Patagonman - Race week

I have a lot of pictures to upload but the internet is a bit slow in our Airbnb(s) so I will upload pictures later on. If you'd like to see more pics from our trip, you can check out my Instagram page. 

Monday 
After a delicious dinner at D-Lizia (I got a huge pizza and Karel got a burger), we went back to our cabin and had a relaxing evening. Sadly, Karel woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain in his right leg. He thought it was a blood clot but we later put some pieces together that it was likely coming from his disc and SI joint. He couldn't bear weight on his leg and he said it felt like his leg was broken. It was really scary as it came out of no where when he got up to pee in the middle of the night. Even when we got up in the morning, Karel was still unable to walk normally. He decided to try a spin to see if that would help loosen it out. I drove him 15 min up the road (up the last descend of the bike course) and he went out for an 1+ hour ride. He said it felt a little better but it was still worrying him. However, over the next few hours, it started to calm down. As Karel was biking, I did a 40 min ECFIT session in our cabin. The weather was lovely in the upper 60's. My legs weren't too beat up from my 16 mile gravel run on Sunday but I enjoyed the day off from cardio.

We packed up our stuff from Airbnb #1 and I drove us to Airbnb #2 (home base) in Coyhaique. The drive took ~80 minutes and it was very beautiful. We back tracked the Patagonman bike course so it was good for Karel to see more of the bike course. We checked into our next Airbnb and walked down the street to get some groceries at the "super" market. We found that the produce was better at the mini market on the corner versus in the bigger store. After our shop, we walked back to our place, had a nice dinner of soup and rice (and a veggie burger for me, deli meat for Karel). We did a load of laundry and let it air dry. We went to bed around 9pm (it is hard to fall asleep because it stays bright until 10pm!). 

Tuesday
We woke up to the sound of dogs barking as there are so many loose dogs around Coyhaique. However, they seem well taken care of by the locals. It's incredible how the dogs work with the traffic as they cross the street carefully, just like humans. The neat thing about renting Airbnbs in different parts of the world is feeling like a local. In our first Airbnb, we didn't have a microwave. In our 2nd Airbnb, we have a microwave and it feels like a luxury. The hot water wasn't great in our first Airbnb so we were careful to not take long showers in our 2nd Airbnb. I brought a voltage converter and a plug adapter (C and L are used in Chile) so that we could easily charge all of our gadgets, computers and phones. 

Our plan was to swim on Tuesday morning but after I figured out how to login in to the Parque Austral pool, I realized I needed to reserve a lane. Since we didn't have enough time to swim, I bought two passes (~$11 each) and reserved a lane for us on Wednesday from 9:45-10:45am. 

Karel decided to take the day easy and just focus on mobility and resting so we both walked into town and discovered the town square and market. Karel walked around the town for an hour (his leg was feeling better) and I went for a run. I ended up running ~11 miles (10 miles + 1 mile back to our place) on a walking/biking path by the river. The path was only ~1.5 miles but it was undulating and very scenic. The town isn't very conducive to running as the sidewalks are often uneven and there are a lot of people and cars. 

Later in the afternoon, Karel and I walked around the town again and then we had dinner at Kuruf Patagonia. This region is very heavy in meat and fish but I found a nice selection of vegetarian options (falafel and seitan) at Kuruf. Karel and I both got a bowl and picked our ingredients. The menu was in Spanish so we have been using a translator app which we can scan words to translate from Spanish to English. Although I will say that my Spanish is coming back to me from High School (well, words - not complete sentences). 

After dinner we went back to our place and got some of our stuff together to relocate to Airbnb #3. 

Wednesday 
We weren't sure how the process would work for us to swim (we had QR code passes via email) so we arrived around 9am to the pool (we drove the 1.5 miles to the pool just on the outside of town). Once the lady at the gym counter checked us in, we had ~20 min to wait until we could access our reserved lanes. We met another couple from Australia who was here for the Patagonman so we chatted outside before it was time to swim. 

Karel and I did a workout for an hour (~2800 meters). This was our first swim since Friday (when we left) so the swim was all about getting a feel back for the water. Karel brought his paddles and pull buoy and I used a buoy from the pool. 

WU: 600 easy
MS: 2 rounds
8x 25 (scull/swim)
4 x 50 (fist/swim)
4 x 75 (5-6 strokes strong off each wall)
4 x 100 steady
CD: As needed

There was a water aerobics class going on during our swim so the pool felt like open water. The water temperature was great (I'm guessing it was around 80 degrees). 

Everyone is very nice in this area. We feel very safe and we love the culture. 

After we had lunch, I walked to town and picked up some fresh fruit from two fruit stands. I got blueberries, cherries and strawberries (soooo good!). We finally got some cash from an ATM so I've been using my Spanish to count money :) I then made a stop at the supermarket to get a few more things before our next trip. As I was packing up, Karel went for a run on the walking path. He said he felt really good and his leg didn't bother him (Whew). 

We packed up our car with a few things to last us the next 48 hours in Puerto Aysén (3 miles from Puerto Chacabuco - the race start). 

I drove the 1:15 to our next Airbnb. Again, we continued on the reverse of the bike course. This ride was a bit more eventful as it was lightly raining, it was very windy (a theme here with gusts over 30 mph) and the road surface was constantly changing. We were warned about gravel but the gravel patches on Karel's bike course are super sketchy (long and super rocky!). There is also a long climb on cobblestones. You never know what you are going to get with extreme triathlons. 

We arrived to Airbnb #3 (which is where we will sleep the night before the race). The Airbnb is super cute but there was a mix up with our host in that she had listed Wifi and the reviews said Wifi but she told us that this "new location" does not have Wifi. Certainly, we need Wifi to work so this was a big deal for us to not have it. Communication was challenging as she didn't speak English but with some back and forth on the app, she came up with a solution and the next morning she brought a router for us to use. When traveling internationally, you have to pack a lot of patience and the acceptance that things will not always go as planned. 

After we made dinner, we watched a short Netflix movie that I had saved on my phone before our flight and then we went to bed around 9pm. We were woken up by some barking dogs and chickens in the backyard a few times and Karel had another episode with his leg acting up and causing pain. 

Thursday

Today was the day. Karel's first swim in the cold water of Puerto Aysén. After we got some work done (thanks to the router), we made the 30 min, 12 mile drive to Bahia Acantilada (which translates to Cliftop Bay). This is the location of the social practice swim on Friday (athletes are not allowed to swim at the actually race swim start because it's a working port in Puerto Chacabuco. 

Karel has been practicing in different gear at a local lake (upper 50s) by our house and doing some cold water plunges but now it was time to put it all to the test. The water was ~52 degrees and a little choppy due to the wind. The air temperature was in the mid 40s. After Karel put on his booties, gloves, a base layer, hoodie w/ vest, wetsuit, warming oil, goggles, and two caps - he was ready for his swim. 

He swam out and gave me two thumbs up and swam for ~30 minutes (which is a good baseline for testing gear and to fully acclimate to the cold water). The initial plunge on his face was very cold but he said the water wasn't as cold as he had been imagining - which was a good thing for him mentally. He's still a bit nervous for the actually swim as it may be a little colder (48 degrees) but Karel felt satisfied with his gear choices. And thankfully, he wasn't shivering after his swim. 

While Karel was changing, I got myself ready for a run. I brought my run stuff just in case I felt like running when we got back to our place but after a 5-mile drive on gravel to get to the water, I decided to run back to the town (while Karel drove) and to meet him at the Unimarc grocery store in Puerto Aysén. I loved my run on the winding gravel road and I saw cows, horses, dogs, a big pig and incredible scenery around me. I met Karel at the grocery store and this was the biggest store we have seen yet since we arrived. We got a few things and made our way back to our place. We went a different route over the bridge (which was closed into town) so the drive home was only 15 minutes. 

We had a nice lunch and after getting work done in the afternoon, we drove to local "host" hotel (Loberias del Sur) to check out the port and the hotel. The hotel was very nice but we are enjoying our "local" experience at our Airbnbs. 

Yesterday and today were rainy days with a lot of on and off rain (and a lot of wind). 

Friday

Today was the social swim. Although it was an unorganized, non-official swim, it started at 9am. Because of the local traffic in Puerto Aysén, we left our place around 7:30am and arrived around 8:30am. Parking was free today (yesterday we paid 2000 pesos, around $2). There were a lot of people at the swim and the overall consensus was that everyone was really happy that they felt the water (and no one seemed too cold). Karel said it felt cooler than yesterday but much less choppy. He swam for ~22 minutes and wore the same gear as yesterday and felt comfortable in the water (minus the initial cold shock on the face). 

