The Kona dream

Karel and I spent all of Saturday watching the Ironman World Championship. Actually, we first went out on our road bikes for a 2.5 hour ride (no shortage of mountain views) and then from 12:15-11pm, we watched and tracked athletes on Ironman.com. It was such a special day to have two of our athletes (Lisa and Leyla) out on the course for their first IM Kona experience (both finished!), which was also on the day when the male professional Ironman World Championship course record was broken. It was so much fun to track so many of our friends and to watch the professionals race in one exciting race on the big island of Kona! Congrats to everyone who earned a spot to the IM Kona start line!

I always find that the Ironman World Championship has a special way of helping athletes dream a bit bigger. While triathlon may not be for everyone, this recognized event is extremely motivating, regardless of fitness/athletic background.

While motivation can easily come from watching a one day event, not always is it easy to keep. If you have recently set a goal for yourself, you must be willing to maintain your efforts until you achieved that goal. Athletic success requires a lot of patience, persistence and grit but it often comes at the result of applying a little effort, day after day.

When a motivated, focused, determined athlete has a goal in place, there's often the tendency to make a lot of changes in an effort to reach that goal. Whether it's diet, training, lifestyle or a combination of all three, it's important to recognize that success does not come from a radical change or overhaul in your training methods, diet or lifestyle. It's focusing on the small things that make all the difference. 

Far too many athletes are constantly looking for quick results in an effort to achieve success as soon as possible. This inpatient thinking with a big goal in mind often results in extreme lifestyle changes with training and the diet. If you are willing and ready to get to that next level or you want to reach a personal goal, never underestimate the importance of making realistic, sustainable, smart and healthy decisions on a day-to-day basis.

If you have recently made a huge change, hoping for a grand, visible or talked-about outcome associated with it, you may find yourself with a performance decline or health issue in the near future.

It's not easy to reach a goal. Goals require a lot of hard work, patience, time and focus. But don't let the time that it takes to reach a goal scare you away from what could be an exciting and possibly life-changing journey.

Success is built on many small sustainable changes but small changes typically aren't visible or talked about. Minimal gains are not sexy and they don't get a lot of attention. They also don't make much of a difference at the time so you often feel like your recent change isn't working.

But eventually, they do add up to something very important over the long-term.

Think small for big things to happen.

What it takes

Do you have what it takes? 

What exactly am I talking about?

Self-improvement. 

Some of the best feelings in life are when you feel like you improved. And not just any improvement like moving up a level at your job or learning a second language. While both meaningful and valuable, it's the moments in life when you overcome a challenge, typically with a bit of suffering, and you feel like you are really living life to the fullest, while doing something worthwhile with your body.

This is why it's commonly said that sports change people.
Being an athlete is a title that changes you forever.
I believe it's a great thing to be an athlete as it fosters great dedication, commitment, focus and passion to many other areas in life - not related to sports.

You can't deny that the satisfaction of proving something to yourself as an athlete, perhaps something that you didn't think was possible, is an invigorating feeling. Because the proving requires hard work, investments, patience and sacrifice, the journey of achieving something to improve yourself is often even better than the end result.


Believing in yourself is the first step of determining if you have what it takes.
Secondly, you have dream big.

While it can be fine to live a normal life of feeling content with average, dreaming big creates an exciting platform of growth, progress and change, so you can become something more than average.   

As you think about your upcoming season of training and racing, you have to believe that you have what it takes to make your athletic dreams a reality.

Don’t let other people discourage you from your dreams. Prove others wrong.
And don’t let the thought of hard work scare you from achieving something incredible.
Remember, nothing worthwhile will ever come easy. 

Every athlete has a great performance inside him/herself but it takes time and patience to get the best out of yourself. And even if you think you achieved your "best race ever", there's probably another better race in you that you will experience down the road - so long as you don't give up. 

Stay dedicated.
Keep developing yourself as an athlete. 

If you believe you have what it takes, chase your dreams, fall in love with the process and have a lot of fun along the way.

It's emotionally draining to become hyper focused on an end result. 
It's your journey, make the most of it. 
You got what it takes. 

2016 Ironman Austria finishers

Dreaming big is easy.
It's free, it it's not physically exhausting and anyone can do it, at any age or fitness ability.

Dreaming big is a necessary part of goal setting.

If you can't visualize yourself achieving your goals it's going to be very hard to believe your goal is worth achieving.

And if you can't believe in yourself, you will likely not work hard enough to make your dream turn into a reality.

Eight months ago I started my 2016 season (foundation phase) with one big scary goal.

To be on the podium at the 2016 Ironman Austria for my age group (30-34). 
For 8 months, I stayed present for almost every workout.
Sometimes I lost motivation, felt too tired or found myself "too busy" to train but I never lost sight of my goal.

