Joanne in Cozumel

2009 Ironman Cozumel - An Ironman Jungle Adventure!

Swimming in tropical ocean waters – turquoise, crystal clear and warm, riding past gorgeous coastal vistas, seeing bats flying overhead in the evening and crabs crossing the road during the run - welcome to Ironman in the jungle!! Last year, Karyn had been talking about doing her first Ironman race and when we heard about the inaugural Ironman Cozumel, I told her that if she signed up, I would sign up too and that is how the adventure started!

Race day was Sunday, November 29, so Joe and I flew out on the preceding Tuesday and the spectacular Miss Em drove us to the airport at 4:00 in the morning!! When we arrived in Cancun, it was really easy getting our bags, clearing customs, getting money from the ATM (took us awhile to figure out that we were taking out $1000 pesos – about $80 USD not $1000 USD!) and buying our ADO bus tickets. Then we were accosted by the "travel guides" - yes they look official but they are basically hustlers and I was too tired to listen to their spiel and walked away - Joe being polite and courteous engaged in conversation and then said that he had to go. The guy tried to insult him and yelled, "Who wears the pants in the family?!!" Joe got a hilarious laugh out of it and was laughing until he caught up with me. We were met with a warm balmy breeze outside of the terminal as we waited for the bus which turned out to be quite luxurious - upholstered, reclining seats and air conditioned! When we got to Playa Del Carmen it was dark already. Joe with his great sense of direction got us to the little hotel El Barrio, dragging our luggage and bike box over the cobblestones. What a clatter! Decent place for $40 /night, relatively close to the bus station and the ferry dock. After we dumped our bags we walked around and ate at El Fagon - a wonderful local open grill. Great smells of grilled meats wafting out into the street. Delicious and probably the best meal that we had while in Mexico. Later that evening as we started walking back to our hotel it started to pour buckets!!! The streets were flooding and we hustled ourselves back to our room. It rained all night into the next morning. This caused me some concern because the last time that I had ridden in rain like that was a half Ironman in Oceanside - and that was CRAZY. I couldn't imagine doing a 15 hour race in the rain. By the following afternoon the rain had stopped. Joe and I walked all across town and had an espresso and a kiwi tart at a French bakery - Yum! There are a ton of abandoned condominium projects in PDC - seems like there was a rush at one time to build but after the hurricane, swine flu and the turn in the economy it is evident how much business is suffering. We ended up eating at El Fagon again for lunch before taking our bags to the dock to wait for the ferry. Met up with Karyn who had just flown in from SF. We took the ferry over together and then got a cab to our hotel once we were in Cozumel. The Cozumel Resort was about two blocks from the finish/registration area and turned out to be a perfect location for getting around without a car.

The next few days were windy and the water was really choppy from the storm. K and I took a practice swim on Thursday. Friday morning the wind was really blowing and there were white caps on the water - The practice swim was cancelled because of the conditions. By Saturday the water had calmed down a little and we got in another practice swim. I was concerned that they might even cancel the swim because it was taking forever to swim against the current - plus there was something stinging us in the water!!! Since the water was so warm this was a "no wetsuit swim" and there were jellyfish larvae, bits, whatever stinging us as we swam - ouch!!! People who had skinsuits fared much better but most skinsuits are not USAT (USA Triathlon) legal. Apparently you can wear them in out-of-country races so those lucky enough to have one not only got to avoid the stinging bits but also got to swim faster! I was also concerned about riding in the wind as I watched the tops of the palm trees bending over under the steady blowing. Race day would definitely be interesting! We met a lot of nice people. Francis was a retired bike pro and mechanic. He was a volunteer at the bike checks and had his own line of chain lube called Chain-l No 5 (like Chanel No 5!) - Funny guy!

Swim
Since we weren’t allowed to do a warm-up swim before the race and we didn't have to put on wetsuits, we left the hotel at 5:30 am for the 7:00 am start. My stomach was a little jumpy so K gave me some Pepto and that seemed to settle things a bit. I took some chewing gum to keep my mouth from getting too salty during the swim and a magic marker with me since most of my numbers from getting body marked the previous day had already worn off. This is the only race that I have done where they body marked you the day before! I put on sunscreen and then later found out that they didn't want us wearing sunscreen because it damages the reef. There was a brief dolphin show before the race, the Mexican national anthem and then the elites took off and then it was our turn. K and I hung back and didn't start with the pack. During the swim I figured out that it is much better to brave the fray then to hang out in the back of the pack - way too much effort to make your way up and exhausting. I definitely recommend wearing a skinsuit because of the stinging whatever’s and it will help you swim faster - Wear one!! Swim turned out to be calm and lovely. Saw a ton of fish and starfish and some weird submarine while swimming - Cool!

