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Trimarni is place where athletes and fitness enthusiasts receive motivation, inspiration, education, counseling and coaching in the areas of nutrition, fitness, health, sport nutrition, training and life.
We emphasize a real food diet and our coaching philosophy is simple: Train hard, recover harder. No junk miles but instead, respect for your amazing body. Every time you move your body you do so with a purpose. Our services are designed with your goals in mind so that you can live an active and healthy, balanced lifestyle.
I'm still feeling the positive energy from this past weekend. For the first time in the history, the biggest triathlon stage in Kailua-Kona hosted the first dedicated women’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship race (the men's race was on September 10th in Nice, France). In a world where women are much less represented in sports media than men, the spotlight exclusively shined on female age group and professional triathletes for the entire Ironman World Championship coverage. And not suprising (because I know how strong and powerful female athletes can be), every athlete who entered the water at the women’s 2023 Ironman World Championship exited before the swim cutoff time and 97% of age-group women who started the race finished it!
When I participated in my first Ironman World Championship in 2007 at the age of 25 years, the event had 1800 participants - and there were just under 500 women! In 2019, for my 5th Ironman World Championship, 663 females finished the race out of 2258 participants. The sport of long distance triathlon has really grown and it is great to see so many more women competing, however there is still work to be done to get more women in the sport. Interestingly, when I did Ironman Austria in 2014, there were 2621 competitors but only 375 women. When I did XTRI Icon, there were 120 participants and only 10 women (all of which finished). Like any sport, representation matters. Having the spotlight only on the women is the biggest way to grow the sport from a female participation perspective. But not just that, having female coaches, female experts, female commentators, female-owned companies also gives credibility to women. Interestingly, almost every professional female athlete has a male coach except Laura Siddal and Lauren Brandon, who are coached by the amazing Julie Dibens, so we still have some work to do in that area. We don't need female experts only at female athletes. They deserve to be at all events to show that women are just as capable as men.
But I'm not surprised by the stats from the day. I love coaching all genders, but I really love coaching female athletes. Female athletes are primed for success because of a strong work ethic, they are creative, have good time-management skills, are determined and thrive on competition (sometimes with other athletes but often within themselves). Plus, female athletes tend to show better endurance, stamina, resiliency and decision making - which helps in long distance racing.
But what I think brings out the best in female athletes is women supporting other women. I see our athletes motivating and encouraging one another to own their "athlete" status - even as an amateur who also balances family/career. I see our female athletes inspiring others to set goals, go after big dreams and to never give up. Being involved in a sport like triathlon has show so many female athletes that they are capable of so much more than they ever imagined. And that belief and confidence comes from having people around you that believe in you and that can show you that anything is possible. Female athletes have so much potential and a strong community creates an atmosphere for growth so that every athlete can be the best she/they can be.
No matter what sport you are in, you deserve to feel heard, supported and part of a community.
Get to know the Trimarni athletes who recently raced in the Ironman World Championship.
When looking back at the past 12 months, we have had our share of highs and lows. Memories were made and tears were shed. With every high, there seemed to be a low. But through it all, we tried to stay positive and optimistic.
Life can be difficult, unfair and tough to understand. If I had to use a word to describe our 2019, it would be strength. We had to find strength to experience the highs and we had to find strength to get through the lows. Triathlon provides us with many life lessons but in 2019, life hit us hard. Throughout the year, there were several occassions when our hobby of triathlon was put to the aside in order to deal better with the hard times.
As athletes, it can be difficult to stay positive, hopeful and focused during stressful, sad or difficult situations. Uncomfortable feelings can leave us with doubt, anger and anxiety. Struggle to balance stressors appropriately and health (mental or physical), joy for sport and motivation can quickly diminish. There were times throughout the year where it was difficult to start a workout. There were even times when we debated about not starting a few of our races. With each workout or race, our strength was tested. And life presented us with a lot of moments to see how strong we really are.
NOVEMBER '18
After a unfortunante mishap with Karel's electronic shifting at IM Kona, he finished off his racing season at IMFL, securing his slot to Kona for 2019. This meant that both of us were already qualified for the 2019 IM World Championship (my 5th and Karel's 4th time racing on the big island). Karel was emotionally and physically destroyed after racing two Ironman events within 2 weeks but he was excited and hopefully for the upcoming triathlon season.
After a long time thinking about the idea of working one-on-one with a coach, we decided on Cait Snow, who works under Julie Dibens. This was a very costly investment for us but we were all-in to see if we could squeeze out any performance improvements at IM Kona - which was our big goal for the season. Although Karel received training from PPF, he was never coached one on one. I have never had a coach - instead, Karel has "coached" me over the past 10+ years. Although we learned that our own coaching style works really well for us and we will be returning back to coaching ourselves in 2020, we learned so much from working with Cait (and Julie) and we both were able to squeeze out some best ever performances. Plus, Cait is an incredibly kind, knowledgable and awesome person and we feel so honored to have had the opportunity to work with her. Throughout the year, we made a lot of investments - not sacrifices. We stayed true to our own beliefs so that we never compromised on what was most important to us. In other words, although we were "all in" with our coaching, our health, coaching business, camps and other services (private camps, RETUL Bike fits, nutrition consultations) never took a back seat. If anything, we often had to put our own training to the side.
DECEMBER '18
In late December, just a few days before one of our athletes arrived to spend a few days with us for some training, I was taking Campy for a walk up the street in our (very safe) neighborhood and a lady with four rescue dogs (all big dogs), got loose from the leash as she was walking into her house. The dog approached Campy and as she walked over with her other dogs to get the loose dog, the dogs got anxious and one of them attacked Campy. The lady felt extremely upset about the situation. The next day, Campy was rushed to our local vet and he received several stitches. Campy was a fighter and recovered really well. He still gets a little timid when he walks by the house where the attack happened. The lady with the dogs wanted to pay the vet bill but we declined. We knew it was an accident and we have seen the dogs behave very well around kids and other adults. Instead, she gave Campy a bag full of plush toys with squeakers - which made Campy oh so happy.
JANUARY '19
To give back to our local triathlon community and to help grow the sport of triathlon, I put together an event to help acknowledge and promote the local businesses, coaches and professionals in our triathlon community. Tri Night was a huge success!
As for racing, Karel participated in a local 5K and ran a speedy low 17 minutes.
FEBRUARY '19
To escape the cold and dreary days, we traveled down south to Clermont, Florida for a train-cation. Although it was not all rainbows and sunshine, it was still a nice change of training environment. I was really proud of my body and what it was able to accomplish during our mini training camp as I felt like my previous training was really paying off. It was still early season but I was getting more excited to get into race season.
Karel also participated in a local half marathon race and ran a speedy 1:15! Because of my previous hip/glute/back issues, I opted not to do this race since it was a "flat" run course and I am better suited for hills and strength-based running.
MARCH '19
Our annual March camp was a great success. We had a wonderful mix of new and familiar faces. We lucked out with great weather and the group worked really well together - there was no shortage of laughs, support and teamwork.
Not too long before our camp, we received news that one of our local athlete (and friend) had took his own life due to mental health struggles. This news was really difficult for us, several of our athletes and lots of people in our local triathlon community. We have always stressed the importance of health before performance as part of our coaching philosophy - physical health and mental health. We continue to honor this athlete when we train and race, remembering that life can be difficult and there is no shame in taking care of your mental health. Because mental health is not something that can be "seen", never be afraid to ask someone if they are OK, if they need a listening ear or if they need help.
APRIL '19
Finally, it was time to race! We love starting our our racing season in Haines City, FL for IM 70.3 FL. The race venue is very spectator friendly and the atmosphere is alwas fun. Typically, the weather is warm which is a nice change from the colder temps over the winter. The Trimarni triathlon club placed 2nd in the Triclub division and Karel and I both did OK. I say OK because neither of us felt great on the course but then again, it's really early in the season and we were not targeting this race as a best-ever performance type of race.
A few days after the race, I received an email from the publishing company that asked me to write my first book (Essential Sports Nutrition) and I was asked to write another book. This time, a Running Journal. I discussed this with Karel as my last book took over all of my time and energy as it was my very first book and I wanted to give it 100% of my attention. This time around, I wanted to keep up with our other obligations of private training camps, nutrition consults and coaching. After reviewing the contract and writing timeline, I signed the contract for my second book - The 365 Day Running Journal.
Then, about a week later, I received another email from my contact at the Callisto Media Publishing Company and I was asked to write another book! I couldn't believe it. This book was a lot more in depth and required a lot more words than the 2nd book. I knew this book would be a huge undertaking but I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Karel was a little worried of how I would balance everything but after sleeping on it, I signed the contract for my 3rd book - which I would start writing a few weeks after completing the journal book. I am not one to "wait" for the right time to do something. Although I never want to overload myself or burn myself out, I feel it's important to balance my career with my passion so that I can make the most out of every day of life.
And with highs, come lows. Nearing the end of April, we realized that our 16-year old cat Smudla was nearing her final days. We made the very difficult and heart-breaking decision to let her pass away comfortably and humanely. Because we made this decision a few days in advance, we were able to spend almost 48 hours with Smudla as she enjoyed her last few days in the warm sunshine. If you'd like to read the tribute I wrote about Smudla, here it is.
MAY '19
May started off tough as Karel didn't feel like he was in the right state of mind to travel alone to St. George for the half Ironman. Luckily, Karel was sharing a house with two of our athletes, which helped him keep his mind off the passing of Smudla. It was still a very emotional week for him, filled with a lot of sad tears. Karel was able to put together a fantastic race and he was happy that he was able to temporaril turn his mind off - away from sadness - so that he could do something that he loved with his body and mind.
February through June is often super busy with private coaching sessions and this year we found ourselves extremely busy with a lot of private camps. We love this part of our coaching business but it does require a lot of time, mental energy and focus. Thankfully, we always have super awesome athletes to work with ;)
In mid May, we traveled over to Chattanooga for the 70.3. It was great to see so many of our athletes at the race and we ended up receiving an award for the TriClub division! I felt like my race did not go so well but Karel put together a fantastic performance - he was on a roll! The competition was stiff for the females and it was great to see so many speedy ladies blazzing on the course.
May is always a tough month for me as my dad passed away from cancer in 2014, just three days before my 32nd birthday. I thought that time would heal but I still find myself really missing him - especially as I go through so many highs and lows in life. But in the spirit of my dad, I try to smile and find the positive in every situation. Most of all, I am making the most of every day on earth - in his honor.
We had a lovely mid season break where we did litte triathlon training and took part in some outdoor activities. Campy had joined us at our last two races (FL and Chatt) so he was also ready for some recovery.
JUNE '19
I found myself a bit overwhelmed in June - trying to balance the planning of our June camp, private camps, nutrition consults, Ironman training and writing my 3rd book. I managed to participate in an open water race (with my swim partner Kristen and Karel) which was a nice stress relief to be swimming in the mountains.
Eventually, I had to ask my editor if I could have a break from the writing - I was in a mega writing block where I would sit at my computer for hours and nothing would happen. Thankfully they agreed but I still had a tight deadline to finish the book by the end of September - my deadline was the day before our flight to Kona for the World Championship.
Our June endurance camp was another great success and our campers worked very hard and accomplished so much. It was also very hot! Although our camps are fun, educational and inspiring, they are always mentally and physically exhausting for me and Karel. We sure do love putting on camps but it's a ton of work!
JULY '19
Shortly after camp, I found myself dealing with a hip/glute/back injury - something that is not new for me. Although I have not been injured in over 6 years, I do feel like I am always "on edge" and cognizant of my hips/glutes when running. I feel like this injury started from a lot of sitting, stress and poor posture and was simply exaccerbated (not caused) from running. Thankfully, I was able to still run and bike (of long duration and at high intensity) without any pain so I was still able to train for Ironman Canada. While I tried really hard to not let my situation affect Karel, I knew he was sad for me. The great thing about this race was that I knew I could put together a really strong swim and run and anything extra was just a bonus (and a big uncertainty). On race day, I finished the bike as 1st overall amateur but that position quickly went away as I managed the marathon run. But our athlete Ericka won the amateur race, which was super exciting. And we had so many incredible performances by our athletes. Somehow I managed to finish the race and not do further damage. We enjoyed beautiful Whistler and Karel put together an incredible performance by winning his AG with a best ever IM run of 3:04!
AUGUST '19
After returning home from Canada, we finished off a well-needed recovery week before easing back into our training. I still couldn't run but had plenty of swimming, biking, water jogging and strength to keep me busy. Plus, I was deep into writing my 3rd book with a deadline of the end of September.
Just as we were about to get back int structured training after IM Canada, I was snuggling with Campy in bed and he scratched my cornea in my eye. Without being dramatic, this was extremely excrutiating - I couldn't be in any room (or outside) with light, I had to wear sunglasses everywhere, I couldn't drive and I had a constant headache. I found myself sleeping a lot and I wasn't able to gather much energy to exercise. I had to see the eye doctor every other day for about ten days. Finally, some relief. Just as I was getting better, Karel traveled up to Mt. Tremblant to support our athletes racing (and to do some translating for one of our Czech athletes). Our athletes did great and our Czech athlete won his age group (45-49) and qualified for Kona!
