IM World Championship St. George - 112 mile bike recap

 

112 mile bike (~7200 feet elevation gain)
Marni - 5:45.38, 2nd fastest AG time
Karel - 5:28.50, 19th AG

GEAR
Bikes: Ventum 
Karel – Lightweight autobahn disc, Alto CT 58 front, Bont 0H+ cycling shoes. Crank 165 (54/39 chainrings), Rudy Project Nytron road aero helmet.
Marni – Boyd 60/90 tubeless with Schwalbe Pro one TT tires. Crank: 155 (53/39 chainrings), Endura D2Z Helmet Aeroswitch, Bont Riot TR+ tri shoes.

NUTRITION:
Karel – Started with: 1 bottle + 1.5 liters worth, each with NeverSecond C90 (360 calories). Picked up at special needs: 1.5 liters in a Smart Water Bottle of NBS Strawberry Lemonade Carbo-hydration (~400 calories for hydration system) and a bottle of NBS. Consumed 1 Supra bar (nibbled throughout). Water at each aid station for sipping and cooling.
Total calories: ~1900
Total hydration: 152 ounces + water from aid stations

Marni – Started with 1.2 liters + 2 bottles worth, each with Skratch Superfuel Raspberry (400 calories). Picked up at special needs: 1.2 liters in a Smart Water Bottle of Skratch Superfuel Raspberry (600 calories) for hydration system and a bottle of Skratch Superfuel for front aero bottle and a bottle of 200 calories NBS Carbohydration lemon for rear bottle (last bottle).
Total calories: ~2600
Total hydration: 184 ounces + water from aid stations

When I started the bike, I felt pretty good. The nerves went away once I started swimming and the familiarity of racing an Ironman started to come back. Having experience on this course helped as I knew what the conditions (hot and dry air and windy) and terrain (long climbs) would be like.

I stayed pretty conservative starting out as I wanted to arrive to the Veyo loop (after mile 56) feeling strong. I really liked how the course was broken down as I could focus on one segment at a time. I hit lap on my computer for each specific segment on the course, even though I was not focusing on any metrics. It just helped me focus on staying in the moment and feeling out each effort for each segment and checking in with my metrics as needed. My fueling strategy was pretty simple - take ~6 gulps from my hydration system every ~10-15 minutes and grab water from all aid stations to use for cooling/sipping.

Although we do a lot of punchy climbs where we live, my strength is the steady climbs. We have a lot of 20-40+ min steady climbs where we live and those are the type of climbs where I can just settle into a rhythm. For St. George, the longer climbs were very similar to what I train on outside in Greenville and what best suits my riding style as I can sit and get out of the saddle. I don’t feel as strong in the aero position.

My descending and bike handling skills have really improved over the past few years but more so, over the past few months thanks to mountain biking and gravel biking. The first half of the bike wasn’t too windy although it started to pick up as I got closer to Sand Hallow. Overall, the course isn't technical but the wind requires good bike handling skills. 

Because I was lapping my computer, I didn’t know what my time was throughout the ride. Because I didn't want to make assumptions if I was having a "good or bad" race on the bike, I just focused on one segment at a time. I feel like I did a really good pacing the first half as the miles went by really quickly.

It started to get really warm around mile 30-35 and I could feel myself getting hotter. This was my big focus for the race - to ride strong but not overdo it on the bike. 

Every now and then on the course, I would do a check-in with myself:
Am I peeing? Yep - hydrated.
How do my legs feel? Strong - fueled.
Am I staying relaxed in my upper body?
How is my mindset?

I kept checking yes each time I checked in.
The only thing that was concerning (but not alarming) was that I felt tired/sleepy a few times but I didn’t let this worry me – I was just hot because it was nearing 80 degrees and it was sunny. Plus, I did wake up at 3am and I was riding my bike for 112 miles in 80+ degree desert heat (thus being a little tired at times).

I made sure to drench myself with water at each aid station – even though the water would rapidly dry within a few minutes. My sports bra was holding on to a little water which helped me keep my chest cool. Karel and I both wore the lightest helmets we had as we didn’t want the extra weight (or heat) of a heavy and ventless aero helmet affecting our head for this difficult course.

I’ve done a lot of challenging courses (Placid, Wisconsin, Whistler, Austria) and this ranks at the top of the list due to where the big climbs occur – in the back half. But I would say that the nature of this course, with the longer climbs (no punchy short climbs) minimized spikes in the HR as you could settle into a rhythm on the hills and then take advantage of the downhill without needing to recover from a punchy effort. Although this course wasn't flat, there were plenty of long segments to stay in aero. I felt the best when I could get into a rhythm on the climbs and then take advantage of the downhills.

Although I didn't have any expectations for this race, I  wanted to deliver my best result on the day. To do that, I resisted the urge to go with other girls as they passed me. There were times when I would catch back up to someone on an uphill or downhill but the steady state efforts were challenging for me as I didn't have the power like the other girls. And I was ok with that.

I enjoyed the kudos from the other guys on the course who were telling me that I was the 1st, 2nd or 3rd female on the course. The overall energy was really positive and the community really came out to support all of the athletes. Seeing that this bike course covers four different towns in and around St. George, there was a lot that went into this race with volunteers, police, medical and community support. I felt very safe and supported on the course. 

I made a quick stop at special needs and it felt nice to get off my bike and do a quick stretch. I was looking forward to the stop as a quick reset. My stop was less than 60 seconds but it felt so good. A volunteer called out my number and before I rolled up to my row of bib numbers, a volunteer was standing there with my bag. I grabbed my Smart Water Bottle to fill up my hydration system and placed the other two bottles in my front and rear cages.

Karel also stopped at special needs and applied Amp to his legs (he did this in past mountain bike races and it really helped his legs from feeling sore/tight). We always look forward to the special needs stop as it is a nice opportunity to shake off the first half of the bike and refresh for the next half. Plus, since we use our own nutrition, it allows us to be self-sufficient for the entire bike. 

Since we rode Veyo loop on Tuesday, it felt familiar. I couldn't believe how quickly the miles were ticking by. This was a good sign that I was pacing well as my mind was in a good place - I wanted to be on my bike. I was actually thinking as I was swimming "I can't wait to ride my bike on this course!"

After special needs, I told myself “just 20 miles until the descend.” I had a few more ladies passing me in the Veyo loop but I was racing my own race. I stayed focused on taking care of myself. Because I was checking off all the things on my list (peeing, mindset, legs, etc.), my biggest limiter was the heat – I was feeling really hot. I do love the heat but with this being my first race of the season, I knew my body wasn't ready for the hot dry temps. According to my Garmin, the majority of the ride was in the 90's. 

I needed to be careful to not overdo it on the “wall” and in Snow Canyon. The wall wasn't a tough climb (a little more than 1/2 mile and a gain of around 250 feet) but at almost 4 hours into the ride, it felt steeper than what it was. 

In studying the wind direction before the race, I knew that we wouldn't be impacted by the wind in the Veyo loop but that we would have some cross and headwind on the descend. After the "wall" there was still 6.5 miles of gradual climbing until the descend.

Once I got to mile 80, I started the long 11 mile descend – which didn’t really feel like a descend as I had to work with the wind. It took me 25 minutes (27.6 mph average) to cover this descend. I am always a bit nervous in the wind but I’m happy to report that I felt really confident and relaxed descending. I made sure to double drench myself before the Snow Canyon climb. I had planned to keep a bottle of water in my empty cage on my bike but I was worried it would fall out and I would get a penalty for littering. I regret not keeping a bottle of water on my bike as I wasn't staying wet from aid station to aid station. Just before Snow Canyon (mile 97) I had finished all of my Skratch drink so I sipped on my last bottle which was NBS (higher sodium and less calories/carbs) over the last 14 miles (~47 minutes). The wind was not too bad in Snow Canyon which made it a bit “easier” to climb the almost 5 miles (~26 minutes). Snow Canyon is absolutely stunning and even though the fatigue was starting to really set in, I kept reminding myself how lucky I am to be on my bike in this race.   

Once I made the right hand turn to head back down the descend, the wind was picking up a bit more. Since I had just descended on this road, I felt confident that I could handle the wind and still ride strong to town. It was a fast 9ish mile/26.9 mph average to the transition area. 

As I was descending, the negative thoughts started to creep into my mind. Since my strengths are swim/bike, I started to question how I would run off the bike (something I do in every Ironman). But once I started to see the pro athletes and male age groupers on the course as I was getting closer to the transition area I told myself “well if they can do it, I can do it.”

Karel, surprisingly, felt good on his tri bike. He has struggled with hip and back issues for several years and he can't spend a lot of time on the tri bike because of those issues. But he made some recent adjustments to his fit and spent a lot more time on the mountain bike, gravel bike and road bike. I think all the different biking (different position and riding style) transferred over well for him as he felt strong all day. He doesn't love the tri bike but it does allow him to do triathlons - which he enjoys. He knows he won’t be fast on the tri bike as he doesn’t put in the time in the aero position but he knew he could use his skills on this course and he trusted his experience and endurance. Like myself, he really enjoyed this challenging course and how the miles went by so quickly due to so many different parts to focus on.

As I removed my feet from my shoes, I dismounted my bike and gave my bike to a volunteer. My legs felt pretty good getting off the bike (In Placid last July, my legs did not feel good!). I sat down in the changing tent and I had two nice volunteers helping me out. I asked them to put ice water in my flasks (filled with powder only) which saved me some time as I put on my shoes, hydration band and cooling towel. I grabbed my hat, sunglasses and watch and made my way out of the changing tent (walking). I went to the port-o-potty as I like to empty myself before I start running the marathon and the potties in the transition area are never busy when I am there (they get much more busy on the course). I put on my hat, sunglasses and watch in the port-o-potty and kinda enjoyed briefly sitting down. My T2 was a bit long (5:02 for me, 3:30 for Karel) because of the stop but it was worth it to not have to worry about needing the bathroom on the course.  There was an aid station immediately next to the changing tent so I dumped water on my cooling towel and had a few sips as I was making my way out of the transition area. Unlike T1, this transition area was rather small and easy to get in and out.

Usually when I start running in an Ironman, there's a quick thought of "oh this will be a hard run" because my legs are tired. But oddly, that thought didn't go through my mind. It was as if my legs were ready to run and my mind was ready (and willing) to power them over 26.2 miles. 

Run race report coming soon......

IM World Championship St. George - Pre-Race Recap

On Thursday morning, we headed back to the lake for another opportunity to get more comfortable in the cold water. Whereas the water temp was around 58 degrees on Wednesday, it “warmed” up to 60 degrees on Thursday. We arrived around 8am and there was a line to get in the water (pick up a timing chip before entering) but it moved pretty quickly. I wanted to try swimming without my booties (I wore them on Wed) to see if I could tolerate the cold water on my feet. I feel better swimming without the booties but I also wanted to feel comfortable. Karel opted to wear his booties as his feet do not do well in cold water. It took me several minutes to get in as it felt like my feet were being chopped off from the cold water but eventually I just committed and started swimming. Although my face, feet and hands felt very cold to start, I felt more comfortable after around 300 yards. I swam two loops of the modified swim course (~900 yards per loop) and not only did I swim faster without the booties (1:25/100 yards on Thurs vs. 1:29/100 yards on Wed) but I also felt really good in the water. I also wore my one piece tri suit but wore it down at my waist instead of over my shoulders and I felt so much better with my shoulder mobility in the wetsuit with the kit down. I made the decision that I wouldn’t wear booties on race day and I would wear my one piece kit half way down for the swim under my wetsuit. Karel decided he would wear his on race day. After the 26 min, ~1800 yard swim, we changed into our bike gear and went for a 57 min/18 mile ride on the out and back section (to Warner Valley road) by the lake. This was the last part of the entire course that we hadn’t previewed yet so when we were done, it was nice to know that we had ridden every part of the bike course (factoring in the 3-4 times we have raced the 70.3 in the past few years).

Throughout the week, I wasn’t feeling all that great. My energy level was a bit low, I was feeling bloated and I was really tired. My period was a few days late which was unusual since it is pretty routine every 25-26 days. On Thursday early evening, my period came. On one hand I was relieved but on the other hand, I knew that Friday would be rough.

On Friday morning, I woke up with cramps. For the rest of the day, I was miserable. It felt like a little alien was inside me, grabbing my intestines and twisting them around (that’s what I like to tell Karel every month 😊 ). The cramps would come and go and when they were on, it was rough. I went out for my warm-up spin and the exercise certainly helped. I then went for a short run. Around my menstrual cycle, I have the typical PMS symptoms but I have to be extra careful with running. My SI joint gets out of whack, my body feels all gumby and I really struggle with running. Normally I wouldn’t run on the first day of my period but I knew I needed to get in a light jog – it went ok.

After my 60-minute bike/run workout, I had a Skratch recovery drink w/ milk and a decent breakfast. Prior to the workout I had a bagel + PB, granola and syrup.

We packed up our transition bags and then headed downtown to drop off our run bags in T2 and then went to the lake to drop off our bike bag and bike in T1. We stayed in Washington, which is about ½ way from downtown and the lake. The downtown area was all dressed up, ready for the race. It was neat to see how it all came together. The transition area was inside a big tent which was cool to see. Karel and I did not fill our running flasks with water but instead, filled them with powder knowing that they would sit out all night and we could fill them up with cold water before we started the run on Saturday.

The experience dropping off our bikes at the lake was pretty uneventful. It was a bit anticlimactic compared to the experience in Kona but it was still exciting knowing that we only had one more sleep until the race. The more I was moving, the better my body felt but I still felt pretty crappy. I knew that I needed to eat to fuel my body and although I didn’t feel the best, I needed to fuel for my tomorrow effort and not think about how I felt today.

After we dropped off everything, we made a quick stop at Walmart to pick up a few things (ex. soup) and then headed back to our Airbnb. I snacked on pretzels in the car and sipped on Skratch. I had two cups of peppermint tea (which seemed to help my tummy) and ate tomato soup w/ rice, a bagel w/ peanut butter and jam, a yogurt, a large sweet potato and granola. Considering how I felt, I was happy with how I fueled on Friday. Instead of using pre-load for extra sodium, I just added ¼ tsp salt to water and had a glass of “salt water” in the evening. I haven’t had the best experience with pre-loading with sodium before a race (it makes me feel weird) so I just salted my food and sipped on a sport drink throughout the day – and finished with my salty water.

