IM World Championship St. George - 2.4 mile swim recap

BEEP!

2.4 mile swim
Marni: 59:58 (1st AG)
Karel: 1:00.11 (11th AG)

GEAR
Wetsuit Marni - Women's maverick X2 (older model)
Wetsuit Karel - Men's maverick MX wetsuit (max buoyancy) w/ Xterra Booties (worn under the wetsuit legs and covering the feet).

Goggles Marni – Roka F2
Goggles Karel – Michael Phelps Xceed

I ran into the water alongside several other ladies. I took a few strokes, settled into my rhythm and the water felt perfect. I was told it was 64 degrees (I’m thinking it was more like 62) but I never felt cold. Endorphins always warm me up! Before I knew it, I breathed to my right and then to my left and quickly realized I was swimming by myself.

It was a strange feeling knowing that I was leading my wave – which also meant I was leading the race for the women. I enjoyed this special first-time moment. I had a lot of male athletes to swim through so this required a bit extra sighting and navigating to get through the swimmers in the previous male waves.

I liked how the course was set up and there were plenty of buoys for sighting. We swam out to a far buoy, hung a right and then had the long stretch out and back before heading back to the shore. I was able to settle into a good rhythm throughout, although sometimes it got a bit choppy and I had to change up my stroke to time it with the chop. On the long stretch back, the sun was to my right so I had to only breathe to the left which affected my rhythm. In open water I prefer to breathe to my right side but I often change up sides. 

As I finished the swim, I had no idea my swim time. I felt like the swim went by pretty quickly and I was expecting around an hour.  I didn't care too much about my swim time as I was leading the IM World Championship as the first female out of the water. It was a great start to the day!

Karel felt really good in the water. He loves his new Roka max buoyancy wetsuit. It feels a bit tight in the shoulders but he likes how he stays so buoyant when he he swims and sights. Karel has had a rough relationship with swimming since he broke his hand last year but for some reason, swimming in St. George felt really good for him. He took a glance at his watch (which he knows not to do as it messes with the head) and he saw the number 9. He was bummed that he swam 1:09 because he thought he was swimming really well passing so many people. Well later on he learned that he swam 1:00 and nine seconds! Just a good reminder to not look at your watch and make assumptions after the swim. That is why I don’t swim with a watch on race day 😊

After I exited the water, I ran up the concrete boat ramp and quickly on the carpet to the female bags in the changing tent. I was weaving in and out of the guys as we were all heading to the changing tents. I was the first one in the female tent so I had the volunteers all to myself. They were so helpful. Even though my bag was closest to the entrance of the ladies changing tent, I grabbed my bag and ran all the way to the last chair so that when I was done, I didn't have to run through any traffic of other ladies in the tent.  The lady asked if she could help me with anything and I responded no but she offered to pack up my wetsuit, cap and goggles into my bag as I was putting on my cycling gear. I quickly put on my compression socks (I took off my timing chip and held the chip in my mouth so I wouldn’t forget to put it back on). I put on my helmet, stuffed a Supra bar and bag of Gu chews in my back jersey pocket and then placed a bag of Gu aminos in the pocket on my shorts. As I was finishing up, I noticed a few more ladies in the tent.

I thanked the volunteers for helping me pack my bag, I grabbed my shoes and my bag (with my wetsuit, cap and goggles in it) and handed the bag to a volunteer on the outside of the tent. Because of where my bike was racked and how far I needed to run with my bike to exit the transition area, I ran in my socks to my bike and ran my bike to just before the transition exit before putting on my tri shoes (I don’t do a flying mount and didn’t want to run the entire transition in my tri shoes). I have learned that this is the "fastest" way for me to transition. I got to the far end of the barricaded after the mount line, got on my bike, started my Garmin bike computer and off I went for an adventure of a ride.

Karel’s transition was a bit slow for him as the transition was packed with guys when he got in there. He wanted to do a flying mount but his hips have been giving him issues and he was worried he would hurt himself trying to jump on his bike. He put on his shoes in the changing tent and ran to get his bike and then mounted his bike at the mount line. He felt good after the swim. 

Next blog...the bike!

IM Kona '19 RR: 2.4 mile swim

                                                                   Picture source

Marni Gear
Amp PR lotion
Squirrels Nut butter anti-chafe cream
Roka Viper X swimskin (sleeveless)
TYR 2.0 Special ops tinted goggles
Castelli San Remo tri one piece kit (pulled down to waste)
Oakley Crisscross power sports bra

Karel Gear
Amp PR lotion
Pjuractive 2skin
Roka Viper X sleeve swimskin
MP Xceed tinted goggles
Castelli San Remo tri one piece kit (pulled down to waste)
Garmin 735 XT

When we heard about the new wave start protocol for the 2019 Ironman World Championship, Karel and I were both happy about this change. We have always had our fastest swims with either a wave start or rolling start. I had the "pleasure" of racing Kona in 2007 when it was a mass start and it was pure chaos - super scary at times. And this was when the race "only" had around 1500 athletes. Now, with over 2500 athletes, there are a lot more arms and legs to fight for space in the water. And with over 70% of the IM Kona participants as male athletes, Karel says that the swim start has been crazy - like a boxing match throughout the entire swim.

Karel's wave of male 40-44 went off at 7am and my wave of female 18-39 went off at 7:15am. Karel found the new swim start to be much more pleasant and although there were still a lot of athletes starting together, Karel was still able to find some clean water to keep a normal swim stroke. He lined up on the far left - away from the sighting buoys - around the second line of athletes. As for my wave, I also lined up on the far left but right near the front.

As soon as the horn went off, I started with take-out speed (very hard swimming) to try to get away from the group. Knowing that I would not be even close to the front of this female pack, my focus was to stay on course and to find a small group to stay with. I found myself swimming with 2-3 other purple caps in my wave and we while there were other females ahead of us from the wave, it wasn't long before we re-passed them. With the male 50+ wave starting just 5 minutes in front of us, I found myself swimming past many male athletes by the third and fourth buoy. At this point, I was feeling really good and settling into a good rhythm which felt sustainable and strong. After passing the Royal Kona resort - which is half way to the half way - I found myself needing to swim around more and more male athletes. Other than that, I was feeling great in the water.

Sometimes I found myself right on the buoy line but I tried to position myself so that I'd approach the turn buoy somewhat on the outside to avoid the chaos that comes with so many athletes trying to turn around the same buoy. And in IM Kona, you also have two big boats helping to direct you around the turn buoys. I slowed down considerably around the turn buoys to avoid being kicked and hit by other athletes.

The water was cool but very refreshing. There were some warmer sections and colder sections throughout the 2.4 mile out and back course.

The water was very choppy but I found myself keeping a good rhythm in the water. The sky was cloudy but I was still happy to have my tinted goggles. To avoid getting nauseous in the wavy conditions, I tried to match the rhythm of the water instead of fighting it. This meant sometimes my stroke would increase and sometimes it would slow down so that I could constantly feel like I was grabbing the water and moving myself forward. In the past years of racing IM Kona, I have always found myself getting more and more exhausted in the last 20 minutes of the swim. I like to build my swim effort in the IM distance but in Kona, this was always a big struggle - I found myself slowing down and running out of steam. This year was a big change as I gained confidence in the practice swim from a week prior and on race day, I never felt exhausted or tired. Most of all, I was swimming happy and not finding myself jumping ahead in thoughts. Karel also felt like he didn't get tired in the back half of the swim and was able to keep an efficient and powerful stroke throughout.

Because I don't wear a watch in the swim portion of the triathlon, I had no idea of my swim time. My goal was to break an hour (previous best IM Kona swim time was 1:06 back in 2015) as I felt like that was within my capabilities. As I was nearing the pier, the water became more choppy with athletes and I found myself zig zagging around other athletes before exiting the water. I was anxious to see the clock on the top of the steps in the transition area (before the hoses) to see my time but the clock read an odd time - likely the overall clock and not the age group clock. Because I wasn't sure exactly what time the pro males went off, I wasn't able to do the math to figure out my swim time. Oh bummer - I guess I would have to wait until after the race. Spoiler alert - I swam 59.36 which was 6th fastest in the 35-39 age group. Karel also had a PR swim of 1:03.14.

After exiting the water, I did a quick rinse off under the hoses and then grabbed my blue swim to bike gear bag. It was busy near the male changing tents so I bumped into a few athletes on my way to the female changing tent. The female tent wasn't too busy but I ran to the far end of the tent (easier to exit) and sat down in a chair and started my transition. I had two volunteers helping me. I asked one of the volunteers to remove my chip from my ankle as I put on my compression sock. She then put it back on my ankle after I was finished. Because I don't like anything on my shoulders when I swim without a wetsuit, I rolled down my one piece suit to my waste with my swim skin over it. I made the mistake of not taking off my swim skin right away in the transition area and I told the volunteer lady "don't let me run out of here with my swimskin still on" :) I also made the mistake of putting on the top of my one piece before putting on my heart rate monitor strap so I had to take off the top off again and put on my heart rate strap. I put on my helmet, took a quick sip of water, thanked the volunteers for helping me and then carried my cycling shoes to my bike (which was just behind the yellow inflatable Gatorade bottle). I then put on my cycling shoes, turned on my bike computer and then ran my bike to the mount line. The transition area was really busy so I could only move so fast to get out of there. The mount line was also chaotic as far too many athletes had their shoes clipped into their bike but it was if very few of them knew how to do a flying mount. I ran my bike to the far end of the mount area by the barricades and even that area was busy. I made sure to safely get on my bike and then clipped in and started pedaling my way up the start of the bike on Palani. 

