The road to Timberman 08 started in Aug 07

This all started in the end of the summer of 07 while talking with my brother-in-law, Bruce. He's the runner in the family and we were talking about triathlons and running in general. He's done several marathons and in general just loves to run. Anyway, he was talking about ramping back up for Boston and somehow we got to the idea of doing a relay for the Timberman 1/2 IM. I volunteered to swim, if my Hubby would ride and Bruce would run. They were sold and we registered in October of 07 as Team CNN (Chaput, Nowak and Nowak). All we had to do was stay healthy...Ed had separated his shoulder in September while riding, Bruce had some nagging hamstring issues, but they were getting better and I was having foot surgery in November. But heck, the race was almost 1 year away...we'd be good by then...right?

November comes and goes, I have surgery on my foot and am able to swim and bike by mid-December. I'm back to running by the end of February 08. Ed's shoulder is doing better and better. Bruce's hamstring is doing well. Ok, Team CNN is holding up pretty well.

Ah, but I spoke too soon. Ed wrecks his ankle while running in April 08. He's in a walking cast for at least 3 weeks and then an aircast after that. He doesn't get back on the bike until June and then has to be really careful going up hills, not to put too much pressure on it. Uh-oh, this isn't looking good.

I join Suzy and her husband as the swimmer for a relay team at the FirmMan 1/2 IM the first weekend of June 08. The weather was in the 90s, but the water was rather chilly. Still, did fairly well with a time of 31:31. Figure it was a bit short, but having never swam the distance without stopping before, I didn't know what kind of time to expect.

Around that time, Bruce does a local road race and tweaks his hamstring again. He's got to lay off the running for a while, but assures me he'll be good to go come race day.

Hmmm, I'm doing ok, but the rest of my team is not too hot...BUT we still have time to get healthy again, so we continue on.

Around the end of June, Bruce isn't doing any better, in fact he's getting worse. His sciatica is bothering him, he can't run longer than 5-6 miles without pain. yikes! Decision time...I contact my Dr and PT and ask about ramping up my mileage to 13.1 in 6 weeks or so...is it doable given the amount of time and the fact that I had surgery in November? Both give me a resounding YES and my PT gives me a running schedule (of sorts) to follow. Ok, so now, I am ramping up my mileage in case Bruce can't do it. Ed, on the other hand, is doing well and his biking is getting stronger. Phew.

About 2 weeks before the race, Bruce and I decide it's best that he figure out what is going on with his back and legs and that I have enough mileage to be the runner. So I contact the RD and request the switch. Team CNN is now Team Nowak, but we leave the name alone. BUT another glitch - Ed may have to WORK the weekend of the race (he's self-employed, big job, big $$) - what the heck?!?! Can 't ramp up for a full 1/2 IM THAT fast! So...my back up is Suzy...who was game to step in at the last minute.

After a few nerve wrecking days, Ed finds out he's working on Saturday only and will be able to make the race. Phew!

Oh, and the Friday before the race, Bruce finds out that he has a possible ruptured disk, so no running, no lifting, no nothing for the foreseeable future...

So now here we are in August 08, and ready to rock and roll...

Timberman 1/2 IM - 08

It was a bit bumpy getting here, but finally race weekend is here. Both my kids are doing the Timberkids race on Saturday and then will be cheering mom and dad on in the 1/2 IM on Sunday. Busy weekend for sure!

We head up to NH Friday afternoon and on the way, the front tire on my son's bike blows 'cuz it was too close to my cars exhaust. GREAT! now what. Call Suzy and Cheryl, who are coming up to volunteer, to see if they can swing by a bike shop and at least get me a tube for his tire. They come thru with flying colors!

Get up to Gunstock and packet pick-up only to have them tell me that I can't get my husband's stuff as he needs to pick it up in person. Ok, so how is this going to work since he's not getting here until late Saturday night?? Sunday am, we have to go to the registration booth to get his numbers, etc. Sheesh. BUT they were good enough to give me my Brother-in-law's goodie bag even though he didn't make it.

We meet up with Suzy and Cheryl and grab some dinner before relaxing in the hotel. Later on that night I realize that all bikes must be racked the day before, but I can't because they didn't give me the bike number!! ACK! So another thing I need to figure out...does not let me sleep well.