Bike
The conditions on the roads were much better than I had imagined. There were definitely smooth sections and some chip seal so the bumping and jarring was at a minimum. Saw men removing the speed bumps around town the day before so they really made an effort to make the roads manageable. One thing that I learned was how to say "cap off" for the water bottles. Since I was pouring the water from the aid stations into my aero bottle I needed to have the top off. I kept saying "top off" to no avail until some other rider told me say “sin capon" - after that it was cake! The volunteers there were wonderful but you could tell that this was a first time experience for them. I yelled out what I wanted as I approached, "Agua - sin capon, Gatorade, Gel" and that seemed to help. A few times I missed getting anything but the aid stations were so close - every 10k that it was no problem. The spectators were also wonderful. It seemed like the whole town was out cheering for us! Si se puede! (You can do it!) Vamos! (Go!) Animo! (Let's go!) We thought they were saying Animal!

The ride was very flat and windy. I forgot the tip that I had gotten in Western Australia to stand-up and pedal at any rise to give my legs a change of position. Once I got this down I was more comfortable but my back started to ache and my legs were really tired by the end. Got to see Joe as I came out of the swim transition and a number of times on the bike course! Boy, does he have a lot of energy!! My stomach started to act up on the bike and I stopped at a restaurant on the far side of the island and had a beautiful view of the turquoise waters framed by an open vibrant lime green hallway. Spectacular! One thing that was a bit disturbing was all of the garbage that an Ironman race generates. I don't know if it's because they usually get it cleaned up pretty fast at other venues but I hadn't noticed this before. Maybe because we were on a tiny island and juxtaposed against the pristine beaches it just really stuck out. Disturbing.

Run
The run was a challenge for me because of the concrete and how fatigued my legs were from riding in the wind and the constant pedaling. Started out very slow and walking because I was so tired from the bike. After the first lap I felt pretty good and started to do my run/walk and then the mosquitoes descended and I just about went crazy from the buzzing in my ears. Spectators were taking out their sprays and lotions to help us which was a lifesaver. I laughed when I saw a crab running in front of me. I knew that I was going to finish so I enjoyed the scenery and talked to the people around me. I tried to encourage others who were walking to walk/run with me.

Finish
When I finished my third lap on the run I thought to myself Ironman Numero Cinco!! Yeah! It was great to hear my name and city and to see Joe jumping up and down at the end. The finish is always so exhilarating at an Ironman - there is nothing else like it! All of the cheers and fanfare really makes for a spine tingling experience. After I finished I headed for the massage tent and had a fantastic massage and then sat down to eat a fajita dinner that Tammie had picked up! Way better than pizza! Yummy! Joe gave Karyn, Tammie and I custom M-dot medals that he made the size of Flavor Flav clocks. They are the only three in existence and people were asking us where we got them! We took pictures and then watched as the last person tried to make the 12 midnight cutoff. He didn't make the time cutoff but the mariachi band, disco lights and streamers still went crazy when he crossed the finish line. I got a little teary because he had worked so hard. Yes, this could be my last Ironman for awhile but I had a memorable experience, one that I will treasure for a long time. This was not my slowest Ironman race but it was definitely the hardest!

Slept well that night and the next day we left for Cancun for a little R&R before heading home. We stayed at the Westin which was very relaxing and met a few people who were traveling from the states with their dogs! We couldn't have taken Macca with us on this trip but it sure made me miss him! After a gnarly trip back to the states the lovely Miss Em made sure that our car was in the airport parking lot, so we were able to jump in and zoom on home for dog hugs, a shower and a sleep-in - AHHH!