Near the end of the month, I heard the sad news that a triathlon friend passed away unexepectedly, which was incredible sad for the entire triathlon community.
SEPTEMBER '19
Once it seemed like life was starting to calm down and we were able to get back into a good routine, we decided to get two rescue kittens to bring some love and happiness into our family. Although Karel was still grieving over the loss of Smudla, he felt ready to grow our furry family. We welcomed Felix and Ella into our family but sadly, Felix passed away 6 days later from Pneumonia. Ella was a fighter and although she got our other cat Madison sick a few times (and Ella had to be taken to the vet for a few emergency situations over the next two months), she is now living her best life and is officially part of our family. Here is the story about Ella.
The day after we welcomed Felix and Ella into our home, I received news that my (almost) 96 year old Grandpa Joe passed away. I took a booked a flight for a quick trip up to Ft. Wayne Indiana for a memorial service that my aunt threw together last minute. I arrived Tues and flew home early Thurs morning. Then on Saturday evening, Felix passed away. Needless to say, training had a backseat all that week and we were emotionally wreaked.
Karel celebrated his 43rd birthday near the end of September and for his present, I asked a bunch of people who know Karel to write a note for him. I gave him this "gratitude" journal filled with over 80 notes from so many people who love and care about Karel. With such a tough month, he had a moment of joy reading the notes and learning how much people cared for and appreciated him.
A few days later, we (last-minute) flew in Karel's mom to help take care of Ella, Campy and Madison while we spent 2 weeks in Kona. At one point in September, we couldn't even think about racing as we were just so empty and mentally depleted from everything that had gone on over the past few months. Life certainly happened and it was tough. We didn't want to count ourselves out of the race and we knew that our other 3 athletes who were racing, would give us some great energy when they arrived.
Not only did I finish the manuscript for my 3rd book but I started to promote my 2nd book. Writing is like many things in life - filled with emotions from being excited to hating the process to feeling so relieved when it's over and loving the final product. It's pretty cool how a white piece of paper can turn into a book.
OCTOBER '19
I wouldn't say that Kona was a bust. We actually managed to put together good performances at IM Kona. I had a PR swim and bike and was 4th/5th in my AG off the bike! Karel had a PR swim but just felt flat for the rest of the day. He dealt with his normal back issues and really suffered on the bike and run. He was very upset but with time, was able to move on from the race. We love Kona but plan to take a little break from racing on the big island. We feel so grateful for the 9 times (combined) that we have raced on teh big island. This year was just a bit too much for us emotionally.
Campy turned 12 years old and he is staying healthy, active and loving life. Thanks to his Czech Grandma who stayed with us for almost 90 days, Campy got to go on lots of walks, hikes and adventures.
NOVEMBER '19
It was great to have Karel's mom with us for so long as she fed us well and was a huge help around our house. With our coaching business, October, November and December are our busiest months so the extra help was really appreciated. Karel's mom is back in Czech now but thankfully, we have lots of her xmas cookies to enjoy in the freezer.
Although we got back into structured training (back to coaching ourselves), we also managed to fit in some exploring in the mountains. I'm so happy to report that I am back running injury free. Although I turned in my manuscript for my third book in late September, October and November were very stressful with a lot of editing.....a lot of editing. It felt like I was writing another book! But thankfully, the finish product is incredible and all of that hard work was worth it.
DECEMBER '19
If you are still reading this blog and have made it this far, thank you for sharing the past year with us. On one side of the coin, life was very tough to us this year. While things could always be worse, we were tested in so many ways. We endured a lot over the past 12-months. But on the other side, life kept going and we decided to keep going with it. As with any setback, struggle or stressor in life, you may not be able to change the situation but you can manage your thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Although we are athletes, we are also human. We can't do it all and life isn't perfect. Behind every training session, race performance or picture is also a behind-the-scenes story. Remembering that each one of us have our own behind-the scene moments, be kind to others and most of all, always take care of yourself and your own needs. 💓
And make sure to check out my social media channels tomorrow at 12pm EST when I announce the title of my next book!
With so much happening before, during and after the Ironman World Championship, I wanted to share some of my favorite photos from our time on the big island. In no particular order.......
Enjoying the island fruit.
I did it! Volunteer - don't let me fall over!
First dip in the ocean since arriving.
Getting reunited with the Queen K.
Running in the energy lab.
Yum...gelato.
Will swim for ice cream.
If our thoughts had emojis.
Evening sunset walk.
Never too much pre-race ice cream.
Another big cruise ship coming to town.
My happy place...swimming.
"Sandy" the local turtle ;)
White sands beach. Salt water therapy.
White Sands Beach.
View from our condo.
More time on the Queen K.
Running with friends.
Enjoying time with Ericka.
Cheers - pre-race non-alcoholic beer.
Teammies in Kona.
Paparazzi.
More gelato. Hey, it's hot in Kona!
Getting checked in for the race.
All checked in!
Hey, there we are!
Expo exploring.
Parade of Nations - Czech!
The real Iron Man??
Bike check in!
Sara - all ready to go!
Pre-race smiles with Livingston (from Levelen).
Post race Czech athletes pic.
Post-race discussion with our athletes...over ice cream.
Visiting the Hilo zoo on the other side of the island.
After my "moment" with the wind on the Thursday before race week, I convinced myself that I would be just fine in windy conditions on race day. To be honest, I actually wanted heat and wind on race day for a more difficult race experience. After giving the weather forecast a quick look on race day morning, it looked like we would all be getting the true IM Kona experience. Although the weather can quickly change in Kona, it was looking to be a tough day of racing.
Although my cycling skills and fitness has drastically improved over the past few years, I felt my biggest strength on race day was experience. Not only did I know what to expect in certain areas of the course but I also know how low the lows can be on certain areas of the course. I went into the 112 mile bike with confidence and trust in my cycling abilities. I also had great trust in my nutrition as I practiced and fine-tuned it throughout the entire summer. I actually prepared my race day nutrition before we left for Kona so that it was easy to prepare for race day. While I used a variety of products, the application of taking in my planned nutrition was rather easy - just drink. For this race, due to the heat and humidity, my focus was on fluids and sodium and consuming more dilute drinks (less calories compared to IM Canada when it was colder).
As far as the IM Kona bike course goes, it's not a difficult course. Athletes ride on the road (not the shoulder), the pavement is mostly smooth, it's not a technical course and it's pretty straightforward as to where to go. I find it helpful to break it into a few key segments:
-In town: ~7 miles
-Queen K to Mauna Lani Resort: ~25 miles
-Mauna Lani to the left turn at the end of the Queen K: ~7.3 miles
-Short section until veer to the right to Kawaihae: ~1.5 miles
-Climb to the turn around in Hawi: ~18 miles
-Reach special needs at ~59 miles
-Descend Hawi: ~18 miles
-Short section until veer to the left to Kawaihae: ~1.5 miles
-Queen K to the Scenic Point: ~15 miles
-Scenic Point to the airport: ~11.5 miles
-Airport to transition area (via Makala blvd): ~6.3 miles
The reason why these segments are important is because each segment has to be approached differently with the mind and body. While I was monitoring my heart rate throughout the race, I never worried about my power or speed.
My first focus was to get out of town safely and in one piece (me and my bike) as that segment is technical, fast and filled with athletes and spectators). I knew my heart rate would be elevated soon after the swim so I just focused on riding my bike well, keeping some power on the pedals and not trying to go too hard. Of course, even with holding back, power was still up. I wasn't worried as I knew my "race effort" was going to start on the Queen K. It's easy to go out way too hard in town as well as one the start of the Queen K as you get a bit of a push with the wind at your back and you are feeling so good to finally be on the bike. With the new wave swim start, I didn't feel that the Queen K was congested - if anyone was drafting (which there were small groups) it was intentional and not because there wasn't enough room on the road. At this point, I settled into my race rhythm. Throughout the race, I was passed by a few girls but ended up seeing several of them here and there throughout the course (a bit of yo-yo riding). I was riding through small packs of male athletes and getting passed by many strong male cyclists (who I passed in the swim). I tried to focus on making the effort feel good as my game plan was to pace myself so that I could ride strong on the way back on the Queen K (where in the past, I would feel crushed by the heat and wind).
The wind was not noticeable until we got closer to Mauna Lani resort (which is why I use that as one of my segments) and from there to the end of the Queen K, it was very windy with cross winds. I took Karel's advise and pushed hard on the pedals (instead of easing up) and positioned my bike to lean with the wind while moving my body slightly toward the wind. This helped me feel stable and in control. Also, my Ventum rides extremely well in the wind - something I have really noticed since switching from Trek to Ventum.
The next segment was very very fast but then it got windy again during the climb to Hawi. This segment was where I started to feel a few lows but welcomed them as expected visitors and just focused on my rhythm. After the turn around, I made a quick stop at special needs to fill my hydration system and grab two more bottles from my bag (this stop took 30 seconds). A little part of me was a little nervous about the wind when descending down from Hawi but I managed it well by looking ahead at riders ahead of me (to see when the wind would hit them and their reaction) and continuing to push on my pedals. I mostly stayed on my base bars but there were times that I was in my aero bars (when I felt safe to do so). I felt like this was the segment of the race that was really hard for me as my strength is climbing (pushing against resistance) and not pushing a big gear with power. I was passed by several females but thankfully, I knew that a long/steep climb (on the hottest part of the course) was approaching just before the turn back on to the Queen K and I caught back up to those who passed me on the descend.
I felt like I did a great job with my nutrition, which I made sure to keep simple and effective for this race. I took 4-5 big gulps every ~10 minutes. My max HR was 148 (which was in the in-town section, as to be expected) and I averaged 131 bpm for the entire 112 mile bike ride so overall, this was a very aerobic ride. As with any Ironman, you are battling residual fatigue, mental demons, dehydration and slow depletion of glycogen stores so that is why I prioritized liquid calories for the entire bike ride and drenched myself in water at each aid station (which only kept me wet/cool for a few minutes).
When I got back on the Queen K the wind was blowing from the mountains to the sea (my left side). At one point, me and my bike ended up on the shoulder due to the wind - thankfully I didn't fall off my bike (I kinda laughed to myself about the situation). Although I had a few lows in the Hawi section, as soon as I turned and had some resistance (wind) to push against I started to feel really strong. All the guys (and a few girls) that passed me on the descend where now my targets. I found myself feeling really strong and able to stay aero in the wind (turtle tuck!) and then climbing with some pep in my legs. This was a great feeling as I can recount several times of feeling destroyed in the last 30+ miles of the bike.
Once I approached the airport, my attention went from focusing on my race to focusing on the pro race -which was happening on the Queen K and in the energy lab. As a huge fan of the sport, I couldn't help but spend the next few miles trying to figure out who was where and what was happening in the pro race (I did the same thing in Kawaihae). When I turned off the Queen K to Makala, I stretched out my hips and back and started to turn my mind onto run mode. I wasn't so worried about my lack of run fitness from 10 weeks of no running due to my left back/hip issue but instead, I was feeling some tightness around my knee and hip and lower back on my right leg on the bike. I tried to push it out of my head so that I could just stay in the moment. After slipping out my feet from my shoes, I approached the dismount line, got off my bike, handed my bike to a volunteer and then jogged my way through the transition area and to the red gear bags. I then went into the changing tent and had two wonderful volunteers there to help me out as I transitioned into my run gear.
Marni 112 mile Bike - 5:27.49 (5th AG off the bike)Karel 112 mile Bike - 5:23.11
Marni GearVentum One bike
Alto cc40 front wheel
Alto cc86 rear wheel
Continental GP 5000 tires
Specialized Turbo tubes
Giro Aerohead helmet with shield
Socks: CEP ultralight socks
Bontrager Hilo triathlon shoes
Rotor 3d24 155 crankarms w/ power2max power meter
Garmin 810 computer
Marni Nutrition
Ventum integrated hydration system (1.2 L) - custom INFINIT formula (strawberry lemonade): ~360 calories, 750 mg sodium
Water at each aid station for sipping and cooling.
Marni GearVentum One bike
Alto ct56 front wheel
Alto ct86 rear wheel
Continental competition 25ml tires (originally planned GP4 24 ml tubular tires but had two flats before the race so had to purchase new tires from the LBS)
Giro Aerohead helmet with shield
LG Tri Air Lite shoes + Solestar insoles
Shimano dura ace 165 crank arms + 4iii power meter
Garmin Edge 820
Karel Nutrition
Ventum integrated hydration system (1.4 L)
Front bottle
Gatorade (on course)
SIS gel
Enervitene cheerpack
A few Skratch chews
Czech candy bar
Special needs:
1.4L of NBS Carbo hydration (strawberry lemonade) in throw away water bottle (frozen overnight)
Front bottle
At least 2 full bottles of water from the aid station for sipping and cooling.
