My Very First Press Conference!

I have been invited to be in the Musselman Press conference on Friday July 13th! Other invitees include Olympian Victor Plata! I was fortunate enough to win the inaugural Musselman 1/2 Ironman in 2004 (and have bombed each one since), which earned me the invitation!

Will it be televised? I don’t know. Will inside Triathlon cover it? I have no clue. All I know is that I get to advise an Olympian on how to completely screw up not just one 1/2 Ironman, but seven, yes seven in a row.

And you too, may be able to know those secrets!

WOO HOO!

🙂 Mary Eggers

Weekend at Lake Placid… Part I

Friday morning Pelee, Sarah and I loaded into my car and began our trek to Lake Placid New York. Far ahead of us were Bill and Sharon, and then Kara. I emphasize far ahead because all three were nailed with speeding tickets as they flew through Tupper Lake!

Like I always say.. slow is smooth… smooth is fast.

On the voyage to LP I laughed so hard that my abs hurt!

Most of the twenty athletes we were meeting had arrived at the Alpine Air Motel and were in the process of settling in and preparing for an evening ride. I knew what they were thinking….
What is this course really about?

This course is about patience, and about believing in yourself. This is something I can help nurture only after someone knows what I mean about hills and most importantly what I mean about descents.

So Friday evening in 94 degrees we rode 42 miles of the Ironman Lake Placid Bike course. There is an out and back section of the loop which we reserved for Saturday. I hung back quite a bit to watch how our athletes were climbing, descending, making sure they were shifting gears often. I was watching form, hydration… it was a chance for me to really be a coach. I was proud of what I saw. Lots of spinning, lots of drinking. Bodies remaining relaxed and still. Great big smiles as we descended 6 miles in 10 minutes towards Keane. Awesome.

Friday evening at dinner nerves were calmer. And everyone was early to bed, calculating calories, ounces and milligrams. The luxury of race day is that there are aid stations every 10 miles. Saturday we’d have a gas station on either end of the loops, so not only did we need to carry calories, we had to carry water. But everyone planned well.

Saturday I allowed myself to completely focus on my ride and my training. It was a ride at your own pace ride, and there are lessons to learn on this bike course. If you ride it correctly there are opportunities to recover from the hills, but you must understand where those are and understand yourself. There are lessons that I can not teach, like certain things will go wrong, certain things will hurt and certain things will present themselves. Until you know what those certain things are however, it is nearly impossible for me to teach them.

Experience would be the teacher today.

I settled into a good groove through the first loop with Bill, Mark and Glenn. Kevin who is preparing for Eagleman, would join us on the second loop when we’d need a fresh face.

Through the first 30 minutes of climbing I felt great. Through the 6 mile descent I felt great, gaining confidence. My bike was so darn light that it made it a bit scary… something I knew I’d have to overcome.

The flat section into Keane felt like heaven. Just spinning and looking to the mountains. The out and back felt like a roller coaster! We got to see other athletes on the course, a terrific group from Tri Life in NYC.

Once we hit the turn around we began to see the other Train-This athletes who looked fabulous. We stopped for some water before the infamous last 11 miles.

The last 11 miles of Ironman lake placid are not hillier then the first 11 miles. But the combination of wind, rolling, rolling and rolling, with a little fatigue mixed in can make it a tough place for anyone.

But today I felt amazingly fresh. I dropped my group but I was not pushing. I was simply spinning. No matter what throughout that part of the course I kept my cadence 70-80 and I had zero fatigue. ZERO. It was almost horrifying. Where was the pain? Was I going fast enough?

Yes. I reached the top of Papa Bear in 3:05. Ten minutes ahead of schedule. Gulp.

After picking up Kevin we began loop 2 and I tried to take it much the same as loop one. Nutrition was working. My carbo load the day before was helping things tremendously.

And when it came to the final 11 miles, I kept the same plan. I monitored cadence and I sailed through them. I remembered to look right towards Whiteface and watch the river flowing and the most amazing scenery on earth. Better than Hawaii I promise. Better.

Towards the end of Papa Bear my legs still felt absolutely awesome. Like I hadn’t ridden at all. After 112 miles of hills in 6:10 (my 2003 bike time here was 6:07 race day)…. I felt nervous. Did I ride too slow? Too fast? Where was the pain? Can I get excited?

