IM World Championship St. George - 26.2 mile run recap

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Here's the file of Karel's run. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Canada race recap: 26.2 mile run

I had a great team helping me overcome an injury to my back/hip that occurred ~3 weeks before the race. During this time, I was unable to run but with every day, I felt myself improving - oh so very slowly. I am grateful to Scott, my PT for the dry needling and exercises which helped my body go from pain to relief. I am also thankful to Frank, my massage therapist, for his time and energy in helping to fix my twisted body. I would also like to thank Valerie - from Physiofocus for seeing me before and after IM Canada (in Whistler). I also had Chris Johnson, PT do some tests on me on Friday before the race (thank you Chris for your time and help!). With many hands helping my body, I was able to arrive to the race feeling like my body had overcome an injury. While I still wasn't out of the woods yet, I felt relieved that I was no longer in pain. I'd also like to thank Karel who was so supportive during this time. I knew it was hard for him to see me not running but I found energy in seeing him excel in his training, knowing that he was going to put together a solid performance at Ironman Canada.

Over the course of these three weeks, I choose positivity. During this time, I had a choice - be upset and mad or be happy. I choose happy. Sure, I was bummed about the situation I was in but life was still good. I also choose not to feel pressure during the healing process. I knew my body would heal (and it still is) but I couldn't rush the process or predict the future. There was a chance time would run out and I wouldn't be able to run on race day but in the meantime, I made sure never to waste a day. There was still so much to be thankful and grateful for, life was still worth living, and I remained excited for the opportunity to start my 15th Ironman. Part of me was still optimistic that I was going to be able to run a few miles off the bike but I also had to mentally prepare myself for a DNF due to not being able to finish the run. While the situation was not how I envisioned my race going several months ago, I was constantly reminding myself that no one is forcing me to finish. Any pressure that I feel to finish this race is from myself - and I don't need to run through pain or risk a further, more serious injury. Reminding myself of this helped to ease any frustration or worry about the run. My coach Cait told me to assess the situation for 1-2 miles and if I felt pain and my form was altered, the best thing to do is to stop. While I couldn't control the situation - or plan for the future - I could control how I reacted to the situation.

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

As I started to run out of the transition area, I assessed my body. I took each step very carefully and remembered the advice from my coach and also all the mental training I did going into this moment to prepare myself for what may happen over the next few miles. I have never been in this situation before so there was a lot going on in my mind during the first mile of the race. Because of the extreme body awareness that I needed to place on my body, I removed any pressure of "needing to perform." Whereas I was racing the swim and the bike (and leading the race as overall female amateur), I was no longer focused on what others were doing as all my energy was on myself.

The first few miles of this run course are a bit technical - up and down and on and off gravel. There were a few turns as well. I actually love this type of running but it was hard for me to settle into a good running stride and to truly assess how I was feeling. After one mile, I didn't feel any pain in my groin - which was the reason why I was unable to run for the past three weeks. I felt a little tugging around my knee/inner thigh but it wasn't painful. After another mile, still no groin pain. I was really happy about this but still a little concerned that things may get worse. After two more miles, I was still without pain. At this point, all I felt was a bit of tugging around my lower leg. While I knew it wasn't normal soreness from an Ironman, I also felt like it was something that I could safely run through - so long as I was smart. Nearing 4-5 miles, I started to take a bit more walk breaks. I wanted to make sure that I could keep restarting the run after I walked as any tightness or flare-ups would likely occur while I was trying to restart the run. I was successful in this approach and I also felt like the walk breaks were helping me avoid anything serious happening. While it didn't feel like my normal Ironman run, I was able to keep good form.

After a few miles, I saw Karel and he gave me the biggest smile as he wasn't sure if I was going to be able to run. He later told me that this made his day and he was able to run more relaxed knowing that I was able to run. Shortly later, my athlete Ericka (who later on went on to win the amateur race and qualify for Kona) passed me and we had a little discussion. I told her to not change what is working - no need to go any harder/faster and to keep doing what's working with walking and nutrition.

As the miles went by, I found myself walking a lot but also running. As I was nearing the first loop of the run (13 miles), I couldn't believe that I went this far - my first true run in 3 weeks. Again, it wasn't the run feeling I am use to in an Ironman but it wasn't painful. Because of all of the energy that I was spending on my body, I failed to do a good job with my nutrition. While I had my flasks (1 flask of NBS carbo hydration and 1 flask of Carborocket hydration) and sipped on them, I wasn't doing a great job being consistent with my intake and listening to my body as it relates to when I took in nutrition. Because of this, I had a few quick bathroom breaks. I didn't get upset or frustrated as my focus was not on racing but just being in the moment. During these times, I accepted it as one of the many things I was going to experience during this Ironman.

