Rev3 Half - race report, Part II

                           

10, 9, 8......3, 2, 1....GO!

At 7am, we were off! Immediately, I felt good in the water. Karel and I have been swimming at Lake Hartwell (by Clemson) every Wed for the past 4 weeks to get more comfortable in open water, in our wet suits. Going into this race, I wasn't feeling super speedy in the pool but I felt like I could put together a strong swim. My goal for this race was to go as hard as I could go (sustainably strong) for the swim, bike and run and to finish knowing that I didn't hold back at all for 70.3 miles. I was willing to take many risks in this race just to see how they would pay off. After 10 years of endurance racing, I finally feel I am at a point in my athletic "career" where I am ok to fail so long as I give my absolute best effort.

I was constantly aware of any other yellow caps around me to keep an eye on my competition. I swam side-by-side by another swimmer but found myself needing to stop every now and then (probably at least 5 times before the first turn buoy) to lift up my goggles and actually find a buoy. Although I was sighting for the buoy every 5-7 strokes, I wasn't seeing anything. And if there's one thing to remember about open water swimming, staying on course will give you the "fastest" time vs swimming fast and getting off course. And if you sight and don't see a buoy, it doesn't count.

This didn't affect my pace too much but I am sure it did slow me down a little. However, every time I stopped ever so briefly to lift up my goggles to find a buoy, I found myself back with the other girl who I was swimming with, after a few strokes.

I didn't notice any "help" in the water with a current in either direction. It wasn't choppy but it also didn't feel pancake flat.

As I rounded the first buoy to the right, I found myself with the second wave of swimmers (male 40+ which started at 6:55am). After rounding the next buoy, I was with more male swimmers (Male 39 and under which started at 6:50am).

I felt really strong in the water and not too uncomfortable with my effort. Although I felt I may have been able to swim a little faster, I felt strong and steady.

The swim went by surprisingly fast and before I knew it, I was turning around the last buoy and making my way to the dock.

I quickly recognized that I was the first female out of the water and I was excited to bike hard to keep my lead for as long as possible. 

I saw Taylor (Adam's wife) at the top of the dock and she confirmed that I was first female out of the water. I don't turn on my watch in the swim for this very reason - I don't care about my swim time, I am here to race the competition. 

I removed the top part of my wetsuit and ran my way to the transition area up the dock, through the boat house.... 

....across the street, up the side walk and into the transition area.

I was rehearsing my T1 in my head as I was running and felt as if I had a quick transition.

I powered on my Garmin Edge on my bike and as I was leaving the transition area, I saw another girl running to her bike. 

I clipped in my shoes and off I went. 

I'm in love with my new S-works Evade Tri helmet! Thank you Karel for an early birthday gift!

As I left the transition area, I only had a few minutes before we started climbing out of town. The first and last parts of this 56 mile bike course include a lot of punchy climbs mixed with longer enclosed climbs with a few descends. This makes it hard to settle into a rhythm in the early miles of the bike.  This course really makes you stay focused as you can't zone out and enjoy the view. 

I didn't feel all that fresh when I got on the bike but then I again, I was doing a lot of climbing and descending. I actually felt better on the climbs than I did on the rollers as I was able to settle into a nice rhythm on the climbs and I really loved the descends. I knew that after 30-40 minutes, I would likely find my racing rhythm so I just embraced the uncomfortable feeling and kept riding along.

I was diligent with my nutrition to ensure I could fuel my sustainbly strong effort for 56 miles. I had 3 bottles each with 280 calories for a total of 72 ounces of fluid and 840 calories for 56 miles.

While my bike skills have improved tremendously over the past two years, my fitness on the bike has also improved thanks to Karel continuing to dial me in with my bike fit over the years, a new saddle (Adamo ISM) a few months ago, a lot of specific bike training on the trainer and my new Alto wheels.

Needless to say, I have a lot more fun racing triathlons these days as I get on the bike excited to push hard....but it never feels easy!

I found myself riding alone....a lot. I broke the course into intervals, every 30 minutes so that I could mentally break down this ride - which helped considering that I was pushing hard but had no one in sight as my rabbit (or keeping me accountable to my effort from behind).

I felt like there was a bit of wind out on the course. While it wasn't anything gusty, it never felt like I had a true tailwind but constantly felt like I was riding into the wind. There were very few athletes around me and I found myself staying on course by following the pink arrows taped to the ground and every now and then, I would get excited to see another athlete in the distance. I found myself passing a few guys.

Rev3 did a great job marking the course with bright arrows letting us know that a turn was approaching, that we were about to make a turn and then confirming the turn. This course had a lot of turns so it was easy to stay on course.

Nearing the first out and back around an hour into the race (around mile 20ish), I had my first chance to see my competition. As I was riding to the turn around, I discovered that I was near the front of the race...with the guys. I spotted Trimarni athletes Wlad and Adam on the other side of the road which was great to see some familiar faces. As I made my way back from the first turn around, I saw two other females just as I was about to cross the street, around mile 23. I had no way to know how far ahead I was or their efforts/speeds but I guessed it was around 5-6 minutes which fired me up to keep on pushing.

