Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf

Dory Dory

Monday, January 20th, 2014

Bike plan: 30 minutes easy spinning

So, my first real day in Key West to do "my own thing"....and what a drop-dead gorgeous day it was!!! OMG, picture perfect in so many ways. I allowed myself to sleep in until 7:30ish, then up and at 'em it was to the hotel gym to knock out the 30 minutes easy spinning, but they didn't have any "bikes", rather they had some sort of bike-like contraption. When in Rome, and all that, which meant I did my easy breezy 30 minutes in a totally new position in an empty hotel gym at 8ish in the morning. Done. Didn't even really break a sweat, I went that easy.

Actual: 6 miles on some strange bike hybrid cousin on an island in the sun

Headed out the door to finally get some swimming in because we all know that 5 days is all it takes to prepare an athlete for a 1.2 mile ocean swim. :rolleyes: The hotel pool is lovely...and it is heated...but has no lane lines...and is only 50 feet in length. BUT, it's better than nothing and beggars can't be choosers. I only did 50 laps as I didn't want to shock the system too much, especially my underused upper body, and boy how I can tell I haven't been swimming in 3 months. A bit of a concern for the tri, but I'll muddle through it.

Actual pool swim: 50 feet times 50 laps equals 762 meters

Out of the pool and down to beautiful Fort Zachary Taylor State Park for a some sun, relaxation and a test swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Brrrr!!!!! :eek: Okay, the initial plunge into the water took my breath away, but as long as I kept moving it wasn't too bad. I was pressed for time due to the kayaking and snorkeling plans I had for the afternoon , so I only swam out to a pile of rocks and back, but it wasn't bad. Salty. OMG it was salty, but not a horrible swim by any means once I got going. I did not wear my wetsuit, so that gave me a positive boost to help squelch my fear of cold water attitude I have as I will be weating a wetsuit in the tri. There are a couple of beaches on Key West, but this one with its layout of rocks and tide seems safe and defined, therefore I'm thinking I may venture out on Wednesday with my wetsuit to get a proper ocean swim in.

Actual ocean swim: ~200 meters freezing my patootie off in the brisk Atlantic.

Kurt Godel

Dory Dory wrote: »

Actual pool swim: 50 feet times 50 laps equals 762 meters

Actual ocean swim: ~200 meters freezing my patootie off in the brisk Atlantic.

Finally, some water work! Those 50ft pools are crazy; I swam in one last year, after you push off you get about 5/6 strokes before the wall. I can't imagine you're getting your arms above the water at all!

interested

That small pool should suit you nicely

When you say Atlantic ? was it really the Atlantic or the gulf ? Also, where there be rocks, reefs made watch when swimming alone early in the morning or at dusk .... a shark might be looking for a happy meal of sorts and we wouldn't want that !!

Enjoy !!!!

Dory Dory

interested wrote: »

That small pool should suit you nicely

When you say Atlantic ? was it really the Atlantic or the gulf ? Also, where there be rocks, reefs made watch when swimming alone early in the morning or at dusk .... a shark might be looking for a happy meal of sorts and we wouldn't want that !!

Enjoy !!!!

Hahaha! ...pool should suit me nicely....

Best I can tell looking at the cartoon-ishly drawn tourist map the hotel provided me with, the swimming I did was really in the Atlantic Ocean - the snorkeling I did was in the Gulf of Mexico. Basically you make a righthand turn into the Gulf from the Atlantic, sort of.

And, hmmmm.....you are right about when sharks feed, and there are sharks here. Perhaps tomorrow's swim will be mid to late morning then. There was a sting ray swimming in my vicinity yesterday around the rocks - are they dangerous?

interested

Dory Dory wrote: »

Hahaha! ...pool should suit me nicely....

Best I can tell looking at the cartoon-ishly drawn tourist map the hotel provided me with, the swimming I did was really in the Atlantic Ocean - the snorkeling I did was in the Gulf of Mexico. Basically you make a righthand turn into the Gulf from the Atlantic, sort of.

And, hmmmm.....you are right about when sharks feed, and there are sharks here. Perhaps tomorrow's swim will be mid to late morning then. There was a sting ray swimming in my vicinity yesterday around the rocks - are they dangerous?