As for Karel's race, he was disappointed, frustrated and a bit sad about his bike performance. Without making excuses, he just didn't feel good on the bike. He was dealing with some cramping in his quads, back pain and just an overall emptiness on the bike. This is all stuff that he has been trying to manage and overcome for the past few years after experiencing a torn labrum in his hip. Ever since late May of 2016, Karel has improved drastically with his run but has really struggled on the bike. He kept telling himself that it would get better on the bike but sadly, it never did on race day. Karel's back was hurting so much on the way back on the Queen K that he didn't even think he would make it back to the transition area. He was soft pedaling as easy as possible so that he could get back to town but all while riding in pain. When he dismounted his bike, his legs felt like wobbly wooden poles as he hobbled through the transition area and to the gear bags and men's changing tent. While he knew he would start the run, he was unsure of how his body would manage to run 26.2 miles with the pain he felt on the bike.
The Ironman distance is a beast of a race. Swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles is no easy feat for the body. There is no right, best or perfect way to prepare as every journey to the start line is different. Every athlete has his/her own path, which is either straight forward and smooth or filled with bumps, detours and maybe even a few road closed signs.
Some athletes make extreme sacrifices and investments to get to the starting line. Some athletes have a team of supporters and professionals to assist in the journey. Regardless of who helps you get to the start line, it is ultimately up to you - the athlete - to get yourself to the finish line.
For the majority of athletes participating in the Ironman World Championship, they represent the best of the best from around the world. Qualifying is not easy as it requires great fitness, preparation and a whole lot of luck. Interestingly, when the best of the best all arrive to the Ironman World Championship, it's easy to compare yourself to others and feel a tremendous amount of pressure to give a best ever performance. With great expectations to perform better than ever before, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of a World Championship event and to confuse best effort with best ever. You see, to feel satisfied, accomplished and joyful at the Ironman World Championship, you have to race smart. With this comes gratitude, respect and having a sensible or practical idea of what can be achieved. Although competing on the world stage can bring out world class performances, many athletes experience great disappointment and sadness that something special didn't happen on race day or that the race didn't showcase a current level of fitness. When this happens, a once passionate, excited and fit athlete can question ambitions, self-worth and future capabilities.
On Saturday October 12th, 2019, I completed my 17th Ironman. Going into this event, I didn't see myself getting to the start line due to 10 weeks of no running and another 2 weeks of only indoor treadmill running. It wasn't until I set foot on the island that I did my first outdoor run - appropriately in the energy lab. While I was confident in my swim and bike fitness, I was unsure of how the day would go as I covered 26.2 miles. With a hodgepodge of emotions - ranging from excited, confident and worried - I focused on facts, not assumptions. The reality was that I removed outside pressure, focused what was within my control, relied on past experience (and muscle memory) and I never lost sight of the gratitude I had to compete at my 5th Ironman World Championship.
As for the race itself, I had a 7-minute swim course PR and my first time breaking an hour in a non-wetsuit Ironman swim (not counting Ironman Chattanooga). I also had a 3-minute bike PR. I found myself strong and resilient as I raced the swim and the bike. This allowed me to finish the bike in 5th place in my age group. Never in my wildest dreams would have imagined I would have been in a podium position off the bike! As for the run, I am in no way disappointed. If anything, I am extremely satisfied. You see, I didn't need a PR/strong/fast run to feel accomplished with my IM Kona performance. Knowing that my run fitness was not where it needed to be to compete with the many fast ladies in my age group, I set mini goals to achieve throughout the run. I only walked the aid stations, I kept my mind positive, I worked through mental demons that tried to get me to stop and walk more than I did, I nailed my nutrition (on the bike and run), I didn't experience any GI issues throughout the entire race and I felt like I put together my best effort on the day from start to finish. I had a smile on my face for all 140.6 miles and I crossed the finish line feeling extremely proud of my body.
I believe experience, failure, overcoming setbacks and keeping a level-head allowed me to put together an incredible race performance - in my own standards - at the Ironman World Championship. Far too many race with extreme pressure. They race for glory or an end result (time/place). While there are those who want you to succeed, there are those who want you to fail. When racing for 140.6 miles, you can't be worried about what other people will think of you. Training for and racing an Ironman is a journey that only you and your mind share. Despite dealing with many obstacles this summer, I am happy that I could end on a high note - feeling thankful, satisfied and accomplished with my race day performance.
As for Karel, he had a PR swim but struggled with hip/leg/back/glute pain for most of the ride. This is nothing new for him as it's always a limiter when he trains and races. Because it's easy to let ego get in the way all in an effort to protect self-worth and self-image, Karel powered through the pain and accepted that it would take him much longer than he ever had anticipated to cover 112 miles. With wobbly legs through T2, Karel ignored the "shitty committee" in his head (thanks coach Cait for that saying!) and powered through the marathon. Although slower than what he trained for, he found the strength to get to the finish line. It's certainly hard to finish a race knowing that your body was a limiter but that's Ironman for you. And in Kona, every little weakness on the day is magnified due to the competition, coure and outside elements of mother nature.
Thank you for your support, cheers and encouragement. More to come with the rest of my Ironman Kona race recap.
A big thank you to our coach Cait Snow for guiding us through this season. Despite many obstacles over the summer, she never gave up on us. Also a big thank you to the Trimarni team affiliates and supporters. We are grateful for your continued support!
Congrats to everyone who raced at the Ironman World Championship. Be proud of yourself and don't forget to thank your body.
First off, thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Karel and I are incredibly grateful for this incredible opportunity to participate together in the 2019 IM World Championship. We will also be sharing the course with three of our coached athletes. Your virtual high fives and kind words will help us get to the finish line so keep the cheers coming. If you are planning to watch the race, here's a link on how to watch the Ironman World Championship. There will be 20 hours of coverage on Facebook (Ironman Now), beginning at 10:30am EST (4:30am Hawaii Time). You can also track via the Ironman Tracker App or online.
Thursday was a low key day of training. We have been trying to sleep as long as we need (~9 hours) so we are never rushed to get up and train in the morning. We started off with a quick 20 minute swim in the ocean around the time of the end of the underpants run. The pier/swim start was packed with athletes so it was a bit chaotic swimming out into the ocean. There were also some swells and the current was strong. After the swim, we were planning a bike ride but then it started to rain. We sat around in our cycling gear for a good hour until we decided to postpone our ride until the afternoon. Since it was cloudy out, we went down to the expo to chat with our friends at Ventum. Although the sun wasn't out, it was extremely humid and hot. Once the roads dried, we went out on our bikes for a 45 minute spin. We headed up Kuakini and then took a side street to Ali'i drive and then biked the old and new run course in town. After the ride, we picked up pizza from Lava Java (my typical pre-race ritual) and yummed while watching Breakfast with Bob interviews. Around 3pm, our athlete Roman came over so that Karel could give him a course talk in Czech before our other athletes arrived at 4pm for the English version. With a combined 9 times of racing IM Kona, Karel and I have learned a lot over the years.
Around 6pm we made our way to the King K hotel for the athlete opening banquet. The athlete briefing didn't start until 830pm (which has been our bedtime) so it was a bit of a late evening for us.
We made sure to sleep in as late as possible on Friday so it was nice to get up just before 7am. We took our time in the morning and eventually started our workouts. I did a quick swim and run and Karel went to the energy lab for a bike/run.
I was super excited to finish my workout as a giant cinnamon roll from Lava Java was calling my name. Yum yum!!
As for the rest of today, we packed up our gear bags and we will be heading down to the excitement of checking in our bikes and gear bags - which is quite the spectacle.
We are both feeling healthy, fit and strong. We are thankful for our coach Cait Snow for her continued support, encouragement and coaching wisdom and experience. Also a big thanks to the Trimarni affiliates and supporters.
With the weather looking to be hot and very windy, we will utilize our "race smarts" and try to put together the best performance possible on the day. Thanks again for following us along to the start line.....see ya at the finish line!
Now that it's race week, the training volume has dramatically decreased whereas the craziness of the town has dramatically increased. Every day there is something to do, see and visit - but we are resisting the temptation. It's far too easy to see/do everything that is offered during IM Kona race week but with that comes lots of time on the feet and out in the hot sun.
As for training, on Monday we started our 80 minute ride from the energy lab. After a warm-up, we did 4 rounds of 20 sec burst and then 1:40 easy pedaling. Then after 6 minutes of easy spinning we did 2 rounds of 10 minutes at IM effort w/ 3 min EZ. Then cool down. It was a perfect set to wake-up the legs. After the ride, a quick and easy 20 minute run. I managed to keep an average heart rate of 130 bpm for the run.
In the early afternoon, we drove to the high school pool and did a 3000 yard workout. Luckily, the pool was not as crowded as last week so we were able to do our planned workout:
800 warm-up
2 rounds of 100 smooth/25 fast, 75 smooth/25 fast, 50 smooth/25 fast, 25 smooth/25 fast (continuous) with rest between the rounds. First round was with buoy and second was no toys. After that, 600 yard buoy and paddles. Then 3 x 200's broken as (2 x 100s, 4 x 50, 8 x 25). Then cool down.
Since we had two of our athlete with us (and a friend of a friend), we had to re-visit Gypsy Gelato again. Oh it was so good!
Tuesday was a recovery day or a day off. It's hard to do nothing here so our coach gave us the option of a spin or a swim. So we decided to do a 1000 yard swim with a 500 yard swim to the coffee boat in the ocean. They were out of coffee when we arrived to we had a few sips of Clif Hydration. The water is fairly cool, very salty and incredibly clear. There were so many fishies to look at underneath us.
As for the rest of Tuesday, we checked in and picked up our gear bags/swag. It's quite the process to check in at the Ironman World Championship as there is a series of tables to visit and lots of volunteers helping out. The guy who helped me out was participating in his 15th Ironman Kona and his 53rd Ironman! And he is in Karel's 40-44 age group! He was super nice.
After checking in, we walked through the merch tent and then went to the expo. The IM Kona expo is overwhelming with so many booths, people and things to see. We spent about 30 minutes in the expo and by the time we were done, we were hot and sweaty - it's super duper hot here! It was nice to see some familiar faces and to say hello to some of the Trimarni team affiliates.
Karel participated in the Parade of Nations - walking with his home country of Czech Republic. IM Kona is always special for Karel as he can connect with other Czech speaking athletes.
I can't believe that we are just a few days away from the 2019 Ironman World Championship. I am so excited to share the course with 3 of our athletes and of course, being able to share this race experience with Karel is extra special (this is our 2nd time racing IM Kona together - my last time racing the event was 2015 and it was with Karel). I am experiencing all types of emotions from excited, to nervous, to excited!
Oh and yesterday was Campy's 12 birthday!! Happy birthday to my furry best friend!! I couldn't imagine living life without you. <3
The time has finally come for us to say that it's IM Kona race week!! The town has transformed into a bit of a spectacle but that's all because the Ironman World Championship is a big event for triathletes from all over the world. With signage on buildings and triathletes everywhere, it's an exciting experience to be surrounded by so many like-minded, fit and dedicated triathletes. The picture above is from our condo, overlooking the farmers market and the Ironman Expo. It's always a beautiful site to see the big cruise ships settling in for the day.
On Friday evening, we ventured out to White Sands Beach (just past the airport) for a relaxing dip in the ocean and some snorkeling (we used our pool snorkels). We timed it perfectly as it was a bit cloudy and in the late afternoon to minimize our time out in the direct sunlight. We have been using lots of sunscreen to prevent burning.
It was so great to welcome our athlete Ericka to town. This is her first IM Kona (second time to the big island) so it's super fun to share our insider details, tips and tricks that we have learned over the years. We parked at the energy lab and started our ride from there. We did a 1:40 hr ride on the Queen K and included 4 x 10 minute IM effort intervals w/ 3 min EZ spin between. The wind was much less than the past few days so it was much less physically taxing. After the ride we did a 30-35 minute run in the energy lab. Karel and I noticed that our HR was responding a bit better in the heat. I wore my cooling towel for this run and it helped tremendously as it holds water and I could give it a squeeze anytime to keep myself cool. I have also been consuming way more fluids than normal - for a 30 minute run, I go through 10 ounce water and 10 ounce sport drink (skratch). After the brick, Karel and I went to the grocery again to stock up on more food.
On Saturday evening, we all (including Erick's husband Tim) went for a dip in the ocean. It was super casual as I didn't even wear a swim cap and just had on a two piece bathing suit. We swam about 20 minutes, with stops to look at fishes. It was nice to finish the swim as the sun was setting.
Sunday morning was a light day of training with only a swim and run. We were done training by 10am, which meant a lot of relaxing for the rest of the day. Since race week is going to be super crazy, chaotic and busy, it was nice to almost feel a bit bored on Sunday.
