Traincation with a training partner

 

I've known Jen for several years. She lives in Jacksonville, FL and we used to live in Jacksonville. During Gulf Coast 70.3 in May, she ran passed me during with a phenomenal performance, winning our age group. After the race, I messaged Jen and asked her if she wanted to come to Greenville to train with me for a "traincation." 

Jen and Stephen are training for Challenge Roth on July 7th. Karel is preparing for his first XTRI event, Stonebrixiaman in Italy on June 29th and I am preparing for XTRI Norseman on August 3rd.

She talked to her partner Stephen and was able to plan a week away from her three boys to spend in Greenville, SC. 

Although Jen and I are both in our early 40's, we are both still experiencing improvements with our performance. It's really cool to get older and to still feel like you have more fitness to unlock. 

From Wednesday until Sunday we accomplished: 

• 4 run workouts (35.8 miles)
• 3 swims (2 pool, 1 open water, 9782 yards)
• 3 bike workouts (179 miles)
  

Over five days, we pushed each other. It wasn't a competition, it was teamwork. We motivated, supported and encouraged each other. We pushed each other to surpass limits that we never thought were possible. Neither one of us wanting to be the weak link in our workout sessions helped us find strengths that we could not have discovered on our own. 

I love swimming and biking with others but I always run alone. This was the first time in a very long time that I had a run partner. Jen showed me that I have more in me that I thought was possible with my run fitness. 

Sharing workouts with someone like-minded next to me, going through the same fatigue, purpose and soreness, had such a positive impact on my training over the past few days and I am so excited and motivated to continue with my training. We each have strengths and weaknesses and these differences brought out the best in both of us. 


WEDNESDAY

AM RUN
1:13, 8.70 miles
4 mile warm-up. 
Main set: 8 x 2 min (1-4 steady, 5-9 descend to very strong)

PM BIKE
1:45hr, 27.7 mile road bike bike
Overachievers group ride (over and down Paris Mountain)

THURSDAY 
AM Bike and Run (tri bike)

BIKE:
3:25hr Interval bike (route), 69.2 miles 
Main set #1: 5 x 8 min strong efforts w/ 2 min EZ
Main set #2: 17.5 mile Half Ironman effort 

RUN: 
29:12, 3.63 mile hilly run

PM SWIM
43:28, 3000 yards
MS: 

15 x 100 as (4 steady, 1 EZ, 3 steady, 1 EZ, 2 steady, 1 EZ, 1 steady, 1 EZ) 

FRIDAY 
AM SWIM
Masters swim group 
1:06, 4757 yards (converted from long course meters) 

SATURDAY
AM BIKE AND RUN (road bike)

BIKE
4:52hr bike, 82.8 miles
Started as a group and then Jen, Stephen and I split from the group and did our own ride. 
Karel rode 130 miles! And followed up his 7.5 hour ride with a 1 hour run (averaging 7:07 mile pace). 

RUN
1:01hr, 7.46 miles
1.5 mile warm-up

MS: 3 x 1 mile Ironman effort (turned into half IM effort) w/ 90 sec rest between

Waiting outside for Karel to get home from his all day adventure.

SUNDAY
OPEN WATER SWIM 
Lake Summitt 
33:45, 2000 yards

LONG RUN 
16.1 miles, 2:11 (packed gravel road) 

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Why we fell in love with Bend, Oregon

We just returned from a week-trip to Bend, Oregon. We followed that up with a few days in Salem to support our athletes at Oregon 70.3.

Oregon is known for an outdoorsy lifestyle and we witness this first-hand during our recent trip to Bend. As it relates to living an active lifestyle, one thing was evident – the way in which communities and streets are designed.

How many times do you commute, run an errand or go somewhere that is less than 5 miles away? How many times do you drive a few miles in order to start a workout? How often do you ride a bike, other than for exercise?

There’s a good chance that you will say that it’s not safe to ride a bike where you live or to where you need to go. In many states, the prevalence of physical activity is higher in places where there is little to no access to safe or convenient places to be active – like community parks, sidewalks or trails.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease and Control), common barriers to physical activity include lack of time, limited social support, lack of motivation, fear of injury, high cost and lack of nearby facilities. While an individual makes the ultimate decision to or not to engage in an active lifestyle, community-level barriers can make this decision even more difficult.

I can’t get over the network of neighborhood greenways for walking and biking across Bend. Everywhere we went, there was a well-maintained (and wide) bike path. The bike paths connected so that you could essentially go anywhere by bike or foot. Cars stop at every crosswalk for walkers, runners and bikers. There are even off-road paths to play on throughout neighborhoods and alongside the paved trails. Kids are riding bikes, families are on bikes and people of all ages are on bikes. It was clear that Bend encourages and promotes healthy active living. There are also countless roundabouts, which promotes lower driving speeds and traffic calming, which made for better traffic flow and safe path crossing for pedestrians.

During our time in Bend, it was so easy to live our active lifestyle. The area was safe, the people were nice, there were dogs everywhere (usually off leash and well behaved) and people loved to be outside. We biked everywhere.

While it was easy to “fit in” during our train/race-cation, it got me thinking about the phrase “work hard, play hard.”

This saying refers to having a good work-life balance and prioritizing career growth and personal enjoyment. People who embrace this lifestyle want to develop healthy habits and make time for the activities they enjoy while feeling fulfilled with their career/work. Unfortunately, far too many people work way too hard at a career but never make (or find) the time for play. Did you know that, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center, that only 48% of US workers say they use all their allotted vacation days each year?

It's not uncommon to work too much and not enjoy life. Even if you love your job, you may find that there’s too much work to do and not enough time. Relationships suffer. You don’t sleep well. You aren’t present for loved ones. You miss out on opportunities. You are constantly stressed, anxious and overwhelmed. Your mind is frequently consumed with work-related thoughts. The American work culture rewards working long hours and constructing one’s identity closely around a career. But, at what cost?

I was speaking with our Airbnb neighbor in Bend and he was telling me about a trip that he and his family were about to go on. It involved camping, biking and hiking. He was also telling me about his job as an intensive care nurse. The owner of our Airbnb was hiking with her husband in the Dolomites (Italy).

If you are interested in adopting a work hard, play hard lifestyle, you may benefit from how other successful professionals maintain a healthy work-life balance.

1) Assess how you spend your money. Did you know the many people spend more than $300 a month on eating/ordering out? That’s over $3000 a year that could be spent on other activities. A budget can help you feel more in control of your finances and make it easier to save money for important things in your life – like travel and hobbies.

2) Assess how you spend your free time. Estimate how much time you spend on meaningless activities and how much time you spend on hobbies, activities and interests that bring you joy. This can help you make smarter decisions on how you spend your free time.

3) Make a list of your interests. Use your free time intentionally to create meaningful experiences outside of work. You may consider investing in a cleaning or lawn service to help free up your “free” time for more important activities and hobbies.

4) Schedule your work time and play time. Scheduling your playtime is important. Include meetings, projects and commuting in your work calendar but also block off time for play time outside of work.

5) Learn to say no. It’s hard not to feel bad about disappointing others or turning down team members but saying no to additional tasks (especially if you are at your max mental or physical capacity) can lead to burnout, anxiety and stress. Know your priorities. Saying no is not an excuse. Provide a sound reason for reaching your bandwidth and being unable to take on anymore tasks. And yes, not interfering with your free-time is a good reason to say no.

I want to encourage you to make the most of your one and only life. My dad passed away at the age of 67 years due to cancer. He enjoyed every day of his life. He had a lot of hobbies outside of his job as an optometrist. He was also very healthy and active. Life is short. Be sure to enjoy it.

