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Trimarni is place where athletes and fitness enthusiasts receive motivation, inspiration, education, counseling and coaching in the areas of nutrition, fitness, health, sport nutrition, training and life.
We emphasize a real food diet and our coaching philosophy is simple: Train hard, recover harder. No junk miles but instead, respect for your amazing body. Every time you move your body you do so with a purpose. Our services are designed with your goals in mind so that you can live an active and healthy, balanced lifestyle.
Over the past few years, I've found that each season can be clearly defined by a theme or mantra.
In 2022 it was seeking change.
In 2021 it was don't give up, keep showing up. In 2020 it was never take anything for granted.
When thinking about 2023, the year was all about a pursuit of self-development.
Our racing season involved a lot of travel, ultra distance events and new locations. With so many different events, this could have brought on great fear, anxiety and worry, but instead, I felt great excitement for the unknown.
2023 wasn't about specific outcomes, places or times but rather it was all about self-discovery. Every race was an opportunity to improve our self-awareness, skills and strengths. Without even realizing it, the entire season was an opportunity to help us discover our fullest potential.
Unlike events/races in the past, our 2023 events had an uncertainty component to each of them. There was no guarantee that we would finish many of the events that we planned. The weather, extreme nature of the course and terrain or residual fatigue came with unsureness. Rather than selecting races that gave us a sense of control or predictability, we were selecting races that would challenge us in ways that we could truly discover our strengths while exposing our weaknesses.
Athletes are passionate beings. They often chase (or pursue) strengths - or qualities that come naturally and enable them to thrive. When passion, ability and confidence collide, it's easy to feel joy. While it's good to pursue something that brings out the best in you, it's difficult to discover your strengths if you rarely expose your weaknesses. A life that revolves around familiarity makes it hard to achieve personal growth.
When we embrace our weaknesses, we have an opportunity for learning and development. Embracing strengths and weaknesses fosters a strong sense of self-awareness. The pursuit of self-discovery is the greatest teacher in life.
January
We started off the year with our first trip to South Africa. We loved the food, culture and people. We participated in the Xterra South Africa race (outside of Cape Town) and then flew a bit north for our first Safari. It was an incredible trip and we knew we needed to return the next year.
It was cool to see how my mountain biking skills have improved over the past two years. Six hours on the ridge is a local race which involves completing as many laps as possible within 6 hours.
April was busy! I had an unexpected DNF at the Saluda SEG race. We had a very successful early season tri camp (which is our favorite camp of the year) and participated in the 6-gap gravel race. It was a hard month learning about Campy's declining health.
I experienced my first penalty in a triathlon race (or any race) but that didn't stop me from enjoying the incredible VBR race course and sharing the experience with our teammates.
BWR NC 131-mile gravel race - my longest time on a bike (longest distance too!) Karel - 6th AG Marni - 2nd AG
Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder 5-stage race - this was an incredible event for Karel and he had a really good time racing and camping. Karel - finished
July
I participated in my first XTRI event. It was a great "first" time extreme triathlon as it was a bit familiar to me but also very extreme. It was special to have Karel there with me as my "crew" and to share the experience with him.
High Cascades 100 MTB event - We loved this event. Riding 100 miles on a mountain bike is no easy feat but we enjoyed the event and the incredible terrain around Bend. We absolutely loved our trip to Oregon! After the event, we watched our athletes participate at Oregon 70.3 which was a great event and race venue. Karel - 3rd AG Marni - 1st AG
August
Karel and I can't stop talking about our time in Breckenridge. Spending over a week at 9000+ feet was an incredible experience. We can't say enough great things about this event and the area. There are so many cycling paths and trails!
September was an incredible month. I survived my 2nd XTRI in Livigno, Italy and qualified for Norseman XTRI world championship. We held another triathlon camp in Greenville and Karel performend amazingly well at IM Chattanooga - and broke 9 hours for the first time in an Ironman! ICON XTRI Marni - 2nd overall female
Our little golden nugget turned 16. Campy is getting older and we know we don't have much time left with him so we are trying to make the most of every day.
We really enjoyed our time in Cozumel. It was a really cool experience to be on the island and to share the experience with our athletes. My new Cervelo triathlon bike
For the past few years, I've enjoyed the yearly process of reflecting on and documenting the highs and lows in our training, racing and in life. Although there were several accomplishments and highlights to celebrate, it's hard to define the year as successful because there were a lot of challenges to overcome. If I had to pick a mantra to summarize this past year, it would be...
