Mary Eggers

And the king does it again! He’s the Long Cousre Duathlon National Champ for the old guys…. 50-54…… not that I could even be in their top 10…..

Way to go Curty!

The end of Big Balance is almost here, and I can see the light at the end of this tunnel. I can feel it taking shape, and as the fatigue is still mounting, but I am recovered from Wednesday.

As I began my tempo run this morning I was positive I wouldn’t be able to hit the intervals. But I did. I put away those negative thoughts. I opened the door to possibility. During interval #4 my right hamstring began to pull and then throb. I kept my pace. I wanted to push through. I decided to abort the interval, stop a moment, and stretch. I ran easy the next 5 minutes and all was fine. A moment to slow resulted in a fifth and strong interval. If I had pushed, would I have run at all?

Who knows. Of all the running I have done in the past 6 weeks this would be the first run I deviated from. And that makes me smile.

At Masters this morning the gang was swimming strong, and I did my best to. Quite honestly unless it is an Ironman week I rarely swim four times in one week. I swam four hours a day in college. As Coach T has it set up, easy day… hard day….. is perfect for me.

Four workouts to go, and 2 days. On Monday I have an optional day off. I have a feeling I will hit the road anyways.

Thanks for stopping by.

mary

Last night I sat down on a bench in Wegmans. It was late, it was dark, it was raining and I wanted to take a nap. With my cart full of groceries I wanted to take a nap. For the first time since this Ironman Florida block began, I felt spent.

But I also knew I was feeling spent because of the two hours of sleep I had gotten the previous night. Pile a long bike and a swim on top of that, a day full of stuff and the world will crash down on you at some point.

I was so tired. I have not been this tired in so very long. I wanted to skip the next round of training. And again I reminded myself I felt this way from sleep. Lack of it.

And then a thought came to mind.

How far are you willing to go? It made me smile.

As far as I have to. I stood up. I took a deep breath. This is what it is going to take Mary. It’s going to take this level of pain, this level of fatigue, this level of wanting it so damn bad. And no one can forge through it but me. Not Curt, not Coach T. So I do not whine to them. This is me myself and I.

Rest is coming next week. It’ll be a moderate week cuz coach T don’t dare say the word recover. Big Balance is almost done and I am in the home stretch.

Tomorrow I know I will feel so different. But today I know this much…..

We have to get weaker before we get stronger,

We have to become unhinged before we get put back together

We have to fall down in order to learn balance.

This is just the breaking point.

The deeper I dig now, the deeper I will know I can dig when I need to.

The more fatigue I handle now, the more I can handle on race day.

The more hits I take now, the more I will be able to take.

And at the bottom of it all, I am still aware that this is a privilege not a right. A blessing not a demand. Know that at the bottom of this all, I am so grateful to have this chance.

Thank you for stopping by.

Mary Eggers

For the past few seasons I have had some strange issues with leaving my stomach content all over race courses. That and bonking here there, and everywhere. In 03 and 04 my nutrition was so rock solid? What had gone wrong?

Since then it’s been a year plus long study in tonicity, hypertonic, hypotonic, grams of CHO versus ounces of H20. Lucky for me I coach some very bright people. And I have a very bright coach.

At Ironman this year I tried Infinit, and didn’t have good results. I have always had good results with Carbo Pro… when I could use it a certain way. But I didn’t know that way. A few times I stumbled into it with luck.

Last week I needed simplicity. I can’t deal with grabbing X bottles at this station, drinking Y oz by this station and then Z bottles lasting me here. Confusing. I reverted back to the simple way. The Carbo Pro way that I had found luck with before.

I enlisted The Boon, and Coach T. The Boon is unbelievably bright. Want to see her get excited? Ask her to calculate your race day nutrition. Or show her a disc wheel and give her wind tunnel results.

And Coach T…… we know he’s a smart egg.

My question to them was…..

I need to make my solution hypertonic when it hits my gut. I need to know;

Take ______ oz of H20 with ______ oz of Carbo Pro every ______ minutes.

And together they figured it out.

