November 2007

http://sponsorhouse.loopd.com/Members/CourtCrutcher/Blog.aspx?month=11&year=2007


Friday, November 30, 2007
Is it 4:30 yet??-- Friends' Marathons
Kind of a rough week this week. I won't delve too into it, but the last five days could have gone a lot smoother. I do have some shining moments to speak of, but alas, I can't even say those yet. Soon, hopefully ;-)
Good Luck!
To my friends in their marathon's this weekend. Hey, for a heads up, here's the weather! (Oh, and a bit of Magic 8 ball too)
***
"Robo" Robyn-- St. Jude's Marathon (Memphis) 12/1/2007
Robyn's FIRST Marathon!
6am
Mostly Cloudy44°F
39°F
20%
32°F
63%
From E 8 mph
Sunrise 6:50 am
Get Ski Resort Forecasts
Morning Commute
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7am
Mostly Cloudy45°F
40°F
20%
31°F
58%
From ESE 9 mph
8am
Partly Cloudy48°F
44°F
10%
31°F
52%
From ESE 10 mph
9am
Partly Cloudy51°F
47°F
10%
31°F
46%
From ESE 11 mph
10am
Partly Cloudy54°F
51°F
10%
33°F
45%
From SE 11 mph
11am
Partly Cloudy58°F
56°F
10%
35°F
42%
From SE 11 mph
12pm
Partly Cloudy61°F
61°F
10%
38°F
42%
From SSE 11 mph

Question: Will Robyn make her time goal?

***
"Crash" aka "Moto" Michele-- St. Jude's Marathon (Memphis) 12/1/2007
Moto is injured and last I heard she was weighing back and forth on walking. I guess after you roll your truck like 10 times the doctors frown on running a marathon 7 days later. They said stay away from anything strenous. Moto, WITH neckbrace, asks, "What about walking a marathon." ... so I think she's on the injured reserved list. I'm not going to print the weather again here. But, I won't forget the M8B.

Question: Will Michele ever be able to stay healthy long enough to train AND compete in a full season?
***
Erin- Las Vegas Marathon Sunday December 2
Erin's FIRST marathon!!
6am
Partly Cloudy40°F
38°F
10%
20°F
45%
From NE 3 mph
Day
Night
Mostly Sunny
High56°FPrecip20%
Wind:
E 3 mph
Max. Humidity:
33%
UV Index:
3 Moderate

Sunrise:
6:34 AM PT
Avg. High:
60°F
Record High:
81°F (1915)
Partly Cloudy
Overnight Low40°FPrecip10%
Wind:
NNE 3 mph
Max. Humidity:
35%



Sunset:
4:26 PM PT
Avg. Low:
39°F
Record Low:
20°F (1910)
Last Updated Friday, Nov 30, 6:10 AM Pacific Standard Time

Question: Is Erin ready for this race?
editor's note: Guess that's better than a NO. :)
Best wishes and good luck to everyone racing this weekend from 1 mile fun runs and double marathons!
posted @ 11/30/2007 6:44:13 AM (0) Comments
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Happy Birthday, MOM!!!
Happy bday, lady!

Love, Court
posted @ 11/27/2007 2:27:18 PM (0) Comments
Monday, November 26, 2007
Congrats, Dad!!!
Happy 28 year anniversary at KCP&L!!!
How crazy is that? My mom said he's been there 28 years!!?? I have been at my job for less than 2 and think about going to lunch and never coming back. ;-)

posted @ 11/26/2007 10:03:48 AM (0) Comments
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Let it Snow on Your Turkey
So last night I ran in shorts and a t-shirt and got HOT.
Guess what. It's snowing out and only 33 degrees.
CRAZY! Only in KC... (and they say there's no global warming)

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving.
posted @ 11/21/2007 11:09:39 AM (0) Comments
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
MyNew Running Buddy
My new buddy is red, floppy, and four legged. Shy is my six year old PitBull. I always feel bad because her and my other dog Fuji just hang out at the house all day. Eric tried to get me to take her running with me a lot this summer, but it was so hot, or I was doing a longer run. Also, I wasn't sure how she'd react to being out with so many other people and animals since she isn't very well socialized (a mistake on our part).
But, last night I decided that since I was doing my first run post-IM, I should take her, if nothing else, it would be something entertaining. Well, it's not something I would do for more than 45 minute runs or so, but I really enjoyed having her with me. But, she did try to pull me. At the end of 30 minutes or so she was tiring out and had figured out my run pace, and eventually she pranced along right in front of me.
What a great time. Glad to be back running, although it did agravate the tightness in my hip and hamstring. Also, I ran in a t-shirt and shorts last night. Current temp? 39.9 degrees. Snow today. ... only in MIssouri.
Here we are, post workout:

posted @ 11/21/2007 6:46:03 AM (0) Comments
Monday, November 19, 2007
Wedding Planning vs. Ironman Training, 70.3, and More Wedding Stuff (and other things)
It is easier to train for an IronMan than to plan a wedding. Why? Well, for a short list, your spouse will only get mad for not ever seeing you, not because you can't agree on a color motif, a theme, clothing selection... You know the entry fee for an IronMan race, and about what a plane ticket and hotel will cost you- but a wedding? You can go cheap cheap or $100,000 plus. ...In IronMan you can only get frustrated with yourself. In wedding planning you get frustrated with your friends, family, caterer, travel agent, chauffeur, bridal salons... However, in wedding planning your friends and family are so incredibly necessary you think you might die if someone can't just give you an opinion.
One thing I have realized, however, is that I need constant stimulation. Whether it's hours on the trainer or hours pouring over the guest list and registries (BTW we currently are registered at Williams Sonoma since they're about the only place were more than the electronics aren't seasonal), I need to have SOMETHING to do. Here in a few weeks I might even find myself on the trainer AND balancing the wedding budget.
Why?
Glad you asked....


