'25 Ironman Chattanooga Race Recap - Finding Strength on an “Off” Day

Pre-Race 

We started our drive to Chattanooga around 1pm on Thursday. Sunny has been keeping me busy with his new "job" as a therapy dog and we spent an hour in the morning at the Children's Museum. 

The drive was uneventful with on and off rain. The quickest route was through the mountains and the drive was very beautiful. It was a new route to us and we loved it. We arrived around 6pm to our Airbnb (1/2 mile from the race start) and unloaded the car. I ordered Chipotle online and picked it up around 7pm. My body was feeling great all week but I was very tired. It was as if I couldn't get enough sleep to feel rested during the day. I was supposed to get my period on Monday but I was feeling stressed and anxious all week which contributed to a late period (it arrived Friday afternoon). 

On Friday morning we went to the Dam for a swim. It felt good to be in the water (which was warm). I wore my swim skin and swam for around 30 minutes. I included some faster efforts throughout. It was nice to see some of our athletes (Lindsey, Greg and Jiri) at the dam. Karel was in Nice and Czech for a week and a half and his mom came back to stay with us until December (she can stay up to 90 days in the US). It's nice to have her here. I'm so grateful for all of Sunny's obedience training because last year in Chatty Sunny was so anxious and fearful and it would have been impossible for his mom to walk him. Now, Sunny is a well behaved pup and he is so good on the leash with Karel's mom (who is 80 years old). 

As for the rest of the day, I checked in for the race, walked around the Expo with Sunny and got some work done. Karel went for a 2-hour mountain bike and picked up groceries in the afternoon. 

For dinner I had my typical pre-race pizza (from Community Pie) - which was delicious. 

On the two nights out from a race, I try to get as much sleep as I can knowing that I won't sleep well the night before the race. I slept around 11 hours and it felt amazing. Karel put my disc wheel on my bike and I rode out to St. Elmo to meet up with our athlete/friend Yannick. While I was out biking, Karel went for an hour run. I rode for around 75 minutes and threw in a few efforts while staying on Yannick's wheel. We rode on some of the old course, which is just beautiful. 

After the ride, I went for a short run (11 minutes) and felt really good while running. I then prepared my bottles and my transition bags. I packed up my nutrition in baggies before I left for Chatty so it was easy and quick to prepare everything. I also brought extra nutrition in case I spilled anything. I also used the extra sport nutrition (~150g of carbs each day) to help carb load on Fri and Saturday (drinking some of my carbs instead of trying to eat everything from solid food). 

Run Nutrition: 

45g Never Second C30 Berry in 10 ounce flask (consuming every 45 minutes) + ~275mg added sodium (~1/8tsp salt) 

Never Second Gels as needed

Sips of Ketone Aid as needed

Bike Nutrition: 

1 x 26 ounce bottle per hour with 90g INFINIT Fructose (Fruit Punch and Grape flavors) - each with 1/8tsp added salt. 

I dropped off my bags and bike around 2:30pm and watched "You're Cordially Invited" on Prime. I like watching a movie on my iPad on the afternoon before a race (while enjoying a brown sugar Pop Tart) and this movie had me laughing out loud. I was feeling blah since it was the first day of my period so carb loading was a bit uncomfortable. I had my normal bagel, waffles, PB and eggs in the morning/lunch, Pink Lemonade (instead of OJ - easier on my tummy) and for an early dinner  rice w/ Amy's No Chicken Noodle Soup. I snacked on pretzels throughout the day, a banana and a yogurt. I also sipped on INFINIT (~90g carbs) and had Never Second (~60g) in my bottle during my warmup ride. 

As I mentioned, two days before the race, my period started, and honestly, I just felt off. I wasn't excited to race. I was very nervous. I wasn't feeling terrible—just not feeling 100% in my body and mind. And that’s the thing about Ironman: you can prepare perfectly and still wake up to challenges you didn’t plan for. My training over the past few months has been incredible and I'm so proud of what my body has been able to do (consistently) for the past few years. And that’s why I love this sport—it teaches us to adapt, to problem-solve, and to show up with what we have. 

Race Morning 

I've raced with my period many times but over the past 8 years, I find that my blood pressure is very affected around my menstrual cycle. For those who don't know, I have fainted 3 times on race day morning (in 2017, 2021 and 2025) - all of which happened around my menstrual cycle (either right before, during or soon after). In December, I fainted during a mammogram and two years ago, I fainted after being bit by fire ants after a gravel event. Both incidents were around my menstrual cycle. Since this is happening more frequently, I am starting to look into things more seriously (if anyone has any advice/suggestions/resources please let me know). As you can imagine, this has me feeling extremely stressed on race day morning. I try to take my time getting up and I'm extra careful when I go to the bathroom (going from laying, standing to then sitting). Thankfully all was ok on race day morning in Chatty. With the race starting at 7:30am, I didn't have to set a crazy alarm time so waking up at 4:45am wasn't too bad. I had no problem eating my pre race meal of a bagel w/ PB, banana and a few sips of a yogurt drink. I also had a few sips of coffee and did some foam rolling/stretching. Around 5:30am I gathered my bottles from the fridge and Karel and I walked down to the race start with Sunny. Having Sunny with me helped me a lot as I could focus on him and he helps me feel happy and less nervous. I did a bit of jogging and walking as we were going to the transition area. The nerves started to subside when I got into the transition area. I pumped up my front tire (the disc was fine) with my electric pump and put my bottles and computer on my bike. I then went to my run bag and put my two flasks inside the bag. After I was done, I saw Karel and Sunny, gave them my love and boarded the bus around 6:20am. I had plenty of time once I arrived to the race start (I should have waited to board the bus) as an hour was a long time to wait around. I did more jogging and put on my swim skin around 7:15am and continued to sip on my bottle of Never Second (30g carbs). I now keep salt with me in a small baggy in case I feel dizzy and it seems to help (I take a tiny lick of it) so I had a lick of salt before I dropped off my morning clothes bag. 

2.4 mile Swim (current assisted) - 45:38

When I learned it would be a non-wetsuit swim on race day morning, I was so happy. As a former competitive swimmer, this was a great way for me to start the race. I’d put in a lot of specific swim training for this race, even though it's a current assisted swim, and I was excited to put it to good use. The river was a comfortable temperature at 76 degrees. I lined up near the front and entered the water less than 3 minutes after the age group start at 7:44am.  Once I entered the water, the nerves went away. I was happy to be in the water. I wore my clear Rona goggles since it was a little cloudy and the sun was behind us. The only downside of this swim (for myself) is I have a hard time feeling the water with my catch. I actually felt like the swim was slow and I wasn't moving anywhere. I don't wear a watch when I swim on race day and I never knew my swim time (until after the race). I guess it was a fast swim! 

Swim Takeaway: Preparation pays off. The work you’ve done always shows up when it counts.

112 mile Bike - 5:10

As of last year, IM Chatty has a new course on the highway. It's a scenic and rolling hills, 3 loop course. Last year when I raced, the course was only 107 miles. The new-new course (this year) was 112 miles and had some added some challenges—an extra long hill before starting the 2nd and 3rd loops. On top of that, the headwind was reversed compared to last year and much stronger on the way out. But despite that, I felt strong and steady throughout the entire ride. I was happy that I was able to push good power but I was also mindful not to go too hard. I felt like I paced the ride well, feeling stronger as the ride went on. As a bonus, I didn't have any low points or struggle moments. The ride went by rather quickly and I liked that I could break down the course into short sections within each out and back section. 

I nailed my nutrition plan by consuming 5.5 bottles of INFINIT (each with 90g carbs). The stop at special needs to replace my 3 bottles was quick and smooth thanks to the amazing volunteers. My highlight of the course was seeing Karel out there (he rode his mountain bike to the first hill) and seeing all of the spectators around special needs. Karel's updates and encouragement gave me something to look forward to each loop. 

Honestly, I didn’t feel “excited” about racing until that last loop. That’s when things shifted. Passing a few female pros on the 2nd and 3rd loops gave me such a mental lift and my competitive spirit kicked in. This made me feel like I was racing, not just riding. 

Bike Takeaway: The spark doesn’t always come right away. Sometimes you have to wait for it, trust your training, and let the fire build when your body and mind are ready. 

Run

Coming off the bike, my legs felt fluid and strong. My run fitness has been at its best lately and after 10+ years of run related injuries, I haven't been injured since 2019. I've had an up and down relationship with running over the years and this year we've been in a good place. And while my splits may not show it perfectly on paper, I know all that training made the difference in keeping me steady throughout the marathon, especially in the 80+ degree temps. 

It was windy and warm, and with my period, I just couldn’t get comfortable. I had to work through a side stitch, hot spots on my feet and I just felt off throughout the entire run. I made the call before the race to unzip my kit in T2 and run most of the marathon in my sports bra—as that is how I normally do my run workouts. I stayed on top of my fueling with Never Second: 45g carbs each 45 minutes, plus I sipped on a Never Second gel  through the back half of the first loop. I used special needs (2 more filled flasks) and sipped on coke to help spread out the Never Second. With me being on my period, I knew I had the potential for gut issues but thankfully I didn't have any major issues. My stomach behaved (just one bathroom stop), and my energy never tanked. Even though it was hot out, I never felt like I was overheating. Karel was out and about on the course on his mountain bike and he gave me great encouragement. Whereas in IM Lanzarote in May, I had no idea how I would make it through the marathon, I never felt like I wanted to quit in Chatty. I love certain sections of the course (the hills and neighborhood across the river and the path by the river) so I was able to break the course down into small sections and focus on one mile at a time. 

I did need to walk through aid stations on the second loop as it was the only way I could keep myself focused but I kept moving forward. The volunteers and crowd support (as usual) were incredible—every cheer and smile helped me through the uncomfortable stretches. Even though I didn’t feel my best, I still felt strong and durable. 

I never felt totally comfortable on the run (thanks, period), but my energy stayed stable and I didn't have any major issues that kept me from moving forward. 

Takeaway: Your run fitness may not show itself by paces or times on race day. But it's in the preparation that allows you to work with what you are given on race day. Running strong doesn’t always mean running fast. It means managing the conditions, staying steady, and refusing to give up on yourself, even when you don’t feel your best.

