St. Croix 70.3 RR - 13.1 mile run + post-race

The last 2.5-3 miles into town on East End Road finish the bike portion on the left side of the road, with the runners on the right. The last few miles of the bike portion of an endurance triathlon are always filled with a mix of emotions for most triathletes with questions of how the legs will feel when the hit the pavement for the first time in x-hours as well as thoughts of overall energy and fatigue. There’s a lot of thinking ahead (how will I feel at x-miles in the run) and many times, not much reflecting. I found myself in a state of reflection, thinking back to the last 57.2 miles that my body has taken me on. Although my swim was not that “fast” for me, it was comparable to the top girls in my age group. I had no regrets as to how I biked the St. Croix 70.3 course for I respected the course and this distance enough to not overbike in St. Croix. My legs were relatively tired but I was anxious to run. As I found myself easing up on the bike while watching the runners, I tried to keep my cadence high and I would often sit up and stand just to give my hips one last stretch or two before a grueling run.

I wasn’t sure how I was placing in my age group for there were no body markings in this race but by looking at bib numbers for the girls in my age group, I figured I was in the top 10. As much as I wanted to podium in this race (I wasn’t going for a Kona slot which would have been top 2 in my 30-34 age group), I knew my chances were slim as I didn’t have the bike skills to “race” on this course. I also counted at least 6 girls ahead of me, already running as I was nearing the last ½ mile or so of the bike course. However, I’ve learned in many years of racing in endurance tri’s, a race is never over til I cross the finish line – anything can happen and anything is possible. Never ever count yourself out. 

I trusted my body and in my reflection during the last few miles of the bike, I didn’t let myself forget how great I have been running over the past year. Although with recent run fitness gains most noticeable in the past 4-5 weeks, the consistency of training without an injury for almost a year was finally paying off. My body felt strong, fit and healthy and I was ready to handle anything that came my way on the run course.

Finally – my mind was my only limiter during the run portion of this endurance triathlon. This is something that I crave and long for with every race and many times in the past 6 years, I have had to manage nagging aches in my hips/back instead of being able to push my healthy body in training and racing.

As I dismounted my bike, I stopped my Garmin 500 (and powered it off) and hit lap on my Garmin 910 for the multisport function. The crowds/volunteers were great and it was wonderful to see such great support from the island locals and visitors.

As I ran on the grassy transition area with my cycling shoes still on, I thought to myself “Please, only be 6 bikes.” With being so far behind the competition, I just wanted to run my way up in spots in my age group. I had a lot of confidence in my run and I saved myself on the bike just so I could compete with the other ladies.

Ugh. As I racked my bike, I saw 6 bikes in transition. Although the girls ahead of me were a bit ahead, the competitive side of me was not gone and I was ready to do some chasing!

Unlike T1, T2 was smooth and without mistakes. 

I removed my helmet and cycling shoes and put on my Brooks Pure Flow running shoes (with lace locks on the shoe laces) over my 110% Compression socks. I had a pill container open) with endurance aminos (Hammer Nutrition) and I shook out 4 and took a sip of my leftover bottle from race morning of Osmo and swallowed 4 pills before I grabbed my flasks (each with Napalm powder from INFINIT mixed water – tastes like a sport drink but concentrated and electrolyte rich like a gel), my visor and transition belt and I was off. 

As I was running to the exit of transition, I put on my visor as I had one flask in my mouth and the other one in my sport bra top. I put on my race belt as I was running (with safety pins on the bib number – I am notorious for ripping off my bib number).

Out of transition you run up a steep, super short grassy hill. There was an aid station with cold water right out of transition so I took advantage of it and poured cold water on my head to start the cooling process and a sip to rinse my mouth. A mega bonus on this difficult run course is having aid stations every 0.6 miles….yes, you read correct – almost every ½ mile there is an aid station – talk about heaven on a 90+-degree run course.

My legs felt amazing in the first mile and I knew that all I needed to do was pace myself. In order to postpone fatigue, I stuck to my walk plan of walking the aid stations for 10 seconds or so (after the first aid station for I wasn’t ready for my walk yet and wanted to wait until I got over the first roller). Karel walked every single aid station (every .6 miles and he said he would just stop, take in water/coke/ice and then run again) and I walked almost every aid station (I think I didn’t walk 5-6 of them, primarily because of the location of the aid station and how I was feeling + crowd support).

The spectators and volunteers were fantastic. The first 2 miles had a lot of screaming fans, baggies of ice for cooling that we could grab (great idea if you are ever doing a hot course – bring a baggie with you and fill with ice at your aid stations to cool your back/body parts, etc.) and hoses to cool us off. Yes, it was hot but I do not mind hot races for my body tolerates the heat thanks to being 5-foot tall (not a lot of body surface area to cool). I was a bit concerned for Karel who has struggled in the heat and off the bike in a few races for he is still trying to figure out his body after transitioning to his new 3-sport sport instead of just bike racing.

My goal was to keep good form and to make sure the first loop (around 6.5-7 miles) felt good. It had to feel good in my mind and body the entire first loop or else I knew I would be in trouble for the second half. Although we all risk slowing in an endurance event, my goal was to slow down the least. Thankfully, I was feeling good for the first two miles which were not flat but instead, entertained my legs with two long rollers to cover until I reached the entrance of the Buccaneer.

I knew on this run course that the next 4 miles were going to be challenging before beginning another loop to do it all again. Karel and I had reviewed run times so we were aware of what is “normal” pacing for this run and what is typical for loop 1 compared to loop 2. We had reviewed the pros and top age groupers for the past few years for we were not trying to be like others but to understand what the body could handle on this course. Also talking with our top AG group friend David that we met (who is a 1:15 off the bike runner), he mentioned that it is very typical to run a lot slower on this course. We had heard similar statements from other athletes who have succeeded (and not faired to well) on this course so this advice was mentally helpful. Racing smart is not about being fit and fast but being able to race on your respected course with the best plan possible to finish strong.