Around 6pm, we started to wind down for the evening. I could feel the nerves in my belly (or maybe it was cramps – not sure 😉
Karel was not nervous and I really liked his calm energy. I always get nervous for the first race of the season and with this being an Ironman, I had double the nerves. You’d think after 17 Ironman’s I wouldn’t get so nervous but I still get the nerves about what the day will bring me for 140.6 miles.

I watched the run and bike course videos a few times before bed to visualize the course and aid stations. I watched some funny shows on Netflix and by 7:30pm we were falling asleep. I slept ok for most of the night but then I tossed and turned for at least an hour before the alarm went off at 3:10am. It’s Race day!

RACE DAY
I took my time getting out of bed (due to my past experience with race morning fainting) and I made my coffee and ate a cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter, syrup and granola. I also made 2 eggs (1 white+1 whole) as this was something that I did before a mountain bike race in late March and I liked how it made me feel before and during the race. I also had a glass of salty water. After I ate I put on my race kit and then around 3:45am, I went for a quick jog around the complex. That got my system going before we left around 4:15am to catch the shuttle downtown. We grabbed our pre-made bottles from the fridge (we opted not to freeze them as we didn’t think it would make much difference with the heat). We had a house full of Czech’s racing and spectating so it was nice to have someone drop us off downtown so that we didn’t have to stress about parking.

We arrived downtown around 4:40am which was right around my scheduled shuttle time of 4:45-4:55am. Since Karel was in the wave ahead of me, his shuttle time was around my time so it worked out perfect.

I wore my headphones on the shuttle for the ~30 min drive to the lake and listened to the recent episode of the Pro Tri News Podcast. It helped ease some of my nerves. I was a bit tired and looked forward to the extra time that we had in the transition area before our start (we arrived 2 hours before our wave start). It felt a bit warm in the morning so I didn’t wear a long sleeve shirt or jacket but when we got to the lake, it felt a bit cool so I grabbed a towel that Karel had in his morning clothes bag to wrap around my shoulders (I had a tank on over my sports bra. I wore my one piece trisuit but kept the top down for the swim).

I put my front and rear water bottles on my bike and filled up the hydration system (1.2 liters) with a big Smart Water bottle of my sport drink. I placed my computer on the bike, checked the brakes and wheels and waited for Karel to pump up my tires. Karel bought a cordless air compressor which makes it easy to pump up our tires and have the correct air pressure in them. It’s also compact enough to put in our morning clothes bag (unlike a regular pump). Karel attached a disc wheel adapter to it so it would be easy to pump up his disc wheel as well as my wheels.

After we got everything done at our bikes, we made a potty stop and then spent the next hour (from 6-6:45am) laying down by the barricades and resting our eyes. I had a nice nap – not deep sleep but enough to feel rested and ready to go. It also gave me time to get my butterflies into formation. Around 6:45am, Karel started to put on his wetsuit, apply AMP on his arms and legs, slather on the body glide and put on his cap and goggles. I gave him a kiss and a hug and then he went off to get in his corral with his wave. Around 7am, I started to get myself ready in my wetsuit. I dropped off my morning clothes bag (filled with clothing for post race and my morning running shoes) and lined up with my wave. It was strange lining up in the 40-44 age group for the first time (I’m still 39 but I have to race my age for this year). I had a water bottle filled with skratch to sip on over the next 30 minutes and a bag of honey stinger chews to nibble on (I had a few of them). I also had a plain bottle of water to pour down my wetsuit to get some water inside before I got into the water to ensure that the wetsuit didn’t feel to tight on my chest.

My wave was the first female wave of the race. There was supposed to be a 15 min gap between the last male wave (Karel’s wave) and the first female wave (my wave) but they moved it up to get everyone in the water sooner. I lined myself up toward the front of the wave. The time passed by really quickly and before I knew it, we were lining up by the water, ready to get the race started.

We lined up in a row of 10, each in our own spot with a volunteer in front of us. When we heard a beep, it was time to get into the water.

BEEP!

IM World Championship St. George - quick recap

 

Three years ago, Karel registered for 2020 Ironman St. George (May). When the race got cancelled due to the pandemic, he transferred his entry to 2021 IM Coeur d'Alene. When he broke his hand mountain biking in May 2021, he was able to transfer his entry back to 2022 Ironman St. George (May). When it was announced that the 2022 Ironman St. George event would be the '2021' Ironman World Championship event, Karel was automatically entered into the World Championship event as a registered IM St. George athlete. 

After finishing my 5th Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2019, I wasn't mentally ready to commit to preparing for a May Ironman. Instead, I was happy to support Karel on the sidelines in St. George. In July of 2021, I won my age group at IM Lake Placid. I let my slot roll down for the 2022 Ironman World Championship in Kona as I no longer have ambitions to race there. I'm honored and satisfied with my 5 Ironman World Championship finishes on that island. 

Fast forward to January 2022, when the course was announced for the Ironman World Championship in St. George, I took a look at the course and elevation on the bike and run and immediately wanted to participate in the race. Not because it was a World Championship event but because I love challenging and tough courses - and I love racing in St. George. After feeling a bit of FOMO that I didn't register for the event when it was open to general entries, a few weeks later Ironman sent out emails to All World Athletes for the opportunity to register and participate in the Ironman World Championship in St. George. With this being the first World Championship outside of Hawaii - and during the unpredictable circumstances after the pandemic - the added entries were a way to help add more participants to this unique event situation. I quickly chatted with Karel and without hesitation, I paid for my entry and registered for the event. 

The past few years have been interesting for us. As experienced and accomplished long distance triathletes, the pandemic served as a page change for a new chapter in our life. With our normal triathlon training and racing routine disrupted, we saw this as a special opportunity to try different things. Thanks to triathlon being three sports, we took advantage of our swim, bike and run fitness (and experience) and jumped into different swim, bike and run events. This change provided us with new motivation and excitement for training but more so, it taught us that we are healthier and happier when we pursue different challenges and adventures - specifically outside in nature. 

With Karel enjoying mountain biking, gravel biking and Xterra racing, he didn't want to stop having fun with these different sports (and races) just because he had an Ironman on his schedule. For myself, having registered for the event in February, I didn't feel the pressure of this event looming over me for several months. With a tremendous amount of experience, resiliency and success in long distance triathlon, Karel and I decided that we would take a different approach to preparing for this event. We didn't want to give up the recent sports that brought us great joy so we found a way to incorporate them into our structured triathlon training.

For myself, I did a lot of trail running, group road biking and mountain biking. I love to swim, especially with others. I spent time on the bike trainer (tri bike) every week but focused on more high intensity and/or steady state workouts. I never spent more than 2 consecutive hours on the trainer over the winter/spring. Instead of spending long hours inside (or outside) on the tri bike, I spent a lot of hours outside biking on different types of bikes. And with being new to mountain biking, every ride gave me a nice mix of intensity, endurance and skill work. My bike handling skills have never been better. Because our terrain is very hilly and challenging, I focused more on strength-based sessions instead of trying to get faster with speed work. I never established training zones (no power test) and I haven't worn a heart rate monitor since last September. Every workout was by feel (perceived effort). I use sport nutrition in every workout and I ate before every workout - those are non-negotiable for me. I ate more calories in my daily diet than I've ever eaten before. I did a lot of mobility work and strength training. Most of my runs were brick runs. I gave myself new workouts like run/bike/run or bike/run/bike/run. I kept myself healthy and injury free for over 3 years and that meant 3 years of consistent training. I did several 2 hour runs (most including trail running) and my longest bike rides were around 4-5 hours (with 2 of my longest rides on the mountain bike - 5+ hours). As I got closer to the event (last three weeks), my workouts became more "race specific" and I really focused on perfecting my fueling strategies for bike and run. I've been coaching myself for the past few years and I give myself workouts that target my strengths and my weaknesses. 
 
For Karel and myself, we were excited to see how this different training approach would pay off at the Ironman World Championship in St. George. To be honest, we both felt extremely fit, strong and healthy - even if our training was very unconventional. We didn't feel any pressure to perform at this Ironman and we didn't feel like we needed to change our training to deliver a 'World Championship' worthy performance. 

Having said this, we trained a lot (swim/bike/run) but it just looked very different than what we did in the past. More than anything, we were having fun, enjoying the process of training and always focusing on the little details to keep us healthy. We never let the stress or pressure of the Ironman get to us. I believe this helped us stay healthy in mind and body. We never felt burnt out and it was nice to have something different to look forward to each week with the incorporation of trail running, mountain biking and more high-intensity swim/bike/run workouts. I gave myself some challenging sessions and I really enjoyed doing new things and testing my body in different ways. It was refreshing to have a different approach for my 18th Ironman (Karel's15th) and we both trusted our training that we would be prepared to race for 140.6 miles. 

I've achieved a lot in the sport of triathlon over the past 16 years. Participating in the Ironman World Championship in St. George was not about needing to prove something but to enjoy the adventure with my body and mind. Going into the event, I knew that my training needed to reflect this mindset shift. The sport of triathlon is very important to us but our results do not define who we are as humans. I had no expectations and I was there for the experience. But to stay competitive, we can't keep doing the same things over and over. 

I've always been one to challenge the "norm." I challenge the ideal body type, I challenge the normal Ironman training preparation and I challenge the ways that triathletes fuel for long distance triathlon. Endurance and resiliency takes time to build. It's not acquired over a few months but many years. And when you do build that strong endurance foundation, adding to it won't necessarily make you a better athlete. If anything, it can bring on injury, health issues, a plateau in fitness and burnout. The more experienced you get, the more you need to find ways to change things up - recognizing that getting faster can't be the primary focus. You have to start doing things smarter - like nutrition, mobility, sleep, movement efficiency, fueling, technique and bike handling skills. 

My self-identity does not revolve around triathlon. I am a triathlete but I don't want to be remembered for my wins. I want to inspire others by my 'health first, performance second' approach to training and racing. I want to show other athletes that there is not one right way to train and race. When it comes to training, you have to work with your body, your lifestyle and your current fitness. You have to find joy in the process and not obsess over an outcome. 

Far too many athletes put too much energy and focus into the "long" workout miles, forgetting that the Ironman is a strength-based sport requiring exceptional health and good application of sport nutrition/fueling/hydration. You have to be strong, you need to know how to take care of your body under massive fatigue/intense weather conditions/challenging terrain and you have to be able to endure a lot (in mind and body). You also need to know how to listen to your body, make quick decisions and not overreact. You don't achieve this from checking off the long training sessions on the weekends but through years of consistent quality training and from a lot of racing experience. You'll never be able to go through the same motions and emotions in training as you do on race day. 

Training for an Ironman is not easy. It requires a lot of time, energy and focus. But it doesn't have to be all-consuming, destroy your health and negatively impact your life. A smart approach to training ensures that you are prepared for the race - not just physically but mentally, skill-wise, terrain management and nutritionally. Don't assume that there is only one way to train for a long distance triathlon - there are many different paths to take and what works best for someone else may not work well for you. And if you are experienced, don't burn yourself out by doing the same training year after year.

Karel and I are very proud of our performances at the St. George Ironman World Championship event. We took a different approach and it paid off. We both felt strong and healthy all day and most importantly, we had fun, we enjoyed the suffering and we gave our best effort on the day. 

Marni - 10:53.16. 5th AG (40-44)
2.4 mile swim: 59:58 (1st AG)
T1: 5:22
112 mile bike (~7200 feet elevation gain): 5:45.38 (2nd AG)
T2: 5:01
26.2 mile run (~1500 feet elevation gain): 3:57.17 (5th AG)


Karel - 9:58.48, 11th AG (45-49)
2.4 mile swim: 1:00.11 (11th AG)
T1: 5:42
112 mile bike (~7200 feet elevation gain): 5:28.50 (19th AG)
T2: 3:30
26.2 mile run (~1500 feet elevation gain): 3:20.35 (1th AG)

Race Report coming soon......

Ironman World Championship Race Week Training

 

After a good night of sleep on Monday, we had a good breakfast and got caught up on some work before loading up the rental SUV with our bikes and gear. We are staying in Washington (half way between downtown, where T2 and the finish is and Sand Hollow Lake, where the swim and T1 is) which makes it easy to get to various places on the course. We drove to Royal Oaks Park (on the run course) to start our ride. We like to do one last "longer" ride on race week to remind the body what it is preparing for and to keep the body in a routine. Although we are very familiar with the 70.3 bike course, the "Veyo" loop is new to us for this Ironman World Championship course. Karel had the course downloaded in his Garmin although the course was well-marked with tape arrows on the pavement. It was very windy to start our ride and we had NW winds for the majority of the loop - which made for a long ride. However, the scenery was incredible and the roads were quiet and peaceful. 

We stopped several times for pictures/videos and we were even greeted by a few wild cows along the way. Over 31 miles, we accumulated around 2100 feet of elevation and it took us a little over 2 hours (14.6 mph). There were a few steeper climbs but nothing too long. When we got to the "wall" we made the switchback turn and finally had some tailwind. I didn't find anything difficult on this loop but the wind will bring the challenge to this course - and the fact that we start this loop around mile 50 of the 112 mile ride (and then finish the ride at mile 100 with a 4-mile climb up Snow Canyon). 

The weather was on the cooler side so I rode with gloves and arm warmers. I took off my gloves a few times but the air was crisp and I didn't want to get cold. It was in the mid 50's when we started and we finished in the mid 60's. 

The next ten miles were faaaaaaast. 10 miles of descending and I averaged almost 32mph and a max speed of almost 46. Thankfully the wind was at our back for most of it so no gust crosswinds. Karel averaged 34 mph and had a max speed of almost 51mph! And he was passed by professional athlete Sam Long on the downhill - and Karel couldn't even keep up (he tried :) 

After our ride, we put on our run gear and headed on to the run course (it was marked) for a short run off the bike. The run course is either up or down (except the out and back section in town after the first loop and before the finish) and it includes a lot of neighborhood and paved trail running - which I really like. We made a quick stop at the Kneaders bakery and then headed back to our condo. 

Later in the afternoon, we checked in for the race (around 3pm) and walked around the expo. 

Because our last swim was on Friday, we needed to get into the water. Luckily, we have an outdoor 25-yard lap pool at our condo which makes it super convenient to get in a swim workout anytime (one of the main reasons why I selected this location for the 70.3 WC and this event). After our warm-up we did two main sets. It was nice to be in the warm water and finish off a good day of training. 

