'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. 

Ironman Race Week in Lanzarote! Part 3

Day 1: Tuesday May 13th

After two long days of travel, we were ready to move our bodies. Typically, Wednesday before a race is our "biggest" day of training but since we didn't do anything for the past 48 hours, it was important for me to wake up my body with a good load. This would also allow for a few days of recovery before the race. 

Our Airbnb is located at the Colony Club, which is across the street from the Plus Fariones Suite Hotel. Our professional athlete Bara (from Czech) is staying with us. She arrived on Friday so that she could spend a few extra days on the island in her final prep before the race. We have a nice ocean view and we are a quick 5 minute walk to the race start/venue. We are also within walking distance to the grocery. There are countless restaurants, ice cream shops and stores along the beach (which is also the run course for the Ironman). 

Around 9am, we walked to the Centro Deportivo to go for a swim. The entry fee was 15 Euros each (day pass). The pool was the perfect temperature. The shape of the pool is unique in that it's circular but the middle lane is approximately 25 meters. Karel and I each did our own session and ended up with 3000 meters. After the swim we walked to the grocery to get a few things and then went back to our Airbnb. 

Karel assembled our bikes in the late morning and at 1pm we headed out on the bike course to ride the opening loop of the 112 mile bike course. This was our first experience riding in Lanzarote and the island met our expectations. It was very hilly (a few punchy climbs but mostly long steady climbs) and very windy. The wind was ranging between 15-18mph with gusts up to 30 mph. This is typical for the island. Although the temperature is "only" in the 70's, the sun is very strong so it feels a lot warmer. Depending on where we were on the course, the wind was in our face, at our side or tailwind. There were some fun descends and also some scary descends with tight turns and cross wind. The scenery was incredible. We rode 35 miles in 2:06 and covered almost 2700 feet of elevation gain. The course has over 8000 feet elevation for 112 miles. 

After a fast twisty descent into town (wind at our back), we took some side streets to end up back at our Airbnb. After the ride, I did a short 20 minute run off the bike to finish off a day of triathloning. 

Surprisingly, my legs and body felt really good after 2 days of sitting/traveling. 

Day 2: Wednesday May 14th

I was really looking forward to swimming in the salty ocean. The water temperature is around 66 degrees F but with a wetsuit, it feels perfect. After XTRI Icon and Norseman, I have a new standard for "cold" water. The water was very clear and there were lots of fish. Karel and I wore our Roka wetsuits and Roka goggles and swam one loop (~2100 meters) of the course. There were small buoys set up along the race course (they will be replaced with large buoys for race day). I felt really good in the water. There was a little chop but not a big current in either direction. On the way back on the loop, the water gets much more shallow and it was even easier to see all of the fish. There are only fish in the ocean here (no jellyfish or sharks). 

After the 32-minute OWS, I went for a 5.4 mile, 42 minute run. I ran along the run course with Bara and she turned around after ~15 minutes as her run was shorter than my run on this day. I enjoyed running along the ocean and seeing all of the stores and restaurants. The run course has gentle rollers (undulating) so I wouldn't call it flat but it's not hilly. My legs felt really good. I threw in some fast feet turnovers on the way back. It was very warm. I always run with my hydration belt so I continued to stay fueled and hydrated. 

Around 12pm, I had an hour massage in our Airbnb (for 50 Euros). Bara found a company that comes to your Airbnb so it was great to work out some tightness in my calves and upper back that I acquired from spectating and travel. Bara also got a massage around 4pm and Karel had one at 5pm. While I was getting my massage, Karel went out to bike the other, bigger loop of the race course. He covered 74 miles and 6600 feet elevation (plus an extra "fun" climb) in 4:43 which included a pastry (water) stop and some pictures. Karel has his road bike here and he attached aerobars (which he used at ICON and Stone XTRI). 

Day 3: Thursday May 15th

I went to bed around 9pm and made myself get up at 7am. Although I'm not sleeping deep through the night, I do feel somewhat rested when I wake up and I am not craving a nap during the day. I experienced some chaffing on my neck from my wetsuit and salt water (I forgot to put on body glide) so my morning open water swim didn't go as planned. I tried KT tape on my neck but it didn't stick. I then walked back to the Airbnb while Karel and Bara swam and I put on a t-shirt to cover my neck under the wetsuit. That seemed to help. I later went to buy waterproof bandages which I will wear on race day. I'm glad I went back out to swim as the water was extremely choppy. It took me three minutes longer to swim the loop compared to the day prior. I was able to find a good rhythm with the ocean but it was a much more difficult swim compared to the day prior. 

After the swim, I was craving pancakes so we walked .7 miles to Kalma cafe.  Everything is close by here so we haven't used our rental car. We could have gotten by without a rental car but we need it to transport us to a different location after the race. 

Kalma was recommended to us from our athletes Yannick and Katie who raced here last year. It was SOOO good. I got the yogurt pancakes and a side of scrambled eggs and Karel got brioche bread with ham, along with a Fanta and Cappuccino.

As for the rest of the day, this was a chill day. I worked on the computer, checked in (athletes needed to reserve a time slot for check in so I chose 2pm) and started to carb load. I watched the mandatory athlete briefing online on Wednesday. 

This is a small race compared to other IM distance events (maybe 1200 athletes compared to 3000+ at other events) so the expo, registration tent and merchandise tent is small. The transition area is also small but it's on the beach and the finish line area is incredible. It was set up earlier in the week and they are continuing to put up the final touches. 

I am feeling nervous but also excited. I think my emotions are mixed because I know this will be an incredibly challenging course but I also feel I am bringing good fitness to this race so I feel some pressure to perform. 

And keeping with tradition, I got a delicious Caprese (buffalo mozzarella, basil and sauce) from La Lanterna. Bara called in the pizza and then we walked 0.5 mile to pick it up. The cost of food is very reasonable here. 

Why pre race weigh in? 

Monitoring pre and post weight changes can help medical personnel identify severe dehydration (weight loss) or hyponatremia (weight gain). Knowing pre weight can help medical staff provide appropriate hydration and electrolyte support in the case of a health issue during or after the race. Although it's "only" in the 70s here, the sun is extremely strong and there's no shade on the course which means athletes are more at risk for heat related issues while racing.

Day 4: Friday March 16th

Because I had extra time on Thursday, I went ahead and packed my gear bags for the race. Prior to travel, I put my bike nutrition in individual bags so it was very easy to prepare my bottles for the race. I did the same for my run nutrition.

For the race, my bike nutrition plan is the same that I do for my long workouts (and my run nutrition is the same for every training run).

Bike nutrition: 

• 90g carbohydrates INFINIT Fructose per bottle (3 bottles with Fruit Punch, 3 bottles with Grape). I will stop at special needs on the bike to replace my empty bottles. 
• I also have a few Power bar chews and a Never Second C30 Fruit Punch gel in my bento box on my bike if I need it. 
• I will also carry a bottle of Ketone Aid and may take a few swigs throughout the bike. 
• I will use water from aid stations for sipping/cooling. 

Run nutrition: 

• 30g carbohydrate Never Second berry per 10-ounce Nathan hard flask. 
• I will bring along 4 additional small baggies to refill the bottles throughout the run. 
• I will use water from aid stations for sipping/cooling. 
• My run nutrition should last me around 3 hours so I will use on course nutrition (coke or 226er isotonic sport drink) for the remainder of the run.

In the morning, I slept in as long as I could knowing that I probably wouldn't sleep well the night before the race. I went to bed around 9:30pm on Thursday and woke up around 8am for almost 11 hours of sleep. Around 9am, Karel and I went out on our bikes to pre-ride the long loop of the run (6 miles out and back and then 2 smaller loops of ~3.5 miles) and then went out to ride the first few miles out of town on the bike. The wind was strong at times (cross wind) but I felt better in it than the first day that we rode (Tuesday). I rode for ~70 minutes and did a 1 mile run off the bike in my New Balance Elite race shoes. 

I kept with my typical carb loading plan (I try to aim for at least 400g carbohydrates which is ~8g/kg/bw of carbs): 

-Bagel w/ PB before workout

-Sport nutrition during workout (~45g carbs INFINIT fructose in bike bottle and finished on the run)

-Gu Roctane recovery drink mixed with milk 

-Eggs (1 whole, 2 whites) w/ bagel and butter and sugar (I haven't found maple syrup but substituting with sugar). 

-Pasta w/ sauce and an egg (couldn't find a veggie burger) 

-1 package brown sugar pop tart (that I brought from home)

-Basmati rice + soup 

After my warmup, Karel continued on riding and had a refuel stop in Teguis. 

Nearing 5pm, we checked in our bikes and dropped off our bags. 

On the right, this is an electric pump that I will use on race morning to pump up my tires. I can pre-set the pressure (75 psi rear wheel, 68 psi front wheel) in the device and the pump will do the rest. 

Bib number required on the bike. I will put on my compression socks after the swim. 

Transition area on the beach.

~1100 participants 

I'm more excited than nervous. I really like challenging courses and I feel very prepared physically. Of course, I am nervous for things out of my control but I know that I am bringing experience to this race so I can handle anything that comes my way. 

Thank you for following along! 

From GVL to PCB to Lanzarote - Part 1

In early January of 2025, I felt like I had no direction with my training as I was struggling to put together my race schedule. Karel knew that Ironman Lanzarote was always on my race bucket list because of the ocean swim w/ wetsuit, hills on the bike and heat throughout the entire race but I was very scared of the wind. Over the past few years, I have stepped way out of my comfort zone with mountain biking and Xtreme triathlon events so I feel more comfortable embracing challenging race day conditions. When Karel mentioned that I do Ironman Lanzarote this year, I slept on it for a few days and finally committed by registering for the event. Having a race on my schedule that was exciting and challenging gave me the motivation (and direction) that I needed to design my training for the next 5 months. Two of our professional athletes (Katie and Yannick) did the event last year and had great things to stay about the course and island. 

In the fall of 2024, we selected our 4 Trimarni team races of 2025, with IM 70.3 Gulf Coast being the first race of the season on May 3rd. With IM Lanzarote being 7 days after IM 70.3 Gulf Coast, I knew I couldn't race both events and with Karel returning to training after his 2nd knee surgery in 4 months (meniscus tear in both knees) we decided that we would still go to the race to support our athletes. We decided we would stay in Panama City Beach until Sunday (the day after the race) and drive to the Atlanta airport to start our travel to Lanzarote. Logistically, this required us to have all of our stuff for our trip to Spain with us in PCB. Additionally, because we wanted to bring Sunny with us for his first trip to the beach, we needed to find him transportation back to Greenville (thankfully our athlete/friend Ruthanne offered to bring him back for our house pet sitter Sarah to reunite with him). This was Sunny's 2nd road trip and longest road trip. He was great. He loves his car seat from Funny Fuzzy and stays in it anytime we are in the car. 

We started our 8-hour drive to PCB on Thursday morning around 7:30. The ride was fairly uneventful, just long. Thankfully we gained an hour so we arrived around 3:30pm local time. I dropped Karel off at the Frank Brown aquatic center for him to get in a swim while I checked in to our Airbnb at the Gulf Highlands Resort. After unloading our car, Sunny and I drove back to the aquatic center for Karel and I do to a Sunny hand off. It was my turn to get in a lovely outdoor swim workout (~3000 yards) while Karel walked Sunny. Sunny had a blast playing in the dog park, while enjoying the warm weather. 

After my swim we went to pick up our pizza order at Mr. Maine's pizza (highly recommend) for our team pizza party. We rented the conference center and had 10 athletes in attendance. It was great to see everyone and Sunny enjoy his first team pizza party (he had practice at our recent group training camp). Around 9pm we were ready for bed as it was a long day. 

On Friday morning, I went for my "long" ride. With us staying by the beach, there aren't a lot of safe places to ride. I opted to go to Gayles Trails behind Frank Brown park but I didn't want to drive there so I started off along Front Beach Road and road mostly southeast as it was a bit more quiet, with a bike lane. After I warmed up I did my main set of 5 x 10 minutes (strong effort) w/ 2-3 min EZ spin. I finished with 2:08 and 42 miles. I did a quick 3 mile and 24 minute run off the bike with a few strides. When I returned from my workout, Karel headed out for his ride. He ended up riding 57 miles and covered the race course in 2:50. While Karel was out, Sunny and I walked to the Sunrise cafe and bakery for a post ride meal of waffles and scrambled eggs. Sunny was allowed to sit inside because he was on his best behavior. I ordered Karel the Borscht to-go. 

In the early afternoon, we took Sunny to the dog beach at Pier Park. We have so many memories of Campy at the beach in Panama City Beach and we were so excited for Sunny to experience the sand, ocean water and birds. Sunny wasn't impressed with the water (we weren't surprised) but he loved running in the sand, playing with the other dogs and chasing the birds. It was great to let him run around off the leash and enjoy his freedom that he has worked hard for with his obedience training from Dog Training Elite. 

After our beach date, we went to the Lotus Cafe. This is one of my favorite restaurants as there are so many vegetarian options and I love the atmosphere. You order at the window inside and then you can sit anywhere in the outdoor covered seating. I had a veggie burger and Karel had one of the specials (turkey stuffed with feta). It was so good. 

It was raining on and off throughout the evening but based on the predicted weather, the worst was going to come throughout the night and into race day. We prepared our athletes for a cancelled swim possibility and sure enough, the swim was cancelled around an hour before the race start (the race was to start at 5:30am but was delayed to start at 6:10am). Karel and Sunny drove to Pier Park to cheer for the athletes in the early miles of the bike and I ran 42 minutes to Karel. Originally I had planned a 75 min run w/ a few intervals but by the time I got to Karel, it started to downpour and then it wasn't worth continuing on to run in the rain. 

After all of our athletes passed, we went back to our condo and watch IM 70.3 St. George on Outside TV while tracking our athletes. When I first athlete got close to the last 10 miles of the bike, we started our walk to the Edgewater resort to watch our athletes start the run. Sunny enjoyed watching and cheering for the athletes. We were able to see several of our athletes start the run after the bridge and catch them on their 2nd loop. The rain had stopped and it got very warm and very windy. Later we learned that there was hail and rain on the bike, as well as super strong winds for the last 16 mph. Sunny and I went back to our condo around 12pm and Karel stayed out and cheered for all of our athletes until he saw our last athlete start her 2nd lap of the run. Shortly after Karel arrived to our Airbnb, it started to lightening and downpour. We received a notification from the Ironman app that the race was postponed. And then the race was cancelled. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions and weather conditions! 

A few hours later, we met up with two of our athletes (Angela and Kevin) and we had a late lunch at Lotus cafe (again). Around 6:30pm, several of our athletes met at Beach Cow Creamery for ice cream. 