After holding back a bit on the first two miles, I made a left into the resort and grabbed a sip of coke before entering the next part of the run course. I was sipping my flasks every aid station and my goal was to finish 1 flask on the first loop and the second flask on the second loop + coke as craved (I think I grabbed Coke 3-4 times) + water/ice at every single aid stations (no other gels or sport drinks).

Between miles 1-2 I saw a familiar face….KAREL!!!

Yay! I didn’t think I would see him during the entire race and I was instantly lifted up (my RPE went down and I was feeling extra good) when I saw him. He looked so strong running with his fuel belt on and I knew that he was having a great run by looking at him (I’ve seen him in other races where I could tell the run was not going as he wanted which is always emotionally hard for me to see him not have his ideal run off the bike since he is such a great runner).

As I followed the orange markings in the resort, I didn’t even have to look down for I felt a major relief….trails!!!! I think I was smiling during the entire run even though it wasn't easy. 

I knew Karel wouldn’t like this section but he told me after the race that he knew I would LOVE this section and my hips were jumping with joy. Now, this doesn’t mean that my legs were feeling fresh as can be but mentally, I really loved the changing up of terrain on this course.

My Garmin would lose satellite a few times in the trail section around the golf course so I kept focus on how I felt for RPE on this course was my main focus and just keeping an eye on my pace when my body/mind played tricks on me (sometimes the mind and body will fight in a race – one telling the other that it’s tired and sometimes you have to do some check-in’s just to make sure that one is lying to the other).

The next 1.5 miles or so was a loop so I could kind of see the athletes on the other side of the grassy field but I spotted no other girls…ugh, where are they? I still needed to stick to my plan of holding back for the results in years past showed that athletes who start out too fast on the run (or overbike) slow down considerably on loop two. I did not want that scenario for I wanted to feel just as strong (or stronger) on the second loop as the first.

After finishing this next section, we ran up a steep short hill. I had heard athletes talk about the big climb on the run course and after tippy toeing up the pavement hill (short strides, more like a shuffle up) I was relieved that big climb was over. It wasn’t as bad as every said.

After running through the resort for ½ mile or so, it was time for another terrain change. Grass!

We ran on a grassy and gravel/dirt packed section which overlooked the ocean. The view was amazing from the top of this climb. I was passing guys and just a few girls but I knew I would be taking too many risks if I ran any faster on this first loop.

We made our way back on to the pavement and then back on to the grass again and then pavement. And then came a downhill that was straight down….ouch! The previous 60 miles or so were catching up to me and I couldn’t bear the pain in my quads to break down this hill so I jumped on to the grass instead and just hoped for no holes in the ground for I didn’t want to risk a sprained ankle.

After this downhill, my legs suddenly felt super weak, kinda like an empty feeling. I looked at my pace and I knew I didn’t over do it this far so I just tried to silence the pain in my legs and kept on moving forward. This was a weird feeling almost as if my legs were really light and heavy at the same time but I just kept looking forward to each aid station to cool myself.

As I was getting to the end of the resort section of this run course, I spotted a big hill ahead. Oh – This must be the hill everyone was talking about!!!

I didn’t want to walk the hills for even if I was “running” 12-minute miles up the hill it was faster than walking 15+ min/miles. I shuffled my way up with a short stride and used my upper body swimmer-muscles to power my way up – it wasn’t fast and likely not pretty but I conquered “Beast Jr.” (As it said on the pavement).

You are kidding….another downhill?

Finally I made it out of the resort and back on to East End Road. At this point, I was hoping badly to see Karel for I needed another pick me up. No Karel but lots of awesome spectators and volunteers and inspiring athletes. Knowing that the top athletes race St. Croix, I couldn’t help but feel inspired by the amazing bodies that were racing on this course.

I saw some of the girls in my age group as I made my way over the second roller and back into town and my dream of moving up in my age group was likely over. Although I was running as smart and strong as I could with my current level of fitness, I had lost too much time on the bike to move up any more. Additionally, when I made my way to start loop 2, I felt confident in seeing my competition behind me (on the other side of the road) that unless something bad happened to me, I was not going to get caught. This was a happy and sad place and for the next mile, I had a little conversation with myself as to how I would approach lap 2.

This was a really tough position for me to be in for I was stuck in a position of not being chased and not being able to chase anyone and that’s what I long for in racing. Even though I have my plan and I love to stick to my plan of racing smart, I thrive off competition to help me reach my full potential.

I saw Karel finishing his second loop on the way to his finish and he looked so strong. I was amazed by how he was running and it was time for me to figure out how I would approach the next 6 or so miles.

Karel run time: 1:34:17 (including walking at every .6 mile aid station)

22nd fastest amateur male run

6th fastest age group (35-39) run

My mind loves to do math when I run so I started to do a few calculations. In reviewing past run times, the average “fast” run times on this course are over 1:40 with the majority of top age groupers between 1:45-1:55. There are often some fast runs and then some not-so-fast runs that still help an athlete finish at the top of his/.her respective age group because of how he/she biked and swam prior.

With no auto-lap time over 8 min/miles (this includes my walk breaks) so far on this course, my new goal (instead of moving up in my age group) was to continue running sub 8 min/miles.

My next goal was to try to break 1:40. As I made my way to the trail section in the resort, I saw this as my “recovery” – I didn’t necessarily slow myself down but it just felt “easier” than pounding on the pavement so I told myself to just relax on this section and then finish strong in the last 3-4 miles to the finish. Although I never dreamed it possible on this course (I was hoping for around 1:43-1:45), I thought to myself 8 min/miles was around 1:44 for a half marathon and 7:30 min/miles was around 1:38 or so (per my math calculations in 90+ degree heat after racing for 65+ miles) and I knew from my paces that I was in between the two times.

Ok – I can do this!!! Break 1:40 and that would be unbelievable on this course!!

I was on a mission, now racing against the clock. Me vs. the clock.

 Little hill and Beast Jr. were over and boy oh boy, was my body getting tired. BUT – I was not slowing down that much so I knew that if I could stay mentally strong, I could win this battle with my body vs. my body. Who knew so many competitions could go on without chasing a human competitor ahead of me.

As I made my way back into town, I again broke this course down.