Don't give up. Keep showing up.
It's hard to stay focused and motivated when it feels like nothing is going as planned. It's so easy to crumble down in the face of traumatic situations and circumstances. It's difficult to stay positive when you can't seem to catch a break.
Don't give up. Keep showing up.
While 2021 had its setbacks, challenges and struggles, it also gave us the incredible opportunity to grow, learn and to step outside of our comfort zone. One of the biggest benefits of trying new things is beating the power of fear and expanding our sense of accomplishment. I feel that we are truly living a meaningful life because life is about taking risks, having fun, trying new things, making mistakes and learning.
Over the past 12 months, we kept showing up when we could have given up.
January
Participating in 7 of the 8 Greenville Winter Bike League Group Rides (GVL WBL) and winning a few QOM/Sprint competitions.
Karel participated in his first off-road triathlon at Xterra Oak Mountain (and picked up his new mountain bike two days before the event). He earned a spot to Xterra Worlds in Maui.
I had my best ever feeling 70.3 performance at IM 70.3 Chattanooga (while Karel was at home recovering from hand surgery). I finished 3rd overall female.
I turned 39 years old.
June
Placed 2nd overall female at the inaugural IM 70.3 Blue Ridge (2 weeks after IM 70.3 Chattanooga) and missed the overall win by 2 seconds (but first across the finisher tape due to the time trial start).
I successfully completed my first two ever mountain bike rides (Dupont State Forest and Pleasant Ridge Park).
RACE RESULTS Thomasville Clay Classic - 104 miles, 6:47 (Marni), 6:41 (Karel) Sumter Forest Gravel Race 72 miles - 4:01 (Marni), 3:16 (Karel) IM 70.3 Florida - 5:02.48, 2nd AG (Marni), 4:29.24, 1st AG (Karel) Peachtree International Triathlon - 2:08.30, 3rd overall (Karel)
Xterra Oak Mountain triathlon - 2:51.41, 1st AG (Karel)
Xterra Oak Mountain 20K trail run - 2:01.07, 3rd overall female (Marni) Spinners 10-mile Time Trial - Completed.
Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga - 4:42.39 3rd overall female, 3rd AG (Marni) Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge - 5:00.14 2nd overall female, 1st AG (Marni)
Ironman Lake Placid - 10:40.40. 3rd overall amateur female, 1st AG (Marni) Lake Logan Half - 4:29.39, 2nd overall (Karel) Belgian Waffle Gravel/Road Ride 96 miles, 9600 feet elevation gain - 5:53.30
Ironman 70.3 World Championship - 5:08.24, 11th AG (Marni), 4:48.08, 11th AG (Karel)
Xterra USA Championship triathlon 2:45.13, 2nd AG (Karel) Xterra USA Championship 21K trail run, 2800 feet elevation gain - 2:10, 2nd AG (Marni)
Hincapie Gran Fondo 82 miles - 4:56 riding time (5:07 w/ stops), 7th overall female (Marni) Austin Rattler MTB - 5:12.16, 5th AG (Karel) Xterra World Championship triathlon, 4500+ total feet elevation gain - 3:08.56, 2nd AG (Karel) Xterra World Championship 21K trail run, 2300 feet elevation gain - 2:04, 2nd AG (Marni)
Every year I like to recap the year, sharing our highs and lows and everything in between. Although 2020 didn't give us our typical year of racing, it provided us with a lot of new opportunities and experiences.
I posted this picture on Facebook on January 21st with the caption:
"When it feels like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, remind yourself that it’s better for the world when you first take care of yourself."
With 2020 being such an extraordinary year, it reminded me to never take anything for granted. We are responsible for one another. Every human in this world is interdependent on each other. Your well-being is my well-being.
Although Karel and I love to race, we actually thrived during this year of cancelled races. We stayed healthy and injury free and we kept our training fun and flexible. The worst part of a season of cancelled races was the sadness we felt for our athletes. We really missed the excitement, stress, worry and emotional rollercoaster that becomes part of our lives during "triathlon race season."
