Suzie's Health & Fitness Team/Target Heart RatePublished Articles / MediaSuzie Trains Maui Exercise VideosPeople/Businesses to Know on Maui |
Keep The Weight Off
Join the Muscle Mass Today
If you want to keep the weight off, increase your muscle mass today. Muscle is critical for quality of life. People who lose a lot of muscle mass during their weight loss programs usually lose some of their fitness as well.
When this happens, they can’t do as much physically, so their performance declines when surfing, playing golf, hitting a tennis ball or even carrying a bag of groceries.
Muscle holds a lot of your body water and is essential for regulating body temperature. Muscles are big spenders and burn lots of calories 24/7. When people are on restrictive diets ( bad ) the body is tricked into believing it’s on a deserted island with minimal or no food – therefore as a natural defense mechanism, the body attacks it’s most active tissue, muscle in order to SLOW down the body’s metabolic rate.
 There are wonderful health benefits of building muscle:
Increases endurance and flexibility
Protects your joints (reducing risk for injury)
Increases your energy level and boosts metabolism
The math: If you gain 1 pound of additional muscle tissue which can burn 35-50 calories per day…over the course of a year you can burn 91,250 calories a year! Fat burns 2 calories per day. On average, the amount of muscle gain when performing a resistance program, a person can gain 3-5 pounds ever 3-4 months. Keep in mind that this will vary greatly depending upon age, genetics, and type of training program you are performing.
Continue reading Keep The Weight Off and Join the Muscle Mass Today
As you can see from some of my posts, I think using the Indo Board in my training sessions with people is really fun, challenging and raises a person’s confidence on and off the water. You don’t have to surf to enjoy the benefits of this great training tool. For years, I’ve put clients on the Indo Board post op bilateral hip and knee replacements, and those reentering fitness; to help improve their reaction skills and of course balance skills too. It’s also great for toning your legs.
It’s so fun to see their big smiles and looks of focus and determination. I often will time people to the point of fatigue or failure. Then we hop on again for more endurance drills. Putting a couple of dumbbells in your hands or kettle bells definitely add to the burn and fatigue AND challenge. I’m using a 10lb kettle bell in these photos.
You can easily modify in many different ways, the ways in which you progress yourself to more advanced moves. Always take caution as to the type of surface you perform on. For beginners, I’ll throw a yoga mat underneath the drum to slow it down a bit. Or, simply put the board on a disc for my more elderly clients, and then have them hold onto me or a very stable object.
It really makes a difference when you carve and as you push the rails or even on a windsurfer, or stand up paddle board. I can notice a huge transfer of control in strong or light winds and strength when I jibe into a turn, and when stand up paddling while trying to catch waves. I love it!
For fun, here’s Indo Boards September 2009 Newsletter to read more. Thanks Indo Board, that was fun! Suzie
My custom bathing suit by, Julie Stone of Posh Pua
Come train with me and let’s ride!
Suzie Trains Maui
808-283-2121
Call me to ride the Indo Board
Race Results August 23, 2009 Cycle to the Sun Maui’s 36 Mile Race to the top of Haleakala Volcano
It was a great day with many great finishes, as the bright-eyed and some still sleepy-eyed, cycling enthusiasts prepared at the starting line of Maui’s, special annual, Cycle to the Sun. A light drizzle came upon the sleepy town of Maui’s famous N. Shore surf town, Paia, but soon faded before the start. A Hawaiian priest gathered at the starting line to offer his prayers of a great race day for all. ( see lots of photos below ) For race results, click here.
The event was very well organized and went off very smoothly. 
 - Check In
The organizer and sponsor, Donnie Arnoult, of Go Cycling Maui and wife Michele, greeted the competitors as they signed in, and assured a smooth finish at the top!
People attended from all over the globe as far as Tokyo and Toronto. This for sure was a backyard event, as many locals proved their strength and stamina.
