IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge Webinar

 

When I first heard about the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge in 2020, I was intrigued by the possibility that this race would feature a challenging bike course. When the bike course details described an "epic five-mile climb on Route 43 to the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance" and that "Athletes will experience breathtaking views of the valley, as they ride and descend 21-miles of completely closed roads" I couldn't stop thinking about the race. I love challenging race courses as the accomplishment is in the adventure to get to the finish line. My most memorable long distance races have all been on really hard courses. I've raced in St. George many times, I love IM Lake Placid, IM Austria and IM Wisconsin and I have also completed IM 70.3 St. Croix and IM 70.3 Branson (two very tough bike courses - both events are now retired from the IM 70.3 race circuit). 

Where I live, the terrain is extremely technical. There's a lot of climbing, descending, twists and turns. Being able to train on conditions similar to the races that I compete on builds confidence, strength and familiarity. Athough I love challenging bike courses, I recognize that they may come across as scary, unsafe or out of your current capabilities. While I always encourage our athletes to stretch their comfort zone and to try new things, with that comes the responsibility to practice skills and terrain management to ensure safety and confidence on race day. 

If you are registered (or considering registering) for IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge or you'd like to learn a bit more about tackling a challenging bike course, come join me and three other coaches for the "Conquer the Course" webinar hosted by Ironman. 

Conquer the course webinar November 29th at 6:30pm EST.
Register HERE.

If you are interested in learning more about the Ironman 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge event (and course), you can check out my race recaps from the past two years. 
2021 IM 70.3 Blue Ridge
2022 IM 70.3 Blue Ridge

I hope to see you in Roanoke in June 2023! 

IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - Race Recap

 

After two races in 3 weeks (Ironman St. George and IM 70.3 Chattanooga), it felt like we were pros at packing. To be honest, we didn’t really unpack much from racing in Chattanooga 1.5 weeks ago.

We left Greenville around 8am and it was a really smooth and beautiful drive to Roanoke. It took us around 5 hours with stops and the scenery was incredible. Instead of heading straight to our Airbnb, we made our way to the town of Buchannan for Karel to do a shake-out ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway (miles 23-48 on the race course). Karel already had his bottles prepared (and in the cooler) so after a quick change at the gas station, he started his ride. He was joined at the start with our athlete Claire who was also shaking out her legs from the travel on the course.

It wasn’t the best feeling ride to start after sitting for 5 hours and then climbing for 30+ minutes but Karel took it pretty easy and it was nice for him to be on the course (last year I pre-rode the course and Karel drove). I drove in front of Karel, stopped for a few pics and then carried on. Even though Karel rode for almost 26 miles (1:33), it went by fast for me as I was stopping at the scenic points and taking pictures. It was nice for me to also see the course again from the car. Although it was our original plan for Karel to pre-ride the course and for me to drive, I got my period on Thurs morning so I was feeling tired and crappy so I was happy to do nothing that day. I had hoped to get on my bike after we unloaded at our Airbnb but I was exhausted from the day so I just enjoyed Chiptole with Karel (after a Kroger grocery shop) and focused on getting a good night's sleep.

On Friday morning we drove ~45 minutes to our athletes lake house for an open water swim. We had a handful of our athletes meet us there for a warm, ~35 minute wet-suit swim. After the swim we drove back to the Airbnb (we booked the same place as last year in the downtown area) and after we ate, we took a nap. We were both exhausted.

Because of the logistics of this event, you need to check in your bike when you check in for the race. Because we were not checking in until Saturday, there wasn’t much for us to do on Friday. We were both struggling this week with being really tired and running low on motivation so we mustered some energy to get on our bikes in the afternoon and pre-ride the run course for an hour. It was nice to see the run course as it was different than last year. I prefer looped courses so it was good to mentally see each part of the course to help me break it down into segments for the race.

Around 6pm, we picked up pizza from Grace’s Place Pizzeria and enjoyed a team dinner (and pre-race chat) with our 20+ athletes (and supporters) that were racing.

On Saturday morning, we rode on the run course and then backtracked the last few miles of the bike course (which was also new this year) as part of our pre-race warm-up. We dropped our run stuff off at our athletes house which was on the run course so that we could do a quick brick run from her house. After riding for around 50 minutes, Karel went for a 22 minute, 3.4 mile brick run and I went for a 12 minute, 1.6 mile run. We both ran until we felt good and surprisingly, we both felt really good running. This came as a huge relief (and a bit of a surprise) as we were really tired going into this race.

After our warm-up  we biked back to our place, enjoyed some homemade French toast and then ate pretty much the same things that we have been eating before the last two races. I enjoy Amy’s no chicken chicken noodle soup, bagel w/ peanut butter, jam and banana, yogurt w/ berries and banana and veggie burger w/ a slice of cheese and corn chips (not necessarily in that order). I also always have 2 waffles w/ peanut butter and syrup before I do my pre-race workouts.

We got our run gear together and double checked our bikes (charged the night prior) and drove 2 miles to the race venue at River’s Edge Sports Complex around 11am. After dropping off our bikes in a supervised area, we picked up our race packet, got our swim shuttle time cards and our parking passes and then went back to our bikes to put on the race numbers. We then dropped off our bikes so that they could be shuttled to the cove (no cars/biking allowed at the reservoir prior to race day). We then put our bib numbers on our belts and double checked our run bags and hung those on the run racks in T2.

As for the rest of the day, besides eating, Karel watched Unbound Gravel and I watched a few episodes of We Crashed on Apple TV. We prepared our sport nutrition bottles for race day and went to bed pretty early – around 7pm – as we were both really tired.

RACE DAY
I slept horribly on Saturday night. I pretty much saw every hour on the clock from 8 until 2am. I have no idea why I slept so bad since I slept so well the two nights prior. I eventually moved to the couch to see if changing positions would help and sure enough, I was able to fall asleep around 2pm, only to wake up to my alarm at 3:15am. I relied on past experiences and trusted myself that even though I was extremely tired, I knew I would still be able to perform.

