Patagonman - Day 1

 

We landed in Balmaceda (very small airport) around 3pm local time (2 hour ahead from EST). It was a quick 2-hour flight from Santiago (a total of 11 hours of flying and 26 hours of traveling). While Karel was waiting for our suitcases and his bike, I went to the Varona rental car counter (outside of the baggage area) to get our SUV. It was a very quick process and by 3:30pm we were in the car to make our way 1-hour to Villa Cerro Castillo (the location of Patagonman T2 - bike to run). It was a very beautiful drive and we couldn't believe how warm it was (in the 70's)! We arrived to our Airbnb (1.5K from the town center) and it was a little confusing to get in (the lady who met us did not speak English) but it all worked out. The cabin was super cute and so peaceful and quiet. The best part is that the cabin is on a farm and there are two dogs, lots of chickens and baby chicks! 

After we unloaded the car, we drove to the town to get a few items from the grocery store. There are a few stores in town but they are very small and limited with items. However, we were able to get the necessities - eggs, butter, cheese, deli meat (for Karel), a veggie burger for me (I was surprised with the frozen vegetarian options!) and a few other things for breakfast like oats, frozen berries and granola. We also got milk and yogurt. We then went across the street to the only gas station in town to get some bottled water (although it's safe to drink the tap water here). Every place we went to takes credit cards so we haven't had to exchange our money yet. When we arrived back to our Airbnb, we made a light dinner - eggs w/ frozen peppers/onions and bread w/ butter. Shortly after, Karel put together his bike and then we went for a short run. I ran for 26 min (3 miles) and Karel ran for 32 min (4 miles). We both felt awful running but it was good to shake out the travel funk. And the views were incredible along our road. 

View from our Airbnb

The sun didn't set until after 9:30pm but we seeing that we started our run around 8pm, we were ok with that. We were both exhausted from not having a full night of sleep in a day so we both slept amazingly well for 10 hours. 

In the morning, we had oatmeal for breakfast and after catching up on emails and getting some work done, around 9:30am, Karel loaded up the car with his bike and gear and I drove him ~15 min up the road for him to do a ride. He ended up riding for almost 3 hours (54 miles, ~4300 feet elevation gain) and reversed the course to start and then road the last stretch of the Patagonman course into town (T2 area). While Karel was biking, I drove to the start of the gravel road outside of town (first left after the hairpin climb/descend leaving town) and went out of an adventure. My plan was at least 7 miles on the Patagonman course but I ended up with 8.2 miles as I really wanted to make it to the lake. The course started off with gravel for a mile, then 3 miles of rocky, grassy, sandy single track trail and then 4 miles on a windy, hilly, gorgeous gravel road. I stopped a lot for pictures. We don't have any service outside of Wifi areas so I downloaded a podcast on my phone to listen to (although I really didn't need it as I was so focused on the nature around me). I also had the Patagonman run route on my phone (loaded on the Ride with GPS app, offline w/ a 7-day free membership) which helped a lot as the trail section of the course was very difficult to navigate. 

During my run I covered 2400 feet elevation gain, 16.4 miles and completed the run in around 3 hours and 10 minutes. Sadly, I somehow accidentally deleted my run around 13 miles into the run. I was taking pictures of cows and I don't know how I pushed the wrong buttons but it happened. Ugh. So I am guestimating my time. 

The run was absolutely beautiful. I saw so many animals and the nature around me was incredible. I wish I could have kept running but since I was reversing my route (out and back) I couldn't run too far. There were some steep sections that I walked. The gravel was loose in some places and there were also rumble strips. 

I carried 2 x 16 ounce flasks in my Compress Sport vest (it's actually Karel's vest as he is going to wear my USWE vest for the race) with Never Second 30 in each of them. I also had a 16 ounce bottle w/ Skratch and a 12 ounce bottle with water. I also carried a Never Second gel as well as a few pieces of candy (Starburst). I had my passport and money/credit cards in the vest, as well as my phone. It was very warm during the run and the air is somewhat dry. 

I returned to the car around 3:30pm and made a stop at the gas station and grocery store for a few more items and then made it back to our Airbnb around 4pm. 

Here are some pics from my 3ish hour adventure on two feet. 

After I had some food, Karel wanted to check out some of the run course that I ran on (he's deciding which shoes to wear for the race) so I drove him to the gravel road (~1.4 miles into the race course) and dropped him off. I drove to the town to check out the transition area and start of his run and then drove on some of the main road for 10 minutes to check out more of the sights. I picked up Karel around 30 minutes later. Karel ran 33 min (34 min) with some added stops for pictures. 

I showed Karel the transition area and start of the run and then we went for dinner at one of the few restaurants in town - and it was delicious. I had a huge vegetarian pizza (Karel shared it with me) and Karel had a burger. We ate at Pizzería y hamburguesería D-LIZIA.

Tomorrow afternoon we will pack up and head to Coyhaique, which will be our "home base" for the rest of our trip. 

'25 Breck Epic - travel and Day 1

 

In 2023, Karel completed Breck Epic. He finished feeling accomplished and slightly unfulfilled as he felt like he could have done better. 

Breck Epic is a challenging 6-day (Sun-Fri) mountain bike stage race held in Breckenridge Colorado. Breckenridge sits at 9700 feet so each stage of Breck Epic takes place between 10-12,000 feet. Within 6 days, riders will cover over 220 miles of backcountry trails. The race includes long climbs, fast descents and varied trail conditions. There are a lot of rocks! Even the best elite riders are known to "hike-a-bike" certain sections. Known as one of the hardest mountain bike events in the world, Breck Epic will test the riders in many ways. You need skills, fitness, endurance and a lot of mechanical luck. 

We are back in Breckridge for round 2. Karel is ready for a second attempt at Breck Epic. 

Our travel started on Thursday morning. We left for the airport at 4:50am and could not have asked for a smoother travel day. 

5:20am - arrived at GSP (our local airport). I dropped off Karel with our bikes and luggage and I parked the car in the economy parking lot. 

5:40am - through security (TSA pre-check) 

5:40am-6:45am - enjoy some coffee and food in the centurion lounge 

7:10am - board the plane. 

7:30am - flight to ATL

8:15am - land in ATL

8:30-9:15 - enjoy some food (and more coffee for Karel) in the Delta lounge

9:45am - 3 hour flight to Denver. 

10:45am - land in Denver. 

12pm - pick up TURO rental car in the Pikes Peak parking lot (via airport shuttle)

12:15pm - pick up Karel w/ the bikes and luggage and start our 2:20 hr drive to Breckenridge. 

En route to Breckenridge we stopped at Cuisine of the Himalayas. We went there two years ago for lunch as we were driving to Breckenridge as it's on the way and only 45 minutes outside of Denver in Evergreen, CO. The food was amazing (especially the Naan) and we couldn't wait to go back. Karel got the lunch Buffett, which he enjoyed so he could taste a little of everything. I got the Chana Masala w/ tofu. We also got a variety basket of Naan (SO good). We then made a stop across the street at the Bread Lounge to get some fresh sourdough bread (and a croissant for Karel). I drove 1/2 way to Evergreen and Karel drove the rest of the way. We rented an older minivan which wasn't stylish but did the job for transporting two bikes, two suitcases and our carryons. 