I'm Racing IronMan 70.3 Kansas
It's in June. A little earlier than I would like for a half, but since Eric and I are having a fall wedding, I will probably want to be done with the super duper long training stuffs by then. Plus, when you do the math, I can't afford NOT to do the 70.3 vs the other "local" halfs.
We have the "Big O" half, which isnt even a half because both the bike and run are pretty short (about 7 miles, actually). Oh, and it's the FIRST WEEK OF MAY IN KANSAS. Seriously, the RD most be smokin' something. This is the only race that's "local" to me and it's about 45 miles away.
RedMan is in September I believe, and I'd really like to check this one out sometime. But, it's in Oklahoma, and I'm on a restricted racing budget this year. Same with Cat DeGray in Arkansas and PigMan in Iowa in August. Then there's the USAT HalfMax Nationals (Age Group Long Course Nationals). This is my previous 2-yr race favorite, however, word thru the grapevine is, it's not AG National Champs anymore. It's in St. Louis (4 hrs away), but again, there's a driving cost, a $200 entry fee, and 2 nights at a hotel.
BUT... with 70.3 in Lawrence Ks (Rock Chalk JayHawk go KU- that's for you, Robo), It's an hour away, I can stay at my best friend's house right near clinton lake, it's a $175 early entry fee or $200 thereafter, hardly any drive cost, free lodging, CLOSED bike course, and an IronMan trademark quality event. And it's on the same weekend as another race held be an events promotion company that I don't really care for.
SO, How easy is that? But, since it's early, that means I gotta start training early.. however, I finally got a coach. Still working out the details, but my friend Nancy Strickland (local sprint tri legend and coach) is going to be in charge of my basics.
Aunt Flo's Back in Town
In case anyone cares, my uterus is bleeding for the first time in three months. I was really getting used to the idea of no menstration. However, Aunt Flo is back and she's PISSED.


Good Lookin' Tux/ Suits for Dad and Bridal Party
Ok, so we're having a Halloween party for our wedding. I *think* the groomsmen are going to dress up as something (Please God, Please, no SquidBillys).
But I think it would be really cool if my dad could still have a tux (I doubt he's going to want to come in costume). Probably my Grandpa and Eric's dad and stepdad will feel the same. SO, anybody have any ideas on where to find some super sweet tux's that will still go with our Masquerade Ball/ Halloween party theme?? -- think mobster outfit, not a penguin. So far our color scheme is black, gold, and dark red.
posted @ 11/19/2007 6:47:59 AM (0) Comments
Friday, November 16, 2007
Fluid gets some recognition!
http://www.mustangdaily.net/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=146d5631-9728-458a-b0b7-b0cfe15bcbc4

New company fuels athletes

By: Sara Wright
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Sports
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Talented San Luis Obispo triathletes Laura Coombs and Evan Rudd have excelled this season, earning All-American honors and competing at World Championships, thanks to the support of Team Fluid.Fluid is a new San Luis Obispo-based company founded by David Brown and Richard Smith. Brown is a Poly grad student working on his thesis on nutritional oncology while Smith graduated in exercise science. Their aim was to develop a revolutionary sports recovery drink with the highest-quality ingredients based on the latest nutritional and scientific research. The drink has a carbohydrate foundation, whey protein isolate and L-glutamine and Vitamin C to reduce soreness and support the immune system. Fluid also helps prevent overtraining, a serious issue for athletes, by facilitating recovery between training sessions and rebuilding muscle and restoring glycogen stores quickly. The carbs help stimulate protein, which aid in the absorption of carbohydrate. Glutamine plus Vitamin C helps stop the inflammatory process before it starts."It's the first of its kind designed strictly from the purity of research," Brown said. "Its purpose is to get athletes to eat correctly after they train and work out."As head coach of Cal Poly's triathlon team, Brown has created partnerships between Cal Poly athletics and Fluid.In addition to the triathlon team, Fluid has sponsored the men's and women's lacrosse teams, the men's volleyball team, Cal Poly Wheelmen, the women's field hockey team, the rugby team and the Mustang Manglers men's soccer club. Fluid has also partnered with Tiger Bar Sports, an elite athletic training facility near San Francisco that trains Olympic track and field athletes.Coombs, a Cal Poly graduate, and Rudd, a journalism senior, have raced for Team Fluid and had breakout seasons this year. At the Ford Ironman World Championship on Oct. 13 in Kona, Hawaii, Coombs finished seventh in the 18 to 24 age group with a time of 10:47:41. Rudd finished 30th at the International Triathlon Union Short Course World Championships in Hamburg, Germany in the 20 to 24 age group and ranked second in the nation at the season's end. As the Cal Poly triathlon team's top athlete for the last two seasons, Rudd is considering going pro after he graduates next season."This has definitely been my best (triathlon) season," Rudd said. "I really owe a lot to the product, really. I'm as grateful for (Fluid) as I'm sure they are happy for what I've done for the team."
There are a number of Cal Poly athletes racing for Team Fluid in addition to those around the country. Triathlete and civil engineering student Tamara Presser, downhill mountain biker Jenna Kowalski, downhill skier and ag business student George Hjelte and alumna Ashley Erickson are a few local athletes racing for the team.Athletes compete in several races throughout the year, including seven in the West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference. There is also the triathlon championships at Treasure Island in April, Nationals in Tuscaloosa, Ala. and Wildflower."We're rapidly growing, mostly in SoCal at the moment," Brown said, referring to its planned placement in 200 stores in southern California. Fluid will also be the headline sponsor of the March Triathlon Series at Lake Lopez, which includes 600 to 800 competitors and is hosted completely by the Cal Poly triathlon team.Fluid began in Brown's basement last year, where he and Smith made the product and gave it to athletes. They were the ones who encouraged Brown and Smith to market the drink, which Brown stresses is a nutritional product like Gatorade.The company encourages anyone interested in Fluid to come to their office in San Luis Obispo for free samples and information about the company and partnerships.
posted @ 11/16/2007 7:33:22 AM (0) Comments
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sponsorship 101 for the Age Group Athlete
Hi.
Tonight I'm putting on a short lecture at Spin Neopolitan Pizza. The topic will cover how to earn sponsorship as an age grouper. If you're in the KC area, email me and I will get you info if you're intrested.
The lecture is being hosted by TriKC, however, non members are allowed.
My email is triswimcoach@tmail.com
posted @ 11/13/2007 6:08:15 AM (0) Comments
Friday, November 09, 2007
Guidance I Received, What I Learned, What I Wish I Knew & Advice I Should Have Listened To:

You only get ONE first IronMan.
Jelly fish don’t hurt… That bad.
In the 4 weeks before my race I was admitted to the hospital, puked and pooped my guts out, got the worst sinus infection I’ve ever had. In that time I swam less than 3000 yards, biked no more than 90 minutes, and ran less than 10 miles- TOTAL. Rest is your friend. When you’ve been training for a year, a 4 week taper is just fine.
Let people go the first 30 miles on the bike. You’ll pass them back in the last 30.
People get hurt doing IronMan. People die in the race. This is serious shit.
Get the tattoo. It will be the most meaningful one you’ll ever have.
Do the race with a buddy. He/she will become one of your best friends, and ultimately, the only person in the weeks leading up to the race you don’t want to choke.
You’ll cry when you see them finish even if you don’t cry for your own.
Aero wheels are good.
If you don’t have aero wheels don’t worry, you’ll pass people with aero wheels and helmets anyway.
Sodium. You need it. Start taking it at least two days before your race.
Ride your bike over 100 miles before the race. Twice.
Take Tylenol, Advil, whatever. You’ll want an emergency stock for bike and run.
Develop a nutrition plan. Train with it. Use it exactly as you have trained during the race.
The most expensive part of an IronMan? Nutrition. Gels, bars, salt tabs. Not to mention your grocery bill will double.
Apply for sponsorships. You might be surprised what you get.
Modesty does not apply to you.
You will poop in the woods when you train. It might happen in the race. Train to poop in the woods.
It’s ok to piss on yourself.
Be flexible.
Don't budge.
You will eventually piss on yourself even if you don’t want to.
You don’t need toenails. Hell, you don’t need pinky toes. They serve no purpose.
Take you time in the finish chute. Celebrate the moment.
Unless you have a superb base fitness (Leslie), you will want a 30 week training plan. Use the first 10 weeks to ease into schedule.
Prepare to give up your social life. Not a little- all the way. I wasn’t fully committed to my training until I stopped the after work happy hours, the Saturday night movies before a long ride, and stopped seeing my friends all together. Training doesn’t stop when you take your run shoes off.
Make sure your spouse is with you 100%. You can’t do this by yourself if you don’t live by yourself.
Understand the new meaning of being poor.
Invest in 10-12 pairs of quality running socks. You will never have enough.
Get a condo/house as close to the race site as possible. Like, walking distance close. Parking is a bitch, and just loading up the car is even worse.
You will want to cook for yourself, have a refrigerator/freezer and oven.
Day after race buffalo chicken pastry puffs are good.
The day after the day after race buffalo chicken pastry puffs is NOT good.
When your race website converts for the next year’s race, your heart will break.
Death before DNF (unless there is a physical emergency.)
Don’t get psyched out by all the fit people. Someone there is looking at you thinking “I wish I was as fit as her”
Don’t run/ride the day after a race. It doesn’t make you look like a hard ass, it just makes you look like an ass.
Finisher’s merchandise costs twice as much as you would think and sells out even faster.
IronMans are hard. No, seriously.
The pre-race pasta party and mandatory meeting are not mandatory and the food is bad. Go anyway. Prepare to stand in line, sit in tightly packed chairs, and listen to foreign people talk in your ear. Same for the post race awards party.
Call your friend 10hrs away less than one mile into a 14 mile weeknight run bawling because you're scared and tired and not sure of yourself. She will make you feel better. Repeat next week.
Repeat for next 12 weeks.
Call from 8 weeks on telling her how ready you are.
You will explain what and IronMan is, and how long it is no less that 2,378 times in the year before your race.
People will still ask you if it’s hard.
Get used to being called Crazy. Maybe even stupid.
You will feel the need to do another one. Immediately.
You might not get your special needs bags back, so don’t plan on it.
Water is your friend. Drink it. All day, every day.
If you have visitors stay at your house, make sure that they understand you have to (run, swim, bike, lift) at x day for x hours. Don’t waffle.
Dont be upset when they think you're being a bad hostess. You are. Go with it.
Your mind can be your worst enemy. It can be your best friend.
Visualize your race. Do this at least once a week starting about 3 months out. Do it every night for 30 days before your race. Go through every situation possible.
No body cares about Ironman as much as an Ironman and a to-be Ironman. Don’t drive your spouse/coworkers/friends/dogs crazy talking about.
Other IronMen love to hear about it. Talk excessively to them about it.
Don’t finish in the daylight. You’ll miss out on a glow stick.
You’ll want socks on the bike. Even if you have never used them before, you will want them.
Long runs will kill your legs. Longest run should be no later than 5-6 weeks out. Don’t be afraid of a 18 or 22 mile run. Be very afraid of a 20.
If, on a 20 mile run, you find yourself sitting on a park bench in the middle of the day in Brookside, and you still have 4 miles to go, do not despair. Someone will walk by with their 70 lb bulldog named Snuggles. Snuggles will be wearing a tutu. You will stop crying.
Older, fatter people will beat you.
Younger, fitter people will beat you.
Wash ALL of the sand off your body before you get dressed for the bike.
You are somebody’s hero before you even race.
You will be your own hero when you finish.
The local race venue WalMart will run out of easy open Gatorade bottles. It doesn’t matter, they don’t carry the flavor you want anyway.
Inevitably the day after the race, you will be wearing a finisher’s hat and shirt, and you will walking like your entire foot fell off. You will be smiling.
Somebody will ask you if you raced. You’ll be so happy you won’t even be a sarcastic ass back.
Congratulate other racers the day after, the night of, even in the finish chute.. They did the same distance you did.
IM will be your number 1 priority. The house chores, the husband, the friends, the cat, even your job… Things that SHOULD be a number priority no longer will be. Don’t kid yourself. You can’t make it all the top priority.
You don’t like cleaning as much as you like running.
You’ll watch a re-run of the previous season’s American Idol and think that it’s current and live.
Buy a DVR or say goodbye to an entire season of Grey’s, Housewives, and Nip/Tuck. Unless it’s an episode involving IM. Still waiting on Housewives to do a show with that.
You will lose weight and increase muscle.
Your periods might stop. You are not pregnant.
You will find yourself mooing at cows in fields during rides. You will panic when you realize that bull actually did just run through that fence.
You will find out that your anaerobic threshold doubles when said bull is running behind you. Up Hill.
Stay for the last finisher.
Cry when the clock turns to 17:00 and you can still see people coming in.
Frank Farrar and Madonna Budder are amazing. Learn from them. They have a lot to teach and even more to say.
All the hard work, the countless hours of training, the missed dinners with family, the vacations trips you passed up… all of it will be worth the sacrifice of becoming an IronMan.
posted @ 11/9/2007 10:51:14 AM (0) Comments
Friday, November 09, 2007
M Dot Tattoo!
http://mdottattoopics.shutterfly.com/ <--- Photo album here

