Lake Logan Half Ironman Race Recap (Karel)

 

The past 12 weeks have been difficult for Karel. After a hard impact mountain bike crash, he broke his right (dominant) hand. While the bones healed according to schedule within 6 weeks, the nerve pain and weakness has been slow, frustrating and painful. It took over two months for Karel to feel somewhat comfortable riding outside because the vibrations of the road caused tremendous pain in his hand. Because he still has a lot of weakness in his hand, this affects his grip while riding and how he swims (he doesn't have much of a "catch" in the water). The pinky and ring finger are numb and this numbness continues down his hand, which can be painful and annoying. There is also a lot of scar tissue in his palm and elbow which causes pain if he touches or hits it in the wrong spot.

Throughout this journey, which has been filled with a lot of low, discouraging moments, Karel kept showing up. Not knowing when or if his hand would fully heal, there were a lot of really tough days over the past 12 weeks. But he kept showing up. He focused on what he could do and sometimes that meant training with discomfort, frustration and a bruised ego. He regularly felt slow, out of shape and disappointed by his lack of progress. But he kept showing up. He did what he could with what he had.

As an outsider (who lives with Karel), I could see his progress on a daily basis. Karel could not fully see the progress as it never felt quick or big enough. But over the past few weeks, he started to finally recognize the progress and felt like he was finally at a place where he could safely race. And lucky for us, a popular SetUpEvents half ironman distance was still open for registration when Karel decided he was ready to race a few weeks ago. With the venue a little more than 90 minutes away and a challenging race course that I have done twice but Karel has always wanted to do, it was the perfect race for Karel to make his comeback. 

We traveled up to Canton, NC. on Thursday afternoon. We originally planned to leave around lunchtime after a morning swim, but as Karel was tuning up his bike, he had to change his rear brake as it suddenly broke, which took a little time. And as the last-minute packer of the household, he also had to pack. We finally hit the road around 2pm and after a little traffic and construction around Asheville, we made it to our Airbnb around 4pm. I was able to find us a cute rustic cabin just 4.9 miles away from Lake Logan on Lake Logan Road.

Campy enjoyed his trip and all the new smells. This was the first trip for Campy since he fully lost his hearing (old age) so it was a little more stressful for him (and us) to be in a new place but he settled in after a few hours. Karel was a bit frazzled from the brake incident and the drive (traffic) so I encouraged him to go for a spin after we unloaded the car and it did the trick and he felt much better after seeing the beautiful scenery around Lake Logan. I made pasta for us and we enjoyed dinner on the porch while watching the Olympics on my iPad (YouTubeTV). We didn't have internet but our Hot Spot worked great. 

On Friday morning, Karel did his pre-race warm-up (ride and run) and after he returned home around 10am, I headed out for my ride. I ventured out by myself from our cabin to the Blue Ridge Parkway and enjoyed the incredible views throughout my 4-hour, 61 mile ride. I returned home just after 3pm, showered and ate and then went to the race venue with Karel and Campy around 4:30pm for Karel to get his packet and to do a quick swim in the lake. It was great to see some familiar faces at the venue. 

After we arrived back at the cabin we ate dinner and watch the women marathon for the Olympics (SO exciting!). Karel had a great night of sleep. The alarm went off around 4:30am and shockingly, Karel was in a good mood for it being so early in the morning - even before his morning coffee. Yannick (our athlete) and his GF stayed with us and Campy instantly became BFF's with their dog Boston. After Karel did his normal pre-race routine: Espresso, oatmeal, kit-up, jog, bathroom, we made our way to the venue around 5:45am. 

Karel got body marked, racked his bike, laid out his transition area and then made his way to the swim start. After not racing for a few months, Karel wasn't nervous but he certainly had to make a few last minute adjustments due to his weak hand. Instead of doing a flying mount, he opted to put his cycling shoes on in the transition area as he doesn't have the strength to hold on to the bars with only his right hand. He also can't use his right hand to tighten his shoes so that takes a little more time to do it with his left hand. He added some gel tape to his tri bike handlebar to help reduce the pressure on his hand. He also cut the legs of his wetsuit a little shorter to make it easier to remove. 

After Karel went for another short jog, I helped him put on his wetsuit (again, he doesn't have the grip with his right hand to pull up the left sleeve of his wetsuit) and then he went into the water for his warm-up swim. At 7am, the advanced category started along with the 45+ age group men. 

1.2 mile swim: 31:34 (8th advanced out of the water)

Karel had an OK swim. He was a bit frustrated by how he felt and performed in the water but he knew it reflected this current level of fitness right now. The biggest struggle was feeling like his feet were going to cramp as the lake water went into the river water (10 degree drop from 72 degrees) and then completely out of it and disoriented when he tried to get on the dock to get out of the water. He hobbled his way out of the water and into the transition area. He was then frustrated by his transition area which he felt was super slow as he couldn't get his shoes fasted tightly with his right hand and it took him a little longer to take off his wetsuit. The hand was already giving him issues but he just did the best he could and was relieved to finally get on the bike. Out of the other guys, his transition of 2:05 was not that slow but for Karel, who always says that nothing good happens in transition area, he felt like it took forever. When I yelled at him that he had a great transition, he mumbled "no I didn't" which I took as he was frustrated in the start of his race. Later I learned that Karel was just off from the swim and he wasn't upset at what I said but just frustrated with how he felt in the swim and with his transition. 