As I was nearing the end of the first loop, I saw my athlete Gin who raced the 70.3. I stopped when I saw her as I had just convinced myself that I was only going to run the first loop and it was way more than I thought I would be able to run. I already felt so accomplished! Plus, Karel was getting close to the finish so I thought it would be fun to stop and see him finish. But Gin told me I was looking really good and that I was 2nd overall amateur. I was kinda shocked by this but it also gave me some good energy that even thought I felt like I was no longer competing, I was still having a "good" race. I told Gin that I wasn't sure what I was going to do as I was ready to pull the plus on the race but something inside of me told me to keep going. Gin was great as she was calm and cool about the situation and even as a coach, I appreciated her support and enthusiasm without putting thoughts into my head. She told me she would be at the same place so I told her I'd run a few more miles and then assess the situation once more. During the next few miles, I had a longer walk break as I really needed to think about the situation. Knowing that I was not in pain and I felt confident that I was not doing more damage to my body, I felt like the only thing that was making me want to quit was the uncomfortable soreness in my legs - both legs. It took me several miles to realize that this was Ironman soreness and not injury soreness. Knowing that I had an injury-card to pull out at any time for a good excuse for a DNF was making me feel like it was OK to stop. But when I searched deep inside of my thoughts, I realized that it was not a valid excuse. I needed to work through this discomfort of the Ironman and get myself to the finish line. Although I was still listening closely to my body and walking anytime I felt like my form was suffering, I was using my experience of racing so many Ironmans to mentally stay strong and to work through the low moments that occur during the last 13 miles of racing in a 140.6 mile event.

I was taking full advantage of the aid stations and finding happiness wherever I could. Whereas I am normally a bit more focused when I am racing the run at the end of an Ironman, I made sure to really enjoy this run - plus it was so beautiful! I would high five kids whenever I saw them, I said hi to all the dogs on the course (I do that anyways, even when I am racing the run), I was making the effort to cheer on other athletes and I was even celebrating little milestones like reaching certain points on the course. For example, when I got to mile 20, I said out loud "wahoo!" as I never thought I would make it this far. When I saw Ericka at her mile 23, I told myself, "just 3 more miles until you are there!" I was finding everything possible to give me energy. Karel gave me a ton of energy every time I saw him and I also loved seeing our first timer Reid out on the course. I even celebrated seeing 9-9:30 min/miles on my watch as I felt like I was doing pretty well with all my walking. It was all these small things that kept me smiling and really enjoying the run. Once I committed to finishing the race, I made sure to enjoy every mile and to not wish for the race to be overwith. Yes - I wanted to sit down and rest my legs but I was finding joy in finishing what I didn't think I could start.

As I was nearing the last mile of the race, I was extremely happy. I couldn't wait to share stories with Karel and hear all about his race. I was super pumped to see my athletes at the finish line but they were all there cheering for me with less than 1/4th mile to go. I gave out some high fives and smiled ear to ear as I saw them all there cheering.

As I ran down the finish line chute, I gave away a few more high fives, lifted my arms up and crossed the finish line that I didn't think I would see. After 15 Ironmans, I can honestly say that every race requires something different to go from start to finish but that finish line always feels incredibly good.

Karel, who finished a good 90+ minutes before me, was there to see me finish. He was so happy for me and knew I could do what I didn't think I could do. Thankfully I was able to still walk after the race and I somehow managed to be better off than Karel - who ended up in medical, needing a few cups of chicken broth to bring him back to life.

I'm grateful to my body for what it allows me to do. I really try hard not to take my body/health for granted. I was worried about this race as I didn't want to damage my body on the run, but somehow, my body surprised me. I want to send a huge thank you to all those who cheered me on and I'd like to give a big congrats to all my athletes who raced the 70.3 (and to Ericka for smashing the women's field and to Reid for finishing his first Ironman!)

