IM Canada: Travel + Day 1

We finally made it to Whistler and wow, it is breathtakingly beautiful!!

But to get here, it was a long and stressful trip. 

I allowed 7.5 hours to travel to the Atlanta airport from our home so that we wouldn't be rushed for our 7:30pm flight. Our plan was to check in our bags and bikes at the airport, drive to our friends house to drop off our car and then head back to the airport. Again, I planned 7.5 hours for all of this.
After dealing with the unavoidable Atlanta traffic, we arrived to the airport around 3:15pm (3 hours and 15 minutes after we left our house). Check-in was surprisingly smooth and thanks to Delta's new bike policy, our bikes were free!! Wahoo! All we had to do was pay for an extra bag (we each had 1 suitcase and 1 bike bag) so we paid only $100 instead of $300. When we travel, we park in the hourly parking to check in several hours before our flight as it's a lot easier to take our stuff directly from the parking garage across the street vs. dealing with the shuttle (especially when traveling international). After we check-in, we aren't rushed to deal with the car/parking. 

After our bikes were inspected, we went back to the car and left with plenty of time to get to our friends house (~18 miles away) to drop off our car. However, plans quickly changed when it took us about 15 minutes to travel only a few miles - more traffic. So we decided to ditch that plan and park in economy. After driving back to the airport and finding the economy lot, it was completely full. We then had no where to park! Luckily, we found a place at the Park n' Fly and it turned out to be a few bucks cheaper than economy. Although we don't like Atlanta traffic, I weigh my options when we travel for a race and the flight I found was a direct flight (5.5 hours) from Atlanta to Vancouver and I could also use some of our miles on Delta which saved us money. I then used that extra money to upgrade our seats to comfort and to select our seats (we each had an aisle). 

Since we saved some time by parking at the airport, we weren't rushed when taking the shuttle from domestic to international. The security line moved quickly and we had ~2 hours until our plane boarded so that we could get some dinner. We both had a delicious dinner - Karel got chicken and rice and veg and I got two salads and a wrap. 

After enjoying our dinner, we made our way to our gate for our 7:30pm flight, which was to board at 6:30pm. The flight was delayed so instead of a 7:30pm take-off, it was now 8pm. Not too bad. Well, as the minutes ticked away, the departure time kept moving back...8:30, 9pm. It wasn't until it was just after 9pm that we boarded our flight. Luckily, Karel and I could get some work done on our computers which helped pass time by. And we met up with our athlete Reid who is doing his first Ironman at Whistler! 

Although we planned for a long day of travel and late night, we didn't arrive to Vancouver until just after midnight PST - which was 3am EST. Next came customs - which was Karel's first time using his American Passport since becoming a US Citizen in Sept. After that, we waited for our luggage and bikes. We were told to go to a special line with our bikes for questioning so that took a few more minutes. Finally, nearing 1am PST, we arrived at the rental car kiosk. By 1:30am PST, we were in the car, making our 2 hour/85 mile drive to Whistler. Thankfully, there was zero traffic but it was raining - which made it a little sketchy on the windy up and down roads on the Sea to Sky hwy. Karel did the driving and he was really tired but we both made it safely to our rental place at the Olympic Village.

It was just past 3:30am PST/6:30am EST when we crashed in bed but it was a little restless of a night as we were almost too exhausted to fall asleep. We managed a little over 5 hours of on and off sleep and woke up HUNGRY. 

With no shortage of places to eat, we made our way to Purebread for a delicious selection of fresh breads and bakery goods. Now that's how you start the day when you are sleep deprived! We then did a hefty grocery store shop and had a good breakfast meal at 11am PST. 

We ran into more of our athletes at the grocery store. We are excited to see more familiar faces as the days go on as this is one of our 4 team key races of the year where we will have a good showing of athletes (15 Trimarnis racing, including me and Karel).  

After taking our time in the morning, Karel put together our bikes around 1pm and in the mid afternoon, we finally got outside to spin our legs. And wow - what a beautiful place to ride!

 We moved some blood and stretched out on the bike with a nice easy spin (~50 minutes). We rode from the village (where we are staying) to Alta Lake (swim start/T1).

We spent a few minutes at the lake just soaking in all of this beautiful scenery. 