55.6 mile bike: 2:31.11 (2nd fastest advanced bike)
Once Karel made his way up the climb out of the race venue, he was already loving the twisty, punchy, technical nature of this race course. I gave Karel a few suggestions as I had raced here twice before so Karel kinda knew what to expect on the course. He also loaded the course map into his Garmin so that he wouldn't get off course as this smaller event didn't have as much signage as an IM-branded event. There were a few times when he questioned if he was still on the race course as a few other guys got off course. There were also a lot of issues with dropped chains, flat tires and a few crashes as this course is super challenging but also really technical. We had 6 athletes out on the course so I was hoping that everyone would be safe. I was actually not worried about Karel as I knew his bike handling skills would be just fine for him to race this course. Karel later told me that he loved the course and he had so much fun riding. His hand wasn't a limiter on this course as he can still get out of the saddle and change gears (electronic shifting) so that allowed him to ride a really strong race. He passed several guys over the course of the race. The last kicker of a climb around mile 44ish was tough and he got a bit rattled as a truck pulled out in front of him on the descend but he stayed upright and didn't overreact. When I saw our athlete Yannick arrive back into T2 after a blazing 2:24 bike split, I was shocked to see Karel as the 3rd advanced athlete (there was one guy who came in right behind Karel but DNF'd as he was just doing the swim/bike) off the bike. Another local athlete from Greenville was 2nd after Yannick. Karel came in about 7 minutes after Yannick and I was so surprised to see him. This course really suited him with all the climbs, twists and turns. He just loves dynamic race courses. 

13 mile run: 1:23.30 (3rd fastest advanced run)



 

After Karel transitioned from bike to run, it was time to do what he loves, which is chase people down on the run. I wasn't really sure how Karel would run as he hasn't really been doing any race specific training lately for the run but you can never take the competitive nature out of Karel. After the first loop, Yannick was flying and had a huge lead. Karel was now just 5 minutes after Yannick as the 2nd place overall athlete. The run course was a slight uphill and slight downhill out and back with a loop around gravel and a grassy field to end the first of two loops. By the end of the first loop, Karel was in 2nd place and was getting a little closer to Yannick. Over the next half of the run course, Karel was able to close down the gap to our athlete Yannick to just over 2 minutes and extend his lead over Scott by almost 5 minutes. Unfortunately, Scott took a wrong turn on the bike which put him back a bit - otherwise, I think it would have been a tighter battle between first to third place overall. Karel found the first loop to be a cruise-effort but the 2nd loop felt a little more tiring on miles 6-9 but he just broke the course up into segments and said that this was one of his "easiest" run performances in a half. Karel had his race nutrition on him (Skratch Matcha) and didn't need any water at the the aid stations for cooling. One of the aid stations had coke so he had one small sip on each loop. Although the weather went from cool and cloudy to warm and sunny, Karel didn't feel warm on the run thanks to the shade from the trees and the breeze from the creek water. Karel kinda shut it down near the end of the run as he felt his 2nd place was secured. He finished with great satisfaction with his return to racing and just so much gratitude to be back out racing again with his friends and fellow competitors. Karel absolutely loves racing so it's been really tough to be on the sidelines for the past three months. This was just the boost that he needed going into IM 70.3 World Championships. 

Finishing time: 4:29.39, 2nd overall. 

After Karel finished, he chatted with his buddies Yannick and Steven before making his way to the cold creek to cool off. Karel wasn't exhausted or overly sore but just tired from the race effort. Campy, on the other hand, was exhausted. I was too! But it was great to be out there to cheer on Karel and our other athletes. After the award ceremony, we said good bye to this beautiful race venue before making our way back to Greenville. 

Lake Logan Half Ironman - Race Report

Although this is only my 2nd time racing the Lake Logan Half Ironman, it's one of my favorite half ironman events. With it being ~90 minutes from my house (outside of Asheville), I consider it a "home town" race. Plus, it's in the mountains so the weather is typically cool for August (50-60s on race day morning). Set Up Events puts on a great race, with a beautiful and calm wet-suit legal swim, challenging and well-marked/supported bike course and easy-to-navigate net incline/decline two-loop run. And because the race venue is tucked away in the mountains, the atmosphere is very calm, relaxed and nature-filled.

My mom joined me for this race as Karel was participating in the Purple Patch Greenville East Coast camp from Thurs - Sunday. We stayed at the Best Western Smokey Mountain Inn, about 20 minutes away from the race venue and the hotel was clean and the staff was friendly. We didn't take advantage of the complimentary breakfast due to our early morning check out but they did pack grab-and-go bags for all of the athletes, starting at 5am.

I woke-up to my alarm at 3:40am to give myself 20 minutes to get going in the morning. As I was sipping my warm cup of instant coffee (Nescafe instant espresso), made with milk, I got myself dressed in my race day outfit and reviewed the bike course map once more. As I was reviewing the map, I consumed my pre-race meal, which consisted of 2 Belgium waffles (each 210 calories) topped with nut butter (1 of them) and butter/jam (the other). Both drenched with maple syrup and topped with cinnamon. On the side, sliced bananas and a glass of OJ. I found this meal easy to consume and even though I eat a variety of different food combos before my training sessions, this meal seems to work the best for me. I finished my meal around 4:40am, packed up the car and headed to the race venue around 5:10am.

We arrived to the race venue around 5:40am and although there was a little traffic getting into the parking lot, I was able to get body marked and pick up my chip and enter the transition area by 6am, with plenty of time before my 7am wake start.

Since there was no bike check in on Sat, I pumped up my tires before leaving my car, put my 3 sport nutrition bottles on my bike and secured my Garmin between my aero bars.

It was so great to see so many familiar faces, along with my athletes Joe, Meredith, Lukas, Chris, Kim, Bryan, Leyla, Kim and Thomas. I also saw several other Greenville athletes and friends, like Stephanie Hoke and Katie and Chris Morales. Although I had a few nervous butterflies in my belly, I felt really calm and relaxed.

Of course, I also dealt with the thoughts of "how will I feel today?" but after laying out my transition area and giving it a triple check, I did my run warm-up on the run course (~5-8 min out and 5-8 min back of jogging with a few pick ups) and started to feel much better. I was excited to race! 

It was a little cool out so I kept myself warm with my Trimarni beanie and long sleeve jersey but after my warm-up, I was warm. I made sure to allow time to put on my Xterra Vengeance wetsuit and get in the water, for a little swim warm-up. Because it was wetsuit legal, I wore my short sleeve tri suit zipped up under my wetsuit, along with my Compress Sport calf sleeves. I also sipped on 80 calories of Clif Cran Razz hydration in a plastic throw away water bottle in the 90 minutes before the race. 

Around 6:55am, the open wave was instructed to get into the water again and we all lined up in front of the dock. I positioned myself to the far left of the buoys. When the gun went off, I took off hard to try to accelerate with a front pack and because the pack was fast (2 other guys and 1 girl), I wasn't able to settle into a rhythm until the 2nd buoy. It was a fast start but I didn't want to lose my pack! 