Bike: 2:34, 43.3 miles. 
Run: 22 minutes, 2.8 miles
Swim: 25 minutes, 2000 yards

This morning was our first time at the lake since arriving to St. George for this trip. The water was a brisk 59 degrees. We both opted to wear our Xterra neoprene booties to keep our feet comfortable in the cold water. My face and hands were really cold to start but after a few minutes of swimming, I forget about them and found myself warming up under my Roka Wetsuit. We swam two loops of the "practice" course for a total of 28 minutes 1900 yards of swimming. I was pretty cold when we got out of the water and it took a little time for me to stop shivering. This always happens when I do the practice swim at St. George but with the rush of endorphins on race day, I never feel cold. 

After the swim we did a run around the park. We each did our own thing. Karel is undecided which shoes he wants to wear on race day so he broke up his run into different out and back segments to try on both sets of shoes to decide what to wear - he's still undecided :) I finally warmed up during the run (even though the air temp was in the 60's) which made for an enjoyable run. We ran into our friends Meg and Kelly Fillnow which was great to see some familiar faces. 

After the run, we headed back to our condo to be reunited with some of Karel's Czech friends (who are staying with us). Tomorrow we plan to do another open water swim followed by a bike on the start of the bike course in the Hurricane area. 

Hello from St. George!

 

St. George, Utah is one of our favorite race venues. Our first time to St. George was in May of 2017 for the 70.3 event. We couldn't wait to return in 2018 to race for a 2nd time. Karel loves St. George so much that he returned again for the 70.3 in 2019. And then in September of 2021, we once again traveled to St. George to participate in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. 

The St. George scenery gets us every time. The red rocks are incredible and the race course takes us through several different towns, allowing us to see so much of the area. With such a challenging course (hills, heat and wind), the spectacular views make it easy to temporarily forget about the suffering. 

For the first time ever, the Ironman World Championship is taking place outside of Hawaii. On May 7th, Karel and I will be participating in the 2021 Ironman World Championship (because no World Championship took place last year, this race is being called the 2021 World Championship). This will be my 6th Ironman World Championship and 18th Ironman event. This will be Karel's 5th Ironman World Championship and 15th Ironman event. We love tough and challenging events and we will be tested on Saturday. 

Our travel started off super early on Monday morning. We woke up around 3:30am, quickly got ourselves ready, said good-bye to our five furry kids (who will be well taken care of while we are away) and drove to the Greenville airport. Due to our small airport, we rarely need more than 90-minutes to go from parking to the plane. Well, this time was different. The airport was packed at 4:15am! With a 5:30am departure to Atlanta, we were cutting it close and then at security, Karel was told that his birthdate didn't match his ticket because the lady at the counter entered it wrong. So he had to sprint back to the counter to get it changed. By the time he got through security and then we got to the gate, the door was shut and we - along with a handful of others - were not on our plane. 

In all my years of traveling, I've never missed a flight before. It was our fault for not allowing more time. I was so upset. This trip was not starting off on a good note. We were put on the next flight (7am) and on a different flight from Atlanta to Vegas so thankfully we got to our final destination on the same day (just a few hours later than planned). 

Things turned from bad to good when we picked up our rental car. This was my first time using Turo and it was awesome. We went from the luggage area to short term parking and there was our car with instructions as to how to get the keys inside of it. Not only was this process super easy but this rental car was almost $500 less than had I rented from a rental car company at the airport. We loaded up our Ford Edge and made our way to get some food....Chipotle! 

We started our ~1:45 hour drive to Vegas - which turned into almost 3 hours due to ~4 miles of construction work. We finally arrived to our condo (the same area that we stayed in September) around 5pm after a very long day of traveling. It was so nice to finally arrive in St. George. Despite a long and semi stressful travel day, we took one look around and we were quickly reminded why we love it here. 

As Karel put together the bikes, I went to Albertsons to get groceries (~3 miles away). By the time I got back, Karel was finished with the bikes. I was mentally exhausted so I made myself dinner (well more like breakfast - a yogurt parfait with fruit, granola and bread with peanut butter) and Karel went for a short run to shake off the fatigue from the flight. 

Around 8pm mountain time, we were tired and ready to sleep. Thankfully, a good night of sleep was all we needed as we woke up on Tuesday morning around 6am feeling excited to get on our bikes to check out a new part of this Ironman race course. 

More to come tomorrow.....

2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship Race Recap

 

We hope you enjoy our race recap videos. 

PRE RACE AND 1.2 MILE SWIM

56 Mile Bike


13.1 Mile Run

IM 70.3 World Championship - quick recap

 

Going into this race, we had a lot going against us. Karel hasn't raced since May due to his broken hand (except for a local half in early August). I haven't had the best of luck in Ironman 70.3 World Championship events as I was injured in 2007 and I fainted in 2017 and smashed my face on the hard floor of the kitchen/bathroom. Both races were DNS - did not start. And now, going into 2021, we both had COVID (fully vaccinated) 2.5 weeks ago and unfortunately, we both got pretty sick which resulted in a pretty high viral load. For myself, after the three days of sickness, I had more lingering symptoms of a cough, headache and no smell (my taste has somewhat come back) whereas Karel's body fought pretty hard for the three days that he was ill. While these may sound like excuses, this was just the reality for us going into the race. It's hard to not be competitive when we line up to a start line but we both felt a big question-mark when it came to our race day readiness. Without making any excuses, we were both incredibly grateful to just get to the start line and we wanted to celebrate the day and give our best. And with 20 Trimarni athletes participating in the race, it was important to us to be there for them throughout this entire race experience. Although we didn't feel great going into the race, we didn't feel too bad either. But we gave it our best and we are proud of our efforts which ended up to be 11th age group for both me (35-39) and Karel (45-49). Kinda crazy that we both ended up placing 11th! 

The swim was beautiful and uneventful. A little choppy but non-wetsuit legal at the perfect temperature of 78.3 degrees. 

We knew the bike would be a challenge but mother nature made it even more challenging with extremely gusty winds, hail, sand, rain and sun. We had it all while also navigating the hills, descends and 4-mile climb up Snow Canyon. Interestingly, every age group experienced different conditions on the course as the storm rolled through - starting from Snow Canyon and finishing at Sand Hallow Lake. The first age group male wave starting around 7:30am experienced storm conditions in Snow Canyon whereas the last female wave around 9:50am experienced the same conditions at the lake while swimming and exiting the water. It was a brutal storm that tested us mentally and physically. 

With tired legs to start the run, things didn't get easier for the next 3-miles as we gradually went up and up until we really went up (8% grade) on the Red Hills Parkway for the first of two big climbs on the run course. Looking forward to the fast and steep 1-mile downhill before starting loop 2 of the run course, we got drenched with rain which made for a slippery, yet cool, run. And then the sun came out for a warm second loop, along with some windy. And like the bike, every athlete - depending on the wave start time - experienced different conditions on the run. 

The theme for the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship St. George was "Rise To It" in the Land of Endurance. I am confident that every athlete reacted to the difficult scenarios that they encountered on race day by working hard to reach the finish line. Hopefully every athlete will bring confidence to future situations knowing that they can deal with an unexpected situation and still experience success. 

We are so proud of our athletes for showing up and overcoming obstacles to receive their well-earned finisher medal. 

Detailed race report coming soon....

Travel Day to St. George, Utah

 

Our travel day started early as we woke up at 4:10am and left for the Greenville airport at 4:45am. It was incredibly hard to say good-bye to our furry feline crew (Campy is with my mom) but we know they will be in great loving hands while we are away. 

The check-in process was pretty smooth and we were at our gate around 5:50am for our 6:35am flight to Atlanta. 

A bit of a back story on our trip....

Booking this trip was a bit of a logistical puzzle as we are not just traveling to St. George for the IM 70.3 World Championship but we are also spending time in Salt Lake City, Utah (Ogden - Snow Basin) the week after because Karel will be participating in the Xterra USA Championship. After working through all different types of flying scenarios/options, the most affordable (and stress-free) option was to book two one-way tickets on Delta. Our first trip was GSP to ATL to Salt Lake City to St. George. Then on the way home, we go Salt Lake City to ATL to GSP. 

I also had to book two different rental cars (one for while we are in St. George and one to pick up in St. George and to return in Salt Lake City). I also booked two Airbnb's. Karel used Tri Bike Transport for his tri bike (dropped off in Charlotte the week before we left) so that he doesn't have to bring two bikes with him for the entire trip. Instead, he flew with his mountain bike. 

I do enjoy booking our trips and all the logistics that come with our race-cations but this trip is sure to be the most logistically difficult trip I've ever had to book....but it'll all be worth it! Because I booked a one-way to St. George, the price difference for First Class vs. Economy was not that much so I treated us to a bit of an upgrade.....and wow, it was a treat to be able to lay down in our pods for our 3.5 hour trip. We were soaking up every minute of it - we didn't even care that we sat on the tarmac for over 30 minutes waiting to lift off. We both watched one movie and Karel started a second movie while I took a needed nap. 

We arrived in Salt Lake City and waited about an hour to board our last flight. There were some delays for our tiny aircraft to take off but after waiting almost an hour, we finally left Salt Lake City and in less than an hour we arrived in St. George. 

Overall, everything went smoothly and most importantly, all of our luggage arrived in St. George - including our bikes! This is my third time traveling to St. George for a triathlon (4th for Karel) but we usually fly into Las Vegas. Although the 2-hour drive from Vegas to St. George is incredibly beautiful (well the last hour), the flight from Salt Lake City to St. George was spectacular. 

When we arrived to St. George, we had a short walk to the luggage and rental car area. I was expecting some issues with our rental car as all of the cars are sold out in St. George (and very expensive). I reserved a minivan but we ended up with a truck. Oh well, at least we had something for us, our luggage and our house mates Joe, Ashley and Zach. 

It was nearing 4pm when we left the airport and we decided to make a stop at the grocery store (Harmon's) in route to our Airbnb in Washington, Utah. Harmon's is a bit expensive (kinda like Whole Foods) but they have a wide variety of items - and it was the closest grocery on our way to the Airbnb. We loaded up on essentials and then made the rest of the drive to our Airbnb. 

I specifically selected our Airbnb at Sienna Hills in Washington, Utah for a few reasons. First off, because it was central to both the race venue downtown and Sand Hallow State Park (Swim/T1/Bike start) and easy to get on and off the interstate. We can also safely bike from our place to the bike course (we are right on the bike course). There are also several running paths/trails for us to run on from our community. Lastly, and most importantly, the community has a lap pool. I figured with 4000 athletes in town for the race, swimming pools would be crowded and I wanted a place to swim without any hassle. Our athlete Kaley met us at our place (she stayed with us just one night until her Airbnb was ready on Tuesday) and we were anxious to get in the water (we both looooove to swim). 

After a long day of traveling, it was nearing 6:30pm when we got to the pool (which was 8:30pm EST). Exhausted and tired, it felt so good to be weightless and to move some blood. The water was warm but the salt water provided a relaxing feeling as we swam for ~1600 yards. Karel did his own thing and Kaley and I did a few different sets - kinda making stuff up as we went along. It felt a bit like swimming at altitude at first as we were both pretty tired but the swim felt good and it was nice to move the body. 

After the swim we ate a bit more, Karel assembled the bikes and then nearing 9:30pm local time (11:30pm EST) it was time for bed. Unfortunately, our Airbnb Air Conditioner broke and we didn't realize it while we were out swimming so we had a very uncomfortable night of sleep as it was ~80 degrees in our Airbnb. Thankfully, the AC is now fixed and we can cool off from the 90+ degree desert heat outside. 

Overall I am feeling much better after struggling with Covid sickness from the 1st-3rd. It's been almost 2 weeks since I first experienced my worst symptoms and my coughing has mostly gone away (just a little to clear my throat), my sinuses are much better and my taste/smell is slowly coming back. I'm still tired but that could also be due to taper and everything else going on right now. Thankfully, I feel like my health is in a good place that I can race on Saturday and give it me best effort on what will be an extremely challenging course. 

Ironman 70.3 St. George Race Recap - Karel

Race week was very tough for me mentally and emotionally. On Monday, we made the incredibly difficult decision to say goodbye to Smudla - my best furry friend for the past 16.5 years. Tues was even worse for me. I was able to do my workouts but I felt like I was just going through the motions as I was completely empty inside. My sleep was off and so was my appetite. It was a rough week. I didn't even get around to packing my bike until late Tuesday afternoon. It was probably good that I was able to get away as I was constantly seeing and thinking of Smudla all around the house - even though she was no longer there.

My flight left early Wed morning and I arrived in Vegas around lunchtime. Robb (our athlete and friend) picked me up at the airport and we arrived to St. George in the afternoon. After grocery shopping and then checking in to our rental house near Snow Canyon, I went for a short jog just to shake off the travel. It was a very long day of travel and my back was bothering me during the plane ride but it was nice to move some blood before dinner.

On Thursday I did my mini triathlon - swam in the lake, biked on some of the course and then ran. The water was cold (low 60's) but after my head unfroze, I was ok. I had my new Roka wetsuit which felt good in the water. After the bike and run, my legs felt much better than on Wednesday - much more springy.

Friday was the typical pre-race warm-up of a short spin followed by a short run. Since we stayed at the top of the hill on the bike course, I rode down to the expo to show off my freshly painted (by Kcycle) bike at the Ventum booth (I told Rachel I'd stop by). I then biked easy going back up the hill. My run off the bike was mostly flat around the subdivision. Overall I felt fine. Being around our athletes helped me clear my mind a bit but anytime I was alone and tried to visualize and focus on the race, I would think about Smudla and it would make me really sad.

Robb, Diane and I arrived to T1 right when it opened so that we could check in our bikes. New this year was having bags for the bike (with all gear including shoes in the bag). These bags hung on a rack instead of having us set up our own transition area.

Pre-race Meal:

The standard for me: Oatmeal and coffee. Then a half of the Skratch bar about an hour before the race and sipping on a NBS drink. SIS gel right before I lined up for the swim. I also had Osmo pre load the day before the race (morning and evening) and on race day morning.

Race morning procedure/warm-up: The usual jog warm up and bathroom stops at the race site. No swim warm-up allowed - which I feel is dangerous considering the water was only 62F. I also used the PR lotion which I feel really works. 

Bike nutrition: NBS carbo-hydration drink (hydration system and bottle) + 1 x SIS gel.

