Ian, Ally, and Nate

Sunday, August 1, 2010

How to PR a 100 mile trail run!



Matt ran the Burning River 100 miler in Cleveland, OH this weekend and PR'd the course by over 2 hours! This is how ...
1. Spend taper week in lake placid, ny in a tiny condo w/four kids, two of your closest friends and your crazy wife who is doing Ironman
2. Win the Kan Jam title w/your 13 year old son (neither of who had ever heard of Kan Jam!)
3. Spend your days in Lake Placid "cliff diving" when your afraid of heights and swimming in a river doesn't even make the top 100 list of things you like to do
4. Work as the admitting doctor at Crouse Hospital from 6pm -3am the night before you leave to go to Cleveland. Admit 16 patients in 9 hours!
5. Sleep for 3 hours and get up and drive to Cleveland-then packet pickup, hotel check-in, pre-race dinner with Ultarunning Matters friends.
6. Get up at 3 am for a 5am race start-run 100 miles-pr your best time by over 2hours-2008 (20:45) 2009 (21:51) 2010 (18:37). Sleep a few hours and then hop in you car and drive 5+ hours home.

So proud of you honey and what a great year to pr since this was the 100 mile trail National Championships!!!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Ironman Lake Placid 2010 Race Report


First of all let me just say that I hate writing race reports! I am not one to dwell on the details of a day-and I'm ready to put this one behind me and look forward. With that being said, I realize that there is much to be learned from each experience and so I will put it in writing so that I can look back and try and learn from my mistakes-of which there were many.
The Dreaded Swim
It is no big secret that I was really dreading the swim after my near death experience in Lake Coeur d'Alene last year. I wish I could get over it-I'm pissed that I was scared-but I was VERY SCARED. The photo above is me with my family right before the swim start. As I kissed them farewell it seriously took everything I had not to start crying. I had planned on going far right. In 08 I positioned myself right in the middle about 6 rows back and had no issues. I was so far right that I was actually standing in the shallow water. When the cannon went off-i stood for a few seconds and looked-there was lots of open water so I just dove in and started swimming. OUCH-WTF was that? My right toe was throbbing and I realized I had clipped a rock as I dove into the water. It felt like my toe was sliced right down the middle and I wondered if I should look-can't you just see me trying to look at my toe during an IM swim! The swim was very uneventful and VERY slow. I was 5 minutes slower than 08. I think I swam 3 miles! I was THE farthest swimmer to the outside the entire swim. A few times I got brave and ventured towards the line-i could feel the draft as I got closer-then I would get sandwiched between two guys and the panic would emerge. My wheezy breathing continued during the swim-I kept the panic at bay by counting as Mary and I discussed 1,2,3,4...1,2,3,4-suddenly I would realize i was up to like 90 something! Sometime during the second loop I got a nagging side stitch-this never happens to me on the swim. It really did not have an impact on my swim but did come back to haunt me on the run-more on that later. When I exited the water after my second loop I stripped the top half of my wetsuit and got on the mat-somehow noone saw me! I was yelling, "right here!" Finally someone yanked that baby off-props to the wetsuit strippers dealing all the pee that is inevitably pooled in those wetsuits-NASTY!

The Bike
I don't even know what to say about the bike. I have been riding like shit and that continued on the lake placid bike course. I felt great for the first 30 miles until the hills. While I like the revised out and back-I did not like the fact that this eliminated the nice break from the hills that the 14 mile out and back to hasleton provided. My nutrition was clearly not what it needed to be. I felt like I was on target but I never had to pee once on the bike. Coming back towards town on the second loop of the bike I actually started seeing stars. Being dizzy during the Ironman bike is not a good feeling-let me tell you. I quickly ate a powerbar and that helped. But as we all know-once you get behind on your nutrition it is often hard to get back on track. I just couldn't get comfortable in the aero position-I think I now know why-more on that later.

The Run
I grabbed my T2 bag and stopped at the port o potty. NOTHING. NADA. ZIP. I couldn't pee-not good. I quickly changed into my run shoes. I felt like shit-just completely depleted. I didn't want to run a freakn marathon-that is for damn sure. I headed down the first hill and saw my family. I stopped for a moment. I wanted to cry. My kids were screaming at me, "Go mommy-run!" Shit-I'm gonna have to run this god damn thing or my kids will think I'm a loser. Stick to the plan. Slow and easy for the first several miles. I got to the first aid station-COKE-hallelujah! Coke, Ice, and Cold Sponges! I felt like a new woman and started to pick up the pace-not alot-but I was starting to catch my groove. Eventually I stopped again to pee-my belly was feeling really bloated. NOTHING. NADA. ZIP. Really not good. I was drinking at every aid station-why was I not peeing? the nephrologist says DEHYDRATION! At about mile 21 the side stitch came back (again-the nephrologist says DEHYDRATION!). I've never had a side stitch that hurt that bad for that long. In fact-that exact spot is still sore 3 days later! I tried some breathing techniques I know and tried raising my arms over my head. Nothing was working-except slowing down-and even then it was still quite painful. Around mile 23 I saw my husband and he told me to press on the spot as hard as i could-it helped but I'm sure I looked a fool holding my side while running the last three miles. At around mile 25 I passed a girl w/a 42 on her calf. Honestly-I didn't really give a shit. I knew I would not be fighting for even a top 20 spot. If I would have been having a better day-I woulda made damn sure I was well ahead of her. I knew she was stalking me as we entered the oval. Then she said, "let's see what you got". Are you fucking kidding me? I wanted to tell her she could have 46th place and I'd take 47th! But then she bumped my shoulder-I have no idea if it was intentional- but I sprinted to the finish and she beat me to the line. I didn't even here Mike Reilly say my name-it didn't matter-I already knew I was an ironman! But I was damn glad this one was over!!