I could see two athletes far in the distance and I assumed one of them was my friend Katie, who races in the professional category and currently training for IM Whales. I was happy to be in the 2nd pack although I was side by side with another female, with pink goggles (I also wear pink goggles, TYR 2.0 special ops) and I couldn't help but think "Ahhh - all of this water and we are swimming right next to each other for the entire swim!" But instead of getting frustrated, I reframed the situation and told myself "at least you can stay with her."

The first part of the swim course went by really fast and I found a good rhythm. I made sure to stay on course by sighting a lot and taking the shortest distance possible around this circular course, always keeping the buoys to my right. After the two turn buoys, we started our swim back to the exit. The water felt a bit more choppy or maybe I was just tired. Either way, it felt long on the way back. Finally, we got closer to the bridge and suddenly, the water become so cold. I anticipated this as we swam into the spring water and the temp dropped to the low 60's - brrr. Good thing I warmed up in my wetsuit! I pressed myself onto the dock and as soon as I exited the water (it looked to be 6th place overall) I unzipped my wetsuit as I was running to the transition area. I could see Katie running out of T1 with her bike but I didn't see any other females ahead of me, except my pink goggle friend who swam next to me for all 1.2 miles of the swim- I passed her running to T1.

My transition was super quick - wetsuit off, cycling shoes on (no socks), helmet on (with shield) and I powered on my Garmin as I was heading out of transition and then I ran my bike on the grass to the mount line and started my ride up the hill.

I made sure to not put any power in my legs going up the hill and to wait until the down hill to settle into my rhythm. My legs felt just fine flying down the hill and I felt super fast for the first section of the bike course. There were a few rollers but I made sure not to push hard as I wanted to save my energy for the last 26 miles of the course.

I found myself being passed by a few guys in the early miles and I tried to use them for motivation to maintain a strong but steady tempo. But my legs felt kind empty. Although I didn't expect to stay draft legal behind these guys, I was a little annoyed that I didn't have that pop in my legs. I am usually very strong on the uphills, sitting up or out of my saddle, but my legs just didn't have it. I didn't let it get to me too much and just focused on riding what felt good, hoping that my legs would continue to open up.

During this time, I made sure to stay up on my liquid calories. I took 3-4 sips of my 250 calorie custom INFINIT bottle every 10-15 minutes. I adjusted my intake based on the terrain to make sure that I didn't sip down my nutrition when my heart rate was elevated. To keep my taste buds happy, I had watermelon flavor for my first bottle (yummy), grape for my second and caffeinated (50mg) pink lemonade for my 3rd bottle. I must have been well hydrated because I peed 3 times throughout the ride (while riding).

I never felt cold on the bike and kept thinking that the temperature was just perfect for riding. I would often look around and make note of the beautiful river flowing next to us, farm land in the distance, mountain views and farm animals. I even said hi to one of the cows who looked like he was really interested in the race.

Around mile 20-29, I started to feel a tiny bit better but I was still being passed by a lot of guys and I couldn't hang with anyone. I was hoping to at least stay draft legal behind someone but the ride ended up being pretty lonely out there for me. The only time that I found myself with others was from mile 30 to around mile 35-36. And thankfully, this was one of the more technical and harder sections of the course for me so I was happy to be with other athletes. But then those athletes rode away and I was once again alone.

I had waves of feeling good and then ok and then blah but I tried to just focus on riding well. I didn't feel good getting out of the saddle which was a sign that I had a little fatigue in my legs, likely from my previous training. But, I didn't let it get to me and just focused on one mile at a time and taking care of my attitude and nutrition.

When I got to the first steep climb on the course around mile 41, I was passed by my athlete Joe (assistant coach at Trimarni) and I was actually happy to see him. I was able to stay with him on the climb but then he rode away on the descend. I found myself very confident on the downhills so I was riding really happy, despite not feeling the best.

It was around mile 44 or so, on the big steep/long climb on the course, that I was passed by an open female. While I should not have let that pass get to me, I could not stay with her as she was riding super strong, in a heavy gear. Even though I wasn't riding slow, I just had nothing to give to stay with her. My legs felt empty.

With only about 10 miles left in the bike course, I thought about Karel at Lake Placid just two weeks ago and reminded myself that he felt empty on the bike and still put together a strong run. So at that point, I convinced myself that I was going to have a good run off the bike. Sure, it was hard for me to know how my legs would feel but I had two options - doubt my run or believe in my run. So, I decided to believe in my run, especially since I have been feeling really good with my run training/fitness over the past few weeks so I believe in myself that I could put together a good run off the bike. I also reminded myself that I have raced many half Ironmans where I caught ladies ahead of me in the later half/miles of the run. While I may not be a fast runner, I believe I am good at not slowing down when running off the bike, especially after a hard bike.

I ended up finishing almost all of my 3 bottles so I had trust in my body that at least I was nutritionally fueled and hydrated for the run. The 2nd place open female was long gone and assuming that Katie was a zip code ahead of me, I just focused on taking care of myself, hoping that it would get me closer to 2nd place.

When I got off my bike, I was happy to have my feet on the ground. While I was a little disappointed that I didn't have more of a spark on the bike, it was very windy and on this difficult course, I was found some satisfaction that I was 3rd open female. If anything, I need to remind myself how far I have come - there was a time when I hated riding my bike and now I love it (even when I am feeling blah). 

I dismounted my bike and ran on the grass toward the transition area. I quickly took off my cycling shoes, put on my Compress Sport socks and New Balance Zante Fresh Foam running shoes. I then put on my race belt along with my Nathan hydration belt (and 2 flasks). I had secured my Oakley sunglasses on my Trimarni trucker hat so that it would be easy to put on the hat (with the glasses) as I was leaving the transition area. I also put my Garmin watch inside my hydration belt pocket so that I could have one less thing to hold on to until I put on my hat. I then put on my watch as I was walking out of transition area and once I hit the timing mat, I started my watch and started running. 

