St. Croix 70.3 RR - 13.1 mile run + post-race

The last 2.5-3 miles into town on East End Road finish the bike portion on the left side of the road, with the runners on the right. The last few miles of the bike portion of an endurance triathlon are always filled with a mix of emotions for most triathletes with questions of how the legs will feel when the hit the pavement for the first time in x-hours as well as thoughts of overall energy and fatigue. There’s a lot of thinking ahead (how will I feel at x-miles in the run) and many times, not much reflecting. I found myself in a state of reflection, thinking back to the last 57.2 miles that my body has taken me on. Although my swim was not that “fast” for me, it was comparable to the top girls in my age group. I had no regrets as to how I biked the St. Croix 70.3 course for I respected the course and this distance enough to not overbike in St. Croix. My legs were relatively tired but I was anxious to run. As I found myself easing up on the bike while watching the runners, I tried to keep my cadence high and I would often sit up and stand just to give my hips one last stretch or two before a grueling run.

I wasn’t sure how I was placing in my age group for there were no body markings in this race but by looking at bib numbers for the girls in my age group, I figured I was in the top 10. As much as I wanted to podium in this race (I wasn’t going for a Kona slot which would have been top 2 in my 30-34 age group), I knew my chances were slim as I didn’t have the bike skills to “race” on this course. I also counted at least 6 girls ahead of me, already running as I was nearing the last ½ mile or so of the bike course. However, I’ve learned in many years of racing in endurance tri’s, a race is never over til I cross the finish line – anything can happen and anything is possible. Never ever count yourself out. 

I trusted my body and in my reflection during the last few miles of the bike, I didn’t let myself forget how great I have been running over the past year. Although with recent run fitness gains most noticeable in the past 4-5 weeks, the consistency of training without an injury for almost a year was finally paying off. My body felt strong, fit and healthy and I was ready to handle anything that came my way on the run course.

Finally – my mind was my only limiter during the run portion of this endurance triathlon. This is something that I crave and long for with every race and many times in the past 6 years, I have had to manage nagging aches in my hips/back instead of being able to push my healthy body in training and racing.

As I dismounted my bike, I stopped my Garmin 500 (and powered it off) and hit lap on my Garmin 910 for the multisport function. The crowds/volunteers were great and it was wonderful to see such great support from the island locals and visitors.

As I ran on the grassy transition area with my cycling shoes still on, I thought to myself “Please, only be 6 bikes.” With being so far behind the competition, I just wanted to run my way up in spots in my age group. I had a lot of confidence in my run and I saved myself on the bike just so I could compete with the other ladies.

Ugh. As I racked my bike, I saw 6 bikes in transition. Although the girls ahead of me were a bit ahead, the competitive side of me was not gone and I was ready to do some chasing!

Unlike T1, T2 was smooth and without mistakes. 

I removed my helmet and cycling shoes and put on my Brooks Pure Flow running shoes (with lace locks on the shoe laces) over my 110% Compression socks. I had a pill container open) with endurance aminos (Hammer Nutrition) and I shook out 4 and took a sip of my leftover bottle from race morning of Osmo and swallowed 4 pills before I grabbed my flasks (each with Napalm powder from INFINIT mixed water – tastes like a sport drink but concentrated and electrolyte rich like a gel), my visor and transition belt and I was off. 

As I was running to the exit of transition, I put on my visor as I had one flask in my mouth and the other one in my sport bra top. I put on my race belt as I was running (with safety pins on the bib number – I am notorious for ripping off my bib number).

Out of transition you run up a steep, super short grassy hill. There was an aid station with cold water right out of transition so I took advantage of it and poured cold water on my head to start the cooling process and a sip to rinse my mouth. A mega bonus on this difficult run course is having aid stations every 0.6 miles….yes, you read correct – almost every ½ mile there is an aid station – talk about heaven on a 90+-degree run course.

My legs felt amazing in the first mile and I knew that all I needed to do was pace myself. In order to postpone fatigue, I stuck to my walk plan of walking the aid stations for 10 seconds or so (after the first aid station for I wasn’t ready for my walk yet and wanted to wait until I got over the first roller). Karel walked every single aid station (every .6 miles and he said he would just stop, take in water/coke/ice and then run again) and I walked almost every aid station (I think I didn’t walk 5-6 of them, primarily because of the location of the aid station and how I was feeling + crowd support).

The spectators and volunteers were fantastic. The first 2 miles had a lot of screaming fans, baggies of ice for cooling that we could grab (great idea if you are ever doing a hot course – bring a baggie with you and fill with ice at your aid stations to cool your back/body parts, etc.) and hoses to cool us off. Yes, it was hot but I do not mind hot races for my body tolerates the heat thanks to being 5-foot tall (not a lot of body surface area to cool). I was a bit concerned for Karel who has struggled in the heat and off the bike in a few races for he is still trying to figure out his body after transitioning to his new 3-sport sport instead of just bike racing.

My goal was to keep good form and to make sure the first loop (around 6.5-7 miles) felt good. It had to feel good in my mind and body the entire first loop or else I knew I would be in trouble for the second half. Although we all risk slowing in an endurance event, my goal was to slow down the least. Thankfully, I was feeling good for the first two miles which were not flat but instead, entertained my legs with two long rollers to cover until I reached the entrance of the Buccaneer.

I knew on this run course that the next 4 miles were going to be challenging before beginning another loop to do it all again. Karel and I had reviewed run times so we were aware of what is “normal” pacing for this run and what is typical for loop 1 compared to loop 2. We had reviewed the pros and top age groupers for the past few years for we were not trying to be like others but to understand what the body could handle on this course. Also talking with our top AG group friend David that we met (who is a 1:15 off the bike runner), he mentioned that it is very typical to run a lot slower on this course. We had heard similar statements from other athletes who have succeeded (and not faired to well) on this course so this advice was mentally helpful. Racing smart is not about being fit and fast but being able to race on your respected course with the best plan possible to finish strong.

After holding back a bit on the first two miles, I made a left into the resort and grabbed a sip of coke before entering the next part of the run course. I was sipping my flasks every aid station and my goal was to finish 1 flask on the first loop and the second flask on the second loop + coke as craved (I think I grabbed Coke 3-4 times) + water/ice at every single aid stations (no other gels or sport drinks).

Between miles 1-2 I saw a familiar face….KAREL!!!

Yay! I didn’t think I would see him during the entire race and I was instantly lifted up (my RPE went down and I was feeling extra good) when I saw him. He looked so strong running with his fuel belt on and I knew that he was having a great run by looking at him (I’ve seen him in other races where I could tell the run was not going as he wanted which is always emotionally hard for me to see him not have his ideal run off the bike since he is such a great runner).

As I followed the orange markings in the resort, I didn’t even have to look down for I felt a major relief….trails!!!! I think I was smiling during the entire run even though it wasn't easy. 

I knew Karel wouldn’t like this section but he told me after the race that he knew I would LOVE this section and my hips were jumping with joy. Now, this doesn’t mean that my legs were feeling fresh as can be but mentally, I really loved the changing up of terrain on this course.

My Garmin would lose satellite a few times in the trail section around the golf course so I kept focus on how I felt for RPE on this course was my main focus and just keeping an eye on my pace when my body/mind played tricks on me (sometimes the mind and body will fight in a race – one telling the other that it’s tired and sometimes you have to do some check-in’s just to make sure that one is lying to the other).

The next 1.5 miles or so was a loop so I could kind of see the athletes on the other side of the grassy field but I spotted no other girls…ugh, where are they? I still needed to stick to my plan of holding back for the results in years past showed that athletes who start out too fast on the run (or overbike) slow down considerably on loop two. I did not want that scenario for I wanted to feel just as strong (or stronger) on the second loop as the first.

After finishing this next section, we ran up a steep short hill. I had heard athletes talk about the big climb on the run course and after tippy toeing up the pavement hill (short strides, more like a shuffle up) I was relieved that big climb was over. It wasn’t as bad as every said.

After running through the resort for ½ mile or so, it was time for another terrain change. Grass!

We ran on a grassy and gravel/dirt packed section which overlooked the ocean. The view was amazing from the top of this climb. I was passing guys and just a few girls but I knew I would be taking too many risks if I ran any faster on this first loop.

We made our way back on to the pavement and then back on to the grass again and then pavement. And then came a downhill that was straight down….ouch! The previous 60 miles or so were catching up to me and I couldn’t bear the pain in my quads to break down this hill so I jumped on to the grass instead and just hoped for no holes in the ground for I didn’t want to risk a sprained ankle.

After this downhill, my legs suddenly felt super weak, kinda like an empty feeling. I looked at my pace and I knew I didn’t over do it this far so I just tried to silence the pain in my legs and kept on moving forward. This was a weird feeling almost as if my legs were really light and heavy at the same time but I just kept looking forward to each aid station to cool myself.

As I was getting to the end of the resort section of this run course, I spotted a big hill ahead. Oh – This must be the hill everyone was talking about!!!