Ok – one more roller to go as I ran down the first roller. After the next roller, I was going to see the downtown and then it was a sprint to the finish.

Around mile 10 I had switched my Garmin 910 screen from the run interval screen (showing my lap time, lap pace, current pace and average pace) to a screen that has total run time and that helped me stay super motivated to try to reach this new goal.

When I made a left turn in the downtown area, I could see the finish line to my right. Ok, probably just a block or two more and I would finishing this run course in my own record goal rime!

Ok – where’s this turn? I kept running and running and running….what seemed to be a never ending road and when I reached another aid station, the nice volunteer smiled and told me “you are almost there – only ½ mile to go!”

What??? A half mile. Ugh.

Oh well. I had just had the most unbelievable experience checking off this race from my bucket list, I raced with Karel on this beautiful island (I thought, how lucky are we that we were able to make this dream come true and make some memories together), I suffered as I raced smart and I still felt as if I had a really awesome run, even though I didn’t meet my new time goal that was created half-way through the run (sometimes a goal needs to change to ensure a positive outcome).

As I finally made the right hand turn down the downtown bumpy streets of Christiansted, I saw the finish line and gave it my best sprint possible (my slow-twitch filled body doesn’t really know how sprint so I just make sure it feels like a sprint) and with my hands in the air, I was SO happy to reach the finish line.

Finally, I can rest.

13.1 mile run stats (From Garmin 910xt – showing 13.25 miles, splits with walking included): 

Mile 1: 7:31

Mile 2: 7:23

Mile 3: 7:34

Mile 4:7:55

Mile 5: 7:53

Mile 6:7:34

Mile 7:7:52

Mile 8:7:34

Mile 9:7:44

Mile 10:7:53

Mile 11:7:50

Mile 12:7:40

Mile 13:7:15

.25: 7:04 min/mile

(yay for descending the last 4 miles!)

Total: 1:41:31 (7:39 average)

18th fastest female run (including pros)
2nd fastest age group (30-335 run
8th fastest female amateur run

I was hoping to see Karel when I entered downtown for the last section but he wasn’t there. I then expected to see Karel with his arms opened wide to catch me at the finish, but he wasn’t there. 

My first thought was that he was with our friends from Jax celebrating with post-race beers somewhere and completely forgot about me. Then I thought he had selfishly got a massage and missed me finish. Of course, all appropriate things for me to think for he has always been at the finish line waiting for me at every tri we have done together.

With my finisher medal around my neck and my body drenched with cold water (once again after I finished to officially start cooling off) I hear “Marni, Marni – I’m over here!”

I was turning all around in circles without Karel in sight and then I followed a voice toward the medical tent and there was Karel, with a needle in his arm, enjoying his first post-race IV (while making friends with my friend Jenny Fletcher – model, pro triathlete and Oakley Women athlete and sitting next to our friend Brad from Jacksonville). Opps – it never occurred to me that Karel’s health would be in danger. I didn’t say anything to Karel about not being at the finish for I was feeling like a bad wifey for getting upset that he wasn’t at the finish line J

My body was fatigued and officially drained but it performed amazingly well. I had no GI issues once again in a race, no cramping and no bonking. 

As for Karel, he really pushed it on the run, especially at the end and he said he was starting to black out at the finish. For the first time he said he felt hydrated during the entire race without his normal adductor cramps so we contribute it to the Osmo pre-load which likely helped Karel ensure that his cells/tissues/muscles were well hydrated. However, he said he still needed the IV despite feeling good during the race. I guess that good feeling allowed him to really finish strong. 

After I stood and chatted with Karel about the race, he finished getting is post-race pick-me-up and we hobbled over to a large tree in transition area to get some shade. I finally went to the bathroom ( I tried to go on the bike but had no luck and I really had to go the entire bike/run but never stopped to go)  and then had a drink of Hammer FIZZ to help replenish electrolytes. I usually give myself a good hour or so before eating anything after a  race (or track practice) for if I try too soon after a race, I will have major GI upset as the blood starts to return to the GI system after my heart rate returns to a normal level.  

Karel and I chatted about the race as we walked to our car, which is always my favorite part to share with Karel – when the suffering is over, I just love being able to talk about our personal journey from start line to finish line, together.

Final stats:

Marni:

Swim 33:42

T1: 2:12

Bike: 3:05:47

T2: 1:25

Run: 1:41: 28

Total: 5:24:34 - 6th age group, 25th female

Karel:

Swim 36:48

T1: 1:27

Bike: 2:43:07

T2: 1:15

Run: 1:34:16

Total: 4:56:53 - 11th age group, 46th male

Because we drove to the race start, we were not able to drive the 4 miles home so we put some of our gear in our rental car and then biked back to our resort. We made a quick stop at a bar to say hi to some of our friends. Although this was tough to get back on our bikes (with our bike shoes) and pedal home, it did feel good to loosen the legs a little.

When we got back to our resort, I was finally able to have a small snack (banana/handful cereal and glass of milk – which is typically post-race OR pizza and milk) and then Karel and I jumped into our resort pool to officially cool off.

The rest of the afternoon we crashed on our king size resort bed as we read the nice notes on social media from our friends. I called my parents to share our race recaps (Karel also had a great race and was super happy with how he ran – he said he felt like it was his best effort in a run off the bike – not his fastest but he feels it was his strongest) and we had our first official meal about 2 hours or so after the race. I had tomato pasta/veggie soup (from a can that I bought pre race) with Lays potato chips crumbled on top (chips from the race in a bag), mineral/seltzer water to help my tummy and some other leftovers like some cheese, tempeh and bread – it wasn’t a filling meal but enough to start the recovery process.

Around 5:30 or so we found some energy to get ourselves out of our post-race compression gear and into normal clothes which showed off some awesome Caribbean tan lines.

We drove to the post-race party on the other side of the island (about 15 minutes away – on the last loop of the bike course we see the hotel where the post-race party is held, with around ~13 miles left to go) and met up with some of our friends and it was nice to share the race with one another.