Since arriving to Aysen (3 miles from Puerto Chacabuco) on Wednesday afternoon, we have had on and off rain and very strong winds. Because of the location in Chilean Patagonia, Puerto Aysén is influenced by strong westerly winds bringing moist air from the Pacific so there is always a chance of rain. It's also been cold (in the 40s) which is a big change from when it was 70 degrees when we arrived. I guess it's true what they say about Patagonman - you can get all four seasons in one day. 

After the swim, we made another quick stop at the grocery store and then went back to our Airbnb. We have been enjoying our friendly visitor (the boy kitten next door) who is giving us lots of love (and making us miss our furry crew of 5). 

We packed up some of our things and around 2pm, we drove back to Coyhaique. Karel was dressed in his cycling gear and a few miles down the road, he got out and got on his bike for a 20-ish mile ride on the course. It was lightly raining and in the 50's so he dressed warm. While he was riding, I got gas at the local Shell (someone pumps your gas for you and it's encouraged to tip 300-1000 pesos if they clean your windows) and then leap frogged Karel as he was riding. Around 25 miles into the race course, Karel finished his ride and got in the car. Although the drivers are alert while driving, there are a lot of semi trucks, busses and vehicles going to and from the ports so this isn't a place that I would recommend for cycling training or casual riding (although there are a lot of bike-packers but mostly near the gravel roads down south near Villa Cerro Castillo). 

We hit some traffic from road construction so our 1:15 hr drive took around 2 hours (including the stops while Karel was riding). When we arrived back to our 2nd Airbnb (home base), we unpacked and then we walked to Hotel Dreams for Karel to pick up his stuff at registration. He also purchased a beanie and a coffee cup. 

After registration, we walked to a local pizzeria (SO good) called La Tranquera. Karel got the 4 seasons pizza with ham, salami and mushrooms and I got the caprese pizza (no olives). We also bought a brownie. We got our pizza to go and then walked .7 miles back to our Airbnb. 

The pizza hit the spot. Plus, we like to keep with the pre-race tradition of pizza two nights before a race. 

After pizza, Karel went through all of his gear so that I could get everything organized as I will be supporting him throughout the race and it's my responsibility to make sure he has everything he needs throughout the race. 

Two more sleeps before race day! 

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. 

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. 

It's race week for IM 70.3 FL!

 
2019 IM 70.3 FL 

Well, it's been a long time coming. 

It's officially race week. On Sunday morning, I will join Karel, eleven of our athletes and many other excited triathletes for the start of Ironman 70.3 Florida in Haines City, FL. 

I'll be honest with you. I've really struggled with training for an event over the past few months. The race specificity hasn't been well, specific but instead, I've been seeking ways to keep my motivation high for training. Group rides, gravel riding, master swimming and happy running has kept me super active and enjoying the triathlon lifestyle. Although I love riding my triathlon bike, it hadn't seen much action since November. Over the past week, I've made it a point to ride my bike as often as I could to get my mind into race mode. I've had a bit of ambivalence towards triathlon racing but over the past few days, I started to find myself excited to put myself into the race environment. 

After nearly 15 consecutive years of long distance triathlon racing, I've accomplished a lot. But I still love the sport too much to stop training and racing. I won't stop racing triathlon events because that is how I can connect with other triathletes - especially our team members. I love being around like-minded individuals and the community aspect is what I look forward to the most on race day. This leaves me in a bit of a confused state as I don't want to stop racing but I am craving challenges and adventures for my mind, body and soul. 

As athletes, I think very normal to feel confused by sport. The beautiful thing about sport is that it's there to teach you lessons. Not just about life but about yourself. 

If you have also felt a bit confused with your strong passion for training but a bit indifferent about racing, it's important to do some soul-searching without giving up on your first few races of the year. With a long hiatus from racing due to COVID, we haven't felt that 'high" from racing in a long time. We haven't had that reminder of why all of this training is validated and necessary. We haven't been given the opportunity to be in that place of self-discovery that gives us great meaning to life. We haven't been around like-minded people who radiate inspiration and motivation. 

The beginning of a new adventure often brings a great amount of emotions - from nervous energy to excitement. When you are in the same sport for such a long time, it's normal to forget that humbling experience of what it was like to be a beginner. It's also easy to stick with the things that you are already good at. 

Instead of giving up the sport that brings great value and meaning to your life, it may be time for a new challenge. Stay open and curious for new and different opportunities. To stave off boredom, look for a race that requires you to step outside of your comfort zone.

Don't give up on your active lifestyle.
Stay humble and curious by trying something somewhat new. 
Trying something new or different (even if it's a different triathlon course than what you are used to) can spark excitement (and a bit of good pressure) in your training and may be what you need to get out of a motivation funk. 

It's race week for the Florida Extreme Triathlon!

 

The extreme nature of our upcoming 3-day event hadn't fully sunk in until just a few days ago. As I began to pack, organize and plan out all of the logistics of this point to point to point event, I started to think about this ambitious feat that we are about to take our body and mind on for over 300 miles. 

In case you missed my last blog post, here are the details of the event: 

• Stage 1: November 13th - 2 mile swim in Crystal River, 102 mile bike (from Crystal River to Ocala), 18.6 mile run in Ocala.
  
  
• Stage 2: November 14th - 2 mile swim in Ocala, 73 mile bike (from Ocala to Starke), 18.6 mile run in Starke.
  
  
• Stage 3: November 15th - 2 mile swim in Starke, 68 mile bike (from Starke to Palm Coast), 13.1 mile run in Palm Coast.

I have intentions on fully sharing this entire experience from start to finish on social media (Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition and Trimarni), but I thought I'd share how I am planning for this 3-day event. 

Food
Most importantly, we need to keep our bodies well fueled before, during and after each stage of the event. I know what it takes to fuel a 140.6 mile, one-day event but this is a whole new experience for us. Thankfully, we have had a lot of practice from training. In thinking back to the many meal, snack and sport nutrition strategies that helped us prepare for this event (as well as for our past combined 30 Ironman distance triathlons over the past 14 years), I purchased a lot of non-perishable food items that we can keep in the hotel rooms for each stage of the event. I will also purchase some items for the cooler but I want to make our eating/fueling strategies as simple as possible. I will be using the microwave for most of our meals and I am bringing a lot a lot of kitchen supplies for easy meal prep/consumption. Again - I am not complicating this process. While I have a plan for us, things may change and I want to be flexible (this is why I am not preparing all of our meals in advance). 

Sport Nutrition 
To be honest, this category doesn't worry me. As I mentioned above, we have done so many training sessions and races that we each feel fairly confident in this area. The only caveat is the back to back to back nature of this event - which includes swimming, biking and running for 3 consecutive days. We have completed different scenarios of this event but never in its entirety. But like any long distance triathlon event, it's good to have a plan but you also have to know how to troubleshoot, be proactive and adapt. 

Logistics
This is my biggest stressor although I'm trying not to let it stress me out. We will have our friend Alvi drive our car and be our sag support throughout this event. I've typed up an itinerary with our hotel reservations for each stage (address) but that is the simple part. Although the event will have "aid stations" throughout the bike and the run, we are responsible for knowing the course (which we will put into our Garmin bike computers). But more than this, we only swim and run in the same location. So each day we will swim in one location, bike to the next location and then run in that location. Stay the night in a hotel and then do it all again the next day. Swim in one location, bike to the next and then run in that location. For three days straight! As you can imagine, there's a lot to bring along and pack and repack. Organization is key. We have several bins and bags to keep everything organized but I have a feeling that it's going to feel a bit chaotic at times. The goal after the end of each stage is to quickly head to the hotel to start the recovery process and plan for the next day. I have a feeling I will learn a lot of lessons as we go along. Again, the theme of this event will be adaptability. 

With so much going into this event, we are so grateful to be healthy and injury free. We are really going to embrace this experience as we never want to take anything for granted when it comes to physically performing during an endurance (or perhaps now an ultra-endurance) event. 

It's Race Week!!

 

This picture was from our last triathlon - waaaay back in October at the Ironman World Championship. 