The Aftermath
So back in June I had a bad virus-sore throat, sinus deal. Took antibiotics, got better, then got sick again. Ever since I've had this nasty post nasal drip that has really bothered me while swimming-constantly trying to clear my throat etc. I realize now that this whole thing has progressed so slowly that it was really hard to pin point what the problem was. Even before Sunday I had noticed that I seemed to be short of breath just walking up a hill-I even mentioned it to BFF Melissa the day before IM. After the race I really noticed that this shortness of breath had increased. One of the perks to having a husband who is a doctor is that you can get seen quickly by other docs in town. I went and talked to a friend of ours who is a great diagnostician who thinks that I am probably experiencing asthma or reactive airway disease that was exacerbated by this virus. So I will see a pulmonologist next week for some pulmonary function tests-hopefully I can get this straightened out before Dirty girls 24 hour endurance run next Saturday. In the meantime my husband suggested that i try an albuterol treatment w/a nebulizer we have. OMG-instantly I could breathe. It was amazing. I didn't realize how much this was affecting my ability to really take a deep breath. I swam with Kristen for an hour this morning and felt better than I have in months. So I feel like I'm on track to getting my old self back and that has me excited to race again soon! Not sure what next year holds-my hubby really wants to do Badwater-the 135 mile trek through Death Valley. If he ends up doing that I will put Ironman on hold for a year and go share that amazing journey with the one I love! Thanks to all that have supported me along the way. I love this new team I am a part of and look forward to getting to know the Train-this team better. Thank You to Mary Eggers and Kristen Roe who is the greatest friend and training partner a wanna b like me could ever ask for!

Friday, July 16, 2010

The Fun is about to begin!!


Race day is almost here-soon it will Wednesday and we will be in route to Placid. Getting to this point has been a bumpy road. No doubt I have struggled alot this year-mostly mentally. Going back to work has taken a toll both mentally and physically. Working the grave yard shift is no joke. I've been seriously sleep deprived and I've paid a price. I've been sick-and I never get sick. I struggled the most this spring. Our household was INSANE w/three kids in three different locations on most nights, their mother training for ironman, and their dad training for ultras and maintaining a very busy nephrology practice. I worried alot-that all of this was somehow having a negative affect on the chillins. But you know what? They have parents who are doing what they love, following their dreams-that has to count for something. It has too. I truly believe we are better parents and happier people for doing so. I have faith this will trickle down. Nothing would give me more satisfaction and joy than to see my kids grow up to do what they are passionate about.

The photo is a picture of the ski jumps from the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. This is what I will see at about mile 20 on the run. This is where the shit either hits the fan or you keep your cool and cash in on a smartly paced ironman. This is where I'll be thinking about my kids the most. Telling myself that I have to prove to them that you can do anything if you want it bad enough. This is where I show them that their mom is no quitter. This is where I prepare to climb those ridiculous hills back to town where my family will be waiting (hopefully not too long!). This is where I try not to cry because I know if I do I will start hyperventilating. This is when I reflect on my day and remind myself there is no place I'd rather be at this moment in time-no matter how much it hurts. This is where I want to be.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

This is what ultra is all about...the buckle


The big prize if you can run 75 miles in 24 hours!

Busy Bee!


I cannot even believe how busy I have been lately-it seems I barely have time to return a phone call lately! When I decided to go back to work last October-working nights seemed like a good idea-frankly it was my only option. Ian is only 8 and he needs his mom in the morning. They all do for that matter. However, I did not really consider what it would be like working nights in the summer-NIGHTMARE! For the most part I have been going for at least 24hours w/no sleep at least one day a week. The kids have swim practice in the morning from 9-12 so that is when I've been doing the bulk of my training. Let me tell you-it is amazing how the body and mind can adapt. Some mornings I'm just falling asleep at the wheel driving home from work. A couple of cups of starbucks later-I'm on my bike and suddenly feeling energized! On these days I do take an easy route on the bike-one w/little traffic and few turns because I know that the sleep deprivation has to take a toll.

So here I am-less than 2 weeks out from Ironman USA (lake placid) and 4 weeks out from my first 24 hour adventure-Dirty Girls 24 hour ultra in Ontario! Tonite I met w/the other runners who will be doing Dirty Girls. Three of us are doing the 24 hour and the other 2 are doing the 12 hour. We are very fortunate to have our local phenom-and world class ultrarunner-Jill Perry as our crew! Not too shabby! I am very excited for this new adventure-although I have to say I have not thought too much about it as all of my energy is tied up w/Lake Placid right now! I am just hoping that the base I have will be deep enough to carry me through 24 hours of running. And...that I am recovered enough just 2 weeks after ironman to pull it off!

As far as training goes I am just really hoping things come together on race day. I feel like I am always so tired lately that it is hard to judge where exactly my fitness is. I can say that I finally ditched the ISM Adamo road saddle that I have been fucking with for way too long. I got the terry butterfly and took my bike in and had another fitting. I rode a few hours the day after my long run (so there was no reason my legs should have been feeling good) and I felt the best I have felt in a long time on the bike. Ray only made a few minor adjustments but DANG it made a big difference. Thanks Ray!! While my legs were feeling great...my back was not. Last week I was doing a trail run w/Matt in the evening. Sun was setting and I shoulda taken my sunglasses off. I tripped on a root-didn't go down but it took about 6 steps to regain my footing. There was a lot of momentum and I really jarred my back. The next morning I was quite sore. It has been absolutely fine during swims, runs, and all other activities of daily living. However, when I am on the bike and aero it really hurts. I'm fine for an hour or so and then it just starts throbbing. So I'm heading to see my massage therapist and hoping it will be feeling better by LP. The sinus thing is not 100% but much better. I think I have my swimming mojo back. I'm doing a masters open water 2 mile swim in Canandaigua lake Saturday and very excited about that! Time for bed.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Inspirational Video - The Don't Quit Poem

Glass Half Empty

Usually I am a fairly positive person. Lately it seems, I am being followed by gloom and doom and I'm starting to wonder about the law of attraction and the role I might have in all of this negativity. This has been a shitty week-simply put. S.H.I.T.T. Y. It started on my ride tuesday when I got my first flat of the season and then almost got killed when I was flying down Sweet Road in my aero bars when a complete dumb ass who was driving towards me decides to completely cross the center line and drive straight towards me on the shoulder to retrieve her mail. It all happened very fast and honestly I don't think the douche bag (are you sensing the hostility/negativity??) ever saw me! I didn't even have a second to look over my shoulder i just swerved way out into the lane and luckily (see there is something positive in every situation!) there were no cars coming up on me. So really I should just be grateful that it all turned out ok but I am still festering inside and since I know where this lady lives I have considered (not really) knocking on her door and introducing myself as the mother of three that she almost killed on Tuesday. sigh...