I followed my training plan and took great care of my body to stay consistent with training.

I didn't question the workouts that Karel gave me because we had a game plan for this season.
 (and with the help of Matt Dixon with Purplepatch Fitness, who is Karel's coach) 

With 10 Ironman races behind me, including 4 Ironman World Championship, Karel knew that I didn't need any more endurance in my body.
Karel knows I can go long all day and will be happy in my comfort zone.

So this season - Karel took me waaaaayyyy outside my comfort zone. 

And I loved it. 

I trained like I have never trained before and that kept me excited to put in the work day after day, week after week and month after month. I loved seeing my progress week after week but certainly, I had those stale moments when I questioned if the plan was still working.

I swam more frequently than I have ever swam before as a triathlete (4-5 days per week).
I biked more on the trainer than ever before (weekly rides) and rode mostly my long rides outside. My longest peak IM training ride was 5 hours (about 85 miles) and most of my "long" rides were around 3.5-4.5 hours.
I did a lot of brick runs.
I did a lot of strength training, mobility work and hip/glute work.
I ran a lot - not long but frequently. And most of my running was on the treadmill. My longest peak IM training run was 13 miles (at Rev3 Knoxville).

I worked extremely hard when I was told to go hard and I went easy when I was told to go easy. My mind got in my way a lot and I had to learn how to use my mind wisely.
I never became gadget obsessed and didn't focus on metrics. I never trained with the intention of swimming, biking or running x-pace on race day. I simply trained as smart as I could to stay consistent with training. The more consistently I trained, the more anxiously, nervously excited I became that I was going to be able to do something amazing with my body on race day.
I never had to miss a workout because of a sickness or injury.

While I felt like I was doing a lot of "new" things this season, I constantly reminded myself that I've made a lot of mistakes and have overcome a lot of obstacles in the past 10 years as an endurance triathlete.
Thank goodness for those mistakes and setbacks!
Those were simply lessons in my athletic development to get me to where I am today.

Knowing that training consistently (and enjoying my training) would help me move closer to my Ironman Austria goal, Karel knew where I could gain the most with my fitness (swim and bike) and where I could possible lose the most with my fitness (running), depending on how we set up my training plan, workout volume, intensity and frequency and periodization.

This season I needed to get myself into great physical shape (while keeping myself very healthy) but I needed to mentally prepare to suffer like I've never suffered before - in training and on race day. 

Karel and I raced Ironman Austria in 2014 and we fell in love with the race venue, the crowd and volunteer support, the course, the atmosphere, the finish line experience and most of all, the high level of competition that brought out a level of racing that we never thought was possible in either of us.

In order to achieve something amazing with my body on race day, I needed to be in great health. 

I needed support from a team who believed in me when I questioned the craziness of this goal - especially when Karel told me he thought I was capable of breaking 10 hours (thank you Karel and Gloria for your ongoing support)
Thank you to my mom and close friends who "get me".

To reach a big scary goal, I needed consistency in training and a lot of ambition.
I am thankful for great triathlon guidance from Tower 26 podcast and Purplepatch Fitness, and our PT friends Chris, Drew and Kent and the amazing Dr. Cassas who always seems to have time for us despite a busy work schedule.

This season, I remained presently focused but not obsessed, with my training as life and happiness can not revolve around one goal.

I had a deep inner fuel to work very hard.
I needed this scary goal to help me stay motivated.
I needed great teamwork and teammates to keep me enjoying this Ironman journey (thank you to my Trimarni coaching athletes and my fun, girl power bike partner Meredith and the awesome Greenville triathlon crew).

You can't expect that everything will come easily when you are training for an Ironman but above all, you have to believe in yourself that you can do whatever it is you want to do if you are smart and patient.

Athletic dreams do not come easily, especially if you set a goal that seems impossibly possible to achieve.

On June 26th 2016 I not only conquered my big dream goal of placing on the podium at the 2016 Ironman Austria but I achieved more than I thought was possible from my body.

It's very hard to describe this Ironman Austria experience.

I've always loved racing a high level of competition but to combine it with this 140.6 mile course, I suppose the best was brought out of my body and mind on race day.

Amazingly, this course brought out the best in Karel too.
When I grow up, I want to be able to suffer like Karel.

Karel's body has been giving him some issues over the past year and every time he feels he is in the "best" shape, something comes up with his body which makes it difficult for him to train like he wants to train. This has been mentally and physically exhausting for both of us. It's been extremely sad at times and also frustrating knowing that he is trying to do all the right things but his body doesn't always cooperate.