We had our pre-race meals (oatmeal concoction for Karel and a bagel w/ nut butter, jam and banana and yogurt for me) and then each went for a short jog outside (kinda sketchy in the downtown area so we stayed close to our building) to help get the system going. We left our place at 4:00am, parked in the parking garage across from the venue and then walked to the bus to board around 4:30am. The shuttle took around 30 minutes to get to the venue (plus the additional time waiting in a church parking lot due to tight roads around the lake, only letting a few buses in at a time).

When we arrived, we walked to the packed transition area and Karel pumped up our tires with his cordless inflater (he removed pressure from our tires overnight since it was a warm 80-degree day and our bikes were out all day). We filled up our hydration system and placed the front bottle on our aerobar cage and then we were set to go to the bathroom and warmup. There wasn’t much room to warm-up in the transition area so a handful of Trimarnis gathered together and we did some mobility in one spot before putting on our wetsuits. It was great to have so many familiar faces around to keep the energy positive.

Around 6:15am, we made our way to the swim start area to line up with our respective swim times. Karel and I lined up around the 27-30 min swim wave, along with a few other of our athletes. Although it was a cool morning (in the upper 50’s), the water was warm (75 degrees) so I was anticipating being a bit uncomfortable for the swim. I poured some cold water down my wetsuit to get myself ready for the swim. I also sipped on a plastic bottle of Skratch and threw it away right before the swim start. It took a few minutes for us to get to the end of the dock and shortly after 6:30am, we jumped into the water for 70.3 Blue Ridge.

1.2 mile Swim
Marni – 29:15
Karel – 29:18
I remembered this swim to be a fast swim as it was easy to navigate on the course. There was a bit of sun in our eyes after the 2^nd turn buoy (going into the 3^rd and last turn buoy) so I trusted those in front of me to lead the way until I was able to sight the turn buoy. Although Karel and I didn’t start right next to each other, I was able to see Karel for most of the swim (I recognized his orange ROKA goggle strap). Although we weren’t right next to each other, we somehow stayed together for most of the swim but I made an extra effort to pick up the pace at the end to make sure I could beat Karel out of the water. I tried to push the swim but I felt like I only had one speed. When I exited the water, Karel was right there next to me and we both ran to our bikes at the same time.

T1
Marni – 3:10
Karel – 2:45
We didn’t say much to each other in the transition but as we were getting our bikes off the rack, I told Karel to get in front of me as I knew he would be able to run much faster with his bike than me. It was a very long run (almost 0.2 mile) to the mount line and Karel was moving so much faster than me. This was the last time that I saw Karel until the run.

56 mile Bike
Marni – 2:47.19
Karel – 2:39.35
The first few miles of the bike are fun – twisty turny tight country roads (similar to some of our terrain). I passed a few girls in those early miles. Around 5.5 miles in, I was passed by a girl who was riding extremely strong. She later went on to win the overall female title in a crazy fast time on this course. I tried to stay with her and I was somewhat successful. She was very strong on the flat sections so that was where I really had to work hard. It was a bit chilly out (in the low 60’s) but I found myself warming up nearing the end of the first part of the course. Although it was net downhill to Buchannan, there were enough rollers to get the legs working. Plus, we had a bit of headwind as well.
The first hour went by fast before we made the turn to start the ~5 mile climb to the blue ridge parkway. I was able to stay with her on the climb but near the top, I got dropped. It wasn’t that my legs were done but she was so much stronger than me and I couldn’t hang. I wanted to ride the climb hard as I knew I would be able to recover in the last 10 miles of the course. I wasn’t doing a great job with my nutrition as I was finding it hard to keep a good schedule with drinking as I was working really hard on the climb (it took me 31 minutes to climb 4.7 miles – the “claw”). This part of the course was marked with turn signs letting us know how many more turns we had until the top (8 in total – although there were a few that were not accounted for 😊).  By this point, there weren’t a lot of other riders on the course around me which was good and bad. I found the middle section to be much easier than the last time I did the course, even though there was a bit of wind. I think knowing the course better than last year helped me break it down mentally. The next ten miles were rolling – the climbs were long and steady and the downhills were fast enough to shake out the legs. Finally, once we got to the start of the long “downhill” I was really excited to use my improved bike handling skills from winter group riding and mountain biking. The next 8.6 miles were super fun and fast – I average almost 27 mph. I was passed by another girl (the one who beat me by 2 seconds last year) before the descend and at this point, the two girls ahead of me were out of sight – and I tried to get them out of mind.
I enjoyed being on my bike but I was also ready for the bike to be overwith. I started to feel a small battle with my thoughts after the descend but with 10 miles left to go, I tried to push the negativity to the side. I saw a girl ahead of me on a road bike and she was riding the climbs really strong but not as fast on the downhills so I used her as motivation to keep myself pushing.
Karel had a great bike with no back pain. He was really happy with how he rode the course and riding the course on Thursday helped as he could break it down into segments.

For nutrition, I used Skratch Super Fuel for all my bottles (~600 calories in the hydration frame and 400 calories in the front bottle). Karel used C90 in the hydration frame (740 calories) and 2 servings C30 in the front bottle (240 calories).

The last few miles were a bit more technical through neighborhood streets and it was much more hilly than the last few miles of the 2021 course. This new course was also about 1 mile longer than last year. When I got close to T2, I was relieved to be done with the bike and I was actually looking forward to the run.

I dismounted my bike and ran my bike on to the grass field to my rack.

T2
Marni – 2:07
Karel – 2:09
I quickly put on my running shoes (Nike Zoom) and Naked Running band and as I was running out of transition, I put on my visor and sunglasses. I had two 10-ounce flasks (each with 1 scoop C30) and when I got to the fluid station at the end of the transition area, I asked a volunteer to fill up one of my flasks while I filled up the other one. This was the same approach that I took for St. George (to fill up bottles right before I ran) instead of leaving my bottles w/ sport nutrition and water in it during the day before in the transition area. Karel did the same with his 12-ounce flask – he started with C30 and then refilled it with a packet of Green Tea Matcha Skratch as he was running. He also had one Maurten gel on the course. Karel had a few sips of coke, I didn’t use any coke on this course.

