'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. 

2025 IM Lanzarote Race Recap

Quick Recap 

I consider myself an experienced racer when it comes to challenging courses but words can't describe the legendary Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote. This year was the 33rd running of the event. As one of the most iconic and long standing races in Europe, athletes from around the world keep showing up to try and tackle this brutal course. From the stunning landscapes to 8200+ feet of climbing in 22-30+ mph gusty head and cross winds, this race pushed me to my limits and beyond. I expected the bike course to be hard, but it was harder than what I imagined due to the windy conditions. 

Lanzarote is an island in the Atlantic Ocean and it's one of the Canary Islands. It would be easy to compare Lanzarote to the Big Island of Kona (the home of the Ironman World Championship) because they are both volcanic islands with windy and hot conditions. However, after racing on both islands, I can confirm that the Ironman Lanzarote bike course is considerably more challenging that the Ironman World Championship course in Kona, Hawaii due to the extremely gusty head and side winds and more extreme elevation changes (+3000 more feet of elevation gain in Lanzarote). Additionally, the Lanzarote bike course is extremely technical with lots of turns, switchbacks and fast descends. 

After the fastest female amateur swim in the choppy and clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean (59 minutes) and 2nd fastest female amateur bike (6:20/17.8 mph), my body completely shut down after 3-4 miles of the run. Even though I felt strong on the swim and bike, the dry heat, strong sun and relentless wind took everything from me and it was an extreme struggle to keep moving forward as my body (and mind) was fighting against me. But having Karel on the sidelines and seeing our athlete Bara fight hard for her 6th overall female pro finish, I knew I had to find a way to get to the finish line. I was disappointed about my race (specifically the run) soon after I finished but looking back and seeing what I accomplished, I am extremely proud of myself for overcoming a big fear of mine - cycling in extremely windy conditions. 

The volunteers were incredible, the race was very well organized, the course signage was perfect, the bike course was 100% closed to cars, the course support was amazing and the Club La Santa organization provided on a great race experience. 

I was so relieved when I crossed that finish line after 11:40 hrs of racing. 

I placed 4th amateur female and 2nd AG (40-44).

Race Report 

The morning of the race began with my 4:30 am alarm. Despite not feeling particularly nervous, I had a restless night, barely getting a full hour of sleep, it seemed. However, with experience from three extreme triathlon events that involved 4-5 am starts and 2 am wake-up times, I've learned to accept that pre-race sleep isn't always perfect and good performances are still possible. I also prioritize my sleep two nights before a race, knowing that this is more crucial for feeling rested. The night before, I focused on relaxing my body by getting to bed early. I often watch a lighthearted movie on Netflix in the late afternoon or early evening before races to help distract my mind. 

For my pre-race meal, I had my usual bagel with peanut butter. Since I didn't have any maple syrup, I used a packet of sugar instead. I skipped the yogurt as I wasn't feeling like I could digest it well but looking back I should have had more carbs that morning (and some more protein). I did feel well-fueled from my carbohydrate loading (around 8g/kg/bw) on Friday, the day before the race.

After eating, I changed into my tri suit and did some foam rolling. Around 5:30 am, Bara (our Czech professional athlete staying with us), Karel, and I walked over to the transition area across the street. We dropped off our special needs bike bags (hung on a rack, which was then transported to mile 56 of the course) and then walked down to the beach to access our bikes. The security was very tight around the transition area with - what looked like - police offers (or security guards). There was also a special needs table for the run by the bike special needs bags, which I didn't use, but Bara did. Interestingly, unlike many Ironman events I've done, a significant number of professional athletes, including Lucy Charles, utilized special needs on both the bike and the run. Instead of designated bags for the run, there was a table where athletes could leave bottles or small bags and access them on each run loop.

I used my Cycplus e-pump to inflate my tubeless tires (and Bara's). This pump has been a fantastic addition for travel, as it charges quickly and allows me to set the exact PSI (for example, 68psi), inflating to that precise level with the push of a button.

Once my tires were pumped, I placed my bottles and bike computer on my bike, checked my gears and brakes, and then put cold water in my run flasks in my red run bag. I went back to meet Karel and we walked back to our Airbnb. I did a short jog outside at the Colony Club (our Airbnb) before putting on my wetsuit. I had experienced significant chafing from my open water swim on Wednesday because I forgot to apply Body Glide, so I made sure to use plenty of lubricant around my neck this time.

Around 6:30 am, we walked down to the swim start, and I positioned myself in the sub-60-minute group. The male professionals started at 7:00 am, followed by the female professionals at 7:05 am, and then the age groupers at 7:10 am. We lined up in rows of four, and every five seconds, a beep sounded, and the volunteers directed us to run into the water.

2.4 mile Swim - 59:43, fastest amateur female swim, 4th female 

Picture from practice swim

I ended up taping my seat to the bar because it was windy and I didn't want it to fall overnight. The volunteers suggested this to many of us. I removed the tape in the morning.

~1300 registered athletes 

My confidence wasn't particularly high going into the swim, mainly because I haven't felt my best in the water over the past few weeks. I recognize that training has its ups and downs, and progress isn't always linear, especially across all three disciplines.

However, this swim venue was a real joy for me. In the past, I've had less pleasant swim experiences due to factors like darkness or very cold water. This time, everything felt right. I was relieved that there were no jellyfish, sharks, or any other creatures that could bite or sting. The fish were present and pretty (though not as vibrant as those in Kona), but I knew they posed no threat. The water was incredibly fresh and clear, and at 66 degrees, it was perfect with a wetsuit.

All these positive aspects put me in a great mental state. I didn't focus on my swim time; I just felt happy to be swimming. As usual for races, I didn't wear a watch during the swim, as I prefer not to let the time influence my mindset for the rest of the race. I generally avoid looking at my times during races, preferring to stay present. I can then analyze my performance afterwards.

For this swim, I chose my ROKA tinted goggles because the longer stretch (around 950 yards) was directly into the sun. I had brought three different ROKA goggles with varying lens tints to test before the race and decided the darker lenses would be best.

I was actually very grateful for the two open water practice swims we had during race week. The first swim was in incredibly calm water. The second, however, was very choppy, and I felt significantly slower and more tired swimming through it.

On race day, the long stretch was indeed very choppy, and we even encountered some large waves from a boat on our return to shore during the second loop.

It was great to hear Karel cheering for me as I exited the water onto the sand to begin my second loop. For most of the swim, I managed to stay with a group of four or five men, trying to draft behind their feet or alongside their hips. I was really pleased that I could keep up with them, and I'm sure that helped me achieve a slightly faster swim time than I might have managed on my own. I did feel a little dizzy upon reaching the transition area, likely due to the choppy conditions, so I took a moment to sit down in the transition tent while putting on my bike gear.

T1: 4:40

I thought the transition tent was very well done. Additionally, I really appreciated that the race organizers provided pod-style portable bathrooms throughout the transition area and even on the run course. There were small tents within the large transition tent for those who wanted privacy to change). I opt for full compression socks in Ironman races (instead of calf sleeves under the wetsuit) as I find them more comfortable for 9+ hours of racing (bike + run). There were no volunteers helping athletes with their bags but instead, the volunteers were standing around tables to offer sunscreen and water. I put on my Compress Gear compression socks and Bont cycling shoes, as well as my new Rudy Project Wingdream helmet. In most non-American races, you have to wear your bib number on the bike so I also put that on in T1. I put my wetsuit, cap and goggles back inside my Blue Bike gear bag and hung it back on the transition rack. 

112 mile Bike (my computer had 113 miles): 6:20, 17.8mph 8200 feet, 154 NP, 1st AG (40-44), 10th female. 

Picture from training on the course

Before the race, I spent a good amount of time reviewing the course details online. I managed to pre-ride the shorter loop, but the longer loop was new to me. Thankfully, Karel had experience with the longer section as he rode it on Wednesday. He gave me some helpful insights about the wind and terrain. Notably, the last 30+ miles would be considerably easier than the first 70 miles. Once the scenic point is reached on the northern point of the island, the wind direction changes so there is considerably less headwind. 

Views from the top of the island. 

Karel doing the hard work of bike course recon. 

Instead of driving a race course, I find it really useful to study the course beforehand so I can mentally divide it into smaller segments. This helps me manage my pacing throughout the race. While the general advice for an Ironman bike leg is to conserve energy for the later stages, the hilly and windy nature of this course meant that the initial hours actually required more power and effort than the back part of the course. 

The wind was relentless. I've raced on many long distance bike courses with 7,000+ feet elevation gain but the hills + headwind made this course incredibly challenging. To give some context, at Ironman Chattanooga in September (where the swim was cancelled and the bike was shorter at 107 miles and 4500 feet elevation gain), my bike split was 4:40 (23mph). Ironman Lanzarote, on the other hand, took me 6:20 on the bike (17.8 mph). Leading up to this race, I checked the Epic Ride Weather app, which indicated that the wind conditions on race day would be the "lightest" of the week. Unfortunately, the app was quite inaccurate, and the wind turned out to be much stronger than predicted. Perhaps that was a good thing in that I didn't stress/worry about the wind the day before the race. 

Given the challenging nature of this course and knowing I would be out there for a longer duration than a typical Ironman, I decided to break down the course into smaller, more manageable segments for pacing. I wrote down the mileage for each segment on a piece of paper and taped it to my handlebars. This allowed me to regularly check how long each segment was before the next turn. I've found this to be a really effective way to make the miles pass more quickly, rather than focusing on the total distance covered or the distance still to go. It also helped with my fueling/hydration because it was difficult to grab bottles while climbing/descending in the wind so I was able to be more strategic as to when to drink. 

Here are some stats from my computer after breaking down the course into smaller segments: 

• 8.57 miles - 38.09, 13.5 mph, 1173 ft elevation gain (176NP)
• 8.93 miles - 23:34, 22.7 mph, 292 ft elevation gain (152NP)
• 24.3 miles - 1:19.09, 18.5mph, 1453 feet elevation gain (158NP)
• 14.6 miles - 1:07 (includes special needs stop of 52 seconds), 13.1 mph, 2008 feet elevation gain (158 NP)
• It took 4 hours and 12 minutes to cover 69.2 mph (162 NP) at an average speed of 16.5 mph to get to the northern most tip of the island before the long descend with wind at my back. 
• 12.9 miles - 30:05 (finally tailwind after reaching the top of the island), 25.7 mph, 453 ft elevation gain (1493 ft elevation loss), 122 NP
• 3.59 miles - 19:26, 11.1 mph, 623 feet elevation gain (159NP)
• 10.2 miles, 29:27, 20.7 mph, 515 feet elevation gain (137NP)
• 7.69 miles, 24:00, 19.2 mph, 295 feet elevation gain (130NP)
• 9.06 miles, 23:20, 23.3 mph, 220 feet elevation gain (1201 loss) (99NP)

I consumed 6 x 26 ounce bottles of INFINIT Fructose (90g carbs each bottle and 600mg sodium) + a few sips water at every aid station (and water on my body for cooling). 

The special needs stop was in the parking area next to the course, requiring us to handle our own bags. I stopped briefly, about 50 seconds, to stretch and add three more filled bottles to my bike. I kept my empty bottles in the rear for better aerodynamics and took only a few sips of Keto Aid throughout the bike. 

I particularly enjoyed the ~2 miles of descending on switchbacks before the town of Haria. Luckily, the wind wasn't too strong, and the descent reminded me of riding in Italy, which put me in a great mood. It was also wonderful riding through the small towns where residents cheered us on from their windows.

The course was well-managed with no car traffic, and the signage was excellent. The volunteers at the aid stations and at each turn/intersection were also incredibly helpful. Karel was able to see Bara and me twice on the course near Teguise (he drove there on the non-closed roads and then biked to a spot to see us), and he shared updates that I was leading my age group and was second overall among amateurs.

While there were some challenging climbs into the wind throughout the entire race, the most difficult part (mentally) was the 3.5 mile uphill section in the wind, into Teguise. We had already done this once and it was demoralizing. This 3.5 mile stretch of road took me nearly 20 minutes at an average of 11 miles per hour, and the strong winds made it feel much longer and quite frustrating. And then there was one more 3.5 mile out and back that was really challenging. I could see athletes in the other direction flying back so at least I was motivated by the fact that all I had to do was to get to the turnaround. 

Despite the 70-degree weather, the sun was intense with no shade on the course. When the wind was behind me, it felt quite warm, but I never felt like I was overheating, especially compared to Kona's humidity. My new Rudy Project helmet, while perhaps not the most stylish (I joked it looked like a lampshade :)), was incredibly light, fast, and comfortable.

The biggest challenge towards the end of the bike was that I couldn't fully exhale when trying to take deep breaths. I think being in the aero position on my base bars for so long in the wind made me very rigid and tight, leading to poor belly breathing. Interestingly, I was really looking forward to the run, as my run training had been excellent, and I felt very confident about my running abilities - especially after a confidence boosting 3:33 marathon at IM Chattanooga in September. 

T2 - 4:01

                         

The bike out and bike in was located on a steep hill that was covered. Because the transition area was located on the beach, everything was covered. The hill was hard to run up with the bike but even more difficult walking down with the bike after 6+ hours of riding. I racked my bike and then walked into the transition area. I put on my New Balance shoes, Naked hydration belt (with 2 hours worth of NeverSecond C30 berry powder in baggies), 2 filled flasks (each with 30g carbs and 10 ounce water), my run watch, Roka sunglasses, Omius visor (made from graphite which offers a cooling effect when wet) and cooling towel. My legs felt surprisingly good as I jogged out of the transition tent and made my way to the red carpet by the finish line. As if this race isn't brutal enough, the run course has athletes running on to the red carpet (down a ramp) and then next to the finish line (and then back up the ramp) to start each of the 3 loops. 

26.2 mile run - 4:12, 9th 40-44, 270 feet, 40th female 

Spectating fuel :) 

The initial miles of the run felt good. I was enjoying the undulating terrain throughout the town of Playa del Carmen and all the cheers from the spectators. There were so many people out cheering along the ocean as there are countless restaurants, bars and shops. Lanzarote is popular amongst British people so there were a lot of cheers from the Brits (more English cheers than Spanish at times). Around mile three or four, things suddenly became challenging. 

The course was set up as three loops: a 6.3-mile stretch out to the town past the airport and back, followed by two smaller 3.5-mile loops.

Running the first six miles directly into a headwind was incredibly tiring. My body felt drained, and I started going through a mental checklist, wondering if I was dehydrated or hadn't fueled properly. I didn't have any of signs of chills or a headache, and I didn't feel low on energy, just completely unable to propel myself forward. My body was telling me to stop and walk. I couldn't engage my posterior chain and felt like I couldn't move forward (all I could do was hop). I stopped several times in the first 6 miles, feeling overwhelmed and questioning whether I could continue, especially so early in an Ironman. It made me realize the importance of having someone there to help you push through those moments. I'm incredibly thankful to Karel - who was out on the bike giving me and Bara updates - as he kept me going when I was on crying due to frustration. 

To make things worse, I developed a really bad side stitch around mile 2. I think being tense on the handlebars while riding and not breathing well contributed to it. It just felt like everything was working against me. Interestingly, a bathroom break (#1 and #2) after the turn around actually provided some relief. I felt much better after 12 miles of running. Plus the pick-me up of being back in town with all the cheers, helped tremendously. As I ran past the finish line, I collected my 2nd wrist band (we received three different colors to signify each loop of the run). 

Even though there weren't many restrooms along the run course, the ones that were available were remarkably clean. It seemed like someone was attending to them after each use, which was a pleasant surprise during the race.

I started feeling better on the second loop, and even Karel noticed I looked better. However, because I was so focused on the side stitch and breathing, I wasn't diligent with my nutrition, falling behind and then needing to take in more, which then made me feel like I needed another bathroom stop. While the two bathroom stops weren't concerning, it just felt like it wasn't my day.

The race started as a real physical battle and then when Karel told me that I was 2nd in my age group (after having a 20+ min lead), I started not to care anymore. Thankfully, he encouraged me to keep going and to keep caring. Honestly, I'm not sure how I made it past the first loop. 

As I mentioned above, the course design had a particularly cruel element with the turnaround point. You run right down the finish line, within a few feet of being across the finish line before being directed to turn around and head back out for more loops while finishers continue through. Despite this, reaching that point on each loop was surprisingly motivating because of the crowds. And knowing the last two loops were "only" 3.6 miles out was much easier to mentally breakdown. 

It was really cool to run by the airport and to see the big planes landing and taking off. This long stretch was lonely at times but we ran by a dog beach so that was a great mood booster. This beach was also a nude beach so yeah, that was entertaining. 

One interesting aspect of racing a course marked in kilometers was that I never focused on where I was (distance wise) as I was running. In other words, I never thought "I'm only at mile 17" or "I still have 6 more miles to go." Instead, I concentrated on reaching specific points within each loop, like a statue or a building or the turn around. This helped immensely, especially when I was struggling physically. Additionally, knowing that the headwind I faced in the beginning would eventually become a tailwind on the return was a mental boost, even though the wind was exceptionally strong during that initial stretch along the shore.

It never occurred to me that I still had close to 7 miles when I started my last loop. In my head, my only focus was getting to the turn around. I could see specific destinations as I was running so I was checking them off as I was running. Run to x-point, run to y-point, run to x-point. Because I had covered these stretches twice before, each destination became more familiar. As I was covering the last few miles, I was still fighting to get to the finish. My legs were so tired and I couldn't wait to stop moving and sit down. I was able to run more continuous stretches without stopping but I still needed to stop a few times to reset my form in those final miles. 

I found my cooling towel to once again, be extremely helpful. This was my first time wearing the Omius headband (it belongs to Karel) and I didn't find it to offer an effective cooling effect like my cooling towel. 

When I entered the ramp to make my way to the finish line, I made a hard right to make sure it was clear that I was not doing another loop. I was so excited and relieved to reach the finish line. 

Despite all of my struggles, I was proud that I didn't give up. Although it was incredibly challenging (probably one of my top three hardest IM run experiences), I found something inside of me that allowed me to keep moving. Although my run training didn't show itself at the race, I suppose I needed all of that fitness to get me to the finish line. I saw Karel in the stands as I was sitting behind the finish line and I gave him a big thumbs up. 

Eventually, I made my way to the athlete food area, which was one of the most impressive displays of post race food with an espresso machine, pasta, salad, fresh desserts, burgers, pizza and fruit salad. The food was catered by Club La Santa. I grabbed a fruit salad and sat down. The room was filled with mostly guys and everyone looked well, horrible. Pale, exhaustion and empty. 

Lessons Learned 

Virgin Mojitos and food post race. 

So proud of our Czech athlete Bara for placing 6th female pro (podium + pay-check)

Thank you Karel for the support! 

1) Reflecting on my preparation, I really enjoyed my training over the past few months. I'm turning 43 this Saturday and it's been amazing to see what my 42-year old body can still do with training. I did workouts I've never done before. It's been 19 years after my first Ironman and my body continues to surprise and impress me. I'm incredibly proud of the work I put in, and even though I didn't get to fully showcase it on race day, that doesn't diminish the effort.

2) While I initially felt disappointed with my run and thus, the overall race outcome, after a few days of reflection, I realize I'm a different and stronger athlete now because of this training. That progress (and preparation) is something no one can take away from me.