Saturday it worked. Today it worked. I felt stellar. 2 X 5 hour rides at Ironman wattage pace. Bingo. A few more to go and I believe we have nailed it.

I am so damn lucky to be surrounded by good brains and good people. I always say that we are the sum of all our parts. And just like it takes a village to raise a child…..

It takes an army to get Mary through an Ironman.

Mary

I know you are really beginning to crave these posts right now. When the word triathlon or especially Ironman makes you feel the same way you did when you drank too much tequila back in the day. That instant feeling of queasiness. Almost enough for you to run to the toilet and give it all away.

Or maybe that’s just how I feel today. Silly me. I signed up for 2 Ironmans in one year!

Because as of today we only have a handful of athletes who are not in their off-season. Next week many of the clan begins their 2008 programs…. and here I am stuck in the middle. And the next 30 hours are going to be busy and I will be doing 7 hours of training tomorrow on exactly four hours of sleep, if I am lucky. If no pediatric trauma rolls in at midnight. It’s 90 here in Rochester which translates into “Shoot your neighbor night” around here. Could be a late one.

The only person who I know will ride 5 hours with me tomorrow is Erik Grimm. And I don’t dare ask him to. Been there, done that. Everyone else is post Ironman or post something. Or they are smart. No takers.

But then again which is worse, being exhausted and alone? Or being exhausted with a friend who has to stop and have a pancake breakfast while he waits for you every 5 miles?

I actually prepared for this, as I do this pattern every week. Monday into Tuesday I get about 12 hours of sleep. Rob Peter on Monday night so I can pay Paul on Tuesday night, when the hours of ZZZZ are skimpy. And I won’t even feel it until 4pm on Wednesday when I am sitting at a table outside of the Sylvan Learning Center, drooling on my Laptop while Luc is inside.

Tomorrow is an important day. Another nutrition testing day. Swim 1:15 with Masters (translation…. hang on Ken’s feet for 90 minutes and pray Grimm doesn’t take off my arm again….) and then get up to the parkway. Only a Powerbar to fuel between workouts. 1 hour below 150 watts (this is the hardest hour by far) and then 3:50 at 155-169 watts (for me is Ironman pace) with a build towards 170 at the end, and a 10 minute cool down.

Exact Ironman Nutrition tomorrow;

2 X 24 oz bottles with 900 calories each.

Q 15 minutes my Kitima and Coach T prescribed amount of gulps of water to gulps of mix, and a gel at the top of the hour. With water.

1 X 250 mg salt tablet every 30 minutes.

No more, no less.

I believe, I know, I am certain this is the plan that will work.

Ironman is really about managing fatigue and pain. You spend months managing fatigue and pain so that on one day when you have to go to the brink of yourself, to the very edge, to the furthest point you thought, and then 10 steps beyond that…….. you know that you can, and you know that you will come back from it.

And damn…. knowing that….. it’s exciting.

mary

In the past eight days I have put in 23 hours worth of training. I have the stupid tan, 2 missing toenails and the brain to prove it.

The Stupid Tan. This is the cycling shirt sleeve / cycling short hem line….. tan. It’s all well and fine until you teach your yoga class in your traditional yoga gear, which is Lululemon tops…. sleeveless. Until you hit the pool and the pure swimmer poke fun. Until you hit Ironman Florida in a 2 piece race suit and you look like you are wearing it over a while cycling suit.

Missing Toe Nails Losing toenails may be painful for a day. But that’s not when they fall off. They leave about 3 days later. If you are lucky like me and know a lot of doctors and pedicure professionals, this is an easy problem to take care of. Just a local block, a pull and a loofah stone. Your yoga feet will be pretty again.

The Ironman Brain. This could be an entire book. My biggest problem is losing my keys every single day, twenty times a day. My husband suggested hanging a hook and putting them there every time. The problem with that is that I did that a year ago, and each time I lose the keys, that’s where they are. Lesson #37465755….. when you hang the keys up… remember that you did just that.