I didn’t want to walk the hills for even if I was “running” 12-minute miles up the hill it was faster than walking 15+ min/miles. I shuffled my way up with a short stride and used my upper body swimmer-muscles to power my way up – it wasn’t fast and likely not pretty but I conquered “Beast Jr.” (As it said on the pavement).

You are kidding….another downhill?

Finally I made it out of the resort and back on to East End Road. At this point, I was hoping badly to see Karel for I needed another pick me up. No Karel but lots of awesome spectators and volunteers and inspiring athletes. Knowing that the top athletes race St. Croix, I couldn’t help but feel inspired by the amazing bodies that were racing on this course.

I saw some of the girls in my age group as I made my way over the second roller and back into town and my dream of moving up in my age group was likely over. Although I was running as smart and strong as I could with my current level of fitness, I had lost too much time on the bike to move up any more. Additionally, when I made my way to start loop 2, I felt confident in seeing my competition behind me (on the other side of the road) that unless something bad happened to me, I was not going to get caught. This was a happy and sad place and for the next mile, I had a little conversation with myself as to how I would approach lap 2.

This was a really tough position for me to be in for I was stuck in a position of not being chased and not being able to chase anyone and that’s what I long for in racing. Even though I have my plan and I love to stick to my plan of racing smart, I thrive off competition to help me reach my full potential.

I saw Karel finishing his second loop on the way to his finish and he looked so strong. I was amazed by how he was running and it was time for me to figure out how I would approach the next 6 or so miles.

Karel run time: 1:34:17 (including walking at every .6 mile aid station)

22nd fastest amateur male run

6th fastest age group (35-39) run

My mind loves to do math when I run so I started to do a few calculations. In reviewing past run times, the average “fast” run times on this course are over 1:40 with the majority of top age groupers between 1:45-1:55. There are often some fast runs and then some not-so-fast runs that still help an athlete finish at the top of his/.her respective age group because of how he/she biked and swam prior.

With no auto-lap time over 8 min/miles (this includes my walk breaks) so far on this course, my new goal (instead of moving up in my age group) was to continue running sub 8 min/miles.

My next goal was to try to break 1:40. As I made my way to the trail section in the resort, I saw this as my “recovery” – I didn’t necessarily slow myself down but it just felt “easier” than pounding on the pavement so I told myself to just relax on this section and then finish strong in the last 3-4 miles to the finish. Although I never dreamed it possible on this course (I was hoping for around 1:43-1:45), I thought to myself 8 min/miles was around 1:44 for a half marathon and 7:30 min/miles was around 1:38 or so (per my math calculations in 90+ degree heat after racing for 65+ miles) and I knew from my paces that I was in between the two times.

Ok – I can do this!!! Break 1:40 and that would be unbelievable on this course!!

I was on a mission, now racing against the clock. Me vs. the clock.

 Little hill and Beast Jr. were over and boy oh boy, was my body getting tired. BUT – I was not slowing down that much so I knew that if I could stay mentally strong, I could win this battle with my body vs. my body. Who knew so many competitions could go on without chasing a human competitor ahead of me.

As I made my way back into town, I again broke this course down.

Ok – one more roller to go as I ran down the first roller. After the next roller, I was going to see the downtown and then it was a sprint to the finish.

Around mile 10 I had switched my Garmin 910 screen from the run interval screen (showing my lap time, lap pace, current pace and average pace) to a screen that has total run time and that helped me stay super motivated to try to reach this new goal.

When I made a left turn in the downtown area, I could see the finish line to my right. Ok, probably just a block or two more and I would finishing this run course in my own record goal rime!

Ok – where’s this turn? I kept running and running and running….what seemed to be a never ending road and when I reached another aid station, the nice volunteer smiled and told me “you are almost there – only ½ mile to go!”

What??? A half mile. Ugh.

Oh well. I had just had the most unbelievable experience checking off this race from my bucket list, I raced with Karel on this beautiful island (I thought, how lucky are we that we were able to make this dream come true and make some memories together), I suffered as I raced smart and I still felt as if I had a really awesome run, even though I didn’t meet my new time goal that was created half-way through the run (sometimes a goal needs to change to ensure a positive outcome).

As I finally made the right hand turn down the downtown bumpy streets of Christiansted, I saw the finish line and gave it my best sprint possible (my slow-twitch filled body doesn’t really know how sprint so I just make sure it feels like a sprint) and with my hands in the air, I was SO happy to reach the finish line.

Finally, I can rest.

13.1 mile run stats (From Garmin 910xt – showing 13.25 miles, splits with walking included): 

Mile 1: 7:31

Mile 2: 7:23

Mile 3: 7:34

Mile 4:7:55

Mile 5: 7:53

Mile 6:7:34

Mile 7:7:52

Mile 8:7:34

Mile 9:7:44

Mile 10:7:53

Mile 11:7:50

Mile 12:7:40

Mile 13:7:15

.25: 7:04 min/mile

(yay for descending the last 4 miles!)

Total: 1:41:31 (7:39 average)

18th fastest female run (including pros)
2nd fastest age group (30-335 run
8th fastest female amateur run

I was hoping to see Karel when I entered downtown for the last section but he wasn’t there. I then expected to see Karel with his arms opened wide to catch me at the finish, but he wasn’t there. 

My first thought was that he was with our friends from Jax celebrating with post-race beers somewhere and completely forgot about me. Then I thought he had selfishly got a massage and missed me finish. Of course, all appropriate things for me to think for he has always been at the finish line waiting for me at every tri we have done together.

With my finisher medal around my neck and my body drenched with cold water (once again after I finished to officially start cooling off) I hear “Marni, Marni – I’m over here!”

I was turning all around in circles without Karel in sight and then I followed a voice toward the medical tent and there was Karel, with a needle in his arm, enjoying his first post-race IV (while making friends with my friend Jenny Fletcher – model, pro triathlete and Oakley Women athlete and sitting next to our friend Brad from Jacksonville). Opps – it never occurred to me that Karel’s health would be in danger. I didn’t say anything to Karel about not being at the finish for I was feeling like a bad wifey for getting upset that he wasn’t at the finish line J

My body was fatigued and officially drained but it performed amazingly well. I had no GI issues once again in a race, no cramping and no bonking. 

As for Karel, he really pushed it on the run, especially at the end and he said he was starting to black out at the finish. For the first time he said he felt hydrated during the entire race without his normal adductor cramps so we contribute it to the Osmo pre-load which likely helped Karel ensure that his cells/tissues/muscles were well hydrated. However, he said he still needed the IV despite feeling good during the race. I guess that good feeling allowed him to really finish strong. 

After I stood and chatted with Karel about the race, he finished getting is post-race pick-me-up and we hobbled over to a large tree in transition area to get some shade. I finally went to the bathroom ( I tried to go on the bike but had no luck and I really had to go the entire bike/run but never stopped to go)  and then had a drink of Hammer FIZZ to help replenish electrolytes. I usually give myself a good hour or so before eating anything after a  race (or track practice) for if I try too soon after a race, I will have major GI upset as the blood starts to return to the GI system after my heart rate returns to a normal level.  

Karel and I chatted about the race as we walked to our car, which is always my favorite part to share with Karel – when the suffering is over, I just love being able to talk about our personal journey from start line to finish line, together.

Final stats:

Marni:

Swim 33:42

T1: 2:12

Bike: 3:05:47

T2: 1:25

Run: 1:41: 28

Total: 5:24:34 - 6th age group, 25th female

Karel:

Swim 36:48

T1: 1:27

Bike: 2:43:07

T2: 1:15

Run: 1:34:16

Total: 4:56:53 - 11th age group, 46th male

Because we drove to the race start, we were not able to drive the 4 miles home so we put some of our gear in our rental car and then biked back to our resort. We made a quick stop at a bar to say hi to some of our friends. Although this was tough to get back on our bikes (with our bike shoes) and pedal home, it did feel good to loosen the legs a little.

When we got back to our resort, I was finally able to have a small snack (banana/handful cereal and glass of milk – which is typically post-race OR pizza and milk) and then Karel and I jumped into our resort pool to officially cool off.

The rest of the afternoon we crashed on our king size resort bed as we read the nice notes on social media from our friends. I called my parents to share our race recaps (Karel also had a great race and was super happy with how he ran – he said he felt like it was his best effort in a run off the bike – not his fastest but he feels it was his strongest) and we had our first official meal about 2 hours or so after the race. I had tomato pasta/veggie soup (from a can that I bought pre race) with Lays potato chips crumbled on top (chips from the race in a bag), mineral/seltzer water to help my tummy and some other leftovers like some cheese, tempeh and bread – it wasn’t a filling meal but enough to start the recovery process.

Around 5:30 or so we found some energy to get ourselves out of our post-race compression gear and into normal clothes which showed off some awesome Caribbean tan lines.

We drove to the post-race party on the other side of the island (about 15 minutes away – on the last loop of the bike course we see the hotel where the post-race party is held, with around ~13 miles left to go) and met up with some of our friends and it was nice to share the race with one another.