After all of our registered events were cancelled, I didn't have much confidence that we would be racing in 2020. Not too long ago in mid-summer, we heard that a USAT sanctioned race was happening just 63 miles away. We kept it on our radar as a possible race option. We waited until 2 weeks before the event before we made the decision to register (which we did last week) and now we can finally say that it is race week! 

Karel and I will be participating in the Tugaloo Olympic distance triathlon on Saturday - September 12th, 2020 along with eight of our athletes. I guess we could call this a team race - yippee! Knowing that we are still in a pandemic and the race experience is a bit different, here are a few of my thoughts going into this race: 

• I have extreme gratitude for the local community, race director and event staff for putting on this race. 
• We are taking this race as serious as we would any other race. We will take advantage of this opportunity to race as it may be our only triathlon this season. 
• With extra safety protocols in place, it is our responsibility to know the course and be extra prepared and self-sufficient before and during the event. 
• I am grateful for my health that I am able to participate in this event. I will continue to follow all protocols to stay safe before and during the event.
• I will race with joy. Although I'm doing my best to stay optimistic and positive during this stressful and unpredictable time, it has been difficult to lose the race day experiences that have become part of my self-identity throughout each summer for the past 14 years. Racing is something that brings me great joy and adds purpose and value to my life. It feels incredibly wonderful to have something on my schedule to look forward to. While I've been training all spring and summer, I feel like my training now has a clear purpose. 
• Recognizing that the race experience will feel a bit difference, I will focus on what I can control. I will focus on the process and let the outcome take care of itself.  
• I have no expectations for this race. As with any "first race" of the season, I am excited to dust off the rust, explore my capabilities, put myself into uncomfortable situations and embrace the unknown. 

Yay - it's race week!! 

It's Ironman Canada race week!

I can't believe it's finally race week! Today we leave for Canada and on Sunday, we get to race a bucket-list race in beautiful Whistler, Canada. 

We selected this race venue because of its challenging, yet beautiful course. The weather is predicted to be in the low 50's at the start of the day (race start 6am PST) and it will rise to the low 70's. The 2.4 mile swim is a two loop course in Alta Lake. The water temp should be around 65 degrees and wetsuit legal. The 2-loop bike course features ~8000 feet of elevation gain over 112 miles. It will be a "slow" bike course that will require a lot of strength, tactics, good riding skills, fueling and mental strength. The run course will be just as spectacular as the bike. The 26.2 mile run is a two loop course with a little over 1000 feet of elevation gain. The finish of the 140.6 mile race is in the Olympic Village of Whistler.

I'm thrilled to share the course with 13 of our athletes. We selected this race venue because it offers an Ironman and 70.3 distance on the same day. We will have two athletes racing the full (one first-timer Ironman) and eleven athletes racing the 70.3. I just love racing with our athletes as it's great to see familiar faces on and off the course and to share the entire experience with others.

This Ironman journey has been an interesting one. Our coach (Cait Snow) did an incredible job preparing us for this race. While it felt like a lot of training, every week was carefully designed with our needs in mind. There was a nice mix of frequency and volume with a touch of intensity sprinkled in. Overall, it was a solid build to Ironman Canada. I loved the training/workouts and it was a lot of fun to see what my body could do each day. We had daily communication with our coach and the closer we got to the race, the more she was careful to make sure we were still adapting to training stress.

Karel is bringing great fitness to this race. He was pushed hard by Cait in ways that he didn't know was capable by his body. I'm super excited to see what Karel can do on this race course as I feel he is getting stronger and faster every season.

I have felt stronger than ever before - specifically in swim and bike. Because of my previous running struggles (injuries) in the past, Cait was extremely careful to build me slowly with my running and to design workouts that would help build my confidence and suit my strengths (running off the bike). I was able to put together many months of consistent training, tolerating a high volume of training in swimming, biking and running.

Unfortunately, near the end of our group training camp in late June, I started to experience some left lower back pain on the bike. I contributed it to a lot of twisting to look behind me at our athletes and altering my riding style throughout the camp environment. Karel and I did not do any of our own training throughout our group training camp as it was all about our athletes and making sure they got the most out of their camp experience.

On the last day of camp (June 30th), we were getting ready to head to the lake for our last camp workout (swim and run) and as I was bending over to put on my socks and shoes, I felt a painful tug in my lower back. I had to lay down to relieve the pain. It was something that was a bit familiar to me as I have had issues with my back/hips for as long as I can remember. This reminded me of when I injured myself back in 2007 before my first Ironman World Championship. I was a little worried but the pain subsided, I taped my back/hips with KT tape and we drove to the lake. I was a little tight during the swim but the run felt fine as I ran with our campers.

To play it smart and safe, Cait had me take the next two days really easy to let things calm down. I took a day off on Monday (mental day to recover from camp) and Tues was an easy swim. I felt a little tightness in my back but no pain during the swim.

On Wednesday we did a "test" workout on the bike with some building efforts to see how I responded to different efforts. I felt a bit of tightness in my back but it actually got better as the ride went on. I ran off the bike and all was OK. I actually felt fine running. So on Thursday I was back to normal training and didn't feel concerned about my back anymore - what a relief!

I put together four solid days of training (Thurs-Sun) but come Sunday, near the end of the run, my left side started to feel off. It wasn't painful, just a bit of tugging in my left leg. After I returned home from my 90 minute run (my last long run), my inner thigh and groin started to tighten up. It was really uncomfortable. I did my afternoon swim - which helped to loosen things up - but to make a long story short, I've been dealing with hip/back/upper leg issues since July 7th. To be extra cautious, I haven't really ran since then as I was feeling a tugging and tightness around my hip/back/leg. Again, this is nothing new for me as I have dealt with hip/back issues for all of my triathlon career but have been able to manage it for the past 6 years without any hiccups. Until now....

So here I am, just a few days away from my 15th Ironman in uncertainty. Will I be able to run at all and if so, how much? I am mentally preparing myself that I will not finish this Ironman and I am ok with this.

While this injury has altered my run training over the past 2.5 weeks, Cait made sure that I was maintaining my fitness and focusing on what I CAN do. So instead of running on land, I have been doing water jogging in place of my runs. That means interval runs, brick runs and even a double run - all in deep water. I have been swimming and biking as planned as both cause me no pain or issues and I actually feel better after I swim and bike.

During the first week of this setback, I focused on calming down my leg. So this meant massage and dry needling and exercises to help get my ribs/pelvis back into a good spot. My SI joint likes to give me issues and this time was a nasty one as my pelvis got all out of whack. After things calmed down, my next goal/focus was to walk normally. I was bracing my leg (straight leg) because of the tugging I was feeling in my groin and adductors. My ITB was taking the grunt of this so I needed to relearn how to walk normally again. By the 2nd week, I was walking normally. My last goal was to hop with my left leg. Finally I am at that point. So on the positive, I am walking normally, I don't have any pain, I can hop on one leg and aside from after sitting and sleeping (when I get a little tight), I feel "normal" again. I have tried to run and while it is not painful, it's still not "right" just yet. I am being extra cautious and safe as I am not just thinking about IM Canada but Ironman Kona in a few months. I have resisted "testing" the leg as I don't want to do something silly out of ego or fear and put myself back. I am in a good place now and I don't want to jeopardize my health - especially since I want to be active for a lifetime.

The first few days were tough as I was a bit emotionally and in pain but after a few days, I made myself get into a good mindset to put everything into perspective and to use my mind to help me heal. To help with this, I have been repeating a few mantras to help me get through this setback with a positive mindset. These mantras have provided me perspective and also gratitude and I am still excited to travel to Whistler, start the race and give my best for as long as my body will safely allow me to. If I have to drop out in T2 or in the run, so be it. While I'm sure I'll be a tiny bit sad, I have so much to be happy about by watching our athletes and Karel and traveling to a new race venue.

Here are a few mantras that I have used to help me during this time: 

• I don't need to run for a lifetime but I do need to walk.
• I'm an athlete for life - not just one race.  
• Focus only on today. 
• Don't spend energy on things that are out of my control. 
• I can't change the situation but I can change my attitude and how I deal with the situation. 
• Focus on the small things.
• There are so many great things in life to be happy about. 
• I'm thankful for all that I have done with my body this season. 
• If there's a "good" time for an injury, it's when 99% of the work is done. 
• I can still swim and bike - my two favorite sports!
• I am so excited to swim and bike in Canada and tackle this tough sport! 
• If I can't run on race day, that means I get to watch my athletes and cheer. 
• Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can't do. 
• There are worse things in life that can happen to me. 
• There are worse things in life that deserve my tears. 
• Injuries heal. 
• It's just one race. 
• Believe that you are healing every day. 
• Complaining and tears don't solve issues. 
• Invest into therapy/treatment so you don't have to pay for MRI's and more intense treatment. 
• Be patient and smart. 
• Quick fixes don't fix issues. 
• Don't rush the healing process just to meet a race day deadline. 
• Thank you body. You are still awesome. 

