Hincapie Gran Fondo race report

The alarm woke me (and Karel) up at 5:30am so that I had time to eat a pre-race/event meal (2 waffles + PB, syrup and banana for me) and to warm-up with a cup of coffee.

My athlete/good friend Meredith arrived to our house (via car) at 7am and we all drove to the parking area for the Hincapie Gran Fondo, about 20 minutes away. I rode with Meredith to chat about the execution for the "fun" 80-mile bike event while Karel followed in his car.

I'm sure you can agree with me when I say that you can't help but get excited when you see other like-minded individuals doing what you love to do. Despite the mid 40-degree temps, there was a big field full of vehicles, all with bike racks and a road lined with cyclists, heading a mile down the road to Hotel Domestique.

It was very nostalgic as it reminded me of all of the bike events that I went to with Karel. 

After riding our bikes on the hwy for 1 mile (we had the shoulder, which was marked off with cones - again, a well organized event!) we arrived to the hotel around 7:50am, with about 20 minutes to spare before we could position ourselves in the corral.

We dropped off our gear bags, stopped at the port-o-potty one last time and then secured our spot near the front of the corral.....only to wait there for the next 50 minutes. 

Despite the shivering, we had a good time in the corral. We were cracking jokes, I organized some photos on my phone, we took some selfies and we enjoyed listening to the announcer (Chad) get the crowd pumped up for the adventures ahead.

After the pro and VIP call-ups, it was time to start our ride at 9am. It was about 2 minutes later that we finally started to roll our wheels up the hill. The ride stayed neutral for just a short time and then we finally started to pick up speed. 

Although I am calling this a race (start line, finish line, bib number w/ chip = race), I had absolutely no expectations for this event. My number one goal was to give my best effort throughout all 80-miles, ride confidently with my improved bike handling skills and be challenged by the other cyclists who could bring out the best in  me. And I also couldn't wait to climb as I love the feeling of going up a hill (or a mountain). 

The first hour went by fast. It's amazing how one stretch of road can go by so quick when the road is lined with cyclists. I found myself with several small groups of riders but every group seemed to be a bit disorganized with no rotating and breaks in the group. Throughout the entire ride, I made sure to take care of myself with hydration/calories and paying attention to the road and riders ahead of me. I've learned a lot from Karel and three tips that I always remember when riding in groups: 

1) Don't ride behind sketchy riders or behind people who you don't like their riding style

2) Don't depend on anyone else - take care of yourself and do what you need to do to not get dropped

3) Move yourself up in the areas where you don't excel (ex. sharp turns, u-turns, downhills) so that you don't get dropped

Karel managed to move up to the front lead pack of riders right away as his bike handling skills allowed him to squeeze through all the riders ahead of us in the staging area. Looking back, I should have made more of an effort to try to follow him instead of patiently waiting until there was room to find my own clear path. Karel "raced" with the lead group to the top of Skyuka mountain, in the company of Andrew Crater (and his girlfriend Debbie, who won the female race) and George Hincapie (and other pros). Later Karel told me that George was not even working hard on Skyuka and he made it look so easy as Karel was really giving a hard effort to the top.

When Karel got to the top of Skyuka, his legs reminded him that he was not yet recovered from Kona/3 IM's this summer so he backed off the effort and just focused on surviving back to the finish. He later told me that he should have just backed off a gear on Skyuka and then he could have rode comfortably with the second big group (which George and other pros). 

Once we turned off Hwy 11, the fun began. I found myself riding well in a group and then when a climb came, I moved myself up to the next group. Because it was so windy out, I made sure to not expend more energy than needed - in other words, even if a group was not super fast, I had to decide if the group was worth leaving just to do my own solo effort in the windy conditions.

Although it was cold out, I was dressed well with compression socks, cycling shorts, a base layer t-shirt, a jersey and arm warmers. I also had gloves (which I took off after the descend down Skyuka) and ear covers. I would roll down my arm warmers during the longer climbs and then roll back up. It was an absolutely wonderful day to ride - although extremely windy. 

The ride around Lake Lanier was fast - it's like a rollercoaster with twisty switchbacks with hardly any climbing. One thing that really helped me out with my ability to ride confidently on this course was knowing every mile of this 80-mile course. This is why we always tell our athletes to know their upcoming race courses because it helps with terrain management and you can execute so much better on a familiar course than one that is unknown.

Once we went through the town of Tryon (which had a nice cheering section for us as we rode by), we were only a few miles or so away from the start of the Skyuka climb. It's been almost a year since I have done this climb so it felt very knew to me and I was excited to experience it again.

Around 26 miles into the ride, I was climbing the first KOM. I didn't hold anything back but at the same time, I wasn't leaving it all out on the course as I still had a long way to go (with 2 more big climbs) until the finish.

The climb is tough as the grade is steep and there is no section that lets you "recover" with an easy spin. You give a solid effort (you have no choice) all the way to the top for 4+ miles. 

I found myself passing a lot of guys and I felt like I was really moving. Part of me wished that I had someone to push me up (ex. sitting on Karel's wheel) as I felt like I was giving a good effort but I wanted to be challenged a little more. Perhaps it was for the best because later I learned that I had the 3rd fastest female time up Skyuka. 

I made sure to enjoy the unbelievable mountain view at the top but I didn't stop to take any pictures as I didn't want to get cold before the technical descend. The aid station stop was less than 1/2 mile from the top so I quickly stopped (and looked for Karel in case he waited for me - nope!) to refill my water bottle (I had gone through 1 bottle of 250 calories in 26 miles).

I noticed a large group of cyclists but didn't pay attention to who was there. My only thought was that I need to get down this technical descend before they do so that I can hopefully hang with them for the next climb - Howard's Gap.

I made my way down the descend but it wasn't without one quick pic. Despite the scary descend, there are water falls and a few of the views between the trees are spectacular. The pavement was sketchy, just like the tight switchback turns but the volunteer support was amazing and with the few cars out on the road, they always gave us the right of way.

I made my way down the descend while having a heart-to-heart conversation with my brakes (please don't burn off!) and was so relieved to be on the bottom.

After a mile or so, I looked back and saw the group coming so I made sure to ease up so that I could try to get on a wheel. 