Id suspect the Sharks and Sting rays had a sit down and decided they'd give you a wide berth ... 'That lady from Virginia ? nope, too tough'

pgmcpq

Seen any six toed cats ?

Btw, 6-12 inches of snow here:mad:

Dory Dory

pgmcpq wrote: »

Seen any six toed cats ?

Btw, 6-12 inches of snow here:mad:

Yep....plenty of polydactyls around!!!

Rainy here today, but sunshine and gorgeous again tomorrow!!! Lower 70s. Other than the wind, it's perfect!!

Dory Dory

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014

Run plan: 3 miles steady, 2 miles @ MP, 1 mile @ HMP

Ugh. This did not feel so good. Sluggish and tired was how it felt. I awoke @ 6-something this morning and could not get back to sleep...so I eventually reeled my @ss out of bed and hit the streets to get this done. I didn't eat or drink anything, but I really don't think that had anything to do with my performance this morning. I'm actually beginning to wonder if I am making a mistake by trying to do this tri in a few days - is this just too much for me at this moment? I guess time will tell...and you folks will know when I write my race report if it's full of joy or not.

Any way, back to the run....which was a chore. My target times were, steady - 8 min/mile.....MP - 7:40 min/mile.....HMP - 7:15 min/mile, and I didn't really hit any of them. And I lost satellite on mile 3, so that one was long and the pace on the Garmin was definitely off, therefore that one really does not count. My out and back route was out of the hotel and down to the southernmost point (I've walked this street so many times now I feel I've worn a path in the sidewalk!), I turned left, then around the time I lost satellite I made a righthand turn towards the ocean. I passed a few beaches along the way, some of which are private and one in particular is public, and I was taken aback at how many homeless people were congregating this early at the public beach. I guess it makes sense though, but it was such an unexpected, contradictory and conflicting sight for me. Ah well, good morning to the homeless beach dwellers I suppose. The wind was out, but you know, maybe I am making a bigger deal about the wind than I should. Maybe it's getting into my head - but it's there, however even without the wind this run would have been a slog. I better get a little pep in my step soon!

8:10, 7:51, 8:30 (not accurate!), 7:43, 7:54, 7:35

Actual Run, sort of: 6.01 miles in 47:47.49 for an average pace of 7:57 min/mile

A quick change into my swim suit when I returned back to the hotel, and down to my 50 foot pool to knock out 80 laps in a light rain shower. This felt pretty good, but my poor, weak upper body is wondering what the heck is going on - it's still trying to hibernate for the winter!!!

Actual Swim: 1,219 meters in my lilliputian-saltwater-heated hotel pool

I finally grabbed a very late breakfast/early lunch at a cuban diner that had great reviews, and it was fab. I got the banana pancakes (nice sized chunks of fresh banana!) with butter, powdered sugar and syrup, and they were heavenly. Then after a few hours of wandering around town and doing a little more shopping, I crashed for an hour and a half of much needed napping. I will try and slow down these next few days to see what I can salvage.

Kurt Godel

^Early season nerves, just give it what you got on the day, that's all you can do. It's sort of mirth-inducing to consider the swim your weakest discipline- one taste of the water and your dorsel fins will take over!

Dory Dory

Kurt Godel wrote: »

^Early season nerves, just give it what you got on the day, that's all you can do.

"It's much easier to be on the verge of something than to actually be it."
~ The Book Thief

I'll give it what I got. Thanks.

Oryx

You told me once the wind is a tool. And even in this race it is. Let it psyche everyone else out, while you embrace it.

And I skimmed your post above as I scrolled up, and cuban diner and powdered sugar jumped out. I wondered for a second what on earth you were up to.

Dory Dory

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014

Run plan: 5 miles easy, am....5 miles easy, pm

It is lunchtime here in sunny, breezy Key West, and I am writing this as I dine alfresco at a little jewel on Greene Street called Duetto. They specialize in pizza and gelato, and I can honestly say that they both are amazing. Everything is made fresh on the premises daily, and boy is it a treat for the senses!