We finished our laundry and packing and around 8am on Sunday, we were ready for leg 2 of our trip. We dropped off Sunny with Ruthanne at her car (he was confused but also comforted by Ruthanne and Janice, since he knows Ruthanne very well). We were really sad to say good bye to Sunny as we really had a great time sharing this trip with him. 

Part 2 coming soon.....

5 tips for doing your first Ironman

 

I made a lot of mistakes in my early years of Ironman training and racing. I was a stubborn and naive 24-year old who was obsessed with the sport of triathlon.

Fast forward 18 years, 19 Ironmans and 2 XTRI events, I have a lot more experience, knowledge and wisdom to pass along to other athletes. 

In my first year of endurance racing in 2006, I completed the Boston Marathon, Disney half ironman and IMFL within 8 months. Despite having the most success at IMFL by winning the 18-24 age group by an hour, I wish I would have focused more on shorter distances instead of directing all my energy to the Ironman distance. I should have hired a coach to guide me on the best path for my body and development.

If completing an Ironman is on your bucket list, I was recently interviewed by Business Insider and shared my best tips for those who are interested in conquering the 140.6 mile distance.

You can read the full article HERE.

Ironman distance #20 will be........

                          

Few people know this but shortly after I completed graduate school and received a Master of Science degree in exercise physiology from FAU (in Davie, Florida), I accepted a 6-month internship with Ironman from January until June 2006 in Tarpon Springs, FL. Instead of utilizing the two new initials behind my name, I was 23 years old, broke, living with my parents in New Port Richey, FL and obsessed with triathlon - I was registered for my first half ironman distance at Disney in Orlando, Florida (May) and my first Ironman in Panama City Beach, Florida. I received a very small amount of money each week to perform various tasks at the World Triathlon Corporation (located in Tarpon Springs, Fl). At that time, Dr. Gills - a world-renowned ocular surgeon and Ironman athlete - owned the Ironman brand. 

Much of my interning was learning about the behind-the-scenes of this event organization. Back then, the company was tiny compared to what it is today but the focus was growing and expanding the brand. The 70.3 World Championship didn't exist yet and Kona was still the holy grail. I spent a lot of my time working under Judy Molnar at Iron Girl. Some of my most memorable moments were being asked to write a nutrition article for the "Ironman Insider" newsletter, watching the excitement of the lottery winners receiving their IM World Championship slot, receiving a lot of Ironman-branded swag, spectating my first Ironman event (Ironman Arizona in April 2006) and learning all about the Ironman history. 

Although I went on to get a real job shortly after my internship, I absolutely loved my time interning at Ironman. Over the next year, I continued to help out with Ironman, writing articles, forming close relationships with triathlon-related brands and providing nutrition talks at many Iron Girl events. 

After I completed my first Ironman in Nov 2006, and qualified for the 2007 Ironman World Championship, I couldn't wait to stop by the World Triathlon Corporation building to share the news with everyone. I felt like I had family at Ironman. They were so happy for my accomplishment. 

Fast forward to 2022, I have now completed 19 Ironmans. I've participated in 5 Ironman World Championship events in Kona, Hawaii and just recently in May, I placed on the podium in my age group at the Ironman World Championship in St. George. I've won my age group at 5 Ironman events and placed top 5 in my age group at 12 Ironman events. I've lost count of all the 70.3 events I've finished over the years. Thanks to the Ironman brand, I've stayed in love with the sport of triathlon for over 16 years as I've been able to train for a distance that has challenged me and helped me grow as a human. Ironman has given me so many amazing opportunities. I formed close relationships with brands like Clif Bar and Oakley. I have made so many friends from all over the world. I've traveled to places that I never imagined I would see by swim/bike/run - like St. Croix, Whistler and Austria. I've been able to create so many memories with Karel. It was in 2011, when Karel took his first trip to Kona to watch me race and decided he wanted to try triathlon. Since then, We've raced 12 Ironman events together, including 3 World Championship events (2x Kona, 1x St. George). I've watched Karel race in Kona twice and have seen him excel at the long distance. 

The Ironman distance not only enhanced my life, but for the past 10 years, I've been able to enhhance the lives of others through my coaching and nutrition business. 

This past July I mentioned after Ironman Lake Placid that I was taking a break from the Ironman distance. This past year I explored different events, like gravel riding, mountain biking and Xterra. During this time, I realized that I still really love triathlons - especially long distance. Over the past year, I learned that it wasn't that I needed to move on from triathlon but I was seeking a different way to be challenged. 

I thrive in the journey. I love racing because I really love the process of training. I don't like to randomly sign up for events but instead, I'm meticulous in race planning. I spend a lot of time researching events, watching videos on events, exploring logistics like travel and understanding the course. I like to select events that I can't stop thinking about. The further out the event, the more time I have to prepare. But to keep me motivated, I need events that scare and excite me.

Over the past year, I recognized that the Ironman distance still excites me but I no longer feel challenged by the distance. It's a distance that I've mastered and I know how to mentally and physically prepare to race 140.6 miles and fuel for it. I've achieved a lot in the distance over the past 16 years and I am craving training for something new and different. When I started Ironman racing, I struggled. I was constantly experiencing setbacks and I was very scared of the enormity of the distance.  It took me over 10 years of training and racing to finally put the pieces together. And then for the next 6 years, I continued to work on my strengths and weaknesses. It was the process of self improvement and self discovery that kept me in the sport so I could finally excel at the distance. 

Like many, the history and storied traditions of the Ironman World Championship sucked me in. But it was the Ironman distance (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) that kept me going. The true beauty of the Ironman distance is in the lessons that I've learned about myself while preparing for each of my 19 Ironman distance triathlons. Personal growth occurs in the journey On race day, I am prepared to push the limits of my body and mind because I know I've prepared to the best of my abilities. I've learned that I can overcome obstacles and setbacks. I've shown myself that my comfort zone can be stretched. 

And so it begins. 

An extreme new chapter. 

Nature, adventure, challenge. Small field size. Self supported. Close to the full distance but no race is the same. 

Triathlon in its pure form. Swim, Bike, Run on challenging courses with distances distances based on topographic features, water conditions, terrain and local infrastructure.

I'm excited to announce that my 20th Ironman distance will be part of the XTRI World Tour, starting in Lac-Megantic, Canada (in Quebec) and finishing at the Mont Megantic observatory.

On July 2nd, 2023 I'll be swimming 2.4 miles at 4:30am in the freshwater lake of Lac Mégantic. I will then transition to my bike (with the help of my support crew Karel) for a 111.5 mile bike with 8202 feet of elevation gain. I will then run/hike for 26 miles with 3986 feet of elevation gain to finish at the Mont Megantic observatory. 

If this excites you, the organizers of the event have provided me with a few 50% off entries to the XTRI Canadaman/women and a few 50% off and free entries to XTRI solo point five events. 

If you'd like to join me in Canada on July 2nd, 2023, to win a free entry or 50% off registration, you can enter to win by completing this form. 

IM World Championship St. George - 26.2 mile run recap

 

GEAR
Karel: Shoes Nike Alphaflys, SL-1x Roka Sunglasses
Marni: Shoes New Balance FuelCell, Perfect cooling towel, SL-1x Roka Sunglasses
(Shoes from Run In)

NUTRITION
Karel: 10-ounce Nathan flask filled with NeverSecond C30 (Citrus) stored in kit pocket, carried packets of precision hydration 1500 and had 3 maurten gels (2 non-caffeine and 1 caffeine). Water/ice at aid stations. One sip of coke.
Marni: 2 x 10 ounce flasks filled with NeverSecond C30 (Forest Berry), carried packets of C30 and NBS but didn’t refill. Sipped coke at aid stations throughout as needed + water/ice. Naked Running band. Nathan 10 ounce flasks. 

 

I knew the first two miles would be uncomfortable because I've raced on this course 3 times (70.3 distance). The first few miles are on a long slight gradual uphill. It's never fun running uphill to start a run but then again, we live on the bottom of a hill so we are accustomed to starting every brick run on a hill. Mentally, Karel and I both appreciated that we didn't have to take the running path all the way to Red Hills Pkwy (like in the 70.3) but instead, we went under a tunnel to the other side of the road and this really helped break things up. In feeling the hot temp (low 90s) on the bike - along with the sunny sky and wind, I made the decision in the first few minutes of the run that I would walk the aid stations starting with the first aid station. I don't see walking as failing to run but an intentional strategy to help delay fatigue (and other factors that can limit performance). I knew that this would be the best strategy for me to help me avoid a massive slowdown. My run fitness was good and I was healthy but I knew that I wouldn’t be running anything fast on this day. I didn't have any time goals going into this race but I was realistic with myself that my current run fitness was around a 3:45-3:50 marathon. I prepared myself the best that I could but it takes me a while to get faster (and more confident) with my running and I usually peak with my marathon running in the mid to later summer. I didn't want to rush my marathon preparation to try to get faster and then risk injury. Instead, I focused on getting as strong as I could over the winter and spring with trail running, a lot of hill running and running off the bike. I was ok knowing that I wasn't fast relative to the other top ladies but I felt confident that I could put together a steady run. I was a little nervous about my stomach since I was on the 2nd day of my menstrual cycle but thankfully by gut was fine.  

With a long and exciting season of racing, this year is all about staying healthy and strong. My run fitness was what it was on race day – I never tried to force anything with each workout to try to get faster. I just let my body adapt as it wanted. Because of how I felt on the bike, I knew my number one goal needed to be to keep myself from getting too hot - as that would affect my form, effort and increase the risk for GI issues. Throughout the entire run, I never once looked at my watch during the run – it made no point to me to see my pace as I had more important things to focus on like taking care of my nutrition and cooling. There was so much freedom in not knowing my swim or bike time or run pace until I crossed the finish line. Ironman racing is all about listening to the body, reacting quickly and being proactive. Here's the file of my run (walking only at the aid stations). 

I loved this run course because there was so much to it – so many ups, downs, turns, out and backs and spectators. It was the perfect course for me to mentally breakdown and focus on one mile at a time. Although this wasn’t a fast marathon for me, I think it was one of my best paced marathons as I never had a massive slow down or low moments. I had a few quiet voices in my head like “you still have 13 more miles, how are you going to do this?” or “wouldn’t it be nice to just walk a bit longer.” But those voices were really quiet on the day and I could push them aside and stay focused on the task at hand. I was actually enjoying the run and my mind was working well with my body. 

Karel didn't have the best run preparation going into this event. First off, he was enjoying mountain biking way too much and he wasn't putting in the miles for this event. Additionally, twice over six months Karel had a knee issue (falling while playing in the woods on his mountain bike) that prevented him from running for several weeks at a time. He didn't run for 3 weeks in March and his longest run was 13 miles in April. However, the resiliency, endurance, efficiency and fitness that he has established over many years was there on race day and he felt really good on the run. He didn’t feel fast but he felt strong and durable. He also didn’t have any low moments like “why in the heck am I doing this?"  which tends to pop up a few times in most Ironman events we do. I saw Karel twice and he gave me a cheer both times. Karel also included walks (reset breaks) in his run (19 of them) to either refill his flasks with water (he would pour the packet of sport drink in his flask as he was running and then stop to refill at the aid station) or he would walk when he felt like he needed a reset. 

Here's the file of Karel's run. 

I saw a lot of other familiar faces out there which really kept my energy levels up. I held on to ice from each aid station (stuffed it down my sports bra as well) and my cooling towel really helped to keep me wet. I could squeeze the towel anytime and I instantly felt refreshed (until I dried off due to the 90 degree dry heat). I new that the heat would be the big factor so I kept the nutrition coming in (in small amounts at each aid station) and then a sip from my flasks as needed as well. I didn't feel that more nutrition would help me run any faster but instead, I needed to keep my blood sugar up to keep my brain communicating with my muscles. I also knew that more nutrition would not stop the hurt (fatigue) in my legs. I have never cramped in a race or training session and I am not a big sweater (or a salty sweater) so I wasn't overly concerned about sodium - however I did have a vial of salt in my hydration pack incase I needed a lick of it. I relied on my flasks (sport drink) in my hydration belt for those instant low moments when I feel my blood sugar dropping but otherwise. It's nice knowing that I can drink when I want to drink. It's also easy to sip my flasks on downhills. I always washed down coke or my sport drink with water when I was at the aid stations. I felt like every time I drank (coke, water, sport drink), it was digesting easily in my gut and my gut was still working well. This was a great sign that my body was functioning well. I didn't have any GI issues or serious low moments. I was passed by several girls but I didn’t let it affect my race or get in my head. I was focused on me and what I needed to do to safely and successfully get to the finish line. Although I was feeling the effects of the day, my body continued to work for me from start to finish. I never had the familiar IM run feeling of wondering if my next step would be my last step from extreme soreness, fatigue and depletion. 

As I was nearing the final big hill, I gave myself permission to walk it but my legs were feeling somewhat good so I shuffled my way up. It was windy throughout the run which made some of the inclines feel a bit harder. I saw a girl in my age group - Kristen - running really well as we passed each other on one of the out and backs so I anticipated that she would be passing me soon. I never gave up on myself (even though I wasn't sure where I was in my age group) as I know anything can happen in the last 6-10 miles of the marathon in an Ironman. She passed me on the path back to Diagonal and shortly after I see Tim Don (professional triathlete and Zwift Coach) on the side and he tells me “You are 5^th age group, you are doing great.” I couldn’t believe it. 5th place???!!

I kinda thought I was near the top of my age group but had no idea that I had a chance to be on the podium (for the first time) at the Ironman World Championship. At this point (mile 23), I stopped my walk breaks and just committed to giving it my everything to the finish line. I was so worried that I was going to be passed and be knocked off the podium so when I made the last turn on the looooong out and back (almost a mile) before the finish line, I finally got a look to see who was behind me and I was relieved that I didn’t see any females. I still pressed on to the finish and smiled with joy (and relief) when I reached that finish line. There's something special about an Ironman finish line - no matter what you went through during the event, the finish line makes it all worth it. 

26.2 mile run (~1500 feet elevation gain)
Marni: 3:57.17, 5th AG 
Karel: 3:20.35, 11th AG

Total time: 
Marni: 10:53.16
Karel: 9:58.48

I collapsed into the arms of a volunteer (it felt so good to stop moving) and Karel was there at the finish waiting for me. He walked over to me and told me that I was 5^th in my age group. I couldn’t believe it (I had to check the tracker at least a dozen times in the evening just to make sure it wasn't a mistake). A day when I had no expectations and I went into the race with my most unconventional training for an Ironman. Wow - I was 5^th in my age group.