The post-race BBQ food was just ok, nothing that would make my tummy super happy but they did have veggie burgers (Karel had chicken), amazing cookies (I had oatmeal raisin), cheese and burger toppings. I had a side of potato salad which was also just ok. I really wanted some good bread or pasta (pizza would have been a dream) but the bun did not make me excited so I had an open faced burger (good thing I had plenty of carbs in my cottage to enjoy after this BBQ).

The party was fun to see the pros get their award money and to be so close to them while overlooking the beautiful ocean. The age group awards consisted of top 3 in each age group plus 70.3 and Kona World Championship slot distribution (athletes could take both if they wanted).

Oddly enough, both Karel and I received a roll down slot (6^th age group for me and 11^th age group for Karel) for 70.3 World Championship but neither one of us accepted and it was great to see the excitement of the other athletes as both athletes behind us both took our slots (we are racing IMWI the same day at 70.3 WC so we are racing for our Kona slots that day as that is our A++++ race).

After the BBQ/party, we made our way home around 8:30pm or so and it felt like midnight. Since we had been up since before 4am, we were both a bit tired but my post-race insomnia (happens every time  after half or full IMs) left me completely exhausted and awake so I just watched a little TV while working on my blog recap. Karel was out the moment he hit the bed.

What an incredible race. For a challenging course on a beautiful island, I highly recommend to race in St. Croix. It is not an easy race but after you conquer the Beast and everything that comes with it, you will not regret your decision to enjoy a race-cation in St. Croix.

As for the rest of our trip: 

-Monday (day after the race) – ~6 mile hike to the tidal pools (2.8 miles each way) . Quads were not happy but it rained on us and felt amazing. Plus, the experience of swimming in these pools was really awesome. We had a very late lunch (veggie burger in a wrap that was super yummy with sweet potato fries - this hit the spot!) in Fredriksted and then when we arrived back to our cottage around 6:30pm, Karel was knocked out and I did a bit of work for a few hours for my athletes on the computer. 

-Tuesday – 20 min open water swim outside of our resort around 7:30am (after waking up without an alarm. Karel had at least 10+ hours of sleep, I got about 4 or 5 but not continuously) and then we packed up our resort. Karel had packed our bikes before Tues and we had our friend Brad drive our bikes to the airport since he was on our flight and had a van from his family friend on the island (to return the favor, Karel boxed up Brad’s bike for him). After checking out of our resort around 11pm, we did a little computer work til 12 at our resort and then we made a stop at the local gas station by us to get some local fresh bread (banana bread). We then went to Christensted for lunch at the Avocado Pit (Excellent service!!) and walked around after lunch (we also got lunch to go – I had a salad at the Avocado Pit – my first “real” salad since I arrived to St. Croix – I was finally able to enjoy some extra fiber and had a wrap w/ fries for later).  

We then drove to the Buccanear to lounge on the beach with our Jax friends and then around 2pm we headed to the airport to return our car. Our flight left around 5pm to head to San Juan and then finally back to Orlando (arriving around 9:30pm). Karel drove back to Jax with Brad in his car (Brad’s luggage was lost so they didn’t leave the airport until almost midnight for a 2.5 hour drive) and I drove to my parents (2 hour drive), arriving around 1:30amwith lots of kisses from Campy and a super happy tail.

-Wednesday – woke up without an alarm around 8am at my parents and got caught up on some emails from Tuesday and then drove back to Jax (3.5 hour drive) with my furry BFF. Campy was super happy to have his mommy and daddy both together with him. But little did Campy know that there was going to be a lot of excitement happening over the next 5 days….time to pack up our townhome for the Sumbal’s are moving to Greenville, South Carolina!

St. Croix 70.3 RR - 56 mile bike

After exiting the water  and making it through T1, I got on my bike, clipped in my cycling shoes, started my Garmin 500 on my bike, hit lap on my Garmin 910XT and I was off to explore the island on my bike

My Garmin 500 file

Some would say this bike course is like a mini Kona (Ironman World Championship) because of the wind, the heat, the humidity, a beautiful ocean in the distance and the hills. However, after competing in Kona in 2007, 2011 and 2013, St. Croix provides a lot of stress on the body in a relatively short amount of time compared to Kona. Although the ocean swim in Kona is a bit more exhausting than in St. Croix, the Kona bike course offers 112 miles of challenges with the majority happening close to the climb to Hawi and then constant winds on the rolling terrain back to town. Although there are some fast section in St. Croix, unlike Kona, St. Croix packs them all into a 56-mile bike course. In my opinion, this was the most challenging bike course I have ever raced on (including Lake Placid, Branson, Wisconsin and Kona) but it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the challenge. 

Map my ride

The St. Croix 70.3 bike course never gives you a break. There's a 1/2 mile climb in the first 8 miles of the bike course, the "Beast" gives you an average 14% grade and max 21.5% for 7/10 of a mile at mile 21 of the bike course and then the bike gets really tough. With rough roads (as you will see below - although some roads are paved in small sections just a few days before St. Croix race day), a lot of climbing, unrelenting winds on the "flatter" sections (and false flats) and technical descends, this bike course  requires you to race smart (fuel and pace well) like you would on any other bike course but with a lot of obstacles thrown in your way to manage at the same time. But, if there's one thing that will keep you smiling as your legs are burning from all the climbing, it's the beautiful scenery that you get to experience from all parts of the island. You can't help but ride this course and say out loud "wow - amazing!"

Because of the top competition at this race, I wanted to compete to the best of my ability but also to race smart, just like I did in Kona. Although some athletes feel the two can not go together (race your own race and race the competition), I believe that if you let others challenge your limits so that you minimize your risks but enhance your beliefs that you can hold that effort that you know you have trained to do, amazing things will happen. And most of all, triathlons are not a bike race. Having a super fast bike time is great if that was the only thing you were doing that day. Perhaps some athletes feel they have to make up/gain time on the bike but if you pace yourself on the bike, you will also find yourself having a great run and thus a great overall triathlon time. And since we race in a 3-sport event, it's true that triathlon racing will come down to the run for success lies in your ability to pace yourself throughout all three disciplines. And if you can stay on top of your fueling plan then the pacing strategy that you are capable of should be within your grasp and should allow you to compete with those who are of similar/faster ability. 

Miles 1-8

My goal in the first 21 miles (before the Beast) was to set myself on cruise control and to use this as a warm-up. I could only hurt myself later in the race by pushing hard here so I just enjoyed being on my bike and being able to push a little with my legs. 

My power goal was a bit higher than what I ride on flats for normalized power but I still wanted to keep my average power controlled. Knowing that I would be pushing 30-50+ watts more when climbing (especially since I stand when I climb thus more force on my pedals and the top of the stroke) I knew that if I tried to push too hard for too long my legs would fatigue too quickly...and on this bike course and in this tri, you do not want fatiguing legs if you can control them from fatiguing. 

From the transition area we ride east on hospital road and then this turns into East End Road (rt. 82). Karel and I were very familiar with the first 8 miles of this route because we had ridden it twice before race day on our warm-up rides. Our cottage at Chenay Bay Beach Resort was about 1 mile from the right turn we make on to Southgate road (from East End Road) so we would leave our place and then head straight on to Southgate to practice our loop prior to race day. Also, the end of the race goes by our cottage so it was the perfect location to stay and to train. The Buccaneer (most of run course and host hotel) was about 2 miles from our cottage (heading back to town) and about 2 miles from the transition area. 

It took a while to get comfortable riding (and driving) on the left hand side of the road but thankfully on race day the course was closed to all traffic (although they can not control everyone) and the volunteers/police were outstanding. Also, the signage on the ground was excellent - you always knew where to go and to slow. 

This first 8 mile section included several punchy climbs but thankfully Karel and I were very familiar with this course and how to use our gears (electronic shifting) properly for this section. I found myself passing a lot of athletes during this first section of the course despite not pushing very hard or getting myself out of a zone of feeling comfortable. 

We then reached Great Pond road (Rt 624) and then turned right until Lowery Hill Rd. 

Lower Hilly included a 1/2 mile climb which I enjoyed as another opportunity to stretch my legs. I did notice that coming down the climb, I was still a bit hesitant of my biking skills and the girls that I passed, quickly passed me on the downhill. Oh well, I didn't let it get to me for I can't expect my bike handling descending skills to change on race day especially if it requires me to take risks that scare me for then I stop having fun and risk serious injury. There will be another time to practice with Karel, I kept telling myself.

After descending down Lowry Hill (it wasn't steep just a few zig-zags) we made a hard left onto East End Road. We then headed back through Christianstead past the transition area and then turned left on King Street. 

My stats miles 1-8:

Speed: 19.3mph

Time: 25.00

Distance: 8.0 miles

Normalized power: 167

Average power: 144

It was nice to be back in town and to see the many spectators and volunteers supporting the athletes in the race. This section of the course is very tight so there was no "racing" going on here for me. My goal was to get through all the side streets and hot corner (seen above and turned to the left) all in one piece. I should note that there are very few paved or smooth sections of this course which make this race a bit challenging to feel comfortable on your bike. I made sure throughout the first 8 miles to stay on top of my hydration/fueling in my bottles so that I was sipping every 10 minutes or if less, as needed, and I started this early within the first 5 minutes of the bike. My goal was to finish 1 bottle before the Beast so I would have one less bottle to carry up the climb and to ensure I was meeting my energy/hydration/electrolyte needs with my INFINIT custom drink. 