Although race day is still a bit of an unknown, I can assure you that I will not do anything silly. Running in pain is NOT my idea of what it takes to finish an Ironman - or any race. I worked really hard to get to where I am right now with my swim/bike/run fitness and over the past two weeks, I invested a lot to be able to move without pain and I don't want to take steps back - only to delay my return to run training in route to IM Kona. I still plan to share pictures/videos/posts about our Ironman Canada experience on my blog and Facebook page over the next week.

Off to Canada!!

TriWeek: Race Day Worries

With the taper-induced phantom pains and niggles and lethargy behind, you may find yourself with a bit of self-doubt, worry and anxiety with only a few nights of sleep before your triathlon race.

While it's perfectly normal to feel some stress, nerves and pressure before an important event, use that powerful energy to fire you up so it brings out the best version of yourself on race day.

Because lack of self-belief and worry can have a disastrous effect on your race day performance, here are a few tips to improve your confidence for race day:

1. Stop worrying about the uncontrollables - If you find yourself emotionally stressed out in the week or two before a big event, there's a good chance that you are dealing with a roller coaster of emotions dealing with the "what ifs". Worrying about things that are out of your control, like the weather or competition, is self sabotaging. Turn those negative thoughts into something positive so that those thoughts do not paint a bad mental picture and drain your energy before the race.
2. Stop focusing on the outcome - Too much mental energy on paces, speed. times or results can leave you emotionally drained, worried and anxious. It can also keep you from making good decisions, in the moment. Remove any extra pressure on what needs to happen as an end result and focus on the process of delivering yourself to the finish line. Remind yourself of all the tools that you have gained over the season and that a great race day performance is all about being in the moment and dealing with obstacles as they come about.
3. List your mantras - Every athlete will have low moments in a race - lots of them. There will be voices in your head that will try to convince you to slow down and maybe even quit when the going gets tough. How will you challenge these voices? What will help you take your focus off your self-doubts and refocus your mind to get you to a positive state of flow? By repeating a powerful statement to yourself over and over again in your mind, you'll find yourself pushing through these low moments and getting through the low moments of racing.
4. Reflect on your journey - Look at your individual journey to see how far you've come. Don't compare yourself with anyone else. Remember that time when you couldn't do what you can do now? Or when you completed that tough workout that you didn't think was possible? What obstacles did you have to overcome to get to the start line? Focus on the highlighted moments instead of dwelling on what should have or could have been.
5. Mental preparation - Picture yourself at various points during the race and work through all types of scenarios - the good and the bad. Look at course maps, videos and pictures to help you put images to places on the course. And don't forget to visualize yourself crossing the finish line.
6. Focus on what you can control - Take care of yourself. Don't worry about anyone else. Focus on what you can control such as your gear and equipment, your sleep, nutrition and hydration as well as your thoughts. Surround yourself with energy givers, not energy suckers and avoid forums/media that cause self-doubt, worry or stress.
7. Have fun - Remind yourself that this is just a hobby. Your self-worth and athletic worthiness is not determined by one race. Enjoy being on the roller coaster of emotions as it's your body's way of preparing you for action. Make sure to remind yourself why you signed up for this event and how special it will be to cross that finish line. Don't let your nerves and worries suck the fun out of racing. Focus on what you can control, trust your training, visualize success, mentally prepare yourself and don't forget to have fun.

Hello from Haines City, FL!

How in the heck is it already April!?!?! I can't believe we are just a few sleeps away from our first triathlon race of 2019.

When planning our 2019 race schedule back in October/November, we knew we wanted to go back to Haines City for the half Ironman. It's a great early season race to dust off the rust and welcome the hurt that comes with racing. We love the race venue as the town welcomes the race, the race vibe is always welcoming and exciting and the course is spectator friendly (swim and run). The course is not an easy one, and that also appeals to us. This year will be even more challenging as the race day temperature is suppose to reach 90 degrees! 😱 But, we are super excited to share the course with 15 of our amazing athletes.

We broke up the drive into two days, leaving on Wednesday late morning. We made the 5.5 hour drive to Jacksonville, FL where we stayed overnight with our friends/athletes Joe and Erica. After our morning workout, we hit the road to Haines City which took about 3 hours.

Our workouts this week have been refreshingly good to help get us race ready. Monday morning was a long 5600 swim workout but it provided a nice variety of strokes, toys and efforts that the yards went by rather quickly. On Tuesday I had a 1:40 hr bike to test out my race set up, followed by a 30 min brick run (including a few one minute efforts). It's always nice to ride the bike on race week when it's all tuned up, race wheels are on and the legs are itching to push a bit harder. On Wednesday morning I did a 40 min strength session at home before our travel. Thursday was a 90 min ride with a few short hard efforts, followed by half IM efforts. After the ride was a 20-minute brick run. The weather has gone from spring-like weather in Greenville to hot and toasty in Haines City.

Upon arriving to our rental home on Thursday afternoon, I went to the grocery store to stock the house with plenty of food for us (and our other housemates).

I'm so happy that Campy is with us as he helps me de-stress and keeps me on my normal routine. Tomorrow we will do an easy spin on the course and after checking in, we will do a swim workout. All these training sessions are to keep the body from getting stale so that we can arrive sharp and ready for race day (Sunday).

With a long season ahead of us, finishing at the 2019 Ironman World Championship in October, we are excited to finally get this season started!

For tracking:
Ironman Tracker App
Marni Sumbal - Bib 40 (start time 7:28, wave 9)
Karel Sumbal - Bib 51 (start time 7:46, wave 14)

Hello from Madison - It's IMWI week!

Wow, I can't believe it's finally here. It's race week! Just three more sleeps until race day.

A little update from this week.

Karel, his mom and Campy started their journey to Madison, WI on Monday morning with a long drive to Indianapolis. They spent the night and then finished the drive on Tues. With traffic and a few stops, it was a long two days of traveling. The house was pretty quiet for me for a day and a half but I kept myself busy with a few light workouts and work until I left for the airport on Tues afternoon. My athlete and friend Thomas and I flew from Greenville to Detroit to Madison on Tues evening and all went smoothly. Since Karel had our bikes and all my race stuff, I traveled pretty light with only a backpack.

To be honest, the week was a little stressful to start because of all the flooding in Madison and the great possibility of a cancelled swim and the unknowns of the bike and run course. Thankfully, the Ironman staff went above and beyond and the course is on for the entire 140.6 mile distance. Sure, anything can change between now and race day but the weather is looking good for an amazing day of swimbikerun come Sunday.

Our homestay and friend Ed picked Thomas and I up at the airport on Tues evening around 8:30pm and it was nice to reunite with Karel and Campy when we arrive to his home. With all the chatter about the weather/rain in Madison, all it took was a drive through downtown - in route to Ed's house in Fitchburg - to remind me why this race is so special. No matter what happens on race day, Madison knows how to put on a top-notch Ironman event. This will be my 3rd time racing IMWI and although it's a challenging bike/run course combo, the crowds are unbelievable!

Campy has been on squirrel (and rabbit and chipmunk duty) since he arrived and he is loving looking out the windows for any intruders.

Ed made us the most amazing pumpkin waffles on Wed after our wet run. YUM!

After a good night of sleep on Tues evening (the one-hour time change wasn't too hard to get use to!) we woke up to a very rainy day. This was expected according to the weather channels so we adjusted our planned training and instead of riding a loop of the bike course we went out for a morning run and finished the day with a late afternoon swim at Pinnacle Fitness.

Run workout (mostly on a bike/run path):
~15 min warm-up w/ walking to reset form and to control breathing
MS: 3 x 6 min build by 2 min to strong w/ 90 sec walk/rest between
~10 min smooth form focused running

Swim workout:
600 warm-up
Pre set:
200,175,150,125,100,75,50,25 w/ snorkel and buoy
MS: 2x's
2 x 100's build to strong w/ 15 sec rest
50 smooth
50 fast

Cool down: 100 EZ

Between the run and the swim workouts, we stocked up on groceries from HyVee and Karel's mom made us the most delicious vegetable and potato soup for dinner.

