Jyl Conquers Boston Harbor

The weekend of September 22 & 23 was a busy weekend for this trio; each embarking our on own quest.  Last week, we read about Graham's Iron Adventure.  Well, on September 22, Jyl went to Boston to slay her own dragon, Boston Sharkfest; a 1500 meter open water swim across Boston Harbor.

Take it away, Jyl!

So this past weekend I had the crazy idea to swim 1500 meters across Boston Harbor. I thought in my brain this Shark Fest Swim, the first year in Boston, would be a good idea and practice for my ultimate work out goal of swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco in 2013.

I arrived Friday morning to a cold and dreary Boston. After checking the forecast, I saw the water temp was about 62 degrees, not the 68-70 degrees they mentioned on the website at the time of sign up. I had a sleeveless wetsuit, an awful thing (no one likes trying on or wearing one of these things) and really wished I went for and practiced with the full sleeve one… Never did it cross my mind that the water would be this cold! Mistake number #1 of the weekend!

Saturday morning came and was dreary and drizzly and cold again. Wishing I had gloves and a winter hat as I walked from the hotel to the start was one thing! Man, if the air was this cold, imagine the water!

Mom and I hung out at the finish line, where water taxis were taking us over to the start. I noticed these people hanging around looked like serious swimmers/athletes. Mom mentioned that no silly normal or person thinking they were in shape would jump into the harbor! She was right!

I finally boarded a small water taxi to the start line with about 20 other swimmers. Most were quiet and checking out the scene, and there were 2 college kids on my boat going in Speedos for the swim. Man, I thought they were crazy, but they were the only ones doing it I would soon realize. Sure they were about the 10% of the crowd, but there were people, including a very cute Olympian open water swimmer, Alex Meyer (who won the race, finishing in half the time I did it, and no wet suit).

Anyway, I had about an hour and a half to hang out and stare at the dark, cold water from the start line. I chatted with people from all over the country, some experienced and a lot this being their first open water swim race, like me. Most of the Bostonians weren’t scared of the water temp, that’s when I realized I was a Southern girl now… My 80 degree HFFA pool temp will never seem cold again!

We got our rules and regs, and 300 people were set to jump off the pier in 4 waves. I decided to go in mid pack, and ended up in wave 3.  I watched the other waves go off and began to realize I was crazy. Why was I doing this? I saw some people struggle at the start for sure, but did not see anyone go to the wonderful kayakers or paddle boarders…

Jyl, post swim with her nephew, Daniel.
Damn Jyl, that looks cold...

I walked toward the start of my wave, and was nervous. Some people were sticking their feet in the water and testing it and I pondered it, and thank God, I didn’t do it. The whistle went off and I was on the far side of the pack and one of the last to go. I didn’t want to get in the crowd and when I jumped in feet first, it was a feeling of shear panic. I have NEVER felt this before. Some choice words went through my brain and then my brain said MOVE. My face, neck, arms turned to quick ice cubes and the first couple of strokes I did not put my face in the water. I was frozen. I tried not to panic and breathe and finally after about a minute I realized I needed to keep going and move forward. I honestly thought if there were kayakers that first minute, I would have stopped. It was awfully cold! I did an obstacle at the tough mudder where you dunk in a dumpster of ice and quickly climb out. This was worse and I had to go 1500 meters to the other side!

I got in my groove and stayed on the outside of the pack and took one stroke at a time. I can say for about 10 minutes I didn’t freeze, but then about half way through the race, I got cold again. Thank God for the wet suit! It was a saving grace. I also wore two swim caps, and I guess any extra layer helped some!

I know I touched things in that harbor, and not sure what they were? Fish, the bottom, dead bodies, garbage. Or other racers I didn’t see, but I did have a couple freak outs of 'what is touching my fingers?'

Spotting was hard, because of fog and the darkness, but aiming for the city was the only way I went. Also following the other yellow caps the whole way!

Finally I saw the white tent near the marina (and lots of huge Boston harbor boats) and I tried to swim faster, not sure if I did or not, but I wanted out. The taste of salt water was another thing I couldn’t practice for, and wasn’t prepared for. I finally saw the back up of finishers near the white tent with the timing pad, and also at that time, I could hear people cheering from the side of the harbor. I KNEW warmth was in reach.  I touched the timing board and then had to swim about 50 meters to the ladders to get out of the harbor. At that time I heard my mom and family calling my name, and I smiled. Thank God I was done!

