Lure of the Lake 3-mile open water swim recap

Shortly after IM 70.3 Chattanooga, Karel started to search for another race before we do Ironman Canada at the end of July. Triathlon options were limited so I came across an open water swim event just an hour away in the town of Lake Lure. We ran this option by our coach and she gave us a big yes for the 3-mile distance. I told my swim partner Kristen and she also registered. 

After a crazy tough week of training, we were able to get a good night of sleep on Friday evening. We woke up at 6am and left the house around 7:20am to pick up Kristen who lives about 1.5 miles away. With a 10am start, we didn't feel too rushed to get to the venue but we also wanted to give ourselves enough time in the case of rain. The weather predicted storms for the morning but luckily the weather worked out perfect for us - light drizzle and clouds.

I had a waffle with butter and yogurt before we left and then I made a PB&J sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread for the car. Around an hour before the start, I had a banana. I also sipped on 100 calories Carborocket 333 in a 26 ounce water bottle in the 90 min before the race. I packed a bag of sport nutrition and snacks for the rest of trip/workouts.

It was a beautiful drive to the lake (north of us) and we arrived around 8:30am. After we picked up our cap, chip and shirt, we got body marked and then waited around until 9:40am when we began our warm-up. The event was small (just over 100 athletes) but the event was well supported with nice volunteers and a well-marked course by Set Up Events. I enjoyed the low-stress race environment as it reminded me of when I started the sport - no pressure to perform. I still try to keep a great sense of joy when I race and to remember that this is a sport that I choose to do.

I wore my ROKA Maverick Pro wetsuit and warmed up for about 5 minutes in the lake. I included a few fast efforts to get my breathing up. The water temp was around 75 degrees so the race director allowed wetsuits. I could have been fine without one but Karel and I wanted to wear our wetsuits for practice for IM Canada (which will likely be wetsuit legal).

The start was a rolling start - very low key. I started near the front with Karel and Kristen right behind me.

The course was two out and back loops where you keep the orange buoys on your left. There were 3 sets of two buoys and then a turn buoy. Overall the course was well marked and it was easy to stay on course. The water was fairly calm and there were pockets of warm and cool water. After each loop, you run out of the water on the sand for a few steps and then quickly re-enter the water.

Knowing that I was carrying around a lot of fatigue going into this race, I wasn't sure how I would feel. I was surprised that I felt so strong. I swam a strong-steady effort, similar to what I would do in an IM. I found myself in the lead with Kristen and another girl (not wearing a wetsuit and likely a teenager) and we lead the entire race. Kristen and the other girl swam away from me on the way back from the first loop and I was able to get fairly close to them on the way back out of the second loop, but then I got dropped again. I've really been working on my mental game when I train, trying to tune out my thoughts and feelings and to just act with my body. I've been able to work through some tough moments in training and persevere by turning off my brain and not getting absorbed by my thoughts.

I accidentally hit the wrong button my Garmin so my watch didn't start timing the swim until a few minutes in so I never knew my total time or distance but I did manage to look at my watch around 4200 yards in (IM distance) and I saw 56 minutes which was exciting to know that all my swim training is paying off.

I tried super hard to catch Kristen and the other girl by giving all that I could on the way home but I ended up falling short - coming in 1 minute behind the first place and around 40 seconds behind Kristen. The exciting part was that we were 1,2,3 - so the overall winners were all females! Yay girl power!

I finished the event feeling proud of my effort, especially with all the fatigue I'm carrying around. I loved being out in the nature and being in my happy place - swimming. I swim no less than 4 times a week and most of my swims are well over 4000 yards and it felt good to not feel too tired during this event and to feel my swim training paying off. As a life-long swimmer, I know my ability to make gains in the swim are small so I have to work super hard for even the slightest gains.

Karel finished a few minutes behind us so we cheered him on to the finish. He said the event went by fairly quick.

The event was around 5200 yards (per Karel's Garmin) so a bit short of 3 miles (which is 5500) but still a long event for plenty of practice in open water.

Results: 
Kristen (my swim partner): 1:07.04 (2nd overall, 1st masters)
Marni: 1:07.40 (3rd overall)
Karel: 1:12.18 (6th overall)
Also congrats to our athlete Leyla for finishing 9th overall in 1:14.52.

After the swim, we chatted with a few athletes and then Karel and I quickly changed into our running gear as we had a tough run workout to complete (build effort run). New to the area, our run options were limited to going up or going up. It was a really tough run and we both struggled mentally and physically but we got it done (1:05 run for me). Despite feeling great on the swim, I worked through a lot of mental demons during this workout. I wanted to quit so many times but I self-managed and was able to complete the session - not exactly as planned but it was the best that I could on the day.

Whereas in my early years of training and racing I'd put a lot of pressure on myself by having expectations and feeling like I needed to prove something in every session/race but over the years, I've learned that you can never predict the future and if you love what you do, success doesn't have to be tied with results. Although I am competitive and work hard for fitness gains, I really enjoy training and the self-discovery and personal growth that comes from every training session. Above all, I'm grateful and thankful for my body for staying healthy and injury-free and for letting me train harder than I've ever trained before. 

Trimarni endurance camp reflections - day 4

When an athlete lacks mental toughness, it's easy to give up, give in or give less. We see this a lot when athletes train alone.