Because Karel is not racing, he is able to shuttle me around and also get in a few workouts of his own this week in route to his busy end-of-the-year race schedule with Augusta 70.3, Kona and IMFL all within about 8 weeks.

This morning we drove to Verona to bike one loop of the course. I really enjoyed being on my new Ventum and seeing the Wisconsin landscape of cows, farms and fields. Several of the roads have been paved (and others are still super bumpy) which was really nice. The course is challenging but it's also a lot of fun because it's constantly changing - up and down, left and right. It reminds me a lot of Greenville so it's not far from what we train on on a daily basis.

After the bike we drove back to Ed's house and had some lunch and then ventured to downtown Madison for the athlete briefing and check-in. Although this is my 14th time going through the athlete check-in procedure, I still get excited as if I am a first timer. I always go to the athlete briefing as you never know what updated or race-specific information will be provided. In the case of IMWI, a lot has changed such as the new bike course (first and last 3-miles) and the new swim course and rolling start (instead of waves). Also, IMWI has indoor transitions so it's also worth scoping out the layout before race day.

It was also fun to run into so many Trimarnis this morning. We have 13 athletes racing! 

While it seemed like a busy last two days, it has actually been rather smooth and relaxing. I have stressed myself out in the past by trying to do too much in one day and leave little time to myself to rest so I have tried to do a better job of this before my races.

Thanks for following along!

Race week self-doubts? Boost your confidence with these tips.

I can't believe that it's race week!! Just 6 more days until my 14th Ironman on one of the most awesome race courses on the US Ironman circuit. I can't wait for the cheers from the crowds as Madison knows how to put on a top-notch event.

Thanks to the recent live Facebook coverage of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, I think I am officially antsy to race. Whereas last week was filled with normal pre-race emotional highs and lows, I was so inspired by the gutsy and strong performances by the female and male athletes at Worlds that I now want my turn to feel the pressure and excitement of racing. If you didn't watch the coverage, go watch it as it'll fire you up for your upcoming workouts or races. Karel and I are huge fans of the sport of triathlon and we just love watching other athletes in action. There's always something to learn from the professionals and now with the live coverage, we can really see all parts of the race (and not just see the results) to truly understand what is really going on within the race and what each athlete endures to get to the finish line. Many times, you realize that the professional athletes are human just like the rest of us, dealing with similar issues and obstacles.

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

Are you preparing for an upcoming race? Will we see you in Wisconsin for the Ironman? If yes, hopefully the phantom pains and niggles and self-doubts are behind you as you gear up for your upcoming race and you are working on your mental game to put yourself into a calm and relaxed state before race day.

For some athletes, it's easy to ignore the doubts and negative thoughts that can creep into the head on race week but for others, with the race quickly approaching, you may be feeling a lot of emotions such as self-doubt, negativity, worry and anxiety.

Keeping in mind that your race performance is a reflection of your previous training, don't let negativity suck the fun away from what you get to do with your body and mind on race day. While it's perfectly normal to feel some stress, nerves and mental pressure before a big event, use that powerful energy to fire you up so it brings out the best version of you (and your current level of fitness) on race day.

Because lack of self-belief and worry can have a disastrous effect on your race day performance, here are a few tips to improve your confidence for race day.

1. Stop worrying about the uncontrollables - If you find yourself emotionally stressed out in the week or two before a big event, there's a good chance that you are dealing with the nagging negative thoughts of "what ifs". Worrying about details that are out of your control, like the weather or competition, is self sabotaging. Turn those negative thoughts into something positive so that those thoughts do not paint a bad mental picture for you before or during your race.
   
2. Stop focusing on the outcome - Too much mental energy on paces, speed. times or results can leave you emotionally drained, worried and anxious. It can also keep you from making good decisions in the moment. Remove any extra pressure on the end result and focus on the process of delivering yourself to the finish line. Remind yourself of all the tools that you have gained over the season and that a great race day performance is all about being in the moment and dealing with obstacles as they come about.
   
3. List your mantras - Every athlete will have low moments in a race - lots of them. There will be voices in your head that will try to convince you to stop, and maybe even quit when the going gets tough. How will you challenge these voices? What will help you take your focus off your self-doubts and refocus your mind to get you to a positive state of flow? By repeating a powerful statement to yourself over and over again in your mind, you'll find yourself pushing through these low moments and getting yourself closer and closer to that finish line.
   
4. Reflect on your journey - Look at your training log to see how far you've come. Remember that time when you couldn't do....... or you completed that tough workout on tired legs? Or how you overcome a setback? Focus on the highlighted moments instead of dwelling on what should have or could have been.
   
5. Visualize yourself succeeding - Picture yourself at various points during the race and go through all types of scenarios - the good and the bad. Look at course maps, videos and pictures to help you put images to places on the course. And don't forget to visualize yourself crossing the finish line.
   
6. Focus on what you can control - Take care of yourself. Focus on what you can control such as your gear and equipment, your sleep, nutrition and hydration as well as stress management. Surround yourself with energy givers, not energy suckers and avoid forums/media that cause self-doubt, worry or stress.
   
7. Have fun - Remind yourself that this is just a hobby. Your self-worth and athletic worthiness is not determined by a race. Enjoy being on the roller coaster of emotions as it's your body's way of preparing you for action. Make sure to remember why you signed up for the event and how special it will be to cross that finish line. Don't let your nerves and worries suck the fun out of racing. Focus on what you can control, trust your training, visualize success and don't forget to have fun. 

It's race week - in Czech!

                             

Wow - I can't believe I'm saying this but we are racing on Saturday in historic Prague!

When we planned our 5-week trip to Czech to visit Karel's family and race Ironman Austria, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to race the 2nd running of Challenge Prague to conclude our race-cation. This will be an exciting opportunity for Karel to race in Czech and I have a feeling it's going to be a race to remember as you can't beat the location and the views we will see on the swim and run course are going to be incredible!

As for training, it's been an interesting past few weeks. I felt I recovered quickly for Ironman Austria as my muscles felt rather good the first week  but then again, we also did very little exercise and then the next week was rather light. However, that second week was a bit frustrating for me because my muscles felt ok but I was still feeling incredibly low in energy. It was just an empty feeling that I knew wasn't normal for me but something that is common post Ironman - the highs and lows of Ironman recovery. One day you feel great and then the next day you feel like someone sucked the energy out of you. Oddly though, I was feeling rather good on the bike and swim but running was slow to feel my energy level rise. I respected my body with freedom to just run without structure, walk whenever I wanted and I also ran on the trails because I love trail running, I give myself permission to run at various paces based on the terrain and it allows me to be in nature and it's less impact for my body. We've also been biking a lot because it's how we can combine sight-seeing, move blood and also take advantage of the many bike-friendly routes. Three weeks after the Ironman (this past week) included all structured training sessions (with a purpose to each workout and most sessions with a main set) and I was pleased that my body has been responding well (finally) and feeling fresher with each passing day. I've also made sure to fuel well - which isn't hard when we have such a great selection of feel-good food, including homemade meals prepared by Karel's mom.

I was asked by a Trimarni follower how our bodies will react to racing so close to an Ironman and my response was "that's a good question!" I've never raced a half Ironman (or anything less than that distance) after an Ironman in one season. And the only time I have raced after an Ironman was another Ironman (~8 and 10 weeks for the two times I did it, respectively). So this will be a new experience for my body but I'm also not going into the race with any expectations or pressures. I want to have fun and also treat it as a training day where I give my best knowing that I just did a very tough effort at Ironman Austria and I still have another Ironman left this season in 7 weeks (Ironman Wisconsin). I want to make sure that I can recover quickly from this race to get back into my Ironman training when we settle back into the states the following week. I also need to be respectful of my body that I can't dig deep or take any risks at this race as I am still carrying around some fatigue from this past week of training after the Ironman - and it was a big week of training for me. As for Karel, he is still recovering from the Ironman but he has a long season still ahead of him with Augusta 70.3, the Ironman World Championship 3 weeks later and then Ironman Florida 3 weeks after that so he won't be doing anything silly but still giving his best for the day in a competitive setting. It's going to be a fun experience for us both.

Here are a few pictures of our last week of training in Czech. I am just loving this different training environment with outdoor pool swimming (lately it's been short course meters), running in the Podyjí National Park and riding on the very bike friendly roads in Czech and Austria. 