Run nutrition:1 flask with Precision hydration 1000 and one flask with Skratch. I also had one Enervitine cheerpack and a few licks of base salt too. I don't have just one fueling plan but instead I think about the course and the conditions and what I feel will work best for me on the day.


1.2 mile swim: 31:04

I was a little late to line up for the swim so I was a little more back of where I wanted to stand but still I was in the 30 to 34 min crowd (self-seed rolling start). They started 3 of us at a time, every 5 seconds. The water was cold (62F) and since I usually don’t do well in the cold water, I wore my Xterra neoprene booties (allowed in US races if the water temp is below 65F). My goal was to swim comfy to the first buoy to avoid any possible chest tightness due to the cold water and due to the lack of a swim warm-up. I felt fine and quickly find a good rhythm. Because of the cold, I didn't do my usual “take out speed” but just swam comfortably so that I wouldn't panic. The water was crisp and clean and it was easy to see the other swimmers and kicking legs. No kicks in my face for me this race :-)

Overall I felt good throughout the swim but I just couldn't get into that maximum sustainable effort. I was moving fine and passing some slower swimmers, but then at one point I noticed that a girl that I
passed was still on my side. I tired to swim away from her but she was still there. I backed off and swam on her hip for some time, thinking it is basically my speed. But looking back, I’m not sure if it was a good decision or if I should have just taken a breather and then kept on pushing. I stayed on her hip for the entire back stretch. Sighting was a bit difficult on the back long stretch due to chop and sun but I think I was able to stay pretty straight. Looking at my swim file after the race, the lines were not as straight as last year and my Garmin showed about 100 yards more in distance compared to previous year. The swim time at the end wasn’t what I was expecting but when I saw the slower time at the clock I didn't make any assumption because you never know what the other athletes did. I was in a good head-space as I exited the water and ran towards my bike bag.

T1

I grabbed my bag quickly and dumped my helmet and bike shoes down on the ground. I quickly slipped off my wetsuit (I didn’t use the strippers) and bent over to grab my helmet and shoes. That made me dizzy and I wobbled a little and had to grab a chair. My head was spinning - probably from bending down right after the cold water. I kept on moving and the feeling passed as I made my way to my bike.  I had my bike shoes in my hands and put them on right in front of my bike. The transition was long and I didn’t want to run in my cycling shoes. The shoes were not allowed to be clipped to the pedals otherwise I would have had them clipped in to my bike. My bike was close to the bike exit

so it was a short run and a very quick hop on the bike at the mount line.

56 mile bike: 2:26.26

I really like the St. George bike. It has everything I like in a bike ride - lots of good climbing and also some nice long descends. It is also easy to break the course down into segments, which makes it go by quickly. It is a very honest course and you don’t really see any AG draft packs on the course.

There is a big hill around mile 2 of the bike and it's very easy to push too hard there and then pay for it later on as the HR and power goes skyrocket high. I made it up that hill pretty comfortably and used the following descend to collect my legs and to get ready for the actual bike ride.

With this being my third time racing here, I knew the course very well. I mentally broke it down into several segments and focused on the best execution possible on each segment. I made sure not to think too much in the future but just stay in the present moment.

The first segment was around the lake and then getting out to the main road ~30 min or so. Then it was the first big hill on the main road, followed by 2 other major hills with long and fast descents in between. Then it was the road to the Red Hills Parkway (also part of the run course) which then heads towards the Snow Canyon. The ride gets more and more beautiful as the race goes on. Then it
was the Snow Canyon section (about 4.5 miles) and then the final descend into St. George.

Nothing new, my back really bothered me very early on and it was very difficult to pedal. Normally my back starts to bother me mid ride and lasts until I get off the bike but this time, it actually got better as the ride went on - probably from being able to change my position on the climbs and do more out-of-the-saddle pedaling. I also did some out of the saddle stretches, together with my breathing exercises from Scott (my PT) which helped me manage my back pain. I was able to manage the 2nd half of the bike and felt much better with less back pain. It never really went away but it was tolerable. I'm use to this as I just can't seem to ride without some type of back pain. I got passed by 3, maybe 4 guys during the bike ride. I felt really strong in the Canyon and enjoyed the final descend into town.

Overall I'm really happy with this ride and how it went. I tried to push harder but I just don't have that power like I used to have in my old cycling days. I can’t live in the past and I need to work with what my abilities are these days. I passed a lot of guys going up the Snow Canyon and that felt good. There were no winds today so it helped with overall faster bike times compared to the previous 2 years. I was feeling good at the bike finish and I was excited to run. On the descend into town, I was rehearsing the T2 and the start of the run and I was ready to chase down some of the faster cyclists in my age group.

13.1 mile run - 1:23.22

I quickly racked my bike, ditched the helmet and put on my running socks and shoes. I don’t use socks on the bike so it takes me a few seconds longer to put them on in T2. I usually wear my Naked Running belt but in the week leading up to the race, I realized in a training run that I can easily put my 2 flasks into the rear pocket of my new Castelli San Remo (one piece) Tri suit and they stayed there secured without bouncing around. So I did just that and just had a race belt with the bib number to put on. I grabbed my running hat, glasses and flask and started moving out through T2 to the run exit. During that time I put the flasks in my pockets, hat on my head and sunglasses on. I kept my Enervitine cheer pack in my hand. Sometimes I like to hold on to something when I run and it felt good.

The run is very difficult and it can break some souls if you are not mentally prepared for it. It broke
me the first time around three years ago! Last year I was much better prepared mentally for it and managed to have a good run. I was hoping I could match my run from last year which was 1:25.

I mentally broke the run into several segments again just like the bike. First was the 3 mile hike up the hill. I didn’t want to look at my watch until this segment was done. I don’t run by paces or HR on my watch anytime when I race but since I have done this race twice before, I knew how long it should take me to get to the top of the hill around 3 miles and wanted to check in with myself around that time. I felt pretty good and just focused on from, breathing and tried to find some fluidity in my stride (if you can call that going uphill). I saw a friend at mile 1-ish aid station who cheered me on and said something like “go run them down”. It gave me a spark of energy. Thanks Lee!

I was moving well and kept on passing other athletes - some that I recognized from passing me on the

bike. That always feels good. I got to the top of that hill and finally glanced on my watch. I was pleased to see a faster time compared to last year and I was ready to tackle the next segment.

Next came the rolling hills (mostly downhill) to the first turnaround. It went by quickly and I found a really good rhythm. I was drinking from my flasks and took a sip of the cheer pack gel. My next segment was the middle part - 1st and 2nd turn around with more uphill running. I felt good running the hills and I kept telling myself that I am really looking forward to the monster hill that comes on the way back and peaks at around mile 9-ish. I remember the first year - that hill totally broke me and even last year it was very difficult to conquer. Not this time. I was ready for that beast. The run course has absolutely zero shade and if it is sunny, there is no escaping it. It was sunny but I could still feel a little bit of breeze and never felt too hot. Our new Castelli suit felt awesome - I even kept it zipped up all the way.

I got the the bottom of the monster and start climbing up. I kept a good pace and was knocking down the monster one step at the time. Just before the top, I saw our athlete Robb heading the opposite direction and he cheered on me. I wanted to cheer back but I was in the hurt box. I focused on the last few meters of the uphill and just nodded my head to him as I was cheering for him from the inside.

From the top of that beast, it was mostly downhill with just a little bit of rise up for next mile and then it was all downhill to the finish. In my head the run, I convinced myself that after the monster hill, the run was done. I still had about 3 miles to run but it was all downhill. I kept on pushing and was able to pass more people (several in my AG).

I went by my friend Lee who cheered me on again and I just keep on pushing towards the finish line. I glanced on my watch and new it would be a better time than last year. That felt good. I sprinted to the finish line even though there was nobody else on the red carpet - but you just never know with these rolling starts.

I missed out on 3rd place in IM 70.3 Florida a few weeks ago by 18 seconds and I wanted to make sure I gave it all I had all the way to the finish line.

I crossed the line with time of 4:26-ish and sub 1:24 run which was 2 min faster than last year. I was
super stoked with that but I still didn’t know where I finished. It took me some time to get my morning gear bag and powered up my phone….. and there it was (a text from Marni). I placed 2nd in my AG (40-44) in very competitive field that was way stronger than the previous year. I was super happy and I knew I gave it all I had. There was nothing left in the tank and nothing that I could have done better.

I really love St. George. It is a super hard race but it's a very honest course with beautiful scenery. If only the water was a bit warmer :-)

The town and community of St. George is great and they really welcomed and supported the athletes and the event.

I’m super stoked to see that the IM 70.3 World Championship will be in St. George in 2021 and hopefully I will be at the start line as well. I’m also pumped to hear the return of the full Ironman to St. George next year - although I still can’t even comprehend how the heck anybody can do a full on this brutally hard course......but there is a 99%  chance that Marni and I will be there in May next year to tackle the full. It is one of those bucket lists races that I need to do.

I like what Sebastian Kienle said "people want to sign up for an Ironman as big challenge but then they seek a flat, fast and ‘easy” course. It is like ordering a gallon of ice cream and wanting to have it without any calories." Bring on the calories St. George!

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Thank you to the Trimarni affiliates and supporters

Ironman 70.3 St. George - race report

Running to the finish line in a long distance triathlon race is an amazing feeling. As I ran my way to the finishing chute at Ironman St. George, I couldn't help but thank my body for being so resilient. While I don't feel "fast" right now, I have been able to set a course personal best in my last two half Ironman races. So although I am getting faster, I contribute this to being great at not slowing down. With my focus now shifting to Ironman racing (with Ironman Austria and Ironman Wisconsin on the schedule), I feel I am in a good place with my endurance so the goal isn't necessarily to get better at going longer but to continue to trust the process because whatever I am doing, I think it's working! 

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Pre race: 
So many to-do's on the day before a half Ironman. After a good night of sleep and a little work on the computer in the am, II had a quick snack of 2 waffles, PB, raisins, granola, egg and syrup (similar to race day) and then laid out all my gear for the race. Around 8am, I left the house for my pre-race warm-up which was around 75 minutes on the race course (mostly the run course) followed by a 15 min run. My pre-race warm-up is never the same as I always go by feel and do what I need to do to feel race ready. After my warm-up, it was time to eat. I had a glass of milk before showing and then I yummed over homemade cinnamon rolls (2 of them - made my Michela) and some scrambled eggs. Yummo! I also had some fruit (banana, strawberries, tangerine).

With bike check-in lasting until 5pm, we were in no rush to drop off our gear. I spent the next few hours working on the computer which was good as I could take my mind off race and not overthinking anything. I stayed hydrated throughout the day and ate every few hours (mostly carbs with a little protein). I never felt too full, bloated or stuffed which was a good feeling going into the race.

Around 2pm, I packed up my transition bags and Karel and I headed off to T1 (Sand Hollow State Park) to drop off our bikes and gear. The gear bags were optional (cycling shoes and helmet) but we decided to drop them off with our bikes so we had one less thing to carry with us on race day morning. We scoped out the transition area and the swim course as all the buoys were set up.
Since we had already driven some of the course (after our practice swim on Thurs), we took the quickest way to downtown St. George to drop off our run gear bags in T2. Although two transitions make things a little more time consuming on the day before a race, it does feel good to drop things off, similar to an Ironman. Since Karel and I (and our athletes) all use some type of hydration system on the run, we still needed to access our run gear bags on race morning to drop off our flasks for our hydration belts.

Nearing 4:30pm, it was time to head back to the house to eat, rest and sleep.
For dinner, I had rice and potatoes and cottage cheese with a very small salad and Karel had chicken with rice. It was nice to have some many Trimarnis in our house as we could all socialize in the evening - reducing some of the pre-race nerves and jitters. By 7:30pm, I was getting tired and with a super duper early wake-up call, I managed to fall asleep around 8:30pm. While I felt I slept great for a few hours, I woke up sometime in the middle of the night but refused to look at the clock because I didn't want to get frustrated if I saw a time that was close to our 3:40am. I tossed and turned a little but eventually, I think I went back to bed to get a few more hours of sleep.

Race day
With our early wake-up call, I was a bit tired and slow moving. After my fainting incident at Ironman 70.3 World, I have become very mindful and attentive to how I feel and move on race day morning so I made sure to get up very slowly. Anytime I start to feel a little lightheaded (which now seems to only happen on race day morning) I just make sure to walk slowly to a place to sit or lie down until it goes away. Thankfully, no major issues that I couldn't resolve with a quick sit as I was waiting for my coffee to heat up. I had my typical pre-race/training snack of 2 waffles, PB, banana, lots of maple syrup and an egg (I swapped my normal yogurt for an egg this race) and one small cup of coffee. I also had 1 scoop Osmo pre-load in a cup of water. After I ate, I headed outside for a quick 5-8 minutes jog to get the digestive system flowing. I spotted Karel out doing the same thing. Nearing 4:40am, it was time to pack everything up and head toward T1 to park, drop off our run flasks and set up transition and board the shuttles.

After setting up my run transition area, we boarded the bus to head to T1. The ride was uneventful although it felt like it took forever to get there. Karel listened to his music and I listened to all the chatter from the athletes on the bus. I sipped in 1 throw away plastic bottle of 2 scoops Osmo hydration throughout the morning up until the race.

After we arrived, Karel pumped up my tires and I set up my bike transition area followed by placing my 3 sport nutrition bottles in my bike flasks. I put my computer on my bike and I was done. I still had a good hour before the race start but it felt good to not be rushed.

Because this race does not have a water start (which is very unfortunate considering the cold water), we resorted to dry land warming up with lots of jogging around the parking lot. I must have spent a good 20-25 minutes of stop and go jogging with some resting/stretching/talking in between. It was great to see so many of our athletes and familiar faces.

With the water temperature being 65 degrees, I debated about not wearing booties as I have never worn them in a race before. But Karel and I loved how they made our feet feel in our practice swim so we decided to wear them for the race (since they are allowed in 65 degree water or cooler).

I started to get excited and I felt ready to get things going. Nearing 6:40am, I poured some water down my wetsuit to adjust it and keep it from "sucking" to my chest and headed to the corrals to line up for the swim. To avoid starting out too fast with the cold water and to allow more riders on the course before I got there, I strategically stood in the 30-33 wave instead of being with a faster group. Karel lined up next to me.

They started us every 3 seconds (in rows of 3) and Karel started right in front of me.As soon as he went off, it was my turn to go. As soon as I stepped into the water, I was so glad that I had my booties on as it was a nice to not feel as if my ankles were being chopped off due to the cold water. 