 I was co-supporting along with Randy, and Michelle Wagner, for number 128, Gary Tuttle, who by the way rode up on a late model Bontrager, mountain bike! This was Gary’s first race up and with a fantastic time of 4:38, hopefully he’ll be back again next year! Stayed tuned for Gary’s story. Continue reading Race Results August 23, 2009 Cycle to the Sun Maui’s 36 Mile Race to the top of Haleakala Volcano
Work Out Traps: A Few Tips So you Don’t Fall In One!
Break out of the fitness trap, and don’t be like the others stuck in the same routine, and the same body. You see the same person, at the same time on the same treadmill or weight machine, doing the same routine. But, do they look any different? You say to yourself, “is that me?” Here are a few tips to avoid falling into the same work out trap and get the results you desire.
1. More is Not Always Better
Lifting too much weight can compromise the alignment of your spine and may cause muscle and ligament injuries. Heavier is not necessarily better. Watch your form and avoid swinging weigths or overloading the cables. For example, although very popular the lat pulldown machine can be very dangerous if one loads up with too much weight. Maintain a controlled movement and pace, and avoid the rocking back and forth movement that tends to come with too much momentum. Keep your spine properly aligned and stay in control on the way down.
2. Where’s the Beach? There’s more to train than just the bicep!
Most people love to train the bicep muscles, because it tends to respond to training rather quickly. I think of the muscle man at the beach who, says, “ladies, the beach is that way,” while he flexes his bicep muscle and the girls swoon. Have you noticed that when you’re at the gym, everyone’s doing a bicep curl. People love to look in the mirror and flex their guns. Yeah, it looks great, but it’s the smallest upper body muscle, so don’t forget your legs, your back, shoulders and abs too! Balance your workout for total body conditioning. Continue reading Work Out Traps — A Few Tips So You Don’t Fall In One!
Join the fun and walk or run the Maui Marathon Sunday September, 20th 2009
| The Maui Marathon is a Point-to-point, from Kahului to Kaanapali on the island of Maui. This 26.2-mile course is recognized as one of the ten most scenic marathons in the USA as well as the oldest consecutive running marathon in Hawaii. A major portion of the course runs within 50 feet of the Pacific Ocean.The Maui HAlf Marathon is an Out-and-back from Whalers Village in Kaanapali Resort. This flat and fast course passes through Lahaina Town tracing the final 6.55 miles of the marathon course, turns around at Launiupoko Park and returns to Kaanapali Resort following the same route. |
|
Register Online Today If you are a beginner runner and need tips or advice to run or walk your first marathon, call me I can help! Suzie
Suzie Trains Maui
|
Deep Tricep Dips
This is a very advanced exercise that targets the triceps, shoulders and chest! Don’t burn out before you get to the waves!
Difficulty Level: Advanced Strength
Muscle Group(s): Triceps, shoulder and chest
Equipment: 2 stools, push up bar
Progression: None
Preparation:
Make sure stools are on flat, hard surface and are spaced apart far enough to be stable, but not too far wide to avoid caving in.
Push up to a straight-arm position, bend knees.
Movement:
  
From the start position, lower your body slowly to a level you can manage.
If you’re really advanced like Tommy, you can go quite low.
Push up with the strength of your entire shoulder girdle back to a straight-arm position.
Repeat movement sequence for recommended repetitions.
This will really pump you up fast! Good luck!
Any questions, feel free to contact me: Suzie Cooney, CPT
Suzie Trains Maui
http://www.suzietrainsmaui.com/
8 Common Nutrition Mistakes…and How to Fix Them
No time is No Excuse!
”I’m a huge fan of Nancy Clark, a well-known sports registered dietician. I too believe that your workout does not end until you refuel!” Suzie
By Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD
For Active.com
Nutrition may be your missing link in training. Here are eight common nutrition mistakes many athletes make with tips and recipes for how to solve them.
