'24 IM 70.3 Louisville race recap

 
Source

Quick stats: 
Marni: 4:45.14, 1st overall female 
Swim: 29:07
T1: 4:15
Bike: 2:25:57
T2: 3:25
Run: 1:42.30

Karel: 4:33.27, 2nd AG (45-49)
Swim: 31:47
T1: 3:56
Bike: 2:23.20
T2: 3:14
Run: 1:31.10

Pre Race
We drove to Louisville on Thursday morning. Karel and I were able to get in a short 30 minute swim at Furman before we left around 9:30am. On the 9th, Karel started to feel sick after his morning swim. On Saturday, he went for an hour run and came back feeling awful. He tested positive for COVID shortly after. He did nothing on Sunday as he was exhausted, coughing, stuffy and low in energy. He did no exercise on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday, I started to feel run down and had to stop my bike trainer workout because I was feeling empty. I ended up with a head cold but thankfully I was able to fight the virus but I was left feeling stuffy. Thankfully, on Wednesday morning I felt a little better so I was able to get in a longish trainer ride and brick run in the morning and a short swim in the evening. Karel wanted to see how he felt so he went out for a ride on his tri bike and he felt pretty bad. A lot of that was because he hadn't exercised in four days but he was still feeling somewhat sick. With Karel feeling unwell, me feeling run down and both of us feeling really sad since it was three weeks without Campy, we weren't sure if we should go to Louisville to race. With this being a team race, we wanted to be there with/for our athletes but we weren't sure if either of us should race. Karel was undecided if he would race (he was leaning towards not racing) but I was feeling ok when I exercised, just very stuffy. We decided that we would take it one day at a time. When we arrived to our Airbnb in Louisville (1 mile from the race venue, by the run course), Karel and I did an out and back run on the course. Karel was coughing and felt horrible. We ran for 40 minutes. We got groceries at Kroger and then went to bed after dinner. On Friday, Karel was feeling a little better so he went out for a run. He ended up running 11.4 miles of the 70.3 run course and said he felt low in energy but didn't feel as bad as he did a few days prior. While he was running, I went for a swim at the Floyd YMCA (Indiana). My athlete/friend Claire suggested that I get a once-a-year free YMCA pass and reserve a lane (by calling) which worked out great for a 3000-yard workout. When I returned back to the Airbnb, Karel told me that he would train through 70.3 Louisville as he felt like he missed a lot of training due to his sickness, being in Norway and struggling with recovery after the Stone extreme triathlon. We had talked about this approach going into Louisville since he has Icon XTRI on September 6th. A little before 4pm, Karel and I rode over the Big Four Bridge and biked the Utica Pike Route (suggested by one of my nutrition athletes that lives in Prospect KY). It was somewhat quiet road by the water. The road was a bit bumpy but otherwise it was the perfect road to get into the aerobars and to spin out the legs. I rode for 80 minutes and Karel rode for 2 hours. The riding in Louisville wasn't great (not safe) so we were limited with where we were able to ride. Karel felt better toward the end of his ride. In the evening we had our team pizza party at Claire's Airbnb (which was next to our Airbnb). I purchsed pizza from The Post. The pizza was ok - not amazing but not bad. I really liked the big sizes for our group.
It was so great to be with our athletes. It was exactly what we needed. It gave us an opportunity to briefly forget about our grieving and our athletes gave us so much positive energy. 
On Saturday morning, I went for an almost 90 minute ride. I rode a little on the beginning/end of the bike course, checked out the end of the run course and then biked the run course in the park. After the ride, I went for a 17-minute run (13 minutes of feel good running off the bike and then another 1/2 mile to get me to/from the Butchertown Bakery to get Karel a croissant and pastry. As I was doing my pre race workout, Karel rode the bike course. I was a little nervous for him being out on the bike course since we heard the course was mostly on busy, narrow two lane roads and Karel said there was a lot of traffic on a Saturday morning. Karel rode 61 miles (he missed one turn because of cars on the road) and came home feeling tired. But he was happy that he was able to put together a few days of "training."  
I checked in my bike around 1pm and spent the rest of the day relaxing. I stuck to my normal pre-race foods/meals:  Bagel, waffles, eggs, milk, yogurt, pop tarts, Amy's No Chicken Noodle soup, basmati rice, pasta w/ marinara. Karel checked in his bike closer to 3pm. Karel and I prepared our bottles in the late afternoon and spent the early evening relaxing in bed. We both shut out the lights around 7:30pm to try to go to sleep. It was a somewhat restless night of sleep (typical pre-race) but it was nice knowing we had a 4:15am alarm (and not 2am like the extreme triathlons :). 

