a thing of the past!  I know now that I can do this :)

While I was racing, one of my best friends, Kristie, was in labor! She gave birth shortly after I finished to a beautiful little girl, Vivianna Elise!  I went straight to the hospital after the race to visit :)

 

10/13/13 - Splash & Dash (2000m swim and 5K Run)

This morning I did my longest open water swim and I learned a lot!  My goal was to finish the swim portion in under 55 minutes.  I ended up arriving a little later than I wanted to because I took a wrong turn on my way to the event.  This put me behind schedule a bit.  For those of you that know me, I typically show up last minute to a road running race!  I HAVE to stop doing this.  I was rushed to put on my wetsuit and I don't think I did a very good job at putting it on (I did not put glide on my neck, so I gave myself a nice hickey!  See pic below....lol).  I also didn't give myself very much time to get into the water and to get acclimated to the temperature.  Once the swim started, I got really claustrophobic in my wetsuit and felt my heart rate get out of control.  I was breathing really hard and started panicking.  I knew that I needed to get this under control right away, so I rolled over on my back until my heart rate went down and my breathing became more normal.  Then I got going!  My sighting went a lot better today than during the Tempe Tri a few weeks ago.  I actually felt really strong and felt myself getting stronger the longer I was out there.  My official swim time was 58:03.  I didn't meet my goal, but I learned a lot and foresee next weekends Half Ironman swim going a lot better! 

After the swim, I transitioned to the run.  I had a hard time getting off my wetsuit, so I was in transition a little longer than I would have liked. 

The run went really well.  The official times haven't been posted yet, but I think the 5K was right around 28:30 or so.  I keep my pace even for the entire 3 miles and felt strong!

Here's a few things to note for my next race:
1.  Get there plenty early enough to get transition ready and get my wetsuit on (15 minutes is not enough time!)
2.  Be sure to put glide on my body.... lesson learned from all the chafing I got today!
3.  Get into the water early and swim a little to warm up
4.  DON'T freak out!
5.  Have Fun!!

I think Coach Diane will be proud of me for this swim.  I didn't have a great time, but I learned so much which was the purpose of this swim!  5 minutes into the swim I was worried that I may be a DNF, but as soon as that thought came into my head, I pushed it out and was determined to turn things around.  This puts me one step closer to being ready for Ironman.

A Blog Post From My Friend Karen!

While I was in Sonoma, I had a conversation with my friend Karen about my training (specifically about how I was feeling about my swimming)....  She wrote this awesome blog for me!  I've been struggling putting my thoughts down on paper, so I welcomed the help! (Come on, I'm an accountant!  Not the best at being creative!)  I couldn't have worded it any better!  Thank you Karen!

 

Some of you may relate to this. As a fitness geek, you become acutely aware of your muscles and every little nuance about them. When they ache, we know we had an intense workout. When they feel bloated, we know we ate too much salt. When they are strong and lean, we know we swam.

As a runner, whenever I finish a race I think my leg muscles look their best, solid, tight, strong. They are pushed to a limit, broke down and built back up. Recently after my last 1/2 marathon, I relished this feeling. On a weekend that my training slacked off, I was able to see the strength of my muscles that was already there. The foundation, if you will.

As I started training for the Ironman, I find myself thinking about muscles in a very different way. For instance, as I swim there is something about the water, the kicking, the feel of it that makes me think of long lean muscles. With every kick I imagine my legs are these long lean muscles. I think it has something to do with water, building a different muscle group and the intensity of lap swimming but it's a great feeling. Now if I could get out of the water a couple inches taller (grin). However, the intensity of this imagination gets me through the laps during training.

I can only imagine what I will be thinking about my muscles on Ironman day. I'm looking forward to each nuance during each phase of my journey.

Napa-to-Sonoma Half Marathon - Race Recap

7/21/13 - Half Marathon Napa-to-Sonoma

What a great trip this was!  It was wonderful to get out of Phoenix for a weekend and enjoy some girl time... So far, 2013 has been VERY stressful for me and my family and this was the perfect weekend to relieve some stress and spend some time with the girls! 

Karen, Jessica, Amanda and myself rented a home in Sonoma that was in the perfect location for the finish line of the race.  The house was gorgeous and perfect for the four of us...If you ever find yourself needing a rental in the Napa/Sonoma area, check out this house (http://www.seethewinecountry.com/index.html). 