The post-race BBQ food was just ok, nothing that would make my tummy super happy but they did have veggie burgers (Karel had chicken), amazing cookies (I had oatmeal raisin), cheese and burger toppings. I had a side of potato salad which was also just ok. I really wanted some good bread or pasta (pizza would have been a dream) but the bun did not make me excited so I had an open faced burger (good thing I had plenty of carbs in my cottage to enjoy after this BBQ).

The party was fun to see the pros get their award money and to be so close to them while overlooking the beautiful ocean. The age group awards consisted of top 3 in each age group plus 70.3 and Kona World Championship slot distribution (athletes could take both if they wanted).

Oddly enough, both Karel and I received a roll down slot (6^th age group for me and 11^th age group for Karel) for 70.3 World Championship but neither one of us accepted and it was great to see the excitement of the other athletes as both athletes behind us both took our slots (we are racing IMWI the same day at 70.3 WC so we are racing for our Kona slots that day as that is our A++++ race).

After the BBQ/party, we made our way home around 8:30pm or so and it felt like midnight. Since we had been up since before 4am, we were both a bit tired but my post-race insomnia (happens every time  after half or full IMs) left me completely exhausted and awake so I just watched a little TV while working on my blog recap. Karel was out the moment he hit the bed.

What an incredible race. For a challenging course on a beautiful island, I highly recommend to race in St. Croix. It is not an easy race but after you conquer the Beast and everything that comes with it, you will not regret your decision to enjoy a race-cation in St. Croix.

As for the rest of our trip: 

-Monday (day after the race) – ~6 mile hike to the tidal pools (2.8 miles each way) . Quads were not happy but it rained on us and felt amazing. Plus, the experience of swimming in these pools was really awesome. We had a very late lunch (veggie burger in a wrap that was super yummy with sweet potato fries - this hit the spot!) in Fredriksted and then when we arrived back to our cottage around 6:30pm, Karel was knocked out and I did a bit of work for a few hours for my athletes on the computer. 

-Tuesday – 20 min open water swim outside of our resort around 7:30am (after waking up without an alarm. Karel had at least 10+ hours of sleep, I got about 4 or 5 but not continuously) and then we packed up our resort. Karel had packed our bikes before Tues and we had our friend Brad drive our bikes to the airport since he was on our flight and had a van from his family friend on the island (to return the favor, Karel boxed up Brad’s bike for him). After checking out of our resort around 11pm, we did a little computer work til 12 at our resort and then we made a stop at the local gas station by us to get some local fresh bread (banana bread). We then went to Christensted for lunch at the Avocado Pit (Excellent service!!) and walked around after lunch (we also got lunch to go – I had a salad at the Avocado Pit – my first “real” salad since I arrived to St. Croix – I was finally able to enjoy some extra fiber and had a wrap w/ fries for later).  

We then drove to the Buccanear to lounge on the beach with our Jax friends and then around 2pm we headed to the airport to return our car. Our flight left around 5pm to head to San Juan and then finally back to Orlando (arriving around 9:30pm). Karel drove back to Jax with Brad in his car (Brad’s luggage was lost so they didn’t leave the airport until almost midnight for a 2.5 hour drive) and I drove to my parents (2 hour drive), arriving around 1:30amwith lots of kisses from Campy and a super happy tail.

-Wednesday – woke up without an alarm around 8am at my parents and got caught up on some emails from Tuesday and then drove back to Jax (3.5 hour drive) with my furry BFF. Campy was super happy to have his mommy and daddy both together with him. But little did Campy know that there was going to be a lot of excitement happening over the next 5 days….time to pack up our townhome for the Sumbal’s are moving to Greenville, South Carolina!

St. Croix 70.3 RR - pre race + 1.2 mile swim

You never know what the body will do on race day. The body can play games on you – tummy upset, feeling aches/twinges  you have never felt before, nerves out the wazoo and legs that feel like jello one minute and lead the next, as if they wouldn’t respond to any type of movement (even walking to the transition area). But no matter how you feel on race day morning, you have to trust that your body will know exactly what to do when the race starts. Sometimes this is easier said than done.

Perhaps at some races you will feel amazing before the race and you will be itching to get your party with your body started but this doesn’t mean that you still do not have that unknown of what the body will do as you swim, bike and run for x-miles. Even if you are 100% prepared and ready to go, you may even find yourself completely stressed and overwhelmed by things that you cannot control which also adds to the emotions of racing.

Considering that age group triathletes balance a lot while training for races (work, family, et.c) and can still dedicate 8-20+ hours of training per week, there’s something special about tapering the body for a race and experiencing all the emotions that come with race day. I truly believe that if racing was easy and effortless and we didn’t have to battle the ever-changing emotions that we feel before a race begins, we wouldn’t be who we are as triathletes.

Racing is not supposed to be easy. We, as athletes, can learn so much about ourselves and what we are capable of (as well as capable of overcoming) through racing so I always encourage athletes to not be afraid of things out of (or at the top) of your comfort zone. Regardless if you are veteran athletes, have raced a course in the past or are racing a new distance/course for the very first time,  I promise, you just have to get started to realize how amazing your body can be when you ask it to perform. You just have to trust yourself, respect your racing distance and appreciate what your body is capable of by focusing only on one mile at a time.

PRE RACE

With multiple alarms set for race morning (on my phone), we were up at 3:30am and started the coffee maker. 

There wasn’t a lot of talking between Karel and myself on race day morning for we were both nervous for the day and just focused on ourselves, each getting ourselves ready for our race.

The afternoon before the race I had laid out all my race gear and then put my gear into 4 separate grocery bags (Pre race, swim,  bike and run) and filled my 3 bottles w/ my custom INFINIT nutrition drink  (280 calories) for the bike and two flasks for the run with NAPALM (each flask with 2 ounces – 100 calories  in each flask).  I put all my nutrition bottles/flasks in another grocery bag.

On race day morning, I first put on my race outfit and timing chip, 110% calf sleeves (not allowed on swim) and socks and extra run shoes for walking in transition area  and then as I sipped my coffee, I tried to keep my body moving instead of sitting back down to eat. After double checking my race gear bags and filling my bottles with cold water from water jugs, I was ready for my pre race meal. 

