A healthy commitment to training

A certain level of obsession is needed when it comes to dreaming big and working hard for goals. 

With the Ironman World Championship event now behind us, alongside the Olympics and many notable road running races and other athletic events, there's a good chance that you may aspire to achieve something incredible with your body in the next few years.

While this big dream of yours may excite the heck out of you, you also know it will require a lot of sacrifices, investments and hard work.....but that doesn't scare you.

Whereas some athletes choose words like "determination and passion" when speaking about their love for their sport, chasing a goal requires a high level of commitment and sometimes you may even feel addicted.

In the October 2016 issue of Triathlete magazine (pg 62.), Gloria Petruzzelli (who also happens to be my best friend and one outstanding clinical sports psychologist) says

"Addiction in this sense can be defined as engaging in an activity that can be pleasurable or start off pleasurable, then shift into becoming compulsive and noticeably interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships or health."

"Setting boundaries on training and having people outside of the triathlon world in your life can help keep you in check if that healthy balance gets off kilter......there's a point of diminishing returns for both your quality of life and your training" says Gloria.

Gloria suggests to complete this adapted compulsive exercise assessment, developed by the researchers in the UK, to see if you strongly agree more than you disagree, to better understand if your athletic compulsion is outweighing your commitment.

Although you will recognize aspects of yourself in these statements, says Triathlete, be mindful that commitment is a great thing but compulsion is not.

Agree or Disagree?

1. Whether it is in or out of my control, I feel extremely guilt when I miss or skip a training session.

2. If I can't fit in a training session on certain days, I will inevitably feel anxious, low, irritable or depressed.

3. My friends and family tell me they miss hanging out with me because I'm always training.

4. If I miss a training session, I always work to make up the volume or time the next session. 

5. My entire day is planned around when I have time to train and for how long.

6. I feel guilty if I use spare time to relax.

7. I hate recovery days.

"To ensure your training doesn't morph from a healthy outlet or goal to addictive/compulsive behavior...take an honest look at your training behaviors and consider if you are embracing healthy coping skills in all areas of your life" says Gloria. 

Note:

Nothing great will be achieved if you settle for mediocre, while always putting your own needs/goals second to others. Every athlete needs a high level of commitment to reach big goals, with the understanding that sacrifices and investments will be made. However, it is important to understand that the best version of yourself should not be displayed only when you are training for an event.

The purpose of this blog is to help you understand that you can still reach your dreams (even the big ones) by having a healthy (not obsessive/compulsive) commitment to training and to your sport.   

2016 IM Kona race report

After 30 minutes or so of visualization/music around 8pm, Karel was was out for his last sleep before race day. His pre-race dinner consisted of chicken and rice, which is typical and pretty simple. Oh, and of course something sweet, which was a big bite of a cranberry scone from Lava Java.

Race morning started with an alarm at 4am and Karel got out of bed to start the coffee. Karel didn't show any signs of nervousness, just the typical anxiousness of having to wait a few hours before the race start and the unknowns of race day.

Karel felt extremely prepared for this race as he knew every part of the course. This gave him a lot more confidence in terms of execution compared to last year in Kona. Also, no part of the course scared him, not even the marathon course. He wasn't afraid to "race" it but then again, he really respects the course and its elements, so managing effort and proper execution were critically important.

After digesting his favorite pre-race meal of a buttery croissant slathered with strawberry jam, we left our condo around 5:15am. Karel froze his bottles for special needs and frozen half of his bottles for his bike (3 of them) and then topped those off with fresh water in the morning.
We never advocate freezing bottles for a race as sometimes they do not unfreeze but in Kona, we knew they would unfreeze. 

I had pancakes before we left...because well, it's race day and pancakes are yummy on race day!

Karel never gets overwhelmed with details and he's not one to race with a plan. While details and planning may work for some athletes, Karel enjoys freedom when he races. No plan, no problem.

We made our walk to the back of the King K, which was exciting as we walked right by the finish line. The streets were packed and the sidewall by the ocean was already lined with spectators to watch the race start.

I dropped off Karel's special needs bags after giving him a big hug and a kiss before we parted ways. Karel is not a talker before a race so I let him do his thing so he could get into his zone, with his music pumping from his headphones. I told him where I would be for him to hand off his phone and pump after he got all his stuff situated in the transition area. 

The body marking process took a while and Karel didn't get into transition area until after 6am (it took over 40 minutes to get through all the lines). Karel pumped up his tires, placed his bottles on his bike and in his fuel belt (in bike to run bag) and put his Garmin computer on his bike. 

I texted Karel where I was standing (on the balcony by the King K pool) and he handed off his pump and phone and then he was off to get in his warm-up before lining up in the water at 6:50am for his wave start.

This is the look of "no more pictures...I need to go!"

Karel always wears my dad's favorite hat before a race. I have one too that I wear before my races. 

Although the process in the morning took a while, Karel didn't let it all get to him. He stayed calm and relaxed throughout the morning.

After getting through the crowds along Ali'i drive, I made my way back to the condo to watch the professional and age group swim starts. There were so many people, it was impossible to see anything around the pier so watching from my condo was the best option.
Instead, I watched live footage of the live footage.

A friend of ours, Will, who has worked with Karel for RETUL fits, was in town so he hung out with me all day. It was his first time watching Kona and he took some great pictures (on this blog). 

With this being my first time spectating at IM Kona, I had an idea of where I wanted to spectate to make sure I saw Karel, Justine and Leigh Ann. Watching the pro race was also a must on my spectating to-do list but I made sure to be in a location where it was easy to see the age group athletes and the Trimarnis out on the course. 

I made my way to the middle of Palani once the female age groupers started at 7:10am, so that I could see the professionals, and then age groupers, start the first 8 miles (in town) of the bike. Streaming the footage on my phone (thank goodness for portable chargers!), I could stay up to date with the race. 

Waiting for the athletes!

I had my phone ready to spot Karel as he is easy to see thanks to his super bright green helmet. Yes, we know it doesn't match the orange, and we all know how Karel loves to match, but it makes it really easy to see him coming. He's like a highlighter - can't miss him! 

With just a few miles on the out and back section on Kuakini, Karel was climbing back up Palani to make his way to the Queen K for the next 100+ miles of racing. 

I yelled "great swim!" to Karel as I knew he would be thrilled with his swim time of 1:08. Not knowing what the swim conditions would be like, Karel hoped to be under 1:10 in order to put himself in a better position on the bike. He was thrilled to see 1:08 for an ocean, non-wetsuit swim. This is huge progress for him. He said he never felt anxious in the swim and he lined up to the far left of the buoys to avoid the chaos of the swim. He found he could swim with a bit more clean water and he focused on swimming toward the turn buoy to keep him swimming the shortest distance possible. 

For the next few hours, I went back to my condo to eat and relax. Seeing the long day ahead of me, I didn't want to wear myself out with a workout or staying outside. The location of the Kona Plaza condo is perfect as it is right in the center of the race, which makes it easy to walk to/from on race day. We have stayed at this condo (different units) three times (2011, 2015, 2016) and we plan to stay there again when we come back in 2018 (yep, already planning our trip back here). 

I waited until the professionals made it to the energy lab (from the bike) before heading out to Huahalai street see them on nthe run (about 1/2 mile into the run).

The streets were slowly getting busy with spectators and I was so excited to see the male and female professionals. Although I've raced Kona 4 times, I have never "seen" the race so close before. I was having so much fun spectating without any need/feelings of wanting to race. 

After the professionals came by, I waited for Karel to come in off the bike. I kept refreshing Karel's phone (I used his phone for tracking, my phone for pictures/videos/updates) over and over and finally he came in. I never make assumptions when Karel races so it's hard to ever know if Karel is having a good or bad race. He has been able to successfully put together 6 Ironman races prior to Kona so honestly, I never really worry about Karel as he always seems to put everything together without any physical limiters on race day. 

Karel had 3 bottles of sport nutrition (~240-260 calories) on the bike, each with ~650mg of sodium. He also had 3 of the same bottles in special needs for the return trip home from Hawi. Karel said that the frozen bottles were still cool when he grabbed them, which was very refreshing. 

With no power or HR plan on the bike, Karel just rode by feel. He does have the data from the race but he doesn't look at it while he races. He rode extremely steady and managed his efforts. He said the winds were different from last year in Kona which just shows the unpredictability of this race. 

Karel didn't take any water from the first 2 aid stations (I wish he would have but oh well - what do I know? :) and then he started to grab water for sipping and cooling at every aid station. He took a few bites of a bar and a gel but other than that, he solely relied on liquid calories. 

When he reached Makala, after turning off the Queen K, he started to ease up to get himself ready for the run. Karel went into the run with a lot of confidence as he wasn't afraid of the 26.2 mile run course. He knew it would be hot, hilly and hard and he was mentally and physically ready for it.

Although Karel is one to get in and out of transition as quick as possible (free speed!), he said he took his time in T2 just to make sure he got everything he needed before he started the run. Karel wore a cooling towel around his neck (which he said was a lifesaver) so he wanted to make sure it was securely around his neck before he started the run. Karel said that spending a little extra time (no more than a minute) in T2, instead of bolting out of there, helped him feel relatively "fresh" after leaving the transition area.
He grabbed his lucky Cupcakes with Cal hat (which he has worn in every race since Kona last year), his Fuel belt (3 flasks) and put on his New Balance Zante V2 running shoes (which he absolutely loves - light but cushy). 

I wasn't sure how Karel felt about his 5:07.27 bike time but seeing that he was 178th AG out of the water and then 75th off the bike, I figured he was having a good race. Although his time was 2 minutes slower this year on the bike compared to last year, he felt he rode it a lot better and executed really well. We don't like to compare times year to year as every race is different but in terms of execution, Karel felt he rode the course strong and steady and made sure to deliver himself to the run, without feeling taxed. 

I was so happy to see Karel that I gave him a huge cheer. I didn't ask him any questions or run with him as I know from past races, he needs a few miles to get into his metronome style running, in order to settle into a rhythm. During this time, he doesn't like any distractions (even me!). I respect his racing style so I just gave him a cheer and jumped up and down to show my excitement.

Seeing that I had my road bike, I booked myself up Kuakini (with just my shoes on, not cycling shoes) and then down to Lunapule as I had 1.3 miles to cover before Karel covered 1 mile so that I could cheer for him again on the run. I timed it perfectly as he ran by me just as I turned on to Ali'i drive. 

Respecting the rule of no outside assistance, I rode my bike on the other side of the road (from the runners) and didn't cheer for Karel at all along Ali'i drive. I would ride ahead of him, take a picture or video and then let him go run for a while until I caught back up to him. Even though I was there, I never said one word to him. I knew he knew I was there but he didn't talk to me. He was focused!

I didn't intend to ride my bike along Ali'i drive but seeing that I have never seen Karel race the run in an IM before (aside from him running by me in an Ironman - always in the zone or me seeing him for a quick second like in IMMT), I couldn't help but takes lots of pictures and videos as I was in complete aw of his running mechanics, focus and determination.

Karel stopped at every aid station to take care of himself with ice, water and any other nutrition (coke/red bull - Karel does not like the taste of on course Gatorade). Karel was really moving between the aid stations but his mission was one aid station at a time, take care of himself, then get to the next aid station.