IMCA Race Recap: Pre race + 2.4 mile Swim

Photo: David McColm

Saturday was a smooth day. I woke up around 5am after a solid 8 hours of sleep. Since arriving to Whistler, I've been going to bed around 7:30pm PST (asleep by 8-8:30pm PST) and waking up without an alarm around 4:45-5am.

After my normal 2 waffles + syrup + peanut butter pre-workout snack, I headed out on my bike around 7:30am for an easy spin on the race course. I used the first 45 minutes to include a few efforts to wake-up the legs and then finished off the ride with a recon of some of the run course (easy spinning). Karel went out shortly after me and did his own thing but we unexpectedly saw each other on the run course (biking). I attempted a jog off the bike but I was still feeling some tugging in my adductor/groin so I didn't try to run through it. It left me a little sad with less than 24 hours before race day but I also reminded myself that I can't waste energy on something out of my control.

After our morning workout, we each had a big carb-rich breakfast at our place and then finalized the packing of our gear bags. I put out all my gear on my bags on Friday so it was easy to stuff the bags. I also pre-portioned my sport nutrition in baggies for the bike and run (and special needs) so it was easy to fill my bottles on Saturday evening (stored in the fridge overnight).

Around 11am, I walked my bike and gear bags to T2 (5 minutes away from where we are staying). I dropped off my run gear bag in T2 (two transition layout) and throughout this time, I sipped on 1 scoop NBS pre-load in a bottle of water. Karel rode his bike to the lake (T1) and I rode the bus. Our bikes were transported behind us on a Uhaul (wrapped in heavy duty blankets).

After arriving to the lake (about 20 min ride), Karel met me inside of the transition area. I had him give my bike one last look over before racking it on my rack. Karel and I were on the same rack, just a few spots down. 

To help clear my mind from the unknowns of the run, I decided to walk the 1.8 miles back to the lodge where we are staying. Whistler is incredible because of all of the walking/biking trails. And the sights are incredible. I really enjoyed this walk. While I knew it would be energy to walk (instead of taking the shuttle) back to our place, I felt like I needed to be in nature - and walking doesn't bother my hip/back - just hopping forward. 

As for the rest of the day, it was pretty low key. We chatted with a few of our athletes, Karel visualized with his music (in bed) and we ate and hydrated throughout the day. I had an early dinner around 5pm (eggs and Basmati rice) and I went to bed around 6pm and fell asleep around 7:15pm. I was really tired throughout the day - I couldn't wait to go to bed - but I know that's a sign that the body is ready to race. It's a weird feeling as it also feels like the body is too tired to perform but I've experienced this many times before and I know that when I am tired on the day before the race, it just means my body is doing it's final touch-ups before race day. 

Race morning came early with a 3:15am alarm. I slept fairly well until 12:30pm and then it was a bit of tossing and turning. Thankfully, I woke up fairly rested. After eating my normal pre-race meal (waffles, PB, banana, syrup) and sipping on NBS pre-load and a cup of coffee, I packed my bags with bottles and extra stuff for the morning and we left our place around 4:40am.

We walked down to T2 to put our run flasks in our bags. Because of the bear population, we were told not to put any nutrition in our bags/bikes until race morning. After getting body marked at the bus line and dropping off our special needs bags, we boarded the buses. Somehow Karel and I got on different buses after I dropped off our special needs bags but we met up at the race venue.

The bus ride was nice as it gave me an opportunity to relax my mind before getting to the transition area. After putting my bottles on my bike and my computer, I double checked my gears, brakes and tires (well, Karel did) and then it was time to get on the wetsuit.

It was in the upper 40's on race morning and I was a bit cold (even dressed in warm gear) so I opted out of a swim warm-up and instead, just stepped in the water and put water down my Roka wetsuit to help adjust it. I wished my athlete Ericka a great race and went over to the swim line-up after dropping off my morning clothes bag. My feet were super cold standing on the grass so I used a plastic bag to stand on before the swim start. I had a throw away bottle of sport nutrition (NBS carbo-hydration) that I sipped on in the morning and also took in an Enervitine cheerpack "gel".

I met up with Karel in the swim line-up as we both lined up near the front. I let Karel stand a few rows ahead of me as I didn't want to swim right next to him but instead, I wanted to be behind him in the case that I swam faster than him, I was hoping I would see him on the bike.

Photo: David McColm

The race started at 6am for the age groupers (5:50am for the pros) and they had us go off 4 at a time in rows, every few seconds (at the beep). The start was a little rocky so I took my time getting in the water and then as soon as the water got to my knees, I started swimming. It took me about 2 minutes to start the race after the official race start.

The water temperature was perfect - in the upper 60's. The only issue was fog on the lake, which made it a little tough to see the buoys at times. The buoys were set up 100 meters apart and the course was set up as 750 meters down the lake, 200 meters across and then 750 meters back and then 200 meters across - Two loops without exiting the water.

Immediately I found myself working well with those around me. I love the rolling start for this reason - so long as athletes seed themselves properly. I stayed close to the buoys without even trying and I felt like I did a good job staying on course. The first loop went by really quickly and I was feeling really good in the water. It took me about 300 meters to get into a good rhythm but when I found it, it never went away. I like to build my effort as the swim goes on so I found myself feeling stronger on the second loop, where I tried to pick up the effort. Somehow, I spotted Karel swimming and then I passed him. Since we do so much of our swimming together, I know his swim stroke really well. I was happy to see him and also happy to pass him :)

The course got really crowded on the second loop which not only made it hard to stay on course at times but also to see the buoys with the fog. I found myself needing to sight a bit extra - I first would sight for the buoy until I saw it and then I had to sight to find clean water/clear path to swim.

I was a little confused as to how we were going to exit the water but once we made the last turn, it was a straight shot to the swim exit. I couldn't believe how fast that swim went and I didn't have any low moments. Because I don't wear a watch when I swim, I didn't know my swim time until I exited the water. Later I learned I swam 57 minutes which made me super happy. Karel swam 58 minutes which was a great swim for him - especially since he just learned how to swim in 2012.

I kinda expected my endorphins to take over but I didn't realize they would be so strong so early in the race. I found myself running to the transition tent and I didn't even think about it - I was running and no pain! I felt a little tugging in my inner thigh but it wasn't painful. Wahoo!

When I got into the women's changing tent, I ran to the far end and had a volunteer help me out. I chose to wear compression socks so I had the volunteer take off my chip as I put on my sock and then put it back on - that was her task for me ;) I put on my shoes and helmet and opted no arm warmers and gloves (even though I had both in my bag). I was warm from the swim but by 10 miles of the bike, I regretted that decision as I was so cold.

As I was running to my bike, we ran by a line of 70.3 athletes getting ready for their swim start at 7:20am. I spotted our athlete Jim and gave him a high five. I grabbed my bike, started my computer and ran my bike to the mount line. I veered to the far left side to make room to mount my bike. Because we had a hill to climb right out of the transition area, I had my bike in an easy gear to make it easy to get momentum up the hill.

The highlight of this moment was hearing Karel's voice behind me as we both started the bike at the same time. I can't recall that ever happening so it put a big smile on my face to see him for a hot second until he rode away from me. I wished him a great race and off he went.

More to come..................

Karel's swim recap:
Super happy with this swim. I think it was my best Ironman swim ( not counting Chattanooga :-) First loop went really great, clear water and I felt very controlled with my effort. As soon as I started swimming, I felt really good in the water. Sighting was a little tricky as there was steam on the top of the lake and you couldn’t really see the buoy until you got closer. I had to clear my goggles twice as they got foggy. 2nd lap was more congested with athletes starting their first loop but nothing too bad. Overall it was a great start to the day. AG 4th place but moved to 2nd at T1.

IMWI '18 Race Report - Pre-race + Swim + T1

Pre-race

I was looking forward to my 30-minute swim on Friday morning at the Pinaccle Health Club. Karel joined me but swam about double my distance as he is still in training mode for his upcoming races. Because two days out from an Ironman is a relatively light day of training for me, I was really looking forward to connecting with our 13 athletes who were racing IMWI (and seeing their family members). In usual Trimarni fashion, we had our pre-race pizza party + course talk as a way to connect everyone and provide last minute advice and tips. Our athlete Lisa lives in Madison and offered up her rooftop deck/clubhouse for our party. The views were incredible. Plus, you can never go wrong with pizza two days before a race. We ordered pizza from Pizza Brutta and it was amazing!