The volunteers were exceptional and the community really welcomed us with excitement and hospitality. There are certain courses that suit my physiology (I like hard courses with tough weather conditions) and this one certainly suited my strengths with the hills and elements. But I learned during this race that this race also suited my psychology. I need a lot of stimulation when I race. I am not an athlete with a mindset that likes to just settle into one rhythm and be alone out there. I love being out in nature – seeing the incredible landscapes. I love when the race day elements give me an edge and I can be strong, skilled and smart (not "fast"). I love seeing farm animals when I ride. I need to see people walking their dogs so I can smile at every dog. These are the things that help me race at my best.

Kona may have suited my physiology, but it didn’t suit my psychology.
St. George was the perfect Ironman course for me. I loved every mile of it. 

After the race, Karel and I shared stories from our day while snacking on some salty french fries. We didn't leave right away because Karel had his typical bout of post-race nausea that happens to him after every Ironman. Since it was almost an hour after he finished and then I finished, I think all sitting and standing got to him. Medical came over to him and told him that he "looks ok - I've seen worse today." Truthfully, the area after the finish line was interesting - I've never seen so many athletes vomiting after a race. I was sore and exhausted but overall, I felt ok and didn't have any issues. I was able to pee after the race (a good sign of hydration) and had a somewhat good appetite. I changed into my post race clothes in the port-o-potty and then as we were heading back home, Karel decided that he needed a sub from Jimmy Johns. 

The night of an Ironman is always rough. We slept about 3 hours (~11pm - 2pm) and then we had another two hours of tossing and turning before we finally got up. We started to watch the coverage of the race from Ironman Now which was good entertainment for us and our post race insomnia. 

After cleaning up our mess of race day gear in the garage, we went to the local pool to sit in the hot tub with our friends Sara and Lisa. Thankfully no major post race chaffing! IYKYK. 

We said good bye to our Czech roommates and then we drove to the town for the awards ceremony. 

It was such an honor to stand on the Ironman World Championship podium in my new age group (40-44). I'm still in denial that I will be turning 40 at the end of the month but I'm incredibly grateful for what my body has allowed me to do over the past 16 years in endurance sports. 

In Kona for the World Championship, the top 5 athletes on the podium receive an Umeke - which is the Hawaiian word for bowl. For the St. George edition, we received a handmade glass bowl. Thankfully it returned home with us in one piece! 

For the next day in a half (Mon afternoon and Tues), we were in need of some good sleep but we also wanted to move our body to help shake out some of the race soreness. With a lap pool in our community, a swim was on my mind on Monday morning. And to our surprise, the Ironman World Champion - Daniela Ryf was there swimming! We talked with her for a brief minute and she told us "it's not about the wins but the process." The words of a 10x World Championship winner could not be more true! 

Thank you for the support and for reading my blogs. I hope you gained some valuable information or at least, a bit of motivation or inspiration for your next adventure. Don't forget to thank your body for being awesome. 

Hello from St. George!

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More to come tomorrow.....

IM Lake Placid RR - 26.2 mile run

 

I was really looking forward to the new run course. With the first two miles net downhill, it was easy to find my running rhythm. At home, we live on the bottom of a hill so every run is always starting uphill. Although my transition was a bit long, that extra time (plus potty stop) contributed to quickly finding my running legs after a really exhausting and challenging bike.

I had no time or pace goals for the run as it’s nearly impossible to predict how the body will feel and perform in a marathon after 114.4 miles of racing. And there’s just no way to simulate the mind and body fatigue that you feel when you start the run. I’ve had Ironman runs where the fatigue doesn’t hit me until mile 18-20 and others where I feel it on the first step (which makes for a very, very long marathon). Although I have had a lot of experience running a marathon after biking for 112 miles, participating in the 3-day, coast to coast, Xtreme triathlon really gave me a lot of confidence with my running as I went through a lot of highs and lows while covering 50 miles spread of 3 days (18 miles day one, 18 miles day two, 13 miles day three). While I may not be the fastest runner, I consider myself a very resilient, efficient and strong runner. And my experience with long distance triathlon racing as given me a lot of opportunities to troubleshoot situations to keep me running strong until the finish line. Some races have more obstacles to overcome than others but I really do love the decision making and mental toughness that is needed to run a marathon at the end of an Ironman.

I grabbed water at the first aid station, took a few sips and dumped a cup of ice down my sports bra (which works great for holding ice). I did this at every aid station so that I could always hold on to ice to help keep me cool (plus I like to hold something when I run in a race). I saw my athlete Ericka and she gave me a big cheer in town. As I made my way down the in-town hills (thankfully we only had to go up them once this year in route to the finish versus twice in years past), I was feeling so much energy from the crowds. I felt a lift in energy and before I knew it, I was a few more miles down the road in the equestrian park. This was also a new section of the run course and while I thought I’d like the short 0.7 mile loop in and around the horse park, it felt hot and windy. But I did enjoy it when it got more crowded as I like seeing other athletes during the race. However, having Karel at the entrance/exit was great as I looked forward to seeing him each outbound and inbound loop. It was also a great place to see other athletes. It was a little confusing to navigate at first but after the first loop it was clear where to run in and out of the park.

I felt like my energy was good and I started drinking from my flasks at around mile 2 – enough time to let my body settle into a good running rhythm. I had two flasks filled with 1 scoop each of Orange Skratch. While I typically don’t like the flavor Orange, the Orange Skratch seems to sit the best in my belly when I run compared to the other flavors. I brought along two extra small baggies of scratch if I needed to refill my flasks, as well as a packet of TUMS. I didn’t bring any Aminos on the run as I knew I wouldn’t take them. It just gets too hard to complete tasks while running so I try to keep my fueling strategy as simple as possible.

Karel told me that I was still winning my age group by over 20 minutes and the first place overall amateur was way ahead. He told me that 2^nd place was within my reach so I kept that in the back of mind. At this time I was still holding on to 3^rd place overall amateur. Although there are no awards for overall amateur (or top 3 overall amateur) at the Ironman branded events, I really enjoy racing near the front of the race as the competition brings out the best in me and I explore my limits and capabilities by racing against those who are faster than me.

As I made my way down the hill by the ski jumps and turned left onto River Road, I had already completed 4.24 miles and those miles went by really quickly. I would look at my watch every now and then but the metrics didn’t mean anything to me. Again, I was not chasing anything and I have learned through Ironman racing that you can’t get frustrated or try to control paces in a marathon at the end of the Ironman. There is just too much to focus on in and out of your control and you have to work with your body, not try to force it to do something that it doesn’t want to do.

The next almost hour or 6.6 miles were beautiful, but lonely. I saw the top three leading female pros and a few that I was biking around had passed me in the early miles of the run. I saw the first place overall amateur female and she was in a league of her own so I kept my focus on the 2^nd place overall amateur, who was still running really strong. There were a lot of guys around me, some that I passed and others that passed me and gave me cheer. The road was undulating which helped break up the running rhythm. I stopped at every aid station and grabbed a sip of water and ice. After the turn around, I was hit with that Ironman fatigue that I know all too well. I was a bit bummed that it hit me so early (around mile 8) but that’s part of Ironman racing. You just gotta deal with what comes your way.

Although my mind was in a good place and my legs didn’t feel deep fatigue, my body felt hollow inside. It was like my body was moving on its own but I didn’t have much of a say of how hard or easy I could go – it was just running. I’m familiar with this feeling – it’s kinda like bonking but without the loopy feeling in the head. Again, just a normal feeling in an Ironman. I knew I needed a bit more calories at this time to get out of this empty feeling so after I had a sip of water from a cup at the aid station, I grabbed a cup of coke at the next aid station and took two small sips. I continued to grab ice and pour it down my sports bra so I could keep holding it to keep cool. Although it wasn’t hot out, it was warm. I was happy that I had my cooling towel and very comfortable running with my sports bra on (as that is how I always run at home in the summer).

I gave myself a mile to see how the coke sat in my belly before taking in anything else. It felt good so at the next aid station, I did the same thing again – water, two small sips of coke, ice down the sports bra. The volunteers were not handing us cups but instead, we had to grab them off the table so my walk breaks were incorporated at each aid station to get what I needed and then to keep on running. After two miles of the coke sitting just fine in my belly, I waited about ½ mile and then took a sip of my Skratch from my hydration belt to see if I could mix the two. Although I would never recommend this strategy to athletes because of the concentration in the gut, I was being very strategic and careful, listening to my body and also always diluting the coke with water (and whenever possible, taking a sip of water before consuming the Skratch). Once I realized that my gut was A-ok, I continued with water/coke/ice at the aid stations and then the Skratch as needed between the aid stations. This seemed to work well because by the time I got off River Road and back on to the main road by the Ski Jumps, I felt a bit more controlled with my effort. I was actually really looking forward to that climb as I had just gotten off a flatter section of road and I needed to change up my running rhythm. The climb felt really good and it almost gave me a bit of a pick-me-up.

Twelve miles had passed after I left the equestrian park and Karel gave me another update that I was still staying in 3^rd but the 2^nd place amateur female was not looking too good. For the first loop, my focus was just on the first loop. Just do what you need to do to feel good on the first loop. I knew once I made it back to the equestrian park (which was actually mile 14, kinda like a bonus that special needs was at mile 14, a little more than half way), I could start breaking the course down into segments and checking off each segment one last time. I continued to use my go-to Ironman mantras “you trained to hurt” or “never give up on an uphill” and really absorbed the energy from the crowds. As I made my way to the turn around (which was on a slight incline), I felt a rush of energy with so many people out cheering.

When I got to the equestrian park for the 3^rd time (outbound for the 2^nd time), I stopped at special needs to grab my two filled flasks (each with 1 scoop Skratch Orange). Although the equestrian park was not my favorite part of the course, it was fun to see other athletes and to have so many spectators on the road where we entered/exited the park.

Karel gave me another update that I was getting closer to 2^nd but the girl behind me was running very strong. He told me just to stay strong and to not give up. I had been battling a side stitch on my right side for a few miles (it would come and go) but I could feel my right side getting tight and my right leg starting to shuffle a bit. I contributed the side stitch to my right side getting tight so I took a moment to just stop, lift my hands over my head and stretch it out. Karel was right there next to me and he told me “good stretch it out, you are looking great and so strong.”

Thankfully, I was in a good place mentally and I was actually really enjoying the suffering that I was feeling as I checked off each mile. I also really enjoyed watching the pro women race as they were really fighting strong until the end.

When I got to River Road one last time, my focus was to get to mile 20 (which was just after the turn around).  I saw my athlete Ericka there cheering and she brightened my day as she told me I was doing awesome. I am pretty sure I had a smile on my face all day, even when things got really tough on the run. With only 6 miles left, I felt like I was still holding good form but I was taking a little more time at each aid station. Because I am used to taking walk breaks when I run, I actually don’t have much trouble getting going again when I stop. My body is trained for that so once I start running again, I am good until the next aid station. There were a lot of mind tricks happening as I just focused on one mile at a time. I loved seeing my athletes out on the course and even though I didn’t have a lot of energy to share with them, I would give each of them a big smile or a little wave. I even gave one of my athletes (Stephanie) a nice pat on the butt as I passed her.

I never doubted myself and I knew I would get to that finish line but the River Road 3 miles out and back segment felt really really long. But I kept telling myself “imagine you are on a training run and how awesome it is to run here.” My body was very tired, each running stride got a bit harder but I knew it would be worth it. Once I finally finished the River Road section, I had only a little more than 3 miles to go. I needed to be strategic and smart as that is still a long way to go in Ironman racing. The body/gut could still shut down at any point. I opted to run the last hill as I felt like I needed to use my strengths whenever possible.

I saw Karel one last time as I made my way in and out of the equestrian park and he told me that I was in 2^nd still but the 3^rd place girl was really close to me. I made one last stop before leaving the equestrian park and for the last 1.8 miles, I gave it all I could. Another motto I like to use is “you didn’t come this far to only come this far.”

I heard a lot of cheers from people I knew, as well as cheers from the spectators. That really lifted me up. With less than a mile to go, I was passed which moved me into 3^rd place overall amateur. At this point, I didn’t give up but I knew that I wasn’t going to catch her as I was giving all I could. I shuffled up the last two hills and when I made my way into the finisher chute, I was just so happy.

Although the race was far from easy and it involved a lot of troubleshooting and decision making, I was so thrilled to have put together such a great performance. I was so proud of my body for what it allowed me to do. Karel gave me a big cheer before I crossed the finish line and when my race was officially over, I could not wait to finally sit down. I am most proud of myself for caring all day – I wanted to be in the race for all 140.6 miles.

After the race, I found a place to sit on a golf cart and it felt so good to not move my body. Karel came over and he was just so proud of me. I sat there for a while (and ate some salty fries and a Sprite) before hobbling my way out of the finisher area, collecting my morning clothes bag, changing out of race kit and then heading back out on the course for the next few hours to cheer on the rest of our athletes.

As for Kona, I was not planning to accept my slot to the Ironman World Championship going into this race. I stuck with my decision, and I let my slot roll down to another deserving female. I want others to be able to experience the magic on that island and everything that comes with participating in an Ironman World Championship event.

Thank you for all the cheers, support and encouragement. It really means so much to me. I often ask myself why I continue to train and race in endurance sports. Although I love long distance racing, I do it for the comradery, the cheers, the laughs, the stories and the memories that I get to share with my athletes. And a big thank you to Karel for spending all day on his feet (fueled by pastries of course) cheering for me and the rest of the Trimarni crew.

Ironman #17 - Ironman Lake Placid
10:40.40 finishing time
Run: 3:50.50 (2nd AG run, 26th female, 137th overall)
1st place AG (35-39) - won by 22 minutes. 
3rd place overall female amateur

IM Lake Placid RR - 2.4 mile swim + T1

 

After my alarm went off at 3:45am, I found myself feeling calm and in a positive mindset. I changed into my race kit and went upstairs for my pre-race meal. Although I typically have a bagel, I was really feeling a waffle so had two Belgium style cinnamon waffles and topped them with peanut butter, syrup and banana slices. I had a small cup of coffee (instant Nescafe Gold) and glass of water. I didn't find it too hard to eat which was a good sign that my mind was in a good place. All of the Trimarnis in the house were in the kitchen together so overall, the energy was really positive. 

After I ate, I went down to my bedroom and did some light foam rolling as part of my pre-workout/race routine and then went outside in the light rain for a little jog before one last stop at the house bathroom. Karel was giving me reassuring words and telling me that I always do well in the Ironman distance. I appreciated his words and support. 

Around 4:50am, we all squeezed into two cars (Jodi's husband drove and Karel drove) and we were driven 0.9 mile to the transition area on the backside of the lake. There were shuttles but we opted for our own valet service. 

As we walked to the transition area, the rain started to come down and over the next hour, it went from sprinkles to light showers to no rain to pouring rain. I didn't let it get to me as I had studied the weather and the rain was only predicted to last for a few hours and would stop by ~9am. 