I forgot to mention that throughout the race, Karel consumed 4 Hot Shots (1 before the swim, 1 in T1, 1 in T2 and 1 on run course). He said he wished he would have brought one with him on the bike instead of taking one in T2.

I loved that he was cheering for a few of the female pro's as they ran by and I even heard him talk Czech to one of the Czech  athletes. I later asked him how much brain power that took to switch his mind from English to Czech during the race. Even though Czech is his first language, he said it was hard because he was mentally exhausted. Funny story - Karel ran by the Czech guy and in Czech, the guy told Karel he was now first Czech on the run. Karel was first overall Czech last year in Kona so it was exciting to see Karel regain his title again :)

Karel was running fast and he was passing a lot of people. I wasn't sure what would happen on the Queen K and in the energy lab for the next 16 miles but I stayed confident for Karel as he is a master at putting together a solid Ironman performance.
He is great at digging really deep. 

Karel was a man on a mission and I could tell he was extremely focused. 

When he returned back to Hualalai, I talked to him for the first time and asked him how he was feeling. 

He said "ehhh, I'm ok" but from the way he was running, I knew he was hurting from the effort but his form was absolutely perfect (his normal running style)...and he was moving! 

Karel fueled from his hydration belt (3 flasks) and also used on course nutrition. Although Karel hits an aid station about every 7-7.5 minutes, he wears his hydration belt so that he can drink when he wants to drink. It's like carrying around his own aid station of calories. 

In addition to keeping up with Karel's race, our two first ever IM Kona Trimarni athletes, Justine and Leigh Ann, were having incredible races. It was SO exciting to track them and I was SO relieved to see them on the run.  It's always a great feeling in a triathlon when the feet hit the pavement after swimming and biking. 

Go Justine!

Go Leigh Ann!

After watching Frodeno and Kienle come through for the finish, I went out on my bike to look for Leigh Ann and Justine on Ali'i drive but I never saw them as I was in a time crunch to get back and see Karel finish.

Karel said that the Queen K was typical, long and mentally tough but he persevered. There were two highlights of his run (not including the finish) and they were both in the energy lab.

First off, Peter Reid handed Karel a water, which was exciting. Karel thanked him.

Second, the Clif sponge station was a life saver. Karel said that the Clif sponges were so big and so cold that it was like getting a shower. The station was before/after the turn around so Karel took advantage of all those sponges and cooled himself twice in less than a few minutes. Karel even asked our Clif bar contact if he could take home a sponge for a souvenir as it saved him from being so hot.

Karel grabbed two more flasks from special needs and unlike last year, when he didn't freeze the bottles and they were extremely warm, his bottles this year were still chilled (thus tolerable). 

I stayed in the condo for a short time before making my way to the finish when Karel crossed the 2nd from last timing mat.

I did not want to miss his finish and I wanted to get as close as possible to the finish line to capture this exciting moment.

Karel told me that the last 3 miles were incredibly tough and he didn't think he would make it. He dug super deep but he made sure to continue to take care of himself at every aid station. Although his running pace wasn't slowing down, he was taking just a little extra time at the aid stations to take care of himself which slowed down his overall pace a bit. 

It was a relief to make it to the finish line. And this is unlike any other IM finish line.

This is THE Ironman World Championship finish line. 

You better believe that Karel enjoyed every inch of that finish chute. 

Karel was still running hard to the finish but he made sure to soak it all in as the race was hard but getting to Kona was even more difficult. All that hard work was paying off as that finish line came closer and closer.

An exhausted Karel.

SO proud!

I was so excited to reunite with my exhausted hubby, who was hurting from head to toe. Like usual, Karel doesn't keep track of his running paces/times so he was shocked when I told him that he ran 3:10. Later did we find out that he ended up 25th in his AG (40-44) out of 276  athletes (the biggest AG in Kona) and had the 7th fastest AG run.

Here are Karel's run's splits from his Garmin (he never looked at his watch during the race and had no pace goals for the run. He always runs by feel.):

6:30

6:51

6:46

6:53

6:59

6:51

6:54

7:02

6:57

7:05

7:40

7:20

7:28

7:20

7:52

7:19

7:29

7:34

7:45

7:42

7:38

7:30

7:31

7:34

7:40

6:38

Total: 3:10.09

Karel returned back to the condo (very slowly) and cleaned himself up, had some soup and rested for a short time before we made our way back to the finish to cheer on Leigh Ann and Justine.

All cleaned up and enjoying another croissant before heading out to cheer on the other athletes.

Out on the race course waiting for Justine and Leigh Ann.

Karel with his PPF family.

As a spectator, I had so much fun. I actually want to keep coming back just to watch this race in action and to continue to experience all the fun, hype and training opportunities on IM Kona week. I never once felt the need to be in the race as I was perfectly satisfied cheering for Karel, Justine and Leigh Ann - who all three had extremely great races with no issues!

In terms of Karel's consistency with IM racing, there's nothing abnormal about his training but his ability to suffer on race day is extraordinary. Karel doesn't obsess about methods of getting faster (diet, gear, training) but instead, he works hard but he also has a lot of patience. He isn't greedy with his fitness and he knows that he is still developing. No diet, gear or specific workouts are helping him excel. He doesn't seek marginal gains but instead, he works extremely hard, values recovery and easy days, fuels smart (always), eats well (croissants included) and trains consistently.

Karel actually put together a little race report so for the first time ever, here is a race report written by Karel.

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I'm very happy with this finish. I gave it my all and there was not much more I could have done for a better result.

Sure, I always want a better result but in all honesty, this was my best on that day. Especially considering that it was my 3rd Ironman race since the end of June, I'm happy with how my body held up this summer and how I was able to execute this race, given the conditions.

Swim - A big overall improvement this season for sure. Although I still feel there is a lot of room for more improvements. If I can get my swim time closer to to the front guys, it will set me up for a much better ride as I can then be in the "mix" to be able to "race" it. I will keep working on it.

Bike - It was as expected - pretty packed and frustrating at times but I knew it would be like that so I tried not to waste too much effort on being upset or angry. It just sucked at times when I would pass a large group of guys and work on my own for 20 min and then the same guys would just come back in their" group ride format" and I would be spent from my solo effort.  Because of this, I would often need some time to recuperate before I could ride strong again and try to move up. This happened towards the end where I worked on my own the last part of Queen K and then some 15 guys passed me by the airport. When I stood up to get "legally" on the train, I cramped in my quad (from the previous effort) and needed to settle in and shake it off. Then they were gone.

I'm still happy with the bike execution overall. I stopped at special needs to get my fresh bottles and I was glad I did!

Run - I took my time in T2 to make sure I had all I needed to start my run being calm and "cooler". I refreshed myself with ice cold water on my face and over my head and I also used the cooling towel around my neck. This was the first time I used the towel in a race and it was MONEY! I wet it with ice cold water and wrapped it around my neck and I could keep my race suit zipped up and I felt very comfortable. I never felt the sun hitting my neck! It took me a few seconds to put it on properly and under my suit but it was all worth it!

Once I started the run I quickly found a rhythm that felt good - light and fluent. I never cared about my pace or HR and the only thing I would focus on was form and a fluent stride. I have been doing this in all my races and it works very for me. Even when I hurt, I still try to find the most fluent stride and focus on a metronome style running.

The first part of the run in town went well and was moving through the crowds and picking up other athletes one by one. Palani Hill was not bad and I was able to manage my effort and run the whole thing with one quick stop at the aid station. I never missed an aid station on the run, except the last one on Palani before the finish. I would either stop for a moment to get what I needed or I would walk a few steps. It worked well.

I knew I could settle into a good rhythm again once I hit the Queen K on the downhill.  I was just focusing on one aid station after another aid station. I would take a quick stop or walk to get what I needed, and to reset my form, and then I would run to the next one. 

In the Energy lab, I started to feel very tired but I still tried to find the most "fluent" stride. On the way back into town, I was hurting very bad and it was extremely hard to keep going. On the last hill before the Palani, two guys who I passed before came back and I had to "race" them again. Not that it would matter too much as far as placing, I still didn't want to give up the 2 places. My racing mindset kicked in and I pushed the last mile very hard. I did lose them and picked up a few more guys along the way.

The finish line was awesome!
I really soaked it all in and I was glad I finished my 2nd Ironman World Championship.

2016 Ironman World Championship finisher

The behind-the-scenes moments of training for an Ironman are far less exciting compared to highlighted moment when an athlete crosses an Ironman finish line.

Nobody said that training for an Ironman will be easy (or racing in one) so you better believe that in order to prepare for a 140.6 mile event, sacrifices will be made, investments are necessary and you need a lot of determination, dedication, grit and perseverance.

In order to find success as an Ironman athlete, it is important to identify yourself as an athlete. Self-identity is extremely important as your habits and behaviors guide actions. When you struggle to identify yourself as an athlete, it's extremely easy to feel guilty when you make sacrifices and you can often make choices that do not always foster performance improvements.

Identifying yourself as athlete, especially as an adult, does not make you less of a mom, dad, employee, caretaker, boss or whatever other important role you have in life.

Competing for 140.6 miles is mentally and physically exhausting. It's quite understandable why all the many months of training, and long workouts to build endurance, are so necessary to prepare for the extreme event that is "Ironman".  Commitment to training, along possessing the motivation and discipline necessary for a high level of success in sport, is all based on self-identity as an athlete.

While it is not beneficial to have too strong of an athletic identity where you over-commit to training and lose your purpose of life (parent, spouse, employee, friend, etc.), sport can make you a better person and being an athlete can serve many positive roles in your life.

As a coach to Ironman athletes, a wife to an Ironman athlete and an Ironman athlete myself, I can tell you that having a strong identity as an athlete can improve performance but it also does not have to be at the expense of becoming less of who you are as a human being.

You can be a mom/dad AND an athlete.

You can be an employee/boss AND an athlete. 

You can be a brother/sister/friend AND an athlete.

Being an athlete is part of your lifestyle but it doesn't have to be your life. No one forces you to be an Ironman athlete - it's a choice. You WILL have to make all kinds of sacrifices in order to succeed. It is important to surround yourself with a strong support system, with a supportive team, who all understand your desire to excel in your sport.......because you are an athlete.

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What a season it's been for Karel. Three overall race wins (Toughman Half, Lake James 50, Mountains to Main Half) and two incredible Ironman performances within 8 weeks of one another (Ironman Austria and Ironman Mont Tremblant). And he topped it all off with a Kona qualifying race (and the fastest amateur male run split) at IMMT.

Just 6 weeks after IM Mont Tremblant, Karel arrived to the 2016 IM World Championship start line with a healthy body (despite a few niggles), a motivated mind and absolutely no expectations.

The nerves were low and the excitement was high.

Another opportunity to race in the Ironman World Championship and a 7th time to race in an Ironman.

Karel put together an incredible race performance to finish a very successful season.

As I mentioned on my Trimarni Facebook page, it may look as if Karel is a really fast Ironman runner based on his 3:10 IM Kona run time, which put him as the 7th fastest AG (40-44) run out of 246 AG finishers.