3) Another key takeaway is the importance of preparing for the unexpected. I try to release any anxiety about paces, times, and results going into a race. Even with great fitness, race day will always present challenges. For me, it was a side stitch early in the run and then feeling empty, which forced me to shift my focus from pace to problem-solving. This is just part of Ironman and racing in general. I remember during Icon XTRI, when I had hypothermia after the swim, I completely shifted my attention to getting warm enough to even start the bike.

4) Having a strong support person is also crucial – someone who won't let you quit. This is something I feel is so important, especially knowing that many athletes don't have that unwavering support. If you have loved ones supporting you at a race, maybe set some ground rules beforehand and ask them to help keep you going through the tough moments. If you're racing solo, consider having a friend come along for that support. There will be times when you go to a dark place and want to give up, even if it's just a temporary feeling driven by discomfort. I'm grateful that Karel provided that unwavering encouragement to keep me pushing. Even though the discomfort may feel unbearable, you don't want to be the athlete who regrets quitting the next day, when everyone is sharing their stories of overcoming challenges. Unless your health is compromised, try to keep yourself going. 

5) Even though this race was a struggle, my previous 23 long distance race experiences definitely helped me push through to the finish. It's also a reminder that the first race of the season can be tough as you lack race experience (and the central governor is not very strong). I tend to race better later in the year after building on those initial experiences, with my best performances often in September and October. So, those early races are invaluable for learning and growth.

6) Finally, I'm incredibly proud of conquering the bike course in this race. This race had intimidated me for the past ten years due to the wind. Even during the race, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment for overcoming that mental barrier.

Ultimately, with long distance racing, it's important to avoid getting too caught up in places, times, and metrics. Racing for 140.6 miles is a significant undertaking for your body, and it's understandable to be disappointed when things are tough, especially after all the training. But remember the sheer magnitude of the event – struggle is often part of the process. Be proud of what you accomplish, and remember that those tracking you don't know the personal challenges you're facing or what it took for you to even reach the starting line.

While I was disappointed immediately after the race, I now feel a great sense of pride. I'm not rushing to sign up for another challenging race just yet – I had thought about it, but after some reflection, I might be good for a while, especially after hearing how the winds were much more windy when Karel rode some of the course a couple of days after the race. 

Thank you for reading. 

A few more pictures from our time on the island. I'm 100% sure that in my second life, I want to be a cat living on an island. 

Playa Blanca 

In the background is the run course (by the water). 

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2022 IM Lake Placid Race Recap

 

2.4 mile swim
Marni -57:40
Karel – 1:00.28

As soon as I started swimming, the nerves went away. Since I lined up with the sub 60 min group, I found myself swimming strong right from the start. Although I breathe to both sides when I swim in the pool, I tend to favor my left side when I swim open water (and favor my right side when I swim in the pool). I didn’t need to sight much since the lake is so small and several people stay along the cable (under the water) which helps to keep everyone on course but when I did sight, I take note of the next buoy. When I breathed to my left, I would make note of the number on the buoy – counting to 9 before the first of two turn buoys. Karel tried to stay with me but he had to stay with his own effort after a few buoys. As I made the 2^nd turn buoy, it felt like I was swimming fast. I rarely found myself swimming alone and many times, I found myself in a crowd of other swimmers. As I was nearing the end of the first loop, I was looking forward to getting out of the water for the quick run on the sand before starting lap two. I like loop courses, especially when you can get out of the water. I don’t have any issues with cramping but some athletes need to be careful when getting out of the water (going from the swim position to upright) – Karel sometimes cramps when he gets out of the water quickly but thankfully he was ok for this race. I was surprised that all 2000+ athletes were already in the water when I started my 2^nd loop. I felt like I was swimming strong for the first loop so I wanted to keep that same effort. However, with slower swimmers in the water, I had a lot of athletes to pass. I try to be extra careful when passing slower swimmers so I did a lot more sighting on the second loop, which I think slowed me down a bit. The two turns were extremely chaotic that I had to swim far outside the buoys as I was getting caught between swimmers between the two buoys (about 25 yards apart). On the way back to the shore, I found myself thinking about the run. I know better to not jump ahead with my thoughts but with this being my 3^rd time racing on this course, I knew how much the run would hurt (physically) and I wasn’t sure if I was mentally prepared for that. I almost wanted to quit the race as I was nearing the end of the swim. But as I got out of the water, the energy of the spectators kept me going as I made the long run from Mirror Lake to the transition area. Karel was happy with his swim and how he felt in the water. It took Karel many years to feel comfortable swimming with a group as he would get a lot of panic in the open water, especially during races. 

Transition 1
Marni – 5:45
Karel – 4:35

As I was running to the transition area, I pulled down my wetsuit and started to put on my tri top. Even though I wasn’t wearing a one piece trisuit, I put on my tri top like it was a trisuit and zipped it up just to my belly button so that it stayed around my waist and when I pulled down my wetsuit, I could put my arms through the sleeves and zipped up the top. Karel did the same, although he had a trisuit on. I chose to not wear my tri top around my shoulders because it feels too restrictive with the wetsuit when I swim. Additionally, because the water was warm (75 degrees), I knew I would get warm with my effort while swimming and didn’t want the extra layer of clothing under the wetsuit.

As I entered the transition area, I grabbed my blue bike bag and ran into the changing tent. I took off my wetsuit and then opened my bag….only to realize it wasn’t my bag! I didn’t waste any negative energy on the situation but instead, just laughed at myself and ran back out and returned the bag and grabbed my correct bag. My athlete Kathleen was volunteering outside the women’s changing tent and she told me “Great job Marni, round 2!” It made me laugh. Inside the transition area, I was there with one or two other age group females and then 2 professional females (they started only 3 minutes before the age groupers and didn’t wear wetsuits due to the warm water temps – they have different wetsuit rules compared to age groupers). I took off my timing chip and put it in my mouth (to remind me to put it back on around my ankle) as I put on my compression socks. I then put on my Bont tri shoes, stuffed a bar and packet of chews in my pocket, put a baggie of Gu aminos in my shorts side pocket and then put on my helmet (with the shield up as it’s easier to put on that way, and the shield doesn’t fog right away). I then stuffed my wetsuit, cap and goggles inside the bag and carried the bag to my bike rack, I dropped the bag and grabbed my bike. I powered on my bike computer, ran my bike to the mount line and got on my bike. I saw my mom with Campy up on the grass field and she told me that I swam 57 minutes and I was 1^st in my age group. I was really happy with my swim time and I was looking forward to the bike. 

109 mile bike (short course due to construction)
Marni -5:24.34
Karel – 5:15.02

As I started the bike, I quickly noticed how much my bike skills have improved over the years. I was taking the turns very quickly and I passed a few girls in the early miles. I found myself around a few professional females and I was even passed by Heather Jackson (who placed 2^nd female pro) in the early miles of the bike. I didn’t have any time, power or metric goals for the bike but instead, just hit the lap button at key sections of the course (ex. Keene, Jay, Wilmington) as a way to keep me focused on one segment at a time. However, I rarely looked at my computer. My focus was on managing the terrain, always keeping someone in my sights and keeping up with my nutrition. I felt very warm on the bike (a lot of it was likely due to my hormones as I started my period around 15 hours after I finished the race) and found myself needing water from every aid station (I didn’t miss one) to pour water on my body to help keep me cool. I really enjoyed the bike, although it was hard. Even with the fun fast descend into Keene, there’s very little “recovery” on this bike course and you have to work for every mile. The early miles were hard (to be expected) and I consider these hills the hardest of the course. The climbs are long. After I made the turn in Keene to head toward Upper Jay, a guy rode up to me (as he was passing me) and told me that I was a great descender. That made me smile.

As I was approaching an aid station in Upper Jay, Karel rode up next to me. It was nice to see him and exchange a few words. I had grabbed a bottle of water from the aid station to use to cool myself and when I was finished, I handed it off to Karel to use to cool himself. Karel went on and passed me and I stayed a few bikers behind him for several miles. It was fun to feel like I was “racing” with him. As we made the turn in Jay to start the steady long climbs, Karel rode away and he was out of sight until the out and back in Haselton. The Haselton out and back section felt very windy and the climb back up to town was also a bit windy. Last year this section really got to me mentally so this time around, I tried to find the positives in the views and I told myself that I would ride strong in this section. Throughout the first loop, it felt a bit lonely as I never saw more than a handful of athletes around me. It was fun to see the female pros at the front of the race. The first few miles in Wilmington were rough. It felt like I was going nowhere. I knew that this section would be tough so I just focused on the beautiful sights and anytime I felt like I could make up speed, I quickly got aero and tried to use the momentum. As I got to the top of the bears, I didn’t even realize that I had climbed all three of those hills and I was nearing the quick out and back (and hot corner) before heading back into town. The first loop went by really quickly and I did a great job drinking my nutrition (all Skratch Super Fuel). I stopped at special needs and my mom and Campy were waiting there outside the special needs area. I told my mom it would be a great place to watch as I would be there stopped and she could actually talk to me. I grabbed my 1 liter bottle filled with Skratch SuperFuel to fill up my hydration system and then put another bottle in the cage between my aerobars. I had one more bottle filled in case I needed it but decided to pass on it. My stop at special needs was 46 seconds. Karel also stopped at special needs.
As I was stopped, my mom told me that I was 1^st or 2^nd female amateur and winning my age group. As I was pouring my drink in my hydration system, I started to feel a bit dizzy. I wasn’t too concerned but it did make me notice that I felt a bit off going from riding hard to suddenly stopping. Once I started riding again, the feeling went away.
The 2nd loop felt better than the first. The wind had shifted a bit and I felt like it was a little less windy. However, it got much warmer (in the upper 70’s) and it was very humid. I found myself riding around the same people throughout the entire ride. I took in a few aminos here and there throughout the entire ride, which I feel helps me stay focused and avoid some of the sleepiness that can happen in long distance events. Karel was really happy with how he biked. He went into the race with some back pain from the long drive and although he had a few signs of cramping in his inner thighs (from previous labral tears in his hips), he was able to manage everything and somewhat enjoy the ride. Karel used NeverSecond C90 and C30 to fuel and hydrate on the bike. He also took in a few bites of a Maurten bar. In total, I consumed around 2100 calories and Karel consumed around 2000 calories. Karel removed his power meter before the race as he didn’t want to get frustrated by any numbers. Plus since we didn’t ride our tri bikes much throughout the year, we didn’t really have any numbers to go by. We both prefer to go by feel so Karel felt free not having any power numbers to get in his head.
Throughout the entire 2^nd loop, I found myself with a bit of negative thinking. I was concerned about the run and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to suffer for the rest of the race. I even contemplating quitting. I tried to get myself into a good mindset but for some reason, my mind wasn’t as committed as my body throughout the race. Luckily, my body was on autopilot and it just kept going. Even though I was having a great race and performing so well, my mind was still trying to get me to quit. As I rode into town and removed my feet from my shoes, I dismounted my bike before the line, gave my bike to a volunteer and ran to my red run bag.

Transition 2
Marni – 3:37
Karel – 3:07

As I was running to my bag, I unzipped my tri top and it felt so good to remove the jersey off my upper body. After grabbing my bag (the correct one 😊 ) I made a stop in the potty to empty my bladder. I didn’t pee on the bike (neither did Karel) but I did have the urge to go in the transition area. It also felt really good to sit down. As I was peeing, I turned on my watch to the run setting (multitasking). I didn’t know my bike time as I didn’t look at my computer much throughout the race but in looking at the time of the day, I did some quick math and realized that I was doing really well. When I got into the women’s changing tent, I was the only athlete in the tent. I removed my helmet and put on my Naked running belt (bib number attached), put in my two 10-ounce flasks (filled with Never Second C3), grabbed a C30 gel (to hold in my hand – helps with my form), put on my New Balance Fuel Cell running shoes, wrapped my cooling towel around my neck and grabbed my visor and sunglasses to put on as I was leaving the tent. I immediately poured water on my neck as I was leaving the tent as it was in the 80’s and I was feeling warm.

26.2 mile run
Marni – 3:53.27
Karel – 3:25.26

Even though I felt like I was ready to quit, my body kept moving forward. And as I started the run, my legs felt pretty good. The first few miles are net downhill so that helped the legs loosen out after 12+ miles of climbing to finish off the bike (with almost 7000 feet elevation gain). The first mile was awesome because of all the spectators. But as I passed the horse grounds, it was only the aid stations that gave me a boost of energy. I found myself with an uncomfortable side stitch on my right side for a few miles so I had to work that out with breathing and pinching my side. I ended up putting the gel in my belt as I felt like holding the gel was affecting the stitch. Eventually, the stitch went away. I didn’t have a run/walk strategy for this marathon, even though in St. George I knew right away that I needed to walk every aid station starting from the first. I ended running 6 miles before I started my first walk at the aid station. It was so great to see my athletes Kathleen and Morgan at the turn around. They even had music playing for us with our own “theme” song. The aid station volunteers were amazing and I recognized a few familiar faces which brought a smile to my face. It was great to see Karel a few miles ahead after he made the turn around. Although the 8 miles on River Road are beautiful, it feels like those miles never end. I actually looked forward to the slight uphills to change up my running gait. I was sipping on my C30, grabbing ice and pouring it in my sports bra (and holding the cubes) and pouring water on me at every aid station. The cooling towel really helped as I could give it a squeeze to cool myself between the aid stations.

I had a few sips of coke around mile 8-10 which was a nice change from the C30 berry (which I absolutely love). I kept telling myself that all I have to do is run 13 miles and then I could quit. Of course, I didn’t come this far to only come this far so I knew I would quit but these were the mind games that I needed to tell myself to keep moving forward. Miles 10-13 were tough as you climb back into town but I enjoyed the hills much more so than the flatter sections. Once I got back into town, I loved all the cheers and energy I felt from the crowds. The out section by Mirror Lake was long and it seemed like the turn around never came. I loved seeing my mom on the climbs in town – as well as Campy. I even gave Campy a pat on his head when I saw him. Whenever I saw Karel, I would give him a cheer and he would give me slight smile.

The second loop was tough. I expected and feared this part. This run course is so hard and it really hurts. I could feel the deep fatigue and soreness and I was so ready for the pain to stop. But I still had 10 miles to go. I was stopping at most of the aid stations for ice/water and to reset my form. Oddly enough, I felt like I was holding good form when I was running but each step forward got more and more difficult. I got energy watching the other athletes ahead of me, especially the female pros. I was passed by the overall amateur female early on in the run but I was being told that I was winning my age group and I was 2^nd overall amateur. Oddly enough, even though I was having a great race, I still wanted to quit. The struggle was real and Karel was suffering too. We both really had to fight for each step forward on the run. Whereas some athletes can get easily distracted in an Ironman marathon and resort to walking and talking, I found myself needing to distract myself from the pain/soreness. I started the mind games on River Road. But despite all the soreness, I was still smiling. Every time I saw one of our athletes on the course, I gave them a big cheer. Although my mind was playing all types of games with me, my body was healthy and strong and it knew how to get me to the finish line. 

Ok – just run to the turn around. That is your finish line. Just 4 miles. I continued to walk the aid stations. Once I got to the turn around, I needed to go to the bathroom. I thought it was #2 but false alarm. Just needed to pee. It was hot in there and I was ready to get running again – even though it felt great to sit down. My next goal was to get out of River Road. Four miles. Get to mile 22 and then it’s all downhill from there (even though it’s all uphill from there). Miles 18-22 lasted forever. I would try to distract myself by looking at the water or out in nature but it didn’t last long until my mind went back to the pain in my legs. Ever foot strike forward made my legs throb. I wasn’t sure if my next step would be my last. Once I got to mile 22, I gave myself permission to walk the big hill by the ski slopes but it actually felt better to run/jog up the uphill. Plus, I told myself the more I run, the faster I’ll get to the finish line and I can make this hurt stop. As I got closer to town, I looked forward to the hills in town. The energy in town was incredible. I had cheers from so many people (as well as updates on my placement). My friend Nick and his fiancé told me that I was winning my age group and I could easily walk/jog it to the finish line and I was so relieved to hear this. I was barely hanging on. The last two miles were long. I needed to be extra careful during mile 24 as my body was running on empty. Once I made the turn around, I made sure to really soak in mile 25. Knowing that I wouldn’t be running another marathon off the bike anytime soon, I was so proud of myself for finishing this Ironman as it felt like every mile of the race was a mental and physical battle. Once I got inside the oval, my legs suddenly became light and free of soreness. That finish line feeling took over and I was so excited to reach my 19^th Ironman finish line as the 2^nd female amateur female and to win the 40-44 age group.

Our athlete Ruthanne caught me (and before me, Karel) at the finish and gave me my medal. I collapsed in her arms as it felt so good to take the weight off my legs. I hobbled my way to a chair and cooled myself off. The hotness I felt all day changed to cold as I warmed myself with a space blanket. I saw my mom and gave Campy a big hug and thanked them for being out there all day. Karel was in the medical tent (there was a sign outside the tent that said “Triathlon Royalty” 😊) enjoying some chicken broth as he came back to life after a very tough run. Karel was really disappointed with his run as he felt like his legs were not cooperating. He wore his Asics (and not Nike) so maybe it was the shoes – or just not his day. Regardless, he was 2^nd in his age group and 13^th male amateur. He was proud of effort and relieved to have reached that finish line. It was interesting that we both had such a tough run but we both fought hard to get to that finish line. I ate like a champ after the race – 4 pieces of pizza, chocolate milk, sprite and French fries.

Karel went back to the house to shower and I got my bike and bags and went back to the house to shower. Aside from some chaffing in my armpit area from running, it felt so good to get clean after 10 hours of racing. After we changed, we walked back to the venue and spent the next 5+ hours on the course, cheering on our athletes. We watched all our athletes finish and had so much fun cheering on everyone. It was so inspiring to see all the athletes fighting through their own battles to get to the finish line.

After a somewhat ok night of sleep (besides the soreness), we went to the awards ceremony at 9am the next morning. We were shocked to have received 5^th place for the TriClub award. Karel and I both received slots for the IM World Championship but we turned down our slots and let them roll down. We stayed for the roll down ceremony and it was so wonderful to see our slots get taken by other deserving athletes. We have so many great memories from Kona from our combined 9 times racing on that island and we are so happy that others can enjoy that historic race.

Thank you for the cheers, pictures, support and encouragement. We really needed the positive energy during the race – thank you thank you!

Next up……Europe to visit Karel's family, race Xterra Czech and finish off our trip with the 7-day Haute Route Alps!

2022 IMLP Race Recap - Pre-Race

On Tuesday morning, we left around 7:30am to start our long 15+ hour drive to Lake Placid, NY. My mom and her partner Alan left around the same time and we kept in touch via text/phone throughout the drive. Our goal was to drive as far as we could and then stay the night in a hotel.
The drive on day one went pretty smoothly. We didn’t encounter any traffic and only a little bit of rain. We were entertained by listening/watching the Tour de France on my phone (Peacock) for 5+ hours. I packed a cooler and two bags of food so we didn’t have to make any stops for food. We brought two frozen dinners to “cook” in the microwave at the hotel (I had a veg and grain bowl). I drove for around 3 hours and Karel drove the rest of the way. It was great having Campy with us as he’s a great travel partner (he mostly sleeps). This was Campy’s 3rd time to Lake Placid and we were excited to add more memories to his 14.5 years of life.