I experienced a great amount of anxiety and stress when the pandemic hit in March and began to disrupt the normalcy over the next few months. I really struggled. I found it incredibly hard to be happy when so many people were suffering. In addition to the pandemic, I was also affected by politics, racial inequality and so much more. It's been a really tough year. Although I have so much to be thankful and grateful for, I can't help but feel tremendous sadness as so many people have lost so much.
Personally, 2019 was an extremely difficult year for us as we lost so much. 2020 paled in comparison to what we endured in 2019. In 2019 we experienced.... -Campy getting attacked by a dog off the leash (requiring stitches in his side). -The loss of our friend and athlete to suicide. -Saying good-bye to our16-year old cat Smudla. -Me experiencing a hip/back injury which stopped me from running for 3 months. -Me getting my cornea scratched by Campy. -My grandpa passing away at the age of 93. -Five days later after my grandpa passed away, we had to say good-bye to our new kitten Felix after only 6 days together, due to pneumonia. -Karel getting sick soon after returning home from the Ironman World Championship.
After surviving 2019, we had a lot to be thankful for in 2020 - we personally did not lose anything or anyone. If 2020 taught me not to take anything for granted, 2019 taught me just how fragile life can be.
Despite so much darkness in the year, there was light. I was able to find gratitude during such a difficult time. Here's a look into the past twelve months.....
My third book was released in December and I went on my first book tour to Charlotte, NC and Roanoke, Virginia. I also had great support from our local running store Run In. Over the next few weeks, we also had several private camps with athletes from all over. We dedicated the early part of our year to helping out our athletes as much as possible as we had planned a trip to Europe for much of August and early September. My Ventum received a beautiful makeover and I couldn't wait to show it off at the upcoming races.
Alongside traveling to promote my new book and a few private camps, I traveled to my alma mater (Transylvania University in Lexington, KY) to speak to the swim team, triathlon team and exercise science students. Karel raced his only "planned" race of the year - a 10-mile road race just a few miles down the road. I had planned to do the race but my hip was acting up so I decided to skip the event. Karel ended up 3rd with a pace of 5:47 and placed 3rd overall after two youngsters.
The month started out with the arrival of my new Ventum NS1 road bike. Little did I know at the time that I would be spending a lot of time on it over the summer. After a loooong two months of winter training, we were super excited to head down south to Clermont, Florida for the official kick-off of the 2020 racing season. With a packed camp roster of over 16 campers, we were really looking forward to this 4.5 day all-level training camp in warm and sunny Florida. While the weather did not let us down, our camp occurred right before the news started to escalate about Covid-19. This was the last time that we would hug and be physically close to our athletes. Our camp race (which was a USAT-sanctioned event) was cancelled just an hour after we picked up our packets. This was the start of many more race cancellations. To help keep our athletes motivated, we created the Spring Challenge which was a 10-day training plan that we would all complete together for motivation and inspiration. We created our own bib numbers and opened it to the public (it was free) - with several dozen athletes joining us!
April - The new normal.
As plans changed, travel arrangements were cancelled and races were deferred to 2021, my focus changed from providing race tips and sport nutrition advice on my blog to discussing the importance of taking care of mental and physical health during such an unanticipated time in our life. You can check back to my blog as the entire month of April (and onward) focused on ways to manage during a difficult time of life changes, stress and cancelled races. This was also an interesting time for our coaching business as we needed to change our approach to help our athletes manage their emotions during such a tough time of uncertainty. We needed to find new ways to keep our athletes motivated and learn on the fly as to how to adjust training to prevent burnout in the case of racing in the late part of the season. I also struggled during this month as it's my dad's birthday month, which remains a difficult time of grieving for me - combined with the anxiety and sadness that I felt with everything else going on. Let's just say that April was a rough month. And when the pools were closed, my "happy place" was taken away from me. We adjusted by finding the nearest boat ramp for open water swimming (thanks to Karel for finding this "hidden gem") and we purchased an above-ground pool for at-home swimming. It was an essential purchase that really helped with my mental health. With a bit of a mindset shift, I kept myself moving by exploring new experiences and opportunities.