Luckily, by the time we hit Howard's Gap (how brutal, it's just a few miles after the Skyuka climb!) the wind was blowing right in our face (as if that climb isn't hard enough!) the group was riding at a controlled effort and I was able to "hang on" just fine up the climb. 

While riding with the group, I wasn't paying attention to who was around me. I had a short conversation with another lady (not sure if she was a participant or not as I didn't see her bib number)  who was riding extremely strong. She mentioned she use to race bikes.

Once we got to the top of the Howard Gap climb, I was SO relieved. Although we still had a good 50 miles to go, I felt like the hard part was over and now I could have some fun!

The group made a quick pee stop before descending down into Saluda (and by descending, there is still climbing going on in the mix) so I continued on for a few miles before the group caught me again. I didn't want to face the risk of possibly losing the group when they started after the pee stop (as I am not so great at rapid accelerations or punchy efforts) so I always tried to stay ahead of the group when they stopped.

When we made our way to start the last section of the ride - the Green River Cove loop - it occurred to me that I was not just in any group.

I finally made the effort to look around me and I realized that I was riding with George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, Jimmy Johnson, Brent Brookwalter and likely some other pros that Karel would recognize. 

THIS IS THE GROUP I NEED TO STAY WITH!

Although I'm sure I would have had fun with any other group as the course was well marked, there were event course marshals out on bikes to offer support and cops controlling traffic (although very few cars were out)....there were a few extra perks with this group that I was riding with.....

We had wheel support, a video camera on us, a motorcycle escort, tech support, vehicles all around us for safety....yes, this is how you ride in style :)

My biggest fear was losing the group on the Green River Cove "descend" as it has a few technical turns that I am not yet comfortable turning into at top speeds (and with a group). I did my best and managed to stay with the group until one really tight switchback (while descending) where I lost the group. Luckily, I had heard George say they would be stopping at an aid station coming up (I knew the location) so I didn't stress too much as I just needed to get to the aid station before they left the stop. 

When I stopped, I spotted Trimarni athlete Joe so it was nice to see a familiar face. I asked if he saw Karel anywhere but Karel was long gone from the start of the ride. I told Joe he needs to stay with me in this group and just like my excitement, we both were feeling pretty cool on two wheels to be riding in this elite group of cyclists.

I can't say enough about the Green Cove River route but it is beautiful. Although at this point in the event, my legs were feeling a bit fatigued. I was still able to ride well but the pace really picked up and I was struggling to hang on. I had a lot of mental talks with myself "you can't get dropped now!" so I really pushed the effort to try to survive with this group. For the first time since I got into this group around mile 35 or so, they were riding hard (or maybe I was just getting tired).

I was having a hard time drafting and sometimes I was one bike behind but thankfully, a rider behind me would give me a push on my butt to get me back on a wheel (thank you whoever did that for me!).

I was really worried about what would happen when we hit the last KOM climb as I was feeling tired and I didn't know what the group would do ahead of me, but when we started the climb, there I was moving up. I wasn't able to push  like I could on Skyuka, and with 17 switchbacks (and a few extra in between the categorized ones), I was doing the best I could.

There were signs at every switchback letting us know how many more we had...

"16 out of 17 switchbacks left"

"15 out of switchbacks left"

Etc.

After the KOM ended, I knew it was all downhill......that is, until we kept climbing back to Saluda and then climbing some more, until we reached the South Carolina border in the Watershed.

I met up with a friend from Jax, Dirk Bockel (Challenge Roth winner, IM Kona 5th place pro, Olympian) and we chatted a bit and it was just what I needed as it took my mind away from the fatigue in my legs. I really wanted to stay with the group as long as I could because I wanted Karel to see who I was riding with (I knew Karel would be impressed and happy for me) at the finish.

With 10 miles of a slight net decline down the Watershed, I new that if I wasn't with the group at the top of the watershed, I wouldn't be able to finish the group.

This "descend" was unreal. With support vehicles all around us to stop cars, I was in a huge group going 29-31mph for 10 miles - oh the thrill! I didn't look at my speed during the ride but I could feel we were going fast. It was so fun!

When we finished the watershed section, we only had a few miles to home. At this point, I was still with the group and everyone was chatting. I thought the effort would go up but I saw that George's son Enzo was with our group, it was a great way to end the ride - causally riding up to the finish. 

 

Well, little did I know....my race was "lost" in this casual effort to the finish. I missed the podium by 18 seconds!

I could have easily gone on my own and sprinted up to the finish to get those 18 seconds (I wouldn't have been able to get those 18 seconds anywhere else as the group helped me ride faster than I could do alone) but I had no idea that I would even be close to the top, let along top 10, at this cycling only event.

Well, lesson learned with a tough love post race talk from Karel telling me that it's never over until you reach the finish line. 

There was a slight mix-up in our chips (Karel had my chip on his bib number) so we had to tell them at the finish so that the right results were shown for the awards.

After grabbing my jacket from my gear bag (I was windy and cool out), I was so ready for some food and to sit down and rest.

I was pretty exhausted in the evening as the ride, coupled with the cold, took a little out of me but I was really proud to have finished behind two professional female cyclists and 3rd place, a pro triathlete from Canada.

Although I had the 3rd fastest chip time, they went by total time - bummer.

I took a lot away from this race and like any event, I learn so much as an athlete. The more opportunities I have to be in a "race" environment, the more prepared I feel at my next race.

There's always mistakes to be made, lessons to learn and obstacles to overcome but as long as you don't give up, you will create success. 

IM Kona '15 RR - 112 mile bike

Thank you Erin  for the pic. 

As I rolled away from the transition area, I noticed that my power meter was not picking up on my Garmin 810 and all I could see was speed (this season, I haven't worn a HR monitor when I race). This is not the first time that this has happened as sometimes power meters just don't pick up and I have to restart my computer.

I made the mistake of trying to get the power to show in the most "technical" part of the course - the first 8-10  miles in town. I should have just waited until I was on the Queen K hwy with no distractions instead of trying 3-4 times to turn it on, wait, turn it off, turn it on, wait, turn it off...