Off the bike to a short 30 minute run…. I felt…. bouncy. I felt like I was running easy.

Where was the pain? Where was the agony? Why wasn’t it there? Could it be?

Don’t get too excited, I told myself. Stay on top of yourself. But this is a good sign.

With a few mishaps, everyone finished the ride. Kitima’s cleat came off her shoe, but she borrowed screws from her other shoes and repaired it herself. Pelee and I had a minor bike crash on Friday night (into each other) and he rode with a brake rubbing for 100 miles. You could not even turn the wheel by itself. His nutrition on Friday gave him what I call “Runny Butt”. After my run on Saturday I got a text message form him

“I am shitting myself” I laughed “I am 9 miles away”.

I hopped into the car for the rescue mission, and found Pelee riding up Mama Bear. He allowed me to rescue him and then still did his run. way to go Pelee!

Saturday night we all celebrated with dinner on Mirror Lake, drinking coffee at Starbucks and laughing more and more and more.

When some mentioned that they hoped they’d be ready to run 3 hours on Sunday I reminded them of one thing…

“At least we aren’t Tom”. Tom was at the American Desoto Triple T Triathlon Festival in Ohio. Four races in 3 days and at our time, still a half Ironman to go……

Part II tomorrow.

🙂 Mary Eggers

We’re Home!

We arrived home this afternoon from a beautiful weekend in Lake Placid. I shall recap the entire trip tomorrow, but I am frightened.

I am frightened because 112 miles of hills has never felt so… good and …. I am terrified to say… easy. And I rode it as fast as my 2003 Ironman time, but I wasn’t pushing.

Because the run off the 112 miles bike… felt bouncy.

Terrified because my carbo load and nutrition plan made me feel smoking great.

Because I nailed Ironman pace with walking 1 minute per 10.

Because I have no soreness.

Because I feel so freaking good.

When does the other shoe drop? Do I admit my success this weekend, or do I hide it and wait? Do I dare dream of that day in July?

One thing is for sure. I love to climb. I love to climb in Lake Placid. I have spent so much time on flat courses that I forgot the thrill of 10 minute / 6 mile descents. I forgot my strength spinning through the last 11.

I forgot the feeling of looking to the mountains and the stream of the river beside me.

I heard a voice inside my head this weekend say one thing to me….

“Welcome home Mary. It’s been a while.”

Thanks for stopping by. Full report tomorrow.

🙂 Mary Eggers

Lake Placid

Tomorrow morning 20 Train-This athletes will be heading to the mountains of Lake Placid New York for a weekend of training. Memorial Day weekend is a big weekend for training up in the most beautiful place on earth. Last year we ran into a bunch from Tri Life and many other triathlon groups out there training!

If you have never been to Lake Placid, you someday need to go there. The 1980 Olympics were staged in this quaint town, an while it has remained quaint, the development over the years is stunning.

In Lake Placid you can do it all. Canoe on Mirror Lake, climb, hike or if you are crazy enough, bike up White face Mountain. You can ride a bobsled or learn to luge. You can watch the Olympic training squads in skiing, cross country skiing, hockey speed skating, all of them train here.

You can watch the junior development teams train future Olympic hopefuls. Ever see pictures of the ski jumps in lake Placid? Higher than any mountain. Ever see the kids practice in the summer? They fly off the jumps on skis and after twirling through the air they land in a pool.

Hop over to Mt. Hovenburg for some unbelievable mountain biking, with trails for beginner to advanced. You name it, you can find it here.

Lake Placid is all about wellness. You won’t find a motorized boat on Mirror Lake. You will find people of all ages genders and from all backgrounds smiling, running free and having the time of their lives.

It’s why Ironman Lake placid is such a favorite for me. This place is magical and I can’t wait to immerse myself in it…. in just one more day!

Friday night will find us riding 42 miles (one loop of the course minus the out and back), and then we will have a team dinner featuring Italian style entrees!

Saturday morning a 40 minute run at 7am followed by the big ride….. 10am 112 miles. Following that is a 30 minute run. Our traditional evening at the Lake Placid Brew Pub then becomes a necessity. UBU beer… enough said.

Sunday morning will bring a 3 hour run for many of us, with some intensity mixed within. After our team breakfast a few of us will take yet another loop of the bike course.