Certainly, with three "fast" Ironman marathon runs (3:06 at IM Austria, 8 weeks later, 3:08 at IMMT and 6 weeks later, 3:10 at IMKona), it's easy to assume that Karel is a resilient and fast runner off the bike.

But a better way of describing Karel's Ironman successes is that he has raced 7 Ironman distance triathlons since 2013 and he has never had a bad performance.

Karel is an athlete. He identifies himself as an athlete. His life isn't triathlon but triathlon is part of his life.

He is dedicated, disciplined and determined with everything that he does in life, including his sport.

With a well-deserved off-season in front of Karel, there's no other way to describe this season as it was a big SUCCESS.

Karel put together a solid swim, bike and run and outperformed his 2015 IM Kona race by 23 minutes.

Karel finished the swim in 1016th place in his gender (178th AG)

Karel finished the bike in 463rd place in his gender (75th AG)

Karel finished the run in 184th place in his gender (25th AG).

What a performance on a very tough course, under extreme racing conditions, among the best athletes in the world!

Although the finish line and post-race pictures show that all the hard work paid off, Karel and I will both tell you that the behind-the-scene moments included a lot of sacrifices, investments, tough workouts and patience. 

Being an athlete is tough but that finish line experience always makes it all worth it.

Karel's 2016 IM World Championship race report to come....

IM Kona '16: Day 10

The day has finally come! It's the day before THE Ironman World Championship.

I can't believe how quickly this week went by and now we only have one more sleep to go before 2000+ athletes from around the world compete for 140.6 miles on the big island of Kona. 

After a great night of sleep, I woke up around 6am. After Karel got up, shortly after, we enjoyed some coffee on our patio as we shared some oversized Trimarni pre-workout pancakes that I made while the coffee was brewing. Around 7:20am, Karel went out for his pre-race workout (ocean swim + ride) while I finished up some work on the computer.
Before my morning workout (which was a mini triathlon), I made a buffet of food for Karel to enjoy when he returned home from his workout. 

Waffles, scrambled eggs w/ tomatoes and cheese, yogurt w/ smashed mango, fruit fruit and oatmeal. 

As for my morning, my workout included a 25-minute swim, 75-minute bike, 40 minute run.

My plan was to swim, bike, run but it was all by feel (not by time).
I was joined by my friend Jennifer, from Ironman, for a ride on the Queen K and then I went out on Ali'i drive for a run.

I finished my workout around 11:30am, enjoyed breakfast and cleaned up before I headed out again for a food run. Croissants for Karel!
I also picked up some fresh fruit from the farmers market and fresh bread from Daylight Minds cafe. 

As soon as I returned back from my errands, Trimarni athlete Justine was at our condo ready to check in her bike. I accompanied her and her family (and friend Ginger, former Trimarni athlete) to bike check in and we met up with Trimarni athlete Leigh Ann.

After enjoying seeing my two Trimarni Kona athletes drop off their bikes and gear, I went back to the condo to get Karel so that I could be with him for his bike/gear bag check-in.

It's pretty cool to see how much work is being done to create the main stage of the Ironman here in Kona so I thought I'd share some pictures from throughout the day before the 2016 Ironman World Championship. 

Thank you to all the Trimarni fans who have been following us along during our time in Kona.
We really appreciate the support.
We also want to send a HUGE thank you to the companies who have played an integral part into our training/racing season:


Also, Boco Gear, Hot Shot, Mg12, Alto Cycling.

I'll be sharing updates throughout race day on my Trimarni Facebook page.
I encourage you to watch the LIVE footage of the Ironman at Ironman.com ALL day as I have a feeling this will be an exciting day of Ironman racing.

Start times (island time, 6 hours behind EST).

6:25am Race Start - Male Professional
6:30am Race Start - Female Professional
6:55am Race Start - Age Groups
7:10am Race Start - Age Groups Females/P.C. athletes 

IM Kona '16: Day 9

Starting a Kona blog with little to no clothes on can only mean one thing.....

It's Thursday of race week!

Which means it's time for the 2016 Ironman Underpants Run!!

While this Kona spectacle has turned into a looked-forward-to event among, well, everyone on the island, there is actually a story behind the Kona Underpants Run. 

My day started early as I biked to the Clif Bar base house at 5:50 to arrive by 6:10am to lead the Clif Bar media group (and my contact Lisa from Clif Bar) for a 4 mile from to town. The miles went by fast and before we knew it, we were in town just in time for me to take off some clothes to join my Trimarni teammies. 

The walk to the official start of the undie run (behind the King K hotel) is filled with laughs as the streets are filled with lots of well designed (and some, not so much) underwear "costumes". 

Even the doggies came out to participate. 

The UPR (underpants run) is a mix of enjoying running around with little clothes on, taking pictures and checking out what other athletes are (not) wearing. 

The actual "run" is about 1.5 miles (if that) and is a mix of jogging, walking and running. 

And a lot of picture taking. 

Trimarni athlete Justine designed our Splish Trimarni suits (which I absolutely love) and Karel ordered his jean-inspired speedo from Shinesty. 

Ali'i drive has never looked so good. 

Thank you Justine's hubby Eric for these great pics!

After the run, it was time to cool off in the ocean for a swim to the coffee boat. The media girls (and a few others) from Clif Bar wanted to experience the fun of swimming to the Clif Bar coffee boat so I lead the group out to the boat (about 500 yards out). I was really proud of a few of the girls who had never swam in open water before!

While I just love swimming, this swim was extra special as we not only saw dolphins but the dolphins put on a show for us with lots of twists and flips. It was totally unreal and so hard to describe but it will go down as one of my top moments in life that I never want to forget. Thank you dolphins!

And if swimming with dolphins wasn't enough, I received some puppy kisses in the ocean. 

I love swimming but it's even better when you can get a little love from a furry friend. Thanks A.J. for making my day!

After the run/swim, it was finally time to head back to the Clif Bar base camp house for breakfast. 

Talk about a delish breakfast!

But then again, I'm not surprised at the goodness of our breakfast meal as Clif Bar takes pride in real, locally sourced, food.


These Acai bowls were amazing!

After breakfast, we were introduced to a few new Clif Bar products (coming out in 2017 - stay tuned!) and then I gave a nutrition talk at the Base Camp house regarding the diets of Ironman athletes, how Ironman athletes fuel before, during and after the race (and training) and a few tricks/tips of Ironman athletes. The media girls asked some great questions. 

Around 12:30pm, it was time for me to bike back to my condo to get a few things done before heading off at 3:30pm (on our bikes) to the PPF house for a pre-race talk by Matt Dixon. 

Matt gives the best pre-race talks, always filled with great advice. 

After the meeting, Karel and I biked down the hill to the Clif Bar base camp house for a lovely dinner with the Clif Bar family (including Gary Erickson and his wife Kit - the creator of Clif Bar)

Karel only stayed for a short time before heading back to our condo (on his bike) to attend the athlete banquet with Trimarni athlete Leigh Ann. Karel also stayed for the 8pm mandatory athlete briefing. 

When I finally returned home from a full day of activities around 8:30pm, I had a chance to unload my box and bag of goodies from Clif Bar, including a lot of items from ROKA, Under Armour, Hoka, Zoot and Garmin.

Thank you Clif Bar for being more than a company that makes "products".

You make great tasting food, made with organic ingredients, to fuel active lifestyles.

You care about the planet.
You care about people.
You care about farmers.
You care about food.
You care about athletes.

My 5th IM Kona, as a first time non-participating athlete, has been a special one thanks to being here with my Clif Bar family. 

IM Kona '16: Day 8

The town of Kailua Kona is getting crazy. Crazy busy that is.
There is so much going on all day every day, that it's hard to not be overly busy all day. 

On Wednesday morning, we started the day with a 7am swim at the pier. 

No surprise, it was packed. 

Every where you look, there is signage and booths. 

We met up with the PPF crew for a quick talk by Matt regarding sighting (hint: don't sight just for buoys, sight on landmarks by your turn buoys and by the finish to help keep you on course) and then we were off into the water for a 25-30 minute swim w/ a few efforts. 

Justine and I did our efforts together (with a stop at the Clif Bar coffee boat for a refreshment mid swim) which included 6 x 3 min strong efforts w/ rest as needed in between. 

After the swim, we quickly changed into our cycling gear for a ride. 

Karel joined us for just the warm-up and then he was off. Leigh Ann and Justine both included 3 x 6 min build efforts w/ 4 min EZ in between for a 75 minute ride.
I rode along for the company. 

Gotta be on the look out for Paparazzi! 

They are everywhere!



Even on the side of the road on the Queen K hwy. 

Since we didn't ride too far past the airport, the winds stayed relatively calm for all three intervals. 

Karel had to make sure he took his obligatory lava field photos with his bike.

We finished the ride just before 10am which meant a quick shower and smoothie (I'm loving adding papaya to my whey and milk smoothies - so creamy!) before heading to the expo. 

Clif Bar asked me to take part in the nutrition expo panel at 11am to talk about the on course sport nutrition products for the IM athletes, specific to Clif Bar. 

I was joined on stage by Gatorade, Base Performance and Hot Shot.

Karel came to the expo soon after I started the talk so it was nice to see him in the audience. By 11:30am, we were done so it was time to finally check out the IM Kona expo. 

Karel is loving all of the bike stuff in Kona. It's hard to stump Karel with a bike question as he knows everything and anything about bikes because he is always learning, researching and staying up-to-date with all things bikes. 

We had a few hours of downtime before it was time to get on our bikes and head to the Clif Bar BBQ. So much to do! 

It's easy to bump into familiar faces in Kona. Hello Colleen! 

It was so great to hang out with some familiar faces and to get some IM Kona advice (for our first timers Justine and Leigh Ann) from Linsey Corbin and Sarah Piampiano. 

We enjoyed some salted watermelon non-alcoholic drinks to keep us cool while noshing on some fresh fruit. 

We are rooting for Clif Bar CEO Kevin who will be racing his first IM World Championship on Saturday (2nd Ironman). It's pretty cool to see a CEO do an IM but I think this just speaks about the lifestyle of the Clif Bar employees in that this company breaths and lives physical activity. 

I was super happy to connect with my friend/Clif Bar contact Lisa, who will be keeping me busy on Thursday with some Clif Bar activities. 

After the BBQ, it was time to relax after a long day of well, having a lot of fun.

I want to send a huge shout out to Boco Gear for hooking us up with the full line of the 2016 Kona limited edition hats.

You can make your purchase for a stylish, functional and comfortable hat HERE.

The next blog post will feature the famous underpants run!

IM Kona '16: Day 7

IM Kona race week is nuts.
Until you are here in Kona to experience the craziness in which athletes from all over the world take-over Ali'i drive, it's really hard to describe what it is like here in Kona during this week.
Seeing that triathletes are extremely passionate about swim/bike/run and ALL gear and products related to the sport, this island feeds any triathlon addiction and you simply feel "normal" all week as you are surrounded by thousands of other like-minded individuals. 

I say all of this as a 4x Ironman World Championship finisher but also as a first time spectator.
I'm overwhelmed by all the stuff going on and I'm not even racing! :)

There's really no other way to describe this week as it's filled with so many to-do's.....funny enough, many of which have nothing to do with race day! There is no much hype going on with the Ironman World Championship and it's so easy to be busy all day, every day.