Miles 9-21

After we left downtown with several right and left turns to keep us alert, we turned right on onto Rt 75 which then became Northside Road. We made a sharp, downhill right turn onto Northshore road (staying on the left) and then we followed it until we came to Rt 69/Parasol Hill....hello Beast!

This was my absolute favorite part of the course for the scenery. The views of the ocean were amazing and I was smiling the entire time. This part of the course is relatively easy compared to what comes in miles 21-56 so I made sure to not take any chances here. 

This is one thing that Karel and I both reflected on after the race in that neither one of us pushed during the race. We partly regret this for we both felt really good on the entire bike course and perhaps we could have both gone harder but with this being our first time on this course and knowing past results/times, the competition and feedback on this course, we didn't want to risk our luck of overcooking the bike, not being able to fuel properly and feeling fatigued on the run. 

I loved that in this section we had a mix of nature life with the trees that hung over us to give us a little shade and then combined that with the ocean views. The temperature went from 83-degrees (per my Garmin 500) when I started the bike to 86 degrees before I got to the Beast. However, both Karel and I felt comfortable in the first 21 miles before the beast. We both grabbed cold water at every aid station with the first one being mile 11 - I grabbed a bottle and poured/squeezed it on my back and in the vents in my Air-attack Giro helmet and then tossed the bottle for I was still working on my 1st of three sport drink bottles so I didn't have an extra cage on my bike for that water bottle. 

There was some nice tailwind in this section and a few flat sections and the roads were fairly good here. This made for a great mental state leading up to the beast. Karel said he forgot what mile the Beast was at and thought it was mile 25 so when it hit him in the face at mile 21, he laughed at himself "wait - I'm not ready yet!"

We did about 400 feet of climbing in this section of the course (about 800 feet total so far).

My biggest worry for the entire race was that unknown of the Beast so it was on my mind and I think I held back a bit too much. Although Karel and I drove this part of the course on Thurs, I just wasn't sure about making it up to the top without my body giving up. Mentally I was excited and emotionally I was concerned but physically I was ready to tackle the beast. 

My Stats miles 8-21:

Speed: 19.39 mph

Time: 37.08

Distance: 12 miles

Normalized power: 145

Average power: 120

Ok - here we go!!!

21 miles into the bike course we get to experience THE BEAST. 

A 600-foot climb in a stretch of highway 7/10 of a mile long with an average grade of 14% and a max grade of 21.5% (Although if you pick the wrong line in one section you could find yourself stuck on a 27% incline). Proper gearing is critical for this section of the course so if you plan to do this race, make sure your bike is race ready for this course. 

Did you really think we would get to ride up the Beast on smooth roads??? Wishful thinking....

We made a left hand turn up the beast and just like some other sections of this course, we were allowed to take the entire road. I found myself focusing on a smooth pedal stroke although most of the time I was out of the saddle and just focusing on keeping my legs pedaling. For if my legs stopped I was on the ground and would be forced to walk my bike up to the top. Although it may appear to be faster to walk your bike, there are two types of slow on this course - slow walking and slow riding and you would rather be slow riding (plus you get to brag afterward that you conquered the Beast on your bike). 

The signage on the road made this section possible. It was as if you had a coach there telling you "Ok - this is what you are doing right now and I know you can do this. It's only 14%!"

The road curved it's way up higher and higher with a few smooth patches of road that everyone was fighting for. Although there was some weaving back and forth on bikes, I found myself keeping to one side of the road except to pass the guys. I was not passed by any females here and passed a few at the beginning of the climb (who had passed me on the downhills in the past few miles). I just stayed focused on the road and just kept my mind in the moment and didn't think about what was coming next. 

The road bounced back and forth from 12 to 14% but neither felt harder/easier than the other. I had used all my gears up at the bottom of the climb although I was wishfully thinking that the bike gods would put another gear on my bike for my 53 cadence average felt fast at times and then felt super slow. But then again I was riding between 4.8-5.7 mph for this climb. 

After the beast, 12% doesn't look so intimidating any more. 

There were some hair pin/switch back turns throughout this course and Karel made sure to let me know exactly what line to ride. For these types of climbs (seen above) you want to be on the outside (not inside) for the inside will have the steeper grade. 

Here we go again...14% was kinda getting old by now....

Getting closer to the beast....

YIPPEE!! Mentally, I was excited that I had just completed half of this section and I told myself that I could make it to the top. 

The Beast was next and it was a very short section so the key was just to make it to the top, turn to the right and then "recover."

My stats for the Beast:

Karel's stats for the beast:

Karel beat me up the Beast by .8 mph!!! I'll get him next time :) 

After the Beast I felt relieved that I did it and the rest was a ride in the park.

Below is the turn after the Beast.

After riding 14-21.5% MPH for a few minutes, this felt like a flat road. This was the first and only time that I sat down on my saddle. I also picked up the speed to 7.2mph!

Oh, well that easy part was short-lived. 

Almost there....

We did it!!!!

(celebrating our accomplishment the day after the race at the bottom of the Beast)

The descend from the Beast was the scariest section for me because this was not something that I practice all the time. This was a twisty sections of road with a sharp left hand turn at the bottom. I was not comfortable on this section and was passed by a lot of people here. Oh well, I did the best I could and was still having fun and feeling good. This was also nice to "recover" after the downhill section.

We made a left turn at Midland Road and then a right turn on Rt. 669 and continued straight across Rt 70 intersection and then right at the end. 

This section was interesting because for a good stretch of road we go over a serious of speed bumps with no room to go on the outside. You had to slow down just enough to not risk getting a headache or your bottles falling off. The next aid station was mile 31 and I could tell that a lot of athletes had lost bottles on this course. Karel put on new cages for me and they were extra tight. On this course, you also have to consider flats and lost bottles as part of the challenge to make it through this bike course feeling like you had a great bike.

We made a left turn on to Rt 66 (Melvin Evans Hwy). Karel said his chain fell off (despite us both having chain catchers) here and it got stuck and he couldn't just pedal it back on. He said it took him a good minute to put back on. Karel is super experienced but these things happen and he made the mistake of crossing his gears for there is a steep climb to get on to the hwy and he was in the wrong gear when he changed gears. 

The Hwy is one tough stretch of road - super windy and bumps and even when you are going downhill the wind makes it incredibly hard to recover - you are still pushing down hill. The heat was a factor so I made sure to grab the next bottle of water at the aid station and keep on my bike for cooling. I finished my second bottle by 2 hours in the bike course. 

We continued on the Hwy past the Sunny Isle Shopping Center and it was great to see so many locals out on the course cheering us on. We followed Rt 70 until the intersection of Rt 62 and continued straight

After the Hwy, we road on a beautiful section of country-looking road and despite the side winds and temps on my Garmin showing 95-97 degrees in this section, I really loved this section. I found myself passing a lot of guys in this section and my legs felt really good. However, I was acknowledging that I was pacing myself well but also that I was purposely holding back because the run was no walk in the Caribbean park. 

We continued traveling eastbound on Rt 62 and then turned right on Rt 624. This section was familiar to me because this was the opposite direction of the section heading toward Lowry Hill. The last 18 miles of the course had some tough climbs (ranging from 11-15%) but Karel and I had done this loop (with our friend/veteran St. Croix athlete) David that we met at our Cottage before the race so we knew exactly what was coming which mentally was helpful. 

My stats from top of the Beast - Mile 38

Speed: 18.55 mph

Time: 50 minutes

Distance: 15.5 miles

Normalized power: 144

Average power: 122

In this section we did 500 feet of climbing. So far we have done ~1800 feet of climbing in 38 miles. 

The last part of this bike course had everything - heat, wind and lots of climbs and descends but you get to see another side of the island. We made a big loop until we turned left on Southgate Road (after passing our Cottages about 1 mile prior). 

Taken Thurs before the race.

I had my last bottle on my bike in the left rear cage and my rear right cage is my "primary" bottle that I will grab to sip as it is the easiest for me to reach (in addition to the cage on the frame of my bike). Somewhere around the country road section of the bike course my bottle popped out so I had to stop to get it. Thankfully the road was flat so it didn't roll anywhere. A marshall stopped to ask if I was ok and I thought that was nice. This was a necessary move of mine (even though I had a gel with me as backup - although I haven't taken a straight gel in well over a year as I prefer INFINIT sport drinks) and it didn't cost me anytime for I had caught back up to the guys around me that I had passed in the windy section. I moved my bottle to the frame to make sure I didn't lose it and kept my cold water bottle for cooling/sipping in my rear right cage.
Karel lost  one of his three bottles (his front aero bottle) on the course, so he grabbed a Power Bar Perform at the aid station. Racing is not about focusing on what you can control but knowing how to handle things out of your control. 