With not a lot of athletes in transition area, it was nice to see so many spectators just outside of the transition area. When I started my run over the flat bridge and passed the parking lot, it was time to officially get into my rhythm. On this two loop course, with a net incline for 3 miles, I was looking forward to mentally breaking this course into sections. I just love loops as it works so well for my mind as I can focus on one segment at a time. I actually felt really light on my feet immediately and that feeling stayed with me until the turn around, around mile 3. I didn't focus on my watch, even though it was auto lapping but instead, I just focused on keeping good form and finding a good rhythm. To make sure that I had some energy left for the second loop, I made sure to not dig too deep on the first loop. While I wasn't running easy, it felt sustainable and good.

Before the turn around, I started to see more athletes, although there were not a lot of athletes on the course at that point. I saw Katie running back and she was way ahead so I had my eyes focused on 2nd place. Although she was a good 6 min ahead of me off the bike (I was told by my mom), I was on a mission. 

I knew I wasn't going to catch her in the first loop so my goal was to run well the first loop and then build my effort on the 2nd loop. While I didn't anticipate running any faster the 2nd loop, I felt like I had it in me to dig a little deeper - all while keeping good form.

I made sure to stay up with my nutrition, sipping my flasks every mile and then anytime I felt like I was getting a little low in energy. Each flask had 120 calories of EFS Pro cucumber (for a total of 240 calories for the run). I did not consume any other nutrition on the run and just had a few sips of water from the aid stations and used water for cooling my head as I got a little warmer as the run went on. 

Although one would think that running net decline for 3 miles would be "easy", you still have to work for it. And because we had some tailwind going "up", we had to battle the headwind running "down."

I was excited to be back near the transition area and the first loop went by super fast. I looked forward to changing up the terrain, onto the gravel and then the grass for a quick loop outside of transition area before heading back to the pavement for another loop. I received word from some spectators that my gap to 2nd place was now around 2 minutes so this gave me a little boost that I was gaining on her. I wasn't sure how close I would get but I decided that I would try my hardest and not give up until the finish line.

I just love this picture (taken by Beth Molzer) that captures my focus as I start loop two of the run. I am also super proud of my body for being able to keep such good form and not breaking down, despite not feeling energy in my legs on the bike. Oh how the body loves to keep you on your toes!

Not too long as I was starting my second loop, my athlete Thomas passed me - and didn't say anything to me! I laughed at myself that he passed his coach and didn't say anything so I decided to just use him as my rabbit and try my best to keep him in front of me. He must have hit a high moment because he started to pull away from me as if he was flying and he was looking good. I was super pumped for him, putting together a great run. I finally managed to get back behind Thomas and it was super motivating for me to stay right behind him as we both cheered for the other Trimarnis on the course, giving high fives to everyone that we saw.

After the turn around, I could see that my gap to 2nd place was about the same but I was not giving up until the finish line. I kept telling myself that it's not over until it's over! I had a few low moments between mile 7-9, where it just felt really long and never ending but I told myself just keep moving forward and you'll cover the miles. I had to play a lot of mental games to keep my effort going, like counting to 4 and just focusing on Thomas's feet ahead of me but it was working as the miles started to click by. For the last few miles, Thomas started to run away from me but I gave my best trying to keep him in my sights.

Surprisingly, after lacking energy on the bike, this was one of my best feeling runs in a very long time. Although I never caught 2nd place, I was thrilled with my 3rd place because I never gave up on myself and kept focusing on doing my best until I crossed the finish line. 

                                         

Every race provides a lesson, an experience and an opportunity. If we focus too much on the end result, we are unable to take away important lessons, experiences and opportunities which can only help us in future races. I had no time or placement goals for this race. I stayed in the moment and tried not to expend too much energy on those around me. I stayed confident in my abilities and trusted myself. I focused on things within my control and gave my best until I crossed the finish line. And the best part for me was finding out that I had the fastest open female run of the day and 2nd fastest female run split (missed first by less than 30 seconds). Yay for my running legs that had no energy on the bike - I guess they were wanting to run!

Thank you Lake Logan for the great race experience. I'm not sure if I will be back next year as we will be racing in Europe in June/July with Ironman Austria and then Challenge Prague half ironman, but this will continue to be one of my favorite race venues as it has shown me that a successful race isn't defined by what you can do easily but instead, what you can do when it's not easy. 

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

A BIG thank you to our 

2017 Trimarni sponsors and affiliates:

-Run In - for helping us with all of our running needs
-New Wave Swim Buoy - for keeping us safe and seen in the open water
-Mg12 - for helping our muscles stay relaxed
-Clif Bar - for quality ingredients in quality sport nutrition
-Cheribundi - for providing a safe, natural and delicious way to reduce inflammation
-Veronica's Health Crunch - for the most delicious hand made crunch - ever!
-Infinit - for customizable sport nutrition
-Levelen - for helping us optimize our hydration needs through sweat testing
-Hot Shot - for keeping Karel cramp-free!
-Solestar - for maximum stability, better power transmission
-Boco Gear - for helping us race in style
-Canari - for the most comfortable, functional and stylish gear

-Xterra - for the fastest wetsuit ever (so fast, Karel is now beating me in the swim!)
-Alto cycling - for enginnering the fastest race wheels
-Swamp Rabbit Inn and Lodge - for keeping our campers happy with perfect lodging options
-Salem Anesthesia - for your Trimarni support

Lake Logan half ironman - quick recap

I had a lot of confidence going into the Lake Logan half ironman. I felt physically prepared and my nerves were at an all-time low. I had trust in my nutrition, skills, terrain management and mental strength and I was excited for the opportunity to get out and race.

RESULTS:
Swim: 29:29
T1: 1:44
Bike: 2:43.53
T2: 1:10
Run: 1:36.55
Total: 4:53.10
(the bike and run were a bit short from the total 70.3 distance)

I placed 3rd overall/open female and had the fastest overall female run and 2nd fastest run of the day (by 15 seconds).

Knowing that there was going to be some tough competition out on the course, I made sure not to doubt my own strengths when comparing myself to others. I actually went into this race with more confidence in my running than swim and bike! But, I made sure to stay within myself and trust my preparation going into this race. Although I didn't fully taper for this race as I was coming off a big load of training in Lake Placid 2 weeks ago, I still felt like I could put together a strong performance on this very challenging race course.