On Sunday morning, we walked to the pier around 6am to pick up our packet for the Ho'ala Ironman Training Swim. We have participated in this swim for the past few years and it's always a great way to shake off (or swim off) some pre-race nerves, get fully acclimated to the salty water and to swim in a big mass of triathletes. For this event, the course is almost the exact set-up to the Ironman race day course except on race day, there are more buoys (for this event, there are only buoys on the way out but no buoys on the way back) and on race day, the finish is at the pier entrance. For this event, we finish on the other side of the pier - closer to the King K hotel.
Karel and I spent about 10 minutes warming up and floating around and positioning ourselves to the outside (left) of the buoys, about 15 yards out. Once the horn went off, it was a fast take-out effort to keep up with the masses. Surprisingly, I didn't get swum over and I felt like I was able to find clean water to keep good swimming mechanics. I swam pretty hard for the first 1000 yards and then settled into a rhythm until the 2nd turn buoy. I reached the 2nd turn buoy and as usual, the water felt much slower with a bit more of a chop. I didn't find the water choppy but it was certainly a bit slower on the way back. Because there were no buoys to sight off of, I was using the tall electrical post behind the hotel for sighting until the kayak/lifeguards were pushing us far left. I wasn't sure if there was some new turn buoy before the swim exit so I followed the pack. But then we started to zig zag back toward the pier so not sure why we were pushed away from the kayak people. Oh well - all good experience to work with others but also to have to sight often. I finished the swim with a strong effort at the end, otherwise, I felt like it was all very strong but sustainable. I was much slower coming back but ended up with a swim time of 58:17. I really wanted to see 57 minutes but maybe that will have to wait until race day. Karel swam amazingly well with his best ever non-wetsuit swim in the ocean of 1:01.21. He really pushed hard at the end but otherwise he felt really good in the water. And our athlete Ericka also did the swim (not as an official participant) and she had a huge PR of 1:02! It was a great day for everyone.
It was nice to spend some time with the JD crew before and after the swim. Even though we are coached by Cait Snow, we are part of Julie Dibens coaching company which has been great to have 4 eyes watching us (but Cait is the one who designs and oversees our training). We also joined some of Julie's athletes in the energy lab for a post swim run. Karel did 42 minutes and I ran an easy 25 minutes. The goal for both of us was to keep the run very aerobic. Karel was able to keep his HR in the low to mid 140's and I managed to keep my heart rate at an average of 129 bpm - a BIG improvement from the 150+ HR I experienced during my first run on the island.
As for the rest of the day, it was rather low key. A lot of laying around, spending time on the computer, eating and more laying around. We spent some time with our athlete Roman (Karel's friend from Czech) who just arrived yesterday. We had a light dinner at Lava Java where Roman and Karel enjoyed some Poke with a non-alcoholic beer. I enjoyed a salad with tofu - it was delish!
Compared to years past, it feels much warmer than before. Although the temperature only reads around 86 degrees in the forecast, it's much more hot under the scorching sun. Coupled with the lava and heat radiating off the ground, it's hotter than hot here. The wind has also been rather gusty. All this said - IM Kona will be living up to its epically challenging standards if it stays like this on race day.
Since arriving to Kona on Sunday, we have had some quality training sessions on the Big Island. We are staying in town behind the expo/farmers market which makes it easy to train right from our doorstop. However, due to the traffic and debris covering the shoulder of the road, we have been driving away from town to start most of our workouts. Also, because the local Kona aquatic center is closed right now, we have to drive ~20 minutes south of the island to use the local high school pool (which is free).
The biggest adjustment has been the heat - which is the biggest stressor on our body right now. Even though we have been training in the heat, it just doesn't compare to the Kona sun. Our heart rate is much more elevated while running and we consume much more fluids than normal. The salt water is a welcomed change as it's so nice to float without a wetsuit. Plus, the water is really clear which makes for an aquarium feel when swimming.
Our training volume is less than in weeks past but the frequency and intensity is still just what we are use to. This week hasn't felt much like "tapering" because of the added stress of travel, the heat and the wind but next week is rather light with training, which will really help sharpen up our body and mind.
Here's a recap of our training over the past few days:
Sunday: Travel day, no training. A 2.5 hour drive to Atlanta, 5 hour flight to LA and another 5 hour flight to Kona. Arrived to Kona around 9pm Kona time, went to the grocery and in bed around 11pm Kona time. Monday: 30 minute ocean swim + 1:20 chill spin Tuesday: 2:20 bike (starting from the entrance energy lab parking lot) w/ 2 rounds of 4 x 5 min at IM effort. Followed by a 35 minute run in the energy lab (with 6 x 30 sec pick ups followed by 20 sec EZ jog, 10 sec walk). Oh and this was my very first run outside since IM Canada and first run workout outside in over 10 weeks! Wahoo! Wednesday: 30 minute easy jog along Ali'i drive. Then a 5000 yard swim. The pool was very crowded but we shared a lane with a few male pros who kept things very organized so that we could still do our workout. The workout was 15 x 200's in sets of 5, 4, 3, 2, and then 1 x 200 all with 100 backstroke between. We changed up our gear throughout (swim, buoy, paddles/buoy, paddles, swim). It was a tough workout but one we have done a few times before and I really like it. Oh and each set of 200's was descending on a cycle but we had to adjust the cycle to keep things organized in our lane. It was a bit chaotic at times which made for great open water practice. Thursday: 2:40 bike with 4 rounds of 4 minutes very hard, followed by 15 minutes at IM effort and then another 3 rounds of 4 minutes very hard. We drove to the Mauna Lani parking lot which sits off the Queen K hwy (about 28 miles North of town) to start our bike workout. The nice thing about this location is that it's a closer way to get to and from Hawi and there is a market in the parking lot for post ride food. The wind was incredibly strong but what was more mentally draining was the cross wind. We were both getting tossed around although Karel managed a lot better than me with his comfort level. When we got to the turn at Kawaihae, I decided to turn around and do my intervals closer to Mauna Lani where it was still windy but I was not spending so much energy trying to stay upright on my bike. Karel did his workout in the Hawi section - which he said was very windy but it helped to just push hard on the pedals to keep the bike in a stable position. After the ride, we each did a brick run. I did 40 minutes (Karel did 45 minutes) and the set was 10 minutes easy and then 3 rounds of 5 minutes faster than IM effort, 5 minutes slower than IM effort). After each segment of 10 minutes, I walked for 20 sec. I found it a little easier to control my heart rate for this workout compared to Tuesday although it was crazy hot. I went through 20 ounce of fluid (10 ounce of that was 80 calories Skratch) in 30 minutes so I had to stop and refill my flasks at 35 minutes to make it to 40 minutes. After the workout we stocked up on more food. Friday: 50 minute ocean swim. The water was a little choppy but I loved every stroke. I just love swimming in the ocean and I am finding it less exhausting in years past - thanks to Cait making sure I arrived to Kona very swim fit! There were several orange buoys set up so we used the first few buoys as warm up and then did several pyramids of 15,20,35, 30 strokes hard each followed by the same amount of strokes easy. This was a nice way to change up the rhythm of the stroke. We swam 25 minutes out and 25 minutes back. After the swim, we both had a massage from our coaches massage therapist which was amazing.
The plan for the weekend is a 90 minute ride followed by a 30 min brick run on Saturday and the Kona practice swim (2.4 mile swim on the course) on Sunday. And then it's race week!!
Here are a few pics from the past few days. You can also check out my social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks for following along!
Hello from the Big Island!! We have reached the 10-day countdown until we participate in the Ironman World Championship (5th time for me, 4th time for Karel)!
I've been meaning to blog for several days but to be honest, I just haven't had time. We have been so busy! Here's a recap of the craziness that has happened over the past week.....
Started my menstrual cycle and felt horrible for my last few days of training before we traveled to Kona. Blah.
As of last night, I finished editing my 3rd book which is over 44,000 words. I've had several long days and late nights working on the final product over the past six days. Whew, what a relief that this is behind me.
We had over 15 athletes racing last weekend at IM 70.3 Augusta and IM Chattanooga. Because we were traveling on their race day, we were anxiously tracking our athletes during our travel. We are so proud of our coached athletes as everyone finished the race in brutally hot conditions.
I had several nutrition consults last week with my athletes who are still training for their final key race(s).
Madison (our 11.5 year old cat) got an eye infection a few days before we left for Kona.
Karel's mom came into town (we flew her to the US) and we were a little nervous about her traveling to the US alone - without speaking the language. Karel picked her up at the Charlotte airport on Thurs evening. She will be taking care of our furry crew (along with the help of my mom) while we are away in Kona and then she will be staying with us until early December.
On the morning of our long travel day (before making the 2.5 hour drive to Atlanta for our first of two 5-hour flights), we walked downstairs at 6:30am to the site of a kitchen full of ants. This has never happened before and of course, it happens just 90 minutes before we are set to hit the road.
It was hard saying good-bye to our furry children. We love them so much but they are also a big part of our daily routine. Our new little edition Ella is filling our hearts with joy and happiness. Madison has bonded with her and Campy is afraid of her.
We are now in Kona and finally settling into a good routine of waking up early (5am) and going to bed early (8:30pm). Although we still have a lot of work to do while we are away, it's nice to work in paradise for a week before the craziness of race week begins on Monday.
How many sleepy animals can you spot in this picture?
With only six days left of hard training before we depart for Kona, I feel so grateful that things are finally in a good place for us - mentally and physically. It was an incredibly tough summer but with perseverance, persistence and positivity, we can finally look ahead to our time in Kona with excitement and gratitude. I always believe that where the mind goes, energy flows.
This week was a solid week of training. My body is still tolerating treadmill running, albeit I still have a few tiny niggles with my right hip/leg (things moved from the left side to the right all of a sudden). But these are the niggles that are not overly concerning. I like to say that I am aware but not afraid. Surprisingly, my run fitness feels good and I am enjoying the soreness that comes with pounding on the treadmill.
This was my last big volume week and my body tolerated it well. It was also a very busy week for me (and Karel) with work related stuff (coaching, bike fits, nutrition consults, etc.) so it felt a bit go, go, go from one thing to the next.
My long ride was 5 hours (which I did solo) and included 4 x 30 minutes at IM effort. My long run was 1:45 and I'm happy to report that it went really, really well. Karel has been "coaching" me for my runs for the past few weeks whereas Cait is still overseeing my training load and structure and prescribing my swim and bike workouts. Karel knows me really well so he has been carefully introducing running back into my body. I've been doing a lot of intervals which works really well for my body. For Karel's birthday (which was yesterday), Cait gave us a birthday swim in honor of him turning 43 - 5 rounds of 400's w/ buoy and 3 x 100's fast. It was incredibly challenging! I then ate for the rest of the day. So. Much. Food!
Karel was in a bit of a funk earlier last week as the warm weather really got to him - mentally and physically. We have been in the mid 90's for some time and it was becoming extremely draining on Karel. But with a needed break in the weather, Karel welcomed cooler temps (60-80's) and that brought him back to life. He finished off the week with some great workouts - starting with a solid 5:37 hour bike on Friday, followed by a 45 minute brick run, an easy day on Sat (swim and spin) and then a long progressive building run (1:55) and birthday swim on Sunday.
Weekend stats:
24:54 hours of training
Swim: 20,400 yards (4:58 hours)
Bike: 13:40 hours
Run: 4:51 hours
Strength: 85 minutes
The weather is predicted to be back in the upper 90's for us in Greenville SC next week which will make for one tough week of training before we leave for Kona on Sunday.
It's with excitement that I can announce I am running!! Pain free, minimal niggles and no discomfort. After not being able to run for 9 weeks (which did include running a marathon at the end of Ironman Canada) and then 3 weeks of reintroducing running to my body of 10-15 minutes a few times per week, this was the first week when I was able to actually run and feel normal running. Oh what a great feeling! It's been quite the journey (not my first time dealing with this) with 12 weeks of wondering if I would ever be able to run normally again but I'm so thankful that my body was able to finally heal itself with just 4 weeks to go before IM Kona. I've dealt with all types of emotions over the past three months but throughout it all, I remained hopeful and somewhat optimistic - even though there was a lot of self-doubt. Now my focus is keeping myself healthy/injury free and staying consistent with running to somewhat prepare myself for the IM Kona marathon.
I have been doing all of my running on the treadmill and although I am confident that I can run outside, I am gaining a lot of confidence of being in my controlled environment while running indoors. There's no camber of the road, cars, distractions, up and down hills and heat to induce excessive fatigue so running indoors makes for a better training stimulus for me at this time. Rather than trying to bump up my running volume, I am incorporating more intensity through intervals with my running as this provides a safer stimulus for my body.