Julie's is on left (inside of ankle) mine is on right (back of achillies)
posted @ 11/9/2007 6:57:20 AM (0) Comments
Thursday, November 08, 2007
IRONMAN Because...
Courtesy http://users.pandora.be/rikkert/marge2.htm
In de marge : enkele (leuke) redenen om een Ironman te doen ;-) Enjoy reading !
*Makes everything else seem so SHORT*The 3 week taper before the race*The 4 week recovery after the race*I've done one, so now I have to do it faster next time*As much pizza as you can eat after the race*So that when the car runs out of gas, I can still get away from the police under my own power*Beats watching Big Brother, Familie or anything els on TV*For all the times you heard someone say "I'd do one of those... I just can't swim*Chalk on the road*Easy rides and runs the week before*Finishing your last workout and smiling because you know "I'm SO ready"*You want to test the endurance limits of the music collection in your head*Spectators looking up your name and cheering as you plod past at sunset*So you can answer "One" when people ask "How many days does that take?"*You might get on TV*You can have a good laugh at the former cool (now fat) kids at 20th High School Reunion*Sharing a smile with people wearing the finishers T-shirt the next day*Knowing that as you step in the water on race day - YOU MADE IT THIS FAR ! Now, just get home*How many people can say they did anything for 13... hours ?*So that when you tell your grandchildren stories about what you did when you were young ... yours will be true*High fives from people you don't know*Because MolybdenumMan doesn't trip off the tongue in quite the same way*Your friends are watching on the web*You need to prove to your mom that even if you get on the bike right after you swim ... you won't catch a cold*Bikers think you're nuts*Swimmers think you're nuts*Your running club KNOWS you're nuts*Morning swims*Knowing that when you wake up at 4:00 am, the next time you go to bed, you will be a VERY different person*Makes your next marathon just a nice morning run*Because the longer you're out there, the less per hour it really costs !*Finding yourself in the middle of your doubts ...*Finding a new meaning of being scared*Finding out that you're far stronger than those doubts a few km's later*Falling in step on the run and making a friend to the end, without having to say a word*Breakfast the day after*Watchin people heading home while you're heading out, thinking I'll be there soon and they cheer for you*Understanding why that is as you are cheering for people heading out when you're finally heading home*That feeling of ice cubes in your hat on a hot run never getting too cold*To see if it really feels as good to do as it does to dream*To see if it really feels as good the second time*And a third...*And a fourth...*To try and finish in daylight*To try and finish before midnight*To try and NOT get stung by that (#*@! bee this time*An M-Dot Tattoo would look swanky on your ankle*5000 volunteers, all for you*Hearing them say "You're almost there!" all day long*Being nearly almost there - for real*Quiet hugs before the start*Kissing her goodbye, and promising "I'll be back later..."*The first time you think "Holy crap - I'm doing an Ironman !*Beating back the voices that say "Holy crap - you can't do an Ironman !*That moment when you KNOW you're going to make it for the first time all day*The first step after you cross the line and think "Oh, My ... God ... !*The medal*Because they said I can't*BECAUSE I SAY I CAN !!
posted @ 11/8/2007 2:02:26 PM (0) Comments
Thursday, November 08, 2007
New SPONSOR
I was just picked up by MOTOR TABS- the premier sports drink in the tri industry. Motor tabs is excellent for getting the electrolytes my body needs before and during a workout.
http://www.motortabs.com/
For post workout recovery, be sure to use FLUID Recovery.
Both Companies are available on sponsorhouse.com
posted @ 11/8/2007 2:01:18 PM (0) Comments
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Here Comes the Bride, all fat and wide.. uuggh I Mean...
We have a wedding webpage!
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/CourtneyCrutcher&EricStaton
posted @ 11/8/2007 10:09:51 AM (0) Comments
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Iron Man Pictures!
Random, out of order.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IZNmTVm4bsT6&emid=sharview&linkid=link4