No. 1: Beneficial Protein Intake
Some athletes eat too little protein; others eat too much. For example, a 150 lb (68 kg) athlete may need 0.5 to 0.75 g pro/lb (1-1.5 g pro/kg); this translates into about 75 to 105 g pro/day. This athlete can easily consume too much protein if the foundation of the menu is:
| Breakfast: |
6 egg whites |
18 grams of protein |
| Lunch: |
1 can of tuna |
35 grams |
| Snack: |
1 protein bar |
20 grams |
| Dinner: |
2 chicken breasts |
90 grams |
| |
16 oz. milk |
16 grams |
| Total: |
|
179 grams |
This amount of protein is excessive, to the point some of the protein could be wisely traded for more carbs to better fuel the workouts.
In contrast, a vegetarian athlete on a reducing diet could easily under consume protein if foundation of the menu is:
| Breakfast: |
2 egg whites |
7 grams of protein |
| Lunch: |
salad with 1/4 cup of chickpeas |
3 grams |
| Dinner: |
1 garden burger |
11 grams |
| Total: |
|
21 grams |
Too little protein contributes to poor recovery, muscle wasting, and sub optimal results from hard training.
Solution: By meeting with a sports dietitian, you can learn your protein requirement and how to translate that into food.
No. 2: Iron to Prevent Fatigue From Anemia
Iron-deficiency anemia is common, particularly in females. Anemia causes needless fatigue and reduced performance. A survey of collegiate athletes indicates 20 percent of the female volleyball and basketball players were anemic, as were 50 percent of the soccer team. (1)
Anemia is particularly common among women who have heavy menstrual blood losses, but eat neither red meat nor iron-enriched breakfast cereal.
Solution: If you feel needlessly tired, get your blood tested by your doctor and be sure to get your serum ferritin measured. To help prevent anemia, strive to eat an iron-rich diet of:
red meat, or iron-rich alternatives (dark-meat chicken or turkey, salmon, tuna) iron-fortified cereals (Wheaties, Raisin Bran, Total)
To enhance iron absorption, include with each meal a source of vitamin C, such as orange juice, berries, broccoli, tomato or other fruits and vegetables.
No. 3: Post-exercise Food
At the end of a hard workout, you haven’t finished your training until you have refueled. Don’t rush off to work or school, with “no time to eat” as the excuse.
Solution: Plan ahead, so you have recovery foods readily available. Even in a time-crunch, you should be able refuel your muscles properly. “No time” is no excuse.
No. 4: Recovering With Both Carbs + Protein
Recovery foods should offer a foundation of carbs with protein as the accompaniment. A reasonable target is about 240 calories of carbs (60 g carb) and about 80 calories (20 g) of protein. Some popular choices include Greek yogurt with honey, chocolate milk, cereal with milk, and pasta with meat sauce. You need not buy engineered recovery foods; standard fare works fine.
 Note that recovery foods can be eaten pre-exercise. That is, a pre-exercise yogurt gets digested into amino acids and glucose; those food components will be ready and waiting to be put into use when you stop exercising. In a 10-week study with recreational body builders, those who consumed a protein-carb supplement both immediately before and right after the mid-afternoon strength training session gained 2.3 pounds more muscle and 7 pounds more in strength (as measured by bench press), compared to the group without the pre- and post-exercise fuel. (2)
Athletes who do two workouts a day really need to rapidly refuel with a proper recovery diet. A six-week study with swimmers reports those who did two workouts (morning and afternoon) sprinted slower than those who swam only in the afternoon (3). If nutrition is your missing link, don’t even think about double workouts.
Solution: You may not feel hungry for solid foods after a hard bout of exercise, but you are likely thirsty. A fruit smoothie (made with yogurt) is excellent for recovery, as is a chug of chocolate milk. Both contain carbs to refuel, and protein to build and repair muscles and reduce muscle soreness.
No. 5: Rest Days for Muscles to Refuel
 Rest is an important part of a training program; muscles need time to refuel and heal. Depleted muscles may need more than 24 hours to replace glycogen stores. Hence, rest days with little or no exercise enhance a training program.