So Wednesday came and I was looking forward to my first open water swim in Caz Lake w/Kristen. It is my favorite swimming hole and we haven't been able to swim there because they were treating the water w/some nasty chemical to try and kill the weeds. From the get go negative thoughts were creeping in. I felt like I was wheezing everytime I took a breath. We were swimming hard but honestly we were not pushing the envelope. At our turn around point (about 32 minutes into the swim) we stopped for a moment to fix our goggles. Immediately I felt a surge of panic and I seriously almost reached back and unzipped my wetsuit which I felt was completely strangling me and cutting off my air supply. This never happens to me in the water. I talked myself out of a panic attack and didn't say anything to KRoe. We continued swimming and the negative thoughts were there and I kept telling myself to keep swimming. I knew I would feel worse if i stopped. And then I did. Kristen stopped and asked if I was ok. I said, "no i'm freaking out". She was awesome and talked me down before I sprinted the 2-300 yards to shore. I don't know what has gotten into me. I feel like i'm losing my shit. I've always felt strong and confident and most importantly I love open water swimming. So I gotta get a grip. Had a great talk w/coach Mary. Feeling better about the swim anxiety and have a strategy for next time.

And so to top off a sucky week I am sick again. I thought I was starting w/allergies yesterday and now i have a full blown sore throat, cold, stuffy head...AGAIN! So I'm forcing myself to rest today even though i'm in that last month panic stage before Lake Placid and feel as though i should be spending every second training. I'm getting myself a cup of tea and I'm going to think only positive thoughts!!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Defeated-Eagleman Race Report

It seems this race was doomed from the get go. First, being the sickest I've been for years all last week was not the best case scenario going into this race. The second part of my nightmare was hearing this would be a no wetsuit swim. We got this fabulous news as we were walking into transition race morning. Anyone who knows me-knows that I suck in the pool. Put me in a wetsuit in open water and I'm a different person. Whatever my weakness is as swimmer is significantly compensated for with a wetsuit (probably a balance issue). Obviously it is time to work on this! I gotta say I was freaking out at the thought of not wearing a wetsuit. To be quite honest, I am still traumatized by my swim ordeal at Ironman Coeur d'Alene last year. My heart rate waiting for the swim start was 145-my average hr for the entire swim was 146-not good on both ends (shoulda been lower for the start and higher for the swim). Negative thoughts were in my head the whole time. I was not aggressive-in fact quite the opposite-I found myself literally swimming way around people in order to pass them so that I would not come into contact with them.
At the beginning of the bike I felt really good. In fact I was worried that I was pushing too hard-I was holding my planned watts-but I was playing cat and mouse w/another racer who I know is way stronger on the bike than I am. Stick to your plan-it doesn't matter who you are passing or being passed by-as long as you are sticking to your plan. I felt great for the first 20 miles. Then my hamstring (an ongoing issue) started nagging-then hurting. I found myself from mile 30 on out of the aero position more than I was in it. This cost me for sure.
I was unable to pee on the bike so took an extra minute in transition to pee while I was putting on my sneakers-then I stumbled w/my garmin. From the get go I had a side stitch on the run. It stayed with me the entire 13.1. I never ate a thing-not even a gel. I was thirsty and I drank too much. Lots of coke and ice water=lots of sloshing in the tummy. I passed alot of walkers-this messes with ones mind and makes one think they are running stronger than they are. I was ranked 23rd of 170 on the swim and 25th on the bike and run. Overall 25th out of 170 in my age. I'm usually top 10 in my age for swim-so very disappointing. Not my day. As I said to a friend, "I pr'd my worst race ever!" Definitely have some work to do and the right coach to get me where I hope to go!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

All grown up...


In November I turned 40. Two weeks later, my oldest son Nate turned 13. Then in February we went to get him new sneakers and suddenly he was a size 12 shoe. On the way home from getting the shoes I said to him, "I can't believe you are wearing a size 12". His response, "Mom, you know what they say-big feet big junk!" Needless to say I will forever be traumatized by that conversation. Now it is June and my baby is taller than I am! Where does time go? Seems like just yesterday that he was calling me momsy! He has grown into a handsome, smart, kind young man-everything I could ever want in a son. I love you Nate!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Lake Placid Training Camp


Spent last weekend in Lake Placid with some great training partners. We lucked out with some great weather and as promised by the Mirror Lake Inn staff-mirror lake was WARM!!! We got there Friday afternoon-swam 2 loops of the swim course (2.4miles) then headed out for a 40 mile ride. The roads in Placid were a MESS! Huge cracks everywhere-it was sunny and the trees combined with the sun made it really hard to see-lots of weird shady spots. I was very nervous riding over those cracks-and there was more traffic than usual with it being memorial day weekend. Saturday we rode 100 miles and then ran off the bike. The bridge on the out and back to hassleton was being repaired so we had to do this ridiculous 5 mile loop 4 times to make up the distance. As Barb said, "it felt like groundhog day"! Sunday was a 14 mile run followed by a 2 loop swim. Good times were had by all.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A little inspiration...

From the blog of kick ass ultrarunner Yassine Diboun http://runforyourlife-yassine.blogspot.com/


As you journey through life, choose your destinations well, but do not hurry there. You will arrive soon enough. Wander the back roads and forgotten paths, keeping your destination in your heart like the fixed point of a compass.