Around 7:30pm, we stopped driving for the day and spent the night at Embassy Suites in Parsippany NJ. The next morning, we had a good breakfast at the hotel and then hit the road for the last 4.5 hours of driving. Karel drove the entire way while I ordered ~$500 worth of groceries on Instacart for our team house. We stayed in the same house as last year (on Elm Street, ~.5 mile from the race venue) and we shared the house with 14 other people (it was a big house!). The last 45 minutes of the drive brought back a lot of memories from our last 4 trips to Placid. We still find ourselves loving the nature during the drive from Keene into the village of Lake Placid and always wowing at the Ski Jumps when we start to get close to town.

We arrived to the house around 12:30pm and the groceries were delivered just as we pulled in. Thankfully we had a big kitchen and two fridges! The athletes started to trickle in over the next few hours. It was great to see everyone as we had a packed house of spectators and athletes racing.

After we unloaded, Karel and I got on our bikes to shake out our legs from 15+ hours in the car. We rode for around 2 hours (38 miles) - down to Wilmington and then did the Haselton out and back and then back up into town. It felt great to smell the fresh air and pine trees and the views reminded us why we love this place. When we got back, my mom and Alan went for a bike ride around the lake and down to River Road and then back up the “bears.” Several of our athletes went for a jog when they arrived, and a few went for a bike ride to shake out the travel.

I made a big dinner for everyone (rice, salad, tofu, hardboiled eggs) and around 9pm we were ready for bed. Campy slept great.

On Thursday, we woke up around 6:00am and Karel slept in until around 7:00am. The weather was unusually warm for Lake Placid, which was different from the past years when we would bundle up and sit outside in the morning. We walked down to the swim start around 7:45am and met up with a few more of our athletes (we had 13 athletes racing). It was so great to be back at Mirror Lake. With flat conditions (no boats), mountain views and a cable running the length of the rectangle swim course (1.2 miles), this is one of my favorite swimming venues. The water was a bit warm this year (74-75) and it felt a bit warm in our wetsuits, especially swimming at 8am. We swam a loop of the course (29 minutes) and then headed to Bluesberry Bakery for the most delicious bakery goods. For the swim, I swam easy going out and then Karel and I waited for our athletes to get to the 2nd turn buoy and then we all swam back to shore by including a few fast strokes and then easy (ex. 10/20/30 strokes fast, then back down w/ easy between).

After we had a quick bite to eat, Karel and I started our ride with our athletes. We had our athletes ride down to Wilmington and back up and Karel and I rode with them to River Road and then we turned on River road (run course) and then headed out on the bike course by the Ski Jumps and did the start of the bike, out and back section and then to the last climb before starting the descend to Keene. We then headed back the way we came out. We tried to avoid downtown on our bikes due to the construction in town. We rode around 30 miles and then I did a 25 min run off the bike around the lake. This was a big day of training to help wake up the body for the race. We had a nice dinner (sweet potatoes, veg, chicken, tofu, salad) and watched TdF on TV.

On Friday morning, it was back to the lake for another swim. My mom took Campy for a 3 mile walk in the morning. Campy was having a great time with everyone and he was on his best behavior. For this swim, I pushed it a bit more to see what it felt like to be uncomfortable in the water to gauge how I wanted to feel for the race. I swam the loop in 28 minutes which felt uncomfortable but doable to hold that effort for 2 loops. After the swim, we had another stop at the bakery and then I went for a 22 minute run around the lake. Our athletes biked the run course. Karel went for a 38 minute run (almost 5 miles).

Friday was pretty chill. We drove to the Horse Grounds to check in for the race and got caught in a downpour. This was the typical mountain weather that we experienced on Thursday – random short showers. Thankfully we were under the tent when the downpour happened and then the sun came out. After we checked in, we went over to the athlete village to get our gear bags and then I did an interview for Ironman Tri Club as this was the TriClub North American Championship. We also received small bottles of maple syrup as tri club members – yum!

In the afternoon, I laid out my gear on my gear bags in the garage and then around 5:15pm, I took Campy for a walk around town. I met up with Kathleen and Morgan who were picking up my pizza order from Bazzi’s for our team party around 5:45pm and got a ride back with 11 delicious smelling pizzas in the car. We had all our athletes and spectators/friends/family over for our traditional pre-race pizza party and then a pre-race motivational chat and group pic. We went to bed around 9pm and tried to sleep in as late as possible. I made it to 6am, Karel slept in until 7:30am.

It was really nice having Campy with us as it kept me on a routine. Plus, he makes me so happy and I love his cuteness.

With one more sleep until race day, the focus on Saturday was to carb-load, shake the body out, and rest. However, Karel spent most of Friday and Saturday working on athlete bikes, including putting on new Tubeless tires on my bike as well as tubeless tires on another athletes bike. He was on his feet a lot.

For food on Saturday, I consumed:
-Bagel w/ PB and yogurt before a 80 min spin w/ a few short hard efforts on River Road followed by a 8 min run. Skratch during the ride and run.
-Glass of milk and 3 pieces French toast, yogurt, bananas, butter, brown sugar and granola.
-Bagel w/ butter.
-Pringles and pretzels.
-Yogurt w/ blueberries and granola.
-Amy’s No chicken chicken noodle soup (with pasta added).
-3 small sweet potatoes and tofu.
-2 brown sugar poptarts (an hour before bed).

We packed up our gear bags and rode down to the oval (transition area) around 12:30pm to check in our bikes and gear bags. With one of the coolest Ironman transition areas (and finish lines) in the Olympic Oval, I found myself nervous and excited to race. We walked back home and laid in bed (and ate) the rest of the day. We watched the PTO women’s race from Edmonton which got us excited to race on Sunday. We went to sleep around 7pm and as usual, it was a somewhat restless night of sleep before the 3:45am alarm. Campy, however, had a fantastic night of sleep!

Race Morning
After waking up at 3:45am, I had a cup of instant coffee and had my typical cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter, banana, granola and syrup. I had a little yogurt on the side and a glass of water. After eating (which felt like it took forever), I put on my race outfit, did some foam rolling and went for a short jog up and down the street to get the systems going. I was expecting to get my period on race morning but thankfully it held off until Monday (as soon as I woke up the morning after the race). Karel had his typical oatmeal concoction and espresso from his espresso travel machine.
I gave Campy a big kiss and said good-bye to my mom. When she spectates, she has a piece of paper with our predicted times (give or take a few minutes) as well as my suggestions for where to stand for each portion of the race. We left the house around 4:50am and walked to the Oval.

I felt very nervous. Even after 18 Ironmans, I know that the Ironman is a long day and it requires so much mental energy. Plus, having raced her twice before (and just last year), I knew how much this race would hurt. In my opinion, this is one of the hardest race courses (bike and run) as you have to work for every movement forward. There’s very little “free speed” to rest or make up time on the course. Plus, with it being warmer (in the mid 80’s for a high on race day) and no rain predicted on race day, alongside the wind, this race course is very challenging. The good thing is that I was sharing this course with our athletes and we were all racked next to one another. I felt a lot of good energy from them. Plus, we had 5 of our athletes volunteering on the course, which was awesome to see them throughout the day.

After putting our frozen flasks in our run bags and then our nutrition on our bike (fluids), Karel pumped up our tires with his electric pump and then we walked to the swim start. We needed to go to the bathroom again but with the lines being long, around 5:30am Karel and I decided to jog back to the house to use the restroom – which meant one more kiss for campy. We then jogged back just before 6am. For some reason the morning clothes bags were left by our bike and run bags but thankfully, our athletes who were not racing held on to our morning clothes bags so we didn’t have to walk back and forth after changing into our wetsuits.

After putting on our wetsuits, we went into the water for a warm-up swim. It felt good to be in the water (75 degrees, air temp was upper 60’s) to shake out some of the pre-race nerves. I found myself in a really weird mental space as I wasn’t overly excited to race. I think I was most nervous for how much  this race would hurt physically and I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to suffer. I was most worried about the marathon as I knew how hard it would be.  I found myself feeling waves of emotions as I stood in the corral before the start. I knew this was my last Ironman for a while which made me want to put together a good race but I couldn’t shake the feeling of how much the run would hurt. I found Karel in the sub 60 area near the front of the swim corral and I told him that I was nervous. He told me I have nothing to be nervous about and that I would have a great day. After the pros went off at 6:25 and 6:27, it was time for the age groupers to start rolling in at 6:30am. Shortly after the race start, I lined up just ahead of Karel and with the sound of the beep, I ran into the water to start my 19^th Ironman.  

2022 Ironman Lake Placid - Quick Recap

In 2012, Karel was ready to try a long distance triathlon. After only being in the sport for a few months, he was looking ahead to 2013 to participate in his first Ironman. Although we were living in pancake flat Jacksonville, FL., Karel wanted a challenging course for his first Ironman. After doing a bit of research, we decided on Ironman Lake Placid in upstate NY. 

Since our first Ironman together in Lake Placid in 2013, we have returned to the area four more times. We fell in love with Lake Placid so much that we decided that we needed to move away from the beach, and closer to the mountains. Thus, our move to Greenville, SC in May 2014. We also realized that we love challenging and beautiful courses. Some of our favorite courses include Wisconsin, Whistler, Austria and St. George. 

In 2015, Karel tore his plantar a few weeks prior to Ironman Lake Placid and intentionally DNF (did not finish) after the bike. In 2017, we returned again for Karel to race, but he had the flu on race week. Somehow, Karel was able to fight through his sickness and get to the finish line (and then the medical tent immediately after). He got a slot to Kona but he let it rolldown. Finally, for redemption, we returned back in 2021 for us both to race......but unfortunantly Karel broke his hand mountain biking two months before the race so he was unable to race. 

And then came 2022. Our fifth attempt on this beautiful and challenging course.
While we were both excited to return to Lake Placid for the Ironman, our focus for training and racing slightly shifted over the past year. 

In a week, we head off to Europe for a month of travel and racing. We are so excited to check off two firsts….my first Xterra race (and Karel's first European Xterra) in Czech Republic and then a week later, we start the 7-day Haute Route Alps (492 miles of cycling, 69881 feet total elevation gain, ~11,154 elevation gain per stage). We registered for the Haute Route in November of 2019 and due to the pandemic, three years later we finally get to check off this bucket list event. 

Training for an Ironman while also preparing for an off-road triathlon and a 7-day mountainous cycling event forced us to think outside of the box with our training - especially since we were training for events on three different bikes. And since we had three races in 29 days in May (Ironman St. George, IM 70.3 Chattanooga and IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - plus Karel did an 8-hour mountain bike event a week before Ironman St. George) - something that we had never done before - we knew that we couldn't stick with conventional Ironman training. We spent a lot of time on our mountain bikes and road bikes and very little time on our triathlon bikes this year. We "played" outside a lot. We swam, we biked and we ran but the training looked very different to what we had done in years past in preparation for an Ironman. But the one thing that kept us enjoying triathlon racing this season was not specifically training for any one triathlon event. We found joy in training and it was exactly what we needed to keep us enjoying the journey to one last Ironman event. Going into Ironman Lake Placid with a great amount of endurance, strength and resiliency and a lot of prior race experience, we were able to put together one last successful day of racing. I won my age group (40-44) and finished 2nd overall amateur female and Karel was 2nd in his age group and 13th overall amateur male. We both received a slot to the 2022 Ironman World Championship, but let it roll down to another deserving athlete for their chance to participate on the Big Island. 

After a combined 35 Ironman triathlons, we decided that now is a great time to put a bookmark in our Ironman training and racing chapter. We will revisit this Ironman chapter again but moving forward, we are excited to turn the page and start a new chapter in our athletic journey. We love triathlon and will not stop swimming, biking and running. But just like we did for Ironman St. George and Ironman Lake Placid, we will take an unconventional approach to triathlon training to help us prepare for new adventures and extreme/ultra-endurance events. 

Race report coming soon......

IM World Championship St. George - 112 mile bike recap

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Run race report coming soon......

IM 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

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

IM Kona '19 RR: 26.2 mile run

Photo: Bree Wee

When I participated in IM Canada back in July, I had three weeks of no running going into the race due to sudden hip/glute/back injury. This is nothing new for me as my body tends to get "twisted". Thankfully, I've been able to manage it well over the years but this season gave me a hard knock in the back - literally. Luckily, I went into IM Canada with great run fitness but unfortunately, I wasn't able to show it as I had to manage the run with a lot of walking, stopping and shuffling. It was actually a big unknown if I was going to be able to complete the marathon portion of the Ironman in Canada as I was not able to make a step forward without pain in my groin/hip. Somehow my body allowed me to run for 26.2 miles - very uncomfortable but not painful.

I share this picture above from the exit of the energy lab at the 2019 Ironman World Championship. I don't think the smile left my face for all 26.2 miles. Despite another "slow" Ironman marathon this season, I was grateful and thankful for the opportunity to run without pain. It was not a comfortable run as I had 10 weeks of no running from early July to mid September and only a few runs on the treadmill and a few runs outside in Kona. While my issue resolved on the left side thanks to a lot of help from PT's, spine specialists and ART, stuff moved to the right side - which is my chronically weak side that likes to give me issues every now and then. Throughout most of the marathon in Kona, my right leg felt off and I was having trouble landing without my knee/hip/foot feeling very unstable. I believe it's nerve/muscle related but I'm not overly concerned as I know it wasn't the ideal run prep going into the race. 

I say all of this not to make excuses but to give some background on why I feel extremely satisfied and accomplished at the 2019 Ironman World Championship. While I am very competitive and would have liked to have had a chance to see what I could have done in great health after starting the run in 4/5th of my AG, I had to accept the current situation with acceptance. Acceptance that this was the day I was given and I can't live with what if's of what could have should have or needed to happen on race day.

The IM Kona run was difficult on many physical levels (as it should be) but mentally, it didn't break me because I didn't let it. I never gave up on myself. I focused on what I could control - nutrition, mindset, heart rate. I didn't have a pity party as I was passed by 17 girls in my age group over 26.2 miles. I also didn't settle for easy. I only walked the aid stations and although I may have spent a bit longer at each one as the race went on, I battled the demons in my head and body and kept myself moving to one aid station to the next. I fought for all 4 hours and 12 minutes that it took me to cover 26.2 miles. I celebrated each mile that I moved forward. I embraced the fatigue, pain, heat and uncomfortable whole body feeling that comes with running a marathon at the end of an Ironman triathlon on the big island of Kona.

There's not much to report on as I really just ran one aid station to the next. This is how I want to remember my 5th Ironman World Championship and 16th Ironman (my apologies - I miscounted and have "only" completed 16 and not 17 Ironmans!). I don't want to call this a bad race for it wasn't. I achieved so much and finish something that I didn't even think I would start. One day, I will look back at my triathlon "career" and see what I have accomplished, what I have overcome and all the setbacks and achievements in between. This was an incredibly challenging year on many fronts. While this may not have been a best-ever season for me, I'm proud of what I was able to start and what I was able to finish. I am proud of my body for what it allows me to do. Onward I go.

As for Karel, his back eventually loosened up and he was able to manage throughout the marathon to put together a 3:15 marathon. It wasn't fast or slow but just what he needed to do to get to the finish line. It was the day he had and he worked with what he was given. He ran aid station to aid station and like everyone else out on the course, battled the demons that told him to quit, slow down or walk more than he did. At one point a thought came into his head to just wait for me and run with me for the remainder of the marathon but I am glad he didn't. That would have been the easy option and I know he isn't one to settle for easy. When Karel crossed the finish line, he was empty and done. He hobbled to the finisher area and then soaked in the ocean until he gathered the strength to go to the grassy area with some of his Czech friends. Over an hour later, I crossed the finish line and hobbled my way to the finisher area to collect my hat/shirt and finisher medal. Oh what a feeling to have that big heavy medal around my neck. I found Karel and he gave me a big hug. With tears in his eyes, he told me about his race and his disappointment with himself. He was super proud of me but it's always hard to celebrate when one of us has an off day. We walked to the grass area and laid on the grass in the fetal position for at least 15 minutes - it felt SO good to finally lay down. 

Karel brought me some food (yum french fries and pizza) and we sat on the grass for the next 30-45 minutes and shared war stories from the race, checked the results from our athletes who raced (Sara, Roman and Ericka) and talked about the pro race.

The hardest part of the entire Ironman was being so completely empty and incredibly sore and having to collect our gear bags, bike and morning clothes bag from the huge transition area - walking oh so slowly. And then waiting in line to get checked out - a lot of security. It felt like it took longer than the marathon! Then it was a very slow 25+ min walk to our condo (~1/2 mile). Then up the elevator and then to our condo. Oh it felt so good to take a shower (ouch - chaffing!) and to collapse on the bed while reading the lovely and supportive messages from our friends/athletes (and give our IMKY athletes one last virtual cheer).

Marni Sumbal
2.4 mile swim: 59.36
T1: 4:13
112 mile bike: 5:27.49
T2: 3:48
26.2 mile run: 4:12.38
Total: 10:48.02

Karel Sumbal
2.4 mile swim: 1:03.14
T1: 2:41
112 mile bike: 5:23.11
T2: 5:03
26.2 mile run: 3:15.05
Total: 9:49.12

Marni Run Nutrition: 
2 flasks filled with 1 scoop Skratch (strawberry) in each flask
(I put the flasks with only powder in my run gear bag and then had a volunteer fill up my flasks with cold water when I was in the women's changing tent after the bike. I had 4 small tiny baggies with me with powder to refill the flasks along the way).
Coke - starting at mile ~16 to ~25.
Water/ice at each aid station.

Marni Gear:Naked Running Band
Run In sweatband
Perfect Fitness Cooling Towel
Roka sunglasses (SL-1 series)

Lulu sport bra
CEP compression socks (from the bike)
Garmin 735 XT
Garmin HR monitor (Bike and run)
Nike Vapor flyknit

Karel Run Nutrition: 2 flasks filled with 1 scoop Skratch (Green tea) in each flask.
SIS gel

Coke/water/ice

Karel Gear: 

Naked Running Band
Trimarni BOCO Running trucker hat
Perfect Fitness Cooling Towel
Garmin 735 XT
Roka sunglasses
Compresssport pro racing ultra light
Nike ZoomX VaporFly NEXT%

IM Kona '19 RR: 2.4 mile swim

                                                                   Picture source

Marni Gear
Amp PR lotion
Squirrels Nut butter anti-chafe cream
Roka Viper X swimskin (sleeveless)
TYR 2.0 Special ops tinted goggles
Castelli San Remo tri one piece kit (pulled down to waste)
Oakley Crisscross power sports bra

Karel Gear
Amp PR lotion
Pjuractive 2skin
Roka Viper X sleeve swimskin
MP Xceed tinted goggles
Castelli San Remo tri one piece kit (pulled down to waste)
Garmin 735 XT

When we heard about the new wave start protocol for the 2019 Ironman World Championship, Karel and I were both happy about this change. We have always had our fastest swims with either a wave start or rolling start. I had the "pleasure" of racing Kona in 2007 when it was a mass start and it was pure chaos - super scary at times. And this was when the race "only" had around 1500 athletes. Now, with over 2500 athletes, there are a lot more arms and legs to fight for space in the water. And with over 70% of the IM Kona participants as male athletes, Karel says that the swim start has been crazy - like a boxing match throughout the entire swim.