The rest of the day was very low-key for me and it was early to bed to try to get a good night of sleep as you never know how sleep will go on the night before the race. 

Saturday was all about waking up the body and fueling for the long adventure that awaited me on Sunday. Interesting, I never felt “too full or heavy” despite eating far more than I normally eat before a race. I started the day with my typical pre-training snack (2 waffles w/ PB, syrup and Greek yogurt) and a small cup of coffee and water. Then it was off for a 55 minute spin on the race course (with the terrain dictating my efforts to raise the intensity) followed by a 15 minute run off the bike. I’m not tied to any specific goal times, paces or distances to achieve with my pre-race warm-up as I’m looking to warm-up until I feel good and then save it all for race day. Karel started with me (and our athlete Thomas) but then continued on with his ride as he had a big day of training planned with a 6-hour ride followed by a 20-minute run. After a big glass of milk while cleaning up, I prepared myself 2 big slices of French toast w/ scrambled eggs and fruit. 

                                        

                                         

I re-packed my gear bags (I had them all laid out and almost packed as of Thurs evening) and then around 11:30am, headed downtown with Thomas, Karel’s mom and Campy to check-in our bikes and gear bags. Because the wind was gusty, I noticed that a few other athletes had used duct tape to secure their saddle on the transition rack. This was a great idea since my bike is too small to touch the ground so I did the same by taping down the saddle rails to the bike rack. After dropping off our gear bags, we walked around the outside expo and checked out the finish line and then headed home. 

But first, we had to make a quick stop at a local bakery to pick-up a few treats for Karel so he could survive his day of spectating on Sunday. Sadly, they were out of croissants but I substituted with two scones and a huge cinnamon roll (for me). If you didn't know, I LOVE cinnamon rolls. 

When we returned home, my lunch consisted of leftover pizza (from Pizza Brutta), cottage cheese, a handful of arugula. I really cut back on my veggies in the 48 hours before the race. I also yummed over some of my cinnamon roll (it was calling my name and I couldn’t wait to dig into it). Then it was time to fill my bottles with my sport nutrition powders (topping off with water on race day morning) and put my feet up and relax. Since I am not the best relaxer, I found a movie to watch on Netflix which distracted me for a while. Karel eventually came home from his workout around 3pm and he provided us with some great feedback on the course (since he did the entire course and a little more during his ride). I snacked on corn chips and fruit throughout the afternoon and ended the day with a bag of microwave rice (high in carbs and lots of sodium). Our professional athlete Ericka (doing her first IM!) came over with her husband in the evening on Friday for a last minute pre-race chat with me and Karel.

Since carbonated water can sometimes irritate the gut, I avoided it and just drank plain water all day plus 1 bottle of precision hydration (1500). Even though the temps were not predicted to be warm for race day, I still found it important to load on sodium to optimize my hydration level before the event. Since Karel was tired from his training, we both headed off to bed around 7pm and lights were off around 8:30pm. I think Campy was the first to fall asleep – this Ironman stuff is tough for his almost 11-year old body!

Race morning
My alarm went off at 3:45am and surprisingly, Karel was quick out of bed. He was starving and ready to eat after his big day of training on Saturday. This made it easy for me to get out of bed but I made sure to sit up slowly as to not throw off my blood pressure and faint (which happened to me at IM 70.3 World Championships in 2017). Campy (as you see below), was not quick to get out of bed. 

While I felt a little nervous, I didn’t let it get to me too much. I knew once I got to the race venue, my nerves would disappear. I ate my typical pre-race meal (which is also the same thing I eat before every training session – just in higher quantities for race day and a few extra toppings) of 2 waffles, PB, yogurt, syrup, banana, cinnamon, granola. I had a cup of coffee (instant is what I like), glass of water, 3 MAP BCAA’s and 1 scoop Osmo pre-load. I filled all of my 6 bike bottles and 4 flasks with water (since I put powder in them the day before) and then packed up my race day bag. 

Karel’s mom and Campy stayed at the house as Karel planned to go back to the house before heading out on the bike course to cheer. Karel drove Thomas and I to the race venue and we parked on the street just a block from the capital. We walked first to special needs to drop off our bags (Bike and run bag drop offs were both by the capital, before the finish line) and then headed to our gear bags inside the terrace to drop off any last minute items (like nutrition). I kept myself warm with pants, a jacket, a hat and gloves because it was a bit cool out (in the low 50’s) and a little windy. For every race, I always bring a bag of "extra" clothing like gloves, ear covers, shoe covers, arm warmers, leg warmers, rain jacket/vest and anything else I may need if weather changes. I made a mental note of where my bags were before heading to body marking and then to our bikes. 

Karel stood outside of the transition area and gave my tires a touch to see if they were good to go for the race. Since we pumped them up the day before (gave the bike a full charge for my electronic shifting on Friday night), they held their pressure on race day morning. It was nice to see so many familiar faces throughout the morning, including several of our athletes. Of course, I made sure to untape my saddle – that would have been no fun if I would have forgot! 

                                  

It was nearing 5:45pm when I was finished with my pre-race to do’s. I made a potty stop inside the terrace (nice clean bathrooms with no line) and then did a little light mobility work on the floor in the terrace for the next 10 minutes. Around 6pm, I put on my wetsuit, gave Karel a kiss and hug good-bye, found a doggy to give a kiss (can't forget the furry ones) and then made my way down to the swim start. It was a little crowded to get down there so I was happy to give myself extra time. I was hoping to get in the water but it appeared they weren’t letting anyone in the water so I just kept myself loose before getting into the corral. I had an Enervite pre-race Jelly around 20 minutes before the start. With the pros going off at 6:40am (in-the-water start at the first buoy), it was getting rather tight in the corral by 6:20am. I wanted to get around the 1-hour group but the only sign was 1-1:10 (predicted swim time for the rolling start). This created a lot of chaos even before the start for there was a wide range of swim abilities all crammed together (plus those that probably shouldn’t be near the front anyways). While it may seem like standing around for 30 minutes in a tight corral would be stressful, I didn’t mind it for I knew that for the next 10+ hours, I would be moving and using my body. 

Swim 2.4 miles - 59:38 (2nd 35-39, 6th female, 24th overall)

Source: IMWI facebook page

Once the gun went off, the line moved quickly. I first stepped over the timing mat and then walked to the water. It felt like forever until I crossed over the mat and then entered the water but I’m guessing it wasn’t more than a 30 seconds. I made a poor decision and started on the left of the swim start which was a bit more crowded since we needed to keep all buoys to our left. I found it very chaotic in the water for the first few buoys due to the large amount of athletes who lined up in the 1-1:10 time frame plus the sub 1-hour swimmers. There were many times that instead of focusing on staying on course, I was sighting to find clean water. The best part of the early part of the swim was swimming next to my athlete Stephanie who is a great swimmer. I immediately noticed her as we both wear the same Xterra vengeance wetsuit and I know her swim stroke. I eventually swam away from her but she wasn’t too far behind me as she had an awesome swim. The stretch to the first buoy went by rather quickly. While I found myself needing to swim by many swimmers, I finally found my groove.

However, once I made my way around the two turn buoys and started to swim back toward the start, the water became incredibly choppy – more like an ocean. Since I have a pretty straight-arm stroke, I really focused on catching the water and trying to time my stroke with the chop. While it worked for a little bit at a time, the chop would change and then I would need to reset my rhythm. Since it was a good mile of straight swimming against the chop, I had no time to think about anything in the future (bike and run) but to stay in the moment. Since it takes me some time to feel warmed-up (this is for any sport), I like to pick up my effort as the swim progresses. I found myself around a few other girls (pink caps) which gave me a little boost to keep my effort going and to swim really strong to the finish. Since I always wear new goggles for an Ironman swim, I could see perfectly throughout the entire swim which also helped me stay on course. Although the long stretch felt long, the final stretch to the shore came rather quickly. I felt strong throughout the entire swim and felt I paced it well. Since I don’t wear a watch, I didn’t know my swim time but quickly glanced at the race clock and saw 1:10 – which I figured was for the pros. I quickly did the math and figured I was right around an hour which I was happy about. It was a nice tone to set the day.  Karel stayed inside the terrace and then made his way near the mount line to cheer me on (and our other athletes) for the start of the bike.

T1 - 6:10

Source (not from this year)

The transition from swim to bike at IMWI is a loooooong one. I first got my wetsuit removed by the “strippers” and choose to go to the very end before laying down as to not get stuck around other athletes. I kept my cap and goggles on as two less things to carry up the helix. Oh that helix. The crowds were incredible as they were 3-4 rows deep cheering as I ran up and up and up to the entrance to the terrace. This race is also special because the transition area is inside! The volunteers were great as always and directed me into the room with our blue bike gear bags and then into the female “changing tent” (a room). My volunteer helped me put on my gear and held my timing chip as I put on my compression socks (typically I put it in my mouth so I don’t forget it). I wasn’t planning to wear my arm warmers as the swim really warmed me up (water temp was in the 70’s) but the volunteer told me it was rather chilly out and in looking back, I was glad I had them on. They were actually arm coolers so they were really light but provided my arms with just enough warmth for the early miles of the bike (well – actually until mile 60!). While the Ironman is a very long day requiring patience and not taking risks, transitions are nothing more than “free speed.” 