Race morning 
We woke up not feeling too excited to race. It was a strange feeling as we love racing but this past week was so exhuasting for us. We constantly felt this constant weight of sadness that we struggled to shake. Karel didn't feel nervous as he was using the race as a training day but I felt a bit of nerves because I did care about this race. This race was in my homestate and being so close to Lexington brought back a lot of memories and emotions thinking about my dad. 
Karel had his oatmeal and espresso and I had instant coffee and a cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter and maple syrup. We left our Airbnb around 5:30am, parked a few blocks away (on the street behind the big parking lot across the race expo, free street parking on Sunday) and then walked to the transition area. It made me happy to be in the transition area as I really enjoy the race day vibe and being around other athletes. Karel likes to be in and out and isn't one for small talk. I do all the talking :) We set up our transition areas and then walked the 1.2 miles to the swim start. We prefer walking when there is an option (instead of taking the bus) as it's a nice warm-up and it puts us in a better mindset when we can keep our bodies moving. When we arrived to the swim start area around 6:30am, we put on our ROKA swimskins, dropped off our morning clothes bags and then walked a little further down the paved path to the official swim start. There was one big corral for all the swim waves so we had to jump over the fence to get into the sub 30-minute swim start area near the front. I was looking forward to the swim whereas Karel was worried about the swim because of his previous sickness and feeling tight in his chest. He was going to take it very easy to start so that he wouldn't get his heart rate up too high. At 7am, the race started.

Swim
The swim was point to point with sighting buoys every 100 meters. What a nice treat compared to the 1, maybe 2 buoys that we get an extreme triathlon events. I really liked how we started the swim. Rather than jumping off a dock, we walked down a metal ramp into the water and could somewhat dive into the water at waist high. I wore clear ROKA goggles since it was a little cloudy. From the first few strokes, I could feel a bit of chop. It felt more like we were swimming upstream than downstream. After getting pased the first buoy, I was really excited about this swim. Non wetsuit and choppy - I felt like this was the perfect swim for me. Karel started a few seconds ahead of me and I passed him after the 2nd buoy. He looked good in the water which made me feel relieved that he was ok in the water. I didn't find the water quality bad but instead, I really liked this swim. It went by quickly and I used each buoy to count how far I had left as they were numbered. I made the left turn around the final red turn buoy toward the stairs to exit the water at Waterfront park. It was very choppy by the exit. I felt great getting out of the water and I had a few people tell me that I was in the top 10 of females. I saw my mom and she was cheering for me, which made me happy. Karel's mom stayed back at our Airbnb as she was worried that she would get too tired being on her feet all day. 

T1
It was a long run from the water exit, up the concrete ramp, over the stairs and into the grassy transition area. I sat down to put on my compression socks and shoes. I decided to tighten my boa on my Bont tri shoes in the transition area as I spent too much time fiddling with my shoes in Gulf Coast trying to tighten them as I was riding. I put on my Rudy project helmet (with visor on the top of the helmet as this helps it avoid fogging and easier to get on) and then grabbed my bike to start the 56 mile ride. 


Bike
I was really looking forward to this bike. I rode most of this course back in 2008 for IMKY but back then I was not a confidence (or strong) cyclist so the rolling hills felt like mountains to me back then. In addition to Karel's feedback from his ride on the course, I watched a Youtube video of the course (car driving the course), looked at maps and studied the mile markers and Karel's file from his ride to understand every mile/corner of the course. This really helped so that when I got on the bike, I felt like I was riding on a course that was familiar to me - even though I had not ridden the course since 2008. 
For nutrition I had 3 bottles on my bike, each with 70g INFINIT Fructose. I started with fruit punch in my first bottle and then had two bottles of grape flavor. I had a never second gel and Power bar gummies in my bento box on my frame in case I dropped a bottle but I didn't need to use them. I went through two full bottles and around 1/2 of the 3rd bottle. I felt great energy wise. I passed a few ladies in the first few miles and nearing the first climb (I think) was leading the women's race.
The first 10.5 miles were fast! I averaged 24.5 mph. We then hit our first longish climb and this started rollers for the next 10 miles. We made a right turn to start the "loop." I broke this loop into 4 sections. The first section was 4.75 miles and it was net uphill. My legs started to open up at this point. I didn't feel like I could push on the first climb but in this section, I started to feel so much better. I didn't try to ask my body to do more than it could do earlier on but rather, just rode within my abilities and listened to my body. The next section was 3.56 miles and although there was some climbing, it was a faster section. After the turn in La Grange, we had another 3.8 miles. This was another fast section. The last section was 3.95 miles and this finished the loop. I loved the rolling hills and it was a little cooler to start but warmed up nicely. Perfect riding temperature. I found myself around the same guys and made sure to stay draft legal behind them. It was hard at times because of the cat and mouse nature of this course that I would have to surge to pass on the uphills and then I was passed on the downhills. There was a official around my group throughout the entire bike ride (the motorcycle would ride past us, stop and then go again and pass us throughout the entire bike). Karel passed me as we were finishing the loop and I was able to keep him in my sights for most of the rest of the bike. I was really happy that he was riding well on the bike. He was tired from his sickness and training going into this race but also happy that he was ok enough to participate in the race. Karel and I love riding our bikes in new areas so we thought of this race as an opportunity to enjoy riding on different roads. Overall the traffic wasn't bad and the volunteers and police did a great job controlling traffic as my group was rolling through. I think the traffic picked up as the race went on. I do worry about the safety of this bike course because a good 13 miles of the course is on a two lane busy road which means there are cyclists in both directions which means cars are backed up for 3+ hours. The bike felt effortless for me. I was really happy that my legs showed up for this bike. I didn't feel good at Norseman two weeks ago and I reminded myself that I had a really great race at Chatty 70.3 in 2021, just two weeks after IM St. George. I finished the bike as the lead female. 