Surprisingly, Karel shocked himself with his race performance at Ironman Austria. We say this honestly as Karel was in a tremendous amount of pain in his hip/groin in the 3 weeks leading up to this race after a MRI showed an impingement in his right hip so his training had to be significantly adjusted. Not to mention, he was in some agonizing back pain in the 72 hours leading up to this race but thankfully. Karel and I are against steroid shots and aggressive, quick-fix treatments so thankfully we have a great team of docs and PTs helping us out with good advice.

Most of the time, time just heals those injuries/niggles/issues.

But for Karel, time was running out before Ironman Austria so he came to terms with his body and just stayed optimistic that maybe all will be OK on race day and if not, he came to terms that if he had to pull out of the race, I would have to take one for team Sumbal and race my heart out for both of us.  

Although I still feel like this is all a dream, I know it's real.

To be able to share my on-paper, near perfect race day performance with Karel is an absolute dream come true.
(behind the scenes, this race was not so perfect for me so stay tuned for more details coming soon)

I am still so in love with Karel after 10 years of us living a highly active lifestyle together and for those who know me well, I love sharing this crazy, roller coaster of emotions, triathlon lifestyle with Karel.

Karel finished 9th AG (out of 500+ in his 40-44 AG) with a 9-min PR and his fastest Ironman swim (1:03) and fastest ever marathon run (3:06.0 - 5 minute PR).
Sadly, with only 5 Kona slots in his age group, he missed a slot by less than 2 minutes.
But that is ok as he is thrilled with his race and how his body miraculously performed here in Austria and it was never his intention to Kona qualify here as he has IMMT in 8 weeks where he hopes to Kona qualify.

While the real race day performance is best told by the athlete talking about his/her execution and what she/he had to overcome to get to the finish line, and not by race times and places, I am incredibly thankful to my body for what it allowed me to do on race day.

I just finished my 11th Ironman event.
I had a 11-min PR with an overall time of 10:06.
I had the fastest overall female swim (57.04) and finally broke an hour in the Ironman swim (it only took 10 years!)
I had an 11-min PR on the bike with a time of 5:18.00 (with the last 60+ minutes in the pouring rain).
And despite some major GI issues to start the run (which lasted for about 10 miles), after five potty stops (1 in T2 and then 4 on the run course), I overcome what I thought was not possible on the run (to keep running) and somehow I still managed to run a respectable marathon time for myself of 3:42:57.

I finished 10th overall female, 4th amateur female, fastest American amateur female and achieved my season goal/dream of placing on the podium at an international Ironman event (2nd AG).

As for going to Kona for the 2016 Ironman World Championship, I was not chasing the one Kona slot in my age group.
I went into this race to be the best athlete that I could be without any goals for what needed to happen to get me somewhere after this race.
All my focus was on this one day.

I went into this race knowing that I gave everything I could to prepare mentally and physically for this race and took risks like I have never taken before during an Ironman race. I did all of this because I will now take a temporary break from Ironman racing so I can focus on shorter distance triathlon races until I am ready to race another 140.6 mile event. As for how long of a break, my body and mind will let me know when it wants to return to this extreme triathlon event.

My body has allowed me to do a lot over the past 10 years and I don't take my good health, my love for pushing my body and my competitiveness for granted.

I often feel I am taking a lot of risks when I train for an Ironman so for my triathlon longevity and health, I'm giving my body a break from training to race for 10+ hours and I can now get my Ironman endorphins from Karel who is chasing his Ironman dreams. 

Thank you for your support and thank you Ironman Austria for making my dream come true in such a spectacular race venue.

      

RESULTS

Karel: 

9th AG (40-44), 68th overall

Swim - 1:03.05

Bike - 4:56.51

Run - 3:06.05

Total - 9:13.10

Marni: 

2nd AG (30-34), 10th female overall

Swim - :57.04

Bike - 5:18.00

Run - 3:42.57

Total - 10:06:54

30-34 men and women AG podium 


A beautiful AG award and a keg.
Euro style. 

2014 IMWI FINISHERS! A dream came true.

It was almost eight years ago when I crossed my first Ironman finish line. 

I still remember every detail of IMFL 2006. 

I had my bike-racing boyfriend (Karel) who I had been dating for 6 months, on the sidelines. He thought I was a bit crazy to want to do this 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run event but nonetheless, he was cheering me on for 140.6 miles. Somewhere in the last 3 miles of the marathon, Karel told me I was going to Kona. I yelled back "I love you!" It was the first time I told Karel that I loved him. Even though Karel thought that this sport was super crazy when we met, it's funny that now the Ironman is our sport of choice that has brought us closer and closer over the past two years since Karel stopped racing bikes as a Cat 1 rider and jumped into his first sprint triathlon in the summer of 2012. 