In my opinion, I feel like the last 30 miles were the hardest. Sure, I was getting a little tired but there's a good 300 more feet of climbing in the back half of the race, even though you are on the same roads, just heading back into town, instead of away from town.

Although I never found myself not enjoying the bike and I was mentally present for the entire bike, around mile 40,  still riding alone, with no one in sight and still pushing, I really wanted some company......I wanted someone to suffer with. As I was riding along, I spotted my athlete Adam in front of me and as I was passing him, he told me that his hamstring was giving him some issues. I told him that he was riding really strong (for a Floridian :) and to hang in there. I think it was great for both of us to be on the course near each other and as I rode ahead, I could feel that he wasn't too far behind me which I liked that he bounced back quickly and continued to bike really strong.

Seeing Adam was the pick me-up that I needed and as I approached the next turn around, I had an opportunity to see my competition for the last time before the run.

I saw my athlete Wlad ahead of me and after the turn around, I saw two girls close together but I felt like I was still keeping my lead.

With still around 10 miles to go (and a tough 10 miles), I told myself that I had one more opportunity to gain some ground on my competition. With every climb, I stayed steady and with every downhill, I told myself "free speed!" I rode very aggressive and a few times I thought about Karel (who was also racing at the same time as me but in Greenville) who is my idol when it comes to cycling. He has taught me everything I know about bike riding and he has taken me from a very inexperienced triathlete who didn't like to ride her bike to the athlete I am today. Sure, it took 10 years but he never gave up on me and I didn't give up on myself.

As we were nearing town, I caught up to Wlad and I was getting my mind and body ready for the run. I never looked at my Garmin for total time, pace, watts, etc. throughout the ride (except to hit lap every 30 minutes) but as I was nearing downtown, I switched my interval screen that I use for racing to my main screen which showed total time and miles.

I saw that we had around 3 miles to go and I was around 2:35 into the race. I wasn't chasing a specific time but I liked seeing my time here at the end just to give me one last push to T2.

After the last few climbs, I was nearing the bridge with several guys ahead of me and I saw a rider in the far distance but first, a few guys going to the right.

I was a little confused as I thought we went straight but I saw the neon pink arrow (yellow for olympic) on the ground that the half IM athletes were told to follow throughout the race....although it looked a little different than the taped arrows we had been following.

I had a quick second to process this information and to decide what to do - follow the pink arrow that is the same color as the arrows I have been following and follow the athletes ahead of me or go straight.

I decided to follow the arrow as I thought it was a little detour and would pop us out where I saw that rider far in the distance.

Also, Rev3 clearly told us that every arrow would be followed by another confirmation arrow. Well, sure enough, there was another yellow and pink arrow spray painted on the ground telling us which way to go.

Well, after seeing my Garmin go from 54 miles, to 55 miles to 56 miles to 57 miles to 58 miles as I was descending down a hill with several other guys saying "are we on course? This doesn't look right!" I stopped when it was safe for me to stop, asked a guy on a motorcycle "Where's the river" and he pointed up the hill we just descended down on.

At this time, Adam and Wlad were with me as I had caught up to both of them and we, along with a few others rode back to where we went off course. If you look at the picture above, you can see where it says 54 and 60 miles and the blue line which is where we rode off course.

As we were climbing back to the course, there weren't a lot of words spoken. This was the first time I had ever gone off course and I was trying to process it all. My first thought was that I had lost the lead that I worked so hard to gain for the past 54 miles on the bike + 1.2 miles in the water. My second thought, as I see more athletes going in the other direction was "I'm so confused!"

For several miles, we each would randomly shout out "this sucks" and Adam and Wlad both told me that they felt so bad for me as I was in the lead and had hoped to win this race.

I didn't say anything and somehow remained calm, despite being filled with so many emotions. I wanted to cry and be angry at the same time but something inside of me kept me calm.

By the time we returned to the course, a Rev3 staff member was taking care of the markings which were obviously not part of our race - despite looking nearly identical with the same colors.

The next 2 miles were tough. I was unable to pedal and I felt empty.

I could have easily stayed home and participated in our local half with Karel but I really wanted to come to Knoxville and race to the best of my ability because I love this course (Swim bike and run). I finished 2nd overall amateur female in the half last year and I felt like I could race this course a lot better and a lot stronger.  

Having Wlad and Adam there was so helpful. Although we didn't say much and each of us somehow stayed calm, we were all so upset. Wlad and Adam were also having amazing races and each were contenders for placing top three in their age group. 

As I rolled near the dismount line, I didn't know what to do.

Do I keep racing despite a 20 minute, 6 mile detour?

Do I stop and quit?

Do I complain and tell everyone what happened to gain closure? 

As I rolled my bike to my rack, I saw two other bikes from the girls who were behind me. Clearly, I was not even close to the front of the race anymore and who knows how many girls were close behind me due to my detour off course.

I don't know what made me want to continue as I had lost all hope that I would win this race, let alone place top three overall female.

The only thing I wanted to do was to cry as I was so upset.

I quickly grabbed my race belt, hydration belt and hat after I put on my running shoes and as I walked out of transition, I started jogging and then I started running.

And this wasn't my normal run off the bike... I was running hard. Actually, I was running with frustration.