Near the end of our beautiful loop with bumpy roads, we had covered all the difficult climbs (including a few tough ones in the last 18-mile loop) and then just for fun, one more 1/2-mile climb up Lowry Hill until we descend down and make our way back into town. 

Throughout the end of the bike course (last 10 miles) I was passed a lot by girls but I knew I had ridden the race I wanted to ride, except for being a little more scared on the downhills than I wanted and holding back, perhaps a bit too much. Both Karel and I feel that we can ride this course a lot "faster" next time not because of better fitness (for we both felt great on this course) but knowing the course will be a big advantage next time around. 

My stats from mile 38-56

Speed: 18.4 mph

Time: 1:02

Distance: 15.5 miles

Normalized power: 152

Average power: 122

End temperature of the ride - 90 degrees.

We did around 1100 feet of climbing in this section for a total of ~3000 feet of climbing per my Garmin. 

In the last mile I was finishing off my last sport drink bottle + bottle of water (for 900 calories in 3 bottles + 2 bottles water only) and feeling great and excited to run. I watched the pros run by and found myself cruising to the transition area excited to be so close to finishing this race. I had counted about 6 or 8 girls ahead of me off the bike (either passing me on the run or I saw them on the run) so I was hoping I was right when I saw the bike rack in transition for I knew that to place well in my age group I would have a lot of catching up to do. But that's ok, I paced my race and I was super excited to run.

Only 13.1 miles to go......and to continue with the island theme, this would not be an easy 13.1 miles. 

Marni bike stats:
3:05 total time
18.09 mph average
Normalized power- 158
Average power - 149
Average cadence - 86
8th age group bike

Karel bike stats:

2:43 total time
20.6 mph average

16th age group

St. Croix 70.3 - bike tips

There’s no better feeling than finishing a race with a strong effort. Perhaps you invision leaving it all out on the course in the last mile or maybe you remember your last race, sprinting to the finish with your hands in the air. It’s not easy to finish a race strong, especially in an endurance race but with the right pacing strategy with a well-fueled and hydrated body, every athlete has it in him/her to experience how amazing it feels to give a full-throttle effort to the finish line.

But no athlete likes to remember the end of a race as being a horrible finish or perhaps, not having any gas left in the tank the last few miles. Feeling empty, depleted and dwelling on not being able to race strong to the finish line is not something you plan for and even with the best intentions to pace your own race, you never know what the body will do throughout an endurance race. 

It’s far too common that athletes will talk about the end of the race either with positive and motivating thoughts of being able to race smart and finishing strong or having nothing left to give and suffering well before the finish line chute. That  later memory often stays with the athlete for a while and particularly for goal-driven athletes, those athletes will likely relate that poor performance with the need to train more or harder (which is not always the immediate answer and may even do more harm than good). Sure, there are times when you are feeling horrible and giving your best effort and the outcome works out exactly as you wished, but the key to experiencing a successful race performance is an unique combination of taking a few risks but also pacing your own race.

There have been several group bikes rides that I have participated in in the past year or so that I had SO much fun in the ride - typically riding with the guys and a few super strong girls. I was pushing, my legs were burning and my heart was pumping and I was in total enjoyment with all of that suffering. But during and after these rides, I knew that this “workout” had nothing to do with my race day pacing or even my training plan in general. But sometimes you have to change up the routine to experience what works and doesn’t work to help you understand your race day efforts and group rides have little to do with how I can pace my own race on race day. But they sure are fun!

Imagine standing at the starting line at a running race and feeling trained and ready to go and then, when the gun goes off, you start out running with the lead group because you feel good at the moment and you want to be as "fast" as everyone else (and don't like being passed). Perhaps a pace that is 10 seconds, 30 seconds or even minutes faster than a pace that you trained yourself to do or even a pace that you could never even hold in training. It’s through common sense that a body that tries to push harder than it has trained to push (or to push for a specific amount of time without risking serious fatigue or bonking or injury) will not be able to finish strong, even with the strongest mind and sport nutrition/coke at aid stations.

Here lies the biggest problem with triathletes is not understanding how to pace the bike portion of a triathlon in order to set the body up for a strong run. Similar to a running race, most runners know exactly (or a range) of efforts that will allow for steady pacing and a strong finish or a slow gradually fatigue from starting out too fast or pushing too hard throughout the race. Through a smart training plan that allows for a lot of brick workouts as well as test sets to understand the best pacing on the bike to ensure a strong run off the bike (alongside proper fueling) a triathlete will be very prepared with a good range of “efforts” to race a smart in the bike portion of a race and to finish strong.

So, how do you know what this effort should be? Well, heart rate is not a very valuable tool on the bike and neither is speed. There are so many factors that can affect both and you may find yourself constantly struggling to be consistent with training and racing by using these two tools. You can still monitor the HR but the weather, sleep, stress, nutrition, effort, distance and fitness level can all affect the heart rate.

Perceived effort and watts on the bike (with a steady cadence which you can also monitor) are the two most valuable tools that I encourage athletes to use when riding on race day. A separate bike computer on your bike will also help you monitor these variables. Specific to long distance racing, the majority of athletes should not “hurt” on the bike. Certainly "hurt" is relative and can be defined differently from an experienced to inexperienced athlete. There should be a max sustainable effort that should allow you to race hard enough to put your training to the test but this effort should give you the least amount of stress possible so that you can still run strong off the bike. As for watts, this should be determined well before race day by reviewing power files (IF and TSS are two good numbers to review) and doing several “race prep” workouts (bricks) to perfect pacing and nutrition.

Before I get into the specifics of the St. Croix 70.3, 56-mile bike course in my next blog post, here are a few tips that I will share as to how I was able to race on the hardest course I have ever raced my bike on but also how you can prepare yourself for your next triathlon race.

-Cassette – I used a 11-28 cassette. Instead of a 10-speed I had an11-speed cassette. Thiis allowed for less jumps between gears compared to a 10-speed cassette. This also helped with smoother shifting. Be sure you have the right cassette for your race depending on the terrain, you can discuss this with an experienced bike mechanic or read forums from experienced athletes who have rode your course. This will be a game changer for you if you do/don’t have the right cassette. If you have ever climbed and wished you had just one more gear to shift too, that is what it is like to not have the right cassette (although when climbing the beast I would have loved a 14-speed cassette :) 

-Di2 – Electronic shifting was the best addition to my new bike (thanks Karel!) especially on a hilly course. I have shifters in my base bars in the brake levers and in the aero bars. Additionally, I can stand and shift at the same time and shift from big to small (vice versa as well) while standing. This played a huge impact on keeping a steady effort throughout the race in St. Croix and since changing gears is key to keeping a steady cadence, it is nice to be able to have electronic shifting so I can just hit a button and my gears change. Karel also put in a chain catcher on my bike so the risk of my chain falling off is less if I accidentally cross my gears when shifting. 

-Develop your own riding style – Every athlete will have his/her unique style of riding, especially on a tough course. This is specific as to how an athlete will climb. 90% of the time you will likely see me climbing out of my saddle for this is how I am able to get the smoothest pedal stroke and save my legs for the run. This does require a bit more energy from my upper body but I am much more comfortable standing than sitting. As I mentioned above, I can shift as I stand so that  is a big bonus for my riding style. Sitting in the saddle is another way to climb. Do not feel as if you have to stay aero for your entire bike ride, especially on climbing. Sit or stand and stretch those hips. If you do stand or sit a lot when you are racing, an aero helmet will not be to your advantage. 

-Bike tune up – Your bike should be tuned up and ridden before race day to test anything new or changed on your bike. Be sure your drive train is as smooth as possible and there is no friction. Karel does a complete overhaul on each of our bikes before a race (and throughout training too) which can take up to 2 hours to get our bikes race ready. He takes the bike completely apart and every part is removed and he makes sure that all the bearings and all moving parts are smooth and there is no friction. Many bike mechanics will not go to this great of detail for a bike tune-up and you may find your bike with a clean chain and a sparkling frame and that is it. Invest the money for a really good tune-up on your bike to ensure that you can take your engine on your bike and race the best race possible. A new chain and tires may be all you need depending on how regularly you take care of your bike. Karel has worked on some bikes that are rarely taken care of and although he tries to do his best replacing cables and bearing and other parts, some parts are not fixable and require new parts (more money for the athlete). Also, you want to be aware of any cracks in your frame which need to be taken care of ASAP with the manufacture of the bike. I should also mention here that a good bike fit should be an immediate decision after you purchase a bike OR if you have never had one before on the bike you are riding OR if you feel as if you are not fitted right (or sitting) right on your bike. Karel has helped so many triathletes, cyclists and MTBers in and around our area with his RETUL fit system and we consider it “free” speed for the investment of the fit. If you are put in the right position on your bike, not only will you be able to generate more power BUT you will reduce risk for injury and can train more efficiently. Fits are not just for the elite or experienced – every triathlete should invest in a bike fit from an experienced fitter especially if you are expecting your body to perform in training without injury and to improve. 