My first Ironman was also special because my parents were dishing out support and positivity for me all day as their 24-year old daughter was about to embark on her first all-day endurance event. I guess some may think it was their parent-duty to be out on the course. But really, it was just normal for my mom and dad to be there for me (regardless if I was at a swim meet, swimming for 1-2.5 minutes or racing an IM for 11 hours) because giving unconditional support is just one of their great traits as great parents. 

When I crossed the finish line, I knew that I had won my age group (18-24) and had received the one and only coveted Kona slot for my female age group. 

With 9 Ironman finish lines crossed since 2006, the places and finishing times have all varied but the feeling of accomplishment feels better and better, year after year. 

I remember seeing my dad when I crossed the finish line at my first Ironman. He had tears in his eyes and he just couldn't believe what his daughter had just accomplished. For me, it was simply a goal that I had worked really hard to achieve but for my dad, it was something more than me just crossing a finish line. My dad knew I had this goal and had put in the work but when it comes to endurance racing, so much can occur in long distance races and he was just so over-the-moon happy for me to have the day that I had worked so hard to have. My dad was the best at bragging about his kids and I am so happy that my brother and I have always been so focused in life with our goals to give my dad so many reasons to be proud of us. But really, he inspired us to dream big and to work hard for success. 

The Ironman triathlon is extremely challenging not only because of distance that the body has to travel but because of the obstacles that arise before and on race day. It requires a lot of time, money and effort to just train for the Ironman but once the hard work is over to get to the start line in good shape with a healthy body, there is an entirely new journey that lies ahead,. A140.6 mile journey that is filled with highs and lows as the body continues to move forward from 7am until the course closes at midnight. 

But what is so special about the Ironman triathlon is that it is a demanding, challenging sport that can change your life. It is a sport that allows big dreams to come true. 

I find that I dream the biggest when I am awake. I do not lay in bed and think about what I want to happen in my life but instead, create big goals when I am awake and in the moment of life. I am so grateful that my body allows me to do the things in life that make me incredibly happy. 

When I dream big, I smile. My dreams do not scare me but instead, they push me to work hard. Hard work brings me joy because it's not just about what comes at the end of the journey but also about what kind of person I become in the process. 

Goals require hard work, time, patience and the ability to overcome obstacles. As you probably know, there are more components in this difficult equation to make your goals become a dream come true. But those dreams never come true if you give up when the going gets tough.

Over the past two years, Karel and I had a dream that not only drove us to train smarter to train harder but also a dream that we couldn't get out of our mind. 

The dream of Karel and I, husband and wife, racing in Kona together at the biggest stage of triathlon endurance racing was more than just an idea. It was something that we wanted to experience together and something so special that we just couldn't let go of this dream. 

Karel and I are firm on our philosophy of training smart so we knew that we would not sacrifice our life just to make this dream come true. Instead, we would spend the entire year planning our racing schedule and every phase of training so we could properly prepare for each race and peak appropriately.....without compromising our health and other things in life that make us happy. We refused to train more but instead, we continued to learn how to train smarter so that we could train hard and then recover even harder. We trained our bodies and mind for 3 key races, all leading up to IMWI as our ultimate race of the season. The last race of the season was the race when we both were willing to give everything for the possibility for the dream to come true. 

No pressure, right?!?!!

The interesting thing about this year is that we never felt burnt-out from training or felt as if we sacrificed a lot in our life for our dream to possibly come true. Although we were 100% devoted to our dream, we only devoted every ounce of energy possible when we expected our body to make physical progress to help us move closer to our goal. In other words, if our day was controlled with a light switch, we turned on our switch before, during and after a workout and then turned off the training switch so that we could turn on the life switch. We were extremely careful not to blow a fuse by blending the two. Certainly there is some overlap (especially since our job is to coach and help fuel endurance athletes) but our continued excitement for triathlons thrived over the years because we felt equal, if not more, happiness from life......when we were not training. 

Simply put, even with the biggest, most grand, perhaps impossible to achieve goal, we never made triathlons are life but instead, just part of our awesome lifestyle. 

Karel and I are more than husband and wife but we are best friends. Although we have our differences, we have a lot of similarities. 

One thing that we both have in common is that when we have a dream, it does not fade away. It is not a dream that is built on ego to be the best, most popular or even the most successful. But instead, it's  a dream that gives us satisfaction. We work really hard, without shortcuts and we do not expect to ever reach for an EASY button (as an endurance athlete, I have learned that my easy button has batteries that always die when I need it the most).

It's the worst feeling to have a dream and to feel as if you wasted time, money and energy to follow a dream that was not possible. But if you have the courage to pursue your dream, consider it possible and do not give up. EVER. .