Karel's run recap:
Wow! I’m speechless and so stoked about this run. How is it possible, I only did one 2hr run in training 😉 Soon as I finished the bike, I stopped thinking about what I did wrong with my pacing and my focus was purely on putting together a good run. From the first step, I felt great! I tried to run with a very controlled effort and the faster paces were coming with ease. I felt great rhythm and was moving pretty good. Everything felt really good until 18.5 miles where I started to feel the typical Ironman toll. I had a few low moments where my mind had to work really hard to keep my legs moving forward, but I was able to bounce back from these low moments. The last 7 km was really hard and last 4 km I was just on autopilot - I was still running OK but I felt like I had no control over the movement of my legs. And the last 1 km was so long! That finish line took forever to come. Crossing the line and seeing 3:04 on my watch was a really great feeling .... and then I collapsed on the grass and went to medical (no IVs, just chicken broth to bring me back to life). Later on I found out the results of the race and I was very happy. During the race, I never knew where I was in my age group or overall so I just had to race my best effort on the day. Overall this Ironman was definitely one of the hardest courses but also one of the most spectacular races.

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!)

IMWI Race Report: 26.2 mile run

My first Ironman journey was special. Everything was a first for my body while training for IMFL in 2006.

 My first 100 mile ride (which was celebrated with pancakes with my boyfriend Karel and my mom and dad). My first long brick. My first day off after my first solid weekend of peak IM training. I just loved that every long run became my longest run of Ironman training. On race day, it was the most incredible day knowing that my entire race was a day of firsts for my body. My first 2.4 mile open water swim. My first 112 mile bike ride and my first time running a marathon finish my first 140.6 mile event.

Although the distance hasn’t changed since I crossed my first Ironman finish line, each time the journey is different. There are obstacles, highs and lows but I have learned to accept nothing will be like my first Ironman journey.

Looking ahead, I will be training for my 10^th Ironman and 4^th Ironman World Championship. Just like IMWI and the ones the preceded it, I have had 9 incredible different opportunities (on 6 different courses) to race for 140.6 miles

Over the years, I have developed a great understanding of how to train for and race in an Ironman. But certainly, mistakes have been made, noteworthy workouts and races have been remembered and the learning/experiences continue with my amazing body and mind. I have used my education in exercise physiology and sport nutrition and with the help of learning from consistent, successful coaches/athletes, I continue to discover the best approach to have a successful Ironman journey and race.

Here are a few of my tips to keep in mind for your Ironman race day. 

1)      Train with the least amount of training stress to foster the most performance gains

2)      Arrive to race day healthy, not injured and not burnt out

3)      Do not race for a time, race your closest competition

4)      Know how to overcome obstacles that arise on race day

5)      Postpone fatigue for as long as possible

I have been very vocal in our approach to training as we focus more on intensity, strength training and recovery as oppose to high volume training to prepare the body for endurance racing. This approach provides us with a smooth and effective transition to taper and ultimately, makes for a body and mind that has adapted well to training and is hungry to race. 

Seeing that it is not easy to train for an Ironman, by focusing on #1, this improves the odds of #2. Because many endurance athletes do not believe (or trust) that #1 can properly prepare them for Ironman racing, the athlete who trains smart (less is more) may not need to be as fit as the other athletes. Consider that if you arrive to your race healthy, not burnt out and injury free, your odds of being able to race to your full potential are increased, regardless of if you felt you could have done more training. You are already putting yourself at an advantage by arriving with a healthy body. Because every day and course is different, feel free to keep an eye on your times to keep you honest with your potential and past training but 140.6 miles is too long of an adventure to chase a time. Keep in mind that no how competitive you are, your biggest goal on race day is to function optimally for as long as possible in order to cross the finish line.

This season has been incredible for Karel and me but IMWI really pushed our limits. It’s incredible to think that on the day when our biggest dream came true, there was a chance that neither one of us would make it to the Ironman Wisconsin finish line. 

After exiting the port-o-potty, I grabbed a sip of water from the first aid station before starting the official “26.2” mile run course. When I crossed the timing mat, I hit the lap button on my Garmin 910 (multisport function) and off I went.

The Ironman Wisconsin run course is challenging (elevation map for 1 loop above from Karel's Garmin) but the spectators are incredible. With many turns and ongoing terrain changes, there is really no way to get bored on this course.

As I was running away from the finish line (which we nearly pass to start the run and start the 2^nd loop), I did not feel good in my legs. Certainly I was not expecting fresh legs but unlike IM Austria where I had a PR run of 3:39, I quickly realized that this was going to be a looooonggg 26.2 mile run…..unless I could figure out a way to overcome my tired, heavy legs.