 

 

As soon as we got settled into the house, we went to check out some wineries and do some wine tasting.  Fun times!  LOL

 

 

The race was on Sunday...  We met up with a few of Amanda's friends from Texas.  I actually went into this race with a lot of anxiety.  Since I first went sub 2 hours in December 2009, I haven't gone over 2 hours (with the exception of the Whiskey Row Half Marathon which is well-known for it's VERY hilly/tough course).  I knew going into the half marathon in Napa that my training had not been great in regards to my running.  I've been more focused on my swim and riding.  I knew early on in the race that my running was not where it used to be and was happy with my 2:06:34 finish!

 

 

We flew home on Monday and stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge...  I had never been, so it was awesome to visit!

 

 







What Goes Up Must Come Down....Really?

(I meant to post this yesterday)

I'm sad to be going home today after such a great weekend!  My plan only called for a 60 minute run today but I had to capitalize on the gorgeous weather and scenery and strechted it to an hour and 50 minutes.  I haven't ran solo (except for the treadmill) for such a long time...I forgot how peaceful it is to just get lost in yourself for awhile. No music, no distractions....just me and nature!  I set off to run around the lake but didn't do my homework so I wasn't quite sure of the route...I turned it in to an out and back with a couple little diversions.  I was a little worried that I would be sore after yesterday's climb fest on the bike, but I felt great!  Here are a few pics I took while I was out there:

3 Weeks into My Training!

I just finished up my week 3 long ride!  Aaron and I decided to take a weekend away from the heat in Phoenix and go to Big Bear Lake in California.  I found a local cycling group (Big Bear Cycling Association) to ride with this morning...it was AWESOME!  I was a little nervous because I didn't realize the elevation was so high here, but it felt great!  I've never done so much climbing in my life...I actually didn't do so bad on the climbing sections but the downhills were scary!  I should have taken some pictures....it was crazy!  We drove the summit road to get to Big Bear and I remember thinking that there was no way I was going to ride it.  I'm glad that the group didn't tell me we were going to ride there!  I thought we were just going to ride around the lake but a couple of people mentioned wanting to get more miles in (me included) so that's where we headed.  The leader just told me to get in the middle of the group and hold on tight!  LOL  We did about 40 miles total.

Tomorrow I'm planning on doing my long run.  My plan only calls for 1 hour but I don't really have anything else to do so I'll probably do a little bit more :)  We'll see how the elevation treats me tomorrow.  

I forgot about how sensitive my skin is to the California sun...my arms are crispy!

So far, my training is going great!  I am so much more comfortable in the water and I'm still working on my confidence on the bike, but I'm sure that will come with a little bit more time.  I'm not writing as much as I had hoped that I would, but I'll work on that too.  

It's amazing what the body can do!  I never thought that I would be training for an Ironman and here I am doing it and feeling great!

Triathlon Shorts are Not Forgiving!

Aaron and I went on a ride yesterday morning (this was the first time I'd been on my road bike since September, 2011) and when I put on those tri shorts, I was reminded how unforgiving they are!  LOL  It's weird to say this (considering how much I run), but I'm in the worst physical shape I've been in since I've started running.  Running doesn't seem to burn as many calories for me as it used to.  I'm sure this is because I'm a much more efficient runner than I used to be.  When I trained two summers ago for triathlons, I was in the best shape of my life.  It felt really good to be back on the bike yesterday and I'm looking forward to getting back into shape!  Swimming starts on Wednesday!

I'm thinking about using this program for my training.  Let me know if you have a plan you would like to share with me!

Thanks for all of the kind words and support so far! 

Thanks for this video share Ed!

I'm going to be an Ironman!

Wow!  It's hard to believe that by the end of the year, I'll have put in the work and I'll be an Ironman...CRAZY!  I have been on an emotional roller coaster ever since I received the email letting me know that I was granted an entry to the Ironman, courtesy of Refuel with Chocolate Milk.  It's actually kind of funny...I was on my way to meetup with the Phoenix Pheet Run Club two Thursday's ago and for some reason I started thinking about transitioning from the swim to the bike during the Ironman (at this point I did not know that I had received the entry to represent Team Refuel).  I became so overwhelmed with emotion that I actually started crying in my car.  It was at that moment that I knew that this was something that I needed to do and I couldn't wait to start my journey.  Later that evening, laying in bed, I decided to check my email once more before I fell asleep and I was shocked to see the email letting me know that I got the entry!  Needless to say, sleep did not come easy that night!

I can't wait to chronicle my journey.  This is all so new to me, but I'm looking forward to learning more about blogging too :)  Get ready to read all about my journey over the next 8 months including the GOOD, BAD and the UGLY!!  LOL