It’s the weekend without a whole lot of structure, no timetables, just get out and ride. Enjoy the beauty and enjoy what we are all so blessed to be able to do!

Thank you for stopping by,

🙂 Mary Eggers

Victory

Looking back at my Gulf Coast 1/2 Ironman, please keep thinking that it was another debacle because on paper it was. In terms of data however, this was a breakthrough performance. And I am smiling big as we head into the final 6 week push to Ironman Lake Placid. I don’t know the end of the story, but none of us do, do we?

What was so critical in my race was my run. It was the walking every mile and nailing a 4:00 and at times a sub 4:00 Ironman pace. Walking, yes walking to a sub four hour marathon. Walking. Deadly in a 5K race but again I say it is critical in an Ironman. After 2.4 miles of swimming and 112 miles of cycling, walking becomes critical.

It is a lesson my athletes are slowly and reluctantly learning. When people are reading their long runs with instruction to walk 1 minute every 10…. you would think I have told them to run a 3 minute mile. Yet they listen, and they fight, but they do it. And what happened last week? Dennis and Sarah ran 18 miles in record time. Kitima told me how much…. better…. she feels with the walking breaks.

Yes, walking.

Because in the land of Iron nutrition is the key to the race. Every mile you come upon an aid station and people will blow through it spilling drinks of all kinds down their faces and bodies. And we will patiently walk through each and every single one. Sipping, sponging, and resuming marathon pace with a bit of kick and a big smile.

The hardest part of walking is the humility It requires. Who wants to be seen walking in an IRonman? Who wants to see the occasional person passing them as they speedwalk like Oprah?

I always think of it this way; there are 2 types of people that you will see in the Ironman. Those who are faster than you, and those whom you’ll see again. I believe I was told that either by Rich Strauss or Gordo. It is true, and it is something to remember.

I have had 2 reluctantly low days in preparation for the big week that begins tomorrow at 0400. There are a lot of miles and hours to cover between Wednesday and Sunday and I am ready.

Victory takes many forms and shapes. And Victory comes from within. The undoubted belief in yourself. You can not, can not doubt your abilities and talents and dreams. Doubt them and don’t bother getting to the starting line.

You have to believe. Believe in the impossible. Believe in yourself. Believe in what you can do. Believe the pain, and believe the joy. Believe every moment because every moment that passes is one moment closer to the finish line.

And the great big medal they’ll hang around your neck.

Thank you for stopping by.

🙂 Mary Eggers

The Final Push

I am feeling excited to wake up tomorrow with my biggest week of training for 2007 ahead of me. It is Lake Placid Training Camp time and I can not wait. On Friday morning 20 of my athletes and I will head to the gorgeous mountains of Lake Placid to train, sleep eat and train for three days.

This week could bring me to 25 hours of training with 300+ miles on the bike and 40_ of running. Not only does the volume kick up but the intensity does too. Contrary to my Gulf Coast run split… my running is spot on in terms of distance. A little intensity there will bring up that end. But now we really hone in on the bike. It’s all good and fun to be a great runner, but if you can’t come off that 112 mile bike feeling fresh as a daisy, then it doesn’t matter who you are.

I have a few definite races built into the end of training weeks for speedwork. The Pittsford tri and Keuka Lake will be at the end of 20 hour weeks. So that will be interesting as I develop a new tolerance to a new level of pain.

So I am ready. I am ready to begin the final push. This is where the going gets real good.

Thanks for stopping by.

🙂 Mary Eggers

Spring Classic Formula One Duathlon

The Spring Classic Formula One Duathlon featured a record crowd today for the 2 mile run / 10 mile bike / 1 mile run / 10 mile bike / 2 mile run event! Train-This swept off the cobwebs and we had some breakthrough performances. Official results can be found here

Curt Eggers 2nd overall
Erika Foster 4th overall

And placings from Bill Harris and Mike Foster and John Galbraith! (which I shall post once I see the results). By the way John had 2 bikes stolen from his garage the other night. He was racing on a “new frame”!

Ellen and Boots and their staff did a terrific job, remind me to burn Ellen a new CD… but it was awesome to her my mix from 2004 being played again! I have some good new tunes!

After the race I realized I missed seeing Doug and Brenda Prindle who have made their return to Rochester after a 6 year hiatus!

Congrats to all who competed and here is to a terrific 2007!