T2 
The dismount/mount to the bike was on the street and then we had a loooooong run on the grass into T2. My legs felt pretty good but I always worry about myself for the run. I never what type of "runner" will show up when I start the run. I did a flying dismount so I could run in my socks (thankfully the grass was dry). I put on my Saucony run shoes, slipped on my Naked Running band and put my two flasks into my running belt. I had 1 scoops Never Second C30 berry in each ten ounce flask (which is what I use for all of my runs). As I was entering the transition area, my mom told me I had a 7.5 min lead. I wasn't sure if this was accurate as sometimes the timing mats are off or because of the self seeded start, athletes further back don't trigger the timing mats until much later because they started later (but couldn't technically be ahead. That happened to me at Blue Ridge 70.3 a few years ago when I crossed the line first but came in 2nd by 0.2 seconds). 
I grabbed a grocery bag that had my ROKA sunglasses, visor, watch and Campy's collar in it. I put on those items as I was running out of transition. I ended up holding my watch in my right hand for several miles as I like to hold something when I run until I feel like I have my rhythm. 

Run 
I did some quick math as I was running and I felt like I could run low 1:40's for the half. I thought about the other ladies behind me and that meant someone would have to run at least 1:32 to beat me. Which is totally doable. I decided I wouldn't worry about who was behind me until I got to mile 7-8 because at that point, I figured if someone was going to pass me, it would come around that time. I was not feeling super confident in my run as I still had a 140.6 mile event in them from Norseman two weeks prior. Also with being sick and just emotionally drained, I didn't have a lot of self-belief in my run. Plus, it's been really hard to push myself in all three sports because when I am sad, I don't want to hurt myself anymore and running hard hurts. 

I really enjoyed this run course. This first 3 miles were flat and gently rolling. Then we went into Cherokee park. I had the best run guide with me - her name was Yvonne and she was awesome. She made sure no one got into my way and every mile she would get on her radio and tell the race staff that "the lead female is at mile....." She even offered to get me ice at one aid station but I didn't accept it as I didn't want to take "outside assistance." The park was beautiful and I was really looking forward to the hills. These were proper rolling hills. There were two short hills to start and then 3 longer hills of several minutes. The downhills were fun. The volunteers were incredible at the aid stations and I got a lot of cheers as the lead female. I grabbed ice at the aid stations as I was feeling a bit warm and I finished my two flasks by mile 10. I then sipped on coke and a few sips water for the rest of the run. There was one short section of gravel (which I loved) because of road construction early on in the run. 
I hit a low point around mile 9-10.5 in the run but was able to find my rhythm again. I had one guy pass me and tell me that there was no girls close behind me which comforted me in a way but also had me feeling nervous if someone who sneak up. I only had one effort in me and I just focused on running with good form - steady and fluid. The last mile was long and challenging as it was net uphill (after a quick turnaround) but I had mentally prepared myself for it. Karel said he felt good on the run but his paces were much slower than he is used to. He was happy he was able to finish the race. 
As I was nearing the finish, I couldn't believe what was able to happen. I was about about to cross the finish line as the overall female winner. At 42 years old, I feel stronger, fitter and healthier than ever before but I know these overall wins will be more and more difficult to achieve as the years go on. In the last mile, I took Campy's collar out of my race belt and I gave it a kiss. I held it tightly in my hand so that he could be with me to the finish line. When I crossed the finish line and held up the tape, I was filled with emotions with all that had been going on over the past few weeks. Campy passing away, racing Norseman XTRI, Karel getting very sick and just having an all around rough week going into this event. 

Karel was able to give me my medal at the finish and it felt really good to give him a hug. He placed 2nd age group (45-49). After we chatted with my mom, we walked on the run course back toward our Airbnb to cheer on our athletes. We were so proud of our athletes. This race will never be forgotten. 

Pics from Clare Grant/Courier Journal.

As I mentioned on social media....

"Life has been really really hard lately. Grieving is emotionally and physically exhausting. Over the past three weeks, we have been drowning in sadness. We feel lonely, lost and empty. But triathlon is saving us. It’s giving us purpose, structure and the opportunity to connect with our community.
It’s been two weeks since I completed XTRI Norseman in Norway, which required so much of my mental and physical energy. Karel got very sick when we returned home. We have been struggling with the absence of Campy. Returning to my home state of KY brought on so many emotions. It made me really miss my dad, who passed away from cancer in 2014.