As I was leaving transition, Taylor told me that the first place girl was at least 10-15 minutes ahead of me. Immediately, my heart sank into my chest. As you can imagine, I was replaying the scenario of what had just happened in my head for the first mile. Over and over again, I wished for a different outcome. I worked so hard on the bike and it was all for nothing. I kept thinking, "if only I didn't go off course, I would be in the lead and I could push the run as hard as I could to try to stay ahead of the competition."

I fought so hard with myself not to stop as my mind was going all over the place and I was clearly not thinking about running.

But as my Garmin auto lapped the first mile, I looked down and was in shock with my pace.

And the second mile went by and I was in disbelief with the pace I was holding.

I was completely numb and was feeling nothing as I was still so sad about what had happened.

But then something inside of me still wanted to race. I don't know how or why but I told myself that I am not going to give up until I crossed that finish line.

I came to Knoxville to race and I will leave everything ounce of energy I have on this course.

Finally thinking rationally, I knew I couldn't change the situation so I changed my attitude. I made sure I stayed up with my hydration drink (each flask had about 120 calories of Clif hydration + 1/8 tsp pink Himalayan salt) as I knew any lack of energy or fluids would not help this situation that I was in. 

As the miles ticked by, I had several other athletes cheering for me.

"I read your blog Trimarni!"

"You look great!"

"You are running so fast!"

"She's up ahead of you.....go get her!"

Well, I knew two girls were ahead of me but what I didn't know was by how much?

I knew I would see them as I got close to the turn around just after mile 3 and sure enough, I was about 1-1.5 miles behind.

That's a lot of ground to make up in 10 miles but my body was trained for this race and I was not going to let all that training go to waste.

I ran harder and harder and was taking a lot of risks. More risks than I would ever suggest my athletes to take. I threw in a few walks as I needed to shake out my legs after that hard 62 mile bike and I also needed to stop twice to fix the tongue in my left shoe as it was bothering my foot and I didn't want to hurt myself.

All in all, I knew that the stops and walks was going to affect my total time but then again, I was dealing with so many emotions, I was just happy that I was still making forward progress.

I saw Adam and Wlad who were running together and I felt like they were giving me a lot of energy. They would cheer for me before the turn around sections of the course (two out and backs) as I was running about a minute ahead of them. 

I mentally broke this course down into sections and kept making deals with myself - just get to the next aid station, just get to the bridge, just get to the turn around. Sure enough, I had passed the 2nd place girl and before I started my second loop, I saw the first place female about a mile ahead of me. I felt like my gap was closing but I still felt it would be impossible to catch her. My body was suffering but I was still running as fast as I could (considering the day I was having). 

The cheers were still coming from the other athletes which helped so much. I had a few athletes try to high five me and all I could do was smile. I didn't mean to be rude but I was on a mission and in a zone and I wasn't able to use any extra energy, except for grabbing my bottles from my hydration belt, grabbing water to cool myself and sipping a few cokes (twice) on the run and powering myself forward. 

As I was nearing the last turn around around mile 7, I saw the first place lady and I was getting close. At this time, I had been racing for over 4.5 hours and my body was getting tired. 

No. Keep going.

I kept pushing through a world of hurt. My mind and body were battling against each other and by mile 11, I was trying to tune out my mind and let my body run. The run back had a little wind in our face which was tough. Although this course isn't super hilly, it's not flat and the wind made it a bit more difficult to pick up my pace.

The last 1/2 mile was exhausting. Running on a walking path with lots of turns and I could see first place in the near distance. Oh so close, yet so far away. 

Nearing the finishing chute, I came to terms that I could not have given any more out there on the course. 

From start to finish, I gave my 100% best effort and pushed as hard as I could.

As I crossed the finish line in 5 hours and 21 minutes, I collapsed to the ground as my body and mind had enough. I was given a cold wet towel from a volunteer and my eyes started watering.

I was so sad about the misfortune of going off course and it finally all hit me after 1 hour and 39 minutes and 7 seconds of running. 

Adam and Wlad finished less than a minute behind me and they both ran incredibly strong. 

As a coach, I could not have been more proud of these two athletes for their character and ability to overcome the adversity of going off course.

After the results were finalized, I learned that I had missed the overall female winner spot by 34 seconds. I had the 12th fastest run of the day (including the guys) and the 6th fastest swim.

A little breakdown of my bike stats:

Total: 62 miles, 3:06 total time

3760 elevation gain (419 feet in the 6 mile detour)

Average cadence 89

Average HR 145

Average Normalized Power 164

Average speed 19.9

Stats before the detour (at mile 54):

2:40 time (average speed 20.3), normalized power 166

Split breakdown: (I never looked at my Garmin for watts, speed or HR, I went 100% by feel.)

25 minutes: 183 NP, 19.2 mph, 149 HR

30 minutes: 165 NP, 21.4 mph, 146 HR

30 minutes: 164 NP, 21.3 mph, 151 HR

30 minutes: 165 NP, 20.5 mph, 146 HR

30 minutes: 156 NP, 19.4 mph, 144 HR

41 minutes: 156 NP, 18.2 mph, 136 HR (including the 6 mile detour)

A little breakdown of my run stats:

Total: 13.1 miles, 1:39.07

656 elevation gain

Mile 1: 7:06

Mile 2: 7:08

Mile 3: 7:18

Mile 4: 7:32

Mile 5: 7:13

Mile 6: 7:38 

Mile 7: 7:30

Mile 8: 7:32

Mile 9: 7:40

Mile 10: 8:11 (fixing my shoe)

Mile 11: 7:35

Mile 12: 8:21 (barely surviving, long open stretch)

Mile 13: 7:51 (on the inclining walking path to the finish)

I came off the bike in 68th place overall and finished in 12th, passing 1 female and 56 males. 