The Finish - 10:01.55. 3rd female amateur. 1st AG (40-44). Personal Best at the Ironman Distance. 

That finish line feeling never gets old. I’ll never take it for granted. As I was making my way to the finish line, I had no idea of any of my splits. I felt like I had prepared myself for my first sub 10-hour Ironman so I sprinted to the finish line with everything I had left but I fell short by less than two minutes. In looking back at the race, there were several moments that cost me time that had nothing to do with my fitness. The biggest moment was when I called out the wrong bib number as I was running to get my T1 bag and got handed the wrong bag. A little mix-up in T1 probably cost me two or three minutes. When it happened, I just laughed it off. I stretched, used the bathroom (pee), and let the volunteer superheroes save the day by finding my actual bag. 

I am a little bummed I missed breaking 10 hours, but this was still a personal best for me at my 22nd Ironman (25th Ironman distance, counting 3 XTRI events). My fastest Ironman time was in 2016 (at the age of 34) at Ironman Austria (with a shorter bike) of 5:16. At the age of 43, I'm pretty proud that I am still improving with a course best swim, PR Ironman bike (time/speed) and personal best at the Ironman distance. 

In the end, this race was about resilience. Even when I didn’t feel like myself, I stuck to my plan, I managed the conditions, I used my experience to troubleshoot and I felt strong. I’m really proud of this race—not just the PR, but the way I handled everything that came my way. 

Takeaway: Perfection is not required. Progress is. Every finish line is proof that you can handle more than you think—and sometimes it’s the “off” days that make us the proudest.

Final Thoughts
Chattanooga is one of my favorite race venues. I love the community, the town, the volunteers and all of the familiar faces I get to see on and off the course. This race had me feeling lots of emotions before and during the race. 

Ironman Chattanooga reminded me that training for an Ironman isn't about times, paces or results. It’s about resilience. It’s about becoming someone you never thought you can be, discovering new strengths (and limits) and finding joy in the effort, regardless of the outcome.

If you’re training for a race, remember this:

• You don’t have to feel 100% to give 100%. 

• Strong doesn’t always mean fast—it means steady, focused and committed.

• The finish line will always be worth it, no matter how the day unfolds.

I walked away with a PR, but more importantly, I walked away with a deeper belief in myself. And that’s what keeps me coming back to this sport. During the race, I 100% convinced myself that this was my last Ironman and I would take a break from the distance. But of course, that feeling always changes after crossing the finish line. I'm officially un-retired and I can't wait to start planning my 20th year of long distance triathlon. 

'24 IM Chattanooga Race Recap

Race Week 
We left for Chattanooga on Thursday September 26th around 11am. Most of the drive was in the rain. We drove through Asheville and Knoxville as it's so scenic and our favorite way to go Chattanooga. It rained most of the drive. Two weeks ago we adopted Sunny - a 1-ish-year old, 16 lb terrier mix from the Charlotte Animal Control and this was our first road trip together. My mental health hasn't been the best this past week because I have been really missing Campy (it's been 10 weeks since he passed away) and I wasn't sure how I would be able to put together a good race in Chattanooga. I gave myself a lot of grace going into Chattanooga as I didn't specifically train for the event with Norseman XTRI as my primary focus. I signed up for Chattanooga because I love the course and I love the community/spectator support. I also love hot and humid races. Seeing that the weather was cool and the bike course was entirely changed a month out from the race, I was having trouble getting myself excited to race. We arrived after 3pm and went right to athlete check-in. I was given bib number 218 and it was a quick process to get in and out of the registration tent. We drove to our Airbnb (next to the Whiskey building) which was located ~0.6 miles from the transition area. After seven years of racing in Chattanooga, this was the first time that we stayed in this location and we loved being within walking distance of the venue. After we unloaded the car with all of our stuff, we drove to Whole Foods to get a few groceries. Karel walked Sunny around the parking lot while I did a quick shop (I brought most of our non-perishable foods). We ate dinner and went to bed around 10pm. 

On Friday morning we woke up to texts from our neighbors that the power was out due to strong winds and heavy rain. We never expected the strength of storm that came through Greenville (especially since we live close to the mountains). Thankfully we have incredible neighbors (and a great pet sitter that we just hired for this trip) and they took care of our house (and animals and fish) for the next few days. Sadly our generator had old gas in it so it didn't work when the neighbor tried to start it. We need it to power up our 70-gallon fresh water fish tank so the cichlet fish can breathe. Karel has a portable bubble maker so our neighbor used that instead (the only downside is our fish couldn't eat for 3 days due to no filtration system running but thankfully they all survived). We were very stressed about our house after we heard that a tree broke our wooden fence in the backyard. On Friday morning I found out that the 2.4 mile river swim had been cancelled due to the predicted fast flow of water from the dam. This was a major bummer since swimming is my strength. After 18 years of triathlon, this was my first ever bike-run "triathlon" which was a strange feeling because it felt so different to what I had mentally prepared for (and what I know after racing 19 Ironmans). 

On Friday, I opted to ride the Kickr trainer (which Karel brought from home) for around 80 minutes. I did an over-under workout to wake up the legs. I didn't realize the Y was open (and free for IM participants) but if I had, I would have swam first as it's where I can zone out and relax before a race. The trainer workout felt good and got my mind into a good place. The rest of the day was uneventful. We walked to pick up pizza in the evening. We invited our friends Yannick and Katie over for pizza from Community Pie and enjoyed pizza in our Airbnb. I always get Margherita pizza two nights before a long distance race. 

My mom arrived with our athlete Scott around 8pm. Scott was supposed to come on Friday morning but he had a tree fall in his driveway which blocked him in - and he was without power.  He was able to get the tree removed and they had a suprisingly smooth drive to Chattanooga through Atlanta. I was happy that my mom was there to help us out with Sunny as he is still new to us and has a few anxieties/fears that we need to work on (he was abandoned in an apartment). 

We woke up to wet roads and light rain on Saturday. I didn't want to risk any issues the day before the race so I rode the trainer for ~45 minutes and did a few short efforts to wake up the legs. My legs felt a little tired during the ride but I felt surprisingly good for a 12 minute run off the bike (1.6 miles - I ran until I was ready to stop). As for the rest of the day, I prepared my bottles for my bike and flasks for the run, got all my nutrition ready and collected my gear. It felt strange to not have to think about getting ready for the swim and to not drop off a bike gear bag (due to the time trial start we wore our bike gear to the transition area on race morning). Karel got my bike ready in our Airbnb and for the first time ever, I used a disc wheel on my tri bike in an Ironman. Because of rain in the afternoon, Karel taped over the box that holds the wires for my electronic shifting so that they wouldn't get wet after leaving my bike in the transition area. Around 1pm we walked down to the race venue and I dropped off my run bag and bike. 

I eat the same foods the day before every Ironman and half IM, which makes it easy to get in my carbs as I don't have to think about what (and when) to eat. My typical day before race meals are: 

• Before workout: 2 piece bread + peanut butter
• During workout: 1 scoop Never Second C30
  
• After workout: Glass of milk + handful cereal. Then bagel + PB + banana + 2 eggs
• Lunch: Pasta + marinara + veggie burger 
• Afternoon snack: Pop tart + Chobani black cherry yogurt 
• Dinner: No chicken noodle soup (Amy's Organic) + 1 cup rice + saltine crackers

Race morning
Surprisingly, I slept really well the night before the race. With my alarm set for 6am due to the delayed start (cancelled swim) the race nerves felt nervous. I was curious to see what type of fitness I brought to the race since I didn't specifically train for this race but I didn't feel any pressure or expectations. The race also felt a little anticlimactic without the swim, which also made me feel less nervous. Even though I love to swim and was looking forward to the 2.4 mile river swim, the race just felt different. I was worried that without the swim, I wouldn't place as high in my age group as I usually need the swim and bike to make up for my slower run time, relative to other ladies in my age group. I laid in bed around 7pm and fell asleep between 8:30-9pm. Although I was in bed for close to 10 hours, we woke up to the sound of a car being towed outside our building around 3am. Sunny thought it was time to get up with all of the noise so Karel had to take him outside. It was an eventful 30 minutes but I was able to go back to sleep (and felt very rested at 3am). 

For my pre-race meal, I had the usual: Cinnamon Raisin Bagel w/ PB and banana. I ate around 6:30am and had no issues eating. I also had my Nescafe instant coffee and some water. I kept telling myself that this was similar to typical weekend - a long brick (bike-run) workout. Sunny stayed with mom when Karel and I walked to the transition area around 7:20am to drop off my bottles for my bike (and run bag), check my tires (which were fine from the day prior) and drop off my special needs bag for the bike (which had to be dropped off by 7:45am). We walked/jogged back to the Airbnb and Karel set up his gravel bike on the trainer and adjusted it for me so I could do a 10 min EZ spin on the trainer. This really helped to wake up my legs and got my mind in a good place to feel ready for the race. I didn't feel nervous but rather, I just wanted to get the race started. 

With the age groupers starting at 8:40am, we walked back down to the transition area around 8:20am. I was able to see some of the professionals start while on the trainer and walking to the transition area. I put on my cycling shoes and helmet outside of the transition, gave Karel my running shoes and went to my bike. I stood in line for a few minutes and before I knew it, I was standing in line, almost ready to start the bike. They had us stand in a row of 4 and two athletes who start every 5 seconds. The line moved very quickly. Although we were supposed to line up by bib number, there was a mix of numbers in the 200's (I was 218). 

BIKE
107.4 mile bike (5211 feet) 
4:40.06, 23 mph
Normalized power: 162W (IF .84)
Average cadence: 86rpm

I wasn't sure what to expect from the bike course since I had never seen it before. Our athlete Yannick drove the course and told me about it and I did a little research online looking at the terrain. I didn't have any set watts to target and I don't wear a HR monitor when I race but rather I like to race by feel. I know my body really well and I know what I can quickly recover from and what I can sustain. Since we didn't do the swim, Karel told me I could push a little harder on the bike since I would have a little extra energy to start. 

4.96 miles - 15:18, 195NP, 19.4 mph
I really pushed the first few miles. I knew I could settle in once I got to the 3 "loops" of the course. This section made my legs burn as I went hard from the very beginning. The warm up on the trainer really helped so my legs didn't feel like total bricks when I started. 