Racing provided us with a needed distraction and a temporary break from our emotions. We went into this race with no expectations other than to find joy in the experience. To be honest, just finishing was our biggest goal.

Before the race, I kissed Campy’s collar and tucked it inside my running belt. Knowing that Campy’s collar was in T2 gave me purpose. I need to get to the run so I can be with him. And I needed to get to mile 12 of the run so that I could hold his collar and bring him with me to the finish line.
Perhaps I got lucky in Kentucky or it was meant to be. The race felt effortless. I was being carried to the finish line by Campy and my dad.

I took the lead in the women’s race early on in the bike and managed to cross the finish line as the first overall female. I couldn’t believe it. My mom was cheering me on and Karel was there waiting for me at the finish line (he placed 2nd in his age group). It was another tearful race finish. And it was extra special sharing the experience with so many of our athletes and team members.

Losing someone you love can change your world. Loss of a loved one can affect how you feel, how you act and how you think. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. We all have unique ways of expressing emotions.

Unlike sport, loss is a process, not an event. We will never forget Campy and it will take time to learn how to live without him."

Thank you for the support. 💓

Great Clermont Olympic Triathlon - race recap

With a job title of "triathlon coach", Karel and I have the big responsibility of help our team of athletes, physically prepare for races while keeping them in good health. 

Coaching is much more than writing workouts as it requires understanding the athlete as an individual and stepping inside the athlete's life to provide the most appropriate training plan for consistent athletic development. 

Karel and I take our coaching job very seriously and part of our job is putting on training camps. We absolutely love the camp experience as a way to interact with athletes in a group training environment. 

Seeing that Karel and I are not only coaches but we are also athletes, it's important to stress that we understand exactly what our athletes feel and experience with training and we are very aware of the fact that training for triathlons, in a busy life, is not easy.

But, on race day, we are reminded of the why in our triathlon hobby. Race day is what we all live for as we can put all that hard work to good use and share the suffering with teammates. The energy, nerves and excitement is alive on race day and only on race day do you truly feel like a real athlete. 

I can't fully express it in words but I can tell you that racing with our athletes is one of the coolest and most rewarding parts of our job as coaches. Being on the same course as our athletes, experiencing the same conditions and going through the same highs and lows, nerves and uncertainties is what racing is all about. 

The Great Clermont Olympic triathlon holds a special place in my heart as it was the very first triathlon venue that Karel watched me race in, back in 2006 after a few months of dating. Now, 11 years later, after racing this event at least a half dozen times, I did something that I never thought I would do with my body - win the race as overall female. 

This race win is dedicated to all my Trimarni athletes and campers as they are the reason why I love this sport so much and why I continue to push my body in training and on race day. For Karel, the sport of triathlon has given him a new outlet to be competitive and to explore his physical limits and we both love sharing our race experiences with our athletes.

For your reading entertainment, here's the recap of the race.  

RACE DETAILS: 

Marni: 

Swim: 23:34

T1: 2:11

Bike: 1:07.48 (21.9 mph)

T2: 1:28

Run: 46:38

Total: 2:21.37

First overall female

Karel: 

Swim: 23:11 (Karel finally beat me in the swim!)

T1: 1:53

Bike: 1:03.15

T2: 1:29 (I beat Karel in T2!)

Run: 38:30

Total: 2:08.16

PRE RACE:

Nutrition: 

1/2 cup oatmeal + syrup + peanut butter + dates 

Hardboiled egg

8 ounce coffee w/ milk

8 ounce water

Transition area: 8 ounce water with Clif hydration (1 scoop)

Karel and I woke up at 4:45am and after eating our pre-race meals (Karel had a croissant w/ jam and INFINIT Mud in his second cup of coffee), we headed down to the transition area (via bike) which just a few minutes down the road. I left before Karel at 6am to set up my transition area.

After body marking and setting up my transition, I saw all my Trimarni campers start to roll in. They all looked SO good in their new kits. Karel and I sported our new kits as well, but Karel surprised me with our own brightly colored custom Canari kits (Pink and Green).

After 3 days and 8 workouts at camp, they were all excited to race but a bit nervous as to how the morning would turn out. We assured them that this race was all about dusting off the rust as the first race of the season and taking smart risks and applying the information learned at camp.

I spent a good 20 minutes getting myself warmed up on dry land before putting on my wetsuit. Karel spent at least 30 minutes jogging around to get his blood flowing.

After putting on our wetsuits, we made our way down to the water to get into the chilly lake for a warm-up (it was around 68 degrees). After warming up, adjusting the wetsuit and goggles and getting myself comfortable in the open water, I exited the water to line up with the first wave of women to start at 7:30am.

Not knowing what to expect as this was my first triathlon race since August, my focus was to just stay present and to go through the motions of racing so that I could shake out my nerves and get myself more comfortable in the race environment for my upcoming more important races. 