Your time to pursue a goal is never wasted. But it is extremely important to choose how to spend your time so that the energy (money and time) you dedicate to your goal, is used properly. Success doesn't come from simply putting in the work but instead, making the work count, being mindful of progress (or if lack of it, a need to change the approach to training) and finding fulfillment in the journey....a journey that makes you a better human being. 

We all must believe that were put on this earth to achieve something great with our bodies and mind. 

I believe that we all dream big because we are inspired by the success of others. 

Whether it is in sport, career or with a family, we all have the ability to achieve greatness and to help, inspire and motivate others through making dreams become a reality.

Since a simple formula (if we could create one) for success is hard work, preparation and learning from past mistakes, it's not so much about the dream but instead, keeping the dream alive long enough that it can be achieved. 

We both had one big goal going into this race so we had to leave everything out on this challenging IMWI course. We took some risks and we suffered mentally and physically. There were some highs but ouch, over 140.6 miles, there were a lot of lows. 

No Ironman race is easy. We are quickly learning this as we continue to aspire to be the best endurance athletes that we can be. When it hurts so bad deep inside and you forget about your goals and just question if the finish line is even a reality, this is when you know you are really entering a place that only endurance athlete crave and outsiders do not understand (but yet, they get inspired by the suffering). It's not a pretty place to be in but it is a place that when you overcome that deep, dark place, you feel incredibly accomplished. So accomplished that even if you do not achieve the initial goal that you set out to achieve, you somehow feel exceptionally accomplished. 

When we race against tough competition, it only brings out the best in us. Fast athletes make us push harder. Without them, we would never reach our full potential.  

At 2014 IMWI, we dug so deep that there were many moments in the race that we both almost forgot about our dream. The Kona dream fueled the fire but the flame burned just long enough to help us make it to the finish line.

Thank you everyone SO much for your support, positive vibes and kind words.

A dream in the making just came true. 

We did it and it was NOT easy. 

Karel: 9:44, 3rd AG (35-39), 9th overall male amateur.
Marni: 10:44, 3rd AG (30-34), 6th overall female amateur. 

2015 KONA BOUND!

 What an incredible day for both of us, thanks to so many supportive Trimarni followers and screaming IMWI fans and volunteers. 

I will be racing my 4th Kona and 10th IM with Karel in Kona Hawaii next October, for the 2015 Ironman World Championship!

My dad would have been so proud. 

Thank you dad for inspiring me to love life, dream big and to never ever give up. 

Kona Ready: who said it would be easy?

In six days I will have the opportunity to challenge myself in one of the hardest endurance events in the world ALONGSIDE the best endurance athletes (age group and professional) in the world. The finish line is the goal, anything else that comes with it (ex. PR on that course) is a bonus. 

For the medal awarded to every athlete that crosses the Ironman World Championship finish line before midnight is the prize that commemorates months and months of hard work, discipline, passion, commitment and a body and mind that was trained to perform. 

Knowing that athletes and fitness enthusiasts, family and friends from around the world will be watching their own favorite athletes as well as the successes of strangers, it is likely that you will be inspired by watching every athlete cross the finish line...from the first professional male and female winner to the last finisher that crosses before midnight. 

While the inspiration will fill your body to the point that you have no choice but to set a goal so big that you can't wait to wake up on Monday morning and start working hard for your goal......

What you can not forget is that the Ironman World Championship does not only award those who set PR's all season, only award those who never got injured, only award those who never got laid off/who never lost a job, only award those who never suffered with cancer (or experienced a family member getting cancer) or only award those who face absolutely no setbacks in life. What's so great about the Ironman, alongside any type of event with a defined start and finish line, is that every athlete has his/her own reason for competing as well as his/her own reasons for not showing up in the first place. 

When you watch the spectacle that is the IM World Championship, you see athletes who are refusing to give up. As a three time Kona qualifier and two time Kona finisher, I know that this is one tough race with dozens of obstacles to face on race day. But when "we" the athletes are out on the course, trying to battle every obstacle in our way, you anxiously await "our" finish. And when we finish, you see success - no matter what time is on paper, there is a finish line that is now behind each and every one of us and that is what inspires you to work hard for what you want in life. No matter what is thrown in your way, you can not reach that finish line, no matter how difficult you think life is, if you give up or hope that things would be easy. 

Every athlete has his/own struggles in life. Not always do you have to share those struggles with others or vocalize them as an excuse to the world. But what is required of you as an athlete, is to finish what you started. 

If you signed up for a race, put in the time to train for the event that you paid for. 

If you start a race, race your own race and execute as you put your training to the test. 