Feeling so safe riding on the roads here. Thank you cars! 

Hello race week!

Picture taken on a ride in Greenville. I love stopping to say hi to farm animals. 

Seriously....it seemed like Jan-March lasted a year and now it's already May!!?!?! Time sure does fly! I can't believe we are about to race again. And in 8-weeks will be off in Europe at Ironman Austria for the 3rd time! Another block of training is behind us and I can't help but be thankful and grateful to my body for letting me show up to another race feeling strong, fit and healthy (and still loving the sport of triathlon). This will be our 2nd time racing Ironman 70.3 St. George and now that we know the course a bit better, I am excited to give it another try as last year I felt I raced too timid and didn't showcase my abilities. I feel stronger and more confident this time around and I can't wait to share the course with eleven of our Trimarni coaching athletes (and several of my nutrition athletes).

I always try to take time during my last "long" workout before a race week to reflect on the journey and to make note of what's going well. It's far too easy to address limiters and what could have, would have, should have been. Spending too much energy on negative thoughts simply removes energy that can be used for race day. In my reflection, I wanted to share three things that I am focusing on in my 2018 triathlon journey to help me reach my athletic goals while keeping my body in good health. You  may be surprised (or not) to hear where I am putting my energy this season (not unlike seasons in the past).

1. Do things well - From sleep, nutrition and fueling to skills, form, mental skills and workout execution. I make an effort everyday to do things well. As an example, last week I had an intense brick workout with a hard trainer bike followed by a specific treadmill run with some race efforts. The first five minutes didn't feel good, which worried me since I usually feel rather good running off the bike. I gave it some time and started the workout but at ten minutes, what should have felt controlled and steady felt hard and difficult. I started to get some feedback from my body that form was falling apart and I immediately decided to stop my 30-minute brick run at around 9 minutes. This is just one example where it pays to do things well as one workout doesn't make or break a season. Consistency is key. By focusing on the little things and always showing up to workouts with the mindset of "do the best you can and do things really well" has been a motto that I take to every workout. I believe this mindset has helped me reduce risk for injury and sickness over the years.
   
2. Be great at not slowing down - Like any athlete, I want to get faster. I've already accomplished "going long" many times as I have completed 12 Ironman distance triathlons and have two more on the schedule this summer. But in endurance triathlon, it pays to be great at not slowing down for the fastest performance by your body is the one that comes with delaying fatigue for as long as possible. It's not a fast effort but one that is steady. To be great at not slowing down, the body must be resilient and strong. Running has been an area of weakness for me for almost all of my endurance triathlon career. While I have still accomplished a lot in the sport, I continue to believe that I have a "faster" run in my body for 13.1 or 26.2 miles (likely, it's going to be in a marathon off the bike than a half marathon as there's much more room for time improvement there for me). Rather than focusing on becoming a faster runner, my approach to run training (with the help of Karel as my "coach") has enabled me to run with better form, which allows me to be more economical. Because I have the fueling/hydration part down, my biggest focus this year has been to train the run so that I can keep great form. This includes specific runs sessions and strength training (which I still do - all season long). So far so good as I am running "faster" than in years past without any specific speed work training. I am also staying injury free (since June 2013) so that allows me to stay consistent with my run training. And for the first time in a very, very long time, I am actually loving running and I find it "easy" on my body. This focus also applies to bike and swim as I'm much more focused in strong sustainable efforts than trying to get faster just to prove to myself that I can go faster.
   
3. Enjoy the process - For anyone who has been in a sport for a long time, joy for the sport is just as important as having big goals. Although the winter months of foundation building are always tough, I find enjoyment in the developmental process. I don't try to skip steps, look for marginal gains or seek quick fixes. I love the daily grind, day in and day out. Triathlon is not my life so it's something I have to find time and energy for but it's something that I enjoy and thus, I do make time for it in my busy day. The fact that I am still improving in my 12th year of long distance triathlon tells me that something is working. Plus, I still love the sport today, as much as I did when I did my very first triathlon. 

Effective taper tips (and what not to do)

We all have our own ways of tapering so it would be a mistake to say that there is one "right"  way to taper for an upcoming event. As we develop our fitness and skills, our ideal taper methods may change. However, it's a common mistake to assume that tapering = resting.  Tapering is defined as a short-term reduction in a training load before an important athletic event.  While you may not be accumulating as many weekly training hours during your taper, a short-term reduction in load can occur in many ways. As an example, your typical long ride of 2-2.5 hours can still be done 6-8 days before your upcoming event so load as you reduce the overall "stress" of the workout. By fueling smart, allowing ample recover between any intense intervals and not chasing any paces/watts, you can still ride "long" and feel rested without a massive drop in training volume. Certainly, your taper is dependent on the training that you did and didn't do in the months leading up to your upcoming event. When you train consistently for months/weeks at a time, you place a lot of intentional stress on your body. You may know this feeling well because as your training ramps up, it becomes more difficult to feel fresh, light and energetic for all of your workouts. You never have time to fully recover between workouts and even with the occasional rest day, bridge session and easy workouts inserted into your training plan, your body is never completely repaired from the previous hard workout(s). While you can use sleep, mobility, recovery gear, diet and massage to stimulate recovery, taper finally gives your body the chance to recover from the destructive training process. Because you need your healthy body to train through fatigue in a smart training plan, this allows you to adapt in order to gain the necessary physiological adaptations to help meet the physical demands of your upcoming event. Come taper, you can finally maximize those adaptations and "cash out" on all of your training investments. Tapering also provides a necessary mental relief from the emotional toll that training has on the body. Because racing is mentally exhausting, it's important to give time to yourself on race week to improve your mental energy to feel psychologically and emotionally ready for your race. There are many methods and thoughts regarding how much “rest” is needed by triathletes before a race. Is it one week, a few days, two weeks or three weeks? Ultimately, when done correctly, tapering sharpens your body and mind so that you arrive to your race prepared physically and mentally, to perform at your best. Understanding that tapering does not result in detraining, a reduced training volume allows the body to recover from the accumulated effects of fatigue and muscle/tissue breakdown, induced by heavy training. Make note that an effective taper comes after consistent training. Tapering will not set you up for a great race day performance if you do not put in the necessary work to physically prepare for your upcoming event. What can you expect during taper?  Because too long and too much of a taper can make you feel tired and off your normal routine, your taper should sharpen your body, mind and skills for race day. During your final 1-2 weeks of training, you should include a nice mix of intensity, recovery, a sight drop in overall volume and a lot of frequent workouts to keep you fresh for race day. You must trust this process as it’s not about resting but priming your systems to help you gain an athletic advantage to perform at your best on race day. Avoid the taper funk  Taper can be a long-awaited yet uncomfortable time for triathletes. During the first 3-7 days of taper, athletes will often complain of feeling overly sleepy, walking around with heavy legs, noticing a drastic change in appetite, noticing new niggles, aches and other phantom pains, feeling run-down or sick and moody, losing motivation to train, lacking energy during workouts, not feeling fresh or sharp and feeling worrisome that fitness is lost. However, every athlete responds differently during taper. When you are so comfortable to doing things a certain way for many months, and then you suddenly change that routine, your mind and body can become very confused. You may become oversensitive to any body issue/niggle and start to freak out. When you have been training through fatigue for many months and then you progressively let your body recover and heal, the repairing process can make you feel weird, tired and even out of shape! Do’s and Do not’s during taper Do not freak out if you are feeling off. The only day that matters is race day and on race day your body will know exactly what it needs to do.   Do not train with fear or try to prove your fitness during taper (ex. fear you won’t be ready unless you do x-miles/distance workout). You cannot gain any fitness during taper or make-up for missed/bad workouts but you can lose your readiness to perform by doing too much volume/intensity during taper.   Do not get off your normal routine. While you should try to go to bed earlier and sleep in on the weekends, try to keep yourself on a similar routine as to when you normally workout.   Do not be scared of intensity during taper, just be sure to follow the recommended recovery between sets/intervals and don’t go harder/longer than advised. Do not do nothing on race week. It is very easy for athletes to assume that they can skip or reduce the volume of workouts on race week because they are tapering, traveling or because life is keeping you extra busy  You must follow your taper plan which includes frequent, low volume workouts. If you skip workouts and rest too much, the body will get lazy and it will be difficult to wake it up on race day.   Do not fill in your free time during taper with housework, chores, outside activities (ex. soccer, Frisbee) or other strenuous activities. While you don't have to be sedentary, you need to be extra careful with how you spend your energy. Use your free time to visualize, relax, cook or read. We have had several athletes get injured during taper due to accidents thanks to too much free time.   Do not try new things during taper. However, taper is the time when you can sharpen your skills (swim, bike, run) and practice the little details like u-turns on your bike, swim starts/finish in open water, transitions, grabbing and rotating bottles on your bike and hydration belt and anything else that will help you feel more prepared for race day. Always be careful and cautious during taper – many accidents happen during taper because athletes become careless with everyday activities.   Do us similar gear in training as you would on race day and rehearse your race day skills, clothing and tactics. Race wheels, helmet, goggles, gadgets, clothing and anything else that you plan to use on race day should be used in training, several times, in the 2-4 weeks before race day.   Do arrive to your race as early as possible to avoid feeling rushed before a race.  Do make yourself workout the day before your race, within 90 minutes of waking. We do not believe in having the day-off from training on the day before a competition. This pre race workout should last 45 minutes to 90 minutes and should include biking and running. We leave swimming as optional, but recommended if water conditions are safe, weather is ideal and you are not rushed.   Do not spend too much time outside in the heat or on your feet during race week.   Do put yourself first on race week. Communicate with your family as to your needs and expectations on race week so that you can get yourself and keep yourself in the zone.   Do not try anything new during taper unless you have discussed with your coaches. If you are considering trying something new on race day, discuss with your coaches.   Do visualization and mental strength activities every day on race week for at least 10-20 minutes.   Do write out your race strategy/execution plan and travel itinerary on the weekend before race week.   Do not “race your workouts” or try to validate your fitness or readiness in training. Save your best performance for race day.   Do not hang around energy suckers. Surround yourself with energy givers. Limit your time on social media. Do not make excuses before the race or go into the race with low expectations.   Do minimize/remove yourself from social media and reduce work/family obligations so that you can stay within your own thoughts and not worry about what’s happening in the world, feel stressed out or compare yourself with other athletes.   Do go into your race slightly undertrained than overtrained. No matter what obstacles or setbacks you had to overcome in training, you can only race with your current level of fitness.   Do focus on good nutrition throughout taper. You should only modify your diet in the 48-72 hours before your race by reducing high fiber/fat foods and slightly increasing carbohydrates.   Do stay well-hydrated and fueled during taper.   Do not bash your body, diet or worry about your body image during taper. Be proud of your body.   Do focus on really great sleep, lifestyle habits and stress management. Tapering is not just about reducing your training load and enjoying free time but focusing on the many ways that you can stay healthy, fit and fresh for race day. Do not race if you are injured or sick. Consider the outcome of your choice as well as your long term health and training/racing goals before the instant gratification your ego may feel when consider toeing the start line.  Do get a full body massage on the Sunday/Monday of race week. This should be a flush massage, not spot specific or deep tissue. Your massage should be from someone who you have used in the past, that knows your body well.   Do not focus on what other athletes are/are not doing. Only focus on yourself. Never race another athlete's race or try to follow the diet/fueling plans of another athlete.   Do understand that there is no one perfect recipe for tapering. Your taper response is unique to you and your training background, your event and your physiology.   Do remind yourself that you are ready. Don't worry about the past or the future but focus on the present moment.