I have to say that it was a great feeling to be surrounded by so many of my athletes/campers and also to see so many familiar faces out on the course. My most favorite part about racing is being around the other athletes as I have made so many friendships thanks to the sport of triathlon. 

Swim: 

Goggles: TYR Pink 2.0 special ops 

Wetsuit: Xterra Vengeance
Gadget - Garmin 920

The water was dark and a little choppy. The course was a large counter clockwise rectangle and with the sun slowly rising, we didn't have to worry about swimming into the sun. There were plenty of buoys to keep us on course but I found myself zig zagging a few times due to the chop. My athlete Stephanie is an excellent swimmer so we both found ourselves swimming next to each other (and sometimes hitting each other - let's say love taps) for almost all of the swim. There was one lady swimming right in front of us for the entire swim and I couldn't get myself to catch her or stay on her feet. To be honest, I didn't feel too good in the water. I didn't feel speedy or slow, just so-so. I guess I needed this swim to just go through the motions. Regardless of how I felt, Karel beat me out of the water! He has been working really hard with his swimming and we swim a lot together so I am glad to see that he is feeling more confident and comfortable in the open water. I guess I need to really step up my swimming game!

I exited the water in 2nd (women were first wave at 7:30am) and just in front of Stephanie. I had the wetsuit stripper help me take off my wetsuit and I ran into the transition area. 

I did a quick transition and ran with my bike to the mount line and then started up the hill to star the bike portion. I was actually most excited for the bike portion of the race as 1) I have improved my power and skills a lot on the bike 2) My bike is much more "aero" thanks to Kare, so I wanted to test it out for the first time 3) I love riding my bike. 

Bike: 

Bike: Trek Speed Concept 7 series custom (pink rocket) w/ Shimano ultegra Di2 shifting 

Wheels: Alto cycling. Front: cc56. Rear: cc86 

Helmet: Lazer Wasp Air w/ shield

Fuel: Infinit Trimarni base blend (220 calories) 

Socks: Swiftwick 

Shoes: Bontager XKL hilo

As I started the bike, I yelled behind to Stephanie "Great swim!" and I was off. It was only about a mile down the road that I caught the first place female and I found myself riding behind the police car, who was leading the race. I received no draft from the police car as he was way in front of me but it was a really neat feeling to have that escort for the entire bike.

Since I know this course really well, I had a lot of confidence on the course. I knew every turn, hill and descend, which made it much easier to execute on this course. My race strategy was to go hard on the bike and see what happens to my legs on the run. Karel wanted me to ride hard and he believed that I could still run well off the bike, even after a very hard effort for 40K.

For the entire bike, I pushed hard. My quads were burning and my glutes were working but I felt strong. Since Greenville gives us such challenging riding, Clermont is such a different riding terrain for me and I really wanted to take advantage of the gentle rollers and smooth pavement.

The highlight of the bike course was seeing Karel after I made the first turn around. Whereas I usually get a smile out of Karel, he actually lifted his head up and gave me a loud yell. I am not sure what he said but I could tell that he was so proud of me to be in the lead, behind the police car. Let's just say that marrying a cat 1 cyclist meant that one day I would be a strong cyclist. Well, that day has finally come and I owe it all to Karel. 

I saw my competition, which included my friend and superstar athlete Elyse, as well as several of my Trimarni athletes/campers, which gave me a lot of energy.

I gave myself one littler breather to loosen up my legs after the 2nd turn around but besides that, I pushed hard for the entire ride and wowzer, did it hurt!

I made sure to stay fueled and hydrated since I was going into this race after 4 days of leading our training camp (8 workouts) so I sipped on my 220 calorie bottle of INFINIT throughout the race - always making sure to take several gulps when I drank. I now have my bottle cage between my aero bars as Karel recently moved it from my frame (to be more "aero") and I have to say, I really like it as I find myself drinking more often and it's very easy to grab.

I stayed in the lead of the race until about 1/2 mile before T2, when I was passed by the first place male.

Throughout the entire bike, I found myself thinking "I won't be able to run after this.....stay present, don't think about the run!" I was thinking this over and over and I tried to stay as present as possible on the bike. When the time came to get off the bike, my legs didn't feel too wobbly, which was surprising! 

Run: 

Shoes: New Balance Zante

Hat: Boco gear performance trucker
Sunglasses: Oakley women radar lock with vents

Hydration belt: Nathan mercury 2

Fuel: water and Clif hydration cran razz  

I tried to get as much of a lead on the bike as I could, along with any extra "free speed" in transition, as I worried about any fast runners behind me. While I would love to call myself a fast runner, I feel my strength is in endurance racing and as a resilient athlete, I feel I am great at not slowing down.
I put on my running shoes and fuel belt and jogged out of transition while putting on my race belt. I had my sunglasses sitting on my trucker hat so I was able to grab the hat (with sunglasses on it) and put on my hat and then sunglasses as I began to run.