Karel's wave of male 40-44 went off at 7am and my wave of female 18-39 went off at 7:15am. Karel found the new swim start to be much more pleasant and although there were still a lot of athletes starting together, Karel was still able to find some clean water to keep a normal swim stroke. He lined up on the far left - away from the sighting buoys - around the second line of athletes. As for my wave, I also lined up on the far left but right near the front.

As soon as the horn went off, I started with take-out speed (very hard swimming) to try to get away from the group. Knowing that I would not be even close to the front of this female pack, my focus was to stay on course and to find a small group to stay with. I found myself swimming with 2-3 other purple caps in my wave and we while there were other females ahead of us from the wave, it wasn't long before we re-passed them. With the male 50+ wave starting just 5 minutes in front of us, I found myself swimming past many male athletes by the third and fourth buoy. At this point, I was feeling really good and settling into a good rhythm which felt sustainable and strong. After passing the Royal Kona resort - which is half way to the half way - I found myself needing to swim around more and more male athletes. Other than that, I was feeling great in the water.

Sometimes I found myself right on the buoy line but I tried to position myself so that I'd approach the turn buoy somewhat on the outside to avoid the chaos that comes with so many athletes trying to turn around the same buoy. And in IM Kona, you also have two big boats helping to direct you around the turn buoys. I slowed down considerably around the turn buoys to avoid being kicked and hit by other athletes.

The water was cool but very refreshing. There were some warmer sections and colder sections throughout the 2.4 mile out and back course.

The water was very choppy but I found myself keeping a good rhythm in the water. The sky was cloudy but I was still happy to have my tinted goggles. To avoid getting nauseous in the wavy conditions, I tried to match the rhythm of the water instead of fighting it. This meant sometimes my stroke would increase and sometimes it would slow down so that I could constantly feel like I was grabbing the water and moving myself forward. In the past years of racing IM Kona, I have always found myself getting more and more exhausted in the last 20 minutes of the swim. I like to build my swim effort in the IM distance but in Kona, this was always a big struggle - I found myself slowing down and running out of steam. This year was a big change as I gained confidence in the practice swim from a week prior and on race day, I never felt exhausted or tired. Most of all, I was swimming happy and not finding myself jumping ahead in thoughts. Karel also felt like he didn't get tired in the back half of the swim and was able to keep an efficient and powerful stroke throughout.

Because I don't wear a watch in the swim portion of the triathlon, I had no idea of my swim time. My goal was to break an hour (previous best IM Kona swim time was 1:06 back in 2015) as I felt like that was within my capabilities. As I was nearing the pier, the water became more choppy with athletes and I found myself zig zagging around other athletes before exiting the water. I was anxious to see the clock on the top of the steps in the transition area (before the hoses) to see my time but the clock read an odd time - likely the overall clock and not the age group clock. Because I wasn't sure exactly what time the pro males went off, I wasn't able to do the math to figure out my swim time. Oh bummer - I guess I would have to wait until after the race. Spoiler alert - I swam 59.36 which was 6th fastest in the 35-39 age group. Karel also had a PR swim of 1:03.14.

After exiting the water, I did a quick rinse off under the hoses and then grabbed my blue swim to bike gear bag. It was busy near the male changing tents so I bumped into a few athletes on my way to the female changing tent. The female tent wasn't too busy but I ran to the far end of the tent (easier to exit) and sat down in a chair and started my transition. I had two volunteers helping me. I asked one of the volunteers to remove my chip from my ankle as I put on my compression sock. She then put it back on my ankle after I was finished. Because I don't like anything on my shoulders when I swim without a wetsuit, I rolled down my one piece suit to my waste with my swim skin over it. I made the mistake of not taking off my swim skin right away in the transition area and I told the volunteer lady "don't let me run out of here with my swimskin still on" :) I also made the mistake of putting on the top of my one piece before putting on my heart rate monitor strap so I had to take off the top off again and put on my heart rate strap. I put on my helmet, took a quick sip of water, thanked the volunteers for helping me and then carried my cycling shoes to my bike (which was just behind the yellow inflatable Gatorade bottle). I then put on my cycling shoes, turned on my bike computer and then ran my bike to the mount line. The transition area was really busy so I could only move so fast to get out of there. The mount line was also chaotic as far too many athletes had their shoes clipped into their bike but it was if very few of them knew how to do a flying mount. I ran my bike to the far end of the mount area by the barricades and even that area was busy. I made sure to safely get on my bike and then clipped in and started pedaling my way up the start of the bike on Palani. 

IMWI '18 Race Report - 26.2 mile run

Photo: Jay Baker

After dismounting my bike, I quickly removed my cycling shoes as I ran my way into the terrace to grab my T2 (Run) gear bag. My legs were a little tired from 112 miles of biking but I didn't let it worry me. My athlete Diane was out on the course and on lap 2, she told me I was still leading but the girls behind me were closing in. At this point, I assumed I was still leading my age group but I didn't know by how much. Anything can happen in an Ironman marathon and I had a game plan that I trusted and I was looking forward to seeing if I could put together a solid run after what appeared to be a solid day of swimming and biking.

When I entered the women's changing room, I was all smiles as I was the only one in the room and I had all the volunteers to myself. I had a few Trimarni followers in the room (volunteers) giving me cheers which made me so happy. I put on my Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo, emptied my pockets from the bike and put on my visor. I grabbed my hydration belt and race belt (which had my bib number on it) and headed out of the room. Rather than immediately running, I fast walked as I put on my belts. From experience, I know how good it feels to completely empty myself before a run so I made a quick stop in the port-o-john and I felt so much better afterward. 

I've learned a lot from Ironman racing and one major tip always comes to mind when I start the marathon - be patient. 26.2 miles is a long way to go. I see athletes all the time chasing paces, rushing out of T2 and treating the marathon as if it is a sprint triathlon as if every second matters. Sure, you don't want to waste your time doing silly things but you want to make good decisions as it's a long day of racing and what happens in the first few miles of the marathon can potentially make or break your race. I had no time goals or paces for this run. I trusted my training and my nutrition and felt confident with my run fitness going into this race. And even though I knew my competition was likely close behind me, I needed to be smart with my execution which meant taking care of myself in the early miles and really listening to my body.

Plus, I had a very specific game plan for this marathon. Walk within every mile. 

Photo: Brian Comiskey

Yep, that's right. My strategy was to intentionally take a walk (or reset) break within every mile. Not always at each aid station but instead, to walk to reset my form. This is something that I have practiced in all of my long runs and something that we encourage our athletes to do as well. Committing to walking in an Ironman can be tough for many athletes view it as failing. There's a big difference between unintentional vs intentional walking. The later makes you feel in control whereas the earlier makes you feel like defeated. I'm not saying that unintentional walking is bad but there's something very powerful about having a plan to walk and sticking to it. I figured that it wasn't if I got caught on the run by my competition in my age group, but when. However, I didn't let this thought of being caught scare me as I needed to focus on my strategy to get to the finish line.

In addition to my walk breaks (which were rarely at aid stations until the last 6 or so miles), I was also confident in my fueling plan. I had two flasks, each with 1 scoop Carborocket hydration (108 calories, 10 ounce water, 331 mg sodium and 27g carbs). Each flask was a different flavor - one with kiwi lime and the other with raspberry lemonade. For the second loop, I had two flasks in special needs filled with 3 scoops per flask of Osmo women mango (105 calories, 10 ounce water, 552 mg sodium and 27g carbs). I also carried an Enveritine cheerpack with me to start the run (and one in special needs) in case I needed a little pick-me up (I didn't end up using either). I have practiced with all products listed above as I use sport nutrition in every training session - even easier workouts. I am comfortable running with my Nathan Trail Mix hydration belt (I actually love it so much I don't like to run without it), drinking when I run and I enjoy the taste of my products. I also know that I can eventually move to coke in the later miles of the run and still sip on Osmo. The reason why I run with my hydration is that I can drink when I want to drink. Because muscle glycogen stores are declining, keeping the brain energized with sugar is key. Since the liver is responsible for this, the nutrition that I take in on the run is not only helping me muscles but also keeping my brain alert. In other words, I can always stay one step (literally) ahead of my blood sugar to prevent bonking. Also, I find that it's incredibly easy to overdrink at aid stations when you feel very thirsty or low in energy so by bringing along my own nutrition, I can use the aid stations just for water and then coke, when or if needed. 

Photo: Jay Baker

Within the first mile, I realized that I didn't completely empty myself when I exited T2 so I stopped in the port-o-john right before an aid station. I figured now was the time to go as I didn't want to wait too long and then struggle to find a potty and I knew once I went, I would feel so much better. And it worked! Plus, after a quick sit and rest, I felt a million times better. This also confirmed that adding in the reset breaks was going to help me delay fatigue and hopefully run fresher longer.

As usual, the first few miles were a little tough as I was trying to get my rhythm, settle into a good stride, find my form and just put my mind into a good place. The walk breaks were also a nice distraction from how far I still had left to run as I only focused on one mile at a time. This actually made the first few miles go by really quickly. My friend Jacqui (who was the overall amateur female) blazed by me (she ran 3 hours!) and we had a quick little convo. Based on this, I knew my effort was conversational and I was not over-doing it. Sure, it felt hard as I had been racing for over 6 hours but I wasn't forcing my effort or trying to chase a pace. I would glance down at my watch every now and then and see paces in the low 8 minutes and I felt like I could hold this effort for some time so I just ran with it - literally.

Photo: Jay Baker

Once I found my running legs, my smile grew bigger. I was actually enjoying running and I felt very strong and healthy. Because I don't do the typical "long" runs in training (my longest run was 2 hours/14 miles with a main set of 10 x 1 miles slightly faster than IM marathon effort w/ 30 sec walk between) but instead, many brick runs, double run days and a lot of frequency running, I not only felt fresh for this marathon but I was looking forward to the mechanical fatigue that I knew was coming. Because I only like to put myself in that deep uncomfortable place on race day, it was something that I was welcoming but I wanted to delay it for as long as possible. My goal was to run a very steady and sustainable effort for the first loop (13 miles) as if I was holding myself from going harder. This actually made the effort feel rather "easy" but within the context of Ironman racing (it's never easy). And that tired feeling that I felt on the bike was gone. I was alert, happy, energized and fresh. This rarely happens so I couldn't stop myself from smiling. The course was packed with spectators and I felt like every corner welcomed me with new cheers and faces. I love all the turns and terrain changes on this course as it helped me break it down mentally into small segments. Once I approached Observatory hill, I saw Karel and I was super excited to see him and hear an update of how I was doing. Karel and I have developed an ability to know what the other person needs to hear in the moment when we are racing and Karel said the right thing to me. He told me that I he was so happy with how I was running but the 2nd and 3rd place girls were 2 and 3 minutes behind me. I told Karel that I was feeling really good but I was sticking to my walk-break plan. He told me to not change what I was doing as it is working. All of this conversation occurred in about 30 seconds as I was running my way up the hill. Since I was being very strategic with my walk breaks, I made sure to walk anytime I felt like I wanted to feel good for an upcoming segment. Once I made my way on State Street, I could feel the crowds giving me so much energy. I was just happy that I felt so good and could smile my way through that section.

Photo: Joanne Marshall

Going into the race, my goal was to get a Kona slot. I figured we would have two slots but I wanted to win my age group just be sure. While this goal was important to me, I made sure not to take risks and to stick to my plan. At the end of the day, the only person I can control is myself. If the other girls were to run faster than me, so be it. I wanted to put together a race that I was proud of and at the end of the day, the athlete in my age group who put together the best race (in other words, who is the best at not slowing down) was going to win the age group and get one of the two Kona slots.

When I saw Karel for the second time, he told me that the girls were running just a bit faster than me but to not change what I was doing. This news worried me a little bit as I saw the two girls running in the opposite direction on State Street and I felt like the gap was closing. It was still hoovering around 2-3 minutes which is not that much time in the marathon. I also heard Karel's mom cheering which just made me smile so big as she was having a blast out there with her cowbell. 

Once I made my way on the gravel trail section, my legs were happy. I really enjoy running on gravel and I tried to stay on the gravel section for as long as possible (even if that meant running on the side of the run path with just a small patch of gravel). On the next out and back, I saw the girls and they were getting closer to me. Still, I was feeling good and stayed with my run/walk plan.

The first loop went by really fast which is exactly what I had hoped for. I was also really happy that my form wasn't breaking down. While I thought it would be hard to make the u-turn to lap two within a few hundred meters from the finish line, I was actually looking forward to lap two. Bring it out, I thought to myself.

I made a quick stop at special needs and then made my way back out of town. For this second loop, I needed to take a few small risks but also remain calm. Since I was very patient in the first loop with my effort, I had a lot of trust in my body for the next 13 miles. I knew the mechanical fatigue was building and it was going to get really hard, really soon but I just kept taking care of myself and focused on running well. After the run through the stadium, I started to mentally take note of the segments of the course that I wouldn't have to do again. Stadium - check. As I got to Observatory hill, there was Karel again and he told me that it was still close. Perhaps the coaches/friends of the other girls behind me were giving information like "she's walking" which made the other girls speed up but it was getting close and Karel was on edge (he later told me that my race was a very exciting race for him to track!). Rather than walking up observatory hill(s), I ran because I knew that if I was going to take a risk it was going to be on the hill. So I made my way up the hill, took a reset break, charged down the hill and after state street, Karel told me that I had opened up the gap and it was now around 4-5 minutes. I couldn't believe it. Am I really running away from my competition? This never ever happens?!?! While I knew I was slowing down, I was still able to keep good form and I never felt like I wanted the run to be overwith. I felt like I was there doing what I had trained to do and my body and mind were ON!

As I past mile 20, I told myself to just think of my favorite 6 mile running route. Then when I got to mile 23, it's only 3 miles - that's like a typical brick run (even though I always go by time and not miles/distance). Then when I got to 24, I told myself when I got to mile 25, I could give it everything I had. While it wasn't much more than I was giving for the last few miles, I couldn't believe the day that my body put together. I sprinted my way to the finish (well, it felt like a sprint) and made sure to celebrate the last mile. I loved seeing my athletes on the course and I could not wait to get back out there to help bring everyone to that finish line.

Funny stories....At one point, Karel told me to keep myself cool. I was like, um, I am not hot at all. While a few sections of the course were a little warm, the weather was perfect. I grabbed ice a few times but I didn't hold it long because it was too cold. Also, when I was nearing mile 16, I thought in my head it was mile 17. Total disappointment to see mile 16 instead. However, I must have missed mile marker 24 so after mile 23, I just kept running on the course thinking "where is mile 24?? And then when I saw mile 25 I was like "SCORE!" That was the best feeling ever and it couldn't have come at a better time as my legs were not moving so fast in the last few miles. 

When I crossed the finish line, I felt amazing. Sore, tired, exhausted and short of breath but amazing. I couldn't believe it. When I saw Karel and his mom (and a new friend Lindsey) behind the barricades, I just lifted up my arms as I couldn't believe it. I just won my age group and qualified for Kona for the 6th time. 

There's nothing like that feeling of crossing the finish line of an Ironman!! It makes all the unknowns, challenges, worries and muscle aches worth it. 

My coach, best friend and life-long teammate.

While anything can happen in an Ironman, I feel I put together a perfect race. The exciting part for me was that I was racing for all 140.6 miles. My competition was strong behind me and for most of the race, three of us were within 3 minutes of one another. For me, it wasn't so much about the time or place as far as why I am so proud of my performance but my execution. Everything I did on race day was practiced in training, I listened to my body, I arrived fit, healthy and physically and mentally fresh and excited to race. I didn't chase a result or metrics or an outcome but instead, stayed true to myself and focused on what I needed to do all day to deliver me to my 14th IM finish line with a smile that didn't go off my face for all 26.2 miles.

After the race, it took me some time to hobble my way to my gear bags and change in the terrace bathroom before heading back out to cheer for our athletes. I was so cold after the race that it took me some time to warm-up in the food tent! It got rather cold at night so I was happy that I had my warm clothes from the morning. I made sure to eat as much as I could after the race to help with the recovery process. The worst part of the day was hearing from Karel that our athlete Ericka crashed with just a few miles to go on the bike after she moved herself up to 6th place in the pro field in her first ever Ironman. She hit some gravel on a turn (accident as she is a great rider and bike handler) and went down - luckily nothing was broken but she was taken to the hospital. While we are incredibly sad about how her day ended, we know she will be back stronger and hungrier than before. We love you Ericka!

Here are my splits from the run, which include my walk breaks. I didn't have a set time that I was walking as I just walked to reset my form, stretch out and take care of whatever I needed to do to run well until my next walk break. 

Mile 1: 8:17 min/mile (didn't see the official start to the run so I started my watch late)

Mile 2: 8:43 (bathroom stop)
Mile 3: 8:11
Mile 4: 8:11
Mile 5: 8:05
Mile 6: 8:40
Mile 7: 8:34
Mile 8: 8:15
Mile 9: 8:28
Mile 10: 8:22
Mile 11: 8:23
Mile 12: 8:18
Mile 13: 8:40 (special needs stop)
Mile 14: 8:25
Mile 15: 8:36
Mile 16: 8:42
Mile 17: 8:57
Mile 18: 8:37
Mile 19: 9:16
Mile 20: 8:49
Mile 21: 8:40
Mile 22: 9:08
Mile 23: 9:09
Mile 24: 8:56
Mile 25: 9:05
Mile 26: 9:06
Mile 0.2: 8:26

I think I counted 21 intentional walk breaks over 26 miles (see below)
Per my Garmin: 25.9 miles, 3:44.09 (8:39 min/mile), 843 feet elevation gain

Ironman tracker results for the run: 3:45.44 (8:36 min/mile), 3rd fastest AG group, 24th female run, 113rd overall

RESULTS
Swim: 59.38
T1: 6:20
Bike: 5:37.44
T2: 3:03
Run: 3:45.44
Overall: 10:32.29, 1st AG, 5th amateur female, 2019 Kona Qualified

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

2018 Trimarni Supporters and Affiliates

We would like to send a BIG thank you to our Trimarni sponsors and affiliates for supporting the Trimarni team:

• Run In - for helping us with our running gear/shoe needs
• Mg12 - for helping our muscles stay relaxed
• Clif Bar - for quality, organic ingredients in quality sport nutrition
• Carborocket - for providing a quality bike and run nutrition in tasty flavors
• Base nutrition - for making delicious bars and a variety of products to meet the needs of endurance athletes. And for being all around awesome. 
• Veronica's Health Crunch - for the most delicious hand made crunch - ever!
• Infinit - for customizable sport nutrition with safe and effective ingredients
• Levelen - for helping athletes optimize our hydration needs through sweat testing
• Hot Shot - for boosting neuromuscular performance and preventing muscle cramps
• Solestar - for maximum stability, better power transmission
• KLEAN for making quality products, tested to be clean and safe for athlete consumption.
• Boco Gear - for helping us race in style
• Canari - for the most comfortable, functional and stylish gear and for helping our athletes race in good-looking kits
• Amrita bars - for making the most delicious tasting, high-quality plant-based protein and energy bars. 
• Xterra - for the fastest, most comfortable wetsuit ever.
• Alto cycling - for engineering the fastest race wheels
• Swamp Rabbit Inn and Lodge - for keeping our campers happy with perfect lodging options
• Ventum - for designing a cool-looking bike that has been backed by research and top-notch engineering. I love my Ventum!