Seek out new voices, strange sights, and ideas foreign to your own. Such things are riches for the soul. And if, upon arrival, you find that your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, do not be disappointed.

Think of all you would have missed but for the journey there, and know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey's end, but in who you come to be along the way.

Sunday, May 23, 2010


I've never been a huge fan of the 70.3. I am so not a sprinter. I have said many times that I would rather run a marathon than a 5K. It literally takes me 5-10 miles to start feeling good when I'm running. Same with the pool and the bike. If I can do a super easy 500 warm up in the pool-I always swim my fastest splits. If I start out hard-i just fall apart. I need that warm up to get into a rhythm. I'm much better at pacing an ironman than a 70.3. There is no time for a warm up at 70.3-you better go hard or you will be left behind. With exactly three weeks to go until Eagleman-I am starting to mentally prepare for this race. I really want to try and lay it on the line there. Racing on that red line is way out of my comfort zone. I have this huge fear of blowing up. At Eaglman I am going for it-there is no better time-I have nothing to lose.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Some tips from Smarty Pants...

Tom brings up some points near and dear to my heart as a nephrologist. First, i would say that the book A Step Beyond: A definitive Guide to ultrarunning has really been helpful to me as a novice ultrarunner. It can be purchased on Ultrarunning.com. Also the magazine Ultrarunning is a fantastic resource on races, times and all things ultrarunning.

As a side note, not only have I treated all of these issues I have personally experienced many of them :)

First with regards to hydration. Thirst does not start until 0-2% weight loss has occured and when thirst starts, you already starting to decline significantly in performance. Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink. This is especially important in high fluid loss states: sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea. Increased humidity and wind, even in the winter, will dramatically increase fluid loss.

That said, you can drink too much. So there are really 5 categories of electrolye/fluid imbalance:

dehydration with hypernatremia ie high blood sodium (not enough WATER): usually very thirsty, weight is down, salty foods taste BADnot urinating or concentrated dark urine so need to drink water but not take in salt tabs until back in balance.

dehydration (normal electrolytes, not enough fluid, ie sports drink): weight is down, urine dark or low, thirsty, dizzy, may be cramping if dehydrated enough, salty foods taste good, need sports drink or water and salt tabs

dehydration with hyponatremia (not enough volume and electrolytes): RARE, weight is down, high thirst, this is a difficult situation to get yourself into unless you have diarrhea and are drinking only water.

Hypernatremia ie high blood sodium (RARE)- thirsty but salty foods taste bad, desire for water high, this can occur if you take too many salt tabs without water.

Hyponatremia (common) normal weight, quesy stomach, salty foods are craved. This occurs from drinking too much water, usually seen in slower runners in a marathon or during a long race where someone is only drinking water or sodium free fluids.

The longer the race, the more likley that any or all of these can occur at some point durin the race. You have to determine you own sweat rate. This can be difficult. Once it starts getting hotter, try to run during the heat of the day. Weigh yourself before and after your run. If you drank fluids or urinated, you will need to figure that into your weight. Try different concentrations of fluids, gatorade, heed, perpetuem etc. Try taking different salts tabs and see how your stomach does with these. This will help you stay in balance during a race.

Diarrhea is almost always a sign of too much concentration of electrolyes or carbohydrates. So try cutting back on gels or salt tabs and drinking small amount of gatorade and eating small amounts of more solid food. Diarrhea can be a sign that you are going "too fast", that the bowel wont absorb or it can mean that your bowels are swollen if you have taken in too much salt tabs. Check you legs- are they swollen? If they are swollen above the ankle, you may have too much salt in your body. If you have taken in too much salt, you wont be craving it. The feet may swell at any time just from trauma or the shoes or socks being too tight so they are NOT a good indicator of your hydration. If your skin tents up when pinched ie doesnt snap back down when you pinch it together, you are dehydrated. Check this on the back of your hand of forearm gently.

Nausea or a stomach that is "sloshing around" means the stomach isnt draining. Again you may be going "too fast" and not absorbing or what you have been taking in may be too concentrated to absorb. Try to drink small amounts of normal temperature water slowly. very cold water can cause cramping. Pour the ice water over the head, but try to keep the drinking water not too cold IF you are having stomach problems. You can recover from massive vomiting. In 2007 when I ran CanLake it was in the 80s and I pushed too much gatorade. I puked from mile 25 to 35 and developed severe calf cramps and could barely walk. I started drinking small amounts of water and took a salt tab every half hour until I could run. I ran from mile 35 to the finish.

Any of these problems can be over come if you know what to look for. The best indictor though is yourself, and what has happened to you in the past. What may work for one person, wont work for the next. Dont give up. keep trying different things. I now eat a large meal (yogurt, banana and oatmeal plus 8 oz of perpetuem before my longs runs). This has pushed my bowels to be able to deal with having to digest while I run. I dont recommend trying this before a race though. Just in training.

After a race, almost as soon as I cross the finish, RAISING MY HANDS, I take a couple salt tabs to prevent cramps. Dropping you hands and placing them on your knees may cause you to throw up on the race directors shoes. This is not pretty. Sorry Tom.

I hope that this is helpful.

Matt Chaffin
manlius, ny

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Toes



I just wanted to be very clear that those were not my ugly toes in the previous post. Although I do have to admit to wearing black only toenail polish as of late due to some "black toes"!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Matt's Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 mile ultra report



Yes, I am alive because if I am dead then I went to the wrong place. Never felt this sore after a race. It is comical. If it didnt hurt so much I would cry.

First to Jim and Bill- Why didnt you warn me?! :)

I could not in my wildest imagination dream up something this sadistic. It states that there are 81.3 miles of trail. What they define as a trail in Virginia isnt the same as anywhere else. When they say "trail" them mean look over this rock pile to the next tree with a orange blaze or a yellow ribbon. Move to that ribbon, repeat.