Leave it to Karel to do something epic and exciting during a time of cancelled races. Karel planned his own Ironman distance race course - which was strategically designed to be difficult and challenging. I was his on-the-go aid station and support crew, as well as his commentator and photographer. You can check out the above link for the full recap (with videos) of his solo 140.6 mile event in and around Greenville, SC. After Karel's event, I was inspired to set my own challenges. A few weeks later, I completed the "mini" coronaman with our friend Alvi. It was so much fun to feel competitive, even if we were not in a race environment. This reminded me how much I love triathlon and how it enriches my life in so many ways. Sadly, I didn't blog about it. I think I was feeling overwhelmed with emotions as I was excited about my mini coronaman (half Ironman distance event) but also sad with the current status of our nation. A few days later, I took a self-care trip to Lexington, KY (my hometown) with Campy as I needed a change of scenery. It was a very quick trip but just what I needed for a bit of a mental reboot.
To celebrate my 38th birthday on May 31st, Karel arranged a trip to Jehova Farm in NC. This was the perfect birthday gift from Karel as he knows how much I love animals and felt so much joy being around so many furry creatures. It was the perfect little get-away. Although we had to cancel our endurance group camp, as well as cancel several of our planned private camps, I found my purpose coming back as we kicked off triathlon week. During this month, we started to have some fun exploring new routes and finding new ways to have fun with our triathlon training in Greenville, SC. During our trip to the farm, I had the opportunity to create a beautiful yarn piece using a floor loom. This really excited my creative brain and helped me discover my love for string art. Over the next few months, we held a few more private camps and also celebrated our athletes accomplishing their own personal challenges and "mock" races.
With the theme of new opportunities and experiences, it was so much fun to feel all of the emotions, nerves and excitement for a race. While only a 10-mile time trial event just 20 miles away from where we live, it was so much fun to look forward to an event and to see familiar faces. We also kept exploring new routes and finding ourselves spending a lot of time on our road bikes. Over the next two months, we climbed a lot of mountains!
With several new precautions in place, we were able to safely pull off two small training camps after the cancellation of our group training camp in June. We decided to hold two group camps (each with 5-6 athletes) for 3-days each. So over 6 days we welcome 10 athletes to Greenville - and by the end, we were exhausted. But it was so worth it! A few days later we took part in another time trial event and this time Karel joined me as a "racer." It was so much fun to feel the good hurt that comes with racing. Near the end of the month, we took a trip to the Smokey Mountains for a bit of a getaway with Campy. We left our triathlon gear at home and traded swim/bike/run for hiking in the mountains. It was nice to change up the normal routine and to get deep inside nature. It was a nice bit of normalcy during such a stressful time. I also got into string art, which has been a great stress relief during this stressful time.
Although all of our planned races were cancelled (a total of 9), in addition to our trip to Europe (to participate in the 7-day cycling Haute Route Alps and to visit Karel's family), we started to thrive during our season of cancelled races and recruited some friends to be part of our quarenteam. We created some epic rides and had a lot of fun exploring our mental and physical limits. We did more 100+ mile rides this summer than ever before (probably combined since moving to Greenville in 2014). It was so much fun to enjoy conquering epic challenges with other like-minded individuals. With no races on the schedule, it was so much fun to use our fitness for different adventures. When we heard that a local Olympic distance triathlon event was a go in early September, we registered and looked forward to our first triathlon event since competing in the Ironman World Championship in October 2019. Of course, it rained on our drive to the race - in typical 2020 fashion :) We called this a "team" race as we had a large handful of Trimarnis out on the race course. Although there were new precautions in place, we didn't mind them as we were all out there doing what we love - and it felt completely normal during the race. A few weeks later, just before Karel's 44th birthday, we participated in another event - a 2.4 mile open water swim event at Lake Jocassee (about 50 minutes away). It was another wonderful opportunity to be in the race environment. We were so thankful to all of the race organizers for putting on such safe environment during such unsafe times. And a week later we completed 6-gap in Dahlonega, Georgia (which was our largest participant event since Kona!).
Although it was so much fun racing in September, the highlight of September was rescuing Sylvester (Sylvi) from a pile of spikey bushes along the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Ella now has a forever best friend and play mate. I still need to blog about his story (it's a good one!).