-Hydration set-up – I am a big fan of sport water bottles as the main hydration carrier on your bike, in cages that are reachable. It is important to be able to take a sip of your drink frequently to meet your fluid, electrolyte and carbohydrate needs each hour. Being able to shake up your bottle will allow for properly mixed contents (as oppose to sipping from a straw) and being able to toss a bottle at an aid station provides you with a free cage to store cold water for sipping/cooling. Don't use your favorite bottles for race day if you plan to toss a bottle. For a half IM distance, you should have no less than 3 bottles on your bike (or 1x 24-28 ounce per hoour) – allowing for 1 bottle PER hour. I encourage athletes to bring their own nutrition and think of the aid stations as a treat and not to rely 100% on the aid stations (although still use them as needed especially for water or if you loose some nutrition). It is encouraged to use your training nutrition for race day and this should be well practiced (in the same amounts) throughout your longer training sessions. Fuel as tolerated and use cold water to cool the body (heat, back, neck, etc.) as much as possible in hot races. By reducing the need to rely on solid food and prioritizing liquid nutrition it is much easier (and safer as you can keep your hands on your bars and watch the road - think of eating on the bike like texting and driving - you need to maneuver your machine as you ride and sipping a drink makes this a lot easier.) and more efficient to meet individual hydration, energy and electrolyte needs through a one-stop-shop in a bottle.
Karel and I both use Infinit nutrition for our fuel on the bike and I created a custom formula for each of us, which I do for other athletes as well. 

-Practice your skills – This is the area where athletes of all fitness levels can improve. To be a safe and strong rider you have to be comfortable riding on your respective course. The St. Croix 70.3 course never took me out of my comfort zones but I did not feel comfortable “racing” on some of the descends. In my mind I rode scared down many of the descends and twisty roads but I feel this was simply lack of experience on these types of roads. Although I do not climb in training, this is a strength of mine and I love to climb but I know I need to continue to work on my skills on the bike going downhill. I have improved my bike skills tremendously over the past few years with Karel’s help but without similar roads to practice on in training, I know that this was my biggest limiter in this race and where I lost the most time with my competitors. However, I felt like I raced my best race possible and paced my own race. I look forward to our upcoming move to SC for the opportunity to practice my skills going down hills for I know this will continue to limit me in these challenging courses (which I love). All triathletes should feel comfortable on their bike outside on the road (and around other athletes) and should have the skills for a safe and smart race (if you aren't comfortable changing gears or grabbing bottles, practice!). I can’t stress it enough but if you can, please drive or bike some of your course (ex. the start/finish or "difficult sections") ahead of time (before your race) so you are not only prepared for proper shifting, bumpy roads or potholes and tight/sharp turns but also to reduce anxiety before your race (the unknown is always stressful for athletes). 

-Wheels and tires – If you are thinking about race wheels, invest in name brand wheels which invest research and money into their wheels to ensure that you have fast AND safe wheels. Just because a wheel has a dish doesn't mean that the wheel is safe to use. Karel does a lot of research on bike gear and is always keeping up with what's new and effective (he's kinda like the Consumer Reports of biking). It’s important to consider your course and how the wheel will function on your course as well as your ability to ride with race wheels. There is a big difference between the dish size in race wheels as well as a disc wheel and this is important to consider when shopping for wheels. Karel went with no disc wheel because not only is a disc wheel heavy but it feels every hole because it is a solid wheel. A disc wheel doesn't absorb the shock of bumps that well so he went with a 90mm wheel in the rear and 70mm wheel in the front for better handling on this course. Because I am a lighter/smaller rider, I feel more wind with race wheels (and thus it is more effort to control the bike) so I have a 60mm wheel w/ tubular tires. For bad road conditions, clincher tires are at risk for pinch flats whereas tubulars are better because your flat will likely be just from a puncture which is out of your control (ex. a nail or glass compared to pinch flat which can occur from hitting a bottle or a big bump). You can also ride with a little less pressure in a tubular and there is no risk for a pinch flat. Karel gave me his race wheels for this race so he had clincher tires but he said if he does this race again he would definitely use tubulars.  If you do not have the money (or interest) in investing in race wheels (keep in mind that race wheels are more than just for show – you have to be very comfortable riding with race wheels and the faster the rider, the more benefit you have with the wheels) you can always rent wheels. But be sure you try them out (with good tires and tubes   - for rental wheels don’t always have the best tires/tubes on them so you may want to invest in new tires/tubes before the race) in your last few longer workouts to get comfortable with them (and to adjust any parts to make sure you can properly shift). 

St. Croix 70.3 - FINISHERS!

In 2012, Karel and I searched for a challenging half ironman for us to share the experience together. We chose Branson 70.3.
You see, Karel made the jump into triathlons in 2012 and he wanted a course that challenged him for his first 70.3 distance. I was on board for this course because not only would we get to travel somewhere new (and if you know me well, you know I love to race to travel and travel to race) but this course had a lot of climbing and that was exactly what I love in a bike course. 

Perhaps this seems a bit crazy to choose a course that has been ranked as one of the hardest bike courses (although, after riding both Branson 70.3 and St Croix 70.3 I may need to disagree on this) for Karel’s first half IM but we enjoy a challenge when it comes to racing. We certainly do not take for granted that 70.3 or 140.6 miles is a long way for the human body to go but we thrive off challenges, especially when it comes to swimming, biking and then running on difficult courses. 

I heard of the St. Croix 70.3 several years ago when I started into endurance triathlons and it was always on my bucket list of races to do. Before I qualified for my first IM World Championship in Kona Hawaii, this race destination was so appealing because it was on an island and was known to be tough. 

From what I knew about the course it had everything that I love in a course and things that I know would challenge me and perhaps even take me out of my comfort zone.

When Karel and I were planning our 2014 race season, we talked about the possibility of doing this race, not to try to Kona qualify but just to conquer this course and everything that comes with it – heat, wind, hills, descends, humidity, ocean swim, the “Beast”, bumpy roads, trails and grass on the run course and a small race vibe feel.

We booked our travel early in the year and all of our prep was gearing up for this race. We came to St. Croix to race among some of the best athletes around the world who come to this race for Kona slots and to conquer this challenging, yet incredibly beautiful course. Plus you can't beat this location for a vacation so why not suffer for 70.3 miles in the middle of our travels to the Virgin Islands. 

Both Karel and myself were a bit nervous for this race course. Not because of the 70.3 distance (for this was Karel’s 7^th half IM distance and this was my 9^th half IM distance) but instead because of the unknown.

The biggest unknown when it comes to challenging courses is how the body will accept all of the race course stress. Even if you are ready for the perfect race, plan to pace your perfect race or push your limits, you never know how a course will affect your body and mind. With a challenging course, there is the unknown of what the body will do in the next mile (or not do) but also you are constantly using every skill/tool that you have as an athlete to prepare for the next mile. 

The most important parts of "surviving" tough courses are hydration, calories/sport nutrition, pacing, attitude, proper clothing and practical gear/equipment. But even if you try to control all of these variables that can positively affect your race, there is still that unknown of how your body will swim, bike and the run to the finish line.

Now that we have earned our St. Croix 70.3 finisher medals and can say “been there, done that!” it is time to celebrate, thank our bodies, reflect and continue to challenge ourselves as we dream big and work hard for our goals….and explore amazing parts of this world by swimming, biking and running on exciting race courses.

Thank you for your support and for following us along - we appreciated all the good luck vibes (no flats - although we both had our share of issues throughout the bike course which I will share in my race reports). We are both incredibly happy with our performances today on this island.

Race reports to come…….

But first, here's the stats from our race today.

RESULTS

Marni Sumbal

6^th age group (30-34)

1.2 mile swim: 33:42

T1: 2:12

56 mile bike: 3:05:47 (18.09mph)

T2: 1:25

13.1 mile run: 1:41:28 (7:44 min/mile) 

Total time: 5:24:34

25^th overall female

14^th overall amateur

5^th fastest amateur run split

Karel Sumbal
11^th age group (35-39)
1.2 mile swim: 36:48
T1: 1:27
56 mile bike: 2:43 (20.6mph)
T2: 1:15
13.1 mile run: 1:34 (7:11 min/mile)
Total time: 4:56:53
45^th overall male
73^rd overall
32^nd amateur male

St. Croix 70.3 - Pre race

May 3^rd

Around 5:45am I was out of bed and started the coffee. The forecast called for a slightly higher change of rain today (from the normal 30% to 50%) so I wasn’t sure if we would stay dry for our race warm-up ride but all worked out and it didn’t rain until late morning (a light shower with the sun still shinning).

After a pre-warm-up snack of banana w/ cinnamon, nut butter and raisins/granola and glass of water we were on our bikes around 7:15am.

My legs were itching to be on my bike so I really welcomed this ride. We rode the last 18-miles of the bike course (which goes by our cottage) in the same direction of the course and it was nice to get familiar with a few turns and key sections on the road that should be avoided. As I mentioned before, the roads are super bumpy so that adds to some of the difficulty of this beautiful course. The more I can ride/see a course to recognize where I need to shift gears (again – thank goodness for Di2!), where I do not have to squeeze on my breaks on a downhill (even though I can’t see where I am going) and where I should conserve energy because of the terrain or the wind (there’s a lot of wind on this course) is really helpful for me so this ride was really welcomed.

