Run Eat Tri Yogi

My friend Billy wanted to do a 50M. And not just any 50M; one of the hardest 50M (56M) races.  I was still riding the post-Ironbaby high (that time I did an indoor 140.6 by myself) so I happily agreed to join him in GA in May. Never mind that I don't have many hills where I live. To get a nice hike in, it's about an hour drive. And that state park is closed for most of the training months since it's winter in Wisconsin.  My training consisted of hill running with snowshoes on whenever I had the chance, hill repeats in general and lots of stair climbing, mixed with high-incline runs and fast walks.  The entire training period, I had a lot of doubts. I had days when I knew I was going to crush it and those training days when I thought the race will crush me and I'll end up as the sherpa. And for a time, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do this race due to health issues. I think that was what I needed to fuel that fire. Every athlete knows that...

The last few days have been a blur. Mostly due to lack of sleep and my body wondering WTF just happened. But I will never forget the moment I listened to my voicemail when I woke up. “Dye, happy Monday. It’s Mike Reilly…” My heart just stopped. In my groggy state, I wasn’t sure I heard that right, so I started it over as I read the transcript along with it. “I heard you did it all indoors...to do something like that it’s mind over matter...So from me to you, as I love to do, DYE..YOU ARE AN IRONMAN...” As I listen to it again, I’m in tears. It feels like a dream. The last few weeks have been full of ups and downs but what a tremendous lesson I’ve learned. How much I really wanted this. Not the title or being able to say I did an Ironman distance. But to know I could do it. All of the training and preparation wasn’t for nothing. And the fantastic support I have in my life. I am in a state of gratefulness. (PS That phone call from Mike Reilly was facilitated by my friend, Billy. You ma...

I finished my last brick workout today and unexpectedly, I broke down in tears. That's it. Now it's onto race week. And then race day. All those months of training have flown by. What seemed like a distant (crazy) goal to train for is finally within sight. All those hours plugging away on my training, sore & hating myself for signing up for this challenge ... I sat down on the porch to take it all in. It feels like awaiting a trip to Disney World and the death chamber at the same time. The taper madness... I thought I was ready. Believe me, I was physically exhausted and more than ready to rest! I'd been looking forward to these weeks and let my body reset after beating it up all the way up to peak training month. Here's the madness aspect of the taper. The mind argues that it wasn't enough. It's telling me I still have ways to go."What makes you think you can even toe the starting line?" It makes me question even my strongest training days....

Do you have a friend, family member or a co-worker training for a full Ironman? You're not sure? It's the person you know who is incessantly complaining about their IM training. Symptoms include irritability, constant hunger, no social life and some weird tan lines (that they're oddly proud of). Before you think about cutting off ties with that asshole poor person, let me explain what's really going on behind the scenes and how to best deal with the situation... I come mainly from an ultrarunning background. That's my jam. Which, by the way, they literally have jam out on the course too, which is not the main reason I love my ultras.  Somehow, I decided to go for a triathlon.  And then someone insisted we do a half Ironman. Sure, why not? I JUST signed up for a sprint but training for a 70.3 for next spring sounds more fun. After 2 half Ironmans under my belt, my ego got the best of me and thought, "I'm ready for the full." A full Ironman con...

This is not my first DNF but it is my first for a triathlon.  I'll be 100% honest and say this was not a race I was taking too seriously. I had signed up to use this event as a training day on my way to Ironman Chattanooga in Sept. But as I took on more personal training clients and classes at work, my own training hours dwindled. I kept up with my swimming and running but my bike rides weren't what they were last year when I was training for Ironman Chatt 70.3. This particular event was also just a week before Titletown Ultra 15.5, where I was going to attempt my first 100k. I went back and forth on whether I'd even go ahead with Baycare 70.3. But what better way to get an open water swim session in? And a group ride and run with support along the way? So I went ahead with it... here are the events of that day. I settled into my hotel room (reserved less than 24 hours ago) by 7pm and tried to get some rest before getting up at 4:50am.  Everything was packed and rea...