Source (not from this year)

Since this transition is naturally long, I made good use of my time by removing my cap and goggles right when I entered the terrace, put my helmet on as I ran to the changing tent and then carried my bike shoes with me until I got to my bike. While running the entire length of the parking lot to my bike (on the very far side near the mount line), I also put on my arm warmers while running. Once I got to my bike rack, a volunteer held my bike, I turned on my bike computer and then put on my shoes. I grabbed my bike and then I was off. I felt like it was one of my best executed transitions, even though it’s a long one. As my first race on my new Ventum, I was really excited to put it to the test and see how it dealt with the bumpy roads, gusty winds and technical terrain that was ahead of me for 112 miles of riding. 

IM Kona '16 - day 3 and 4

Friday couldn't come fast enough as it was our first ocean swim since last year, when we both participated in the 2015 IM World Championship.

If you have never been to Kona, it's hard to describe what it's like to swim here but my best description is that it's like swimming in a fish tank.

The water is crystal clear. 

You can see the bottom of the ocean floor. 

And there are no shortage of colors fishes.

I encourage anyone who is afraid to swim in open water to come to Kona as the perfect way to get comfortable swimming in open water. It's SO fun to swim here!

Staying at the Kona Plaza Condos (for the 3rd time) makes it so easy to get around. Since we don't have a car for this trip, we can easily walk everywhere. 

Just a few minutes later from leaving our condo, we made our way to the pier (aka "dig me beach").

Because of our very late night (and not getting to bed until around 11:30pm Kona time), we slept in until 7am and didn't make it to the pier until around 8:30am. 

However, there were no shortage of swimmers in the ocean.

Every day there are more athletes on the island and the energy builds every hour. I am so excited to connect with my Clif Bar family next week and see lots of familiar athlete/friend faces. 

Loving my Splish custom Trimarni two piece swim suit (thanks Trimarni Kona bound athlete Justine for designing them!) 

After the swim, Karel walked back to the condo and I hung out at the beach for another 30 minutes....just relaxing. 

It's funny because I often find myself resorting to athlete-mode and wanting to stay inside with Karel but then I remind myself that I am not racing and I am allowed to be outside and I can be as active as I want here. 

I brought a pop of color to Kona with my Forehand Oakley sunglasses. 

After a productive afternoon on the computer (yep, there's no vacation from being a small business owner), I walked up to the Sack N Save grocery store to fill in some empty spots in our refrigerator.

After paying for all my groceries, it dawned on me that I would be carrying home 4 heavy bags of food items 0.7 miles back to our condo.

I guess you could say that was my 2nd workout of the day.

I then spent some time chopping fruit (see bottom shelf of fridge) for easy snacking. 

Karel made himself a great dinner of chicken, white rice, stir fry veggies and fresh bread (from Daylight Mind Cafe) while I went out for my typical Friday night (clear the mind) evening run. 

I ran up Kuakini hwy (which is the "in town" section of the start of the IM bike course) just so that I could catch an uphill view of the sunset.

I'm sure if you are following anyone on social media, you have seen no shortage of sunset pictures from Kona :) 

After a 40 minute run (+ an additional 30 minutes of chatting with Elyse on Ali'i drive for her first workout in Kona after landing just a short time prior to when I spotted her in our condo parking lot), she is first time IM Kona athlete, wahoo!), it was time to eat.

After my run, I had a similar dinner to Karel, except hard boiled eggs instead of chicken and then we relaxed for a little bit before an early 8:30pm bedtime. 

With my main event happening on Saturday October 1st (just one week out from the IM World Championship), I was super excited to be an athlete for a morning race.

I made sure to fuel smart the night prior and race day morning and my Trimarni pre-workout pancakes are really hitting the spot before my workouts. Then again, when do pancakes not hit the spot???

Karel and I participated in the Ho'ala Ironman Training swim last year and found it extremely valuable to be in a mass start, in the ocean and to swim 2.4 miles on the IM swim course. We couldn't pass up the opportunity again this year. We registered a few weeks ago as there were no sign-ups on race day. 

We walked over to the pier with Elyse to get our packet for the race around 6am, for the 7am (which turned into 7:15am) swim start. 

The swim was just like any other open water race swim - anticipation for when the gun would go off, treading water for what felt like forever, the chaos of swimming with a bunch of fast/strong swimmers and then trying to navigate through the ocean to sight just a few buoys which made up a 2.4 mile swim course.

I swam really strong from start to finish, saving nothing and leaving it all out in the water. I found myself getting off course a few times but then also, swimming alone on purpose as I was trying to swim in the straightest line possible. Swimming in open water, in the ocean, certainly has it's challenges as you have to be very strong to fight whatever conditions come your way.

Surprisingly, I felt good and never felt tired. I managed to pick up the effort on the way back and passed a lot of people. I was really proud of myself and I felt determined to get as close to an hour as possible (my fastest IM Kona swim time has been 1:06 - I think) as the water was semi-calm so it made for a fast swim day. 

Karel and I both had great swims and we were both really happy with how the morning turned out in the deep blue sea. Karel has come very far with his swimming in the past year and I'm always so proud of him when he knocks of time as it's not necessarily a sign that he is getting faster but that he is able to swim more efficient in open water with better form, without getting too fatigued. 

There was a nice showing of age group athletes, mixed in with some professionals (results here) and a few familiar faces like the one and only, Bob Babbitt. 

No, Karel did not get that off course on the swim. His Garmin always shows a longer distance in open water. 

After our swim, we went back to the condo to check on our athletes at IM Maryland (who both finished after a very challenging day of racing - emotionally and physically) and then headed out for a 50-60 minute easy run.

As I mentioned prior, I have been doing all of Karel's workouts this week, which is great because I am able to maintain great fitness but I can also spend some quality time with Karel as he gears up for his 2nd IM World Championship (and 3rd IM since June). 

We headed up Palani, from our condo on Kuakini, and then turned on to the Queen K hwy. The heat was mighty strong at 9:30am! 

Running back on the Queen K hwy up the never ending looooongg incline before making a right on to Palani drive. 

It's not that often that you have the opportunity to train on every mile of an IM race course before race day but in Kona, you certainly have that opportunity.

Karel and I finished our run just as if he was finishing the IM but we stopped just shy of the "finish line" to head back to our condo after 55 minutes of easy running (well, for one of us :) 

After our run, I made Karel an awesome breakfast of French toast, scrambled eggs and fresh fruit.

Karel rested for a little bit before we headed out on Ali'i drive for a croissant run. As you know, Karel loves croissants and he likes to eat one on race day morning so we ventured out to find some...and luckily, Lava Java had some in stock. Of course, Karel needs to "test" the croissants ahead of time :)

Around 3pm, Karel and I sat down with Stephen Black of Rocky Mountain Human Performance outside our condo at the Kope Lani coffee, as we had recently connected via social media. We, at Trimarni, are always looking for great resources for our athletes and for us, and we were really excited to learn about Stephen and his many years of triathlon experience, working with challenged athletes and his extensive career in working with injured athletes.

Around 4pm, Karel and I made our way down to Tri Bike Transport (behind the IM Expo - which will open on Monday) to meet up with Trimarni athletes Justine and Leigh Ann who just arrived to Kona...for the first time.



We are so excited to share this IM World Championship experience with these two hard working Trimarni athletes who earned their spot on the IM Kona start line.

After sending Leigh Ann and Justine off for a 20-30 minute shake-out run after a long day of traveling, Karel went back to the condo and I made another trip to the grocery for a few more items (and coffee) to last us the next few days.

I'm excited to be back on my bike tomorrow as we make our way north on the island to see what the Hawi winds have in store for us as we ride the back half of the IM Kona race course.

IM Austria race report - 2.4 mile swim

Although my alarm was set for 3:45am, my body woke me up at 3:20am. I stayed in bed anxiously awaiting my alarm to get me up so that I could finally start my Ironman race day.

I couldn't believe today was the day that I could FINALLY put all that training to good use and release some bottled-up energy that has been hard to hold on to for the past week.

Karel woke up stiff in his back and I could tell that he was concerned about what his body would let him do on race day. I had taped Karel's back and hip on Friday which made him feel better but I knew he was not feeling even close to 100%. The good thing was that he felt no pain or issues when swimming so for the first time, he was actually looking forward to swimming and not looking forward to the bike (as the bike was causing him some issues in his back since we arrived in Austria).

I woke up with a very nervous belly and the thought of eating was not on my mind. I forced down 2 Clif Bars, a glass of OJ and a banana for a total of around 780-800 calories. I also had around 8 ounce of water.

After I ate, I filled my sport nutrition powdered-filled bottles (bike and run) with cold water and double checked that I had everything I needed for a day full of swim, bike, run.