Feeling the itch to race more in 2020, Karel started to search for more adventures. He applied for the 2021 Ultraman in Florida (which was cancelled in December) and he registered for the Xtreme Florida Triathlon in November. After giving it some thought, I decided that I wanted to participate in the Xtreme triathlon with Karel. This required us to have support since both of us were racing so our friend Alvi offered to take time away from his family and work to crew for us for 3 days. With only registering for the event just a few weeks prior, we spent the month of October "priming" for the race with a few "race specific" workouts and a slight drop in volume. Since this would be our first ultra endurance triathlon, we felt nervous and excited. Still unsure if the event would actually happen, we stayed positive - even in the face of a hurricane passing through the venues just two days before the event).
Karel voted for the first time after becoming a US citizen in 2019. A week later, we made our way down south for a coast to coast, 3-day triathlon event. We were amazed with the crew and staff that put on the event as they made us feel safe and special. Certainly this was our highlight of the year as we did something that we had never done before and we even won the event! It was an incredible experience and one that has forever changed me - mentally and physically. After covering 300+ miles over 3 days, somehow my body managed to compete in the 10-mile road race that I had registered for long before the registration of the Xtreme Triathlon. Karel's knee was acting up on the morning of the race so he decided to sit out the event as to not take any risks in this fun run.
After a refreshing "off season" break around Thanksgiving, we have enjoyed a bit of a "fun" December. We joined our local master swim team and have really enjoyed the comradery of swimming in a group three times a week. This has really re-ignited my love for swimming (as if I didn't love it enough). Karel is still learning to appreciate swimming :) We also joined a local group ride (GVL WBL) which is a weekly ride on Saturdays at 10am. This ride has been something that I look forward to every week and it also fills me with a bit of nerves and anticipation. But I really enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone and the good hurt that comes with riding in a group of cyclists. I was a bit all-consumed with a new program that I am offering at Trimarni, which is called The Whole Athlete. I spent the entire month of December putting together this program and I learned a lot through this process. I am so excited to finally open it to the public. We really miss traveling. I miss hugs. Karel really misses his family (who is in Czech). We were supposed to visit them after our 7-day cycling event (Haute Route Alps) in late August but since that was cancelled, we aren't sure when we will be able to get back to Czech to visit them. Thankfully there is Skype so Karel can continue to speak to his family once a week.
Thank you for reading our year in review. I hope that your year was filled with safety, health and gratitude. Life is hard, no doubt. Right now it's really hard. Don't forget to take care of your mental and physical health. I look forward to a great year ahead - and lots of hugs and high fives!
When looking back at the past 12 months, we have had our share of highs and lows. Memories were made and tears were shed. With every high, there seemed to be a low. But through it all, we tried to stay positive and optimistic.
Life can be difficult, unfair and tough to understand. If I had to use a word to describe our 2019, it would be strength. We had to find strength to experience the highs and we had to find strength to get through the lows. Triathlon provides us with many life lessons but in 2019, life hit us hard. Throughout the year, there were several occassions when our hobby of triathlon was put to the aside in order to deal better with the hard times.
As athletes, it can be difficult to stay positive, hopeful and focused during stressful, sad or difficult situations. Uncomfortable feelings can leave us with doubt, anger and anxiety. Struggle to balance stressors appropriately and health (mental or physical), joy for sport and motivation can quickly diminish. There were times throughout the year where it was difficult to start a workout. There were even times when we debated about not starting a few of our races. With each workout or race, our strength was tested. And life presented us with a lot of moments to see how strong we really are.
NOVEMBER '18
After a unfortunante mishap with Karel's electronic shifting at IM Kona, he finished off his racing season at IMFL, securing his slot to Kona for 2019. This meant that both of us were already qualified for the 2019 IM World Championship (my 5th and Karel's 4th time racing on the big island). Karel was emotionally and physically destroyed after racing two Ironman events within 2 weeks but he was excited and hopefully for the upcoming triathlon season.
After a long time thinking about the idea of working one-on-one with a coach, we decided on Cait Snow, who works under Julie Dibens. This was a very costly investment for us but we were all-in to see if we could squeeze out any performance improvements at IM Kona - which was our big goal for the season. Although Karel received training from PPF, he was never coached one on one. I have never had a coach - instead, Karel has "coached" me over the past 10+ years. Although we learned that our own coaching style works really well for us and we will be returning back to coaching ourselves in 2020, we learned so much from working with Cait (and Julie) and we both were able to squeeze out some best ever performances. Plus, Cait is an incredibly kind, knowledgable and awesome person and we feel so honored to have had the opportunity to work with her. Throughout the year, we made a lot of investments - not sacrifices. We stayed true to our own beliefs so that we never compromised on what was most important to us. In other words, although we were "all in" with our coaching, our health, coaching business, camps and other services (private camps, RETUL Bike fits, nutrition consultations) never took a back seat. If anything, we often had to put our own training to the side.