The transition process was pretty smooth and I liked having my bags by my bike. I first dropped off my bike and run special needs and then made my way into the transition area. It was a bit dark and with the rain coming down, I found myself needing to triple check everything but after I filled my Ventum hydration system, put in my other bottle between the aero bars, put on my computer, pumped my tires, checked my breaks and gears and put my run flasks in my run bag, I did one more check and trusted myself that all was good. I did one last walkthrough in the transition area and then we all walked to the swim start. 

The overall atmosphere was energetic as the crowds were still out despite the rain. The closer we got to the race start at Mirror Lake, the harder the rain started to fall. Even though we were in our ponchos, putting on the wetsuit seemed like a logical option since we were going to get wet anyways. Around 5:50am I put on my Roka wetsuit, put on vaseline around my neck, took in two Clif Ginger chews, sipped on my sport drink in a throw away plastic bottle (1 scoop Orange skratch) and then dropped off my morning clothes bag. Around 6am we were allowed to get into the water so I took advantage of this rare opportunity to warm-up in the water before the race start. 

I got into the water around 6:15am and spent some time in the water adjusting my wetsuits, getting the blood flowing and just getting my mind into a good headspace before the start of a long day of exercising. The water felt better than being in the rain so I just stayed in the water until I was ready to line up to the race start. The professional men started at 6:25am, followed by the professional women. I lined up near the front of the age group start, which was gathering by predicted swim finishing times. The day before the race, I told Karel that I felt confident that I could swim around 57-58 minutes so I lined up around that time slot. My athlete Stephanie, who is part mermaid (hehe) lined up next to me so it was great to have her there with me before we started. 

The age group race started at 6:35am and after a few seconds, we were in the water. The water temperature was around 70 and the air temperature was in the 60's so I never felt cold before the race and the water felt perfect after I got into the water. 

The first section of the swim was chaotic. It was a bit rough as everyone was settling into their own rhythm. I was around a lot of pink caps (which for this race, the pink was for the guys and green for the ladies). Even though there is a cable under the water to help with sighting, I had no plans on getting closer to the cable as I wanted to find clean water away from others. But somehow, I kept ending up close to the cable so I just focused on swimming my own effort and finding clean water whenever I could (which often meant accelerating past others or needing to change my stroke to get around others). Since I was near the front, there were plenty of fast swimmers who swam away from me and I was ok with that. 

After the first turn buoy, I felt like I was swimming pretty fast but then I made my way back on the first loop and the water felt a lot more choppy and slow. I reminded myself that we only had to swim this section once since the finish of the swim was at the top part of the lake, so I stayed strong and focused and continued to focus on catching water and swimming strong and efficient. I don't wear a watch when I swim cause I will just look at it and it will mess with my head so when I got out of the water for my first loop, I did some quick math and saw 7:35am on the race clock. My immediate thought was "ugh, 30 minutes for the first half of the swim, this is really slow for me!" And then it took me a few buoys after getting back into the water (quick run on the ground before getting back into the water again) I realized that the first loop was longer than the rest of the swim. I kinda laughed at myself but also had no idea exactly how long the first loop was so I just cleared my mind and focused on my swim. Later I learned the first loop was 1.3 miles. 

At this point I started to catch the slower seeded swimmers who had just started their first loop and this made it difficult to keep a good rhythm as I had to swim around many swimmers and slow down at times to sight for clean water and to stay on course. I found myself on the cable a lot on the second loop which worked out well when I was heading to the shore as I wasn't in the mix of the first loop swimmers. 

After I passed the turn buoy, I continued straight to head to the finish. I felt like the swim went by quickly but it also didn't feel like a "fast" swim for me. As I was getting closer to the shore, I felt like I could pick up my effort a bit and build to the finish. I was with a strong group of swimmers and I couldn't believe that I was swimming away from them. When I got close enough to the shore to stand up, I quickly got out of the water, glanced at the clock and it said 7:30am. As I made my way on the long carpeted run from the swim exit to the transition area (up through the Northwood high school campus), I did some math and I thought "did I really just swim a huge personal best of 55 minutes??" I couldn't believe it if it really happened. I thought maybe the course was short so I wouldn't really know the official results until the finish. I was just so pumped for my swim. It didn't feel hard or fast so I guess I just shocked myself. 

I ran pretty quickly through the transition area and accidentally dropped my goggles. I didn't realize that I did until my nutrition athlete Marcus kindly ran them up to me and gave them to me. Such a thoughtful gesture of going out of his way! My friend/athlete Alvi was just about to get on his bike as he crushed the swim in 53 minutes so I wished him a great race as he ran off with his bike. 

I sat down and put on my helmet, socks and cycling shoes (I had my compression sleeves under my wetsuit). I put a bar, clif chews and baggy of tums and Gu aminos in my jersey pockets and opted not to wear my arm warmers as I really warmed up in the water. 

I ran my bike to the mount line, got on my bike and made my way down to the town. I was excited to see Karel (and Ericka) and Karel gave me a big shout "you swam 55 minutes!" and I gave him a huge smile back. Prior to the race I asked Karel to just tell me things that I would need/want to hear and I think he was really excited to tell me my swim. At this point, my day was off to a great start and I didn't even mind the rain and wet roads. I was so happy to ride my bike on this beautiful and challenging course. 

2.4 mile swim
55:43
1st AG (35-39)
7th overall female
44th overall 

T1
6:24

IM Lake Placid RR - Travel and Pre-Race

 

We left our house on Wednesday morning around 4:20am and arrived to the GSP airport just before 5am. It was a smooth check-in with our two suitcases and two Scicon hard cases w/ our bikes inside. Each bike case weighed ~50lbs so we were able to check those items for free on Delta and then just pay $40 each for our suitcases. We felt a bit rusty with the entire airport process as the last time we traveled via plane for a race was October 2019 for the Ironman World Championship.

We flew to Detroit, had a ~2 hour layover and then flew to Albany. Both flights were smooth and went by quickly (we napped on both flights). It was fun to meet up with a few Trimarnis in the Detroit airport before they made their way to Burlington. 

Since we flew into Burlington in 2013 for IM Lake Placid, I decided to try out the Albany airport and ~2:15 hr drive. It was an easy process from luggage pick-up to getting our rental car (right across the street from the airport - no shuttle needed) and then a straightforward drive to Lake Placid. I rented a SUV but all they had left was a Jeep Wrangler for us. I was a bit worried but it actually worked out great as we could place our bike cases in the Jeep upright and there was still room for our suitcases.

 

We made a quick stop at Chipotle for lunch in route to Lake Placid. The last part of the drive into town is always so beautiful. Even though the weather was cloudy and a bit rainy, the scenery is just incredible. 

We arrived to our rental home around 3pm and checked out our home away from home. I booked this rental home two years ago and thankfully the owner allowed us to carry over our rental to this year. The 3-story house was huge so we shared it with 8 of our athletes. And it was in the perfect location - just a a block from Mainstreet (and close to the Bluesberry Bakery - Karel's favorite place in Placid) and less than a mile to the new transition area at the high school (the layout of the course/transitions/expo was a bit different this year due to construction at the Oval). 

As Karel and the other Trimarni's put together their bikes, our groceries arrived just after 4pm. I ordered our first big batch of groceries from Hannafords by using Instacart. Although there was an extra fee including, this delivery grocery service worked out perfect as we didn't have to spend 60+ minutes shopping for food after a long day of travel. Throughout the rest of the week, others made quick stops to the store as needed. 

After unloading groceries and making a large salad, we all headed out for a shake-out spin by heading down the back part of the course (the "three bears) and then making our way to River Road to ride the run course and then back into town. It was a nice 45-minute spin to shake out the fatigue from traveling and sitting all day. 

By 8:30pm we were all pretty exhausted and headed off to bed. 

I tried to sleep in as long as I could on Thursday morning to ensure a restful night of sleep. I made it until almost 8am so it was a solid 10.5 hours of sleep. I was so excited to get into Mirror Lake as it's been several years since I've swam in that picture-perfect lake. 

After eating a pre-workout meal, we walked down to the swim start at the lake for a one-loop swim of the course. Some of the buoys were out and along with the cable under the water, it was easy to stay on course. We all regrouped at the turn buoys so that we could scope out the landmarks along the course. 

After the swim there was a well-needed stop at the bakery before heading back to the house to change before the bike ride. We all headed out on the bike course and descended down to Wilmington before making our way back up to town. It was nice to be out on the course and to get the body back to a familiar place of exercising. After our ~90-minute ride, a few of us went for a short 20-min run. It was a triathlon type of day! We finished all of our training for the day before 1:30pm which worked out perfect as we checked in for the race around 2:30pm (at the equestrian center - we drove there). 

It was fun to share the entire pre-race experience with our athletes, especially our two first timer Ironman athletes. We had 8 female and 1 male athletes racing Lake Placid which made for a great group filled with a lot of positive energy. 

After checking in, the rest of the day was pretty chill. We watched the Olympics, ate and relaxed. There was a lot of laughing which helped keep the nerves away. Karel did a longer ride on Thurs (~4 hours and 77 miles) after he swam with us, and then finished off the day with an evening run (37 min, 5 miles). Karel's hand is still weak and numb after he broke it from his MTB crash 9 weeks ago, but overall it's getting better. 

Friday was a pretty chillax day. We went for another swim and I had to resist the urge to swim two loops as I was feeling so good in the water. I was really happy with how I was swimming and most of all, how I felt in the water. I had been dealing with some niggles in my left bicep for a few weeks but thankfully it didn't affect me once I got to Placid. 

After the swim, I went for an easy 30-minute run around the lake and checked out the transition area, logistics of going from swim to bike and bike to run, as well as orienting myself with how we started loop two of the bike. Today was all about familiarity and getting to know the ins and outs of the course. 

I spent a little time laying out my gear for my gear bags and filling my bottles. I had my sport nutrition powder in baggies (which I filled in advance) so it was easy to just pour each baggy into a bottle or flask without second guessing or overthinking (I also brought extra nutrition just in case). I also labeled my bottles so it would be easy to know what was what and what goes where on race day morning. I waited until Sat late afternoon to fill with water and then put the bottles/flasks in the fridge. 

On Friday evening we had our traditional pizza party with pizza from Bazzis. We finished the evening with a course talk and tips discussion for our athletes. I just love sharing these experiences with our athletes as I can take the focus off myself. Plus, I love our athletes because they are really cool humans. And we have a lot of fun together. Add in Karel and his witty sense of humor and I assure you that you will be laughing a lot when you stay in a Trimarni team house. :)

After another good night of sleep, it was finally here. One more day before the race. 

I went out on my own for my ride and headed to the transition area. I first rode the start of the bike course as it was all marked on the ground. I then carried on to the run course to get more familiar with the equestrian park loops (inbound and outbound).  I then headed down to River Road (run course out and back) and did some intervals out there. I just rode until I felt good and then headed back (~75 minutes). I did a quick 5-min jog off the bike just to test out my shoes, hat and hydration band one last time to ensure that everything was fitting like I wanted it to for race day. Overall I didn't feel great on the bike and felt a bit flat on the run but I didn't let it get to me. I knew my body would show up on race day. I couldn't stop smiling because of the beauty of this course. I kept thinking, we get to race here. I never felt nervous but instead, I was really excited to train all day for 140.6 miles.  

After my morning shake out workout, it was time to eat. I repacked my bags and around 1pm, we biked our gear to the transition area, dropped off our bikes (most of us Trimarnis were together since we all checked in together), walked through the transition area so that we knew where all the ins and outs where, and then walked back to the house. We also timed how long it took us to walk from the transition area to the swim start (~21 minutes) as we would be doing the same on race morning and wanted to know how much time to give ourselves. Due to COVID precautions, there was no gear bag rack but instead we put our bags by our bikes. I kinda liked this as I could keep everything right by my bike and access it easily on race day morning. Because of the predicted rain, I put my running shoes and socks in a large ziplock bag and folded my bags down tight overnight. 

The weather had been perfect all week - in the 70's for the high and into the mid 50's at night. The water temp was hoovering around 68-70 degrees, which was also perfect. However, there was a 90% chance of rain on race day so we all prepared ourselves for a wet start to race morning. 

After eating my last big meal of no chicken noodle soup (Amy's brand) and a bag of Basmati rice around 3pm, I watched the Olympics in bed on my Ipad, ate almost a full bag of granola around 5pm, did a little more foam rolling to loosen out and I was ready to fall asleep around 7:30pm. I expected a light night of sleeping and I had a solid few hours of sleep until 1pm and then it was a few hours of tossing and turning to the sound of rain outside our basement windows, until the alarm went off at 3:45am. 

To be continued......

Hot Weather Long-Distance Triathlon Racing - How to Fuel/Hydrate

"Drink as much as you can and take lots of salt tabs!"

This is what I've been reading a lot of lately on social media as it relates to the advice that triathletes are receiving in route to their upcoming hot long distance race. 

Racing in the heat is extremely taxing on the body. The biggest consequences include heat stress/exhaustion/stroke and dehydration. Anytime the weather is above 86-degrees F, there will be some type of stress to your cardiovascular system. For the athlete with a hot weather race on the schedule, you must be smart, flexible, attentive and safe when exercising in the heat. Times will be slow(er) than normal and you can't chase metrics. Your primary goal is racing smart and doing the little things well. It probably won't be your fastest race and on paper, the race results may not showcase your current level of fitness but in such extreme conditions, your only goal is to reach the finish line without compromising your health.

Most athletes will overhydrate before and during a hot weather race. There will be many haphazard nutrition "plans" that involve the excessive consumption of salt pills, excessive consumption of sport drinks and lots and lots of water. Because you will be physiologically limited in the heat, there a limit as to how much sodium, fluid and carbohydrates your body can digest and absorb. You can't replace everything that is lost in sweat (and metabolic heat). 

There are several approaching triathlon races where the weather is predicted to be in the mid to upper 90's. That's hotter than hot when you are racing for 70.3 or 140.6 miles. To be honest, these conditions are not safe for the human body and racing in such brutal conditions poses a significant risk to health. While hot conditions are sure to compromise the health of the body, there are ways to mitigate the stress response to the heat and to safely reach the finish line. By understanding the body response when exercising in hot weather and learning how your fueling and hydration can help you , you will have the necessary tools to fuel and hydrate like a pro. 

Lessons learned from IM Kona - Body Image

Today would have been the start of the Ironman World Championship race week. If you've ever been to Kona at this time of year, it's an incredibly special and inspiring week. Although Karel and I were not planning to race this year, we had a few Trimarnis on the start list. Although it's sad to know that their IM Kona dreams are now on hold, we know the wait will be worth it and they will get their Ironman Kona experience and a one-of-a-kind finish line feeling. 

Around this time in October, I've spent seven of the last 13 years on the big island of Kona, Hawaii. Five of those years as an IM Kona athlete (2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2019) and two of those years as a spectator for Karel (2016 and 2018). We have been privileged to call Kona our second home for so many years for at least a week in early October. 