My tummy was fine while I was eating my normal pre training/racing snack of 2 WASA crackers + smear of nut butter + banana slices, granola and raisins (no maple syrup or honey this race because I didn’t bring/purchase any but that’s ok – I just had a bit more granola) and I had 1 bottle of water to sip on throughout the morning and 1 bottle w/ 1 OSMO packet (hydration for women) in a bottle of water to sip on in transition area. I didn’t finish both bottles before the race start but they were there for me to sip on.

Karel had 1 scoop MUD from INFINIT + 1 thick slice raisin walnut bread (local bread) + jam and 1 scoop OSMO pre-hydration formula in a glass of water.

As I packed up my Oakley Women bag (I didn’t bring my tri transition bag here) , Karel packed up our Ford Focus with our bikes (wheels removed so the bike frames could fit in the back seat). At St. Croix 70.3, there is no day before bike check and no body markings. Our plan was to leave our place at 4:30am to arrive close to the transition area to park before transition opened at 5am. The transition area was first come, first serve for racking bikes on the respected racks (I had 1 rack for the 30-34 women and Karel had two racks) and we weren’t sure about parking or traffic on the two lane road to the transition area so we wanted to arrive early to avoid any pre-race stress.

Our cottage is about 4 miles from the race start but we are also two miles (in route to transition area) from the Buccaneer (host hotel and where we run through on the run course) so we wanted to arrive early to bypass any of that traffic from that resort.

We parked in a side parking lot just a few minutes of walking from the transition area and after waiting in a short line before 5am, we both were able to rack our bikes in the front of our racks.

Karel and I both do our own things pre-race (although I like to be around Karel as much as possible but he likes to zone-out and just do his own thing which I respect) but then meet up before the race for a last minute hug and kiss and good luck wishes.

After quickly setting up my transition area and  several trips to the bathroom to relieve my nervous tummy (same for Karel) , we just waited around for a pump to pump our tires but saw only 2 pumps in the entire transition area. Luckily Karel had a hand pump which he used to top off my tubular tires (which need pumping daily) and his clincher tires. Because there was no bike check in the day before, this is likely why there were no pumps in our small transition area. As far as body marking, they say body marking is only for the mainland races J However, I did look up all the athletes in my age group for their bib numbers so that I could be aware of my competition without having race numbers on the body (although those usually get washed off anyways or smeared).

For my transition area: 

Swim: TYR pro speed suit, Speedo mirrored tint vanquisher goggles, spray body glide, race cap (pink – yay!), extra goggles in bag just in case, timing chip on strap, COOLA spray sunscreen, 910XT Garmin set on multi-sport function.

Bike: Oakley towel, 3 bottles of sport drink on bike (two rear cages which also hold two CO2s, CO2 adapter and quick flat sealant for tubular tires), Garmin 500 on bike, cycling shoes, 110% Flat out socks, GIRO helmet, Oakley Women commit sunglasses and two bottles – 1 with water and 1 with OSMO – from morning that I didn’t completely finish. I put a gu gel in my tri top pocket of my Trimarni kit before I put on my speed suit just in case I lost a bottle on the course (which is typical on this bumpy course) to ensure I wouldn’t be without fuel for any section of the course.

Run: 1 container of endurance aminos from Hammer (to take 4 before the run), race belt w/ number and safety pins securing the bib number, 110% visor, 2 flasks (standing up in my shoes so they wouldn’t fall over or drip), Brooks Pure Flow run shoes w/ locks for shoe laces.

Around 5:50am, Karel and I met up by the edge of the water and at 6am we jumped off the ledge into the water and we both swam together to the Hotel on the Cay, no more than 300 yard swim (I’m guessing). It felt SO good to jump into the water and get the body going. Once we arrived to the island we could swim a bit more if we wanted since there was plenty of room around the little island to the side of the beach start for the race. The race director had the pros stay on the shore and all the age groupers were on the sand on the island. There was water and sport drinks on the island which was nice. Karel and I found some fishies (finally!) to look at so that made us smile.

I kissed Karel good luck and then he made his way to his wave start (35-39) at 6:39am. My wave start was 6:50am. 

After watching Karel go off, I felt a bit more relaxed and was ready to get this party started.

There were 20 girls in my age group (131 women total in the half IM distance) so it was a small wave. We all lined up on the beach and I centered myself in the middle to outside of the buoys that we would make a left turn around. The buoys were more like lane lines so it was not an easy way to start the race but then it was nice to see two sets of large orange buoys to swim through as we made our way to the large yellow buoy to make our first of two right hand turns (buoys on our right).

Despite only 20 girls, I knew this competition was tough so therefore I had an idea of respectable and realistic times for this race course but absolutely no time goals for myself for any leg of the race or total time. I was simply racing my competition and racing smart.

It was a little chaotic at the swim start but my goal was to swim comfortable just like I did in our two prep swims on Thurs and Fri (on the same course although this was the true 1.2 miles). I managed to stay with a 2 other pink caps for the entire swim and I guessed that we were top 5 from our age group because I saw a few pink caps swim away at the beginning of the race. Because of the difficulty of this bike course, I didn’t want to waste any extra energy in the swim. Also knowing the swim course from the practice swims, I knew that there would be a section at the end where we would get a little push to make the effort much easier whereas it was a bit choppy heading out to the first turn buoy. I managed to sight well and stay with the other girls which made me happy. I tried to draft as much as possible but found myself having to swim through some of the other waves which caused me to lose the girls and then have to regroup again.

I absolutely loved this swim. For some reason, I find this ocean water so much smoother than Kona and if this makes sense, less salty too. There are no dolphins, sea turtles or colorful fishies like in Kona but the water is incredibly clear which is wonderful to swim in. I was able to look at my 910XT

After rounding the last buoy, I took another look at my watch (which I was looking at a few times just to see my pace/time) and noticed that this swim was a bit slower than my usual swims but I didn’t let it stress me out or make me frustrated. I just kept swimming smooth in the water as if this was my race warm-up for the bike/run race ahead.