To read more about our trip:
High Cascades 100 mile MTB Race Recap
Travel to Bend

Hello from Bend, Oregon

 

Oregon has been a bucket list state that I've wanted to visit for a very long time. When we were planning our 2023, our focus was selecting different or new events. We only planned one on-road triathlon (IM 70.3 Blue Ridge for me) and the rest were all off-road events. We love triathlon and our swim, bike, run lifestyle but to keep our spark lite for structured training, it's been fun having a different focus for this year. 

Around 2020, we watched a YouTube race recap of the High Cascade 100 MTB event. This was before I started mountain biking. We fell in love with the scenery and the enormous task of riding 100 miles on a mountain bike.  Karel wanted to the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder 5-day stage race in June and our athletes decided on Oregon 70.3 in late July as a team race. The High Cascade event never left my mind. When I realized that the High Cascades 100 MTB event was a week before Oregon 70.3, we decided this was the year that we should do the event. Just adding to the list of "first time" events for 2023.

My recovery after XTRI Canadaman was slow to start but a week after the race, I was beginning to feel much more normal. I didn't try to rush the recovery but just listened to my body. 

The hardest thing after the race was Campy's health. After returning home from Canada, I noticed that Campy was not acting like himself. He's been showing signs of Cognitive dysfunction syndrome (or doggy dementia) since November. He gets stuck in corners or stares at the wall. He barks at nothing and he gets very confused and disoriented. He drinks a lot of water. He wears diapers all day (and night). However, through this all, he is still eating well (just picky and wants to be hand fed), enjoys our company and enjoys his walks outside. 

But Thurs, Friday and Saturday were not great days for Campy. It was really hard to see him so out of it. I was really struggling as I thought it was nearing the end for my furry best friend. But on Sunday, he turned a corner and was acting better. He still struggles with his dementia (and he can't hear or see well) but it wasn't as severe as it was for the past few days. On Monday and Tuesday, he was much more spunky. I was ready to cancel our trip but Campy made it clear that he was doing much better. This chapter of our life is really, really hard. I'm trying to enjoy every moment with him and leaving him is so incredibly hard. We are so thankful for Karel's mom, who is staying at our house (we flew her in from Czech) until September, for taking such great care of Campy and our four cats. I've been very stressed over Campy's health for the past few weeks as I know we will have to make some hard decisions sometime over the next year. 

A little update from our trip......

We flew Greenville - Atlanta - Portland on Wednesday. We rented a car and drove 3.5 hours to Bend. The scenery was incredible - from the lush forest to desert-like land to seeing snow-capped mountains. We made a stop at Trader Joe's to get a few groceries before arriving to our place. 

After arriving to our Airbnb in Bend (near the Athletic Club of Bend) and after unpacking, we went for a jog around town. Alongside being tired from waking up at 2:15am and traveling to the West coast, the air was dry and it was warm out. But it was still nice to move some blood, get outside and see new sights.

On Thursday, we spent some time getting caught up on work. It was nice to have a 2.5 hour layover in Atlant to work on the computer and then to have free wifi on the flight to Portland (Delta).
Around 8am, we went to the Juniper Pool for a swim workout. The pool was beautiful (25 meters). It cost $8 person to use the facility. It was so nice to swim outside. The water was the perfect temperature. After our swim, we said hi to Erig Lagestrom (Paula had just left for the locker room) after our swim and he gave us some suggestions for where to ride. We picked up some delicious breakfast options from Nancy P's after our swim. Karel built our mountain bikes and we drove 3.5 miles to park across from the Welcome Center to recon some of the course. 

We rode a little more than 4 hours and covered 40 miles and almost 4,000 feet elevation. Much of our ride was over 5500 feet. The terrain is more flowly than what we are used to and very sandy/dusty. We drank a lot. The scenery was incredible. Even though we rode until almost 5pm, it didn't feel like a long ride. We had so much fun on the trails. The course was well-marked and I also had the course file downloaded into my Garmin. 

After the ride we drove back to our Airbnb and Karel rinsed off our dusty bikes and I picked up pizza from Pacific Pizza Brew. 

This morning we went for a swim at Juniper, we worked all day on the computer and this afternoon we rode our bikes a few miles to pick up our stuff for the event at Sagebrush cycles. We weren't too tired/sore from the ride on Thursday. It's going to be a very long and hard day (likely over 10 hours for me) and while I'm nervous to do something for the first time, I'm looking forward to the event and seeing more of this beautiful area. 

A quick trip to Charleston, SC

 

We only had two full days in Charleston, SC so we brought our gravel bikes to ride in Francis Marion National Forest. I used routes from the Swamp Fox Gravel Fondo Race. 

I was looking forward to this trip for a few reasons. The first was to explore a different style of gravel riding - flat roads. The second was to enjoy different scenery for a mental boost. The third reason - which was the main reason for our trip, was to take advantage of a promotion that I purchased last year from Blue Green Vacations. For $229 I received a 3-night/4 day stay at a Blue Green Vacation Location of my choice. And for an additional 40,000 Choice Hotel Points, $25 Amex Gift card and $100 Visa Gift card, Karel and I would need to sit through a 2-hour presentation. Karel was not thrilled about having to sit through a sales pitch for Blue Green Vacations but since I'm getting into travel hacking, I felt like I could "sell" Karel on this trip by throwing in some gravel riding. Originally we were going to participate in the Swamp Fox Gravel Fondo Race but the race filled up before I had a chance to register. Since we already had the dates and hotel booked, we decided to take advantage of a short getaway. 

After a morning swim and lifting session at Furman, we packed up the car and hit the road around 12:30pm. It was an easy 3.5 hour drive to Charleston, SC. Karel did all the driving and I worked on Training Peaks in the car. Campy got to enjoy two cat-free nights at my moms house. It's been challenging for Campy as he is showing some siginficant signs of cognitive decline (doggy dementia) so he is much more anxious and confused. It was good for him to be at my moms so that he didn't have to stress about a cat approaching him while he was sleeping. After arriving to the Hampton Inn at Patriots Point, we unloaded the car, checked in to our room (BlueGreen handled the reservation) and went for a short 3 mile run to move some blood. We were both feeling tired and stiff from sitting in the car so it was nice to shake out. We ate dinner at Verde which was delicious. We both got the Greek salad - Karel had chicken and I had tofu on it. 

Prior to leaving, I received the sample pack that I purchased from TORQ nutrition. After 17 years of dialing in my fueling for long distance triathlons, it’s been a bit of a learning curve to figure out the best way to fuel and hydrate for off-road riding. With that said, I’m still prioritizing liquid calories to meet my hydration and energy needs, but also consuming more solid food, gels and chews as the demands are very different when the intensity is higher, limited refill stops, the unpredictable terrain and I don’t have to run off the bike in a gravel or MTB event. I also really enjoy trying out new products to recommend for athletes. I really liked the nutrition profile and ingredients of the Torq products and the variety of flavors. 

I was hoping that we could escape the cold in Charleston but we only had one warm day, on Friday. The weather difference could not have been more extreme - on Thursday we started the ride at 9am and it was 30 degrees. On Friday at 9am it was nearing 70 degrees. But Friday was windy!

We did the 53 mile (race) loop on Friday and it was nice to experience the flat roads. Karel's back was really bothering him (he has two discs that are slipped/bulging) so he wasn't feeling too good. It was a good 3ish hour ride. We had to quickly get back to the hotel to change before our 2pm BlueGreen Vacation presentation in downtown Charleston so I ordered lunch from the Pickled Palate. The place was super cute - I wish we could have eaten at the establishment but we had to get the order to go. Karel got the Cuban and I got the Vegan (no pickles, add provolone). It was delicious. We arrived to downtown Charlotte around 1:45pm and parked the car on a side street. The town was super cute but it was really busy. 