Karel turned around for me a  few times since he rode faster than me so it was nice to have him by me (or in front of me) a few times on the bike. I don’t know if I am going to see Karel on the course because he starts before me and because of the layout of the run course  so that makes me a little sad for he always gives me a boost of energy when I see him.

After we finished our ride we biked to the Buccaneer to check out the run course since that was the only part of the course we have not seen. We rode ½ of the bike course and drove the other half and we know the first/last two miles of the run course because it is on the same road that we bike on out of transition but the 2 mile loop in the Buccaneer was the unknown for us. We did not review the entire run course because we were on our bikes but we did check out where we start our 2 mile loop and part of the loop on the golf course.

After our warm-up I went for a 10 minute run (with a 30 sec walk after the first mile) and carried my flask with me with leftover sport drink from my ride. Karel didn’t run off the bike.

After I cleaned up it was time to make a yummy filling carb-rich breakfast of pancakes!

After we ate we lounged around with our feet up for a little bit and watched some TV and then after a light meal (or snack) we headed to the athlete meeting at 1pm at the harbor. It was neat to see the transition area being set up (with only 600 or less athletes, it isn’t a big transition area) and to realize that it is almost GO time!

I always encourage athletes to attend the athlete meeting before a race to ensure that all questions are answered and there are no uncertainties for race day. To arrive to race day with less nerves, get all your questions answered before the race, review the course and all rules and focus only on the controllables – nutrition, pacing, attitude and clothing.

After the meeting we headed back to our cottage w/ a quick stop at the market for a few more jugs of water and Perrier water (to help settle our nervous tummies before a race).

We had a good lunch and then did a little more resting/emails, etc.

We are really excited for this race although there are certainly some nerves in our body. We have trained smart and plan to race smart. 

This will be our hardest 70.3 course that we are sharing together and that makes the “unknown” a bit more overwhelming when it comes to racing. This course will take us a bit longer to cover than any other course that we have completed (well – Branson 70.3 was a little less tough than this course) so postponing fatigue is the most important thing on this course. In order to do that we must stay on top of fueling/hydration and pacing. 

If you like challenging courses, this course has it all. 

Ocean swim (although clear and beautiful water to swim in!)

Heat, hills, humidity and wind and a bike course that comes with a lot of sections that require good skills and pacing.

 The run will not be easy for it will be hot and hilly w/ a few steep climbs but hey, who wants easy when it comes to challenging your limits?

We are not injured and we are healthy. We have a lot to be grateful for and we will celebrate our good health by racing for 70.3 miles on the island of St. Croix.

The tough competition is here on the island with us and we welcome the competition to push us to a higher limit.

Wishing all the athletes a strong, smart and SAFE race. See you at the finish line….and the post-race party!

Thanks again for your support and for following us along. 

Karel Bib number 232

Karel Bib number 517

www.Ironman.com -  live tracking

Www.viradio.com – radio coverage

Morning walk around our cottages

Forecast for race day - gotta love weather in the Caribbean - feels like vs. actual temperature. 

Overlooking our run course

My awesome hubby, rocking our pink Trimarni kit

This is part of our run course with the grassy field in the center. We run 2 miles out to this area and then 2 miles in the golf course by the Buccaneer. 

Every IM I buy a fun 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner for post race (and before) because it's just too much work to shampoo and condition my hair post race. :)
This has been a tradition of mine for several IM's so I decided to bring the same shampoo that I used in Kona in October 2013. Purely Awesome is the name. 

YUM! Pancakes w/ chia seeds and cinnamon, scrambled eggs and oranges for breakfast!

To-do's for the day before race day. I don't show Karel this list because it would overwhelm him but it is helpful for me so I do not feel overwhelmed. 

Transition area

Bike out (right) and run out (left)

Chillin before the athlete meeting

Looking at the swim start in the far distance from our transition area. 

Athlete meeting

Transition area

Representing from flat Jacksonville FL. We are ready to climb and descend! 

Looking forward to seeing Karel waiting for me at the finish line!

Live radio broadcast of the race

Ironman.com - live coverage and athlete tracking

St. Croix 70.3 - Day 2

May 2^nd

After a great night of sleep and waking up without an alarm at 5:45am (the sun comes up early here!) we both enjoyed a cup of coffee on our patio while watching the ocean. Funny how watching the ocean is so relaxing and calming.

It’s important to wake up the body and to keep the body from getting lazy/sluggish on race week so the timing and duration of workouts is key. The day before the race is a warm-up day whereas three days out we will still do a slightly longer brick or three workouts w/ a swim included (maybe 2 hours or 2.5 hours with no more than 30 min run off the bike). If we are racing on a flatter course, we will typically do 2-3 x 90sec – 2 min faster efforts w/ double or triple the time recovery. If we are doing a hilly course, we will typically do a few short climbs to wake up the legs. After the 1 hour ride or so we will do a short 10-15 min run w/ a few short pick ups to get a good cadence with the legs off the bike.

I typically reserve the morning two days before a race as an off or super EZ day (30-45 min of activity at most) with no pressure to do anything. I like to bottle up my energy for as long as possible and typically two days before the race I am just itching to workout and push my body. It's always a good sign to feel hungry to race. Perhaps you may be nervous but you have to trust your training and all that you did without a taper and that on race day the only pressure you have is the pressure you put on yourself to put it all that training together and pace your own race. The day before the race is our warm-up day for we never take this day off. Compression is also a daily, all-day occurrence for us the week of the race so even on an island, we are still dressed in our compression and will be wearing calf sleeves for the race. 

Karel went for a short 45 min spin and a short 10 min jog on Friday and I did nothing except write on my blog and catch up on some emails at the reception office (internet access there). I had a small snack in the morning when I woke up with my coffee and glass of water of banana + nut butter, cinnamon and granola w/ raisins and then around 9am I had breakfast of eggs mixed with veggies and rice and topped with a little cheese, French bread w/ jam and an orange. Karel had a snack before his ride as well. We never  workout without a pre workout snack.

Around 9:30am Karel and I drove to downtown to pick up our packets. It was so neat to turn on the radio to 104.9MhZ and hear the pros being interviewed. This island really supports the triathlon which is great. The roads will be closed for our race on race day which is also a huge plus (although they can't control everyone so we still have to be safe) since we have a lot of sharp/hidden turns and climbs/descends on bumpy roads. 

After we parked we walked to Kings Alley and stood in a short line (our race has around 600 athletes total including sprint and relay distances so small compared to other popular races) while waiting for our awesome swag bag.

Now this is something new– two 750-ml bottles of Captain Morgan in our race bag. For any triathletes who are Captain Morgan fans, be sure to pick a triathlon that is sponsored by an alcoholic beverage company for some great swag!

After getting our bib numbers, chip, carbo-feast/jump-up party and awards party tickets and t-shirt and some other swag, we headed over to the room w/ the t-shirts and we each picked out a vintage-looking shirt (super comfy), both on sale.

Around 10:45am we headed to the harbor for our last 1.2 mile swim before race day on Sunday. The water was not as choppy this morning as yesterday which was welcomed. It was still a bit choppy in certain sections (especially on the way out to the first turn buoy). It is really good to be able to be on the course of races before a race (safety first) as a way to build confidence before race day so if you ever get a chance to swim or bike parts (both being non weight bearing and not as damaging to the body) before a race on certain parts of the race course, I highly recommend it.  

Yesterday I choose not to wear my speedsuit so I could swim with a little drag of my two piece but today I put on my new TYR Torque Pro to wear for our swim. Karel had his Zoot swimskin.

Although my speedsuit was super tight to put on over my legs/hips, it felt SO good once I put it on. It was not restricting and felt really comfortable around my neck and arms. I choose my tinted Speedo vanquisher mirrored goggles for this race (I brought two pairs, one tinted and one not) and the water is still crystal clear.

Karel and I swam together just like yesterday starting from the first buoys of the race start. Although it was my intention to swim easy again like yesterday so Karel could continue to practice drafting off my feet w/o spotting, I kept looking at my Garmin 910xt and couldn’t believe how fast I was swimming. My speedsuit is super fast, I kept thinking to myself!! We still got some chop but with a lot more swimmers in the water, this swim got me super excited for race day to come! I had 1 scoop INFINIT in a water bottle that I sipped on before and after the swim.

I would make sure to look behind me a few times to make sure Karel was on my feet and a few times he wasn’t so I slowed down for him. These swims are great for me to get out there and just swim because I love it but I really wanted this swim to help Karel for as a non-swimmer, if he goes into the race feeling confident for the swim, I know mentally that will set him up for a better race day experience. The more good workouts you can bank in your memory for race (even on race week for tune-up workouts) the better you will feel on race day. But if you don’t feel sharp on race week, don’t worry! You can always surprise yourself on race day so just let your body work it’s magic when it counts. And like I always say, save your best performance for race day so do not waste it on a tune-up workout on race week!