I got up early and got my first 5 mile trot done. Out of the hotel at quarter past sleepy time and the gusts of wind woke me up! That's okay...I will embrace the wind as Oryx reminded me to do. I spied a fella ahead of me running at about the pace I was going so I decided to shadow him for a little fun. Out to the marina we went, of course he had no clue I was behind him I was so stealth, and all around the docks we jogged. He took me places I hadn't seen as we zigged and zagged along the boat lined water. He turned left out of the marina and I stayed with him for a bit more adventure, but once we got to some pretty dull industrial park looking scenery I bid my silent adieu to him and continued on my own down some very residential streets with gorgeous houses for me to marvel at.

This run actually didn't feel too bad. I started out slow, ~9 min/mile pace, but soon enough things got a little livelier without any effort - ~8:30ish min/mile pace. I don't have my Garmin with me, but if I had to guess I would say my average pace was 8:40/8:45 min/mile. Happpy with this for many reasons.

Actual run, am: 5.3 miles in ??? for and estimated average pace of 8:40/8:45 min/mile

(Edit: checked Garmin and average pace was 8:39 min/mile)

Out of my running duds (must get my laundry done here as my dirty clothes are starting to stink!!!) and into my speedo. Not a sole was around when I arrived poolside so I had the entire place to myself - just the way I like it!! This swim felt particulary good!!! I went slow, but my body is starting to believe that it really is swimming in January and it is finding some aqua-joy!!! 120 laps of the 50 foot pool done and dusted. Whoop whoop!!

Actual swim: 1,829 meters in my deserted pool

The evening addition of today's doings yet to come....

Dory Dory

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014, evening addition

Run plan, evening addition: 5 miles easy

Spent the day in a pretty leisurely fashion - mainly lounging by the pool with a book in the swirling wind. And it's chilly here right now. :eek: But, dammit, I came to Key West to have some fun in the sun, so there I was on my lounge chair by the pool in my bathing suit with goose bumps all over my arms and legs practically shivering uncontrollably, forcing myself to have that fun in the sun I came here to have. !!!!! Dammit.

The evening run was sort of fun. I had a few errands to do, so I just incorporated the places I needed to go into my route - you know, the two birds with one stone idea. And because the errands involved me hitting a few stores, I had to wear a very light backpack type thingy on my back, which I never do when I run....but I sort of felt industrious by wearing it....kind of hip....like one of the cool kids in school. Yeah, it was good. Errands done, run done....and the run felt really good and really effortless. Easier than this morning's run, and this morning's run wasn't bad at all!

Actual run: 5 miles in 40:25.36 for an average pace of 8:05 min/mile

Strangest thing I've seen since I've been here happened tonight outside my room's balcony which is overlooking the Atlantic (I don't think it's the Gulf). Let me re-wind real quickly - I'm in a new room starting today for the next 4 nights...and apparently every night they have a celebration right outside my new room's balcony to honor the sunset. Whoop whoop - party on the deck. There is live music, happy people gathering, some drinking, a little dancing, and cats. Yes. Cats. There are cats doing tricks like walking a tightrope....and cats jumping over each other on the tightrope....and cats jumping through hoops of frickin' fire on the tightrope. And all the while there is a very excited gentleman orchestrating the entire scene as very French sounding music fills the background. Very weird indeed. And the good news is I get to see encore performances the next 3 nights.

Dory Dory

Okay...funny story real quick before I head out to lunch and then to race check in/bike pick up...

Remember how I mentioned I needed to get some of my laundry done as it's stinkin' to high heaven? I knew the hotel had a service to do just that, and I figured it would be priced by the "load". WRONG! They price it by the particular article of clothing. A shirt is $6, a pair of shorts is $4.50, undies are $2. Geez. So last night I had this bright idea to just wash my stuff in the sink then let them dry on the balcony. Brilliant, I thought. However, I did not have any type of liquid detergent to wash my clothes in other than shampoo and shower gel, and I was afraid I'd never get the soap out using either of those things. Then I happened to notice a smalll bottle of mouthwash on the bathroom sink....and I decided if it can clean a dirty smelling mouth then it can clean my dirty smelling clothes!! I used the entire bottle but didn't get all my clothes done...but I figured I'd be getting a fresh, replacement bottle this morning. HA! I didn't just get one replacement bottle, the maid left me THREE replacement bottles!!! Too funny. That sweet maid must think I've got a severe case of halitosis and she's trying to help me out by leaving me a generous supply of germ-killing and fresh-smelling mouth wash! Bless her heart.