We survived the presentation - which was only an hour, followed by a short discussion with an individual sales rep. After we declined, we received our gifts. They weren't pushy to sell us the packages which was nice. I could see how this type of vacation rental would work for some people but it doesn't fit our style of travel (which is to travel to race). 

We walked through the market and then Karel got some ice cream from the Charleston Candy Company. He got key lime, rasberry and chocolate. I had a few bites and it was delicious (I prefer bready type stuff over ice cream, cake and cookies). 

Our good friends Kathleen and Don live in Charleston so we met up for dinner at 6pm on Thursday. I was so excited for the restaurant that Kathleen suggested. We love trying international cuisine. We ate at Malika and it was incredible. So much flavor! We started off with appetizers - Dahi Puri and Chaat Papri. 

For the entree, we each got a version of the Thali. Don, Kathleen and I had the vegetarian options and Karel got chicken and Aloo Gobi. I had Paneer Tikka Masala and Palak Paneer. It was SO good! 

On Friday we woke up around 6am and had breakfast in the hotel lobby at 7am. Karel had eggs, toast and oatmeal and I had a waffle and eggs. 

Karel never travels without his Nespresso machine. 

We planned on riding the 100 mile route but had a shorter version as plan B (~83 miles) depending on how the ride was going. It was a beautiful day - in the low 70s but super windy. The flat roads were really tough for us as there was no opportunity to coast. It was a big difference from our riding near/in the mountains. We much prefer hilly routes - although hills can be challenging to climb, at least you get to recover on the downhills. We had to include several breaks to stretch our back and hips throughout the ride. We rode pretty strong, each taking pulls. The gravel was mixed - chunky, loose and soft and there were some sections that were filled with deep holes. It was an adventure and I found myself getting frustrated by all the elements. Thankfully I was able to get out of my funk thanks to Karel giving me a bit of a pep talk. 

Karel's back bothered him but a little less than the day prior. He wasn't in the mood to run off the bike and while I was super exhausted from our almost 5 hour ride, I talked myself into a short out and back run. Surprisingly, I felt really good running! 

As for nutrition for the long ride/run on Friday, I consumed:

Pre workout:
1 waffle (360 calories) w/ syrup (100 calories), JIFF packet (110 calories), 2 butters (140 calories) = 650 calories
Scoop of eggs = 120 calories
Total = 770 calories (+ cup of coffee and water)

During the 82 mile, 4:44 ride:
1.5 L USWE pack w/ 5 scoops Never Second Berry (600 calories)
1 TORQ chew bar (120 calories)
1 TORQ gel (120 calories)
1 TORQ hydration (120 calories) in 26 ounce water
1 bottle water (26 ounce)
Total: 960 calories, 102 ounces

During 2 mile, 15:30 min run:
~TORQ hydration in a 10 ounce flask (probably consumed ~30 calories and 5 ounce water)

We enjoyed the change in riding conditions and all of the restaurants but we still love our roads, people and towns in and around Greenville, SC.

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IM Kona '18 - 6 days out

Around 7:15am, we left our condo and drove to the shops at Mauna Lani (North of the island) to start our ride. Karel had a 3-hour endurance ride on the schedule to flush his legs from yesterday's sessions. Since we hadn't yet ridden the Hawi section since arriving (we covered everything else on the Queen K), we thought it would be good to head out there early and get reacquainted with the back part of the course. As you may know, this is where the historic Kona winds are the fiercest and you can always tell from the white caps on the ocean if the winds will be blowing (no white caps = calm winds).  

As we left the parking lot, Karel needed some time to loosen out his legs so the pace was rather easy to start just to move blood. 

Although we started the ride at 8am, it was already hot. Thankfully we packed along plenty of hydration/sport drinks for our ride.

From the exit of the Mauna Lani resort (turning North on to the Queen K), it's ~6.5 miles to the first official turn on the course (not counting the "in town" section). Once you get to Waikui, you make a left on to 270. This is a fast downhill section of the course for just under 2 miles before veering right at the gas station for the 18-mile "climb" to Hawi. The elevation gain is around 835 feet (according to Karel's Garmin) and although you are climbing throughout all 18 miles, it's never steep and there are some flatter sections and rollers. However, because the course bends around the island, the wind is constantly changing. The winds can be very unpredictable and lucky for us during our ride, they were relatively calm. 

The views of the ocean make this part of the course pretty spectacular. They are even better on the way back as you get to see Mauna Kea (elevation 13,803 ft!).

As the road winds around, the terrain changes. 

What starts as a normal looking highway....

Turns into a desolate looking road. 

The views eventually become more greener as you get closer to the town of Hawi. 

As I mentioned, I wouldn't really call it a climb but more a gradual incline with a few terrain changes. 

The town of Hawi is super cute but also really small. There are a few shops and restaurants and it's worth checking out (not on bike) if you have time. There's also a beautiful lookout point at Polou Valley. 

Once again, my Ventum rode amazingly well and I felt so comfortable on the descend. It's not a true descend in that you still have to work for it at times because of the wind and there is still some climbing on the way back. 

There are a few sections where you can pick up some free speed but depending on the winds, you have to be alert and can't relax too much. 

While we rode the climb up to Hawi in a very steady effort (nothing too hard), we had fun descending. It took us 58 minutes to reach Hawi and 53 minutes to descend. We weren't doing anything spectacular for this ride as Karel just wanted to spin his legs. Thankfully, that meant I could stay on his wheel and enjoy the ride with him. 

After you veer left (gas station), the hottest part of the course, with one of the steepest climbs, occurs. The climb is about 1.2 miles and elevation gain is 226 feet (per Karel's Garmin). It's a kicker right before the right hand turn back on the Queen K for the last part of the course (~36 miles). 

We rode back to the car and I refilled my bottles with more sport nutrition before I headed back out on the Queen K to finish my ride....back home. 

Karel drove home and I rode back home to finish off my "long" ride. I ended up with 4.5 hours of riding and 83 miles. On the way back, I did 3 x 25 minutes at a strong IM effort w/ 5 min EZ between. I only did 20 minutes at the end because I was back in town and wanted to spin my legs before arriving to the condo. I felt very strong on the bike and I was really happy with how I felt - especially how my Ventum rode in the wind. It wasn't crazy gusty but it was windy. 

After refueling and getting some work done on the computer, I made my way to the pier/beach for a little dip in the ocean (not a swim, just looking for fishes and playing around). I caught a few pics of my favorite things. A chihuahua with a life vest. 

"Sandy" the local turtle. 

And beautiful Hawaiian cats. 

Oh and then my 4th favorite thing....PIZZA!!

Karel mentioned he wanted pizza tonight before we went for our ride and as my favorite food group, I couldn't deny him of a yum. I ordered out from Longboard Legends Pizza (Hawaiian for Karel and a Vegetarian and Margarita for me and his mom, as well as a salad) and walked over to get it a little before 5pm while Karel was out for his 40-minute PM shake-out run. 

Tomorrow is the official start of IM Kona race week. With the island filling with triathletes and tents getting set up all along Ali'i drive, I'm so excited for the craziness that is IM Kona week!

IM Kona '18: 8 & 7 days out

The energy is building on the island. With more and more triathletes arriving each day, you can feel the excitement building. 

Now that Karel has brushed off most of the stiffness from travel, his training called for a 90-minute ride in the AM and an intense swim workout in the PM. I did a longer (and slightly modified) version of his swim workout in the morning.

MS: 3x's
300 strong
6 x 50's fast
6 x 25's very fast
300 smooth w/ paddles and snorkel
Total swim: 4300 yards

I shared a lane with Helle Frederiksen which made it easy to step up my game during my faster efforts. A few other stars were in the pool - Lucy Charles, Joe Skipper and Sebastian Kienle. I rode my bike to and from the aquatic center (~4 minutes away) instead of driving. By the way, in case you didn't know, the Kona Aquatic Center is free for anyone to use. 