The first mile of the run felt ok but certainly not great. The best part was having an amazing female lead escort on the bike, leading me on the course. Not only was she super supportive to me, cheering me on but she was encouraging everyone around to give me a cheer. She really made the run a lot more exciting for me. It felt a big windy in my face heading out to the first turn around, around 1.5 miles on the trail. Around mile 1, I hit a very low spot and I felt extremely uncomfortable running. I was having trouble breathing with a pain in my ribs, my heart rate monitor was uncomfortable and I just felt blah. I kept trying to focus on good form and to help me out, I would count "1, 2, 3, 4" with every foot strike to find a good rhythm. Oddly enough, all my pains went away when I hit the turn around and I suddenly felt good again! I saw Elyse and she gave me a huge smile and I cheered her on. The first place male was way ahead and when I saw Karel, as the 2nd male, he gave me a cheer and told me to stay steady as I had a big lead.
To be honest, it sure didn't feel like a big lead as I felt like Elyse was coming for me so for the next few miles, I didn't look back as I just stayed focused on what I needed to do to keep my lead for however long that I could. 

It was so great to get back to the crowds at the race venue and to see my athletes on the course. With another 3.5 miles to go, I started to find my rhythm. Like I said earlier, I didn't feel fast and didn't expect this to be a "fast" run but I really wanted to see how my legs would perform after such a hard bike. Although I wore my Garmin throughout the race, I never once looked at it on the run. I had it autolap each mile so that I could review it after the race (I used multisport function for the race).

Although I never felt tired during the run, I experienced a few moments where I felt like I was running low on energy. Thank goodness that I had my fuel belt as I needed that extra energy between the aid stations. I didn't grab anything from the aid stations but instead, grabbed my sport drink flask or water flask as needed throughout the race. I also used my water to cool myself as I found myself getting a little warm near the middle of the run.

After the final turn around, which seemed to take forever to get to after seeing mile 4, I saw Karel and he said "damage control." Not sure what he meant by that at the time but when he passed me again, he just told me to enjoy the rest of the race. Karel passed me around mile 5 and he was quickly out of my sight. It was great to see him so much on the course and to have him pass me, which never happens.

The last mile was pretty special as my bike escort was cheering me on and I was getting some high fives from the spectators. With so many familiar faces on and off the course, this really felt like a home town race for me. It was really special to cross the line as the first overall female and to make the moment even more special, I was the next finisher behind Karel. 

My run splits were super consistent and once I found my rhythm around mile 4, I felt like I could have kept going - not any faster but certainly further. I went 100% by feel. A big confident boost for Haines City 70.3 in a few weeks. 

Karel, on the other hand, didn't even wear a watch on the run as he always goes by feel and decided to just forgo the watch in this race. 

My run splits:

7:29

7:35

7:34

7:34

7:37

7:21

7:02 (for the last .2)

After Karel and I chatted about the race and I did an interview with a camera guy, we headed back out on the course to cheer for the rest of our Trimarni athletes. 

It was really great to see our athletes finish and then immediately head back out to cheer for their teammates. 

After all of our athletes finished, we took a team picture with all of our campers/athletes and then it was time for awards. All of our athletes stayed for awards to cheer on everyone. 

Not only did we have several of our campers on the podium, but Trimarni placed first in the division 1 USAT Florida Region North Club Championship! We had 21 athletes race and all of our campers started and finished the race! What a great group of inspiring athletes who did something amazingly incredible with the human body! 

What a GREAT group of athletes!

Thanks for reading! 

We hope that our campers inspired you to not be afraid to stretch your comfort zone. You never know what you are capable of doing, unless you try. 

Thank you to our 2017 Trimarni sponsors!

-Run In
-New Wave Swim Buoy
-Mg12
-Clif
-Cheribundi
-Veronica's Health Crunch
-Infinit
-Levelen
-Hot Shot
-Boco Gear
-Canari

-Xterra
-Alto cycling
-Swamp Rabbit Inn and Lodge
-Salem Anesthesia

Lake James 50 - race recap

Although the Lake James 50 race was not a key race for me and Karel, we gave it our best effort as that is what race day is all about.
No training session will ever prepare you for all the emotions that you feel on (and before) race day when you want/expect your body to perform and no workout will take you through all the motions of racing as race day is dynamic and you are constantly trying to be proactive to set yourself up for a better next mile, all while trying to delay fatigue.

As I mentioned in my last blog, this venue was absolutely beautiful. The challenging bike and run course allowed us to race and to not be tied to any metrics to control or time goals to achieve.

Rather than writing about the race, I thought I would document this special double win occasion with a video. And rather than just me giving all the play-by-play details, Karel joined me for a special video blog recap from the Lake James 50.