We all (my mom included) left our place around 4:50am to drive to Minimundus (about 10 minutes away).

We made our walk to the transition area (about a 10 min walk) and it was nice to be around all the other athletes. I think of IM Austria as a European IM World Championship with the level of athletes BUT with a much less tense atmosphere. You would be surprised how many Europeans were drinking beer at the pre-race athlete banquet on Friday!

Karel was not planning to use special needs for this race so he waited for me as I dropped off my bike and run special needs bags just outside the transition area.

Karel walked with me to my bike and pumped up my tires and did one last check to give me the confidence that all was good on my bike for 112 miles of cycling.

After he pumped up my tires, I gave him a kiss and a hug as we both did our own thing to get ready for the race.  

After I put my Garmin 810 and my three bottles (each filled with 300 calories) on my bike, I walked over to my bike bag to double check that it was in the right place and then to my run bag to put my flasks (each with 100 calories of Clif Hydration) in my Nathan Mercury 2 hydration belt.

The volunteers were absolutely amazing in the transition area - they were already cheering for us and with lots of high fives. Ironman Austria does a great job of making the athletes feel extremely special and to remind us that it is our special day.

After I left transition area, I walked over to the big white tent (where we had our banquet and athlete briefing) to put on my Xterra Vengeance women's wetsuit (half way up). I grabbed my new TYR pink Special Ops 2.0 Femme Polarized goggles. I only wore them once in open water to see if I liked them and absolutely loved them. While I normally use Speedo Vanquishers, I really searched for a better goggle for me for open water. I was worried that the non adjustable nose piece would be an issue for my small face but it is the perfect fit with just enough suction around the eyes and a wide lens for sighting. While I purposely only wore them once, I had a perfect 1 hour fog-free swim in open water for my practice swim in Greenville and then twice more when we swam on race week in Lake Worthersee.

I had a throw away plastic bottle of water (about 12 ounces) to sip on and I took a small swig of a Clif Double Espresso gel.

I then dropped off my "Street Wear" bag in my designated bin (with my before/after race clothes, cell phone in a baggy, sandals and extra pair of goggles just in case I needed them).

I ran into my mom and she wished me good luck and I gave her a big hug and thanked her for being there for us today. She's such a big supporter of Karel and me and loves supporting our very active lifestyle, especially on race day.

Because I no longer wear a watch in the swim portion of a triathlon (or turn one on if I do wear one for the entire race - for IM Austria, I did not wear a watch for the swim or bike, only the run), I had no idea of the time. I wanted to make sure that I got in a warm-up between the warm-up times of 6:10-6:30am.

I looked at the watch of another athlete and it said 6:15am. Oh my!

I quickly pulled up my wetsuit and put on my cap and goggles.

I hurried my way through the packed crowds to enter the Strandband building and finally made it to the area where we could warm-up.

I spotted Karel warming up but I had no time to chat as I needed to adjust my wetsuit (with water inside) and do my go-to swim warm-up with 10,20,30 fast strokes with equal strokes recovery. I do this a few times after smooth swimming for a few minutes to get the blood flowing.

I finally had a chance to talk to Karel in the water around 6:28am and I told him that I felt very nervous. I didn't want to talk about my nerves to him as I knew he was dealing with a lot but he told me I would do great.

We gave each other one last kiss for good luck and then both walked over to the corrals for the swim line up for the rolling start.

As I was walking over to the corrals, I had all the typical thoughts of "what if my body won't perform, what if I feel flat, what if I have a bad day" and I needed to stop thinking about the what ifs. I told myself that my body would know what to do and I was very anxious to just get started.

Karel ended up ahead of me in the corrals as we both lined up in front of the sub 1-hour group. For 10 years (since I started Ironman racing) I have been determined to break 1 hour for the 2.4 mile swim. I have came close many times with the last time in Austria with 1 hour and 13 seconds (errrr).

As I stood in line, more and more people were jumping over the fence and it was getting tighter and tighter. After the Austria anthem, the pro's started (6:40am and 6:42am) and then at 6:50am, it was time for the age group rolling start. I found myself around a lot of guys and some girls that I knew would be fast in the water (or else they would not have lined up where they did).

The music was pumping and the energy was building and as the line started moving forward, it was officially go time.

I absolutely LOVE the rolling start and I find it safe, much less stressful and scary and more relaxed than a mass start. Plus, with my experience, I have always swam faster with a rolling start compared to a mass start as you can line up with athletes of similar swim abilities.

I walked my way over the start line and then ran into the water. After a few dolphin dives, my 2016 Ironman Austria had officially started!

I absolutely love swimming in Lake Worthersee. Immediately, my stroke felt good in the water. It was a little chaotic in the beginning but in no time, I found myself swimming with a few girls (white caps and a few gold for AWA athletes) but mostly guys.

Karel said he saw me swimming (thanks to my black and purple wetsuit) but after a few strokes, he said I was gone and he couldn't hang with me. 

There were several orange/red buoys on the course and with the advice of Karel, I mentally broke down the first ~1200 meters to the turn buoy into 12 x 100 meters. While I had no way to know exactly where I was, this is all I thought about to help me keep a steady pace.

I didn't really have a race strategy for the swim except for to swim strong in the water.

As I was swimming, I actually felt fast in the water. I was staying with a group of guys and a few girls which was new for me as I typically have trouble drafting in the swim. I was staying on course really well (I was sighting and not relying on the group I was with) but sometimes I would find myself a little to the right where I wanted to be closer to the other athletes. I don't feel this affected me much as I was able to find clean water for efficient strokes for the first long stretch to the turn buoy.

When I saw athletes turning, I thought "wow - already?" as it didn't feel that long.

I made the turn and saw that I had dropped a few girls. I was swimming with another girl and still hanging with a lot of guys.

The next 470 meters went by fast. I still felt really strong and fast in the water and at times, I almost felt like I could pick up the pace. I was staying very present while swimming (and not thinking about the bike) and I was really enjoying this swim. While the water temperature was "warm" enough for the pros to not wear wetsuit, it was wetsuit legal for the age groupers. I found myself a little warm at times but nothing that was concerning. It was the perfect air and water temperature.

I felt like I was holding myself back a bit for the first 1600 meters, until we made our last turn around the turn buoy to head back straight to the canal (1100 meters) so I gave myself permission to pick up the pace a bit.

With the sun in our eyes, I was able to sight on two tall trees in the distance that Karel and I strategically picked out during our practice swim to make it easier to stay on course. While we were instructed to keep all buoys to our left, the race director set up another set of buoys to our right to help us stay on course as the sun can get pretty bright when swimming toward the canal.

I was still staying on course and I found myself passing a lot more swimmers. At times, I was swimming alone, which was fine to avoid being hit but I didn't want to waste any energy in the swim so I picked up the pace just a tad to try to catch a group ahead of me. While this didn't wear me out, it made me feel like I had more to give in the swim and with the canal approaching, I was feeling like now was the time to really give it a strong effort.

When I spotted the "white house" to my right, I new the canal was coming soon.

For the next 1000 meters, I was packed in with a group of guys in our tight 20-meter wide canal. At certain parts, the canal was shallow but I strategically wanted to get to the outside so that I could continue taking full strokes. I was able to move to the far left and found myself swimming really fast. I could see the crowds on my right and left and you could hear the loud cheers from the spectators.

The energy was building and after I went under the bridge walkway in the canal, I really picked up the pace. At this point, I had dropped the guys that I was swimming with and I was in clean water, all by myself.

Nearing the swim exit before the right hand turn, I was anxious to see the time on the clock to see my swim time. Part of me was nervous to see the time as I knew I would be disappointed to see anything over an hour but then again, like I tell my athletes, whatever happens in the swim, you have to forget about it and move on because there is nothing you can do about it.

As I made the right hand turn, I spotted to look at the clock and couldn't find it. I looked again and no clock.

I chuckled to myself and thought that maybe this was meant to be - I wouldn't know my swim time until after the race.

I swam to the swim exit and the volunteers helped me out of the water. I ran up the steep platform to get out of the water and then took off my cap and goggles. I pulled down my wetsuit to my waist and while taking off my right arm of my wetsuit, I left my goggles and cap inside so that I wouldn't drop them (and wouldn't have to carry them). 

I didn't hear my mom but she was there cheering for me and snapped this pic (no your eyes aren't messed up, it is blurry :) My mom apologizes about the picture- she said I was moving too fast!

Thanks mom for the cheers that I didn't hear!

I made the loooong run to transition and wasted no time. I grabbed my bike bag from the rack (while noticing that no other bags on my rack were missing) and into the female changing tent.

There I was alone in the female changing tent with my own volunteer helping me out.

I had her wipe of my feet with my towel to dry them off as I put on my helmet and sunglasses. I then put on my socks (I was wearing CEP calf sleeves under my wetsuit - I normally wear compression socks in an IM but I didn't want to waste anytime at this race in transition - it's free speed!) and my cycling shoes. I asked the volunteer to put some extra nutrition into my pockets (gels, bar, blocks) and she nicely told me she would pack up my bag (otherwise, I would have had to do it as instructed by the race directors and then place the bag in a bin).