I got out as quick as I could and got that wetsuit off (with some great burns around my neck from where it rubbed) and got in a blanket and had a beer. I finished and NEVER have to do that again!  My brother checked my time and it was just over 30 minutes. Again the Olympian did it in 16 minutes, and my goal was just not to come in last or have a boat pick me up, which neither happened.

Would I do that again? NO- I swam Boston and I’m happy I did it. Am I going to do Alcatraz? I haven’t decided. I can say the 55 degree water can’t be any worse than the water of Boston, but the current and shark factor and jumping off a boat, still make me not click the 'Register NOW' button… But I do need a new challenge for 2013, and I can’t think of anything else that would be more challenging and more fun!

Hey Jyl.....remind me to update the Reasons Why Swimming Sucks!  

I am so, SO proud of you!

I get asked a lot why I keep going, keep swimming, keep running.....  How can I not when I have completely awesome friends, like Jyl and Graham, that continue to surround me with inspiration and motivation?  I am one lucky girl.  

Graham Finish(es) Strong

Instead of "Words for Wednesday," I thought I would bring you another source of inspiration.  My friend Graham, you remember Graham, entered the world of triathlon this summer.  His first event was a sprint distance at Tri Latta Triathlon on June 9.  This included a 750 meter open water swim, a 17 mile bike ride and 5K run.  This is important to know in order to help put what comes next into perspective.  About 3 months later, Graham, this crazy beast, entered and raced in the Finish Strong Half Iron Triathlon at Jordan Lake, North Carolina,on September 23, 2012.  The half iron distance is as follows:  1.2 mile open water swim.  56 mile bike ride.  13.1 mile run.

I asked Graham if he would share his adventure with seriously hope.  And, well, how could he say no?  Without further ado, I bring you Finish Strong Half Iron as raced and written by my good friend and training cohort!

 

as if setting up transition wasn't hard enough,
let's set it up in the dark!

After waking up early on race morning my mind started to go through its pre-race check list.  Everything was loaded in the car and I was ready to get to the race transition area and set up.  After getting to the race site I parked the car and started to unload my bike, it was still dark out so it made it challenging when attempting to check tire pressure.  I went over and picked up my packet since they didn’t have them available on Saturday at the pre-race meeting.  I took my bike, crate, towels, shoes, gloves, helmet, bike shirt and nutrition into the transition and racked my bike and laid out my stuff.  About 30 minutes before the race they announced that the water temp was 75 and wetsuits would be allowed – good thing I had my rental.  I put the suit on with about 10 minutes prior to the start and was ready to go.  Since it was a small race they put the men in group 1 and women in group 2.

The Swim 

No, Graham,
you can't come back
to shore....

I had my plan to swim straight and steady pace, not pushing too hard and try to focus on conservation of energy and hopefully avoid cramping in my calves which has happened a few times.  I would guess the first turn buoy was about 750m away and with a blink of an eye I seemed like I was making the turn, the little voice in my head said I think I am flying, that could not have been 15 to 20 minutes already.  After the turn I found my aim for the next turn and focused on my form and to stay relaxed.  After the second turn I realized that I am halfway done and heading back to shore, my voice went off again, telling me to relax and watch my form, at that point I realized that I had taken the second turn really wide and was about 75m wide of the site buoy – oops.  I again had to focus on staying calm.  Then I hit some waves from the side and surprised me some but was able to stay relaxed.  Other than swimming off course a little, I felt good.  Finally the last turn buoy, almost back to shore, focus on swimming straight, there just ahead is the boat launch and dock.  I kept my head down and really focused, then I decided I better check my direction again and just at the right time too – I was about 2 feet from swimming head first into the side of the dock, minor turn and another 20 feet until I could stand and run (ok, really walk) up the ramp.  After the ramp I headed towards transition and I saw Stephanie who came to help cheer me on and support.  I asked for the time and she said – under 29 minutes, I ran into transition and started to get changed for the bike.  After getting changed I asked again and she repeated “under 29” and I was shocked, the plan was to swim well and be in around 40 minutes.