This season has been all about growing my confidence as an endurance triathlete. Although I love the Ironman distance, I have used this season to build my confidence as a "racer". By taking a break from the IM distance, I have been able to train and race more consistently. With my big season goal happening in just 5 weeks (Ironman 70.3 World Championship), Lake Logan was a step in the right direction that the hard work is paying off. While my goals for the IM 70.3 WC are realistic (I am not seeking a podium finish but instead, focusing on putting together the best race possible from start to finish), I am so thrilled to be going into my last race of the season and my 4th half Ironman of 2017, with confidence.

Many athletes believe that there is a connection between confidence and expectations. I disagree.
Expectations bring nerves, anxieties and unnecessary pressure. Expectations prevent athletes from developing confidence because if you judge or demand an outcome before it happens, and you don't meet that expectation, you feel like a failure. This does you no good.  On the other hand, if you have confidence and a strong belief in your ability to perform, your result will be a product of putting together the race that meets your capabilities. 

At the Lake Logan half ironman, I didn't waste my energy on the outcome. I actually had confidence in my friend Katie (Thomas) Morales that she would win the race and I was confident that I could compete with the other open females on the course. I didn't get caught up in times, results or metrics but instead, I went into the race with a strong belief that I could execute well on this challenging course.

I love training but I really love racing. Sure, I have my share of low moments and I question "why in the heck am I doing this???" during a race but I love the process of racing. I love seeing familiar faces before the race, I love the rituals before the race start, I love the excitement and anticipation in the 1 minute countdown before the start and the specific tasks that need to be accomplished between the start and finish line. And I love crossing the finish line and feeling satisfied in the effort. Even though it's rewarding to reach your time goals, place on the podium or win a race or your age group, a successful race should not be determined by the outcome, nor should it be judged by how on track you are to meet your expectations (ex. time goal, podium placement, overall placement, etc.) during the race. I can't tell you how many times I have heard and seen athletes give up during a race because they can no longer meet their expectations.

With this being my 11th season of endurance racing, I am still improving but most of all, I am still learning and loving the sport of triathlon. I just love the journey of evolving my fitness and skills as an athlete, season after season, and I look forward to the opportunity to showcase my hard work on race day.

If you focus too much on the results, you will likely burn yourself out from the pressure of having expectations. You will find yourself becoming disinterested in racing and coming up with execuses as to why you can't race or put together a good enough race. This is not what training and racing is about.

The Lake Logan half ironman provided me with another racing opportunity to put myself into uncomfortable, unfamiliar and unknown situations and to deal with those scenarios as they came about for 70.3 miles. This is why I train - to be prepared for the demands on race day. The outcome is out of my control but I can control how I deal with situations as they come about. And certainly, no race is without it's oh-no, not now, why me, moments.

As the defending female overall winner, I didn't go into the Lake Logan half ironman event hoping to win the race for the 2nd year in a row. I also do not plan to go into the Ironman 70.3 World Championship with a goal of placing on the podium. This does not mean that I lack self confidence or I doubt my abilities but I don't want to set an outcome expectation that would define success. Would I be thrilled if I landed on the podium at 70.3 worlds - you bet (and very shocked/surprised) but I am not chasing an outcome but instead, training for the opportunity to perform at my best.

We all define success differently on race day. For me, I was reminded, once again, that racing requires you to focus on the present moment and to stay calm, brave and in control, in the face of an obstacle. And when a low moment comes or energy drops, you can't give up on yourself. Sometimes, the best results are the ones that you can't predict or plan for. Racing Lake Logan showed me that success comes when you stay in the "here and now" without focusing on the past, anticipating the future or worrying about anyone around you. 

Lake Logan Half - Race Report

Karel and I arrived to the race venue around 5:30am. My pre-race meal of a waffle sandwich with peanut butter, maple syrup and a banana digested great and I was only dealing with a few pre-race jitters.  I still get pre-race nerves but I feel like everything starts to feel more at ease when I arrive to the race venue on race day morning. And of course, once I get into the water for my pre-race warm-up, I feel relaxed, the butterflies subside and I become super excited to get going.

After body marking and getting my chip, I racked my bike on the OPEN division rack in the front of the transition area. I spotted several Trimarni athletes and other Greenville triathletes which was fantastic to see so many familiar faces. I'm the type of athlete who enjoys being around other athletes and having others make me laugh before a race whereas Karel likes to do his own thing without anyone else around.

Around 6am I walked back to the car with Karel and started my warm-up with dynamic stretching and a light jog with a few pick-ups. Around 6:30am, I walked to the lake with my wetsuit, cap and goggles to start my pre-race swim.

I stayed in the open until it was time for the open wave to start at 7am.

1.2 mile swim Time: 26.06

Give me a mountain view, calm lake water, a group of fast swimmers, my (new) favorite goggles for open water and the fastest wetsuit that I've ever swam in and you know I will be swimming happy.

The clockwise swim (keeping buoys on the right) made for an easy to navigate swim course. I was able to sight far in the distance on the tree line to also keep me on course.
The water temp was comfortable, semi-clear and calm.

At 7am, we were off!
There was a strong group of around 15 swimmers who started off fast for our in-the-water start. It almost felt like Kona to have so many strong swimmers so close together until the first buoy (well, minus the colorful fish, sea turtles and crystal blue waters).  We all stayed close together until the first buoy and as I found myself with a few swimmers until the second buoy, I kept my eye on one girl next to me who was swimming really strong. We swam close together until the last buoy before the turn buoy and I found myself swimming away from her and closer to the group of guys in front of me.

I wasn't sure if any females were ahead of time so I just focused on the guys in front of me.
The group of guys in front of me were swimming strong and I tried my best to catch them but it seemed like every time I was about to get them they picked up the pace. It was on the way back to the finish when I started to inch my way closer to the guys and finally was able to get some draft from the other swimmers.
Still keeping the buoys on our right, I kept a straight line directly to the bridge so that I didn't swim any more distance than necessary. This provided a straight shot to the bridge where I was greeted with ice cold water just under the bridge. It was refreshing to feel the cold water and nice to see the spectators above me but I was also ready to finish up this swim and get on my bike.