If you find yourself with a setback with training, don't focus on the CAN'Ts, focus on the CANs. 

If you find yourself feeling great during a race, expect a low to come. 

If you find yourself feeling low during a race, keep on moving forward to reach your greatness. 

Thank your body and respect your body. 

And most of all, have fun. Set goals that are meaningful, practical and realistic for YOU and only you as you will likely inspire others along the way. 

Are you planning on racing anytime soon? Check out my recent Ironman.com article with a week worth of to do's for race week: 

How to find your race-week Zen

To follow me during Kona week and on 10/12/13 (race day): 
FACEBOOK Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition  (LIKE page for quicker updates)
Twitter: @trimarnicoach
Instagram: Trimarni (also check out #Trimarnikona and my roomie and sport psychologist TRIATHLETEDRG)

Ironmanlive.com - BIB 1933 (MARNI SUMBAL, Female 30-34 age group)

Thank you for your support, encouragement and inspiration. 

Kona ready: reflecting on the journey

It was October 2005 when I heard about the Ironman World Championships taking place online. I was in the Nova medical library studying for my exit exams for graduate school and I was a few months away from running my very first marathon in Miami. I couldn't help but get on the computer to watch whatever was online at that time and although only having completed about 4-5 triathlons, I just felt like I needed to sign up for the Ironman. Not knowing what the training would be like or what's needed to complete an Ironman, November came and I registered myself for Ironman Florida (with my friend Carlos also joining me in this crazy adventure).

I remember calling my parents and they thought I was crazy. Covering 140.6 miles in one day seems impossible for the human body and I knew that...and that's why I wanted the challenge.

After running my first marathon, I qualified for the Boston Marathon. After learning about my accomplishment, I was addicted. I loved the journey of seeing where my body could take me both physically but also mentally and I couldn't wait to train for my very first Ironman.

After completing the 2006 Boston Marathon in April, I went on to finish my first half ironman in Disney in May. After I recovered, I was 100% focused on training for my first Ironman. I found a pre built plan for free on the internet and I followed every part of it. 

I went into IMFL with a goal. 

To qualify for the Ironman World Championship.

 I told my friends and Karel (who I was dating starting May 2006) and my parents and many people thought I was crazy...not only for running a marathon after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 112 miles but also for setting such an ambitious goal for myself. 

I never once thought the goal was crazy. I was motivated by my goal every day and the challenge made me excited. I never felt confident that it would be a breeze to win my age group and receive the 1 slot in the 20-24 age group for Kona but I also didn't let my worries keep me from dreaming big.

I never got the chance to write a race report from my first Ironman because I started my blog in 2007. But I remember IMFL like it was yesterday. I remember the fears, the mixed emotions and uncertainties of what the day would be like during this well-known endurance event. 

I also remember that with all the thoughts going on in my head as to the unknowns, I was so happy that I could finally experience what an Ironman was all about. And, if all went well, I was going to be an Ironman finisher!

Nearing the 1 week countdown until I participate in my 3rd Ironman World Championship, I still have the same emotions as I did with my first Ironman. I smile because I love what I get to do with my body and I enjoy the day that I prepared myself for. Although a bit more confidence and experience in my Ironman brain and body, I still respect the distance just like I did for my very first Ironman. #1 goal is always to finish, #2 goal - execute. 

No matter what type of athlete or fitness enthusiast you are, you must pursue a goal that makes you excited to wake up every day to see what the day will bring. Do not fear how long it will take you to reach that goal for the day will come anyways, you may as well make the most of your days on earth. Do not let others tell you what is not possible and don't be afraid to show yourself what is possible. Do not give up when things get hard and don't let yourself think that every day will be easy. 

Doing something for the first time is scary and the first step is always the hardest. You will make mistakes along the way and you will have setbacks. Many people get excited for a goal but never start the journey because of the uncertainty ahead. 

If you are driven by goals, you will find yourself always making progress. But you have to start in order to see what you are capable of achieving and you can never give up if you want to feel success. 

As I reflect on my very first Ironman, I am reminded of some things that still make me smile and I'd like to use this blog to remember some highlights of my very first Ironman. 

-It was around 40 degrees at the race start and super windy. I told Karel (my boyfriend of 6 months) that "the IM is hard enough, why does it have to be windy!" Still today, I have yet to beat the wind so I don't try. 

-I saw chicken broth was on the run course from the athlete guide. I was worried that what if I craved soup on the run....but I'm a vegetarian!?! I put a can of vegetable soup in my special needs run bag. However, I didn't use it and good thing - I didn't put a can opener in my bag!

-I was at a low moment on the bike course around mile 70 - 80. I finally warmed up but the bike was feeling long. Wouldn't you know...there was Karel and my parents waiting for me in the middle of nowhere. Thumbs up for being at the right place at the right time!!