It's Race Week!!

High Fives All Around!!

It's race week! 

I've waited seven long months since Ironman Chattanooga to say those words.

On Sunday, I get to experience all the nerves, excitement, questions, low moments, pain, what if's, emotions and fun of participating in a half Ironman. But this time it will be extra special as Karel and I will be sharing the race course with over 30 of our Trimarni coaching athletes as part of the Tri Club Regional Championship at IM 70.3 FL!

Nearing the age of 36 years old, I think back to almost 12 years ago when I participated in my first half IM event in Disney. I had no idea what I was doing yet I loved every mile of it. Fast forward to 12 Ironman finishes, 4 Ironman World Championship finishes and too many half IM events to remember, I feel stronger, healthier and fitter than ever before but my love for the sport hasn't changed. I love the sport of triathlon as it keeps me healthy and happy and provides me with so many amazing opportunities to live life to the fullest.

Racing is a skill and it's something you get better at the more you do it. It's now time to dust off the rust at this early season race and go through the motions of racing. I look forward to the high and low moments of pushing my limits for 70.3 miles as I test my current fitness, strengths and limiters.

And most of all, I look forward to finding motivation and inspiration from other athletes as racing has a special way of bringing out the best in all of us.

Hello from Chattanooga (again)!

Here we are again, back in Chattanooga!

As we were driving into town on Tues evening, my stomach felt a little funny as it felt strange to return to the place where my fainting setback left me with a smashed face and an unfulfilled feeling for my last race of the season. But I didn't let this feeling get to me because I returned back to Chattanooga with Karel with excitement and gratitude for another race opportunity by my body.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I have emotionally moved on from my recent DNS at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship but physically, a big part of me feels like I have some unfinished business here in Chattanooga.

Knowing that stuff happens and we can't control the future, the only way that I could move on from my last race experience was to make sure that my next racing decision was not for anyone else but myself.  I wanted to do a race that made me happy. After giving my next race a lot of thought, I couldn't be more excited to turn my letdown into an exciting new opportunity. You better believe that after I received the OK to race again, I wasn't going to move on with a sad ending to my last chapter.

And now I turn the page for my next chapter in my book of life.......

Putting things into perspective - Understanding that I experienced a freaky accident (with very bad timing), I have accepted that the circumstances were not in my favor but I will not let this define me as an athlete. Within 48 hours of my vasovagal syncope issue, I had several doctor appointments and lab work to receive confirmation that my body is in good health and I don't have to give up on my athletic dreams this season.

Reflect -  Like with many things in life, setbacks are a necessary part of the path towards success. Although I was sad, upset and frustrated while sitting in my rental home 2 Saturday's ago, instead of racing, I can now look back and with a clear mind, evaluate the situation. Although I should have slowed down in the morning and paid more attention to the woozy feeling in the body, there was not much that I could have done differently. I feel lucky that my fall only left me with cuts and bruises and with all things considered, it could have been a lot worse.

A new focus - Whenever an athlete experiences a setback, it's important to figure out what's next. Do you want to accomplish the same thing or accomplish something different? This question was on my mind for several days after my DNS as I felt like I worked so hard to prepare for the IM 70.3 World Championship and I was not able to show off my fitness. But more than racing, I missed out on the experience of racing and that is what I love so much about the sport. I missed out on being around other inspiring athletes and doing something incredible with my body.

While driving home from the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Karel was already quick to give me some ideas for my next race. It's funny because we both had different race ideas for what I should do with my trained body. My thinking was to find a challenging half ironman and Karel's idea was for me to do an Ironman. We tossed around a few ideas over the next 48 hours and after I received permission to race again from my doctors, I was ready to commit to my next race.

Karel knows that the Ironman event suits me so well and to be honest, I wouldn't have trained much different for an Ironman versus a half Ironman since we don't do a lot of high volume training. I train mostly with Karel so as he prepares for an Ironman, my training is very similar.  The half Ironman distance takes me far out of my comfort zone and that is why I dedicated this season to half Ironman racing. Because the Ironman distance always feels right for my style of racing - I can be steady and resilient all day long - it always feels right when I get to the start line of an Ironman

So after much discussion with Karel, we decided on my next and last race of my 2017 triathlon season.

Ironman Chattanooga! 

I couldn't be more excited to finish my season here in Chattanooga for 144.6 miles of racing! I get to share the course with 15 of my Trimarni athletes (including Karel), along with several familiar Greenville faces and this decision feels so right. I have nothing but excitement and positive energy building inside of me for Sunday. This is a no pressure, have fun and enjoy the experience type of race but I'm sure my competitive spirit will come out on race day.

Thank you Karel for helping me through the past two weeks and for encouraging me to get right back into training. Thank you to all the Trimarni followers who kept me motivated to get back into racing and for all the support and encouragement from my Trimarni athletes and friends/followers.

Let the countdown again....I am doing my 12th Ironman on Sunday!

Thank you body!

Hello from Chattanooga!