13.1 mile run
Marni – 1:44.37
Karel – 1:23.07
Once I started running, I felt ok – not great but not bad. The first mile was nice as there was a bit of undulation with the terrain to help change up my run rhythm. As I was nearing the first mile, I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom (#2). I normally don’t have to go to the bathroom in a half IM but I think the combo of my period starting on Thursday and being a bit off with my sport nutrition intake on the bike and probably not emptying myself completely on race day morning contributed to needing to go again. I stopped at the first port-o-potty as I didn’t want to take any risks waiting for the next one. It was a quick stop to go to the bathroom but because it was getting warmer out (low 70’s) my tri kit was a bit sticky so it took me a bit to get it back on. Plus subconsciously, I think I was enjoying not running and was delaying my time to go back out and start racing again. The stop took around 1:45.

I was looking forward to seeing Karel as well as seeing how many girls were ahead of me. The first 3.5 miles to the turn around felt long but I just focused on one mile at a time, looking forward to each aid station. The course was mostly flat but there were enough inclines on the running path to help change up my gait. I got a pick me up when I saw Karel as he was making his way back from the first turn around and he told me I was in 4^th place. Once I saw the top 3 girls pass by me, they all looked really young so I assumed I was winning my age group. Part of me wanted to push it to see if I could catch the 3^rd place girl but part of me was just happy to find a good rhythm and not suffer too much. I think my mind was protecting my body and not letting me push it like I did in Chattanooga 70.3 two weeks ago. My mind knew I was carrying around a lot of fatigue and it was trying to keep me safe. I had a lot of mental demons on the run and I was so close to quitting around mile 4-5. I hit a really deep low spot and the rest of the run just felt impossible. I took a quick walk break at the aid station and just told myself to get back to mile 6-7 (the split in the course) and then I could walk or quit. Thankfully, I changed my mind and I started to find my energy pick up again. I was keeping up with my nutrition and using water for cooling. I was having trouble finding ice at all the aid stations so it was nice when I had it to hold in my hands. I started to get more of a pick me up when I saw more of our athletes out on the course. Even though I was running pretty well pace wise, my mind was still trying to get me to quit. Each aid station was a great pick me up and I was really looking forward to the last half of the course – which had much more to it with more inclines/declines in the road, bridges and more turns. I really like dynamic run courses. I saw Karel on his way back with only a few miles left and he was really pushing it. He had moved up several spots and I was inspired by his effort.

The last two miles were rough and the last mile seemed to take forever but I was so happy to finally make the turn on to the bridge and make my way to the finish line.

I met up with Karel and we were both relieved and happy to have completed this race and to have successfully raced 3 long distance triathlons in 29 days. Karel won his age group by almost 8 minutes and I won my age group by 18 minutes. It was strange that both me and Karel struggled a bit mentally in this race but that we both were able to deliver a strong performance. Karel had an incredible run (faster than what he did in Chattanooga 70.3).
Marni – 5:06.52, 4^th overall amateur female, 1^st AG (40-44)
Karel – 4:37.00, 5^th overall, 1^st AG (45-49)

After our race, we hung around the finish line and waited for all of our athletes to finish. It was so awesome to see their faces of relief, happiness and exhaustion as they crossed the finish line. It was fun to exchange race stories with one another at the awards ceremony and see several of our athletes get top 5 podium awards as well as World 70.3 slots. Karel and I turned down our slots for 70.3 Worlds in St. George in October as we have two international trips planned for August and late September but we plan to be in St. George to spectate our athletes who will be racing. And a big congrats to our team for placing 1st overall Tri Club at IM 70.3 Blue Ridge!! 

I still can’t believe what we were able to do with our bodies and minds within 4 weeks. Neither one of us went into our races with expectations, a race plan or any pressure to meet a specific outcome. We felt free in the mind to do what we love to do which is swim, bike, run in a race day setting.

And no race is complete without doggy cuddles. This little girl was extra cute! 

IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - Quick Recap

 

Our racing block was a success.
We completed three long distance triathlons in 29 days. 

May 7th - Ironman World Championship (St. George, Utah)
May 22nd - Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN)
June 5th - Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge (Roanoke, Virginia)

The past 4 weeks have been fun, exciting, challenging and empowering. 

FUN
Although traveling can be stressful, we love our race-cations. In St. George, Karel re-connected with his friends from Czech. We were reunited with the beauty of the red rocks in and around St. George. In Chattanooga and Roanoke, we had over 20 Trimarni team members participating in each race. It was so great to see familiar faces. We love racing and being able to travel to three different places in a month was a lot of fun. Each race provided us with a different race experience and unique course features. The community support, volunteers and professionalism for each race was incredible and we felt welcomed (and safe) at every race venue. 

EXCITING
I forgot to mention that Karel finished 4 races in 6 weeks! He completed his first 8-hour mountain bike race (and won it!) in Tennessee two weeks before IM St. George. We did not feel overwhelmed by this racing block but instead, focused on one race at a time. We went into this racing block healthy, resilient and strong - even though our training over the past few months was a bit unconventional. It was exciting to have so many unknowns going into Chattanooga and Blue Ridge, as well as how we would perform at IM St. George. Karel had not raced an Ironman distance since 2019 and going into the race, he was a bit ambivalent about continuing to race long distance triathlons. But racing with no pressure or expectations provided freedom to enjoy the day. We both surprised ourselves with great performances and I shocked myself with my first ever podium finish at the Ironman World Championship. We both felt really good at IM 70.3 Chattanooga and I had my fastest ever 70.3 performance - just shy of the age of 40! And Karel won his age group. And with both 70.3 events, Karel found himself running faster and faster! We recently won our respective age groups at Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge and Karel finished 6th overall and I was 4th female amateur. It was exciting to see what our bodies were able to do at each race.