-My tummy wasn't feeling so good at the start of the marathon. I made 2-3 stops at the potty in the first 3 miles of the race. I finished the marathon on pretzels and water. I'm ever-so-grateful for port-a-potty's on race courses. 

-After riding 112 miles, I couldn't believe that I just rode 112 miles. I never rode that far before and less than a year before that, I was scared to clip-in my pedals and not comfortable on my aerobars. I felt like I had already accomplished so much before I even started the run. 

Around mile 20 or so, I was getting closer to the end of the race. I had secured my Kona spot and 1st place age group win by 50 minutes. I felt absolutely amazing on this run course and I got by with the help of spectators, my family and the other athletes. I saw Karel with a few miles less to go and he yelled to me as he was running on the sidewalk "Babe - you are going to Kona!" and I yelled back "I can't believe it...I LOVE YOU!!"

That was the very first time I told Karel that I loved him. 

-After a massage and a few slices of pizza, we walked back to our condo and I was sore as can be. I could barely walk and I had never felt such soreness in my life. But I insisted on going back to watch the final finishers. Karel joined me. I hobbled my way back as I felt the need to watch those final finishers finish the race. The race that we all started together and with everyone having their own reason for finishing and refusing to give up when the mind and body say enough is enough. It is now my goal to watch every finish line in an Ironman that I finish. I've only missed one (Kona 2007) but I don't plan on ever missing another IM finish line. 

The feeling was surreal. A dream in the making. A goal that others told me was not possible for a swimmer, turned runner turned triathlete. I had this vision in my head as to what it would feel like to earn a Kona slot but never could I comprehend what it would feel like to cross the finish line as a first time Ironman finisher. 

Seven years later and six ironman finishes behind my name, I still get excited, happy and curious as to what body can do on race day. 

With Ironman #7 happening in 8 days, I hope that you are also counting down the days to watching the most inspiring event that you will ever witness and getting yourself excited to set a new goal for yourself. As you watch athletes from the world discover their limits and overcome obstacles on race day, remind yourself that the drive to succeed is from within and finishing a race is the culmination of weeks and months, if not years, of hard work. 

With your goals, you do not have to prove anything others so instead, set your goals for yourself. As you watch the IM world championship online (all day), dare to dream big for yourself and never waste a day working hard for what you want in life. 

A first for Karel (literally): HOT race report

I love to dream big. It is exciting when the hard work pays off and dreaming big can be life-changing. For the 7th time in my life, I get to dream big as I take my body on a 140.6 mile journey to cross the most talked about finishing lines on the Ironman race calendar.

For many, dreaming big means accepting disappointment. It may even mean facing failure. A goal typically has an end point but a dream doesn't always come with a specific time-line. And that can be frustrating.

But if dream smart, you will find yourself discovering amazing things about yourself. Perhaps things that you never thought were possible because you stopped expecting failure and disappointment and instead, welcomed change, hard work and commitment to reach goals that you never once thought were possible.

Like many athletes, the body doesn't always respond when you want it to.  The mind is overloaded, the body feels tired and the goal that has driven you to wake up every morning wanting to work hard for your dreams, is now second-guessed based on life happenings. 

Karel decided last minute (about a week ago), to race in the HOT - Hammerhead Olympic. Karel was itching to race before Miami 70.3 at the end of October and with the race being local (about 45 minutes away at Camp Blanding), Karel was looking forward to changing up his weekend routine. 

As for his race day goals, he told me early last week that he wanted to win it. Of course, not knowing the competition that would be at the race, I still supported his goal 100%. As a coach, I never stop my athletes from dreaming big and as you know from my previous blogs, I am very open with my goals and I am not afraid to work hard for them. I always say - dream big and work hard for what you want and then on race day, race with your current level of fitness with a race strategy that allows you to execute for a strong performance. 

For Karel and myself, we don't chase PR's. Sure, they are great when they come but we don't worry about a time on paper but instead, what happens within the race. The harder the race and more challenging of conditions, bring it! We love training our bodies to prepare for race day and then being able to execute with our current level of fitness with a smart race day strategy. 

As age group triathletes, we have a lot on our plates with life and training is our lifestyle. Like many age group athletes, Karel was feeling off the day before the race with a lot on his mind and a body that was not feeling race ready on Saturday. 

Rather than scratching the race or forgetting about his race day goals, I did my best to continue to support Karel's goal of "go big or go home". 

I'm a firm believer that you have no idea what you are capable of until you try. Don't ever give up before you give things a try. 