16.3 miles (out) - 38:24, 170 NP, 25.5 mph
I started to settle into a good rhythm really quickly on the bike. After a few miles, I found myself near the front of the race with only an athlete or two ahead of me. I could see our athlete Scott in the far distance, leading the age group race. I knew I would be at a slight disadvantage starting near the front because I wouldn't get the natural draft effect of passing people if I had started later on but I wanted to race my own race and see what I could do on my own. Plus, when I race and I have a lot of guys around me, it's hard to settle into my own rhythm as I have to pay more attention to staying draft legal or accelerating to pass versus focusing on my own effort. This section was really fast and had a nice flow to it. The course was rolling but there was plenty of time to stay in the aero bars. The climbs were not steep but had enough of an incline that I could sit up out of my aero bars (which is my preferred riding style since I do so much riding on my road bike). The downhills were fast and fun. With only two turns (one at each end of the course), there was no need to break, which made the course very fast at times. The rain started to come down (not strong rain but enough to get my compression socks wet) and my visor was fogging with the humidity. I actually liked the rain as it felt more "extreme" and I felt more in my element with the past two years dedicated to XTRI events. 

16.3 miles (back) - 44:43, 168 NP, 21.9 mph
This section felt like more of a drag. There was a bit more climbing to do on the way back. The aid stations were set up between the exits of the highway and the cars had to exit the hwy and then return on the on ramp. This allowed for two full lanes for athletes at the aid stations. I didn't grab anything at the aid stations so this allowed me to keep up my speed. I could feel the headwind in this direction. The rain continued to fall. I rode this section entirely by myself and it was long and lonely. I had a few guys pass me but they were way too strong in the time trial position for me to even stay draft legal behind them. I was able to somewhat keep up on the climbs but they got away from me on the downhills and flats. 

16.3 miles (out) - 38:49, 158 NP, 25.1 mph
I was relieved to make the turn around (which was a little technical over rumble strips and a lot of cones to make it a tight turn on both ends of the loop) as this section was the "easier" section of the two out and backs. At this point there were more people on the course but I was passing those starting their first loop (and being passed by a few more guys). I was also feeling the draft of having some cars in the lane next to us (we had the left lane closest to the medium and cars were coned off to our right) which also helped to keep up the speed. I was worried that the bike course would be lonely on the highway but there ended up being a good handful of people who drove out to the course. This loop felt a little long to me as my mind started to play games with me and tell me that I was biking too hard and that I should just stop after the bike and not run and that I was not having a good race (all normal self-talk that happens when riding for hours in a race). I was able to quiet those voices at times by focusing on my effort and terrain management and keeping up with my nutrition. 

Fueling on the bike
My fueling strategy was pretty simple as it's the same thing I do for all my long rides. 
I started with 3 x 26 ounce bottles of INFINIT Fructose (Fruit Punch flavor) with each bottle having 80g carbs and ~500mg sodium (not exactly 2 full scoops). Every 10-15 minutes I would take 3-4 big sips. I peed 3 times on the bike (the best I could on downhills). I tossed one of my bottles at an aid station and always kept my primary drinking bottle between my aerobars (two bottles in my rear cage). I don't use the aero bottle on the frame as I find it very difficult to grab and put back on the frame). 
I stopped at special needs (mile 62, which was 2:38 into the ride). I had finish 2 full bottles and a little over 1/2 bottle. My special needs stop took about 26 seconds. A volunteer handed me my bag after I stopped, I tossed my two bottles on my bike and put on 3 more bottles (one between the aero bars and 2 in the rear cages). 
In my special needs bag I had 3 more 26 ounce bottles of INFINIT Fructose. Same amount but my favorite flavor grape. I was able to finish 2 1/4 bottles over the next 2 hours (44.8 miles).
In total, I consumed: 
~127 ounce fluid
~390g carbs 
~2400 mg sodium
 
16.3 miles (back) - 44:23 (includes special needs stop), 162 NP, 22.1 mph
With more people on the course, the ride started to feel more fun as there was more to focus on. I was surprised to see Karel as I was nearing the end of the 2nd loop. He told me I was leading my age group and 2nd overall female as a younger female was riding much faster than me. I was really surprised that I was near the front of the race. This gave me a lot of incentive to keep pushing. I never felt tired or had any low moments so my mission was to try to make my third loop strong. At this point in the race, the rain was on and off. The temperature was perfect as I never felt cold. My athlete Jeremy passed me on the bike before special needs and he was riding really strong. It was great to see him out there. The nice thing with the looped course was being able to see athletes on the other side of the median. 

16.3 miles (out) - 39.52, 147 NP, 24.5 mph
Karel gave me one more cheer as I was starting my third loop and then he biked back to the race venue (he biked out on the course since it was closed to cars in and out of town). Although I could feel the natural fatigue of riding strong for the past 3+ hours, I could also feel the draft effect of the cars and other athletes on the course. I never found there to be big groups as there was a constant passing of athletes. I called out "on your left" a lot and everyone was very considerate to move over quickly. I found the course to be very safe. It was smooth pavement and very well controlled with volunteers and police. Although I really enjoyed the old course in the country, I didn't mind this course as it was hilly enough to feel hard at times and it felt safe with all the athletes on the course. 

16.3 miles (back) - 44:22, 152 NP, 22.2 mph
I really tried to push this last section. I felt strong and I was really focused with all the other athletes on the course. I had another guy pass me on a downhill and I was able to keep him in my sights for most of the last loop. This really helped me keep the pressure on the pedals. I never knew my mileage or overall time as my screen was set to lap intervals and I was only focusing on my current speed, 10 sec power and normalized lap power. Even though there were mile markers on the course, I only focused on the lap that I was in. This made the bike go by relatively quickly. This was my first time using a disc wheel in an IM and this course was perfect for it as I could keep my speed up (and validate the effects of using the disc). 

4.64 miles - 14:11, 154 NP, 19.6 mph
It was nice to finally go straight and not make the turn after 3 loops. The last few miles were tough as there was a big climb heading back into town. I didn't remember that climb (or downhill) heading out as my legs were burning. I started to experience my normal worries of "what type of run will I have off the bike" as I always lack confidence in my run. I expected that I would be passed by Elyse and other females somewhere in the early miles of the run so I didn't put any pressure on myself that I had to run fast. My only goal was just to enjoy the run. With less than a mile left, I saw Karel standing with Sunny and he was so cute sitting there (Sunny, not Karel :) I yelled "HI SUNNY!!" Karel told me that I was first overall female and I couldn't believe it. I switched the screen on my bike computer and although I was bummed to see only 107 miles, I was shocked to see my time. I thought I could go under 5:10 on the bike (which would be a big PR for me) so when I saw my time nearing 4:40, I couldn't believe it. I did some quick math as I was riding after seeing my speed for each lap but I had no idea what that would actually come up to at the end. 

T2 - 3:33
When I got off the bike, my legs felt pretty good. I felt like I did a great job with my fueling and although I biked strong, I didn't feel like I overdo it. As I ran to my run bag, my mom was there along the fencing giving me cheers and updates that I was leading my age group by over 15 minutes and I was first overall female. I got a few other cheers from friends and I was quickly reminded why I love racing - I love being part of the triathlon community. I ran into the changing tent and I was the only female there. Two other professionals entered shortly after me (I passed them on the bike). I quickly put on my shoes and Naked Running belt and flasks and grabbed my plastic baggy that had my visor, sunglasses, powder in baggies to refill my flasks and Campy's collar. I really needed to pee as I never fully emptied my bladder on the bike so I went into the porto potty and sat down (without undoing my kit) and peed while I put on my stuff in my bag (multitasking). 

Photo credit: Angela B.

25.7 mile run - 3:33.17, 8:18 min/mile, 1200 feet elevation gain
Mile 1 - 8:05
Mile 2: 7:37
Mile 3: 7:42
Mile 4: 7:48
Mile 5: 7:54
Mile 6: 7:48
Mile 7: 8:02
Mile 8: 8:06
Mile 9: 8:09
Mile 10: 8:20
Mile 11: 7:47
Mile 12: 8:29
Mile 13: 8:25 (half marathon 1:43, 8:01 min/mile average)
Mile 14: 8:33
Mile 15: 8:08
Mile 16: 8:19
Mile 17: 8:18
Mile 18: 8:26
Mile 19: 8:30
Mile 20: 8:38
Mile 21: 9:04
Mile 22: 8:40
Mile 23: 8:53
Mile 24: 9:17
Mile 25: 8:42
Mile 26: 8:00 pace (Last 12.5 miles, 1:47, 8:36 min/mile average)

Fueling on the run 
Like the bike, my fueling strategy was very simple on the run. It's the same thing I do for all of my runs (no matter how long, short, hard or easy). I always use Never Second C30 berry on the run. 

I started with 2 x 10 ounce Nathan hard flasks, each with ~120 calories (30g carbs, 200mg sodium of Never Second C30 Berry). I tried to finish 1 flask every 30-40 minutes. I took a few sips water at each aid station and followed it with 1-2 big sips of my flask. Sometimes I would sip the flask between aid stations if needed. I carried 4 small baggies (jewlery bags), each with 1 scoop (30g carbs) Never Second to refill my bottles along the way. I ended up using 3 of the 4 baggies. 

Total: 
150g carbs
1000mg sodium 
~70 ounce fluid

I didn't use anything from the aid stations besides water. No sport drinks, gels, or coke. 
I carried 1/4 bottle of  KetoneAid KE4 Pro Ketone Ester Drink which is something I don't use in training but I have used it in my last two XTRI events (Norseman and ICON) and it helps to keep my energy stable. I hate the taste so I can only take in a small sip at a time. I had my first sip on the bridge around mile 8 and then as needed throughout (anytime I felt like I needed a mental boost). 

I didn't have any stomach issues and my energy felt really stable throughout the entire race. 