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaM2zVu2buGLiY&emid=sharview&linkid=link4
posted @ 11/7/2007 12:07:15 PM (0) Comments
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Iron Week Review!
Iron Week Part One- Like a Fairy Tale

Julie, Dan and I managed to make ourselves fairly comfy after a crazy flight and screaming babies on a plane. How could we not? We were staying in the most amazing condo ever. Ever. I was really excited to get checked in to the race and all the fun stuff, but most of all I was missing Eric. He was driving up from Orlando and it had been about 5 days since I saw him last. It was our 7 year anniversary and I was really looking forward to spending the evening with him.

Before we could do that, though, Julie and I checked into race, picked up our baggage (ha, no really, there’s like 10000 bags and stickers and numbers you have to pick up), and did some grocery shopping. In case you have ever wondered, WalMart in Florida is no nicer than WalMart in Missouri. However, I guess it’s expectable to shop without shoes there, but you have to have ridiculously tan leather skin to make up for it. There were probably 100 other athletes pushing shopping carts in a race day nutrition daze. All I wanted was twist top Gatorade. I did not care what flavor, but they were all gone!! At least Julie was able to get some.

After we finished our little shopping trip we went back to the condo where my Merpie (pet name, don’t ask, for Eric) was there. I talked to him for a sec and then Dan took Julie and I over to Tom & Adele’s condo about 6 miles away (Eric’s folks). From there we straightened up the bikes and got ready to ride back. Tom had made a comment about not being able to release the brake to make my bike roll. I figured the caliper was pushed against the wheel and that was it. However, when we got there, I realized that the skewer had come out of the drop out, and the only thing holding on the wheel (yes, Jared’s ridiculously nice wheels that I borrowed) was the brake. OMG. I panicked, then figured out everything was okay. Got the wheel checked over, bike checked over, and decided we were good. Julie and I rode back to our condo giggling and laughing the whole way. The wind was ridiculous, but man, it was gorgeous out. We both felt great and we were ready to go.

When I got back to the condo I changed into a swim suit and Eric and I gathered up a blanket and back packs. We had been planning to get the watch the sun go down together and spend some time with each other since the rest of the week was to be hectic. We walked down the beach picking up sea shells and holding hands. It was a total cliché. We could have been on the cover of a Hallmark card. Of course, the sun set was amazing and we exchanged cards and cuddled and talked about the race to come. I told Eric we needed to be heading back since Julie was making lasagna, so he told me to start packing stuff up and he would too. I had my back to him when he said “Hey Court..” so I turned around. And there, on one knee atop a blanket holding the most beautiful diamond ring EVER, Eric proposed. Ugh, I’m teary eyed just thinking about it. I screamed and laughed and cried and said yes and hugged and kissed and cried and said yes….

We eventually made it back to the condo and told Dan and Julie the good news. Wow! What a way to start race week!

Iron Week Part Two- Please, Do NOT Drown

Thursday morning Julie and I got up and headed down to the practice swim. The start of the race was exactly a mile from our condo, so we just walked down the beach with our bags giggling about last night and the days to come.