I felt really good throughout the entire swim and really tried to not resort to my comfortable Ironman effort but instead, I tried to go for a slightly harder, uncomfortable, yet sustainable effort.

I was able to catch a few guys in the final few minutes of the swim before getting out of the water, up a ladder and on to the dock.

I ran into the transition with a few guys and quickly grabbed took off my wetsuit and put on my socks, bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses. I felt like it was a quick transition (free speed!) and I was in and out. I started up my Garmin 810 as I was running out of the transition.

56 mile bikeTime: 2:40.05

I spotted Karel as I was running my bike to the mount line and he gave me a look of confidence and told me that I was first female out of the water. I'm not sure if he said anything else because I was so excited to get on my bike and tackle this difficult course with over 3500 feet of climbing in 56 miles (the Training Peaks elevation correction told me I did 6040 feet of climbing - which sounds super epic - but I think it was closer to 4000 feet).

I had planned to drive the entire course the day before the race with my athlete Jim but due to a hard downfall of rain, which made it impossible to see the arrows on the course and street names, we had to turn around after 15 miles. Ever since my bike detour at Rev3 Knoxville, I've been a overly nervous about staying on course at my races so I wanted to do everything possible to make sure I knew this challenging course, which included a lot of technical sections and lots of turns.

I reviewed as much as I could online, over and over again, and felt confident going into this race.
Despite never seeing an average speed over 17.5 miles per hour on my rides here in Greenville, I felt like this was going to be a good bike course for me to go hard (fast is all relative on challenging courses). 

I did not wear my heart rate monitor and I did not use my metrics to help me pace my race. Instead, I kept my focus on the road ahead and hitting my lap button every 25 minutes so that I only focused on pacing 25 minutes at a time.

The first few miles were fast after climbing a steady climb out of transition. Being the leader of the women's race made me ride scared but that's also how I have been racing over the past few years. In the past, I was typically passed on the bike within the first 20-30 minutes by other fast ladies but thanks to a lot of cycling work, I'm riding stronger (and happier) than ever before.

I found myself with a group of 5-6 guys in the first 10 miles of the bike and staying draft legal helped me ride strong and steady. I had an official by me several times and I never received a look that I was doing something that I shouldn't be doing. Karel has helped me understand exactly how far I need to be to stay draft legal in a race which has helped when I am in-the-moment, racing hard.

But it was only a matter of time before the guys would ride away. Even with a 54-39 front and 11-28 rear cassette, I was loosing ground on the downhills and was unable to make up the ground I needed on the uphills to keep these guys within my reach.

After around 5 miles, we had a good 5 miles of extremely twisty turny, up and down roads, which was a lot of fun but it made it difficult to manage a steady effort. I found myself trying to chase the guys and after about 45 minutes, I had to remind myself that this is not a bike race but instead a triathlon. But as much fun as I was having, I needed to settle into my own rhythm and race my own race.
For the next 25 miles, the course continued to meet all my expectations - it was absolutely beautiful and what an amazing location to suffer on two wheels. Creeks, trees, farms, animals and a nice fog making it perfect weather for riding. The course was well-marked with arrows before every turn and plenty of police officers to help with traffic control. The course was open to traffic and there were some sections with gravel on the road but I never felt unsafe on the road.

For the rest of the race, I lead the women's race and had no other cyclists in sight. Similar to Lake James 50 and Ironman Austria, I found myself in a race by myself. I was riding as hard and strong as I could for 56 miles but this over 2.5 hour time trial effort was not easy. I love the idea of having competition around me as it brings out the best in me. I always feel like I can go harder with other people around so I rode as if the other girls were right behind me so that I would keep myself going.

After a long steady and steep climb around mile 40, I found myself a little tired but on the downhill from the climb, I felt a reboot and I was back to my riding business.

The course was filled with lots of punchy climbs and it was never boring. I was riding so happy despite giving a sustainable strong effort throughout the entire ride.

Never looking at my Garmin to tell me how well (or not well) I was riding, I went all by feel for 56 miles. 

I fueled well throughout the entire ride and (almost) finished 3 full bottles, each with around 230-240 calories per bottle, each with a pinch of salt. 

As I was finishing the bike course, with less than 1.5 miles to go, I made my way up the long climb (about 1/2 mile) before a slight descend into the finish.

I made sure to never think about the run when I was biking because the way I was riding as if I was not running off the bike. But after 10 years of endurance racing, I've learned that if you want to win, you have to be willing to fail. I was taking risks for 56 miles and I wanted to give it my all to finish as the overall female winner.

For the number guru's, here are my 25 minute splits from my Garmin (I went all by feel):

-166 NP (Normalized Power), 87 cadence, 23.8 mph
-189 NP, 88 cadence, 22.3 mph
-164 NP, 88 cadence, 21.6 mph
-170 NP, 88 cadence, 19.9 mph
-181 NP, 83 cadence, 18.3 mph
-159 NP, 87 cadence, 21.5 mph
-Last 1.5 miles - 172 NP, 80 cadence, 15 mph


13.1 mile run
Time: 1:43.15

Photo credit: Nicole R.
When I approached the dismount line, I spotted Karel. He snapped a few pics and told me great job as I ran my bike to the transition.
It took me an extra second to put on my Garmin 235 (for the run) but I tried to make transition as quick as possible as I put on my visor, run shoes and race belt. I did walk through the transition area as I put on my Nathan hydration belt and once I stepped over the timing mat, I started running.
The first few minutes did not feel good on my legs but I'm all too familiar with this feeling so I just ran with it.

I didn't see Karel for a while so I figured he was waiting until the next few girls came into transition area to let me know of my lead. Karel was on his mountain bike to cheer for me and all the other Trimarni and Greenville athletes (and everyone else) out  on the course.

I was really excited for this course because it suits my strength of running on hills. Seeing that my running style is more of a glider versus than a gazelle, I do best on terrain that let's me power my way up hills with my quads than to push off the ground with my feet (not sure if that makes sense but that's how I feel when I run hills).