After the race, Taylor told me that she had been talking to my mom (who was supporting Karel at his race) and Karel had won overall at the Mountains to Main Street half.

I was filled with emotions.

While the effort I gave and the suffering I endured throughout the race was exactly what I had set out to do at Rev3 Knoxville, I wanted so badly to change the scenario which affected the outcome of the race.

But then I was so happy for Karel and honestly, overjoyed as I knew how bad he wanted to win his race.

After the race, I went over to my former athlete Tracy (also Rev3 volunteer coordinator) and couldn't hold in my emotions anymore. I cried to her and she felt so bad. I told her it was not her fault but I was just so upset and it all finally hit me.

When we walked to get our bikes, I was in great company as we (Wlad and Adam) could all share this experience together. We even joked "are we going the right direction?" a few times as we were walking back to the hotel.

When I returned to our hotel room, I laid down and texted my mom (who knew the situation from Taylor) and asked her to tell Karel to call me when he was ready to talk. I didn't want to take away from his celebration of winning his race.

Karel immediately called me and it was great to talk about our races.

Later I learned that the markings on the course were by a charity ride that was occurring in 3 weeks. The ride organizers marked the course on Saturday night with the exact same colors (and arrows, but with a circle) as Rev3. There was no way that Rev3 would have known about this or how it would affect our race and Rev3 was at no fault for the detour.

This is a tough situation to explain how the mind works when you are racing but even harder to understand for outsiders. While it's obvious that the charity arrows are not Rev3 arrows and I keep replaying this scenario in my head as if I could change the outcome, this was just one of those situations where it was just unfortunate how it all happened and what a coincidence that the arrows looked so similar and happened to take so many athletes off course.

Overall results: HERE

Race breakdown: HERE

When faced with adversity, you really discover what you are made of as an athlete.
While there was no way that I could have prepared for this situation, I have once again learned something about racing.
When faced with a hardship on race day, you can choose to beat it or it can beat you.
Recovering and moving on from difficult scenarios, tragedies and circumstances is part of life but it is also a big part of sports. 

I've learned a lot in 10 years of endurance racing and I know that adverse situations, whether a detour on a course, weather or a nutrition or mechanical issue, will make or break your race day.
As athletes, we often have split seconds to figure out how to deal with the cards we are given for a possible favorable outcome.

While I didn't win the race, I am extremely proud of my body for what it was able to do and for my mind for never giving up. I have no idea how I was able to run after the detour or what inner force made me run so hard but that is what I love about my sport of triathlons.

You learn so much about yourself during every race.

Thank you Rev3 for teaching me that I can deal with adversity.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Rev3 Half - Race report, Part 1

After racing the Lake James 50 (1 mile swim, 40 mile bike, 8.4 mile run) just a week before Rev3 Knoxville, I wasn't so sure about how my body would recover. I had trust in my body that I would be able to feel fresh again after a few days but it wasn't until Thursday (5 days post race) that I finally started to feel a little (and by little, I mean tiny winy) pep in my step. This had me a little worried but Karel assured me that I was just fine. I trusted him and stuck to my sharpening (aka "taper") plan so that I didn't go into Rev3 too rested and after every workout, I was feeling a bit more race ready.

Friday was a very wet and gloomy day which made it difficult for me to get into race mode. However, after joining Karel and our friend/athlete Meredith (who was doing the half aquabike - her longest race distance ever) in downtown Greenville at the Mountains to Main Street expo, I found myself getting excited. There's something about a race environment - whether race day or pre-race - that gets me pumped to race.

After a Trimarni pizza party on Friday evening with several of our Greenville (and visiting Jacksonville) friends, I was feeling more race ready (pizza always does the trick). 

By Saturday morning, I was doing my pre-race warm-up brick and finding myself wanting to push a little harder on the bike than instructed and holding myself back on the run. I convinced myself that this was a good sign. Although the only day that really matters is race day, I felt as if my body was recovered and finally race ready after many months of training.

After saying good bye to Karel and Campy, Trimarni athletes Adam, Wlad and I (each in our own cars, I drove myself) headed north to Knoxville.

I entertained myself by listening to triathlon related podcasts and just under 3 hours later, around 3pm, we were at the Holiday Inn in downtown Knoxville, TN.

After checking into the hotel and unloading our stuff (I shared a room with my athlete/friend Adam and his wife and Trimarni photographer and the best sherpa ever, Taylor), Adam and Taylor made a quick trip to Whole Foods (I brought a cooler and bag of food) and I rested in the room until 3:45pm.

We all headed down to the race venue to pick up our packets and attend the pre-race athlete meeting. I never miss athlete briefings as I find it extremely important to know all rules and any last minute details or changes about the course/event. 