This year it was a new course but 90% of it along the MMT (again the T means "trail") as previously. We started at a new start at Caroline Furnace. I would strongly recommend getting a cabin. If not, the nearest place to stay is about 20 minute drive over the ridge. There is nowhere around to eat, no restaurants or stores. Bring EVERYTHING. Also the parking is 0.5 miles from the finish. Up and down a hill. Either leave a drop bag with all of your change of clothes at the finish (although I dont know that they "allowed" that.) Luckily a volunteer drove me to my car then I came back to the finish as there wasn't a lot of people there yet and took a quick shower before I left. Now, back to the race.

This was so outside my skill set of running. Its like the opposite of what I do in a 24 hour. There were several times at night when I got to the "top of a ridge", I started giggling hysterically. Luckily there was no one around. And in Virginia there is no such thing as "top of the ridge"- you just keep going up and down over the ridge line. In most states you climb to the highest point, then descend.

I went out slow. I wanted to be consistent, as Todd said. I was worried that my groin would act up at some point, but it never did. I couldn't imagine being on the top of a ridge and have that happen again, then trying to get down. Also about one week after BPAC my left Achilles area started hurting. It was a stiffness that improved with running and heat but after a run it would slowly come back. I saw my message therapist twice, and taped up my Achilles and calf, and luckily that never bothered me.

We climbed "Short" Mountain first. (You get the idea, I don't have to repeat myself here, we're in Virginia.) I power walked every hill. The up hills were easy for me. Profoundly easy for me, even until the end. I know- I am a freak and I really accepted that at this race. Some of the uphills that were dirt roads I ran and my heart rate didn't go up. I never knew that I could go up like that. Every runner that I passed ( and after I think 50 miles only the 1rst woman passed me-no one else did) was going up hill.

We continued along the western ridge up and down and there was a cool breeze and we were in the shade, temps starting the race in the 50s up to around 65 by noon.

I SUCK going down hill, especially if it was technical. After 37.6 miles I had to walk down all the steep sections. Runners were bombing down full speed over these cliffs, and I just was in shock watching them take off. I felt like a Marionette doll. I could not place my feet and keep my balance. What is that a lack of? Whatever it is I really need to start doing exercises to improve that or if it is a learned skill I need to start practicing. I really started to notice this coming down into Shawl Gap.

From Veach Gap to Indian Grave it was 9.0 miles. Nine miles on the MMT is a profound distance. It was getting hotter in the low 70s. I found two bonked runners on the ridge. They both could talk and were ok, but had been vomiting. I offered them supplies but they said that they couldn't keep anything down anyway. If you do this race, I recommend carrying a camel back. You need to bring way more food than you normally would due to the distance between aid stations.

From Indian Grave to Habron Gap it was on a gravel road. Normally I would say horray but it felt horrible pounding on the feet and much of it was in the sun. I made an ice collar at Indian Grave so that helped. You didn't need sunglasses because most of the time you were under trees or really needed to see where your footing was. But here it helped. Ate alot of dust from the buses pulling canoes down to the river.

From Habron Gap to Camp Roosevelt was also a long distance- 9.5. It felt like forever. At Camp Roosevelt I took off my camel back- a mistake. I was tired of wearing it and didn't like it on my back. I could feel sweat on my back and was feeling hot. I had a Ultimate direction bottle but stupid me, I had forgotten the hand holder. I took my small back-up headlamp, double looped it around the bottle and put my hand in it to hold it. 1.5 miles after leaving Camp Roosevelt, the lid blew up literally. I have no idea why. I just had accelerade in it. I had to hold the nipple over the hole to keep what was left of the liquid inside. Luckily, about 15 minutes later a volunteer from the next aid station was out for a run and he lent me his bottle which I returned to him when I came in. Thanks!

In my opinion, the eastern ridge is slightly more run-able than the western ridge, but it was the southern traverse of Jawbone Gap trail killed me. This starts at Gap Creek. It was a rock garden for 4.8 miles at the top, up and down constantly which just destroyed my feet. That plus the climb back up from aid station #14 to #15 really killed me. Surprisingly the climb up Birds Knob wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although the new descent down the purple trail was not pleasant. Trying to get down Birds Knob as they had to do in the past would be quite painful.

It was a profound experience. I was able to run the last 3 miles down hill on a gravel road. Or at least it felt like running- it was probably just gravity and the fact that I couldn't stop if I wanted to.

Right now I am pretty sore but I can get around and do the stairs. This is a good way to test if your hand railings on your stairs are weight bearing. Feet are swollen with blisters under the forefoot but the skin never broke down and I didn't tape them so I am happy. No focal tendon pains. No groin pain- hallelujah. Shoulders are really sore from wearing the camel back.

I dont recommend doing this race in the Stonewall Jackson Brigade (ie alone without a pacer or crew) unless you have done several 100 milers before. Although the volunteers are excellent and the course was VERY well marked, the length between the aid stations is quite far, and if the weather were hotter or more humid it could have been real trouble. I feel very lucky to have run it in 25:33- the longest continuous amount of time that I have ever run.

Matt Chaffin
Manlius, NY

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Race for the Cure


My ten year old, Alexandra Beatrice Chaffin-aka: Als, Ally Bea, beebs, ABC...-ran her first 5k yesterday. I am so proud of my girl. Not only did she run the 5K but she ran the kids fun run (1 mile) beforehand! That is my little angel on the left. I am so proud of you Beebs! You can do anything in the world that you put your mind to-ANYTHING!!! mom