When we made the turn off the highway into Frisco, we stopped at the Safeway to pick up groceries. We made a big shop since we will be staying in Breck for 10 days. We finished the 20 minute drive to Breckenridge and checked into our Airbnb at Pine Ridge around 4:15pm. 

We are staying on the 4th floor of the building so we had to make several trips up and down with our stuff. Both Karel and I were a bit winded from walking up and down the stairs. The weather was warm in the 70's (although it feels much warmer with the sun being so strong). After we unloaded everything, Karel sat in the normatec boots for 20 minutes while I unpacked my stuff. Around 5:30pm we walked downtown Breckenridge to move some blood. The town was busy and just like last time, we felt good energy in the air. 

We had a light dinner around 6:30pm and Karel went to bed around 8:00pm. I did a bit of work on the computer to catch up after the long travel day and went to bed around 9pm. Neither of us slept great but also not bad. We woke up around 6:20am looking forward to start our first official day in Breck. 

Day 1 - 8/8

I was feeling a little tight from travel so I was looking forward to a morning swim at the local rec center. The last time we were here, the Breck rec center was being remodeled so I had to drive 30 min away to the rec center in Silverthorne in order to swim. I am so happy the local rec center is now open as it's only 1.5 miles from where we are staying. I payed for a 1-month pass ($69) as it was cheaper than a 6 visit pass of $100. 

Swimming at altitude can be very challenging so for my first swim, I kept with mostly easy swimming. I did 1000 WU w/ buoy, 500 kick w/ fins, 1000 w/ snorkel, 500 kick w/ fins, 2 rounds of (3 x 100 w/ snorkel tempo and then 4 x 50's no toys strong), 200 kick EZ CD for a total of 4200 yards. After the swim I sat in the outside hot tub and stretched out. I changed clothes and went for a run. Whereas I didn't feel too bad swimming, the run was another story. Leaving Breck is a net downhill so the first 3 miles of my run weren't too bad but the way back into town were exhausting. I added stops every mile and anytime I felt like my heart rate was increasing too quickly. It was a challenge to run for 6 miles but the views made it worth it. I tried keeping the run as easy as possible to make sure that my body didn't overdo it on my first day of training at altitude. While I was out running, Karel went on the mountain bike and did a 2 hour ride up to 11,000 feet. He explored some routes outside of our Airbnb and ended up at the top of Peaks 8 and descended down. 

Karel and I got some work done in the afternoon and around 3:30pm I headed out on my road bike to ride to the down of Dillon to check out REI to see if they had a Garmin charging cord for our watches (I forgot to pack one). The bike path system in this area is incredible. I biked through the town of Frisco and into the down of Dillon and I stayed on a bike path for all 18 miles. Thankfully REI had the cord. It was a nice 2 hour, 33 mile ride with beautiful weather and scenery. The weather was in the 70's for most of the day but felt much warmer. We don't have AC in our place but we have fans and it feels really comfortable with the window's open in the early morning and evening.  Karel went for a short run (3.7 miles) when I was out biking. 

Tomorrow I plan to ride my road bike to Leadville, CO in the morning (~2.5 hour bike one way) to check out the finishers at the Leadville 100 MTB event and Karel will do a short warm-up MTB ride before picking up his packet in the afternoon and then attending the pre-race meeting at 5pm. 

From PCB to Lanzarote - Part 2

Around 9am we started our 5-ish hour drive (plus losing an hour) to the Atlanta International Airport (I made a reservation at the Peachy International Parking as that is where we park for our international flights). I gave us a buffer of 4 hours before our flight in the case of traffic. As we were driving, I noticed that our predicted arrival changed by 90 minutes (later) due to a road closed. Luckily we saw it in advance and could get off at the next exit and ended up only losing around 20 minutes. 

We arrived to the parking area around 3:30pm and took the shuttle to the international airport. The ATL international airport was chaotic as usual. After checking in our two suitcases and two bike bags, we went through TSA pre-check and made our way to the Centurion Lounge. There was a wait so we instead went to the Delta lounge. We enjoyed some food and spent the next hour in the lounge, getting a little work done on the computer. 

We boarded our Delta flight around 6:15am and the plane took off a little after 7pm. We were served dinner (I pre-requested a lactose-vegetarian meal) and I watched some of A Star is Born. I was able to sleep a few hours during our 8-hour flight to Madrid. 

When we arrived to Madrid, we stood in a long line to get through customs and then picked up our suitcases and bikes. Since our next flight was on Iberia (different ticket) and we had a 10-hour layover (originally it was only 7 hours but the flight was moved back several times), I reserved a hotel room well in advance (back in February) at Hello Sky. We took the shuttle bus from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 and went to the -1 floor at departures/arrivals to check into our room. I reserved a 6-hour room so we had until almost 5pm to enjoy a bed and shower. We took a 3 hour nap which was lovely. Around 2pm we got a snack in arrivals and then around 3:30pm we checked in at the Iberia gate (there was a separate check in area for oversized luggage like bikes). Since our flight wasn't until 7:10pm we had plenty of time before 6:35pm boarding. We went to the lounge with our priority pass membership (from our Amex Plat business credit card) and enjoyed some free food and drinks while working on the computer. We boarded our plane around 6:35pm. There were no TVs on the plane but I could access the entertainment system on my phone. I tried to stay up throughout the entire 2.5 hour flight but I fell asleep for around 45 minutes. 

After two long days, we finally arrived to Lanzarote, Spain around 9pm which is located in the Atlantic Ocean, by the Northwestern coast of Africa. While Karel waited for our luggage, I picked up our SUV rental car from Sixt rental car. I was able to find a manual SUV for less than $200! Karel loves driving manual. European SUVs tend to run much smaller than in the US but we made it work by stuffing our suitcases and bike bags inside the SUV. We made a quick stop at Lidl around 9:50pm and then arrived to our Airbnb just after 10pm. Our athlete and roomie Bara met us outside our Airbnb as she arrived on Friday. 

Karel and I had a small snack (I had a bowl of cereal) before finally falling asleep just after 11am. It was a somewhat restless night of sleep but we got up around 8am, ready to start our first official day on the island. 

                               

From GVL to PCB to Lanzarote - Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Part 2 coming soon.....

Hello from Eidfjord - the Norseman race venue

 

Over the past three days in Rjukan, we saw every part of the run course, as well as T2 (transition from bike to run). With Norseman XTRI being a point to point race, it was really good to spend a few days at the race finish, getting to know the area. I booked two different dates for the same Airbnb in Rjuken (race finish) so that we could return to the same familiar Airbnb as when we arrived to Norway. The owner also allowed us to leave some of our stuff at the place, which was very kind. It seems like everyone knows the Norseman event so the owner was very understanding about our situation. Knowing that we will be super exhausted after the race on the 3rd, it's nice knowing where we will be sleeping that evening. 