In honor of this week being IM Kona "race week" I will share a few of the lessons I've learned as an Ironman World Championship participant (and spectator). I'll start with a very important topic and one that I am extremely passionate about.....body image. 

BODY IMAGE

I believe in setting a good example for my athletes by always embracing and encouraging a healthy relationship with food and the body. Karel and I do not follow any extreme styles of eating, we don't restrict food/fuel in an effort to change body composition and we do not manipulate our diet in an effort to change our body image for a race (ex. race weight). Food is our fuel and our nourishment and we firmly believe that when the body is well fueled and well nourished, it's healthy. And a healthy body performs well. 

Sadly, we live in a society (and within a triathlon sport bubble) that involves competitive leanness. Rather than taking great care of the incredible vehicle (your body) that gets you from the start to the finish line, many athletes fall victim to chasing a specific weight or body fat percentage, assuming that leanness is a criteria for race day success.

Truth be told, in the sport of triathlon, specifically in the Ironman World Championship, the winner across the finish line is not always the leanest athlete. There is no consistent, conclusive evidence that "leanness" directly correlates with Ironman race day readiness. As a 16x Ironman finisher, I can confidently tell you that there are so many variables  that can affect the body over 140.6 miles.

• Your body image does not make you mentally stronger on race day.
• Your body image does not make you immune to needing sport nutrition on race day.
• Your body image does not mean that you won't fatigue or have low moments on race day.
• Your body image does not mean that you won't have an equipment related issue on race day.
• Your body image does not mean that you will have endless energy on race day.

On race week, you should find your relationship with your body at its strongest. You should be thanking every part of your body every for what it's about to let you do. You receive no athletic benefit in bashing your body, restricting carbohydrates/calories, dehydrating yourself, feeling shame for your body, wishing for a different body image or feeling intense pressure to quickly weigh less.

Manipulating your diet (or taper regime) on race week in an effort to quickly attempt to change your body composition will only put you at risk for a race performance far below your athletic potential.
As it relates to comparing your body to the body of another athlete, never let the body image of another athlete make you to believe that your body isn't ready or good enough for a great race day performance. 

Having a great relationship with your body not only builds your confidence for race day but it also enables you to make good eating and fueling choices on race week, which will help you arrive to your  start line fresh, fueled and mentally ready to race. 

It's normal to feel a little heavier than normal on race week when you are properly fueling and hydrating your body for race day. You may even feel a little uncomfortable at times because of taper and this is ok. I always remind myself that when my body feels a little heavy, it means that I am fully ready for the race.

It's normal to look a little different in the mirror when your body is rejuvinating and repairing itself during taper. Remind yourself that what you look like doesn't determine how your body will perform on race day. Far too many athletes arrive to Kona looking extremely lean and fit but unhealthy and nutritionally unprepared for the necessary fuel/hydration that is required to get the body to the finish line.

Healthy and strong look different on every body. Be proud of your body and how far it has taken you in your training journey. Direct your energy beyond a look and instead, focus on the amazing upcoming race day adventure that you will take your body on. 

Fuel and eat for performance and not for an image. Be honest with yourself - what is it that you want your body to do on race day? Do you want to look strong and fast or do you want your body to be strong and fast? 

When you arrive to a race with plans, hopes and dreams of performing well with your body, don't sabotage your performance by letting your appearance get the best of you. 

Replace the negative self-talk and self-criticism with meaningful statements that reflect a positive appreciation for your amazing body.

Karel's Solo Ironman Distance Race Recap

So last Saturday Karel did a thing. He completed his first ever solo Ironman distance triathlon. No volunteers. No spectators. No aid stations. No race medal. No official race times. Just Karel and his mind for 140.6 miles.

While this is not something that we recommend to try on your own, we hope that during this time of stress, worry, anxiety and sadness (being an athlete doesn't make you immune to emotions) you can get some inspiration, motivation and laughs from this incredibly challenging, mentally difficult and somewhat crazy feat.

Here's the play by play as well as the final recap.

Race Morning

Pre Swim

Pre Bike

During Bike

Pre Run

Run

Finish line!!

Nonofficial, official results

OFFICAL RACE REPORT

It's Ironman Canada race week!

I can't believe it's finally race week! Today we leave for Canada and on Sunday, we get to race a bucket-list race in beautiful Whistler, Canada. 

We selected this race venue because of its challenging, yet beautiful course. The weather is predicted to be in the low 50's at the start of the day (race start 6am PST) and it will rise to the low 70's. The 2.4 mile swim is a two loop course in Alta Lake. The water temp should be around 65 degrees and wetsuit legal. The 2-loop bike course features ~8000 feet of elevation gain over 112 miles. It will be a "slow" bike course that will require a lot of strength, tactics, good riding skills, fueling and mental strength. The run course will be just as spectacular as the bike. The 26.2 mile run is a two loop course with a little over 1000 feet of elevation gain. The finish of the 140.6 mile race is in the Olympic Village of Whistler.

I'm thrilled to share the course with 13 of our athletes. We selected this race venue because it offers an Ironman and 70.3 distance on the same day. We will have two athletes racing the full (one first-timer Ironman) and eleven athletes racing the 70.3. I just love racing with our athletes as it's great to see familiar faces on and off the course and to share the entire experience with others.

This Ironman journey has been an interesting one. Our coach (Cait Snow) did an incredible job preparing us for this race. While it felt like a lot of training, every week was carefully designed with our needs in mind. There was a nice mix of frequency and volume with a touch of intensity sprinkled in. Overall, it was a solid build to Ironman Canada. I loved the training/workouts and it was a lot of fun to see what my body could do each day. We had daily communication with our coach and the closer we got to the race, the more she was careful to make sure we were still adapting to training stress.

Karel is bringing great fitness to this race. He was pushed hard by Cait in ways that he didn't know was capable by his body. I'm super excited to see what Karel can do on this race course as I feel he is getting stronger and faster every season.

I have felt stronger than ever before - specifically in swim and bike. Because of my previous running struggles (injuries) in the past, Cait was extremely careful to build me slowly with my running and to design workouts that would help build my confidence and suit my strengths (running off the bike). I was able to put together many months of consistent training, tolerating a high volume of training in swimming, biking and running.

Unfortunately, near the end of our group training camp in late June, I started to experience some left lower back pain on the bike. I contributed it to a lot of twisting to look behind me at our athletes and altering my riding style throughout the camp environment. Karel and I did not do any of our own training throughout our group training camp as it was all about our athletes and making sure they got the most out of their camp experience.

On the last day of camp (June 30th), we were getting ready to head to the lake for our last camp workout (swim and run) and as I was bending over to put on my socks and shoes, I felt a painful tug in my lower back. I had to lay down to relieve the pain. It was something that was a bit familiar to me as I have had issues with my back/hips for as long as I can remember. This reminded me of when I injured myself back in 2007 before my first Ironman World Championship. I was a little worried but the pain subsided, I taped my back/hips with KT tape and we drove to the lake. I was a little tight during the swim but the run felt fine as I ran with our campers.

To play it smart and safe, Cait had me take the next two days really easy to let things calm down. I took a day off on Monday (mental day to recover from camp) and Tues was an easy swim. I felt a little tightness in my back but no pain during the swim.

On Wednesday we did a "test" workout on the bike with some building efforts to see how I responded to different efforts. I felt a bit of tightness in my back but it actually got better as the ride went on. I ran off the bike and all was OK. I actually felt fine running. So on Thursday I was back to normal training and didn't feel concerned about my back anymore - what a relief!

I put together four solid days of training (Thurs-Sun) but come Sunday, near the end of the run, my left side started to feel off. It wasn't painful, just a bit of tugging in my left leg. After I returned home from my 90 minute run (my last long run), my inner thigh and groin started to tighten up. It was really uncomfortable. I did my afternoon swim - which helped to loosen things up - but to make a long story short, I've been dealing with hip/back/upper leg issues since July 7th. To be extra cautious, I haven't really ran since then as I was feeling a tugging and tightness around my hip/back/leg. Again, this is nothing new for me as I have dealt with hip/back issues for all of my triathlon career but have been able to manage it for the past 6 years without any hiccups. Until now....

So here I am, just a few days away from my 15th Ironman in uncertainty. Will I be able to run at all and if so, how much? I am mentally preparing myself that I will not finish this Ironman and I am ok with this.

While this injury has altered my run training over the past 2.5 weeks, Cait made sure that I was maintaining my fitness and focusing on what I CAN do. So instead of running on land, I have been doing water jogging in place of my runs. That means interval runs, brick runs and even a double run - all in deep water. I have been swimming and biking as planned as both cause me no pain or issues and I actually feel better after I swim and bike.

During the first week of this setback, I focused on calming down my leg. So this meant massage and dry needling and exercises to help get my ribs/pelvis back into a good spot. My SI joint likes to give me issues and this time was a nasty one as my pelvis got all out of whack. After things calmed down, my next goal/focus was to walk normally. I was bracing my leg (straight leg) because of the tugging I was feeling in my groin and adductors. My ITB was taking the grunt of this so I needed to relearn how to walk normally again. By the 2nd week, I was walking normally. My last goal was to hop with my left leg. Finally I am at that point. So on the positive, I am walking normally, I don't have any pain, I can hop on one leg and aside from after sitting and sleeping (when I get a little tight), I feel "normal" again. I have tried to run and while it is not painful, it's still not "right" just yet. I am being extra cautious and safe as I am not just thinking about IM Canada but Ironman Kona in a few months. I have resisted "testing" the leg as I don't want to do something silly out of ego or fear and put myself back. I am in a good place now and I don't want to jeopardize my health - especially since I want to be active for a lifetime.

The first few days were tough as I was a bit emotionally and in pain but after a few days, I made myself get into a good mindset to put everything into perspective and to use my mind to help me heal. To help with this, I have been repeating a few mantras to help me get through this setback with a positive mindset. These mantras have provided me perspective and also gratitude and I am still excited to travel to Whistler, start the race and give my best for as long as my body will safely allow me to. If I have to drop out in T2 or in the run, so be it. While I'm sure I'll be a tiny bit sad, I have so much to be happy about by watching our athletes and Karel and traveling to a new race venue.

Here are a few mantras that I have used to help me during this time: 

• I don't need to run for a lifetime but I do need to walk.
• I'm an athlete for life - not just one race.  
• Focus only on today. 
• Don't spend energy on things that are out of my control. 
• I can't change the situation but I can change my attitude and how I deal with the situation. 
• Focus on the small things.
• There are so many great things in life to be happy about. 
• I'm thankful for all that I have done with my body this season. 
• If there's a "good" time for an injury, it's when 99% of the work is done. 
• I can still swim and bike - my two favorite sports!
• I am so excited to swim and bike in Canada and tackle this tough sport! 
• If I can't run on race day, that means I get to watch my athletes and cheer. 
• Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can't do. 
• There are worse things in life that can happen to me. 
• There are worse things in life that deserve my tears. 
• Injuries heal. 
• It's just one race. 
• Believe that you are healing every day. 
• Complaining and tears don't solve issues. 
• Invest into therapy/treatment so you don't have to pay for MRI's and more intense treatment. 
• Be patient and smart. 
• Quick fixes don't fix issues. 
• Don't rush the healing process just to meet a race day deadline. 
• Thank you body. You are still awesome. 

Although race day is still a bit of an unknown, I can assure you that I will not do anything silly. Running in pain is NOT my idea of what it takes to finish an Ironman - or any race. I worked really hard to get to where I am right now with my swim/bike/run fitness and over the past two weeks, I invested a lot to be able to move without pain and I don't want to take steps back - only to delay my return to run training in route to IM Kona. I still plan to share pictures/videos/posts about our Ironman Canada experience on my blog and Facebook page over the next week.

Off to Canada!!

IM Kona '18 Race Report

When the alarm went off at 3:45am, I stayed in bed for another 15 minutes to let Karel have the kitchen to himself as he made his espresso and pre-race meal. When I got up, I was quick to go outside to the patio to let Karel do his own thing without getting in his way. Karel’s mom stayed in bed as we told her to watch the swim from behind the building in front of us as it would be too crazy for her to go down to the finish line area. Karel was incredibly calm and I couldn’t sense any nervous energy from him. It was a mixture of excitement, readiness and confidence and of course, gratitude that he had a healthy (and injury free) body at the end of a very successful season of racing. Around 5:15am, Karel was ready to head to the race venue. My job was to carry his special needs bags (and drop them off) and to grab his pump from him after he pumped his tires. 

Due to the rain the night before, Ali’i drive was a little wet but the air temp felt very comfortable. Crowds were already lining up on the wall to watch the swim start, the finish line was fully assembled, you could hear Mike Riley (and the other announcers) and there were athletes everywhere. I walked with Karel behind the King K hotel and dropped off his special needs bags before wishing Karel a great race and giving up a good luck kiss and hug. Karel went into the athlete-only area to get body marked (temporary tattoo) and weighed before heading to his bike on the pier. 

During this time (which moved rather quickly, I was surprised with all of the athletes!), I made my way to the pool area behind the King K as that was my meeting spot for Karel to hand me his pump. Around 6am, Karel came back from his bike, handed me his pump and I gave him one more good luck wish. 

He looked really calm and relaxed as he was listening to his music. I waited just a little longer to make sure he didn’t need me for anything else and then I walked down the road to get a spot to watch the swim start. During this time, Karel did his jog warm-up to our place, went to the bathroom once more and then jogged back to the pier – all before 6:30am. With Karel’s wave starting at 7:05am, he gave himself time to get close to the stairs entering the water so that he could get in a 10 minute swim warm-up with a few efforts to get the blood flowing. 

Making friends. 

2.4 mile swim

Aside from the chaos that comes with a mass start, Karel had his best non-wetsuit/Kona swim. Karel lined himself up to the far left of the buoys and near the front row. The buoys were spaced every 100 meters which made it easy to mark progress. Plus there are a few landmarks to the left which help athletes know how far they are (ex. the “boat” looking hotel by Huggo’s is about 1000 meters in). It was really important for Karel to try to accelerate hard from the front and then settle into a good rhythm. This was something that he practiced in the practice swim the previous Saturday. Karel was most proud of how he felt on the way back from the two turns (around the boats – which are the only two turns of this swim course) as he felt strong and exited the water feeling relatively fresh and not exhausted. The way back to the pier is typically a little slower due to the movement of the waves/ocean and layout of the course but Karel felt like he was able to swim strong throughout. 