I felt really strong running the first 3 miles, which were all uphill. It was a gradual incline, nothing too steep, but it certainly required a bit of work to get to the turn around. I had one quick stop to shake out some kinks in my running form but other than that, I ran to the turn around without any additional walk breaks. Karel rode up and gave me a cheer and told me that I had a good lead, about five minutes. But he told me to not give up and to keep my effort going.

I sipped on my Clif hydration flasks (about 100 calories) every mile and a few times in between the aid stations and grabbed a little water at the aid stations for sipping. Although the course was a little shaded, I was getting a little warm so I used the water to cool myself. The volunteers were great and everyone on the course was giving me a lot of motivation - seeing my athletes, Bryan, Thomas, Al, Leigh-Ann (and eventually Jim - who had a mechanical) was a great energy booster.

When I approached the turn around, I took a quick breather, shook out my legs and a few deep breaths and exhales and made my way down the hill. 

Mentally, I looked forward to the 3 miles downhill but it wasn't easy. I was still having to work on the downhill and I had to focus hard on my stride to keep good form. I did feel strong throughout and told myself that all I needed to do was to get up the hill again and it would be all "downhill" to the finish.
I found myself constantly playing mind games and talking my way  to the next destination on the course as I was experiencing far more low moments as I was running than highs. Never did I let my Garmin tell me how good/bad I was running so I didn't look at my Garmin for the entire run.

When I made my way back to the transition area, it was a great energy booster to hear my name from the spectators and to run on the gravel (which I loved) and the grass (which I loved) as the first female. I took one quick walk near the transition area to shake out my legs and to stretch my back before heading back out  on the run course and back to climbing for the next 3 miles.

At this point, I saw the ladies behind me once again and they looked strong....they also looked very close to me. It was a mile or so later when I saw Karel and he told me that I was in a good position to win the race but to not give up because the girls behind me were looking good and running strong. Hearing this from Karel was a great push as it made me not hold back. Although I wasn't able to run any faster, I was not giving up even though I was feeling more and more fatigued as the race went on. I kept telling myself that I am healthy and this is exactly what I train for and I can rest when the race is over. As much as I was hurting, I was loving every step as this is exactly what I love to feel when I am healthy - a body that can endure the pain that comes with racing hard.

I had told myself that the last 3 miles would be all downhill but the miles did not come quick. The last 3 miles were actually my hardest as it seemed like it was taking forever to get to the next mile marker. As I passed mile 10, I just told myself, ok 3 more miles - that's nothing.
Then as I passed mile 11, I told myself that all I had to do was to get to mile 12 and then I would be able to enjoy the last mile as I ran to the finish as the overall female winner. But in order to keep my spot, I had to push hard.
Thankfully, a guy was running the same pace as me (on his first loop) and he was really helping me out. Actually, his pace was faster than mine so I tried to stay with him. He was exactly what I needed. 

He asked me what lap I was on and I told him that I was on my 2nd lap. He then asked what my goal time was for this race. I responded "No goal time, I just want to win."
He was fired up by my response and really pushed me to the finish. He was an awesome running partner and I told him to keep up his pace for the rest of the race and I would see him at the finish.

As I made my way to the gravel section, I was so relieved to see the finish line and as I ran to the finish chute, I heard my name as the first overall female winner.



Karel was already at the finish to see Trimarni athletes Drew and Al finish ahead of me and when I crossed the finish line, I felt equally accomplished as I did exhausted.

It didn't take long for me to hobble my way to Karel and before I knew it, I was finally resting my legs as I collapsed on the ground.



Oh ground, you feel so good.



I've had a lot of ups and downs over the past 10 years. I've had many successful races and I've had a lot of setbacks. I've accomplished many things with my body and my body has encountered a lot of obstacles.

This year has been extremely special because I've worked really hard and my hard work is paying off. But above all, I'm having so much fun training and racing.

I've called myself a triathlete for 10 years and I find myself loving this sport as much as I did when I started. 

A big thank you to Karel, the Trimarni athletes, the spectators and the Greenville community for the cheers and support at the Lake Logan Half.

You all reminded me why I love to push my body as race day gives me the opportunity to put my training to the test and to raise my limits and challenge myself. 

Lake Logan Half - quick recap

My body is in a good place right now.
I feel healthy, resilient and strong.

Well, in all honesty, right now I am exhausted, tired and sore and I've gathered just enough energy to ride my road bike for an hour (Sunday) and swim 1500 yards (today) in the last 48 hours.

On Saturday, I checked off another race in my 10th year of endurance racing and I couldn't be more grateful to my body as it did not let me down when I asked it to go hard (like really, really hard) for 70.3 miles at the Lake Logan Half . 

For the past ten years, I have been developing my fitness and skills as an endurance triathlete. 

Over the past three years, I've remained injury free.
Over the past nine years, I've remained illness and sickness free.
Over the past three years, I have raced better than I've ever raced before since starting endurance sports at the age of 23.

This was not by chance but through hard work, education and focus to make sure that my love for endurance sports was never greater than my passion for keeping my body in good health as an endurance triathlete.

When you are healthy, your body can perform amazingly well.

And now, it seems as if it's all coming together as I have never been happier training and racing as a endurance triathlete.

You may wish that there was a simple answer, a perfect training plan, a few must-do workouts or a list of magic foods that have helped me achieve race day success over the past few years but I believe that making mistakes, being open to change, developing and learning has given me many opportunities to find a better way of training and racing.

The more I fail, the smarter I become as an athlete.
I have failed a lot.
I have learned a lot.

After every race, I find myself reflecting more on the journey to get to the race start line rather than picking apart and over-analyzing the race itself.
Like many athletes, I could easily critique my entire race day effort and think about all the things that didn't go well or what I could have done better but instead, I like to first put my energy into what I did in training which helped me excel on race day.