CHALLENGING
The travel, logistics, packing and unpacking and saying good-bye to our furry crew every other weekend was tough. Balancing these races with work was also a challenge. But the hardest challenge was keeping the body moving after each race to help with the recovery. The first few days after the Ironman were rough but the body finally started to come around in the 10 days before Chattanooga. But then again we were "only" carrying the fatigue from an Ironman. Going into Blue Ridge, things got tough - very very tough. We were tired, exhausted and we could feel a bit more deep soreness lingering around. Trying to recover from Chattanooga 70.3 and Ironman St. George proved to be a big challenge - and we felt it. It was harder to "show up" to workouts, even though we weren't doing a lot between each race compared to what we would have done in the lead up to a 70.3. I was very tired going into Blue Ridge and I couldn't seem to get enough sleep to feel rested. The races were finally catching up to me (as to be expected) and I was feeling tired. Karel seemed to be a bit more energized than me going into Blue Ridge so I wonder if my hormones and getting my period on Thursday of Blue Ridge race week also affected me. We started and finished this racing block with two very challenging bike courses (7000 feet elevation on the bike in St. George and 4000 in Blue Ridge). We asked a lot from our bodies to race in heat, on hills, in cold water, in warm conditions and so much more. 

EMPOWERING
Anytime you do something for the first time, there are unknowns. We learned so much about ourselves over 4 weeks - in training and on race day. We have so much more gratitude for our body and mind and what they can do on race day. We stayed healthy between every race - free of sickness, burnout and injury. We put our energy into what we could control to keep us healthy. Even when we were tired, sore and exhausted, the body was still willing to work and the mind was there to keep the body going. With each race, we didn't race with any goals, metrics or an outcome focus. We simply stayed in the present moment. With each race, we become a smarter, more strategic, better and more confident with our abilities. Although we didn't gain fitness from race to race, we certainly became better racers. 

Last year at Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge, I crossed the line first but because of the rolling start, I finished second. I lost the race by 2 seconds. Returning this year, certainly I wanted to finish first but I also knew it would be greedy of me to expect that I could race at my best after racing twice before Blue Ridge. I knew that I could be competitive but I also didn't feel the pressure that I needed to win to feel satisfied. Last year, Karel watched the race on the sidelines due to a broken hand, just a week out of surgery. I wanted so badly to share the course with Karel last year and I was so thankful that we could share the course together this year. Racing is so much more than needing to prove something. It's a day to explore the abilities and capabilities of your body and mind. 

Often times, the pressure felt on race day becomes paralyzing. Athletes become overwhelmed with the need to prove something and racing becomes demoralizing. Racing should be fun. It's a celebration of months and months of hard work. Racing is also exciting, challenging and empowering. Racing should be shared and celebrated with others.

During our pre-race team talk/pizza party on Friday, Karel and I talked to our athletes about having an explorative mindset on race day. Instead of racing with a mindset of "I have to do this" we wanted our athletes to race with a mindset of "let's see what I can do." Racing should not feel like a test - pass or fail. In each one of our races, we went in with no expectations but instead, a mindset of "let's see what happens." 

It was an incredible experience to see what our body and mind could do race after race after race. We learned so much about racing and about ourselves.

Now it's time for a well-deserved reboot as we recover from the past month of racing and prepare our body and mind for the next block of racing adventures. 

Race report coming soon......

IM 70.3 Blue Ridge Results
Marni: 5:06.52, 1st AG (40-44), 4th overall female
Swim: 29:15
T1: 3:10
Bike: 2:47 
T2: 2:07
Run: 1:44.37

Karel: 4:37.00, 1st AG (45-49), 6th overall 
Swim: 29:18
T1: 2:34
Bike: 2:39
T2: 2:09
Run: 1:23.07

IM 70.3 Blue Ridge Race Recap

 

Saturday - one day out
The pre-race routine was a bit different than normal at this race. After a restless night of sleep, I woke up feeling super tired. I was hoping that my morning ride would wake me up but all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. I pre-rode the run course twice (which was marked with arrows on the ground) and included a few pickups on the course where it felt safe to do so (it's on the Greenway so there were other bikers and runners/walkers to navigate through). As I was riding, I mentally put myself into certain scenarios and made mental notes of what sections would feel tough and where I would find myself feeling strong. The run course was not flat but instead, gentle inclines spread out throughout the two loop, out and back, out and back course.

I received this in my packet when I checked in.

After I returned back to our Airbnb, I told Karel that I felt so tired and my legs felt super heavy. Karel suggested that I not run but I wanted to do a short run just to remind myself that even with tired legs, I can still keep good form and run well. After my ~75 min spin, I ran for all of six minutes just to shake them out. I came back feeling tired but also excited to race. I had trust in my body and I knew it would know what to do once I started the race. 

View on the run course. 

After I ate my breakfast of a cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter and banana along with two hardboiled eggs, I finished packing my gear bags and headed down to the race venue a little before 10am. My scheduled check-in time was 10-11am and unlike past races, this race required us to check-in our bike when we checked in for the race. Karel dropped me off and I made my way through the check-in line and then selected my run drop off ticket time (I choose to drop everything off at that time) and then I picked up my bus ticket. I asked to be on the 4:45am bus and was able to receive a ticket for that time. After I got all my stuff, I walked to the car where Karel parked and I put the bike stickers on my bike and put my bib number on my hydration belt. I had my two flasks for the run filled only with powder as I didn't want to fill them w/ water and powder on Saturday and sit out in the 90-degree heat for 24 hours. Karel and Campy walked with me as I checked in my run gear bag (no access to our run bag on race morning) and then dropped off my bike to be loaded on to a truck to transport to T1. I was a bit nervous about having someone else transport my bike but after seeing how they were safely racking the bike on a rope and wrapping each individual bike with moving blankets, I felt much better about the situation. I deflated my tires a bit before as the bike would be sitting out in the hot sun for the entire day. 

In my run bag I had: my Roka sunglasses, a cooling towel (pre-wet and stored inside a baggy), two flasks w/ Skratch Orange powder (1 scoop each), my hydration belt (Naked), New Balance running shoes and my visor. I had all of the loose items in a throw away plastic bag so that I could quickly pick everything up at once and put things on as I was running to save time. The only things I planned to put on at my transition before the run was my shoes and my hydration belt.