Although several athletes were "racing" right from the start, Karel and I both used this first section to find our legs. I tried to avoid the thoughts of "how am I going to feel on the bike" while swimming so instead, I used this first section to wake up my legs. I kept the effort easy and light on the pedals and despite a lot of athletes around, I didn't let anyone affect what I was doing. I changed my position several times in this town-section (from the start of the bike to the climb to the Queen K, to the climb to Palani, to the downhill on Palani to the climb on Kuakini to the downhill on Kuakini after the turn around and then on the climb on Palani to the Queen K) from aero, sitting and standing to not only wake-up my legs but to also move my pelvis around to get comfortable for the rest of the ride. 

After I (safely) got through town, I hit lap on my computer as I wanted to focus on only 20-25 minutes at a time to help with better pacing. I continued to hit lap about every 20-25 minutes.

However, with my power never showing up, I just forgot about it as if it was meant to be to not focus on power and I just rode by feel (which isn't hard since that is how we do a lot of riding here in Greenville because of our terrain). And because power meters love to fail on race day, Karel gave me the tip of having an interval screen that did not have power on it so I set it up to only show lap speed, current cadence, lap time. This way, I didn't have to look at an empty screen with no power showing up.

Prior to the race, I changed my screens on my Garmin so that I had 3 screens as to what I wanted to see on my Garmin (if I had power I was going to look at normalized lap power, 3 sec power, current cadence, lap time, lap speed). This made it easy to scroll the pages so that I wasn't looking at data that was not useful (like elevation gained, calories burned, average speed, distance covered or total time - these things don't help me pace better or race smarter). 

Anyways - back to the race.

I instantly felt strong on the bike. With almost 30 miles or so before our next turn, it was time to get into a rhythm. I stayed on top of my liquid calories with 300-ish calories and 1 scoop salt in each 24 ounce (throw-away) bottle. I chomped on a few Clif blocks here and there and doused myself with water at every aid station and also drank about 1/2 bottle of water at each aid station. Every time I finished a bottle on my bike, I tossed it at an aid station.

Karel had a similar nutrition strategy although he also consumed gels (Power Gels and Enervite cheerpack) and a power bar (he can tolerate almost anything, except he doesn't prefer Gatorade, on the bike)

I was quite confused by the weather which is no surprise in Kona - although the temperature may not change on paper, the winds are another story.

It felt as if I was getting a little bit of a push but it wasn't true tailwind - it almost felt like crosswind that was not necessarily helping us go faster but not too crazy difficult to ride in. Historically for IM Kona, the wind direction is tailwind going out and headwind coming back, except for last year (from what I can recall) when athletes had headwind going out and tailwind coming back (but crazy winds in Hawi in both directions).

The winds in Kona are what make this race so unique in that it is nearly impossible to pace yourself - why?

Because the winds are constantly changing as they did for us/me this year.

And to make things a bit more difficult, my swim time was not fast enough to put me with a pack of fast cyclists so there was a lot of passing/being passed going on. 

Now this isn't to say that I need a fast group to draft off but competitive endurance triathletes know that you can gain so much by being "pushed" by a faster group - and this can happen by riding alone and constantly passing people (as weak swimmers/strong cyclists experience) or drafting legally with a strong group/rider in front of you to set the pace (in Kona we can use the road reflectors to distinguish what is legal drafting - between two road reflectors on the ground).

When you have to slow down, every time you or passed or make the decision of "do I have the energy to pass this person?" and this happens for miles and miles, it is really hard to get a good rhythm. This is why many athletes prefer riding alone in a race (at the front) so that they can race their own race. In my case, when I come out of the water in a fast time (typically in an hour in my wetsuit swims), as a less-strong cyclist (although I am improving), I am motivated to push because of the other athletes in front of me.
I tried to not let it affect my race but I felt I was spending more time pulling back or passing people than just riding my own race.

For Karel, he is doing a lot of passing at his IM races but in Kona, he didn't get stuck on power or anyone around him and he didn't get upset if anyone passed him - he just focused on how he felt and really focused on not taking risks. 

The miles just passed by and before I knew it, I was making a left turn at Kawaihae to start an 18-mile adventure up to the town of Hawi.

Weeeee. Wow - now that was a nice push of wind from behind for a mile!

We made a slight right turn to officially start the 18-mile climb toward Hawi and it was nice to see the professional  men (and eventually women) making their way back to town. This was a nice boost as the Queen K is very limited in crowd support (aside from a few cheers from people outside their resorts along the Queen K).

After miles and miles of only the ocean, lava fields, a few palm trees and mountains in the distance keeping me company, it was really exciting to see the professionals.

Back to the race - 

When I started my climb toward Hawi, I noticed that there were no white caps to indicate strong winds. This gave me comfort but then again, when Karel and I rode last Saturday in Hawi (1 week before the race), we said the same thing and then nearly got blown off our bikes a few miles later.

With several rollers on the road along a steady, not significant, climb toward Hawi, I finally felt in my element. And thanks to Paul Buick who gave me some excellent bike handling tips in my private bike session on the Thurs before the race, I felt extremely comfortably on my bike, handling my bike really well while climbing with a few manageable gusts of wind in the last 7 miles.

I continued to stay up on my nutrition and kept a good mindset. I felt as if I had executed the first part of the ride really well as I still felt really strong and fresh.

As I was riding along, I spotted Karel making his descend in his aero bars and my first thought was to cheer for Karel "Go Karel!!!!!" He smiled.

My next thought was "it doesn't look too bad on the descend" which gave me a lot of confidence for what was to come after the turn around in Hawi. 

I did notice that Karel flipped his Giro attack shield up on his helmet (magnets) and then I questioned why he was riding without his shield???

Well, a mile later I figured it out as I was being cooled by drops of rain from the sky. 

And those drops turned into a downpour with a few gusts of winds making this bike ride very eventful. The rain was welcomed but it certainly affected my confidence as I was a little scared to descend (especially if we were to get crosswinds) in the rain. 

After the turn around, I switched into a lighter gear to stop at special needs (bottom of a little incline).  I rolled up to my bag as a volunteer was already standing there with it. The volunteer who helped me with my bag was awesome and boy, was he quick! I stopped, straddled my bike and asked him to put my bottles into my 3 empty cages. Done!