1.2 mile wim
29:00 - Marni

29:30 - Karel 
The good - I feel I swam super strong. I managed to see Karel for the first part of the swim but then I lost him in the craziness of having to swim through so many people. It was a little choppy so I tried to time my stroke rhythm with the chop. I was breathing every stroke and swapped sides for breathing every so often. Despite the sun, I was able to sight really well to stay on course. As I was swimming, I felt fast in the water and I kept thinking I would swim 28 minutes for the first time in my triathlon career. Wishful thinking - so close.

Lessons learned - I didn't have any issues in the swim but Karel felt a little tightness in his chest at one point which prevented him from picking up his effort. He stayed smart throughout the swim and still put together his best every open water half Ironman swim time. I feel like I only have one speed in the water and even though I can pick up toward the end, I wonder if I am swimming Ironman effort for 1.2 miles.

T1
2:30 - Marni
1:58 - Karel
The good - I felt like I had a quick transition until I saw Karel run past me (wahoo - I beat him in the swim) and then saw him quickly head out.

Lessons learned - I quickly wiped off my arms and legs as I was worried about being cold to start the ride. Not sure if that costed me a few seconds and if it was even worth it.

56 mile bike
2:38.20 - Marni
2:31.14 - Karel
The good - I was really proud of how I executed the bike. I managed my effort for the first 8 miles or so to really let my legs warm up. I did feel a little cold to start the bike but after the first climb, I felt much more comfortable. I got passed by two ladies in the first 10 miles of the bike but that was it for ladies passing throughout the 56 mile ride (I had the 20th fastest bike including the pros, I think 8th fastest female amateur). I didn't let it get to me when I was passed as I was focusing on my race and trying to put together the best race that I could from start to finish. I enjoyed passing lots of guys on the bike, especially on the climbs. I felt really strong throughout the entire bike, nutrition went perfectly and I had a lot of fun. The miles went by fast and the weather was perfect. Although a tough course, if you are a good climber, you get plenty of "recovery" for every climb.

Lessons learned- Karel did not have a good bike. He's been very frustrated with his biking and he isn't sure why his body is struggling on the bike. He is still running and swimming well but he is going to change up his bike training to see if he can bring back some speed into his legs. While he feels great on his bike (ex. no back issues like in the past), he just feels flat when he races. I felt a little warm near the top of Snow Canyon - I used water from 2 of the 3 aid stations to cool off so not sure I would have done anything differently. Although I used my climbing strength the best I could throughout the race, I felt I lost time on the downhills. I rode confident and skillfully but I don't think there's enough of my 5-foot body to give me much more of an advantage going down steep descends. 

T2
2:49 - Marni
2:30 - Karel 
The good - I remember last year being really tired after the bike when I entered the transition area. We had much less wind this year compared to last year but I also think I executed the bike and fueled/hydrated better.

Lessons learned - I spent too much time at my rack putting on all my gear. I should have walked out and put things on as I was walking to save some time. Every second counts!

13.1 mile run
1:40.50 - Marni
1:25.61 - Karel
The good - The first few steps out of transition felt good. Not great but far from bad. This was my first wearing the Nike vapor fly 4% in a race (same with Karel) as we have only put about 4 miles in them to keep them responsive and fresh. They felt amazing to run in and I felt so springy and light running off the bike. That feeling alone changed my mindset immediately as I was really enjoy the run from the first step. I was able to break down this course into sections which helps my mind when I run so I don't feel into any ruts. After the first few miles uphill, I found a good rhythm and couldn't believe how "fast" I was running. Last year I was disappointed in my 1:49 run as I stopped too much at the aid stations and just felt heavy and tired throughout the entire run. I felt in control and strong throughout the entire run which was a great feeling. I used only water and ice from the aid stations and made sure to hold ice in my hands between each aid station to keep myself cool - it worked wonders. Thanks to my hydration belt, I could drink whenever I wanted to and I tried to strategically drink on the downhills when breathing was more controlled. I loved seeing more and more Trimarnis out on the course as the miles went by for me. Karel had an amazing run that he felt made up for his sub-par bike. With Haines City not being a good run for Karel, he was wondering if his "fast" running days were overwith. It's a nice surprise when you can prove yourself wrong. Karel only took water from the aid stations (he said he didn't use much ice as he didn't feel too warm) and relied on his flasks from his Naked Running belt (which he loves because it doesn't bounce when he runs fast).

Lessons learned - I feel like I could have broken 1:40. I was looking at my watch several times as I felt in control over my form and it wasn't negatively affecting my race to see my pace. If anything I think it was encouragement as I was shocked to see the paces I was running. I am not sure if I would have done anything differently for if I had tried to run harder earlier in the race, I may not have felt so strong in the last few miles where I was able to pick up some good speed down the hills and to the finish line. I also didn't see Karel the entire run! I was bummed about that. Because of all the downhill running in the last 3 miles, my feet were starting to get a little tired so I think I need to make sure I do more feet strengthening exercises.

The finish - 70.3 miles
4:53.27 - Marni, 2nd AG (I was given 3rd place as I tied with 2nd)
4:30.26 - Karel (3rd AG)

The good - Oh that finish line feeling. I tried to run as hard as I could to the finish line. I wasn't sure what I was chasing but I knew this was going to be a big improvement from last year (5:04). Karel also had a course PR of 2 minutes. I was really proud of myself for the race that I put together and I couldn't wait to get back on the course to cheer for the rest of our athletes. After not recovering so well in the 24 hours post Haines City 4 weeks ago, Karel and I made sure to focus on our hydration and refueling as soon as possible after the race (we neglected to do so in Haines City with over 30 of our athletes on the course). This time I had Osmo pre load right after the race to replenish electrolytes and fluids (I had it in a bag for post race) and then I ate fruit, chips and 2 slices of pizza within 30 min post race. Karel had a chicken and rice dish from the food tent, along with a Mexican coke that he brought for post race.

Lessons learned - In looking back at the race, I don't think I would have done anything differently. My equipment was great, my nutrition went well, my mind was in a good place and physically I felt great all day. I made a huge improvement from last year on this course, I felt strong all day and I had fun racing. I smiled all day and felt like my body worked really well with my body - a great feeling that doesn't always happen in endurance racing.

As always, thanks for the support and for following us along in our adventurous and extreme hobby. Next up.....my favorite race venue ever.....Ironman Austria on July 1st! 

Ironman 70.3 St. George - race day gear and nutrition

MARNI

Pre race: 
Kit - Canari Trimarni two piece tri kit
Calf sleeves: Compress sport
Warm-up shoes: NB 1500
Body glide: Pjuractive 2skin
Nutrition meal/drink: 2 waffles, syrup, PB, hardboiled egg with salt, granola. Osmo pre-load (1 scoop), 1/2 scoop Klean BCAAs, 1 small cup coffee. Throw away plastic water bottle for pre-race warm-up with 2 scoops Osmo. 

Swim: 
Goggles: 2.0 special ops femme transition clear lens
Wetsuit: Xterra Vengeance w/ Xterra LAVA booties
Gadget: no watch

Bike:
Bike: Trek Speed Concept w/ dura ace Di2, Cobb 160 mm crank
Wheels: Alto CC 86/56
Helmet:  Giro Aerohead MIPS Helmet with shield
Tires: Specialized Sworks tires 24mm
Other stuff: Ceramic speed oversized pulleys, Garmin vector pedals, ISM PN 1.0 saddle
Shoes: Bontrager Hilo
Socks: Balega ultra light no show
Gadget: Garmin 810
Fuel: Infinit Trimarni custom formula (2 bottles - Fruit Punch and Grape, 2 scoops each bottle), Carbo Rocket Black Cherry Half Evil 333 (1 bottle, 2 heaping scoops). Total calories on bike = 750. 

Run: 
Shoes: Nike Zoom Vapor Fly 4%
Hat/visor: Boco Gear Trimarni trucker hat

Socks: Balega ultra light no show
Hydration belt: Nathan Trail Mix Plus 2
Fuel: Carbo Rocket Hydration (1 heaping scoop raspberry lemonade in flaskk), Osmo women active hydration (3 scoops in flask). Total calories during run = 210. Additional water and ice from aid stations.
Sunglasses: Oakley Flak 2.0
Gadget: Garmin 920

KAREL

Pre race: 
Kit - 2 piece Canari Trimarni kit
Calf sleeves: CEP ultra light socks
Warm-up shoes: Nike Zoom Fly
Body glide/Sunscreen: Chamois cream, EMJ Sunscreen
Nutrition meal/drink: 1 packet protein Oatmeal w/ walnuts, Osmo pre-load (1 scoop), Coffee. Espresso. 1/2 nut filled Clif bar at lake. 1 Hot shot before the swim.

Swim: 
Goggles: MP Xceed, mirrored
Wetsuit: Xterra Vengeance w/ Xterra LAVA booties
Gadget: Garmin 735

Bike
Bike: Ventum one with dura ace Di2 w/ 165 crank
Wheels: Alto CT 86 wheelset
Helmet: Giro's Aerohead MIPS Helmet w/ shield

Tires: Specialized turbo all round tubular tires
Other: Ceramic speed oversized pulleys, Garmin vector pedals, Dash custom saddle,
Shoes: Bontrager Hilo
Socks: None
Gadget: Garmin 810
Fuel: 1 bottle w/ 1 1/2 scoops INFINIT, hydration system filled with 2 bottles INFINIT (each with 1 1/2 scoops). 1 Enervitine Cheerpack. 1 Hot Shot. Total calories = 875. 

Run: 
Shoes: Nike Zoom Vapor Fly 4%
Hat/visor: Boco Gear Trimarni trucker hat

Socks: Balega
Hydration belt: Naked Sports Innovations w/ 2 x 8 ounce flasks + 1 x 6 ounce flask
Fuel:  1 flask with less than 1 scoop Carbo Rocket Kiwi Lime, 1 flask with Precision Hydration 1000) + small flask with 2 packets Enervitine competition cheer pack w/ caffeine (only finished 1). Total calories: 370. Additional water from aid stations. 
Sunglasses: Oakley radar EV
Gadget: Garmin 735

Ironman 70.3 St. George - quick recap

Ironman St. George was once again memorable and jaw-dropping. You've probably seen countless pictures of the scenery floating around social media but the views are even more amazing in person - and that's one of the many reasons that makes this race so special. The Ironman staff puts on an incredible race - the course is well marked, easy to navigate and many sections of road are completely closed off from traffic. The community really supports this race and the volunteers are fantastic. I can't say enough good things about this race. Even the finish line area is fantastic - perfect for kids with the splash park and other activities. While a bucket-list race for many, it's certainly a challenging course that requires a lot of physical and mental strength. 

Sharing the race course with eleven of our Trimarni athletes was so much fun - especially since most of us stayed in the same house together. We shared laughs, food and stories leading up to the race and of course, the fun race stories post race.

There's something about a challenging course that makes you feel very accomplished - regardless of the outcome. St. George 70.3 provided us athletes with the opportunity to explore our mental toughness while testing our physical abilities, which makes the finish line feel oh-so-rewarding.

Without a doubt, St. George 70.3 is a very tough course from start to finish. The swim is cold and a little choppy. The bike is hilly but with long steady climbs followed by long descends. The wind is always unpredictable and the temperature can get rather warm. The run is extra hilly with long climbs and donwhills with no flat sections - its either up or down. But with all the toughness comes the satisfaction of completion and a feeling of confidence and self-belief.

Since this was our second time competing at St. George 70.3, we came into the race with a better understanding and appreciation of the difficulty of this beautiful course. I'm very pleased with my performance as I was racing against several very fast and tough ladies which brought the best out of me. I was more willing to take risks at this race compared to last year but I felt like I stayed in control all day and my body responded well at all times. I had a personal best on this course by 11-minute compared to last year by improving all three disciplines - swim, bike and run. I felt strong on the course all day with no low moments and I enjoyed racing for myself - determined to do better than last year to showcase my continued improvements in the sport. Karel was disappointed in his bike performance but thrilled with his swim and run. He had a two minute improvement compared to last year and we both ran much faster than last year (Karel ran 5 minutes faster and I ran 9 minutes faster). Challenging courses are difficult because you can't chase a time or outcome but you have to stay in the moment and be proactive and present throughout the entire race.

More details to come but for now, here are the final results:

Marni
1.2 mile swim - 29:00
T1 - 2:30
56 mile bike - 2:38.20
T2 - 2:49
13.1 mile run - 1:40.50
Total: 4:53.27
2nd/3rd AG 35-39 (I tied for 2nd but they gave me third place)

Karel
1.2 mile swim - 29:30
T1 - 1:58
56 mile bike - 2:31.14
T2 - 2:30
13.1 mile run- 1:25.61
Total: 4:30.26
3rd AG 40-44

Also congrats to our athletes who embraced the challenges and finished strong! It was so much fun to share the course with so many Trimarnis!

St. George Day 1

We completely forgot how beautiful this place is. It didn't take long on our late morning ride to remind us how magical the red rocks are in St. George.

After a solid night of 9-hours of sleep, we woke up around 5:30am mountain time. We got a little work done on the computer while drinking a delicious cup (or 3 for Karel) of espresso - thanks to Karel's travel Wacaco Nanopresso and then around 7:30am, enjoyed a selection of hotel breakfast foods. Originally we were not going to check into our rental home until noon but the owner texted me that it was ok to go to the house anytime. Our rental home is absolutely beautiful (and huge) but the best part is that we are surrounded by farm animals. As I write this, I can hear the cows moooing behind me. We have donkey's in front of the house and goats just down the road. I am in farm heaven!

 

Instead of Karel assembling our bikes in a hotel room, we made our way to the rental home (around 5 miles from the race venue) around 8:30am. As Karel built our bikes, I went to the grocery store to stock up on food for our house...and with 14 of us in one house, I had a lot of groceries to buy!

Nearing 11am, Karel and I got on our bikes and heading one mile down the road to the race course to ride to Snow Canyon, up the 4.5 mile climb and then a fast descend back into town and then back to the rental home. In total, the ride was just a little less than 2 hours and around 34 miles. As we remembered, the views from the run course and in Snow Canyon were breathtaking.

                                               

After the ride, we went for a 15 minute run just to finish off a good longish session to remind the body whats to come on race day.