Ironman Austria '18 Race Report - 26.2 mile marathon

I was really hoping to write a run race report about a stellar run but that’s not the case. Another marathon run off the bike where I felt like I ran far below my potential. However, this is racing. If it was easy to improve, I probably wouldn’t do this sport. My fire for a faster marathon run still burns strong and I know I’ll get it done in one of these races. Nevertheless, the most important part of Ironman racing is managing what’s given to you on race day. A strong mind can power a tired body.
If I gave up every time an Ironman was hard, I would not have 13 Ironman finishes behind my name. I was given a very tough marathon run to tackle, with an empty mind and body. While the marathon fatigue is normal and expected, I just didn’t imagine it would hit me so hard and so early in the marathon. While I wanted to quit so badly as the fatigue and empty feeling was so intense that I thought there was no way that I could finish, somehow, I found deep inner strength and a soft voice in my head that helped me fight until the finish. It was a tough fight and one I hope to never have to repeat again but I’m happy that I never gave up and even on a bad run day, I was still able to put together a strong race and land on the podium in a strong, competitive international field.

After just a few minutes, my legs responded well to running off the bike which was such a relief. With every Ironman, it’s always a big question mark as to how the legs will feel running off the bike. I’ve had Ironmans where the first step was painful and then other races, when I felt like I was floating off the bike with no effort. I was really looking forward to the crowds so once I got about a mile into the course, I felt a lift of energy from the cheers. With the aid stations spaced out every 1.5K, I focused on breaking down the race one aid station to the next. Within each aid station I was focused on my form, rhythm and fueling from my hydration belt.

The first few miles went by fairly quickly. I found a good rhythm and I was holding a steady but sustainable pace. As I started running toward the town of Krumpendorf and received my lap one bracelt, I saw Karel and he didn’t look too speedy. He even cheered for me which he rarely does when he is racing. I was happy to see him and I gave him a smile. I was happy that my stomach felt good and I wasn’t worried about nutrition issues as the first few miles usually give me signs of how nutrition will sit for the marathon run and I wasn’t getting signs any signs that my tummy would be off during the race which was good.

The first two miles of the course really suit me as the terrain changes from the sidewalk trail to packed sand to cobbles/wood and then back to the trail and then sand again. I also loved the new addition to the course where we literally ran next to the finish line (but in the opposite direction) and the noise was intense from the fans – what a boost in energy! But then, around mile 3 or so, we just run on the road and a path and to be honest, my mind doesn’t really like the section in Krumpendorf as it feels really long to me. So I just focused on making my way around the town so that I could get greeted by the loud crowds again. I will say, however, there are spectators everywhere on this course so you never feel lonely. Once I got back to the “hot spot” it hit me hard – really hard. My body suddenly felt empty and I had no energy in me. I have never had this feeling come to me so early in an Ironman and as hard as it hit me and all I could think was that I was super low in energy. At the moment, I didn’t feel bonky but I just had nothing left in me. Ugh, this is going to be a long marathon.

I kept up with my nutrition in my hydration belt between the aid stations and then tried some coke at the aid station. I stopped and walked through and took me time to try to get my energy up. It helped a bit and found myself running again, feeling a little better. At this time, my mind was struggling – part of me wanted to quit and get this horrible feeling over with and the other part of me was trying to tell me that I didn’t come this far to quit. This conversation in my head went on for several more miles as I made my way to the downtown section of Klagenfurt. I shut up the voices in my head when I got closer to downtown as I love this part of the course as it’s a quick out and back in the downtown and running on the cobblestones with spectators around eating and drinking is such a cool feeling. I even rang the bell which gives money to charity each time it is rung. I even liked the slight down/uphill (the only terrain change on the course) right before/after downtown as it was nice to change up the rhythm in my legs. Since I naturally do better running on hills, I strategically did more of my training on the Swamp Rabbit Trial which is flat, in prep for this race. But I know that my body prefers hills – and oddly enough, I am typically faster running hills than on the flats.

Because the course is marked in kilometers, I was finding myself not getting wrapped up in the miles completed or how many more miles are left to go. I just focused on one aid station at a time and tried to use those as my check marks to remind me that I was making ground on the course. I started to walk a bit longer at the aid stations and continued on with coke from the aid stations (along with water and sponges) and my fuel between the aid stations from my hydration belt. It was warming up just a bit and when the sun came out, it felt rather hot so the sponges were really helpful. I avoided running through hoses as I didn’t want my shoes to get wet so I used the sponges to keep me cool and I held on to them between the aid stations and got new cold ones at the next aid station. I spotted Karel once more, as well as my athletes Natalie and Justine and I’m sure I looked far from my normal self as all my energy (whatever was there) was focused on moving myself forward as I had little energy to give to anyone else. It was just one of those days where I didn’t want to be racing but I had to convince myself that I did want to be there – this took many many miles.

As I was nearing the end of the first loop, I thought to myself that there was no way that I could finish. But strangely, even as my body and mind were giving up, I kept moving forward. It’s almost like my mind knows that I am not a quitter and it was keeping me going even though my body had nothing left. The good thing was that my running form was still good and even though my walk breaks at the aid stations were longer, I was still running OK between the aid stations (considering how I was feeling).

There were times when I found a rhythm and had a bit more energy but it never lasted long. I just tried to hold on to that feeling as long as I could and when it went away, I just hoped for it to come back. After making a quick stop at special needs for two new flasks (pre-mixed with powder and water) before grabbing my wrist band for loop two of the course, I spotted Karel’s friend Roman from Czech who gave me the best and worst news possible.

“Marni you are in 1^st age group and 2^nd is 2 minutes behind you.”

While this information was great to hear and told me that I was leading my age group on a day when I wasn’t putting together the race I had hoped for, I now had to commit to the race for if I gave up, there would be no possibility that I could be on the podium……and all this pain would be for nothing. For anyone who has raced an Ironman and has been in this position, it can be very exhausting to know that you have to commit to being competitive all the way to the end. But I also know that the race is never over until the end and a lot can happen in the last few miles so even if you find yourself in a position that you feel is no longer competitive, never ever give up for you never know what will happen in the last few miles.

At this point, my sub 10-hour and 3:35 marathon goal was far out the window so I had a new goal – stay on the podium for my age group. In order to do this, I had to stay mentally and physically strong. I still wanted to quit and stop the pain that I was feeling in my body but to keep myself going, I started to make really small goals for myself. The first goal was to finish the loop in Krumpendorf. I continued to walk the aid stations and take care of myself but my only focus was on the next 6 miles. My mind wasn’t focused on how many miles I had ran or how many was left in the marathon but just one this one section of the race. Once I completed the loop, I felt like I had finished the race because my mission was accomplished.

OK, next goal was to get to the aid station under a bridge which is close to the downtown section of Klagenfurt. Around this time, I was passed by the girl in my age group who was 2 minutes behind me. Since we are not body marked at Ironman Austria, the bib numbers tell you what age group you are in (written out and by color). I didn’t attempt to chase her as she was running really strong and I didn’t want to do anything silly and potentially not finish (how funny – I made this assessment after wanting to quit for a good 10 miles!). I continued to focus on myself and I was OK with 2^nd age group. But this kinda worried me as I didn’t know where 3^rd was and how close she was to passing me. I thought to myself that I’ve come this far, I really want to stay on the podium. I no longer cared about my finishing time and didn’t look at my watch as my focus was on my nearest competition.

Once I got into Klagenfurt, I felt relieved. I can do this! It was the craziest feeling to suddenly have energy. It was like all of a sudden I had convinced myself that I could finish when I spent a good 2 hours trying to figure out how I would get to the finish line with an empty body. After leaving Klagenfurt for the last time, everything became “the last time” for me. Passing this aid station for the last time. Passing this KM marker for the last time. Passing this destination for the last time. This gave me a lot of energy and although I wasn’t running any faster, it sure felt easier. My legs were so tired and my body was empty but I was still able to keep good form, despite not being able to move forward very quickly. Nonetheless, I was still running and I was going to finish this race!

As I was nearing the last mile, I was so excited to be so close to the finish line. Still, a long way to go in an Iroman as anything can happen in those last 10 minutes. As I was getting closer to the finish line, I couldn’t believe that I saw the girl who blazed by me in my age group – she was suffering, very badly. I was shocked that I caught back up to her, even though I knew she would win our age group since she started behind me and there was no more room in the race to gain 2 minutes back from her. But at this point, my body had one more fight in it and I ran passed her and “sprinted” to the finish line. I had to be careful as my legs were exhausted and there were a few turns to negotiate in the last quarter mile but I was so happy to have overcome one exhausting IM marathon to finish on the podium. I even heard Karel and his mom cheering for me from behind a fence.

I zipped up my tri top and high-fived a few spectators as I was nearing the finish line. Oh what a relief to finally cross that finish line on the magical red carpet at Ironman Austria. Although I was ready for the pain to stop, I really tried to enjoy the finish line as I worked so hard to get there.

Once I crossed the finish line, I couldn’t believe the day I had and how bad I wanted to quit. Once I met up with Karel (and his mom who was so happy for us both – this was her first time watching a triathlon), he told me that he didn’t have the day he wanted either and it was a really tough day for him as well. He also said that he felt really low in energy and it just wasn’t good day for him. Although we were both bummed about our performances – which we felt didn’t reflect our current fitness – it was still a performance to be proud of for a finish is worth celebrating. Plus, I was able to stand on the podium at the awards ceremony (they only do top 3 at international races) and Karel placed 5^th in his AG which is the highest he has ever placed here at Ironman Austria.


After taking a well-needed indoor shower in the athlete area (what a treat – a total highlight of the race!) and cleaning up (and enjoying ice cream and coffee from the local café), Karel and I went back out to the course to cheer for our athletes/friends. Although a tough day for us all, I’m proud of my body for fighting this one out and it was special to share the course with Karel, his mom, Justine and Natalie.

When I was on the run, I told myself that I was done with Ironman racing. No more, never again. I had enough with this pain and I never wanted to experience it again. Ha!

Well, it only took about 24 hours for me to feel the itch to race again. Thankfully, I have Ironman Wisconsin on my race schedule (Ironman #14!) and I can’t wait to tackle one of my favorite courses for the 3^rd time! Thank you body for letting me pursue my dreams and for letting me race for 140.6 miles! 

2018 Trimarni Supporters and Affiliates

We would like to send a BIG thank you to our Trimarni sponsors and affiliates for supporting the Trimarni team:

• Run In - for helping us with our running gear/shoe needs
• Mg12 - for helping our muscles stay relaxed
• Clif Bar - for quality, organic ingredients in quality sport nutrition
• Carborocket - for providing a quality bike and run nutrition in tasty flavors
• Base nutrition - for making delicious bars and a variety of products to meet the needs of endurance athletes. And for being all around awesome. 
• Veronica's Health Crunch - for the most delicious hand made crunch - ever!
• Infinit - for customizable sport nutrition with safe and effective ingredients
• Levelen - for helping athletes optimize our hydration needs through sweat testing
• Hot Shot - for boosting neuromuscular performance and preventing muscle cramps
• Solestar - for maximum stability, better power transmission
• KLEAN for making quality products, tested to be clean and safe for athlete consumption.
• Boco Gear - for helping us race in style
• Canari - for the most comfortable, functional and stylish gear and for helping our athletes race in good-looking kits
• Amrita bars - for making the most delicious tasting, high-quality plant-based protein and energy bars. 
• Xterra - for the fastest, most comfortable wetsuit ever.
• Alto cycling - for engineering the fastest race wheels
• Swamp Rabbit Inn and Lodge - for keeping our campers happy with perfect lodging options
• Ventum - for designing a cool-looking bike that has been backed by research and top-notch engineering. And for supporting athletes whe

Ironman Austria '18 Race Report - 112 mile bike

Since we rode one loop of the bike course on Wednesday afternoon on race week, it was nice having that recon ride fresh in my head going into race day. There was no part of the course that I was dreading as this bike course is fast but also includes a significant amount of climbing – around 5600 feet. I felt like I knew the course well enough to make tactical decisions when to push, hold back and where to take risks. With no rain predicted for race day (unlike the rain that we experienced the last two times in 2014 and 2016, although both were record breaking years), I was excited to show off my bike fitness on this course.

When I got on the bike after the swim, I enjoyed the short 90-degree turn with spectators lining the barricades. It was nice to hear all the cheers. The energy is so extreme in any Ironman but at Ironman Austria, it's really easy to get around for the spectators so the hot spots are super HOT with noise.

There was a short out and back section coming next so I used that section to settle into a rhythm and to find my cycling legs. Sadly, they didn’t respond well during that section so I gave my legs more time to wake-up before settling into my race day effort. Since I don’t race the bike with any metrics goals or guidelines, I can really stay in-tune with my body and adjust along the way. The first section of the bike is fairy flat and fast so the miles come quickly and fairly easily relative to what's to come later in the course. Surprisingly, I didn’t find myself stuck in groups of athletes so it was nice to just focus on my own effort. The rolling swim start really helps reduce the clutter of athletes/drafting that can occur on the early miles of a bike course, although in Europe, everyone seems to be a fast cyclist and the competition is fierce from the first swim stroke.

One of my favorite parts about this bike course is going through the many cute small towns. But I can't overlook the views.....those magnificent views that just get better and better as the course goes on! 

Because the course is essentially two loops (one small and one big - but the loops are located in Velden and not at T1/T2), it’s easy to break down the course mentally into sections and to focus on one section at a time. Each loop features one "big" climb but there are also other climbs to navigate along the way.

Although the weather was cool and it wasn’t extremely windy, it just didn’t feel like the fast day that we all thought it would be. The predicted high was only in the mid 70’s but I got warm at times on the course. I battled with a heavy feeling in my legs for the first hour of the bike and just when I thought my legs were opening up, I didn’t feel like I had the power to ride fast or strong. tried to stay calm and in the moment and just focused on what I could do well. I really took advantage of the descends but because of my small frame, I really have to work the downhills as much as possible – otherwise it’s wasted free speed for me. I also focused on my attitude, changing gears appropriately, nutrition and reminding myself that IM racing is a very long day of racing.

I often found myself with other male athletes as I was passing several women who were ahead of me from the swim. Nearing the end of the small loop, I didn’t feel that drafting was an issue as the groups that were together were small (5-7 athletes) and most were not drafting. While there were some groups that I saw ahead, I never found myself in one. Thankfully there were a lot of officials out there – and I felt like I had one by me for most of the ride on the first lap and even some of the 2^nd lap. I made sure to ride a legal distance at all times and to be very strategic when passing the male athletes ahead of me so that I wouldn't get a penalty. I would often wait until I was on a climb or they were drinking or refilling a bottle to pass just to make sure that I didn’t have to expend more energy than needed to make the pass. I even had an official yell at a guy who passed me as I was trying to make a pass and then the athlete blocked me from continuing on with my pass. The ref was in my favor so that was nice to see them keeping things fair.

Nearing the big climb on the bigger loop, my legs slowly started to wake up. I felt like I had done a good job with my liquid nutrition but I also made an effort to nibble a little on my PB pretzel MOJO clif bar just to give a little substance in my belly throughout the race. I did notice that I was falling a little short on my liquid calories nearing the end of the first loop of the bike course which concerned me a little bit but I didn’t try to make up for it by overdoing it on fluids and end up with a sloshy stomach on the run.

Knowing the course (3^rd time racing here) was extremely beneficial as I knew all the turns and descends which helped me ride confident but also manage my gears appropriately. Not looking at my overall time or speed, I had no way of knowing how I was doing on this day but the bike just felt slow compared to years past.

As I was nearing the end of the first loop, my first thought was “ugh, another loop” which is just not like me. I was feeling tired and not looking forward to another 2000+ feet of climbing, especially as it felt like it was getting a little more windy and warming up a bit. I guess it wasn't the best place to have a low moment - right before the transition area before heading out to another 2.5 hours of riding.

I received a great energy boost from the crowd when making the 90-degree turn outside of the transition area and I was looking forward to making a quick stop at special needs to get fresh new bottles of my INFINIT (already mixed in advance). I was around a good group of athletes going into the second lap which made me not want to stop at special needs but I couldn’t let that stop my strategy/plan for the day. Since I rode past special needs when starting my first loop I knew exactly where my bag was so I could roll up to it and stop real quick. The volunteer had my bag out when I stopped so it was a super quick stop to grab my bottles and get rolling again. I had thrown out my other bottles at the aid station so I only needed to remove one bottle from my cage when I got to special needs. I was again varied my flavors in my bottles to prevent taste bud fatigue. I had four different flavors on my bike so that no two hours had the same flavor. 

When I started going again I found myself riding by myself for a while which actually was a good thing as my legs finally started to come around and I felt so much stronger than in the first loop. I had passed one female professional and I saw I was nearing up to my friend Kelly Fillnow who was racing professional. When I got close to her, she told me that she was having an off day and her mind wasn’t in it and I told her I felt the same way. It was actually really nice to be close to someone that I knew. Kelly is a super strong and positive athlete so I knew it just wasn’t her day but she was still so encouraging which was giving me great energy. She also told me that Karel passed her and he was riding really strong.

As for my other half - Karel actually had an ok day on the bike – not fast but he was happy that his back didn’t hurt and despite all the stressful experiences with his bike going into the race, he was just happy to be riding his bike. He also said that he rode most of the bike my himself – which is certainly a new trade-off for him as a faster swimmer. In the past he would be passing athletes due to his slower swim, which would give him a bit of a draft effect for the early part of the bike. Now, as a faster swimmer, he is riding near the front of he race with much more of a solo effort. I was bummed that I never saw Karel on the bike course so that was one of my motivations to get off the bike to see Karel.

I felt myself getting stronger as the bike went on although I found it to be really windy at times which meant I needed to really focus on good execution and riding my bike well. I continued to find myself around male athletes and ended up not seeing another female until a speedy girl passed me with about 15 or 20K to go in the entire bike ride. She was riding super strong and there was no way I could attempt to ride with her. Although I wasn't close to having the fastest amateur female bike split of the day, I was only passed by one female which was encouraging and it wasn't until the last 30 minutes or so of the bike ride.

I was so happy that I was finishing the bike feeling strong. I felt like I rode the climbs well, descended well and boy, what a big difference in mental and physical state compared to first loop. I guess it just shows you that the Ironman is full of up and downs and when you think you have no energy to give, the body wakes up and you suddenly have that energy you were missing. But then, the opposite occurs – you think you are in a good place and boom, all energy is gone. That's why we always say to enjoy the highs when they come because that just means that a low will be coming soon.

I did happen to switch the screen over on my bike computer before finishing the bike and I was shocked to see how I rode. I averaged only 0.1 mph slower this year than in 2016, and on a much tougher day (20.7 mph this year compared to 20.8mph in 2016).

As I was nearing the bike I was actually looking forward to the run. I have worked really hard on my running form and resilience this year and based on my workouts, I was in the best run shape of my life. I was thrilled that today was finally the day I could show off my hard work.

Nearing the end of the bike, I slipped my feet out of my shoes so I could keep my cycling shoes on my bike since I had a long way to run from my bike rack to the run gear bags. I decided to stop at the potty once again in T2 just to empty myself so that I didn’t have to worry about finding a bathroom on the run course just in case I had to go. Plus there were several available port-o-johns so it was a quick stop. It felt great to go and start the run with an empty stomach and bladder.