After dropping everything off, I was so tired and just wanted to sleep. Karel encouraged me to take a short nap as he reminded me that I probably wouldn't sleep well anyways the night before the race. I was hesitant to nap as I am not much of a napper but it felt really good to lay in bed for about 2 hours and lightly sleep for about 45 minutes. We watched some of Unbound Gravel in the afternoon and I spent a little time on mobility and foam rolling throughout the afternoon. As for the rest of my meals, I had a bag of basmati rice (microwave kind) combined with a can of Amy's no chicken chicken noodle soup. I did the same thing before Chatty and it worked really well. I haven't been having any vegetables in 24 hours before my races and I just stick with easy to digest foods. I ate all of the rice/soup in the afternoon (I hate some at 2pm and then the rest at 4pm) and snacked on pretzels, granola and blueberries throughout the day. I laid down for bed around 7pm and feel asleep around 8pm. I slept pretty good until around 1pm and then I was lightly sleeping until my alarm went off at 3:30am. 

Race Day
After I woke up, I took my time getting out of bed and made myself a cup of coffee (I do Nescafe Gold instant coffee) and a Cinnamon Raisin Bagel w/ peanut butter, strawberry jelly and a banana. I had no problem getting down my pre-race meal. I also had a glass of water. After I ate my food and did some mobility and foam rolling, I went for a short jog around the block to get my digestive system going. I ran into our neighbor across the hall and he needed a ride to the venue so we happily offered to take him. Oddly enough - his bib number was 705 and mine was 703! How crazy. Around 4:10am we left for the race venue at Rivers Edge Sports Complex. Karel drove us (Campy came along for the ride) and arrived just before 4:20am. I was able to get on a bus just before 4:30am and ended up sitting next to our athlete Greg. I brought with my two bags - my morning clothes bag with my swim stuff (I brought my swim skin just in case as it was right on the verge but ended up being wetsuit legal at 76.0) and my bike bag w/ my helmet, socks and cycling shoes, along with my bike nutrition and bike computer. 
After a 40 minute ride to the lake (which included a 20 minute wait at a church parking lot to let other buses through due to the small and tight roads at Carvins Cove Resevior, we arrived right around 5:30am. During the 20 minute wait, I decided to make good use of my time by putting on my AMP cream on my legs and arms/shoulders, sunscreen and body glide. 

It was nice to finally get off the bus, take off my mask (required on the bus) and check out the lake and transition area for the first time (we were the first people to ever be allowed to swim at the cove). I made my way to my bike and my first priority was to check my bike to make sure it was safe to ride. I checked the tires, brakes, electronic shifting and gears. Afterward I found a pump and pumped up my tires. I accidentally bent my valve and got a little worried so I called Karel and he reassured me that I would be ok. After I set up my transition area and my sport nutrition (INFINIT in the hydration frame "bottle" and Carbo-Hydration from NBS in the BTA (between the aerobars) bottle, I then did a walk through of the transition area so that I knew what row my bike was in and how I would run to my bike after getting out of the water and then where I would exit the transition area. The transition area was pretty packed and tight so after I visualized my strategy from swim to bike and took note of the row that I was in for my bike (as well as any visual landmarks to help me quickly identify my bike) I made my way toward the port-o-potties and found several of our athletes doing some dynamic warmups by the swim start area. It was so great to be around so many of our athletes (we had 18 athletes racing) as I just love our team and all the positive energy they radiate. 

After doing a warm-up jog and going to the bathroom, I checked my bike once more and then dropped off my clothes bag and put on my wetsuit and cap and grabbed my goggles and throw away sport drink bottle of Skratch (strawberry lemonade). I took 5 Gu aminos and had 2 Ginger Cliff chews around 6:10am, which was about the time we started lining up for the swim start of 6:30am. I found Kaley and Lisa, two great Trimarni swimmers and we chatted and laughed for the next 20 minutes, which was great energy to start the race. We positioned ourselves in the back of the 28-30 minute swim group. After the national anthem, the gun went off and it was time to start the race. 

1.2 mile swim - 28.17, 3rd fastest female swim, 1st fastest age group (35-39)

I anticipated that the water would be warm at 76 degrees and with a wetsuit (non wetsuit legal is 76.1) but after jumping off the dock into the clean water of the reservoir, it was refreshing to finally be in the water. The course layout made it really easy to find a good rhythm as we swam out to the first turn buoy and then followed yellow buoys (I think that was the color) for the first half of the swim and then it switched to orange buoys for the 2nd half of the swim. I just focused on one buoy at a time. The water was clean, fresh and not choppy which made for a pleasant and fast swim. I was passing a lot of swimmers and after making my way to the next red turn buoy, I couldn't believe how fast this swim was going and how amazing the water felt - it was so clean! And the mountains around us were so beautiful. I was swimming super happy and didn't want it to end. As I made my way around the 2nd turn buoy, the water started to get a little choppy so I just changed up my rhythm and found myself passing more people. As I made my way to the swim exit, I felt like I had a good swim but had no idea until the end of the race how fast I swam. This may have been my fastest ever 70.3 swim! I don't wear a watch when I swim in a triathlon race so I had no idea of my time until Karel told me after I crossed the finish line. 

T1 - 3:13
I removed my cap and my goggles and removed my wetsuit to my waist. As I took off the sleeves, I let go of my cap and goggles so that they would stay in the arm of the wetsuit (one less thing to carry). I made my way through the tight transition area and started my bike computer, put on my socks and cycling shoes (I wore my compression socks under my wetsuit) and put on my helmet (visor up so that it wouldn't fog). I grabbed my extra "emergency" nutrition (Skratch krispy bar, Ginger Cliff chews and a gel) and put my swim stuff in my Blue gear bag so that it could be shuttled back to the finish area. I made my way out of the transition area. I was expected to mount the bike right after crossing the bike out arch but we had to mount our bikes at the top of a hill...which made for a very long run with cycling shoes on out of the transition area. But since we had a lot of climbing to do to get out of the transition area, I didn't stress about it and just made my way as quick as I could to the mount line, moved my way to the far right and out of the way of other riders and got on my bike, clipped in and off I went. 

56-mile point-to-point bike, 20.46 mph average, ~3300 feet elevation gain (it ended up being 55.2 miles), 3rd fastest female bike, 1st fastest age group.