After the meeting, we walked back to our hotel (less than 10 minutes) to put our bike sticker numbers on our bike and then we made our way down near the water, to the transition area (another less than 10 minutes). 

I just love the Rev3 environment and how much they care about their athletes and I especially love these awesome bike racks.

I was excitedly anxious to get on my bike on Sunday morning to tackle this challenging bike course so I said see ya later to my bike before we walked to the river to check out the swim course. 

Seeing that Karel and I raced Rev3 Knoxville last year, I was familiar with the layout of the swim course. I walked Adam and Wlad through the course so they understood where we started (by Calhoun's by the River) and where we exited (by the boat house, where we are standing). 

We walked back to the hotel and chillaxed for the rest of the evening. 

I enjoy eating in my room on the night before the race (in comfy clothes without having to wait for food) so I enjoyed a pre-made meal of Jasmine rice (1.5 cups), hardboiled egg, salt, edamame and corn. Pretty simple but super easy for me to digest. I have experimented with several different options in training and this one felt the best.

I reviewed all course maps once more on my iPad in the evening and Adam and I watched a video that I found on You Tube of the bike course (my second time watching it) so he understood all the more technical sections.

I fell asleep shortly after 9:30am and slept fairly well before an early morning wake-up at 4:15am. 

After making coffee in the room (good European instant coffee and hot water in the electric kettle, mixed with milk), I sat down to my pre-race meal (once again, well practiced in training) of 2 Van's waffles with maple syrup and Smuckers Natural PB, banana and glass of OJ. Just shy of 500 calories and very easy to digest. I also had a small glass of water. 

I filled my powdered-filled bottles (3 of them, each with 280 calories) with water after I ate, prepared 1 x 20 ounce bottle with 80 calories Clif Hydration to sip in transition (I only ended up drinking about 8 ounces) and changed into my Canari short sleeve Tri suit. 

I bundled up in some warm clothes (it was 53 degrees but water temp was 67 so I wanted to stay warm before my pre-race warm-up) and we all (Adam, Wlad, Taylor and I) headed down to transition area around 5:20am. 

After pumping up my tires (I have Victoria Latex tubes in my Alto race wheels, so I have to pump them up before I ride), I laid out my gear on my transition towel:

GEAR
Clothing: Canari one piece short sleeve tri suit, Oakley Women continuity sport bra, CEP calf sleeves, newton socks
Swim: Xterra vengeance wetsuit, Speedo Vanquisher goggles, body glide spray (TriSlide is our go-to spray)
Bike: Bontrager shoes, Oakley sunglasses flak 2.0, Sworks women evade tri helmet (with magnet buckle - new helmet, love it!), Garmin Edge 810, Alto Wheels CC-56, Solestar kontrol insoles
Run: Brooks Pure Flow 4 running shoes, Nathan Mercury 2 hydration belt (2 flasks each with 120 calories Clif Hydration), Clif Bar visor, Garmin 910 (I wore the Garmin for the entire race, including the swim but only turned on for the run).

Nearing 6am, I performed some dynamic exercises to get my heart rate up and blood flowing and then joined Adam and Wlad for a little jog with a few pick-ups. Although the pre-race warm-up rarely feels good as I am getting my body ready to race, it really helps to prepare the body for what's to come with the endorphin-filled start of a triathlon race. 

After making several potty stops thanks to a nervous belly, Taylor, Adam and I walked to the ~10 minutes to the swim start. 

The weather was absolutely perfect which was a nice change from the rain we experienced last year. 

All suited up and ready to go!

Adam's wave was at 6:50am, Wlad went off at 6:55am and the female wave was at 7am.

Rev3 allowed us in the water 5 minutes before our wave start which was great to be able to get into the water to warm-up and adjust the wetsuit (very important to put water inside your wetsuit before you start swimming so you can adjust the wetsuit and so it doesn't "suck" on your chest and cause tightness).

I was already noticing a massive glare from the sun right into our eyes and it was so difficult to see the buoys before our first right hand turn. I had ordered new clean (no fog -yet) goggles for this race but they didn't come in until Friday evening so I was worried about wearing them for this race as I didn't have a chance to adjust them properly for my face while swimming. I opted for my other race goggles with a little tint but they often fog which was not so good for this bright sun.

After a quick swim warm-up followed by 10,20 and 30 strokes fast with equal strokes recovery to warm-up my system, I was officially race ready and I was looking forward to the suffering that I was willing to tolerate in order to give my best effort to see if I could achieve my overall female winner goal. 

Stayed tuned for part II of my race report.

I promise, it's filled with excitement. 

Rev3 Knox and M2M half ironman - quick recap

I've always been under the impression that to be a great coach, it's very difficult to coach and be an athlete at the same time. While many great coaches were former athletes, it can often be challenging to develop athletes to reach their goals while you, the coach, are training for your own racing goals.

While I have been an athlete longer than I have been a coach, I am still learning as an athlete and as a coach. As the sport of triathlon changes every year, I also find myself racing differently to adapt to our ever evolving sport.
With this being my 10th season of endurance triathlon racing, I can honestly say that it was only a few years ago that I started to really understand how to "race" in a long distance triathlon.