A few extra details that we left out of our recap:

PRE RACE NUTRITION: 
Night before the race (in our hotel room - Comfort Inn, around 7pm)
Marni: Rice + veggie burger + fruit
Karel: Rice + veggie burger, a little chicken + bread (and butter)

Race morning (in our hotel room, around 6am)
Marni: 2 waffles + natural PB + cinnamon + banana and a handful of granola
Karel: Oatmeal + chocolate Bolthouse yogurt drink
Coffee (from french press that we brought) + Water

Race morning (at race venue)
Marni - sipping on 16 ounce water (from plastic throw away bottle)
Karel - 1 bar + 20 ounce water (with ~140 calories in it) to sip on (didn't finish it all)

SPORT NUTRITION: Bike: Marni: 2 x 24 ounce bottles (each with 280 calories, 70g carbs(with 15g as dextrose/cane sugar and 55g as maltodextrin, ~700mg of sodium). Each bottle was a different flavor.
Consumed both (sipping 4-5 swallows of bottle every ~12-15 minutes or a sip as needed)
Extra (JIC - just in case) bottle of 100 calories.
Karel: 2 x 24 ounce bottles (each with ~220 calories, ~550mg sodium).
Consumed 2 "gummy bears" (Margarita Clif Bloks)
Consumed one It's the Nerve before the swim and one before 2nd loop of bike.

Run: Marni: 2 x 10 ounce flasks (Nathan Hydration Mercury 2 belt) each with 100 calories (1 heaping scoop Clif Hydration Cran Razz)
Consumed a total of 1 flask (100 calories and 10 ounces water) in addition to a few tiny sips water from aid station while cooling the body
Karel: 4 x 10 ounce flasks - 1 with gel and 3 with each 1 scoop sport drink.
Consumed 2.5 flasks (120 calories, 30 ounce water) + a few sips of gel flask.

GEAR
Marni:
Clothing: Canari one piece short sleeve tri suit, Oakley Women continuity sport bra, CEP calf sleeves, newton socks
Swim: Xterra vengeance wetsuit, Speedo Vanquisher goggles
Bike: Bontrager shoes, Oakley sunglasses flak 2.0, Giro attack (no shield), Garmin Edge 810, Alto Wheels CC-56, Solestar kontrol insoles
Run: Brooks Pure Flow 4 running shoes, Nathan Mercury 2 hydration belt, Clif Bar visor, Garmin 910

Karel:
Clothing: Canari one piece short sleeve tri suit, CEP calf sleeves
Swim: Xterra Vector Pro, Speedo MDR 2.4 goggles
Bike: Lazer Wasp Air helmet (with shield), Alto Wheels CT-56 front, 86 rear, Bontrager RL road high visability shoes, Solestar insoles, Garmin Edge 810
Run: Oakley Radar vent, Cupcakes with Cal BOCO Gear hat, Nathan 4 flask belt, New Balance Zante V2 running shoes, Garmin 910

Lake James 50 - the double win (quick recap)

I heard about the Lake James 50 event (by Set Up Events) from a nutrition athlete of mine (thanks Stephanie!) a few weeks ago. After giving it some thought and talking it over with Karel, I figured it would be a great opportunity for me to get out some nerves before Rev3 Knoxville.
It was only 2 weeks ago when Karel mentioned that he was interested in the race too so we thought it would be a fun opportunity for us to both race together on a tough course.
And for only $100 as the registration fee, it was hard to turn this race down, even if just for a "tune-up" race.

The event featured a 1 mile swim, 40 mile bike and 9 mile run (although it was shortened to 8.4 miles on race day due to logistics of the run course in the state park) which was just long enough to test our endurance fitness before our key races next weekend. Seeing that Karel and I will only be racing together in Ironman Austria this year, I looked forward to the opportunity to race with Karel - as he has a special way of helping me suffer better on race day.

The race course was absolutely beautiful and the event staff was great. We couldn't find one thing about this event that we didn't like. Then again, we both absolutely love really hard courses that include a lot of hills.

This course did not disappoint our expectations!

The weather was low to mid 50's when when arrived to the race around 6am and by the race start at 8am, it was in the 60's. The high for the day was predicted to be in the mid to low 70's and sunny. The water temp was 73 - so wetsuit legal.
The swim was a two loop triangle swim with ample buoys to stay on course. After one loop, we exited the water for 5-10 steps and then ran back into the water for loop two. 

The water was calm, clean and fairly clear for swimming.

After exiting the swim, we ran up a sidewalk (uphill) to T1. With this being a small race and only around 100 athletes, the transition was easy to navigate through. Karel and I have always been big fans of smaller races as it provides a very fair and low stress racing experience. Plus, we like to support the smaller event companies.

The bike course started in Lake James Beach park with around 2.2 miles on undulating terrain, which was also our run course. It was hard to establish a nice riding rhythm from the start so once we exited the park, we had 2 loops of 18 miles of rolling hills (with a few longer climbs) to get into "race" mode.