Saturday, May 15, 2010

First Hundy

FINALLY got my first century ride in this season. I feel like I'm a little behind schedule. Why is it that I always feel that way? Man did we get lucky with the weather. It was posed to be a mess yesterday and ended up being beautiful. It never did rain and after a few hours the sun came out and it was near 80 by the end of the ride. This is one of the reasons I think I am prepared on race day. If I have a scheduled long ride-I'm gonna do it. My feeling is if it happens to rain on long ride day that is just preparation for possible rain on race day. And for anyone who knows me-it seems to rain ALOT when I race! The ride was HILLY-a great training ride for LP and the wind kicked up towards the end of the ride. Of course it would not have been a long ride without my typical "mom glitch"=that is my 13 year old calls me just as I'm heading out to tell me he forgot his baseball bag. Now I wasn't at home-I had met my peeps at the y and we were riding from there. He needed it by 2:30 and it was now 8:45. So I tell him-"I'll do my best, but I'm riding a hundred miles so anything can happen". So the entire ride he was on my mind-which ANNOYED me since it was due to his lack of responsibility. Anyway, being the good enabler I am-I wanted to get him his bag on time. Because the route we took was so hilly it took a little longer than planned. Lucky for Nate, the route took us right by our house. I quick ran in and got the bag-throw it on my back-back pack style-road it down to the middle school. Everyone looked at me like I was a freak when I walked into the school in my bike gear-and I almost slipped and fell on my ass walking in my bike shoes. Back on my bike and 5 glorious miles downhill to the y. The ride had a total elevation gain of 4200 feet-that was alotta climbing! Good luck to my honey who is in No. Virginia this morning running 100 miles! The Massanutten 100 mile trail run-where there are lots of rattlesnakes-yikes-running with a headlamp with rattlesnakes in the vicinity makes me a little nervous. Especially since I almost sat on a rattlesnake once-more on that later! http://www.vhtrc.org/mmt/

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Know When to Fold Em'

So for me, working out is a way of life. I'm not one of these people who dreads a workout. I never could understand why someone would continue to do something that they clearly did not enjoy. I love swimming, biking, and running. Sure there are days and certain workouts that I whine and complain but overall I'm in this because I really enjoy doing it. In many ways it is my medicine. I do not feel well when I take a day away. I feel sluggish and hungover and completely lacking energy. In an ideal world I would wake up every morning, drink two cups of starbucks, and get right to some kind of work out. The point to all of this...rest does not come easy to me. If I could get away with it I would never ever take a day off. Today my body is telling me I need rest. And I need to listen-I know what can happen when you come to this fork in the road and choose to carry on when your body is screaming for a break. I've had a couple of big weeks and on top of a high mileage week I worked over 48 hours and got very little sleep. Saturday was my 6th night in a row working-I came home and slept for three hours, then ran for 3 hours, then went back to work for my final 4 hour shift at work. It was a cluster of a week-I never work that much but with the kids on break this week and Matt in Boston next week I had to put in some extra time. In two weeks I will be running the New Jersey Marathon and today I struggled with a 6 mile run at an 8:30 pace-not good. The heart rate was low but the quads are not cooperating. So, I bagged the bike this afternoon-despite wanting more than anything to get out and enjoy the sunshine. I will rest if I must and I must. Sigh...jc

Monday, April 19, 2010

Lake Placid 140.6

I have been waivering about Lake Placid for months now. I have to say I was really sad that my three favorite training partners decided not to race LP this year. I was so looking forward to finally racing an Ironman w/my BFF from Maine- Melissa-unfortunately she had a spinal fusion-twice-in recent months so she is a no go. The best part about doing triathlons is getting to share the experience with great friends who totally get it. Cuz let's be honest-most people think this is really crazy. In fact, I remember the first year I did Lake Placid and I would go to the Cavalry Club pool where my kids are on the swim team-the other moms would ask me what I did for training that day and if I rode 90 I would say 30!! Stupid-but I just got sick of trying to explain how I actually enjoyed riding my bike that far. OK-back to Lake Placid-it is my favorite place on earth. I just feel at home there-I could totally move there-and I would LOVE to retire there. I raced my first Ironman there in 2008-that was the year that it poured rain the ENTIRE day. I loved every minute of it. I was having a fantastic day. I had an amazing coach-and I was prepared. Plus-I had that once in a lifetime fire that you get when you do something for the very first time. I was having the race of my life until about mile 93 on the bike when I got my first flat. I had issues with the stem on my race wheel and ended up getting 2 more flats-only had 2 tubes so had to wait for bike tech for 20min in the pouring rain. Three flats from mile 93-108! It was devastating and I need to go back there-I feel like I've got unfinished business there. So now I'm ready. I feel that fire again. When I'm doing my long rides I see myself riding the LP course-I hit a hill and in my mind I'm heading up the three bears. When I'm running the marathon in New Jersey in two weeks I will be running Placid-this is where my heart is. See you there!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Getting Stronger

I've been a total slacker about blogging. This is a really busy time of year in the Chaffin household. Matt and I are both ramping up the mileage for race season and the kids have baseball, lacrosse, swimming, and soccer. This is alittle insane but honestly I function better when I'm crunched for time. It has been interesting for me coaching myself. The best part about it is that I am way more relaxed about my training mentally. When I have a schedule in front of me I tend to get alittle anal retentive and I really freak out if I have to miss a work out-i stress and worry alot about how to fit it in. One of the benefits to going solo is that I find that I listen to my body a whole lot more. I was completely guilty of not being completely honest with my coach about how I was feeling. I was terrified to miss a work out. Now that I am winging it-if I feel like crap I just take it easy that day-no big deal-and when I'm feeling good I can lay down the hammer. For now, it is working. I'm fortunate to still be able to do a large amount of training with Kristen who always pushes me out of my comfort zone. One of the biggest changes I have made thus far is that I have been doubling up on my longish rides. 50+ miles on Monday and then 60+ miles on Friday. I'm alittle panicked that I have yet to do a century (hundy as Adam would say) with Placid less that a hundy days away!! There is time and right now my focus is Eagleman 70.3. On Monday I've just been riding at a relaxed pace-and the past few Sundays I have ran 20 or more miles so the legs are not all there on Monday! On Wednesday Kristen and I did a brick of 25 miles on the bike followed by an hour run. This was a total disaster for me as I was going on less than 3 hours of sleep after working the previous 3 nights in a row. I started the ride out and immediately got a terrible side stitch-the kind you get when you are running really hard-the kind I've never had on the bike! KRoe was hauling up a huge hill and every breath I took was so painful. When we got to the top she said, "You have a bloody nose!" I told her she should just go on cuz i was feeling like crap-the good friend she is she didn't wanna leave me with the nose bleed and all! The run wasn't much better but you know what-I got it done and it is miles in the bank. Some days that is all you can do. I know that it is all making me stronger!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

My little Man


This is my little man and his buds-in the yellow tie-Ian Scott, age 8. As a second grader-this was his first official spring concert up on the big stage at the middle school. Trust me-there will be many more to come!!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Partying w/Stanley...in the rain!