And off I went.

We could not do this without the amazing volunteers!
(Karel stopped at Special Needs too)

On the way back, the rain was still coming down but it slowly stopped. And before I knew it, I was hot and dry again. However, I do think that the rain helped because my body did not feel toasted like it had in previous years. Little did I know that this rain shower was the last time I would feel "cool" before the race was over. 

I felt very comfortable during the next 18-miles and actually rode most of it in my aero bars (aside from getting out of the saddle for a few short climbs). At this point on the course, I felt alone with very few athletes around.

I didn't really worry too much about having to ride the last 30 miles or so alone (mentally that is tough) as I was anticipating tailwind going home (based on the wind direction going out) so I figured it would be an "easy" and fast ride home.

Ha. So wrong. Thanks Madame Pele.

After passing by the gas station and only a mile or so before the right turn onto the Queen K hwy for our 31 miles or so back to town, I climbed the steepest and longest climb of our bike course (also the hottest part of the island on our course)  and felt really good. Karel took this climb very casually and although I planned to do the same, I just couldn't help but get out of my saddle and do my normal "climbing-style" which is most comfortable for me.

There was a small crowd at the corner of 270 and 19 which was welcomed and brought a smile to my face.

After making the turn and soft pedaling to stretch out, I noticed a flag in the distance that was waving in my direction....and not the other direction.

Oh Madame Pele.....seriously, headwind....again?

For the next 28 miles - I experienced headwind. Just like on the way out - not a single push behind me but maybe a few pushes from the side (which didn't really help me).

Whereas in 2013, I experienced the same thing and felt absolutely exhausted, this year I felt strong. All of my hill training in Greenville was paying off. I managed to pass athletes (mostly on the incline sections) and I never mentally or physically felt extremely tired.
Sure, it was frustrating at times but I didn't feel like the wind was winning over me.

Not knowing what my average speed or total time was, I just embraced the elements and focused on checking off destinations. I made it a point to just get to the next destination - I focused on one resort to another, one aid station to another. Soon enough, I spotted the airport. When I passed the airport, this was an exciting time- only 7 more miles to go! At this time, I switched my mind into run mode and focused on easing up on the pedals and not overdoing it before the run.

I could feel my body getting a little tighter and I was getting a little more uncomfortable on the bike but I still managed to stay focused. I stood up out of my saddle a few extra times to stretch and finished off my last bottle to start the run properly hydrated and fueled (the best that I could).

When I made the right turn off the Queen K onto Makala blvd, I was looking forward to being off the bike. Because I didn't have the entire bike ride on my computer, I didn't know my total bike time or average pace so I could not make any assumptions as to how my ride went based on metrics.  But in terms of how I felt, my endurance allowed me to bike strong and I felt it was a really great ride.

After looking at the time of the day on my computer, I did a little math and knew that I didn't have the ride that I wanted to have (on paper). I ended up biking 5:44.08 (14 minutes slower than IM Kona '13).

But in racing an Ironman, it's a long day and anything can happen - good or bad. The race is not over until you cross the finish line.

As I was nearing the transition area, I could see a few top age group girls that I know starting the run. This actually gave me confidence that I was still "in the mix" (whatever that meant to me- I didn't know - but I was trying to stay confident and not let my swim/bike times get to me).

I dismounted my bike, removed my shoes (and carried them) and with the first few steps, I felt shaky in my legs. I knew this feeling wouldn't last long (or I hoped) so I just focused on collecting myself before the run.

I really needed to pee (I only had one good pee on the bike) so I stopped in the potty in the transition area before grabbing my run bag. Oh - it felt so good to sit and not move.

I then jogged to my run bag and into the women's changing tent.

My volunteer was great and she helped me with my hydration belt, hat and run shoes and I asked her to spray my Coola sunscreen (which I had in my bag since I like spray, not rub-on, sunscreen) on my back and shoulders.

OUCH!!

Oh boy - did I ever chaff in the water on my back and neck!

I thanked the volunteer, had a few sips of water for my mouth (and a few cups to cool myself on my back) and off I went for the most mentally and physically difficult runs of my life.

As for Karel, he was really happy with his bike. 5:06.50.

Typically he can push hard and recover quickly on the bike and he has enough bike experience to take a few risks but he had great respect to the race elements and didn't try to take any extra risks that would elevate his HR or body temperature. Even though Karel comes from a cycling background, he has managed to excel in Ironman racing simply from being smart with his pacing on the bike to have a great run.

He focused on short segments on the bike and managed each segment the best he could. Rather than thinking about it as out and back, he just focused on a smart execution within each segment. He didn't focus on his power or any metrics, it was all by feel.

On the way back with the wind, he said there were many guys who completely blew up so as he was passing them, he knew he paced it well. The only thing he complained about was once he got off the bike, the pier was soooooo long to run around (every athlete has to run all the way around it, the same distance).

Stay tuned for my 26.2 mile run race recap. 

Challenge Williamsburg Race Report - 56 mile bike

I had only one goal for this race on the bike and that was to break 2:40. In 10 half ironman races, I can't recall myself ever riding faster than 2:42 in a half ironman and based on how strong I felt at Challenge Knoxville, I went into this race with confidence that I could achieve a PR bike. All I wanted to see was a 3 behind 2 hours and I would be happy. 

Aside from my first three half ironman races (at Disney), the majority of my races have been very low-key events. Rather than racing with 2000+ athletes, the typical athlete count is around 500 or less. 

Because of the low number of athletes on the course, this always provides a very fair race yet also an very individually paced race (with minimal drafting). 

With most of my rides averaging around 16.5-17 mph in Greenville, I went into this race with excitement to see what my body could do on flatter terrain. Karel has worked really hard to help me learn how to "chase" athletes but still stay within my own abilities. After feeling like I was able to "stay" with others on the bike (yet still drafting legally) at Knoxville 4 weeks ago, I really wanted to settle into a rhythm but still feel like I was racing and taking smart risks at Williamsburg. 