Deep inside, I just needed some type of confirmation that I did or didn't break an hour and I asked her the time of the day (since we started at 6:50am) and she said 7:52am. I figured the transition took me at least 3 minutes so I thought to myself that there was a good chance that I broke an hour.

While I didn't have any way to confirm this, I was thrilled with the time of the day regardless of my swim time (1:02 after the race started and I was about to run to my bike).

As I was about to leave the changing tent, I asked her if she knew how many girls were ahead of me.

She responded "I think 6".

I figured age groupers so I thought that I was still in a good position in the race as I was feeling really confident (and excited) to be on my bike.

I ran out of the changing tent and made my way on the red carpet to my bike. I powered on my Garmin and then ran my bike all the way to the bike out. I looked for Karel's bike (just to see if he beat me out of the water) but wasn't able to locate his bike among all the other bikes. I guess I would see him on the bike, eventually, if all was ok with his back.

When I mounted my bike, the crowds were intense. For less than 1/2 mile, we have a quick out and back (with a turn around a cone) which is super spectator friendly. I spotted my mom on the other side of the barricades.

When I made the turn around to head her direction, the announcer said "and here is our first amateur female out of the water."

Although I heard him correctly, I was positive he was confused as the volunteer told me I was around 6th out of the water (based on her guessing).

Regardless, I gave him a thumbs up and then waved to my mom.

I settled into my comfortable aero position it was finally time to see if all my hard work on the bike was going to pay off as I was determined to see how close I could get to the other female age groupers who were ahead of me (or so I thought).

Off I went for 180 kilometers and 5500 feet (1680 meters) of challenging and fast fun on two wheels! 

--------------------

As for Karel's swim, he said he felt really comfortable in the water.. He really prefers the rolling start as it helps him stay calm when he enters the water which sets the tone for the rest of the race. Whereas in 2014, at Ironman Austria Karel swam 1:07, he was super excited about a PR swim of 1:03 this year. Karel wore his ROKA swim goggles and Xterra wetsuit.
Karel has continued to make huge improvements in the swim as he puts in the work in the pool by swimming at least 4 times per week, with specific workouts to keep him focused and excited to swim.
We have also done more open water swimming (Lake Hartwell at Clemson) this season, more than ever before.
In addition to his swim toys (snorkel, ankle strap, buoy, FINIS agility paddles), he has been wearing SIM shorts (by ROKA) in the pool for most of his pool workouts since the winter (sometimes he swims without them and sometimes he takes them off for the main set) and they have really helped him as he keeps his energy (and good form) in the water for each workout longer (whereas without the shorts, he would get tired and lose form faster) which has really helped him gain a lot of swim fitness this season.
 Yes, I said it - he actually enjoys swimming.
While he doesn't have the same joy as I do for swimming (especially early in the morning - he prefers evening swims), he has really worked hard for his swimming improvements. While it's not always easy in the pool or open water, Karel continues to put in the work and it's really paying off! 

IMWI Race Report: Pre-race + 2.4 mile swim

Every athlete dreams of the perfect race. 

The race when there are no mechanical issues, the tummy stays happy all day, the legs feel fresh and the mind stays focused. The race when the weather is perfect and the pacing plan works perfectly.
And the race when you don't even get kicked once on the swim (Ok - now you are just thinking crazy thoughts :) 

Is there really such a thing as a perfect race?
Well, let's back up.... is there even such a thing as a perfect training session?

 How many times have you found yourself in the middle of a workout and feeling as if you are getting nothing out of it and just counting down the minutes until it is over? How about the workout when you feeling super tired or you are feeling stuffy in the head (or perhaps on the verge of a cold) and you can't help but lace up your shoes and get your workout done because it is on your training plan? 

How about the workout that you felt super run-down but still managed to feel strong at the end of the workout? 

Perfect is not a word that endurance athletes should be using in training OR racing because it is not only hard to achieve, but it rarely occurs. 

What's so funny about an athletes' hope for the "perfect" race is that an athlete who wants a perfect day can have the tendency to magnify EVERYTHING before a race. A little sniffle, sore throat, ache in a leg...all of those would likely be pushed to the side in an effort to "workout" in training but come race week, any little thing that makes you feel "off" is a worry for a "bad" race day performance. 

Athletes must remember that we train to improve fitness but to also better prepare for race day. Experience comes a long way when it comes to racing and within every training session, we have the opportunity to learn something that can be applied to race day...that is if you are training smart. 

Believe it or not, but race day is likely not going to be perfect but you can set yourself up for a great race day performance by using every training session to help you be better prepared for race day. 

I believe that the ultimate goal of endurance athletes is to not stress over having the perfect race but to channel positive energy to have a day when the body can perform in a way that reflects current level of fitness. You have absolutely no idea what will happen on race day so instead of hoping for the best day ever or comparing yourself to other athletes, you must know how to overcome obstacles that you encounter before and during the race. Just like in training, race week will not be easy but there IS a reason why you put in all the work....to experience race day and all that comes with it until you cross the finish line. 

Even though I know it is difficult to keep the mind in a positive place, just trust yourself that you and your body know what to do on race day. You got through all the training so stay confident that despite a few things popping up that may not be ideal, you can still accomplish more than you ever dreamed.

Karel and I both felt good about our fitness going into IMWI and we were both super excited to race and leave everything out on the course, especially since this was our last race of the season. To be blunt, our entire season was dedicated to THIS race. 

As for the perfect race, well, things started to pop up well before race day that made us question if this would be the "perfect" race for us. I will go into this in another blog so that right now we can focus on the race itself. 

Our diet before the race remained the same as in training. Real foods with the occasional Clif or KIND bar to snack on. We reduce fiber and fat on the 2-3 days leading up to the race so that means rather than having a plate full of veggies with rice on top we would instead have soup with rice or bread or rice with a side salad. Breakfast is our largest meal of the day and we consume this after morning training. This meal is usually carb dense and foods that sit well in the gut. The rest of the day is a lot of snacking and mini meals. We enjoy fruit and granola as well as our staple meals that work well for us on the two nights and night before the race. On Saturday (the day before the race) we ate our last meal around 4:30pm after checking in our bikes/bags and then just had a small snack around 7pm or so before laying down for bed around 8:30pm. 

To keep our minds calm, we watched a few funny cat/dog videos on the iPad and Karel also watched the US Pro cycling crit race to pump him up (I watched the end of it with him). 

We both slept really well (lights off at 9pm) in the basement of our homestay. Although I woke up once, I went back to bed to wake up fairly rested to our alarm set for 3:45am. 

Karel was rather calm in the morning whereas I was a bit more nervous.  With so many Ironman's behind me, I still get a bit nervous before racing. So many unknowns but I always think "what would Gloria say?"

"It's going to be awesome girl! I'll be tracking all day sending lots of good vibes. You Got This! Mind and body are in sync and ready to go!" - Gloria, my mental coach and BFF

By 3:55am I was filling my powder-filled bike bottles and run flasks for my T1 and T2 bags and special needs. I put powder in the bottles on Sat to save time on race morning. Karel filled his bottles the night before and kept in the fridge. 

By 4pm we were sipping on our coffee (with a little milk) and ready to eat. Since we do not eat a large meal the night before the race, we typically have some type of urge to eat in the morning but nerves kinda make it a little tough to enjoy that 4am pre race meal. I was on the computer checking the weather and Facebook and Karel was browsing his phone. 

I had a glass of plain water and then a water bottle filled with 3 scoops Osmo hydration to sip on while at the race venue (I had the same to sip on the day before the race). 

Karel had a glass of water with 2 scoops Osmo pre-load and then a bottle for the race venue of his custom INFINIT drink (with 2.5g protein) with 2 scoops in it. Neither one of us take anti-inflammatories on race week (and hardly ever in training, maybe less than 10 a year) for it can have a negative affect on recovery as well as the gut and kidneys. We both take MAP before long training sessions and races as well as during the race (even though each of our own INFINIT formula has 1.5g of BCAA's in it). Karel also takes Race Caps Supreme and has a Enervit pre sport gel before the race. I do not consume any additional caffeine except coffee for it upsets my tummy. 

Pre race was our typical pre-training foods, just in higher quantities. All low residue and carb dense with a little fat/protein. Karel had a waffle sandwich with PB and Jam and INFINIT MUD. I had 2 WASA crackers w/ PB, banana, granola/raisins and maple syrup. 

Around 5:10am we were dressed in our race outfits and warm clothes on (which we would also have for post race in our morning clothes bag). The weather cooled off since Friday and race day was looking perfect!! Winds 5mph and lows in the low 50's and high's of 76 degrees. 

Our amazing homestay Ed (who raced IMWI last year) drove us to the race start and kindly dropped off my special needs bags at Starbucks for me. What a treat!! 