I haven't been feeling the best since arriving to Norway. I assume all the mental exhaustion with Campy was wearing me down. Today I felt super tired, despite sleeping almost 9 hours. The sun sets very late here in Norway (after 10pm) which also makes it hard to wind down (or maybe it's because we are watching the Olympics on Peacock with our NordVPN and excited from all the events/sports). 

We packed up the car with our bikes and suitcases and started our 135 mile, 3.5 hour drive. I was really looking forward to this ride because it was the first time that we would be seeing the bike course. Even though we were driving the entire bike course in reverse, it was still really good to experience the climbs, descends, turns and scenery. And wow - the scenery is incredible!! The nature is so beautiful. Although this bike course is very hard with over 10,000 feet of elevation gain in 112 miles, it is spectacular. 

Bike course from Eidfjord to T2. 

Elevation of bike course to T2 to the run and then to the "black shirt" race finish on top of Gaustatoppen. 

We made two stops during our drive. The first stop was at SPAR in Geilo. With Eidfjord being a small town, we loaded up on groceries at a large SPAR grocery store. We then stopped at the Voringfossen waterfall. It was a short hike up to the scenic bridge to enjoy the waterfall below us. Karel got ice cream when we were there. 

We finished our drive through several tunnels - all of which we will bike through on race day (we aren't allowed to bike through tunnels until race day). 

Throughout our entire drive, I was able to recognize certain areas of the course from all the YouTube videos I've watched from the race over the years. 

If you'd like to learn more about the Norseman extreme triathlon history, you can read/hear more here. 

"I did spend some time trying to find this place in Norway, where we could have a fast, typical triathlon event, just like the others. So when it was totally impossible to find that place in Norway, it was quite easy to decide that we should do something completely the opposite of the normal fast, flat, comfortable, warm, nice triathlons! With that idea, it was actually quite easy to find a few alternatives. The best idea was to swim in the Hardangerfjord, because it is not too far north. I thought the water going further north than Hardangerfjord would be too cold. Since I live in the county of Telemark, a couple of hours south of Oslo, I really wanted the race to end at the top of a mountain and the most beautiful mountain in Norway is Mount Gaustatoppen, my home mountain."

When we entered the town of Eijford, we were greeted by a huge cruise ship. I quickly recognized the white host hotel. We couldn't believe how cute of a town it was. Our Airbnb is 0.8 miles from the host hotel and we arrived around 3:45pm (we left our first Airbnb a little after 10am). 

We unloaded our car, ate some food and worked a little before heading down to the public beach/water around 6pm. This was my first time experiencing the glacier fed water and I have been very nervous about the temperature. Although we swam close to shore, I was relieved that it wasn't too cold. But I was shocked to see so many kids and families bathing in the water in only their swimsuits! We clearly don't have Norwegian blood. The water felt like it was in the upper 50's and Karel and I both wore our thermal booties. I received a new thermal wetsuit from Roka and I felt great in the water. There were some warm pockets of water and some really cold pockets. I will continue to try out different neoprene gear options before the race so I am prepared for whatever the water temp will be at 5am on race day. We swam around 1300 meters (with some stops) and then walked back to our Airbnb for dinner and then we watched the Olympics. 
Today was the first day since we arrived that I haven't felt cold - and I could finally wear shorts! The weather was amazing in Eidfjord - in the 60's and sunny! 

There are several Norseman activites this week and we are looking forward to seeing more of this area before the race start on August 3rd. 

Here are some pics from our drive. 

Off to Italy for The Stone Extreme Triathlon

 

On June 29th at 4am, Karel will be jumping into the water of Lake Iseo to start his first extreme triathlon. In 2023, Karel was all about off-road racing. He participated in Xterra, gravel and mountain bike events and completed two big stage races - The 5-day Oregon Gravel Grinder and the 6-day Breck Epic. Between his events, he supported me in my first two XTRI events (Canadaman and ICON).
After 17 Ironman distance triathlons, Karel was searching for a race that would get him excited for triathlon training. He wanted something different, unique and challenging. 

Shortly after I completed the XTRI ICON event in Livigno, Italy in September 2023, Karel registered for the event in 2024. Similar to myself, Karel didn't want ICON to be his first extreme tri event as the event is very extreme with the cold water, altitude and massive elevation gain on the bike. 

In doing some research, Karel came across an event called Stonebrixiaman (now called The Stone). Whereas ICON is part of the XTRI World Tour XTRI World Tour (as well as Norseman - the "World Championship" of XTRI which I will participate in in August), The Stone is part of the Extreme Tri Series.Extreme Tri Series.

When Karel was researching events, he was excited by the opportunity to bike up (and down) the famous Mortirolo and Gavia Pass.  He was also excited (not sure if that is the correct word) for the run which is primarily off-road. 

Although the distances are similar to an Ironman, Karel needed a race that made him feel all the emotions, similar to when he prepared for his first Ironman. 

With the extreme triathlon events, the athlete is supported by his/her/their crew. I will be supporting Karel throughout his race. This means I will help him in T1 (transition from swim to bike) and I will be drivig our rental car throughout Italy, leap-frogging Karel to keep him fueled and hydrated and to help him with anything that he needs. I will then help him transition from bike to run and support him as needed throughout the run. There are a few aid stations along the bike and run course but Karel will be primarily relying on me to help refill his bottles and keep his tummy (and brain) happy. Then, to finish the race, I will join Karel for the last 7.5K (4.6 miles) of hiking to finish at Passo Paradiso which is one of the most famous ski slopes in the alps. 

Karel will be arriving to the race (primarily) healthy but this hasn't been a smooth or easy journey for him. He continues to have issues with his back as well as his leg (which is due to the disc issue in his back). Karel has also had some unfortunate setbacks. In early April he had a severe cramp in both of his legs during a trail run. In late May he had a bike accident where he washed out from gravel on the road in a tight turn. A few days later, he slipped on the stairs and bruised (or fractured) his ribs. And then there has been the emotional journey with Campy nearing his final chapter with us. 

Through all of this, Karel has not complained. He continues to show up to life and he focuses on what he can do each day. He loves to train and be outside but with his crash (and a lot of road rash) and then the ribs, he had to do a lot of indoor walking and running. But that didn't stop him. He walked on the treadmill on an incline. When he was able to transition to run/walk, he stayed on the treadmill because that is here he could manage the pain. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when Karel could run outside again. As for swimming, he was out of the water for almost two weeks to let his wounds heal but his ribs have been very slow to heal - making it challenging to swim. He is finally able to swim without pain (now his ribs are more of a nuisance). He got back on his bike the next day (after the crash) and he has been able to keep up with most of his bike training. 

The past few weeks have been consistent and fairly smooth for Karel so now we just need to get to Italy and have him stay healthy until race day (one more week!). 