The entire bike course was beautiful. Tall green trees and miles of green grass surrounding us whereas we turned. The course was not entirely flat  but instead, there were several false flats, just a  few gentle rollers and punchy climbs and then one long-ish climb (well more like punchy if you had good speed on the previous downhill) within the last 5 miles. 

All in all, it was not a "hilly" course by no means but it was not pancake flat.

I really enjoy this course - in addition to the well-paved roads (well, most of them), there were minimal cars on the road and the volunteers at the aid stations were outstanding (throughout the entire race). I don't know if it is just me but I find the athletes at Challenge races extremely nice. Maybe it's because athletes are not chasing "slots" but I have felt such a great vibe at the last two Challenge races. 

For my endurance triathlon races, my strategy when I get on the bike is to wait 15 minutes until I drink from my first of three bottles (each containing ~300 calories) and to allow around 10 minutes for my legs to wake-up before settling into a rhythm. 

Within 10 minutes of the bike, my legs felt heavy. I wasn't anticipating super fresh legs but my legs were not feeling good on the bike when I started my ride. I felt like my RPE was higher than what I wanted. Looking back, I ended up riding my highest power and speed in the first 20 minutes of the bike (177 NP watts/22.5mph) but in the big picture I do not feel it compromised my race as I was trying whatever I could to wake up my legs. 

I ended up using the first 20 minutes to do a few fast and heavy gear intervals. There was no specific time for each interval but just to help wake up my legs on flat terrain, I would electronically shift into a heavy gear and that would slow down my cadence to around 80 for maybe 30-90 seconds and then I would switch into a lighter gear (all still in the big chain ring) for 30-90 seconds at around 95+ rpm. I was not focusing on my Garmin, just listening to my body. After around 20 minutes, my legs finally began to wake up. 

Somewhere in the first 20 minutes of the bike, Karel passed me. It was great to see him but he was too fast for any type of conversation. Because he was doing the aquabike, he could take as many risks as he wanted but seeing that Karel was never a good time-trialing cyclist when he raced Cat 1, he didn't find himself crushing the bike like he wanted. 

Around 10 miles into the bike, a guy passed me and then I found myself right behind him - staying 3 bike lengths behind him, I told myself to just try to "stay" with him as long as possible. It felt like we were a good  match and sometimes I would pass him on a climb/hill but it always seemed like he would end up ahead of me and I was just unable to pass him and ride away. 

Three times I noticed a race official passing us while riding along the course and never getting a look as if we were doing something wrong. This guy and I really rode well together - still always staying draft legal between one another. Whereas in a bigger race, there may have been 10-20 people around us, it wasn't until around 25-30 miles that another guy passed us and it was great motivation to know that I was able to stay with 2 guys on the course. 

Most of the time, we were riding alone. I can't recall more than 5 guys passing me on the bike course. 

Although drafting legally did not provide me with an "easy" ride, it did push me to not let up when I found my mind questioning if I was riding too hard. This is exactly what Karel has been trying to help me with and finally I felt as if I was taking smart risks and really racing. 

I have four cages on my bike and in a half, 3 cages are for bottles (one cage is for my spare tubular tire in a cut water bottle). I consumed 1 bottle sport drink each hour and grabbed two bottles water on the course (at aid station 2 and 3) for sipping and cooling. Although some sections of the course were shaded, the majority was not but instead, in open fields or roads and it was starting to get very hot. 

I wore COOLA suncare spray (SPF 30) and it always seems to protect me in the heat for long races and I never feel sticky with it on. 

When I got to the out and back section of the course, around mile 42, this was the first time that I was able to see athletes ahead of me. I first spotted Karel and gave him a big thumbs up - he later told me after the race that he couldn't believe that I was so close to him. Over the past two years, we have seen some huge improvements in my cycling. Training in Greenville has contributed to most of those improvements as well as strength training and continuing to get dialed in with my bike fit from Karel (with his RETUL fit system). Karel last fit me in late April and since then, I have been riding much more efficient and stronger. 

I spotted Amy and another girl (Jen) who were leading the women's amateur race and all of a sudden, my goals shifted. I didn't want to lose sight of my two time goals of breaking 2:40 on the bike and finishing sub 5 hours for the first time but I questioned if maybe, just maybe I could squeeze in top 5 amateur female. I didn't push my luck thinking I could be top 3 as I wasn't sure what would happen on the run and with the heat, this would not be the race to "race" the run - it would be all about survival and managing efforts. 

For the next few miles, I found myself with a lot of mind games, wondering what kind of run times would be needed for a top finish by the athletes, also not knowing the run course, how much of the course would be shaded and how technical would the gravel section actually be? Gloria always tells me not to jump ahead with my thoughts so I made sure not to convince myself that I would fall apart on the run just because I was pushing the bike. All my thoughts were bottled into one big thought to help me race smarter. 

Miles 50-53 were welcomed with a nice downhill and then long-ish uphill before heading back out on a main road for the last two miles of the 56 mile bike. 

Within 56 miles, I easily finished all three of my bottles (600 calories) plus a small bite of my wafer (100 calories) and consumed about 1/2 bottle of water (between the two aid stations where I grabbed water and sipped and cooled myself). I hit lap on my Garmin every 20 min and never looked at my total time....until the last 2 miles. After turning on my Garmin 910 to get ready for the run, I switched my Garmin 510 over to the main screen (instead of my interval screen) and I couldn't believe what I was seeing for my total time. 

As I rolled into the Sports Complex, I eased up just a bit and then unclipped my shoes, stopped my Garmin and got off my bike at the dismount line. 

I rolled my bike to my rack and there was Karel at the fence talking to me.
It felt like I was taking the longest time in transition but for some reason, I was in no rush to start running. I really wanted to compose myself before running 13.1 miles in the hottest temps I have ever experienced (including Kona - somehow it felt hotter than Kona). 

Karel told me that Amy was a few minutes ahead of me so I counted her out as a good target. Karel said that he thought there was 2-3 girls ahead of me which was exciting knowing that maybe I could place top three amateur. I told Karel that I biked 2:32 and he said "That's great - you were so strong I couldn't believe how fast you were riding."
As I put on my dad's hat and running shoes, I put on my race belt and then grabbed my Nathan hydration belt and started to make my way from the first race for bike-in all the way to run out on the other side of the transition area. Again, I took my time and was just not ready to run yet. 