After our spin, it was time to eat! Karel made homemade vegetable noodle soup, which hit the spot. The weather is just perfect (in the mid 60's) and I can't stop smiling because of how amazingly beautiful it is around here! We are looking forward to checking in and getting our packet tomorrow, attending the athlete briefing and fitting in a swim/bike/run workout (I'm hopeful I can do a run tomorrow - crossing my fingers my hip/leg/back is continuing to improve - last update here) and to see more of this incredible race venue. 

IM Kona '16 - travel day

The day before travel is always stressful. Packing, cleaning, finishing up work to-do's and of course, getting our furry crew together for a 1-mile trip down the road to "Grandma's".

After a busy Monday, it was finally time for our trip to Kona on September 27th.

Flying out of our local airport (Greenville/Spartanburg) makes for a smooth start to traveling. The airport is small, which means we can get through parking, check-in, security and then to our gate in less than 30 minutes (if that long!) but everyone is super nice. It is a pleasant flying experience! 

With a 14-hour travel day ahead (divided into 3 flights - Greenville to Atlanta to Honolulu to Kona) I made sure to stay hydrated with a water bottle that I continually kept filled throughout our entire travel. 

Karel and I both sported our new Trimarni Kona crew t-shirts, which made for a lot of friendly conversations throughout our travel....."You do all of that in one day????"

I made sure to bring lots of snacks for our travel but I also planned for us to get food at the airport before our 9 hour flight from Atlanta to Honolulu.

I made a snack bag for me and for Karel. In my snack bag, I had fruit (grapes, strawberries, apple slices), carrots and celery, trail mix w/ raisins and granola chunks, a waffle sandwich (breakfast), dark chocolate chunks and chocolate covered almonds, dried figs and a variety of bars.

We stopped at a bistro in terminal E at the Atlanta airport for a delicious super food kale based salad for me and a tuna sandwich for Karel. 

We got the meal to go to eat on the airplane. 

Karel made sure to find a pastry and coffee for his mid morning fuel before a long flight to Hawaii.

Big plane!!

Karel and I love each other but we also really love having aisle seats. On our long flights, I always choose two aisle seats (I try to get them next to each other but sometimes we are one set behind each other) so we both can get up when we want, without having to bother each other, or anyone else. 

Although a 9-hour flight sounds miserable, I was actually really looking forward to the opportunity to be disconnected to the world and to relax by watching movies for 9 hours - two things I never get to do! 

We were served lunch on the plane but Delta messed up my request for a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal so I had to settled for their set "meat free" option (even though I am a vegetarian and Delta has a meat free option, I always call ahead for the lacto-ovo vegetarian meal option as Delta makes healthy, light and delicious meals with this special request).
The cheesy pasta dish was good but I wasn't in the mood for something so heavy while sitting for 9 hours. I ate 1/2 of it (and the salad...errrr, 2 pieces of lettuce and two tomato slices) and gave everything else to Karel. Karel got the chicken salad which included a side of shrimp.

I snacked on my fruit, veggies and had my salad and finished off my bag of trail mix. I was never super full but also never super hungry by eating every few hours.

Check out my 3 travel tips for athletes video. 

After a looooong flight and 4 movies watched, we finally arrived in Honolulu. Hello palm trees and fresh air. 

Karel was told by his massage therapist that he should get a massage immediately after his long flight, to help his back and hips (which have needed ongoing attention all summer). After we purchased a yogurt and fruit smoothie (to share), we came across a chair massage and for $2 for 8 minutes, Karel was in for one great massage......seriously, he said it was amazing. :) 

With one last (very short) flight hop from Honolulu to Kona, we finally made it to the big island!!!

This is my 5th time walking off a plane to the big island for the IM World Championship but as a first time spectator (not racing), I can say that it still feels magical! 

Karel's 3rd time to Kona and 2nd time racing in the IM World Championship. So excited to be on the sidelines to cheer him on (and our two athletes Justine and Leigh Ann - first time IM Kona athletes). 

There's something special about an outside airport. 

We had arranged a cab (van) from Kona Taxi to pick us up to eliminate the stress of getting a rental car (we did an off-site rental car for pick up on Friday) so within 10 minutes of arriving and receiving our luggage and bikes, we were in the cab in route to the Kona Plaza condos on Ali'i drive.