DECEMBER '18
In late December, just a few days before one of our athletes arrived to spend a few days with us for some training, I was taking Campy for a walk up the street in our (very safe) neighborhood and a lady with four rescue dogs (all big dogs), got loose from the leash as she was walking into her house. The dog approached Campy and as she walked over with her other dogs to get the loose dog, the dogs got anxious and one of them attacked Campy. The lady felt extremely upset about the situation. The next day, Campy was rushed to our local vet and he received several stitches. Campy was a fighter and recovered really well. He still gets a little timid when he walks by the house where the attack happened. The lady with the dogs wanted to pay the vet bill but we declined. We knew it was an accident and we have seen the dogs behave very well around kids and other adults. Instead, she gave Campy a bag full of plush toys with squeakers - which made Campy oh so happy.
JANUARY '19
To give back to our local triathlon community and to help grow the sport of triathlon, I put together an event to help acknowledge and promote the local businesses, coaches and professionals in our triathlon community. Tri Night was a huge success!
As for racing, Karel participated in a local 5K and ran a speedy low 17 minutes.
FEBRUARY '19
To escape the cold and dreary days, we traveled down south to Clermont, Florida for a train-cation. Although it was not all rainbows and sunshine, it was still a nice change of training environment. I was really proud of my body and what it was able to accomplish during our mini training camp as I felt like my previous training was really paying off. It was still early season but I was getting more excited to get into race season.
Karel also participated in a local half marathon race and ran a speedy 1:15! Because of my previous hip/glute/back issues, I opted not to do this race since it was a "flat" run course and I am better suited for hills and strength-based running.
MARCH '19
Our annual March camp was a great success. We had a wonderful mix of new and familiar faces. We lucked out with great weather and the group worked really well together - there was no shortage of laughs, support and teamwork.
Not too long before our camp, we received news that one of our local athlete (and friend) had took his own life due to mental health struggles. This news was really difficult for us, several of our athletes and lots of people in our local triathlon community. We have always stressed the importance of health before performance as part of our coaching philosophy - physical health and mental health. We continue to honor this athlete when we train and race, remembering that life can be difficult and there is no shame in taking care of your mental health. Because mental health is not something that can be "seen", never be afraid to ask someone if they are OK, if they need a listening ear or if they need help.
APRIL '19
Finally, it was time to race! We love starting our our racing season in Haines City, FL for IM 70.3 FL. The race venue is very spectator friendly and the atmosphere is alwas fun. Typically, the weather is warm which is a nice change from the colder temps over the winter. The Trimarni triathlon club placed 2nd in the Triclub division and Karel and I both did OK. I say OK because neither of us felt great on the course but then again, it's really early in the season and we were not targeting this race as a best-ever performance type of race.
A few days after the race, I received an email from the publishing company that asked me to write my first book (Essential Sports Nutrition) and I was asked to write another book. This time, a Running Journal. I discussed this with Karel as my last book took over all of my time and energy as it was my very first book and I wanted to give it 100% of my attention. This time around, I wanted to keep up with our other obligations of private training camps, nutrition consults and coaching. After reviewing the contract and writing timeline, I signed the contract for my second book - The 365 Day Running Journal.
Then, about a week later, I received another email from my contact at the Callisto Media Publishing Company and I was asked to write another book! I couldn't believe it. This book was a lot more in depth and required a lot more words than the 2nd book. I knew this book would be a huge undertaking but I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Karel was a little worried of how I would balance everything but after sleeping on it, I signed the contract for my 3rd book - which I would start writing a few weeks after completing the journal book. I am not one to "wait" for the right time to do something. Although I never want to overload myself or burn myself out, I feel it's important to balance my career with my passion so that I can make the most out of every day of life.