While carrying my two NAPALM flasks, each with 150 calories to last me the first loop (sipping every mile and as needed), I made sure to stop at the first aid station. Even though the first 2 miles or so are slightly down hill (which means uphill coming back in to town), I was not going to make the mistake of not stopping. The way I was feeling, I either stop now or expect many unintentional stops on the 2^nd loop. 

I was feeling really warm in my face so my first focus was to cool myself with sponges and cold water. If I let my body temperature rise, not only would my heart rate increase which would affect breathing and my ability to conserve glycogen but digestion would be severely compromised and I needed to make sure I consumed all of my calories/electrolytes in my flasks to postpone fatigue as long as possible.

Many memories of racing IMWI in 2010 came back on this run course so there were a few parts of the course that I was looking forward to…but first I had to make sure my body would get there. 

Although I had planned to walk every aid station, by mile 2 I started to feel a little better but I gave myself a little mental pep talk that it probably would take a few more miles of run/walk to find my rhythm. I was not concerned about my pace and rarely looked at my watch. The IMWI changes every mile so a pacing strategy is not practical on this type of a course for most age group athletes. 

My focus was only on who was behind me especially since I thought that I was 2^nd female amateur at this time and 2^nd age group.

Although this run course is entertaining with all the different parts of Madison that we run through, I really, really, really needed to see Karel. My instant pick-me-up. By mile 3, I started to feel a little better but still not the feeling I had wanted (I also didn’t expect to feel amazing). IMWI is one tough 140.6 mile course!

After a little steep incline toward the stadium, I ran down a steep decline and my legs did a little happy dance as we made a loop around the stadium. This was not only a great relief for my legs but it was also a good opportunity to scope out my competition. I had passed one or two pro girls but I was looking out for bib numbers in my age group (or 30-34 ages on calves). After running a loop in the stadium with only male competitors around me, I exited the stadium and I was getting more and more excited, just a few more miles until the crowds at State Street. 

I wasn’t feeling my best on this run but I knew I needed to keep on moving forward. This has been my go to motto for the past few Ironmans “keep moving forward and you will finish, keep moving forward.” It seems like a logical saying but after racing for over 7 hours, my body certainly thinks otherwise. Let’s just say that this Ironman Wisconsin marathon was a struggle as my mind and body were in constant battle since the very first foot strike on the run course. 

I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it!

In 2010, we stayed on the gravel trail toward State Street as Observatory Hill had construction. Well this year it was ready for us to climb. Although my legs were tired and every college student I saw sitting on the grass made me think twice if this was even worth it (sitting on the grass looked inviting), I had to focus on what I do best in the Ironman (or at least what I feel my strength is) and that is troubleshooting situations as I race. 

I had already overcome my heat issue by walking and making sure I cooled myself before it got too late. I had stayed up with my INFINIT Napalm, even if I was too exhausted to drink. I made sure to use the first few miles to find my rhythm rather than trying to go too hard or give up. I told myself that I may be tired but there is no way I am going to give up on a course that I can race smart on and especially run up a climb which my quads and short stature (typically) love to do.

When I got to the Observatory Hill which is a steep long climb, followed by a short descend and then another climb with a switch-back like descend just a few blocks from State Street, I put my head down, relaxed my arms while holding my flasks, shortened my stride and shuffled my way up the two hills. I made sure to stop at the aid station before State Street because there was absolutely no way I was walking on State Street. The screaming spectators have a tremendous amount of energy to give the athletes and I needed to soak up everything I could. 

Karel told me to keep my face relaxed. He says I smile too much. Even though I was suffering, I was happy and the spectators made me smile. 

After leaving State street I was feeling a bit better and couldn’t wait to get to my favorite part…the gravel trail! Oh relief to my legs!

I made sure to only focus on one mile at a time and since I wasn’t looking at my Garmin, I was just focused on each part of the run. Since I had remembered most of the run course from 2010, I simply broke it into sections and checked off each section.

I was nearing mile 8 and I really had to go to the bathroom. No sense trying to hold it (#2) so I stopped to go and felt SO much better.

What a different scenario than IM Austria when I felt amazing, so light on the feet, for the first 13 miles (which was also my longest run for IM Austria). But in IMWI (longest training run was 16 miles which is the longest I will run while training for an IM), it was like my legs were finally coming along….it only took 8 miles! 