Mile 1-4
As I ran out of the transition and on to the grass, my legs felt good. I do a lot of brick runs (and all my brick runs start uphill because of where I live) so running up the hill toward mile one didn't feel too hard. I didn't worry about my pace but rather I wanted to make it feel easy so that I could start easing into my marathon effort at the top of the hill. The first few miles are on a four lane road. We ran on the left side of the road. The road is rolling to start and then slightly flattens out. This is not my favorite part of the run so my focus was getting to the first turn at the end of this road. I ran with two other guys and the effort felt comfortable. I looked at my watch at the mile marker splits and I was surprised at my pace. I knew I could hold between 8:10-8:30 min/miles so when I saw splits under 8 min, I told myself to try to hold on to that pace for as long as I could. My goal was at least ten miles. The effort didn't feel forced as I was focusing on my rhythm and moving myself forward. I wore New Balance Supercomp Elite V4 shoes (from Run In). I have been wearing New Balance Fuel Cells for years so this change was an easy one (these new shoes only had ~10 miles in them before race day). As I was running, I noticed a few female pros running back on the same road. This had me feeling worried because I didn't mentally prepare to do an out and back on this road (I really looked forward to running on the path by the water, especially over the wooden bridges). Thankfully it was only a short section of around a mile back on the main road between the paths (there was prior flooding on the path). 

Mile 4-8
My energy felt stable, my mind was in a good place and my legs felt good. I was expecting to be passed by the faster age group female runners before the "hilly" section across the river but as the miles went by, I didn't see any other females around me. I saw Karel on the battery place hill before the Veterans Bridge and he told me that Elyse was running a faster pace than me but I was winning my age group by over 15 minutes. I expected Elyse to run past me at any point so I continued to focus on my effort. I never imagined I would be leading the amateur female race (especially at the age of 42!) so I didn't feel any pressure that I had to stay in the lead. My main focus was putting together a marathon run that I knew I was capable of but haven't done in my previous 19 Ironmans. I shuffled my way up the hill and on to the bridge. It felt good to finally have some signficant elevation change as I find it harder to run on flats than hills. 

Mile 8 - 11
I took a sip of the Ketone bottle that I was holding in my hand throughout the run when I was on the bridge. I was really looking forward to the Barton Avenue hills as I knew this was terrain that suited my strengths. I ran steady uphill and tried to work the downhills. At the bottom of the hill, there was a slight false flat that was a little annoying.  I refilled one of my flasks at the aid station at the top of that false flat. I stopped, put the powder from my baggie in my flask the volunteers helped me fill up the flask. I really enjoyed the "loop" at the bottom of Barton Av. as it was rolling hills. I saw Karel before I started the climb back on Barton (which is a bit steeper/longer on the way back) and he told me that I was keeping my lead against Elyse. I asked him how much time I had ahead of her and he told me around 2 minutes. I really enjoyed these miles and I looked forward to them on the second loop. I saw several familiar faces which kept me feeling happy to be running. I will still surprised how good I felt. Karel asked me how I was feeling before I made my way under the Veteran bridge (he was on his bike) and I told him I was feeling good energy wise but my legs were starting to get a little tired (understandably). 

Mile 11-13
I enjoyed the wooden pedestrian bridge back into town as I like running on different surfaces. There weren't many spectators on the bridge (I was looking forward to seeing lots of people) so that was a bummer. However, there were some good cheers from those who were standing there cheering. 

Mile 13 - 16
I made my way out on the second loop of the run. I was really surprised how fast the first 13 miles went. I never experienced any major lows but there were a few low moments over the next few miles as these miles felt very long. My legs were starting to stiffen up but I was still able to hold the same form that I was holding in the first loop. I told myself that all I need to do is finish these 4 miles and then the "hard part" would be overwith. I refilled another flask around 13 at the aid station. The volunteers were amazing. Each refill stop took me ~30-40 seconds. It was nice to have a quick stop. Other than these three refill stops, I didn't walk or stop throughout the run. 

Photo credit: Kayla 

Photo credit: Kayla 

Mile 16 - 20
I could tell that my propulsion wasn't as strong and my legs were feeling tired. The good thing was my energy still felt great and I was actually enjoying the run. With my last 3 marathons taking 5-6 hours due to the extreme nature of extreme triathlons (each of those runs was over 4000 feet elevation gain), I didn't doubt my endurance and strength. I had taken some risks in this race to see what my capabilities were on the bike and run and I wasn't willing to give up now. I saw Karel on battery hill and he was full of positive comments. He told me how good I was running, that I was keeping my lead to Elyse and even extending it on the hills and that he was so impressed with how good I looked when I ran. While I may not be running "fast" I had confidence in my ability to run well under fatigue. I was actually looking forward to the point when my legs were starting to really hurt from the fatigue as I knew I could push through it. 

Mile 20-23
I never focused on what mile I was in or how many miles I had left but rather I used destinations/landmarks to keep me focused. I broke down the race into sections and just focused on a few miles at a time. Once I checked those off, it was on to the next segment. In many of my past Ironmans, the last 6 miles were always so incredibly long and hard and I couldn't wait for the pain to stop at the finish line. But I actually looked forward to the last 6 miles. I saw Karel on Barton and he told me that these hills are were I am the strongest. He told me "no one can run hills like you." He was extremely supportive. Although my legs were hurting on the climbs, I kept things in perspective. These hills were tiny compared to the mountains I climb in extreme triathlons. These were tiny short bumps compared to running up Zombi hill in Norseman, or climbing up a ski slope during Karel's race (in the rain, on snow and ice) or hiking up 3000 feet to the top of a ski slope in Livigno at almost 10,000 feet elevation. Barton hills were NBD (no big deal) :) 

I continued to sip my nutrition and use a few sips of water from the aid station. The weather stayed fairly comfortable in the 70s. Although I was tired, I really tried to run as strong as I could up and down the hills. It was uncomfortable but I felt strong and durable. Karel told me to keep pushing until I got to the end of the bridge and then that was where I could feel like the race was "over." This mentally helped me stay focused up the last big climb. 

Mile 24-finish!
Anytime the run got hard or I had a brief low moment, I would tell myself "If you want something you have never had, you have to do something you've never done." I continued to repeat this in my head over and over as I knew I was on track for a PR marathon run but at any point I could convince myself it was not worth it due to the pain in the legs and I could slow down. I kept on pushing myself. At mile 25, I took Campy's collar out of my hydration belt, gave it a kiss and held it in my hand for the last mile. I thought about pulling it out sooner but it was something that I really looked forward to and that helped me stay motivated until mile 25. There were more people on the wooden bridge which gave me a boost of energy. As I was making my turn toward the finish on the top of the hill, Karel was there and told me "it may be close, you need to keep pushing." I ran as hard as I could to the finish line while still soaking in the atmosphere and quickly reflecting on the day. I switched my watch screen from lap pace/current pace/lap distance to overall time and I was shocked to see my time. Even though the run was short, it was still a PR marathon pace for me (lifetime best!) 

When I crossed the finish line I couldn't believe what had happened. I was the first overall female amateur across the line. I've raced Ironman Chattanooga twice and I won overall amateur female both times. There's something special about Chatty!

Yannick and Karel greeted me at the finish and shortly after, my mom and Sunny came. I saw Karel and we had to wait over 5 minutes before Elyse and a few other females crossed the finish line (they started behind me and we weren't sure if someone ran a faster time than me to push me out of first overall) for the official results. 

I couldn't believe how good I felt all day. I had no idea what I was capable of doing on the day and with so much emotional stress going into this race, I really didn't think I had the mental capacity to suffer. Similar to Louisville 70.3 when I placed overall female, I just felt good all day. It required a lot of mental focus and staying in the present moment but thankfully I had just enough of that left in me for 132.5 miles. 

A few years ago I was feeling like the Ironman distance wasn't exciting me anymore. I needed a change. Xterra racing, mountain biking, gravel biking and XTRI events helped me step out of my comfort zone and feel like a beginner again with new unknowns, new skills to learn and new ways to train (and race). I thought I was stepping away from the "standard" long course triathlons but thanks to all of these different events, my love for the standard distances has returned because I have new perspectives and experiences to bring to each race. 

We went to the awards at 9:30am the next morning and after receiving my award for winning the 40-44 age group, we left to head back to Greenville to get back to our powerless house (and to remove all the food from our fridge and freezer). I did not take a slot to Kona as I am not sure what events/races I want to do in 2025 and I am really enjoying different adventures, race-cations and event experiences. 

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IM 70.3 Chattanooga Race Report

We left Thursday in the late morning and drove through Knoxville, TN in route to Chattanooga. The drive took us around 5 hours with traffic/construction by Asheville, bathroom and a stop at Chipotle and Trader Joe's just outside of Chatty. We arrived around 4pm and checked into our Airbnb. Karel just purchased a Sea Sucker bike mount for the top of the car and although I was worried our bikes would fly off, they stayed really secure during our drive. The device is super easy to use and really practical for travel (and it only weighs 11 lbs so it would be great to travel with when we rent a car for races). 

It's getting a bit harder to travel with Campy because he needs to be with one of us at all times (he can't be left alone in the Airbnb because he gets confused and anxious). He also gets tired more easily which means he can't be on the move for long periods of time. But we love making memories with him. At the age of 14.5 yrs old, I am not sure how many more race-cations we have with him but I treasure every trip he gets to take with us. 

Our friends Don and Kathleen joined us for dinner at our place and it was fun catching up. Our best friend Alvi arrived around 8pm at our place. We went to bed shortly after he arrived and had a great night of sleep (until I had to let Campy outside to pee around 4am). 

We met most of our athletes at the Dam around 8:30am on Friday. With all the times we have been at Chatty (at least 5), we have never swam at the Dam. It was nice to get in a 30 minute open water swim - although the water was really warm for a wetsuit swim. For many of our athletes, this was their first open water swim of the year so it was good for everyone to get used to their wetsuit and get a feel of the open water again. 

With over 20 of our team members racing IM 70.3 Chattanooga, it was so great to have such a big group in Chatty. Kathleen "babysat" Campy as we swam (Thank you Kathleen!).

After the swim, we drove back to the Airbnb (located by the National Cemetery) and Karel and Alvi went out for a 90 minute spin on the course. I stayed with Campy and had a meal and worked on the computer until they arrived home around noon. I headed off for my ride around 12:30 and rode on the course from our place and then climbed up the descend from Chickamauga to the top and then turned around. It was nice to spin my legs and to be reminded of the beautiful country scenery that reminds us of where we live/ride in Greenville, SC. 