Surrounded by so many athletes, volunteers and spectators, my nerves started to subside. I was feeling waves of excitement and anxiousness so I knew that this meant I was getting in race mode. I feel much more experienced than when I started racing Ironmans so I just kept reminding myself that I could handle anything that came my way on race day. 

Karel and I typically stay close together before the race until we part before the swim start. Body marking was outside the transition and was really quick. The volunteer asked me if this was my first IM and I said it was my 9th. He said "WOW" and all I could think was "thank you body...and wow, this is a bit crazy!"

We both got body marked (race numbers on our shoulders and age on our left calf) by the awesome volunteers, and then we headed to our bikes. 

Karel had a pump with him for our tubular tires and he pumped up my tires first and then went to his bike. 

I put on my Garmin Edge 500 bike computer on my bike and turned it on to test to make sure the power meter picked up (since we put a new battery in it yesterday). I tested my brakes, spun my wheels and placed my three bottles in my bike bottle cages (2 rear and 1 on the down tube). My cage on the seat part of the frame held my spare tubular. My extra CO2's and adapter are on my Gorilla cages in the rear of my bike.

I was approached by a few Trimarni followers which made me so happy and all of a sudden, all nerves went away. Surrounding myself with so many athletes (and soon-to-be Ironman) made me remember why I love what I get to do with my body. Even though this is an individual sport, we all are in this together (and we all like to suffer together). 

After I finished with my bike, I walked to Karel's bike which was at the end of his rack, closer to the mount line. The transition area is HUGE so we made sure that by 5:45am we were walking to the inside of the Monona Terrace to put our bottles in our transition bags (inside the building, just like the changing rooms/tents)

After a bathroom stop, we headed to our bags and they were both easy to find thanks  to purple ribbons on them. I debated about wearing arm warmers so I took them out of my T1 bag in case I wanted to wear them under my wetsuit and for the bike. But it ended up being comfy weather while putting on the wetsuit so I decided no arm warmers (which were actually arm coolers and very light). After dropping off my flasks in my T2 bag, Karel and I headed to the helix to walk down so that we could both see what we would be running up after the swim. 

Before we went to the water, we put on our wetsuits at the top of the helix and gave the pump to Ed. We said our goodbyes to Ed (see ya at the finish!) and bathed ourselves in body glide. Karel kept his old socks on to toss by the water and I walked barefoot. We each had a throw away bottle of sport drink to sip on and toss before we got into the water. 

We carried our Morning Clothes bag (green bag) to the water edge to drop off (I keep my cell phone in it, turned off for post race as well as a change of warm clothes, towel, wet wipes, sandals). Karel and I approached the banner to the swim exit/start and we both listened to Mike Riley pump up the crowds. 

Karel gave me a hug and a kiss and just in case we didn't see each other again before the swim start, we both wished each other a safe race and to give the best effort possible. 

Karel went into the water first and I took my time getting in. Since this is an in-the-water start, there is a lot of treading water. But unlike Kona, the wetsuit swim helps for buoyancy. I swam a little to get my Xterra Wetsuit adjusted (Karel has a new Xterra Wetsuit too) and to get my body warmed up. I made my way to the right of the boat ramp which was to the right of the buoys (which we keep on our left). I would say I was in the middle of the large pack and only two rows back. After the pro's went off, the anticipation was getting greater and greater and after the anthem, the excitement was building. 

Photos by Dan Lee

I could see Karel just a few row's behind me and I just hoped that we would both have a good, safe day. Nothing can prepare the body and mind for the start of the Ironman and even after 8 Ironman starts, I still get a bit nervous of the craziness of the start of the Ironman. 

With 10 minutes to go, I had a little mental talk with my dad. With 5 minutes to go, I turned around and smiled at Karel. With 2 minutes to go, I cleaned my goggles, made sure my Garmin 910XT was set to multisport w/ satellite picked up and hoped that every athlete would have the best day possible. 

With 1 minute to go, I could feel the energy flow through my body. The energy from the other athletes was super contagious. With only a few pink caps around me, I was hoping that the boys would play nice for 2.4 miles. 

30 seconds left. It's almost time. The race that we have been waiting for. The race that Karel and I have to give the best effort possible to make our dream come true. 

The race when I get to travel 140.6 miles with my body and mind to show myself that anything is possible. 

Mike Riley gives us one last pep talk that our attitude is all we can control on race day.
See ya at the finish line he says...3,2,1...BOOM!!!

We are off!!

Unlike in 2010 when I raced IMWI, the swim course is 1 loop. We head straight away from the swim exit so that the Terrace is to our right. I made sure not to go out too hard but instead to find my rhythm. I let those who were faster than me swim ahead and I tried to find a group to stay with...until it was time to find another group. That's kinda how the IM mass start works in that it is just a bunch of small groups working themselves out so that by a mile or so, you are finally around the athletes who are about the same finishing time as you. 

The swim start was not as brutal as I had imagined and I found myself not being beat-up. I was able to get good strokes and spot well without choking on water from kicking feet and large bodies. The water was rather calm and there were plenty of buoys to help keep us on course. 

The first segment to the turn buoy was rather comfortable. I felt really good and all nerves were behind me now. I made sure not to jump ahead in my thoughts so instead of thinking about the bike or the run, I thought about the scenery. Anytime I saw something, a building or tree, I spent some time thinking about that object. Sometimes my mind would wander and I would smile that me and maybe another girl or two were swimming with the boys. 

I also thought about why athletes start kicking hard when you accidentally hit their feet? We are all in this together, can't we all just get along in the water? 

Sometimes my mind would go to a place of calm - so grateful that I can do this year after year! 

But I had to make sure I reminded myself that this race was THE RACE. 

There is absolutely no holding back, there are risks to take and there are no excuses to be made. 

After the first turn buoy, I turned to the left and headed out to the 2nd turn buoy. I didn't look at my watch but instead, made my way to the far end of the lake, still swimming parallel to the shore. I could feel a bit of a current and I kept noticing myself moving away from the buoys to my left. I put a little extra effort into my swim to get with a group so that they were on my right (buoys on my left) so I wouldn't find myself off course. Amazingly, I did not have to spot a lot thanks to the multiple buoys. The sun was in our eyes but even though I went with my non-tinted goggles, I had no trouble seeing ahead...probably because that last far buoy was well, way far!!

I looked at my watch and I was really excited when I saw the distance I had covered and the time. Could this really be the swim I have been wanting since I started racing the Ironman....would this be the race when I would break 1 hour???? I had come SO close in Austria with a time of 1 hour and 10 seconds (uggh) and maybe, just maybe this would be the race when I could do it!! 

Regardless of the swim time, I was not going to let the swim affect the rest of my race and as Karel says, once the swim is done, you forget about it and check it off your to do list. You can't make up for a bad swim and a good swim is just the start of your day. 

As I finally  approached that 3rd turn buoy that seemed like it would never come, I took a look at the shore which was at an odd angle from where we were and then a little bit later, at my watch. Oh bummer. The time was getting closer to an hour and I knew there was no way I would break an hour. Oh well. I didn't see too many pink caps so I felt good with my position in this first leg of the Ironman. 

My body felt good and I did not feel too tired. I was a little ready to get out of the water because I was super excited to put all my Greenville bike training to the test. 

As I looked at my watch, I still had about 100 yards or so to go and noticed that my Garmin was over 2.4 miles at this time. Well, it is what it is. 2.62 miles when I exited the water in 1 hour and 2 minutes. 

Karel had the same on his watch (2.59 miles) and he finished in 1:10. Karel said he felt really good in the water and never felt like he was getting beat-up in the water which is really good for him...considering he just learned how to swim 2 years and 2 months ago (he couldn't even swim a lap without getting out of breath!)

Now the fun part. This is NOT your normal transition. Just over .5 miles from the swim exit to the bike mount line and a helix that has to be run-up in order to reach the transition area (inside the building). 

The strippers were awesome and I had 3 volunteers to take off my 1 wetsuit. Awesome!

I kept my cap and goggles on (whereas Karel had his in the sleeve of his wetsuit) as I ran with my wetsuit to the Helix. 

Oh the crowds!!! 

Source

Around and around and around I ran. I could not stop smiling!

Once I reached the inside of the building, I ran into the T1 bag room and immediately spotted my bag and purple ribbons. I grabbed my bag and as I was running, I reach inside and put on my Giro Attack helmet. 

The room had just a few women in it and I had a wonderful volunteer helping me out. The volunteers are amazing and they will do whatever you tell them to do - Absolutely awesome!

The volunteer asked if she could empty out my bag and I said yes. 

I then told her to put the Clif bar chomps and Enervit bar and coin purse of 3 Tums and MAP pills in my pockets. I always carry extra nutrition with me just in case I lose a bottle or need additional calories (which on this taxing course, I wanted to have some back-up for sure).I told her it didn't matter which pocket she put them in. As she was doing that I put on my right sock. I asked her to take off my chip and after I put on my left compression sock she put the chip back on me. I grabbed my sunglasses and my cycling shoes and told her thank you and she told me she would put my swim stuff in my bag. 