I quickly changed into my run gear and funny enough, left the run with Kelly. However, she quickly ran away from me as she is super speedy. My legs felt so-so starting the run (which is to be expected after biking 111 miles – not quite 112 but one mile longer than the last two times we raced here) but after a few minutes they woke up and I found my rhythm and I was ready to tackle this Ironman marathon.

Ironman Austria '18 Race Report - 2.4 mile swim

2.4 mile swim

With two previous great swim performance at Ironman Austria (my first 1-hour swim and first sub 1-hour swim of 57 minutes), a little part of me was looking forward to a fast swim but a big part of me was wondering - will my body know what to do for 2.4 miles? I tried to clear those thoughts and just focus on the present moment and to not jump ahead with any thoughts on the outcome. This is the reason why I don’t wear a watch when I swim in races as I don’t want a time to get into my head or dictate how my day will go or is going.

When I got to the first buoy, I settled into a good rhythm. Because of the rolling start, there were not clumps of athletes but I always found myself next to other swimmers. Thankfully it wasn’t sunny out (very overcast) so this helped with sighting. Plus, I always wear a fresh new pair of goggles for an Ironman which makes for fog-free swimming. The water felt a bit choppy at times but I found a good rhythm and really focused on my stroke and grabbing the water and moving myself forward. I was able to swim side by side by a few fast swimmers but I also found myself passing a lot of athletes. Even thought Karel and I started somewhat together in the water, I didn't focus on his race or try to swim with him.

Many times when I swim, I find myself by another swimmer who is veering of course and swimming into me but I don’t let these things suck the energy out of me. Most of the time I just laugh and think “dude – where are you going?” Whenever I found myself thinking how far I still had to swim, I just rerouted my thoughts to focusing on getting from one buoy to the next, imaging myself in the pool covering distance like I was swimming continuous 100 yards.

Once I made the first left hand turn (keeping buoys on my left), I found myself drifting away from the course. I felt like I was having to counteract this push by swimming at a diagonal just to get myself back on course. Finally I made my way back on the course by the buoys. I don’t like to swim too close to the buoys as it is usually more cluttered and harder to keep my swimming rhythm so I am ok to swim a little out from the buoys but this time I felt way too far. It only took a few minutes of swimming before I found myself back on course. Once I made the next/last turn, it was time to swim straight to the canal. The water was getting a lot more choppy but I felt myself getting stronger with each stroke as if my body was finally waking up. There were plenty of buoys on the course which made it easy to sight. I warmed up nicely in the water but oddly, I got a little cold on the way to the canal – it lasted only a few buoys and then I warmed up again.

I typically like to build my effort as the swim distance progresses in a half or full distance Ironman so once I entered the canal for the last 1000 meters, I really picked up the effort. I love swimming in this canal as it makes me feel like I am in a pool as I can see myself moving forward with lots of spectators cheering on both sides and on the bridges that we swim underneath. The canal is rather shallow but deep enough to take a full swim stroke (at least for me and my 5-foot frame). It’s quite the swimming experience!

I had plenty of room in the canal as it wasn’t too packed when I got there so I could really focus on my own rhythm. Once I saw the two big orange buoys to signal that we were at the end of the course, I started to make my way to the right to make a hard right turn to the swim exit. My immediate thought when I was pulled out of the water by the volunteers to get on the ramp to exit the swim was that my swim didn’t feel super fast- I was guessing I swam around 1:01-1:02 as it just felt like a slow swim because of the chop, me getting slightly off course and my body taking some time to wake-up in the water. Of course, I was just guessing as I had no way of knowing my swim time without a watch (and no clock at the swim exit) but that’s what it felt like. But once I started running to make my way to the transition area (it’s a loooong way to run), I felt the energy from the crowd and it felt good to be out of the water and on my way to my bike.

T1
At Ironman Austria, all athletes share the same "changing" tent so there is no men and women’s changing area (unless you do need to change/get naked and then you can go behind a curtain wall). Because of this, the tent is much busier than I am use to in the states - which it is nice to have so many athletes around as it reminds me that we are all in this journey together. I also saw several ladies around which reminded me how competitive the field is here in Austria. There were lots of volunteers and I had a nice lady helping me out as I transitioned from swim to bike. She put on my bib belt for me around my waist (required to be worn on the bike on your back) as I put on my compression socks and helmet. I opted to wear compression socks instead of socks + calf sleeves as I often get blisters from wearing the socks + sleeves combo while racing. This required me to take off my chip to put on my compression socks (I didn't want to put the socks over my chip as I was worried it would be too tight) but I put the chip in my mouth just to make sure I wouldn’t forget to put it back on (versus lying it on the bench).

Instead of putting on my cycling shoes in the tent, I carried them with me to my bike which was in the very last row before the bike exit. The transition area is really long! But first, before running to my bike, I made a quick trip to the bathroom. I’ve learned from many Ironmans that it’s much better to use the transition area to empty yourself versus needing to go when on the bike or run. Let’s just call it being proactive versus reactive. Once I got to my bike, I turned on my bike computer and put on my cycling shoes by my bike and ran my bike out to the mount line and started my ride. I was really looking forward to the bike as I wanted to showcase my improved cycling fitness and skills. I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed that Karel’s bag and bike (on the same rack as mine) was gone before I arrived which meant he once again beat me out of the swim. I'm ok with this so long as it's only by seconds and not minutes. 😁 

2018 Ironman Austria Finishers - quick recap

As of yesterday, Karel and I have now completed a combined 23 Ironman races. With every race, we learn something about the art of Ironman racing. While physical readiness is important, the race requires such great mental toughness. With every Ironman, we get a one-day opportunity to test both our mental and physical skills. While we always hope for that perfect day of racing, we know very well that that day rarely comes but just a few times in an athlete's career. Therefore, the other 98% of races require a lot of focus, determination and strong will to not give up in order to reach the finish line. And let's not forget about all those mental demons trying to convince you that the pain is not worth the finishing medal and that quitting is the best option. 

After crossing our 3rd Ironman Austria finish line (my 13th Ironman and Karel's 10th finish/11th start), Karel and I can honestly say that this was one of the hardest 140.6 mile adventures that we have ever had to take our body on and to be honest - it wasn't a day full of smiles, enjoyment and fun. We both struggled all day, at various times, throughout the entire race. While there were some highs, there were many, many lows. It was one of those days where the body and mind were not working well together. I'm not sure how it worked but something in the mind kept us going when we wanted to quit a thousand times on the marathon run. Typically, the pain that is felt in the later miles of an Ironman marathon is anticipated but this time, the pain was just so deep and uncomfortable that it was a constant struggle to run 26.2 miles in that type of hurt. Thankfully no nutrition issues or other issues - just not enough energy to speed up my pace. There was A LOT of walking through the aid stations to reset my mind and body from mile 6-24.

The highlight of the day was Karel swimming his first 1-hour swim in a speedy low 58 minutes. Of course, he had to one-up me and beat me in the water by 28 seconds. I am just happy that my 57 min swim from 2016 Ironman Austria was not a fluke and I have another legit 1-hour wetsuit swim in my Ironman resume. Karel felt so-so for the bike, especially since he rode most of the bike solo as the rolling start swim (8 athletes every 5-6 seconds) really separated the field. My legs didn't come around on the bike until the 2nd loop when I finally started to feel a little more like myself. But the first loop was a struggle and I almost debated stopping at half way on the bike.

If it wasn't for Roman (Karel's friend from Czech) telling me that I was leading my age group around half way of the run, I was ready to give up. But hearing that I was still having a competitive race despite not feeling very competitive, it somehow kept me going. Karel couldn't believe that he finished 5th (out of over 400!) in his very competitive age group. The weather was nearly perfect for the swim and bike and although it did feel a little warm when the sun came out on the run and it was very windy on the bike (and choppy in the water at times), the conditions were tolerable for racing. We have raced in far worse conditions but something was just off all day. But that's ok - that's all part of racing. You can't feel great all the time and you can't get much accomplished if you only start (and finish) races on the days you feel good.

With every Ironman finisher medal, there's a story behind what it took to earn that medal. This medal's are not given away but you have to work for them.....really, really hard. While the day did not go as Karel and I hoped for it to go, we are not disappointed in our performance for that's part of racing. You savor the few races when everything seems to fall into place and you test your mental strength and learn things when your body falls apart. This race took every ounce of willpower to not quit and despite the all-day struggles, I'm so glad that we didn't give up.

Thank you for the cheers and support - we could feel your energy all day!

Also a huge congrats to our athletes Justine and Natalie for finishing their first experience of racing Ironman Austria! It was so awesome to share this race with them! Proud coach moment to witness our athletes grit it out to the finish line!

And it was so special to have Karel's mom out cheering for us as it was the first time she has watched Karel race in a triathlon!

RESULTS

Marni 
2.4 mile swim: 58.48
T1: 6:08
112 mile bike: 5:20.58
T2: 4:03
26.2 mile run: 3:53.15
Total: 10:23.10, 2nd AG 35-39 (out of 64), 22nd female (out of 336), 344th overall (out of 2315)

Karel
2.4 mile swim: 58.20
T1: 4:31
112 mile bike: 5:03.29
T2: 3:01
26.2 mile run: 3:10.43
Total: 9:20.02, 5th AG 40-44 (out of 411), 36th male (out of 1977), 41st overall (out of 2315)

IM Choo Race Report - Post race/awards/Kona slots

Karel and I waited for Thomas, our next athlete (of 14) to finish the race before we headed back to the parking garage to change out of our sweaty, sport drink covered, wet kits. I was moving very slow after the race and like usual, my body was not yet interested in solid food. I didn't feel dehydrated at the finish (no GI issues, nausea or anything abnormal) but I did take a few sips of water at the finish line to wash out my mouth. I went into the food tent and since the food selection was unappetizing to me at that time, I ate a few orange slices and grabbed a coke to give me some sugar and calories before heading over to bag/gear check-out. I know my body well (and Karel's body) and after an endurance event, it's amazing how quick the blood sugar can drop so sipping on some sugar (or having something with quick digesting carbs) is always good prevention to a possible post-race low energy moment. Anticipating what was coming next, my body started to tighten up and it was extremely hard to bend my quads. Stepping up and down curbs was painful. As the endorphins started to dissapear, my body wanted nothing to do with moving. It's always amazing how my body can keep moving until the finish line of an Ironman and then after a few minutes, my body completely shuts down and wants nothing to do with any movement whatsoever.

Once we grabbed our bikes/bags, we slowly made our way to the parking garage and up the elevator and to our car. Karel was moving a little quicker than me since he finished over an hour before me. After we changed into clean clothes, we made our way down the stairs (backwards for me to avoid bending my quads) and back out to the finish line area. It was so fun to turn on our phones (which had been off since 7am) and read see all of the texts and messages on social media. Thank you to all who tracked us! 

Even though Karel and I are athletes, we are also coaches and we take our coaching job very seriously. No matter how tired or exhausted we are after a race, we make sure to support our athletes and watch everyone finish. Justine and Katja were at different places on the run course so that they could keep us updated with how everyone was looking/doing. Karel was on the hill just outside of the finishing chute and I had my Ironman tracker loaded with all 14 of our athletes (thank goodness for my portable phone charger!). I secured a spot right near the exit of the finishing area so that I could watch each one of our athletes finish and then give each person a big hug. It was so special to see everyone but also neat to see their expressions at the finish line and then right after they processed what they just accomplished. 

 

I guess Justine had told everyone how I did (most of our athletes had asked her during the race) because just before I congratulated each of our athletes, they were congratulating us. What a special moment for athlete and coach. I had no idea what time of the day it was until I called my mom and realized that it was nearing 9:30pm! The day went by so quickly! I was started to get a little hungry so Karel bought me salty french fries - oh so good! I also sipped on a bottle of mineral water that I had in the car waiting for me for after the race. Karel had french fries and a chicken sandwich as he was waiting for me to finish. 

Congrats to all of our athletes - All Trimarnis started and everyone finished!!!
(And thank you to Justine and Katja for your cheers and the other Trimarni spectators/fans for your support!) 

Elizabeth Coleman - First Ironman! 13:20.29
Thomas Skelton - First Ironman! 10:50.25
Kim Crist - 14:46.21
Robb Fordham - 11:50.45
Heidi Hogan - 12:33.52
Julie Huyett - 13:01.39
JoAnn Johnson - 13:56.52
Rob Johnson - 12:36.06
Stephanie Lefkowitz - 13:32.48. 11th AG (25-29)
Bryan Milling- 12:30.07
Kathy Petri - 12:32.29. 5th AG (55-59)
Alvaro Velez -11:49.10
Lisa Klueppel - 13:06.00
Dana Spark - 13:18.14
Karel Sumbal - 9:20.55. 2nd overall amateur male. 1st AG (40-44). 3rd overall. 
Marni Sumbal - 10:28.50. 1st overall amateur female. 1st AG (35-39), 10th overall female.

Once everyone finished, it was time to get a real meal in our belly. At 10pm, our options were limited but thankfully the Blue Plate was open. It was fun to see so many athletes and spectators there and we were joined by a few of our athletes. I always crave fatty/salty food after an Ironman and even though I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach much, I ordered an egg and cheese sandwich on brioche bread. After dinner, we watched some of the final finishers until midnight (official race finish at 12:40) and then it was time to head back home as the day was finally catching up to us and we were in desperate need of a shower.

After we arrived back home around 12:30am, I had a well-needed shower (no chaffing - yippee!) and then it was time for bed. Like I expected, I slept for about 3 hours and then I tossed and turned with restless legs until I officially got out of bed around 7am or so. Every step was painful and it was so hard to move my legs but the pain was all worth it. 

On Monday morning, we walked the 1 mile to the convention center to move some blood, even though it was so exhausting as every part of my body was aching. It was fun to spend that time talking with Elizabeth and Thomas about their first-time Ironman experience. 

The breakfast at the celebration party was delicious and it was fun to be there with so many of our athletes. 

It was special to see Karel receive his first overall age group win in an Ironman. Although Karel started the sport late in his life (36 years old in 2012), he has made so much progress since his first Ironman in 2013. His journey has required a lot of hard work and patience and despite being filled with a few obstacles and setbacks, he really enjoys the sport of triathlon. Karel was happy about his 2nd place male finish but more so, he couldn't believe that he finished 3rd overall out of everyone in the race (Karel was beat by Liz Lyles who won the race). Even though he was a little disappointed in his run after the race, the more he processed the day and looked at the results, he had the 2nd fastest male run of the day. This is why we don't like to chase times in a triathlon, especially in an Ironman. Fast is all relative to the day and for us, the challenging run course combined with the heat made for a very tough day for everyone.  

After my recent setback two weeks ago in Chattanooga, this podium (and overall win) meant so much to me. When Tom Z. finished announcing the winners in the 35-39 age group, he proceeded to tell the audience that I was the most tracked athlete per the Ironman tracker of the day. Thank you everyone for tracking - apparently my race was much more suspenseful/interesting than I thought it was when I was racing! 

After the awards, we watched the race video  and then waited until it was time for the Kona slot distribution/roll down at 11am. Although we were waiting for Karel to earn his Kona slot for 2018 IM Kona, it's always fun and exciting to see athletes receive their Kona slot (especially for a roll down). Considering that this Ironman is one of the earliest Ironman's to qualify for next year's Ironman World Championship, roll down slots are not that popular. Because I decided after IM Kona 2015 that I would take a long break from racing in Kona until I felt ready to be competitive there, I was looking forward to giving my Kona slot to another deserving athlete. Although Karel's age group had 4 slots, my age group only had 2. And because I have already registered for my two Ironman races for next year (IM Austria and IMWI), it was an easy decision to let another deserving female athlete in my age group enjoy the IM Kona experience, especially for the 40th anniversary. 

Karel has focused on IM Choo all season long as his IM Kona qualifying race. Even though he earned (and declined) a Kona spot this year in Lake Placid, he was excited to finally. accept the slot in Chattanooga. After Karel paid for his entry, it was time to head back to the house. It was not even noon and we were exhausted so it was time for a little nap. We had all intentions to do some sightseeing but after our nap, we were hungry and in need of calories. 

We went to the Terminal Brewhouse which was amazing (thanks Thomas for the recommendation). We started off with an appetizer and then dove into our entree. Heidi, Elizabeth, Karel, Justine, Karel and I enjoyed talking about the race and like usual, there were no shortage of laughs and funny moments, as well as fun stories from race day. 

With so many yummy choices, I went with The Herbivore (portobellow, button shrooms, onionsa nd feta pesto) stuffed inside cooked pizza dough. It was AHmazing. 

Karel ordered the Buffaloaf (super lean bison loaded with potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, house spices and tommed with balsamic glaze, served with whiskey baked beans and veggies).

After our meal, we slowly made our  way back to the house and sadly, it was time to start packing and cleaning up the house for our departure on Tues morning.

Chattanooga was good to us (and our athletes) and we had an incredible time making memories and doing amazing things with our bodies for 144.6 miles. Although we both don't feel ready for the triathlon season to come to an end, we will turn the page to this chapter in our life as we get ready for another exciting season of Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition and a fun upcoming year of race-cations. 

Thanks for reading! 

Ironman Chattanooga - quick recap

After our last race of every season, Karel and I like to reflect on the previous season and set new realistic and bold goals for the next season. Rather than overanalyzing single race results and critiquing every detail of every race, we like to focus on the season as a whole so that we can do a better job of training and racing smarter for the next season.

Over the past 11 years of endurance triathlon racing (five for Karel), we have learned to let go of expectations, assuming that the only way to reach a goal is to perfectly follow a plan or to avoid setbacks all together. This doesn't mean that we don't set big goals for ourselves but rather, we recognize that accomplishing a goal requires going with the flow of life and staying in the moment on race day.

Life transitions, whether it's an injury, fainting and smashing your face on the floor on race day morning or balancing training during a stressful period at work, can cause a significant amount of stress, making it difficult to stay focused and committed to your training and racing goals. But we are not ones for excuses.

As age group triathletes, our swimbikerun lifestyle is a hobby. Although we are passionate about the sport of triathlon and triathlon enriches our life and connects us with like-minded, inspiring individuals, we have learned that there are plenty of setbacks, obstacles and changes in our way as we try to successfully integrate training into our life. Therefore, rather than training and racing with one clear path, we have learned to adjust to everything that comes our way.

Over this past season, we have experienced unexpected great results and unwanted setbacks. But with every change, we became stronger, more confident and better prepared for what comes next in our training journey. Because most setbacks are neither desired or expected, Karel and I have learned to never give up on goals just because the plan doesn't go as planned. And while a hard work ethic, a healthy lifestyle and dedication to training paves the way to race day accomplishments, never do we expect our triathlon journey to be smooth and easy.

Whereas Karel set a high goal of winning his age group and qualifying for Kona at Ironman Chattanooga, my season ended on a very low note as I blacked out on race day morning of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, which resulted in my first DNS and a very empty feeling in my heart after the race.

When Karel suggested for me to register for Ironman Chattanooga (Foundation entry as the general entry was closed) and participate in the race with 14 of our athletes, it just felt right. It was almost like it was meant to be for me to register for Ironman Chattanooga just 10 days out from race day, without spending my season focusing on training and racing the Ironman distance. I arrived excited and grateful for the opportunity and all day, I raced with a smile. Karel raced confident all day and never doubted his ability to accomplish his big goal.