Saturday
Saturday am, we get up and Suzy, Rachel (daughter) and I hit the pool. The Gunstock Inn has a beautiful 25m pool and a huge fitness center - yeah, we're in heaven. We grab some breakfast and I proceed to clean up my husband's bike. Get it all cleaned up, but now the front derailleur isn't working quite right. Ok, so now I have to not only get Wyatt's tire fixed for his race, but need to get that looked at and get the bike number so I can rack the bike. If it's not one thing, it's another. sheesh.

We head up to the expo (awesome) and I drop off Ed's bike for adjustment and intended on getting Wyatt's tire fixed. However, they won't do it as the tire itself is cut and they don't have a replacement. NOW WHAT!?! The kids race is in less than 2 hours and he doesn't have a bike. Fortunately, the ski area had a camping grounds which rented bikes...so off we go and I rent him a mountain bike for his race. It needed some serious lube (which I had) and we get him all set up. AND I am able to get Ed's bike number so I can rack his bike later. phew.

The kids race was awesome! Unfortunately, they had to call it due to some threatening thunderstorms. Wyatt was able to finish, but Rachel only got thru the swim and bike. She was very disappointed! AND there were many kids that didn't even get to start! There were many many tears being shed - and not just by the kids either. Ironically, it never rained and the storms just broke up.

Sunday
Finally, race day. Ed got up to the Inn around 10 pm and was a bit tired from the drive and from standing around all day. He wasn't looking forward to getting up at 530, but was game enough. We got down there around 6:30 am and grabbed his numbers and got body marked. Then we got to wait, and wait and wait as the relay teams were in the last wave, over 1 hour after the 1st one.

The water was fairly warm and they had placed buoys about every 100-150 yards which was great for staying on track! It looked so LONG!! Yeah, I was nervous. I just wanted to get on with it.

Finally, we were lining up and they were playing "running on empty" by Jackson Browne as we crossed the mat. I was thinking...not the greatest song to START a race on! ;p We started about waist deep and I lined up on the right. I was able to get into a decent spot right off, and stayed right along the buoys. With so many people around it was easy to stay on track and follow the bubbles. I felt pretty decent for the most part. The swim was an inverted U and out on the long side it was pretty choppy. At one point, I can remember thinking, dang this is LONG!! SO I had to start making up breathing games to stay focused and not get board. I am happy to say, I did pass some people in the 2 waves ahead of us, so that made me feel pretty good. But I was really glad to get out of the water. I swear, I must have swallowed 1/2 the lake! Swim: 38:45

Crossed the mat, waved to Cheryl and Suzy and ran to the "relay pen" to give the chip to Ed. He took off and now I could rest and entertain the kids.

I ate some breakfast, relaxed, drank a ton and tried to keep the kids from getting bored. all in all it worked pretty well. It was fun to cheer everyone else on and watch the pros come in. Man, they are fast!

Around the 3 hour mark, started getting ready and looking for Ed. He came in looking beat in 3:10 and change. took the chip and off I went. Now to see what I've got.

At this point it's gotten warm and there is a slight breeze. It's a 2 loop out and back course, with some long inclines. Oh goodie. But I remember some of it from when I did the sprint a few years ago, and we drove it on Saturday, so I know what to expect, or so I thought. They had bands playing along the way and sponges, water, food, even SNOW! to help us out. It was awesome! At the turn around point, the whole neighborhood is out and had the street decorated in a Hollywood theme -complete with a bubble machine! This stuff made it so much better!

The 1st loop, goes fairly well, and I was holding a decent pace. But right around mile 8 things start to decline. I'm hydrating well, and eating ok, but I am losing steam. So I increase my walk breaks by 30 seconds or so and keep pouring water on me to keep cool. Ah, that's better. I miss the mile 9 marker and start to panic a bit when I think I have totally blown my pace...oh, phew here comes mile 10! There is a decent hill around mile 11 and I give myself permission to walk up the last 1/2 of it and I end up passing Team Hoyt. Everyone is congratulating them (myself included) and getting inspiration from them. At the top, I pick it up again and find my running legs, but my quads are starting to talk to me and both of my feet ache. OUCH!

I hit the 12 mile mark and realize I will break 2:15 easily and try to pick it up to break 2:10, possibly even 2:05. But its not until I see the "final kick" green arch way that my legs finally agree with my brain and start running again. I turn the corner and head for home. I see my family cheering and bring it on in.

Run: 2:06:50

Total time for Team CNN: 6:00:39

I was tired and achy and vowed to NOT DO THIS AGAIN....yeah, ok, heat of the moment (no pun intended)...but it was great! Timberman has to be the best supported race I have done in a long time. We've got reservations for next year at the Inn all ready.

Who's going to join us?!?!