And with highs, come lows. Nearing the end of April, we realized that our 16-year old cat Smudla was nearing her final days. We made the very difficult and heart-breaking decision to let her pass away comfortably and humanely. Because we made this decision a few days in advance, we were able to spend almost 48 hours with Smudla as she enjoyed her last few days in the warm sunshine. If you'd like to read the tribute I wrote about Smudla, here it is.
MAY '19
May started off tough as Karel didn't feel like he was in the right state of mind to travel alone to St. George for the half Ironman. Luckily, Karel was sharing a house with two of our athletes, which helped him keep his mind off the passing of Smudla. It was still a very emotional week for him, filled with a lot of sad tears. Karel was able to put together a fantastic race and he was happy that he was able to temporaril turn his mind off - away from sadness - so that he could do something that he loved with his body and mind.
February through June is often super busy with private coaching sessions and this year we found ourselves extremely busy with a lot of private camps. We love this part of our coaching business but it does require a lot of time, mental energy and focus. Thankfully, we always have super awesome athletes to work with ;)
In mid May, we traveled over to Chattanooga for the 70.3. It was great to see so many of our athletes at the race and we ended up receiving an award for the TriClub division! I felt like my race did not go so well but Karel put together a fantastic performance - he was on a roll! The competition was stiff for the females and it was great to see so many speedy ladies blazzing on the course.
May is always a tough month for me as my dad passed away from cancer in 2014, just three days before my 32nd birthday. I thought that time would heal but I still find myself really missing him - especially as I go through so many highs and lows in life. But in the spirit of my dad, I try to smile and find the positive in every situation. Most of all, I am making the most of every day on earth - in his honor.
We had a lovely mid season break where we did litte triathlon training and took part in some outdoor activities. Campy had joined us at our last two races (FL and Chatt) so he was also ready for some recovery.
JUNE '19
I found myself a bit overwhelmed in June - trying to balance the planning of our June camp, private camps, nutrition consults, Ironman training and writing my 3rd book. I managed to participate in an open water race (with my swim partner Kristen and Karel) which was a nice stress relief to be swimming in the mountains.
Eventually, I had to ask my editor if I could have a break from the writing - I was in a mega writing block where I would sit at my computer for hours and nothing would happen. Thankfully they agreed but I still had a tight deadline to finish the book by the end of September - my deadline was the day before our flight to Kona for the World Championship.
Our June endurance camp was another great success and our campers worked very hard and accomplished so much. It was also very hot! Although our camps are fun, educational and inspiring, they are always mentally and physically exhausting for me and Karel. We sure do love putting on camps but it's a ton of work!
JULY '19
Shortly after camp, I found myself dealing with a hip/glute/back injury - something that is not new for me. Although I have not been injured in over 6 years, I do feel like I am always "on edge" and cognizant of my hips/glutes when running. I feel like this injury started from a lot of sitting, stress and poor posture and was simply exaccerbated (not caused) from running. Thankfully, I was able to still run and bike (of long duration and at high intensity) without any pain so I was still able to train for Ironman Canada. While I tried really hard to not let my situation affect Karel, I knew he was sad for me. The great thing about this race was that I knew I could put together a really strong swim and run and anything extra was just a bonus (and a big uncertainty). On race day, I finished the bike as 1st overall amateur but that position quickly went away as I managed the marathon run. But our athlete Ericka won the amateur race, which was super exciting. And we had so many incredible performances by our athletes. Somehow I managed to finish the race and not do further damage. We enjoyed beautiful Whistler and Karel put together an incredible performance by winning his AG with a best ever IM run of 3:04!
AUGUST '19
After returning home from Canada, we finished off a well-needed recovery week before easing back into our training. I still couldn't run but had plenty of swimming, biking, water jogging and strength to keep me busy. Plus, I was deep into writing my 3rd book with a deadline of the end of September.
Just as we were about to get back int structured training after IM Canada, I was snuggling with Campy in bed and he scratched my cornea in my eye. Without being dramatic, this was extremely excrutiating - I couldn't be in any room (or outside) with light, I had to wear sunglasses everywhere, I couldn't drive and I had a constant headache. I found myself sleeping a lot and I wasn't able to gather much energy to exercise. I had to see the eye doctor every other day for about ten days. Finally, some relief. Just as I was getting better, Karel traveled up to Mt. Tremblant to support our athletes racing (and to do some translating for one of our Czech athletes). Our athletes did great and our Czech athlete won his age group (45-49) and qualified for Kona!