After a few weeks of just reintroducing my nervous, muscular and cardio system to running with short but frequent runs (10-15 minutes), I felt ready to increase the duration and intensity of my runs. I am not running with expectations or a goal pace or intensity in mind. Right now I am running grateful and thankful. Because I am running indoors, my watch doesn't record my pace accurately so it also allows me to run completely by feel without worrying about chasing a pace or feeling like I need to prove something with each run. I know I will be going into Kona undertrained on the run but there is still a lot within my control like being smart with my swim/bike training, focusing on good nutrition and knowing how to manage the heat.
Because I was able to keep up with swim/bike/walk/strength and included a lot of PT and manual work from professionals over the past 12 weeks, the transition back to running felt very natural - once I got over the fear of "will I get injured again, is this a normal feeling, etc." Now I am running with joy and hopefully this will keep up so that I can start the IM Kona marathon feeling healthy and strong. I am still dealing with some non-concerning niggles so it's a daily process of listening to my body and focusing on making good decisions with my training - especially with running.
My swimming has felt incredible but I am not swimming "fast" by my standards. It's a weird feeling to feel so good in the pool but to not see times that reflect how I feel. Carrying around fatigue can be mentally tough as the mind can take you in a million different directions with your thoughts.
My long ride on Friday went great and I felt amazing throughout all 5.5 hours. I finished off the workout with a 30 minute brick run on the treadmill. Karel and I rode together but Karel was feeling empty around 2.5 hours during the ride so he had to cut his 5.5 hour ride short at 4:40. He barely made it home as he was totally spent from his previous training. This is one of those uncontrollable situations where you never know how the body will feel/perform and making smart decisions without an ego, fear or guilt is important. Karel took Sat very EZ with just a 2000 yard swim and on Sunday, he also had an EZ day of a spin and swim. These micro-adjustments of training are part of being an endurance athlete. It doesn't mean one is failing but just the normal process of trying to move the needle despite carrying around a lot of endurance fatigue.
I also had to cut a few workouts short (and modified the workout to fit in what I could) due to my work load. Instead of going into workouts all or nothing, I go in with the mindset of something is better than nothing.
We have two more weeks of hard training before we begin to taper/sharpen up and I'm crossing my fingers all goes well for us over the next few weeks. Arriving to the IM Kona start line healthy is our number one goal!
This was an exciting weekend as we watched the Facebook live coverage of the Ironman World Championship in Nice, France. We had four athletes racing (along with a few of my nutrition athletes) and it was great to track them throughout the event. The professional races (all women raced on Sat and men on Sunday) were super exciting to watch. The bike course looked exceptionally challenging but then again, it also reminded us of our riding in Greenville. Except in Greenville, we have much worse road conditions. But we lucky to have narrow, quiet roads, long climbs, twisty descends, punchy hills and everything between - except for flat roads. Sadly, we have none of those where we live.
As for my training, I was able to get back into a routine this week - although my mind was not always present. As the week went on, my head space/mental state got a bit better. Karel and I often swim together and we enjoy riding outside together. When it comes to running (back when I was running more regularly), we would often start runs together and then finish around the same time. This week was a little different as we had our long rides on different days. I had ~5 hours of solo riding which meant a lot of hours with my own thoughts. Thankfully, my mind was in a good place and I was able to put together a good ride. We finished Friday evening with pizza from Sidewall - in honor of Grandpa Joe who would have turned 96 on that day. He wanted a pizza party for his birthday so we made sure to yum with him in our thoughts.
As for my training last week.....
Swim: 24,000 (5:55 hours)
Bike: 10:10 hours (long ride 97 miles/5:10)
Run (a combo of treadmill running and water jogging): 2:33
Strength: 40 minutes
Total weekly training hours: 19 hours
I'm happy to report I'm progressing slowly with my running - all on the treadmill but I'm feeling a bit better with each run. Yes, I want things to progress more quickly but I must be patient with my body. I'm undecided if I will race Kona (or just do the swim/bike) depending on how the next few weeks go. While I am bummed about the situation I am in, I just love being in Kona for the World Championship and we have 3 athletes racing (plus Karel) so I will be in great company when it comes to being surrounded by positive energy.
Karel has been putting in some solid training. Although his back still bothers him on the bike and often during the day, he is running super strong and surviving his swim sessions ;)
For his long run on Sunday, the workout was a 90-minute negative split run. Here's how it went down for Karel.
1:40.49 total run time 15.2 miles 6:39 min/mile average pace 139 average HR
Time is flying by and I'm happy to report that I am now running! Although it's only been a few 10 minute runs on the treadmill (three of them), I'm thrilled with my progress. I'm a firm believer in frequency over quantity when it comes to a return to activity after an injury for the body needs time to adapt to training stressors and frequent exercise will allow for slow but gradual adaptations. Also, in my situation, I'm learning new motor patterns and finding myself wanting to go back to old bad habits of arching my back (anterior pelvic tilt), using my back and hamstrings to move me forward and not engaging my glutes. So in an effort to fix these things, I need constant exposure to this movement - which means continuing with PT, strength and marching.
My movement specialist has been great as she touches me in the right spots so I can feel what muscles I should be using and where my body should be moving. She is also a stickler for posture. I'm also continuing to water jog and my deep water run workouts have become much more intense. I am typically exhausted after I finish them! In addition to daily strength, I feel like I am carrying around a lot of run fitness and stress without really running!
On Friday, Karel and I went out for our long ride. I was shocked how strong I felt and how much my glutes were working! If only I could carry this over to running right now! I enjoyed my time with Karel as it had been several week since we went on a long ride together. We thought we selected a more flat route (well, nothing is flat here in Greenville) where the miles would go by quicker. Although we did average 19.1 mph (which is super speedy for us here on our Gville roads), we still managed to collect over 5000 feet of elevation in 4.5 hours.
The swimming yards are accumulating and I find myself spending a lot of time in the water. Not complaining though as the pool is my happy place.
Weekly training stats 8/19-8/25 Total training hours: 19:55 Swim distance: 20,000 yrds (4:39) Bike duration: 11:31 Run duration (treadmill running + water jogging): 2:45 Strength: 1:00 (not including PT work)
In addition to training, I spent all of last week finalizing my manuscript for my third book. I'm so relieved to put that behind me as writing two books over the course of 6 months required a lot of mental energy from me. But I'm super excited for my followers to read my third book. Hint: If you like, love or are interested in triathlon, I think you'll love my 3rd book.
Oh and lastly, we have two new additions to our furry family! More on this later but for now, a little bit of cuteness.
When the alarm went off at 3:45am, I stayed in bed for another 15 minutes to let Karel have the kitchen to himself as he made his espresso and pre-race meal. When I got up, I was quick to go outside to the patio to let Karel do his own thing without getting in his way. Karel’s mom stayed in bed as we told her to watch the swim from behind the building in front of us as it would be too crazy for her to go down to the finish line area. Karel was incredibly calm and I couldn’t sense any nervous energy from him. It was a mixture of excitement, readiness and confidence and of course, gratitude that he had a healthy (and injury free) body at the end of a very successful season of racing. Around 5:15am, Karel was ready to head to the race venue. My job was to carry his special needs bags (and drop them off) and to grab his pump from him after he pumped his tires.
Due to the rain the night before, Ali’i drive was a little
wet but the air temp felt very comfortable. Crowds were already lining up on
the wall to watch the swim start, the finish line was fully assembled, you
could hear Mike Riley (and the other announcers) and there were athletes
everywhere. I walked with Karel behind the King K hotel and dropped off his
special needs bags before wishing Karel a great race and giving up a good luck
kiss and hug. Karel went into the athlete-only area to get body marked
(temporary tattoo) and weighed before heading to his bike on the pier.
During
this time (which moved rather quickly, I was surprised with all of the athletes!),
I made my way to the pool area behind the King K as that was my meeting spot
for Karel to hand me his pump. Around 6am, Karel came back from his bike,
handed me his pump and I gave him one more good luck wish.
He looked really calm and relaxed as he was listening to his music. I waited just a little longer to make sure he didn’t need me for anything else and then I walked down the road to get a spot to watch the swim start. During this time, Karel did his jog warm-up to our place, went to the bathroom once more and then jogged back to the pier – all before 6:30am. With Karel’s wave starting at 7:05am, he gave himself time to get close to the stairs entering the water so that he could get in a 10 minute swim warm-up with a few efforts to get the blood flowing.
Making friends.
2.4 mile swim
Aside from the chaos that comes with a mass
start, Karel had his best non-wetsuit/Kona swim. Karel lined himself up to the
far left of the buoys and near the front row. The buoys were spaced every 100
meters which made it easy to mark progress. Plus there are a few landmarks to
the left which help athletes know how far they are (ex. the “boat” looking
hotel by Huggo’s is about 1000 meters in). It was really important for Karel to
try to accelerate hard from the front and then settle into a good rhythm. This
was something that he practiced in the practice swim the previous Saturday.
Karel was most proud of how he felt on the way back from the two turns (around
the boats – which are the only two turns of this swim course) as he felt strong
and exited the water feeling relatively fresh and not exhausted. The way back
to the pier is typically a little slower due to the movement of the waves/ocean
and layout of the course but Karel felt like he was able to swim strong
throughout.
T1 Whereas any other Ironman may have a small group
of athletes exiting the water between 1 hour and 70 minutes, IM Kona is a bit
different. With so many fast athletes in one race, it’s not uncommon to have
30-80 athletes exiting the water within a few minutes. Karel made his way up
the stairs (which are only placed there for race day), through the hoses to
rinse off and then to his T1 bag. Karel did not have anything in his bag since
he had his cycling shoes and helmet on his bike (mandatory for all athletes to have
their helmet on the bike, shoes are optional in bag or on the bike pedals).
When he grabbed his bag, he took off his swimskin and then put it in his bag
before running to his bike. No need for Karel to even enter the changing tent.
Once he got to his bike, he put on his helmet and made the long run with his
bike all the way around pier. Every athlete has to cover the same distance/path
around the pier, which makes for a very long transition area.
112 mile bike Karel was filled with happiness when he got on
his bike (flying mount) as he was thrilled with his swim. Going into the race,
Karel had a stretch goal of trying to get in the top ten for his age-group. Not
knowing what the weather would be like, Karel was more focused on chasing the
competition versus chasing a time (then again, Karel doesn’t care about times
when he races). With his swim time being a few minutes faster than in 2016,
Karel felt like this would set him up to be with faster cyclists. Having a lot
of confidence in his run, his goal for the next 112 miles was to put together a
solid bike, nail his nutrition and deliver himself to the run.
It was only a matter of a few pedal strokes that Karel realized something was
wrong with his bike. His electronic shifting was not working. This meant that
he was stuck in one gear and one gear only….for the next 112 miles. And not
just any gear but a very easy gear. Karel went from such a high, to such a low
in a matter of seconds. He suddenly felt so empty, sad and confused. Even as a
bike mechanic, this was a mechanical issue that was completely out of his
control. With the upcoming in-town section taking only about 20-25 minutes, I
wasn’t sure why I didn’t see Karel flying down Palani after he exited the
transition area. When I finally saw his neon-green kit coming down the hill, I
was super happy to see him. But what came next was not what I expected to
hear….
“I have no gears.”
My heart immediately sank into my stomach and I couldn’t believe it. Karel
later on told me that he got of his bike within the first mile and tried to jam
the chain into another gear for more resistance. No go. Compared to the 24-27
mph speeds that other athletes were holding to cover the “in-town” section,
Karel was averaging 15 mph.
As soon as Karel shouted that to me about his gears, I felt like I needed to
help. I didn’t know what to do so I just started running to my condo. I left
Karel’s mom on Palani (there was no way I could communicate to her what had
happened since she doesn’t speak English) and made my way to the condo.
Luckily, our condo is just a block from Palani. My heart was beating so fast, I
was sweating like crazy and I just felt so sad for Karel. Not even a few miles
into his 140.6 mile race and his day of racing was overwith. Sure, he could
still ride his bike but it was going to be a very long morning of riding with
just one gear. Plus, riding in such an easy gear means a lot of pedaling which
means a lot of mechanical and cardio fatigue. I also worried about Karel’s hips
and back (which he has to be so careful with when he rides) and just the
overall emotions that he would be carrying with him for the next 112 miles.
When I got into my condo, I grabbed my bike because my first thought was “He
can ride my bike.” Then I thought, oh that’s silly. Then I thought “I have a
battery! He can use mine!” I searched for some tools because I thought he would
need those. I know little about bike mechanics (prior to this incident, I
didn’t even know where the battery was in my bike) but I have seen Karel work
on bikes enough to know what tools he uses/needs. All of this was in a mega panic and feeling the need to help my husband.
After I grabbed my bike and a small tool gadget, I sprinted my way down the
stairs and rode across the street. I was hoping that I didn’t miss Karel for I
really wanted to help him.
Luckily, I spotted Karel. I yelled and jumped up and down so he could see me.