The Bike

What I like to call
"Graham's bad ass bike pic"

The bike was the tail of two courses, 56 miles and basically the first 40 are about average minor hills turns and then the final 16 are brutal.  I don’t know the breakdown of my ride but the first 20 miles were good.  I hit the second water stop, which was supposed to be around 36 or 38 mile marker, and picked up extra water.  I continued to ride for what seemed to be another 30 to 45 minutes and I was expecting the 50 mile marker and saw the 40, ugh that took some steam out of me.  Oh and now this is where the bike starts to get challenging.  There were 3 long climbs and the first was near a cemetery and I thought to myself, when I fall off my bike and die from this hill they won’t have to move me very far to put me in the ground.  I pushed on only to find another equally challenging hill after having a minute or so to regain some focus and find some energy.  I knew the last hill was long – about a 3 mile climb and after getting through that I knew that I had conquered the bike and was almost ready to run.

The Run

Ok, normally I am a quiet person, I don’t talk to other runners, I just put one foot after the other and work on getting to the finish.  The run was anything but normal, I had to tell my body what to do and it talked back to me on many occasions.  I filled my fuel belt with water and I had 6 gels for the 13.1 run, ready, set, hyperventilate…ok, I have only gone 50 meters, that is not the right way to start a run.  Focus on calming down, it’s only a half marathon right?  After the breathing returned to normal, time to run to the first water stop, break down the run into lots of small goals.  I made it to the first water stop and refilled the two water bottles, I had been drinking some and pouring most on my head to keep my temperature down and avoid over heating which I have done in the past.  Next repeat previous goal, run to the next water stop and refuel, better take a gel while getting water too.  Ok, feeling good I hit the second water stop and feeling good, refueled and went on to the next stop.  At about the 2 mile mark I started to have pain in my left arch – I know that pain my brain responded – that is a nasty blister on my arch.  I haven’t ever had one there and it turned my run into a very painful walk run the remainder of the day.  I knew that I wouldn't let the blister stop me, I pushed on and hit the 3 mile mark when my right leg cramped from the top of my knee to groin, wow that hurt and I had taken a gel about 5 minutes prior, I decided that another gel was needed and started to walk again.  I pushed on, never stopping due to fear that my body would fall apart.  I hit the turn around and picked up my first wrist band and took another gel.  At this point I pushed myself to run a little and overall I found the run course a challenge.  Nothing too hard but it wasn’t a flat easy course that’s for sure.  Then I saw Stephanie, she was my support and she walked and talked and ran when I could.  I hit the 5th mile marker and I thought yay I am half way done!! Oh wait, no I am not – crap, this isn’t going to my plan.    After calming down and pushing through miles 5 to 8 I realized I hadn’t taken a gel in a while and went to the belt to realize I only had two left.  I came up with a plan to have them at the 9th and 11th mile markers and hope that my body didn’t get too mad.  So, I continue to run some and walk some, most of the walks were not by design or distance but due to my body cramping or reacting to still being on the course.  I felt muscles tweak, cramp, provide negative feedback to my brain from my hip, quad, calves and achillies both on the left and right side – basically my entire lower body.  I managed to keep upright and finally had about 300 meters to go when my left leg cramped really bad and caused me to hyperventilate again.  I almost fell.  I pushed through the cramp and focused on the breathing, one last turn and into the shoot.  Finally I crossed the line and then my lower body complained one last time and this time I couldn't remain on my feet and I fell, but at least I was already over the line.

I did it, I was now a HALF IRONMAN!

WOW!  Way to do battle, Graham!  Congratulations you Crazy Beast!  What you have accomplished is truly inspirational...and maybe a little crazy ;)

You can lay down now....

your work here is done!

Jyl's Nashville Adventure

Today on seriously hope, we have a special surprise.

I've bugged asked my dear friend, Jyl, to be a guest blogger and to recount her adventure running her first marathon in the Country Music Marathon a few days ago.  She has conceded agreed and with no further ado, I will turn the mic over to my friend, the MARATHONER!!!!