Karel reminded me that I do well in the heat and this course was perfect for me but I wasn't quite ready to believe him just yet. My legs were not too excited to run but once I crossed that line for run out, I started running (with my hydration belt on) and I grabbed water at the first aid station around 10-20 yards or so from the run out to cool myself on my head.
I also grabbed ice and dumped it in my sport bra and took a few pieces in my hands to hold to try to keep myself cool. 

As soon as I hit the gravel and felt the shade, I was instantly relieved to feel some shade. Although it was still hot and the gravel terrain was far from being flat, it only took a few minutes before I felt myself excited to see what I could do to see if I could come close to achieving my sub-5 hour goal. 

It would be a few miles before I would see any of my competition so I shut out the thought of placing on the overall amateur female podium and decided to just run happy for the next few miles of our 4-loop run course. 

Marni stats - 56 mile bike2:33:02 (21.95mph)

Karel stats - 56 mile bike

2:20 (23.78 mph)

Stay tuned for my 13.1 mile race recap......surviving the heat, staying fueled/hydrated and running my way to overall female amateur winner!

IM Austria race report - 112 mile bike

I think we can all agree that it takes a great amount of fitness to ride a bike for 112 miles. It doesn’t matter if you are riding 15mph or 25 mph because it takes a great effort to power your body for 4+ hours in order to turn two wheels, continuously, to move your body and machine in a forward motion. Throw in wind, heat, rain, rolling hills, descends, bumpy roads, potholes, etc. and it takes more than good fitness to ride smart (with a fit body) for 112 miles.

But the Ironman is more than being fit enough to ride your bike 112 miles.

The Ironman is not a bike race (if you don’t believe me, ask Karel). In bike racing, your primary focus is on the other riders and staying with them. There is nothing "individual" with a bike race for if you are not with the leaders or the pelton, well you are not in the bike race and unlike triathlons, there are no finisher medals in bike racing. A triathlon, unlike bike racing, is all about an individual effort. If you forget to focus on yourself, you will find yourself racing outside your abilities or perhaps, not working toward your pure potential. 

The Ironman is more than being a good cyclist for it is a day of swimming, biking and running. Therefore, the human body must be trained in three sports in order to swim, bike and run. In other words, once you exit the 1.2 mile swim portion of an Ironman, the bike is not about proving how fast you can be while riding 112 miles but instead, how strong and efficient you can cycle in order to run a marathon off the bike.

Our training for Ironman Austria over the past 1.5 months was a wee bit different than my last 7 Ironmans. Ok, more than 4000+ feet different.

Since moving to Greenville, SC from Jacksonville, FL, we never ride without an elevation change. Almost every ride that we do, from 90 minutes to 5 hours, includes at least 3000 feet of climbing, with the majority of our longer rides around 5000-6500 feet of climbing.

Because of this great stress on the body, we were able to perform many intervals throughout our "local" rides (especially longer rides) based on our riding terrain. I never saw an average speed for a ride more than 17.5 mph and most of my rides were around 16.5-17mph. Thus, our ability to incorporate our “train smart” philosophy into our IM Austria prep after moving to Greenville was quite simple for we were never big fans of riding for distance or chasing an average speed during a ride. Our power files were larger than while riding on the flat roads despite many opportunities to “rest” our legs while descending from a climb.

Over the past few years, I have found myself recognizing how much easier it is for my body to race on hilly courses. Now don’t get me wrong…..hills are very taxing on the body but they present ample time to pace an effort and perform “intervals” with "rest" while riding. 

I believe that athletes must be strong to ride on hills in a triathlete but not necessarily fast. And for those who enjoy hill riding but want to be faster, the goal is to not ride more but instead, to become more powerful while on the bike and above all, improve your skills on the hills/descends. The Ironman is not about speed but instead, who fatigues the least by the finish. Therefore, the Ironman race requires more than great fitness on the bike (or swim or run) but instead, knowing how to pace your day with your current level of fitness, all while staying mentally strong and consuming adequate sport nutrition to support metabolic needs during the bike and to fuel for the upcoming run and to minimize/avoid GI distress. Let’s also not forget that a course that has changing terrain requires the athlete to troubleshoot every situation for it is likely that there will be obstacles during the day on a “challenging” course, from changing temperatures and weather conditions to residual fatigue.

Ironman Austria bike course (1 loop shown above)

Karel and I rode around 42 miles of our 56 mile bike course (1 loop) on the Thursday preceding the race. This gave us a great opportunity to not only enjoy the beautiful sights of Austria (pics here), but also to get to know our terrain and how we would pace our own race on race day. Simply put, Ironman Austria (like most of my other challenging Ironman races) had a bike course that was challenging with the climbs but also presented plenty of opportunities to be fast with appropriately timed downhills. 

I never thought I’d say this but the 5300 total feet of climbing at Ironman Austria (yep – our “fast” course was filled with elevation gains) was not as challenging as I had imagined it would be for we ride much more difficult courses in our new hometown of Greenville. The main difference between our Greenville bike routes and the IM Austria bike course (aside from a closed course on race day) was that IM Austria had a great flow of climbing and descending so that with every climb, there was a great opportunity to recover. Although the IM Austria course was challenging, Karel and I were given the opportunity to race smart on race day.

On race day, we used our cycling skills for climbing/descending (obviously, Karel has much more experience in this area but I have been forced to become a more skillful rider in Greenville), we made sure to race safe and abide by race rules (no drafting) while riding with others on the same course, we love having electronic shifting which makes shifting gears efficient and easy (in aero bars and base bars as well as while standing), we enjoy training with power but we also know how to perceive our effort,  having a proper RETUL bike fit for an efficient and powerful position on the bike, we trust our well-practiced sport nutrition and we love climbing and on top of all the ways that we love to race smart, we trained smart for race day without risking injury or fatigue and thus we were both able to take a few risks on a perfect day of racing and race to our full potential.
Despite not planning 1 training ride over 100 miles in the past 7 months (my longest ride was 5:40, 93 miles), I felt extremely prepared for this race. 