Getting out of the water was a bit tricky – there was a floating (yet secured to the shore) ramp to get out of and there were two males pulling us on to the ramp. This was a bit weird for my legs to be pulled to this platform and then stand up but it all worked out ok.

I exited the water as 5^th female out of the water (after looking at results) but I saw 3 or 4 other girls in transition area when I arrived. I took off my caps and goggles and I put on my 110% compression socks for this race instead of my normal calf sleeves since the calf sleeves sometimes give me blisters where the bottom of the sleeve rubs my shoe when I run. This didn’t take much time to put on in transition area but my main worry was forgetting my chip after I took it off to put on my socks. I kept reminding myself “chip, chip” – for the next race, I will just put the chip in my mouth so I don’t forget it. I then put on my cycling shoes (I never keep them on my bike – I find it unsafe and I don’t feel it saves significant time in endurance races – Karel believes the same), helmet and sunglasses, took a sip of my drink and then grabbed my bike, turned on my bike computer and then when I exited transition area I was ready to start my bike.

Oh my!! My speedsuit was still on!!

OK – this has NEVER happened before and I must say that I couldn’t help but laugh that my new TYR Torque Pro is SO comfortable that I didn’t even realize I still had it on! Not only is the suit super fast (really – it is incredibly fast) but it just feels so good (I had no chaffing too and even with body glide in past races I would still chaff with the speed suit). I leaned my bike against the fence and then ran back to the rack (just 4 racks from the start so not too far and took off my speedsuit over my cycling shoes and ran back to my bike. Transitions always seem sooooo long but this transition was just over 2 minutes so I didn’t lose that much time with my speedsuit issue and putting on socks.

I hit lap on my Garmin 910 and then hit start on my Garmin 500 bike computer when I got on my bike and I was feeling fresh and ready to go. All those nerves went away and my body was feeling good. Now it was time for my body to start riding the most challenging 56 mile bike course that my bike has ever taken me on. 

St. Croix 70.3 - Day 1

^{May 1st - Thursday}

This race is termed “beauty and the BEAST” because the course is beautiful but it comes with every type of challenge on the bike. There is wind, rough roads, heat, humidity and a lot of climbing. The beast is a well-known section of this difficult 56-mile bike course for the half ironman and it is around ½ mile long and the incline ranges from 11-21%. After you tackle the beast, there is a windy stretch of road to descend down from the beast. However, what we found out during our 90 minutes ride on Thurs with our new triathlete friend and tour-guide, the entire course is difficult! There is hardly any stretch of road that isn’t without some challenge. The road conditions are bumpy with potholes and lots of bumps, there is non-stop climbing and descending so you must have great bike skills on this course (and electronic shifting on a tri bike comes in super handy since a lot of time while riding will be NOT on aero bars – although a tri bike still puts the hips in a good position to run off the bike) and we were really happy to ride some of the course to wake up the legs and to get comfortable on some of the sections that require shifting of gears at certain times. All that being said, this is exactly what we wanted in this course – we love beautiful, yet challenging courses and this race is going to give us our money’s worth!

After our bike ride, Karel and I went for a 2-mile run (drenched in sweat) and we both had our flasks with us of sport nutrition (which we do no matter what type of run off the bike) and I practiced holding back the first mile and then walking 10 sec and then trying to run per perceived effort the 2^nd mile. With this type of race, there is no need to focus on any type of pace on the run or speed on the bike. This entire race requires pacing and GOOD fueling throughout to stay hydrated and to postpone fatigue. For those who are racing (me and Karel), I have a feeling the race will be determined in the last 4 miles of the run (or last 30 minutes). Those who overbike will suffer on the run and those who start out too fast on the run will fatigue quickly. This is a tough course so every athlete will have his/her own pacing strategy and fatiguing is a given but it will all be determined by who slows down the least. With the bike times for this 56-mile course typically being over 3 hours for females (about 30 minutes slower than most half IM courses) and 13.1 mile times over 1:45-2 hours, this race will last over 5 hours for the females and will be a true test of strength, patience, skills, nutrition and most of all, enjoyment for a challenging course.

After our workout we rehydrated with a Hammer FIZZ electrolyte tablet and recovery drink (milk/whey protein) and had a yummy breakfast of eggs, veggies, bread and fruit.

After cleaning up a little we gathered our swim gear and headed to the harbor (by car) for the organized group swim in the closed harbor at 11am. We had a little trouble finding parking but we allowed extra time. There was a small group for the swim and I have a feeling it will be much bigger on Fri and Sat (just like in Kona when athletes arrive closer to race day) .The race director gave us a chat about the swim start on race day – we jump off the ledge on the harbor into the ocean around 6am and then swim about 200 yards to Hotel by the Cay and that is where we start for the waved swim start (pros start at 6:30am). There were many orange buoys set out for our triangle swim so the goal today was smooth swimming for me and confidence building for Karel.

I didn’t wear my speedsuit (TYR Torque) for this swim (just a two piece swim suit) but Karel had his Zoot swim skin on. I wanted Karel to practice drafting off my feet and I also did the spotting for him so he didn’t have to spot and could just focus on his swimming.

We heard on Wed the swim was too choppy for triathletes to swim the entire course but luckily, on Thurs the water was just a little less choppy so we were able to swim the entire 1.2 mile course.

The waves were coming toward us on the way out so I made sure to not overdo it and  to keep the same RPE throughout this course in all sections. I figured I wouldn’t gain much trying to fight the waves and it would only cost me on the last section of the swim. Karel stayed on my feet the entire time and I was so proud of him – he has worked really hard with his swim and although he gets frustrated sometimes that he can’t “feel” the water the same everyday, he never gives up on his quest to become a faster swimmer to be competitive with the triathletes who are either born swimmers or have been racing longer than Karel. Karel needs to be out of the water with the top guys in order to be able to bike/run near the front of the pack for he can’t risk overbiking just to “catch” up so he can still gain a lot in triathlons by being a faster swimmer  with good efficiency so he is not expending more energy.