After the ride I quickly made myself a tempeh sandwich and we drove 2.5 miles to downtown to pick up our packets. Most of our athletes arrived at 2:30pm but we didn't get there until 3pm due to my late start of my ride. Luckily, most of our athletes checked-in together so they all had bib numbers close to one another. Because Alvi, Karel and I checked-in together, we had bib numbers next to one another which meant racking our bikes next to each other. 

Campy got his finisher picture taken, made a quick stop at Publix and then drove back to our Airbnb. 

As with all of our team races, we invited all of our team members over for a pizza party (our treat) from Home Slice Pizza (they have a lot of great options, especially for vegans and vegetarians). We also gave a pre race talk with course tips as well as suggestions for racing the first big race of the year. 

Karel stayed busy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as several of our athletes has mechanical issues with their bikes that needed Karel's expertise. On Saturday morning, Alvi and I went out for our pre workout spin - we started at our place and rode toward downtown and then rode the course starting from the transition area to the town of St. Elmo. We then turned around and headed back to our place. It was a nice 45 minute spin to wake up the legs. I followed it up with a quick 8 min run around the block. I pushed the run just a little bit to see how my legs felt and it felt pretty good. I didn't feel like my recent performance at Ironman St. George two weeks ago was still in my legs but then again, I hadn't done anything longer than 3.5 hours over the past two weeks. 

My mom and her partner Alan arrived on Friday afternoon and they went for a bike ride on Saturday. Alvi drove his car and Karel and I rode with my mom and Alan. They joined us as we checked in our bikes on Saturday around 1:30pm. We oriented ourselves with the swim in/bike out/bike in/run out and then showed my mom the start of the run course and the best places for spectating. On a piece of paper, I wrote down Karel and my predicted swim/bike/run times (a range of 5-10 minutes) as well as the best places to stand to see us and cheer. 

Unfortunately, Alvi's car had an electrical issue when we were about to leave so we waited with Alvi as he tried to find a shop that was open on the weekend. After 30 minutes of waiting, Karel drove me, my mom and Alan back to our Airbnb and Karel went back to get Alvi once the tow truck was on the way (thankfully Alvi's car was fixed on Monday around 11am). 

I packed up my gear, prepared my bottles for bike and run and ate frequently throughout the rest of the day. I had french toast and eggs for breakfast, No chicken Noodle Soup (Amy's Organic), a bagel, animal crackers, pretzels, sweet potato, veggie burger, cheese and yogurt. 

I watched a cute movie on Netflix (Senior Year) on my Ipad in bed while Karel watched the Giro on his computer. Around 7pm I walked Campy and took him next door to my mom's Airbnb so that she could take care of him through the night and then on race day. Unfortunately, it stormed throughout the night and Campy woke up howling so my mom didn't get the best night of sleep. 

RACE DAY
The weather was predicted to have rain and storms on Sunday (race day). I checked the radar and it looked like we would get rain throughout the day but it looked like the storms would hold off until the afternoon. We received word around 4am that it was wetsuit legal (73 degrees) - which I kinda prepared for. I had a yogurt and bagel w/ PB, syrup and banana around 4am and then around 4:30am, I went for a quick jog around the block to get my system going. Surprisingly, I woke up excited to race without any nerves. I also slept really well which was unusual the night before a race. I felt alert and energized. 

We left the Airbnb around 5am, parked by the wooden bridge (plenty of street parking) and then walked to the transition area. It drizzled a bit during our drive downtown but then it stopped. 

Karel pumped up our tires with his cordless air compressor and then I put my nutrition on my bike and laid out my transition area. Before the swim, I realized I forgot to put out my cooling towel but I figured it would rain so I would be ok. Compared to the Ironman, it felt like I didn't have much stuff in my transition area but then again, I was "only" racing for less than 5 hours (and not almost 11 hours). 

We had decided earlier on race week that we would walk to the race start (we encouraged our athletes to do the same) which was a great way to keep the body moving (I get sleepy on race buses) and to remind myself of the run course. It was a quick 25 minute 1.4 mile walk and we ended up arriving right at the front of the swim staging area. We arrived around 6:25am so I was feeling a bit rushed to put on my wetsuit (it was already feeling warm and humid out). After putting on my wetsuit, rubbing lube around my neck/armpits to prevent chaffing and applying Amp Human on my arms/shoulders/legs, I dropped off my morning clothes bag and then found myself being pushed toward the front as the swim volunteer started encouraging everyone to start lining up for the swim. I didn't get a chance to give Karel good luck wishes so I was a bit sad that I wouldn't see him again until the end of the race (or on the race course). I later learned that Karel was still putting on his wetsuit when people starting lining up and that is why he didn't enter the water until 25 minutes after I did (I was near the front). 

While waiting in line, I sipped on Skratch in a throw away plastic bottle and poured water down my wetsuit to prevent the neck area from sucking on my chest (and to cool me down). My friend Leah (who I had never met in person before) lined up right behind me so it was nice to chat with her for a few minutes before the start. 

1.4 mile swim
Because of the current of the river and the location of the swim start, this race is .2 mile longer than the typical half IM swim. The current wasn't running fast but it was enough to give us a little push down the river. As I made my way on the dock after the 7am Age Group start (professionals went off at 6:50 and 6:55am) I waited a few seconds before going into the water as I wanted to let the swimmers ahead of me get going so I would have some space to jump in and start swimming. Because of the layout of this course, it's not a direct line to the swim exit (point to point). Instead, the buoys are placed more like a curve. Instead of only sighting on the next upcoming buoy, I would sight on the following buoy to ensure that I was taking the most straightforward line possible. I never found it to be cluttered with athletes in the water but I did have to adjust my stroke a few times to swim around slower swimmers. Nearing the end of the swim, the water got really choppy so I adjusted my stroke to ensure I was still catching water. As I made my way around the only turn buoy to the stairs, it became very congested with athletes so it took a few extra seconds for me to get out of the water. Although Karel started way behind me, he had a great swim and felt really good in the water. He feels like his wetsuit has helped him reset his body position and catch and he is now (kinda) enjoying swimming again. As for myself, I love swimming and it's a sport where I feel the safest with my body and mind. 

T1
Once I got off the stairs, I ran to the long steep ramp to take us up to the road by the transition area. The ramp was a little slippery so I had my hand close to the railing just in case. I spotted my mom cheering which was a nice surprise. The transition from swim to bike was a long one (there were over 3500 athletes racing!) but eventually I got to my bike. Alvi was finishing his transition as I was starting. I quickly took my wetsuit off, put on my helmet, socks and shoes and ran out of the transition area. I wore calf sleeves and socks for this race so that I could have a quicker transition time. Plus, in a full, compression socks are more comfortable than calf sleeves and socks. Luckily at that time, there weren't many athletes to navigate through as I ran my bike to the mount line. There were athletes mounting right on the mount line so I ran a bit ahead of them and close to the barricades so that I would have space to get on my bike. 

56 mile bike
I was really excited for this bike ride. Because I had to be smart and pace myself at Ironman St. George, I was looking forward to the opportunity to push and take some risks on this bike course. My legs didn't feel good running from the swim to the transition area but after a few miles on the bike, my riding legs came around. There was headwind and crosswind on the way out to Andrews ("bottom" part of the course) so I knew this section would require a bit more effort. I was very careful for the first few miles due to the railroad tracks and being mindful of other athletes on the course. Once I crossed into George after St. Elmo, that is where I started to "race" my race. Around this time there were only a few athletes (males) ahead of me and I never saw any groups. I found myself behind one guy (draft legal) and it just felt a bit too easy. I needed to pass him but I wasn't sure when to do it. In the near distance, I saw 3 guys riding and once I committed, I pushed hard, passed the guy in front of me and burned a few matches riding really hard to get to that next group of guys. It was fun playing cat and mouse with some of the guys and this made the miles pass by really quickly. I ended up passing a girl that I know from online Jenna and I said "Are you Jenna?" She responded yes and I told her I was Marni. We ended up riding the rest of the bike close to one another - she was riding really strong. It was just under 26 miles to get to the Andrew's hill and it took me 1:08 (22.4mph). I didn't focus on my power but instead, just went by feel knowing that the way out would require a bit more work than on the way back. The Andrews climb felt good as I got out of the saddle and then I enjoyed the fun descend afterwards. I felt better with steady state efforts in Chatt compared to St. George but I could feel myself riding away from others on the uphills and trying to hang on on the flatter segments. I just love this course as it goes by so fast and it's so much fun.  I never saw Karel and I was expecting him to pass me. Karel was really happy with his bike as he didn't have any back pain and he was able to enjoy the ride. 

For nutrition, I only used Skratch SuperFuel Raspberry and filled up my hydration system with 1.5 bottles (650 calories worth and 1.2 liters water) and had 1 bottle between my aero bars to refill my hydration system (400 calories and 26 ounces). I ended up consuming everything (~1050 calories and 66 ounces) plus a few sips of water from the aid stations (and used water to cool down my body). 

It wasn't too hot out because it was cloudy but it started to feel a bit warm nearing the back half of the ride. I ended up passing Alvi and we rode close to each other for several miles and then he rode away from me. Once I got to the "climb" in Chickamauga, it didn't feel like a climb as I felt myself flying up it. I really enjoyed the descend and pushed the stretch back to St. Elmo. For the next 30 miles, I averaged 23.6 mph and it took me 1:17. I had one of my fastest bike times for a half (just a little bit slower than last year) and I felt really good. After the Andrews climb, my legs really opened up and I felt like I had new fresh legs. 

For Karel's nutrition, he had C90 in his hydration system (2 bottles worth = 720 calories and 50 ounces) and between his aero bars, he had a bottle with 2 scoops C30 (240 calories and 26 ounces) for a total of 960 calories and 76 ounces). 

Going back into town, I was super careful as I didn't want to make a mistake and crash. I probably eased up a bit too much - oh well. I removed my feet from my shoes and dismounted my bike just before the line. 

It felt nice to feel my feet on the ground. I ran my bike to my rack and quickly put on my running shoes and hydration belt. I put my flasks in my belt and ran off with my hat and visor. I decided to wear my watch under my wetsuit on my wrist so that I had it on for the entire race and I didn't have to fumble with it during the run. I knew I needed to have quick transitions at this race as every second/minute counted with the tough competition. 