After exiting transition area, I made a sweeping left turn to the turnaround which was flooded with spectators behind the barricades. This turn came soon after exiting transition area and then it was only a few miles until I made another turn around. Although this time, it was a right turn around as we had moved from the right to the left side of the closed road. I found myself with mostly male triathletes in front and behind me but there was plenty of room on the road to get my legs into a good rhythm. For this race, because of all the climbing on race day and my last 1.5 months of training only on hilly terrain, I felt as if having a power goal range was not going to work to my advantage. The effort had to feel right and with my experience in Ironman racing, I knew where I could take risks and where I would need to hold back and most of all, I needed to be sure I checked in with myself frequently as I also stayed consistent with my fueling.

I had my Garmin Edge 500 set on my normal interval screen so I could focus on my 3sec power, normalized lap power (my main gauge of how I am pacing myself), average speed, lap speed, current cadence and lap time. I did not wear a HR monitor in this race as it is not beneficial to how I pace my race. Every 30 min or so, I would hit LAP so that I would only focus on 30 minutes at a time over my 5+ hour race. This allowed me to go primarily by feel but every time I looked down at my screen or hit my lap button, I could check-in with myself to see how I was pacing myself. Certainly, if I was pushing watts 50+ higher (per normalized lap) than what I am use to, then I would need to back off. But if I was happy with how I was feeling and my watts were showing me favorably numbers to reflect my current level of fitness, I went with it and carried on.
My watts are always higher while climbing (especially since I prefer to climb out of my saddle with more body weight on the top of my pedal stroke) so the key for my ability to control my normalized power while riding hilly courses all comes down to pacing myself on all areas of the course. 

As for nutrition, I grabbed water at every aid station and once I finished my first INFINIT sport bottle, I tossed it at the aid station in the tossing zone and kept water on my bike. I made sure to finish my sport bottles every 75 minutes while consuming additional 16-24 ounces of water (or so) between the aid stations (and using for cooling to help reduce core temp). 

The day started off with cloudy skies and I knew there was a chance for rain and wind. This doesn’t bother me for it just presents another opportunity for me to use my trained body to race smart. I have seen many fit and fast athletes waste a great race day performance on just chasing a goal time or expecting more out of their body or when comparing fitness to others, instead of using current fitness to race smart with what the day presents. 

On our race day, the average temperature of the entire bike was around 67 degrees and we had a mix of sun, clouds and rain along with wind. There was a lot to battle on race day but I stayed focus on my 30 minute intervals so that I could simply break down the race into practical sections to race.

The first part of the course is fast. You are simply flying on twisty roads with a few bumpy climbs on smooth roads. I felt great on this section and this gave me a lot of confidence for the middle section of the loop which includes the longer/steeper climbs.

The course was lined with spectators at the popular sections of the course (climbs) as well as in towns and villages. There was a lot of crowd support which was great. I made sure to smile at all the doggies on the course and to moo and nay at all the wildlife (I hope they understood my English). 

There was not a lot of chatting between athletes on the course so I could tell that the athletes were taking this race very seriously. When speaking to another German athlete that we became friends with, he mentioned that because there are not of European Ironman races compared to North America, all the fast athletes flock to the races. So whereas there may be 10-15 top athletes at every North America Ironman, it's like putting all of those athletes from those races at one race and making them all race against each other. The competition was fierce at Ironman Austria!

Additionally, this course was not technical but with so much terrain changes and a few rough patches of road and the amazing jaw-dropping views, you had to stay sharp the entire time. I was happy we rode the course ahead of time and took time to enjoy the scenery for on race day I was focused on my race.

I wasn’t passed by many women which made me feel as if I was riding strong. I felt good and when I got to the first climb, I heard a voice behind me “Great job Babe!”

YIPPE!!!! Karel!!!!

What a great place for Karel to catch me from the swim for as we were climbing we were able to chat for a brief minute which made me super happy. Karel told me about his swim and that he was super happy with how it went but equally happy that it was over and he survived the mass start. He asked me about my swim and I told him I almost broke an hour and he said that was great. Then he was off on the climb and all I could see was the back of his Trimarni kit riding away in the distance.

Karel took a lot of risks on this bike course and he really pushed hard on all sections - climbing and powering down the hills (and his sub 5 hour time showed it!)

Karel said that by the start of the 2^nd loop, he started to feel a bit low in energy but thankfully he was able to get over it. As for me, I felt good on the first loop but even better on the 2^nd loop!

Although I was pushing and listening to my body, I really tried to hold back on the first 56 miles because I knew that there would be a chance of getting tired from miles 80-100 (after 4 hours of riding + 1 hour of swimming) and also, I knew it would get windy on the second loop as we were riding through many open valleys.

The course is two loops but is broken into two loops, a small loop and then a larger loop which connect in a small town/village away from the transition area. Every part of the course has something different and although nothing too technical, this course really requires good skills and power. Because Karel and I missed a turn on our pre-ride of the course, we didn’t experience the 1.5 mile climb that occurred around mile 40 or so of the bike (not positive on this distance of where the climb occurred) so we both were wondering what the body would feel like while riding this climb (for every climb is different). There was a steep but moderately short climb that first woke up the legs and then came the climb.  I was climbing, and climbing and climbing and surely, out of gears by the start of the climb. This was one loooong climb and my speed for the climb was well under 7 mph. Thankfully the crowd support alongside an on-site DJ made me smile during the climb. There was one short section when I could sit down and pick up my cadence a bit (and shift down one gear) but then it was right back up again for the last two steep sections of this long climb.

But what comes up, must come down. Weeeeeeee. After a super fun descend (with a few small “ups”) and then a few miles through valleys and villages, it was time to make the left hand turn into town to start the second loop.

Because I felt as if I held back on the first loop by my perceived exertion and had been doing really well with keeping up with my nutrition (the cooler temps made for a happy gut/digestion), I was wondering what my body would do in the 2^nd loop. Gloria always tells me not to jump ahead with my thoughts on race day and I always listen but this time, instead of questioning how I would feel on the 2nd loop, I actually look forward to the 2^nd loop for I was ready to start racing!