I worked last night 11pm - 7:30am. I only work 2 nights a week-and they are always in a row, never on the weekend, and never on a holiday. It is a sweet set up and I love my job. My first night is always rough because I'm lucky if I get 2 hours sleep going into it. Usually I get none. I came home this morning and was asleep by 8:30. Then awake at 10, then 11, then 12. I finally got up at 12:15-not enough sleep and I'll be feeling the pain at 3am tonite! Anyway-I got up and got right on my bike despite the fact that it was already drizzling outside. We had beautiful weather here in Central NY last week and once I get out on my bike-it is REALLY hard to ride inside on the trainer. So out the door I went-ready for a hill workout. Hills are not hard to come by in these parts. In fact-we live at the highest point in Manlius-so high we are the only neighborhood on a well-cuz they couldn't get the city water up to us! Anyway, I was feeling good and getting bored of doing hill repeats close to home (I didn't wanna get too far away cuz it looked like the skies would open up at any moment and 49degrees in the pouring rain is not fun). So I decided to head over to the infamous Stanley Road-the biggest climb around-and up until today I had managed to avoid meeting up w/Mr. Stanley. So I'm riding along, there were some pretty big hills and then suddenly I am at the top of the steepest freakn hill I've ever seen. Now it is really raining and the road is quite sandy. I realize that this is it-THE WALL-as I have now named it. The problem-I was going to have to ride down it before I could ride up it. I had my ass hanging off the back of my seat because it was so steep I seriously thought i may do an endo (go over the handlebars-for you non-cyclists). I had no idea you could ride up a hill going that slow and not fall over!!! Not to mention that my back tire was spinning in the wet sand. Stanley was everything I imagined and more. We will meet again soon...

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Swimming Woes

Today I was reminded of why I stopped swimming at the y and started swimming at Cazenovia College. At the YMCA they have a water aerobics class(es) every morning between the hours of 8:30 and 10-11:30. This in itself is an issue-because this is my Prime swimming time and it doesn't seem fair to me that they would fill this time w/water aerobics M-F-but they do and they aren't gonna change it. During these class times they close up to 4 out of 6 lanes down for the class. Today they closed down 4 lanes and I was in the lane closest to where the aerobics class was happening in the rest of the pool. As I came to wall for a quick rest, one of aerobics queens tapped me on the shoulder and this is what she said, "Excuse me, I know you are lap swimming, but every time you swim by us you are splashing us. Is there anyway you can not do that??" OMG. Are you Effing kidding me? My response, "Uh, no-there isn't a way I cannot do that-this is a swimming pool!!!" Unbelievable. Back to Caz college I go!

Monday, February 22, 2010

“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” Jack London.

“There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive.” Jack London.

"Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well." Jack London.

You may notice a theme. My friend and running partner Ben Clardy inspired me to read The Call of the Wild last winter. This led to me reading most of Jack London's works. Somehow during my undergraduate reading I had escaped this great American author. After having watched Bruce Mackey win another Iditarod, I had a desire to get out in the wild winter and run a race. The Yukon 300, Susitna and Arrowhead all came to mind, but recently here in my neck of the woods the Beast of Burden came into being. I decided that this would be my fouray into winter racing.

This is the first winter that I have run outside all winter long. In winters past I have run outside intermittently on a sunny day when the roads were well plowed, but this winter I have gone outside every day and night to run, in lake effect snow, frigid wind chill and by the bright cold light of full moon. It has been quite humbling. Running on a snowy trail is significantly more work than anything else I have ever done. Muscles I didnt know that I have have been sore and stiff. The longer one runs the more this seems to set in, and its exponentially effected by the "feels like" temperature. You quickly learn in winter the "feels like" temperature is all that matters. It may say 20 degrees on the thermometer but if the weather channel says it "feels like" 5 or -5, believe it and be ready to freeze your @$% off.

So finally it comes down to the time for the race and although I feel that I have prepared as best as I can I know that anything can happen and that is what I must be prepared for. Let it snow.
Matt

"Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." - William Faulkner

Beast of Burden

Matt is racing the Beast of Burden 100 mile Winter Ultra next Saturday. We don't often get to see each other participate in these crazy events but I will be there as part of his crew for this one. And I'm SO EXCITED. I love to watch Matt race. He is a smarty pants racer. Patient and calculating-and this often leads to a great result. It is so hard not to start out to fast-especially when you are feeling good but Matt is a master at keeping his ego in check. He is not the guy you want to see coming up on you with 10 miles to go. He is not the guy you count out if you see him hurling at mile 60-for him that is just a fresh start. No matter what happens-I know it will be an adventure-a fun one at that. Can't wait!

Monday, February 15, 2010


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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Training for the Triple

Lots of people have been asking me how in the world you train for a triple ironman. Truthfully, I have no clue. One thing I know for sure is that this race will take alot of flexibility and so my plan is to be flexible with my training. I plan to train hard when I'm feeling good and back down when I'm feeling fatigued. The plan for now is to do some serious base training in all 3 disciplines. I'm terrible at keeping a training log-it feels too much like work. Usually at the end of the week I try and tally it up in my head. As far as I can remember here are last weeks totals:
Swim-9,000 yards (3,000 yards straight x 3 days-just building the mileage back up).
Bike-6 hours
Run-7 hours
I should definitely be biking more than running. However, I've been doing a run focus for 6 weeks w/no biking so I am just getting back in the saddle-and the toosh is feelin it! I did get a new saddle-the adamo road which I really like so far-but it does need some tweaking. Next week I will surely have more than 6 hours in the saddle as today I've put in 4!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Oh No!