Athletes who want to lose weight commonly hesitate to take a rest day; they fear they will “get fat.” These athletes need to understand:
1) On a rest day, they will feel just as hungry because the muscles need food to refuel.
2) They will gain (water) weight. For each 1 oz. of glycogen, the muscles store about 3 oz. water. This water gets released during exercise; it is beneficial.
Solution: Plan one to two rest days a week. Notice how much better you are able to perform the day after a rest day.
No. 6: Adequate Fluids
Solution:
Athletes who stay well hydrated can train harder and perform better. For each one percent of body weight lost via sweat, your heart has to beat three to five more times per minute (4). This creates needless fatigue.
Solution: If you are well-hydrated, you will need to urinate every two to four hours, and your urine will be a light color. If you are sweat heavily, you really should learn how much sweat you lose (and thereby need to replace) during a workout. Do this my weighing yourself naked before and after exercise. For each pound (16 oz.) of sweat, you should drink at least 16 to 24 oz. of fluid.
No. 7: Sodium Before Exercise in the Heat
Research with trained cyclists reports they rode 20 minutes longer to exhaustion (99 vs. 79 minutes) in 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) heat when they drank a pre-ride beverage with about 1,000 vs. 150 mg sodium. They drank no fluids while riding. (5)
Solution: If you train and compete in the heat, you should consume salty foods beforehand. This holds water in your body and reduces your risk of becoming dehydrated.
No. 8: The Sports Dietitian
(RD, CSSD)
Serious athletes generally have a support crew that includes a coach, sports psychologist, and a medical doctor, physical therapist and massage therapist. But to their detriment, some fail to have a sports dietician on their team.
Solution: To get the most from your workouts, find a local registered dietitian who is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (RD CSSD).
The bottom line: Don’t let nutrition be your missing link. You will always win with good nutrition.
Nancy Clark MS, RD counsels casual exercisers and competitive athletes at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill, MA (617-383-6100). Her NEW 2008 Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook 4th Edition, and her Food Guide for Marathoners and Cyclist’s Food Guide are available via http://www.nancyclarkrd.com/.
References
1. Eichner, R. Anemia and Blood Boosting. Sports Science Exchange #81, Vol 14(2), 2001
2. Cribb, P., and A. Hayes. 2006. Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc 38(1):1918-1925.
3. Costill, D.L., R. Thomas, R.A. Robergs, et al. 1991. Adaptations to swimming training: Influence of training volume. Med Sci Sports Exerc 23(3):371-377.
4. Casa D., L. Armstrong, S. Montain, et al. 2000. National Athletic Trainers’ Association position statement: Fluid replacement for athletes. J Athletic Training 35(2):212-224.
5. Sims, S.T., L. van Vliet, J. Cotter, and N. Rehrer. 2007. Sodium loading aids fluid balance and reduces physiological strain of trained men exercising in the heat. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39(1):123-130.
 Crunch Plates
Target the upper and lower abs, and get rid of those love handles! I recommend at least 100 reps, 4 sets of 25
Difficulty Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Muscle Group(s): Abs / Obliques
Equipment: 2 paper plates, mat
Progression: Lift both legs off ground, bend at knees
Preparation:
Feet flat on ground, shoulder width apart
Press low back into mat; imagine filling a bucket, tilt pelvis towards you
Lift your shoulders completely off mat, hold and touch chin.
Place hands on plates, with each plate outside of heels.
 Start  Finish  Obliques
Movement:
From the start position, place hands on paper plates
While contracting abs, push or slide plates towards your toes at a fast rhythmic pace:
Tempo: 1-1-1
Repeat movement sequence for recommended repetitions
Keep spine in place. Do not generate movement from arms and/or shoulders. The movement should originate from your abs. Really lock in and focus!
For Obliques: Simply slide plate on alternating sides. Hold that stomach tight! Make each rep count!