13.1 mile run
I found my running legs pretty quickly after the bike. I've always ran well in Chattanooga so I reminded myself of that when I started the run. I was the 2nd amateur on the run course (Jenna was just ahead of me) but I saw my friend Meg Fillnow entering the transition area as I started running so I knew it was only a matter of time before I would begin to get passed by the faster runners. I try to use my strengths (swim/bike) to the best of my abilities and just trust myself to do a good job of not slowing down on the run. As I made my way up the hill, I spotted my mom and Campy. I also had a cheer from someone who said that they said hi to Campy and that made me smile. I love this spectator friendly course as well as how the course is broken down - there are so many little segments to check off. The miles went by really fast and I felt really good. Anytime my watch beeped at the mile, I looked down and I was so surprised (in a good way) with how fast I was running. I questioned if I would be able to keep up the pace but then pushed that thought to the side and just focused on one mile at a time. I was passed by a few girls on the run but I was happy with how I was feeling and how I was running. I was just running my own race. Before the second loop, I saw my mom on the wooden bridge with Campy and that made me happy. I still hadn't seen Karel so part of me was worried that something happened but I figured my mom would have told me if anything happened to Karel. The second loop got a bit more crowded with athletes starting their first loop so the aid stations got a bit more crowded. I was using water to cool myself and grabbing ice at every aid station to pour down my sports bra and then I'd grab the ice and hold in my hands. I never felt hot during the run and I didn't need any walk/reset breaks. I was shocked how good I felt running! 

I caught up to Alvi and we ran together for a little bit up the hill and then I was passed by my friend Jackie (the overall female professional winner) on the bridge. I gave her a cheer. I spotted Karel twice on the course and then he finally passed me on the bridge with less than a few miles to go. I started to get a bit tired around mile 11 and Karel told me to dig deep and stay committed. Even though I was passed by several girls, everyone was super supportive. We were all cheering each other on and telling one another how strong each other looked. The vibe was really encouraging and I know that brought out the best in one another. I'm pretty sure I was smiling the entire run - I was having a lot of fun and the miles went by so quickly. 

The wooden bridge was hard the 2nd time around and my legs were starting to feel really tired but I was still running happy. 

Karel's nutrition was 1 flask of C30 and then he had a packet of Green Match Skratch that he used to refill his flask in the 2nd half of the run. He used water from the aid stations and had a few sips of coke. 

For my nutrition, I had 2 flasks, each with 1 scoop C30. I finished both throughout the run and used water at the aid stations. 

I looked at my watch when I made my way to the finish line before starting the run down the hill and I knew it would be close to break 1:40. I pushed as hard as I could be ended up 2 seconds short. I was getting updates from our friend Thomas about my placement so last I heard I was in 2nd place and I ended up 2nd in my age group and 5th overall female amateur. Karel started the run 7 minutes down from first place in his age group and thanks to Thomas giving Karel some updates, Karel ended up running him down to win the 45-49 age group with one of his fastest half ironman run times in several years. 

It was great to see Karel there and I was joined by my mom, Alan and Campy at the finish line. We waited for the rest of our athletes to finish and we enjoyed hearing about their day. 

We rode our bikes back to our Airbnb to spin out the stiffness from the race and then rode back to the awards around 4pm. We weren't too sore after the race but felt the soreness the next morning (it was a rough night of sleep). Although we got our awards, the ceremony was cancelled just after the 45-49 age group due to an approaching storm. We rushed back to our car and headed back to our Airbnb. We enjoyed burgers and fries (veggie burger for me) from Slicks with Kathleen and Don and our friends Ashley and Zach (who we hadn't seen in a few months). 

Karel and I had so much fun racing and we are thankful that our bodies were able to stay healthy and strong during this race, just two weeks after Ironman St. George. And we are excited to do it all again next weekend in Blue Ridge for the 70.3! 

Marni - 4:41.48, 2nd AG (40-44), 5th female amateur
Swim: 27:55 (2nd AG)
T1: 3:38
Bike: 2:27.51 (2nd AG)
T2:2:24
Run: 1:40 (5th AG)

Karel - 4:23.55, 1st AG (45-49)
Swim: 28:00 (5th AG)
T1: 3:36
Bike: 2:24.28 (7th AG)
T2: 2:55
Run: 1:24.59 (1st AG)

Racing is a lot like a project - a bunch of tiny projects that you are familiar with but requires an open mind and no assumptions. And each tiny project within the project requires a tool. The more experience you gain in training and on race day, the more tools you collect to use for the race day project. Sometimes you will pick the wrong tool and sometimes you don't have the tool you want and you will need to improvise. Many times you have to change tools quickly. But that's racing - constantly figuring out what is the best tool for the job. Continue to add 'tools' to your race day bag. There's never a bad race, only lessons learned and tools collected. 

 

IM 70.3 Chattanooga - Quick Recap

 

A few years ago in 2018, Karel completed two Ironman distance triathlons within three weeks (IM Kona followed by IMFL held in Haines City, FL). Karel finished IMFL in a very depleted and exhausted state. His body and mind was not fully recovered from the Ironman World Championship and his body was empty by the time he started the marathon run at IMFL. But in this experiment, he learned a lot about himself. Had he not accepted this challenge, he would have never discovered his physical limits and capabilities. 

Fast forward to the present, we were both a bit unsure how we would perform at IM 70.3 Chattanooga after completing the Ironman World Championship in St. George just 15 days prior. It was only last year that I did my fastest turnaround between two races - IM 70.3 Chattanooga and then IM 70.3 Blue Ridge two weeks later. I had a lot of trust in my body that it was healthy enough to accept this challenge but there were still a lot of unknowns as to what type of damage was lingering around inside my tissues and muscles. 

To help with the recovery after the Ironman, we had a few priorities between the two events: 
-Keep the moving and get back to structured training as soon as the body allows
-Get as much sleep as possible
-Keep up with daily mobility
-Keep the body fueled, nourished and hydrated
-Listen to the body

Here's what my "training" looked like between Ironman St. George and IM 70.3 Chattanooga: 
-Day after race (Sunday): 2 hour nap after a restless night of sleep and a 20 min spin. Karel did a 2 hour spin. 
-Monday: ~30 min swim and a ~80 min spin
-Tuesday: Travel day (red eye from Monday)
-Wednesday: AM: 35 min run. PM: ~90 min spin
-Thursday: AM: 3600 yard swim. PM: 50 min run
-Friday: AM: 3500 yard swim
-Saturday (1 week post race): ~3 hour bike with a main set of (30 min as 5 min over/under HIM effort followed by 15 min smooth followed by 2 rounds of 15 min strong w/ 5 min EZ). Followed by a 27 min brick run. 
-Sunday: ~60 min run followed by a 1 hour spin (riding easy to the bakery downtown)
11 hours training: 115 miles bike (all outside), 20 miles run, 7100 yards swim
---------
IM 70.3 Chatt Race Week
Monday: 2100 yard swim
Tuesday: AM: 4600 yard swim. PM: 90 min bike + 40 min run (short intervals in bike and run)
Wednesday: 50 min run
Thursday (Travel 4.5 hours to Chatt): AM: 2700 yard swim
Friday: 2100 OWS, 95 min bike on course
Saturday: 50 min bike + 8 min run (pre race warm-up)
8.5 hours training (68 miles bike (all outside), 12 miles run, 11,600 yard swim)

-------

I was looking forward to this race for a few reasons. The first being that it was our first team race of the year and I love connecting with our athletes before, during and after the race. We had over 20 team members racing and it was so nice to see everyone. Secondly, I was excited to race on this course. Karel and I love racing in Chattanooga. We have raced here a combined 10 times and we love the scenery, the city, the community support and the spectator friendly course. Lastly, I was excited to do something for the first time. I was really looking forward to the opportunity to see what would happen when I race for 70.3 miles two weeks after racing for 140.6 miles. 

Whereas I was very nervous going into Ironman St. George, mentally, it was a completely different experience going into IM 70.3 Chattanooga. It wasn't that I didn't care about the race but after finishing something so epic and hard like Ironman World Championship in St. George, this race felt "easy" in comparison. It's funny how the brain works. Less gear, less things that could go wrong, more things within my control and less time moving my body. 

But I still didn't know how my body would perform. Even though I had kept myself moving after the Ironman, my legs would sometimes give me signs that reminded me "hey, you just did an Ironman." But overall, I felt healthy and my mind was excited to race. 

In reflecting on Ironman St. George and IM 70.3 Chattanooga, I was excited to compete in both races. But the nervousness I felt for St. George didn't happen for IM 70.3 Chattanooga because I had already gone through the motions and emotions of racing. Although I knew I didn't gain any fitness between the two races, what I did gain was racing experience. I had more trust in my body because of what I accomplished two weeks ago. 

In life, it's normal to be afraid of failure. We will often avoid unknown situations because of the long list of "what if's". Avoiding discomfort is comfortable. 

The next time you do something for the first time, celebrate your bravery. Even if things don't go as planned, view trying something new as an experiment. Sport is so much more than a placement or a finishing time. When you race, you learn things about yourself that you just can't learn in a training session. And I truly believe that racing makes you a stronger, wiser and more confident individual for life. Don't be afraid to try hard things. 

       

                    1.4 mile swim: 27:55                                             1.4 mile swim: 28:00
                     56 mile bike: 2:27.51                                             56 mile bike: 2:24.28
                    13.1 mile run: 1:40.02                                          13.1 mile run: 1:24.59

Thank you Ruthanne for passing along this great poem....


Poem by South African writer and cyclist – Tegan Phillips

Whenever you hear – in your ear – the whisper of some kind of crazy idea

Don’t doubt- you’re too this or too that or just too – this adventure was chosen especially for you

So begin with your plans, your diagrams, and your dreams and don’t feel bad when they laugh at your schemes – or set them a light with their fire machines

Just get going, keep going, and when you feel stuck – and you think the adventure gods don’t give a damn. Remember it’s part of the fun, for things to go wrong – otherwise how could we ever get brave and get strong

Yes, despite how it seems, these things in the sky – are cheering us on, so we might as well try
Take as long as you need, to sit down and cry – but then get your butt – right back up – and hold your head high

Because even if you think that your quest feels small – with every step forward you’re crushing a wall and with every wall crushed, your life grows a bit more – until you look back – and can hardly believe how it once was before

So say yes – next time you hear that call – say ‘ok, I’ll try’ – and then get out that door

And when people come saying – ‘for you this can’t be’ – just say – is it humanly possible? Because if it is – then so long as I’m human – it’s possible for me.