I had not been passed yet but with each out and back section, I saw more and more females chasing me down. I was not feeling awesome, only better, but I was not going to settle for anything less than my absolute best effort on this day.

As I made the turn around on the paved section of the trail, I noticed Suzie Fox (had never met her before but knew of her and that she is a super strong runner and top age group triathlete) running really strong and it was only a matter of time before she passed me. I could just tell that my body was not going to be able to keep up with anyone faster than me and my only option was to continue to run as strong as I possibly could (which meant running strong on the uphills which are my strength) to at least get 3^rd place...if I could stay ahead of the girls behind me
(And this was all wishful thinking, in the case that there were 3 Kona slots). 

So here is where the race gets interesting. 

I always believe that faster athletes can help me reach my full potential. As long as the ego is not part of the picture, I believe that every athlete should embrace faster competition and not see it as discouraging.

I continued to stop at every aid station for it was not just my initial strategy but now it was my only strategy to help me keep moving forward. I would grab water, sponges and the occasional sip of coke but really it was just my “interval” for quick recovery for 10-30 seconds.

After stopping at aid station #10, I am passed for the first time by a female since around mile 35-40 of the bike. Suzie had passed me running super strong and that previous thought of “there’s no way I can run with her” now became “just try.” 

And so I did.

And there I was, running behind Suzie for a full mile. It was probably the easiest mile I had ran and it was not on a flat part of the course! Thank you Suzie!

 Nearing mile 11, I felt as if I needed to introduce myself to Suzie. She was helping me run when I thought I was not able to run any faster. 

 It was just awkward to run behind her. I think if Karel found out I did this during the race, he would have said “you did what??!"

I’m pretty sure Karel was not introducing himself and making BFF's to the other athletes that he was chasing down.

I introduced myself to Suzie and told her I read her blog and then told her I have a doggy, since I know she likes dogs. She was super sweet and although it was not the place to get to know each other, my competition now became the person who was literally, keeping me going. I still tried to stop at the aid stations, they were short but I still managed to stay with Suzie.

I mentioned to Suzie if she could keep me going, that we were 2^nd and 3^rd and I thought there would be 3 Kona slots so we would all get slots. I also told her my husband was racing and trying to get a Kona slot. 

Before I knew it, my race was about to change.

“Oh, I’m not taking my slot so it is all yours! I hope you and your husband can race together!”

WHAT???? Oh this changes everything!!!

Should I believe her, do I keep going, should I hold back? Where in the heck is Karel? I still want to sit in the grass right now. 

Although there was a brief moment of relief and concern, I still needed to race. Kona slots are not easy to come by and even though Suzie may end up finishing ahead of me, I am still being chased by a handful of girls that want to go to Kona and be on the podium.

One thing I have learned, there is no easy race if you want a ticket to the big island for the World Championship.

After running side-by-side for a good two miles (and 1 mile to start behind Suzie), I told Suzie I would be stopping at special needs for my flasks and to keep running strong. I knew that I would lose her as she was not stopping even at the aid stations and she told me to keep trying to run with her. 

It was only a matter of time when Suzie was too far ahead of me and there was no way to catch her but I am incredibly grateful that she caught up to me because I really thought there was absolutely no way I was going to get my body to go up the steady climbs back into town.

As I made my way to start loop two, I had many thoughts going through my head. Now that 1^st and 2^nd place were ahead of me, I was in third. I had no idea where Karel was on the course and since most of my focus was on the women behind me now, the next few miles were extremely important because I knew that this is when the going gets tough, both physically and mentally. Whereas 13 miles ago I didn’t even know how I would finish the race, I found myself now with only 13 miles to go. 

It’s still far but it meant I made progress.

As I entered the stadium again on my 2^nd loop, I could see girls behind me and they all looked so strong. I was happy they were having good days and I tried to channel some of their energy. I really dug deep to not walk except aid stations. I was starting to get really tight in my left shoulder and neck and I think the day of racing was just catching up to me.

Every time I had a low moment, I thought about the finish line. I thought about my dad and instead of thinking about his fight with cancer, I thought about how much he loved seeing me race in the Ironman. I always made sure to give him a smile for the camera. 

Oh and how great it will feel to cross in 3^rd place age group and amateur!  

Come on body, you can do this! 

This may not be the way I envisioned my run legs feeling off the bike but I knew I carried experience and if anything, I had arrived to this race healthy, injury free and hungry to race!