T1
Whereas any other Ironman may have a small group of athletes exiting the water between 1 hour and 70 minutes, IM Kona is a bit different. With so many fast athletes in one race, it’s not uncommon to have 30-80 athletes exiting the water within a few minutes. Karel made his way up the stairs (which are only placed there for race day), through the hoses to rinse off and then to his T1 bag. Karel did not have anything in his bag since he had his cycling shoes and helmet on his bike (mandatory for all athletes to have their helmet on the bike, shoes are optional in bag or on the bike pedals). When he grabbed his bag, he took off his swimskin and then put it in his bag before running to his bike. No need for Karel to even enter the changing tent. Once he got to his bike, he put on his helmet and made the long run with his bike all the way around pier. Every athlete has to cover the same distance/path around the pier, which makes for a very long transition area.

112 mile bike
Karel was filled with happiness when he got on his bike (flying mount) as he was thrilled with his swim. Going into the race, Karel had a stretch goal of trying to get in the top ten for his age-group. Not knowing what the weather would be like, Karel was more focused on chasing the competition versus chasing a time (then again, Karel doesn’t care about times when he races). With his swim time being a few minutes faster than in 2016, Karel felt like this would set him up to be with faster cyclists. Having a lot of confidence in his run, his goal for the next 112 miles was to put together a solid bike, nail his nutrition and deliver himself to the run.
It was only a matter of a few pedal strokes that Karel realized something was wrong with his bike. His electronic shifting was not working. This meant that he was stuck in one gear and one gear only….for the next 112 miles. And not just any gear but a very easy gear. Karel went from such a high, to such a low in a matter of seconds. He suddenly felt so empty, sad and confused. Even as a bike mechanic, this was a mechanical issue that was completely out of his control. With the upcoming in-town section taking only about 20-25 minutes, I wasn’t sure why I didn’t see Karel flying down Palani after he exited the transition area. When I finally saw his neon-green kit coming down the hill, I was super happy to see him. But what came next was not what I expected to hear….
“I have no gears.” 

My heart immediately sank into my stomach and I couldn’t believe it. Karel later on told me that he got of his bike within the first mile and tried to jam the chain into another gear for more resistance. No go. Compared to the 24-27 mph speeds that other athletes were holding to cover the “in-town” section, Karel was averaging 15 mph. 

As soon as Karel shouted that to me about his gears, I felt like I needed to help. I didn’t know what to do so I just started running to my condo. I left Karel’s mom on Palani (there was no way I could communicate to her what had happened since she doesn’t speak English) and made my way to the condo. Luckily, our condo is just a block from Palani. My heart was beating so fast, I was sweating like crazy and I just felt so sad for Karel. Not even a few miles into his 140.6 mile race and his day of racing was overwith. Sure, he could still ride his bike but it was going to be a very long morning of riding with just one gear. Plus, riding in such an easy gear means a lot of pedaling which means a lot of mechanical and cardio fatigue. I also worried about Karel’s hips and back (which he has to be so careful with when he rides) and just the overall emotions that he would be carrying with him for the next 112 miles. 

When I got into my condo, I grabbed my bike because my first thought was “He can ride my bike.” Then I thought, oh that’s silly. Then I thought “I have a battery! He can use mine!” I searched for some tools because I thought he would need those. I know little about bike mechanics (prior to this incident, I didn’t even know where the battery was in my bike) but I have seen Karel work on bikes enough to know what tools he uses/needs. All of this was in a mega panic and feeling the need to help my husband. 

After I grabbed my bike and a small tool gadget, I sprinted my way down the stairs and rode across the street. I was hoping that I didn’t miss Karel for I really wanted to help him.

Luckily, I spotted Karel. I yelled and jumped up and down so he could see me. At first I thought he was going to keep riding but he stopped soon after he saw me. He pulled over to the side of the road in pure sadness and told me that he has no gears. When I saw a tear fall down his cheek from under the sunglasses attached to his helmet, that was my sign that I had to switch from wife to coach. Whereas I wanted to give him a hug and be emotional, I knew that would only make him more upset. We moved on to the sidewalk on Kuakini and Hanama (around there) and as Karel said “And I had such a great swim…” I stopped him from talking as I knew his emotions were taking over. I said “take my battery. I even brought your tools.” Karel was overloaded with his thoughts about this unfortunate situation and told me that he didn’t think it would help. He was convinced that the wire shorted the battery due to the rain as he clipped the wire prior to travel when removing his aero bars and secured it with electrical tape. I told him to try and he swapped my battery for his (from inside the seat post – aha, that is where it is!) and his biked shifted! Karel took the tools with him just in case he didn’t them again and I told him not to let this get to him. There was very little communication between us during the few minutes that this battery swap took place as I wanted Karel to stay calm. Karel is not one to over-react, play the blame game, make excuses or get angry so his emotions were purely from disappointment in the situation. He knew that his top 10 goal would no longer happen even though he now had the ability to shift his gears. I told him that I love him and to give his best and that everything will be ok as he rode off. Even though he lost a good 15 minutes in the first 7 miles or so of the bike, I still felt like he would be able to be in the race, so long as my battery worked for the rest of the ride.

As I walked back to the condo with my bike, I felt a bit of relief that I could help Karel during is helpless situation but I felt sick to my stomach about the situation. I just helped Karel cheat. As I made my way to the condo, I couldn’t help but think that we just broke a very important rule with triathlon racing – no outside assistance. I knew this meant a disqualification so I just hoped that Karel would be able to continue the race and cross the finish line for I know Karel and he is not a cheater or a quitter and would not want his race experience to be taken away from him. Even if his goal was no longer reachable, he loves to race and I wanted to give him the opportunity to race – even if he wasn’t an official finisher.

Karel’s mom came back to the condo and she was visibly upset because she didn’t see Karel on the bike. I showed her a picture that I saw him and gave her a thumbs up to signify that he was ok so she wouldn’t worry. Before the race, I made a time-line for Karel’s mom so she knew about when Karel would be where on the course so she could go and cheer. Well, I had to adjust those times because of the incident.

Sadly, I couldn’t feel happy about what just happened. Rather than feeling like the hero in this, I felt disappointed that we cheated. I knew Karel would feel the same way so I just hoped that he was able to enjoy his day before he would need to tell an official that he received outside assistance. To help with my emotions, I went for a run along Ali’i drive while listening to the live broadcast on my phone and periodically checking the Ironman tracker app to see how Karel was doing. When I saw that Karel was riding a more normal speed, I did feel better that he would be able to ride more comfortably by choosing his own gears to change throughout the race. I notified our team (on our private Facebook team page) that Karel had a mechanical but I wanted it to come from him to explain to our athletes what had happened, especially since we still needed to speak to an official.

After my run, I returned back to the condo, showered and ate, watched more of the live coverage and continued to track Karel. Although he was making good progress on the course, he continued to move back in places. This told me that something was not right. When I looked at this split paces compared to other athletes, I knew something was wrong. He was still moving much faster than in the first few miles with only the easy gear but far slower than what he is capable of riding. I tried not to think much of it and I was just counting down the hours until he got off the bike.

As Karel was getting closer to the transition area, his time was not bad but it could have been so much faster. On a record setting day with no wind, I knew something was not right as he was nearing 180ish place off the bike. 

T2
Karel had a quick transition and was relieved to be off his bike with his feet on the ground. The temperature was heating up but I had no idea what was going on with Karel. Why was he riding somewhat fast if he only had one easy gear but also so slow compared to what he could have ridden?

26.2 mile run
When I saw Karel running on Kuakini before heading to the out and back section on Ali’i drive, I gave him a big cheer. He quickly told me that the battery stopped working again and he only had one gear for most of the ride. Later on, Karel told me that the battery only worked for about 20 miles and luckily, when the battery died, he was in the big chain ring. It was still an easy gear and on any other typical Kona day, it may have been fine with wind but on a day that required a lot of resistance on the chain, he was forced to pedal at a very high cadence just to keep the momentum going. But with every climb, the gear was too heavy, which forced him to get out of the saddle a lot and to use a very slow cadence to get over some of the hills. This was a very poor way to ride the course, not to mention the mechanical and cardio fatigue that occurred for over 90 miles. He had a lot of low moments during the ride as he was helpless being passed by so many athletes. He refused to quit and tried to make the best of the decision and adjust his position or figure out the best way to gain speed (or make it “easier” when climbing) whenever possible.  In addition, he still focused on good nutrition but because of this very inefficient riding style, his body was under a lot more stress compared to if he would be able to ride at his preferred cadence (around mid 80’s) and change his gears.

After I saw Karel on the run, I yelled to him “Put together a run that you will be proud of!” and that seemed to stick with him as he was running really well, with good form and at a great pace. Again, I had no idea how much the ride took out of his legs and heart but I knew my mission for the day was to keep him going. Karel isn’t a quitter but it’s easy to give into the thoughts in your head that it’s not worth it – especially on what was turning into an extremely hot marathon run at the Ironman World Championship.

I rode my bike (without the ability to change gears – since I had Karel’s dead battery) on one of the side roads so I could see Karel once more on Ali’i drive. I rode on the opposite side of the road, took a few pictures and a video but didn’t say anything to him.

I knew he needed to get into a good place with his rhythm (and thoughts) so I just tried to be invisible. After a half mile of watching Karel run, I turned around and made my way to the top of Palani to wait for Karel once more. 

When I saw Karel running up Palani (the steepest hill on the course, occurring this year -with the new course-around mile 7-8ish), I told him that he is running one of the fastest paces at this point in the marathon. Even though it was not possible to pass 150+ people over the next 20 miles, I wanted Karel to know that he was still having a good race. And most of all, I wanted to make sure Karel still felt like he was racing. The bike was now in the past and the focus was on getting him to the finish line with the best run that he could put together on the day. 

Karel said that the run was incredibly hard – one of the hardest Ironman marathons that he has ever run. It was so hot out there and there was no cloud cover. He had no idea of his pace or overall run time as the focus was on running from one aid station to the next, walking through the aid stations and taking care of himself with ice/water and then surviving to the next aid station. Karel was later shocked when I told him that he ran a 3:15 marathon and moved from 181st to 82nd. With the wind at his face as he got closer to the new entrance of the energy lab, it started to get very hot and very tough for Karel. Despite his body breaking down and his mind exhausting, something inside of him kept him going.

Although Karel slowed down (as everyone does in the marathon), he was still putting together solid splits according to the tracer. I was just so proud of Karel for what he had overcome and how he was able to still run so well. 

I went back to the condo to tell Karel’s mom to head outside to watch Karel finish and I made my way to the bleachers to capture Karel crossing the finish line. As Karel made his way over the finish line, I could tell he was completely empty – mentally and physically. What a day.

Post race
I made my way to the patio area by the pool where I stood to meet Karel in the morning. Thankfully, our friend Livingston was volunteering and snapped a picture of Karel and called me so I could talk to Karel. Karel was absolutely exhausted and told me that he just wanted to lay in the grass for a while and go to sleep. I told him to take his time and that I would meet him when he was ready. Livingston wouldn’t let Karel fall asleep so he stayed with Karel until he was able to get up. Karel went to the bathroom, rehydrated a little (no appetite to eat) and about 20-30 min after he finished, he hobbled his way to me. I told him that I was so proud of him and he said that was the hardest thing he had ever done. As we were walking, I wanted to bring up the battery swap but I hesitated as I knew Karel was lacking some brain cells to think. Once Karel started to talk a little more (although clearly disappointed), I mentioned about us needing to talk to someone about my outside assistance. Karel agreed and said he was thinking the same thing. Neither one of us could live with this scenario if we didn't tell an official. Even though my battery didn’t technically help Karel (he still rode 90 miles on one gear), it was still outside assistance and we always want to play fair and by the rules. Plus, we feel that being a good role model for our athletes and having integrity for the sport means doing the right thing.

Although the day was not as Karel planned, the goal shifted from being top ten to finishing and Karel was just so relieved to have crossed that finish line.  Even if he was disqualified, he just wanted to finish what he started and to know that he never gave up on himself. It was not about proving anything to anyone or getting kudos for his performance but more about racing for himself and doing the best that he could out there. Karel really appreciated that I told him to put together a run that you can be proud of for he carried that with him for the entire run. He didn’t come all this way and train this hard just to give up on himself. More so, his bike was still functional, even with one gear so he wanted to pay respect to the sport and do what others would love to do – even with only one gear.

After we made our way back to our place, Karel was feeling super nauseous. He took a shower and laid down in bed. Unable to eat anything, we started with some soup and over the next 2 hours, his appetite slowly came back. His mom was super proud of him.

Nearing 7pm (when athletes can start checking out their bikes), Karel mentioned that he was feeling ok enough to walk around. We both wanted to find the head bike official (Jimmy Riccitello) as soon as possible as we wanted to take care of this situation for we both didn’t feel good about it.

Karel and I slowly walked to the King K hotel (official race hotel) and went to a room (Lost and Found) to see if we could locate Jimmy. The volunteer we spoke to was very confused. The convo went like this.

Karel “I’d like to speak to the head bike official about a situation on the bike course.”
Volunteer “OK, is this about another athlete?”
Karel “No, it’s about myself.”
Volunteer “ Did another athlete do something?”
Karel “No, I’d like to disqualify myself.”
Volunteer “Are you sure?"
Karel "Yes.”

We waited over an hour for Jimmy to be found (during that time Karel collected his bike and gear bags as I waited in the room) and once he came, we told him the entire situation of what happened. Jimmy was a bit speechless as he couldn’t believe that Karel wanted to disqualify himself at the Ironman World Championship. Jimmy said that he really appreciated the honesty and that he would write down Karel’s number in case anyone complained about what they saw but in all fairness, he didn’t feel that Karel was deserving of a disqualification. He told us that although it is outside assistance, it was not something that was planned to help Karel gain the competitive edge and I was not offering Karel something that he could use as an advantage over his other competitors. We expressed several times that we felt like it was the right thing to do, Jimmy took note of it but didn’t feel it was worthy of a DQ. We thanked him for allowing us to share the situation and he thanked us for being honest about the situation. I think he was a bit taken back by it all and a little speechless.

Afterward, Karel got back his appetite in full force and wanted a burger and fries so we picked one up outside of a restaurant (Karel only managed to eat half) and headed back to our condo.

It was a very emotional, exhausting and tough day for Karel but he is incredibly happy that he finished. He said even if the bike would take him 7 hours, he was going to finish the race. While Karel had to deal with more than he had planned to deal with over the course of 140.6 miles, he is heading back home with a finisher medal that means more to him than any finish time or finishing place. Onward and upward we go.

Thank you for your support and for reading. 

IM Kona '18: 1 day out!

Karel and I live together, train together and work together. But when it comes to racing, we both have a different strategy for feeling "race ready" in the 24 hours before a big event. Whereas I like to talk, watch funny videos/shows on the computer, laugh and socialize, Karel likes to hibernate with techno music, visualizing his race. Respecting Karel's pre-race rituals, I planned a long ride on Friday so that Karel could have time to himself, doing whatever he needed to do to relax without any distractions. 