I can't tell you how many times I have prepped myself for a workout and doubted myself until the workout happened. So much negativity in my mind that I didn't have "it" for the day but there's no way to know if "it" can happen unless I try. Thankfully, I never once let my fear of failure over-ride my ability to succeed with my Kona training and I felt in my heart that Karel was going to have a great race. 

With a 4am wake-up call, we were out the door at 4:45am and Campy was sad he couldn't come to the pet-unfriendly Camp Blanding. But with a long early morning walk, I told Campy we wouldn't be gone long. 

After picking up Karel's packet and doing the normal pre-race routine (set up transition, bathroom stops, putting on the wetsuit for the first-time wet-suit legal swim at this race, swim warm-up), Karel was standing knee high in the water waiting for the first wave of the race to start at 7:30am. 

When it comes to working on athletic weaknesses, Karel knows that doing more doesn't make you a better, stronger or faster athlete. For Karel, he has been working with Coach Mel at UNF on his swimming and instead of swimming more, he is working really hard with his swim drills and form in the water. With less than 1500 yards for a main set each practice three days per week, Karel has found himself swimming faster thanks to working on the little things. A reminder for us all that to be better,you can not rush the journey. 

I couldn't believe that the first swimmer in the 40 and under male age group exited the water in less than 20 minutes! With not a single other swimmer in sight, the first male was out on the bike before any other swimmer even exited the water. Karel finished the swim in 4th place, nearly 8 minutes behind the leader but I was confident that Karel swam strong so that he could also bike strong. 

Karel didn't lose anytime wearing a wetsuit and made a quick transition before getting on his bike. 

Although I know that Karel's legs can bike around 56-57 min for a 40K bike, today's conditions were on the windy side and this two loop course would present obstacles for the athletes who were not racing smart. 

Karel didn't focus on his power on the bike but instead, he only focused on his cadence and went by RPE. He had one opportunity to see the other athletes on the course and by the time he was nearing the end of the first loop, Karel was within 4 minutes of the leader and sitting in 2nd place. 

Guessing the time of the first place male in his wave, I tried to communicate with Karel the best I could to give him the heads up on his competition at the moment. 

Karel was calm and in his zone and I could tell he was really enjoying is day. 

I walked about 1/2 mile or so down the road to catch Karel and before I knew it, Karel was sitting just about a minute behind the leader as they entered transition. 

I wasn't sure if Karel was first or second because I missed the first place male but Karel quickly told me that he was second....although less than 1 minute behind the leader as they started the run. 

Karel made up mega time on the bike which is a good reminder that if you are an athlete in a race - never ever count yourself out. Even if you are not shooting for a podium spot, every athlete is going to have  a low or an off moment in the race. Sometimes it happens at the beginning of a race, sometimes in the middle. But the great part about  racing is knowing that if you keep going, a high will happen. You just have to keep moving forward to experience the highs for if you count yourself out at a low, you will find yourself stuck in a low place. Move forward and you never know what will happen. 

I really had the best time at this race because not only did I receive a major boost of endorphins from watching Karel race but I also got to cheer for a bunch of local triathletes who are inspiring in their own special way. Mom's and dad's, kids, newbies and the experienced....I just love watching people put hard work to the test. I know there were a lot of dreamers out there and I was inspired by so many people and I can't wait to take that positive energy with me to Kona in 7 days. 

Nearing 35 minutes, I guesstimated that Karel would be coming soon. Despite the wind on this semi-comfortable weather day (relative to Florida weather in the summer), this run course had it's challenges with a few hills. Turns out, Karel's Garmin 910XT got turned off in the swim  so he was just running off RPE, not even knowing his time.

Getting close to 36 minutes for the run, I spotted the awesome-looking Trimarni Tri kit on Karel and with no other male in his race in sight, I knew this would be a first for Karel.....

I can't tell you how incredibly happy and proud I am for Karel. He said he felt great the entire race and never red-lined it.

 Just learning how to swim last May (2012) and doing his first triathlon last summer, don't you love it when hard work pays off? No excuses but instead, enjoyment for what the body is capable of doing and not being afraid to test the limits. The desire was always there to be fast, strong and good at triathlons but Karel new it would take a lot of hard work to get to where he wanted to be. Still with dreams on the horizon (like racing in Kona together), I can't wait to share this journey of life together and enjoying it with so many amazing people who also love using their bodies and crossing finishing lines. 

(Karel and our friend, 2nd place finisher Eric)

Race Results

1st overall
2:09:15 finishing time
1.5K Swim: 27:57 (12th place male)
T1: 53 seconds
40K Bike: 1:02:13 (23.9 mph average, 1st place male)
T2: 38 seconds
10K Run: 38:10 (6:09 min/mile average, 1st place male)