For the rest of the afternoon/evening, the rest of our house-mates/teammates started rolling in. It's always fun to share a race experience with others and staying within one roof makes for a fun race-cation, filled with no shortage of laughs.

I made dinner for the group, which included roasted sweet and white potatoes, a large salad, boiled eggs, tofu (for me and Thomas) and roasted veggies. We also had deli meat for the meat-eaters.
Nearing 9:30pm, it was time for bed. More fun to come on Thurs (today) as we will swim at the race venue and check in for the race, followed by our traditional team pizza party + course talk. 

Hello from St. George!!

Our travel day started super early with a 4am alarm. Campy was not too excited about his disrupted sleep, not to mention the fact that he figured out that he wasn't coming with us. I kept reminding him that "grandma" would be getting him later in the morning but he didn't appreciate the situation.

We arrived to the GSP airport around 5:15am and as usual, I dropped Karel off with the luggage + bike cases and I went to park the car in economy parking.

We typically fly Delta but I found a great deal on Southwest and with only $75 bike fees (per bike), I couldn't pass up the opportunity to fly Southwest. The check-in went smoothly and we were at our gate by 6am (I love our small airport).

Flight one was uneventful as Karel and I took a short nap and before we knew it, we were in Atlanta. With a two-hour layover, we had enough time to do some airport walking and get breakfast. I try to always get layovers at least 90 minutes when we travel with our bikes to give our bikes time to get to the next plane.

I ordered a delicious egg and cheese sandwich with fresh fruit (instead of hasbrowns - for $1 more) and Karel had a yummy egg dish with potatoes....and a tiny bite-sized croissants. Karel loves his croissants and he was extra disappointed in this measly ball of dough. I guess he will need to wait seven more weeks when we head off to Europe, for him to enjoy a real croissant. 

Flight #2 to Las Vegas was around 4 hours and once again, was uneventful. Karel purchased the internet for $8 so he could get some work done on Training Peaks and I spent the entire flight working on a big project that is taking up a big chunk of my life right now but it helped to pass the time on the flight. I brought some snacks for the plane - a PB&J sandwich, Amrita bars and minis and a bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit.

Although a super early wake-up call, it was nice to arrive to Las Vegas at around 11:15am PST. Karel waited for the bikes and luggage and I took the shuttle to get the rental car from Avis. We ended up with a Sante Fe Sport and unbelievably, all our stuff fit in the SUV!

Nearing 12:30pm when we finally got through Las Vegas traffic, we decided to stop for some food before our 2-hour drive to St. George. Karel spotted Chiptole so we enjoyed a sit-down lunch before continuing on with our travels. I yummed over a salad bowl with brown rice, black beans and tofu, topped with all the yummies and a few salty chips. 

During our drive, we listed to the Work, Play, Love podcast with Jesse Thomas and Lauren Fleshman - I highly recommend it!

With the one-hour time change to mountain as we went from Nevada to Arizona to Utah, we arrived to our hotel a little before 4pm. We had a little rain on and off but nothing that prevented us from seeing the amazing rocks surrounding us as we got closer to St. George. The last 30 minutes of the drive from Las Vegas to St. George has some incredible views! We are going to be spoiled for the rest of the week with these magical rocks!

After checking in to our hotel (Best Western) and unloading the car, we headed off to the Washington Community Center pool for a short 1800 splash to loosen out from a day of sitting. The pool cost was only $5 a person and well worth it for active recovery after traveling.

WU: 600 swim
Pre set with buoy:
200, 150, 100,50, 50, 100, 150, 200

MS:
2 x 25's fast, 50 EZ, 50 fast, 2 x 25's easy

For dinner after our swim, I ordered take-out from Twisted Noodle Cafe so that we could eat some delicious food but while relaxing in bed in our hotel room. Karel ordered the Asian bowl with chicken and I ordered the quinoa vegetable salad with tofu. Both were extra yummy! 

It was a packed day to travel from Greenville to St. George but we are so happy to be back in the area. I'm so excited because tomorrow morning we will get on our bikes and ride some of the bike course! Thanks for following along with our race-cation adventures! 

How to pack your bike in a Scicon bag

It doesn't matter what type of bike case you have (cardboard, hard or soft), there's always a risk of your bike getting damaged when flying. Any triathlete or cyclist understands the stress, anxiety and worry of handing your bike off to the TSA and whether or not it will arrive to your final destination when you do AND in the same condition as when you packed it.

In total, we will be flying with our bikes a total of five times this year. So far, we traveled to Arizona for a train-cation, now St. George and then we have a trip to Europe (Prague/Klagenfurt/Znojmo), Wisconsin and Hawaii. Thankfully, I am married to an expert bike mechanic who takes great care of our bikes, all year long. Since we have flown a lot with our bikes, we've learned a lot as to the best ways to keep your bike in good condition (with many "lessons learned" along the way).

To help you out for your next bike-flying adventure, Karel made a video demonstrating the process of how he packs our bikes in our Scicon travel bags, as well as some of his top tips and suggestions to keep your bike safe in route to your final destination.


                                       

Hello race week!

Picture taken on a ride in Greenville. I love stopping to say hi to farm animals. 

Seriously....it seemed like Jan-March lasted a year and now it's already May!!?!?! Time sure does fly! I can't believe we are about to race again. And in 8-weeks will be off in Europe at Ironman Austria for the 3rd time! Another block of training is behind us and I can't help but be thankful and grateful to my body for letting me show up to another race feeling strong, fit and healthy (and still loving the sport of triathlon). This will be our 2nd time racing Ironman 70.3 St. George and now that we know the course a bit better, I am excited to give it another try as last year I felt I raced too timid and didn't showcase my abilities. I feel stronger and more confident this time around and I can't wait to share the course with eleven of our Trimarni coaching athletes (and several of my nutrition athletes).

I always try to take time during my last "long" workout before a race week to reflect on the journey and to make note of what's going well. It's far too easy to address limiters and what could have, would have, should have been. Spending too much energy on negative thoughts simply removes energy that can be used for race day. In my reflection, I wanted to share three things that I am focusing on in my 2018 triathlon journey to help me reach my athletic goals while keeping my body in good health. You  may be surprised (or not) to hear where I am putting my energy this season (not unlike seasons in the past).

1. Do things well - From sleep, nutrition and fueling to skills, form, mental skills and workout execution. I make an effort everyday to do things well. As an example, last week I had an intense brick workout with a hard trainer bike followed by a specific treadmill run with some race efforts. The first five minutes didn't feel good, which worried me since I usually feel rather good running off the bike. I gave it some time and started the workout but at ten minutes, what should have felt controlled and steady felt hard and difficult. I started to get some feedback from my body that form was falling apart and I immediately decided to stop my 30-minute brick run at around 9 minutes. This is just one example where it pays to do things well as one workout doesn't make or break a season. Consistency is key. By focusing on the little things and always showing up to workouts with the mindset of "do the best you can and do things really well" has been a motto that I take to every workout. I believe this mindset has helped me reduce risk for injury and sickness over the years.
   
2. Be great at not slowing down - Like any athlete, I want to get faster. I've already accomplished "going long" many times as I have completed 12 Ironman distance triathlons and have two more on the schedule this summer. But in endurance triathlon, it pays to be great at not slowing down for the fastest performance by your body is the one that comes with delaying fatigue for as long as possible. It's not a fast effort but one that is steady. To be great at not slowing down, the body must be resilient and strong. Running has been an area of weakness for me for almost all of my endurance triathlon career. While I have still accomplished a lot in the sport, I continue to believe that I have a "faster" run in my body for 13.1 or 26.2 miles (likely, it's going to be in a marathon off the bike than a half marathon as there's much more room for time improvement there for me). Rather than focusing on becoming a faster runner, my approach to run training (with the help of Karel as my "coach") has enabled me to run with better form, which allows me to be more economical. Because I have the fueling/hydration part down, my biggest focus this year has been to train the run so that I can keep great form. This includes specific runs sessions and strength training (which I still do - all season long). So far so good as I am running "faster" than in years past without any specific speed work training. I am also staying injury free (since June 2013) so that allows me to stay consistent with my run training. And for the first time in a very, very long time, I am actually loving running and I find it "easy" on my body. This focus also applies to bike and swim as I'm much more focused in strong sustainable efforts than trying to get faster just to prove to myself that I can go faster.
   
3. Enjoy the process - For anyone who has been in a sport for a long time, joy for the sport is just as important as having big goals. Although the winter months of foundation building are always tough, I find enjoyment in the developmental process. I don't try to skip steps, look for marginal gains or seek quick fixes. I love the daily grind, day in and day out. Triathlon is not my life so it's something I have to find time and energy for but it's something that I enjoy and thus, I do make time for it in my busy day. The fact that I am still improving in my 12th year of long distance triathlon tells me that something is working. Plus, I still love the sport today, as much as I did when I did my very first triathlon. 

IM 70.3 St. George race report

1.2 mile swim

Marni: 30.32 (3rd AG after the swim)

Karel: 30.17 (4th AG after the swim)

After the gun went off, I quickly went into my race effort to try to swim away from my wave. My feet were a little cold to start but they quickly warmed up (as did the rest of me). I could see a few yellow caps here and there but I didn't worry about anyone too much (especially the one girl who was quickly swimming away from me) as 1.2 miles is a long way to go and I typically find myself getting stronger as the swim goes on in distance. After a few minutes, I found myself in my swimming rhythm but that quickly changed as I now had to navigate through the 15 age group waves ahead of me. I am always mindful of the less experienced swimmers so I try to make sure to not be aggressive around them. I strategically positioned myself to the outside of the buoys to swim in relatively clean water but with every buoy that I passed (to my left) I found the lake to be more and more packed. With so many athletes together, I found myself zoning out a bit, with some thoughts that I didn't want to be racing right now. But as the swim went on, I found myself getting more competitive as I was passing a lot of people in the swim. By the time the buoy turned from yellow to orange, I knew I was half way. As the water started to get a little more choppy after the 2nd/last turn buoy, I was feeling stronger than when I started. I think not being able to get in the water for a swim warm-up threw off my mental state but I was happy that by the last half of the swim, I felt better in the water. The lake got really packed when I could see the swim finish arch and combined with the chop, I had to change up my swimming rhythm with a bit faster of a cadence. I managed to stay on course really well and after I exited the water, I was ready to get on my bike.
Karel managed to have an exceptional swim and stayed right on course. Although he started 16 minutes ahead of me, he still had to swim around a few athletes in the earlier waves. Karel makes sure to swim at an 80% effort for the entire swim as that gives him the "fastest" time possible without over-exhausting himself or swimming with an inefficient stroke.
My best advice for an open water triathlon swim is to always remain calm and confident in the water. The moment you stress out, tense up or worry, it's easy to panic. You must always remember that your swim training should build fitness but it should also transfer to great open water swimming skills and strength. Also, open water is still water. Don't let the lack of lane lines and no wall induce unnecessary fears. Believe in yourself.
As I ran out of the water, I quickly zipped down my wetsuit and ran past the wetsuit strippers. Since my wetsuit comes down to mid calf, it's very easy to get off. By the time I got to my bike, I stepped out of my wetsuit, put on my helmet (didn't forget it like I did at IM 70.3 FL!) and cycling shoes, powered on my Garmin 810 and I was off. 

I ran past the mount line and toward the barricades to avoid bumping into other athletes as I got on my bike. This made for a smooth start to the bike. Now that the swim was behind me, it was time to tackle 3200 feet of elevation over 56 miles on the St. George bike course. 

56 mile bike

Marni: 2:40.43 (1st AG after the bike)

Karel: 2:27.58 (2nd AG after the bike)

With this being my first time racing on the St. George course, I knew that I would need to take some risks in order to put together a solid bike. However, after driving most of the course (and riding the rest), I had a mental image of how to best execute the course. I did not chase speed or watts and I didn't wear a HR monitor. My perceived effort would help me produce my best effort possible, on this day, to deliver myself to the run. I hit the lap button on my computer after every significant change in the terrain so that I could review my file after the race to see how well (or not well) I executed the race. Karel never races by metrics as his bike racing experience has helped him master the concept of "racing by feel". Karel's only limiter these days is his lower back (disc issue diagnosed when he was also diagnosed with a hip labral tear in May 2016, which only affects him on the bike (and not on the run).
For the first 4.5 miles out of transition, the road went up.....although there was a gentle downhill after the first long climb, this was just before our first big climb of the day. With this all occurring on chipseal pavement, it was really hard to find a rhythm - but I was prepared for this. For this first section, my speed was 15.2 mph. Knowing this was just the start of the race, I was careful to not go too hard and to waste my energy in the first few miles of the race. 

I passed a lot of athletes on the first climb and that gave me an instant boost of energy. Karel discussed with me that the long downhills would not work in my favor because of my size so I knew I would need to use my climbing strength whenever possible.
I just loved the first 7.6 miles of the course. We passed through lots of farms (with furry friends watching us) and the course was free of cars. Although the pavement was never buttery smooth, there was nothing technical or difficult in this first section. My average speed for this section was 17.5 mph so once that first climb was complete, it was time to finally settle into a rhythm. 

I made sure to drink from my sport nutrition bottles every 10 minutes and to ensure that I stayed well fueled and hydrated, I took 3-4 big chugs every 10 minutes. After I finished my first bottle, I tossed it at an aid station to free up a cage for water. The temperature started at 63 degrees after the bike but around 10 minutes later, it was in the low 70.3. As the winds picked up throughout the day, so did the temps. 

For the next 9.3 miles (21 minutes), I was flying. Speed was up, power was low and I was passing a lot of athletes. I even saw one of my athletes Jane and told her to keep up the great work as I rode on by her. With a bit of wind at our back throughout most of the ride, I made sure to focus on constant chain tension to get the most out of every pedal stroke. My speed averaged 26.1mph for this segment with a cadence of 82 rpm.

With the entire left side of the hwy closed to cars, it was so nice to feel safe on the wide open stretches of road, especially with all of the downhills. After enjoying the free speed on the flat road, it was time to start our next climb - 2.4 miles of climbing. This climb took me about 9 minutes and I averaged 15.8mph. But after that nice flat segment, my legs were awake and I felt great on the climbs. Again, I was passing a lot of athletes and I had yet to be passed by another female athlete.

After this climb, we enjoyed a fast downhill before a few punchy climbs. This course was always entertaining with no boring part as the miles went by fast. I just loved how the course was broken up into different pieces, which helped me stay focused on the present moment and not jump ahead in thoughts (like thinking about Snow Canyon).