Karel's meal

Karel and I got home around the same time and we both enjoyed our post workout meal/breakfast on the patio. I had a busy day of consults so while I spent the next few hours on the phone, Karel took his mom to Mountain Thunder for a coffee tour. Karel and I have been there before (we went with my parents back in 2011) but Karel's mom loved the tour and even came back with a few souvenirs.

The town of Kailua-Kona is slowly turning into the race venue of the Ironman World Championship and it's really neat to see the town changing with all the signs and tents. The official Ironman Village (expo) doesn't open until Tuesday but Ironman is wasting no time in getting everything ready. 

Late afternoon, I went for a ~47 minute run on the first part of the bike course to the Queen K. I kept it fairly easy but it was so hot out!

While I don't think any athlete would find joy in riding on a highway, an exception is made for IM Kona. There are so many athletes out riding on the Queen K Hwy that you almost feel like you are in a race each time that you are out training. Thankfully, the shoulders are extra large here in Kona and every local knows that there are athletes training here.

After dinner, Karel was craving ice cream so we walked down to the street (from our condo) to Kope Lani. Of course, I couldn't let Karel eat ice cream alone. Karel got some kind of coffee ice cream (of course) and I enjoyed a mint chocolate ice cream. 

Although we've been getting a solid 9 hours of sleep each night since we've arrived to Kona, I am still struggling to stay up in the evening. I tried staying up until 8pm last night but I was fast asleep by 7:45pm. 

While the alarm was set for 5am, we didn't need it as we were up just before the alarm went off. We've been waking up around 5am each morning which works well as we get to bed early and can start the day early. Around 5:50am, we walked to the pier for the 2018 Ho'ala 2.4 mile practice swim. We registered a few months ago and for the second time, we were both looking forward to this fun "race". After picking up our packet that included a t-shirt, chip and swim cap, we got body marked before putting on our swim skins (ROKA Viper X). The swim officially started at 7am but we got in the water around 6:35am for a ~5-8 minute warm-up before going back to shore to take one more look at the swim course (there are only a few buoys for the practice swim so it was not an easy to sight) and then swam back out ~50 yards or so to the official "start". I treaded water for about 8 minutes and funny enough, bumped into Karel. The memories of my past 4 IM Kona's were coming back as I was treading water and I was even getting a little nervous and excited for next year when I will be racing in Kona. Thankfully, the fishes were out today so we had a lot to look at during our warm-up. Sadly, the jellyfish were out too and many athletes got stung during the swim. 

With ~600 athletes, the craziness of the mass start was exactly what I thought it would be. It didn't seem to settle down throughout the entire swim so only a few sections did I find myself with clean water. I felt like I stayed on course fairly well until about 3/4ths way in before the turn buoy where I found myself way off course with a group. Because I swam with my watch for this event (I usually never wear my watch when I swim in races), I checked my watch at the first buoy and it read 30 minutes. Ugh, I was so frustrated. I started to get really down on myself, convincing myself that I was having a horrible swim and that I will never be able to swim well in open water without a wetsuit. All because I looked at my watch. This is why I don't wear a watch when I swim! Too much judgement. All these negative thoughts were getting into my head and I really had to work hard to get them out. Even though just a practice swim, I really wanted to test myself and push myself. As I was getting closer to the finish and could see the finish line arch, I took another glance at my watch as I was swimming and it said something around 53 minutes. Ok, maybe this isn't such a bad swim after all! I never found myself swimming alone but once I got within 100 yards or so from the finish, I really picked it up and gave it everything I had. Although I had some low moments during the swim, I really pushed hard at the start, tried to settle into a good strong rhythm and then tried to pick it up at the end. I was so thrilled to see 58 minutes on the clock when I got out of the water. Never have I broke 1-hour in a non-wetsuit swim and I even swam a little faster than what I did at IMWI just a few weeks ago (with a wetsuit). This gave me a lot of confidence that my swim training is working and is translating well from pool to open water. 

I waited at the finish line for Karel and he finished in 1:04. This was one of his best non-wetsuit open water swims, even though he felt a bit tired in his shoulders throughout the swim. 

Selfie with Talbot Cox!!

After enjoying some cold water and fresh fruit at the race finish, we walked back to our condo for another meal before heading to the car with our bike/run gear and heading down the Queen K to start our bike ride. Karel wanted to ride a bit more out of town to bypass all the lights so we drove about 10 miles or so out of town before finding a gravel parking lot before the Scenic Point to park and start our ride from there. Karel had a tough brick session so my goal was to stay on his wheel for the bike and use him for inspiration for my run. I did the same workout as Karel.

Bike:
15 min warm-up
MS: 3 x 15 minutes build to very strong w/ 10 min EZ
Post set: 30 min IM effort

Run:
2 min smooth, 3 min HIM effort
2 min smooth, 3 min stronger than HIM effort
2 min smooth, 3 min even stronger than HIM effort
15 min IM effort

Because of the wind, long hills, rumble strips and cars/trucks on the hwy, I wasn't able to take pictures. I only managed to snap these two pics during our last recovery interval as Karel circled around to get me because I got dropped from his wheel on one of the downhills). 

It was windy and hot. Nothing abnormal for Kona conditions. 

After the run, we cooled off at the car before driving back to town. 

Aside from ice cream, we haven't eaten out at all since arriving to Kona. Karel was craving Poke so called it in at Umekes when we arrived home (~3pm) and walked over to the next street to pick it up so that Karel could rest and cool off in the condo.  Lucky for Karel, he got the last Poke bowl for the evening. 

IMKona '18: 10 & 9 days out

After a surprisingly great night of sleep on Tuesday, we woke up just in time for the sunrise while sitting out on the patio enjoying a pre-workout snack. We wasted no time with our first workout on the island and headed straight to "dig me beach" for a 40-minute open water swim. 

Sadly, the water was a bit more cloudy and there weren't a lot of fish. It was also rather warm. However, it still felt amazing to swim in the ocean with the sun shining down on us. 

Karel and I swam an easy 40 minutes (~20 minutes out and back). We kept it fairly easy throughout but built the effort on the way back. The focus was just to move blood after travel and to have fun in the ocean. 

Even though it's still 10 days out from the 2018 IM World Championship, the swim venue was pretty busy. It was nice to be surrounded with so many triathletes from all different parts of the world. Karel is looking forward to connecting with some of his Czech friends next week. 

As we were walking back to our condo, we spotted a turtle! 

A local walked by and told us that she has a name and it's "Sandy." So now when we see a turtle, we say hi to Sandy.

I was craving a hearty breakfast after a day filled with snacking on Tuesday (travel day) so I made us pancakes (with the help of a box of Kodiak cakes that I bought at Wal-mart), along with scrambled eggs and chopped fresh fruit (banana, papaya, pineapple). 

Karel unpacked our bikes from our Scicon bags and before getting on the bike, we walked to the farmer's market to pick up a few more produce items and then stopped at Daylight mind for fresh bread. 

It was then time to head out to the Queen K (Bike course). We first made a quick stop at Bike Works for Co2s on our way out of town and then made our way North on the Queen K for an hour out and an hour back of easy spinning just to wake-up the body again from all the travel. Although we started our ride just before noon, there were still plenty of cyclists out on the road. There are a few lights/stops for the first 6 miles or so (to the airport) and then it's non-stop riding - just you and the elements. 

It wasn't crazy windy out but it was windy enough to know that you were in Kona. It was also very warm - drinking two bottles was incredibly easy throughout the ride (INFINIT). 