Ever since Karel got his feet wet in the sport of triathlon just 4 years ago, he has taught me so much about racing. I absolutely love watching Karel race and I feel so lucky to share the behind the scene racing moments with Karel. As a former cat 1 cyclist, Karel is exceptional at suffering through pain but he is also very smart when he races. He is patient with his development, he doesn't race with an ego, he has great sportsmanship, he trains incredible hard, he stays present during his workouts and he loves competition.
Karel applies tactics to every race, adapts quickly under pressure and never chases times, watts, speeds or paces when he races.

What I love so much about our sport (triathlon) is that it's very unpredictable. I love the dynamics of racing in a 3-sport event and how every course race has its challenges. I also love the camaraderie that is shared among all levels of athletes on race day - with every athlete having his/her own reasons for showing up and participating in our awesome multisport event called triathlon.

Although Karel and I are triathlon coaches, we are also athletes. I am not sure if we would be great coaches if we stopped being athletes.
I believe that we are in the prime of our racing years and while this doesn't mean that we put our business second to training, we recognize that we are still learning about the sport and we learn best by putting ourselves through the same situations, scenarios, workouts and experiences as our athletes.

At every race, we learn something.
Boy on boy, did we each learn a lot this past weekend. 

We face adversity, we overcome challenges and we suffer just like everyone else.
Although Karel and I will always live a very active lifestyle, when it comes to training and racing, we just can't simulate race-day scenarios in training. The best way that we can learn, grow and develop as coaches is to be athletes.

Karel and I raced in two different states this past weekend, with Karel staying local to race Mountains to Main Street (M2M - our new local half IM event by Set Up Events) in Greenville, SC and I traveled to Tennessee to race Rev3 Knox.

We were both accompanied by several of our Trimarni athletes as we both proudly support Rev3 and our local events in Greenville.

The M2M course suited Karel thanks to a lake swim (wetsuit legal), challenging bike (58 miles) and slightly hilly (for the first 6 miles) and then net downhill run.
Whereas when we raced Rev3 Knox last year (in the rain) I really loved the type of climbs on the bike course and the rolling hills on the run. Sadly, the run course was changed to eliminate the hilly section but it turned into a two loop run which was just fine as I love loop/out and back courses.

Karel and I each had a goal of placing overall male and female, respectively, at each race. While we didn't know who would show up on race day, a better way to describe this "winning" goal was that we were both willing to take a lot of risks to race as hard as we could on race day.

Karel and I had mentally, physically and nutritionally (ex. dialing in sport nutrition/hydration with every long workout as well as optimal pre-race foods) prepared for our races all season. Although we still have Ironman Austria approaching in 5 weeks (yippee and yikes!) and then Karel will race IMMT, we were both fired up for our early season "key" races.

After racing the Lake James 50 last weekend, we both felt like we were ready and willing to suffer to try to reach our goal. There were no paces, time goals, watts or metrics to chase - our focus was only on the nearest competition and swimming, biking and running as (sustainably) hard as we could possibly go for our races. 

Karel and I both had our challenges on race day - which is to be expected when you willing to lose in order to win.
I hope I can do my best to summarize our race day so bear with me as I try to gather the right words to give two detailed race recaps, each with their own high moments, shortcomings, challenges and obstacles. 

Mountains to Main StreetKarel
1.2 mile swim: 31:12
T1: 59.98
58 mile bike: 2:34:48
T2: 38.02
13.1 mile run: 1:24.03
Total: 4:31.35
Overall winner




Rev3 Knoxville
Marni
1.2 mile swim: 31.11
T1: 2:16
56 mile bike (+6 mile detour): 3:07:57
T2: :58
13.1 mile run: 1:39.07
Total: 5:21.29
2nd overall female 

Are you training for a triathlon in 2016?

Do you have a triathlon goal for 2016? 

Are you registered for your first Olympic, Half or Full Ironman distance triathlon in 2016? 

Are you looking to improve your skills, endurance, strength and overall fitness throughout your racing season to see what you are capable of achieving at your key race in 2016?

Are you serious about your training and want a smart training plan to follow to see what your body is capable of achieving in 2016?

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If so, we created our (NEW) 20-week Trimarni training plans with YOU in mind. 

As accomplished endurance triathletes and devoted coaches, we understand the physiological and nutritional needs of endurance triathlon training and racing.

We love coaching athletes of all fitness levels.
All we ask is that you have a goal and a race in mind, you enjoy the developmental process of training, you want to excel on race day and you are committed to training smart, working hard and keeping your body in good health.

No matter what level athlete you are or what event distance you are training for, we put a lot of thought and effort into our plans to ensure that you would feel physically, mentally, nutritionally and emotionally ready for your upcoming races. 

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Marni is a Board Certified Sport Dietitian (CSSD) and holds a Master of Science in exercise physiology. She specializes in sport nutrition and she is a certified USA Triathlon level-1 coach. With a great understanding of the physiological and nutritional requirements of training for endurance sports, she enjoys working with triathletes of all levels. She has coached fitness enthusiasts to become first-time Ironman finishers, has helped many age-groupers, with families and busy work schedules, reach personal best times and achieve life-long goals and has developed athletes to qualify for the Ironman World Championship.
Marni is a 10x Ironman finisher with a 10:17 Ironman PR (IM Austria), including 4 Ironman World Championship finishes. 