After I made the turn around outside of transition area and welcomed lots of screams by the fans and volunteers, I was out for the last loop and I was ready for 56 miles to push and to take a few more risks. 

Whereas Karel pushed from the start of the bike to the finish (he never wanted to ease up), I tried to be a bit more conservative on the first loop. By the 2^nd loop, I found myself passing guys (although still being passed by plenty) and keeping a few strong girls in my view. With the last 56 miles a thing of the past, I kept my mind focused on the last part of my 112 mile ride, feeling as if this was the start of my 112 mile ride. 

I was having SO much fun on the bike. Even with the rain coming down (it wasn’t a downpour) on and off for around 30 miles or so of my 2^nd loop (and on the big climb and several descend), I still was loving this bike ride. 

I had to pee 3 times on the bike and saved it for the downhills for it was the only time I could stop pedaling. I lost some of the girls that I had in my view when I was relieving myself while riding but I couldn’t keep holding it in for it was so hard to pedal strong with a full bladder. Karel also peed several times on the bike. We were both well hydrated J

I finished all 4 of my bottles on the bike as well as 2 gels and 2 additional bottles of water from the aid stations. I felt so good on the bike and for the first time in a long time, was really feeling confident for my run……despite not a lot of high volume run training (my longest run since Kona in October 2012 was 14 miles). 

Karel had his 3 bottles of custom INFINIT mix + 1 gel + 2 bananas + 1 bottle of water + a few bottles of ISO (sport drink from Power bar)  - taking sips of the sport drink as needed.

Karel is a lot more flexible with his fueling regime compared to me but he does rely on his INFINIT (liquid calories) as his primary nutrition for training/racing. 

As I was riding into town, I mentally checked in with myself to address anything and everything that may impact my pacing on the run. My body and mind felt good and this was a great thing. The day was simply perfect for fast racing but it takes more than a fast and fit body to race well in an Ironman. 

As I was nearing the transition area, I stretched my hips a bit (although I had done that plenty with all the climbing on the course and getting out of the saddle), took my last few sips of my customized INFINIT sport drink, poured a little water on my head for cooling and spun my legs to the dismount line. 

After I dismounted my bike, I took off my cycling shoes and carried them with my bike to my bike rack. As I ran by Karel’s bike (his shoes still on the pedals) I was so excited to see him on the run…. I just didn’t know when. 

As I racked my bike, I saw 4 other bikes in my rack. Not knowing how many girls in my AG started in the first wave, I was really excited about the chance to place top 10 in my first international Ironman. There were no body markings in this race so the only way I knew my competition was from the bib numbers. I checked the range of numbers for my AG in the athlete guide and also the bib numbers had age groups.

As I was nearing the changing tent, I made a quick stop in the port-a-potty to fully relieve my bladder. Because the potties on the run course in an IM are always hit or miss if they will be full or empty, I took advantage of plenty of potties in transition area. Karel also had a stop at the potty in T2. Neither one of us had any GI issues on race day, just simply full bladders from being hydrated. 

As I ran to my run bag in T2, I turned around my bib number and then entered the women’s changing tent. There was only 2 other women in the tent so plenty of room. I then took off my cycling helmet and cycling shoes and put on my run shoes (with quick release clasp). I put on my dad’s corvette hat and instantly felt ready to run from his presence on my head. I grabbed my baggy with my two gel flasks with NAPALM powder in each flask and water (a bit more than 100 calories in each flask) and I was off. 

I did not sprint out of transition but instead, I walked to drop off my T2 bag with cycling contents inside) and then proceeded with a jog and then with very fresh-feeling legs, once I stepped behind the T2 line, I was officially starting my run. I hit lap on my Garmin 910 for the multi sport function to change to run and I switched my screen to my run interval screen and I was off running to start the end of my Ironman Austria day…..only  26.2 miles until the finish! Now to find Karel!

I checked the total time on my watch as I was leaving transition area and the time was around 6:35-6:40 or so (from what I can remember). Ok time to do some math....if I can run a 4 hour marathon that will put me around 10:40, just 2 minutes off my time at Kona in October (which was a PR). But if I run a 3:45 (my best IM run time is 3:48 and I have always wanted to run under 3:45), that's 10:25 and a HUGE PR for me. Could I actually do this with my body and mind?

 

OK, no doubting myself....it's time to take some risks and run for a PR!

Karel stats: 

112 mile bike (180km) – 4:56:23 total time 

Average speed – 22.59mph (36.44km/h)

Division rank: 38^th after bike

Overall rank: 202 after bike

Gender rank: 193 after bike

Splits:

25.2km – 40.43km/hr (25.06mph)

35.5km – 34.46km/hr (21.37mph)

55.4km – 39.65km/hr (24.58mph)

64.5km – 32.18km/hr (19.95mph)

92km – 37.16km/hr (23.04mph)

112.4km – 35.62km/hr (22.08mph)

122.7km – 32.36km/hr (20.06mph)

142.6km – 37.25km/hr (23.09mph)

151.7km – 30.36km/hr (18.82mph)

180km – 36.13km/hr (22.4mph)

Fun facts: 

Karel passed 143 males in his age group on the bike. He passed 649 athletes on the bike and he passed 596 males on the bike. Way to go Karel in your 2^nd Ironman triathlon!!

Marni stats: 

112 mile bike (180km) – 5:29:07 total time 

Average speed – 20.3mph (32.82km/h)

Division rank: 6^th after bike

Overall rank: 699 after bike

Gender rank: 34th after bike

Splits:

25.2km – 36.61km/hr (22.69mph)

35.5km – 31.11km/hr (19.28mph)

55.4km – 35.38km/hr (21.93mph)

64.5km – 27.72km/hr (17.18mph)

92km – 32.41km/hr (20.41mph)

112.4km – 33.02km/hr (20.47mph)

122.7km – 31.19km/hr (19.33mph)

142.6km – 34.33km/hr (21.28mph)

151.7km – 26.25km/hr (16.28mph)

180km – 32.82km/hr (20.234mph)

Fun facts: 

I was passed by 3 girls in my age group on the bike. I was passed by 396 triathletes on the bike and I was passed by 8 women on the bike. 

Time to see how many people I can run down!