This was the first time that our Ventums traveled to Kona and based on my feedback, the bike rides so well in the wind. As I mentioned in my IMWI race report (it was super windy there), the design of the bike makes it feel like you are slicing through the wind. Of course, I still need to give it the real wind test in Hawi (which I plan to do this weekend) but with the wind that we experienced and the long rolling hills, I felt very controlled, safe and comfortable on my Ventum. I could not be more happy about my decision to switch from my Trek to Ventum just a few months ago. Also, Karel really loves his Ventum. While his back pain isn't 100% gone, it's remarkably improved since switching to the Ventum. 

Here are a few more pics from our ride. 

I lava you Karel! Sorry, I have been wanting to say that :) 

I love my Ventum! This will also likely be my wheel choice for Kona '19 (possibly a deeper rear wheel).

Obligatory bike-lava picture. 

After the ride, we ate a later lunch and then spent the next few hours on the computer getting work done. Karel and I took a short walk in the evening as the sun was setting and finished off the evening by watching a few Talbot Cox videos and Super League triathlon (YouTube) on the ipad before bed. We forced ourselves to stay up as late as possible to help with the jet lag so we made it to about 8:30pm before we were both out. 

Thursday morning....9 hours of sleep! I couldn't believe that we slept until 5:20am! Our daily morning routine back in Greenville is answering emails and spending a little time on Training Peaks before our first workout of the day so we haven't changed the routine, just the view. 

Karel and I both had our typical pre-training snack (Oatmeal for Karel, waffles and yogurt for me) before driving to the Energy Lab for our run. 

With the new changes to the run course, we wanted to check out the new layout in and out of the Energy Lab. It looks like the course may have been changed because there is no longer an entrance to the Energy lab from the Queen K (heading North). The new section means more time on the Queen K and in the Energy lab and less time on Ali'i drive. 

We purposely wanted to start the run early to avoid running in the hot sun and lucky us, we were blessed with a cloudy sky around 8am. It was still warm but for Kona standards, it was not boiling hot. As always, Karel ran with his Naked Running Belt and I had my Nathan Trail Mix Plus belt. We both had two x 10 ounce flasks for the run. I used Clif Hydration in one and Carbo Rocket in the other and Karel had Clif hydration in both of his flasks. 

Karel's run workout was 80-minutes form focused, smooth running. Since I'm not racing, I could suffer a little more so I did my weekly "track" run on the course which was 6 x 1K (.62 miles) w/ 2 minute rest between. I've been doing this workout for the past few weeks and I really enjoy it. I go by feel and run as strong as I can and then review my file when I am finished to see how I did. For this run, I was able to do all 1K's around or under 6:40 min/mile. Karel and I both listened to the latest PPF podcast about conquering Kona. It was a good one and worth listening to. 

Here are a few pics from the run (I took them during my recovery intervals). 

New section in the Energy lab. 

View of the new section in the energy lab from the Queen K. 

Queen K

Back section in the Energy lab. 

After our run, a few pics and a recovery/rehydration drink, we made a quick stop at Wal-mart for a few more items before heading back to our condo. 

We came home to a condo that smelled amazing! Karel's mom made us Vanocka (similar to challah bread) while we were away and I couldn't wait to dig in and have some delicious bread with my breakfast. 

We headed back outside to the patio to refuel before getting back to work on the computer (it's not all play for us here. We still gotta pay for all of Campy's toys!)

Around 1:30pm, I gathered some energy for my swim workout only to find that the pool was closed until 3pm (after I arrived). I grabbed a quick snack and headed to the ocean instead. 

Karel and his mom headed to the beach/swim start for Karel do a casual open water swim while his mom played around in the water and I headed out for an open water workout. 

Holy waves! It was choppy out there! I managed to do a somewhat quality workout but I would have much preferred the pool. My workout was: ~700 warm-up. MS: 3x's: 100 smooth, 100 strong, 100 smooth, 200 strong. I "rested" 10-20 sec between. Rather than swimming out and then back, I used a few buoys as my "course" and swam back and forth along a ~300 yard course. I saw about 5 other people swimming but other than that, it was just me and the fish. 

47 minutes later, I finished up my workout and before getting out of the water, I saw Sandy! She was swimming and I am pretty sure she was smiling. As for the rest of the day, it was pretty low key. The days seem to go by slowly throughout the morning but with an early sunset (~6pm), it's easy to get sleepy for an early bedtime. The island is getting more busy with triathletes and I can feel the energy building as we only have a few more sleeps until race week! As a reminder, I am not racing (only Karel). But as a huge fan of the sport, I am so happy I can be here to enjoy everything on this magical island, along with all of the athletes who are racing. 

Kona '18 - Travel day

Maps not to scale make the Hawaii islands seem so close to California. So deceiving! Well let me tell you, it's not a quick hop over the Pacific ocean. Over the past 11 years (since my first IM Kona in 2007), I've traveled to the Big Island for the IM World Championship a total of 6 times. Four of those times I was an athlete ('07, '11, '13, '15) and now twice as a spectathlete ('16 and '18). While it's a long journey to get to Kona, the first step off the airplane makes it so worth it. There's nothing like seeing the island as the plane is getting closer to landing.  

Our journey to Kona started on Monday afternoon. After a see-you-later to Campy and our cats (they will be well taken care of thanks to my mom and our neighbor Joey), we packed up the car and headed to Atlanta around 3:30pm. With a 9am flight on Tuesday morning and a total of 11ish hours of flying, the thought of leaving our house at 3am on Tues was a bit exhausting and stressful. Since we were leaving our car at the Holiday Inn (Parkway Parking), I booked us a hotel room for the night. It was actually a great deal because we could get 7 nights free parking with a one-night stay at the hotel. Aside from a bit of traffic in Atlanta, the trip was very uneventful to Atlanta. We listed to a few podcasts (loved the recent interviews on Triathlon Taren with Lucy Charles and Cody Beales) to help pass the time by for 2.5 hours (well, 3 hours with traffic). We ate dinner at Moe's (our favorite "fast food" option when we travel) and then checked into the hotel around 7:30pm. It was a quick stay as we got up at 5:20am, ate some food in the hotel at 6am and boarded the complimentary airport shuttle at 6:30am. We arrived to the airport around 6:45am and by 7:30am we were at our gate. Pretty quick for the Atlanta Airport! 

We usually fly Delta but I was able to find very affordable tickets to Kona on United (likely due to the Volcano) and the seat options plus layover options were much better on United versus Delta. We also wanted only one layover to eliminate a lot of plane changes with our bikes, so that is why we decided to leave from Atlanta instead of Greenville. And because Karel's mom is going with us to Kona, I wanted to make sure that this trip was easy for us all but also affordable. 

The first flight to Denver was 3.5 hours. I packed a bagel + PB sandwich for this first flight, along with other snacks (ex. trail mix, pretzels, Amrita bars). I "upgraded" our seats for around $47 each which was well worth it to have the extra leg room (especially for Karel). To pass the time, I watched a movie and skimmed through my book (Essential Sports Nutrition) once again as I am sharing some sneak-peaks for you all on my Facebook page. 

I typically like to give us a layover of 1:45-2 hours when we fly with our bikes so we had time in Denver before heading to Kona, to get some food before our 7.5 hour flight. I found a delicious lunch option of tofu, potatoes, apples, walnuts and goat cheese along with a strawberry whey smoothie. I brought the salad on the plane for later and had the smoothie during our layover. When we travel, I try to eat small meals/snack every few hours as it's easier to acclimate to the new time zone and to help the stomach with digestion (versus eating large meals and then having long hours go by without eating). 

I was very surprised to see that our flight to Kona was nearly half empty! There were so many empty seats. This was a big shock because in the past, the flight has always been filled with people but perhaps with the Volcano, people are choosing not to travel to Kona right now. We did have plenty of triathletes on the plane which was nice to be around so many like-minded people. 