Travel
After an early morning bike/run workout (~90 minutes) and a massage, it was time to pack up the car and head off to Chatty!
We left on Tuesday morning to drive 4.5 hours up and over to Chattanooga (through Knoxville). For our first time to Chatty, the drive was scenic and we had little traffic. The only negative to our drive was the pouring rain that lasted the last 3 hours of our drive. Thankfully, we made it to our rental house safely, around 5pm. Campy is joining us for our trip because he does a great job of keeping us both calm and stress-free on race week.

Nutrition
To make it easy for us, I did some grocery shopping and a lot of meal prep on Monday before we left. Although we have a kitchen at our rental house, I wanted to avoid the hassle of grocery shopping when we arrived and then making food each day. Having a stocked fridge as soon as we arrived was a great thing and it made it easy to get to bed early for a good night of sleep on Tuesday evening. We won't be eating out during our time in Chatty before the race so all meals and snacks will be in our control and we will stick to our normal daily diet and pre-race diet as we both know what foods work best for us. We have lots of food for snacks (ex. fruit, yogurt, pita chips, raisins, chocolate) and meals (potatoes, eggs, chicken for Karel, tempeh for me, waffles, croissants, bread, soup, rice, cheese, OJ, milk, hardboiled eggs, eggs, pizza, Kefir, nut butter, syrup, etc.) so eating is familiar and easy to accomplish every day.

Wednesday
For our first official day in Chatty, we drove the 5.5 miles down to the race venue/village with our bike and swim gear for a longish morning workout. Our athlete Natalie met us at the swim. I really looked forward to getting in the water and experiencing the changing current. The water temperature felt great in my swimskin and I enjoyed the challenge of navigating the current, especially with it to my side or swimming against the current. After the swim, I was a little chilly (as the air temp was in the 60's) but I reminded myself that on race day, I would warm up fast. Plus, I wanted to practice in my same gear as race day (one piece tri suit and same sport bra) to feel comfortable swimming with sleeves and a swimskin, in the case that it is not wetsuit legal (which I am hoping for).
After the swim, we all got ready for a 2ish hour bike on the course. I was really looking forward to getting on the course and experiencing "the climb". Although I had a rough few weeks around the time I was racing Lake Logan half Ironman, my legs have really come around and I am itching to push hard and race. I took it rather easy on the climb to save my legs a bit for Saturday and wanted to soak in the view before I am laser focused on race day. After "the climb", there was another long section of rolling hills, with about 4 big kickers. I couldn't help but think "am I in Greenville?" as the terrain is very familiar to me and reminds me of our normal routes in Greenville (just with less farm animals but I did manage to say hi to a few horses and saved a baby turtle). We covered the first 18 miles of the course (and warmed up nicely) and then turned around to head back to the venue.
Natalie and I checked in and picked up our bag and we briefly checked out the expo as we were all ready for some food.
As for the rest of the day, it included eating, laying around and relaxing. Campy had a little playdate with Natalie's dog Kona which was fun to see Campy (who is 10) play with an 8-month puppy.
It was early to bed and we slept great (about 9 hours).

Thursday
After previewing the swim venue and some of the bike, I was anxious to get out on the run course. Around 8am, we parked near the village and met Natalie for an early morning spin. It was rather cold out (in the upper 50's) but it warmed up nicely as the morning went on. Like the bike course, the run was marked with arrows so it was easy to find our way around (although we did get turned around a few times). Like I was told, the course is hilly but once again, it reminded me of my terrain in Greenville and the type of run course that I love to run on in my races. As we covered the course, I couldn't help but think "this is going to be a tough run" and then I followed that thought with "I am so excited to run two loops on this!" Karel keeps telling me that this course could not be better designed for me as it is very challenging and requires great strength, smart skills and resilience over speed so Karel's confidence in me is getting me very excited to race. And the weather couldn't be more perfect for race day.
After we biked the run course, we went for a shake out run. Karel ran by himself and Natalie and I did 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back on the run course, just nice and easy, all conversational pace. The course, although very challenging, is also very pretty. I imagine that the course will be lined with spectators in certain areas of the course, which will be great for an energy boost on race day.
After the morning workout, Natalie and I strolled through the expo and merchandise tent as Karel checked in for the race. Around 11:30am, we left the venue, headed to Wholefoods for a few items and then made it back to our rental house around 12:30pm. The rest of the day included eating, a little work on the computer and in a few hours, I will enjoy my pre-race pizza and then we will head downtown for the mandatory pre-race athlete meeting at 8pm.

I am getting super excited to race and I can't help but think back to my previous training and all the hard work that went into the preparation for this race. Years of experience and a season of athletic development to get to where I am right now. No matter the outcome, I feel excited, healthy, fit and confident and I am looking forward to the opportunity to race my competition in the 35-39 age group and give my best, with what I am given on race day.

Here are some pictures from the last few days:

Karel's new Wacaco nanopresso. Now he can enjoy an espresso when we travel. 

Road trip from one mountain view to another. 

Snack for the car. 

Room with a view. 

Recovery coach says it's time for a nap. 

My go-to pre-workout meal. 

We have arrived!

Time to preview some of the bike course. 

Riding to "the climb"

Up I go! 

What a view of Rock City Waterfall near the top of the climb. 

Turtle saved. 

Potty stop - well hydrated and fueled after 2.5 hours of riding on Wednesday. 

Campy loves his new race tee. Thank you Natalie! 

All checked in! 

Love the race theme - An adventure for your soul. 

Hand written drawing from a local school kid. 

Two lap dogs. One is 12 lbs and the other is 40.

Yummy dinner. 

Thank you Hot Shot for our goodies!

Exploring the run course. 

View from the run course. 

Over the bridge on the run course. 

Over another bridge on the run course. 

Must stop for a high five. 

More from the run course. 

Conversational pace run makes it OK to stop for pictures (coach approved). 

Back to athlete check-in for Karel. 

Race week tradition - love Mojo bars (all flavors)!

It's official! 

So much signage around the city. 

Someone couldn't wait to eat. 

Post workout meal - Icelandic yogurt, french brioch bread (cinnamon and cheese) and lots of fruit. 

Hello race week!

Back in October, after we returned home from the Ironman World Championship, Karel and I sat down and talked about the 2017 season. With so many races to choose from, the first step on deciding our race schedule was to establish our 2017 season goals. Our races would be our road map and our big season goal would be the final destination.

Karel's big goal is still to qualify for the 2018 Ironman World Championship at Ironman Chattanooga. Although he received a slot to IM Kona for this year at Ironman Lake Placid, he let that slot roll down as that was not in his road map for this season. My goal was to qualify for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship and to peak my fitness for my big race on September 9th, 2017. I planned on qualifying for the 70.3 WC at Ironman 70.3 St. George but I surprised myself when I won my age group (35-39) at Ironman 70.3 Florida back in April and earned my slot to the 70.3 WC. I was delighted to also win my age group at IM 70.3 St. George but even more excited to let my slot roll down to another deserving female athlete. 

Now that it's race week, I have an opportunity to reflect back on the season and what a season it has been. As I go into the Ironman 70.3 World Championship event, I couldn't be more grateful to have this opportunity to be a participant in this spectacle of an event.  My body is healthy and strong and I am excited to race with so many amazing females (age group and professional) on Saturday and then be a spectator for Karel and the age group male and professional athletes on Sunday. 

I am actually a little sad that this will end my 2017 triathlon season as I don't feel quite ready to stop the structured training and racing. 

The focus for this season was to become more comfortable and confident with the 70.3 distance. Even though I have raced many half distance triathlons over the past 11 years since I started endurance triathlon racing/training, they have always been included in a season of Ironman distance racing.  It's been incredible to see what my body has been able to accomplish in training and in racing this season but I know that my strength is in the Ironman distance. But this forced break from Ironman distance racing has allowed me to embrace and explore a different style of training for my body and to take different risks in half Ironman distance training. 

While I will go into this race with confidence and belief in my ability, I recognize that there will be a lot of very strong and fast girls out there in my age group. Fast has always been a word that I don't often use in my vocabulary as the Ironman distance is where I excel and I seem to be great at not slowing down (due to a combination of knowing how to pace the IM distance, understanding how to fuel/hydrate for the IM distance and good mental skills). I have never considered myself a "fast" athlete but on Saturday, I get the opportunity to race as "fast" as I can for 70.3 miles, on a very tough course, and that excites me. I love that I finally have this opportunity to leave it all out on the course, take some risks and challenge myself as faster athletes help me bring the best out of my body.

Race week, I'm so glad you are finally here!