IM 70.3 Chattanooga - Quick Recap

I remember a time not too long ago in my triathlon journey when my love for training outweighed my love for racing. Sure, race day was something I always looked forward to but with every race came expectations, pressure, competition and worry about the unknowns. Race day was stressful whereas there was nothing to worry about when I trained - as no one was watching.

Over the years, I've studied Karel and his love for racing. He loves to race. If he could, he would race every weekend. I've noticed that he always displays a few special "race day" qualities. Applying these strategies to my own pre-race and race day thought processes has allowed me to love racing as much as I love training.

Here are a few takeaways of how to enjoy racing and to get the most out of your race experience:

• Don't chase results, PR's or podiums. Race the competition - whoever shows up on race day. 
• Preparation builds confidence. 
• Rely more on RPE over metrics to race more proactively (instead of being reactive and robotic). 
• You don't need to prove anything to yourself or to anyone else on race day. 
• Accept that everyone has to race with/in the same conditions. 
• Understand that something/everything won't go well/right on race day. 
• Don't waste energy on things out of your control. 
• Focus on your own pre-race routine. Stay away from people who suck away your energy (including forums/blogs/social media).
• Don't race with expectations or outcome focused goals. 
• Always decide on the best tool for the job. It's good to have a plan but you also need to know how to adjust. 
• Your mind should be as strong as your body.
• Don't be afraid to fail.
• Something good can come from every race. 
• Don't race another athletes's race. 
• Don't race with an ego, race for the joy of racing. 
• Stay humble and confident. 
• Know that you are always a work in progress. 
• Don't let one race define you or your season. 
• Avoid putting too much energy into one race day performance. 
• Reflect on your race in a productive way so you learn from each race. 

IM 70.3 Chattanooga was a first-time event for me and Karel. Although we've raced in Chattanooga in the past, this course was something new for us to conquer. We really love the city and the community loves to welcome this event. The volunteers are incredible.

The competition was stiff, the weather was warm and the swim was shortened. Karel put together an incredible race where he felt strong all day - and got stronger as the day went on. Just two weeks after IM 70.3 St. George and 5 weeks after IM 70.3 Haines City, Karel's strategy of racing himself into great fitness (on top of some great quality training in between) proved to - once again- work really well for him. I placed 4th in my age group. There were so many strong girls in my age group and I knew it would be tough to get on the podium at this race. While I could be disappointed with my placement, I am not. I felt incredibly strong for all 70.3 miles. Even when I heard from a friend that I was in 4th AG, I didn't stop smiling as I felt like I was winning my own race. I am far from upset as I put together the best race that I could on the day.

We had 29 Trimarni athletes on the race course and it was so much fun to share the course (and race experience) with them all. I just love racing with our athletes. And....thee Trimarni coaching and nutrition team placed 3rd Tri Club!! Way to go team!!

As a takeaway from our race, it's totally normal to be disappointed after a race. Those "perfect" races don't come very often so it's expected that there's going to be a learning experience, highs and lows from every race. Most importantly, make sure your race day goals (or expectations) are for the right reasons. We all love to celebrate PR's and podiums, but most importantly, race for the happiness and joy that is racing brings to you. Racing should always give you a great sense of personal accomplishment. No matter what, be thankful and grateful for your healthy mind and body. It's a gift to be able to do what you/we can do with our bodies.

Race Results

Marni - 4th AG (35-39), 10th overall amateur female

.75 mile swim: 14:52 (1st AG, 5th fastest female)

T1: 4:01

56 mile bike: 2:31.03 (4th AG, 10th fastest female)

T2: 2:48

13.1 mile run: 1:40.10 (6th AG, 18th fastest female)

Total: 4:32.53

Karel - 1st AG (40-44), 7th overall amateur male)

.75 mile swim: 15:17 (6th AG)

T1: 3:13

56 mile bike: 2:21.33 (5th AG, 27th fastest male)

T2: 2:21

13.1 mile run: 1:22.12 (1st AG, 3rd fastest male, 4th overall)

Total: 4:04.34

Spectathleting Ironman 70.3 Chatty

It was a very quick and last-minute decision to drive 4.5 hours to spectate Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga but it was well worth it. With nine Trimarni team members racing (6 age groupers, 1 pro, 2 educational team members), we couldn't pass up this opportunity to see our athletes in action. Plus, we know the Chatty area really well after being there for Ironman 70.3 Worlds and Ironman Chattanooga last year so it was an overall stress free, quick and fun weekend. 

Although the weather was iffy for the weekend, it turned out to be absolutely perfect. It was hot and sunny instead of stormy which I'm sure delighted the minds of the athletes who were racing this weekend as it can be mentally exhausting to have to worry about the chance of storms and the possibility of a cancelled swim or race. The weather forecast looked to be worse for our athletes racing the Greenville Mountains to Mainstreet half ironman on Sat but thankfully the weather gods were in our favor.

We left Greenville on Friday late morning. Because our weekend was dedicated to our athletes, we strategically used the weekend as "recovery" from our training instead of trying to pile in longer Ironman workouts in a different training environment, without being able to focus well on recovery and nutrition. Therefore, we did our "longer" workouts on Thurs and Friday morning - although, neither was too long by most Ironman triathletes standards but we have been focusing more on quality and intensity over volume lately to help us fine-tune our fitness for our upcoming races.

After we checked into our hotel around 4pm, we quickly unpacked the car and drove to the expo to meet up with our friend Rachel at Ventum. It was nice to also see some other familiar faces at the expo. We had all the excitement of racing but without the nerves :)
We are so excited about our recent Ventum + Trimarni partnership and to have the opportunity to support and ride Ventum. I'm excited to say that I'll be riding a Ventum one at Ironman Wisconsin as my new bike will arrive later this summer (after we return home from our Europe race-cations). I only say all of this after I had the opportunity to test out the Ventum bike. Since we were in Chattanooga and there was a size 46 demo bike available, Rachel (aka director of happiness) let me borrow the bike overnight (how cool and awesome is that?!?) for Karel to do a quick fit/adjustment for me to test-ride the bike on Saturday morning. I was super excited to try out a new bike brand (with a radical design) as I have been riding Trek for about eight years and I have head nothing but great things from Karel since he got his Ventum a few months ago.

Since we brought a cooler full of food, we didn't have to rely on eating out or searching for food but we did pick up dinner at Whole Foods (on the other side of the river) to give us a nice meal to eat in the hotel room before calling it a night. After two extremely tough days of training, we really needed to make sure we stayed up on our nutrition and hydration, especially with being a bit off of our normal routine in Chattanooga. In the evening, I worked on the computer for a little bit as Karel watched the Giro (or Tour of California - not sure as he is in cycling heaven right now with so much to cycling to watch!) and then we went to sleep around ten. Campy loves road trips and he was so happy to be with us this weekend. With so much travel for us this summer, it was nice to have Campy with us as he makes everything more entertaining with him around.

We woke up rather early to get out on the bikes before the expo started so that we could return back the demo Ventum. With our athlete Josh staying in a hotel across the street from us, he joined us for the ride at 7:30 so that he could do some of his warm-up with us before we carried on with our ride. Karel had his road bike as this Sat ride was all about me getting to test out the Ventum. We were so thankful to Josh's wife Eedee for babysitting Campy at her hotel while we were out spinning our legs. Campy is one spoiled pooch.

After a quick 45 minute spin on the race course, Josh left us to head back to his hotel and Karel and I carried on with our ride up Lookout mountain. It was important for me to test the bike in all types of terrain and my biggest concerns were how the bike rides on bumpy roads, climbing and most of all descending. Because me and the wind tend to not get along really well, I was anxious to hear if the Ventum would help me feel more in control of the bike when riding in the wind (especially descending). Although there wasn't much wind if at all, it was still good to climb and descend on the Ventum. My immediate feedback was that this bike feels just like a road bike - it's extremely easy to control, smooth and responsive. I felt in control while descending and it's very comfortable in aero. If you know me, I don't like change but I was loving this bike so much that I didn't want to get off it!

After about 1:30 of riding, we rode to the expo to meet up with a few of our athletes so Karel could help with some bike mechanical needs of our athletes and so I could say hi to others. I went back to the hotel after almost 2 hours of riding the Ventum and didn't want to stop riding it.

After getting Campy, cleaning up and eating, we headed back to the Expo to return the Ventum and finish off our morning helping our athletes out however needed. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel room working, watching cycling, eating and taking a short nap (phew, exhausted!) before heading out for dinner with Eedee in downtown Chattanooga at Bluewater. Dinner was so good and it totally hit the spot to have something filling, fatty and salty.

On Sunday morning, we stayed at our hotel instead of heading to the swim start so that we could see all of our athletes (and  the pros) start the bike (around mile 2). We were in the perfect spot to give some cheers to everyone. It was so great to see our professional triathlete Ericka in action as she put together a very strong race and was in the mix throughout the entire race, from start to finish. We are so proud of her. Our other athletes, Josh, Reid, Diane, Michaela, Pat and Andy did amazing, as did our educational team member Gin. Another team member Josh had a mechanical which took him out of the race on the bike but he was in good spirits which is important as that's part of racing. Everyone was smiling and looked in control throughout the entire run.

We headed down to the race venue before the male pros got off the bike, just in time to see Starky finish the bike and start the run. It was very inspiring to see the pros in action and we were able to give a big cheer for a few of our favs out there on the course, especially our athlete Ericka who was rocking this race and ended up 11th pro female.

The Chatty run course is perfect for spectating so we headed up the hill to backside of the course (before the bridge over the river) to see our athletes on both sides of the course. It was the perfect location to cheer for everyone. Campy was a trooper although he spent more time in my arms than on the ground as his 10.5 year old body doesn't move as fast for as long as it use to. Regardless, he had fun out there and gave a lot of barks/cheers. 