I put on my Oakley commit sunglasses as I was running and carried my shoes to my bike. The transition area was a long way to run so that is why I didn't have my shoes on (in IM Austria we were required to put shoes on IN transition area and we could not remove our wetsuits until we were IN transition area).
A volunteer grabbed my bike and as he was doing it I put on my shoes. I grabbed my bike, turned on my bike computer and then ran past Karel's bike and then to the mount line. 

(at least I still am faster than Karel on the swim....for now :) 

Because Karel knew his swim would be slower than the top guys in his AG, Karel wasted NO time in transition. I am pretty sure Karel treated transition as a race in and of itself. He sprinted up the helix, in and out of transition and sprinted to his bike. It's time to play catch-up for Karel!!

As I was mounting my bike about to clip in and go, someone yelled "bottle!" I didn't feel my bottle come off when I got on my bike so I stopped and picked up the bottle. It was an INFINIT bottle so I thought it could be mine but all my bottles were on my bike. 

The guy next to me dropped his bottle and it rolled to me so after a quick bottle hand off, I was off. 

(thanks Trimarni athlete Ryan R for the pic from the computer!)

Now it's time to go down the helix and start the hardest 112 miles of my racing career! 

Kona RR: 2.4 mile swim

I found from a very young age that I was born to be a swimmer. Chlorine and a bathing suit were my two best friends, alongside goggles and a cap to match. I loved to swim…and the cute boys in speedo’s were an added bonus.  In high school and college, I specialized in 200 butterfly, 200 IM and 100 breakstroke but never really enjoyed “distance” swimming.

Who would have thought that in 2006, I would be standing at my first Ironman start line in Panama City Beach, about to swim 2.4 miles in the ocean and commence on the longest day of my life. A day that made me excited because it was finally here and I could put months of training to the test, but also a day that made me nervous for the unknown is a scary thing.  The Ironman race day was overwhelming before it even started because I was asking a lot from my 24 year old body to prepare for the event and to arrive to the starting line healthy and injury free and after we succeed in that task, I then had to ask my body to work for 140.6 miles, hopefully without fail so that I could finish what I started and earn my well-deserved medal and t-shirt.

IMFL 2006

Very new to the sport, I kept focused only on myself. I didn’t know the other 10 girls in my 18-24 age group or what it would feel like to cross the finish line so I figured the only thing within my control was how I planned to execute on race day. Someone it all worked out because I had a dream. To be an Ironman. A dream that woke me up every morning to discover the impossible and to challenge my “I can’t do this” thoughts. One day, that dream turned into a reality and after swimming 2.4 miles, riding 112 miles and running 26.2 miles, my swimmer turned triathlete body was nearing the finish line of my first Ironman. And even more exciting, I was won my age group by 50 minutes and secured the only slot in my age group to race in the Ironman World Championship the next year.

It’s easy to describe the beautiful ocean in Kona, Hawaii. It’s like swimming in a fish tank with sea turtles and brightly colored fish all around you.



There are dolphins playing in the distance and a garden of coral under your feet. It is truly paradise and makes even the most inexperienced swimmer feel comfortable in the big blue sea.

But the Ironman World Championship swim is hard to describe. The fishies and sea turtles are still there but they know better than to be around 2000+ athletes fighting for pockets of clean water.

 The garden of coral is hidden due to choppy water and the dolphins are likely laughing at us from afar, as our swimming has nothing to do with efficiency and we are far from swimming beautifully in the water.

The start of an Ironman swim is chaotic and so is the rest of it.

 In my last two Ironman articles, I discussed smart swimming and mastering the mass start. The IM World Championship is an entirely different beast for instead of 100ish Kona contenders in the water at a respective Ironman event, the playing field is even. Certainly, there are different calibers of swimming ability but every athlete has earned his/her spot to race in Kona because they are a fast and smart all-around Ironman athlete.

The Ironman World Championship swim course is an out and back course with a right hand turn around the Body Glove boat.

Typically, the swim out to the boat is congested, especially at the beginning. After floating in the water for 15 minutes, the feeling is extreme when 2000+ carbo-loaded (and likely caffeinated) bodies, that are anxious to explode with movement, all are set free by a cannon explosion.  Despite the Ironman being all about pacing and endurance, the beginning of the Kona swim is fast…and involves very few swimming strokes. It’s survival to the first buoy and the hope that there is clean water to at least put all that pool work to good use.

Having experience at Kona allowed me to PR my overall time, as well as setting a swim, bike and run PR for my 3^rd Ironman World Championship.

Knowing how exhausting it can be to swim in Kona among so many talented athletes, I decided to be smart on the swim. There's a saying that you can't win the race in the swim. Well, you can absolutely exit the water feeling exhausted and question how the rest of the day will go. If you don't pace your race, all those long training hours on the weekends will be of waste.

I trained hard for Kona so I trusted my swim ability entering the race. But, my goal at Kona was to race as smart as possible. So, instead of fighting for a faster time, I choose to let others do the work and I would just swim steady. I did not try to fight, I did not get aggressive and I was not worried about my time. I had a goal of 1:03-1:05 for the swim (my PR swim is 1:01.10 – with wetsuit at IM Lake Placid) here in Kona but even if I was over that, I was not going to let it run or ruin my day. My #1 goal for the swim was to exit the water feeling fresh and energized to bike for 112 miles (also knowing that a 26.2 mile run in the heat was going to end my day).

I found a few pockets of clean water which made me smile, until those pockets were filled with faster athletes behind me and us catching up with slower athletes. This boxing-like atmosphere continued for the entire swim, although there were moments when the fight was not as aggressive. Like in any race, every high has a low to follow and every low will reach a high. The goal for the IM swim is to just keep moving. No matter your fitness ability, just stay calm and know that you have the entire day ahead.

As I neared the Body Glove boat, I checked my 910XT watch (set on multisport zone) and it read 30 minutes – wow! So impressed with this time, I was really happy that I was able to swim smoothly in the water (haha – ok, relatively smooth despite a few smacks on my body). But, I didn’t let it get to my head. I kept with the same effort as I found myself in a group of blue (male) caps and figured it would be good to draft with them as oppose to looking for clean water and risk a faster/slower time with more energy expenditure.

I stuck with this group in the choppy water, which always feels a bit worse on the way home. I didn’t sight very much as I knew we were all heading in the same direction and I managed to stay rather close to the buoys to know I was on course with my other dozens of new swimming buddies.

The pier seemed to be non-existent. I didn’t want to look at my watch too much to get disappointed but I checked the yards and it read 3400 (4200 yards in the IM 2.4 mile swim). Whewww, almost there. Now where is the pier? Finally, I lifted my head up and I could see the transition area and people alongside the water’s edge.

The water became very choppy and very congested all at once. I seemed to be stuck in a crowd with no where to go so as I glanced at my watch, clicking past 1:05, I knew I was going to be a bit over my goal pace but there was nothing I could do about it. I somehow made my way through the mess of athletes and once my 5 foot body could touch the ocean floor, I unzipped my speed suit – oh wait, never mind – I didn’t have one!


So, with one less thing to worry about as I was running out of the water, I found a spot on the staircase to carefully run up and I removed my cap and goggles and I ran through the hoses to rinse off. Oh – so refreshing after swimming in salt water for 1 hour and 7 minutes.

I ran toward the transition bags and grabbed my swim to bike bag (socks, compression calf sleeves, Commit Oakley Women glasses, endurance aminos in coin purse, tums/salt tabs in pill container, gel flask and towel) and ran into the women’s changing tent. The tent was rather full with women but a volunteer ran over to me and helped me out with my gear.

Karel instructed me to grab what I could and to get out of transition ASAP. I did as I was told by coach Karel and once I put on my socks, compression calf sleeves and Bontrager Hilo Tri shoes (the volunteer helped me as needed) I grabbed my glasses and pocket stuff and headed out of transition.  I had a bit of a run to my bike and helmet so I put the loose items in my pockets and put on my shades.

I found my bike in transition – in front of a light pole which was easy to spot. I spotted my helmet (required on the bike) and started my Garmin 500 in transition (turned on) so it would pick up satellite. My Lazer helmet has a magnet buckle so that was really  quick to put on - no time wasted there. My Garmin 910 on my wrist was on T1 lap time and I  hit lap once again I got on the bike.

I was smiling ear to ear as I was running with my bike for now it was the time I had been waiting for for a very long time.

The next 112 miles were years in the making. From a swimmer turned triathlete who was scared to clip in, use my aero bars and often to get out of the saddle.  It was time to show myself, and only myself (ok – Coach/hubby Karel as well as he can take a lot of credit for my body adapting to cycling training stress alongside better skills/confidence on the bike since we met May 2006) that I could bike 112 miles in record time. I had worked very hard for this bike ride and I was not going to let a 2.4 mile swim, a tad over my “goal” time, keep me from doing the possible.

I hit start on my Garmin 500 after I clipped in and off I went….PR bike, here I come…..

112 mile bike...to be continued.