It's hard to summarize all of the thoughts and feelings that Karel and I have right now after completing Ironman Chattanooga. Honestly, I am still in shock over what happened during and after 144.6 miles of racing.

While I try to gather the right descriptions to describe this exciting race experience, I will leave you with our race results. Thank you for all of the cheers, support and positive vibes over the past two weeks and especially on race day.

Karel: 9:20.55, 1st AG (40-44), 2nd amateur, 3rd overall, Kona qualified (accepted slot)
Swim (2.4 miles): 47:05
T1: 3:08
Bike (116 miles): 5:08.14
T2: 2:40
Run (26.2 miles): 3:19.52

Marni: 10:28.50, 1st AG (35-39). 1st amateur female. 10th overall female, Kona qualified (declined slot)
Swim: 47.00
T1: 4:12
Bike: 5:33.23 T2: 3:00
Run: 4:01.18

And congrats to all 14 of our athletes who started and finished Ironman Chattanooga!! It was extremely special to share the course with our Trimarni athletes!

IM Austria race report - 26.2 mile run

Not feeling so great within the first 1/2 mile of the run, my first thought was that this is going to be one tough marathon for my body to get through.

To be honest, after 10 Ironman starts and finishes, this wasn't the first time that I have thought this or experienced this feeling, so I just reminded myself that the only way I would get to the finish was to keep moving forward.

While I felt physically fit and prepared for IM Austria, I did a lot of mental training to help me prepare for the uncontrollable moments and the uncomfortable moments of racing a 140.6 mile event.  I was prepared mentally for anything that came my way on race day.
And oh boy, was I given a lot to struggle with during the marathon!

Going into Ironman Austria, I reminded myself that I was in great health and that any suffering that I felt on race day was normal and expected. I welcomed the opportunity to suffer for 10+ hours and I wanted to embrace the good hurt that I would feel when racing to the best of my athletic ability.

I've learned that having a goal pace or goal time in the Ironman run can cause a great amount of stress and pressure for me so my only goal for the run was to find and establish and then hold good run form with rhythm and fluency. This is something that I have learned from Karel as he always tells me that he runs with a metronome-style of running and no matter how fast or slow his time shows on his watch, he doesn't care about the time but instead, finding that rhythm and then holding it until he becomes numb with this feeling and he can then just go with it by digging deep and staying mentally tough.

While Karel and I don't do the typical "long run" training (in Jan/Feb we do some longer slow runs around 2 hours but in my peak training, my longest run was 13.1 miles - at Rev3 Knoxville and Karel's longest run was 15 miles, with most of his runs around 13-14 miles), we race with our resilient bodies that are strong, healthy and durable. It takes a lot of courage to trust that you are "ready" to run an Ironman without the fear-based long-run training to see if you are "ready" for the marathon but we both felt ready for the marathon.

But of course, feeling ready and then dealing with the obstacles that you face on or before race day is just part of endurance racing.

For the first 3 miles, my stomach was not feeling good. But somehow, I was able to find a semi-good rhythm despite feeling uncomfortable in my gut. The crowds were cheering loud as I ran through Europapark which is always an instant energy booster.
Thankfully, the rain had stopped and the sky stayed dark so the weather was absolutely perfect for running.

There is one section in the run that we pass through 5 times, with the 5th time being the last time as we veer to the left to the long chute to the finish line.  

While I was really looking forward to this "hot spot" as a mental check-off point that I was making forward progress in the run, the Ironman Austria run course is my absolute favorite Ironman run courses as it has everything I love in a marathon run:
Cobblestones, sand, paved trail, loops, grass, a downtown, a neighborhood, water and mountain views and lots of crowd support.
While there are no significant hills, it's relatively flat with a few bumps to wake-up the quads...not to mention the curbs you have to run on and off of as you are entering and exiting downtown Klagenfurt.

I need a lot of mental stimulation when I run and not to mention the kilometer signs (instead of mile markers) to make me think (I love doing math when I run - it helps me tune-out the pain in my legs), I was really excited for this run course.

But first, I needed to figure out my stomach situation.
While my legs felt heavy at first, they started to feel better once the terrain changed from pavement to sand.
As I was running near the town/neighborhood of Krumpendorf, I spotted Karel running toward me as he was a few miles ahead of me since he finished a little over 20 minutes ahead of me on the bike.
I wasn't sure what condition Karel would be in off the bike based on his back pain going into the race and anything he had to overcome on the bike but even when he was in intense pain before the race on the bike, he felt ok on the run. I know he was just thinking that if he could get through the bike, he would be ok for the run and would just take it mile by mile, willing to drop out of the race if he had to (but we knew this would be hard as he really didn't want to DNF this race).

When I saw him, I gave him a big smile and a wave and he yelled back "Go Marni". This was certainly a surprise as Karel rarely talks when he is in race mode so I really appreciated this gesture. I wasn't sure what to think of his running form but I was just happy to see that he was running.

I felt like I really needed to use the bathroom so I planned to stop when I approached the first potty on the course. Well, my digestive tract was impatient so found the nearest bushes. It was a bit of a struggle to get off my one-piece short sleeve tri suit. No need to feel sorry for me or feel grossed out by this as I respect the human body and all that it has to handle on race day and well, sometimes things just don't work out like we would like.
I embraced this obstacle and my primary goal was to get through this stomach situation so I could get running again.

I was feeling a bit frustrated after this stop because I still didn't feel good for the next few miles.
I really wanted to stay up on my sport nutrition from my hydration belt but ever time I took a sip, I felt the urge to go to the bathroom again.
With the aid stations occuring about every 2.5K (or about every 1.5 miles), I skipped two aid stations and withheld from taking in any calories for over 15 minutes.
I was anxious to get back to taking in calories and fluids as I needed the energy but by mile 4 of still not feeling good, I needed this situation to go away as soon as possible.

A few more miles ticked by and I was able to still run with semi good form but my mind was not in the right place as I wasn't thinking about the metronome style of running that I wanted to achieve but instead, my mind was thinking about my tummy and how to best get through this situation.

As I made my way through the park again and on to the path toward downtown Klagenfurt, I was so relieved to make it this far. I knew I'd be seeing my mom in a few miles which made me happy to see a familiar face. 

Although I was going through a lot in the first 7 miles of the run, I still hadn't seen another female amateur close by me - but there was a good chance that with 3 potty stops so far on the run (plus one in T2), I may have been passed by girls and not even know it.

Before I approached downtown Klagenfurt, a girl passed me. We ran close to each other for a while which gave me a glimmer of hope that even though I had all these struggles, I was still making progress - I couldn't have asked for any more at this point in the race!

I laughed because at my 4th potty stop, the girl I was running with also stopped. We entered at the same time and left at the same time and we went back to running close to each other.

As I was getting close to downtown Klagenfurt, the crowds were getting thick and I was so excited to get some energy from the crowds. I could smell all the good food from the outdoor seating at the restaurants which made me smile - at least others were yumming while we were suffering.

I was hoping to see Karel again but I suppose we missed each other.

The downtown section was exciting and I finally came to terms with my tummy that I would sit in the potty until I was ready to exit and no more short stops.
What felt like forever, I finally felt better. 
I also decided that I needed to ditch my hydration belt at an aid station (by a fence) as I was still dealing with some distention and my hydration belt was extremely uncomfortable. While I love my hydration belt and tried to keep it on for 12 miles, it was time to use the nutrition from the course.
On to coke and water for the next 14 miles.

This is Karel running through downtown Klagenfurt - my mom snapped the pic. 

 
This is me entering downtown Klagenfurt - my mom snapped the pic.

As I was leaving downtown, I spotted my mom and told her that my stomach was not feeling good. She told me to hang in there and that I was doing great. 

She yelled something at me and I thought she said "you have a 11-minute lead" but after thinking about it, I thought she said you are in 11th.

Regardless of what she said and what I heard, I needed to hear this.

Something inside of me switched from suffering with my belly to needing and wanting to suffer with my body to get on the podium. Regardless if it was true or not, I convinced myself that I was going to get on that podium and I needed to believe that to get me through the rest of the marathon.

Suddenly, my legs started working and my stomach felt better. I was making a lot of forward progress and I actually felt strong. I embraced the hurt I was feeling and I was also happy to have passed the longest distance I had run in training.

When I went through the "hot spot" once again, I received another wrist band (think hair band) for my 2nd loop of the run. To get this band, a volunteer opens up the band and you stick your hand through. I received a yellow one when I started my first loop and a green one when I started the 2nd loop.
I didn't pick up my special needs flasks since I no longer had my hydration belt.

Now that I got through all those tummy issues, it was time to start playing the mind games. First, I thought how great it would be to finish now since I was running by the finishing chute but that was just wishful thinking. Still 11+ more miles to go! I told myself that all I needed to do was to get through the Krumpendorf section and then through Europapark (around 5-6 miles or so) and then it would be smooth sailing for the rest of the run. Sure, I knew this wouldn't be the case but I have learned that not only do you have to cut deals with yourself but you have to make yourself to think about anything you can to make a given situation better.

I had incorporated several walks into my running now that I was able to run more steady, whereas before, I wasn't walking the aid stations as I was doing enough stopping at each potty stop.

I felt like I was running really "fast" (relatively speaking) through Krumpendorf but when I got back on the trail to head back to the "hot spot", I felt a low. I just told myself to keep on moving forward, which I did.

I was surprised that my legs were running as well as they were considering all that had happened in the first 2 hours of the marathon run but nonetheless, my legs were fatigued. Every foot strike was painful but I tried to keep my mind in a good place that this was exactly what I had trained for.

As I was leaving the hot spot, I spotted Karel. My first thought was "I am SO jealous that he is finishing now!!!" but then I cheered for him. Later he told me that it took him a few minutes to process that he heard me as he was in a world of hurt from racing hard (not from an injury, thank goodness) and was just laser focused on the finish line.

I figured I had a good 45+ minutes until I reached the finish line so I was on a mission to get there as soon as I could so that I could reunite with Karel and my mom.

Every time I crossed a timing mat I felt like I was connecting with all my friends and Trimarni followers so it kept me focused that I knew people were tracking us online.

While I told myself that the rest of the race would be "easy" as I was running near Krumpendorf, I started to feel a painful cramping in my belly. Seriously?
Ok, I can get through this. I knew that the best thing in this situation was to stop as I couldn't risk to run with bad form this late in the race so I stopped at the next aid station, stretched out my core, took in some water and coke and walked until I felt better. While it didn't feel better right away, it slowly loosened up and what a relief, in less than a mile I was back to running again.

As I went through downtown once more, I noticed that there were some girls close behind me.
I gave myself permission to walk at one more aid station with 2.5-3 miles to go and then I was going to suffer like I have never suffered before.

I passed the girl who had passed me on the run earlier in the race and I also ended up passing the girl who passed me on the run.

I still had no idea what place I was in but I told myself that I had to be near the top of the age grouper females and I just had to stay focused to the finish line.

Every foot strike was scary as it hurt in my quads but I reminded myself that the pain I was feeling was nothing new as I had felt this pain 10 times before.
Plus, with no more tummy issues, I welcomed the hurt from pushing hard.

I had yet to look at my overall time, my running pace or any other metric on the run so like I normally do in an Ironman, with less than 2 miles to go, I look at the time of the day on my watch to see what my overall time may be.

Throughout the marathon, I was doing a little math - not knowing my swim time but guessing it was 59 minutes and then knowing that my bike time was something over 5:16 (as that was the last time I looked at my Garmin on the bike, before the transition area), I was thinking that I was going to finish around 10:20-10:25 based on all that I had to go through on the run. I was thinking that I was not even going to run a sub 4 hour marathon and that maybe I would be top 5 in my age group.

It wasn't until I was nearing mile 25 that I looked at my watch for the time of the day and it was getting close to 4:50pm.

Are you freaking kidding me?

While I am sure it didn't look like it, I felt like I was sprinting to the finish line.
It seemed to take forever through the park but I finally reached the hot spot once more, turned to the left, rotated my bib number to the front, zipped up my jersey and started to smile.

What a relief.
I finally made it to the finish line.

I was overwhelmed with emotion that I high-fived the announcer and with my hands raised up as high as they would go (oh boy, that took some energy), I crossed the 2016 Ironman Austria finish line. I looked up at the clock and saw 10:06 and couldn't believe it.


Thank you Joey for the pictures from the computer!

I didn't have much time to process it as I hobbled my way to the side of the finish line and nearly collapsed on the rail. 

Me far right, looking at the clock in disbelief. 

As I hobbled away from the finish line, I could hear Karel yelling at me from the other side of the fence. Of course, he was all dressed with a plate of food in his hands and I walked over to him.

We chatted between the fence and I told him I went 10:06. He was so happy for me.
It took me a minute to remember that he raced too so I asked him how his race went.

He was nearly speechless when he said "9:13".

I responded, are you serious?
He also told me that he ran a 3:06 marathon.

I was thrilled for him and I couldn't believe our day.
While the outcome may have been perfect, we both had our obstacles to overcome before and during the race.



After sitting down (with a group of guys) for a few minutes, I was finally ready to walk to see Karel and my mom.

My mom was so happy for me and she told me that I had the fastest overall swim of the day.
Say whaaat?
She told me that I swam 57.0 and I couldn't believe it. I thought there was no way that I swam that fast - I believe my dad, from above, was helping me out on race day.
Karel said the same thing about his marathon - my dad was helping him dig deeper than ever before.



It took a bit for me to find out how I finished overall in my age group but thanks to a bunch of text messages and posts on Facebook, I finally got confirmation that I was 2nd in my age group and Karel was 9th in his age group (out of 500+!).

I've always loved the Ironman distance as it doesn't always award the fastest or fittest athlete.

I respect this distance and I am incredibly grateful to my body for letting me start and finish 11 Ironman distance events.

Thank you for your support and for sharing our special day with us.

OVERALL RESULTS

Karel: 

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

Swim - 1:03.05

Bike - 4:56.51

Run - 3:06.05

Total - 9:13.10

Marni: 

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

Swim - :57.04

Bike - 5:18.00

Run - 3:42.57

Total - 10:06:54

(I apologize for any grammar errors or typos!)

IM Austria race report - 112 mile bike

(this picture was not from race day but the same view we got to enjoy for much of 112 miles!)

As I was settling into my rhythm on the bike for the short out and back section, I kept the effort very easy - light on the pedals.
Karel told me that my "race effort" would start after I left Maria Worth as I was nearing the round about by the town of Velden. I needed to give myself time before settling into my Ironman bike "race effort" as I was ready to give a very sustainably hard (relatively speaking for an Ironman) effort on the bike for Ironman Austria.

This year I have made/seen some big and exciting improvements on the bike - but as we all know, this didn't happen overnight. Seeing that I married a cat 1 cyclist turned triathlete, I really had no choice that I was going to become a good cyclist whether I liked it or not - thankfully, I learned to love cycling!
The truth is that my cycling has been an ongoing developmental process starting with an evolving bike fit (by Karel) to help my glutes work harder on the bike and to not tire out my quads. Specifically this season I did a lot of work on the trainer to help with my pedaling mechanics, with better chain tension with variable cadence (to help me climb better sitting and standing).  And of course, since moving to Greenville 2 years ago, I am more confident riding my bike in all types of terrain and know how to change my gears properly when anticipating different terrain.
So as much as I wish I could tell you a;; the magic key workouts that have helped my cycling, the truth is that I have not doing anything extreme with my cycling training - I simply dedicated myself to improving my skills, learned how to ride my bike and improved my confidence when riding on two wheels.
(Thank you Karel!)

My longest bike was 5 hours (about 85 miles) although I had one intentional overload cycling week (4 weeks out) where I did 3 long rides (4.5 hours, 5 hours and 4 hours within 7 days - all with a run off the bike. This same week I did a lot of run frequency as well. It was my biggest week of training in my IM training block (which lasted about 5 weeks) but the rest of my "long" bikes were around 3.5-4 hours with only a few 4.5 hour rides. 

I felt like I was flying through Maria Worth as the first section is fast. There are a few "bumps" in the road but overall, it's a great start to an Ironman after swimming for 2.4 miles.

I noticed in front of me that there was a girl with a motorcycle escort ahead of me. I was a bit confused by this because I was getting closer to her and I wasn't too sure of why an age grouper would have an escort. The first thought was maybe she was the top age grouper and they had a lead vehicle with her but as I  got closer and spotted her bib number around her waist on her back and it was a very low number (we were required to wear our bib numbers on our back - on our race belt - on the bike since we had no body markings. We also had 3 numbers on our helmet - front and both sides). I was able to see the back of the sign on the motorcycle and it read "3rd Austrian woman" or something like that.

While I have exited the water close to female professionals in the past at an Ironman, it was only a matter of time until I looked like I was riding backwards as they were riding quickly away from me.

This was certainly a first as I was staying very close to the professional female ahead of me. However, eventually she did ride away.

Seeing that I had no assigned watts, heart rate or speed to hold but instead, to just stay up with my nutrition (1 bottle per hour of 300 calories + additional water as needed from aid stations) and to go all by feel and occasionally check in with my metrics, when I approached the round about by Veldon I was ready to focus for the next 4+ hours.



As I approached the first climb, I felt good but didn't want to do anything crazy.
With two loops, 180K and 4-5 climbs (3 being significant climbs), it was really important that even though I was willing and ready to give an effort like I have never given before on the bike, I didn't want to ruin my race in the first 20K.

Compared to 2014 Ironman Austria, I felt much more confident on the bike course  And seeing that we were predicted to have rain later in the day (just like we had in 2014), I felt like I would be able to ride more comfortably in the rain on this terrain (in 2014 I rode a bit too scared).

I kept waiting for Karel to pass me but after finishing the Faaker See climb and then finishing the first loop of our course (see the map above to understand the loops within the loop course), I was nearing 50K and no sign of Karel.
I knew that there was a good chance that he wouldn't feel good on the bike based on how he had been feeling on race week but I hoped that a miracle would happen and he would be able to ride pain free. I knew how much he was looking forward to IM Austria, especially the bike course.

I can't say enough about this bike course - cute villages, the screaming spectators, the awesome volunteers at the aid stations (seriously - they were so awesome), the unbelievable breathtaking mountain views, the smooth silky terrain between the villages, the long fun and fast descends (nothing too technical) and the challenging climbs to break up the course.

I felt a little tired (sleep tired) in the first 90 minutes of the bike and I knew it wasn't from being low on calories but probably just from poor sleep habits on race week due to a bad case of jet lag. I stayed up on my nutrition with my liquid calories (4-5 sips every 10-15 minutes and as needed) plus water at aid stations and although my body felt good and I felt sharp, my eyes were sleepy.

It was around the time when I was having a little low that you know who rolls up behind me and I can spot a flash of orange right next to me.

The first thing he said was "Wow babe, you are doing great."

Karel passed me a little after 60K as we were nearing the last big climb (which is a long and tough one - it just keeps going and going and going)  of our first loop and later did he tell me that he couldn't believe that it took him that long to catch me on the bike. Usually he passes me within 30-40 min of the bike.

I told Karel that I thought I was near the top of the amateurs as he rode away....with a small group of other guys trying to stay with him (they didn't last long).

I could see Karel in the distance starting the climb and as he was switching from getting out of the saddle and then sitting and climbing, I could tell that he had his normal riding style - which was relieving (later did he tell me that his hips felt fine but he did feel a bit of tightness in his back but better than the days prior).