Aside from the 3 latest Ironman casualties, I am stunned at how good I feel. Muscle soreness…. none whatsoever. Sure I can get tight, but this might be the benefit of being a yoga teacher. 6 days a week I am in 110 degree room in a downward dog. Ahhhh…. that’s heaven in itself.

As soon as the clock strikes hour 23, the chariot turns back into the bicycle, the glass shoe becomes a running shoe, and the ball gown becomes my bathing suit again. The clock rolls back to zero.

Welcome to Big Balance Week #2 as Coach T has titled it. 2 big weeks of training with balance across all 3 disciplines. 6 runs, 5 bikes, 4 swims. This week we keep the workouts at Ironman pace. Nutrition on my long ride at Ironman pace worked like a charm. We test that again on Wednesday.

Not only is there a lot of training to be had this week, there is a lot of sleeping. I planned out my nights of sleep with a nap every single day. Rest is just as crucial to the training. Tonight I will be in bed at 8 and tomorrow I get to sleep in until 7am. It’s strength building in disguise.

So as the casualties of Iron begin to mount, I am handling them with grace. One step at a time, one revolution at a time, one stroke at a time. Baby steps.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mary Eggers

My son broke his leg over a month ago. If you have ever broken your leg you know this is a lengthy process. Good enough break and it is eight weeks if everything heals well. We are about to enter week 6 and Luc is on cast #2. His first cast was a full leg cast, this one is a shorter cast, below the knee and this time, whew…. it is Gortex on the inside. What makes a cast waterproof is not really the outside, it is what’s on the inside.

Give a 6 year old with some sensory and balance issues a pair of crutches and you’ll have a kid in an arm cast as well. We opted for the walker. Ever need a wheelchair? Call your Town Hall of your local Ambulance Corps. They likely have many to lend out.

Benefits of being a nurse…. knowing that they do make walkers and wheelchairs for children and knowing where to get them.

A month ago Luc was equipped with both. To make things easier we received a hang tag, allowing us to park in Handicapped Spaces. Which is all well and fine if you car doesn’t have a license plate that says “IRONCHICK” and have a few Ironman stickers on it. Hanging a handicapped hang tag on it doesn’t feel so right.

Parking Spots. I have quickly learned that handicapped parking spots are not necessarily for a closer spot. It’s the space between cars that becomes vital. In a standard parking spot a wheelchair likely does not fit. Neither does a walker.

There has been one instance where a woman began to scold me for parking in a reserved spot, until I rounded the corner of my car with a kid in a wheelchair. She shut up immediately and apologized.

“Don’t apologize.” I said “Think before you speak.”

When you are living life pushing someone in a wheelchair you begin to realize all of the difficulties these people have to face on a daily basis.

Sidewalk Ramps. If they have the slightest bump it is difficult to roll over. I have almost launched Luc out of the chair forcing the wheels. And every morning at school someone must park in front of the sidewalk ramp while dropping off their able bodied kids. Until I stand there and politely wait until they move. I noticed she didn’t do it again.

“Sorry” She called out the window.

“Don’t apologize.” I told her. “Think before you speak.”

Stores. Automatic doors are heaven. Doors with the big button that open the doors are second best. Opening a door is fine if you are the wheeler. But if you are in the wheelchair, how on earth do you do it without waiting form someone to come by and help you? I imagine the feeling of dependence on society to open doors for you gets old, when you are working hard to gain independence of your own life.

Bathrooms. I am a mother who is herself guilty of bringing my son into the bigger handicapped accessible bathroom in a restaurant or store. Heck it is easier to navigate. Now try asking a boy to balance on one leg and don’t miss the toilet. We need the space. One day I came to the other side of the wall. Having the kid in the wheelchair who can’t fit into a regular stall, has to go really bad, but we need to wait because mommy and princess are in the bigger bathroom, and princess has kicked off her golden shoe. Only to have them come out and tell me this is the ladies room.

“So I should open the door to the men’s room and roll him in calling ‘Good Luck’ after him?” I asked her point blank.

“I guess not. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” I said “Think before you speak.”

Staring. When your child is in a wheelchair people stare but try not to be caught. When I catch someone staring at him I gently tell them it is okay to look at him and it is even okay to ask him why he is in a wheelchair.