Karel had his own row and extra-leg room up in the front of the plane and his mom and I sat in the middle of the plane (I wasn't able to get us three seats together near the front so I just purchased a seat for Karel so he could stretch out). Karel's mom wrote in her journal throughout the trip and enjoyed looking out the window (we had three seats for two of us so I took the aisle and she took the window). I watched a few movies/TV shows, worked on the computer and took a few short naps (I'm not a very good napper but I tried). 

Although a long flight, it was great to touch down in Kona. The view, smell and feeling of stepping off the plane is priceless and I always look forward to that moment. Karel's mom cried when she got off the plane for she never thought she'd ever travel to an island. Thanks to triathlon, we have been able to share so many of our races with Karel's mom and it's given us an excuse to travel and see the world. 

There's something about the outside airport of Kona that says "welcome, you are on an island." 

Karel picked up the rental car (mini van) and I collected our luggage (yay - everything arrived!) and then we headed off to Wal-mart for groceries and then to the Kona Plaza - our home away from home for the next two weeks. 

Karel and I went for a ~30 min jog along Ali'i drive and it was so nice to move blood and smell the salty air along the ocean. When the sun went down, it got very dark so I used my phone as a light to keep us running safely along the road. We ran just after 6pm - it gets dark early here but the sun rises super early, which makes it easy to get the day started early and to wind down quickly at night. After a light snack, we answered a few emails (work stuff) and then went to sleep around 8:30pm. We were quick to fall asleep and surprisingly, we slept until 3am (forced ourselves to go back to sleep until 5am).

Stay tuned for more of my updates as I will try to blog each day of our daily activities/workouts on the Big Island. 

Scottsdale Arizona Train-Cation - Day 3

We came to Arizona to escape the cold of winter and well, we haven't had much warmth since we arrived on Sunday. But, as the saying goes "make the most of what you have, when you have it, where you are." We came for new scenery, a mental recharge and a change in our normal routine and despite the crummy weather, we are still making the most of our train-cation (which is coming to an end tomorrow as we head back to Gville in the evening).

We headed out for our 5-hour ride at 9:30am. The weather was perfect - not too cold, not too hot. The first 90 minutes were filled with amazing scenery. Emily showed us some of her favorite sights and we love the terrain here - a nice mix of steady gentle climbs where you can settle into a rhythm, flat roads to power with or against the wind and plenty of wide open roads with minimal car traffic. And the views - wow!

After a stop to refill our bottles around 2 hours, it was time for a 9-mile gradual descend. Just around this time, the sky gave us cold rain to ride in for the rest of our ride. It was cold, wet and cloud but we made no excuses. A train-cation is great for stepping outside of the comfort zone, practicing skills and working on mental strength by putting yourself into situations that would normally be not-ideal to train in.

Despite the bad weather, I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the morning. Outside, with like-minded individuals, on my bike and enjoying nature.

After the bike, I quickly changed out of my wet socks (my feet were so cold) and put on my running shoes for a 25 minute brick run. I debated about not doing a run but I always feel the best running off the bike so I don't like to pass up on an opportunity to run off the bike. Luckily, the ran stopped when we got back from the ride so I had a rain-free run on a packed gravel trail.

I wish I had more to share about today's ride but it was wet, cold and windy, which meant I left most of my energy out the bike and little brain power to blog this evening.

Hope you had a nice Valentine's day - don't forget to give your body a big "I love you!" for all it does for you each day.

Scottsdale, AZ Train-Cation - Day 2

Before I talk about our last workout of the day, let's start with the first workout of the day.....

Day two of our mini train-cation started with an outdoor swim.......
My happy place. My comfort zone. My favorite sport!

After my mental struggles on the bike yesterday, I was so excited to start Tuesday with a 75-minute, 4350 yard swim workout (prescribed by Tower 26). I had never done this workout before and really enjoyed it.

WU: 500
Pre set: 5 x 200's with snorkel and fins with 20 sec rest as
200 swim
150 swim, 50 kick with board (head down in water stretching arms out while holding the edge of the board)
100 swim, 100  kick
50 swim, 150 kick
200 kick

MS:
500 at 70% w/ 1 min rest
2 x 250's at 75% w/ 40 sec rest
4 x 125's at 80% w/ 30 sec rest
7 x 75's at 85% w/ 20 sec rest
25 EZ

Post set:
500 smooth with snorkel, buoy, ankle strap

12 x 25's at 95% on 40 sec interval

50 EZ

After the swim, we changed and headed to the gym for a 50-minute strength circuit focusing on full body, with a lot of hamstring/core/back work. It was intense!

After the workout, time to EAT! I may just need to do another blog on all of our delicious eats because we have been enjoying some yummy meals filled with fresh ingredients! Today we ate at Mojo Morning Joint, which was amazing after our morning workout. I had the skinny frittata and Karel had the Mojo Burrito and the Rise and Shine smoothie. Oh - and I also got a mini cinnamon roll because......I love cinnamon rolls!

After our eats, we rested for about 90 minutes (Karel took a short nap and I got caught up on emails since I am not a napper) and it was time for our 2nd workout of the day - a trail run!

There's something so therapeutic about running on trails - out in nature and free from the world. Although this trail required a lot of ankle and hip strength to run over all of the rocks (there was a bit of walking to safely navigate my way over some piles of rocks), I felt really strong running on the trails. Plus, it was a heck of a workout! Emily tackled the trails like a champ which just shows me that trail running requires a lot of time to build strong tendons and ligaments to tolerate the twisty, turner nature of running off the flat road. I can't tell you how many times I rolled my ankle on the run today but thankfully, no inflammation or sprain (or falls!).

Fun fact about the cactus...

It can take 10 years for a saguaro cactus to reach 1 inch in height. By 70 years of age, a saguaro cactus can reach 6 and a half feet tall, and will finally start to produce their first flowers. By 95-100 years in age, a saguaro cactus can reach a height of 15-16 feet, and could start to produce its first arm.

Thanks to the fun fact, every time I see a cactus here, I try to figure out how old it is. How old do you think this cactus is?

Well, day two of our mini training camp is a wrap and now it's time to eat some yummy pizza from Picazzo's (and leftovers) and fuel up for our big workout tomorrow!

Scottsdale, AZ Train-Cation - Day 1

I remember not too long ago when I was very afraid to ride my bike down a hill. I'm not talking about mountains but hills - anything that went down was scary for me. It was an uncomfortable feeling that brought me great anxiety and stress.

Overtime, my skills improved and I felt more at ease on downhills and what was once unnatural an scary, became familiar and comfortable. I soon found myself descending on mountains and switchbacks and although I don't have skills like Karel, I am no longer afraid to descend.

Descending in windy conditions, on the other hand, is way out of my comfort zone. Because we don't get a lot of wind in Greenville when we ride (we are tucked away between the mountains on our country roads), anytime I experience a gust of wind, I feel unstable, tense and scared. I have no problem admitting this because it's something that I know I need to work on. Thankfully, I have an expert cycling coach in Karel who always gives me great advice and calmly talks me through my fears. For me, wind is an enemy and I want to avoid it at all costs but since I love riding my bike, embracing the wind and working on my skills is something I need to constantly work on.

Well, today in Scottsdale, AZ, for our first official day of our "train-cation" I had 4 hours to work on my riding skills.....in the wind. Not only did I get to descend in windy conditions but we had chilly, slightly wet conditions to make things even more "interesting" for me. Talk about an epic day of camp!

After a morning pre-workout meal around 7:30am, we got our gear ready and headed out for our 4-hour ride around 9am. Emily led the ride as we made our way out to Bartlett Lake at Tonto National Forest. It was so great to be able to settle into a rhythm on the bike with little car-traffic once we got out of town. Like I do in Greenville, I felt very safe on my bike in Scottsdale where we rode. In Greenville, we stick to our hilly conditions as we have no safe "flat" routes to settle into a rhythm. If you like hills - come visit us in Greenville!