As for the event, here are some fun facts....

• You can track Karel LIVE with this link (4am CET start)
  
  
  
  
  
• Karel will be given bags for his gear. For the run, there is a mandatory gear list and the athlete (and supporter - me) will have our run bags checked before the race and before the final 7.5K of the run. 
  Run mandatory equipment:
  1.Technical waterproof windproof jacket for high mountain use (made of GORE-TEX or similar material)
  2.Long-sleeved thermal shirt
  3.Long trousers
  4.Thermal hat or thermal buff
  5.Headlamp
  6.Emergency blanket (e.g., aluminum foil blanket)
  7.Whistle
  8.Reusable cup for drinking at refreshment points (there will not be cups available)
  9.Water and food reserves
  10. Mobile phone
  11. GPS turned on for live tracking (provided by the organization) 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The swim is 3.8K (2.4 miles) from one side of the lake to the other. Karel will board a boat at 3:20am to be taken to the other side of Lake Iseo. All athletes will be giving a luminous buoy to wear around their waist for the swim.  There are two landmarks on the coast that indicate the exit point from the water: A beam of light projected towards the sky and a bell tower of the church in Sulzano. There will only be two buoys with flashing lights: a buoy 1000 meters from the finish, near Montisola and a buoy in front of the water exit point. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The bike course is 175K (108 miles) and has an elevation gain of 4100 meters (13,450). The event starts at Lake Iseo and includes the Aprica Pass, Mortirolo Pass and Gavia Pass. The bike finishes in Ponte di Legno.
  
  
  
  
• The 24.2 mile run course starts at Ponte di Legno (in the center of town) and finishes at Passo Paradiso (2600 meters or 8,530 feet). The run has a total elevation gain of 7200 feet (2200 meters) and is a mixture of road and trail but primarily trail. 
                                   
  
  
• A nice assortment of food at the run course refreshment points. 
• For reference of how long this race will take Karel to complete, the male 2023 winner went 14:03. 
• Karel will be riding his Colnago with added aerobars. This was a process to find the best fit for Karel (and saddle). 
  
  
  

'24 South Africa - Day 8 and 9

 

Sunday was our last full day in Gordon's Bay. We didn't make any plans for Sunday as we wanted to see how we felt after the race on Saturday. I felt pretty good although my right foot was sore from all the uneven footing from the race. Karel didn't sleep well so he was really tired in the morning. The night was incredibly windy. We sleep with our door open and it sounded like waves were crashing as we were sleeping. The wind was super gusty in Gordon's Bay in the morning as well. 

I really wanted to swim since it was my last opportunity for a swim for a week. The closest option was the Strand Indoor Swimming pool but the happiest option was the Coetzenburg outdoor pool. We decided to make the 35-minute drive to the outdoor pool for one last long course swim in the sun. It wasn't windy and the sky was completely blue. It was a wonderful 3200 meter swim. 

After the swim we were getting hungry as it was nearing 1pm. We drove a few miles down the road to the beautiful main area of Stellenbosch that was filled with white buildings containing cute restaurants and shops.

As we were driving, I came across a Lebanese restaurant online that looked delicious so we walked to Man'oushe after we parked. They even had a vegetarian menu with so many delicious options. This is an authentic Lebanese restaurant based in the heart of Stellenbosch’s pedestrian area.

We got the Summer in Beirut salad which was incredible. Greens, avocado, kiwi, mint and pine nuts. We also got the Mezze Platter, which had sauteed string beans, hummus, baba ganoush, homemade cream cheese, falafal, and Lebanese bread. It was all so good with so much flavor. The exchange rate from US to Rand makes traveling to South Africa very affordable (19 Rand = 1 USD) unlike other places in the world (ex. 1 Euro = 1 USD). 

After our meal, we drove toward Gordon's Bay and stopped at the Cheetah Outreach near Strand. We booked a tour to meet the Cheetahs and learned all about them. They had very strict rules for approaching the Cheetah. We got to pet this beautiful 7-year old Cheetah who is living the good life (along with a handful of others) with an open field, shade for napping, silver plated dining and lots of love and attention. The primary goal at Cheetah Outreach is to promote the survival of the free ranging, South African, cheetah.

We learned a lot about cheetahs, like how they only live for 8-12 years in the wild and that they have over 2500 spots! Cheetahs are not part cat as they have non-retractable claws (like dogs). And their physiology allows them to reach speeds of over 60mph in less than three seconds!

We returned to our Airbnb around 4pm and spent the next 2 hours packing our bikes and suitcases for the next part of our race-cation. 

At 6:30pm we walked upstairs to enjoy an incredible dinner with our Airbnb hosts - which are now like family to us. If you are looking for an affordable and perfect location Airbnb during a visit to Gordon's Bay (~35 miles from Cape Town) I highly recommend booking this Airbnb. There are three bedrooms (each with a private bathroom), a kitchen, sauna and hot tub (which we didn't use) and a 10-minute walk to the beach and to the grocery. 

Karel enjoyed the meat selection that was cooked on the grill (braai) by Thys and Hester prepared several vegetarian dishes. It was all so good. 

On Monday morning we each went for a 40-minute run around the area before leaving for Cape Town around 9am. During our drive to Cape Town we had a reminder of the rough living conditions for so many people in this area. 

After getting caught in a lot of traffic in downtown Cape Town, we dropped off our bike cases at the Giant bicycle store to be picked up by a company who would be driving them to our upcoming race. I booked this service in advance so that we didn't have to deal with traveling with our bikes to Port Elizabeth. 

We then dropped off one of our suitcases at our upcoming hotel (where we will be staying next Saturday until Tuesday). 

At noon we dropped off our "SUV" at the airport, checked in for our flight and spent the next 3.5 hours in the lounge (thanks to our priority pass) enjoying delicious food (so many vegetarian options!) and working on the computer. We got a lot of work done. 

At 4pm we made our way to our gate with SAFair. Our flight left 30-minutes late but we only arrived 10-minute past our planned arrival. There was a lot of turbulance before landing in Port Elizabeth as it was very windy. 

We picked up our one suitcase and we were met by a driver that took us to our hotel in Port Elizabeth. I arranged for a pick up with our hotel as it is a lot easier (and safer) than finding a taxi or Uber. 

After checking into our hotel around 7pm we walked along the ocean to find some food. We wanted to eat at an Indian restaurant but learned that it moved locations so we settled for Mikes Kitchen. Karel got a prawn curry dish and I got a veggie burger. It was all just ok. 

It was nearing 8:30pm when we walked back to our hotel. We wanted to sleep with the balcony door open but it was a little noisy by the street so we used the AC (first time in over a week) and slept great. 

It is now Tuesday and we will be picked up at the airport at 2:30pm via a shuttle to take us to the start of our 4-stage Mountain Bike Race. 