Our athletes are sticking to their training while still making a little time to experience everything going on here in Kona.

On Tuesday morning, we planned a 40-45 minute run at the energy lab for Justine and Leigh Ann to see the 4 miles that they will cover from mile 16-20 of the marathon run of the Ironman but first we made a stop at the Levelen house for sweat testing.

I have always wanted to get a sweat test for more concrete analysis of how much fluid and electrolytes I (and my athletes) loose during training. I have had great success in working with athletes and adjusting their sodium and fluids based on things like urination, weight loss, etc. but this takes away the guessing. Oddly enough, my athletes and Karel were almost spot-on with replacing their electrolytes per my recommendations of how much salt I have them add to their drinks.

Certainly, here in Kona, fluid loss is extreme so most athletes will drink at least 1/2 - 1 full bottle of water per hour in addition to a bottle of sport nutrition.

I'm hoping to incorporate sweat testing into my nutrition services where I can use a system to test my athletes so stay tuned.
Thank you Levelen for introducing us to a great system of dialing in sport nutrition to optimize performance!

The method of sweat testing:
-Get naked and weigh yourself
-Weigh all bottles that you will use during training (and fluids)
-Put on the patch to collect sweat (fluids and electrolytes)
-Go workout
-Weigh yourself for fluids lost
-Remove patch, get it analyzed
-Get your results
-Adjust your nutrition protocol as needed

My results below.

After we left Levelen, we drove to the energy lab (6 miles from Palani drive) and we parked at the parking lot at the end of the main road of the energy lab). 

It was nearing 8:30am and it was warm and a little windy. Certainly not extreme conditions for the "natural energy" portion of the island.

After a dynamic warm-up, we went off for our run workout:
10 min EZ jog

Stretch it out

MS: 3 x 6 min build to strong effort w/ 4 min EZ jog/walk in between
CD
Total 45 minutes

The energy lab has a slight net decline for about a mile off Queen K (which occurs at mile 16 of the IM run course) and then it veers to the right to finish up the out section of the energy lab. Special needs is at mile 18. Then it's a slight incline back up to mile 20 to exit the energy lab for the last 6 miles of the IM run course on the Queen K, to Palani and back into town to the finish. 

It's been very special to share this all with my athletes (and Karel) as everything is so new to Justine and Leigh Ann so we are trying to give them every tip and trick and suggestion for the best race performance, execution and experience possible. 

Leigh Ann's athlete (she is also a coach) Mike ran with Karel - two speedsters!

After a hot and sweaty run, it was time to return back to Levelen to turn in our sweat samples. 

After we returned back to our condo (Kona Plaza) we walked to the pier for Justine and Leigh Ann to see the main stage (start/finish area) of the IM World Championship for the first time. 

With SO many triathletes everywhere, it's hard not to bump into familiar faces. It was great to see Trimarni campers Alex and Angie who are here in Kona to spectate. 

Since this was the first time for our athletes to be in the ocean, we let them play around for a 15-20 minute "splash" to see the fishes and to experience the beauty of swimming in the Kona ocean. 

Yay pink.....

After getting some food into our bellies, I accompanied Karel to registration until I was no longer allowed to cross the line "Athletes only". 

In the mean time, I snapped some pics. 

Official!!! 

Karel is now officially an IM World Championship participant for the 2nd year in a row. 

Around 5pm, it was time for the Parade of Nations where we watched athletes from all over the world walk down Ali'i drive. 

Go CZECH! :) 

Mike Reilly cheering on the athletes

GO USA!

For dinner, we made edamame and plain pasta w/ veggies which was delicious.
It was a long day so we were asleep by 9:30pm in order to get a good night of rest before another exciting day in Kona. 

IM Kona '16: Day 6

With race week finally here, I couldn't wait for my first race week workout. Yeah yeah, I know I am not racing but you can't take the athlete out of me. With this being my 5th time in Kona but first time not racing, I'm full of energy and loving every opportunity to train on the big island, while being surrounded by so many fit and inspiring athletes.

As you may know, Matt Dixon has been a long time mentor of ours and a coach to Karel for the past 2 years. We have learned so much from him and over the past year, we have had a few opportunities to train under his one-on-one guidance. Learning from a coach like Matt, who has so much experience, makes us better coaches. And we are incredibly grateful for the opportunities that he has given us. 

 Being able to participate in group workouts on the big island, open to the IM Kona PPF athletes and friends/family, makes being here a lot more fun. 

With Trimarni athletes Leigh Ann and Justine excited to participate in a PPF group swim workout, lead under the coaching of Matt at the Kona pool, we had planned to meet at the Kona pool at 7:45am for the 8am swim.

Last minute, Karel told me that he had received an email update that there would be a swim at 7:15am at the pool for "fast" swimmers. 

Karel told me I should participate so I figured, why not.

Well, when I showed up, Matt directed me (and PPF age group athlete Philip) to the middle lane where he told me "You will swim with the professionals".

After warm-up, I noticed that I was sharing a lane with Sarah Piampiano, Tim Reed and Jesse Thomas. What a highlight as a triathlete who loves to swim. I was in my happy place with some incredibly talented and fast athletes! 

After my 3600 yard swim workout, I cooled down a bit before joining Karel, Leigh Ann and Justine. I stayed in the back of the lane as I was just swimming just to swim.

Yes, I really do love swimming that much :) 

5700 yards later, I was officially done with my double swim workout and we snapped a quick pick with Matt (thank goodness he wasn't charging yet for pictures - hehe :). 

After our swim, we biked back to our condo (just a few minutes down the road), dropped off our swim stuff in our condo and headed out on Ali'i drive for a preview of the run course and start of the bike course. 

This race course is really unique in that you can actually train or see every mile of the 140.6 mile race course. 

 

After our morning workout, it was time to eat, make a few phone calls and then relax for a short time before heading out to Ali'i drive to check out some vendors before the official IM Kona expo opening tomorrow. 

With tomorrow as the first day for the athletes to check in and the opening of the IM Kona expo, I am excited to see familiar faces and to view some new products/gear in the expo.
I have no doubt that the expo will be all the buzz around town with the latest and greatest in triathlon "stuff".



Like BlueSeventy with their new short sleeve swim skin.



And Ceramic Speed, who offers the only 17-tooth pulley wheel system on the market with the oover sized pulley wheel system (OSPW) and UFO chains.

Karel is like a kid in the candy store here in Kona. He loves talking "bikes".

IM Kona '16: Day 5

With our Trimarni athletes in town (both first time IM Kona athletes), we planned their first workout on the big island with a ride to Hawi. 

Justine and Leigh Ann both wanted to experience the winds in Hawi, which we really appreciated as they want to be as physically and mentally prepared for the many elements that they will encounter on race day.

We drove to the Mauna Lani shops to park the car, before making our way out on the Queen K before turning off, on to Kawaihae. 

We love our Alto Cycling wheels! 

Before heading out on the ride, Karel gave our athletes a bit of a refresher for how to ride in the winds. 

No, you do not lean your bike against the wind. You let your bike go with the wind direction and then you counteract the wind by shifting your weight toward the wind while counter-steering to keep your bike riding straight without feeling like you are getting blown off the road with your bike. 

Thinking that we would get some strong winds when we hit Hawi, we actually had some nasty winds right when we started the bike. Even with drafting off Karel, the winds were blowing.

We recollected ourselves before turning toward Hawi and then enjoyed a mile of flying downhill (without wind) before making the turn off to start the "official" climb to Hawi. 

Oh Kona....you are so unpredictable! 

After a few miles of very calm conditions, Karel went off on his own while Justine and Leigh Ann took mental notes of the 18 mile climb up to Hawi. 

It's not a true uphill climb but you feel like you are going "up" to Hawi. 

We enjoyed about 8 miles or so of very calm conditions with no white caps to spot in the ocean (indicating calm winds), until the wind started to pick up.

Here are a few pics of our climb up to Hawi before my hands needed to stay on my handlebars while navigating the windy conditions. 

With around 7 miles to go, the rain started to fall and it was very refreshing to cool down our body temp. Perhaps in any other Ironman, athletes may dread rain on the bike course but in Hawi, it is very welcomed as it helps reduce core body temp before the hottest part of the course is reached in the mile before turning back on to the Queen K.

The ride back down from Hawi was fast but it did include a few strong gusts of wind. I wasn't the windiest conditions that I have ever experienced but it's always a bit of a shock to the mind/body to ride through the Hawi winds, while descending down a hill. 

Karel and I were extremely impressed with Justine and Leigh Ann who learned a lot about this section of the IM Kona course, but also how they performed during their first ride in Kona. Well done ladies! All those variable cadence workouts are now paying off!

The pink crew! 

Coach Karel.....who is always happy on two wheels. 

Yay - tail wind heading back to our car. 

After the ride, it was time for a run.
15 minutes of 5 min EZ, 5 min steady, 5 min build.

Karel and I talked about the course for the 28 miles back home (on the Queen K). 

Karel made himself a delicious mashed potato, chicken and salad meal for the middle of the afternoon, which totally hit the spot after his 3 hour bike + 15 min run. 

Most of the afternoon for Karel is spent indoor, in the AC, relaxing but we do try to get out sometime in the evening to enjoy the Kona sunset. 

You never know who you will bump into on Ali'i drive....hello Sarah Piampiano. 

And Natascha Badmann! Her first Kona was in 1996! So sad that this will be her last IM Kona. She is a bright light in this sport who always brings a smile to race day. 

The town is really coming together to let everyone know IM World Championship race week is almost here! 

There is Karel! 

Waiting for the sunset. 

Getting some puppy love. 

Almost time.

There it is! 

So beautiful.

Until tomorrow Kona. 

IM Kona '16 - day 3 and 4

Friday couldn't come fast enough as it was our first ocean swim since last year, when we both participated in the 2015 IM World Championship.

If you have never been to Kona, it's hard to describe what it's like to swim here but my best description is that it's like swimming in a fish tank.

The water is crystal clear. 

You can see the bottom of the ocean floor. 

And there are no shortage of colors fishes.

I encourage anyone who is afraid to swim in open water to come to Kona as the perfect way to get comfortable swimming in open water. It's SO fun to swim here!

Staying at the Kona Plaza Condos (for the 3rd time) makes it so easy to get around. Since we don't have a car for this trip, we can easily walk everywhere. 

Just a few minutes later from leaving our condo, we made our way to the pier (aka "dig me beach").

Because of our very late night (and not getting to bed until around 11:30pm Kona time), we slept in until 7am and didn't make it to the pier until around 8:30am. 

However, there were no shortage of swimmers in the ocean.

Every day there are more athletes on the island and the energy builds every hour. I am so excited to connect with my Clif Bar family next week and see lots of familiar athlete/friend faces. 

Loving my Splish custom Trimarni two piece swim suit (thanks Trimarni Kona bound athlete Justine for designing them!) 

After the swim, Karel walked back to the condo and I hung out at the beach for another 30 minutes....just relaxing. 

It's funny because I often find myself resorting to athlete-mode and wanting to stay inside with Karel but then I remind myself that I am not racing and I am allowed to be outside and I can be as active as I want here. 

I brought a pop of color to Kona with my Forehand Oakley sunglasses. 