Eight miles later and before 6pm we were unloaded in our condo and ready to move our body. 

Perfect timing - the Kona sunset!

Enjoying the view for a 40 minute shake out run on Ali'i drive. 

We made a quick stop to the grocery store in the evening to pick up a few items and for dinner, I made a refreshing fruit salad w/ yogurt and granola.

I managed to stay up until 8;30pm (2:30am EST) and then I was out (Karel went to be around 8pm).
My body, however, was confused so my first official morning in Kona started at 3am Hawaiian time as I was UP and ready to get the day started. 

Stay up-to-date with us in Kona and throughout our IM Kona journey on Facebook and Instagram. 

IM Kona '15 - Travel day

I tried to not rush our IM Kona journey but somehow, it all seemed to happen so fast!

Before we knew it, we were packing and packing and packing for our 2-week trip to Kona, Hawaii. 

This past weekend was rainy and cool which made it easier to pack and also to get excited to head to the big island on Tues morning. 

Karel packed up our bikes on Sunday and by Monday, we were gathering last minute items for our trip and making sure our house was ready for our departure. 

I dropped off the cats with my mom on Monday afternoon but just couldn't part with Campy just yet. Karel and I needed one more sleep with our little nugget.

On Tuesday morning, we woke up around 5:45am to give myself time to answer some emails before a full day of traveling and to pack-up the car. With Tuesday being a day off from working out for me and Karel, we took Campy on a long walk before we headed out at 7:30am to head to my mom's house.

Sadly, Campy didn't know he was not going on a road trip with us but instead, heading to his "Grandma's" house for his vacation but nonetheless, he really enjoyed his trip in the car.

It was a rainy day so we had a lot of traffic in route to my mom's but on the bright side, it was a little extra time with Campy. 

We dropped off Campy with my mom and like always, he was excited to see his Grandma (and be reunited with his sisters). By 8:20am, we were off for our 2.5 hour drive to ATL. 

Not only was it national coffee day, but Karel had a free birthday coffee from Starbucks so he went big with the quad venti latte. We had a good laugh from the Starbucks fail on the name.

Hmmmm. Carlo doesn't sound Czech but I think Karel can pull it off. 

Atlanta is often much more affordable for us (even with paying for off-site parking) to fly in/out of so we don't mind the 2.5 hour drive. When we lived in Jacksonville, we would do the same thing and fly out of Orlando. Also with flying with our bikes, the less stops, the better. 

We parked in the hourly parking garage across the street and checked in only our bags and bike case and then went back to the car to drive to our off-site parking ($2.90 per day) at a nearby hotel (1.5 miles away) with our carry on bags. The shuttle for the hotel was there when we parked, which worked out perfectly. I allowed us extra time for our drive which was good because we had a few delays in route to ATL due to the bad weather.  

Finally, around 12:30pm, we were passed security and officially "in route" to Kona. 

We were ready for lunch before our flight so I ordered the warm vegetarian eggplant, mozzarella and roasted red pepper sandwich on ciabatta bread (which was delicious!) from the Boars Head Cafe and Karel ordered a burrito from Qdoba Mexican Grill. 

Our flight from ATL to LAX was around 4.5 hours - a warm-up for our 5 hour and 18 minute flight from Lax to Kona. Luckily, we each had TV's on the seat back in front of us which made the time pass by quickly.

I packed a bag of snacks so that we wouldn't get hungry (hungry athletes on a plane are no fun to be around). 

After a smooth flight, we were ready to stretch our legs during our 2 hour layover. However, our arrival gate was right next to our next departure gate so we walked to a place to eat and enjoyed our "dinner" at 4pm pacific time.

We ate at Rock and Brews and Karel ordered the steak sandwich with fries (I stole some fries) and 

I ordered a delicious salad with sundried tomatoes, hardboiled eggs (I asked for one but they gave me two), goat cheese, pine nuts, onions and cucumbers on a bed of greens with the dressing on the side.

Dinner was excellent and totally hit the spot.

And finally, it was time to head to Kona!! 

There were a handful of athletes on the plane which kinda made it all feel a bit more real that we were not only flying to the beautiful island of Kona for vaca but instead traveling to Kona to race in the Ironman World Championship.