And before I knew it, around mile 23 on the other side of the road...

Oh my gosh, can it be!!!?! It’s Karel!

We crossed paths under an overpass so as I was running down the street, he was running up a little incline. Although I was incredibly exhausted, I cheered as loud as I could “GO BABE GO!!! DIG DEEP!!!”

Karel didn’t even make eye contact with me. I thought he was just focused but it turns out that Karel completely blacked out the last 10 miles. I guess he was digging so deep, he couldn’t even think clearly!

Karel was pacing with an Austrian guy on the run, who had passed him on the bike. I'm pretty sure they were not talking about doggies or becoming besties. 

After seeing Karel, I got my second wind. It didn’t make me run any faster but I sure did feel inspired to keep on pushing. When I got to Observatory Hill, there were athletes on their first loop walking. This looked like the best idea ever! Oh walking, what a beautiful thing right now with less than 10 miles to go. But no…if I walked that would mean that my competition would gain seconds on me, if not minutes. I had very little wiggle room at this point and it was only a matter of miles when there was a good chance that the girls behind me would be in front of me.

I noticed that some of the girls that were once close to me where now out of the picture so I kept on believing that I could do this. But then again, I had new competition too. I really don’t remember thinking much of my Kona dream when I got to mile 20 because the going got really tough. I mean really, really tough.

I know that the Ironman is all about pacing and postponing fatigue. It is only a matter of time when the body slows down from glycogen depletion and dehydration. As endurance athletes we have to do our best to minimize these for as long as possible but because of the nature of our sport, we can’t expect to feel amazing for 140.6 miles.

When I got to mile 21, my walks were longer. I didn’t look behind me because now I was in survival mode. I never once thought that I overbiked or pushed too hard at any one point in the race. I accepted that this was the day I was given.

As I continued to find myself counting down the mile markers, I really appreciated the cheers from friends I knew on the course and volunteers telling me that they liked my Trimarni kit (it helps to have your name on your kit for the professional photos).

An absolute (mental) highlight of the day was approaching mile marker 23. I thought I was nearing mile 22 and when I saw 23, I nearly jumped and did a happy dance. Oh how mentally relieving it is to know you are 1 mile ahead of where you think you are! I kept on running. Almost home! OK body, you can do this!

 

Oh wait, maybe you can’t.

Obstacles. 

Yep, they happen at every Ironman. I was faced with a new one. I was not able to breath. I was breathing very shallow as I was running back into town and could barely catch my breath. This was not a good situation to be in for I knew that if I was not getting oxygen into my lungs and I was breathing shallow, I was building up CO2 and this would not be healthy for my body. It was only a few minutes of trying to figure this out that I did the only thing that I knew would work.

Stop.

With less than 2 miles to go, you’d think that it’s only two miles, suck it up. Well, I can assure you that I stopped and did not move and 2 miles to the finish felt like another marathon that I needed to conquer. I am not sure how long it was, probably no more than 45 seconds (which felt like forever as I was being passed by three more girls between miles 23-25) but I stopped and tried to get in a deep inhale. I did this a few times and I felt better but the tightness in my chest did not go away.

One mile to go.

 I was in full survival mode. Hang in there body, we can do this!

Still climbing and nearing the final turn to the finish chute, I put my empty flasks in my Trimarni jersey pockets, zipped up my jersey and feeling as if I was sprinting (at the end of this exhausting marathon, 9-10 min/miles felt like sprinting for me), I had finally gotten my body to another 140.6 mile finish line.

The IM Wisconsin finish line is one of my favorites (aside from Kona) because it is long. There are spectators on both sides and I was high fiving everyone! It was a true effort to get my hands up at this point but the high fives were totally worth it. I figured I was 6^th amateur but still not positive on my age group placing if the girls who passed me were in my age group. 

And just like every other Ironman, despite having huge goals for race day to Kona qualify, everything is forgotten when I am finishing an Ironman. It is the most unbelievable feeling to finish what you start, not just at 7am but the journey that started months and months ago (and for us, a year ago when the dream started).

As I was running on the right side of the finish chute, I immediately spot Karel and our homestay Ed and Judy! I ran to the other side and high fived Karel. This was the total highlight of my day!

I was smiling ear to ear, arms were up and I did it.

9x Ironman finisher.

And then my body said, you are done.