We found a spot on the sand and then swam out for a ways and stopped and floated for a bit. We decided to head to the next buoy. I got there a bit before Julie did. I was watching this guy clinging to the buoy. I mean, white knuckled grip. I asked if he was ok and he shook his head yes. I floated a minute as Julie swam up. I started to swim again when I looked over at the man on the buoy, it looked like he was trying to swim on top of it. “Hey man, are you okay?” Again the head nod yes, but this time he verbally said HELP HELP. .. well, shit. Here I am, 600 yards from shore, and the guy is gonna drown. I swam over to him and asked if he spoke English. He said “Help” Great, he’s gonna drown and is foreign. “It’s ok, I’m a lifeguard.” “Lifeguard?” he repeated, and relaxed his grip. Okay, so he speaks some English. “Do you speak English?” yes, he replied he did. I told him I could help him but he needed to promise that he was listen to what I was telling him. He agreed. So I asked him what the problem was, he kept saying his heart rate was high because he was scared of the open water. So I changed the subject, it’s a distraction technique, and I was hoping that someone else was noticing what was going on. I knew Julie had seen me go to him when he yelled help, so at least someone could swim to shore if needed. I told him my name and that this was my first IronMan, and that I was a swimmer and a guard and would stay with him. I talked to him about where he was from (Ecuador), I even told him I got engaged the night before. He smiled and seemed to relax. I asked if he would be ok swimming back. He grabbed the buoy again and started to panic. He vigorously shook his head no. I told him I would swim right next to him the whole way. Finally he agreed. Surprisingly, he was a strong swimmer, and I didn’t need to slow my swim pace down to stay next to him. He then stop abruptly and started saying “heart rate too high, I’m scared” So I grabbed his wrist and looked at his HRM. 198 bpm. ONE HUNDRED NINETY EIGHT. I asked his age. 37 I think. Shit, shit, shit, foreign homeboy is gonna have a heart attack .I calmed him back down as we treaded water. I held his hand and I think he may have been crying. He kept saying how sorry he was to bother me, and that he trained so hard for this race but couldn’t get past the second buoy. I kept telling him not to worry about it. I said “let’s just paddle back towards shore with out swimming. Let me know when your HR gets to 140.” About a minute later he said his hr was 132. Great. We swam back near shore. Once he was clamed down enough I agreed to swim out with him a little ways and back. He did fine. Off course we saw some white basketball looking jellies! Eek! On Sunday after the race I ran into him and he said that he swam a 1:06- the same time I swam. I congratulated him on a great race. He gave me a hug and said that without my help he could not have gotten out of the water Thursday. Wow, that made me feel good!

Jules and I walked back to the condo when we thought we saw some stingrays. We waded into the water all excited. WRONG. It was a MASSIVE BLACK jellyfish right on shore. UGH. Freaked me out!!! Julie laughed!

The rest of the day went quickly, and we spent the evening packed like sardines in the banquet hall for the athlete’s meeting.

Iron Week Part Three- Prep

Friday morning Julie and I rode down to the pancake breakfast, ate, made signs and got excellent massages. We headed back to the condo, packed our transition and special needs bags (wow, I didn’t realize how much crap I head until it was all in bags), loaded them in the car, and had the boys follow us back to bike check in.

What a zoo! People were everywhere with their bikes and bags. We got ours settled and racked our bikes. Then we walked around looking at some of the pro’s bikes. Bella Commerford had a P3c with ITU bars! Strange!

After that, we decided to let the boys (Dan- Julie’s hubby, Eric, and Jeff- my brother) have some fun. We took them to scooter rental and said see ya later! They had a blast.

Julie and I went back to the condo, where we had M-Dot cookies from Robyn waiting for us and a box from my friends at work. There were all kinds of good stuff in there! Thank you all so much!

We parked ourselves in the water on the beach and took some time to chat and think about the next day. Then we made ourselves our last meal and ate together before all the guys got back.

Later, Tom & Adele, and my mom & dad would stop in to give us well wishes. Tom and Adele gave us buckeyes for good luck.

I went to bed about 8pm, but woke up shortly after hungry. I mowed down a Clif bar and a bottle of water. Of course, I woke up at midnight to pee, then again about 2am. I pretty much just laid there until 4am. I was ready, I knew I was ready. The night before I took 45min to myself on the balcony to stretch and mentally rehearse my race. I had my focus words: Strength, Courage. I would repeat these words to myself, out loud through out the ride and run.

Iron Week Part Four- I’m Gonna Be an IronMan Today

The morning went by fast. I forced myself to eat a bagel, and drink. Soon, the boys, Julie and myself walked down to the race start. We stocked our bikes and added some stuff to our bags. The next thing I knew, we were climbing into our wetsuits! Go time baby!!

I got a little teary eyed and nervous when I had to tell Eric goodbye. Funny, I remember feeling the exact same way every time before I swam the 200 fly. Pretty sure there’s a big difference there, but for whatever reason I felt the same. We made it to the corral, gave each other hugs and parted ways. I got to about the forth line and near the inside. Right in front of me was Paula Newby Fraser and a video camera. The camera guy panned over me a couple times, and when I was getting focused and putting my goggles on I saw that it was directly pointed at me. Sometimes I’m playful and will wave. This time, I couldn’t even crack a smile. I wanted to do this!