I was super restless on the flight and had trouble sitting still so I was up and down a lot on the flight. Seeing that we had been up since 5:45am EST and didn't land until 8pm Hawaiian time (2am EST), I managed to rest my eyes for about an hour on our flight. Karel is a great napper and sleeper on planes so he slept a lot more than I did. My body/mind doesn't know how to nap. 

When we travel, I try to book aisle seats for one of us and whenever possible, I try to book two aisle seats next to each other so Karel and I can both stretch our legs and get up as often as we want to stretch. 

It was a bummer to fly in at night as seeing the big island of Kona from above is really cool but we were just so happy to step outside the plane and smell Hawaii. Seriously, the thick humid, fresh air mixed with the ocean smells amazing. 

We picked up our luggage rather quickly (the Kona airport is very small and all outdoors) but waited and waited and waited for our bikes. Apparently, a different luggage cart was designated for the 30 bike cases on our plane and arrived to the baggage pickup area about 15 minutes later. 

We finally got the most important piece of luggage that we packed and it was time to get the rental car from Budget (Ford Escape) and head 7 miles down the road on the Queen K hwy to the town of Kailua Kona. 

Because we qualified for Kona last year in September, I was able to book our condo on VRBO.com soon after IM Kona last year in October and I found the perfect one bedroom condo with a water view (also overlooking Ali'i drive) at the Kona Plaza condos. And a great deal too! 

I knew of this place because my parents, Karel and I stayed at the Kona Plaza Condos (on a different floor) for my 2nd trip to the big island in 2011 (two bedrooms). It's in the perfect location with it being a short walk (less than 7 minutes) away from the Ironman swim start/finish and it has a big underground parking garage. 

Stay tuned for the recap of our first official day in Kona.

To keep up with the happenings of our Ironman World Championship race-cation, you can follow us on Facebook at Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition.

IM Lake Placid travel day

Tues morning we were off to Placid. 1100 miles, 2 days and 17 hours in the car, we arrive to Lake Placid!

The drive was long but it was really neat to be able to see so much of the west coast. 

My mom, Karel and I took turns driving and Campy enjoyed the scenery in between mini naps. 

We broke up the drive with a stop in Cross Junction, VA to visit/stay with my Katie Morales who is a professional triathlete and friend of mine. It was nice to spend some time with her parents and husband Chris and sleep in a comfy bed in a house and not in a hotel room. 

We unloaded the car around 4:30pm and when Katie arrived home from work, we all (her parents, my mom, Campy, Karel and me) drove down the community lake for a 30 minute swim. The water was warm and it was so refreshing to be in open water (and in the sun) after a long day of sitting. 

After the swim, it was time to eat and we enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Katie and her dad of couscous, roasted veggies and potatoes and pork. 

Around 10pm we were ready for bed and it was lights out for an early morning to hit the road. 

At 7:45am, we were off for our  last day of driving. It was a very long drive with a bit of construction traffic on the way to Albany but by 6pm, we were finally in Lake Placid. 

The scenery was unbelievable for the last few hours of our trip.
Campy loves seeing the mountains just as much as we do. 

After we arrived to our rental home just a few blocks from downtown, we were greeted by one of our athletes Mike. When Karel signed up for Lake Placid last year, we had several other athletes who wanted to race as well so we thought it would be fun to have everyone stay in the same house. I rented a 6 bedroom home for everyone to share. 

We were hungry when we arrived despite a day of snacking/eating so we headed down to Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood to enjoy dinner with Mike, his girlfriend Erin, Campy, my mom and Karel.

After most of our crew arrived in the evening, it was time for bed before our first official day in Lake Placid. 

Here are a few pics from our trip.

Campy taking a nap - sitting up. 

Welcome to Virginia!

I'm in no rush to get there. I'll just nap, says Campy. 

A delicious dinner at Katie's house. 

We had a delicious breakfast of homemade granola, fresh fruit and yogurt. 

Food break in NY. I got a salad from Panera - kale and quinoa (minus the chicken to make it Marni-friendly)

Yum!

Campy loves his IM Lake Placid road trip!

Look at those big mountains!

Getting close!!

Even closer!!

Driving up the descend to Lake Placid. 

Those ski jumps are impressive!

Love our kitchen in our  rental home. 

Dinner out in downtown Lake Placid. Karel's plate (fish).

My delicious wheat berry salad. 

Stay tuned for more pics!