We finished the 1.3 miles (a bit extra – I think I swam a little off course in once section because of the waves) in around 34 minutes and I was super proud of Karel. This was not an easy swim and his first 1.2 miles in an ocean. The clear water made the swim enjoyable although, unlike Kona, no tropical fishies L

After the swim we purchased some needed bug spray and some postcards for Karel’s family in Czech (we do this at every trip we take for a race) and then headed back to our resort for some lunch.

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing while doing some computer work (no internet access in our cottage, only by the reception desk) and working on race plans for our 5 Ironman Texas athletes.

Around 3:30pm we headed out to drive the one section of the course we haven’t seen – the beast! We drove from the race start (still need to walk through the downtown area for there are a lot of sharp right/left turns on bumpy roads out of transition on our bikes) to the beast and the course is well marked on the ground but we also had our turn-by-turn maps from the athlete guide.

The one thing that is hard when driving a bike course is that the course ALWAYS feels harder in a car than on a bike. Not lying, the course is crazy difficult but in a car you don’t get the same feeling as when you are on a bike. Karel gave me some great pointers as to where to take the turns and the climbs for it is a lot of switch backs and steep climbs, one after another. The course did make me smile at times because there are paintings on the ground. 

“Only 11%”

“Only 14%”

“Still only 14%”

“1/2 way there”

“21%!!!”

“27%” – Karel said DO NOT take this line when climbing, go to the outside!

As I mentioned before, the beast occurs around mile 26 of the course and is not the only climbing section of the course…the entire course is filled with climbs and there are plenty of 11-15% inclines throughout this course, no just in the beast section.

After we drove the course, we made a delicious dinner (pasta for Karel and rice for me) and veggies and tempeh and we enjoyed our dinner outside and then spent the evening relaxing. 9:30pm, lights out for another beautiful day in St. Croix.  

Part of the bike course - riding around the island. 

Check out the road conditions - when the roads are smooth, you can't help but smile. 

Either you go up or down. That's how this course goes! for 56 miles!

Beautiful scenery

Bikes are enjoying a little shade from all the heat and wind.

Our ocean view from our cottage

Hotel on the cay

Swim course

Downtown hotel

Roosters

Rooster and baby rooster

Walk on our private beach

Sea life

Endless shore

Selfie with my travel buddy

Morning bike ride - hot, windy and hilly. So much fun!

Great swim this morning!

My bike is excited to race (so excited to have Di2!) 

A yummy Trimarni creation

Veggies, brown rice and orzo and tempeh - delicious!

The same food that has fueled my half ironman training and that has protected my immune system is the same food that I am enjoying on race week. Although this time my plant strong plate is enjoyed with a great view. 

Stay up-to-date with us in St. Croix

How can you follow our race-cation in St. Croix for tips and photos?

TRIMARNI COACHING AND NUTRITION FACEBOOK PAGE

INSTAGRAM - @TRIMARNI
TWITTER - @TRIMARNICOACH

TRACKING AND LIVE COVERAGE (5/4/14- 6:30am) at IRONMAN.COM

Marni Sumbal  - bib number 517 (start time 6:50am)
Karel Sumbal - bib number 232 (start time 6:39am)

Thank you for your support, encouragement and for following us along!

St. Croix 70.3 - travel day

Even though our flight to St. Croix wasn’t until Wed morning, we started our traveling on Tues April 29^th with a 3.5 hour drive (well, more like 4 hours due to a stormy drive leaving Jax) to my parents house to drop off Campy at his “resort” while we are away.

We had an early wake-up on Wed morning at 4:45am to drive to Orlando (2 hour drive) . 

Races are expensive, especially when traveling and even more so when traveling with two bikes.

When we are traveling, I try to consider every option to make our trips affordable, memorable and easy. Since Karel made the switch from Cat 1 cycling to triathlons, we have to double everything when it comes to racing so that makes our trips very memorable but a lot more to consider (money, logistics, etc.) with our travels.

I found a reasonable flight from Orlando (2 hours from Jax), where we have taken a lot of our race trips as the prices are a bit more reasonable (although we do have to consider parking economy Orlando which is a bit more than Jax) and can save us a couple hundred dollars. Karel worked his magic with our bikes and we have only 1 bike box (stand-up box) this time with two bikes in the box….that is, two speed concepts with Di2 shifting and two wheels sets. Karel really worked overtime on taking apart the bikes and when he rebuilds the bike in St. Croix he also has to make sure he has extra parts, cables, etc. in case anything breaks.  The bike box weighed #90 which meets the guidelines for our aircraft per the website, however when we fly to Austria in June, we are on Delta which has different guidelines so we won’t put the wheels in the box (and extra tools) in order to meet the #70 weight limit. 

For the first time for a race, we booked tickets on Jet Blue. Not only was the price great for both of us but we couldn’t pass on the $50 bike fee (one way). The bike counts as one of our “free” luggage so we both combined our clothes into one large suitcase (meeting the #50 weight limit).

April 30^th

With our car packed with luggage and food for traveling, Campy was left covered in kisses from us and we were off to Orlando. I packed snacks for the flight but also, since we never travel hungry and always need to eat within an hour of waking, I had a Fage 0% yogurt and a banana and Karel had  an egg and cheese and broccoli sprout sandwich that I had made for him. After a stop at Starbucks we arrived around 7:40am to the Orlando airport. I dropped off Karel with the bike box and Oakley suitcase (both bags to be checked) and I went to park the car in economy and to take the shuttle to the airport.

We were so impressed with Jet Blue and the service they gave us while checking in our bikes. There were no questions asked about our bike box and the agents at the desk even helped Karel with the oversized luggage. What an easy process that fit nicely into my 30-minute extra time allowance for checking in a bike. By 8:30 we were through security and ready for a breakfast meal.