Lessons Learned and Tips
Enjoy the day no matter what comes your way.
Always remember why you are doing the race.
Be brave and seed yourself in a more challenging position in the swim - get into groove faster.
Try to eat similar diet to what you eat at home when traveling out of country prior to race - save culinary experiences for after or stomach may rebel during race. (Bring toilet paper on bike and run - they run out!)
Take a lot of pictures
Meet lots of people
Smile and say Gracias to all of the volunteers!
Traveling with a bike can get expensive so make sure that you know what the airline charges before booking. We flew Continental and the baggage rules were different when leaving the US or leaving Cancun.
Glide or Vaseline for salt water swim - chafing from salt water OW!!!
Packet pick-up calms down the second day.
If you are a Bank of America customer, use Santander ATMs! There is only a 75 cent charge from Santander. BofA has a global alliance agreement and you get the best rate without a service charge and % charge tacked on. There is a Santander ATM near the bathrooms on the left as you exit the airport terminal. There will be another one in bus terminal at Playa Del Carmen. There is also one in the Mega Store in Cozumel.
Buy ADO bus tickets from the stand on the left before you exit the airport terminal (before the travel guides - who wears the pants in the family!) Bike box will fit in below in bus cargo hold.
When you get to Playa Del Carmen, there are guys with pushcarts that will help get your gear down to the dock.
Make sure you have your stamped entry/exit tourist card when you leave the country or they will make you run around and buy another one for $42. Just put a paper clip in with your passport and clip it in when you get it and no worries.
Make copy of passport for IM registration or you will have to stand in line to get one before you stand in another line for registration.
Mosquito Spray - take towel-ettes. The spray will remove your bib number
Skinsuit helps with the swim and the stinging jelly fish
You can set your cell phone up for roaming in Mexico for reduced charges.
Pack so that you can move stuff around. Leaving Cancun only had to meet weight restrictions with the bike box for no additional charge. Had to shift stuff around from bike case to get it to 50 pounds.
Check flights night before leaving - found out our flight out was cancelled the night before and rescheduled for the next evening. Tried to get out on another flight but ended up stranded in Houston due to snowstorm, ended up sleeping in airport so that we could make sure that we were on next flight out.


Love, JoAnne

Every cell in my body wished for sleep this morning. The dreams were sweet, the bed was warm and early as it was, I could tell it was or had been raining. Yet the damn internal alarm that goes off around a quarter to five each morning, beckoned me to get up and get going, along with a compeling guilt that someone just might be waiting for me soon, out there in the dark.

Our team meets at five thirty every wednesday for an early morning run along the river. So it was, I summoned the will to dress warmly and go. Both Phoebe and Kaitlin arrived soon and off we went into the rainy, muddy morning. Usually this is my favorite run of the week. I love the freedom of running in the dark while knowing there are others out there ahead of me, behind me but always within a shout away. I love watching the sun rise over the city. I love the cold, the wind, the rain whatever element the morning throws our way.
This day though, I find every reason to not want to run. I only run one measly little mud puddled mile before I call it quits and tell Kaitlin and Pheebs, I will see them Saturday.
These two troopers continue on without me.

It is funny that the calling of self in my internal dialogue recently changed from "Kid", as in "good job kid" or "that was just great kid" to "Good God Women" as in "Good God women, you can do much better than that". So it is that once home, I sit waiting for the sun to rise so that I can really go out and torture myself with speed work.

There is a tiny little forest close to our home and close enough to civilization that I feel safe. It is shaped like a track and quite perfect for running intervals.

The first time around I am shocked, as always, how difficult my breathing can become and how quickly so. Almost like I can't breath fast enough. One breath rolling over the other with a raspy gasp filled catch at the end of each.

I think of a running advertisement I saw recently, of some nice looking runner guy, stating that being able to hear his every labored breath, reminds him he is alive. During this moment of effort, this makes me laugh, as I sound more like I am dying.

I think of breaths at the beginning of life, emotion filled when both my sons first shouted out to the world. I think of the four last days each, I spent with both mom and dad where all I had to listen to was their every breath. I remember my sweet auntie, who is a Catholic nun saying, "this is your mother's last breath on earth and first breath into eternity".

The second time around I begin to think I am crazy for doing this as it really is hard and I kind of already feel like throwing up. Then there's that crazy lady voice shouting loudly inside my mind, "Good God women what the heck are you doing this for?, what are you trying to prove? to who? where? why?"