I just rolled out of bed-0730 on a Saturday morning-that doesn't happen very often. I worked Wednesday and Thursday nights from 2300-0730-and it just kicked my ass this week. So much so that I took yesterday (Friday) off from working out all together. That is something else that doesn't happen very often. Apparently Matt spent the night praying to the porcelain gods all night. I musta been exhausted cuz I never heard a peep. He said he was up every hour. Oh-and because he wasn't feeling well-he slept in our guest room which doesn't have a bathroom connected to it. So...he didn't quite make it to the bathroom on one of his runs...I haven't been back upstairs to assess the damage yet. Our kids are home for winter break for the next 9 days-I'm really hoping this bug has left the vicinity!

So in case you don't know-I work as an oncology nurse a few nights a week. Nights work out so much better for me w/little ones-I'm usually home in time to see Ian off to school. I try not to bring work home with me as I deal w/some pretty heavy stuff. This, however, I felt was worthy of mention. I took care of a young college student who found a lump in his testicle 6 months ago. He ignored it-thought it was a hernia. (I'm shaking my head just thinking of it). Anyway, he did nothing until he was so short of breath he was having a hard time walking. Admitted to the hospital Wednesday-diagnosed w/Testicular Ca w/liver and lung mets stage 3-4 by Wed. night. Thursday morning-total orchiectomy (teste removed-prosthesis implanted) and chemotherapy to be started Friday. And to make this even more heartbreaking-the kid is refusing to tell his parents. I tried my best to get him to call his mom-and I have to admit I was tearing up while I was talking to him..."As a mom-I'm just telling you how serious this is and that your parents would want to know..." Didn't work-he is just convinced he should go it alone. This one haunts me. Came home and sat my 13 and 8 year old boys down and told them if they EVER have any changes in their testicles they need to tell someone THAT day! Tell your boys the same-please-we see this WAY to often.

On a lighter note I am so fired up for the Winter Olympics. I love everything about the Olympics. GO USA!!

Friday, February 12, 2010

My First Comment!!

I can't tell you how excited I was to see that someone had left me a comment! Especially since I hadn't told a soul that I started a blog. Angela Bancroft left me that first comment-she is an amazing triathlete who lives in Maine. Funny thing is-I didn't meet her until I moved to Syracuse. Anyway-I wish I had known her when I was first starting out in this sport. She raced Lake Placid last year and made qualifying for Kona look like a breeze. She just started a coaching business-which I know will be really successful. You can find info about that here http://angesdrivetotri.blogspot.com.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

What's next

The last Ironman I did was in Idaho-Ironman Coeur d'Alene June, 2009. During the swim, I seriously had a near death experience. I made the poor decision of starting in the midst of a group of big guys. As usual, the swim start was a total cluster. A couple of big dudes swam over top of me and I was completely submerged under water. When I surfaced I was frantic and hyperventilating which made it difficult to continue to swim. There is more to that story but this bottom line is that I spent the rest of that day wondering what the hell I was doing. After all, I did not want to die doing a freakn triathlon. I love the sport but my family comes first and I seriously began to question what the hell I was doing. I think that I am still recovering from that day. I kinda lost my passion for the sport after that-call it burn out-whatever-I just wasn't having that much fun anymore. I was putting in alot of hours training and that was not something I was going to continue doing if I wasn't having fun. I decided I needed a new challenge and so I ran the Green Lakes 50K Endurance run in August and then the JFK 50 mile ultramarathon in November. I have basically been trying to figure out what is next ever since. I took six weeks off from biking and swimming. I ran alot and also lifted quite a bit. The thing I was enjoying the most about running was just putting on my sneakers and heading out the door with no plan. Maybe I'd run 5 miles, maybe 20, maybe flats or hills if I felt like it. Running has always been very meditative for me. I can just get in a zone and get lost in thought. Going for a long run feels like one big long prayer to me. I can get my thoughts organized and get things in perspective. It is my medicine. Swimming and biking had become work. I was 40 in November and I think I just don't wanna beat myself up right now. I don't wanna suffer. I'd much rather run easy for 4 hours than run hard for 1. That is just where I'm at. So...I was missing swimming and biking. I got back in the pool and back in the saddle. It felt great to just go long and easy. A little race in Virginia had been lingering in the back of my mind. It sounds crazy. Really, really, crazy. It is what I want to do. It is where my passion lies right now. The Virginia Triple Ironman. Yup. 7.2mile swim; 336m bike; 78.6m run. Must be done in less than 60 hours. That is what is next for me. This is what my season will look like:
May-Jersey Shore Marathon
June-Eagleman 70.3 triathlon
July-Ironman USA (Lake Placid)
August-100 mile ultramarathon
September-Syracuse 70.3
October-Virginia triple ironman

Keepin a record...

I imagine anyone who reads this blogs already knows who we are. But-in case you don't...My name is Joanna Chaffin. I am a 40 year old mother of three beautiful children: Nathaniel-13, Alexandra-10, and Ian-8. I am married to an awesome guy-Matt Chaffin. We live in Manlius, New York-a suburb of Syracuse. We moved here 4 years ago. Prior to that we lived in Maine-where I met my husband and gave birth to all three of our kiddos. Matt was doing his medical residency at Maine Medical Center where I was working as an oncology nurse. We actually met at a bar (shocking I know). Matt eventually completed a Fellowship in Nephrology (he is a kidney doctor) and we moved to Auburn, Maine with our first born, Nate. I was a stay at home mom until this past October when I went back to work part time as an Oncology Nurse at Upstate Hospital in Syracuse. Matt works at every other hospital in town except Upstate. Our kids are very active in school and sports and keep both Matt and I very busy. In our spare time we like to stay active ourselves. Matt is an accomplished ultrarunner and I have run a few ultras and done several Ultra (ironman) distance triathlons. This is our story...