This was a great pick-me up and after the long climb, I was back to business again.

The last 30K of the first loop is very fast with a few slightly technical areas through villages (but nothing crazy hard or scary). The roads are wide open and you can almost always see where you are going with nothing significant to make you squeeze on your breaks for a turn or switch back. Despite the challenging climbs, if you can climb efficiently, this can be a very fast course (which it is known to be one of the fastest IM bike courses despite 5300+ feet of climbing).

As I was finishing the loop, in the last 30K, a girl rode up next to me (actually, this happened near the last big long climb) and I noticed on her bib number that she was in the 18-24 age group. While this didn't concern me that she wasn't in my age group, I wasn't sure how many female amateurs were close behind me on the bike so I used her as my rabbit and tried my best to stay with her. She was very strong on the bike and was able to stay with others a bit better than me (legally drafting) as I was still trying to manage my efforts and I didn't want to waste everything I had on the first loop.

With the rolling start, the drafting was much less of an issue this year compared to when we raced in 2014. For many times during the bike, I rode by myself for miles and miles with no one in sight. There were a few times when I was passed by guys or a few small groups of 4-8 guys near each other but never 20+ athletes riding in a pack together.

Oh, I forgot to mention that throughout the bike, I had a motorcycle next time me with a photographer taking pictures of me. He would stay with me for several minutes. At this point, I finally realized that I was somewhere near the top of the amateur race which just blew my mind. Seriously, me??...at Ironman Austria with very strong and fast females amateurs?

After a fun and fast 10K wheeeeeew, let's fly, aero-action ride, I was nearing town and the girl who I was riding with was out of my sight so now she was out of mind. Time to refocus and get ready for lap #2.

As I was nearing the "hot corner" near transition to start loop #2, the announcer yelled "Here is Marni Sumbal, our 2nd female age group athlete". 

Well, now that it was official, I was willing to take some risks and give it what I had to have the ride of my life. I paced myself as well as I could on the first loop (which is hard when you are about to burst with energy after taper) and fueled as well as I could on the first loop so now, I just had to sustain my effort. I knew that I would slow down due to fatigue (hills seem to grow on loop two of an IM course - always!) and with the sky turning dark, I continued to hit lap on my Garmin to focus only on 30 minutes at a time - that is all I could control.
I would often find myself thinking about the run and how my legs would feel after this bike but I forced myself to stay present.

I did stop at special needs for 3 more filled sport nutrition bottles and although it was quick (I asked the volunteer to put my bottles in my cages for me so that I could stretch), I really enjoyed this stop at 92K to just put my feet on the ground and relax for a few seconds. Then I was off again for a solo ride all the way to Velden (with maybe a small handful of guys passing me).

For some reason, I grabbed a coke near Velden thinking that it would wake me up but looking back, I don't think that was a good idea as I have done this in the past and have ended up with GI issues on the run (despite being able to tolerate coke on the run just fine). Perhaps with my GI system not becoming regular due to jet lag, the combination of coke + sport nutrition + effort was a bit too much in my tummy.

I didn't want to back off on my calories too much but I needed my gut to empty some of the contents so I gave myself about 20 minutes or so of no nutrition to see if I could get things to empty. While I wasn't too worried about it as it wasn't that uncomfortable while cycling, I was just a little worried about the run. 

I also didn't let it get to me too much as I know the IM is a long day and a long event and things out of your control (even if well practiced) may happen. If I have learned one thing after 10 Ironmans (Austria being #11) - things WILL happen on race day and you have to do a good job trying to deal with them when they happen. I've never had a "perfect" race day where everything went perfect for 140.6 miles - a great race is when you can overcome what comes your way.

I had a few more low moments in the second loop but knowing the course was really helpful as there were certain sections that I was really looking forward to and I knew that I would be able to pick up some speed and get into a good place again.

As I was finishing the first loop (within our loop) again, the sky started to drizzle.
Around 60K, the sky started to pour.

For the next 30K, I rode in a pretty heavy rain shower (with a few thunders) that only let up in the last 10K (although still wet roads). I was a little worried about what the run would be like but I knew that I needed to focus on the bike as the roads were wet and I still had one big long climb to do with a lot of fast descending (and a few villages with a few tighter turns) to do in the rain.

Thankfully, I remained confident in the rain which meant I was riding safe. At times, I was even descending in the rain on my aerobars as I knew that breaking in the rain, descending, was not safe. I did not ride stupid but smart and I was really proud of myself - this was a long time in the making!

Somewhere in the last 150K, I caught back up with the 18-24 girl that had passed and dropped me around 80K. I figured she was the first amateur female so I once again tried to stay with her.

But as I got to the last tight turn through a village, I knew that riding safe was my priority. She was riding close to a small group of guys so my chances of catching her were gone.

I continued my descend back into town alone and one by one, I was being passed....by guys.

Still not another female in sight, I eased up a bit as I got my mind and body ready for the marathon (or as ready as they could get after 180K of cycling).

I switched over my Garmin (for the first time) screen from my interval screen to total time and it read 5:16 as I was nearing the transition area....holy moly! In 2014 at Ironman Austria, I rode 5:29 and I was thrilled to have finally broke 5:30.

Sub 5:20 was my scary goal (which helped me put in the work for training) going into this race and I couldn't believe it.

As I dismounted my bike, I spotted Karel's bike and smiled with relief that he had finished his bike. I was so excited to see him again on the run and hopefully see him running. If anything, I just wanted him to finish and I know "just finishing" was his goal so long as he wasn't in pain. 

I racked my bike and then ran straight to the potty to see if I could help ease my stomach a little before the run. I struggled a bit with my short sleeve tri suit to get it off which was costing me some time but finally I was in and out (what felt like forever!). I also took the time in there to remove my HR monitor since I was wearing my new Garmin 235 (with HR built into the watch on the wrist).

I grabbed my run bag and then ran into the women's changing tent.
I guess they weren't expecting me because I didn't have a volunteer helping me - I was all alone.
Finally, after I put  on my visor, watch, shoes and hydration belt, a volunteer came in as I was finishing up and she took all my gear and put it into my bag. I thanked her, popped a TUMS in my mouth and off I went.

Like usual, those first few steps off the bike, with running shoes, are scary as you have no idea how your legs will feel - fresh or heavy?

Thankfully, I felt fresh!

But sadly, it didn't last long.
Five minutes later, my legs felt heavy and I was not feeling good on the run.

Ok body - 11th Ironman, let's figure this out!

We have a marathon to run, Karel to see, my mom to say hi to and a podium to get on to!

IM Austria race report - 2.4 mile swim

Although my alarm was set for 3:45am, my body woke me up at 3:20am. I stayed in bed anxiously awaiting my alarm to get me up so that I could finally start my Ironman race day.

I couldn't believe today was the day that I could FINALLY put all that training to good use and release some bottled-up energy that has been hard to hold on to for the past week.

Karel woke up stiff in his back and I could tell that he was concerned about what his body would let him do on race day. I had taped Karel's back and hip on Friday which made him feel better but I knew he was not feeling even close to 100%. The good thing was that he felt no pain or issues when swimming so for the first time, he was actually looking forward to swimming and not looking forward to the bike (as the bike was causing him some issues in his back since we arrived in Austria).

I woke up with a very nervous belly and the thought of eating was not on my mind. I forced down 2 Clif Bars, a glass of OJ and a banana for a total of around 780-800 calories. I also had around 8 ounce of water.

After I ate, I filled my sport nutrition powdered-filled bottles (bike and run) with cold water and double checked that I had everything I needed for a day full of swim, bike, run.

We all (my mom included) left our place around 4:50am to drive to Minimundus (about 10 minutes away).

We made our walk to the transition area (about a 10 min walk) and it was nice to be around all the other athletes. I think of IM Austria as a European IM World Championship with the level of athletes BUT with a much less tense atmosphere. You would be surprised how many Europeans were drinking beer at the pre-race athlete banquet on Friday!

Karel was not planning to use special needs for this race so he waited for me as I dropped off my bike and run special needs bags just outside the transition area.

Karel walked with me to my bike and pumped up my tires and did one last check to give me the confidence that all was good on my bike for 112 miles of cycling.

After he pumped up my tires, I gave him a kiss and a hug as we both did our own thing to get ready for the race.  

After I put my Garmin 810 and my three bottles (each filled with 300 calories) on my bike, I walked over to my bike bag to double check that it was in the right place and then to my run bag to put my flasks (each with 100 calories of Clif Hydration) in my Nathan Mercury 2 hydration belt.

The volunteers were absolutely amazing in the transition area - they were already cheering for us and with lots of high fives. Ironman Austria does a great job of making the athletes feel extremely special and to remind us that it is our special day.

After I left transition area, I walked over to the big white tent (where we had our banquet and athlete briefing) to put on my Xterra Vengeance women's wetsuit (half way up). I grabbed my new TYR pink Special Ops 2.0 Femme Polarized goggles. I only wore them once in open water to see if I liked them and absolutely loved them. While I normally use Speedo Vanquishers, I really searched for a better goggle for me for open water. I was worried that the non adjustable nose piece would be an issue for my small face but it is the perfect fit with just enough suction around the eyes and a wide lens for sighting. While I purposely only wore them once, I had a perfect 1 hour fog-free swim in open water for my practice swim in Greenville and then twice more when we swam on race week in Lake Worthersee.

I had a throw away plastic bottle of water (about 12 ounces) to sip on and I took a small swig of a Clif Double Espresso gel.

I then dropped off my "Street Wear" bag in my designated bin (with my before/after race clothes, cell phone in a baggy, sandals and extra pair of goggles just in case I needed them).

I ran into my mom and she wished me good luck and I gave her a big hug and thanked her for being there for us today. She's such a big supporter of Karel and me and loves supporting our very active lifestyle, especially on race day.

Because I no longer wear a watch in the swim portion of a triathlon (or turn one on if I do wear one for the entire race - for IM Austria, I did not wear a watch for the swim or bike, only the run), I had no idea of the time. I wanted to make sure that I got in a warm-up between the warm-up times of 6:10-6:30am.

I looked at the watch of another athlete and it said 6:15am. Oh my!

I quickly pulled up my wetsuit and put on my cap and goggles.

I hurried my way through the packed crowds to enter the Strandband building and finally made it to the area where we could warm-up.

I spotted Karel warming up but I had no time to chat as I needed to adjust my wetsuit (with water inside) and do my go-to swim warm-up with 10,20,30 fast strokes with equal strokes recovery. I do this a few times after smooth swimming for a few minutes to get the blood flowing.

I finally had a chance to talk to Karel in the water around 6:28am and I told him that I felt very nervous. I didn't want to talk about my nerves to him as I knew he was dealing with a lot but he told me I would do great.

We gave each other one last kiss for good luck and then both walked over to the corrals for the swim line up for the rolling start.

As I was walking over to the corrals, I had all the typical thoughts of "what if my body won't perform, what if I feel flat, what if I have a bad day" and I needed to stop thinking about the what ifs. I told myself that my body would know what to do and I was very anxious to just get started.

Karel ended up ahead of me in the corrals as we both lined up in front of the sub 1-hour group. For 10 years (since I started Ironman racing) I have been determined to break 1 hour for the 2.4 mile swim. I have came close many times with the last time in Austria with 1 hour and 13 seconds (errrr).

As I stood in line, more and more people were jumping over the fence and it was getting tighter and tighter. After the Austria anthem, the pro's started (6:40am and 6:42am) and then at 6:50am, it was time for the age group rolling start. I found myself around a lot of guys and some girls that I knew would be fast in the water (or else they would not have lined up where they did).

The music was pumping and the energy was building and as the line started moving forward, it was officially go time.

I absolutely LOVE the rolling start and I find it safe, much less stressful and scary and more relaxed than a mass start. Plus, with my experience, I have always swam faster with a rolling start compared to a mass start as you can line up with athletes of similar swim abilities.

I walked my way over the start line and then ran into the water. After a few dolphin dives, my 2016 Ironman Austria had officially started!

I absolutely love swimming in Lake Worthersee. Immediately, my stroke felt good in the water. It was a little chaotic in the beginning but in no time, I found myself swimming with a few girls (white caps and a few gold for AWA athletes) but mostly guys.

Karel said he saw me swimming (thanks to my black and purple wetsuit) but after a few strokes, he said I was gone and he couldn't hang with me. 

There were several orange/red buoys on the course and with the advice of Karel, I mentally broke down the first ~1200 meters to the turn buoy into 12 x 100 meters. While I had no way to know exactly where I was, this is all I thought about to help me keep a steady pace.

I didn't really have a race strategy for the swim except for to swim strong in the water.

As I was swimming, I actually felt fast in the water. I was staying with a group of guys and a few girls which was new for me as I typically have trouble drafting in the swim. I was staying on course really well (I was sighting and not relying on the group I was with) but sometimes I would find myself a little to the right where I wanted to be closer to the other athletes. I don't feel this affected me much as I was able to find clean water for efficient strokes for the first long stretch to the turn buoy.

When I saw athletes turning, I thought "wow - already?" as it didn't feel that long.

I made the turn and saw that I had dropped a few girls. I was swimming with another girl and still hanging with a lot of guys.

The next 470 meters went by fast. I still felt really strong and fast in the water and at times, I almost felt like I could pick up the pace. I was staying very present while swimming (and not thinking about the bike) and I was really enjoying this swim. While the water temperature was "warm" enough for the pros to not wear wetsuit, it was wetsuit legal for the age groupers. I found myself a little warm at times but nothing that was concerning. It was the perfect air and water temperature.

I felt like I was holding myself back a bit for the first 1600 meters, until we made our last turn around the turn buoy to head back straight to the canal (1100 meters) so I gave myself permission to pick up the pace a bit.

With the sun in our eyes, I was able to sight on two tall trees in the distance that Karel and I strategically picked out during our practice swim to make it easier to stay on course. While we were instructed to keep all buoys to our left, the race director set up another set of buoys to our right to help us stay on course as the sun can get pretty bright when swimming toward the canal.

I was still staying on course and I found myself passing a lot more swimmers. At times, I was swimming alone, which was fine to avoid being hit but I didn't want to waste any energy in the swim so I picked up the pace just a tad to try to catch a group ahead of me. While this didn't wear me out, it made me feel like I had more to give in the swim and with the canal approaching, I was feeling like now was the time to really give it a strong effort.

When I spotted the "white house" to my right, I new the canal was coming soon.

For the next 1000 meters, I was packed in with a group of guys in our tight 20-meter wide canal. At certain parts, the canal was shallow but I strategically wanted to get to the outside so that I could continue taking full strokes. I was able to move to the far left and found myself swimming really fast. I could see the crowds on my right and left and you could hear the loud cheers from the spectators.

The energy was building and after I went under the bridge walkway in the canal, I really picked up the pace. At this point, I had dropped the guys that I was swimming with and I was in clean water, all by myself.

Nearing the swim exit before the right hand turn, I was anxious to see the time on the clock to see my swim time. Part of me was nervous to see the time as I knew I would be disappointed to see anything over an hour but then again, like I tell my athletes, whatever happens in the swim, you have to forget about it and move on because there is nothing you can do about it.

As I made the right hand turn, I spotted to look at the clock and couldn't find it. I looked again and no clock.

I chuckled to myself and thought that maybe this was meant to be - I wouldn't know my swim time until after the race.

I swam to the swim exit and the volunteers helped me out of the water. I ran up the steep platform to get out of the water and then took off my cap and goggles. I pulled down my wetsuit to my waist and while taking off my right arm of my wetsuit, I left my goggles and cap inside so that I wouldn't drop them (and wouldn't have to carry them). 

I didn't hear my mom but she was there cheering for me and snapped this pic (no your eyes aren't messed up, it is blurry :) My mom apologizes about the picture- she said I was moving too fast!

Thanks mom for the cheers that I didn't hear!

I made the loooong run to transition and wasted no time. I grabbed my bike bag from the rack (while noticing that no other bags on my rack were missing) and into the female changing tent.

There I was alone in the female changing tent with my own volunteer helping me out.

I had her wipe of my feet with my towel to dry them off as I put on my helmet and sunglasses. I then put on my socks (I was wearing CEP calf sleeves under my wetsuit - I normally wear compression socks in an IM but I didn't want to waste anytime at this race in transition - it's free speed!) and my cycling shoes. I asked the volunteer to put some extra nutrition into my pockets (gels, bar, blocks) and she nicely told me she would pack up my bag (otherwise, I would have had to do it as instructed by the race directors and then place the bag in a bin).

Deep inside, I just needed some type of confirmation that I did or didn't break an hour and I asked her the time of the day (since we started at 6:50am) and she said 7:52am. I figured the transition took me at least 3 minutes so I thought to myself that there was a good chance that I broke an hour.

While I didn't have any way to confirm this, I was thrilled with the time of the day regardless of my swim time (1:02 after the race started and I was about to run to my bike).

As I was about to leave the changing tent, I asked her if she knew how many girls were ahead of me.

She responded "I think 6".

I figured age groupers so I thought that I was still in a good position in the race as I was feeling really confident (and excited) to be on my bike.

I ran out of the changing tent and made my way on the red carpet to my bike. I powered on my Garmin and then ran my bike all the way to the bike out. I looked for Karel's bike (just to see if he beat me out of the water) but wasn't able to locate his bike among all the other bikes. I guess I would see him on the bike, eventually, if all was ok with his back.

When I mounted my bike, the crowds were intense. For less than 1/2 mile, we have a quick out and back (with a turn around a cone) which is super spectator friendly. I spotted my mom on the other side of the barricades.

When I made the turn around to head her direction, the announcer said "and here is our first amateur female out of the water."

Although I heard him correctly, I was positive he was confused as the volunteer told me I was around 6th out of the water (based on her guessing).

Regardless, I gave him a thumbs up and then waved to my mom.

I settled into my comfortable aero position it was finally time to see if all my hard work on the bike was going to pay off as I was determined to see how close I could get to the other female age groupers who were ahead of me (or so I thought).

Off I went for 180 kilometers and 5500 feet (1680 meters) of challenging and fast fun on two wheels! 

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As for Karel's swim, he said he felt really comfortable in the water.. He really prefers the rolling start as it helps him stay calm when he enters the water which sets the tone for the rest of the race. Whereas in 2014, at Ironman Austria Karel swam 1:07, he was super excited about a PR swim of 1:03 this year. Karel wore his ROKA swim goggles and Xterra wetsuit.
Karel has continued to make huge improvements in the swim as he puts in the work in the pool by swimming at least 4 times per week, with specific workouts to keep him focused and excited to swim.
We have also done more open water swimming (Lake Hartwell at Clemson) this season, more than ever before.
In addition to his swim toys (snorkel, ankle strap, buoy, FINIS agility paddles), he has been wearing SIM shorts (by ROKA) in the pool for most of his pool workouts since the winter (sometimes he swims without them and sometimes he takes them off for the main set) and they have really helped him as he keeps his energy (and good form) in the water for each workout longer (whereas without the shorts, he would get tired and lose form faster) which has really helped him gain a lot of swim fitness this season.
 Yes, I said it - he actually enjoys swimming.
While he doesn't have the same joy as I do for swimming (especially early in the morning - he prefers evening swims), he has really worked hard for his swimming improvements. While it's not always easy in the pool or open water, Karel continues to put in the work and it's really paying off!