Picture credit

The first 2.5 miles of the course are punchy and technical. The road condition was pretty good so I just stayed mostly on my base bars as to not take any risks in this beginning section. I was passing several cyclists and wanted to safely make my way onto the main road - Lee Hwy. Having driven the course (and riding the 28-miles on the Blue Ridge) on Thursday was really helpful as I knew what to expect in each part of the course. The next 21 miles were on gentle rollers that allowed us to ride pretty fast, mostly in the aerobars. After passing several athletes in the first few miles of this section, I found myself pretty alone with just a few guys in front of me (or passing me). I was able to settle into a good rhythm and my legs felt pretty good. I had good energy and I was really looking forward to the climb. I took in 2 Clif Ginger chews around 15 minutes before the climb (around mile 19 of the bike). As we made our way NorthEast to Buchanan, we rode on well-paved roads surrounded by fields and beautiful mountain views. The sections of the road that had two lanes were coned off for us. The police and race staff did an exceptional job marking the course and keeping us safe. And it was just a treat to know that the entire Blue Ridge was closed for us (no cars). I didn't focus much on my computer but I was averaging 23.4 mph for the first 23 miles (59 minutes). After making the turn to head to the Blue Ridge, we started the climb and approached the "conquer the Claw" inflatable arch.

For the next 4.76 miles and 30 minutes (averaging 9.25 miles), I switched my computer over from my metric screen showing lap time, speed, cadence, lap normalized power and 3 sec power to my navigation screen. Since I had the map loaded in my Garmin from Thursday's ride, I found it beneficial to have it on as I was riding on the Blue Ridge so that I always knew exactly where I was on the course and how many more miles I had left in each part of the climb. This helped me with pacing and also helped me execute the climb to the best of my ability. After the first 23 miles, I did not have any metrics on my screen for the remainder of the ride and just entirely rode by feel and used my navigation on my computer to help me with my pacing. I stayed up on my liquid nutrition and took in another two chews before the long descend (around mile 34 in the bike). There was nice cloud cover which kept me feeling comfortable. Although I remained the female leader on the course until we finished the Blue Ridge, on the tracker I was "virtually" passed somewhere after 27 miles. Kathryn Buss is a local professional cyclist and triathlete and completely crushed the bike course. When she passed me with only 6 miles to go, she flew by me. She told me "great riding"  but I didn't even have time to say anything to her. Part of me was a little crushed that she was flying by me but I also kinda liked not being the leader and instead being the chaser. I felt this to be a little less stressful starting the run and not having to worry about who was behind me but instead focusing on who was in front of me. 
I passed several guys on the course and many of them gave me a cheer and were super nice. Also the spectators and volunteers were incredible. I grabbed a bottle of water on the 2nd aid station to sip and cool myself but the aid stations were a bit dicey and dangerous with bottles falling everywhere so I didn't grab one at the last aid station. I ended up finishing 400 calories of INIFNIT in 1.2 liters of water and then another 26 ounce bottle of NBS Carbohydration with 200 calories. In total I consumed 600 calories of liquid nutrition and about 120 calories worth of Cliff Chews (Ginger). So ~720 calories for the 2:42 hr ride. The views on the Blue Ridge were stunning and although I was in race mode, I made sure to enjoy the moment and find gratitude in this experience. The last few miles of the Blue Ridge were a little punchy as the rollers didn't have good rhythm to them so it was a bit more of climbing than descending but once we turned on to the main road again from the BR parkway, it was a fast and fun, semi technical 6 miles into town. We rode through the downtown of Roanoke and it was great to have so many cheers throughout the course. 

T2 - 2:16
After dismounting my bike, one of my cycling shoes fell off the pedal as it hit the ground. I didn't realize it until a volunteer ran up to me with my shoe. It was a long run on the grass field to my spot on the rack with my run bag. As I was making my way to my rack, I saw the leading girl run out of the transition. At this point I was virtually 2:39 behind her (although it was only about 90 seconds in the moment due to the rolling start). I removed my jersey and put all my bike stuff in my bag and put on my running shoes and hydration belt and grabbed my bag with all my stuff and ran out of the transition area. I made my way to the bottle fill table and filled up my flasks with water (a volunteer helped me) from cups and then made my way through the run course on the grass (which I liked the soft surface) as I put on my visor, sunglasses and cooling towel. 

13.1 mile run (it ended up being 13.2 miles), 1:43:50 (Garmin had 1:42.49, 7:48 min/mile - just a few seconds slower per min/mile than Chatty two weeks ago). 5th fastest AG, 9th fastest overall female. 

As I started the run, I expected to see Karel to give me an update but no Karel. I was a little worried but later learned that Campy needed to smell every bush and it's hard to speed walk with our 13.5 year old pup. The first mile out to the aid station was ok but I didn't feel the best. I just didn't feel like I had good rhythm so I made a quick stop after the aid station to reset my form and stretch out for a few seconds. I had the 2nd biker in front of me which was nice for added cheers as I was the 2nd female on the course. I knew I had some strong and fast female athletes behind me but I used the first loop to just find a good rhythm. I sipped on my flasks about every mile and as needed if I needed a pick-me up. No GI issues. It was getting hot and there was no ice on the course for the first few miles, just water in cups. 
As I made my way back to the spectator field street, I got a little pick me up. I saw Karel and he told me I was sitting steady in 2nd and 3rd place was over 7 minutes behind me. As I made my way to the far end of the course, I started to feel a little better but had to throw in another reset stretch at the far loop of the course. After making my way on the wooden bridge and finally getting some ice in my sports bra (makes for a great ice holder) and then holding on to it as I ran, I started to finally feel better. Around mile 4 I was almost 4.5 minutes down from first so my focus was just on maintaining 2nd place. As more athletes got on the course, I felt my energy pick up. I found my form and was really soaking in all of the cheers. And anytime I saw one of our athletes, I felt an instant boost. Although I wasn't making much gain on 1st place, 3rd and 4th place were running really fast and were gaining time on me. Karel was really encouraging and every time I saw him, he knew just what to tell me. I was sad that he had to defer his entry due to his broken hand so I felt like I had to run for him - just like I did at Chatty 70.3 two weeks ago. Although it was getting really hot, I do well running in the heat and historically, I get stronger as the run goes on. After checking off the last short out and back section, I only had about 5 miles left. I didn't feel the best between miles 8-10 so I just focused on my form and managing my effort in the heat. I never felt overheated but I also was doing all that I could to prevent a massive slowdown. Still at 7.4 miles, I was 4 minutes behind the 2nd place girl. At mile 10, the gap had closed to just under 2 minutes. I was passing several guys and they were telling me that "she's just ahead, you can catch her." I didn't want to take too many risks as I still had three more miles to go but as I got to the wooden bridge again before the exposed hot part of the course (with an awesome aid station filling me with great energy) I could see first place in my sights. At this point I didn't think that I would get first even if I passed her as I didn't think I had gained enough time on her with her lead leaving T2. But as a competitor, I wasn't going to let up and I thought it would be really cool to still cross as first female finisher and hold the tape at the finish line (which was my goal going into the race). 
At the aid station I did a quick reset break as I knew I would have to give everything I had in those final miles. I took a quick sip of coke and I was on a mission. Just after the aid station at mile 11, I pass the leading girl and I was now in first place. Still not knowing if I was the virtual leader, it felt pretty incredible to be leading the race as the cheers from the athletes on the course and the spectators were giving me so much energy. I continued to take sips from my flasks to keep my blood sugar up as my brain was working overtime to continue to work with my muscles to keep me moving forward. I was doing everything I could to stay strong and I was soaking in the moment behind the first female biker in front of me. I was surprised to see Karel w/ around 1/2 mile to go as I expected him to be at the finish. When I saw him he told me "You have to give everything you have - no letting up. It's going to be really close!!" I assumed he was talking about the girls behind me as I didn't think I had ran fast enough to finish far enough behind the girl that I passed. I just assumed Karel was making sure that I stayed 2nd. As I sprinted my way up and over a short bridge and on to the grass, I made my way to the finish line and I was greeted with the tape as the first female finisher of this inaugural event. 