Oryx

Or she thinks youre drinking it for the alcohol.

Dory Dory

Okay, so do not try using mouthwash as a preventative for swimmer's ear. That's all I'm saying.

BTH

Yeah yeah yeah, loads of mouthwash, that's great, but what we really want to know is did the mouthwash do a good job on your clothes??

catweazle

Dory Dory wrote: »

They price it by the particular article of clothing. A shirt is $6, a pair of shorts is $4.50, undies are $2. Geez.

Where are you staying - Trump Towers :eek:

Dory Dory

BTH wrote: »

Yeah yeah yeah, loads of mouthwash, that's great, but what we really want to know is did the mouthwash do a good job on your clothes??

Um, not really. Maybe I didn't use enough.

catweazle wrote: »

Where are you staying - Trump Towers :eek:

No, just The Westin. Yeah, I about fell over when I saw the prices, and that was just for conventional washing and drying - the dry cleaning was freakin' outrageous! :eek:

Dory Dory

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014

Plan: well, it was some sort of bike malarky, but I was told yesterday I could just do whatever made my heart happy.....

.....and slipping into my speedo at 8 o'clock this morning and going for a swim in the solitary pool is what made my heart happy. 120 very gentle laps, followed by some relaxation reading my book poolside. The laps were slow, and I had plenty of time to think about what is looming in about 36 hours from now. "Pacing, not racing" is what kept my nerves calm and prevented me from throwing up. I absolutely, 100% know I can do this thing....but I will have to pace it correctly to actually come away with a smile and a hunger to do it again. Translation: I cannot get hung up on my time for this race. If it takes me an eternity to cross that finish line, then so be it as long as I have learned something about myself and have taken something of value from this dynamic event to better prepare myself for June.

Actual swim: 1,829 thoughtful meters less than 2 days before my first half iron distance tri

Happy news: I was reunited with the Mad One today. Yippee!! All seemed well...rode my steed to the hotel on the crazy streets of Key West. I also met an Irish fella from County Cork at race check in. Lovely fella - it's his first full iron distance and he shared with me that he swam like a seal. A dead seal with animals feeding off of him. Apparently swimming is not his best discipline.

Dory Dory

Friday, January 24th, 2014

Ah hell, nearly there. :eek:

<gulp>

Okay....so this morning it was a simple 120 laps in the hotel pool. Then off to the race briefing with my new friend from County Cork, the one who swims like a dead seal with animals feeding off of him, and his buddy. And now it's time to take my bike to transition. It's really close now, isn't it? Holy crap. And the wind has gone up a notch from totally crazy to ridiculously insane. Fingers are crossed it doesn't blow me off one of the bridges.

Actual: 1,829 meters in the hotel pool with only one more sleep to go until showtime! :eek::eek::eek:

Marthastew

Very, very best of luck DD, I'm sure you will have an amazing adventure, looking forward to reading all about it:)

Kurt Godel

Best of luck Dory, hope you have a great race and don't leave anything out on the course.

Did you ever post up your bib number so we can all snoop at your journey tomorrow?

mossym

Best of luck miss dory. Give it hell. Looking forward to the report

catweazle

Yes looking forward to hearing about all the razzmatazz that a US Ironman race is all about. Plenty of food on the bike now - you will need it for the run!

Dory Dory

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Best of luck Dory, hope you have a great race and don't leave anything out on the course.

Did you ever post up your bib number so we can all snoop at your journey tomorrow?

My race number is 265. I've been wearing a neon orange wristband with the number tattooed on it since check-in yesterday.

Just took my Mad One to transition where it will have to brave the elements tonight. I hope they at least tuck it in properly before bedtime.

Fingers crossed all goes well tomorrow. This will not be a race for me as I am not properly trained for that, but rather it will be a journey to test the waters and learn a few things. Now, off I go to lay out my gear. See you folks on the other side. And thanks.

pgmcpq

Best of luck !

Solobally8

Best of luck Dory. Have fun!

griffin100

Not properly trained????? I predict you'll be around 5.30-40 as long as you don't stop in transition for a break!! Best of luck and enjoy.

RJM85

Good luck!