For the next 11.4 miles, I averaged 22.7mph and clocked my fastest ever downhill speed of 48.1 mph! Weeeeee!!!!

The coolest part of the run course was seeing Alistair Brownlee running on the run course as we were biking on the other side of the road. This 2x Triathlon Olympic champion looked so effortless running up the hills of the run course. Next came Lionel Sanders and then Sebatian Kienle. So inspiring!

For the next 10 miles or so, I averaged 22.5 mph. This section was very fast as we did an out and back section after descending down Red Hills Parkway (by the white Dixie sign, which was also part of our run course). 

After making a left to head to Snow Canyon, I noticed that the winds didn't pick up as much as predicted. It almost felt like we had a little push up the Canyon. The views were just breathtaking but I made sure to stay focused on my effort so that I wouldn't destroy my legs too much before the run. I found a nice steady rhythm and it was fun to see riders in the distance as my rabbits to catch. With a cadence of 75 rpm average up the Canyon and a total elevation gain of 1093 feet, my speed was only 12.1 mph average. The climb doesn't get too pitchy until the last mile and this was also the time when it started to get a bit more windy. Luckily, we had pre-rode this part of the course so that helped mentally more than anything to know exactly where I was as it related to pacing.

I made sure to grab a water bottle at the last aid station to use for cooling. Although I didn't want any extra weight loading me down for the climb, I only had 1 bottle left on my bike (out of 3) of sport nutrition so the extra water wasn't an issue. I used this water to keep myself cool as the Canyon felt very warm. My Garmin only recorded 79 degrees but it felt a lot hotter as the sun popped out of the clouds.

After making a right hand turn out of the canyon, onto Hwy 18, it was time to make our final descend into town. For 9.5 miles (minus two punchy climbs), it was a fast descend into town. I pushed as hard as I could on the pedals, in my heaviest gear and still only managed to ride 27.2 mph. Karel averaged a little over 30 mph for this descend!

I was passed by Caroline C. who is a super strong triathlete and cyclist on the descend but I caught back up to her on the two punchy climbs. I wasn't able to stay with her on the descends so I considered it a success that I was only passed by one female on the bike. Although other females rode faster than me, I was really pleased with my effort. When I switched over my interval screen to total time, I couldn't believe that I was so close to breaking 2:40 on this bike course.

I eased up during the last 1.5 miles, especially on Diagonal street, which was the start of the run course. Although a net downhill, it was a bumpy road and I was transitioning my brain into run mode. I made sure to take a few sips of my sport drink to finish 2.5 bottles on the bike course and used some leftover water to cool my body.

As I was making my way past the first turn about, I spotted my mom. She didn't expect me so quick so I gave her a big wave. She was excited to see me. After turning right after the second round about, I eased up on the pedals and finally dismounted my bike. 

I had a quick transition to my run gear but I didn't rush out of transition. I put on my race belt w/ number, hydration belt, shoes and hat (with sunglasses on the rim) but I wanted to make sure to keep my body temp as controlled as possible before the first part of the run so I walked my way to run out until I felt like I was ready to jog. Although I was able to pee a few times on the bike, I really needed to empty my bladder so I stopped at the port-o-potty which happened to be outside of the transition area, technically it was on the run course (so my time in the potty was included in my run time and not in my transition time). Although it  felt like forever, I don't think I spent more than 2 minutes to take off my fuel belt and take on/off my one piece tri suit. It felt SO good to finally go to the bathroom (triathlete problems). 

13.1 mile run

Marni: 1.49.08 (1st AG after the run)

Karel: 1:30.13 (3rd AG after the bike)

So you may be wondering about my Garmin run watch since I haven't mentioned anything on my wrist throughout the race. Well, I planned to put on my run watch in T2 but during my descend down into town, I convinced myself that my watch would be "too heavy" on my wrist and I didn't want anything holding me down on the run. Yes, that is right - I didn't wear my watch on the run because it felt "too heavy". Plus, I knew that pace meant nothing on this course and I didn't want to be distracted by anything as I needed to direct all of my attention on taking care of myself for the next 13.1 miles. 

So for the first time in a long distance triathlon race, I did not wear a watch - and I loved it!

After running out of transition, I made sure to not run too hard. For the next 3 miles, the road went up and up and up. Although the first 1.5 miles were a gentle false flat after the hill to the round about off main street, we had a steep incline up Red Hills Parkway for almost a mile. It was great to see the female professionals finishing up their run on the downhill as it reminded me that what goes up, goes down. 

I took it very conservative on the first few miles to make sure to get a good rhythm. At this point, I was feeling very hot and by the time I got to the top of the climb, I needed to cool myself off at the aid station. I stopped to take in water and ice and then began running again. In between the aid stations, I took in my sport drink from my flask. This way, I was able to hydrate every 1/2 mile or so and fuel every mile. I only took in water/ice at the aid stations and the ice was AMAZING. The volunteers were fantastic and it was great to see all of the support on all parts of the course. 

Although I felt physically ready for the run course, for some reason my mental strength was not as strong as I would have liked it to have been. I walked through almost every aid station as I was trying to stay as cool as possible and a big part of me wished that I would have taken the risk and just ran through the aid station. While in the moment I was trying to manage, I now look back and wonder "what if". Well, I guess that's part of racing!

On the positive, I was able to pass a lot of athletes in the back half of the run and I felt strong on all of the climbs. With two out and backs on this course, it was fun to see other athletes for instant motivation. Not only did I see Karel when I was about at mile 4 (he was passed mile 9) but I saw all of my Trimarni athletes out on the run course - which was so awesome! Another positive was another race with no GI issues and no low moments on the run. Although there were faster female runners out there, I felt like I took good care of myself to put together the best race possible - but a part of me is fired up to take a bit more risks at my next half next weekend in Greenville.

The wind really picked up throughout the day, as did the heat. Although the temps never got above 85 throughout the race, it felt hot all day. I found myself having to turn around my trucker hat a few times due to the wind.

As for Karel's race, he also didn't feel too happy about this run but he put  together the best race possible without ever racing on this course before. He was able to pass a few guys throughout the run but he said it took a lot out of him to try to keep up with some faster guys on the run. Karel relied on his fuel belt and Red Bull/Coke from the aid stations and didn't have any low moments and another GI-free race for Karel (he has never had any GI issues in a half or full IM).

After cresting the last big hill, it was time to finally make my way to the finish with 3 miles of running downhill. While the first part of the downhill was steep, the last 1.5 miles was not easy as it was in straight headwind - so I felt like I was still running uphill!

With about 1/2 mile to go, I saw Karel out of the corner of my eye as I was focused on one foot in front of the other to get myself to the finish. Karel ran with me for a few steps (he was on the sidewalk) not saying anything but just cheering me on by being there.

I was SO excited to see the finish as I felt like I put together the best race possible, under the race conditions, for my first time at IM 70.3 St. George. When I crossed the finish line, I was excited to see Karel and hear his race recap and then get back out on the race course to cheer for my athletes. While waiting for our athletes to get closer to the finish, Karel, Anthony, Robb and I hung out in the food tent. I was completely exhausted but no food sounded appetizing for a while, except my Cheribundi Rebuild drink that my mom was holding on for me for after the race.

Although I was sore, I was still able to walk semi-ok, so we made our way to the last part of the run course to cheer for the rest of the Trimarnis, until every one of our athletes crossed the finish line. For me and Karel, our title as athletes is over once we cross the finish line. Then it's back to being coaches until all of our athletes finish the race. 

Later I learned that I placed 1st AG and Karel placed 3rd AG. A repeat from our results at IM 70.3 FL. I was pumped about another AG win on such a tough course but I am eager to come back next year as I feel more experienced on this course and I feel I can do even better next time. The finish line area was great, for family and friends and the awards ceremony was packed with athletes and spectators, in the middle of downtown St. George. It was hard to say good bye to this beautiful venue but we will be back next year for another great race-cation!

Congrats to the Trimarni team for placing 1st Division V Triclub! 

Thank you for the support. As always, if you have any questions about race execution, race venue details or nutrition, don't hesitate to reach out via email. 

A BIG thank you to our 

2017 Trimarni sponsors and affiliates:

-Run In - for helping us with all of our running needs
-New Wave Swim Buoy - for keeping us safe and seen in the open water
-Mg12 - for helping our muscles stay relaxed
-Clif Bar - for quality ingredients in quality sport nutrition
-Cheribundi - for providing a safe, natural and delicious way to reduce inflammation
-Veronica's Health Crunch - for the most delicious hand made crunch - ever!
-Infinit - for customizable sport nutrition
-Levelen - for helping us optimize our hydration needs through sweat testing
-Hot Shot - for keeping Karel cramp-free!
-Solestar - for maximum stability, better power transmission
-Boco Gear - for helping us race in style
-Canari - for the most comfortable, functional and stylish gear

-Xterra - for the fastest wetsuit ever (so fast, Karel is now beating me in the swim!)
-Alto cycling - for enginnering the fastest race wheels
-Swamp Rabbit Inn and Lodge - for keeping our campers happy with perfect lodging options
-Salem Anesthesia - for your Trimarni support

IM 70.3 St. George race report: Pre-Race

                                  

FRIDAY (Day before the race)
On Friday morning, Karel, Peggy and I set out for a spin on the run course, while Meredith did her run warm-up for her relay. Because of the layout of the run course, we had several opportunity to wake-up our legs with the undulating terrain on the Red Hills Parkway. Although the run course was mostly all marked, we were a little confused by some of the out and back sections but nevertheless, we still saw enough to know that the run course was going to be one tough half marathon off the bike. But with the theme of the race, the views on the run course were spectacular.

After the hour-ish spin, I went for a 20 min jog on the run course. With our rental home located only about 2 blocks from T2/finish, it was the perfect location to get anywhere by car, foot or bike. My run included a few pick-ups to get my legs ready for race day. Overall, I felt good but something inside me had me worried that I wasn't going to have a good race day. I tried to ignore all the confusing pre-race feelings making me feel "not ready" so I made sure to clear my mind and focus on all of the training I had done, up until this race, to remind me that I was ready. Plus, with all my athletes around, I was filled with constant inspiration and excitement to race. As a coach and athlete, I can honestly say that with every race that I race, I become a better coach because I can put myself into the same situations and scenarios as my athletes. And with 11 years of endurance racing behind me, I have learned a lot by racing a lot.

After my short pre-race warm-up, it was time for a big breakfast which included hardboiled eggs, fruit and french toast, along with a glass of OJ. Knowing that the St. George race would require a lot of energy, I made every effort to load-up on carbohydrates before the race, without feeling too stuffed and uncomfortable. Since I always have a great relationship with food and my body, I don't worry too much when I do feel a bit "heavy" before a race. In my mind, calories are energy and with a plan in place, I trust what I am feeding my body as it is fuel for race day. For me, I gain more of a competitive adventure by loading up my muscles with glycogen going into the race than to risking GI issues by trying to overfuel on race day on calories/carbs (especially with the heat and difficulty of the course).

                           


Although I spent the morning relaxing, Karel helped out our athlete Natalie with her bike, as her base bars cracked in route to St. George (from Texas). Karel and Natalie went to every local bike shop to try to find a new set of bars as Karel was not going to let Natalie ride with cracked base bars. With no luck, they finally found a set at the Diamondback Bikes, which saved the day. For the next two hours, Karel rewired Natalie's bike with the new base bars attached so that she would have a safe ride for race day.

For lunch, I had pizza (leftover from our team pizza party on Thursday night - pizza from the Pizza Factory), salty tortilla chips, a handful arugula and fruit. That meal hit the spot.

                                       

With T1 located about 22 miles away from T2/finish, we had a mandatory bike check-in (with bike gear - helmet and shoes) on Friday from 1-6pm. To make sure that we could rest in the afternoon/evening and limit time out in the hot sun (the high was 96 degrees!), we headed out to T2 after lunch (around 1:30pm) and around 25 minutes later, we were at Sand Hallow State Park to drop off our bikes. We brought our bikes and bike bag with helmet, shoes and anything else for the bike (besides nutrition).

                                            

                                            

It was a little windy so our bikes were blowing around a bit, which always makes me nervous since my bike never touches the ground. Yay for being 5 feet "tall". We met up with a few other Trimarni's in transition, which was great to see familiar faces. I feel so much positive energy when I am around our athletes. Despite the logistics of having to plan for a point to point race, the drive to the swim start is just beautiful so we certainly did not mind driving there twice before the race (on Thursday we swam in the lake for an entry fee of $10 per car). The race staff did an excellent job of making this race super scenic and easy to get around.

                           


On the way home, we (Karel, Meredith, my mom and her friend Sharon) drove the bike course to get familiar with the layout of the course. Karel had biked the entire course between Wed and Thurs ride so it was nice to have him giving us the "real feel" based on being on a bike versus in a car (where it always feels different in a car). After driving the first 35 miles of the course on Friday and then including our ride on Wed (which included miles 35-56), I felt very prepared mentally for the bike. With so much Greenville riding behind me, I was really looking forward to the bike portion of the race. My only concern was how  I would execute the bike as the climbs were long and the descends appeared to be fast, and there was only one section of flat roads after the first major climb out of T1. However, I felt confident that I could put together a solid bike based on all of the riding that I have done over the past 3 years in Greenville. I suppose that is one of the exciting parts of racing- you can't plan the outcome when you need to focus on the present moment.

After driving the course, we arrived back to our rental home around 4:00pm and we were ready to eat. Rather than having a snack, thus pushing dinner back a few hours, I encouraged my athletes to eat an early dinner to allow for plenty of time for digestion before bed. Thus, it allowed us to all snack before bedtime without risking an upset tummy before bed. For dinner, I had hardboiled eggs (no tempeh at the Smiths grocery), tomato soup and basmati rice, topped with salty tortilla chips and a little cheese. Although a light dinner, I felt very well-fueled from all the eating on Thursday and Friday, in addition to only working out for 2 hours total on Thurs and Friday. Around 7pm, I felt a little nibbly so I had a snack of yogurt with granola, which hit the spot before laying down in bed around 8pm.

Before a race, I like to listen to motivational Ted Talks on You Tube on my Ipad, while Karel listens to Techno. We both like to visualize about the race as this helps us get into the zone. Listening to people talk also helps me feel sleepy. By 8:45pm or so, I was out and surprisingly, I slept really well! Perhaps it was the comfort of having a house full of athletes (and spectators) so I knew I wouldn't oversleep through my alarm (which I have never done but always a fear which keeps me from sleeping well the night before a race).