Thanks for stopping by.

🙂 Mary Eggers

Becoming a Caveman

The nutrition evolution continues this week as I once again give up the sugar. I came off of it for a week after Gulf Coast to see what would happen. And you know what? Enjoying some cookies and ice cream was all well and fun… but I felt like absolute ASS afterwards. It really affected me. It really affected how I felt.

I have been on an evolution towards the Paleo way of eating for a few years now. But a few months ago I decided to make a firm commitment to it. I gave myself the time line of one year to fully commit to this way of eating.

Being an endurance athlete who could essentially live on bagels and cereal and spaghetti this is a difficult thing. So why am I doing this?

First of all for health. I am in terrific health and I want to be in terrific health when I am 95 years old.

Secondly for performance. I know that a healthier athlete is a stronger athlete is an athlete who performs at his or her potential. Now I eat very well now, but like training, nutrition can always improve. I want my fuel to be pure, therefore allowing my nutrients to be utilized and bringing up my level of performance.

I am still entering the peak of my endurance athletic years. I want to come into this peak age knowing that I have done everything I can to be in top fitness for the various goals I will set for myself over the next few years.

I have began this evolution in stages. Obvious sugar went first. Sweets, cookies and yes the beloved ice cream, is gone. Once I am again used to that I will evolve further with refined foods. It’s a long list and process for me but I shall keep you updated.

The key for a born swimmer like me is exchanging the carbs I normally eat (bread….) for carbs with a little more bang for their buck.

So easing back into training with new and improved nutrition habits is pretty neat. You see the correlation between good food choices and feeling good. As my son would say Good Food makes you feel good, and Garbage Food makes you feel like garbage.

Amazing how our children have a way of simplifying things when we work so damn hard to complicate them!

Thank you for stopping by.

🙂 Mary Eggers

Unhinged

Recovery from the Gulf Coast 1/2 Ironman is going nicely. A light bike on Monday followed by a day off on Tuesday, and a swim / bike / run today. I am a bit tired, but muscle soreness has escaped me and I am feeling good. Admittedly I am having some issue getting rehydrated. My urine has been a pretty shade of neon yellow for a few days despite a gallon of water with Nuun per day. That’ll come.

My head is in a good place. Special thanks to my friend Trevor, for helping me potentially identify the culprit of my 1/2 Ironman woes. I always tell my athletes that you can show up to a race in better shape than Natasha Badmann herself, but blow nutrition and you walk.

This lesson has terrific timing, as all of my lessons do.

But the important part of this lesson…. I still wake up hungry. In one way or another I have screwed up seven, yes seven 1/2 Ironmans in a row. It makes me laugh. I might even screw up seven more before I get it right.

It doesn’t deter me. It doesn’t depress me. It solidifies my passion for my sport. When I won everything I touched I did wonder if I would love it when I didn’t win. Now I know. I love it any way it wants to come at me, through me, over me, or on top of me.

I love the feeling of coming unhinged. Man I come unhinged a lot. Because each time I come unhinged I get put back together a little stronger. No, I didn’t quite realize all of the little places I could come unhinged…. but bring them on.

I am not afraid to fail. I am not afraid to lose. And I am not afraid to win. I am not afraid to fall, be laughed at, get stomped on…. I am afraid of nothing.

At the end of the day it is still me and the woman in the mirror. She often asks me if I gave it my all. And I always tell her that I did.

That’s what my Dad taught me. He has taught me a lot. Show up 10 min early for everything you do. Finish what you start. If you give 100% it doesn’t matter what the result or the score is. Giving 100% is the victory.

So this week it is an ease back into training with about 13 hours. The following 2 weeks will be gigantic as I will take them to 22 hours. Next week is the big “Weekend at Lake Placid Part Four” trip. 20 of my athletes are joining me in Lake Placid for 3 days of cycling and running. I will hit 300+ miles of cycling and 40+ miles of running.

Man does that make me smile.

So doubt me, poke fun at me, support me, or believe in me. Take me a part, run over me, land on top of me.

Because my friends I will get it right. Things will click. Maybe in July, maybe in 2010. And when they do, just look out. It’s going to be pretty, at least from my view.

Thanks for stopping by.

🙂 Mary Eggers

Panama City Beach Pictures!

Just a few images from the hotel on the beach…..