We had the fortunate ability to send Luc to Preschool at the CP Center of Rochester. He was a typical peer for the children afflicted with CP. The ratio was 50/50 for children who had CP and children who did not. It was there Luc learned that some kids are in wheelchairs, some kids walk differently, some kids use walkers, some kids have trouble talking. That experience taught him to be very comfortable with wheelchairs, kids in them, and kids who make noises, anything.

Children are curious. By nature they are not mean. Their parents tend to get in the way of that by implanting into their heads not to look. It is not rude to look at a person in a wheelchair. Acknowledge it. Talk about it. Ask questions. Sure you may come across a person who has been asked one too many times, but I say take the chance.

If you encounter a child who does not speak, how do you speak to them? You crouch down to their level, make eye contact and speak to them like you would any normal kid. Don’t speak louder, treat them like a kid. That’s what they are. Even if they do not speak back to you.

The more fearful you act around people with disabilities the greater the rift you create. The more you include, the more you treat them as normal, the more you act like they are just like you….. the smaller that rift will be.

People with disabilities are normal, they are list like you and I. They have more obstacles in their way and they have a lot to deal with. You can never imagine with some of these kids and families must undergo on a daily basis. Nurses and Aides in their homes 24 hours a day. Sometimes big ventilators, electronic lifts. Special tubs, bathrooms, medications that need to be stores in special fridges. Ramps, vans.

And yet they go through life without complaint. With a spirit that we wish we could have. With bravery and with passion that we don’t even know.

We are very fortunate. Luc has cruised through open heart surgery and now 2 broken legs. These inconveniences are temporary. In a few weeks I will bring the wheelchair back. I will find someone who needs his walker. The casts will become mantle decorations. This will become a funny story.

We will soon be in Florida running on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We won’t have to deal with traveling in a wheelchair, flying in a wheelchair, or wheeling a wheelchair down a beach.

The lessons we are learning are precious. Look around you. Hold open a door. Don’t be afraid to look. Teach your children that while we are different, we are all one people. Looking to do the same thing…. live our lives the best way we can.

And please remember one thing….. please think before you speak.

The questions of the week seem to be directed towards why I am not racing the Finger Lakes Triathlon, what is this secret IMFL training plan, and who is this secret coach I now have?

Yes, it is true, I am not racing at Finger Lakes this Weekend. I will be there supporting the Train-This athletes. I will be the gal with the boy in a wheelchair. The decision not to race was made in August, when Coach T directed me to set goals. Was it more important to me to be committed to the IMFL build or to be the Finger Lakes Champ? Which was more important?

IMFL of course, is more important. So I am sticking to my plan this weekend, sticking to my build. I have workouts to do and nutrition to practice.

Which rolls nicely into who is my secret coach and what is my secret plan?

There are no secrets, I am afraid. I am working with Coach Trevor, whom I will write more about when he is officially open for business. I will say this now though…. his program is outstanding. I feel more focused than ever. I feel more prepared than ever. I feel more ready than ever. Whether or not IMFL turns out to be the day I am training for it to be…. this coach has created a plan that is rock solid. He’s a rock solid coach and deserves to be paid more than he will charge.

He’s created no secret plan, no secret training. It’s carefully constructed to give me a lot of hard days and recovery days in between. He has me running much more frequently than I have ever run, which is absolutey making me stronger. Not to worry, a 3:00 marathon won’t be happening…. just yet.

I do know this however. When the going starts to get rough, if and when it does during the marathon, as tends to happen in an Ironman. I feel confident that I can run through it.

I have never felt like that before. And as much as it excites me, it is new territory.

I have bombed so many races that the fear of the bomb doesn’t affect me. The fear of losing it doesn’t scare me. On the other side the thought of nailing it does not cause anxiety. I am in the process of laying out my plan and I will stick to my plan. I will take aim and I will focus on the goals I have set. I will have a drama free race. I will deal with the bumps and roll with the smooth sections.

And I absolutely will not allow my head to get in the way of what my heart is shooting for.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mary Eggers