The last song I remember hearing was “Ironman” from Ozzy Osborne. Perfect! The cannon went off, and we all went into the water. The first 200 yards was a washing machine and I swam with my head up. No biggie at all. I had some sighting issues going to the first corner buoy, but I eventually made it there. I pretty always either had quick feet to swim on, or open water, all my choice. I found I was passing a lot of people, so I didn’t try to stay on anyone’s feet, and I especially didn’t want to hit anyone’s timing chip. I did notice that for the most part everyone was courteous and polite, no elbows on purpose or anything like that. When I got out of the water for the first loop, I saw my first split was a 33. Dang, not too shabby for swimming easy! I made the decision before the start not to push the swim. It’s a long day and 3 minutes won’t make a difference. I got a sip of water and headed back in. The second loop was pretty uneventful. Until I swam over some jellyfish. EEK! Then, about 400 yards from shore, I felt like I got stung by a wasp on my face. It hurt, but it wasn’t the most painful thing ever. I just kept swimming; when I was getting a massage after the race, I was telling someone about it. Apparently, a jelly sting is just like a wasp sting. And, yes, I got stung on my face by a jellyfish. UGH!... Soon after the water was only 15 feet deep again (BTW- The water is crystal clear. Even when the shelf drops off you can see about 20 feet below you. It’s amazing!), and I saw a great big crab scurrying along the bottom. It made me smile. I came out of the water and looked at my watch- 1:06. Nice!! Better than I would have thought. The wetsuit strippers tossed me on the ground and I rinsed in the showers. In hindsight, I should I have rinsed better. I had sand caked to my back the whole bike.

2.4 mile Swim- 1:06.08

In the change tent I stripped off my clothes and put on my fresh cycling gear. Luckily, there were only a handful of girls in the tent, so I had two very atentative volunteers to myself. I ran on out to the bike were another young volunteer was waiting with it. She said “Good luck ma’am” and I laughed and thanked her.

T1- 0:06:33

At the very start of the bike we have to snake your way out of the IronMan village to the road. There were people yelling everywhere. I decided to yell too “I’M GOING TO BE AN IRONMAN TODAY!” and the crowd went ballistic! People were screaming and clapping. I felt like a rockstar rolling thru a crowd of my fans.

Right away people began passing me like crazy. I started my nutrition plan, one that I stuck to like clockwork for the rest of the day. I could not believe how hard these people were pushing so early. At about mile 22 my knee that was giving me problems started in. I rode for 5 miles with it until I decided that it was ok to use one of my emergency pain pills. I had put 2 500mg Naproxen in a baggie with my asthma inhaler to have with me on the bike and run. Not sure if the naproxen did it’s job or was just a placebo, but within 20 min the pain had subsided substantially. A good portion of the bike was a blur to me. I saw so many people drafting in packs. I mean, full on pelotons. I decided I wanted no part of it, and the only person I was racing was myself. I let them all go. At one point I rode past a Sin Bin and yelled “Penalty free is the way to be” and they started cheering.

Speaking of cheering, the volunteers at this race are better than anything ever! They really are terrific. What an amazing job they do. Perfect bottle passes, every time. They’re awesome. :)

I didn’t like that the special needs bags were so early. They were at about mile 47. However, I do understand that logistically speaking they needed to do it earlier than the RD’s had planned. Ok, take what you can get. I stopped for a bout 5 minutes, dug thru my bag, pulled out my bike tool in case they were throwing bags away, and got my crackers. YUM!
I kept up the pace I wanted too, even though some of the roads started to get bad- really rough. I was growing concerned about my tubes and tires as I saw a few people with flats. The wind really started to pick up around mile 70. However, at mile 80, I still felt good, better even, than 40 miles before. So many people have told me about their physical and mental breakdowns on the bike at mile 80. I decided that now would be my time. I had planned to build the last 25 miles, but I started a little early. I was battling the wind, but still felt like I was riding strong, even though I wasn’t going as fast. At mile 100 I stopped for a potty break. My tummy wasn’t happy with the gels, but I decided to try to poo to help. I couldn’t go, but I figured the tummy pressure was just gas and I was fine. The next 12 miles I owned. After cresting the bridge, I put my head down and went. I was tired of the wind, I was tired of the drafting. I decided to tell the drafters and mother nature to Eff off. I clicked it down a gear, tucked in as arrow as I could go, and pushed it. One of the best things was pulling out around a pack of over 12 people, all with discs and aero helmets and passing them in one swoop- right in front of my parents. How awesome is that??

112 mile Bike- 6:45.20 @ 16.22 mph
Section 1 73 mile (4:29.34 @ 16.25 mph)
Section 2 39 mile (2:24.46 @ 16.16 mph)

I was unclipped and off my bike so fast. I actually just pulled my feet out of my shoes. I seriously passed about 15 people all stopped and trying to get off their bikes. Ha, I felt fast for just a second, but it was nice. I handed my bike to a volunteer and grabbed my T2 bag from another. I ran into the tent, switched shirts, wrapped my toes- the right side too tightly and it would come back to bite me- gathered my nutrition, and headed out. I stopped to give Eric a hug and a smooch before starting the marathon.

T2- 0:06:05

I was really worried that my lack of long bricks would be my demise, however, my looks felt decent from the get go. By mile four I felt like I was running as comfortably as I could. Sadly, however, right about then I saw Amanda Lavato- one of the pros I really look up to. She was walking and looked like she was cramping. I squeezed her hand when I went passed and said “Amanda, you can do this.” and kept going. I heard her say thank you, which made me run faster. Soon after that I saw a BUNCH of TriSports.com people, some racing, some cheering, including Gail L. of Gorilla Multisport Training. It was great to see her. I also saw Deb, a Memphis transplant now living in North KC. She was one of the costume girls. Yeah, those of you that raced, you know the girls I’m talking about. They were really funny.

I stayed exactly on my nutrition plan of Gu every 45min with a salt tab, and I took water and Gatorade sips at each aide station. At mile 7 I saw the Crab Girl. I don’t remember her first name but her last name was Adam and she had a kit with crabs on it. She was walking a minute, running a minute. She had passed me a couple times back and forth on the bike and said she rode harder than she wanted to. Bummer. As I exited the park I got to thinking about how crazy that will be in the dark. I was right.