After a productive afternoon on the computer (yep, there's no vacation from being a small business owner), I walked up to the Sack N Save grocery store to fill in some empty spots in our refrigerator.

After paying for all my groceries, it dawned on me that I would be carrying home 4 heavy bags of food items 0.7 miles back to our condo.

I guess you could say that was my 2nd workout of the day.

I then spent some time chopping fruit (see bottom shelf of fridge) for easy snacking. 

Karel made himself a great dinner of chicken, white rice, stir fry veggies and fresh bread (from Daylight Mind Cafe) while I went out for my typical Friday night (clear the mind) evening run. 

I ran up Kuakini hwy (which is the "in town" section of the start of the IM bike course) just so that I could catch an uphill view of the sunset.

I'm sure if you are following anyone on social media, you have seen no shortage of sunset pictures from Kona :) 

After a 40 minute run (+ an additional 30 minutes of chatting with Elyse on Ali'i drive for her first workout in Kona after landing just a short time prior to when I spotted her in our condo parking lot), she is first time IM Kona athlete, wahoo!), it was time to eat.

After my run, I had a similar dinner to Karel, except hard boiled eggs instead of chicken and then we relaxed for a little bit before an early 8:30pm bedtime. 

With my main event happening on Saturday October 1st (just one week out from the IM World Championship), I was super excited to be an athlete for a morning race.

I made sure to fuel smart the night prior and race day morning and my Trimarni pre-workout pancakes are really hitting the spot before my workouts. Then again, when do pancakes not hit the spot???

Karel and I participated in the Ho'ala Ironman Training swim last year and found it extremely valuable to be in a mass start, in the ocean and to swim 2.4 miles on the IM swim course. We couldn't pass up the opportunity again this year. We registered a few weeks ago as there were no sign-ups on race day. 

We walked over to the pier with Elyse to get our packet for the race around 6am, for the 7am (which turned into 7:15am) swim start. 

The swim was just like any other open water race swim - anticipation for when the gun would go off, treading water for what felt like forever, the chaos of swimming with a bunch of fast/strong swimmers and then trying to navigate through the ocean to sight just a few buoys which made up a 2.4 mile swim course.

I swam really strong from start to finish, saving nothing and leaving it all out in the water. I found myself getting off course a few times but then also, swimming alone on purpose as I was trying to swim in the straightest line possible. Swimming in open water, in the ocean, certainly has it's challenges as you have to be very strong to fight whatever conditions come your way.

Surprisingly, I felt good and never felt tired. I managed to pick up the effort on the way back and passed a lot of people. I was really proud of myself and I felt determined to get as close to an hour as possible (my fastest IM Kona swim time has been 1:06 - I think) as the water was semi-calm so it made for a fast swim day. 

Karel and I both had great swims and we were both really happy with how the morning turned out in the deep blue sea. Karel has come very far with his swimming in the past year and I'm always so proud of him when he knocks of time as it's not necessarily a sign that he is getting faster but that he is able to swim more efficient in open water with better form, without getting too fatigued. 

There was a nice showing of age group athletes, mixed in with some professionals (results here) and a few familiar faces like the one and only, Bob Babbitt. 

No, Karel did not get that off course on the swim. His Garmin always shows a longer distance in open water. 

After our swim, we went back to the condo to check on our athletes at IM Maryland (who both finished after a very challenging day of racing - emotionally and physically) and then headed out for a 50-60 minute easy run.

As I mentioned prior, I have been doing all of Karel's workouts this week, which is great because I am able to maintain great fitness but I can also spend some quality time with Karel as he gears up for his 2nd IM World Championship (and 3rd IM since June). 

We headed up Palani, from our condo on Kuakini, and then turned on to the Queen K hwy. The heat was mighty strong at 9:30am! 

Running back on the Queen K hwy up the never ending looooongg incline before making a right on to Palani drive. 

It's not that often that you have the opportunity to train on every mile of an IM race course before race day but in Kona, you certainly have that opportunity.

Karel and I finished our run just as if he was finishing the IM but we stopped just shy of the "finish line" to head back to our condo after 55 minutes of easy running (well, for one of us :) 

After our run, I made Karel an awesome breakfast of French toast, scrambled eggs and fresh fruit.

Karel rested for a little bit before we headed out on Ali'i drive for a croissant run. As you know, Karel loves croissants and he likes to eat one on race day morning so we ventured out to find some...and luckily, Lava Java had some in stock. Of course, Karel needs to "test" the croissants ahead of time :)

Around 3pm, Karel and I sat down with Stephen Black of Rocky Mountain Human Performance outside our condo at the Kope Lani coffee, as we had recently connected via social media. We, at Trimarni, are always looking for great resources for our athletes and for us, and we were really excited to learn about Stephen and his many years of triathlon experience, working with challenged athletes and his extensive career in working with injured athletes.

Around 4pm, Karel and I made our way down to Tri Bike Transport (behind the IM Expo - which will open on Monday) to meet up with Trimarni athletes Justine and Leigh Ann who just arrived to Kona...for the first time.



We are so excited to share this IM World Championship experience with these two hard working Trimarni athletes who earned their spot on the IM Kona start line.

After sending Leigh Ann and Justine off for a 20-30 minute shake-out run after a long day of traveling, Karel went back to the condo and I made another trip to the grocery for a few more items (and coffee) to last us the next few days.

I'm excited to be back on my bike tomorrow as we make our way north on the island to see what the Hawi winds have in store for us as we ride the back half of the IM Kona race course.

IM Kona '16 - day 2

After a great night of sleeping, I woke up around 5:30am (Karel woke up at 5am) and started the day with a cup of coffee and a pre-workout snack of my pre-workout pancakes (I made a big batch to save some for after the workout).

We headed out for our run around 7am, which felt like the middle of the morning as it was already warm. It wasn't too long before we were sweating along Ali'i drive. 

Since my training is based on Karel's training right now, I modified his workout as follows:

Karel:

MS: 2 x 15 min Z3+ w/ 10 min EZ in between

Total: 70 minutes

Marni:

MS 2x's: (3 x 5 min at strong effort w/ 30 sec walk in between) w/ 5 min EZ between rounds

Total: 65 minutes

Karel started the run a few minutes before me, as if he was running out of T2 on race day whereas I started the run from our condo to Hualalai to Ali'i drive. Karel eventually passed me as he was finishing up his easy section of the main set and I was about to start my 2nd round of 3 x 5 minutes. 

We both finished around the same time, by the Royal Kona resort and jogged home together to our condo. 

Thank goodness for hydration belts to keep us well hydrated when running in the Kona heat!

Here's my video on why you should wear a hydration belt.

It was a quick change out of sweaty running clothes, into cycling clothes. 

We headed out on the bike course, via Makala blvd and made a left onto the Queen K hwy for a smooth effort, 1:45 spin. 

The winds were not as gusty at this time of the day compared to yesterday which made for an easier all around effort compared to our/my workout yesterday. 

After officially cleaning up from almost 3 hours of training, it was finally time to eat!

Brunch with a view. I just love eating outside on our patio while overlooking the ocean (which is also the Ironman swim course).

The next few hours went by fast as we had some work to get done but then it was time for a 7+ hour tour to the Observatory at Mauna Kea. 

Mauna Kea sits in the middle of the island so it took our 14-passenger tour bus around 1:45 to get to 9,000 feet, at the visitor center. 

It was really neat to see different sights of the island, with no shortage of ohhs and awws. 

As we entered into the clouds, you could feel the temperature drop through the windows.

It was a shock to feel the sudden drop of temps (around 45-50 degrees) at the visitor center. 

Our tour gave us vegetarian lasagna and brownies for a dinner around 5pm - both were delicious and very filling. 

The rare Silversword plant.

After hanging out at our "base camp" for an hour. We made our way up a gravel road (which eventually turned to pavement) and after 30 minutes of driving, we were almost to the top. 

Getting colder!

At just over 13,000 feet, the air was crisp, it was SO cold and it was a little tough to breath. But the sights of sunset were amazing. 

A view of all the telescopes. 

I'll let the next few pictures speak for themselves. After the sunset, we gazed at the stars through some technology advanced telescopes - which was unreal.

Around 10:45pm, we arrived back at the Kona International Market to end our  tour. 

What an adventure! 

IM Kona '16 - Day 1

With my day starting at 3am on Wednesday, I had to wait a few hours before the sun to rise so I made myself useful by working on the computer until Karel woke-up around 5am.

My body was confused on the time zone so I had a few snacks between 3-5am before an official pre-workout snack. 

With a strong swim at the aquatic center on the schedule, I had a bowl of oatmeal w/ chopped figs and a drizzle of nut butter as a pre-workout snack. 

Karel and I rode to the aquatic center on our bikes (around a mile) and managed to find a lane to share. The pool wasn't packed but it was still busy with both pools having all lanes occupied.
We also spotted our friend Jana (Czech chick) who arrived about 30 minutes after us. It was nice to see a familiar face. 

The pool was not cold so it was easy to get in but it sure got warm as our workout continued. 

After a warm-up and two pre-sets, we had some fun with our main set (which we have done a few times - it's a great set for working on pacing, finding a rhythm and giving a hard effort when asked):

100 at 70%

100 at 80%

100 at 90%

100 at 70%

100 at 80%

2x100 at 90%

100 at 70%

100 at 80%

3x100 at 90%

100 at 70%

100 at 80%

4x100 at 90%

All 10 seconds rest

1 minute rest

400 paddles - strong effort

4500 yards total

Karel, how do you really feel about that swim workout? 

I like being a spectathlete - I get to train and I don't have to stress about saving anything for race day. But lucky me, I have Karel as a training partner so my butt will be kicked with some upcoming bike and run workouts. But for now, I get to kick Karel's butt in the pool :) 

After our 7:15 am swim workout, we returned home to our condo and I made a delicious papaya and banana whey protein smoothie which hit the spot.

We both got some work done while eating breakfast and around 10:30am, we made our way toward the Farmer's market and Daylight Mind coffee company for some fresh produce and bread. 

Decisions, decisions. 

So much fruit! 

Around 11:30am, we got ourselves ready for workout #2 which included 2 hours of intervals (6 x 8 minutes build by 2 to Z3/Z4) w/ 5 min EZ in between) on the Queen K hwy. We made a quick stop at Bike Works to purchase a few CO2s. 

I was able to take some pictures during our warm-up as we had a nice strong tailwind to push us along (fast!) with easy effort on the pedals. 

Tail wind out....means a strong headwind coming back! 

The rest of the ride included me trying to stay on Karel's wheel. I was semi successful for a few of his efforts. 

Drafting off Karel's wheel is hard enough but now with my road bike in Kona, I was certainly at an aero disadvantage. 

But I came here to work on my bike handling skills and to become a better rider in Kona - thanks to Karel being supportive and letting me join him (and soft pedaling for me in the 5 minute recovery between intervals). 

It was an incredible experience to be able to push hard in Kona as I have been here 4 times prior and have never been able to go hard here, except on race day. 

Karel said he felt good - better as the ride went on compared to when he started. 

We had a lot of headwind coming back but with a few miles left before we got into town, we finally got a little help as the wind died down.....a little. 

After our ride, we had a few things to get done with our coaching athletes and then I got busy in the  kitchen to prep some food (fruit salad and veggie salad). 