As for my ride, I biked the course! Well, all but 6 miles in town. 

Whereas I've had an unfriendly relationship with this bike course for each of the four times that I have raced in the Ironman World Championship (2007, 2011, 2013, 2015), I wanted to cover the course (to Hawi and back) all by myself. 

And wow, the roads were rather empty from athletes! Although I did see a handful of athletes scattered over the Queen K and a few in Hawi, most (if not all) were not IM Kona racers. 

Since riding 100+ miles is a rarity for me and Karel (a combo of where we live and we do more higher intensity training versus long aerobic miles), I also looked forward to sharing 5+ hours with my body and mind. If I've learned anything about the IM Kona bike course it's that the weather is very unpredictable and you have to be physically fit but very mentally strong. 

To keep the ride structured instead of just going for a 100+ mile ride, I used the first 8 miles to the airport as a warm-up and then started my main set for the rest of the ride. I went 20 minutes "on" at Ironman effort followed by a 5 minute EZ spin. I continued this for the remainder of my ride (4+ hours), all the way back to town. 

The winds were not howling but it was hotter than hot. I felt like I was riding in a sauna - and this was even with a 7am start to my ride. 

I went through 8 bottles during my ride (5 with calories, 2 with "electrolytes" and 1 with plain water to use for cooling my head. I had a stop in Hawi at the gas station to refill my bottles. 

While a year is a long time away, I am getting more and more excited to return back to the Big Island in 2019 for the Ironman World Championship - as a participant. Whereas I turned down my slot last year at IM CHOO, I'm really glad that I took my slot at IMWI last month as I feel much more confident with my open water swimming abilities, my riding skills and my running form. This was a great season for me (training and racing) and I hope to build off this season....after I take a well deserved short off-season break near the end of the month. Next up I have the Hincapie Gran Fondo next Saturday. 

Maui off in the distance. 

While I didn't have any lows during the ride (this may have been because I didn't have to run a marathon off the bike), there were a few times when I found myself getting lazy with my pedal stroke. Having the set of 20 minutes ON and 5 minutes OFF helped as I could stay focus and then look forward to a little reset.

Aside from the cars/trucks on the road, the shoulder was pretty empty compared to the last few days. As someone who enjoys courses with lots of spectators (and loos), I also feel this ride was very valuable for me to be alone for so long with my own thoughts.

Stats from the ride:
Total ride time: 5:28.59
Total distance: 106 miles
Average speed: 19.4
Elevation gain: 3635
Normalized power: 143 watts
Average HR: 120
Average temp: 82 (Max temp 97!)

After I returned home, I wanted to see how my legs felt so I went for a quick 16 min run (1 mile out, 30 sec walk, 1 mile back) along Kuakini. I kept the pace comfortable and as usual, I wore my hydration belt. I was glad I had it for it was toasty! After cleaning up and eating, it wasn't too long later that Karel, his mom and I went down to bike check-in. Karel's slot for checking in his bike was 2:30-6pm so he waited until around 4pm to check in his bike. It was a very cloudy afternoon and as I write this now (7pm) it is pouring outside. Tomorrow should be an interesting day with the weather! 

As a spectator and fan of the sport, I really love this part of the Ironman World Championship. There are crowds of people, you can feel the nervous energy of the athletes and you can sense the excitement of dropping off the bike and gear bags with only one sleep to go until race day. 

The finish line arch and stage are coming together. It won't be too long until we get to witness the relief and joy by the athletes as they cross the most incredible finish line in the sport. 

As for the bike/gear bag check in procedure, first athletes will go under an arch (athletes only) and it's a big show for spectators and athletes. There's music, announcers and tons of volunteers. There are literally people just watching for hours as athletes check in their bikes. 

Once you enter the athlete-only area, there are a few booths where athletes with their respective bike gear/equipment will get some swag from the companies. For example, Karel got a Shimano hat because he has Shimano on his bike. It's a cool way for companies to say thank you to their customers. 

And then there are the counters. There are a good two dozen plus people counting all the bike specs to determine how many athletes have certain brands on their bike. These counters look at everything from bike components, wheel brands, saddle brands, power meters and so much more. The final tally typically circulates the internet a few days after IM Kona on various triathlon websites.

Next up, athletes get their picture taken. Well, actually the bike gets a photo. I believe this is for security reasons but there could be other reasons as well. 

Next is another wait in line before finally entering the transition area. 

With so many volunteers, from all of the world, it's really neat to see how many people come here just to help out with the event. 

The volunteer takes the gear bag and then the athlete walks to the gear bags to drop off the bags (Blue = Bike, Red = Run) and then place the bike in the floor rack. The helmet must go on the bike and cycling shoes can go inside the Bike bag or on the bike. Nothing can be on the floor next to the bike. The gear bags are also clear for security reasons. 

The transition area on the pier is huge. With 2500 athletes, everyone has to cover the same route to enter and leave the transition area for swim to bike and bike to run. 

After Karel was finished checking in his stuff, he did a quick video with Czech TV before heading back to the condo. The rest of the evening was "feet up, eat up." 

One more sleep and this is where it's all going to start (and finish) tomorrow morning! 

To follow the race, check out Ironman.com, Ironman Now on Facebook and the Ironman Tracker App. 

Karel is bib number 1322 (40-44 AG). 

I'll also be sharing pictures/updates on my Trimarni Facebook page tomorrow as often as I can. 

Thanks for the support! 

IM Kona '18: 2 & 3 days out

The past two days have been incredibly busy. I am not even racing and I have found myself with a packed schedule!

On Wednesday morning, Karel and I both ventured out for a run workout. Karel had a few 1K efforts followed by a 15 min IM effort. I gave myself a workout of 3 x 6 minutes with 1 min rest followed by a 15 min at IM effort just to spice it up. I'm noticing that I have acclimated to the heat over the past week as my breathing is much more controlled, I can run "faster" paces at a lower heart rate and overall, I don't feel like I am running through a blow torch. We both ran along Ali'i drive and as usual, the shoulders were packed with cyclists, walkers and runners. 

The nice thing about not racing is that I can deviate from my training anytime I want, which means stopping to take pictures, especially selfies with friends. This is my athlete Dana who lives in Greenville who is here spectating. It was fun to "run" into her along Ali'i drive. It's so funny how you can run into so many people that you know despite there being 2500 athletes and thousands of spectators and volunteers. 

Karel showing off his custom paint design to co-found Diaa Nour

After the run, we did a quick change into our bike gear as we wanted to join the 3rd Annual IM Kona ventum ride. Not only did we get to see so many Ventums (several with awesome custom paint jobs) but we were able to see the reveal of the NEW Ventum road bike. 

The group ride was led by Leanda Cave and there were also a few other Ventum professionals who were at the start of the ride, such as AJ Baucco, Kevin Collington and Lauren Brandon. 

The ride was an hour long and we rode up toward the airport (on the Queen K) and then turned off to take a picture inside the energy lab. For those who have raced/been here before, this is the "new" section of the energy lab run course to start/finish the section in the energy lab. 

Picture by Ventum Media crew. 
Check out this awesome video with a little cameo of my Pink Rocket.

I even got to chat/ride with Triathlon Taren.

After the ride, it was a very busy afternoon. After a well-needed meal, I got some work done before making a video with my contact at Levelen regarding sweat testing. If you missed the video, you can check it out on my Trimarni facebook page. As for my other half, Karel's Czech friends arrived on Tues evening and one of them had an issue with his bike. Karel was unable to help as he didn't have the right tool for the job but since his friends don't speak English, Karel went to Bike Works with them to help translate so that his friend could get his bike fixed. Karel also had a swim on the schedule but the pool didn't open until 3 (break from 1:30-3pm) so around 2pm, I made a quick trip up to the grocery store (Safeway) for a few more specialty food items that I couldn't find at Walmart (more like produce and fresh bread/croissants) before heading to the pool. We rode our bike to the pool around 3pm but we only had about an hour to swim as Karel had an interview with Czech TV at 4:30pm. I was invited to attend the Clif Bar BBQ which started at 4pm so I drove there around 5pm and stayed for about 40 minutes. As usual, the food was fresh, locally sourced and amazing.

The pool was packed and we even had a few pro sightings (Daniela Ryf, Tim O.). It got very chaotic when 6-8 of us were in the same lane circle swimming and each one of us was doing a different set, with different swimming abilities. Somehow we made it happen and Karel was able to get in his prescribed swim set.

600 warm-up
Pre set:
100 smooth
2 x 75 build
3 x 50's fast
4 x 25's very fast
MS:
100 smooth
100 build
100 smooth
50 fast

You continue to repeat the above but add a 50 each round to stop at 4 x 50's. 

After returning home from the Clif Bar house, I had a bit more to eat, we caught up with Breakfast With Bob, Talbot Cox videos and Ironman Now (on Facebook) before I fell asleep around 8:30pm. Karel met up with his Czech friend Roman soon after I fell asleep to get his Czech tshirt (designed for Czech IM Kona athletes) and a few sweet treats from Czech. Of course Karel can't do a race without his favorite treats! 

It's crazy to think it's already Thursday. The IM Kona athletes only have two more sleeps before race day! Karel slept in and had a solid 9+ hours of sleep. I was already out on the patio working on the computer and eating my pre-workout snack. After Karel had his espresso (or three) and his pre-workout snack, we walked down to "dig me beach" for an open water swim. Holy moly the ocean was packed! Not only were the construction crews setting up the finish line area but there were athletes everywhere. This was our first AM open water swim since Sat last week so it was nice to be back in the ocean - navigating our way around so many other athletes.

                                Group photo with our Ventum friends and co-owner Jimmy Seear.

After the swim, we walked back to our condo (about 5 min walk) to get ready for a bike ride. One of my favorite parts of IM Kona week is around this time and seeing the finish line area transform. The red carpet is yet to be laid but the finish line arch and backdrop screen and bleachers are getting set up. It's so exciting to see it all come together! 

For Karel's open water swim, he didn't want to overdo it in the ocean as sometimes his shoulder gets sore/tight so we swam 500 yards out to the coffee boat (Karel can always have one more cup of coffee) before heading back. Although the water super choppy/wavy and we needed to sight almost every stroke to avoid swimming into another athlete, Karel swam really well. I couldn't keep up! Then again, I didn't have a swimskin on (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it). 

On our way back from the swim, we stopped by the Picky Bars booth and spun the wheel for a prize. Karel one a package of Picky Oats and I won a $25 gift card! Oddly enough, we ran into Jesse Thomas as we were walking up the stairs to our condo. Selfie time!

To avoid the stop and go/lights, we drove our bikes to the Energy Lab (new entrance) and parked so that the only light we would need to get through was the airport light. Then it was nonstop riding along the Queen K for the rest of our ride. Karel kept the ride fairly smooth but included a strong 15 min effort on the way back to town to wake up his legs. His hips were a little stiff to start but loosened up as the ride went on. 

Once again, I'm running into friends. This time in the middle of the Queen K! It was nice to catch up with my friend Emily who is a superstar athlete. 

After the ride, we drove back to town and I did a quick change before heading to the King K hotel to meet Marnie (how cool is that!) who is the Global athlete development director at Ironman. We chatted for a while, I shared my thoughts about helping to grow the sport of triathlon and she told me a bit more about some of the Ironman initiatives to help get more people into the sport of triathlon. 

I then made a quick stop in the merchandise tent to pick up a few requested items for Karel (for race day) before walking back to our condo. Once again, the island continues to transform as the buoys are getting ready to find their location in the water and the finish line area is getting more touches. 

Karel is feeling good. Tomorrow he will do his pre-race brick and then spend the rest of the day off his feet, visualizing and fueling up (with carbs) for the big dance on Saturday. I have a long ride planned in the morning so that Karel can do his own thing before he checks in his bike after 2:30pm. There's something really special about the entire IM Kona bike/gear bag check-in process.

I still remember the very first time I checked in my bike and gear bags for my first Kona back in 2007. 

First IM Kona in 2007 at the age of 25. 

I was so excited to be part of this historic and special event as an athlete and even today, I feel so lucky that I can be here as a spectathlete and to cheer on Karel. Who would have thought that back in 2011 when Karel spectated his first IM Kona (my 2nd IM World Championship) that he would be back here as an athlete for his third IM Kona?? He didn't even start the sport of triathlon until 2012, with his first IM in 2013!

How can this be seven years ago?!?!

IM Kona '18 - 4 & 5 days out

First things first. The ebook of my book Essential Sports Nutrition is now available for only $0.99!! Take advantage of this great deal as it's only for a limited time (until the 17th).

Now back to Kona happenings....

The streets are getting super busy. Along with a cruise ship rolling in on Monday, the majority of IM Kona athletes and volunteers have arrived to the island. 

Monday morning started bright and early with a 6:15am swim led by Matt Dixon with Purple Patch Fitness. Karel and I got in a bit earlier and I swam a bit extra for a total of around 4300 yards. Here's the workout:

Warm-up: ~1100
Pre-set:
100 smooth, 25 fast
75 smooth, 25 fast
50 smooth, 25 fast
25 smooth, 25 fast
(continuous)
MS:
6 x 50's fast
200 smooth
4 x 50's fast
200 smooth
2 x 50's fast
200 smooth
Post set:
6 x 100's strong
300 EZ pull
(I think I'm forgetting something but that was what I remembered)

As we were leaving the pool to ride back to our condo, we bumped into Natscha Badmann who is a 6x Ironman World Champion! Although she is no She was one of my biggest inspirations when I started Ironman racing. I even took a picture with her back in 2007 for my first Kona!

Me and Natascha at my first IM Kona, 11 years ago at the age of 25!

Around lunchtime, we had lunch at Lava Java (they have a new location just a street over for those who haven't been to the island in a few years) with our friend and doctor, Dr. Cassas. Because Karel and I don't have a primary care doctor, we always reach out to Dr. Cassas with our questions. We are so lucky to have such a personable, smart and easy to reach doctor! Dr. Cassas is getting his learn on here in Kona at the Sport Medicine Conference. It was nice to catch up with a few of his colleagues over delicious food. I ordered the Vesterby veggie bowl and Karel got the Potts Poke Bowl. 

Just as we were finishing lunch, it started to drizzle. By the time we returned back to our condo, it was pouring. The rain lasted all afternoon. Karel had an easy 45 minute spin on his training schedule so we managed to spin our legs on the Queen K around 5:15pm. While the rain had stopped, a beautiful double rainbow showed up during the end of our ride. 

Another beautiful sunset to end Monday. 

Although Monday starts race week, I feel like Tues is the "official" start of race week as there's so much going on. First off, the ocean becomes more crowded and the coffee boat makes it's first run out for a mid-stop java while swimming in the ocean. 