About mile 10 I was having the gas problem again. I tried to go a couple times, but eventually gave up. I saw my mom then cheering for people on the course, then I saw my brother who made fun of my run shuffle, thanks Jeff, and my dad. I stopped, switched socks, and saw the massive blister on the end of my pinky toe where I wrapped it. The point of wrapping your feet is to keep from blistering, however, since it was too tight it put a lot of pressure on tip of my toes. I thought about taking the wrap off, but decided against it. New socks, fresh insoles, and more Gu later, I took off for the second half of the marathon. I gave my dad my sunglasses and said “See ya in three!” I still felt good and I knew I had it in my legs to run the rest of the marathon. My longest training run was a 20 miler, and I had walked from 14 on. My longest continual run was 18 in late August. I knew it would be hard, but, somehow, my legs remained really fresh. I started to look at my watch and I knew that if I could just keep my pace under 14 min a mile, I could actually go under 14 hrs! This was something I never dreamed of. My goal was 15:05, and I knew I could beat this. So, by mile 14 I made the decision to run, and never walk between aide stations. However, my stomach dropped at mile 15 and I had to crap, twice. Luckily, I grabbed some Imodium at the special needs, so I took one of those, and my stomach calmed down. I went passed my mom again at mile 16 and she was hollering for EVERYONE. It was pretty funny although I didn’t think it was at the time. She should have volunteered at an aide station; she would have been really good there.

About this time it was getting really dark. I was exiting off of the main roads and heading into the state park. This is pretty much the darkest part of the race, mentally, and literally. There’s not a single light ANYWHERE. The only thing you can see is other people’s glow sticks. At mile 20 I got into a mental dark place when the blister I noticed at mile 13 ruptured. I say ruptured instead of popped because the skin actually ripped away from my toe, which included my toenail. This was terribly painful and it shot stings clear up my leg. I kept hobbling/running for about 5 minutes when I took my last emergency Naproxen (they’re like high does ibuprofen). I decided to focus on my breathing rather than the stabbing in my foot. Eventually the pain subsided. By now I had been repeating Strength, Courage, Strength, Courage, in my head to keep me moving. After the blister, I added one more: HTFU (For all the ST’ers). When I went past the Ford Motivational Mile I saw:

C. Crutcher: B Ur Own Hero U Can

I thought to myself, I can and I will. I can go under 14. Don’t Puss out. HTFU. I tried the coke a couple times, but it wasn’t flat and I didn’t want to upset my stomach. I sipped some broth which warmed me up, but was too hot and I didn’t want to try any more, but was good for a change. However, I did find the occasional slice of watermelon and pretzels are the food of the gods, when, in moderation.

I past Julie for the last time headed in the opposite direction. She was quite a ways behind me, about 6 or 7 miles, but she was running, and looked as good as I saw her the first time (The first time I ran over and gave her a gross sweaty hug). About 30 minutes later I saw my mom, who was a little confused “Jules is half hr behind you!” I was like what? I was only about a mile and a half from the finish, how did she get so close. I was having trouble doing simple math, but realized she meant Julie passed her 30 min ago. By now I had become a clock watcher. I kept checking my watch, trying to do the calculations. I couldn’t multiply and could hardly add. I decided to keep running through the last two aide stations instead of walking.

Soon, I was back out on the main drag and saw Tom and Adele. I started waving really hard, then Adele realized it was me and jumped up and down and said “Keep it up!” I was sure trying!!! Less than a mile to go. However, the last mile really seemed the longest. I thought it would go by quickly, but the way the sound echo’ed I was tricked. I could hear Mike Rielly almost 2 miles away, so for over a mile I thought I was almost at the finish. Finally, I really was getting close.

When I saw the arch and lights I got a little choked up, but smiled instead. I kept looking behind me to be sure I had plenty of room. I did (until right at the finish when some Jackass decided to run into MY finish photo, seriously, pal, you didn’t need to do that). I took my time and started high-fiving people on both sides of the chute. I saw my dad and he stuck his hand out. I gave him a big high five and he yelled something about being proud of me. I couldn’t really hear anything. Kind of like, when you are in a stadium, and you plug your ears…It became a scene from some drama movie- everything got quite, and went into slow motion. I tried to jump across the finish, but I don’t think I made it far off the ground. I vaguely heard Mike Rielly say “Courtney Crutcher, You are an IronMan!”

26.2 mile Run- 6:04.52 @13:55 min/mile
Segment 1- 13.1 miles 2:58.54 @ 13:39 min/mile
Segment 2- 13.1 miles 3:05.58 @ 14:11 min/mile

Right after the finish the handler volunteers caught me and wrapped me in Mylar. They checked to be sure I was ok, and then Dan, Julie’s husband, was the next person to get to me. Eric was in the stand taking pictures so he was still trying to get to the finish. Right away my legs gave out, but I was ok. Then when Eric got to me he pretty much just scooped me up. I started bawling. I was happy, I was tired, I was hurt, but by gawd, I was an IronMan.

Julie finished just over two hours later and actually got her feet off the ground when she jumped across the finish! We both had great races, and I was so proud of us both.



posted @ 11/7/2007 12:05:07 PM (0) Comments