Trying to wrap my head around finishing 26.2 miles is daunting... Yes I did train for about 6 months, and in the end 5 hours went by really fast! 

Nashville was the 3h's-- HOT, Hilly, and frankly, Hellish... those are my three words to describe the day. I realized walking to the starting line from my hotel at 6am that I was already sweating... not a good sign...

Usually on my long runs around Davidson, I didn't need electrolytes or water til about mile 6 or 7... Nashville started at mile 2.5!

The crowd and the music and the people were great for the first 12 miles... So if you want to run a awesome half marathon, sign up for Nashville. After Mile 12... Well they take you to a old part of Nashville that's not very pretty and the crowds disappear. I was sad to pull my ipod out at mile 12 hoping to only save it for emergencies and extra pep in my step, but it became a constant for the rest of the day... 

I learned that hoses and water are awesome. Neighborhoods had their sprinklers on and boy without those, I would have died much faster.. I ran through at least 12 hoses that day... 

We <3 Peeta....

I also wrote some words of encouragement to myself on my arms! For my friend Hope- I did "Team Peeta" for Hunger Games.. Plus, if Peeta could go into the Hunger Games and make it out alive, I sure as heck could do a marathon.. (I did see a couple signs along the way that did say " May the odds be ever in your favor!") those made me laugh.... 

Also I wrote "Beat David Cook"! David Cook was my catalyst for signing up for this whole thing. When I read in November that he was doing the LA marathon in March, I was like.. God David Cook is an American Idol, a Rock star, and certainly not a runner... if he can do it, I can... So needless to say I did beat hunky David Cook.. It would have been much more fun if he was running in Nashville, as it would have been good eye candy, but my goal was simply to beat his time and I did.. Well I crushed it, =)

I found my parents at about mile 11 for the first time and they had a pack of supplies, but all i wanted was water. It was so hot out...
At the half way mark I was happy with my time and my pace and how I was feeling... I was on path for about a 2:30 half and content... My body felt fine, no pains!

Come about mile 17 is where I met mom and dad again with supplies, that included heavenly orange slices and lots more gatorade...

Mmmmm cold towel and
a cold beer.
Life does NOT get much better!

Once I woofed those oranges and mile 20 came, the stomach wasn't totally happy with me... and no matter what I drank or dunked on my head, I was hot. I could not get cool. We were running on highways and there was no shade, it was just brutal! It was like a war zone from mile 20-24 with people on the ground, pale faces, just miserable looking people. No one was happy. There was also no crowd or cheering or anything... It was the hardest point. It was then I began to walk and realized that my "run" was a shuffle and walking was only a bit slower... and the stomach felt better walking... 

I met a concerned mom at about mile 24 and she walked with me til mile 26, which was the looming Titans stadium and my two friends waiting to run me in... Thank God it was only .2 miles from there, but I did run in and with a smile on my face... 

The Medal.  Or, otherwise known as
Race "Bling".

I was happy I finished, I didn't get sick, and I didn't fall over! I was just roasted from sunburn, and mainly that was the worst pain I had! I did not train or plan for sunburn! 

In the end 30,000 people ran the races at nashville and only 3900 finished the marathon.. I was happy to be one of those. I wasn't last place, not even close; and I was in one piece. I enjoyed the rest of the day in Nashville, and some good frozen drinks and food! 

So the question already is- will I run another? Ok- Yes I would.. No, I would not run Nashville again, and no I won't run in late April. I will do cool weather and flat courses... I would also like to run with someone the whole time.  All my training was with buddies, and man had my parents not been there for the last 10 miles, I would have been miserable. You need a support team for these things! It takes a group to get you to the end, from training to the day of the race! 

I am looking forward to this week of eating whatever and drinking beer, and not running.. I am looking forward to running ONLY 3 miles instead of 20 some Saturdays and not getting up before the sun rises!

- Jyl

Awesome.  Just awesome.  
And folks, don't think for a minute she's taking it easy.  She already has her sights on her next challenge.  Plus, since she's gotten back, she has already gotten up at least three times to run with me before the sun began to blink the sleepiness from its eyes...

Jyl, my friend, you are a ROCK STAR!