Lessons Learned from Cozumel

Lessons Learned from Cozumel

Nothing says vacation like a warm tropical island with ocean views. I thought we were going to Cozumel to spectate our athletes at the Ironman and to train in a beautiful location but we left with so much gratitude and joy.  I've had the opportunity to travel to several countries and places around the world but the places that I enjoy the most are the ones that I visit for a race. When visiting an international destination for a triathlon or bike event, I get to see so much more than simply visiting for a vacation.  When we travel, we usually stay in Airbnb's. This allows us to have plenty of space, with a kitchen to prepare our own food. Because of this, we are required to shop at the local grocery store - which is always an interesting experience. And when it comes to cooking or meal prep, we are forced to use whatever kitchen gadgets are in our Airbnb. When we have a rental car, we must drive like the locals, learning the road signs, laws and etiquette. Sometimes we have AC, sometimes we have a washer. Often times, we don't. Sometimes we have fast internet speed, sometimes it is very very slow or non existent.  Traveling can be an eye-opening experience to how others live, but only if you allow for the opportunity to live like a local.  During our week-stay in Cozumel, we shared an Airbnb with our 7 athletes. There were specific rules in our Airbnb like turning off the AC when you leave. Cleaning up every crumb because of ants. Always locking the front gate. Never drink from the tap water. Taking the trash out daily to the bin outside. Only flush what comes out of your body down the toilet (no toilet paper). We didn't have a microwave so cooking/boiling water was a bit slow in the morning. We were also limited to plugs for appliances. But we loved it all because it allowed us to live like a local. We didn't have a car so we walked everywhere (or took a taxi). We made several trips to the grocery for food and it was always fun to find different and similar food options. Some of the showers did not have hot water, which was fine after spending all day outside in 80+ F degree weather and high humidity. We experienced flooding due to the rain. We felt extremely safe walking around the island.  Cozumel is not a country but a municipality in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico. But if you only stay at the resort, travel via ferry or cruise or visit the beaches or touristy spots, you may consider it to be a well-established vacation destination. Although we had several comforts of home (we slept amazingly well), it was apparent that we take for granted things like water, electricity and sanitation services. Here are a few things I learned from our 7-day stay in Cozumel:  Life can exist without "necessary" items - dishawasher, garbage disposal, Amazon prime, microwave, washing machine, Starbucks.  It's easy to take for granted "necessary" items - clean accessible water and food, medical care, safe working conditions, shelter and education. People who have very little are often happier than those who have a lot. Far too many people align life around materialism. Your worth is not based on your money or profession.  The poor are frequently stigmatized and blamed for their poverty as it is a matter of laziness or irresponsibility. Most immigrants have a very strong work ethic. This is largely driven by necessity. Be mindful what you complain about. A little more gratefulness goes a long way.  Learn to live a simple life. Appreciate what you have.  If you are interested in a delicious recipe, check out these Gingerbread energy balls.

South Africa Race-Cation Day 8

Neither of us slept so great at night after the race but surprisingly, we didn’t feel too sore in the morning. We woke up around 6:30am and got a bit of work done before finishing our packing and cleaning up the Airbnb for our departure. We said good bye to Thys and Hester and left around 8:30am. Today was a travel day for us and included several logistics but thankfully everything went smoothly. We drove ~1 hr to Cape Town. This was our first time seeing the area since we arrived. We dropped off our bikes (in the cases) and luggage at the Best Western Cape Town Suites where we would be staying on Friday after our Safari Tour. For the past month I had been in communication with one of the staff who said we could keep our luggage at the hotel (free of charge) during our Safari. The luggage concierge William said he would take good care of our items while we were away. We then drove ~15 minutes to the Cape Town airport to top off our rental car with gas before dropping it off at Hertz. 

With only our backpacks, we didn’t need to do anything at the airport except go through security. We had our boarding passes on our phones with the SAFAIR airline. We arrived to the airport around 11am for our 1:15pm flight which gave us a good amount of time to get some work done in one of the airport lounges. We also enjoyed some great food in the lounge. And the high speed internet was fantastic (the things you take for granted while traveling). Our 2 hour flight was fairly uneventful, although it was a little bumpy and we had to circle the sky for about 10 minutes due to another plane being slow to land. We finally touched down to Johannesburg airport at 3:15pm. I was a little nervous about figuring out the train (Gautrain) but it was super easy. Just swipe your credit card to access the train. We were lucky in that the train was 1 minute from leaving so we quickly boarded the train. The train was very comfortable, clean and quiet. The train made two stops before the final stop at Sandton. 

I chose a hotel at this location because I read that it was a safe area and the Nelson Mandela Square was a popular area to visit. We walked a block to the Garden Suites where we stayed the night and then walked across the street to check out Nelson Mandela Square. We saw the tall statue of Nelson Mandela and read about his lifetime. We then spent the next hour walking through the mall. It was interesting to think about what Nelson went through and then to be walking through a high-end mall with designer shops. We came across a bakery with a wide assortment of fresh bread and Karel couldn’t resist a croissant. We had dinner at Pappas – a Greek restaurant overlooking the square, and the food was delicious. I had a bulgur salad and Karel had a chicken kabob. 

We also had pita bread and hummus as a starter (it came free with the meal) and a cheese and spinach mushroom appetizer. 

After dinner we walked back to the hotel and went to bed around 9:30pm for an early morning alarm at 5:45am for the start of our 4-day Safari tour. 

South Africa Race-Cation Day 6 (Xterra Pre race)

                                     

In the morning, I laid out my gear for the race. As usual, I prepare my race gear way early and Karel typically waits until later in the day. With this only being my third Xterra race, I wanted to see a visual of all my items to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything for the race. We went for a ~30 min shake out run in the direction of Strand. As we started the run, there were several markets getting set up for the weekend. On the way back, we ran/walked through some of the markets. It was interesting to see the diversity in items at the market tables. On one table was clothing and on another table, were scrapes from electronics and cars. We also passed by a fruit vendor with lots of different seasonal fruits.

After eating a meal, I finished packing up my gear and worked on the computer for a bit.

At 12:40pm, I walked down to the beach to meet up with the masters swim team for their Saturday morning open water swim. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to swim in the ocean one last time. I met up with my new friend Gordon who let me keep my stuff in his car. The beach was packed unlike the previous days when we swam. I opted to swim in my swimskin since it was hot outside but the water was still a little on the cool side. There were around 15 athletes for the swim. Everyone swam at their own pace and we regrouped at the wall. I felt a little cold in the water since I wasn’t swimming too hard. The water was very choppy which was also different from our previous swims when the water was really calm. There were also a lot more boats and kayakers in the water as well. While I was swimming, Karel prepared our bikes for the race. Our Airbnb had a hose which was great for cleaning the bikes each day. Karel brought some cleaning supplies as well as a variety of tools.

After the swim I walked back to the Airbnb, had a quick snack and then around 3:15pm we drove ~25 minutes to the Elgin Valley Railroad market. I heard great things about this market although by the time we arrived, the vendors were shutting down. However, I purchased two wire-art animals from a local maker and he told me how he makes them. We walked around and enjoyed the décor in the inside of the building. We also stopped across the street at another store to check it out.