Karel had a 90-minute ride on his schedule so I joined in and we ventured out to the Queen K and then took a side road down to the ocean in a State Park. It provided us with a nice 5-minute climb back to the Queen K for Karel to do a little hard effort to wake-up his legs. After the ride, Karel was done for the morning and I followed up the bike with a 30 minute run. The streets were pretty crowded with cyclists and runners and walkers and of course, the normal car traffic of locals and tourists. It seemed like the humidity was a bit lower on Tuesday as I could sweat much easier and I didn't feel like someone was blowing a blow torch on me as I was running. There was one tent set up on Ali'i drive (Gu) with free sport nutrition but I didn't need any as I had my fuel belt on with my hydration/sport drink (Carbo Rocket hydration for this run...I'm almost out of my Clif hydration).

Tuesday is also the first official day for athlete check-in (9am-2pm). All athletes must check-in by Thursday. Karel told me that the official athlete wrist bands did not arrive so Karel received a shiny red wrist band instead. He is welcome to go back and get his official wrist band when they arrive (hopefully tomorrow they said). As Karel was checking in at the King K hotel, Karel's mom and I went into the merchandise tent (one of three in the area) and waited for Karel. 

From my own personal experience of racing in the IM World Championship, I think the athlete check-in makes it feel very real and it brings a new level of excitement for those who are racing. Several people have asked me if I regretted turning down my Kona slot at IM Chatty last year when I won my age group and my answer is still no. I am not only happy that I could give my slot to another athlete but I feel like I needed a few years away from racing IM Kona to get even more experience racing the Ironman distance. Now that I have qualified for 2019, I am super excited to return back to the island next year as an athlete. Plus, I never thought I could handle the winds in Kona but now that I have my new Ventum, I feel so much more confident riding here that I actually look forward to racing in windy conditions. 

Karel got a huge backpack/duffel bag which was perfect to hold free swag as we made our way to the IM Village to check out the expo - which just opened today (Tuesday). 

So official! 

As I mentioned in a previous post, it's really awesome to see how the town transforms from a small town in Kona to the race venue of the Ironman World Championship. As a huge fan of the sport, I just love race week and the energy you feel as you are surrounded by so many like-minded individuals. 

Although the main athlete village/expo is across from the Farmers market on ali'i drive, there are actually a few different booth areas along Ali'i drive (all within walking distance - no need to drive anywhere). We checked out all the different booths as Karel loves seeing new bike products/gear. There have been several "new" bike gear/equipment items revealed this week. 

We made a stop at the Ventum booth so see our Ventum friends. No expo is complete without a hello from Rachel. By the way, if you are in Kona, make sure to stop by their booth to make your free support t-shirt! 

How cool are these shirts that you can design???

Also Ventum is holding a free no-drop ride at 8:45am from the Ventum booth on 10/10 (Wed morning) for anyone who would like to participate. The ride is about 15 miles and there will be some refreshments afterward. You can even test-ride a Ventum (first come)!! 

Because my triathlon season is complete and my only event left this season is the Hincapie Gran Fondo (80-miles) in two weeks, I'm making sure that no workout here feels like a chore. I don't feel the need to make myself workout so everything that I do is for fun, because I want to do it. In the afternoon, I decided to go for an ocean swim, just because. I didn't have a workout or a set but I just swam and stopped when I was done. I swam for around 15-minutes, back and forth from the shore to the first buoy. It was super duper wavy but I was having fun just swimming around and looking at the fishes. 

During this time, the kids Dip n' Dash event was going on and the streets were packed with fans. Wow, those kids are super competitive! It was so much fun to watch the kids (our future triathletes) in action. 

Karel's mom even came out to cheer for the kids. I spotted her in her new Ventum shirt (Karel made it for her) as I was walking back to the condo from my swim. 

As I was heading up to the condo, I ran into Karel as he was making his way to the King K for the Parade of Nations walk along Ali'i drive. Although Karel is now a US Citizen, he enjoyed walking with his home country, Czech Republic. 

Despite another rain shower, the fans and athletes came out with smiles and lots of cheers for the parade. Karel's mom enjoyed her walk with the other Czech athletes. It will be sad to see her head back to her home next weekend. 

It's remarkable how many people from so many different countries are here on the island. I think that's one of the many reasons why this event is so special. It truly brings together all athletes from around the world. 

A selfie in the rain. 

IM Kona '18 - 6 days out

Around 7:15am, we left our condo and drove to the shops at Mauna Lani (North of the island) to start our ride. Karel had a 3-hour endurance ride on the schedule to flush his legs from yesterday's sessions. Since we hadn't yet ridden the Hawi section since arriving (we covered everything else on the Queen K), we thought it would be good to head out there early and get reacquainted with the back part of the course. As you may know, this is where the historic Kona winds are the fiercest and you can always tell from the white caps on the ocean if the winds will be blowing (no white caps = calm winds).  

As we left the parking lot, Karel needed some time to loosen out his legs so the pace was rather easy to start just to move blood. 

Although we started the ride at 8am, it was already hot. Thankfully we packed along plenty of hydration/sport drinks for our ride.

From the exit of the Mauna Lani resort (turning North on to the Queen K), it's ~6.5 miles to the first official turn on the course (not counting the "in town" section). Once you get to Waikui, you make a left on to 270. This is a fast downhill section of the course for just under 2 miles before veering right at the gas station for the 18-mile "climb" to Hawi. The elevation gain is around 835 feet (according to Karel's Garmin) and although you are climbing throughout all 18 miles, it's never steep and there are some flatter sections and rollers. However, because the course bends around the island, the wind is constantly changing. The winds can be very unpredictable and lucky for us during our ride, they were relatively calm. 

The views of the ocean make this part of the course pretty spectacular. They are even better on the way back as you get to see Mauna Kea (elevation 13,803 ft!).

As the road winds around, the terrain changes. 

What starts as a normal looking highway....

Turns into a desolate looking road. 

The views eventually become more greener as you get closer to the town of Hawi. 

As I mentioned, I wouldn't really call it a climb but more a gradual incline with a few terrain changes. 

The town of Hawi is super cute but also really small. There are a few shops and restaurants and it's worth checking out (not on bike) if you have time. There's also a beautiful lookout point at Polou Valley. 

Once again, my Ventum rode amazingly well and I felt so comfortable on the descend. It's not a true descend in that you still have to work for it at times because of the wind and there is still some climbing on the way back. 

There are a few sections where you can pick up some free speed but depending on the winds, you have to be alert and can't relax too much. 

While we rode the climb up to Hawi in a very steady effort (nothing too hard), we had fun descending. It took us 58 minutes to reach Hawi and 53 minutes to descend. We weren't doing anything spectacular for this ride as Karel just wanted to spin his legs. Thankfully, that meant I could stay on his wheel and enjoy the ride with him. 

After you veer left (gas station), the hottest part of the course, with one of the steepest climbs, occurs. The climb is about 1.2 miles and elevation gain is 226 feet (per Karel's Garmin). It's a kicker right before the right hand turn back on the Queen K for the last part of the course (~36 miles). 

We rode back to the car and I refilled my bottles with more sport nutrition before I headed back out on the Queen K to finish my ride....back home. 

Karel drove home and I rode back home to finish off my "long" ride. I ended up with 4.5 hours of riding and 83 miles. On the way back, I did 3 x 25 minutes at a strong IM effort w/ 5 min EZ between. I only did 20 minutes at the end because I was back in town and wanted to spin my legs before arriving to the condo. I felt very strong on the bike and I was really happy with how I felt - especially how my Ventum rode in the wind. It wasn't crazy gusty but it was windy. 

After refueling and getting some work done on the computer, I made my way to the pier/beach for a little dip in the ocean (not a swim, just looking for fishes and playing around). I caught a few pics of my favorite things. A chihuahua with a life vest. 

"Sandy" the local turtle. 

And beautiful Hawaiian cats. 

Oh and then my 4th favorite thing....PIZZA!!

Karel mentioned he wanted pizza tonight before we went for our ride and as my favorite food group, I couldn't deny him of a yum. I ordered out from Longboard Legends Pizza (Hawaiian for Karel and a Vegetarian and Margarita for me and his mom, as well as a salad) and walked over to get it a little before 5pm while Karel was out for his 40-minute PM shake-out run. 

Tomorrow is the official start of IM Kona race week. With the island filling with triathletes and tents getting set up all along Ali'i drive, I'm so excited for the craziness that is IM Kona week!

IMKona '18: 10 & 9 days out

After a surprisingly great night of sleep on Tuesday, we woke up just in time for the sunrise while sitting out on the patio enjoying a pre-workout snack. We wasted no time with our first workout on the island and headed straight to "dig me beach" for a 40-minute open water swim. 

Sadly, the water was a bit more cloudy and there weren't a lot of fish. It was also rather warm. However, it still felt amazing to swim in the ocean with the sun shining down on us. 

Karel and I swam an easy 40 minutes (~20 minutes out and back). We kept it fairly easy throughout but built the effort on the way back. The focus was just to move blood after travel and to have fun in the ocean. 

Even though it's still 10 days out from the 2018 IM World Championship, the swim venue was pretty busy. It was nice to be surrounded with so many triathletes from all different parts of the world. Karel is looking forward to connecting with some of his Czech friends next week. 

As we were walking back to our condo, we spotted a turtle! 

A local walked by and told us that she has a name and it's "Sandy." So now when we see a turtle, we say hi to Sandy.

I was craving a hearty breakfast after a day filled with snacking on Tuesday (travel day) so I made us pancakes (with the help of a box of Kodiak cakes that I bought at Wal-mart), along with scrambled eggs and chopped fresh fruit (banana, papaya, pineapple). 

Karel unpacked our bikes from our Scicon bags and before getting on the bike, we walked to the farmer's market to pick up a few more produce items and then stopped at Daylight mind for fresh bread. 

It was then time to head out to the Queen K (Bike course). We first made a quick stop at Bike Works for Co2s on our way out of town and then made our way North on the Queen K for an hour out and an hour back of easy spinning just to wake-up the body again from all the travel. Although we started our ride just before noon, there were still plenty of cyclists out on the road. There are a few lights/stops for the first 6 miles or so (to the airport) and then it's non-stop riding - just you and the elements. 

It wasn't crazy windy out but it was windy enough to know that you were in Kona. It was also very warm - drinking two bottles was incredibly easy throughout the ride (INFINIT). 

This was the first time that our Ventums traveled to Kona and based on my feedback, the bike rides so well in the wind. As I mentioned in my IMWI race report (it was super windy there), the design of the bike makes it feel like you are slicing through the wind. Of course, I still need to give it the real wind test in Hawi (which I plan to do this weekend) but with the wind that we experienced and the long rolling hills, I felt very controlled, safe and comfortable on my Ventum. I could not be more happy about my decision to switch from my Trek to Ventum just a few months ago. Also, Karel really loves his Ventum. While his back pain isn't 100% gone, it's remarkably improved since switching to the Ventum. 

Here are a few more pics from our ride. 

I lava you Karel! Sorry, I have been wanting to say that :) 

I love my Ventum! This will also likely be my wheel choice for Kona '19 (possibly a deeper rear wheel).

Obligatory bike-lava picture. 

After the ride, we ate a later lunch and then spent the next few hours on the computer getting work done. Karel and I took a short walk in the evening as the sun was setting and finished off the evening by watching a few Talbot Cox videos and Super League triathlon (YouTube) on the ipad before bed. We forced ourselves to stay up as late as possible to help with the jet lag so we made it to about 8:30pm before we were both out. 

Thursday morning....9 hours of sleep! I couldn't believe that we slept until 5:20am! Our daily morning routine back in Greenville is answering emails and spending a little time on Training Peaks before our first workout of the day so we haven't changed the routine, just the view. 

Karel and I both had our typical pre-training snack (Oatmeal for Karel, waffles and yogurt for me) before driving to the Energy Lab for our run. 

With the new changes to the run course, we wanted to check out the new layout in and out of the Energy Lab. It looks like the course may have been changed because there is no longer an entrance to the Energy lab from the Queen K (heading North). The new section means more time on the Queen K and in the Energy lab and less time on Ali'i drive. 

We purposely wanted to start the run early to avoid running in the hot sun and lucky us, we were blessed with a cloudy sky around 8am. It was still warm but for Kona standards, it was not boiling hot. As always, Karel ran with his Naked Running Belt and I had my Nathan Trail Mix Plus belt. We both had two x 10 ounce flasks for the run. I used Clif Hydration in one and Carbo Rocket in the other and Karel had Clif hydration in both of his flasks. 

Karel's run workout was 80-minutes form focused, smooth running. Since I'm not racing, I could suffer a little more so I did my weekly "track" run on the course which was 6 x 1K (.62 miles) w/ 2 minute rest between. I've been doing this workout for the past few weeks and I really enjoy it. I go by feel and run as strong as I can and then review my file when I am finished to see how I did. For this run, I was able to do all 1K's around or under 6:40 min/mile. Karel and I both listened to the latest PPF podcast about conquering Kona. It was a good one and worth listening to. 

Here are a few pics from the run (I took them during my recovery intervals). 

New section in the Energy lab. 

View of the new section in the energy lab from the Queen K. 

Queen K

Back section in the Energy lab. 

After our run, a few pics and a recovery/rehydration drink, we made a quick stop at Wal-mart for a few more items before heading back to our condo. 

We came home to a condo that smelled amazing! Karel's mom made us Vanocka (similar to challah bread) while we were away and I couldn't wait to dig in and have some delicious bread with my breakfast. 

We headed back outside to the patio to refuel before getting back to work on the computer (it's not all play for us here. We still gotta pay for all of Campy's toys!)

Around 1:30pm, I gathered some energy for my swim workout only to find that the pool was closed until 3pm (after I arrived). I grabbed a quick snack and headed to the ocean instead. 

Karel and his mom headed to the beach/swim start for Karel do a casual open water swim while his mom played around in the water and I headed out for an open water workout. 

Holy waves! It was choppy out there! I managed to do a somewhat quality workout but I would have much preferred the pool. My workout was: ~700 warm-up. MS: 3x's: 100 smooth, 100 strong, 100 smooth, 200 strong. I "rested" 10-20 sec between. Rather than swimming out and then back, I used a few buoys as my "course" and swam back and forth along a ~300 yard course. I saw about 5 other people swimming but other than that, it was just me and the fish. 

47 minutes later, I finished up my workout and before getting out of the water, I saw Sandy! She was swimming and I am pretty sure she was smiling. As for the rest of the day, it was pretty low key. The days seem to go by slowly throughout the morning but with an early sunset (~6pm), it's easy to get sleepy for an early bedtime. The island is getting more busy with triathletes and I can feel the energy building as we only have a few more sleeps until race week! As a reminder, I am not racing (only Karel). But as a huge fan of the sport, I am so happy I can be here to enjoy everything on this magical island, along with all of the athletes who are racing.