Swimming: 

Give me a mountain view, calm lake water, a group of fast swimmers, my (new) favorite goggles for open water and the fastest wetsuit that I've ever swam in and I'm at peace in the water.  But in order to swim fast on race day, I have to be super diligent with my swim training. Even as a life long swimmer, I still need to train a lot. I am in the water a lot (4-5 times per week) and all of my training is alone (with Karel occasionally in the lane next to me doing his own workout). I do believe I could swim faster if I sawm with others. My swim workouts are never boring as there is a lot going on with every workout, lots of toys to use and a nice balance of intensity, volume and recovery with an extra emphasis on race specific sets in the few weeks leading up to a race. What's helped me the most on race day is feeling like I am doing a better job taking my pool fitness to the open water and not being afraid to go hard from the start.

Cycling:
The evolution of me as a cyclist has been a long time in the making. Karel has tweaked my fit year after year and I'm in the most efficient, yet powerful, position on my bike than I've ever been before. Plus, this is the first year that I am sitting on my saddle correctly (thus putting my hips in the right position so I engage my glutes and don't overwork my quads) and I just love my Adamo saddle that has helped me ride so happy (so comfortable!). But, I'm sure this is not the last of Karel dialing me on my bike.
I have super speedy Alto Cycling race wheels (56 front, 86 rear), a great bike mechanic who keeps my bike clean, safe and in great working condition all the time, I race with a a 54-39 cassette in the front and  a 11-28 rear cassette which helps me climb and descend with constant chain tension, I love my S-Works Women's Evade tri helmet and I love my Di2 shifting.
But take away the fancy gear (but keep Karel) and you have a girl who knows how to finally ride her bike. Not only do I love riding my bike but I feel at one with my bike. I am constantly working on my skills to make sure I am always safe on the road but I've done a lot of specific trainer and outside work to help me ride stronger and more efficient outside. I've trained smarter on the bike than ever before with a lot more specificity in every workout. I ride on the trainer about 75% of the time (long rides I ride outside) and that has helped me tremendously to improve my steady efforts and to improve my variable cadence. Oh, and I love hilly terrain so nothing makes me happier than selecting races that are very challenging. A flat bike course would take me way outside my comfort zone and would actually make me more nervous than a hilly bike course.

Run: I use to feel the constant need to be a better runner but Karel has always reminded me that if I want success in triathlons, I need to be a great triathlete. As I have discussed before, trying to make myself become a faster runner is risky and I will likely lose more than I can gain as there is a great risk for injury with my body if I try to train long and fast. I am taking a year off from Ironman training/racing next year to safely add a little more intensity into my training but I can't be upset with my running this year because in all honesty, I don't do a lot (if any) specific "speed" work to give me a competitive edge on the run on race day. I am ok with this as this has been our strategy in helping me become a faster triathlete. My run training includes hill work, strength training, frequency running and brick runs which has improved my resilience in the later miles of an endurance triathlon. Whereas before, I may have been a faster runner off the bike, I have always slowed down. Now, I am running more steady throughout the entire run and this is after biking a lot harder than I've ever biked before on race day. I know I will never be a gazelle-style runner so I have created a running style that works for me which also keeps me injury free. I'm not trying to run like anyone else but instead, myself. Also, an improved position on the bike keeps me legs working hard when I ride but I can still run well off the bike, without feeling like my quads are exhausted. In my mind, I may not be running faster off the bike but I am running stronger than ever before (I can also tell this from my running form which stays the same throughout the entire race vs in the past, my form would get ugly in the later miles).

Gadgets - They are there when I train and race but I don't use them on race day. I go entirely by feel. This gives me so much more freedom, less pressure and more engagement with my body and mind. I don't chase time goals, a finish time, watts or paces but instead, I just race. I do use my gadgets in training as it helps me stay accountable to efforts but I am always adjusting the effort based on how I feel.

Mindset - I love training and racing. I don't do it for anyone else but myself. I love the process of training and developing and I am fired-up that I am still improving. I also love competition - it brings out the best in me when I can race against strong, fast athletes. I am constantly working on my mental skills but luckily I have a great sport psychologist who I can also call my best friend. 

Nutrition:
I love working on the race week eats as I feel it's something that must be mastered in training, well before race day. I feel super confident in my pre-race low fiber/low residue nutrition plan in the 48 hours before the race. I am learning that I need to keep myself calm by staying relaxed with visualization to reduce any chance of any pre-race nerves upsetting my tummy. Also, I need to be careful with time zones - in looking back at the 3 Ironman races when I had tummy issues (never in a half), I've also had a 6-hour time difference.

Sport Nutrition:
Despite racing at a higher intensity in a half vs in an Ironman (and a much shorter race), I need to be careful with the concentration of my sport drinks on the bike and the run. While this may increase a chance for bonking, I consider myself a very efficient athlete (10 years of endurance sports has helped!) - I have never suffered from dehydration or a bonk in a race. For this race, I did dial back my hourly caloric intake by about 60 calories compared to what I did in Austria and it worked really well on the bike - I took in ~240 calories per hour with 26 ounce fluid (3 bottles) and I stayed on a strict schedule with drinking every 15 minutes (and the occasional as needed drink). On the run, I took in 100 calories per flask (sipping every 5-8 minutes) to finish a flask every ~45 minutes instead of 130 calories. While it may seem like small changes, sport nutrition is all about the little tweaks that make a big difference on race day. Practice, tweak and keep on dialing it in. Even sport dietitians need to keep tweaking their sport nutrition!

Thank you Lake Logan for the beautiful views, the challenging terrain and the great community/crowd support. Plus, you gave me so many animals to look at throughout the race and nothing makes me happier than furry friends out on a race course (Shhh, don't tell Karel - he tells me to focus when I race and to not say hi to animals.)

I lead from the start of the race and felt empowered by the ladies behind me to give it my all. While it can be fun to be in the front of the race, it's not an easy position to be in when you have no idea what's going on behind you in the race.
They raced as hard as I could as I couldn't give up until I crossed the finish line.

With a lot of energy expended at Lake Logan, I crossed the line as first overall female and with a new 1-minute half Ironman PR.

Above all, thank you to my body - I'm having so much fun with you in training and on race day.

Swim: 26.06
Bike: 2:40.05
Run: 1:43.15
Total: 4:53.47

Race Results

Stay tuned for the full race recap.

Thank you 2016 Trimarni sponsors.