This is a mega pineapple and SO juicy!

Karel and I made our way downtown in the evening before another quick grocery store stop and then it was time to finally relax for the rest of the evening. 

IM Kona '16 - travel day

The day before travel is always stressful. Packing, cleaning, finishing up work to-do's and of course, getting our furry crew together for a 1-mile trip down the road to "Grandma's".

After a busy Monday, it was finally time for our trip to Kona on September 27th.

Flying out of our local airport (Greenville/Spartanburg) makes for a smooth start to traveling. The airport is small, which means we can get through parking, check-in, security and then to our gate in less than 30 minutes (if that long!) but everyone is super nice. It is a pleasant flying experience! 

With a 14-hour travel day ahead (divided into 3 flights - Greenville to Atlanta to Honolulu to Kona) I made sure to stay hydrated with a water bottle that I continually kept filled throughout our entire travel. 

Karel and I both sported our new Trimarni Kona crew t-shirts, which made for a lot of friendly conversations throughout our travel....."You do all of that in one day????"

I made sure to bring lots of snacks for our travel but I also planned for us to get food at the airport before our 9 hour flight from Atlanta to Honolulu.

I made a snack bag for me and for Karel. In my snack bag, I had fruit (grapes, strawberries, apple slices), carrots and celery, trail mix w/ raisins and granola chunks, a waffle sandwich (breakfast), dark chocolate chunks and chocolate covered almonds, dried figs and a variety of bars.

We stopped at a bistro in terminal E at the Atlanta airport for a delicious super food kale based salad for me and a tuna sandwich for Karel. 

We got the meal to go to eat on the airplane. 

Karel made sure to find a pastry and coffee for his mid morning fuel before a long flight to Hawaii.

Big plane!!

Karel and I love each other but we also really love having aisle seats. On our long flights, I always choose two aisle seats (I try to get them next to each other but sometimes we are one set behind each other) so we both can get up when we want, without having to bother each other, or anyone else. 

Although a 9-hour flight sounds miserable, I was actually really looking forward to the opportunity to be disconnected to the world and to relax by watching movies for 9 hours - two things I never get to do! 

We were served lunch on the plane but Delta messed up my request for a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal so I had to settled for their set "meat free" option (even though I am a vegetarian and Delta has a meat free option, I always call ahead for the lacto-ovo vegetarian meal option as Delta makes healthy, light and delicious meals with this special request).
The cheesy pasta dish was good but I wasn't in the mood for something so heavy while sitting for 9 hours. I ate 1/2 of it (and the salad...errrr, 2 pieces of lettuce and two tomato slices) and gave everything else to Karel. Karel got the chicken salad which included a side of shrimp.

I snacked on my fruit, veggies and had my salad and finished off my bag of trail mix. I was never super full but also never super hungry by eating every few hours.

Check out my 3 travel tips for athletes video. 

After a looooong flight and 4 movies watched, we finally arrived in Honolulu. Hello palm trees and fresh air. 

Karel was told by his massage therapist that he should get a massage immediately after his long flight, to help his back and hips (which have needed ongoing attention all summer). After we purchased a yogurt and fruit smoothie (to share), we came across a chair massage and for $2 for 8 minutes, Karel was in for one great massage......seriously, he said it was amazing. :) 

With one last (very short) flight hop from Honolulu to Kona, we finally made it to the big island!!!

This is my 5th time walking off a plane to the big island for the IM World Championship but as a first time spectator (not racing), I can say that it still feels magical! 

Karel's 3rd time to Kona and 2nd time racing in the IM World Championship. So excited to be on the sidelines to cheer him on (and our two athletes Justine and Leigh Ann - first time IM Kona athletes). 

There's something special about an outside airport. 

We had arranged a cab (van) from Kona Taxi to pick us up to eliminate the stress of getting a rental car (we did an off-site rental car for pick up on Friday) so within 10 minutes of arriving and receiving our luggage and bikes, we were in the cab in route to the Kona Plaza condos on Ali'i drive.

Eight miles later and before 6pm we were unloaded in our condo and ready to move our body. 

Perfect timing - the Kona sunset!

Enjoying the view for a 40 minute shake out run on Ali'i drive. 

We made a quick stop to the grocery store in the evening to pick up a few items and for dinner, I made a refreshing fruit salad w/ yogurt and granola.

I managed to stay up until 8;30pm (2:30am EST) and then I was out (Karel went to be around 8pm).
My body, however, was confused so my first official morning in Kona started at 3am Hawaiian time as I was UP and ready to get the day started. 

Stay up-to-date with us in Kona and throughout our IM Kona journey on Facebook and Instagram. 

Embrace your taper

"I don't feel like myself!"

"I feel so off!"
"I feel so lazy"
"Why do I suddenly feel sick/injured?"

For many athletes, the taper period before a race brings a lot of feelings. Some good and some well, not so welcomed.

You'd think that for any athlete who has endured months of hard training, he/she would look forward to a physical decrease in the training load. Yes, that is often looked forward to but it's actually the feelings, that come along with this drop in volume, that leave an athlete feeling uncomfortable in so many ways.

Think about this....
You've reached a point in your season when you put in countless hours of training and you have covered more miles in a week than you feel comfortable driving in a car (who wants to sit in a car for 100+ miles???)  and you have accomplished one too many "impossible to finish" workouts.

Here you are and the only thing between you and putting all that training to good use is ~2 weeks of a drop in training volume to finally let your body recover and heal. 

What's not to love about taper?
Taper means it's almost go time! 

Oh, that's right....
Your "normal" routine changes and that another reason why taper is so terribly uncomfortable. 

It's important to understand that every athlete handles their taper differently - and depending on the athlete, the race distance/goals, previous training and racing intensity, there are many different types of tapers. 

To help embrace and properly execute taper before your next race, here are a few of my taper do's and don'ts.

TAPER DO and DON'TS

Do not rest too much, especially on race week. A drastic drop in mileage and intensity can leave you feeling sluggish, stiff and all-around "off". We prefer to have our athletes "recover" from their last peak week of training for 3-4 days as a "taper" and then sharpen the body for race day with ~1.5 weeks of workouts that help wake-up the body for race day. This helps reduce the chance of the sluggish feeling that many athletes experience by resting too much all the way until race day.

Do lower your training volume relative to your peak training. A proper taper helps you recharge and sharpen but if you are putting out too much volume (especially due to "fear based training" or validation, race-ready efforts) you will go into your race feeling exhausted.

Do not race your workouts. Save your best performance for race day. 

Do not worry about your weight. You are not getting ready for a fitness pageant where you are being judged for what you look like. You are being rewarded by what your body can do and you can do a lot with a well-fueled, nourished, strong and resilient body. 

Do not focus on your body composition during your taper. Do not weigh yourself, talk about race weight, compare yourself to other athletes or bash your body.

Do thank your body for getting you to your start line - regardless of your current level of fitness. Be proud of what you were able to overcome before race day and bring a high level of gratefulness to race day.

Do focus on a healthy, well-balanced diet until the 72 hours until race day. Then reduce the fiber/fat to help optimize digestion while minimizing gut residue.

Do not do fear based workouts or any validation-type efforts to "see" if you are race ready. 

Do trust the work that you did to get to where you are right now. Feeling undertrained is 100% better than being overtrained. Most athletes who feel underprepared are many times, very prepared.

Do not give your best effort in training, when no one is watching. Be willing to go there and dig deep on race day.

Do bottle up your building energy and visualize yourself succeeding on race day. When training volume decreases, increase your mental strength skills.

Do not change your daily routine too much. Aside from getting a bit more restful sleep, try to keep your body on a similar schedule.

Do write out an itinerary for yourself in the 24 hours before your race and then continue your planning through your race day. Write out your plans for travel, eating, fueling and any other details that will make for a smooth race day experience in the 24 hours before and on race day.

Do not change what has worked in training. Trust what has worked and don't try anything new on race day.

Do be open to being flexible on race day. Understand the demands of your race (terrain, weather) and recognize what strategies will help you overcome the obstacles that may come your way. Consider working with a sport dietitian and a mental skills coach/sport psychologist to help navigate through these unknown situations so you have a game plan for the "what ifs". 

Do not go into a race being metric driven. Finishing the swim in x-time, holding x-watts or mph on the bike and then running x-min/mile does not mean you will have the best race possible. The fastest athletes (and those who can put together a successful race) on race day are those who slow down the least and can trouble shoot situations while staying proactive throughout the entire race. 

Do not become a non-athlete during taper. Do not voluntarily become a carpenter and start working a house project that you have been putting off, pick up a ball sport (I can't tell you how many athletes I know who have sprained an ankle by "playing" with friends/kids), make a major life change, put extra work projects on your plate or overwhelm yourself with stressful to do's.

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

Your taper is the culmination of many months of training. It is a very critical time in your training plan where you intentionally change up your normal training regime.
The workouts during taper are very important.

Athletes who embrace taper (after months of consistent, smart training) are focused, confident and determined to succeed.

No matter how you feel your training during taper, trust that you will be just fine on race day.
Yes, even if you feel absolutely horrible in the 48 hours before your race, you WILL be able to perform well on race day. 

IM Kona - 12 days out

Always a great feeling when the hard work is done after a hard (4.5 hour) workout.

There are many methods and thoughts regarding how much “rest” is needed by athletes, before going into a major competition. Some athletes will train high volume until 7-10 days from an Ironman whereas other athletes will experience a massive drop in volume 21 days out from an Ironman.

Ultimately, when done correctly (and only a few times per year), tapering sharpens your body and mind so that you are prepared physically and mentally for your upcoming competition.

Tapering is defined as a short-term reduction in a training load before an important athletic event.

When you train consistently, you are placing a lot of intentional stress on your body. You know this feeling well as you are carrying around a lot of residual fatigue, which makes it difficult to feel fresh and energetic for all of your workouts.

However, you need to train through fatigue so that your body can adapt in order to gain the necessary physiological adaptations to help meet the physical demands of your upcoming event.

During your peak training, you never have time to fully recover between your workouts. You are always bringing fatigue to the next workout. 

Even with the occasional rest day and EZ workouts inserted into your training plan, your body is never completely repaired from the previous hard workout(s).

While you can use sleep, mobility, recovery gear, diet and massage to encourage quick recovery, taper finally gives your body the chance to heal from the destructive process that we call training.

Whereas you spend many months making physiological investments to gain fitness, it's only on race day (for your key race) when you finally “cash out” with your accumulated fitness gains.

Tapering also provides a necessary mental relief from the emotional toll that training has on the body. Through taper, you can improve your mental energy to prepare psychologically for your race (insert: train your mind to be willing to suffer on race day).
It is important that you limit the validation of fitness/readiness-type workouts (ex. race simulations, obsessive race pacing with heart rate, speed or power, etc.) during taper as it may physically make it hard for your body to perform well on race day but it is emotionally exhausting to do a "race effort" more than once.
You only need to dig deep and prove you can do it once....on race day.
Don't race your workouts!

Aside from the obvious benefits that you feel when tapering before a major competition, your decrease in training load will boost muscle glycogen levels, increase aerobic enzymes, repair micro-tears in muscle and connective tissue (which can help improve power, speed and endurance), increase blood volume, improve neuromuscular coordination and boost mental focus.