As I held up the tape, I was engulfed with a lot of photographers and media which was a bit overwhelming as I was so exhausted. I just fell to the ground and tried to come back to life from such a tough battle. Even the race announcer Dave was shocked that I had overtaken the leader in the closing miles. When 2nd place crossed the line, she also had the tape in front of her and she was a bit confused. I told her that there was a good chance that she was the winner of the race and she was shocked. When we finally got the news that I was 2nd overall female by only 2 seconds (and 3rd and 4th were just 75 seconds behind me), I was a little bummed but I was extremely grateful for the race I put together, especially two weeks after a breakthrough race at IM 70.3 Chattanooga. It was a battle to the finish line and I loved every minute of it. 

Picture source

Finishing time: 5:00.14 (winners time 5:00.12). 
1st Age group (35-39) (out of 50)
2nd Place female (out of 397)
41st overall (out of 1379)

I did a few interviews with the media that was there and then got myself a coke and water before walking to the run course to meet up with Karel. During this long walk to the other side of the river, I had time to collect my thoughts and to find the positives from this race experience. I could look at it that I was only two seconds away from the overall female win but I chose to see it as I closed the gap down to 2 seconds and held off 3rd and 4th place. I didn't feel broken after the race so that was a good reminder that my body is healthy and strong and I did a good job fueling and hydrating during the race.

After cheering for our athletes for the next hour, we made our way to the finish line area, chatted with our athletes that had finished, picked up my bike and bags and then went back to our Airbnb around 2pm. Although I turned down my IM 70.3 World Championship slot at IM 70.3 Florida in April and at IM 70.3 Chattanooga, I decided to accept my slot and give it a go at my 3rd IM 70.3 World Championship (although I have a DNS for the first two as I was injured for the first one in Clearwater after competing in my first Ironman World Championship with hip issues and then I fainted on race day morning for IM 70.3 Worlds in Chatty). I'm hopeful that this time around I will be able to start....and finish. 

Video clip post race (~1:25 min)

Thank you for the cheers and kind words on and off the course, via email, text message and on social media. I appreciate them all and I hope that I can continue to inspire and motivate you to do incredible things with your amazing body. I loved the course so much that I will be back again in 2022! 

And congrats to all those who raced!

Also, a huge thank you to Karel. He was in a lot of pain before and during the race and pushed it aside to support me and our athletes. This has not been an easy or smooth recovery from breaking his hand two weeks ago while mountain biking and he is constantly in a lot of nerve and bone pain. Although it's getting better day by day, the recovery has been slow. Thank you Karel for your constant support and love. You'll be back soon and hungry to race! And thank you Campy for your unconditional love and constant cuteness. You are almost 14 and we are so lucky that we can still make so many memories with you.

IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - quick recap

When I first heard about the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge in 2020, I was intrigued by the possibility that an Ironman branded half ironman would include a challenging bike course. When the bike course details described an "epic five-mile climb on Route 43 to the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance" and that "Athletes will experience breathtaking views of the valley, as they ride and descend 21-miles of completely closed roads" I never stopped thinking about this race. I love challenging race courses as the accomplishment comes in the journey to the finish line. My most memorable half Ironman races have been on really hard courses (IM 70.3 St. Croix and IM 70.3 Branson quickly come to mind).

For the past few months, Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge has remained my focus. Although my training has been a bit unconventional this year, I felt that I could do really well on the course as it suited my strengths of being a hilly and hot course. I didn't need to be fast, just healthy (injury-free), strong, smart and steady. With this race as a priority (my third half in 8 weeks), my focus at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga was to participate in the race with our athletes, get a little better at suffering (at IM 70.3 Florida I was not willing or ready to suffer), but not destroy myself so that I could race well in another 70.3 just 14 days later. With Karel back at home with a recently broken wrist, I shocked myself in Chatty by placing 3rd overall female (missing 2nd by 14 seconds) and I contribute that magical performance to having no expectations, feeling no pressure and detaching myself from the outcome. Fast forward two weeks later and I was able to race at my best and my best allowed me to fight all the way to the end for the overall female win. Although I was two seconds "too slow" and ended up 2nd overall female, I'm extremely satisfied and proud of my performance. 

After fifteen consecutive years of endurance triathlon racing, completing 16 Ironman distance triathlons (#17 is in six weeks at IM Lake Placid), 5 Ironman World Championship events and well over 25 half Ironman distance triathlons, I've adopted a new mental approach to training and racing. 