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:22 to San Juan and we boarded just around 10am. With our water bottles filled with water, 110% compression on and happy-tummy snacks (and hand sanitizer) for the plane (KIND bars, chocolate covered espresso beans, PB&J sandwiches, fig newtons, Trimarni trail mix) we were ready for our 2.5 hour flight to Puert Rico. Not sure why they couldn’t just fly 20 minutes more to St. Croix but it was nice to get some lunch at Chiptole (veggie and guacamole sandwich for me, chicken sandwich for Karel) at the airport and stretch our legs. On the plane, Karel napped and I watched Saving Mr. Banks on the airport TV screen (on the seats)  which was a great movie. Jet Blue also had a wonderful snack selection for free so we shared Blue Chips and Pop Chips which were both yummy. I got Seltzer water and Karel got apple juice.

When we boarded our flight to St. Croix (40-minute travel time but only 20 minutes of flying), the plane was filled with triathletes, compression socks, water bottles and bike boxes. Karel and I started to get even more excited that this bucket list race was finally about to happen.

Our flight was short and we spent the entire time looking out the window. St. Croix is a small island and it was so neat to be able to see all of it as we were flying.

When we landed in St. Croix we departed the plane outside for the outdoor airport (just like in Kona). Karel picked up our rental car from Budget (Ford Focus) and I waited for our luggage. Our bike box was the very last one to come on the baggage claim but thankfully all the boxes arrived for the triathletes. We gave ourselves one extra day in St. Croix (Wed) just in case our bikes didn’t make it on the plane. Because of our enjoyment to travel to new places for our race-cations, we enjoy having at least 3 full days before a race (if possible) to adjust to a new setting (or time zone) and to ensure we have everything we need, can grocery shop, relax, get a few good nights of sleep and warm-up in the race environment.

Karel did a little more magic with our bikes and removed the top of the bike case to put under the bottom case, removed the wheels and adjusted the handle bars and voilà! Karel managed to fit our bikes into our small car (II will save our IM Austria plans for another blog as that gets a little more detailed with the planning of our international trip with our bikes, which is already booked).  

It was an immediate adjustment to drive on the left side of the road and our brains had to adjust fast! There was a few times when I would say “left, left!” to Karel but otherwise, Karel picked up immediately.

Although there are very few stoplights in St. Croix and the island is not that big, it took about 40 minutes to drive from the airport to Chenay Bay Beach resort (East End Quarter, Christiansted, St. Croix).

I brought some foods with us in our checked bag (chia seeds, cinnamon, whey protein, jasmine rice, oatmeal packets, small container of PB) as well as our sport nutrition powder/bottles, pills (endurance aminos, Optygen, tissue rejuvenator) but we still needed to get some food for our stay.

We stopped at a grocery store on the way to our resort and purchased some staple foods that we not only eat on a daily basis but also that we enjoy on race week. 

Fruits and veggies, water (2 jugs to get us started), deli meat for Karel, fresh bread (local! We got three kinds – French bread, sourdough and raisin walnut), skim cow’s milk, fage 0% greek yogurt, eggs, tempeh, cheese, butter, frozen veggies, pasta, marinara sauce, boxed rice, tuna, soup.

The food is pricey on an island (just like in Kona) so our total bill was around $130 but a lot cheaper than if we were to eat out every day, for 2-3 meals a day. Plus, there’s nothing better than being able to control the food that you put into your body before a race, especially a race which you are traveling to and is a key race.

When arrived to our resort, it was exactly as I had imagined it to be from the website. 50 cute little cottages spread out along 30-acres, with a mile-stretch of private beach w/ incredibly calm waters. Our room was $150/night (triathlete special) which is a bit over what I’d normally spend when traveling to a race except for our key races that occur once a twice per year. Also, with a full kitchen (microwave, refrigerator, stove top) and just a few miles (3-4) from downtown/race venue, I just couldn’t pass up this beautiful and relaxing resort. Karel and I enjoy being close to race venues and for a race like Kona, it is ideal to be within walking distance. However, we typically do not stay at the “host” hotel for races for the amenities that we desire at our hotel/lodging to give us a great race experience are typically not included at most hotels. Aside from an extended stay hotel or condo, this resort had everything we wanted. And even better, our cottage has a beautiful view of the ocean and a little island!

Karel got started on assembling the bikes (which took about 90 minutes or so) and I unloaded the groceries and unpacked and got started on a light dinner (since we snacked all day) of eggs, veggies and bread.

After dinner we took a dip in the calm ocean around 6:30pm and we were greeted by a host of NO-SEE-UM bugs! Karel knows that I swell very badly when I get bit by bugs and we didn’t know about the bugs until we read about it on our resort guide so the first thing on our to-do list for Thursday was DEET bug spray! It was a rough night for me (tip for me, bring Benadryl next trip!) before bed but I ended up sleeping fine at night which was a relief, even though I felt like I had gained 10 lbs from so much swelling. Ugh.

We settled into bed around 8:30 and by 9-9:30pm we were asleep.

Although normally we don’t set an alarm the day after traveling to a race (if we don’t have to), we woke up around 5:30am so that we could ride with a guy we met (in the next cottage from us) who had done this race 3 times and this year is racing for a Kona slot. He is originally from Spain but lives out west and we knew it would be great to get some insider information from him and ride with him at 7am.

After we had a pre workout snack (wasa + PB and banana and cinnamon for me, oatmeal, milk and granola for Karel) we headed out around 7am on our bikes to ride the beginning loop and end of the bike course to familiarize ourselves with the course as well as to wake up the legs from our travels. 

Fruit for the road trip to my parents

5:30am early morning, pre-meal snack

My coach, best friend, hubby and bike mechanic. 

Precious cargo! 

Keeping everyone updated on our travels .....and answering emails. 

All race gear packed on the plane with us. 

Happy tummy snacks for the plane

Always bring an empty bottle with you through security and fill before you get on your plane to stay hydrated during traveling. 

We never travel without our compression socks on!

Yummy, Chipotle sandwich.

 Excited to make some memories together. 

St. Croix! Are we there yet??

Touchdown!! We have arrived!

Priorities.....food!

Shopping like the locals. 

Our cute little cottage

Fresh bread in the kitchen

Food

More food

Resort pool

Play time....

And back to work.

Enjoying the sunset in St. Croix. 

Stay tuned......day #2 of our trip is coming soon. Riding some of the bike course, driving the rest of the bike course and 1.2 mile open water swim.