I spotted much better today for the swim and we ended up swimming the course 2 minutes faster than on Thursday (thanks TYR!!!) which made Karel super happy. He was a bit tired but I knew this would give him a lot of confidence that he can swim fast. Our 31:57 min swim ended up being a PR swim for Karel without a wetsuit and in the ocean – great job babe!!

After our swim we met up with one of our Jacksonville friends and enjoyed spotting some of the pros that are at this race. We then walked to the Luncheria restaurant for a tri-club party w/ some appetizers (nachos) where we socialized and received some course tips.

Around 1:30pm we left downtown and drove the 4 miles back to our cottage for lunch. (Karel had a burrito at the Luncheria and I waited to eat until we got back to our place).

The afternoon was great – resting was on the to-do list although it also included more computer work.

Karel did a little last minute mechanical work on my bike (moving my frame water bottle cage to the front tube instead of the downtube) and we both snacked on fruit (oranges/bananas), lots of water w/ FIZZ or OMSO hydration and granola. Karel also worked on another bike from a friend of ours who just arrived.

With the jump-up/carbo feast event in downtown this evening (free for all triathletes), Karel and I opted to eat dinner in our own environment before the party and then enjoy the party with a satisfied belly.

My typical pre-race meal is pizza and Karel has pasta, two nights before an endurance race. We keep the night before a lot lighter in the belly, even though this meal does not leave us stuffed or uncomfortable. On the day before the race, our breakfast meal is our biggest meal of the day. We are planning fruit, eggs and pancakes.

I made a delicious creation of pizza bread w/ local bread, cheese, marinara sauce and topped with grilled tempeh (leftover – I made two packages all at once so I wouldn’t have to cook it again during our stay) and a salad and Karel made a pasta dish topped with cheese, deli meat and veggies and a side of lettuce topped with greek yogurt.

After dinner we drove to the Jump Up festival where there was a lot of entertainment as well as shops open late (6-10pm). Karel and I supported a local business that had some doggy gifts and the proceeds go to a animal shelter which is great. We walked around and by 8pm (although it felt much later) we headed back to our cottage.

Around 9:45pm we were out although not the best night of sleep for me (my bites were itching me!) it was still nice to wake up without an alarm to the ocean breeze and sun light at 5:45am.

Is it race day yet? One more sleep until race day and then it’s time to get this party started…or at least suffer for 5.5 hours and then party with all the athletes at the post-race BBQ and beach party/awards banquet. 

110% Play Harder gear - love this brand!! I can have a (mobile) ice bath whenever I want!

Streets of downtown - we get to bike through the downtown after our first loop and finish the run in downtown. 

Overlooking our course - northside/northshort in the far distance. This heads to the beast. 

No caption needed.

Someone is starting early....

A little cuteness at our swim start

Getting ready for our swim - thanks Gloria for my awesome DAM FAST cap! 

Too much energy

Ready for our swim! So proud of Karel and all of his progress in the pool (and now to open water in the ocean!) 

Cheers!

Campy check-in! He's doing great at his "Resort of grandparents!"

My delicious pizza bread creation!

Karel's pasta creation

Downtown Christiansted for the Jump Up festival.

Meeting the furry locals. 

Downtown activities. 

Embrace your competition on race day

In one day, all the training prep will be done for St. Croix 70.3  and in 15 days we will put months of training to the test. 

We are SO excited for our race-cation!

Here's a great recap on the race, if you are not aware of the beauty and the beast of this island. 

Course preview and race details

When it comes to racing, every athlete will have his/her own expectations for the day. Competition is likely the driving force as to why many athletes enjoy pushing their body to the limits, in hopes of placing on the podium, qualifying for a national or world event, having a PR or beating another competitor or two that has been on the radar.

For all athletes, I hope that there's enjoyment in racing, regardless of the competitive spirit. Crossing the finish line should always be the ultimate goal for you can never take for granted what the human body can do.

I encourage you to embrace a competitive mindset to help you take your fitness to the next level. As I mentioned above, I never want you to lose focus on having fun with your body but with the time, money and effort that you dedicate to training, it's important to me that you see progress with your fitness and you can show it off on race day. 

Many athletes let competition get the best of them on race day, the eve of race day, race week and even well before race day. Nerves, anxiety, fear, self-doubt.....the mind can be a wonderful asset to your moving body but many times, performance is negatively affected because of too much perceived stress. I'm sure you can think of the last time you were super duper nervous about a race and then as soon as you started, the nerves subsided and when you crossed the finish line you thought "why was I so nervous, that was so much fun!"

Tune-up races, test sets and group workouts are great ways to put a little pressure on yourself before the big race. Because you have an audience (both in person and your followers "on line") on race day, you don't only feel pressure from your own expectations but also the pressure you feel from others, that you put on yourself. 

Do you have fun doubting your own potential as an athlete as you look around on race day and instantly assume that she is fitter than you, he is faster than you, she will beat you out of the water, he will pass you on the bike, she will run you down, he will win the race? Maybe you don't do this exact type of self-talk but isn't is so much easier to say to yourself "I am going to rock this race because I have put in the work for this very special day!!"

The thoughts in your mind may play ping-pong between positive and negative and this nervous energy is totally normal and accepted. Whenever I chat with Gloria (my mental coach) before a race and talk about my pre-race worries as a competitive athlete, she always tells me that it's ok to be nervous, it means I am ready.  

I really love competition. In every triathlon, there has always been someone behind me or in front of me at some point in the race and I enjoy using another athlete (or more) to help me discover a new limit to my racing ability as well as to keep me in check so that I pace my own race.

  

It's very important that you always embrace the competition at your race and to avoid telling yourself that you are slow, out of shape or will never be that good. If you trained like you wanted to train, you are ready. If your training didn't go as plan, trust your current level of fitness and skills that you can use for the best race possible on that race day.

Remember that everyone who stands at the same start line as you, likely has similar thoughts of fear of failure, doubt, skills, fitness level or confidence. It's all a matter of how you visualize success and set your mind up for success.

Every athlete needs competition. 

If you arrived to every one of your races and knew that you would win the race every time, it's likely that you would never challenge yourself in training in order to make changes in order to become stronger, faster or more powerful. 

And don't fear being beat. It's inspiring to watch someone have a great race day and even better, her/his success can fuel your next few weeks of training!

But show up to every race and feel frustrated or upset with your current level of fitness and you will likely achieve burn-out rather quickly in your racing career. 

The key to maximizing your potential as an athlete is to always stay present in the moment when you are racing. 

Before I did IM Lake Placid in 2013, Gloria told me to not freak-out when someone in my age group would pass me. Since I was racing for a Kona slot, I was 100% dedicated to chasing the competition and not a time. She told me to acknowledge that at that moment, they were having a great moment. This doesn't mean that I was having a bad moment or that I wasn't as good as the other girl but just to focus on myself, in the present moment. Not only did this strategy work to help me qualify for Kona but I also achieved a personal best time of 10:43 on a very difficult course, after racing for 140.6 miles. 

Whereas in IM Lake Placid I embraced the competition that I was racing against in order to help me challenge myself within my upper limits of my comfort zone (stepping outside of your comfort zone, even for a short time, in an IM is not a wise strategy - pace your own race), I had a different mindset in Kona for the Ironman World Championship. 

Since I had already done the work to qualify for Kona and considering this was my third trip to the big island (thank you body!), I raced for only myself as I acknowledged that I was racing with the top endurance triathletes from all around the world. Although I knew my fitness coming off of IM Lake Placid, as well as my 12 weeks of training between both IM's, was a green light letting me know that if I raced smart I could possible achieve another best time (or performance), I went into this race without caring about the place outcome (which is unlike competing in an Ironman when you want to qualify for Kona) and instead, just stayed focused with my performance for every mile of the race. 10 hours and 37 minutes later, I cross the finish line with a PR and the most incredible feeling that I not only raced smart but really competed well with myself. 

As you gear-up for your upcoming race, embrace the competition. 

Recognize the pressure that you put on yourself and use it as you trust your abilities. You are not arrogant, you are confident. 

Trust your fitness, trust your plan, trust your nutrition and trust your mind and body. 

You have the opportunity to reach extrordinary performances in your racing season. 

Never lose sight on the things you love about race day, before, during and after. 

The pre-race jitters, the art of getting your bib number marked on your body (or pinning the number on your shirt), the flow of positive and negative thoughts throughout the race, the cheers from the spectators, the support from your fellow athletes and volunteers and of course, that feeling when you cross the finish line, feeling achieved and oh, that post-race ache that makes you walk funny (you know you love it) and sharing race stories with your competitors post race. 

I know you can race strong, so don't convince yourself otherwise. 

Regardless if you are racing this weekend or in the next few months or maybe even next year, confidence comes from within no matter who is around you. 

Because there will always be someone faster or slower than you on race day, fuel your competitive fire by those who are having a great day and be positive with your thoughts as you also have a great race day performance.