At first I thought he was going to keep riding but he stopped soon after he saw
me. He pulled over to the side of the road in pure sadness and told me that he
has no gears. When I saw a tear fall down his cheek from under the sunglasses
attached to his helmet, that was my sign that I had to switch from wife to
coach. Whereas I wanted to give him a hug and be emotional, I knew that would
only make him more upset. We moved on to the sidewalk on Kuakini and Hanama (around
there) and as Karel said “And I had such a great swim…” I stopped him from
talking as I knew his emotions were taking over. I said “take my battery. I
even brought your tools.” Karel was overloaded with his thoughts about this
unfortunate situation and told me that he didn’t think it would help. He was
convinced that the wire shorted the battery due to the rain as he clipped the
wire prior to travel when removing his aero bars and secured it with electrical
tape. I told him to try and he swapped my battery for his (from inside the seat
post – aha, that is where it is!) and his biked shifted! Karel took the tools
with him just in case he didn’t them again and I told him not to let this get
to him. There was very little communication between us during the few minutes
that this battery swap took place as I wanted Karel to stay calm. Karel is not
one to over-react, play the blame game, make excuses or get angry so his
emotions were purely from disappointment in the situation. He knew that his top
10 goal would no longer happen even though he now had the ability to shift his
gears. I told him that I love him and to give his best and that everything will
be ok as he rode off. Even though he lost a good 15 minutes in the first 7
miles or so of the bike, I still felt like he would be able to be in the race,
so long as my battery worked for the rest of the ride.
As I walked back to the condo with my bike, I felt a bit of relief that I could
help Karel during is helpless situation but I felt sick to my stomach about the
situation. I just helped Karel cheat. As I made my way to the condo, I couldn’t
help but think that we just broke a very important rule with triathlon racing –
no outside assistance. I knew this meant a disqualification so I just hoped
that Karel would be able to continue the race and cross the finish line for I
know Karel and he is not a cheater or a quitter and would not want his race
experience to be taken away from him. Even if his goal was no longer reachable,
he loves to race and I wanted to give him the opportunity to race – even if he
wasn’t an official finisher.
Karel’s mom came back to the condo and she was visibly upset because she didn’t
see Karel on the bike. I showed her a picture that I saw him and gave her a
thumbs up to signify that he was ok so she wouldn’t worry. Before the race, I
made a time-line for Karel’s mom so she knew about when Karel would be where on
the course so she could go and cheer. Well, I had to adjust those times because
of the incident.
Sadly, I couldn’t feel happy about what just happened. Rather than feeling like
the hero in this, I felt disappointed that we cheated. I knew Karel would feel
the same way so I just hoped that he was able to enjoy his day before he would
need to tell an official that he received outside assistance. To help with my
emotions, I went for a run along Ali’i drive while listening to the live
broadcast on my phone and periodically checking the Ironman tracker app to see
how Karel was doing. When I saw that Karel was riding a more normal speed, I
did feel better that he would be able to ride more comfortably by choosing his
own gears to change throughout the race. I notified our team (on our private
Facebook team page) that Karel had a mechanical but I wanted it to come from
him to explain to our athletes what had happened, especially since we still
needed to speak to an official.
After my run, I returned back to the condo, showered and ate, watched more of
the live coverage and continued to track Karel. Although he was making good
progress on the course, he continued to move back in places. This told me that
something was not right. When I looked at this split paces compared to other
athletes, I knew something was wrong. He was still moving much faster than in
the first few miles with only the easy gear but far slower than what he is
capable of riding. I tried not to think much of it and I was just counting down
the hours until he got off the bike.
As Karel was getting closer to the transition area, his time was not bad but it
could have been so much faster. On a record setting day with no wind, I knew
something was not right as he was nearing 180ish place off the bike.
T2 Karel had a quick transition and was relieved to
be off his bike with his feet on the ground. The temperature was heating up but
I had no idea what was going on with Karel. Why was he riding somewhat fast if
he only had one easy gear but also so slow compared to what he could have
ridden?
26.2 mile run When I saw Karel running on Kuakini before heading to the out and back
section on Ali’i drive, I gave him a big cheer. He quickly told me that the
battery stopped working again and he only had one gear for most of the ride.
Later on, Karel told me that the battery only worked for about 20 miles and
luckily, when the battery died, he was in the big chain ring. It was still an
easy gear and on any other typical Kona day, it may have been fine with wind
but on a day that required a lot of resistance on the chain, he was forced to
pedal at a very high cadence just to keep the momentum going. But with every
climb, the gear was too heavy, which forced him to get out of the saddle a lot
and to use a very slow cadence to get over some of the hills. This was a very
poor way to ride the course, not to mention the mechanical and cardio fatigue
that occurred for over 90 miles. He had a lot of low moments during the ride as
he was helpless being passed by so many athletes. He refused to quit and tried
to make the best of the decision and adjust his position or figure out the best
way to gain speed (or make it “easier” when climbing) whenever possible. In addition, he still focused on good
nutrition but because of this very inefficient riding style, his body was under
a lot more stress compared to if he would be able to ride at his preferred
cadence (around mid 80’s) and change his gears.
After I saw Karel on the run, I yelled to him “Put together a run that you will
be proud of!” and that seemed to stick with him as he was running really well,
with good form and at a great pace. Again, I had no idea how much the ride took
out of his legs and heart but I knew my mission for the day was to keep him
going. Karel isn’t a quitter but it’s easy to give into the thoughts in your
head that it’s not worth it – especially on what was turning into an extremely
hot marathon run at the Ironman World Championship.
I rode my bike (without the ability to change gears – since I had Karel’s dead
battery) on one of the side roads so I could see Karel once more on Ali’i
drive. I rode on the opposite side of the road, took a few pictures and a video
but didn’t say anything to him.
I knew he needed to get into a good place with
his rhythm (and thoughts) so I just tried to be invisible. After a half mile of
watching Karel run, I turned around and made my way to the top of Palani to
wait for Karel once more.
When
I saw Karel running up Palani (the steepest hill on the course, occurring this year -with the new course-around mile 7-8ish), I told him that he is running one of the fastest paces at this
point in the marathon. Even though it was not possible to pass 150+ people over
the next 20 miles, I wanted Karel to know that he was still having a good race.
And most of all, I wanted to make sure Karel still felt like he was racing. The
bike was now in the past and the focus was on getting him to the finish line
with the best run that he could put together on the day.
Karel said that the run was incredibly hard – one of the hardest Ironman
marathons that he has ever run. It was so hot out there and there was no cloud cover. He had no idea of his pace or overall run time
as the focus was on running from one aid station to the next, walking through
the aid stations and taking care of himself with ice/water and then surviving
to the next aid station. Karel was later shocked when I told him that he ran a 3:15 marathon and moved from 181st to 82nd. With the wind at his face as he got closer to the new
entrance of the energy lab, it started to get very hot and very tough for
Karel. Despite his body breaking down and his mind exhausting, something inside
of him kept him going.
Although Karel slowed down (as everyone does in the marathon), he was still
putting together solid splits according to the tracer. I was just so proud of
Karel for what he had overcome and how he was able to still run so well.
I went back to the condo to tell Karel’s mom to head outside to watch Karel
finish and I made my way to the bleachers to capture Karel crossing the finish
line. As Karel made his way over the finish line, I could tell he was
completely empty – mentally and physically. What a day.
Post race I made my way to the patio area by the pool
where I stood to meet Karel in the morning. Thankfully, our friend Livingston
was volunteering and snapped a picture of Karel and called me so I could talk to
Karel. Karel was absolutely exhausted and told me that he just wanted to lay in
the grass for a while and go to sleep. I told him to take his time and that I
would meet him when he was ready. Livingston wouldn’t let Karel fall asleep so
he stayed with Karel until he was able to get up. Karel went to the bathroom,
rehydrated a little (no appetite to eat) and about 20-30 min after he finished,
he hobbled his way to me. I told him that I was so proud of him and he said
that was the hardest thing he had ever done. As we were walking, I wanted to
bring up the battery swap but I hesitated as I knew Karel was lacking some
brain cells to think. Once Karel started to talk a little more (although
clearly disappointed), I mentioned about us needing to talk to someone about my
outside assistance. Karel agreed and said he was thinking the same thing. Neither one of us could live with this scenario if we didn't tell an official. Even
though my battery didn’t technically help Karel (he still rode 90 miles on one
gear), it was still outside assistance and we always want to play fair and by
the rules. Plus, we feel that being a good role model for our athletes and having integrity for the sport means doing the right
thing.
Although the day was not as Karel planned, the goal shifted from being top ten to finishing and
Karel was just so relieved to have crossed that finish line. Even if he was disqualified, he just wanted
to finish what he started and to know that he never gave up on himself. It was
not about proving anything to anyone or getting kudos for his performance but
more about racing for himself and doing the best that he could out there. Karel
really appreciated that I told him to put together a run that you can be proud
of for he carried that with him for the entire run. He didn’t come all this way
and train this hard just to give up on himself. More so, his bike was still
functional, even with one gear so he wanted to pay respect to the sport and do
what others would love to do – even with only one gear.
After we made our way back to our place, Karel was feeling super nauseous. He
took a shower and laid down in bed. Unable to eat anything, we started with
some soup and over the next 2 hours, his appetite slowly came back. His mom was
super proud of him.
Nearing 7pm (when athletes can start checking out their
bikes), Karel mentioned that he was feeling ok enough to walk around. We both
wanted to find the head bike official (Jimmy Riccitello) as soon as possible as we
wanted to take care of this situation for we both didn’t feel good about it.
Karel and I slowly walked to the King K hotel (official race hotel) and went to
a room (Lost and Found) to see if we could locate Jimmy. The volunteer we spoke
to was very confused. The convo went like this.
Karel “I’d like to speak to the head bike official about a situation on the
bike course.”
Volunteer “OK, is this about another athlete?”
Karel “No, it’s about myself.”
Volunteer “ Did another athlete do something?”
Karel “No, I’d like to disqualify myself.”
Volunteer “Are you sure?" Karel "Yes.”
We waited over an hour for Jimmy to be found (during that time Karel collected his
bike and gear bags as I waited in the room) and once he came, we told him the entire
situation of what happened. Jimmy was a bit speechless as he couldn’t believe
that Karel wanted to disqualify himself at the Ironman World Championship.
Jimmy said that he really appreciated the honesty and that he would write down
Karel’s number in case anyone complained about what they saw but in all
fairness, he didn’t feel that Karel was deserving of a disqualification. He
told us that although it is outside assistance, it was not something that was
planned to help Karel gain the competitive edge and I was not offering Karel
something that he could use as an advantage over his other competitors. We
expressed several times that we felt like it was the right thing to do, Jimmy
took note of it but didn’t feel it was worthy of a DQ. We thanked him for allowing
us to share the situation and he thanked us for being honest about the
situation. I think he was a bit taken back by it all and a little speechless.
Afterward, Karel got back his appetite in full force and wanted a burger and
fries so we picked one up outside of a restaurant (Karel only managed to eat
half) and headed back to our condo.
It was a very emotional, exhausting and tough day for Karel but he is
incredibly happy that he finished. He said even if the bike would take him 7
hours, he was going to finish the race. While Karel had to deal with more than
he had planned to deal with over the course of 140.6 miles, he is heading back
home with a finisher medal that means more to him than any finish time or
finishing place. Onward and upward we go.
In sport, every athlete is seeking that perfect race. The race where everything goes smoothly, the weather is perfect or your strengths outweigh your weaknesses compared to your competition.
The "perfect race" scenario played out for many athletes at the 2018 Ironman World Championship. Records were broken, PR's were set and dreams came true for many athletes. Crossing a 140.6 mile finish line should never be taken for granted and even for those who did not reach personal goals, the achievement of crossing the Ironman World Championship line is now embedded into the memory bank of every athlete.
Karel did not have his perfect race. For the first time ever, Karel had a mechanical issue on the bike. His electronic shifting was not working as soon as he left T1....less than 75 minutes into the race. Six years of riding with electronic shifting and never has he had an issue. Talk about bad luck. Because of this, Karel could not change his gears. He was stuck in an easy gear with 112 miles of riding ahead of him. Because of the calm winds, this was a day where having "big" gears would allow you to ride fast. Karel is not angry or making excuses. He actually blames himself as he clipped the wire to his Di2 as he was packing his bike before our Kona trip two weeks ago, and secured the wire with electrical tape. He's done this in the past and it worked out and even this time around, he had no issues with his bike over the past two weeks. However, with the massive downpour on Friday night, the taped wires were impacted by the rain (otherwise, the wires/battery is just fine in the rain) and it drained the battery overnight. Karel did not realize this until he tried to change his gear at mile 0.1 of his upcoming 112 mile bike ride.
Whereas it would be easy to dwell on the could have, would have and should haves, Karel is very proud of what he overcame to reach the finish line.