Any questions, feel free to contact me : Suzie Cooney, CPT
Suzie Trains Maui
http://www.suzietrainsmaui.com/
This past Sunday night, we celebrated Phil’s victory and watched race videos of Phil’s other race in Milan ( just a week after the IRONMAN )! With us, his girlfriend Sandra, Matt and Erin Pritchard and mascot, 145lb Rhodesian Red, Simba. Phil was in great spirits and still on a high. His medal is pretty cool. Suzie
 Phil McGain IRONMAN "FINISHER"  Erin Matt Suzie Sandra  Sanrdra Phil Suzie Erin Matt Suzie Sandra
 - Matt & Simba
”The first hill is called “THE BEAST”, just before the hill I hear my name being yelled out loud many times, I look across and see that it’s the kid from yesterdays “bike check in” with his Mom, the windsurfers, I throw up my arm with a closed fist, pump it in the air, then look forward again preparing my mind for the first ascent.”
Moving onto the bike:I get up onto the flat section with carpet under my feel so I move into a slow jog with the rest of the herd. At my bike the wetsuit is pulled off quickly, toss water on my feet to wash off the sand and on with the bike shoes, drink bottle into the back of the shirt, powerbars into the back of the shirt, Helmut on and I’m out of there. I run with my bike out of the bike area past the “mount line”, jump onto my bike, clip in my shoes and start pedaling like a mad man. Now the same people who were swimming next to me are on their bikes, so it’s just as scary heading out the small road from T1 towards the main road to Frankfurt. About ½ mile past the T1 there is an ambulance with paramedics all around, a biker has already fallen and hurt themselves, not good, what a shame. I don’t want to fall, so I sharpen my senses and keep a look out for other riders around me until we move out onto the main highway to Frankfurt city.
I turn on my heart rate monitor, turn on my “cateye” (which tells me my time, speed, cadence and distance). I take a quick peak down and see 152 on my heart rate monitor, holly crap, I’ve got to get that down. My speed is 21 MPH, that is fast too, so I start to breath, deep breaths, slow my speed to 19 mph, now my heart rate is dropping slowly, 148…………..144…………..142, it’s not moving from 142 so I figure I’ll give it more time because I don’t want to slow down anymore. The road is beautiful and smooth, the morning air is still crisp, I’m comfortable, the legs are feeling good, no sign of the calf cramp anymore, I’m now on the Ironman bike leg, 112 miles to go.
We enter the busy streets of Frankfurt after about 20 minutes of riding, I see 138 on my heart rate monitor, that is better……Hundreds of people have lined the streets and are already cheering, waving banners, officials with flags pointing us in the right direction.  I have my first gel and gulp of water. The whole bike course is closed to traffic but you still need to pay attention to which direction to turn. I move into the center of Frankfurt and head across the Mane River and towards the first hilly section in a small town to Maintal.
The first hill is called “THE BEAST”, just before the hill I hear my name being yelled out loud many times, I look across and see that it’s the kid from yesterdays “bike check in” with his Mom, the windsurfers, I throw up my arm with a closed fist, pump it in the air, then look forward again preparing my mind for the first ascent. It’s about a 1 mile up hill, but enough to get my heart rate up over 150 again, the legs are still strong and fresh so I push up no problem. Before the top I see a competitor in front of me struggling. Everyone has their names on their race bibs which are on the backs of your bike shirt, so it’s easy to spot the competitors names. I yell, “come on Heidi go girl, you are almost there”, I go past her and she yells back, “thanks, go phil”. Now that is the spirit of the race, it’s good fun to chat to competitors, but it’s hard to do on the bike course. Anytime you hear your name it’s up lifting, so I often give a “good on ya” to the competitors close by, I figure it will come back to me later in the race.