I am not attached to results. Whether it's in a training session or in a race, being non-attached simply means staying present and giving my best, without attachment to the end result. I'm not attached to metrics, paces, watts or miles. Detaching from the outcome doesn't mean that I don't care about the results or that I don't have goals. But knowing that I can't control the outcome (or who my competition is on race day), I can only control my preparation. When it comes to my effort - or giving my best on the day - I have trust my body and mind. I love the experience of using my body and mind and when I cross the finish line, I accept the end result knowing that I did everything I could to deliver my best - and that makes me feel successful. 

Training and racing with this lightness has kept me enjoying the journey. At this point in my triathlon hobby, I could easily be burned out, injured or suffering with a health issue from 15 years of endurance training. I'm incredibly grateful for my body and for what it continues to do for me (and allows me to do). 

Winning, beating, setting, qualification.....for so much of my triathlon journey, my justification for racing revolved around a specific outcome at the finish line. It wasn't that I wasn't enjoying the journey. I thrive off setting big goals and I never let a result define my self worth but I never want triathlon training to feel like a means to an end. I don't want my goals to define or to control me. Although it feels good to win, beat the competition, set a PR or qualify for a World Championship event, detaching myself from an outcome has allowed me to hone in on the present moment, enjoy the journey of fitness development, keep training fun and playful and stay consistent with training while reducing the risk for injury or health issues.

I would like to send a huge thank you to the Ironman staff, Roanoke (and surrounding) police and medical personnel, volunteers and the Roanoke community for putting on a safe, beautiful, supportive and scenic event. My idea of the "perfect" race course is a clean lake swim surrounded by mountains (check- Blue Ridge had it!), a scenic and challenging bike course (check - and 25-miles car-free on the Blue Ridge was an added bonus!) followed by a two-loop, spectator friendly run (check, check - with incredible volunteers!). 

Because the performance is not defined by the end result but by what happened from start to finish line, I'm excited to share my detailed race report (coming soon) of how I was the female across the line but ended up 2nd (by two seconds) but could have been 4th (within a minute) after 70.3 miles of racing. 

Race Results

Hello from Roanoke!

 

The past two weeks have been a bit hectic. Although I recovered really quickly from IM 70.3 Chattanooga, Karel's broken wrist has been giving him a lot of pain. The broken radius is healing nicely but he is still experiencing a tremendous amount of pain from his ulnar nerve. He doesn't sleep well at night as the pain gets worse. I feel so bad for him. He had a follow-up with his surgeon on Tues (and got his stitches out from the three incisions) and if the pain doesn't get better in the next two weeks, Karel will see a neurologist to figure out what's going on. His PT is going well and he is making some progress with using his fingers (he still doesn't have much strength). We have a good friend/triathlete that is a hand surgeon so he has been incredibly helpful as he has been speaking with Karel almost daily on his progress and figuring out a good routine for his medications to help with the swelling and pain. 

So with so much of my emotional energy going to Karel, I haven't really thought much about the race this weekend. Again, it was another week of just going through the motions. We left for Roanoke on Wednesday late morning and after a beautiful 5-hour drive (stops included), we arrived to our first Airbnb. (I reserved two different ones in downtown as the lodging situation was a bit sparse for pet-friendly and a flexible cancellation policy). With Campy being just a few months away from 14 years old, we are always trying to collect more memories with him. 

I did all of the driving to Roanoke and after we arrived, we unloaded the car and caught up on a bit of work before I went to the grocery store (Kroger). After a good night of sleep (Karel and I are sleeping in different beds right now because he has to get up multiple times during the night because of pain in his wrist) I woke up on Thursday morning feeling calm and relaxed that Karel (and Campy) are here with me. 

Karel went for a morning run (exercise is manageable as it somewhat helps take his mind off the pain) on some of the run course and when he got back, we packed up the car for my ride. We drove near the swim start at Carvins Cove Reservoir and then drove the bike course until a few miles before the turn onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped around mile 20 on the side of the road and I took my bike off our bike rack and it was time for me to ride. 

Karel drove ahead and stopped on various parts of the Blue Ridge while I rode for the next 28-miles of the bike course. I was in awe of the beauty of the course and how quiet it was on the road (hardly any cars!). It was a steady climb and we stopped for a few pics at the top. Campy enjoyed his adventure which included micro naps between stops. Karel even took him for a few short walks on the trails (so technically Campy hiked (on) the Appalachian Trail :) 

After I made my descend back down the Blue Ridge, Karel met me at the turn and I put my bike back on the car rack before we drove the rest of the bike course. We went back to our Airbnb and after helping Karel set up his trainer for an afternoon spin, I went out for a short ~2 mile run near the run course and to check out the transition area (T2/Finish). Karel was in a lot of pain yesterday so it was a rough day for him. Having Campy here is nice as he is a wonderful form of therapy for me and for Karel. 

After Karel did a short bike workout on the trainer (while watching the Criterium du Dauphine) we picked up our online order at Chipotle and then made a quick stop at Kroger for a few more items that we needed.

On Friday morning, I spent a good 20-minutes on mobility/foam rolling while Karel was on the trainer (watching Cycling).  I then went for an easy 20-minute jog checking out the transition area (T2) and run out/finish line and bumped into two of our athletes - Fiona and Will - who were riding. After my run it was time to pack up our Airbnb (moving to another Airbnb later today). 

We then drove to Smith Mountain Lake State Park (~31 miles/~50 minutes away) for an open water swim. We met a few of our athletes there and Karel and Campy walked around as I did a 20 minute open water swim workout with our athletes. Although my run felt a bit blah, I felt great swimming. And the drive to the lake was just beautiful - which seems to be the theme for nature around here! 

Once we arrived to our 2nd Airbnb, we unloaded the car and rested for a bit before our traditional pre-race team pizza party. 

We are all so excited for the inaugural IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - we have 18 Trimarni team members racing! As always, I'll be racing with a present moment mindset and thanking my body for allowing me to race on this beautiful course. If I had to design the perfect course for my strengths, this would be it. So I'll be sure to have some fun on Sunday! 

You can track the race HERE. And follow along HERE.