You see, when an athlete has a perfect race, he/she is instantly rewarded with the feeling of satisfaction and gratitude. There's nothing wrong with that and as a coach (and athlete), the "perfect" race is worth chasing. However, things don't always have to go as planned to achieve the perfect race. More so, if you are hoping to have a perfect race every time you race, you'll likely be disappointed far more than you'll be satisfied. Does this mean that you should give up on chasing your goals because the odds are against you in having that perfect race?
Sport can be cruel and unpredictable but it's important that when you lose, you don't lose the lesson. In other words, giving up because of a mistake, failure or low moment teaches you nothing. Sure, when things don't go as planned, it's ok to be emotional, upset or disappointed, but when you give up, you immediately lose the opportunity to overcome whatever set you back and learn from the situation. And more importantly, learn more about yourself.
If an athlete always has a "perfect" race, he/she never gets the opportunity to learn the important lessons that sport teaches us. If your natural response to unfavorable "perfect" race scenarios (ex. bad weather, tough/fast competition, mechanical issue, nutrition issue, etc.) is to give up, you ingrain the habit of giving up when the going gets tough.
While no athlete should sacrifice health in an effort to get to the finish line, many athletes give up when things don't go as planned - even though the body still has the ability to move forward. These pressure cooker situations often emotionally break athletes and throw them off their game and thus, the immediate reaction is to give up due to excuses, negative thinking and the thought that continuing "isn't worth it." But when you give up, you also give up on any chance that you have to have a good outcome. For any outcome is better than not finishing what you started.
No athlete trains or hopes for race day issues, whether it's physical, mental or mechanical/gear related. But these things are bound to happen. Especially if you are racing for 140.6 miles. When you give up, you give up on your effort, the progress you made and on the possibility for a comeback.
In contrast, if you try to see the best in the situation or try to fix the situation, you at least give yourself a chance that something good may happen. And that's something you can be proud of. Every athlete is bound to have race day issues. It's not about IF those issues will happen but how you respond to them. While you may not reach your race day goals with a setback, you can cross that finish line with satisfaction, excitement, confidence and gratitude that you are a tenacious competitor who always finds a way to persevere, no matter what the day gives you.
Although Karel did not have his perfect race, he was given the race day scenario that provided him with the perfect platform to show his mental resilience and integrity to the sport.
Karel started the day off with a phenomenal swim showcasing his continued improvements with his swim fitness. Despite a bike performance that costed him a lot of mechanical fatigue due to having to spin at a very high cadence (115-120 rpm at times versus his normal mid-80 rpm cadence) or riding with an extremely heavy gear when there was a climb (often standing for the entire climb), Karel was able to pass over 100 athletes in his age group on the run (185th place to 82nd place out of 266). While it wasn't his fastest marathon run off the bike, he suffered a lot during the run and never gave up on himself to put together the best performance possible on the day, with the scenario that he was given.
Karel and I live together, train together and work together. But when it comes to racing, we both have a different strategy for feeling "race ready" in the 24 hours before a big event. Whereas I like to talk, watch funny videos/shows on the computer, laugh and socialize, Karel likes to hibernate with techno music, visualizing his race. Respecting Karel's pre-race rituals, I planned a long ride on Friday so that Karel could have time to himself, doing whatever he needed to do to relax without any distractions.
As for my ride, I biked the course! Well, all but 6 miles in town.
Whereas I've had an unfriendly relationship with this bike course for each of the four times that I have raced in the Ironman World Championship (2007, 2011, 2013, 2015), I wanted to cover the course (to Hawi and back) all by myself.
And wow, the roads were rather empty from athletes! Although I did see a handful of athletes scattered over the Queen K and a few in Hawi, most (if not all) were not IM Kona racers.
Since riding 100+ miles is a rarity for me and Karel (a combo of where we live and we do more higher intensity training versus long aerobic miles), I also looked forward to sharing 5+ hours with my body and mind. If I've learned anything about the IM Kona bike course it's that the weather is very unpredictable and you have to be physically fit but very mentally strong.
To keep the ride structured instead of just going for a 100+ mile ride, I used the first 8 miles to the airport as a warm-up and then started my main set for the rest of the ride. I went 20 minutes "on" at Ironman effort followed by a 5 minute EZ spin. I continued this for the remainder of my ride (4+ hours), all the way back to town.
The winds were not howling but it was hotter than hot. I felt like I was riding in a sauna - and this was even with a 7am start to my ride.
I went through 8 bottles during my ride (5 with calories, 2 with "electrolytes" and 1 with plain water to use for cooling my head. I had a stop in Hawi at the gas station to refill my bottles.
While a year is a long time away, I am getting more and more excited to return back to the Big Island in 2019 for the Ironman World Championship - as a participant. Whereas I turned down my slot last year at IM CHOO, I'm really glad that I took my slot at IMWI last month as I feel much more confident with my open water swimming abilities, my riding skills and my running form. This was a great season for me (training and racing) and I hope to build off this season....after I take a well deserved short off-season break near the end of the month. Next up I have the Hincapie Gran Fondo next Saturday.
Maui off in the distance.
While I didn't have any lows during the ride (this may have been because I didn't have to run a marathon off the bike), there were a few times when I found myself getting lazy with my pedal stroke. Having the set of 20 minutes ON and 5 minutes OFF helped as I could stay focus and then look forward to a little reset.
Aside from the cars/trucks on the road, the shoulder was pretty empty compared to the last few days. As someone who enjoys courses with lots of spectators (and loos), I also feel this ride was very valuable for me to be alone for so long with my own thoughts.
Stats from the ride:
Total ride time: 5:28.59
Total distance: 106 miles
Average speed: 19.4
Elevation gain: 3635
Normalized power: 143 watts
Average HR: 120
Average temp: 82 (Max temp 97!)
After I returned home, I wanted to see how my legs felt so I went for a quick 16 min run (1 mile out, 30 sec walk, 1 mile back) along Kuakini. I kept the pace comfortable and as usual, I wore my hydration belt. I was glad I had it for it was toasty! After cleaning up and eating, it wasn't too long later that Karel, his mom and I went down to bike check-in. Karel's slot for checking in his bike was 2:30-6pm so he waited until around 4pm to check in his bike. It was a very cloudy afternoon and as I write this now (7pm) it is pouring outside. Tomorrow should be an interesting day with the weather!
As a spectator and fan of the sport, I really love this part of the Ironman World Championship. There are crowds of people, you can feel the nervous energy of the athletes and you can sense the excitement of dropping off the bike and gear bags with only one sleep to go until race day.
The finish line arch and stage are coming together. It won't be too long until we get to witness the relief and joy by the athletes as they cross the most incredible finish line in the sport.
As for the bike/gear bag check in procedure, first athletes will go under an arch (athletes only) and it's a big show for spectators and athletes. There's music, announcers and tons of volunteers. There are literally people just watching for hours as athletes check in their bikes.
Once you enter the athlete-only area, there are a few booths where athletes with their respective bike gear/equipment will get some swag from the companies. For example, Karel got a Shimano hat because he has Shimano on his bike. It's a cool way for companies to say thank you to their customers.
And then there are the counters. There are a good two dozen plus people counting all the bike specs to determine how many athletes have certain brands on their bike. These counters look at everything from bike components, wheel brands, saddle brands, power meters and so much more. The final tally typically circulates the internet a few days after IM Kona on various triathlon websites.
Next up, athletes get their picture taken. Well, actually the bike gets a photo. I believe this is for security reasons but there could be other reasons as well.
Next is another wait in line before finally entering the transition area.
With so many volunteers, from all of the world, it's really neat to see how many people come here just to help out with the event.
The volunteer takes the gear bag and then the athlete walks to the gear bags to drop off the bags (Blue = Bike, Red = Run) and then place the bike in the floor rack. The helmet must go on the bike and cycling shoes can go inside the Bike bag or on the bike. Nothing can be on the floor next to the bike. The gear bags are also clear for security reasons.
The transition area on the pier is huge. With 2500 athletes, everyone has to cover the same route to enter and leave the transition area for swim to bike and bike to run.
After Karel was finished checking in his stuff, he did a quick video with Czech TV before heading back to the condo. The rest of the evening was "feet up, eat up."
One more sleep and this is where it's all going to start (and finish) tomorrow morning!
To follow the race, check out Ironman.com, Ironman Now on Facebook and the Ironman Tracker App.
Karel is bib number 1322 (40-44 AG).
I'll also be sharing pictures/updates on my Trimarni Facebook page tomorrow as often as I can.
The past two days have been incredibly busy. I am not even racing and I have found myself with a packed schedule!
On Wednesday morning, Karel and I both ventured out for a run workout. Karel had a few 1K efforts followed by a 15 min IM effort. I gave myself a workout of 3 x 6 minutes with 1 min rest followed by a 15 min at IM effort just to spice it up. I'm noticing that I have acclimated to the heat over the past week as my breathing is much more controlled, I can run "faster" paces at a lower heart rate and overall, I don't feel like I am running through a blow torch. We both ran along Ali'i drive and as usual, the shoulders were packed with cyclists, walkers and runners.
The nice thing about not racing is that I can deviate from my training anytime I want, which means stopping to take pictures, especially selfies with friends. This is my athlete Dana who lives in Greenville who is here spectating. It was fun to "run" into her along Ali'i drive. It's so funny how you can run into so many people that you know despite there being 2500 athletes and thousands of spectators and volunteers.
Karel showing off his custom paint design to co-found Diaa Nour
After the run, we did a quick change into our bike gear as we wanted to join the 3rd Annual IM Kona ventum ride. Not only did we get to see so many Ventums (several with awesome custom paint jobs) but we were able to see the reveal of the NEW Ventum road bike.
The group ride was led by Leanda Cave and there were also a few other Ventum professionals who were at the start of the ride, such as AJ Baucco, Kevin Collington and Lauren Brandon.
The ride was an hour long and we rode up toward the airport (on the Queen K) and then turned off to take a picture inside the energy lab. For those who have raced/been here before, this is the "new" section of the energy lab run course to start/finish the section in the energy lab.
Picture by Ventum Media crew.
Check out this awesome video with a little cameo of my Pink Rocket.
After the ride, it was a very busy afternoon. After a well-needed meal, I got some work done before making a video with my contact at Levelen regarding sweat testing. If you missed the video, you can check it out on my Trimarni facebook page. As for my other half, Karel's Czech friends arrived on Tues evening and one of them had an issue with his bike. Karel was unable to help as he didn't have the right tool for the job but since his friends don't speak English, Karel went to Bike Works with them to help translate so that his friend could get his bike fixed. Karel also had a swim on the schedule but the pool didn't open until 3 (break from 1:30-3pm) so around 2pm, I made a quick trip up to the grocery store (Safeway) for a few more specialty food items that I couldn't find at Walmart (more like produce and fresh bread/croissants) before heading to the pool. We rode our bike to the pool around 3pm but we only had about an hour to swim as Karel had an interview with Czech TV at 4:30pm. I was invited to attend the Clif Bar BBQ which started at 4pm so I drove there around 5pm and stayed for about 40 minutes. As usual, the food was fresh, locally sourced and amazing.
The pool was packed and we even had a few pro sightings (Daniela Ryf, Tim O.). It got very chaotic when 6-8 of us were in the same lane circle swimming and each one of us was doing a different set, with different swimming abilities. Somehow we made it happen and Karel was able to get in his prescribed swim set.
600 warm-up Pre set: 100 smooth 2 x 75 build 3 x 50's fast 4 x 25's very fast MS: 100 smooth 100 build 100 smooth 50 fast
You continue to repeat the above but add a 50 each round to stop at 4 x 50's.
After returning home from the Clif Bar house, I had a bit more to eat, we caught up with Breakfast With Bob, Talbot Cox videos and Ironman Now (on Facebook) before I fell asleep around 8:30pm. Karel met up with his Czech friend Roman soon after I fell asleep to get his Czech tshirt (designed for Czech IM Kona athletes) and a few sweet treats from Czech. Of course Karel can't do a race without his favorite treats!
It's crazy to think it's already Thursday. The IM Kona athletes only have two more sleeps before race day! Karel slept in and had a solid 9+ hours of sleep. I was already out on the patio working on the computer and eating my pre-workout snack. After Karel had his espresso (or three) and his pre-workout snack, we walked down to "dig me beach" for an open water swim. Holy moly the ocean was packed! Not only were the construction crews setting up the finish line area but there were athletes everywhere. This was our first AM open water swim since Sat last week so it was nice to be back in the ocean - navigating our way around so many other athletes.
Group photo with our Ventum friends and co-owner Jimmy Seear.
After the swim, we walked back to our condo (about 5 min walk) to get ready for a bike ride. One of my favorite parts of IM Kona week is around this time and seeing the finish line area transform. The red carpet is yet to be laid but the finish line arch and backdrop screen and bleachers are getting set up. It's so exciting to see it all come together!