The third time around I decide I do not like the Good God Women so much and will go back to being the kid. So with that I think of one of my historical heros, Alexander and how as a young man he was schooled and trained in Sparta, a Greek city state of warriors where life was molded by subsiding on as little as possible and pushing the physical self to the limit. I think of the Native American culture and how young men and women were initiated into adulthood by enduring a trial of hardship. I think of a friend I love dealing with cancer. I think of the Rolling Stones song, "You can't always get what you want".

I think that as a society we need more self discipline. I always think I need more self discipline.

I try so hard not to judge others especially someone I have never met and by the likes of sometimes what could be inaccurate media spins. But I am disappointed with Tiger Woods. Really Tiger? You needed to go there? I understand power and seduction and all those things but to be that high up in our collective minds and fall this far, this fast. Crazy! What was he thinking?

I believe that forcing myself through this lap and the next and the next, is just a little reminder of how hard life often is and how in an imposing way, acts of discipline condition us to deal well with life. I try to focus on the post hardship salvation of a sort, that makes us wiser and perhaps a better person.

I also wonder if all this really will make me a faster runner. I settle on somehow knowing maybe it is just good for the soul. The need to push through time and time again whether bored, exhausted, burnt out, disillusioned, physically challenged - will surface again and again in our lives. To come out each time with a kind of peace and understanding that we have survived once again, is in its own sacred way, a testament to the worthiness of our every breath.

Talk about self discipline, coming very soon Joanne's remarkable telling of her time in Cozumel doing an IronMan triathlon.

Will be posted very soon also, I promise.

Time and date of 2010 Team Lucca meeting
What to look forward to -
* T Lucca training, walking, running, cycling, big races. little races, big goals and small with Emily and myself

* Craig's pick for a Team Lucca Cycling event

* JoAnne and Tri Training

Last January we began our 2009 Team Lucca training. Yesterday we ran our last race of the year. It was another busy race year starting with many new runners on the team participating in the Shamrock'n, and then with what would seem, races nearly every other weekend. Culminating this past crazy busy month and a half, with Emmy in the NYC marathon, fifty plus people participating with Team Lucca in the “Run to Feed the Hungry”, the amazing Karyn and JoAnne so very successfully completing a full Iron Man in Cozumel to yesterdays California International Marathon.

So we get just a bit of a breather and begin again next month with a team breakfast at Roxy for all those interested in joining our team and in knowing what 2010 will entail.

I will post the date and time of that meeting soon.

It was thrilling yesterday to see how well our Marathoner, Becky McBride did. Completing her very first marathon in 3:53. A lot can be said for sticking with your four month game plan of training including making those grueling speed work outs happen.

Such a great job Becky. We are all so very proud of you.

Yesterday also included a sentimental moment when my friend Kelly, who shares with me the honor of being one of a handful of “women of a certain age” announced this would be her last running race. Kelly is an excellent mountain bike cyclist and will stick to that. Kelly is also Sarah’s mom. Sarah being one of the most improved runners on the team. I could tell Kelly’s decision was based on a certain amount of pride that her Sarah has now gotten so fast, she cannot keep up with her.

I remember, I had been a runner for about five years when Luke went out with a neighbor kid, Colby and ran his first mile. He came back and said it nearly did him in. Yet within 2 weeks, Luke was running the same distance his mom had run for 5 years, three miles a day, within a month he raced his first 10k, within 6 months he would do his first half Iron Man and the next year his first Full Iron Man. This year he stood on the podium multiple times, placing in and winning endurance Mountain Bike events. Luke left mom in the dust a long time ago.

I am happily amused when someone calls me their coach. To me I am not really a coach, more like the team mom. I have given away to runners on my team, on occasion, my jackets, my race numbers (don’t worry Rich, always got it official before the start), my medals, my water bottles, picked my team up before races, held their hands across the finish line, taken them shopping for proper running shoes, filled their bellies with a good breakfast after a race or good training run and hopefully given enough encouragement that their running ventures are somewhat joy filled - all little things, but mama kind of things, none the less.

Kelly, we will miss you on the running team, but I will certainly see you out there on the bike. Remember like any good mama, we only give our kids their wings, they fly all on their own. We now have a team that is flying far and flying fast.

See you all in 2010.