When we got back to Gordon’s Bay, we parked by the beach and had a pizza dinner at Tally’s Tavern. The pizza was delicious  - thin crust. The beach was rather busy so it was nice to watch the locals play in the ocean. We arrived back to our Airbnb around 6:30pm, prepared our hydration packs and bottles for the race and got into bed around 8pm. Just in time for load shedding. Neither of us felt nervous for the race but really excited to race for the first time in South Africa. 

South Africa Race-Cation - Day 3

Feeling a bit more rested on day 3, we started the morning with an open water swim. I thought we were swimming in the Indian ocean (which would be a first for us) but it was the Atlantic. Still, the furthest south I've ever swam in the ocean.

Prior to our trip to SA, I emailed a lady that I found online who was in charge of the local masters group. She connected me with the Gordon Bay Sea Swim group on WhatsApp so that I could stay up to date with all the local swims. An older gentleman (Gordon – appropriately named 😊) said he would meet me and Karel for a swim, along with Harold – the local legend who has completed over 100 English Channel and Robin Crossing swims. The water was a little cool (upper 60’s) but with the warm sun at 8:30am, it felt prefect in our Roka wetsuits. We swam to and back from the old harbor which was ~1000 meters away. When we got there, we could stand on the sand (low tide) and regroup. Gordon was very helpful in that he would tell us where to swim as it was low tide so we could be aware of the rocky sections. I saw one jellyfish and it freaked me out but other than that, it was a nice swim. And no sharks :) Gordon and Harold were super nice and we chatted a bit after the swim by Gordon’s car (parked by the beach where we kept our stuff during the swim). After the swim we stopped by the local coffee shop “To Go” and Karel got a cappuccino, two croissants and a cinnamon roll. The bakery items were not the tastiest/freshest which was kinda disappointing. While waiting for our items, I made friends with the cats next door – Casper and Cat.

We walked back to our Airbnb and after eating some food, we headed to Elgin Valley Country Club – the Xterra SA race venue. The drive was ~25 minutes and it was beautiful. Normally I like for us to stay close to a race venue when we travel to a race but there wasn't much around the country club area and I wanted to make sure we could walk to places - Gordons Bay was the perfect location. We went up the road and over the mountain to Grabow. We passed through a town that was packed with a lot of African locals. There were many people walking along the highway to get to/from work, as well as more people needed a ride. If only there were bikes available for transportation. The ‘neighborhood’ of shacks was tough to see – and there are a lot of them throughout South Africa.

 

When we arrived to the country club, we weren’t sure where to go as the gate was closed when we arrived. We were buzzed in and met Willie – a tatted-up local who has a trail named after him. Willie told us that we needed to pay to use the trail (60 Rand = $3.39 USD) and to park just outside the gate and to use the wooden staircase to enter the trails (some of these trails are also used for Jeeps/off roading and hiking). I downloaded the 28K (18 mile) race course to my Garmin but the course was also marked with blue arrows. Karel led the way and helped me navigate through some of the tougher sections through the course. As usual for Xterra, we did a bit of climbing to start but the trails were much more flowy. It was also very sandy which was new for me. Often times it would feel like I was riding on ice as the bike would just slide through the sand (or get stuck). It was a new type of feeling (kinda like the deep mud in Molveno, Italy) but the more I did it, the more I learned that I needed to keep the weight off my front wheel and just let the bike slide. The jeep trails were still technical as they were rocky, sandy and up and down. As we went on the course, we were stunned by the beauty of this area. There was so much flora and different plants that we had never seen before. The rocks were incredible. When we made our way to the famous rock garden, I was ready to test my skills. I did pretty well navigating through the rocks (it was mostly downhill) but struggled on one steep and rocky section. Karel coached me through it and I got it the second time. Karel has been really helpful in my journey into mountain biking (which started ~13 months ago) as he will notify me of any technical or difficult sections before I get to them (and tell me what to do) or we will stop and he will walk me through which line to take or how to get through a touch section. There were a few tight switchbacks on loose sand which required a lot of balance and power so it was helpful to have Karel in front to tell me what I needed to do. I really struggled on the downhills with the curves and turns on the sand so that is an area that I know I need to continue to work on (body position). Although we got tired as the ride went on, it was the most incredible riding experience that I have ever had on a mountain bike. It was cloudy, windy and hot so we made sure to stay well hydrated with our USWE hydration packs. 

We stopped at the store on the way home to get a few more things before dinner. We both got a bit sunburnt (the sun is very strong) as we didn’t put on enough sunscreen during our ride as it was cloudy so that didn’t feel too good in the evening. We went to bed a little earlier (~10pm) as we were both pretty tired from the day.

From Vienna to Nice

A blog post I wrote before the Haute Route.....

International travel can be very unpredictable and stressful so I've been mindful to give ourselves plenty of time whenever traveling to somewhere new. With a 7:25am flight in Vienna Austria on Friday 19th, we decided it would be best to spend the night at the airport hotel on Thursday 18th. The airport is only around 60 miles from where Karel lives in Znojmo (he lived just a few kilometers from the Austrian border) but it takes a little over 90 minutes to travel there. I wanted to get to the airport at least two hours before our boarding time of 6:45am so the hotel sounded like a much better option. Plus, we would be able to sleep in an AC room (for the first time in 15 days, since arriving to Europe) and we were craving a good night of sleep since we haven't slept restfully since arriving. 

After arriving to the airport, we parked our car in the P4 parking garage. I booked our parking online so that we would save a bit of money by doing it in advance. We received a QR code to get into the parking garage and that went very smoothly. I did the same thing when we flew to St. George in May in Charlotte, NC and we were able to park in the hourly parking lot across from the terminal for about the same price as long-term parking. We then walked a few minutes across the street to the NH Vienna Airport hotel, we checked into our room. It was so nice to feel the AC. 

At 6pm we had dinner in the hotel buffet (which was way overpriced but we were so hungry). It's been really nice in Czech because the Czech crown (currency) is in our favor as the US dollar goes a long way. Especially in Karel's town of Znojmo, it's very affordable for us to eat/sleep/travel. 

After we ate, we watched the Collins Cup documentary online and then went to sleep around 9:30pm. The night wasn't too restful as I was nervous about the airport experience the next day but it still felt good to sleep in AC. The alarm went off at 4:10am and we walked across the street to the terminal at 4:30am. Austrian Airlines is strict with luggage weight and the size/weight of carry-on's so we made sure to meet all regulations. We carried on as much as we could of our Haute Route gear in the case of lost luggage. 

The check-in process was very smooth. There was no counter to report to but instead, we checked in ourselves, printed our boarding passes and our luggage tags, fixed our luggage tags on our suitcases and then dropped off our bags at the counter. I purchased a "fast track" security ticket with our parking pass for 10 euros each as I was worried about going through security and while it did expedite the process, we would have been fine without one. After going through security, we had around 1:45 until we boarded our flight. 