We watched most of our athletes finished but we needed to hit the road by 2pm in order to get back to Greenville before a busy Monday for us (nutrition consults and Retul fits). Thankfully, we saw everyone out on the course and it's always a relief to know that your athletes are off the bike. It was exhausting to spectate but well worth it as it was so awesome to see so many familiar faces and to be there for our athletes. Next up, Karel will be racing Raleigh (I will be staying at home with Campy so Karel is making the trip solo).

A few pics from the weekend....

Hello from Chattanooga (again)!

Here we are again, back in Chattanooga!

As we were driving into town on Tues evening, my stomach felt a little funny as it felt strange to return to the place where my fainting setback left me with a smashed face and an unfulfilled feeling for my last race of the season. But I didn't let this feeling get to me because I returned back to Chattanooga with Karel with excitement and gratitude for another race opportunity by my body.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I have emotionally moved on from my recent DNS at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship but physically, a big part of me feels like I have some unfinished business here in Chattanooga.

Knowing that stuff happens and we can't control the future, the only way that I could move on from my last race experience was to make sure that my next racing decision was not for anyone else but myself.  I wanted to do a race that made me happy. After giving my next race a lot of thought, I couldn't be more excited to turn my letdown into an exciting new opportunity. You better believe that after I received the OK to race again, I wasn't going to move on with a sad ending to my last chapter.

And now I turn the page for my next chapter in my book of life.......

Putting things into perspective - Understanding that I experienced a freaky accident (with very bad timing), I have accepted that the circumstances were not in my favor but I will not let this define me as an athlete. Within 48 hours of my vasovagal syncope issue, I had several doctor appointments and lab work to receive confirmation that my body is in good health and I don't have to give up on my athletic dreams this season.

Reflect -  Like with many things in life, setbacks are a necessary part of the path towards success. Although I was sad, upset and frustrated while sitting in my rental home 2 Saturday's ago, instead of racing, I can now look back and with a clear mind, evaluate the situation. Although I should have slowed down in the morning and paid more attention to the woozy feeling in the body, there was not much that I could have done differently. I feel lucky that my fall only left me with cuts and bruises and with all things considered, it could have been a lot worse.

A new focus - Whenever an athlete experiences a setback, it's important to figure out what's next. Do you want to accomplish the same thing or accomplish something different? This question was on my mind for several days after my DNS as I felt like I worked so hard to prepare for the IM 70.3 World Championship and I was not able to show off my fitness. But more than racing, I missed out on the experience of racing and that is what I love so much about the sport. I missed out on being around other inspiring athletes and doing something incredible with my body.

While driving home from the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Karel was already quick to give me some ideas for my next race. It's funny because we both had different race ideas for what I should do with my trained body. My thinking was to find a challenging half ironman and Karel's idea was for me to do an Ironman. We tossed around a few ideas over the next 48 hours and after I received permission to race again from my doctors, I was ready to commit to my next race.

Karel knows that the Ironman event suits me so well and to be honest, I wouldn't have trained much different for an Ironman versus a half Ironman since we don't do a lot of high volume training. I train mostly with Karel so as he prepares for an Ironman, my training is very similar.  The half Ironman distance takes me far out of my comfort zone and that is why I dedicated this season to half Ironman racing. Because the Ironman distance always feels right for my style of racing - I can be steady and resilient all day long - it always feels right when I get to the start line of an Ironman

So after much discussion with Karel, we decided on my next and last race of my 2017 triathlon season.

Ironman Chattanooga! 

I couldn't be more excited to finish my season here in Chattanooga for 144.6 miles of racing! I get to share the course with 15 of my Trimarni athletes (including Karel), along with several familiar Greenville faces and this decision feels so right. I have nothing but excitement and positive energy building inside of me for Sunday. This is a no pressure, have fun and enjoy the experience type of race but I'm sure my competitive spirit will come out on race day.

Thank you Karel for helping me through the past two weeks and for encouraging me to get right back into training. Thank you to all the Trimarni followers who kept me motivated to get back into racing and for all the support and encouragement from my Trimarni athletes and friends/followers.

Let the countdown again....I am doing my 12th Ironman on Sunday!

Thank you body!

Hello from Chattanooga!

Travel
After an early morning bike/run workout (~90 minutes) and a massage, it was time to pack up the car and head off to Chatty!
We left on Tuesday morning to drive 4.5 hours up and over to Chattanooga (through Knoxville). For our first time to Chatty, the drive was scenic and we had little traffic. The only negative to our drive was the pouring rain that lasted the last 3 hours of our drive. Thankfully, we made it to our rental house safely, around 5pm. Campy is joining us for our trip because he does a great job of keeping us both calm and stress-free on race week.

Nutrition
To make it easy for us, I did some grocery shopping and a lot of meal prep on Monday before we left. Although we have a kitchen at our rental house, I wanted to avoid the hassle of grocery shopping when we arrived and then making food each day. Having a stocked fridge as soon as we arrived was a great thing and it made it easy to get to bed early for a good night of sleep on Tuesday evening. We won't be eating out during our time in Chatty before the race so all meals and snacks will be in our control and we will stick to our normal daily diet and pre-race diet as we both know what foods work best for us. We have lots of food for snacks (ex. fruit, yogurt, pita chips, raisins, chocolate) and meals (potatoes, eggs, chicken for Karel, tempeh for me, waffles, croissants, bread, soup, rice, cheese, OJ, milk, hardboiled eggs, eggs, pizza, Kefir, nut butter, syrup, etc.) so eating is familiar and easy to accomplish every day.

Wednesday
For our first official day in Chatty, we drove the 5.5 miles down to the race venue/village with our bike and swim gear for a longish morning workout. Our athlete Natalie met us at the swim. I really looked forward to getting in the water and experiencing the changing current. The water temperature felt great in my swimskin and I enjoyed the challenge of navigating the current, especially with it to my side or swimming against the current. After the swim, I was a little chilly (as the air temp was in the 60's) but I reminded myself that on race day, I would warm up fast. Plus, I wanted to practice in my same gear as race day (one piece tri suit and same sport bra) to feel comfortable swimming with sleeves and a swimskin, in the case that it is not wetsuit legal (which I am hoping for).
After the swim, we all got ready for a 2ish hour bike on the course. I was really looking forward to getting on the course and experiencing "the climb". Although I had a rough few weeks around the time I was racing Lake Logan half Ironman, my legs have really come around and I am itching to push hard and race. I took it rather easy on the climb to save my legs a bit for Saturday and wanted to soak in the view before I am laser focused on race day. After "the climb", there was another long section of rolling hills, with about 4 big kickers. I couldn't help but think "am I in Greenville?" as the terrain is very familiar to me and reminds me of our normal routes in Greenville (just with less farm animals but I did manage to say hi to a few horses and saved a baby turtle). We covered the first 18 miles of the course (and warmed up nicely) and then turned around to head back to the venue.
Natalie and I checked in and picked up our bag and we briefly checked out the expo as we were all ready for some food.
As for the rest of the day, it included eating, laying around and relaxing. Campy had a little playdate with Natalie's dog Kona which was fun to see Campy (who is 10) play with an 8-month puppy.
It was early to bed and we slept great (about 9 hours).

Thursday
After previewing the swim venue and some of the bike, I was anxious to get out on the run course. Around 8am, we parked near the village and met Natalie for an early morning spin. It was rather cold out (in the upper 50's) but it warmed up nicely as the morning went on. Like the bike course, the run was marked with arrows so it was easy to find our way around (although we did get turned around a few times). Like I was told, the course is hilly but once again, it reminded me of my terrain in Greenville and the type of run course that I love to run on in my races. As we covered the course, I couldn't help but think "this is going to be a tough run" and then I followed that thought with "I am so excited to run two loops on this!" Karel keeps telling me that this course could not be better designed for me as it is very challenging and requires great strength, smart skills and resilience over speed so Karel's confidence in me is getting me very excited to race. And the weather couldn't be more perfect for race day.
After we biked the run course, we went for a shake out run. Karel ran by himself and Natalie and I did 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back on the run course, just nice and easy, all conversational pace. The course, although very challenging, is also very pretty. I imagine that the course will be lined with spectators in certain areas of the course, which will be great for an energy boost on race day.
After the morning workout, Natalie and I strolled through the expo and merchandise tent as Karel checked in for the race. Around 11:30am, we left the venue, headed to Wholefoods for a few items and then made it back to our rental house around 12:30pm. The rest of the day included eating, a little work on the computer and in a few hours, I will enjoy my pre-race pizza and then we will head downtown for the mandatory pre-race athlete meeting at 8pm.

I am getting super excited to race and I can't help but think back to my previous training and all the hard work that went into the preparation for this race. Years of experience and a season of athletic development to get to where I am right now. No matter the outcome, I feel excited, healthy, fit and confident and I am looking forward to the opportunity to race my competition in the 35-39 age group and give my best, with what I am given on race day.

Here are some pictures from the last few days:

Karel's new Wacaco nanopresso. Now he can enjoy an espresso when we travel. 

Road trip from one mountain view to another. 

Snack for the car. 

Room with a view. 

Recovery coach says it's time for a nap. 

My go-to pre-workout meal. 

We have arrived!

Time to preview some of the bike course. 

Riding to "the climb"

Up I go! 

What a view of Rock City Waterfall near the top of the climb. 

Turtle saved. 

Potty stop - well hydrated and fueled after 2.5 hours of riding on Wednesday. 

Campy loves his new race tee. Thank you Natalie! 

All checked in! 

Love the race theme - An adventure for your soul. 

Hand written drawing from a local school kid. 

Two lap dogs. One is 12 lbs and the other is 40.

Yummy dinner. 

Thank you Hot Shot for our goodies!

Exploring the run course. 

View from the run course. 

Over the bridge on the run course. 

Over another bridge on the run course. 

Must stop for a high five. 

More from the run course. 

Conversational pace run makes it OK to stop for pictures (coach approved). 

Back to athlete check-in for Karel. 

Race week tradition - love Mojo bars (all flavors)!

It's official! 

So much signage around the city. 

Someone couldn't wait to eat. 

Post workout meal - Icelandic yogurt, french brioch bread (cinnamon and cheese) and lots of fruit.