For Karel's open water swim, he didn't want to overdo it in the ocean as sometimes his shoulder gets sore/tight so we swam 500 yards out to the coffee boat (Karel can always have one more cup of coffee) before heading back. Although the water super choppy/wavy and we needed to sight almost every stroke to avoid swimming into another athlete, Karel swam really well. I couldn't keep up! Then again, I didn't have a swimskin on (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it).
On our way back from the swim, we stopped by the Picky Bars booth and spun the wheel for a prize. Karel one a package of Picky Oats and I won a $25 gift card! Oddly enough, we ran into Jesse Thomas as we were walking up the stairs to our condo. Selfie time!
To avoid the stop and go/lights, we drove our bikes to the Energy Lab (new entrance) and parked so that the only light we would need to get through was the airport light. Then it was nonstop riding along the Queen K for the rest of our ride. Karel kept the ride fairly smooth but included a strong 15 min effort on the way back to town to wake up his legs. His hips were a little stiff to start but loosened up as the ride went on.
Once again, I'm running into friends. This time in the middle of the Queen K! It was nice to catch up with my friend Emily who is a superstar athlete.
After the ride, we drove back to town and I did a quick change before heading to the King K hotel to meet Marnie (how cool is that!) who is the Global athlete development director at Ironman. We chatted for a while, I shared my thoughts about helping to grow the sport of triathlon and she told me a bit more about some of the Ironman initiatives to help get more people into the sport of triathlon.
I then made a quick stop in the merchandise tent to pick up a few requested items for Karel (for race day) before walking back to our condo. Once again, the island continues to transform as the buoys are getting ready to find their location in the water and the finish line area is getting more touches.
Karel is feeling good. Tomorrow he will do his pre-race brick and then spend the rest of the day off his feet, visualizing and fueling up (with carbs) for the big dance on Saturday. I have a long ride planned in the morning so that Karel can do his own thing before he checks in his bike after 2:30pm. There's something really special about the entire IM Kona bike/gear bag check-in process.
I still remember the very first time I checked in my bike and gear bags for my first Kona back in 2007.
First IM Kona in 2007 at the age of 25.
I was so excited to be part of this historic and special event as an athlete and even today, I feel so lucky that I can be here as a spectathlete and to cheer on Karel. Who would have thought that back in 2011 when Karel spectated his first IM Kona (my 2nd IM World Championship) that he would be back here as an athlete for his third IM Kona?? He didn't even start the sport of triathlon until 2012, with his first IM in 2013!
First things first. The ebook of my book Essential Sports Nutrition is now available for only $0.99!! Take advantage of this great deal as it's only for a limited time (until the 17th).
Now back to Kona happenings....
The streets are getting super busy. Along with a cruise ship rolling in on Monday, the majority of IM Kona athletes and volunteers have arrived to the island.
Monday morning started bright and early with a 6:15am swim led by Matt Dixon with Purple Patch Fitness. Karel and I got in a bit earlier and I swam a bit extra for a total of around 4300 yards. Here's the workout:
Warm-up: ~1100 Pre-set: 100 smooth, 25 fast 75 smooth, 25 fast 50 smooth, 25 fast 25 smooth, 25 fast (continuous) MS: 6 x 50's fast 200 smooth 4 x 50's fast 200 smooth 2 x 50's fast 200 smooth Post set: 6 x 100's strong 300 EZ pull (I think I'm forgetting something but that was what I remembered)
As we were leaving the pool to ride back to our condo, we bumped into Natscha Badmann who is a 6x Ironman World Champion! Although she is no She was one of my biggest inspirations when I started Ironman racing. I even took a picture with her back in 2007 for my first Kona!
Me and Natascha at my first IM Kona, 11 years ago at the age of 25!
Around lunchtime, we had lunch at Lava Java (they have a new location just a street over for those who haven't been to the island in a few years) with our friend and doctor, Dr. Cassas. Because Karel and I don't have a primary care doctor, we always reach out to Dr. Cassas with our questions. We are so lucky to have such a personable, smart and easy to reach doctor! Dr. Cassas is getting his learn on here in Kona at the Sport Medicine Conference. It was nice to catch up with a few of his colleagues over delicious food. I ordered the Vesterby veggie bowl and Karel got the Potts Poke Bowl.
Just as we were finishing lunch, it started to drizzle. By the time we returned back to our condo, it was pouring. The rain lasted all afternoon. Karel had an easy 45 minute spin on his training schedule so we managed to spin our legs on the Queen K around 5:15pm. While the rain had stopped, a beautiful double rainbow showed up during the end of our ride.
Another beautiful sunset to end Monday.
Although Monday starts race week, I feel like Tues is the "official" start of race week as there's so much going on. First off, the ocean becomes more crowded and the coffee boat makes it's first run out for a mid-stop java while swimming in the ocean.
Karel had a 90-minute ride on his schedule so I joined in and we ventured out to the Queen K and then took a side road down to the ocean in a State Park. It provided us with a nice 5-minute climb back to the Queen K for Karel to do a little hard effort to wake-up his legs. After the ride, Karel was done for the morning and I followed up the bike with a 30 minute run. The streets were pretty crowded with cyclists and runners and walkers and of course, the normal car traffic of locals and tourists. It seemed like the humidity was a bit lower on Tuesday as I could sweat much easier and I didn't feel like someone was blowing a blow torch on me as I was running. There was one tent set up on Ali'i drive (Gu) with free sport nutrition but I didn't need any as I had my fuel belt on with my hydration/sport drink (Carbo Rocket hydration for this run...I'm almost out of my Clif hydration).
Tuesday is also the first official day for athlete check-in (9am-2pm). All athletes must check-in by Thursday. Karel told me that the official athlete wrist bands did not arrive so Karel received a shiny red wrist band instead. He is welcome to go back and get his official wrist band when they arrive (hopefully tomorrow they said). As Karel was checking in at the King K hotel, Karel's mom and I went into the merchandise tent (one of three in the area) and waited for Karel.
From my own personal experience of racing in the IM World Championship, I think the athlete check-in makes it feel very real and it brings a new level of excitement for those who are racing. Several people have asked me if I regretted turning down my Kona slot at IM Chatty last year when I won my age group and my answer is still no. I am not only happy that I could give my slot to another athlete but I feel like I needed a few years away from racing IM Kona to get even more experience racing the Ironman distance. Now that I have qualified for 2019, I am super excited to return back to the island next year as an athlete. Plus, I never thought I could handle the winds in Kona but now that I have my new Ventum, I feel so much more confident riding here that I actually look forward to racing in windy conditions.
Karel got a huge backpack/duffel bag which was perfect to hold free swag as we made our way to the IM Village to check out the expo - which just opened today (Tuesday).
So official!
As I mentioned in a previous post, it's really awesome to see how the town transforms from a small town in Kona to the race venue of the Ironman World Championship. As a huge fan of the sport, I just love race week and the energy you feel as you are surrounded by so many like-minded individuals.
Although the main athlete village/expo is across from the Farmers market on ali'i drive, there are actually a few different booth areas along Ali'i drive (all within walking distance - no need to drive anywhere). We checked out all the different booths as Karel loves seeing new bike products/gear. There have been several "new" bike gear/equipment items revealed this week.
We made a stop at the Ventum booth so see our Ventum friends. No expo is complete without a hello from Rachel. By the way, if you are in Kona, make sure to stop by their booth to make your free support t-shirt!
How cool are these shirts that you can design???
Also Ventum is holding a free no-drop ride at 8:45am from the Ventum booth on 10/10 (Wed morning) for anyone who would like to participate. The ride is about 15 miles and there will be some refreshments afterward. You can even test-ride a Ventum (first come)!!
Because my triathlon season is complete and my only event left this season is the Hincapie Gran Fondo (80-miles) in two weeks, I'm making sure that no workout here feels like a chore. I don't feel the need to make myself workout so everything that I do is for fun, because I want to do it. In the afternoon, I decided to go for an ocean swim, just because. I didn't have a workout or a set but I just swam and stopped when I was done. I swam for around 15-minutes, back and forth from the shore to the first buoy. It was super duper wavy but I was having fun just swimming around and looking at the fishes.
During this time, the kids Dip n' Dash event was going on and the streets were packed with fans. Wow, those kids are super competitive! It was so much fun to watch the kids (our future triathletes) in action.
Karel's mom even came out to cheer for the kids. I spotted her in her new Ventum shirt (Karel made it for her) as I was walking back to the condo from my swim.
As I was heading up to the condo, I ran into Karel as he was making his way to the King K for the Parade of Nations walk along Ali'i drive. Although Karel is now a US Citizen, he enjoyed walking with his home country, Czech Republic.
Despite another rain shower, the fans and athletes came out with smiles and lots of cheers for the parade. Karel's mom enjoyed her walk with the other Czech athletes. It will be sad to see her head back to her home next weekend.
It's remarkable how many people from so many different countries are here on the island. I think that's one of the many reasons why this event is so special. It truly brings together all athletes from around the world.
Around 7:15am, we left our condo and drove to the shops at Mauna Lani (North of the island) to start our ride. Karel had a 3-hour endurance ride on the schedule to flush his legs from yesterday's sessions. Since we hadn't yet ridden the Hawi section since arriving (we covered everything else on the Queen K), we thought it would be good to head out there early and get reacquainted with the back part of the course. As you may know, this is where the historic Kona winds are the fiercest and you can always tell from the white caps on the ocean if the winds will be blowing (no white caps = calm winds).
As we left the parking lot, Karel needed some time to loosen out his legs so the pace was rather easy to start just to move blood.
Although we started the ride at 8am, it was already hot. Thankfully we packed along plenty of hydration/sport drinks for our ride.
From the exit of the Mauna Lani resort (turning North on to the Queen K), it's ~6.5 miles to the first official turn on the course (not counting the "in town" section). Once you get to Waikui, you make a left on to 270. This is a fast downhill section of the course for just under 2 miles before veering right at the gas station for the 18-mile "climb" to Hawi. The elevation gain is around 835 feet (according to Karel's Garmin) and although you are climbing throughout all 18 miles, it's never steep and there are some flatter sections and rollers. However, because the course bends around the island, the wind is constantly changing. The winds can be very unpredictable and lucky for us during our ride, they were relatively calm.
The views of the ocean make this part of the course pretty spectacular. They are even better on the way back as you get to see Mauna Kea (elevation 13,803 ft!).
As the road winds around, the terrain changes.
What starts as a normal looking highway....
Turns into a desolate looking road.
The views eventually become more greener as you get closer to the town of Hawi.
As I mentioned, I wouldn't really call it a climb but more a gradual incline with a few terrain changes.
The town of Hawi is super cute but also really small. There are a few shops and restaurants and it's worth checking out (not on bike) if you have time. There's also a beautiful lookout point at Polou Valley.
Once again, my Ventum rode amazingly well and I felt so comfortable on the descend. It's not a true descend in that you still have to work for it at times because of the wind and there is still some climbing on the way back.
There are a few sections where you can pick up some free speed but depending on the winds, you have to be alert and can't relax too much.
While we rode the climb up to Hawi in a very steady effort (nothing too hard), we had fun descending. It took us 58 minutes to reach Hawi and 53 minutes to descend. We weren't doing anything spectacular for this ride as Karel just wanted to spin his legs. Thankfully, that meant I could stay on his wheel and enjoy the ride with him.
After you veer left (gas station), the hottest part of the course, with one of the steepest climbs, occurs. The climb is about 1.2 miles and elevation gain is 226 feet (per Karel's Garmin). It's a kicker right before the right hand turn back on the Queen K for the last part of the course (~36 miles).
We rode back to the car and I refilled my bottles with more sport nutrition before I headed back out on the Queen K to finish my ride....back home.
Karel drove home and I rode back home to finish off my "long" ride. I ended up with 4.5 hours of riding and 83 miles. On the way back, I did 3 x 25 minutes at a strong IM effort w/ 5 min EZ between. I only did 20 minutes at the end because I was back in town and wanted to spin my legs before arriving to the condo. I felt very strong on the bike and I was really happy with how I felt - especially how my Ventum rode in the wind. It wasn't crazy gusty but it was windy.
After refueling and getting some work done on the computer, I made my way to the pier/beach for a little dip in the ocean (not a swim, just looking for fishes and playing around). I caught a few pics of my favorite things. A chihuahua with a life vest.
"Sandy" the local turtle.
And beautiful Hawaiian cats.
Oh and then my 4th favorite thing....PIZZA!!
Karel mentioned he wanted pizza tonight before we went for our ride and as my favorite food group, I couldn't deny him of a yum. I ordered out from Longboard Legends Pizza (Hawaiian for Karel and a Vegetarian and Margarita for me and his mom, as well as a salad) and walked over to get it a little before 5pm while Karel was out for his 40-minute PM shake-out run.
Tomorrow is the official start of IM Kona race week. With the island filling with triathletes and tents getting set up all along Ali'i drive, I'm so excited for the craziness that is IM Kona week!
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