I collapsed in the arms of the volunteers and finally I could catch my breath. The volunteers walked me to some chairs to sit down and finally, after 10 hours and 44 minutes of racing, I could sit and didn’t have to move my body any more. Off season has officially begun!

I was in no hurry to talk to Karel but after I started to come back to life a bit, I realized that I had no idea how Karel did.

I hobbled my way over to Karel after a few minutes of sitting and I asked Karel how he did.

“3^rd place. I did it. I’m going to Kona!”

This is Karel's happy face, now that the suffering is over. Karel suffering?

He's good at that. 

(Karel's longest run in training was also 16 miles)

I gave Karel the biggest hug and even though I didn’t know my place, I had no Ironman scheduled for 2015 (even though Karel signed up for Lake Placid as a back-up race to try to Kona qualify) and I had the most difficult 26.2 miles to cover, I was so thrilled for Karel. He had worked so hard and was so patient in his IM journey. It was just 2 years ago when Karel learned how to swim for the first time.

I was anxious to find out how I did because now the pressure was all on me if I would be joining Karel on the big island in 2015.

I had Ed pull up his phone to see the results and we couldn’t believe it.

I was 3^rd too!

I anticipated 2-3 Kona slots in my age group but if it was true that Suzie wasn’t taking her slot, that meant I would receive the roll down slot which meant, Karel and I would both race in Kona together!

 

Let’s just say that it was a long 15 hours of waiting to find out if our dream was really coming true.

After we took our finisher pictures, I grabbed a space blanket because I started to get really cold. I spotted some grass behind the barricades in the finish line and Karel and I just laid in the grass for a good 10 minutes. I wasn’t able to lay on my back because I was still having trouble breathing and I would cough a lot so I laid tummy down on the grass and before I knew it, it all hit me. Ouch…this Ironman racing is hard!

Karel was so fast, they didn't have time to switch over the clock to show the age group time (it's still on the pro time)

Karel is now making friends.

Finally feeling able to move my depleted body, Karel and I hobbled our way to the Terrace to get our morning clothes bag and to change into dry clothes. Ed was amazing and grabbed our bikes for us and the IM volunteers had put seat covers on all of our bikes! (Probably a good call considering what goes on during the IM bike portion). I turned on my phone and was greeted by so many texts, emails and FB messages! Thank you a million everyone for tracking our day!

After returning home, I laid in bed (tummy down) for about 20 minutes and finally made my way to the most needed, yet painful (ouch – chaffing!) shower. I put on comfy warm clothes and Judy had warmed up some leftover pizza and soup for us. 

The best homestay ever!!

Although I couldn’t eat a lot, it really hit the spot. Fat, carbs and salt makes my tummy happy post IM. I continued to stay hydrated, had 1 FIZZ (hammer) in a water bottle and after resting until 10:30pm, we (Ed, Karel and I) made our way back downtown to watch the most exciting part of the Ironman, the last hour!

Post-Ironman exhaustion + Kona slot distribution anticipation. Let’s just say it was a very restless night with only a few hours of sleep.

Karel gave up beer for a little over a week! Cheers to a great finish and WI beer!

Karel: 9:44:02
3rd AG, 9th amateur

Marni: 10:44:47
3rd AG, 6th amateur

Karel stats:

Marni Stats

Marni Run stats (Garmin): 

(including all walks/stops which was every mile + my extra stop to breath)

1. 7:32
2. 7:58
3. 8:40
4. 8:06
5. 8:25
6. 8:50
7. 8:29
8. 9:04
9. 8:36
10. 8:31
11. 8:28
12. 8:13
13. 8:30
14. 8:33
15. 8:37
16. 8:48
17. 8:41
18. 8:45
19. 9:22
20. 8:42
21. 8:58
22. 9:03
23. 9:08
24. 9:14
25. 9:34
26. 10:04

Karel’s run stats (Garmin)

1. 6:42
2. 6:57
3. 7:20
4. 7:03
5. 7:00
6. 7:24
7. 7:05
8. 7:08
9. 7:13
10. 7:10
11. 7:24
12. 7:14
13. 7:32
14. 7:11
15. 7:19
16. 7:34
17. 7:39
18. 7:35
19. 8:14
20. 7:57
21. 7:53
22. 7:56
23. 7:48
24. 7:48
25. 7:38
26. 7:21
    .2 miles @ 6:42 pace(first ½ marathon @ 7:10 min/mile, 1:33)