Karel and I did some work on Training Peaks for our athletes from 5am until 6:30am and then around 6:45pm, we boarded a bus that took us to our plane. We then boarded our Austrian Airlines flight and around 7:30am we were off to Nice, France. I slept most of the flight and Karel read a Czech cycling magazine that he brought with him. 

With this being our first time to France and first time to Nice, it was beautiful to see the sea and all the mountains. I couldn't help but think that we would be biking over many of those mountain passes. 

We arrived shortly after 9am and I felt the stress lift off me after we received our luggage. I was a little nervous about taking the tram to the city to get to our hotel but I used the Rome2rio app to understand the tram and I also found another blog to understand how to buy tickets, etc. We bought our tram tickets for 1.50 euros each and when we were about to board, we weren't pushy enough and the doors closed on us so we had to wait another 10 minutes. The tram took about 30 minutes to get to our destination (which was Garibaldi square) and then we had a 0.4 mile walk (plus a little extra until we found the right way to go) to our hotel. 

The Haute Route booked all of our accomodations as part of our package so we added on an extra night to our Nice hotel - Aparthotel Adagio Nice Centre. Although we arrived around 11am (well before our check in at 3pm), our room was ready and they let us check in early. 

The room had AC (yippee) and a small kitchenette which was nice to have. After unloading our stuff, we were hungry for a meal so I found a brunch restaurant called Les Clay. We sat outside and I enjoyed pancakes and eggs and Karel had a bagel bread sandwich. 

After we ate, I was so exhausted that I napped for about an hour. I wanted to sleep all day but Karel wanted to go to the sea and I couldn't resist the opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean for the first time. 

We walked to the Port of Nice and checked out the beautiful yachts before heading to the rocky beach. The water was incredible blue and refreshing and super salty. It was amazing to just float on our backs in the water. We enjoyed swimming in the ocean and laying in the warm sun. 

Around 3pm we left the beach and had lunch at a restaurant (not sure of the name) as Karel was really wanting some fish. There wasn't much on the menu for me so I enjoyed pizza and salad (I can always opt for Pizza ;) Karel learned how to "eat" his fish from the waiter and he really enjoyed his meal. Mine was also delicious and I finished it all but two pieces (Karel finished those slices for me). 

We then walked around the city, I got us lost again as we tried to find the LIDL grocery store and we arrived back to our room around 7pm for a light snack (yogurt, fruit and muesli). 

We slept amazingly well and woke up a little after 7am on Saturday morning. Only one more sleep until we start the toughest amateur cycling event, the Haute Route Alps! 

IM World Championship St. George - 112 mile bike recap

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Run race report coming soon......

Ironman World Championship Race Week Training

 

After a good night of sleep on Monday, we had a good breakfast and got caught up on some work before loading up the rental SUV with our bikes and gear. We are staying in Washington (half way between downtown, where T2 and the finish is and Sand Hollow Lake, where the swim and T1 is) which makes it easy to get to various places on the course. We drove to Royal Oaks Park (on the run course) to start our ride. We like to do one last "longer" ride on race week to remind the body what it is preparing for and to keep the body in a routine. Although we are very familiar with the 70.3 bike course, the "Veyo" loop is new to us for this Ironman World Championship course. Karel had the course downloaded in his Garmin although the course was well-marked with tape arrows on the pavement. It was very windy to start our ride and we had NW winds for the majority of the loop - which made for a long ride. However, the scenery was incredible and the roads were quiet and peaceful. 

We stopped several times for pictures/videos and we were even greeted by a few wild cows along the way. Over 31 miles, we accumulated around 2100 feet of elevation and it took us a little over 2 hours (14.6 mph). There were a few steeper climbs but nothing too long. When we got to the "wall" we made the switchback turn and finally had some tailwind. I didn't find anything difficult on this loop but the wind will bring the challenge to this course - and the fact that we start this loop around mile 50 of the 112 mile ride (and then finish the ride at mile 100 with a 4-mile climb up Snow Canyon). 

The weather was on the cooler side so I rode with gloves and arm warmers. I took off my gloves a few times but the air was crisp and I didn't want to get cold. It was in the mid 50's when we started and we finished in the mid 60's. 

The next ten miles were faaaaaaast. 10 miles of descending and I averaged almost 32mph and a max speed of almost 46. Thankfully the wind was at our back for most of it so no gust crosswinds. Karel averaged 34 mph and had a max speed of almost 51mph! And he was passed by professional athlete Sam Long on the downhill - and Karel couldn't even keep up (he tried :) 

After our ride, we put on our run gear and headed on to the run course (it was marked) for a short run off the bike. The run course is either up or down (except the out and back section in town after the first loop and before the finish) and it includes a lot of neighborhood and paved trail running - which I really like. We made a quick stop at the Kneaders bakery and then headed back to our condo. 

Later in the afternoon, we checked in for the race (around 3pm) and walked around the expo. 

Because our last swim was on Friday, we needed to get into the water. Luckily, we have an outdoor 25-yard lap pool at our condo which makes it super convenient to get in a swim workout anytime (one of the main reasons why I selected this location for the 70.3 WC and this event). After our warm-up we did two main sets. It was nice to be in the warm water and finish off a good day of training. 

Bike: 2:34, 43.3 miles. 
Run: 22 minutes, 2.8 miles
Swim: 25 minutes, 2000 yards

This morning was our first time at the lake since arriving to St. George for this trip. The water was a brisk 59 degrees. We both opted to wear our Xterra neoprene booties to keep our feet comfortable in the cold water. My face and hands were really cold to start but after a few minutes of swimming, I forget about them and found myself warming up under my Roka Wetsuit. We swam two loops of the "practice" course for a total of 28 minutes 1900 yards of swimming. I was pretty cold when we got out of the water and it took a little time for me to stop shivering. This always happens when I do the practice swim at St. George but with the rush of endorphins on race day, I never feel cold. 

After the swim we did a run around the park. We each did our own thing. Karel is undecided which shoes he wants to wear on race day so he broke up his run into different out and back segments to try on both sets of shoes to decide what to wear - he's still undecided :) I finally warmed up during the run (even though the air temp was in the 60's) which made for an enjoyable run. We ran into our friends Meg and Kelly Fillnow which was great to see some familiar faces. 

After the run, we headed back to our condo to be reunited with some of Karel's Czech friends (who are staying with us). Tomorrow we plan to do another open water swim followed by a bike on the start of the bike course in the Hurricane area. 

Hello from Alabama!

We made our way down South to Alabama on Thursday. It was a long 5.5 hour drive (thanks ATL traffic) but thankfully we gained an hour and had an exciting pit stop to look forward to. We left around 10am and arrive around 3pm local time. 

A bit of a backstory. 