The first two hours and about 15 minutes, we made our way to Bartlett Lake. It was an endurance effort out which allowed us to enjoy the scenery. Despite some windy conditions, I felt strong and comfortable on my bike and managed to snap some pics in route to the lake. 

With the lake in our sights, we started a two-mile descend to the lake and suddenly I found myself mentally and physically uncomfortable. Karel was there with me to help me out although I don't think his tips went into my ears as I was so focused on staying up on my bike. I suppose it's the same "out of control" feeling that I use to feel when descending that I feel when I go downhill in the wind. Descending with the gusty wind was not fun for me but somehow, I made my way to the bottom - relieved to put my feet on the ground.

For the next 13 miles (1 hour), we had a specific set (provided by Matt Dixon of Purple Patch) which included some nasty efforts at different cadences - all strong efforts. It was super challenging to change the cadence on different types of terrain and after the end of the set, our legs were spent. For the rest of the ride (46 minutes), we were flying home as it was net downhill and we had the windy (mostly) at our back.

In total, 3 hours and 55 minutes, 69 miles and ~5300 feet of elevation gain.

                         

After the ride, it was time for our brick run from Emily's house. We all ran on our own around her neighborhood which included a few small inclines/declines in the road. From the first step, I felt amazing which was such a welcomed feeling. We had a specific set for the brick run which is one of my favorite runs off the bike:

3xs:
3 min form focused, 2 min strong
3 min form focused, 2 min stronger

3 min form focused, 2 min very strong

5 min 70.3 effort
5 min form focused
5 min 70.3 effort

5 min form focused

Overall - this was a quality brick filled with specificity and working on skills, nutrition, mental tricks and stretching the comfort zone. It's been a very long time (since last race season) since we have performed this type of workout so it's no surprise that we spent the rest of the day working, while feeling super exhausted and tired.

Day one is complete. Now time to get a good night of sleep before day two of our mini train-cation which includes a swim, strength and trail run workout.

A few more pics from today:

Sport nutrition that we brought with us to help fuel/hydrate our workouts.

Bartlett Lake

Climbing back from the lake.

Regroup before our ride back home. 

Settling into a rhythm. 

Ready, set, brick! 

The only day that matters is race day

Over the past few days, I have been surrounded by many inspiring Ironman athletes who are counting down the days until it is time to put all that hard work to good use (one more sleep left!). Although I am out there swimming, biking and running alongside hundreds of other athletes, my intentions with each workout are very different than the athletes who sport a blue wrist band.

As Karel sharpens up his body to race 140.6 miles on Sunday, I have been training my body to adapt to intentional training stressors. Karel has done the work for his race day and I am (still) putting in the work for my upcoming races. We each wake up with a workout on our training plan but with different mindset as to how the day will go and what we need to accomplish. Whereas I have great flexibility in my training and I don't have to read too much into my body signals, Karel, on the other hand, has to be very in-tune with his body signals so that he can perform his best on race day.

The Ironman athletes who will be racing on Sunday can now think back to all the training sessions that helped to physically and mentally prepare the body and mind for race day. The preparation is done and now the only day that really matters, is finally here. All the hard work is in the past and the only day that matters is the present moment.

I think most athletes can agree that training is fun. Although the early alarms and busy schedules can make training exhausting, preparing for a race is not as nerve-wracking as race day. Nobody is watching you, it's easy to give-in when it hurts and it's fun to push boundaries when there's no finish line to chase and you can always modify the workout/course when you want to change things up.

But not on race day.
Race day is the day that really matters. 
Race day requires you to believe in your abilities. To trust your training/preparation and to know that you can handle anything that comes your way.

Self-awareness and being in the moment will allow you to avoid and to overcome obstacles that will occur on race day.

Just like in training, race day requires a high level of motivation. You must never stop caring about your performance, from start to finish. Keep your focus on yourself and don't be disrupted by distractions, like the race pace of another athlete. There's no need to compare yourself to anyone else or say "I'm too slow" or "I'm having such a bad race." Hopefully you learned in training that you can never ever judge an outcome from a current moment situation.

Understand that your race will likely not go as planned so be prepared for the unexpected and the unfamiliar.

Race day is going to hurt and you probably won't feel great throughout the entire race. There will be high moments and there will be lots of low moments. Understand that you don't have to feel great all day to have a great race performance. Thoughts are not actions.


Stick to what worked in training and don't overthink race day pacing or nutrition. Your training prepared you for race day so please don't try anything new on race day. Go into the race with confidence by doing what worked in training.

Bring a positive attitude to your race and keep it high all day long. Your mind will wander, it will bring in negative thoughts like "you can't do this, walking would be so much easier than running, this hurts too much to continue" but you must catch and quiet these thoughts before they become so strong that you can't ignore them. Let your mind work with your body.

The work is done and it's now time to race!
Don't give up until you reach that finish line!

Staying busy in Lake Placid

Now that we are all settled in and we have made Lake Placid our home away from home until Tuesday, it's time to look back on the past 48 hours as we have been very busy! 

My train-cation started on Wednesday morning with a 1.2 mile swim in beautiful Mirror Lake. Oh do I love swimming in this lake. With an underwater cable to keep me on course, floating small buoys to break up the swim and lots to look at in the lake, I am reminded of how much I love open water swimming when I swim in this lake. After my swim, I walked back to our house (1/2 mile away) and got myself ready for my second workout of the day - a 75- minute interval run. 

Although I got a little warm during my run, it was nothing compared to the heat that I have been training in in Greenville. Plus, the dry air was so welcoming. I was running happy, despite working hard with my body.

WU: 20 minutes on the start of the IM run course
MS: 6 x 6 minutes as (#1-2 build by 2 min to strong. #3-4 2 min EZ, 4 min strong. #5-6 strong) w/ 30 sec rest in between. 

Steady effort back home

I just love this part of the IM run course (River road) as you are running by farms, which eventually turn into a flowing river and plenty of mountain views. 

The roads were semi quiet, with only a few Ironman athletes out training, so it was nice to enjoy nature while working hard during my main set. 

As I was finishing my run, Karel headed off for a 3- hour ride (joined by his friend from Czech for 1/2 of the ride) so that he could get out on the course and wake up his legs. While Karel was gone, I got some work done on the computer, while hanging out with still-exhausted Campy. 

Later in the afternoon, as Karel was resting and watching the Tour de France on the NBC Sport Gold app, I headed out for an endurance 2 hour ride. It was nice to spin my legs and to not have to focus on structure in a workout. 

So happy riding here in Lake Placid! 

I rode out to the new out and back section on the bike course and although it is a short section, it is so historic! I rode by the Olympic biathlon and bobsleeding courses - so cool! The athletes are in for a treat! 

You can see the Olympic ski jumps in the far distance. 

After my ride, I grabbed a recovery drink (Clif protein) and Campy and I walked with Karel to Mirror Lake so that Karel could swim a loop of the course. We bumped into Trimarni athletes Adam and Ariel (Adam is the host of the Intelligent Racer Podcast - check it out!) and it was nice to see the town becoming more crowded with triathletes. 

With so much fueling/refueling and snacking between workouts, I was looking forward to a refreshing dinner so I made lettuce wraps stuffed with rice, crumbled cooked tempeh and provolone cheese. Around 9pm, it was time for bed and it was a great night of sleep to conclude our first official day in Lake Placid. 

Thursday morning started with another swim at the Lake - not complaining, I love open water swimming at Mirror Lake! But this time, I was joined by Karel and we both swam together for 1 loop of the swim course (1.2 miles). We started out smooth and comfortable on the way out, swimming side by side and then after passing the two turn buoys (~25 yards apart), we picked it up - swimming from one buoy to the next as strong and then smooth. It was nice to have the big buoys on the course as we used those as our markers for when we would pick up the effort. Karel has improved his swimming so much over the years and it was nice to be able to clock 29 minutes with him by my side for a semi-comfortable 1.2 mile swim. 