Karel is an experienced RETUL bike fitter with exceptional skills as a bike mechanic. Karel knows everything and anything about cycling. As an exceptional cat 1 cyclist turned triathlete, Karel has the ability to think like a one sport athlete but train like a triathlete in order to help Trimarni athletes learn how to train smarter. As a cyclist turned triathlete, Karel has had to learn the basics when it comes to training for triathlons, which has allowed him to better coach his athletes. Karel qualified for the 70.3 World Championship after his first half IM and finished his 2nd Ironman in 9:22 (Ironman Austria) with a 3:11 marathon.

Karel and Marni enjoy working together because they each have their own strengths and specialty areas when it comes to coaching athletes and performing as top age-group endurance triathletes. 

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We enjoy the developmental process of working with athletes and teaching our athletes how to train smarter in order to execute well on race day.  We provide great detail and attention to every workout which includes focus on strength training, daily and sport nutrition, pacing, intervals, mental toughness, recovery and learning how to adjust to life. We strongly believe in an educational component to our coaching so that our athletes know why they are doing what they are doing in every workout, with every phase of training.

Thank you for considering Trimarni Coaching to help you reach your short and long term triathlon goals. 

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2016 TRIMARNI TRAINING PLANS

FOR JANUARY ONLY:Any athlete who purchases a Trimarni training plan in the month of January will be entered into a raffle for one FREE entry to any Rev3 Triathlon race (distance of your choice) for 2016. The winning athlete will be notified on Feb 1st. 
If you are interested in joining our performance team with the purchase of any training plan, you will receive the past 4 check-in educational emails for FREE. Topics discussed included sport nutrition (with specific calculations for determining carbohydrate, fat and protein needs as well as how to fuel before, during and after workouts), daily nutrition, understanding "check-points" (testing) and swim training specifics. You will receive over 15 pages of detailed educational materials that will help you train and fuel smarter for FREE if you join our performance team in Jan.
You will receive all past and current weekly check-in emails as soon as you purchase you plan.  

Performance Team

If you are a triathlete who is interested in Trimarni coaching and being part of the Trimarni team but not interested in individualized-coaching this season, the PERFORMANCE team plan is designed just for you! 

With the purchase of any Trimarni 20-week endurance triathlon training plan (Half or Ironman distance)
-You can feel part of a team by joining our private Trimarni Coaching Facebook page to socialize with your fellow Trimarni teammates,
-Connect with us at key Trimarni races and camps (our athletes receive top priority for camp registration before opening our camps to the public - typically our camps fill-up before we can open to the public)
-Receive our weekly “check-in” emails (which will provide you with weekly education, information, tips, race results and support on topics like swimming, cycling, running, mental strength, sport nutrition, daily nutrition, strength training, race strategy/execution, motivation tips, etc). You'll feel like you are receiving a detailed consultation from us every week!
-Receive exclusive Trimarni sponsor discounts.

Instead of browsing the web and consulting with friends over and over again about your gear, training and nutrition questions, let us help educate you so that you can learn how to train and race smarter.
Plus, we want to be part of your training and racing journey as a Trimarni team member.

At check-out when purchasing your 20-week half or full Ironman training plan, select "Performance Team". After your purchased training plan is emailed to you, you will be part of the Trimarni team for only $50 a month (we will contact you regarding set-up for monthly paymnets). You can start/cancel your $50/monthly payment anytime. 

We look forward to having you be part of the Trimarni team!

Email us with any questions. 

Olympic, Half and Full Ironman plans
The Trimarni training plans are designed for committed, passionate, performance-seeking athletes of all fitness levels who want to train smarter to train harder. We keep our training philosophy simple - we want you to reach performance goals without compromising your overall health. Our training plans are designed to keep you in good health, as you balance everything in your busy life, as you take your fitness to the next level. We believe that our plans will keep you excited to train while minimizing burnout and risk for injury. Our plans provide the right mix of challenge and fun as you work hard to reach personal fitness goals. 

We have updated our plans which are all now 20 weeks and include 4 weeks of our Transition/Foundation plan. 

For more info on what is included with each plan: 

Endurance Plan - Half and Full Ironman distance

Olympic Plan

At checkout, you can add the option of the Performance Plan OR select 1-hour phone call if you'd like to set-up a consultation with me and/or Karel at any point throughout your season to discuss your race strategy, training or nutrition. 

Transition/Foundation Plan
Back by popular demand, our updated transition plan is designed specifically to help you develop the proper skills to progress smoothly throughout the year. Consider this the blueprint of building a strong house for your body.  It is important to appreciate the first phase of your training plan as the focus is not on speed, pace, heart rate and/or power but instead skills, form and neuromuscular control. We designed this plan to help you get stronger before you try to get faster or go longer. We consider this phase a necessary but often overlooked part of most  triathlon training plans. Every Trimarni athlete (and Karel and myself) follow a transition phase before we get into more specific training.
For more info: 
8-week Transition/Foundation Plan

Periodized Strength Training Plan
You know it's important but strength training is often the most neglected or confusing component of a triathletes training plan (and often the first to go in the spring when the training becomes more specific). 