My alarm was set for 3:45am. By 3:40am, Karel and I were out of bed and ready to cross this race off our bucket list!

Race Day Morning
By 4am, I was drinking a small cup of coffee and a glass of water before heating up my pre-race pancakes that I made on Friday afternoon. My pancakes total around 500 calories (including syrup and a little butter) but I was having a hard time eating them all . I tried my best and left one pancake on the plate. Still a success on race day morning at 4:15am.

After getting ready for the race and grabbing our morning clothes bag (with swim gear) and run bag, around 4:45am, a few other Trimarni's (from the other Trimarni rental home) came to our house and we all walked over to T2/Finish in downtown St. George (about a 8-10 minute walk) to set up our run gear in transition and to board the free shuttle buses (school buses). There were lots of buses so obviously, the race director was prepared for all of the athletes choosing to ride the buses. The other option was to get dropped off at the race venue but this option prevented athletes from being dropped off right at transition and instead, you had to take a short walk. Spectators were not allowed to ride the buses but the race event staff did a great job helping spectators get to the swim start with parking options at the swim venue (about 1/2+ mile away).

We boarded the buses around 5am and by 5:30am, we were at the swim start. Although I arrived two full hours before my wave start, I didn't mind the extra time as I was in no rush to set up my transition area, do a warm-up and stop by the port-o-potty a few times. I actually liked the extra time and surprisingly, it went by fast. As we were heading to the swim start on the bus, while listening to my music on my phone, I realized that I had left my bike computer in my transition bag, which I decided not to bring last minute. Oh no! Karel offered to give me his computer as he doesn't look at any metrics when he rides but I told him I would be fine without it. Although I would have been fine without it,  I did want to look at my bike file after the race and have something to glance at to keep me on a schedule for drinking throughout the ride. I had no power goals for the race and I did not wear a HR monitor so my computer was there for reference. But, I did ask my mom to bring it, in case she arrived before transition closed at 6:30am and thankfully, she did and saved my day!

                                                    

Before heading to bed on Friday, we found out via Facebook that the race director moved up the swim wave times. With predicted wind gusts of 40mph, the race director wanted to get everyone out on the bike course as quick as possible.So instead of me starting at 7:54am, my wave started at 7:31am.

After arriving to the swim start/T1, I put my bottles on my bike and Karel pumped up my tires (Karel took out air in our tires on Friday due to the hot temps). It was rather warm out (66 degrees) on race day morning but with the water temp at 64 degrees, I wanted to stay warm before the start - I stayed dressed in long pants, a hat and a jacket before putting on my wetsuit around 7:10am

Because Karel started 15 minutes before me, I wished him good luck before heading off to start my jog warm-up.

Funny story - Karel was so excited to spot two empty port-o-potties at the very far end of the parking lot/transition area during his jog warm-up, that he could not wait to tell me about them. Oh, it's the little things on race day that are so important to athletes :)

I spent a good 10 minutes jogging around to get my blood flowing, with some dynamic warm-ups. Since we couldn't get in the water before the race, I relied on my dry land warm-up to get me heart pumping before the swim start.

I hung out with my mom, and a few of my athletes, before the swim start and around 7:15, I started to make my way to my wave (18-24W and 35-39W). I made note of the other women waves so I knew when all of the female waves started. This was my first experience starting way back in a race but I didn't let it get to me much as I was actually looking forward to seeing so many athletes on the course versus being alone for most of the bike ride, like I was at IM 70.3 FL 4 weeks ago.

With each wave started 2 minutes apart, the time went by really fast. I felt a little weird before the start, which concerned me a bit but I just told myself that I would feel better once I got into the water.

I gave my mom a wave before we were allowed to enter the water and in less than 2 minutes, I was swimming about 100 yards or so out to the start buoys as my only warm-up. I had a short amount of time to adjust my wetsuit and put water inside the neck/chest of the wetsuit so that the wetsuit wouldn't "suck" on my chest and neck. I also used that time to relax and take a few deep breaths before it was time to start the race. 

                                 
   I just love my purple Xterra Vengeance wetsuit - it's so easy to spot!

                                 

                                
With a 30 second warning, I adjusted my goggles once more and then it was time for the 10 second countdown. I took a few deep breaths and exhales, started treading water a bit faster and then we were off!!

Stay tuned for part II of my race report.......

IM 70.3 St. George - quick recap

The human body is an amazing machine. I love to use my body. When I can use my body to conquer a challenging race course, I feel very strong and accomplished. I love this feeling. To me, this feeling makes me love and appreciate what my body can do and thus, I find myself continually invested in the process of being the best athlete that I can be, for as long as my body will let me do what I ask it to do in training and on race day.

A challenging race course is not comfortable and it's not easy. You can't just wing it and hope for a good result. A challenging race course requires great physical and mental strength and resilience and the ability to adjust quickly to the many different scenarios that occur during the race.

On a challenging race course, you can't predict what will happen during or at the end of the race. Thus, a challenging race course brings a deeper meaning to what it means to be "an athlete."

It's easy to avoid challenging courses for fear of not being able to complete the course or because of the inability to predict (or control) the outcome of the race. Easy courses are safe but there is so much that can be learned by embracing the challenge of a difficult race course.

Challenging race courses require discipline in the preparation for the race.
Challenging race courses require commitment, from start to finish.

Challenging race courses require respect to the race course. 

Challenging race courses give you a greater meaning to life.

Challenging race courses give you a strong appreciation for your body.
Challenging race courses teach you more about yourself than you ever thought was possible by your body.

As soon as we arrived to St. George on Tues evening, I was in love with the scenery. Knowing that St. George offers a very challenging 70.3 race course, I knew this was the perfect venue for us and our athletes.

The course was everything that we wanted it to be....and more.

The weather started out warm at 66 degrees and increased to the upper 80's, with the winds picking up as the day went on.

The swim was picturesque. The water was a perfect cool 64 degrees. There was a bit of chop in the water in certain sections but otherwise it was a great swim with plenty of buoys to help us stay on course.

The bike was challenging. There was only a short segment of a flat road after the first big climb out of T1 so the theme of the day was climbing. Lots and lots of climbing. But with every climb there was a nice descend, especially the last 8 miles which descended us into town after climbing the 4ish miles in Snow Canyon. The wind was certainly a factor on race day as the winds picked up as the day went on.

The run was difficult. Very, very difficult. But we love a challenging course and this run course exceeding our expectations. The wind + long, long climbs were brutal but that is what we came for. Although there was a 3 mile descend into town, the 10 miles prior required a lot of mental and physical strength and smart execution.

The finish was fantastic! Right in the heart of downtown St. George! After 70.3 miles, the finish line was invigorating!

We could not be more proud of all the Trimarni athletes who came to St. George. Everyone started the race and everyone finished the race. Congrats for conquering this difficult race!

Trimarni trifecta relay: Tricia, Freddy, Meredith
Adam G.
Joe N.
Natalie R.
Robb F.
Angelie J. (Relay)
Jane G.
Stacey.
Peggy N. (and hubby Anthony)

Thank you St. George for the warm welcome and to the race staff, what an exceptional race that was well supported by the community. The course was very well marked, extremely safe and was filled with 3000 volunteers.

Karel Sumbal 

1.2 mile swim: 30.17

T1: 2:23

56 mile bike: 2:27.58

T2: 1:32

13.1 mile run: 1:30.13

Finish: 4:32.23

3rd AG (40-44)

58th overall male

Marni Sumbal 

1.2 mile swim: 30.32

T1: 2:19

56 mile bike: 2:40.43

T2: 1:59

13.1 mile run: 1:49.08

Finish: 5:04.41

1st Age Group (35-39)

24th overall female 

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

RACE GEAR

MARNI:
Swim: 

Goggles: TYR Pink 2.0 special ops 

Wetsuit: Xterra Vengeance long sleeve
Gadget - None
Kit: Canari custom short sleeve Trimarni tri suit
Sport Bra: Oakley Women continuity bra
Pre-race fuel: 4 homemade pancakes w/ syrup, banana slices and butter. Glass of water and cup of coffee. 1 scoop Clif Cran Razz hydration in throw away plastic bottle sipping in the 45 minutes before race. 

Bike: 

Bike: Trek Speed Concept 7 series custom (pink rocket) w/ Shimano ultegra Di2 shifting.
Tires/tubes: Specialized S-works turbo tires and vittoria latex tubes
Gearing: Front: 39/54. Rear sprocket: 11/28, 11sp

Wheels: Alto cycling. Front: cc56. Rear: cc86
Chain: KMC X11SL Pink
Saddle: ISM PN 1.0
Bottle cages: Xlab turbo wing with 2 Gorilla cages (rear), Aerobars - Bontrager pink cage

Helmet: Lazer Wasp Air with shield

Fuel: 3 bottles each with Infinit Trimarni base blend (230 calories per bottle, grape) + 1/8 tsp salt (pink Himalayan). A few swigs of Enervitene cheerpack (no caffeine). 

Socks: Swiftwick 

Shoes: Bontager RXL hilo
Power meter: Garmin Vector 2 pedals
Bike computer: Garmin Edge 810

Run: 

Shoes: New Balance Zante (Pre-race warm-up shoes: Hoka Clifton 3)

Hat: Trimarni Boco gear performance trucker
Sunglasses: Oakley women radar lock with vents

Hydration belt: Nathan mercury 2 (2 x 10 ounce flasks)

Fuel: water and 1 scoop EFS grape per flask
Gadget: None

KAREL
Swim: 

Goggles: Michael Phelps (MP) XCEED

Wetsuit: Xterra Vengeance long sleeve
Gadget - Garmin 735XT
Kit: Canari custom short sleeve Trimarni tri suit
Pre-race fuel: 2 Espresso. Croissant with jam and a few sips chocolate protein Bolthouse drink ~2 hours prior, sipping 1 scoop LEVELEN in water bottle. 1 Hot Shot pre race. 

Bike: 

Bike: Trek Speed Concept 8 series custom w/ Durace Di2 shifting 

Wheels: Alto cycling. Front: ct86. Rear: Disc CT311. With CeramicSpeed bearings.
Tires: Tubular S-Works turbo
Gearing: Front: 55/42. Rear: 11/25, 11sp
Chain: Ultra Optimized Chain
Saddle: Pro Aerofuel Carbon
Bottle cages: Rear: Profile mount with Gorilla cages. Front: Bontrager 

Helmet: Giro aerohead 

Fuel: 3 bottles (2 with 1.5 scoops Levelen Strawberry. 1 with 1 scoop Levelen Strawberry). Hot Shot. Enervitene cheerpack. 

Shoes: Bontager RXL hilo
Power meter: Garmin Vector 2 pedals
Bike computer: Garmin Edge 810

Run: 

Shoes: New Balance Zante breathe (Pre-race warm-up shoes: NB vongo)

Hat: Trimarni Boco gear performance trucker
Sunglasses: Oakley radar lock
Socks: Swiftwick 

Hydration belt: Fuel belt helium (3 flasks )
Fuel: 1 Hot Shot in T2. Red Bull, coke and water at aid stations Flasks: 2 with EFS pro, 1 with Precision hydration 500. 

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

A BIG thank you to our 

2017 Trimarni sponsors and affiliates:

-Run In - for helping us with all of our running needs
-New Wave Swim Buoy - for keeping us safe and seen in the open water
-Mg12 - for helping our muscles stay relaxed
-Clif Bar - for quality ingredients in quality sport nutrition
-Cheribundi - for providing a safe, natural and delicious way to reduce inflammation
-Veronica's Health Crunch - for the most delicious hand made crunch - ever!
-Infinit - for customizable sport nutrition
-Levelen - for helping us optimize our hydration needs through sweat testing
-Hot Shot - for keeping Karel cramp-free!
-Solestar - for maximum stability, better power transmission
-Boco Gear - for helping us race in style
-Canari - for the most comfortable, functional and stylish gear

-Xterra - for the fastest wetsuit ever (so fast, Karel is now beating me in the swim!)
-Alto cycling - for enginnering the fastest race wheels
-Swamp Rabbit Inn and Lodge - for keeping our campers happy with perfect lodging options
-Salem Anesthesia - for your Trimarni support

IM 70.3 St. George - one more sleep!

I can't believe the time is finally here. One more sleep until race day! This race has been on my bucket list for many years and for the past year, I have been training specifically for this one race day. This race venue is incredible and it's hard to describe the beauty and the difficulty of the bike and run course. I'm so excited to share this course with 12 other Trimarni athletes and the rest of the St. George 70.3 participants.

As you may know, I love challenging courses. I love feeling strong when I race as it makes me feel grateful for what I can do with my body.

For tracking us on race day (note, this is also the North America Pro Championship so be sure to track the pros!):

Karel Sumbal - Bib number 132 (wave start 7:27am mountain time)
Marni Sumbal - Bib number 571 (wave start 7:54am mountain time)

Here are some pictures from the past 1.5 days.....

Swim venue

Be seen with the New Wave Swim Buoy.  MarniTri for a discount. 

Love our Xterra Vengeance wetsuits! Especially for the 60 degree water temp! 

T1 transition area at Sand Hallow State Park. 

Karel off to bike the first 40+ miles of the bike course to finish up riding the entire bike course (combined Wed and Thurs rides). 

Quick stop at Kneaders for local bread. 

Happiness - cinnamon roll bread!!

Athlete check-in. 

Colleen spotting! 

Athlete briefing at the race expo in downtown St. George. Only 92 degrees out!

Coach Karel and assistant coach Joe listening closely. 

Trimarni selfie! 

Most of our Trimarni group, excited to tackle the St. George course!

Biking the run course for a pre-race warm-up on Friday. 

Tough course - we love it! 

Trimarni athlete Peggy gearing up for her 2nd half IM! 

The view on the top of the run course. We climb up and up and up to enjoy this view!

So many bike paths! 

Dixie on the Red Hill. Here's the story.

Run course. 

More views on the run course. 

Still on the run course. 

More on the run course. 

Run course. 

Run course. 

Heading back up on the run course. 

Thanks for all the support. I hope that my pictures have inspired you to travel to St. George to experience this challenging and beautiful race course! Although I don't know what my day will bring, I know that this is one amazing course and I can't wait to finally experience it!