But in a group setting, athletes are willing to do just a little bit more than what they would do alone.
Regardless of talent, a mentally tough athlete has what it takes to get through a tough workout.

Day 4 of camp was all about attitude and every camper brought a great mindset to the last day of training at camp.

After three challenging, exhausting and long days of training, our campers arrived to Lake Jocassee around 8:30am for one last workout. A 1-hour open water swim workout followed by a 90-minute hilly run.

At Trimarni, we have a special group of athletes. We feel incredibly lucky that our athletes/campers bring great can-do attitudes to every workout as this fosters a positive, ego-free, supportive environment. When you feel good about yourself, you think, act and train in a way that is good for everyone. 

Instead of doing things the way that they have always been done, our campers opened their minds to new ways of training over all 4.5 day of camp. 

Instead of simply asking our campers to swim for 60 minutes, we gave them a swim workout. There were no excuses or reasons for not being able to do the swim workout but instead, everyone gave their best effort - even though we could see the exhaustion in their eyes.

And this is why a group training camp is so beneficial. When you think you don't have it in you, others bring the best out of you. 

It's always amazing to see how a group environment provides an immediate source of energy. Our campers were extremely mentally strong and welcomed the opportunity to challenge and push themselves beyond their comfort zone. 

With a beautiful backdrop to our open water swim, we all gathered in the water after a dynamic warm-up to start the open water swim workout.

Warm-up:
10 minutes out, 10 minutes back - easy swimming
Then 10 minutes out (easy), 10 minutes back build effort.

Pre-set:
4 x (10 strokes fast, 10 strokes easy, 20 strokes fast, 20 strokes easy, 30 strokes fast, 30 strokes easy), 

Main set 3x's
~150-200 yards out (Joey was our "buoy" in the kayak)
#1: Endurance effort, 85%
#2: Build to strong
#3: Strong

The water was a little choppy and the open water swim workout was not easy on the last day of camp but our athletes did not complain. Knowing that the open water environment is not familiar for most athletes, we encouraged our campers to not get frustrated and fight the water but instead, focus on good swimming technique, with great confidence. 

After the swim, we got ready for the run. At Lake Jocassee, there are no flat roads so we told our campers that this would be a very hilly run (about 250-300 feet of climbing for every 30 minutes of running). With the very last workout of the 4.5 day camp being a long run, we wanted to add some specificity to the run to keep our campers focused and engaged.

Although we had covered a lot of miles on the bike, we purposely did not overload our campers with running miles to ensure that we could minimize the fatigue and tissue breakdown throughout camp. This approach makes for quality training and to reduce risk for injury as our campers could keep good form during every run. Additionally, at our camps, every camper is required to bring sport nutrition/fluids with them when running, for all run workouts - either in a hydration belt or backpack. This keeps our athletes "healthy" when accumulating training stress and makes for productive training sessions and quick recovery.

Run workout
90 minutes as 3 x 30 minutes
15 minutes out, 15 minutes back on rolling terrain

Loop 1: Conversational pace, smooth and easy
Loop 2: Steady effort
Loop 3: Strong effort

We had our campers loop back at the picnic tables where additional sport nutrition/water was available for refilling flasks. Our campers treated this workout like a race so the nutrition stops were quick, just like at an aid station (or special needs) on race day.

It was so awesome to see our athletes work together. Although some athletes opted to run alone, there was no shortage of cheers and high fives from the athletes on the run course. Plus, our photographer Joey captured some great pics of us running! Here are a few pics of our campers in action.

Joe and Karel

Justine

Celeste

Heidi and Kevin

Thomas

Me and Justine

Elizabeth, Danielle and Sandra

Tim and Meredith

Jim 

Pat

Michaela 

Katja and Kathleen 

Stephanie 

Although the camp experience is just as exhausting for us coaches as it is for our campers, we absolutely love putting on training camps, especially in beautiful Greenville, SC. It's incredible to see our campers stretch their physical limits, step outside a comfort zone, embrace fear and bond with like-minded individuals. Our job is extremely rewarding and we love helping athletes develop fitness and skills to improve athletic capabilities, while having fun and maintaining pure enjoyment for the sport of triathlon.

Total camp stats:
2.5 hours of swimming 
12-14 hours of cycling
2.5-3 hours of running
Over 17 hours of training in 4.5 days!
And over 14,000 feet of elevation gain on the bike and over 1000 feet on the long run!

Every camp reminds us how much we love the sport of triathlon and why this sport is so special.

Inspiring people doing incredible things with the human body.
Stretching comfort zones, pushing limits and overcoming fear.

You will never know what you are capable of achieving until you try.

Thank you campers for making our 2017 Trimarni endurance camp extra special! 

And a special thanks to Joey for being our SAG/photographer and assistant coach Joe for your watchful eye, great mechanic skills and support. Also thank you to Thomas for being our"route guide" so that we could spend more one on one time with our campers. 
And thank you to the following companies who provided swag to our campers: 
XTERRA WETSUITS - wetsuit bag and hanger
cheribundi - refuel
Veronica's Health Crunch - yummy crunch
Mg12 - The Power of Magnesium - magne sport balm, roll on and salts
BOCO Gear - camp hats
OOBE - camp shirts
TeamHOTSHOT - Hot Shot 'drink'
CLIF Bar - Sport nutrition
Infinit Nutrition - Bike nutrition
Beauty Counter - sunscreen