Be mindful that tapering does not result in detraining but improves your ability to race as it helps reduce the accumulated effects of fatigue and muscle/tissue breakdown, induced by heavy training.

Tapering will not set you up for a great race day performance if you do not put in the necessary work to physiologically prepare for your upcoming event.
Following a haphazard training plan or only doing only a handful of workouts in the 8 weeks before an Ironman (because life got into the way or you are overcoming an injury) does not warrant a long extended taper (it can actually do more harm than good).

Because too long and too much of a taper can make you feel out-of-shape and off your normal routine, sharpening with just the right amount of a drop in volume, with adequate intensity and recovery, as you stay committed to your mental strength skills, will help you gain an athletic advantage as you will be training just enough, at the right intensity and volume, in order to perform at the highest level possible on race day.

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Drafting behind Karel on my road bike (double hard work fro me not being aero!) during his ride on Saturday.

Karel's week started out easy with 3 days of frequent, low intensity workouts to help with recovery after the past 3 weeks of intense and long training.
Karel felt "off", which was to be expected, as his body was doing some massive recovering and repairing.

The intensity increased on Thursday with a healthy amount of IM training volume over the weekend.

Here's how the weekend looked just 2 weeks out from IM Kona (Karel's 3rd IM since June).
(Karel is coached by Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness)

Saturday: 
4 hour ride + 30 min run
Bike:
Main set:
60 min, 45 minutes, 30 minute at IM effort w/ 15 min Z1/2 effort in between each IM effort.

Run off the bike:
10 min below, 10 min at, 10 min above IM effort

Sunday: 
80 minute run
Main set:
2 x 20 min Z3+ w/ 10 min Z2 in between

Happy 40th Birthday Karel!

It was an interesting summer in 2006 as I was very much into my routine of working and training and I didn't want anything to get into my way of training for my first Ironman. I was living with my parents but I was only there to sleep as my life revolved around training, working and training.
I resisted the invitation to meet a "talented cyclist, from Europe with a sexy accent" as a training partner of mine described, as she wanted to set me up with a nice single guy. A few weeks went by and I finally accepted the opportunity to meet him. 

It was 10.5 years ago when Karel and I were set-up on a blind date on a group ride.
We met on my birthday, May 31st, 2006.

The next few months were rocky because as I mentioned, all of my energy went into training. The thought of balancing a boyfriend while training for a 140.6 mile event was overwhelming so I entertained the idea of getting to know Karel as a training partner and possibly we would become good friends.

At the age of 24, it was very hard for me to see my relationship "future" as my life revolved around triathlon. I was afraid to let Karel get to know the real me and more than anything, I didn't want to change how I was living my life.

I continued to get to know Karel throughout the summer, through email, AOL messenger, the occasional date (when I choose to make the time) and by training together.
I would go to his cycling races but only if I could train before hand and he came to my triathlon races, when he didn't have a cycling race.
We were two young athletes who were sport focused but I knew I wasn't giving as much to Karel in our "relationship" as he was giving to me.

Over the next few months, I found myself slowly falling for Karel but a relationship still scared me. In all honesty, I could feel that Karel was the right one for me to spend my life with as he had every quality I wanted in a husband (despite never getting that far in a relationship before to even think about those deep questions) but I didn't want to give up my routine just to be with him.

I was only a matter of time when I came to terms with my silly thoughts and that a relationship doesn't have to change you for the worst but it can actually make you a better person.

Here we are, 10 years later and I'm a better person because of Karel. I've changed a lot in 10 years, not because Karel told me to, but every relationship has give and take.

Our situation is unique because we now (as of 2014) live together, train together, work together, travel together and well, spend about every hour of every day together, almost 365 days per year.

You'd think that I would save this post for our anniversary as it is more about our relationship together, than his birthday, but I'm extremely lucky that Karel was brought into this world and I imagine that anyone who knows Karel, feels the same way.
He is an incredible human being.

Just a few months after meeting, I wanted to do something special for Karel's birthday. His 30th birthday was approaching on September 22nd and I came up with the idea to give him a surprise birthday party with his close cycling friends (of which, a few were our match makers).

I coordinated the meal (pasta party - I think the State Championships were that weekend), the guest list and the secret plan to surprise him.

All went as planned and after the SURPRISE, Karel was shocked.
He had never been to or had a surprise birthday before and he was speechless.

It was a special way to celebrate his 30th birthday so I figured, why not repeat that surprise again, 10 years later.

A lot has changed with us in 10 years but all for the better.
I'm glad I gave up my stubborn mindset of how I wanted to live my life to make sure my life included Karel.
Although we are both competitive athletes, much of our life happiness s made from experiences. Although sports (triathlon) make for great memories, it's more about doing things we both love, together, as our life is triathlon....and so much more.

Lucky for us, we live in a place that has a great triathlon community and we feel connected to so many kind, funny, nice and giving athletes. Although we don't have a designated triathlon racing or club team here in Greenville, I'd say that every Greenville triathlete feels welcomed, accepted and supported.
Well that is until a thread on the Greenville Area Triathlon Training Facebook page gets hijacked by....well, I won't name names :)

We have formed close friendships with several triathletes and I knew Karel's birthday celebration wouldn't be complete without these important people in our lives. 

(Including my mom, grandpa - who is in town and Karel's very close long-time friend from Jacksonville, James Sweeney). 

It's hard to believe at one time in my life, I was worried about letting Karel into my life.
Now, I couldn't imagine my life without him.


Happy Birthday Karel!

Cheers to getting one year older, moving into a new triathlon age group, getting faster and being fitter than ever before.
And continue your healthy diet of IPA beer, croissants, frozen recovery bars, coffee and chocolate.
It's working for you! 

Making peace with your body

Today is International Day of Peace, which is "devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples."

The theme for this year is “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace."

In honor of making peace, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about making peace with your body. Ultimately, when you are at peace with your body, you are a better human.
When you hate your body, you may find that you also hate life.
This is not the way that you should be living.

Accepting and appreciating your body will improve your quality of life as you are not spending your days trying to fix yourself, but instead, you are focusing on doing things that really matter in life - like your career, your hobbies (ex. sports), your close friendships, your family and personal life experiences (ex. traveling).  

Here are a few tips to help you make peace with your amazing body.

1. Figure out your internal dialogue - Every day, we have thoughts. Often, thoughts lead to actions. When you are feeling upset about something related to your body, verbalize it - don't just think about it and assume that immediate action will make you feel better.
Consider how many body-related thoughts you experience each day and after you say those thoughts out loud, get to the root of why you feel that way about your body. Many times, thoughts about your body have nothing to do with your body but instead, the rest of life.
You had a bad workout, you are stressed, you didn't sleep well last night, you feel overwhelmed, etc. yet you blame all of this on your body???
Don't believe everything that you think and most of all, don't act on every thought (ex. That's it - I'm starving myself tomorrow because I'm too heavy!")
When your mind tells you something negative, don't let your thoughts control your behaviors. Instead, create a better dialogue in your head that is more proactive to healthy living and eating habits and above all, lets you think more positive about your body.

2. Stop the comparison game - Just because someone else weighs less than you, this doesn't make you fat. Don't let the weight of someone else make you feel bad about your own body. It's dangerous to constantly compare yourself to other people because you will never feel good enough or happy enough. It's so easy to compare the worst about yourself to the best (assumption) of someone else. The more positives you assume are in another person, the more negatives you will make up about yourself. This includes a past version of yourself as well.
Sometimes the best strategy for stopping comparison is to change your surroundings. You should be surrounding yourself with people who make you feel great about your body and your life. Are there people who you need to remove from your social media channels or stay away from at the gym or at a race? You are unique and an important person in this world, just the way you are.
You never need to be compared to anyone else because you are YOU and just fine the way that you are.

3. Understand your feelings - When you have a negative thought about your body, ask yourself what else is bothering you. Body hatred is an easy way to dismiss other issues in life that may be bothering you. Instead of obsessing about your body and using diet and exercise to numb emotions and to gain control over a situation, explore the deeper reasons of your stress. It's important to experience happiness and joy in your life but using food and exercise to cope with deep feelings to make you feel less stressed are not healthy coping strategies.
Choose self-love not self-hatred. 

4. Positive affirmations -  Life will often give you many opportunities to either love your body (you nailed your workout) or hate your body (ex. looking in the mirror, feeling bloated). It seems appropriate to suggest that you should simply minimize the occasions when you experience the most body-hate in life but in reality, there will be times in your life when you can not escape an experience where you will immediately put blame on your body.
It is important to remain body positive as much as possible....especially if you are a parent. If you find yourself constantly talking about your body as fat, ugly, chubby, disgusting, etc., you are not describing a positive reflection of yourself.
What are you thankful for that your body allows you to do?
Constantly remind yourself that your body is more than just a number or a look.

5. Do things that make you feel great about your body - If running is hard on your body, you are not going to find joy in running when you are looking for a way to feel happy with your body.
Regardless if you are an athlete training for a sport or a fitness enthusiast, you should choose activities that make you feel connected to your body and grateful for your body.
When you feel connected to your body, you will be more likely to acknowledge your strengths as an individual but more so, you will feel happy as you use and move your body.
Don't let other people persuade you to do something that truly doesn't make you excited to workout or train.


Did you thank your body today? 

Trimarni pre-workout pancakes

Yum - Trimarni pre-workout pancakes with nut butter, cinnamon, syrup and bananas)

A common struggle among athletes is eating before a workout.

Many athletes have no idea what to eat (often due to confusion - how much, what, when, why) but a large portion of athletes struggle to properly digest food before a workout, which causes GI issues during the workout and thus, even the thought of eating before a workout is a scary thought (which is even more scary when it comes to race day and an athlete feels he/she can't eat before a race).

Here are a few of the benefits of consuming a pre-workout snack: 
-Fuel your upcoming workout
-Help with delaying fatigue during the workout
-Giving you energy for your workout
-Helping you think more clearly during your workout (focus, attention)
-Helping you stay satisfied (and not hungry) during your workout
-Reducing the  risk of dizziness, lethargy or shaky feelings, due to low blood sugar
-Prevent overeating after the workout
-Reduce sugary/sweet cravings later in the day
-Better control over portions throughout the day
-Less tendency to snack in the evening

As you can see, there are clear performance benefits of consuming a pre-workout snack but eating before a workout plays a favorable role in food choices throughout the day - which for any athlete who is looking for a safe and effective way to lose weight, this goes against the common trend that many athletes intentionally restrict calories before a workout in hopes of losing weight. Typically, this approach backfires and athletes end up sabotaging a high intensity or long volume training session (or even an EZ workout) due to fatigue and then overeat later in the day.