Most of the bike course is through small villages/towns so it’s quite technical. The next hill is called, “THE HELL”, it’s all cobble stone for about 500 yards and it’s lined with thousands of people (tour de France style). This is not that much fun, it’s scary because you think your bike is going to fall apart, vibrating as you pedal up hill on the small stones. I see water bottles fallen on the street, competitors actually off their bikes walking. I hit the top of the hill, a few people are off their bikes looks like they are fixing flat tires, Dam, I came out of it with no damage, except a skyrocketing heart rate, which can be fixed on the down hill immediately after the HELL. I had so many flats riding in Maui I’m a little paranoid about getting a flat tire now, but I changed my tires before coming over to a new specialized “all condition” tire, which so far hasn’t flatted on me in 3 weeks of riding, so fingers crossed.
The legs are still feeling fresh but I’m only 35 miles into the bike leg. There’s people all around so it’s good fun to see everyone out there all doing the same thing, feeling mostly the same things happening in the body and just working on getting through the 112 mile course. I’m on a good schedule with my nutrition, every 20 minutes I take a gel and water, but my stomach isn’t feeling that great at the moment, in fact I’m feeling sick and wondering if it’s going to get worse or better. I stop to take a pee at about mile 39 and then I start to feel better. I decide to switch over to powerbars instead of the gels, they seem to give me more power and I feel better after eating a solid instead of the liquid gel. My stomach ache goes away, so it looks like I figured that out, now back to the pedaling.
The big hill before heading back into Frankfurt town center is called, yes you can imagine, “heart break hill”, it’s about 1.5 miles of a good uphill climb, but assisted by thousands of spectator and one aid station near the top. I power up the hill no problem and enjoy all the cheering and yelling……the Germans are really supportive, while we take over there little villages for the day. I near the top drop into the aid station and ask for water, no I didn’t stop, but grab it as you ride by and stick it anywhere you can. I fill up my waterbottle on my aero bars and throw the bottle away towards a volunteer.
After this monster climb it’s downhill for 8 miles into Frankfurt, not a steep downhill but enough to get up some good speed and give the legs a bit of a rest. This is best part of the ride, downhill to Frankfurt and past Transition 2/finish line area…….the crowds are the thickest at this part of the course, a great feeling as I pass the finish line area and the first loop is complete. I take a look down at my cateye and it reads 56 miles. The legs are starting to get heavy and sore, I’ve been riding now for over 3 hours at around an average of 18 MPH or close too.
Lap 2 can’t be bad because once you ride the course once the time will pass more quickly the next time around. I hit the hell again, but it’s not like last time, now there is less people and my legs are burning as I reach the top. This is my first Ironman so I have no idea about going the full distance after the swim and bike, then getting on the legs and running a full marathon. I can feel my legs getting tied but they only get to a certain point and then it doesn’t get any worse. I actually start to feel better around mile 85 and keep thinking….”now it’s 37 miles until I get my butt off this seat”. I’m looking forward now to getting up over Heart break hill and rolling into Frankfurt into T2. Going up heart break hill I can feel the legs are drained of that fresh energy but they seem to be able to push pretty hard up the hill. I hit the top and yell out a “Yeahhhhhhhh”. It’s easy from here, I hit Frankfurt with some good speed, now the adrenaline is kicking in getting my head ready for the long slog on my legs for the 26.2 mile marathon. The transition area looms quickly, I reach down and pull my feet out of my shoes and rest them on top to prepare to jump off my bike. I reach the dismount line, step off my bike which disappears with a volunteer. I see my bag hanging with my race number, I grab it, another volunteer starts to direct me to the change tent, I’m running at this stage, but only slowly, but I don’t care because I finished the bike portion and now getting onto my legs for the biggest challenge of my life.
Thanks Phil for sharing and inspiring! You are simply amazing and a wee bit crazy!! Suzie
Check back to see the final journal entry: The Run!
poster image provided by www.demotix.com
Phil writes and recaps part I of the race: The Swim!
“Already I’m hitting people as I stay afloat and they are hitting me, arms, legs, hands, knee’s.”
 Phil's Finish!
The big Day. Ironman Germany, European Championship
It’s Thursday now after the race and my head is still fresh from the day. Where to start? Some words run through my head, amazing, my perfect race, incredible human spirit, challenging, ecstatic, electric atmosphere.