About two weeks ago (just a few days before Karel raced the Peachtree International triathlon) I had mentioned to Karel about Xterra Oak Mountain after hearing about the effect on That Triathlon Life (from Eric Lagerstrom). I've always wanted Karel to do an Xterra event because 1) they take place in really beautiful places 2) I think he'd really have fun. Karel was interested in the idea and after sleeping on it, he became more and more excited about trying something new. Karel loves off-road biking but his mountain bike is a little over 10 years old and a bit too small for him - causing back pain on top of his already underlying back issues. Knowing that he was due for a new mountain bike, he started searching around. He checked the local shops and online and due to the pandemic, the options were slim (good for the bike shops, not ideal for those in need of a new bike). After spending several hours searching around for a mountain bike that met his criteria, he found a bike in Alabama - just 20 minutes from where we were staying for the Xterra event. Karel called Bob's Bikes and after a quick convo, he purchased the bike - A Specialized epic expert full suspension xc. For the next 48 hours, Karel could not stop talking about the bike. He was so excited and I could tell that this Xterra event was going to be so good for Karel. Like most of us, we have struggled without racing and while the return of triathlon racing is here, the past 12+ months have allowed us to explore new adventures. I've always thought that Karel would do great at Xterra racing because of his bike skills (and have a lot of fun) but it just never worked out for him to do an event. With this event being so close and now having an updated bike (new technology) and a bike that fits him, he's really excited to try something new and to be a beginner again. 

The staff at Bob's bikes was extremely helpful and nice. Nick helped out Karel and set up the bike exactly how Karel asked (this way Karel could ride the bike, race ready - which was probably a good thing since he didn't bring his old mountain bike :) 

After we finished at the bike shop, we made a quick stop next door for a cookie fix (literally, the name of the store is Cookie Fix) and then we made our way to our hotel - Homewood suites. 

After checking in and unloading the car, we made our way to Oak Mountain State Park so that Karel could test out his new bike on the course. The park was absolutely stunning and it felt perfect to be in nature after a long car ride. Although Campy is getting older, he still loves his road trips - he just sleeps a lot more than he used to. He's always had an adventurous spirit and loves checking out new places with us. I hope we can continue to make more memories with our 13.5 year old pup. 

Karel had a blast during his ride and if it wasn't for the race, he said he would have kept riding for hours. Once we returned back to our hotel (~5 miles away), it was time for dinner. Although we have a nice kitchen in our hotel room, we used Grub Hub for dinner so that we didn't have to spend extra time prepping dinner after a long car ride. We ordered Chipotle (we both got a Sofritas bowl) and had it delivered at 6:30pm so that we could pick it up at the front desk when we arrived back to the hotel. 

We then worked for a little bit before it was time for bed. 
Not only am I excited for Karel to race in his first Xterra off-road triathlon but I'll be doing my first trail race on Sunday - a 20K! 

If you'd like to learn more about the Xterra Oak Mountain event, you can click HERE. You can also follow on social media (there's a pretty elite pro field here!).

Hello from St. George!

Without a doubt, I knew that I would 100% love St. George, Utah. Without ever traveling in or through the area, the pictures and race reviews made me fall in love with the nature and all of its surroundings. 

After traveling from Charlotte to Las Vegas, we drove the 2 hours to St. George. I wow'd the entire drive because I was now seeing what I had heard so much about. 

After our drive, we checked into our hotel (Best Western Coral Hills) and little did I know that I booked the "honeymoon suite" (which I thought was just a larger room for $10 more when booking online). The reaction was priceless from Karel as our room was filled with lovely decor and lots of mirrors and chandeliers.

On Wednesday morning, after breakfast, Karel assembled our bikes and we were off to ride from our hotel, to and through Snow Canyon to ride the last 25+ miles of the bike course. 

The dry, hot air was a bit uncomfortable but the views had me riding so happy as we climbed 4+ miles in Snow Canyon. 

I made sure to take lots of pictures during the ride because come race day, I will be in race mode. But little does Karel know, that even on race day, I make sure to take note of any animals and beautiful sights while racing. 

Enjoying the views and grinding away. 

Climbing and climbing....

Look at those views!

A quick pic at the top of the climb before descending down into town for 13+ miles. The descend is fast but you still have to work for it. 

After our ride and checking out of our hotel, we met up with Anthony and Peggy and headed to the grocery to do a big shop for our stay in our rental home. A bit before 3pm, we checked into the Green Manor house (our rental home). Our house is super charming and dates back to the 1800's. It is also just 3 blocks from the race finish/T2. 

Because of our large Trimarni group, I booked two houses for our athletes. The other house is about 3.5 miles away and we like to call it "the Mansion" as it is 7000+ square feet, with 6 bedrooms and a movie theater. Booking rental homes on VRBO is never easy and brings me a lot of stress but thankfully, these two houses worked out great!

Stay tuned for more of our adventures in St. George on the Trimarni Facebook page.  

IM Kona '15: Day 6

After a lot of training this past weekend in Kona, Monday was a well-needed recovery day. 

Karel wanted to swim in the ocean so I walked down with him to the pier and walked around while he swam for 25 minutes. 

It's amazing to see how the island has changed over the past few days now that more athletes, spectators and volunteers are arriving for the race. 

There is signage everywhere - it's hard to forget that it's IM Kona race week!

It's so great to see so many familiar faces here in Kona - it seems silly but with so many people on a small little island, it's really easy to bump into people you know.

We made the list!!!

Marni #2129
Karel #1739

A wall of names in front of the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel  (host hotel).


After Karel's swim, we walked back to our condo and got ready for an EZ 1 hour spin on the Queen K Hwy.

Karel and I kept seeing this crater-like hole on the side of the road so we stopped by it to take a picture before turning around on our ride (it's just a mile or so down the road from the airport on the right)

After our ride, it was time for a meal and then we hung around the condo for a while before riding our bikes a few miles down the road on Ali'i drive to the Oakley Safe house to hang out with Greg Welch and to receive some awesome Oakley swag. 

Custom Oakley bike cruisers. 

Be sure to follow Oakley on social media!

Karel hanging out inside the Oakley Safe house. 

The view inside in the Oakley Safe house - open windows everywhere!

No filter needed...what a view!

Thank you Oakley - we LOVE our new race day Flak 2.0 shades!

We love our Oakley family!!!

Thank you Oakley and Oakley Women for spoiling us!!!

After our Oakley visit, it was time for coffee (and a danish) from Kope Lani to hang out with  my friend (and Ironman editor) Jennifer. We only see each other in Kona (and once at IMFL) so it is a nice yearly check-in with each other to talk in person (and not via email).
Jennifer stays super busy with Ironman.com content all week so I was happy to see her before her madness begins. 

Karel and I spent the rest of the afternoon laying around before heading to the grocery store and then it was time for dinner.
Earlier in the day, I made this delicious potato, edamame, chickpea, onion and mushroom stir fry (with olive oil) which hit the spot in the evening. Karel got some fresh bread at the store which went perfectly with this dish.

We stayed up a bit later this evening watching a few episodes of Breakfast with Bob on You Tube and then one episode of House of Cards on my iPad (via Netflix) so by 9:30pm, we were asleep.