Here are some of the reasons why athletes struggle to accept food before a workout: 
-Thoughts that eating before a workout is bad (ex. you can't lose weight, calories in/calories out, you want to be "metabolically efficient")
-Your digestive system needs healing (ex. gut flora, bacteria)
-Inappropriate food choices before a workout (too high fiber, too heavy, too gassy)
-Poor timing of food choices relative to the start of the workout
-You want to save your calories for post workout
-Starting the workout too soon after sitting all day or waking up (you only give yourself 20 minutes or less from being sedentary or waking up before you start working out)
-Unhealthy daily nutrition choices
-Eating too much in the evening (large portions)
-Eating too close to bed
-You don't like the feeling of food in your gut
-You have to constantly use the restroom (loose stools, gas, diarrhea)
-You haven't trained your gut to accept food
-You think you don't need it


In my experience in working with athletes who struggle to consume food before a workout, there are many reasons as to why athletes choose to not eat before a workout.
But we need to fix this as there is a big problem with not eating before a workout.

At some point in your training and on race day, you WILL need to eat before you exercise.
Convincing yourself that you don't need to eat or that you can never eat before a workout (for whatever reason) is not only performance limiting but it can also affect your health.

My hope is that with my Trimarni pre-workout pancake recipe, you will find joy and energy by eating before a workout. I mean, who doesn't love pancakes?
I will not be attaching any rules as to when you need to eat the pancakes (ex. what workout distance/intensity) or how much but instead, I encourage you to try them out, in a portion that you feel comfortable with (1/3, 1/2 or the entire batter).
You should find these pancakes very light and easy to digest (thus the ingredients that I used in making this creation) so that you can eat a portion of your liking and feel clean in your gut, within 20-30 minutes.

If you feel that your training partner or friend would benefit from this blog post, I encourage you to share. I have worked with far too many athletes who have struggled with eating before workouts and races and I know how much of a performance limiter it can be to feel that you can't eat before a workout/race OR that you have no idea what to eat.

Let's start with pancakes.
Enjoy!

Trimarni pre-workout pancakes

Makes 3 medium sized pancakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup gluten free flour (or your choice low fiber flour)

1/4 cup lactose free 1% milk (or your choice milk)

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

1. Mix together ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
2. Pre-heat small skillet to low/medium heat.
3. Lightly coat skillet with butter (I prefer salted butter over olive oil when making pancakes)
4. Pour 1/3 batter into small skillet to make a "thin" pancake.
5. Cook for ~90 seconds or until bottom of pancake is firm and golden brown. Flip. 

6. Cook other side for 30-60 seconds (sides may flip up a little).
7. You can serve your pancake in the traditional style (in a circle) or roll it up like a crepe or fold like a pita. 

(And if you were wondering - these can be anytime pancakes - for a snack, breakfast or even brinner).

Total calories (this is for the entire batter, portion as you wish depending on your workout. You can always save a pancake or two for after your workout): 

360 calories

8.5 g fat
450 mg sodium
57g carbohydrates
6g fiber
18g sugar (natural)

14g protein

Topping suggestions for additional flavor/calories:
Honey

Maple Syrup
Jam
Nut butter
Butter
Bananas

Cinnamon
Fruit

For vegan and dairy-free diets:

1/2 cup gluten free flour 

1/4 cup lactose free 2% milk (or your choice milk)

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg (or 8-10g protein powder, but pancake consistency may change)

If your Trimarni pre-workout pancakes work for you and you love them, consider making a large batch and freezing for future workouts AND for race day. 

IM KONA training - 3 weeks out

After Ironman Austria, Karel wasn't sure if he would ever be able to go that hard in a race again.

With only 8 weeks between IM Austria and IMMT, Karel was able to fully recover from IM Austria (thanks to his mom's cooking and lots of IPA and pastries) and return home with excitement to train again to achieve his season goal of Kona qualifying.

At IMMT, Karel went "there" again for 140.6 miles.



After Kona qualifying at IMMT, Karel was extremely sore and once again, he questioned if he had anything left for a third Ironman, within 15 weeks.

But after quickly physically recovering from IMMT, his body was in a good place to train again.
And most importantly, his mind was in a really good place.

Not only was Karel excited to race on the big island for the 2nd time but he was excited to train for 5-6 more weeks before dropping down the volume before IM Kona.

There are several things that Karel has done right this season which has helped him take his fitness to the next level but as his training partner for many workouts, there is one thing that I often observe in Karel - he never ever goes into workouts with exceptions and he never gets stuck in the metrics of a workout.



After Karel's 5-day trip to Colorado, where he stayed at 9,000 feet with a few friends, he returned home to Greenville very exhausted. He didn't sleep well in CO and his normal sleep cycle was a little off when he returned home. His appetite was a bit zapped after his CO trip and he all-around, felt flat.

We knew that a lot of this was due to the altitude training (which was not intentional for performance benefits but instead, it was just a guys bike trip that was planned last year, without knowing if Karel would Kona qualify) so Karel didn't obsess over any workout and just did the best that he could, while also focusing on all the little details, like diet, sleep and mobility, to help him recover from the CO trip.
Karel was in the middle of his biggest IM Kona training prep which required a lot of mental and physical strength.

I am reminded by a statement from Dr. G who once told me that many times, when athletes feel extremely flat, tired and sore, this means a breakthrough is coming. It's often hard to think that your fitness is coming around when you are feeling empty inside but sure enough, with a very smart training mindset to not have any expectations for any workout, Karel was able to successfully get through his 5-weeks out from Kona training (albeit, with a tired body) and then 4 weeks out (this past week) his fitness came around and he had some of his best workout executions, with a feeling of "I've never been able to train like this before!"
And let's remember, this comes after racing deep for 2 Ironmans since the end of June.

It's  been incredible to see Karel stay so strong this summer, despite some niggles that have required weekly care from a great local massage therapist and the occasional sessions with a hip/spine focused PT, but I believe it all comes down to his mind.

He is willing to put in the work.
He is willing to dig deep and go "there".
He keeps his easy sessions easy.
He never has expectations for workouts, thus, there are no "bad" workouts.
He doesn't obsess about metrics.
He focuses on good lifestyle habits (sleep, mobility, diet, sport nutrition) to help him recover and execute.
He never worries about his weight (ex. race weight).
He has never followed a diet plan.
He sleeps great.
He is mentally strong.
He absolutely loves training.

It's sad to hear about the athletes who just want their Ironman journey to end with still weeks to go before race day. With so much commitment, time and energy, it can't be performance enhancing to look forward to the end of every workout, with little motivation to even train.

And with the Ironman requiring so much mental strength, I believe this is what takes Karel to that next level with every workout - he does the work early season so that come peak IM training, he's not training with the intention to "build fitness/endurance" to be Ironman ready but instead, he becomes Ironman ready by executing every workout to his best ability and mentally putting himself into race day scenarios and letting his mind be his only limiter. There is no obsession with paces, watts or speeds, thus no let down or need to term a workout as "bad".

This weekend was a quality weekend of "long" training for Karel. Lucky me, I was able to join Karel for his long ride on Saturday and for his key swim on Sunday.

Here's a recap of some of his weekend IM Kona training, 3 weeks out from race day (which followed a very high volume/intense week of training).
(Matt Dixon with Purple Patch is Karel's coach)



Saturday: 4 hour ride (77 miles, 4500 feet of elevation gain):
All endurance effort with the last 70 minutes at half IM effort.

30 min run off the bike (Karel ran on our treadmill to help him execute this set):
10 min form focused
10 min at IM effort
10 min at faster than IM effort
CD as needed

Sunday: 
AM: 90 min run (treadmill for the purpose of this set):
10 min EZ warm-up
Pre set: 2 x 3 min build effort
MS:
4 x 11 min at 4% incline at IM pace (one of the few times that Karel was instructed to go by pace, not effort)
4 min EZ jog in between
Post set:
10-15 min IM effort at 1% grade
CD as needed

PM: 4200 yard swim
10 min EZ warm-up
Pre set: 2xs
2 x 25 fast, 50 easy, 50 fast, 2 x 25 EZ
MS: 7xs
100 fast w/ 2 sec rest
Right into 75 on same send off
(ex. if you come in at 1:30 for 100, your interval for the 75 is 1:30)

400 pull

MS #2: 7xs
75 fast w/ 0-2 sec rest
right into 50 with same send off

400 pull

It's hard to believe that in 8 days, we will be flying to the big island!


From 2011...Karel's first time to Kona to watch me race in my 2nd IM World Championship....where the thought came into his head "If I ever become a triathlete, I want to race HERE!"

2017 Trimarni coaching - apply now!

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If you are reading this blog, there's a good chance you already know a lot about us.

You know that we are full-time triathlon coaches and that we specialize in coaching endurance triathletes.

We are also experts in sport nutrition (Marni) and cycling/bike fitting (Karel).

You can ask Karel to help you with your diet but you will probably get no help....

Unless you like beer. 

We are serious about our coaching and helping our athletes optimize performance. 

  But we also believe that the sport of triathlon should be fun and that every athlete deserves to be part of a great triathlon family.

You know we love to eat, we love to travel and we love Campy.
(You probably don't know that we have two cats and that's because Campy gets all the attention) 

First paws across the line!

You probably know that we raced together in Kona last year at the 2015 Ironman World Championship.

And this year, we both had huge PR's at Ironman Austria (9:13 for Karel, 10:06 for Marni).


I achieved my season race goal of placing on the podium at Ironman Austria.

And Karel did it 8 weeks later at Ironman Mont Tremblant.


 We also hold several triathlon training camps throughout the year, where our campers can learn, be challenged and break away from the normal stressors of life to focus on swim/bike/run/eat/sleep in order to improve skills and to take fitness to that next level. 



But just in case you need a little refresher on who we are at Trimarni Coaching......

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

Marni and Karel are a husband and wife team who specialize in endurance coaching. They are dedicated to helping newbie, experienced, elite and professional athletes maximize sport performance.

Between them both, they have successfully finished 17 Ironman triathlons and have qualified for the Ironman World Championship six times.

Currently, Karel is training for his 2nd Ironman World Championship and Marni will be enjoying her 5th trip to Kona for the IM World Championship as a first time spectator.
Don't worry - she is trained and fit and ready to spectate on the big island. 

Marni is a board certified dietitian with a Master of Science in exercise physiology. She specializes in endurance triathlon coaching and nutrition, race planning and execution, individualized sport nutrition, training and racing fueling and hydrating planning, nutritious daily eating, plant strong diets, body composition changes and helping athletes improve their relationship with food and body image.
She is also a qualified speaker and experienced writer.

Karel is a skilled bike mechanic with a precise eye for detail. He has decades of experience in the bike industry. Karel is an experienced RETUL bike fitter and provides a wealth of knowledge to age group and professional athletes in the areas of triathlon training and racing, cycling skills, equipment/gear choices and appropriate bike fits.
As a former cat 1 cyclist, with no swimming or running background, Karel is now an  accomplished endurance triathlete who recently finished IMMT with the fastest male amateur run split of 3:08. And, he now actually likes to swim (well, sometimes).

  As elite athletes, Marni and Karel bring years of practice, education and skills in their own athletic careers and apply that experience and knowledge to athletes of all levels.

Trimarni philosophy:
Our goal is to help athletes reach performance goals without compromising health.
We incorporate scientific research with practical ideologies and apply to real world settings so that we can take your training and racing to the next level.
Let us help you perform at your best by giving you the individual and personalized services that you and your body deserve. 

If you are an endurance triathlete who is interested in being coached by Marni and Karel for your 2017 triathlon season and you want to be part of the Trimarni coaching team, here's your one-time chance for next season....

APPLY NOW