Im going to split this up into 3 separate reports, Swim, bike and run, they are going to be long.
Sunday I woke up at 4am and immediately had some energy drink, the rule of thumb is eat and drink 3 hours before race time so the body has time to digest the food into the system and then 15 minutes before the start have another energy drink with a gel.
Oatmeal, fruit, a powerbar, two bottles of Hammer pupeution endurance mix. It wasn’t easy to get all that down in such a short time, but I managed, I already felt full from that, oh well. I finished packing my bottles with endurance mix in them, got on my race gear, which is tri shorts and a biking top, wrapped around my heart rate monitor strap, tossed my wetsuit over my shoulder with my back pack and headed out the door down to the lobby. Thinking as I went down the elevator, “have I forgotten anything, what else do I need”, ok I had pre race nerves. I had my bike, my bike shoes, running shoes, wetsuit, goggles, swim cap, race number, gels, powerbars, salt tablets, clothes to change into afterwards, there must be more which I can’t remember now. There is a lot of stuff you need for the long day of racing and one thing forgotten can bite you in the butt at some stage during the day.
The lobby was full of activity at 4.45am, people everywhere, eating, drinking coffee, running out the door. This was it, it was race morning at the continental hotel, the place was a buzz with adrenaline with some of the best athlete’s on the planet. Terrenzo walked passed and wished me good luck, Macca seemed relaxed chatting to some friends, the Germans had their game faces on. Finally on the bus which was full, I immediately heard chatter, “how do you feel?, how many Ironmans have you done?, the stories were all around already. The fellow next to me was English so we got chatting, it was his fourth Ironman, so I immediately asked for his words of wisdom. “take it easy on the second half of the bike leg, don’t blow up the legs”, it was good advice, but how will I know? How fast can I go, when can I push it? The other words of wisdom, “was make sure you eat every 20 minutes on the bike”, which I’ve heard now from everyone and probably one of the most important aspects of the race. If you run down your calories without replenishing then your in big trouble and you can’t catch up.
We arrive at the swim lake and the place is packed with thousands of people, camera’s everywhere, the competitors piling into the transition area preparing their bikes for the 112 mile journey, volunteers to help you if you need anything. I got to my bike and put down my stuff. Time to pee already. Heading to the porta potties I see no lines, which is amazing for a race like this. The Germans again have done a great job on the organization. Back to my bike and I prepare my water bottles and food, get them on the bike, look around for a pump to check my tire pressure, finally found one and got that job out of the way. It’s now only 5.45am, but I know time is going to pass quickly before the 7am start. Double check my bike area and get my shoes in place ready when I come up out of the water and transition onto my bike. Ahah, my new Helmut is sitting on my aerobars ready to get tossed on my head, race belt with my number, is beside it.
Back to the bathrooms again for number 2, sorry about the detail, but it’s so clear now as I visualize myself back at race day. I have time so I want to check out the pro’s bikes and see what they are up too. The area where the pro’s bikes are is crowded, everyone is trying to get a glimpse of these super athlete’s, including myself. Most of the pro’s are not even there, they are already down at the water getting warmed up for the swim.
It’s now 6.30am so I figure one more check on my bike, get my wetsuit on and head down to the water’s edge to get my feet wet. The pro’s start a 6.45am, so I want to check out that start because right after the age groupers are going to start crowding the starting line, I don’t want to be left behind in the pack too much at the start. Funny Phil!!!
The pro’s start on time and within minutes they disappear out into the lake. They will do the 2.4 mile swim between 45 and 50 minutes. Yep that is twice as fast as me. Less than 1 minute per 100 metres. Try it, get in a pool and swim 100 metres, they are flying I can assure you, but not just the swim, they are full speed the whole race, red lining it, pushing the very limits of human endurance and pain.