Karel has been a great guide and translator for his friend Roman who is from Prague. This is Roman's first time to the US (and first time racing in the US) and Karel is enjoying speaking so much Czech (his native language) here in Placid. Although, I think his brain is a little tired because he often forgets to switch from Czech to English when he talks to me right after having a conversation with Roman. 

After the swim, we walked back to our house and I got ready for my ride. I snacked on a Clif Mojo PB bar as I started my ride as the first 20 minutes or so was very easy before settling into a rhythm down to Wilmington. I reversed the IM bike course and ended up in the town of Jay, where I started my main set of intervals. It was fun to be on the IM Lake Placid course and to reflect on my first time racing here in 2013 with Karel (our first IM together). We were living in FL and I thought the Placid hills were so hard! Although our Greenville training has strengthened our legs, the wind was a bit exhausting today on my ride - and you can never beat the wind, no matter how hard you try. At least the views were pretty! 

I didn't have much time (or energy) to take a lot of pictures so I took a lot of mental pictures as I was enjoying my time on two wheels.

MS:
6 x 8 minutes build to strong w/ 2 min EZ spin in between (In Jay, toward Keen and back)
20 min recovery/smooth
30 min strong (starting from Wilmington)

The wind was straight in my face for my first 3 intervals but I managed to stay focused and to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to do what I can do with my body. 

It's been good for me to have my own training to focus on so that Karel can spend the time that he needs to focus on himself, without me being in his way. I know there are times when he just wants to be alone so it's been nice to have our own time to do what we both need to do here in Placid.

When I returned back from my ride, I was exhausted and just crashed on the couch with my recovery partner Campy. Karel was getting ready for a 20 minute shake out run so it was nice to have a quick chat with him before he headed out for his run. 

Around 2:30pm, we walked up to the lake and met up with our small group of Trimarnis who are racing at Lake Placid (Chris, Adam and Heidi. Also Chris's fiance Michaela is racing her first IM here in Placid) and we gave them a course talk and last minute tips for race execution. Our athletes are very prepared and we are excited to cheer for them on race day.

After our talk, Karel headed over to registration to make his Ironman Lake Placid athlete status official (with a wrist band) and I walked through the expo to say hi to a few familiar faces at the HOT SHOT and Ventum booth. It was also great to see Clif Bar in the expo.

When Karel returned home, I was prepping some food for dinner (roasted potatoes with garlic, salt and olive oil) and he got ready for an EZ 1 hour spin with Roman. As you can tell, Karel has been keeping himself moving with a good amount of resting, just to make sure he doesn't get too stale for race day.

The past two days have been great and we are just loving our time in Lake Placid. The weather has been amazing but it's expected to cool off over the next few days, which should be a great thing for all the athletes who are training/racing here in Lake Placid.

Hello from Lake Placid, NY!

After over 1000 miles of driving, we finally made it to Lake Placid, NY. Although it was a looooong drive, divided into two days (7.5 hours of driving on Monday and 9 hours of driving on Tuesday), it all felt worth it when we arrived to our final destination. 

With Campy's 10th birthday approaching in September, we wanted to share this experience with him. As he gets older, we look forward to any and all opportunities to make memories together as a family. Campy is our furry child and he has a special way of keeping us stress-free, calm and appreciative of all the little things in life. Plus, he gives us non-stop unconditional love. 

It wasn't long into our road trip on Monday that we made a stop at the Flat Rock Village Bakery. Since we only end up at this bakery mid-long-ride (and jersey pockets not big enough for a mega cinnamon roll or a loaf of bread), we took advantage of this opportunity to stock up on some fresh local bread for the first leg of our trip. 

Campy was so excited for his road trip that he didn't nap for the entire day on Monday! He was so interested in all the sights and with no idea of where we were going, he was very alert throughout the entire trip. He's a great partner in the car and never complains or asks "are we there yet?"

After spending the entire day in the car, it was around 5:15pm when we finally arrived to our overnight stay, with our friends Katie and Chris Morales in Cross Junction, Virginia. 

Campy needed to stretch his paws so as Karel took a dip in the lake for a 35 min swim, Campy and I walked around the local lake. 

We then enjoyed a delish homecooked (vegetarian) meal of pasta noodles, squash, chickpeas and goat cheese. Oh so good! And a salad on the side. 

With a longer leg of our trip on Tuesday, we headed out around 6:30am after waking up without an alarm around 5:30am. Campy was exhausted from not napping on Monday so he slept throughout the entire trip. Just like on Monday, Karel and I switched off driving, a few hours at a time for each of us, while being entertained by lots of podcasts. 

We made really good time, with only one minor construction delay and arrived to Lake Placid around 4:15pm. 

I brought a lot of snacks and food in a cooler but we also made one lunch stop at Moe's for a delish meal. The views were beautiful in route to Lake Placid with the mountains views and green trees covering the hills.

After we arrived to our Airbnb, right on the run course (about 1/2 mile from the expo/lake/finish), we unpacked and Karel went for an hour shake-out run and I walked Campy to Mirror Lake. As Karel ate and relaxed, I headed out to the grocery (Hannaford Supermarket) to stock up on some refrigerated food for our stay.

We were all pretty exhausted when we arrived to Lake Placid (traveling is exhausting!) so it was early to bed, around 8:45pm when we all laid down to get a good night of sleep.

As Karel gets himself into "race mode" for his 8th Ironman, I am excited for my train-cation over the next few days as I will be doing a lot of training in prep for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship (and Lake Logan half) which is quickly approaching.

I am mindful that this trip is all about Karel so I am doing everything I can to make sure that he can get himself in the zone and I can't wait to cheer him on, as well as Trimarni athletes Heidi, Chris and Adam and nutrition athlete Christine, and all the other IM Lake Placid athletes. 

Off to Clermont, Florida for our training camp!

It's crazy to think that in 2014, we held our first ever training camp in Clermont, Florida. 

Now, 4 years later, we are heading back to Clermont for our 4th consecutive Trimarni Clermont training camp.

Every year, we try to make our camp experience better than the last. This year, our campers are in for an amazing 4.5 day training camp experience filled with education, lots of sponsor swag, challenging workouts, learning and stretching the comfort zone. And to make the camp experience even better, we will once again conclude our training camp with a USAT sanctioned Olympic distance event on the last day of camp!

For us as coaches, seeing athletes in action is extremely beneficial as it gives us an opportunity to provide immediate feedback to improve skills and execution. Repetitive feedback to our campers offers the chance to correct previously learned habits and to enforce good habits.

For our campers, training in a group environment provides a fantastic opportunity to do more with the body than what can be done solo as training with other athletes keeps the mind from giving up and forces you to not give up when tired. We believe that a camp training environment shows athletes that they are physically and mentally capable of achieving so much more than what they think they can do alone in their home environment. 

Above all, every athlete, no matter how young, old or busy, deserves the opportunity to check out of life to do something incredible with the body. Certainly, a sport is a hobby and we do this hobby because it is fun, it makes us happy and it provides great life enrichment. Good health should never be taken for granted and a training camp gives the body a unique opportunity to place intentional stress on it for several days, with other like-minded individuals. 

You can follow us along on our Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition Facebook page where we will be posting videos and pictures throughout camp.

Wednesday evening is the official start of the 2017 Trimarni Clermont Training camp so between now and then, we will be getting together the final touches for a smooth and safe camp environment, packing the swag bags, fine-tuning the workouts and getting excited to welcome our 19 campers to Clermont, Florida. 

Our email will be checked throughout camp but we will not be quick to respond as we will be chasing around our athletes all over Clermont for the rest of the week.