The course was very well marked with orange arrows on the road and very little traffic. The course only had 3 turns which made it very easy to navigate (and each right hand turn had a volunteer and/or police officer). We felt very safe on the course and overall, the road pavement was great (then again, anything is better than our pavement near the mountains in Gville :)

When Karel and I drove the course on Friday evening before the athlete meeting (the day before the race), we kept saying out loud "this is going to be hard, this will be so much fun!" If that is any indication of how much we love hard courses. 

Karel and I both prefer hilly and technical courses which allow us to use our bike skills and muscular endurance. While my cycling has been a work in progress over the past 10 years, I am constantly finding myself feeling more and more comfortable executing well on the bike on hilly courses. Karel, on the other hand, is made for hilly, hard and technical courses thanks to his lifetime of bike racing.

The 40 mile bike course was filled with mountain and water views with a sprinkle of farms and the occasional farm animal for me to say hello to (yep, those furry ones always get a hello from me, even on race day).

After 36 miles of riding, the bike courses finishes with 2.2 miles in the park with another preview of the run course.

If you like running up and up and up hills, with the occasional downhill (this run course feels like it has far more uphills than downhills), this is your run course. For Karel and myself, this run course was made for us. Although it's never easy running hills off the bike, our legs favor the change of rhythm of running hills vs just running flats as we can run strong on hills and we don't have to be "fast" (although Karel would say that he likes hilly bike courses and a flat run but he doesn't mind a hilly run too).

Whereas the bike had one aid station with water (per loop), the run course had two aid stations (so about 1 each mile). With the run course being two loops (out and back twice), it was easy to break this run into segments.

And if you love running loops like I do (or out and backs), you will absolutely love the turn around which is a scenic look-out point at the top of a hill. It kinda made you want to stop and enjoy the view!

The finish of the run lead us down to the beach (where we started) and it was a straight shot on packed sand to the finish.

We plan on racing this event next year as we absolutely loved the course, the venue and the Set Up Events staff (and state park staff) was very welcoming, helpful and caring. 

And, with the race venue only being around 40 minutes from Asheville, NC there are many places to eat at (and yum) before and after the race.

This race distance (longer than an Oly and shorter than a half) is perfect for any athlete who is looking for a long distance tri early season to build confidence on hilly terrain, to use as a supported training day, to dust off some rust after several months of winter training or to shake out any pre-race nerves before another key race.

Karel and I will be giving our full recap of the race in my next blog.

RESULTS

Karel - Overall Male Winner -

26:57 swim (4th fastest male swim)
1:47:19 (1st fastest bike)
54:53 (2nd fastest run)
Total: 3:11.26

Marni - Overall Female Winner -

25:19 swim (1st fastest female swim, 2nd overall fastest swim)
1:58.20 bike (1st fastest female bike, 7th overall fastest bike)
1:04.03 (2nd fastest female run, 9th overall fastest run)
Total: 3:30.33 

A big thank you to our amazing 2016 Trimarni sponsors.

You are a winner!

How do you define winning? 

Coming in first or succeeding better than everyone else? 

Although there may be a universal definition of winning that often relates to sporting event or competitions, we shouldn't forget that winning can apply to many of life's amazing experiences and challenging events. 

It's very easy to find yourself in a place in life and feeling a bit down on yourself. Comparing yourself to others who have it better than you or perhaps feeling as if nothing goes your way or the odds are always against you. And even if you find that glimmer of truth that you are in a good place to succeed, it only takes a quick moment to find yourself doubting the progress you have made. 

I have a quote on my refrigerator which I have kept with me over the past decade or so since my parents gave it to me from the local Newspaper. I am surprised it has survived many moves over the past few years but perhaps that is because it is very special to me. 

My parents never pushed me in sports or career to be the best but instead, to be happy and to try my best. Ever time I wanted to quit something, my always dad knew the right thing to say to keep me going and to make me smile. He was the first person I would call if I needed an instant pick-me up. I was never taught that success was always being better than others but instead, that being successful means doing something that you have never done before or doing something better than you did last time. 

No matter what task lies ahead of you or what challenge you face, are you going to work your hardest to be a winner?

I sure hope so.

Winners Take Chances

Winners take chances. Like everyone else they fear failing, but they refuse to let fear control them.
Winners don't give up. When life gets tough they hang in until the going gets better. 

Winners are flexible. They realize there is more than one way and are willing to try others.
Winners know they are not perfect. They respect their weaknesses while making the most of their strengths.
Winners fall, but they don't stay down.
They stubbornly refuse to let a fall keep them from climbing.
Winners don't blame fate for their futures, nor luck for their successes.
Winners accept responsibility for their lives.
Winners are positive thinkers who see good in all things.
From the ordinary, they make the extraordinary.
Winners believe in the path they have chosen even when it's hard even when other's can't see where they are going.
Winners are patient. 

They know a goal is only as worthy as the effort that's required to achieve it.
Winners are people like you.
They make this world a better place.   

-Nancye Sims