Near the end of the month, I heard the sad news that a triathlon friend passed away unexepectedly, which was incredible sad for the entire triathlon community.
SEPTEMBER '19
Once it seemed like life was starting to calm down and we were able to get back into a good routine, we decided to get two rescue kittens to bring some love and happiness into our family. Although Karel was still grieving over the loss of Smudla, he felt ready to grow our furry family. We welcomed Felix and Ella into our family but sadly, Felix passed away 6 days later from Pneumonia. Ella was a fighter and although she got our other cat Madison sick a few times (and Ella had to be taken to the vet for a few emergency situations over the next two months), she is now living her best life and is officially part of our family. Here is the story about Ella.
The day after we welcomed Felix and Ella into our home, I received news that my (almost) 96 year old Grandpa Joe passed away. I took a booked a flight for a quick trip up to Ft. Wayne Indiana for a memorial service that my aunt threw together last minute. I arrived Tues and flew home early Thurs morning. Then on Saturday evening, Felix passed away. Needless to say, training had a backseat all that week and we were emotionally wreaked.
Karel celebrated his 43rd birthday near the end of September and for his present, I asked a bunch of people who know Karel to write a note for him. I gave him this "gratitude" journal filled with over 80 notes from so many people who love and care about Karel. With such a tough month, he had a moment of joy reading the notes and learning how much people cared for and appreciated him.
A few days later, we (last-minute) flew in Karel's mom to help take care of Ella, Campy and Madison while we spent 2 weeks in Kona. At one point in September, we couldn't even think about racing as we were just so empty and mentally depleted from everything that had gone on over the past few months. Life certainly happened and it was tough. We didn't want to count ourselves out of the race and we knew that our other 3 athletes who were racing, would give us some great energy when they arrived.
Not only did I finish the manuscript for my 3rd book but I started to promote my 2nd book. Writing is like many things in life - filled with emotions from being excited to hating the process to feeling so relieved when it's over and loving the final product. It's pretty cool how a white piece of paper can turn into a book.
OCTOBER '19
I wouldn't say that Kona was a bust. We actually managed to put together good performances at IM Kona. I had a PR swim and bike and was 4th/5th in my AG off the bike! Karel had a PR swim but just felt flat for the rest of the day. He dealt with his normal back issues and really suffered on the bike and run. He was very upset but with time, was able to move on from the race. We love Kona but plan to take a little break from racing on the big island. We feel so grateful for the 9 times (combined) that we have raced on teh big island. This year was just a bit too much for us emotionally.
Campy turned 12 years old and he is staying healthy, active and loving life. Thanks to his Czech Grandma who stayed with us for almost 90 days, Campy got to go on lots of walks, hikes and adventures.
NOVEMBER '19
It was great to have Karel's mom with us for so long as she fed us well and was a huge help around our house. With our coaching business, October, November and December are our busiest months so the extra help was really appreciated. Karel's mom is back in Czech now but thankfully, we have lots of her xmas cookies to enjoy in the freezer.
Although we got back into structured training (back to coaching ourselves), we also managed to fit in some exploring in the mountains. I'm so happy to report that I am back running injury free. Although I turned in my manuscript for my third book in late September, October and November were very stressful with a lot of editing.....a lot of editing. It felt like I was writing another book! But thankfully, the finish product is incredible and all of that hard work was worth it.
DECEMBER '19
If you are still reading this blog and have made it this far, thank you for sharing the past year with us. On one side of the coin, life was very tough to us this year. While things could always be worse, we were tested in so many ways. We endured a lot over the past 12-months. But on the other side, life kept going and we decided to keep going with it. As with any setback, struggle or stressor in life, you may not be able to change the situation but you can manage your thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Although we are athletes, we are also human. We can't do it all and life isn't perfect. Behind every training session, race performance or picture is also a behind-the-scenes story. Remembering that each one of us have our own behind-the scene moments, be kind to others and most of all, always take care of yourself and your own needs. 💓
And make sure to check out my social media channels tomorrow at 12pm EST when I announce the title of my next book!
2016 was an eventful year for us. It was hard to select our top moments so here are a few of our favorites memories each month (with links to the blog post) from last year.
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