We designed a periodized strength training plan that allows for smooth progression throughout your periodized plan. With swimming, biking and running as your primary focus, our strength training plan may make it easier to achieve better swim, bike and run results with a stronger body.
Our strength training plan is designed to help you build a strong foundation and then when you add more speed and power in your training plan, the strength training routine changes from simple, isolated movements to more complex and dynamic movements.
If you are returning to your sport after an injury, experience chronic injuries or feel like you could benefit from strength training in order to improve speed, power and endurance, you will love our strength training plans.
The Trimarni periodized strength plan includes videos for every exercise, including dynamic warm-ups, glute/hip/core focus and stretching links for your entire season and almost all exercises can be performed at your home, with minimal equipment. For more info:
Periodized Strength Training Plan

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GIFT CERTIFICATES
Yes - we have them! 

Trimarni Gift Certificates for coaching, nutrition and RETUL bike fits are available for your friend, training partner or loved one for the holidays, birthdays, special occasions, anniversary's or just because you care.

Please send us a message via our contact page on our website before purchasing your desired plan so we know to include a gift certificate with your purchase to your favorite athlete in mind.


We are excited to be part of your 2016 training and racing season!

Are you ready for the Triathlon Challenge?

When Karel and I were putting together our 2015 race schedule, we had a variety of races to choose from. Since sharing our race schedule in October, there have already been a few changes.
 There are races all over the world on almost every weekend of the year so that makes it very interesting and fun when planning a racing season. 

In the initial stages of our season planning, we wanted to make sure that every race that we registered for had a purpose. We are not known to race just to race. Although we do not expect to be at top fitness for every race, we take every race seriously and do our best to arrive to every race healthy and injury free. The most important goal of a triathlete who is planning his/her season is to remember that every race is simply a step closer to the big season goal where you hope to race in peak fitness.
You can have good performances at all or most of your races but when it comes to maximizing your fitness and being in the best shape all season, you want to limit that to once or twice in a season.
And above all, be ok with your building fitness and body composition throughout the season. If you are accepting that you don't need to be in peak fitness all year long, you certainly do not need to be at race weight all year long. 

 When planning our season, we wanted to make sure that our races helped to build confidence for the 2015 Ironman World Championship (our big season race) but that our races were placed appropriately so that we could periodize our training for proper peaking for Kona. The biggest mistake I find is that athletes register or plan to race a variety of races throughout the year but because of when they occur in the season (too early, too late or too many close together), there is not ample time to get through various phases of training. And unlike a cyclists racing and training schedule, triathletes do need different phases so they can not race a lot (specific to endurance triathletes).
And lastly, we wanted to make sure that our race schedule was practical in terms of logistics, race fees and course designs to match our strengths. We look for safe and challenging courses, a great vibe at the race, a beautiful location to race in and affordable race fees + travel. 

We are so excited to be supporting the Challenge Family race series in 2015!!!!

Not only will Karel and I be racing at Challenge Knoxville and Challenge Williamsburg but many of the Trimarni athletes will be racing a Challenge race in 2015. 

For a list of all the North America races:
RACE SCHEDULE

Also, in case you missed it:

Challenge Family regional championships and prize money confirmed in the Americas
Posted on: Friday 14th November 2014

The Americas region has a new championship series with today’s announcement of the Challenge Americas Championships, to be held at Challenge Knoxville, Tennessee in May 2016.

Encompassing all 13 half and full distance Challenge Family races in North, South and Central America, qualifying for the Championships will start at Challenge Knoxville on 17 May 2015.

To celebrate the launch of the first qualifying race of the Championships, Challenge Knoxville 2015 will offer all athletes who register for the race 50% off a second entry for a friend. This special offer is available until 30 November and equates to two half distance entries for just $382.50.

Throughout the year, professional and age group athletes will have the opportunity to qualify at Challenge Knoxville, Challenge Quassy, Challenge Williamsburg, Challenge Atlantic City, Challenge New Albany, Challenge Pocono Mountains, Challenge Maine, Challenge Rancho Cordova and Challenge Florida in the USA. Canadian qualifiers are Challenge Penticton and Challenge St Andrews while Challenge Ixtapa in Mexico will be the Central America qualifier and Challenge Florianopolis the South American qualifier.

The regional championships announcement was accompanied by confirmation that all Challenge Family races in the Americas will feature consistent prize money across all races.

Challenge Family CEO, Zibi Szlufcik said the Challenge Americas Championships was an exciting development for athletes in the region.

“With 13 races throughout the Americas and an outstanding championship venue in Knoxville, athletes will enjoy a quality race series, culminating in a grand finale and the prestige of calling themselves regional champion. Challenge Knoxville 2015 will be a test event for the 2016 Championships and all athletes are invited to test this beautiful course.

“We’re also delighted to be able to confirm a pro field with prize money at every race. We’ve had many requests for this and are extremely happy to be able to offer our valued athletes with a strong series of races paying 10 deep throughout the Americas region.”

Challenge Americas board member, Charlie Patten said, “”We are excited for the 2015 Challenge Americas Age Group series and Championship race! The hard work of amateur athletes often goes un-noticed and this is our chance to celebrate ALL athletes.  From the working mothers to the retired grandparents and everyone in between, now we get to celebrate your amazing accomplishments!”