We move up to the line with 10 minutes to go before the start. I’m about mid way on the line, about 20 metres back. I’m treading water now as well as everyone else, it’s still 10 minutes to go. Already I’m hitting people as I stay afloat and they are hitting me, arms, legs, hands, knee’s. Not much conversation either. Im excited to get going but still 5 more minutes of treading water in one spot. I take a look around and see at least 75 yards behind me full of bodies, red swim caps, the shore line is full of thousands of people, I hear the commentator “3 minutes to start”, then more hitting with arms and legs, people are crowding to the starting line which is protected by about 30 kayaks keeping everyone back. You just can’t help touching people as they move closer and closer to the starting line, but no where to move.
“One minute to start time”. Excitement overwhelms my body at this stage, I start hooting and yelling as does everyone else, “30 seconds to start time”. I think this is it, I’m going to start my first Ironman in less than one minute, all the training, the pain, the sweat for this one day. BANG we start, but we don’t move, I start a slow movement of my arms going forward very slowly. Bodies everywhere, all hitting like “dodgem cars at a fair”. The crowd starts to move now and I’m swimming forward but still hitting people with every stroke and kick. After about 10 minutes of what seems like start and stop swimming I get into a good rhythm of breathing, working on getting my heart rate to slow down. I’m working on drafting off people in front of me, which isn’t hard now with hundreds of people very close by. All of a sudden I feel a hand run over my head and it catches the strap of my goggles, they are sliding off my head within a few seconds, so I grab them with one hand and pull them down again, boy that was close. I’ve heard stories of people losing there goggles and swimming the whole swim leg without them.
I look up and watch for the buoys. We arrive at the first turn buoy which is 600 meters from the start, what a mess, bodies everywhere, I slow down again working my way around the bouy. “Now that wasn’t too bad, I’m a quarter of the way now and feeling good”.
I’m starting to find some space to get into a good stroke count and still breathing consistently. I’m feeling easy in the water and my heart rate seems to have slowed down now. Oh crap, what is that, a cramp in my calf muscle, shit, it wasn’t bad but enough to get my attention and slow me down slightly, it must be the cold water. I go on a few more minutes but decide to stop and work some blood into my lower legs, so I roll onto my back and do some floating for about 10-15 seconds. A little stretch in the calves, a good look around to take in this atmosphere of the race. People swimming far ahead of me and far behind me, “good I’m not last”. I get back into my rhythm and head to the shore which is the end of the first 2000 meters. Still people are hitting me and I’m hitting them, all accidently of course. I touch ground and move up out of the water onto the dry sand, walk about 10 yards around a bouy and back into the water for the next section of the swim which is 1800 metres. I take a look around me as I get swept back into the water by the mass of humans in wetsuits, no time to waste get in there Phil and get moving, not far to go now. Within 20 minutes it’s time to swim around another turn bouy at the other end of the lake, which wasn’t too bad, finally the crowd is thinning, it’s now on the final stretch back to the beach.
I keep looking up to find the shore but it doesn’t get closer very quickly, so the head is back down and I’m swimming like a demon now. I see the bottom and my fingers start to scrap the sand, it’s time to stand up. Now upright I look at my watch, it read 8.18am, I couldn’t believe my time, fantastic, 2.4 miles in less than one hour and twenty minutes, I’m pumped.
I peel down my wetsuit as I walk up the steep hill towards Transition 1, my heart rate is racing, it’s got to be over 160 at this point. The crowd is screaming, I hear names being called, “water anyone, Iso drink, water, water here”, the aid station is 3 deep of athlete’s already hydrating, it’s still bumper to bumper with competitors moving towards their bikes.
Check back for Phil’s entry of the bike transition! Way to go Phil! Suzie
|
2010 Athleta Featured Athlete
|
Join the Discussion: Leave a comment 
Category: Articles | 
Tags: burn calories, fitness, lean muscle, metabolism, Quick Fitness Tips, resistance training, strength training, strengthen, Suzie Cooney, Suzie Trains Maui, weight loss, workout
